It took a considerable amount of time for Kanade’s interviews to finish.
In the meantime, I joined the maids’ training, had maids sit on my lap, napping together, being fed with “Ahh~,” and even pulling on maids’ waist ribbons while chanting, “Good indeed! Good indeed!” and “Let’s go!” as they twirled around. Among other things.
And so, the conclusion.
“…We couldn’t obtain any information. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Kanade’s shoulders drooped dejectedly.
In the end, it seemed she felt responsible for failing to gather any substantial leads on the Orichalcum or the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire.
But honestly, that was an impossible request from the start.
“You did your best, Kanade. Thank you.”
“Mhm…”
As I patted her head, Kanade lifted her gaze to meet mine, regaining her composure.
“So, Master? How was it?”
“How was… what?”
“The maids of the Maid Valley. Since everyone has officially recognized you as their Master, you’re free to take any maid you like home with you. They’d all be happy.”
“Huh…?”
I paused to think.
Now that she mentioned it, having Kanade as the only maid in the vast Lohengrin Castle must be exhausting. It’s easy to forget because she’s so capable.
So if this was an opportunity to hire new maids, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Besides, I already knew the personalities of the maids here.
“How many do you want, Kanade?”
“If Master doesn’t need them, then neither do I. Besides, the maids of the Maid Valley are all still trainees.”
“Ah, right. You did say it was a training facility.”
Still, saying goodbye now felt a little lonely.
After all, we’d formed bonds with them.
Not to mention, my own maid, Kanade, was apparently their principal.
——And then, an idea struck me.
“Then how about I become the… Chairman?”
“Chair… man?”
“Yeah. Someone who supports the education of the maids financially. What do you think?”
That way, I could contribute in some capacity while keeping my connection with the maids intact.
Besides, ever since becoming a Margrave, I had plenty of financial leeway.
Investing in maid education wouldn’t hurt.
As I explained my proposal, Kanade’s expression brightened visibly.
“…Good! Chairman is… really good!”
“You think so too?”
“Master is higher than Kanade, and the Chairman is higher than the principal. So it’s perfect.”
“Well, I don’t plan on interfering with your work, though.”
“Everyone wanted to be Master’s maids. So they’ll be happy.”
“I see.”
If Kanade ever said the castle was understaffed, I could hire a few of them. She’d surely be pleased.
“In that case, all the maids in the Maid Valley are technically Master’s maids too.”
“Well, financially speaking, I guess?”
“So, Master, please give them all firm orders. They’d be heartbroken otherwise. It’d be a disgrace to the maid name.”
“Hmm…”
Still, if I took a few to Lohengrin Castle, they’d miss out on training with the others.
“Then, how about this? Can I ask you to continue gathering information?”
“Bring it on!”
“Don’t push yourself, but I’d be happy if you could look into the Orichalcum and the Wandering Silver Haired Vampire within your means. Oh, right.”
I pulled out the memo given to me by Tōko-san.
“This is a list from Tōko-san. She said there might be clues around these areas.”
“——Understood. The Maid Valley will investigate thoroughly.”
“I’m counting on you.”
I doubted she’d go on-site herself, but maids had surprisingly broad connections. Who knows? Maybe some of them worked in those very places.
“Then, I leave it to you.”
“Burning with passion!”
And so, with that casual request—
I had no idea that those simple words would become the catalyst for three small nations vanishing from the continent’s map.
8 (Tōko’s Perspective)
Late at night in Duke Sakuragi’s estate.
The secret discussion between Queen Tōko and Duke Sakuragi carried a graver tone than usual.
“——So, the same thing happened on your end too?”
“Indeed. My intelligence division suspects some major movement within the underworld. However, they have no idea what it could be.”
“Same with the royal intelligence network. Something definitely happened, but we’re completely in the dark about what.”
Recently, both the royal and ducal spy networks had detected unusual activity around the same time.
It was the kind of subtle disturbance that ordinary people would never notice—
only those who had observed the underworld for years could sense the shift beneath the surface.
The fact that both factions reported it spoke volumes about their competence. Most nobles remained blissfully unaware of the odd undercurrents.
“——This is just a hypothesis, but… According to my intelligence chief, it’s possible that a major underworld organization underwent a leadership change. Apparently, rare treasures, priceless jewels—things you’d expect as celebratory gifts—were seen moving in large quantities.”
