Karma

"But you explained it as if I was fully aware of Count Bosha's existence. How did you figure that out?"

"When you heard about Baron Rubila, you didn't show a flicker of surprise."

After confirming that the bastard who'd been knocked out cold against the iron door was actually dead, not unconscious, I took the sole survivor—the meta-morph woman, henceforth Mongsun—outside and roughly propped the iron door back in place while asking her. Her answer was surprisingly matter-of-fact.

"Couldn't I have just been a simple lunatic?"

"I was one of the people tailing you today, Eldmia. It's a stretch to believe someone meticulous enough to confirm surveillance through the scenery reflected in a necklace is a mere madman."

"What, you caught on to that?"

"Unlike the others, I am a professional."

Huh. So she'd been just playing along at the level of the people around her? That was dumbfounding in its own right.

But seeing as she didn't know that a genuinely crazy bastard was a cold, calculating crazy bastard, she clearly didn't know the ways of the world yet.

"This contract thing seems like it's full of loopholes unless you present it very specifically?"

"Correct. It is the order's policy, and a burden all who commission the order must bear."

Unless they handed out a full-book guide manual, I doubted you could hire them with peace of mind, but the ability to change faces at will was definitely an attractive feature.

"How much does it cost to hire a member of your order?"

"It varies from person to person."

"Well, that'd differ depending on who has a higher commission success rate. There's gotta be a base price, right?"

"No. I meant the client."

While knocking over the accumulated junk at the entrance like a makeshift barricade to block the passage and leaving the building, Mongsun continued to act cooperatively and spoke.

"We judge the weight of a task by the client's worth. The hiring cost is adjusted accordingly."

"Worth? So, what, if a king hires you, you come cheaper?"

"Worth is judged through revelation, not worldly authority."

"What the hell, so you're saying a god personally hands down a notice saying, 'This human's worth this much'?"

I was so dumbfounded I asked with a face I couldn't even manage to keep straight, and Mongsun's face spasmed. Oh-ho? You laughing? At a point where I couldn't even tell where the humor was supposed to be?

"Pfft, n-no, that's not it. Revelation is so hard to put into words that it's difficult to explain in detail, but it's about evaluating the task the client intends to do, set against the client themselves, how great an impact it will truly have on the world, and whether the matter is beyond the client's ability."

"And here I thought there was a god with a sharp eye for money."

"Where in the world would such a god exist? Money doesn't ascend to heaven, after all."

"That's true enough."

Even the god of commerce placed more meaning on the act of trade itself than on money, after all. Hearing that explanation, questions about Mongsun kept bubbling up.

"Then what you said earlier, about the price to purchase a life being higher. Do you happen to know what Count Bosha's worth was, that he gave that up and hired you at the standard price?"

"Of course. The revelation isn't passed through anyone else; it's received directly by the one carrying out the commission. I assessed his worth myself."

"How much was it?"

"The price he would have had to pay for my life was fifty trade-guild gold coins."

The fact that I didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠stop walking upon hearing Mongsun's answer was proof that my patience deserved a round of applause.

That's the equivalent of a hundred regular gold coins!

"I'm asking because I don't doubt your doctrine, but are there really people out there who pay a life-price like that and hire you?"

"As I said, it depends on the person. In some cases, we stake our lives for just two silver coins."

The price gap stretches out as arbitrarily as a rubber band. If the pricing had been reasonable, I'd half-considered hiring her myself to cut down on variables, but that was out of the question now.

I was reeling from the staggering price when Mongsun spoke, as if she'd read my mind.

"It's not something you need to worry about right now, Eldmia. Think of it the other way around. You spared a life worth fifty trade-guild gold coins, so I'll cooperate accordingly."

According to their doctrine, the worth would vary, but with her saying it like that, saving her had its own reward.

The moment I returned to the mansion with Mongsun, I checked whether Sir Ekaf was back, but he hadn't returned yet. The thought that he might be pulling an all-nighter for an emergency meeting crossed my mind, but I couldn't just wait around, so I decided to explain the circumstances to Sheryl and hand Mongsun's custody over to her.

"A Servant of the Dream? What the hell do you do to keep bringing home people you'd be lucky to meet once in a lifetime?"

"Hard to meet?"

"You saw the authority she was granted, right? There's no way that's common."

From what I heard, her rank was lower than a Saintess, but she apparently received treatment of that level within their order.

There were only about four of them at most in a generation, so it was honestly impressive how that fucker Bosha had managed to get his hands on someone like her.

"Anyway, I'm too busy to have any leeway right now, so I'll leave her to you. Asilie and I have to go smash that slave merchant group now."

"Weren't you originally going tomorrow?"

