Chapter 065
I spoke with Kalmond alone.
It had been a while since I had last seen him, and besides, there could naturally be a difference in tone between hearing things through Eluna and hearing them directly from him.
Kalmond still did not trust Eluna one hundred percent. That ant there might be information he felt he ought to report to alone.
So far, nothing especially compelling had co up, but I intended to keep setting aside plenty of ti for private talks with him in the future as well.
“By the way, about what you said regarding the operation against the Black Pig Gang, when exactly is that going to begin?”
“It starts tomorrow morning.”
“I am curious about the thod.”
Kalmond had already handed a list of the businesses the Black Pig Gang operated, directly or indirectly. Since there had been no word after that, he seed to have grown curious.
Resting my chin on one hand, I looked at him with a grin.
“What, do you want to storm in and turn the whole place upside down yourself?”
“Not exactly...... But it is not as though we can simply charge in as we please, can we? I just cannot see any way to tighten the noose around their necks.”
“That may be true.”
But for soone like , a first-rate butler of House Adeline, it was possible. As I had ntioned briefly before, even a simple tax audit would be enough to deal a serious blow to them.
What keeps an organization running is not its mbers.
Still less is it their loyalty.
The one thing most essential of all is money.
If you sever the source of their money, they are struck at once. And the mont it becos clear that they will not be paid, everyone will start to waver.
Of course, I did not tell Kalmond that I intended to move Young Master Hal and carry out a legal tax audit.
“Just wait. Tomorrow, the entire comrcial district will be turned upside down.”
“I truly am curious what sort of thing you are planning.”
“You just focus on training our boys well. In the end, we are going to have to land the finishing blow with our own hands anyway. The day of the decisive battle is not far off.”
“Do not worry. They are all sharpening their blades keenly.”
“Do you have so reason for being so confident?”
From what I heard, Kalmond had used his wits a little while recruiting mbers. He had filled our ranks mostly with n who had been taken for a ride by the Black Pig Gang.
That made things easier for us, since we were the side that needed to annihilate the Black Pig Gang at once. Their desire for revenge would clearly affect their fighting power.
Later, I would have to guide them properly and raise them into proper human beings.
“Well done. Just what I would expect from the Avengers’ Underboss. ......What is with that expression?”
“...... the Underboss?”
“What else did you think?”
Kalmond could not continue. He looked as though he had just received an unexpected reward. I gave a small laugh and tapped him on the shoulder.
“You may think whatever you like of , but I trust you.”
“Boss......”
Of course I trust you.
Among all the n under , you are the only one with that splendid Status ssage, Diamond Loyalty. Then again, I do not have that many subordinates yet.
It suddenly made wonder whether there was so expression of loyalty even greater than that.
That was another one of the new pleasures of this life.
Ever since I was Reincarnated, I had been able to see other people’s Status Windows. Experience had already proven that they were accurate, and they had beco one of my asures for judging people.
Of course, soday there might appear soone whose Status Window and my own subjective judgnt did not line up.
When that day ca, I would have to be on my guard.
The charm of the Status Window lies in the fact that it does not tell you a person’s mind directly. It tells you only indirectly.
Through vague Status ssages, that is.
And if a vague Status ssage were paired with hidden Traits, then there was every chance I could one day be struck from behind.
Fortunately, nothing like that had happened yet.
And so, sotis drifting into thoughts of that sort, I spent long into the night discussing the managent of the organization with Kalmond. It might have been a cliché way of putting it, but ti flew like an arrow.
***
The next day, after finishing morning roll call with ease, I gave my report on my duties in the Training Officer’s Office and headed straight to my post.
From today onward, my duty station was once again Young Lady Sapiela’s residence.
Bravo!
A tune slipped from my lips of its own accord. My steps, too, were moving in rhythm.
“At this point, you are even humming to yourself as you walk around. It is ridiculous. What, did sothing good happen first thing in the morning?”
Rohan happened to be passing by just then, and he threw out that remark at . I stopped in place with a dancer’s step.
“And why are you so twisted again?”
“I heard you got bonus points again. Hah, soone around here seems to be the only one doing well, and it is making my stomach hurt. Good grief. I guess I ought to go to the infirmary later and get so dicine for it!”
“dicine will not help if your stomach hurts because soone else is doing well. You have to do well yourself. Hahahaha!”
At my laughter, Rohan let out a sigh and shook his head.
Sulking again, is he?
To smooth out his expression, I brought out the joker I had been holding back.
“I will probably be having a drink with Training Officer Vesper before long. You co along too. We are going down to the village for it.”
“Incredible! Really?”
“When have I ever lied to you? I have already spoken about you a little, so do not complain and make ti.”
“I would be glad to! Hahahaha! That is our Dilen!”
As expected, his expression brightened at once.
Rohan had been trying one way or another to establish so sort of line to those above him. I had just placed a mark of emphasis on that effort.
On the surface, it might have looked as though he was desperately trying to attach himself to the right line, but I recognized the effort for what it was. Winning another person’s favor was a skill in its own right.
Besides, Rohan’s evaluation was not bad either.
His fundantals were good, and he was a well-known source of information. In any organization, soone who was good with his superiors could not help but receive a good evaluation.
Just then, the bell outside rang once.
