The top floor of the Mud Swamp Tower.
There, the young knight Reinhardt—who had just turned fifteen—stood gripping his sword, breathing heavily.
"Hah… hah…"
"Kukuku. What's the matter, Hero? Is that all you've got?"
Before him stood a sinister man draped in a gray-brown robe, his face hidden behind a suspicious white mask.
"You think that paltry skill of yours can defeat me, the Great Dark Archmage Rude—no, Rude Ronumer?"
"Guh— damn it!"
Reinhardt clenched his sword, forced his heavy legs forward, and unleashed a slash.
But Rude Ronumer dodged it with contemptuous ease, then extended his right hand toward Reinhardt.
In the next instant, an invisible shockwave surged forth, sending Reinhardt flying.
"Guwah!?"
"Oh no! Reinhardt!"
The anguished cry came from a woman chained in the corner of the room.
She wore a pale pink dress and a silver coronet atop her head—a lovely young woman.
She was none other than Gertrude, princess of Twal, a small northern kingdom.
"Your Highness, don't worry! I'll defeat this pervert right now! Let's go home to the kingdom together!"
Reinhardt staggered to his feet at the sound of her voice, mustering the brightest smile he could manage for Gertrude.
The one who panicked at this was Rude Ronumer.
"Hey, who are you calling a pervert?!"
"You! You put the princess's panties on your head, and what's more you actually wore them… Have you no shame?!"
"That's not it! These belong to my wife! How rude of you!"
It didn't matter whose panties they were.
Reinhardt was the last knight standing.
If he fell, Princess Gertrude would belong to Rude Ronumer.
It was only a matter of time before the princess's panties ended up on his head.
"Ooooooh!"
"Too slow!"
Reinhardt's charge was evaded by movements far too insect-like for a supposed mage, and he was sent flying once more by another shockwave.
This had been happening over and over.
"Guha… d-damn it… I won't let you have your way with the princess…!"
Though bruises covered his entire body, Reinhardt's eyes still burned with fighting spirit.
A sense of duty drove him forward, pushing him toward Rude Ronumer again and again.
"Kukuku. What admirable loyalty. But is it really worth directing that loyalty toward a king who could only spare a handful of rescuers when his own princess was kidnapped?"
"The kingdom has nothing to do with this! I… I… I love the princess!"
Reinhardt's soul-crying shout echoed through the Mud Swamp Tower.
Gertrude, overwhelmed with emotion, pressed both hands to her mouth as a single tear streamed from her eyes.
"Ooooooh!"
"Kukuku. A beautiful love. But love cannot bridge the gap in power!"
"Guwaaa!"
Reinhardt was blown away by Rude Ronumer once again.
"D-damn it… I can't get close… What should I…?"
"Kukuku. You can never defeat me. Not unless you had a statue of the Spell族—the tribe I'm most vulnerable to—and a picture book depicting their exploits! Hahahahahaha!"
"!"
Reinhardt's eyes went wide at those words.
A statue of the Spell族. He knew exactly where that could be.
On his way here, a suspicious fortune-teller had, completely unprompted, delivered an elaborate and incomprehensible reading—and then pressed a demon statue into Reinhardt's hands.
The fortune-teller had said it would surely prove useful someday… Could it be that statue?!
Reinhardt lunged for the bag he'd tossed aside near the entrance.
He pulled out the statue.
A warrior with emerald-green hair, wielding a white spear!
And alongside it—the picture book depicting their exploits!
"Oh no! Could it be that—?!"
"Yes! It's the statue of the Spell族—"
"A hero who, despite being considered a villain by the world at large, was actually a kind man who loved children and played a crucial role in defeating Laplace—Luigeludo Spelldea!"
That was as far as Reinhardt's knowledge went.
He hadn't actually read the book.
But the effect was devastating.
"Nngh! No, my power is draining away…!"
"Reinhardt, now!"
"Ooooooh!"
Rude Ronumer wavered.
Princess Gertrude screamed.
Reinhardt charged with his sword raised high.
Rude Ronumer weakly extended his right hand, but it was already too late.
Reinhardt's sword plunged deep into Rude Ronumer's chest—or rather, it didn't.
With a sharp clang, the blade was deflected.
