In front of me was 2 individuals who were engaging in, what others would call as a silent war.
"Then, I assume that you, Ms. PissMcnugget will not temporarily let The Empire manage your business?"
My employer, who goes by the name Aria, silently sipped her tea with her eyes closed. She slowly placed it back down at the tea plate before furrowing her brows and glaring at the agent sent to the manor.
"I can handle our business like before, this matter is inconsequential to your purpose is it?"
The man visibly gulped and nodded, even from behind here I could see him wanting to choke my employer, too bad for him I'm currently employed.
"Then, excuse me for the private question before. My true purpose here is— about him"
He looked towards me, eyes narrowed, as if he thinks I'll budge because some dude gave me the stink eye.
"My bodyguard? Wasn't my report enough?"
The man slid over a little bit to his right just so he could face me instead and get my employer out of his sight. I swear this guy reminds me of someone...
"According to Ms. PissMcnugget's report, you managed to protect her against 5 members of those filthy assassins Night Raid? I don't doubt this report considering the state of this manor but who exactly are you?"
He leaned forward, and frowned showcasing his spectacular beard, he supported his elbows with his knees and clasped his hands together while raising an eyebrow at me.
"I didn't just protect her, I made those rainbow killers run with their tails behind their arse. The name's Setanta, nice to meet you too"
I smirked at him while keeping my body lax, I've been to several cases of this particular interrogation and the key to it is to be lax.
"They... ran from you?"
"They ran like mice"
And then he finally looked at my spear, I thought the world was about to end when he managed to not look at my spear.
"And this...Teigu, I assume that you stole this from someone so if you wou-"
I stopped him from speaking any longer by drawing a Isa rune at the air and shooting it to his lips, I can see wonder why his lips can't open anymore while Aria had an inquisitive yet proud look at my sudden action.
"Don't worry bud, you'll get to speak sometime soon"
After a few minutes, he eventually got back his power to speak and the first thing he does was grumble as we showed him the exit. It seems the reason between the animosity between my employer and the agent was because they're both from rival families, particularly the PissMcnugget and PukeMchotdog.
No, I didn't laugh.
*
If there's something I'm truly interested to know about, it would be why rich women likes shopping a lot for no important reason.
"Hm~ Setanta! Hold this for me as well"
"Isn't this technically the same as the one you just bought before?"
My employer glanced at me and snorted while placing her hands to her hips.
"When did sapphire blue become the same as sky blue?"
"Should I answer that as your bodyguard or as Setanta?"
She didn't answer back and just continued surfing the shops in the city until lunch. The girl was relentless with her money and the only reason I didn't break my back was because I started using runes to...well, cheat.
After stuffing the new items back to the manor, my employer, as ruthless as ever gave me a map with different parts circled.
"What's this?"
"I've been thinking for a while now, but since you're quite loyal anyways, I guess letting you do this is fine..."
"You're a loan shark?"
"No! What are you talking about?!"
I scratched the back of my head and leaned the spear to my shoulder while I took a closer look at the map.
On further inspection, I have no idea what the thing is for.
"Ugh...before we couldn't really afford any better guards because most of them were busy doing... OUR modus operandi"
Great. The girl's wet behind the ears in the cunning department.
"Hoh? So, tell me what this strategy entails?"
"Those circled bits in the map are other small to medium businesses that works in the line or a little different than us. We usually sent people to trash about in their locations until they decide to confide to the PissMcnugget family making them owe us plus some added benefits, you know just some bit more tax"
She smiled innocently while making the money sign with her hands. If I take something from this, it's that she wants me to be the dog that sorts the sheep, I remember those type of things being seen as a sport, there was even that one time where a pig was used instead of a dog.
"Fine. I'll be your dog. Just tell me what do I get from this?"
"Isn't being super close to a cute lady of a noble house like me enough?"
The image of Medb somehow managed to superimpose with hers before I shook my head and sighed. I swear, my luck isn't going to make this an easy job.
*
I made my way to the farthest circle, which was a little bit deeper into the slums nearly passing the surface, it was a slave shop...
"Tch. Out of all things to be my first job well done, it would be a disgusting place like this?"
I had no qualms about slaves, not as much as I should in modern standards particularly because it wasn't anything uncommon back in my days. But, see, slaves back in Erin weren't treated like shit, they weren't treated normally but at the very least they don't feed the slaves literal shit coming from their own asses.
A tiny old man with warts on his face came out when he saw me waiting just outside his door. He probably thinks I was hesitant or something.
"So, my dear new customer"
He rubbed both his palms together like a fly.
"Do you perhaps have any liking to our quality slaves?"
I glared at him and if I wasn't asked to ONLY threaten them and trash about the business, I would've cut this man's head off.
"You call this quality? Shit eating slaves?"
"N-No, no, this are just...the naughty ones from the bunch, our actual products are inside, come, come"
My nose twitched at the smell of sperm. Now this is something I'm neutral with, neither was I planning on acting like a hero either way so I only let him lead me deeper inside the slave house.
"Now, customer, you look pretty rich with that...spear and armor so I assume you're not about to hold on too tightly on your money if you're looking for a good slave right?"
I looked around the new room I was in, they were all females mostly, some had the obvious bearings of royalty and nobles... perhaps a failed rebellion? I don't remember hearing rumors noting anything about rebellions.
