Chapter 815 – 815. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
She pulled out a space-movement scroll from her bosom. Eugene had told her to stay for just a week, but she didn’t think she could endure it. She wanted to go back right now.
However, Nepia couldn’t tear the space-movement scroll. If she went back right away, it was clear that Eugene would be disappointed in her. She also had her pride as the acting head maid.
‘A week… Let’s just endure for a week. It’s not a difficult task. A week will pass quickly. I’m the acting head maid. I have to carry out my master’s orders.’
Nepia looked out the door.
Just like the other maids who had left the mansion, perhaps an AM unit maid was watching her. No, it was highly likely that they were.
‘Nepia, cheer up. This is a mission as the acting head maid.’
Nepia encouraged herself.
***
Terius returned home with light steps just before sunset.
“Nepia! I’m back!”
Nepia, who had been sitting blankly in a chair, rose to her feet.
“Welcome back, Terius.”
“I brought the meat you like.”
Terius grinned and handed over the paper-wrapped meat he was holding in his left hand. He had no money to buy meat, so he had begged his fellow knights and borrowed money to buy it. Of course, he didn’t tell Nepia that. Terius also had his pride.
Nepia’s face brightened at the sight of the meat.
“It’s meat! Thank you, Terius!”
“It’s nothing. Shall we have dinner first?”
“I can do the grilling. Leave it to me.”
“I can do it.”
“Terius, you must be tired from work, right? Just sit in the chair.”
Terius felt happy. These small conversations and peaceful daily life with Nepia were what he had longed for.
Nepia took out a pot from the corner of the house. A frying pan would be better for grilling meat, but there was no frying pan in sight. The pot’s hygiene wasn’t very good either. There were insect carcasses and some unknown debris stuck to it.
“Terius, when was the last time you used this pot?”
“Uh… It was a pot that was here before I got this house… I don’t know either.”
“……”
Nepia used the stored water generously to wash the pot. Since there was no detergent, she scrubbed it hard with the cloth in her hand. It became somewhat clean, but it was still dirty.
‘There’s no cooking oil or anything…’
There was no food at all in this house. This was because Terius had never cooked for himself. He mostly bought food or used the restaurant in the Prucus family. When he was a soldier, there was mess hall food.
Nepia, who was about to put the pot on the stove, belatedly remembered the gifts she had received from the maids before leaving the mansion.
‘Salt and pepper! The meat doesn’t look good anyway, so it won’t taste good if I grill it like this.’
She sprinkled a lot of salt and pepper on the lump of meat that she took out of her backpack.
“N-Nepia. Is it okay to sprinkle salt and pepper like that?!”
Terius was flustered. Salt and pepper were very expensive items. After the appearance of the Korea Trading Company, commoners could buy good quality salt and pepper at relatively low prices, but the perception that they were still precious remained, so it was common to use them sparingly.
“……It’s okay. We should eat deliciously.”
She was going to leave this place in a week anyway. Nepia swallowed the rest of her words. It was hard to say, as she could easily imagine Terius’s despairing reaction.
Terius stared blankly at the salt and pepper being sprinkled without restraint.
Nepia put the meat in the pot and grilled it. It was a little burnt, but it was grilled reasonably well. Since there were no plates, they had to eat the steak as it was in the pot.
“It’s delicious! It’s so delicious!”
Terius ate the steak, constantly exclaiming in admiration. He was grateful just to be able to eat meat like this.
“I’m glad it turned out well. It’s tasty.”
Nepia smiled bitterly. Objectively, the steak was delicious. There was no way it wouldn’t taste good after being loaded with salt and pepper. However, compared to the steak she had eaten at Eugene’s mansion, it was far from good. The meat was tough, and there was hardly any juice. The quality of the meat itself was terrible.
Did he deliberately buy such cheap meat? Or was he scammed? Either way, Terius, who couldn’t even buy a decent piece of meat, seemed incompetent.
