Soudouki Vol 4 Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 2 – The Dawn of Antrim

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Part 1

『I’M STOPPING HOLDING BACK NOW! JO○OOOOOOOOOO!』(TN: A Jojo reference)

Masaharu leaned forward from the castle’s balcony and yelled as his soul commanded him.

Although he had surrendered the main character seat of this life to Baldr, he couldn’t go against his own nature.

「My lord, what in the world are you screaming with those unknown words?」

Agatha was sending him a cold gaze with her hands on her waist and her expression looking thoroughly exasperated.

It was only Seyruun and Tyros, Baldr’s childhood friends who were  used with Baldr’s eccentricity. Even his schoolmates, Brooks and Nelson  were opening their eyes wide in surprise.

But, as a man, anyone would have dreamed to be the lord of a country and a castle at least once since they were born.

Baldr wasn’t an exception to that. His excitement was reaching the peak seeing the land of Antrim spreading below him.

Viscount Antrim’s territory──it was composed of gentle plateau until  the mountain range Morgan at the north and fertile plain around the area  of Potomac River that was flowing at the southern part.

This area was also greatly protruding from Mauricia Kingdom into Haurelia Kingdom.

This area would be the first place to be attacked if war broke out.  Because of that this area had a bad reputation as Mauricia’s  appendicitis.

Due to that geopolitical destiny, it was easy for Antrim to be placed  at the front line against Haurelia Kingdom. It was a land with a high  chance of getting dragged into war just like Cornelius territory.

Even so the northern part was surrounded by steep mountains and the  southern part had a river with a lot of water even though it wasn’t too  big which acted as a natural border, so this land wasn’t by any means  defenseless.

Within this land, the eastern part was relatively easy to attack, so a  castle was constructed there to stand in the enemy’s way. It was the  Gawain Castle where Baldr was inside right now.

Unfortunately this castle wasn’t too big. As could be seen from how  the previous Viscount Antrim and his whole house were annihilated, its  defensive power was low.

Although that was only the case if following the conventional way of fighting.

The vision to reconstruct the defensive structure within this  territory with Gawain Castle as the center was already taking shape  within Baldr.

「──Just come if you want! I’ll teach you a new war that you have never seen before!」

He wouldn’t allow invader to rudely step into his new territory as they pleased.

In order to protect his first territory, Baldr decided to liberate the knowledge cheat that he had been holding back until now.

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Part 2

「──My lord, we have been waiting.」

This young man, Brandon Anderson(ブランドン・アンダーソン) was a local who was  employed by the previous magistrate as an administrative official. He  was shocked inside his heart when he learned that the new feudal lord  would be a young boy with handsome look like a doll.

Brandon had been raised in Antrim since he was born. He was educated  by his uncle who retired from the capital and grew to become a capable  administrative official. Many times he had gnashed his teeth at how  small his authority was.

Behind his gentle face that he inherited from his father, he had been  accumulating dark fury toward the previous magistrates who didn’t have  Antrim’s best interest in their mind.

When the previous magistrate went back to the capital as though there  was a demon chasing behind him, the majority of the bureaucrats  followed him to run away from this frontline remote region. In order to  protect the livelihood of his birthplace, Brandon took the role of  managing the administrative officials who voluntarily stayed behind.

The number of oddball who refused to return to the capital was of  course few. Only around thirty percent of the officials centered around  the local employees were staying behind to be Baldr’s subordinates.

Because of that there was a serious lack of personnel and around  fifty percent of Antrim’s governance service was already stopped  functioning.

「I am grateful for the endeavor of everyone here. I hope all of you will continue to lend your strength for Antrim’s sake.」

It was a happy miscalculation for Baldr that he was able to obtain  the locally employed bureaucrats who loved their birthplace starting  from Brandon as his vassals.

If this place was just a normal territory of the royal family, the  local employers would only occupy the lowest ranked occupation while the  higher ranked occupations would be filled with people from the capital.  In that case Baldr would be forced to organize the bureaucracy from  zero.

This was a rare case where Antrim’s unpopularity was bringing a fortunate result for Baldr instead.

Baldr asked Brandon.

「What is the problem that is our biggest priority right now?」

「We urgently need some troops to maintain the public order. I never  thought that the previous magistrate would also withdraw the border  guards. At present, we will be hard pressed to even deal with a small  scale bandit group.」

「──That king, does he really has the motivation to seriously defend this place?」

Perhaps that king actually wanted the enemy to attack this place instead.

If it was that scheming king, then it wouldn’t be strange at all for him to have such plan.

Either way, at this rate Antrim would turn into a delicious prey for bandits who hungered for blood.

「Zirco, lead a platoon to patrol the north mountainous region. Brooks  and Nelso, take care of maintaining the public order around the castle  town. Brandon, I want you to start recruiting soldier within Antrim.  Tell the population, it won’t be a dream for them to become a knight  depending on their work.」

「Leave it to me!」

Zirco who was liberated from the threat of Maggot showed a bright  smile without any burden. She accepted the order while clapping her  chest.

The platoon that she was leading was formed from elite former  mercenaries. They were the trump card that was under Baldr’s direct  command.

To put it another way, they were existences that swore loyalty to Baldr personally. They didn’t swear their loyalty to the king.

They were troops that Baldr could rely on in case his interest was in opposition to the king.

「Finally it’s a work that is really like work.」

Brooks and Nelson had been bestowed the rank of knight formally. They were now fully-fledged knight of the kingdom.

Their subordinates were a semi platoon of guards from Cornelius that  volunteered to come here including Porco. The number was a bit  unreliable to guard the territory of a viscount, but it was enough if it  was just for maintaining public order.

However in total their number didn’t even reach a hundred. Even  things that could be protected would become defenseless like this.

Baldr intended to recruit soldiers and also hire mercenary at the  same time to secure a battle force of more than a thousand strong at the  very least.

「However, the fund within the territory is already hitting rock bottom……」

Brandon informed the empty state of the vault with an expression like he had bitten a sour grape.

Originally with the king’s command, all the budgets that hadn’t been  used up should be handed over to Baldr. However the previous magistrate  falsified the date records to make it looked like all the budgets had  been used up before the king issued his command.

「There isn’t any problem at all with our fund.」

It was Agatha who replied to Brandon in Baldr’s place.

Agatha was given the authority for the matters of financial affairs  as the head secretary. She explained about the outlandish capital  strength that Baldr possessed.

「Even just my lord’s personal assets are worth around tens of  thousands of gold coins. There is also a grant from his majesty the king  that is no less than thirty thousand gold coins. In addition there is  also a loan of a hundred thousand gold coins from Dowding Company, so we  won’t be lacking in fund for a territory of this scale.」

「W-why is the name of Dowding Company show up there? Furthermore they are loaning a hundred thousand gold coins!?」

Brandon yelled when he heard this unrealistic talk that was impossible to believe.

A lot of money like a hundred thousand gold coins should become a  terrifying economic burden where he was already scared to imagine just  how they would pay the interest.

Brandon was doubting Baldr’s sanity, whether this new lord was really in his right mind or not.

「Aa……I understand how you feel but, my lord is completely sane.  Sometimes he also makes me want to doubt common sense but──really, what  does common sense actually mean?」

Agatha smiled wryly with an awkward expression.

After accompanying Baldr, she who was managing the Mileton House by  herself in the past was feeling like she was just a tiny existence.

To say nothing of Brandon who didn’t know anything about Baldr’s  disposition and achievements, it was only natural for him to feel very  uneasy about the future.

「You might be unable to believe it but, my lord’s fiancée is the  president of Savaran Company that has formed an equal partnership with  Dowding Company. Savaran Company might still be an unknown at the remote  region, but it’s a famous company right now even in the capital.」

──Although the company only became famous within these several years after they joined hands with Baldr.

Sheesh, Agatha shook her head with a tired look.

Brandon must be going through the same thing like her right now. His  common sense that he had cultivated since he was born was smashed to  pieces. Most likely he would need a bit more time until he was able to  accept the situation.

「What is terrifying that a hundred thousand gold coins are just like a  moving home present for them. If they seriously sense a chance for  profitable business, they will immediately increase that amount of money  by a single digit.」

Agatha hadn’t spent that long working for Baldr, but she had been  made to realize that all this time she was just a frog in the well.

Especially in the matter of the commoner’s financial strength. It far surpassed what the nobles thought.

Rather the commoners had been supporting the kingdom’s economy since a  long time ago. In the end, how many nobles were actually aware of this  fact?

「I’m warning you, you will only feel like an idiot if you think about it too deeply. Simply accept it as a fact.」

「──From the way Agatha talk, it sounds like I’m some kind of outrageous monster.」

Baldr frowned as though to say he was upset other people were holding  such opinion about himself. Agatha sighed and pointed with her index  finger.

「Is my lord saying that I’m wrong? How laughable. Please give me back my chaste maiden self!」

Painful gazes suddenly gathered on Baldr from the surrounding. He  defended himself with a face that looked like he wanted to cry.

「Please don’t use such misleading words! I have never lay a hand on Agatha even by mistake!」

「Especially to a woman like you who have the same smell like my  mother!」 Baldr didn’t go as far as saying that, but his utmost refusal  was still conveyed.

Agatha felt a bit complicated because it made her felt like her charm as a woman was denied.

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Part 3

「Now then……I wonder how goes the preparation.」

The location was one hour away from Gawain Castle by horse. It was an  open space of the villa owned by the previous Viscount Antrim.

The size of the open space was around 30000 square meters. It was  mostly a vacant land with only rubbles because this place was burned in  war.

In this place, several dozen craftsmen who were gathered here by  Baldr’s order were already starting to construct several buildings from  wood.

Agatha was puzzled that buildings this big were constructed here even  though they didn’t look like mansion or anything. She asked Baldr who  seemed to be in a good mood beside her.

「What are they building over here?」

In the opinion of Agatha who was responsible for Antrim’s financial  affairs, the current Antrim was like a bucket with a hole in its bottom.

Although for now they had money in abundance, the majority of that  fund was a loan. If there was no obvious improvement that was clear to  see quickly, Antrim would ruin itself due to the loan sooner of later.

Agatha was vaguely confident that most likely these buildings were Baldr’s trump card for the financial reform in Antrim.

「I’m making a workshop……the problem will be in circulating them to  the market but, Dowding Company is eager to get involved with that, so I  think we will manage somehow.」

「This place is a workshop? But it will be difficult to call craftsmen to come to Antrim.」

Certainly she didn’t deny that Baldr was a capable inventor.

However people in the occupation of craftsman were few in number even  in the whole kingdom. They were also famous as being prideful.

It didn’t matter how much money they offered, no craftsman would want  to come to Antrim where it wouldn’t be strange if war broke out  anytime.

「No? I have the device constructed in Cornelius already, and  recruiting the local aunties will be enough for the workers. Well, I  also don’t plan to repeat the tragedy of female workers like Japan in  the past though.」

Agatha felt her stomach turned heavy as though she had just swallowed a rock.

She felt like this kind of stomachache had become chronic for her since she became Baldr’s head secretary.

She decided to brew a branch of katsura tree that was good for  stomach when they returned to the castle. In the meanwhile Agatha  questioned Baldr.

「──I got a very bad premonition for some reason. What is it? That device that my lord mentioned……」

「A prototype has just arrived, want to take a look?」

「…..I’ll look.」

Agatha resolved herself after hesitating for a while.

She had a fastidious personality that wouldn’t feel satisfied unless  she saw everything with her own eyes. It gave a push to Agatha’s back.

When she was called as a talented girl when she was still a child and  when she managed Mileton House, she was even called as a cold-blooded  woman. Because of that she was hated by her big brother and even her  little brother considered her a nuisance. She was isolated among her  family members.

But her true nature was a moralist with common sense.

She simply had a discerning eye and abundant amount of knowledge, but  she wasn’t as strong-minded or cold blooded like the society evaluated  her as (she was a sadist though).

