The Lazy Grand Strategy of Asora: Lord Mito and His Retainers' Guild Boom
Misumi Makoto just wanted a quiet life. Instead, he got summoned to another world, called ugly to his face, and thrown into a wasteland by a goddess who decided he wasn't hero material. Rude, honestly.
But Makoto isn't the type to grovel. Armed with five mysterious rings, a pocket dimension called Asora, and a crew of loyal (if eccentric) retainers who insist on calling him "Lord Mito," he's decided to do the one thing no one expects from a discarded hero candidate: open a shop.
Between sellin
The Lazy Grand Strategy of Asora: Lord Mito and His Retainers' Guild Boom - Lord Mito at Rock Bottom — The Eviction Notice and the Night of Fists
The morning at Mirage Plaza was different from usual.
The sky hung heavy with clouds, and the smell of the tide clung damp and lukewarm to the streets. Wood splinters and scorched scraps of cloth from yesterday's explosion still littered the cobblestones. People walked fast, and everyone avoided the direction of the Kuzunoha Trading Company's stall.
Misumi Makoto stood in front of the shop.
A black cloth mask. Deep brown eyes. Short black hair swaying slightly in the humid wind. The five Dlaupnir rings on his fingers glinted dully beneath the overcast sky.
"...Don't come any closer."
Makoto watched the crowd approaching from across the plaza.
Ten people. Twenty. No—more.
Men and women, young and old. Each clutching wooden sticks or stones, and some carrying signs painted in ink: "Don't forgive the murderous trading company."
"Come out, Kuzunoha!"
"You sold cursed goods that drain people's mana!"
"Get out of this city!"
The angry shouts echoed against the cloudy sky.
Makoto didn't move.
"Lord Mito."
A woman with long silver hair tied back stepped up beside him. Her golden eyes glared sharply at the crowd. A katana hung at her hip. His first retainer, playing the part of Kaku-san from the period dramas.
"Stand down, Tomoe."
Makoto spoke quietly.
"But those people might do something to you, Lord Mito."
"That's exactly why you stand down. ...If you draw your blade here, that's the end of everything."
Tomoe bit her lip and stepped back.
The crowd stopped in front of the stall.
At the front stood the butcher—a big man in a bloodstained apron, the same man who'd greeted Makoto cheerfully until yesterday.
"Master Raidou."
The butcher glared at Makoto.
"Is it true someone died from the bandages your shop sold?"
"No one died."
Makoto answered in a businesslike tone.
"Toa is alive. Her mana hasn't returned, but her life isn't in danger."
"Liar!"
"The old lady next door to me lost her hearing in that explosion!"
"My son cut his head on the debris!"
Voices flew one after another.
Makoto stepped forward.
"The cause of the explosion was fragments of red Dlaupnir mixed into the product. That's my failure of oversight. I accept responsibility. But I won't run and I won't hide. I'll explain everything properly, right here."
"Explain?"
The butcher spat as he shouted.
"Does explaining bring the dead back to life?! Does explaining heal the old lady's ears?! Your explanations ain't worth a damn!"
"That's right!"
"A crooked merchant!"
"Filthy insect!"
—Insect.
At that word, something deep in Makoto's eyes flashed cold for just an instant.
"...An insect, huh."
Makoto murmured under his breath.
(The same word the goddess used. You people use it too.)
Something stirred in his chest.
But Makoto forced it down.
"Regardless, I've recovered every last product. I won't sell anything dangerous in this city again. I ask you to accept that."
"Accept it?!"
"Get out!"
"Close up shop right now and disappear from this city!"
A stone flew.
A fist-sized rock grazed Makoto's forehead.
The edge of his mask tore slightly.
"Lord Mito!"
Tomoe's hand went to the hilt of her katana.
"Stop, Tomoe."
Makoto held her back with his palm.
"...Don't raise a hand. Your blade isn't meant for the likes of them."
"But...!"
"I said stop."
Makoto turned back to face the crowd.
That was when it happened.
"Give me back my sister!"
A shrill, sobbing voice rang out from behind the crowd.
The crowd parted.
A girl with dark brown hair tied in twin tails came tumbling forward, rushing to stand before Makoto.
