Leo had a dream.
In the dream, he returned to Earth, back to the night he won the “Arcane Emperor” achievement as the S-tier ladder champion of the Divine Realm Era.
That night, he reached the summit amidst the cheers of players across the entire server.
After logging off, he stood on his apartment balcony, holding a chilled can of wheat juice.
The city's neon lights flowed like a river of stars, and the evening breeze was cool.
It was truly lonely at the top.
He looked at the golden champion emblem on his wristband. Just as he was about to indulge in that poetic melancholy of being unsurpassed, he tilted his head back to down the victorious brew.
“Gulp.”
A large mouthful of “iced beer” poured down his throat.
“Pffft—!! Cough, cough, cough!!”
The scalding liquid instantly seared his tongue and esophagus. The violent coughing fit made him choke hard.
Why was this beer... boiling?!
Before Leo could even process his confusion, a wave of intense dizziness and a tearing sensation hit him. He snapped his eyes open, his body curling up like a shrimp from the force of his coughing.
His vision gradually focused.
What met his eyes wasn't the familiar apartment balcony, but a magnified, slightly chubby, and dainty face.
Lucrezia Sylvania was sitting beside him in a duck sit position. She held a cup that was still steaming in one hand and a spoon in the other, frozen in a feeding posture.
It was obvious that the “lava” from a moment ago was the masterpiece of Her Highness the princess.
“Eek!”
Seeing Leo grimacing from the burn and coughing so hard tears nearly welled up, Lucrezia’s face instantly flushed crimson.
“I—I didn’t do it on purpose!”
She hurriedly retracted the spoon and began frantically blowing on the cup of water. Her eyes darted around as she tried to shift the blame.
“It’s... it’s your own fault for suddenly opening your mouth! Besides... forget it. Seeing you in this half-dead state, I—I’ll just trouble myself to blow on it for you! You’d better be grateful for my great kindness!”
Seeing Leo coughing so energetically, a flicker of relief finally passed through her red eyes, which had been as tense as a startled fawn's.
“So it was a dream... Tsk.”
Leo recovered his breath and licked his scorched, numb tongue.
He looked at the clumsy, embarrassed princess of a fallen kingdom, then glanced at the faint light filtering into the tent. His consciousness was fully awake now.
“I say, my dear Princess,” Leo said with a half-smile, “I don’t want to be cynical, but you wouldn’t be trying to scald me to death while I’m asleep just to save half the rations, would you?”
“Dear?! Who are you calling dear...! You, you, you—! You ungrateful bottom-feeder!”
Lucrezia’s face turned even redder. Hearing the second half of his sentence, her cheeks puffed out in anger like a bristling pufferfish.
“I’ve been taking care of you for half the day! Half a day! I’ve always been the one served by others. When has it ever been my turn to... Hmph! Since you’re awake, drink it yourself! I hope you scald to death!”
With that, she huffily shoved the cup into Leo’s arms.
“Hiss—!”
As Leo reached out to take it, a sharp, piercing pain shot through the wound on his left shoulder where the hand-axe had struck, making him furrow his brows.
“Don’t move! The wound hasn’t healed yet!”
Lucrezia, who had just been fuming, moved faster than she could think. She instinctively reached out to support him, her voice carrying a hint of tension she hadn’t even noticed herself.
“Sigh, looks like I’ll be suffering for a few days...”
Leo used her strength to sit up. He took a sip of the water—which had finally been blown cool—and looked outside the tent.
The camp, which had looked like a slaughterhouse, had been cleaned up thoroughly.
The bodies were gone, the blood was covered with fresh soil, and even the damaged tents had been dismantled, leaving only the most useful supplies.
“Not bad, kid.” Leo raised an eyebrow, giving her a surprised look. “I didn’t realize you had the potential to be a logistics manager. You tidied up quite well.”
“Ha?! You don’t need to tell me that!”
