Chapter 35
A leaf-shaped brooch, set with small light-green gemstones, gave off a brilliant glow.
The gold frame surrounding the leaf reminded me of Valentin’s blond hair, and the deep blue gem that looked like it could pull you in reminded me of his eyes.
“Th-this is the ‘Green of Life’ brooch. The gold surrounding the branches and leaves isn’t gold plating — it’s real gold.”
When I couldn’t take my eyes off the brooch displayed inside the glass case, a staff member approached with a suspicious look and began explaining.
“And look at this leaf. This gem, peridot, doesn’t just hold the freshness of a tree’s greenery, but even the warmth of sunlight! Just by looking at this clear and transparent color that seems to purify your soul, you can tell — the peridot we deal with is not ordinary. It’s top-grade peridot mined from the mountains of the Kingdom of Anita.”
Just as he said, the leaf-shaped peridot sparkled brightly, like a leaf holding sunlight.
As I nodded absentmindedly, the employee, growing more excited, put on white gloves and carefully took the brooch out of the display case.
“That’s not all. If you look closely at the marquise cut carved delicately into a leaf shape, the symmetry, proportions, and angles are perfect. It’s on a completely different level from the cheap gems flooding the market.”
I knew nothing about gemstones, so I didn’t understand even half of what he said.
But I did understand one thing — the gem was beautiful enough that he forgot I was a beast and passionately praised it.
No… more than that, this brooch reminded me of Valentin. That alone made it meaningful to me.
“…And it’s shaped like a leaf, too.”
My eyes shining, I asked the most important question.
“How much is it?”
Of course, I had no money.
Still, maybe I could somehow gather enough!
“Five hundred gold.”
“…What?”
I knew it would be expensive, but wasn’t this too much?
Unlike my stunned expression, the employee confidently continued praising the brooch.
This was the masterpiece created by the craftsman Karnati Pale, famous for carving the Ice Flower. At this price, it was practically being given away…
“Ice Flower?”
A craftsman who carved the Ice Flower — I couldn’t even imagine how valuable that must be.
“Even so, 500 gold is not ‘practically free’! That’s way too exaggerated.”
As a commoner to my core, I trembled at the terrifying price.
It was said that the average monthly salary of a knight from the renowned Berenice Knights was around 30 gold.
And this was 500 gold.
You would have to save every coin for a year and a half without eating or wearing anything new to afford it.
“What should I do…”
Nothing else caught my eye.
But I only had 5 gold on me.
I didn’t know since when the word “only” started being attached to gold, but…
When I stood there without answering, the employee looked me up and down as if calculating my worth and stroked his chin.
“Hmm.”
He probably couldn’t bring himself to tell me to leave because I looked scary. In the end, I forced my reluctant feet to move. I didn’t want to disturb his business.
I should go back and think about it carefully.
“Excuse me.”
When I turned around at the doorway, the employee flinched.
“My visit here is a secret. Please don’t report it.”
“…To the Duke?”
Seeing him hesitate before answering, it was obvious he knew.
That I was the mascot, Nadani.
…Or maybe he thought I was just wearing a Nadani costume.
If not, he would have called the guards the moment I opened the shop door in a trance.
After firmly warning him, I stepped outside.
“What do I do now…”
A cold breeze brushed against my nose.
I found something I wanted to give, but I had no way to buy it. Should I get a part-time job?
…What kind of part-time job would let me earn 500 gold in two months?
Facing such an enormous wall, I felt drained.
The last day of my vacation felt so depressing. If only money would fall from the sky—
“Ah!”
Something moving suddenly touched my ankle.
I wished for something to fall from the sky, not rise from the ground.
Startled, I jumped back. From the darkness, a man crawling out appeared, carrying a dog on his back.
“I-I’m hungry…”
The finger he stretched toward me trembled pitifully.
“Food…!”
The moment our eyes met, he saw my face.
“Eek!”
After staring at me with fish-like blinking lips, he tried to back away into the darkness.
Grrrrrr—
“….”
“….”
I didn’t know what his situation was, but maybe I should just leave.
Just as I was about to walk away, I heard a pitiful whimper beside me.
“Wh-whine…”
“….”
“Whine… woof!”
“Ha…”
With a sigh, I quietly lifted the man — along with the puppy — onto my back.
Our destination was a restaurant.
After eating…
“This taste is amazing!”
“Woof! Woof!”
“Yes, yes, finish eating before you talk.”
As if possessed by hunger, the man buried his face in the plate and devoured the food.
