Chapter 181 (1/2)

Chapter 181

Several men and I line up and kneel in front of the King .

「These individuals are people who I believe should be recommended as suitable personnel for the General Governorate . 」

This way of speaking doesn’t fit my character to be honest .

「Umu, it’s been one week since then and you’ve done well to gather them . I’m glad you work fast, it doesn’t displease me . 」

「I’m grateful for your praise . Step forward, you guys . 」

「Sir, yessir . It is such a pleasure to be granted an audience today and I am truly delighted, therefore I will devote my body and soul to the sacred royalty and to the fatherland……」

The King waves his hand to indicate he’s said as much as necessary .

「Enough, all of you will be appointed as members of the Magrado General Governorate and will be granted honorary t.i.tles from Knight to Baron . Complete your work loyally from now on . 」

Everyone except me replies with delighted voices and falls prostrate with their head to the ground .

These guys were once rulers, n.o.bles and feudal lords of former Treia who were acting as governors after their country was destroyed, but were later dismissed during my past patrols .

When I wrote a letter to Rafen to ask who I should recommend as personnel for the Magrado General Governorate with the following conditions – possessing the minimum ability to rule, won’t disobey their superiors and more importantly won’t be missed if they were disposed of – Adolph’s reply was to send these guys .

It’s true they do have some ability to settle down the territory in some way or another .

They have horrible personalities so I doubt anyone would follow them if they wanted to start a rebellion, besides they don’t have the guts to do something like that in a new area .

And most importantly, if they all disappeared, n.o.body would even notice .

「They themselves are enthusiastic about it so I guess it’s fine . 」

Coming from a situation where they were partially restrained to their current situation where they’re given status and permission to wield power in a new life, there is no way they will refuse . Even I was able to discreetly exile them so granting one or two of their requests won’t hurt anybody .

「Oh, it’s a promotion . 」「What a truly moving moment . 」「It’ll make me faint . Uunnn……」

These three remind me of the stupid fool, idiot, and trash trio from some time ago, how nostalgic .

They’ll be working under Count Dunois as his flunkies .

After they leave visibly happy, the King smiles with only me in his presence .

「They obviously look like idiots but don’t look like they will revolt . So they’re former feudal lords . 」

「Yes Your Majesty, they were intolerable individuals who exploited and wronged their citizens as governors . 」

Normally, recommending such individuals would be the greatest example of disloyalty .

「Fufufu, is that so . But it’s fine that they can at least prove useful . They can do whatever they wish in the new lands . 」

And then they will be cut loose in the end .

I guess that means I’m finally part of a conspiracy .

To cover up this depressing mood, I head over to the Hard-boiled Pavilion .

I wonder who is in there today .

Night

「Fuuu…… my hips feel light . I wonder if I have anything left for Mel . 」

Today, I embraced Polte and another girl from a poor Baron family at the same time .

Ever since I embraced them together in order to resolve some of the friction between the two, the girl started calling Polte ‘Onee-sama’ in adoration, she started taking her cla.s.ses seriously, and her grades have gradually been going up too .

From that point on, she would always ask to be embraced together with Polte and the two of them also accompany each other to the bathroom quite frequently, but I pay it no mind .

I did drink a little alcohol too, and walked back to the mansion to sober up, but I heard some mumbling voices near the back entrance .

I don’t think they’re thieves, plus Irijina is there so the tables will be turned on them .

「Like I said, the amount I borrowed should be 5 gold! Why did it become 10 gold?」

「It annoys me how brats like you don’t know how the world works . G.o.d has created something called interest in this world . Returning the same amount you borrow is too good of a deal for bugs!」

「Even so, it’s outrageous that the amount doubled when not even a month has pa.s.sed! 」

「I explained it to you properly, don’t blame me when you forget about it . 」

「B-but 10 gold is……impossible for me to pay back immediately . 」

「Hehehe, you got a bunch of expensive items lying around the Magrave’s house, don’t you? If you sell some of those, I’m sure you’ll get some more change . 」

「I can’t do something like that!」

「Then you gotta do your best to come up with the money another way . Well, I’m okay with extending the date until next week, but it’ll be 20 gold then . If you can’t pay it back, I’ll be coming in front of the mansion next time and telling the Magrave about this . 」

「Uu……」

The conversation ends and the man leaves Kroll standing still with a blank look in front of the back entrance .

