Once again, I finished the job without a hitch.
The task was to save the hunter Fam Hyndra, who was supposed to die deep in the forest.
When I heard the summary, I thought it'd be simple work.
Cure the village chief's son with detoxification magic, then slay one dragon-like creature deep in the forest.
Easy peasy.
Or so I thought—when I arrived, Fam had already entered the forest.
I chased after her in a panic, and by the time I caught up, she was on the verge of death.
That was close.
While she was unconscious, I broke into a cold sweat more than once.
Along the way, I cast healing magic in a quiet voice over and over.
And then there was Ange, the apothecary who'd been with Fam.
She nearly bought it too.
Way too sexy. Could she be one of those femme fatale types?
If things had gone slightly wrong, I might have just pinned her down right then and there.
If I hadn't brought a replica of a sacred artifact just in case, it would've been instant death.
Performing a rite in front of others is something that really shouldn't happen, but I had no choice. It was the only way to make her give up and for me to come back to my senses.
"Hah…"
Anyway, let's hurry home.
Go home, pet the kids on the head, Eat the rice
That's my one reason for living.
It's no exaggeration to say I only come back alive each time for that.
Thinking this, I returned to my house.
As I approached the front gate, the beet vine wound around the entrance like a morning glory opened the way for me. When did our house get an automatic door?
Oh well.
The armadillo Jiro isn't in his doghouse, which means
I waved to Zenis, who was spacing out in the garden, and Lillia, who was hanging laundry.
After seeing Lillia bow her head, I stepped inside.
"I'm home!"
"Oh, that's Big Brother's voice! Welcome back—welcome back, Big Brother! Your little sister can't exactly free her hands right now, but she's saying welcome back!"
The voice came from the direction of the basement.
That was Aisha.
"I can hear you fine!"
What was Aisha up to down there? Probably sorting fertilizer or something.
"Welcome home,
While I was thinking that,
Trailing behind her like a duckling was Lucy, stuck close to her side.
"Welcome home, Sylphie… I'm wiped out again today."
"You worked hard."
Sylphie took off my robe, briskly dusted off the dirt, and hung it up on a hanger.
For the record, I'd already taken off my magic armor at the office.
The large mirror by the entrance showed a young man who wouldn't look out of place anywhere in this world.
But today, Mr. Rudeus looked thoroughly drained.
Like a tired salaryman.
"Pa-pa, welcome ba-ck."
Lucy looked up at me and said it while I was staring at my reflection in the mirror.
Light brown hair, with features you could call sharp and dashing.
She was only about three years old, but she had the face of a handsome elf boy.
Her ears were shorter than Sylphie's, but she looked just like her when she was young.
And there she stood, saying "welcome home" to me.
Aaah!
She said "welcome home, Papa"!
Aaaah!
"Welcome hooooome, Lucy!"
Overcome with emotion, I tried to scoop her up, but Lucy went stumbling backward and hid behind Sylphie.
She glared at me with wary eyes.
Devastating!
Oh no, what do I do.
I'm about to cry.
"Hey now, Lucy."
"Nooo—"
Lucy was lifted up by Sylphie's hands and presented toward me.
I took her without hesitation.
Lucy was light, and warm.
Same with Sylphie, but both of them have higher body temperatures than I do.
Is it because they have less body fat?
Or is it a racial trait?
Whatever—Lucy-chan, haa haa… I'm gonna rub cheeks with you too, hehehe.
"No nooo, itchy itchy!"
My rain of kisses was met with rejection.
Come to think of it, I hadn't shaved during the job.
That won't do.
Anyway, if she doesn't like it, I should stop.
Yeah, you shouldn't do things the other person dislikes.
I don't want to be hated.
When I set Lucy down, she bolted toward the dining room like she was escaping.
Did she really hate me that much?
Deflated.
"Geez, Lucy…"
Sylphie put her hands on her hips and sighed.
Still, compared to a while back, Lucy seemed to have warmed up to me.
She properly called me "Papa" now, and she didn't make that "who is this guy?" face anymore.
There still felt like there was some distance, but… I guess that can't be helped.
"Oh!"
In the meantime, to reclaim the warmth I'd lost, I pulled Sylphie into an embrace.
Gave her a kiss, and while I was at it, groped her butt too.
"Really, Rudy…"
Oh, I'm getting turned on.
Should I drag her to the bedroom right now?
But with the kids awake…
"No, you don't. Save that for later."
