Published: January 17, 2026
One hour later, Kamushin returned. Fortunately, Espada had not arrived yet. It was unusual for Espada to be late, as he was usually punctual, but for now, that was something to be glad about.
“Lord Van, here are the investigation results!”
“...Alright, let me hear them.”
He rested both elbows on his desk, laced his fingers in front of his face, and replied in a low voice.
What if they complain that the training is too hard, the conditions are dirty, it’s smelly, or the pay is low...?
His heart raced nervously, but on the surface, he tried to act calm as he waited for Kamushin’s words. Kamushin took out a folded piece of paper, unfolded it, and checked his notes. By the way, Kamushin had learned reading and writing from Til. He was currently studying basic arithmetic.
“Um, as you said, Lord Van, there surprisingly were some complaints.”
“I-I see. No, it’s fine. I’m prepared for it.”
Feeling nervous, he urged Kamushin to continue. Kamushin nodded and began speaking. He almost asked for a deep breath but swallowed the words back.
“Well, the most common complaint was that the training is too tough. It seems Lord Dee’s training has been getting more intense. This opinion mainly came from those who joined the knight order earlier. Also, there were requests to reduce the number of working days in the fortress city Murcia... This came from the people currently taking turns guarding the fortress city Murcia. They hoped that the stay there could be shortened to one week if possible.”
“Dee’s been high-strung lately because of the recent big battles. I should mention it subtly. The fortress city Murcia still needs support after all... We’ve been rotating twenty people at a time, but maybe we should increase the number of rotation groups by having ten people each? So, what other complaints came up?”
At least, there were no accusations of my power harassment regarding the toughest complaints. Feeling a little relieved, he asked, and Kamushin shook his head and showed the paper with notes.
“No, nothing else in particular... I asked those I met if they had other complaints, but most of the talk was about the length of stay in the fortress city Murcia. Also, many people mentioned that Lord Dee’s training is harsh.”
“Huh? So the only complaints are about training and the fortress city Murcia? What about the pay?”
“They said the salary is sufficient.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
Surprised by Kamushin’s report, he asked again. Til, smiling wryly, spoke up.
“Lord Van has lowered taxes, and the necessary goods for living are very cheap. I think the salary is more than enough.”
Til said that and freshly poured warm tea again. Taking the cup of tea, he lowered his chin and hummed.
“Hmmm... well, that’s good then... Ah, delicious.”
“Delicious indeed.”
Drinking the fragrant and tasty tea brought him relief. At the same time, Arte, sipping her tea, smiled and shared her impression. Til puffed out her chest and nodded proudly.
“It’s made with love!”
“Oh, as expected of Til.”
“Eh-hem.”
He praised Til, who responded perfectly as the exclusive maid. Then, a voice came from the door.
“May I have a cup as well?”
“When did you get here...!?”
Before he realized it, Espada was standing expressionlessly at the room’s entrance. More frightening than an assassin.
“I knocked earlier, but there was no answer, so I called again before entering. It seems you were investigating the knights’ complaints—very commendable. As the population will continue to grow, it would be good to conduct a large-scale survey of requests and opinions at some point.”
While saying that, Espada brought in a handful of documents. The pile of papers placed on the desk seemed like it might make a loud thud.
“...Isn't this too much?”
He asked in a hoarse voice, and Espada nodded as if it were no big deal.
“Yes. While I was sorting the reports to be reviewed by Lord Van, new reports came in. The merchants and the adventurers’ guild members heard of your return, Lord Van, and brought in accumulated reports. The fact that we can submit such detailed reports shows that Lord Van governs well. Although the number of documents is several times greater, I hope you will carefully review them, as this is a fortunate situation.”