[Simon guesses that Miss Eleanor has never pointed a gun at another person before. That’s why she drew too late and hesitated for too long. It’s already too late to shoot now. The enforcers are too close, and opening fire would only bring out their vicious side.]
Elisa nodded inwardly. The charging enforcers might not even notice if one of their companions was shot, so they certainly wouldn’t stop. And Eleanor couldn’t shoot all of them at once, never mind whether she could even bring herself to pull the trigger.
[Simon has noticed that the three young ladies remain perfectly calm. Perhaps the revolver isn’t their last resort, and they have something else prepared.]
No, we look calm because we haven’t even processed what’s happening yet! Who could’ve known these enforcers wouldn’t even recognize a gun?!
Something like this would never happen in the Archipelago! This royal capital hadn’t just raised its young ladies to be pampered…even its gangs were this naïve!
Elisa’s mind raced. The enforcer at the head of the charge was already closing in on Eleanor, who stood at the very front.
What do I do now? Should I step in? But there are more than thirty of them. If I take them all down at once, I’ll definitely expose myself!
Wait for Eleanor to act? But can Eleanor really handle this? Does she have any spells that can hit multiple targets at once?
Elisa looked at Eleanor, and the girl’s pale face gave her the answer.
What are we supposed to do now?
[Simon thinks again that although the three young ladies have something else prepared, there’s no reason he can’t step in. This might be his chance to prove himself.]
No, we don’t have anything else prepared! At least, nothing that was part of the plan.
Elisa didn’t think Simon had any way to deal with the situation either. She had no idea what the male servant intended to do to prove himself.
[Combat] had its limits. The male servant couldn’t take on more than ten people. Maybe he could snatch the revolver, empty the cylinder, and shoot six of them dead, but there would still be more than a dozen left.
And the only spell you know is Lockpicking, which isn’t even meant for combat!
Under Elisa’s watchful gaze, the male servant slipped his right hand into his pocket and pulled out a handful of copper coins.
With a forceful flick of his hand, he scattered the coins into a nearby drainage ditch.
“……?”
As a thrifty adventurer who knew the value of every coin, Elisa instantly recognized their value. They were all quarter-pennies, and the entire handful amounted to only about three pence.
Throwing money around might actually work, but isn’t three pence a little stingy? Three pence can only buy six baked potatoes!
Elisa looked toward the enforcers and was stunned to see every last one of them suddenly veer aside and dive toward the drainage ditch, crowding together as they frantically scrambled for the copper coins.
If Elisa didn’t trust her own eyes, she would have thought the male servant had thrown out thirty pounds!
What the hell did you do?! Elisa hurriedly opened [Simon’s Log].
[Simon scattered a handful of small copper coins and invoked the Truth ritual. The enforcers love money. Small copper coins are money. Enforcers scrambling for small copper coins is a truth of the world.]
Elisa actually found that strangely convincing!
Wait, this [Truth] ritual can even manipulate other people’s thoughts?!
Well, that made sense. Thoughts rooted in the brain’s neural pathways were still part of the material world, so they fell within the influence of that bizarre “I Reckon It Works” power.
The drainage ditch was filthy, and the swarm of enforcers ended up cleaning it with their own bodies. Those who had managed to grab a quarter-penny were ecstatic, while those who hadn’t were utterly devastated. The lucky ones rose to their feet and held their tiny copper coins aloft, only for their joy to slowly turn into bewilderment.
The same question welled up in every enforcer’s mind.
Why the hell am I so happy over a quarter-penny? That isn’t even enough to pay for laundry!
They cursed, stuffed the coins into their pockets, and turned their attention back to the easy marks.
Bang—
The revolver thundered. A bullet struck the ground beside the drainage ditch, shattering one of the stone paving slabs.
Eleanor raised the gun and pointed it at them.
The scramble for the coins had given Eleanor a chance to demonstrate that the gun was real, while also giving the enforcers time to cool their heads.
No one wanted to be the first to charge. They raised their hands and slowly backed away.
