The letter was finally completed about an hour later.
Phew. The horizontal slashes were more or less done, but the cardio part was exhausting.
I ended up writing some nonsense about the importance of oxygen.
Well, whatever. It’s not me who’s going to be embarrassed, it’s Duke Helpion.
He can check the letter later and scold me all he wants.
Anyway, Duke.
You’re not going to start spouting nonsense about cardio, strength training, vertical slashes, or thrusts again tomorrow, are you?
Knock, knock.
Just then, I heard a knock from outside the door.
Who could it be? Another maid bringing food?
“Excuse me, do you have a moment?”
“Yes, who is it?”
“I am Apel, the butler of this territory.”
The butler? What brings him here all of a sudden?
I quickly opened the door for him.
“Please, come in.”
“No, that’s quite all right. I just need to confirm a few things…….”
The butler stood up straight and looked at me.
Not a single hair out of place, his white hair slicked back neatly.
His mustache was trimmed to perfection, as if he wouldn’t tolerate even a millimeter’s error.
And his body—so well-trained that the outlines of his muscles were visible even through his tailcoat, making his wrinkles and white hair seem meaningless.
Truly worthy of being Duke Helpion’s butler.
“You said you’re from Delphi Academy, correct?”
“Yes.”
“You maintained second place for your first two years.”
“Yes…….”
I answered, feeling oddly intimidated.
Wait, did he find out I went missing at the graduation ceremony?
“Could you tell me which courses you took?”
“I majored in the arts, studying literature and history, and minored in administration and political science…….”
Grab!
Huh?
Why is this old man suddenly grabbing my hand?
Aagh, my hand! Why is an old man this strong?!
“Of— Of— Of—”
Wait, of what? Of—what?!
This isn’t going where I think it is, right?
He’s not about to lose his mind like the Duke and go off killing drakes, is he?!
“Clerk, welcome!”
“I can’t accept your feelings, but—wait, what?”
“My feelings, you say?”
Damn it. This is so embarrassing.
Following the butler, I arrived at the office, where a mountain of paperwork awaited me, piled to the ceiling, if I wasn’t exaggerating.
This is insane.
Is this really the amount of work a single territory has to handle?
Even for a ducal house, this is way too much.
“Butler. Does the Helpion Ducal Family just let their retainers laze around?”
“Hahaha, not at all. It’s not that they’re not working, it’s more accurate to say there simply aren’t people to do the work.”
“But it’s the ducal house!”
“The territory’s population is 60% knights, 30% craftsmen including blacksmiths, and the remaining 10% are commoners, including family members.”
“No merchants? No administrative staff?”
“There are no dedicated war merchants to supply herbs, potions, or weapons, so we always have to ask the mercenaries coming and going outside the territory. And as for the head of administration…….”
The butler’s gaze turned wistful.
“We did have a head clerk, but he recently retired due to poor health.”
“Poor health? Was he injured fighting monsters, perhaps?”
“No, it was cirrhosis. He was young, too.”
He developed a chronic illness at such a young age?
Does that mean they worked him that hard?
Looking at the sheer volume of paperwork piled up here, I couldn’t help but think it was truly brutal.
“The only people left are myself, the housekeeper, and the head chef, but none of us have ever done paperwork like this—we only know how to swing a sword. That’s why I’m so grateful you were hired so quickly, Clerk.”
He probably has no idea how unlucky I am to have jumped into a place crawling with people like that.
I glanced through a few of the stacked documents.
[Year 130 of the Imperial Calendar, Helpion Duchy Palaxia River Flood Disaster Financial Report.]
[Year 124 of the Imperial Calendar, Demon Byproduct Sales Report.]
[Year 132 of the Imperial Calendar, Mercenary Band Tax Report for the Duchy.]
Year 124 of the Imperial Calendar… Are these documents from years ago still sitting here, untouched?
And a flood disaster financial report?
That’s something that should be handled quickly for the sake of the people’s welfare.
“From administrative to security issues, all these documents are just piling up like this.”
It’s honestly hard to believe this is happening in a ducal territory.
“How did the territory even function without an administrative office? Sure, some things might be straightforward, but wouldn’t conflicts pile up between people?”
Even just glancing at a few of these documents, there are endless tax issues, territorial disputes, and minor quarrels.
And there are no laws, systems, or even institutions to handle them?
I stared at Butler Apel in disbelief.
He just smiled gently and replied.
“Isn’t it the clerk’s role to create such systems and laws?”
Well, that’s not exactly wrong.
Back when I was sending out countless applications to become a clerk, or a strategist, or an aide in another territory…
I did dream of this kind of work.
But this is too much.
What I had in mind was reviewing already existing laws and administrative procedures and saying things like,
‘This is wrong.’
‘Is this system from a hundred years ago? It’s outdated.’
And then showing off my skills.
‘Ohh, is this the legendary strategy chart lost three hundred years ago?’
‘Ahh— so this is the official formula for tax calculation.’
That’s the kind of scene I imagined.
If it was going to be like this, I wish my job was just writing letters.
This feeling of falling from hope straight into despair—he wouldn’t understand.
As I glared resentfully at the butler,
Maybe he misunderstood my look, because he chuckled and stroked his mustache.
“Though it sounds boastful to say it myself, the Duke always chooses only extraordinary people as his retainers. Outstanding knights, assassins, mercenaries. My own insight is limited, so I can’t tell what hidden abilities you have, Clerk, but if even these old eyes can’t see it, then you must possess some tremendous power.”
