Chapter 478

I Said Make My Abilities Average!

Annihilation [ 5 ] #

“What… what the heck is going on?!” Rena demands answers from the count, unable to keep up with the situation.

“Well, I don’t know what to tell you… As you can see, there’s a young beastman child who was supposed to be taken in by their employer, but they ran into some trouble and left the child without anyone to take care of them. So a merchant came to me and offered to sell the child to me. Now, if it were a human child, it wouldn’t be a problem, but with a beastman child, there’s a risk that they could end up with someone strange or with a human supremacist, you know? There are people out there with abnormal fetishes and the like.”

“I couldn’t let there be any trouble in my territory, especially anything fatal, so I ended up negotiating with the merchant and haggling the price down. I took the child in as a trainee for my servants. Right now, she’s just playing with my son…”

Looking at the scene, the young girl is clinging to the count’s son while he stares intensely at Mile and the others. Mile uses her exceptional eyesight to carefully observe the girl and notices that there are no bruises or injuries on her face or limbs, and she seems to trust the count’s son completely.

Then, the girl cries out from the bottom of her heart, “I hate it here! This house only gives me leftovers because I’m a girl and my brothers get everything! I don’t want to go back!”

Mile and the others are stunned by the girl’s outburst.

“Um, well, you see… Beastmen are even more patriarchal than elves. They have a lot of children, so they treat them somewhat roughly. If there are many siblings and a girl, it’s a bit…” Mavis explains to Rena and the others, who are shocked by her description.

And then, Mile shouts out, “Not guilty! Retreat! Teshu~!!”

Afterwards, just to be safe, the four of them check Lilia (who goes by Sherry in the village, using the name given to her by the merchant) for any injuries or scars. They leave a message from Lilia to her family, which is quite blunt and harsh, written down by Mavis after persuading her to use a milder tone. Then, the four of them from the “Crismson Blood is Good!” party withdraw.

But before leaving, they apologize to the count for the trouble they caused.

“Heh, I’m just glad I could laugh it off and forgive you guys,” the count says with a wry smile.

“I never thought he’d cheer up and start talking about beastmen with Mile,” says Pauline.

“Well, thank goodness he did, or things could have gotten messy,” adds Rena.

“I mean, we do have the ‘Crismson Blood is Good!’ party name in case things get out of hand, right? We could always run away if we need to,” Mile jokes.

The others are speechless at Mile’s nonchalance.

“Well, it’s true that a party called ‘Crismson Blood is Good!’ is not registered with the Hunter Guild, and there is no record of such a request being made or accepted.

They are saying it in a way that makes it seem like they received the request through the Guild, but in reality, it was a ‘freelance request’ that they received directly from Mile without going through the Guild. They are being careful with their phrasing so as not to lie, but still…

However, that means that even if something happens, the Hunter Guild won’t intervene or help…

‘Freelance requests’ aren’t necessarily a bad thing, and they don’t violate the Guild’s regulations. But regardless of what happens, the Guild won’t be involved. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing.

It’s all about taking responsibility for oneself. The benefits, drawbacks, and even the risks…

“So, this is the territory of the noble family where the second child was sold…”

“Mile, why do you always say the same thing every time we arrive in a new town as if you’re explaining it to someone? Is it some kind of ’trope’ or something?”

“Oh, come on, don’t sweat the small stuff!”

Ignoring Rena’s exasperated remark, Mile continues.

“I hope this time the noble is a bad one…”

“I don’t think that’s a good wish, considering the children and villagers who were kidnapped…”

Mavis smiles wryly at the wish Pauline voiced. It’s a wish that would likely make the parties involved angry if they heard it.

“For now, let’s check the lord’s reputation like we did last time. The previous lord was just a pervert who had a thing for beastman children… He was scum in every other way, just like his reputation suggested. Pre-investigations are important.”

The three nod in agreement with Rena’s words.

Yes, that Earl wasn’t a ‘good person’ by any means. He simply thought of the beastman girl he was raising as a pet and was willing to let his son have her as a ‘playmate’ or even a ‘mistress’ if he wanted. Of course, she wouldn’t have any status, not even as a second wife, and any children she bore would have no right to inherit the title or property. She wouldn’t even be allowed to reveal that she was related to the Earl’s family and was in a position no different from a servant.

But even so, it was still better than a life of working from morning till night every day for her father, male siblings, and eventually her husband and son in a village where such male chauvinism was strong. She had finally found happiness there, and they couldn’t just forcefully take her away.

That’s why they all sincerely believed it was a good thing that this wasn’t an official request from the villagers but just Mile’s selfish request. If it were an official request, they would either have to forcibly take the girl back or fail the request. And if it were the latter, due to the requester’s actions, it would be considered a breach of contract, resulting in a penalty fee and a loss of credibility, among other undesirable consequences.

But since the requester was Mile, they didn’t have to worry about that.

And so, the four members of ‘Crismson Blood is Good!’ followed the same routine as before, starting with finding lodging and then gathering information at the Hunter Guild branch…

“That was tempura…”

“It’s pronounced ’tempura,’ not ’tempre’! ‘Tempura’ is the delicious one!”

Rena corrects Pauline’s mistake with a sigh.

It can’t be helped. Although they understand the meaning of that word because Mile often uses it in their ‘Japanese fake stories,’ they pronounce it just like the original Japanese word, so it’s understandable that they confuse it with ’tempura,’ the name used in Japan…

Yes, according to their investigation, this territory’s lord was just your typical petty noble. The type you often encounter…

So, there’s nothing to say about him now.

But still…

“Are you okay this time?”

Mavis asks Mile with concern.

Well, it’s understandable. Since the beginning was like that…

“I don’t know anything about that!”

Mile’s slightly irritated response is understandable as well. Even if they were asked that now, Mile wouldn’t have an answer…