A meticulously organized study.

A perfectly symmetrical office that mirrored its owner’s personality. Sitting directly across from me was the inquisitor, Kyle Clington , as I sipped tea.

“Counter-charges, is it? A fitting retribution,” he remarked with a faint smile.

I couldn’t help but wonder if he was mocking my current state. Honestly, there wasn’t much dignity left in me to protect.

Gulp.

I sat half-buried in a blanket, sipping Earl Grey. The faint scent of perfume lingered, but the warmth of the tea seeped through my body, chasing away the lingering cold.

My body—Yuto —was frail to begin with.

Add to that the harsh conditions I’d endured before the interrogation, and it was a miracle I wasn’t at death’s door already.

“How’s your condition? Your complexion seems to be improving.”

“Yes. Thanks to you, I feel like I’ll survive.”

“Honestly, I hope you don’t hold a grudge against us. Inquisitors don’t have the luxury of defying the petitions we receive.”

“I understand.”

That’s precisely why the responsibility of an “interrogation” weighs so heavily. Everyone knows the consequences of a false accusation are severe. Not even a duke’s daughter can escape punishment.

“Yuto, are you sure you won’t drop the counter-charges?”

“Of course not.”

“I reviewed your records. You’re a commoner who grew up in a small village on the northern continent. You have a knack for swordsmanship, which got you the rare chance to enter the Empire’s Academy, but…”

Kyle Clington’s intentions were becoming clearer.

“This is because your opponent is from the Ingrid Ducal Family , isn’t it?”

“You catch on quickly. The barriers of status aren’t so easily overcome.”

“I know. If Ellie Ingrid is detained, all kinds of political maneuvering and pressure will come crashing down on me.”

“And yet, you refuse to drop the charges? You’ve got more guts than I expected.”

“Guts?”

That wasn’t what I was relying on.

I was simply using every means at my disposal to secure my survival.

“I’m not foolish enough to throw eggs at a stone wall.”

“Then what’s your play? Do you have an angle?”

“When opportunity comes knocking, you use it.”

This wasn’t just about filing charges. I needed to hit back harder, to make them truly suffer.

“What are you planning to do?”

I raised my hand and made a circle with my fingers.

“I’m going to take their money.”

And I’m going to take a lot of it.

Without money, you can’t do anything.

That’s the truth of this world.

When I found myself here, I had no money, no resources, and no immediate way to earn any.

If money was the key, then securing it would be my first priority.

“I’ll bleed them dry.”

I was sitting in the interview room of the Inquisition office, waiting.

Tick. Tock.

The sound of the clock echoed in the quiet room. It was almost time. I closed the book I’d been pretending to read and glanced toward the door. Soon, my golden goose would walk in on her own.

Creak.

The door opened, revealing Ellie Ingrid . Her blonde hair shone brightly, contrasting with the black eyepatch covering one eye.

“Don’t just stand there. Take a seat,” I said, motioning to the chair.

“Tsk…” Ellie clicked her tongue at my gentlemanly tone.

“Relax,” I added. “This meeting is for a settlement.”

“You’ve got some nerve,” she said, glaring at me. “You counter-sued me purely for the money.”

As expected of the heroine. Even her contemptuous expression radiated a strange allure.

Ellie Ingrid’s beauty had long since surpassed what the in-game illustrations could ever capture. It wouldn’t be long before that adorable face twisted in despair.

“And what about you, Ellie?” I countered. “You filed for an interrogation without even confirming the full story. Was that the right thing to do?”

“…From my perspective, it was a reasonable assumption,” she said, faltering slightly. “You knew something about me—a secret I had never told anyone…”

Oh, you naïve heroine.

Nothing in this world stays hidden forever.

“That sounds like a you problem,” I replied. “My innocence has already been proven. Now, Ellie, it’s your turn to face the consequences. If you have objections, feel free to raise them.”

Ellie gritted her teeth.

Her frustration was palpable, but honestly, I couldn’t care less.

Prideful, insecure, and unnecessarily dramatic.

Heroines like her came with far too much baggage.

“Fine. I admit my mistake. So, what settlement amount are you asking for?” Ellie Ingrid asked curtly.

“Ten million carats.”

“…What? That’s it? Honestly, I expected more.”

Oh, please. Ten million carats might sound small to a duchy’s daughter, but to a commoner, it’s a fortune they could never dream of earning in a lifetime. Her nonchalant response only made me dislike her more.

How could someone born into nobility ever understand the true value of money?

But, of course, I had other goals in mind.

“That’s with one condition attached,” I said.

“A condition?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

“It’s stated clearly in the guidelines. Settlement amounts can come with conditions.”

“Hah… of course. Let me guess, you’re going to demand some priceless artifact or something?”

“I don’t need anything like that.”

Why would I? I already knew about dozens of “hidden pieces” scattered throughout this world.

“No, the ten million carats will be paid entirely by Ellie Ingrid herself. That’s the condition.”

“What?”

