Bo────────.
While sitting in her chair, Aine is looking at the air. She seems to be stunned.
That's right.
I've regained my memory, but I've lost all my rights to the 'Commoner's Guild'.
This is the hiding place that Leticia prepared for me.
It's the warehouse of a tool shop she knows.
Cecil and Rita have gone to buy the things they need for their trip to Ilgafa.
Letitia has gone to talk to the toolmaker. The reason I was left behind is because Aine-san said she'd feel more comfortable if Naya-kun was by her side.
But Aine-san just sits slumped in her chair and does nothing but daze.
'Thank you for ...... helping me out, Nagi-san ......'
After a while, Aine finally opened her mouth.
'But ...... Aine, what should I do now ......?
He took a very long sip of the tea on the table and then looked at me.
"To get the 'Commoners Guild' back...
I can't. I've already signed a contract.
Aine muttered in a lonely manner.
In exchange for helping the members of the 'Common People's Guild', Aine-san made an agreement to give up all the rights of the guild.
That's already done, so they can't do anything about it.
''Nagi-san, ...... can I call you 'Nah-kun' just for now?'''
Yes.
Aine is a little crazy, Nay.
Aine nodded her head and looked at me.
''The 'Commoner's Guild' is gone and it's supposed to be hard, but it's getting easier. It's funny .......
That's the kind of thing I've seen at .......
For me, it's easier now that my black job is over, though.
The feeling of freedom of not having to work from tomorrow is probably the same.
Aine, since her brother (naiad) died, all she could think about was protecting the place where she and her son have their memories, and becoming the guild's heir. That's why I don't know what I'm going to do now. Nah-kun.
How long have you worked for them?
Twenty-two hours a day.
How much sleep do you get on average?
Sleep? What's that? Food?
Wait a minute.
Mr. Aine.
What? Nah-kun.
You remember that time you lost your memory, right?
Yes. I indulged Nai-kun at that time. I'm not qualified to be the guildmaster's successor. ......
Didn't we get enough sleep?
'I see, that's 'sleeping' ......? Come to think of it, when I was working, sometimes I would lose consciousness. It seemed to come together. That's what sleep is: .......
Um, hey, I'm sorry, .......
The Guild of Commoners was a white-collar company to us subscribers.
What was it like for you working there, Aine?
Try it out, tell me your daily schedule.
'At four o'clock in the morning I clean up the building and the street in front of it. Then I sort out the unfinished paperwork and make some snacks for the guild. Then I prioritize the quests the townspeople have given me and post them on the quest board. The adventurers usually get together after 9:00 a.m., so I think it's time for lunch while I'm consulting with the others. After grabbing the rest of the snacks, I spent the afternoon dealing with complaints from the Aristocrat Guild. I dealt with complaints from the townspeople. I do orientation for the new adventurers, and at night, I talk to the employees at the bar that opens. Most of the adventurers get into fights with each other, so Aine intercedes, and when the guild closes, it's time to pay the bill. After the revenue is tallied, I use the leftover money to make up for the shortfall in the Aristocrat's Guild's quests. Since our guild will be in the red, I'll write a letter to the merchants asking for their help, and then I'll clean the building until dawn.
'Whoa! Stop, stop, stop!
Ouch! It hurts to hear this!
What a workaholic that is. I mean, voluntary black work!
Don't you have other employees?
I pay the saloonkeepers downstairs. And sometimes people from the town do things for me on their own. And my uncle who is my guardian. But I really have to be Aine for the details. Some people get upset when you don't use Aine to handle complaints. ......
I didn't know.
I thought this incident was a confrontation between a black guild called the 'Aristocrat Guild' and a white guild called the 'Commoner's Guild'.
But the 'People's Guild' was only white to the guild members, and Aine herself was an extremely black guild?
The adventurer's guild for ordinary people, commonly known as the 'Common People's Guild', was supported by Aine = Clunet's black labor. By cutting down on costs by operating a single operation, we are supporting the lives of all adventurers against the pinching of the "Aristocrat Guild"....
