Chapter 35

**Butterfly Effect.**

It’s a social phenomenon so famous that now no one is unaware of it, but to explain it, it’s said that the small flutters of a butterfly’s wings can cause a storm.

In summary, it means that a butterfly is strong enough to cause a storm.

That storm has come my way.

“Why are you asking such a question?”

“I… I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a few days ago, I caught an… Elf.”

“Oh, it’s impressive to catch an Elf; that’s not an easy feat.”

“Yeah, right? It’s not an ordinary accomplishment. It’s the greatest achievement of my life as a Merchant!”

With a little encouragement, Ropermong puffed his chest with pride. But soon, he deflated like a balloon.

“But there’s been a problem. Someone attacked and massacred the mercenaries, and they even abducted the Elf!”

Ropermong, excited and apparently very angry, spoke clearly without stuttering.

I did that, but he should use the right words. It was you guys who did the abduction, so he shouldn’t be angry about it.

“Then you think the Elf of the Merchant Lord isn’t this Elf, right? I’m the mastermind behind the incident.”

“Uh, well, not precisely that, but since you have an Elf Slave, I thought there might be a connection…”

What’s not precise about it? The words “You stole my Elf” are written all over his broad face.

“At this point, it seems more like near certainty than suspicion…”

That said, there’s no need to move within the framework that idiot created. I smiled brightly while maintaining a serious expression.

“I see. But it seems there’s some misunderstanding. This friend is not a Slave.”

“Not a Slave? Those little ones clearly said they were Slaves!”

“Hmm, I don’t want to go into too much detail, but…”

At that moment, I saw the secretary twitching his fingers. The threatening-looking men placed their hands on their weapons, glaring as if ready to draw knives at any moment.

“You better speak honestly. It’s not a small loss because of this, so we’re a bit sensitive.”

“Hmm…”

I elongated my hesitation, thinking hard. After dragging it out for a while, just when it seemed like real knives might fly, I reluctantly pretended to open my mouth.

“Sigh, since you asked that way, I can’t help it. That friend is not a Slave. To be precise, she is a Slave Hunter.”

“A Slave Hunter?”

“Her role is to recapture escaped Slaves. She has excellent tracking skills for Elves.”

Arfia sent a look that asked what I was talking about. Do it for you, so play along.

“B-but those children are said to be Elf Slaves…”

“If you tell Slaves the truth, they won’t run away. Would they run away with a Slave Hunter around?”

“I-if they don’t run away, isn’t that a good thing?”

“Then it wouldn’t be fun. Capturing Slaves who think they’ve successfully escaped is just too much fun.”

“Huh…”

Ropermong let out a sigh. Among his glances at me, there was a hint of admiration.

Meanwhile, the children who learned the fake truth fell into great shock.

“W-What was that? So that’s why we were allowed to walk around freely?”

“The reason for raising chickens is to eat them, and the reason for raising pigs is to eat them—so then we… Eek.”

No, damn it, my favorability!

How could they suspect me with just a word after I had been so good to them? Or should I interpret it as them believing my words too well?

Anyway, I hope they suspect me now. How much effort it would take to turn around feelings that have already shifted.

This is all your fault.

“Sigh, how could I have hidden it like that? This way, I can’t enjoy myself at all. This is something the Merchant Lord must take responsibility for.”

“Re-responsibility?”

“Isn’t it? I was clearly trying not to say anything, but due to your pressure, I was forced to speak. Now, these Slaves won’t run away, so you’ll need to find new Slaves. You’ll need to cover the costs for acquiring and raising the Slaves.”

Pay me, you bastard.

I need to restore these children’s favorability.

“W-What kind of highway robbery is this…?”

“Merchant Lord, just a moment.”

The secretary whispered into Ropermong’s ear. Surely, they are planning something strange. But it wasn’t just them.

Tick-tock.

I heard a sound like something being tapped. The old man tapped his glass, signaling me. The low atmosphere made them look like hunting dogs ready to tear these people apart at a single command.

But I carefully signaled a negative with my chin. As much as I would like to eliminate Ropermong and take care of Arfia, that can’t happen.

Ropermong is the organizer of the impending ‘Slave Festival.’ I need to acquire the products from there to solve Arfia’s spirit problem.

“Hmm…”

The old man crossed his arms, leaning against the barrier, evidently displeased. I understand his feelings, but please bear with me for a little longer.

Just then, it seemed the secret meeting was over, and the secretary detached from Ropermong.

“The Merchant Lord said he would reward you for today.”

Oh?

I thought just going quietly would be enough, but he actually intends to reward me? As expected, being the master of a Merchant company, he’s quite magnanimous.

“I will treat the Death God as a guest of the Desert Rose Merchant Company. I also apologize for the misunderstanding regarding the Elf next to you. I hope you will join us.”

***

After Ropermong and his group left, they lowered the children, who looked at me like a dog butcher, and the old man, Arfia, and I remained in the tavern.

