Chapter 24
I interrupted Amy’s absurd comment.
“It’s a vacant post. No, it’s a position that doesn’t exist yet.”
“An ideal, then.”
An ideal was defined as the most perfect state imaginable within the limits of human thought.
It referred to the best condition that ordinary people could dream of.
“That sort of position isn’t my ideal. It’s merely a stepping stone toward something greater.”
“What do you aim for? How far do you plan to take Hebron?”
I looked at Amy.
She was asking me to reveal all my cards. A foolish request, especially considering the position she was about to take.
“You’re not my strategist yet. A true strategist reads their lord’s mind, gives it form, and makes it reality.”
“I’ll make sure to become one.”
Amy had a strong interest in military strategy. She had read countless strategy books and even published one under a pseudonym.
<Shylock’s Strategies and Tactics>.
Shylock was a figure from two centuries ago, a knight renowned not only in Hebron but across the Kingdom of Xenon.
He was remembered less for his swordplay and more for his brilliance as a tactician.
In <Shylock’s Strategies and Tactics>, Amy de Ludwig analyzed Shylock’s maneuvers and demonstrated that it had more potential.
House Breio, recognizing this, set out to recruit the author. Until they discovered that the author was a woman.
“Surpass your own ideal. And fulfill mine.”
I summoned a servant to bring in a few boxes from the library.
With grunts and groans, the servants laid the boxes at Amy’s feet. Even from a distance, the stench of old dust clung to the neglected papers.
“Start by sorting these. They’re Hebron’s ledgers, abandoned for over 200 years.”
“W-Wait. The accounting standards were completely different 200 years ago. More importantly, are the relevant documents even intact? Are they reliable? Even just a century ago, manipulating accounts was considered good ledger management.”
“All the documents are intact. Seems they were hidden somewhere safe, since bringing them to light would’ve only earned ridicule. Naturally, that means they probably weren’t tampered with. If someone had been good at fraud, these wouldn’t have been left to rot. Your job is to comb through that pile and find anything that might be valuable. An administrator’s role is to unearth treasure from worthless scraps of paper.”
Hebron had declined from a marquisate to a County, then a viscounty, and now a mere barony. It was inevitable that numerous dealings had taken place with neighboring territories during it’s bad times.
–To the heavens, with a smile.
The lords of Hebron spent so long smiling at the sky, they failed to see the reality beneath their feet.
[PR/N: Lol, burn.]
The proof was in the neglected ledgers, receipts, and contracts.
Deals between noble houses could not be erased by time. Not unless the contracted houses ceased to exist.
“One last question. Did you write <Royal Administration of Xenon: Proposals for Simplification>?” Amy asked skeptically.
“Yes. If you want to know what follows, sign the contract.”
“No, I won’t read it.”
That was unexpected. <Royal Administration of Xenon: Proposals for Simplification> was a text I compiled while being locked in the basement of House Breio. At the time, I had considered sending it to the royal court to prove my worth.
But when I realized all outside communication had been cut off, I gave up.
“Why not?”
“I’ll write the continuation myself. You can read it and judge.”
“Fine. One week. If I find your work lacking, our contract is void.”
She nodded, then carefully read through the contract I handed her, then signed it without hesitation.
Instead of her full name, she simply wrote ‘Administrator Amy’.
It was customary to sign legal documents with one’s full name.
When I pointed this out, Amy replied with a firm expression.
“When I heard someone was finally willing to see my worth, I left House Ludwig behind. As of today, I am no longer Amy de Ludwig. I am Hebron’s vassal—Administrator Amy.”
* * *
A week later, Amy submitted her proposal, and only then did I read <Royal Administration of Xenon: Proposals for Simplification>.
I had expected her to collapse from exhaustion, but she stormed into my office in less than an hour.
“This is insane! Absolutely insane! Who are you, my lord? No—who are you really? How could you have sorted all that out and developed entirely new formulas?”
I found myself wondering if this was really the same daughter of House Ludwig I had seen a week ago.
Her hair was tied back in a rough knot, glistening with oil, her skin was dull and dry, and the dark circles under her eyes made me want to ask when she last had a proper night’s sleep.
“Your proposal wasn’t bad.”
“Not bad? That was excellent! Exceptional, even!”
“You’re generous in your self-assessment. With that level of work, you’d do well as an assistant at a county. You wouldn’t stand a chance in a Duke’s House. In a Marquisate... they might hesitate, then reject you—after all, you’re an inexperienced woman.”
Amy shut her mouth tight, clearly indignant.
Instead of responding, I handed her a letter sent by House Ludwig.
“Your father sent this.”
Amy skimmed the letter, then wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand and shouted.
“I don’t care what my father wants. I’ll choose my own path!”
“I agree with that sentiment. But the Kingdom of Xenon has its laws and customs. I’ll meet with Baron Ludwig and persuade him.”
“You’re going to meet my father?”
“It’s the least I can do if I want to hire you. Besides, there’s someone else I need to see.”
Amy looked at me, searching my face for my intentions.
