Second Choice Noble Son: Apparently I’m Stronger Than the Summoned Heroes Chapter 56 : The Weight of Coin

The pantry shelves were growing bare again. Papa had been stretching the grain, but I noticed the portions in my bowl had grown smaller each week. Even Riaz, too small to understand, reached for more than there was.

That night, the tension broke.

“We can’t live like this forever,” Mama said, her voice low but firm as she looked across the table at Papa. “The stipend from the Empire stopped last month. No ssenger. No warning. Just silence.”

Papa’s jaw tightened. “It was only a matter of ti. Once Revingale took the title, they would find a way to cut us off.”

“Then we must adapt,” Mama pressed. “Farming will feed us, but not enough for tools, clothes, or dicine. We need coin.”

Papa shook his head, his voice rough. “Coin? And your answer is to throw yourself back into danger? Selene, haven’t you fought enough?”

Her eyes narrowed. “And what would you have do? Sit here and sew while the children starve? Do you think dignity will feed them, Darius?”

Papa’s fist clenched on the table. “Don’t twist my words. I’ve bled enough to keep food in their mouths. You’ve bled enough. I won’t have you risking your life just because the Empire abandons us.”

Mama’s tone dropped to a whisper, trembling but sharp. “If we can’t risk for them, then what was all that bleeding for?”

The silence that followed was thick. Even little Riaz looked between them, sensing the weight of their voices.

Papa finally exhaled, his shoulders sagging. His eyes softened as he looked at and my brother. “…Enough. Not in front of them.”

Mama closed her eyes, steadying her breath.

For a long mont, no one spoke.

Then Papa rose from his chair, walked around the table, and placed his hand gently on Mama’s shoulder. “…If this is your decision, Selene… then I won’t stop you. Just promise one thing.”

She lifted her gaze. “…What?”

“That you’ll always co back.”

Her lips trembled, then curved into a faint smile. “Always.”

I watched them quietly, hugging my knees under the table. In my old world, money had always been sothing I chased for freedom. Here, it was survival.

And Mama was about to step back into fire for it.

Selene’s POV.

The guild was loud as always. Adventurers laughed, mugs clinked, boots stomped on wood floors—until I stepped inside.

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The air shifted.

I kept my cloak low over my face, but it was useless. Too many rembered. Too many whispered.

“Look… it’s her.”

“Selene Valemont…”

“Didn’t you say that pillar of fla wasn’t human?”

“I told you. No monster could make fire like that. Only she could.”

“She’s not a woman—she’s a weapon.”

My footsteps echoed in the sudden hush. Every pair of eyes avoided , yet followed all the sa. A narrow path opened through the hall without a word, as if I carried plague.

I ignored them. Poker face. Always.

At the counter, the guild attendant—a young man with shaky hands—looked up at . His voice cracked. “C-can I help you?”

“I want to register.”

His eyes widened. “Register…?”

I nodded.

He glanced around nervously, then fumbled with the drawer until he pulled out a thin tal card. “Y-you’ll start at Rank F.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Rank F? With my history?”

His throat bobbed. “…The guild doesn’t asure power. We asure loyalty and work ethic. Every adventurer starts the sa, no exceptions.”

For a mont, I considered pushing back. But then I rembered Darius’s hand on my shoulder, his plea: Always co back.

“…Understood.” I slid the card into my cloak.

The whispers flared again.

“She’s starting from F? That’s insane.”

“No way she’ll last. She’s above this.”

“She doesn’t care about rank… only blood.”

I ignored them, stepping toward the quest board. My eyes scanned until I found sothing simple, quick, and profitable.

Quest: Exterminate Wolf Pack – Border Outskirts.

I pulled the slip free.

As I turned, a voice called out—gentle, uncertain, but clear.

“E-excuse !”

A young woman stood there, staff clutched in both hands. A mage, barely past her academy years. She swallowed hard but forced her chin up.

“I… I know who you are. And I know your reputation. But… please, let join your quest.”

For the first ti in years, I blinked in surprise with sothing other then Rooga shenanigans .

We walked in silence along the dirt road, the guild slip tucked into my cloak. The young mage trailed behind , her staff clutched tightly, her footsteps uneven.

She finally cleared her throat. “M-my na is Iris. Iris Faelwyn. I… I’m honored to be working with you, Lady Selene.”

I kept walking. “Don’t call that.”

“O-oh. Then… just Selene?”

“…Selene is fine.”

Her nervous energy was almost tangible. I could hear her breathing quicken every ti the grass rustled, every ti a shadow shifted. She was no coward, but she was untested.

Not like him.

I pushed the thought away. Don’t compare. Don’t.

We reached the clearing where the wolves had been spotted. Their eyes glowed faintly in the twilight, yellow hunger in the dark. A full pack—ten, maybe twelve. Enough to overwhelm a caravan. Enough to bleed a town dry if left alone.

Iris raised her staff with shaking hands. “I—I’ll start with a barrier—”

“Don’t bother.”

I stepped forward, my palm glowing faintly. The wolves tensed, their growls low and sharp.

I exhaled.

A crimson spark danced at my fingertips.

And then, with a flick, a wave of fla erupted across the clearing.

The wolves didn’t even howl. They were simply gone—ashes on the wind. The earth smoked, the air heavy with heat.

Silence fell again.

Iris stood frozen, her barrier half-ford, her staff trembling. Slowly, she lowered it, her lips parted in awe and fear. “…You… you didn’t even chant.”

I turned away, cloak brushing the ashes. “I don’t need to.”

Her footsteps hurried after mine, quick and uneven. “…Is that what it ans… to be strong? To not even need words?”

I didn’t answer.

In truth, I saw her effort—the way her hands shook but didn’t falter, the way she prepared a shield instead of running. She reminded of soone else. Soone who had never once hesitated to look at with pure eyes, even when he should have been afraid.

But I swallowed the thought, keeping it locked in silence.

We returned to the guild within the hour, the quest slip stamped, the pay pouch heavy in my cloak.

The whispers followed out the door again. Monster. Weapon. Fla Witch.

And behind , Iris Faelwyn hurried to keep up, her eyes still burning with questions she didn’t dare ask.