Chapter 117 - Chapter 116: The Noisheim Family's Situation 2
It was revealed that the Noisheim family was burdened with a massive debt.
The reason Amalia and Loretta worked so hard, yet their lives did not become the least bit easier, was to repay that debt.
Because of that, Loretta had even given up on the idea of marriage.
But it was a strange story. They were currently repaying money that had been lent on the premise of selling the two of them off.
Why were the two of them still safe?
Mika tried to confirm the reason for this, but...
"...Are you... repaying it to the Village Head?"
"Yes..."
When Mika asked, confused, Amalia nodded firmly.
(What is going on...? Why is the Village Head coming into this?)
Could the Village Head be the mastermind behind it all?
No, if that were the case, the current situation would be strange.
Was he not a mastermind, but an intervening third party acting out of goodwill?
"Um... is the Village Head, perhaps, a relative of ours?"
"No, that's not it..."
Mika asked Amalia about the most likely possibility, but she shook her head.
It seemed they were not relatives.
(I need to talk to the Village Head about this. ...Honestly, I'm a bit uncomfortable with him.)
Mika felt a bit uncomfortable toward the Village Head due to the incident when he "escaped the Academy."
To be blunt, he was number one on the list of people he didn't want to run into in Rish Village.
However, he had grasped the general situation.
And if this was a problem that could be solved with money, Mika could handle it somehow.
Mika hopped down from the chair and stood beside Amalia.
Then, he tightly embraced Amalia, who was crushed and hanging her head in despair.
"...Thank you, Mother."
Despite being burdened with a huge debt, she had still smiled in front of Mika.
She had worked desperately to protect her family.
"............Thank you... You worked so hard..."
Mika had thought Amalia and Loretta spoiled Mika too much, but he felt he understood the reason now.
This family had been on the verge of being torn apart by debt.
Amalia and Loretta had worked desperately to protect a family they had almost lost.
If the two of them had truly been sold as collateral for the debt, Mika would naturally have been separated from them as well.
At best, he would have been sent to an orphanage or foster care.
It wouldn't be strange if he were left to die in the wild somewhere.
In this country, human life was that cheap.
"...I'm sorry... I couldn't notice at all..."
Mika's emotions surged too high, and tears began to overflow.
Mika simply couldn't shake the consciousness that he was a person named "Kuhashi Ritsu" with no relation to the Noisheim family.
Because of that, even though he noticed something was wrong, he hesitated to take the next step.
If he had noticed this problem sooner, he could have helped Amalia and the others sooner.
As Mika shed tears of such regret, Amalia gently wiped his tears away.
"I'm sorry, Mika. I didn't want to make you feel this way... I'm sorry for being such an unreliable mother."
"...That's not true... Mother, you've always... been working hard..."
Mika struggled to find words, trying desperately to convey his feelings, but Amalia shook her head.
"Mother hasn't been working hard at all. Because I have Mika and Loretta. Just having you two makes Mother happy."
Speaking with a smile like that, Amalia finally made Mika's tears stop flowing no more.
It took time to suppress his emotions, and he continued to cry while being embraced by Amalia for a while.
But he knew what needed to be done now.
If so, he should get started on that first.
Mika pulled away from Amalia's arms and wiped his tears away firmly.
"...Mother, you don't need to worry anymore."
Even as he sniffed his nose loudly, Mika looked straight at Amalia with eyes full of determination.
"Mika, it's okay. Father's debt will be repaid little by little by Mother and me. Don't worry about it, just think about your own things."
Amalia looked at Mika with a worried expression.
But Mika's determination did not change.
"How much is the debt right now?"
He couldn't say anything major since he didn't know the exact amount of the current liability, but Mika intended to repay all the remaining debt at once.
He didn't know the interest rate, but there was a possibility that the debt was increasing even while he was repaying it.
Still, he wanted to clear it all off by the end of this month.
It might be luck, but fortunately, he was currently on a long vacation.
His plan was to crush quests one after another and make a fortune.
Even when Mika asked about the remaining debt amount, Amalia only looked a bit troubled and did not tell him the figure.
Could it be...
"Are you saying... you don't know!?"
"...Um, I'm sorry. Mother isn't very good at complicated things..."
Mika felt dizzy.
Perhaps she was too kind, or perhaps she didn't know how to suspect people, but this was far too dangerous.
At this rate, she probably didn't even know what kind of contract was currently in place.
(I really need to talk to the Village Head immediately.)
Mika could only be dumbfounded by Amalia's open-mindedness, but there was no point in saying that now.
