Chapter 37: Golden Key to My Financial Crisis

Soft beeping sounds slowly brought Lydia back to consciousness.

"Where am I?"

Her eyelids felt heavy, and her head throbbed the moment she tried to move.

For a few seconds, Lydia lay still and listening to the steady rhythm of the monitor beside her bed.

When she finally opened her eyes, Lydia found herself in an unfamiliar room. Sleek silver panels covered the walls, while thin blue lights ran along the edges of the ceiling.

A transparent holographic display floated beside the bed, showing several lines of medical data. Beyond the glass wall, soft lights illuminated the polished floor.

The room looked more like a luxurious medical facility than an ordinary hospital.

When Lydia slowly raised her left hand, she immediately noticed an IV attached to it.

"Hospital? Mm... at least I didn’t die again. My head hurts like hell."

She let her hand fall back onto the bed, hoping the throbbing would subside. However, when she glanced toward the large window beside her, her eyes widened.

The sky outside had already turned dark!

"Oh no! My brothers will send me to hell and Father will open the gate for them!"

A sharp pain shot through her head when Lydia tried to sit up. "Ouch..."

Pushing herself to sit wasn’t the best idea for now. When Lydia tried to clutch her head, she felt something soft brushed against her fingers.

"Bandage?"

Before she could check on it further, hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor. Someone approached her room at an alarming speed, followed by the sound of the door sliding open.

"Please refrain from moving too much!"

"Lydia!"

Zachary hurried beside her bed, his usual playful expression was nowhere to be seen. His eyes immediately searched her face.

"At least the bleeding had stopped. I’m so relieved."

For once, the SSS-Rank Sentinel didn’t greet her with a teasing smile or a flirtatious remark. That was... new.

"How’s your head? Can you see me properly?"

Lydia squinted at them before answering, "Yeah... it’s three. I think I’m fine."

Then she remembered the time.

"But I won’t be fine for long. My family will kill me! I just finished my house probation, and now it’s already evening!"

"I’ll bail you out. It’s the least I can do to save your skin."

"You’d better, Senior Zach." Lydia reached for the bandage around her temple again.

"I’ll take responsibility if you got scar from it, deerling. You can take my family name. Lydia Ludenberg sounds amazing, isn’t it?"

"Senior!!"

A light jab on Zachary’s arm was enough to knock back some sense into him. Only then did Lydia take in her unfamiliar surroundings.

"Where am I, anyway?"

"Ludenberg Hospital. Don’t worry about the bills."

The perks of having multiple businesses. As expected from the Ludenbergs.

"As for the Coronet..." Zachary scratched his cheek. "Well, I bought the whole restaurant as damage compensation. I’ll renovate it later, so there shouldn’t be any problems. No worries!"

Money are just numbers to him. The Ludenbergs sure are on another level of WEALTH.

"I’ll explain everything to Duke Valendorf later," he continued as he tapped his bracelet and summoned several doctors and nurses. "Don’t bust your head over this, Lydia."

His expression soured slightly as another thought crossed his mind.

"Ephraim will be furious. Damn."

Various blue holographic display appeared in front of Lydia and Zachary.

The holographic displays showed a cut on Lydia’s right temple, bruising, and exhaustion from the Guide backlash.

Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped, and no serious injuries were detected, though she still needed to wear a bandage for another four to five days.

Zachary listened closely as the medical staff explained Lydia’s condition. He asked several questions to make sure she was okay. His face remained serious throughout the discussion, without a trace of his usual playful smile.

He’s not even joking around. Is he really that worried about me?

After a few more checks, the doctors discharged Lydia that night with medication and strict instructions to rest. Her head still ached, but at least she was free to leave.

"I’ll escort you back," Zachary offered.

Before Lydia could get out of bed herself, Zachary slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back, lifting her into a bridal carry.

"Senior Zach! Stop this. You don’t have to do this. I can walk just fine."

"A real gentleman doesn’t let an injured lady walk when he has two perfectly good arms, deerling."

His hold was firm yet gentle, careful not to jostle her injured head as he carried her out of the hospital toward the sleek black vehicle waiting outside.

After settling Lydia into the passenger seat, Zachary circled around and slid behind the wheel of the sleek black car. Its polished body and elegant silver accents screaming luxury. With a soft hum, the vehicle glided into the air instead of rolling along the road.

The vehicle switched to autopilot and headed toward House Valendorf. As the city lights passed beneath them, Zachary finally broke the silence.

"Lydia, about what happened at the Coronet..." He turned his head slightly toward her. "What did you do to that rabbit monster? And how were you able to do that?"

"Resonance Break. After synchronizing our mental power, I draw your Resonance to debuff and slow down that white rabbit monster, Senior."

"You’re crazy, Lydia. A madwoman. What if you died from the backlash?!"

"But I need to create an opening for you."

Zachary sighed in frustration, unable to argue with her logic. Lydia couldn’t tell what was going through his mind, but she could see the gears turning behind those green eyes.

The rabbit monster had been too fast for Zachary to hit properly, and her intervention had given him the opening he needed.

Without Resonance Break, the battle might have ended very differently.

The car continued its smooth journey until the familiar grounds of House Valendorf came into view. It descended gracefully before stopping in front of the mansion’s entrance.

"Thank you for escorting me back to my home, Senior Zach."

"Wait."

"Hm?"

A soft beep came from Lydia’s bracelet. One glance at the notification was enough to make her eyes widen at the list of transferred items.

"We wouldn’t be able to defeat that rift monster if it weren’t for you. It’s all yours, Lydia."

"But these Magic Crystals and Mana Stones were way too much!"

Before she could thank him properly, Zachary handed her several packages containing medicine and painkillers.

"And these are for your recovery. Make sure you take them according to the doctor’s instructions."

But he wasn’t finished. Zachary reached to his coat and pulled out a slim green capsule. With a soft click, the capsule unfolded, revealing a neatly sealed document.

"Here. This is for you, too."

The document was the property deed of Coronet restaurant. It had even been registered under her name.

Lydia Valendorf.

She was its legal owner now.

"Senior Zach. You’re being too generous to me!"

"It was nothing much, Lydia. Just a small price compared to your worth."

This man sure is a golden key to solving my financial crisis.

Lydia had to admit that having a rich, generous SSS-Rank Sentinel around could be surprisingly beneficial.

Okay. I’ll keep my options open.

Well, there’s no harm in keeping this golden goose around. Who knows what other surprises he might have up his sleeve?