BSWL 02

Chapter 2 Missing at the Academy Graduation, Unemployed After Graduation (Part 2)

“Here’s your mail.”

The little inn employee handed over the letters. Five of them had arrived.

Could it be… did I get accepted this time?

[Thank you for showing your affection to the Baron.
Regarding your “three-year plan,” which centered on the development of surrounding territories through the integration of alchemy into industrial technology and the creation of special economic zones focusing solely on economics, we could not help but admire your proposal.
However, your social standing cannot be properly verified. The absence of six years of experience following your graduation from the academy makes your position uncertain.
May God bless your future endeavors.]

“Quit it! Blessings from God or whatever—don’t I need a job first to receive a blessing?!”

AAAAHHH!

How many times has this happened now?

A hundredth time already. A hundredth!

I went through countless secrets of the past in the Akashic Records: spells, sword techniques, and even skills based on “science,” neither magic nor alchemy.

And yet, what’s the use if I can’t get a job!

I’d gone through nearly every baronial, viscount, and countly household in the world.

And still, no luck.

If that’s the case, they shouldn’t even bother saying they read my plans carefully!

There were even bastards who stole my plans. Damn it.

What about the other letters? The others!

I hastily tore them open, one by one.

[We’re sorry.]
[Regrettably…]
[Unfortunately…]

Every single noble house rejected me again.

I tore the letters to shreds and scattered the pieces all over the room.

Hahaha… fly, little pieces of paper.

It feels like my life has been torn apart just like these letters.

Ah… and now my savings are nearly gone.

At this rate, not only will I fail to get a clerk position, but I might even be kicked out of this inn and starve.

Ha… ha ha.

What should I do?

At this point, there’s no way I can even repay my family’s debts, let alone think of revenge.

Even if that Deon Krapi fellow found out about my situation and tried something, could I stop him? No, probably not.

Should I contact Barbara?

Should I reach out as a completely broke and unemployed person?

But after six years of zero contact, a former classmate wouldn’t respond to me out of the blue.

Sigh.

Only one letter remains.

But something seems… off.

“Did I even send a resume and a job application here?”

[Duke House of Helpion]

The seal bore an elegant eagle, wings spread across a single sword.

I know this family’s emblem, of course.

But more than that, I was thinking, “Why on earth here?”

The Helpion Dukedom is the northernmost region of the continent, a border territory facing the demon race, where war never ceases, 365 days a year.

The strongest warriors gather there, and dozens fall even among them.

Yet there’s a reason those who revere martial prowess gather there.

Grand Swordmaster Helpion.

Simply put: “The Supreme.”

He led a small group of loyal knights into the Demon King’s castle, beheaded the Demon King, and ended the twenty-year-long Immortal War.

To secure the human front, he remained in the borderlands, defending humanity’s northernmost edge.

Many travel there just to gain even a shred of advice on martial matters.

Yes. Martial matters.

A place completely unrelated to the literary path I belong to.

I had only sent this application as a formality, without writing much, yet… did they graciously send a rejection anyway?

I felt both thankful and apologetic at the same time.

I tore open the letter.

And what do I see?

[We have read your resume with great interest.
The House of Helpion welcomes your employment.
Please visit the dukedom as soon as possible.]

It was an acceptance letter.

“Huh…”

I couldn’t help letting out a small breath.

This… this is impossible.

I know my weaknesses. A dropout from Delphi Academy, a creditless, missing person—hardly a candidate noble families would take seriously.

So I had only sent applications to lower-ranking families: viscounts, barons, counts.

And now—a dukedom?

Not just any dukedom—the infamous House of Helpion?

Is this a dream?

Could this letter be a cleverly forged scam, designed to lure me there for organ trafficking?

Or maybe the dukedom has been developing a secret technology to exterminate demons, and they’re gathering humans as raw material?

Ugh… am I really, truly… accepted?

Knock knock.

“Sir! Sir!”

I heard the little inn employee’s voice from outside the door.

“Uh, yes?”

“Your mother says to eat. Today’s dinner is soup with Ashark meat and wheat bread!”

I opened the door, and the child came in, carrying the meal on a small wooden tray.

Ah, right. It’s already mealtime.

