Volume 1 Chapter 5 The Villainous Guildmaster, Helping an Orphan
That day, I was on my way back from a meeting of Guildmaster.
As the carriage headed back to the Guild, we entered the woods.
Frederica, sitting in front, suddenly said,
"There's a Monster ahead."
Wolf ears popped up from the top of Frederica's head.
She is a Fenrir, with a sense of smell and hearing that far surpasses that of a human.
That's why she was able to notice the presence of the Monster so quickly.
"We'll take a detour."
"Wait."
I activated [Appraisal Eye] to read the surrounding information.
Besides the Monster, it seems there is a human Child being attacked.
"I'm going out for a moment. Follow me from behind."
"Master, where to?"
I stepped onto the window of the carriage and leapt out.
"[Unique Time Acceleration]"
S-Rank Appraisal Eye [Eye of the Time King].
It's the strongest Appraisal Eye that sees even the flow of time.
However, reading information about objects is just one of the abilities of this eye.
Simply put, [Unique Time Acceleration] is an ability that accelerates my movements.
It's not a Body Enhancement Technique, but purely an ability to improve my speed, and it puts a significant burden on my body.
I activated Super Acceleration and rushed to the scene.
"GRAAAAH!"
A gigantic bear was attacking the Child, towering above me.
The bear's arms, like giant tree trunks, tried to slash at the Child.
However, it missed completely.
"Huh...? W-who?"
I was holding the Child, standing at a distance from the bear.
With the super speed from the accelerated internal time, I saved the Child before the enemy's attack could land.
"GROAAAAAH!"
The bear monster, angered by losing its meal, lunged at me.
However, the bear fell apart like a diced steak.
"As expected of the Master, noticing Child's crisis and rushing over immediately."
Frederica, who had caught up, wiped her bloodied knife.
"I only wanted this [Red Bear]'s meat and materials. If I had delayed, someone else might have taken it."
"Now then... Miss, are you hurt?"
If one looked closely, Child was still a girl with remnants of innocence.
When the girl saw Frederica, she fainted.
"Poor thing, she fainted from the fear of being attacked by a monster."
"You're covered in blood; it's quite something."
"I apologize for appearing in such an unseemly state before the Master. I will change immediately."
"There's no need for that. We're returning to the mansion anyway. More importantly, bring the carriage around."
"Are you going to take her back?"
"Look over there."
In the forest, there was an overturned carriage.
The horse was dead, and the coachman was nowhere to be seen.
The cargo area had iron bars.
Now it was crushed from being attacked by the bear.
And it had a [Slave Collar] on.
"I see, it's very likely a slave trader's carriage and her potential product."
"That's right. If we found a saleable product, we could squeeze a hefty reward from the merchant."
"So we're heading to the town where the merchant is, by carriage, just like this?"
"Don't be stupid. Look, this Child is skin and bones──she hasn't eaten for days. First, we'll return to the mansion, give her a bath, feed her plenty, and let her rest well before sending her to the merchant. A better condition means a bigger reward... What's wrong? Why are you laughing?"
"No, I was just impressed by your truly villainous guildmaster persona."
* * *
Back at the mansion, after instructing the servants to bathe the girl and dress her in clean clothes.
Later, in the dining hall.
"What an astonishing appetite this child has."
The table was piled high with a mountain of empty plates.
"Is it really alright? The food isn't free, you know?"
"It's fine because we'll collect that much from the merchant. Don't hold back; eat up. There's dessert too."
Suddenly, the girl started to cry.
"Frederica, why is this kid crying?"
"It must be the first time someone has been kind to her."
"What? I haven't been kind at all."
"Alright, alright. By the way, Master, I've figured something out. This girl doesn't seem to be a [product]."
In Frederica's hand was the clothing the girl had originally worn.
"As a result of my investigation, I found out that this uniform belongs to the [Delphoi Orphanage] located in a town called [Wozs]."
"What? An orphanage? So this girl is an orphan from there?"
The girl, who had been transported as a product in a slave trader's cart, was a child from the orphanage.
"This smells fishy."
"Master, what shall we do? This girl clearly seems to be a source of trouble. It might be better to leave her behind."
I ignored Frederica and approached the girl.
"Hey, what's your name?"
"...[Yui]"
"Yui. Be honest. The orphanage you were in, is it involved in human trafficking... selling off kids to bad people who don't know their friends?"
She flinched!
Yui stiffened her body and trembled, shaking like a leaf...
"It seems my bad feeling was right."
"Annie. Millda. Everyone... I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
"Those must be the names of the friends she was sold away with."
Frederica took out a handkerchief and wiped Yui's tears.
"Do you want to go back to that orphanage?"
She looked down again, biting her lip tightly.
I grabbed Yui's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Crying won't change anything. If you want to move even a little towards a hopeful future, choose."
"E-e...?"
"That's right. You can either go back to the orphanage and be sold off as a product, or you can escape and gain your freedom."
"...That's impossible. Mr. Delphoi knows a lot of bad people. I'll get caught right away."
Frederica crouched down and gently patted Yui's head.
"Don't worry, to be honest, the Sir Act in front of you is, in terms of being a villain, an Extremely Wicked Person who stands unmatched (laughs)."
"Hey, were you mocking me or something?"
"Not at all."
While gently patting Yui's head, Frederica says.
"With Sir Act's power, you and your friends can all be happy."
"...Really?"
"Yes. The master is stronger than anyone... and a merciful villain. Now, choose. Will you go home or run away?"
Yui looks up at me, tears welling in her eyes, and says.
"...Please! Save everyone!"
Faced with the choice to go home or run away, Yui said she wanted me to help her friends.
She has a heart that cares for others, not just herself.
"Frederica. We're going to Delphoi Orphanage."
"You're going to save everyone, right?"
"Don't get it twisted. I just want this girl."
"Wha, whaaat!?"
Yui's face turns bright red as she panics.
"This one has the talent to stand above others. Letting that go to waste would be a loss for the world."
"As expected of the master, possessing even the talent of a Womanizer, what a splendid villain you are."
I ruffle Yui's hair and say.
"Leave it to me. I'll solve everything."
"...Why are you helping me? Are you... God?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm just an ordinary Extremely Wicked Person who will do whatever it takes to get what I want."
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