by Fujino Omori
Then, Haruhime was sold to another country and became a prostitute.
Meanwhile, they journeyed to Orario two years ago, fought tooth and nail to gain excelia to improve their slowly growing Statuses, and were finally getting results.
Ouka, and then Mikoto, ranked up.
And now they were involved with a well-known “rookie” and had gained a little notoriety in their own right.
Mikoto and Haruhime had taken very different paths to suddenly reunite in a big city far from home.
Mikoto’s voice quivers as she recounts their unexpected reunion and how their positions had changed.
“If she is in pain, I want to be of help…No, I want to return to how things were once before.”
Mikoto couldn’t keep her voice steady as she revealed her deepest wish.
Reaching around, she runs her fingers over where her Status is engraved on her back.
“This is rather selfish…but I want to see Lady Haruhime smile once again.”
Only then do I notice the tears running down her cheeks. She quickly wipes them away with her arm and falls silent.
Once again, I have no idea what to say to a crying girl.
Our conversation over, I wait with Mikoto until she calms down.
Apologizing for the shameful sight, she says she was planning on visiting the Guild. Despite knowing it would be pointless, she wants to see if there are any other options she could pursue.
I ask to go with her. I doubt I can make much difference, but I don’t want to just sit around, either.
She agrees and the two of us leave through the front gate.
“…”
“…”
We step out onto the street in front of our home in silence.
Both of our heads are filled with thoughts of Haruhime. Saying anything at this point would just be a pointless attempt at licking each other’s wounds, so we keep our mouths shut.
If anyone saw us now, they’d probably comment on how depressed we look walking side by side like this.
“H-hey there, Bell. Little Mikoto.”
“…Lord Hermes?”
We’re less than a block away from home.
Lord Hermes suddenly appears from behind a few trees. The feather in his cap bouncing as he walks, he stops right in front of us.
This is strange, like he was just waiting for someone to come out of our home…
“Um, have the two of you had any run-ins recently? Like, say, a lot of Amazons all at once…?”
“Wh-what kind of question is that…?”
Mikoto is the first one to respond to Lord Hermes’s very unexpected inquiry. Well, then again, Aisha and a lot of Amazons chased me half to death a few nights ago, but…
Lord Hermes is alone again today and very anxious about something. I kind of feel sorry for him.
He’s playing with the brim of his feathered hat and can’t look at me for more than a few seconds at a time. On his third pass, he notices that we’re not doing all that well, either.
“You two seem a bit glum…Something happen?”
Mikoto and I chance a glance at each other and look to the ground.
The air around Lord Hermes instantly changes and he flashes a charming smile.
“If you consider me worthy, I could lend you some advice.”
“Um…”
“I swear on my divinity that anything said will stay between us.”
He takes off his cap and places it over his heart.
“I am a god, after all. I might be able to help.”
Even his tone has changed—it’s more powerful, the voice of someone who can guide the lost children of Gekai. He even flashes a wink.
Mikoto and I look at each other once again…then to Lord Hermes, and we nod.
We want to do something about Haruhime’s situation, and if there’s any chance that Lord Hermes can help us out, we’ll take it.
There’s a place to go for secret meetings.
At least that’s what Lord Hermes told us as he leads the way to a small café on the southwest side of the city. I’ve been through here once before, when I met the goddess in Amour Square.
We had to weave our way through narrow paths in order to find this café, Wish.
Apparently, this little place has quite the following. It has a very modern design and everything is nice and clean inside and out. Looking in through the windows, we can see it’s completely full of young couples.
An elf hostess wearing thin-rimmed glasses meets us at the front door and guides us to a seat at the back of the café.
“I see…So your friend is a prostitute.”
Lord Hermes takes a sip of his tea as I bring him up to speed on the situation.
Mikoto kept her eyes on the table while I spoke, looking up only from time to time. Now all we can do is wait for his response.
“I’d listen to Lilly, she has a very good point. If you tried to go and take your friend out of the brothel by force…it’d be the same as pointing a blade at Ishtar herself. I really can’t recommend that.”
Lord Hermes continues, saying that Hestia Familia wouldn’t stand a chance if a skirmish broke out. Every one of his words feels heavy. Mikoto can’t even look at him now. Lilly, Welf, and the goddess would be dragged into this if we did anything rash. That much is obvious.
And Mikoto just underwent conversion…She can’t leave the familia.
If that were an option, she wouldn’t have to worry about the rest of us and could go in by herself.
Just one look at the side of her face tells me that that was running through her mind, too.
“Generally speaking, familias stay out of one another’s hair. So if you stick your neck out to help a friend in another group, you’re going to cause more problems than you solve.”
Our faces grow dark. Lord Hermes’s tone didn’t leave any chance of misunderstanding.
So there’s nothing we can do. I’ve never felt so powerless.
“—However, prostitutes are another story.”
His voice sounds a lot brighter this time.
