Every object that gets soiled has a reason why everyone reaches for it.
Similarly, when a girl is being chased, it’s generally assumed she isn’t at fault. Of course, there are scenarios where she turns out to be a thief and ends up embroiled in some event, which, while rare, can still lead to interesting plot developments so it’s not all bad.
However, the main reason might be that, despite having little interaction, I had a considerable resistance to betraying even an acquaintance.
“Was that the only reason you helped me? When you don’t even know my name?”
“I believe we’ve had a rather eloquent exchange already. A person’s character can be told quite easily from their mannerisms.”
It may sound cheesy, but I think it holds true. Games reveal more about a person’s nature than expected. In gameplay, you’re bound to encounter moments where your “signature” playstyle becomes glaringly apparent.
Then, after a brief pause, she looked perplexed, covered her mouth, and let out a subtle, dignified laugh.
“In that case, you must be quite an unreliable man, wouldn’t you say?”
“Ah…looks like she got one over on me!”
d*mn, she got me. It’s true. With all the circuitous battle tactics, decoys, and ambush strategies I’ve employed, I couldn’t really offer any counterargument. My style is the complete opposite of her straightforward approach, where she prefers pushing the Emperor piece aggressively in our battles.
“Even so, as an unreliable man… I can still differentiate between trivial matters like coins and the importance of having a chess companion.”
After laughing for a while, I pulled out the silver coin I was given to show her. At that, she briefly hesitated, her expression becoming one of difficulty in finding the right words.
Huh? Is this the Lamplet Grand Priest Commemorative Silver Coin…? It was minted to celebrate the great discourse by the bald priest Lamplet, famous for his nickname. The quality of the coin is quite high, so it should be worth around one or two Libra.
Now, why did she look so troubled when she saw the silver coin? If I were feeling whimsical, I’d roll the dice to guess, but this probably isn’t such a complex problem.
Likely, the pursuers are those close to her, undoubtedly someone from her household. The behavior of a noblewoman-trained priestess and her noble escort as pursuers point towards an outcome that’s quite predictable. She has probably taken offense to their thorough, perhaps improper, search methods.
In such a context, if I were dealing with someone so offended by offering such a cheap price for their information, I’d ironically find handling them easier in a more casual way.
“So, why exactly are you being chased?”
“Eh? Ah…well…”
Caught off guard by my abrupt transition to the main topic, she looked troubled, hesitating and darting her eyes between me and the floor. Dang, maybe I pushed in too quickly. Rushing topics with fragile relationships never ends well.
“…If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I merely wanted to help a friend who shares a chessboard with me.”
Deciding whether to push or back off based on her reaction is delicate, but if I let my guard down here, the conversation might end abruptly. Given that she seemed uneasy speaking, leaving her be might be the better approach. It doesn’t appear she’s hesitant due to needing some sort of lead-in either.
“Well, let’s move on from here. We gained some time, but if a mage skilled in detection spells finds us, we’ll be in trouble.”
In such moments, it’s best to take charge and drive the narrative forward. If she doesn’t have that typical noble attitude of always expecting to be served, then I’d rather lend her a hand.
“But, where can we go even if we move? There’s likely a lookout above, and the streets are obviously…”
Clearly thrown off by the situation, her expression reminded me of a manga where thick steam rises from under her robe. She may be skilled with quick fingers, but she seems to have little resilience to bizarre circumstances.
I understand her confusion. If some kid from the piece shop suddenly saved me with clever tricks and then offered further help without asking for anything in return, I’d be baffled too. In such a situation, I’d probably suspect: “Ah, this person is setting me up for betrayal later on.”
It’s not every day one encounters someone this conveniently set up to assist us.
But then again, the same could be said about me as well.
For now, with a mischievous grin, I pointed to the floor, reveling in her bewilderment as the sheltered young lady…
“…There’s a place like this right underfoot?”
The infrastructure of the Threefold Empire surpasses the medieval era I read about in books, with a distinctly Roman influence. Among all the remarkable systems, the grand network of sewers beneath the city stands out.
“We’ve come out somewhere in the sewer system. Oh, if you get lost, it’s best to stick together, as rejoining can be difficult.”
The escape route I chose was the sewer accessible via an inspection hatch in a warehouse. The warehouse was not a store’s holding area but a government-managed reserve storage facility — hence why the alley door was so securely bolted. Buildings like these usually have infrastructure inspection provisions attached to them.
Of course, we don’t set up inspection hatches in private homes and disturb the peace, so cities have separate inspection points scattered here and there. The infrastructure in Mika’s planned route is sophisticated, and only truly capable engineers are capable of constructing such systems.
“Sewer, you say? And yet…”
“Yes, it doesn’t smell, does it? The water flowing is also quite clean, and there aren’t any bugs.”
The priestess fearlessly examined the water channels, inspecting the brick walls and floors with genuine interest. Normally, even with my magical light source, the sewers usually have a rather horrifying atmosphere. People would either recoil or display aversion due to the typical notion of it being a filthy place.
But the way she curiously looked around, it was as if she was having the time of her life, utterly fascinated.
“Beautiful decorations on the walls! Ah, what’s this? Some carving here… in an old grammar? Hmm… Supervisor is an idiot…? Raise the pay…?”
The way she humorously pointed out every unknown detail she came across reminded me of a child on a school field trip. Although she looked to be around my age – physically speaking – her mental maturity seemed a bit younger. Is this due to her upbringing as a proper lady?
“This connects to the water distribution pipes. The water that flows here is directed to a purification tank, where it cycles back into the main water pipes after being filtered multiple times, so it stays clean.”
