Chapter 36: Ojousama’s Decision (1/2)

The port town which acts as the entrance to the Demon Continent.

This town is where the slave house is located, the one where I was sold to after being tricked by fake adventurers about a year ago.

I was surveying the streets while wearing hooded cloak.

A group of two blonde-haired young men appeared out of one of the inns.

It’s not that they visited the inn because they wanted to stay, but in order to check on the inn’s guests.

The other party were probably subordinates of the vampire clan’s head.

The person they were looking for — is undoubtedly Chrisse Gate Vlad-ojousama.

Chrisse-ojousama and I arrived here by walking from the woods behind the castle at night.

I had judged that it’s better for ojousama’s safety that she did not stay in the Demon Continent, but to go to some other continent.

Half a day away by coach.

Taking neither rest nor sleep, but only short breaks in between, I arrived at the town after a day, carrying ojousama in my arms.

When we got hungry we took some snacks left over from Karen’s surprise party.

Along the way, ojousama showed little reaction, and only hung her head.

Strange how in just one day the situation could become as different as heaven and earth.

We didn’t go find an inn once we arrived in town, but instead headed for the [Rano Slave House] where Master once bought me.

As I feared, the enemy’s hands are already working at the inn; and I barely managed to slip ojousama into the slave house.

After confirming the situation outside, I headed back to the slave house.

I went to the back of the house, and made eye contact with the head of guards.

He was the man with a skinhead and a twisted horn growing out of his forehead — Obukhov.

The entrance to the basement at the back of the house was protected and barricaded by him and his men.

I exchanged greetings with them and went down the stairs to the basement.

The fifth day since we ran from the castle.

Ojousama and I were currently in hiding in the basement of Rano slave house.

We’re hiding at the room in the basement where I lived about a year ago.

I believe the Vampire house’s heads won’t consider that we would be hiding in the basement of a slave house instead of an inn.

I slept in the vacant large room, but I had ojousama use a private room.

It’s not like they were hiding us out of goodwill either.

It does come with meals, but they made us pay an exorbitant amount as lodging fees.

We managed to pay somehow with the precious metal objects gathered from ojousama’s room.

But so long as we’re able to pay we can rest at ease.

Because as long as we pay there would be no need for them to betray us.

If they were to sell us out to the Vampire house even after receiving payment from us, they would be instantly branded as untrustworthy by the upper class who has connections to ojousama—not to mention Master.

A merchant won’t do something that would damage their credibility.

Without credibility one cannot do business—the words I heard a long time ago came back into mind.

I took the stairs from the basement to the top floor.

I headed for the reception room.

Inside the room there was “a leather sofa, a table made of insect shell, and a thick desk.”

There were no windows, but there were potted plants put in its stead and there was a scenic painting to dampen the stifling atmosphere.

There were also elegant furniture arranged in a well calculated manner.

There was a two-legged frog inside the room.

He was the owner of this Rano Slave House, Rano Merumeru.

He welcomed me with a friendly attitude completely unbefitting his appearance.

“Hiya Lute, how’s the town?”

“Guards are posted at the harbor and the inns and the town gates as usual. Nowadays they seem certain that we’re in this town so they’re running a thorough search. I wonder if they heard word about someone seeing me or something….”

When I looked at him he shrugged his shoulders.

“There’s only a few places where kids can go by walking from the Vlad house. Even I would expect you to head to another continent through this town. If you went to another harbor town they would have caught up with you after all. There’s just no way any of us would leak news about your presence”

“……I know, right.”

I tried baiting him, just in case.

I expected as much.

Which is why I hid in their blind spot and laid low in the basement of a slave house.

“Then, about the matter of smuggling us abroad, were you able to find a ship?”

“Of course, but there will naturally be a cost. You wanted to go to the Fairy-Human Continent, so for two people it will be about this much.”

“You must be kidding, right! No matter how much I work, I can’t pay that kind of money for two people!”

The amount of money Rano cited was outrageous

You could build a small house with that kind of money

He stroked his frog head.

“Every continent is fussy about illegal immigrants nowadays. Besides, even if you say we’re helping the Vlad house, we’re still clearly making enemies of the Vampire house. For that I think this amount of money is appropriate, no?”

Despite his friendly tone and attitude he’s totally taking advantage of us.