As if nothing happened, the room became quiet instantly. The first person to break the silence was Hans.
“Why did you sell the dragon’s body? I thought you didn’t have any intention of selling it in the beginning.” Hans wasn’t admonishing Lara for basically giving away such a valuable item. He was simply curious.
“Yes, but before that, do you think it was all right for me to sell a dragon’s body part for so little?” Lara asked.
“It’s your item. As the owner, you can do whatever you want with it. It’s not like you were tricked into giving it away or didn’t know the value of the dragon’s body. An item’s value can change depending on the time and person. I suppose the dragon’s body was worth that much for you at that moment. I’m just curious why the price of a dragon’s body dropped so dramatically. You don’t have to tell me if you won’t want to though,” Hans said.
“It’s not for some amazing reason. I mean, I thought that man had a point. Although my life in the Browning family was painful for me, I never lacked anything materially. Even when my brother bullied me, no violence was directly done to me, and I was even able to learn swordsmanship. I was able to live the kind of life where I could get any good I wanted right away. Not many people in the world could have lived a life like that.”
“No matter how comfortable your body is, if your mind isn’t comfortable, it’ll only wear you down.”
“I know. That’s why I couldn’t endure living there and ran away. While I traveled around the world, I saw many people whose bodies and minds were both uncomfortable. Compared to them, I lived a very lavish life when I was young and that was thanks to my family. It’s true that the family was placed in a difficult predicament because I ran away too.”
“So, was it to repay your debt?” Hans asked.
“It’s not something so grand like that. I think the exact reason was to put an end to things—to completely cut my ties off from the Browning family,” Lara answered.
“So, I suppose it was for your own self-satisfaction.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“Not at all. Don’t people do everything for their own self-satisfaction? You haven’t done anything to inflict harm on others. How can anyone rebuke you for doing something to just ease your heart?”
“You spoke like how Sir Zich would talk,” Lara pointed out.
“I’m his disciple after all,” Hans responded.
“Fufu. That’s true. Honestly, I think I might have been influenced by him too. You know, he also completely severed ties with the Steelwall family.” As someone who shared a similar past with him, Lara had been shocked when Zich cleanly finished his relationships with his family.
“So, are you fully satisfied now?” Hans asked.
“Yes. Before, if I had a conflict with the Brownings, I would’ve been swept by sadness and rage. However, that’s not the case for me anymore.”
Her eyes shone coldly. “If they are my enemies, I can kill them without any emotions now.”
It was a merciless declaration. Even if they had worse relationships than strangers, she was saying that she could kill her blood-related family members without hesitation. Yet, Hans didn’t fault her for it.
Instead, he cheered her on. “Congratulations. I’m glad you are satisfied though. There are many people who never feel satisfied with even all the riches of the world.”
There was a reason why people became mentally ill. Whether their sickness was caused by a light or deep reason, it was incredibly difficult to cure. Thus, Hans concluded, “No matter how rare an item is, it’s a good exchange if you gained a peace of mind with it.”
“I agree.” Lara stretched out her arms. She felt light as if she had freed herself from a burden weighing her down.
Then, she said, “Let’s go up now. I don’t know whether or not Windne and Acous will still be at the bar.”
“I also have to check on Snoc.”
The two got up.
“I should also stop using my last name, Browning. I used it until now because I was used to it, but I don’t want to keep using the name of a family I cut all ties with.”
“That doesn’t make much difference to me,” Hans said. It had been a while since he only called Lara by her name. It actually made him awkward to call her Browning now.
“I should also look for a new last name. Now that we are on that topic, don’t you also have to find one too?”
“Having a last name isn’t something I’m used to,” Hans replied. Though he got his hands on strength and fame, Hans’ original status was of a count’s servant. Furthermore, since he accumulated his strength and experience next to a great entity like Zich, there were still many parts of Hans that still thought like a humble servant even if he knew in his head that his position was different now.
“Then, should we find one together?”
“That sounds good.” Although the two didn’t say it out loud, they would also use the new last name together.
“By the way, what should we do for the lodging fee for this room? If he had a conscience, that man should’ve paid for it on his way out—especially since you gave away the dragon’s body for such a low price,” Hans asked.
“Didn’t you see what kind of man he is? Do you think he has a conscience?”
“Hm, he didn’t look like he had one.”
The couple’s expectations were exactly right on the mark, and the two had to pay the lodging fee. It wasn’t a great amount of money, but it clearly showcased Feijadiru’s character.
***
Wesker was impressed when he saw the item in front of him.
“Isn’t this...?” He tentatively reached his hand for the dragon’s body and felt its hard outer coating.
“How is it, Your Grace?”
“Good job! Very good job!”
Wesker complimented Feijadiru tremendously. It was only deserving of someone who had accomplished the impressive task of retrieving a dragon’s corpse. Feijadiru’s lips stretched wide in a smile, but he spoke in humility, unlike his usual self.
“It’s all thanks to you, Your Grace! You are the one who gave me the idea.”
“Even if that’s the case, your deeds won’t disappear.”
