Chapter 80…
Cynthia suddenly straightened her back and shouted right into Enoch’s ear. Enoch looked at her, dumbfounded.
“Take me back to those creditors! Why did you kick that poor man? They were just there to rightfully collect the money they lent me, and I had enough to pay them back!”
“What?”
“You ruined everything! Take me back right now!”
Enoch blinked in silence, watching Cynthia scream in frustration. She glared at him, fuming, then spun around abruptly.
As she stomped away, Enoch stared blankly at her retreating back for a few seconds before hurrying to catch up.
“Wait. Where do you think you’re going alone? What if you run into someone from the Bailey family looking for you?”
“I’m going back to the pharmacy! My bag’s there—with my money in it!”
“Oh. Right.”
Relieved, Enoch slowed his pace a little. Cynthia still glared at him angrily.
“Lead the way, I don’t know the route.”
“Of course you don’t.”
Enoch smirked and quickened his pace again. Staying alert for anyone suspicious, he safely escorted her back to the pharmacy.
“Are you really leaving?”
“Yes. The longer a debt lingers, the bigger it grows. It’s better to pay it off while I can.”
“I don’t mean the debt. Are you really leaving the capital?”
Enoch asked as Cynthia packed her things into her bag. She nodded firmly and lifted it up.
“Yes. I have no reason to stay here anymore. I’ll stop by the creditors’ office on my way out and settle everything.”
“You’re so diligent. How’d someone like you end up in debt?”
“I had my reasons! Anyway, thanks for helping me today, Enoch.”
Cynthia gave him a brief farewell and turned to leave. The thought of finding a new place to live was daunting, but she had no choice.
As she was about to step out, Enoch moved toward her.
“Give that here.”
“What? My bag? Why?”
“Can’t you see it’s dark out? If you get caught by the Baileys now, there’ll be no one to help you.”
“That’s why I’m going now. They won’t recognize me as easily in the dark.”
“Don’t. Leave early tomorrow instead.”
Enoch snatched the bag from her and held it up high where she couldn’t reach. Cynthia stared at him, exasperated.
“Give it back! I just want to pay off the debt!”
“I’ll go for you. Just tell me how much you owe and hand me the cash.”
“…You’ll go in my place?”
Cynthia looked at him curiously—grateful, but also confused. Enoch raised a brow.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to run off with your money. My pharmacy’s worth a lot more to me than that.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
She trailed off. Enoch really was kind and loyal—so much that she didn’t quite understand it.
“It’s just… I’m grateful. You going in my place means a lot. Honestly, I was a little scared to face them after earlier.”
“Then move aside and let me go.”
“But… why are you doing all this for me?”
Even if it was out of goodwill toward an old partner, it seemed excessive.
Enoch frowned.
“Well…”
He couldn’t finish the sentence. Why was he doing this? Something inside him just wouldn’t let him stop. After a pause, he finally blurted out:
“…Because we’re partners.”
“Partners?”
“Yeah! Thanks to you, I figured out that magic potion recipe—I’m going to make a fortune! You even helped me understand why I couldn’t replicate it before. So of course I’ll help my partner.”
Yes, that was it.
He nodded to himself. That was why he wanted to help her.
“Is that so…?”
“So, how much is the debt?”
At his question, Cynthia looked down.
“Oh! Open the bag. There’s 450,000 mint in cash. You’ll probably need all of it—maybe even more.”
“450,000 mint? That’s a lot.”
Enoch lowered the bag, reluctant to rummage through it himself. Cynthia reached in and pulled out a thick wad of cash.
“Here!”
“Wait—what’s that inside?”
“Huh?”
Enoch had spotted a small black orb rolling around in her bag.
“Oh… that? It’s just a bead.”
“Doesn’t look like an ordinary bead. I’m sure I’ve seen one like it before…”
“Really? Where?”
Cynthia looked up at him, curious. Enoch frowned in thought, then relaxed and shrugged.
“Can’t remember right now. I’ll think about it later.”
“What? I’m leaving tomorrow! There isn’t any ‘later’!”
“Ah, about that…”
“Yes?”
“Never mind. I’ll tell you when I get back.”
With that cryptic remark, Enoch smiled and accepted the bundle of cash. He gently set her bag down, tucked the money safely away, and pushed open the pharmacy door.
Cynthia quickly told him roughly where the creditors’ office was.
“Got it. See you soon.”
Enoch waved and stepped outside, leaving Cynthia staring anxiously after him.
He returned not long after, looking strangely lighthearted.
Cynthia jumped to her feet.
“How was it? How much had the debt grown? Don’t tell me—you used up all the money?”
“Hold on. After paying everything, I still had some left…”
“Still had some left?” Her eyes brightened with hope.
That remaining money would be all she had to survive on from now on—it was crucial. Enoch reached into his pocket to pull it out… and came up empty-handed.
“…You’re empty-handed.”
“Do you know how much you owed? I paid the whole 450,000 mint—and you still owed about that much again.”
“What?”
Cynthia froze. What? Her debt had grown to 900,000 mint?
All the money she earned pretending to be Elizabeth—gone in an instant?
“T-That’s a lie, right?”
“Thought you’d say that. I brought the receipt and a copy of their ledger.”
Enoch pulled a few papers from his other pocket. Cynthia snatched them and read carefully.
They showed massive interest rates and how her debt had ballooned beyond belief.
“This is insane… those scammers!”
“That’s how loan sharks work. You were unlucky. If you’d paid last month, 500,000 would’ve been enough.”
Damn it. I’m ruined…
Her head spun. So she had no money left—not even enough to buy a carriage out of the city.
“If I’d known, I’d have saved fifty thousand as emergency cash…”
“About what I was saying earlier—”
Enoch watched her blank, defeated expression, then cautiously continued.
“How about working part-time at my pharmacy for a while? My current assistant’s last day was today.”
“……”
Cynthia barely heard him. He went on anyway.
“From what I’ve seen, you’re pretty skilled. You know how to make magical potions using Titronia flowers and Kirchi sap—and you can even spot what goes wrong during the process. If you worked with me, you’d make a great assistant.”
What am I supposed to do now? Should I go to that brick house Dale arranged for me? Maybe sell something valuable?
“I’ll provide lodging too. And I’ll pay better than most places.”
“……”
“Ten thousand mint a week. What do you say? Pretty generous, right?”
Ten thousand mint…?
