The Top-Tier Butler of the Marquis Family

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 meant there might be information he felt he ought to report to me alone.

So far, nothing especially compelling had come up, but I intended to keep setting aside plenty of time 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 method.”

Kalmond had already handed me a list of the businesses the Black Pig Gang operated, directly or indirectly. Since there had been no word after that, he seemed 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 someone like me, a first-rate butler of House Adeline, it was possible. As I had mentioned 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 members.

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 moment it becomes 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 Hamel and carry out a legal tax audit.

“Just wait. Tomorrow, the entire commercial 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 some reason for being so confident?”

From what I heard, Kalmond had used his wits a little while recruiting members. He had filled our ranks mostly with men 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?”

“Me...... 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 me, but I trust you.”

“Boss......”

Of course I trust you.

Among all the men under me, you are the only one with that splendid Status message, Diamond Loyalty. Then again, I do not have that many subordinates yet.

It suddenly made me wonder whether there was some 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 become one of my measures for judging people.

Of course, someday there might appear someone whose Status Window and my own subjective judgment did not line up.

When that day came, 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 messages, that is.

And if a vague Status message 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, sometimes drifting into thoughts of that sort, I spent long into the night discussing the management of the organization with Kalmond. It might have been a cliché way of putting it, but time 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 something good happen first thing in the morning?”

Rohan happened to be passing by just then, and he threw out that remark at me. I stopped in place with a dancer’s step.

“And why are you so twisted again?”

“I heard you got bonus points again. Hah, someone 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 some medicine for it!”

“Medicine will not help if your stomach hurts because someone 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 come 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 time.”

“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 some 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 fundamentals were good, and he was a well-known source of information. In any organization, someone 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 assignment, but he was on an ordinary one, so his time was tight. As expected, Rohan flinched.

“Damn, that was close. I am off, then. Take care!”

I parted ways with Rohan and resumed stepping forward to the rhythm of the tune I was humming.

Lately, things had been going far too well.

The Avengers’ members were being put in order nicely, I was thoroughly pleased with the Face Mask, and the people around me were all advancing from success to success.

Of course, it was not only the people around me who were growing. There had also been a little progress in my own Martial Learning.

I still lacked some real combat experience, but I had not neglected my training, and before sleeping I always used the Mana Mental Cultivation Method 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 me.

“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 time was right, I would have to keep hiding my strength and bide my time.

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 time, I decided I would find my own way to handle magic.

More than anything, that would be far more interesting.

“Did I come 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 meant 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 mean 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 me. 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 Hamel was not my type. Most of all, Young Master Hamel was a man.

“How did the banquet go yesterday?”

“It was the best!”

Arwen smiled brightly. That meant 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 Primera. 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 come 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 time has come for you to make your name not as a Maid, but as a chef.”

But Arwen shook her head. So I asked,

“What do you mean?”

“I actually like the maid’s work more. I do like cooking too, but how should I put it? It feels as though something 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 became 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 something set from birth. In terms of martial arts fiction, something 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 meant 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 became.

“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, someone slipped in through the open door. A person clad in a splendid dress, displaying a noble bearing.

“Because of me? 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.