“Maybe it’s someone who didn’t take too kindly to your overeager logging the other day? You’re a new solo adventurer with a ton of money, and easy on the eyes to boot. You’ve even had people try to attack you before. I mean, personality aside, you’re quite the catch.”
“Oh, now that you mention it... Wait, what do you mean, ‘personality aside’?!” Now you’ve done it! I’ll tell on you to Miss Harumikazuchi— Oh, wait. Blade was with me during my first visit to Shunrai, wasn’t he? I don’t remember what happened there myself, and all I have to go on is what Harumikazuchi told me, but just based on what I heard, it’s no wonder he’d say that, huh?
“Come to think of it, you’re right. I have money, I’m a newcomer to this town with barely any connections, and I’m extraordinarily pretty. Plus, I’m not staying at an inn. In other words, I’m like a walking target just waiting to get mugged. I’m so beautiful, I’m a danger to myself.”
“Huh? S-Sure, we’ll go with that. Anyway, when we asked some of our friends if they’d seen you, they said they saw a black-haired girl getting dragged out of the Trader’s Guild by another merchant. After hearing that, of course we were gonna worry.”
“I see. Sorry for worrying you.” I think mostly the vagueness of the information was to blame there, but whatever. “It’s true, that was me. But the merchant was also a girl, so I was fine.”
“Huh?! The merchant was a girl?! Was she okay?!”
“You hear she’s a girl and now you’re suddenly worried about her more than me? Just who do you think I am, Blade? Not that your concern is unwarranted, considering I ended up blackout drunk again.”
Satie had cleverly coerced me into buying her excess wares, after all. Even if I had ended up doing something not so good, I’d had her consent, at least. Probably. I think. Maybe. Anyway, she may look like a loli, but that’s only ’cause she’s a dwarf! She’s a legal adult, so that means I’m in the clear!
“By the way, Karina, I’ve been wondering... Who’s this girl here?”
“Oh, right, introductions. This is Aishia. Go on, Aishia, introduce yourself.”
“Yes, master! My name is Aishia, and I am her slave! I’m a half dwarf!” She gave a polite bow to Blade. Yep, she’s a cutie all right.
“Hey, Karina, come over here a minute,” he said, beckoning me over.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
He brought his face close to mine and whispered, “You didn’t steal her, did you? I know we’re friends and all, but if you did, I’ll have no choice but to report you.”
“What? Of course not, who do you think I am? I bought her legally, from the slave trader here!”
“No way! I mean, a cute, obedient half dwarf like that would normally run you ten gold or so! Guess the merchant life’s more lucrative than I thought.”
Oh, right. From his perspective, Aishia would just look like a normal girl with no blemishes or defects, and that, coupled with her demure personality, would normally put her squarely in the “expensive” slave bracket. And considering I’d made enough from logging the other day that they’d barred me from doing it anymore, it was no wonder he’d think I had that kind of money.
“Actually, you’re not gonna believe this, but I bought her for only one gold.”
“Huh?! How the hell’d you pull that off?! Even if you used some backdoor method, that’s way too cheap!”
“Oh, you want to hear how I did it?”
“Nah, on second thought, forget it. I feel like I’d be better off not knowing!” Blade covered his ears with his hands and shook his head. You sure you don’t want to hear? I don’t mind recounting my heroic saga, you know!
“You don’t find it strange that I managed to make one gold’s worth in that short span of time?” I asked.
“Nah, since it’s you we’re talking about, that part doesn’t surprise me at all. You probably used that magic of yours to earn a bunch, like you did when we were logging. I mean, you even told me you bought a house already, right?”
Wow, Blade’s trust in me runs deep—one gold’s worth of trust, at least!
“Just be careful, though,” he said. “That slave of yours looks valuable even at a glance, so watch where you’re going when you’re out with her. Don’t use back alleys under any circumstances, only main roads. And even when you’re on the roads, stay right in the middle. Walking on either side will make it easier for ne’er-do-wells to ambush you and carry you into the shadows.”
“What are you, my mom?”
“Oh, shut up! But also, be absolutely sure to keep your door locked at night! And—”
“Wait, you’re still not done? Man, you’re a worrywart.”
“I mean, you actually do have people targeting you as we speak, right? Then you can’t be too careful— Wait, don’t tell me the reason you’re being hunted down has to do with how you bought that slave for so cheap?”
Huh? Well, I bought Aishia legally and went through all the procedures, so I doubt it? “Oh yeah, I am being targeted, huh? What a pain... Er, would it be a problem if I just took down anyone trying to attack me?”
“Huh? No, considering your strength, I’d say that’d probably be your best option. Right, you’d easily defeat anyone who attacked you from the front, so all you’d have to worry about is getting ambushed...”
Oh? Wow, I can really feel Blade’s faith in me. Thanks, bud! “Actually, would killing them outright be a crime if they tried to kill me first?”
“C’mon, now, it doesn’t sound like a joke when it’s you saying it.”
“Or what if I said it was an accident or that I misjudged my own strength?”
“You’re not joking after all, huh?” Blade scratched his head in worry, most likely recalling how I’d cut down multiple trees in one fell swoop during our quest together. I understood his concern—after all, what I could do to a tree would be even easier for me to do to a human body. “Well, actually, you could claim you acted in self-defense, as long as the other party attacked you first. Apparently the church has some kind of magic device that can tell that sort of thing.”
No kidding? Then, as long as it’s in self-defense, you can be as violent as you want?!
“Well, if you just straight up assault them here in town with an intent to kill, it’d be considered attempted theft. Ironically, something more minor like stealing their wallet would be allowed. Just be aware that if your act of self-defense is found to be unjustifiable, you’ll be fined. If that happens, well, just call me if you need help on quests to earn money!”
“You’re kidding! You mean with enough money I can just erase my criminal charges if I go too far?! That’s awesome!”
To think such a world even exists! I guess the life of a citizen in this world is worth way less than a citizen of Japan’s! Wait—aren’t I a citizen of this world now too?!