“――This is the mansion of the lord of this town, ‘Burae von Constantino,’ sir.”
“I see.”
This was right after I sent those thugs flying.
I had been brought here by Aura, the maid, to the mansion where her lord resides.
“It’s old-fashioned, but it’s spacious and impressive. Well, the upkeep is a bit neglected though.”
The grand garden was dotted with withered flowers and weeds.
“I-I’m terribly ashamed, Mr. Jade. All the servants have left, you see…”
“Ah, because of those threats from the so-called ‘Dontrak Family,’ right?”
According to Aura, this ‘Pioneer City Constantine’ was currently under the de facto control of a mafia known as the Don-something-or-other.
No wonder the town seemed so lifeless.
“Mafias are a drain on everything. They’re just a gang of unemployed thugs. If a bunch of people who don’t do any work keep pressuring the productive citizens, the town will inevitably wither away.”
“Y-yes… Things have gotten truly horrible lately. Even the Adventurer’s Guild has been affected, and despite being a pioneer city, monster exterminations have become scarce…”
“Naturally.”
The meat from monsters becomes food, and their materials make durable building supplies.
The buyers of those are regular citizens. If they’re too scared to even walk the streets, both the Adventurer’s Guild selling the materials and the adventurers who bring them in can’t make any profits, and soon enough they lose their drive.
“I can see the town is on the verge of collapse. Well, let’s go greet the young lady of this dying city. She’s in the second room on the east side, right?”
“H-how do you know that!?”
“Dragon ears. If I try, I can hear breathing sounds from far away. Your young lady, her heart and lungs are weak, aren’t they?”
“Th-th-that’s correct, but… That’s terrifying! Who on earth are you!?”
Eh, no need to get into the details. Let’s just go, go, go.
◆ ◇ ◆
“Hello, nice to meet you, I’m Jade. I’m here to make some money.”
“W-what is this all of a sudden, you lowly cur!”
“Here’s a trick for you. ‘Duplication.'”
“Gyyaaaaah! He multiplied into over fifty people, filling the entire room! What is this, it’s too weird! Aura, help meee!”
The young lady screamed, tears welling up in her eyes.
So this is the ‘Burae von Constantino’ girl. She’s pale but beautiful.
Well, maybe more blue-pale than white-pale. She’s quite thin, and, more than anything, she’s in a wheelchair despite only being in her early teens.
“Alright, young lady, how about you listen to what we have to say.”
“D-don’t talk to me all at once with fifty people! Undo that strange illusion right now!”
Oops, my bad. By the way, it’s not an illusion—I’m just doing an insanely fast side shuffle. I call it the ‘Evil Dragon Step.’ But it’s too much effort, so I’ll never do it again.
“Burae-sama! Are you alright!?”
“Ah, Aura! This man suddenly appeared and…!”
“Ah, sorry, I’m the one who brought him here…”
“Aura!?”
And so, Aura, the maid, explained things to her young mistress.
While they did that, I grabbed a burger. Let’s open up my skill <Storage Space Item Box>.
“Mmm, the texture’s perfect, so delicious. The thick, muscular meat of a Crazy Boar is just right for my overpowered evil dragon jaws…!”
“So, this man named Jade saved you, Aura—wait! Stop eating food in my office!”
“It’s not food, it’s bread.”
“That’s not the point!”
The young lady snapped. Well, well, getting so worked up in that frail state…
“Cough… cough…! Ugh…”
“Oh no, Burae-sama! Are you alright!?”
“Y-yes, it’s just my usual attack…”
See, I told you.
“If you push yourself, you’ll die, young lady. You’ve been poisoned by a high-level curse, haven’t you?”
“Jade, was it? How do you know that…!?”
“I can smell it.”
Hmm… It’s one of the top-tier evil dragon poisons. It kills both body and soul simultaneously. It’s even deadlier than the Stone Evil Dragon Basilisk poison that my knight friend Iris once got hit with.
So…
“Your whole family died from the same poison, didn’t they? They were probably poisoned during a family gathering.”
“W-why do you know that?”
“Otherwise, there’s no reason a child like you would be serving as lord.”
Even though it’s a pioneer city, being a ruler still makes you a kind of king.
If there were any adults around, they’d shove a kid like you aside and take the lordship for themselves, wouldn’t they?
“…Yes, you’re right. About a year ago, my entire Constantino family was poisoned. All my relatives, and of course my father and mother, the previous lords, were killed. I was the only survivor… So I was appointed as the provisional lord.”
“I see. Well, I can’t say if you’re lucky or unlucky.”
“Hmph, it’s obviously the worst.”
Burae let out a disgruntled snort.
――She must have originally possessed top-tier physical abilities as a ‘noble.’ That’s probably how she survived the curse poison.
“You should thank your ancestors. Nobles absorbed all kinds of useful and diverse skills into their bloodlines, turning themselves into the strongest monsters in the world. Especially those in the capital city of the nation, they even call themselves the ‘superior race, High Humans.'”
It’s an incredibly arrogant term, but it’s no exaggeration.
Nobles, with their mountain of mental and physical enhancement skills, have truly surpassed human limits.
