IBTPEOTMLC 01

Chapter 1

A faint silhouette that looked like a young child flickered before my eyes.

I reached out my hand, but just like always, I could never grasp it.

The child drifted farther and farther away from me, and anxiety overwhelmed me until I cried out desperately.

‘No…!’

As always, my voice never reached that child, and I shouted again.

“Don’t go! Please don’t leave!”

I jolted awake as I practically sprang up from the bed. My hand was still stretched forward as if trying to hold onto something, and cold sweat dripped down my chin.

While I struggled to steady my ragged breathing, I heard the maids outside my thin bedroom door mocking me.

“Again?”

“How many years has it been now? I’m sick of hearing it.”

“‘Don’t go! Please don’t leave!’ Seriously, it’s ridiculous.”

“Maybe she met the parents who abandoned her in her dreams.”

I ignored their snickering laughter and wiped the sweat from my chin with the back of my hand before letting out a long breath.

After years of having this strange dream, I had long since gotten used to the ridicule that followed every time.

At this point, I should have remembered.

And yet I still couldn’t recall the face of the child from the dream.

Eight years had passed since I was adopted by Baron Abid and began living under his constant scolding and mistreatment.

Whenever I left the house to visit the temple, if I happened to run into the baron, he would always pick a fight without fail.

“Going to the temple again? What if your calves grow muscular? A woman should know better… Tsk.”

He sure cared an awful lot about whether someone else’s calves got muscular or cramped up.

Knowing exactly why he acted like that only made him look even worse in my eyes.

Avoiding the baron’s displeased gaze, I lowered my head slightly.

If he would just lend me a carriage, the issue would solve itself, but despite us living together for over eight years, he had never once let me use one.

Obviously, he thought spending money on me was a waste.

And yet he never stopped sneering at me.

Clicking my tongue inwardly, I gave the kind of answer he couldn’t object to.

“I massage them every night so they won’t develop muscles. Couldn’t you at least appreciate my desire to repay your kindness this way, Baron?”

“Hrmm.”

Baron Abid and his wife were devout believers.

Even while constantly belittling and tormenting me, they were oddly pleased that I prayed for them every day at the temple. They believed the superstition that the longer a prayer lasted, the more carefully the gods listened.

Since I had never openly defied them, the baron and his wife hated me but never imagined I would lie to them.

Especially because they thought I was afraid of the baron.

Of course, the prayers I desperately offered every day were not for their well-being.

“Never forget the grace I showed by taking you in myself.”

I knew exactly why he repeated those words every single time.

He was afraid I might one day harbor different intentions and run away.

Putting on a meek act, I answered softly.

“Yes, of course. Even if I lived my entire life, I could never repay that kindness.”

I played along and flattered him, but there was no way I didn’t know his true intention—to sell me off to some rich old nobleman.

The baron slowly looked me up and down as though appraising merchandise before speaking curtly.

“Good. Then I’m relieved.”

I watched his retreating figure for a moment before frowning slightly and looking away.

As I headed toward the temple, my thoughts drifted elsewhere.

A year after arriving here, I had luckily overheard a conversation between the baron and his wife.

“What about this family? I heard they said they’d pay quite generously for a pretty second wife.”

“That’s worth considering too. She’s got a decent face, so there should be plenty willing to buy.”

There was no way I wouldn’t know who they planned to sell as a second wife.

Even without hearing it directly, I had already sensed it vaguely.

Anyone could tell just from the way the baron and his wife treated me.

To them, I was nothing more than merchandise that could be sold for a high price.

In front of the baron, I always acted like an obedient, innocent girl who knew nothing.

What I was hiding beneath that facade was something the baron would probably never discover for the rest of his life.

After overhearing that conversation, I began secretly preparing for independence.

It wasn’t exactly ideal, but I had started dealing with a guild from the underworld, selling them real estate information.

At first, the guild dismissed me because I was just a child, but after every plot of land I recommended skyrocketed in value, they gradually raised the fees they paid for my information.

Still, I was a minor.

That meant I had no choice but to work with a shadow guild that didn’t require a clear identity, and they took a hefty commission, leaving me with little actual profit.

But right now, immediate wealth wasn’t what mattered most to me.

What I needed was reputation.

A reputation strong enough to free me from the baron—and one that would become a great source of power afterward as well.

Step by step, I moved closer toward my goal.

Partly because I intended to strike first before the baron could sell me off.

But also because I wanted to find the child from my dreams—the child who had clearly once been precious to me.

Fortunately, I possessed two weapons I had gained by chance:

Memories of my previous life, and Oried, a lower earth spirit.

Not long after regaining memories of my past life and forming a contract with Oried, I asked him something.

“Oried, you said your abilities could make money, right?”

When I asked, Oried nodded enthusiastically.

[Land worth money! That’s what you want, right?]

“Yeah.”

[The ground we walk on is basically a treasure vault! Humans can’t see beneath the earth, so they often pass right by hidden treasures! But I can see them, so I can find them for you!]

