Tilea's Worries

"Ugh, cough, cough!"

The villainous noblewoman coughed violently, glaring at me with fury in her eyes.

Covered in salt and clearly suffering, she looked pitiful. Even though she’s a nasty piece of work playing the role of a villain, maybe this was a bit much. But then again, it was Nielsen’s over-the-top actions that led to this.

Hmm, I might have let my anger get the better of me, allowing such violence.

Honestly, I felt like she got what she deserved.

But she’s still just a child, and a student at that. As an adult, I should probably be the bigger person here.

"Do you, um, need a towel?" I asked, trying to sound somewhat apologetic.

"Cough, cough—haa, haa, I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you and everyone you care about! I’ll wipe out your entire bloodline, you filthy commoner! How dare someone with such lowly blood… You disgusting inferior species!!"

Yep, no remorse whatsoever. If anything, she’s even more of a raging elitist. It seems she needs some more drastic treatment to break her out of this aristocratic arrogance.

"Miu, there’s that fountain in the plaza, right?"

"Yep."

"Let’s have her cool off a bit."

"As you wish."

With just that, Miu understood my intention.

He grabbed the villainous noblewoman and headed outside. She struggled and thrashed, but Miu held her firmly, handling the situation smoothly.

Heh, she’s already covered in salt, so this is perfect.

I hope the fountain washes away both the salt and her ridiculous elitism.

Satisfied, I started to head back to the kitchen, but I bumped into something with a soft thud.

Ah! Right, there’s still the matter of her cronies lying unconscious on the floor.

These guys need to be dealt with too. It’d be a real hassle if customers walked in and saw them sprawled out like this.

Should I toss them into the fountain too?

No, that would be a bit too harsh, even if they are knocked out. Placing them near the fountain should suffice.

I had the Evil God Army members carry the unconscious cronies outside. Luckily, we had a large cart, so we could load them up easily.

Now then…

There’s the matter of the salt-covered floor. I’ll need to clean that up.

The floor was covered in an enormous amount of salt. After all, Nielsen dumped an entire bag. It was quite a lot.

Cleaning this up is going to be a chore.

I sighed, looking at the scattered salt on the floor.

The salt sparkled brightly in the light.

Yep, this is some high-quality salt. What a waste.

Wait a minute—could this be Jewel Salt?!

I picked up a pinch of the salt from the floor and tasted it.

It is… It’s the real deal.

Nielsen, you maniac! Are you out of your mind?

Jewel Salt is an ultra-premium seasoning. A single spoonful is worth its weight in gold. And he just dumped an entire bag of it without a second thought. His sense of money is completely skewed.

But then again, so is Oru’s.

Oru didn’t even bother putting the Jewel Salt in the safe; he just left it lying around.

These guys really don’t understand the value of things.

Ugh, what a waste. What a terrible waste.

I began carefully gathering the scattered salt back into a bag.

"Tilea-sama, what are you doing?" Nielsen asked.

"Can’t you see? I’m collecting the salt. It’s too valuable to waste."

"Please stop. There’s no need for Tilea-sama to pick up something that’s fallen on the ground. We can buy as much salt as needed."

"You say that so easily, but do you even realize how expensive this salt is—wait!"

What am I doing…?

Nielsen is right.

Is it okay to serve something that’s been on the floor to a customer?

Whether it’s valuable or not doesn’t matter. This is a matter of a chef’s pride.

We must provide the best possible service to our customers.

Even if this salt is worth its weight in gold, once it’s fallen, it’s fallen. It’s not hygienic.

"Nielsen, you’re right."

"Haha, I overstepped."

"No, I’m glad you said something. It shows you’ve developed a sense of professionalism."

"I’m honored."

"Let’s go ahead and order more salt, then."

"Understood."

"Do we still have funds left for the restaurant?"

"No, we’ve run out. But don’t worry. I’ll squeeze the funds out of Ortissio immediately."

"Ugh… I feel bad making Oru spend even more money, but…"

"Hahaha! Tilea-sama, there’s no need to feel sorry for him. We’ll work him like a horse!"

As usual, Nielsen’s pretty harsh on Oru.

It’s true that we don’t have any other options for securing funds. For now, we’ll have to borrow more from Oru.

Ugh, our restaurant’s debt is going to keep piling up.

It’ll be fine. I’ll just have to work hard and turn things around.

■　◇　■　◇

"You, you think you can get away with… cough, cough, haa, haa… doing this to me… cough, cough."

It’s unbearable. The salt got into my throat, and I can’t stop coughing.

Haa, haa, why is this happening to me…?

I should never have listened to those useless sycophants. I never imagined I’d be subjected to such humiliation.

Covered in salt…

My meticulously styled hair is now a mess, caked in salt. My specially tailored uniform is now pure white with it.

She’s ruined the image of my noble self!

Never did I think she would actually throw salt at me.

Everyone knows how expensive salt is. And the salt she used was of the highest quality. My refined palate wouldn’t mistake that.

From the fact that she used such high-quality salt without hesitation, it’s clear that this blonde girl has some serious backing.

Is she some rich noble’s mistress?

Hmph, such a filthy way for a commoner to climb the social ladder.

I glared at the blonde girl with contempt.

Then I unleashed all my pent-up fury on her, lecturing her on how lowly her origins were and how noble my bloodline was.

The blonde girl seemed to tremble with anger.

And then…

"Miu, there’s that fountain in the plaza, right?"

"Yep."

"Let’s have her cool off a bit."

"As you wish."

