Lucius sat at his couch in the drawing room, still stomaching everything that has happened so far.
He was out of his world and had been transmigrated in the world of his favorite novel. But no, who would be happy that you had been transmigrated in the body of a man… who is on the edge of being bankrupt!?
Lucius didn't care that he was a minor antagonist, no— he was thinking about how he was going to survive in a new world as being poor again. He had enough of his old life already.
Though, earning money could be a bit easier for him as he had modern knowledge… But the system had other plans entirely.
He should have been relieved. Happy, even. Transmigrated into his favorite novel — wasn't that every reader's dream?
Except nobody mentioned the part where you land in a bankrupt minor villain's body with twelve months to save the world.
Because of Lucius' acts, they were on the verge of bankruptcy! Curse that man!
But at this point, he was cursing at himself.
"Merlyn Hart…"
Wait, Merlyn Hart… The protagonist of [Ousting the Demon King]! Of course— if he really is in the same world as him, he had to see him.
But where could he be at this time? He's never in the perspective of the others, only the protagonist.
How could he find him?
Now's not the time to think about it though, Merlyn was not coming here yet. Not right now.
His problem is money and apparently saving the world from ending when it's supposed to be the main character's objective, not him.
"I really need money…" he muttered, fingers drumming once against his knee. And fortunately for him, he knew exactly where to start.
Lucius suddenly had an idea as he came out of the drawing room and wandered around the unfamiliar mansion that seemed too extravagant for Lucius— from the ceilings and to the furniture.
"Astor!"
"Young master!" Astor immediately ran to Lucius, still keeping his professionalism.
Lucius halted when the butler stopped in front of him as he was almost out of breath, he gestured to the front door of their mansion.
"Can I go outside?"
Astor's eyes widened as he shook his head. "I don't think that's possible, young master."
"Master had specifically commanded me that I make sure you won't step a foot outside of the house until your injury is healed." he added in his usual polite tone, making Lucius annoyed.
Lucius couldn't just stay here and wait for the world to end because of war and poverty — he was not living a poor life again! That's his oath to himself.
He reached up to touch his bandaged head, "When is this going to even recover?"
"The physician had said that it would take three months to heal as it is not that serious when you… fell from the second floor."
Three months? What a joke! Lucius has no time to play house with his parents and this butler… He's in need of money before he dies again.
"Where's Father? Can I talk to him?"
"I was just about to call you for breakfast, young master — the Viscount and the Viscountess had been waiting for you."
"Is that so?"
Lucius nodded slowly as he followed Astor all the way to the dining room to meet his parents.
***
When Lucius had arrived at the dining room, he was greeted by his father laughing and chattering away while his mother nodded and chatted with him happily.
They looked so happy with each other, a perfect match.
His eyes swept over the table — laden with the kind of scrumptious food he had only ever seen in period dramas, now it was reality.
But Lucius had no appetite right now, he was way too busy thinking about money.
Heck, if he had his phone right now, he would search for tips on how to get money fast in this fantasy world!
"Son, why aren't you touching your food?"
"I'm just… not hungry."
Gertrude and Lawrence just stared at Lucius, as if he had said something wrong about the food and shattered the bright moment they were having.
"Oh dear, are you sick again? Astor, call the physician!" Gertrude wailed.
"It's surprising that you aren't touching the food and remarking that… it tasted inadequate," Lawrence stroked his own beard as he thought deeply to himself.
"My love, he really hit his head. Summon the physician, Astor."
"Hold on, wait! I… didn't, okay?"
Lucius instantly stopped the commotion before it could escalate and looked at both of his parents seriously, a kind of look that Gertrude and Lawrence had never seen before on the face of their beloved son.
"Astor can accompany me outside so I won't do anything that can possibly harm me," Lucius attempted to convince his parents.
The pair shared a look, understanding passing through their gazes then after a beat of comfortable silence — Lawrence turned his head to Lucius in surrender.
"You may, but you cannot do anything that can get you into trouble and especially danger."