Agatha followed behind Baldr and stepped inside the shabby storeroom  that was built beside the workshop which was in the middle of  construction.

「──What is this thing?」

What entered Agatha’s sight was a completely ordinary weaving device.

A man was crouching in front of that weaving device. He was looking delighted while fiddling with a strangely shaped shuttle.

「Boss Karim, how is it going? Is there any problem?」

The mouth of the small statured man called Karim that was covered with beard broke into a wide smile and he laughed heartily.

「Ou! There isn’t any problem so far. Just leave the assembling to me!」

「Sorry to trouble you like this. I put a large burden on you boss……」

「It’s the greatest delight of my life as a man from simply being able to get involved in this project! Don’t mind it.」

Karim laughed proudly. He thanked Gothe once more for introducing him to Baldr.

Karim was originally a craftsman from Cornelius. With the  introduction from the craftsman Gothe, he worked together with Baldr  since last year in developing a new weaving device.

Karim still clearly remembered the surprise he felt when listening to Baldr’s novel idea like it had only happened yesterday.

And then the completed weaving device was something magnificent that was clearly ahead of this era.

Perhaps Karim’s name would be engraved into the history of Aurelia  Continent together with Baldr Cornelius for a long time to come.

「You two are getting really excited but……what is this thing called?」

Karim immediately scowled in displease at Agatha’s puzzled words. He  stood up with the desire to explain just how wonderful this device was  like the craftsman he was.

「Have you ever seen any normal weaving device lady?」

「Yes, my family’s territory has a skilled tailor by chance. Though of course I don’t really know about the device in detail.」

「The best thing about this new weaving device is how one person now  can easily operate the shuttles. With this the weaving speed will  increase drastically.」

Karim said that while starting to operate the shuttles.

Strings of various colors were controlled vertically and horizontally  by multiple shuttles. Agatha was dumbfounded and she couldn’t close her  gaping open mouth.

「──My lord.」

「Yes-?」

Agatha’s expression looked like she was going to break crying  anytime. Baldr was taken aback seeing that and replied with a stupid  sounding voice.

Agatha was always looking expressionless or even smiling fearlessly.  This was Baldr’s first time seeing her making this kind of expression.

「What does my lord want me to do? Is my lord telling me to become  self-reliant on myself?Or perhaps my lord want me to unite Aurelia  continent into one? Or else you also want to put me into your harem?  That’s what you want isn’t it!?」

Agatha was deranged and spewed out incomprehensible words. Baldr who  was taken aback by it hurriedly grabbed Agatha’s shoulders to calm her  down.

「Agatha, I’m begging you get a hold on yourselves. I’m not plotting  to conquer the world or anything, I’m also not planning to add Agatha  into harem.」

「What is it you’re hoping for by showing something like this to me?  Do you want to steal even the virginity of an old maid like me? That’s  your aim isn’t it!?」

「Wait wait! What kind of person do you think I am!」

Actually Agatha Mileton had a very brittle personality when facing a situation that surpassed her thinking capacity.

An hour was needed until Agatha who was spewing out words that shouldn’t be said in rapid fire finally recovered her composure.

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Agatha who drank water and calmed down was glaring at Baldr with a cold gaze while her cheeks were still slightly red.

「Please forgot my unsightly act just now. If not I will curse my lord for my whole life.」

「I swear to god I’ll completely forget it.」

Even so, Agatha felt astonished once more.

She wondered if this person really comprehended just what he had done to her.

The true identity of the parts that were incorporated into the  weaving device that Agatha saw was called as flying shuttle at earth.

This shuttle was invented by John Kay at the eighteenth century. It  drew a line from the traditional shuttle and made it drastically easier  to weave string horizontally between the vertical strings. It was the  driving force behind the industrial revolution that happened after that.

As the result of the productivity increasing too much, the  traditional weavers were out of work, a serious shortage of string  occurred, and it also became the main cause of the invention of spinning  jenny in the future.

If this shuttle spread uncontrollably, the textile industry in every  country, not just in Mauricia Kingdom would be pressured and it might  even become a cause of war.

It was because of her smartness that could even predict until that  far that Agatha fell into derangement just now without intending it.

「──It’s too dangerous. If the existence of this thing become known,  Haurelia Kingdom might come invading starting tomorrow you know?」

Agatha’s anxiety wasn’t excessive by any means.

Even John Kay who was the original inventor of the flying shuttle was  also extremely hated by the people in the same trade. He was driven to  bankruptcy and in the end he lost all his rights and banished from his  homeland.

A technology that advanced too much would result in a great damage sometimes.

If they were careless, they would turn the textile manufacturing  people within the country into enemy and even the royal family of  Mauricia might regard the technology as dangerous and targeted them.

「It will be fine if we only have one workshop and set the price high.  Of course the basic premise for it is keeping a tight lid on the  secret.」

In Baldr’s prediction, as long as the technology wasn’t adopted  nationally with the support of the country, the produced amount from  Antrim would only give a minimal effect to the market on the whole.

That was why the weaving device was added with the function of  weaving in many colors and they planned to set the selling price to  higher than the market price so far.

It might be difficult to reach the target if Baldr was doing this  alone, but now he had Dowding Company that ruled the market within the  country at his side. He had also connection with Sanjuan Kingdom for  transporting the product to other country by sea.

「First we’re going to secure more funds and influences……although our  greatest priority is naturally the defense of our territory.」

There would be no reason for Haurelia Kingdom to invade Antrim as long as Antrim was still undeveloped and weak.

Naturally Baldr was also intending to meet any invasion attempt by  using all the knowledge cheat in his mind to protect his territory.

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Part 4

One of the staple domestic affairs cheat was the production of alcohol.

When using this kind of cheat most of the times it would be about  producing distilled liquor or refined sake, but Baldr’s fixation was  turned toward something else.

His fixation was toward beer.

Masaharu had also researched how to create whisky and brandy at his  previous life, but the way to create beer was the one that he researched  the most.

Of course underage people were forbidden to drink alcohol in Japan,  but there was no way a high school student at that age where they wanted  to act like an adult wouldn’t lay their hand on alcohol.

Masaharu too was one of the youths who had a taste of beer because of his big brother’s influence.

The alcohol that was popular among the commoners in Mauricia Kingdom was ale style beer.

Wine was categorized among the high class alcohol. Beekeeping hadn’t  spread in this world. To use extremely precious honey to create  something like mead would only result in the highest class of alcohol in  this world.

In contrast the history of ale style beer was old. It had the  advantage of being producible anywhere because the fermentation could be  done in room temperature, so it was liked among the commoners.

With ale, yeast was fermented at the clear top of the liquid. This  method was called surface fermentation. In most case the resulting ale  would have light carbonation and bitterness.

Another way was bottom fermentation where the yeast was made to  precipitate in a place with relatively low temperature. The beer created  with this method was lager beer.

The beer in this lager style that was popular was Pilsner. It could  be said that most of the beers that were habitually drank in the modern  Japan were this Pilsner style.

The origin of this Pilsner beer was Pilsen city at Czech. It was easy  to gulp down through the throat with sharp taste. This style of beer  occupied nearly seventy percent of earth’s share.

Halfway up mountain range Morgan that was towering high at the north  of Antrim, there was a former mining site with its entrance gaping open.  That chilly underground space was now turned into a test site for  reproducing this Pilsner style beer.

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「Ou, young master. I’m bringing a lot with me including the experimental products too!」

A horse carriage arrived at Gawain Castle with various type of alcohol casks loaded on it.

「Stop calling me young master, Guiness-jiisan.」

This cackling old man with short height and wrinkled face, Guiness  Claus(ギュネス・クラウス) was born in a well-established brewery at Antrim.

He had continued making alcohol, mainly ale for dozens of years.  Although the brewery was locally famous, there wasn’t really any rival  for it here. He was feeling a vague uneasiness from going through his  days that were staying constant all the time.

Baldr who became a new feudal lord here got in touch with him while he was feeling such thing.

「Won’t you try challenging yourself to create beer with a new way?」

He wondered what this ignorant youngster was saying.

It would be a lie if he said that he had no such thinking at first.

However the stimulation from the curiosity that Guiness felt won him  over──he got a hunch that a wind was blowing in the world of liquor that  didn’t show any sign of changing during these several hundred years.

Things like Sanjuan’s coconut sake or Gartlake’s fermented mare’s  milk were also valued highly as peculiar alcohol, but as expected the  position of beer and shochu as the best companion of commoners was  unshakable.

If there was a ground-breaking change to the manufacturing method of  that beer, it might even be possible that it would influence the whole  continent.

Human couldn’t stop producing alcohol by using grain even in the  ancient times when it was far easier than the current time to fall into  famine. Even when they had to brave the danger of starvation by using  their precious food for it, alcohol was a lifelong friend that mankind  couldn’t possibly go without.

「Kaaaaah! This is the stuff! You finally brought them old man!」

Zirco appeared from behind Baldr with her nose twitching in a good mood. Guiness made an exaggerated sigh seeing her.

「What an embarrassing girl. You won’t be able to marry forever if you keep being like that you know?」

It seemed that Zirco herself was concerned about it. Her movement  froze completely and the next moment she puffed out her chest to put on a  bold front.

「Ha-ha-ha-! Sorry but, this Zirco has no difficulty to find a man anytime I want!」

「Even if you have a lot of male mercenaries around you, it’s meaningless if they don’t sought you as a woman.」

「Stay out of my business! Just leave me alone!」

Zirco’s popularity wasn’t bad at all among the mercenaries where it tended to become a male-dominated society.

But till the end that was only in regard of her as a fighting  strength or as mood-maker. There wasn’t a single one among them who  wanted to form a relationship with her as man and woman. It was Zirco’s  crushing failure in this regard.

Zirco sulked and averted her gaze. Baldr pushed her aside and asked Guiness.

「How is the result?」

「It’s good. The fermenting need longer time, but let’s make an  exception today and break open the seal. No worry, this too is one way  to enjoy a drink.」

As a matter of fact, Pilsner style had immediately exterminated ale beer since the 19th century and became the mainstream beer of the world.

Baldr was naturally having a large expectation because he knew about that from Masaharu’s knowledge.

Even in a different world, there was no way the human’s passionate toward alcoholic drink was that much different.

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The members who were gathered into the hall had sparkling eyes seeing the many alcohol casks that were placed in front of them.

The limit of the allowable age for drinking alcohol in Mauricia was very low.

In noble family, it was only natural for children to start having a taste of wine as aperitif since they became seven years old.

Because of that everyone here had great interest at these alcoholic drinks that were made with new method.

「We can drink as much alcohol as we like for free? Is this a dream……?」

「Brooks……pinch my cheek……ooh! It hurt! This isn’t a dream!」

Brooks and Nelson bumped their fist with a happy face.

「I wonder why men are always being this pointlessly heated up?」

Agatha sent a gaze of absolute zero to the two with her  expressionless face that was like an iron mask fixed in place, but Baldr  noticed that she actually had swallowed her saliva several times since  some time ago.

She must be getting impatient to drink the beer already.

She had it really hard to maintain her character as a prim and proper lady.

「……Is it alright for me to also participate?」

Seyruun was exceptionally bewildered among these enthusiastic people.

Seyruun usually would have her work as servant during dinner, so she didn’t really have a custom to enjoy alcohol.

In the past he once asked his father to have Seyruun try tasting beer, but she didn’t really enjoy the taste at that time.

「My objective this time is also to develop a beer that even Seyruun will find tasty.」

Hop’s bitter taste was the characteristic of beer. Unfortunately it couldn’t be said as popular among the women.

However beer with sweet style like cocktail also existed. For example  there was also beer like Berliner Kindle Weisse, a beer that was drank  with gum syrup mixed in.

Beer wasn’t a beverage that wasn’t suited to woman by any means.

