"...He came to collect the loan."

The moment those words left the man’s mouth, I saw Aurielle’s expression stiffen slightly.

A trace of worry flashed through her purple eyes before she quietly let out a tired sigh and stood up from her chair.

The elderly maid immediately stepped forward and carefully placed a luxurious black robe over Aurielle’s shoulders.

Golden patterns shimmered faintly across the fabric under the sunlight.

Aurielle calmly adjusted her sleeves before turning toward the door.

But before she could leave—

"Aurielle."

She stopped mid-step and turned to look at me.

I took a small breath before asking,

"...Can I come with you?"

For a brief moment, surprise appeared on her face.

As if she hadn’t expected me to say that.

Then her eyes softened slightly before she looked away and nodded once.

"...Fine."

A small smile appeared on my face and I quickly followed after her.

The moment Aurielle stepped outside the room—

Her footsteps suddenly paused.

Her gaze landed directly on the ten female mages standing neatly in the hallway with staffs in their hands.

The corridor lamps reflected softly against their colorful robes and beautiful faces.

Even the servants nearby had secretly stopped working just to stare at them.

Aurielle blinked once.

Then slowly turned toward me.

"...Why are they all female?"

"...Eh?"

I froze for a second.

Out of everything, THAT was her first question?

She didn’t even seem surprised that they were mages.

Before I could explain further, she simply shook her head lightly and looked toward the elderly maid.

"Prepare rooms for them."

"Yes, Lady Aurielle."

The old maid bowed politely before guiding the confused mages away.

Meanwhile, I was still stunned by Aurielle’s earlier question.

"...Why does she care more about them being women than them being mages?"

I muttered internally.

Then I quickly snapped out of my thoughts after seeing Aurielle already walking away.

I hurried after her through the corridor.

The mansion hallways were quiet.

Soft orange lights flickered from the wall lamps while servants lowered their heads respectfully as Aurielle passed.

Outside the windows, the dark mountains surrounding Blackstone Highlands could barely be seen beneath the cloudy morning sky.

"Aurielle..."

I lowered my voice slightly after catching up beside her.

"They are gifts from the Goddess of Luck."

"...So it’s not my fault."

Aurielle glanced sideways at me.

Then her lips twitched slightly.

She muttered something under her breath so quietly I almost couldn’t hear it.

"...So now you’re cheating on the Goddess of Light too."

"...What?"

"Nothing."

She calmly continued walking.

Meanwhile, I stood there for half a second with an ugly expression.

"...Why do I feel like I’m being judged for crimes I didn’t commit?"

Soon, after walking for around a minute, we finally arrived in front of the guest reception hall.

Two guards standing outside immediately straightened their backs and opened the large doors.

CREEEAK—

The moment we entered, warm air mixed with the smell of expensive perfume drifted toward us.

Inside, a fat middle-aged man sat comfortably on a luxurious sofa while drinking wine.

Baron Cedric Thornvale.

He wore an extravagant dark-red noble robe lined with gold embroidery, and almost every finger carried expensive rings.

On both sides of him sat two young beautiful women dressed in revealing silk clothes.

Their outfits exposed deep lines from their necks down to their waists while thin fabric barely covered the rest.

My eyes instinctively drifted toward them for half a second.

Then—

OUCH!

A sharp pain suddenly exploded from my waist.

I nearly jumped.

I turned immediately toward Aurielle.

She was smiling calmly.

But her purple eyes were giving me a death glare.

"...I wasn’t even staring that hard."

I muttered weakly.

Her glare only became colder.

I immediately shut my mouth.

Meanwhile, Cedric’s gaze slowly moved toward us.

The moment his eyes landed on me—

Disgust appeared openly across his face.

But then his eyes shifted toward Aurielle.

And my expression darkened instantly.

Because the way he looked at her was filthy.

His eyes slowly scanned her body from top to bottom while a lecherous grin spread across his lips.

He even licked his lips slightly.

My blood pressure instantly rose.

A faint golden glow flickered across my arm.

But before I could step forward—

A soft hand suddenly grabbed mine.

"...No need."

Aurielle’s quiet voice entered my ears.

I turned toward her and saw her expression remained calm.

But her fingers gripping my hand were slightly tight.

Clearly—

She was angry too.

I slowly took a deep breath and suppressed the pressure leaking from my body.

Soon both of us sat opposite Cedric. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Cedric spread his arms with a fake warm smile.

"Baroness Aurielle Valmont..."

"I’m truly happy to see you again after such a long time."

Despite speaking politely, his hands were still resting shamelessly on the thighs of the women beside him.

Aurielle’s expression didn’t change.

"Greetings, Baron Cedric Thornvale."

Her cold voice echoed calmly throughout the room.

"Can you explain why you came here so suddenly?"

"I’m quite busy."

"...Nice reply, wifey."

I thought proudly while sitting beside her.

Cedric’s smile twitched slightly after hearing her cold tone.

