Chapter 3: The Paper Plan

The efficiency of our research at the temple increased even further when Lady Reina joined us. As I had anticipated, strength lay in numbers. As a result, we were able to write up an initial plan for conducting experiments on potential fertilizers.

The first on the list was fertilizer made from powdered bones. Chef Yacoo introduced us to a livestock farmer—or rather a butcher—willing to give us their bone waste. If you boiled, dried, and subsequently pulverized those bones, you ended up with powdered bone fertilizer. All things considered, this was probably the easiest method to produce it.

Next, there was fertilizer made from chicken feces. According to my research, they had the most balanced composition among all the excreta commonly used as manure. However, the book I had consulted also warned that they had a much stronger smell than the feces of cows or pigs. Those latter two, as well as horse manure, were considered to be much easier to handle. Of course, they did not smell nice either, but they stank less than chicken feces. At the same time, they also clearly contained less nutrients.

Finally, we had also drawn up a proposal for human waste, but decided to put that on hold for now due to concerns regarding public health. There was a risk of creating parasites and spreading infectious diseases such as cholera or typhoid fever if we failed to properly compost the excreta. In fact, I read documents at the temple detailing the large-scale outbreak of an infectious disease as the result of using human waste as fertilizer after the advanced technology of the ancient civilization had been lost. Looking up books on composting, I found postscript annotations describing the downfall of entire cities due to this. Even in the remote farm village where I was born and raised, fertilizer made from human waste was considered a taboo, so I imagined it must have posed a considerable threat back in the day.

However, the notion that “using human excreta to create fertilizer is dangerous” had mistakenly turned into “using all animal excreta for fertilizer is dangerous.” That conception was wrong. As long as you processed it adequately, animal excreta, including human waste, was perfectly safe to use as fertilizer. I wanted to give it a go. In fact, the books at the temple did not say that “the use of animal excreta to produce fertilizer led to the downfall of cities,” but that “the inadequate use of human excreta as fertilizer led to disease, bringing about the downfall of cities.” Even back then someone had known the correct cause.

I needed to write this up as a report before submitting it together with our fertilizer experiment plan to the appropriate person.

“It looks like I will have to read up on parasites and infectious diseases.” The dignitaries of this world would not have been very convinced if I simply cited my past-life memories as references, after all.

I turned my head to look at the temple’s library. I wondered if there were any useful sources there.

“Mother Yae, which shelf has books on medical issues?” I asked.

“What?”

Mother Yae, who was resting her cheek on her hand with a tired look, was caught off guard by my question. My other dear collaborators, Lady Maika, Lady Reina, and Lord Arthur, who had fallen prostrate on the ground or looked up at the ceiling completely exhausted, gave me a weary look. It was as if they wanted to say, “You want to research even more?”

“I want to research diseases related to the use of manure. Currently, animal manure is thought of as dangerous, so I need to prove its safety first if we want our plan to be approved.” I had to investigate this as much as possible. As I expressed my firm resolve, all the others dropped their shoulders. Wait. Don’t get discouraged. Let’s work on this together, yes?

“Please help me. I just want this plan to be as thorough as possible so that it can be approved. Everyone’s efforts will be rewarded in the end.” If we stopped now, all those efforts would have gone to waste. You don’t want that to happen, right?

When I rephrased my intentions, all four of them confirmed each other’s distressed expressions and reluctantly started to get moving. Including Mother Yae, you’re all still young, so don’t hesitate to show a bit more enthusiasm!

In my past life, all serious university students generally needed to write reports like this every three months at least. Considering we were a five-person team, we should have easily finished one per month. I wanted to “shoot the general” with a missile crafted out of our special report as soon as possible.

While I was scanning the books related to medicine, Mother Yae gave me a serious look. “I think I’ll just stop considering you my junior.” It seemed that she had removed me from the usual social categories.

This was followed by Lord Arthur and Lady Reina endorsing her statement.

“I think I’ll join you in that.”

“Yes, I’m sure that would be more appropriate.”

I was fine not being treated like a child, but how did they categorize me now?

Lady Maika zealously nodded along. Was it possible that she had already put me into a special category? It seemed likely. I was reminded of her treating me like a specialty export.

The time had finally come to meet with the dormitory supervisor. My first interaction with Lady Reina’s mother clearly demonstrated her quick wit.

Like most parents in this world, she was still quite young, looking like she was in her late twenties. Her facial features made it clear that she was blood-related to Lady Reina. The restrained expression on her face with those narrow, long eyes gave off the impression of a very capable worker. Some people might have felt intimidated by her look.

“It seems you have been getting along well with my daughter.” Mrs. Rihn spoke in a monotonous and formal voice.

Those words were a thinly veiled threat. She was worried that I had been enticing Lady Reina. And she was right. Of course, I did not say that out loud. I feared that, depending on her character, this could have produced an overreaction.

“Yes. Since she is the roommate of my fellow villager Maika, I have been in frequent contact with her.”

“Lady Yuika’s daughter, right? Are you close with her too?”

“Yes, she is a good friend. We live in a small village and there are not many people of the same age. Besides, we both studied together at the church.”

I responded with a smile, but she did not let her guard down yet. As a maid in the city involved in government affairs, she must have been used to arguing as fiercely as clashing swords with sly old foxes. It seemed like she felt a suspicious aura surrounding this 11-year-old—yours truly.

“So, you are saying that it is merely a coincidence that you are friends with Reina and Maika?”

“I believe that good fortune has given me the privilege to be here.”

There was no doubt that I would not have been able to study in the city if I was not the same age as Lady Maika. If I had been a couple of years off, I could not have joined her. Of course, I realized that Mrs. Rihn wanted to know something else, though.

She picked up with her slender fingers the second batch of crepes on the table and said, “Are you telling me there are no ulterior motives behind giving me this dessert?” She cut straight to the point.

It was probably fine to give a noncommittal answer, but being too vague might have left a bad impression. At the same time, I also did not want to lie. Depending on how broad-minded and tolerant Mrs. Rihn was, it may have been better to just straight up confess my true intentions. I needed to test the waters first.

“I realize that it is not polite to answer with another question, but... What would you consider to be an ulterior motive?”

“Well, what comes to your mind?”

She replied with yet another question. I did not want to carelessly commit to an answer just yet. I felt a bit nervous.

“For example, I could imagine someone coming to an unfamiliar place without any friends might want to get closer to local people who can show them around. I think anyone is prone to having these kinds of ulterior motives.”

As I tilted my head awaiting her response, she nodded with a stiff facial expression. It seemed like she was at least willing to forgive a little human weakness.

Seeing that opening, I decided to go on the offense. “A lot of effort and valuable ingredients went into making this dessert. Unfortunately, I cannot say that I presented you with this gift out of pure generosity, without expecting anything in return. At the very least, I want to establish a cordial relationship.”

“Well, alright. At least I can trust you more than if you had said there were no ulterior motives at all.” She gave me a dispassionate look, as if to ask if there was anything more to it. Her beauty made it all the more powerful, leaving me shivering.

I decided to confess everything, as it seemed that Mrs. Rihn disliked half-hearted explanations. “If I just wanted to connect with Reina, I probably would not have needed to make such a fancy dessert.”

“What is your objective then?”

I showed her the plan that I had drafted.

“I want to implement this.”

“‘Plan for Improving Agriculture’? ‘First Proposal’?” Her expression wavered. It was cute seeing the bewilderment of this distinguished, beautiful woman. The contrast was as explosive as the force created by exerting and releasing power.

“I apologize for approaching your precious daughter by enticing her with gifts. But I want you to understand that I did not mean to deceive her, neither do I bear any ill will towards you. I also do not bear any grudge against the city.” Contrary to my inner feelings, I spoke with a serious look and in a sincere tone. However, what I said reflected my true intentions, so it was not like I was putting on a show. Humans were curious creatures with curious thoughts.

“I am merely focused on advancing this plan,” I continued. “Reina also helped writing it up. Since the pursuit of knowledge is one of the army academy’s main objectives, we would appreciate it if you could give us feedback on the result of our research.”

Mrs. Rihn carefully took the plan into her hands as if it was an unknown object and started reading it. The introduction contained an outline and listed our goals, so it was easy to get a quick overview of our plan.

“You can take your time and read it in detail later. Some of the contents may not go well with the dessert in front of your eyes.”

Even the best crepes would have lost all their flavor if you ate them while reading about things coming out of the posterior.

Mrs. Rihn looked at me in disbelief, as if she had not understood my words of concern.

“I just want you to enjoy the dessert as much as possible,” I clarified.

“I see... I guess I should take up your kind offer...” She put the plan on the table and looked at the ceiling while holding down her eyebrows. “What am I going to do...? How is someone like this a student at the academy?”

How about you eat something sweet for now? If you find the motivation to read it, you’ll find that it explains your role in the plan too.

Lady Maika and Lady Reina had anticipated that Mrs. Rihn was going to be greatly perplexed, so they had advised me to write the plan out in detail. In my past life, it would have been considered an unrefined university essay, but here in this world it was a top-grade paper.

“How did I end up here...?” Mrs. Rihn muttered.

Most likely because you are a rational person.

I would not have stood any chance if she had become emotional and simply told me to quit bribing and back off her daughter. The moment she had chosen to talk things out with me, it was her loss. It was all part of the plan. For someone as serious as Mrs. Rihn, there was no other choice than seriously assessing anything that was presented to her as “the result of research at the academy.” Being too serious had a lot of demerits. At the same time, that was also a reason why I was able to feel goodwill towards her.

At her wit’s end, Mrs. Rihn reached out for a crepe. “Oh my! This is delicious! Extremely delicious!”

Like mother, like daughter. Mrs. Rihn spoke in a mature and graceful manner, but her reactions were similar to her daughter’s. Let’s just all be happy together!

Our daily lives continued as usual while Mrs. Rihn was seriously deliberating our plan. Like every morning, I walked to the dormitory’s garden for my martial arts training. Lord Arthur and Lady Reina had expressed surprise at my daily routine, probably because they now considered me to be a sort of civil servant after working on the plan together. I tended to agree with that view, but did Lord Arthur not benefit from me leaving our room in the morning and evening? After all, they had to change their clothes. And, as the gentleman that I was, I did not want to pry.

While I was warming up, Lady Maika appeared in casual training clothes. “Morning, Ash!”

“Good morning, Maika! Today is another beautiful day.”

“Yes, indeed!” Even though it was still morning, Lady Maika was already in good spirits and had a bright smile on her face.

Unlike me, who practiced mostly as a pretext, she did it completely out of her will to improve her skills. She had been learning the basics of sword fighting from her father, Mr. Klein, but it seemed that she had started to get serious after the bear incident. She had proclaimed that she wanted to fight alongside me if another incident like that were to happen.

While I was moved by her determination, I preferred if I did not ever end up in another dangerous situation like that again. When I encountered the bear, I would have liked to run away if possible, or at the very least I would have liked to shoot it with an arrow from a safe distance.

In any case, Lady Maika had been practicing every morning and evening since that incident. She was top-class at the academy, where we were only learning the basics now. Even when participating in mixed fights, she was among the best, possibly because girls developed faster at our age.

Either way, I did not stand a chance against her. Compared to all the other students, I was probably somewhere in the lower-middle ranks. When Lord Arthur had questioned me, saying, “How did you manage to fight a bear like that?”, all I had been able to answer was, “I never said it was a fair fight.” There was no way I could have beat the bear in a fair fight to the death. I was a fiendish coward ready to use poison at any opportunity. I was an apprentice of the way of chemistry. For the first time in a while, I was thinking about compounding poison while going for a run.

