Tilea's Worries

[TL notes: again long chapter... splitting....]

Ah, that damn Jeje. He's gone and done something unforgivable! Even if they are parasites on society, murder is not okay.

What should I do? 

Fortunately, Oru brought a large sum of money. The female bosses are in an extremely good mood.

Should I play dumb and hope to be released?

However, they know my address. The last place the killed underlings visited was my shop.

Right now they seem blinded by the large sum of money and have forgotten about it. But if their underlings don't return, the female boss will become suspicious. The underlings think they fought with my bouncers at my shop. They'll definitely come looking for revenge.

If that happens...

Of course, there's no danger since Edim and the vampire squad are guarding the shop. But my disgraceful behavior would be exposed to Timu and my comrades in the Evil God Army.

I don't want that.

Alright, I'll honestly explain what happened here. I'll pay some compensation and settle it out of court. I feel bad about burdening Oru, but I want to keep this secret just between us.

W-well, after all, they were the ones who tried to extort money and ended up getting killed instead. It's self-defense. And if this becomes public, it'll be trouble for them too. They're the ones committing crimes. They shouldn't be able to say much.

Yeah, yeah, thinking about it, this is the most realistic option. I'll add another 100,000 gold on top and settle it out of court.

To avoid any interference in the negotiations, I strictly ordered Oru to close his eyes, cover his ears, and not move an inch until I say it's okay.

Oru is obediently following my instructions.

This way, Oru won't interrupt and pick a fight during my negotiations with the female boss.

I've eliminated any concerns from behind.

I pat my cheeks to psyche myself up, then head towards the female boss who's rattling the bundles of platinum coins in excitement.

"Um, excuse me..."

"What is it?"

"W-well, you see..."

"Hehe, don't be so scared. We've received this much. We'll let you go."

"Kekeke, aren't you lucky. You can go home safely now, little miss."

The female boss and her underlings speak with joyful expressions.

They're in a good mood. Maybe this will work out?

"Before I go, there's something I need to tell you."

"Kukku, why so formal?"

"You see... Unfortunately, there's been an unfortunate accident..."

"An unfortunate accident?"

"Yes. It seems that when your underlings fought with our bouncers, they hit a bad spot and died."

"What did you say?!"

Their joyful expressions instantly changed, and they started yelling like yakuza.

"Um, well, how should I put this..."

Oh no, could this be bad?

This reaction is different from what I expected.

They're shouting with red faces.

Didn't I think these guys didn't care about their underlings?

I thought they were just a group bound by mutual interests.

"You killed them... You say that so casually. How are you going to take responsibility for this?!"

"Y-yes, I truly regret what happened."

"Are you mocking us?! We'll kill you!"

The female boss's underlings all pulled out knives from their pockets at once.

Waaah! This is bad, really bad!

I frantically look around while sweating profusely.

"Wait, you guys."

"B-but..."

"I said wait!"

"Y-yes ma'am!"

At the female boss's shout, the underlings stopped. For now, I've avoided being stabbed repeatedly with knives.

I'm saved.

I let out a sigh of relief.

The female boss walked up to me and blew smoke from her kiseru pipe in my face.

"Cough, cough... W-what are you..."

"...So you killed them, huh?"

"Y-yes. But it was an unfortunate accident..."

"Listen here, missy. Don't misunderstand. Whether it was intentional or accidental, killing is killing. If they had just been caught, we could've settled it with money. But we can't stay silent when they've been killed. We can't let amateurs make fools of us."

"Um, well, they weren't exactly amateurs... The ones who fought were adventurers."

"You idiot! The actual killers might have been adventurers, but it was a restaurant that hired them. In this world, if someone's killed, we kill back. If professionals get disrespected by amateurs, it's all over!"

I see. As expected of the underworld. If yakuza get killed by amateurs, they have to retaliate or they'll lose face.

This has become more troublesome than I anticipated.

The female boss put her arm around my shoulder, her expression softening slightly from her previous anger.

"Well, I've talked about honor and all, but those guys were scum who disobeyed my orders and secretly attacked women. They weren't exactly comrades. I'm willing to make concessions for the sake of the little miss who spoke honestly."

"R-really?!"

"Yeah, I'll spare your life. In exchange, we'll be taking compensation."

"Th-thank you so much!"

It's better to settle with money than to be killed as an enemy of their comrades.

"So how much compensation should I give to the families? I was thinking about 1 million gold per person."

"Everything."

"Ex-excuse me?"

"I said everything. Your entire fortune. We'll be taking everything from your store's rights to the clothes off your back."

"That's insane!"

"What's insane about it? Originally, we'd be taking your life as payment. Getting off with just your entire fortune is cheap, isn't it?"

The female boss shows a ferocious grin.

I understand what she's saying. But taking everything is too much. How am I supposed to live? I have Timu's tuition to pay too. This is just too much to swallow.