"Yesss…"
When Sylphie shot me a cold look, I let her go.
Anyway, as long as they're giving me love, I won't get caught up in the charms of a femme fatale.
"Where are Roxy and Lala?"
"Roxy's at school. Lala's in the living room."
Following those words, Sylphie and I moved to the living room.
Lala was lying in her crib.
Lara
My second daughter.
A baby with beautiful blue hair.
But maybe because she had such a defiant look on her face, I could almost see a "BA-BOOM!" sound effect and concentration lines radiating from around her crib.
With Leo curled up right below the crib, the whole picture radiated an air of superiority.
"Lala, I'm home."
"Aa-uh."
Even though Lala was still an infant, she responded like that.
She hadn't even been born a year ago.
Could it be that our child is a genius?
Or maybe she really is the reincarnated one this time.
As always, she showed no reaction to Japanese or English.
Still, with that defiant expression, it almost sounded like she was saying, "Well done. Rest at your ease."
Would she grow up to be an arrogant type?
"Lala hardly ever cries. She doesn't laugh, either… I'm a little worried."
Sylphie was worried about Lala for different reasons than I was.
Still, I thought that part would be fine.
After all, look at that defiant face.
This is the face of someone who'll go on to great things.
Without a doubt.
Well, I understood Sylphie's concern. There are such things as intellectual disabilities in this world, and being different is a source of bullying.
"If anything comes up, the family can support her together."
"I intend to, but Roxy might take it too hard."
"When that happens, I'll just hug and pamper her until she's fine."
While petting Leo, who was licking my hand, I said something casual.
But yeah, Roxy would probably feel responsible.
I was already happy just that she'd given me children…
She did have a bit of a perfectionist streak sometimes.
"Hm?"
That's when I noticed something.
One person was missing.
Usually, at this point, our little nuclear warhead would be competing with Aisha to welcome me home.
And then, she'd say "Here!" and make me feel her belly.
Showing me that it was growing steadily.
And the usual pattern was that I'd also grope her breasts in the process and get punched into next week…
But today, for some reason, that wasn't happening.
What was going on?
"Where's
"Oh…"
When I asked, Sylphie looked a little troubled.
"She's been bickering with Aisha since this morning."
"Huh? What, are they fighting?"
"Fighting… I wouldn't quite call it that… hmm…"
Sylphie was wishy-washy about it.
Seeing is believing.
"Got it. I'll go take a look."
"Okay."
After patting Lala on the head, I left the living room.
On the way, Lucy peeked through a gap in the door, but the moment our eyes met, she went scrambling up the stairs and fled.
I felt an impulse to chase after Lucy, but headed for the basement instead.
--- When I went downstairs, Aisha was banging on the basement door.
"Eris-nee. We already have Leo, Jiro, and Beet in this house, you know!"
"I know that!"
Aisha pounding on the door, and Eris responding from the other side.
"What's going on?"
When I called out, Aisha spun around.
"Oh, Big Brother! Listen! Eris-nee apparently picked up some kind of cat, and she's been meowing about it since morning!"
"A cat?"
A cat, huh.
Well, Eris did love animals.
I wasn't particularly beloved by animals myself, so I wasn't that into them.
But Leo was fond of me, so I could say I was a dog person without exaggeration.
Anyone who receives affection wants to return it.
"I don't hate cats or anything, but we already have three animals in this house.
I told her she should at least get your permission first, but she wouldn't listen."
I see.
She needed my approval.
I was the head of the household, after all.
"I don't mind keeping one, honestly."
"Really?!"
A cheerful voice came from beyond the door.
I didn't want to spoil her too much, but Eris was probably stressed from her pregnancy too.
If a cat or two could relieve that, it was a small price to pay.
"However, we have a baby in the house, and I'm not home very often. You need to train it properly."
"I understand! Of course!"
While Eris sounded happy, Aisha pouted.
"Hmph… but I'm still the one who'll have to buy food and stuff."
Ah, right—this would mean more work for Aisha…
And Eris might lose interest halfway through taking care of it.
"Sorry, Aisha."
"Well, it's whatever. You've already decided, Big Brother."
"I'm sorry—I'll make it up to you next time."
"Geez, you're impossible…"
When I scrubbed her head, her mood improved slightly.
But maybe I'd messed up her hair, because her expression was off.
"Eris, open the door."
"Sure."
As she said that, the door to the basement slowly opened.
