Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 66
66. Mari-nee and the people inside Cardia (Part 2)
“Hey, commoner! Hurry up and hand over that thing to me!!”
The boy I named Leon Jr. took advantage of my lack of reaction and reached out to touch Kuuga who bared his fang, without permission.
I thought about stopping him, but isn’t some punishment necessary for a child who hasn’t been disciplined properly?
Right now, my MP maximum value is reduced by 20%.
What does that mean?
“Guooo!!”
Kuuga, showing his fangs towards Leon Jr., displayed a rage never seen before, roaring loudly enough to drown out the surrounding commotion.
With his hand still extended, Leon Jr. fell back in surprise.
“W-What the…?”
As expected from ‘Moira’s Thread of Blessing’, the intensity of this roar is on a whole different level.
Though perhaps a bit too intense?
Everyone stopped talking, and the guild fell silent.
While it may have been intense, I have no regrets.
It seems to have had some effect on Leon Jr., so now it’s my turn.
“I don’t know who you are. But imagine if your family were likened to objects and even threatened to be taken away from you unilaterally. How would you feel?”
Leon Jr. still seemed preoccupied with Kuuga showing his fangs, but I continued.
If I don’t convey this now, it won’t benefit this child or me.
I’m not kind enough to stay silent when my family is being treated with contempt.
“I felt really awful, you know? I even thought maybe I should just let Kuuga eat you the way he wants.”
As Kuuga opened his mouth wider, Nero, who had somehow ended up on top of Kuuga’s head, also showed his small fangs with an angry hiss.
“I’ll ask you again. How would you feel if you went through the same thing as me?”
After lowering Kuuga and Nero once, I waited for Leon Jr.’s response.
“W-Well, I…”
Seeing him struggle to speak, it seems he’s never been properly scolded before.
His initial arrogance completely subsided, and I thought I could finally see the true nature of this child.
“What’s wrong, Lenon?”
“Father!”
Appearing with knights who seemed like guards was a robust man clad in finely embroidered golden clothes.
Another troublesome one has arrived…
And his name is just one letter different from Leon’s.
Well, in my mind, he’s still Leon Jr.
“I heard something rare was being auctioned, so I came… It’s a joke for us nobles anyway. Thought it might be amusing to attend a commoner’s event for once, but ultimately, peasants are just peasants.”
The adventurers around, living in this world, seemed pissed by his words, but due to the difference in status, no one raised their voice.
“At times, Lenon, why are you in such a state… Ah, I see, you were attacked by that commoner and the white creature.”
“No, Father.”
“No need to worry. Even if you desired that white creature, going against us nobles would be a punishable offense, so you can’t complain about your punishment.”
The knights who were standing behind stepped forward in a row before me.
This person, too, seems to make assumptions without listening to others.
Since there’s no need to act like a big sister with adults like him, I prepared threads in both hands, and shadowy figures appeared on both sides of me.
“Just when I looked away for a moment, you managed to get into trouble again. But well, if you lay hands on our comrade, we can’t just stay silent.”
“Around Maria-chan, weird things always seem to gather, don’t they? I wonder if she’s emitting some kind of pheromone? With these dust-like fellows, it’s best to deal with them quickly.”
“As you stand before us like this, do you have the resolve to engage in combat with us?”
Mareus-san, I don’t think I did anything wrong… Wait, why is Mareus-san putting on armor too?
Kanna-san, what’s with that pheromone thing!? And you casually called them dust and fellows.
Roulette-san, please calm down a bit.
No, it’s too early to take off your glasses!!
As I was panicking alone, Graham-san and the guild members appeared. I thought they were going to restrain the three, but instead, they approached the knights on the other side silently and stared at them from a nose’s distance.
Yeah, I was foolish to have any hope even for a moment.
“That simplistic thinking of trying to solve everything with force. Truly befitting of a commoner… Ah, I see. So that’s the plan, to make as much money as possible by pretending to have the upper hand, right?”
But hey, it was you guys who initially flaunted your noble position and power to provoke us, right?
“But, fine. It’s also the duty of us nobles to bestow money upon such despicable commoners.”
“Bestow money upon us? Isn’t that implying you want to pick a fight with us using money, huh!?”
Oh, it seems like some weird switch has been flipped in Mareus-san.
“Speak up. To us nobles, the pocket change of you commoners is…”
Interrupting Leon Jr.’s father’s words, Mareus-san raised two fingers.
“200,000G? We can offer as much as you want.”
“Are you mocking us? One finger is worth 1,000,000G, so it’s 2,000,000G at the least.”
“Hmph, don’t be ridiculous! That mysterious creature is not worth 2,000,000G.”
So they demand we hand it over, and yet they dare to call Kuuga a mysterious creature.
Hmm… Oh well… Hmm… You know what? Maybe I should just let Kuuga do as he pleases?
Maybe I should even unlock the combat skills with <Companion>?
“Mareus-chan, don’t be mean. 2,000,000G is almost the cost price, right? You wouldn’t even think of selling it at that price, would you?”
“That’s right. And now, with the added value of being the companion of the hero who saved the city of Eden, the price would easily go up by another digit, right?”
Though Kanna-san and Lurette-san seemed to be enjoying themselves from the looks of their mouths… Wait, going up by another digit means… 10,000,000G!?
Upon hearing this, Leon Jr.’s father also seemed taken aback.
“What, dissatisfied with the added value? Let me tell you, this is an objective valuation. If you truly want to negotiate…”
Mareus-san signaled to Graham-san, and Graham-san and the others moved to surround us and Leon Jr.’s father.
The escort knights showed signs of tension, but Mareus-san ignored them. He faced the space created by Graham-san’s movement, ran his fingers over the activated screen, and materialized something.
What appeared was not the brass-colored coins like the G Allen-san showed me before, but golden coins piled up like mountains.
Additionally, Kanna-san and Roulette-san followed suit, stacking up G in the same way.
“What…?”
Perhaps due to being too surprised, Leon Jr.’s father’s complexion turned strange, but unfortunately, I can somewhat understand his feelings too.
How much is this… Well, if you look through the activated screen, you can tell, right?
The digits are one level higher than what Roulette-san mentioned…
“Well, at least prepare this much before coming back for a rematch.”
Mareus-san said with a smug expression.
Kanna-san and Roulette-san beside him also showed satisfied smiles.
Yeah, it’s definitely not a good idea to argue with these three about money.
Taking the defeated appearance of Leon Jr.’s father as a lesson, I swore in my heart.
However, the man himself…
“H-How dare you, mere commoners, be so insolent to a noble like me… You!”
He flew into a rage.
And at that moment, when he instructed the knights to resort to force…
“If you receive the oracle… you nobles, are behaving quite recklessly before me.”
A serene male voice resounded.
Turning my gaze in the direction of the voice, there stood a figure at the entrance of the adventurers’ guild, clad in a hooded robe, hiding his face.
Who could it be? I wasn’t the only one wondering.
“Wh-Who are you! How dare you speak such lines… to a noble like me!”
It was Leon Jr.’s father who turned and spoke aggressively, but when the figure removed the hood, his face turned pale in an instant.
“Who I am, you say. It’s been a long time since someone asked me such a question… Hahaha! Let me thank you for entertaining me, thoroughly.”
As he removed the robe he was wearing, underneath…
A young man appeared, dressed in a dress shirt made of threads that shone a deep crimson, as if infused with rubies.
“My name is Areis Roa Caldia. I am the king of this country, bearing the name of Caldia.”
Following the nobles, unexpectedly, the king made his appearance.
Unrest, transformed from peace, seemed to have a rather quick turnaround in work.