Chapter 34
Nivellia didn’t understand anything.
And she wasn’t alone.
Aref looked like he might cry from confusion, and even Soles — who was usually the smartest — only understood about half of what was said.
But none of the adults scolded them.
Celletina asked gently,
“Was that a bit hard to follow?”
“…Yeah,” Nivellia replied with a small voice.
The adults already knew the kids wouldn’t understand much. But they still explained everything. There was a reason for that.
“You need to hear a lot and experience a lot.”
Even if it didn’t make sense now, those memories and experiences would build up — and one day, they would all come together.
When that day came, the world would look completely different to them.
“It’s okay if you don’t get it now.”
“When will I understand?”
“If you keep doing your best — like you did today — and stick with it for a long time, you’ll understand one day.”
“….”
“Think it’s going to be hard?”
Nivellia thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Yeah.”
She couldn’t lie about it.
“But I’m still going to do it.”
Nivellia was four — and she didn’t know how to give up.
“I’m going to be a cool lady who makes lots of money!”
“That’s what makes you your mother’s daughter. Come here.”
Celletina pulled her close and gave her a kiss on each cheek.
Then she finally brought up the main topic.
Nivellia’s investment.
“You need money to run a company. Remember when you opened your kitty café?”
“You mean the one where I went broke selling cookies?”
“Why did that happen?”
“Because I spent too much money making them…”
She still remembered the 1.28 million Uba debt she had to pay off — and how hard she worked to do it.
Even now, the memory of that purple-colored debt notice made her feel gloomy.
“That’s exactly what I mean,” Celletina said.
“When you’re starting something new, you need enough money. That way, even if you make mistakes, you’ll have a second chance.”
“So, if I give the company money, you’ll pay me interest, right? Like, ‘thank you for the loan’?”
“Exactly! You remembered that so well!”
Nivellia grinned brightly at the praise.
And so, it was decided: Nivellia would invest 50 million Uba into the new pharmaceutical company as initial capital.
In return, she would receive stock — but not right away. She’d get it once the company officially went public.
“I don’t get the stock now?”
Nivellia frowned, sounding uneasy.
“We don’t have stock to give yet.”
“When will you have it?”
“Hmm… probably next year? Maybe when you turn five?”
“….”
Nivellia’s eyes narrowed with deep suspicion.
To ease her worries, the adults quickly wrote up a contract promising to give her the stock.
But Nivellia was still skeptical — and went one step further.
“I want it notarized! The law is scary, so we have to promise legally!”
“We’ll give it to you for sure. No need for that.”
“How can I trust Dad? He lost my money playing card games! Aren’t you even embarrassed?”
“…Your vocabulary has gotten very… grown-up.”
Talking about money had rapidly advanced Nivellia’s language skills.
In the end, they had to call for Monitos, the notary, right away.
“…….”
Monitos glared at Caleo with the kind of stare that said, you better have a good reason for this.
Because today… was his day off.
“Why am I here?”
Monitos, as big and broad as Ardores, didn’t bother hiding his irritation. Even the air around him seemed tense with annoyance.
Caleo put on his best smile and explained.
“Nini asked for notarization. We really didn’t want to dismiss her, so I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“That little sprout knows way too much.”
And just like that, Monitos’s bad mood vanished.
“This family’s been too soft on kids for generations.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“I want full pay for this. And a bottle of 41-year-old whiskey.”
“Didn’t you usually drink the 40-year-old?”
“That’s barely even whiskey anymore.”
He didn’t want to share the same tastes as people like the Plaude couple — the kind of trash he avoided on principle.
Little Nivellia said firmly, face full of conviction,
“Law is scary! If you break the law, you go to jail!”
“That’s right. So make sure you follow it, too.”
Soon, the table was lined with the documents and stamps needed for official notarization.
Monitos carefully adjusted one paper that was slightly off-center.
Then Nivellia reached out and tapped that exact paper with her finger.
“Hey, did you know Nini once got in trouble for breaking child labor laws?”
“Did you hire a lawyer?”
Monitos gave her a disapproving look, but didn’t move the paper again.
“What’s ‘hire a lawyer’ mean?”
“It means if you think you’re going to jail, you call a lawyer. They can help — and sometimes, you won’t even have to go to jail.”
Nivellia’s mouth fell open in shock at this amazing new discovery.
Meanwhile, Monitos had already drafted the notarized document — in the blink of an eye.
Stamp, stamp.
Nivellia pressed the seal down with a flourish, signing even the complicated documents she couldn’t read yet — with surprising skill.
“Here.”
Monitos handed the completed notarized document to her.
Her tiny hands gripped the paper tightly.
“From now on, the law will protect you.”
And with that—
Nivellia’s first investment was officially and successfully completed.
The Next Day
Monitos submitted the notarized document to the government office.
And the witches began building their new facilities on the freshly cleared land.
