Gucci was the reason Erme was currently roaming free.
What exactly did it mean for Erme to be "free"?
Certainly, Erme was Versa’s maid and was usually by her side, but it wasn’t as if she was physically unable to leave her. After all, Versa was a shut-in by nature. Because of that, Erme often acted on her own, heading out for solo shopping trips to restock daily necessities. That hadn't changed even after Versa began living in the Village of the Great Tree and Village Five.
Was there some contract between the two that I wasn't aware of, and had Gucci somehow nullified it?
"Ah, no, it isn't quite that complicated..." Gucci began to explain.
The whole thing started with the town ruins north of Shashato City. It was connected to the explosion that occurred at the ruins we had once planned to use for filming. As it turned out, Gucci had hidden a massive collection of books and videos there. Given the nature of the collection, there was no doubt it was the kind of material Versa would find delightful.
Gucci had hidden them because they were relics of his reckless youth—the kind of content one wants to bury forever in the dark. To put it simply, Gucci himself appeared in them.
"I wasn't the lead! I was a supporting actor! Just a bit player, I swear!"
Right, okay. I got it. He appeared as a supporting actor.
"I—I think it was a time when I was trying to challenge myself in various ways. A moment of temporary madness, you could say."
"Y-Yeah, I suppose."
Out of respect for Gucci’s honor, I decided not to dig any deeper into that. He had desperately wanted to dispose of those books and videos, but the "Contract from when the Devil Race came to serve the Dragon Race" contained a clause: "Agreement to Not Intentionally Destroy Culture." Destroying the media would have been a direct violation of that ancient pact.
"I begged and pleaded over and over, but they were absolutely adamant that it was forbidden..."
To the Devil Race, contracts were sacred. He had no intention of breaking his word, nor could he. So, having no other choice, he had hidden the collection and tried to forget it existed—until the explosion sent it all flying. Most of the items were incinerated in the blast, but unfortunately, a significant amount survived.
After recovering them, Gucci tried to find a new hiding spot. However, nowhere seemed safe. The Village of the Great Tree was out; because of Versa’s habits, bringing in such materials was strictly prohibited. Village Five and Shashato City were far too crowded, and he wouldn't have been able to rest unless he kept a constant watch over them.
Dragon-related facilities were out of the question as well. Those places were full of people with far too much time on their hands. Regardless of the content, they would pounce on anything new. Furthermore, there were members of the Devil Race there who shared Versa's specific interests. It wasn't even worth considering.
As for the Forest or a Dungeon... there was always the chance that adventurers might show up. Adventurers were troublesome people who would poke their noses into any dangerous place, convinced there must be treasure. Threatening them only had the opposite effect, and after a hundred years or so, the warning would be forgotten anyway.
Where could he possibly hide them? If you want to hide a tree, the forest is best. So, if you want to hide books and videos, you put them in a place that already stores such things.
As if such a place existed!
No, wait. It did. Versa’s house.
I had told him about the state of her home before. He figured that if he stashed them there, they would never be found by the public. The only problem was whether Versa, the owner, would notice.
He decided to shift his perspective. His goal was to prevent the media from being seen by an unspecified multitude. It was unpleasant, but he would simply assume Versa would find them. In fact, if he made Versa an ally, those things would never see the light of day again. He could have peace of mind knowing he had a permanent storage vault named Versa.
"I don't mind if you enjoy them by yourself. Just don't show them to anyone else, and keep them stored carefully."
With those conditions, Gucci handed the collection over to her. The story should have ended there, but Gucci had overlooked one factor: the maid, Erme.
Erme didn't serve Versa out of mere loyalty. She was a fan of Versa’s work—a comrade with the same interests. Naturally, Erme became curious about the materials Gucci had provided. However, Versa was bound by the conditions of her promise to Gucci. The two had a massive falling out.
As a result, Erme left Versa’s side and went to blow off steam in Shashato City. Gucci had been satisfied when he first heard this from Versa, feeling his judgment had been correct. He felt a little sorry about the fight, but he figured he could just mediate when the time was right.
According to Versa, fights with Erme weren't rare; they happened about once a century. Sometimes they made up in half a day, and sometimes they were apart for years. There was little chance of them parting forever. Versa was confident that once she finished a new work, Erme would come crawling back.
That was why Gucci hadn't taken it seriously—until he heard about the trouble Erme was causing. Erme was highly capable, but her judgment was unique. She completely ignored the common sense of the world. Because she was so efficient, the trouble she caused tended to be flashy and large-scale. On top of that, she acted without a shred of malice.
Leaving the details of that trouble for another time, Gucci had panicked. He had been rushing to reconcile the two when this current commotion broke out.
"It's always when there's already a problem that a new one arrives... Fufufu. When I heard about Beton from Prada, I could handle just screaming, but when I heard the report that the Village Head had deployed in the middle of the night, I almost went on a rampage myself..."
Gucci was staring blankly into the void.
"Er, it wasn't a deployment. I was just helping with a search. I don't know who reported it to you, but make sure to tell them to be accurate in the future."
Well, I’d heard his side of the story. So the cause of the fight that led to Erme being "free" was... well, it was a distant cause, at least. I didn't think it was worth keeping him tied up over. I reached out and undid the ropes.
"Thank you very much," he sighed.
"Don't mention it. But if possible, it would be a real help if you could get Erme and Versa to make up. Consider it a request."
"Of course."
I looked over at Lu and the others. "Is that okay with you?"
"Since we didn't think Gucci was the root of all evil to begin with, it's fine," Lu replied.
"I see. That's good."
By the way, I wondered who they actually thought the root of all evil was.
"Count Pugyal."
I stared at them. "...H-He’s a victim, you know."
"Considering his position, he should have resisted when Erme tried to take him, or at least left a message for someone," Lu argued.
"T-That might be true, but... what about the human assassins? What about them?"
"They were just doing their jobs. We could decide that the country that sent them is the problem, but..."
"But?"
"Is it okay if we just destroy it?"
"Y-You’ve got a dark sense of humor, Lu. Hahaha. Come on, everyone, laugh with me."
While I was sweating, Dos walked over.
"Wrap up the talk with your wives. I want you to listen to what Beton has to say."
"Beton’s story? The thing with the assassins is over, right? Is it something else?"
It was important, but I felt like I needed to finish talking with Lu and the others too.
"I know," Dos said. "Leave your wives to this Dragon King."
"O-Oh. That’s reliable of you."
"There are some things I’ve been meaning to caution them about for a while now anyway. Don’t worry about it."
"Caution them?"
"About not placing too much of a burden on you. Now, off you go."
"Understood. I'll leave them to you. Gucci, go to Erme—"
"Ah, Gucci," Dos interrupted. "Using the Village Head to prove your innocence was a clever trick, but don't do it again. This is the only time."
"Ha! I am well aware!"
I blinked. "What does that mean?"
"The fact that you untied the ropes with your own hands," Dos explained. "Well, you don't need to worry about it. Stay as you are. Go listen to Beton."
I didn't quite understand the subtext, but I nodded. I headed over to talk to Beton.