The top priority was April’s safety. There was no reason for her to risk danger with so many uncultured, uneducated adventurers roaming the streets. More guild staffers would solve that problem.
“…But what if I have to come for something?”
“Ask for Dez. He’ll treat you the same, no matter who you happen to be.” I personally guaranteed the Beardo’s strength. With him around, no adventurer was going to try any funny business. “The problem is, Dez is busy. He can’t spend all his time protecting you. That’s why it’s best for you to stay home.”
“…Okay.”
“Anyway, let’s get you home. I’ll walk you there,” I said, getting to my feet and patting her on the back.
“I’ll go, too,” said Arwin. “I’ll be more help than Matthew alone.”
She touched her sword for good measure. It was a magic blade called the Zephyrus Sword. She had received it at the recent celebration.
“Good idea.”
We couldn’t be too careful, even during daylight hours. Evil sometimes came at unexpected times. As soon as we descended the stairs, all the eyes of the guild staffers and adventurers gathered on us. But the looks we received were anything but unanimous. For Arwin, they reserved respect and admiration, while I got disparagement for my slovenly ways and envy for my monopolization of her. April received looks of sympathy and pity. The affection they used to show was nowhere to be seen or felt.
We followed Arwin out of the building. April clung to my sleeve. She, too, could feel the starved beasts staring at her.
“Hey,” she said when we were outside the guild, “why are you always so nice to me, Matthew?”
“Because,” I said. “You’re the only teacher who’s willing to give a big dumb lug like me lessons in reading and writing.”
Arwin and I flanked April as we walked. I had to adjust my steps to match her pace, which was awkward, but it had to be done.
“Don’t look so gloomy, kid,” I said. “The old man’ll be back before you know it.”
He wasn’t going to play the role of a willing sacrifice. The rich and powerful always had one another’s secrets and weaknesses in their hands. It was a society of mutual back-scratching. If any of them tried to make an example of the others, their head would be on the chopping block next. They were all in the same boat.
There would likely be some kind of monetary punishment as a compromise. The guildmaster’s status was guaranteed by how much money he threw around, depending on the negotiations with headquarters. And if he was out of a job, he could move to the royal city. Then April would have better options for her education. I’d recommend that to him the next time I saw him. Whether he listened or not was another matter.
April glanced around nervously. She could feel more eyes on her.
“They’re staring at us.”
“At Arwin.”
She was the Crimson Princess Knight, and this was her time to shine.
“Do you think they believe we’re a family?”
“No parents and children look like this.”
We didn’t resemble one another, and we had different-colored hair and eyes. Most significantly, Arwin and April were too close in age. At best, they looked like sisters.
“Hey,” April said again, pulling on my sleeve.
“What is it this time?”
“Aren’t you going to marry Arwin?”
Arwin doubled over in a coughing fit. The kid had launched quite a sneak attack.
“Unfortunately, that’s not the kind of relationship we have. We’re from different backgrounds.”
“But Arwin’s not…um…”
It was too delicate to mention in her presence, but technically speaking, Arwin’s homeland was no more, so she was not an actual princess anymore. April seemed to think this made me eligible to wed her.
“Are you waiting until after the dungeon is conquered?”
“Maybe.”
We didn’t have any deal like that. There was no point, and I didn’t intend to ask.
“Is it because you don’t have a job?”
“Sure, let’s say that’s it.”
Our relationship wasn’t the kind of thing we could explain to others. I noticed Arwin wasn’t speaking because her face was flushed, and she couldn’t look at us.
“Look at that. She’s furious because of this nonsense you’re talking about,” I said.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s fine,” said Arwin. She still wasn’t looking at us.
“Anyway, did the old man leave you any messages or anything?” I asked once some time had passed. He was a crafty, cautious man. He must’ve had some plans in place for an event like this. And even without the stampede, he was getting older. He had to be worried about what would happen if he fell and was immobilized for a time.
“Oh yeah,” April said, cocking her head. “He said, ‘Seek out Oliver.’”
My mind went blank. “Who?”
Arwin looked confused, too. She hadn’t heard of him, either.
“I thought that was—”
“What’s that?” interrupted April, who suddenly rushed ahead. There was a clamor coming from the mansion. We hurried after her.
A large crowd had gathered around April’s home. Based on their appearances, this wasn’t a crowd of looky-loos, but servants.
Guards were nailing wooden placards to the gate and the front door.
“Oh! Mistress!”
An older-looking woman hurried over. It was Nora, April’s maid and caretaker.
“What’s happening here?”
“You must be April.” A fat, middle-aged man sauntered over. He looked to be an official of some sort. He’d probably gotten fat off the scraps left behind by the noble class. He smiled smugly and spread out a piece of parchment.
“By order of the town’s lord, the fortune amassed by the former guildmaster through illegitimate means is hereby impounded.”
“No!” April screamed, clutching at the official. “Grandfather wouldn’t do that! It must be some mistake!”
“Pardon me,” I said, taking the document from him. I tried to read it, but there were too many difficult words, so I showed it to Arwin instead.
“…Facts aside, it does seem to be an official document,” she said.
“No,” April repeated, falling to her knees.
“If you’re quite satisfied, begone! That goes for all of you. Clear off!”
The servants were all peasants, of course. They couldn’t fight back against the lord’s decree.
“But it says here it’s temporarily sealed, not impounded,” Arwin pointed out, glaring at the man. “You haven’t been taking out their furniture and possessions without permission, have you?”
Beads of sweat instantly formed on the official’s face.
“T-these are the orders of His Lordship. You might be the Crimson Princess Knight, but you have no standing to quibble with official business.”
When the tables were turned against them, they used the glory of their leader as a shield. Whether officials or mobsters, the folks who could only make their living in an organization all tended to think the same way.
“Then I shall bring this up with him in person and ask him to investigate if anything has been illegally removed from the premises. Shall we proceed?”
“Y-yes, of course. By all means,” he said boldly with a dry chuckle. “A-at any rate, you are not to enter the mansion. Understood?!”
This command was directed at the servants, not Arwin. Then he stormed off in a huff. Petty paper-pusher.
“What do I do now…?” murmured April.
Nora collapsed next to her. I would have stopped her fall and held her up if I could, but the best I could do was serve as a cushion.
“Nora? What’s wrong? Nora!”
April shook her maid in a panic. The woman wasn’t hurt, but her face was pallid. The shock of so many terrible things happening at the same time had gotten to her.
“We should take her to a doctor.”
I called for help, and a gardener and a butler rushed over. They picked her up and carried her toward a nearby physician. April wanted to accompany them, but she had something else to do.
“I’m sorry, everybody,” she said. Despite the mental toll, she still had to look after the family’s employees.
They all shook their heads, reassuring her that it wasn’t her fault. She was a good girl, and no one felt inclined to blame her for this.
Most of the servants had their own homes, and those who lived on the premises would have to find temporary lodging with relatives. That left only the girl herself. The butler and other servants invited her to stay with them, but April refused all their offers.
“This is hard enough for all of you. I don’t want to be an extra burden,” she said.
The servants insisted again and again, but she steadfastly turned them all down, told them she would be in touch once things had calmed down, then she dismissed them. The old man had been arrested on suspicion of fraud and bribery. She feared that if the servants took his granddaughter in, they might be treated as accomplices.