「For the snack I tried preparing curry wurst (sausage that was  covered with curry and ketchup) and eisbein (German dish of pickled ham  hock). There is also haggis (traditional Scottish dish made from a  sheep’s offal cooked in the animal’s stomach), so eat up without  reservation.」

「YOSSHAAAAAAH! Then I’ll dig in without holding back!」

Brooks was going to pour beer into his jockey casually. Baldr punched him from behind wordlessly.

「Ouch! What the hell!?」

「I’ll cool it with magic, so wait a little.」

It was said that the suitable temperature for beer was around 4-6 degree Celsius.

There were various opinions about this, but water’s volume would  decrease in proportion to the how cold it was. And then when the  temperature crossed the limit at four degree, the volume would increase  from there.

It was because of that it was said that the temperature of four  degree was where liquid was the most stable and tasted the most  delicious.

But in Mauricia, the taste of drinking beverage cold hadn’t been  established. The reaction that Brooks showed was only natural here.

「First fill the jockey until half full with rapid stream so that the  beer will foam. After that wait for a while until the foam settle down.  After the large foams with rough texture vanish, pour in the beer once  more.」

Baldr poured the amber colored beer into his jockey splendidly to give an example to everyone.

「And then after waiting for the foam to settle down again, pour the  beer slowly until the foam rise up to the brim. If the foam spill out  from the jockey, that means the foam hasn’t settled down properly.」

「I’m surprised. I can’t believe the foam can stay without spilling out like that.」

Baldr’s foam that he carefully formed through the proper procedure  didn’t spill out at all even though it had been rising up until around a  centimeter higher from the edge of the jockey.

It was forming the foam correctly like this that was the necessary condition in order to taste a delicious beer.

「It’s useless just watching it. Let’s have a glass first for now!」

*Gulp-*

This time Baldr’s fist landed on the back of Nelson’s head.

And then Baldr proclaimed severely like a military instructor.

「Never ask for a beer!」

Those were the words of Mr. Michael Jackson, a great scholar and beer critic.

Beer possessed all the qualities of diversity and rarity and  excellence. It wasn’t inferior at all against the high class wine or  brandy. The meaning of the words above was that it was improper to treat  beer lightly by saying things like “let’s have a glass first for now”.

Guiness chided Baldr’s act.

「Well, calm down young master. Or rather, your personality changed too much just now.」

「The matter of alcohol just tickle my chuuni heart!」

Baldr pulled himself together and raised his jockey high in the air while saying to everyone who had filled their jockey.

「Cheers!」

「Cheers!」

He suppressed his desire to drink the beer already and enjoyed the aroma first.

The refreshing citrus fragrance was rising up. It stimulated his stomach whether he wanted it or not.

And then there was the barley taste when he put it into his mouth.  The umami and flavor of hop became a splendid accent that played an  ensemble in harmony.

The sensation when the liquid went down the throat was invigorating.  The bitterness was like an elegant lingering fragrance that reverberated  in the aftermath. It let the drinker realized that the first rate taste  was a reality instead of their imagination.

「What the hell is this-!? It’s absurdly tastyyyyy!」

Brooks and Nelson commented in one voice. And then Zirco yelled.

「Fufufu……I should say that this is quite the delicacy……」

Agatha was displaying the composure of a lady, but the heated gaze  that she turned toward the casks was eloquently describing the state  inside her heart.

The refreshingness that they had never tasted until now, then the  strong craving that made them wanted to keep the beer flowing into their  stomach.

This was the true worth of pilsner.

──It would still take a while before the beer with Guiness’s name,  Guiness Pilsner Beer caused a great boom throughout Mauricia Kingdom.

.

「……This drink gives me an interesting sensation, but as I thought, it doesn’t fit my taste.」

Even so, it was only natural that the drink wouldn’t fit the taste of everyone.

Female had more taste buds in their tongue compared to male. So they felt bitterness more strongly than male.

Beer was quite unable to win popularity among the female population was also because of this kind of physiology problem.

「I prepared this white ale for people like you Seyruun.」

The beer that Baldr poured from a different cask had a slightly  turbid color that was closer to gold color compared to pilsner. It was  white ale that was fermented with surface fermentation method.

It was also composed from orange peel and coriander. The taste was closer to a fruity cider rather than beer.

Belgium beer’s like Hoegaarden White and Vedett Extra White that were  popular even at Japan were the representative product of white ale.

「Ah, if it’s sweet like this then it’s easy to drink-!」

By thinning the hop’s bitterness and the carbonic acid’s stimulus and  emphasizing the sourness that was like yogurt and slight sweetness of  malt sugar, it produced a drink that was easy to drink and fit the taste  of female.

If the drinker had their eyes covered and made to drink this for the  first time, it would be difficult for them to see through that this was a  beer.

Agatha was staring in envy at Seyruun who was drinking her beer with a  cheerful smile. With her empty jockey in hand, she pleaded at Baldr for  the beer with an embarrassed look.

「Sweet beer is it……my lord, can I also ask for a glass of it?」

「How about you try this one Agatha?」

Baldr held out a bock style beer to Agatha. It had dark brown color and a fragrance that smelt like caramel.

The black color was from roasting the malt. It emphasized the malt’s  taste and the sweetness that tasted like a charred chocolate enhanced  the flavor.

Bock beer had high alcohol content among the various kind of beers.  It also used the thick kind of wort in its creation. It had no  refreshing sharpness like pilsner, but in exchange the drinker could  taste an extremely mellow and smooth flavor.

「This is……it has an elegant smoothness to it. The calm taste makes my heart feel at ease.」

Agatha drank the rich flavor that she had never tasted until now with relish.

「Baldr-sama, I want one more glass!」

Seyruun easily emptied her jockey cheerily. She asked for second with a bright smile.

At this time Baldr couldn’t even imagine the tragedy that would happen later.

.

The new work of pilsner was accepted popularly.

The novelty and extraordinary taste made Brooks, Nelson, and also Zirco to get absorbed in drinking without care in the world.

「Hey……Baldr-samaa……doesn’t it feels hot?」

Seyruun looked erotically flushed as though she had just gotten out  of bath and leaned on his shoulder. Baldr also hugged her shoulder with a  very natural movement.

The two’s bodies were glued to each other. Seyruun who was feeling hot stripped her apron and threw it off.

Her twin hills that had continued to grow were pushing on Baldr’s  arm. He could feel the soft sensation that was blessed with elasticity.

In other words, the two of them were also getting really drunk.

「Dammit! Why is it only Baldr! Is this the difference of status between us!?」

「A childhood friend who is a beautiful girl and also a maid! I hope your thing will just rot off you bastard!」

Brooks and Nelso were standing up in rage looking like they would cry tears of blood.

「Do you think that woman will come to jealous male like you two? How unsightly.」

「Gefuuuuuuh!」

Agatha’s mercilessly wicked tongue made Brooks and Nelson writhed in agony.

「Do you two think that I won’t notice your glances to my breasts  since some time ago? You gentlemen are really honest to your own  desire.」

「M-mercy……more than this is…!」

「Forgive usssss! This is……this is the sad nature of man!」

The two of them received serious mental damage and crouched while sobbing like abandoned puppies.

However Agatha gave not a shred of mercy to them. She unbuttoned the  upper buttons of her clothes to show the deep valley there to the two  while laughing.

「Do you two want to see mere lumps of fat like this? Do you two want  to try groping them? Do you two want to go ‘pafu pafu’ with them?」

Although they knew that it was a trap, the two men were unable to oppose their own soul.

「I want to see! I want to grope! I want to try getting ‘pafu pafu’ with them!」

「YES! YES! YES!」

「──Then kneel.」

Agatha looked down on the two men with a husky voice that packed a  punch. Brooks rubbed his forehead on the floor almost instinctually.

Brooks instantly performed a dogeza without caring about his honor or  appearance at the slightest. Nelson watched him with a gaze of respect.

「You are……a real man.」

「All I’m seeing is a dog in heat. Here is your reward.」

Agatha made Brooks who was doing dogeza into a human chair by sitting on him.

Brooks rejoiced from feeling the sensation of soft flesh from the  plump bottom on his back. A lot of blood spurted out from his nose.

「Gohaaaaah!」

「To get that kind of nosebleed, are you feeling it? Perhaps your little self is standing right now?」

「Aaaaaaah! My queen! Please abuse me moreeeeeeeeeee!」

Nelson quietly wiped the tear gathering at the corner of his eye  seeing his best friend throwing away something important as a man.

「Then I’ll abuse you just as you wish! Haiyoo! Silver!」

「Aaah! My queeeennn!」

Brooks writhed in pleasure when Agatha slapped his butt. Nelson spoke his words of farewell in grief.

「Good bye comrade……I’ll never forget you.」

He prayed for the good fortune of Brooks who went to a faraway place.

.

「Baldr-sama……you are really kind today.」

「That’s upsetting……I believe that I’m always kind to Seyruun.」

Baldr and Seyruun created a sweet pink space for only the two of them  while hugging each other. They didn’t even glance at the foolishness of  Agatha and Brooks.

However they could also make excuse that they were running wild due to drunkenness.

It was doubtful whether the memory of this would remain in their memory or not, just like Agatha and Brooks.

「……How young. Ah, the haggis is also really tasty!」

Woman usually would feel a bit of repugnance at food like haggis.  Zirco stuffed her mouth with it while gulping down beer heartily.

Yes. Even though Zirco was aware of the disgraceful behavior from  Baldr, Seyruun, Agatha, and the others, she was prioritizing her own  gluttony.

「This beer, it really suited the snacks. I can keep drinking forever like this! I’m not scared of anything anymore!」

She washed her throat with beer like it was water and then belched mightily. Her appearance was exactly like an old geezer.

「Buuuuurrpp! Watch me, I can still go on!」

Even though she was the only one who was still in her right mind, she  was a heavy drinker that drained eight liter of beer. Three days later  she would scream seeing her stomach that was bulging with fat and her  body weight that increased by exactly five kilograms.

「DAMMITTTTTTTTTTTTTT!」

.

Part 5

Around half a month passed after that.

They had only just started and there was still no result to speak of,  but the influx of job and fund that came from the starting of new  business was bringing energy into Antrim territory with certainty.

It was the maintenance of public order by Brooks and the  stabilization of public order at the border by Zirco and other  mercenaries that played a great part in the affirmation of the energy  within the territory.

Because of the attitude of the successive magistrates who had no  motivation at all in governing, the population had half given up  thinking that they were abandoned by the kingdom. For them, being able  to see reliable soldiers keeping the peace unexpectedly became a great  sense of security for them.

「The feudal lord this time is different.」

「The previous magistrate had nothing else in his mind other than  squeezing out tax from us after all. Long live the new feudal lord.」

The previous magistrate only considered the population as a target  for earning money. They didn’t think of anything else like the defense  of the territory from the start.

It was impossible for them to give their all for their work in peace  because they didn’t know when the territory would be enveloped in the  flame of war once again.

No matter the era, peace guarantee would always become the foundation  of economy. Economic prosperity that was achieved while ignoring this  would be like building a multi-storied building on sand. This had been  proven by history.

.

「……Ya have worked hard right from the get go huh, Baldr!」

Selina was riding a luxurious carriage pulled by four horses which  was inappropriate for a remote region like this. She narrowed her eyes  seeing the population of Antrim that was restless from the sudden  injection of energy into the territory.

In the past Selina’s father had taken her to travel everywhere in the  kingdom. Simply by walking through a city, she would be able to somehow  sense whether the population of that territory was optimistic or  pessimistic about their future.

In the territory of conservative noble where the discrimination based  on status was fierce, the population would live without hope and being  absorbed with only surviving that day.

It was rare for the population to feel expectation for a vaguely  brighter future just like in this city. Usually it was only the  population at the capital or a relatively wealthy territory that would  have that kind of hope.

As expected from Baldr. Selina renewed her assessment of her fiancé once more.

.

「──Baldr! I wanted to see youuuuuuuu!」

After passing the castle gate and saw the figure of Baldr who was  coming to welcome her, she jumped down from the carriage with her tail  wagging restlessly to left and right.

