Chapter 100
Journey to the Capital
As soon as the morning sun rose, everyone gathered in the office.
Raguel, Ilea, Zalkarin, and Hakain sat around the table, waiting for Johan.
Shaperia and Gaf were nowhere to be seen.
The two of them had already departed for the borderlands of the Myatro territory.
Following Johan’s orders, they were patrolling the vast domain.
They probably would not return to the castle for quite some time.
Raguel’s shoulders drooped.
“You could have at least left the captain of the guard behind.”
Johan and Ilea would soon be leaving the castle as well.
One by one, the people Raguel trusted and relied upon were disappearing.
It left him deeply dejected.
He lacked the confidence to manage the territory by himself.
Zalkarin spoke in a somewhat arrogant tone.
“Do not worry, brat. I am still here, am I not? I shall remain by your side and guide you well.”
Raguel heaved a deep sigh.
“You can’t even perform simple calculations. How are you supposed to help me? I’ll be grateful if you simply don’t get in my way.”
Raguel’s primary duties included the responsibilities of a treasurer.
To administer a territory, one needed to be good with numbers.
Fortunately, Raguel possessed considerable talent for mathematics.
He had no need of Zalkarin’s assistance.
Zalkarin flew into a rage.
“C-calculations?! I could master something so trivial in a single day and become far better than you! Shall we make a wager?!”
Raguel stared at him with an exhausted expression.
“Forget calculations. How about learning some administration? No, never mind. How could a demon possibly help govern a territory?”
Most official positions within the territory were currently vacant.
A treasurer to manage the finances, an administrator to supervise the residents and oversee festivals and ceremonies, a scribe responsible for maintaining every kind of record...
They had none of them.
They did not even have a storehouse keeper.
Until now, Ilea and Gaf had performed all those duties.
Now they were both leaving.
Raguel would have to manage the territory alone.
In truth, his future looked bleak.
Zalkarin sprang to his feet and shouted,
“Leave everything to me! I shall prove you wrong!”
Raguel did not find Zalkarin particularly reliable.
His demonic body imposed far too many limitations upon him.
For one thing, Zalkarin could not reveal himself to the residents.
An administrator naturally had to interact with the village chiefs, but that was impossible for Zalkarin.
He’s completely useless.
Raguel’s shoulders sank even lower.
He said weakly,
“Please don’t create more problems by getting involved. Just stay still. I’m begging you.”
Zalkarin’s already red face flushed an even deeper shade of crimson.
He was about to shout something when Ilea spoke.
“It certainly will be difficult. Handling everything alone would be too much for you, Young Master.”
Raguel’s face brightened slightly.
He was grateful that someone at least understood his predicament.
“As expected of you, Ilea. You understand how difficult this is for me.”
“Johan has put me through the same thing many times. Sometimes, he can be so... unreasonable.”
Raguel nodded repeatedly.
“Exactly! He dumped everything on me, from beginning to end.”
“While telling you that he trusted you. Right?”
“That’s exactly what he said to me!”
Ilea giggled.
“Johan must trust you quite a lot, Young Master.”
Raguel’s expression darkened again.
“...To be honest, I’m afraid. I’m worried I might betray that trust.”
Ilea shook her head.
“You don’t need to feel so burdened. Even if you make a mistake, Johan won’t reprimand you. How should I put it...? He always looks for the problem within himself. He never blames anyone else.”
Raguel agreed with her.
He had never once seen Johan blame another person.
Without realizing it, Raguel nodded.
“Johan really is that kind of person.”
Ilea gave him a gentle smile.
“So put your mind at ease. If you’re too tense, you’ll end up making mistakes even with simple tasks.”
Hakain tapped out his pipe and spoke.
“From what I’m hearing, it seems the territory is somewhat short-handed.”
Raguel replied,
“That’s right, Mr. Hakain. It’s because of the unique circumstances surrounding the lord’s castle. Finding people is extremely difficult.”
The Myatro territory was a domain ruled by a demon.
The moment someone became one of its officials, they would inevitably discover that secret.
Most people would be horrified and immediately run to the Church.
That would spell the end of Johan.
He could not employ just anyone.
He needed thoroughly vetted confidants.
At present, there were far too few of them.
Hakain said,
“Why don’t I help for the time being? Well, I can read and write, and I’m reasonably good at arithmetic as well.”
Ilea gave him a strange look.
“Why are you suddenly volunteering? You find everything bothersome.”
Hakain always wore a languid expression and did little besides puff away at his pipe. Except when training with Johan, he was perpetually listless.
Yet he was now volunteering for tedious administrative work.
Ilea found it difficult to understand.
Hakain replied,
“Well, I’m rather bored, and...”
Ilea’s gaze sharpened.
“Tell us the real reason.”
Hakain swallowed dryly.
He was somewhat afraid of Ilea.
An awkward smile appeared on his face.
“Ha-ha. To tell the truth, there is something I’d like to ask of the Baron.”
Ilea stared at him with an expression that said she had known it.
There was no chance that a loafer like him would voluntarily take on such bothersome work.
Not unless there was something he wanted.
“What kind of request?”
“Well, the truth is...”
Hakain abruptly stopped speaking.
Johan had entered the office.
Everyone rose from their seats.
“The great End has arrived! Everyone, show your respect!”
“You’re a little late, Johan.”
“You’re here?”
“Ha-ha. Good morning.”
Johan swept his gaze over them.