There's no way to save Aine, no matter how hard we try.
"You'll die if you keep doing this.
'But my uncle says this is about as much as you deserve to be a great guildmaster: ......
There's no way I'm letting you do that.
Even I was limited to two weeks of 22-hour days.
And I could see the deadline for the job over there.
Well, if it weren't for the 'Aristocrats Guild' pinning on me, I'd have been able to hire someone.
'That's partly true, but fundamentally the lack of money was due to my uncle's rough spending.
Let's banish your uncle like that: ......
It's the only family Aine has left.
Aine, we left her alone.
I've met people like Nagi, the kindest adventurer I've ever met.
'I refused to do the dungeon and did another quest, though.
But he didn't ask me to double my quest fee like most of you did.
'They told me!
'I didn't ask for a lunch for the whole party or ask for alcohol to be put on. Thanks to Nagi, I didn't have to cut back on my own food budget or get down on my knees to the liquor store.
Let's say no! I mean, let's just expel those guys!
That's impossible.
Was what the rag-taggers on guard were saying true?
''But Aine has caused you all a lot of trouble with this 'Demon Sword Quest'.
Aine sipped the cooled tea in a wooden cup.
A lot of people have been injured. Some people even had to leave town. Aine could have prevented that from happening. ......
'It can't be helped. There was a cheat character named Tanaka.
''Still, sir. Aine was the guild's next heir.
Aine's hands were trembling as she grabbed her cup.
''If Aine has the power to do this, ...... 'If we get the magic sword and remind the noble guild, we can swoop in about five times the quest fee from those guys, right? If only I could have stopped everyone who was so excited about ......, no one would have been hurt. ......
I think they got what they deserved.
This is a very deep world.
The "People's Guild" isn't exactly a one-sided justice system.
If we had hid in the dungeon, we would have been defeated together with them...
I should thank Aine-san for this.
''We were at our limit anyway, Aine-san. I won't say it's a good thing that we got rid of the 'Commoner's Guild', though. I think it should be easier now, don't you?
'But it was my promise to Naius to protect Grandpa's 'Common People's Guild': ......
...... Oh my god.
I looked around.
No one's home, right? Cecil and Rita were out and Leticia hadn't come back yet.
'That's enough, 'sis.
I took Aine's hand in mine.
Aine's thin fingers squeezed my hand and squeezed it back.
"...... naa-kun.
'You made good on your promise to Nias, sister. I've done all I can. Now you can live the rest of your life for yourself.
You're right, Aine.
──────?
We thought our hearts were going to stop.
Because that's all I have to give Aine.
Aine-san stands up with a start.
She moves in a crisp, crisp manner, as if the fact that she was in a daze a moment ago is a lie.
She kneels down in front of me and looks up at me as if in prayer.
'As an apprentice guildmaster, the adventurers who work for me will be properly rewarded, right?
Letitia is supposed to pay me.
'Not the reward from Letitia. This is the reward Aine's soul wants to give you.
But I'm a slave?
I know.
It's a 'contract' and it belongs to someone else, right?
Nah, you're welcome.
What is your unconditional trust?
I don't remember doing anything that trustworthy.
But Aine was kind of telling me.
Didn't you ask some slave girls to run an errand for you earlier?
Yeah. Letitia gave me the money I sold for Tanaka's armor, and I have some things I need for the trip.
Also, Cecil and Rita's clothes, changes of clothes, and all that stuff.
I didn't really know what I needed, so I just threw it in there and said, "Thank you.
Normally, you wouldn't leave your entire sackcloth to a slave.
...... Huh?
You can use the ring to "command" them if you must, but you don't do that, do you, Nah? That means those kids have no idea that they're going to cheat, spend, or run away ...... from their money, right? It means you trust me with your heart, right?
"I command my slaves, Cecil and Rita! Snacks should be limited to 20 arsha!
I didn't touch the ring, so it doesn't matter.
No, because I don't have to order you to run errands. I'd rather run errands than run errands. Go shopping, but it's not like I don't trust you guys.
