EP.177 The Story of the Past, Insider
The history of the Military Kingdom goes hand in hand with the clothing packet.
Improved over two generations, the clothing packet was truly a revolutionary invention. Convenient and sturdy, clothes that enveloped the body in an instant just by infusing magic power. Soldiers, for whom food, clothing, and shelter were part of their labor, fell in love with the convenience of the clothing packet.
However, the salons and tailors who led the fashion at the time found the very existence of the clothing packet distasteful. Though lacking in skill, they had more than enough money and connections, and they approached the knights with a chest of gold coins.
The effect was certain. Just a few weeks later, a ban on the use of clothing packets was issued throughout the kingdom. On the surface, they put forward the justification of preventing soldiers' luxury and debauchery, but in truth, it was the result of the knights in power weighing a chest of gold coins against the soldiers' 'minor' inconvenience.
Additionally, Cheonui Mubong received a duel challenge from a mysterious knight, and the successor who was to become the 3rd generation Cheonui Mubong was defeated at the end of the duel. Without even having the right to refuse.
If the knight who received the chest of gold coins were still alive, he would have greatly regretted it.
The coup didn't happen solely because of that, but without that incident, it would have been delayed by several years.
"...The 2nd generation Cheonui Mubong devoted herself to the Military Kingdom. Thanks to her supporting the soldiers both materially and spiritually, even while the kingdom was struggling, the soldiers never had to suffer from the cold. We are also very grateful for that fact, but..."
Peto answered, revealing a troubled expression.
"Still, the matter of the holding company is an area we cannot interfere in. We are the Public Affairs Guard, and we take care of all sorts of miscellaneous tasks including family affairs, but the succession issue of a company is not an area we can handle."
Even the girl standing bravely among strangers couldn't hide her disappointment at Peto's words.
"B-but I was told to come here if I wanted to receive help!"
"Who on earth told you that?"
"My friend said that a kid like me with lots of money and no fear could go to a host bar and find a man to help and stick by my side!"
You should cut ties with that friend right now.
Those words half-escaped from the mouths of everyone listening before being swallowed back. As long as they didn't fully understand the circumstances, recklessly giving advice on someone else's private life was taboo.
Deeper conversations come after forming a deeper relationship. This was the iron rule of the Public Affairs Guard.
"Hmm. How interesting."
It was then. Hughes, who had been unusually silent and focused, straightened his posture with an intrigued expression, as if he had just spat something out.
Around the time Peto muttered, "Surely not..."
"Senior. I'll help."
The "surely not" became reality.
"What? You?"
"You told me to watch over the kid. Well, I've been demoted anyway. I'll lend a hand with Miss Vakia's matter."
As if everything would be solved if he stepped up, Hughes stepped forward confidently without any hesitation. The granddaughter of Cheonui Mubong's face brightened.
Peto spoke while feeling the urge to pull out his own sideburns.
"Help, how? We go around boasting about being the Public Affairs Guard, but we're no different from a host bar!"
"You're admitting it yourself."
"Because you have to admit it when you need to! What do we have besides our faces and way with words!"
Every time Peto finished speaking, Sephiel's slightly brightened expression darkened in real time. Feeling the guest's displeasure throughout his body, Peto grabbed Hughes by the collar and whispered in his ear.
"Let's know our place, Hughes. You and I are just empty shells that look good on the outside at best. To protect even this host bar, we have to bow down low!"
"So you're saying we should just let her go? The successor of Cheonui Mubong, the greatest holding company in the Military Kingdom, came asking for help and we should just pretend not to notice? Is that what a proud soldier of the Military Kingdom should say?"
"We feel bad too. But what can we do? We're just incompetent good-for-nothings! We don't have the ability or the responsibility to interfere in such a huge matter!"
Distinguishing between public and private matters is a virtue required in all public offices, but the Public Affairs Guard bears several times more obligation.
Because it was an unholy combination of a soldier who could die for public duty and a host who could die for private matters, the responsibility was greater than imagination. To prevent enraged officers from storming in with swords, they had to know their place and be cautious.
Peto, who had internalized that attitude, actively tried to stop Hughes. In the end, Hughes had to concede.
"Ah. This won't do. Then."
"Right? Good thin—"
Hughes deactivated his packet. All sorts of decorations that were stuck on fell to the floor, and Hughes returned to a simple shirt outfit.
Having taken off his uniform in an instant, Hughes handed the uniform packet to Peto.
"I really wanted to say this. I'm quitting here starting today."
"Crazy bastard..."
"I'm not your senior anymore. Don't speak carelessly, Mr. Peto."
"Truly a crazy bastard..."
Hughes pushed the packet into the chest of the dumbfounded Peto and approached Sephiel. Sephiel, who had been trying to hide her disappointment, looked at the young man who had finally approached.
"That's an interesting story. May I help you, Miss Sephiel?"
"...Thank you. But."
She hadn't noticed because he was wearing a flashy uniform until now, but with the uniform off, Hughes looked more like a peer of Sephiel, who was a few years older than him, rather than an adult. Sephiel looked at Peto with suspicious eyes and asked.
"Is this man also a Public Affairs Guard?"
Peto closed his eyes tightly and answered.
"Not anymore."
"So he used to be one?"
"He was a substitute, but yes, in any case."
The tall and thin build characteristic of a child going through a rapid growth spurt. A face that still had a youthful appearance. A young face that fell slightly short of even being called a young man.
Sephiel looked Hughes up and down and tilted her head.
