Chapter 14. My Benefactor Like the Wind

After carefully tucking the cash and bankbook into my pocket, I walked down the street with an excited feeling. Ah. The world is beautiful.

That’s right.

I was currently savoring economic freedom that I had never experienced before in my life.

Even if it was only until tomorrow.

“Oh my god. To feel this light-hearted.”

Is this what the world of the rich is like?

No, if I’m this happy with just 100 million, how light would I feel when I save my goal of 2 billion?

It seemed like I could live doing only what I truly wanted without any worries then.

I walked in the middle of the bustling street, immersed in dreams of the future.

Just endure for 23 more months.

It felt like I could do it.

As I walked down the street lined with shops on both sides, I strengthened my resolve. Whether it was thanks to the hefty sum in my pocket, or because I was caught up in the street’s vitality, an unknown strength welled up inside me.

“Let’s see…”

Since I withdrew 500 shillings, should I use half and half?

I’ll only use 250 shillings today.

My goodness.

Have I ever spent this much money in a day in my life?

“I was paying 500,000 won in monthly rent though.”

But the landlord said he’d raise it to 700,000 won from the next contract.

“That bastard.”

He said he had no choice because the market rates in the area all went up.

When I asked him to consider my situation, he hinted that it might be better for his daughter to move in and live there instead.

“Thinking about it again makes me angry.”

To hell with his daughter.

It was a circumstance that clearly seemed suspicious of being a lie, but you never know. It might have been a ploy to actually evict the tenant rather than not being able to raise the rent properly.

Unable to gamble with my shelter at stake, I reluctantly stamped the contract, and the aftermath of that…

“Is Seraphina dealing with that?”

I thought of the one who would be living in my original body on Earth.

Hmm.

This is making me feel guilty for no reason?

Thinking of Seraphina’s soul, who would be cleaning up the mess I made, I felt somewhat pitiful.

But that was only for a moment.

Wait, wait.

I’m also enduring the hellish training that she should be going through, right? Besides, I’m destined to die on the battlefield!

This didn’t seem to balance out when compared to 200,000 won.

It was the thought process of someone who had already forgotten the majesty of a 100 million won salary.

“Get out of the way!”

Just then, someone came running at a frightening speed. The bustling and lively street instantly turned into chaos.

“Kyaaa!”

“Urgh!”

“No! My fruits…!”

Crash! Bang!

A man fleeing while pushing aside people and shop stalls with all his might rushed towards me. Everything on this street was just an obstacle to him. I was no exception.

Could he be an innocent person being chased, or a criminal fleeing after committing a crime?

My eyes, which had made remarkable progress in dynamic vision thanks to training with Johann, caught sight of a glinting dagger.

That bastard, he didn’t stab someone with that, did he?

Judging by the lack of blood, it didn’t seem so.

But…

It’s too scary if he comes running straight at me with that!

I might become the first victim.

Shing!

I quickly drew my sword as I had been trained to do.

“I said move! Get out of the way!”

Unable to change direction due to his momentum, the man charged straight at me. Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to run into a sword with his bare body.

Clang!

The man’s dagger and my sword collided.

Swish.

I demonstrated the technique I had successfully used against Jesuf this morning. Twisting the sword to deflect the force. I should counterattack when the opponent is caught off guard…

Unfortunately, while the technique was good, I lacked strength.

There was a gap in stamina and muscle strength that couldn’t be filled in just a month. Moreover, the man had the momentum from running.

“Aah!”

Clang!

I lost my grip on the sword and fell backwards. But it wasn’t a complete failure. The man also lost his balance and staggered from the impact of colliding with my sword.

But who would be in more trouble here?

…Why is the money pouch that should be in my pocket on the ground?

Gold coins glinted through the loosely opened mouth of the pouch.

“Thief! Catch that guy!”

Just then, someone shouted from far away.

This bastard! So he is a thief after all!

I quickly turned my head to see the guy eyeing my money. His eyes were completely blinded by gold. Is he going to start drooling at this rate?!

Sensing the danger, I got up quickly, forgetting the pain.

“You son of a…”

Harsh words came out of my mouth without realizing.

Do you know how hard I worked for that money?!

Whoosh.

I threw my body with all my might. Despite scraping my body on the ground from the dramatic slide, there was no time to feel the pain.

Swish!

Because the bastard snatched my entertainment money right before my eyes by a hair’s breadth.

For a moment, my mind went blank.

I got up with my eyes half-crazed. And I started chasing the petty thief at a terrifying speed.

“What the f*ck! What’s with you!”

Hey! That’s my line, you know?!

As I persistently chased after him, realizing he picked the wrong target, vulgar curses came out of the guy’s mouth. But curses were curses, and his running was really fast.

Not just anyone can be a thief.

Because of this guy who seemed catchable but wasn’t, my stamina started to hit rock bottom.

No!

“You goddamn bastard…!”

I hurled curses at him, squeezing out every last bit of strength I had.

It was the final struggle before a sad ending.

