The Men of the Kingdom Part I

by Kugane Maruyama

  The visitor was clean and wore well-tailored clothes with a heavy-looking crest glinting copper on his chest. He had a ruddy, fleshy face with an oily sheen, perhaps due to his diet.

  There was also a man who bore a very different appearance.

  His skin was so pale it was as if sunlight had never graced it. His sharp gaze combined with his sunken cheeks to suggest a bird of prey—the type that scavenged meat from corpses. His black clothes fit loosely. There was no doubt he was concealing a weapon.

  The malice and bloody stench rolling off him triggered Sebas’s sixth sense.

  It was such a disparate group that he couldn’t figure out who they might be or what their purpose was.

  “…Who is it?”

  “Patrol Chief Staffan Heivish.” The fat man in front stated his name in an unexpectedly high-pitched voice.

  The patrol chief was an official whose job was to keep the peace in the capital. The position could also be understood as the boss of the patrolling guards, and his work covered a broad span of activities. That was why Sebas wasn’t sure why he had come.

  Staffan continued, ignoring Sebas. “As you know, we have a law in the kingdom that prohibits slave trafficking… It was Princess Renner who spearheaded the initiative to plan and adopt it. In any case, we caught wind that someone in this mansion might be violating that law, so we’re here to ascertain the truth of the matter.” Then he asked if they might come inside.

  A drop of uncomfortable sweat rolled down Sebas’s back, and he hesitated.

  He could think of plenty of excuses to refuse, but he worried that turning Staffan away might lead to bigger problems later.

  He had no proof Staffan was really an official. He wore the crest of a kingdom official, but that wasn’t enough to prove his authenticity. There was a very slight chance—although it’d be a major crime—that it was counterfeit.

  Still, what was the issue with letting a few humans into the mansion? If they became violent, Sebas would be able to handle that, no problem. Actually, it would be better for Sebas if the man was faking.

  How did Staffan interpret the silence of Sebas’s contemplation? He spoke again. “First, I’m sorry to trouble you, but could we meet with the master of the house? Of course, if he’s out that can’t be helped, but we came to investigate, so we won’t be very happy if we go back empty-handed.” Staffan’s smile contained no trace of apology. Behind it lay a subtle intent to abuse his authority, almost like blackmail.

  “Before that, may I ask who the man behind you is?”

  “Hmm? His name is Succuronte. He’s a representative of the establishment that brought this matter to our attention.”

  “I’m Succuronte. How do you do?”

  Seeing Succuronte’s faint smile, Sebas had a hunch he’d been defeated.

  The expression was the sneer of a brutal hunter toward his trapped prey. He must have laid all the groundwork before coming here. In that case, there was a good chance Staffan was an actual official. And they’d probably already decided how they would respond if he refused. In that case, maybe it was better to see what they were up to.

  “…Understood. I will go inform the lady. Please wait here for a moment.”

  “Yes, we’ll wait, we’ll wait.”

  “But I hope you’ll make it quick. We haven’t got all day.”

  Succuronte snorted derisively and Staffan shrugged.

  “Understood. Then if you’ll excuse me.” Sebas closed the peephole cover and turned back to Solution’s room. But before that, he would need to tell Tsuare to hide in the back.

  Staffan and Succuronte left the soldiers outside the door and entered the room they’d been led to. When they laid eyes on Solution, they were amazed.

  They clearly hadn’t expected to meet such a beautiful woman. Staffan’s expression gradually slackened, and his eyes flitted between her face and her chest. There was something like lust in his eyes as he swallowed a few times. Succuronte’s expression, on the other hand, tensed.

  Which one should I be wary of? The answer to that question was self-evident. Sebas offered them a seat on the sofa across from Solution.

  Solution, Staffan, and Succuronte introduced themselves.

  “Now then, what seems to be the trouble?”

