I'll Slaughter Them! ...Huh?

Let's go.

I passed by Anna-ri, who was deathly pale.

Although I might have offered some comfort at the sight of her turned to stone and on the verge of tears,

I couldn't, because her attitude changing according to rank had annoyed me too much.

'If only she'd just been honest...'

I might have tried to talk to her a little more.

It wasn't as though I felt particularly good about acting like this, either.

The brief satisfaction of showing her my high rank had already passed; what was there to be proud of in toying with some immature girl?

I stopped walking and spoke to her as she followed along hesitantly.

"Ms. Anna-ri."

"......Yes."

"The place you chose, Ms. Anna-ri, is a proper workplace and a business. That means you have to take responsibility for your words. So even if your feelings have changed now, please don't make excuses or change what you said."

Otherwise, I'd only get more irritated.

"......"

At my words, Anna-ri lowered her head.

Han Jihye tried to say something, but I stopped her with a raised hand. It wasn't that she didn't want to answer; she was holding back tears.

Since I'd already decided to fire her and bring in someone new, there was no point pressuring her further or making things awkward.

'I'll have to find a new attendant in a hurry...'

Anyway, I'd decided to fire Anna-ri, and now I had to deal with the aftermath. If I was going to keep up with the invitations scheduled starting the day after tomorrow, I'd need to come up with a solution quickly.

As soon as I returned to my room, I went into the meeting room with Han Jihye. After sitting for a moment to clear my head, I apologized to her.

"......Ms. Jihye, I'm sorry for being stubborn for no reason yesterday. I should have checked the schedule a little sooner."

"It's all right. However the process went, it was my responsibility for failing to check properly. It's not something Lady Raebi needs to worry about."

Han Jihye set down a cup of tea in front of me with a clack. I carefully took a sip to calm myself first.

"You said the screening process for attendants takes two weeks, right?"

"That's correct. However, if you wish, Lady Raebi, you may choose one yourself."

"Huh?"

'Wait, that was allowed?'

I opened my eyes wide. If that was the case, what was the point of the whole two-week process?!

But she immediately added a complicated caveat.

"However, in that case, Lady Raebi, as the master, will be responsible for everything if a problem arises. You will also have to pay the salary."

"The salary..."

I was completely broke right now.

I didn't even have a bank account or a cellphone. You needed an ID card to have any of those things.

Even this was being issued early because I'd joined Douglas Kim. Under normal circumstances, I would have had to undergo several stages of verification and training.

Since the Gates opened, the identity-issuance process in developed countries had become even more stringent.

'Cannot be disclosed because I belong to a noble family.'

I was merely pretending to have an identity I didn't have using an excuse like that... It was illegal in the first place.

"Then is there no way?" I said quietly.

"What if we can't find a female guard?"

"We'd have to inform them of a schedule change even now. I believe that would be the best option."

"......"

It was complicated. At first I hadn't thought much of it, but now I wondered why a female aide and female guard had to accompany me to a simple social event.

'What can I do? I guess I'll just take some abuse and move on.'

In any case, I'd only stumbled during the brief initial greetings. I could regain whatever points I'd lost later, and if someone continued to dislike me over this one incident, that would be a chance to weed them out.

Having made up my mind, I raised my head. But then,

Knock knock-

"......Who is it?"

"This is Kang Hana. I have something to discuss with you."

Huh? I exchanged glances with Han Jihye.

"Is that all right?"

"Of course."

She nodded with a faint smile. After adding that 'this wasn't something she needed to ask about every time,' she approached the meeting room entrance and opened the door herself.

I offered a seat to Kang Hana, who entered with a tense expression.

"Thank you."

Kang Hana carefully lifted the tea Han Jihye poured for her. Even after setting down the cup, her lips moved hesitantly, as though she found it difficult to speak.

I waited calmly until she spoke, and soon she smiled at me and opened her mouth.

"Lady Raebi."

"Yes."

"Would you give Anna-ri one more chance?"

"......?"

I blinked at her unexpected statement. It was strange enough for her to cover for an attendant disliked by her master, but they'd only known one another for a few days—why would she say something like that?

"But the decision has already been made, hasn't it? And it was Ms. Anna-ri's own choice."

