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Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: "You Said Anything Goes, Right?"

Re-written date: 7 / 2 / 2025

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Chapter 15: "You Said Anything Goes, Right?"

As Edward opened the door to the detention room, a rush of cold air and gloomy pressure poured out.

And there she was—lying limp on a straw mat, completely motionless.

Her red-and-black mage robes were dust-covered and travel-worn, her face hidden under the brim of her pointed hat. It had been years since Edward last saw this old friend, and to his surprise, she hadn't changed one bit.

"Yo. Long time no see, Helena," he called out.

At the sound of his voice, the dead-fish-like girl twitched.

Using her tightly gripped staff as support, she slowly pushed herself upright and stood with exaggerated flair.

"Hahaha... long time no see, my comrade and eternal rival—Edward! To think your powers have continued to grow even after being stripped of the Black Star of the Spire! Truly, it excites me to the core. Is this... the resonance of twin stars?!"

Listening to Helena's delusional monologue, Winry tilted her head and whispered behind Edward.

"What... is she even saying?"

"Mm, you can just interpret it as, 'Long time no see, you bastard. I can't believe you ended up more successful than me.'"

Winry gave a knowing nod. "Ah, makes sense now."

From a short distance away, Helena suddenly shouted, "I-It's not like that at all! I'm not jealous that you get to inherit your family estate just because you couldn't be a mage! And I'm definitely not jealous that your magic keeps getting stronger even after leaving the Tower!"

"..."

With a twitch of the brow and a weary smile, Edward realized—yep, she's still the same.

"So, how'd you even make it here? In your condition, I'm guessing you couldn't afford a teleport circle anymore, right?"

At that, Helena—who had just moments ago been sulking over the injustice of life—suddenly puffed up her chest with pride.

"Fufufu~ Bet you didn't expect this one! Though I thought my journey would end in ruin after losing my coin pouch, fate smiled upon me. A kind stranger reached out with a helping hand, and thus, I have arrived at my ally's side once more. Destiny, I say!"

Winry blinked. "Wait, what?"

Edward sighed. "Translation: she lost her wallet and nearly got lost on the way here, but someone helped her out and she managed to make it."

"Oh."

"And for the record, there was barely any money in that wallet to begin with. Honestly, I'm surprised she even made it to the southern territory at all."

Helena's face flushed red. For a long moment, she opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, then gave up on saving face and collapsed in defeat.

"Sigh... Anyway, Edward, I haven't eaten in three days. Before we talk about this so-called job interview, can I please get something to eat...?"

. . . .

Durin Castle – Dining Hall

Helena was currently devouring her food like a starved beast, chewing with such intensity she looked ready to bite into the plate itself.

Only after licking the dish clean did she finally let out a deep breath and speak up.

"So, Edward, in that letter you sent, you said you had a job for me. But you still haven't told me what it actually is! Just so you know, I sold off everything I owned to leave the Mage Tower. If this isn't some five-gold-coins-a-month gig, I'm camping in your castle permanently!"

"Don't worry, I can cover five gold coins. But seriously, five coins is all it takes to satisfy you? Weren't you in massive four-digit debt to that item shop in the capital?"

Helena beamed with a radiant smile and shook her head proudly.Edward! I've surpassed such petty numbers! I've racked up five-digit debt now! Part of 

"Hahaha, what are you talking about? Four-digit debt? Don't underestimate me, the reason I left the Tower was to evade my creditors!"

"You WHAT?! Five digits?!"

Edward's voice echoed through the castle halls.

Seeing Edward frozen like he'd just been slapped with a sack of gold coins, Helena, still nibbling on her meal, suddenly adopted a heartbroken expression—tears nearly welling in her eyes as she began her tragic tale.

"I didn't have a choice, okay?! After you got kicked out of the Mage Tower, I had nowhere left to freeload meals from! That's when someone came along and told me about 'small personal loans'—said the interest wasn't too bad... so I agreed. But I didn't know—"

"Didn't know what?"

"I didn't know magic crystal packs were so addictively exciting! After borrowing a little money, I thought, 'why not?'—and opened twenty packs in a row! But that cursed item shop was a scam! Out of all twenty, not a single one contains a high-grade magic crystal! All of them were worthless second-rate rejects! And each pack was one hundred gold coins!!"

Edward's brow twitched. "Okay... even at a hundred a pack, twenty packs is just two thousand gold coins. That's bad, but not five-digit debt level."

Helena scowled as if recalling a mortal betrayal.

"Yes, but then I got mad at that stingy store clerk! I thought if I could just pull a dozen top-tier crystals in one go, I could bankrupt his entire shop out of spite! So I kept going... and going... until I'd opened eighty-eight packs. That's when I hit my loan limit and realized I'd racked up five digits of debt— So see? It's not my fault!!"

"GET OUT OF MY CASTLE!!"

"NOOO! PLEASE DON'T!! I'm already at the edge of academic expulsion this year! I can only use fire magic, I can't master any other elements, and I can't get a proper job to pay my debt! All the shops in the capital have blacklisted me! If I go back now, I'll probably end up in court!"

"And how is that my problem?! I can't afford to feed someone with that kind of debt hanging over her head! What if the Imperial Knights come knocking on my door next?!"

Panicking, Helena suddenly changed tactics.

"You're a noble, aren't you?! A baron! Baron Durin! Please don't abandon me! I don't even want the five gold coins anymore! If you just give me a place to eat and wash up— I won't ask for a single coin! Just take me in and promise you won't report me to the knights! I'll do anything you ask!"

"Anything?" Edward's tone changed.

The cold refusal in his eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by the sly smile of a wolf spotting cornered prey. Helena, still frantically trying to negotiate, felt a chill creep down her spine.

She instinctively crossed her arms over her flat chest and took a step back, muttering warily, "W-Wait, Edward— you're not that kind of guy, right...?"

"Oh? And what kind of guy do you think I am? Anyway, you did say you'd do anything… So in that case—"

Completely ignoring her trembling protest, Edward turned toward Winry, who was standing behind him with a very complicated expression on her face.

"Winry. That outfit I asked you to prepare... it's ready, right? Go bring it here. She's going to change into it."

"???!!!" Helena froze, eyes wide, already regretting her words.

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