Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 42

[Translation By Divinity]

Damian, roughly understanding the situation, nodded.

“Hmm… I understand. Then please be sure to tell me the details later. For now, I’ll assume the target is unspecified and proceed with the protection.”

“Any other questions?”

“Can I kill them?”

Lilliana and Pascal flinched at the chilling question.

“The situation isn’t so dire that you’d need to kill…”

Lilliana said, but Pascal frowned.

“Killing them isn’t a problem, but there are some people who would be troublesome to deal with if they were actually killed…”

“I understand. Then, I’ll kill them if the situation calls for it.”

“No, I mean, the aftermath…”

“I’ll take care of that.”

It sounded like killing was the default, and keeping them alive was the alternative.

Damian had no qualms about burying someone without a trace. His nonchalant attitude sent chills down Pascal’s spine as she gulped.

“Th-then, do you have any other questions?”

“If you have nothing more to tell me, then no.”

Damian’s straightforward attitude made Lilliana ask suspiciously,

“Really? No more questions?”

“I’ve been paid enough for my silence. It’s only right to meet the client’s conditions.”

“You’re easy to talk to.”

Pascal seemed pleased with the deal and sipped the rest of her tea happily. Emptying her cup, she said in a bright voice,

“Then, let’s draw up a formal contract. I’ll send someone soon to prepare the necessary documents. It should take about two or three days. The contract will start from the moment it’s signed. You’ll have some time, so please make any necessary preparations during that time.”

“Understood.”

“Shall we go get your prosthetic arm fitted now?”

Damian checked his watch; it was barely 2 PM. He looked at Pascal.

“Now?”

“I told you to make the necessary preparations. We need to get the prosthetic ready by the contract date.”

She stood up excitedly. Lilliana also got up and followed Pascal, pushing Damian’s back. Lilliana said in an equally excited voice,

“You’re so lucky, Damian. You can finally get an Asher Olon prosthetic.”

“Well, I…”

“Let’s go, let’s go. Do you have any specifications in mind?”

“Well…”

He had accepted the job, but he was still a bit overwhelmed by the fact that he was getting an Asher Olon prosthetic. Damian was half-pushed by the two excited women and arrived at Asher Olon’s workshop.

☆

“I knew you’d be back. My prosthetics are the best, aren’t they?”

Damian felt a surge of irritation at Asher Olon’s arrogant attitude as soon as he recognized him. He was annoying, but Damian couldn’t argue with him.

‘But even so, his prices are outrageous!’

“So, what options do you want?”

At Asher’s question, Lilliana and Pascal spoke almost simultaneously.

“The best one.”

“The one with the best functionality, if possible.”

“And the budget?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Pascal’s words made Asher’s glasses gleam. Damian, thinking they were about to cause trouble, quickly spoke up.

“I don’t need any unnecessary features, just the basic internal electrode prosthetic. Isn’t that enough to move like a real arm?”

“That’s true, but wouldn’t it be more convenient than a real arm with various additional functions? By the way, what’s your occupation?”

“…Freelancer.”

“I’m a bodyguard.”

Lilliana quickly interjected while Damian was struggling to answer Asher’s question. Asher’s glasses gleamed even brighter at the word “bodyguard.”

“A bodyguard? A bodyguard, you say? A profession that requires physical activity?”

‘This doesn’t seem good.’ Those eyes were saying he was about to get ripped off. Damian quickly tried to clarify.

“I just need to be able to handle weapons.”

But his words only fueled Asher’s enthusiasm.

“Weapons? What kind of weapons? I can make the upper part of your arm open up and reveal a miniaturized, lightweight machine gun. How about that?”

“Oh, that’s cool. Damian, that sounds practical too…”

Damian, deciding he needed to deal with Pascal first, raised his hand and covered her mouth.

“Adding unnecessary options will only make the arm heavier. As the actual user, I know best, and Ms. Pascal, you don’t know much about weapons or my style, so please relax and let me think about it.”

Essentially told to shut up, Pascal looked dejected and started fiddling with the prosthetic samples on display.

Lilliana wondered if it was okay to treat their financier like that, but she understood Damian’s feelings and let it slide. However, knowing that Damian wasn’t the type to be greedy with someone else’s money, she decided to nudge him a little.

“Damian, let’s at least add one simple option. You might not use it now, but who knows what the future holds. It’s better to add it now than regret it later. I’m not saying you have to go for the most expensive option, but wouldn’t it be a shame to settle for the basic one just to save money? Something practical and within reason is fine.”

Damian seemed to understand Lilliana’s point. He looked through the catalog Asher had given him, contemplating his options and occasionally asking for Lilliana’s opinion.

Just brainstorming the basic framework took two hours. But that wasn’t the end. They had to take his measurements, choose the materials for the prosthetic, and even schedule the surgery to attach it.

When Damian had asked other prosthetic makers about the time frame, they had all said it would take about two months. But Asher, while measuring Damian’s arm length, said casually,

“Yeah, that’ll take about three weeks.”

Damian’s eyes widened, and Asher shrugged.

“I’m fast. Once the design is finalized, the actual production takes three to five days at most. If we proceed with the surgery right away, recovery will take about two weeks. Rehabilitation is separate, though… I’ll connect you with a hospital for the surgery, so don’t worry too much.”

Damian couldn’t help but think to himself,

‘Money is the best…’

Not all problems in the world could be solved with money, but it seemed like most of them could.

“Then I’ll contact you when the design is ready. Can I reach you at this number?”

Asher, his face beaming with satisfaction, took Damian’s contact information. And just as they were about to sign the contract and pay the deposit, Damian looked at Pascal with a dazed expression as she casually pulled out a blank check. ‘What on earth does she do to have so much money?’

Leaving the workshop with Asher’s courteous farewell, Damian was still in a daze. The sun was already setting outside. He followed the other two towards the tram stop and said,

“I’ll walk you back.”

Both Pascal and Lilliana waved their hands in refusal.

“No, it’s okay. I’m heading straight to the train station after dropping Lilliana off, as I need to go back to Kelta. You should go home and rest, Damian.”

“But…”

Damian hesitated, feeling indebted to them. Lilliana chuckled and said playfully,

“It’s okay. Sometimes you’re a bit too overprotective, Damian. That might be good in the future, but there’s no need to be like that now, right?”

Then she leaned towards Damian and whispered,

“And I need some free time before you officially start as my bodyguard. You understand what I mean, right?”

Damian sort of understood.

“Speaking of which, I won’t be in Nichio tomorrow either. If anything happens, leave a message at the hotel front desk. I’ll check it later.”

“Where are you going?”

“It’s personal business.”

Damian’s answer left Lilliana with no room for further questions, so she simply said okay.

* * *

TL/N: New cover is available on dicord (novel illustration channel). Do tell me what do you think? Is she Lintray or Lilliana?