Tasan of the Ring 0
My name’s Gauro.
My job’s a guard. As for my age, well, I’m an old guy.
Right now, I’m assigned as the gatekeeper for the city’s Dungeon.
I used to be a Seeker, but I quit after getting this scar on my face.
Even though the Dungeon’s closed, the gatekeeper’s job doesn’t change.
We stand guard in shifts, all day long.
Even closed, some folks try to get in, so patrols are essential.
Once a day, we also have to replace the barrier stone placed on the stairs leading down to the second floor.
There’s also refilling the oil for the lamps that light the Dungeon’s first floor.
And patrolling the Junkyard. Taking care of the Monsters that occasionally spawn near the entrance.
So even when it’s closed, there’s plenty to do.
It’s tough, but it has its rewards.
Especially, well, I don’t exactly hate kids.
The brats earning their keep in the Junkyard probably have it rough, but they’re working hard.
I wanna cheer ’em on. And lots of ’em wanna become Seekers.
I have mixed feelings about that. My scar aches.
I don’t have any lingering regrets about being a Seeker anymore.
The least I can do is pray the kids don’t end up like me.
Seekers can earn a lot, but more than that, it’s a dangerous job, the closest one to death.
If you earn well, your life becomes incomparably richer.
Your life changes. When everything turns upside down, you change too.
But ya know? Just earning money isn’t happiness. It’s not just about that.
I realized that. So I want the kids to realize it too.
That kinda thing isn’t something someone tells you.
It’s something you find out for yourself. So all I can do is pray for their safety.
Speaking of which, that kid named Wof is a strange one.
He’s particularly odd among the recent batch of kids.
Normally, kids who come to the Junkyard to earn money are poor and have bloodshot eyes.
I mean, the 300 Oro entrance fee is steep, and they’re scavenging to survive, so they get rough.
But Wof was different.
He only comes to the Junkyard about once every three days, but he greets us guards and chats with us.
He seems to be enjoying himself somehow. I’m sure he’s desperate too, in his own way.
But he’s not rough around the edges, and he has this strange composure. His clothes aren’t bad either.
When the Dungeon closed, he said he’d been hired by a Seeker for odd jobs.
It was good he wasn’t tricked by Koon Hunt, though Wof probably wouldn’t make a blunder like that anyway.
He said he was going Dungeon Exploration, and honestly, I was worried.
Hired Pups don’t usually get treated very well.
I didn’t see Wof for a while after that.
But then, he just popped back up.
And what’s more, he gave me a ring he said he found in the Dungeon.
Told me to sell it and use the money to feed the kids… Cheeky brat.
Well, I scolded him for show, but… food money, huh. Guess I’ll gratefully do just that.
Right after work, I went to Arifa’s place to get it appraised.
But get this. She said appraising this ring would take time.
I don’t know much about these things, so I just thought, “Oh, okay.”
If that’s the case, I can expect a good price, I thought happily.
I’ll be able to feed the kids at the Orphanage till they burst.
Maybe I can get permission from the higher-ups and do another soup kitchen too. Something to look forward to.
And so, a few days passed, and then I was summoned.
“Huh? Summoned to Count Borey’s villa? Me?”
I had no idea what was going on. They said a carriage would come for me.
The villa is in the central Noble District.
I rode the carriage to the villa. First time I’d ever set foot in the Noble District.
After getting out of the carriage, I was guided to the second floor of the villa.
I was told to wait in what looked like a guest room.
“…Did I… do something…?”
Suddenly, it felt real, and anxiety started building up.
I couldn’t think of anything. All I do is my gatekeeper job.
On my days off, I help at the Orphanage. Cleaning the city’s gutters and picking up trash.
Helping at the free food distribution place. Volunteer work, as they call it nowadays.
It’s about as hard as the gatekeeper job, but I really feel like I’m having fulfilling days off.
Did I mess something up there?
The only screw-up I can remember is mixing up the seasonings for the distributed food once.
Besides… this situation feels weird.
If I’d really done something wrong, normally I’d be arrested. Then thrown in jail.
You find out the charges during interrogation.
Suddenly summoned to a Count’s villa? And told to wait in a fancy room like this on the second floor?
Doesn’t feel like I messed up. Hmmm, I don’t get it.
Then, the door opened. Eh, a Maid? It’s a noble’s mansion. Of course they have servants.