「Hmm, what to do . 」

20 gold is not a big deal, worth less than the amount needed to repair the wall Irijina broke with her tackle .

But it’s wrong for me to b.u.t.t in and pay off a loan Kroll made .

And he was also tempted to do bad things, but Kroll has been working for me for so long, I’ll trust him .

「Well let’s see, can he resolve this without having to rely on me?」

He’s also a man, I’ll leave him alone until he comes and speaks to me himself .

If it was a woman, I would shoulder the debt for her and enjoy every inch of her body though .

I’ll pretend I came back just now and call out to him .

「Kroll, what are you doing?」

「N-no it’s nothing! I’ll reheat the water for the bath!」

「Is that so, I’m counting on you . 」

I wonder what will happen .

One Week Later

「So in the end, he didn’t do anything . 」

A week pa.s.sed by and when I returned to the mansion at night after cla.s.ses were finished, Dorothea and Kroll were kneeling on the ground at the entrance .

The reason his face is all swelled up is due to the furious Celia behind him who punched…… no, she can’t use her hands, so she probably kicked him .

「What happened?」

「Actually……」

Dorothea starts talking apologetically and tells me how the loan shark just came by the mansion for Kroll’s loan repayment and pressured the person responsible for looking after the mansion – Dorothea – into shouldering the debt .

It amounted to 30 gold, not the 20 gold they said one week ago when I listened in on them, which just shows how unbelievably corrupt he is .

The amount is equivalent to a well-off commoner’s annual income and isn’t something Dorothea can prepare so quickly so he went back for now, but he was yelling out how he would take this to the capital’s courthouse .

Bringing a case like this to court may actually work against a merchant as corrupt as this, but the pain of a servant being in debt will also affect the name of the n.o.ble they work for, so in most cases the n.o.ble would shoulder the debt before it gets to that point .

It really doesn’t matter to me either way though .

「I am really sorry for bringing such trouble to you . I will accept any punishment as well, so if you could please help this one time……」

Dorothea presses Kroll’s head to the ground while keeping her own head down as well .

「Raise your head, Dorothea, this isn’t your mistake . 」

I help the worried looking Dorothea stand up and then kick Kroll .

「Agh!」

「Kroll! Oh please have mercy!」

I hand the clinging Dorothea to Mel .

Celia also looks surprised, did she think I wouldn’t get angry?

30 gold is really not a big deal at all, and that much will probably be spent on trips to the brothel anyways .

What I’m not able to stomach is something else .

「Kroll, what is Dorothea to you?」

「M-my mo-……mother . 」

「Why are you getting your mother to bow down for something you did? You should be apologizing and explaining by yourself, you idiot!」

I kick him again .

He isn’t at the age where he still needs to hide behind his mother anymore .

Besides, I hate it when people prostrate themselves to me like this .

「Uu……」

The standing Kroll bows his head deeply .

「I wasn’t able to pay back the money, 30 gold worth! I beg you…… please help me!!」

That’s sufficient .

「Mm, explain . 」

The poor mother and child, named Mira and Lola respectively, were taken to the mansion .

The mother was sick so I let a doctor see her but apparently the medicine had cured most of her lung illness and she just has to eat nutritious meals and she’ll completely recover .

So the debt Kroll incurred wasn’t in vain .

「Kroll-sama……」

「T-this is nothing . 」

Kroll’s face looks horrible from the kicks Celia and I gave him .

But men want to look strong in front of women, so he must have deliberately kept quiet about the debt .

「I’ll be looking after you two until her illness gets better, but…… I have something to talk to you about . 」

The sick mother was allowed to sleep in the guest room while I take Kroll and Lola to my bedroom .

Let me test a little something .

「So, I’ll be looking after you two from now on . 」

「I’m truly grateful . 」

I hug Lola after she lowers her head .

「Lola, I have come to like you . Become my woman . 」

「Eh?」

「Eeeeeh—!?」

The tiny Lola lets out a gasp of surprise while Kroll shouts loudly in shock .

I push down the puzzled Lola and strip her .

Kroll is in a state of panic but he knows he can’t just brush me aside because I went as far as shouldering his debt for him .

Lola becomes stark naked, hiding her most precious place while pleading with me timidly .

「Um, you see, I’m…… Kroll-sama’s woman . Letting another gentleman mount me is……」