The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53: The Tables Turned

He opened his mouth, a venomous retort resting on the tip of his tongue. Yet, his gaze instinctively flicked downward as he bent over to scoop up the pouch from the deck.

The moment his fingers wrapped around the fabric, he felt its staggering weight. His brow furrowed in confusion. Undoing the drawstring, he peeked inside, and his entire body froze.

His mouth remained open, but all the vitriol he had prepared was instantly choked back into his mouth. His eyes widened as he stared at the staggering fortune nestled within the ordinary pouch.

"Where did a mere commoner get this much wealth?" he finally squeezed out, his voice turning sharp and defensive as he desperately tried to salvage his crumbling dignity.

Turning away from Aisha, he raised the bag for the entire cabin to see, shouting, "Has anyone had their money stolen?! Is anyone missing a pouch?!"

It was a complete bluff. He only wanted to find a scapegoat to regain his lost face.

However, against all odds, someone actually answered his call.

A passenger sitting near the back suddenly patted down his coat, his expression morphing into surprise. "Wait--mine is gone."

The middle-aged man’s face instantly lit up as if he had just won a grand prize. "There! She is a thief!"

He whipped around, pointing a trembling, accusatory finger at Aisha. "Guards! Arrest her immediately! She has stolen from a passenger!"

Aisha merely looked at him, her eyes completely devoid of warmth.

In her mind, she was already calculating exactly how many ways she could ruthlessly rearrange that arrogant face of his into a pig’s head before anyone in this cabin could even dream of stopping her.

The kind old man tried to step in once more to defuse the situation. He turned to the passenger who claimed to have lost his money, pleading, "Sir, are you certain it was this specific pouch? Could you have simply misplaced your money elsewhere?"

The passenger hesitated for a moment. He glanced at the wealthy, middle-aged man, and then chose to remain entirely silent. It was blindingly obvious that he didn’t want to contradict someone of noble status and invite unnecessary trouble upon himself.

He couldn’t just tell everyone that he had indeed lost his money. But he realized it was something he had used to buy a toy for his son and had completely forgotten about it.

The middle-aged man wasn’t finished. He snatched the pouch open, roughly pulling the electronic ticket stub nestled inside. "Look at this! It’s an admission ticket for the cheapest tier! A wretched girl who bought the lowest toll, yet she happens to be carrying a pouch of overflowing money?"

He straightened his back, looking thoroughly pleased with his own cleverness. "Who knows what kind of insidious plot she’s planning once she infiltrates the Association. She will probably steal something the moment no one is looking!"

Aisha remained silent, a cold numbness settling over her.

This was already the second time she was falsely accused of stealing since coming to this world. Haa...

Just then, her terminal buzzed against her wrist.

She glanced down and unlocked the screen under her sleeve. It was an unregistered number.

[Are you already at the Association?]

Even without a name attached, she knew exactly who it was.

[Not yet. Still on the ship.]

Except he wasn’t looking at Aisha at all. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

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