Chapter 20: Little girl by the roadside, part 5
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Translator: Denryuu
It was the day after Meiri successfully became an adventurer. Lyla had tagged along today, arriving at the guild just after noon.
「Roland! A quest — !」, shouted Meiri from the front.
「Meiri-chan’s so cute…」
「Aww…」
「That little adventurer’s adorable…」
All the adventurers and employees looked fondly upon her. As she’d called for me, one of the employees got up from his seat. I thanked him and sat down.
「Your first quest, huh?」
「Yes! I want to do lots and lots of ‘Backslashing’!!」
Upon hearing that word, Morley shrunk and trembled a little. Unsurprisingly, he was still traumatised from yesterday.
「You’re F-rank, so you can’t go on quests where you have to fight. I explained this yesterday, didn’t I?」
As I took her adventurer’s license and started searching for a suitable F-rank quest, the clip-clop of horses’ hooves could be heard outside. Not long after, five knights decked out in samurai gear entered.
「There she is.」
They approached Meiri, armour clanking loudly. Their full-face helmets bore the coat of arms only used by aristocrats.
The adventurers lowered their voices.
「Huh, they look like they serve a lord…」
「Ah, they’re Lord Bardell’s cavalry…」
Hearing their fervent discussion, Bardell Argot came to mind. He was the baron governing a few villages around this area, including Lahati. Meiri scurried behind Lyla.
「What has brought you here, kind sirs?」
One of the knights, seemingly the leader, shook his head.
「We apologise for causing a stir. We have been searching for this child.」
Since they had sent an assassin, it was likely that they had an inkling about where she had been all this time. This time, they had sent knights. I guess this ‘they’ was none other than the baron himself.
「Bardell-sama is waiting for you. Let’s go.」
「No…! Meiri… wants to stay here!」
Lyla spread her arms, blocking their passage.
「Is it befitting of knights to intimidate a young girl? Do you not know shame?」
As expected of the Demon King. Even without magic and while unable to use spells, she was still menacing in her own right. The knights recoiled a little. It wasn’t just them — everyone present could feel it.
「We have been ordered by his Lordship to bring her back by all means possible. Get out of our way!」, shouted the leader, brandishing his sword. The rest followed suit.
The guild started descending into chaos. Knights only unsheathe their swords when they are prepared to fight — such was the power of Lord Bardell’s orders. Although I had no concrete evidence, he had without a doubt sent that assassin as well.
「To even think of drawing arms against an unarmed girl…」
I leaped over the counter, landing in front of Meiri and Lyla.
「Stop this nonsense! Do not interfere with private matters, guild employee!」
「I had expected knights like you be a little more dignified in your ways.」
I had hit a nerve. The knights strengthened their grips on their swords.
Within his controlled region, a lord is the law. If he decreed a crow to be white, then white it was. That’s how much influence he was willing to exercise to bring Meiri back.
The leader yelled and swung his sword. Trading lives in the blink of an eye is, to me, just like taking a morning stroll. I clenched my fist and struck him in the face. His helmet shattered like glass. The knight was launched into the air, his back crashing against the wall with a loud thud.
「Ga-hack…」
The knight fell to his knees and collapsed, probably breaking his nose and losing a few front teeth in the process. The rest of the knights had frozen in place, except for one who had returned to his senses and bailed. To run away upon realising that you’re not a match for your opponent — it is a very sensible move. People who do that tend to live longer.
「What the –!? That employee knocked the lights out of his Lordship’s knight!?」
「To pick a fight with his knights is to pick a fight with his Lordship himself, no!?」
「What the hell is he thinking? He could’ve just handed over that little brat, but instead decided to retaliate!?」
I could hear the adventurers murmuring among themselves. When I stared at them, they promptly shut up.
「Fufufu, ahahahaha — that was refreshing.」
Lyla was the only one laughing.
「Oi, you!」
The knight slumped on the floor raised his head. Unsurprisingly, his face was covered in blood.