It was like seeing a large golden retriever running around asking for  its owner’s affection. Baldr’s expression spontaneously turned happy  and he spread his hands wide open to catch Selina.

Selina leaped toward Baldr’s chest without any hesitation whatsoever.  She noticed the width of his chest and the subtle change in height  between Baldr and her.

In just several months, Baldr had gotten even taller than before. Even before that he had also been growing remarkably.

At this rate, it wouldn’t even take half a year before Baldr overtook Selina’s height.

Selina had been feeling a complex because she was older and also  taller than Baldr. Baldr’s growth was something that she rejoiced from  the bottom of her heart.

Selina embraced him so closely as though she was nibbling on his  neck. Her dog ears were twitching right before Baldr’s eyes. It made  Baldr’s expression to break into a slovenly grin. Seyruun pinched at his  side with all her strength.

「OUCHHHHHH!」

「Hyawah?」

Baldr suddenly raised a strange voice and parted from her even though  she was finally able to taste a tryst with her fiancée after so long.  Selina scowled in dissatisfaction.

「……Ya have been at Baldr’s side all this time, so what’s with this. Ain’t ya being too narrow minded?」

Seyruun who was wearing a cute maid uniform like usual ignored Seyruun’s protest.

「If you want to flirt please do it when you two are alone. Even I am paying attention to the public’s eye properly.」

(Is that really true?)

Baldr felt some doubt at Seyruun’s words, but he wisely refrained from pursuing that line of thought further.

「Are you madam Selina-sama?」

「That’s right but……just call me Selina. It ain’t my character to be called something like madam.」

Agatha sighed and shrugged in annoyance.

「Seyruun-sama is also obstinately continuing to work as maid……if I’m  allowed to speak freely, this is a very troubling matter in regard to  protecting the order of the viscount house.」

Agatha’s worry was very justifiable.

Seyruun and Selina’s status was still fiancée, so there was still a  possibility that the engagement would be cancelled in the future.  Strictly speaking they couldn’t be said as a member of Antrim house so  this situation could still be condoned.

However, although they were just concubine, if they were holding a  formal wedding ceremony in the future, there would be a need to put a  separation to their public and private matter.

「Sorry to concern ya like this. I hope we can get along well from here on.」

「I am Agatha Mileton, the one serving in the post of head secretary  of Antrim House. I’m the one hoping that we can get along well from here  on, Selina-sama.」

Agatha looked like a cold talented woman with commanding presence,  but Selina saw through Agatha that she wasn’t just a merely stiff woman  and held out and held her hand toward her with a cheerful smile.

Agatha shook that hand back. She was also smiling sweetly.

Selina was a president of a company who had proved her capability  despite being a woman. For Agatha who also had the experience of  managing Mileton House by herself, Selina was someone who she could feel  a familiarity with.

The two talented women seemed to sense affinity toward each other.  After this they would become a lifelong friend, but that was a different  story.

.

Part 6

「Shit! She dared to rule the house even though she is just a woman,  not only that she dared to ignore the order to the family head and run  away from home! This is why a smart woman is simply incorrigible!」

The current house head of Mileton House, Hayne Mileton didn’t even  try to hide his rage toward his little sister who vanished while leaving  behind a note that said 『I’m cutting ties with this house so do as you  like』. He kicked down a chair violently.

──It shouldn’t be like this.

With the death of his father, he took back the authority of the house  from his little sister who was doing as his please under the protection  of their father and returned Mileton House to its proper path.

But for some reason things weren’t going well even though he was acting following his common sense.

His little sister, Agatha Mileton ran away──in other words she washed  her hands from this house. Since this became known, disasters continued  to visit Mileton House.

The administrative officials that Agatha hired immediately wrote  their letter of resignation. The aides that Hayne newly appointed were  unable to give him any good result that he expected from them.

The financial affairs of Mileton House that had been struggling from the beginning immediately turned dire.

They were holding out now by receiving some support from the family  of Hayne’s wife, but there was no way that would continue forever.

In addition Mileton House was also losing trust because of Agatha’s  disappearance. It became very difficult to borrow money from merchant.

Even the mansion had become a mortgage for loan. If they turned  bankrupt like this, the house of Baronet Mileton would lose their noble  status.

In the first place, let alone looking for merchant to ask a loan  from, even the merchant that was the purveyor to Mileton House had  washed his hands from them because this merchant was originally someone  that was here due to Agatha’s invitation. The merchant was already  starting to withdraw his business to other territory.

Hayne had no vision how to develop his territory, no fund, and no  connection. He was unable to find a solution of how to escape this  predicament.

To be honest, there was a solution.

If only that annoying little sister obediently went to become Count  Chester’s second wife, Mileton House should receive a large scale aid  from Chester House that was a prestigious family.

Hayne had to revoke the agreement because of Agatha’s disappearance.  Because of that he was feeling greatly ashamed toward Count Chester and  his relatives.

Legally, even if it was the order of the house head, if the person in  question was prepared to cut their tie with their family, it was  possible to refuse the order.

However there was a tacit understanding. The one who cut tie with  their family and the family who got a member cutting tie with them, both  sides would get extremely both reputation because of this matter, so  normally there would be compromise between both sides.

Because of this Hayne got a bad reputation in the nobly society as an incompetent who couldn’t even control his family member.

「That girl……if only that girl doesn’t go against my order……」

He didn’t need anyone who went against him, the head of the house.

And so he drove out anyone who criticized him. As the result, Hayne  only had incompetent aides around him whose only ability was to flatter  him.

As expected even Hayne was able to at least understand that the financial situation of Mileton House was in a dire strait.

However he couldn’t get any idea of what to do to deal with it.

「My lord, can I be permitted to report an information?」

An old butler who was only barely staying behind in Mileton House bowed courteously in front of Hayne.

「What?」

「Yes. It seems that a subordinate has finally grasped the location of Agath-ojousama.」

「Hou……」

Hayne’s lips twisted sadistically.

Certainly Agatha had no reason to obey Hayne after abandoning Mileton House.

However at the same time, it also meant that Agatha had been reduced  to a mere little girl without any backing now. She was no different at  all from a commoner.

.

Part 7

The one who was ruling the territory south to Antrim territory was a count of Haurelia Kingdom, Fernando Savoie(ェルナンド・サヴォア).

He was already at his fifties and the white in his hair was starting  to stand out, but his intellectual and composed features granted  Fernando a refined dignity that was befitting his age.

Although his territory was bordered with Mauricia Kingdom, unlike  Marquis Selvi, politically he was affiliated with the relatively  moderate faction. The reason for that was mostly because of his feeling  of guilt after annihilating the whole family of Count Antrim in the  previous war.

For a noble, having their bloodline eradicated was the greatest taboo that they must never commit.

But more than that, he was also feeling respect toward Count Antrim who threw away his life in order to save his people.

「And yet……」

He heard that the eldest son of Count Cornelius was the one who became the new feudal lord of Antrim.

That meant the possibility of Antrim getting merged with Cornelius was very likely when the feudal lord grew up.

There was someone who became overly concerned by this situation.

It went without saying that this someone was Marquis Selvi, the hard-liners of anti-Mauricia faction.

「Antrim’s new feudal lord is a dangerous person, so gather  information and grasp his weakness to drag him down if there is a  chance.」

Certainly it was just like the marquis said, there would be nothing  better if they could grasp the enemy’s weakness, but it was next to  impossible to carry that out.

Count Savoie’s territory was located to the south of Antrim and Baron  Robert’s territory was located to the east of Antrim. Historically  these two territories were destined to become the frontline if war  against Mauricia Kingdom broke out.

In order to avoid getting isolated by the enemy, they had to have a  relationship of cooperation with Marquis Selvi who was a great feudal  lord of the south.

The reason why Fernando was unable to bluntly refuse Marquis Selvi’s request was also because of that.

He had to at least do the minimum to fulfill his duty to Marquis Selvi to avoid angering him.

「……I hope this won’t become something troublesome……」

Fernando too had heard the rumor that the new Viscount Antrim wasn’t an ordinary person.

Therefore if possible he wanted to avoid any foolish action that  would be like scaring out a snake by poking at the bush. That was his  true thought.

In the period when Haurelia Kingdom and Mauricia Kingdom had good  relationship, Antrim was a point where cultural exchange between both  countries was going on. It was also the relay point for circulation of  goods.

To be honest, Haurelia Kingdom’s economic climate was better when it  had good relationship with Mauricia Kingdom compared to now. That was  why even in Haurelia a part of the chief vassals was advocating the  policy of reconciliation with Mauricia and placed more importance to the  economic interaction.

But regrettably the number of sacrifice from the war was too great  and at the present times the possibility of the peace faction occupying  the mainstream in Haurelia Kingdom was low.

「Is Sobat(ソバト) here?」

「At your presence.」

Fernando called a man of shadow who he had entrusted to be in charge of shadowy work for a long time.

「I don’t think that there will really be anything of importance  but……we also need to pay some respect to the marquis. Send your  subordinate to infiltrate Antrim. But be very careful to not rock the  boat.」

The slim figured man’s expression couldn’t be read. He courteously bowed his head and replied.

「Your will be done.」

.

In the meanwhile, there was a sight in the land of Antrim that would make those two’s eyes opened wide if they saw it.

At the plain stretching out at the east of Gawain Castle, there was a  structure that was under construction. This construction traversed the  plain for long. It was a construction of pillboxes made from concrete  and trenches with wire entanglements.

Concrete had existed at earth since a long time ago at Rome. For some  reason its manufacturing method was lost for a time and it showed up in  history once more at the end of 18th century.

And then Portland cement that was still used even at the modern time was invented in the middle of 19th century.

It was unknown why the technology of concrete was lost for 1300  years, but it was a technology that was possible to reproduce even in  this world.

「Impossible……」

It was a defensive facility with a completely different concept from  the defensive war that was taught in the knight academy. But when Brooks  actually saw it with his own eyes, he wasn’t so stupid that he couldn’t  notice how effective it would be.

Although his grade in classroom learning was bad, his sense for real  battle was sharp. He was able to clearly comprehend how troublesome this  defensive line that was currently under construction would be.

「Even just this barbed wire thing is already menacing enough. With  just this we will be able to constraint a large army’s movement to some  degree.」

Nelson who was patrolling the border together with Brooks was also in agreement.

Originally a civil engineering work at this scale couldn’t be carried  out by a small territory like Antrim, but the profit of the sugar  industry that was also started in Antrim and the funds that were  invested here to excessive degree were allowing this large scale project  that should be impossible to become reality.

Barbed wire wasn’t something that was that old historically. It was invented at France in 19th century.

From how it was commonly used even at the modern time, it could be seen how useful it was.

Although its killing capability was low, could easily make clothes  got stuck on it and wounded people lightly. On top of that, it was  really troublesome to remove. Its defensive effect was terribly high. If  it was combined with pillbox that had gun port or watchtower, it was  easy to imagine how great the destructive power it would bring.

What was even more terrifying, Baldr was deepening this defensive  line vertically with the vision of forcing the enemy into a war of  attrition that bleed them dry until the castle.

「……How are you going to fight this if it’s you?」

Brooks asked with a frown. Nelson folded his arms and looked down for a while.

Nelso was said to be at the top three in the knight academy when it  came to classroom learning, but even he couldn’t think up a basic  countermeasure against something like this.

If it was only against wooden fence, he could just burn it, but barbed wire and concrete couldn’t be removed using fire.

「There is no other way except to face it head on, no matter how many soldiers you have to sacrifice.」

The enemy had to transport their wounded back, dispatched military  engineer to remove the barbed wire, and kept advancing even while paying  sacrifice until the pillbox to occupy it with close range combat. That  way of fighting was like a nightmare for strategist.

The nasty thing was the fact that even if the enemy broke through  this defensive line, if there was a time where they had to retreat, this  defensive line would also become a hindrance again.

