Chapter 63
Maseguru 63: The Free Spirit of a Cat
「I"m sorry, I"m sorry, I"m so sorry!」
Said a young girl with a similar appearance to the girl Ainz had saved. She was probably her "big sister" they had been waiting for.
But the very first thing the girl said when she saw them was an apology.
The clothes she was wearing was quite dirty, and her hair and skin looked somewhat unhealthy. She had a nice face, but her face was giving a rather plain impression to them. Looking at her worn-out gla.s.ses, he felt like wiping its lenses.
「Aah, you don"t worry about anything. We"re just waiting here with her――」
"Thank you for taking care of my sister". Ainz guessed that must be what she gonna say next... But that guess was easily betrayed.
「I don"t have any money, but I"ll give you whatever I can! So please, please spare my sister...!」
He was shocked from hearing her words. But in contrast to Ainz, Chris kept a calm look on her face.
「...H-hey, Chris-san」
「We"re probably thinking about the same thing, and it seems, we"ve been misunderstood」
「Haha, yeah...」
There was indeed a thug just a while ago, but Ainz and Chris had driven him away. This means that the girl who just arrived mistook Ainz and Chris for thugs.
「Big sister! This big brother had helped me!」
Ainz wondered how he should explain their circ.u.mstances. He thought it would be easier if the girl would just believe it. But it seemed that hearing her little sister"s explanation makes her understood their circ.u.mstances, and Ainz felt relieved because of it.
「H-helped you? Mei... What has happened?」
「I"ll tell you what! There"s a bad uncle who tried to steal our food, but this big brother and his friend saved me!」
Then she looked at Ainz and Chris again.
Her gla.s.ses were dirty and slightly worn, he wondered if she could see them properly, but his concern was unfounded, as she seems to could clearly see Ainz and Chris in her eyes.
「I-I"m deeply sorry, I"ve misunderstood you... Umm, sorry for my rudeness... but, you"re a n.o.bleman, right?」
There"s no wonder why she thought they were a n.o.ble. Although Ainz and Chris were hiding their true ident.i.ty, they were wearing high-cla.s.s clothes and equipment made from monster materials. She must have thought that they were a n.o.bleman"s son and his bodyguard.
「You thought we"re a n.o.bleman huh...? Hmm, well, we do look like one. By the way, what"s your name?」
「Aah, sorry for my rudeness... My name is Fhalla」
She said her name as she bowed her head dramatically, almost as if she was exaggerating it.
「You don"t have to bow down like that, you know? ...Anyway, nice to meet you, Fhalla-san」
He decided to leave things at it for the time being. He doesn’t think it was quite right to call him a n.o.ble, but it was probably the closest to his status than being called a commoner.
「You don"t have to worry about Mei-chan too. We didn"t lay our hands on her」
「I"m really sorry... It was just that I never thought that a n.o.ble would ever help someone like us. I really will give you anything I can, so...」
Hearing her words makes him wondering about what kind of image she had of the n.o.bles. Maybe the n.o.bles in the Magic City are quite arrogant. Thinking so, he decided to ask Chris about it later...
「No, no. You don"t have to repay us or anything. By the way...」
If they keep talking like this, Fhalla will keep insisting she"ll give them anything to repay their help. So, he changed the conversation in the direction that Ainz was interested in.
「I heard you"re in the business of healing injuries. Is that true?」
「Y-yes... It"s the least I can do」
「Can you even heal a broken bone?」
「It"s a bit tiring, but yes, I can... do you need my help?」
Bingo, Ainz thought. Glancing at Chris, he sensed that she thought the same too.
「I was just wondering why are you in this slum when you can do something like that」
「...Eh? B-but, with magic as weak as mine...」
That"s not true, Ainz thought. As he was thinking that, Chris opened her mouth.
「Fhalla-san, I"m sorry for asking you this, but were you born in this slum? ...and you have never left this slum, right?」
「H-how did you know...!? But you"re right... My late mother once told me, she said, "If we ever leave this slum, people like us will soon be caught by the greedy and they"d do as they pleased to us"」
As if they were slaves... Or in their case, s.e.x slaves, since they were women? Either way, it"s quite disturbing, and he starting to worry about Ist"s security.
「...Ainz-sama」
It seems that the slums are probably a smaller world than what Ainz had imagined. And it is divided from the outside world as if it were a separate world.
That was the slums of this magic city. There are many towns where ruffians run the underworld, but that doesn"t seem to be the case in the slums of this city.
「I"m starting to feel there are some problems with Ist"s public order and such, but let"s discuss that with Warren-san later ...Alright, I have one question for you then. Fhalla, what do you say if you could give Mei-chan a more comfortable life?」
This makes him feel as if he was an "evil merchant" from a third party"s point of view... He didn"t quite like this himself, but he can"t just let this opportunity to pa.s.s by. He even persuaded her to take some time to think about it first.
***
As the sun was setting, the area began to get enveloped by the night sky, and the cold breeze gradually began to flow.