That's why they're laughing at Nah-kun's side.
Aine smiles as she takes my hand.
She looks like she's already made up her mind about everything.
'That's why Aine wants to be the same thing as those girls, right?
'What about The Commoners' Guild? What did Mr. Aine lose? Any money or property?
'I know now that what's important to Aine is the memories of her family. I'm done with that as long as I get a new family.
I gave the rights to the building and property to the Count.
I have given money through Leticia to the 'Commoner's Guild' members who were injured or decided to go to another town. My debt to her will be paid back one day.
That's why I'm giving everything in the guild to anyone who wants it. I want to give all of Aine's money to Nah-kun.
What should I do?
Aine-san is totally into it.
It's true that she's the kind of person I want as a party member, but... Since she used defensive magic in the battle with Tanaka, she's no longer a viable rear guard defense until Cecil uses his magic. If he was an apprentice guildmaster, he should be well versed in information about demons and other aspects of the town.
I'm also a good cook. On top of that, she can also handle the accounting department.
Before I knew it, she had her chestnut-colored hair tied back into a tight knot and her apron back on, and she was ready to serve you, "big sister"!
The only problem is that I'm gradually being pushed in the wrong direction as a person: .......
The game is won.
Suddenly, Leticia interrupted me and Aine.
''I will respect Aine's wishes.
No, it's my house.
It's a 'contract' that goes into effect the moment you and I leave this warehouse.
Plotted?
Mr. Nagi is very clever, but I stayed up all night last night thinking about it. What can I do to make Aine happy? And this is the result.
Nah, you don't like it when Aine is around, do you?
Aine looked at me as if I were a lost child.
'No, I mean,'
'Aine, I'll do my best to make you a meal. I'll even do your laundry. I'll even clean it up, okay? No?
I'm not Aine's little brother, "Nah-kun".
I know.
Aine laughed softly.
It was as if she had just unloaded a heavy load.
Nagi-san is the wonderful adventurer 'Nah-kun' who saved Aine's life.
No?
Not when Aine is around, okay?
I'm sure my memories are coming back, but I sound like a little kid, asking.
Oh my god.
...... If you think about it, Leticia gave me money for selling The Blessed Armor, and
You'll have a house to live in from now on.
I can handle having one more dependent family member to support.
I can cook a little bit of food, but I don't know what's good in this world.
I don't even have any taste for clothes for Cecil and Rita - I mean.
I'm not averse to ......
Yeah, okay.
Aine turns to Letitia.
"'Contract (Contract),'
The two girls' voices overlap.
There is a swoosh, and the collar wraps around Aine's white neck.
The ring of the contract is on Letitia's left hand. A black crystal.
Maybe the moment we leave this warehouse, it will move into my hand.
This place
There was a knock at the warehouse door.
"Nagi-sama.
'I'm back ......, more slaves!
When Cecil and Rita returned, they saw Aine's collar and removed her luggage.
Cecil is standing there dumbfounded.
Rita sniffs her nose and brings her face to Aine.
Then she smells me, smells Aine, nods yes, and
Nagi, I think we need to go outside for a moment.
Shaking her large breasts, Rita puts her arms around them.
What's that "come on," pose?
'Rita, you misunderstood me.'
What's the matter with you? Mr. Aine, he's got a collar. I can smell the locust.
Look at my ring. You only have two crystals for Cecil and Rita, right? Miss Aine is now a slave to Letitia.
Oh, yeah.
Rita gets a plop on her face.
'Nah. You startled me.
I'm sorry to surprise you.
'I thought Nagi had made more slaves. That's right. Aine, you are now Leticia's slave, aren't you? It's not Nagi's, is it?
Yeah. Yeah. Until we get out of this warehouse.
'Nah. Until I leave this warehouse, ...... is a eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Oh, I couldn't deceive you.
Rita shook her golden hair and pestered me, then approached me with an overly gentle and frightening smile.
'Will you please explain, Master? This is a matter that has to do with our family planning, right?