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Hector’s gaze went to the empty space to his right. Talking to his invisible companion, Amelia supposed. She couldn’t say that she fully understood this business about reapers, and if she was being completely honest, a small part of her still worried that it might just be some form of psychosis that the boy was suffering from. That explanation might’ve even made sense, as a terrible side effect of his supernatural powers.

But of course, she’d never dared say any of that aloud. Strange as it was, this “Garovel” being real or not was almost a moot point, as far as Amelia was concerned. The reaper was obviously real to Hector.

And that was the main reason why she had been so concerned about this meeting. If she couldn’t get this Garovel’s approval, then she doubted she would be able to get Hector’s.

“So let me make sure I’ve got this right,” Hector finally said. “You want to open a bank in my name. Not a bank account. A bank.”

“Yes,” said Amelia.

Hector just gave her a look like she was crazy.

“I understand that is... a highly unconventional proposition,” said Amelia, “and probably not one that you expected to hear when you walked into this office, but I assure you, I am not recommending it impulsively. I have given the matter considerable thought.”

“Then... I assume you’ve thought about how we’re going to fund this? The Queen only gave us three million to work with, and you’re talking about starting a bank that would be big enough to rescue the whole country. Garovel doesn’t think that three million will be nearly enough for that.”

“Indeed, it is true that this would be a very costly endeavor. Currently, you have around 1.2 million troa at your disposal, and to get the ball rolling on this--”

“Whoa, whoa.” Hector held up a hand. “We’ve already burned through 1.8 million troa? In like, what, four months?”

She nodded. “I am afraid so. However, the vast majority of those expenses fell upon the hydroelectric generator. That alone cost us 1.4 million.”

“Holy sh--” Hector stopped himself, perhaps out of consideration for her, which Amelia appreciated. “I... knew it was expensive, but I didn’t think it was that much.”

“Believe it or not, that was actually quite a good deal,” said Amelia. “The amount of power that it generates is rather impressive given that cost.” She might’ve expected the boy to sigh, but he didn’t. “We could have negotiated a staggered payment plan over several years, but it would have cost us nearly three times as much in the long run. I thought it would be better to pay it all off at once, since we actually could. The manufacturer’s representative was quite surprised by that decision.”

“I see...”

“And of course, we also required furniture to even begin living here, so much of that lost capital was due to one-time purchases, if that makes you feel any better. Renovations moving forward should be a considerably slower drain on your funds.”