"S-so, anyway, don't worry about the debt. I'll handle the rest!"
"Mika, about that, really------------."
"I'm going to the Village Head's place for a moment!"
"Eh, Mika!?"
Mika equipped his Magic Bag, threw on his robe, and dashed out of the house, heading straight for the forest on the east side of the village.
"Great Fire God, the spark of creation. ------------."
While running, he activated [Physical Enhancement] and leaped over the fence surrounding the village.
After advancing a few hundred meters into the forest, he used "Low Gravity" and "Blast" to shoot straight up into the sky in an instant.
First, his destination was the bank in Kotontesse.
There, he would withdraw every single yen deposited in his account.
Combined with the cash stored in his Magic Bag, his total holdings were approximately 5.82 million Rats.
This was Mika's entire fortune at the moment.
He could prepare another million Rats by closing his bank account, but that was his final option.
Or rather, if it was just a million Rats, he was confident he could prepare it in a few days by focusing solely on his activities as an adventurer.
With that, he returned to the forest near Rish Village and headed for the Village Head's house.
Arriving at the Central Plaza of the village, he went to the front of the Village Head's house.
A large clock was placed so it could be seen from the plaza, and the bell tower remained as it was.
For several years, it had changed nothing, one might say.
Honestly, he didn't have many good memories of the Village Head's house.
Memories of visiting it several times related to "escaping the Academy" were strong, and he felt a slight flutter in his chest.
But now, there was no time to dwell on such things.
Mika reached for the doorbell installed at the entrance------------ but gave up.
The string was broken, and the position was too high for his hand to reach.
(What is this? Is this some subtle harassment against me?)
Harboring such paranoid delusions, he reluctantly knocked hard on the door, bang-bang.
After waiting for a while, the Village Head came out.
"Oh, oh, what's wrong------------."
The Village Head opened the door, and when he realized Mika was standing at the entrance, he cut his words off there.
From that expression, it was clear he was at least not liked.
Well, that was mutual, though.
"...You. What do you want? I'm a bit busy right now."
The Village Head said, pretending to hide his irritability to some extent, though one might not even feel that much intent.
But if Mika retaliated directly here, the conversation would not progress.
More importantly, they were the ones borrowing money.
At least until the exact situation was grasped, it would be best to act rationally.
Though there was a possibility of snapping once the situation was understood.
"I would like to ask about some matters regarding my home..."
As Mika spoke with some difficulty, the Village Head seemed to guess the purpose and invited him inside the house.
They were led to the Village Head's living room.
He had come here only after Sarbengeal officials... the bureaucrat Bartaf, had delivered the order to enter the Magic Academy.
The Village Head sat in the seat opposite Mika, placing a cup of hot water before him.
Serving hot water to guests was not meant as a slight; it was perfectly ordinary.
It was the Adventurer's Guild and the Marquis Leventein's household that were special for serving tea.
"...Regarding your home matters, is this about that talk? Who told you?"
The Village Head asked, looking at Mika with a somewhat stern face.
"I heard it from my mother."
"Did Amalia-san tell you?"
The Village Head looked slightly surprised.
After taking a sip of the hot water, he opened his mouth again.
"You say you want to hear a story. What do you want to know?"
"I will ask directly. How much is the remaining debt? And please tell me who the creditors are."
For Mika, there was no way to proceed without confirming this first.
There were many things he wanted to ask, but grasping the remaining debt was the top priority.
And furthermore, he didn't even know who he was borrowing money from in the first place.
If the original lender was the opponent, the current situation of the Noisheim family would be impossible.
Amalia said she was repaying the Village Head, but was the Village Head covering it for her?
Or was the Village Head just a window, and there was some other creditor?
Hearing Mika's words, the Village Head said, "Wait a moment," and left the room.
He returned immediately, holding several sheets of paper in his hand.
"First, this is the debt created by your father. I covered it, and I took the promissory notes."
Showing them, he presented several promissory notes.
Every single one had a dirty signature reading "Wody Noisheim."
Summing up the amounts listed, including interest, it totaled 5.17 million Rats.
The promissory notes were processed as "repaid."
"As for the remaining amount... it is 3.694 million Rats."
"............Huh?"
The Village Head told him the remaining amount while looking at the paper recording the repayment.
Hearing that, a breathless voice escaped from Mika.
"3.69... Why? That's it?"
"What do you mean 'that's it'? Do you know what kind of feelings Amalia-san and Loretta-chan had while paying money until now------------."
The Village Head scolded Mika in a voice filled with anger, but Mika was too surprised to care about that.