I had been so caught up with the letters that I lost track of time.

“Thanks.”

The child barely acknowledged me, then glanced at the torn letters by the bed and asked:

“Sir, were all rejections again today?”

“What…?”

“You know the regular old man who comes to our inn every week? He says if someone hasn’t gotten a job in a year, it’s hopeless, and he bets a hand on whether they’ll ever get employed.”

Really? That man said that?

Haha… I’ve been dragging myself at this inn for so long.

But to be dismissed even by a child and a drunkard…

I held the child’s shoulders and shook my head.

“No.”

Then added:

“Go tell that man what I said.”

The world’s colors seemed to brighten.

Like fog lifting on a breezy morning.

“Give him the rest of your hands and tell him to kick his drink with his feet next time.”

I had been accepted as a clerk of the House of Helpion.

The journey to Helpion Dukedom was truly long.

After all, it was the frontline of humanity’s war against demons and the outermost human settlement—infamously dangerous.

The journey itself wasn’t difficult, thanks to knights traveling for martial training under the Supreme’s guidance, who made the trip comfortable.

“Because so many knights pass through, it’s rare to see bandits or even monsters. Bandits flee to save themselves, and most monsters are near extinction.”
“So trade must be active, then?”
“Not exactly. Most are struck before entering the area. Bandits and monsters are pushed to the outskirts. And sometimes, monsters appear that are hard even for us to handle—like sandworms or wyverns.”
“Those kinds appear here?”
“Not just those. This is the way to the demon territory. Be prepared. Luckily, habitats are somewhat predictable, so trust us.”

The more I spoke with the knights, the more questions I had.

A place attracting such elite people must have many capable clerks… so why hire someone with no verified experience like me?

Even after my final meeting with the Supreme, I couldn’t figure out the reason.

No, I shouldn’t have been able to.

Who could imagine the absurd truth?

“You’re the new clerk we hired?”

“Yes, sir. I’m Laward Gordem.”

“Pleased to meet you. I am Rodellaos de Helpion, head of the Helpion Dukedom.

Your shoulders are tense. Relax. I’ve spent more years as a street mercenary than as a duke.

Etiquette and formalities bore me, so feel at ease. I mean it.”

No matter how he said that, I was nervous—not because he’s a duke, but because of him.

I was standing before the Duke of Helpion.

In a rough but striking study, he radiated natural authority.

The Duke of Helpion was the embodiment of “Supreme.”

Two meters tall.

Arms as thick as my head.

No, not just the arms—the fists alone seemed the size of my head.

His muscular body was perfectly proportioned, as if sculpted by a god.

Deep ocean-colored eyes beneath neatly cut blue hair, commanding like a griffon in flight.

Facing him felt like standing before an emperor—breathing was difficult.

Amazing.

This is the Supreme.

Now I understood why knights threw themselves into serving the dukedom for the war against demons.

“Was your journey uncomfortable?”

“Not at all, thanks to the knights who helped me!”

“I see. If the journey wasn’t tiring, I’d like to discuss your duties first.”

“Yes, that’s fine!”

“Ahem, hmm…”

“Duke?”

“Ah, nothing. It’s just… a bit embarrassing.”

Embarrassing? That word felt completely out of place.

The Duke of Helpion looked shy, flushed, and fidgety—almost comically.

“The reason you were urgently hired… ahem… is to write letters.”

“Letters, sir?”

“Yes. Since you’re a Delphi Academy graduate, your writing is impressive. From territory negotiations, proclamations, to duel schemes… just follow my instructions!”

“No, no. You could just… act directly, why go through a complicated process?”

He said that fearsome thing so casually.

“Uh…”

The Duke stammered, then closed his eyes like a general facing a mortal enemy:

“I… I’ve fallen in love. It’s my first time having such feelings… and I only know brawls, not how to express this heart.”

No way…

“So, you will deliver my feelings to that lady.”

“…You mean I’m to ghostwrite love letters?”

“Yes! Exactly that! Academy graduates understand quickly! Haha, clever indeed. This will work out perfectly!”

What the hell…

Deep within him… a heart like a cheap romance novel?

“Love letters… so the reason the Helpion Dukedom hired me is… to be a ghostwriter for… love letters…”