Oried proudly pointed at himself.

[If you want, I’ll give you everything!]

“Rather than giving them to me, it’s more like I’d be buying them after you tell me about them.”

[T-That’s basically the same thing!]

After teasing the flustered Oried a little, I carefully wrote down our plans on a sheet of worn paper based on the information he provided.

Back then, abandoned alone in the baron’s estate with nothing to rely on, the only one I trusted was the spirit contracted to me—Oried.

So how should I use Oried’s abilities?

The answer didn’t take long to find.

There was only one method.

“First, we need to find land that can be bought cheaply. Land that looks ordinary on the surface but actually hides treasure underneath. Can you do that?”

[I don’t know which land is cheap.]

“I’ll investigate that myself. Oried just needs to look at the land I point out and tell me what’s there.”

Maybe because he was only a lower spirit, Oried could only appraise land he saw in person.

No matter how troublesome it was, we had to inspect each location directly.

“For now, the only place I can sell information to is the shadow guild.”

[Shadow guild? That name sounds scary.]

Watching Oried shrink back nervously, I deliberately stiffened my expression.

“I’m scared too.”

Oried’s abilities would be the most important part of everything I planned to do next. If he became frightened, that would be a problem.

To work together successfully, the most important thing was giving Oried confidence.

[Y-You’re scared too…?]

“Yeah. Terrified.”

Oried stared at me with a confused expression, unsure whether I was serious or joking.

So I drove the point home.

“It would be really nice if someone protected me while I’m trembling in fear.”

I’ve gone this far, so hopefully he gets the hint.

Hiding my true thoughts, I stared at Oried intensely, sending him every possible signal that I wanted him to be that someone.

Oried tilted his head for a moment before suddenly widening his eyes.

Looks like he finally understood.

Maybe because spirits were so pure-hearted, Oried instantly struck a proud pose and pounded his chest.

[I’ll protect you! I’m Coco’s spirit! A spirit can’t be scared of some lousy shadow guild!]

Even snorting confidently now, Oried had completely regained his courage.

Watching his motivation return made me laugh without realizing it.

Were all spirits this adorable?

“Yeah, thank you. I knew I could count on you, Oried.”

My sincere words seemed to energize him even more.

[So what do we do now?]

“I’ll pretend to be acting on behalf of some noble family. That should fool them. Since all I’m doing is selling information and taking payment, they probably won’t investigate too deeply. Besides, there are others who do the same thing, so they won’t pay much attention to me.”

I only needed to maintain a shallow relationship, earn money, and leave.

The reason I went through all this trouble was simple.

If a child went around asking about real estate, most sellers would immediately chase them away.

Or worse, they’d think I was a spy sent by a competing real estate broker to investigate market prices.

[Why are you going this far, Coco?]

“Because I need money to become independent… and to find someone. Once I earn enough, I’m going to create a special merchant company someday.”

[Special…?]

“There are many rare gems in the world, and I think Oried can find them.”

That firm belief overwhelmed Oried with emotion. He bounced up and down excitedly as he shouted,

[Trust me! I know a lot! Use me! I’ll work hard and look carefully!]

“You shouldn’t say ‘use me’ so casually.”

[But it’s okay if it’s you, Coco.]

Actually, it’s not okay.

I gave Oried an awkward smile as he looked at me with complete trust and nodded before reviewing the plan I had written down.

There were still many flaws and plenty of things to improve, but my goal for now was clear.

“I’m going to discover gems nobody has ever even heard of and make a name for myself. Then I’ll use the money I earn to become a wealthy landowner and building owner!”

At my excited declaration, Oried clapped in admiration.

“Of course, none of it will be possible unless you help me, Oried. Please help me.”

[Okay! I like it! I like helping Coco!]

Of course, I didn’t simply leave everything to Oried while doing nothing myself.

Afterward, I secretly frequented the library, researching all kinds of gemstones and studying tirelessly.

At the very least, Baron Abid and his wife had made sure I learned how to read, so that part wasn’t difficult.

I spent my days studying which gemstones were popular and what kinds of cuts and shapes they were usually crafted into.

And eventually, I reached a conclusion.

There were gemstones that had existed in my previous life but had not yet been discovered in this world.

I needed to find them.

Back then, I had really been full of motivation.

Finishing my long recollection, I let out a deep sigh in frustration.

I had found the land containing the rare gemstones.

But the next step was the problem.

I needed to find a proxy who could purchase the land I had my eye on.

Finding someone trustworthy and reliable was far from easy.

I was still young.

Even if someone believed in my plan, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t simply steal the information and abandon me afterward.

Still, no matter how difficult it was, I didn’t want to give up.

Thoughts of that child pushed me to keep trying harder.

I worried about them.

Were they waiting for me?

Were they sad?

Did they resent me?

Or had they forgotten me entirely and moved on happily with their life?

I knew nothing, so all I could do was speculate.

And while living so desperately, eight years had somehow passed since I arrived at Baron Abid’s estate.

I was now sixteen years old.