Chapter 8 Negotiation With The Fool In The Capital City Ridale
"I'm so excited for my date with Adel-sama after such a long time!"
"Yeah, yeah."
That day, the capital city Ridale was bathed in bright sunlight.
I'm being dragged along by my maid Maia. Well, it's more like she's entwined around me rather than just pulling me along.
If I were to describe it further, Maia is pressing a certain part of her body against me... but let's leave that aside.
To distract myself, I take out an apple, my favorite, and start munching on it.
"Now then, what shall we buy, Adel-sama? How about some flowers? We can decorate the shop."
"Hmm, reject."
"Aww..."
Maia has a weakness for cute things.
Perhaps that's why she's unusually protesting, but today, our goal is to procure ingredients that we've run out of.
Anyway, we don't really need flowers in a tavern.
As we exchange banter, we visit one shop after another.
Our tavern was on the outskirts of the capital, so I feel dizzy seeing the bustling crowd as we venture into the city center after a long time.
"Hey, did you hear? It seems like the head of the Bardley family has changed."
"Yeah, I heard that the Black-Robed Executor was involved."
"The previous head, Gale, right? I heard he put his kids through some tough training in the name of discipline. Maybe that's why the Black-Robed Executor took notice?"
"The righteous Executor who crushes evil, huh? Well, that's some satisfying news."
As Maia and I walk through the street's hustle and bustle, we hear snippets of conversation from people holding what seem to be extra edition documents.
"It's about praising Adel-sama, they say."
"They're making too much of it. I'm not that great to be touted as a champion of justice. I just hate unreasonableness, that's all."
"Ahaha. Let's just leave it at that, shall we? But, I know exactly what Adel-sama has been up to."
Maia says with a soft smile.
By the way, today Maia isn't wearing her usual maid outfit, but casual clothes.
She says she "put some effort into it."
Her gently swaying skirt caught in the wind, her silver hair sparkling in the sunlight, Maia's walking figure inevitably draws attention.
Occasionally, there are guys giving me murderous looks for walking arm in arm with Maia, but I pay them no mind.
"Well then, I guess we're mostly done shopping. Shall we head back?"
"Huh... Are we going back already?"
"Well, yeah. We've got everything we needed."
"I guess so, but..."
Maia lowers her face, but flicks her eyes towards me.
"...Already?"
Even with that sad expression and those pleading eyes, it's troublesome...
"But, we didn't buy any flowers."
"I told you we don't need any."
"Hmm... But, it's still lunchtime, Adel-sama. Since we're here, why don't we grab lunch? ...I know! Let's call it research for incorporating new menu items at the tavern!"
"Hey, Maia. 'Let's call it' is a phrase you shouldn't use on someone you're trying to trick."
Oh well. Maia's right. We did come all the way to the heart of the capital.
I might as well grab lunch.
Just as I was about to suggest it to Maia...
"Aaaaahh――!"
A woman's scream echoes through the streets.
Looking towards the source of the sound, I see burly men surrounding a small flower shop. More accurately, they're surrounding a woman standing at the flower shop's storefront.
Passersby seem to have noticed the woman's distress, but perhaps deciding they don't want to get involved in trouble, they quickly avert their gaze and hurry away.
"Well, this is troublesome, Marie-san. Didn't I tell you last month to vacate this place?"
"Who do you think you are...! This is a precious shop passed down from my mother!"
"I couldn't care less about that. We're going to build a splendid brothel here, managed by our Lowenthal Merchant Guild. With someone as lovely as Marie-san, you'd surely become popular working at our establishment, don't you think?"
"Please, stop. I absolutely refuse."
"Is that so? Well then, I suppose we'll have to educate you."
"N-no...!"
Among the men facing off against the flower shop's female owner stands the only slender man among them. He's likely their leader.
With a snap of his fingers from the slender man, the burly men attempt to grab the woman with black hair and drag her away.
――Good grief. How bold, in broad daylight...
"Shall we, Adel-sama?"
"Yes, of course."
After a brief exchange with Maia, I leap into action, swiftly approaching the slender man.
"Hey, excuse me for a moment."
"W-what do you want? We're in the middle of negotiations here. Can't you see you're interrupting?"
"Oh really? I didn't realize negotiations involved threatening violence so blatantly, let alone grabbing a woman's hair."
"You've got quite the defiant attitude, huh? Once you realize I'm from the Lowenthal Merchant Guild, you'll... Aaargh!"
As I twist the slender man's arm, he screams in pain.
"D-do you think you can get away with this!? I'm the head of the Lowenthal Merchant Guild's merchant guild――"
I ignore whatever the slender man was trying to say in his awkward position.
"Hey, you guys, let go of that woman. Or else I'll snap this guy's arm."
As I tighten my grip on the slender man's arm, the man who had been grabbing the female shop owner's hair hastily releases his grip.
"Ugh... Who do you think you are, pulling this kind of stunt!? I'm from the Lowenthal Merchant Guild――"
"Hey, are you alright?"
"Just listen to me!!"
What a noisy guy.
While I rush over to the female shop owner and call out to her, the slender man continues to shout something.
"Y-you bastard...!"
"Huh――"
The slender man reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small musket, aiming it in my direction.
Honestly, to point a weapon in a fit of rage like that...
I tried to activate my Job ability faster than the slender man's sluggish movements―― but I stop midway.
Truly exasperating.
"To have the nerve to point a gun at my Adel-sama, impressive courage indeed."
"N-no way!"
A short dagger, pulled out from Maia's skirt, is pressed against the slender man's neck.
Maia's smile as she grips the dagger is chilling, only adding to the fear.
The slender man drops the gun, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
"My, my, feeling a bit chilly, are we? Despite this lovely weather."
"Uh, um, ah..."
"Maia, ease up a bit. He looks like he's about to wet himself."
"...Alright, I'll spare him."
As Maia lowers the dagger from his throat, the slender man retreats and dashes away like a rabbit.
The burly men around hastily follow suit.
"You, you'll pay for this! Remember the trouble you caused me! I am the head of the Lowenthal Merchant Guild--!"
It sounds like the slender man is yelling something from afar.
But sorry, it's too far to hear clearly.
(Sorry for the interruption. I thought if it's Adel-sama, you could easily handle that guy...)
(No, you did well, Maia. I also hesitated to use my abilities in front of someone like him.)
Maia whispers something to me quietly, and I nod in response.
"Um, uh... Thank you."
"I'm glad you weren't hurt. But what happened here, exactly?"
The female florist hesitates a bit when I ask her.
But then, as if making up her mind, she looks up, clasps her hands in front of her chest, and shouts,
"Please, I beg you! Help me, help my shop!"
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