It was a bit out of the ordinary, but Angelina didn’t think anything of it, as she didn’t want to judge anyone’s hobby.
Harley, who received luxury items worth almost as much as my annual salary, stomped her feet in embarrassment.
But Angelina, seeming indifferent to her awkwardness, casually remarked, “If you don’t like it, you can share it with your friends.”
“Oh…”
Harley’s face brightened considerably at Angelina’s words.
“Such profound meaning… Yes!”
Though Angelina didn’t bother asking what profound meaning she had found in the idea of sharing, with a relieved expression, Harley’s previously burdened face vanished, replaced by a big smile.
They then moved to the blacksmith’s street and swept through the showcased goods of a renowned blacksmith shop.
Due to the limited number of displayed daggers, Angelina, feeling unsatisfied, ended up purchasing not just a dagger but every other item available.
Laura couldn’t hide the happy smile on her face as she unexpectedly acquired a variety of weapons, including daggers, assassination needles, and handheld shuriken.
Angelina couldn’t understand what she needed those for, but…….
‘This is the taste of money.’
Anyway, seeing the two people dear to her in such high spirits made her feel proud.
“What else is there?”
She was beginning to understand the joy of spending money.
* * *
Angelina, having decided where to spend her money, wasted no time in putting her thoughts into action.
The first thing she did was to sweep all the bread from the bakery and distribute it to the poor neighborhoods.
“Oh my, how can such a distinguished person be here…”
“Eat. People need to eat to live. Children and pregnant women first.”
Initially surprised and confused by her actions, they soon accepted her kindness and their faces lit up with big smiles.
Angelina nodded as she watched the children gleefully eat the bread until they were full.
‘Indeed, straightforwardly spending money is the most refreshing and satisfying.’
The saying that spending money on occasions like this was rewarding seemed to hold true.
Seeing that the money she spent directly brought happiness to those in need was one of the most gratifying experiences.
Especially the special glow in the faces of those immersed in happiness was a sight to behold.
Afterward, Angelina’s “spending spree” involved taking a huge amount of dolls and toys to the orphanages.
“Children need toys to play with.”
With toy sales soaring by 80%, merchants were happy to oblige, and the children who received the new toys were delighted.
After that, she filled the city’s small libraries to the brim with new books.
“Education is important.”
As the libraries, which had financial difficulties in buying new books, were practically turned into bookstores, they greatly appreciated this donation.
“Receiving flowers always brighten one’s day.”
And now, she was randomly handing out the flowers she bought in bulk from the flower shop to passersby.
At first, even those who were wary of what seemed to be a swindling act, looked briefly perplexed as she gave them flowers and left without any attachment, before continuing on her way with a pleasant smile.
’That’s enough for today.’
Angelina thought to herself as she watched the sun slowly setting.
Before distributing the flowers, she had dinner, so it must have been past 8 o’clock already.
‘I’m tired after all this hard work.’
Still, she was pleased that she could scatter money to her people, in bread, toys, flowers, and various other places.
Even though she had spent a considerable amount, the money used was just a fraction compared to what remained, making her even happier.
‘I wonder where else I’ll spend money tomorrow.’
Humming to herself and contemplating her happy dilemma, Angelina headed home.
It was then that a gruff voice reached Angelina’s ears.
“Hey~ Why the hesitation? I said we’ll let you go if you just give us the money.”
‘Hmm?’
What is this, such a cheap dialogue that seems like it would appear in a third-rate drama?
Angelina stopped in her tracks and looked down the alley where the sound had come from.
Angelina paused and peered down the alley where the sound came from, shrouded in darkness where a hooded figure was surrounded by three rough-looking men, apparently engaged in some sort of altercation.
Seeing such a scene firsthand for the first time in her life, Angelina stood still, observing.
“I don’t want trouble, so if you’d kindly step aside when I ask nicely.”
‘Oh.’
The man spoke confidently despite being surrounded by the other men.
Angelina watched the situation unfold with keen interest, feeling as if she had stumbled upon an intriguing movie.
“This clueless young man has no idea what he’s getting into~”
“We don’t want any trouble either, so quietly hand over the money and leave, okay?”
