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030 Mondark
Family
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Translator : PolterGlast
On the 14th day of my
reincarnation, I woke up leisurely. It was almost noon. I had gone to bed late
last night, which made me wake up late.
Anneliese and Rosalina
were already awake. It was a shame I didn't get to see their sleeping faces.
"You didn't get
to eat breakfast, did you? Sorry."
Perhaps they didn't
even have dinner last night. I've left money with them, but I don't think those
two would use it. I reflected that my consideration was insufficient.
"No, it's nothing
significant."
"We're
fine."
Eating outside was out
of the question since the bandit situation hadn't been resolved yet. I took out
the grilled pond squid and labyrinth ox skewers, and the sandwiches I bought
yesterday, and the three of us ate.
"So this is
grilled pond squid!"
Rosalina's eyes
sparkled as she brought the grilled pond squid to her mouth. You had it the
other day, didn't you? Do you like it that much?
"It's...
delicious!"
That's a relief. It's
important to have a good meal.
"This sandwich is
also delicious with the saltiness of the dried meat."
Plenty of vegetables,
sliced dried meat, and a white sauce created a good harmony. I thought the
dried meat would be tough, but it was thinly sliced, so it wasn't an issue. If
anything, the hard, dry bread was more bothersome. Still, it was tasty.
"This is my first
time eating grilled labyrinth ox skewers too. They're very delicious!"
The three of us had a
lively, late breakfast/early lunch. My parents both worked, so I always ate
alone, morning and night. Thanks to that, I started cooking for myself and
pride myself on my decent skills.
I don't recall ever
having such a lively meal. It felt good, warming my heart.
*
When I went to the
government office, it was noisy. Soldiers were constantly coming and going. It
seemed the Duke had made a move.
"Has something
happened?"
I asked a soldier,
feigning ignorance.
"The government
office is currently closed. Please come back tomorrow."
He wouldn't say what
happened. They might talk if I slip him some money, but I'll refrain.
I activated Stealth in
a hidden spot around the government office and entered.
"Confirmation of
all record cards has been completed."
"Collection of
evidence has been completed."
A rather
important-looking soldier was receiving the report. By
"important-looking," I mean he looked high-ranking, not arrogant.
This report confirmed
that the individuals cooperating with the bandits had been exposed. That Duke
seems to be a decent person, just as my intuition told me. I was glad my
impression from last night was correct.
*
The Duke told me to
come at night, but here I am, in the early afternoon!
I have no intention of
obeying the Duke's every word!
Last night, no one was
in the Duke's private quarters. I wondered if he had a workroom, or if he was
moving around due to the bandit-related matters.
What I found was
indeed a room that felt like an office. Like his private quarters, it was
spacious, big enough to fit all the rooms of the apartment I lived in back in
Japan.
A desk was by a large
window, and the Duke sat there. There was also a sofa set. How elegant.
The Duke's desk was
piled high with documents. He shouldn't let work pile up. His subordinates
would probably suffer.
There were soldiers on
both sides of the window behind the Duke. And soldiers on both sides of the two
doors. Furthermore, there were three desks near the Duke, where civil servants
were sitting and working.
And there was one more
person in this room. This person was incredibly dangerous. The Duke was
dangerous too, but this person was on a different level of danger. His gaze was
so sharp that it seemed he could kill a Villager with just a glare.
He was so dangerous
that Detailed Appraisal wasn't even necessary, but when I used Detailed
Appraisal, he was really dangerous.
What the hell is a
Lv42 Guardian Knight!?
I'd seen various
soldiers in town and in the Duke's castle, but even Level 20 was rare, and this
person was Level 42. I don't know much about this world, but this person is a
monster.
As I watched from the
corner of the room, there was a knock on the door, and a soldier entered. This
was the somewhat important-looking soldier who was receiving reports at the
government office earlier.
"Reporting!"
His salute was sharp.
The Duke prompted the
report, and information about the bandit collaborators was delivered. It seemed
eight government officials were cooperating with the bandits. I had seen six
last night, but two more were found this morning.
The soldier concluded
his report by stating that all record cards had been confirmed, so there was no
mistake.
"Only eight.
That's the only saving grace."
The Duke murmured, his
expression unchanged.
"Zaigen. What do
you think we should do from now on?"
"Let's see...
Let's regularly check record cards. That way, we can crack down on them."
"Reasonable
enough. How often?"
"Once a year
would be good, or before the Great Council held twice a year."
They probably didn't
realize how bad it was. They were talking about tightening up the officials.
But they should have done it sooner. At least one person here wouldn't have
suffered damage because of it.
"Hmm. We'll do it
once a year. That alone should make a difference. Zaigen and Barukan, inform
everyone from nobles to low-ranking officials and soldiers about this."
"Yes!"
"Understood."
The stern-looking
person sitting at the desk closest to the Duke was Zaigen. He was the
Administrative Executive, a position that assisted the Duke, and the head of
the civil officials. Number two in the Duke's household.
And that dangerous
person was Barukan. He was the commander of the Duke's knight order, the head
of the military officials, and number three in the Duke's household.
The Duke was taking
action. If there was evidence, he could move. So, I should present that
evidence.
It was when I took a
few steps forward. Barukan tensed up and placed his hand on the hilt of his
sword. The Duke's intuition was also good, but Barukan's was even sharper than
the Duke's.
My feet froze, and I
took a step back.
"What's
wrong?"
"I felt as if
something was here..."
Barukan responded to
the Duke's question. The Duke's sharp gaze surveyed the surroundings.
"I see. I told
you to come at night, but you've already arrived."
Duke, how perceptive!
"Your
Excellency?"
Barukan and the others
looked puzzled.
"This is the one
who presented me with these ledgers."
"Meaning, there's
an intruder here?"
