Published: August 15, 2025
“What do you mean by that?”
The next morning, when Mr. Eudam joined us, he seemed unable to grasp the situation.
He voiced his doubts, looking back and forth between Mr. Jill, who had brought him here, and me.
Since he seemed eager for an explanation, I decided to give a brief one.
“First of all, regarding yesterday’s incident—not just our conversation but also the subsequent questioning—we have concluded that Mr. Eudam is probably ‘not our enemy’ and ‘does not have any intent to harm me.’”
“Strictly speaking, that is ‘provisional.’ We have contacted His Grace the Duke, who is currently in the Royal Capital, and are continuing to verify the situation. If it is Lord Reinhardt, he will, if possible, directly confirm your status with his majesty the king.”
Mr. Jill added the supplementary explanation.
“So, that’s the situation. It will take some time before a complete conclusion is reached. But don’t you think it would be harmful for both parties if we kept Mr. Eudam detained or locked up the whole time during that period?”
For the time being, Mr. Eudam would have to live without freedom.
I would lose a capable hire who could work and also expend effort on detention or house arrest.
“Indeed, that’s true. But I did end up investigating the manager’s information and, without permission, leaking it to others…”
“Yes, that’s the fact. That’s why instead of having you work at the laundry service or other new workplaces, you will work initially under my supervision as I defended you. Regarding safety towards me, as I mentioned earlier, it was judged to be no problem.”
Upon hearing the explanation, Mr. Eudam looked at Mr. Jill as if to ask, ‘Is that really true?’
“While it is true that we’re short on manpower, the main factor is Ryoma’s request.”
“Your identity is verified, you seem trustworthy to some extent, and letting go of a competent person like you would be a waste. Especially in the current situation.
If you want, I wouldn’t mind having the government official who was sent as your contact person to the Guild work alongside us, but everyone told me to stop that.”
“That’s only natural, isn’t it!?”
“I’m not doing anything wrong, so it’s fine with me. Actually, I’m proceeding with everything peacefully and legally.”
If there were no concerns about the law, it would have been quicker to crack down on the suspicious people even at the previous meeting — like Wanz and their entourage.
“Manager, you’re making a bad face.”
“Oh, sorry about that. Anyway, this is the decision, so please take care.”
After making one of the adults frown and the other look confused, we concluded the announcement.
So, let’s get to work right away.
“...I was released just like that and came outside, but what shall we do now?”
“There’s a meeting with the guild masters at the commercial guild this afternoon. Until then, we’ll take a walk and check around the relevant places. We’ll walk quite a bit, but are you okay physically?”
“My head’s confused, but I’m fine physically. I’ll protect you with my utmost sincerity. It seems better than worrying about various things.”
Good, he seems to have cleared his head.
However, I don’t like the idea of a stiff guard, so we chatted casually as we headed to the next destination.
“I’m counting on you. Mr. Jill told me you were really outstanding during your student days, right? That you belonged to the ‘knight course.’”
“Ah, you heard about that? I don’t really want to recall it... I rebelled because I didn’t want to inherit the family trade that had been handed down for generations, and that was before I aimed for martial arts. I was told to keep up decent grades so I could make a name for myself.”
“Even so, I’ve heard that it’s not a place you can enter without your own effort.”
According to Mr. Jill, the Royal Capital’s academy has a wide variety of specialized departments, and students can take classes according to their career paths or goals. These classes are open to anyone who can pay the tuition and meets the prerequisites or passes the exams.