Underneath the robe, the man was wearing some kind of armor.
(Damn it… It's not enough?)
Just as Reinhardt was about to give up—
"Guaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"
Rude Ronumer suddenly let out a tremendous death scream, light erupting from his entire body as he was blasted diagonally backward.
Beyond him lay the balcony.
Rude Ronumer slammed into the balcony railing with a thud, made a goofy "ugefuh" sound, and tumbled outside.
The tower was three stories tall.
A mage like that surely wouldn't die from a fall of that height.
That's what Reinhardt thought as he moved to peer over the balcony.
The next moment, a massive explosion erupted from below.
The blast wind grazed Reinhardt's cheek and scattered his hair.
"!?"
After the dust settled, Reinhardt looked down and saw—a hole.
Right where Rude Ronumer had fallen, the trees had been flattened, and a neat little crater had formed.
"…"
Reinhardt understood.
His strike must have damaged the core of Rude Ronumer's armor or something similar.
The resulting magical backlash had caused Rude Ronumer to explode and scatter like a balloon.
In other words, he had won.
Reinhardt had won.
"Reinhardt…!"
"Your Highness! Are you all right?!"
Reinhardt rushed to the princess and embraced her.
"Reinhardt… oh, Reinhardt, I always believed you would come to save me…!"
"Your Highness… I know that someone like me daring to love a princess is terribly presumptuous… but, but…"
"Oh, don't say such things, Reinhardt… I too… I too have feelings for you."
"Your Highness… those words are too kind! Now, let us return to the castle!"
"Yes!"
The Great Dark Archmage Rude Ronumer was dead.
After this, Reinhardt was welcomed back to the kingdom as a hero.
He was granted a high noble title and given the king's blessing to court the princess.
The two were married and lived happily ever after.
The end.
---Rudeus's Perspective---
"Ugh, that was exhausting."
This time, my mission was to "get young knight Reinhardt together with the princess of a small kingdom, Gertrude."
Apparently, their descendants would be useful to Orsted.
Normally, these two were in love, but due to the difference in their social standings, they would never get together.
The king knew they were in love and even supported their relationship.
However, because of the issue of lineage, he couldn't openly bring them together. Instead, he secretly planned to use "if Reinhardt earns some military merit" as an excuse to unite them. But Reinhardt was naturally timid, and even when circumstances arose, he could never rise to the occasion.
So the king tried to manufacture an opportunity for him to earn glory by starting a war with a neighboring kingdom and sending Reinhardt to the front lines—where Reinhardt predictably died.
Princess Gertrude was then married off as a peace instrument in a political union.
And that sequence of events was later immortalized in song by the elderly Gertrude herself.
About a foolish young knight who dared to love a princess.
And an enraged king who sent him to the front lines to be killed.
You really can't underestimate a father's heart, huh.
Anyway, my job this time was to twist that fate and get Reinhardt and Gertrude together.
First, I approached the king.
I proposed that I would kidnap the princess and imprison her in a tower deep in the forest at the kingdom's border, and that he should send Reinhardt after her.
When the king grew suspicious, I persuaded him by dropping Ariel's name.
I then abducted the princess, playing the role of the Great Dark Archmage Rude Ronumer.
The tower where I imprisoned the princess was built by my own hands.
It was shoddily constructed—one earthquake and it'd collapse—but it would do for now.
Right before Reinhardt set out on his journey, I disguised myself as a fortune-teller and gave him a hint for defeating Rude Ronumer.
I also threw in a Spell族 figurine as a bonus—killing two birds with one stone.
After that, all I had to do was return to the tower ahead of him and let the plucky Reinhardt defeat me after a hard-fought battle. Easy, right?
Well, easy to say.
But handling everything myself—from the negotiation to the preparation to the execution—was a real pain.
Looking back, I probably didn't need to go that far for it to work.
"I'm tired…"
Anyway, mission complete once again.
I received Orsted's praise and words of encouragement and made my way back.
My return to the magic city Sharia after a month away.
I think I'll let Sylphie heal this fatigue.
Having watched those two young lovebirds, I suddenly found myself wanting to see Sylphie's bashful face.
I wanted to spend a passionate night together.
