Chapter 210

Chapter 210

Chapter 210 – Ah, even this is too much for me.

The sun had disappeared, and the streetlights were turning on one by one.

Evelin finished speaking just after the magic lantern in the guidance office turned on.

“In other words…”

Bathed in the glow of the magic lantern, Aster set down his teacup—still wetting his lips—and finally opened his mouth.

“The business you ran under your name failed miserably.”

“It went under…!”

Evelin grew irritated and began to retort, but soon calmed down with a deep sigh.

“…You’re right. Yes, it happened. But it was due to some unavoidable variable. I still haven’t figured out what it was…”

Aster’s lips twitched upon seeing that.

It was a strange expression, neither crying nor laughing, but if I had to define it, I would say it leaned toward a mocking smile.

‘…Did things end up like this?’

Evelin hadn’t given details about the “business that went down the drain,” but it wasn’t hard to guess what it was about.

[Damian Model Student Project]

It was the mess they got involved in during the Demo Project.

If I had to give it a name now… yes.

‘Evelin Rehabilitation Project’ or something like that?

The black market for buying and selling exams within the academy, an attempt to create an underworld to manipulate grades—that was the “business that failed.”

Who could have predicted that this would turn against her like this?

However, there was a part that didn’t add up.

“No matter what, cutting support over a failed business? Don’t you think that’s a bit extreme?”

“That’s…”

Evelin bit her lip, leaving the sentence unfinished.

The memory of that moment returned to my mind with great vividness.

Truth be told, even when the exam leak was discovered, it was something she could have handled.

Debey… that idiot who posed as a proxy had been placed precisely for situations like this.

And what about her connections with her noble business partners?

‘…Those could have been buried too.’

The value of the Goldrin surname.

The enormous fines.

In addition to the advantages derived from future businesses.

They might blush for a moment, but the enormous profits that would fatten their families for decades? Few nobles would allow personal grudges to get in their way.

Of course, the blood loss would have been enormous.

Enormous, but…

‘…Not to this extent.’

Among the nobles she had dealt with back then, quite a few even desired failure, simply for the compensation.

So, what was the real problem?

—And honestly, this whole matter… unfortunately, was not discovered by the academy staff. It was a student with a thirst for justice.

That nightmarish voice still echoed in her ears.

This meeting today also aims to widely spread that student’s exemplary sense of justice.

Until that moment, she had been grinding her teeth.

Whoever dared to ruin her plans, she would respond with every trick possible. That was what she had sworn, sharpening the sword within her.

…Until the moment the name was mentioned.

• Evelin de Planche, step forward.

Cheers erupted around her. The auditorium filled with applause. Praise poured from clueless students.

The worst moment of her life.

Even now, she occasionally woke up with a start upon hearing that applause in her dreams.

Trembling.

Evelin shuddered involuntarily remembering the horror, and then let out a deep sigh to regain her composure. Or at least she tried.

But the contained rage would not calm down, and she clenched her teeth.

‘If only they hadn’t said my name…’

Who on earth was the snitch?

If she found out now, she would throw everything she had at them…

She was thinking about that when…

“…? Are you okay?”

Aster’s voice snapped Evelin out of her daydream.

“Ah, I’m sorry. A bad memory came to me.”

“These things happen. What are friends for?”

“Friends…”

Evelin pondered the word for a moment, then looked closely at Aster.

Before, she was too nervous to think clearly, but was it the bad memory that made her change her mind?

Her eyes had already regained their sharp glint.

At that moment, she asked a question.

“Aster, I was too nervous to ask before, but… what is your angle here?”

“Angle?”

“Yes, your perspective.”

The gaze fixed on Aster was cold. Or rather, it lacked all warmth.

“First of all, I appreciate your kindness. But from my perspective, it’s a favor that makes no sense.”

“Why does it make no sense?”

“I have college tuition debts, sure, but you didn’t think I was going to believe the ‘friends’ thing, did you?”

“Mmm.”

Aster let out a low hum.

Evelin stared straight into his eyes, trying to decipher him, and then spoke.

“If you’re looking for something from me, save it. As you saw, I have nothing left.”

Nothing left.

It was the truth.

Everything she had owned, she had obtained under the name of Goldrin.

And besides that…

“If you’re betting that I will return to Goldrin one day and you’re laying the groundwork for it, this is also a futile effort.”

“Why?”

“That’s…”

Evelin, who had been speaking coldly, fell silent for a moment. She bit her lip, while her gaze drifted across the table.

It didn’t take long for her to speak again.

“To put it simply… if it had only been a business failure, there would have been a chance to recover. But the failure was just the beginning.”

The failure was just the trigger.

Yes, that’s right.

No matter how fatal this disaster was, it was still just a failure.

Considering her potential, at worst they would demote her, not exile her outright. It made no sense.

Then why?

That was when Aster opened his mouth.

“Because of your brother?”

“How did you know…? Ah, right. It would be stranger if you didn’t know.”