"Why has the debt decreased by so much!? It's reduced by 1.4 million Rats!"
"Of course! The two of them have been working hard to repay it every month!"
The Village Head's tone grew stronger as he heard Mika's remark that seemed to undervalue the two's efforts.
But Mika was not in a position to care about that.
He was slightly confused by the unexpected news.
(What is going on? Could it be that he's lending it interest-free? For a stranger?)
That was impossible.
No matter how much he cared about the villagers, the Village Head covering a debt like that was unthinkable.
Mika had thought they were relatives, but Amalia had said they weren't.
So, why had the Village Head shoulder 5 million Rats for a complete stranger?
"Are you not charging any interest?"
"There's no way I would charge interest! Are you mocking me?"
The Village Head glared at Mika, but Mika shook his head.
"I am not mocking you. I am asking as a matter of course. Lending 5 million Rats without interest. What is the collateral? No, first, please show me the promissory note stating you lent it to my mother."
The promissory note for the debt created by his father was here.
The Village Head had covered it, the lender had processed it as "repaid," and handed it to the Village Head.
So, there should be a promissory note from the Village Head to his mother for that money.
"...There is no such thing."
"No? There can't be none."
Without a promissory note, it was just a verbal agreement.
Where was there a fool who would lend 5 million Rats on such a flimsy promise?
To Mika, this was a natural thing to ask, but it seemed there really was no promissory note.
The Village Head averted his gaze from Mika and made a bitter face.
Mika was dumbfounded.
An involuntary sigh escaped him.
Amalia, who didn't even know the amount of the debt.
The Village Head, who lent 5 million Rats without even making a promissory note.
Both of them were crazy.
This was practically an invitation to default.
"What exactly happened? Why lend 5 million Rats without even making a promissory note...."
Mika decided to ask the Village Head what had happened.
The Village Head's first involvement in the Noisheim family's problem was a consultation from Kifrod.
Radi had noticed that Amalia was being abused by Wody, and upon hearing this, Kifrod first consulted the Village Head.
It was the Village Head's duty to settle disputes among villagers.
The church would cooperate with the Village Head, but acting unilaterally was not considered a good thing.
It seemed the church's basic stance recommended taking such a position.
Then, to verify the truth, Kifrod and the Village Head went to the Noisheim house, but the Village Head became furious at Wody's unreasonable excuses.
"You hit him!?"
"...I just lost my temper for a moment."
It seemed Wody had continued to spout abusive words like "Don't interfere in family matters" and "How I deal with these people is my business."
Thus, the Village Head's patience snapped, and he punched him hard.
(...I shouldn't say this, but I feel a bit relieved.)
Mika had also wanted to beat Wody to death after hearing the story from Amalia, but it seemed the Village Head had done a bit of that for him.
And it was said that Wody fled the village around that time.
(In other words, the one who drove Wody out was the Village Head?)
Thinking about it that way, the Village Head was almost like a benefactor to Mika?
Considering the Village Head's position, it might not be praiseworthy action, but personally, Mika thought it was wonderful.
Mika's evaluation of the Village Head rose a little.
After Wody left, it seemed they lived peacefully, though with some hardship.
Amalia worked hard for her young children, and Loretta took good care of Mika, who was six years younger than her.
But that peace was suddenly shattered.
Debt collectors had come knocking.
To enslave someone as collateral for debt, permission from the Village Head was required first.
The Village Head, who managed the village by order of the Lord, had to obtain permission saying, "We are taking resident XX for this reason."
After that, obtaining consent from the Lord, only then would a "human" be lowered to a "slave."
The lender came to the Village Head's house and said they would take Amalia and Loretta to repay the debt.
They showed the promissory note and asked for permission.
While the lender was securing the Village Head's permission, they sent their subordinates ahead to the Noisheim house.
The lender's claim was recognized by national law, and as the Village Head, he had to complete the procedures according to the law.
But the debt was created by Wody Noisheim.
Although they had not legally dissolved their marriage because Wody had fled the village, the relationship as a family had practically collapsed.
More importantly, Wody had fled the village because the Village Head had punched him.
Recalling this, as the Village Head hesitated to proceed with the procedures, a wailing voice was heard.
The lender's subordinates who had gone to the Noisheim house had brought Amalia and the others.
Amalia, confused by the sudden event, went half-mad and screamed Mika's name.
Loretta, terrified of the rough men, clung to Amalia and sobbed.
The two were handcuffed and just screaming in tears.
Seeing the two in that state, the Village Head was greatly shocked.
