Chapter 90

"When you're full, you can't focus on work, can you?"

Having drained her cup of fragrant tea, Lady Aristide glanced at the documents on her desk with a satisfied sigh. The pile had significantly diminished, leaving only the reports from the various forts and a few requests (which, according to Lady Aristide, were not particularly important).

"But if we keep working a bit more, it seems we can finish soon. Lady Aristide's concentration is amazing, so I'll try to get used to my work and keep up with her."

At this rate, it looks like everything will be done today or tomorrow. Chaos, who is on leave, is scheduled to return the day after tomorrow, and he will surely be surprised.

I sat in the chair next to Lady Aristide's desk and resumed my assigned tasks. I had to compile the completed documents and hand them over to the clerks.

(There are so many budget requests. I've heard that the finances are tight, but it's surprising that things have improved to this extent.)

Hunting monsters requires not only personnel costs but also a significant amount of expenses. If my research on the effective utilization of monsters spreads, the food costs will surely decrease significantly.

In Galbreath, in addition to tax revenue, there is income from the materials obtained from hunted monsters and the profits from the hunting association. Moreover, they earn revenue by accepting monster hunting requests from other territories. After sorting various documents with the clerks, I was surprised to learn that Galbreath's knights were dispatched to other territories for monster hunting.

(Joint hunting between adjacent territories is common, but I didn't know that requests come from all over the kingdom.)

In the Kingdom of Langdias, the nobles who hold territories each have their own private knight orders. The security within their territories is primarily maintained by these knights, and they are also responsible for monster hunting. Additionally, the Royal Knights exist to maintain the security of the entire kingdom. They are stationed in the direct territories and border forts and can be dispatched as reinforcements at the request of the lords. While not as extensive as Galbreath, each region has its own troublesome monsters. When the situation is beyond their control, they request support from the Royal Knights. I remember that in Marsharaid, which borders the northern frontier, the stationed Royal Knights provided support.

I read through the request from Baron Monttron, who governs a territory in the western part of the kingdom. It stated that he wanted to request the extermination of a maddened Zandner. The Zandner is a medium-sized carnivorous monster that lives in swamps, characterized by its large front legs with fins. It has moss growing on its wet fur and camouflages itself among the aquatic plants to capture prey, so one must be cautious when traveling through swamps. However, since it rarely leaves its territory, it should be manageable if properly understood.

(I see, a maddened female Zandner has emerged from the swamp and appeared near the village river.)

There are four of them, as far as is known. While the Zandner is tough in swamps, its movements are slow. Trained knights should not fear it.

Additionally, in the Duchy of Poisson, known for its beautiful purple sand dunes, there was an abnormal increase in Huskquills in the shallow coastal waters, and they requested participation in a sweep operation. I don't know what this monster looks like because it's not in my dictionary, but it must be something that requires the knights of Galbreath to go there. The reward is considerable, but the distance to the territory is significant.

"Lady Aristide, are you not accepting this extermination request?"

All similar requests from various places were placed in a box labeled "Others." When I asked, Lady Aristide glanced at the request in my hand.

"Huskquill, huh. Do you want to eat it?"

"Is it edible? Oh, I mean, I just got curious because I didn't know about it."

Lady Aristide looked at me with a teasing smile, as if I had taken the bait.

"So, there are monsters you don't know. Oh, right, Marsharaid doesn't have a sea, does it?"

"Yes, I don't have many opportunities to go there."

The sea is a treasure trove of monsters, and I want to stay in a seaside town to conduct research someday. It's not easy to realize, but my mother's records are not very detailed about sea monsters, which makes me even more eager. Lady Aristide, taking the request from my hand, looked thoughtful.

"The Huskquill is a monster with a smooth, fist-sized shell and fleshy, wrinkled tentacles. If you accidentally touch the tentacles, you'll feel a numbness like being struck by lightning."

"An outbreak of such monsters would likely affect fishing."

"Somewhat, but it's not a problem if you go out to sea. The Duchy of Poisson is a popular tourist destination known for its summer retreats. There are few visitors in winter, and the cold sea is not suitable for cruise ships. Besides, Huskquills migrate with the cold currents from the sea. They will eventually leave on their own."

I see. If that's the case, there's no need to risk going out to the cold sea in winter to hunt them. That's why this request was placed in the "Not Urgent" box.

Just as I was about to agree, Lady Aristide made a surprising suggestion.

