TWMP 74

Chapter 74

“Congratulations on the Success of the Plan.”

Warm sunlight touched my closed eyelids, and a cool breeze from the window brushed my cheek.

The breeze carried the smell of grass to my nose, and in my ears came the chirping of birds…

“Why don’t you get up now?”

‘…Hmm, a bird?’

“I know you’re not sleeping anymore, Lady.”

At the familiar title, my heavy eyelids opened wide.

Without realizing it, I sat up straight. Blinking blankly, my eyes met Lafer’s, who was sitting in a chair pulled up next to my bed.

“Good morning.”

Good morning…?

At his playful morning greeting, I quickly looked around.

…Where am I?

The room I saw was not the one I had been living in.

It was smaller than the side room I had used in Esperos, with wooden floors and a ceiling low enough to touch if I raised my hand.

The items inside weren’t luxuries for decoration, but the bare necessities for living.

“How is it? Do you like it?”

Ignoring Lafer’s question, I turned my head toward the window beside the bed.

Outside, through the open window, I saw a small yard, and beyond it, thick trees surrounding the house.

Judging from the size of the room and the low ceiling, this wasn’t the second floor. An attic, maybe?

“Where is this?”

I couldn’t see any other houses or people through the window.

Only dense trees and drifting clouds, giving me no clue where I was.

At my question, Lafer folded his arms and replied:

“It’s a haunted house I bought in a hurry—for you, Lady.”

“What?”

I stared at him in surprise.

He chuckled at my shocked face.

“What? Were you scared of ghosts?”

“No, that’s not it. You really bought a house? For me?”

At my flustered question, Lafer blinked blankly, then asked:

“…That’s the part you care about?”

“Of course. What does it matter if it’s haunted? I’m already like a ghost myself.”

“….”

“If one shows up, I’ll just befriend it. Nobody else lives nearby anyway.”

At my calm reply, he burst into laughter.

Covering his face, he laughed for a long while before speaking with a smile still on his lips:

“I really like you, Lady.”

“…Is that a compliment?”

I sighed as he shrugged.

Even though I had only seen this room and the small yard outside, one thing was certain—I could never afford such a place.

‘No, that’s not right. I couldn’t even afford a single room, since I don’t have a single coin.’

“…How much did you pay for this house?”

“Hmm, how much was it again?”

“….”

“Why do you ask?”

“So I can make a plan to pay it back little by little.”

“What?”

They say Koreans always focus on repaying loans first, even in management games. I never thought I’d be stuck with debt here too.

The idea of repaying debt I never asked for made my vision dark.

‘Shouldn’t you at least check the location before buying a house? What was he thinking?’

Maybe he bought such a secluded place on purpose for me to hide in… but I shook my head.

‘Anyway, if it’s rumored to be haunted, it probably wasn’t that expensive… definitely not a noble’s house.’

“About twenty thousand gold, I think?”

“Ah, twenty thousa… What? How much?”

“Twenty thousand gold. That’s about what I paid.”

“What? Why would you pay twenty thousand gold for a house like this?!”

‘Even ten thousand gold would have been outrageous!’

Twenty thousand gold… in my world, that was about 800 million won. Enough to buy an apartment outside the capital.

I gaped at him.

“Is this an attic?”

“Yes.”

“So it’s basically a one-story house with an attic above?”

“Pretty much?”

His casual answer made my neck stiff with frustration.

Looking around the shabby room again, I said:

“Even just this room shows how absurd twenty thousand gold is! The wooden floor is rotten, the window glass is cracked—didn’t you see?”

“Hmm, I don’t really remember.”

“And honestly, if this was in the city, fine. But it’s in the middle of nowhere—no markets, no people. And you said it’s haunted too?”

As I shot words at him, Lafer just shrugged.

“The seller said so. That’s why nobody else wanted it. Lucky for me.”

“…And still, the owner sold it for twenty thousand gold?”

I could only stare at him in disbelief.

Arms crossed, Lafer muttered:

“Guess it was expensive after all?”

His words reminded me—some people who are filthy rich are actually clueless in things like this.

‘Maybe because wasting that much money means nothing to them…’

Watching him sit there unfazed, I felt a headache coming.

‘If he really spent all this just for me, how can I not feel guilty?’

After all, he had helped me countless times, and I’d never properly paid him back.

“Um, Lafer…”

“Yeah?”

“This may sound shameless, but I don’t think I can ever repay twenty thousand gold.”

“What do you mean?”

“So… could I just rent this place from you? I’ll pay a monthly fee to use it.”

At my words, Lafer frowned in confusion.

Feeling awkward under his look, I mumbled on.

“Honestly, buying this house for twenty thousand gold and expecting me to repay it when I nearly died yesterday… that’s too cruel.”

He looked at me blankly, then let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Lady, you don’t need to pay rent. This house is a gift from me.”

“A gift?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t that too much for a gift?”

“Too much?”

“Of course. I’ve never properly paid you back for everything you’ve already done.”

At my words, Lafer blinked, then went “Ah” and asked:

“Oh, don’t worry about that.”

“What do you mean, don’t worry?”

“You already paid me.”

“…I did?”

“Yes. I collected it myself, so you don’t need to think about it.”

“…You know that sounds really scary, right?”

I scooted back a little, imagining he had signed some kind of contract selling me off. He chuckled.

“And in the future too, Lady—you don’t need to feel burdened by my help.”

“…Why not?”

“Because I know someone who would happily pay off all your debts.”

“I don’t know many people. There’s no such person.”

“Why not? I’m here.”

“…You really like your jokes, don’t you.”

At his teasing, my heart felt a little lighter.

He smiled warmly at me.

“Anyway, Lady, you worry too much. For now, just enjoy freedom without thinking about anything.”

…For now?

“And after everything, congratulations on the plan’s success.”

With a snap of his fingers, flower petals rained down from the empty ceiling.

I laughed in wonder at the beautiful sight, then turned to him.

“Stop it already. Someone will have to clean this all up.”