Out stepped Eris, her mouth set in a firm line.
Despite being pregnant, she didn't exude even a hint of weakness.
A pregnant Sword King, basically.
"…"
And then, through the doorway—inside the basement—I laid eyes on the cat wearing a collar, and drew in a sharp breath.
It was an impressive cat.
It was dirty, but its ears stood tall and alert, and its tail was sleek and cool-looking.
But that wasn't all.
What immediately caught my eye was the chest.
A large chest. About the same size as Eris's, probably.
It was wearing rags that barely covered its chest and waist.
Toned, athletic thighs and sun-kissed, healthy skin were on full display.
"Oh! Boss, it's been so long, nya! Thank you so much, nya! I'll never forget your kindness, nya!"
"I found her on my walk this morning! Her name is Linia!"
Linia Dedoldia.
My senior from school, a beast-race girl who had graduated top of her class a few years ago.
Ah, I remembered her well.
I see.
Right.
"Dump her back out."
"No!"
The door was slammed shut right in front of my face.
--- It took another good hour to get the door opened again.
After that, we moved to the living room to hear the full story.
So apparently, Eris had found Linia while walking Leo.
Five months pregnant.
With her morning sickness subsided and able to walk again, Eris had started taking Leo for walks.
The first exercise she took up was walking.
I figured it was because of her strong territorial instinct.
Well, they did say moderate exercise was good for pregnant women, so it wasn't a bad thing.
Then, while passing near the slave market during one of those walks, the incident occurred.
First, Linia burst out from behind some cover.
Chasing after her were several rough-looking men.
Linia's tail was grabbed, and she was done for…
Seeing that sight, Eris made an immediate decision.
She drew the sword at her waist and cleanly sliced those poor thugs in two.
The prize she captured, she proudly brought home.
"I saved her, so she's mine! We're keeping her!"
That was Eris's stance.
A claim worthy of a bandit.
"…Y-yes. I belong to Lady Eris, nya."
As for Linia, she sat on Eris's lap with her ears being tickled, going "nyam nyam nyam."
She was powerless to resist, but her body trembled in tiny shivers.
Trembling with fear.
She wagged her tail for the strong—that was the beast's creed, I suppose.
Anyway, that was fine, but…
"Hey, Linia, what are you doing in this town? Why are you dressed like that?"
I was pretty sure that back on the day Linia and I parted ways, she had looked cool and dashing as she declared she'd become a merchant and left this town.
And now she was wearing slave-level rags and looked generally disheveled.
"I'm so glad you asked, nya. It's a long, painful tale—enough to bring tears whether you hear it or tell it…"
"Keep it brief."
"Nya…"
After graduating from school and leaving town, Linia had apparently tried to become a merchant as she'd declared.
Buy goods in the
Buy goods in the Northern Lands, take them to the Asura Kingdom to sell.
In other words, a traveling merchant.
To that end, she'd purchased a cart.
On credit.
She'd also purchased inventory.
Also on credit.
I mean, normally, you'd just walk back and forth to the next town over, right?
In short, she'd tried to rake it all in at once.
The result was a snowballing deficit thanks to interest on her debt. Obviously.
Each day she grew a little poorer.
She'd been paying off the debt little by little, but with no clear end in sight, those days just kept stretching on.
Then one day, a ray of hope appeared.
A merchant belonging to the trading company she owed money to approached her with a proposal.
"You've been sincerely trying to pay back your debt. But it pains me to see that your business isn't going well.
I can't wipe the debt clean, but if you become a member of our trading company, the interest will be loosened, and you'll be able to repay it far more easily than before.
To become a member, you'll need an enrollment fee of twenty Asura gold coins, but I'll front that for you.
Just pay me back later.
I'll have you write a receipt, of course, but I trust you."
Linia took the deal.
It sounded sketchy to anyone listening, but flatter a cat and you might get a pearl.
Linia had purchased what amounted to a membership badge for twenty Asura gold coins.
But that membership badge was an outright fake.
When she showed it to the trading company she owed money to, they gave her a "What the hell is this?" look, and by the time she realized it, the man had vanished.
But the receipt was genuine.
Linia had simply taken on a fresh debt of twenty Asura gold coins.
Asura gold coins were the most valuable unit of currency in this world.
Twenty coins meant the interest alone was staggering.
For Linia, who was already drowning in interest, she naturally couldn't pay it off.
