Volume 3 Chapter 20 Noble Daughter
After the maid finished preparing tea, Ridge got straight to the point.
"Hey, Wade-sama? I apologize if I misunderstood, but is Moruru-sama not just suffering from a cold?"
Ridge asked with a chuckle, and I shrugged my shoulders in response.
"Ridge-sama, you still have a long way to go. It's more dignified to inquire subtly and gently to hint at things."
"Oh, I never thought a slum-born person like you would talk about dignity. But, it does make sense in a way. So, well..."
After a brief pause, Ridge rephrased her question.
"What is Moruru-sama doing now? Running around energetically in the fields and mountains, perhaps?"
"Hahaha. Ridge-sama, you catch on quickly. Well then, let me respond like this. She's being targeted by a certain noble and she's scared, so I'm setting up a defense system with my comrades."
"Oh my, hehe. Indeed, using roundabout and suggestive language is quite enjoyable, isn't it?"
"Right? With this, I've become a higher-ranking noble."
"Yes, it feels like my dignity has increased even more~desuwa. When we're invited to the capital next time, let's tease those around us like this."
Ridge chuckled softly, clearly in a good mood. Her previous selfishness seemed to have subsided.
However, upon reflection, it was also highly likely that her good mood was just masking her true nature, which occasionally showed hints of a bad character.
"The capital, huh... That's a distant story. I've never really cared about it."
When I tried to explain that half of it was just a cover-up for my discovery, Ridge said, "Considering your background, it's not surprising at all."
"Commoners basically don't leave their territories. It's like being a noble~desuwa. It's a hassle to be regularly ordered to gather by the king and head to the capital."
"Is it really a hassle? I thought the capital would be fun."
"It's fun as long as there's something new. But I've grown tired of it. I find this dungeon city more enjoyable."
Seeing Ridge looking dissatisfied, I said,
"You really love your hometown, don't you?"
"..."
Ridge widened her eyes, then muttered quietly.
"Things like loving your hometown... I haven't really thought about that~desuwa."
"Isn't that fine? Being unaware is a form of happiness. If you start yearning for your hometown and can't bear it, it means you're unhappy in a place far from home."
Silence. Ridge's gaze occasionally shifts left and right as if chewing on my words.
"...Wade-sama. Your words seem to carry some meaning. Even though Windy is also an adventurer, Windy doesn't say things like you do."
"Is that so? I think there's a possibility that I've never had a deep conversation. Anyone can say this kind of thing when speaking formally. ...Sorry, I don't get it."
"Hehe, haha. Please assert that. But, that's right~desuwa. If that's the case, maybe I, who loves my hometown, am now enjoying a modest happiness in this moment."
For the first time since coming here, Ridge showed a carefree smile. Then, she took a deep breath. I also sipped my tea―――
"Shall we return to the topic? Will you hand over Moruru-sama to me?"
"I refuse."
Staring at each other. But both keep smiling. Ridge chuckled softly.
"Alright. How much are you asking for? I'll buy it at your price."
"I'll give in if it's 10,000 big platinum coins."
"...There's no such thing as big platinum. Even if they existed, I couldn't afford that kind of money."
Ridge furrowed her brow. I raised my hands in surrender.
I guess so. About 30 trillion yen in Japanese currency? Haha, that's a fraction of the national budget.
"Well, if you can't prepare it, then it's a no-go. Just so you know, I'm not budging a single bit. If you can't pay, then this deal is off."
"7 big gold coins."
Ridge said.
"Considering my financial situation and the value of a Metamorph Dragon's youngling from my father, I've calculated the maximum price to be 7 big gold coins. How does that sound?"
Even so, it's still 210 million. It's impressive for someone of noble status to pull out that much at this age.
But, it's out of the question.
"I said it. I won't lose a single bit. 10,000 big platinum coins. Can you pay up or not? Make it clear."
"..."
"Come on, hurry up. Can you pay? If you can, that's fine. I'll give in."
Giving in, as explained in Alex's negotiation course, is a curse. If the conditions are met, one gives in. If the conditions are not met, it's your responsibility. That's how human thought processes work.
And Ridge, despite being a noble, was still a child.
It would be difficult to fend off such cunning tactics.
"...I can't pay."
"Then, the conversation is over."
"It's not over yet!"
When Ridge raised her voice, the soldiers simultaneously pointed the tips of their drawn swords at me.
"Oh, this is interesting. Even though Ridge-sama suggested resolving this with money, if words don't work, are you resorting to force?"
"Ugh, you're so noisy! I thought you were a nice person! Can't you be a bit gentler!?"
