“Free? What does that even mean, nyang?”
Serena, whose wrist was caught, asked.
I clicked my tongue.
“Tsk… You call yourself a capable merchant, yet you don’t know that? If you want to get close to Kalian, you need to pay. To me, that is.”
“Why should I do that, nyang?”
“Because I have the authority to control the women approaching Kalian.”
“That’s nonsense, nyang! Getting close to Kalian is between me and him; I don’t need your permission, nyang!”
Serena brushed off my hand and stretched hers out, desperately trying to make contact with Kalian.
Tap, tap, tap.
I kept deflecting her hand.
Despite her increased determination and quicker attempts, it was futile.
“Nyaaaah!”
“Too slow. Do you really think you can outpace me at that speed?”
“Stop interfering, nyang! I just want to touch Kalian once, just once, nyang! Please let me, nyang!”
“No.”
We exchanged dozens of moves until Serena, out of breath, finally ran out of stamina.
“Hah… hah… you relentless man…!”
“If you’re done with your workout, go home. I’m going to find someone wealthier with Kalian. Someone willing to spare no expense for him.”
“W-Wait!”
As I turned away, she grabbed my shoulder.
I turned my head lazily, annoyed.
“What now?”
“I’ve heard of it, nyang. There’s a man in Arcana who screens the women approaching Kalian. They say all women offer him tributes in hopes of achieving their dream.”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“What do I need to do, nyang? How much do I have to pay to get close to Kalian, nyang? Just tell me.”
Serena asked with a serious expression.
“Didn’t you say earlier that you didn’t need my permission? Keep trying if you want, though nothing will change.”
“I’ve changed my mind, nyang. Just tell me. I’ll pay the appropriate price, nyang.”
“You don’t have to push yourself. It makes me feel like I’m forcing someone who doesn’t want it. Talking to a miser is exhausting too.”
“I spend money where it matters, nyang.”
“Really?”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Then… let’s just quietly move on from what happened today.”
“That’s a bit… tricky, nyang. My family’s honor is at stake here. I can’t just let what happened to my subordinates slide….”
“Then this conversation is over. I’ll take Kalian and head home.”
“Alright, nyang! I’ll handle this situation myself. Let me know if there’s anything else you need, nyang.”
Serena nodded hurriedly.
Heh, too easy.
Judging by the mood, I can squeeze her dry and still have change left over.
I smirked and glanced at the others.
But Kalian, Evelyn, and Lumia’s expressions were strangely complicated.
What?
Do I look like a shameless scoundrel exploiting a woman’s feelings?
Well, if that’s what you think… you’re absolutely right.
“And if you look at the usurer’s client list, you’ll find Lumia Sorel’s name on it. Erase all the debt under her name.”
“Nyang… Do you even know how much that is…?”
“It’s not much. If you don’t want to, just say so. I’m not running a charity here… Honestly, I’m already taking a loss.”
“Fine, nyang. I’ll clear all that debt. Is that everything now?”
I held up two fingers.
“Just one more thing. Get me two doses of Solis Cardin.”
“The cure for Frostheart Syndrome, nyang?”
“A friend of Kalian’s family is suffering from that disease. Can you handle it?”
“That won’t be too hard, nyang.”
Kalian and I looked at Lumia.
She sat there wide-eyed, clearly not expecting things to unfold this way.
Not that I could blame her; even I hadn’t anticipated this outcome.
Having finalized the deal, Serena clenched her fists and beamed.
“Then! I’ve paid all my dues, nyang!”
“Congratulations on becoming an official member of the Kalian Club, dear customer.”
I clapped with a broad smile.
“Then! I am now officially Kalian’s girlfriend, nyang!”
“Huh…? What kind of nonsense is that? Of course not.”
“Nyang?”
“Hah, you’re completely clueless about how the world works.”
I shook my head and placed a hand on Serena’s shoulder.
“Our Kalian Club operates on a tiered membership system, dear customer. To become Kalian’s girlfriend, you need to reach Diamond tier.”
“Diamond… tier…?”
“The tiers are Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Master. The higher the tier, the greater the benefits.”
“Then what’s my tier, nyang? Platinum?”
“Hahaha, get real. Serena, you’re a Bronze member. You just joined today; how could you possibly be Platinum already?”
“T-This is a scam, nyang… I… I can’t accept this, nyang!”
Serena muttered, looking as if she’d been hit on the back of her head. I, however, gestured toward the women around us, unfazed.
“Well, if you’re not interested, that’s fine. There are plenty of women lined up, eager to join the club. I don’t have anything to lose.”
