However, despite our help, Lumia’s part-time job was not over.
The bakery owner, having sold all the bread, told Lumia she could go home, but it turned out Lumia had another job aside from the bakery.
“We finished earlier than planned, so can’t you take a little break?”
“Sorry. I’ve been so busy lately… Let’s meet up when I have some free time. I have someplace I need to go today.”
“Why are you so busy? Did you suddenly have expenses to cover? You didn’t work this much before.”
“Well… it’s nothing special. I have to go now!”
Lumia brushed off my question and quickly left.
As someone who had hoped to spend this rare free time on a date between Lumia and Kalian, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Kalian scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Well, if that’s the case, what can we do? Should we just head back?”
“No. Let’s follow Lumia.”
“To help her with more work?”
“No, not that. Don’t you think it’s a bit strange? Even if she’s trying to pay for tuition, she’s working way too much. There might be something unusual going on.”
Even though Lumia came from a poor family, it didn’t seem like she’d work herself to the bone, barely sleeping three hours a day.
There had to be a reason behind all this that I didn’t know.
Perhaps addressing this might even be a shortcut to gaining her favor.
We decided to secretly follow Lumia.
The place she went after the bakery was an inn.
It was the kind of place where food and drinks were served on the first floor, with accommodations on the upper floors.
For a moment, I wondered if she was involved in something illegal, but maybe that was just needless worrying.
As soon as we entered the inn, Lumia greeted us in a familiar manner, though now in different attire.
“Welcome… huh? You two again?”
“What a coincidence! Who would’ve thought we’d run into you here while grabbing a bite to eat?”
“Did you follow me?”
“People call this kind of thing destiny. Why are you just standing there? Aren’t you going to show your esteemed guests to their seats?”
She looked slightly flustered seeing us again.
It seemed like she was hiding something. Or maybe… she just didn’t like two guys seemingly stalking her.
We ordered something simple from the menu.
“I’m stepping out for a bit.”
“Where to?”
“The restroom.”
While Kalian left the table to relieve himself, I observed Lumia as she worked.
She took orders from customers, wrote them in a notebook, relayed them to the kitchen, and delivered prepared food and drinks.
Her demeanor toward customers was energetic, without any of the shyness she displayed at Arcana.
At first glance, everything seemed fine.
But just as I thought that, a rowdy group sitting in the center of the inn shouted angrily.
“We’ve been waiting forever! Where’s our food?”
The lively atmosphere, typical of a large group, turned quiet at their outburst. Lumia quickly approached and calmly explained.
“There are a lot of orders ahead of yours, so you’ll need to wait a little longer.”
“We’ve already waited long enough! Are you ignoring us? How hard can it be to bring out some meat?”
“The dish you ordered takes time to cook, so it’s not ready yet. If you’re in a hurry, I can bring you some bread or stew in the meantime…”
“Are you joking? You made us wait this long, and now you’re telling us to fill up on scraps? You’re just trying to make us mad!”
Despite their words, they didn’t seem genuinely angry.
In fact, they appeared amused, watching Lumia squirm uncomfortably.
At this point, you’d expect someone nearby to intervene or at least say something, but everyone averted their gaze, pretending not to notice.
They didn’t look like nobles. So, who were they?
Lumia brought out a simple snack on a plate, asking them to wait a little longer, but their behavior only escalated.
“Are you messing with us, you little—”
Crash!
They flipped the table.
The plates shattered, and everyone in the inn held their breath, their attention drawn to the commotion.
The innkeeper, who had been in the kitchen, stood at a distance, observing.
“Don’t you get it yet? We’re talking about your debt. Pay up already. How long are you going to keep stalling us?”
“Why aren’t you saying anything? You were quick to spend our money, but now you’re acting all helpless? We’re the ones who should be mad, not you. We’re the ones who lent you the money!”
“Please, just give me a little more time… I’m paying it off little by little.”
Ah, so she had a debt.
Now it all made sense.
Lumia’s relentless work was because of this.
But why did she incur debt? Aside from tuition, I couldn’t think of anything else that required such expenses.
The man scoffed.
“Pay it back? At this rate, you’re barely covering the interest.”
“What? That can’t be. I’ve already paid so much! Haven’t I almost repaid it all?”
“You’re clueless about how the world works, aren’t you? Interest piles on the principal, then more interest piles on top of that. That’s how finance works. Your debt has only grown.”
“That’s… impossible…”
Lumia’s face turned despairing.
Damn, she’s caught in a vicious cycle.
This place doesn’t have concepts like legally capped interest rates.
Everything depends on what’s written in the lender’s contract, and once you sign, it’s legally binding.