“If it were my nature, I would have chopped them all into pieces and fed them to the pigs. Just by taking out that Merchant Lord, I could easily feed several pigs.”

The old man, who lost today’s business, grumbled angrily while cleaning up the messy store. It was understandable. With his skills, he could kill most without a second thought.

And yet, I’m grateful he didn’t move carelessly and followed my words.

“Why did you stop me? It’s better to remove a thorn in your side early on for peace of mind.”

“Thanks to that, we managed to get a reward, didn’t we? If the Merchant Lord is willing to invite us, he might offer an extraordinary gift. Haha.”

“Do you honestly believe that? That’s clearly…”

“It’s a trap.”

So transparent that the inner thoughts are almost fully visible. Just the fact that he suggested bringing an Elf along tells me everything.

Now that we’ve come to check, we don’t have the strength to abduct Elves, so he wants us to come prepared before entering the trap.

It’s absurd to state something like that openly.

“You’re not going, are you?”

“I am going.”

“What? Why would you go knowing it’s a trap like a moth to a flame?”

“If I can take down one Merchant, of course I have to go. Besides, do you think they would simply say, ‘What a pity,’ if we refuse? Now that they’ve shown their teeth, they’ll come ready to bite.”

It’s better to go in than to fight while guarding the children in the tavern.

Moreover, I could claim, “How dare you attack a guest?” Once invited, I could also pick up items necessary for Arfia.

“There are risks, though.”

One of which is not knowing their strength.

The other is whether obtaining goods through force instead of the festival will grant complete freedom.

However, there’s no point pondering this part; the deed is already done. I shouldn’t forcibly follow the misguided path of the original story.

Seeing that he agreed with my thoughts, the old man nodded.

“Very well. Then let’s charge in. When should we go? Right now?”

“No. Just me and Miss Arfia will go.”

“What? Why?”

“Because they invited the two of us.”

No matter how the story changes, the core remains the same: Arfia is the key figure. The protagonist of this story is Arfia, and I cannot give her achievements to anyone else.

“But Miss Arfia…”

“We still have time, so I need to help her grow as much as possible. You understand, right?”

“…”

No answer. Arfia was staring blankly.

“Miss Arfia?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“What are you thinking? Were you thinking of me?”

“Yeah…”

She did it again; why is she acting like this? I’m a soft-hearted man, weak against sudden advances.

Well, if it’s not bad and she likes me, I’m always welcome. If her favorability increases, that’s good for me.

In that moment, our eyes met. Her blinking eyes widened, and she realized what she had just said.

“I-I didn’t mean it like that! I just noticed something about that Merchant Lord’s words that bothered me…”

“What is it?”

“About capturing an Elf. Were you talking about me?”

“That’s correct.”

“Weren’t you the one who did it?”

So she thought that all along. Well, since I haven’t really explained anything, it’s a reasonable misunderstanding.

“Why would I do something so villainous? I’m a Slave Merchant, not a kidnapper.”

“Then the attack was…?”

“It was me and Carami. Carami suggested we go rescue you.”

Arfia’s eyes, realizing the truth she hadn’t known, became surprised. Her eyes widened in astonishment but soon shrank back down.

“I see…”

A very faint smile.

Then, seeming to remember something strange, she blinked several times.

“But why did I become a Slave?”

“Why? Because I made you a Slave.”

“But you came to rescue me, right?”

“Because our interests aligned. To rescue you and to make you a Slave.”

“I was out cold, completely defenseless! I’m just a weak woman!”

“Haha, thanks to that, it was easy to put the shackles on. It’s not easy if there’s resistance. But honestly, a woman…?”

“……”

“Anyway, that’s not important right now. We need to practice until we head to the Desert Rose Merchant Company. Got it?”

Arfia, who had been looking at me with a frown, murmured, “Okay, I understand,” and nodded.

“Master, do you have an apple?”

Arfia called for Victor.

Despite Arfia having lived longer than Victor, associating her with ‘Hey’ caused cognitive dissonance.

It feels a bit off, so I decided to stick with calling her Master while using informal speech back and forth.

“I have an apple, but what do you need it for?”

“I’m going to use it for training tomorrow.”

Think about tomorrow’s training already when she just finished shooting arrows. Is this really the Arfia who complained about the bow? Master, my heart is swelling.

“That’s a great mindset, Miss Arfia. Let’s work hard tomorrow too. I will cheer for you from the side.”

“Cheering is nice, but there’s a role you absolutely have to fulfill.”

“I don’t want to.”

…Huh? What was that just now?

I replied without even thinking.

My danger-sensing radar is setting off alarms.

“There’s no choice in not wanting to! It’s a master’s duty to fully trust a Slave, right?”

***

And the next day.

An apple placed on my head.

Arfia aiming a bow in front of me.

“A-Are you sure, Miss Arfia? Isn’t this a bit too early?”

“D-Don’t move. If you move, you’ll get hurt.”

“The bow, it’s shaking.”

“Ssshh, maybe there’s still some alcohol in my system. Don’t worry. This is fine. Just trust your big sister.”

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