“Well then, it’s the day of the payment. Will you be able to settle the quota?”
Gametz arrived at the Three Sisters’ home, flanked by a group of burly men. Beside him stood Zangiri, staring vacantly into the distance.
“Yes.”
“Hmm, let me check… Let’s see. Oh dear? Ai, I’m afraid you’re short.”
“W-What?! Please check again! Including the interest, there should be exactly 5,000 G!”
“No, no, 5,000 G isn’t enough.”
“But Gametz, you yourself said the monthly quota was 5,000 G, didn’t you?”
Gametz let out an exaggerated sigh before glaring at the Three Sisters as if to say, “What are you going to do about it?”
“The amount you failed to pay by the deadline has created a debt with me. In other words, the difference has been added to your loan. And the interest is 5%. You understand the rest, don’t you?”
“But Gametz, you extended the deadline yourself… And there’s nothing in the contract about this. Why bring it up now?”
“Exactly! This is outrageous!”
Mai was furious, and the burly men shifted into a more aggressive stance in response. The faint smirks on their faces made Mai instinctively shiver, and she took a step back.
“You should know better than to say such things, shouldn’t you?”
“I refuse to accept this. If that’s the case, it should be written in the contract.”
“The quota and the interest were all clearly stated. Any misunderstanding and misinterpretation is on your end. Now, you will pay up. This month’s quota is 23,250 G.”
“That’s fraud!”
“That’s rich coming from you. Two years ago, if your parents had properly protected us, my dear subordinates wouldn’t have died. It’s quite disgraceful, considering you boast about your skills.”
“Ugh…”
The two fell silent. The debt to Gametz, and the fact that their parents had taken on the escort request to repay it, weighed heavily on them, leading to this moment.
“I’ve been lenient until now, but I can’t wait any longer. You three will pay with your bodies.”
“…Hey!”
Gametz gestured with his chin, and the men responded with enthusiasm, moving to restrain the three.
“Yikes…!”
Mi struggled against the strong men, but they overpowered her. Mai was similarly being dragged away.
“I’ll do anything! Just please, don’t lay a hand on my sisters! I beg you!”
“Anything…?”
Gametz looked at Ai, who was on her knees, with a lewd glint in his eyes.
“By the way, today is the day of the quota.”
“Did we manage to help at all?”
Not far from our room was the home of the Three Sisters. Ever since five days ago, we had made it a routine to visit their house every morning before heading to the Adventurer’s Guild.
Outside, I found Mai and Mi sobbing uncontrollably. I could guess what had happened at a glance.
“Mai-chan, Mi-chan! What happened?”
“My sister… my sister… she took our place…”
“What happened to Ai?!”
I quickly realized Ai was missing. Given the situation, it had to involve the Gametz Trading Company. I needed to find out what happened, and my anger boiled over.
“What do you mean… This is not what we agreed upon.”
Something inside me was bubbling up.
“I can’t take this anymore… What did we ever do…? Sister… Sister…”
Tears fell onto the cobblestones. The way they soaked into the stones felt like the helplessness of a sister being taken away from her siblings.
“This is too cruel! This is just too much…!”
Roel gritted her teeth, her grip on her staff so tight that it looked like blood might flow from her hands.
“I’ll do something about this. So you two, just stay calm.”
I took Mai’s hand and made a firm vow.
“Rua… please, save my sister…”
Mai’s long hair was disheveled, covering her tear-streaked face.
Repaying the borrowed money. Yes, there were never any rules to begin with. Gametz just wanted to corner these three. That must have been his plan from the start.
“Rua-chan, don’t act rashly…”
“Roel, stay here.”
“Wait! Please!”
“Stay here.”
Roel fell silent on the second request. I was surprised at how cold I sounded. Seigel must have felt this way too, and he had been defeated. How regretful he must have felt. That must have been Zangiri, not just some mustached man. That man was strong. But that didn’t matter.
“Hehehe… There’s no need to be so pessimistic, Ai. As long as you’re here, I can give you anything you desire.”
In Gametz’s combined office and bedroom, a carpet made of beast fur lay beneath a long desk cluttered with glass skulls and numerous pens. Next to it was a king-sized bed piled high with feathers. Ai sat in the center, her head bowed the entire time.
“Do you think you’ll be sold to a slave trader? No, no, who would waste such a precious thing?”
Gametz added with a snake-like gaze, “A cute girl like you.” Ai shuddered and instinctively recoiled.
“Please, not that…”
“You said you’d do anything, didn’t you? Or was that just a temporary lie? If so, I suppose I’ll have to instruct my subordinates to bring the other two here as well.”