Her cart and inventory were seized, and she was detained.
"I was completely scammed and ended up a slave, nya."
Half of it was her own fault, but…
Well, fraud was fraud.
The one committing it was clearly in the wrong.
"Hmm…"
That said, Eris had gone and slashed the slave traders' crew. That was a problem.
We had two adorable minors and a baby in this house.
I didn't want to pick a fight with bad people in that situation.
"What should I do…"
"Boss, please help me, I'll do anything, nya… I don't want to be a slave…"
Linia pressed her hands together and begged.
Dressed in rags with a collar on.
How should I put this… it was hot.
"Linia… you…"
"Yes, nya?"
"Have you been, uh… taken advantage of yet?"
"NYA?!"
Before Linia could stand, I was already looking at the ceiling.
A Boreas Punch had detonated, sending me and the chair flying.
"Rudeus! How could you ask something like that?!"
"That's right, Rudy. That was a little lacking in tact, I think."
"Big Brother is the worst."
A barrage of criticism from the women.
"Sorry."
I should just apologize honestly here.
Yeah. That was right.
It really was a bit too crude.
"How dare you say something so indecent! I'm still a bona fide maiden, nya!
Some guys said it'd increase my value if I stayed pure, so they never touched me!"
"Oh, good."
I wasn't even sure why I'd asked.
I thought I should confirm just in case, but if something terrible had happened, I'd have been digging up trauma.
Reflection needed.
Still—increased value, huh.
So even in this world, there were forces that prized virginity.
The Great Forest supposedly had unicorns living in it too.
Thinking that, I got back up.
My nose hurt.
Touching it, I found it was bleeding.
Sylphie hurriedly cast healing magic on me.
"Still, this is a problem."
Eris had already slashed the slave traders' crew.
They'd know her face by now, and they might come for revenge.
I had to do something…
Return Linia and settle things peacefully?
Or declare war on the slave traders and crush them completely?
If I chose the latter and someone like
But abandoning Linia would leave a bad taste in my mouth.
We were friends, after all.
Hmm…
"Excuse meee!"
A voice came from the entrance.
It was an unfamiliar man's voice, but Linia's body went rigid, and she leaped behind the sofa.
"It's them, nya!"
Apparently, it was the slave traders.
--- I headed to the entrance.
"Our slave is in there, and you know it."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Please leave."
When I arrived, Lillia was already handling it.
There were three of them.
The one at the front was a small, short man.
He might have been a gnome.
Behind him stood a hulking, muscular bald man and a man with a mohawk.
Violence radiated from their entire beings.
Like Adon and Samson.
"Don't be like that… In this town, the combination of a red-haired pregnant woman who can split people in two and a big white dog—there's no one else it could be."
"Eris-sama is known to cause a ruckus wherever she goes. Perhaps you're right. However, we have no slaves in this household. Please leave."
Behind Lillia, who maintained her dignified stance, the bald man clicked his tongue.
He shoved the small man aside and stepped forward, reaching toward Lillia.
"Listen here, you old hag. If you keep getting cocky—"
Lillia flinched but stood her ground as he roughly grabbed her shoulder— "Whoa, wait wait wait wait—don't you touch her, don't you touch her, absolutely do NOT touch her…!"
He didn't manage to grab her.
The small man caught the bald man's arm and forced it down.
"Big brother, what's the deal? Usually you—"
"Are you an idiot?! That maid is Rudeus Greyrat's nursemaid and the mother of his half-sister! You so much as leave a bruise on her, and he'll wipe out our entire clan!"
At those words, the bald man looked at Lillia with an expression of dread.
"Then why the hell did you bring us along…"
"In case that 'Mad Sword King' showed up, so we'd have a shield, obviously…"
"That's messed up…"
That's when the small man noticed me.
His expression immediately softened, and he started wringing his hands.
"Oh, why, if it isn't Mr. Rudeus…"
Slimy voice.
That overly servile "I definitely wasn't reaching for the maid" posture.
Well, if he had actually grabbed her, I'd have been furious too.
I wouldn't go as far as wiping out an entire clan, though.
At least, not me.
I couldn't speak for Eris.
"…Lillia, I'll handle things from here."
"Understood, sir."
Lillia bowed, took a few steps back, and stopped.
She'd stay and observe.
"Well, well. A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rudeus."
The small man wrung his hands again and bowed properly.
"I work in dispute resolution for the Barbarid Store, under the Riun Trading Company. The name's Kincho."
