"Do you... like money?"
The Eyeless Doll rustled softly. Seeing that neither Rina nor Eous responded, it continued:
"I can give you money—lots and lots of money. Once you have all the dennies you want, you'll be able to go out and do all sorts of things."
"Hey, Rina."
Seeing that the Eyeless Doll showed no signs of aggression, Eous leaned close to Rina's ear. "What do you think we should do?"
"Miss Proxy, dennies are essential for living—but like salt, they're not something to be greedy for."
Rina shook her head. The two-million-dennie maid uniform she wore swayed with her graceful movements as she prepared to lead Eous away.
"Alright then."
Eous scratched the back of her head, admitting that Rina had a point. Besides, the Ballet Tower was already eerie enough. Best not to touch anything strange.
"Wait... wait!"
Just as Rina was about to ignore the scattered dennies and glide away, the one-eyed doll suddenly shouted.
Rina stopped and turned her head.
The doll shuffled toward them on its stubby legs, one slow step at a time.
"Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?" it said again. "This could be your one and only chance in life to get rich. Don't you want to live lavishly and buy that great house for a hundred million per square meter—all in cash?"
"We're sorry to disappoint you," Rina replied politely. "But we're quite content with our current life."
She bowed slightly, then floated forward again.
Truthfully, Belle—piloting Eous—felt her heart stir a little.
Inside her Bangboo was the power-hungry Fairy, whose slightest flutter could multiply the electricity bill fivefold. And five times the bill was merely the limit of her wallet, not Fairy's limit.
Outside were her friends from Cunning Hares—people who borrowed money, forgot to repay it, and always used meal coupons to treat others. They'd chat about the risks of stock trading, only to watch the red line plunge off the charts.
But since Rina had spoken so decisively, Belle could only grip the edge of Rina's dress tightly. No matter how much the temptation itched in her heart, she could only swallow it down.
"Wait... wait! Don't you really want to be rich?"
The Eyeless Doll stubbornly pressed on, its voice dripping with temptation.
"Every day, you could live in luxury. When your teacher asks what you'll do if you don't study, you could just drop your backpack and walk away."
"When your boss gives you a hard time, you could slap him right across the face."
"When your child gazes longingly at the doll in the shop window, you could sweep in and buy it without a second thought."
"Don't you crave that kind of life?"
But Rina didn't waver, not even for a moment. She continued floating toward the exit.
To keep Belle from falling into the illusion, Rina gently placed her hand on Eous's head and softly patted it.
Belle, who had briefly sunk into fantasy, snapped out of it and looked up at Rina.
Rina smiled gently. "Miss Proxy, we should get going. Do you think you can find the path to Corin and Lord Lycaon?"
"Maybe..."
Belle hesitated, then abruptly pulled back her chair and shouted, "Fairy, your turn! Make those five-times electricity bills worth something!"
[Fairy: Parsing...]
"Are you really going to refuse me?"
The Eyeless Doll took two steps forward, refusing to give up.
"As a Doppelgänger, I can see parts of your memories," it said slowly.
"You have three children with no blood relation to you, each more troublesome than the last—and Phaga Kunmutu is the worst of them."
Rina froze mid-step.
For the first time, she felt a flicker of interest in the doll's words.
But perhaps because it had seen into her memories, Rina's expression darkened. Her voice hardened.
"You could've lied and claimed to be a ghost, yet you admitted to being a Doppelgänger. You're quite the honest child."
"But I'm curious—how did such a weak creature learn to speak?"
The doll tilted its head. "For merchants, honesty comes first. The one I imitate lived that way in life—I can't break from his mold."
"As for my ability to speak... I was born from the remains of a Notoriety Ethereal. It granted me power."
"But that's not what matters..."
The doll curved its lips into a grin.
"You must know what kind of race vampires are. As the only vampire child cast out from the clan, how dangerous do you think Phaga really is?"
Rina's face grew somber. The turmoil within made her breathing unsteady, but years of professional poise held her together.
"Lord Lycaon once said: ignore him, don't question him, don't accept him. Phaga doesn't belong to the vampire clan."
The doll tilted its head, curious. "Then doesn't that mean the vampires see him as a stranger? That they can use him freely, discard him when convenient, and drag him back for experiments if needed?"
Rina's pupils contracted sharply.
The doll's voice pressed on, relentless.
"And you've sensed it too, haven't you? The undercurrents stirring deep beneath the surface."
"With your intelligence, you can't possibly still believe that car accident was caused by a mere commission chain reaction."
"No, no, no—you know very well there are vampires within the TOPS Alliance."
"For years, pureblood vampires have raged against the threat of sunlight, while half-bloods have struggled to preserve their strength."
