Volume 7, Chapter 28 – The Angel of Guidance

Just from this one scene, it was clear that the labyrinth was a very dangerous place.

“Is this the noble lady’s first time at the labyrinth? In that case, I recommend buying a map~”

“What’s the use of a map when you can have a guide? My lady, you should hire one of our guides. Our guides have been down to the labyrinth many times and are very familiar with the routes. I guarantee you won’t get lost!”

Pushing aside the first peddler who was selling maps, another short, thin merchant walked up to Yisi. Yisi glanced behind him. Following this merchant was a group of sallow-faced, raggedly dressed children.

The merchants’ sales pitches didn’t stop there. Like bees drawn to the scent of flowers, upon noticing the distinctly different attire of Camilla and Edith, nearby merchants swarmed over to hawk their wares.

“You should use our guides! Not only do our guides know the way, but they can also drive away monsters for you. I guarantee they’ll be your most loyal guards!”

“Tch, didn’t your guide abandon that young noble master from out of town in the labyrinth just a few days ago? If it weren’t for Lord Dominic’s timely rescue, that young master might have been left in there forever. Guides without a slave mark are completely unreliable!”

“Your brats are the unreliable ones. They don’t even have the strength to carry things for a noble.”

“At least they can buy the noble some time when the monsters come!”

“That’s just using themselves to fill the monsters’ bellies! They’re not even enough for a mouthful.”

Ignoring the red-faced argument of the several merchants, Yisi walked around to their rear. Due to the merchants’ heated dispute, the children, referred to as guides, were shrinking their shoulders and trembling with fear. Through their tattered clothes, a symbol resembling a slave mark could be glimpsed. All these children were slaves.

They must have been frightened by the merchant’s words, “fill the monsters’ bellies.” Considering the cruel oppression of slaves in this world, the merchant was likely not just talking. It was hard to imagine that such inhumane things still happened in the world. Compared to them, even Pepe seemed merciful; at least she wouldn’t stoop to attacking children and those who had no power to resist.

Yisi half-knelt down.

“Are you guides?”

Perhaps out of fear, or because they had been given orders, the children didn’t speak. They just nodded slightly while backing away with a mixture of fear and wariness in their eyes.

“How many times have you been down to the labyrinth?”

There was no answer. The dozen or so children just stared at Yisi.

They must have been ordered by the merchant not to speak to anyone. Yisi frowned.

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“If you tell us, Master will give you this.”

Mary, who had appeared by Yisi’s side at some point, waved a piece of bread in her hand. It looked like the bread Yisi hadn’t touched during breakfast. Considering Mary didn’t have storage magic, it must have been stored in Tiffany’s body.

Thump.

Camilla tapped Mary on the head.

“Ouch.”

“That is Onee-sama’s property.”

“It’s alright, Camilla. Let Mary do it.”

Rubbing the spot on Mary’s head that had just been tapped, Yisi took the slice of bread from her. The children’s gazes immediately shifted from Mary to the bread in Yisi’s hand, and they couldn’t help but swallow.

“If you tell me the truth, I’ll give you this.”

The effect was immediate.

“9 times!”

“7 times!”

“11 times!”

“Hey, you slaves, shut your mouths!” The children’s voices were too loud, and the slave merchant quickly noticed the situation. He ended his argument and hurriedly turned around with an obsequious smile. “These children are deceiving you, my lady. They are still young and can’t remember the number of times they’ve been down. In fact, the least among them has already been down 30 times. They-they have all the routes of the labyrinth memorized.”

His eyes are lying.

He doesn’t even dare to look me in the eye.

Is he exaggerating just to get me to hire a guide?

But even if the merchant didn’t exaggerate, I would have hired these children anyway. I just have other ideas.

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Handing the slice of bread to the children, Yisi turned to the short, thin merchant with a blank expression.

“How many copper coins to hire all of them?”

“All of them? Y-you want to hire all of them?”

“Yes.”

As if seeing a fat sheep ready for slaughter, the short, thin merchant rubbed his hands together with glee.

“Let me see… a total of seven people… that’ll be at least two gold coins—Eek! H-help!”

Before he could finish, the merchant was cut off as if a rooster had its neck wrung mid-crow. No, the man literally had his neck grabbed and was lifted off the ground.

The one who did it was not Yisi, but a completely unexpected person.

The God-Forged Angel, Laxyphinia.

Lifting the man with incomparable strength, Laxy’s righteous and dignified face was filled with fury.

“The Goddess left such a beautiful world for you, yet it is being devoured by filthy and despicable parasites like you. Scum like you has no need to exist in this world. In the name of a Third-Rank Angel specializing in guidance, Laxyphinia Trino, I grant you death. Repent in the fires of hell, you □□□—”

“Laxy, wait.”

