Chapter 7
“Will you really come right away if I get hurt?”
At Ricardo’s words, the woman stopped walking.
Ha—
Just before she turned around, Ricardo quickly pulled the cloak over his head.
For some strange reason, his face felt burning hot.
What did I just say?
The words had slipped out of his mouth before he even had time to think.
It was something he would normally never do.
Living alone in a place with no one to rely on had taught Ricardo painfully well what happened when you trusted others carelessly.
Countless people had approached him pretending to be kind, only to try to manipulate him however they pleased.
If Ricardo had been an ordinary human, he would have long ago been sold as a toy to some noble.
That was exactly why he hid in such a remote place far away from any village.
So yes—he had clearly acted too hastily.
Get a grip.
Ricardo stood up and cautiously peeked forward through the folds of his cloak.
At some point, the woman had already turned around and was looking down at him.
When their eyes met, she suddenly bent forward and brought her face close to his.
“Why? Do you think I can’t do it?”
Her beautiful ruby-like eyes sparkled under the moonlight.
Perhaps because they were so close now, her eyes reflected only him.
Strangely enough, that fact filled him with a sense of satisfaction.
It was an emotion he had never felt before, something he couldn’t quite define.
As Ricardo tilted his head slightly, the woman curved the corners of her eyes and let out a small laugh.
The soft sound tickled his ears, and Ricardo found himself thinking unconsciously—
I wish I could keep seeing that smile.
“Since you can’t answer, I guess you really don’t believe me.”
“No, that’s not—”
“Well, even if you think that way, there’s nothing I can do. It’s not like I can prove it to you right now.”
The woman cut him off and shrugged lightly.
She seemed to assume he simply didn’t trust her.
Which was a perfectly normal assumption.
Normally, Ricardo would have thought the same.
So if there was something strange here—
it was him.
Even now, he found himself thinking that if he could call that reaper again, getting slightly hurt would be worth it.
“Instead, I’ll do something else for you. Tell me what you want.”
“Something else?”
“Yes. What would make you trust me more?”
Her thick black hair cascaded down as she moved.
Ricardo forced himself to suppress the words that were about to burst out of him.
Instead, he gave the most reasonable answer he could think of.
“I need money.”
“Money?”
“Yes. You told me not to die and to live, right? Then you should take responsibility.”
It was an unbelievably shameless statement, yet he couldn’t bring himself to correct it.
His mind had been in complete chaos since earlier.
The warmth that had reached not only his body but even the deepest corners of his heart felt too unfamiliar.
Just as he had done during the days when she hadn’t been around, Ricardo began fiddling with the cloak.
He felt anxious—as if something he couldn’t quite grasp might slip away from him.
“Money, huh. That’s actually a pretty good idea.”
Fortunately, the woman seemed to think his request was reasonable.
After thinking for a moment, she nodded.
“That way you’ll be able to do whatever you want.”
“Yeah… I guess.”
“Why didn’t I think of this earlier?”
She tilted her head slightly.
Every time she moved, a pleasant floral scent brushed his nose.
Her ability—roses—had already disappeared long ago, yet it still felt as though he were standing in the middle of a vast flower field.
“By the way, I’m impressed. You can make demands like this without shrinking back.”
The woman smiled gently and placed her hand on Ricardo’s head.
Her long white fingers softly ruffled his hair.
It was such a comforting motion that he almost felt like falling asleep.
But Ricardo couldn’t relax.
He froze in place.
Damn it. Again.
His heart was beating faster than before.
Something was wrong.
Definitely wrong.
Ever since the day that reaper hid him behind the cloak, his condition hadn’t felt normal.
She said she was a reaper…
Had she done something to his forehead that day?
Ricardo recalled the feeling of her lips touching his forehead and cursed silently.
His heart started beating even faster.
“…Don’t treat me like a child.”
Ricardo raised his arm and brushed her hand away.
Ridiculously enough, the moment her hand left his head, he immediately felt disappointed.
What the hell was he supposed to do with these feelings?
He was so frustrated with himself he could go mad.
“Alright. I’ll be careful next time.”
Meanwhile, the woman still wore a gentle smile.
She seemed to think his reaction was perfectly natural.
“Now that you’ll have money, how about getting a house?”
“A house?”
“You can’t live here forever.”
“Why not? I’ve been fine so far.”
“That was when you were alone. Now I’m involved too. I can’t just let you keep living like this.”
…It was getting harder to say anything at all.
