Norbert
***---***
The Lord's Mansion in Marburg had a rectangular shape with a courtyard.
The front of the entrance was the reception room that I was at earlier, the Lord's Family's room faced the courtyard, and the common facilities such as the kitchen and library were lined up on the outside across the hallway.
It seemed that Ars and Zalua, who were not on good terms, lived in rooms across the courtyard.
And, at the back of the courtyard was the room of the head of the family, Norbert.
Norbert Marburg was in his mid-fifties and had a fine beard.
He sat upright in bed and looked over the letter from Klaus-san.
"Seriously, you sent me a letter with absolutely no trace of affection."
"That man named Klaus seems to not be of the nature to respect his elders."
"Maa, don't say that, Norud, with my current body structure, I can't help but be looked down upon."
"What are you talking about, Danna-sama. It will be troubling if you're so weak-minded."
"That's right. However, there are limits to what you can do when you are old and have a short life ahead of you."
Norbert let out a sigh and stared at his hands, tears appearing in his eyes.
[ Reinhardt, listening to him talk, it seems like he's not feeling well, but from what I've seen, his complexion doesn't seem to be bad. ]
[ That's right. At the very least, he doesn't look like someone who's going to die any time soon. ]
Ever since I became able to use healing magic, I have treated many sick and injured people.
Among the people I treated, there were people with life-threatening illnesses, such as Celia's mother, Sybil-san of the Dukas Company, and Beatriche, but compared to those people, he didn't seem to be in bad shape.
"Danna-sama, if you stay awake too long, it will harm your body."
"I see, but thanks to the medicinal bath, I feel better."
"Indeed, that is so. However, this is an important time, such as the Irosun issue. Danna-sama has to live until we can get through the turmoil and decide who to entrust the next generation to ..."
"Fuu, what a Feudal Lord, I don't even have the freedom to die ..."
Norbert let out a small sigh and lay down on his bed.
At that time, a Maid-san came to inform them of a visitor.
"Danna-sama, Enders-sama has arrived."
"Ooh, please come in."
"Excuse me ... Aah, as you were, please just lie down."
A nervous-looking man wearing well-tailored clothes entered the room guided by the Maid-san.
"Enders-sensei, thanks to your medicinal bath, my body feels much better."
"Is that so, that's good. Simply keeping the pain at bay will make you feel better."
"Sensei, if things go like this, won't I be able to make a full recovery?"
The man who was called Enders, when asked by Norbert,
his eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head slightly.(TN:Not sure why there's a line break here, formatting issue or something I guess?)
"Several tumors have formed in your internal organs. Right now, you're taking medicinal baths to suppress the pain, and eating a diet that doesn't put a burden on you is keeping you well, but how long that will last depends on Norbert-sama's physical strength. I have also heard about the Irosun Great Forest incident. I hope you aren't overworking yourself now ..."
"I see ... I have no regrets about my work as a Lord, but I do have a desire to see my grandchildren's faces. Maa, life doesn't always go as planned."
"Indeed, that is so. Now, let me examine you a bit ..."
Apparently, the man named Enders was a doctor, and he began palpating Norbert's abdomen.
When Norbert frowned as his sides and pit of his stomach were pressed, Enders looked serious and let out a deep sigh.
But, wouldn't even a normal person feel pain if they were pushed hard in that area.
[ Kent-sama, are you aware? ]
[ Ehh, what? ]
[ That man named Enders was the one who treated the madame of the Dukas Company. ]
[ Ahh, I see, that old doctor! ]
I remembered when Reinhardt told me.
When I first went to the Dukas Company for treatment, the nervous-looking man who was treating Sybil-san was Enders, who was examining Norbert.
[ Kent-sama, there seems to be something behind this. ]
[ I don't know what kind of treatment he was doing at the Dukas Company, but he was doing things that were not only ineffective, but likely made things worse. ]
Looking at it with suspicion, Enders seemed to be constantly emphasizing that there was nothing that could be done about it, and that there was only so much time left.
As for meals, meat and the like could put a strain on the stomach and intestines, so while it was good to use them for soup stock, people were told not to eat them.
"If your physical condition worsens, your consciousness will eventually become hazy. I think it would be best for you to decide who will be the head of the family and how to divide the assets, and leave a will while you have clear thoughts."
"I see, right. I am aware that there is a rift between my sons. However, they still have enough sense to make amends in front of me. I hope that by dealing with the turmoil in Irosun, the two of them will remember the importance of working together ..."