I had no intention of toying with her, nor of using her until she was no longer useful.
If Baron Ludwig demanded compensation, I was prepared to offer whatever I could within my means.
“…I’ll have the work done before you return. And you don’t have to push yourself. I’ve already left Ludwig behind.”
Amy had made up her mind—but her father would likely be bewildered. After all, his daughter had suddenly run away from home and declared she wanted to be stricken from the family registry.
“It won’t even take ten days. A week, if all goes well.”
The barony of Ludwig was a four-day journey by carriage.
If I kept a steady pace, I could make the round trip in less than a week.
“That’s more than enough time.”
This time, I was the one who looked at Amy in surprise.
What nonsense was this?
The data I had given Amy was so vast that it would take me a month, or maybe three months, even if I give it my all. She claimed she could finish in a week? She might be more suited to administration than strategy and tactics.
‘Or maybe just a genius beyond reason.’
Suddenly, her shabby appearance made sense.
She’d stayed up nights working through both the assignment and the proposal I’d handed her.
“First, go get some sleep. That’s an order from your acting lord, Administrator Amy.”
* * *
The barony of Ludwig felt much like the barony of Nurha. It leaned more heavily on agriculture, but like most baronies, it was rather poor.
According to the guildmaster, House Ludwig wasn’t in a particularly strong financial state either.
Baron Ludwig met with me in his office, alone. He looked to be in his early fifties and still full of vitality and suspicion.
He had four children. Amy was the youngest, preceded by her elder brothers Zephyr and Franz, and her older sister Lisea.
“So, you’re the one who stole my daughter. And yet you come alone?”
“Administrator Amy is currently overwhelmed with work. She couldn’t leave the estate.”
“Administrator… Amy?”
Baron Ludwig narrowed his eyes.
I took a sip of the tea a maid had brought. It wasn’t exactly to my taste, but not bad enough to scowl at.
“It’s a temporary post. She’s hoping to become a military strategist.”
“A strategist? You mean as an aide in the command corps?”
“Yes, my lord.”
The baron took a slow sip of his tea.
His movements as he drank were slow. He wasn’t deliberately wasting time. He was just trying to hide the trembling hands and voice holding the teacup.
He set down his teacup and asked me.
“Do you truly intend to throw that girl onto a battlefield?”
“It’s what she desires.”
“You don’t hand a child a sword just because they ask for one!”
“Amy is no child. And I’m five years younger than she is.”
“She’s a woman!”
The same tired logic.
I had lived in a world where that sort of reasoning was the norm. But after experiencing death, all those conventions felt laughable.
“Of course. I’ll be sure to remember that.”
“Louis de Hebron!”
“Yes, my lord.”
Baron Ludwig was visibly agitated, breathing heavily. Gradually, his flushed face began to calm, and he sank back into the sofa with a sigh.
“She’s of marriageable age. If you insist on taking her with you, then marry her.”
He said it like it was the only compromise he could offer.
And he clearly believed it was a generous one.
“I must decline.”
“W-Why?!”
Baron Ludwig shot to his feet. Of all the things I’d said so far, that refusal seemed to shake him the most.
I finished the tea that had cooled down a little. If nothing else, I’d need to start importing better tea leaves from House Breio.
“I recognize Amy as an administrator—and a future strategist. In my eyes, she is not a woman.”
“Good heavens!”
I rose from my seat, savoring the lingering bitterness on my tongue.
Baron Ludwig didn’t try to stop me. He didn’t seem too pleased that I had stood up without waiting for permission.
“Amy asked me to pass along a message ‘Daddy, I’m happy, so leave me alone!’”
“That wild little brat!”
“Amy has signed a lifetime contract. Of course, marriage is her own choice, but even if she does marry, she won’t be allowed to live outside Hebron. So if you ever want to see her, please feel free to visit us in Hebron. Travel used to be difficult, but now that the Barony of Nurha is incorporated into Hebron, it should be much easier by carriage.”
Ludwig’s eyes sharpened. He had already known what had happened in Hebron but had pretended otherwise.
He was, after all, a noble who had seen his fair share of battles and politics.
“…I heard you killed the Baron of Nurha.”
“It was just one of those common territorial disputes.”
“And you plan to keep waging those common disputes, do you?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, Baron Ludwig exhaled deeply through his nose.
Even considering the state of both our houses and the contract Amy had signed, there was nothing about me that would tempt him into handing over his daughter willingly.
“Can you promise me one thing?”
“Name it.”
“This is a personal favor, so please take it to heart. If Hebron ever finds itself in danger, contact me. I’ll dispatch soldiers to protect my daughter.”
It was a good offer.
If it came to it, I could draw Ludwig’s forces into a war.
“I’ll keep it a secret from Amy.”
“Thank you. Take good care of Amy de Ludwig.”
He placed special emphasis on ‘de Ludwig’.
It meant he had no intention of removing her from the family registry. I accepted that gesture.
“Yes. And thanks to Amy de Ludwig, your house will earn honor beyond measure.”
“I’m not looking for that. Just treat her well.”
“I will. Without fail.”