“Thank you very much, sir.”
Wesker lifted the dragon’s body and felt a very heavy feeling. “But is this all? From what I know, I thought she got much more than this amount.”
“W-well, it’s...” Feijadiru lost his bright smile. He glanced at Wesker with nervous and frantic eyes, and Wesker realized what happened by just this alone.
“She must have only sold a part of her share,” Wesker said.
“She’s a really greedy person. Even though we’ve completely cut off our ties, I’m very ashamed to say that she shares the same blood as me. Still, I was able to reduce the price as much as I could and was able to manage with the money I brought along.”
“Is that so?” The money that Feijadiru used to purchase the dragon’s body was far from sufficient; in the first place, it was an object that couldn’t even be bought with money. Thus, Feijadiru basically bought it for a steal.
Wesker added, “Then that’s even better.”
‘I did it!’ Feijadiru cheered inside. Judging by how happy Wesker seemed, his future was going to be set.
‘I can’t believe there would come a time when my foolish sister would help me.’ It really was impossible to predict the future. However, this still didn’t mean that Feijadiru felt grateful to Lara.
“Good work. Why don’t you return to your accommodation and get some rest? Don’t worry about the future. You’ll have my full support.”
“Thank you, sir!” Feijadiru left with a huge smile on his face.
Wesker placed the dragon’s skin down. ‘I can’t believe I really got my hands on it.’
Wesker knew how valuable the item in his hand was. He was well aware of how ridiculous this deal had been as well. Feijadiru looked down on his sister so much that he thought this deal was feasible, but Wesker hadn’t been able to believe that Feijadiru would be successful till now.
‘But he succeeded.’
In a way, it would have been understandable if Feijadiru, who might have had a good grasp of his sister’s behavior and personality as her brother, thought of this plan. Since there were all kinds of people in the world with unique and bizarre ideas, Lara could be one of those people. However, surprisingly, Wesker was the one who proposed this plan to Feijadiru.
Did he have a keen grasp of Lara’s personality as her ex-fiancé? No, that wasn’t the case at all. Like Feijadiru, someone else had come up with this plan.
‘How did those guys know Lara’s behavior process and personality and conjure a plan that even her own brother couldn’t think of?’
No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn’t reach a clear conclusion. ‘Anyway, I got what I’m aiming for. That’s good enough.’
Whether they found out about Lara’s personality by stalking her or got information from the future didn’t matter to him either way. He just needed to keep walking his path.
‘It’s time to meet them.’
* * *
It was late at night. Covered by the darkness, Wesker quietly moved out. As a result of the festival, people were still walking around the streets, so Wesker walked past a drunken crowd and entered a back alley. Since it was a city where Yuras, the Karuwiman headquarters, was located, it was cleaner and safer compared to other cities. However, the shady atmosphere was the same in all back alleys. There were shabby buildings around the muddy road, and Wesker entered one of the buildings.
Creak! The rusty hinges screamed in protest. The unpleasant smell made Wesker grimace inadvertently.
“Welcome.”
Wesker turned his head. There was a person sitting at a dirty table with spiderwebs attached to it.
“Long time no see. Want a cup of tea?”
“No, thanks.” Seeing the dirty and chipped teacup, Wesker replied without hesitation.
The person who offered the tea examined his cup. “Ah, my bad. I shouldn’t have offered a cup like this to a noble. My apologies.”
“I didn’t come here to chit-chat.” Wesker took out the dragon’s skin from the magic box and threw it on the table. The dust piled on the table flew everywhere. It went inside the teacup as well, but the man didn’t seem to care.
His eyes scanned the dragon’s skin and scales. “It really is the body of a dragon.”
The man assessed the item. He tried tapping the scales and pulling the skin. “Good! Very good!”
He picked up the skin. “I’ll take this as promised.”
The man put it inside a magic box, and Wesker didn’t stop him.
However, Wesker didn’t look pleased either as his eyes slightly twitched. “I’m saying this just in case, but if you try to pull a dirty trick...”
“Why, do you think I’m going to run away with this?”
“You never know.”
“If you’re so suspicious, you can withdraw the deal.” As he said this, the man took out the dragon’s skin again and held it out to Wesker.
“...I just need confirmation that you won’t take this and run away.”
“Ah, yes, yes. You’re right. I won’t run away with this.”
“...Are you playing with me?” Wesker expressed his anger at the man’s careless and frivolous attitude.
However, the man’s attitude remained the same. “Playing? I’m just doing what you wanted. Don’t tell me you’re upset because I don’t sound sincere enough to you. Will showing my sincerity create trust between us? What’s the point of such childish behavior? Besides, there’s nothing more unreliable than the word trust between us, isn’t there?”
“...” Wesker could not reply.
The man chuckled at the sight. “Don’t worry too much. We have the same goal. I won’t at least betray you until we fulfill our goal. Isn’t that much better than half-assed trust?”
“...Yes.”
“Then, I’ll be taking my leave. Since there’s not much time left until the festival day, I have to get busy.”