"Indeed. Now, if you talk for too long, it will hurt your health. Please rest."
"Enders-sensei, thank you very much. Sensei clearly told me that he couldn't help me, which made my mind clear."
"In the case of a normal patient, I would not tell you, but Norbert-sama has the position of a Lord ... Now, now, for today, it would be best for you to rest."
"Yes, I will do that."
Norbert closed his eyes and immediately began to breathe deeply, but he seemed more depressed and exhausted than before Enders appeared.
[ Basten, could you please watch over this quack doctor. ]
[ Roger that. I'll take pictures of suspicious scenes. ]
[ Yup, I'm counting on you. ]
I asked Basten to keep an eye on Enders, who had left the room, and I decided to check on Norbert's health.
It would be troublesome if he woke up mid-way, so I threw a sleeping pill into his stomach, waited a little while, and then cast a healing spell on him.
Hidden in the shadows, I placed my hand on Norbert's back as he lay on the bed, and let the healing magic flow through his entire body.
[ How is it, Kent-sama. ]
[ Yup, I can only think of it as him being healthy. ]
[ Then, why was it said that he couldn't be saved? ]
[ Dunno, I don't know about that, but I have a feeling that he will be unable to be saved from now on. ]
I had seen a lot of the dark side of the Resenburg Royal Family, so the word poison came to mind.
For now, let's wait for Basten's report and think about countermeasures, for now, let's return to Volzard.
[ Right, Reinhardt. Could you please keep an eye on the idiot sons? ]
[ An easy task. Leave it to me. ]
I left the scouting of Ars and Zalua to Reinhardt and returned to Volzard.
In the Guild's office, Klaus-san was looking over the documents by himself.
"Excuse me. I'm back now."
"Ou, it took quite a while, didn't it."
When I called out to him while stepping out of the shadows, Klaus-san looked up from his papers.
"Yes, a lot of things happened ..."
"Hou ... I see, it's already noon. I'm sending Riche to fetch Ange, so let's listen to it while we eat."
"Yes, understood."
"How was Norbert-jii?"
"I didn't meet him directly, but he was healthy."
"What's that, did that old man get caught up in some troublesome matter."
"Maa, that's right. Basten is still investigating, so we don't know the whole story."
"Is that going to be resolved in three days?"
"Hmm ... I wonder about that. It depends on whether or not the rat shows its true colors."
"I see. Maa, there's no one who can investigate better than you and your genus, so if that doesn't work, it's impossible for anyone to do it."
After a while, Beatriche came back with Ange-oneechan, so we moved to the dining room and I reported on Marburg.
When I told them that there were four guards and that the brothers Ars and Zalua came out from different doors at the same time, Klaus-san clicked his tongue repeatedly with an expression as if he had bitten a bitter bug, and when the subject of the quack doctor came up, this time his eyes became sharper.
"Kent. Destroy that doctor's plans. I will discuss the reward with Riche later."
"Understood. I'll do everything I can."
"Originally, interfering with the internal affairs of another Family is an act that goes against the tacit understanding between Feudal Lords, but with the current situation involving the Irosun Great Forest, I would like to avoid a situation where the Marburg Family would become tilted."
"I guess either Ars or Zalua is pulling the strings behind the scenes?"
"Maybe they want to quickly take over the Lordship and do whatever they want, but that's not going to happen."
According to Klaus-san's guess, there was a high possibility that one of the foolish sons was trying to take control of Marburg, leaving Norbert, who was an eyesore, as a deceased.
"Now that I think about it, it would be unbecoming of Norbert-jii to stop the distribution of ore just because of Ange's marriage proposal. He was probably already retired to the sickbed by the time that letter arrived."
"What are you going to do about the meeting in three days? If things continue as they are now, it looks like either one of the idiot sons, or maybe both of them will show up ..."
"Ah~ ... There's no point in bringing such useless people with us. I guess we'll have no choice but to wake up Norbert-jii and drag him away."
"I hope the person manipulating the doctor can show himself by then ..."
"If they don't out themselves, it doesn't matter. I'll just put a rope around the old man's neck and pull him out."
No matter how you look at it, putting a rope around the neck of another town's Lord ... If it's Klaus-san, he is likely to do that.
Once the story of Marburg had settled down, I talked about the oasis in the Davira Desert.
"Did the Sand Lizardmen escape to the oasis ... That will also cause trouble."
"Does this mean that there is a cave somewhere that leads through the continent?"
