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Solomon’s initial shock rapidly morphed into intense, boiling anger. "Why would you make a decision like this without talking to me?! Why did you not discuss this with me first?! How could you just decide what you have to do without even asking for my opinion?!"

He took a step toward his father, his voice rising in frustration. "All of this debt happened entirely because of me! Why are you taking the absolute burden onto your own shoulders?! I am perfectly capable of solving this! I will handle everything!"

That exact moment triggered a sudden, jarring sense of deja vu.

Solomon froze. He remembered the incident in the steaming hot spring just a few weeks ago, listening to Princess Lune lash out at him with the same furious, desperate logic. She had yelled at him for making unilateral decisions without considering how it affected the people who cared about him. She had scolded him for shouldering the entire burden of survival alone, completely shutting his loved ones out of the process.

’Is this how it feels? Is this what Lune felt when?’ Solomon realized, a profound sense of clarity washing over him. ’This is how it feels when someone you love tries to protect you by completely excluding you from their struggles.’

He finally understood how incredibly wrong his own isolationist logic had been.

Solomon took a deep breath, forcing his anger down. He looked at his father with resolve. "There is no need to sell the diner, the shop, or our house. Why would you even need to sell all three of those properties just to cover the remaining debt? How much is the actual amount?"

The suited leader, currently nursing his bruised wrist on the floorboards, scoffed loudly and pushed himself up onto his knees.

"The remaining debt is one million dollars," the loan shark spat, glaring at the teenager.

Solomon looked back at his father. "I will pay that entire amount right now. But that still does not explain why you need to sell all three properties. The diner and the house combined are easily worth more than a million dollars."

The suited man butted into the conversation again, a smug, malicious grin stretching across his face despite the pain in his arm.

"Are you deaf, kid?" the loan shark mocked. "Have you not heard the news about the un-cleared dungeon actively manifesting in District Six? Because of the impending threat of a monster break, the local authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order. The real estate prices across the entire commercial and residential district have completely crashed to the ground! Your precious properties are practically worthless now!"

Solomon turned his attention back to his father, entirely ignoring the smug loan shark for the moment. "How much have you been paying them every month? What was the original principal debt amount, and how much have you actually paid off so far?"

"The debt was one million." Johan rubbed his tired eyes. "We have been paying them fifty thousand dollars every single month for the last three years. We did not save a single dime for ourselves. Everything we earned went toward covering Jasmine’s school tuition, our basic daily living expenses, the employees’ wages, the cost of the diner ingredients– which we mostly obtained from our village, and the monthly loan payments."

Solomon quickly calculated the numbers in his head. "Fifty thousand a month for thirty-six months... that is 1.8 million dollars."

He furrowed his brow and looked back at his father. "You just said the original debt amount was one million dollars."

"It was," Johan nodded sadly.

Solomon was utterly confused. He pointed a finger at the suited man nursing his wrist on the floor. "This loan shark just stated that your remaining debt is still one million dollars. If you have already paid them almost two million dollars over the last three years, why is the principal debt amount still exactly the same?!"

The suited man scoffed loudly and finally pushed himself up onto his feet. He hurled a string of degrading insults at the teenager, calling him completely uneducated and stupid. He stepped aggressively into the space between Johan and Solomon, pulling a thick roll of legal documents from his jacket pocket.

He repeatedly smacked the rolled parchment against Solomon’s forehead. "Do you even know what compound interest means, you idiot?! How can someone be this incredibly stupid? Do you not understand how money and the real world actually work?!"

Solomon did not flinch. He simply stared dead into the man’s eyes, his silver pupils radiating a cold, chilling intensity.

"I want to see the original deed," Solomon demanded, his voice dangerously even. "I want the original loan agreement, the signed promissory notes, the detailed interest rate schedule, and I want the official banking statements and physical receipts for the 1.8 million dollars my parents have already paid you."

The smug smile instantly vanished from the loan shark’s face. His expression turned deadly serious. "We have all of those files securely logged. They are currently locked in our main office."

"Then go get them," Solomon ordered flatly.

The man bristled with sudden anger. "We are a fully licensed, legally registered financial company! We are not some shady, back-alley operation! We run a perfectly legitimate business!"

"I never said you were shady," Solomon pointed out smoothly. "You are just spouting all of those defensive excuses yourself."

The man’s face flushed with fury. He turned away from the teenager and glared directly at Johan. "This kid has a very loud mouth. You better shut him up right now before I am forced to teach him some manners. Kids should not speak when the adults are handling business!"

Solomon let out a deep, exhausted sigh. He was trying his best not to rip that man in two pieces.

This was his father’s place and his family’s livelihood. If he were to do something so reckless as beat up a loan shark and if the authorities got involved, it would be his parents who would suffer the most.

’Restrain yourself! Restrain yourself!’ Solomon clenched his fists. ’I will return to the academy a week later.What if they did something when I am away? I have to make sure everything is handled and taken care of smoothly. But once it is over, I will make sure your financial company no longer exists.’

"If you do not have the original loan agreement, the compound interest breakdown, the certified payment receipts, the official appraisal forms, and the notarized transfer deeds on your person right now, then you need to leave this diner immediately. Return when you have brought everything I asked for. Otherwise, I will just call the cops and report you for trespassing and extortion."

The loan shark was genuinely shocked by the blatant threat. He looked back at his five thugs. After a brief moment of stunned silence, the entire group burst into loud, mocking laughter.

"Did this brat really just threaten me with the cops?!" the leader laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.

He aggressively shoved the rolled document directly against Solomon’s chest. "What are you going to tell the cops, kid?! We are legally here to collect the money owed to our company! If your father refuses to sign this property transfer document right now, then we will be the ones calling the cops! We will have him arrested for financial fraud and defaulting on a registered loan!"

Solomon snatched the rolled document from the man’s grip. The loan shark immediately tried to snatch it back, but Solomon’s grip was like an iron vise. In one swift motion, Solomon ripped the thick stack of legal papers entirely into shreds and tossed the confetti into the air.

"You can bring whoever you want," Solomon stated, watching the paper pieces flutter to the checkered floorboards. "Unless you bring the documents I asked for, you should not blame me for whatever happens to your men when you return. Because everything I do next will be entirely in self-defense."

The suited man was absolutely pissed. He looked so incredibly furious that it seemed like he might physically explode right there in the foyer. He ground his teeth together, glaring at the torn paper on the floor.

"Go back to the office," the leader barked at his thugs, spinning on his heel. "Bring every single piece of paper this little shit is asking for. Come back here immediately."

The group of loan sharks stormed out of the diner, the shattered glass of the front door crunching beneath their expensive leather shoes.

Solomon watched them leave until they disappeared down the street. He turned his attention back to his father, his expression softening instantly.

"Do not worry about this anymore, Dad," Solomon promised gently. "I will take care of the debt and handle everything. You can relax."

’Because they won’t be coming back here, ever.’ Solomon said to himself.

"It’s fine, Solomon." Johan placed his hands on Solomon’s shoulders. "You can save that money for your future. We will have to evacuate the area because of the dungeon anyway, so maybe this is for the better."

"It is not. I told you not to worry about the dungeon. Everything will be taken care of. Your son is here."

Johan returned to the kitchen to comfort the injured waiter, and the rest of the employees nervously resumed their morning prep duties.

Solomon excused himself from the diner, casually mentioning he had a few personal errands to run in the neighborhood. In truth, he planned to chase the loan sharks down and ensure this problem was dealt with permanently.

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