I immediately prostrate myself before the female boss.

"P-please have mercy. If you take everything, how are my family and I supposed to live..."

"Kekeke, that's easy. You've got a nice body. You can sell that, can't you?"

"What!?"

"Yeah, you could be number one in the Evil District. I'll even be your first customer if you want."

The men's vulgar voices echo.

Taking advantage of someone's weakness. Who would sell their body?

"B-but originally, it was you who picked a fight with us--"

"Hmm? Are you talking back? Then should we have you pay with your life instead?"

"Eek! I-I'm sorry. I'll pay. I'll pay, so please..."

"If you understand, then hurry up and bring the money."

"Y-yes. I'll go get it right away."

"Wait. I told you I'm not falling for that trick! If you run off to the peacekeeping forces, we'd be in trouble."

The female boss stops me.

Damn, she sees right through everything.

As expected, I was planning to run straight to the peacekeeping forces if they were going to take my entire fortune. Or I could even ask Edim and the others for help. It would be far better for me to be embarrassed than for Timu's life to be ruined.

"We'll have Ortissio bring the money. You'll stay here as a hostage until then."

What should I do?

I don't care about shame or reputation anymore. I'll have Oru call Edim and the others. I don't mind being looked down on. Let's just have them beat these guys up.

I headed towards the table where Oru was.

Oru was diligently keeping his eyes closed and covering his ears with his hands. He hadn't moved an inch despite all the commotion. He really did block out his sight and hearing.

"Oru, wake up."

I shake Oru's shoulder. Oru slowly opens his eyes.

"Tilea-sama, is it alright now?"

"Yeah. Oru, I have a favor to ask. Will you listen?"

"Yes, at your command."

"Actually--"

"Little miss, let me warn you just in case. If you have him tattle to the peacekeeping forces, we'll dispose of you immediately. And of course, your family too. Got it? Don't make him do anything except bring money."

The female boss is truly vigilant.

At this rate, we'll both be killed the moment I try to ask Oru to pass on a message. I'll have to give Oru a signal subtle enough that the female boss won't notice.

"Oru, I need you to bring more money."

"That's right. Bring the money. All of it. Everything you've got. Bring it with all your might."

The female boss chimes in with intimidation right after my words.

"Understood. That's not a problem, but are you still forgiving this human's rudeness? If not for Tilea-sama's order to stop, I would have torn them to pieces for their extremely disrespectful attitude towards Tilea-sama."

Yeah, I'm angry too. But hold off on saying that out loud.

Look, the female boss's eyelids are twitching.

"Ortissio, I'm sure you understand, but if you tattle to the peacekeeping forces, this little miss's life is forfeit. Just stupidly follow orders and bring the money."

"Human, I can't forgive you anymore. You--"

This is bad.

Oru has low tolerance for provocation despite being weak. He looks like he's about to punch the female boss. At this rate, Oru's life will be in danger.

I pull Oru in front of me to face me.

"Oru, can't you follow my orders?! Just bring the money without saying anything unnecessary!"

"M-my apologies. I'll bring the money with all my might right away!"

"Ah, you don't need to go that far..."

"Kukku, no, bring it with all your might. Don't worry. You can take a lot of my men with you. Bring plenty."

Oru seems to have panicked after being scolded. He'll probably bring money with all his might without understanding the nuance of the words.

"Oru, I-I'm counting on you."

I can't say anything careless with the female boss watching.

I wink at Oru, trying to hide it from the female boss. I sent Oru a meaningful signal with repeated blinks.

Oru may be slow on the uptake, but he should understand this crisis... Yeah, I hope he understands. Please understand!

Anyway, if he reads the atmosphere and brings Edim along with the money, we can turn this around in one go.

Oru left with an energetic "Understood!"

I wonder if it'll be okay...

"Kukku, little miss. It seems you were trying something, but from the looks of it, he didn't understand anything."

"What!?"

The wink was noticed...

"Little miss, it's useless. Even if he did understand, I sent a lot of my men with him. I don't think he can outmaneuver them under such heavy surveillance."

Damn. That's true.

If Oru tries to do anything other than bringing money, he'll be killed immediately. There's no chance to call Edim for help.

In that case, I at least want to minimize the damage from the money he brings.

After a while, Oru returned.

"Tilea-sama, mission accomplished."

"What are you, Momotaro returning from Onigashima?!"

It seems Oru completely missed the meaning of my signal. He came back with a cart full of treasures. Gold coins, large and small, clinking and clanking, along with corals and various jewels.

The female boss's underlings are carrying it with delighted faces.

This must be worth several billion gold, right? No, it might even be 10 billion gold.

"Ah, ah, ahhh~"

"Tilea-sama, please don't worry. Are you lamenting that there's not enough treasure? Quality over quantity. Everything on this cart is of the highest grade. I gave it my all."