Meanwhile, Nivellia and Aref took the day off from kindergarten to visit the bank with Caleo.
Soles, unfortunately, had private tutoring and couldn’t come.
As they stepped out of the carriage, Nivellia said,
“A bank is where you save money, right?”
“That’s right. This is Petra Bank, the biggest one in the Dramenon Empire,” Caleo explained.
“And today, we’re going to open bank accounts for both of you.”
“Nini already has a passbook!”
Nivellia swung her bright yellow wolf-shaped backpack off her shoulder and rummaged through it to pull out her paycheck ledger.
“M-Me too…”
Aref opened his white cat-shaped backpack and took out his own.
One entry per day — sometimes two.
Evidence of their steady, honest work was recorded without fail.
Caleo smiled warmly at the sight.
“Now we’re going to turn all that into real money, and deposit it in real accounts. These will be your very own savings accounts.”
The lobby of the Lapis Bank was already bustling with people even early in the morning.
“Should Nini be carried by Daddy?”
“Mm-hmm…”
Nivellia nestled into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder.
She had grown less shy around strangers, but crowds this big still made her uncomfortable.
Aref gently patted her leg, trying to comfort her.
“Aref, hold Mister’s hand.”
“Yes.”
“All right, let’s go get a number ticket first. Since there are so many people, you have to take a numbered ticket and wait your turn.”
In the center of the bank were employees handing out number slips.
They asked each visitor about their purpose, then pulled tickets from a strange-looking machine.
Each time one ticket came out, another one would follow right after — like it was sticking its tongue out playfully.
“Do you know who invented this?” Caleo asked as they sat in the waiting area.
“It was Grandma.”
“Muniel did?” Aref’s eyes widened.
“Well, the Tower made it, but yes — it was your grandmother’s invention.”
“Wow…!”
“She helped many places with her ideas. Our family owes a lot of its success to the Saint.”
The pride in Caleo’s voice was unmistakable.
It was easy to see how much he respected his mother.
“Give it! Give the paper to Nini!”
“You mean, ‘Can I have it, please?’”
“Pleeeeease!”
“Good girl. Don’t lose it, okay?”
Caleo handed the tickets to the kids.
Nivellia and Aref examined them closely.
“What’s the point of this?” Nivellia asked.
“It helps keep things fair. No one fights over who came first, and it makes waiting more peaceful.”
That’s why these machines were used in hospitals, offices, shops — anywhere with a lot of waiting.
“It’s a machine that stops fights! That’s so cool!”
Nivellia beamed with delight.
As they waited—
“That’s our number!” Aref said, pointing at the screen above the counter.
“Our turn!”
“Let’s go!” Nivellia shouted with enthusiasm.
“Aref, can you hand over the ticket and explain why we’re here?”
“Yes.”
He tensed a little. This was a big responsibility.
With stiff steps, Aref walked up to the counter and handed over the slip.
“We’re h-here to open bank accounts!”
“Of course! One moment, please,” the bank staff said kindly, pulling out the necessary paperwork.
“Will we be opening an account for your son only?”
Aref blinked in surprise.
Caleo smiled and continued,
“No, we’ll also be opening one for my daughter.”
“Great. Then please write both children’s names here — and yours here as their guardian.”
“I want to write my name!” Nivellia shouted.
“You can’t. You still can’t fit your name into those small boxes.”
She had just learned how to write her name recently and wasn’t happy to be turned down.
Her lips stuck out dramatically, like a duck’s beak.
“I… I wanted to write mine too…” Aref mumbled, a little disappointed.
But the moment they received their new bank books — with their names printed right on them — their disappointment vanished completely.
Inside were their total earnings so far.
Nivellia: 3.2 million Uba.
Aref: 53 million Uba.
Nivellia had worked more actively, but Aref’s total included the 50 million reward he’d received earlier.
Strictly speaking, it was more than their actual labor value — but Caleo and Celletina had added a bit extra to encourage them.
Their eyes sparkled as they looked through their savings books.
Aref’s eyes even began to water — it was his first time seeing his very own money.
Today is one of the happiest days of my life…!
He had a real savings book now.
And Caleo had called him “my son.”
Of course, Aref knew that didn’t mean he was really adopted.
But it was enough to believe — and feel — that there was an adult who would protect him.
“Thank you very much!”
Aref spoke up in a strong, clear voice.
“Thank you very much!” Nivellia echoed.
“You two earned that money with your own hard work. You don’t need to thank me.”
“That’s true.”
Nivellia nodded seriously.
Caleo chuckled. He had nothing else to say.
“All right, should we head home now? Or maybe take a walk around the square? Aref, you haven’t had a chance to explore this area yet, have you?”
“No. I’d love to look around.”
“Then how about lunch out—”
“Marquis!”
Caleo’s warm smile vanished in an instant.
His face went completely still.
