Starting Today I'll Work As A City Lord

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"La la la..."

Elisa hummed a little tune she didn't quite know as she sat by the stove, warming herself by the fire while leafing through the notebook Nicole had given her. Inside, Nicole had noted down her latest research on two new pizza flavors.

"Leave it to Miss Nicole—she even thought of this type of pizza, a rib pizza... Oh, oh, the most important thing is marinating the ribs. Half an hour? So that step has to be prepared in advance..."

"No, I need to write this down. Opportunities like this don't come often." Elisa said as she rushed to the cabinet, pulling out some paper she'd bought at the market, carefully copying Nicole's notes.

"Huh? And what's this cucumber pizza? Cucumber? Some kind of gourd? I've never heard of it." Elisa mumbled as she began copying the second flavor, looking bewildered.

"Cut the cucumber into finger-sized pieces?" Elisa tilted her head in thought, a strand of white hair falling down, which she absentmindedly tucked behind her pointed ear.

After staying in this rented room for a few weeks, she'd fully relaxed. Whenever she returned to her dorm, Elisa would drop her disguise and let her white hair show.

"Sprinkle the cucumber pieces on as soon as the pizza comes out of the oven?" Elisa bit her thumb, troubled. "What is cucumber, anyway? A new seasoning?"

"Good grief..." Elisa sighed, closing the notebook. She decided she'd ask Miss Nicole about it tomorrow.

"Ah-ha..."

The warmth of the stove was making her a bit sleepy, so Elisa perked up her pointed ears, listening carefully to any sounds outside.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

After a while, Elisa heard the sound of a bamboo tube being struck, ten times in total.

"Ten o'clock already, huh? Guess it's time to sleep." Elisa yawned.

The bamboo knocking outside was a new occurrence in the past few days. Elisa had heard it was used for timekeeping, a way to let people know the hour during the night.

"Night watchmen? This place just gets more and more interesting." Elisa stretched. Now that she could even know the exact time at night, she was increasingly satisfied with Sedona City.

The night watchman role was Lucas's creation, inspired by the ancient timekeeping methods of Earth, adapted to fit this era and environment.

Without watches or clocks in this world, striking a large copper bell would surely shock people awake in the night.

So Lucas settled for the next best thing, bringing back the ancient profession of the night watchman from Earth. All they had to do was strike the bamboo up until midnight; after that, especially in the cold winter, it wasn't necessary to continue.

"Time for bed!" After a quick trip to the bathroom, Elisa climbed onto her bed layered with thick animal furs.

"Step."

Winter nights were quiet, and even the slightest sounds seemed amplified. A faint sound of footsteps outside made Elisa's green eyes snap open.

"…"

She slipped out of bed carefully, threw on a thick burlap coat, and pulled a bow and arrows out from under the bed.

If it were summer, the constant buzz of insects might have drowned out such sounds, but tonight, in the quiet of winter, she was still half-awake and heard it clearly.

"Could it be that bounty hunters are finally coming for me?" Elisa wondered, her face darkening at the thought. Had she somehow exposed herself?

Her elven instincts kicked in, and she quickly notched an arrow, drawing her bow toward the door, ready for whoever might break through. Although the door was thick, it wouldn't hold long if someone tried to chop through it with an axe.

"Maybe the guards will come?" She thought, recalling recent rumors she'd heard about the City Guard. The Lord of Sedona had established this department specifically to protect the city's citizens.

"…"

Outside the door, Scarface and three slave traders stood in wait. Half their team was stationed around the building, keeping watch, as they had nearly been spotted by the night watchman earlier. They knew that the night watchmen were part-time members of the City Guard and patrolled the city fully armed in groups of three. Running into them would mean getting questioned and searched—no way they'd go unnoticed carrying sacks and axes.

Two others guarded the staircase, while Scarface's team of four prepared to break down the door and seize their target. One of the slave traders gripped the axe tightly, ready to chop through the door and force his way in.

"Move!" 

As soon as Scarface gave the command, the slaver holding the axe barely raised it before a shout from the left stopped him cold, "Halt!"

"What's going on?"

The four turned their heads and saw city patrol officers rushing toward them, brandishing swords and holding shields. Two men lay unconscious on the ground nearby.

"This... how is this possible?" Scarface and his men froze, eyes wide with terror. How had the patrol appeared so suddenly? And where were their lookouts?

"Drop your weapons, hands on your heads, and get down, or we'll use force!" Andrew, the patrol officer, shouted sternly.

He was fuming; they'd waited outside in the freezing cold for three hours, just to catch these criminals in the act.

"Uh..."

Scarface's group considered putting up a fight, but at the sight of Andrew—an intimidating beastkin—they quickly lost their nerve. With four or five more officers downstairs, even jumping out the window was hopeless.

"Get down now!"

"Clang!"

Andrew's eyes narrowed as he took a step forward, tapping his sword against his shield with a menacing metallic clash.

"Clang! Thud!"

With no other options, Scarface and his crew begrudgingly complied, squatting with their hands on their heads. They were still in shock—how had they been caught so quickly? Who had tipped off the guards?

Andrew and the other officers swiftly moved in, forcing the four of them to the ground and chaining them up tightly. They made sure the captives' fingers were clasped together and wrapped their hands with cloth, eliminating any chance of resistance.

"Take them away!" Andrew ordered, pushing the four forward.

The patrol quickly rounded up a total of twelve slave traders, escorting them back to the City Guard headquarters. They came and went in a flash, leaving nothing but silence in their wake.

"Creak!"

After a while, the door suddenly opened. Elisa, with her head wrapped in burlap, peeked out to see Mina standing outside. The cat-eared girl was just about to knock.

"Mina?" Elisa was a bit confused. She had been waiting inside, expecting someone to break down the door, but instead, there were only sounds of shouting outside, followed by silence. Curiosity had gotten the better of her, so she opened the door—and there was Mina, right outside. What on earth had happened?

"A group of slave traders came by and tried to capture you," Mina explained softly. "They've all been taken away by the City Guard patrol now."

Then she added, "The young master said that, since you were startled tonight, you're welcome to take two paid days off from the pizza shop to rest."

"Wait, what?" Elisa's mouth dropped open in shock. Slave traders? And two days of paid leave?

"Well then, goodnight!" Mina nodded and headed off, needing to report on the successful operation and spent the night with Lucas.

"This…" Elisa placed a hand over her chest, muttering to herself, "So this is what it feels like to be protected?"

A soft smile spread across her face. For some reason, she suddenly felt like meeting the black-haired, black-eyed lord of the city in person, just to say thank you.