"Who knows, I don't know much about the desert either. I've never actually been there, and I've never seen a Sand Lizardman, so I can't even imagine it. However, considering the earthquakes that occur here and there, something might be happening on the other side of the continent."
I had my hands full with just things on this side of the continent, where Landshelt and Resenburg were located, so I couldn't imagine going all the way to the southern continent and doing anything.
There was the incident with the Irosun Great Forest, the Gouken Oasis, and the Marburg Family turmoil.
The return to Japan had not yet been completed, and the reparations from Resenburg had not yet been completed.
"Kent, you haven't forgotten why you hired Riche as your secretary, have you?"
"O, of course, I haven't forgotten."
"Is that true? Kent-sama."
It hurts, it hurts ... Don't grab my side ...
"After you finish eating lunch, go check your schedule with Riche."
"Yes, I understand ..."
After lunch, I went to Klaus-san's office and discussed my plans with Beatriche ... I was surprised.
When I wasn't aware, the coverage of all sorts of jobs turned up.
For example, Beatriche was in charge of supporting the activities of the three employees of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a group I had almost forgotten existed.
Radio waves were available for communication with Japan, so they could use their smartphone, but they couldn't transport goods.
If they wanted to send relief supplies from Japan to my classmates, or vice versa, if they wanted to send Volzard's goods to Japan, Beatriche would use Hort and the Kobold Corps to do it for them.
At that time, the contents of all items brought in from Japan and items brought into Japan were checked to ensure that the rapid progress of civilization didn't cause distortions in society.
On the other hand, it seemed that most items were allowed to be brought in as long as they were not taken from the dormitory used by my classmates and the three members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In addition, it seemed that discussions were already underway about leasing the land that my genus had carved out to the Japanese government.
However, if Japan built an embassy or something like that on its own, it was likely to be flooded with proests from allies and neighboring countries, so it didn't seem like things would move forward quickly.
"What do you think, Kent, isn't my Riche excellent."
"Yes, I can't say anything. But, if you told me, I would too ..."
"You idiot! If I told you, you would want to get involved in everything, so I went out of my way to do it without letting you know. Believing that you have to be the one to do everything, it's your bad habit!"
"I, I'm sorry ..."
"Kent, there are limits to what one person can do. Especially in your case, there are many jobs that only you can do. Remember to ask for work that can be delegated to someone else, even if it means paying them. Otherwise, people around you will be troubled. Do you understand."
"Yes, I'll be more careful from now on."
"I wonder ..."
Now that I thought about it, I tended to omit reporting to Beatriche.
"Then, Kent-sama, as for the future plans, regarding the oasis in the Davira Desert, we will only convey information from Fred-san's reconnaissance, and until we receive a request for rescue, we will leave the response to Barshania. Regarding the Marburg Family incident, you will take action after seeing Basten-san's reconnaissance results and consulting with my father. Tomorrow, your main activity will be the return work to Japan. Is that okay?"
"Alright, I'll do that."
"Then, Kent-sama, please spend the afternoon relaxing here."
Beatriche said as she walked around the table and sat down next to me, wrapping her arm around me.
"Ehh? N, no ... I mean, it's no good if I play around ..."
"Kent-sama, you move around on your own, so you end up having to deal with trouble one after another. Please trust your genus a little more and entrust them with your work."
"Entrusting the work, is it ... I still think I'm getting enough help."
"Even so. If things continue as they are now, you won't be able to deal with unexpected situations."
"Ahh ... I see, that's right."
Klaus-san talked about it when he entrusted Augusto-san with the base for transportation with Volzard.
If the situation worsened even when I was giving it my all, I wouldn't be able to deal with it.
I myself have been forced into situations where I had to rely on a booster.
"That's right. You have to calculate what will happen later and always have enough energy left over."
"That's right, Kent. At times like this, if you don't have any strength left, you'll be pushed into a situation that you can't recover from. I hope you can follow my example a little."
No way ... In Klaus-san's case, he has too much leeway.
When I looked at Beatriche, she nodded silently.
Anyway, even though I was told to take it easy, I didn't know how to spend my time, and I didn't know what to do.
"Kent-sama ... ?"
"Nn? What is it, Riche."
"Kent-sama, how many children would you like to have?"
"Eeehhh ... K, kids you say ..."
"Of course, the children of Kent-sama and myself."
"Kyuu, even if you suddenly ask me ... I'd say I haven't thought about it that much yet ..."
"We talked about it ... Seraphima-san included."
"Ehh, Sera too?"
"Yes."