Like beasts, raw instinct laid bare…
But lately, Sylphie had gotten used to it and didn't really get embarrassed anymore.
The other day, I accidentally glimpsed her changing, and all she said was, "Oh, could you hand me those pants?"
Not enough shyness.
If I'd asked her to, she might have at least said something like "Honestly, Rudy, you're such a pervert."
---
Anyway, I returned to my family.
Just like always, Beet opened the door for me,
Lucy ran away from me, I touched Eris's belly, I stroked Sylphie's backside, I patted Lala's head, I licked Sylphie's ears, Leo licked my hand, Lucy ran away from me again…
Being surrounded by family is such a relief.
In my previous life, when Dad came back from a business trip, he'd look exhausted but also somehow at ease. I guess this is what that felt like.
Today was supposed to be the day Norn returned, so I planned to wait for Roxy and Norn together, relaxing in the living room.
Thinking this, I sank into the sofa.
Then I noticed something.
"Huh? Aisha isn't here. Did she go shopping?"
The moment I asked, Lillia's expression changed.
It was a complicated look.
Sylphie also wore a slightly troubled expression.
Eris looked normal, though.
The atmosphere wasn't great.
What was going on?
"Well, um, Aisha has been going out a lot lately…"
Lillia said apologetically.
Going out…
Oh, right.
Now I remembered—I'd given her a job to do.
"That would be the job I asked her to do, wouldn't it?"
"Well… I'm not sure… It seems like she's been associating with quite a rough crowd for what should be 'work.'"
Hearing the words "rough crowd," images of guys with mohawks and shoulder pads flashed through my mind.
The kind who, in a world where even gasoline is precious, roar around on high-displacement motorcycles shouting "Yeehaw!"
Was it the bunch that had gathered around Linia?
"So, um, Rudy.
Lately, I've been noticing some strange-looking people around town.
They all wear black clothes from head to toe,
and it seems like Aisha-chan has been with them quite often."
It had only been a month since I gave her the job.
I found it hard to believe they'd already gathered enough people to be noticeable around town.
Besides, black clothes…
Hmm.
She was fourteen now, after all.
The age of adolescence, rebellion, and chuunibyou.
She'd be at just the right age to push back against her family and play tough.
Maybe by giving her contact with the outside world, she'd ended up falling in with the wrong crowd.
"I'm sorry, Lord Rudeus. I never imagined Aisha would get involved in something like this. She does come home at night, so I'll make sure to scold her properly."
Oh, so she wasn't staying out all night?
Then maybe I could relax a bit.
Just as I thought that, Sylphie said something surprising.
"But Aisha-chan told me she had Rudy's permission."
"…"
She had my permission.
Those words conjured the worst possible image in my mind.
The bunch Linia had been recruiting to gather in that warehouse—sleazy grins, licking their lips, street thugs.
Their eyes would be glued to the beautiful Linia and Aisha.
In a cramped warehouse, those kinds of guys surrounding the two of them…
Linia did have considerable combat ability, but only at a normal level.
There was a reason "overwhelming numbers" was a saying.
I'd thought of Aisha as just a kid, but recently she'd been growing rapidly—physically speaking.
Especially in the chest department, she was approaching her mother's size.
And even from her older brother's perspective, she was cute.
She had Paul's likeable features, plus those fangs that showed when she grinned—absolutely charming.
Oh, I'd almost forgotten.
Both Linia and Aisha were beautiful.
And I'd let them gather a rough crowd.
It was like throwing raw meat into a sea swarming with sharks.
…Well, to be fair, I never actually told them to recruit rough people!
"Eris, didn't you try to stop her?"
"…Eh? Why would I?"
Eris tilted her head.
Ah, maybe Eris simply had no interest in Aisha.
"They weren't that big a deal."
Right. For Eris, lions and kittens were all the same.
Even the kind of rough crowd that had Lillia and Sylphie so worried—they probably just looked like naughty kids to Eris.
No, I couldn't rely on Eris.
She was pregnant, for one thing.
Besides, I was the one who'd set this in motion.
I'd take responsibility.
"…Understood. I'll go myself."
I had no intention of faulting Aisha for choosing whoever she wanted to associate with.
Even so-called "rough crowds"—sometimes they turned out to be decent people once you talked to them.