“Nyang?!”
Serena glanced around and flinched.
Noblewomen had appeared out of nowhere—women who always followed Kalian, their wallets in hand, eyes gleaming with determination.
“Wake up, Serena. This isn’t a sunny garden; it’s a jungle of relentless survival competition. Stay idle, and you’ll be left behind.”
“Nyang…!”
Her expression suddenly became resolute.
Though I intended to connect Serena with Kalian eventually—she was one of the main heroines, after all—it didn’t hurt to instill a bit of tension.
It would make it easier to extract money when needed.
After finishing the negotiations, Serena had a brief conversation with Kalian (limited to three minutes) and then left.
She mentioned she’d been too busy to visit Arcana often before, but now that she was a full member of the Kalian Club, she’d be attending school regularly.
That worked well for me.
After leaving the café, we waited for Evelyn’s carriage to return to the capital’s center.
Kalian asked, “Are you sure this is okay? It felt like you were squeezing her dry back there.”
“It’s fine. No matter how much I take, it won’t hurt her.”
“But didn’t you tell me to get along with Serena? This might ruin your relationship. It wouldn’t be surprising if she resents you.”
“Resent me? If she were the type to hold a grudge, she wouldn’t have agreed to the deal in the first place. Don’t worry about it.”
Serena was someone I had advised Kalian to befriend.
Like Lumia, she was one of the main heroines and would greatly benefit Kalian’s future.
Lumia approached me and bowed deeply.
“Thank you so much for today. Really… truly… thank you. Wade, if it weren’t for you, I don’t know what would have happened to my parents…”
“Don’t thank me; thank Kalian. It’s all because of his good looks. I just played the wind.”
“Wade, Kalian… thank you. And Evelyn, thank you so much for accompanying us today.”
Lumia bowed to me, Kalian, and Evelyn in turn.
Evelynn glanced at me with a sharp gaze.
“I saw what you did back there, Wade. Manipulating a woman’s affections for your own gain—shameless, truly shameless.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“I won’t press the matter further since you clearly had your reasons. But why did you, who always blocked others from approaching Kalian, so readily accept Serena?”
“Because she met my criteria.”
“And what criteria might that be? I can’t figure it out.”
“It’s complicated. Let’s just say… it’s destiny.”
“That only makes me understand less.”
With that, Kalian, Lumia, and Evelyn got into the carriage and returned to the capital.
I still had things to take care of here, so I decided to return later on my own.
Though they were curious about what I planned to do, I gave a vague excuse.
There was no need for them to know.
The sun dipped below the horizon.
The red sunset gradually turned a bluish hue, and the number of passersby dwindled.
Those with a sense of self-preservation retreated indoors for safety.
The once lively streets filled with merchants’ shouts and children’s laughter were now shrouded in darkness.
Rats scurried through the alleys, scavenging scraps from the trash.
When no sign of life could be felt around me, I spoke softly.
“Maria.”
“Yes.”
Someone emerged from my shadow.
It was as if she had been one with the darkness itself.
Without a sound, she stepped out of my shadow, dressed in her maid uniform, her head bowed as always.
In the dimly lit street, her white hair and crimson eyes glowed faintly.
“Did you look into it?”
“I’ve completed the investigation regarding those who recently contacted Lumia’s family.”
“Did you find anything suspicious?”
“There are two individuals of interest: the one who provided Lumia’s parents with pneumonia medicine and the one who offered the Frostheart Syndrome cure.”
When I visited Lumia’s home and saw her parents, I could tell instantly.
Someone harbored malice toward Lumia.
Frostheart Syndrome isn’t a condition one would contract under ordinary circumstances.
That meant someone had deliberately caused it.
So, I had tasked Maria with investigating.
“Pneumonia medicine, huh…”
“Both of Lumia’s parents happened to have pneumonia.”
“If the composition of the medicine were altered, it’s possible to induce Frostheart Syndrome. They both would have taken the medicine… so this seems likely.”
“I agree.”
The ingredients needed to artificially create Frostheart Syndrome aren’t exactly rare.
Using materials with extremely cold mana, like Frizentrene or Glacio, a skilled alchemist could easily craft it.
The real challenge lies in obtaining those ingredients, but whoever orchestrated this must be quite resourceful.
“Why is the person who prepared the Frostheart Syndrome cure suspicious? Did they sell counterfeit medicine?”
“Exactly.”
“Then we should investigate them too. Let’s go.”
With Maria by my side, I began to move.