As promised, Serena paid off all of Lumia’s debts and procured the medicine needed.
Lumia’s parents quickly received treatment and, with enough rest, were on their way to recovery.
Lumia repeatedly bowed her head to me and Serena, vowing to repay the debt someday.
I told her that all the credit belonged to Kalian and that she should thank him if anyone.
“It was Wade who saved Lumia’s family, not me. I didn’t do anything.”
Kalian shook his head, wearing his characteristic satisfied smile.
This guy has been under some kind of misconception for a while.
Though it seemed like Lumia’s family problem was resolved on the surface, the fundamental issue still lingered.
Elia.
As long as the one orchestrating these schemes from behind the scenes remained alive, such incidents would keep happening.
The quickest way to ensure Lumia’s safety would be to eliminate Elia.
But Elia wasn’t a character that could just be discarded like that.
With my knowledge of the original story, I believed there was more value in her contributing to this world rather than simply being killed off.
So, the solution I devised was to help Lumia grow stronger.
I planned to make her so powerful that Elia wouldn’t dare to bother her, overcoming her current trauma that rendered her powerless.
Given that my presence had already introduced several variables, it seemed wise to take precautions to prevent a key character like Lumia from dying easily.
Thus, what I was doing now, having orchestrated all these plans, was:
“Alright, line up in order!”
Collecting funds.
I was gathering money and goods from the female students of Arcana.
Though I wasn’t actually in need of money,
I was waiting for someone and didn’t want to waste time standing idly.
The female students had made it a routine to present tributes to me as Kalian’s “close friend,” and I had been quietly pocketing these offerings whenever I needed funds.
One of the students handed over a large bundle.
“I brought jewels, earrings, rings, necklaces, and gold coins.”
“Ah, you should have sorted them first.”
“Sorted them?”
“Jewels with jewels, accessories with accessories, and gold coins with gold coins. Please organize them properly before bringing them to me next time.”
“Sorry! I’ll make sure to do that.”
I sorted through the piles of gold and jewels like I was handling trash.
Though it might seem strange to scold people while receiving immense wealth, the female students didn’t mind at all.
After all, they were all rich nobles.
“I-I brought some too!”
“Hey, could you line up? I’ve been waiting in line for an hour!”
“I’ve been waiting for two hours!”
The students were more eager to offer money, afraid of missing their chance.
Occasionally, someone would ask, “What is this money being used for?”
To which I would reply, “It’s being used for Kalian and me.”
Of course, that was a lie.
All the funds went to my personal use.
Kalian tried hard to ignore my antics.
“Can’t you stop doing this?”
“Why? It’s lucrative. Just wait a little longer—I haven’t met today’s quota yet. Plus, I’m waiting for someone here.”
Being the embodiment of honesty, Kalian struggled with my actions, but honesty doesn’t put food on the table.
While I passed the time collecting funds, a woman strode confidently through the crowded scene.
It was Serena, the person I was supposed to meet today.
As Serena passed by, gasps of admiration erupted among the female students.
“That’s Serena!”
“She’s the Bronze member? So jealous.”
“Did she buy her membership with Lusevian’s wealth?”
Hearing the murmurs, Serena puffed out her chest, her bronze badge gleaming proudly.
The badge, shaped like a cat’s paw, was something I had specially made for her.
As an official member of Kalian’s club, she needed a symbol.
“Why would I need something like this?”
Though she had reacted indifferently when first receiving it, from the very next day, she wore it daily as if to show it off.
“Nyahaha. You’re all working hard. Try to become ‘full members’ like me!”
Her arrogance was an added bonus.
“Wade, Kalian, I’m here.”
“You’re exactly on time? I expected you to be late since you’ve been so busy lately.”
“For an exceptional merchant, time is more valuable than money. Wasting someone else’s time is unacceptable.”
“That’s an admirable mindset. Shall we move to a quieter place?”
“Sounds good.”
After arranging for someone to transport the pile of treasures to my house, I took Kalian and Serena to a nearby café.
The female students teared up enviously, watching Serena leave with Kalian.
“Nyaaaa…”
At the café, Serena sat still, staring intently at Kalian’s face.
Though the coffee and cake had long been served, she hadn’t touched them.
Bronze members were given a special “conversation ticket with Kalian,” but Serena seemed content just admiring his face.
For someone like her, who prioritized appearances above all else, this must have been the ultimate joy.
Kalian smiled leisurely, having experienced this pattern numerous times.
