Volume 1
Chapter 45
The Nobleman Offered
Me a Deal
Translator : PolterGlast
Several months have
passed since then.
I haven't worked with
Tekiru or even interacted with him. It was Kakyoin-san's order.
Even Tekiru, when I
told him about it, simply said,
"I guess it can't
be helped. It's true that I left Kushina-cchi behind. I'm really sorry,
Kushina-cchi. And thank you, for teaming up with me, a guy like me."
He apologized and
simply backed off.
And so, I returned to
a life of taking on requests alone, while Kakyoin-san was gathering
information.
However, one day.
"Would you like
to make a deal with me, Runa-san?"
Akana-san, the
daughter of the noble who governs this town, visited Kakyoin-san.
□□□
We were guided to
Akana-san's house again.
The reason I came
along was because Kakyoin-san told me, "come with me today, and don't take
any requests." She said something like, "It wouldn't look good if I
didn't have at least one bodyguard."
I felt a little uneasy
about it, but since I couldn't figure out what it was, I followed without
thinking too much about it.
And now, Kakyoin-san
is sitting on a sofa in the room, looking around. By the way, I'm standing
behind the sofa.
"Hmm...
Akana-san, did you bring us here without any guards again? Do you realize that
you're a person of status?"
Kakyoin-san asked
Akana-san, who was sitting on the sofa opposite her across the table.
Akana-san replied with
a laugh.
"Ahahaha, you
must be joking. With someone like Runa-san or Kushina-san, it doesn't matter if
there are guards or not. Against someone who could easily blow up this entire
area if they wanted to, the presence or absence of guards is a trivial matter.
Besides───"
"It's hard to
tell who the traitor is these days."
"………Hmm."
Kakyoin-san smiled, as
though she had seen something interesting.
"You've changed
quite a bit."
"Well, after
being told so many things, I had no choice but to change."
"Fufu, it's good
that you're not rebelling against other people's words and accepting them───that's a good
attitude. But is it okay?"
"What do you
mean?"
"I'm the one who
insulted you and your family so much. Isn't it unpleasant to exchange
information with someone like me?"
That's right, what
Akana-san was requesting this time was an exchange of information.
I questioned the different
content compared to the previous bodyguard request, but this kind of thinking
is Kakyoin-san's domain. So I'm just quietly watching how things turn out.
To Kakyoin-san's
words, Akana-san replied with a laugh again.
"Hahaha, what do
you think I would say?... Of course, it's unpleasant."
"Oh?"
"I understand
that your words were meant to show me my immaturity───to highlight my
shortcomings. ...But did you really have to scold me so harshly? I think you
absolutely didn't need to say so much."
"Fufufu, that's
true."
"'That's true',
huh?... If you understand, then please refrain from doing that again. Thanks to
that, it took me a while to digest your words."
"I'm sorry about
that. But unfortunately, I've grown up this way, so I can't change my tone.
Besides, I don't even want to change."
"Haah... I don't
know if you're sorry or not... but that's just how you are."
"?"
"The reason I
decided to exchange information with you is because that's the kind of person
you are, Runa-san. I feel that you know more about the noble world than I do,
and you have a stronger core than I do. It was because of that conversation
that I realized that. So now I know that it wasn't a waste of time, that's how
I feel."
"………I see."
Kakyoin-san took a
breath.
Then, her face became
serious.
"Then let's get
back to the main topic. Akana-san, what exactly do you want from me? And what
will you give me in return? You said this was an exchange of information. In
other words, it's a deal. A deal can't be made unless it's equal. I think you
already know that."
"Yes, I
understand that very well. That's why I've been investigating you two for the
past few days."
"Very well.
You're becoming more and more like a noble."
"I feel more
confident when you say that, Runa-san. And, about the content of the deal───"
"What I want is a
solution to the current situation of the Gilmberg family. In return, I will
provide you with information about this town."
□□□
"………What do you
mean?"
The atmosphere became
a little cold.
"It's the result
of my investigation. Runa-san, you're not from this town───in fact, you're not
even from this country, are you? I've searched through a lot of documents, but
there was no information about you. There's no information about someone as
capable as you anywhere. If you were from this country, that would be too
unnatural. It makes more sense if you came from another country."
"………I could have
used a fake name or something to avoid leaving any information behind."
"Would someone
who tries to hide their information use a surname as grandiose as Kakyoin-san,
which is contrary to the common sense of this place?"
"………That's
true."
Kakyoin-san sighed
again.
"………Well, it's a
natural assumption if you've been searching through documents. But then again,
isn't that all the more reason for you to keep away from me?”
"What do you
mean?"
"There's a
possibility I am a spy from another country."
Kakyoin-san made
another point.
But Akana-san laughed
and said,
"Runa-san? That's
impossible."
"Oh? How can you
be so sure?"
"Because if you
were a spy from another country, there are too many inconsistencies. First of
all, it's strange that you helped me when I was attacked by bandits."
"Who knows? Maybe
that's how I was trying to gain your trust."
"Would you curse
at someone while trying to gain their trust?"
"………That's
true."
Akana's retort made
Kakyoin-san's face soften, realizing she had said too much.
"Besides, even if
you were trying to gain my trust, it was simply too strange. The current
Gilmberg family has fallen to the bottom in terms of both status and
credibility. We're practically on the verge of ruin, with no hope of recovery.
What kind of spy would want to gain the trust of a nobleman who is useless to
them?
And besides, I am,
after all, the daughter of a noble. From the perspective of other countries,
I'm someone they'd want to get rid of if they could. Would someone like that
help someone who is being attacked by bandits—someone who is about to be killed
without them having to get their own hands dirty?"
"...There's also
the possibility that I acted out of emotion, something that can't be explained
by logic alone."
"If that's the
case, I guess I'm out of luck. But if you're that easily shaken, I think it's
worth appealing to your emotions."
Akana-san clasped her
fingers and said it cheerfully.
Kakyoin-san smiled
again at such Akana-san.
"You've become
quite bad, Akana-san."
"Whose fault is
that?"
"I have one more
question. Why did you make a deal with me, a complete stranger, such that you
had to expose your situation to me? I thought you could find a solution on your
own with your current abilities."
Kakyoin-san asked.
Then, Akana-san smiled
wryly.
"The truth is, I
feel that I'm not strong enough right now... To be honest, I'm at a dead end.
There is a limit to what I can do alone. Therefore, I wanted to ask for others'
opinions."
"I see. So you've
decided to ask me, who can look at this town objectively and who also has
knowledge as a noble."
"Yes,
exactly."
Kakyoin-san put her
hand under her chin, thinking. Akana-san watched Kakyoin-san as though waiting
for an answer, and a brief silence fell.
Then, Kakyoin-san
finally raised her face.
"I'm impressed
that you've come this far in such a short time. Alright, Akana-san. I'll accept
your proposal."
"Really!?"
"Yes."
Kakyoin-san extended
her right hand to Akana-san.
"Let's do our
best to make this a beneficial deal for both of us. Let's make this a good
deal."
"───!! Yes! Thank
you!!"
And so, Akana-san, who
had a big smile on her face, took her hand.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Aiden Elliott
MaxKne
Swagaraga
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
[Silver]
blue shooting
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Gtsfan321
Pristia
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
