Chapter 3: This is how I jailed the Merchant

12 June 422

I managed a sigh as I started to regret planning this little walk outside.

After spending a full day procrastinating and dealing with some basic paperwork, I found out the dreadful way that boredom was still a thing and that it was worse than back home.

No Youtube, no games... Heck, even a TV show sounded appealing to my dulled sense of entertainment.

Sure, I still had my phone with me but... Writing was kind of pointless if it was going to be stuck there for no one but me to read, the apps I had in there worked only online and finally I was unable to call anyone to rant about the lunacy I was dealing with.

So walking around was a must, especially with the census attempt still ongoing, as I needed to have a personal insight over the business of the city.

Mind you that this wasn't the small village near the Roswall mansion and I was almost tempted to compare it to a German city from the Renaissance.

The comparison wasn't off by much as the style did remind me of some Bavarian old-style villages that I've seen via photos online, the main difference was the materials used to make most of the buildings.

Stone was a good material, but without cement it was a risky gamble for proper builders to take.

"What keeps buildings from falling down?"

It was a curt query that I let out loud for my two guards to hear and contemplate.

Oh, I almost forgot.

Since the role was supposedly a 'dangerous' one and I was totally screwed in case I faced an assassin directly, a pair of bodyguards was provided by the local militia.

The duo, which I had nicknamed 'Pinkie' and 'Brain' for the stark resemblance to the two toon mices, proved to be a renewable source of funny remarks and snippets.

And By renewable I mean: They are funny, but get quite annoying after hearing the bicker so much during their job.

Anyway, as the walk around the city continued, a new source of concern appeared right in front of me to me in the form of some peaceful protest in the market area of the Erindor.

People were throwing shouts, and coming close to add rocks to the currently peaceful projectiles, at the smug-looking merchant because of his... his merchandise.

Two children, twins. Both young boys with silver hair, dark eyes, and... Two pairs of fox-like ears.

I took a moment to study the animal ears, the first time I saw this kind of stuff so... Realistic-no, so real.

Yet the awe vanished the moment I remembered why they were both here. And I realized how annoyed I was getting the more I stared at the scene.

Deciding to approach the situation, I felt my face twisting in the truest form of livid as I prepared to handle the ugly circumstance. The crowd noticed my presence. Their voices turned into soft murmurs, and the slave trader finally caught up with my arrival.

"To think that today my humble establishment would be blessed by our newest Mayor," He addressed so calmly, ignoring the current state of irritation everyone was displaying at the predicament.

The crooked smile adorning his face further pissed me off, but he seemed to ignore the scowl plastered on my face, stretching his open palm at me in a cordial manner.

"Name's Hornos Hert, just a merchant passing by this beautiful city for some lucrative affairs."

I blinked at the gesture, frowning at the attempt to avoid a confrontation- but I merely smiled.

"I don't shake hands."

Quoting the good, ol' Mahk seemed to work brilliantly as the smirk on the merchant's face faded in a light scowl at the rude response.

"Is there any issue, Mayor, or are you here to just dumbly stare at my... products?"

The two kids turned their attention on me and I felt a difficult decision coming-

Actually, it wasn't that difficult to make considering there was no mention of slave-allowing rules. Quite the contrary, if I remember correctly. Still, I took a careful approach, one to get him arrested in a comical way.

"I wish to see the permits for your stay, Mr. Hert," I stated coldly. "To make sure that you are fully legal to be here, lest I will take severe actions against you."

The man snorted, pulling out several documents from one of the open crates.

I started to read them, one by one, as my eyes analyzed every single detail I could use to make the filthy scumbag pay. There were numerous issues I could see, most of the documents forged and blatantly ill-prepared for the current time.

B surprisingly enough, the opening for the case I wanted to start came in the form of a paper about selling slaves... Or a lack of one from the country it came from.

"Mr. Hert, I humbly apologize for this but-" I smiled widely despite my saddened tone. "You are under arrest for setting an illegal slave shop within the city without proper documentation from Gusteko."

"W-What?!"

He seemed ready to jump me on the spot, but sadly his desperation was trumped by Brain's intervention.

The shortish man tackled Hornos to the floor as a patrol of the city guard had finally arrived at the scene.

As Hornos was taken away from the market, I noticed that the two demi-humans were looking at me with surprise and... hope.

What a weird sensation, I really felt relieved by the simple action and… I managed to get these children out of that miserable situation.

As I decided to take them with me and start having them to follow me back to the manor, my voice was soon drowned by the thunderous acclamation of the large crowd of people that had witnessed the whole predicament.

I was strongly shocked as none of those around seemed offended by my actions, quite the contrary from the looks of it.

But why would they be this happy?

After a while, I was finally granted an answer the most blunt way possible.

Brain, what do you mean 'I arrested the leader of the local crime group'?