And yet it wasn’t like the enemy could also spend the time to  purposefully dismantle the whole thing while the battle was still going  on.

Nelson unintentionally pitied the commander of Haurelia that would come invading here.

He should have known this already since they were studying together  in the knight academy, but this sight made him realized once more that  Baldr had no intention to keep following the common sense.

「I have resolved myself to die in battle when I was asked to come  together to Antrim but……if I am the enemy’s commander, I won’t want to  attack here even if I have ten times the number of soldiers.」

「Agreed.」

No one would believe that there was actually someone who would build  this kind of defensive position. Only those who had seen it with their  own eyes would believe it. That was what the two of them thought.

Brooks and Nelso exchanged a disbelieving gaze and shrugged with a laugh.

First they had to start training the new soldiers so they would be able to quickly use this defensive position.

.

Just as they predicted, when in the future Fernando received the  written report from Sobat about the terrifying transformation that  Antrim went through, he was unable to believe even half of the  information because at that time the information still had no conclusive  proof.

.

Part 8

After around two months passed, Antrim’s rapid progress was finally becoming a rumor.

There was no way to hide the amount of fund and consumer goods that  flowed in no matter how much of a countryside in remote region it was.  No, rather it became even more conspicuous exactly because of that.

If money and products were only flowing in without anything going  out, then it could be simply thought as Baldr’s wasting money, but when  sugar and cotton goods were getting exported in return, it was hard to  ignore because it was hard to believe such products could come out from a  backwater place like Antrim.

Because of that spies from Haurelia Kingdom and also from Mauricia Kingdom itself were barging into Antrim without pause.

But due to the vigilance of the mercenaries whose number had been  expanded, it was difficult for Haurelia Kingdom’s spies to even cross  the border.

Regarding the spies from within the country itself, Viscount  Bradford, Mattis was helping Baldr to check for spy with his territory  acting as breakwater for Antrim.

Baronet Falkirk wasn’t really cooperative, but because he was also  obtaining benefit from Antrim’s wave of prosperity, he didn’t feel the  need to rock the boat at all.

.

Around the same time at Baronet Mileton House, the house head Hayne  was enraged when he heard that Agatha’s whereabouts was at Viscount  Antrim House. Furthermore she already obtained the position of head  secretary.

If the other party was only a merchant house, he could just kidnap  her and sent a letter to the merchant that Agatha had returned home.  Everything would be taken care of with just that.

Agatha who ran away from Mileton House still had a noble status, but  other than that she was just a girl without the protection of any noble  house. Even if she got kidnapped, there wouldn’t be anyone who could  help her.

But it was a different problem if the opponent was a viscount house with higher status.

If he forcefully snatched Agatha away, Mileton House might be the one that got judged instead.

「Shit……that damn bitch. Since when did she manage to curry favor to Viscount Antrim……」

This matter was completely outside the expectation of Hayne who was  planning to quickly kidnap Agatha because she was just a weak woman  (physically at least) and sold her off to a dirty old man like a sex  slave.

The option of having Agatha returning to Mileton House disappeared with this.

It was obvious that Antrim House could provide far better salary and work that was worth doing.

However there was also someone who considered this development as a godsend.

That day a messenger visited Mileton House. The messenger proposed an idea to Hayne and he succeeded in making Hayne accepted.

.

Part 9

As the assistant head secretary of Antrim House, Brandon was spending  his days as the busiest person next after the head secretary Agatha.

The government in Antrim had only been done sloppily until now in  Antrim. The managements of infrastructures until the family register  were ignored with only the bare minimum done. Right now the  administrative officials were very lacking in number.

「There is a request for extermination of harmful animal from Hassan Village……」

A girl named Cecile who was newly assigned to this department when  the number of bureaucrats was increased was handing a document to him  with an apologetic look.

She was a daughter of a small merchant who was handling miscellaneous  goods. She couldn’t be called a beauty, but she was bright and amiable.  Brandon knew that she was secretly popular among the men.

Although it seemed right now she was being overwhelmed by the scale  of fund and goods that they had to manage in Antrim right now.

Certainly the amount of money couldn’t be compared to the amount that  her merchant family was handling, or rather she couldn’t even imagine  such vast amount. She couldn’t stay calm to be entrusted with such  amount of money.

「Please entrust the matter of harmful beast to the knight order. Right now all the mercenaries are out.」

The mercenary group that was captained by Zirco was busy with  intercepting the spies from Haurelia Kingdom who were trying to cross  the border right now. They would be away from the castle for a while.

As expected knight couldn’t match mercenary in this kind of unconventional warfare.

「Understood. Also, there is an additional request from the knight order to purchase horse……」

「We still haven’t expanded the stable and also unable to secure the  feed for them, there is no way we can increase the number of horse!  Marquez, tell them to wait for the time being.」

Brandon guessed that this task would be too hard for Cecile and ordered the youth beside him.

He too should be one of the men who had his eyes on Cecile. This  would be his chance to show his cool side to the girl. So Brandon would  make him work hard for him along the way.

「Yes sir! Leave it to me.」

「M-Marquez-san, I’m sorry to bother you with this.」

Just as planned, Marquez puffed out his chest to show off, but Cecile  herself only bowed deeply toward him before returning to her working  place immediately.

Her reaction was unexpectedly indifferent. Perhaps she unexpectedly had a talent to be a wicked woman…….

Marquez looked bewildered after he got the ladder pulled out from  under him. Brandon felt a bit pity toward him, but it couldn’t be helped  because he was a victim of the fierce love rivalry.

「──It looks like they are having a lot of fun over there. If it’s  like this then I guess there won’t be any problem even if their works  are increased slightly……」

Brandon’s smile from imagining the drama of private love only lasted  for a brief moment. He felt a chilling breath that felt like ice was  slipped into his back.

Agatha Mileton.

She was a terrifying woman that might be even scarier than the lord Baldr depending on the situation.

There was a rumor that she once managed the finance and government of  her house alone. The rumor also said that a high class noble valued her  capability highly and wanted to marry her, and yet she hated to settle  down as a wife and decided to run away from home or getting driven out  from home.

Well, if it was him then he wouldn’t want to marry this kind of woman  no matter what. That was Brandon’s thinking that he didn’t dare to  speak out loud.

「Ufufufufu……Brandon, you’re really gutsy. I’ll make you work overtime today until the date change.」

「I haven’t said anything!」

「You thought that I’m a woman who you don’t want as a wife right!? I can see through that much!」

「S-so you are self-aware of that.」

Then she should change herself or just gave it up altogether. But that meager wish of Brandon wasn’t granted.

「I see……you’re really thinking it just as I thought……」

「Hiiiiiiiiiiiih!」

Agatha’s intellectual blue eyes were fixed at Brandon with blazing flame inside them.

Because she had a really pretty face, her ghastly expression became even more terrifying.

Agatha would welcome her twentieth birthday this year, but it seemed  she still had a maidenly part remaining inside her that was bothered of  turning into an old maid.

Agatha huffed and sat down roughly, then she threw a stack of paperwork to Brandon.

「That’s the estimate for the projects’ income and expenditure for  next year’s budget. You should compare and adjust the plan with the  actual condition at the project sites for now.」

「Me……? Of course it’s me……」

Brandon’s shoulders slumped in dejection after Agatha glared fiercely at him.

Someone started calling her “The Witch of Antrim” and it spread. The  number of people who could oppose her could be counted in one hand  including Baldr.

There was no doubting her capability, but if only she was at least a  bit more tolerant or gentle, she wouldn’t be feared to this degree.

Brandon couldn’t help but feeling it was regrettable even though it wasn’t his business.

「──Do it in three days.」

「Please forgive me. I’ll die.」

Brandon’s gaze wandered around looking for help, but Marquez and his  other subordinates all immediately lowered their gaze. They wouldn’t  meet his gaze no matter what.

Brandon was certainly a good superior, but there was no one here with  the courage to back him up and turn Agatha into their enemy.

「……Endure this for a bit more. We are also educating the fresh  recruits, and the redo of the census is also going to reach a point  where it will settle down for the time being. Of course there are still  countless other works like surveying and maintaining the roads and  waterways, but for the time being the budgets for all those things can  be deferred to the next year’s planning.」

It seemed Agatha had gotten bored of harassing Brandon and spoke with a calm voice.

Her sleep had been lacking and the dull pain in her head was becoming  chronic. Agatha rubbed her forehead while wanting to curse the previous  magistrate.

(What the hell is this! What the hell is this! The census isn’t even  carried out properly, how did they collect the tax like this!?  Furthermore the arable land has also increased before anyone know it!  The villages’ chiefs are also acting bossy!)

Although the previous magistrate was here because he got demoted from  the capital, there was a limit in how bad his work could be.

When Brandon was questioned, the previous magistrates never neglected  the preparation to be able to run away anytime because Antrim was a  forsaken land. The only thing in their mind was only how to obtain  enough money to be able to go back to the capital.

Because of that, ten years after the war, the census data had become a  mere shadow of its former state, and the villages were protected and  managed by the chief there instead of the magistrate.

In fact, when Agatha first came to Antrim, the first thing she  thought was that the villages here were far more conscious toward  self-government compared to the territory of other nobles.

If the magistrate couldn’t be expected to mediate disputes and  exterminated the harmful animals, they had to manage it on their own  somehow. The mentality of self-respect and self-reliance which was  centered around the village chief was fostered in such harsh  environment.

Although Baldr and Agatha weren’t responsible for that, it couldn’t  be helped even if they were unable to easily trust the new feudal lord.

It would still take a bit more time until their trust could be regained by the work of the knight order and the mercenaries.

「You seem tired, head secretary. I bring this peppermint tea for you.」

「Thank you, you are really attentive.」

Agatha took the cup of warm tea that Cecile brought and smiled to her.

Perhaps because she came from a merchant family, Cecile was  attentively considerate like this. Most likely any man would go through a  painful experience if she judged her based only on her homely  appearance.

Although Agatha couldn’t deny that Cecile had more feminine charm compared to herself.

「Please pay attention to your own health. If the head secretary collapsed, there won’t be anyone who can replace you.」

No matter how scary she was, Agatha was someone indispensable for Antrim’s government.

Brandon said that from the bottom of his heart because he was aware  that their work would bloat up by several times over if Agatha collapsed  by any chance.

「……Thank you. I’ll retire to my room after checking the letters today.」

For a head secretary like Agatha, checking letters that were addressed to her lord Baldr was also an important work.

The number of letters addressed to a noble was enormous if petition  and seasonal greeting were also included. If it was the noble himself  who personally read all these letters and wrote the reply back, they  wouldn’t have any time left for other things. Just like the diet member  of modern Japan, usually the secretary would be the one acting on their  behalf in regard to how to deal and reply with the letters that had low  importance.

Even so, Baldr who had only become a high class noble recently still didn’t have that many noble acquaintances.

Furthermore Baldr’s territory was the remote region Antrim that was  bordered directly with Haurelia Kingdom. No noble would bother to send  him any letter unless they were very friendly with him.

「Even so, there is another letter from her highness the princess……I’m concerned about Silk-sama’s future like this……」

Although it was only a very simple seasonal greeting, Rachel was unexpectedly a good correspondent.

In contrast, Silk wasn’t good with writing a formal letter although  she could talk without reserve in a conversation. It seemed that Silk’s  position was even more precarious with the long distance between them  right now.

「……Hmm?」

It was then a letter that Agatha couldn’t overlook entered her eyes.

Two cups clad in flame──this was without a doubt the crest of Mileton House.

「That stupid big brother……is he planning something no good?」

If she was working for a commoner, her big brother might be able to threat them to dismiss her.

However, it was impossible for a mere baronet to threaten Baldr.

Even her stupid brother should understand that at least……Agatha  opened the seal of Mileton House’s letter with such distrusting thought  in her mind.

The next moment, *shiver*, Brandon and others were trembling with  their hands hugging themselves. It felt like the temperature of the room  had decreased by several degrees.

