//Melki: so I'm finally changing the romaji of "Onmitsu-san" (<-- referring to Cinza), I actually thought for a long time since I wasn't quite satisfied with the options in english but at the end I decided to go for "spy-san" at the end.
Well, a lot of things had happened, but it seemed to have worked out, so I finally came to the head's study, which had been neglected for 12 years, and as expected of the servants of a noble family.
There was no dust on the floor at all, and all the documents and luggage I brought with me had been placed where they needed to be in this short period of time without any sense of discomfort.
I guess this means I should do my job properly.
No, but I definetly will.
As I sat down on the seat, which was so nice that it seemed almost special, I almost laughed at myself for looking for the difference between my memory and the present.
It's not my memory, but it's there in my mind like it's my memory, so I guess I can't help but think that it's a self-indulgent thought.
Suddenly, I looked down at the papers on my desk.
I thought it was something different, but it seemed to be a report from spy-san.
It's a thick, multi-page report, and the amount of work involved is so great that I feel sorry for myself.
In this case, the amount of work is the amount of work done by the spy-san
I'm only going to read it. Can’t be helped.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to look through the document.
........................... Yes.
Let's see, first of all, I think it was mentioned before that there was a magical beast in this territory.
But as it turned out, the spy-san had beaten me to it.
...... No, wait, I still remember that I told him to go check it out, but I didn't tell him to beat it, did I?
Eh? Why? What made you do that? It's weird, right?
I heard that they checked what kind of magical beast it was, but it was too hazy.
What are you doing, spy-san?
By the way, the source of the outbreak was said to have strayed from a small dungeon in the nearby mountains. I guess it doesn't really matter anymore.
Also, on the second day of the National Day Party, spy-san looked up some information for me, but yeah.
He and his granddaughter are too shitty.
I mean, they're really bad.
Moreover, Augusto-san's Mr. son seems to be targeted.
It seems like he’s totally being aimed at, from the conversation.
Eh, what to do.
What should I do, I really don't know.
Is it like they're coming at me in a corner?
If so, I don't think I can do anything about it.
I wonder if it's better to let him know about these things.
But if I tell him, won't he get all defensive and spin out of control?
Oh, I think I will. I'm not sure, but I think I will.
I guess I'll have to go through with this.
... I mean, they've done a lot of research, but they haven't really done anything wrong.
All they've done is make someone unhappy to the point where it's depressing just to read about it.
Eh? Do we need these people in our country? We don't need them, right? Why are you letting them get away with it?
It's like they're covered in dust, but nobody notices.
I wonder if it's that, or if they're just really good at disguising themselves.
No, I'm so angry... What should I do, I want to beat him up full.
I think I'll ask the spy-san to assassinate them, but that probably won't do any good, and then I'll just have to go through with it.
No one would probably believe me if I announced that they were doing something bad.
I'm at a complete loss.
I thought about it for a while, but the only conclusion I could come to was to maintain the status quo.
For now, I'll just sit back and watch, and ask spy-san to keep digging for something that might be useful.
Anyway, what I've learned is that they're the enemy.
Other than that, there was some information about the people who had gathered at the venue and who looked suspicious.
I think I'll just read through it, since it will be useful in the future.
I let out a small breath and turned the document to the next page.
Let's see, ah, this is the progress report on the baldy's dragon eggs.
Apparently, there were some signs that the box containing what looked like eggs had been taken somewhere.
They're continuing to investigate and will post another report as soon as they know more.
...... I really hope that bald-headed bastard will pull his weight.
But I have no idea what the hell he wants to do.
Well, there's no point in thinking about it, let's just leave this one alone, leave it alone.
“Master, I have something to report."
"Alfred, what is it?"
I responded to the butler-san who appeared without a sound, acting as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.
I've kind of gotten used to it, but I think he should stop doing that because it usually freaks one out very much, me that is.
... I feel like I think about this every time, but maybe it's just my imagination.
"It seems that the residents of the city have holed themselves up in a church."
However, with such a report from the butler-san, my earlier thoughts flew away.
Wh? Eh? What? Why?
I'm sorry, it's too sudden for me to follow.
An incident, a robbery?
Ah, this kind of thing is called hijacking, right.
"……… What are the demands?"
"They want us to stop punishing them because they didn't do anything wrong."
hm, hm?
"Hmm, I don't know... What did they do?"
