Chapter 7
Knock knock.
“Officer, it’s breakfast time.”
Already morning?
As soon as I opened my eyes, my head was pounding.
Maybe it’s from drinking after so long. Back in the day, a night like that wouldn’t have even given me a hangover.
Ugh. How bothersome.
I just want to pull the blanket over my head and roll around a bit more.
I want to laze around intensely.
“Could you bring me some food? Preferably something like soup rather than bread…”
“No, you need to come out today. His Grace the Duke insists on having breakfast together.”
Ugh… having to entertain my superior on a day I’m suffering from a hangover.
“So, I can’t skip this, right?”
Outside the door, there was no answer, as if it were obvious.
“Alright. I’ll wash up and go.”
“When you come out, I’ll guide you to the dining hall.”
The maid seems to be waiting outside for me.
I can’t even be lazy at this rate.
I quickly washed my face, dressed, and opened the door.
Standing there was the same maid who had welcomed me on my first day at the House of Duke Helfion, poised and proper.
Her brown braided hair was adorned with a neat red ribbon, and her black-based maid uniform was spotless.
Diligent even in the morning.
The maid’s big, cat-like eyes with golden irises gazed at me.
“Shall we go?”
The dining hall she led me to had red soup and bread served.
“You’re awake?”
“Ah, yes, Duke. Sorry to keep you waiting. I got up in a rush…”
“I heard about your exploits from Appel yesterday. You defeated twelve warriors in duels at the tavern.”
If you already knew about it, wouldn’t it have been better to let me sleep more?
I managed to hide my annoyed expression and smiled instead.
“Now I understand why the previous officer retired so young with cirrhosis.”
“I asked the chef to prepare something good for a hangover. Sit and eat with me.”
“No, no! How could I possibly share a table with the Duke?”
“No need to be overly formal. I spent more time swinging my sword and taking down demons than playing the noble act. Procedures and etiquette are bothersome.”
At this point, refusing would probably be rude.
I quietly took a seat and picked up my spoon.
The first spoonful of soup hit my tongue with a fiery spice.
But the warmth spread through my stomach as I swallowed, calming my queasy insides.
“Feeling better?”
“This is amazing. This is Entil Empire’s Double Hot Soup, right?”
“Oh? You know this traditional dish, which most don’t. Are you from the Entil Empire?”
“No, my hometown is Latvia.”
I only read about it in the Akashic Records.
The Records really are a treasure trove of obscure knowledge.
“I see. The chef is from the Entil Empire. I like their food—neat and clean aftertaste.”
“I’ve never had it before, but it’s really good.”
Duke Helfion smiled and dipped his bread into his soup.
When both of our plates were nearly empty, the Duke spoke again.
“A new power will arise.”
“Huh?”
The Duke smiled at me.
“When you hear ‘beer duel,’ you might think it’s a childish mercenary game. But that duel… yes, ‘sacred’ suits it. In our duchy, it’s held in high regard. You even personally identified the ‘tavern’ as the power center.”
His explanation matched what I had heard from Butler Appel yesterday.
In humanity’s frontier, the war against demons continues.
Thus, only capable warriors gather in the Helfion Duchy, and their pride is sky-high.
Even minor disputes often escalate into murders.
One day, as people are cleaning up corpses and helping the injured, someone suggests:
“Why not settle it with a beer duel?”
“What do you think?”
The Duke looked at me expectantly.
Should I answer honestly?
“Well…”
“Childish, right?”
I gave a wry smile and nodded.
Exactly as I thought—protecting lives by settling a duel over beer? Sounds like a third-rate novel plot.
“But since the duel began, not a single death has occurred. So the people consider it sacred.”
“You gave authority to the duel itself. Whatever is decided here must be followed.”
The Duke nodded with a smile.
“That childish duel is like a civic trial here. And you’ve become its key. No one has ever defeated twelve warriors at once in history.”
Well… I did overdo it yesterday.
Towards the end of the match, drunk, I went 3:1 against them at once.
Three glasses. Three opponents, one drink each.
Of course, I won.
Thinking about it now makes my stomach hurt—better take another spoon of the Double Hot Soup.
“At least in this duchy, you are stronger than twelve warriors. No one will ignore you.”
“Wouldn’t that create problems?”
“At least those who fought yesterday or heard of it won’t easily oppose your decisions, whether policy or orders. To exaggerate, you could say you’ve ‘won the tavern.’”
I straightened my back while eating.
The Duke’s attentive gaze was fixed on me.
“This is a frontier duchy, but still a proper duchy. Show your ability as an officer.”
