"I was hoping to ask Count Hendler for his support."
"Assistance? What the hell kind of story is that?"
Viscount Hiyorimy Kanryo, the deputy of the city of the Red Tower, came to visit me at my newly built mansion.
Lean back on the sofa in the parlor and listen to the deputy.
He says the city is running out of money.
"Why don't you offer your assistance to the royal family?"
"I thought about that, but I thought I should consult Count Hendler first."
As a result of receiving the title of Count, I've become the advisor to the city of the Red Tower.
I have given up many rights and privileges because I did not want to be taken advantage of, but I could not give up this one.
[Ins, what do you think?]
[The city of the Red Tower has a huge revenue stream from the dungeons and has no budget deficit. It is better to assume that there is more to this story than meets the eye.]
If Ins is right, then it's reasonable to assume that the officer sipping tea in front of us is up to something.
"I wasn't aware of any financial concerns. May I ask why there's a shortfall in operating funds?"
"Yes, apparently, we've had a lot of unaccounted for funds since the time of our predecessor, Lord Kageusui, and since we released a lot of funds during the recent stampede, we've run out of money..."
His predecessor, Kageussui, was a deputy who couldn't keep Nettles at bay.
They put me in jail, and they almost framed me for a crime.
[I'm sure there's an inventory that Count Zachariah's vassals wrote down when they took over the post of Lord Deputy, so you'd better ask to see it.]
[Is there such a thing as an inventory?]
[Otherwise, it could be said that Count Zachariah's vassals unjustly took the Red Tower City's property, so they should have signed each other's names when they took over].
I understand what Ins is saying.
And that there's more to this story than meets the eye.
But I don't understand why you are asking me to do something that I can find out by looking it up.
If you're just an idiot, that's fine, but if you have an agenda, that's troublesome.
"There are limits to how much support we can give, but let me check the deputy's handover list first. I cannot blindly support all of them, either."
"...inventory...is it..."
The deputies harden their expressions overtly.
I guess he didn't expect to be asked to show his inventory.
"Haha, since it's about the city's operational funds, I'll take care of it on my end. Oh no, I'm sorry for causing you trouble!"
That's a hell of a flip-flop.
Did he want to show the inventory so badly?
I hope it's enough, but will it be?
The disturbing officer has gone home. I'll sprinkle salt to tell him not to come back.
A few days later, my paperwork is settled.
Even with this, there are many documents that I have to go through as an earl, and there are also documents from the business side.
"Lord, it's about time we went to the dungeon!"
Just as I was about to run out of paperwork, Lethia showed up, and behind her were four Japanese girls.
I look at the four of them with empty eyes and I wonder what Lethia did to them.
"...How's the training going for the four of you?"
"No problem! I've thoroughly prepared you for this!"
That's the thing that worries me the most, but I hate that I'm too lame to say it.
"Well, how many layers are we reaching?"
"Mmm, ten layers!"
I get dizzy when Lethia proudly answers "ten layers".
What's with the ten layers? I thought I said five layers.
The rank of the demon that appears is different between the fifth and tenth layer.
Aside from the three ex-brainy girls, Kazumi has no combat experience and is dangerous.
"I said five layers, remember? What's with the ten layers?"
"Is that so? But we didn't have a problem with ten layers, did we? Minho and the others are quite reasonable."
Lethia praises the four of them happily without any offense at all.
I'm sorry I asked her to do this, but I can't say it was my fault.
I've given up and decided I'm coming with you tomorrow.
"My arms are ringing~ . I've got to show the Lord the good part!"
On the contrary to Lethia's excitement, the four of them have dark expressions.
But aside from Kazumi, what kind of recklessness did Lethia do to make the three brainy girls' expressions so clouded? I'm afraid to ask.
The next morning, Rysia holds the first morning rehearsal in the garden. It's hard for the vassals to accompany her.
I'll stand in the kitchen with Sailor and make breakfast.
The mansion in King's Landing has a maidservant, but the mansion in the Red Tower City doesn't.
The maid of honor is supposed to wait it out because Ins has chosen a good man.
So now Sailor is preparing a meal for us.
This mansion was built on a piece of land that he had purchased when he became an earl, and he bought a modern mansion through [[mail order]].
The first house I bought has been demolished to make room for a shop, and a condominium has been built on the same site, which is also used as a dormitory for employees.
The land area of this mansion is 30,000 square meters.
It's too big a plot of land by any stretch of the imagination, but it's the kind of land Catherine San bought for the Earl's mansion and estate.
He... she's good at her job.
I thought the land of the orphanage was large, but it was twice as large, so even if I built a mansion, there would still be more land for Tak-San.
I've hired local carpenters to build all the buildings except the one I live in.
At present, we are constructing houses and guesthouses for the vassals in parallel, and when they are finished, we will build a training ground.
In the past few months, we've bought five properties (the first house and shop, the orphanage, Lulu's shop, Daisy's shop, and the Count's house), and that alone has been a considerable expense, but business has been going so well that we've been accumulating money.
"Saint-Louve, breakfast is ready, go get Lethia and the others."
"Okay, one."