Toa's little sister—Rinon.
She looked about ten. Her face was a mess of tears as she grabbed the hem of Makoto's clothes.
"My sister's mana won't come back! At this rate, she can't stay an adventurer! I don't want her to quit! Becoming an adventurer was her dream! And yet... and yet!"
Rinon pressed her face against Makoto's chest and sobbed.
"It's because of the bandages you sold! Because of you, my sister...!"
Makoto gently placed his hands on Rinon's small shoulders.
"...I know."
His voice trembled, just slightly.
"It's because of what I sold. It's all my responsibility."
"What good is responsibility?! Take responsibility and give my sister her mana back! You're supposed to be some amazing merchant, right?! So do something!"
Rinon's scream echoed across the plaza.
Makoto couldn't say a word.
Healing magic aptitude: zero.
He had no power to remove the Dlaupnir fragments lodged in Toa's mana circuits.
(I can't heal her.)
(I can't tell her... that I'll fix it.)
Makoto bit his lip.
The taste of iron spread through his mouth.
"...I'm sorry."
Makoto bowed his head to Rinon.
"Sorry isn't enough!"
Rinon pounded her small fists against his chest.
Again and again and again.
"Give me back my sister! Give me back her dream! Give me back my big sister...!"
Rinon's voice eventually dissolved into hiccuping sobs.
Makoto kept his head bowed until Rinon cried herself out and sank to the ground.
The crowd's angry shouts swelled again.
"Making a child cry!"
"A monster! A demon!"
"Hurry up and get out!"
Another stone flew.
This time it struck Makoto's shoulder.
He didn't move.
"...Hey. That's enough."
A low, carrying voice came from behind the crowd.
The crowd murmured and parted.
What appeared was a single man.
Mid-forties. Brown hair mixed with silver, neatly combed back.
An expensive-looking black coat. Three rings set with large jewels on his fingers.
Behind him, a white-haired butler waited quietly.
"Patrick Rembrandt."
The man stood before Makoto and swept a glance over the crowd.
"The Rembrandt Trading Company...!"
"The biggest merchant in this city."
"Why is he here?"
The crowd's voices fell silent in an instant.
Patrick Rembrandt.
The most powerful merchant in the city of Ziege, running its largest trading company. More than half the storefronts on Mirage Plaza reportedly belonged to this man.
"Why, hello, young Raidou."
Patrick smiled at Makoto.
"No—perhaps I should say Kuzunoha Raidou. I've had my eye on you since you first set up your company."
"...What do you want?"
Makoto's tone was cold.
"Want? Ah, yes, I do. I'll be blunt."
Patrick's smile vanished.
"Leave this city. Your Kuzunoha Trading Company is driving customers away from Mirage Plaza. If your goods are dangerous, it's our duty to preserve the city's order."
Makoto looked into Patrick's eyes.
"...I've recovered every last product. There's no more danger."
"The people of this city won't believe that, even if you say it. Look at this crowd. They haven't forgiven your shop."
Patrick gestured toward the crowd.
"Before you create any more victims, withdraw gracefully. That is the only path left to you."
"...You're telling me to close my shop?"
"That's what I'm saying. You're a merchant—you understand, don't you? A merchant who's lost credibility has no right to keep doing business in this city."
Patrick's voice was calm.
But his eyes held not a trace of a smile.
"Morris."
Patrick called to the butler behind him.
"Yes, sir."
The white-haired butler stepped forward.
"Morris, show young Raidou the commercial guild's regulations for this city."
"Understood."
The butler called Morris drew a sheet of parchment from his coat and held it out before Makoto.
"Commercial Guild Regulations, Article Seven: 'A shop belonging to the guild may, by guild decision, be ordered to suspend business if it commits acts that disturb the city's order.'"
Morris's voice was flat and cold.
"Your shop hasn't joined the guild yet, but every shop in this city follows guild decisions by custom. ...You understand?"
Patrick placed a hand on Makoto's shoulder.
"This isn't a threat. It's for the city. It's for you, too. ...Understand, young Raidou."
Makoto quietly brushed Patrick's hand away.
"...I understand."
