IOC - 28

“What? He left it behind?”

It’s not like I have much of a beard growing, but I scratched my head anyway and stuffed the razor into my pocket.

Soon, the sun dipped below the horizon, and a full moon rose high above the inn’s roof. In the silence of the empty hall, I began my usual closing routine. As I moved about, sweeping and wiping, my feet came to a halt.

I looked toward Happy, who was tied to the pillar.

I set a bowl of soup down in front of him and crouched, watching him eat. Chap, chap, chap. The sound of his eating echoed loudly. His red eyes flickered over me occasionally, and as his bowl emptied, I slowly reached out.

Click. Along with the sound of the chain loosening, the sealing device slipped off his neck. Happy paused from grooming his fur and stared at me blankly.

I raised both hands and muttered softly.

“Don’t come back now, okay?”

My reason for letting Happy go was simple.

Tomorrow was the day Geoffrey was scheduled to visit.

Since I had resolved to end our dealings, I couldn't keep Happy here, he was a living remnant of Geoffrey’s influence.

Happy, staring straight at me through the darkness, didn’t move for a moment. His red eyes watched me quietly before he suddenly turned and vanished into the shadows as if melting away.

Only silence remained where he had been.

I stared blankly into the empty air, feeling a strange sense of hollowness. 

...Was it regret? Or a sense of finality?

Regardless, before my emotions could fully settle, the night slowly bled into dawn.

***

The next day.

As usual, Geoffrey opened the door and walked in at an early hour. A familiar smile was perched on his lips, but his expression felt stiff.

Was it because my own expression was grim?

Or perhaps he had seen the 2 gold coins resting on the table. Or maybe he’d realized Happy was gone even before that.

The silence stretched long and tense. Feeling my heart tighten, I spoke first.

“Good morning.”

Geoffrey watched me for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“It’s a remarkably quiet morning.”

So it was the latter.

A man as sharp as Geoffrey would have already guessed that I’d sent Happy away, and the intention behind it.

I hesitated, fidgeting with my fingertips. The two gold coins on the table felt exceptionally heavy. Finally, I took a breath, picked them up, and set them down in front of Geoffrey.

“I’m returning these.”

His violet eyes pierced through me. I forced a smile and continued.

“I didn't get a chance to say this properly before... but regardless of 'this world' or 'memory loss,' as you can see, I’m someone with zero knowledge of this place. I realized I never formally thanked you for the help you gave me. It’s late, but thank you once again.”

“…….”

There was no flicker of emotion in Geoffrey’s gaze. I gave an awkward laugh and lowered my head, adding.

“But no matter how much I think about it, receiving this much money in exchange for my body... it just doesn't feel right.”

A brief, uncomfortable silence followed. I tried to gauge his reaction through a forced smile, but Geoffrey didn't so much as twitch.

How long did that silence last? Finally, a long sigh escaped his lips.

“You truly are unpredictable.”

“Hahaha….”

“It seems my goodwill was unnecessary.”

As he looked at my awkward laughter, his violet eyes wavered gently. It felt like he was smiling, yet also mocking. That strange temperature difference made me shrink back even more.

“…I’m sorry.”

The silence stretched long once again.

Without a word, Geoffrey tapped the table in a steady rhythm. Tap, tap, tap. That monotonous sound strangely grated on my nerves, and my heart began to thump along in an anxious beat. Thump, thump, thump.

Then, with one final tap, total silence descended.

I held my breath instinctively. Contrary to my expectations, a soft smile spread across his face.

“The human heart is a truly mysterious thing. However, I have always believed that money is the most reliable motivator. After all, material wealth is what most strongly stimulates human desire.”

I bit my lip.

I actually agreed with him. Wasn’t I a terrible miser myself? An incarnation of materialism? The more money, the better, the less, the more anxious I felt.

“I thought you wouldn't be much different... Ah, my apologies. As one gets older, stereotypes tend to harden.”

Look, when you say things like that with that face, it’s just not convincing.

I rubbed my cheek and glossed it over.

“I’m probably not much different.”

“Then, why refuse?”

