Chapter 6

　　He tried to wrench his arms free a few more times, but she refused to yield. Finally, unable to escape, he seemed to accept his defeat, letting all the tension drain from his arms. The gaze he leveled at her was unnervingly clear. There was no surprise, no bewilderment, and certainly no guilt. Only a profound calm.

　　“You’re not letting go?” he asked.

　　“Of course not!”

　　“Why?”

　　What is wrong with this person? “Put yourself in my shoes. If I had attacked you, would you let me go?”

　　“I would have to kill you,” he replied without a flicker of hesitation.

　　Elena was rendered speechless by his merciless answer. His actions were uninhibited, and his thoughts, it seemed, were even more so.

　　“You’d kill me for that?”

　　“You said you attacked me.”

　　“So you’d kill anyone who attacks you?”

　　“I would have to.”

　　She stared at him, dumbfounded. Even if he truly believed that, this was hardly the time to say it, considering what he himself had just done. Don’t tell me he’s asking me to kill him. For a wild second, Elena seriously considered granting his wish.

　　“…You really need to cultivate some mercy,” she finally managed. Fortunately for him, she wasn’t senseless enough to indulge his bizarre death wish.

　　“Mercy?” he repeated, his tone making it clear he didn’t understand why such a thing would be necessary.

　　But he was the senseless one.

　　“How long are you going to be so rude?” she demanded.

　　“Rude?”

　　Did he not even know which part of his behavior was offensive? “You trespassed on my property!”

　　“Trespassed?”

　　Did he not know what the word meant? Or did he think the entire world was his property? His brazen questions fanned the flames of her frustration.

　　“This is my house! And on top of that, you attacked me!”

　　“I did something wrong?”

　　His utter bewilderment was enough to make her clutch her head in despair. She had thought he was just handsome and dangerous, but it turned out he was utterly devoid of common sense.

　　“Of course you did something wrong! You barged into my house without permission and crushed my food supply!” she yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at the ruined cherry tomatoes and arugula. Seeing that he no longer seemed intent on attacking, she released his hands.

　　He glanced down at the mess by his feet. “That’s food?”

　　“Can’t you tell by looking?!”

　　At her shout, the man flinched. An expression of what looked like genuine pity flickered across his face.

　　Unbelievable. He’s unfazed by attacking me, but he feels sorry for some crushed vegetables? Her pride stung at being valued less than a plant, and she was about to retort when…

　　Growl.

　　A loud noise erupted from the man’s stomach. A rumble that loud should have been embarrassing, but his expression remained blank.

　　“Can I eat it?” he asked.

　　She couldn’t fathom how he could ask such a question in this situation.

　　“Look here,” she started, exasperated.

　　“I can’t eat it?” He asked with such baffling confidence that she almost felt compelled to agree. But Elena was not about to give in to a home invader’s demands.

　　“Of course not!”

　　Growl.

　　The moment she refused, his stomach protested even louder. He merely adopted an air of ‘what can you do?’ His face was so impassive, it was hard to tell if he was even hungry. That sound is thunderous, it’s hard to ignore, but…

　　No. She wouldn’t be swayed. This man was a lawless brute who had invaded her home without a word of apology. He deserved no consideration. Besides, Elena was a merchant. While she had no grand ambitions for wealth, she would never operate at a loss.

　　“You should be thinking about compensating me for the damages,” she said, her voice crisp.

　　“Compensation?”

　　Had he truly never been asked to pay for his actions before?

　　“Yes. You’ve ruined my vegetable patch. I’ll forgive the trespassing, but you will compensate me for the garden.”

　　“How?”

　　“Give me money.” The man looked wealthy, so she had no qualms about demanding cash.

　　“I don’t have any,” he stated, his tone shockingly matter-of-fact.

　　“You really don’t?”

　　He gave a slow nod. Dressed in an expensive coat adorned with gold buttons, he didn’t even bother to check his pockets. She didn’t believe him for a second.

　　So it’s true what they say about the rich being the worst! At first, she’d thought a little compensation would be nice. The vegetables weren’t for sale, so the loss wasn’t catastrophic. But the man’s staggering shamelessness ignited a stubborn spark in her.

