Home/I am switching to a ruined archmage family/ch6

Chapter 6

"Uh… yeah."

Sean wore a deeply skeptical expression. So essentially, instead of the McDonner baron's family owing him, they'd owe this man instead…

He glanced once more at the Ocelton in the man's hand—something about it felt off. He wasn't sure if he should let it go so easily. And more than anything:

Doesn't that mean I'd lose all connection with that girl?

Even with his head foggy from drink, he was weighing his options. The man, reading his thoughts clearly, curled the corner of his mouth.

"And also, join my ship's crew."

"…Eh?"

Heh heh heh. Sean's laughter burst out so suddenly that he nearly tipped over. The man who had caught and steadied him was the same one still spouting nonsense.

"Me—at my age—sign on as some fancy cruise ship deckhand?"

"'No one dies on Yulcan's ship.'"

"Pfft! What's that supposed to mean!"

"Anyone who knows the sea's superstitions must have heard of our ship's absolute law."

"Who wouldn't know that—"

…Wait.

Surely not. He should be saying stop joking around or quit messing with me—but somehow, Sean couldn't get the words out.

He blinked his blurry eyes again.

Looking at the man's expressionless face, he suddenly recalled a small photo that had once ranked high in a tabloid's "Chelburg's Young & Rich Handsome Men" list. Beneath that photo had been the name: Adrian Yulcan.

Sean's jaw dropped as he stared blankly.

"N-no, no, no way."

Then the man before him—was that really Adrian Yulcan of the Western Sea? The man offered a confirming smile and looped the necklace around his finger, letting it dangle.

Sean's gaze darted between Adrian Yulcan and the Ocelton necklace swaying from his hand. As if hypnotized, his mind went blank.

"…What is this."

Adrian Yulcan of the Western Sea.

His ship had been making phenomenal strides in the monster-infested western waters. Through routes that even the crown couldn't open, his sea lanes saw almost no monsters—and even when they appeared, the expensive mages and secret mercenaries he hired wiped them out entirely.

Some dismissed him due to his mixed foreign blood, but the fact remained: dominance over the Western Sea was firmly in his grasp.

With ability, power, and honor—no one in maritime trade could rival him… and yet Sean had called him a cruise-ship greenhorn just moments ago.

His face, already flushed, burned even hotter.

"What do you say?"

"…About what?"

"From what I've heard, you have long experience, you know your limits, and you don't overreach for what's in front of you. As you know, in navigation, that fine line often separates life from death."

Adrian Yulcan glanced sideways. Standing beside him like a secretary, a sleek-looking man nodded in agreement.

Sean was utterly dumbfounded.

Since when had this conversation turned into a veteran sailor recruitment interview…?

"I-I'll do it!"

Naturally, Sean couldn't let this opportunity slip. How could he compare the woman who owned the Ocelton to a spot on Adrian Yulcan's crew?

"As you know, you may occasionally encounter monsters—are you sure you can…"

"I can! I absolutely will!"

Such warnings didn't frighten him in the least.

What was the most famous thing about the Yulcan company? That its employees were at least perfectly protected from monsters!

That was the true power of the Yulcan company—its near-legendary "absolute law" built over the years.

Welfare, treatment, pay, even life assurance—everything was top-tier. A scouting offer from such a place? Even if he died and came back, the choice was obvious.

Adrian tucked the Ocelton into his vest pocket and smiled.

"Now then, superstition or Yulcan—let's see which one is more trustworthy."

---

Empty bottles lay scattered on the ground.

Foul odors and filth underfoot, people sprawled everywhere mumbling nonsense—Alexa walked straight ahead as if a wall stood between her and all of it.

There's a dead man here! And here too!

Of course, the onlookers weren't much different from her. Starving to death here was nothing new. Their shouts were only meant to alert the guards who came running at the commotion. This was the slums—such things were routine.

James, who had been peering curiously at one of the bodies, hurriedly caught up to Alexa ahead.

"Alexa, there's a dead man over there. Two, actually."

"……"

"Completely emaciated. Just bones. Must have been starved for days… tsk. Don't the neighbors help at all?"

"……"

"I think I saw something like that last week too…"

James, lost in thought, suddenly shut his mouth, realizing his slip.

