Episode 24
I cut off Amy’s nonsense.
“It’s vacant. No, it’s a position that doesn’t exist yet.”
“That’s ideal.”
The ideal was a word that referred to a state that was considered the most perfect within the imaginable range.
It meant the best state that an ordinary human being could dream of.
“That kind of position is not my ideal. It is just a stepping stone to further advancement.”
“What do you hope for? How far will Hebron go?”
I looked at Amy.
This girl asked me to give her the bottom line. It was a really stupid request, considering the position she was going to occupy.
“You are not yet a soldier. The role of a soldier is to read the mind of the lord, to make it concrete, and to realize it.”
“I will definitely look like a soldier.”
Amy was interested in military strategy. She read numerous strategy books and even published books under a pseudonym.
Shylock was a man from two centuries ago, and was a knight of great repute not only in Hebron but also in the royal household of Zeno.
He was known as a commander who was more skilled in tactics than swordsmanship.
Amy de Ludwig analyzed Shylock’s tactics in
Before it was revealed that the author was a woman, she was considered a target for recruitment by the Duke of Breyo.
“Go beyond your ideals and achieve my ideals.”
I called my servant and had him bring some boxes from the study.
The documents that the servants had brought in with a groan were placed at Amy’s feet. It was a pile of old documents that smelled of dust even from afar.
“Get this sorted out. It’s the Hebron ledger that has been neglected for 200 years.”
“Now, wait a minute. Accounting standards were different 200 years ago. But aside from that, do you have any relevant documents? Are those documents trustworthy? Even just a century ago, you were considered good at bookkeeping if you were good at manipulating your books.”
“All the documents are still there. They must have hidden them in a safe place because they would have been criticized if they were shown outside. Naturally, the probability of accounting manipulation is low. If they had done that well, that pile of documents would not have been left unattended. You are the one who combs through the pile of documents and finds something that can be turned into money. It is the job of an administrator to dig up treasures from mere scraps of paper.”
Hebron fell from a marquisate to a count, then a viscount, and then a baron. It is clear that there were various transactions with the surrounding territories during the process.
-Smile towards the sky!
The lords of Hebron were so busy laughing at the sky that they could not even look at the reality on the ground.
The evidence was the neglected accounting books, various receipts, and contracts.
The transactions between families could not be erased over time.
As long as the family that is a party to the contract does not disappear.
“I have one last question for you. Did you write
“Yes. If you want to know what happens next, just stamp the contract.”
“No, I won’t read it.”
It was unexpected.
However, shortly after, when it was confirmed that communication with the outside world was completely cut off, they gave up.
“Why?”
“I will continue writing. Please read it and check it, Master.”
“Okay. The deadline is one week. If the content is disappointing, I will cancel my contract with you.”
Amy nodded.
She read through the contract I gave her and then signed her name without hesitation.
It was written simply as ‘Administrator Amy’, not Amy de Ludwig.
It was customary to use full names in contracts.
When I pointed that out, Amy said with a stern expression.
“When I heard that someone had come forward to employ me, I left Baron Ludwig. From today on, I am the vassal of Hebron, Administrator Amy.”
* * *
Amy submitted her proposal within a week, and only then did she read my book, The Royal Administration of Zeno: A Message for Simplification.
Amy, who looked like she was going to collapse at any moment, barged into my office less than an hour later.
“That’s ridiculous! This is absolutely ridiculous! Who are you, my lord, no, my lord? Who are you to organize that and set up a new formula?”
Amy began to suspect that she was the same person as Baron Ludwig’s daughter whom she had seen a week ago.
Her hair was tied up tightly and greasy, her skin was flaky, and her sunken eyes made you wonder when she last had a good night’s sleep.
“The proposal you wrote wasn’t bad either.”
“It wasn’t bad? To that extent, it’s pretty good!”
“Your self-evaluation is too high. At that level, you would be fit to work as an assistant in a marquis’ house. You wouldn’t even be able to do it in a duke’s house. If it were a count’s house… … you would have to think about whether or not to hire her as an administrator, and then you would have to throw her out. She lacks experience.”
Amy bit her lip. Her expression looked as if she had been wronged.
Instead of answering, I showed Amy the letter from Baron Ludwig’s household.
“Your father sent this.”
Amy looked through the letter, then roughly wiped the gunk from her eyes with the back of her hand and shouted.
“I don’t care what my father wants. I choose what to do!”
“I think so too, but the Kingdom of Zeno has its own laws and etiquette. I will meet Baron Ludwig and persuade him.”
“Oh, you’re meeting your father?”
“It takes a lot of effort to hire you. I have people to meet as well.”
Amy looked at me. She saw into my heart.
I had no intention of toying with her, and certainly no intention of manipulating her and then throwing her out.
If Baron Ludwig demands a price, I intend to do my best within the scope of my abilities.
“… … I will finish the work you gave me before you return. And you don’t have to push yourself too hard. I have left Ludwig.”