"I was, but I changed my mind after hearing her story. I think we can hit them right now without any issues."

The original plan was to sequentially wipe out as many of the bastard's illegal operations as possible while Count Bosha was attending the trial.

I'd planned it to delay any response the bastard might make, by using the fact that while the trial was in session, no one from outside could enter and no one attending could leave.

But thanks to Mongsun, there was no longer any reason to go through that hassle.

It turned out Mongsun wasn't the only one who reported every four days; the potbellied baron did the same.

"It's certain, as it was often mentioned during cordial conversations with the other conspirators. All of Count Bosha's subordinates submit their reports to him on the same day."

Conveniently, Mongsun had submitted her last report to Count Bosha yesterday, so if I just moved right, I could run full tilt and wreak absolute fucking havoc for the remaining four days without a worry of the bastard catching on.

"So I get to settle this long and fucking terrible connection that's been forming without me even knowing."

I smiled with irrepressible delight, and Asilie, already prepared, smiled the same smile at me and spoke.

"You look really happy, Eldi."

"Of course I am. Even without knowing what that bastard Bosha's face looks like, just imagining how devastated he'll be when he finds out later is thrilling."

"Hehehe. If Eldi's happy, I'm happy too."

And since he was plotting treason, he'd have some gathered subordinates, wouldn't he?

I'd felt the need to practice fighting enemy units anyway, so this was perfect.

I'd show him the sight of that manpower and resources replaced by corpses and ash.

◈

When I'd asked for the closest location first, I quickly realized why Zikmel had told me about the slave traders first.

"So all those tents I'd written off as a traveling circus troupe until now were goddamn slave traders?"

Having lived in the capital for over a year and a half and done a lot of adventurer work, I naturally prided myself on having a rough idea of what lay outside the outer wall surrounding it.

But I'd been wrong. No lie, I never imagined that things looking exactly like the circus tents I'd seen in movies could be scenes of human rights violations.

"No wonder the location felt so oddly ambiguous. It was a site selection they'd put some thought into."

A ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠location subtly close to the main road but still distant from the capital proper, while also far from where monsters frequently spawned—safe enough if they just set up an appropriate guard. And also just outside the range of the flags marking the capital's patrol routes.

They'd squatted in a place where patrols rarely came, customers could easily reach, and there was no worry of being bothered by monsters or thieves. Looking down at the scene from a suitable hill, I was truly flabbergasted, but Asilie beside me seemed to feel something a bit different.

"Hehe. It's been a really long time since an ambush like this. It brings back old memories."

"Old memories?"

"When I was in the forest, I clashed with elf hunters a lot."

I nearly asked how long ago that was, but once again, my patience, which deserves all praise, held the line.

"Are there any similarities in the encampment layout or anything?"

"Hmm. I don't see any. But that actually makes me optimistic. They didn't come here to acquire slaves; they came to sell them, right? And this isn't something they started a day or two ago. They've been doing it for quite a while, so the entire layout emphasizes appearance over efficiency."

Asilie explained that an elf hunter's camp was structured so the entire group could react instantly no matter when or where an ambush began. To eliminate blind spots, they made tents extremely low and placed torches and campfires at set intervals to secure visibility. In contrast, these bastards had done the exact opposite.

"I guess you'd say they were building an atmosphere? I heard this story from a merchant long ago, but even a person with zero intention of buying goods will have their purchasing desire rise if certain conditions are met."

To feed the transgressive thrill of brazenly doing something flagrantly illegal, they opened the market at night and created a dark, seedy atmosphere, while keeping the paths used by the so-called customers clean and lavishly decorated. Conversely, wherever their customers could not see, they deliberately reduced both the lighting and signs of human activity.

Of course, if an ambush ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠came from those dark areas, there was no way they'd mount a coordinated response.

"Ambushes are always the righteous path, after all."

"Well said. Unlike those knights who are all for show, Eldi is smart."

I bent down to meet Asilie as she rose onto her toes to pat my head like I'd done something praiseworthy, savoring my steadily mounting excitement.

That staging had probably been an effective money-maker until now, but how could I not be pleased, thinking that today it would instead strangle the bastards' own necks? Thinking that tonight, slaves would regain their freedom while the slave traders' ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠souls would be freed from the shackles of their bodies, I felt the muscles all over my body pumping up on their own.

"Just thinking about it makes me genuinely happy. Those so-called customers will go home today, paying in advance and believing their slaves will arrive tomorrow, won't they?"

"Probably. Won't they lie down in bed full of anticipation, not knowing the merchants are all dead and the slaves are free?"

Having imagined that far, we laughed together, haha hoho, sincerely delighting in the misfortune coming for the bastards.

Joy really does double when it's shared, as they say.