The duchy’s wealth might be staggering, but that’s all thanks to your father, not you.

“You’ll earn it yourself.”

“Wha—what?”

Let’s see you understand the value of money for once, you arrogant little noble.

“Don’t worry,” I said, smirking. “I’ve already found you a job.”

“I—I can handle it on my own!” she stammered, her composure slipping.

“No, you can’t.”

She probably thought she could pull some strings and earn it easily through her connections. Not on my watch.

Realizing she couldn’t escape, Ellie sighed heavily in resignation.

“…Fine. Where is this ‘job’ you’ve lined up for me?”

“A mining site,” I said with a grin.

“A… mining site?”

“You’ll be digging up ore,” I clarified.

“Huh?”

Ellie’s face turned pale as the weight of my words hit her.

Yes, Ellie Ingrid… you’re a miner now.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Somewhere in a remote imperial mining site…

The foreman and Team 1’s leader were standing together, exchanging uneasy glances.

“When did this place become a playground for kids?”

“Who knows… That young lady must have some pitiful story.”

The stench of old dirt and sweat permeated the mine. In this rough and filthy scene, an utterly out-of-place, delicate girl was fiercely wielding a pickaxe.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“But… isn’t that young lady blind? She’s wearing an eyepatch.”

“Exactly. How’s she even managing to dig up ore?”

“Apparently, she’s a student from that Pandemonium Academy.”

“Oh, now that makes sense. The Academy’s full of extraordinary elites from across the continent. She’s probably using some kind of ‘sensory skill’ or whatever.”

“Amazing…”

The workers were treating Ellie Ingrid like a zoo animal.

Her current appearance was a far cry from her previous pristine self. Her once-lustrous hair was now greasy and brittle, caked with grime and heat. Her previously radiant skin had roughened, bearing visible signs of hardship.

“This should be enough… right?”

Ellie dusted off her hands and walked toward the foreman with a bold stride. Despite her disheveled state, her confidence remained unshaken.

In just five hours of work, Ellie had smashed the previous mining records set by the team’s ace workers.

“Hah. My training methods are simply different from theirs.”

Approaching the foreman, she extended her hand assertively.

“Well, then. Pay up. Ten million carats.”

“Wha—what? Are you serious, young lady?”

“What else? I’m requesting my rightful compensation,” she said, unfazed.

The foreman scratched his head, dumbfounded.

“Young lady… are you robbing us? Sure, what you did in five hours is impressive. But even if I doubled your output, it wouldn’t amount to a thousand carats.”

“W-what?”

Fear.

Ellie Ingrid had never experienced fear in her life—until now. Despite her grueling effort, she hadn’t even come close to earning her goal.

“Don’t worry too much,” the foreman said, trying to console her. “Mining’s tough, but the pay is good if you stick with it. Just keep at it.”

“Wh-what…?”

Despair.

Ten million carats…

It was no small amount of money.

Her past self, who had dismissed it as “not that much,” suddenly seemed so foolish.

“How am I ever going to earn that kind of money?”

A quick calculation told her that at this rate, she would never reach her goal. And failing to pay the settlement meant entering a debtor’s contract under imperial law. The clause would transfer Ellie Ingrid’s ownership to her creditor—Yuto .

“Unbelievable.”

That, above all, had to be avoided.

Becoming a noble slave? Even if her family managed to free her, the humiliation would linger forever. The disgrace of Ellie Ingrid would spread across the Academy and the Empire.

“What do I do now?”

Ellie Ingrid, for the first time in her life, faced a true trial.

Meanwhile, somewhere else…

Ellie Ingrid must be suffering like hell right about now.

Nom nom.

I savored the last bite of my cream cake.

“Um… Yuto-nim? If your business here is done, could you please leave?”

“Sure. Just let me finish this. The cake is too good. Slurp.”

I was lounging in the luxurious mansion of the Ingrid Ducal Family ,one of the Empire’s four great noble houses.

“By the way, please ensure that Lady Ellie’s secret remains confidential, as per our agreement.”

“Of course. You’ve paid the price, so you have my word.”

I had extorted more money from the Ingrid family using Ellie’s secret as leverage. Legally, I’d already bled them for all I could. This additional extortion was… less than legal.

Not that it mattered.

In fact, paying to keep me quiet probably gave them more peace of mind.

“By the way… what exactly is the Lady’s secret?”

The household staff, and even her own family, were unaware of Ellie’s tightly guarded secret. Few people in the game’s storyline knew it either.

“It’s a secret,” I said with a smirk. “After all, you’ve already paid me.”

“Ah… right. My apologies.”

After finishing the cake, I left the Ingrid mansion.

Though no one was around to see, I murmured softly to myself:

“Who would have guessed that she’s just pretending to be blind?”

Blind? Yeah, right.

But for now, I put that fraud of a heroine out of my mind.

It was time to step onto the main stage of the story.

For my ambition.

No—for my survival.

The moment to stir the pot was fast approaching.