「Ku ku ku……you have really done it, you shitty brotherrr!」

There was an idiot who was making the witch of Antrim that everyone feared seriously angry──.

Agatha was making a smile that didn’t reach her dark eyes. Brandon  and others were convinced that the iron hammer of destruction would  descend on the culprit of this anger.

.

Part 10

──*Parin!*

A hard sound resonated clearly. A white porcelain fell on the floor and broke.

Porcelain was still something precious for commoner. A woman with  wide girth raised her eyebrows and yelled angrily seeing the broken  vase.

「Geez! What are you doing Seyruun!」

「Y-you’re wrong mama. For some reason I suddenly got a chill……」

Seyruun was flustered by a bad premonition that even she herself couldn’t explain.

It was something that she did extremely unwillingly but, Seyruun was forced to return home to Cornelius for this one week.

She ended up going home because of her mother’s strong insistence,  that there was something she had to pass down to her daughter before her  marriage.

It was so painful to leave Baldr like her body was cut apart, but for  Seyruun who was aiming to increase her girl power, she couldn’t help  but agree to receive her mother’s teaching and made a sacrifice.

She didn’t know whether it would be useful for Baldr or not, but as a  woman, the teaching that a mother passed down to her daughter was  something important.

「You won’t be able to finish by tomorrow if you don’t give it your  all to learn this! There are also lessons that I have to teach you for  the night activity.」

Gulp.

「……I, I’ll do my best!」

Seyruun blushed and clenched her fists.

Naturally she was mainly learning how to cook here, but the main  lesson for this time was her mother’s sure-kill trick to bewitch her  father.

(Please watch me Baldr-sama! I──will return as an adult woman!)

Baldr would get nosebleed if he heard this determination. Seyruun  hardened such determination while forgetting the chill that she felt  just now.

.

Part 11

「……This is magnificent……」

Thomas who had been promoted to become the new vice president of  Dowding Company raised his voice in astonishment when he saw the cotton  textiles that Selina brought.

「Ain’t that right? Well, this result is only obvious when it was my Baldr’s idea.」

Thomas made a small bitter smile hearing the woman who he harbored a  slight romantic feeling to was unashamedly boasting about her lover.

He didn’t know that he was a man who was unable to forget his lingering attachment like this.

「Not only the quality is good, it’s also surprising that you are able  to make this many while keeping the quality homogeneous. If they are  produced with the speed that just like Selina-san claimed, I will be  able to find buyer for them no matter how many you offered.」

At the present time, all the cotton textiles in the market were made manually by craftsmen.

While skilled craftsmen were able to produce stunning products,  sometimes there would be inconsistency due to their mood and  environment. Occasionally there would be slight difference in the result  even if the design was the same.

Naturally there wasn’t any inconsistency like that in the mechanically manufactured products of Antrim.

The products had no high artistic quality that could only be found  from manual labor, but manual labor couldn’t possibly rival mechanical  manufacture when it came to consistency.

Although, it was a bit questionable that the first finished product that should be celebrated was a maid uniform.

「I’m curious just how in the world you achieved this. As expected, are you still not going to teach me the method?」

「I can’t promise that with my own discretion. Don’t think bad of me ‘kay.」

Selina winked with a smile. Then her expression suddenly froze.

Thomas spoke to her in concern, wondering if something that he had said might have offended her.

「──What’s the matter?」

Selina frowned and fell into her thought. She noticed Thomas’s gaze and scratch her forehead with a troubled smile.

「I suddenly got a bad premonition just now. It’s like the last snack  that I intentionally kept for the end got snatched by a thievin’ cat.」

「This is Selina-san’s instinct we’re talking about, that might not be just your imagination……」

Whether it was because of her beastman blood or her woman instinct, Selina’s instinct certainly couldn’t be underestimated.

Selina gnawed at her thumb’s nail and thought of her beloved man that was currently at far away.

(……I hope nothin’ bad is happening to Baldr……)

It was only at this kind of time that she felt bitter toward her  position as a company president that made her had to travel around the  kingdom all the time.

「P-putting that aside, how about having dinner together tonight? There is this delicious restaurant that I discovered recently.」

「Much appreciated. But it looks like I gotta go home quickly.」

「I know it……」

Thomas had been promoted, but there wasn’t any sign at all that his love life would be blessed.

(Even if she is a concubine of a viscount, just appreciating her from afar should be at least allowed……)

Thomas who was thinking such silly thing might be mentally a masochist.

.

Part 12

Agatha’s subordinates were hugging each other and trembling after  witnessing her terrifying anger. She left them behind in the office with  the letter from her family in her grasp.

(I was careless……to think that idiot can think up something like this……)

The Hayne in Agatha’s knowledge was the stereotypical spoiled noble.  He was a man that embodied authoritarianism who would never doubted his  own righteousness for even a moment.

(No, someone might have put the idea into his head……I don’t know if that person is this Count Orkney or someone else though.)

There was another letter enclosed within her big brother’s letter. This letter was the biggest problem.

This accompanying note came from a count, someone with higher rank  than Baldr’s viscount rank──Agatha was able to easily imagine the  content of this letter.

「That damn pig, he isn’t seeing woman as human like usual!」

Agatha recalled her big brother’s cold gaze that was looking in condescension to her and she gritted her teeth in vexation.

That moronic brother didn’t know at all just how much effort Agatha  had put her heart and soul into in order to rebuild Mileton House that  had declined since the war.

Surely around this time the treasury of Mileton House was about to  hit rock bottom, so her brother couldn’t afford to pay attention to  appearance anymore.

Agatha sighed and glanced at the letter from her brother that had been crumpled within her hand’s grasp.

This was written in Hayne’s letter.

『Allow me to express my deepest gratitude for taking care the eldest  daughter of our family Agatha at Antrim. I think that you must have  heard about the little dispute between Agatha and me, but even now she  is still my precious family who share the same blood as me. She is also a  talented woman who graduated from the Clevis Girls College in the  capital with the reputation as a brilliant woman, so there is no doubt  in my mind that she has been helpful for Antrim House.』

The flowery words that set her teeth on edge made Agatha became increasingly unable to suppress the strength in her fingers.

What was this idiot talking about at this point? It was unbelievable  that he could write something like this after trying to sell off his  important family member for money.

Agatha knew better than anyone just how much worry their father Henry  had for their family’s future when he died. She also knew how worried  her father was to allow that stupid brother inheriting the house.

(──Most likely father’s weakening for those two years was also the work of that manHayne. He didn’t kill father directly, but there is no doubt that he shortened father’s lifespan.)

Just when Mileton House’s financial situation was changing for the  better due to Agatha’s effort, Hayne immediately set his eyes toward the  house’s increasing fortune.

However it would be difficult for him to lay his hand on those assets while their father was still alive.

That was why at first he tried persuading their father to swap Agatha  with him for managing the house’s assets. But when he realized that his  father wouldn’t grant his wish, he started taking action to remove his  father.

There wasn’t any proof at all but, her father’s expression of despair  that looked tired of living was telling her the truth more eloquently  than anything.

If there was something that was just a little bit different, it might be Agatha who got murdered.

『Although she has a rare beauty, my little sister Agatha will be  twenty years old soon. It’s shameful but this matter greatly pains my  heart as the head of the family. And so if I may make a suggestion to  Viscount Antrim, there won’t be a greater joy for me if you can welcome  my little sister Agatha as your concubine. In exchange of granting this  request, I promise that I will repay this favor with everything my  family has.』

「An idiot like you! Just how are you going to repay it huh! Stupid!  Moron! Di○k! It’s you who is trying to get your greedy paw to any aid!!」

Agatha was driven by her anger and kicked the wall with all her strength. She stiffened in place from the intense pain.

It was exceedingly natural for the wall to be far more durable than Agatha’s slender leg.

Indescribable pain ran through from her toes to her whole body.  Agatha waited until the pain had passed before hurrying to Baldr’s  private room.

Unfortunately this matter had greatly surpassed the scope of what Agatha could deal by herself.

If the opponent was Mileton House alone, it was a house that she had  broken tie with. It might be possible to refuse this request with just  that excuse.

However this letter was worrying for Agatha’s situation, at least at  the surface. In addition there was also an intermediation from a big  shot noble to mediate between the two houses, so this matter couldn’t be  solved that simply.

Baldr was still a newly emerging noble with reputation as a maverick.  There were a lot of nobles who harbored animosity toward him. If Baldr  carelessly refused this request, the faction that opposed the king might  focus their attack to Baldr.

Even then, she totally refused if she had to play nice with Mileton  House at this point or becoming Baldr’s mistress. Well, there might be a  room for consideration in regard to becoming Baldr’s mistress though.

Either way she had to quickly have a discussion with Baldr to form a countermeasure in order to take care of this matter.

.

「My lord? There is something urgent that I wish to consult you with.」

Agatha calmed down her anxious heart and knocked the door of Baldr’s  room. She caught her breath and called out with a reserved voice.

But there wasn’t any reply from Baldr at all.

「My lord, are you there?」

Strange. Baldr shouldn’t have any plan of going out today.

If Baldr went out, then Brooks should accompany him as guard. But Brooks was already going out to patrol the city today.

Could it be he was napping in this time of emergency?

Blood veins were twitching on Agatha’s forehead──.

「Guhehehehehehehehehe……」

She could hear what was obviously Baldr’s voice laughing with vulgarity that she had never heard from him.

It seemed that Baldr was really inside the room.

There was no doubt that he was getting absorbed with inventing  something that was completely out of the box once more. It couldn’t be  helped that Agatha was having such thinking.

There was a miscalculation of fate here.

Agatha who was the head secretary of Antrim House was the only one in this castle who had a duplicate key for Baldr’s room.

「My lord! Pardon my rudeness, but right now isn’t the time for──」

.

Going back slightly in time.

Because Seyruun and Selina were going away for the time being, Baldr’s private time increased temporarily.

Baldr had never felt that it was a pain to have the two of them, his  lovers and fiancées to be at his side. But as expected, there was also a  part of him that wanted to have a time for relaxing alone.

Who could blame Baldr if succumbed to temptation at such time?

Even more unfortunate was that when moving away from Cornelius, Baldr  was also carrying his personal fortune in the form of hard cash at  hand.

The allure of the gold’s bright golden yellow color suddenly  resurrected the black history sealed in Baldr’s mind to come back to the  surface.

「I-if it’s just this time……if it’s just for a bit……it will be just the tip, so……!」

In front of the overwhelming temptation that was spreading before his  eyes, Baldr’s hand was moving toward the forbidden act that he once  swore to never do again for the second time.

It was said that Baldr’s two previous lives before, Oka Sanai once  spread out koban coins on the tatami mats of his room and frolicked  around with them.

However the gold coin had simpler shape than koban coin. It was possible to use them in a more varied way.

He couldn’t possibly do something so boring with just lining them up on the floor──.

「This is my full power in display! A gold pillow and a gold beddddddddddd!!」

After yelling that, Baldr made a smile of ecstasy and dived toward the bed that was fully covered with gold coins.

「Uhoooooh! It came it came it cameeeeeeeeee!」

The gold coins were shaken around by the soft cushion and made clinking sounds. This sound was a music to Baldr’s ear.

He had to listen to this exquisite sound even more. Baldr scooped up  gold coins like L○pin the Third and became intoxicated in the joy of  having a gold shower.

Baldr had his fill of the gold coins raining down on his head with  clinking sounds. Then he began a gold swimming as though he was swimming  in a sea of gold coins.

He jumped from the bed once more with the posture of L○pin Dive, then  his hands pushed through the gold coins as though he was doing  breaststroke.

It was like he was swimming in a real pool that was filled to the brim with gold. Baldr’s excitement was reaching the peak.

「Guhehehehehehehehehe……」

Agatha’s knocking sound couldn’t reach the ear of Baldr who was in such state of extreme bliss.

Unfortunately, Agatha was also in a state that was lacking composure due to the plot of her family.

