Interlude 2
The Steward,
Raymond's Point of View
Translator : PolterGlast
『A creepy child』
That was my impression
of Takuhir-sama. Just a three-year-old child, or so I thought at first.
However, no matter how
I considered it, something was off. The way he looked at me was as if he were
somewhat frightened or unusually considerate.
His deliberately
faltering speech even made me feel a sense of cunning, in a negative way.
I had never seen such
a child before.
I am currently in the
newly established Solis baronial family, enjoying an undeservedly high position
and the trust of the lord's family.
I was originally born
as the son of a lower-ranking official in the Cornell barony, and I studied in
the royal capital to become a bureaucrat, aiming to follow the same path as my
father.
However, I realized
that no matter how excellent my grades were as a commoner, I could not become a
central bureaucrat. I learned the hard way about the insurmountable wall of
social status in this kingdom.
After graduating, I
returned to the Cornell barony and began serving as a butler apprentice, simply
to make a living. At that time, I had no interest or hope for the future.
But in the barony, I
was blessed with unexpected good fortune.
"You are a truly
amusing and capable man."
I caught the eye of
the eldest daughter, Chris-sama, who was the age of a young girl, and at her
insistence, I became her exclusive attendant, almost forcibly.
Chris-sama was not
only tomboyish but also extremely capable in internal affairs. Those around her
would sigh, "If only she had been born a man..." as she played an
indispensable role in the governance of the barony, even as a child.
Because of her own
excellence, Chris-sama tended to demand the same level of results from those
who served her.
Apparently, previous
attendants had quickly given up.
Even I, who became her
exclusive attendant, was given such a heavy workload that a normal civil
servant would have broken down within three days.
Fortunately, my
original aspiration to become a bureaucrat helped me. I silently carried out
the tasks assigned to me and never once failed to meet Chris-sama's
expectations.
"I knew my
judgment was correct!"
My trust in Chris-sama
in terms of work also increased, and her responsive attitude was comfortable
for me. I was beginning to think that working in internal affairs in the
Cornell barony might not be so bad.
Then one day, it was
decided that Chris-sama would marry into the Solis baronial family.
The other party was a
newly established, weak baron, and although their territories bordered each
other, it was an undeveloped land bordering the Great Forest (a demon realm).
Few attendants wished
to follow her, but I was the first to raise my hand.
"Raymond, you
have peculiar tastes."
Chris-sama sighed, but
she looked pleased.
"It would be my
greatest joy to accompany Chris-sama."
Those were my true
feelings.
I didn't know what
kind of person the Solis Baron was.
But if it were
Chris-sama, she would surely be able to hold the reins and control any man.
And with her, even
developing a new, undeveloped territory would be full of excitement and surely
enjoyable, I thought.
I haven't told anyone,
but I possess mage skills.
When I was a student
in the royal capital, I made a bet with a certain noble and won.
He was a hateful man
who used his status to his advantage.
As the prize for
winning, I underwent the mage aptitude confirmation ritual that he was
originally supposed to take.
Of course, he paid for
it.
The aptitude
confirmations I took were for earth mage, related to my place of origin, and
space-time mage, which I chose on a whim.
Unfortunately, I had
no aptitude for earth magic. I had expected this, so I wasn't disappointed.
However, to my
surprise, I had aptitude for space-time magic!
Aptitude for magic,
said to be found in one out of every 5,000 people, was within me.
But I went to great
lengths to conceal this fact.
The space-time magic I
could use was called spatial sensing. Within a certain area, it displayed on a
map invisible to others where everyone was, and whether that person was an
enemy (red), ally (blue), or indifferent (white) to me.
In the kingdom, mages
were treated favorably, and a desired official position might not be a dream.
However, with such a
skill, I felt that I would surely be conscripted and used up as a scout on the
front lines, or become a tool in political strife surrounded by nobles, or
become a member of those who make a living hunting monsters in the demon realm.
All of those were
harsh jobs with no connection to internal affairs.
So I concealed my
magic skills and swore in my heart never to speak of them again.
Of course, when I
served the Cornell baronial family, I did so while keeping this fact hidden.
When I moved to the
newly established Solis baronial family, there was a shortage of manpower
everywhere.
With Chris-sama's
recommendation, I worked in the town of Est as one of the relatively important
internal affairs officials.
The lively new town
was overflowing with many merchants, immigrants, and those who had come seeking
work.
Utilizing my magic
skills, I actively appointed trustworthy individuals and employed them as
subordinates.
Several years later,
my work was highly praised by the Baron, and at the age of twenty, I was
entrusted with the important position of steward, overseeing all internal
affairs within the territory.
It was around that
time that I noticed two strange things.
The first was the
change in my skills.
Previously, the
display was enemy (red), ally (blue), and indifferent (white) for me
personally, but as the steward, I was now one with the Solis baronial family.
Whether that was the
cause or not, the display had changed to show enemy (red), ally (blue), and
indifferent (white) for the Solis baronial family.
It was more convenient
for doing my job, though.
The second was about
the second son of the Solis baronial family.
Regarding
Takuhir-sama, whom I had thought of as a creepy child, I noticed something
astonishing one day.
Despite being at an
age where he could be considered a toddler, Takuhir-sama possessed surprising
knowledge and imagination.
From then on, I
observed him carefully every day.
What surprised me was
that the colors of the people involved with Takuhir-sama kept changing.
People who were
initially indifferent (white) to the baronial family changed to allies (blue)
one after another.
The smooth-talking
merchants, the townspeople, those who interacted with him – the way they
changed was astonishing.
Within me, the image
of a 【creepy child】 was gone.
A very interesting
child, and one who might determine the future of the Solis baronial family.
Naturally, my
perception of him had changed.
Having become
interested in him, I used my authority to change the maid apprentice,
originally secured to serve the eldest son, Dalek-sama, to serve Takuhir-sama
instead.
And I made it her duty
(Anne) to report on Takuhir-sama's condition every day.
From then on, every
day was truly astonishing.
Takuhir-sama was
devising and trying to create tools that I had never seen before.
They were not just
unusual. They were things that might save this territory.
After that, his
actions seemed as if he knew of some impending danger and was desperately
trying to avoid it.
I could see that
desperate urgency in his demeanor.
In fact, looking back
objectively at his proposals over the past few years, he had taken
countermeasures against crises that were supposed to occur and had brilliantly
avoided them.
Could it be that he,
like me, possessed some hidden magic skill, a skill like precognition? That's
what I came to think.
Even if he could
foresee future dangers, from the perspective of the adults around him, his words
would just be those of a child, and they might not be taken seriously.
And just like my
spatial sensing, it would be difficult to present something invisible to others
as evidence.
From that moment on, I
vowed to support Takuhir-sama, within the limits of my authority, as his
understanding supporter, both openly and secretly.
I might be able to see
a new world I couldn't even imagine, a bright future for the Solis baronial
family.
That became my joy.
The report I receive
from Anne every day, titled "Today's Takuhir-sama," is a daily
routine I look forward to.
Anne, who initially
reported indifferently and monotonously, had unknowingly begun to put passion
into her words.
Surely, she had also
realized his worth, just like me.
One day, she surpassed
me and declared, "I will become Takuhir-sama's greatest admirer,"
which took me by surprise.
My choice of her was
not wrong, I was certain.
Of course, I had no
intention of relinquishing the top spot in the future.
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