After my run, I faced Lady Maika for a light practice match. I readied my wooden spear and she drew her wooden sword before starting our rhythmic dance. Martial arts in this world were based on mathematical perceptions, and thus were considerably refined. Similar to how certain standards of agriculture had been preserved, it seemed that the same applied to fighting techniques. After all, history had taught us that fighting was just as commonplace in our daily lives as eating.

In the practice match, you were supposed to move rhythmically to a three-count starting with the attacker’s first strike. The defender matched the movement, deflecting the strike and breaking the attacker’s stance before going on the counteroffensive. Then sides were switched, and the three-count started again. Once you got used to it, attack and defense connected flawlessly into a dance.

Since Lady Maika and I had practiced by ourselves for a while, our movements had become completely synchronized, and at least for the base pattern, we were able to keep it up until we both ran out of stamina. The sound of my wooden spear clashing against her wooden sword was music to my ears.

Lady Maika had a smile on her face and was covered in sweat. I must have looked the same. There was a sense of security that she was going to stop any blow. At the same time, there was a sense of unity, as if our minds had become one. It felt strangely exalting as we moved with our wills united but our bodies apart. Or, in other words, it was fun. People who genuinely liked to dance must have been motivated by this same sensation.

However, no matter how much I enjoyed myself, my body had its limits. When I started running out of breath, my movements grew dull. Our gaze met and we both knew it was time to finish for today. Following that realization, Lady Maika sidestepped my spear before thrusting her wooden sword at the nape of my neck. The match was over.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you!”

As village chief Klein had taught us, we exchanged our thanks at the end.

Suddenly, we heard someone clapping. “That was a beautiful training match. Even though it was just the basic pattern, it’s rare to see two people work so well together.”

Praised by Sir George, who was one of the instructors for combat skills, Lady Maika was bursting with joy. “Thank you very much! Hehe, Ash and I have good chemistry.”

“We have known each other for a while, so it is easy to synchronize our movements.”

“Right!” She seemed even happier after I affirmed the statement.

Sir George relaxed his virile expression and showed a little smile. “I can tell you have learned from Sir Klein. It looks like he is still as strong as ever.”

“Do you know my father?” Lady Maika seemed slightly perplexed at the high praise for her father.

“Yes, your father is quite famous around here. When I was a young boy, I admired him.”

“What was he doing back then?”

“Don’t you know? I’d love to tell you, but if I start talking about your father, I’m going to be here for a long time,” Sir George replied with a wry smile. It looked like he had come with some business. It was not usual for a teacher to visit the dormitory before breakfast.

“Sir George, do you have any urgent business?” I asked.

“Yes, I have been tasked with some work by the military, so unfortunately I won’t be able to teach class today. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to do some self-study today. Could you please tell everyone else?”

“Yes, we will let everyone know. No problem.”

“Thank you.”

That was an easy task, but he really seemed extremely busy, just like Lord Itsuki. It appeared that anyone in a managerial position taking their work seriously had a tight schedule. Since Sir George was Lord Itsuki’s chief vassal, I would have loved to get closer to him, but unfortunately there was no opening. This was bad. At this rate, I was never going to shoot the general.

That thought prompted me to make a proposal to my distant uncle who was in a hurry. “Sir George, would it be possible to help with your work today as part of my self-study time?”

“Hm, I’m not sure...”

He had a sour look on his face. He was probably thinking that it would only make his work harder if he was joined by someone inexperienced whom he had to teach. I could not deny that logic. However, judging from his lessons so far, I guessed that he was busy with the maintenance of equipment and logistics. I was convinced that I would be able to file documents or verify equipment after a short briefing. Besides, I had some experience from back in the village. My mathematical knowledge was considered far above average in this world.

“I can help carry any luggage, and I can calculate too. If you feel like I will just be in the way, I do not mind reading a book at the temple, but I would love to help you. And it does not have to be just this one time, I am willing to help you whenever I am available.”

Sir George brightened up after I offered my continued help and emphasized my ability to read and write as well as do math. “Ah, yes, you already know how to read and write. And you can calculate too. Mother Yae praised you as the most talented student she’s ever had.”

“That is flattering me too much. Do you think it is worth trying it out?”

Sir George paused briefly before almost immediately nodding in agreement. It seemed that my earlier appeal had convinced him. “Alright. I haven’t really had much time to talk to you either. Do you want to come along?”

“Thank you, I would love to. I look forward to expanding my knowledge.”

I asked Lady Maika to relay Sir George’s message and promptly walked off. As we parted, Lady Maika warned me, “Don’t overdo yourself!”. But I did not see how I could have possibly gone on a rampage just by managing equipment and filing documents.

Maika’s Perspective

Since today’s lessons had been canceled, we decided to use the time to practice our fighting skills. I can enjoy classroom lectures as long as I’m with Ash, but when it comes to physical activities, I can have fun even without him. Of course, it’s even better when he’s there.

I was swinging my wooden sword while humming a tune. Yes, this feels good. I did not feel any resistance from the wind surrounding my sword as I swiftly cut through the air. Reina stopped the blow with her short wooden sword. Her expression was tense, or rather stiff.

“You can loosen up a bit more. I’m not going to hit you.”

“I know, but...”

This time around she was swinging her wooden spear towards me. I barely felt the blow as I blocked it with my wooden sword.

“You can hit much harder. I won’t get hurt.”

Reina let out a sigh as she dropped her shoulders. “When I’m on the defensive, I get so scared that I freeze, and when I’m attacking, I feel uncomfortable to use too much force.”

“I see.” That makes you an easy target, Reina. A very easy target. “Maybe you should focus on self-defense. And if something happens, you should try and run away rather than fight. Alternatively, you can go through my intense training until you’ve got no weak spots left.”

Arthur, who was watching on the side, reacted to my words. “I’m guessing your intense training would be very tough indeed.”

“Well, it’s based on the special training I received from the person whom my mom always refers to as ‘the best swordsman in the country’. So, you know, it might take a while to get used to it. Or, to put it differently, Ash tried running away when he first started the training.”

After hearing my explanation, Reina shook her head with a pale expression. “I’m planning to become a maid, so I don’t have to be that good at fighting.”

“If it’s hard enough to make Ash want to run away, I’m not sure I want to try it either...” Arthur added.

Ash somehow made it through in the end, though.

“Considering your path forward, Reina, Ash might be a better practice partner. You should try training with him next time,” Arthur suggested.

“Why is that?” Reina looked towards Arthur, who was Ash’s current partner for the basic practice.

“Hm, let’s see. He’s very skilled at defense, so it would be a good model for someone focusing on self-defense.”

He was right. It took a lot of effort to gain even a single strike over Ash. My dad had praised his defense too.

“But at the same time, Ash’s attack is a lot weaker. I wonder why,” Arthur pondered.

“I think he’s holding back so that his opponent doesn’t get hurt,” I said.

My dad had also noticed that Ash’s movements were blunter when it came to attacking. I don’t think Ash realized it himself, but as someone who had been his practice partner for a while now, I realized that he was holding back. The fact that I had not even been hurt once so far was proof of that. I, on the other hand, had given him several bruises already.

“Ash is too gentle to hurt anyone,” I remarked.

It was the same reason why Reina’s attack was so soft. Apparently, there was a surprising amount of people who did not like showing animosity towards others.

“Will he be alright if he’s ever in a real fight?” Arthur asked worriedly. “Oh, does he want to become a military officer?”

In response to Arthur’s concerns, Reina tilted her head, probably assuming Ash wanted to become a civil official. “If he does indeed intend to become a military officer, then I would worry too...”

“I haven’t heard anything in that direction from him...” Arthur started to look worried.

Reina shrugged her shoulders. “I wonder... Do you know, Maika?”

“Not that I know.”

They both seemed convinced. Ash was the son of a farmer after all. In his situation, there were usually not many options other than taking over the field from his parents. Normally, someone like him would have never dreamt of a career after attending the army academy. He would not have been able to enter in the first place. And he would not have had any ideas regarding his career path this soon after getting in. Normally, that is. But Ash wasn’t normal. Either way, he was going to achieve what he wanted.

“I’m not really sure what he even wants to do...” I began.

If I had to take a guess, I would have said something similar to a civil official. But then again, Ash was also the kind of wonderful person who got all fired up in the kitchen. So, it wouldn’t have surprised me if he ended up rampaging as a military officer. I mean, he went with Sir George today... I tried to warn him, but even my mom had said that Ash was someone who immediately broke free from any shackles. I wondered if he had already forgotten my warning. I needed to go see him as soon as he came back.

As I was lost in thought, Arthur and Reina were waiting for me to continue. “...But I’m sure Ash will be fine even if he decides to become a military officer!”

After all, he had even concocted a lot of poison, saying with a smile that he was easily able to kill anything up to a bear.

“Weren’t you talking about Ash being too gentle, Reina?” Arthur asked.

“Yes, that’s what I said.”

“I’m not sure someone gentle would concoct a poison...”

“...Me neither...”

What were they talking about? Ash was gentle. He just used the poison to protect us from the enemy.

“Besides...” I started.

I swung my sword where I stood. One, two, three. I imagined it slashing through the neck of an enemy storming towards me. Be it a wolf, a bear, or a human. I was ready to cut down anyone whom I considered to be a danger.

“I’m going to cut down his enemies!” I proclaimed.

His red blood. His pale skin. His closed eyelids. And his face which no longer smiled. I never wanted to see Ash like that again. I had to become stronger.

“Can you be my next partner, Arthur?” I immediately asked.

As I had mentioned earlier, Ash was too nice and played it safe, so training with him felt somewhat lacking. Of course, I had a lot of fun sparring with him, and I was happy just being with him. But if I wanted to polish my skills, I had to put myself into slightly riskier situations.

“Give me all you’ve got!”

When I challenged Arthur with a smile, his face stiffened. “Go easy on me.”

Did you not hear me say, “Give me all you’ve got”?

“I don’t think I can fight you with my level of skill... Maybe you should ask Glenn.”

“Ah, Glenn. Yeah, I’m sure that would be a great matchup.”

Glenn was probably the best among the boys at the academy this term. He was tall and very strong, and he had a good stance. However, while he was number one among the boys, he unfortunately only came second once you took into consideration the girls as well.

“But since Glenn’s not here today, it’s your turn now, Arthur.”

“I’m not feeling too well today, Maika... Maika? Wait! I’ve not readied my sword yet!”

“Ah, right.”

My dad didn’t ready his sword either when he got serious. Ash called it the “neutral position,” and he said it was some kind of secret technique. Due to my inexperience, I was always told to adopt the middle position. Since Arthur had not moved even after pointing my sword at him, I assumed he also had some secret technique. I can’t wait to land a hit on him.

“Okay, okay! I’ll fight you!”

Good! With a grin, I swung my sword at Arthur, who had finally accepted.

“You’re fast, Maika!”

“Hehe, thanks.”

“But it would be great if you could slow down a little.”

Don’t worry! I’ll make sure to stop before it hurts.

●　●　●

Sir George’s work was to manage the supplies of regional troops or, in other words, all the troops in the city. He took care of everything. No matter how you looked at it, that was too harsh. Today he was supposed to review all the non-perishable items. He did have five subordinate soldiers helping him, but five were far too few. Non-perishable equipment included iron swords, iron spears, large and small shields, bows and crossbows with their corresponding projectiles, spare parts for the large-scale crossbows installed on the city walls, horse gear and carriage equipment, ropes, ladders, camping gear, and much more.

The city’s military was divided into a standing army made up of volunteers and reserve troops relying on conscription. Since there were not many volunteer soldiers and they all managed their own equipment on a day-to-day basis, that part was no problem. However, there were many eligible reserve troops in the case of an emergency, and they did not handle their equipment outside the regular training sessions. Moreover, in the case of a real emergency, all the residents might have been called to arms. Consequently, there was an abundance of equipment prepared for the reserve troops. There was also a stock of perishable items—mainly food—reserved as supplies for a siege or soldiers patrolling the area surrounding the city.

