CH 47

(Lucia’s POV)

Since we couldn’t share our story in the alley covered with beans, we decided to move to a nearby cafe.

“It’s been awhile.”

“…That’s right.”

I lifted the mug and took a sip. As I placed it down, I made a thud sound on purpose and looked at them deliberately.

This look meant, ‘It would be very inconvenient to listen to another excuse, so spit it out.’

“I’m asking you straightforwardly. Why are the Magicians of the Tower following me?” 

“I really apologize for what I did. I didn’t mean to harm you. I just wanted to tell you something when you’re alone, that’s why I followed you for awhile.”

“Tell me something?”

The wizards looked into each other’s eyes. Then, the female sorcerer cut her hand and began to mumble some sort of spell.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m putting up a transparent shield so that our voices won’t be heard by others.”

“Well, it seems that the story to be told is really important.”

“Yes, it is very important.”

There was a ray of seriousness in the male wizard’s eyes. Yet, it was already imprinted in my memory of him stepping on those beans and falling backwards, that’s why he didn’t look very serious to me.

“My lady, do you remember the request that we offered you last time?”

“Are you talking about me being a spy for the Warrior?”  

“You remember well.”

“Yes, and I also remember that I turned down that request.”

“Well, I’m here to give you the same offer, again.”

The wizard slipped his hand inside his coat and pulled out a small piece of paper. Then he carefully laid the paper down on the table.

“Matap official check. 10,000 gold. That’s the amount you suggested before.”

Gasp.

The reaction came from Shud rather than me.

10,000 gold was definitely not a small amount of money. Because Shud, who is a prince, was surprised as well. 

It would be difficult for a high-ranking nobleman in the Empire to be able to pay this amount for just a single request. As Lucia looked at the check on the table, she finally said.

“…What should I do? I’m not even his maid anymore.” 

“It’s simple. You just need to come with us right now.”

“You wanted me to follow you? Then where are you going to take me?”

“The client wants to see you.”

Client.

I rolled my eyes slightly. Even if I don’t ask, he was clearly talking about Duke Blake.

As I looked at him suspiciously, he added hastily.

“It’s not going to be very dangerous. He just wanted to see your face, just for a moment.”

“10,000 gold just to see my face?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The faces of the wizards brightened a little. He must have thought that I was enamored by his proposal.

His face brightened up, as I reached out to pick up the check.  

“Do you accept…?!”

“20,000 gold.”

But that smile didn’t last long. Because the moment that he heard what I asked for, his face hardened like a stone. Instead, I smiled brightly in contrast to him.

“It’s gone up, the amount went up. Bring me 20,000 gold.”

“Oh no, what the hell is this all of a sudden?”

“For your information, if you bring 20,000 gold, I would ask for 100,000 gold.”

“···”

“If you bring 100,000, I’ll call for 1 million gold. If you bring 1 million, I would ask for 10 million gold.”

Both the wizards and Shud blanked out due to shock.

I kept smiling on my own, as I placed the check that I was holding back to the table. 

“Clearly, this means that I will not accept your offer.” 

***

(3rd Person POV)

The wizards were still bewildered on how Lucia easily rejected their request.

Lucia felt sorry for the two wizards. 

She thought that she might have been a bit cruel, but it didn’t seem too harsh considering how she said it.

“Uh, how…” 

The two wizards exchanged signs of incomprehension. With a shocked face, he just murmured words such as “no way” and “aren’t you crazy?” 

Then he asked Lucia a question.

“How can you refuse 10,000 gold?!”

‘Why can’t I say no? I refuse because I have more money.’

Lucia’s calm face shocked them several times more. How can you turn down that much money and have such an indifferent face?

“If you’re done talking, I’ll be on my way.” 

“Now, wait a minute!” 

The male wizard hurriedly reached out and grabbed the hem of Lucia’s robe.

10,000 gold is still 10,000 gold, and he could not give up just like that. If they said that they failed again, this time the Duke will definitely cut off all deals he made with them.

Duke Blake was not the best customer, but he was a quite influential client and a senior aristocrat in the Empire. Losing him as a customer would cause too much damage to the Tower, especially in terms of money. 

`We have to bring her at all costs.’

Their earnest thoughts were easily read by Lucia. 

“Is it about the money?” 

“What?” 

“If I don’t follow you then, would an expensive business deal be cut off?”

As far as she knew, the Matap wizards were more greedy for gold and omnipotent than anyone else. 

In fact, materials for magical experiments were very precious and expensive, and the cost of conducting research was at least the cost of a commoner’s house, so it was only right that a lot of money was needed.

Moreover, on the other hand, they tend to have eccentric personalities, so practical research often takes place behind the scenes. It was difficult to receive easy investments due to the high probability of failure in daily experimental research projects.