Makoto's voice was low and heavy.
"I'll close the shop."
His fist trembled.
His nails dug into his palm.
Blood dripped.
"Lord Mito...!"
Tomoe rushed to Makoto's side.
"Good. A wise decision."
Patrick nodded, satisfied.
"Then clear out the shop by tomorrow. Morris, we're leaving."
"Yes, sir."
Patrick and Morris passed through the crowd and walked away.
Makoto stared after them without moving.
(Preserving the city's order, is it.)
(Exclusion, dressed up as righteous logic.)
(Yeah. That's right. I can't stay in this city.)
Makoto slowly turned back to face the crowd.
"...I'll close the shop tomorrow. But before that, let me apologize to all of you."
Makoto bowed deeply, deeply low.
"This time, my failure of oversight caused trouble for all of you. To those who were hurt, to those whose loved ones were injured—I'm truly sorry."
His voice trembled, just slightly.
"We won't forgive you!"
"Get out!"
"Can an apology fix this?!"
The crowd's voices didn't stop.
Makoto kept his head bowed.
Beside him, Tomoe bit her lip.
Her golden eyes were wet with tears.
"...Lord Mito, isn't that enough?"
Tomoe gently supported Makoto's arm.
"Let me bow in your place, Lord Mito. So please..."
"Tomoe."
Makoto raised his head.
"...You stand back. This is my apology."
"But...!"
"I said stand back."
Makoto bowed his head again.
The crowd's abuse poured down like rain.
Stones, mud, spit.
Makoto simply kept enduring it all.
—Evening.
The crowd finally dispersed.
Only Makoto, Tomoe, and Rinon remained at Mirage Plaza.
Rinon sat beside the stall, cried out.
Makoto crouched down in front of her.
"...Rinon."
Makoto looked into Rinon's eyes.
"I'll do something about Toa, I promise. I'll do everything I can to get her mana back. That's a promise."
Rinon looked up at him.
"...Really?"
"Yeah. Really."
Makoto gently placed a hand on Rinon's head.
"So don't cry anymore. When you cry, it makes Toa sad."
Rinon hiccuped and gave a small nod.
"...Okay."
Rinon stood and began to walk away unsteadily.
After a moment, she turned back.
"...Save my sister, okay?"
With just those words, Rinon vanished into the dusk.
Makoto watched her small back until she was out of sight.
"Lord Mito."
Tomoe stood beside him.
"Retreating once is the wise move here. We mustn't give that corrupt magistrate what he wants. ...Now is the time to withdraw."
Makoto looked at Tomoe's face.
"...Am I running away?"
Makoto murmured.
"No. Withdrawing and running are two different things. You will surely return to this city, Lord Mito. It's for that day that you pull back now."
Tomoe's voice was strong.
"...I see."
Makoto let out a small breath.
"Master Makoto."
Misumi Mio appeared from nowhere.
Long, straight jet-black hair. Crimson eyes. Makoto's second retainer—a spider beast that devours space.
"Mio. You were here."
"Yes. Always behind you, Master Makoto."
Mio knelt before him.
"There's nothing wrong with what you made, Master Makoto. The one at fault is whoever mixed in those red fragments. ...You did nothing wrong."
Mio's crimson eyes gazed straight up at him.
"...Mio, I'm the one responsible for the product. Whatever the reason, it's my responsibility."
"Master Makoto..."
Mio wrapped both hands around his.
"I can't forget the smile on your face when you ate your cooking, Master Makoto. You looked so happy then. ...That's why I want to make something together again. Something that won't hurt anyone this time."
Mio's hands were warm.
"...Thank you, Mio."
Makoto gently placed a hand on Mio's head.
"But right now, I can't fully take in what you're saying. ...Could you leave me alone for a little while?"
"Master Makoto..."
Mio lowered her eyes sadly.
"...As you wish. But I'll always be by your side, Master Makoto. Call for me, and I'll come anywhere."
Mio vanished soundlessly into the dusk.
Tomoe gave Makoto a bow and followed after her.
Makoto stood alone in Mirage Plaza.
The sun was sinking.
The sky was stained red.
(I started a business in this city.)
(It had only just b
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