Chapter 8

The man of dignity, called "Aniki," performed a dogeza (a full prostration). Unexpectedly, Ren's eyes widened in shock.

Even for an outsider like Ren, it was shocking. For the large man directly involved, it must have felt as if the sky had fallen. After all, the man he had brought along, his senior, was now performing a dogeza in front of the culprit.

Leaving the bewildered Ren behind, the slave girl smiled brightly and delivered a husky voice to Aniki.

"So!?!?! What did you come here to do?!?!?! I think you have a lot to say in a loud voice!!!!!!!!!"

"Yes!! Of course I do!!"

Aniki, accepting the slave girl's words as justified, rubbed his forehead against the ground.

"The guy behind you, unbelievably, is my subordinate. I thought he had some potential despite being a worthless punk, so I picked him up...! I never dreamed he would do something like this and rot away...!"

"That's what happened!!!!!!! I thought the guy behind you was just a weird passerby, but I'm surprised he's really your subordinate!!!!!!!"

"Yes. This scum! He really did something impolite!!"

"I understand!!!!!!! The Cabal Family has really lowered their standards, and I was truly shocked!!!!!!! I didn't know you had started selling your reputation so cheaply!!!!!!!"

"!"

Aniki's eyes widened.

It was not out of anger at the slave girl. He had accurately read the fact that the bald man had mentioned the family's name so casually from her words.

"This scum really did something unforgivable! I apologize!"

"Absolutely right!!!!!!! So!!!!!!! Are you done talking!!!!?!!!? If you can say sorry, that's great, but is that it!!!!?!!!?"

"No!! This is my responsibility alone! The family has no fault at all!! Please understand that!!"

"I understand!!!!!!! Your sincerity in not wanting to trouble others is well understood!!!!!!! I think it's very admirable that you can apologize on behalf of others!!!!!!!"

"Yes! Thank you very much!!"

"You're welcome!!!!!!!"

The exchange of accepting the apology.

But it was far from over.

"Huh? A-ano, Aniki...? What are you doing---"

"What the hell?! Shut up, you trash bug! Why are you breathing with that stupid face?!"

Coming to his senses from the unexpected turn of events, Aniki sprang to his feet at the skinhead's hesitant words. With a demonic expression, he grabbed the chest of the much larger man and lifted him into the air.

"Standing there like an idiot!! You should bow your head too!! Showing your dirty face to the lady is extremely impolite!! Hurry up! Bow your head, I said!! Oh!?"

"Absolutely right!!!!!!! I don't want to see that unpleasant face ever again!!!!!!!"

"Yes! ...But you! Why are you still showing that stupid face?! You're so relaxed! I envy your carefree attitude!! I wish you could share some of that with me!!"

"Ugh, ugh, ugh..."

Of course, the skinhead had no room for relaxation. He was being choked by Aniki's single arm while being held by the collar. It was an impossible task to bow his head while floating in mid-air. The skinhead, a human being, could not possibly achieve it. He turned red and then pale, foaming at the mouth as he was choked.

Aniki, after nearly choking him to death, threw the skinhead to the ground.

"Tsk! Even a wooden stick would move better than you! What are you lying there for?! Get on your knees! Bow your head!! Or do you want to be buried in the ground?!"

"Ah!"

The situation took another turn. The skinhead, who had bounced from the impact of being thrown, hurriedly bowed his head to the ground. It seemed he finally realized he had made a terrible mistake.

"Your head should be like this, right?"

"Ugh..."

Aniki grabbed the back of the skinhead's head and slammed his face into the ground. Then he prostrated himself as well.

"Lady! I'm not asking for forgiveness! Please give me a chance to make amends!"

"Of course I will forgive you!!!!!!! Everyone makes mistakes!!!!!!! It's important to acknowledge and accept mistakes, whether they are your own or someone else's!!!!!!!"

The slave girl, who had watched the entire sequence with an unwavering smile, stood tall and put her hands on her hips, lecturing energetically.

"Still, a subordinate's responsibility is the direct superior's responsibility!!!!!!! Your subordinate's responsibility is your responsibility!!!!!!! And your responsibility is the responsibility of those above you!!!!!!! You are no longer in a position to act on your own!!!!!!! Excuses about your subordinate's mistakes won't cut it!!!!!!!"

"Yes! You're right!"

"However, a rule that doesn't allow mistakes to be acknowledged is just a breeding ground for corruption!!!!!!! It's important to reflect on small mistakes and turn them into success next time!!!!!!! I'm sure you understand that!!!!!!!"

"Yes! Thank you!! I was a fool for not seeing through this scum's worthlessness...!"

