By the Grace of the Gods

Today, four chapters are posted simultaneously.

This story is the first chapter.

After the meeting with Mr. Calm, I peeked into the break room and saw Ms. Maria, Ms. Fina, and Ms. Lilin. I saw their backs.

"Good work, everyone."

"Oh, Owner. No, I mean, hello, Owner~"

"Welcome back. I heard about you from Manager Calm."

"I was told you were safe, but it's good to see you're doing well."

"Sorry for making you worry. As you can see, I'm completely fine."

I'm fine, but I wonder if everyone else has been well. I heard there were no work-related problems, but there's also that document issue. Even without that, I was away for about a month, so I'd like to hear what's going on.

"We haven't had any illness or injuries either~ I read that document, but..."

"The only time I felt down was right after reading it. I think everyone else felt gloomy only after reading it too."

"My father and I had no particular issues."

"Oh, that's good."

Although it wasn’t intentional, I had been uneasy about the possibility of creating something dangerous, so I felt relieved. At that moment, I noticed the stationery neatly arranged in front of them, assuming they were on break.

"Were you studying perhaps? Sorry if I’m disturbing you."

"Not at all, it’s fine~"

"It's not really studying, we were just doing some checks. By the way, Owner, it seems the book we asked Lord Stoer for is ready. He said to come pick it up when you get back."

"Oh, Lord Sanchez also said the adventurer volume is completed. The daily life volume will still take some time~"

"Thanks for the message. I thought it would take longer, but that was surprisingly quick."

"The grandchildren seem to have it tough; their grandfather is strict."

"They say, 'You didn’t have to retire yet, you know~'"

Indeed, those two are lively grandfathers. Former tax collector Müller Stoer and former legal officer Garcia Sanchez. Both are experts in tax and law introduced by the Duke's household and currently serve as advisors for various procedures related to my and associated stores’ management.

However, they also have their own intentions, so in addition to their main jobs, I’ve asked them to put their knowledge to use in other tasks. For example, helping Ms. Fina and Ms. Maria study, and writing books. The books are similar to those in Japan, which straightforwardly summarize “knowledge you should or could find useful.”

We do have books on law and tax here, but those available are mostly aimed at experts or students training to become experts. They require not only literacy but also considerable prior knowledge, making them difficult for ordinary people to understand—it feels like they are off-limits to the general public.

At first, I wondered if they could even handle consulting for me and the related stores, but they each have families, and their grandchildren are expected to take over the same work in the future. To prepare them, they use the tasks I assign as teaching materials, letting their grandchildren assist to build their skills.

It’s practically like having an entire office hired, but I’m directly employing only Lord Stoer and Lord Sanchez and paying only for them. Honestly, it’s incredibly cost-effective and helpful.

I do feel a bit sorry for the grandchildren... but as for guidance, it’s not my place to interfere since it's not my field, and their work at the Duke’s household is even more demanding, so I hope they do well.

"We’re also indebted to the grandchildren~"

"Truly, we knew almost nothing before... I never imagined I’d have the chance to study like this before coming here to work."

"Law and tax are among the hardest specialized knowledge fields. But it's never a loss to have knowledge. Knowing them brings peace of mind when the time comes."

"It’s not ‘when the time comes,’ it’s already time!"

Ms. Fina reached for one of the papers laid out on the table. Rarely showing excitement, she seemed unusually enthusiastic. I had heard that her village’s situation improved after starting transactions with Saionji Trading Company, but until recently, they were struggling because their crops didn’t sell. Probably because she knew this, the paper she held was densely covered edge to edge with tiny characters that couldn’t be read at a glance.