NOVPUB
Chapter 44: 011: Greed and Non-greed
Graham stepped into Lynch’s stone hut.
For someone who had grown up in a privileged environment, this was the first time he had entered such a humble place. When he walked in, he even seemed a bit reserved, hunched his shoulders slightly, and barely touched his toes to the ground.
Faced with the chair Lynch handed over, Graham hesitated for a moment, but thinking of his current predicament, he gritted his teeth and sat down.
Lynch asked, "Would you like some water?"
Graham quickly waved his hands, "No, no need. I already drank some before coming here; I’m not thirsty now."
Lynch raised an eyebrow slightly, closely observing every subtle expression of this Netta Apprentice. He couldn’t understand it—why someone clearly so disgusted by the environment here would still force himself to stay.
Was there something he needed help with?
Lynch said, "Alright."
After a pause, he asked, "Visiting so late at night, is there something important you need to discuss?"
Graham nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at seeds, "Yes, yes. I’ve come to see you about something very important."
Lynch said, "Please, go ahead."
Graham opened his mouth, but when the words were about to come out, he didn’t quite know how to start. Should he just blurt it out to Lynch: Hey, my mentor asked me to help you remove your revenge mark, but I embezzled the Magic Stone resources, and now I’m about to be caught—can you help me keep quiet about my corruption?
Graham’s expression shifted—sometimes hesitant, sometimes conflicted, sometimes filled with fright and fear. Honestly, Lynch had never seen someone with such a wide range of facial expressions. If this were Earth, he’d definitely become a blockbuster actor.
After what felt like forever, Graham finally made up his mind. After all, this concerned the future course of his life.
He steeled himself and asked, "Um... I heard you were marked with a revenge mark—is that true?"
Hmm?
Lynch’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Oh!
Then quickly widened again.
So that’s what this is about!
As Graham spoke, Lynch suddenly remembered where he had seen him before—wasn’t this the apprentice he had encountered last time when he went to the Tower to collect his reward? He had even been yelled at by him back then.
Coming here so late to specifically ask about the mark—does this mean...
Lynch suddenly recalled that during his last visit to the Tower, Leonard had told him that he would arrange for someone to help him deal with the mark. But Lynch had been waiting all this time and no one ever came. Initially, he thought Leonard was just unreliable, but now it seemed there might be other hidden reasons.
If his deduction was correct, then this boy’s purpose for being here was obvious—he’d likely screwed up and feared being exposed, so he was here to remedy the situation preemptively.
Though he already had a general guess in his mind, Lynch kept his composure on the surface.
He nodded and said, "Yes."
This forthright honesty eased Graham’s tense nerves a bit. What he feared most was Lynch going on a power trip—humiliating him and ultimately refusing to help.
Fortunately, Lynch seemed quite straightforward; maybe he could make this work...
Thinking that, Graham quickly put on a helpful front and said, "That’s great! Ah... no, I mean, here’s the thing: my mentor arranged for me to assist you in removing the revenge mark."
"But I’ve been busy handling some urgent matters recently and overlooked it. Now that I’ve just finished, I hurried over—would it be convenient for you now? I can help you clean it off."
Lynch shook his head, "No, that’s not possible."
Graham was taken aback and quickly said, "Do you have something urgent right now? Leaving the mark on for a long time isn’t good for your health. Whatever important matters you have, could you set them aside for now? Let’s deal with this mark first."
Now you’re anxious? Where were you before?
Lynch shook his head and said, "You’ve misunderstood me. I absolutely understand that keeping the mark on my body is not good, which is why I removed it a few days ago—it can’t be cleaned off again."
"Ah!"
Graham’s eyes widened, "You removed it? You really removed it?"
Lynch nodded, "Yes."
As he spoke, he handed Graham the receipt showing his purchase of Soul-Washing Water.
Graham was dumbfounded. Weren’t the Outer Ring apprentices supposed to be impoverished refugees? Where did he get enough Magic Stones to afford Soul-Washing Water?
"Well..."
Graham continued, "You certainly have foresight—this is fantastic. Since the revenge mark is taken care of, I have nothing further to do. But there’s a small favor I’d like to ask of you."
"Because this matter was ultimately my negligence, if anyone asks about it in the future, could you please keep it a little secret for me?"
Lynch resolutely refused, "No." 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Graham said anxiously, "Why not? Your revenge mark has already been resolved."
After a pause, he seemed to realize something and hurriedly added, "If it’s about the Soul-Washing Water, please don’t worry—this was my fault, and I’ll fully reimburse the Magic Stones you spent. I just need your help in keeping this under wraps..."
