NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26 - Episode 26: Suddenly, a Job Came In.
Episode 26: Suddenly, a Job Came In.
(Return to Frim’s Perspective)
“Dugga! Sorry, but I need to borrow Frim!”
“I ain’t lending! What’s up, Bursa?”
While I was calculating silver and copper coins by weight, the noble arrived. He seemed to be in a hurry, as there was no knock on the door.
“Wanna drink?”
“Yeah.”
Is something urgent going on? I’m not sure what’s happening, but my heart is starting to race. Because it seems to involve me.
“It’s delicious! Another round!”
After drinking four cups in the end, the noble finally told me. According to him, someone who liked the work at his place, or rather, someone from the main family of the noble’s house, or even higher up, had ordered it. I had no right to refuse.
“So, it’s someone we can’t refuse?”
“Yeah… Originally, I couldn’t refuse, but there was also the possibility that my damn father would suddenly show up here. So, I rushed here after skipping work.”
That’s the worst-case scenario. Boss and Bursa are identical twins, and I’ve heard that Boss was abandoned by his father. They seem to get along well as siblings, but it’s still a terrible relationship, and it might even lead to a fight.
“Eh? Bursa, did you sell our Frim?”
Boss, enraged, confronted the noble. Just talking about his father is already a sore spot, so this situation is the worst.
“Damn it, you tell me to say it was done by the mage kept by the merchant family, this is how it goes… There’s no way I’d know that I’d be ordered by the main family, let alone from even higher up, right?!”
“You!! Bringing bad luck…”
“Oh?!”
With his strong arm, Boss punched the noble in the stomach. Ignoring the noble who fell to his knees, Boss came over to me.
“What should we do? Run away?”
“Huh, what?!”
“If you run, Dugga, you and this shop are in danger, you know!?”
“Since the contract’s already expired, we could just leave somewhere.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
The noble glanced briefly at us, but even if he said that… Should I suddenly flee, or should I go work for a noble who is more esteemed than the nobleman, causing even Boss to panic… Huh?
“Boss, Boss.”
“What is it, Frim?”
“What kind of work is it, anyway?”
“I don’t know, but, yeah. Once you’ve been asked, there’s no way to refuse, you know? Although you might be able to escape now.”
If I run away now, this gambling den might be in danger too. Since I might be hiding something with lies, there might even be a forced search. Not all nobles are as kind as Bursa. I’ve heard stories of nobles who lost in the arena suddenly killing people. Even Boss, who rose through violence, wouldn’t stand a chance against the knights, and Mr. Morga, the muscle-bound tough guy who might just say, “Oh, well, he’s dead now,” wouldn’t be a match for the authorities. If I stay here, I might be ordered to work, and depending on the job, I might be unreasonably executed. Even if I run away, if it’s known that I ran away after knowing, I might still be physically executed. As cute as Frim-chan might be, I’d rather not end up as a decoration on someone’s neck. Whichever option I choose, there’s a risk to my life. But…
“If I was called for a job after seeing the statue, wouldn’t doing a good job resolve everything?”
“Huh?”
“Because if Boss and the noble were happy that only I could do the cleaning, then the person who asked for the job must also be looking for someone like that… I believe that if Boss’ judgment was correct about me, it will also be understood by the noble who asked me to do the job.”
Even the pickiest customers won’t complain if you do the best job possible. Wasn’t that what my boss in my past life used to say? Unfortunately, if they’re here just to find fault, there’s nothing I can do about it, but I still understand the logic behind it. If someone is amazed by my magic and wants to entrust me with a job, then that is something of value that cannot be found elsewhere. If they’re here just to find fault, then running away won’t help, and the nobleman, the gambling den, and I will all be in danger. I know little about the world outside this gambling den, so traveling would be difficult for me. Running away might seem like the better option, but even so, if I can silence any complaints with the best job possible, it might be better than running away. With Frim-chan, who has a reputation for doing good work, I think this is probably the best decision.
“Got it. Take care, okay?”
“Yes! I’ll be careful and work hard!!”
“Being punched… me…”
“Bursa who brought this trouble in, work and then come back.”
“But wasn’t it Dugga who introduced Frim to the servant?! Well, whatever.”
Boss told Bursa to improve the laundry area with earth magic and to make water bottles, while I went around filling the water in the gambling den. I understood that cleaning was mandatory, but I didn’t know the duration or location. I’d prefer to do the job on a freelance basis, if possible. I also prepared the cleaning clothes that Talarine had made for me. Since high-pressure washing would splatter dirt, and I might end up dealing with mud that would splatter heavily someday, I had prepared something like protective clothing to cover myself. I didn’t have glasses, but I might use ozone or hydrogen peroxide. The toxicity was unknown, but it might be better to cover my mouth… just in case. I wasn’t sure if I had all the tools I needed, so I started gathering cleaning tools. If I was dealing with statues, brushes in the shape of pens would be useful, as well as those made of wire and fibers like scrub brushes. I told the weapons maintenance person underground and had them made immediately.
When asked if I should bring a knife for self-defense, if it was found during a body check, I might be treated as a terrorist, so I couldn’t bring it.
“You should take this with you.”
“What’s this?”
“A wooden bowl and spoon. If a low-ranking person doesn’t have it, they might not be able to provide a satisfactory meal.”
“Thank you!”
“Take care.”
“Yes!”
Logan had quietly made wooden tableware without me noticing. I felt that there was a subtle distance between us after that incident, but maybe he was concerned about me.
After preparing as much as possible, and returning to my room, I was taken further back by Boss Dugga. Very rarely, Boss Dugga would bring a large amount of gold coins to a room where no one else could enter. Even the guards who were drinking in the same room at that time and I were chased out of the room.
“This is my secret place. It’s special.”
Boss rolled up his sleeves. He inserted both hands into a hole that seemed to be a very black strange door.
“Hmmph!!!”
With a grinding sound, Boss moved the door, and there was a heavy sound like opening sesame, which seemed impossible for one person to move. It was a security measure that no one else could imitate, judging by the width of the simple but metallic door. Inside the room, there were not only bags filled with the usual coins, but also weapons and armor adorned with jewels and ornaments, as well as things I didn’t understand.
“Try wearing this.”
“Okay.”
As instructed, I tried on a dress in the shape of a one-piece. It was well-decorated and seemed expensive. Sewn onto the chest was a gem of some sort.
“Take this and this… and take the gold too.”
“I’m not sure if I can return it.”
“I don’t care. What’s here is for emergencies. It’s better to use them than not to use them.”
I wondered what kind of emergency would require children’s clothes, but if I looked around, even ordinary shoes didn’t fit Boss. They were probably for buying and selling art pieces. The skirt was a bit longer, and it felt overly dignified for a piano recital or something. But… was this necessary in this world? Among the clothes I received so far, this one was of the highest quality.
“There are all kinds of apprentice wizards, from fraudsters to wise men. If you underestimate them, you lose. When it’s time to do it, do it properly… It’s a delicate thing, but you’ll be fine.”
“Thank you!”
I felt like he muttered something ominous at the end, but even so, I received items that were clearly valuable at a glance. Underwear and shoes could be obtained from the ladies at the brothel. There were plenty of foundations and lipsticks lying around in the room… Do I need cosmetics to go and work as a cleaner?
“There’s nothing else for kids, but it suits you. As for the dagger and staff… There’s no staff here that I’ve been collecting, so don’t expect too much.”