Chapter 63

"Given that, Elise is also good at making tea, and the miso stew for dinner was delicious. She also prepared breakfast efficiently."

"Indeed, she is my niece. It's reassuring that she can become the wife of Baron Baumwieser."

"Well, I almost died before that."

"That is..."

We, as debut adventurers, were ordered to explore an underground ruin that had continuously produced missing adventurers. The content of our mission could be summed up in one word: fierce and deadly battles.

We fought a dragon golem equipped with mithril and orichalcum composite armor. Then, we were forcibly moved to the 'reverse hanging death' underground ruin by a teleportation magic array, where we engaged in fierce battles with a large number of golems.

And the final challenge was a battle with a second dragon golem, which had improved performance over the first, while we were mindful of our remaining magic power.

Honestly, it's amazing that we survived.

After about a week of fighting, during which we were doped with magic and potions, we were mentally and physically exhausted. I couldn't hide my negative feelings towards the kingdom and the adventurer guild that had given us such a request.

Still, we managed to complete the request and were heading to the castle the next day to pay our respects. The original underground ruin exploration was a request from the kingdom government, and since the discovered items were significant, we were told to go to the castle to discuss the rewards with the headquarters of the adventurer guild.

I headed to the audience chamber while talking with Master Armstrong, who greeted me first. Although he asked about the exploration and battles, it seemed he had already received the report and didn't have any specific questions.

Rather, he asked a lot about Elise's daily life.

Probably, he was asking unnecessary questions to prevent me from getting angry in the palace. Additionally, Master Armstrong himself seemed to be very concerned about his niece who could use magic.

"Well, let's end this conversation here."

"Indeed..."

In the palace, there are often people secretly listening, and the rumors collected in this way often reach the ears of their owners. Therefore, it was something to consider not to talk too much.

Of course, those owners were nobles.

Among those nobles, there were certainly those who rejoiced at the conflict between me and the kingdom over this matter, or who were thinking of using it for something. A prime example would be the younger brother of the Minister of Finance, Rukuna.

Given these circumstances, Master Armstrong, as my magic teacher, seemed to be trying hard to play the role of a mediator.

"(The Auditor-General, Rukuna?)"

"(You knew, didn't you...)"

I couldn't have not known. After all, the person currently managing the servants at the Baumwieser Baron's residence in the capital is his real son.

---

"Oh! Master!"

When we returned to the residence after handing over the management of the discovered items to the security team from the capital, the door of the residence opened with such force that it seemed it might break, and someone attached themselves to me.

"Ah!"

"I couldn't react!"

Normally, El and Ina, who were also responsible for my security, were surprised by the speed, but it was understandable. He was none other than Roderich, the head of the Baumwieser household, a master of spear techniques and many other skills.

"This Roderich! I was so worried!"

"I understand! My bones are breaking!"

I realized that Roderich, who can't use magic, is a versatile person like Master Armstrong. He's not as muscular as the master, but he's probably what you'd call a lean and fit guy in my previous life. He's stronger than he looks, and he's just started his job, so he seems to be overenthusiastic.

The other servants said that he has "occasionally overwhelming parts," and while his work is excellent and serious, he's always high-spirited, which can be tiring after a while.

Perhaps, that's one of the reasons he couldn't get a job.

"This Roderich! If anything happened to Master!"

"I understand! My bones are breaking!"

Roderich, who finally returned after a week, hugged me with such force that I could feel my back bones creaking.

"After 270 interviews, I finally got this job!"

"I understand!"

To be clear, neither I nor Roderich have any homosexual tendencies. Roderich is just overreacting because he's emotionally moved by the return of his master.

Moreover, I just found out that Roderich had been to more job interviews than a laid-off salaryman in my previous life.

If I were in my previous life, I might have become a NEET, feeling the world was hopeless.

However, in this world, it's not particularly unusual.

Without war, and except for those who excel in martial arts tournaments, serving a noble requires connections such as kinship or blood ties. No matter how excellent you are, a newcomer with an unknown background can hardly get a job.

Especially in Roderich's case, being an illegitimate child of a noble and not recognized, he is avoided by nobles who would rather hire a known ronin.

Despite his excellent performance in martial arts tournaments, Roderich couldn't get a job for these reasons.

"Master is my hope!"

"Hey, Roderich. Your hope might break."

"Oh..."

Thanks to El's calm words, Roderich finally came to his senses and we moved to the living room, where a maid promptly served us mate tea.

The maid, a chestnut-haired girl slightly older than Elise, is said to be the daughter of the head maid of the Hoehnheim family. It's easy to understand why connections are necessary for getting a job.

Her name is Dominique, and she and Elise used to play together when they were young. In other words, she is Elise's childhood friend.