　　“Fine. Then give me the buttons from your sleeve.”

　　“These?” he asked, holding up his arm. The intricately crafted buttons were solid gold, valuable in their own right.

　　“Yes.”

　　Elena knew she was pushing it. She expected him to feign ignorance again or perhaps begrudgingly pull some coins from a hidden pocket.

　　Plink!

　　Instead, he gripped both buttons on his sleeve and tore them off in one clean motion. He held his hand out to her.

　　“Here,” he said, his face a perfect mask of indifference.

　　“You’re… giving them to me?”

　　He nodded. There were not one, but two buttons in his palm.

　　“You’re really giving me both?”

　　“You asked for them.”

　　“Do you just give people whatever they ask for?”

　　“You said I had to compensate you.”

　　His expression was utterly vacant. Elena shot him a wary glance before plucking one of the buttons from his hand. Up close, the craftsmanship was exquisite. The cost to make this must have been considerable. The button was likely worth far more than she’d anticipated.

　　She studied him again. He showed no sign of regret. And then, it clicked. When she first saw him, she’d mistaken his behavior for the arrogance of a nobleman. His unapologetic trespassing, his lack of remorse—it all fit. But this last act clarified everything. The man wasn’t arrogant; he was utterly clueless about the ways of the world.

　　Sensing an opportunity, Elena’s heart began to race. He’s a fool! The thought was so thrilling her heart felt like it might burst. No, calm down. She reined in her excitement. She was a merchant, not a swindler.

　　“How much change should I give you?” she asked.

　　“Give me change?” he repeated. Was this the confidence of a man who had never received change in his life? He seemed to have no intention of taking any. Impressive. Elena found herself admiring the sheer scale of his cluelessness. A proper sucker shouldn’t care about money like that.

　　Still, she couldn’t just take it all. A merchant with a conscience, she composed herself and did the math. “One gold button is far too much for the damaged vegetables. We need to be precise. And I’ll also be taking compensation for the emotional distress caused by your trespassing.”

　　The man had invaded private property. A woman’s home, at that! She could have reported him to the guards if the village had any. In any case, she tallied up his transgressions to reduce the amount she owed him. Now she just had to give him the change, but something still felt off, like she was forgetting something…

　　“Right! There was also the surprise attack, wasn’t there?” Elena exclaimed.

　　The man flinched. It seemed he was finally realizing that, by his own cold logic, he should be dead.

　　“Twice, if I recall correctly,” she added, her eyes narrowing. His shoulders twitched again. So, he wasn’t completely oblivious to his crimes after all. “Since I’m merciful, I won’t kill you. I’ll take this as payment instead. This button settles everything. If you have any conscience, you won’t ask for change, will you?”

　　The man stared at her for a long moment before nodding.

　　He’s the perfect patsy, she thought, feeling a pang of regret for the other button but sticking to her decision not to be a complete swindler. Still, that nagging feeling persisted… Ah, right! That!

　　“Come to think of it…” she began slowly.

　　He looked at her, his expression clearly asking, what now?

　　“That attack earlier was quite ruthless, wasn’t it?”

　　“We already settled that,” he countered, pointing a finger at the button in her hand. He’s a fool, but one who was learning to argue back.

　　“That’s right,” she agreed smoothly. “The part about me being attacked is settled.” His gaze was a silent question. “But if I hadn’t blocked you, the situation would be very different, wouldn’t it? If it had been anyone else, they would have been seriously injured.”

　　He remained silent, a tacit agreement. His attack had been that vicious. Anyone else in this village might have had their throat pierced.

　　“So, you were about to commit a heinous crime,” she pressed on, her voice low and steady, “and I stopped you.”

　　She stared at him intently. He stared back. Then, slowly, he held out the remaining button in his hand. Elena snatched it.

　　“We’ll call this payment for preventing you from becoming a criminal. Imagine that, being thrown in prison, punished… it would have been dreadful, wouldn’t it?”

　　He said nothing.

　　“Ahem. Our calculations are perfectly settled,” she declared with a bright smile, pointing toward the door. “Now, please leave my house.”

　　Growl.

　　Just as she was about to send him on his way, his gold buttons secured in her hand, his stomach let out another thunderous roar.