“You mean to develop and improve the duchy?”
The Duke smiled.
“That’s one duty of an officer. Think carefully. This is to test your ability. Time… yes, one month.”
One month.
My head spins.
Not because I don’t know how to answer, not because I’m scared of the future.
There’s just too much to do in Helfion Duchy right now.
All the knowledge from the Akashic Records clamors to be put to use.
But first, I need authority.
“I need authority.”
The Duke’s face brightened.
“This mansion has only one staff per role. The maid is soon to be Head Maid, the chef will be Head Chef, the butler becomes Head Butler. From today, you’ll be Officer and Chief Clerk. Enough?”
Enough? That’s more than enough.
“Has the sage arrived?”
“Hey, I heard you can drink well! Let’s go for it!”
“Shut up, fool! Even Travis, who lost to you in the beer duel, was among those twelve!”
“What, fool? Do you want to duel me and lose your deeds?”
“Sage, I hear you know a lot about monsters?”
I gestured to calm the escalating crowd.
“I didn’t come to drink today. I came to check the village. By the way, do you have any inconveniences in village life?”
“Inconveniences?”
“Potions! Too expensive.”
“And selling monster byproducts isn’t easy either.”
“The guild isn’t properly set up.”
“Prices are unclear… before coming here, accounting clerks in the guild or mercenary corps handled it. They’re probably dead now.”
People actively voiced their opinions.
Most were issues I already knew from paperwork, but some details were fresh.
I took notes carefully.
“Thanks. I’ll come back for drinks another time.”
I started touring the village.
Helfion Duchy was healthier and simpler than I expected.
Most warriors lived by fighting.
Yet there was little space to relieve stress.
Instead, it felt more ethical, orderly.
Like I’d heard at the tavern, commerce hadn’t developed much.
The Duke had defeated the Demon Lord anyway.
Maybe establishing roads and law enforcement, then opening a proper distribution network could work.
Perhaps even organize expeditions to deal with monsters along the roads.
Several immediate plans came to mind.
I should discuss these with the Head Butler.
Merchants and guilds… that might mean directly confronting the Grizzly Mercenary Corps.
A 250-person mercenary group.
Even with the Duke’s protection, a sloppy fight would be disastrous.
Proper strategy is needed.
I need to contact Rone.
Rone, my younger sister, leads the small-scale Gordam guild our parents left behind.
Main trade: potions.
High- and mid-grade potions blocked by the influence of Marquis Krapfi, but low-grade potions are still available thanks to prior deals.
I could supply monster byproducts to alchemists and apothecaries—especially mid-to-large high-quality ones.
Small issue: Rone dislikes me.
She blames me for our parents’ deaths.
Can’t be helped—it’s not entirely wrong.
Krapfi Marquis harassed us because of me.
We lost contact six years ago after all the swearing.
I once sent a letter explaining I was going into hiding to study before entering the Akashic Records.
I wonder how she’s living now.
“Ah.”
The western sky glowed red as the day ended.
The view somehow pulls memories of the past.
Time for sentimentality.
Time to return to the castle and send a letter.
Not just to Rone—someone else needs a letter too.
Looks like a busy evening.
“Good work today.”
“You too.”
Her hair was the color of a sunlit lake, her movements a refreshing breeze.
People greeted her warmly wherever she passed.
“Guildmistress!”
Rone’s steps were stopped by a young man.
“Guildmistress, a letter arrived for you.”
“For me?”
Rone tilted her head.
Being such a small guild, she wandered the world as a peddler—how would anyone know where she is to send a letter?
Almost as if he knew her exact location.
Rone took the letter and slowly read it.
Then…
“AAAAH! This bastard!”
“What?”
Everyone who had been greeting her was stunned.
“Did she just call someone a bastard?”
“Rone said ‘bastard’? The girl who never said a bad word?”
“Who could make her erupt from a single letter?”
“Could it be an enemy of her parents?”
“No way… you don’t casually mention parents like that.”
The farmers couldn’t understand—they had accidentally guessed right.
Rone shook with rage, showing with her whole body how she’d destroy the letter.
“…Go.”
“Huh?”
“It’s at the House of Duke Helfion. Heh. Thought sending such a letter from the edge of the world would be safe? Wrong. I’ll kill you. Tear it, rip it, burn it, I’ll kill you!”
Another scream erupted.
People ran away as if her fury was aimed at them.
All that remained was Rone, the wind around her, and the shredded letter.
On one torn piece:
“If you’re pissed, come to the House of Duke Helfion.”
A cheap sentence only real siblings would write—yet in beautifully neat handwriting.