Though speaking from the result, it didn’t change the fact that Baldr should take the blame.

「My lord! Pardon my rudeness, but right now isn’t the time for──」

.

「……」

「……」

The two of them were mutually speechless.

(──Wait a second. Where is this place? This is my lord’s private room right? Or rather, that’s a really cute butt there.)

What flew into Agatha’s field of vision was the soft looking butt and  white back of Baldr who was freezing in the middle of doing  breaststroke.

There were also several scars that were traces of Maggot’s harsh  training, but they only looked like accessory that decorated the  beautiful white skin instead.

Agatha gulped audibly without realizing it herself.

「Wha……wha……wha-!」

Baldr finally finished rebooting at that timing.

However because he was still flustered, he was only thinking of  incoherent things like why Agatha was inside the room even though he  should have locked the door.

Because of that, he didn’t notice at all how by standing up he was exposing his treasure in front of Agatha.

Agatha gazed fixedly at Baldr’s thing. She became aware that there was something hot boiling from her abdomen.

「──My lord, is it your hobby to show off your erection to an unsullied maiden? How inconceivably perverse.」

「Guhaaah!」

Agatha’s merciless words made Baldr writhed while pressing his hand on his chest (and vomiting blood).

Baldr’s skin that was pure white like snow until just now became dyed pink from shame. Agatha’s waist shivered seeing that.

Agatha continued even while feeling bewildered at the urge that she had never felt before.

「Are you satisfied? Are you excited showing them off at a middle aged  woman like me who look like she will never has any relation with man?  Could it be, you also want a stimulation from getting stepped on?」

「JUST KILL ME ALREADYYYYYYYYYYY!」

Baldr begged while tears were flowing from his eyes like waterfall.

When it was with Seyruun, there was something like complicity between  them that made them decided to treat it like nothing ever happened.

However Agatha was different.

Although she was his retainer, there was no way she wouldn’t make use of this weakness.

It didn’t stop just there, Baldr was also feeling danger to his  chastity seeing how Agatha’s gaze was fixed on his crotch without her  showing any shame whatsoever.

「Why are you hiding it? You can keep frolicking with the gold coins  as you please without minding me here you know? Yes, I won’t mind it no  matter what.」

「I mind!」

Baldr had gone past the limit of his shame and his face became  crumpled with tears and sweat. Seeing him like that made Agatha unable  to suppress the shivers of pleasure that welled up from inside herself.

She had been enduring it so Baldr wouldn’t notice, but now her body was trembling all over from a pleasure that was too great.

Agatha realized it at this moment. She was a human who felt happiness from tormenting other.

It was a fetish that was problematic for human. In a sense this fetish was even worse that Baldr’s.

Although it didn’t mean that she was fine with tormenting anybody.

Agatha was known as a harsh superior against her subordinates, but she never obtained this kind of ecstasy when scolding them.

Rather she was forcing herself to act harshly in order to bring up the fragile bureaucratic organization of Antrim territory.

During all those times, she had never felt this kind of sexual excitement even once.

Even while feeling this kind of excitement, a cool part of herself somewhere in her brain was analyzing herself.

(In other words, I’m like a girl who wants to bully the boy that she likes huh.)

She was never conscious toward Baldr as someone that she liked, not  even once. But now that she was thinking of it like this, it felt like  there was a piece of missing puzzle slotted to complete the picture.

She wondered since when she came to like Baldr.

A feeling of guilt toward Silk flashed somewhere inside her heart,  but she easily and quickly came to an acceptance, that this was this,  and that was that.

In the first place Agatha was a type of person that judged a person’s worth with her excellent intelligence.

Baldr was the first man who was so out of norm that she was unable to measure him at all even with her intelligence.

Perhaps she had been unconsciously attracted to him since around that time she was introduced to him at Randolph House.

While inside her heart she was having such maidenly thought, her action at the outside was getting increasingly extreme instead.

「Come on, don’t hide it and show it to me!」

「Forgive me! Don’t humiliate me even more than thisssssss!」

「Fu fu fu……just leave everything to Onee-san. It’s fine even if you become a little bit honest to your desire isn’t it?」

Agatha brought her face closer without hesitation with a smile that  looked like the devil. Her pretty eyes met with Baldr’s gaze.

「T-there are women of my heart who I love……!」

Even someone inexperienced like Baldr could clearly see Agatha’s sexual desire.

He clearly discerned that even more than this would be dangerous.

If the scale inside himself was shaken just a bit more, he would lose against his desire and pushed down Agatha.

「Sorry, Agatha……!」

Baldr resolved herself and pulled Agatha’s small body into his embrace. Then his hand chopped at her defenseless neck.

「Tsu! What’s this, you’re a coward.」

Agatha smiled sweetly, as though she had guessed how Baldr would react somewhere in her heart──then she lost her consciousness.

「Fuu……」

Baldr let out a heavy sigh, laid down the fainted Agatha, then his  gaze dropped toward the bed and floor that were covered with gold coins  before moving toward his own naked body. Then he slumped and fell on his  knees with his head hanging down.

「Why did it turn out like this……?」

This was the best chance with both Seyruun and Selina gone.

Brooks was also going out for patrol, while around this time Agatha  should be so busy with managing the budget that she shouldn’t even have  the time to sleep.

Thinking very carefully, Agatha whose authority was only second to  Baldr in Antrim was the only one who he entrusted with the key to his  personal room and vault.

If only he at least noticed Agatha knocking the door──.

It was hard to think that a scrupulous person like Agatha would  forget to knock. It was his fault for getting so absorbed that he didn’t  notice the sound of knocking.

Even so as expected, he couldn’t help but thinking this.

「Someone……please turn back the time……」

Baldr punched the floor hard with a miserable feeling. The vibration  from the impact made the gold coins to make clear clinking sound.

Baldr felt his body getting turned on just from hearing that sound.  He felt a deep despair at the depth of the sinfulness that he was  shouldering.

「I’m truly a fool……」

.

Around one hour passed. When Baldr had finished changing clothes and  storing away the gold coins, Agatha finally opened her eyes.

She noticed that she was laid down on the bed and gasped. She shot up  to her feet and her hands pressed on her skirt between her legs.

「Honestly that reaction really wound me……I didn’t do anything you know?」

As expected Baldr wasn’t an unprincipled man who would attack a woman in her sleep.

「This isn’t like what you think! ……I don’t mind that my lord is feeling wounded though.」

「No, you should mind that one. So, why are you covering that area then?」

Agatha’s face turned bright red from shame and glared at Baldr.

「If my lord ask me more than that, I will scream out my lung from the veranda about what happened just now.」

「Sorry I was the one in the wrong!」

Baldr apologized earnestly looking like he would prostrate because he  was completely aware that his act before this was something that he had  no excuse for.

Baldr had tidied up his appearance that it was like the disgraceful  appearance he showed just now was just a lie. Agatha looked at him with a  sulky upward gaze.

She quietly shifted her foot so Baldr wouldn’t notice and peered on the bed’s sheet.

She found a damp spot there. It was only a little, but Agatha was  caught in embarrassment so great she wanted to die seeing that.

She didn’t know what kind of face she should make toward Baldr who was apologizing to her without being aware of it.

「Sheesh……please take responsibility (for awakening me to perversion)!」

If Baldr didn’t show such disgraceful sight to her, she too would be  able to keep living without learning about her hidden true nature.

She didn’t want to notice it. To think that she was actually a sexual deviantsadist.

「No no, I’m telling you I didn’t do anything indecent to you.」

「That’s not what I mean! Besides how can you say that you haven’t  done anything indecent after showing such thing to a beautiful maiden!」

「It was you Agatha who was watching so unashamedly without taking off your gaze away from it!」

He was the one instead who wanted to say that he couldn’t become a groom now.

「──Someone who showed and someone who got showed, which one do you think is the responsible one?」

Agatha quietly leaned forward and let out a pressure that was filled  with unearthly atmosphere. Baldr easily recognized his defeat in front  of that.

「I was the one at fault.」

No matter the world, the responsibility lied at the man in this kind of situation. There was no changing such fact.

.

Agatha said that she would tidy up her appearance before immediately  leaving the room. Around one hour was needed until Agatha returned back.

Agatha was still blushing a little. Here she was finally able to explain to Baldr about the letter from her family.

「──Making Agatha to be my concubine huh.」

Baldr unconsciously recalled when he almost pushed down Agatha just now. He scratched his cheek awkwardly.

To be honest, at that time he too was also quite turned on. He wanted  to praise himself who wasn’t carried away by the situation and stopped  himself just in the nick of time.

If he took just a single wrong step there, he would have made a mistake that couldn’t be undone.

「My lord will properly take responsibility won’t you?」

「Eeeeeeeeh! Wait, are you serious?」

If Agatha was seriously tempting him using gold coin and her body, he felt that it would be difficult to refuse her.

Furthermore he felt like he would be awakened to a forbidden world  without a doubt in such situation. Baldr felt a chill on his back and  shivered.

「Well, let’s put that aside for now. The problem is about this plot.」

Although Agatha was fully intending to have Baldr took  responsibility, she didn’t have the slightest intention of joining on  the scheme of her family knowingly.

Rather she would prefer to stay unmarried like this for her whole life rather than making Hayne’s scheme succeeded.

Baldr too seemed to decide that it would be suicidal if he touched  the matter of responsibility further than this and tensed his  expression. He folded his arms with a pondering thought.

「──This is more troublesome than I thought.」

On paper, Agatha had broken off relationship with Mileton House.

Even so, the blood flowing in her body was undoubtedly belonging to  Mileton House. The creature called noble considered that blood as  something precious.

And then the house head Hayne had formally lowered his head toward  Agatha through this letter. From the custom of nobility, it would be  unforgivable if Agatha refused to reconcile even after that.

For someone with lower status to refuse the apology from a noble who  had bowed his head was something that injured the prestige of noble.

「It will be simple to refuse this but, there are too many nobles that  will turn into enemy if we refuse this normally. In the worst case,  even fellow nobles of remote region who are friendly to us might also  turn into enemy.」

「It will likely become like that. Unfortunately, the situation is to my brother’s advantage this time.」

Agatha was the one who originally managed Mileton House.

She had immediately understood just how ingenious this scheme was.

To the nobles who didn’t know about the true state of affairs, it  only looked like that Mileton House was worried about Agatha’s future  and purposefully helped her to obtain a good match.

If Agatha refused despite that, they would decide that Agatha was the one in the wrong here.

Baldr who was backing her up would also be evaluated negatively without a doubt.

Their true aim might actually be this instead.

「Perhaps it will be better if I quit my job……」

As the result of thinking calmly, Agatha squeezed out a hoarse voice that sounded like she was giving up everything.

Of course Hayne wasn’t aware at all about what was going on behind  the scene while he was simply dancing on the palm of the mastermind with  a carefree thought.

However the aim of the great noble who was masterminding this wasn’t  something simple like making Mileton House to bite into the interests of  Antrim House.

Their target was clearly Baldr.

Antrim was already holding a geopolitical destiny of being isolated in the middle of enemy.

What would happen if Baldr’s reputation also fell in such situation?

There was a possibility that when Antrim was under attack, other  nobles wouldn’t send reinforcement to save them. That would be fatal.

The only way Antrim House could survive when they only possessed a  small force and land was to buy time until reinforcement came.

But, there was an unwritten law in Mauricia Kingdom that wasn’t stated explicitly in writing.

It was alright to not send reinforcement to a noble that they had broke off relations with──such evil custom existed.

At the beginning when Mauricia Kingdom was founded, most nobles were  independent small feudal lords who allied themselves with the royal  family.

Because of that, although they had all become nobles of the same  kingdom, there were a lot of border dispute and nobles with grudge  against each other happening.

The king of that time prohibited nobles to fight against each other  and made private war illegal. In exchange he exempted the nobles from  the duty of sending reinforcement to nobles that they had broken off  relationship with.

Right now there were only few houses that were still keeping the  custom from where they were still independent feudal lord, but it was  definitely still remaining behind as an unwritten law.

