The Babysitter Wants to Stop Dying

Chapter 31: Deep in the Mountains, a Small Village (3)

“It’s not much, but please eat up.”

“Oh my, not at all. We’ll eat well.”

I quickly thanked Emma, who seemed embarrassed.

The Knights devoured the hastily prepared soup and bread. No one said it, but they hadn't eaten anything since leaving Eastbourne.

Delphi, who looked like she wouldn't even be interested in food, was drinking the soup straight from the bowl, and Phillip was already on his second serving. As for Romero…….

Wait. Isn't that my bread?

There had been a piece of bread at each of our spots around the table, but the one in front of me was gone, and that person was on her second piece, so it must have been mine. While I was feeding Lottie soup spoonful by spoonful, Romero was chewing and swallowing her second piece of bread.

“Ms. Romero, isn't that mine?”

“Oh, oh!? Oh, oh! It is! I'm on my second piece!”

“……Just have it.”

“Really? You're such a good friend!”

I decided to just let it go as I watched her chew on the arm-sized piece of bread that looked incredibly tough. If she enjoys it that much, then that's fine.

“I'll give you half. That person can't tell heaven from earth when it comes to food.”

Delphi wrung the bread as if wringing a cloth, then broke off half and handed it to me.

“Ah, thank you.”

“You have to feed Lottie.”

Delphi, with her usual indifferent face, focused on eating the rest of her soup.

“Jjeogeo! Lottie wants jjeogeo too!”

Seeing Phillip dipping his bread in his soup, Lottie urged me on like a little sparrow. The bear pajamas sleeves slid down over her hands, and she even folded them up herself with her small hands as she waited for the bread.

As the little one sat cross-legged right next to me just like me, everyone looked this way as if they found it cute.

“That little thing wants to eat too? Wahahaha! She's so cute, I could die.”

Romero, who was tearing at the bread like a beast tearing at meat, laughed heartily as she looked at Lottie. In the midst of it, she reached out to stroke her niece's head, but somehow, the little one dodged her hand with a whoosh.

And then Lottie just stared at me with her round, sparkling blue eyes.

“Oof……”

“Poor Vice-Captain. Rejected, you've been rejected.”

“It's amazing how she only likes Arsen. Are babies usually like this?”

Phillip, who had been quiet ever since the shield incident, swallowed a chuckle. Delphi seemed surprised by Lottie's single-minded devotion.

As if she couldn't even see Romero's hurt face, Lottie was still looking only at me.

My goodness, my situation in front of her guardian is getting more and more awkward.

“Would you like some fruit too?”

Fortunately, Romero's gloom was cleanly dispelled thanks to Emma, who brought a fruit basket from the kitchen.

“Oh! Great!”

Romero, her eyes immediately lighting up as she stared only at the basket. I don't know if a person being so simple-minded is a good thing or a bad thing.

“I'm not a good cook, so I ended up making a lot while trying to season it, but I'm glad. Even the baby likes it.”

Emma seemed shy that Lottie was also eating the food she had served. She took out two slightly dry apples and a handful of raisins from the basket.

“We're not very well-off……”

“Hey, no. This is more than enough! Of course, it would've been better if there was some chicken in the soup, but what can you do when there isn't—”

“Ms. Romero.”

“……It's delicious even with just potatoes!”

I, who had roughly figured out the members of the Knights, quietly called out to Romero, and she fumbled and changed her words.

At that, Delphi gave me a slight nod as if to say 'good job'. Romero and Phillip. Two people who need to be managed like this.

A sense of unease washed over me that in the future, I would be taking care of not just the baby, but also those dark-clothed adults.

***

The meal finally ended after Romero and Phillip each had three more bowls of soup, eventually emptying the pot.

“We've eaten too much of your food. We'll repay you, so don't worry.”

“Not at all! Repay us! It's only natural to help travelers.”

Emma, who was peeling an apple, shook her head and repeatedly told us not to feel burdened.

Emma was 18 years old this year and lived alone without any family. She had come out because it was noisy outside while she was sleeping, and found us in front of her house.

She said she had called out cautiously because she was on her guard, but she never thought Phillip would scream 'ghost' at the top of his lungs like that.

Even after inviting us into her home, she kept apologizing for startling us. Delphi, who was troubled by Emma, grabbed Phillip's head and slammed it on the floor, saying.

'We're the ones who are grateful that you've provided us with a place to sleep even after such rudeness.'

Phillip, perhaps because of his past records, kept his mouth shut and touched his forehead, and thanks to that, Emma also stopped saying she was sorry.

“By the way, are there no other people in the village? It was eerily quiet.”

I asked as I cut the apple Emma had given me into smaller pieces and placed it in Lottie's hand. It was a point I had been really curious about. No matter how positively I thought about it, the atmosphere outside was that of a ghost town.

“It is a bit, isn't it? Since our village is in the mountains, everyone goes home before the sun sets. For the most part, everyone goes to bed early and wakes up as soon as the sun rises. That's why it must have been very dark by the time you entered the village.”

Emma answered with a smile.

“It's true that if you live in the mountains or a forest, it's hard to move around after the sun sets.”

At Phillip's words, Delphi also nodded in agreement. Romero wasn't even interested as she was stuffing her face with an apple.

As everyone was smiling faintly and munching on apples and raisins, talking about the monster incident that had happened today, I thought.

‘But.’

I snuck a glance at Emma while pretending to look at Lottie. Her innocent face, typical of her age, lit up at Phillip's jokes.