It was unbelievable that Sir George alone was in charge of all that. Anyone would have been busy in that position. There should have been at the very least five more middle managers with another five subordinates each doing the actual work. Besides, he did not just have to review the numbers of equipment available, he also had to inspect it for damage and, depending on the severity, either send it off for repair or replace it with a new item. Every new year, he did all that work at once. Are you out of your mind?

“Sir George, how about we re-examine the process of managing the equipment?”

Before starting with the inventory, I motivated myself to make a proposal as I was inspecting a spear for damages. No one should have had to do such a workload at once. Even less with just a single person in charge. The system was prone to dishonesty. That is why the administrator, in this case Lord Itsuki, only put in charge his most trusted man. All it took was some temptation for the system to crumble.

“Do you happen to have an ingenious idea on how we can reduce our workload?” Even the overly serious Sir George could not hide his cynicism. He had been doing this day after day. Meanwhile, this was my first day here.

“I think we can figure out ways to split up the load. For example, if you are only doing the inventory once a year, it will pile up too much. It would be better if you did it four times a year, at the change of each season.”

That way the workload could be split into four, possibly divided along the line of the different types of equipment.

“That does seem easier than doing it all at once, but I’m not sure I’ll be available that often given my line of work.”

“How about we get someone else to help? There could be one commanding officer as supervisor with five subordinates. Or maybe even more. But for now, I think it would be enough to have four teams with six people each.”

“Increasing manpower does indeed mean there will be less work for each individual, but...” The glum look on his face expressed his worries for an increase in possible misappropriations.

Currently, Sir George would have been held responsible in the case of any problems. However, a mutual surveillance system may have been able to deter any embezzlers. Another solution could have been a rotation of the team members on their respective tasks. It may have also been beneficial to create a register where you documented every piece of equipment taken out of the warehouse. That way, it would be possible to compare the contents of the warehouse with the register and discover any irregularities more easily. Depending on the circumstances, it could even allow you to determine the timeframe when the equipment went missing.

“In regard to safety measures, the workload might increase a little at first, but overall, it can be split up more evenly. Also, an equipment register might help reduce mistakes and the impact of any damages suffered.”

“I see. It doesn’t sound bad at all...”

Sir George had stopped working and was listening attentively to my proposal. It seemed that this work was quite tough for him. I did not blame him. He may have been overly serious, but he was still human. And any human would have recognized the problem at hand.

“Above all, I think this is just too much work for one person. Both in terms of effort required as well as responsibilities. You may be able to do it by yourself, but as the current situation indicates, you may be the only one.”

In other words, what would happen if Sir George could no longer do the job? Sir George was an exception doing this all by himself without causing any problems. Any system that relied on a single person to function had to be revised. Any organization that wanted to survive had to make a rigorous distinction between trusting an individual’s ability and depending upon them.

“Besides, I imagine there are many other tasks which only you can do. You should leave the work that anyone can do to other people. That way everyone will be happy.”

I did not say that I wanted Sir George to simply have it easier. He seemed to be the type of person who would have opposed that line of arguing. Therefore, I let him know that there were probably more important tasks waiting for him, appealing to his sense of duty. Surely Lord Itsuki had a lot of other work that he wanted to entrust to someone as reliable as Sir George. After all, he was so busy that he could not even make any time to meet his beloved niece.

It looked like my persuasion had been successful, as his previously dull eyes were now glowing with excitement. “You’re right. There are other tasks that only I can do.”

I’m glad you liked my way of looking at things.

“Thank you for your valuable opinion. Let’s try doing things the way you suggest.”

As I could not wait to implement my changes, I replied to the motivated Sir George with a broad grin.

“However, I’m not sure I understood everything you said. Can I ask you for advice in the future too?”

“Of course, I will gladly help.”

“Thanks a lot. Sorry for taking you away from your studies at the academy.”

Please, don’t worry about it. Since this was a strategic arrangement for bringing the general into shooting range, I did not need any thanks.

“I will write up a proposal on how to improve the process of equipment management, which we can then use as a base for further discussion.”

“Thanks! That would be a great help.” Sir George seemed a bit reluctant to rely this much on me.

Don’t worry, rely as much on me as you want. “To me, this is also part of the study experience here in the city. You can think of me as an adjutant apprentice.”

“Hm, an adjutant apprentice. I guess that works. Knights often have children or relatives who are their prospective successors assisting them with their work.”

“Yes, please think of me that way then. We are blood relatives after all.”

As I jokingly expressed my loyalty by bowing with a stiff expression, the overly serious soldier started laughing. If Mother Yae had seen us, she most definitely would have fainted.

“Haha. You’re promising. I’ll count on you, Ash!”

It looked like I had gotten a step closer to him. Hopefully he was going to let his guard down more and more. And eventually, I hoped he would end up repaying my favors with even bigger ones. I did not care whether he was going to act on behalf of some sort of honor or obligation as my senior as long as he helped me accomplish my ulterior motives.

My ulterior motives concealed themselves more and more as the days passed. I had become extremely busy since I had started assisting Sir George. At first, I had only helped with simple tasks, but as he realized what I was capable of, my responsibilities snowballed. As a result, it felt like I was not just treated like an apprentice, but had actually become an adjutant. Even the subordinates have started bringing me documents, so I don’t think I’m just overly self-conscious.

All the soldiers under Sir George’s command were part of the volunteer troops. As such, they also had to attend classes, unlike the reserve troops. Nonetheless, my past-life memories seemed to give me an edge over them. Whenever they noticed me, they rushed over with an expression of relief on their faces. Although I was a generous soul, I thought about introducing a kindness loan system and starting to charge high interests for my favors.

While I kept telling myself trivial jokes like that, I wrote down a summary of today’s work results. I was currently working on a report regarding the manufacturing of new equipment and repair of damaged items requested by one of the craftsmen at the atelier. Of course, I was not going to commit any fraud by inflating the charges or such, but was it really okay to leave such an important task to a relative you had just met?

“Have you finished?” My roommate, Lord Arthur, was peeking over my shoulder. I was now doing overtime work at home in my room at the dormitory.

Sir George was indeed extremely busy...

“Sorry for working here in our room.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve heard from my dear brother Itsuki how busy Sir George is.” Lord Arthur picked up the report and looked at it. “Besides, it’s easy to read. It seems very informative. Can I ask you a few things?”

Lord Arthur leaned in to ask me some questions regarding the parts in tabular form. It appeared they did not know how to read those. When we had first met, they had been quite nervous, but recently we had grown closer. It seemed that they enjoyed learning from me about things they did not know. Since they had let their guard down, I needed to be careful so that Lord Arthur’s secret would not be revealed prematurely.

Actually, there had been an instance recently where it was awfully close. I don’t want to say exactly what it was, but let’s just say there was awkward physical contact when Arthur had leaned in over me. However, since we had both not yet reached puberty, it would not have been noticeable unless you were overly conscious of it. So, in the end, I was probably the only one embarrassed by it.

“I see. You can use this table to compile a register of the equipment in the warehouse.”

“Yes, I think that is probably the best way to go about it. Have you asked the others for their opinion?”

“There haven’t been any concrete opinions so far. The discussion was also a bit all over the place, so we probably need more time.”

I replied with a nod to Lord Arthur’s awkward smile.

I had asked my comrades who had helped me collect documents relating to composting to look over my draft for the improved management process and point out any problems. Mother Yae had shown an unrivaled enthusiasm once she learned that it was going to be of help to Sir George.

After apologetically reporting that the group was still in the middle of making sense of the draft, Lord Arthur spoke with a cheerful smile. “Even though it’s just the four of us, Mother Yae, Maika, Reina, and me, our opinions differ wildly. I knew there were many points of view out there, but it’s great experiencing it firsthand.”

“I know what you are trying to say. It seems obvious, but once you hear an unexpected opinion, you still end up surprised.”

“Exactly. It feels great. It’s a lot of fun.”

That was also one of the reasons why I loved reading books.

It was unusual for Lord Arthur to talk so passionately about anything, so I tried expanding on the subject. “I think it feels so good because it lets you know that there are other people out there, different from yourself.”

“Other people? What do you mean?”

The conversation had been side-tracked. In an instant, Lord Arthur’s passion had disappeared. It was replaced not by anger, but rather an air of sadness and restraint. After all, they were a young girl pretending to be a boy, so maybe the expression “other people” had provoked a reaction.

Seeing that expression made me more empathetic. I grew impatient as I wondered what I could say to bring back her genuine, unrestrained smile. Unknowingly, I had stepped on a landmine. If I had been a top-class gentleman, I could have diffused the situation with a joke, but unfortunately, I was merely an apprentice in that regard. I decided to just explain it away like I always did.

“It means that you are not on your own. And not being alone brings comfort to people.”

Humans were social animals. One of our traits was that we felt calmer in a group than being by ourselves.

“But having other people around you can also lead to fights. Aren’t there also benefits to being alone?” she countered.

I was not able to deny that statement. If humans had subsisted merely by relying on their natural instincts, they would not have evolved to be this top-heavy with ideas.

“You are right. There will always be people with whom you will not get along, and as a result, there will be times where you will end up hurt from having others around you.”

“So, it’s not worth it after all...” She let out a heavy sigh as if my confirmation had hurt her feelings.

Had she expected me to deny it? Unfortunately, I was not the type of person who could just easily go with the flow and deny something that I knew was true.

“Yes, there are times when things do not go as planned, or there is some kind of trouble or obstacle because of others...”

I firmly believe, for example, that I would have already started on my compost experiment if it wasn’t for the troublesome existence of other people. But I also firmly believed what I said next.

“However, it is not fair to focus solely on the bad points of having other people around. We are only talking like this because we are interacting with other people. I have received valuable advice from others when I told them what I intend to do. And I feel blessed because of that.”

Mrs. Yuika had taught me the pleasure of interacting with others in an attempt to prevent any friction with my surroundings due to selfishness and complacency. Now it was my turn to reach out to Lord Arthur’s delicate soul with words coming from the bottom of my heart.

“I am happy that I get to interact with you. I enjoy every moment we get to talk like this, study together, share meals, and laugh at each other’s jokes. And I imagine it must be quite difficult for you to deal with someone as odd as me, who keeps spouting nonsense.” I could not help but let out a self-deprecating smile. I pitied everyone who had to interact with me. Although I had no intention of letting them get away.

“Not at all! I mean, you do say strange things, but I enjoy your company. I’m glad we met and—”

At that moment, she caught her breath as if she had just come to a sudden realization. It seemed that she had noticed the benefits of having others around while vehemently arguing against my self-depreciation.

I smiled at her surprised face. “I am glad that is how you feel.”

“Was this your intention all along?” As she pouted her lips and stared at me with upturned eyes, she looked very feminine.

However, she had read too much into my statements if she thought that it was my intention to lead her to this realization.

“By no means! I am not that good a rhetorician, and I cannot read your mind.”

“Is that so? I can’t help but think you might just be able to.”

“You are overestimating me. But I knew you would eventually realize having others around is not all bad.”

“Why?”

I let out a quiet laugh thinking of the obvious answer. “You have talked to me every day since we met, even though I am in fact another person.” Besides, I don’t think a complete misanthrope would’ve been able to bear sharing a room with someone else.

Maika’s Perspective

Let’s go visit Ash! That was the wonderful idea I came up with as I was getting bored in my dorm room.

“Maika, it’s already after dinner! You shouldn’t visit the boy’s area without a good reason!”

I had anticipated Reina saying this, so I had prepared a reason. “I want to ask Ash something regarding the warehouse management proposal for George. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep if I can’t resolve my concerns!”