But everything had its limits.
If Aisha, a minor, was being used as a convenience by people who didn't care about the consequences, then as her brother, I had a responsibility to step in and help.
Paul would do the same, I was sure.
Well, Paul would probably fall under the "pretty rough" category himself.
"Do you know where they hang out?"
"I'll show you the way."
Eris said immediately.
But she was pregnant.
What to do about that?
If things got violent, it wouldn't be safe for her.
"I'll come too."
Sylphie offered as well, but I shook my head.
"…No, I'll go alone for now."
I'd prepared for the worst-case scenario,
but it wasn't necessarily the case that something bad was already happening.
So for now, I'd go alone, scope things out, and see what was what.
With that decided, I headed straight to the hangout Aisha frequented, having barely been home.
---
Sylphie told me the location.
Third block in Adventurer's Row.
Set back a bit from the main street, there stood the building.
It was a fine two-story structure made of anti-magic brick.
Similar to both an adventurer's guild and a tavern.
But the recently installed sign had been painted black with ink, and in its center was the mark of a fierce tiger.
Just as I arrived, a group of men dressed entirely in black filed out through the front door.
Every one of them wore the same black coat with the same tiger emblem on the back.
And for some reason, they were all carrying things like hoes and sickles.
"Ossha! Let's goooo! Raaah!"
"Weiss!"
Shouting spirited battle cries, they marched past me and headed for the main street.
Terrifying.
That was definitely not a group heading to cheer at a baseball game.
They were absolutely the type who trained by fighting lions while naked, told that "tigers are stronger than lions!"
This was bad. Would I really be all right?
Well, I'd gotten stronger myself from Orsted's training lately.
Just in case, I'd stopped by the office and put on my magical armor.
So I'd be fine. Definitely fine.
I wouldn't lose to a bunch of thugs.
I couldn't back down. My adorable Aisha was in there with these rough men.
No matter how clever she was, Aisha was still physically weak.
They said she came home at night, but what happened during the day…
I had to save her.
No matter how many enemies stood in my way.
It would be fine. I knew the right strategy for facing a large group.
Land three punches, then briefly turn your back and throw one punch into the air, then three more punches.
"M-m-excuse me…"
I opened the door and stepped inside.
The lobby—would that be the right word?
It was a wide space with barrels placed at regular intervals.
No need to wonder why there were barrels.
They were being used as tables.
On top of the barrels sat bottles of booze, and there were people happily drinking together.
It was like a tavern.
But there was one thing that definitely set it apart from a regular tavern.
Everyone was wearing the same black coat with the tiger emblem.
This was terrifying.
"Can I help you?"
One of them—a beastman with a lion-like face—noticed me and approached.
He was taller than me and wider too.
His black coat was skin-tight.
He clearly boasted impressive muscle mass.
But muscle didn't determine combat strength.
Even President Orsted and Luigeludo—they didn't look particularly buff, yet they were absurdly strong.
"Uh, well, you see, I'm here to see my sister. Is she here?"
But manners mattered.
Even if you were the better fighter, there were lines you had to follow.
Polite language for first encounters—that was my social survival skill.
I was absolutely not scared.
"Your sister…?"
The beastman furrowed his brow suspiciously and scanned the lobby.
Now that I looked calmly, there were plenty of women among the black-clad crowd.
They didn't necessarily look dangerous, but everyone had the look of a seasoned warrior.
At the very least, they all looked a notch tougher than students at the Magic University.
Rough crowd… if you wanted to call them that, I supposed they were.
In any case, Aisha wasn't among them.
"Excuse me a moment…"
The beastman said those few words before bringing his face close to me.
Hey, what are you doing, trying to start something?
You know I know Orsted, right?!
I tensed up, but the man simply sniffed around near my face.
He was smelling me.
That was a little embarrassing.
"…………?"
The beastman scrunched his nose mid-sniff.
"…!"
Then, after staring intently at my face, he took two big steps backward.
Oh no, did I really smell that bad?
Come to think of it, I hadn't bathed since getting back from the mission.
"Um, could it be that you're… Aisha-san's…?"
The man asked.
Even though I apparently stunk, he'd managed to identify me.