“But can you really afford to be standing around like this?”
I was on a special assignnt, but he was on an ordinary one, so his ti was tight. As expected, Rohan flinched.
“Damn, that was close. I am off, then. Take care!”
I parted ways with Rohan and resud stepping forward to the rhythm of the tune I was humming.
Lately, things had been going far too well.
The Avengers’ mbers were being put in order nicely, I was thoroughly pleased with the Face Mask, and the people around were all advancing from success to success.
Of course, it was not only the people around who were growing. There had also been a little progress in my own Martial Learning.
I still lacked so real combat experience, but I had not neglected my training, and before sleeping I always used the Mana ntal Cultivation thod to increase both the quantity and the quality of the mana dwelling in my heart.
At this rate, there would be no one in House Adeline who could match .
“I really ought to find a way to use magic. There is much more advantage in handling magic well than martial arts. I suppose I will have to solve that through self-study too.”
In my heart, I wanted to run straight to the Mage Tower, but I did not even know where it was, and if I went carelessly I might end up reduced to a slave, so I had no desire to do that.
The world is broad, and there are many strong people in it. Until the ti was right, I would have to keep hiding my strength and bide my ti.
In truth, I believed in the power of self-study.
A graduate student ought to know how to carve his own path toward truth. So even if it took ti, I decided I would find my own way to handle magic.
More than anything, that would be far more interesting.
“Did I co too early?”
When I arrived at the Young Lady’s residence, the door was half-open. There was no one guarding the front either. Which ant the inside was empty.
I stepped through the doorway.
Of course, just because there was no one inside and no gatekeeper standing watch, that did not an one ought to enter as one pleased. At the very least, one had to be a dedicated butler for that.
But I was different.
I was the Special One.
“Oh my, Dilen!”
As I wandered about and straightened things up a little, Arwen appeared from behind . Her eyes widened into circles.
“What are you doing here?”
“Did you not hear? Starting today, I am attending the Young Lady again. She does not seem to be here yet, so I was tidying the room.”
“Really? That is wonderful!”
She was genuinely pleased. So was I. Even if it was all an act, Young Master Hal was not my type. Most of all, Young Master Hal was a man.
“How did the banquet go yesterday?”
“It was the best!”
Arwen smiled brightly. That ant it had been a real success.
“Did His Excellency the Marquis praise you?”
“No, not exactly. But he said he would be visiting Rosetta often from now on. He said he had mistaken it for Prira. He said the food was delicious. So everyone was delighted.”
“Oh, that is excellent.”
Chronos, the head of House Adeline, was famous for being stingy with praise. So much so that I often found myself thinking Young Lady Sapiela’s cold and lofty image must have been inherited from him.
If a man like that had said he would co often, then he had truly been satisfied.
“Lately everyone looked a bit dispirited because business had been slow. In any case, congratulations to you too. It feels as though the ti has co for you to make your na not as a Maid, but as a chef.”
But Arwen shook her head. So I asked,
“What do you an?”
“I actually like the maid’s work more. I do like cooking too, but how should I put it? It feels as though sothing is missing.”
“It is not because you like Young Lady Sapiela, is it?”
“Ah! Maybe that is it.”
Arwen did not hide her feelings. Suddenly I beca curious about her Status Window, so I patted her on the shoulder as though encouraging her.
○ Arwen Lefebvre
Rank: ★★★★ ( 1)
Level: 14 ( 6)
Traits: Cooking A, Taste A, Handiwork B, Sewing B, Nursing B, Cleaning C, Eloquence C, Cooking Mastery C, Ingredient Appraisal C, ???
Status: Spring Breeze’s Flutter
[Not Unlocked]
[Not Unlocked]
......
What?
Her Rank, which had been three stars, had risen to four.
I was startled.
When I first saw the stars in the Status Window, I had thought a person’s Rank might be sothing set from birth. In terms of martial arts fiction, sothing like innate true qi. It had felt like that person’s worth, and also that person’s limit.
And yet Arwen, whose Rank had been three stars, had risen to four.
In other words, Arwen’s worth had risen by one stage.
What could possibly be the reason?
“......Cooking?”
There was no other explanation.
Recently Arwen had been gaining recognition for her cooking at Rosetta, and yesterday she had even earned praise from the Marquis. That ant Arwen’s worth had risen.
A person’s Rank changes according to that person’s social worth.
I could not be certain, but for now it was the most plausible theory.
“Why cooking?”
“It is nothing. Just keep working hard at your cooking.”
That was what I said in reply, and then I looked over Arwen’s Status Window once again.
Her Level had risen by six, and a new Skill, Cooking Mastery, had appeared. So there was mastery even for life skills. The more I learned, the more fascinating it beca.
“I was planning to work hard anyway. The Young Lady likes it too.”
“So in the end, it really is because of Young Lady Sapiela.”
“Is it?”
Just then, soone slipped in through the open door. A person clad in a splendid dress, displaying a noble bearing.
“Because of ? What is?”
It was Young Lady Sapiela.
I bowed my head at once, but Arwen, startled enough to make her shoulders jump, hurriedly lowered her head as well.
Had she thought the Young Lady believed we had been speaking ill of her behind her back? A frown appeared on the Young Lady’s pretty face.
What impeccable timing.
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