  Staffan cleared his throat rather deliberately and replied to Solution’s question. “We received a report from a certain establishment that someone had abducted one of their employees. We heard that person illegally supplied some money to a different employee of theirs in exchange. Slave trafficking is prohibited by law… That sounds like a violation, don’t you think?”

  Staffan’s excitement gradually grew, and his tone became increasingly firm, but Solution gave a bored reply. “Oh?”

  The visiting pair blinked in surprise. Apparently, they didn’t think she’d respond with that attitude, since they were threatening her.

  “I leave all bothersome things to Sebas. Sebas, take care of it.”

  “A-are you sure you’re all right with that? You might end up a criminal.”

  “Oh my, how frightening. Then, Sebas, if it seems like I’m going to end up a criminal, please come tell me.” She bid them good day and stood up, beaming. No one called after her as she left the room. That moment proved just how powerful a beautiful woman’s smile could be.

  Perhaps Solution’s beauty had shocked the soldiers—a couple of surprised yelps reached their ears before the sound of the closing door.

  “Well then, I will listen to what you have to say on behalf of the young lady.” Sebas smiled and sat down opposite the two men.

  The smile seemed to discourage Staffan. To shore him up, Succuronte spoke. “Hmm, yes, then we’ll have you hear us out. As Mr. Heivish said at the door, our…well, yes, an employee of ours has gone missing. And what do you know? After interrogating one of our men, he admitted to taking money and handing her over. I realized this would count as slave trafficking, which is illegal in the kingdom. I didn’t want to believe anyone working at my establishment would do such a thing, but I was forced to charge him with the crime.”

  “As you should. We cannot permit such injustice!” Staffan pounded the table. “Succuronte here came forward with the slave-trafficking accusation regardless of the impact it might have on his establishment’s reputation. He’s earned the title of a model citizen!” Staffan sprayed a bit of spit as he pontificated, and Succuronte bowed.

  “Thank you, Mr. Heivish.”

  What is this farce? Sebas thought as he got his brain working. He was sure the two before him were in collusion, which meant they had undoubtedly done a good amount of preparation before coming to attack. His defeat seemed imminent. So how can I get through this with the least harm caused?

  Conversely, what constituted his victory conditions?

  For Sebas, Nazarick’s butler, it was to resolve the issue without letting the disturbance snowball any further—protecting Tsuare was not included.

  But…

  “The claims of the man who said he received money could have been perjurious. Where is he now?”

  “He’s been arrested on suspicion of slave trafficking and locked up. And after listening to what he said and doing a detailed investigation—”

  “We found that you, Mr. Sebas, were the one who purchased my employee.”

  The man had been arrested and probably told them everything there was to tell. And there was a good chance he was coerced to talk in a way that worked to their advantage.

  Sebas wasn’t sure if he should pretend he didn’t know what they were talking about, lie, or give a proper counterargument.

  How would it turn out if I said she wasn’t here? How would it turn out if I said she died?

  He imagined countless plans, but the probability of them being tricked was low, and they didn’t seem like they were going to give up so easily. He decided to ask something he needed to know first.

  “But how did you conclude it was me? What’s the proof?” That was what Sebas didn’
t understand. As long as he hadn’t left at the scene his name or anything that hinted at his identity, there shouldn’t have been any proof. So how did they figure out they should come here? Whenever he went out, he’d been on guard for anyone tailing him. He didn’t think there was anyone in this city who could follow him without his realizing.

  “The scroll.”

  A light went on in the back of Sebas’s mind.

  The scroll I bought at the wizards’ guild.

  Yes, it was different from normal scrolls, more durably made. Anyone familiar with their appearance would know he’d bought it at the guild. The rest was possible to find out with a little legwork. Someone dressed like a butler holding a scroll would stick out even more.

  Still, that didn’t prove Tsuare was there. He could insist that she was someone else who just happened to resemble her.

  But there would be trouble if the mansion was searched. Namely the issue of having only three people, including Tsuare, living in such a large house.

