“… Am I in your way?”
“… I don’t really mind.”
Hetty and Mina were both subtly embarra.s.sed by the mood as I was feeling awkward.
I don’t know what to say, mood must be important to such sensual like situation.
Until a while ago, Mina and I had a good atmosphere, but it seemed that cold water was thrown to that feeling.
However, Hetty didn’t do anything bad.
Rather, I must thank Hetty because she proofread my letter while I was away from my desk.
“Master, it might be presumptuous of me to say this, but I think it’s better if I write the letters on your behalf. If it’s me I can write the characters a little more neatly. Would you let me do it?”
I see, that might be good.
As I thought about it and turned back to Mina next me, she looked puzzled for an instant and murmured “Speech.”
“Ms. Hetty. It is expected for you to exist as a slave to Master Toshiki. Therefore, you shouldn’t speak so formally towards Master Toshiki.”
“Oh my, Master, if you would please grant me this desire to continue using formal speech. If you please, Master?”
Hetty’s smile was similar to teasing.
I noticed that she was enjoying the situation.
“Ah, I won’t force the issue of using formal language. As long as you don’t tell the other slaves to do so, I have no problems leaving things as they are.”
“Oh my, you have a big heart, Master.”
Hetty was smiling, it seems that att.i.tude was irritating Mina.
She murmured, “Master Toshiki is too soft”, in a low voice.
“With that situation, the other slaves might get excited.”
True, Mina was a very serious servant.
I understand what she feels. But I think it’s good to maintain the way as it is.
Personally, I think that if I get used to being spoken too formally, there would be a possibility that I would get arrogant.
So I don’t want to force them to speak a formal language.
Also, I’m not that soft.
“I’m not soft. Because I will be giving Hetty some work.”
That was to say, giving work was easy. I said “Here, the log book”, and gave Hetty the client log book.
It seems Hetty didn’t realized my intention, and asked me “What will I do with it?”
“The client log book. You should be familiar with the customers listed there.”
“… In other words.”
“What kind of a person was the customer? Are they polite or impatient? I want you to write down every detail that you remember.”
I saw Hetty stopped smiling, and I thought Ah, she can actually show an unpleasant face like that.
“……”
“Well then, go sit there, Mina.”
And with that, Hetty left to work.
That means that there are only 2 people left in the shopkeeper’s tent.
It seemed that Mina noticed that fact, and she began to feel somewhat uncomfortable.
“Uhm, Master Toshiki. Was it ok to ask Ms. Hetty to do that kind of work?”
“Hmm, ah, It’s alright if it’s Hetty.”
I would probably need to start a conversation with her because she hasn’t calmed down yet. As for her, her eyes were not steady since a while ago.
“Hetty is a high-cla.s.s slave, actually, she was made to help some work for Mark.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, she is used to serving customers, so I think that there are only a few things I can teach her.”
I soaked a cloth in the bucket with water while replying.
I was now wiping Mina’s body. I was only doing that, however, I’m getting a little conscious.
It was strange if I think about it.
Just a few days ago I was always doing this thing to her, but the moment our relationship became that of a master and slave, it became an awkward situation.
“Uhm, Master Toshiki. If it’s all right you, I am perfectly capable of wiping myself.”
“No, you don’t need to make a fuss about it.”
I was suddenly worried about what I say.
I uttered you don’t need to make a fuss about it. That expression was strange.
It was a good idea, it was an expression that ignores the likelihood that I dislike Mina.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, I would have replied “Is that so? Well then, why don’t you wipe by yourself?”
That is, If I don’t use the result of the Appraisal Skill.
However, looking at the results of the credibility numbers and mental chart, I chose to do it this way.
Actually, to tell the truth, I don’t dislike Mina.
“… Well then, thank you very much.”
She kept glancing over here and looked like she was waiting for something.
Looking at Mina’s current appearance, I thought that I should wipe her body carefully.
“Come to think of it, Mina.”
“What is it?”
While wiping her body, I started a rambling conversation with her.
“Mina is the shrine maiden of the beastkins right?”
With a twitch, Mina’s body stiffened momentarily.
For some reason, I was not able to read her expression.
It was a nostalgic expression, it was an expression when she heard “So you’re Shrine Maiden, huh?” when I first met her.
“… That is.”
Somehow I could sympathize with her current frame of mind as she stumbles her words.
Carefully choosing her words, It seems the was trying to change the topic.
“… Yes. You are right.”
However, she unexpectedly confirmed it.
“Shrine maiden of the beastkins, what kind of job is that?”
“. . . I foretell fortunes and cast curses.”
She doesn’t seem to play dumb or told a lie.
I don’t know whether she had a change of mind, but she was going to talk because she doesn’t to run away from that fact anymore.
“Fortune telling and casting curses?”
“Yes. Each and every beastkin tribe has a Shrine maiden, it was our job to foretell the future of our own tribe.”
She said so and explained it trivially.
Shrine maidens seem to have two main job, divination and casting curses.
Divination was easy, they divine the future of their tribe by listening to the oracle of the G.o.d.
For example, In Mina’s tribe, by dancing using the spear, the G.o.d will descend upon her body.
That’s the reason why she excels in spearmanship and dancing.
While thinking of such, I urged her to continue her story.
“Well then, what about casting a curse.”
Curse.
Hearing about it will shake you up.
“. . . We of the beastkins, we live as people of the gra.s.sland as various tribes gather together as one in the prairie. However, the hearts of the tribes are not always united.”
She started narrating.
For a long time, the people of the gra.s.sland pa.s.sed on their technique to curse enemies of their tribes.
This kind of magic was a deterrence.
If someone attacks their tribe, they will curse all of them for generations, it was easy to understand that was deterrence.
“We partially believed in this curse. Some people say it is not true, and even though it is not true it is our implicit rule that we must believe on it.”
So, it didn’t matter if the curse was the real deal.
Because it was unspoken agreement, it would still function as a deterrent.
The way she narrated was fraught with sounds that feel like it came from somewhere else.
“…Can I hear it once more?”
“About what?”
I somewhat expect how Mina will react.
However, I decided that I really need to hear it.
“The reason why Mina became a slave.”
“……”
“Was it because the Therianthrope tribe was attacked by other tribes?”
My question was dodged by vaguely answering “… What do you think?”
I thought it was just fine responding like that.
I had steadily acted upon the reforms that I had set.
Hygiene improvements of the slaves, advertising performing spear training, sending greeting letters to the clients.
It was not that large of a scale, it was not sufficiently sensational, and I don’t expect that it will be effective in the long run. It was just simple actions.
However, it is still essential.
I believe that my actions will bear fruit someday.
Simple actions don’t necessarily mean it will bear fruit.
I believe that it will bear fruit simply because those are standard practices.
Standard practices.
Hygiene improvement of the slave, it’s standard practice to improve the working conditions.
Advertising by performing spear training, it’s standard advertising practice to instill impression by creating a buzz continuously.
Sending greeting letters to clients in the log book, it’s standard practice to maintain customer relationship.
For some reason, n.o.body here understood the theory of standard practices.
However, I have probably understood these standard practices from experience. In fact, I was in a position to fully experience management.
Perhaps it’s intuition. I cannot explain the reason but I have a hunch that I am probably correct.
Isn’t it already a fact that it would be effective?
While thinking so, I fixed my eyes towards the Chief Sentry, Howard, who was in front of me.