Chapter 34: The Butterfly Effect
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34: The Butterfly Effect
The butterfly effect.
It’s a social phenomenon so famous that almost no one is unaware of it. To put it simply, the tiny flutter of a butterfly's wings can create a typhoon.
To summarize, it means a butterfly is fucking strong enough to cause a typhoon.
And that typhoon was now blowing my way.
“Why do you ask such a question?”
“I-I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a few days ago, I… I captured an elf.”
“Oh? Catching an elf is no easy feat. That’s quite impressive.”
“Yes, that’s right. I-It’s no ordinary feat. The greatest achievement of my life as a merchant leader.”
A little praise was all it took for Roperman to puff out his chest with pride. But he deflated just as quickly, like a punctured balloon.
“But a problem arose. Someone attacked and not only massacred the mercenaries but also kidnapped the elf!”
He was so incensed that he spoke clearly, his usual stutter gone.
I mean, I was the one who did it, but he needs to get his story straight. They were the ones who did the kidnapping. He has no right to be angry about that.
“So you’re wondering if your elf is this elf. And that I’m the mastermind behind the incident.”
“C-Cough. N-Not exactly, but since you happened to have an elf slave, I was just wondering…”
What do you mean, ‘not exactly’? The words ‘You stole my elf’ were written all over his wide face.
At this point, it’s not just suspicion, it’s practically a conviction.
But there was no need to be a fool and play into the frame he’d created. My serious expression broke into a wide smile.
“So that’s what happened. But I believe you’re mistaken about something. This friend here is not a slave.”
“N-Not a slave? These little ones clearly said she was a slave!”
“Hmm, I’d rather not go into the details…”
At that, I saw his secretary flick a finger. The rough-looking men placed their hands on their weapons, glaring as if ready to draw their swords at any moment.
“It would be wise to speak the truth. We’re on edge because our losses from this have been considerable.”
“Huuuhm…”
I dragged out a long hum, feigning deep thought. I stalled for as long as I could, and just when it seemed a blade might actually come flying, I feigned reluctance and began to speak.
“Hah, since you insist, I have no choice. That friend is not a slave. To be precise, she’s a slave hunter.”
“A slave hunter?”
“Her job is to catch slaves who run away. Elves are excellent trackers, you see.”
Alfia shot me a look that said, What the hell are you talking about? It’s all for you, so just play along.
“B-But these kids said she was an elf slave…”
“If I told the slaves the truth, they wouldn’t try to escape. Would they try to run with a slave hunter around?”
“I-Isn’t it a good thing if they don’t run away?”
“But where’s the fun in that? There’s nothing more amusing than catching slaves who believe they’ve successfully escaped.”
“Heoh…” Roperman gasped. His gaze toward me was now mixed with something akin to admiration.
Meanwhile, the children who learned this fake truth were in deep shock.
“S-So that’s what it was? Is that why he let her walk around freely?”
“They say you raise chickens to eat them, and you raise pigs to eat them. Th-Then we… Hic!”
No, fuck, my affinity!
After all I’ve done for them, they doubt me over a single sentence. No, should I interpret this as them believing my words too easily?
Anyway, I wish they would doubt me right now. It’s so much trouble to win back a heart once it’s turned.
This is all your fault.
“Hah, and I’d kept it hidden so well. Now I can’t enjoy my fun. You’ll have to take responsibility for this, Leader.”
“R-Responsibility?”
“Isn’t that right? I clearly didn’t want to say anything, but you pressured me into it. Now these slaves won’t try to escape, so I’ll have to get new ones. You’ll have to cover the cost of acquiring and raising them.”
Give me the money, you bastard.
I have to restore the kids' affinity.
“Wh-What kind of daylight robbery is this…”
“Leader. A moment.”
The secretary whispered into Roperman’s ear. They were surely planning something strange. But they weren’t the only ones.
Tik, tik.
The sound of something tapping. The old man was tapping his glass, sending a signal. His low, tense aura made him look like a hunting dog ready to tear them apart at a single command.
But I carefully moved my chin to send a negative signal. As much as I wanted to get rid of Roperman and take care of Alfia, I couldn’t.
Roperman was the organizer of the upcoming ‘Slave Festival.’ I needed to get the prize from there to solve Alfia’s spirit problem.
“Hmph…”
The old man crossed his arms in displeasure and leaned his back against the barrier. I understood how he felt, but I hoped he would hold back just a little longer.
Just then, their secret meeting seemed to have ended, and the secretary moved away from Roperman.
“The Leader has decided to compensate you for today’s trouble.”
Oh?
I thought I’d be thankful if they just left quietly, but they’re actually going to compensate me? As expected of the head of a merchant group, he’s quite generous.
“We would like to invite you, Reaper, as a guest of the Desert Rose Merchant Group. We also apologize for the misunderstanding regarding the elf beside you. We do hope you will come together.”
*
After Roperman and his cronies had left, I sent away the children who had been looking at me like puppies seeing a dog catcher. Alfia, the old man, and I remained in the tavern.
“If it were up to me, I’d have chopped them all up and fed them to the pigs. That bastard of a leader alone would be enough to feed a few pigs.”