When Ainz returned to the inn, he greeted Kadyma and Dill who had just returned.
Unlike Kadyma"s cheerful expression, Dill"s unusually tired expression told them that he was having a hard time today.
「You bought a lot of stuff again, aren"t you?」
「It"s times like this when I need to buy something nya. My purse strings get loosened nya」
「K-Kadyma-sama... Can I just bring this to your room...?」
「Yeah, good work nya! Please be careful with it nya!」
Dill"s voice was as lackl.u.s.ter as his expression as he replied with a small yes. It was not difficult to imagine how long he had been dragged around today.
「Uwaah~ as expected if a Magic City nya, there were so many things that are hard to get in the Royal Capital nya」
「That"s good to know. And thank you, Dill」
Thanks to Dill"s sacrifice, they were able to have a rather enjoyable day today.
「So, did Ainz and Chris buy anything nya?」
「We didn"t buy anything, but I did pick up a person」
「...Nya?」
『What is he talking about?』 that must be what Kadyma is thinking from the looks on her face. He thought that Chris would be able to explain things better than he could, so he left it to Chris.
How they rescued a girl from a thug, and what she told them about her sister. How they spent a long time after that to persuade her and somehow got her to believe and follow him.
Chris explained to Kadyma what had happened to Ainz and her today, though it was a bit brief.
「Nya... So, this nephew of mine had even started to pick up people huh...」
「I never planned about it though...」
「For the time being, I have contacted Warren-sama about it. So, I"m sure His Majesty must have been informed as well」
He shouldn"t keep quiet about her, so they had already contacted the castle about him recruiting her.
「Then, where are that sisters now nya?」
「I"ve rented another room for them in this inn, it was not a room for n.o.bles though. They"re probably just had taken a bath now」
「I see nya. Well, I can"t deny that you"re a bit careless, but I think that was a wise decision nya」
「You think so?」
The crown prince, even if he was hiding his true ident.i.ty, should not be picking up people so easily. That said, it was a careless thing to do.
But it was unusual for Kadyma to honestly praise him. Perhaps because of this, Ainz couldn"t help but ask her back.
「So, have you thought of any plans nya? I"m talking about the slums nya」
「I"ll talk to Warren-san about it later. The problem was much more complicated than what I had thought... and it gonna costs a lot of money to do something about it」
What Kadyma was concerned about was that the slums would continue to see an increase of the injured after Fhalla was gone. But Ainz had of course thought about that, he was going to discuss it with Warren later, but such a reform would cost a lot of money. So, considering that, it would not be an easy task.
「Nya? I don"t think it was a problem that can be solved with a small amount of money nya, but... If we could get a personal healer to serve us in the Royal Capital, which is what we"ve been looking for, the money it would take to reform the slums would be a small price to pay」
「...What do you think, Chris-san?」
「Just like what Kadyma-sama said. I think it was a rather small price to pay for her」
「It"s like saying we"re buying her though... but you"re certainly right」
If that"s the case, why don"t they just hire a famous adventurer who can use healing magic?
But it wasn"t as simple as saying it. The Adventurer"s Guild plays a role in the continuity of the continent"s safety, and it would be unwise to force them out of the guild in a way that would worsen the relationship.
They"ve even asked them to stay as close to the Royal Capital as long as they could, but things haven"t been going well.
「Kadyma-sama, I"m back」
「Ooh, thanks nya! I"ll reward you with a pat on the head nya」
Kadyma gave Dill a reward when he returned, well, the only thing he got was a pat on the head though.
But Dill obediently lowered himself so that Kadyma could pat him easily.
「Umu umu, good boy nya」
「T-thank you very much...」
The sight of a big cat patting a handsome boy seemed appealing, but it felt somewhat strange when it was Kadyma who did it.
She looked at Dill with warm eyes.
Dill, who noticed her gaze and turned his face away in embarra.s.sment.
「(Hey, Chris-san, they really compatible with each other, don"t they?)」
「(...Kadyma-sama probably thought Dill was easy to deal with too)」
Both Ainz and Chris found that looking at them made them feel somewhat soothed.
「Well then, now that Dill is back, let"s go nya」
「Eh? Kadyma-san... Where are you going?」
「Of course to the sisters that Ainz had picked up nya!」
They must have finished their bath by now and are waiting for him. It seemed like a good time, so they decided to go to the room where the girls were. The room was exactly one floor down, and he had rented a rather nice room for them.
***
Ainz and the others moved downstairs and went to the room where Fhalla and her sister were. Chris went in first, since she was a woman, and checked on them.
After all, there was no answer when they knocked on the door, and they"ve waited for them to come out, so they decided to let Chris go in first.
「Umm, Ainz-sama... What should we do?」
Chris, who had gone to the room to check on them, came back alone. Unusually for Chris, she was asking Ainz to make a decision.
「Why are you asking me that? What"s wrong?」
Behind Ainz, Dill and Kadyma also had a confused look on their faces.