A wolf-kin girl… in a Maid uniform. Looked about Wof’s age, maybe younger.
“Um, guest-sama. Thank you very much for waiting. They will see you now.”
“I-Is it Count Borey?”
“Um, no. It is not.”
“It’s not?”
“Yes. This way, please.”
Not Count Borey? Then who?
With a question mark floating over my head, I followed the quiet-looking Maid girl.
She didn’t react at all to my face. Just what you’d expect from someone serving nobility.
I was led to a corner room. The Maid girl knocked.
“Um, excuse me. Deputy Acting Lord Representative. I have brought the guest-sama. I shall show them in.”
“Ah, yes. Have they arrived? Please, come in.”
“Huh?”
The Maid opened the door.
Inside were two beautiful women.
One stood by the window with red curtains, an ebony desk between us.
A brown-skinned woman with long silver hair and pointed ears.
She wore a white suit without a single wrinkle and had a monocle over her green left eye.
Pointed ears. An Elf? Even among Elves, known for their beauty, she was as beautiful as ice.
Sitting on the sofa was someone with short, wild blonde hair highlighted with striking red streaks.
Black horns. Sharp blue eyes. But a beautiful woman with delicate features.
She had three piercings in each ear, right and left.
A red and black shirt and pants torn in places. Distressed style, maybe?
And she had a chain wrapped around her waist.
She sat with her legs crossed improperly, and worse, her feet were propped up on the table.
Her vibe was like a thug bodyguard. Two swords lay beside the sofa.
A longsword and a Saber. Double-edged and single-edged. An unusual combination.
Were they the wild beauty’s weapons?
Suddenly, the silver-haired beautiful Elf looked at me and spoke.
This Elf… she looks like someone. Who was it again?
“Um, well then, I shall take my leave.”
With a bow, the Maid girl quietly left the room. The door closed.
“Ah, yes. Please, make yourself comfortable on the sofa.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“That is not the case.”
“Just sit down already!”
The wild beauty slammed her heel on the table with a thump.
Instantly, the silver-haired beautiful Elf glared at her.
“Sesh. That is ill-mannered.”
“Tch, sit down, old man.”
“…Alright.”
I obediently sat on the sofa.
These two exquisite beauties. What in the world is going on?
“Ah, yes. First, shall we introduce ourselves? I am Dova=Tasan. This ill-mannered one here is my younger sister and bodyguard, Shesh=Tasan.”
“Keh… Yeah.”
“Tasan!? Marquis Tasan…!? I am Gauro. I work as a guard, a gatekeeper.”
Isn’t that family practically number three in this country? I gasped.
“Ah, yes. I, Dova, am visiting Hydrangea this time as the Deputy Acting Lord Representative for the Tasan Territory.”
“Marquis Tasan… what business could you possibly have with a mere commoner like me…?”
Seriously. What business could they have?
“It is the ring.”
“The ring…?”
“The Bronze Ring. Don’t you remember?”
“Ah, that one. What about it?”
“That ring is very important to those of the Marquis Tasan Family.”
“That thing… is it really? I see.”
That Arifa. So that’s why the appraisal was taking so long.
I don’t know how, but she must have contacted them. Not that it was the wrong move.
“Ah, yes. Therefore, Sesh. Please give that to this man.”
“Yeah, yeah. Here ya go.”
The wild beauty, Sesh, tossed a bag—this is pure white silk—onto the table.
It landed with a heavy sound. Hey, hey.
“Sesh. You. You truly are ill-mannered.”
“Keh, shut up. Hey. Old man. Take it.”
“This is…”
“It is payment for the ring.”
“…This much?”
Contrary to the feel of high-quality silk, it was heavy. Just how much is in here?
“Feel free to check the contents.”
“………… A-Amazing…”
No way. Gold coins… and there are Royal Coins too.
“Ah, yes. That ring holds that much value to the Marquis Tasan Family.”
“Keh, it’s an insane amount of money, ain’t it? Oi. Old man. You. What’re ya plannin’ to use this cash for?”
“Eh?”
Suddenly, with a nasty grin, the wild beauty Sesh asked.
Immediately, the beautiful Elf, Dova, spoke up.
“Please do not misunderstand, this money is already yours. Therefore, how you use it is up to you. Sesh only asked out of poor taste.”
