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Dungeon Rhapsody – Part 02

“But it’s fine. I’ve taken the next step.” Ivy smiled, trying to shake off the sadness. “And it’s all thanks to you.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Most of it was your effort. I just gave you a little push at the very end.”

“I disagree. You even helped resolve the debt issue.”

“I found out where Vilma Taylor is.”

“What?”

“I came to tell you that today.”

Half of the debt was to be shouldered by Ivy, and the remaining responsibility was to be taken by Vilma. Ivy would repay most of the debt with the money from selling the mansion, and the rest would be paid off gradually while working at the institute.

“You don’t really need to know about her,” Hikaru said, “but I thought maybe you wanted to. Well?”

“…”

As Hikaru said, Ivy’s stepmother had nothing to do with her anymore. However, when she learned that her stepmother was to blame for their descent into debt, rage had boiled within her.

“No, it’s fine,” Ivy said.

“I see.”

“Yeah. There’s no time to look back on insignificant matters. I have a goal, the practical application of the Four Elementals Fusion Theory.”

“Got it.”

Observing Ivy brimming with enthusiasm, her eyes sparkling, Hikaru smiled faintly.

He should be fine now. He can move forward without being bound by the past.

Those who are alone in the world need emotional support. For Ivy, that support was her research. Hikaru understood this from the memories of Roland, the previous owner of his body. Roland, having lost his parents due to Count Morgstadt’s plotting, found solace in magic research, particularly the spell for crossing worlds.

In the Royal Institute of Sorcery, where sorcery enthusiasts gathered, she would surely be fine.

And he’ll make friends. Hikaru still believed she was Isaac. When that happens, he won’t need my help anymore. I can’t be a co-discoverer of the Four Elementals Fusion Theory.

There was no point in crediting a non-existent person like Silver in the paper, and Hikaru didn’t want to reveal his identity if he didn’t have to. For him, the completion of the Four Elementals Fusion Theory and its utility for the spell for crossing worlds was reward enough.

Maybe this is the right time.

A part of him wanted to talk more because they shared a common interest. However, the deeper he got involved, the closer he would be to revealing Silver Face’s true identity. If that happened, Ivy might also be in danger. And Hikaru did not want that.

“Um, Silver… There’s something I have to tell you.” Fidgeting, Ivy raised her face resolutely. “I-I’m actually—”

But there was no one there.

“Silver?”

Suddenly and abruptly, as if no one had been there from the beginning, he disappeared from her sight.

---

“Hey, pops. What the heck is this?”

“Hmm? Oh, wow. This takes me back. It’s a claim tag for a set of clothes that Dodorono said he would make for me. He asked me to pay in advance. I wonder if he actually finished them.”

“Are you stupid?! He was clearly scamming you! It’s a common tactic of dirtbags too broke to even get a loan.”

“You’re the stupid one. Dodorono’s eyes were serious.”

“I didn’t know you’d lost your mind even before you resigned.”

“What did fuck did you say?! How dare you talk to your father like that!”

“I’m having a hard time because of all the shit you left behind!”

The mansion, besides being sturdy because it was made of stone, was an unremarkable, crude, and oppressive building—the former headquarters of the Ballast company.

The Ballast family had decided to put Count Morgstadt’s mansion up for auction and start afresh in their original residence.

For the first time, Edward discovered numerous hidden shelves and doors that led to hidden assets and ledgers. However, upon opening them, he was in for a surprise. They looked like contracts but were, in essence, unsecured loans with no prospect of repayment.

Accessories and weapons taken as collateral for the debt were either poorly maintained or of inferior quality, with rust dulling their shine. Edward, who had been excited after Doma revealed the existence of the assets, was swiftly plunged into despair.

“I guess it’s better than nothing.”

Edward, with a grim expression, rolled up an old, moldy cloth.

“Ah, this writing brings back memories. It’s the signature of the former magistrate of Pond. I’ve known him since he was wet behind the ears.”

“My eyes read ‘Promissory Note’.”

“That’s right. We were talking about how much of a bigshot a magistrate was, so I said, ‘If you’re so important, lend me 10 million gilans.’ And then he actually lent it to me. It made me realize how much success he had.”

“Are you kidding me?! We were the ones who borrowed money?! How much did we pay back, and how much debt is left?!”

Color drained from Edward’s face when he realized he had to deal with their own debts on top of their own uncollectible loans.

The paper he tried to snatch from his father tore apart, likely because it had been left untouched for years. Furthermore, the part with the repayment amount and interest rate was blurred and unreadable.

“…”

Edward stared at the torn scraps of paper.

“I’ll just pretend I didn’t see anything,” he said with vacant eyes.

“Hahaha. That’s the way, Edward,” said Samal as he entered the secret room.

His body was still wrapped in bandages, a result of the burns inflicted by Edward’s magic item. Although Edward offered to pay for healing magic to fix it, Doma had said, “Just leave it for a while. It’s okay for siblings to have scars from a little brotherly quarrel,” so, apart from areas that seemed life-threatening, he left it as it was.

“Don’t sweat the small stuff,” Samal went on. “Just let the president handle it.”

“Yeah, and you guys will drink like there’s no tomorrow and empty our wallets. Seriously, how much did you drink? It’s been a long time since a bill made me shiver.”

The clash between Samal’s and Edward’s henchmen, fortunately, did not result in any fatalities. Healing magic was used to treat everyone except Samal. Edward’s father intervened, settling the matter, and they all gathered for a celebratory drink. However, Samal’s men drank like there was no tomorrow, and despite Samal’s injuries, he drank five times more than Edward. Had Edward known that the bill would be sent to the Ballast Company, he wouldn’t have approved it.

“No hard feelings left though, right?”

Despite his bandaged face, Samal grinned like a child. His smile brought back memories for Edward, back when they were both in their early teens.

“Hey, Edward. Adventurers are fighting. Let’s go check it out!”

“No way. You’re probably gonna join them. I’ll just get dragged into it and smacked.”

“Just run. Give them a good punch and run. They’re all worked up, so they won’t figure out who did it right away. Let’s see who can throw the most punches before they get caught.”

“I don’t want to. If they find out, they’ll chase us.”

“You dummy. That’s what makes it interesting.”

He grinned just like that back then. Then, in the middle of a brawl between adventurers, Samal tried to punch and run, but he was immediately caught, and for some reason, Edward got knocked back hard. Samal then went berserk and beat up all the adventurers.

Back then, his brother looked so cool when he fought back for him. Edward admired him so much that he yearned to be like him, but he knew that wasn’t possible.

“Wh-What’s with you, Edward? You look like you’re about to cry.”

“Shut up, you idiot. I will work you hard for the booze you downed.”

“That’s the spirit. I can’t wait to drink some more.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

If he couldn’t become like his brother, he just needed to become someone who could use his brother. It took him too much time to realize the necessary quality a head of an organization must possess.

But he did. He had to take a detour, but Edward was able to reach a conclusion before things became irreparable.

Listening to the conversation between the brothers, their father chuckled softly.

“Well, then, as the former president of the company, I’ll give you a job.”

“What? A job?”

“That’s right. A search.” Doma pointed his thumb at himself. “The Wandering Saint who cured me when I was on the verge of death, and the adventurer Hikaru who brought her. I want to thank these two. Pretty good targets, wouldn’t you agree?”

“…”

“…”

Edward and Samal exchanged glances.

“I guess we have to search for them, then.”

“Yeah. Our family owes them.”

And so, the Ballast Trading Company resumed its business.

Despite the complications involving connections with the underworld in the capital and the activities of the Adventurers Guild and Thieves Guild, Edward’s expression remained bright and clear.