"That would be
it. But they didn't come to kill me. Otherwise, they wouldn't have left
something like this."
The Duke seemed to
understand my intentions. That alone was scary. Scary in a different way from
Barukan.
"You've come at
this hour. You must have something you wish to convey quickly. It's fine. If
you have anything, present it."
My heart pounded so
hard it felt like it would leap out of my mouth.
That Duke seemed to
know everything.
I moved towards the
sofa set. Barukan sensed my presence and cast a sharp gaze while tensing up. I
felt like I was going to die.
I placed the ledger on
the table and quickly moved to the back. To the Duke and his staff, the ledger
must have appeared out of nowhere.
One of the civil
servants picked up the ledger and handed it to the Duke.
The Duke's eyebrows
twitched as he looked inside. He seemed rather pleased.
He then showed the
ledger to Zaigen, who had moved in front of him.
"Oh, this
is..."
Zaigen involuntarily
let out a voice.
The ledger was then
passed to Barukan.
"Incredible!"
He exclaimed in
surprise.
"Barukan.
Immediately gather all soldiers. Even those off-duty. And for anyone who hasn't
had their record card checked, check it immediately. Do not leak any
information."
"Understood!"
Barukan sent his
subordinates as messengers. The fact that he didn't go himself was likely out
of caution towards me.
"Now, the one who
gave me this. You're still here, aren't you?"
I didn't reply.
Because Barukan was scary. Barukan could easily charge at me and cut me down.
"I am busy now,
so I wish to reward you later."
I don't need any of
that. If I accept it, the Duke will find out about me.
Without replying, I
used Wall Pass to exit the room.
That Duke has the
magnanimity to accept someone suspicious like me. Becoming close with him is
dangerous, but as someone to cooperate with, I think he's trustworthy.
*
I returned to the inn.
"We received a
message from Golteo Trading Company that the mansion and servants are
ready."
Since I wasn't
present, Anneliese must have received the message.
"In that case,
shall we go to Golteo-san's shop?"
""Yes!""
Just in case, I
planned to leave the inn using Stealth.
Come to think of it,
what's the effective range of Stealth?
"Can you grab my
hand for a moment?"
I had Anneliese grab
my hand, and then activated Stealth.
"Ah, Master and
Anneliese-san disappeared!"
I let go of her hand.
"I only saw
Anneliese-san."
So, if someone is in
contact with me, their presence can also be hidden.
The verification
showed that we could converse even while in Stealth. That conversation could
only happen with people touching my body.
Stealth is a good
skill.
When leaving the inn,
I held hands with both of them and activated Stealth. I activated it when the
inn staff looked away, so there was no commotion.
There was only one
bandit around the inn. It seemed they were using a human wave tactic to stake
out all the inns. What a troublesome effort.
There were two bandits
near Golteo-san's shop. I could tell they were desperately searching for me.
Had they already realized the ledger was missing? But I don't think they'd
assume it was me, would they?
No, the mass murderer
Upas went missing, so maybe they suspect I did something. That's more likely
than the ledger.
I entered the shop and
deactivated Stealth. A clerk immediately came over, and I told them my name and
about the house.
We were led to a
separate room to wait, and then Golteo-san and three people—a man and two
women—appeared.
"I apologize for
the wait."
"No, I haven't
been waiting at all."
I even think it's
quite fast.
"These three are
the ones who will be working at Toi-sama's mansion."
Golteo-san introduced
them, and I learned they were a family.
There were supposed to
be five servants, but for now, it was three. The remaining two were already
found and would join tomorrow.
Since it was just for
today, these three were apparently sufficient.
"My name is
Mondark. It's a pleasure to serve you."
A sharp-looking man in
his 40s, with a crisp demeanor, was Mondark. He had experience working as a
butler for a certain noble family.
"I am Merlis, his
wife. From now on, please treat me well."
Merlis, who bowed
respectfully, also said she had worked as a maid for a certain noble family.
"I am their son,
Jewel. I am a butler-in-training. It's a pleasure to serve you."
Jewel, who was around
my age, had worked as a butler-in-training for a certain noble family.
I was curious about
what happened to that noble family, but they apparently weren't nobles of this
country.
"Their identities
are confirmed. They also understand confidentiality."
Golteo-san vouched for
them.
"My name is Toi.
I'm an explorer."
"You don't need
to use honorifics with us."
"I see, that
helps, as I'm not very good with honorifics."
Then I introduced
Anneliese and Rosalina.
"These two are
slaves for a reason, but I'd like you to treat them the same as me."
"Understood,
Master."
Their monthly pay
combined was 100,000 Grill. That's 1 million yen per month, but hiring an
excellent butler is supposedly even more expensive. Golteo-san said the Mondark
family was excellent, but they had a special circumstance allowing them to work
for this amount. I wanted to know the reason, but he said he couldn't disclose
anything about their previous employer.
If they have good
character, I don't mind. Either way, I had no other prospects for servants, so
I decided to hire the Mondark family.
Golteo-san also told
me to increase their pay if I was satisfied with their work. The other two
joining tomorrow would start at 20,000 Grill each, and their pay would also
increase based on their performance. It felt like a probationary period before
formal employment.
We signed a magic
contract sold at Golteo Trading Company. This was helpful to me because it
included confidentiality clauses. It would prevent my information from being
leaked by magic. If they tried to leak information, they would apparently be
forcibly incapacitated.
This magic contract
could also be used to prevent freed slaves from disclosing information about
their former masters. And since it could be used for servants and soldiers
serving nobles, it was apparently quite popular.
It was a bit expensive
at 1,000 Grill per sheet, but I thought it was worth it if it brought peace of
mind.
The Mondark family
apparently knew the location of my house, so I paid Golteo-san his referral
fee, thanked him, and parted ways.
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