Chapter 23 : How Much Is That Debt? (3)

Evelyn, who witnessed me being thrown down, asked the loan sharks.

“Are you the ones engaging in usury?”

“And who might you be?”

“Answer my question. I never granted you the right to ask any.”

She neither raised her voice nor displayed anger, but her characteristic arrogance and noble demeanor naturally dominated the atmosphere.

The loan shark, unable to grasp what had gone wrong, instead stomped on me as I lay on the ground.

“Are you perhaps this scoundrel’s lover?”

“Not yet…”

“Then how about staying out of this? We don’t know who you are, but this is our business.”

“That won’t do. Move that foot immediately, or I’ll cut it off.”

Evelyn placed her hand on the sword at her waist.

Yet the loan shark, still resting his foot on me, refused to budge.

Evelyn began to draw upon her mana.

“Calm down.”

I stopped Evelyn.

“But Wade, they are humiliating you.”

“It’s fine. Their rudeness stems, in part, from my own mistakes. Let’s just let it go this time.”

“If you insist… Fine. But stop lying there and get up already. It’s unsightly.”

The violence at the inn stemmed from a lack of understanding of the situation.

Since this incident involves the second main heroine, I intend to resolve it peacefully today.

At my words, Evelyn reluctantly took a seat.

Thank goodness.

Being a knight to her core, she’s highly sensitive to insults, but she doesn’t seem furious yet.

“Hey, you.”

I tapped the loan shark’s foot.

“Let’s talk once you move this. You do realize you’re stepping on a noble, don’t you?”

“You must not know. To us, it doesn’t matter if you’re a noble or not. The Rusavian group has our backs.”

“No, you’re the one who doesn’t know. I’m here to pay Lumia’s debt. You can’t treat a client bringing a large sum like this.”

Of course, I had no intention of paying Lumia’s debt, and I didn’t even have much money on me.

But upon hearing my words, the loan shark’s expression changed instantly, and he removed his foot.

“Oh, why didn’t you say so earlier? I didn’t realize and made such a mistake… Please, stand up.”

“So you finally realize your error?”

“I also apologize for my men’s rudeness earlier. We’re not very experienced dealing with nobles, which led to this mistake.”

“Good that you understand.”

I stood up and brushed myself off.

“As I said, I’m here to settle Lumia’s debt. Take me to your boss. I want to speak with him directly.”

“Of course. Follow me.”

We headed to the headquarters of the loan shark organization, Blood Lyn.

The office, like most loan shark establishments, was plain.

There were desks, chairs, and documents related to debtors.

No eye-catching decorations, with the guest sofa being the most extravagant feature.

“We have a distinguished guest. Welcome.”

The boss greeted us.

When Kalian, Lumia, Evelyn, and I sat on the sofa, the loan sharks who brought us here blocked the entrance.

“So you’re here to pay Miss Lumia’s debt. How do you intend to settle it? We accept gold coins or tangible goods.”

“Straight to the point, huh?”

“Business has been busy lately, so quickness has become a habit. Please pardon my lack of formality.”

He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

“I heard you laid hands on my men.”

“They seemed poorly trained, so I taught them a lesson. Why? Do you have a problem with that?”

“Problem? Not at all. In fact, I’m quite curious. How do you intend to repay Miss Lumia’s debt?”

He exhaled a cloud of smoke directly into my face.

That bastard… He thinks I don’t have the means to repay.

He probably assumes I’m just a useless noble clinging to pride

Looks like this conversation might drag on a bit.

“Well… fine. I don’t intend to talk for long either, so let’s get straight to the point.”

“That’s much appreciated.”

“First, summon your boss. I want to speak directly with that person.”

“I’m the one in charge here.”

“No, not you. I mean the one above you—Serena Rusevian of the Rusevian family.”

“What?”

At my demand to “bring out your boss,” the leader looked flustered.

“Why… Serena, all of a sudden?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said I want to discuss the debt directly with her.”

“All debt transactions can be handled through us. If I may ask, what’s your relationship with Lady Serena?”

His tone became slightly more cautious.

“No particular relationship. If I had to say, we were classmates at the academy.”

“So you weren’t sent by her or anything like that?”

“She and I haven’t even seen each other’s faces before. Today would be the first time.”

When I answered honestly, his lips twisted into a sneer, and he reverted to his earlier demeanor—if not even more hostile than before.

“What’s this? So, you’re nothing, then.”