"Ah, yes. My name is Rudeus Greyrat. My sister— Is Aisha here?"
I'd forgotten, but introductions were important too.
Stating your name and affiliation was the first step in communication.
Incidentally, my name was fairly well-known in this city.
Introducing myself could also serve as a deterrent.
"Whisper—"
The moment I said my name, the atmosphere in the room shifted.
Everyone within earshot turned to look at me.
"Greyrat…"
"That's him…"
"I always knew the day would come…"
Complete away-game energy.
This was bad.
This feeling was somewhat familiar.
Once, when Eris had gone on a rampage for some reason and I went to apologize to the group she'd decimated, it had felt just like this.
Maybe Eris had already beaten up everyone here.
Hmm? Then why hadn't Aisha come back?
Oh, they'd probably been instructed by Aisha to do this.
Wait, wait. If that was the case, it meant Aisha was here of her own free will?
That was absurd.
She must be being threatened.
Damn it, I shouldn't have used my real name.
I should have gone with the mysterious masked mage Rude Ronumer.
In other words, I needed to go in with no questions asked.
"…Which means—the President!"
"That's the president…!"
"President Rudeus…!"
Or so I thought.
Instead, the people around me began bowing their heads toward me.
From a rigid standing position to a crisp forty-five-degree bow.
All of them at the same time.
What the heck?
"Uh…?"
I looked, and the beastman youth from before was also showing me the crown of his head.
"I offer my deepest apologies. I didn't realize you were the President."
"Eh?"
"The advisor is this way. Please, allow me to guide you."
"Advisor? Oh, sure."
This wasn't following any script I knew.
But the beastman straightened his spine and tail, gesturing for me to follow deeper inside.
If he was offering to guide me, I might as well go.
"Right this way."
We went up the stairs, and I was led to the farthest room in the building.
A dim room with all the curtains drawn.
A creepy room adorned with a mysterious handsome man's portrait on the wall.
They were there.
The roughest crowd in town.
They too wore the same black coats as those downstairs.
Furthermore, despite summer being just around the corner, they had white scarf-like things dangling from their necks, and they wore sunglasses despite the dark, closed-off room.
In that getup, they sat facing each other, grinning as they counted gold coins.
"Nya-hahahahahahaha! I knew buying these sunglasses was the right call, nya!
The gleam of gold coins was dazzling my eyes, nya!"
One of them cackled with a wicked grin.
Depending on the light, her teeth even seemed to flash gold.
The sunglasses hid her face, but there was no doubt she was blinded by the gold.
Her pupils were probably shaped like dollar signs.
Her eyes had been completely dazzled.
"Ahem, here's this month's tribute payment, nya."
"Mm."
The one who nodded was, as expected, a girl also wearing sunglasses.
She sat languidly in her chair, looking supremely arrogant.
In that posture, she imperiously accepted a bundle of gold coins proffered by the other woman.
Perhaps around ten coins.
From the look of them, they weren't Asura gold coins but the ones used here in the Ranoa Kingdom.
The girl counted them perfunctorily, then tossed them into a gold coin bag nearby.
She then smoothly jotted down the amount and a name on a piece of paper and handed it back.
"Mm, confirmed."
"Yes, nya."
"So?"
The girl jerked her chin toward the other woman.
"Nya-hehehe,
So,
here is the advisory fee, nya."
The woman slid one of the gold coin towers on the desk toward the girl.
Five or six coins, maybe.
"With this, may we continue to work together, nya?"
"Of course."
"Nya-fufufu, you're quite the villain yourself, nya."
"Hehe, not as much as Linia though."
The girl flashed a wicked grin as she pocketed the money into a different coin bag—
She tucked it right into her cleavage…
"Oh."
That's when the beastman youth and I were noticed.
"Director Linia, Advisor Aisha. President Rudeus has arrived."
Dressed up like mafia bosses, the two of them turned out to be Linia and Aisha.
---
I was urged to sit on a nearby sofa.
Linia and Aisha sat down directly across from me.
"What is this? What's going on?"
I asked that first.
Someone please explain.
I'd asked Linia and Aisha to gather people in this town, that much was true.
But the building I'd lent them wasn't this one.
I never told them to wear black suits.
