As the Price of a Loan, You Wouldn't Want To

Lokkishi looked a little surprised.

"Boreas Greyrat? You—"

Allen smiled.

"A noble, you didn't expect that, did you?"

Lokkishi quickly shook her head, as if something had just occurred to her.

"Are you perhaps going to Buena Village?"

Allen asked back, completely at ease.

"…How did you know?"

Lokkishi scrutinized Allen's face, but unfortunately, there was no resemblance between him and Rudy.

Rudy had a delicate, gentle face, with soft hair framing his forehead and cheeks. This young man, however, had sharp, piercing eyes, and his messy hair was pulled back on his head, with only a few strands falling beside his forehead.

Allen noticed what Lokkishi's gaze was about and found it a bit amusing.

He and Rudy weren't even from the same branch of the family. Not only did they not look alike, but their genetic preferences were different too.

Notos, represented by Paul, liked big chests. While Allen hadn't personally confirmed this, it was well-established in the novel. As for the Boreas family, represented by Eris, they liked beastkin girls. That… well…

Allen himself could attest to that.

Of course, Rudy, being a transmigrator, might have had an impure composition, so he didn't fully inherit the family preference. This… the blue-haired mother in front of him was proof.

Huh? Wait, something felt off.

The problem was, Allen himself wasn't of pure composition either, was he?

Why was he still a furry fan?

This…

While Allen was caught in his self-interrogation, Lokkishi spoke again.

"To be honest, for the past two years, I've been employed as a tutor for Rudeus Greyrat, the son of Sir Paul Greyrat, a knight in Buena Village."

She paused.

"Are you saying you're going to seek refuge with them?"

Allen quickly snapped back to attention and feigned surprise.

"What a coincidence! To be honest, I got into some trouble in the Asura Royal Capital… so I specifically came to hide out with Uncle Paul, because it's quite remote here… So, Lokkishi, if you're going to the Asura Royal Capital, please don't reveal my whereabouts if anyone asks."

With that, Allen clasped his hands together in supplication.

Lokkishi, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that Allen's disheveled appearance from traveling through mountains and rivers didn't look like someone seeking refuge, but rather someone seeking revenge.

Did he get into trouble at home? Boreas, and in the capital… it must be the child of the Boreas heir. Philip Boreas Greyrat, the Roa Mayor of the Fittoa Region, only has one child, I hear, and she's quite a troublesome young lady…

What kind of trouble would lead to this? Allen seems steady and not like someone who would casually cause trouble… Wait, he's very skilled at flirting with girls. Did he get into trouble of that kind? And then was chased out of the capital by her family?

Hmm… Greyrat men are all quite lecherous… and it's a family trait, smooth-talkers…

Unusual relationships between men and women are common among nobles in the Asura Royal Capital. I hear the social atmosphere there is quite unique, even aphrodisiacs are openly available on the streets… Completely different from Millish.

If something were to become a laughingstock, nobles usually resort to this kind of cold exile to save face, waiting for six months to a year for things to blow over before taking him back. Is that why he has no guards with him?

Allen didn't know what Lokkishi was thinking, but seeing her expression change several times, staring at him with a look of disgust, and finally placing her hand on her palm with a 'deduction complete' expression, he could roughly guess 80-90% of what was going on in her mind.

Truth be told, Lokkishi being smart and prone to overthinking was a good thing in this situation.

A woman who can move on her own is usually a good woman.

Allen meant, this saved him the trouble of explaining himself.

As for being a scumbag… it didn't matter.

If you're handsome and called a scumbag, it's fine, because everyone present is a scumbag.

At this moment, Lokkishi generously responded to Allen's plea.

"I'm just planning to take a carriage from the capital and travel near the Dragon King Mountain Range. It seems only the Asura Royal Capital has direct long-distance carriages… So I won't be staying in the Asura Royal Capital for too long. Chances are I won't hear any rumors about you, so don't worry!"

You can't not worry. You've already finished your mental gymnastics, blue-haired mother.

"Thank you. Speaking of which, I was walking through the forest to avoid being seen. What about you? Why aren't you taking a carriage or something?"

Lokkishi froze, blinking at Allen.

Allen raised an eyebrow.

"Could it be that you don't have money? Does Uncle Paul hire child… uh… illegal labor?"

Lokkishi still made her characteristic face-scratching gesture.

"Mr. Paul has already paid me, but unfortunately, my money isn't quite enough… The travel expenses for a long journey are very expensive."

Allen's mouth twitched.

Poverty god is also a god, truly. And speaking of which, in the Taiwanese translation, you're still called Lokkshi. Your name has 'k' in it. It's not without reason that you're poor.

With that, he pulled three or four Asura Kingdom coins from his swordsman's uniform pocket, one of which was even a gold coin.

Then he reached out and handed them to Lokkishi.

"I still have some money left. Consider this a thank you for helping me out and a payment for your silence. You know nobles aren't short on cash, so just take it and use it for a carriage ride."

Lokkishi didn't take it.

"Why would helping out cost money? And the silence fee is too much. This isn't right, is it?"

"Why isn't it right?"

"It just isn't."

"It has to be."

"It is."

"Are you sure you can't?"

Suddenly, Lokkishi, blushing, quickly snatched the money from Allen's hand, looking towards the nearby trees. She had been prepared to continue arguing.

"Just consider it a loan from you. To be honest, traveling the world costs a lot. The Asura Kingdom is fine, but on the Millish Continent, with my appearance, there's basically no opportunity to earn money.

My studies at the Magic University used up all my savings, so I'm very short on cash. Since you're Paul's relative, you can ask them about my character!"

"So..."

Lokkishi looked up cautiously at Allen.

"You can leave your address, I promise I'll mail it back to you."

Allen stared blankly at Lokkishi's flustered expression.

It seems she's truly terrified of being poor. Come to think of it, Lokkishi was ostracized and discriminated against on the Millish Continent, so she really wouldn't have savings. The fact that she could be hired for a monthly salary of two silver coins is telling.

However, this is also because the Asura Kingdom was founded on commerce and a small-scale agricultural economy. To protect its citizens, it regularly organizes campaigns to clear out surrounding monsters, which means there aren't many proper adventurer jobs available. So, she could only take on tutoring work to make a living.

Another part of the reason is... people's prejudice against Lokkishi's hair color has never stopped, even here in the Asura Kingdom, far from the Demon Continent.

Allen's eyes flickered as he watched Lokkishi, still holding the gold coin, struggling with whether to put it away.

"No need to pay it back. Actually, I have a request I need your help with, and this is enough to offset it."

Lokkishi was startled.

The night wind blew, rustling the leaves.

In the glow of the bonfire, a man and a woman gazed at each other.

"As the price of the loan... you wouldn't want to..."

Allen leaned in towards Lokkishi.

She widened her eyes and leaned back.

The next moment, Allen pointed at his blood-stained clothes.

"You smell the stench on me, right? Please help me wash my swordsman's uniform with Water Magic, and my hair too. It would be even better if you could dry it. After all, it's my first time meeting Uncle Paul, and it wouldn't do to be covered in blood and stinking. Also, the Terminator Boar meat needs to be soaked and washed. I heard the meat from these types of monsters is quite good..."

A rumble interrupted Allen's words.

Allen smiled as he watched the legal loli quickly cover her stomach.

"It seems..."

"You agree."