Chapter 2
Even without trying hard to look, it was clear they were ancient language documents.
The ancient language itself was unfamiliar, and the format was also quite demanding.
It would have been complicated for a newcomer like him to handle alone, and while he was racking his brains over it, Dahlia must have urged him to go to the evening performance together.
“I’m telling you, it’s true!”
As Leoni stared at the documents silently, Dahlia pushed Jax’s back.
“Don’t you know Leoni does anything for money?”
Dahlia said something very misleading and laughed mischievously. Leoni didn’t want to take the job just because she disliked Dahlia’s attitude, as if she was expecting gratitude for helping, but she couldn’t ignore it.
‘I’m already tight on paying rent every month, and I desperately need every penny right now.’
She wasn’t in a position to be picky about work. Hiding her true feelings, Leoni asked with a prim expression,
“When do those documents need to be finished?”
“By today.”
What a short deadline.
“And the report needs to be submitted to Henricks, okay?”
Henricks? Leoni gave a hollow laugh at the mention of the unwelcome name.
“You know how picky that man is, right? There’s a 10 percent surcharge, so keep that in mind. 3 realms.”
“Huh?”
“Huh? Another word and it’s an extra 1 realm.”
As she held out her hand, Jax exclaimed,
“Isn’t that too expensive?”
“Then don’t do it.”
At Leoni’s firm reply, Jax closed his mouth. He must know. If she refused this job, there would be no one else to take it on.
After checking his expression, Leoni continued,
“But people who can read and write the ancient language are rare, and people who do other people’s work are even rarer. Especially on a Friday evening with only half a day left before the weekend, wouldn’t it be even rarer?”
Jax hesitated for a moment at Leoni’s words before opening his mouth. He seemed to have finally made up his mind.
“I don’t have much cash on me right now, so can I pay you later?”
“Absolutely not.”
As Leoni shook her head firmly, Jax made a troubled face.
“Leoni, we’re colleagues working at the same company. Don’t you have that much trust?”
“No, I don’t. You shouldn’t trust people. Trust money.”
At the unyielding response, Jax eventually frowned.
“…Are you really sure you can finish it on time?”
“Just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean others can’t. Stop talking nonsense and give me the money.”
Leoni held out her hand toward him once again. Seeing her palm, Jax’s face turned grim.
Was it because the amount was more expensive than he thought? Because she didn’t seem to have any intention of helping him at all? Or because she, who only did miscellaneous tasks, was better at the ancient language than him, the rising star of the cooperation bureau?
Of course, it could be all three.
But Leoni, unfazed by Jax’s expression, just held out her palm.
“Are you possessed by a money demon? Fine, but no complaining later.”
“Of course. I’ll finish it on time, so don’t worry. And the money…”
“I’ll leave the documents at your desk.”
Thud!
Before he could finish his sentence, Jax took out bills from his pocket and tossed them at her. The crumpled bills hit Leoni’s body and fell. The throwing motion was so fast that she didn’t even have time to react.
‘This jerk, really.’
Just as she was about to argue, dumbfounded, the two were already moving away from her.
‘Mannerless jerk.’
As if he’s going to be the dragon handler soon, what’s the rush?
“As expected, the only thing you can trust in this world is money.”
Crumpled bills were lying forlornly in the hallway. Leoni was squatting and silently smoothing out the bills when,
“But why is she only doing support work when she can even read the ancient language?”
Leoni froze at the voice coming from around the corner.
“You know, that dragon rampage incident 15 years ago… There was a daughter in that family…”
“Ah! That incident? Is she the daughter from that family?”
Leoni’s fingertips holding the bills trembled slightly. She tried to ignore it by clenching her fists, but it wasn’t easy.
“How did she even get into the cooperation bureau? Shouldn’t they have blocked her from entering after something like that happened?”
But the gossipers didn’t seem to have any intention of lowering their voices. As their giggling echoed down the hallway, Leoni abruptly stood up.
‘It’s okay.’
It’s a familiar occurrence.
Her steps quickened involuntarily. Leoni exited the hallway in the opposite direction, still clutching the crumpled money in one hand.
⊹ 🍰˚⊹♡
One spring day 23 years ago, a large explosion occurred on the outskirts of the empire.
The cause was enthusiastic researchers.
They had always claimed that beyond the boundaries surrounding the continent, there existed new creatures different from humans.
Ultimately, the explosion succeeded in lifting the boundaries.
The land that had been impassable due to the thick fog was revealed, and the mythical creatures that had only been passed down through legends appeared.
Forest creatures like pixies and elves that only appeared in fairy tales. Sea witches, nightmares that infest dreams….
Among them, the most astonishing beings were dragons.
Sacred beings known to protect the empire in the old founding myths.
Some were enthusiastic about the appearance of dragons, and some expressed concerns, but that was only for a very short time.
They were immediately considered more noble than humans, and at some point, even more noble than the imperial family.
Where did they come from? Is communication possible? Will their appearance be harmful or beneficial to humans? Renowned scholars devoted themselves to answering these questions.
Then, eight years later, it happened.
“There’s a fire in the northern forest!”
A terrible accident occurred in which a dragon died due to the greed of one researcher. In fact, it was more of an incident than an accident. An incident full of malice.
‘What if the other dragons retaliate?’
Worried that the anger would reach humans, the empire quickly found someone to shift the blame to.
It was the researcher himself and his family.
Some argued that there should be a more detailed investigation into the incident, but they were ignored.