To my surprise, it seemed that Beatriche and the others were communicating with Seraphima with the help of Hort and the others.
They even used the tablet's video function to exchange video letters.
"I didn't notice it at all, but why?"
"Don't you think it would be better for those who marry Kent-sama and support each other to get to know each other?"
"That's ... That's right. But, isn't it a bit early for children?"
"Once Seraphima-san arrives at Volzard, you will start living with everyone, and when that happens ..."
When that happens, a sweet life with four wives ... Such a thing, is it really possible to start that?
"Everyone says they want three children."
"Three of them ... huh? There are four wives and three children ..."
"Kent-sama, each of us will have three of them."
"Eeeehhhh ... four people, three each, you say ... twelve of them?"
Beatriche smiled and nodded at my surprise.
Twelve people could make a soccer team, let alone a baseball team.
No, rather, if Camilla is forgiven, three more of them will join?
"Kent-sama, I asked Yuika-san, but in Japan, men also participate in childcare, right?"
Yeash ... Y, yup, that's right. The father has to help with the childcare too."
"My best regards, Danna-sama."
"Y, yes ..."
That shouldn't happen, but I broke into a cold sweat as I pictured myself wandering around, surrounded by twelve babies.
[ Kent-sama, is now a good time? ]
"Reinhardt? How was it with those two."
[ As Klaus-dono said, they seem to be people who cannot be called very talented. ]
"What's their relationship with that doctor?"
[ So far, they have not had any contact, but Basten is continuing to monitor him. ]
"As expected, if they make contact inside the mansion, the other person will likely find out."
According to Reinhardt, the skinny one with blue hair was Ars, and the one with the short and stout body was Zarua.
Even though they were twins, they were fraternal twins, with different body types and personalities, with Ars being static and Zarua being dynamic.
[ Ars seems like a typical son of an aristocrat in a bad way. It's natural for such people to get what they want, and it's natural for such people to be waited upon. There's no way things won't go their way ... That's what they think. ]
"What do you think about Zalua?"
[ Zalua feelsl ike a degraded version of Havre Calvine. ]
"He's the type who uses power to get what he wants, right?"
[ Probably, if Ars wasn't there, he would have probably ridden all the way to Volzard. ]
When I told Klaus-san about what Reinhardt said, he nodded as if he was right.
"Kent, you have heard about the Marburg Family from the chairman of the Dukas Company, right?"
"Yes, I have the impression that it is quite different from Volzard."
"I guess, I tend to move on my own, but Norbert-jii doesn't move on his own."
"Yes, I feel like he could work more for the people."
"I think so too, but it seems like the old man has his own ideas."
Klaus-san apparently had a conflict of opinions with Norbert at a previous Lords' Meeting.
Klaus-san said that Feudal Lords should actively work for the people, but Norbert believed that if Feudal Lords intervened too much, the people would lose their autonomy.
"I do think there is some truth to what the old man said. If the Feudal Lord were to meddle in everything, the people might think that all they have to do is follow."
Indeed, if you were a Feudal Lord like Klaus-san who took the initiative in promoting reforms, you might think that if you just follow that person, you would be fine ...
I guess it was like a yes man who waited for instructions and didn't take any actions.
"But, in Marburg, I think that approach is actually not good."
"Certainly, things don't seem to be going well at the moment."
"Maa, the current situation is irregular due to the Irosun incident and the mine accident, but Marburg is ap lace where people who were born and raise locally continue to work in the local area for many generations. It's not a land like Volzard where people come to get rich quick, so they tend to be closed-minded and rigid in their way of thinking."
"Is it the Lord's role to change that?"
"Right. That's what I think, but the old man seems to think that's why we should refrain from interfering with them."
When I was listening to Orlean-san, the chairman of the Dukas Company, I thought that the Lord of Marburg was a no-good person, but it seemed that he had a plan and was refraining from taking aggressive measures.
"But, as expected this time. If the Lord doesn't take the lead, the story won't move forward."
"Right. Half of the Irosun Great Forest is Marburg territory."
"But, isn't Norbert-san trying to get his idiot sons to gain experience?"
"It's probably because he was made to believe that he is old and has a short time ahead of him. If he's going to leave it to his idiot sons even if he knows there's nothing wrong with him, I'll just have to deal with it accordingly."
Klaus-an, with his grinning face, was the epitome of someone you shouldn't make into an enemy.
Perhaps Nacios-san, the Lord of Breichberg, was also in on it.
If the doctor didn't reveal his true colors in three days, things were going to get rough.