Ridge, with a bright red face, is just like when she was throwing a tantrum in the store. Despite being a noble, she's acting like a child. Seriously, what kind of upbringing led to this behavior?
I say with a smile,
"Aren't I kind? I dedicated a whole day to visit for the sake of my daughter. I even put a price on the ridiculous demand of giving up my daughter. Also, we had a pleasant conversation. How much more kindness do you want?"
"You're so noisy! It's all your fault for demanding an unreasonable amount, even though I offered the maximum I could pay."
"Oh, that was a bad move. Revealing your hand like that is like showing your cards in a game of poker. Will Ridge-sama reveal her hand with a joker mixed in during a game of Old Maid?"
"Uh, uh, uhh...!"
Ridge-sama's face turned bright red, she clenched her fists tightly and glared at me. With tears in her eyes, she seemed on the verge of crying.
But well, the match is probably already over.
Ridge, her temper flaring, couldn't even realize what I was trying to achieve by provoking her.
The noble lady stood up, pointing at me.
"You, you must capture this rude person—"
"Object Weight Increase."
This time, it was my turn to snap my fingers.
All the soldiers collapsed on the spot due to their weight increasing several times over. They fell as if crumbling, unable to get back up.
Although they must have been considerably trained, human weight multiplied five or six times is something they couldn't support.
"...Huh...?"
Looking bewildered, Ridge wavered her finger lightly. Realizing the difference in strength, she began to tremble.
Leaning back against the chair, I raised my right leg high and crossed my legs.
"Ridge. To put it bluntly, the actor was different. You should have first thought about why I came here."
"Eh...? W-what do you mean..."
"How much do you think an adventurer who slays dragons fears nobles?"
As I smiled, Ridge's face turned pale.
"It..."
"It may be easy to forget when in a noble position, but adventurers who cross a certain line become uncontrollable to civilians. The reason nobles can manage is because they hire adventurers of the same level."
So, I asked Ridge.
"Do you have those adventurers of the same level by your side, Ridge?"
"......!?"
"Well, then let's see if my expectations were correct."
I explained to the trembling Ridge.
"I came here to negotiate like this, to cause a commotion, to resort to violence, and to have a fun brawl with Windy."
"...Huh?"
"A lot of people say that. Windy is strong. That peson achieved great feats like I did in the past. Your other guys don't stand a chance against them. How can I stay quiet when I hear such exciting things?"
Ridge's whole body starts trembling. I start feeling more and more amused, and I begin to chuckle.
"S-So, you, you, you are...!"
"Oh, right. I came here planning to cause a scene after ruining the negotiations. But that Windy, for some reason, went somewhere. Where did they go?"
Ridge, trembling, stood there and said, "
"...I sent them."
"What do you mean?"
I lean forward.
"I said!"
Ridge, now in tears, shouted her answer.
"I sent them to kidnap Moruru-sama!"
"..."
I blink rapidly.
Then, I spoke.
"Ridge. I underestimated you a bit. I thought you were just a noble kid, but I was wrong. You may be a kid, but you act like a proper noble. Screw those nobles."
"U-uh, uuh, uuuuh..."
Ridge trembled on the spot, unable to do anything. I got up with a "let's go" and lifted Ridge in a bandit-style hold.
"What!? W-what are you doing!"
"It's obvious, right? I'm going to use you as a hostage for Windy. If my comrade gets taken hostage and beaten up because of it, it'll be the worst."
First, let's make the conditions equal.
As I said that, I smacked Ridge's butt on my left shoulder hard.
"Ouch! That hurts~desuwa! What are you doing!"
"That was just a little warning. If you scream without understanding the situation, I'll hit you twice as hard."
"Eek!"
"Let's go back right away. ...I hope everything is okay."
Feeling anxious, I destroyed the big window leading to the balcony with [Weight Increase], stepped over the glass shards, and climbed over the fence of that Mama balcony.
"Huh, huh? I can't believe I'm going to fall from here."
"Don't say that. It's the opposite. I'm going to jump from here. Oh, but actually, I will fall."
"What!?"
"Don't make a fuss about it."
Chanting magic, I leaped over the fence.
"Point Shift, Weight Increase."
We fell from a tremendous height into the sky dozens of meters above.
"AH, AAAAAAHHH..."
Ridge let out a thin scream. I couldn't even bring myself to laugh at that and lightly smacked her butt in a bad mood.
"Ouch, it hurts~desuwaaaaa!"
"No slowing down! We're falling straight into my house!"
We raced through the sky.
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