Ricardo let out a quiet sigh as his heart tingled painfully.
The corners of his mouth kept rising, so he pulled the cloak down to hide his face.
Perhaps misunderstanding the gesture, the woman reached out and lifted the cloak away.
“Don’t be stubborn. Listen to me. When I first met you, you were shivering from the cold.”
“I can still endure it.”
“For now, maybe. But winter will come soon. What will you do then?”
“Well… that’s true.”
Ricardo’s voice came out small and weak.
But he didn’t even notice.
All his attention was focused on whether she might see his flushed face.
Fortunately, it was very late at night, and the ruins were completely dark without any lights.
In the end, Ricardo gave up and nodded.
After all, she was offering money to buy a house.
There was no reason to refuse.
“Alright. Then I’ll give you enough money for that. Let’s see… what’s the current market price in the Midrealm?”
“I lived near a village once for a short time. The bread you just gave me costs about 1,000 gold.”
Ricardo answered immediately, as if he had never hesitated.
He had suddenly realized what an incredible opportunity this was.
The woman before him was not a normal human.
She was a reaper.
And not just any reaper—someone powerful enough to command terrifying ones like the one he had seen before.
No matter what Ricardo imagined, she surely possessed far more than that.
“Hm. If bread costs around 1,000 gold…”
But he had never expected her response.
“Then will 10 billion gold be enough?”
“…What?”
“Why? Is that not enough?”
“Are you kidding? How could that possibly be not enough—”
Ricardo had expected maybe ten million gold at most.
But this woman constantly exceeded his imagination.
Just as he was about to raise his voice, he stopped.
Because he noticed the playful look in her eyes.
“Yes, ten billion gold should be more than enough.”
“You already knew that, so why did you ask?”
“Because your reactions are fun.”
The woman smiled mischievously.
Even though she was looking at him, it somehow felt as though she was gazing somewhere far away.
As if she knew a place beyond this world.
At that moment, an emotion he never expected to see in her eyes appeared.
It was longing.
“When you get the money, find yourself a decent house. Somewhere small and unnoticeable. Understand?”
“Are you worried a thief might break into a house with a child living alone?”
“You’re quite perceptive.”
“Don’t worry. I wasn’t planning to live somewhere dangerous anyway.”
But even as he spoke, that expression he had just seen lingered in his mind.
Because the woman’s face had looked exactly like the last god who had stayed by his side.
“P-please don’t go… nanny.”
One day, when he still couldn’t even pronounce words properly—
His nanny left him with the man who often visited her.
In her arms was a tiny newborn baby.
“I-I’ll be good… I won’t do it again.”
“I won’t eat anything anymore… I’ll sleep quietly by myself.”
Even though he didn’t fully understand what it meant to leave, Ricardo sensed something.
While raising him, his nanny would often stare into empty space as if longing for somewhere else.
“I won’t cry… I’ll stay quiet…”
Perhaps she had her reasons.
But Ricardo had been far too young to understand them logically.
“Please don’t go…”
He grabbed the hem of her skirt and cried desperately.
Begging her not to leave him alone.
His nanny looked at him with painful eyes.
But she closed her eyes tightly and shook off his small hands.
The cloth he had clung to with all his strength slipped away easily.
And just like that—
he was left alone without any protection.
Until this reaper appeared.
“Alright. I think we’ve talked about everything.”
The woman brushed the dust from the hem of her dress and stood up.
After glancing at the sky, she took out a pocket watch and checked the time.
It seemed she had stayed longer than she intended.
Not liking that thought, Ricardo quickly asked:
“After I get a house… will you live with me?”
“Live with you?”
“Well… the house isn’t exactly bought with my money, so… I thought maybe.”
“Of course not.”
The woman smiled with curved eyes.
Her tone made it sound like he was worrying about something ridiculous.
“There’s no reason for us to live together. As you know, I have things I need to do. Besides, you’d feel uncomfortable if I stayed.”
At her last words, Ricardo frowned.
But she seemed distracted and didn’t notice.
“Now that your safety is somewhat secured and you can feed yourself, I’ll come less often than before.”
“What? How often?”
Ricardo asked urgently without realizing it.
After thinking for a moment, she answered.
“I’ll come once a month. I should check on you occasionally.”
…Once a month.
Ricardo silently calculated the number.
His blue eyes changed slightly.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke casually.
“I just realized… I’ve never used money before. It’s scary. I don’t want to.”