Lucius' eyes sparkled as he nodded, "Yeah! I won't, I promise–"
He grabbed a leg of the turkey and took a huge bite that made his parents flinch from their seats, but Lucius had no time to care about their reaction.
Before Lucius stood up from his seat and took an apple from the silver plate, he decided to ask the Viscount first.
"Father, are we truly bankrupt?"
That question alone was enough for Lawrence to choke on his own meal as Gertrude flinched and moved to pat his back.
"Gods! Are you alright, my love?"
Lawrence nodded as he took a clean napkin from the table and gently wiped his lips with it.
"How do you know about that?"
"I just figured."
"Oh."
Lawrence was perplexed by Lucius' attitude, something was different about his son ever since he had woken up… Could it be that their son had been secretly a genius?
That thought made him tear up on the spot as Gertrude gasped, "Dear! Are you well?!"
"I'm… quite alright," Lawrence composed himself despite the tears of happiness streaming down his face.
He knew that spoiling Lucius would make him smart, he was proud of his parenting skills.
"I knew… that Lucius just has to get hit in the head— and he's no longer the brat I raised," he sniffled dramatically and Gertrude followed.
The entire thing was like a family melodrama in the dining room and Lucius looked like he had just been forced to act on it, which he definitely is.
"It seems like… the accident is a miracle!" Gertrude wept along with her husband at the dining room as Lucius finally stood up, carrying a piece of apple with him after finishing the turkey leg and left the pair crying together.
"We should've gotten Lucius' brothers hit their heads as well before they had decided to leave us…!"
Lucius looked at Astor who was waiting at the doorway.
"Young master, are you ready to depart?"
"Yes."
Lucius took another glance at the hallway leading to the dining room. He had forgotten to ask where he could borrow some money to create his business idea, but… his parents were in no state of speaking and thinking properly.
Did they really spoil the old Lucius that much and were proud that someone from the modern world possessed this body?
What kind of parenting did they learn?
***
The outside wasn't that bad actually, the same thing that was described in the [Ousting the Demon King] novel.
How was it described again? Lucius thought as he deeply observed his lively surroundings of the town he now resided in while Astor trailed behind him like a second shadow.
Right, the town Cinderspine of Saënsburgh — an independent and anti-magic bustling haven with some people who are welcoming and gruff at the newcomers of town.
High, sturdy cobblestone walls encircled the town, but they felt less like a fortress for others and perceived it as nothing but protection for the civilians from any danger outside.
For Lucius, it felt like… a bit shabby for a town like this to be surrounded with cobblestone walls that Lucius interpreted as jail bars.
Before Lucius could get lost at the aesthetic of the town, he remembered his plan.
"Astor, where can I get a map?" Lucius asked, stopping at the nearby wooden bulletin board where some merchants and civilians were looking at the posters up today.
"A map? Please let me get it for you," Astor reached for his inner waistcoat and pulled out a neatly folded map that was worn and looked outdated in Lucius' modern times.
Lucius raised a brow in confusion and surprise, "...Do you always carry this?"
"Don't ask questions, young master."
"...Got it."
Lucius shrugged as he opened a map and took a look at the contents that were drawn and labelled by hand. If this was in Lucius' world, it would've been a printed copy instead of handwritten.
The map of Astravore. Three continents stared back at him — Mystspire to the north, Brightwyrd in the middle, and Saënsburgh where he currently stood, at the very bottom of the world.
If Lucius could still remember it right, Mystspire is filled with magic and more advanced than Brightwyrd and Saënsburgh — that's his target location, but for now… he has no money to even afford a transport.
Lucius was in a nation where magic is almost non-existent due to the Saënburgh's peoples' beliefs and unwelcoming minds, but dangerous creatures still exist even without magic.
Definitely outside of town, there were dangerous creatures roaming around, it would not be safe to go outside without someone who knows about fighting monsters a thing or two.
Since adventurers exist in the novel, there's definitely an Adventurers' Guild in this world and town. He could hire someone for now.
