A Letter from the Ducal Household

I was tired when I got home, so I went straight to bed without reading the letter.

The next afternoon, I decided to open the letter, though I was a little afraid of what it might say.

The letter began with the sort of seasonal greeting customary in Japan, followed by several highly ornate phrases.

The contents could be broadly divided into two parts. One was an invitation to accompany them when they went to the ducal territory toward the end of autumn. The other was a request for me to visit the ducal household soon.

Why would I go to the ducal territory with them? For that matter, where was the ducal territory? I hadn't even seen a map of this country, let alone one of the world, so I had no idea where anything was in relation to anything else.

But an invitation from the ducal household was practically an order, wasn't it? There was no way I could refuse. They'd done so much for me, after all. Besides, I'd wanted to see somewhere outside the royal capital!

In this world, I'd only been to three places: the central district of the royal capital, its western outskirts, and the agricultural district. This was going to be fun!

As for the request to visit the ducal household soon, what could that be about? Was it related to going to the ducal territory? Well, I supposed I'd find out when I went.

In any case, sooner was probably better, so maybe I should go tomorrow.

I went to the kitchen and asked Mom about it.

"Mom, is it okay if I go to the ducal household tomorrow? The letter said they'd like me to come as soon as possible."

"Of course. We'll be fine here, so go ahead. Just be sure to behave properly."

"Okay!"

As Mom and I talked, Dad seemed to be hesitating over something.

"Dad, what's wrong? Is something worrying you?"

When I asked, Dad slowly shook his head as he answered.

"No, it's not that. It's just... Leon, you'll probably be away from home more often from now on, and once you go to school, you'll be leaving home, too, right? So I was thinking that maybe we should hire an employee."

"That's true. It would be hard for Marie to handle everything by herself, so it might be a good idea to hire at least one person."

"Sorry about this..."

If I'd been an ordinary child, I would have helped my parents with their work and eventually taken over the business, so they probably wouldn't have had to worry about this...

I started feeling a little depressed, and Mom and Dad hurriedly began trying to reassure me.

"That's not it, Leon! It's not your fault or anything like that. Your mother and I used to run the shop by ourselves, but we've had more customers lately, so hiring an employee is only natural."

"That's right. Thank you for all your help until now."

Hearing that made me feel better... But I'd work hard until the new employee became fully capable!

Come to think of it, how did you even recruit an employee? A lot of people probably couldn't read, so putting up a written notice wouldn't help...

"I'll keep working hard until the new employee is fully trained! So how do you recruit someone?"

"We post the job opening at the church. When we go there and tell them the working conditions and pay, they turn it into a notice and put it on the church bulletin board. People looking for work go there to search for jobs. If someone can't read, a church worker will read the notice aloud to them, so it's very convenient."

So there was a system like that? I mean, the church was ridiculously versatile. It was like a city hall with an orphanage and hospital attached.

"That's convenient. I hope someone good comes along!"

"Yes, it would be a great help if a hardworking person came to work for us."

"I'll go post the job opening soon. Leon, don't worry about our work. You can do whatever you want to do."

"Okay! Thanks, Dad and Mom."

They're such wonderful parents... I'll absolutely repay them for everything they've done for me!!

And then the next morning.

I took a shared carriage to the Townsend ducal household. I wore the clothes they'd given me the other day. If I was going to the ducal territory, maybe I should buy a few more outfits.

After riding in the carriage for a while, I reached the plaza leading into the central district. From here, I'd have to walk. I'd memorized the way from my last visit, but it was quite far, so I needed to put some effort into walking there.

It would be nice if there were some other way to travel besides walking. Maybe teleportation magic or flight magic. This world didn't have any convenient magic like that, though.

And then there was the staple of fantasy worlds: an item box! I wanted one of those, too. It would be incredibly convenient.

While thinking about that, I finally reached the gate of the Townsend ducal household.

"Excuse me. I received a letter from Richard-sama, and this is that letter."

"Please wait a moment while I verify it."

After saying that, the guard took the letter and went into what looked like a guardhouse. He returned after I'd waited for a little while.

"We've confirmed the letter, so please come in. We're calling someone to meet you now, so please wait a little longer."

"Yes, thank you."

The guard ushered me inside the grounds, and after I waited for a short while, Anne-san came to meet me. Standing beside her was a man who looked to be in his late teens. He was wearing the household servants' uniform, so maybe he was new.

"Leon-sama, thank you very much for coming all this way. This is Roger, one of our servants. Whenever you are staying at this residence, Roger will attend to your personal needs."

"I'm Roger. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Yes. Likewise, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Roger greeted me without a hint of expression or even the slightest smile. What was with him? Did he dislike the idea of looking after a commoner like me?

As I stared at Roger with an uncertain expression, Anne-san gave a small, wry smile and explained.

"Roger is extremely capable when it comes to his work, but he is so serious that he lacks warmth, and I apologize for that. He treats everyone this way, so it isn't that he dislikes working under you, Leon-sama."

"I see..."

If I had to choose, I would have preferred someone friendly whom I could become friends with! Even after hearing that explanation, Roger's expression hadn't changed at all. He seemed difficult to deal with... This did not bode well.

"Then, if you'll excuse me. Roger, please take good care of Leon-sama."

"Understood. Leon-sama, I will show you to your room."

Anne-san left me in Roger's care and went somewhere else. Being alone with Roger is too difficult, Anne-san! Please come back~!

Roger had said he would show me the way, but after that he walked along silently and mechanically. Are you completely uninterested in becoming friends with me!?

After spending that awkward stretch of time together, Roger led me to the same guest room I'd used before.

"Leon-sama, I believe Richard-sama will wish to speak with you after dinner tonight. Until then, please feel free to do as you like. However, you must bathe and change your clothes before dinner, so please keep that in mind."

"I understand. What should I do about lunch?"

"Lunch will be brought to this room. Also, I am a servant of this household and you are a guest, so you do not need to use polite speech with me. When addressing me, please call me Roger, without an honorific."

"But you're older than me, and I'm a commoner..."

"No, that is irrelevant. Please use neither polite speech nor an honorific when speaking to me."

Ugh... He was looking at me in a way that brooked no refusal. And this was the same person who had been expressionless until now.

I wasn't used to addressing people older than me by their names alone. But it might be necessary from now on, so perhaps I should get used to it here.

"All right. Then I'll call you Roger."

"Yes. I look forward to serving you."

"Likewise. Anyway, I'd like to go to the bank. Is that all right?"

"Understood. Then I will arrange a carriage for you after lunch."

"Thank you."

Roger served me lunch, and after eating in a still-slightly-awkward atmosphere, I rested for a while before getting into the carriage to go to the bank. Apparently, Roger would be coming with me.

At the bank, I withdrew ten silver coins so I would have money to spend on various things, since my wallet was running low. That left twenty-four platinum coins and three gold coins in my account, worth around 24.3 million yen.

I now had ten silver coins and eight copper coins in my wallet, worth 108,000 yen.

That should last me for a while. I had quite a lot of money, but I had no idea what I might need to spend it on in the future, so I wanted to save as much as possible.

After going to the bank, I had no particular reason to stay out, so I returned to the mansion. I needed to prepare for dinner.