The extravagance that Yeoreum displayed was truly impressive—she spent tens of millions of won in just one day.

The appliances and kitchen gadgets she bought weren’t even for her own home; she claimed she’d leave them at my place for whenever she needed them. There was even a massive, high-definition television that left Levinas in awe. Levinas seemed so struck by Yeoreum’s display of wealth that she made a vow to herself.

"Yeoreum, Yeoreum."

That night, after we’d returned home, Levinas, holding her rabbit doll in one hand, followed closely behind Yeoreum. With nothing better to do, I tagged along as well.

"Hm?"

"Yeoreum, lend Levinas the smart."

"Uh… you mean the smartphone, right?"

Yeoreum pulled out her smartphone from her pocket, the same one she’d let me use to take pictures a while back.

"Yep. Levinas needs the smartphone."

"Alright. You can play with it, but don’t use it too much, okay?"

"Got it!"

Levinas took the smartphone from Yeoreum and ran over to sit on the sofa. Curious about what she was up to, I followed and sat beside her.

Tap, tap—

Levinas sat on the sofa, slowly tapping at the phone’s screen. I wanted to ask what she was doing, but I didn’t want to interrupt her concentration. Instead, I quietly sat beside her, watching the screen.

She was typing something into the search bar on the internet. Below the search field, her recent queries appeared:

- "How to make lots of money"

- "How to make lots of money fast"

- "How to become rich"

Oh.

I had thought she might play games or watch some videos, but here she was, searching for ways to earn money. I felt embarrassed, realizing I had unwittingly burdened such a young child.

"Are you looking up ways to make money?"

"Yep! The smartphone is so smart! It teaches me all kinds of things!"

"Right."

That’s the beauty of the internet, after all. I hadn’t yet had a chance to explore it much in this world, but seeing Levinas learn so quickly made me think she might be better with the smartphone than I was. I kept my eyes on the screen.

"Levinas will earn lots of money and give it to the king!"

"Thanks, but it’s okay if you want to spend what you earn on things you like."

"Huh? Why would Levinas spend her own money?"

"Well, because you worked to earn it…?"

Isn’t the point of earning money to spend it on things for yourself? I tilted my head, puzzled.

"The person at the top always gets all the money! Levinas has to give all her earnings to the king!"

Was that some rule among the extremists? It seemed rather harsh.

"It’s better to spend money on things you enjoy."

"Then I’ll earn lots of money and spend it on the king!"

"On me…?"

"Yep! Levinas likes the king!"

Levinas covered her mouth with a gasp, realizing she had spoken loudly. She glanced at Sophia, who was dozing off in the nearby massage chair, and then leaned close to me to whisper.

"And I’ll buy something for Sharky too…!"

"That’s a great idea."

"Right?!"

"Yes."

Even though Levinas came from a rough background, she was truly a kind-hearted child. I decided to leave her alone so she could focus on her mission.

---

Levinas explored the internet late into the night, motivated by her goal to make money and help those around her.

And then it happened.

Bzzzt—

Her smartphone vibrated, notifying her of a new message.

"We can help grow your money."@@novelbin@@

It was clearly a spam message, but Levinas, innocent to the ways of the world, didn’t realize this. Her eyes sparkled at the promise of making even more money with larger investments.

Tap, tap—

Using the knowledge she’d just acquired, Levinas clumsily replied to the message, excited by the prospect of making a fortune.

"Really, you’ll help grow my money?"

She was already thinking about what she’d do with all that money. First, she’d buy a house for the king and some chocolate milk for Sharky so they could get closer… Hugging her smartphone to her chest, Levinas felt pure happiness at the thought of helping her loved ones.

---

Lately, Levinas had been busier than usual. Every time we went hunting, she would gather mushrooms, and afterward, she’d collect empty bottles without taking a break. She worked with such intensity that it made others around her anxious.

"…Levinas, don’t you think you should rest a bit?"

"No! Levinas is saving up a fortune!"

"A fortune?"

"Yep!"

Had she found some way to make money after all her research? Feeling a bit uneasy, I had her sit down on a nearby bench.

