Chapter 15: You Said Anything Goes, Right?
Opening the door to the detention room, accompanied by the rush of cold air and low pressure, Durin immediately saw the girl lying motionless on the grass mat.
Her red and black mage robe was dusty, and her face was hidden beneath the mage hat. Durin, who hadn't seen this old friend in years, was surprised to find that she hadn't changed much over the years. He quickly greeted, "Oh, Helena, long time no see?"
Upon hearing his words, the girl, who had been lying on the ground like a dead fish, suddenly moved. Using the staff in her hand as support, she slowly stood up and said, "Haha, long time no see, my ally and archenemy Durin! I never expected your power to keep increasing even after being stripped of the Black Star of the spire. It's truly exhilarating. Ah, could this be the resonance between twin stars..."
Facing Helena's self-absorbed words, Winry, who was behind Durin, couldn't help but ask, "What is this young lady talking about?"
"Well, you could interpret it as 'long time no see, I never expected you, of all people, to fare better than me,'" Durin explained.
Seeing Winry's realization, Helena quickly added, "Th-that's not it! I'm not jealous of you, you jerk, for not being able to become a mage and still inheriting the family business! And I'm definitely not jealous of you, you jerk, for your magical power still increasing even after leaving the mage tower!"
"..."
With a subtle expression, Durin realized that this girl was still as easy to understand as ever and chuckled helplessly. "By the way, how did you end up here? With your condition, you probably can't even afford to use teleportation arrays anymore..."
Upon hearing his words, Helena, who had previously shown dissatisfaction due to the inequality between people, confidently said, "Humph, didn't see that coming, did you? I thought my fate would end here because of the loss of my belongings. But unexpectedly, I encountered a kind-hearted person on the road who reached out to help me. In the end, I successfully arrived at the place where you, my ally, reside. This is truly fate!"
"What does that mean?"
Seeing Winry's perplexity again, Durin simply replied, "In short, she lost her wallet on the road and almost got lost halfway, but someone helped her, allowing her to reach us."
"Oh."
"And this girl didn't have much money in her wallet to begin with. If no one had helped her, I doubt she could have made it to our Southern Territories."
Upon hearing Durin's words, Helena blushed. After struggling to find the right words for a while, she couldn't continue pretending in front of her old friend. Exhaustedly, she said, "Anyway, Durin, I haven't eaten anything for three days. If possible, could you please feed me something before the interview?"
...
In Edward Castle, after Helena nearly finished devouring the entire plate, she finally sighed in relief and asked, "Although you mentioned a job offer in your letter, you haven't told me what the job actually is! Honestly, I sold all my possessions when I ran away from the mage tower this time. If you don't tell me about the job that pays five gold coins per month, I'll stay in this castle and refuse to leave!"
"Don't worry, I can afford five gold coins. But are you satisfied with just five gold coins? I remember you owed more than four digits in debt at the prop shop in the Imperial Capital..."
Upon hearing Durin's words, Helena couldn't help but smile brightly and shake her head. "Hahaha, what are you talking about? How could I owe a debt of more than four digits? Don't underestimate me! I actually owe a debt of more than five digits! I made up my mind to leave the mage tower partly to avoid being chased by debt collectors."
"What did you say? Over five digits?!"
Seeing Durin's bewildered expression, Helena couldn't help but look sad. She said, almost in tears, "I had no choice! After you were kicked out of the mage tower, I had nowhere else to freeload. At that time, someone told me they could offer me small loans with seemingly low interest rates, so I agreed... But who knew..."
"Who knew?"
"Who knew that Magic Crystal Packs would be so enticing? I just happened to have a little money after borrowing, so I opened twenty packs without much thought. But that darned prop shop was such a rip-off! I opened eighty-eight packs and didn't get a single superior-grade crystal. They were all subpar, and they still wanted a hundred gold coins per pack!!"
"And then? Even if it's a hundred gold coins per pack, that's only a maximum of two thousand gold coins."
Frustrated by Durin's confusion, Helena angrily retorted, "Yeah, but afterward, I hated that stingy prop shop owner so much that I thought if I could pull out dozens of superior crystals at once, I could bankrupt him. But after opening eighty-eight packs, I finally realized I had reached the limit for small loans. Unknowingly, I owed a debt of over five digits! So it's not my fault!"
"Get out of here!"
"No, please don't!! I'm on the brink of being expelled this year, and as someone who can only grasp the Heart of Fire Element, I can't master magic from other elements. I can't find a proper job to repay the debt, and the shopping district in the Imperial Capital has put me on the blacklist. If I go back now, I'll definitely end up in court!"
"And how is that my problem?! I can't afford to support someone with a five-digit debt burden! What if the Imperial Knights find out and come looking for me?!"
Seeing Durin's determined expression, Helena panicked and pleaded, "But you're a baron, Durin... Lord Durin! Please don't abandon me! I don't need the five gold coins as payment anymore! As long as you're willing to provide me with a place to eat and bathe, I won't ask for any compensation. As long as you can take me in and don't tell the Knights about me, I'll do anything!"
"Anything?"
Suddenly, Durin, who had previously appeared very resolute, smiled, while Helena, who was still trying to persuade him, felt a chill and instinctively covered her chest, taking two steps back while murmuring, "Uh, Durin, you're not that kind of person, right..."
"What kind of person do you think I am? Anyway, since you said you're willing to do anything..."
Completely ignoring Helena's trembling, Durin's smile widened, appearing like a hungry wolf eyeing its captured prey. Then, he turned to Winry, who was showing a subtle expression behind him, and said, "Winry, is that outfit I asked you to prepare ready? Go get it and help her change."
"??!"