36: Mirimirra Sagara
“You don’t doubt me?”
“It would be disrespectful to doubt you.”
I thought so. Even if it was to deceive me in this place, pretending to be a member of the royal family is tantamount to suicide.
If it were to reach the king’s ears, he would order all the nobles in the country to find the impudent person and personally lead an army to kill them in a fit of rage.
This is absolute. That’s how serious a crime it is to impersonate a member of the royal family.
That’s why the woman now said that she believed me so readily.
“So, will you truly become my subordinates?”
“Yes.”
“To be my hands, feet, and ears. To die when I tell you to die, even as a slave?”
“If that is your wish.”
“How will you prove it?”
“If you would please engrave the [Colorless Core (Contract Crest)] on us. We will offer you our lives and deaths.”
Then I can be sure that they will never betray me.
The Contract Crest is a pattern that is engraved on the body by making a promise to each other and asking the God of Gold not to break it. As long as this exists, it is impossible to break the promise. The moment you try to break it, your soul will collapse and you will die.
To entrust one’s life and death is, simply put, like a slave contract. No matter what you are ordered to do, you can never disobey.
This spirit, which offers this all at once, is formidable.
“Very well. How many of you are there?”
“Forty-five men, seventy-seven women, fifty-two with disabilities who cannot work, and children. A total of one hundred and seventy-four.”
“That’s quite a lot?”
“Yes. When we learned that the soldiers were invading the village, we decided who would escape and then fought the soldiers to the death. There were also those who were already outside.”
Is it a sacrifice to make it look like the village was destroyed?
Even so, it’s a lot. Sagara must have been quite large to begin with. It was probably not a settlement of spies, but a powerful family with a spy aspect. That’s why it was destroyed.
The fact that there are fewer men is probably because they were the first to die or are among those with disabilities.
“What are the survivors doing now?”
“Some are adventurers, some work in the city, and others are scattered around gathering shallow information and supporting each other to earn a living. Also, most of them, including me, are hiding outside the city.”
“I see.”
This will probably be useful right away.
Here, I changed back to my adventurer Jasper’s face and hair color.
“This is too stiff. Let’s relax.”
Laughing, I took out a jug and tankard filled with ale from my [Treasure Chest of Mine (Colorless Jewels)]. While pouring it, I urged the women to return to their original positions.
The women, who had been hesitant, must have decided that it was my will and judgment, so they did as they had before.
“So, honestly, how is it? Are you having a hard time?”
“Yes… ah. No, to be precise, life itself is not that difficult. It’s just that, oh, as you said, everyone is feeling anxious.”
“Really?”
“I don’t know if you know this, but there are quite a few shady people and those close to them in this country. If there is any sign of war or anything, their tension will also increase. If even one of us is discovered, it is clear that we will be pursued…”
“I guess so. But the reason you’re in this country is as I said yesterday?”
“That’s right.”
They can’t escape to another country, and they don’t know when they will be in danger in their own country. Well, it’s no wonder they’re getting anxious. Besides, this country loves to fight. If there is a group with the power to kill, they will come flying.
“To be honest, what do you want to do?”
“…I want the safety of everyone in the village.”
The master-servant relationship has various reasons and hierarchical relationships, but fundamentally, there is something that each other seeks. What do you want from each other, and what do you want them to do? The relationship in which they receive and give that can be called a master-servant relationship.
What these women, who are not struggling with money or life, seek is the safety of the villagers.
And I have to give it to them, who have become completely mine.
Well, even if I ignore them to some extent, they won’t be able to go against me because of their circumstances.
That’s what it means to be under the protection of a powerful person once. You can’t escape anymore. But that’s not interesting to me, so I intend to protect them properly.
“I’ll be blunt and I think you understand, but it won’t be good if it’s revealed that there are shady people under me as the crown prince. So I can’t protect you directly.
However, as I said, His Majesty the King will not be able to execute me suddenly, nor will he be able to harm you recklessly. I don’t have to tell you the reason, do I?”
“Hmm.”
“So for the time being, I will use my connections as the crown prince and my position as an adventurer to protect you.”
“Specifically?”
Even though I said connections, I only have one.
“First, we will build a guild with the support of the Bernard Chamber of Commerce as a source of funding and build a guild house. I didn’t make it because it was meaningless until now, but if we do this, we can accept a certain number of villagers who are adventurers and make a concerted move.”
