Belsus began to work out.
‘It feels like he hasn’t even rested for a few days.’
I was on edge, worried that he was pushing himself too hard before fully recovering just so he could pay off his debt.
But my worries melted away when Belsus checked my reaction before slowly pulling off his shirt.
He hadn't put on a significant amount of weight, but he had definitely regained his vitality over the past few days. Seeing the vigorous energy flowing through his bare upper body and his skin, which no longer looked pale but gleamed like a pearl, I figured he would be fine.
Belsus planted one hand on the ground and started doing push-ups. Pumping his body vigorously up and down without a single break, he immediately switched to his other hand and repeated the motion. Beads of sweat formed on his skin, but his face looked entirely relaxed.
I set a tray down in front of him.
"Drink this and keep going."
It was a thick shake made by blending boiled chicken breast and beans. Of course, there was no way I had a blender out here, so I had to become the human blender... but that was a secret.
Normally, it would be a horrifying concoction I’d never want anywhere near my mouth, but perhaps due to my farmer's buff, it tasted surprisingly decent when I took a small sip.
...It would be nice to have something like protein powder, but there's no such thing here.
It had to be a beverage Belsus had never seen in his entire life. Yet, he stared at it with a deeply touched expression before gulping it down immediately. He didn't even stop to sniff it.
Then, he started scribbling something on a piece of paper. I stole a quick glance.
> [A thick beverage with a savory, slightly sweet, and nutty flavor. Estimated price: 40 gold.]
This guy was meticulously keeping a ledger of how much he owed. For every single meal. Even when I cleared out the piles of straw in the barn and put a creaky bed in for him. And when I provided him with bedding, even if it was a bit worn out.
‘The ingredients cost less than 10 gold, you idiot. It's not like you don't know the market prices, so who the hell pays three times the cost for labor?’
Whatever, do as you please. I'll just write my own ledger my way and go by that anyway.
I gave up on trying to scold him.
> [The savory umami flavor comes out when chewing the chunks. Even though it's a drink, it makes you feel remarkably full. To blend it this finely, it must have been boiled and minced for a long time; come to think of it, an immense amount of care and effort must have gone into it. I will increase the price by 10 gold.]
This guy... he’d be great at writing restaurant reviews, wouldn't he?
Before writing the next sentence, Belsus slightly hunched his broad shoulders. It was as if he was trying to hide the contents of his notebook from me, even though he wasn't doing a very good job of it.
I stood on my tiptoes and peered over his shoulder.
> [Heean looked at me gently for more than 5 seconds. Price: 80 gold.]
"...What is this?"
I pointed at the page, completely baffled.
Belsus looked a bit embarrassed, but didn't try to hide it anymore and simply handed me the notebook.
"I was happy that you didn't think of me as a bug... or rather, even if you did, that your gaze alone was gentle... I felt I must repay you for it."
For a moment, I was at a loss for words and just stared at Belsus blankly.
For just this moment, completely devoid of any calculation or careful deliberation, a quiet voice slipped from my lips.
"...Do you think I'm only scheming to wring money out of you?"
Belsus panicked.
Soon, his face turned bright red. It wasn't an emotion like embarrassment, but a sign of profound remorse.
"I apologize."
He opened his ledger and vigorously scribbled out the sentence he had just written.
---
I spent the rest of my time watering the field and pulling weeds. Making that protein drink took more out of me than the actual farm work, so I was exhausted. I headed under a tree to take a quick break.
I casually plopped down in the shade. The dirt crumbled beneath my pants, but I was always covered in dirt anyway, so it didn't matter.
For the first time...
‘This isn't a bad way to live.’
I thought life felt pretty okay.
The blue sky looked down on my little farm. Even though the space itself was still as small as the palm of my hand, the sky above stretched out as wide as the Alpine hills, so it didn't feel stifling in the slightest.
‘The weather is nice.’
Next, I looked at the field. Not a single sprout had fallen behind; each one flaunted its vitality, eagerly reaching toward the sky. Dewdrops gathered on the crisp green stems, swaying gently in the soft breeze.
‘They're growing well.’
Finally, I looked at Belsus. Shirtless, he had loaded a massive rock onto his back and was training his lower body.
Sweat glistened over his firm, white skin that looked like solid marble. Even though he hadn't taken a single break from exercising, his breathing didn't turn ragged, let alone let out a single groan.
‘He's bulking up nicely.’
