Chương 54: Chapter 30 : The First Paycheck

Several weeks passed. Every morning, Aldric left his hotel before dawn, arrived at the depot a few minutes early, and found the same crew waiting by the trucks. Little by little, the tasks that had felt so unfamiliar on his first day became second nature. He now knew where to store the moving blankets, how to distribute the boxes inside the truck, and the proper way to carry furniture up a narrow staircase without damaging the walls. Patrick noticed the change.

Whenever a piece of furniture needed to be dismantled or a load required a bit more planning, he called for Aldric. The knight listened carefully to every instruction, asked a few questions whenever something seemed unclear, then carried out the task exactly as requested. The foreman appreciated that attitude. One morning, as the crew finished loading the truck, Lucas slammed the rear doors shut before turning toward Aldric.

"Tell me something..."

"How many wardrobes are you allowed to lift today?"

"Two, provided they are carried according to proper regulations." The entire team burst out laughing. Patrick, who had just stepped out of the office, shook his head with a smile.

"See that, Lucas?" He gestured toward Aldric with a nod.

"Hang around you long enough, and he starts making jokes."

"I wasn't trying to be funny." That answer set everyone off again. Even Patrick had to lean against the truck before he could compose himself.

"Alright, comedians..." He clapped his hands twice.

"We've still got one more job to finish." The day slipped by before Aldric even realized it. Boxes piled up, furniture changed homes, and the miles passed with every trip between apartments and the truck. By the time the sun began to sink behind the buildings, the crew had returned to the depot. Patrick waited until the last hand truck had been put away before gathering everyone in front of the office.

"Don't leave just yet."

"It's payday." Patrick disappeared into his office before returning with a stack of brown envelopes. The conversations stopped at once. Lucas was the first to step forward. He took his envelope, slipped it straight into his pocket, and went back to chatting with Karim. Mathieu did exactly the same. A simple "Thanks," a smile, and he rejoined the others. In Aldric's world, rewards were always presented during official ceremonies.

Kings delivered speeches, soldiers honored their fallen comrades, and heroes received their decorations before an assembled crowd. Here, a few envelopes simply changed hands in the middle of a moving company's yard.

"Aldric." Patrick held up the last envelope. Aldric stepped forward, accepted it with both hands, and gave a respectful nod.

"Thank you for this reward."

"You're welcome..." Lucas watched the exchange with an amused smile.

"Boss... it looks like you just pinned a medal on him." Karim burst out laughing. Mathieu managed to hold it in for a few seconds before giving in as well. Patrick shook his head with an embarrassed grin.

"Oh, give it a rest..." Lucas wasn't finished.

"All you're missing is a marching band." Patrick let out a sigh.

"It is a reward. I've received it because I successfully completed the missions entrusted to me. It represents your company's trust in me. In my world, we would have called it a decoration." Even Patrick couldn't hold back a smile.

"You're unbelievable..." He ran a hand over his face before adding,"It's just your paycheck, you know."

"Perhaps. But it's the first one I've ever received in this world." Patrick rested a hand on his shoulder.

"In that case... congratulations."

"Thank you." Lucas picked up his bag with a shake of his head.

"Just promise us one thing."

"What is it?"

"Don't frame that envelope when you get home." Karim burst out laughing.

"Or lock it away in a treasure chest."

"That would indeed be a secure place to keep it." Patrick finally caught his breath and rested a hand on Aldric's shoulder.

"You know... you'll get used to it." Aldric thought for a few seconds.

"I hope so." Patrick glanced at his watch.

"Alright. You're done for today. Thanks for your hard work."

"Thank you for placing your trust in me."

"See you soon."

"What? You're leaving already?"

"Patrick gave me permission to." Lucas let out an exaggerated sigh as he picked up a crate.

"The temp life... He works fewer hours than we do, and he's still the boss's favorite." Karim laughed.

"Quit complaining and carry this instead." Lucas shook his head with a grin.

"I'm only complaining because I'm jealous." Aldric gave them a respectful nod.

"Have a pleasant evening."

