Duke, Please Let Go of My Ankle! - Chapter 5
Hans nodded quietly.
‘It’s just like Arnold.’
Wasn’t he the kind of person who would send a letter at least once a day even to Hans, a child from another family? Even to Claude.
It was easy to guess how much more intense it would be for his own sister.
“When are you thinking of launching?”
“Hmm, in two weeks at the latest? The magic stone processing will be done in a few days, and we just need to focus on the craftsmanship.”
“Got it. So we’ll set it for two weeks from now and prepare the advertising?”
Hans said only what he needed to and disappeared in an instant.
But Audrey didn’t mind. She was lying on the bed, hugging a thick ledger and humming a tune.
“Hum, hum, hum.”
There was something she had been determined to do ever since she started liking Claude.
That one day, when she prepared the golden mansion that would become their sanctuary, she would propose to him in style.
The vague imaginary mansion was gradually becoming a reality.
‘Oppa, I’ll earn a lot of money and make sure you don’t have to lift a finger!’
Audrey smiled happily, imagining the gold bars that would be neatly stacked in the secret vault.
It seemed that the day she would propose to Oppa Claude was not far off.
***
As the sun was setting, a cold wind blew through the Duke’s castle.
All recently hired personnel received a unilateral notice of dismissal.
As expected, there was fierce resistance.
“How can this be legal? Where are we supposed to go?”
“If you had given us a hint even a month in advance, we could have prepared!”
“Your Grace, the Duke, is really going too far…”
Those who lost their jobs in an instant sat down in despair and resentment.
Meanwhile, Lucas scrutinized them with a meaningful look.
‘Surely there must be a few mixed in here.’
No particularly suspicious behavior caught his eye. It was chilling how thorough these spies were, not revealing their identities even in this situation.
“Of course, we’re not just sending you away empty-handed. His Grace has specially prepared letters of recommendation and severance pay, so don’t forget to receive them on your way out.”
“You should have mentioned that earlier.”
“Hey, stop pushing!”
As soon as compensation was mentioned, the complaints quickly subsided.
After all, Duke Frith’s letter of recommendation and a generous severance package were by no means unfavorable conditions.
Lucas’s gaze lingered on the backs of the group leaving in droves as if fleeing.
They had narrowly avoided leaving the Duke’s castle as corpses tomorrow morning.
Seeing their backs as they left alive and well, not knowing anything, gave him an odd feeling.
‘I suppose I should say it’s fortunate?’
Although they had to give up on rooting out the spies, uncovering their backers, and punishing them for threatening Duke Frith’s safety, he couldn’t deny that this was the best solution.
They had nipped the bud of suspicion in the bud.
Now it was time to find and eliminate those who had been allowed to grow within the Duke’s castle without even knowing they were weeds.
The process of suspecting and weeding out old colleagues would be tough. But it was something that had to be done eventually.
However, the lack of people brought its own set of problems.
“We’re in trouble due to the shortage of manpower. Even if we set aside the servants, the core departments have suffered quite a loss. We need to finalize the budget within a month.”
“But we can’t just bring in anyone when the situation is urgent.”
“That’s true, but…”
As Derek smiled coldly, red warning lights flashed in the aide’s mind.
“I didn’t realize the Duke’s castle was in such a mess that it needed to borrow even a mouse’s hands.”
“…!”
“Is it because it’s full of nothing but incompetent parasites?”
“Th-that’s not it.”
“If it can’t be done, make it happen. You shouldn’t be allowed past the castle gates if you can’t even manage something like this.”
“For now, I’ll ask for understanding from the department heads and maintain the status quo.”
“Now you’re talking sense.”
“…”
It was as expected.
The aide secretly sighed.
He could already hear someone breaking down.
The Duke’s castle was already known for its intense workload within the Empire.
Asking the existing staff to fill in the gaps left by the reduced personnel was tantamount to telling them to come to work at dawn and leave at moonrise.
They might somehow get through the initial crisis since they were all workaholics, but when one of them breaks down…
‘Then who will fill that position?’
Lucas’s face turned pale.
After all, all the notable personnel in the Empire were already at the Duke’s castle.
Although it might seem like they were dragged in under Duke Frith’s threats, surprisingly, many had walked in of their own accord.
However, pleasing Derek, who had made a name for himself as a Sword Master at just fifteen, was far from easy.
Even the greatest geniuses were treated as useless parasites before him.
What was truly incomprehensible… was those who continued to come to work despite such humiliation.
Lucas called them ‘perverts’.
Those who wouldn’t desert no matter how much they were berated and broken, due to their pure admiration for Duke Frith.
‘Where else can we find such perverts?’