“Stop it! Please, stop…”
“Then you will obey me.”
Gametz moved closer to Ai, placing a hand on her shoulder. She instinctively turned away.
“Be still. If you react like that again… you understand, don’t you?”
“Mom… Dad…”
“Your parents are long dead. I killed them myself.”
“…What?”
Gametz covered his mouth, as if realizing he had slipped up. However, he quickly regained his composure and continued speaking.
“What did you just say…?”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake! How could I let that slip… Well, your parents fought desperately to protect me. But then I thought, if my two subordinates died because of them, you and your parents would carry that cross for life. That way, I’d have lifelong slaves.”
“…That’s a lie.”
“No, it’s true. I sacrificed my two subordinates, throwing them right into the midst of monsters. But then, it became an accident. Your mother stood in front of the monsters targeting my subordinates. You can guess the rest. Your mother was mortally wounded, and your father, shocked by the sight, became prey as well. I certainly didn’t expect that to happen. As for me? Despite appearances, I’m trained. I simply hired guards because I didn’t want to fight myself. After all, my line of work attracts all sorts of dangerous people. Better safe than sorry, right? Are you listening?”
Ai was at a loss for words. The tears that had trickled down her cheeks had now doubled.
“Devil… So we were doomed from the start…”
“If you cute girls are destined to be lifelong slaves, then it’s a small price to pay. You’re lovely, but the younger two are cute as well. Especially the youngest, Mi-chan. There are many enthusiasts out there, you know. Hehehe!”
“You monster…!”
Ai was overwhelmed with anger, humiliation, and sorrow, unsure of what to do. The urge to kill was drowned out by the feeling of helplessness.
“You’re certainly high quality as well. The allure of a pre-adult is quite something. That rich chest of yours, I’d love to… Hehe!”
“H-Help me… Help me!”
The sound of a door being kicked down echoed through the room. However, by the time Gametz turned around, there was no door left. The splintered remains seemed to foreshadow the fate of the room’s owner.
Grabbing the man by the scruff of his neck, I looked at Gametz and Ai on the bed. The once boisterous thug was now groaning helplessly in my grasp.
“G-Gametz… run…”
Before he could finish, I tossed him into the hallway. With a pathetic “Gweh,” he seemed to faint. Gametz showed no sign of surprise, nodding as if he had come to some understanding.
“I believe we’ve met before. I remember seeing you five days ago when I visited Ai’s home. I see, so you possess such skill at your age.”
“Get away from Ai.”
“Hmm, you give off a somewhat rough impression, but it’s not bad in its own way…”
Gametz scrutinized me from head to toe with a judging gaze. It was unsettling, to say the least.
“Ai, come here.”
Ignoring Gametz, I pulled Ai’s hand. Even Gametz couldn’t hide his surprise at the fact that the person who had just been in front of the door was now beside me.
“Z-Zangiri!”
Zangiri, who had been standing in the corner, finally moved when called. However, he had been watching me the entire time. I felt his gaze on me the moment I entered the room.
I felt a nasty gaze that could be interpreted as curiosity.
“I have a suggestion. I want to fight that girl outside. I wouldn’t want my precious workplace to be destroyed again.”
“Do as you like. Now, Ai, come over here.”
Before Gametz could finish his sentence, I snapped his arm.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Let me ensure Ai’s safety.”
Ignoring Gametz’s scream, I laid down my demand. No, it wasn’t a demand; it was an order. I had no intention of yielding even a single step to such a villain.
“Z-Zangiri! What are you doing! Hurry up and kill this little girl!”
“That girl doesn’t seem inclined to go outside. If that’s the case, this will be the battlefield.”
“I don’t care anymore! Just kill her!”
“Blade of the Crescent Moon!”
At that moment, Zangiri unleashed a blade of vacuum. The spinning blade accurately targeted my vital points.
I realized immediately. This guy isn’t that strong.
If he were to fight in the Abyss Cave, he would probably be killed by that massive dog with four heads. Not to mention, he would struggle against even the low-tier Floor Monsters like the giant spider.
I dodged the attack just in case. It wouldn’t matter if I got hit, but if my clothes tore, it would cost me again. Zangiri couldn’t react at all as I closed the distance in an instant. I grabbed his head and slammed it into the floor. The hardwood floor shattered, and a torrent of blood gushed from Zangiri’s head.
“Gu…ah…”
I didn’t intend to kill him, but I wanted him to stay down for a while. He wasn’t the one I needed to deal with. I then walked leisurely toward the trembling Gametz.
Next time, this series will come to an end. After that, the stage will shift to Queemil.