“Ha ha, so why did you call Serena here?”
“I wanted to thank her for helping with Lumia’s matter. It didn’t feel right to just let it go.”
“That was bothering me too. It’d be nice to repay her somehow.”
“That’s exactly why I called her.”
Serena, still staring at Kalian, seemed oblivious to our conversation, her mouth slightly agape.
“There you are.”
Just as I was about to speak, Lumia entered the café, looking around before approaching me.
She held a cake box in one hand, not appearing to be here for work.
“What brings you here?”
“I was looking for you.”
“Me? Couldn’t it wait until class later?”
“I didn’t want to wait that long…”
Realizing her lapse, she quickly greeted Kalian and Serena.
Kalian returned her greeting with a light smile, while Serena puffed her cheeks in slight annoyance.
“Nyah… You interrupted my precious time with Kalian. How do you plan to compensate for this, nyah?”
“Sorry. I have something to talk about with Wade. I’ll finish quickly and leave.”
“Make it quick, nyah.”
“Got it.”
With Serena’s permission, Lumia held up the cake box toward me.
“I came to give you this. It’s a cake.”
“It looks delicious. Did you buy it from your workplace?”
“I made it myself. It’s far from enough, but I wanted to at least thank you…”
“You made it yourself? Nice. Take it out; we can all eat together.”
“Should I?”
Lumia fumbled with the cake box, her hands moving hastily.
“Why isn’t this opening?”
“Why rush? Take your time.”
“Just a second. I’ll get it out.”
Whether it was tightly wrapped or the crowd watching made her nervous, she struggled to open it for quite a while.
“Huh?”
Thwack.
The cake went flying—straight into my face.
I felt the soft texture of cream on my face, accompanied by its sweet and rich aroma.
“Kyahhh!”
Lumia screamed in shock.
“S-Sorry! I’m so sorry! My hand slipped… Maybe I packed it too poorly.”
“Is today my birthday…?”
“I’m really sorry!”
“The taste isn’t bad.”
I licked the cake off my face, tasting it.
Kalian and Serena giggled as they watched.
“Instead of laughing, maybe help clean up? I can’t see properly like this.”
In the end, Lumia hurriedly cleaned the cake off my face herself.
Once the cake was removed, Lumia looked utterly dejected.
“I’m sorry… I guess I can’t do anything right. I wanted to thank you somehow, but I just ended up causing trouble.”
“Everyone makes mistakes. Don’t apologize so much.”
“Sorry… I mean, okay…”
“Speaking of gratitude, Serena and I were just talking about something related to that. You’re part of it too.”
I turned to Serena, who had been sniffing my face closely.
“Serena, about why I called you today…”
“Your face smells like cake, nyah.”
…That’s not the point.
“From what I’ve heard, you’ve been dealing with some trouble lately.”
“Trouble? You’ll need to be specific, nyah. I’ve got so many things going on.”
“The matter related to Noiren.”
Serena tilted her head, then nodded.
“Ah~ That, nyah. Yes, I’ve been worried about the Noiren trade route, nyah.”
“It’s an emerging area, strategically important considering the power dynamics. Your family got involved early to map out the region, but I hear you’re struggling with outlaws running rampant.”
“Where’d you hear that, nyah?”
“Merchant newspapers often cover your family. I happened to read about it.”
Serena crossed her arms, a serious expression on her face.
“You’re right, nyah. Noiren used to be a place where few people traveled, making it easy for criminals to operate.”
“Can’t Lusevian’s influence handle it?”
“Our family’s resources are already tied up elsewhere, nyah. We’ve been hiring mercenaries, but… they’re unreliable, nyah.”
“It’s hard to gauge the size of the hidden organizations, and there’s always the risk of mercenaries colluding with them or embezzling funds.”
“Exactly, nyah.”
After hearing her explanation, I made a suggestion.
“How about we, or rather, I, help out with that?”
“Help out? What do you mean, nyah?”
“Just what it sounds like. We’re knights, right? Let’s act like knights and take down the criminal organizations. That way, you won’t have to worry about mercenaries betraying you.”
“That makes sense, but it’s dangerous, nyah. Among the mercenaries we hired, some were Arcana graduates, yet several lost their lives, nyah.”
“Don’t worry about that. With me, Kalian, and Lumia, it won’t be a problem.”
I gestured toward Kalian and Lumia.
“Huh? M-Me…?”
Lumia stammered, startled by the sudden inclusion.
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