Ch.20Debt Settlement (1)

*Scritch… scritch…*

I was sharpening my blade in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances.

I had also polished my armor until it gleamed, so I would be ready for battle if necessary.

“Hmm. This should be sufficient.”

*Rustle.*

I sheathed my longsword and medium sword, then rose from my seat.

*Knock knock!*

I left my room and knocked on Seriya’s door, but there was no response.

Wondering where she might be, I went downstairs and found Seriya at a table, counting money spread out before her.

“Hey.”

“Victor. You’re awake.”

“What are you doing?”

“Calculating this month’s interest and principal repayment.”

“How much did you borrow?”

“About 400 silver coins.”

I frowned.

Four hundred silver coins was by no means a small amount. What circumstances had forced her to live such a financially strained life?

Noticing my suspicious gaze, she cleared her throat and began making excuses.

“Well… I damaged some of the gambling hall’s facilities during my attempted heist. So I had no choice but to borrow money.”

“I see. They were trying to shackle you with debt.”

“That was probably their plan.”

They likely intended to bind Seriya with debt, bankrupt her, and then force her to become a prostitute in some seedy establishment.

But now that she could repay at least part of the principal, I wondered how they would react…

Even though Rascal was a city of villains, I didn’t think they would be bold enough to kidnap an adventurer in broad daylight.

However, that also meant Seriya couldn’t guarantee her safety during the dark of night.

“I have a bad feeling about this. We should eat a hearty meal.”

“I agree. Let’s fill our stomachs now.”

With that in mind, we raised our hands to call over a staff member.

“Yes~ What would you like?”

“Two breakfast sets.”

“Certainly! Please wait a moment!”

We paid 20 copper coins, and shortly after, began digging into our breakfast sets.

Perhaps because I had donated blood yesterday, I emptied my bowl quickly. Seriya, on the other hand, was either naturally a slow eater or distracted by thoughts of repaying her debt. Either way, her nibbling was rather irritating.

*Clatter…*

“Phew…”

Twenty minutes after I finished my meal, she finally completed hers. We got up, left the inn, and headed to the stable where we mounted our pack horse.

*Clop clop clop clop…*

After finishing our meal at the inn, we first stopped by the bow shop to fill Seriya’s quiver with arrows, as only ten remained.

I considered buying another quiver, but Seriya was a Scoundrel, not a Ranger. Carrying too many arrows would reduce her mobility, so filling one quiver would have to suffice.

Each arrow cost one copper coin, so we spent a total of 20 copper coins at once, but we could now afford such expenses with a smile.

“Is there a deadline for repaying the debt?”

“Not really. I just need to go to the private bank attached to the gambling hall.”

“Then there’s no need to rush.”

*

*Clink~ Clink~*

We headed to the Adventurers’ Guild.

Since we had somehow ended up exploring a dungeon together overnight, we weren’t legally a party yet.

“Ah… the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Well… my previous party fell apart here, as I mentioned before. The memories are coming back.”

“…I see.”

She had mentioned that her party had collapsed because the leader and the cleric had gotten involved with each other—truly an extraordinary situation.

But that was then, and now we needed to have our party officially recognized by the guild.

I approached the reception counter, and a receptionist came over.

“How may I help you?”

“We’d like to form a party.”

“Please submit your adventurer licenses.”

When Seriya and I presented our licenses, the guild receptionist skillfully wrote our names in the party section at the bottom of the licenses.

“Who will be the party leader?”

“Me.”

“Mr. Victor. What will be the name of your party?”

“Hmm… Iron Walker.”

“…Very well. Iron Walker party. Party leader Victor plus one member. By the authority of the Adventurers’ Guild, I certify that you two belong to the same party.”

With those words, I received our two licenses from the receptionist and handed Seriya hers.

She looked at the party name “Iron Walker” written at the bottom of her license for a moment, then asked me:

“Why did you choose this name for our party?”

“The path ahead of us will be thorny. But if we reinforce our feet with iron, at least it won’t hurt.”