I'll make breakfast for my men. It's partly to thank you for accompanying me to Lethia, but it's also a social gathering.
Lunch and dinner vary from time to time, but breakfast is often taken in this house.
"Lord, I'm starving!"
Same old Lethia.
Behind Lethia, seven military officers, three civilian officers, and four Japanese girls enter.
Eighteen people, including us, around the table.
"Come on, don't be shy. There's always room for more. Bon appétit!"
[Bon appétit!]
The four Japanese daughters accepted "Itadakimasu" as normal, but the vassals, who were people of this world, did not have the culture of "Itadakimasu".
But now that you're eating with us, "thank you" is taking root.
"I'm going to the Red Tower today. I'll take care of the house."
Breakfast is over and the vassals are left in charge of the house.
"Thank you, sir. Have a safe trip."
Mr. Hommen will respond on behalf of the family.
It's about time for the craftsmen to arrive, so the military officers go to patrol the grounds, while the civil servants head to the room they use as an office to deal with the Hendler Company, the orphanage, and the reports coming in from Lulu and Daisy's shop.
Me, Lethia, Saint-Louve, Sela, the four girls, and eight others are heading for the Red Tower.
Since the existence of the Type 96 Armored Car (Cougar) is already known, we are going to take the Type 96 Armored Car (Cougar).
The Adventurer's Guild is as lively as ever today.
If you're an adventurer, you'll be asked to bring back medicinal herbs and rare ores that can be collected in the Red Tower, as well as requests to obtain materials for demons.
That's why the four girls who are registered as adventurers are allowed to accept requests.
In the meantime, the four of us decided to wait at a restaurant in the Adventurer's Guild.
We sit down at a table and the waitress comes over and asks us what we want.
A cute waitress with rabbit ears is wearing a bunny suit, and I think it's a man's nature to be drawn to her.
"Ouch!"
Sailor pinched me in the side.
I know, but I can't stop it!
"Yes, I'm sorry..."
A glance from Sailor makes me swoon.
As I was finishing my drink, the four girls came to me with a request.
"I've received a request to collect fountain grasses and a collection of Uldrago skins."
The Mannenkusa is a demon that comes out of the eighth level and above, and the Uldrago is a demon that comes out of the seventh level, so I got just the right request.
Tempers flare when you try to leave the guild hall after paying for your drinks!
We've done this before, right?
"Oh, you got a nice girl!"
"Heh heh, girl-chans, come do some good with us!"
Five miserable adventurers have been trying to get in our way.
Last time, the guild leader, Gragas-san, intervened, but will he appear this time?
"Uh, I don't think you should do that."
If Gragas-San doesn't show up, I'll give you a heads up just in case you know what happens to these five.
"Oh? What the hell is that?"
You're asking me what I am, but you don't know me, so what are you? You don't.
Look, all the adventurers around you are giving you the wretched looks.
It's pretty well known that I killed a rank 7 Earth Dragon, and many adventurers remember Lethia and Saint-Louve fighting in the front lines.
Even Sailor is a celebrity because she's defeated Mithril Golem and Mana Spiritual.
But what happens to the adventurer who messes with the nobleman?
Well, since it's the five of us who will be affected, I'm sure we'll be physically punished.
The adventurer grabs me by the chest and lifts me up.
My status is so monstrous that I don't think I'd lose even 1 HP to such an adventurer's attack, but I'm not a physical person, so I can't deal with it.
I'm not sure what to make of this.
At the same time, the adventurer screams out.
"Ugghhhh!"
The bone in Lethia's grip is broken.
"Boys, you know what happens when you mess with the Lord, don't you?"
Lethia's gonna kill me.
But Lethia is a pretty albino girl, so she's not too scary.
The adventurers in front of me don't know that Lethia is a brainiac.
"Hendler-sama, I am sorry. I'll tell Vesta-san and the others often enough, please forgive me."
A female employee of the Adventurer's Guild came to see me.
It looks like Vesta's the one who's screaming, holding the hand that got crushed by Lethia.
"Look, Vester-san, you should apologize too!"
A female employee who is following Vesta as she screams in pain .
"I'm sorry to hear that. I don't have any grudge against you, so it's fine."
"What the fuck are you talking about! What are you going to do with Vesta's hand?"
Vesta's friends intervene in the conversation, but Lethia pigeonholes them and roars them back to life, spewing vomit all over them.
"...again, I'm sorry."
"No, no, my Lethia seems to be overdoing it..."
I'm gonna grab Lethia by the scruff of the neck.
"What, we have to kill everyone who opposes the Lord!"
"Don't kill him. The staff will take care of the rest. Come on, let's go."
I make eye contact with the staff-san and try to leave the guild hall with Lethia's head in my hands.
"That person is Count Hendler, who single-handedly defeated a rank 7 Earth Dragon during the last stampede. If you cause trouble against the Count, you'll physically lose your head!"
Staff-san, I can hear you.
That makes me sound like a psycho. I don't get it.
And I'm not going to wield the power of nobility over something like this.
I'll keep it as a last resort, but I don't like wielding power for nothing.
"..."
I walked silently into the Red Tower.