“The ringleader stays. Everyone else leaves.” Eleanor gave the revolver a little wave.
The enforcers promptly shoved one of their companions forward before quickly fleeing down the street.
The man they had pushed forward happened to be an old acquaintance of Mabel and Elisa. He was one of the enforcers who had attacked them last time.
The enforcer dropped to his knees with a miserable expression and begged for mercy.
Eleanor handed the revolver to Mabel, then turned to Simon. “You did very well.”
Mabel held up the gun and exclaimed excitedly, “Mr. Simon is always so reliable!”
[Simon sighs inwardly at how broad-minded and kindhearted the two young ladies are. Even though he stole their chance to use their backup plan, they can still praise him from the bottom of their hearts.]
They never had a backup plan in the first place!
Elisa had mixed feelings. The male servant seemed to think far too highly of their intelligence.
[Simon glanced at Miss Elisa’s expression. Sure enough, Miss Elisa is the only one who looks unhappy. When the enforcers attacked last time, he stole Miss Elisa’s chance to make her move, and she was similarly displeased then.]
[Simon labels Miss Elisa as petty.]
Who are you calling petty?! I gave you an arcane instrument worth ten thousand pounds!
And wait, you knew I was about to make my move last time?!
You really did steal my chance to raise Mabel’s affection for me! I should be the one Mabel is always talking about! You damn love thief!
After her anger subsided, Miss Elisa still had no choice but to reward Simon for his efforts.
She said to Simon, “When we get back, go see Maria and collect a bonus.”
[Simon thinks that although Miss Elisa’s generosity is about as ample as her chest, she does at least reward and punish fairly.]
[Intimacy +1]
What do you mean, my generosity is as ample as my chest?!
Heh. Just you wait until tonight! I’m going to teach you how to operate a cannon!
Suppressing the urge to beat her male servant senseless and deciding to take her revenge during the [Young Lady’s Late-Night Lessons] instead, Elisa glanced at the enforcer kneeling on the ground, then turned to Eleanor.
Why did Eleanor keep this ringleader behind?
………
…..
Eleanor took a moment to compose herself, still shaken by what had just happened.
If that male servant hadn’t saved the situation by scattering those coins, I would’ve been done for!
Those enforcers actually didn’t recognize a revolver. How could anyone be that stupid?!
At least they recognize money. All it took was tossing out a handful to lure them away. I wonder what value those coins were. I’ve never seen coins of that size or color before.
Eleanor glanced at the male servant and found herself liking him more and more. He was a good storyteller, and he was quick on his feet when trouble arose.
Haah. If he weren’t Elisa’s male servant, I’d really like to take him home with me.
Should I talk to Elisa about it?
The great Miss Eleanor needs a clever assistant.
Resisting the urge to poach him on the spot, Eleanor walked over to the enforcer and got down to business.
“Number 6, Rookery Lane, Brown Street. Do you know where it is?” she asked the enforcer.
They had been lost for quite some time and were sorely in need of a guide.
At the mention of the address, the enforcer stared at her blankly.
“You run with a street gang, and you don’t even know your way around?” Eleanor gritted her teeth.
Why did I have to keep this useless guy behind?!
[Simon thinks that perhaps the enforcer doesn’t know the official street names.]
Huh? The Simon Answer Machine is working on its own!
Elisa was delighted. It felt like finding a gold coin lying in the street.
She spoke up. “That alley might have another name. Show him the map.”
Eleanor unfolded the map, pointed to the black dot, and looked at the enforcer.
The enforcer nodded vigorously. “I know it, I know it! That’s Stinking Water Alley!”
“Elisa, you really do know everything!” Mabel wrapped her arms around Elisa’s arm and gazed at her admiringly.
“Good thing you’re here.” Eleanor’s praise was more reserved.
[Simon likewise marvels that his Miss Elisa truly is exceptionally intelligent. Perhaps her brain absorbed all the nutrients, resulting in her poor physical development.]
Leave out that last part!
Elisa smiled. “Let’s get going.”
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