Chapter Four
Ugh...
A throbbing pain made snap my eyes open as the broken, familiar room greeted . My lungs felt like they had been marinated in swamp water, and my legs were screaming in a language only known to the severely out-of-shape.
"Urgh... my gold... where is the gold..." I croaked, my voice sounding like two dry stones grinding together.
[PING!]
[The Host has finally decided to rejoin the land of the living!]
[Current Ti: 9:14 AM]
[Warning: You are approximately three hours behind schedule for a ’Productive Capitalist’!]
"Nine? Nine o’clock?!" I bolted upright, or at least I attempted to. My midsection had other plans, acting as a gravitational anchor that kept pinned to the lumpy mattress. "The dawn! I told that ruby-eyed moron to bring the ledgers at dawn!"
"You did," a cool, dry voice drifted from the corner of the room.
I squinted to see who was the owner of the voice. And, not surprisingly enough, standing by the rickety table was Kaelen, holding a glass of water.
[PING!]
[Kaelen is judging your lack of discipline.]
[Likability: -45]
Oh right! The likability increased yesterday. I must see how to use gacha points later.
"Who told you to jog at 2:00 AM, Your Grace?" Kaelen sighed as he pressed the glass to my lips, pulling out of my thoughts. I greedily drank, feeling the liquid soothe my parched throat.
"I don’t like it," I croaked.
"Like what, Your Grace?"
"Being obese." I looked down at my stomach, which resembled a sack of flour that had given up on life. "It is a poor investnt. High maintenance, low output, and zero resale value. This body is a liability I can no longer afford. I need to change, Kaelen."
Kaelen’s ruby eyes flickered. For a second, I saw a spark of genuine surprise. "You’ve changed ever since you woke up, Your Grace. Are you sure you’ve not gone insane?"
"Don’t people always change for better after having near death experiences?"
"I suppose?" Kaelen seems more friendly and less hostile, right now.
Maybe, I could try that. If the System said emotions were monetized, I needed to start making deposits into the Bank of Kaelen.
Isn’t the best way to increase likability to complint soone?
"And besides," I said, trying to force my face into what I thought was a charming expression. I reached out and patted his armored forearm. "I can’t have my Head Knight looking better than . Your face... it’s like a diamond-encrusted gold bar. Truly, a masterpiece of market value. If your beauty was a taxed, our duchy would be flourishing."
Silence.
The air in the room didn’t just turn cold; it turned absolute zero.
[PING!]
[Kaelen is questioning whether to call a exorcist or a priest.]
[Alert!]
[Likability: -55]
[Loyalty: 1 -> 0.5 (Warning: Near Mutiny!)]
Wait... didn’t I just complint him? What the hell happened!?
"Your Grace," Kaelen said, his voice as sharp as a guillotine. "If you handso ever again, I will forget my oath and run away. I don’t want to beco a gigolo to pay off the duchy’s debt."
"Gigolo? Who said anything about—" I stopped myself, seeing the way Kaelen’s hand gripped the hilt of his sword.
[Alert! Kaelen’s Loyalty: 0.5 (Warning: Do Sothing!)]
"Fine! Forget the complints!" I barked, waving a hand dismissively to hide my embarrassnt. "Did you gather the ledgers?"
Kaelen exhaled a breath that was practically a puff of frost. "Yes, Your Grace. I stayed up and copied every word and compiled ledgers that are not stained with wine."
"What about the original ones?" I asked.
"The original wine-stained ones are also there beside the non-stained ones on your desk in the study room," Kaelen said shortly. "As for ’the debts’ you owe. Most of them are from the local taverns, listing your unpaid tabs and rchants. The rest are demands from Baron Vische’s personal debt collectors."
"So, the big chunk of debt cos from Baron Vische?"
"Yes, Your Grace."
"How much?"
"1 million gold, Your Grace. You preferred taking money from Baron Vische because you two were academy friends."
"I see. Do you think he scamd , Kaelen?"
"It’s not my place to say anything about Master’s friend," Kaelen replied, his voice dripping with that familiar dry sarcasm. "After all, even if it’s being scamd, it was a decision Your Grace made in sound mind."
"I see. Kaelen," I said, my voice dropping the frantic edge and becoming eerily calm. "You ntioned a rchant. The one whose vehicle I... wrecked?"
"Yes, Your Grace. rchant Hans. He’s been waiting at the gates every morning demanding compensation. You destroyed his wagon while... if I recall correctly, trying to bla the common people of the duchy not being able to pay more tax."
I winced. This body’s previous owner was truly a ’human trash.’
"Prepare the carriage," I commanded.
"The carriage has no wheels, Your Grace," Kaelen reminded . "You sold the iron rims for wine money last month to host Baron Vische."
Baron Vische. Baron Vische. Baron Vische. I must deal with him soon after I settle the matters of the duchy.
"Then we walk!" I struggled to my feet, my "liabilities" jiggling with every movent. "We are going to et rchant Hans. I am going to apologize."
Kaelen froze. "You... you’re actually going to apologize? To a commoner? I thought Master was joking, yesterday. Isn’t dignity the most important thing a noble owns, Your Grace?"
"An apology is free, Kaelen," I said, a predatory smirk tugging at my lips. "But the goodwill it generates? That can be leveraged. Nobles can’t eat dignity for dinner now, can they? Now, get ’Diet Gilbert’—I an, Butler Vizen—to find a clean shirt. We have a deal to make."
"You aren’t going to threaten him, right?" Kaelen asked, his ruby eyes narrowing.
"We’ll see."
"Ah! Kaelen?" I called out as he turned to leave.
"Yes, Your Grace?"
"I’m promoting you," I said, patting my "liabilities" with a grimace. "From now on, you’ll be my fitness trainer until I lose all this weight."
"Can I decline?"
"Haha. No."
"Ugh. Fine."
[PING!]
[Likability Points: -50]
[50 Gacha Points Awarded!]
[Level 1 Gacha System Unlocked!]
[100 Points = 1 Spin]
[PING!]
[Kaelen doesn’t know how to feel about this sudden change. He thinks you’ve gone insane but perhaps in a good way.]
Hardheaded but soft, huh? Is this what it feels like to have a younger brother?
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