“…Therefore, it is the common opinion of our research team that there should be an agency that can manage all mythical creatures to prevent such a terrible incident from happening again.”
And the empire established an agency under the pretext of preventing accidents.
‘Mythical Creature Cooperation Bureau’.
It was the birth of the so-called cooperation bureau.
What happened to the researcher who killed the dragon?
The villain burned with the dragon that day, leaving no body behind.
However, another problem remained. The problem is always the people who are ‘still’ alive.
The deceased researcher’s only daughter, Leoni, was still alive. Unfortunately.
⊹ 🍰˚⊹♡
People’s reactions to learning that Leoni was the daughter of ‘that’ researcher were generally divided into two.
‘That bastard’s child? Ugh, yuck!’
They would refuse to even deal with her.
‘Little girl, did you hear anything from your dad when he was alive? Hmm, I’m not a strange person. I just have something to ask you.’
Or they would treat her as a source of amusement or a way to make money.
At first, Leoni denied it too.
Her father wouldn’t do that. Surely something must have gone wrong.
But no one listened to the words of a mere eight-year-old child.
Her father’s lifelong research was not safe either.
The research materials were converted into money and divided among the imperial family and other researchers. She learned from the whispers at the funeral that one of those who stole the research was her father’s most cherished student.
At the time, Leoni was too young to fully understand the situation, but she knew this much:
The world wouldn’t be kind to her from now on.
⊹ 🍰˚⊹♡
Friday, evening, overtime.
These horrible combinations of words, which would have made her colleague Dahlia shudder, had no effect on Leoni herself.
‘It’s the same even if I leave early.’
She has no family waiting, and her house is a dump.
Just thinking about the scene that greets her when she enters the front door made her head throb. Since she’s going to be stressed anyway, it’s better to earn a little more money.
“Ugh.”
Leoni, who finished the work that would take others half a day in just two hours, stretched contentedly.
Looking out the window, the sun was already setting.
Taking advantage of Henricks’ absence, Leoni secretly placed the report on his desk and quickly left the building.
Friday evening was filled with people enjoying the holiday wherever she went.
Happy families out for dinner or fresh-faced couples who still seemed awkward.
The scenery was so full of happiness that she didn’t want to look at it.
So, choosing a different route than usual to avoid crowded places was her downfall.
“Miss Leoni! Fancy meeting you here!”
Of all people, it had to be Mrs. Claverly, her landlord.
“It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“…Thanks to you. How have you been, Mrs. Claverly?”
Mrs. Claverly, who greeted her first, was a well-known real estate tycoon in the capital. The kind-looking lady, wearing a light shawl for going out, smiled at Leoni.
“Oh my, my mind is slipping.”
Leoni tensed as Mrs. Claverly clapped her hands.
Even with a gentle tone, she could never let her guard down. Like any rich person, Mrs. Claverly never lost out.
The fact that she wasted her time stopping Leoni meant there was a reason for it.
“Now that I think about it, your lease is up this month, isn’t it, Miss Leoni?”
As expected. Leoni sighed inwardly.
“How about it? Are you planning to move somewhere else?”
“No, not at the moment.”
“Oh dear, oh dear. What shall we do?”
Mrs. Claverly tilted her head, covering her cheek with one hand.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to raise the rent from next month.”
“Oh…”
“You understand, right? Actually, considering the cost of living in the capital, the current rent isn’t even expensive.”
Leoni gave a wry smile.
While it wasn’t wrong, considering that her wallet was already quite tight even with the current rent, it was difficult to readily agree. Leoni carefully asked,
“Excuse me, could you give me a little time to think about it?”
“Oh, of course! Let’s see… Would tomorrow be enough time?”
“Tomorrow…? Tomorrow is Saturday? Are you sure?”
“Of course, I have to make time if Miss Leoni has something to say. But after that, I have a busy schedule and I don’t think I’ll be able to make time.”
Mrs. Claverly said boastfully and bowed her head slightly. She looked as if she was about to leave immediately.
“Excuse me, ma’am.”
Leoni hurriedly grabbed Mrs. Claverly as she was about to step back. After taking a deep breath, Leoni’s voice trembled.
“If I move out, what are you planning to do with the house?”
“Hmm. Remodeling is all the rage these days.”
Mrs. Claverly seemed to be thinking hard, then smiled brightly.
“I think I’ll have to tear it down and rebuild it.”
⊹ 🍰˚⊹♡
Her house is going to disappear.
Leoni was at a loss for words at the sudden reality.
Forgetting her original purpose of avoiding crowded places, she trudged along.
After a few steps, she arrived at the plaza. Just then, a jet of water was spouting refreshingly from the fountain.
A wish-granting fountain
Occasionally, passersby stopped in front of the fountain, checked the sign, and flipped a coin.
A common legend in any city, that if you put a coin in the plate inside the fountain, your wish will come true.
Everyone was busy throwing coins into the plate, but Leoni’s attention was elsewhere.
‘Would I get caught if I stole those coins?’
She heard they collect them every few days and use them for taxes. As Leoni was staring at the coins piled up under the shimmering water,
Splash!
Suddenly, the calm surface rippled with gold. It seemed someone had just thrown a coin.
‘What, a gold coin?’
Leoni’s eyes widened. It was an old gold coin worth the same as a 1 realm bill.
It’s not like money grows on trees. Leoni reflexively turned her head.
She was curious to see what kind of person would waste a gold coin on a fountain legend.