Chapter 22: Winter Preparations(5)

“Oh, Avalli. What brings you here today?”

Bern greeted Avalli with a bright smile. But his expression immediately soured when he noticed the red-haired mage standing next to her.

“…Mage, you’re here too? Is it about the payment?”
“Yes, the payment.”

The moment polite speech came from Lucy’s mouth, Bern’s face shifted again, as if his previous scowl had been a joke.

“Did you, uh, eat something strange?”
“…A change of heart.”
“Well, if you had a change of heart, you could have just been nice about it. It’s unsettling when someone suddenly—”
“Bern, you said you weren’t renewing the contract this year, right?”

Bern nodded at Lucy’s abrupt question.

“Then shouldn’t you be showing some respect?”
“Please, come in.”

Bern ushered them into his house with a 180-degree shift in attitude, now excessively polite. With the contract preventing them from harming each other gone, Lucy could torment Bern as she pleased.

Of course, since Lucy had no intention of ever returning to this village once the contract ended, it was just an empty threat. But even a bluff could be chilling to the person on the receiving end, which was what made it a threat.

“Would you like some snacks?”
“I’m fine.”
“As she said. Avalli, stop staring. I can’t give you snacks if our guest doesn’t want any.”
“I’ve changed my mind! I… I suddenly have a craving for something sweet.”

Bern gave the hastily interjecting Lucy a puzzled look.
But teasing her about it might result in actual harm, so he silently rummaged through the cupboard and took out the peach honey preserve.

Lucy had no intention of touching the snack Bern offered… but seeing Avalli next to her, swallowing expectantly, she hurriedly picked up a fork. As soon as she took a tiny bite of the preserve, Avalli started eating as if she had been waiting for permission.

“Why don’t you take it outside and eat?”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes, I have something to discuss with the mage. Go on, out you go.”
“Is it something I can’t hear?”

Avalli was unusually persistent today.
It was natural, since she had come here for that very reason, but Bern was puzzled by her perceptiveness.

“Of course, you can’t—”
“Madam Avalli is welcome to stay.”
“…Madam?”

Bern’s expression was filled with curiosity as he looked at Lucy. But Lucy silently growled and glared at Bern, preventing him from asking the reason.

“…Well, if the Mage is fine with it, I’m fine with it too.”

Bern sat down opposite Lucy.

“Let’s get straight to the point. How much did it sell for?”
“120 gold.”
“What?”
“I said 120 gold. As stated in the contract, my commission is 20%, leaving a total of 96 gold for you.”
96 gold.
It was a sum Bern had never even dreamed of holding in his entire life.

“Y…You’re not joking, are you?”
“No. That would be a breach of contract, wouldn’t it?”

Lucy replied in a businesslike tone and took out her dimensional pocket. Every time Lucy’s hand went in and out of the pouch, a tall stack of gold coins appeared on the table.

Ten times in total.
Bern stared at the gold coins gleaming on the table, stunned.

“Good heavens.”

He had expected a high price, but over 100 gold?
Unbeknownst to Bern, it was the result of the excellent work of Elif, the skilled merchant in the city, who had expertly spread rumors and manipulated the auction to drive up competition.

“I was surprised too. I expected around 30 gold at most.”
“…Three times the expected price. More than ten times my usual earnings.”
“Thanks to this, I don’t need to renew our contract. 24 gold is a lot of money. I can finally focus on my research at the Magic Tower for a while.”

Bern grumbled at Lucy’s words, pursing his lips.

“What if I find another magic stone like that?”
“I doubt that will happen. Once-in-a-lifetime luck doesn’t come around so easily.”
“What if it wasn’t luck, but my hidden talent—?”
“You can’t be serious.”

Bern grumbled and closed his mouth at Lucy’s words. He was much easier to deal with when he was whining and throwing tantrums like a child. Now, speaking calmly and respectfully while delivering sarcastic remarks, he was several times more irritating.

“Well, this is enough money to keep the village afloat for several years.”
“…If you have trouble selling magic stones in the future, contact me. I won’t renew the contract, but I might buy them if I have the funds.”
“I appreciate the offer. To be honest, I only became a demonic beast hunter because I was desperate for money.”
“So, the contract ends at the end of this year.”
“I’m so relieved. Especially the part about not having to see you anymore, Mage.”
“Look who’s talking, old man.”