What?! Is she seriously planning to throw me into the fountain?

The blonde girl made an outrageous statement.

…I can’t believe this.

No one—not even someone connected to the royal family—has ever dared to treat me with such blatant disrespect.

The man called Miu grabbed me roughly.

"Do you even know who I am? You’ll regret crossing the Elizabeth family!" I shouted, trying to intimidate him.

Miu didn’t react at all to my threats.

It was as if my words had no effect on him.

"Stop! Let go of me! Stop this!"

I struggled with all my might.

What strength… I can’t break free at all.

He’s even suppressing my magic, preventing me from casting any spells.

This adventurer is strong. I’m not the type to be overpowered by some lowly adventurer. I’m the strongest at the academy, after all.

And yet, I can’t do anything against him.

Maybe this blonde girl wasn’t bluffing after all. Miu might not be S-rank, but he’s definitely at least A-rank.

"H-How much are you being paid? I’ll pay you double! Come work for me!"

"Tilea-sama, I’m off to take care of things."

"Okay, I’m counting on you."

What?! She’s ignoring me? Even though I’m lowering myself to negotiate with her?

Miu didn’t even give me a second glance.

Haa, haa, haa, I’ll kill him! How dare a mere mercenary treat me like this! I’ll crush you too!

I tried everything to shake Miu’s resolve.

I offered him rewards no adventurer could ever hope to earn. I threatened to ruin his future using every connection I had.

But it was like hitting a wall. He didn’t even listen. He just followed the blonde girl’s orders, as if he were a puppet.

And then…

"Eek! No, noooo, it’s so cold!"

I was mercilessly tossed into the fountain.

They showed not the slightest hesitation, even though I’m a high-ranking noble.

Even though it’s spring, being thrown into water at this time of year is unbearable.

Haa, haa, haa, this is disgusting. It smells.

This is the filthy water that commoners use as a drinking fountain. And now I’m soaked in it.

I need to get out of here immediately.

I scrambled out of the fountain in a daze, only to find that the obnoxious adventurer, Miu, had disappeared.

In his place, my useless cronies were lying around unconscious near the fountain.

How could they… when I’m suffering like this…

…

…

…

"Elizabeth-sama, here are your clothes."

"Well done."

I summoned the Elizabeth family’s personal butler and had him bring me a change of clothes. I stripped off the salt-covered uniform and changed into a fresh outfit.

Phew, I felt a bit better after changing.

"Did you take care of it?"

"Yes, as usual, they’ve been buried."

"Good."

I killed those useless cronies. I unleashed magic missiles on those good-for-nothing lackeys who had the audacity to faint while I was being humiliated.

Their screams echoed, easing my anger just a bit.

But it’s not enough.

That blonde idiot and that silver-haired brat…

Despite being commoners, they’ve managed to contract with a skilled adventurer.

When I looked around the restaurant, I saw it was furnished with quite a few valuable items. They must have some financial backing. They even possess some magic item that nullified my magic missile. And the blonde girl herself is skilled in ancient martial arts, unaffected by magic.

Very well. I acknowledge you as my enemies. I will crush you with the full might of my family.

I summoned the steward who was waiting nearby.

"Summon Baccio immediately."

"But Baccio-sama is commanding the front lines at Abyssmo. If he leaves now, our forces will surely lose… Eek!"

I pretended to aim a magic missile at the steward’s throat.

I couldn’t stand the sight of these incompetent tools any longer.

"I will not tolerate any backtalk. Bring Baccio back immediately!"

"Y-Yes!"

"And send a notice to the guild, the royal family, and all relevant agencies. Put a bounty on those sisters’ heads."

"Y-Yes, but that will require significant funds…"

"I don’t care. We’ll just take more from the weak to replenish what we spend."

"Y-Yes, I’ll make the arrangements right away."

"Good. And make contact with the Shikkoku Satsuriku-dan as well."

"Wh-What?! You’re going to involve those monsters?!"

"Is there a problem?"

"I-Is that really necessary? They’re assassins so skilled they could easily kill even high-ranking officials…"

"Yes, I’m aware. But those sisters are the first real enemies I’ve ever had. Yes, enemies. And I will crush them utterly. They have angered me, and they must suffer."

"Elizabeth-sama, the Shikkoku Satsuriku-dan is a group of monsters that the world itself fears. Dealing with them is extremely dangerous."

"I understand that. But I’m willing to take that risk if it means seeing those arrogant sisters’ faces twisted in fear."

"But…"

"Enough! If you continue to defy me, I’ll start by sacrificing you!"

"I-I apologize! I’ll get right on it!"

The Shikkoku Satsuriku-dan…

An infamous assassination group known throughout the underworld. A-rank bounties.

It’s no wonder the steward is terrified. The group known as the Shikkoku Satsuriku-dan has secretly negotiated non-aggression pacts with many nations. Rumor has it that in some countries, a crown prince can’t ascend to the throne without first swearing allegiance to them.

These are individuals whose power rivals that of entire nations.

Heh, perhaps I’ve gone a bit overboard. But they made the mistake of angering me. I will crush them with a flawless strategy that leaves no room for escape.

Heh, heh, as I indulged in fantasies of the sisters’ suffering,

"E-Elizabeth-sama, a word…"

One of my servants hurriedly ran up to me.

"What is it?"

Annoyed by his impudence, I clicked my tongue but decided to hear him out.

What?! That silver-haired brat! I won’t forgive her. I will never forgive her. How far do you intend to mock me?!