"That's right!!!!!!! Everyone has a good and bad side!!!!!!! It's common for someone who seems convenient to you to be a nuisance to others!!!!!!! It's important to see through that, but it's immature to only see one side of a person!!!!!!! There's no place for just scum in the lineage of necessary evils!!!!!!! A punk who just flatters the strong because they want to stay a punk has no value!!!!!!! I want you to understand that clearly!!!!!!!"

"Yes!! I will remember that!!"

"That's a great answer!!!!!!! You are a valuable asset!!!!!!! But do you know why you get ten times the pay of others!!!!?!!!? It's because you have a hundred times the responsibility on your shoulders!!!!!!!"

The slave girl, who seemed to know roughly about Aniki's salary, lectured brightly.

"It's not just about responsibility!!!!!!! Your subordinate's ability is your ability!!!!!!! If you're judged to have no decent subordinates, you'll never get important jobs again!!!!!!!"

"Yes! I won't let anyone like this come out of my team again! I'll re-educate this one too!! I'll show that even a piece of trash like this can be useful if I re-educate him!!"

"Great idea!!!!!!! Put your all into it!!!!!!! The spirit of correcting mistakes and showing results is wonderful!!!!!!!"

"Thank you, Lady!! I'll seize this opportunity with all my might!!"

"Understood!!!!!!! I'm looking forward to it!!!!!!!"

"Yes!!"

The reflection meeting, where the slave girl fully acknowledged Aniki's attitude of repentance and promoted a positive outlook. After ten minutes, the slave girl, who had been talking non-stop, suddenly closed her mouth and covered it with a placard.

When Aniki, who seemed to know about his salary, tried to take out a thousand rin from his wallet, the slave girl quietly shook her head.

Seeing this, Aniki stood up and bowed deeply.

"Really, really sorry...! Hey, you, say it out loud too. This scum. Don't take advantage of Lady's kindness, you baldy!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry..."

"..."

"Lady will forgive you. You're lucky! If what you did had been known by someone other than Lady, you wouldn't even want to think about it. Get moving! I won't let you off until you change your rotten nature! Be prepared!!"

"Y-yes..."

The large man's smirk from when they arrived was completely gone. His face, which had been rubbed against the ground, was a mess of blood, tears, and snot mixed with dirt.

Aniki dragged the skinhead away.

The slave girl smiled demurely and saw them off.

Ren, who had been standing there with a blank expression, unable to follow the ten-minute drama, was completely lost.

What? What just happened? I have no idea.

Honestly, it was even more shocking than the first time he saw the slave girl.

Noticing Ren's confusion, the slave girl met his eyes.

She put her index finger to her lips and winked.

"..."

She conveyed the message to keep it a secret through gestures. Her quiet smile was unusually cute.

Ren, who was taken aback, nodded vigorously several times.

The slave girl tilted her head cutely and smiled demurely, returning to her usual waiting posture.

Feeling a bit flustered, Ren decided to pretend he hadn't seen anything and left the square. Of course, the last wink and gesture were exceptions. He would remember them clearly. It would be a waste to forget them.

"Scary but cute... That's unfair..."

He wished the female magician would learn from the slave girl's cuteness.

It seemed the slave girl was involved with something mafia-like. Moreover, she seemed to be in a high position. He didn't know the details, but she was apparently in a higher position than Aniki.

Worries about needing help or unnecessary concerns were far from necessary.

"Well, that's right."

He would focus on himself. Worrying about others was a hundred years too early. He was still a beginner adventurer who had just started to be allowed to go to the front lines. The leader had said, "Try hard, but don't get too cocky."

There were mountains of things he couldn't do. But if he could overcome the challenges in front of him, he would naturally become someone who could help others.

Right?

Absolutely right!

After boosting his morale with self-affirmation, there was still one thing that bothered him.

"Who is that girl, really?"

The fact that a girl could be in a position where a family senior would prostrate himself before her was already full of mysteries. Add to that her strange attire and profession. He wondered why she dressed like that and called herself a slave girl. It was intriguing, but he was afraid of getting involved too deeply and attracting the attention of the mafia.

Still, he couldn't help but be curious.

"Wow, she's such a mystery..."

With a mix of unquenchable curiosity and a little fear, Ren folded his arms and pondered as he made his way home.

If this novel rises in the rankings thanks to the support of readers who bookmarked and rated it, what will happen!!!!?!? It's simple!!!!!!! It will definitely be called things like "A clear example of the dark side of Narou," "How can such a trashy title rise? The daily rankings are too crazy," or "A slave-like beggar earning points by copying Twitter." Right, slave girl!!!!!!! You must think the same!!!!!!!?!!!!

Absolutely right!!!!!!! Prepare yourself mentally to reduce the damage from the criticism to "It's not a problem. It's a fatal wound."!!!!!!! When the novel ranks, you'll realize how rare and valuable the readers who read this far and fully affirm the slave girl are!!!!!!!