But for some reason, the back of my neck felt chilly and itchy.

‘Her words were a bit, awkward, weren't they?’

I narrowed my eyes and subtly shifted my gaze again. Emma was still smiling. But this wasn't just a light feeling.

‘She definitely spoke as if she had memorized it.’

As if, she had prepared it in advance.

***

Emma's house was not so small, with a small living room with a fireplace, a kitchen, and two rooms.

She told us to use the big room and the living room as she would be sleeping in the small room, and as if to show that the people here go to bed early, she went to bed first.

At that time, we.

“I want to give a generous reward, but what I have right now……”

“Pfft. Is that all you have? What, are we complete beggars?”

As Delphi opened the pouch she had received from Romero, Phillip snorted and waved his hand. Seeing that, I was lost in thought for a moment.

‘Are these people, perhaps, working without pay?’

Of course, that couldn't be true, but since the famous Rodeo Knights kept showing signs of being short on money, I couldn't help but think that way.

But it seemed like it would be crossing the line for a newbie who had only been here for a few hours to ask about their financial situation.

“Hmm. How much should I give.”

“What's there to think about? Give generously! An astonishing amount!”

At Delphi's pained groan, Romero shouted chivalrously from the side, but,

“Even if I want to, we don't have much travel money left. If I had known Ms. Romero would spend it like that, I would have stopped by a bank.”

“Is that all we have left?”

As Delphi glared at her, Romero flusteredly fumbled with the bundle of bills on the floor. But from her own perspective, it didn't seem like a small amount, as she tilted her head.

“Isn't this a lot?”

“It's not that we don't have any, but considering the boat fare and travel expenses to the 3rd Continent, it'll be about 40,000 quri per person……”

Delphi shook her head. It seemed she was saying they didn't have much to spare considering their future schedule.

“Um, I do have some money, but I'm not sure if I can give this as a reward.”

Finally, after watching the three of them, I put my hand into my clothes. After rummaging around, I found Camila's check.

“Here.”

All eyes in the room turned to my palm. And then,

“Wait, wh-what is that!”

A chorus of gasps, as if rehearsed.

“Pardon?”

“That, that's the Professor's check, isn't it!?”

Phillip, his mouth agape, pointed a trembling finger at the bundle of paper.

The check I had received from Camila in Eastbourne after boldly asking for money.

Is there some kind of mark on it? It was strange that they knew it at first glance.

“It is the Professor's. How did you know?”

“How, how do you have that, newbie?”

“Yeah. How does Arsen have that?”

As I nodded obediently, not only Phillip and Delphi, but also Romero stared at me with wide eyes.

How do I have it? Of course, I got it because I asked for it.

“I needed some money, so I asked for it, and she gave me this.”

Their reaction was as if I had secretly stolen it, so I calmly answered with the truth. But their reaction was even more intense.

“What!?”

Phillip's mouth drops open with a look of immense shock. But the attention was brief, and it was quite burdensome as they kept being surprised.

“But why is everyone acting like this?”

“Because the Professor's check isn't just a simple check! Its value is different!”

Phillip, who had jumped up, snatched the bundle of checks and started bouncing around. It was chaotic.

“Look at this! The writing here!”

He unfolded one check and tapped the bottom with his finger.

As I narrowed my eyes, I could see the Association's emblem, a black dog sitting askew. Aha. So you can tell the issuing company by that.

I nodded and replied to the new information.

“It's issued by the Association.”

But as if that wasn't the correct answer, Phillip flicked the check with his finger once more.

“No! Look at the additional mark here!”

As he held the check closer to me, I could finally see it. The C.I mark written in cursive under the black dog shape.

Having seen it once, I could tell without much thought that it meant Camila Ingram.

“A special check that the Association issues only to the Professor. Literally a blank check! It has no limit!”

Phillip shrieked and looked at the check in his hand with a face of disbelief.

“Even if he is the Vice-Captain's niece's sitter, to give something like this……”

Seeing the three of them looking dumbfounded, I finally realized that the Professor's check, which I had received so casually, was an absurd item.

“No, limit, you say?”

Then did I use such an amazing thing to go around buying aprons, watch straps, and baby clothes……?

Last night, when I had been diligently shopping for necessary items, flashed before my eyes.

“Uh, eok……”

My chest suddenly felt tight and stuffy.

“Wow, I saw the Professor buy a car with this once. How much was it, 3 million quri?”

At Phillip's absent-minded muttering, my heart ached even more.

‘How many of those blank checks did I just waste on trivial things last night……?’

It was borrowed in the first place, so how can I feel so regretful? Should I call this a virtual sense of loss? What a waste. A crazy waste……!

As I was in a groggy state, thinking about the checks I had used for small amounts last night, it was Delphi, who had calmly finished planning, who pulled me back up.

“Then I'll use one of these checks for the boat fare, and we can just give a reasonable amount from the cash we have.”

Delphi, who had taken the check from Phillip's hand, organized the remaining checks and handed them back to me. There were five.

“The Professor gave this to Arsen, so keep it safe.”

“Arsen, can't you give me just one? I'll be the newbie.”

“Phillip. Take your hand off before you get hit.”

With Phillip pouting as he pulled his hand off my wrist, we decided to go to bed.

Anyway, I had suddenly become rich.

'Couldn't I just pay off my Remble tuition with this?'

That genius thought crossed my mind just as Lottie was starting to get fussy before bed.