“Take your Letter.”
The little staff member at the Inn brought me a Letter. Five had arrived.
Could it be, did I finally pass this time?
[We thank you for your affection toward the Baron Family. We could not help but be impressed by your proposal to develop the surrounding territory by combining Alchemy with industrial technology, and by the ‘Three-Year Plan’ centered on economic zones. However, the issue is that your status has not been properly guaranteed. The fact that there is no record of your activities for six years after graduating from the Academy makes your identity uncertain. In the name of God, we bless your future path.]
“Just give it up! What good is God’s blessing or whatever, if you don’t hire me, how am I supposed to be blessed!”
Aaaaaaaaah!
How many times is this now!
This is already the 100th time, the 100th!
I went into the Akashic Record and absorbed countless ancient secret arts, Magic and Swordsmanship manuals.
And even techniques based on the discipline of ‘Science,’ which is neither Alchemy nor Magic.
I crammed so much into my head, but what good did it do!
I still can’t get a job!
I’ve practically combed through every Baron, Marquis, and Count Family on the Continent.
And yet, none of it worked.
If that was the case, why bother saying you read my plans and proposals so thoroughly!
Some bastards even stole my plans, didn’t they.
Damn it. What about the others? The other Letters!
I hurriedly tore open the rest of the Letters one by one.
[We are sorry.]
[Regretfully…….]
[Unfortunately…….]
Once again, every noble family had sent notice of rejection.
I ripped the Letters to shreds and scattered them all over the room.
Hahaha, scatter, little pieces of Letter.
It feels like my life has been torn to pieces just like those scraps.
Ahh…… I’m almost out of the money I’ve saved up.
At this rate, forget about getting an Officer job, I’ll be kicked out of my Inn room and starve to death.
Ha, haha.
What should I do.
In this situation, can I even hope to pay off my family’s debt, let alone get revenge?
If Deon Craphy finds out about my situation and tries something, could I stop him?
No, I probably couldn’t.
Should I at least try to contact Barbara?
Should I reach out to her, now that I’ve become a proud bum and a penniless wretch?
But a classmate who hasn’t contacted her even once in six years suddenly calls out of nowhere—she’d never answer.
Sigh.
Now there’s only one Letter left.
But something feels off.
“Did I even send a resume or job application to a place like this?”
[Helpion Ducal Family]
The seal on the Letter bore a splendid eagle.
And a sword crossing between the eagle’s wings.
It’s not like I don’t know the Family that uses this crest.
It’s just—my impression is more, ‘Why on earth from here?’
The Helpion Duchy is at the northernmost tip of the Continent, a borderland where war with the Demons never ceases, 365 days a year.
It’s a place where the mightiest warriors gather, and even among them dozens of casualties occur.
Yet those who revere the martial path flock here for a reason.
The Grand Swordmaster Helpion.
Also known as the Supreme.
With his elite Knights, he stormed the Demon King’s Castle and beheaded the Demon King, ending the Human-Demon War that raged for twenty years.
Since then.
He volunteered to remain on the frontier, defending the last line of humanity against the Demons.
It is said that those seeking even a sliver of martial wisdom from him come to this place.
That’s right.
Martial arts.
A world completely unrelated to the liberal arts, to which I belong.
That’s why I only sent my application here as a mere formality and didn’t even bother to write much.
Ah, could it be they’ve sent me a formal rejection in response to my half-hearted resume?
That would be both grateful and a little embarrassing, honestly.
Thinking that, I opened the Letter.
But what is this.
[We have received your application with great interest. The Helpion Ducal Family welcomes your employment. Please visit the Ducal Family at the earliest possible convenience.]
It was a job acceptance notice.
“Huh!”
Air leaked from my lips before I realized it.
This really is…… unbelievable, isn’t it?
I know my own weaknesses.
A credit delinquent and missing person who dropped out of Delphi Academy—there are hardly any Families willing to trust and accept someone like that.
So I only sent resumes to lower-ranking Families like Viscounts, Barons, and Counts.
But a Ducal Family?
And not just any, but the world-renowned Helpion Ducal Family?
What is this, is it a dream?
Maybe the Letter is a cleverly forged fake, and if I go there I’ll get kidnapped for organ trafficking or something.
Or maybe, the Helpion Ducal Family has developed some new technology to wipe out the Demons, and the main ingredient is humans, so they’re collecting society’s outcasts.
Ugh, is this really, really an acceptance?
Knock, knock.
“Sir, sir.”
Just then, I heard the voice of the little staff member who had brought me the Letter from outside the door.
“Uh, uh.”
“Mother says to bring you your meal. Today it’s Soup with Ashaak meat and Meal Bread!”
When I opened the door, the child hurried in, carrying dinner on a small wooden tray.
Ah, right. It’s already mealtime.
I was so caught up fussing over the Letters, I didn’t realize how time had flown.
“Thank you.”
The child barely seemed to hear my reply, glanced at the torn Letters under the bed, and asked,
“Sir, did you fail again today?”
“What did you say……?”
“You know that big-nosed man who comes to the Inn every week? He says if you can’t find a job after a year, there’s no hope, and he’d bet his hand on it.”
Really? That guy said that?
Haha. I really have been loafing around this Inn for a long time.
But to think I’ve fallen so low, even kids and drunks are looking down on me.
I grabbed the child’s shoulders and shook my head.
“No.”
And, answering that,
“Go and tell that man for me.”
The colors of the world grew vivid.
It was as if the fog that had clouded my vision vanished in a single breeze.
“Tell him to put up his remaining hand, and from now on drink with his feet.”
I had been accepted as an Officer of the Helpion Ducal Family.
The journey to the Helpion Ducal Family was truly long.