““What?”” We respond in unison, willing away our disappointment with smiles.
“It all depends on her rank…her standing within the familia. If she’s near the bottom or a noncombatant, redemption might be an option.”
“Redemption”—Hermes explains the rule exclusive to the Pleasure Quarter.
Simply put, it’s a system that allows someone to trade a large amount of money for a prostitute’s release.
A person can “buy” a prostitute by paying off her debts or by paying an acceptable amount to the brothel itself, thereby granting her freedom. In this way, upper-class adventurers can turn their favorite prostitute into a lifelong companion. Sounds like it’s not all that rare.
I can’t say I’m all that comfortable with treating people like merchandise like this, but…right now, this just might be it.
“…Redemption might be possible for the common prostitute…but would Ishtar Familia be willing to release one of their members so easily?”
Just as I’m starting to get excited about this, Mikoto states a major problem. I can tell she’s forcing her voice to stay calm.
Lord Hermes smiles at her. Does that mean it’s not an issue?
“Aren’t you forgetting? Ishtar is a Goddess of Beauty and also has the ability to control love, to a point. If a man wishes to offer redemption to one of her own, she wouldn’t refuse.”
SWISH! Mikoto and I look at each other so fast her hair stands on end. I gulp down the air in my throat.
“The only hurdle left is if your friend is a combatant…or if she’s at the lower end. One or the other.”
Lady Ishtar isn’t about to let a powerful fighter or leader walk away.
Lord Hermes watches our faces carefully, waiting for a response. But I already know the answer. I jump to my feet and lean over the table.
“TH-THAT’S OKAY! I doubt that Miss Haruhime is very high up at all!”
&
nbsp; That came out a lot louder than I thought it would.
The Haruhime I met two nights ago in the Pleasure Quarter wasn’t a fighter, I’m sure of it!
I’m not sure if she has a Status or not, but judging by the way the Amazons talked about her, there’s no doubt in my mind that she’s one of the lowest-ranking members of their familia.
All the other couples in the café suddenly spin around to look at me after the outburst. Hermes grins and nods.
“In that case, there could be light at the end of this tunnel.”
Mikoto’s lips start to quiver the moment Lord Hermes says that. Her mask of hopelessness is slowly breaking away.
Then she jumps up and leans over the table right next to me.
“Wh-what’s the cost for redemption?”
“That depends on the prostitute’s rank, but…I hear it’s usually somewhere between two and three million.”
That hits me like a ton of bricks. I clear my throat and hear Mikoto do the same. But—
—It’s not impossible to get that much money.
It might take a while, but for a familia capable of working in the middle levels like we can, it’s not just wishful thinking.
At last, there’s hope.
My cheeks flush as my heart beats faster.
She wants to be taken away from there. Haruhime told me as much that night in the red-light district. Just like how it was in the books she read.
We can help her!
“If it’s all right with you, could you tell me more about this girl? I could do a little investigating around Ishtar’s establishments, maybe lend a helping hand?”
Mikoto and I had just managed to convince our bodies to sit back down in our chairs when Lord Hermes said that. Looking at Mikoto, I see that she can’t contain her happiness any more than I can.
“Haruhime—Lady Sanjyouno Haruhime! She’s about my age, and a renart!”
Mikoto wasted no time in taking up Lord Hermes on his offer, and told him her name and race.
“…Renart.”
Lord Hermes’s eyes go wide. His lips seem to stumble over that word.
That’s no act. He’s genuinely shocked.
The deity closes his mouth and makes direct eye contact with both of us.
“Lord Hermes…?”
His sudden change of mood is making me worry. I have to ask.
Lord Hermes quietly strings together words.
“This, um, goes against my principles, but…”
He pauses for a moment before continuing.
“Bell, the night I bumped into you in the Pleasure Quarter, I was on my way to Ishtar’s with a special package.”
“Special package…?”
“It’s taboo for a deliveryman to reveal the contents of his client’s order—worthy of expulsion, I might add…but I’ll do you a favor.”
Mikoto tilts her head in confusion. I’m sure my face doesn’t look much different from hers, either. Lord Hermes opens his mouth to speak.
“I delivered an item called a Killing Stone.”
…Killing Stone?
I blink a few times. Pretty sure I’ve never heard of that before.
Judging from the expression on Mikoto’s face, she hasn’t, either.
“That’s all I can tell you. Well then, Bell, Mikoto, I’ll be seeing you.”
Lord Hermes slides back his chair and stands up.
Adjusting his hat, he gazes down on me from the shadow of the brim.
He goes to the counter and pays the bill before disappearing outside, leaving Mikoto and me completely bewildered.
“What was wrong with Lord Hermes?”
“I have no clue. What would cause that sudden change…?”
Mikoto and I leave the café and decide not to visit the Guild. We’re going home instead. We need to talk to Lilly and Welf about raising enough money for a redemption.
Mikoto and I are walking side by side, trying to figure out what just happened.