“Indeed. A well-chosen name, then.”

Seriya nodded and tucked her license into her bosom.

I turned my head toward the request board.

If not for the debt, there would have been plenty of requests requiring a party… but those could wait until after we repaid the principal.

*

“That’s the gambling hall.”

“Wow. It’s enormous.”

Even in my hometown of Parcival, buildings this large were not common.

Of course, loading docks and similar facilities were large enough to make such buildings look tiny in comparison, but those were facilities, not buildings.

“So, where is the private bank?”

“Follow me.”

Following Seriya, I saw a small building attached to the side of the main structure like a piece of gum.

There was probably a connecting passage inside, like between an inn and its stable.

“You tried to rob this place alone?”

“…I needed money at the time.”

When I questioned her while looking at the enormous building, Seriya narrowed her eyes defensively and began making excuses.

Anyway, we entered the building. Inside was a reception counter heavily protected by iron bars, with a side door for people to enter and exit.

“Is this where they exchange chips?”

“This is where you borrow or withdraw money. For chips, you need to go to the basement of the main building.”

“I see.”

As we sat down to wait our turn, howls began to erupt from various corners.

“T-that can’t be right! I’m sure I had more money!!! Check again, I tell you!!!”

“I’m sorry, sir. You withdrew all your remaining deposits exactly three days ago. You have no money left.”

“No, no, no…!!! That can’t be! That’s impossible!!! You damn swindlers!! Give me my money! Give it back!!!”

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

“Open this door!!! Open it, I said!!!!”

“Security!”

The sight of gamblers with bloodshot eyes frantically pounding on the bars wasn’t particularly shocking to me.

I had seen plenty of drug addicts and gamblers in Parcival.

In fact, I had even met someone who was simultaneously a drug addict, gambling addict, alcoholic, and chain smoker, so such behavior didn’t stir any emotion in me.

“…And you tried to rob a place like this…”

“I told you, I needed money…”

Seriya avoided my gaze.

*

After some commotion, Seriya took her turn and paid her interest to the receptionist.

“This is… for this month’s interest.”

“Could you please state your name?”

“Seriya. Wood Elf.”

“Please wait a moment…. Yes. Confirmed. Interest payment has been successfully processed.”

“And I’d like to repay some of the principal as well…”

“Yes. Let me check the principal amount… 400 silver coins confirmed. Full repayment or partial repayment?”

“Partial repayment.”

With those words, Seriya handed over the silver coins from her pouch to the receptionist.

The receptionist silently began counting the coins, and after a few minutes, spoke again.

“Yes. 100 silver coins. Confirmed.”

Seriya had brought 113 silver coins.

The fact that she only repaid 100 coins of the principal meant that either the interest was 13 silver coins, or it was less but she kept some emergency funds.

*Rustle!*

As the receptionist took the silver coins, Seriya approached me with a sigh of relief.

Her expression looked considerably lighter, at least until this month.

“Did you wait long? Now I only have 300 silver coins left to repay.”

“I see. Now all that’s left is to work hard on adventures.”

“That’s right.”

To be honest, 300 silver coins? I could easily pay that off with the money I currently had.

But I wouldn’t do that, and she wouldn’t want me to either.

While we might have an employer-employee relationship, we weren’t master and servant.

Paying her debt for her would be proving that she was an incompetent elf who couldn’t even repay her own debts, and I respected her abilities.

“At least I can sleep comfortably this month.”

“Since we’ve already explored one dungeon, let’s look for quests suitable for a two-person party this time.”

“Fine by me.”

And so we left the private bank and the disgustingly large gambling hall.

As we departed, more people with desperate and foolish faces rushed to the reception counter, and howls began to echo.

“Aaaagh!! Don’t be ridiculous!! This is invalid!! Invalid, I tell you!!!”

“No!! Please!! This is my living expenses for the month!!”

“Hehehehe…. My life is over now! Over!!!”

Leaving behind the death throes of gambling addicts echoing in the distance, we headed back to the Adventurers’ Guild.