Reincarned with a deities Harem (Tome 1)

Where the head maid is.

Azef led me down a dark alley, telling me it was the way to the head maid's captive place, and I wondered how Azef had discovered these places.

As far as I knew, Azef had spent most of his time in Selafon and therefore couldn't have been familiar with places like these. Then I remembered that he'd lived in this world for centuries, so it wouldn't be surprising if he knew every last detail of this kingdom.

Anyway, however he'd found out about it, I'd asked him to do it, and he'd done it. I wasn't the one to judge a job well done after what my ungrateful boss had put me through in my past life.

The sky was getting darker and darker; it must have been around 5:00 PM, and I realized that many young men were starting to come out of their homes.

They had a suspicious look, and I could already imagine that these people weren't very friendly; but as long as they stayed away from us, that suited me fine.

We continued on our way without any problem; it seemed as if these people were just watching us from afar, not daring to approach us.

I sighed, casting a critical eye at Azef. He must have had something to do with it when he first came to this place. These guys had certainly tried to intimidate him, and unfortunately for them, they'd attacked the wrong person, and he must have made them regret their audacity.

I should have realized that something seemed fishy, ​​especially when Azef told me it was an innkeeper who was holding the head maid. No one, no matter how highly paid, would agree to be mixed up in this kind of situation. Especially since, despite her status as a commoner, the head maid didn't seem to come from the slums. 
It was perfectly understandable from seeing her that she was related to nobles, and therefore, it was risky.
Commoners didn't like to meddle with the nobles. It was so easy for the latter to dispose of their lives that the commoners didn't want to be the targets of their wrath.
So the fact that an innkeeper in the slums had so readily agreed to hold someone who wasn't from their social circle hostage without fear of reprisals from the noble family to which that person belonged; he must have been either a crook, or Azef must have done something to convince him.

I shook my head.
No matter what means Azef had used to achieve his goals, I trusted him, and therefore I had nothing to worry about entrusting him with this task.

We continued walking for a while before finding ourselves at the end of the alley where a seedy, really seedy inn was located.
The building was old and in poor condition, it looked like it would collapse at the slightest breeze. I had to scrunch up my face because a horrible stench filled the surroundings. It was truly a most unsanitary place, and I had to realize the stark contrast between the places where the nobles lived—the humans chosen by gods —and the hell where the commoners lived, considered by many nobles to be subhuman, beasts worse than those they raised.

Nothing  really changed no matter where and when we were.

I cast a critical eye around the area and saw children with dull, shadowy eyes, somber faces, and pale complexions. From the looks of them, they hadn't eaten in days, and clean water didn't seem to be in abundance here.

I frowned.

Who was in charge of these lands again? Oh yes, I knew. I had to talk to his daughter earlier: the count of Solsten .
I gritted my teeth, wanting to call the children over and give them some coins so they could go buy a piece of bread, but I noticed several men who looked dangerous lurking around, and I held back.

It was no use.

If I gave them the coins, they would be taken away immediately, and it wouldn't help them at all.  What needed to be done was far more complex and required more authority than, unfortunately, I currently had.
I looked away from these poor souls, making a mental note for the future.

“Ah, isn't that our handsome guy?”

A vulgar, booming voice echoed in front of us, almost making the poor, already worn and fragile building tremble. Azef watched nonchalantly as he approached us, his face deadly cold.

Azef was angry.

And I understood. What rude behavior!

“But what do we have here? What a charming little woman, a real piece of…”

He fell silent when he felt a pressure in his chest, Azef looking at him murderously. It was truly frightening, so the man swallowed before taking a step back.

“I feel like the lesson last time was way too light.”

I saw the man tremble, which in itself was laughable since he was two inches taller than Azef.

“Azef, calm down.”

The pressure around the man disappeared and he had to look down at the girl, realizing that the young man was only defending his partner, even if the manner was frightening. He felt as if ten years had been taken away from his life in an instant; it was an experience he never wanted to repeat.

“I…”

“We came to see the woman.”

With a single movement, the man turned, leading us away without another word. The man had nothing more to say; he felt as if if he said anything else, it would sign his death warrant; a death so painful that he didn't even want to imagine it.

I looked at the man, my earlier thoughts returning. So he was a thug, one of those the nobility despised the most because they refused to bend so easily to their rules. One of those whom only force could subdue, but who, unfortunately for this arrogant nobility, were far too strong for some of their knights.
It took several knights to subdue these men, and they were usually risky missions. No one wanted to risk their military strength for people they deemed unworthy.
So they ignored them, hoping to get rid of them with another means if the opportunity arose.

We walked through a corridor that led to a secret cellar, hidden from prying eyes and ears, and the man opened the door.

“She's here.”