Amy made up her mind, but her father was shocked when one day his daughter suddenly left home and declared that she was going to strike his name from the family register.
“It won’t even take ten days. A week at the earliest.”
It was a four-day journey by carriage to Baron Ludwig’s estate.
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If you work hard, it won’t even take a week.
“That’s more than enough.”
This time I looked at Amy in surprise.
I thought, what the heck is this nonsense?
The amount of material I gave Amy was so massive that it would have taken me a month, or maybe even three months, to finish it even if I had set my mind to it.
To be able to get that done in just one week, I thought Amy might be more of an administrative talent than a strategic or tactical one.
‘He’s an incredible genius.’
Amy’s shabby appearance made sense.
She stayed up all night, handling the work I gave her and the proposal at the same time.
“Go and get some sleep. This is an order from the Lord’s representative, Administrator Amy.”
* * *
The Barony of Ludwig had a similar atmosphere to the Barony of Nurkha. It seemed to be more agricultural than the Barony of Nurkha, but like most baronies, Ludwig was poor.
Through Serpens, we found out that Baron Ludwig’s financial situation was not very good.
Baron Ludwig, who met me alone in his office, looked wary of me. He was in his early fifties and still looked energetic.
Ludwig had four children. Amy was the youngest, followed by Zephyr, the eldest son, Franz, the second son, and Lisea, the eldest daughter.
“You are the one who stole my daughter. Then why did you come alone?”
“Administrator Amy was so overwhelmed with work that she couldn’t leave the compound.”
“Amy… … Administrator?”
Baron Ludwig’s eyes narrowed.
I drank the tea the maid brought me. It wasn’t satisfying, but it wasn’t enough to make me frown.
“It’s a temporary position. He said he wanted to join the military.”
“When you say military, do you mean staff?”
“Yes, Baron.”
Baron Ludwig also took a sip of tea.
His movements as he licked his lips were slow. He wasn’t deliberately wasting time. He was just trying to hide the trembling in his hands and voice holding the teacup.
The Baron put down his teacup and asked me.
“Are you really going to send that child to the battlefield?”
“It was what I wanted.”
“You can’t give a child a knife just because he wants it!”
“Administrator Amy is not a child. And I am five years younger than her.”
“Amy is a girl!”
It was an obvious logic.
I too lived in a world where this logic was established as common sense, but after experiencing one death, it all seemed ridiculous.
“I see. I’ll remember that so I don’t forget.”
“Louis de Hebron!”
“Yes, Baron.”
Baron Ludwig exhaled with excitement. His face calmed down little by little. The Baron leaned back deeply on the sofa and said with a sigh.
“… … She is a child of marriageable age. If you want to take her, you two should get married.”
It seemed like there was nothing he could do.
It seemed like he thought it was a huge favor in its own way.
“I refuse.”
“Oh, why!”
Ludwig jumped to his feet. He was more shocked by my rejection than by anything I had ever said.
I drank the tea that had cooled down a little. I thought that, if nothing else, I should at least get the tea leaves from the Duchy of Breio.
“I recognized Amy as a potential administrator and future military officer. She doesn’t look like a woman to me.”
“Huh!”
I got up from my seat, savoring the bitter taste that remained on the tip of my tongue.
Ludwig didn’t stop me. He seemed a little annoyed that I had gotten up without asking permission.
“Amy told me to tell her, ‘Dad, I’m happy, so leave me alone!’”
“This little bitch!”
“Amy has signed a life contract. Of course, she is free to marry, but Amy cannot live outside Hebron even after marriage. So if you want to see Amy, please visit Hebron whenever you want. In the past, transportation was inconvenient and it was difficult to travel back and forth, but now that the Baronial Estate of Nurha is incorporated into Hebron, it will be easy to travel by carriage.”
Ludwig’s gaze sharpened. He knew the news from Hebron, but pretended not to know.
He too was a nobleman who had been through many hardships.
“… … You killed Baron Nurhya?”
“It was a very common land war.”
“I guess you plan on continuing that common practice.”
When I didn’t respond, Baron Ludwig exhaled deeply through his nose.
Even considering the circumstances of the two families and the contract Amy had signed, there was nothing about Baron Ludwig that could have dazzled me.
“Can you promise me one thing?”
“Please speak.”
“This is a personal request of mine, so please take it to heart. If Hebron is in danger, please contact me. I will send troops to rescue my daughter.”
It wasn’t a bad deal.
If necessary, he could have brought in Ludwig’s army and started a war.
“I’ll keep it a secret from Amy.”
“Thank you. Please take good care of Amy de Ludwig.”
Baron Ludwig emphasized the word ‘de Ludwig’.
It meant that I wouldn’t erase Amy from the family register. I agreed to his wishes.
“Yes, thanks to Amy de Ludwig, the Baron Ludwig family has received much deserved honor.”
“I don’t even want that. Just take care of that child.”
“Yes, definitely.”