What was Lord Hermes trying to say…For now, I’ll put the Killing Stone on the back burner.
We travel through the side streets deep in thought.
“…?”
“Isn’t that…”
Our three-story manor is just visible after turning off one of the wider streets when something else catches our attention.
A horse-drawn carriage is parked just outside the front gate.
A snap rings out just moments after we see it. That sound is followed immediately by the horse’s whinny and the fancy carriage pulls away.
Mikoto and I quicken our pace, curious. Welf and Lilly are standing next to the gate, the goddess with them. And she’s holding a piece of paper.
“Welf, Lilly! Goddess!”
“Ah, Bell. And Mikoto. Glad to see you’re home.”
“What was that just now?”
The three of them turn to face us when I call. Mikoto asks a question.
Lilly glances at the paper in the goddess’s hands and answers.
“A quest from a trading company.”
Trading company? I ask for confirmation and Welf nods.
“This is also ’cause of the War Game. One of the greedier ones is looking for money.”
“Hm.” The goddess, standing between Welf and Lilly, frowns as she rereads the paper.
Judging by the name at the top of the sheet, this company goes by the name Albella.
That means that one of the large trading companies that supports Orario’s economy has come directly to Hestia Familia with a quest.
There are many items that can be acquired only from us adventurers, which means these relationships are very valuable. Most adventurers never see the deals that go on behind closed doors for the drop items and other materials collected or mined from the Dungeon.
Merchants based on the main continent are particularly fond of items retrieved from the lower levels and deep levels, or so I’m told. Since only a few familias and adventurers can make it that far down, they’re willing to pay extra for their services. Therefore, they try to develop relationships with strong familias to satisfy their own clients.
Which means that this company, Albella, witnessed our victory in the War Game and deemed Hestia Familia worthy—our arrow is pointed up and they want to build a relationship as quickly as possible.
“Almost like an investment…Happens all the time in Orario.”
Merchants sponsor parties of adventurers every day in order to get their hands on rare items from deep within the Dungeon.
Adventurers can buy items for lower prices and in return sell their loot for a little less to the merchants to return the favor. There are advantages for both sides.
There’s quite a bit of risk in signing that kind of contract, but a lot of money can be made by not going through the Guild.
“They came to us without informing the Guild, so this isn’t an authorized quest. However, they’ve identified themselves.”
Lilly takes another look at the sheet, her eyes zipping through the details as she explains them to us.
“The client is a recognized trading company, much more trustworthy than other unauthorized quests.”
Thinking over what Lilly said, I decide to ask for more details about the quest itself.
“So, what do they want us to do?”
“It says here they want a good amount of quartz from the Dungeon’s level-fourteen pantry.”
The goddess answers my question.
Welf leans over her shoulder for a closer look.
“This is a big reward for something so simple.”
“It’s their way of asking for more favors in return.”
Welf and Lilly make the remarks, gawking at the sheet in the goddess’s hand. Mikoto and I make eye contact.
Then we both look at the goddess, step forward, and say:
““H-how much?””
“One million valis.”
“O-one million…?!”
The goddess’s response is enough to nearly knock t
he two of us off our feet.
That would take a major chunk out of what we need to pay for a redemption!
“What should we do, Lady Hestia?”
“Hmm…I don’t really want to get involved with merchants and companies and all that.”
Either she doesn’t want to deal with all the paperwork or she’s afraid of being taken advantage of, but the goddess doesn’t sound too interested.
“I know they came all this way, but let’s decline—”
““Let’s do it!””
“UWAH?!”
Mikoto and I desperately try to stop the goddess from finishing that sentence.
Our faces beet red, she jumps backward in surprise.
“Not just to establish a connection, and I am fully aware that having something just to have it is quite narrow-minded, but in any case we need money as quickly as possible!”
“I-I agree!”
Mikoto steps forward, saying more words in one breath than I ever could. I step up evenly with her and offer my support.
Mikoto tries again, gesturing with all her might to try and convince the goddess.
“Hnhnnn…Well, my own debt caused problems for everyone…And this is just a quest, so maybe we can talk about it?”
She takes another look at the paper with beads of sweat rolling down her face before finally giving in.
““Th-thank you very much!””
We thank her and immediately slap our hands together in an epic high five.
“What’s going on…?”
“Looks like they found something to do.”
This must be what a fish feels like after being released back into the water. I can feel Lilly’s eyes on us. She must be shocked—after all, we were almost dead on our feet this morning. Even Welf’s chuckling at us now.
“While I’m a little concerned you’re getting too friendly with Mikoto, Bell…let’s go back inside for now.”
The four of us follow her back inside to talk about the quest in more detail.
Now that we don’t have to kidnap Haruhime from enemy territory, this is the best time to tell everyone about the redemption.
Mikoto’s got a pep in her step; I’m pretty sure I do, too. But wait, there’s something else I’d like to ask.
“Goddess, what’s a Killing Stone?”