Watching the thief’s back disappear over a wall, I dejectedly stopped my two legs. I didn’t have any stamina left to climb over the wall.

“This is so frustrating… huff huff…”

Honestly, I felt like I was going to cry.

The vacation that started so well, feeling like I could fly, plummeted into the abyss in an instant.

“Haah. Why does everything turn out like this?”

I plopped down on the ground.

For a while, I stared blankly into space, feeling helpless like someone who had lost all their fortune to gambling.

Are you going to stay like this because of a guy like that?

Are you going to waste your vacation like this?

I should just withdraw another 500 shillings and follow the original plan…

“……?!”

As I was fumbling in my pocket, I suddenly froze. It felt like the hair on the back of my neck was standing up.

“What! Where did my bankbook go!”

I frantically searched all over my pockets, but it wasn’t there.

It seemed to have fallen when I collided with the thief earlier.

Of course, I could get it reissued, but I would have to go back to the palace for that, and it would take a few days for the new bankbook to actually come out.

“My vacation…”

It’s ruined.

To think I’d have to spend my first vacation penniless and broke.

I might as well go back to the palace and roll around in bed…

Thud!

Just then, something fell next to me. It was the bankbook.

“……?!”

Surprised, I looked up, and someone was standing on top of the wall. Perhaps because of the sunlight, he looked incredibly cool like a hero.

“It seemed like you were looking for this.”

“Wow… Who are you? No, thank you for helping me.”

The red-haired man smiled brightly.

He had the thief tucked under his arm, and the guy’s body was limp as if he had been knocked unconscious.

“Do with him as you please.”

Saying that, the man threw the thief down in front of me. On top of that, he tossed my lost 500 shillings onto the thief’s stomach.

“Um, may I at least know your name…”

I found myself speaking more politely.

Without exaggeration, at this moment, he looked more magnificent than Emperor Johann.

But the man just smiled.

The next moment…

Whoosh.

As if a wind had blown by, he disappeared like the wind.

I got up in surprise. And I jumped high onto the wall I couldn’t climb earlier. With my waist half-hanging over the wall, I looked around the other side, but whether he had soared into the sky or sunk into the ground, there was no trace of my benefactor.

Dumbfounded, I came back down from the wall and set my feet on the ground again.

“What was that?”

It felt like I had just had a dream.

But the thief sprawled in front of me proved that the man’s existence wasn’t an illusion.

He was like the wind.

“My benefactor like the wind. Baen.”

Since you didn’t tell me your name, I’ll call you Ba-eun in my mind.¹바람 (baram/wind) and 은인 (eun-in/benefactor)

It sounds a bit odd, but it didn’t matter since I’d be the only one calling him that.

I clasped my hands together, thinking of Ba-eun.

“I’ll do as I please, as he said.”

Thump! Thump!

“Gurgh!”

I mercilessly stomped on the thief’s chest.

Seeing the guy regain consciousness from the pain, I got even more fired up and stomped harder.

“Die! Die!”

“Urgh! Khk!”

Under my merciless beating, the guy passed out again.

Ahem!

That’s what you get for messing around!

I don’t show mercy to villains.

Feeling a bit better, I left the guy lying on the street and leisurely walked away.

* * *

Despite the commotion, everything turned out well in the end.

Bravely shaking off the unpleasant memories, I spent the rest of the day very productively.

Since I rushed out as soon as I got my vacation in the afternoon, I had plenty of time to enjoy myself despite the bad incident.

Let’s see…

First, the food I had for lunch was really excellent. It completely blew away any remaining negative emotions from the thief incident.

It was a kind of sandwich with thinly sliced meat and lots of vegetables between bread, drizzled with the owner’s special sauce, and it tasted amazing.

Of course, it might not compare to the dishes served in the palace, but street food had its own charm.

“I also did a lot of shopping.”

I got plenty of clothes to fill my wardrobe.

I paused for a moment, looking at the frilly, flowy fabric dress in my shopping bag.

Hmm.

I bought it on impulse because it was pretty.

I bought it because I’ve always wanted to try this style.

Will I have a chance to wear it?

“I can wear it in the evening after training.”

Who’s going to say anything if I wear it alone in my room?

Thinking that, I entered the restaurant.

It was already evening, even though I had only eaten lunch and gone shopping.

Ding-a-ling.

“Welcome!”

The hearty owner greeted me with a refreshing welcome.

The energetic greeting made my already good mood even better. As I sat down in one of the empty seats, a waiter came over and handed me a menu.

“Hmm.”

What should I eat?

While I was seriously looking at the menu, something caught my eye. Various types of alcohol were listed at the bottom.

<But… didn’t you say you couldn’t drink beer?>

I remembered what Marc had said.

This is a dilemma.

Is my alcohol tolerance really just three sips of beer?

I’ve been training hard for the past month and my stamina has increased, maybe my alcohol tolerance has increased too.

“I’ll have the tomato lasagna and cheesy mashed potatoes.”

After ordering the dinner menu to the waiter, I casually added.

“And one beer, please.”