“We also have a history of not forming a guild because we didn’t want to stand out.”
“I understand that. However, the difference between you and me is credit rating and track record. We will form a guild with the name of the famous Bernard Chamber of Commerce in the background. That alone will gain a certain amount of trust.
In addition to our activities as adventurers, we will also work as employees of the Bernard Chamber of Commerce. In this way, we will not be unknown adventurers, but we will be recognized by the surroundings as the Garland branch of the Bernard Chamber of Commerce , which is used by the royal family.
“I see.”
Historically, merchants who have been used by the royal family are not only foolish to ordinary citizens, but even nobles cannot touch them carelessly. That’s because if you do something clumsy, it could lead to disrespect for the royal family.
If you become a guild that the Chamber of Commerce is close to, you will be able to gain a certain amount of external credibility.
“Fortunately, I’m somewhat well-known, and I’m usually on good terms with the Bernard Chamber of Commerce. I will consult with the Garland branch manager about wanting to establish a guild, and the Bernard Chamber of Commerce will support it . Then, in order to gather guild members, I will ask Neil and his group (party), who I am usually on good terms with, and other members (members) who I am on good terms with, and the guild will gather people who are attracted to the name.
When I glanced at Neil, who was standing quietly behind the woman, he looked a little embarrassed. I noticed it well.
“How many adventurers are there who are already active as adventurers or who can be active if they just register?”
“If we gather all those who are working, there are 122 people. Those who cannot fight in Sagara do not work outside from the beginning.”
“If there are that many, we can create a guild of considerable size. Those who cannot work as Sagara can be hired as employees there. With this alone, a considerable number of people will be able to become one lump (piece). You can register as an adventurer as it is. There is no rule that adventurers cannot be employees.
“…I see.”
“However, it is impossible to avoid being conspicuous. That’s because we’re using the fact that we stand out. If this is anxiety, we have to think of a different way. Well, I can’t think of it now. do you do?”
To be honest, I think this is the best.
The league will become a kingdom-certified organization through the mediation office. We will use the name of the royal purveyor as the source of that trust.
Rather than hiding strangely, it would be better to have a certain degree of openness to reduce distrust.
If you were wandering around at night, you would just be a suspicious person, but during the day, even if you were a little suspicious, it would be enough to make you think you were lost or in trouble.
After a moment of hesitation, the woman looked at me.
“That’s good, good. I’ve decided to trust you. Then I’ll follow that decision.”
“It’s not a decision, though. Or rather, is it okay for you to decide?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m the chief.”
“Huh? You?”
“Is that strange?”
Well, it’s not common for a woman to be at the top of an organization, but it’s not that uncommon either.
It is commonly believed that men are superior in vitality, but women are superior in mental strength. There are times when women are more convenient.
That’s not what I’m concerned about.
“No, I’m just wondering why you, as the chief, suddenly attacked me yesterday. Normally, you would have someone else do that, right?”
“Normally, I would have the deputy chief do it, but when it’s important, I, the chief, will do it. This time, it was the most important thing.”
“Is that how it is?”
“Yes. Besides, the head of the clan is the most capable person. I was the best person for the job, in the sense that I wanted to get the information for sure.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Even so… I thought, but then I remembered that in our country, the king and the heads of the nobles sometimes take the lead. Rather, I could understand it.
“So, let’s proceed in that way.”
“Yes. I’ll be counting on you.”
For the time being, there seem to be a lot of things to do. I’ve been able to deliver things, and I’ve been thinking about how to proceed concretely in the future.
After thinking about such things, I decided to ask a sudden question.
Let me say this first. I’m not drunk at all. I’m seriously curious.
“By the way, what’s your name?”
“Ah, it’s Mimirira Sagara. Please call me whatever you like.”
“Then, Mimirira, I’d like to ask you something right away.”
“What is it?”
I looked at Mimirira’s face and the cat ears on her head and said clearly.
“Are you a virgin? And can I touch those cat ears?”
If I hadn’t been her employer, I think I would have been killed.
But it can’t be helped, she’s so beautiful and her ears are so fluffy.
Mimirira’s wide-eyed expression was so cute that I drank the ale in one gulp. The alcohol was delicious.
And behind me, Neil was holding his head. You’re the one who taught me about women. Give up.