Chapter 11: They say you excel at even dirty knowledge, Sage? (1)

Did I really sit side by side with Duke Helpion under the moonlight and make a vow?

That I would try my best.

Right now, I’ve completely crumpled up that resolve and tossed it aside.

Once again, I’m hurling a pen at the Duke.

“Enough already!”

“But isn’t this truly a joyous occasion for our territory? Writing to her about the birth of an Intermediate Swordmaster—sharing even the secret information that’s almost like a hidden treasure of our land—would be, well, kind of like a, a, pro, propo…”

“I said no! That’s just stupidly leaking classified information! I mean, what kind of person writes to a noble lady they’ve only just started exchanging letters with and says, ‘Hey, I got an Intermediate Swordmaster under me~ Isn’t that great~ There are only a handful in the world~.’ Who does that?!”

I really, genuinely tried to do well.

I made a promise, again and again.

But this damned Duke’s head isn’t just in a flower garden—no, it’s practically in Valhalla.

“Hmm, so maybe it’s better to send such secrets after our relationship has deepened a bit more.”

“Exactly.”

“Then perhaps it’s good to discuss the enlightenment the butler experienced. Yes! I’ve heard Lady Titania is quite cultured. Wouldn’t it be a fine debate if I wrote to her about the subtleties of Swordsmanship and the Esoteric Martial Principle?”

“In what world, under what culture, does someone learn Swordsmanship as etiquette? That’s not refinement, that’s a combat skill!”

“But you, even though you’re a clerk, learned martial arts, didn’t you? You said you learned it in the library.”

If that “library” was the Akashic Record, that’s a whole different story!

Ugh, I can’t just go around blabbing about the Akashic Record I was in.

Even Barbara never believed me, no matter how much I explained.

‘You? Laward? As if.’

That’s the kind of thing I had to hear.

“It’s fine. After all, there’s only so much I can talk about. It would be ridiculous if I suddenly started reciting the Song of the Kingdom of Delphi or the Imperial Love Poem at this point, wouldn’t it? So, just write it for me. The Squaret Chancellor is a man of both letters and arms, so Lady Titania should be able to understand this much, too.”

Why does he think that’s okay?!

It’s a love letter! Shouldn’t you at least quote a line or two from a Love Poem or a Poem of Love as a show of sincerity?

But the Duke shook his head solemnly.

Ugh.

There’s nothing I can do. If he’s going to be this stubborn, so be it.

Even if this letter ruins his love life, it’s not my fault.

It’s your own stubbornness.

Today, as I was enduring the hellish training with the even more fearsome Butler-in-Chief Apel Mark II, the Head Maid suddenly came looking for me in the training hall.

“Chamberlain.”

“Yes?”

“You have a visitor. I think you should go.”

“Head Maid. Training isn’t over yet.”

“Shut it. Are you planning to send someone half-dead when there’s an official visitor looking for the Chamberlain?”

Oh, did the Butler-in-Chief just flinch?

Head Maid is amazing. She can shut that old man up with just her words.

“But…”

“You can train at night, can’t you? For now, your official duties come first. Come on, let’s go.”

Right, training at night… Wait, what?

So I have to go work now, and then come back and train again?

But the Head Maid didn’t answer my question, just led the way ahead of me.

She guided me to the Drawing Room.

“Who’s the guest?”

“It’s a lady. She said she’s the Gordem Merchant Guildmaster.”

“Gordem Merchant Guildmaster…”

She’s finally here.

The Head Maid led me all the way to the Drawing Room.

I gave her a bright smile in thanks.

“Thank you. You can go about your business now. It’s someone I know, and it’ll probably get a bit noisy since it’s been a while.”

“otot.”

The Head Maid nodded, as if she understood.

“So, even if there’s a commotion in the Drawing Room, it’s not an emergency, right?”

“Yes. The person waiting is… a bit of a handful.”

“Hehe, may your reunion go well.”

For once, the Head Maid smiled as she withdrew.

She probably guessed as much when she heard the name ‘Gordem’.

Alright, time to brace myself.

Shall I open the door?

I slowly turned the doorknob.

And then.

Thunk.

I think I heard a sound like that.

The last thing I saw was either a knee or an elbow.

I’m not sure.

The world spun, and then everything went black.

A piercing beep drowned out all other noise, and when my senses finally returned—

A blue-haired Miss with a fierce grip on my collar finally came into view.

Her face was flushed red with heat and twisted in a scowl.

Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes, making it hard to tell if she was angry or sad.

“You bastard!”

So she was angry.

“Our parents are the same. That’s depraved, you know.”

“Depraved? You’re the one who acted depraved, you damn idiot!”

Hahaha.

Now, with her arrival, all the key elements needed to execute the domain development plan were finally in place.

My little sister, and the Gordem Merchant Guildmaster, Lone Gordem.

“I, I really thought you were dead… Six years, six years! Do you know how I felt when I heard you’d gone missing right after the Academy graduation?! Did you get stabbed to death by that damned Marquess’s brat, or did you blow yourself up in some black magic experiment, or… I thought a hundred terrible things!”

“Well, you see, there were circumstances. I did send you a letter, didn’t I?”

“And you said not to worry if you couldn’t contact me for five years because of circumstances—does that make sense?! If you get a letter like that, of course you think you just won’t see his face for five years, not that you’ll have no contact for five—no, six—years!”

By any measure, I’m the bad guy here.

“I doubted and doubted whether that letter was really from you… I worried so, so much, you idiot of a brother…”

Lone’s face slowly drooped down to my chest.

