Chapter 21
It was Thursday night, and after several grueling days of working out, I finally allowed myself a well-deserved rest. My efforts had paid off; I could feel my stats rising, stronger than they had ever been.. Lying in bed, I absently played with Macaron’s feather while he munched contentedly on a snack, completely engrossed in some silly TV show.
The tranquility of the moment was abruptly shattered when the doorbell rang. I paused, peeking out at Macaron, who barely lifted his gaze from the screen. "Guess I should get that," I muttered, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and trudging to the door.
When I opened it, I found a letter lying on the floor. I picked it up, feeling a strange knot tightening in my stomach. As I opened it and began to read, the world around me seemed to fade away, and my heart sank like a stone.
My goodness! What did you do, Remillia?!
I stumbled back inside, my mind swirling, and finally collapsed onto my bed, clutching the letter like a lifeline. The realization of what I was reading hit me like a freight train. It was a reminder about the loan I had taken out from Glacial Sphere Academy—the loan that now loomed over me like a dark cloud.
Guess how much Remillia had borrowed? About 550 million Glacium! Lucky her, she doesn’t have to worry about paying it since I’ll be the one paying it now!
I felt my pulse quicken, and it took everything in me to suppress the rising panic. Sure, the interest was only 1% per year, but how on Aeonia was I supposed to pay that off? I didn’t even have a job! My heart raced as I recalled the paltry sum left in the bank account past Remillia had left for me—just 5 million Glacium. It was a drop in the ocean compared to the mountain of debt now threatening to swallow me whole.
"Money... Job... Money... Need to earn money..." I muttered to myself, feeling like I was going to lose my mind. My future flashed before my eyes, bleak and uncertain. The weight of the loan pressed down on me.
My mind raced with possibilities and potential solutions, desperately brainstorming how I could generate cash flow.
I could start training as a Mercenary, but that only paid if you had completed a high-risk job, and those weren’t easy to come by. Perhaps tutoring? I’d have to find students willing to pay for training. The guilds always needed help, maybe I could join one for a while?
Ting!