Causing a scene like this in someone else’s establishment is an issue, but their claims probably have some basis.
Damn it.
This is the perfect time to step in, but where the hell is Kalian?
“It’s not impossible.”
The man moved to a nearby table, grabbed a plate of food meant for another customer, and…
Splat.
He smeared the food-laden plate across Lumia’s chest.
“If you can’t pay back the debt, you could always use your body. You’ve got a pretty face and a nice figure… It should cover the interest, at least.”
“P-please stop…”
“What are you going to do? If you don’t pull yourself together, your parents might not stay safe either… Are you okay with that?”
Lumia bit her lip in shame and helplessness, her eyes turning red as if tears might fall at any moment.
In terms of raw strength, these thugs were no match for Lumia. But no matter how skilled she was as a knight, she couldn’t erase her debt by force.
“Why don’t you knock it off?”
I couldn’t watch any longer and decided to intervene.
All eyes turned to me—Lumia’s, the thugs’, and everyone else’s.
The men scowled at me, but as I stared them down nonchalantly, they softened and gave a sly grin.
“Oh my, apologies. Are you perhaps a noble, sir?”
“That’s none of your business. If you’re here to eat, then quietly eat and leave. If you want to collect a debt, come back after her shift ends.”
“We’d love to, but she’s been dragging this out for too long. If we don’t push her like this, we won’t see any money. What can we do?”
“So, you resort to this behavior?”
“The cost of the broken plates and table will come out of her wages anyway. If you’re looking for the root of the problem, it’s her fault for not paying her debt. We’re simply here legally.”
Legally, my ass. These types always love to toss around the word “legal” while doing illegal things.
In the outskirts of the capital, the guard’s influence is weak, and private factions hold more power.
Thugs like these can brazenly act out without much fear unless it’s a major issue.
If Lumia is left like this, she might end up dropping out of the academy, forever burdened by these predatory lenders.
That would be unacceptable.
“How much debt are we talking about for you to cause such a ruckus?”
“To someone like you, it might seem like nothing, but for commoners like us who live day-to-day, it’s a fortune.”
“And I’m asking you how much.”
“If I told you the amount, would you pay it off for her?”
“I just might.”
“Well, in that case, let me show you.”
When I pulled a pouch from inside my coat, the man quickly produced a contract.
Zeroes… one, two, three, four… huh?
What the hell is this? It’s more than my entire fortune.
These lunatics! Not only was the principal loan absurdly high, but over 99% of the total amount was interest. How in the world did they calculate these numbers?
“Hmm.”
“Will you be settling this debt here and now, sir?”
“On second thought, you’re just honest, hardworking folks trying to make a living. Perhaps I was too harsh.”
I calmly tucked the pouch back into my coat.
The man chuckled dryly.
“Well… Thank you for understanding. If you’re not planning to pay it off for her, may we continue our business?”
“No, I will pay it off. With this.”
“With what?”
I showed him my fist, then used it to punch him square in the stomach.
Thud!
“Guh!”
He doubled over, then tumbled across the floor of the shop.
Lumia gasped in shock, staring at me wide-eyed.
Before the rest of the group could react, I dashed toward them and delivered punches all around.
Pow! Pow!
“Consider the debt repaid. What do you say?”
“I-if you keep this up, we won’t just— Agh!”
“Take your time to think. We’ve got plenty of it.”
“Do you even know who we are? We’re the Blood Lyn, feared by everyone in this area!”
“Never heard of you.”
“We’re backed by a powerful family. No matter how noble you are, you won’t escape unscathed— Agh!”
“You’re the ones not escaping unscathed.”
As I continued to pummel the loan sharks, Lumia, finally snapping out of her shock, rushed over to stop me.
“Stop it! Please!”
“Don’t get in my way. Can’t you see I’m paying off your debt?”
“This isn’t right. These people are truly dangerous. Even nobles who crossed them have been ruined!”
“Don’t worry about it.”
I gently pushed her aside, pulled up a chair, and sat down leisurely. Looking down at the groaning thugs, I spoke calmly.
“You messed with the wrong person today. Do you know why? Because I’m from a family you couldn’t possibly touch.”
“Who… who are you? Royalty? Or one of the Supreme Nine Houses?”
Of course not.
The Silverrain family is just a humble farming household from the countryside.
Any halfway decent faction could topple us if they wanted to.
But even someone like me keeps a trump card for situations like this.
“No. My name is Kalian Bright. I’m the top student of Arcana Academy and the heir to the illustrious Bright family.”
I shamelessly pretended to be Kalian.