Finally, one step forward!
“Then if we gather these well and later submit them as evidence in the lawsuit filed by House Gloria, that should do.”
Liselotte promptly sat down in the seat next to Eren and nodded toward the seat across from her.
Catching on, Hedmilton sat in front of her and held out the notice sent from the Employment Department.
On his face, which usually held the same expression, a faint trace of joy could be seen.
“Out of the 15 points I reported, 13 were cited.”
“What about the 2 that were left out?”
“Unpaid meal expenses and not specifying the working days.”
“Well, I figured those two wouldn’t make it.”
Since they had crammed in every claim they could scrape together, an awkward feeling crept in.
“Honestly, saying they didn’t provide snacks that I occasionally eat to keep my brain running was kind of pushing it, right?”
Eren, who had been quietly listening to the conversation beside them, lightly furrowed his brows as if he truly didn’t understand and asked back.
“Are you saying you listed snacks under unpaid meal expenses?”
“Ah, that was a bit much, right? I just tried it on the off chance it might work.”
As Liselotte let out a needless “hm” and cleared her throat, Hedmilton also nodded along with his eyes widened.
“I didn’t expect that one to go through either.”
Thinking that maybe it might work under the laws of the Perida Empire, he had slipped it in as one of the charges, but it seemed that wasn’t allowed.
Feeling embarrassed by Eren’s fixed gaze beside her, she rambled as if making excuses.
“No… the employment contract didn’t clearly specify meal expenses, and since Hedmilton treats snacks as a staple food, I thought it might count. And the Eastern side always says that if it’s not in their regulations, it doesn’t matter anyway.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I felt guilty.”
“It looks that way.”
“Thank you for the honest answer. It makes this a bit less embarrassing.”
Liselotte scrunched the bridge of her nose in thanks and leaned back against the backrest.
At the same time, Hedmilton pointed to a section of the notice from the Employment Department with his finger.
“If you look here, it says that the severance pay I was originally entitled to, as well as the allowances related to unfair work that were not paid over the years, will be paid separately.”
He gently placed another set of documents, which he had pushed beside the sofa, onto the table.
“And this is what I asked Commander Taebon about, regarding the Eastern monsters.”
Whether he asked by letter or not, the contents showed that Taebon had personally answered each point one by one, even numbering them himself.
After briefly gauging Eren’s reaction, Hedmilton carefully lowered his voice.
“I asked about the World Tree thread, but he said he didn’t know anything about it. He said he had never heard of monsters that produce such byproducts.”
“Well, the timing is different from when Taebon was under contract with House Gloria.”
“But then…”
Flutter.
Hedmilton showed the next page of the letter.
“As you can see here, he briefly wrote about Eastern monsters that usually produce fine, dense threads as byproducts.”
Perhaps because he had often stood at the vanguard of subjugation forces, Taebon’s account was quite substantial.
While it wasn’t definitive, there was clear evidence of an effort to find something similar in his own way.
“He says that in the East, monsters like those often produce byproducts that amplify magical power?”
“That’s common.”
Eren’s assessment was succinct.
Since Liselotte knew nothing about monsters, she looked at him as if asking for an explanation, and Eren handed her the letter.
“Among monster bones, there are sometimes bones that amplify magic. They are suitable for making magic tools, so the Magic Tower likely uses them often.”
“Do they appear in the North as well?”
“Of course. The only differences are the intensity and the degree of amplification. It’s a type of byproduct you commonly see in magic tools.”
“Hm… Since it’s not about green thread, it’s hard to be certain.”
Hedmilton agreed with her words.
“Please just take it as reference. The commander only meant that’s how it is on average, not that it’s 100 percent always the case.”
It seemed better to meet Taebon later and hear more details directly.
Liselotte lightly nodded, moving on to the next report.
“Alright. Tell him thank you.”
***
A notice from the Employment Department also arrived at the Gloria estate.
Seeing that the outcome overwhelmingly sided with Hedmilton, the hand holding the notice trembled violently.
“This is absurd. Since when did they start responding to reports from mere merchant families!”
In the East, House Rovans was, quite literally, an ordinary merchant family.
One he had never even paid attention to before hiring Hedmilton.