Just as flames began to erupt from Laxy’s palm, Yisi blew them out with a strong, moisture-laden gust of wind and grabbed her wrist.

Laxy frowned, her voice rising an octave.

“My lord! Are you trying to save this filthy person!”

“I will explain later. If, as you said at the beginning, a God-Forged Angel’s purpose is to obey commands, then let him go now.”

“…” If Laxy were human, veins would be popping on her forehead from anger by now. Yisi had that premonition. After a long silence, during which she allowed the short, thin merchant to struggle and kick his legs, Laxy finally released the man with a resentful expression. She took a few steps back and bowed to Yisi. “My deepest apologies, my lord, for acting outside of your command.”

“I don’t mind you having your own thoughts, Laxy. I’ll explain the reason to you later,” Yisi turned to the man and tossed him a few copper coins, her tone full of bluntness. “One copper coin for each of the seven. That’s the fee for hiring them. Don’t try to deceive me. The hiring fee for a child can’t possibly be more than that man with the sword over there.”

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At another guide-hiring stall not far from Yisi, the prices were clearly written, and the guide with the sword there only cost one copper coin per hire.

The short, thin merchant didn’t dare to bargain. He scrambled up from the ground, trembling, and urged the bewildered child guides.

“Y-you all, go down to the labyrinth with the noble lady. I’ll deal with you when you get back!”

After saying that, the merchant clutched the seven copper coins and fled. Hearing the words “deal with you,” the children’s bodies trembled, and they instinctively huddled together.

Watching the short, thin merchant leave, Yisi patted their shoulders.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make your master shut up later. For now, just have a good meal.”

Taking out bread and water from her inventory, Yisi had Mary distribute them to the children. The group then set off towards the labyrinth again.

Perhaps the joy of food outweighed the fear of being beaten later. The guides’ fear vanished, and they all buried their heads in the bread, to the point where Mary and Tiffany had to watch them to make sure they didn’t get separated.

Yisi deliberately slowed her pace and fell back to Laxy’s side at the end of the group.

“Alright, now I can give you an explanation, Laxy.”

Laxy seemed impatient.

“My lord, I cannot understand your actions. Your willingness to give these children food shows that you are not someone who sees injustice as the norm. In that case, why did you not let me kill that man? As a Third-Rank Angel specializing in guidance, I have the authority to pass judgment.”

“But that was in the Age of Gods when you lived, right? In this world, that man’s actions were in accordance with the laws of the kingdom. In this country, slaves are equivalent to objects, and masters can dispose of them as they please.”

“This country is already corrupt. We should purge it.”

“And that’s the problem. You’re used to judging the present by the standards of the past. Well, I know it’s indeed unjust, but your method is too crude. You may not know this, Laxy, but if the master is killed, the slaves will die along with them.”

“What?”

Laxy’s purple eyes widened slightly.

It seemed that slave contracts didn’t exist in the era Laxy came from.

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Yisi continued to explain.

“Besides, that merchant is a free man. If you had killed him, the army of the Hels Kingdom would have come after you. According to normal procedures, you would have at least been sentenced to beheading. Although I know you’re not afraid of the army, it would still be a hassle. Rather than that, it’s better to just hire these children first.”

“But hiring them doesn’t solve the root problem. They will sooner or later die in the labyrinth.”

“That’s why I said ‘first’. First, use hiring as an excuse to get them away from that man. When we get back, I’ll buy them, let them live in the church, and become members of the church. Wouldn’t that solve the problem?”

There was still a hint of unwillingness in Laxy’s eyes.

“But that man has not been punished.”

“Perhaps so. Then, even after knowing the laws of this country, do you still wish to punish him, Laxy? Even as an angel specializing in guidance?”

“Yes. If you permit it, I will follow the order established by the Goddess and eliminate him. A God-Forged Angel must maintain the order of the world.”

What a stubborn person. Although she also wanted to give the man a good beating, it hadn’t reached the point of killing him.

“Even if it brings trouble to those around you?”

Laxy paused, a look of hesitation on her pretty face.

“This… My deepest apologies, my lord. I cannot answer your question.”

“In any case, that’s how it is. I remember you said you had just awoken and your magic circuits hadn’t been fully sorted out yet. After living in this era for a while, you’ll slowly come to understand the rules of this world.”

“I hope I will never have a day where I understand.”

“Haaah.”

Why do I always run into stubborn people? Yisi let out a long sigh. Fortunately, Laxy wasn’t like Pepe, who would ignore even her master’s words for the sake of her own ideals.

No longer speaking with Laxy, as their vision darkened, Yisi’s group finally stepped into the labyrinth entrance.