The grand hall of Duke Halden's estate had been transformed into a theater of judgment. Red velvet curtains framed the tall windows, chandeliers glowed overhead, and every noble in the city seemed packed into cushioned seats.
At the front, sitting stiffly on a gilded chair, was the Duke himself. His bandages did little to hide the scowl carved into his face.
In the center, standing like prisoners about to be flogged, were Arlo and Tessa.
Duke Halden booming, "Arlo. Tessa. The destruction you brought to my estate was... catastrophic."
Arlo muttering, "Hey, technically it was the curse monster that did the destroying, not me..."
Tessa hisses, "Shut up before you make this worse."
Arlo whispers to himself, "Worse? We literally blew up half his mansion. The only worse left is execution."
The nobles laughed cruelly. The Duke's glare silenced them instantly.
The scribe beside him unfurled a scroll with a flourish.
"The damages have been calculated at—" he paused, savoring the moment—"one thousand platinum crowns."
The hall erupted with gasps. Fans dropped, monocles popped off faces.
Arlo blinks, "...I'm sorry, what? How much is that in normal money? Like, peasant money. I don't speak 'noble bankruptcy.'"
The scribe sniffed.
"Ten copper coins equal one silver. Twenty silver equal one gold. One hundred gold equal one platinum."
Arlo squinted, counting on his fingers.
"So... ten copper to a silver, times twenty... that's two hundred copper to a gold. Times one hundred... that's 20,000 coppers per platinum. And you want one thousand platinum?"
Duke Halden replies, "Correct."
Arlo's jaw hit the floor.
"That's... twenty MILLION copper coins! Do you have any idea how many churros that is?!"
Tessa groaned, covering her face.
"Forget churros, idiot—that's more money than most kingdoms ever see."
Arlo turned to her, dead serious.
"No, you don't get it. This is literally the difference between poverty and eternal churro nirvana."
The nobles snickered. The Duke did not.
Tessa trying to sound calm and important, "Your Grace, surely this isn't all our responsibility. Arlo is... new. Painfully new."
Duke Halden snappily retorted, "Yet you vouched for him as your apprentice. His mistake is your mistake."
Arlo arrogantly whispers to Tessa, "Serves you right roping me into your mess, why you called me your apprentice?!"
Tessa through gritted teeth, "I can't cure curses, okay?. I didn't want to risk my credibility by failing."
Arlo: "And you thought I could!? Well, I did, but even I was surprised!"
Tessa sweetly, to the Duke, "Yes, he is my apprentice."
Arlo opened his mouth, but the dagger glare she shot him made him shut it.
The Duke's voice grew harder.
"Half the damages must be paid immediately, or I strip you of your assets, titles, and freedom."
The nobles murmured.
Tessa coughed delicately, raising her chin in smug confidence.
"Well, Your Grace, I do have savings. Substantial ones. They maybe enough to pay off the debt."
Murmurs rippled across the crowd.
The Duke raised an eyebrow. "Savings?"
"Of course. Donations. Offerings. Generous gifts from admirers. I live modestly here in the church, but my vault is... comfortable." She gave a dazzling smile. "You may send guards to retrieve it if you doubt me."
The Duke gestured. Two armored knights bowed and marched off. The nobles buzzed in curiosity.
Minutes later, the guards returned hauling three heavy chests, their metal fittings gleaming. They dropped them with a clang before the Duke's dais.
The scribe opened them. Gold, silver, and copper coins spilled out, shimmering like sunlight. To any commoner, it would've been unimaginable wealth. The scribe's quill scratched furiously as he counted, then stopped.
He adjusted his spectacles.
"...This amounts to five percent of the damages, my Lord."
The room went dead quiet, then burst into laughter.
Tessa's smug smile froze on her face. "Five... percent?"
Arlo whistling, "Damn. I thought you were, like, rich-rich. Turns out you're only medium-rich."
Tessa's face turned crimson. "Medium-rich?! This is years of work!"
Arlo shrugged. "Yeah, and it wouldn't even rebuild his front gate."
The nobles roared with laughter. Tessa looked like she might faint.
Duke Halden darkly replied, "Five percent is an insult. Entire wings collapsed. Priceless artifacts destroyed. My ancestors' legacy, gone in an instant."
Arlo raising a finger, "On the bright side, at least nobody died."
Duke Halden snapping, "My family's standing nearly died! Do you realize what this means for us in court? Scandal. Ruin. We may lose our place among the high houses!"
He slammed his cane, rattling the coin chests.
Arlo and Tessa exchanged a look.
Arlo thought to himself:
"Okay... he's furious, but we're not dead yet. That's... progress? Right?"
Tessa whispering, "Say something smart. Negotiate."
Arlo whispering back, "Negotiate what? He wants the GDP of a country!"
Tessa through clenched teeth, "Then be useful for once."
Arlo thought, "Okay. Calm down. This is another chance where I can use my skill. We're already in deep shit, so what's the worse thing that could happen?"
Arlo cleared his throat nervously, stepping forward like a man about to be executed.
"Duke Halden, esteemed sir, perhaps... we could pay it off in installments?"
The hall erupted in laughter.
Noblewoman: "Installments? For a thousand platinum?"
Another noble: "What is he going to do, sell lemonade for the next century?"
Arlo defensive, "Hey, don't knock lemonade. With churros on the side, it's a goldmine."
Tessa dragged her hands down her face.
The Duke finally raised a hand, silencing the laughter. His eyes narrowed.
"...Perhaps there is another way."
Arlo and Tessa froze.
Duke Halden:
"You two will not escape this debt. But instead of immediate repayment... we shall negotiate an arrangement."
The nobles leaned forward eagerly, savoring the drama.
Arlo gulping and thought to himself, "Hell yeah! if this is my Herald of Disaster and Fortune skill's doing, at least I've delayed being executed!. Problem is what does the Duke have in mind,"
"Arrangement? Like... a casual summer internship kind of arrangement, or more of a... life sentence arrangement?" Arlo finally replied to the Duke.
The Duke's grim smile said everything.
And so, Arlo and Tessa one broke idiot and one humiliated celebrity healer stood on the edge of ruin.
About to bargain with a Duke whose wrath could topple their lives.
Whether they walk out with freedom or a mountain of debt dragging them into chaos, would depend on the deal struck next.
Fate, as always sharpened it's knives.