Incidentally, it seemed young Mika was beaten by one of the men without understanding what was happening and fainted at home.
It seemed the policy from the beginning was to leave behind a brat who couldn't be sold as merchandise.
(Hmm... I don't remember that.)
Searching young Mika's memories, such a shocking scene did not come up.
Had he sealed the memory away in the depths of oblivion due to the shock?
Or was the event so instantaneous that he simply didn't remember it properly in the first place?
Mika drank the now-warmed hot water to calm his mind.
The Village Head seemed to be recalling that time, his expression pained.
"...So, you covered it for us?"
It was certainly a shocking situation.
But covering someone else's debt for that reason still felt like a weak motive.
(Am I being cold? If it were a close person, I might want to help, but isn't it just a villager and a Village Head? If he covered debts like that, the Village Head would go bankrupt in no time.)
One cannot understand unless in the same position, but if Mika were asked "Will you definitely help?", he would be at a loss for a response.
The Village Head did not answer Mika's question.
Seeing him as if he had something difficult to say, the Village Head stood up.
Then, he took a bottle of sake from the cabinet and drank it in one gulp.
He let out a long breath.
"...It might be inappropriate to say this in front of my son, but..."
Returning to his seat, the Village Head began to speak after that preamble.
"I wanted to make your mother, Amalia-san... marry my son."
"...Eh? Huh? Marry... together?"
Did that mean he wanted to marry Amalia with the Village Head's son?
Seeing Mika with his mouth agape, the Village Head smiled bitterly.
"It's no wonder you're surprised. It was more than twenty years ago."
The Village Head had thought of Amalia, a woman of good character and beauty, as a daughter-in-law for his son.
"But my son left the village."
It seemed he had left the village, saying he would rather die than spend his life in such a backwater.
Kifrod had said Diego also left the village once.
Mika understood well the feeling of wanting to leave Rish Village, which was on the very edge of the frontier.
There was simply nothing in this village.
For Mika, who had actually seen Sarbengeal and the Royal Capital, a life bound to Rish Village would feel like torture.
"When my son left the village and was depressed, Amalia-san got married."
At that, the Village Head clearly showed disgust on his face.
"And with a man like that, of all people! Even though they were friends since childhood, to end up with a man like him!"
He spat those words out.
"...You hated him?"
"Hated him!? Nonsense! It wasn't just that! I hated that man!"
However, as he watched Amalia living happily, the Village Head's heart was comforted.
If she was living happily, unfortunately, it could not be helped.
He could give up, thinking they were not meant to be.
But gradually, Amalia's vitality faded.
They did not meet often, but the Village Head noticed Amalia slowly losing her brightness.
Then, upon hearing the consultation from Kifrod about Amalia's current situation, his past hatred erupted again.
"I am disqualified as a Village Head. I could not suppress my personal hatred... my emotions."
Unable to suppress his hatred against Wody, who spouted selfish excuses, he punched him.
And that caused him to leave the village and create a massive debt.
"You think I bear some responsibility, don't you?"
When asked by the Village Head, Mika hesitated.
If Mika were in the Village Head's position, he probably would have punched him too.
Judging by the story so far, there was not a single point to defend Wody.
It seemed to be triggered by an arm injury, but if violence against others were allowed for such reasons, the world would fall apart.
After all, it was 100% Wody's fault.
There was no responsibility on the Village Head's part... or so he thought.
"There is no responsibility on the Village Head. Everyone was troubled by one scum. That is all."
When Mika said that, the Village Head's eyes widened.
Probably, the Village Head did not shoulder the debt out of guilt for hitting Wody or sympathy for the sight of them being taken away.
He had been concerned about Amalia since long ago, and it was pitiful that Amalia was about to be enslaved.
He decided to shoulder the debt not in his position as Village Head, but from a personal feeling.
(In that case, I can somewhat accept it as a reason.)
There might be other various reasons, but this was likely the main one.
Multiple reasons intertwined, and the final push was personal feelings and emotions.
Thinking of it that way made more sense.
And here, Mika noticed another fact.
(Is the reason I am disliked by the Village Head because of Wody or the debt?)
The son of that scum.
He even shoulder the debt for him.
And yet, he endangered the Village Head's position with "escaping the Academy."
(Even I would think, 'This brat repays kindness with ingratitude'.)
Mika smiled bitterly in his heart.
It was none of Mika's concern, and "escaping the Academy" had been resolved safely.
Still, it was understandable that the Village Head would think that way.
Hearing the Village Head's story, Mika understood various things.
Mika straightened his posture with a refreshed expression.