As I answered with a smile, Reina shook her head. “You two really are childhood friends.”

Really? Hehe, I’m flattered.

“It really takes someone like you to be on equal footing with Ash. Take care. If that is your reason for going out, then I don’t think even my mother would oppose you.”

“See you later!”

“But don’t stay out too long. You should come back before the bell rings to turn off all lights.”

“Yes, Mom—I mean... Yes, Reina.”

“Maika?”

I shook off her doubting look and rushed out to the corridor. I heard her scolding me from behind to not slam the door and not run in the corridors. No wonder I mistakenly called her “Mom.” Apparently, there were some boys who referred to her as “older sister.” I wondered if having an older sister would have felt anything like this.

After I walked down the stairs, I asked the servant guarding the lobby for permission to enter the boy’s area. Once I had his approval, I headed towards the door at the far back and knocked before entering. As usual, I found Ash sitting at his desk with Arthur observing him from behind. How I envied him!

“Maika? What brings you here?”

“I think I know, but you shouldn’t be here this late, Maika!”

Ash greeted me with a calm and radiant smile. Arthur, who was aware of proper etiquette for ladies, on the other hand, had put on a forced smile.

“I want to ask you something, Ash! Do you have time?”

“Is it urgent?”

Not really urgent at all. Judging from the papers laid out on the desk in front of Ash, it seemed that he was helping George again.

“Uhm... Something’s been bothering me and I just wanted to talk about it so I wouldn’t have trouble falling asleep, but it can wait until tomorrow... Yeah, let’s talk tomorrow!”

It was unfortunate, but I didn’t want to selfishly interrupt Ash’s work! Yes, very unfortunate!

“In that case, can you wait a moment? I will go ask Mrs. Rihn to bring these documents to Sir George so I can have some time.”

“No, don’t worry about it if you’re busy! You must be tired too! I’ll just go back for today!”

“No, it is fine. I have just finished this task, and I do not want you to have trouble sleeping, so I will leave it here for today. A lack of sleep is bad for your concentration, which will also impact your studies. Besides, it is not good for your skin either.” Ash was smiling.

Oh, my gods! I can’t believe how nice he is! I’m so lucky! “Are you sure? I’m more than happy to talk to you, but I don’t want you to push yourself.”

“Of course, I am not pushing myself at all. Well, please excuse me for a moment then. You can wait here with Arthur.”

“Okay!”

As I waved at Ash, who was about to leave the room with the documents in his hands, I realized that now was my chance to practice being his wife.

“Take care, Ash!”

“I will see you later.”

Ah... Just like a married couple...

“Maika? Maika, are you alright? You look happy, so I think you’re fine, but I’m a bit worried that you’re not moving at all.”

“What? Oh! Hi, Arthur!”

“Hello...? I’m glad you’re fine.”

Don’t worry I just tend to become unaware of my surroundings when I get excited! “Looks like it’s just the two of us now.”

“Good grief... Yeah, looks like it.” Arthur seemed to hold back some grievances as he let out a sigh. But he also looked like he was having fun.

The room was organized and tidy. I knew that Ash liked to keep things clean, but it seemed Arthur was the same.

“You don’t seem to have a lot of stuff.”

“Well, I have most of my things in my room back at the mansion. Especially all the larger objects are kept there.”

Ash, on the other hand, had accumulated a lot of things around the desk. Most of it was paper, like his research notes or plans. Stuff like that tended to pile up fast.

“Neither of you seem to keep many clothes. The girls have been anxious to see you two in new outfits.”

They were both handsome after all. I had heard many girls say that they wanted to see them in all kinds of outfits. Of course, I was one of them.

“I’ve got no plans on buying any new clothes. I had these ones just made when I arrived here.”

“Oh, I see. Your fans are going to be disappointed.”

There was no point in asking Ash since I already knew what he would say. If he had money to buy new clothes, he would have preferred to use it on his research or on delicious food.

By the way, there’s something that has been catching my attention in this room.

“Maika? What are you looking at? There’s nothing over there.”

Arthur was lying. There was not nothing. Ash’s bed was over there!

“I, Maika, have become tired from standing for so long.”

“Do you want to sit down on the chair?”

“No, the chairs belong to you and Ash.”

“Ash is not here now, so it’s fine if you sit down.”

“But he’s going to come back right away. And since I still have to ask him something, there won’t be enough chairs then.”

Arthur’s face turned red and he stared at me with scornful eyes. “Maika, I know what you’re thinking, but don’t you think that’s a bit improper?”

I agreed, but Ash’s bed was right in front of my eyes. And besides, there was someone else who used the same bed in this room!

“Haven’t you sat on the bed before, Arthur? Next to Ash?”

“Yeah, but I’m his roommate... and I’m a boy? I don’t see any problem there...”

But I do. “That’s not fair! If someone other than Ash can sit on it, surely so can I!”

“But you’re a girl...”

“You can sit next to me. That would solve the problem, no?”

“No, that would make it worse! I’m a boy after all!”

I mean, yeah, it seems like you’re a boy, but... Well, anyway. “Either way, since Ash isn’t here to stop me, I’ll just sit down. I don’t see why I shouldn’t.”

“Precisely because he isn’t here to stop you!”

As I tried to quickly sit down, Arthur caught my hand to draw me back. He was fast. Since he was vigorously pulling my arm, I could no longer sit down.

“Just let me sit! It’s not fair that you can sit here but I can’t!”

“No! I won’t give in! You shouldn’t be doing this!”

“Argh, I won’t let you have Ash all to yourself.”

“I understand that it may seem unfair, but you need Ash’s permission!”

Arthur was unusually strong. Normally he was a pushover, but today I just couldn’t get past him. Meanwhile, footsteps were approaching from the corridor. Ash had returned.

“No! Time’s up!”

“Yes! I win!”

While I was hanging my head in frustration, Arthur struck a victory pose. We both let out a deep breath. I had missed my chance to sit down on Ash’s bed! I was about to break out in tears, but...

“Oh well!”

Seeing Arthur’s smile, I forgot all my regret.

“What is it, Maika?”

Arthur had a bright smile on his flushed face covered in sweat.

“I’m still extremely disappointed that I couldn’t sit down on Ash’s bed, but seeing you smile made it worth it.”

“My smile?”

“Yeah, your smile right now.”

It was no longer a smile hiding his pain or suffering. It was no longer an attempt to suppress his desire to cry or seek help.

“Do you enjoy being around Ash?”

It seemed like Arthur didn’t understand what I was trying to say, but he tried his best to answer. “Yeah, I have fun. We’re friends after all.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

“But just now, I smiled because of you, didn’t I?”

“Because I’m your friend too!”

“...I know.” Slightly embarrassed, Arthur acknowledged our friendship.

As we were talking, Ash entered the room. “Sorry for making you wait! You both look like you are having fun!” Ash couldn’t hold back that comment when he saw both our faces.

“Of course! We’re friends after all!” I winked at Arthur, who grew increasingly embarrassed.

“Yeah, we’re friends, so it’s normal we’re having fun,” he backed me up.

“I am glad you get along so well! Well, Maika, what is it you wanted to ask?” Ash briefly glanced at his chair and the bed before looking at me. “But we should sit down first! Do you want the chair or the bed, Maika?”

“The bed!”

“Go ahead.”

Yay! Ash’s bed!

“Wait a minute, Ash! You’re just going to let her sit there?!”

Arthur, the keeper of the bed, could not restrain himself from crying out.

●　●　●

Tonight, I was invited for dinner at Sir George’s house. He had proposed to celebrate since we had completed the first stage of reorganizing the equipment, and I was more than happy to oblige. On the occasion, he also wanted to talk about more private matters, which we had not been able to do so far.

Sir George lived in a small residence. Since it was a wooden construction, it looked more like the dwelling of a samurai rather than a knight. When I knocked, it was not a servant but Sir George himself who opened the door.

“Welcome, Ash! Make yourself at home.”

“Thank you again for the gracious invitation. I am honored to set foot in your house.”

“Hm, you’re as formal as always. You can relax a bit—we’re just having dinner as relatives.”

“I will take you up on your offer.”

Following his lead, I walked to the living room. No one else seemed to be here. So, it was not so much that he had come to greet me himself, but rather that he was alone. I wondered if there was no maid living with him. Was this how all knights lived in the city? I thought they were considered upper class too. Regardless, there was plenty of food on the table. Probably more than I could eat.

“Is there anything you can’t eat? I ended up choosing food which I usually have with my military friends.”

“It looks delicious!”

The meat dishes radiated light brown. I had expected nothing less from a soldier reliant on a strong physique. My body was about to break into dance from seeing all this food which was going to support its growth.

Sir George started laughing. “What a childlike joy! Eat as much as you want! You really helped me out immensely. As long as you enjoy the meal, I’ll be happy too!”

“I had no intention of holding back with such a feast in front of my eyes!”

I sat down feeling like my stomach had expanded tenfold and I was not able to think of anything other than filling it up until I was full. Still, I had not forgotten about the package in my hand.

“Before I forget, I brought you something from Mother Yae.”

When I had casually asked Mother Yae a couple of days ago if she wanted me to relay a message, she had ended up bringing me a homemade dish for Sir George. That made me realize how serious she was.

“Oh, from Mother Yae? She’s always thinking of me.”

“Oh, really?”

It seemed like this was not the first time she had made a move. And it also seemed like he was well aware of her intentions. I’m going to lean into this and put Mother Yae in my debt by providing her some unsolicited assistance. But first, I was going to enjoy this meal.

“May I start eating?”

“Yeah, I’m quite hungry too!”

Sorry, Mother Yae.

I was not able to concentrate on anything but my appetite. The debt trade would have to wait. In the end, all people were driven by their hunger for delicious food.

Once my stomach had been filled up, my focus had cleared up again. Well, mostly anyway. There may have been some mischievous thoughts left.

I talked with Sir George while drinking ale. It contained hops and had more of a bitter taste than the sour homebrew ale at our village.

“I’m still a bit shocked by your abilities, Ash. I had heard David talk about you before, but you are wiser than I imagined.”

“All thanks to Father Folke who taught me so many things.”

I blamed Father Folke for all my peculiarities. He was an exemplar of a fellow researcher.

“I can see why Mother Yae would have said that she had never seen anyone as talented before. I’ve never seen anyone as young and gifted either.”

Don’t flatter me too much.

Since he had brought up Mother Yae, I tried asking about her. “By the way, are you close with Mother Yae? She was very enthusiastic when she gave me her homemade dish as a present for you.”

Maybe I had been a bit too frank. Sir George showed a bitter expression unrelated to the taste of the ale.

“Hm... She’s taken a liking to someone as rustic as me.”

Although I realized that this sounded rude, it came as a surprise to me that he was not the kind of obstinate person who did not notice a woman’s feelings.

“To someone young like me, she appears to be an intelligent and beautiful woman. What do you think, Sir Geo—Baleas?” I tried calling him by his first name to emphasize the casual nature of the conversation.

“I agree, she’s a charming woman.”

It did not sound like an empty compliment. I wondered if there was any reason for his celibacy.

“It may not be my place, and I do not want to impose myself too much, so do not feel obligated to answer, but... Is there a reason why you are still single?”

“Lord Itsuki and my colleagues ask me that all the time. Going for a drink as an unmarried man at this age makes you feel embarrassed.”

“Please excuse me for interrupting our pleasant dinner with such a tactless question.”

I tried changing the subject by apologizing for my rudeness, but Sir George nonchalantly explained himself with a mature bitterness on his face.

“I can’t forget my first love. It’s pathetic that I still have some lingering attachment, but that’s the reason.”

What a catch he was. Not only did he look good and was a hard worker, but on top of it all he also had a pure heart! He was a knight straight out of a story.