The spotted puppy beside him was no different. I simply watched the man and dog eating frantically.
‘Do I need to wait?’
Worried about making him uncomfortable, I paid the bill and was about to leave when a rough hand grabbed my arm.
“Wait.”
The man, who had somehow finished everything, glanced at his empty plate regretfully and made me sit back down.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin and brushed back his messy hair.
“Do you perhaps need a good investment opportunity?”
“…What?”
The word slipped out stupidly.
A good investment opportunity? What kind of sudden scam talk was this?
‘Did this guy lose his fortune to fraud or gambling?’
As I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, he hurriedly searched his bag and pulled out something black.
“This is a guaranteed investment. Look.”
What he held out to me was a Nadani doll wearing a blue ribbon around its neck.
What?! How embarrassing!
I recoiled, and he waved his hands.
“The market we’re targeting is the pet industry!”
Afraid I might run away, he quickly explained his grand business plan.
He was aiming for the “blue ocean” market of pet businesses with unlimited potential.
In this era, animals were mostly seen as livestock — guarding houses or helping with labor.
But as time passed, especially among the wealthy, people began treating animals like family or friends.
“I realized it when I saw a noblewoman holding a tiny dog in her arms and soothing it. This will work! It’s a business that will succeed!”
While others frowned and thought she was being excessive over a mere animal, he noticed something.
The diamond decoration hanging around that animal’s neck.
Recalling the thrill of that moment, the man trembled with both fists raised.
Honestly, he might look crazy to others, but his words made sense.
Even in the world I used to live in, animals were called companions and treated like family.
Eventually, there were even jokes about pet-only omakase restaurants.
So maybe, despite his appearance, he really had a good eye for business.
“To be at the forefront of this new industry, I came all the way to the North. The North is generous with support for new settlers.”
He lifted the small Nadani doll again.
“And I discovered the Nadani mascot trending in the North. It felt like destiny. Heaven is helping me!”
He said seeing an environment becoming friendly toward animals gave him confidence. Technically, I was a beast…
With a blissful expression, he grabbed at the fur on my arm as if about to pluck it.
“You must be exhausted wearing that beast costume all day. So how about investing in me? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“….”
I see.
‘So that’s why he calmly ate in front of me.’
Instead of correcting his misunderstanding, I asked calmly,
“What exactly is the business?”
Thinking I was halfway convinced, he leaned forward and whispered,
“I’m going to make pet food.”
“Pet food?”
He nodded enthusiastically.
He used to be a chef, he said.
After realizing the business opportunity, he decided to use his talent to create pet food for dogs.
Food so delicious that dogs would go crazy for it, and so nutritious that owners couldn’t resist buying it.
Not just food — he planned to expand into snacks, accessories, and toys.
But making pet food was harder than expected, and ingredients were expensive.
After many failed attempts, he ended up homeless.
“Hmm.”
In the long term, it sounded like a worthwhile investment. People are similar everywhere. This world wouldn’t be so different.
If so, love for animals would surely develop here too.
Starting with food — the thing owners care about most — was a good idea.
‘But when will he succeed?’
Valentin’s birthday was less than two months away.
I tapped the table thoughtfully.
“Why does the pet food keep failing?”
“That’s the problem. Wang keeps spitting it out, and I don’t know why.”
Scratching his neck awkwardly, he looked at the dog, Wang, named because he barked “wang wang.”
Wang, now full and energetic, wagged his tail happily.
“…I have an idea.”
“An idea?”
“I can understand animals a little. If we find out why Wang won’t eat it, wouldn’t things improve?”
“….”
His eyebrows twitched in disbelief.
At his suspicious look, I shrugged.
It was true.
If he didn’t want help, I couldn’t force it.
Even if we hurried, two months would still be difficult.
As I stood up to leave, he grabbed me urgently.
With a reluctant expression, he muttered to himself, “I’m a man who takes on challenges,” like a spell, and pulled out brown pellets from his pocket.
“This is my latest special recipe. It has every healthy ingredient in it. And of course, it tastes good too.”
With a determined face, he held it out to Wang.
“Eat.”
Contrary to his expectations, Wang didn’t even try to sniff it.
“Woof!”
He turned his head sharply — a clear refusal.
“Maybe he’s just full.”
“Woof! Woof!”
Despite the firm rejection, the man laughed awkwardly and patted Wang’s head.
“Right? I’ll try again when you’re hungry.”
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
“Uh…”
Looking at the man smiling proudly as if he were right, I replied awkwardly,
“He says… please stop talking nonsense.”
