Chapter :1.5

What I couldn’t understand…… was how they kept going to work after being so insulted. Lucas called them ‘perverts’. The ones who, no matter how bent and broken, wouldn’t break free out of pure admiration for Duke Fritz.

“Where else do you get perverts like that?

In a sense, he was right, they were hard to find. Lucas could not stand by and watch his precious perverts die.

“Your Excellency, if we can’t get any new ones, why don’t we send out a letter of cooperation to the vassals?”

“Cooperation?”

“Yes. Wouldn’t that at least give the vassals peace of mind? We’ll send out a letter to each family and ask for their help for the time being, just until we’ve perfected the distinction between Ganja.”

“……Not a bad idea.”

That’s it!

The aide cheered inwardly. A tiny glimmer of hope flickered across his face.

Lucas quickly appeared with pen and paper in case his master changed his mind. The Duke sat back in his chair in his office and watched him intently.

“Now that I think of it, I’ll write it right away! What do you think the criteria should be for the letter? Like, preferences or requirements? Something we should write down together.”

“Well.”

Derek stroked his chin and thought for a moment.

“I guess it’s a temporary position, so it should be compensated accordingly. Pay them the full salary.”

“Yes. And?”

“As a condition…… I want you to be healthy enough to work. If you keep missing work because you’re sick, it’ll be a disruption.”

“Yeah. What else?”

“If there’s an epidemic in the castle, we’ll have a hard time controlling it, so I’d like to exclude people who regularly seek medical attention or have pre-existing conditions.”

“Yes.”

The rest of Derek’s requirements were quite specific and varied. Most of them were to keep him away from risk factors.

Alcohol and tobacco impair performance and must be avoided, and the candidate must be free of potentially lethal drugs. They also made it clear that they would be working long hours, which could mean less time with their families.

Lucas, who had been diligently scribbling away for a while, looked up with pride. It was a simple letter, but he had skillfully drawn colorful patterns along the way. It was meant to show off the majesty of the duchy.

“It’s done-”

But somehow, his eyes shook like an earthquake as he looked at the finished letter.

He had dictated it as ordered by his master, but why did the finished notice look like…….

“Notice of cooperation for temporary work at Gongxing

※High Earnings♣ Guaranteed

1. ☞Body☜ Healthy adult

2. no ♥treatment record♥ with a doctor in the last two years

3. Those who do not consume alcohol or tobacco

4. no ♦illness

5. those who are not taking any long-term ♤medicine♡water.

6. ☞People who have not been in contact with their family for a long time or have not been in contact with their family for a long time

……with a winning attitude.

Derek, who knew nothing, looked suspiciously at the flustered aide.

“What’s wrong, ?”

“Done?”

“Where, ah!”

The Duke, who had come up behind him, snatched the finished document from him and began to read. Lucas was unnerved by the fact that he hadn’t spoken for so long, even though he must have finished reading it.

“I am about to be killed…….

Lucas felt like prey waiting to be killed in front of a predator. His lord, whose eyes alone were full of life, was even more frightening when he kept his mouth shut.

Derek put the letter down wordlessly. At the same time, Lucas stared wistfully at his life as it flashed before him.

“This letter.”

“…….”

“I like it. I’ll send it as it is.”

“……!”

But what Duke Fritz said was the most unexpected word of approval I’d ever heard. Lucas almost asked him if he was serious, but he clamped his mouth shut as he watched his lord turn away with a rare look of satisfaction.

“Good is good.

He wondered how many people would apply with a letter like that, but that was something to worry about later.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

Count Kevelson was indebted to his friend’s son again today. For some reason, the carriage that was supposed to be repaired in two days was found to have an unexplained defect.

“It’s so strange. It’s physically impossible to make such a perfect cut.

“What do you mean?

“It doesn’t seem to be a naturally occurring flaw. It’s the work of a wizard.

The mechanic said it would take another week or so for the part to arrive.

It was at this point that Claude came to the rescue. He offered to do a good deed.

“As ……, you’ll have to excuse me today.”

“You’re welcome.”

The carriage owner was smiling broadly. He seemed to be pleased with the unusually rumbling carriage.

Made of fine ebony wood, the carriage’s interior was an unfamiliar combination of materials. Count Kevelson, his daughter Audrey, Claude, the carriage’s owner, and his brother Hans, who had been riding in the carriage for several days now. Of these, only Audrey and Claude are smiling.

Count Kevelson sighed softly, his face full of concern.

‘Let’s just give it one more try.

Tuesday night. A suspicious letter arrived from the duchy. Nominally, it was a letter of cooperation.

It’s strange, isn’t it, how sending your children away makes you feel like you’ll never see them again?

The Count secretly hoped that Audrey would beg to differ, but no.

‘I’m going!

‘…….’

She took the bait in one fell swoop.

He tried to change her mind, but the big girl wasn’t having it, and the more he tried, the more she started to burn. He remembered the image of a young man sobbing desperately, wondering where he had been broken.

“You said he graduated at the top of his class at the Academy.

But even such a brilliant young man was nothing more than an insect that couldn’t eat in the Duke’s castle. He was scolded and screamed at. The Count secretly patted the young man on the back.

“And to send his finely-raised daughter to such a living hell? A precious daughter who has never had a drop of water on her hands?

Audrey’s experience of society had been limited to a small shop run by a small boy, and she was sure she would be greeted with harsh words if she didn’t adjust to the atmosphere of the duchy. When Audrey’s image was superimposed over the sobbing young man’s, the count went white.

‘My daughter’s tears……!

Oh, God. He must have gone mad for a moment. They say you grow up, but there are some things in life you don’t need to know about.

Count Kevelson looked restlessly back at the coachman’s seat. Just as he was resolving to turn the carriage around, Claude, who was looking out the window, marveled.

“Wow, somehow we seem to have arrived earlier than usual today.”

“……No, already?”

I turned my despondent gaze to the window. The familiar view told me it was probably too late to turn back.

“What the hell did that horse eat last night?

I cursed the horses for being unusually nimble for carrying four people.

Claude, on the other hand, was smiling with pride at the cooler ride of the day.

The special treats he had given the horses last night had paid off.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

Count Kevelson had to leave first, following the man who had greeted him as soon as he stepped out of the carriage.

That left three men. Hans, who had been left behind in an instant, glared disgruntledly at the backs of the two lovers. The way they giggled over nothing, twisted his judgment.

“So, are you going to work or play?”

“What?”