Lucas was in a very good mood right now.

So much so that he had forgotten about those people who were drinking in the inn for a while.

'To think I would come across such an item.'

Lucas, who had carefully put the box in his robe pocket, couldn't hide his leaking smile.

The reason he could recognize the box as soon as he saw it was simple. Because it was that famous.

But for some reason, the shop owner had a face that said he didn't know anything about the box.

'It can't be helped. Whoever it was, they changed the appearance so well.'

The identity of the box that had made Lucas so happy was none other than a subspace artifact. And it was a very high-level subspace, so he couldn't help but be in a good mood.

This artifact, of which there were said to be seven in the whole world, boasted a huge space that even a dragon could enter.

'I think it was better when it was a pouch...'

Lucas, who had entered a quiet alley, began to chant a spell with the box in his hand.

Small, hissing, and incomprehensible sounds, like a snake flicking its tongue, flowed from Lucas's throat.

-Pssss...

How much time had passed? As his mouth stopped, a hazy steam poured out of the box, and then its appearance began to change with a small light.

"It's done."

Now that he had plenty of mana, it was nothing to chant a spell in ancient language. A satisfied smile appeared on Lucas's face, as if he had faced his returned power.

The box had now turned into an ordinary pouch.

As Lucas opened the mouth of the pouch and put his hand in, his hand was sucked into the small pouch.

"Oho...!"

He, who had put his hand in the pouch, let out an exclamation of admiration.

'I have to check it quickly.'

He, who had finished his thought, hurried his steps toward the inn.

"You son of a b-tch! How much does your father owe, and you're trying to get away with this!?"

But a loud voice that cooled his excited heart came from somewhere.

"Please, please, I beg you. This is all I have right now. If you give me a week, no, just three days... kyaak!"

A rough-looking man roughly slapped the cheek of a woman who looked to be in her early twenties in the middle of the street.

The woman, who had been thrown to the floor, was begging, holding onto the man's trousers.

"Please... if you just give me three days, I'll somehow..."

"That three days is today, you son of a b-tch! So you should have brought your father!"

"Ack!"

As the man kicked the woman away with a rough kick, she rolled helplessly on the floor.

'Tsk, tsk... when will the bastard who sells his child for gambling disappear...'

Lucas, who saw the sight, clicked his tongue inwardly and was about to leave.

"And where am I supposed to use this thing! You worthless wench!"

-Thwack!

The man, who had thrown the thing in his hand at the woman, kept cursing.

"Sob... sob..."

"If you're going to blame someone, blame your father. Drag her away!"

At his words, the other men who were standing by his side roughly grabbed the woman and stood her up.

"Kyaak! Please, please don't do this!!!"

The woman's eyes, who was struggling, turned to the people who were standing around and watching.

But none of them stepped forward to help the woman. They just sent her looks of pity, as if it were a shame.

"Please... please!"

"Stop."

A strange hand held out in front of the woman who was struggling with all her might not to be dragged away.

"Hey. I don't know who you are, but if you don't want to see a rough sight, just go."

"How much is the debt?"

In fact, he had just been about to go. In the world where humans lived, such things were common. So he had been about to just pass by, according to his long experience...

'I'm very lucky today.'

The thing the woman had came into his view.

"Ha! A prince on a white horse has appeared. 250 gold!"

The man sneered and told him the amount at Lucas's question. As if to say, 'If you have that kind of money, let's see you bring it out.'

"I'll give it to you."

But Lucas soon regretted it as people's gazes turned to him.

"...What?"

The man, who was surprised at the unexpected answer, asked again.

"I said I'll pay that debt for you. So let go of that hand."

The woman, who had not yet relaxed her legs, was also surprised.

"H-ha! Really. Who are you to pay this wench's father's debt? No, no. It's good for us to get the money. Then give it to me."

At the man's words, Lucas opened his pouch and held out three 100-gold coins.

"Take it."

The man's eyes turned to the pouch full of gold coins.

"No! On second thought, you'll have to give me 500 gold. How much trouble we've had because of this wench and her father! And since the date has passed, I'll have to get more interest."

"W-what do you mean! The principal is 50 gold!"

The woman shouted.

"Shut up! How dare a worthless wench like you interrupt!? Huh!?"

As the man raised his hand and threatened to hit her, the woman closed her eyes tightly and cowered.

"500 gold. If not, we'll take this wench and let her receive the affection of the masters. With a face like this, she can easily handle twenty men a day!"

The man, who thought that Lucas was some foolish young master of a noble family who had fallen for a pitiful woman, began to haggle with a swagger.

"I'm at a loss for words. The principal is 50 gold, and you're going to take 500 gold, which is ten times that."

Lucas put one of the gold coins he had been holding in his hand back into his pouch.

"200 gold. This is also four times the amount. If you don't accept it, take the woman as you wish and get lost."

But Lucas played a strong hand, as if to prove that their mistake was very wrong.

"Ha, 200 gold? Are you kidding me? Hey! Drag her away!"

The man, who shouted at his subordinates as if he couldn't lose.