“Yes, but I’ve heard about criminals being sentenced to clean the sewers. I thought it was a dreaded place…”
If the sewer was as bad as ones from the British Industrial Revolution, then yes, it would be terrifying. However, this world contains wonders and magic, and this is a city designed with grandeur in mind. It wouldn’t do for foul odors to emerge from fancy grates, so the level of infrastructure completion borders on obsessive perfection.
“It’s not the safest job since vermin may appear and carry diseases. But don’t worry, the sewer system of the Imperial Capital is well-maintained.”
“Still, you seem extraordinarily knowledgeable about it. Ah, what about those reliefs over there?”
Oh no, she’s really going at it like a child with every interesting detail she spots. While not immediately dangerous…
“Excuse me!”
“Kyaa!?”
I stopped her curiosity-driven march down the hallway adorned with water-drop reliefs by grabbing her arm. The scream wasn’t from my rough tugging…
A semi-transparent object bulged out in reaction to the monk who was about to step in, returning to its hiding place.
Here we go, back home you go. With an invisible hand spell, I gently nudged the squishy semi-solid mass back into its passageway. The slippery texture was something I’ve touched many times from my odd jobs.
“That was…?”
“The master of the sewers. Perhaps the underground guardian responsible for turning our filth into clean water.”
This is a magical construct designed by the Magic Academy — a slime capable of breaking down waste and filtering water. It’s a harmless creation bred specifically for the Threefold Empire’s sewers to purify waste and consume harmful disease carriers attracted to filth. It’s the alchemists’ masterpiece designed for such purposes.
Contrary to expectations from other stories, this slime does not have the capability to dissolve clothes or metal, nor does it attack organisms to reproduce. It simply followed a reflex to grab what fell into its territory.
In a different sense than in R-style games, these slimes contribute significantly to the empire’s excellent sewer infrastructure. Thanks to them, it’s truly whispered worldwide — at least in the big cities like the Imperial Capital — that “drinking water in the Threefold Empire is potable.”
However, since the so-called wells don’t draw water from direct underground sources but reservoirs scattered around the city, the water can feel tepid in the summer and icy cold in the winter.
“My slight knowledge comes from occasional maintenance work for the magic academy. They sprinkle a special ‘food’ for these creatures down there.”
Due to the unpopularity of sewer maintenance, the job involves feeding them magical stones soaked with mana, giving them long-lasting energy. These jobs are rare, and even starving auditors avoid them due to their unsettling nature. However, these leftovers on the bulletin boards suit me fine, allowing me to quietly select and complete them without hesitation.
Since these jobs aren’t often taken, it serves as a great escape route, especially for nobility who wouldn’t think to come here. I know most of the way, so it’s a convenient passage through the city, despite slight dampness on clothing or hair being an inconvenience to ignore.
However, certain areas must be approached with caution. Even alchemists couldn’t program these primitive entities to distinguish between “edible” and “inedible.)
“Haa… haa… I told you… not to go without my permission…”
“Um, sorry. I got too carried away in the moment…”
For a while, I was utterly exhausted. Breathing felt like painfully twisting out water from a stubborn tube, my voice strained with barely restrained shouting, and the taste of dried bl**d lingered from my parched throat.
Despite multiple incidents of the girl being attacked by slimes and being rescued, we continued wandering through the sewer system for what felt like ages as she kept getting distracted by random paths and shiny objects. Does she not realize she’s being chased?
Thinking about it now, it feels like the frustration from my previous world’s teaching career all over again. I can’t handle it.
“Truly… from here on… please… be careful. It’s dangerous… seriously.”
At the very least, I’ll need to enforce strict boundaries in the magical district, where incompetent mages constantly neglect their responsibilities and dump dangerous reagents and test products into the sewers, creating toxic sludge that the slimes cannot digest.
Whether the sludge is highly toxic or anything else, there are times when these slimes ingest harmful chemicals that drive them into a frenzy. Venturing there without attention would be akin to a d*ath roll on a dice. Thus, caution is essential while traversing these areas.
“Yes, I’m sorry, Master Pawnmonger… However, knowing the area is dangerous means I must proceed…
“That’s enough. Seriously, please… stay behind me… Let’s go…”
Smelling the air. No strong, harmful odor — okay. This task has been simple; accidentally inhaling dangerous vapors during a leisurely stroll has caused me nightmarish trauma. No dangerous fumes in the vicinity.
Checking the color of the sewage. Clear, with only detergent-like substances visible as bubbles — okay. While clear sewage doesn’t guarantee safety, considering the many alchemists focused on creating invisible but highly toxic substances, caution is always needed.
Extending my hand in different directions, feeling for anything out of place. The coldness of stone only — okay. During one job, I encountered a giant slug—approximately two of me in size—camouflaged as a wall, thanks to a runaway magic experiment. Thankfully, I had a fairy’s dagger or the situation might’ve been fatal. There seems to be no dangerous life nearby now.
Using extreme caution and gently prodding ahead a few inches at a time, we finally made it to the inspection hatch that led back to the surface. Today must be lucky; there were no careless imbeciles around, thank goodness; by this point, a albino and large alligator wandering around wouldn’t be that surprising.
Taking the lead, I climbed the ladder and shifted the heavy manhole cover. Just beyond, there should be a small street facing my house, where I could finally rest…
“…Brother?”
As I poked my head out and shifted the cover, waiting for me on my home’s stone steps, dressed in her finest clothes, was my beloved younger sister…