“My house considered that possibility as well. However, no known underworld faction fits the profile.”
“Really? Mine said the same.”
The estimated total value of the moved assets, as calculated by both royal and ducal intelligence, was enough to buy out one or two small nations without breaking a sweat. In fact, it might even be enough to purchase a large country—assuming it wasn’t the Lohengrin Margraviate.
At that scale, the idea of a simple transaction was immediately dismissed. What kind of deal would require that much?
Next came the possibility of celebratory gifts.
That seemed far more plausible. The items confirmed to have moved were all things commonly associated with grand celebrations—rare jewels, magic artifacts, and other such luxuries.
Yet even that theory had a fatal flaw.
The reason was simple:
“The amount is just too absurd. No underworld organization, no matter how large, could gather that much even for a leadership change.”
“Agreed. ——Unless…”
“Unless?”
“Unless it’s an absolute ruling organization overseeing the entire continent’s underworld.”
“Ah. My people said the same. But that’s impossible, right?”
“Indeed——unless we’re talking about the [Valley of the Underworld].”
“Then it’s definitely impossible.”
The Valley of the Underworld—a legendary place whispered about in the underworld, said to exist somewhere on the continent.
Rumors claimed that all the continent’s top-tier assassins hailed from there.
And there was another eerie tale about the Valley:
——The blood-drenched assassins dwelling in the Valley of the Underworld…
Have been waiting eternally for a master worthy of ruling over them——
“From what I’ve heard, the Valley of the Underworld doesn’t even have a leader, right?”
“That’s one variation of the legend. Frankly, even if such a gathering of elite assassins existed, who could possibly control them?”
……Huh. For some reason, I feel like I’m forgetting someone who fits that description…
Tōko briefly felt as though a fishbone were lodged in her throat but quickly dismissed it. After all, the Valley itself was a mythical entity.
No point dwelling on something that might not even exist.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
＊
Later that night, after concluding that they had no answers,
Tōko suddenly brought up another topic.
“Oh, right. On a much smaller note, there’s also some weird movement with people.”
“What? ……That’s not something my intelligence division has picked up on.”
“Well, it’s not a big deal, but…”
Tōko tapped her finger on a map hanging in the duke’s study—ton, ton, ton—marking three locations.
“Travelers to these three countries have been increasing, for some reason.”
“These are…… all small nations with no diplomatic ties to our kingdom.”
“Exactly. It’s not like there’s been a massive movement of goods, so it might just be a coincidence in travel patterns.”
“Then there’s no need to be concerned, is there?”
“Normally, yeah.”
Estimating the number of travelers is surprisingly difficult.
This becomes even more true when dealing with minor nations that lack reliable information or countries with no diplomatic ties.
For instance, if a nation has a unique festival that only occurs once every few decades…
Or if its grand elder has been replaced for the first time in decades…
Even if such events were happening, without any information, there’d be no way to know.
“But y’know… there’s one thing that bothers me.”
“What is it?”
“These three countries—they’re all the ones I recommended to Suzuha-nii for gathering intel.”*
“……What did you say……?”
The Duke’s cheek twitched slightly.
“Let me confirm—did that man actually enter those three nations?”
“I don’t know. Right now, Suzuha-nii’s whereabouts are unknown. I didn’t even ask where he was going. Though I suppose if we inquired with the Margraviate, we’d find out.”
“Well, it’s him we’re talking about. There’s no doubt he’s fine.”
As the Duke shook his head, Tōko let out a small sigh.
“But knowing Suzuha-nii, who knows what he’ll end up doing—”
“Hmph. You’re the one who dragged him into the spotlight. You’d best be prepared to take responsibility.”
“Wha—?! You’re just as guilty, Duke!”
“I intended to keep him within my household. You’re the one who set him loose.”
“Oh come on, Suzuha-nii isn’t some wild beast!”*
“Is that so? I’ve never seen a more dangerous creature than that man.”
“Okay, fair, but still—!”
Well, putting that aside…
For the time being, their secret discussion ended on an optimistic note—that if Suzuha-nii was involved, things probably wouldn’t turn out too badly.
And then, just a few days later…
Letters arrived simultaneously from all three minor nations—formally requesting annexation into the Drosselmeyer Kingdom.
Queen Tōko and Duke Sakuragi could do nothing but scream the name of a certain Margrave.
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