"I'm afraid they're the ones who threw the stones at Master's carriage."
Oh, I see, they're acting to avoid punishment for throwing rocks.
I see... That's how it came about.
... It's like that.
I thought they were very stupid, but they had the brains to think like that.
They don't seem to be aware of any ongoing wrongdoing, nor are they aware of any wrongdoing they've done, so they're still stupid.
…… Ehhh- what a pain in the ass….
I mean, aren't you piling on more guilt than you already have? That's it.
I'm not sure why you would go out of your way to make the situation worse when you've already gone through with it.
If the birds don't sing, what was it, I forget.
Anyway, that's it.
...... I'll never say it out loud, though, because it would show how stupid I am.
I'll only say it when I think it's safe!
Otherwise, it's dangerous in many ways!
Without looking at the butler-san, I responded as if I were muttering, with my usual attitude that it was nothing.
"...... Hmph, leave it."
Then I felt a hint of surprise from the butler-san.
"I'm not sure what to say. If we don’t do anything, there is a risk of mutiny…"
"Even so, we can't do anything if nothing happens"
I responded calmly and matter-of-factly to his calm question.
It's not a good idea to be on the back foot at a time like this, but it's not like they're being held hostage, and more importantly, you can't overpower people who haven't done anything.
It's not like the people in the city are in harm's way yet, and it's not like there's any problem.
In any case, as a nobleman, I can't move unless there's an incident.
In other words, I don't know what I should do even if I want to take the initiative.
To put it simply, I'm stuck.
No, I also think that it's too late after the incident, but I don't know what the right thing to do is.
I don't know. Uhm. I'm at a loss.
"... Yes, well, I'm sorry, I spoke out of turn."
"Don't worry about it, but report back if you hear anything."
“Understood"
With the butler's amiable response at my side, I shoved the report from spy-san into my desk drawer.
Then, I looked through the documents, which were getting fewer and fewer, feeling a slight sense of foreboding.
This premonition was probably a feeling of anxiety at the prospect of falling into a situation where I have nothing to do.
I was afraid that I would think about things that I didn't need to think about.
Ignoring this premonition, I opened the lid of the ink pot and picked up a quill pen, plunged the nib into the ink pot, and started recalculating as usual.
It had been several hours since the people of the city who had thrown things at the lord's carriage had gathered and holed themselves up in the church.
However, no matter how long they waited, no change came, and just a few minutes ago, some of them finally gave up and went to the lord's house.
Even the most uneducated of the lords could have guessed that the outcome of their return would determine the future.
The chapel was filled with a strange sense of tension as time passed without anyone speaking.
As if to dispel such an atmosphere, a man drank a glass of water from a desk, and with a dry sound, placed the glass on the desk, which belonged to someone who had brought it as a necessity for the lockdown.
It was a man in his early twenties, with dull blond hair.
When he saw that the attention was naturally drawn to him, he smiled a sneer, as if he were making fun of him.
"Isn't the lord in a great hurry right now?"
"... I'm sure he is, because his prestige is on the line."
As if caught by the man, a brown-haired man in his late twenties answered with a half-smile, somewhat suspiciously.
The man's reply seemed satisfactory to him, and he laughed, acting somewhat exaggeratedly.
"I know, right? I can't believe we're holed up in here! There's nothing I can do! Like that?"
"Yeah, that's right!"
"We can't just keep getting robbed forever either!"
“That’s right, that’s right!"
They laughed with a smile on their faces that made the viewer uncomfortable, as if they had mixed mockery, contempt, and disgust, all into a smile.
The way they continue to mock and ridicule each other without any substance, while laughing in an unrefined and boisterous manner, would make any sane person who knows the truth look so stupid that they would want to hold their head in their hands.
It is said that ignorance is bliss, but they are nothing like the Buddha, and in terms of stupidity, they are more like little boys reciting a scripture they never learned.
The most frightening thing is that there is only one person who created all these fools gathered here.
Incidentally, that person, with the thick facade of a kind and friendly priest pasted on his face, was out with the boy to call the people of the city to evacuate to the church.
By now, he was probably increasing his allies by telling them that the lord might threaten the peace of the people of the city.
At that moment, a few people who were supposed to have gone to the lord's mansion appeared from the back door of the chapel.
But no one there noticed that their expressions were somehow filled with confusion.
They seemed to have been able to notice their presence even with a lowly smile on their faces.
A man with dull blond hair called out to them.
