Chapter 55
“Become my exclusive samurai. I will make sure you are treated well.”
A sharp chin, upturned eyes.
A blonde woman giving the impression of a fierce cat said that to me as she entered the bar.
With her arms crossed under an umbrella held by bodyguards in suits and sunglasses on either side of her, she was scrutinizing me as if looking at a product.
I mulled over what I had just heard in a daze.
samurai (samurai)!
This is a term referring to a Warrior of Japan's feudal era.
That majestic figure wearing horned armor and carrying a Japanese sword is considered a symbol of Japanese culture alongside the Ninja.
And in Dusk City, full of intoxication by Orientalism, there was no way they would Miss out on this splendid title of samurai.
Introduced along with Japanese culture and renewed to fit Dusk City, samurai became a concept referring to soldiers of a specific Family or corporation.
Of course, they didn't call just any ordinary soldiers samurai; the term was strictly limited to the Employer's closest aides—the most trusted and useful Private Soldiers, the members of the royal Guard.
But the woman in front of me had suddenly told me to become her exclusive samurai.
Swoosh—
I scanned the woman's appearance up and down automatically.
If that offer was real, it meant that woman was someone with the status and wealth to maintain her own Private Soldiers—a Warrior Class (Shi-jok) made up of samurai.
And such a person was at an age that looked not just young, but practically like a child.
It was hard to guess the age of a Westerner just by looking at her face... but even taking that into account, her appearance definitely looked to be in her early twenties, or perhaps late teens.
Of course, I couldn't rule out the possibility that she was someone who had completely swapped her face through plastic surgery, or had extremely delayed the aging of her skin and body through Suppression procedures.
Still, it didn't seem like that was the case.
It wasn't like I had a license for discerning people's ages, but I had frequently seen wealthy elderly people who had received anti-aging procedures while working at an ultra-luxurious restaurant.
No matter how young their outward appearance became, there was always a unique atmosphere that couldn't be hidden.
The majority of old men who regained such youth tried to show off their wealth or appearance, and indulged in all sorts of luxury and pleasure with their newly healthy bodies.
Also, they had no hesitation in demanding things, perhaps because of a compensation mentality for having lived a long time, and displayed an arrogance as if they thought they knew everything.
Saying it like this makes me sound like someone steeped in hatred for the elderly, but I am purely speaking of my impressions based on experience.
I couldn't generalize the few cases I had seen as an overall trend, but at least the rejuvenated old men I had seen were all similar without a single Exception.
A High-end Hotel Restaurant was just different from from an Outskirt Bar; it was still a place with a Formidable number of troublemakers.
There is nothing quite as terrible as the power trips committed by people with a lot of money and high status, filled with the Elitism of believing they are Superior to others.
Anyway, the woman in front of me had a different feel from that type.
Looking at me with somewhat arrogant eyes, suddenly demanding I become her exclusive samurai... all of it somewhat matched the characteristics of rejuvenated elders, but...
From what I felt, it was perfectly appropriate for her age.
It was exactly the kind of childish yet confident appearance that a child of a Dusk City Noble Family or a wealthy corporate class of that age would have.
Should I say her cheeky attitude gave off a fresh feeling rather than an old one?
I don't know if this is the right comparison, but it was like looking at the boss of a popular female Yang-achi gang from my School Days.
The type who came from a rich Family, was good at academics and sports, had a pretty face, but had a somewhat nasty temper.
It was an aura that strangely brought up past Trauma.
Old men could never, even if they died and woke up again, imitate that. My intuition was telling me vividly.
Also, her attire didn't feel old-fashioned at all. Rather, it was extremely trendy.
Her top was a Punk look made of black silver material surrounded by chrome metal, and on the bottom, there were skinny jeans that clung tightly to reveal her figure, along with lightweight metal boots shining pure white.
It was a practical yet hot design, exactly what a woman of her age would wear.
A famous brand logo was embedded on the exterior.
It was a place famous for making all its clothing through custom production methods applying Nanocoated Fiber Technology.
On the Outside, it looked like ordinary trendy fashion, but even if you fired a barrage of bullets at it, it would probably only Leave a scratch at best.
If you sold the clothes she was wearing as a set, the price Alone would probably be worth tens of millions of City Dollars.
It was a staggering amount, it was like the clothes were plastered with diamonds or gold.
And the woman was wearing such clothing so naturally and fittingly.
Golden hair neatly swept and tied to one side, pure white skin, Blue Eyes with a refreshing light, and even thick eyelashes.
Unlike her rough and flashy attire, her neatly arranged Hairstyle and clean and luxurious Demeanor created a strangely contrasting harmony that fit perfectly.
It might be natural since it was a set of clothing custom-ordered exclusively for her from the start.
What was certain was that, as you could tell just by looking at what she was wearing, she was an incredibly rich person.
Where did all that money come from?
Amassing that much wealth at that age purely through one's own abilities... of course, it wasn't impossible.
I had actually met someone in a similar case before.
