Shopping Trip
"I'm going shopping."
"Shopping...? Ah. Shall I prepare a carriage for long-distance travel to the neighboring village?"
"We're just heading into town within the domain. What's with the long-distance nonsense?"
"...!"
Silvia's mouth fell open, her face draining of color. Ah, that expression. I recognized it now. It was the face she made whenever she feared Aslan was about to cause trouble.
"Don't tell me you're going to torment the townsfolk again..."
"..."
"Of course not."
She stared into my eyes for a moment before shaking her head, her complexion quickly returning to normal.
"You've changed, my lord... So what are you scheming this time?"
"I told you, it's just shopping. Come along. You're the only one who can carry the bags."
"Understood."
Surprisingly, she followed without complaint. Perhaps she'd started to trust me. After all my complaints about her short temper, it seemed she was making an effort to improve.
"Will you not be bringing guards? Dangerous situations could arise."
"With you as an escort, guards are unnecessary."
"I cannot stop an angry mob from descending upon us."
"That won't happen."
"...?"
I knew exactly what Silvia was worried about. It was a staple event in possession stories involving scoundrels, wasn't it? Going into town only to be met with the scornful gazes of the townsfolk. Here, it seemed to escalate further into a stoning-to-death event. But that wasn't going to happen. I'd already taken measures to prevent it.
Leaving the bewildered Silvia behind, I first called for Charlotte and Julia.
"Shopping!? Are we going to buy my sword? Is that it?"
"Yes. Go get dressed."
"I'm going too?"
"..."
"...yo?"
"Julia, you come as well. Speak up if you see anything you need."
I'd only just realized it, but the mansion wasn't the most suitable environment for children. The only clothes they had were the few outfits the maids had bought on the first day, which were far from their tastes. There were many shortages—writing supplies for Julia, exercise clothes for Charlotte, and so on.
The weather was overcast, with little sunlight, making it perfect for going out. We'd restock on necessities and find a suitable sword for Charlotte while we were at it.
"Sir, Sir!"
"...What now?"
"That magic you used last time! What was its name?"
"That? Kwaang."
"Pardon?"
"Kwaang. That's the name of the spell."
"Really!?"
"Don't fall for it, Charlotte. There's no magic with a name like that. I've memorized every spell registered in the magic compendium."
"It is real. I made it up myself."
"Eh...?"
"I've got others too, like Boong, Boong-kwang, and Buuuu-kwaang."
"Sir, you're amazing!!!"
Charlotte clung to Silvia, bombarding her with questions. Ever since their duel that day, she'd grown quite attached to her. Julia watched them with a dumbfounded expression, and I felt much the same.
The carriage feels full.
When I used to travel alone to the Magic Academy, the carriage had seemed spacious enough to stretch my legs. But now, with these small children aboard, it already felt cramped. Their lively energy made it feel even warmer inside. It was stifling.
At least I won't be lonely anymore.
Things might get exhausting from the noise, but I doubted I'd ever feel lonely again. That, at least, was a relief.
"We've arrived. Get out."
"Huh? Usually when the carriage reaches this point, people gather to jeer at us."
Silvia stepped out first, looking puzzled, and offered me her hand. She seemed quite surprised. Unlike usual, there was no commotion despite Aslan Belmont appearing in town. Of course, I could still feel the occasional glare directed my way, but that was all. No one approached or tried to speak to me.
"What sorcery did you use? The townsfolk have become as docile as lambs."
"Does that look like the gaze of a lamb to you?"
"If all they're doing is glaring, that's already generous. Last time, eggs were thrown. And because of that, we had to hunt down the culprits, which caused quite the uproar..."
Silvia trailed off with a bitter expression. Aslan really had been a piece of trash beyond imagination. If merely glaring at the townsfolk instead of slaughtering them counted as being a lamb, then yes, they were positively angelic.
"It's nothing special. I simply slashed the taxes. Leon and his cronies had been secretly imposing bizarre taxes and pocketing the money. I abolished them all."
"Ah..."
There really had been all sorts of taxes—window taxes, hat taxes, stove taxes... The people's resentment had been so fierce it bordered on murderous. All the revenue from those taxes had gone straight into Leon and his parasites' pockets.
Still, it was fortunate I seized their accounts.
