IBVFL 12

 Chapter 12

“…I’m just letting him rest, aren’t I?”

“It’s the same thing.”

Felix shrugged and sat down on the bed. Meytal let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

“But Lord Angelo has gotten much more peaceful these days.”

Felix smirked.

“Didn’t you see someone almost assassinate me earlier?”

“That was just some small-time thugs. Compared to how noisy things used to be, it’s a lot better now.”

Proud was the most notorious underworld district in the entire Empire. And the most infamous street within Proud was called Angelo.

It was the kind of place where stepping in meant being ready to lose an arm. So if the assassination attempts were down to just one, things had indeed improved since six months ago.

“It used to be a total lawless zone. If not for the purges, we’d still be living like beggars.”

“And now those small fry are crawling out and making trouble instead.”

He’d cut off the head of the biggest one, only for the scraps to crawl out of the shadows and into the light.

“How annoying.”

Meytal smiled awkwardly and scratched his cheek.

He’d been serving the young master for five years now. From what he’d seen, Felix liked order and despised chaos.

So of course he’d be irritated—petty criminals stirring up trouble in the streets would drive him mad.

Wistons was the kind of man who wouldn’t act unless someone crossed the line, but Felix was different.

If Felix had Wistons’ strength…

‘He’d be completely unmanageable.’

Yeah, he’d probably cause even more trouble than he already did.

Meytal shuddered involuntarily. A young master worse than now—what a nightmare.

“If you’re done reporting, get out. I’m going to rest.”

“Ah, yes. Then, have a pleasant evening.”

Meytal bowed politely, his thoughts finished.

Felix gave a lazy wave—not a farewell, but a clear order to get out.

‘So prickly, as always.’

Then again, it made sense. He had just been drenched in blood.

Felix couldn’t use magic, but his other senses were unusually sharp.

‘He usually keeps it under control, but…’

Whenever there was too much blood or a violent fight, his nerves went haywire for the rest of the day.

Meytal knew from experience that it was best to leave him alone during such times.

As his loyal aide quietly closed the door behind him, Felix let out a low sigh.

‘Damn it.’

His heart had been pounding irregularly for a while. It wasn’t just because of the smell of blood.

Felix immediately got up and opened a small bag he’d kept nearby. From it, he pulled out a tiny vial.

He uncorked it and downed the blue liquid inside in one gulp.

But even after drinking the entire bottle of high-grade potion, the discomfort didn’t go away.

‘Useless body.’

He’d managed to hold on with potions until now, but he could feel it—his limit was near. The effects were getting weaker.

At this rate, no matter how many expensive potions he drank, even maintaining his body would soon be impossible.

‘Might as well be dead then.’

Felix sneered coldly.

He wasn’t going to live long anyway. Dying early didn’t sound so bad.

‘If that old man hears me say that, he’ll lose his damn mind again.’

That stubborn man had left the family estate just to keep him alive. No doubt he’d make a scene.

Felix tucked the empty vial back into the bag and sat down on the bed again. Crossing his long legs, he sank into the soft blankets.

And until dawn broke the next morning, Felix lay awake—unable to close his eyes all night.

Drip, drip.

The next morning, I sipped on an icy glass of tea and rolled my eyes around lazily.

It had been three days since I hired Grandpa Wiz. I honestly thought it would be awkward at first…

“How about it? This old man’s skills aren’t so bad, eh?”

But to my surprise—I was beyond satisfied!

“Is it okay to say this?”

“Hm?”

“You’re insane, Grandpa.”

Why was he so good at cleaning?

This old man was suspiciously competent. I looked down at the floor—it was so clean that a fly could slip and start figure skating on it.

The wooden floorboards had been cracked and dull from age, but after just one sweep of Grandpa’s hand…

‘This is a revolution!’

I couldn’t hold back and started clapping. Did he use wax? How did it shine like that? Even the furniture gleamed like it was brand-new.

“Hmph! I told you, didn’t I? I’m good at more than just guarding.”

“You weren’t kidding!”

He cleaned like a pro, cooked like a chef, and his combat skills were already top-notch.

And since he was new to Proud, he’d even taken the time to explain the local streets to me.

‘I can’t lose this man!’

And all of this—completely unpaid labor. Honestly, his work was worth real money, but when I tried to offer him pay, he just scoffed.

“What would I do with pocket change?” he said.

‘That just makes you even cooler!’

Thank you, sir. I’ll gladly take advantage of your free labor!

I grinned and grabbed my bag.

Today, I was heading to Gilbert’s trading company. After seeing the quality of my potion, he’d asked to talk business.

I was a little uneasy about leaving Grandpa home alone, but—

‘It’s not the first time.’

I’d gone out a few times already these past few days, and nothing had happened.

Besides, one of the terms of our contract was that nothing dangerous would happen to me.

And another important clause—

“Be careful out there.”

Personal privacy!

Since I’d be going out often, it would be awkward to report my every move. Grandpa seemed perfectly happy with that rule.

“I’ll be back soon!”

I waved my hand vigorously. Grandpa chuckled and motioned for me to go on.

My potion impressed Gilbert immediately.

Of course it did.

It was the very potion that had brought Grandpa back from the brink of death—its effects were already proven.

So when I’d sent him a sample, I knew it would catch his eye.

‘Money! Finally, money will be mine!’

With the merchant guild’s approval, mass supply was only a matter of time.

I’d had to make them secretly because of Grandpa, but after several attempts, I’d gotten faster—what once took all day now took only a few hours.

‘Maybe I’m actually talented at this?’

Perfect. If I sped up even more, I’d make a fortune in no time.

‘This is the best!’

I’d save up all that money and get out of here! My chest thumped with excitement.

“Miss, ten silver, please!”

“Here you go!”

I hopped off the carriage and handed the driver his fare. Funny thing was, he’d tried to scam me the first time we met—

‘Huh? The person before me paid ten silver, but you’re charging me one gold?’

‘Th-that’s…!’

‘Sir, I’m fifteen years old. Scamming a kid is a serious crime. How can you call yourself an adult if you rob a budding young lady like me?’

‘W-What the…!’

‘You’ve got to stand up for yourself in this world.’

And that was that.