TSBSFVW 41

Chapter 41
Eight Breads. Next to a Dog, Next to a Madman (4)

The carriage had been traveling nonstop for eight hours straight before finally reaching the border city.

Ellie had spent her entire life in Rayad, the capital of the Rosso Kingdom, and except for the past six months, mostly inside the McClure Mansion. Yet, despite seeing familiar sights, the exotic scenery looked completely different and fascinating.

Tall buildings with dark red roofs and narrow, maze-like alleys were packed with people. Carriages, horses, and porters skillfully navigated through them.

Ellie pressed herself against the carriage window, trying to take in the unfamiliar sights.

“Edmund, Eddie… that person we just passed—was that…?”

“An elf. First time seeing one?”

Edmund replied nonchalantly, making Ellie realize just how small Rayad really was.

She had seen dwarves occasionally, but they seemed just like short, stocky people, so they never felt strange. But elves, with their long ears, slender limbs, and usually a head taller than ordinary humans, were unmistakably different. They looked more like deer than humans.

“This world is really big…”

Even in her previous life, Ellie had only lived within the city she was born in. At most, she occasionally went to the sea or took a single trip to Japan after saving up some part-time money. For a poor college student, even that was a luxury.

“I’ve heard elves are vegetarian, but are they lacto-vegetarian who can drink milk? If they eat eggs too, the menu options would expand…”

Thinking it would be rude to stare too much, Ellie looked away and replied.

“Of course it’s my first time seeing one. I’ve hardly ever gone outside.”

“You need to get out more.”

“You say that, but you don’t like going out either…”

“I just dislike people.”

“What’s the difference? The result is the same.”

Edmund fired back, and Ellie thought he wasn’t wrong.

She had avoided going out not because of a dislike for the world, but because she simply didn’t have the freedom to leave the mansion. Fearing Edmund’s lecture might continue, she wisely kept quiet.

Originally, Ellie had been taking care of Edmund, but in the past month, the roles had reversed.

“Even though he’s the one living recklessly.”

She had been a little sloppy recently due to being busy, but no matter how much, she was confident it wasn’t enough to deserve Edmund’s scolding.

The carriage gradually slowed.

The branch of the Mammoth guild in the border city was located right in the middle of the bustling district.

Ellie expected to get off immediately, but Maurice got off alone, attended to some business, and returned to the carriage. When Ellie looked at him curiously, he said:

“Wouldn’t it be boring to bring you on vacation and then drag you straight to work?”

“When was that ever stylish…?”

“I think our Ellie looks best when she’s being sarcastic.”

Ellie had only promised to hold back her sarcasm for half a day, but she silently reflected on her words. Seeing the sulking Ellie, Maurice burst into laughter.

“The one who cares always loses in situations like this.”

“I wasn’t even caring, though.”

“Oh, really? My apologies for misunderstanding then.”

Maurice’s laughing face was full of teasing. Ban shook his head and said:

“That’s right, Ellie. There’s no need to care about people like that.”

“Instead of that, care about me more.”

Edmund took the opportunity to interject:

“Seems like neither of them is worth your attention, Ellie.”

“So I should pay attention to you?”

“I’d appreciate it if you did.”

“You cheeky brat.”

Ban chuckled, and both Edmund and Maurice jeered at him.

Ellie realized: the more she paid attention to all three, the more she would lose.

The carriage stopped in front of a suburban villa.

It was a two-story white-walled building nestled among the trees.

Ellie honestly admired it.

“Villas like this are only for the super-rich.”

In her past life, Ellie had been a commoner who dreamed of owning even one house in her name before she died.

It was the same now. She had never been to a villa owned by the McClure family, and it had nothing to do with her.

She knew Maurice was the owner of a rather well-known guild, but had never really grasped it until now.

“Maurice, you really are rich…”

“…What did you think I was, exactly? Never mind, it’s fine.”

Maurice, using his experience, politely dismissed Ellie’s comment and called the villa caretaker to unload the luggage from the carriage.

The caretaker seemed to be a man in his mid-to-late forties. His unkempt beard and large, sturdy body made him look like a hunter. When he tried to take Ellie’s small bag as well, she quickly grabbed it.

“I’ll carry my own bag.”

It wasn’t heavy. Maurice said:

“Let him work, Ellie. You shouldn’t take someone else’s job.”

Ellie awkwardly let go of the bag she had been holding.

Edmund, having been crouched in the carriage for a while, stretched like a cat and said:

“I’ll take a quick look around.”

“Go with him, Eddie.”

Edmund shot Ban an annoyed glance but unexpectedly followed without a word. Ellie, left alone and unsure of what to do, was approached by Maurice.

“Even though you’ve hired bodyguards, you seem to need to see with your own eyes to feel at ease.”

“Bodyguards? Maurice, are you really that important…?”

Was he like a modern-day CEO?

Ellie hesitated, feeling distant from someone she had thought was just a successful moneylender, now realizing he might be a tycoon. Maurice, noticing her hesitation, said incredulously:

“How did you even come to that conclusion? Besides, do you think those two are here to protect me?”

“Is this area dangerous?”

“For a crowded place, it’s not bad. They’re here to protect you, that’s all.”

“From what…? Animals? People?”

Bodyguards are usually for celebrities or tycoons, like Elaine or a duke.

Ellie, who had lived her life avoiding grudges, saw no reason to be protected in the suburban outskirts of a relatively safe city. She wasn’t being stalked or warned of attacks, and she had completely cut ties with the previously potential threat, Duke McClure.

“Well… Eddie dislikes people. I guess he’s just worried who might show up.”

Maurice dismissed the unnecessary details, blaming Eddie’s human hatred. Ellie, reluctantly satisfied, accepted it. The important thing was not that.

“When are we going to get the chocolate? Don’t we need to go to the market?”

“No need to rush. It’s not like today is the only day. Let’s rest first. You need a break.”

“I just got off the carriage and slept…”

“You only slept three or four hours, and even then, you woke up during it. Honestly, Ellie, you haven’t been sleeping well lately, have you?”

Ellie only pursed her lips in response.

She knew that worrying solved nothing and only harmed her health. But knowing that didn’t eliminate the anxiety. Especially when things didn’t go as expected, there was nothing she could do.

Ellie was a minor villain in the story, whose role had already ended. She was now focused solely on protecting her own life.

“Who was it that worked people without letting them sleep?”

“That was me. That’s why I brought you here to rest and take responsibility.”

“What? That was your goal? For the chocolate?”

“If it weren’t bait enough, you wouldn’t have followed.”

“Of course! Why would I go on vacation with you otherwise? So you really did find the chocolate?”

“It’s real. You’ll get it after you’ve rested enough.”

“You trickster! How can you do that!”

“Here it is. If you don’t rest for at least a week doing nothing, don’t even expect the chocolate, let alone being sent back.”

“A trickster and a kidnapper?!”

The hostage was chocolate. Even if Maurice held a knife to her neck, Ellie didn’t think it would be more threatening than this.

“Wow. Trickster and kidnapper. Guess I’m a bad person. Then I might as well act like one.”

“Ah, don’t come near. Go away, you brat…”

“You should use pretty words, Ellie.”

“Buzz off.”

Maurice approached threateningly, and Ellie ruthlessly kicked him in the shin. With a loud thunk, Maurice crumpled to the ground.

“Give me the chocolate now.”

“No, Ellie, I’m really—ugh! At times like this, it’d be cool if you teased me for kicking hard… but ow, it really hurts, wait.”

The week-long vacation began with such light violence.