That’s why they’re at the top of society. Normally, a mafia would be no match for them. And yet…
“Burae von Constantino. You let the thugs in this town run wild, and when I showed up out of nowhere, you reacted like a scared child… You must be so weakened that you can’t even activate your special skills, right?”
“Y-You were testing me, weren’t you? What a horrible man!”
“Oh, I like that evaluation; it’s quite refreshing.”
In Tristain, I’m treated like a soft touch.
“You’re being extremely rude to a noble. You must be quite a renowned adventurer to be so arrogant, right?”
“Don’t throw around unfamiliar sarcasm, lady. By the way, I’m a Rank 3 adventurer.”
“Wha- Rank 3!? That’s pretty pathetic, isn’t it?!”
Hey now, is there such a thing as Rank 3 discrimination? Being Rank 3 just means you’re part of the thickest layer, doesn’t it?
“Aura said you’re quite strong and came looking for work, but… this isn’t worth discussing. Just go home!”
“Wait, seriously? What about the reward for protecting your Aura?”
“You did that on your own accord! You’re completely ignorant of common sense if you can’t respect a noble! At that point, I’m turning you down!”
Ignorant of common sense? That’s not it, Lady Burae.
“Nobles should be respected. —But that’s for a ‘noble who protects their people.’ I’m not going to serve a brat who can’t even protect a single maid.”
“What did you say?!”
I continue.
“Ah, I know you’re sickly. So it’s impossible to protect you, huh? …But there are means, right? If you appeal to the royal family in the ‘Holy City’ about your current predicament, the ‘Holy Knights’ will be dispatched, and boom, it’s all over. They’ll wipe out the mafia in seconds.”
“…That’s…”
Right. No matter how weak she feels, as a noble, her authority still exists.
She should use that to ask the royal family in the capital for help. Become the ruler of this nation, with its powerful knight order.
“Why, Burae? Why won’t you do that?”
“Ugh… If I did that, I might be stripped of my position…”
“Stripped of what?”
“W-Well, obviously! My status as a noble and the right to govern this land! I’d be declared as having ‘no power even to rule a single city’ and have all my authority taken away!”
Ah, I see. I get it now.
“What a truly pathetic opinion you have. How can you criticize me with that mouth?”
“Ugh…!?”
Well, I suppose it’s not the worst. It’s human and relatable.
Though, I have no desire to live in a town led by someone like this.
“Anyway, I understand your stance. If you want to maintain the status quo, my involvement would be a big nuisance. My bad, I’ll take my leave.”
Just then, as I turned my back to the silent Burae…
“—W-Wait, Jade-san!”
The quiet country maid, Aura, grabbed my hand and stopped me.
“What is it, Aura? I just got turned down for a job.”
“N-No, it’s not that! I want you to understand that the lady is struggling desperately!”
“Oh?”
I tilted my head. Burae yelled, “Stop it, Aura!” but the maid didn’t cease.
“As you heard, the lady’s family was murdered. The culprits are probably the ‘Dontlarque Family’ currently running this town. The lady is feeling very, very frustrated.”
“Then why not call the knight order? Is it because you don’t want your territory taken away due to incompetence?”
“Y-Yes! But it’s not out of a vulgar desire. For the past hundred years since this land was born, her parents and grandfather have always, always protected this land! She just wants to uphold the name of ‘Constantino’!”
…I see.
“I understand well. That’s a noble sentiment. Your ancestors would surely be pleased beneath their graves.”
“Jade-san…!”
“But, it’s the worst.”
“!? “
Hey now, does Aura realize this?
“The lady you serve is only making her deceased ancestors happy while keeping her people and you in a dire situation? That’s worse than being vulgar.”
“But!”
“There’s no ‘but.’ —Hey, Aura, you were almost attacked by thugs just a little while ago, right? Even then, the lady chooses to maintain the status quo. Honestly, you’ve been abandoned.”
“Ugh…!”
Even Aura faltered.
Ah, that’s good. It seems she finally understands the situation.
If she quits being the lord’s maid, the chances of being targeted by the mafia would decrease.
“Still… I’m here.”
“What?” “Aura?!”
Both Burae and I instinctively exclaimed. What on earth is she saying?
“…My family was indeed poor, and my parents sold me to a wandering slave trader out of desperation. At that time, I felt absolutely terrible, and the slave trader said, ‘You’re a country bumpkin, but you have a pretty face, so a wealthy pervert will buy you…’ I thought about committing suicide many times.”
But, she looked at Burae.
“But then, the lady rescued me. While being paraded like a spectacle on the main street, the vibrant lady at the time boldly approached the slave trader and shouted, ‘Hand her over!’ …She was so cool…”
“A-Aura…!”
“So, Lady Burae, please uphold your pride. No matter what I go through, I will always serve you.”
And then she smiled like the sun.
With an entirely sincere, truly beautiful smile.
“Ah… ugh…!”
In contrast, Burae lowered her head, tears eventually falling onto her shadowed lap in the wheelchair—
“And… you said Jade. I’ve made my decision.”
“What do you mean?”
Burae slowly lifted her face, telling me in a trembling voice.
“I will ask for help from the Holy City. I intend to save this land.”
And,
“I also plan to step down from my position as lord.”
