Jack of All Trades, Party of None

“Ah, Master! Good morning!”

I woke up in the morning, finished getting ready, and stepped out of my room.

As I exited, I happened to run into Log.

“Ah, good morning.”

It had been a little over a month since the day Log and Carole had their confrontation.

Since then, Log seemed to have pulled himself together and stabilized mentally. For now, it was safe to say he was no longer in any dangerously explosive state.

“Master, good morning! Log, good morning too!”

When I arrived at the dining hall with Log, Carole was already there and greeted us with her usual energetic cheerfulness (……).

It seemed Luna had done a good job of supporting Carole, as by the next day, she had returned to her normal self.

And after Log apologized to Carole, their relationship had returned to how it was before.

I thought the conflict wouldn’t escalate, but now that things were back to normal, I felt relieved.

Once we took our seats, Sophie and Luna joined us, and the four of them started eating.

I, on the other hand, had already eaten my portable food in my room as usual, so here I sipped tea while reading the newspaper.

Normally, I should eat with everyone, but for years, I had gotten used to having portable food on the mornings we ventured into the dungeon. It had become a habit.

Changing that and throwing off my rhythm would be counterproductive, so at least I’d spend time in the same space as everyone else.

As the five of us enjoyed a leisurely time before the dungeon exploration, the door quietly opened.

Turning my gaze, I saw Butler Lewis, who had welcomed us when we first arrived at this mansion, enter the room.

He came over to me, so I put away the newspaper I was reading and stood up from my chair.

“Good morning, Mr. Lewis.”

“Good morning, Lord Orun. I apologize for disturbing you during your meal.”

Lewis bowed politely as he spoke.

Since we were guests of Count Edington, we were usually treated courteously.

But today, Lewis’s demeanor was even more formal than usual, and his words “I apologize” seemed to carry an excessive amount of emotion.

“No, it’s absolutely fine. Is there something you need?”

“Yes. The head of the family is calling for you.”

Count Edington?

I had been summoned by him a few times before, but perhaps out of consideration, I was never called before a dungeon expedition.

Now, he was calling at this particular moment. Could it be something urgent?

“Understood. Should I head to Count Edington’s (Lord Orville’s) office as usual?”

“Yes. I apologize for the trouble, but I humbly ask for your cooperation.”

Lewis bowed deeply again after confirming my question.

Isn’t this a bit over the top?

◇

I let the others continue eating and went alone to Count Edington’s office.

After knocking and announcing my arrival, I was told to enter, so I opened the door.

Stepping inside, the atmosphere seemed to shift dramatically.

There was a heavy, tense air dominating the room.

“Excuse me. Lord Orville, did you call for me?”

I addressed Count Edington, the source of this atmosphere.

Nearby, Old Man Edington sat on a sofa.

He looked like the kindly grandfather he usually appeared to be, but his eyes were sharp and piercing.

As soon as I entered, Count Edington spoke.

“Sorry to bother you so early. Time is short, so I’ll get straight to the point. Just moments ago, information came in that several individuals, apparently soldiers from the empire, crossed the border and entered our territory. —In the process, it seems some of our soldiers were killed.”

He said something outrageous out of the blue.

Just the fact that imperial soldiers crossed into another country was shocking enough, but killing several during the incursion?

We had a non-aggression treaty. What is the empire thinking?

This kind of act could easily escalate into war.

“…How long ago exactly did the incursion happen?”

“Just moments ago — about ten minutes ago.”

Ten minutes ago? How far do you think the border is from here?

For information to reach us this fast, it would be impossible without a supernatural ability like Ms. Selma’s telepathy.