‘Are they the local thugs?’
Angelina glanced at Harley, who immediately understood what she was curious about and leaned in slightly to whisper in Angelina’s ear.
“Judging by his shoulder tattoo, he seems to belong to a notorious local gang called the ‘Black Scorpions.'”
“Hmm.”
‘If Harley knows about it, then my brother must know too but he’s letting it slide…..’
Nobles often left local gang organizations untouched without necessarily taking action against them.
Darkness always existed wherever one went, so making efforts to eradicate them would only result in new individuals filling that void.
It often proved more helpful to leave those that were easier to control alone.
‘But no matter how you look at it, that man seems like an ordinary civilian?’
However, that only applied when civilians weren’t involved; if they were caught in the crossfire, they became targets for elimination.
Just as Angelina was planning to observe the situation a bit longer to gain more certainty, the man under the hood let out a short sigh.
“You’ve sealed your own fate.”
As he muttered those words, he slowly revealed a sword under his cloak.
“Ah.”
Seeing him slowly raising his hand to the sword hilt, Angelina let out a quiet sound.
Realizing she couldn’t just stand by and watch any longer, Angelina intervened.
“Wait a moment.”
Although she had planned to call for knights once she was certain, she couldn’t resist the urge to intervene in her haste. While watching fights could be entertaining, she knew it was troublesome for bloodshed to occur within her jurisdiction.
Her calm voice made the man who was about to draw his sword hesitate, and even the ruffians, who had been nonchalant at the sight of the sword, turned to look at her.
“That’s enough, don’t you think?” Angelina spoke calmly.
“What’s this girl doing now…”
Although they had initially been annoyed, they softened their tone slightly as they noticed Angelina and her retinue of maid and escort.
“You have no business here, so please don’t bother us and go on your way.”
Seeing Angelina’s entourage, they sensed that they shouldn’t mess with her lightly.
“If we leave quietly, this alley will be dyed with blood. How can we just leave like this?”
Angelina sighed as if she didn’t want to intervene herself.
“Earn your money and spend it yourself. Don’t steal from others.”
However, instead of calming down, the men raised their voices.
“Does this girl see us as thieves? That man stole our money first.”
“He’s a pickpocket, a pickpocket.”
“And as if that wasn’t enough, he came and hit my shoulder. I feel like my shoulder’s dislocated.”
The three of them seamlessly continued each other’s words like flowing water.
‘It’s not their first time doing this.’
Angelina inwardly clicked her tongue and turned her gaze towards the hooded man, but with his face obscured by the hood, she couldn’t gauge his reaction.
“So, you have nothing to say?”
It seemed unjust for her to be accused like this without any explanation, so she asked.
“If you’re asking for the truth, the one who initiated physical contact was on that side.”
His response was short and clear, devoid of any sense of injustice.
“Heh~ trying to shift the blame again?”
“If you return the stolen money, we’ll let you go, but he really doesn’t communicate well, does he?
Naturally, the three thugs grumbled.
Whether he was tired of their complaints or not, the man in the hood drew his sword.
The sword slightly emerged from the scabbard, showing a blade as sharp as a fingernail.
However, he did not completely draw the sword. He seemed to hesitate because Angelina was there.
‘If he continues like this, he’ll get cut.’
So Angelina couldn’t just stand by any longer. She stepped forward to intervene and sort out the situation.
“I’ll give you the money, so just go on your way.”
Even if the situation would be assessed later, but it seemed important to keep the thugs and the hooded man apart.
“Ha, do you have any idea how much money we lost?”
While the thugs spoke like that, they secretly hoped to see how much she would give.
Angelina held out her hand to Harley.
“Miss, don’t let them…….”
Although Harley protested, Angelina didn’t retract her hand. Instead, she gently patted Harley’s head.
“Hmph.”
Harley pouted her lips and retrieved the magic pouch she had kept close to her chest.
Taking it, Angelina looked back at the ruffians.
“Tell me. How much?”
“Ha, well, well, how much would a lady willing to help…”
Clatter.
A handful of gold coins scattered in front of them. Even just by sight, it seemed to be several tens of gold coins.
Thanks a lot for the chapters!❤️🔥