"If you're interested, why not go and capture them for research? You can easily catch them by grabbing the shell without touching the tentacles. I can help with the extermination if you want."

(What, just as a side task?)

In the Duchy of Poisson, the outbreak is severe enough to require a request, but for Galbreath, which hunts dangerous monsters daily, it seems like a side task.

"No, it would be dangerous to have an accident in the sea! Cold water is very dangerous."

"True. Going to the sea in summer would be better. Besides, sea monsters like Chil and Dassleda are much more delicious than Huskquills."

Lady Aristide, nodding to himself, tossed the request into the "Rejected" box.

"What about the other request?"

When asked, I handed over the other request, the one from Baron Monttron about the maddened Zandner, and Lady Aristide frowned.

"Another maddened one. The number of requests for maddened monster extermination has increased recently."

"Belgenyon was maddened, and the Ygrosh centipede crab was maddened too. I thought it was normal here."

"Galbreath, being on a magic vein, has hunted a considerable number of maddened monsters this year. Frankly, it's abnormal. The same seems to be happening in other territories, but it's been 17 years since the last disaster..."

I recalled that our meeting was triggered by a maddened Backhorn attack. I was also stopped by a maddened Yakul on my way back from a banquet. Indeed, the number of encounters in the past two months seems unusually high.

"Considering the large number of maddened monsters during the last disaster, it's not a good sign."

Despite this, Lady Aristide placed the request in the "Rejected" box with a grim expression.

"Four maddened Zandners can be handled within the territory. If the knights are so weak that they need to rely on knights from other territories, that's a different story."

The other requests were similar, and in the end, the only one considered was the extermination of the Ejuro Highland Apes (fire-breathing apes) causing trouble in the Viscount Bosoire's territory.

"Are you accepting this one?"

"Before inheriting his title, Bosoire was a knight in Galbreath. If he's making a request, it must be something he can't handle."

Lady Aristide rang the bell, and the clerks entered to carry out the "Rejected" box. I wondered what they would do with them and looked up at Lady Aristide.

"What will happen to those?"

"They will be handed over to the Galbreath Hunting Association. The association, which operates under the name of Galbreath, does not do shoddy work. I don't want them to think my knights will move easily for such requests. It's a matter of pride."

I'm not a knight, so I don't fully understand the decision to accept or reject requests. However, it's unpleasant to be seen as someone who will take on any job for money. It feels like the proud knights of Galbreath are being looked down upon. This made me wonder if my father ever made requests to Galbreath.

"Um, Lady Aristide?"

"What is it?"

"From my hometown, Marsharaid, have there ever been any requests?"

"From Marsharaid? No, I don't know of any."

"Really?"

Lady Aristide looked genuinely unaware, which made me doubt if he was just being considerate.

"Really. The north is governed by a different kind of strongmen. They should be able to handle monster hunting within their territory. The three baronies of Marsharaid, Gehrinheld, and Nilroren are key to the northern border. I've noticed that the knights of Marsharaid are well-trained. The knight captain, in particular, is quite skilled."

Is he talking about Claude? The knights are all strong and can withstand the harsh cold, but I don't know if they are "skilled" since I rarely interact with them (though they always bring me the monsters I request). I spent most of my time in the research building, and after Lady Seilia became the lady of Marsharaid, I was distanced from the management of the territory, so I don't know much about my own land. However, I remember that my father often went to Mount Baltosh for training and that the breeding of warhorses was exceptionally well-developed.

(Not knowing about my own territory, I'm failing as a noble lady... I can't support Lady Aristide like this.)

Suddenly, I felt anxious about my lack of knowledge about my territory and the role of a noble. How are other noble ladies educated before marriage? Perhaps I should have formed a few friendships.

"Lady Aristide... I, I lack confidence."

As I looked down at the floor, Lady Aristide grasped my hand in a worried manner. The warmth of her hand made my nose tingle.

"What's wrong, Melfi? If you miss Marsharaid, we can go together when the snow melts."

"No, it's not that I miss my hometown. I need to know more."

Perhaps because I have a cold, I couldn't think positively and felt frustrated. As I sniffed, Lady Aristide enveloped me in her large frame.

"There's no need to rush. If you're anxious, tell me."

Lady Aristide's deep voice was very comforting. I nodded, resting my face on her chest instead of speaking.

"Only you can know what's in your heart. But you're not alone. Melfi..."

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The comic adaptation is serialized by Palcy and on pixiv Comic. The first volume of the comic is set to be released on October 29!