“I am sorry for prying, but that has piqued my interest.”

“Haha, I’m afraid I won’t give you any details so easily, even if you’re my nephew.”

How heartless! I looked at him with puppy dog eyes, but Sir George just laughed and drank up his ale.

“What a pity... If you ever feel like it, I would love to hear the story. You do not need to promise, just remember that I am interested.”

“Well, keep waiting for now.”

As long as he did not outright refuse it, there was a chance of hearing it someday. Judging from his reaction, there was some hope, albeit very meager.

While pouring himself another drink, Sir George returned the question with a teasing look. If I had a camera with me, I would have loved to take a picture of his face to show to Mother Yae as an act of good faith.

“What about you, Ash? You’re smart, and considering you come from a farm, your fighting skills are nothing to laugh at either. I’m sure you’re popular with the girls.”

“Unfortunately, there is no love interest for me at the moment.”

“Really? You are quite friendly with Ms. Maika.”

“We are childhood friends after all.”

She has indeed become a very capable person and a childhood friend whom I am fond of. Our encounter must have been a blessing of the gods.

“That’s not what I meant...” Sir George did not seem happy with my perfectly honest reply. “But maybe that’s your weak spot. You are still quite young and inexperienced.” Somehow, he had just explained his own doubts away. “Alright, while you’re here consider me your foster parent. Let’s have some real men’s talk tonight.”

“That sounds reassuring.”

He had declared himself my foster parent. If all he wanted in return was some conversation, I did not mind.

“Do you have a preferred type of girl?”

“Of course.” How rude. I was neither withered nor unprincipled. “I think I am attracted to the type of person who is fun to be around and who stimulates me to do better.”

In this world, Mrs. Yuika was probably the most fitting of that type. Nothing compared to the feeling of being in the palm of her hands. Of course, I only felt that way because she had my best interests in mind. I do not think I would have been attracted to a wicked woman who only wanted to trap me. At the very least, I preferred Mrs. Yuika’s gentle style. Unfortunately, she was already married and much older than me.

“How about Ms. Maika then?”

“I think she is a wonderful person.”

She was cheerful, intelligent, and attentive to others’ concerns. On top of that, she was reliable, and I enjoyed her company. Besides, she was undoubtedly going to turn into a beautiful woman, since she had inherited the genes of her parents, Mrs. Yuika and Mr. Klein.

“You seem to value her highly. Have you ever thought about approaching her in a romantic way?”

“No, I do not see her that way.”

She was too young, or rather, too immature. Having my past-life memories, I just could not see myself developing romantic feelings for her without turning into a lolicon. Yes, this world operated on a different set of values. I was at an age where engagement and marriage were imminent. Understandably so if you considered the dreadfully low life expectancy. However, I was too decent to simply give in to that way of thinking. Sometimes virtue stood in the way of happiness. Physically, we were both the same age, and I had gotten used to this world to a point where it was probably possible for me to adapt my thinking and make it work. At the same time, I had no pressing desire to fall in love.

“There are so many other things I want to do at the moment—I am not really focused on falling in love.”

“I had sort of expected that answer. And I can see your point of view...” Sir George took a sip from his glass. He shrugged his shoulders as he remembered a bitter experience from his past. “But if you keep putting things off, all wonderful women will slowly end up out of your reach.”

“Your expression is quite convincing.”

It was the face of a person who had come to terms with their regrets while at the same time bashfully longing for a long-forgotten past. I looked forward to hearing the story of his first love someday.

As I quietly wondered if I was going to end up like him, a smile crept over my face. “I think your advice is right, but at the moment I can only act according to my desires. Such is life for the likes of us.” Without asking, I included him in the same category.

He folded his arms and frowned, looking slightly upset. After glaring at me for a while, he burst out into laughter. “Not saying it’s good or bad, but you’re absolutely right.”

“We are good at getting work done, but we are not very skilled regarding those matters. As a result, we are having a hard time and going through a lot of painful experiences.”

“Yeah, there’s a lot of trouble. But nothing can be done about it. This is the only way we know how to live.”

“How about we just enjoy those hardships, then, while living our best lives?”

Sir George filled up both our glasses to the brim with ale. “Yeah, let’s enjoy ourselves.”

“Let us start with this drink.”

I gulped down the ale at the same pace as Sir George. I did not like the taste that much, but I enjoyed having a drink over a good conversation. I could not wait to get to the age when bitter things started to taste better.

“But, Baleas. You may have missed your chance with a wonderful person in the past, but you still have Mother Yae.”

“You’re still going on about that?”

“Just listen to it for my sake.”

Sir George reluctantly gave in and started listening to the words of the person to whom he owed a great debt. Or, in other words, he was not capable of declining any favors. What a clumsy person indeed.

“I do not know what your true feelings are, but I can take a guess. The same goes for Mother Yae, and I cannot help but root for her.”

Not for her sake, but for mine. It was beyond inconvenient that I could not take out any books from the library without Mother Yae’s approval. As I had stated earlier, I wanted him to listen for my sake.

“Mother Yae assisted me in various ways. Among others, she helped me write up the process for the warehouse management.” The overly serious Sir George started groaning when he realized that he was also indebted to her. “And you should probably pay her back for the delicious homemade dish that I brought on her behalf today.”

His groan grew louder. It looked like he did not know what to say.

If I had told him to consider taking her as his wife, he could have just said that he did not feel like it. However, he was unable to refute my call to show his gratitude.

As I gloated over my distant uncle breaking out into a cold sweat, his complexion suddenly changed. “But I’m quite busy,” he gave as an excuse.

“Has not your workload settled down right now?” I successfully deflected his counterattack. I won’t let you get away this easily.

Now it was my turn to attack. “There is no need to overthink this. I am not telling you to get married. It will be more than enough if you casually invite her out for dinner as a friend. Just think of it as showing your gratitude for all the favors she has done for you.”

He sent me a spiteful look as I appraised Mother Yae as a friend of his. I was basically putting her in the same category as the wonderful person whom he had let get away. There was no doubt that he thought of Mother Yae as more than friends, and I would not have wanted it any other way. Go ahead and get as close as possible.

“Do you not want to thank a friend who goes through so much effort for you?”

“She’s not really my friend... I mean, she kind of is... but it’s complicated...”

“So, you do not want to thank her?”

“No, I didn’t say that.”

Of course. “How about you ask Mother Yae out for dinner as a thank you?”

“Maybe it’s better if I just sent her a gift... I don’t know of any stylish restaurant where I could take her.”

“Leave it to me! Chef Yacoo’s restaurant is supposed to be excellent. I made a reservation for you.”

“You made?”

Yes, made. In the past tense. Is there a problem?

“Obviously, I still need to check with both your schedules... but it seems that you have a day off the day after tomorrow. Incidentally, Mother Yae is free on the same day.”

“You’ve already booked the table?!”

“As an adjutant apprentice, I need to be aware of my superior’s schedule.” Just go have dinner with her at least once.

Mother Yae was still young, but in terms of this world, she was already late at getting married. Since that was mostly due to her love interest’s indecisiveness, the least that he could have done was to take responsibility and make a decision. Whether he ended up making her cry by embracing her or rejecting her was up to Sir George.

I was merely an observer.

My second meeting with Lord Itsuki took place in his office. He looked like he had lost weight. This past month must have been extremely exhausting. I should ask Chef Yacoo about his meal plan. Maybe I can get him to make some more energizing meals. If Lord Itsuki collapses, all my scheming will have been for nothing.

While ruminating on the count’s health, I took over from Sir George to finish off our presentation regarding the re-examination of the equipment management. “The proposal you just heard has been compiled with the input from five insiders serving under Sir George’s supervision of the equipment management as well as four outsiders from the academy and the temple. My Lord, we would love for you to take this proposal into consideration.”

Lord Itsuki nodded with a blank expression as I handed him the written proposal. He seemed like a different person compared to our first meeting, where he was fawning over Lady Maika. “I gladly accept it,” he said. “Judging from your presentation, it seems that there are several advantages to this new method. I will get back to you once I have gone over it myself in more detail.” Now that business was over, his expression lightened up a bit as he looked at Sir George. “Why is this child... Why is Ash here? And why did he do the presentation?”

“Please forgive my poor presentation skills,” I said.

Lord Itsuki replied with a gentler look on his face after seeing me bow my head to apologize. “Don’t worry, your presentation was excellent. I was just surprised.”

As he had praised me, I once again bowed to show my gratitude. This time Lord Itsuki, who had kept his composure until now, could not help but smile. Even Sir George showed one of his rare smiles, which usually never surfaced during business hours.

“Then you’ll be even more surprised to hear that it was Ash who originally came up with the proposal and wrote it up himself. He understands it much better than I do,” Sir George declared.

“Are you serious? Baleas, look me in the eyes!” The count’s tone had now completely changed, and he fixated on Sir George’s eyes. “Hm, it doesn’t seem like you’re joking. I’m relieved. The day you start joking, we will be on the brink of apocalypse and dragons will start soaring through the sky.”

“Excuse me, but I know how to tell a joke.”

“Well, go on then. Amuse me.”

Sir George was at a loss for words after hearing the playful provocation. These two got along quite well for master and servant.

Noticing me left out of the conversation, Lord Itsuki seemed to return to his normal self with an awkward smile. “Sorry about that. Baleas and I used to be classmates at the academy. That’s why we get along so well.”

“I see. I assume that is also why you have so much faith in him.”

“Of course, I’m able to separate public from private matters when I have to, but Baleas here is the most preposterously serious man in the city. I can guarantee that as his friend.”

It made sense now why Sir George received preferential treatment. He was indeed a deeply earnest person. Even now, he seemed unsure what to say in response to the slightly backhanded compliment.

“Well, it must be true then if our Baleas here is saying it. And my amazement keeps growing.” Lord Itsuki bent over, gazing into my eyes, bringing his handsome face close to mine. “After hearing the rumors from my dear sister and brother-in-law, I expected an intelligent young man, but I assumed that that intelligence was going to be more proportionate to your age.”

“He took me by surprise too. He served me more than well as my adjutant. Even Mother Yae has praised his quick wit.”

The statesman seemed even more impressed upon hearing the name of Mother Yae being mentioned. “You really are a gifted person,” he said. “I can’t let such outstanding talent go unrewarded. Especially after you helped out my good friend and chief vassal Sir George. Organizing equipment is not a fun task even with a bonus salary...”

It appeared that Lord Itsuki was well aware of how difficult Sir George’s task was. His willingness to offer a reward showed his benevolence as a superior. And I was willing to take advantage of it.

“In that case, would it be possible to ask you for a favor instead of a reward?” I asked.

“Let us hear your wish first.” His face became tense again.

You don’t have to be so formal. This reward won’t cost you even a single grain of wheat. “You should have received another proposal from the dormitory supervisor, Mrs. Rihn. I would just ask you to prioritize that proposal.”

“A proposal from Mrs. Rihn? Let me have a look around. This month I’ve been putting off everything non-urgent, so I don’t even know who’s been bringing what.” He started excavating the mountain of papers on his desk. “I’ve just finished the report on the production output from all the areas under my jurisdiction. I’ve not touched anything else that has been piling up since then.”

“You seem to be even busier than I expected,” I remarked.

I would have loved to supply him with energy drinks if they had been sold here. I wondered if I could make something similar.

“I think I found it... Experiments for agricultural improvement? Why did Mrs. Rihn bring me this?”

It sounded strange indeed to read the word “agriculture” in a proposal from a waiting lady and academy supervisor.

The slightly confused Lord Itsuki looked up as he came to a sudden realization. “Wait. Since you wanted me to read this, does that mean that you wrote it?”