But that was only possible for monsters who didn't seem human, and generally, it would be reasonable to think she was a member of a wealthy Corporate Family or Noble House.
Come to think of it, she had mentioned her name earlier.
“Alexandra Amadeus Schneider.”
It was a name I heard for the first time.
Both the name Alexandra and the surname Schneider.
Was there such a Family or corporation? I wasn't sure. Based on the nuance, it seemed to be of German descent.
In a way, it was natural.
I could pretend to know a bit about famous megacorps like Militia, Valentine, or Isiho based on my knowledge from the original work or Direct experience, but
my knowledge regarding other ordinary large corporations was practically non-existent.
If they didn't appear in the main quests in the game, and if they weren't famous enough in reality for anyone to know upon hearing them, there was no way for me, who had only crossed over to Dusk City half a year ago, to know about them.
It would be a different story if it were a Family name I was familiar with from seeing it often while working at the hotel restaurant, but it wasn't that either.
Even so, I couldn't exactly say to the woman in front of me, 'I'm sorry, but which Family or corporation do you belong to? I'm not very familiar.'...
When I saw her puff out her chest and recite her name and surname, she seemed to have great pride in her Family, so if I spoke in a tone suggesting I didn't know it, she might feel insulted by that Alone.
While I was standing there dumbfounded, unable to Answer, the two attendants standing on either side of the woman folded their umbrellas, shook off the water, and stepped forward.
The right Attendant among them thrust his large face forward and glared at me.
“You had better be careful before I rip those eyeballs right out.”
He had a square head with a two-block Pomade Hairstyle, and an electronic eyeball shining threateningly behind pitch-black sunglasses.
He said this with his arms crossed in a dress shirt and suit jacket that looked ready To burst.
Rather than feeling displeased by the rough, growling tone, I felt greater confusion and bewilderment.
Did I handle something wrong?
He wouldn't act like that without a reason... Ah.
Only then did I realize what mistake I had made.
I stared for too long.
I didn't know what kind of Family she belonged to, but anyway, a mere bar Manager had been staring intently at a Young Lady for a long time as if sizing her up, so it was natural for her mood to sour.
Of course, they were the ones who scanned my appearance up and down first, but the other party was a Customer and I was in the Service Industry, so technically it was my fault.
Just as I wondered if I should apologize, the blonde Young Lady waved her hand.
“That's enough. He's someone we'll be working with from now on, so there's no need to be too strict. Of course... if he continues to look at me unpleasantly even after we sign the contract, that could be a problem. For now, stay still.”
“Yes, understood.”
At the Master's words, the bodyguard stepped back again as if he had never threatened me.
By the way, someone we'll be working with from now on...?
She spat it out so naturally that I almost nodded and moved on.
“...”
When I looked at her in absurdity, she raised her head as if asking what I was looking at.
The woman didn't even seem to realize she had misspoken.
She had a confident appearance, as if she couldn't even imagine I would Reject her offer despite not having asked for my opinion yet, taking it for granted that I would become a samurai under her command.
Come to think of it, “Become my exclusive samurai” was closer to a command than a proposal.
Looking at her majestic Demeanor, she seemed already to consider me half her subordinate.
Someone like you couldn't possibly refuse my offer.
It was dumbfounding.
Goodness, I think this is the first time I've seen someone with such an Egocentric Worldview.
While I stood there with my mouth agape in shock, the dictatorial Young Lady walked inside the bar, looked around, and let out a nasal sound, *Hmm—*.
“Come to think of it, you said you were the Manager of the bar. The atmosphere looks decent for now. It's a bit of a flaw that there are so many people. Well... it wouldn't be bad to have a detailed chat while drinking the alcohol here.”
“Ah, Young Lady. Drinking requires the permission of the Head of the Family...”
“Be quiet. I am now at the Age of Majority (twenty years old). How long are you going to treat me like a child? I will speak to father separately later, so keep that in mind. Stop interfering in everything I do.”
It wasn't like they were filming a skit, but the way she conversed with her Attendants was so stereotypical that it was actually surprising.
I suppressed the urge to ask if they were filming some kind of drama.
More importantly, if she was at the age of majority, she had just turned twenty.
It seemed she had never properly drunk alcohol before, her Blue Eyes sparkling brightly, unlike her appearance, which looked like she knew how to party.
She must be a Young Lady from a Family with strict traditions.
“Ahem, ahem.”
The blonde Young Lady, who had been raising the corners of her mouth with an Excited Demeanor, seemed to realize that I was watching from behind once again, as she composed her expression into a stern face, cleared her throat, and spoke.
“Then, hand Butcher, Guide us to a seat. I want to take a look at the Workplace where you currently work.”
...It should be Fine to let them in, right?
I wasn't sure myself.
With a reluctant expression, I explained the regulations to the Young Lady and her Companions, and after a brief scuffle, I received their weapons—top-tier weaponry like a Jet-Black Katana that looked Extraordinary at a glance—verified their identities to ensure they were really adults, and only then guided them to a seat.
I already had a premonition that today was going to be another difficult day.