Prada

My name was Prada.

I was one of the long-lived members of the Devil Race.

I used to be quite the hell-raiser in my younger days, but I had settled down recently. That was because our boss had submitted to the dragons, and now I worked for them as well.

Even for someone as powerful as me, the dragons were simply out of my league. Oh, don't misunderstand me—I wouldn't lose to any ordinary dragon. Quite the opposite; I’d knock them flat. The ones I couldn't match were those from the Age of Gods Dragon Race. Their very existence was a cheat. I didn't even have the slightest desire to challenge them. Our boss was certainly something else for ever trying to pick a fight with people like that. I was impressed, truly. I just had no intention of following his example.

Now, then.

I had two colleagues—old friends, really—named Bulga and Stifano. We were all of the Devil Race, and as for our relative strength... well, we were about the same. Probably. Actually, they might have been slightly stronger than me, but I was confident I could win if the conditions were right, so calling us equals was close enough.

A while back, those two were sent away on assignment to serve as maids for Lady Rusty. Lady Rusty was a daughter of the Dragon Race. She had been such a wild child that I honestly thought she’d never find a husband, but apparently, she’d gotten married when I wasn't looking.

But enough about Lady Rusty.

It seemed Bulga and Stifano were enjoying their new post quite a bit. Whenever they returned on business, they would brag about how delicious the food was. They even mentioned being able to test their skills against powerful opponents. I was a little envious, I’ll admit.

However, what I envied most was the fact that they had obtained pieces of art called Reward Medals. I had an absolute weakness for fine art. I loved beautiful things. The moment they showed me a Reward Medal, I fell in love with it. I wanted one. I absolutely had to have one.

But no matter how much I begged, they wouldn't give theirs up. I persisted for as long as I could, but it was no use. I was so heartbroken that I slacked off work, which earned me a stern scolding from the boss.

Ugh.

Then, a group of Lamias arrived at our workplace carrying cargo. It was a regular delivery. Our job was to receive the goods from the Lamias and transport them to an inn located a short distance away. From there, we would hand the items over to the merchants who frequented the inn. It was a bit of a hassle, but not a difficult job. I intended to just go through the motions as always.

Or so I thought, until I caught sight of the necklace worn by one of the Lamias. The necklace itself was nothing special, but set right in the center of it was a Reward Medal.

............

I worked hard. I persisted. I negotiated with every ounce of my soul. In the end, I managed to trade the vast majority of my personal art collection for the Reward Medal set into that necklace.

I was the kind of woman who got what she wanted. That was just who I was.

I spent about three days grinning like a fool while gazing at my new treasure, slacking off so much that my superior eventually punched me. It really hurt.

When the boss found out I had a Reward Medal, he came to investigate how I’d acquired it. I made sure to explain that my negotiations with the Lamia had been perfectly gentlemanly—or lady-like, as it were. I hadn't threatened her. It was a fair and legitimate transaction. There was nothing to complain about.

"Or so I believe... have I done something wrong?" I asked, making sure to use my most polite tone.

No problem? Wonderful.

But I wasn't allowed to let the Reward Medal circulate outside? Well, of course not! Who in their right mind would ever let go of this? I fully intended to treasure it for the rest of my life.

Several years passed.

The merchants and their escort adventurers arrived at the inn to pick up the regular cargo. Originally, the merchants used to come all the way to our workplace, but because that was difficult for various reasons, the inn had been established as a dedicated handover point. Since it was an inn managed by the Dragon Race, it had become customary for the merchants and their escorts to stay for at least one night. After all, passing up a stay at a dragon-run establishment was unthinkable.

Of course, that meant we had to actually run the inn. That was our job. Still, the guests were almost always the same group of people, so we kept things fairly casual.

It was currently game time after dinner. Part of our job was to keep the guests company and help them kill time until they went to bed. Personally, I loved games. I preferred intellectual challenges like Reversi, Chess, and Mahjong, though Mini Bowling wasn't bad either.

We usually wagered a bit of money on the games. Nothing life-altering, mind you—just enough to make things interesting. It was a way to ensure everyone played seriously, and it was well-accepted as a form of entertainment.

This time, the game was Four-in-a-row. I was enjoying a match with one of the escort adventurers who hadn't been able to squeeze into the Mahjong group.

Now, as I’ve mentioned, I kept my Reward Medal very close to me. Because it was so precious, I kept it tucked away in a hidden pocket inside my wallet.

...

I’ll be perfectly honest. I also happened to love gambling. And I was the type of person who tended to get a bit too heated.

Do you see where this is going?

About three days after the merchants and their escorts had departed, I finally realized the magnitude of my blunder. In the heat of the gamble, I had handed over my entire wallet—medal and all—to the man who beat me.

I gave chase immediately. I went after the merchants—or rather, the adventurers guarding them. They were familiar faces, so I knew their usual route. I was sure I’d find them soon.

Please, let me find them. Where on earth are they?!

An entire month passed. I was terrified of what would happen when the boss realized how long I’d been slacking off, but that was a secondary concern compared to my lost treasure.

Finally, I found him!

He was at Maruura in Shashato City. He was there, and he was incredibly, hopelessly drunk. It was rare for an adventurer of his caliber to be that wasted, but I didn't have time to worry about his health. I had to wake him up and get my wallet back immediately...

"Hey! Stop drinking and look at me!"

"Whoa there, maid lady," a man drinking with the adventurer interrupted. "Take it easy. There's no need to be rough. Besides, let the man drink as much sake as he wants today."

The man then uttered the words that filled me with absolute despair.

"The poor bastard just had his wallet stolen, you see."