“I put it together with the help of Maika, Reina, Arthur, and Mother Yae as a part of our studies at the academy. We would appreciate it if you could examine it.”

Finally, I was able to press the matter. I wanted to start my experiments in spring. I was already making compost with the help of a livestock farmer with whom I had become acquainted, so if the fermentation process went smoothly, I could have started after a short delay.

As I envisioned those prospects with a sense of accomplishment, Lord Itsuki’s voice brought me back to reality. “Do you just want me to read this? If so, that is quite a cheap reward.”

“I do not think it is cheap at all to have you use your valuable time and prioritize this task.” Those were my true intentions, but I would not have said no to a bonus reward either. “If you are willing to extend any more generosity towards me, I would appreciate it if you could help me out with the budget if the project is approved.”

“What an unselfish answer. No word about the approval itself.”

“I think there will be no problem in that regard if you judge it fairly and logically.”

I had put a lot of effort into the project, but I did not consider it to be perfect. If there were a valid reason to reject it, I would have accepted my failure. Of course, I was not going to stop there in that case. I would just have to address those reasons and improve it.

Seemingly impressed by my overflowing ardor, Lord Itsuki smiled gently at Sir George. “Baleas, it appears that your seriousness runs in the family.”

I’m not as pure as Sir George, though.

As I frowned at this exaggerated comparison, Sir George followed suit. “I’m nowhere near as intelligent as Ash.”

Going by Lord Itsuki’s laugh, we may have been more similar than we both thought.

It took five days for the project to be approved by the acting count. Since I planned on using compost made from animal feces, which had been taboo until now, I received strict instructions to only use the kitchen garden at the dormitory. Later, I learned that there had been quite some disagreements and the project was almost rejected. However, thanks to the assistance of several people, it had somehow ended up receiving approval. Mother Yae had vouched for the legitimacy of the sources, Mrs. Rihn had attested to my meticulousness, Chef Yacoo had affirmed my expertise of food, and Sir George had advocated for my seriousness. All together we had overcome the council’s opposition. I felt like my credibility had maybe gone up a bit too much, but it seemed that the seeds I had sown were starting to bear fruits. Strength lies in numbers, after all.

The approval of the plan for agricultural improvement, including the use of animal manure as fertilizer, brought about two changes. First, since it was officially recognized by the count, we were awarded a development budget. Second, we were able to enlist helpers. That was all. It was nothing big.

Incidentally, there was a saying that “money makes the world go round.” There were not many things that could not be bought with money. And even for the few exceptions, it was usually possible to obtain them making full use of the power of money. It also went without saying that manpower was essential. The punch of a single person was not able to kill a bear, but the punches of ten thousand people would have been able to.

So, all in all, was it really nothing big to obtain both money and manpower? I was reminded that there had been so many things that I had not been able to do since coming to the city because I was lacking these two. Now it was possible to do all these things, however insignificant they may have been.

Using a white cloth as a makeshift mask, I observed the cloudy liquid bubbling inside a large bottle. I had to admit that I must have looked a little suspicious. If it had not been in a garden in broad daylight, but in a cavern at night, it might have incited a witch hunt. Luckily, it was nice weather, which helped to further mitigate the dubious aspects of my undertaking. An unknowing stranger may have perceived me as a benevolent witch concocting some medicine for the good of mankind.

“What are you doing here?”

Nonetheless, Mrs. Rihn’s voice was filled with wariness as she approached us. Behind me, the maid with impeccable posture and composure was bending herself over to get a look at our experiment. It seemed that we had piqued her interest.

“It is nothing of importance.” So you don’t have to show me such an unusual posture.

Mrs. Rihn responded with a slow but firm headshake to my smile. “Ash, I’m sure most people would say it’s probably of great importance if you are working on it.”

“You think too highly of me.”

It was rare to hear Mrs. Rihn speak jokingly. After I played off her remark, she averted her eyes and looked at Lady Reina, who had been observing me from the beginning. Lady Reina opened her mouth, presumably to start explaining, but closed it again in resignation shortly after. The daughter and mother now both shifted their gaze towards Lord Arthur, who had also been observing me on the side. Lord Arthur just smiled awkwardly at both of them, shaking their head with both arms stretched out in capitulation. The three of them then looked at the last stronghold, Lady Maika. Unlike them, Lady Maika stood right next to me with a white cloth mask on her face. As my assistant, she was noting down the reaction inside the large bottle. She was in another league. She was a dear collaborator and supporter.

“Hehe, you’ve all still got a lot to learn.” She narrowed her eyes as she happily and proudly expressed her opinion. “Once you understand Ash better, you know that it’s not just ‘probably’ of great importance. Everything he does is a big deal!”

You too, Maika?!

But really? “Everything”? Even if I conceded for the sake of argument, that was an overstatement. The other three looked convinced, though. Someone, please object!

I needed to explain myself. Otherwise I risked the whole city treating me like an exclusive specialty import. “You are all exaggerating. I am just manufacturing what is necessary for hygiene control according to our plan.”

I was just following the steps detailed in the plan we had all put together. There was no need to mentally distance themselves. Isn’t this supposed to be our shared project?

As I was appealing to my fellow project members, two of them, Lady Reina and Lord Arthur, disagreed simultaneously.

“You’re right that we agreed to sanitary measures because we are dealing with waste material. Both common sense and our references dictate that there is a need to have a means to keep proper hygiene...” Lady Reina began.

“But Ash, the consumables you are making right now are extremely rare even at the capital. More than half of the articles in circulation are reserved for the royal family,” Lord Arthur concluded.

In that case, I’m sure you could say that they are in fact in circulation.

Hearing Lord Arthur’s statement, Mrs. Rihn frowned with an even uneasier look on her face. “Arthur, are you by any chance implying that that rare, exclusive article monopolized by the royal family is currently being made right in front of our eyes?”

“I’m afraid so.”

What else would they be implying? It seemed that Mrs. Rihn may have been slightly fatigued.

It was the first time that I had heard about the royal family monopolizing hygiene products, but it made sense. After all, there was no soap to be found anywhere in this city.

“You’re making soap?!” After learning what I was making, Mrs. Rihn raised her voice to a volume which I had never heard from her.

“You are exaggerating again. It is only something that cleans your skin and clothes.” As I explained the simplicity of its purpose, Lord Arthur was the only one who agreed with an awkward smile.

Mrs. Rihn seemed to be speechless, but I figured I was imagining things. Similarly, Lady Reina was definitely not just blankly staring into the distance.

“Ash? It looks like the reaction is over!” Lady Maika assisted me in a good mood.

We had reached a point where I needed to be extremely careful in handling the soap, so I shut out all external stimuli to focus on the process. The bubbling cloudy liquid was the result of a reaction between fried eggshells and water.

Heating eggshells at high temperatures turned them into a substance called quicklime. If you added water to that substance, it produced a chemical reaction generating a temperature of over 100 degrees Celsius, altering the quicklime into slaked lime. At this point, both the slaked lime as well as the water were highly alkaline, requiring utmost care to avoid any contact with eyes or skin. Adding firewood ashes—which I had stolen from the kitchen—dissolved in water to this aqueous solution produced potassium hydroxide. This further increased the alkaline levels, making it even more dangerous. So much so that, if a human bathed in this water, they would have probably turned into soap themselves.

Finally, mixing the potassium hydroxide solution with tallow and vegetable oil is what created the soap. For liquid soap, you first needed to heat it up again to get the desired result. However, at this stage it was still extremely dangerous, since beneath the human skin there was quite a lot of fat. In other words, if you drenched a person with a potassium hydroxide solution, they were going to turn into soap from head to toe. Did you know that? I didn’t until I read it in a book.

Seeing that my experiment had produced a viscous liquid soap, it seemed that my sources were accurate. I assumed the same applied to the “human soap,” although I did not plan on trying that out. Who would’ve thought that soap was this scary?

“As always, I will first test this on myself to see if it is safe.”

It really took me a long time to get to this point. I had wanted to make soap for a while since I had known the manufacturing process back at the village already. Remembering the daily baths of my past life, I was writhing in agony, since I was only able to bathe in cold water after working on the fields all day long or camping in the forest for a week.

However, back at the village I had not been able to make soap. For a start, it was not possible to make quicklime, since I was limited to the eggs of wild birds, and I had no way of producing the temperature necessary to heat them. You needed about 900 degrees Celsius considering the freezing point of water was zero. If I remembered correctly, it was the same as the melting point for silver. There was no way to produce that kind of heat by burning firewood in a simple stove.

Once I had arrived in the city, charcoal had caught my eye, but even so it was not nearly enough to produce that amount of heat using regular household equipment. It would have been possible with the forge and stoves of the blacksmiths and ceramic craftsmen whom I had met through assisting Sir George, but I did not want to use their extra-high-grade work equipment simply to “heat some eggshells.” Even as a joke that would not have gone over well. My body probably would have ended up experiencing 900 degrees Celsius first-hand.

Nevertheless, that all changed with the direct approval of our agricultural improvement plan by the acting count. As a result, we were able to accumulate money, and just by showing the seal of approval, businesses gladly let us use their forges to heat eggshells. Since they had been reluctant prior to that, I intended on offering them a token of gratitude in return at a later date. Keeping future cooperation in mind, it was important to show appreciation and talk things through. And I might even end up shedding a tear or two, just to add some emotion.

While I was burning with a piping-hot passion, Lord Arthur tepidly touched the liquid soap with a faint smile on their face. “It feels like the real thing... Who would’ve thought that the Royche family’s secret formula could be recreated this easily?”

“Oh? So the Royche family is producing the soap in the capital?”

I could not help but wonder what formula they used. Just creating soap was not too difficult, but there were many different factors that could give it a unique touch, like the ratio of vegetable oil and tallow or what fragrance was used. Currently, I was thinking about using my signature ingredients: honey and aloe. Both could be easily obtained via the village and seemed healthy.

“I’ve heard that the Royches are a family of wealthy merchants who made it to the top by monopolizing the sales of soap.”

Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.

The fact that a mere formula for soap could elevate you to a wealthy merchant in the capital of a nation showed how much knowledge was simply stored away. I would have expected anyone counted among the top wealthy merchants to be dealing with gold and silver, or jewels. Although there were many examples throughout history of things like spices, tea leaves, or beans becoming highly profitable commodities, even though their value was lost on later generations.

However, soap was such a peculiar item. And how did they manage to keep the formula secret? Why did none of the surrounding businesses investigate it? How is it that no one on the inside had decided to make some easy money for themselves by leaking information? I could not shake the feeling that there had to be something more to this.

I stealthily observed Mrs. Rihn, whose blank gaze was fixated on me—I mean, the liquid soap. “I’m not sure how I should report this. In the worst case, our relations with the wealthy merchants in the capital will turn sour...”

In response to her mother’s statement, Lady Reina sent me a harsh look.

I did not believe I was at fault here, but at the same time, it felt like an apology would have created the least trouble. “How about I make some crepes for everyone?”

I tried cheering Mrs. Rihn up by offering her the dessert she loved. Most worries went away on a full stomach, especially if it was a favorite dish. After all, there were still a lot of things I needed her to do. For one, I wanted to make solid soap, which was easier to carry around and likely lasted longer, but for that I needed seaweed. And my plan was to have Mrs. Rihn ask Lord Itsuki about acquiring seaweed when she presented him with her report. Any arrangement with the wealthy merchants in the capital was out of my jurisdiction, so I was going to leave that to the statesmen. However, if someone told me I could no longer make soap, it would be time for a discussion without any restraints. And I would put my full power on display.