  That I’ll just have to accept, Sebas resigned himself.

  “…I did take the woman away. That is true. But at the time she was very badly wounded, and her life was in danger, so I had no choice.”

  “So you admit that you used money to gain custody of her?”

  “First, I’d like to speak with that man.”

  “Unfortunately, that won’t be possible. We can’t have you two coordinating your stories.”

  “You can—”

  —stand there and listen to us talk, Sebas started to say but closed his mouth.

  In the end, this was a setup. Even if he could get to the man, the chance he could turn things to his advantage was low. It was a waste of time to pursue that angle.

  “…Isn’t it unwise, as a country, to permit the type of work that would give her such horrible wounds all over her body in the first—?”

  “The work we do is quite strenuous. Injuries are part of the job. Take a mining job for example—accidents happen. It’s like that.”

  “…I don’t think they were those sort of injuries, though…”

  “Ha-ha-ha. Well, we’re in the hospitality business, and there are all sorts of customers. We’re careful, but you know how it is. Anyhow, I understand what you’ve said. Next time we’ll—yes, we’ll keep a little closer eye on things.”

  “A little?”

  “Well, you know. Otherwise, it’ll start to cost us money. Et cetera.” In response to Sebas’s question, the corners of Succuronte’s lips curled upward in a sneer.

  Sebas smiled back.

  “—Okay, that’s enough.” Staffan heaved a sigh—the sigh of a human who was dealing with a fool. “My job is to ascertain whether slave trafficking occurred. Checking on the treatment of employees is someone else’s. I can only say that it has no bearing on our current discussion.”

  “…Then could you direct me to the official who specializes in those matters?”

  “…Hmm. I’d really like to, but it’s not so simple as that. Sorry, but no one likes someone who sticks their nose in other people’s work.”

  “…Then I’d like to wait until that person can investigate.”

  Staffan chuckled as if he’d been waiting for him to say that.

  Succuronte sneered in a similar manner.

  “…Yes, I’d really like to wait as well, but since we’ve already received the complaint in writing from the establishment, we need to take you in, with force if necessary, and investigate.”

  In other words, there was no time.

  “As things stand, it’s clear from the circumstantial evidence that you committed the crime, but the establishment is willing to take a broad-minded approach in settling this. Of course, some compensation will be required. And it will cost a bit to destroy the document that accuses you of slave trafficking.”

  “What kind of compensation, specifically?”

  “Yes, about that. For starters, we’d like you to return our employee. And we’d like you to pay us the money that would have been made if she hadn’t been missing.”

  “I see. How much is that?”

  “In gold pieces…hmm. Eh, I’ll make it cheap. A hundred. And an additional three hundred as a solatium, for a total of four hundred.”

  “…That’s quite a lot of money. What’s the breakdown? How much per day and in what categories?”

  “W-wait a moment.” Staffan cut into the conversation. “That’s not all, Succuronte!”

  “Oh, that’s right. Since we reported the damage, there is the fee to destroy that document even if we settle the matter privately.”

  “That’s right, Succuronte. It won’t do to forget that.” Staffan grinned.

  “…Seriously?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Ah, nothing,” Sebas murmured with a smile.

  “Um, my apologies, Mr. Heivish.” Succuronte bowed to Staffan and continued. “One-third of the solatium is considered reasonable for destroying the record, so that comes out to a hundred gold pieces. So the total is five hundred.”

  “I paid some money when I took her. Will that be deducted?”

  “Oh, that’s rich. Listen, buddy, if you settle with them, that’ll mean you never purchased a slave. In other words, that money never existed—you dropped it somewhere.”

  So you’re telling me to pretend I dropped a hundred gold pieces? Well, you probably have half of it in your pocket as we speak. “…Another issue is that she’s not fully healed yet. If you take her now, she might relapse. She could also die, depending on how the treatment goes. I think it’s safer to have us take care of her.”

