Chapter 121 - Give It Back

I coughed awkwardly.

"Uh, I don't know if the deal we made still stands, but I did work on the farm the past two days and..."

Mildred didn't respond, as expected.

I scratched the back of my head.

"I will only be taking what we agreed upon! So..."

It fell silent.

For a few moments, I felt a little weird for talking to someone who couldn't even respond. Someone that probably didn't even hear me.

I cleared my throat.

"Um, anyways... sorry for taking the money from you while you're asleep."

With that, I stood up from the seat and opened the drawer I remembered seeing Mildred open before.

For a few moments, I was taken aback by the sight in front of me.

There was a pile of copper and silver coins. From what I could tell, there were more than a hundred of each.

...Wasn't this a lot of money?

If I remember correctly, Mildred said she didn't bother saving her money.

So how did she have so much?

Well... at least the fact that she had plenty took a bit of the guilt off of my shoulders. Though, I still spent a few moments awkwardly staring.

In the end, I thickened my skin enough to take one of the silvers, which was two days worth of work.

A bitter smile appeared on my face.

Why did I feel a little...

Nevermind.

I opened the door and took a step forward.

Then stopped.

I gave Mildred one last look.

"See you later, Mildred."

With that, I left the room.

I hurried over to put away the silver in my room. Then, I rushed down the steps. I almost tripped at one point which made my heart leap in fear. Thankfully, I was holding onto the railing.

The reason I was in such a rush was that I told Ned I was going to be down soon to help cook, but ended up spending a little bit more time than I should've.

Yet, once I reached the kitchen...

"Jay?"

Ned was walking out with a few plates of food already in his hands. Erin and Alyx were behind him similarly carrying some as well.

The corner of my lip twitched.

"Ah... sorry, I didn't keep track of time that well."

Ned laughed.

"It's fine, it's fine. The intention was there, so don't feel too bad."

A bitter smile formed on my face.

"Haha, thanks."

Erin giggled.

"But arrive properly next time!"

Alyx smirked.

"Who do you think has to do your job when you're gone? I need my fellow inept cooker, or I won't feel right."

I nodded while laughing.

"Alright, alright!"

With that, we walked over to the dinner table before eating our meal. Although we joked around like normal, I still felt a little guilty for abandoning them so many times.

It didn't take too long for us to finish, after which everyone seemed to have their own business to attend to, including me.

After all, it was finally time to buy the tools I needed for drawing. I went to my room to retrieve the money. Once I opened the drawer and collected the silver along with one hundred coppers.

There was still some leftover that Mildred carelessly gave me. Since she gave it to me while in a bad state of mind, I decided to put that extra amount back in her drawer.

With that, I held the four days of payment in both hands.

It felt a little surreal, given how much I had to work for something that I could carry so easily. Despite being light, there seemed to be a weight coming from them, simply because of what they represented in my mind.

...I guess it was finally time to buy those supplies.

After putting the coins into my pockets, I walked out of the palace, feeling a little more sluggish than I expected. It was almost like... all the work I did for this money was just going to lead to even more work.

Something like an endless chain.

But before I could continue being swallowed up by my thoughts...

"Hey, you!"

I looked to the side to see the two boys.

...The two boys who beat me up multiple times before.

There was a scowl on the taller boy's face.

"It's been so long, yet Erin hasn't even shown up! You owe us a meeting, don't think you can hide away this time!"

He was here...

How long was this guy waiting?

...It seems Erin wasn't overexaggerating it when she said people were watching her.

This person was just far too persistent.

I furrowed my brows with annoyance.

"I told you before, there's no way for me to get a meeting for you. The relationship between the two of us simply doesn't extend that far."

The shorter boy frowned.

"Is it really that hard? You just have to ask her, that's all! There's no way she would refuse if she knew who was visiting her!"

...I couldn't help but imagine the type of meeting these guys would have with Erin. It sounded like they would push things. All things considered, she wouldn't want to meet with these kinds of people.

Is this the type of protecting Alyx did?

I really should've asked her how she pulled it off...

A frustrated sigh escaped me, while heat began rushing to my head.

"Did you not remember what I said? Erin hates me, if I ask for you, that would only make it harder for you to get a meeting."

That was obviously false. If I really tried, I'm sure Erin would give these people a chance.

However, there was no way they were going to get that kind of treatment.

...Somehow or another, a lie easily slipped past my lips. Almost like it was natural.

The taller boy grit his teeth.

"...So your only use is to be beaten up! Only then will she recognize our efforts."

The shorter boy narrowed his eyes.

"He's already fine! There's no way Erin will notice us if he just heals before she can see the work we put in!"

The taller boy sighed.

"Then we just have to make sure he can't heal!"

So it was going to happen again, I guess.

My limbs began to feel cold, as though they were already saddened by what was to come.

The taller boy shoved me, making me fall to the ground. Immediately, the coins in my pockets spilled out.

He had raised his fist, but his attention was focused on the money on the ground.

"...You almost have a week's worth of my allowance."

A bit of panic set in.

I worked far too hard to get these coins. It only now occurred to me that they could take them from me.

That everything I tried so hard for could disappear like that.

I frantically tried to scoop the coins back into my pockets, but the shorter boy stepped on my hand, stopping me.

He scoffed.

"What do you think you're doing?"

A faint gleam flashed by his eyes.

Eyes filled with greed.

Although getting beat up was unpleasant, I could more or less endure it. As for the money, that was too far.

The money represented something to me.

It was my path forward to learn spells faster.

By learning the spell faster, it could help me develop some kind of spell to grow things faster.

And from there, it could help me save people.

Save all of the friends I made.

So that we could live a peaceful life together.

Which was why...

"I can't give you the money."

My stance was clear.

The taller boy furrowed his brows.

"And why can't we? If anything, Erin would appreciate the fact we robbed you! I don't see your point, are you stupid?"

I took a deep breath.

"Aren't you a noble? You should have this kind of money already, no?"

The shorter boy clicked his tongue.

"As if! My dad only lets me have a silver a week, and that's only if he's feeling generous. Sometimes he only gives me fifty coppers!"

...I couldn't help but think of the stack of silvers in Mildred's wardrobe.

Did that mean she was rich?

I took a deep breath.

"Is it not enough for you to survive?"

The taller boy scoffed.

"Of course not! How am I supposed to buy any jewelry at this rate? All the others must look down on me because of that!"

I furrowed my brows.

"...Is it not enough for food?"

The shorter boy raised an eyebrow.

"Hah? Why would we need to buy food? The maids always give us as much food as we want!"

The taller boy shrugged his shoulders.

"It definitely isn't enough for a proper meal in the royal restaurant."

The side of my face twitched.

"...So you don't need it."

The taller boy rolled his eyes.

"Of course I do!"

He began sweeping up the coins.

I felt something within me boil.

"Give it back."