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115 Arrival in
Triange
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Translator : PolterGlast
We finally arrived in
Triange. It took twice as long as a normal trip because we had to stop and
greet the noble families along the way.
Triange has the sea to
the south and steep mountains to the north. To the east is Zawalifi, which has
a dungeon, and the highway has a decent amount of traffic. However, to the west
is the territory of Count Parton, and while there is a road, there's not much traffic.
I said hello to this
Count Parton last, but he was a real piece of work. There were traces that he
had erased his criminal record several times, and even now, he wasn't doing
anything good. I almost spoke up to this person I had no desire to be close to,
but I held my tongue. Still, I'm wondering if that was the right thing to do.
He's the kind of
person who will be eliminated first when the Princess's reforms progress, but
there's no telling when that will be.
I hate it. Why are
people like that nobles?
The government office
was made of wood. It looked like an old wooden elementary school from my
previous life. Since it was spring, I almost felt like I could hear Aogeba
Tōtoshi (仰げば尊し / a Japanese graduation song).
The building that will
be the lord's mansion—currently the magistrate's mansion—is a few minutes' walk
from the government office. It's made of stone but also looks old. It felt like
a classic, tasteful Western-style house.
As we got off the
carriage in front of the entrance, the servants were lined up in two rows to
greet us.
From among them, a
short, blue-haired man in his thirties with a prominent belly stepped forward.
"We have been
waiting for you. My name is Joshua Banarji, and I serve as the magistrate of
Triange. My title is baron."
His bow was polite. He
didn't seem like a bad person.
"I am Toi
Footscythel. This is my fiancée, Anneliese. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"My name is Anneliese.
It's a pleasure to meet you."
"How polite. The
pleasure is mine. Please, come inside."
Banarji-san showed us
in.
The inside of the
mansion was as old as the outside.
You could call it
tasteful, but "it looks like it's haunted" would be a better
description.
When we entered the
reception room, a maid served us tea.
The tea leaves were
probably not as good as the Royal Family's or the Duke's. Well, it is a
viscount's tea, after all.
"I apologize for
the sudden request, but could you gather all the servants? The entrance hall is
fine. After that, please call the military and civil officials who are in
charge."
"Understood."
Banarji-san
immediately gathered the servants.
The mansion was
smaller than the one in the royal capital, but it had 3 butlers, 10 maids, and
8 other servants. That's quite a lot.
"First, I would
like all the servants to sign this magical contract. All those who work under
me are bound by a magical contract."
Mondark's son, Jewel,
showed them a stack of magical contracts on a tray.
"I am a former
commoner. I only know the bare minimum of noble etiquette. I don't intend to be
bound by formality or tradition. To you, I might be a crude and barbaric lord.
Only those who are okay with that should sign the magical contract. You have
ten days to think about it. Of course, for those who don't want to sign, I will
pay a severance pay corresponding to the number of years you have worked here.
And rest assured, I will not harm you just because you resigned."
They might not feel
reassured by those words, but it's better than not saying anything.
"From now on,
this Mondark will oversee the household. Please think about your future,
keeping that in mind. That is all. Dismissed."
I don't know how many
servants will remain, but if the worst happens, I can just bring the servants I
left in the royal capital.
Next were the military
and civil officials.
About 30 military
officials and 5 civil officials were gathered in a room that looked like a
conference room. The ratio was what you'd expect from the
"muscle-brain" mentality; the number of civil officials was quite
low. It couldn't be helped, but it gave me a headache when I thought about the
future.
I entered the
conference room with Gandarvan, Barth, Jojok, Lin, Solidia, and Edward.
"I am Toi Footscythel.
There may be some among you who come from noble families, but I am a former
commoner. I was an explorer. Some of you might not want to serve a former
commoner like me. If that's the case, please feel free to come forward. I will
write a letter of introduction to Princess Ermelda."
The sons and daughters
of nobles probably don't want to serve a former commoner like me. Those people
will be accepted by the Princess.
Those who love
authority and power will likely go to the Princess.
"Also, I'm entrusting
the Knight Order to this Gandarvan. He is the Knight Commander. And the Vice
Commander will be Barth over there. Some of you might not want to be
subordinates to newcomers like Gandarvan and Barth. Please think about your
future, taking all of this into consideration."
When I mentioned the
Knight Commander and Vice Commander, a stir arose among the knights, who had
been listening quietly until then.
The civil officials
didn't react much, but the knights seemed greatly agitated.
Did they think they
could keep their jobs as they were?
