Chapter 33 - Clothes and guild registrations

The next day, Rea and I brought the children to buy some proper clothes. To avoid drawing unnecessary attention, I gave each of them a bit of money, and told them to look for clothes on their own while Rea and I walked around nearby. I had also gotten a number of communication crystals so that we could stay in touch, and they could inform me of any issues that I needed to come and help them with.

With these measures in place, the shopping trip had gone relatively smoothly so far. However, as expected, ten children who looked somewhat like [Vallen] suddenly all walking around the shopping district drew many eyes. As most [Vallen] lived in an [Alternate Dimension], even in the capital of the Empire it was rare to see a [Vallen] at all, let alone twelve people who looked like [Vallen]. Furthermore, [Vallen] were a race that was 90% female. For six boys to be present...that created something of a commotion.

Ah...I wonder what kind of development will ensue here. Surely, something's gonna happen right?

True to my expectations, the growing commotion drew the attention of a nearby noblewoman, who whispered something to her escorts. Immediately, two of them peeled off and began approaching Vier, the [Berserker] of the squad. I looked at Rea and immediately activated {Subskill: Void Cloak} to get closer and listen in on the conversation.

"Oi, boya. Our ojou-sama requests that you become her subordinate."

"How about it, kid? It's an honour to work for a noble like her. You'll make a lot of money, and you'll get good food and living quarters, too."

"These two oji-sans, my apologies. I already have a Master."

"Ou, is that so? My apologies then."

"See you, boya."

Eh?? It was just that kind of development? How simply it was resolved... I heard Vier letting out a sigh of relief. Clearly, he too did not want it to turn into a spectacle. Perhaps this noblewoman was one who did not believe in the typical noble arrogance of simply snatching and taking whatever they wanted.

Hearing back from her escorts, the noblewoman made her way over. She stopped in front of Vier, then started speaking, "Greetings. My name is Virina dis Chalcen. My father is the Count of Chalcen. Will you not consider leaving your master and serving under me?"

"Ojou-sama, I thank you for your consideration. However, my loyalty to my Master is absolute. I will not leave."

"Ah, I see. Well, if that's how it is, then that's how it is. I'd love to meet this Master of yours who commands the absolutely loyalty of such a postured young man, though."

I released my concealment and stepped out, saying, "Greetings, Virina-sama. My name is Ava. As you can see, I am not just his Master, but his family."

"Oya, so the Master was nearby, huh? Umu, you are very interesting. I don't suppose you'd consider a visit to our mansion, so how about this? Ava-san, will you consider sharing a meal with me in a private lounge in one of the Empire's restaurants?"

"Ara, I don't see why not. Do you have a date and time in mind, Lady Virina?"

"Umu. How about this evening at the Fizameria Restaurant?"

"I shall see you there, Lady Virina."

With that, she took her leave with her escorts.

"Master, was that alright?"

"Nn. No problem. Please continue getting your clothes. It's reaching midday and we have to be at the guilds later for registration, alright?"

"Yes, Master!"

With that minor incident resolved, the rest of the shopping trip proceeded smoothly.

In the afternoon, I brought half of them to register at the Adventurer's Guild while the other half waited outside.

"Ano...Ava, Rea, just where did you find all of these people..."

"Cariya, some questions are better left unanswered, okay?"

"Ah, of course."

She issued the five of them their provisional guild card. I had them immediately take the ranking exam. Since the B-rank examiner was around, there was no better time. Within minutes, all five of them had passed. They then handed over some of the [Mana Cores] that they had gathered in the [Labyrinth]. With that, they had received their official guild cards. In the meantime, I had also updated Rea's rank with the guild.

I then led the rest of the group to the Mercenary Guild. Perhaps it was because the Mercenary Guild had more diverse commissions, but there were more women in the guild than the Adventurer's Guild. As we entering, sneering laughter broke out from a group seated near the entrance.

"This ain't a place for little brats, y'know?"

"That's right, that's right, now brats, you gonna get out or are we gonna make you?"

"Ah, before that, how about the jou-chans over there come and play with us a little, huh?"

Ah, the expected development. I ignored the rude men and headed over to the counter, saying, "I would like to register all of us as mercenaries."

The receptionist was a tall [Camilar] who looked at us appraisingly, then said quietly, "of course. I shall bring the ranking artifact."

Once the receptionist had gone, the disruptive men strode over, saying, "oi, you're not gonna ignore me, are you?"

One of them reached out a hand towards Rea and I, yet it never made contact. The reason for that was Marcta, the squad [Assassin]. She had sliced his arm off in a swift, precise motion.

"Scum like you shouldn't even dream of getting close to Master."

The room froze in silence. They had not expected that the little girl who looked to be about twelve could coldly and easily slice off a grown man's arm. More to the point, that man was a B+ ranked mercenary. It should not have been so easy to take him unawares and one-sidedly deal damage to him.

Marcta looked at the other men scornfully and asked, "so? Are you gonna scram, or will we make you?"

"You little shits! We'll remember this!"

Spouting off the classic line of a defeated thug, they left the guild. Not long after, the receptionist returned with the ranking artifact. We all received our provisional guild cards. Unlike the Adventurer's Guild, the requirement for upgrading a provisional guild card to an official one was by completing a commission of the rank listed on the provisional card. I turned in A-rank [Mana Cores] for Rea and I, and the rest of the children handed over B-rank [Mana Cores]. With that, the registrations were over.

Before sending the children back, I bought some cookware and ingredients, and told them, "these are for you. For tonight, use this and make yourselves some dinner. From tomorrow onwards, you'll have to find ways to make money and buy food for yourselves, understood?"

"""Thank you, Master!"""

Rea and I then left then in the rented building, and headed back to our inn to get some rest.

"Ava-sama, why did you accept that Virina's invitation?"

"Ara ara, is Rea getting jealous?"

"No! Well, maybe, but I still didn't understand."

"It's because I think she might either already be an ally of the rebellion, or could be one."

"Eh?"

"Didn't you notice? Rather than snatch Vier away forcefully or leverage her status and authority to attempt to force us to hand him over, she instead didn't seem to want to break us apart. She actually cares about the relationships between so-called 'common people'. I can't imagine her personally and actively participating in the slave trade."

"That's true, I guess..."

"Furthermore, it didn't seem as though she wanted Vier for his looks or race. She seemed to be more interested in strength. In other words, she needs protection. Something is threatening her, and I'm almost willing to bet that she's been working against the nation in some way that has drawn attention to her."

"Is Ava-sama planning to help her out?"

"Not at all. I'm planning to see what she has to say before making a decision. If she's a part of the rebellion, I'll extend a hand, but if she's not, I'll make her protection conditional on her assistance."

"Maa, Ava-sama's quite committed to the rebellion, huh?"

"After all, it's a step closer to the life I'm trying to live."

"Un, un! Rea will do her best, too!"

"Good girl."

I was thinking about whether to bring Rea as an attendant or not. Perhaps it'd be a show of good faith if I didn't bring her? Or perhaps it'd seem as though I was looking down on her instead. After all, while I could speak politely, I had zero knowledge of the nuances and mores of nobility. Well, it's not like they would persist for a long time after all, since the nation was about to be overthrown...

However, I wasn't intending to offend a noble of unknown faction. Perhaps, it would be better if I brought Vier instead of Rea? Ah, no, I knew exactly what I wanted to do here. Thinking about this, Rea and I reached our room and I began to pull out some of the gems I had found in the [Labyrinth].