After the meal, they sat at the table and talked. Terius led the conversation. How was the life of the soldiers, how was today’s training… They were stories that were not only boring but also annoying.
Before preparing for bed, Terius called Nepia with a serious face.
“…Nepia.”
“Yes?”
“Our relationship… we’re a couple, right?”
“What?”
Nepia’s eyes widened. What nonsense was she hearing?
Terius, flustered by her reaction, which was different from what he had expected, quickly continued.
“We’re going to live together from now on, so we’re a couple, right? Everyone else will think so too. We haven’t had a formal wedding ceremony… but let’s have a grand wedding when things get better. I promise.”
Terius reached out with his left hand. Nepia frowned and slapped away his only hand.
“Terius. We’re not a couple. Please don’t do this.”
“Why, why are you doing this? We were going to get married.”
“……Did I say that? Don’t make things up.”
“No, you definitely did. Don’t you remember? We sat by the lake a long time ago and promised to get married when we grew up…!”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember even if you say that. And what are you talking about from so long ago? You seem a bit strange.”
“……”
Terius lowered his head. The iron ring on his left ring finger was visible. At the edge of his vision, Nepia’s left ring finger had a diamond ring, not an iron one. Terius bit his lip and jumped up from his seat.
“Nepia! I spent 1 billion to save you! How can you do this to me?!”
“I never asked you to save me! You came and took me from the mansion on your own! To this shabby place!”
“Nepia…!!”
Terius closed his mouth, about to shout. It was because tears were welling up in Nepia’s eyes. Terius’s shoulders drooped powerlessly. He didn’t bring Nepia here to fight with her, to do this.
“……Nepia. I was too emotional. I’m sorry. Let’s… just sleep for today. Do you want to use the bed?”
“…It’s okay. You use the bed. I’ll sleep in the chair.”
“…Okay.”
Terius walked heavily and lay down on the bed. His mind was complicated.
‘It’s because Nepia hasn’t adjusted to freedom yet. She’ll realize that her free life now is much better than her life as a slave after a few days.’
A free life where there is no master to serve and she can choose what she wants. Nepia would surely realize it too.
***
The next day. Nepia didn’t even have breakfast. The lives of commoners were not three meals a day, but one meal a day. Even eating two meals a day was considered a good life. Terius didn’t even give her money for lunch this time. It was because he had no money.
In the end, they decided to have dinner together.
Nepia, who used to eat three meals and snacks at the mansion, grabbed her empty stomach and headed to the well. Time didn’t pass well when she was just blankly at home like a glutton.
When Nepia arrived at the well, she was startled. Women were lined up in a long queue in front of the well. There were at least 50 people in front of Nepia. They were all holding large buckets in their hands.
‘In the mansion, water comes out when you turn on the faucet…’
Nepia stood in line at the very back. A woman in front of her stared at Nepia. The clothes she was wearing were dirty. There were traces of tears and mending in various places on her clothes.
“Oh my. Hello? You’re the wife of that one-armed… no, the one-armed knight, right? You’re as beautiful as the rumors say. I’m Talia. What’s your name?”
“…I’m Nepia. I’m not in a marital relationship with Terius.”
“You’re not a couple? But why are you living together?”
“…That’s… there are circumstances.”
“Is that so? I don’t know what the circumstances are, but… you look depressed, so it doesn’t seem like a good situation. Well, it’s no wonder you’re not in a good mood living with a one-armed knight.”
The woman’s tone was quite rough. She was also rude to Terius, who was a knight. Nepia wasn’t even angry. What did it matter to her if Terius was cursed or ridiculed? Rather, she sympathized with the woman’s words and lamented her own situation.
“That’s right. Do you know what’s in the house? There’s nothing. There’s no food… There’s only one pot… Sigh.”
“It seems like you’re going through a lot. Cheer up. Good days will come. Oh, by the way, is that rumor true?”
“What rumor?”