If they thought things
would continue as before even with a change of rulers, they must have a naive
view of the world.
"May I ask a
question?"
A knight in his
fifties with brown hair mixed with gray raised his hand. I gave him permission.
"What will happen
to Commander Ringer?"
"I don't know
everyone's names, positions, or faces yet. Commander Ringer, please step
forward."
"Sir!"
A large knight in his
late thirties stepped forward.
"I'm sorry,
Ringer, but Gandarvan is the Knight Commander. You, along with Barth over
there, will be a Vice Commander."
Ringer made a bitter
face. You should hide that.
"If you are
dissatisfied, please feel free to come forward. As I said earlier, I will write
you a letter of introduction to Princess Ermelda."
"I would like
some time to think."
His face showed he was
quite dissatisfied.
"That's natural.
Not just you, Ringer, but everyone, please think it over carefully. Then, those
of you who are willing to serve me, please sign this magical contract. The
contract is just about not leaking information you've acquired about me and the
Footscythel family, not about swearing loyalty to me."
Handling personal
information is important.
"I've never heard
of knights signing a magical contract!"
" "
"That's right! We've never heard of it!" " "
The knights were
making a fuss. Is this their knightly pride?
But the louder they
protested, the more common their jobs were and the lower their levels were. I
don't feel any motivation from you at all.
And some of them have
criminal records. Seriously...
Why am I so tied to
criminals?
"Lastly, I will
check the record cards of everyone who works for me. I will check the record
cards of everyone who decides to work for me, and I will check them twice every
three years after that. I will not accept any refusal to do so."
A big stir.
Since some of them
have criminal records, this will probably cause them trouble.
"We knights serve
our lords with loyalty! Are you saying you don't trust our loyalty!?"
The knight who said
that was the one with the criminal record.
"You're saying
that checking your record card means I don't trust your loyalty? What kind of
relationship do we even have when we just met today? If you want me to trust
you, first show me your record card. Then you can voice your opinion."
"Ugh."
"Show me your
record card."
"I-I won't serve
you! What do you think a knight is?!"
"Then that's too
bad. But I can't write a letter of introduction to Princess Ermelda for
you."
"That's a breach
of promise!"
"I can't
introduce a suspicious person who won't show their record card to Princess Ermelda.
I think you can understand that, right?"
You, a criminal,
should understand that you can't survive in a place where you have to show your
record card.
"I'll also say
this to everyone else: I can't introduce someone with an unknown criminal
background to anyone. Those who refuse to show their record card will have to
find a new job on their own."
You all understand
this, right? I don't need anyone who can't even understand that.
"I'll decide on
the other positions gradually. Until then, please continue to work as you have
been. Those who wish to resign, please come forward within ten days. If you
show me your record card and you have no criminal record, I will give you a severance
pay and a letter of introduction."
Criminals will receive
neither a letter of introduction nor a severance pay.
By the way, a severance
pay system doesn't exist in this world. They say they'll give something to the
bereaved family if someone dies in battle, but there's nothing for people who
simply resign or retire due to old age.
Nevertheless, I'm
prepared to pay a severance pay to ensure they resign amicably. It's also a way
to cut ties cleanly.
"That is all. For
resignations, please come to me, Gandarvan, or Barth."
The civil officials
listened silently, but I wonder what they'll do.
Fortunately, Banarji-san
and the five civil officials had no criminal records.
And the information
from my Detailed Appraisal suggests that the civil officials are not
incompetent.
I hope they'll work
for me, but even if they don't, I'll still provide them with a severance pay
and an introduction.
On the other hand, the
Knight Order seems to need a complete restructuring.
Starting with Ringer,
the former Knight Commander, nearly half of those gathered had committed some
kind of crime.
Several of them had
even changed to the Bandit job. Are you kidding me?
I'll say this now:
after you resign, you're commoners.
If you refuse to show
your record card at that point, you'll be arrested for obstructing official
duties.
You are already
cornered. If you do anything stupid, I'll have you arrested and punished
according to your crimes.
I immediately handed
Gandarvan a list with the names of the criminals.
"Have Sodon keep
an eye on them."
"Understood."
It would probably be
best to arrest them here and now, but why should I be resented by these people
and their associates? The crimes they committed while the Royal Family was in
charge should be prosecuted by the Royal Family.
But these people will
probably hate me. They'll completely forget the things they've done and hate me
for it. I'm sure of it.
I didn't get this
territory to clean up the Royal Family's messes, so please don't hate me for
this, you people.
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