Chapter 476
Having secured Hagets—a ready-made force capable of情报 gathering—I used the Transfer Pendulum to return to Freihait. To prepare for Verocchio and his men's arrival.
"Welcome home, Lord Liberta. Your safe return brings me great joy."
Greeting me the moment I arrived was Ingrid, moving so fast she left afterimages. Perhaps because I'd left her behind and gone alone, she touched me all over, checking for injuries. I couldn't help but smile wryly. I couldn't tell her I'd been poisoned.
"I'm back, Ingrid. I know you just greeted me, but could you call Judeus or Shalia, Claudia, Zink-san, Percy—no, Don's fine—and... yes, Bermuda and Genjirou as well? I need to discuss the results of my expedition."
"Understood. I'll summon them immediately."
If I mentioned the poison, Ingrid would quietly lose it and probably cut down the Hagets members. So I kept quiet.
"Ah, in my office, please."
"Certainly. May I take about twenty minutes?"
"Yes, that's fine."
On the surface, I'd returned safely. I'll save the details for a drinking story in a few years.
Watching Ingrid leave—she appeared to walk like a maid but was actually using a fast-moving technique—I returned to my office.
Ingrid cleaned daily, so my office was spotless. I sank into the luxurious chair Percy had crafted for the city's leader.
I closed my eyes, about to dive into the sea of thought to plan my approach. Then I heard running footsteps.
"Liberta! How did it go!?"
"Judeus, I'm the head of this city. At least knock."
"Ah, sorry. I just... our time off depends on it."
"Honestly, Judeus-kun. Esmeralda-san will be angry if you're so flustered♪"
I opened my eyes, resting my cheek on my hand, and chided him with a wry smile. Judeus scratched his head and apologized. I understood his excitement. But as the Entertainers' leader, I wished he'd show more composure.
Given how desperately short-handed Judeus and Shalia were, perhaps it couldn't be helped.
"You're both here. I thought I'd be lucky to get one."
"Coincidence. I was back to report. Ten minutes later, I'd have been out."
"Half-day off today♪"
"Sorry."
I'd acted to improve their working conditions. But I couldn't meet Shalia's smile. I'd called her in on her day off.
"Liberta-kun works more than we do, so it's fine. But I'm still curious whether we'll get more people♪"
"Yeah, how did it go?"
"Short answer: we've secured ready-made talent. They were originally an情报 gathering organization. They have谍报 know-how. They have quirks, but they're loyal. With leveling and contracts, they can be deployed."
"Yes! I see a break!"
"Don't celebrate too fast, Judeus-kun. One or two people won't help much. How many?"
"Over a hundred."
"YES! I can finally take a long vacation!"
They high-fived. They'd been overworked. It couldn't be helped.
"I'm sorry, but you two will handle their training and leveling. For combat training, coordinate with Genjirou. The Garden Guards will help with the front line."
"I'll do it. Absolutely. I'll work through my current days off to secure future ones."
"This is the critical moment."
Hearing that things would change, they were motivated.
"The sounds of joy were quite loud. Does that mean good news?"
"Welcome back, Claudia. Yes, I was just giving them the short version of the recruitment results."
Claudia entered, hearing their cheers.
"Ooh! If these two are happy, it must be good news!"
"Well, I didn't think Liberta-kun would fail so soon."
"Indeed."
Genjirou, Zink-san, and Bermuda followed.
"Thank you all for covering for me. Any problems?"
"None! Not even an ant has been allowed to intrude!"
"Nothing much on the management side. Thanks to Bermuda-kun, work has actually gotten faster."
"The foundation of the organization is solid, which allows for this efficiency."
Ingrid's高速 movement gathered people quickly. Only Don was left.
"Hey! I can walk! Why am I being carried like this!?"
"You refused to leave your workshop, so I brought you by force."
Don was the last to arrive. Or rather, Ingrid had carried him, holding him above her head.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Lord Liberta."
"Hey! Put me down so I can greet him too!"
"Yes."
"Ah... sorry to keep you waiting."
"Sorry for the sudden summons."
The group I'd called was assembled. Ingrid quietly took her place behind me. Given what we were about to discuss, I wished she wouldn't.
My office is spacious. Large enough that everyone didn't feel crowded. Lining them up in front of my desk means it's quite wide.
"Now, I'll explain why I called you here."
They didn't have time to ponder. Small talk over. I clapped once, drew their attention, and told them the recruitment of Hagets was successful.
"They won't all come at once. But this should significantly reduce the Entertainers' burden. And broaden our capabilities."
"That's welcome news. Especially for Judeus and Shalia. But Liberta, that alone isn't reason enough to gather all of us, is it?"
They accepted it easily. They were happy. But Claudia's pointed question made me look away. A classic guilty reaction.
"There's something else."
It was obvious. Almost deliberate. But she pressed on, sighing.
"I promised to build a certain facility as a condition of the recruitment."
I looked back. Assumed the thinking pose.
"A certain facility? Like a tavern?"
"That wouldn't entice such an organization. Something profitable... like a gambling den?"
"No, gambling wouldn't make money here. And if it were a gambling den, there'd be no reason not to call Esmeralda-chan."
Judeus guessed. Bermuda considered. Don dismissed it.
"Right. You called the department heads. But the selection seems... biased."
"Liberta-kun usually says things outright. Being evasive is suspicious."
Zink-san noticed the bias. Shalia was suspicious of my hesitation.
"I cannot fathom it! My lord, what facility did you promise?"
Genjirou's honest admission forced my hand. I'd hoped someone would guess and say "that's it." But dragging it out wouldn't help. I put on a serious face.
"A port town's entertainment district. More precisely, a red-light district."
"I see."
"...That explains the guest list."
The men nodded in understanding. Claudia held her forehead, sighing.
"..."
Ingrid's cold gaze drilled into my back.
This is why I wanted only the men and Claudia.
"I doubt you'd suggest this without reason. Explain."
"Yeah."
Relieved that most of the room were men, I nodded at Claudia's words. I explained why a red-light district was necessary and how it led to recruiting Hagets.
"Coming from guys who like getting naked..."
"Is there a reason Liberta-kun's情報 network only attracts weirdos?"
"I can't say no. But my excuse is that this is the result of gathering talented, trustworthy people."
Reactions varied. Judeus and Shalia, their future coworkers, were exasperated by the recruits' proclivities.
"How do we convince them?"
"A red-light district is effective for治安 balance. Logical discussion is best."
Zink-san and Bermuda understood the necessity. They immediately began planning.
"Well, we get that way after drinking too. Having places for like-minded people is appreciated."
"Giving the younger Garden Guards an outlet is good."
Don and Genjirou expressed simple happiness. Manual laborers, they understood the need to relieve stress.
"Zink-san and Bermuda probably understand, but even if it's necessary, it won't be easy. So, let's think of ways to convince the female residents."
The mood wasn't bad.
"Ah, that's it."
"This is the kind of thing Liberta-kun can't just announce himself."
Judeus and Shalia finally understood why they'd been called.
"The ideal scenario is someone here proposes it. We discuss. Liberta-kun decides it's necessary."
"That's the safe landing."
No matter the justification, building a red-light district—where professional women sell themselves—would earn bad feelings from the female residents. To avoid ruining the city's atmosphere, they would need to discuss it carefully.