"Hehe, Boss, this guy's loaded. When we told him to hand over the treasures, he brought a mountain of it. Looks like there's still more where that came from."

W-what have you done...

They've found out about the total assets of the Oru family.

Oru, I wasn't expecting you to improvise, but at least recognize what's happening to you.

This is going to be a serious problem later. Bringing out so much of the Oru family's assets, and it's becoming a source of funds for yakuza. The Oru family might even go bankrupt.

"O-Oru, are you sure it's okay to bring out family assets like this?"

"Huh? But I didn't bring them out arbitrarily. It was Tilea-sama's order, right?"

"Ugh. Th-that's true, but... blaming me is-- No, you're right. That's correct."

Originally, this was all because of the seed I sowed. Oru was just dragged into this because of me. He did this foolish act that might get him disowned, all for my sake. I should be grateful, not criticizing him.

"Tilea-sama, could it be that my actions were mistaken?"

"No, you did well. Thank you, Oru."

"Yes!"

Oru responds happily.

Even if you make such a cheerful face... Things are going to get tough from here.

Well, whatever. Let's go home for now. Maybe if we discuss countermeasures with Dryas and the others, we can find a solution.

We need to somehow get back the Oru family's assets or Oru will be ruined.

I headed towards the exit, taking Oru with me.

"Wait a minute."

The female boss stopped us.

What now? Are you going to say it's not enough? We've already handed over tens of billions of gold, and you're still not satisfied?!

"What else? This is too greedy even for you, isn't it? It's more than enough for compensation."

"Ah, the amount is enough. Those ruffians' lives became worth tens of billions of gold. No complaints there."

"Then why?"

"The amount is too much. It's not an amount we can just take and say 'Okay, we're done.' You, or rather Ortissio as you called him. Who is he? He's not just an employee of the store, is he? Probably a well-known noble, right?"

Damn. Sharp. Our true identity has been completely exposed.

"Looks like I hit the mark. Hmm, I see. So a young noble has fallen for the poster girl of a restaurant and is hanging around the store, is that it?"

"No, that's not--"

"Anyway, we're taking money from such a noble. We can't afford retaliation later."

"Y-you're not thinking of silencing us, are you?!"

Eeeek! This is the worst-case scenario. It seems the female boss and her group are being cautious because of the large amount.

That's right. Even if Oru might not, it's obvious that Oru's father, the head of a great noble family, would retaliate if he found out about this.

Wh-wh-what should I do?

"Tilea-sama, shall we kill these guys already?"

Oru is acting normal even in this emergency situation. He keeps making cheerful comments, oblivious to my panic.

To avoid making the situation worse, I strictly ordered Oru again not to say a word and to stand still like a statue.

Oru is standing completely still, as if he thinks my words are some divine command. 

Yeah, he's really an obedient, good guy.

Now that I've dealt with Oru, what should I do about this situation? At this point, I have no choice but to force my way through.

"Don't move, any of you. I'll kill you if you do."

Sensing that I might try to escape, the female boss pulled out a knife. Her underlings surrounded us in a circle. I can't move carelessly now.

"Wh-what are you planning to do with us?"

"Well. I'd like to silence you, but it seems Ortissio is a young noble. I'll have to consult with my superiors on what to do."

Saying that, the female boss gives some orders to her underlings.

The underlings went outside, and after a while, an old man appeared. Though elderly, he had an imposing presence. I shuddered as he glared at me.

S-scary.

He has an aura like an Italian mafia boss.

Oh no, could this person be the rumored Dark Emperor...?

"Thank you for coming, Boss Zama."

The female boss greets him with an incredibly submissive attitude. It seems someone quite high up has arrived. Maybe he really is the Dark Emperor.

"Hmph, you called me all the way out here. You'd better have some extraordinary tribute."

"Y-yes sir. I would never lie to Boss Zama, one of the Seven Stars of the Evil District."

The female boss's underling bows his head while wringing his hands.

Seven Stars? Not the Dark Emperor?

Oh, that reminds me, I heard something from the gossip-loving Aunt Miree.

Apparently in the old days, the Evil District was controlled by seven bosses. Those bosses were feared and called the Seven Stars. They were like demons who showed no mercy to anyone who defied them. They ruled over the ruffians for a long time through their charisma and reign of terror. But even those amazing Seven Stars were quickly brought under control when the Dark Emperor appeared.

This man must have been one of them.

"Hey!"

"Y-yes? What is it, Seven Star bo--"

"You idiot! I told you I've discarded that name! I serve the Dark Emperor now. Don't ever utter those words again, or I'll rip out your tongue!"

"Eek! I-I'm so sorry!"

"Haa, haa, this is bad for my heart. Just imagine if I was suspected of plotting rebellion. It would be the end of me!"