Perhaps it was only natural for them to reveal their desperate need for money.

Seeing the swaying eyes of the wizards, Lucia sat down on the chair again.

“Okay. Let’s make a deal.”

“Oh, are you going to accept the request?”

“No. I’m not saying that I’m going to accept that request. I’m telling you to cancel your current contract and sign a different contract with me.”

Lucia rummaged through her belongings and handed them a pouch containing the remaining money that she bought after donating some awhile back.

“This should do for the deposit for now.”

It was a bold remark. 

The wizards could not hide their embarrassment. They were magicians that belonged to the Tower, and although they looked sloppy, their pricing was very expensive.

Short-term requests were often left to wealthy commoners once in a while at the Tower. 

However, signing the contract meant that she would hire these two exclusively.

Even without a request, a large amount of money had to be paid every month as a fixed amount, and the down payment itself was expensive, so it was something that only a high-ranking aristocrat could afford.

But how could a commoner maid come up with such a contract?

They were probably the first among the wizards from the magic tower to receive a contract offered by a commoner. The two were so sure of it.

“My lady, unlike others, our down payment is very expensive. With a little gold, it’s absolutely…”

Though it would never happen, the male wizard picked up the bag Lucia had given him.

Then, the moment he held the bag in his hand, his expression changed.

‘500 Gold.’

He got a sense of how much was inside just through lightly touching the bag. When he heard the clinking sound, there wasn’t a mixture of silver coins.

Rather, there were about 500 gold coins in total.

‘But how…?’

An ordinary maid’s monthly salary does not exceed 10 gold. Meanwhile, Lucia, who still looked very young, had that kind of money.

But he was surprised for another reason.

‘How did she know how much the exact down payment was?’

With the puzzled face of the wizard behind her, Lucia revealed a fresh smile.

‘Back when I was still playing this game, these characters were ones that I couldn’t hire because they were so expensive. However, this time I think I’ll be able to actually hire them.’

The wizards made a pact with Lucia to be her servants while establishing a contract with her and cried while eating mustard seeds.

(t/n: ‘cry while eating mustard seed’ used when someone is forced to do something he or she would rather not do, but has to pretend that they enjoy it anyways. (Mustard seed is hot and spicy and is used for seasoning.))

Her status was unclear, and he was unsure whether she would be able to consistently give them a fixed amount for their payments, but regardless of this, they had no choice but to accept.

First of all, the down payment was definitely already paid, and if it went on like this, the contract with Duke Blake would most likely be canceled, so at least one more customer had to be acquired.

“I’m Jen. This is Finn.”

“Nice to meet you, Contractor!”

Finn came out and said hello to Lucia. He was a man with green hair and a soft face, while Jen was a woman with orange, fluffy hair.

“No need to call me like that. Both of you can call me Lucia.”

Lucia frowned lightly. She knew during the moment they stepped on those beans that they were not a very reliable duo.  

It was just like dumb and dumber.

‘…Why did the Duke hire these two?’

Curiosity suddenly lingered in Lucia’s head, but since a contract had already been signed, she decided not to continue caring about it.

Lucia took them to the house in the village where they had previously lived.

“This is going to be our meeting place. How did you usually contact the contractor?”

“We usually visit their homes. Doesn’t Lucia live here?”

“It’s just like a vacation house, that’s why I don’t stay here every day…”

Jen and Finn’s mouths opened again.

‘She’s not even a noblewoman, but she has different houses, just what the hell is she doing?’

‘Where the hell are you making this much money? Why did you work as a maid when you’re so rich?’

So many questions lingered in their heads, but they couldn’t ask. 

Because It was forbidden to ask such questions about their contractor. 

“Well, for contractors who are not staying in the same place or who move frequently, we have a separate item that we use to communicate with them.”

Jen carefully curled her thumb and index finger together to make it look round.

“I need some extra money because it’s an expensive item.”

“Ugh, I think money is coming out of my ears. How much does it cost?”

“A thousand gold.”

“The down payment is already five hundred. Isn’t this too expensive?”

“Because it’s a very rare and expensive item.”

Lucia folded her arms and pretended to ponder for a while , then nodded her head. Anyway, from her point of view, whether it was five hundred gold or one thousand gold, there was not much of a difference.

“Come back here at sunset tomorrow. I’ll prepare the money for you.”

“All right.”

In addition to that, the two left the house with a light face after arguing about various precautions and the amount of additional money they needed.

Lucia, who saw them leaving with a big smile, couldn’t get rid of her bitter heart.

“It must have been a fair contract, so why do I feel like I’m being scammed?”

Since they were contracted by the Duke, they may have looked sloppy on the outside, but they may also have hidden abilities. Lucia turned her head after comforting herself with such thoughts.