Chapter 59
"Wow, how wonderful. But we have enough people, so no thanks."
Kagami immediately said this with a displeased expression, as if to insist, 'Your being here would only get in the way.'
"Oh? It looked to me like you were trying to recruit staff just a moment ago."
David replied with an expression that seemed to say, 'I thought you'd say that,' and Kagami clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Regardless, even if you decline my help, I will still have to remain by your side as a guard. His Majesty ordered me to bring Princess Kururu back if her reasons were insufficient, and to keep watch for a while even if they were sufficient, to make sure they were genuine."
"Having to live with someone watching you sounds incredibly stressful."
"Now, now, please don't put it that way. I am the only one keeping watch, and in exchange, I am offering to help with your work, Kagami-sama."
At that, Kagami's expression clouded for a moment. Honestly, he wanted to avoid having to keep up this almost entirely false story for the foreseeable future.
As he wondered if there was some way to send David home without having him keep watch, David took out a sheet of parchment and set it on the table.
On it was a notice recruiting casino staff, worded differently from the one Kagami and the others had made. Tina leaned across the table and began reading it.
"Beginners welcome! We provide an environment where even those new to casino work can work with confidence. One month of training, with raises based on ability... Why did you prepare something like this?"
"Before I am Princess Kururu's guard, I am her servant. When I saw that you were recruiting staff, I considered that you might need help and prepared this in advance."
David smiled warmly as he replied to Tina. Kagami picked up the recruitment notice to inspect it, too, and frowned at how little its wording differed from the one they'd written themselves.
"And what exactly is this supposed to prove?"
"Try recruiting again with this. I'm sure people will come without your having to give a speech in the plaza."
David smiled again as he said this. Kagami stood up, saying, "Ha, no way," and left the shop with the flyer, half convinced it would never work.
Since their current recruitment flyers hadn't attracted any staff, Kagami figured they might as well try. He had copies of David's notice made at the Quest Issuing Guild, posted them at the Guild and on the plaza bulletin board, then set up a reception desk near the benches with a sign reading "Casino Staff Wanted" and waited for people to show up.
Two hours later, a line had formed in front of the reception desk by the plaza benches. It was made up of Villagers and adventurers who lived in Valman.
Not everyone was looking for a job. Some just wanted to hear more, while others were ready to sign up immediately. In any case, they showed far more interest than the people who had gathered when Rex gave his speech.
"What's going on?"
While Tina handled the reception desk, busily asking the people who kept arriving about their schedules and preferences for interview dates, Kagami stood beside her with his mouth hanging open and muttered those words.
"All I did was emphasize that it was a safe place to work."
"So the whole 'friendly, homey workplace' idea wasn't wrong after all?"
Kagami said, then gave Alice, who was staring at the line in amazement beside him, a pat on the back and said, "As expected of you, Alice-chan."
"Your way of thinking wasn't wrong. What matters is whether people can feel safe at work. Your notice only gave a vague outline of the job, so people had no idea what they'd actually be doing and couldn't help worrying about whether they'd be able to handle it. So I specified the training period and clarified the different kinds of work at the casino, while also saying that we would take their preferences into account. I added that we would consider their preferred working hours, too. I left out the number of openings. We can simply select and manage the number of people we need from among the applicants. If there's a set limit, people may assume the positions will be filled by someone else and that they won't get a chance to work here. In short, simply providing this information can ease people's concerns about taking the job."
After hearing the explanation, Kagami turned back toward David—
"You're hired."
He said it with the biggest smile. In that instant, Rex grabbed Kagami by the shoulder at incredible speed and pulled him away from David. Alice and David stared at the two of them, wondering what was going on, but Rex ignored them and leaned close to Kagami's ear, as if to whisper something in secret.
"What are you talking about, Master!? Even if he'll be watching us anyway, if he gets involved in the work, we won't be able to afford a single slip-up! We could've talked privately about what to do next at work!"
"You've got it backwards. That old guy is way too sharp. With someone like him, it's more dangerous to leave him alone, since we won't know where he's watching from. We'd be better off working him so hard that he can't keep an eye on us. If we're going to be watched either way, that is."
Kagami sighed as he said this. Rex let out a strangled groan and released Kagami's shoulder.
At first, Kagami had tried to find a way to send David home. But after seeing how capable and thorough he was, Kagami decided it would be dangerous not to keep him close and watch him themselves. Better for them to watch David than to wonder where he might be watching from. That was all there was to it.
"My, my... Kagami-chan, what kind of magic did you use? I heard there was a mysterious queue in the plaza and came to see for myself. It's your recruitment, isn't it?"
As Kagami and Rex were discussing what to do about David, Takako appeared beside them with her arms folded. Rex and Kagami both flinched at the sudden appearance of the imposing woman.
"Amazing... So many people have gathered! You and Kagami-san must have done a great job promoting it, Rex-san! How did you advertise the jobs?"
Kururu appeared from behind Takako and said this, her eyes shining as she looked at the line that had formed in the plaza.
"Huh? Where's Menou, Takako-chan?"
"I left her in charge of the shop. I'm worried about leaving it to Kenta Uros-chan and the others on their own."
At Takako's reply, Kagami murmured, "I see." At the same time, he felt a little happy that Menou, a demon, had grown accustomed enough to the city to be trusted with the shop even when they weren't there.
"Wait... You left Tina-chan to handle the reception all by herself? Goodness... Poor thing. Look, she's got tears in her eyes and such a resentful expression... I'll go help her."
With that, Takako shouted, "Hey, Tina-chan! I'll help you!" and rushed toward the reception desk. Just then, David and Kururu, who had turned to look toward them at Takako's loud call, locked eyes.
Kururu, apparently caught completely off guard, was about to shout David's name in astonishment at the sudden appearance of a familiar face, but before she could, David rushed toward Kagami and the others, who were standing a short distance away, at an unbelievable speed—
"Faaah! Kururu-sama! It is a pleasure to see you in such fine spirits! As beautiful as ever, like a single flower blooming in the wasteland... I want to lick you all over!"
He said this with an ecstatic expression.
"Huh? Huhhh? Um... What did you just say?"
At David's sudden, creepy remark—so different from his gentlemanly behavior before—Kagami smiled as he asked him to repeat himself, wondering if he'd misheard.
David turned to face Kagami with an entirely serious expression.
"I said I want to lick her all over. She's so beautiful and cute—how could a man not want to? I think there's something wrong with you if you don't."
"I'm not entirely sure what you're saying, but first apologize to Alice, who saved you from being branded a pervert back then. And apologize to me, too."
Kururu let out a weary sigh at those words. From her reaction, it was clear that David hadn't suddenly become a different person; he'd always been like this. Kagami and Alice's first impression of him as merely a gentlemanly, capable servant crumbled all at once.
"David-dono has always been like this... He's just a little too passionate about women. To a disgusting degree... That's why I wasn't keen on working with him, even before you mentioned keeping watch."
"Then why doesn't he react that way to Alice and Tina?"
"Apparently, he's not interested in little girls."
"I thought he was a bit of a gentleman, but it turns out he's a perverted gentleman. I'm suddenly tempted to reject him on the spot. What is this creature? It's terrifying."
Kagami whispered back to Rex, then moved Alice behind him protectively to keep David from influencing her in any way. Alice, too, looked a little wary after his sudden perverted remark.
At the same time, Kagami began to shudder at the thought that more and more intensely eccentric people were gathering around him. He wanted to live an ordinary, peaceful life. Kagami wished for that from the bottom of his heart.