Villain Saving System (BL)

"Coming!" An answer came from within and the door swung open a moment later, revealing an old granny whose eyes brightened as soon as she saw Argas. "It's you! You're early this month. I thought you wouldn't be here until a few days later." Her eyes then fell on Theodore. "Who might this little gentleman be?" She asked in a kind tone.     

Argas guffawed and patted Theodore's back a bit too hard to the point he almost vomited out his guts. The teenager glared but in the end, he had to swallow his anger as he was reminded of Argas' words earlier. "This is my mentee, Theodore. From now on, he will accompany me around here. You don't mind, do you?"     

"Of course not." The granny smiled jovially. "The more the merrier. The house has been getting a bit too quiet so it's better to have more people."     

Theodore bowed slightly. He took the granny's hand and kissed the back of it. "Good day, Madam. My name is Theodore. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."     

"Oh my…" She covered her mouth in pleasant surprise, giggling softly. "Such an adorable and polite guy. Hello, there. My name is Elise and everyone around here calls me Grandma Elise. You're welcome to do so too."     

Theodore gave Argas a glance and only when he received the man's nod did he comply. "Okay then, Grandma Elise."     

Argas unloaded the boxes at the back of the carriage and handed Theodore one. The sudden weight almost overthrew Theodore's balance. What the hell was this? Why was it so heavy?! Since he was small, he wasn't even allowed to carry anything heavier than a book, damn it! No, no. Theodore shook his head. He wasn't Young Master Valmor here!     

"Are you okay?" Lu Yizhou asked in concern, seeing beads of sweat that formed on Theodore's forehead.     

"I...am okay!" Theodore gritted his teeth as he trudged behind Argas into the house. The sweltering weather dissipated and in place of it was warmth that was kinda soothing. A nice smell wafted out from the kitchen and Theodore's stomach gave a growl. His face turned beet red in an instant. "T—This…" That was so mortifying! How could his stomach just growl like he hadn't eaten his fill for three days?! His embarrassment shot through the roof when Argas burst out into laughter, followed by Grandma Elise.     

The old granny giggled. "That's okay, you must be tired from the long journey. That's just perfect. This batch has just come out from the oven. You should give it a try." Seeing Grandma Elise coming out from the kitchen with a large tray with her steps kinda unstable, Theodore put down the box in his hand and went to help, once again surprising Argas.     

"Let me." He said and took the tray. It was unexpectedly hot. Scalding even. Surprised, Theodore almost let go in reflex but he caught sight of Grandma Elise's inquiring look, gritted his teeth and proceeded to put it on the table as fast as he could.     

"Oh dear, it's hot, isn't it?" The granny asked worriedly. "Does your hands hurt?"     

"No." Theodore denied with his hands behind his back, silently rubbing his burnt fingers together. He was taken aback when Grandma Elise suddenly put her hand on his head and rubbed it gently. She also pushed a piece of cookie into his mouth. "Here, try this one."     

Theodore blinked twice, his mouth automatically munched on the warm and savory cookie. The tang of sweetness spread in his mouth, mixed with the right amount of saltiness. It had been a long time since he ate this kind of sweet. Theodore recalled he used to order the cook to bake it for him all the time. However as he grew up, his stupid pride swelled and he thought that eating cookies was a very unmanly thing.     

...Even though it was his favorite.     

Grandma Elise chuckled. "You're a very good child, aren't you? Here, have some more. I made it from the milk Argas sent last month. Delicious, isn't it?"     

Theodore gingerly nodded. He ended up exiting the house with a jar full of cookies. Still confused and bewildered, he asked. "Is it really okay for me to accept this? It's the dessert she made from something she paid for. Giving this much to others, wouldn't she make a loss?"     

Argas guffawed. "She likes it and that's what matters. Remember. Customer's satisfaction is the first and foremost. Do you think she cares about this meager loss?"     

That was weird, Theodore pondered. He loathed making physical contact with others and the only exception in that case was Raphael. But somehow, when Grandma Elise rubbed his head, he... didn't really dislike it. It was very warm and gentle.     