"See you later, Refrigerator Man!" Mathieu called after him. A few laughs followed him as Aldric left the depot. After walking several blocks, he stopped in a small, nearly deserted park. The sun was sinking behind the buildings, and a few children were still playing in the distance. He sat down on a bench, set his bag beside him, and finally took the envelope from his jacket. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

He slipped a finger beneath the flap and pulled out the bills. Since arriving on Earth, he had already handled money to pay for a hotel room, buy clothes, and ride the metro. But this was the first time that money truly belonged to him. No king had bestowed it upon him. No treasure had been unearthed from the depths of a dungeon. No monster had been slain to earn it. He had earned it with his own hands. The thought alone brought a smile to his face. He then began counting the bills.

He laid them out neatly on the bench, checked each denomination, added the totals in his head, then counted everything a second time to make sure he hadn't made a mistake. The result was exactly the same. △ QUEST COMPLETE △ Complete Your First Job Reward +350 XP For years, every reward had been tied to destruction, battles, or sacrifice. He had amassed treasures by slaying dragons, been granted lands after driving back invasions, and earned noble titles by risking his life to save kingdoms.

Today, he had earned his very first paycheck after spending a week moving furniture with a team of movers. Aldric left the park and headed for the nearest metro station. A few dozen minutes later, he pushed open the door to his hotel and went straight up to his room. He took off his safety boots, placed his notebook on the desk, switched on the lamp, and sat down. Spread out before him were several documents: his temporary work contract, a few receipts, and the envelope containing his first paycheck.

Ever since Emma had explained the importance of keeping paperwork organized, he had made a habit of filing everything away. Every document had its own folder. He took the bills out of the envelope and began counting them again. Back in the park, he had only totaled them out of curiosity. This time, he wanted to verify something specific. When he had accepted the job from Julien, the recruiter had told him exactly how much he would earn per hour.

Since then, Aldric had recorded the number of hours he worked each day in his notebook. He opened it to the appropriate page and reread his own notes. Day One: 8 hours 52 minutes. Day Two: 9 hours 10 minutes. Day Three: 8 hours 45 minutes. Day Four: 9 hours. Day Five: 8 hours 55 minutes. The numbers might have been different from those used in his former world, but mathematics remained universal. Once he finished the calculation, he compared the expected amount with the money he had actually received.

His eyes remained fixed on the two figures. They didn't match. Aldric ran through the calculation again. Perhaps he had forgotten an hour or made a mistake in his multiplication. He recalculated each day separately, checked Julien's hourly wage once more, added everything together, then subtracted the cash Patrick had already paid him after his first assignments. Finally, he compared the result with the bills spread across the desk. Despite checking everything repeatedly, the discrepancy remained.

It amounted to several hundred euros. He concluded that a mistake must have been made. In his former world, quartermasters could also make errors when distributing an army's wages. A ledger might be copied incorrectly, or an accountant could accidentally reverse two numbers. No one assumed malicious intent. Mistakes happened, and all that was usually required was to point them out. He folded the bills and returned them to the envelope. His notebook went back into his bag as well. The depot was probably still open.

Without wasting another moment, he put on his jacket, hurried down the hotel stairs, and caught the metro once more. The journey gave him time to consider how he should present the matter. Patrick had always struck him as an honest man. He never once imagined that his employer had deliberately withheld part of his wages. He simply needed to point out the discrepancy. If a mistake had been made, it could surely be corrected without difficulty. By the time he arrived at the depot, the large gates were still open.

A few trucks had just been parked, and several employees were finishing up for the day by putting away the equipment. Lucas, who was busy rolling up a cargo strap, spotted Aldric.

"What, did you forget something?"

"I would like to speak with Patrick."

"Is it important?"

"I believe so."

"He's in his office."

"Thank you." Aldric crossed the yard. When he reached the glass office door, he knocked twice.

"Come in." Patrick looked up as soon as he saw him.

"Aldric?" He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

"Is something wrong?" Aldric walked over to the desk and placed both his envelope and his notebook in front of Patrick.

"I believe there has been an error in the calculation of my wages. I compared the number of hours I worked with the hourly rate I was given before accepting the assignment. According to my calculations... several hundred euros are missing." He pointed to the various entries he had written down. Patrick pulled the envelope toward himself, glanced at the amount shown on the payslip, then pushed everything back across the desk.

"There isn't any mistake."

"But the numbers don't match."

"Your calculations are correct. You're just comparing two different things." He picked up a pen, turned over a blank sheet of paper, and wrote one amount at the top.