But, I guess this is enough proof. After all my job was to create a ruckus continuously until they decide to confide on the higher level business of the PissMcnugget family, right?
Collateral damage that somehow freed the slaves are part of it, right?
I smirked twirled my spear, hitting the old man with the blunt tip to the back of his head. The guards near the perimeter saw this and all panicked as they drew their swords and prepared to attacks me.
A man with a falchion charged at me and made a standard vertical slash, so I blocked it with the spear head and slashed at his neck. The 2 others tried to attack me in groups, I drew a rune in the air, specially the burning rune and shot it off to the farthest one before I used my maximum speed and stabbed the closer of the 2 in the throat and kicking him to the burning dude.
The slaves around me all had expectant looks so I made their expectations reality.
"Oh~ my hands slipped and I accidentally broke the locks of that cell! Ah~ another one!"
Each and every slaves used the chance to get out and kick the old man a bit before moving on outside.
"AH! NO! LET ME GO!"
"There's still guards here?!"
What? It's not my fault that those guards at the first entrance were still alive. I used an ice rune at the burning man so nothing else unsavory can happen afterwards...
"Why are you pretending to be kind?"
A female voice from a cell at the end of the hall asked me, I grinned and walked towards the voice with my spear on my shoulders.
"Oiya? I didn't expect a cute little lady to be so calm in this situation?"
A little girl or well, what she forms herself as, was staring at me with an apathetic look. In most cases, I would've probably ignore her and continue on with the next circle but I had some spare time.
"Why are you pretending to be kind? You knew there were guards at the entrance yet you didn't take care of them or warn the slaves, you gave them false hope..."
"Heh. Think of it as a test. If they're dumb enough to not be able to get past 2 unarmed guards with their numbers then they deserve to be slaves, a true desperate slave who truly yearns to be free would find a way to get past the obstacle and welcome the evening breeze"
The girl stood up and walked up to me, I can feel her intent to kill...hehehe.
"Is that so?"
I purposely lowered my guard and watched her get closer to me by every step, despite the abnormally normal situation from a layman's point of view, the silence between us was a fight to the death, seriously THIS is a true assassin. If my nose wasn't as sensitive that any intent would have a distinct smell then-
"Then you're a scum just like the others"
3 needles were thrown directly to piercing my eyes and forehead. They were 2 inches long and thicker than normal but my reflexes weren't exactly slow so I managed to lean back and jump away in time to see the little girl puff up in smoke before a girl with auburn colored hair replace her and try to kick me in the chest.
I refuse to use Gae Bolg against an opponent with naturally lower physical capabilities than me or a woman for that matter, I'm not Achilles for fucks sake.
"Why don't you use that spear huh? Don't tell me it's just a big chew toy?"
I dodged a barrage of needles and a flurry of kicks and chops, after a slight paused in her chain, I dashed to her and did a sweep kick causing her to jump but I implanted my spear to the ground and used it as leverage to lift myself up and launch a follow up kick to the airborne girl.
It connected and she could only block it as I sent her flying to the other end of the hall.
"Don't talk too much during fights, especially not when you're weaker than the enemy"
*
"Achoo!"
"Archer, how exactly does a servant get sick?"
"I think a dog somewhere is talking about me..."
*
The auburn haired girl, spat a mouthful of blood before smirking at me.
"If it wasn't effective then tell me why you fell for it?"
Hah. She got me. A needle was protruding from just behind my neck, how did she even accurately get that on me?
"That's a killing acupoint, do you feel yourself getting limp yet? Don't act all so mighty, you're human just like us, scumbag nobles"
Oh dear. This woman's tone reminded me so much of my teacher's provocation that I feel slightly nostalgic, no. It wasn't the acupoint.
She walked towards the slave owner in swift strides before taking 3 more needles from out of nowhere and finished the old man. Aww men, how am I supposed to explain that?!
"Now, your turn blue boy"
She took 2 needles and laxly went to me, as if she was 100% sure that I wouldn't even think of attacking her.
Well, she's wrong.
"Wha-"
I sent her a good punch in the face, a delicious crunch from what I assume would be her jaw dislocating.
"You're still wet behind the ears, I've been exposed to so much assassins back in my days that I picked up several cool stuff from them, for example, habitually writing a rune to any weak spots that tiny weapons can take advantage of"
I saw her widen her eyes in shock when I pulled the needle out of my back neck and stretch my neck, I held my spear and pointed it at her chest, as perverted as that sounds, before grinning a victorious one.
"I'll let you know this fight would've finished in 4 seconds if I used my spear, I just can't hurt females and unfairly fight honorable opponents"
She closed her eyes and was in the realm of accepting death, the image of Scathach superimposing on hers made me cringe a little so I shook it off and sighed.
"Consider yourself dead by my hands, the next time you try to pull a hit on me"
I turned around and left her to either die by being caught or escape luckily while I waved my hands at her.
On my way out, I saw 4 guards roughly detaining several most of the slaves that failed to escape and when they saw me they all glared at me.
So I killed them.
"T-Thank you! Truly thank you!"
"Uwaaaa, I'm free! I'm free! Mom! Dad!"
"Savior! Savior! Thank you so much!"
What? It's just a coincidence that those 4 are the only remaining guards in here, it's not my fault they glared at me~ freeing those people were just unwanted collaterals.
Now then, on to the next circle?