Itsuki’s Perspective

This term the academy had been very quiet considering there were two relatives of the count among the students. Usually, this would have been a cause of frequent trouble from other students behaving recklessly, but not this time around. Putting all my outstanding personnel in charge of the academy at the risk of me drowning in the additional work had paid off. At least that’s what I had thought. All the reports had been positive, saying there were no problems. However, in reality, it had not been quiet at all.

The agriculture improvement plan seemed harmless on its surface, but deep within wriggled a monster just waiting to burst out. How was the first report several days after the approval about the successful manufacturing of soap already? That was a first-round knockout.

The only reason the prudent folk of the council had half-heartedly approved this project was because they had thought that, “This won’t produce any results in the next ten years anyway and will be over before it even begins.” No one giving approval, including me, had anticipated that this plan was going to succeed. We had all just assumed that it was another project doomed to failure. As a result, all these self-important people now ended up looking like complete idiots, spitting out their drinks in surprise. Faced with this emergency, I had immediately called a meeting with my most trusted personnel to get a grasp on the situation.

“Can someone please explain what happened?”

This is no good. I had ended up asking in a desperate tone, making me question my own sanity. I needed to act more appropriately as the next-in-line and current acting count, put in charge by my father and dear sister.

I mustered up some strength and gave it another go. “Make it easy to understand.”

Still no good. My mind was not just slowly withering away, but it had now broken in two.

“An easy-to-understand explanation...” Rihn gave my broken self a worried look.

There were many outstanding maids serving under the Count of the Sacula region, but Rihn was exceptional even among them. She was born into a family that had been producing outstanding talents for generations, and she was splendidly living up to the expectations, handling her heavy responsibilities despite her young age. She was so exceptional that I could not have found a better person to leave in charge of the academy with the prospect of not just one but two greatly important students like Arthur and Maika.

It looked like that exceptional maid had just come up with a response as she gave a slight nod while looking at me straight in the eyes. “We are going to have a lot of work ahead of us.”

“That is easy to understand. I guess we’ll be busy.” Things were going to get rough.

By the way, Rihn, did you lose heart too? Did your mind break already? Since she was such a capable maid, she hardly ever let her emotions show. It almost made me cry to think that she had reached her limits. There was no use relying on her any further. Still, her reaction was understandable considering that the Royche family, the wealthy soap merchants, wielded their influence as subordinates of Marquis Datara. Since we lived in a remote region, it was difficult to verify all the information, but it appeared that the Royche family’s monopoly on soap production was protected by the military power and authority of the marquis. In the worst-case scenario, this had the potential to end up in a conflict with a fellow noble house. I needed to inform my father as soon as possible.

Since Rihn seemed to be taken out of the equation, I decided to question another person in the room. “You must have known about this.”

I may have come off a bit strong, but it could not be helped in this situation. I was talking to Yae, who was another one of the three people whom I had called into my office for an emergency meeting. Since she was in charge of classroom teaching, I assumed that she had known about Ash’s intentions to make soap. Considering Ash had to go through her to consult any references at the library, there was no way she didn’t.

“He really went ahead and made soap... Ash’s something else...”

Hey, it’s no time to be impressed. This is a huge problem. “Yae, do you not feel responsible at all?”

“Responsible? For what?” Her puzzled expression resembled that of my dear sister.

“I mean, it’s a problem if he suddenly starts making soap even though no one knew the formula until now.”

“How is that a problem? The formula itself is openly available at the temple library. Although I will admit that I was unable to decipher some parts. Ash simply deciphered those parts. Besides, it appears that he’s been wanting to make soap since his time back at Noscula village. “Unpredictable” is the best word to describe Ash. In my function as priest, I plan on continuing to support him.”

That’s not what I wanted to hear. Given the current state of affairs, there was no one besides the Royches who made soap. It was the source of their huge profits, which gave them great political influence.

“I’m serving as a priest first and foremost. I will pray to the three gods for the restitution and diffusion of knowledge.”

Damn you! I’m sure you didn’t report anything because you knew I might try and stop all this! But what an interesting—I mean, preposterous development!

As I enviously glared at my grown-up cousin, she was puffed up with pride. “Besides, as a priest, I cannot overlook the monopolization of technology and knowledge by the Royche family and all the others serving Marquis Datara. As I see it, someday someone will have to destroy their stronghold. And in that case, I don’t see why it shouldn’t happen now at the hands of the Count of Sacula.”

Damn, that was cool. I almost felt inclined to agree. “That’s not what I meant. Even if I grant you that point, I still wished you would have consulted with me first.”

“I did put it in the written report. Although I’ll admit that I knew you wouldn’t have time to read it...”

“Don’t sneak all the responsibility on me...”

She used to adore me and call me her “older brother,” but it looked like she had fully become an Amanobe maiden... My mother had taught my dear sister that an Amanobe knew no defeat in love. If that had only applied to romance it would have been fine, but it seemed that, regardless of the objective, the women in our family didn’t shy away from any methods to ensure victory.

“Besides...” she began once again.

“What else?”

“There is no way to stop Ash.”

“Why? He is a polite, clever, and I would say very understanding boy. Surely you can reason with him.”

After I declared my assessment of Ash, Rihn and Yae both smirked at me as if I was an unknowing newcomer at the academy.

“What’s with that reaction? Did I say something wrong?”

I directed my question towards Baleas, the third academy staff member whom I had called to the meeting.

He replied while searching for the right words with a strained smile. “Ash is... How should I say this... He is indeed polite. And clever. But, if you asked me whether you can reason with him...”

“Definitely not.”

“Yeah, there’s no way.”

What happened, everyone? Why do you all look so enlightened?

“Be careful, Lord Itsuki.” Baleas addressed me like he would one of his soldiers heading out to their first battle. “Ash achieves everything he wants to do using his politeness and cleverness.”

Rihn and Yae both nodded along to Baleas’ words.

“Lord Itsuki, I didn’t lie when I mentioned in my report that there have been no real problems so far.”

“Nevertheless, the agriculture improvement plan has reached you. Think about that.”

Hm? What did they mean? Rihn presented that project. And Yae kept silent until now so that no one could interfere. Finally, Ash accompanied Baleas to my office to make sure that I read the plan even though I had no time on my hands. Had all three of my staff members already been enticed by Ash? And now... Now he had come for me too. This was an occasion to rejoice that my dear sister and brother-in-law were even better at picking out gifted people than I had imagined, not shudder in fear that my worries for this year’s students had been replaced with a completely different kind of chaos. Someone, please agree.

“There is one positive thing that has come out of all of this.”

Stop it, Rihn. Don’t say “one.” Surely there are more positive things.

“Lord Arthur seems to enjoy himself very much in Ash’s company. There really haven’t been any big issues so far. In that regard, my job has been easier than expected.”

“...I’m glad to hear that.”

My dear sister, my dear brother-in-law, what in the world have you sent us?

●　●　●

After trying the liquid soap for three days on myself I did not notice any side effects like redness or itching. I concluded there were no major issues and continued my human experiments. Until now, I had always relied on Lady Maika and acquaintances for test subjects, but thanks to Lord Itsuki I was able to enlist more help. How wonderful.

“As such, this is the trial product which will help maintain sanitary conditions. I want you to help test its effectiveness.”

I bowed in front of the dwellers of the shabby buildings, only slightly better than a shack, just outside the city wall. It was a powerful picture seeing them stand there in their plain clothes with a sullen expression and dirt all over them. Many had scars on their foreheads and cheeks. That was no surprise considering they all had tattoos on the nape of their necks, marking them as former criminals who were currently sentenced to prison labor.

Yes, my new recruits were prisoners. Since their punishment was to collect all the waste and garbage from the city, they were a good fit for helping me make the compost from animal feces. It just took a few written lines from Lord Itsuki to add a small task to their daily schedule.

“If your skin feels uncomfortable in any way, please stop using it and let me know. For example, if it feels itchy or it turns red.”

“So you don’t just want us to handle your shit, but you also want us to test your poison.” A man in his thirties, who was considered to be the leader among the prisoners, raised his concern in a threatening voice.

“You are Belgo, right?” Belgo seemed surprised to hear me call him by his name. “You do not have to worry, I have tested it on myself to see if there were no issues, so it is not poison. However, it may not be a good fit for everyone. There could be side effects for people with sensitive skin, which I want you to help me find out.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. What do you want us to do?”

“I want you to use this liquid soap and wash yourselves. Just like you do when you clean off the dirt with lye.” Plant ashes were used as the main detergent in this world. They did not foam, but helped to get rid of dirt.

Belgo carefully considered my words while tilting his head in contemplation before taking the small bottle of liquid soap in his hand and examining it with an uneasy look on his face. “So you want me to rub this... thing, whatever it is, on my body?”

“It is liquid soap. To be precise, if you dilute it with water it foams...” I was not in the mood to explain it in detail. The prisoners were currently all dirty and, quite frankly, smelly, so I wanted to get started with the experiment right away. “It is faster if I just show you. Let us go outside. Come on, Belgo, you will be our first specimen.” I took his hand and led the middle-aged men outside the house.

“Hey! What’re you doing?”

“Conducting an experiment and improving your hygiene!”

Although the latter only made up about 30 percent of the plan. Don’t resist. Keep moving along.

I made them fill the wooden tub, where they usually bathed themselves, and had them bring clothes to use as towels. It almost felt as if I was back in my past life when I put the soap on the wet cloth and it started to foam. For some reason, the prisoners moved back one, or rather three steps. Was it that weird seeing this for the first time?

“Why are you just idly standing there, Belgo? Please take off your clothes!”

“Don’t mess with me! Why would I volunteer after seeing something this suspicious?”

A sticky liquid that suddenly started to foam did not seem that suspicious to me... Well, maybe a little. Either way, it was nothing that should have scared a grown man. Let’s keep going.

“How pathetic for a grown man. There is nothing to be scared of. I am holding it in my bare hands.”

“Are you calling me pathetic?!”

“A small child is telling you that there is no issue with it and yet you are still afraid. That would seem pathetic to anyone.”

“You little brat! I’ll show you!”

Belgo’s face turned red and he threw off his clothes at once. That’s the spirit.

Luckily, Lady Maika and Lord Arthur had not come along. Mrs. Rihn and Lord Itsuki had prevented them from coming, considering it was a meeting with prisoners.

“Bring it on!”

“Please show me your back!”

He was striking a daunting pose, but I did not intend to wash his front. Hearing my request, he turned over, showing me his back.

“Let me know if it hurts.”

“It’s going to hurt?!”

It did not seem like he understood my joke. His back curled up.

“Just for caution’s sake. It is the first time I am using it on someone other than myself. But Arthur and Maika have also touched the soap, so contact alone should not result in any problem.”

“O-Okay. Hey, be a little bit more careful! ...For caution’s sake.”

Since I could not be bothered, I started rubbing his back with all my might.

“Hey!!” he yelled.

“Did you say something?” I enjoyed seeing the tough Belgo react like this. It made me want to tease him some more.

“I said you should be more careful after giving me a warning! Don’t scrub so hard! Are you sure this is safe?”

“All is fine! ...Probably.” I laughed while continuing to scrub his back. The liquid soap seemed to work quite well as the dirt on his back came falling off easily. “Hm. I see, I see.”

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“Everyone, come have a look! Is this not amazing?” Ignoring Belgo, I asked the other prisoners for their opinion. It was fun to see Belgo squirm more and more as they all expressed their amazement.

However, I did not want to tease him too much, so I handed him the cloth so he could see for himself by washing the front.

“Wait, is this dirt coming off? That’s unbelievable.”

“Yes, there was a lot of dirt piled up. By the way, you can also wash your scalp, although your hair might end up becoming a bit damaged, like stiff or dry.”

I remembered that in my past life there had also been different soap specifically for hair, most likely made up of a different formula. That was another item on my list.

“It will just damage the hair? I don’t mind that. I don’t want my head to stay dirty when my body is this clean.”