"There's an Adventurers' guild here, right?"
"Yes, young master. Why do you ask?"
Before Lucius could respond, a little girl who looked disheveled and dressed in rags bumped onto Lucius' leg.
Lucius looked down. "What the?"
The little girl just stared at him with those yellow wide eyes, her light shade of pink hair sticking up into messy directions. Who is this girl?
She looked vaguely familiar, but couldn't quite put his finger on who she was.
When Lucius was about to ask, the little girl's stomach grumbled in hunger and Lucius just stared at the kid.
"Are you hungry?" Lucius took out the apple he had saved for himself and when he offered it, the little girl snatched it and ran away without even saying anything.
"Without a 'thank you' too…" he muttered, scratching the back of his head while Astor eyed him curiously.
"You never offer things to people, especially if they're commoners."
"Time to make a change."
Lucius didn't even want to pretend that he didn't change, he did not want to be a dumb spoiled rotten man who died a ridiculous death — he was going to avoid that fate no matter what and get his money. Saving the world too, apparently, even if it was not his job.
Astor just said nothing, just nodded like a loyal attendant he is as they continued walking around the town.
Lucius observed the people in the market, sellers who were making more money and those who were not. He needed to be strategic if he wants money that badly.
He stopped on his tracks as he saw a thief on low profile, stealing the merchant's pouch filled with gold coins.
Money. That's what came into his mind.
"Astor, there's a thief,"
He didn't wait for Astor to respond as he immediately went after the running man with the pouch, hell, he didn't even shout anything and just chased after the man.
A noble man chasing after a commoner, the irony was too much.
The thief thought no one was following him until he turned his head around and saw the infamous Von Hastings heir chasing him.
"W-what?!" he stammered as he forced his legs to run even more quickly though he knew he would tire easily — but Lucius… Lucius' stamina was something else entirely!
Running is just nothing to Lucius, especially back in his original world, he had been running back to back tirelessly and built an incredible stamina from his odd jobs.
When the thief turned to the alleyway and hit a dead end, he was surrounded by Lucius and his old butler.
"Hand it over," Lucius demanded, his ruby eyes staring right through his soul like it could stab daggers into him.
"N-no!!" he refused, shaking his head as he held the pouch into his chest like a lifeline.
Lucius just became annoyed as he reached his hand out to the thief, "Hand that over before I decide on calling the knights on you."
Those words completely made the man freeze on the spot and stared at Lucius, before surrendering and handing the pouch to him with trembling hands.
"P-please! I beg you, don't… don't tell the guards!"
"I won't." Lucius clutched the pouch in his hand, checking the coins inside but he didn't take anything… just yet.
"I hope I won't catch you stealing again, get a job."
'I gotta give this back to that poor merchant so I could build up my reputation for the business' he thought to himself before leaving the alleyway and the trembling thief.
When they returned to the center of the market, Lucius approached the panicking merchant as he searched for his pouch everywhere.
"You dropped this," Lucius handed it to the merchant as he flinched in surprise.
He stared at Lucius for a bit then down at the pouch filled with gold coins, "T-thank you…"
"Welcome." Lucius nodded with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes as he just stood there, as if waiting. The merchant immediately caught on and took some gold from his own pouch.
"Here's… the compensation —"
"Sweet, thanks." Lucius left without saying another word while Astor just trailed behind him who was still processing the new Lucius in front of him.
"I just hit a damn jackpot…!" Lucius laughed internally as he pocketed the gold coins he had got from the merchant, then he instantly halted.
Wait, if thieves kept stealing gold coins… He could come up with something interesting, something out of this world business.
It doesn't hurt to build a modern business in another world now, right? Besides, who studied accountancy for years just to die?
"Young master?"
"I just had an idea," Lucius clasped both of his own hands together as he looked back at Astor with that greedy and all-knowing grin that somehow looked both foreign and fitting on the young master's face.
"I'm going to create my own ATM business."