Chapter 40: CH. 40 | A New Arrangement of Debt

The three men glanced at each other, and one of them turned back to look at Theo. He agreed to Theo’s proposal to discuss the debt properly.

Theo could have simply attacked and overpowered them, but that would’ve made him the criminal here, and he worried it could backfire on Aya even worse. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

That was exactly why he offered this alternative, to settle the mess Aya was caught in without making himself look like a criminal in the process.

Theo turned and asked Aya to come along with him, while Thalia and Lily were sent off to buy bread for their lunch.

Aya, still visibly frightened, didn’t seem to have any other choice. She agreed with Theo and walked alongside him. Meanwhile, Thalia and Lily went off to carry out Theo’s request.

They agreed to meet back in front of the guild once everything was settled. Thalia agreed without much pushback.

Theo led the men to a tavern near the guild to talk things through, of course treating them to drinks along the way.

That could leave them with a good impression, and there was a decent chance it might make them more receptive to whatever Theo proposed.

They sat down at a table in the tavern. The three men ordered beer, while Theo and Aya stuck to soda.

The conversation continued, with Theo positioning himself as Aya’s representative in the discussion.

"Tell me... what’s the total debt her father owes you?"

"He owes us thirty eight silver and seventy eight copper."

"If we convert that all to copper, that’s 3,878 copper. Am I right?" Theo asked.

"We only accept payment in silver for the larger sums and copper for the smaller ones," the man answered.

"All right... understood."

Before long, their drinks arrived, and the three men drank right away. Theo did the same, but Aya didn’t touch hers.

He glanced at her expression, it was clear the three men had put a fair amount of mental strain on her.

"We just finished a guild mission and we’re genuinely exhausted," Theo explained, "I just want to be upfront with you, we don’t have that kind of money. She doesn’t have it."

One of the men listened to Theo, then flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table hard enough to draw the attention of everyone around them. Aya flinched instinctively, covering both ears in fear.

"Do you have any idea what you just said?!" the man snapped.

"I do," Theo answered, "Here’s what I propose, I’ll pay one silver right now."

"But I want an extension on the debt’s repayment term, given the one who actually owes the money is her father, not her."

"Do I need to take this up with your boss instead?" Theo asked.

One of the men turned and looked directly at Theo, "I’m the boss!"

"Is that so? Great, then this should be easier."

"Aya’s officially a member of my party now, which effectively means she already has a steady job," Theo answered, "That’s exactly why I’m requesting an extension on the debt’s repayment term."

He held his hand out to Theo, demanding the one silver Theo had promised as the first payment toward Aya’s debt. Theo reached into his inventory bag and handed it over to the man.

"Her debt now sits at 3,778 remaining," the man said.

"I’m proposing a payment of two silver every month to pay off the debt. At that rate, her father’s entire debt would be settled within two years," Theo answered.

"What do you all think?" Theo asked again, making sure, "That’s still a solid deal for you, isn’t it?"

The three burly men exchanged glances again, and a few of them responded with nods. Their boss agreed to Theo’s proposal, and he even decided this month’s payment could stay at just one silver, with Aya required to pay two silver starting next month.

Theo gave a small, relieved smile, glad the whole thing had worked out. He also asked them a favor regarding Aya’s father. Theo requested that if the man ever tried to borrow money from them again, they should simply refuse him.

And even if he did somehow rack up more debt, Theo asked them not to come after Aya for it.

"We won’t lend that coward another copper!" the man declared, "I’ll spread the word to everyone I know about him."

Once their drinks were finished, the men left the tavern. Theo let out a breath of relief, occasionally sighing quietly as he leaned back against his chair.

"T-Thank you, Theo."

"What actually happened with your father?" Theo asked, glancing over at Aya.

"That’s... he’s always had a serious problem with gambling. His whole life has revolved around it, he never hesitated to blow his entire paycheck on it."

"I’m fairly certain that’s the exact reason he ended up in debt to them," Aya answered.

"They said they couldn’t track down your father anywhere. So where did he actually go?" Theo asked.

Aya shook her head in response. She explained that she had no idea where her father had gone, since he never left behind a letter or any kind of message, he’d simply vanished one night and never came back.

Theo nodded. There wasn’t much he could do about Aya’s father, but at least he could help her now with the debt itself.

Two hundred copper, or two silver, was well within Aya’s reach if she stayed diligent about running guild missions.

"I’ll help you pay off your debt. You just need to save up a hundred copper yourself, since I’ll cover the rest," Theo answered, "Once we level up and our adventurer status rises, we’ll be able to take on higher rank missions with better pay, of course."

"That’ll work in our favor."

Aya looked visibly stunned, then bowed her head toward Theo, thanking him. She even said she had no idea how she’d ever repay his kindness.

Theo nodded in acknowledgment. As party leader, he was responsible for looking after his members no matter what happened.

He wasn’t helping Aya out of pity, he was worried this problem would end up dragging her down and disrupting her focus in the party.

"The only way you can actually repay any of this is by staying loyal to me and training hard enough to level up."

"I’d say that’s a lot easier than paying off a debt, don’t you think?"

Aya smiled, lifting her head again and wiping away her tears. She explained and swore in front of Theo that she’d remain loyal to his party, and that she’d show real growth to help him in return.

With their conversation settled, Theo and Aya left the tavern behind. He spotted Thalia and Lily already waiting in front of the guild, Lily holding a bag of warm bread for everyone.

Thalia saw Theo and immediately asked how the discussion had gone. Theo gave her a light smile, while Aya ran over to Lily and pulled her into a hug.

"Did it end badly?" Thalia asked.

"No," Theo answered, "I set up a new repayment arrangement for the debt. We’re going to help her pay it off."

"To pay off a debt, we’re going to need money."

"Wait! Does that mean...?"

Theo nodded, both arms crossed in front of his chest, "We’re going to be running a lot of guild missions."