“You all seem to be having quite the conversation. What were you discussing without me?”
As though he had been waiting for the opportunity, Zalkarin cried out,
“Great End! They were speaking behind your back! This wicked one heard everything clearly!”
Johan chuckled.
“Now I’m rather curious about what was said.”
Raguel scratched his head.
“W-well...”
Zalkarin cut him off.
“Unreasonable! The witch and the high elf disparaged the great End by calling you unreasonable!”
Johan folded his arms.
“Unreasonable, is it? Well, they’re not exactly wrong.”
In truth, he was well aware of his own personality.
Ilea said,
“You’ve given the Young Master far too much work. Honestly, we’re severely short-handed.”
Johan looked at Raguel.
“Is this about managing the territory?”
Raguel answered with a slightly intimidated expression.
“W-well, I’m still learning, and I’m not accustomed to the work yet... But I can still do it well!”
Johan fell into thought for a moment.
After a brief pause, he said,
“Do only as much as you can. It’s difficult to recruit more people at present. You already know the reason.”
There were probably ways if he searched for them, but Johan currently had no time to spare on minor matters.
He had a mountain of more urgent problems to resolve.
Raguel replied with a resigned expression,
“...All right. I’ll do my best.”
Johan felt somewhat apologetic toward him.
However, he could not provide a solution anytime soon.
Hakain cautiously spoke.
“Baron, I believe I can offer some assistance.”
Ilea added,
“He says he can read and write. Apparently, he can do arithmetic as well. I thought he was an idiot who knew nothing but the sword, so it was quite surprising.”
Johan looked at Hakain.
“That works out well. You can assist Raguel, then.”
Hakain scratched his cheek.
“That would be fine, but I have one request.”
He cautiously observed Johan’s expression.
Johan did not appear displeased.
“Speak freely. I’ll hear you out.”
He was more tolerant than expected.
He always had been.
Hakain had spent more than two months in the lord’s castle, yet he still had not managed to understand Johan completely.
...Is he truly a demon—no, an Apostle?
Johan was remarkably human.
He cared for the people of his domain and always looked after those around him.
There was hardly any evil in him.
In Hakain’s eyes, Count Staviana seemed far more demonic than Johan.
Hakain spoke.
“I would like to relocate my family to the barony.”
Hakain’s family was being held hostage by the Count.
Because of them, he had never been able to defy the man. The Count had even used his family to force Hakain into a binding contract of servitude.
In other words, he was effectively a slave.
Johan answered without hesitation.
“Very well. I’ll retrieve your family from the Count.”
Hakain’s languid eyes widened.
“A-are you serious?”
It was a simple matter for Johan.
Under the current circumstances, the Count could hardly refuse one of Johan’s demands.
“I’ll speak to the Count. You’ll be reunited with your family within a month at most.”
Hakain bowed his head deeply.
“...I shall serve you with unwavering loyalty.”
He was somewhat bewildered.
He had escaped the Count’s grasp far too easily.
He would no longer have to see the accursed Sayeong or its mages.
The price was placing himself in the embrace of a demon, but Hakain did not care.
Johan was far more humane than the Count, and compared to Sayeong, the barony was practically paradise.
Johan chuckled.
“I certainly won’t refuse your loyalty if you’re willing to offer it.”
Hakain replied,
“I’ll prove it through my accomplishments. You may ask the Young Master later. I’m a fairly useful man.”
He winked at Raguel.
Raguel gave an awkward smile.
“Ha-ha. At least I have another pair of hands now.”
Johan spoke.
“I’ll recruit the remaining personnel later. Until then, Raguel, I’ll have to ask you to endure the additional work.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll do my best.”
Johan nodded once, then looked at everyone.
“I leave the territory in your hands while I am gone.”
Zalkarin shouted loudly,
“This wicked one shall defend the territory with his life!”
Ignoring him, Johan addressed Hakain.
“Hakain, assisting Raguel is important, but Gawain is your greatest priority. Report to me immediately if anything unusual occurs.”
No one knew when Gawain would transform into a demon.
They needed someone to monitor him.
Hakain was well suited to the task.
He possessed the ability to deal with a variety of unexpected situations.
“Go without worry. I’ll take care of everything.”
His words were fairly reassuring.
“Good. Then it’s about time we departed.”
Johan turned his gaze toward Ilea.
She asked,
“We’re going to the Count’s estate first, correct?”
Their first destination was the city of Beldana.
Before traveling to the royal capital, Johan intended to meet briefly with the Count.
He nodded.
“That’s right. Let’s go.”
Johan and Ilea immediately left the office.
Grian stood outside the door with an awkward expression.
The moment he saw Johan, he forced an uneasy smile.
“M-master, have a safe journey.”
Johan frowned.
“I have no need of your farewell. Use this time to consider how you’ll assist Raguel. If any problems arise within the territory, you will be held entirely responsible.”
The territory was so severely short-handed that Johan had no choice but to make use of even this incompetent man.
I really do need to recruit more people.
He intended to start considering possible methods from now on.
Just thinking about it gave him a considerable headache.
As Johan’s expression continued to twist, Grian prostrated himself on the floor.
“I-I shall devote all my passion and effort to cultivating Master’s farm!”
His words inspired no confidence whatsoever.
Clicking his tongue, Johan simply walked past him.
Even the time required to exchange words with such vermin felt wasteful.
Johan immediately set out for the Count’s estate.