Chapter 26

"Hehe, it seems they’re in quite a predicament."

I looked at the documents Maimi handed me and said with a light laugh. The documents detailed the financial situation of Baron Dianu, the head of the Oline family.

It had been about a week since the tea party that Miss Dalia arranged, and I had asked for an investigation into the financial state of the Dianu family.

As expected, they seem to have taken quite a hit. However, if the Duke of Arkla had really gone all out to crush them, the impact would have been much greater.

It seems they didn’t use their full strength. Miss Eira doesn’t seem to be learning about business management either, so perhaps the head of the Duke of Arkla’s household thought it was just a minor squabble between girls and decided to keep it at this level.

Still, their financial situation has declined significantly. I wonder what kind of face Oline is making right now.

It’s a shame I can’t see her face. Just imagining it is quite amusing, though.

"Thank you, Maimi. You’ve been a great help."

"No problem, but... isn’t Miss Oline the Baron’s daughter who is the mistress of Crown Prince Lewis and always disrespectful to Lady Asaria?"

"Yes, that’s right."

It seems Maimi knows quite a bit about Oline. Well, she is quite famous in society, so it’s only natural that my maid would know about her. Maimi puffed out her cheeks as if she were angry.

"It’s really unbelievable that the daughter of a baron would be so disrespectful to Lady Asaria, the daughter of the Duke of Spencer."

"Yes, that’s why I’m gently teaching her to know her place."

"Really, Lady Asaria is so kind. Despite all the disrespect, she’s letting it go with just this."

Hmm, I said it sarcastically, but it seems Maimi genuinely thinks my approach is kind.

"Well... if you were in my place, Maimi, what punishment would you give to Oline, who continues to be disrespectful to me, the daughter of a duke?"

"Hmm, I think we should start by pulling out her fingernails, right?"

...That’s quite a harsh punishment.

Honestly, for someone who continues to be disrespectful to me, the daughter of one of the Four Great Dukes, Spencer, and who has only apologized slightly, that level of punishment would be justified.

"I see, maybe next time we can go that far..."

"Yes, we should teach her a lesson so she never disobeys again."

"Never again..."

Inflicting physical pain is easy. As Maimi said, we could pull out her fingernails or crush her fingers, but if we do that, she might never defy us again.

That’s not what I want. If we’re going to inflict physical punishment, it should be at the very end—when the blade is about to fall on her neck.

Oline seems to have some kind of rivalry with me and keeps provoking me. I just deal with it and crush everything she does. As a result, her reputation will decline, and she will lose her place in society, suffering as a result.

I look forward to that, which is why I avoid physical punishment.

"Thank you for your concern, Maimi. But don’t worry, I’m Asaria Jill Spencer. I won’t go all out against a baron’s daughter or a saint."

"Lady Asaria...! Yes, that’s right! You’re amazing, Lady Asaria!"

Maimi said this with sparkling eyes. It’s nice to hear, but... before I came back, I was killed by that saint.

But I won’t make that mistake again.

I’ll crush Oline easily.

---

Putting Oline aside, today looks like it’s going to be a tough day. I might not even have time to think about her.

Because today is the day I experience my first real battle.

Right now, I’m at the southern fortress.

Brother Ivan gave me some time to prepare mentally in the fortress’s strategy room, and I used that time to read the documents Maimi gave me.

Outside the strategy room, I could hear the sounds of monsters, and when a loud roar echoed, Maimi flinched.

"L-Lady Asaria, is it really safe here? What if a monster suddenly attacks?"

It’s natural for Maimi, who has never seen a monster, to be afraid. Before I came back, when I first came to the fortress and was preparing mentally, I was also scared by the sounds outside.

But I’ve already been through this, so my mental preparation is already complete.

"The Spencer family has guarded this fortress for decades. It’s the safest place in the world."

"Y-Yes! It’s definitely safe!"

Maimi forced a smile and said this to reassure herself. That’s a typical reaction.

On the contrary... it’s strange that Lauro, who stands behind me without moving, is completely unchanged.

"Lauro, are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you nervous about fighting monsters for the first time?"

"There’s no change."

"...I see."

Yeah, Lauro is not a normal human, both physically and mentally. I knew that, of course.

As we were talking to pass the time, Brother Ivan entered the strategy room.

"Asaria, Lauro, are you ready?"

"Yes, Brother. I’m ready."

"I have no issues."

"...Good, let’s go."

Brother Ivan glanced at us and walked out of the room, gesturing for us to follow. Lauro and I followed, and Maimi hesitantly followed behind us.

"Maimi, you should stay in the room. It’s pointless for you to come, and you’ll just be in the way."

"Y-Yes! I understand!"

She smiled with relief and bowed before returning to the strategy room. ...I can tell she cares about me, but it’s amusing how honest she is with her feelings.

Well, that’s what makes her cute.

"Asaria, you seem very calm. You know we’re about to fight monsters, right?"

As I watched Maimi leave with a smile, Brother Ivan said this to me.

"Yes, of course. I’m not letting my guard down at all."

I wiped the smile from my face and looked straight into Brother Ivan’s eyes. He returned my gaze with a sharp look but quickly looked away and then at Lauro.

"Lauro, how about you? It’s your first time fighting monsters. Are you nervous?"

"My job remains the same. I won’t let Lady Asaria get hurt. That’s all."

"...I see."

Brother Ivan looked away and started walking towards the outside of the fortress.

"You both have the skills. The only thing left is to gain more combat experience. Don’t slack off."

"Yes, Brother."

"Understood."

We continued walking and stepped outside the fortress.