My Demons

Fortunately, Ellen descended the stairs shortly after, providing me with an opportunity to offer an explanation.

Even though I clarified the misunderstanding regarding cultural differences, Ellen regarded me as if I were deranged.

However, she seemed to eventually accept it, muttering, “Well, I suppose it’s understandable since you’re unfamiliar with the currency system…” and nodded in agreement.

By now, I wondered if my image in Ellen’s eyes was anything but that of a foolish pervert.

Damn it.

“Now, show me all the money you have.”

As I spoke, tapping on the cleared table, Ellen wore a displeased expression.

“Do we really have to do this?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You need to have money on hand if you want to do anything.”

“Oh… okay…”

Wait, is she suspecting me? I voiced my protest with a touch of indignation.

“Hey, I spent five silver coins to save you! Would I have expended such a substantial sum if I were a swindler?”

“Is that really considered a large amount…?”

“… Ah, you’re impossible…”

Why is she so irritable? If only I could deliver a solid punch to her face, my wish would be fulfilled.

Observing my sour expression, Ellen flinched slightly. She then retrieved a purse from a small sling bag slung over her shoulder and handed it to me.

The purse felt lighter than I had anticipated, causing me to furrow my brows.

“Is this all?”

Based on her unwavering gaze, it appeared that this was the entirety of her funds. It felt as though I were extorting money from a child. How exhilarating.

Yet, my joy was short-lived. As I opened the purse and observed its contents, I questioned once more with a creased forehead.

“Is this truly everything?”

“Yes. That’s all.”

What emerged from her purse were two silver coins and twenty pennies.

“What…”

What use is this girl to me? She possesses no magical abilities, has limited funds, and lacks weaponry. What am I supposed to do with her?

She flinched upon perceiving my despondent expression.

“…What, why are you staring?”

“What were you thinking, embarking on this journey with such a paltry sum?”

“Why are you starting another argument?”

As she furrowed her brow, I inquired, resting my chin upon my hand.

“No, it’s not an argument—I’m merely curious, just curious. Did you plan to continue your travels with this meager amount of money?”

“Of course not. This isn’t sufficient. However, there are many opportunities for finding work.”

“Work?”

“Yes. Such as monster extermination or escorting.”

Ha, look at that confident expression.

The only companion I have proves to be of little help, yet she boasts despite her inability to wield magic.

Suddenly, I feel irritated.

“Oh, like a mercenary?”

“Yes, precisely.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

I nodded as if I comprehended and continued the conversation.

“But you can’t use magic, correct?”

Ellen’s expression dimmed slightly.

“Well… I can handle items with innate magical properties…”

“Really? Has anyone given you a magic wand or something valuable for you to utilize?”

A wand imbued with skills is no ordinary item, of course.

If there were a wand capable of casting Flame Arrow 30 times… I’m not entirely sure, but it should cost a few gold coins, right?

“…No, I haven’t received anything like that.”

Her gaze fell to the floor.

Continuing to pester her, I placed my hands upon her head.

“Right? So, have you learned any swordsmanship, spearmanship, or archery?”

“……”

“If you can’t do any of those, what makes you so confident? I’m just curious.”

As Ellen bowed her head and remained silent, I suddenly realized that I might have gone too far.

Hiding my embarrassment, I returned the girl’s purse and said, “Here, keep this as emergency money.”

Ellen responded in a muffled voice, her head still lowered. “No, it’s okay. Use it for what you need.”

“I said it’s fine. This amount is practically worthless. I wouldn’t even know where to use it. I don’t need it.”

Before I finished speaking, a tear rolled down Ellen’s cheek.

“Hey… are you crying?”

“Shut up, you idiot.”

Struggling to hold back her tears, she covered her face with her arm.

… Sigh.

Kim Seung-soo, you’re such a pathetic human being. You can’t even handle a single night properly.

If the game I had become addicted to was Three Kingdoms X, Ellen’s loyalty would have been zero.

She would have betrayed me out of resentment or fled with treasures or a fortress.

But I wouldn’t have cared much.

Why? Because even if you added up all of Ellen’s strength, command, intelligence, political power, and charm, it wouldn’t reach 100. She would have been a complete loser.

