“…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 .