"This..." He tapped the figure with the tip of his pen.

"... is your gross pay." Then he wrote a second amount farther down the page.

"And this... is your net pay." He drew an arrow between the two.

"What's the difference?"

"Before your wages reach your bank account, part of them is deducted."

"Why?" Patrick continued his diagram.

"First, there are social security contributions. They help fund the healthcare system. If you get sick, you can receive treatment without paying the full cost yourself." He added another line to the page.

"Then there's your pension. When you're old enough to retire and stop working, you'll still receive money."

"Even if I no longer complete any missions?"

"Exactly."

"There are other deductions as well. Unemployment insurance, various types of coverage... things like that."

"So, if I understand correctly... the kingdom collects its tribute... before I even receive my gold? The kings of my world were less ambitious." Patrick burst out laughing. The sound echoed through the yard, prompting Lucas to poke his head through the half-open office door.

"What's going on?" Patrick was already wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

"You've got to hear this..." Lucas stepped into the office, followed by Karim and Mathieu. Patrick nodded toward Aldric.

"Go on, tell them."

"I've discovered that the kingdom collects its tribute before the worker even receives his gold. In my world, rulers at least waited until the treasure chest had arrived before claiming their share." The entire room burst into laughter. Mathieu shook his head as he laughed, and even Patrick couldn't regain his composure.

"I'm definitely using that one again..." Lucas pointed at Patrick.

"Careful. Starting tomorrow, he's going to call the tax office 'the Kingdom's Tax Collectors.'"" That would, in fact, be an accurate designation," Aldric replied. △ SKILL IMPROVED △ Administration Resistance Lv. 1 He couldn't help but think the new name was particularly fitting. In his world, he had developed resistance to fire, poison, and demonic magic. On Earth, the System had apparently decided that surviving bureaucracy deserved its own special skill. As Aldric left the depot, he remained deep in thought.

Patrick's explanations had answered all of his questions, but they had also raised many new ones. In his world, a king collected taxes to fund his army, build fortifications, or maintain roads. Here, part of his wages vanished before he ever received them, without him seeing what they were actually used for. The idea still felt strange to him. As he often did after work, he met Emma at the little café. She immediately noticed that something was on his mind.

Normally, Aldric would recount the day's events or Lucas's jokes with such complete seriousness that they somehow became even funnier. This time, however, he simply placed his envelope on the table before sitting down.

"Did something happen?" Emma asked.

"I discovered that the kingdom takes part of my wages before I even receive them."

"Ah... payroll deductions."

"Patrick explained that they exist. But I still don't understand why there are so many of them." The waiter came to take their order before walking away. Emma waited until he was out of earshot before continuing.

"The money doesn't actually disappear. It's used. Do you remember when I explained that if someone gets sick, they can go to the hospital? Medical treatment is incredibly expensive." She picked up a paper napkin and began drawing a few circles on it.

"Even so, most people don't have to pay the full cost of their treatment."

"So those deductions help pay for their medical care?"

"Exactly." She drew a second circle.

"It's the same with pensions. When people become too old to work, they still receive enough money to live on."

"Patrick mentioned that."

"There's also financial assistance for people who lose their jobs, those who are injured, and many other situations. The idea is that everyone contributes a little so that no one is completely abandoned when they go through difficult times." In his former world, a farmer who fell gravely ill could rely only on his family or the kindness of his village. An old soldier no longer capable of fighting often spent his final years in poverty.

Kingdoms occasionally helped their veterans, but such privileges were rare and reserved for only a select few. Here, the kingdom seemed to have chosen to organize that solidarity in advance.

"So part of my wages may be paying to treat a stranger today. Or feeding an old man who can no longer work. Or helping someone who has lost their job."

"That's exactly how it works."

"So this gold also protects the people of this kingdom. In my world, I protected villages with a sword." He looked quietly at the steaming cup of coffee in front of him.

"Here... even part of my wages can protect someone."

"I think you understand taxes better than a lot of people."

"Not every tax is necessarily fair. But if part of this gold helps support those who truly need it, then I will give it willingly." Emma watched him for a moment. Aldric truly never reacted the way anyone else did. As they left the café, he slipped the envelope back into his jacket. It held a little less than he had expected the day before, but that did nothing to diminish its value.