Chapter 122 – Decrepit Lair.

‘I need to do something… You can do it Lira! Just speak!”

“S-sir how about we… ack!”

She was about to speak, but the man stepped forward. His armor screeched slightly, making her jump. Even before bringing him here, her nerves had been close to breaking. She was stuck escorting this strange man who looked like an armored bandit. Then there was the strange white ant-like creature on his shoulder. While it seemed cute, its sharp mandibles made her uneasy, and it kept staring at her in a way that felt almost hostile as if it did not like her talking to the armored man.

“Uh…”

The man vanished into the building after she opened the door, making her heart skip a beat. She slowly leaned in and saw nothing but darkness. The interior of this home was quite dim, with only faint slivers of light filtering through the broken roof and cracks in the walls. Dust hung heavy in the air, disturbed by the armored figure’s steps as he moved further inside without hesitation. Lira swallowed nervously, clutching her papers tightly against her chest.

“Uhm… sir?”

She called hesitantly. There was no response, only the sound of shifting debris as the man inspected the remains of what had once been a home. The floorboards creaked ominously under his weight and she could hear him shuffling around the premises. Lira took a cautious step inside, her ears twitching at every sound. The scent of damp stone mixed with decay filled her nose, making her wrinkle it in discomfort.

‘This place is falling apart, there is no way that anyone would buy this…’

Her heart raced as she forced herself to step inside. The property did not belong to this man, so if anything collapsed, she might be blamed for it. Her mind was consumed with worries, each thought another problem piling on. For a moment, she wondered if this was some kind of setup to get her fired—or worse, a trap to leave her vulnerable to assault by this strange man in a desolate part of the slums where almost no one ever came.

Lira stepped cautiously into the murky interior of the dilapidated property. The air was heavy with dust and the scent of damp decay. Shadows clung to the corners of the room and every step she took echoed on the creaking wooden floor. Suddenly a loud clatter startled her. Before she could recover, the armored man emerged from behind a crumbling column. His heavy armor gleamed in the stray beams of light and his voice resonated in the silence.

“I will buy it.”

“No please, I’m too young to… wait, you’ll buy it?”

“Yes, that’s what I said.”

He declared with unwavering certainty. His sudden appearance made Lira jump, her hand clenching the scattered papers that had fallen from her grasp. For a moment the room seemed to freeze as she stared at him in shock. Then, as his deep tone filled the space, she began to regain her composure.

“Um… are you sure?”

‘Is something wrong with his brain? Why would he want this wreck? It’s going to cost a fortune to repair, and then there are also the orcs…’

She knew one of the reasons this place was in such terrible shape was because of orc raids. Sometimes, monsters and barbarians would attack the city, and this house, being close to one of the walls, had suffered more than most. Creatures would climb over during assaults, causing damage after the area had been evacuated. One more attack, and the house would surely collapse. But she could not tell him that. If she did, he would never buy it, and she could lose her job.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I? But how much does it cost?”

“Ah! The papers, here.”

She handed over some paperwork that she was handed from her superiors earlier. She was still too shocked to properly process what was happening. Of all the possible outcomes, this was the last thing she had expected. The man went through the papers which also had the price on them and didn’t seem to be perturbed by it.

“This will do.”

Lira blinked.

“It… it will?”

“Yes.”

Rusty confirmed.

“We can finalize the contract now.”

Lira hesitated, her tail flicking nervously. She should be relieved. This disaster of a property was about to be off her hands. But something felt off. No one in their right mind would buy this place at such an absurd price. Did he know something she didn’t? Was he actually rich? No, that didn’t make sense. A noble or merchant wouldn’t be caught dead in this part of the city, let alone in a suit of battered armor.

‘Or… is he planning something illegal?’

A cold shiver ran down her spine. Had she just handed over an abandoned property to someone who might turn it into a hideout for criminals? But then again, did it really matter? It wasn’t her business what he did with it. Lira cleared her throat.

“Alright! I will, uh… I have all the papers here, we can either go back to the town hall and sign them there or do it here.”

“That’s great, could you wait a moment?”

“Um? Sure?”

The man seemed rather happy with her reply and suddenly decided to vanish into one of the other still-intact rooms. She was left alone to wonder if he would return with a dagger to slit her throat. Instead, after a minute, he reappeared with a large sack.

“This should do it, right?”

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She grabbed the sack and could feel its weight. Her hands trembled slightly as she loosened the drawstrings, peering inside. A glimmer of gold and silver caught her eye, the unmistakable shine of real coin. Lira’s ears twitched in disbelief. Her tail stiffened as she quickly tightened the sack again, glancing around to make sure no one had seen.

“This… this is the correct sum.”

She stammered, struggling to process the fact that she was actually completing this sale. Her skills allowed her to instantly calculate the amount of coin inside the sack without even opening it. A glowing representation of the total hovered above the money-filled sack, a skill that had secured her this job. Simple mathematics and calculation skills were essential, something most people at the town hall were required to master.