"What are you going to do with all this money?"

"Levinas is going to invest!"

What? Levinas knew about investing? Her awareness of finance was impressive, and I couldn’t help but perk up my ears and tail in surprise.

"You even know how to invest, Levinas?"

"Well, I don’t know that much!"

So she didn’t really know… That sounded risky, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad idea. Even if she lost money, it would be a valuable lesson, and I was willing to let her learn as much as possible, no matter the cost.

"So, what are you investing in?"

"I don’t know! Someone I met online said they’d grow my money for me!"

Pfft! Someone nearby, who was drinking beer, spat it out in shock. If I’d been drinking something, I’d probably have had the same reaction.

"Levinas, that’s a scam."

Where had she met someone so suspicious? I thought for a moment before realizing it must have been through her recent use of the smartphone. She must have seen some spam message. I needed to tell her before she got into trouble.

"A s-scam…?"

"Yes. Have you ever met this person in real life?"

"Yep! We met through something called text messages!"

Only through text, then. She hadn’t even seen their face in a transaction involving money. It was obviously a scam.

"Levinas, it’s definitely a scam. They’re just waiting to run off with your money."

"What?!"

Levinas froze, her eyes wide like a rabbit caught in headlights. She was so shocked that she even dropped the empty bottle she was holding.

"Well, at least we figured it out before you sent them any money."

Since she was still saving up, she probably hadn’t sent anything yet, right? Just as I was about to sigh in relief, I noticed Levinas’s eyes trembling.

"I-I already sent the money…"

"…What?"

"There was a machine at the convenience store that lets you send money, so I sent them some whenever I got more money…"

So she had already been scammed. I froze just like Levinas, stunned by the situation.

"You knew how to use a money transfer machine…?"

"I-I didn’t know how, but the convenience store clerk helped me…"

Oh no. Did that mean she’d sent them everything she’d earned? Feeling despair wash over me, I tugged at my hair.

"How much did you send?"

"A million won…"

"What?"

A million won. That was everything she’d saved from collecting bottles and even her allowance from various adventurers for snacks. It was heartbreaking to think of all her efforts going to waste like that.

"Levinas is in big trouble now… Sharky’s going to be so mad…"

Tears welled up in Levinas’s eyes, ready to spill at the slightest touch.

"No, it’s not your fault…"

"Sharky is going to explode when she finds out…"

Sniffling, Levinas clutched the choker around her neck.

‘Ah.’

I hadn’t yet told her that the choker was fake. I wanted to explain, but I decided to hold off for now. Telling her at this moment would sound like a comforting lie.

"Levinas, let’s do this instead."

"How…?"

"Let’s say it was me who sent the money, not you."

Levinas was more terrified of Sophia’s reaction than she was of losing the money itself. If I could make this problem disappear, she’d surely feel at ease.

"But then you’ll get in trouble…"

"It’s okay. I won’t get in that much trouble. And even if I do, it doesn’t bother me."

"…Because you’re brave, right?"

"Right. You saw me take down that hobgoblin, didn’t you?"

At my confident response, Levinas sniffled and nodded. I could instinctively tell that she felt reassured.

"Levinas wanted to make lots of money to surprise everyone…"

"That’s okay. Just the thought alone is more than enough."

She probably wanted to be praised for making money, to feel like she was contributing. It was heart-wrenching to think that someone had taken advantage of her pure intentions. Of course, there was no way to get the money back.

‘A million won is a lot… but…’

At least Levinas learned something valuable today: the world isn’t as kind as it seems, and not everyone can be trusted. A million won was a hefty price, but in a way, it was a cheap lesson. I had learned something too.

‘The tricky part will be explaining this to others.’

I thought about hiding it, but I shook my head. I didn’t want to keep secrets from those who helped us. Besides, I had promised Lev

inas.

"King… Levinas is so sorry… I was just so scared of getting in trouble…"

"It’s alright, don’t worry too much, okay?"

"…Okay."

If that fake bomb collar were real, anyone would be scared. People might think I was foolish, but for now, I would take the blame for everything. I couldn’t bear to see sweet Levinas sad and frightened.