“Little sister, your brother is back!”
This was Valantis’s most impoverished district.
“Brother… how, how did you come back so late today, *cough, cough, cough*…”
It was also Valantis’s darkest corner.
“Little sister, don’t get up! Quickly, stay lying down!”
The slums.
A community festering with poverty, crime, and darkness, occupying the lowest rung of society.
“Bro-brother… I’m fine, but you…”
Lying on the bed was a black-haired girl, her face pale and devoid of color, her features gaunt and fragile.
“Me? What could possibly happen to me? Alright, little sister, stop worrying so much. Just lie back down, understood?”
The young man speaking was none other than Dean, who had recently parted ways with Leya. Having seen her off, he had returned to his humble abode in the slums.
“Brother…”
“Hmm?”
“Why… why do I feel like you’re… *cough, cough, cough*, different somehow since you came back?”
“Oh? Am I?” Dean retorted, a hint of surprise in his voice.
“Yes, you’ve become much more confident than before. It’s as if you’re a completely different person!”
“Eh! Really? Hehehe…”
Upon hearing her words, Dean scratched his head bashfully, a foolish grin spreading across his face.
“You… you’re still saying that, *cough, cough, cough, cough*… Did something good happen when you went out?”
“Huh? You knew that?”
“Hmph—I know all your little tricks. So, did you earn a lot of money today?”
‘Money?’
Such a trivial thing wouldn’t have affected Dean this way. No, something far, far more significant had occurred!
Unbidden, Leya’s image surfaced in Dean’s mind.
Pushing that thought aside, Dean was reminded of the ‘money’ and instinctively reached into his empty pocket. He felt the distinct shape of a coin, undoubtedly given to him by Leya.
Yet, he had never bothered to check its denomination. Perhaps it was due to his limited understanding of currency.
In his entire life, Dean had barely seen a few silver coins, let alone gold coins. The very thought seemed absurd.
Seeing the hopeful gaze in his sister’s eyes, Dean felt a pang of embarrassment admitting it was only a single copper coin. Such a paltry sum couldn’t even buy a meal sufficient for one person.
To truly fill their stomachs, at least three copper coins were needed for a halfway decent meal.
“Little sister, don’t worry. Your brother will go out again in a bit to see if there’s any work. I’ll make sure you get a full meal!”
The thought that his sister hadn’t eaten a proper meal since yesterday choked his voice. His heart swelled with guilt and remorse, and his eyes reddened.
“Brother… *cough, cough, cough*, no, never mind. It’s not too late to go tomorrow. It’s already very late tonight, and I… I’m a little scared to be alone at home…”
Though a wave of disappointment washed over her, the girl chose to conceal her emotions as best she could.
Given how dire their situation already was, what else could be done? Moreover, compared to hunger, the girl was far more terrified of being alone in the slums at night.
Of course, she also worried for her brother, unwilling to let him suffer the cold late at night. Though she didn’t voice it, the girl deeply cared for her brother in her heart.
“Th-that’s fine too. But your brother still has a copper coin here. Buying a bun or something shouldn’t be a problem.”
Nodding, Dean found his sister’s suggestion acceptable. He reached into his pocket to retrieve the ‘copper coin,’ intending to say, “Little sister, you haven’t eaten in so long, and your body is already weak. If you…”
*Gulp—*
“Bro-brother… th-this is?”
“Th-th-th-th-th-this…”
It was like a dream! What had Dean seen? He had actually laid eyes upon a shimmering, dazzling gold coin!
G-God above!
How could this be? It was impossible for him to possess a gold coin, wasn’t it?
Or perhaps he had reached a point where he mistook copper for gold, his hallucinations that severe?
“Li-little sister, this is a copper coin, right?”
“Eh!? No, I don’t know either… I used to see other teams get gold coins when I worked at the Adventurers’ Guild, but they were always too far away for me to see clearly…”
Indeed, the girl had once worked at the Adventurers’ Guild, where she was known as the genius adventurer, the ‘Strongest Rapier Novice’!
However, that was all two years ago.
Ever since the accident during that mission, everything from her past had vanished like smoke in her heart.
The topic has strayed, but let’s return to the main point.
Staring at the glittering gold coin, the siblings, who had never seen such a thing before, exchanged dumbfounded glances, utterly at a loss for what to do.
“I fear… it might be a gold coin…” After looking it over from every angle and even biting it cautiously, the seemingly more experienced girl finally confirmed.
“*Cough, cough, cough, cough*… But brother, where did this gold coin come from? You’re not going to say you just picked it up, are you?”
“…………”
“Brother?”
Though the girl couldn’t even imagine her brother resorting to theft, trickery, or any other despicable act, this was a gold coin! It was a sum even she, in her prime, had never managed to earn.
She desperately wanted to know how her brother had obtained this single gold coin.
“A very beautiful, kind, and gentle young lady gave it to me… because I guided her…”
“Ha!?”
“I, I know it might be hard to believe, but it’s the truth… She… she’s probably the best noble your brother has ever met in his life. Yes, a noble, that’s right!”
Recalling Leya’s elegant attire, her subtle yet indescribable mysterious aura, her generous spending, and her extraordinary demeanor, Dean couldn’t fathom any other identity that would suit her.
Even if someone were to tell Dean now that Leya was the princess of this very country, he would accept it without batting an eye.
“But… this money… how about this?” she whispered, leaning closer.
In truth, how could the girl not be tempted by this gold coin? It was worth a hundred copper coins! If they were frugal and managed not to starve, it could even last her and her brother through the winter.
However, putting sentiment aside, it was clear her brother held this noble girl in high regard. The girl couldn’t imagine why someone she’d never met, who was so lavish with her wealth, would wish her brother harm. Even if it were exploitation, there had to be an exploitable value.
Though it was a regrettable truth, the girl knew her brother’s worth was certainly not enough to warrant a gold coin. Even in the s*ave market, one gold coin could buy several boys of his physique.
Thus, the girl concluded that it was best to accept the money.
*Cough, cough.* As much as she disliked the idea, the harsh reality was that without money, both she and her brother faced the risk of freezing or starving to death this winter.
Nevertheless, to repay the kind noble girl she had yet to meet, the sister wanted her brother to properly thank her. Ideally, they would invite her to their home, allowing the sister a chance to express her gratitude as well.
“Mm… alright! Your brother had the same idea. Tomorrow, I’ll go find the young lady… yes!”
“Uh… ‘young lady,’ you say? Brother, don’t you know your benefactor’s name?”
“Th-this… that… hehehe, I forgot to ask…”
Sister: “…………”