Chapter 81

1/2

"......B-but! There’s a woman who left the guild just like me, and she’s back working there, isn’t she!"

The girl Danme pointed at—the waitress and accountant—trembled violently.

I almost stepped forward, but I calmed myself down, remembering my promise to Ryle.

"......She took a 'leave of absence' to have a child, didn’t she? Since you were working here when she took her leave, I thought you knew the details. Why are you bringing her up? A leave of absence and resignation are different."

Sei stood in front of her, as if to protect her, and said firmly.

"......Hmph. I don’t care about leaves of absence or resignations. There are plenty of women who can just move goods and do accounting. Yet, she can come back, but I can’t. This guild sure plays favorites. Or what? Are you and that woman involved?"

His words made me almost shout out in anger.

My body trembled with the urge to yell, my anger boiling up from the depths of my stomach, rising higher and higher.

His insult to the guild, to Sei, and especially to working women was unbearable.

Oh, what should I do? I even felt like using my power as a villainous lady, even invoking the authority of a duchess’s daughter.

But then, as if to hold me back, Sei spoke, as if voicing my thoughts.

"......I would advise you not to belittle women. Just listening to it makes me uncomfortable."

Sei glared at Danme, and the force in Dida’s hand, which was holding Danme, seemed to increase, causing Danme to grimace in pain.

"Ouch, ouch! It hurts!"

Danme was more agitated by the pain from Dida than by Sei’s words.

"Oops, sorry. I couldn’t help but get angry hearing someone belittle a girl."

Dida’s apology was not directed at Danme, but at Sei, for interrupting him.

Sei accepted the apology with a wry smile.

"Claiming that you should be treated the same as someone on leave after receiving a severance package when you resigned is quite unreasonable. First, the documents you signed when you resigned clearly state the difference between a leave of absence and resignation, and we explained this beforehand. ... Didn’t you choose a leave of absence after hearing the explanation?"

"Yes... When I told them I was leaving, they asked for the reason... I told them it was to have a child, and they asked what I would do after. When I said I would look for another job, they suggested a leave of absence. Honestly, finding another job is difficult, and it’s very convenient to have the flexibility in my schedule when I return to work, so I’m very grateful."

A slight murmur of surprise rose from the customers.

The leave of absence system is not very common, so their reaction was understandable.

It took a lot of explaining when we introduced it.

"I see. I’d like to work here too. My husband’s salary alone isn’t enough, but it’s hard to work with a child..."

"Indeed. If I had a good relationship with the place, it might be different... But basically, I have to quit every time I have a child... Even if I could come back, I’d have to work the same way as before... I can’t leave early, so I’d be hesitant to come back."

Such voices came from the female customers. Indeed, it’s difficult for women to continue working.

It was the same in Japan, but it’s even more so here.

It would be good if we could create a childcare facility for the women working in the guild.

"Thank you. ... In other words, what you’re saying is just a baseless accusation."

Sei thanked the waitress who spoke up. The cold atmosphere from before seemed to have dissipated.

But then...

"I never intended to limit you from starting your own business or working for another guild after leaving. As long as you didn’t cause trouble for the guild, that was fine. ... But you..."

When Sei turned back to Danme, his eyes were cold again, almost as if they could pierce through a person.

Danme trembled violently under that gaze.

"There won’t be a second time. This time, I’ll just hand you over to the guard. But if this happens again, you know what will happen, right?"

The words he whispered in Danme’s ear were chilling, making Danme tremble even more.

Sei’s smile deepened as Danme trembled.

"......Oh, the guard just arrived. Dida, hand him over."

"......Are you sure?"

"Yes."

And he handed Danme over to the guard who had just arrived.

Danme, seemingly giving up on resistance, was led away quietly by the guard.