That was to say, if Baldr protected Agatha here, there was a risk  that Antrim would be isolated and received no reinforcement at the time  of war.

「No……as expected, aren’t you underestimating me too much like that?」

Baldr was also aware that Agatha had been contemplating the matter until that far.

Indeed, certainly if he considered the pros and cons, abandoning Agatha here was also a possible method that he could pick.

However Baldr felt upset that she thought he would take such option.

「My lord, I have sworn to serve you even at the risk of my life. If  by some chance my presence becomes a hindrance for you, I’m prepared to  give up anytime.」

But right now I might not be able to give you up as a man though. Agatha swallowed those words back inside her.

They were talking about her obstinate big brother. If Agatha left the  protection of Antrim House, the possibility of Agatha staying safe was  extremely low.

Even so, Agatha couldn’t ignore her feeling of not wanting to be a hindrance for Baldr.

「──I’d prefer to turn all of them into my enemy rather than losing Agatha.」

Baldr declared with a resolute expression. Agatha felt infatuated hearing that despite her intention.

(Wh-what now, I want to push him down and bully him, I want to toy  with him! I want to step on Baldr while he is resisting and making him  licks my foot!)

Agatha was thinking of things that would make anyone creeped out if they were said out loud while getting drunk in deep emotion.

As expected she stopped herself when she was on the verge of running  wild (even so she needed a strong mental strength to do so), even so  there was something that she should say to Baldr.

「It won’t stop with just Baronet Mileton and Count Orkney. Count  Oakney is the brother-in-law of Count Hastings who is a proponent of  nobility supremacy, and if I remember correctly, the third son of Count  Orkney married a daughter of House Falkirk.」

It might be not that much of a problem if only a part of the nobles  turned into enemy, but if they got into confrontation with Falkirk  House, Antrim would lose its exit and became isolated in the middle of  enemy.

Even Baldr would be unable to display even half of his strength if he was betrayed by his ally.

To be blunt, an antagonistic ally was ten times more difficult to deal with rather that enemy.

「My lord don’t need to be concerned about me. Even like this there will be one or two merchants who will need my talent.」

(──I don’t have any strength to defend myself against assassin though.)

「Aaahhh, sheesh!」

Baldr scratched his head in irritation and after hesitating for a moment, he embraced Agatha onto his chest.

「Stop trying to rush off alone already! It’ll be fine. I have a way to take care of this even without sacrificing Agatha!」

Even though he was the one taking the initiative to put his hands  around Agatha’s slender shoulders, he instinctually felt danger, that he  shouldn’t do this.

For him to feel that sadistic Agatha was adorable when she was acting  disheartened like this was nothing but picking up a death flag.

Even so, there was no option for Baldr to abandon Agatha in this.

Agatna was already a capable person who was indispensable for the management of Antrim territory.

If Baldr abandoned her, it would also cause a severe dissatisfaction  to spread among his retainers that were finally taking shape as an  organization.

Despite her scariness, Agatha was actually reliable as a superior.  Furthermore she was also someone who was good at taking care of others.

To say nothing of how Baldr himself had gotten this attached to  Agatha. If he let her died, there was no doubt that he would regret it  for his whole life.

「Anyway, on the top of my head I already have thought up two ways to  refuse Mileton House’s demand. One is for Agatha to enter the nunnery of  Europa Church──」

Europa Church was the religious group that was the most widely spread  in the continent. Not just that, when the continent was once unified in  the past, this religious group was given a dominion for them to  self-govern. The group was also a first-rate armed nation that had  protected their territory to the present time even through the long era  of wars.

Of course this nation was also respected outside the country too. If  there was someone who discarded the worldly life and entered priesthood  at the church, even the Mauricia king Welkin would find it hard to force  that person to come back to marry.

But picking that method would be the same as leaving Baldr and swearing to stay unmarried for her whole life.

Agatha’s face clouded in despair and tears blurred her eyes. Baldr waved both his hands in panic and explained further.

「No, that’s only one possible way! The next one is my trump card!  Please don’t suddenly become timid like that after acting real tough all  this time!」

「Shut up! I know that tears doesn’t suit me anyway! Even I am a  woman, so it should be fine even if become fainthearted sometimes!」

「It’s not like that it doesn’t suit Agatha. It makes you look cute……」

「T-that’s……calling me cute……」

The two of them blushed. They were almost entering a world of Kic○  Off where they did nothing but staring at each other, but a bad  premonition ran through Baldr’s back as though he had swallowed fugu  poison. It made him returned to his sanity just barely. (TN: I don’t  know what is the reference of this Kick Off about, I might even be  wrongly translated it. Any help with be appreciated.)

──That was dangerous. Is this what they called Zhuge Liang’s trap?

Baldr was thinking something that was subtly off while clearing his throat and starting to talk.

「My true plan is the other way, it’s the law of adoption.」

「……Aah, something like that.」

「Yes, even if Agatha has cut ties with your family, it doesn’t change  the fact that you’re still from the lineage of Mileton House. The  enemy’s aim is also exactly that but……」

Cutting ties in the end meant abandoning the protection of one’s family.

The lord had the responsibility to protect their subject while the  subject had the devotion to listen to the command of their lord. Making  this contract void, that was the closest representation of what it meant  to cut ties.

That was why Agatha was still Agatha Mileton even now. Her children  wouldn’t have any right to succeed Mileton House, but they would be able  to succeed the noble status and the family name of Mileton.

However the situation would change if she became an adopted child.

Her surname would also change to the name of the house that adopted  her. Her descendant would also inherit that new surname. Also, although  her children would have lower status than the legitimate children, there  was also a case where they could inherit headship depending on the time  and place.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration that with this way, her relationship with her family would be severed in the truest meaning.

「But, I don’t think there will be any noble house that will adopt a stubborn tomboy like me……」

The house that could adopt Agatha and crushed the honor of Mileton House had to be a noble of higher rank at the very least.

Agatha had gotten acquainted with some nobles when she was still  managing Mileton House, but she was prioritizing relationship with  merchants rather than with the high society, so at present there was no  noble house to which she was particularly close with other than  exception like Randolph House.

「It’s good that you have such self-awareness, so if you can use this  chance to fix that……I’m joking. Please don’t look at me tearfully like  that. I’m begging you.」

Strange……for some reason he found it harder to go against the frail  Agatha compared to when he was facing the usual stubborn Agatha.

I see, so this is what they called gap moe (deranged).

「It’s just as Agatha said, the problem is the noble house that will  take you as adopted child. Picking a random noble house will only worsen  the situation, and asking a merchant family is out of the question. The  house has to have higher status than count at the very least, if not  Count Orkney and the mastermind behind him will cause a ruckus.」

The enemy’s aim was sacrificing Agatha to weaken Baldr.

If Baldr expulsed Agatha just like the initial plan, the government  of Antrim territory would be temporarily paralyzed. On the other hand if  Baldr protected her, he would be publicly humiliated in front of the  whole noble society and if things went well the enemy might even be able  to obliterate him politically.

No matter how high Welkin evaluated Baldr, it would be hard to  publicly support someone who opposed the custom of noble society openly.

In other words if Baldr’s refused Mileton House’s offer to protect  Agatha without making any preparation beforehand, he would only move as  his enemy wished.

「It’s obviously impossible to have a noble with rank higher than  count to take me as adopted child isn’t it? I’m just a daughter of a  trivial baronet house! Furthermore a woman who has cut ties with my  family and has no backing at all!」

Thinking with common sense, that was how it was.

Welkin easily accepted to adopt Teresa, but that was simply because  it was a method of diplomacy toward Sanjuan Kingdom. Originally a matter  of adoption was a delicate problem that would influence the matter of  inheritance.

Furthermore it could be said that there would be no whimsical noble  who would adopt Agatha knowing that doing that would turn Mileton House  and several other nobles into enemy.

「In the worst case I’ll persuade my parents to adopt Agatha into  Cornelius House. To be honest I’ll shudder if I have to call Agatha as  Nee-san but……」

「Why-!」

Agatha yelled reflexively.

It was a secret that she was secretly feeling fascinated when she imagined the scene of Baldr calling her Nee-san.

「Kaa-san is already too much for me. If there is an additional sadist  Nee-san joining her, that’s simply a punishment game for me……」

──He would lose his peace.

Baldr’s whole body shivered in chill when he imagined the two demons smacking him around physically and mentally.

It was terrifying because his imagination wasn’t unrealistic by any  means knowing just how much of a sadist the two of them were.

「However, well, there is no need to pester the demonMaggot right from the start. I have an idea of a more suitable house after thinking of the pros and cons.」

「Where does such house exist?」

Even Cornelius House was already exceptional enough. She couldn’t  believe that there would be any other house that would accept a  troublesome person like her.

「I’m talking about Randolph House that Agatha also know well enough.」

Baldr’s reply was so outlandish that Agatha was speechless with her mouth gaping open for a while.

.

Part 13

The king of Haurelia Kingdom, Louis Ferdinand(ルイ・フェルディナン) was grimacing.

He had thick eyebrows and wide forehead that made him looked  strong-minded. And then his abundant moustache made his appearance  filled with solemn dignity.

He was 49 years old this year. He was slightly older than Mauricia’s  King Welkin, but it could be said that they were almost the same age.

Perhaps it was because of that he was often compared with Welkin  since he was young. The sense of rivalry that Louis harbored toward  Welkin was deeply rooted.

Such sense of rivalry was surfacing at the previous war. Although  Haurelia Kingdom progressed through the war in advantage, they erred at  the endgame and in the end the war was declared drawn due to both sides  getting seriously injured.

Louis swore that one day he would vindicate his honor──for more than  ten years after that, Haurelia Kingdom had been carrying out a policy  that was the opposite of Mauricia Kingdom while secretly sharpening  their claws.

This policy was to prioritize maintaining the nation’s military power rather than rebuilding the nation’s economy.

But as the price of that policy, in the recent years the nobles were  starting to demand that the burden to maintain the military was reduced.

The leader of that movement was Louis’s cousin, Duke Jean Montfort.  But the cause of Louis’s grimace was that a completely unexpected great  noble was making the same demand.

「To think, that warhawk──he of all people」

Vast amount of expense was needed to maintain army even at the best of time.

Military was an unproductive occupation that didn’t produce anything,  and yet it required material and food in extremely large amount.  Military was an existence that was greatly unfavorable for economy.

Such burden was allowed to exist was because it was impossible to  regain an army in a short of period of time once it was lost. At the  same time they also had the objective of defeating Mauricia Kingdom  without fail one day.

However now that more than ten years had passed since the war,  questions were being asked between a part of the nobility. Was there any  meaning of maintaining the military in the end? Wasn’t this just a  useless waste of money?

If these questions were raised in public, the voices asking the questions would immediately turn even louder.

After all the unexpected great noble who proposed to reduce the  military spending was Marquis Selvi, the most diehard right wing of anti  Mauricia Kingdom faction.

Louis didn’t have the slightest intention to give up the rematch against Mauricia Kingdom.

He made use of the lesson of the past and awaited for the chance to  make a maneuver that threw Mauricia Kingdom into internal chaos, but now  he had to decide whether he would wait for ten more years or even  longer for such chance, or would he play for all or nothing by going  into war now?

Right now Marquis Selvi was compelling Louis to make such decision.

「If we’re going to do it, we have to win. The country will perish if by some chance we are defeated.」

Haurelia Kingdom had maintained their military superiority by  sacrificing their nation’s economy, so what would happen if they lost  their military power?

If the country lost the military power that quelled the  dissatisfaction from gushing out, it was inevitable that domestic  conflict would break out.

「──Good grief, that house is always troubling me.」

Whether they went to war or not, the influence of Marquis Selvi to the kingdom couldn’t be ignored as expected.

However Louis hadn’t noticed that Marquis Selvi was already  manipulating the information behind the scene in order to push the  kingdom into war.