Norbert
***---***
The Lord's Mansion in Marburg had a rectangular shape with a courtyard.
The front of the entrance was the reception room that I was at earlier, the Lord's Family's room faced the courtyard, and the common facilities such as the kitchen and library were lined up on the outside across the hallway.
It seemed that Ars and Zalua, who were not on good terms, lived in rooms across the courtyard.
And, at the back of the courtyard was the room of the head of the family, Norbert.
Norbert Marburg was in his mid-fifties and had a fine beard.
He sat upright in bed and looked over the letter from Klaus-san.
"Seriously, you sent me a letter with absolutely no trace of affection."
"That man named Klaus seems to not be of the nature to respect his elders."
"Maa, don't say that, Norud, with my current body structure, I can't help but be looked down upon."
"What are you talking about, Danna-sama. It will be troubling if you're so weak-minded."
"That's right. However, there are limits to what you can do when you are old and have a short life ahead of you."
Norbert let out a sigh and stared at his hands, tears appearing in his eyes.
[ Reinhardt, listening to him talk, it seems like he's not feeling well, but from what I've seen, his complexion doesn't seem to be bad. ]
[ That's right. At the very least, he doesn't look like someone who's going to die any time soon. ]
Ever since I became able to use healing magic, I have treated many sick and injured people.
Among the people I treated, there were people with life-threatening illnesses, such as Celia's mother, Sybil-san of the Dukas Company, and Beatriche, but compared to those people, he didn't seem to be in bad shape.
"Danna-sama, if you stay awake too long, it will harm your body."
"I see, but thanks to the medicinal bath, I feel better."
"Indeed, that is so. However, this is an important time, such as the Irosun issue. Danna-sama has to live until we can get through the turmoil and decide who to entrust the next generation to ..."
"Fuu, what a Feudal Lord, I don't even have the freedom to die ..."
Norbert let out a small sigh and lay down on his bed.
At that time, a Maid-san came to inform them of a visitor.
"Danna-sama, Enders-sama has arrived."
"Ooh, please come in."
"Excuse me ... Aah, as you were, please just lie down."
A nervous-looking man wearing well-tailored clothes entered the room guided by the Maid-san.
"Enders-sensei, thanks to your medicinal bath, my body feels much better."
"Is that so, that's good. Simply keeping the pain at bay will make you feel better."
"Sensei, if things go like this, won't I be able to make a full recovery?"
The man who was called Enders, when asked by Norbert,
his eyebrows furrowed and he shook his head slightly.(TN:Not sure why there's a line break here, formatting issue or something I guess?)
"Several tumors have formed in your internal organs. Right now, you're taking medicinal baths to suppress the pain, and eating a diet that doesn't put a burden on you is keeping you well, but how long that will last depends on Norbert-sama's physical strength. I have also heard about the Irosun Great Forest incident. I hope you aren't overworking yourself now ..."
"I see ... I have no regrets about my work as a Lord, but I do have a desire to see my grandchildren's faces. Maa, life doesn't always go as planned."
"Indeed, that is so. Now, let me examine you a bit ..."
Apparently, the man named Enders was a doctor, and he began palpating Norbert's abdomen.
When Norbert frowned as his sides and pit of his stomach were pressed, Enders looked serious and let out a deep sigh.
But, wouldn't even a normal person feel pain if they were pushed hard in that area.
[ Kent-sama, are you aware? ]
[ Ehh, what? ]
[ That man named Enders was the one who treated the madame of the Dukas Company. ]
[ Ahh, I see, that old doctor! ]
I remembered when Reinhardt told me.
When I first went to the Dukas Company for treatment, the nervous-looking man who was treating Sybil-san was Enders, who was examining Norbert.
[ Kent-sama, there seems to be something behind this. ]
[ I don't know what kind of treatment he was doing at the Dukas Company, but he was doing things that were not only ineffective, but likely made things worse. ]
Looking at it with suspicion, Enders seemed to be constantly emphasizing that there was nothing that could be done about it, and that there was only so much time left.
As for meals, meat and the like could put a strain on the stomach and intestines, so while it was good to use them for soup stock, people were told not to eat them.
"If your physical condition worsens, your consciousness will eventually become hazy. I think it would be best for you to decide who will be the head of the family and how to divide the assets, and leave a will while you have clear thoughts."
"I see, right. I am aware that there is a rift between my sons. However, they still have enough sense to make amends in front of me. I hope that by dealing with the turmoil in Irosun, the two of them will remember the importance of working together ..."