「...May I ask you to come inside first?」
「I don"t mind, but what"s wrong?」
Chris looked uncomfortable, but Ainz, Kadyma, and Dill followed her into the room.
Unlike Ainz and the others" room, the interior and carpets were very different, but it was still a high-cla.s.s room and very comfortable. Just like Ainz and the others" room, there were also some magic tools installed and a good bath was also available as well.
While still checking the room, they followed Chris and finally arrived at the bedroom. The door was half-open, so they could see what"s inside from the outside.
「Please take a look inside」
Chris turned to Ainz and the others and said so. Is there something inside? Ainz thought. He was getting a little curious.
「...Aah, I see」
「Well, it can"t be helped nya... They moved from the slum to a room like this after all nya」
「I think it gonna be hard to wake them up...」
Following Ainz, Kadyma and Dill also expressed their opinions. There was nothing strange about the situation inside, in fact, it even made them smile.
「Shu~... Shu~...」
「Onee~...chan~...」
The two of them were sleeping while cuddling each other in the middle of the large bed. Looking at the sides of the bed, they could see a few wrinkles on the sheet. They must have felt lonely while sleeping in the large bed and ended up cuddling with each other. He couldn"t help but wondered if they usually slept together like that.
The soft bed must be comfortable for the girls. They could tell at a glance that they were sleeping comfortably.
「Well, it can"t be helped, the beds in this inn are quite comfortable after all, and I cannot bring myself to wake them up」
「...As a va.s.sal, I would say that this was impolite of her to do so」
「I understand how you feel Dill. So why don"t you tell me what you think, not as someone who served for me, but as an individual」
「W-well... I won"t ask them for the impossible either...」
It could also be said that Ainz was like doing a charity for them. But as a va.s.sal, the fact that she sleeps without saying a word to Ainz was quite impolite. However, he could understand how they feel. After all, after living a life of struggles in the slums, they were suddenly brought to a comfortable place like this. It"s no wonder they became like this.
「Well, it"s fine though. They"re so lucky to meet a crown prince as lenient as me... Besides, we"re not in a hurry right now. We can talk to her later」
Chris wished that Ainz as a crown prince should be a little stricter to them.
But this kindness is also one of the important factors that make Ainz the man he is. When she thinks about it, she can"t help but wonder if it"s okay to leave things as they are.
However, even though Ainz is always like that, he could always overwhelm them with his unique aura.
「Dill. Prepare a letter for me, and write down what I"m going to tell you」
「Yes! Understood」
「Ainz-sama...?」
「"We had an appointment with Professor Oz tomorrow, so we won"t be able to talk to you until we get back...". And also, why don"t we check on them in the morning too. If she"s awake, we"ll tell her that we"ll talk to her as soon as we get back, but if she"s still asleep, let"s just leave that letter for her and head to Professor Oz"s place」
「That"s a good idea nya. And while we"re at it, we might need to tell the inn about them too nya. Tell them to provide them with anything they may need like food or anything nya」
He decided to prepare a letter for them and take Kadyma"s opinion into account. He brought them here for his own reasons, so he doesn’t want them to feel any inconvenience.
「Then let"s tell the inn as Kadyma-san said. Can I ask Chris-san to do that for us?」
「Of course. Let me accompany you to your room first, then I"ll inform the inn about this matter」
Ainz closed the door quietly as to made sure not to wake up Fhalla and Mei.
Tomorrow would be their third day in Ist, and it was the day of their appointment with Professor Oz. It was an important day for him to give Ainz and the others the information about the Red Fox that he had spent so much time studying.
He decided to get a good night"s rest in order to be able to learn as much information as possible. Ainz had decided to do so, but Kadyma suddenly dropped a surprise bomb that he could not let it slip.
「Aah, by the way, Ainz. I"m probably going back to the royal capital first nya. I"ve found a lot of things I wanted to study after all. So, I want to get started right away nya」
「As free as always, aren"t you...」
Said Ainz with an annoyed look on his face to Kadyma who always do anything as she pleased.
「I"m also going to borrow Dill as my escort nya. You"ll be alone with Chris for a while nya, but Ainz... please take care of Chris nya」
Kadyma also told him that she will take Fhalla and Mei with her to the castle.
「K-Kadyma-sama... Is this mean, you"re on my side...?」
When Chris heard Kadyma"s words, she was more sad than surprised. But Kadyma just laughed and speak her next words.
「Nyahaha. As soon as our business with Professor Oz was done, I"m going back home to do my research nya!」
Since she would also bring Fhalla and Mei with her, it means that Ainz will be completely alone with Chris. Even though Kadyma and the others were still here, Ainz already gets a little nervous now.
Ainz had often been alone with Chris, but he had never been in a situation where he was away from home and staying overnight alone with her.
When Ainz was still thinking about it, Kadyma keeps laughing as if she was enjoying it...
「...I feel like I"ve been spending more time with Kadyma-sama than with Ainz-sama lately...」
Mutter Dill quietly to himself, but no one could hear it.