"You know all of this, don't you?"
The doll's final words burst forth in a roar, reverberating like a bell through the air—striking directly at the sorrow buried deep in Rina's heart.
Seeing her expression darken, Belle whispered through Eous's speakers, "Rina..."
But Rina didn't respond. The woman who had moments ago spoken calmly about the folly of greed now gritted her teeth, voice trembling as she asked, "So what are you implying?"
"Give me ten years of your lifespan!"
The doll broke into manic laughter. "I'll trade you wealth you couldn't earn in a hundred years!"
"New Eridu is a city that worships money! With enough cash, you can buy almost anything!"
"Buildings, security... your child can live beside you forever, carefree!"
Clatter~~~
As it spoke, countless dennies rained from the sky, piling up like a mountain.
At some point, the Eyeless Doll had climbed to the top of the shining heap. It gave a light push—
Thud!
The mountain collapsed. The dazzling silver light blinded Belle, who suddenly went limp, slipping from Rina's arms into the pile below.
Belle tried to make Eous stand, but her body felt powerless, heavy as mud. Limbs twitching, she began scooping up dennies and hugging them close, the metallic sound echoing with every motion.
"Trade! Trade with me!"
"This is wealth that will last for your lifetime, your children's lifetimes, and your grandchildren's lifetimes—it will never run out!"
"What vampire clan? What TOPS Alliance?"
"With enough money, you could take the Chief Executive seat of TOPS yourself! You'd hold absolute power, and the strength to protect your children!"
"You'd have everything—no, you would be everything! Victoria's greatest maid of all time!"
Under the Eyeless Doll's hypnotic voice, Rina lowered her head. Her long flaxen hair veiled her expression; no one could tell what she was thinking.
Suddenly, she turned to look at Eous.
"Heh heh, heh heh heh!"
Belle—through Eous—was laughing uncontrollably, tossing dennies into the air and letting them rain down against her face.
The metal stung—but she couldn't stop giggling, nearly swimming in the pile of money.
"Is having dennies really that much fun..."
Rina gave her one last deep look, then bent down to pick up a single dennie.
"Heh heh, judging by your expression, you're agreeing to the deal, aren't you?"
The Eyeless Doll rubbed its hands together with a grin as it stepped forward.
Rina didn't respond. She simply stared at the dennie resting in her palm.
The doll wasn't surprised. It didn't urge her—just murmured to itself instead.
"Dennies... such a useful thing."
"So useful they can buy anything—even my life..."
Then it shook its head, almost annoyed. "Why am I even saying this? You're all as good as dead anyway. Being a fool on the road to the underworld isn't so bad."
"Oh, even if you can't hear me anymore after being bewitched by the dennies, I can still talk to myself."
"You're probably wondering—why did I change the deal from ten years of your lifespan to your whole life?"
The doll suddenly began to swell. Its soft, cotton-filled body tore apart as a massive claw slammed into the floor. A wolf-like shape emerged beneath the shredded fluff.
The Eyeless Doll—no, the Ionized Doppelgänger Hati, known as the Black Hound—let out a snarl, its fangs gleaming.
"Because everyone knows," it roared, "that big merchants can't be trusted!"
The Black Hound lunged, jaws wide to tear out Rina's throat.
But suddenly—two Bangboo darted into its line of sight.
Drusilla: "Woo-woo... being ignored makes me sad. Big doggy won't give Drusilla any dennies."
Anastella: "So sad, so sad."
"What—?"
The Black Hound's eyes widened, its body instinctively retreating.
But retreating didn't mean the Bangboo would let it go.
Blue arcs crackled across their bodies as a massive orb of lightning began to form between them.
Boom!
The lightning ball launched forward, striking the Black Hound dead center.
Sparks flew. The beast convulsed, its body charred from the blast, before collapsing with a whimper.
Then, a shadow fell over it.
The Black Hound looked up—to see the hem of Rina's skirt.
"But you were already—"
The creature's voice trembled. Hadn't Rina been bewitched by the dennies?
"Just a bit of meaningless acting," Rina replied softly, her lips curling into a serene smile.
The Black Hound's voice wavered with disbelief. "But... why did it seem so real?"
Rina's hand shimmered with lightning as she raised it, aiming at the beast's head.
"Just a small reserve of skill every housekeeper should have," she said gently.
"You... you don't care about—"
"Of course I care," she interrupted. "Precisely because I care, we have to face it together."
"That's enough talk. I hope you find the family you've been seeking—even in the afterlife."
Boom!
Lightning burst forth, illuminating Rina's gentle, motherly face as the Black Hound's body dissolved into crackling light.