  A strange twinkle appeared in Succuronte’s eye.

  When he saw it, Sebas realized he’d made a mistake—now they knew he cared about Tsuare.

  “I see, I see. You may be right. If she dies, you’ll have to reimburse us with her worth, naturally, but until she’s healed, how about lending us the lady of the house?”

  “Ohh! That makes sense. If you create a vacancy, you should fill it.”

  The lust was plain on Staffan’s grinning face. He was probably imagining Solution naked.

  Sebas’s smile disappeared, leaving him expressionless.

  Succuronte probably wasn’t being serious, but if he found an opening, he would force himself in. Sebas could see that because he’d slipped and revealed his attachment to Tsuare, there was a chance this would blow up even worse.

  “…Won’t it be problematic if you get too greedy?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Staffan got red in the face and shouted.

  Like the squeal of a pig before being slaughtered, thought Sebas as he silently gazed at the patrol chief.

  “What do you mean, ‘greedy’?! I’m doing this to uphold the law created through the power of Princess Renner’s esteemed will! You call that greed?! How rude can you possibly be?!”

  “Now, now, please calm down, Mr. Heivish.”

  The moment Succuronte chimed in, Staffan immediately quelled his anger. His instantaneous serenity implied that it hadn’t been a genuine outburst but just part of the intimidation plan.

  What a horrible actor, Sebas whispered in his head.

  “But Succuronte…”

  “Mr. Heivish, I think we’ve said everything we can say for now. I’d like to come back the day after tomorrow to hear Sebas’s decision. That’s fine with you, right, Mr. Sebas?”

  “Yes.”

  With that, the conversation met its end, and Sebas escorted the men to the entryway. He saw them off, and Succuronte, the last one to go, smiled at Sebas with a parting shot. “Someone said, ‘I owe that former concubine some thanks. I never imagined someone slated for disposal would lay a golden egg.’”

  The door closed with a bang.

  Sebas watched them go as if the door were see-through. There was no particular emotion on his face at all. He had his usual calm expression. But deep in his eyes was something vivid and intense.

  Anger.

  —No, the emotion couldn’t
be described with such a simple word as anger.

  Fury, rage—those terms were more appropriate.

  The reason Succuronte had spoken the truth as he left was to inform Sebas that all avenues of escape were blocked and that there was nothing to be done—he was convinced he’d won.

  “Solution. Why don’t you come out?”

  At Sebas’s suggestion, she slunk out of the shadows and showed herself. She’d been using an assassin-class skill to melt into the darkness.

  “You were listening to our conversation, right?” His question was meant only as confirmation.

  Solution nodded, of course. “So what will you do now, Master Sebas?”

  Sebas couldn’t answer immediately.

  In response to his silence, Solution directed a cold gaze his way. “…Shall we turn over that human and be done with it?”

  “I don’t think that will resolve the issue.”

  “…And why is that?”

  “If we show weakness, they’ll come to suck the marrow from our bones. That’s the type of humans they are. I don’t think handing over Tsuare will fix this. The problem is how they’re investigating us and how much they’ve found out. We entered the capital as merchants, but if they investigate in-depth, that story won’t hold water—they’ll be able to see through our disguise.”

  “Then what will you do?”

  “I don’t know. I think I’d like to take a stroll outside and think about it.”

  Sebas pushed open the front door and began to walk.

  Solution watched in silence as Sebas receded into the distance.

  This is so stupid. If he hadn’t picked up that human, none of this even would have happened. Of course, it’s too late now. What’s important is what to do going forward.

  As someone working under Sebas, ignoring his orders and acting on her own would be frowned upon, but it seemed worse for her to let things continue the way they were going.

  If our littlest sister would come out… There wouldn’t be a problem if we could just operate as the Pleïades…

  She didn’t know what to do.

  She was having so much trouble figuring out what to do next that this was probably the most confounded she’d ever been.