“Whether I’m something or not isn’t for you to decide. Now stop wasting time and summon your master.

I’m not here to chit-chat.”

“Hah… The audacity of some people.”

“What did you say?”

He picked up a teacup that was in front of him, spat phlegm into it, and tossed in his cigarette as well.

“There’s always the occasional fool like you. Some no-name noble comes strutting in, thinking they’re something, babbling about clearing debts… Do you know what happens to those idiots? They disappear.”

“And you… you’re even worse. Bringing up Lady Serena’s name, of all things? Listen here, backwater noble. Do you take us for fools?”

Drip.

Then he poured the vile mixture of phlegm, cigarette ashes, and tea onto my head.

“Well, this is perfect. Since you clearly can’t repay the debt, we’ll harvest your organs, and the women will be sold as slaves.”

Wow, this guy really escalated fast.

I didn’t expect him to go this far, but I did anticipate they wouldn’t take us seriously.

This is where I’d use Evelyn’s name to assert that we’re nobles worth respecting.

But before I could say anything, Evelyn acted.

In a slightly different way than I’d planned.

Swish.

Crash.

“Huh?”

The leader’s hand dropped to the ground, and the teacup shattered into pieces.

He stared blankly at the empty space where his wrist used to be.

Fwoosh.

Blood gushed out from the cleanly severed stump, and only then did the leader realize what had happened.

He let out a piercing scream.

“Aaaagh! What… what the hell is this?!”

“How vulgar. And noisy, too,” Evelyn said, drawing her sword as she stood over him.

The leader, his eyes bloodshot, screamed back.

“You crazy bitch! Do you think you’ll get away with this?!”

“A knight’s honor is their life. Do you truly believe you can dishonor me and my companion and still walk away alive?”

“Don’t just stand there, you bastards! Kill them all!”

The men behind us drew their swords from their waists.

I wanted to stop Evelyn, but the situation had already spiraled out of control, and I had no justification to intervene anymore.

We’re screwed.

I need to start thinking about how to clean up this mess.

“Filthy wench, how dare you do this to our boss? Even if the others die, know that you won’t die easily.”

“Your idle chatter is endless. Come forward.”

“… Why do you just stand there? If you won’t come, I shall go to you.”

Evelyn took a step toward the group of loan sharks.

Though they drew their swords as if ready to attack, they already knew—if they fought her head-on, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Indeed, they couldn’t last a single exchange before their heads were severed.

“Bring everyone outside! No, call Lady Serena too! If you don’t, we’re all dead!”

“You misunderstand. No matter who comes, you will all die here.”

“Shit!”

Hearing the commotion, the rest of the gang outside rushed in, but there was nothing they could do.

They trembled in fear, awaiting their inevitable deaths.

All of them lost their lives in an instant.

Yet even among the dead, one man clung desperately to life.

The thug who had stepped on me earlier was crawling down the hallway, his ankle severed.

“Hrrgh… ugh…”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“P-please spare me! I’ll do anything, anything you say! I’ll crawl, I’ll bark if you command—just please…”

“What use do I have for someone like you? Reflect on the sins you’ve committed as you take your last breaths.”

“AAARGH!”

Evelyn severed his limbs before delivering the final blow to his neck.

The hideout, once filled with screams and chaos, quickly fell silent.

The only one left was the boss with the severed wrist.

Believing that staying quiet might make everyone forget about him, he crouched behind a desk. But such hope was futile.

“Are you afraid?”

Evelyn approached him gracefully, towering over him.

Though she had just slain dozens, not a single drop of blood stained her body.

What emanated from her was elegance, nobility… and terror.

The boss, drenched in tears and mucus, wet himself.

“P-please… spare me… I’ve made a mistake… I’ll never overstep my bounds again. I’ll disappear forever. Just, please spare my life…”

“And what of your actions toward Wade?”

“I-I’ll apologize! I’ll sincerely apologize!”

Bleeding profusely, he crawled toward me and knelt at my feet.

“Should I eat phlegm if you command it? Lick your shoes if you ask? Anything—just please, spare my life…”

“That’s enough. Step away from him.”

“You’re… sparing me?”

“I said, step away from him.”

“Y-yes! Of course!”

The boss scrambled back from me in relief.

Thwack.

And then his head was severed.

“If you stayed close to him, filth would have sullied him.”

Evelyn, who had dispatched the last remaining man, calmly wiped the blood off her sword.