"Indeed. Now, if you talk for too long, it will hurt your health. Please rest."
"Enders-sensei, thank you very much. Sensei clearly told me that he couldn't help me, which made my mind clear."
"In the case of a normal patient, I would not tell you, but Norbert-sama has the position of a Lord ... Now, now, for today, it would be best for you to rest."
"Yes, I will do that."
Norbert closed his eyes and immediately began to breathe deeply, but he seemed more depressed and exhausted than before Enders appeared.
[ Basten, could you please watch over this quack doctor. ]
[ Roger that. I'll take pictures of suspicious scenes. ]
[ Yup, I'm counting on you. ]
I asked Basten to keep an eye on Enders, who had left the room, and I decided to check on Norbert's health.
It would be troublesome if he woke up mid-way, so I threw a sleeping pill into his stomach, waited a little while, and then cast a healing spell on him.
Hidden in the shadows, I placed my hand on Norbert's back as he lay on the bed, and let the healing magic flow through his entire body.
[ How is it, Kent-sama. ]
[ Yup, I can only think of it as him being healthy. ]
[ Then, why was it said that he couldn't be saved? ]
[ Dunno, I don't know about that, but I have a feeling that he will be unable to be saved from now on. ]
I had seen a lot of the dark side of the Resenburg Royal Family, so the word poison came to mind.
For now, let's wait for Basten's report and think about countermeasures, for now, let's return to Volzard.
[ Right, Reinhardt. Could you please keep an eye on the idiot sons? ]
[ An easy task. Leave it to me. ]
I left the scouting of Ars and Zalua to Reinhardt and returned to Volzard.
In the Guild's office, Klaus-san was looking over the documents by himself.
"Excuse me. I'm back now."
"Ou, it took quite a while, didn't it."
When I called out to him while stepping out of the shadows, Klaus-san looked up from his papers.
"Yes, a lot of things happened ..."
"Hou ... I see, it's already noon. I'm sending Riche to fetch Ange, so let's listen to it while we eat."
"Yes, understood."
"How was Norbert-jii?"
"I didn't meet him directly, but he was healthy."
"What's that, did that old man get caught up in some troublesome matter."
"Maa, that's right. Basten is still investigating, so we don't know the whole story."
"Is that going to be resolved in three days?"
"Hmm ... I wonder about that. It depends on whether or not the rat shows its true colors."
"I see. Maa, there's no one who can investigate better than you and your genus, so if that doesn't work, it's impossible for anyone to do it."
After a while, Beatriche came back with Ange-oneechan, so we moved to the dining room and I reported on Marburg.
When I told them that there were four guards and that the brothers Ars and Zalua came out from different doors at the same time, Klaus-san clicked his tongue repeatedly with an expression as if he had bitten a bitter bug, and when the subject of the quack doctor came up, this time his eyes became sharper.
"Kent. Destroy that doctor's plans. I will discuss the reward with Riche later."
"Understood. I'll do everything I can."
"Originally, interfering with the internal affairs of another Family is an act that goes against the tacit understanding between Feudal Lords, but with the current situation involving the Irosun Great Forest, I would like to avoid a situation where the Marburg Family would become tilted."
"I guess either Ars or Zalua is pulling the strings behind the scenes?"
"Maybe they want to quickly take over the Lordship and do whatever they want, but that's not going to happen."
According to Klaus-san's guess, there was a high possibility that one of the foolish sons was trying to take control of Marburg, leaving Norbert, who was an eyesore, as a deceased.
"Now that I think about it, it would be unbecoming of Norbert-jii to stop the distribution of ore just because of Ange's marriage proposal. He was probably already retired to the sickbed by the time that letter arrived."
"What are you going to do about the meeting in three days? If things continue as they are now, it looks like either one of the idiot sons, or maybe both of them will show up ..."
"Ah~ ... There's no point in bringing such useless people with us. I guess we'll have no choice but to wake up Norbert-jii and drag him away."
"I hope the person manipulating the doctor can show himself by then ..."
"If they don't out themselves, it doesn't matter. I'll just put a rope around the old man's neck and pull him out."
No matter how you look at it, putting a rope around the neck of another town's Lord ... If it's Klaus-san, he is likely to do that.
Once the story of Marburg had settled down, I talked about the oasis in the Davira Desert.
"Did the Sand Lizardmen escape to the oasis ... That will also cause trouble."
"Does this mean that there is a cave somewhere that leads through the continent?"