Dominique, though young, is an excellent maid. She is not favored just because of her connections.

Moreover, even if you can get a job through connections, if you disappoint the person who introduced you, they will lose face.

Getting a job through connections is not necessarily easy.

"Elise's mate tea is better. But more than that, Roderich..."

"My back bones..."

Despite not being injured in the underground ruin, the irrationality of being injured right in front of the residence is aside. Drinking the mate tea served by Dominique, we finally felt a bit more at ease.

"This Roderich, I was very worried."

"Exploring ruins usually takes about a week."

As adventurers, it's normal to be away for about a week. The content of the mission, though, was far from normal.

"That's true, but..."

Actually, Roderich also registered as an adventurer and worked during his wandering days. He hasn't submitted a retirement application, so he is still officially active.

"This Roderich has never explored an underground ruin."

Because he was working part-time while job hunting, he couldn't form a party, and his specialty, spear techniques, were more suitable for battles in nearby forests or the Palkenia plains, which were opened a few years ago.

However, his record was impressive for a solo adventurer. I was surprised when I saw his card and learned about his battle achievements.

"Also, there were people spreading rumors that Master might be dead..."

This residence is located in an upper-class noble district where barons and above live. To maintain the residence, when Roderich and the servants go out on errands, various rumors come in. From various shops that serve the upper-class nobles, to carpenters and gardeners introduced or dispatched by the craftsmen guild.

There, various servants employed by different noble families appear, and they talk about the rumors they've heard from the noble families they work for, to the extent that it doesn't violate confidentiality.

Occasionally, someone gets fired for violating confidentiality, but for the most part, they use these rumors to objectively judge the situation of the noble family they work for, to avoid being harmed by a problematic noble.

Problematic noble families quickly become the subject of rumors. Even though the servants are working for their employers, they are also trying to protect themselves.

In such a situation, Roderich, who went to the craftsmen guild to look for a gardener, heard the rumor that we might be dead.

Also, you might think, "Why don't they hire dedicated carpenters and gardeners even though they are nobles?" But no matter how large the residence, it's inefficient to hire dedicated staff. Only the royal family, very high-ranking nobles, or those who have gardening as a hobby would do so. Otherwise, it's common to get skilled people recommended by the craftsmen guild.

Skilled people's schedules fill up quickly, so they are less likely to become dedicated staff, and it's costly to hire them. Hiring unskilled people as dedicated staff is meaningless, so it's better for the servants to handle the simple maintenance and leave the specialized work to professionals.

This is more efficient.

"Who spread such a rumor?"

"At first, it was unknown... but..."

Roderich, who was curious, investigated the source of the rumor. He found out that the rumor originated from a certain baron's household.

"It was that man."

The younger brother of the Minister of Finance, Rukuna, and Roderich's biological father, the Auditor-General Rukuna. The rumor was spread by the servants of his residence, who lied and said they heard it from someone else.

Roderich's expression was grim. To him, Rukuna's younger brother is not his father. He abandoned his child-bearing mother and refused to acknowledge his child, so it's understandable.

"Don't kill people recklessly."

It's a terrible story, but it's difficult to hold him accountable for it. The rumor is just a rumor, and it didn't say "I'm dead," but rather "I might be dead." As nobles, they often take such rumors with a grain of salt, and the credibility is similar to what you might call a tabloid in my previous life.

Occasionally, a rumor can turn out to be true.

"There might be a wish for me to die."

"Did I do something to make Rukuna's younger brother hate me?"

"No. Master is on good terms with the Minister of Finance, whom he doesn't get along with, and that's why he doesn't like you."

The brother and the younger brother who don't get along. It doesn't feel like it's about someone else, but it's probably just my imagination.

"Is that the reason?"

I feel the unfairness and also think, "I don't need to be on good terms with that money-obsessed old man!" In my previous life, such a relationship would be called a "rotten connection."

Or perhaps, "Money is the root of all evil."

"But now that Vendelin has returned safely..."

"Yes, Madam. Such a meaningless rumor doesn't exist."

Elise's statement is answered briefly but politely by Roderich. He hasn't officially married her yet, but he treats Elise as his wife and calls her "Madam."

"Besides, I have already taken revenge."

To counter a malicious rumor, he spread a malicious rumor in return. Nobles are such creatures, and Roderich followed the noble's code and spread a counter-rumor.

Also, for some reason, Roderich refers to himself as "this humble servant." It's a word that exists in this world, but it's only seen in old drama books and is rarely heard in everyday life.

"Oh, you retaliated."

"Yes, Louise."

"What kind of rumor did you spread?"

"Well, Ina..."

From Rukuna's younger brother, who spread the rumor that "the Baumwieser barons went to explore the underground ruin and didn't return, so