Chapter 8
“Swordsmanship class! He went into the woods because he had detention in swordsmanship class!”
“Swordsmanship class…”
It immediately came back to me.
“Ah, Baron Colben.”
Servant 1 jumped in, and the other two hurriedly blurted out the information they knew.
“Y-yeah! Noah's always getting punished. We couldn't do anything about it.”
“Yeah! He was late because he was messing around with a wooden sword in the woods. What's that got to do with us?”
"You've got to be kidding me."
Caliphe didn’t hide her scorn.
“Is that all you know? This is making me really want to fire you.”
“Yes? What do you mean…?”
“Me! I know! Baron Colben was making Noah steal jewelry and stuff!”
At the servant’s urgent words, Caliphe, who had been composed all along, was shaken.
“…What did you just say?”
“I-it’s true. Because when I found out about it, Baron Colben secretly gave me hush money.”
“That guy was a real piece of work!”
The other servants seized the opportunity and criticized the servant who had confessed. "Talk about the pot calling the kettle black."
But Caliphe didn’t notice them.
‘I accused Noah of stealing a necklace once. Back then, I thought I had wrongly accused him.’
And it turned out to be true.
And that it was because some nasty guy ordered him to do it. It'd be better if he'd just done it 'cause he hated me or something.
“Baron Colben said it was just tuition and threatened me to keep quiet. I had no choice!”
“S-see! That guy's the worst! I'm totally innocent!”
“I’m the one who’s innocent!”
The servants all started yelling about how they were innocent.
Caliphe was just like, 'What the hell?'
“Are you freaking serious? You bullied a kid, stole his stuff, and you're saying you did nothing wrong?”
“N-Noah wouldn't have done it if he didn't want to. Especially not something you sent him, Lady Caliphe.”
They still didn’t admit they were wrong. Figures. People never change.
Caliphe, narrowing her eyes, nodded.
“Okay. I’m done here.”
“So... which one of us gets to keep our job?”
“All three of you.”
The servants’ faces brightened. Caliphe tilted her head and smiled.
“You’re all fired.”
“Ye-yes?!”
“And don't even think about a letter of recommendation.”
“……!”
The servants’ faces, which had turned pale, quickly flushed red.
“You lied to us! How could you?!”
“You evil woman!”
“Glad you think so.”
Caliphe lightly retorted and even winked playfully, as if teasing them.
"I'm going to tell all your creditors you're broke. You'll be too busy crying, right?"
“Wh-what did you say!?”
After thoroughly pissing off the three servants, she turned around. Click-clack, she strolled away.
“…….”
The servants exchanged glances.
Caliphe, who couldn’t use magic, was just a weak noble lady. She's so stuck-up, if we rough her up a bit, she won't be able to do a damn thing.
Besides, there was no one here right now.
Malice slowly flickered in the servants’ eyes.
“Never liked her, not one bit!”
The servants, who quickly approached, roughly grabbed Caliphe and grinned viciously.
“We didn't want to do this.”
“This is your own damn fault.”
“…….”
Caliphe kept her mouth shut.
The opponents were three sturdy adult men.
No matter how good Caliphe was at beating people up, it would be difficult to win.
However.
“If you take back the firing and beg us to forgive you... What are you staring at?”
Strangely, Caliphe was neither angry nor afraid.
I know I'm not exactly the Hulk, okay?
“What did you say?”
Caliphe suddenly waved her hand cheerfully over the servant’s shoulder.
“Hey, Butler! Over here!”
“?!”
The startled servants turned around, and sure enough, the butler who managed the servants’ quarters was coming this way.
And he's got a bunch of the Marquis's goons with him!
The butler, hiding his annoyance, asked.
"Lady Caliphe. I came as you asked, but what kind of intruder are we talking about? Here in the servants' quarters? There's nothing here..."
“They’re right here.”
Caliphe pointed at the servants with a flick of her chin. The servants hurriedly let go of her.
“They were going to kill me.”
“Yes?!”
“Kill you! When did we ever!”
The butler and knights looked at the servants in shock. The servants desperately shook their heads.
“No! We tried to kill the Lady?”
“See? I knew it. The Lady was just throwing a fit... I mean, she misunderstood, right?”
“Of course!”
The butler and knights wore ‘I knew it’ expressions. It wasn’t the first time Caliphe had framed innocent people as criminals.
The anomaly happened then.
“We were just going to rough her up a bit!”
!?
Everyone’s eyes widened as if they would pop out. Even the servant who made the shocking statement was horrified and covered his mouth.
Only Caliphe was shining her eyes like a mischievous cat in the midst of it.
“No, what I just said wasn’t a mistake! Ack, what the heck!?”
“You, you guys, what were you trying to do?! Assaulting a noble lady, and a direct descendant of the Offensa family!?”