Lynch stubbornly shook his head, "Nope."
After a pause, he earnestly explained, "Wizard Leonard specifically instructed me to document every detail of the revenge mark’s cleaning process; he’s planning to follow up with me later."
Graham’s facial muscles twitched, and his complexion paled instantly.
So it’s really like this...
Lynch had never seen someone’s face drain of color so ridiculously quickly; it was evident his earlier deduction was correct.
He continued, "Although I’m not sure why, Wizard Leonard seemed very serious about it, so I imagine it’s rather important."
Leonard had indeed said something similar, but mostly in passing—just a casual remark about double-checking next time. As for the repeated emphasis and serious expression... that was purely Lynch’s interpretation.
This interpretation spelled disaster for Graham, whose body even swayed slightly, as if aging dramatically in a single moment.
"Thud!"
He fell to his knees in front of Lynch, startling him.
Before Lynch could react, Graham grabbed his thigh, and tears streamed down his face, "Pal, buddy... no, godfather! You’ve got to help me..."
With that, he spilled the entire story in its entirety.
"I know I was wrong; I let greed blind me. I’ll never do it again—please, just this once..."
"As compensation..."
He hurriedly removed several rings adorned with precious Magic Gems. In a flash, piles and piles of Magic Materials, Magic Stones, more than a dozen pieces of Magic Equipment, and various strange Alchemy Items appeared in the room, nearly filling half of the space.
Graham said, "It’s all for you—take it."
His eyes now red, he gave Lynch a pitiful and pleading look, "I understand the price of deceiving a Wizard, but I beg you—just this once. This is everything I’ve saved up over the years. If it’s not enough..."
He gritted his teeth, "Name your price; if I can’t pay now, I’ll sign a Magic Contract and repay you over time."
Lynch’s jaw almost dropped.
His gaze swept over the mountain of materials and equipment before him, estimating a rough value of tens, even hundreds of thousands of Magic Stones.
Though he had always known Netta Apprentices were wealthy, the disparity was staggering!
Retracting his gaze, he still shook his head, "No."
Graham’s face was ashen; having offered so much, he didn’t know what else he could give.
Could it be...
Could it really mean his doom?
Just as Graham sank into despair, Lynch spoke again, "There’s no need for this."
"Although Wizard Leonard emphasized this strongly, I think he’s more interested in the changes from removing the revenge mark rather than who performed the cleansing—as long as I don’t mention it, he probably won’t ask."
Graham belonged to a Wizard Family, and Lynch had heard the name Scoochi before.
As for himself, he was merely a Muggle from the Mortal World, even holding the prior status of a Peasant before entering the Wizard World.
Now a Pureblood apprentice had embezzled resources from a Muggle; if exposed, how would the higher-ups react?
Lynch doubted the Tower would truly issue harsh punishments for Graham on his behalf. At worst, he might not achieve fairness but end up at odds with Graham and his family instead.
Rather than escalating things, why not retreat a little? Not to say he’d gain a friend, but at least he’d avoid making an enemy.
"You’re serious?"
Graham’s once-dim eyes lit up instantly, overwhelmed with joy, "You... you’re not lying to me?"
Lynch said, "Do you need it in writing?"
"Ah!"
"No, of course not."
"Ah!"
"No, what I mean is, that’s fantastic, godfather—from now on, you’re now officially my godfather!" Graham babbled excitedly, grabbing Lynch’s hand. "Godfather, I swear—you’ve got my word. This entire pile is yours!"
"That won’t be necessary." Lynch shook his head.
He knew Graham was simply desperate and panicking, acting without clear thought—essentially doing whatever he could in reaction to the fear Lynch had instilled.
If Lynch took the pile now in the heat of the moment... would Graham truly bear no grudge once everything settled? Judging by his penchant for embezzlement, it was obvious he was someone who would nitpick at a chance to gain the upper hand.
Since Lynch had decided against antagonizing him, he figured it was best not to take advantage unnecessarily.
He picked out only three thousand Magic Stones, saying, "Just this will do—the cost of my Soul-Washing Water."
Graham now thought of Lynch as nothing short of a saint.
Yes, he was far too honest—almost adorably honest. So honest that Graham wanted to run over and hug him, maybe even kiss him. Never before had he realized how much he liked straightforward people; if the world were full of such honest folks, it would be beautiful!
He pulled Lynch into a bear hug and said, "How can I accept that? Are you looking down on Graham Scoochi?"
"From now on, we’re brothers—whatever you fancy, take it freely!"
Wait a minute...
Wasn’t he just calling him godfather? How did that flip so quickly...
