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Chapter 03
‘Besides, there’s no labor cost. It’s all self-sufficient, so I don’t even need special materials.’
If I just got used to controlling my mana, making a fortune was only a matter of time.
‘Perfect!’
Turns out, life really doesn’t let you starve to death.
With hope restored, I began looking around the house.
‘…I wonder if the water works here.’
How could I forget to check the hot water? I had my pride as a veteran of living alone.
I took a look around the house at last. Despite its crumbling exterior, the inside was surprisingly decent.
Creak—
“…”
Okay, maybe I should replace the floor.
“Up we go!”
The water in the kitchen worked fine, so next up was the bathroom.
After washing up, I’d need to think about this underworld I’d landed in.
‘There’s way too much I don’t know.’
Most of the story had focused on the villain’s backstory, not on the details of the underworld.
‘Information is always key.’
Especially in Proud.
‘It’s not like I’ll stay locked inside forever.’
I needed to get a rough understanding of my surroundings—there must be plenty of things I didn’t know yet.
‘If only I could get that kind of intel…’
When it came to information, nothing beat an information guild. In any fantasy world, there was no place more useful.
‘Maybe I’ll go out tomorrow.’
For now, I didn’t have the money to buy intel. Just living was hard enough. Once I earned some cash, I’d visit a guild.
‘Though “that place” would be the best option…’
But the entry bar there was so high—it was worth worrying about.
“Lady…”
“Hm?”
Oh, right.
I tilted my head back. The man dangling upside down looked pitiful.
‘I forgot about him.’
He’d been pretty defiant earlier, but now he seemed resigned.
“Hmm.”
Since he had tried to kill me, I couldn’t just let him go that easily.
“Mister.”
“I—I think I’m a bit too young to be called that…”
“…”
Was that really what he cared about right now? I crossed my arms with a sigh.
Well, looking at him properly, he did seem fairly young.
Just then, the man wiggled his foot—and the shoe hanging off his toes dropped.
Crack!
The old floor splintered.
I frowned deeply. The man’s face went pale as he stared at the damage he’d caused to my floor.
“Yeah, I don’t think this’ll—”
“W-wait!”
His desperate shout made me pause. He blinked rapidly, pleading.
“You just moved here, right?! Into Proud?!”
…What?
I blinked at him in confusion. Taking my silence as encouragement, he pressed on.
“You probably don’t know what kind of place Proud is! I—I can help! Ask me anything you want to know!”
His face flushed bright red, veins standing out on his neck from the sheer desperation.
I exhaled through my nose.
“And who are you supposed to be?”
Didn’t he say earlier he was an antique dealer?
As I recalled his words, I began to lose interest.
‘Sure, merchants have information too…’
But what I wanted was more specific—high-grade intel.
“If you’re going to spout nonsense ag—”
“Raymond!”
The man blurted out.
“I—I run the guild called Raymond…! W-wait, what—?!”
The pink mist binding him loosened, and his body dropped—only for the sticky pink strands to catch him by the ankles just before he hit the ground.
He was gently lowered until his feet touched safely down.
“Alright then.”
I dragged over a nearby chair and sat down, crossing my legs.
“Let’s start a deal.”
After all, life is all about adapting quickly.
* * *
Raymond of the Underworld.
There wasn’t a single soul in Proud who didn’t know that name.
It was the largest information guild in the city—and one of the biggest trading houses in the black market.
But why, then…
“Were you dangling from my ceiling?”
“You’re the one who hung me up there!”
Oh, right. That was true. I cleared my throat.
The man—no, Gilbert—finally sat down on the couch, feet on solid ground.
“Good grief. I almost met my end today.”
“It wasn’t even that high.”
At my comment, Gilbert gave me a look of pure disbelief.
“Didn’t you see the nails sticking up from the floor?!”
I glanced down. The old, uneven wooden boards did look dangerous.
“Well, at least I won’t need to set up traps.”
“Just fix it already!”
I turned my eyes away, ignoring his sigh. After a deep breath, he crossed his legs.
“So, how exactly do you expect me to help you?”
“You’ll answer one question I have.”
“That’s it?”
I held up three fingers.
“Plus three wishes.”
Gilbert’s face drained of color.
“T-three?! Isn’t that a bit much…?”
“Don’t want to?”
He uncrossed his legs and glanced nervously at my raised hand.
After a moment, his sharp eyes twisted in frustration. He rubbed his temples with a groan.
“Lady… do you even know what a wish means to us?”
“It’s a blank check, isn’t it? Something that must be fulfilled, no matter what.”
“You do know.”
“But you did try to kill me, remember?”
“I—I wasn’t trying to kill you! I just thought you might be a mage and wanted to check—”
“So you did attack me.”
Gilbert clamped his mouth shut.
His eyes darted around before he finally ruffled his hair roughly.
“Fine. Three wishes it is.”
“A wise decision.”
Looking exhausted, he slumped into the chair. He already looked drained, so I added kindly:
“Oh, by the way, information doesn’t count as a wish. You know that, right?”
“…”
Gilbert closed his eyes.
“I’m going to pass out now, so please don’t talk to me.”
“Sure. So, for the information, how about a general overview of Proud?”
Gilbert’s eyes flew open.
“Lady, that’s twenty thousand gold worth of intel!”
“Wow, that’s cheap.”
Twenty thousand gold for a full report on the underworld? What a steal.
“How much money do you even have right now?”
“Fifty gold?”
“…I’m not even going to respond to that.”
Clearly defeated by my lack of common sense, Gilbert sighed heavily. But since I’d gotten this far, I wasn’t backing down.
“So go on. Tell me everything.”
Might as well get my money’s worth.
I snapped my fingers, and faint mana flared up like a candle flame.
Gilbert flinched.
“Are you threatening me right now?”
“No, I’m encouraging you.”
My calm reply made him swallow back tears.
“Let’s just… agree to call that ‘threatening,’ Lady.”
Gilbert rubbed his face tiredly, as if hit by reality.
“So, you want to know about the overall state of Proud, right?”
I nodded.
If I was going to live in this strange city, I needed to understand what surrounded me.
On the surface, this black market looked peaceful, but in truth, it was home to the empire’s most dangerous crimes.
There was a reason <At the Eastern Edge> was rated 19+. It was full of brutal, violent scenes.
“Where do I even start…”
“Just from the beginning, please.”
“…You little— ahem. Right, from the beginning then, Lady.”
I could’ve sworn I heard him mutter something after “Lady,” but I let it slide.
Gilbert stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Since you were a noble, you must’ve heard of Cazliden, right?”
