Chapter 22: A Better Offer
"Have you been well?"
"Yes, yes. You look much healthier than before."
Contrary to Elliott's expectation that he would remain seated and act arrogantly, Zelian abruptly rose to welcome him.
The reception was so excessive that one might have mistaken Elliott for an honored guest rather than a debtor.
'...What?'
Elliott's brow narrowed slightly.
Had this not been the same man who had sent his subordinates to threaten him only yesterday?
The sudden change in attitude felt even more suspicious.
Zelian picked up the tea set resting on the table.
A clear stream of tea poured into a cup, its soft trickling echoing through the silent room.
"You must be thirsty after coming all this way. Would you care for a cup of tea?"
Elliott's gaze lingered briefly on the rippling liquid.
The fragrance was pleasant, but there was no way to know what might have been mixed into it.
What if it contained a colorless and odorless poison?
Or perhaps a drug that clouded the mind?
"...I'll decline. I'm not thirsty."
At his response, Zelian set the cup back down and chuckled.
His relaxed, sly smile made it seem as though he could clearly see through Elliott's thoughts.
"Haha. You're a cautious one. Then again, anyone who wants to live long in this world needs at least that much caution."
Zelian did not press him further and emptied the cup himself.
He gestured with his chin toward the broad chair across from him.
It was a rough but imposing wooden chair covered in tiger hide.
"Sit down. There's no need to stand so stiffly."
Elliott gave a brief nod and lowered himself into the chair.
'Comfortable.'
It seemed expensive furniture truly was worth its price.
Zelian opened a drawer in the table and took out a worn sheet of parchment.
It was the debt contract bearing Elliott's name, along with the agreement surrendering his body if he failed to repay what he owed.
Elliott also took out a heavy leather pouch and placed it on the table.
"The remaining three hundred and eighty-eight mana stones."
"I see."
Zelian opened the pouch and poured the stones out.
His fingers slowly passed over the pile.
Once with his eyes.
Once with his Mana.
The inspection ended in an instant.
"The amount is correct."
Instead of collecting the stones immediately, Zelian produced a small flame at the tip of his finger.
The fire swallowed the debt contract lying on the table.
Within moments, the parchment turned into black ash and scattered into the air.
At that instant, the foreign sensation lingering in one corner of Elliott's chest disappeared as though it had been washed away.
'...That was unexpectedly straightforward.'
He had expected Zelian to seize upon every possible excuse and continue harassing him.
Instead, the matter had been settled so cleanly that it almost felt empty.
Just as Elliott was about to release a breath of relief, Zelian spoke.
"To be honest, I never thought you would repay it."
He rested his chin on one hand and looked at Elliott with interest.
"I expected you to come running here before the deadline, begging me to spare your life. Or perhaps I would find you lying in some sewer after attempting to kill yourself."
Zelian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yet here you are, perfectly healthy, walking in under your own power with both principal and interest. You're more capable than I expected."
"...I was fortunate."
Elliott answered dryly.
'Something feels wrong. I should leave quickly.'
However, Zelian did not appear ready to let him go.
His expression slowly hardened as he reached inside his clothes.
Elliott's eyes sharpened instinctively.
'Damn it.'
Was he reaching for a concealed weapon while Elliott's guard was lowered?
Just as Elliott began gathering Mana at the tip of his right index finger, Zelian placed something on the table.
Tap.
It was not a weapon.
It was another bundle of parchment.
'What is this?'
Another contract?
However, the contents Elliott glimpsed were very different from the previous agreement surrendering his body.
"What is it?"
Zelian grinned and tapped the parchment with one finger.
"A proposal. I'm offering to provide you with better terms."
"...?"
"As you already know, alchemy devours money like a starving leech. Even the cheapest alchemy furnace can cost hundreds or thousands of mana stones. Then there are medicinal ingredients, formulas, and countless other expenses."
Zelian watched Elliott's expression and lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"Should you desire it, I can provide you with four thousand mana stones immediately."