"Argas, are you still there?" Grandma Elise called out from the house. "Can you help me with something?"     

"Coming!" Argas patted Theodore's shoulders with a grin. "Wait here for a while."     

Even though he didn't say it, there was no way Theodore would leave without him, he grumbled. He kicked the pebble in front of his heels and it ended up rolling forward, bumping into another's bare feet. It was a skinny child whose face was smeared with soil. Her long hair was a jumbled mess and it almost covered her face. Her wide, round eyes stared unblinkingly at Theodore.     

This was the first time Theodore had ever seen such a person. He thought that Istar was a prosperous city but it seemed like this kind of thing would still exist everywhere. The child was literally only skin and bones and her feet were covered in dried blood and blisters. Theodore was at a loss of what to do. Argas still hadn't appeared yet and there was no way he could call Raphael out just for this kind of thing.     

"W—What?" The teenager lifted his chin and tried to look as imposing as possible. "Are you angry? Do you have something to say?"     

"Mister…" The child tottered forward and tugged on Theodore's pants with her muddy hands. "Do you sell milk? Here, this is all I got today. If it's not enough, I will pay you back tomorrow. My little brother wants to drink milk. He's sick."     

Theodore endured the urge to recoil. He glanced at the money in the child's hand. It was all small pieces of copper coins that people often deemed as useless. He counted it in a glance. The milk cost almost twice the coins in her hands. However, the harsh words of refusal stuck in his throat, especially as he looked into those innocent, hopeful eyes. He sighed and took the milk package from the carriage. "Here. Thank you for your patronage."     

The child beamed brightly as she hugged the milk to her chest, seemingly as if she owned the world. "Thank you, Mister!" After that, she turned and ran to the corner of the street where a toddler was waiting for her, sitting atop of a carton box, dressed in such shabby clothes that Theodore couldn't imagine what they had done to make it like that. Both of their smiles were blindingly bright as the sister slowly fed the toddler milk. Theodore stared at them until the child carried her little brother on her back and disappeared into the corner of the street.     

Now...what should he do with these coins? Theodore frowned. He turned only to find Argas standing behind him since God-knows-when, lips curling into an amused smile.     

"What?!" Theodore glared. "I—I am not making a loss. I will compensate for the rest with my own money, okay?! Once. I will do it only once!"     

"I am not saying anything," Argas lifted both hands in surrender and came forward to pat his head. "You will make a good merchant, Young Master."     

Why did everyone like to pat his head so much?! Theodore grumbled even as if he climbed onto the carriage which brought them to the next destination.     

Lu Yizhou asked, even though he had seen everything earlier. "How are you doing, Young Master?"     

Theodore gave him a glance and grunted. "Well, I think I understand what Argas taught me earlier." As he saw Grandma Elise's smile and the children's joy, a weird sensation filled Theodore's chest. He couldn't quite describe it. It just felt... fulfilling and pleasant. It seemed like he understood why his father chose to do the trading himself even when he could hire people to do it for him. "Being a merchant... It's nice."     

"That's good." Lu Yizhou said softly with gentle eyes.     

For the next four months, Lu Yizhou accompanied Theodore to many cities, visiting all kinds of people and enjoying the scenery together. The season changed from autumn to winter, then the snow thawed and green buds started to sprout, signalling the arrival of spring. Theodore gradually mastered the art of being a skilled merchant and the experience grinded his sharp edges, making him more mature, calm and wise. His height also shot up like bamboo sprouts to the point where he could almost rival Lu Yizhou.     

From the sheltered, arrogant young master, Theodore had grown up to be a quick-witted, sharp and sensible young man. To his surprise, Lu Yizhou enjoyed witnessing the change in him day by day.     

Until one day at the beginning of spring, the silent system notification suddenly rang out, bringing him back to reality.     

[System notification: Congratulations! You have successfully completed your mission in this world! Due to Host's overpowered character, the exit portal can only be opened in one more month. Commencing the process of withdrawal… Host's corruption is in progress: 1%...]