"Not a kid who borrowed a cool-looking uniform?"
"Puhahaha! Hey, Hughes! She said you borrowed it!"
Peto burst into laughter for the first time this year.
A drowning person wants to grab even a straw, but if a real straw is shoved in front of them, their expression will rot. That was exactly how Sephiel felt right now.
Sephiel looked at Hughes with suspicious eyes and then turned her head away. Whether he knew her feelings or not, Hughes walked alongside the girl with a beaming smile.
"So, to put it simply."
Hughes organized the situation clearly.
"Taking advantage of the 2nd generation Cheonui Mubong's chronic illness worsening, other relatives are coveting Miss Sephiel's position as successor?"
"...Yes. For now."
"For now?"
Sephiel answered while tightly gripping the clothing packet in her hand.
"Currently, the only people in the Military Kingdom who can make Aki Abata are me and my grandmother. When my grandmother was in good health, she taught me and had my back. But..."
As the 2nd generation Cheonui Mubong's health deteriorated and she could no longer exert her influence, there was no one left to protect Sephiel.
Hughes asked Sephiel, who was trailing off.
"That's strange. I heard that Aki Abata is an essential tool for making clothing packets. What would they do if Miss Sephiel completely stopped making them?"
Sephiel hesitated before answering.
"...As long as they don't want to get rid of Cheonui Mubong, they can't help but make Aki Abata."
"Ah. No matter how much they want it, you don't want to destroy the company. And they know that too."
"Cheonui Mubong is a time-honored fabric store that has been around since the old days. After suffering for a long time, it finally achieved prosperity again recently, so ruining it just for my greed... is impossible."
"Hmm. What to do about this."
Sephiel spoke heavily, but Hughes' response was endlessly light. Feeling that he was unreliable no matter how she thought about it, Sephiel stealthily asked.
"...This time I'll ask. How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"There's only a two-year difference..."
"Age isn't very important when doing great things."
"Do you have some kind of plan?"
Instead of answering, Hughes smiled ominously. Instantly, chills ran down Sephiel's spine.
The smile, which seemed like either a mischievous boy who didn't know his place or the schemer of the century, made Sephiel feel an unknown sense of foreboding and at the same time, relief.
It wasn't that she felt reassured because that man was an ally. It was the relief of knowing that the man who could do heaven knows what, was at least not an enemy...
"Miss, can you trust me?"
...But she felt like she'd lose if she humored him here, so Sephiel swallowed hard and answered.
"No. I absolutely can't trust you."
"That's wise. But you'll have to trust me."
"Why?"
"Because."
Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the Cheonui Mubong headquarters in District 3. Hired guards were glaring at the front gate of the headquarters, which occupied an entire 7-story building.
Hughes pointed in that direction and answered.
"Because I'll bite them all."
The acting president managing the company in place of the bedridden 2nd generation Cheonui Mubong, Alexei Vakia, was welcoming an unexpected guest.
Having heard the whole story from Hughes, he laughed his belly off at the most amusing news of the year that arrived at the end of the year.
"Kahaha! What a stupid girl! Going to the Public Affairs Guard because she had nowhere else to go! To guys who are nothing more than hosts at best! A kid is just a kid after all!"
"Considering she came straight to a host bar without knowing anything... isn't that rather precocious? Khehehel!"
"Hahaha! I like you! Both your way with words and your attitude!"
After laughing for a while, Alexei continued with a vicious smile.
"...And being quick-witted enough to come straight to me."
They say petty people recognize their own kind. Hughes also wore a similar smile and picked up on Alexei's words.
"As expected, you had a rough idea of her location?"
"Ah, of course. For a little girl who has never set foot in another district, the only place she could go was around here... I missed her because I didn't think she'd drop by a host bar, though."
"But she walked into an even more dangerous place on her own. A place full of good-for-nothings who only think about making a quick buck... Kekekek."
"Kahahaha! That's not even funny as a joke!"
"Kehehehehel!"
The two, looking like mirror images of each other, laughed for a good while before getting to the main point after a few minutes.
Alexei, who had been laughing so joyfully just moments ago, hardened his expression. With an extremely defensive and regretful face, Alexei asked Hughes about his compensation.
"So. You. What do you want from me?"
"I am a host. To be precise, my job is to keep women company in conversation and make them so unsettled that they wouldn't dare think of anything else in front of me."
"Hoh. And?"
A positive reaction came at the mention of making someone unsettled. Sensing his success, Hughes rubbed his hands together and said.
"President, wouldn't it be troublesome for you if that little miss goes around waddling about? Especially if she gets her citizen registration in two years, who knows where she'll bounce off to. Don't you need someone to keep close and watch her?"
"To watch her?"
"Watching sounds a bit off, I meant that you might need a tutor, President."
More than anything else, the word choice of "President" clearly satisfied Alexei. Alexei, much more heartily than before, showed a sincere laugh and extended his hand to Hughes.
"I'm counting on you. Starting today, you are Sephiel's tutor. Since she won't be attending secondary school due to her succession training, getting her a tutor is my duty as her uncle!"
Hughes bowed submissively and clasped that hand. That attitude pleased Alexei even more.
"Just leave it to me. I'll drive her so hard she won't even be able to think of rebelling, and make it so she can't do anything other than make Aki Abata!"
If Sephiel had a gun at that time, she would have shot Hughes. Unfortunately, she didn't have a gun then.
Sephiel paid dearly for trusting humans too easily.
And so, a year passed.