Chapter Four: The Reward
“However, before that, you need to have an appropriate identity. Black hair and black eyes are symbols of the Valen Empire’s royal bloodline—this is a real headache… Can you change your appearance? Like, dye your hair or something?”
I shook my head. If I could change my looks, I would have turned myself into a charming, handsome lad long ago, not stuck in this girl’s body!
Angel pinched the bridge of his nose, looking rather distressed.
“Carlos, do you have any good suggestions?”
“…How about a certain prince’s illegitimate daughter?” Carlos shrugged nonchalantly.
“You’re quite the genius.”
“Who asked you to consult me? Come on, I’m just a lowly wandering swordsman; I’ve got nothing in common with those scheming nobles. This is something the Pope should figure out.”
After Carlos said that, he fell silent, and Pope Angel furrowed his brow, turning his neck in thought as if he were deep in contemplation. I knew little about the situation in this world, so I couldn’t think of anything to say.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned silent.
After a moment, Angel’s eyes lit up with what looked like a brilliant idea, a smirk curling up on the corners of his mouth, before suddenly straightening up, looking very serious as he turned to me.
Seeing this, I immediately got into a defensive posture. Although my interactions with this Pope had been brief, I understood he was far more devious and unpredictable than Carlos.
Sure enough, he opened his mouth and blurted out something that left me completely dumbfounded.
“Little Black Charcoal, may I ask… are you considered female? I mean, can you have children?”
“Pfft—”
Angel blinked his bright green eyes, curiosity written all over his face, while Carlos almost spewed his drink.
A bad premonition rose in my heart. Without hesitation, I shook my head violently like a bobblehead and waved my hands at him in alarm.
“No way! Absolutely not! You can forget it!”
“Why not? Your vital signs look no different from a human’s; there’s no reason you can’t… Don’t worry, you’ve never tried, right? It doesn’t hurt, and it feels great once you get into it~”
The shameless Pope had a lecherous expression that made him look like a sleazy old man trying to seduce an innocent girl with sweet talk. I was instantly scared pale, taking two steps back in terror, hugging my arms tightly as I trembled.
This guy… Surely, the honorable Pope doesn’t have any weird thoughts about me?!!
“What do you think, how, what do you want to do?” I stuttered, my tongue tied in knots from fear.
“I was thinking, if we marry you into the Valen Empire’s royal family and give you the surname ‘Winter Moon,’ wouldn’t that resolve the identity issue effortlessly?”
“…”
“You just want to see if humans and the Abyss can mix, don’t you?”
Carlos pinpointed Angel’s true motive, but Angel completely ignored him.
The esteemed Pope fixed his benevolent gaze on me, trying to pull his facial muscles into a warm smile, though it just looked creepy.
“So, how does that sound? It’s fantastic, right? The Valen Empire has a very prestigious royal lineage, renowned for their beauty, and the men spoil their ladies far too much. So many girls would k*ll to marry in. If you agree, I can guarantee the princes will be at your beck and call…”
“Eeeek—!!”
I couldn’t let him finish; it was just too unbearable to listen to. I screamed at a decibel that even the birds outside would have reconsidered their life choices. Angel and Carlos both covered their ears, staring at me with wide eyes.
“Cough, cough.” I cleared my sore throat and glanced at Carlos, then took a deep breath and glared at Angel. “If you say one more word, I’ll hit you.”
Gah!
I was really holding back my raging wrath and trying to speak calmly. If this guy weren’t the Pope of the Holy Church, I would have slapped him down to the ground. Get married? Have babies? What a disgusting idea; I’d rather be killed than do that!
“Haha, you’re angry!” Instead of getting mad, Angel seemed even more intrigued, like he found a game to play. His teasing expression left me feeling incredibly uncomfortable. “Alright, fine, since you’re not willing, I won’t press it. Let’s discuss the reward instead. Little Black Charcoal…”
“Silvya.”
I corrected him expressionlessly.
“Little Black Charcoal is catchier! Don’t take it to heart; names are just titles, they don’t matter. You can also call me Angel, like Carlos. I prefer to be casual with friends.”
“…”
What could I say?
Who’s your friend? Do I look like I’m chummy with you?
Such a reckless person, yet he’s in charge of humanity… Forget it, I won’t let it bother me; he can call me what he likes, I won’t lose any skin over it.
“Who’s your friend?”
Ah, Carlos said it out loud.
“Carlos, even if you don’t consider me a friend, I still consider you a good brother—one that’s peed the bed together.”
