Chapter 64
I’ve never met someone so absurd in my life.
“Carrying around idiots is embarrassing enough as it is. If you’re human, you should at least be able to have a normal conversation. So? Has the urge to tattle completely disappeared?”
The situation was so ridiculous that even my anger vanished, and I quietly stood up from my spot.
I didn’t know the exact location, but if I used my power to shoot a fire, maybe someone from the family would come to rescue me.
I’d probably get scolded severely by the head of the house for sneaking out…
“Hey! Where are you going?!”
From behind, Titus’s frantic shouting reached me.
“How dare you refuse me? If you knew how amazing I am, you’d never do that!”
“There are already too many amazing people around me.”
“Ugh…!”
Although I was utterly baffled and initially turned my back, in truth, I was considering whether to accept Titus or not.
‘That guy might be the fastest way to get close to Tertia. If I play it right, I might even learn about the status of the Telus family.’
In the end, I couldn’t organize my wavering thoughts and, after a few steps, turned around.
“So that’s how it is, huh.”
Titus, who had been closely watching me, immediately flopped onto the grass as soon as our eyes met.
‘What is he doing…?’
Then he started rolling around, shouting in all directions.
“Let’s be friends! I said let’s be friends!”
I froze in place, completely stunned.
‘He’s a total child…’
The real problem was that he was unlikely to mature even as an adult, which could eventually ruin the family!
“I said let’s be friends! If we’re friends, it’ll be amazing! Do you know how much I have? I even have two villas, a huge forest, and a large farm! So let’s be friends!”
Putting aside his low-level tantrum, I couldn’t tell whether he planned to hide that he was the heir or not…
“Why can’t we be friends… I, a member of the Telus family, am offering my friendship personally…”
If I didn’t agree, he would have thrown a tantrum for hours.
So, I decided to give in for now.
“Alright, so get up.”
Titus, who had been hiding his face in his sleeve as if crying, immediately sprang up.
“Yahoo!”
The dust on his golden hair didn’t stick at all; it flowed softly as if paying homage to the being commanding them.
Could that be a power as well?
Having achieved his goal, Titus confidently climbed a tree and lay down on top of it.
Since I couldn’t copy that, I settled for sitting on a chair made of a tree stump.
“This is exciting! I’ve always had so many things I wanted to do once I had a friend! Now I can start one by one!”
“Are you saying I’m your first friend?”
“Well, you could say that. Someone like me can’t just befriend anyone, right?”
‘…Was that really his choice?’
I was exasperated by Titus’s enormous ego and ended up giving him a scolding.
“I’m letting it slide for now, but don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t hang out with people who bully children.”
“Bully? I just lent some money! It’s mutual benefit. Who else would help those kids? They can’t even go to a bank. It’s better to be used by me than to borrow from strict adults and end up sold as slaves.”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to say that after charging 50% interest.”
“You noticed? Hehe. Caught me. But mercy can’t be free forever, right?”
“I don’t think the Telus family is short on money. If this is just for fun, I won’t let it slide.”
The Telus clan’s nickname is “Those Who Never Starve.”
I had no idea why this child, blessed with abundance, was doing something like this.
“You’re really serious, aren’t you? Boringly so. Don’t worry. I’m not doing this just for fun. I’m practicing. I’m going to inherit an enormous fortune someday and build my own huge company. I want people to come to the Telus family whenever they need money!”
Titus raised his right hand, pretending to grasp the sun.
“So you lent money to the kids as practice? Using them like slaves until they repay you?”
“I never did that! They’re better at work than slaves anyway. I just didn’t stop them from following me.”
Having revealed his grand ambitions, Titus comfortably lay on a large branch.
Meanwhile, a raccoon family brought baskets full of berries.
I gratefully accepted them and began eating.
He wants people to come to the Telus family…
‘He seems aware of being the heir. He’s a bit self-serving, but it’s too early to call him bad. I hope he can use his talents properly.’
Could I keep observing this guy?
I didn’t have much time. I didn’t know when I could meet Tertia, and the future could already be altered by my encounter with Titus.
It was difficult.
Now was the best time to change the future, but I knew I couldn’t judge an underdeveloped child by only fragments of his future.
“Little one! Want to play with me?”
“I’m going to train under the young master. Then I’ll become stronger and can protect you and my sister!”
That was a lesson Velikia and Velicus had taught me.
‘Sigh. Still, of all things, lending money…’
Wait, lending money?
The moment I recognized the word, I thought of a great way to put all my plans into action at once.
Maybe I could cover the academy tuition without spending a single coin of my own or going to Topus.
“Titus. Come down for a moment.”
I sprang up and shook the tree where Titus was lying.
“What is it?”
“I want to borrow some money from you.”
“…What?!”
Apparently pleased with my request, Titus leapt down from the tree.
“So you’ve actually been listening carefully to me? Great! How much do you want?”
He asked slyly, as if he’d been waiting for this.
“One pouch of silver coins. Fill this pocket with it.”
“One pouch? Not just a single coin?”
“Yes.”
“….”
Titus gave a wry smile and thought for a moment.
“So, a great noble lineage needs this much, huh? I don’t know which branch of Ignitus you belong to, but the scale of this mischief is extraordinary.”
I’m the heir of that prestigious family, dummy.
Well, he’s an heir too, so it’s not particularly impressive.
“But no. A pouch and a coin are worlds apart. Plus, once you enter Ignitus, I can’t even demand repayment…”
Titus hesitated.
Rather than waste time, I decided to give him assurance.
“I’ll use this gold coin as collateral.”
Titus’s eyes lit up as he looked at me.
As I mentioned before, my gold coin isn’t ordinary. It’s a note redeemable from the Telus family for the amount inscribed on the back.
Even just holding it, I could later exchange it for five kingdom-standard gold coins.
“Since I can’t use it anyway, what value does it have to me?”
“This is gold in itself, isn’t it?”
“It’s normally circulated at the value of 5 aure, but you want to make it 1 aure? As a member of the issuing family, it pains me a little. Aren’t you being a bit careless with calculations?”
Titus chided me like a moneylender.
“What does that matter? I can’t use it anyway.”
“….”
Finding some sense in that, Titus looked at me properly and smiled.
“Alright. Let’s make a contract.”
Titus produced a piece of parchment from somewhere and sprawled on the grass, writing the content smoothly.
“Now! Press your fingerprint below.”
“Igtisia lends to Telus… For detailed personal information, see fingerprint… Loan of 25 dena… Interest rate S(1/2)…”
It was almost identical to the document I had seen in the family office.
‘I thought he’d do it sloppily, but he’s actually competent. Still…’
“This won’t do.”