I couldn’t see her face, but I knew exactly what was happening.

As she sobbed, the area around my chest grew damp.

So it wasn’t anger, but sadness.

It seems six years was enough to wash away all resentment and anger.

Thank goodness.

“Sorry. I was a bit late because I had to grow stronger.”

“Stronger?”

“Strength for revenge. And the strength never to be controlled by anyone again.”

“Is that ‘backing’ Duke Helpion?”

Looks like Lone had calmed down a bit with the serious talk.

She wiped her tears and stood up to meet my gaze.

I also stood and straightened my clothes.

“For now, yes.”

“‘For now’? What does that mean?”

Lone pouted, not quite understanding what I meant.

There’s a more direct way than a long explanation.

Just show her.

I pulled out the Letter of Credit I’d hidden in the office.

“Here.”

“What’s this scrap of paper? Looks like a Letter of Credit. What? It is a Letter of Credit? Oh, Duke Helpion issued it for you? I guess he takes care of his staff, huh.”

But as I explained the Letter of Credit, her eyes grew wider and wider.

“It’s not a salary, it’s investment money? So that’s what you meant by ‘backing’.”

I hadn’t even told her the amount yet.

“W-wait, 100,000 Gold?! Hey, this is weird! Who invests that kind of money in a mere clerk, especially someone who’s been here less than a month?! Is the Duke crazy?! Who gives 100,000 Gold to someone who just got hired!”

Wow, this is fun.

Who knew a single Letter of Credit could elicit such a gradient of surprise, shock, and outrage.

Lone stared at the letter with wide eyes, checking it over and over as if she couldn’t believe it was real.

“It’s really 100,000 Gold…”

“Yeah. With this, we can pay off all the family debt and invest in a new business. By the way, how much debt do we have left?”

I hadn’t seen her in six years, so I didn’t even know the size of our debt anymore.

Last I checked, it was 10,000 Gold.

Even if she worked hard in the Guild, maybe 9,000 Gold would be left?

Lone finally opened her mouth, still in a daze.

“…A thousand.”

“Huh?”

“There’s a thousand left.”

Really?

Now it was my turn to be surprised.

She really paid off 90% of the 10,000 Gold debt?

“That’s amazing. The Gordem Merchant Guild isn’t even that big, but you earned 9,000 Gold.”

“I traveled all over the world. Opened up new trade routes everywhere. That’s how.”

Looks like my little sister is an even better merchant than I thought.

Haha, that’s great.

If that’s the case, maybe I can expand the scale of my plans a bit.

“Anyway, that’s the debt sorted. We’ll talk more about that later. But why did you have me scrape together all those weird items?”

Ah, the items!

I was so happy to see Lone after so long that I forgot.

Following her finger, I looked at the corner of the office, where the items I’d requested were piled up.

I approached one of the bundles and checked the contents.

Perfect.

“If these items work out, the Duke won’t just be our backing—he’ll be our wings, helping us soar.”

…And so, the Chamberlain and the Butler concluded their discussion, deeply sharing their hearts.

The Chamberlain’s wit and wisdom truly shine.

How could he so easily cross a threshold that even those who dedicated their lives solely to martial arts struggled to overcome? Once again, I am reminded of the power of scholarship, and the saying that the pen is mightier than the sword.

His scholarly insight seems intimately connected to life itself.

Until now, we of the Helpion Ducal Family have never been known for literary talent, so meeting him is truly a blessing for our house.

“Today’s letter feels a bit different.”

Lady Titania, eldest daughter of the Squaret Family, had developed a new hobby over the past month.

Reading the mysterious letters sent by Duke Helpion.

But can you really call these letters love letters?

All they contained were tales of martial arts, swords, knowledge, and retainers.

Titania had already received many love letters from the scions of noble houses.

She was a little past the ideal age for marriage, and her beauty was so renowned in the Delphi Kingdom that people said even the Squaret Chancellor would give up his entire fortune rather than trade her away.

Those love letters usually praised Titania’s beauty, blessed her for having such an outstanding father as the Squaret Chancellor, or described how their hearts raced upon meeting her.

They would go on and on about how this encounter and their feelings were fated.

Some would even boast about their family or their achievements.

But this letter was completely different.

“Does this man really want to start as friends with me?”

But on second thought, that didn’t seem quite right either.

What kind of friend only talks endlessly about Swordsmanship?

No, this was more like…

A sword master instructing a disciple.

Like an old master, near death, leaving behind a secret manual as his life’s legacy.

In fact, she’d once shown the letter to her family’s Knight Commander.

“Oh! Is this truly the insight of Duke Helpion? Remarkable, truly profound.”

“Is it profound?”

“Indeed, Miss. The tales written here contain martial principles so deep that even I cannot fully comprehend them.”

Titania was astonished that a few pages of what she thought were love letters could be so exceptional.

The Knight Commander was a master on the verge of becoming a Swordmaster, a famous knight in the Delphi Kingdom.

Yet even he couldn’t fully grasp the martial arts written here.

When she thought about it that way, the letter almost felt like a passionate confession from a man who was truly devoting everything to her.

“Miss, might I… borrow this letter?”

Maybe that’s why.

Even though her family’s Knight Commander asked her with eyes burning with desire,

“…No, you can’t.”

She refused.

After sending the Knight Commander out of her room—almost in tears—Titania quietly called a maid.

And then,

“Could you get me a wooden sword?”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yes. I want to try learning the sword from today.”

In a quiet corner of the Delphi Kingdom, without anyone knowing,

A disciple of the world’s greatest Swordmaster was born.