To an Eastern Great noble House, they were supposed to be an existence that couldn’t even dare to look up at them.
Duke Gloria’s office. Miro, who had been standing straight and looking down at Anix, curved his lips into a faint smile.
“Please do not be too disheartened by this matter. Changing employees internally does not constitute a crime under the law.”
“Is that the problem? The merchants are saying they’ll refuse to supply goods to House Gloria!”
“You need not worry about that either. Contracts for supply are not there for nothing, are they?”
Behind his glasses, Miro’s narrowed eyes slowly curved.
“Isn’t it the contract I drafted for you long ago? Since there is no termination clause, no one can cancel it unless the contract term expires.”
Only then did Anix’s expression ease noticeably.
“Push the lawsuit forward quickly. We need some kind of result to restore the House’s reputation that’s been slammed into the ground.”
“Ah, speaking of which. How about meeting the Tower Master once?”
“Why would I meet that touchy bastard? I have no intention of coaxing or placating him. Just because he can use a bit of magic, he dares try to throw nobles around as he pleases.”
It was questionable whether he was truly that old at all.
Very few people had actually seen the Tower Master in person. Of course, Anix was one of those few.
“Just looking at him, he seemed young and whiny.”
As Anix made no effort to hide his displeasure, Miro let out a long sigh and pushed his glasses up.
“At present, due to the Employment Department’s notice, we are unable to conclude a new contract. If we lose the Tower Master as well, even the subjugation force will have a hard time holding out, Your Grace.”
“…So?”
“I’m saying we should try to placate him.”
In the middle of their conversation. Knock, knock. A knocking sound was heard.
The door opened, and High Priest Chael entered with a bright smile.
“Your Grace. The Young Lady’s treatment has been completed.”
At the light voice with a hint of melody, Anix hurriedly rose from his seat and went to greet him.
“Thank you for coming even though the request was so sudden.”
“Not at all. It’s not as if it’s been only a year or two, and considering how much you have contributed to the Temple, this much should be done for you.”
Chael smiled broadly, almost foolishly, without a shred of decorum.
After bowing repeatedly, Anix cautiously opened his mouth.
“Th-then… how is Diana?”
“Ah, the Young Lady? Her divine power was quite tangled. It’s not easy for it to get this twisted. Untangling it was rather difficult.”
“One would have to have possessed divine power before. A divine authority bestowed so suddenly is not easy to handle.”
“Blessings that were not originally destined are like that.”
Chael smiled gently.
His pure, flower-like appearance stood in contrast to Anix, who was stiff with tension.
When Chael stepped slightly aside from the doorway, Diana, who had been hiding behind him, revealed herself.
The moment he saw her, Anix let out a sigh of relief.
“Hoo, you’ve come to your senses.”
“Yes… I’m sorry for causing concern every time. High Priest, Father.”
She bowed her head toward Chael in greeting.
At that, Anix’s eyes hardened sharply.
“Is it proper for a noble lady to bow her head like that? Again, do it properly, in accordance with etiquette.”
“Ah, yes.”
Unlike just moments ago, she lightly lifted the hem of her dress with one hand and gave a small nod.
Chael, who had been watching the situation with only his eyes rolling about, broke into a bashful smile.
“Oh my, you really don’t need to be so formal. It’s embarrassing. Then please make sure the Young Lady gets plenty of rest, and we will meet again.”
Finishing his greeting with a small nod, Chael left the office with light, gentle steps.
Thud. The moment the door closed, Anix’s expression hardened.
“…Miro. For now, try to set a date with the Tower Master.”
***
“Hic. What should I do? House Gloria says they want to meet me.”
The reception room of the Keilos manor.
Virki kept wiping the corners of her eyes with the long sleeves of his robe, sniffling.
“Just looking at it, it seems like they think threats would work if they press hard enough, so they’re trying to resolve it face to face…”
Even so, it wasn’t as if Liselotte could accompany him to that meeting.
Even if she tried, House Gloria would refuse anyway.
While Liselotte was thinking it over, her contemplative eyes suddenly lit up.
She asked Virki, who was slumped like a soaked paper doll on the large sofa in the reception room.
“Tower Master. You said you can make magic tools, right?”
“Yeah… sniff, why?”
“Can you also make something that records conversations?”