Even this intimidating yakuza who's like the Godfather is terrified.

Just how amazing is this Dark Emperor?

"B-Boss Zama, please calm down. I'll re-educate these fools."

"Hmph, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but fine. I'm busy. Let's get to the point. Where's this unprecedented treasure you mentioned?"

"Y-yes, it's here."

The female boss indicates the cart that Oru and the others brought.

Zama's eyes widened in surprise.

"Th-this is incredible... I've been in this business for many years, but I've never seen treasure like this before."

"What do you think? Isn't it magnificent? If I offer this as tribute, will you accept me as a member of your family?"

"Very well. This is quite a tribute indeed. I acknowledge your loyalty and will make you a branch of my organization."

"Th-thank you so much!"

"Hehe, my luck is turning around. If I offer a tribute like this, the Dark Emperor will surely be pleased. My position will soar."

Boss Zama is in high spirits, giving some orders to his underlings. He may be contacting the Dark Emperor right away to offer the treasure as tribute.

"Um, Boss Zama, there's something I'd like to discuss..."

"What is it?"

"Yes. This tribute was taken from this young noble here. What should we do with them?"

The female boss points at Oru.

Zama glares at us fiercely.

"Hmm. Keeping them alive is risky. Maybe we should kill them..."

"Eeeek! W-wait a minute, please!"

I hastily step forward and plead with Boss Zama.

"Oh ho. This one's quite a catch! Too good to kill. My-- no, it would be bad if we were suspected of pocketing the tribute. Alright, you'll be offered to the Dark Emperor."

Guh!

What a sudden turn of events. Am I going to become the concubine of the Evil District's most powerful figure, the Dark Emperor?

As I was feeling despondent about my fate, someone opened the door and came out.

Is it the Dark Emperor this time?

I braced myself, feeling like a cow being led to slaughter, when a young girl appeared.

She's cute.

Unexpectedly, could the true identity of the Dark Emperor be this beautiful young girl-- wait, no way!

"Edim!"

"Oh, Tilea-sama, what are you doing in a place like this?"

"U-um..."

Just when I thought the Dark Emperor had appeared, for some reason it was Edim who showed up.

Wh-what's going on?

"U-um, why is Edim-sama here? And what about Milio-sama?"

Zama asks Edim nervously. Edim looked at Zama with disinterest.

"Zama, huh. Milio is busy with something else. So I came since I was nearby. Now, where's the tribute?"

"Y-yes, it's over here... And, do you know this woman? Earlier, Tilea-sama--"

"That's none of your business. I'll kill you if you pry any further!"

"I-I'm so sorry. Please, please forgive me..."

Huh? Huh? ...Huh?

I can't keep up with the developments unfolding before my eyes.

It seems Zama's boss is Milio, and Milio's boss is Edim.

Does that mean Edim is the Dark Emperor?

Ignoring my confusion, Zama and Edim continue some kind of difficult conversation.

"Um, Boss Zama. Who is this girl? Why is someone like Boss Zama using such polite language with a young girl like her?"

The female boss also seemed confused by Edim's sudden appearance. She had been frozen like me, but now she's recovered and is questioning Zama.

"Watch how you speak!!"

"Gyaaah!"

Zama's open hand strikes the female boss.

The female boss falls to the ground from the impact of the slap. There's a thud as she hits her back hard.

That looks pretty painful.

"This person is a direct subordinate of the Dark Emperor, higher ranking than my own boss!"

"Eek! I-I'm so sorry!"

The female boss prostrates herself at Zama's scolding.

"Edim-sama, I deeply apologize. I will cut off this woman's fingers, no, take her life as punishment for this disrespect."

"Eek! Please forgive me! Please forgive me, Edim-sama!"

"Sigh... I don't care anymore. I don't need her fingers or life. It's troublesome. More importantly, about this treasure..."

"Yes. It's a magnificent specimen, isn't it? I've lived a long life, but I've never seen treasure like this before."

"Ah, it certainly is magnificent. But you know, it somehow looks familiar to me."

"Wh-what do you mean by that?"

"Wait a moment."

Edim cuts off her conversation with Zama and approaches me.

Yeah, I have so many questions I want to ask, I don't even know where to start.

Ignoring my confusion, Edim walks briskly up and stops in front of Oru.

"Ortissio-sama, I don't know why you're in a place like this, but I have one question. Wasn't that treasure originally in the Evil God Army's treasury?"

"..."

"Ortissio-sama, are you listening? That was originally ours, right? Why is it here?"

"..."

"Ortissio-sama?"

"..."

"Tch. Hey, you can hear me, can't you? Don't get too cocky. I'm busy enough as it is, helping with the 2nd Division's work. It's such a waste of time, you could at least cooperate a little!"

"..."

"I-I'll kill you!"

"..."