In a sense, they were indeed hard-to-find, high-quality personnel.
Lucas couldn’t just stand by and watch these precious perverts die off.
“Your Grace. Even if we can’t bring in new people, how about sending cooperation notices to the vassals?”
“Cooperation notices?”
“Yes. At least with vassals, we can use them with peace of mind, can’t we? We’ll send official documents to each family asking for help temporarily. Just until we can perfectly identify the spies.”
“…Not a bad idea.”
Success! The aide inwardly rejoiced. A faint glimmer of hope began to flicker across his face. Lucas quickly appeared with pen and paper, lest his master change his mind. The Duke sat in his office chair, watching intently.
“Since we’re on the subject, I’ll write it right away! What criteria should we set in the official document? I mean, preferred qualifications or requirements. Or any content that should be included?”
“Well…” Derek stroked his chin, pondering for a while.
“Since it’s temporary, there should be appropriate compensation. Pay them the maximum salary.”
“Yes. And?”
“Conditions… I suppose they should be healthy enough not to disrupt work. If they keep taking sick leave, it will interfere with operations.”
“Yes. Anything else?”
“If an epidemic breaks out in the castle, it would be uncontrollable. So, let’s exclude those who receive regular treatments or have chronic illnesses.”
“Yes.”
After that, Derek’s conditions were quite specific and varied. Most were aimed at eliminating risk factors. Alcohol and tobacco should be avoided as they decrease work efficiency, and those who don’t use potentially fatal drugs should be preferred. He also didn’t forget to specify that due to long working hours, time with family might be limited.
Lucas, who had been diligently writing with his head down for a long time, looked up with satisfaction. Though it was a simple official document, he had used his special skill to add elaborate patterns here and there. It was to show off the dignity of the Duke’s castle to the fullest.
“It’s finis-“
However, for some reason, his eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck when he looked at the completed document. He had only written down what his master had dictated, but the finished announcement somehow…
《Duke’s Castle Temporary Staff Cooperation Document》 ※High♦Income♣ Guaranteed※
- ☞Physically☜ healthy adults
- Those with no ♥medical treatment records♥ in the past 2 years
- Those who do not use ※alcoholtobacco※
- Those without chronic ♦illnesses
- Those not on long-term ♤medication♡★
- Those who have been out of ☎contact with family☜ for a long time, or have infrequent ☎contact
…It exuded a distinctly suspicious aura. Derek, oblivious to this, looked suspiciously at the visibly flustered aide.
“What’s the matter?”
“W-well, it’s, finished, but…”
“But what?”
“Somehow, it- Ah!”
The Duke, who had approached without notice, snatched the completed document and began to read. He must have finished reading, but his prolonged silence made Lucas tremble with anxiety.
‘I’m a dead man now…’ Somehow, he felt like prey awaiting its death day in front of a predator. Wasn’t his lord even more terrifying when he kept his mouth shut, with his eyes alone overflowing with killing intent?
Derek silently put down the document. At the same time, Lucas wistfully watched his life flash before his eyes.
“This document.”
“……”
“I like it. Send it out as is.”
“…!”
However, what Duke Frith uttered was an unexpected word of approval. Lucas almost asked if he was serious, but he kept his mouth shut as he watched his lord turn away with a rarely satisfied expression.
‘Let’s not rock the boat.’ It was questionable how many people would apply after seeing such a document, but that was a worry for later.
***
Count Kevelson found himself indebted to his friend’s son once again today.
For some inexplicable reason, an unknown defect was discovered in the carriage that was supposed to be repaired in two days.
“It’s really strange. Physically, it’s impossible to create such a perfect cross-section.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, it doesn’t seem to be a naturally occurring defect. It’s truly a job for a magician.”
The mechanic said it would take about another week for the parts to arrive.
Just when things were looking dire, Claude appeared like a savior.
He readily offered to extend his kindness.
“…Ahem, I’ll be imposing on you again today.”
“By all means.”
The carriage owner was smiling contentedly today. He seemed quite pleased with the unusually bustling carriage.
The interior of the carriage, made of high-quality ebony, was arranged in a somewhat unfamiliar combination.
Count Kevelson, who had been borrowing the carriage for days now, his daughter Audrey, the carriage owner Claude, and Claude’s brother Hans.
Among them, only Audrey and Claude were grinning from ear to ear.
Count Kevelson secretly sighed with a worried expression.
‘I should have tried to stop it one more time.’
Tuesday night.
A suspicious official document arrived from the Duke’s castle. Nominally, it was a ‘cooperation document’.
But it’s strange, isn’t it?
If he sent his child, why did he feel like he might never see them alive again?
Translator
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