'What is she talking about...?'
Cha Hee-ra's expression showed that she found my proposal amusing. The hunger in her gaze seemed to reinvigorate itself.
"No one has ever spoken to me so openly like this... Are you really that confident? To be honest, your appearance is just my type... I like snakes a little. I like the calculating look in your eyes. It might not look that good-looking to a lot of people, but it looks attractive to me."
"That..."
"However, it doesn't mean that my desire to buy you has disappeared. Still, I think I should try and see if you can be a product I can trust and use... What do you think?"
With her legs crossed, she calmly and invitingly patted the empty space on the bed next to her. Only then did I find out what she meant for me to do.
My face turned red in an instant.
'What...'
Was she really going to go about the matter at hand in this manner? I knew it would be a mistake to think of her as a dumb woman, but I honestly didn't expect her to make this kind of offer.
'Is she really not taking this seriously?'
She probably was.
I brought my hands up as a sign of deference, "I didn't mean it that way."
"Then what did you mean by that?"
"That's..."
"Kiyoung Lee, my investment in you is the only story I was willing to hear when you came to our guild. Of course, if you came with your lovely lover, then I wouldn't mind. However, even if you come alone, I'm willing to accept you into my guild. I don't think you're very talented, but... I'm not very negative about alchemy. I don't think it's bad to have a good relationship."
"Ah."
"But it's ridiculous to ask for this investment even after you move to another guild. That's not my role. It's your guild's job. Would you invest in someone who will give you nothing? Rather, it seems like a more profitable business to give money in exchange for playing with you in bed several times a month. You give me service, and I can compensate you for it. Do you understand?"
'Damn.'
The facts that had come up hit too hard.
In other words, Cha Hee-ra was basically saying that she'd rather invest in my body than in my own personal growth. Honestly speaking, though, it didn't seem like such a bad proposal.
I didn't know if she was acting or not, but she seemed to want me as of the moment. Of course, I had to consider the fact that she thought of me as a toy, not as a person.
I hated myself for my pride – and most importantly – for debating whether or not it would be better for me to simply be her pet, following her every beck and call.
Nevertheless...
'I can't.'
I couldn't simply devalue my worth in that manner. Once Cha Hee-ra is tired of me in bed, she'd get tired of me as an investment, too.
I didn't want anything like that.
"Of course I can understand, Cha Hee-ra. I am not asking you to be a personal sponsor. I'm asking for you to be the sponsor of our party, which was the first to finish this tutorial. Kim Hyunsung and Jung Hayan will surely grow. One of them may grow up to be the strongest within the continent."
"So?"
"W-What?"
"So what? Whether they grow up or not, it has nothing to do with me. I'm already one of the strongest this continent can count on. Our guild's members are also superior to most. Although we lack wizards, it is easy to dazzle some with the amount of gold we have. The Red Mercenary is the type of guild who doesn't lack the financial means to do so. Even if Jung Hayan grows, it will take at least three years before then. Why would I be sponsoring you for that long a time?"