Lucrezia’s chin instantly tilted toward the sky as her tsundere streak returned. “I told you already, I’m very capable! Unlike certain people who sleep like dead pigs!”
“Yes, yes, Her Highness the princess is both wise and brave,” Leo praised perfunctorily as he forced himself to stand up. “Come on, let’s go look at our loot.”
...
By the campfire.
The two sat opposite each other, with the “legacy” scavenged from the Grizzly Bear Adventurer Team piled between them.
A few usable weapons, some jerky and water, several low-quality potions, and...
A small pile of coins emitting a charming metallic luster.
After counting, there were 10 silver coins and 35 copper coins.
After discussing with Lucrezia, the purchasing power was roughly equivalent to over a thousand RMB—a significant windfall for the penniless pair.
“Ahem.”
Lucrezia cleared her throat. The moment her crimson eyes landed on the coins, they lit up like a dragon seeing treasure.
She reached out her small hands like a squirrel guarding its food, trying to gather the entire pile into her own territory.
“All of this must be kept in my custody!”
She puffed out her flat chest, attempting to use her status to intimidate him. “I am the princess of Sylvania! The top student of the elite class at the Arcanum Public Occult Academy! Under my brilliant planning and coordination, this money will surely be put to the best possible use!”
“No.”
Leo leaned against a tree trunk, sounding like a soulless repeater. “Split it evenly.”
“You...!” Lucrezia’s eyes widened. “You are my servant! What’s yours is mine!”
“Who’s your servant?” Leo covered his ears and muttered, “I’m not listening, I’m not listening. I won’t accept anything except an even split.”
“Ugh...”
Seeing that the hard approach wasn’t working, Lucrezia’s eyes darted around as she immediately changed tactics.
“Then... how about this!” She put on an expression of painful sacrifice. “We’ll establish a ‘public fund’! We’ll take 50% and put it in there to cover our collective expenses! The remaining 50% we’ll split between the two of us as personal pocket money!”
She huffed, seemingly very proud of her proposal. “Hmph! Well? Isn’t that fair?”
Leo rubbed his chin and did some quick mental math. There was indeed nothing wrong with the plan; in fact, it showed the girl actually had a brain.
“Fair enough,” Leo nodded.
“Great!” Lucrezia immediately reached for the coin pouch. “Then, according to custom, the public fund should also be kept by me, the captain—”
Slap.
A large hand pressed down on the pouch.
“What are you thinking?” Leo looked at her with a half-smile. “The proposal is approved, but that public fund of yours? I’m managing it.”
“On what grounds?!” Lucrezia panicked, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “No! It must stay with me! What if... what if you run off with the money?!”
“Why would I run? If you die, don’t I die too?” Leo looked her up and down teasingly. “And you? If it’s left with you, I’m afraid it’ll be snatched away in minutes.”
“Liar! I... I...”
Lucrezia turned red but couldn't find a reason to refute him.
However, the thought of that “fortune” falling into the hands of this demon made her heart ache as if it were being twisted by a knife.
“Waaa... you’re a bully...”
If the hard way didn't work, she’d try the soft way.
Lucrezia’s eyes reddened instantly. Her large eyes welled up with tears on command. She sniffled, her voice thick with a heavy sob:
“Father... Mother... I’m so miserable... losing my home and kingdom at such a young age... wandering about with a villain... and now even a few copper coins are being stolen from me... waaaa...”
The tears swirled in her eyes, threatening to fall but holding back, looking so pitiful it would be enough to break any knight's heart.
Unfortunately, she was facing Leo.
“Tsk, the skill wind-up is too long, and the acting is a bit melodramatic. One star,” Leo critiqued, crossing his arms without a shred of pity.
However...
Leo looked at her pitiful appearance and sighed.
Even though he knew it was an act, he had to give her a way out.
After all, they were going to be working together for a long time. It wouldn't do to push this power bank too far.
Rate on N.U.