The old man, whose business for the day was ruined, spat out bloodthirsty curses as he cleaned up the messy shop. It was understandable that he was frustrated. With his skills, he could have instantly butchered most of them on the spot.
Nevertheless, I was just grateful that he hadn’t acted rashly and had followed my lead.
“Why on earth did you stop me? It’s always better to remove an irritating splinter early.”
“Still, we got a reward out of it, didn’t we? If the leader himself is inviting us, he might be planning to give us a tremendous gift. Haha.”
“You don’t actually believe that, do you? It’s obviously…”
“A trap.”
It was so transparent I could see right through their intentions. Just the fact that they asked me to come with Alfia made it obvious.
They came today just to confirm things, so they didn’t have the forces to kidnap the elf. This was their way of telling me to walk into their trap after they’ve made full preparations.
To say something like that so openly. It was absurd.
“You’re not going, are you?”
“I am.”
“What? Are you a moth drawn to a flame? Why would you go when you know it’s a trap?”
“It’s a chance to fleece an entire merchant group. Of course I’m going. Besides, do you think they’ll just say, ‘Oh, what a shame,’ and give up if we refuse? They’ve bared their fangs, so they’ll come to bite.”
It was better to go to them than to fight here while protecting the kids.
Plus, I could claim, ‘I came as an invited guest, and you dare attack me? Hand over everything you have!’ And while I’m at it, I can pick up the item Alfia needs.
There are risks, of course.
I didn’t know their full strength.
And I didn’t know if I could achieve Complete Liberation by taking the prize by force instead of winning it at the festival.
But there was no point in worrying about that. I’d already caused trouble. I couldn’t force myself to follow the path of the original story now that I’d twisted it.
The old man nodded as if agreeing with my intentions.
“Alright. Then let’s raid them. When should we go? Right now?”
“No. Just me and Miss Alfia.”
“What? Why?”
“Because they invited the two of us.”
No matter how the story changed, the fact that Alfia was at the core of it remained the same. She was the protagonist of this story. I couldn’t let someone else steal her spotlight.
“But Miss Alfia is…”
“We still have time, so we have to help her grow as much as possible. You can do it, right?”
“……”
No answer. Alfia was spacing out.
“Miss Alfia?”
“H-Huh?”
“What are you thinking so hard about? Are you thinking about me?”
“Yeah…”
She did that earlier, too. What was with her? I’m a delicate man; I’m weak to sudden advances.
Well, it wasn’t a bad thing. If she liked me, I welcomed it. If her affinity went up, that was good for me.
For a moment, my eyes met Alfia’s. Her eyes, which had been blinking a few times, widened. She’d realized what she just said.
“Th-That’s not what I meant! It’s just, something that merchant leader person said earlier has been bothering me…”
“What was it?”
“That he captured an elf. He was talking about me, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Wasn’t that your doing?”
So that’s what she thought all this time. Well, I never really explained it, so it was an understandable misunderstanding.
“Why would I do something so atrocious? I’m a slave trader, not a kidnapper.”
“Then the attack…”
“Karami and I did that,” the old man interjected. “It was Karami who said we should go rescue you.”
Upon learning this new fact, Alfia’s eyes widened in surprise. They grew as large as saucers before quickly shrinking back to normal.
“I see…”
A very faint smile.
Then, a flicker of confusion, and a few blinks.
“But why did I become a slave?”
“Why? Because I made you a slave, of course.”
“But you said you came to rescue me?”
“Our interests aligned. Part rescue, part enslavement.”
“But I was unconscious? Completely defenseless? A weak little girl?”
“Haha, thanks to that, I was able to put the shackles on you easily. It’s not so simple when they resist. But honestly, ‘little girl’ is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”
“……”
“Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now. Before we go to the Desert Rose Merchant Group, it’s practice, practice, and more practice. Got it?”
Alfia, who had been staring at me with a sullen look, muttered, “Really? Fine,” and nodded.
“Master, do you have an apple?” Alfia asked, turning to Victor.
Alfia may have lived for much longer than Victor, but given her appearance, calling him ‘Hey’ would cause some cognitive dissonance.
Even I thought it was a bit off, so we decided she would call him ‘Master’ and they would speak informally to each other.
“I have apples, but what for?”
“For training tomorrow.”
She just came back from archery practice, and she’s already thinking about training tomorrow. Was this the same Alfia who used to whine about hating the bow? This master’s heart swelled with pride.
“That’s a great attitude, Miss Alfia. Let’s work hard again tomorrow. I’ll be right beside you, cheering you on.”
“I don’t need you to cheer. There’s a role you have to play.”
“I refuse.”
…Huh? What was that just now?
The answer came out before I even thought about it.
My danger-sense was blaring like a siren.
“What do you mean, ‘refuse’~? Isn’t it a master’s duty to trust his slave completely?”
*
And the next day.
An apple was placed on my head.
In front of me stood Alfia, aiming her bow.
“Ah, Miss Alfia? Isn’t this a bit premature?”
“Hey, hey, don’t move. You’ll get hurt if you move.”
“The bow… the bow is shaking.”
“Ssshp, guess I’m still a little drunk. Don’t worry. This much is fine. Just trust your big sis.”