Because I can’t exactly say that you’re acting like a creepy old man hitting on a young girl.

So, I tried to phrase it delicately.

“Uh, well. Haha... I’ve spent my life saving up, but I’ve never really spent much. Maybe such a large sum just doesn't feel real to me.”

I had just blurted out whatever came to mind. But then I caught myself.

I suddenly remembered all those days when I had been hell-bent on hoarding money, never actually getting to use it properly.

...Come to think of it, those might have been my true feelings, buried for a very long time.

“...Or, maybe it’s a matter of principle. The idea that only money earned through sweat is 'real' money, or something like that.”

“Principles.”

Geoffrey muttered the word as if mocking it. His violet eyes narrowed slightly, a faint trace of cynicism dwelling within them.

Well, it wasn't an unfair reaction.

The "principles" I just rambled about were just me reguritating what Gilbert had told me yesterday.

Is there really any difference between this world and the one I came from?

Knights stab their masters for a few coins, and parents abandon their children for even less. I know all too well how futile these so-called "principles" can be.

Besides, my dream, both there and here, is to strike it rich. That goal hasn't changed.

Geoffrey shook his head and let out a low laugh, as if he found it entertaining. That laugh was a mix of weight and lightness, I couldn't read his true intentions at all.

“I see. Your will is clear. I understand.”

It’s finally over, I thought with a sigh of relief. I expected him to get up and leave, but Geoffrey remained seated and continued.

“Then, how about visiting out of pure goodwill?”

“Is there such a thing as 'pure goodwill' in this world without a price?”

“As I told you before, I wish to gain your goodwill. So, if my goodwill returns to me as yours, wouldn't that be a sufficient price?”

I wanted to ask why. Why on earth me?

But he’d probably just spout some insincere nonsense again about his "tastes" or me being "impressive."

In the end, I cut him off firmly.

“I have no intention of showing goodwill to someone I don't know well.”

Geoffrey’s violet eyes glinted as he looked through me. I met his gaze, pretending to be unbothered. But inside, my heart was racing like mad.

After all, he is an Archmage and a protagonist of the original story, and I’m just an innkeeper serving soup.

If this man set his mind to it?

Whether it was a contract or anything else, if he pushed, I’d be in a position where I’d have no choice but to say "Yes" and sign on the dotted line. To begin with, sitting here with my back straight in front of an Archmage was already unrealistic.

Finally, Geoffrey spoke slowly.

“If you don't know me, couldn't you simply get to know me?”

“…Pardon?”

“Instead of our meetings being like the last one, why don't we simply meet once a week to talk? If we meet often, wouldn't we eventually become the kind of people who can do small favors for one another?”

The back of my neck went cold.

Small favors? Does that favor eventually include him touching my body again?

My lips parted, but my throat felt blocked, and no words came out.

Then, Gilbert’s words suddenly flashed through my mind.

'Shion, receiving a large sum of money… isn’t just about the exchange of coins. Even if it’s just a single penny, it ultimately becomes a contract. Even if you don't realize it, the moment you accept that money, you've already stepped into something.'

A contract.

The moment I accepted those gold coins last time, had I already stepped into something?

...I shouldn't have taken them in the first place.

With a brief pang of regret, I glared at the gold on the table while my mind raced.

Perhaps this situation was just another extension of a contract, disguised under the name of a "favor."

If I can’t avoid it... if this relationship has already started and the connection won't be severed...

Then I might as well be the one to set the terms.

“…Then, how about we put it in writing?”

At the very least, I didn't want to be dragged along like a naive child, I wanted to be the one drawing the lines.

Geoffrey narrowed his eyes. His violet gaze slowly scanned me, as if trying to pierce through my thoughts and see what I was up to.

“In writing?”

“Let’s make a formal contract. The limits of the favors, the time, the compensation, and most importantly, my right to refuse.”

“A contract, you say….”

After a few seconds of silence, the corners of Geoffrey’s mouth slowly curled upward.

He looked strangely satisfied.

With a relaxed and ominous smile, as if he had been waiting for me to walk into the trap myself, he spoke.

“Very well. Then let us form a formal contract.”