Chapter 17

About fifteen minutes later.

The village market was packed, teeming with foot traffic and the chatter of bargaining voices.

Business was going very smoothly.

“Everyone, how about a basket of strawberries that’s great for your skin?”

First, Lycian worked the crowd with his face. Nine out of ten people passing by got hooked by his looks and wandered over as if bewitched.

On the makeshift stall sat a large basket filled with strawberries labeled ‘For Sale,’ and beside it, a smaller basket holding strawberries ‘For Tasting.’

“All right, one per person—give them a try!”

I handed out strawberries to the gathered crowd, one by one. A few people flinched when they noticed my hair color, but it stopped at mild surprise.

They were probably all thinking the same thing.

‘Why would that wicked woman of the Tierney family be in a market like this? Must just be someone with similar hair, that’s all.’

Luckily, not many people in a backwater town like this knew Muriel’s appearance in detail.

Even the name Muriel wasn’t widely known—people only remembered her vaguely as ‘that wicked woman of the Tierneys’ or ‘the lord’s evil wife.’

And it seemed the rumor that Muriel had been exiled to the polluted lands hadn’t spread very far yet.

“Wow, these strawberries are amazing.”

“They’re perfectly sweet and tart!”

“I’ve never tasted strawberries like this before!”

People who tried them widened their eyes, bursting into admiration.

I put on a smug expression, like I’d expected nothing less.

Of course.

I trusted the flavor of the strawberries I’d grown…!

Once they’d tasted these special strawberries, there was no way they’d just walk away!

“How much for a basket of strawberries?”

“Seven rubels~”

Rubels were a widely used currency across the Altera continent.

Seven rubels was roughly equivalent to about 9,000 won.

By Korean standards, it wasn’t outrageously expensive—but here…

“That’s kind of pricey.”

“Yeah….”

I’d expected reactions like that.

I cleared my throat and spoke up.

“If you buy strawberries now, you’ll get these fresh vegetables at half price!”

And one more thing.

“And if you buy two baskets of strawberries, you get one more basket free!”

That’s right—the most irresistible sales tactic known to mankind… buy two, get one free.

Even selling like this, I still came out ahead. Why?

Because it didn’t cost me fertilizer, time, or labor!

If you could even call it labor—planting seedlings and harvesting was all I did, and it wasn’t particularly hard. The time crops took to grow was shortened with farming skills.

There were no taxes or rent to pay, either. The polluted lands were ownerless.

And there was a reason I was dumping vegetables at a 50% discount.

‘There are way too many people selling vegetables!’

Apparently everyone had their own little garden—seasonal root vegetables were laid out everywhere.

Naturally, when too many people sell the same goods, competition gets fierce.

So your options boil down to two things: be more skilled, or sell cheaper.

“Well, it’s expensive… but it’s so good, it’s hard to just walk away.”

“I think buying one basket would be okay.”

“What should we do, dear? Should we just get one basket?”

That was when—pushing through the indecisive crowd—a burly middle-aged man thrust out a wad of money and shouted boldly,

“Boss! Two baskets of strawberries!”

“Thank you very much!”

I replied instantly, quickly packing three baskets of strawberries into a paper box and handing it to him.

Next, two large silver coins landed thump in my palm.

The fierce-looking man laughed heartily, clearly in a great mood.

“I’m forty, and my wife’s pregnant with a late child! Fruit’s good for pregnant women, right? Hope you sell lots, boss! Keep the change!”

His voice boomed so loudly it felt like it might rupture my eardrums.

Thanks to that, people who’d been about to pass by glanced over, curious. Perfect advertising.

I clasped my hands together, silently offering a prayer for the generous man and his wife.

‘Thank you, sir! And I hope your wife stays healthy!’

After that, business wrapped up in roaring success. You know that feeling—when you’re wavering over whether to buy something, and someone else confidently snatches it up first, making you think, ‘Wait…should I buy one too?’

Thanks to the man who broke the ice, people rushed to buy strawberries and vegetables alike. In less than an hour, the stall was completely bare.

Strawberries, vegetables—everything was sold out.

“Eighty… eighty-two… eighty-three….”

Right now, Lycian and I were counting the money.

I handled the rubels, while Lycian counted the smaller denomination, delins.

“All done. Total is 3,456 delins.”

“A-Already?”

I stared at him with wide eyes, shocked by the speed.

In front of him, bronze-colored coins were stacked neatly, like a small tower.

