Going Home

Lynch acted as if he hadn't seen Klein's condemning gaze. After greeting Rozanne, he left the security company with Klein and began the walk home.

Even though he had received a large sum of money, Lynch still couldn't bear to spend it.

"We need to rent a place, buy clothes, and get a cane, so why would we take a carriage back? There are two of us; surely we aren't afraid of being robbed? Besides, I have this now."

Lynch shifted his clothes, showing Klein the revolver he had obtained.

His confidence was overflowing at the moment; if anyone tried to rob them, he would send them to meet God.

Klein was just as reluctant to spend money as he was, so the two hit it off immediately and, dragging their somewhat weary feet, honestly began walking home.

Unlike the tension and worry they felt when they first arrived, the two were now exhausted but full of spirit.

They chatted along the way, even feeling like they could walk a bit further.

It was just that when they were almost home, they had a small disagreement.

Klein decided to eat out that night, but Lynch firmly opposed the suggestion.

He demanded that Klein buy more meat to cook at home.

Food from outside really wasn't as delicious as what Klein could make.

There was no need to worry about this; he convinced Klein with a single sentence.

"Melissa said she'd cover my meals for the next few days, so if we eat out, you'll have to treat me too."

Klein: ...

He did the math and finally took a detour with Lynch to the market to buy mutton, peas, potatoes, and other food items.

This time he bought a little extra, deciding that besides dinner, he could save some to heat up and eat the next morning.

Before heading home, they went to Mrs. Slin's bakery and bought twenty loaves of rye bread, though these loaves turned into eighteen by the time they had dinner, as Lynch couldn't help but eat the other two before the meal.

He really needed to replenish his energy today.

Additionally, it is worth mentioning that his appetite was twice that of Melissa's, a fact he had secretly calculated while eating dinner.

"Why is the meal so lavish again today? We probably don't have much money left."

After finishing the meal, Melissa hesitantly stated this fact.

Although the food was truly delicious, the money was indeed running low.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Melissa. The company I interviewed at, Klein interviewed at too. His weekly salary is three pounds, and he can even get a 12-pound advance, so we're planning to move."

"12 pounds? Moving? No, what kind of work are you two actually doing?"

Melissa looked at Lynch and Klein with suspicion; if it weren't for the fact that Klein's appearance wasn't as handsome as Lynch's, she would have suspected that the two of them had gone out to sell themselves.

Perhaps there were people who liked Klein's type, after all, he just wasn't as handsome as Lynch, but he wasn't too bad either.

"Don't let your imagination run wild. We found a legitimate job, at least Klein's is. He couldn't sleep last night because of the interview and dragged me out for a walk, and we ran into the boss I mentioned on the way.

The other party didn't just invite me, he also invited Klein, but Klein seemed a bit hesitant at the time. I thought he wasn't going, but I didn't expect him to go with me this morning."

Lynch patched up the lie he had told that morning a little more.

Melissa opened her mouth, and it took a while before she turned to look at Klein.

"What exactly is the job? Do you like it more than the job as a lecturer at Tingen University?"

Klein nodded.

"It's a security company based on finding, protecting, collecting, and deciphering antiques. Lynch is a handyman there, and I'm a professional consultant, at 3 pounds a week."

Klein secretly demoted Lynch's profession to a handyman as a small act of revenge.

Fortunately, Melissa didn't think there was a problem.

After all, this guy Lynch had no diploma; a weekly salary of two pounds—let alone being a handyman, she would even believe it if he were selling himself.

Oh my, I shouldn't think like that.

Melissa quickly shook the thoughts from her mind and felt happy.

"12 pounds, then you can buy a good suit, a cane, and a pair of leather shoes to make you look more like a gentleman."

Klein shook his head and explained under Melissa's puzzled gaze: "It's not just that, we also have to move. The company gave me a few days off so we have time to move to a better neighborhood."

Melissa was stunned.

She immediately rejected this expensive endeavor and gave examples of how many people ended up sleeping in those crowded dormitories because they didn't save money and lived extravagantly, only to suddenly lose their jobs.

But Klein insisted it was necessary, and that Lynch also needed to move.

Melissa looked at Lynch.

Lynch nodded.

"We definitely have to move. Do you really want to keep using that washroom that everyone uses? It's disgusting. Sometimes you open the Gate of Opening, and it's a surprise."

Melissa opened her mouth, clearly also disgusted by this point.

"But..."

"There are no 'buts'. Even if you don't move, I'm going to. I just think if we move together and use an agent together, we might save some money, and we can look out for each other."

Lynch said casually.

Melissa's eyes lit up.

"Will it cost less?"

"Not sure, but if Benson handles it, maybe it really will be less. You all know he's very good at this sort of thing."

Lynch slept in this morning. After waking up, he heated up the food he'd packed from the tavern yesterday afternoon along with the leftovers from last night, finally eating his fill.

He felt his appetite was getting a bit large; every day he felt like a starving ghost reincarnated. The original owner had it rough, too—back when his wages were low, he must have been worried sick.

It was fortunate he had changed jobs now, otherwise, even eating would have become a problem.

He sighed, put on his coat, and started walking toward the original owner's home.

Before moving, he had to return this place.

He didn't need to bother Benson with this; the landlady was quite easy to talk to. Seeing his financial struggles, she had even agreed to let him pay rent once a week, and there was no security deposit.

However, Lynch could guarantee that one of the reasons the landlady was so friendly was definitely the original owner's appearance.

This face stood out quite a bit in a place like this. When the landlady first saw the original owner, she even thought he was some young noble experiencing life!

Lynch shook his head with a chuckle at the memory.

Why else would people say that being good-looking is the most useful thing of all!

Of course, sometimes it was still useless, like when Lynch arrived at his doorstep and saw a crowd of people gathered outside.

He squeezed for a long time but couldn't get in, and because he bumped into an older woman, he nearly got hit in the head by her husband.

Fortunately, Lynch hadn't been eating all that food for nothing; with a casual shove, he pushed the man aside.

"What happened here?"

Lynch was anxious. He couldn't even get into his own home, and no one would tell him what was going on, which was truly worrying.

Could someone have died in his house?

Should he just run away?

Even if he wasn't the one who killed them, the landlady would definitely make him pay for it. He didn't want to get involved in such troublesome matters; it would be better to just act as if he had never been here!

However, he had to ask clearly. He still had a few worn-out suits inside, and these were props he could find a way to get reimbursed for.

He had to determine what was going on inside before he could decide whether to abandon those props.