And now, all the money they'd hoarded had returned to my hands. Over ten billion in total. They'd saved it without spending a single coin. Quite diligent, in their own way.
"And the confiscated funds will be returned through welfare measures."
"Welfare... you say?"
"Yes. To stabilize the domain, we must first improve the townsfolk's quality of life..."
The moment Silvia looked confused, a chill ran down the back of my neck, sending shivers through me.
Ah.
Evil God 'Kali' is glaring at you.
This damned thing. I'd almost forgotten again. I should have at least kept up the villain act...!
"We need to create an environment where the townsfolk can work comfortably. That way, the population will grow, and tax revenue will increase as well. It's an investment to squeeze out even more later. Kuhuhuhuk."
"It's difficult for me to understand with my limited perspective... but in any case, won't this make the townsfolk happier?"
"Fool. That's a misconception. While I sit back and earn money without lifting a finger, how could those who labor for their wages possibly be happy? In the end, the townsfolk will spend their entire lives working, firmly believing they've lived happy lives as they grow old and die. Kekek."
"Ah...!"
Silvia recoiled as if she'd glimpsed a fragment of some sinister grand plan.
If only Kali were as foolish as Silvia...
Evil God 'Kali' is greatly pleased.
Ah. Confirmed. Kali's intelligence was on par with Silvia's or lower. As long as I maintained the right atmosphere and spouted a bit of nonsense, her sulking seemed to dissipate. That was a relief.
"Wow! The market is huge!"
"The buildings are so tall..."
Charlotte and Julia kept exclaiming in wonder as we passed through town. The Belmont County was a fairly large city. It must have been their first time in such a big place. A smile threatened to form on my face before I forced it back.
"Silvia. These are my precious assets. Make sure nothing happens to them."
"As you command."
In a big city like this, the shadows ran deep. Once it grew dark, kidnappings and robberies became frequent. We'd have to be careful. Of course, if it came down to it, Silvia would abandon me without hesitation to save Charlotte and Julia, so I could rest easy on that front.
We decided to buy clothes first. The outfits the maids had purchased were all the sort a noble young lady would wear... The children had been complaining about how uncomfortable they were, constantly hiking up their skirts or rolling up their sleeves. So we let them pick out comfortable clothes they could try on themselves.
"I'll take these overalls!"
"I'll go with this shirt and skirt."
Their tastes were certainly different. Charlotte chose clothes that were easy to move in, while Julia preferred outfits that looked stylish even if they were a bit tight. The difference between a child who played outside and one who stayed buried in books, perhaps.
I wanted to make Charlotte study more and get Julia to exercise, but forcing them to do things they disliked would only breed unnecessary resistance.
They're at that age where they're full of contrarian impulses.
Even I had rejected everything my parents and teachers said without question at that age. Forcing things rarely yielded good results. For now, it seemed best to settle for assigned reading and morning runs.
As I was pondering which store to visit next, Charlotte tugged insistently at my sleeve.
"Mister, Mister!"
"...?"
"Keep a lookout for a sec!"
"A lookout?"
It happened in the blink of an eye. Charlotte crouched low and darted beneath the stall. Julia followed right behind, swiftly turning her head as she kept watch with practiced ease. Then, with a quick swish, Charlotte snatched two loaves of bread with one hand each and tucked them into her clothes. It was clearly not her first time doing this.
Charlotte returned to me with a proud smile and offered the bread.
These kids...
"Here! Eat up!"
"..."
"Huh?"
Charlotte hesitated, sensing something was wrong as she studied my expression. Julia's triumphant look had also frozen over.
Haa... A sigh escaped me.
Come to think of it, these children were from a struggling orphanage. With meals not properly provided, they'd had to fend for themselves. For kids with no money, the only way to fill their stomachs was through pickpocketing and theft.
I didn't consider that just because they're the protagonist's companions, they wouldn't necessarily be paragons of virtue from the start.
I needed to scold them firmly here. As I calmed my anger and opened my mouth to speak, both Charlotte and Julia were trembling in fear.
"You know what you did wrong, don't you?"
"I only gave you one loaf of bread...?"
"..."
Charlotte's eyes welled with tears as she held out both loaves to me. For a moment, I struggled to hold back my laughter.
Ah. What was I supposed to do with these innocent children?