But this was Dark World.

Ellen, a fugitive and an extra, couldn’t do anything in South Harbor, where she didn’t know a single person.

No matter how badly she behaved, we had saved each other’s lives. From Ellen’s perspective, I was probably a better option than any stranger.

And I couldn’t just ignore Ellen. She was currently my only companion, and she was destined to become an incredibly powerful wizard someday.

“Ugh, sob.”

“Hey… I have some boiled Oreals. Want to eat them? They’re really delicious.”

“Shut up, shut up.”

“Right. It’s probably better this way.” So, while Ellen cried and couldn’t leave the inn, I, who wanted to escape at that moment, did my best to comfort her.

Of course, the reason I wanted to run away was because I felt embarrassed about acting childishly, which didn’t fit my style.

I absolutely didn’t think Ellen was crying like a dog. I can guarantee that.

“But when are you going to stop crying?”

“Shut up, sob, just…”

… Truly unbelievable.

Anyway, during this short period of time, thanks to several conflicts, I had managed to grasp Ellen’s personality to some extent.

High self-esteem, low self-confidence.

It was a personality type commonly seen in modern society, and it wasn’t too difficult to deal with. As long as I’m careful in the future, I should be able to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

Wiping her face with her sleeve, Ellen regained the same sharp expression as before.

Good. I was worried she might become an outcast, but I’m relieved that wasn’t the case.

“Cough, so the money we have… is four silver coins and forty copper coins.”

“…What? What about the money I gave you?”

“Huh? Oh, including that, it’s four silver coins and forty copper coins.”

“Wait, so you…”

Ellen twisted her mouth into a strange expression.

“You started that whole thing even though we have the same amount of money?”

“What are you talking about? Of course, I matched the amount with your money.”

“…What? Why? Didn’t you say we were going to pool all the money we had?”

This is a serious misunderstanding.

In a couple’s account for a date, both people contribute an equal amount, and even in a shared savings account, the contributions are matched. That’s the rule. But to have a disparity in the common fund of a party? That’s nonsense.

“Of course, the common fund should be fair.”

“Common fund?”

“Yes. The money we’ve gathered is a common fund, a joint fund. We should use it to buy the things we need together. Isn’t that how it’s usually done?” I calmly explained, and Ellen furrowed her brow, tilting her head in confusion.

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. Originally, since it wasn’t much, I was planning to use it separately, but you were crying and upset…”

“Stop. Just shut up, I get it.”

“Okay.”

Tsk, she really doesn’t understand how things work in the world. Well, when have I ever come across someone as principled as myself?

“Anyway, we need to make a plan with this common fund.”

“Do you have a plan?”

Ellen looked at me skeptically. Hmm… I need to establish my authority as the leader of the party as soon as possible.

“Yes. We’re going to explore the sewer.”

“The sewer?”

Her face twisted in disgust.

Her eyes were still swollen, making her look like she had been beaten up. It’s a satisfying sight.

“Why does it have to be the sewer?”

“Well, it’s not necessarily… The sea is blocked, and it’s dangerous outside the city gates, so where else should we go?”

“But still…”

South Harbor was a city that had existed since the time of the ancient empire, before the Millanol Kingdom was established.

The cities of the Ancient Empire were known to have well-developed sewer systems, and even now, the sewers were the only remnants of that infrastructure.

Therefore, South Harbor had sizable and deep sewers.

“Hmm. What do you plan to do in the sewer?”

“There’s a lot of work we can do in the sewer. The lord posts tasks for ratman extermination, rescue missions for missing people, apprehending criminals, collecting slime fluid…”

After the collapse of the Ancient Empire, not many cities properly maintained their sewers.

It was understandable since managing sewers required a certain administrative structure and a considerable workforce.

And neglecting the sewers for a while wasn’t a major issue, so it was often pushed down the priority list.

As a result, new inhabitants, including various beasts and monsters, found refuge in the untouched sewers.

The sewer had become a dungeon-like space, posing a problem for the city. Hence, there were many related tasks.

But the real reason we needed to go to the sewer was different.