A swordsman? Mercenary? Assassin?
What is he talking about?
Are all the Duke’s retainers secretly monsters hiding their strength?
Not me! Butler, you’re seriously misunderstanding!
Sure, I did go to that unique place called the Akashic Record.
And I read countless books there, but I have no idea how to actually use any of it—I’m just a plain scholar.
“So, we don’t expect too much from you administratively. If you could just organize the backlog of documents, that would be enough.”
With that, Butler Apel smiled and left the office.
What was left—
Was the mountain of paperwork waiting for me.
They say the previous clerk retired due to cirrhosis, but I don’t believe it.
I’m sure stress from things like gastritis or stomach spasms was a bigger factor.
I can guarantee it.
Because, after just two hours of paperwork, I feel like I’m about to die from stomach cramps.
Since I couldn’t just make up laws or tax regulations out of thin air,
I decided to organize the documents first.
Here’s what I managed to summarize from the existing paperwork:
[Helpion Duchy No fixed income. Short-term income is irregular. Most revenue comes from selling byproducts from monster hunts. No major criminal or administrative laws exist, not even for maintaining order. Things are kept ‘reasonably’ in line, as long as the Duke’s mood isn’t soured.]
What kind of territory is this?!
Even western barbarians wouldn’t live like this!
Living hand-to-mouth is for nomads with no land or fields!
But does Duke Helpion lack land, or does he lack ability?
The strongest man in the world, the one with the largest territory, runs things so haphazardly!
Ugh… I’m quitting.
Would it be okay to just say I can’t do this and quit now?
At this rate, wouldn’t even slapping Duke Helpion be justified?
Still, as I kept reading through the documents, some information started to emerge.
I took out a blank sheet of paper and slowly recorded what I found.
First:
The chain of command in the Helpion Duchy runs solely through the Duke’s approval.
Normally, a duchy would have the Duke at the top, with various lower-ranked nobles alongside.
The Knight Commander might hold the title of Count or Marquis.
Or minor vassals with small fiefs would help manage the Duke’s domain.
But under Duke Helpion, there were no Marquises, Counts, Viscounts, or Barons.
Not a single noble.
The reason is that most of the territory is Demon land.
Appointing nobles to govern Demon habitats would only cause trouble.
Second:
Because of that, most village matters were handled by Duke Helpion, or by the previous clerk or acting clerk, the butler.
Most things were decided on the spot, handled haphazardly according to the situation.
Even taxes.
Early on, when I looked at the tax records, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
I thought someone had made double books.
On some days, a liter of troll blood was listed as 15 gold, on other days 10 gold, and on yet others 20 gold.
Not just troll blood—prices for everything fluctuated wildly.
Luckily, the previous clerk had recorded in detail why the prices were set that way.
Otherwise, someone could have been accused of fraud.
And so, as I worked, I arrived at my third conclusion.
“How’s the work? Managing all right?”
“Ah, Duke.”
When did he come in?
I tried to stand up quickly, but lost my balance and staggered. The Duke reached out and steadied me.
“Ahaha, thank you.”
“No, no. I heard from the butler that he put you in charge of the paperwork. I came to see how you were getting on. But do you always stumble and trip like that?”
I scratched the back of my head.
“I’ve spent a lot of time cooped up in a room. I often lose my balance or trip over my own feet.”
Honestly, it’s a symptom that started when I spent all that time in the Akashic Record.
I mean, after being holed up in that tiny space for five years just reading books…
The only reason I even thought about physical training was because I kept getting hurt from being so clumsy inside there.
Otherwise, I would have just read magic and secret arts books from the Akashic Record.
Physical decline was inevitable, I guess.
“Hmm.”
The Duke’s curious gaze swept over my body from head to toe.
Why is he doing that?
Is it that strange for the world’s strongest man to see someone so physically inept?
Soon, the Duke looked away and picked up the papers on my desk.
“These are today’s organized documents?”
His eyes scanned the paperwork.
And then—
With a soft exhale, I saw curiosity slowly rise in his eyes.
His gaze returned to me.
If the way someone looks at you has a texture,
Earlier, his eyes were like gentle music, but now they were sharp, like a swordsman standing ready with a blade.
“You’ve made an estimate of the Helpion Duchy’s power structure. Fascinating.”
That was the third point I’d realized while organizing the documents.
Even though everything in the Helpion Duchy is run haphazardly, the reason it can still function as a ‘duchy’
Is because three great powers have firmly established themselves here, dividing and cooperating over the duchy’s interests.
“That’s quite an interesting theory. According to you, there are powers here playing at being kings behind my back. Can you take responsibility for that claim?”
Responsibility is a heavy word.
So I shook my head.
“No.”
“Then are you saying your analysis is wrong?”
The Duke’s eyes sharpened further.
Ah, this is a test.
To see if I can really do this job.
So I have to answer even more precisely.
“To be exact, I’m suggesting we divide it into two. I can explain the reasoning behind why I think there are power groups. I’m confident I’m right, but that’s as far as it goes—I can’t take responsibility for it. If it’s true, the person responsible for that wouldn’t be me, but rather…….”
Instead of finishing my sentence, I just stared at the Duke.
It might be rude to look a high-ranking noble in the eye like this.
But at least for the Duke, it didn’t seem to matter.
No, it seemed to be the right answer.
The Duke’s lips curled upward.
“Call everyone in the mansion to the conference room. I want to see what you’re capable of.”
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