“And you're just saying it like that, you bastards?”
"Listen here! You damn bald-headed butler, always sticking your nose in, do you have to do this now?"
“……!”
Caliphe grinned.
‘Damn, that stuff worked way better than I thought.’
The illegal potion she had obtained last night.
It was a truth serum called <Open, Truth’s Mouth>.
The servants, who had heartily eaten the dessert full of the truth serum, would be in a state where they couldn’t tell a single lie.
‘I don’t even know when the effects of the drug will wear off.’
Guess that's why they call it illegal, huh?
The panicked servants even started cursing at the knights.
In the end, they were beaten by the furious knights and dragged away.
“L-let go! Help! Somebody help meeee!”
Caliphe turned her back on their pleas and walked away briskly.
Small fry taken care of.
Now it was time to deal with the swordsmanship instructor who had been tormenting Noah for a long time.
But she was still figuring out how.
“I could just fire him right away, but…”
That'd be way too easy.
She was going to kick him out, yes, but she had to make him pay for what he did to Noah.
And she needed to make an example of him, so this crap wouldn't happen again.
"But I can't just go on another rampage like last time..."
"If I'm not careful, they'll kick me out of the annex, too."
While pondering, information that the annex staff had been gossiping about came to Caliphe’s mind.
‘Didn't they say someone important was coming in a few days?’
The timing was perfect. Decided, Caliphe headed straight for her destination.
It was the Magic Tool Management Department within the Offensa Marquisate.
No one stopped Caliphe here. Maybe 'cause they figured a magic-dud like me was no threat, which was good, 'cause I could snoop around all I wanted.
There, Caliphe brought a general magic tool. Unlike high-end magic tools called artifacts, this one could be used even if you couldn’t handle magic at all. Of course, you had to be rich, though.
'Gotta love that silver spoon, even if it's a little tarnished.
Hell-bent on sticking around, Caliphe snuck the magic device into Noah's clothes.
Today, Baron Colben was all dressed up, which was weird.
And we weren't at the usual crappy training ground or in the woods.
"What do you think? Pretty sweet, huh? I managed to snag the knights' training ground for today. Gotta clear out before they start, though."
"What's with the change of scenery?"
Noah asked with a puzzled expression, and Colben grinned.
"The Vice Tower Master's coming today."
"Vice Tower Master…?"
"Yes. He's running the Magic Tower 'cause the Marquis is out of commission. The Young Marquis is sucking up to him big time."
"He's probably here to talk about who's going to take over after the old man, before the big meeting."
"Could be today's the day Lady Caliphe gets the boot."
“……!”
Noah froze, totally shocked.
The child’s hands, clasped together and fidgeting, were trembling slightly.
Lady Caliphe's leaving? I'm going to be all alone again...?
Colben, who couldn't care less about Noah, kept blabbering on. He seemed kind of antsy.
"So, this is the last time I'm getting paid. Come on, cough it up. You brought it, right?"
"Even if I take lessons..."
"What are you babbling about?!"
Colben’s greedy gaze turned to Noah’s pocket, as if he was about to take something out.
"You've got to take lessons to impress the Young Marquis! Show him what you can do, and he might let you stay."
That was a load of bull.
The Young Marquis wouldn't give a damn about some stray Caliphe picked up.
Colben was planning to ditch the place after he got his last payday.
If I can somehow impress the Young Marquis and stick around, that's like hitting the jackpot.
That's why he was all dressed up and why he'd bothered to get the good training ground.
"Alright, hand it over. What did you swipe this time? One of Lady Caliphe's rings? A necklace?"
"...Let's go see the Young Marquis first."
Noah suddenly said with a firm face.
"I'm going to ask him to let Lady Caliphe stay."
"Are you out of your mind?!"
Colben burst into laughter.
"Why would he keep some useless, nasty woman around just 'cause she's pretty?"
"...She's not like that."
"Oh, so you're on her side now 'cause you think she cares about you? Don't be stupid. You think she won't toss you out again like the trash you are?"
Noah's eyes finally snapped.
Noah clenched his fists, glaring, and Colben's face twisted into a nasty sneer.
"Shut up and give me what's in your pocket!"
Colben tried to snatch the item in his pocket, which was obviously jewelry.
But Noah was quick as a flash, dodged, and bit the crap out of his arm!
"No, she's not!"
"You little shit!"
Colben shook Noah off violently.
He had a perfect set of teeth marks on his arm, all red and angry.
Colben's face turned beet red, and he raised his hand to smack Noah.
"You little punk—"
That’s when it happened.
Thwack!
A rock came out of nowhere and smacked Colben right in the back of the head.
"Who the hell— ...Huh?"
Colben's yelling was cut off by a cool, superior voice.
"I'm his guardian.”