"Who knows, I don't know much about the desert either. I've never actually been there, and I've never seen a Sand Lizardman, so I can't even imagine it. However, considering the earthquakes that occur here and there, something might be happening on the other side of the continent."
I had my hands full with just things on this side of the continent, where Landshelt and Resenburg were located, so I couldn't imagine going all the way to the southern continent and doing anything.
There was the incident with the Irosun Great Forest, the Gouken Oasis, and the Marburg Family turmoil.
The return to Japan had not yet been completed, and the reparations from Resenburg had not yet been completed.
"Kent, you haven't forgotten why you hired Riche as your secretary, have you?"
"O, of course, I haven't forgotten."
"Is that true? Kent-sama."
It hurts, it hurts ... Don't grab my side ...
"After you finish eating lunch, go check your schedule with Riche."
"Yes, I understand ..."
After lunch, I went to Klaus-san's office and discussed my plans with Beatriche ... I was surprised.
When I wasn't aware, the coverage of all sorts of jobs turned up.
For example, Beatriche was in charge of supporting the activities of the three employees of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a group I had almost forgotten existed.
Radio waves were available for communication with Japan, so they could use their smartphone, but they couldn't transport goods.
If they wanted to send relief supplies from Japan to my classmates, or vice versa, if they wanted to send Volzard's goods to Japan, Beatriche would use Hort and the Kobold Corps to do it for them.
At that time, the contents of all items brought in from Japan and items brought into Japan were checked to ensure that the rapid progress of civilization didn't cause distortions in society.
On the other hand, it seemed that most items were allowed to be brought in as long as they were not taken from the dormitory used by my classmates and the three members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In addition, it seemed that discussions were already underway about leasing the land that my genus had carved out to the Japanese government.
However, if Japan built an embassy or something like that on its own, it was likely to be flooded with proests from allies and neighboring countries, so it didn't seem like things would move forward quickly.
"What do you think, Kent, isn't my Riche excellent."
"Yes, I can't say anything. But, if you told me, I would too ..."
"You idiot! If I told you, you would want to get involved in everything, so I went out of my way to do it without letting you know. Believing that you have to be the one to do everything, it's your bad habit!"
"I, I'm sorry ..."
"Kent, there are limits to what one person can do. Especially in your case, there are many jobs that only you can do. Remember to ask for work that can be delegated to someone else, even if it means paying them. Otherwise, people around you will be troubled. Do you understand."
"Yes, I'll be more careful from now on."
"I wonder ..."
Now that I thought about it, I tended to omit reporting to Beatriche.
"Then, Kent-sama, as for the future plans, regarding the oasis in the Davira Desert, we will only convey information from Fred-san's reconnaissance, and until we receive a request for rescue, we will leave the response to Barshania. Regarding the Marburg Family incident, you will take action after seeing Basten-san's reconnaissance results and consulting with my father. Tomorrow, your main activity will be the return work to Japan. Is that okay?"
"Alright, I'll do that."
"Then, Kent-sama, please spend the afternoon relaxing here."
Beatriche said as she walked around the table and sat down next to me, wrapping her arm around me.
"Ehh? N, no ... I mean, it's no good if I play around ..."
"Kent-sama, you move around on your own, so you end up having to deal with trouble one after another. Please trust your genus a little more and entrust them with your work."
"Entrusting the work, is it ... I still think I'm getting enough help."
"Even so. If things continue as they are now, you won't be able to deal with unexpected situations."
"Ahh ... I see, that's right."
Klaus-san talked about it when he entrusted Augusto-san with the base for transportation with Volzard.
If the situation worsened even when I was giving it my all, I wouldn't be able to deal with it.
I myself have been forced into situations where I had to rely on a booster.
"That's right. You have to calculate what will happen later and always have enough energy left over."
"That's right, Kent. At times like this, if you don't have any strength left, you'll be pushed into a situation that you can't recover from. I hope you can follow my example a little."
No way ... In Klaus-san's case, he has too much leeway.
When I looked at Beatriche, she nodded silently.
Anyway, even though I was told to take it easy, I didn't know how to spend my time, and I didn't know what to do.
"Kent-sama ... ?"
"Nn? What is it, Riche."
"Kent-sama, how many children would you like to have?"
"Eeehhh ... K, kids you say ..."
"Of course, the children of Kent-sama and myself."
"Kyuu, even if you suddenly ask me ... I'd say I haven't thought about it that much yet ..."
"We talked about it ... Seraphima-san included."
"Ehh, Sera too?"
"Yes."
