Chapter 92

This is a side story of "Samuel and Kiri."

"Good work, Kiri."

In a nondescript room within the palace, they had met at a staggered time as a precaution, but Barry looked somewhat dissatisfied. Kiri was more concerned about the obvious dissatisfaction on Barry's face, but there was something more important. Kiri took out a small bottle from his pocket.

"Sir Barry, this is the medicine."

A pale pink liquid. When held up to the light, the residue of magic shimmered. Barry took the bottle and stared at its contents. Magic flickered in Barry's eyes.

"Nack grass, Robok powder, and Berna grass. Just as reported by my subordinates, all illegal substances. This is a rather nasty imitation aphrodisiac. Taking it could lead to mental breakdown. What kind of mild sleeping pill is this?"

As Barry muttered with disgust, Kiri's eyes widened.

"Sir Barry, were you watching us?"

During the conversation with Samuel earlier, he had indeed referred to the medicine as a sleeping aid. Their meetings with Samuel always took place in secluded areas, but Kiri had never sensed Barry's presence before.

"Of course. I had Kiri act as bait. I couldn't stay away, worried as I was."

Barry, speaking slightly faster than usual, turned his head away with a pout. His ears seemed to be turning red, if Kiri wasn't mistaken.

"There's no need to worry."

Kiri wasn't boasting, but Samuel and the other guard were no match for him. Even if both attacked him at once, he could neutralize them without a sword.

"I know you're strong. Whether it's Samuel or that guard, you wouldn't lose. I know that. But I can't let you be alone with someone who looks at you with such obvious lust."

Kiri was genuinely surprised by Barry's unusually serious tone, far from his usual frivolous demeanor.

"Well... they did have rather obvious lecherous looks."

Recalling the dark heat in Samuel and Bisk's gazes, Kiri tilted his head.

"That was normal when I was in the Glass Forest?"

Kiri's position as an orphan with foreign blood was extremely low in the Daido Kingdom. It was unrealistic to expect the soldiers to treat him with respect. Kiri, as part of the Glass Forest extermination team, always remained vigilant to avoid being attacked or underestimated. Thanks to this, he had never fallen victim to such incidents.

"Damn it, I'll never let you return to such a country...!"

Barry's mood worsened, but Kiri smiled at the angry Barry.

"I don't want to go back either."

Barry, entranced by the smile, shook his head hurriedly, reminding himself that they were on duty. He forced himself to look away from Kiri.

Recently, Kiri's attitude had softened, and Barry felt constantly manipulated. Even a slight expression, a gentle smile, a respectful glance, or even a look of exasperation seemed to convey affection for Barry. Yet, whenever Barry tried to advance their relationship, Kiri would slip away. Despite his confidence in his experience with love, Barry felt like a young boy experiencing his first crush in front of Kiri.

The thought of Kiri, even if it was an act, being flirted with by another man, and even appearing to be interested, was torturous. Even though it was an act, it felt like a form of torture. The idea of Kiri falling for such a weak, lecherous, and fake charmer was unpleasant, even though he knew it was impossible.

"...Kiri, you're a good actor."

Suppressing his mixed feelings, Barry turned to Kiri with a smile, focusing his clear silver eyes and shifting his mind to work.

"Is that so...?"

"Yes, very natural. They wouldn't suspect a thing, hahaha."

Barry, recalling Kiri's performance, couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"No, when they gave you the gold coins, you looked genuinely surprised... You must be used to seeing gold coins, right?"

Kiri seemed to understand, nodding.

"That was genuine. I had never seen so many gold coins before..."

"What?! A maid's salary wouldn't be that much, but Kiri, you've killed many monsters in the Glass Forest and Kailat Street, right? You should get that many gold coins for just one A-rank monster, right?"

Barry, who had spoken without thinking, realized his mistake and lowered his voice.

"Perhaps you haven't received your payment from Lady Sheena yet? Sheena has been busy with various matters. Once things settle down, I'll make sure to have Sheena settle the accounts. She might be worried about it too."

It was inconceivable that Sheena would keep Kiri's payment for herself. However, given Sheena's dislike of financial matters, it was possible she had delayed the process. Kiri, moved by Barry's concern, shook his head.

"No! I received my payment from Lady Sheena! But..."

"But?"

Kiri hesitated, his gaze wandering, but he finally exhaled and spoke.

"The payment for slaying monsters was given to me in platinum coins, and it was half the amount. I always receive platinum coins from Lady Sheena. That's why I haven't seen many gold coins."

The money from selling monsters hunted in the Glass Forest, the money from selling monsters in Kailat Street, and the money Sheena earned from her various developments were roughly split in half, with Sheena giving Kiri a bit more. When Kiri tried to refuse, Sheena would tearfully insist that she didn't like having so much money either, so Kiri reluctantly accepted it. Except for one platinum coin he kept for emergencies, he entrusted the rest to Sheena's storage magic.

Sheena had assured him that his share was stored separately and he could ask for it anytime, but Kiri had no use for large sums of money. He had plenty of clothes provided by Sheena, a sword better than any other, and delicious meals made by Sheena. He was content living wherever Sheena was, and he had no need for money.

Barry felt a bit dizzy, remembering that this master-servant pair seemed to lack a sense of common people. They had no interest in dresses, jewelry, or social events like theater or tea parties. Sheena happily wore simple dresses and stayed in the palace, while Kiri was content with taking care of Sheena and training. They had no use for money.

Moreover, they unconsciously continued to generate profits, and their sense of money was probably numb. With so much money accumulating, they had turned a blind eye to reality.

They divided the massive rewards roughly without any written records.

"We don't use it, but we'll split it with Kiri and store it in the storage magic for now!"

"I received it from Lady Sheena, but I'll just leave it with her for now. I'll think about how to use it later."

Hearing what seemed like Sheena's words and Kiri's inner thoughts, Barry felt his knees go weak. Though it was just his imagination, he was probably 98% accurate in reading their inner thoughts.

How could he teach them, who casually gave and received platinum coins and ultimately didn't use them, about the norms of the world?

And, feeling a bit hurt, Barry realized that he couldn't even impress Kiri, who earned much more than he did, in terms of financial power.