"Oh! Good work... So? How'd it go?"
The man at the front of the group opened his mouth to answer the question, then closed it again and again, before he finally managed to squeeze out a few words.
"No, it's…"
The man with the dull blond hair raised his eyebrows, as if he finally sensed the discomfort in their slurred speech.
"What, something wrong?"
"...... Nothing."
Without being able to understand the immediate response and a stilted voice came out.
“Huh?"
"What did you say?"
The rest of the people were confused by the meaning of the words.
The words that were said to them were incomprehensible.
"He told me to do whatever I want.'
“Eh, why?"
"No, I don't know."
As each of us tilted our heads and made dubious noises, the dull blond man opened his mouth to confirm.
"Hey, what's going on?"
“I wonder?"
But what came back was a curt answer that made no sense at all.
The man with the dull blond hair thought about it, drawing knowledge from his uneducated mind.
Even without much knowledge, the man was the quickest and smartest among the people present, and was recognized by both himself and others.
That was why he had to lead everyone.
With such a will, he thought desperately.
He didn't know that he was the general of a controlled mountain of monkeys, and with the wrong sensitivity he had received from the priest, he arrived at a wrong answer.
"Wait, isn't this some kind of a trap?"
The answer must have been a revelation to those foolish people.
Nobles are evil.
The nobles are evil, and that means the lords are evil, too.
They never doubted the idea that had been instilled in them from childhood, and they believed themselves to be righteous.
"A trap!?"
"It's a trap! They're trying to catch us off guard so they can set us up!"
"Damn it, that's not fair!"
It was a ridiculous thought process, but none of them questioned it, and they were inspired.
"If that turns out to be the case, we'll have to come up with a plan."
"When Father returns, we'll have a strategy meeting."
“Oh!"
The eyes of the saints, heroes, and goddesses on the stained glass windows were somewhat pitying in order to impress the viewer, but if someone was looking at this scene at this time, it might have seemed as if they were pitying their stupidity.
That's how stupid they were, by all accounts.
And, as expected, no one noticed it.
After that, I had dinner with Augusto-san's mother safely, but she still thought I was Augusto-san's father, Clifford.
I don't know if she doesn't understand or doesn't want to understand, no matter how much I tell her.
I was having a hard time remembering what I had eaten, and if anything, I couldn't really taste it.
It was really painful that I didn't know what to do for treatment.
There is no cure, after all, so it can't be helped.
I asked the old butler to arrange a meeting with Mom's doctor, so we'll know more about her condition tomorrow.
I'm not sure if I should do some research on her or not.
However, I'm still thinking about the territory.
What can I say, it's full of problems, isn't it?
Well, that doesn't mean I really don't know what I should do.
I guess the bill for throwing everything at me is coming due, but I want to escape.
Can someone please help me? I guess not. It's impossible.
As I was recalculating, thinking calmly, the butler-san suddenly appeared.
"...... Master, please do not do any work tomorrow, and please take a rest."
Wait, wait, what is this all of a sudden?
"Do you want a day off?"
“Master, I've been watching you all this time."
Uhm, I'm sorry, can you listem to me?
"When are you going to take a break? How long do you you have to strain yourself to be satisfied?
"...... What are you talking about?"
“Just a day is fine. Please take a break"
"But there's still work to be done."
"Please, have a rest."
Apparently, the butler-san didn't want to listen to me.
I was interrupted in the middle of my speech, and it seemed that he was going to make me rest with or without him.
He was staring at me with a very scary smile on his face.
I can't stand it.
"...... You say that, but I can't come to the territory and immediately take a rest."
"With all due respect, Master, it would be crazy not to take a break."
I have a job to do. I tried to tell him that I had a job, but he just gave me a scary smile and rebuked me.
I wonder how much he wants me to rest.
"… I already had an appointment for tomorrow, right"
"I understand that you are going to see a doctor.
But other than that, I’ll take my full authority to ask you to rest."
I don’t really get it, but he assured me very crisply.
... I don't want to take a day off.
I don't want to take the day off, but they've suddenly decided to give me tomorrow off.
......... Eeeeh, can I just ignore it?
A/n: Thank you so much for your comments, suggestions, and feedback.
It's still a work in progress, but I'll keep working on it, so please keep in touch!
Thx for the chapter!
Thanks for the chapter!
Thanks for the chapter!!
Thanks for the chapter!