While the two continued their bickering, Avalli stared at the gold coins on the table, her eyes half-glazed.

‘…120 gold?’

According to Lucy’s explanation during her previous visit, one gold was roughly equivalent to six million won. (TL Note: Approximately $4,600 USD).
So, 120 gold, or even just the 96 gold after the commission…

‘576 million…?’ (TL Note: Approximately $441,600 USD.)

It was a dizzying amount.
She had given it to Bern, figuring it was like saving a life, but… she hadn’t imagined it would be this much.

‘Is making magic stones that lucrative of a profession?’

Bern’s reputation in the village wasn’t very good.

He always holed up in his shack, drinking, and made all sorts of excuses to avoid communal work.
Even Katherine, Hans’s mother, had complained to Avalli about the stench of alcohol clinging to him.

She had wondered why no one scolded him despite his poor reputation, but she never imagined that being a demonic beast hunter was such a high-paying job.
If he was contributing that much money to the village’s finances, it was no wonder no one dared to complain to his face.

‘…He looks different now.’

Actually, Avalli’s assumption was only partially correct.

The reason the villagers respected Bern despite their complaints wasn’t solely due to money.
Bern’s experience as a demonic beast hunter amounted to just six months as an apprentice before he ran away. Yet no one in this village was heartless enough to criticize him to his face when he risked his life hunting demonic beasts for the village.

And the pay wasn’t that great considering the danger involved. Hadn’t Bern himself said that it was ‘more than ten times his usual earnings’?
Of course, Avalli, dazzled by the gold coins, hadn’t been paying close attention.

“A…Are magic stones this expensive?”
“Of course they are. Well, the one I got this time was particularly valuable. It was a life-or-death struggle, you know?”

Bern shamelessly boasted in front of Avalli, the one who had actually brought the demonic beast corpse.
Avalli found his bravado amusing, but she couldn’t reveal the truth herself, so she simply listened silently.

“Its arm was almost as thick as a log. It was probably the largest wolf-type demonic beast in recorded history.”
“…You really caught a demonic beast like that, Bern?”

Even Lucy was curious about how Bern had obtained the magic stone.

“What about the body?”
“I couldn’t retrieve the body. I barely managed to escape with the magic stone, so other beasts probably took care of the rest.”
“Then wouldn’t that create new demonic beasts… No, that’s right. With a magic stone of that purity extracted, the rest would be just a lump of meat.”

Avalli’s gaze was still fixed on the gold coins.
Having lived in a highly capitalistic society, it was only natural for her to be tempted by such an astronomical sum.

‘Should I just reveal my identity and claim my share?’

The thought lingered in her mind.

Just as Avalli was lost in thought, afflicted by the status effect: Greed—

“Are you in, Bern!”

Arsene flung open the door and entered the house.

“Knock, Arsene.”
“If I knocked, all I’d hear is your drunken rambling.”

Arsene dismissed Bern’s complaint and sat down on a nearby chair. He then noticed the gold coins on the table, his eyes widening slightly.

“Mage, is that this year’s payment?”
“…Yes. 96 gold after the commission.”
“It seems the Goddess has truly blessed Asha Village this year.”

Arsene said in an excited voice.

‘I’m the one who did all that!’

Avalli wanted to shout, but… after a moment of calm consideration, she wondered if it was really necessary. All she had to do was leave the village once a month, on the night of the full moon, and extract magic stones. It would be wiser to focus on the practical benefits rather than revealing her identity and causing unnecessary complications.

‘…It seems Lucy is selling the magic stones for me.’

From what she had heard, the contract with Bern ended this year, so couldn’t Avalli take his place?
To do that, she would have to maintain her relationship with Lucy—

“Avalli.”
“Yes?”

Startled by her name, she turned to see Arsene looking at her.

“Could you step outside for a moment? We have something to discuss amongst adults.”
“…Okay.”

Avalli nodded and stood up. Lucy’s eyes widened as she saw Avalli obediently comply with Arsene’s request, but no one else noticed the change.

“And Avalli, Hans is waiting for you outside.”

Arsene added just as Avalli was about to leave the room.

“Hans?”
“It seems he has something to tell you.”

Arsene’s voice was filled with amusement.

‘…Something to tell me?’

Avalli tilted her head slightly, then strode out of the house.