"A pleasure to meet you. Rudeus Greyrat."
Kincho. Sounded like it'd work well on mosquitoes.
"So, what brings you, Kincho?"
I could more or less guess, but I'd hear him out.
If it was something else, I'd feel stupid.
"Well, Mr. Rudeus, one of our slaves escaped recently."
"Oh? What kind of slave?"
"A girl of the Dedoldia tribe. High combat ability, can use magic—the finest slave you'll find."
Ohh. You hear that, Linia?
He said you were the finest.
Your reputation is through the roof.
"So, our people went after that slave, but they all ended up dead.
Every single one, neatly split in two."
"I see."
Eris's handiwork.
I kind of felt bad.
Slave trading was their job, and if they'd been beaten by the escapee, that'd be one thing—but getting sliced by a completely unrelated person was rough.
"Well, that's fine. Our line of work comes with casualties. That's just how it is. And when the other party is a subordinate of the Dragon God, the second of the Seven World Powers, and a personal acquaintance of the next Asura King… you understand?"
"I appreciate you saying that."
They were intimidated by
Turns out the world really did run on connections.
Thanks, CEO Orsted! Director Ariel!
Looks like this wouldn't become a problem after all.
Still, I hadn't exactly been broadcasting that I was Orsted's subordinate.
Oh well, rumors spread from anywhere.
"But you see, Mr. Rudeus…"
"Yes?"
"That particular slave has a… rather hefty price tag on her."
"…You did say she was the finest."
Even with high ability, I'd think a fool wouldn't be very useful.
Well, I was hardly one to judge someone else's intelligence.
"A slave of that caliber, though…
Normally, as a gesture of goodwill, I could offer a discount at our shop.
Hehe, but that particular slave is a bit too high-value for me to just hand over.
We've already lined up a buyer, you see."
"Is this buyer the type to go 'Baa—aaa—aaa—st'?"
"Y-yes, precisely! As you well know, Mr. Rudeus, the very—"
Ah.
Eris's family.
"A princess of the Dedoldia tribe who can fight, cast magic, is beautiful, and sassy. They heard that and immediately dropped three hundred Asura gold coins as a deposit."
I didn't know if it was Uncle James or his son, but that Greyrat family really was…
If they had the money to buy slaves, they should funnel it into rebuilding Fitoa territory.
Then again, Eris had also fallen for Linia at first sight, and if you could get your hands on a limited-edition, never-to-be-repeated product, you'd probably throw money at it too.
"A slave worth that much is rare. We can't exactly just walk away from this."
"Yeah, I get that."
"You understand, don't you? We've backed ourselves into a corner. We've invested money in acquiring her…"
"…"
Hmm.
Invested money in acquiring her, huh.
Well, if the losses got too big, they'd have no choice but to go under.
I wouldn't feel the slightest thing if they did.
But I didn't want them holding a grudge.
"By the way, Mr. Rudeus."
As I hesitated, Kincho turned a slightly sharper smile my way.
"Your sister and one of your wives attend the magic university, don't they? One would hate for them to feel… unwelcome there…"
"You… are you threatening to go after Norn and Roxy?"
If you actually did, I wouldn't hold back?
I'd be prepared to destroy the entire
"A-ahh, forget I said that. Forget I said that.
Of course, of course, I have no intention of making an enemy of you, Mr. Rudeus.
Love and peace. I want us to get along."
"So do I."
"Right?
So if you could just return the slave…
We don't want to put our lives on the line against you or anything.
But, you know, you understand?
If this goes on, we'll have to hang ourselves.
If we're going to die either way, wouldn't you rather go down fighting?"
Yeah, I got it.
They were desperate too.
With three hundred Asura gold coins already received as a deposit, canceling that would crater their credibility.
The fact that they'd needed that kind of down payment meant they'd likely invested heavily in acquisition.
Bankruptcy would be certain.
And when facing bankruptcy, people would try anything.
A cornered beast was always dangerous.
"Hah…"
…Well, I supposed there was nothing to be done.
Linia had been careless this time too.
She'd taken on debt, compounded it, and fallen for an obvious scam.
Her own fault.
She should just go in prepared for prison.
At least at Sauros's place, the animal-eared maids hadn't been treated too harshly.
There wasn't any brutally hard labor.
Well, lewd things probably happened, but that family had plenty of good-looking guys resembling Eris and Philip, and they loved beast-race girls, so she'd be taken care of.
