Azu's Selfishness

Azu's single blow knocked the man out cold.

He was embedded in the wall.

"It's fine. I held back."

She turned to Yohane with a bright smile.

"R-Right."

His voice cracked in spite of himself.

Azu tilted her head, puzzled.

The man's limbs were twitching and spasming. Was he really fine?

When Azu pulled her fist free, blood trickled down.

She flicked it off with a look of distaste, then wiped the rest on the man's clothes.

"Just like Finn said."

"I was a little freaked out, though."

The man's intimidating presence was something else. Even Yohane, who had experience with stubborn back-and-forth haggling with customers, had felt a little like turning tail and running.

Adventurers—especially those who hunted monsters—grew stronger with every kill.

The stronger the monster, the greater the effect. It was said that hunting only weak ones would lead to a ceiling.

The man and his subordinate had trained bodies and honed techniques, but they probably hadn't hunted many monsters.

Their business involved humans, not beasts.

There was no need.

The more you hunted, the stronger you became. But it demanded an enormous investment of time and effort.

Azu's pace—going out to hunt monsters every few days on Yohane's orders—was an extreme case.

Most adventurers either dropped out partway through or settled into maintaining whatever level of strength they'd reached.

That alone was enough to keep the work coming.

If Azu and the others weren't exclusively contracted to Yohane, their current strength would have every employer in the city fighting over them.

The name of their all-women party of exceptional looks had spread far and wide. Even more so since they produced results to match.

They were quickly becoming the face of the Adventurer's Guild in Kassad.

"Well, we can't exactly negotiate with him unconscious."

Yohane produced a cheap potion from his bag, uncorked it, and splashed it on the man's face.

Low-grade as it was, the potion's effects mended his wounds, and he regained consciousness.

"Ngh… mmph."

The man stood, straightened his broken nose, then spat out the clogged blood.

"Well, damn. I don't usually lose to run-of-the-mill adventurers."

He dropped into the chair with a heavy thud.

"You're pretty strong for your age. How about working for me as a bodyguard?"

"I'll pass."

"Shame."

Azu didn't hesitate for a second.

"Sheesh. I enjoy a good brawl, but getting dropped in one hit isn't really my thing. Oh well. Here."

Yohane accepted a slip of paper from the man.

A ticket to the Triwright Auction.

The auction was still some time away, but tickets were already circulating.

"You could sell that for a nice sum."

"I bet. Well, thanks for your time."

Yohane left the room with Azu.

He was exhausted.

Even with Azu at his side, coming to a place like this was taxing on the nerves.

"That went well."

"It did. Though just getting in isn't worth much on its own."

Without money, all he'd be doing was window-shopping.

There was an incredible amount of money to be made here, and wasting that opportunity would be foolish.

"Anyway, this ticket's staying in my pocket for now. It admits up to five people."

"Then—"

Azu's expression softened.

It was the face of someone full of expectation.

She didn't say it herself, though. Perhaps she knew her place as a slave.

But with a stare that intense, she might as well have said it out loud.

"Of course I'm taking you along. I hear they have everything except humanoid races. It'll be a good experience."

"Really? I'm so happy!"

It was a rule at auctions that humanoid species were not bought or sold.

Supposedly it was to differentiate from slave traders.

There were, conversely, auctions that dealt exclusively in slaves.

He was mildly curious, but managing Azu and the others was more than enough work already. Taking on more was out of the question.

Apparently even former noblewomen turned up on the block.

… He already had Alexia for that.

Two Alexias. The thought alone gave him a headache.

He was no longer confident he could keep them in line.

When they returned home, Elza and Alexia were waiting in full gear.

It seemed they'd been prepared to storm in at the first sign of trouble.

"Sorry for the worry."

"I can't say I approve of this sort of thing."

Elza's tone was different from usual.

She clearly wanted to tell him to stop sticking his nose into shady business.

Being a cleric, she might have been gearing up for a sermon.

"Well, I wasn't worried. Not with Azu there."

"She really came through."

Alexia said this and released her battle-axe, leaning it against the wall.

There was a trace of relief on her face, though.

"I really wanted to go this time, so I resorted to these methods, but doing things properly is better."

The man they'd met this time had simply been an eccentric from the underworld. Depending on the circumstances, it could have escalated into a conflict.

That would have disrupted shop operations, and Finn had gently warned him against it, too.

"Well? Have you learned your lesson?"

"I get it. I get it, so please spare me the sermon."

He held up his hands to stop Elza as she closed the distance.

"Anyway, starting tomorrow you're all back on earning runs. If something good comes up at the auction, we'll use that money to buy it."

"I suppose that's enough for today."

"Sigh. Well, earning is a slave's job, so it can't be helped. I'll look forward to the auction."

And so the evening wound down.

Only Azu stayed behind. She was going to take a bath to wash off the sweat and grime, and asked Yohane to wash her back.

"I was just… a little scared, you know?"

Her eyes glistened as she said it, and Yohane caved.

He followed Azu into the bathroom, still fully clothed.

Azu deftly shed her clothes and, without a hint of shyness, took Yohane's hand.