To my surprise, it seemed that Beatriche and the others were communicating with Seraphima with the help of Hort and the others.
They even used the tablet's video function to exchange video letters.
"I didn't notice it at all, but why?"
"Don't you think it would be better for those who marry Kent-sama and support each other to get to know each other?"
"That's ... That's right. But, isn't it a bit early for children?"
"Once Seraphima-san arrives at Volzard, you will start living with everyone, and when that happens ..."
When that happens, a sweet life with four wives ... Such a thing, is it really possible to start that?
"Everyone says they want three children."
"Three of them ... huh? There are four wives and three children ..."
"Kent-sama, each of us will have three of them."
"Eeeehhhh ... four people, three each, you say ... twelve of them?"
Beatriche smiled and nodded at my surprise.
Twelve people could make a soccer team, let alone a baseball team.
No, rather, if Camilla is forgiven, three more of them will join?
"Kent-sama, I asked Yuika-san, but in Japan, men also participate in childcare, right?"
Yeash ... Y, yup, that's right. The father has to help with the childcare too."
"My best regards, Danna-sama."
"Y, yes ..."
That shouldn't happen, but I broke into a cold sweat as I pictured myself wandering around, surrounded by twelve babies.
[ Kent-sama, is now a good time? ]
"Reinhardt? How was it with those two."
[ As Klaus-dono said, they seem to be people who cannot be called very talented. ]
"What's their relationship with that doctor?"
[ So far, they have not had any contact, but Basten is continuing to monitor him. ]
"As expected, if they make contact inside the mansion, the other person will likely find out."
According to Reinhardt, the skinny one with blue hair was Ars, and the one with the short and stout body was Zarua.
Even though they were twins, they were fraternal twins, with different body types and personalities, with Ars being static and Zarua being dynamic.
[ Ars seems like a typical son of an aristocrat in a bad way. It's natural for such people to get what they want, and it's natural for such people to be waited upon. There's no way things won't go their way ... That's what they think. ]
"What do you think about Zalua?"
[ Zalua feelsl ike a degraded version of Havre Calvine. ]
"He's the type who uses power to get what he wants, right?"
[ Probably, if Ars wasn't there, he would have probably ridden all the way to Volzard. ]
When I told Klaus-san about what Reinhardt said, he nodded as if he was right.
"Kent, you have heard about the Marburg Family from the chairman of the Dukas Company, right?"
"Yes, I have the impression that it is quite different from Volzard."
"I guess, I tend to move on my own, but Norbert-jii doesn't move on his own."
"Yes, I feel like he could work more for the people."
"I think so too, but it seems like the old man has his own ideas."
Klaus-san apparently had a conflict of opinions with Norbert at a previous Lords' Meeting.
Klaus-san said that Feudal Lords should actively work for the people, but Norbert believed that if Feudal Lords intervened too much, the people would lose their autonomy.
"I do think there is some truth to what the old man said. If the Feudal Lord were to meddle in everything, the people might think that all they have to do is follow."
Indeed, if you were a Feudal Lord like Klaus-san who took the initiative in promoting reforms, you might think that if you just follow that person, you would be fine ...
I guess it was like a yes man who waited for instructions and didn't take any actions.
"But, in Marburg, I think that approach is actually not good."
"Certainly, things don't seem to be going well at the moment."
"Maa, the current situation is irregular due to the Irosun incident and the mine accident, but Marburg is ap lace where people who were born and raise locally continue to work in the local area for many generations. It's not a land like Volzard where people come to get rich quick, so they tend to be closed-minded and rigid in their way of thinking."
"Is it the Lord's role to change that?"
"Right. That's what I think, but the old man seems to think that's why we should refrain from interfering with them."
When I was listening to Orlean-san, the chairman of the Dukas Company, I thought that the Lord of Marburg was a no-good person, but it seemed that he had a plan and was refraining from taking aggressive measures.
"But, as expected this time. If the Lord doesn't take the lead, the story won't move forward."
"Right. Half of the Irosun Great Forest is Marburg territory."
"But, isn't Norbert-san trying to get his idiot sons to gain experience?"
"It's probably because he was made to believe that he is old and has a short time ahead of him. If he's going to leave it to his idiot sons even if he knows there's nothing wrong with him, I'll just have to deal with it accordingly."
Klaus-an, with his grinning face, was the epitome of someone you shouldn't make into an enemy.
Perhaps Nacios-san, the Lord of Breichberg, was also in on it.
If the doctor didn't reveal his true colors in three days, things were going to get rough.