Angel laughed, completely unfazed, gazing affectionately at Carlos. This time, Carlos actually averted his eyes.
“…Tsk.”
There’s a story there!
My dark eyes darted back and forth between Carlos and Angel, a smirk appearing on my face.
Those two, surely they aren’t…
“What are you thinking, Little Shay?”
Carlos shot me a suspicious glance.
“Nothing~”
“Back to the reward. Little Black Charcoal, is there anything you want?”
Hearing Angel’s question, I took half a second to think and resolutely decided to follow my desires.
“Gold coins.”
“…”
I pretended not to see Carlos, who was covering his face, and I glared at Angel with a flush on my cheeks.
In my previous life, I had worked hard for this stuff; my biggest dream was to achieve financial freedom, yet I never managed to cross that huge threshold. Since I was reborn and had a chance, why should I let myself fall here again?
With enough money, I could have the time and energy to do the things I truly wanted, and I understood this better than anyone.
“Hahaha, Little Black Charcoal, you’re really amusing! I find myself liking you more and more.”
“But I like gold coins.” I was unmoved; it’s easy to say you like things.
“Don’t worry, of course, there will be gold coins. The Pope’s knight gets thirty coins as a monthly offering from the Holy Church.”
“Th-Thirty coins?!”
My eyes instantly sparkled with excitement.
Thirty coins! Every month! To think, Grandma Claire’s living expenses for an entire year wouldn’t even amount to one coin!
So that’s how high the Pope Knight’s salary is!
How blissful~
“…On top of that, I’ll give you an extra million coins as a thank-you for saving countless citizens of Silgaya.”
Still basking in the joy of the thirty coin salary, I froze at his words, thinking I had misheard.
“How much?”
“One million, which is about the annual income of a main city.”
Once he finished speaking, Angel watched me with keen interest for my reaction.
One million… One million!!!
I felt flushed with excitement, jumping up and down, my little fists clenched in glee.
In that moment, the man I had previously found detestable, with his golden hair, radiated blinding light and transformed into a divine being in my eyes.
“Angel! Don’t tease me!”
“Hey, don’t look at me like that; I’m the Pope of the Holy Church, how could I lie about something so trivial? Little Black Charcoal, are you looking down on me?”
“Uh-huh!”
I gazed at him with adoration, nodding away, so excited I could hardly speak.
“Such a fool…”
Seeing me getting so easily swept away by Angel’s charm, Carlos chuckled and sighed deeply.
“If only the other Abyss were as simple as you, money would solve everything.”
“Alright, alright, enough about coins.” Angel gently patted my shoulder, trying to calm me down. “Beyond that, Little Black Charcoal, is there anything else you want?”
“Huh? What?”
My mind was still stuck on “I, Silvya, have money,” unable to come to terms with the happiness.
“I said, you’ll get the gold coins. Also, I’ve arranged a property for you in Order Royal City, so you can live comfortably there. Besides these, you can make one request to me as a reward beyond the title.”
“Oh, let me think.”
Finally, I understood what Angel was saying and fell into deep thought.
I have money, I have a house; life is already perfect. All I want now is to find a beautiful place, bring Grandma and Barry over, and enjoy life to its fullest.
But what about Aili…
Wait.
Suddenly, I calmed down.
I’m… out here to hunt monsters.
In my money-induced haze, I had forgotten something so important… I wouldn’t want to disappoint them like this.
“A weapon.”
Feeling my mind settling, I spoke slowly.
“A weapon? With so much gold, what weapon do you want that you can’t buy? Why waste this opportunity?”
Angel looked puzzled, unable to comprehend why I requested such a thing.
I shook my head at him.
“A powerful weapon. Not a sword—a scythe.”
“…A scythe?”
“Yes.”
“She was using a farm scythe when she fought endless Abyss in the village. This type of weapon is more like a trick weapon, and it’s hard to find a suitable one for gold,” Carlos interjected timely.
“Hmm… a trick weapon. Little Black Charcoal, are you sure you want to make this your reward?”
I looked at Angel seriously and nodded emphatically.
“Then let’s make her the best one. Angel, you know who to find.”
“The trick weapon master from Shanter Castle? Duke Skarlij?”
Angel stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“Uh-huh.”
“That eccentric old man won’t just agree so easily… wait.” Angel’s eyes sparkled with a strange smile. “Haha! I’ve got a brilliant idea… Alright, it’s settled. Little Black Charcoal, it seems you need to make a trip to the Winter City of the Valen Empire before heading to Order Royal City.”
………..