My brow furrowed slightly before I knew it. But Kang Hana shook her head.

"I'm not saying we should forgive Anna-ri. Of course you shouldn't. But if things remain like this, Ms. Jihye will suffer. Everyone knows that Ms. Jihye is in charge of Lady Raebi's schedule."

Ah......!

That hadn't occurred to me. Until now, I'd only thought about being criticized; I hadn't considered Han Jihye's burden in actually handling the work at all.

Moreover, she was effectively the decision-maker in this situation. If the schedule was canceled, that would mean a glaring hole in Han Jihye's work.

'What a fool... I should have realized this much in advance!'

"All right, I understand. So what should I do, Ms. Hana?"

"Anna-ri is showing an intention to cancel her vacation. Perhaps if we persuade her just a little..."

"Wait. So she hasn't canceled it yet?"

At that, Kang Hana began to hesitate. Her pupils wavered, her fingers twitching. From that alone, I could reach a conclusion without hearing her answer.

"......I understand. Let's forget this conversation ever happened. Ms. Anna-ri will go on vacation as scheduled."

"Ah, but then what about Ms. Jihye..."

"I'll take care of Ms. Jihye myself. Please leave now."

"......Understood. Thank you for hearing me out, Lady Raebi."

Kang Hana crossed her arms and bowed her head. When I nodded silently, she left with a troubled expression, and through the briefly open door I saw Anna-ri looking in at us.

'What on earth is she trying to do...?'

I turned to Han Jihye and spoke.

"Was what Ms. Hana just said true?"

"It's not something Lady Raebi needs to concern herself with."

"I suppose not. What answer is there to need? It's obvious..."

Even if she'd worked directly for the family head, a commoner was still a commoner. Making a fool of so many nobles like this must surely be a burden for her as well.

I didn't yet know exactly what penalties there were, but judging by how openly Kang Hana had spoken, it couldn't be a good situation.

I decided to rethink my plan from the beginning.

"First... I suppose I could borrow an attendant. From Big Sister April."

"That won't work. If Lady April learns about the current situation, she'll seize the weakness, and Ms. Anna-ri won't make it out safely either."

'......'

She was exactly the sort of person who would do that.

Anna-ri might even be killed. April wouldn't simply let it go because I had been wronged; she wouldn't overlook a commoner challenging a noble.

"Phew, you said the ID card would be issued as early as tomorrow, right? Once I have one, I can go outside, so couldn't I just grab any Hunter and bring them here?"

"Hmm... There is still a minimum procedure. From drawing up a contract to the 'Oath Magic.' I'm not sure it can all be done in one day."

"Oath Magic?"

"Some magic users can cast curses. Nobles and businesspeople use them to make agreements by mutual consent. For example, 'If you reveal anything you hear here, you will die.'"

"I see."

......There really was no end to the strange things. The upper class was different in every way. No wonder they could avoid being stabbed in the back by those beneath them and keep things going for a thousand years.

I tapped the table and thought.

Canceling the schedule would put me and Han Jihye in serious trouble, but if I went ahead, I had no way to find an attendant. It was a very difficult situation.

'If only I could solve the money problem... Huh?'

Ding-

[Entering the dungeon 'The Sea People's Path.']

----------------------------------------

[Gold and experience available]

[Enterable area: Lighthouse on the Beach]

----------------------------------------

[Accept (Y) Decline (N)]

----------------------------------------

......What was this?

'Wait, it says gold can be obtained?'

I was only briefly flustered by the sudden message window before I began racking my brain, feeling as though a solution might come to me.

The fact that gold could be obtained meant I could craft items.

April's kind reaction had confirmed a certain level of performance and design, so now all I had to do was make them and sell them.

Suppressing the corners of my mouth as they rose, I asked Han Jihye,

"......That Oath thing. What happens if we don't take it?"

"We'd have no way to control what she says. If even the smallest thing leaked from this island, the Family Head would be furious."

Douglas would be furious?

'......'

Should I just give up on everything?

"Lady Raebi."

"Yes?"

"Even so, you mustn't forgive Ms. Anna-ri."

"I know."

She had to ask for forgiveness before I could even consider forgiving her. What was I supposed to do when she was only watching me warily from afar?

Kang Hana had taught the children, so perhaps she was concerned about Anna-ri, but I wasn't.