No matter how fiercely each day was consumed by ranking competitions, cooking, and making money, I had no intention of missing out on this peace.
It's exactly when you're incredibly busy that you need to pause and enjoy the present. That was the enlightenment I had gained after transmigrating.
---
"...Did you forget something?!"
After fully relishing my healing time, I stepped outside around noon, only to find Archer throwing a massive fit.
"What did I forget?"
"You forgot me! Why are you just getting here? Huh?!"
No matter how much I thought about it, I hadn't forgotten anything. While I was pondering, Archer quickly softened and held out both his hands toward me.
"I'm hungry. What did you bring?"
The way he managed to look even more like a ragged beggar over the course of a single day wasn't pitiful; it was just gross. Don't touch me.
I handed him a lunchbox wrapped in multiple layers of paper.
Panting, Archer hastily tore off the wrapping. His eyes practically rolled back into his head as he audibly gulped.
"Why does it look like this?"
"Because I'm cursed with clumsy hands."
He must not be starving that much if he still has the energy to pick fights about the food's appearance.
Today's meal was fried bread made by mashing boiled potatoes, kneading them with a bit of flour, salt, and sugar, and stuffing the dough with finely diced cheese and ham.
Just because my hands touched it didn't mean my aesthetic sense came alive, even if the taste magically improved. I had given the pretty one to Belsus for breakfast and brought the failed, ugly one here.
"Is this it?"
Of course it wasn't it. I gave Belsus a lettuce and egg salad to eat with his bread, but I only gave Archer the bread.
"If you don't want it, don't eat it."
I tried to snatch the food back, and Archer fiercely yanked it away.
‘Shouldn't he be grateful I even brought him bread? Does this punk think he's on the same level as Belsus?’
I so kindly even gave him a bottle of plain water to drink with it, but will this bastard ever actually repay my kindness...?
The reason I ended up taking care of Archer's meals traces back to yesterday.
> "Help me. I'll definitely repay you someday."
When I hesitated, mentally tallied up the exact cost of Archer's ingredients, and turned to leave, Archer, who had desperately shaken off Calain and reappeared, completely tucked his tail between his legs.
> "What will you give me?"
> "...Someday, I'll save your life once."
It was an incredibly unconfident voice. I let out a snort.
> "Do you even have the skills to save me if my life is in danger?"
> "I'm the ranged damage dealer with the fastest reaction speed across all servers. ...I think that carried over somewhat when I transmigrated."
Must be nice, hey. Being born with that kind of ability, huh?
All I could do after a week was make potato flowers bloom.
By my acceptance, the deal was struck. I agreed to help Archer escape the slums while avoiding Calain, and in exchange, Archer promised to come running to save my life once whenever I was in danger.
‘Ever since then, this guy has gotten incredibly shameless.’
He's not a bad guy, but he certainly has no sense of shame. Just because I treated him a little nicely, he immediately started taking me lightly and throwing tantrums.
As a result, for the past few days, Archer had been running for his life from a relentlessly pursuing Calain, while I met him at the exact same spot to feed him.
"I'll definitely come back again."
I held Archer's hands tightly and shot him my most dependable look.
Archer recoiled at my feigned sincerity.
"Cut the bullshit. Don't go! Stay here!"
Archer shrieked at the top of his lungs, gripping my hand tightly. As if he was going to rip my arm completely off...
Without a single change in my expression, I calmly sent him a steady gaze.
"I'll definitely come back again."
"Bullshit! My mom left me exactly like this too!"
"...Seriously?"
That was a sudden low blow.
Archer shut his mouth. He wore an expression I hadn't seen before. The expression of a lost little child.
Well, it's a tragic story, but I don't think that's a circumstance I need to consider...
"Anyway, I'm seriously coming back."
Whether Archer's sob story was true or not, pulling that card right now was a transparent ploy. Just because I took Belsus in, did he think my pushover tendencies were contagious?
If I gave Archer more attention here, wouldn't that take away a sliver of the attention meant for Belsus?
"Take me with you!"
"I told you I'm the only one who can teleport."
It was a total lie, but I didn't care.
What if Archer went to my farm, saw Belsus, and started drooling over a Hunter who had grown perfectly ripe to absorb EXP from? What would I do then?
‘But since we made a promise, I suppose I should help Archer get out of this situation.’
As I handed Archer his dinner box that evening, I said this:
"Let's catch Calain."
Archer spat out a mouthful of the stew he had just loudly slurped.
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