Then he sighed dramatically.

"You know, Miss Aurielle..."

"...ten years ago your mother, Lady Seraphina, borrowed a very large amount of gold from me to maintain this territory."

The moment her mother’s name was mentioned—

A shadow briefly crossed Aurielle’s eyes.

But she quickly hid it.

"I already paid this year’s interest."

"Then why are you here?"

Cedric gave another fake helpless sigh.

"I know that."

"But recently my finances have become somewhat... tight."

He leaned slightly forward.

"So I’ve started collecting debts from various places."

Then a cunning smile slowly appeared on his face.

"That is why..."

"...I now require the FULL repayment amount, Miss Aurielle."

Aurielle’s expression stiffened slightly.

But before she could respond—

Cedric continued speaking.

"Of course..."

"I understand your situation."

"You were exiled."

"You lost your support."

"And this territory is barely surviving."

A large smile spread across his face.

"So how about this?"

"You sell Blackstone Highlands to me."

"I’ll forgive the debt..."

"...and even generously return the remaining value afterward."

I saw Aurielle’s fingers tighten beneath the table.

But Cedric wasn’t finished.

His eyes slowly scanned her body again.

"...Or..."

"If you truly wish to keep the territory..."

His smile became disgusting.

"You could simply become my wife."

"And naturally..."

"...all debts would disappear."

BOOM—

A heavy pressure exploded from my body instantly.

Golden lines faintly appeared across my arms.

The room temperature dropped slightly.

The two women beside Cedric immediately turned pale.

Even the wine inside Cedric’s glass trembled.

But Cedric himself remained calm.

Slowly—

He turned his gaze toward me.

"Mister Luke."

Our eyes met.

"You should control your murderous aura."

"I understand you are unfamiliar with noble laws..."

His eyes slowly drifted toward my simple linen clothes.

Then disgust appeared across his face again.

"But attacking a noble is one of the greatest crimes within the empire."

"You would be hunted down by the entire empire."

Then he paused intentionally before glancing toward Aurielle.

"...Alongside everyone connected to you."

The moment those words fell—

Aurielle quietly grabbed my hand again.

I looked toward her.

Her face remained calm.

But I could see her gritting her teeth slightly.

I slowly took a deep breath before speaking in a cold voice.

"...How much?"

Cedric blinked once.

Clearly confused.

So I repeated myself.

"How much is the total debt?"

Cedric stared at me for a second before laughing mockingly.

"I doubt you’ve ever even seen that amount of money before..."

"...but it’s six hundred gold coins."

He casually placed several papers onto the table.

The documents carried both his seal and Lady Seraphina’s seal.

My expression changed slightly.

Then I turned toward Aurielle.

"How much was the original amount?"

Aurielle looked confused by my question but still answered.

"...One hundred gold coins."

I nodded slowly.

"...Fifty gold interest every year."

"What a disgusting bastard."

I muttered internally.

Then—

FLASH.

Six heavy gold pouches suddenly appeared on the table one after another.

CLANK.

CLANK.

CLANK.

The sound of gold echoed heavily throughout the room.

Cedric froze instantly.

Aurielle’s eyes widened slightly.

Even the servants nearby stared in shock.

I calmly leaned back before speaking loudly.

"Six hundred gold coins."

"From this moment onward..."

"...Baroness Aurielle Valmont no longer owes any debt to Baron Cedric Thornvale."

For a few seconds—

Cedric simply stared at the gold silently.

Then toward the contract papers.

Then toward Aurielle.

His face slowly became uglier and uglier.

Because this situation had completely escaped his control.

Still—

He eventually grabbed the gold pouches.

After all, six hundred gold coins was still a massive amount for him.

But just as he was about to stand up—

"Mister Baron."

Cedric paused and slowly turned toward me.

My face was calm.

But my voice turned cold.

"...My money is not easy to digest."

For a brief second, Cedric’s expression stiffened slightly.

Then a mocking smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"...What can a talentless Hero even do?"

He muttered quietly under his breath.

But I still heard it clearly.

Soon he stood up and left alongside the two women.

CREEEAK—

The large doors closed behind him.

Silence filled the room instantly.

Then suddenly—

"Luke."

I turned around.

Aurielle was staring directly at me now.

Her purple eyes were filled with disbelief.

"What was THAT?"

"Where did you get so much money?"

"And why didn’t you tell me anything?"

One question came after another rapidly.

I smiled helplessly before gently holding her hand.

That finally made her stop talking.

"I told you already."

"The Goddess of Luck gave me gifts."

Aurielle stared at me suspiciously for several seconds.

Then eventually sighed.

"...Fine."

"Don’t tell me."

I awkwardly scratched my cheek while smiling.

But then—

Aurielle’s eyes slowly narrowed.

"And now..."

"...who exactly are those ten women?"

She asked while giving me another terrifying death glare.

"...Gulp."

[Chapter End]