“The rumor that you have a debt to that one-armed knight.”
“…Could you tell me more about it?”
“I only heard it secondhand, but they say he has a huge debt of 200 million Ner? If my husband had such a debt… ugh. I’d just run away. How could I live with such a man?”
“……”
Nepia listened to her words silently with a stiff face.
***
Terius, who was returning home, stopped. It was because four mercenaries wearing weapons were approaching him with a fierce atmosphere on the street.
“Are you Sir Terius?”
“…I am Terius. Who are you? I haven’t seen your faces in the military.”
“We’re not from the military. We’re from the Korea Trading Company.”
“……From the Korea Trading Company? Why?”
“You know why, don’t you?”
There was only one reason why the Korea Trading Company would send people.
Money.
“…It hasn’t even been a week since I borrowed the money.”
“We know. We’re just observers. Observers. Don’t even think about running away. And we’ll come looking for you every time you forget about your debt… got it? You better start thinking about paying off your debt quickly.”
“……”
Terius’s head dropped. This was a warning. 200 million with an annual interest rate of 50%. Just thinking about it made his head throb.
‘I have to pay it back quickly. Interest is accruing even at this moment. If a year passes, the interest alone will be 100 million.’
He wished a war would break out. That way, he would have a chance to build achievements and earn money. But right now, Kyle didn’t seem to have any intention of starting a war.
Terius clenched his fist. One method came to mind. It was a shameful method. But… it was better than the debt increasing further.
He braced himself and returned home.
Nepia had finished cleaning up as much as possible and was preparing dinner. Four steamed potatoes. That was all for dinner tonight. Nepia thought it was a good thing she had salt.
“Nepia.”
“Yes? Why do you have such a serious expression?”
“Nepia. Don’t misunderstand me, but listen. I have a debt of 200 million. It’s money I borrowed from the Korea Trading Company… and the interest rate is 50% per year.”
“……”
Nepia didn’t answer. She was silent. Terius was watching her reaction. Her expressionless face felt like pressure.
“There was no other way to raise the 1 billion Ner to buy your freedom other than taking out a loan.”
“…And?”
“The debt of 200 million is too much pressure. If next year comes, the debt will increase to 300 million. I want to get rid of the debt as soon as possible. …Could you sell the dress and the dwarf dagger you have?”
“Are you crazy? The dress and dagger are my treasures! How can you even think of that?!”
“We’re going to live together from now on! We have to think about the future! The debt will be 300 million next year! I, I will succeed and pay it back! I’ll get you better and more luxurious dresses and more excellent swords! Or let’s sell that diamond ring! We can get at least 100 million Ner if we sell it! For now, let’s get rid of the debt first. Okay?”
Slap!
Nepia’s hand swung. Terius couldn’t avoid it and was slapped on the cheek. His head turned to the side, and blood dripped from his nose. Terius, who was holding his throbbing cheek, looked at her with disbelief.
“…Nepia?”
“Why do you keep thinking that I’m going to live with you? The dress and dagger are clearly my belongings. Of course, this diamond ring is mine too. Don’t even think about selling someone else’s property without permission.”
Terius clenched his fist tightly. His fist trembled.
“……Aren’t you thinking about our future? Are those things really necessary right now?”
“Why do you keep saying ‘our’? I can leave this house right now. Who do you think I’m enduring this for… Sigh. Never mind.”
Nepia grabbed her luggage bag. It was the luggage bag she hadn’t unpacked yet because the closet was dirty. Terius was terrified. He thought that Nepia could really leave. He immediately knelt on the floor.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Nepia. I think I was out of my mind for a moment. I’ll take care of the debt myself! Please forgive me just once. Please…!”
Nepia hesitated. Eugene’s words to live there for only a week came to mind. In the end, she sighed and put down her luggage bag.
“…I’m letting it go this time only.”
“Thank you! Thank you for trusting me, Nepia!”