"I mean—not that I was here last week, just that I passed by! People die like that all the time in the slums. It's winter, after all."

Alexa still said nothing, walking half a step ahead of him.

The closer he came, the more he rambled, the more something inside her chest boiled and cooled in cycles.

Finally, unable to hold back, James spoke words that should never have been uttered.

"Why did you give that away? That priceless thing!"

As he raised his voice slightly in frustration, Alexa stopped silently and turned to face him.

"W-well, I thought maybe you had a way to get the money…"

A hollow laugh escaped Alexa's lips.

Look at him—trying to patch things up with flimsy excuses when his true intentions were obvious.

She had so much to say to him, but perhaps she was just too exhausted. The usual "nagging" that James complained about didn't even have the strength to rise from her throat.

Only a deep sigh escaped on her breath.

"Why do you ask?"

"Huh?"

"About how to get the money. What's it to you?"

"O-of course I need to know! You have to come up with it within a week to get the Ocelton back!"

James was equally irritated. If there was a way to get money, she should just say it and pay it off—instead of dragging it out like this.

More than that, what was she thinking, pulling out the Ocelton so readily when she didn't have the cash? At the very least, she should have consulted him—the head of the household. No, she should have followed his orders unconditionally!

"What I'm saying is… that's the only keepsake you have left…"

But he swallowed the words in his head. Embarrassing as it was, he knew this wasn't the time to argue. He'd let it slide for now—and later, when he won big, he'd put her in her place with a fitting punishment. That Ocelton was the legacy of their family!

After blinking for a long while, she finally spoke.

"Right. You might not get the money. But the deal was that I'd be sold to that man if you couldn't. So if you get the Ocelton back, I'll give it to you."

"Are you crazy? How can you say that!"

"Is that so? Then why don't you find the money yourself?"

"…How could I…"

"Why not? You used to manage just fine."

At those words, James shot his head up.

He hated nothing more than being reminded of their childhood—but so what? She couldn't exactly coddle his feelings right now.

At her words, James let out a heavy sigh as if he'd heard something unbearable and frowned.

"Are we the same as back then? Are you really saying you want this baron to earn money doing menial labor?"

"Menial labor? Ah… you mean like being a maid?"

Alexa looked down at herself and let out a dry laugh.

"How ironic. Do you realize we barely survive on what you call 'menial labor'?"

"Alexa. Yes, I know that right now you're the one scraping together what we need—but just wait a little. I'll soon make a killing as the head of the household. Then I'll invest a lump sum in business. This petty cash—it's nothing!"

She didn't bother saying what was really on her mind: Your bragging about earning money is the most pathetic thing of all. But she didn't realize that what she said instead would drive her even madder.

"No matter how much you work as a maid, don't forget who you are. We are, above all else, the descendants of the noble McDonner baronial house."

Pale blue veins rose on Alexa's ashen face.

And he—knowing all that—acted like this? She barely held back from smashing his self-righteous nose, the one looking at her with such pitiful condescension.

"For now, just try a little harder. Since it's the house our parents left behind, as the head, I must uphold our standing."

James approached Alexa, who stood speechless with rage, and patted her shoulder.

He simply believed that Alexa was reflecting on her own words and actions, and that guiding and embracing her was the duty of the head of the household—the baron.

"Alexa, it's all right. I'll protect the family. The money—yes, I can multiply it in no time. If you have any left…"

"We're failures."

Alexa, as if hearing nothing, stared at the ground and murmured. Her hollow eyes trembled precariously—but to James, it only sounded like a complaint that deserved a bit of comfort.

"Tsk, there's no need to degrade yourself like that. We can get back on our feet. So if you have some money…"

"No. This is us. Bottom-feeders who can never change."

By now, Alexa was staring right at him. The sharp voice that followed was aimed not at James, but at herself.

"Look at me. I'm fine, aren't I? A noble lady of a baronial house would have been bedridden by now if she were treated like a maid."

"Alexa."

"And that's not all?"

Alexa looked at him silently. James knew perfectly well—even if not this time, someday the final bargaining chip would have been Alexa herself.

Frustrated, James tore at his hair and shouted.

"Then why do you say such things! A noble lady throwing herself away for a mere two hundred nets—does that make any sense?!"

Back   Next