Chapter 11: Do You Have Money? (Please Keep Reading)

“I hate her. I hate her daughter. I hate everything connected to her.”

“I hate her for not abandoning me when we were poor. I hate her for giving everything she had to pay for my treatment.”

“I hate her for not beating me, not scolding me, not abusing me!”

On the return trip in the horse-drawn carriage, Talia muttered curses under her breath, causing Ron to blink in surprise. He hadn’t expected city folk to be so twisted.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” the boy chimed in at just the right moment, trying to avoid an awkward silence.

But what followed was a deathly glare from Talia.

Got it. No more talking. She’s tsundere!

Ron turned his head, pretending not to see anything, though a swirl of complex feelings churned inside him.

Talia hadn’t yet revealed her current family situation to him. Ron didn’t know if she’d truly lose her mind upon learning that her ambitious father had also met a tragic end.

Still, the boy believed in looking on the bright side.

For instance, your father had left you a substantial inheritance.

“The real problem now isn’t that. The question is, where has that ‘truth-obsessed madman’ with all those buffs escaped to?”

Only by eliminating that guy could everything come to an end.

Having been on the job for only a few hours, Ron was already deeply anxious about the world’s future and the upheavals shaking the capital.

He feared he might not receive his next paycheck.

...

By the time they returned from the lower district to the towering Gothic building, it was nearly noon.

Perhaps on Olivia’s instructions, as soon as Talia stepped inside the Stardust Society, she was immediately surrounded by a group of men clutching iron chains, ropes, collars, and whips.

Leading them was a young man draped in a long robe over both shoulders, a splendid star emblem adorning his chest.

“Are you the mage apprentice who sneaked in through the back door of the society president?”

The man blocking Ron had short silver hair and dazzling golden eyes that scrutinized him from head to toe.

At that moment, Ron could feel this guy harboring immense disapproval toward his hiring.

Finally, has it come?

he thought inwardly.

Starting a new job often meant the first encounter was not a warm welcome but a show of dominance from the veterans.

In other words, Ron was now facing workplace bullying.

Yet the blonde boy felt no fear, armed with plenty of experience dealing with such matters.

Ron gave a soft “Hmm,” then clasped the young man’s hand, radiating an almost unimaginable warmth.

“Hello! I’m Ron!”

The boy’s enthusiasm visibly stunned the silver-haired youth, seemingly unprepared for such a reaction.

For a moment, he could only nod dumbly. “Uh... h-hello.”

Seeing this, Ron’s smile grew even brighter, his deep blue eyes shining with genuine delight.

But in the next instant, as if recalling something, his brows furrowed slightly over those striking eyes.

“Well... sir, I just started today and am not familiar with the work here yet...” the blonde said softly, tugging nervously at his somewhat faded mage robe, his tone filled with guilt and unease.

The young man’s expression softened, feeling a warm current surge through his chest.

The silver-haired youth knew this sensation well—

It was the fiery spirit rekindled after years of dormancy!

It was the responsibility of a senior!

It was the weight of belief resting on his shoulders!

Now, when a newcomer encounters difficulties at work, would you abandon your prejudices and choose to help?

Feeling the gazes of his subordinates behind him, the silver-haired man’s blood seemed to boil.

This was the moment to embody the knightly spirit!

Without hesitation, he adopted a solemn expression and pounded his chest like a drum. “No problem. If you have any difficulties or questions, come to me!”

That was exactly what Ron had been waiting to hear.

He gripped the silver-haired man’s right hand tightly, draped his other arm over his shoulder like a long-lost friend, and whispered lowly, “Brother, do you have any money?”

The world seemed to freeze in that instant.

The silver-haired man’s body stiffened, a flicker of disbelief flashing in his golden eyes.

This guy can’t be asking to borrow money, can he!?

He struggled desperately to break free from Ron’s grasp, but found the other’s grip unexpectedly tight.

With no choice, the silver-haired youth shouted, “I have no money! I still have loans to repay!”

“Your name’s Ron, right? The president wants you to come to her office after you finish up!”

“I have urgent matters. I’m off, see ya!”

Before Ron could even respond, the first colleague he’d met after joining the company, along with the group, rolled and scrambled toward the interior of the Gothic building with Talia, leaving him nothing but a cold back.

“Was that necessary? I was just asking...” the blonde muttered quietly before climbing the stairs to the president’s office.

Inside, the atmosphere was stiff and awkward.

The woman notorious for cuckolding Baron Mark was leisurely sipping her red tea; the wound on her head had completely vanished.

“Well, little one, you’re finally back~” Elena Mark greeted brightly.

Ron didn’t even bother acknowledging her. He held no goodwill toward the green-capped baron who owed innocent people compensation and ran a clandestine alchemy factory.

It wasn’t just disdain for such behavior; more so, because his superior was watching him.

...

“Well done, Gandalf!” Olivia rarely showed praise but was clearly pleased with Ron’s cold shoulder toward that shameless woman.

“You completed your task excellently; no wonder you’re the outstanding employee I personally signed!”

Ron nodded modestly, about to report the clues he uncovered in the lower district to Olivia.

But just then, Elena, standing by with a sly smile, interrupted, “Olivia, is this little one coming back with me? ♪”

“When did you start looking out for me like that?”

Going back with this woman? What did that mean?

The blonde boy was stunned, then shifted his gaze to the black-haired woman behind the desk.

I just started, and you’re already selling me out?

Honestly, Ron’s feelings were complicated.

Though he loathed Baron Mark for shirking compensation and wished he had the power to uphold justice, was stealing a man’s wife really the way to do it?

Even thick-skinned Ron couldn’t help but feel a touch of shame.

But thinking of the fate of Talia and her “mother,” of Silan Valentine’s daughter who died from alchemical waste gas, and of the exploitative contract before joining the alchemy factory,

Ron realized he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

For justice and integrity, a little sacrifice was acceptable!

“What are you thinking about?” Olivia suppressed the urge to throw a wine bottle upon seeing Ron’s martyr-like expression.

She pressed one hand to her forehead and slammed the desk forcefully, “Baron Mark wants details on the Silan Valentine case.”

“So I want you to go and inform him.”

So that’s what this is about...

Ron felt a twinge of regret at being unable to dispense justice himself.

He shook his head and refused, “I’m not going. I just started, and why don’t you go instead of me?”

Unexpectedly, Olivia crossed her arms disdainfully, “A baron wants me to make a trip? Even if he came in person, whether I see him depends on my mood.”

Hearing this, Ron inwardly marveled, realizing this fierce woman’s power in the capital was even greater than he had imagined.

“Then why don’t you just refuse him outright?”

If she’s so badass, why worry about a mere baron’s feelings?

Olivia lifted her chin and glanced at Elena. “If you can chase that scumbag out of my office, I’ll refuse him right now!”

At that moment, Ron fell silent.

If this violent woman couldn’t even get the baron’s wife out, what hope did he have?