「Fumu, what a handsome man you’ve become. I wonder how you looked like before?」
「Lyla, stop the sarcasm.」
「To defy and even assault Lord Bardell’s emissaries is akin to starting a rebellion! Treason, I say! Only the gallows await you, the gallows!」, wailed the knight, spittle flying everywhere.
Disquiet arose among the onlookers.
「Wow, execution. What bad luck for this guy… fu, fufu, kufufu…」
Lyla was trying her best to stifle her laughter.
「The death penalty? Go ahead. I’d like to see you try to kill me…」
I blinked in front of the disgraced knight and leaned towards him.
「…If you can, that is.」
The knight, bewildered that I had suddenly appeared in front of him, was unable to withstand my pressure and lowered his head.
At that moment, a heavily-built man entered.
「Just when I thought we had located Alias. I was content with waiting by the carriage. My, oh my, what a deplorable sight we have here.」
The knight who ran away earlier had most likely called for him.
「It’s his Lordship himself…」
「Oh, Baron Bardell — !」
Huh, so that’s the baron. I’ve seen him somewhere before…
「You have caused me much trouble, Alias. Let’s go.」
Meiri clung onto Lyla, refusing to let go.
「Hey, big boy, she already said that she doesn’t want to go home.」
Lord Bardell stared at Lyla, sizing her up.
「Hmm…? What beautiful red hair, petite facial features and pretty limbs you have. Why don’t you come with Alias? I’ll take good care of you.」
The baron grinned and extended an arm towards Lyla. With a loud smack, she slapped his wrist away.
「Kuh!? Y-you laid a hand on me… what insolence!」
「Shut up, low-born scum! You’re the insolent one. There’s only one person who’s allowed to touch my bare skin.」, said Lyla, pointing at me.
「That man…? Is he not a mere employee of the guild?」, laughed the baron.
I gave him a small salute.
「My Lord, is your brother alive and well?」
「Of all the things to ask… six years ago, he’d poisoned himself and gone to hell.」
The current baron had inherited the position after his older brother committed suicide. According to Milia, living conditions improved afterwards. From that, it was apparent that his brother wasn’t the best ruler. Although I knew little about him, he had no doubt been an obstacle to his wildly ambitious younger brother.
…There’s no way he was alive and well. After all, he’d died by my hands. I had been commissioned to paint it as a suicide by none other than the current baron himself. I removed my glasses. Immediately realising who I was, his face went pale.
「W-what are y-you doing in a place like this!?」
I gave him a gentle smile, causing him to be considerably struck with fear. As I took a step towards him, he recoiled, falling on his backside. I whispered into his ear:
「If you leave this ‘Alias’ alone, I won’t say a thing about what you did to her. Not a word. I’ll also take that secret to the grave. About how you unlawfully inherited the baronship, of course. After all, keeping secrets is part of my job.」
Of course, I had already left that life far behind. He nodded profusely.
「Of, of, of, of c-course! Do as you wish with that kid! And, about that, I beg you…」, stammered the baron.
Putting his hands together, he groveled at my feet. His knights were visibly shaken.
「Bardell-sama!?」
「By the way, one of your knights told me that I’d be hung.」
Just when I thought he would recover, the baron kept his head down.
「My deepest apologies!! There’s no way you would ever receive the death penalty. After this, he will be severely reprimanded, so please… be merciful!」
「What just happened!?」
「He struck a knight and told him to ‘try me’…」
「To bring his Lordship to his knees… he’s not any old fella!」
To my annoyance, I’d stood out a little too much. I grabbed the baron’s wrist, forcing him to stand up.
「No more of this, my Lord.」
I patted his back, accompanying him to the gates.
「From now on, sir, if anything is bothering you, I will be in your service!」
「Thanks, but no thanks. That’s not at all ‘normal’.」
With that, I watched the cavalry disappear into the distance.
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