Chapter 287

“…I’m a slave. Doing the filthy work is how I survive.”

“…”

That was the explanation that ‘Douva’ gave to me. However, she was using a figure of speech here. Her father had fallen into tremendous debt, which had then been subrogated by a noble. She was now paying in her father’s stead. Unsurprisingly, her father had vanished. As for her mother, well, she had died a long time ago. The only thing Douva had left was debts.

“So, that is why I take on jobs that I do not want to do. It’s the same with the others. The noble that hires us knowingly selected people who are in debt. Do you understand? If you want to buy us, the price will be high. And great house or not, no one pays that kind of money without a good reason.”

Indeed. Regardless of their situation, this was trespassing and attempted robbery. There was no reason to buy them at all.

That being said, I had promised to negotiate, so I would have to bring it up with Miss Camila, at the very least. Still…it worried me. This could get very unpredictable. And how should I move then? Daniela would be pretty angry if she could see me now.

“I will talk to her first. You stay here quietly while I call someone from the house.”

“Very well. I do not have the energy to resist now. But let me see the others.”

I nodded and took her to the guardhouse so that she could explain the situation to them. In the meantime, I returned to the mansion and told the butler that I needed to see Miss Camila. He didn’t seem too pleased but nodded.

□ □ □ □

“I see. This is quite the opportunity.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, I will buy them. And then unleash them on their old master… It’s very simple.”

“Oh…”

What a frightening mind she had…

“Of course, what this noble is doing is against the law. Nobles of the imperial capital are not allowed to have a private army. However, that does not include gatekeepers and bodyguards. But specially trained troops…that is forbidden.”

“That seems difficult to enforce. A gatekeeper and a soldier could look exactly the same.”

“I wouldn’t say that. Status cards do exist, you know?”

“Right…”

Status cards did not lie. They displayed all of your abilities.

“I will hire her and her men and send them back to this noble’s house. Information will be stolen, and the house will be forever ruined.”

“You just said that it was illegal to hire…”

“As long as I don’t get caught. And I won’t.”

“Ahh…”

One thing was clear. These people were scary.

□ □ □ □

“So, there it is. House Carteraza will take care of you from now on. However, you must finish this job first. This means entering the house you came from and stealing. Any objections?”

“None. Being backed by one of the eight great houses means that we have nothing to fear.”

Douva had lived in a rough world. She changed loyalty very easily. The others nodded in agreement. It spoke of how bad their previous environment must have been… I had only seen the beautiful sides of the city. There was a lot that happened in the shadows that I had no knowledge of. And while these were not literal slaves…there probably were real slaves here as well.

If I encountered such people later on, how would I react? I couldn’t know until the time came, but I had no delusions about saving everyone every time. There would be no end to it if I tried. There was only one person that I could help. And that was Daniela.

“There you are.”

The door to the guardhouse opened and Miss Camila entered.

“So, this is my new and brilliant army. It’s a pleasure.”

“Uh… Please forgive us for this disgraceful incident…”

“Say no more. That is of no interest to me now. There are more important things to discuss. The war council begins now. My maid will accompany you, and it will be carried out tonight.”

Miss Camila stepped to the side and the Automata walked into the room.

“This is…”

“I am Reticle, an Automata and exclusive maid to Camila Dee Carteraza. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Reticle? Like the cross mark on the scope of a gun? It was something that helped you take aim. You wouldn’t miss… Perhaps that’s what she meant with the name. An Automata would likely be very precise. But then again, there were no guns in this world.

Still, a name for an Automata? I suppose it was useful. What would I have named it… No, never mind that.

“So, you’re really not going to be killing them. Have I got that right?”

“Yes, that is correct. As for you, your job is now finished. It is now a matter between noble houses.”

“I understand. That’s the last thing I want to get more involved it.”

“That’s very wise of you. Now, here is your reward. I had promised you that it would be doubled if you captured them. I even added a little bonus. It’s for each one that you caught. Think of it as a show of gratitude, for helping me acquire such useful…resources.”

“I gratefully accept.”

It didn’t sit right with me that she saw people as resources, but she would probably treat them well enough if they succeeded. The butler handed me a bag of gold and I made my way to the door. Just then, Douva and the others called out to me.

“Uh, thank you. We might not have ever escaped from the shadows without you.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you!”

Awkward. I just did my job. In fact, I had done it in a pretty self-indulgent way at that… Things just happened to end on a positive note, that’s all. It all depended on Miss Camila.

“Don’t mention it. I’m glad no one was killed. Good luck.”

“Aye. …Oh, I didn’t hear your name. Will you tell us?”

Uh… I guess I hadn’t. I mean, they were enemies…

But it would be rather embarrassing to introduce myself now. Not that that was a good reason to refuse.

“It’s Asagi. A humble Adventurer.”

“Asagi… You’re Asagi Kamiyashiro. Everyone knows that name.”

“Haha. Surely not. Anyway, I gotta go. I’m very, very tired…”

I slung the bag of money over my shoulder and left the guardhouse. I also activated Presence Block, just in case. There were gasps of alarm coming from within the guardhouse. I chuckled sleepily. It couldn’t be helped. I was no longer used to staying up all night. And so, in order to return to my usual schedule, I used Legs of the God Wolf to return straight to the inn.

□ □ □ □

During the afternoon of the following day. Daniela had finally kicked my out of the bed in frustration, and so I stifled a yawn and left the inn to wander on the streets. The yawns were clearly an indication that I hadn’t had enough sleep, but Daniela was unforgiving. Well, then. I might as well go eat, I thought. And so I moved my shaky feet forward and opened my mouth wide. There was no point in stifling it anyway.

“Extra! Extra! Read all about it!”

As I walked towards the dining hall, I could hear someone shouting. Some newspaper, I guess. Now that I think about it, hadn’t Daniela been reading something? I thought dumbly as I walked. Suddenly, a crumpled paper got caught on my legs. I picked it up and spread it out.

“…Damn.”

It was just words. But it said that a certain noble had been stripped of all titles. So, Miss Camila had done exactly as she had promised. She had escaped the approaching danger. The Automata was safe and she had new people working for her. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stole her enemy’s gold as well. And as the noble was ruined, Douva’s debts would be erased.

I folded the newspaper and entered the dining hall. It was pretty crowded, but I was able to find an empty seat. Everyone seemed to be smiling here, and the atmosphere was pleasant. But while we all dined in peace here, there were people elsewhere who fought like dogs. The world was a big place. It was, but what was unknown to you was often not as far away as you thought.

“Haaahhh…damn it, I’m sluggish…”

Danger was always present. But for now, I prioritized satiating my appetite. I put the newspaper down and ordered some food. The waitress repeated it energetically and then disappeared into the kitchen. I looked down and tried to read the small articles on the paper, but it was hard to concentrate. I felt like I was still half asleep. As I sat there, feeling light-headed, a delicious smell entered my nostrils.

“Here’s your food!”

“That looks good…”

But for now, everything was peaceful. Now, this was a time when I could relax and just eat my food.