After soothing Friede, who showed no signs of hiding her distrust and anxiety, and filling up the whining Eleadra with food before putting her to sleep, I was relieved.
If she were to follow me, things might spiral into absolute chaos.
“Hey, I need you to take care of her. I’ll be back before she wakes up… but just in case.”
I had set aside some of my blood in a potion bottle, just in case Eleadra woke up too soon and started crying for her mommy.
If I’m lucky, she might calm down.
Like how a baby, waking up at dawn and crying like a dinosaur, quiets down the moment you give them a warm bottle.
“Ah, if you think it’s too dangerous, just run away. It’s much better than putting Friede in danger.”
“…But wouldn’t it be better not to create a dangerous situation in the first place?”
Friede grumbled as she took the potion bottle filled with my blood.
If she was that worried about being alone with Eleadra, why not just come along instead of leaving her behind?
Well, I had essentially forced her into agreeing, so I guessed she had a right to be a bit unhappy.
“That’s true, but… this time, there’s no other choice.”
I let out a bitter smile, bending down to gently kiss Friede on the forehead.
“Ugh…!”
“Just this once, okay? I won’t even set foot in dangerous places.”
As I pleaded with her, would she keep on grumbling? That was the underlying message in my whisper.
Glancing at me with a pouting lip, Friede eventually seemed to give up her complaints, turning her head slightly with a deep sigh.
“Fine… just this once, got it?”
“Yeah, I’ll remember.”
Whether this would really be the last time… to be honest, I wasn’t so sure myself.
Anyway, after getting Friede’s permission, I donned a cloak and hood over my armor to hide my face and stepped out of the inn.
◆◆
“Excuse me. I’m here to meet Commander Frederick… is he inside?”
After leaving the inn, I headed straight for the headquarters of the Pesengwigel Guild.
They were the most trustworthy organization in this city, so I thought things might go a bit smoother if I could get their help.
The guild’s headquarters was situated right in the bustling Fountain Square.
I heard they had converted a two-story tavern into their office?
For a headquarters of a large organization that practically ran the city, it was quite modest, but that was probably to be expected.
Most of the guild members were originally residents of Fountain Square.
Their main job was patrolling, and after work, they would all head back home, so there was no reason for the headquarters to be spacious with just a handful of clerks.
“The Commander is busy… but are you a friend of his? If so, I can check with him.”
Even so, there were still a few men in armor standing guard at the so-called headquarters.
“Um… I’m not exactly a friend.”
“Not a friend? Then stop wasting time and leave. You think the Commander meets just anybody?”
The guards had a discipline level that could only be considered as that of a low-tier adventurer.
“Then how can I meet him?”
“Tsk. If it’s urgent, just fill out a request form and submit it to the clerks on the first floor. Whether it gets accepted or rejected is up to the Commander.”
The guard clicked his tongue, dismissing me as just another merchant and pointed towards the building’s interior.
If I had an important message worthy of requesting a private audience with the Commander, then I needed to submit a meeting request form to the guild’s clerks.
Even if I submitted one, they added, if the Commander didn’t see it as worth meeting, it would simply be ignored.
“Hmm….”
For a moment, I hesitated in front of the door.
While the matter I wanted to discuss was undoubtedly important from my perspective, I doubted the Commander would feel the same.
‘If I were to ask when and where I could buy a slave I want… they’d probably tear the request letter apart without reading it.’
Then, should I just reveal my identity?
Sure, if I revealed the name Brunhilde, the guild would probably go into a frenzy, so even if I did reveal my identity, I’d have to claim to be the knight Fernhilde.
If I said I was a knight of the kingdom, I’d probably 100% get an audience, but it was a bit vague because Fernhilde was just an ordinary knight, not a ‘knight of the kingdom’.
The status of a knight would be seen as a mere ‘high-ranking fellow’ by commoners, but to the head of a sizable organization, it would be more like a position for a not-so-important officer.
A wandering knight without notable fame or affiliation would be considered even lower.
In other words, even revealing the identity of ‘Knight Fernhilde’ wouldn’t give me a free pass to the Commander’s office; it would at best allow me to correct the guard’s manners.
If the Commander ultimately refused the audience, it’d leave me with nothing but revealed identity and history. That would be a bit troublesome. Seriously.
“You look troubled, it’s obvious. You seem like a newbie looking for a free meal, so if that’s all you want, just get lost.”
As I was falling into deep thought, the guard waved me away like he wanted me gone.
“… I’ll come back later.”
In the end, I had no choice but to leave, promising to return.
After all, I wasn’t a crazy person who could just chop off a guard’s arm just because I was irritated by his attitude.
If I did that, the Commander would probably come out, but calling him that way would lead to a steel discussion, not a conversation.
That would only be a loss for me, no matter who won.
If I lost, I’d end up thrown in jail and sold off as a criminal, and if I won, I would become enemies with the locals.