The fierce struggle for the Goldrin succession was infamous in merchant circles, especially because of the chaos that reigned.

“Bah, whatever.”

Evelin nodded calmly and continued.

“My brother took the opportunity to take me out. I couldn’t defend myself against his attack, and that’s how I ended up.”

“So it’s part of the succession struggle?”

In other words, the company’s upper management might have given her another chance, but the succession struggle turned it into this disaster.

At that precise moment, Aster continued.

“But why?”

“…Pardon?”

“I understand you’re exhausted, like I told you. So what? No strings attached. Friends. Have you heard of them?”

“No, I know what friends are, but…”

Aster sighed and shook his head.

“You find it really hard to trust people, don’t you?”

“…”

Evelin couldn’t find the words.

Aster simply gave her an ironic chuckle.

“Friends help each other. That’s just how things are. Come on, repeat after me: ‘A favor is just a favor’.”

“A favor is… just a favor?”

“Without calculations.”

“Not… calculating?”

Evelin babbled it, dazed, and Aster’s voice slipped right into her ear.

“Yes, exactly.”

Evelin thought to herself:

Somehow… that voice sounds cheerful.

Meanwhile, Aster thought:

‘…Tch, it’s not easy, huh?’

I took a sip of tea and organized my thoughts.

I tried to win her trust while she was disoriented, but wow, Evelin was quite an expert at this. She wasn’t going to give in easily.

It’s not a good idea to overdo the atmosphere either.

The best thing is to take a step back and change the subject.

“By the way, what happened to your tuition? They couldn’t have kicked you out without paying a single cent, right?”

“That… It wasn’t much, but I did bring some cash.”

“And?”

“I spent it on an office.”

“…An office?”

Evelin nodded at my question.

“Yes. You need an office for anything. I found a place that lowered the price for me if I paid a whole year’s rent in advance, so I signed.”

“Mmm. Makes sense. Then the office must be in Hazen.”

“Yes, on the outskirts. It also has a small warehouse.”

Her nonchalant response made me frown for a second.

Hazen, and paying a whole year’s rent all at once isn’t considered “much”…

This really is another league.

Even a renowned bookmaker would have trouble calling that chump change.

Anyway.

“Did you spend every last cent on rent?”

“…Yes. I didn’t know my credits were frozen. I was going to use them to start a business and pay tuition…”

Evelin sighed, her face darkened.

A total “screwed” expression, and yes, I understand her.

‘You rent an office to launch a business, and then you have no funds when it’s time to get it started… I’d lose it too.’

Of course!

At this point, curiosity was inevitable.

“And what’s the plan now? Is there no money for basic expenses either?”

“Living expenses… I can pawn this brooch for a while. The problem is the company’s capital… I guess I’ll have to beg the landlord, take the loss, and get it back.”

“But you said you needed the office.”

“It’s a hassle, but I could do the paperwork at the academy and rent short-term warehouses.”

Hm, I see.

‘You have it all figured out.’

For some reason, my mouth felt sticky.

I picked her up as if she were an abandoned lover, but it turns out she’s a tiger cub who can fend for herself.

At this rate, slave… I mean, friend? No, at best, a superficial business contact.

So, how do you play this?

Sneak in and set fire to the office?

Then no rent refund?

A wicked thought crossed my mind, but I suppressed it.

As a problem-solving agent who champions justice, the idea that the end justifies the means goes against the code of justice.

Alright then, how do I win over my slave… I mean, friend?

Pondering that—

When Reilly raised her voice. She had been listening in silence, almost as if she weren’t there.

[Aster-nim?]

What, buy an artifact?

Eh, it’s not that big of a deal.

[What.]

[It looks like you’re trying something, right? Your face looks a bit sour.]

[Are you just teasing me?]

[As if that’s possible. I just thought I could give you some advice. More or less.]

[…Advice?]

I tilted my head.

It seemed she had caught me bothering Evelin.

What ace up her sleeve is she keeping?

[Nothing out of the ordinary, but are you worried about ash falling into your already-made soup? Do you want to hear it?]

Ash in the soup?

[…Hit me.]

I raised my teacup and looked at Reilly. Her voice echoed in my ears immediately after.

…And once I had heard it all—

[…In short, what you should think about now is how to profit from this situation.]

I let out an exclamation the instant she finished.

[…Brilliant.]

[Hehe, great, right?]

Exactly.

This was brilliant.

It wasn’t an earth-shattering revelation, but her advice made me realize something I had completely overlooked.

Hold on.

“…”

I fixed my gaze on Reilly’s radiant and innocent smile.

[Spit it out directly.]

[…Eh?]

[What’s your game?]

There’s no way Reilly is being this useful to me.

Shine isn’t the only one blaming me.

But even with my suspicions, Reilly maintained that radiant smile and answered with complete sincerity.

[They say shared joy is joy halved, shared pain is pain doubled.]

[And that means…?]

[I don’t know the details, but the more victims, the better, right?]

[…]

What a mischievous little imp!

Honestly, even I thought this was a bit much…