"Then what."

Lucas also shrugged his shoulders at the man's reaction and looked at the woman.

As if he couldn't help.

The woman, who saw the sight, nodded her head slightly and obediently entrusted her body to the men's hands as if she had given up, and Lucas also turned his steps.

"W-wait!"

But Lucas stopped and turned around at the man's shout from behind.

"What is it?"

"250 gold! I'll give you this wench for 250 gold."

But Lucas frowned at the man's shout.

"50 gold is equivalent to a commoner family's living expenses for a month. Didn't you refuse even when I offered to give you four times that? 150 gold. No more negotiations."

At Lucas's words, the man seemed to be thinking and let out a small groan, and then he nodded his head.

"Tsk... I can't help it. I understand."

Lucas felt a strange sense of unease at the man's attitude, but he took out a gold coin from his pouch and handed it to the man.

"Hey, you wench. You're lucky today! Get lost!"

The man, who had roughly grabbed the woman's hand and had thrown her, spat on the floor.

"T-thank you... I'll somehow repay this money..."

"That's enough. And if you want to live, you'd better stay as far away from your father as possible."

"B-but..."

"I'll take this instead."

Lucas picked up the necklace that had fallen on the ground. The shape of the necklace was not just ordinary, but shabby.

The pendant in the middle of the necklace, which had wooden beads strung on a leather string, was also made of wood.

So the men had dismissed this necklace as an ordinary necklace with no function and had thrown it away.

'It's an elf's thing.'

But this necklace was several times better than the necklace that was said to increase one's affinity with nature, which he had seen at the antique shop earlier.

"E-excuse me...!"

Lucas, who was walking away as if his business was over, stopped.

"What is it?"

"I know it's a shameless request. But... that necklace is a keepsake left by my grandmother. So I would appreciate it if you could tell me your name so that I can repay you when I earn money."

"Oho..."

Lucas let out a short exclamation of admiration, as if he were surprised at the woman's words.

It wasn't that she couldn't give the seemingly insignificant necklace to the benefactor who had saved her, but that she couldn't give it because it was precious.

"It's true. I was going to give the necklace to those people earlier because I was thinking of somehow getting the money and repaying them. I feel the same way now. If it weren't for your help, I would have been dragged away without a choice, but it's something I really need."

Lucas, who was watching the woman who was speaking her mind clearly while maintaining a polite attitude, nodded his head.

'A descendant of an elf.'

The pointed ears that were visible between her messy hair.

Perhaps because it had been passed down for several generations, the woman's ears did not look much different from a human's, but the tips were pointed.

"A spirit master?"

"My skills are weak, but yes. I am a contractor of Toka, a lower fire spirit."

"Then it must be something you need."

As he handed the necklace back, the woman carefully took it.

"T-thank you! Thank you so much!"

"I will definitely collect the debt."

"Of course. You can trust me. Please tell me your name."

"You can come to the Rodrigo County in Citata."

"Citata... you mean the Arant Empire?"

Lucas nodded.

"I understand. I will come to repay the debt as soon as possible. My name is Caitlin. Caitlin MacLean."

Lucas, who had nodded once again, turned his body and walked away.

In fact, it was something he had intended to give to Nella, but Nella was already a child with a high affinity with nature, comparable to an elf.

It was just that he wanted to help in any way he could, and it wasn't something Nella really needed.

In addition, he was also interested in the woman's bold attitude.

'Since she's a descendant of an elf, I'll trust her once.'

***

A secluded shopping district. The men gathered there were giggling and holding up the gold coins in their hands.

"Khaha! I thought I wouldn't be able to get it, but what a windfall!"

"That's what I'm saying! I mean, to think that there's still a half-wit young master like that in this day and age."

"It's a good thing for us! Isn't it?"

The men were sneering at Lucas, who had paid the debt for them, treating him as a foolish young master.

"Ah, more importantly, brother. Did you see that bastard's pouch? It was full of gold coins."

"Yes. That's right. I saw it too, and there were not only 10-gold coins, but also 100-gold coins under them."

The man's eyes narrowed at his subordinate's words.

"You still don't know me like that? That's why you're still following me around and collecting debts. Why do you think I just accepted it when that bastard lowered the price. Huh?"

"Pardon?"

"You bastard. I've already thought of a way. You know that too, right? That I'm close to 'that brother' who is in the Black Hand."

"D-don't tell me?"

The man sneered and blew on a gold coin and wiped it on his clothes at his subordinate's question.

"Right. I owe that brother a debt from last time, so... I'll have to give him some information. And that wench's father is a gambling addict among gambling addicts, so he'll come back and get into debt anytime."

"Of course... no one can match the brother's head!"

The man clicked his tongue and continued at his subordinate's admiration.

"Tsk! So you should also think with what's on your neck! Instead of just thinking about drinking with your mouth!"

"Hehe... I understand."

"If that wench's father gets into debt again, then we'll take the wench instead of the money."

"Then we'll be killing two birds with one stone! That's great!"

"Khaha! Right!"

(End of Chapter)