After all, its reputation as the last frontier of humanity and the ultimate edge of human habitation, where the war against the Demons rages, is infamous.
It wasn’t that the journey itself was difficult.
Knights on their martial pilgrimage to learn from the Supreme made the trip comfortable.
‘Because so many Knights pass through, you won’t even see a Bandit, let alone a Monster. Bandits have to save their own skins, so they run off to avoid being hunted down, and Monsters are practically endangered here.’
‘So trade must be thriving, then?’
‘Not necessarily. You’re more likely to get attacked before even entering this territory. All the displaced Bandits and Monsters are pushed to the outskirts. And sometimes, there are beasts even people like us have trouble subduing. Like Sandworms or Wyverns, for example.’
‘Those things appear here?’
‘And not just them. This is the road to the Demon lands. Nowhere in the world is more dangerous, so you’d better be ready. Luckily, the areas where they appear are mostly fixed, so just trust us.’
The more I talked with the Knights, the more questions I had.
If the Helpion Ducal Family gathers such outstanding people, there must be plenty of talented Officers too.
Why would they hire someone like me, with no verified experience or ability?
In the end, I couldn’t figure out the reason for my hiring until I had my final interview with the Supreme.
No, it was only natural that I couldn’t.
Who could have imagined such a ridiculous reason?
“Are you the newly hired Officer?”
“Y-yes. My name is Laward Gordem.”
“Nice to meet you. I am Rodelaos de Helpion, head of the Helpion Ducal Family. Your shoulders are all stiff. Relax. I’ve spent more days as a street mercenary than as a Duke. I find etiquette and formality bothersome, so just be at ease. I mean that sincerely, not just as a courtesy.”
No matter how much you say so, the reason I’m nervous isn’t your title, but your very existence.
Right now, I was standing before the Duke of Helpion.
In a study that was rough but far from shabby, he exuded a natural presence.
The Duke of Helpion was someone who could be described with just one word: Supreme.
A towering figure nearly 2 meters tall.
Arms as big as my entire head.
Actually, even his fists looked about as big as my head.
His muscular body was perfectly balanced, as if sculpted by God.
Beneath a neatly cropped mop of blue hair, his deep sea-colored eyes were like staring down a griffon ruling the sky.
The overwhelming pressure of facing him was so intense, it made even breathing difficult.
Incredible.
So this is the Supreme.
No wonder Knights are so desperate to meet him even once.
No wonder they devote years to the Helpion Ducal Family, helping the war against the Demons for free.
Even though I’ve never wielded a sword, I understood instantly.
“Was your journey here uncomfortable?”
“The Knights helping me made it very comfortable!”
“Good. If you’re not too tired, I’d like to talk about the job you’ll be doing.”
“Yes, I’m fine!”
“Ahem, hmm…….!”
“Duke?”
“Ah, no. It’s just… a bit embarrassing to talk about.”
Embarrassing?
That’s not a word I’d expect to hear from the Duke of Helpion.
He actually looked embarrassed, his face turning red and fidgety—it was frankly bizarre to see.
“The reason you were hired so urgently by our Family is… ahem, to write Letters.”
“Letters, sir? Understood. As a Delphi Academy graduate, I’m confident in my writing. Whether it’s negotiation documents, agreements, declarations of war, or schemes for duels—just say the word!”
“No, no. If it were that, I’d just barge in myself, why bother with complicated procedures?”
He says such frightening things so casually.
“Well…….”
The Duke stammered several times, then closed his eyes tightly and muttered like a general facing his mortal enemy.
“I, I have someone I admire. Admire… ahem, it’s my first time feeling this way, but all I’ve ever done is brawl, so I don’t know how to express my feelings.”
No way.
“So… your job is to convey my feelings to that young lady.”
“……Are you saying you want me to ghostwrite your love Letters?”
“Yes, exactly! As expected of an Academy graduate—you understood my intentions right away! Hohoho, I like your quick wit. I think this will go well!”
What the hell is this.
Deep inside, is this the plot of some third-rate romance novel?
“Love Letters……. So, you hired me, an Officer of the great Helpion Ducal Family, just to ghostwrite your love Letters…….”
“Ahem, ahem.”
The Duke scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrassed.
“The truth is, there are no scholars in our territory. It’s all warriors here, so I was worried. Then your application arrived. Surely God is blessing my love.”
Ha…… In the end, I’ve brought this on myself.
What do I do? How can I resolve this safely, without damaging my own honor?
I applied to the Ducal Family first, so if I refuse now, it’ll disgrace the Duke.
He’s not going to kill me with those fists of his, is he?
But this is ridiculous.
I have mountains to climb—gaining strength, building power, making money, reviving my Family, and ultimately getting revenge. How can I waste time writing love Letters?
“Your Grace, actually, I…….”
“I’ll make sure the pay is generous. Your salary will be 10 gold per month—about three times what a normal Officer in a Ducal Family gets.”
Duke, are you trying to bribe me with money?
“And for every Letter you write and receive a reply, I’ll give you a 10 gold bonus. You’ll also be provided with lodging and meals within the estate.”
It was too much money and too good a deal to refuse.
My Family, ruined by Deon Craphy, owes 10,000 gold.
If I work like a dog here, I could pay it off in 2-3 years.
Once I’ve paid off the debt, I’ll finally have a reason to contact my struggling younger sibling.
Fine. I could write one a day, like a diary, if I have to!
“There’s one condition.”
“Of course there would be, with so much money at stake.”
“I’d rather people not know I hired someone just to write love Letters. So please keep it a secret.”
Secrecy, huh. That much is easy.
And so, I became the messenger of love, helping the world’s strongest man achieve his first romance.
Ha. My fate.
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