“Are you still counting, Muriel? Want some help?”

“No, I’ve got it.”

If someone jumped in while I was counting, I’d just get confused. I fixed my gaze and focused on the silver coins.

A moment later—

“Done!”

I neatly gathered the money on the stall and clapped—clap clap.

Altogether, 259 rubels and 56 delins.

With that much, I could buy everything I needed and still have some left over. A bountiful harvest!

“Did we make a lot of money, Master? Nini doesn’t really know how things work in the human world…”

The spirit poked her head out of my pocket, asking in a tiny voice.

Smiling, I gently patted the dewdrop rice cake.

“Yeah. We made quite a lot.”

“That’s wonderful! I’m so relieved!”

Ninabel really was a bit of an airhead with a serious affection deficit—but she had a kind heart. She was genuinely happy for me, like it was her own success.

“It’s already four. Let’s look around the market, grab some snacks, and find a place to stay before it gets late.”

“Sounds good. I was getting hungry anyway.”

“Pick whatever you want—I’ll buy it all!”

I shouted excitedly. Lycian let out a soft chuckle. The look he gave me was so gentle and warm it made my chest tickle.

I subtly avoided his gaze and started walking ahead—but didn’t get far before he caught me.

“You shouldn’t walk alone in a crowded place like this, Muriel.”

“…….”

He gently took my hand. …No—at some point, his fingers slipped between mine and laced them together, firm and sure.

Our fingers entwined tightly, palms pressed flush together. The contact felt strangely warmer than usual.

For some reason, I felt like running away.

But I couldn’t deny the fact that holding hands was safer.

So, sweating internally, I had no choice but to tour the market, pretending everything was normal.

“Freshly baked bread~! Just out of the oven, nice and warm!”

“Salt, pepper, spices, tea leaves for sale!”

“Take a look at today’s catch—fresh sea fish from dawn! Super fresh!”

The market was absolute chaos. Merchants shouted from every direction, making my ears ring and my head spin.

To pull off such a successful business in a place like this… was I more capable than I’d thought?

‘It’s not just luck… Muriel’s Luck stat is horrifyingly low, after all.’

But… thinking about it more carefully, that part raised even more questions.

Her luck was deeply in the negatives, yet since adapting to this world, had anything actually gone wrong…? It didn’t feel like it.

If anything, things had been going well.

‘Is this all thanks to the system god watching over me?’

I glanced casually at the empty air, half-expecting a message to pop up. As if on cue, a blue window appeared.

What the heck?

It was just an emoticon, with no explanation.

Come to think of it, whenever the system was too lazy to explain—or didn’t want to—it seemed to default to emoticons.

‘Shady little bastard….’

“Muriel, look over there.”

“…Yeah?”

Where Lycian tapped my shoulder and pointed was—of all things—a clothing shop.

In front of the old, worn-looking store, a wooden sign read: ‘Closing Sale! 80% Off!’

‘Figures….’

No wonder it was packed with customers.

“Shall we take a look? We could save some money.”

“Hmm… should we?”

And just like that, we headed straight for the shop—still holding hands tightly.

But to pick out clothes, we had to let go.

“Be careful,” he warned. “With this many people, accidents can happen.”

“Yeah, you too. Don’t stray from my side.”

“…Of course.”

I picked up an ivory-colored shirt that wouldn’t bleed in the wash and didn’t stain easily.

The fabric was decent, and judging by the size, it would suit Lycian well. The price was… one rubel. Wow—ridiculously cheap.

‘What a steal…!’

I quickly draped the shirt over my arm and eagerly browsed through more clothes.

‘These pants would look great on Lycian too!’

They were only three rubels. Practically free.

Buzzing with excitement, I picked out three more tops and two pairs of pants, stacking them neatly on my arm.

Then I turned to Lycian with a bright smile—

“…….”

“…….”

He was holding a dress, a blouse, a skirt, and a pair of pants—all things that looked suitable for me.

‘Wait….’

What even was this situation?

I let out a small, incredulous laugh.

“So you picked my clothes, and I picked yours? Neither of us chose anything for ourselves?”

Lycian laughed back, looking just as baffled.

“I’m always thinking about you, Muriel.”

“…….”

Which, put another way, meant I was always thinking about him—

“…If you’re done picking, let’s just hurry up and pay!”

Forgetting our promise to stay together, I dashed straight for the counter.

Lycian’s cheerful laughter trailed after me like a tail.