If anything, I could even write a short letter.
Something like: She's a slave, but she's an acquaintance, so please don't treat her too badly.
Right. I'd go with that.
"I understand."
"You do?"
"Yes. Right now…"
I started to say "I'll bring her to you," but then I turned around.
—and swallowed my words.
My gaze fell on the figure standing at the top of the stairs.
"…"
Lucy.
My precious, beloved daughter.
She was watching me from behind the stair railing with a worried look on her face.
"……………Lillia."
"Yes, sir?"
Was I really supposed to cave to this threat right here, bow my head, and hand Linia over?
In front of Lucy, who looked so anxious?
Her father.
Should I hand over someone to the people that the child, who'd come to our home for safety, was frightened of?
—No.
"Bring everything from the safe in my room."
"…As you wish."
Lillia was swift.
She went trotting into the depths of the house and soon returned with an enormous bag, nearly as big as a person's embrace.
I'd probably made her carry something a bit heavy.
When the bag was opened, it was packed tight with smaller pouches.
I picked up one of them and tossed it at Kincho.
"…What's this?"
Kincho made a skeptical face but opened the pouch.
"!"
And his complexion changed.
"Magic stones. Take them to the right place, and they should fetch about five hundred Asura gold coins."
"Huh? Wha?"
"And one more."
I tossed a second pouch.
Kincho fumbled to catch it.
"Don't tell me you've also captured not just the Dedoldia girl, but the Adoldia princess too?
Those two were always together, after all."
"Eh? N-no, we only have one slave!"
"Getting caught lying won't help you."
As I said that, I threw a third pouch.
Kincho caught it, but his expression grew more and more bewildered.
"I should let you know—I have no intention of paying you this kind of money once I've turned your shop to cinders."
Kincho's face drained of color.
"I-it's true! The only slave we have is the Dedoldia girl! Just one!"
…Well, I'd asked just to be sure. So that was how it was.
Linia had gone into the world as a merchant, and Pursena had returned to their homeland as a leader. They'd gone separate ways.
They wouldn't have been captured at the same time.
Pursena had probably made it back to her homeland by now.
"I see… Then that should settle it. I'll buy Linia from you."
"What?! That's—three pouches?!"
"Not enough? Then… one more? Or would you prefer"
a magic-infused item?"
I reached for the next pouch.
Two thousand coins, easy.
After this past year, I'd show them I could earn too.
"N-no, this, this is plenty!"
"Oh, come on.
I'm away from home a lot these days, after all.
If something were to happen to my family where I couldn't see it…
You understand?"
"A-ahh…"
I had to drive the point home here.
Gunboat diplomacy.
"I'd like us to continue getting along.
For instance, if that Adoldia girl I mentioned earlier were to become a slave.
Or if, God forbid, my sister or daughter ever ended up as one.
You'd be willing to look the other way, wouldn't you?"
"Y-yes, of course, we'd be happy to accommodate."
"If you like, I can throw in a magic item too. How about a helmet with a gem on the forehead that lights up and doubles as a flashlight?"
Kincho shuddered visibly and bowed his head in fear.
"F-fine! I'll sell! That's more than enough. I don't intend to make an enemy of you—stop threatening me."
"Much appreciated."
I won.
A victory through money.
That said, I had no intention of making enemies of the slave traders either.
And the Boreas family too, while I was at it.
"I'll write a letter to Boreas on your behalf. Come pick it up later along with the receipt."
"A-ah, that'd be a… great help…"
With that, Kincho took his large companions and left in a hurry.
"Hah…"
Hehe… I'd gotten carried away and spent a fortune.
Magic stones worth fifteen hundred gold coins.
A lot of money.
Lillia didn't say a word, but she was surely exasperated.
"Sir."
"Lillia…"
"Well done."
"Thank you."
Lillia gave a small smile and bowed her head.
She seemed willing to forgive me.
Then again, Aisha might scold me too…
Maybe I could try convincing Orsted to write it off as a business expense.
Well, that aside.
Did you see, Lucy?
Papa's the kind of man who can step up when it counts.
If you ever end up in trouble, I'll rescue you just like this.
You're safe.
Now—come fly into Papa's arms.
"Oh!"
As I turned around with that thought…
What should I say?
Lucy was no longer on the stairs.
Deflated.
--- Regardless, Linia was saved and came to live with us.
As a slave.