“I’d appreciate it if you could relay today’s matters to the Commander… but that’s your responsibility. Excuse me.”
Thus, without any lingering feelings, I turned and exited the guild’s headquarters.
‘Right, there’s no need to cling to the best course of action.’
I hadn’t really expected much in the first place.
The plan to recruit future teammates with the Commander’s help was simply a hastily thought-up scheme I came up with in front of the inn.
If things went well, all would end nicely, so I took my shot, but it had failed as expected, so now I could just proceed with my original plan.
A more violent and intense plan where I could expect some profit too!
‘I should toss this cloak aside. I wonder if I can find the same one before I head back.’
I glanced at the cloak draping over my armor and chuckled softly.
It had decent quality, but since it was white, I’d have to toss it after my business was done, which was a bit disappointing.
Thus, I walked on for quite a while.
Between the adventurer’s guild area and the grand arena area. Unlike the other districts full of light and vigor, this area had an ominous, gloomy vibe.
Ordinary tourists wouldn’t dare set foot here, while nobles wanting to buy slaves were disgusted even at the sight, and even the thugs from the gangs openly displayed their distaste in this garbage heap.
Towards the slums in the southern part of the city.
◆◆
The Pesengwigel slums reeked of garbage all year round.
The stench of filth and debris flowing down the drains connecting to the river outside the city.
Falling-apart buildings and dark alleys filled with the rotten stench of the slum inhabitants sprawled everywhere.
The moment I set foot on the stairs leading into the slums, the sudden wave of stench made me grimace as I pulled up the collar of my cloak to cover my nose.
‘This air is seriously filthy. I’m glad I didn’t bring Friede.’
Were these folks born without noses? How on earth could they survive in this kind of place?
‘Well, I guess if you’re garbage, you’d live in a garbage dump.’
It wasn’t about disdain for the poor; it was a plain recognition of fact.
Even the slums in well-maintained cities often turn into nests of crime, and what could be said of the slums in a city where order was in tatters?
“Ughhh…”
“Ehe, heeah, urghhh…”
Most of the folks sprawled on the ground were drug addicts who had lost their sanity.
With their bodies emaciated from days of hunger and their eyes hollow, they lay haphazardly, twitching like bugs, groaning or grinning stupidly, clad in rags.
Since drugs usually wipe out reason for pleasure, there were even those engaging in even more sordid acts.
With all shame discarded and nothing left but instinct, they appeared worse than beasts.
‘Oh man, my eyes. This is disgusting. What the hell are they doing?’
Even I, who had been conditioned by every filthy picture in the world, couldn’t help but feel sickened by the vividly authentic sight in front of me.
…Well, even so, they were still just druggies, after all.
Those who had gone to the limit under the influence were at least pretty harmless, unable to even stand by themselves.
“Which whore is this? She’s just ridiculously tall.”
Anyone not on drugs in the den of junkies was much more dangerous and vicious than the users themselves.
Not even a minute after stepping into the slums, dozens of men emerged from various corners of the alley, surrounding me.
While they looked a bit better off than the junkies, they still reeked of filth and were dressed like beggars, wielding crude knives, clubs, or axes.
From behind their scraggly beards, the stench of their breath wafted out, and their bloodshot eyes glared with malice.
“What’s wrong? Little girl doesn’t seem to get the situation, huh? If you want to live, shouldn’t you know what to do? Do I need to teach you?”
“First, get that cloak off! Let’s see your pretty face!”
It was obvious why they approached me without even asking.
The look in their eyes, scanning me up and down, was saturated with lust, and between their half-rotten teeth flowed threats and lewd comments.
I had come here expecting this, but even so, it was hard to suppress my disgust.
It felt as if a horde of cockroaches and centipedes were crawling onto my legs.
“Ugh… these bugs are really something.”
“…What?”
Unable to hold back my curse any longer, the ruffians cocked their heads in disbelief at my words before bursting into laughter.
“Hahaha! Hey, did you hear that? This girl just called us bugs!”
“Yeah, what a bug! Just a bug having a tantrum!”
“Wow, I’m shaking in my boots! Good thing there’s a toilet around here, right? Don’t you agree?”
Their reaction was not one of fear but of mockery—no, it was amusement. Were these morons so dimwitted they couldn’t even recognize a threat? I was left aghast.
“Say, I don’t see your mom around. Maybe she’s a ghost only you can see?”
I countered their derision with sarcasm as I subtly grabbed the hilt of the weapon hidden beneath my cloak.
There was no need to engage further.
In fact, there was no need at all.
In this situation, something much sharper than words was necessary.
The longsword at my waist responded to my fingertips, lightly trembling.
Click, the sound of metal echoed.
After two days, it felt cold and heavy against me once more.
It was time to return to being the lower-class butcher, Brunhilde.
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