Chapter  22  That’s Very Useful

「 What is this? 」

「 *Tsk 」

One of the neighbors chided the angry man.

They were refugees who had fled from the neighboring territory. They were refugees from a neighboring territory. 

They had come to Izfield because they couldn’t stand the harsh restrictions on their lives, and because it was notorious for being a demon’s den, a place where only savages lived, and where the only entertainment was killing each other.

They could have gone to another territory, but they thought that refugees were going to other territories, so they decided to take a chance.

They thought that any kind of hell would be better than the Zyfreet territory they were in. In fact, once they arrived, it was not so insane, and they managed to secure a minimum of food, clothing, and shelter.

However, the future was bleak. they were restricted from entering the city, which was protected by an old wall, and there were no opportunities to get gold. they managed to earn silver for the day by collecting herbs and slime.

Even that is not enough.

There is rationing, but it is minimal. It’s just enough to not starve.

Even if they wanted to hunt, it would be dangerous to go into the forest in this territory near the evil forest. There is nothing more dangerous than a forest in a strange land.

Even if people look at them with sympathy, it doesn’t mean that anything concrete will be done.

There is a vague sense of frustration, as if they are slowly heading towards extinction.

Not only the man at the beginning of the story, but everyone felt uneasy about the current situation and resentful of the higher beings, the nobles, who had put them in this situation and could still influence their lives.

They wondered what they had done. They were just making a living.

These feelings were now on the verge of exploding.

「 But you know what? Just when I thought I’d finally made it into town, this happens. 」

And here they are today.

「 We’re not slaves. 」

When they told them the job was ready, and they could finally enter the city, they were led to a pile of garbage. There was every kind of trash you could think of collected here.

Strangely enough, it didn’t feel too filthy, but garbage is garbage.

Wood, rubble like stone, and garbage. It’s a relief that nothing stinks.

The city guards, guarding the perimeter and watching over them, say that it is their job to take care of this.

What the heck is that?

They may have fled from other lands, but they are still citizens of the same kingdom. How can they treat them this way?

「 Yes, you are not slaves. But neither are you subjects of this territory. 」

And then they heard the voice of a young man there.

When they looked, they saw a kid in good clothes looking at them. He had a neat face and silver hair. He looked like something out of a painting. Even with the pile of trash in the background, he was so picturesque that it seemed like a satire of some sort.

At his side is a child dressed in a worn robe that accentuates the beauty of the man.

If I had to describe this child in one word, it would be a noble.

「 And, because of that―― 」

「 don’t be ridiculous!! 」

A particularly short-tempered man among the refugees snapped.

All his previous pent-up emotions, anxiety, resentment. The object of such a person was right in front of him, and the blood rushed to his head, and he found himself moving.

「 You guys are the reason we’re here―― 」

He acted as if he had been caught off guard, but as expected, there were not only guards, but also knights of the territory to guard him. The response was as good as it gets. A spear was pointed at the man and was about to strike him.

At that moment.

「 Guh 」

Everyone in the room tensed up as they imagined the man being skewered. However, the man did not die.

Suddenly, he fell to the ground. Looking at him, they saw that his legs were bound with shackles.

From the way the robed kid standing next to the nobleman’s boy was holding his arms out in front of him, everyone thought he must have done something.

「 Huh? 」

They couldn’t make out her face because of her small size and the robe she wore to hide her face, but now they can see her face, but only a little.

It was covered by a pure white mask. But on the surface of the mask, black spots rise up, change the pattern, and recede. It seems to form something, but it also seems to have no particular form.

It seems to be alive, but also not.

Too alien, too eerie.

The surrounding soldiers never look at her. It was obvious that she had done something.

They treat him like she’s not there, but they certainly recognize her presence.

It was too strange.

That person in a robe walks briskly toward the man who rolled over, unconcerned about the surrounding air.

Her gesture is that of a child. It’s ironic that the way she moves her arms and legs is so cute, but it also adds to the eeriness.

The man who rolled over was the only one who saw the mask up close, and saw the color of the eyes behind it.

Blue.

It was all Blue.

It’s so inorganic, so cold that you can’t see any color or emotion, nothing could be felt from it.

「 I guess it’s never too late to regret, even after you’ve shouted at me. 」

The voice was very high-pitched, without inflection, and without any emotion.

It was so high-pitched that if you were not paying attention, you could only recognize it as a mere sound.

In contrast, the man felt as if he had touched something he should not have. The fear that it was looking at him. Regret that he had moved something deadly.

「 There will be NO next time. 」

Then she, in her robe, as if ignoring all the man’s emotions, removed the bindings in a fluid motion, hemmed them in, and returned to where she had been.

On the way, sensing that the spears of the guards were trembling, she put her robe back on deeply and signaled to the nobleman’s child.

Without replying or making eye contact, the noble child continued speaking. It was as if this moment had never happened.

「 Then I’ll explain―― 」

◆

Oh my, was I a little in a hurry to act?

How do you do, it’s me, Cozette?

I didn’t expect him to suddenly go berserk. It’s quite a surprise. I hate it when people die in front of me, so I suppressed him immediately.

Besides, it’s they will be precious hands. Absolutely, they must not be wasted.

Now, my brother is explaining the job to the refugees again. If they are not satisfied with what he has told them, they can go back outside the city, so they should be relieved… He looks terribly nervous for some reason. Well, a man almost died in front of us. I guess I  that just can’t be helped, but her could rest assured.

Time will tell. In fact, I think we respect the free will of refugees to some extent.

They should try working for a few days, and they should be allowed to find a good place soon to work……I hope that’s how it will be. It’s not a job for for everyone after all.

But everyone would kill too easily, wouldn’t they? It’s enough to kill only demons.

I’m sure that this incident is a result of the lack of prior explanation to the refugees. There are quite a few refugees, and it should have been enough for those who wanted to come, but all we have here are men who look strong.

It’s natural to be angry when you’re suddenly brought to a garbage dump.

Well, things are moving pretty fast this time, so this kind of trouble is to be expected.

Chiyo-sama’s security goods came in handy right away.

I made the mask so that the pattern always moves. I’m proud to say that I made it pretty cute. The reputation of …… is good!

The voice is Slime in the form of Choker. I’ve been working on this for a while now, and I’m very happy with the results.

There are many things hidden inside the robe as well. The contents are a lady’s secret.

By the way, this robe is something I use heavily in my martial arts training. It is a good garment that is designed to be sturdy. It is not suitable for jumping and rolling, but it protects the entire body and prevents injuries.

And the accessories……this is a clay Slime disguised as a bracelet; if the Slime itself doesn’t have the ability to throw, then I’ll throw it. It attaches to the opponent and binds their movement. It’s simple and useful.

I’m still not very good at modeling Slime, but I can make rings and masks. Knives and decorations are still a work in progress.

This was actually a hidden project for my martial arts teacher. I guess I had no choice. I came along as an escort today, so I was seen completely disguised. I don’t think I’m going to catch her off guard with this though.

Well, if I had left him like that, the man would have died. It would have taken a lot of time and effort to clean up the mess afterwards, and it would not have been good to unnecessarily lower the morale of the refugees who would be working.

As for the man, normally, showing harm to a nobleman would be punishable by death, but I’m sure it will not be questioned for the time being. This time, however, there will most likely be no charges. It will be as if the present moment never happened.

The fact that my brother ignored me is proof of that. He must have understood my intentions. That’s my brother. A siscon as what Chiyo-sama mentioned. I am grateful.

By the way, I’m not “Cozette” right now. I’m just an escort hired from somewhere who knows a lot about Slime. I can’t believe I just said something like that!!