And there seemed to be far more people than I'd envisioned.
"So, big brother, just like you asked, we gathered people together, and then we started a business using them."
"…Is that so? Tell me more."
I listened to Aisha's explanation.
Apparently, after that, Linia and Aisha had immediately started recruiting.
They reached out primarily to current and former students of the Magic University and members of the Adventurer's Guild.
And somehow, within the blink of an eye, about thirty people had gathered.
Thirty people, just like that.
The warehouse I'd bought as an office was suddenly too small.
So Aisha sold it on the same day, used her own connections to recruit sponsors, and leased this building.
For the record, the sponsors were people like Zanoba and Cliff.
The portrait hanging in this room was apparently a portrait of me that Zanoba had painted.
It was so beautified that it didn't look like me at all.
"But once everyone gathered, there wasn't really any sense of unity. And we hadn't decided what to do yet."
They'd assembled the people, but there was still time before my return.
A disorganized mob without direction would scatter quickly.
So Aisha decided to seek advice from Nanahoshi, who was at the Floating Fortress.
She took the flute I used to summon Perugius from my room, summoned Armanfi, greeted Perugius, and then received several pieces of advice from Nanahoshi.
"Eh? You met Perugius?"
"Yeah. He's a really cool guy, isn't he?"
Doing frightening things behind my back I knew nothing about.
If she ever made him angry, her life would be in danger.
No, he was magnanimous—he wouldn't stoop to losing his temper over a child.
If she innocently kept saying he was cool, Silvaril would probably be good to her.
"So anyway,"
Nanahoshi apparently recommended "uniforms" and "manners."
Having everyone wear the same clothes would strengthen their sense of unity.
That way, even without doing anything special, the group wouldn't easily fall apart.
Furthermore, by teaching them military-grade discipline and etiquette, they'd gain the trust of their business partners.
Following Nanahoshi's advice, Aisha acquired surplus clothes from an acquaintance who ran a clothing shop—cheaply, since they'd overstocked.
That's where these gloomy black coats came from.
Aisha felt that wasn't quite enough, so she bought yellow fabric with her own money and hand-stitched a mouse emblem onto each coat.
A mouse emblem.
Because Greyrat meant mouse, apparently.
On a black background with yellow—I'd assumed it was a tiger emblem.
Good thing I didn't say "Cool tiger emblem!"
Anyway, she'd also drilled into their heads how to bow properly.
The forty-five-degree deep bow I always did. Known colloquially as "the OJIGI."
Anyone could learn it, and it clearly communicated respect—perfect.
And so, the group of men in black who bowed deeply was complete.
After that, Aisha considered what these people could actually do.
But the majority had come because they admired Linia.
The kind who could do nothing but fight, whose hobby was "brain gym training," who couldn't read words—couldn't even read numbers.
A few of them were sharp, but the ratio was roughly five brawny types to one clever one.
The only thing she could think of to do with them was run a mercenary company.
And so, they ended up running a mercenary company.
They also decided on a group name.
Based on a pseudonym I used often, they called themselves the "Rude Mercenary Corps."
But this was one of the Three Great Magic Nations.
Sharia was a magic city right in the middle of three relatively peaceful countries.
There were no wars here, and even going to somewhere with conflict would take considerable time.
So what Aisha came up with was essentially a bodyguard service.
For a fixed fee, over a fixed period, they would lend out a team of several mercenaries.
In that team, they'd place one sharp-minded leader to command.
If a mercenary was injured or killed during a job, another would be dispatched immediately.
It was, in other words, a lease-contract bodyguard service.
It was absolutely not a yakuza operation.
Definitely, categorically not a yakuza operation.
"When we started taking jobs, we got famous really quickly, nya."
The mercenary corps—led by a Doldia tribe princess—received a strange but genuine trust. Combined with the members' own connections and Aisha's promotional efforts, they quickly became known.
Within about fourteen or fifteen days of their founding, they were receiving jobs from major organizations like the Ranoa Kingdom's knight order, the Mage's Guild, and magical item workshops.
At the same time, their registered membership grew, and now roughly fifty men in black roamed the streets of the city.
In a town where adventurers, knights, students, blacksmiths, and magic item craftsmen all had their own factions, fights and disputes were common.