“Tch, ‘poor taste’ was uncalled for. So, Scarface. What’re ya gonna use it for?”
“…With this much— I can renovate the Orphanage.”
“Huh? The Orphanage?”
“Ah, yes. You can. Easily.”
“Before that, I can feed the kids till they burst, and hold a huge soup kitchen too.”
I can put lots of meat in it. Gotta remember the vegetables too.
The kids. They’ll be overjoyed. I’m getting excited.
Then Sesh slammed her heel on the table again. Oi, oi.
“…You. You ain’t just blowin’ smoke, are ya?”
“Sesh. What do you think you’re doing, lying in front of nobility? There are penalties for perjury, you know.”
She glared fiercely at me and said something outrageous.
Besides, these two. They don’t act like nobles. What mafia are they from? Well, I guess they’re similar enough.
Are they suspicious of me? Can’t blame them. I look like bad news, after all.
Little kids cry the moment they see me. But still.
“I ain’t tellin’ no lies. Listen. I was an orphan. I’m managin’ to live decently now, but that was just pure luck.”
“Hah! With those scars on your face, you call that lucky?”
“Sesh!”
“Yeah, ’cause I’m still alive. But listen. There are kids who die young. Kids who turn to crime. Kids who end up with no way out. And it ain’t just one or two. I want to help even one of ’em… help the kids. The Orphanage gets government support, but it’s not enough. The City Sanitation crews are short-staffed too. The free cafeterias and soup kitchens can’t keep up either. You wouldn’t understand. Things might be better here than in other cities, but there are still people sleeping on the streets and dying. Even here in Hydrangea. I know you nobles have that ‘Noblesse something-or-other’ thing. The spirit behind it ain’t bad. But you lot… you don’t understand the reality.”
“―――You bastard. You’ve got some nerve, talking down to nobility like that.”
Sesh glared at me even more intensely.
Yeah, I knew this would happen. But so what?
Seriously, if you’re a noble, act like one. I feel like I’m talking to someone from the Slums.
Dova sighed.
“Sesh. That’s enough. You. What do you intend to do with him?”
“Tch, I ain’t gonna do anything. Hey. Old man. Your name.”
“I told you earlier, didn’t I?”
“Huh? I didn’t hear it.”
“…It’s Gauro.”
“Hmph. Gauro. You like kids?”
“Huh? What’s the point in asking that?”
“Huh? Shut up! There ain’t no point!”
She yelled at me. What the hell is her problem?
Dova gave a wry smile.
“Ah, yes. That’s right. There is just one thing I’d like to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Where did you find the ring?”
“Oh, that? I received it. Some meddlesome, strange kid gave it to me, told me to use it to help cover the kids’ food expenses.”
“A kid, you say?”
“Ah, yes. Please continue.”
“He said his name was Woff. Apparently, he worked as a Hired Pup during a Dungeon Exploration before. Said he found it then.”
“A Hired Pup kid…”
“Understood. That concludes our business here. Thank you for your trouble, Gauro-san. Is there anything you wish to ask us, Dova and the others?”
“Are you planning on doing anything to Woff?”
“Ah, yes. Please rest assured. We only intend to speak with him in detail, just like with you, and offer our gratitude. We are not planning on doing anything untoward.”
“That’s what she said.”
“…Alright. That’s all I wanted to ask.”
“Very well, Gauro-san. Thank you for your trouble. You may leave now. Please use the carriage on your way back as well.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
I bowed my head, took the money, and left the room.
The same wolf-girl Maid from before guided me on the way out.
Man, this turned into something crazy.
Shortly after the door closed and Gauro had departed, Dova glared at Sesh.
“Sesh. Why did you ask him things like that? Our preliminary investigation should have told us everything we needed to know about him. That’s why we offered that amount of money.”
“Huh? There wasn’t any reason. I asked because I wanted to ask. That’s all.”
“Sesh. You are Dova’s guard. Please refrain from such willful words and actions.”
“Keh, I know that already.”
“Ah, yes. Still, it’s quite unusual. For you to ask someone’s name.”
“Huh? Shut up. It’s fine, ain’t it? Me asking someone’s name shouldn’t be a big deal.”
“Is it because you like children? You like kids too, after all.”
“What are you talking about? Tch.”
Sesh shot Dova a glare and clicked her tongue.
Honestly, this delinquent-like younger sister of mine, Dova thought.