Marco studied her for a mont, then sighed again.
"Fine. I won’t ask anymore."
She thanked him and left.
Outside, she took a long breath.
The air was cold.
As she walked ho, a dull sadness settled in her chest.
Most of her days were the sa. Working, saving, worrying about bills.
She wanted to send her siblings to a private school soday. To let them have better future than hers.
But money always ran short.
"At least we had each other," she murmured.
Now even that had changed.
Henry was gone.
With all the problems piling up, his disappearance felt like the last straw.
When she got ho, the house was dark and quiet.
Her siblings were asleep.
She saw that they had washed the dishes and smiled faintly.
It was already three-thirty in the morning.
She should have gone straight to bed, but she told herself she could manage with less sleep.
She ate so leftover food and sat by the lamp.
Then she took out her brother’s torn shoes and started stitching them.
Her hands moved slowly.
She thought about how he’d look disappointed again tomorrow when she didn’t bring new shoes.
But he wouldn’t complain. He never did. He understood their situation.
He’d just nod, take the shoes, and go to school.
The thought made her chest tighten.
Her hands trembled, and her eyes watered.
Nikos had to mature faster because of their household condition.
She sniffed softly, trying not to make any noise.
Her tears were on the verge of falling.
It was hard.
Living like this was hard.
Then, suddenly, a faint light appeared in front of her.
She looked up, startled.
A portal ford in midair, swirling quietly.
A boy stepped out, wearing a work jacket and a white mask that covered his face.
Carlotta stood up, alert. "Who are you?"
"Alan," he said simply.
Her eyes widened. She recognized that mask.
"You’re a child? But before, you.... were older."
"That Cursed Spirit changed our physical ages. You were older there too."
Carlotta blinked, confused but silent.
Alan looked around the small room.
"Did you find Henry—"
"I don’t have much ti. Use the breathing technique I gave you. I want to see your progress."
She hesitated for a second but then nodded.
Taking a deep breath, she started the technique.
Air filled her lungs, and she could feel the energy rush through her body.
The stored carbs in her muscles burned quickly, sending warmth to every part of her.
It was an exhilarating feeling, almost addicting.
Alan watched quietly, then said, "Hmm. The progress is quite low."
Her hands stopped. A small shiver ran through her.
"Your nutrition is lacking. You’re not training enough, and even when you do, your mind is sowhere else, which leads to slower progress."
She lowered her head, ashad.
What he didn’t tell her was that the breathing technique wasn’t just so random thod/
It was sothing he had made especially for her.
And thanks to it, her body was changing fast.
She had beco nearly twenty percent stronger in just a week.
It was an amazing speed, sothing even children of Hidden Clans couldn’t achieve without potions.
But Alan knew she could grow even faster.
He had to push her to her limits.
’I was hoping to take her to Area 51 with .’
’Having soone reliable would make things easier. But with her current progress, I cannot bring her.’
He sighed inwardly.
Not having her would make the mission riskier.
His eyes drifted to the torn shoe sitting on the table.
’She really wasn’t joking when she said she used to be poor.’
Without saying a word, Alan took out a thick bundle of cash and placed it in front of her.
Carlotta froze.
"...What is this?"
"Thirty-five thousand six hundred euros," he said calmly. "My investnt in you. Start training seriously. Buy supplents, get a gym mbership, eat real food, and quit your jobs. You’ll earn enough once you beco an Exorcist. For now, just focus on training."
"W-what?"
She stared at the money as if she’d misheard him.
"Thirty-five thousand six hundred euros. My investnt into you," he said simply.
Her mind went blank.
"This is... too much money."
He didn’t reply.
For him, that amount was nothing. It was barely enough to buy two or three alchemy materials.
He looked past her, at the children sleeping behind her.
Carlotta didn’t rember, but in his previous life, they had been close friends.
She was annoying at tis, but friend nonetheless.
He still rembered how she died.
Hers words during her last mont still rang in his mind.
"Hehe, Captain, so you can actually make a different face than a frown?"
"Stop talking! I’ll—"
"It’s fine, Captain. I know it’s too late."
"..."
"You look like you’re going to cry. I didn’t know you cared about so much."
"..."
"Hehe, you should’ve treated better when you had the chance."
"You’re not going to die. You still have to find—"
"Captain."
He rembered her blood spreading on the ground, her eyes losing their light, her breathing slowing down.
"I’m... going to sleep for a bit. Until I wake up... please look after my siblings..."
She never finished her sentence.
’What a shitty mory.’
Her siblings had died long ago.
Their deaths had been the reason she beca an Exorcist in the first place.
In her final monts, she had been hallucinating, seeing them as if they were still alive.
He erased those thoughts, cald his emotions, and looked at her again.
"Use the extra money however you want," he said.
He created a small portal beside him.
"Take this potion. Drink it while you are alone," he said throwing the Species Evolution Potion to her. "I’ll co back in two months. If you’re not strong enough by then, our deal is off."
"What about Henry?" she asked, catching the potion.
"Get stronger if you want to find him."
Just as he turned to leave, he heard a quiet sob.
"Thank you," she whispered, her voice shaking.
Her head was bowed, and her shoulders trembled.
He didn’t turn around.
The girl who had had never cried in front of anyone until her last monts was now crying silently in front of him.
He turned his head away, allowing her save her dignity and stepped through the portal.
That night, Carlotta didn’t sleep at all.
After crying for a long ti, she felt both exhausted and restless.
She wondered if it had all been a dream.
But when she saw the money again, she knew it was real.
She hid it imdiately.
She wasn’t foolish enough to tell anyone or deposit it in a bank.
She knew how fast rumors spread in poor neighborhoods.
’We should move soon. To a safer place.’
She didn’t want anyone noticing sudden changes.
It could bring trouble.
’I’ll keep working construction for now and quit the other jobs.’
’If I quit everything, people will start asking questions. Besides, I can train while working in the construction.’
That morning, she woke up her siblings with a brighter face than usual.
Her younger brother rubbed his eyes and asked, "Sis, did you get the shoes?"
Carlotta smiled. "Yeah. We’ll buy them on the way to school."
The boy grinned wide, and her heart felt lighter than it had in weeks.
That morning, Carlotta was smiling a lot more than she realized.
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