So there was a niche demand for a neutral party that could provide protection.
One step wrong, and the mercenary corps itself would become another faction—but as long as they took jobs impartially from all corners, they'd be fine, according to Aisha.
"So we had them turn over a portion of their earnings as tribute, and they brought in more than expected, nya."
"That's right, nya. Everyone brought more tribute than they needed to, nya. What a well-mannered bunch, nya."
For the time being, then.
A bodyguard group, somewhat different from regular adventurers.
Less than a month after their founding, they were already generating decent revenue, and the start was apparently smooth.
Of course, the total revenue wasn't enormous—repaying Linia's debt would still take quite a while.
But if the business continued to expand, or if they started another venture once they'd accumulated some capital, they might be able to pay it all off in one go.
In fact, once they'd paid back about half, I could just write off the rest of the debt. It wasn't like I actually needed the money.
Honestly, this was different from what I'd envisioned.
Different, but if it was working out, that was fine.
Actually, I hadn't expected it to go this smoothly.
The secret to their success was probably appointing Aisha as overseer.
Her being a genius and taking the job seriously was what made it click.
If that genius hadn't been putting in full effort, it would've taken a bit more time.
Actually, I never expected her to take it this seriously.
"But Aisha, I never thought you'd be so into making money."
"Huh? That's not it at all!"
When I sighed and said that, Aisha pouted, clearly affronted.
"What I love is—big—brother!
Big brother said it was for my sake, so I worked really hard, okay?"
"Aisha…"
Her eyes were sparkling…
So cute.
If she weren't my sister, I wouldn't be able to hold back.
"And besides, I don't want this cat coming back to our house either."
Ah, so that was the real reason.
I'd thought they seemed friendly earlier, but apparently not?
Well, that was that, and this was this.
"Whatever the case, you did a great job."
"Hehe, thanks."
When I patted her head, she smiled contentedly.
Above all, Linia now had a way to repay her debt.
With this many people, there were bound to be some who could handle office work, and some with a knack for business.
We could even select clerks for Orsted's office or shopkeepers for the Luigeludo figurine business.
To accomplish all this in just a single month.
I had to hand it to Aisha.
I might have been underestimating her abilities.
"But Lillia's worried, so let's go home and talk about this a bit."
"Ugh, Mom is so stubborn—she wouldn't get it even if I explained. I want to keep doing this a little longer."
"It'll be fine. I'll make sure to explain that I was the one who asked you to do this."
Forcing someone to do something they didn't want to was wrong, but this time was a rare case where she was actually motivated.
If she wanted to keep going, I should let her.
Actually, seeing the results firsthand, it felt like a waste to keep Aisha at home doing maid work.
"All right. I'm counting on you, big brother. Mom is super soft on you, so make sure you convince her, okay?"
"Yeah."
And just like that, I gained a subordinate.
Their name: the "Rude Mercenary Corps."
My very first subordinate.
If I could use this subordinate to achieve what I wanted, that would be great.
My dreams were expanding.
---
"Oh, hey, Boss."
Just as I was about to take Aisha and head home, Linia called out to me.
"What is it?"
"I got a letter from the Great Forest the other day, nya."
Oh, from the Great Forest.
That would mean it was from Pluna, perhaps?
Thinking this, I took the letter from Linia.
It was addressed to Linia and had already been opened.
There was no sender's name.
Yet somehow, Linia had known it was from the Great Forest.
The smell, probably?
Without hesitation, I pulled out the contents and read.
"…!"
There was no seasonal greeting or anything.
Just a single line.
Written in Beast God language:
"'Emergency! The Sacred Beast has gone missing! Search immediately!'"
"Well, even the Sacred Beast herself said not to worry about her, so it's no big deal, nya."
Linia clasped her hands behind her head and laughed with a "Nya-haha."
"…"
I made up my mind to go to the Great Forest.
I'd bring a gift box of sweets as an apology.
---
**The Rude Mercenary Corps**
President: Rudeus Greyrat
CEO & Representative Director: Linia Dedoldia
Advisor & Vice President: Aisha Greyrat
Employees: Approximately 50
Type: Subsidiary Brand of ORSTED Corp.
Sponsored by: Silent Seven Star