As flames shot into the sky, the entire Kirishiki Family castle burned to ashes. Shizuku drove away from Sotoba Village with Kagari no Kiri-e—this place no longer had anything to do with them.
"Say, are you really getting paid for this?"
Kagari no Kiri-e stared curiously at Shizuku beside her, who merely shrugged.
"Of course."
"But that brat was the one who hired you, right? And he and his sister have both forgotten about all of this now, haven't they? You came all this way just to work for nothing?"
"This wasn't working for nothing. I got what I wanted too."
Shizuku was not talking nonsense. Just as she had said, Frostmourne had obtained the souls it needed. Money was secondary to her. And Frostmourne was quite satisfied with this world as well. It craved souls, especially souls tormented by suffering.
Such souls were difficult to find in other worlds, but this world had them everywhere. Frostmourne was practically too delighted to leave. Like this time, these suffering souls would be enough for Frostmourne to enjoy for quite a while.
"I never planned to make exorcism a career for making money. Anyone could tell this line of work is dangerous and unstable—how could it possibly be profitable? To me, it's just a hobby, like painting. Of course, the ideal life would be earning money while enjoying your hobby, but reality rarely works out that perfectly."
Shizuku's income came entirely from company dividends. If that was not enough, she could always get more from the FBI. She did not care about money at all. That was precisely why she never had to worry about making a living and could leisurely go wherever she pleased.
"That's why a financially independent life is truly free. It's one way to enjoy life."
As she