"Anyway, that's enough about Ms. Anna-ri. Ms. Jihye, please tell Big Brother Vincent that 'I've prepared the toy he wanted.'"

"Pardon?"

"Also tell him that I'm asking for a small fee for taking responsibility."

"......"

Han Jihye froze with her mouth open as if she'd been electrocuted. Her expression was an odd mix of curiosity and concern. I gave her a confident smile.

"Please, hurry. I promise it isn't something I can't take responsibility for."

"......Understood. Lady Raebi, you're remarkably mature for your age, so you must have some sort of plan."

'It has to be.' Han Jihye mouthed that, then left with a smile.

Immediately after she left, I told everyone not to enter and locked the door.

"......I need to hurry. Accept."

Shwaaak-!

My consciousness began to be sucked somewhere.

***

Thump!

When I opened my tightly shut eyes, I was on some beach.

An orange sky and yellowish sand. And merfolk.

'......What,'

"Kyaaahhh!!!"

"Huh? Wha—!?"

Before I had time to examine them closely, blue merfolk charged at me. They bared sharp teeth while pointing the tridents they held at me.

......They moved that fast with a single flick of the tail.

Ding-

[Activating skill 'Blade Nails LV.2.']

Clang-! Shik!

Kakakakang!!

Without knowing what was going on, I began an all-out brawl with dozens of merfolk.

Dodging and batting away their tridents, I severed their red fins and arms. Even though they were monsters I'd never seen before, somehow I knew their weak points.

When their fins were severed, their speed was cut in half, and when their arms were severed, they flailed about before collapsing from exhaustion.

Just in case, I made a large scratch on one torso, but it only flopped around like a freshly caught live fish. As expected, its condition didn't seem to change.

In the end, I targeted their weak points again, and the corpses of those bizarre merfolk began piling up.

'Essence Absorption...!'

Ding-

[Level Up]

As the corpses piled up, essences kept pouring in. The quality was around C-rank—pretty decent.

But for every one I killed, another sprang out. Since they kept crawling from the beach without end, I grew increasingly exhausted.

In the end, I had no choice but to call them out.

"Pygmies, all of you, come out!"

Ding-

[Pygmy summoning has been blocked.]

Ding-

[The highest-grade Pygmy 'Set' has refused to be summoned.]

'What?'

Shikakakakang!!!

Meanwhile, the merfolk kept multiplying and pressed forward in waves. My mind went blank for a moment after failing to summon the Pygmies, and I left myself open.

Pshht-!

"Urgh!"

Small wounds began appearing one after another. In ordinary games, all wounds were healed upon leveling up, but apparently that didn't happen here.

The growing wounds gradually slowed my movements, which caused even more injuries.

I tried to at least kiss the ring, but I didn't have enough time or mana for that, either.

'Th-this... What the hell...! I'm going to die!'

"I don't want to do this anymore! Let me out!!"

Ding-

[Exiting the dungeon.]

Y-yes, hurry...!

[5]

[4]

[3]

[2]

[1]

Shwaaak-!

[Transition complete.]

"......Nghaaaaaaah!!! S-Save me!!"

"Lady Raebi? Lady Raebi, what happened!!"

The sound of someone pounding on the door. I stared blankly for a moment at the suddenly changed scenery before my eyes.

'......Ms. Hana's voice? Am I back?'

The fish people who had charged at me moments ago were still vivid in my mind. I had nearly been skewered by their tridents, but when I suddenly said I wanted to leave, they let me out?

I ran my hands over my body. Nothing hurt, my clothes weren't torn, and I was perfectly fine. Normally, this would be where I'd wonder if it had all been a dream, but...

"......I can just check."

"Lady Raebi!!"

"I'm fine! I must have dozed off for a moment!"

I had to check quickly before Kang Hana broke down the door and came in.

The essences and experience I'd gained were definitely still there, so opening something—anything—would give me the answer.

I immediately opened the shop, and the item screen for my last purchase appeared just as it had before.

Pop-!

[Piranian's Red Telekinetic Stone]

---------------------------

Purchase price: 11,300G

Sale price: 5,500G

---------------------------

Money held: 4,612,300 G

(+4,610,700)

......Four million...?