Although she had already confirmed in her heart that Lathel was indeed the Young Master of the Divine Dragon Guild, Rinnie still continued asking: "Then… if I sell myself to you, how much would you buy me for?"
Lathel thought she was joking with him, so he casually said: "1 gold coin."
The moment Rinnie heard that, her eyes widened and her lips trembled. Tears suddenly streamed down her face.
Lathel was startled, thinking: 'What the hell?!'
[Tsk! Tsk!] The System clicked its tongue: [Host, you made her cry. I didn't expect you to be that kind of person, teasing her to the point she bursts into tears.]
'Heh?!' he thought helplessly. 'I was just joking.'
[Joking?! Look at her. She's not joking at all. She must be so desperate that she really tried to sell herself to you, yet you turned it into a joke. Host, you really are a scumbag villain.]
Lathel: "…"
Now *he* also wanted to cry.
He had truly thought she was joking, so he had simply joked back.
Lathel hurried over, pulling Rinnie into his arms, gently patting her back: "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that. I really am sorry…"
Rinnie stiffened as she was pulled into his embrace, her eyes widening in disbelief.
But as she felt the warmth and the masculine scent on him, that disbelief slowly melted away. A subtle greed bloomed inside her; she didn't want to leave his arms at all.
She couldn't even remember the last time she had been comforted. No… ever since she was a child raised in the Divine Dragon Guild, she had never known familial warmth, let alone comfort.
This was the first time in her life anyone had embraced her. In her heart, she murmured: 'This feels… really nice.'
Rinnie leaned her forehead lightly on his chest, her lips pressed together, joy swelling inside her.
'To think the Young Master is this gentle… Yet those idiots in the Divine Dragon Guild always describe him as cold, decisive, and killing people like stepping on ants.'
'Only *she* ever said the Young Master was warm and kind… hehehe…'
Yes—Rinnie had never met the Young Master before. She only heard others talk about him, and from the way they described him, he didn't seem any different from them: a cold-blooded executioner.
Only one girl she once met had spoken differently.
At this moment, Rinnie felt as if a new world had opened before her. She cried even harder, clutching Lathel tightly as her tears soaked his shirt.
Lathel: "…"
'Oy! Why is she crying even harder when I'm comforting her?!'
[No idea! Maybe your words hit her too deeply. She's still a girl. Being insulted like that—how could she possibly endure it?]
Lathel forced a wry smile, helplessly holding Rinnie without knowing what else to do. He had never learned how to comfort anyone before, and even now, he was still clueless.
A long while later, Rinnie finally calmed down, and Lathel slowly released her.
He took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her tears, making Rinnie's heart bloom with warmth.
'Young Master… he's really gentle…' she thought blissfully.
Seeing that Rinnie had finally stopped crying, Lathel let out a long breath of relief.
But then another terrifying thought struck him: if he really ended up with twenty women in the future and each of them cried like this… what would he do?
'System! Can you remove the crying function from the twenty women I'm supposed to have later?!'
[Hah! Finish your mission first. After that, you can dream all you want.]
Lathel knew clearly the System fully expected him to fail, which only strengthened his determination to escape this novel world.
Since he could bring Catrina along once the Magic Academy arc was complete, he would simply fake his death afterward and use the 'One Active Resurrection' reward to hide somewhere peaceful until the scenario ended.
[Hah… dreaming big, aren't you.]
At that moment, the System spoke up, its voice dripping with mockery and contempt.
[If you stop working, the scenario will collapse, all rewards will vanish, and you will have to start over. However, once the world resets, I cannot guarantee that Catrina will still love you the way she does now.]
Lathel shuddered upon hearing that, cursing the System, cursing this bizarre world, cursing everyone in it.
The rest of the meal passed peacefully. Rinnie happily asked about every dish, even pulling out a notebook to jot things down.
When they finished, he gently asked: "I'm guessing you don't have a place to stay, right? Do you want to come to my castle? Work for me, 5,000 gold coins a month, bonuses included, weekends off, and only an eight-hour workday."
Rinnie's eyes widened, staring at him as if he were the strangest creature in existence.
Noticing her reaction, Lathel frowned: "What? Is the salary too low?"
"No, it is just… I don't need money, Young Master. As long as you feed me, that is enough."
Lathel: "…"
He looked at Rinnie with visible pity. Inwardly, he thought: 'This girl… she is a Herbalist yet her only demand is something like that. Was she abused before or something?'
The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded.
A Herbalist, even if only Rank 1, was someone people considered extraordinary.
It was like having a college graduate suddenly appear among a group of people who only finished high school.
Not only that, but Herbalist earned extremely high income and were respected everywhere.
Yet her request was the exact opposite, leaving him confused.
Lathel believed that after being mentally tortured and oppressed for so long, she must think of herself as someone worthless.
He sighed softly, his expression turning even more gentle. Having once been soaked by the rain, he now wanted to hold an umbrella for someone who was caught in the storm.
Lathel smiled and said: "Don't worry. If you follow me, you won't suffer. If you work well, I will reward you even more."
Seeing his expression, Rinnie felt a surge of joy. 'The Young Master is truly good. Even though he is undergoing that so-called trial from the Divine Dragon, and even without support from the Divine Dragon Guild, he still treats me so kindly. I must help him however I can. Young Master, I will be loyal to you until death.'
Lathel noticed the burning determination in her eyes but didn't think too deeply about it.
After the meal, he brought her to Catrina's workplace.
After all, he hadn't seen Catrina for a day, and he wanted to catch a glimpse of her.
He soon reached a luxurious room on the top floor of the castle.
The space was large. Even though it was an office, it had every necessary function.
At that moment, Lathel felt that the life of nobles wasn't as filthy and chaotic as he once read in ancient documents from Earth.
Perhaps the noble lifestyle in this fantasy world was different from Earth, since everything here operated through magic.
When Catrina saw Lathel, she immediately brightened. She stood up quickly, walked toward him, wrapped her arms around his waist, lifted her face, and looked at him with infinite tenderness.
"You came to see me?"
Hearing her question, Lathel almost laughed: "If I didn't come to see you, what else would I come here for?"
Standing beside them, Rinnie was stunned. 'That woman… she is beautiful. Wait! They said the Young Master's trial was to conquer a woman. Could it be… that woman is her?'
'Unbelievable. The trial lasts five years, but the Young Master completed it in just two?'
Rinnie's gaze toward Lathel grew even more admiring, her eyes practically shining like car headlights.
Catrina also sensed Rinnie's gaze and looked over, startled: "You are…"
Lathel then introduced: "Catrina, this girl's name is Rinnie. She is a Herbalist. She might be able to help you with business matters."
It was true that the Montaline family's business revolved mostly around everyday goods. While it was successful, without pharmaceutical trade, they would never control the empire's core economic artery.
Which meant… a Herbalist was an enormous asset, capable of driving the family to new heights.
Catrina looked at Rinnie, and the memories she had received resurfaced as if they were from a past life.
Back then, Rinnie was brought in by Alex, a Rank 3 Herbalist. Thanks to her, business boomed dramatically.
Later, Catrina learned Alex came from the Divine Dragon Guild and Rinnie was one of its members too.
But now… she couldn't understand why Rinnie was following Lathel of all people, and even showing him such deep respect.
What exactly had happened? What had she missed?