“For the time being, we’ll handle these minor tasks and find a way out of the city.” 

Of course, the sewer had several points where water entered and exited, and these exits were all located outside the city.

If we were cautious of the monsters and criminals that had settled in the sewers, we should be able to break through the encirclement and escape the city.

“Hmm. Now that I think about it, I’ve heard that in some cities, they use the sewers as secret passages…”

“Exactly. So we need to be prepared with the mindset of conquering the sewer.” 

Ellen pondered my words for a moment, then tilted her head slightly.

“But is there any guarantee that there will be a secret passage in this city? You said it’s your first time here as well.”

“There will be. I’m certain of it.”

“Hmm… Well, okay. So, what do we do now?”

“Just a moment.”

I carefully pulled out a small piece of cloth from my pocket. Ellen’s eyes widened as she looked at the densely written text on the cloth.

“What’s that?”

“Hmm? It’s nothing much. Just some notes I jotted down based on Daria’s information.”

“…Daria? The servant girl?”

“Tsk, stop referring to her like that.”

I scolded with a frown, but Ellen just shrugged, not saying anything in return. This kid usually has no backbone, but now she’s being cheeky.

“First, we need to buy consumables. Since it’s going to be a day trip, we won’t need things like tents or blankets, right? I have a whetstone and tinder… leather water bags, lanterns, oil, torches, ropes, climbing hooks, telescopes… we probably don’t need those. It might be difficult to find them anyway. Hmm, we might encounter strange monsters, so we should have an iron rod, and a shovel too. It would be useful to have a glass bottle for collecting samples. And as for a map… can we get one?”

“What does an iron rod have to do with monsters? And do we really need all of that?”

“Of course! This is already a slimmed-down list!”

“That’s too much. It’s just the two of us, carrying all that would be foolish.”

Is this brat ignoring my adventuring knowledge accumulated through playing TRPGs?

Well, I guess it can be overlooked.

“Is it too much? It seems like we can carry everything.”

“Being well-prepared is good, but… if we’re overloaded, it’ll be difficult to deal with unexpected situations. Especially in the sewer, where visibility is limited.”

…She’s right.

I underestimated this kid, Ellen, because she can’t use magic and is a loner, but it seems she has gained some experience from living on the run. What she’s saying makes sense.

“The sewers are built with stones and bricks, so what do you need a shovel and an iron rod for? And there are stairs, so a climbing hook isn’t necessary. I have a glass bottle for collecting… It’s better to buy enough dry food instead.”

Ellen said as she started removing unnecessary items from my consumables list.

“At this rate… maybe we can get everything within one silver coin.”

“Alright, let’s stick to this for now.”

“For now? Is there something else?”

“Of course. We need to buy equipment.”

“Equipment? What kind of equipment?”

I pulled out another piece of cloth and showed it to Ellen, explaining.

“Then with the remaining budget… ah, let’s set aside a few coins for accommodations and meals. With the remaining three silver coins, we need to buy a pair of leather boots and gloves. I prefer boots with spurs, and the gloves can be chain-linked.”

“What? Why are you using the common funds for your own things? You have your own money!”

I shook my head with a stern face.

“I need that money to buy a helmet and shin guards. If there’s anything left, I’ll also get gauntlets.”

“…You selfish jerk! You’re so sturdy, and yet you only care about yourself?”

“So what?”

This girl is saying something strange again.

“Anyway, you’ll stay behind or provide rear support, right?”

“Even so…”

She seemed very dissatisfied. Oh well, can’t be helped.

“If there’s any money left, I’ll at least get you a headgear.”

Though there probably won’t be any left.

“Is that it?”

“Yes. What about it? You’re not planning to…”

I gave her a stern look, trying to intimidate her.

“You’re not planning to wear armor and act like a knight with a meat shield, are you?”

“Not that, but…”

“Then just stay behind me and keep quiet. Stop talking nonsense. Got it?”

I was worried that her pride might make her react, but surprisingly, she nodded silently.

Is she respecting my authority as the party leader? That’s why leaders always need good communication.

As I continued to discuss the plan with Ellen, it started to take shape.

Hmm, why do I feel good about this?