“In the three days that I have tested it there have been no issues so far, so use it as you like.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

Seeing how their leader gradually lost his hesitation washing his body, the other prisoners started taking off their clothes too. It took less than a minute for me to be surrounded by naked prisoners covered in foam.

“Wow, this feels great!”

“I can’t believe it! Even the smell’s gone!”

“This is the first time I’ve felt this refreshed since coming here!”

It appeared to be a success.

“I am going to repeat myself, but your skin may turn red or start itching. In that case, please let me know.” Also, make sure you don’t catch a cold while being naked outside. “You can also use this soap to wash your clothes, not just your body.” As soon as I mentioned that, everyone covered in bubbles stopped moving.

“Are you serious? That’s amazing!”

“We can use it on our clothes too?”

“I can’t wait to enjoy my next meal completely clean.”

“Does that mean I can finally get rid of the strong smell of my clothes?”

They must have gone through a lot of hardships until now. Ending up here as prisoners, their lives must not have been easy.

Belgo emerged from the frolicking bunch. He looked me straight in the eyes with a serious expression on his face. It was as if he was searching my soul for any dirt.

“Little brat, what’s your plan doing all this?”

“My plan? Well, I guess I want to promote good hygiene.”

“Is that going to help you?”

“Is it going to help me? It is a prerequisite; the absolute minimum requirement. If the sanitary conditions are bad, infectious diseases and epidemics break out easily.”

I imagined that was one of the reasons why they had been made to live outside the city wall. It appeared that there was a high death rate among these prisoners.

“No one’s ever cared about that,” Belgo protested.

“That is the problem. None of you are condemned to death, so we have to make sure you are healthy and cultured while you are serving your sentence.” We are going to work together starting today.

As such, I could not have them live worse than beasts, surrounded by bad odor day and night. Since I did not want to keep constantly dealing with the composting process myself, I needed to teach them the basics. If possible, I even wanted them to learn how to read and write, so they could help me keep records and write reports. It was only an idea for now, but it seemed important. I decided to work towards setting up a study group for them.

As I was adding a new step to my plan in my head, Belgo exchanged glances with his prisoner friends. “I think I know what you want. We just need to knead the shit that you bring us.”

“Yes! I realize it is not an easy task, but it is important. I would greatly appreciate your help.”

“I don’t see how it’s important, but I’ll do the job.”

It was the first time that I saw his nihilistic but charming smile. Maybe I would have been a bit more impressed if he had not been naked and covered in bubbles. Please put on some clothes, or you’re going to end up catching a cold!

Over the past two months, Belgo and the other prisoners had been hard at work. Inside a shed that was built near a farm for the purpose of composting, part of the animal manure had fermented enough that it could be used as fertilizer. If I used it in the kitchen garden, it should make it in time for the summer harvest. I planned on giving the prisoners the yield as a reward. I also helped as much as I could, but the work required for composting was really tough.

The feces and the materials needed for composting, such as straw, borrowed the strength of microbes to create the nutrients necessary to act as fertilizer. As always, I lacked fundamental knowledge to fully comprehend the process, but part of the microbes broke down the ammonia, turning it into nitrogen, which acted as a nutrient for the plants. In order for those microbes to properly execute their functions, the compost had to be stirred. The inside of the compost had to be filled with air, while at the same time maintaining a consistent temperature, not too hot and not too cold.

This delicate work was carried out inside a stinky shed filled with heat and humidity generated by the compost pile. On top of that, parasites regularly came by to say hi from inside the raw materials. It brought me to tears. While I was mentally an adult, I still could not help but cry. I was glad Belgo and the others helped me. On every occasion I thanked them for their work with all my heart.

I motivated myself to set foot inside the kitchen garden for the sake of Belgo and the others who had been doing their best, and above anything else, for myself. I tightly grasped a jar filled with compost. It no longer smelled bad. It made sense, since the microbes had transformed the ammonia, the source of the smell, into nitrogen. Realizing this, I was impressed by how well it had turned out. Also, it did no longer feel sticky like the excreta. Instead, it felt soft and smooth, like good quality soil. I was reminded of the time I planted potatoes in elementary school in my past life. The fertilizer back then felt the same.

“It took a long time to get this far.”

Closing my eyes, I relived the memories of standing in the field in the village for the first time. I could still vividly recall my blank amazement when I learned that I had to cultivate the field with low-quality tools and without any help from either humans or domestic animals. When I saw my first harvest, I felt hopeless, like all my hard work had been washed away by the rain. At that moment, I blankly stared at my hands, which had become rough and injured from all the field work.

Some time later, after Mrs. Yuika had read me the story that changed everything, I roused myself and headed back to the field in an attempt to try something new, but I did not know what to do. I felt powerless. I was shivering from head to toes, as if someone had poured a bucket of freezing cold water over me. Back then, I still lacked the knowledge to do anything.

On top of all those painful memories, now my thoughts headed back to the more recent memory of the composting process. Anyway, I had made it all the way here. Finally, all of my efforts had come to this.

Next to me, Lady Maika touched and checked the inside of the jar with great interest. “It really is like good quality soil! Just like it said in our references. It’s astonishing if you know what it’s made of!” Her words sounded lively. She was quite strong-minded, touching the compost while knowing the process.

“Yes, in this condition it is more than suitable to use as a fertilizer. All that is left now is to use it and keep track of the progress.”

Lady Maika was the only person helping me with the field work. Lady Reina, who was going to bear the future of the city, and Lord Arthur, who presumably had similar responsibilities, were advised not to participate in the practical work, since fertilizer produced from animal manure was still considered taboo. In fact, Lady Maika had also been told to refrain, but she did not seem to care.

“Let us get started then, Maika!”

“Yeah! Leave it to me! I’ve read our plan several times.”

She was very quick on the uptake. It prompted me to express my honest gratitude towards my childhood friend. “Thank you for always helping me, Maika.”

“Hehe, you’re welcome,” she replied with a smile on her flushed face while fumbling with her hair.

She was a cheerful and open-hearted girl, but it seemed like she was embarrassed by my direct words of gratitude. Similarly, I felt a little embarrassed by my frank statement.

“But I’ve not been doing that much! I should be the one thanking you!” she added.

Usually, I would have replied saying something like, “I am glad that is how you feel,” but this time around I just smiled. Somehow, I felt that was the most appropriate response. It appeared that our bond had truly deepened. It was more of a reflex than anything. It felt like this different approach was better suited to the situation. Nothing really happened afterwards.

Lady Maika looked at me in surprise before smiling like always. “Let’s get started,” she happily said.

“Yes, let us start.”

Now, I would have loved to just dump this compost which was the product of a lot of hard work on the ground, but unfortunately, that was not how it worked. Since fertilizer contained a condensation of nutrients non-existent in the natural soil, the crops were at risk of being damaged if you did not moderate the amount. The books referred to it as “fertilizer burn” which was a perfectly fitting name in my opinion.

“Is this enough?” Lady Maika confirmed with me after digging a hole the circumference of her wrist.

“Yes, it should be. Although I am not quite sure myself until we test it.”

There were many things that only became clear after trying them out yourself no matter how many sources you consulted. One of the reasons for this was the minute divergences between the different uses of compost. It all depended on the environment of the soil, the nutrients in the compost itself, the type of crops, the type of fertilization, as well as the current season and weather. Since the space on the pages was limited, not everything was written down, and above anything else, we were not able to measure many of the relevant phenomena. I had no idea how to investigate the composition of the soil and compost. I probably could have determined whether it was acidic or alkaline, but that was about it.

Lady Maika, who had shared my worries when we worked on the plan, agreed with a bitter smile. “Making the compost was a lot of work, but this part won’t be easy either.”

“Exactly. It is a lot harder than expected to engage with nature.”

Apparently, in the early period of the ancient civilization they had been capable of analyzing the composition of the soil. It showed how magnificent they were, similar to the ancestors from my past life. I wondered how many people had contributed to the book that we consulted. It could not have been just one or two writers and editors. In the long course of history, there must have been a series of nameless, faceless people whose success and failures made up this book. Imagining that I was at the end of that line, even something as simple as farming was fun. Regrettably, our working area was limited because it was a kitchen garden, though. Considering that I used to want to run away from field work in the past, I felt like I had matured quite a bit.

Next to me, Lady Maika looked at me. She seemed to be enjoying herself too, probably reminiscing fondly about the farm work back at the village.

We both continued working with a smile on our faces until a group of five students our age approached us from a distance. The atmosphere suddenly felt stuffy, just like it did back at the compost shed. The group was whispering and letting out nasty laughs while blatantly looking in our direction. They mocked us as “poor hicks,” said we were a “good match for the animal poo,” and talked about us “sullying the reputation of the academy.” Even though they lowered their voices, I heard everything they were saying. What a bunch of troubling kids. Look, Lady Maika’s mood has taken a sudden turn for the worse because of you! I myself did not get mad at their childish jests considering I was already an adult on the inside. I was so mature that I felt at peace by simply devising a plan for revenge.

The group of five was centered around Moldo, who was the son of an influential person in this city. This was just a personal impression, but he seemed like the stereotypical child who had grown up without any hardships and pouted whenever he was not number one. Considering that he was not among the top of the class this term in either literary or military arts, he must have been fuming. After all, our agriculture improvement plan had catapulted us to the top for the literary arts, and Lady Maika was fighting for the top spot of the military arts with a strong boy called Glen. That fact must have hurt his childish pride immensely, leading him to this counterproductive action. It would have been more productive if he read a book or practiced his sword swinging skills, rather than increasing his slander skills.

Another reason for his actions was surely Lady Maika’s popularity. On top of having perfect manners, Mrs. Yuika’s beloved daughter was friendly and sociable, making her just as well-liked in the city as she had been in the village. Lady Reina was also just as popular. While she was strictly adhering to the rules, she was caring and trustworthy, like an older sister. This seemed to appeal to a lot of people. Moldo was no exception. He seemed to like both of them, but his methods of approach were beyond clumsy; they were just plain wrong. I did not think that reasoning with a boy going through puberty would have produced any results. He was of the age where he wanted to tease the girls he liked.

On the other hand, Glen, who also seemed to be attracted to Lady Maika, directly approached her via martial arts training, trying to impress her with his physical prowess, so there was no bright future ahead for Moldo in comparison. Especially since Lady Maika also had a good impression of Glen. Although she apparently considered him more of a strong rival rather than a love interest...

Consequently, my anger and exasperation towards Moldo and his crew were easily converted to pity. Although, I’ll admit that my anger gauge is still filling up as they keep gossiping right behind my back.

While I was hoping they would soon just give up and go away, Lady Maika suddenly showed her anger. It looked like she had reached her limit before me. “Ash, I think we need to do something about them.”

“Do we? I think we should just ignore them for now.”

“But they are making fun of you!”

Lady Maika looked cute as she was in a huff with her puffed cheeks. It reminded me of our encounter with Jigil back at the village. I wondered how his hunter apprenticeship was going.

While I was caught up in nostalgia, Lady Maika let out an angry sigh. “Ash, you’re really something else. You’re not even angry at them.”

I was angry, but I did not feel like they were worth my time, so I just swallowed my anger.

“To be honest, I have not even been listening to what they are saying.”

“Really? Have you been ignoring them?”

“Yes. I have nothing to gain from listening to them.”

As long as you were human, slander always somehow found its way to your ears, so I could not completely ignore it, but I dealt with it by treating it as “the noise of a small gnat.” It was bothering me, but since I was dealing with an insect, there was no point in reacting.

“That’s pretty harsh...” Lady Maika remarked.

“Is it?”

“I feel like it’s worse than shouting back in anger.”

Isn’t it more peaceful than reacting, though? “If they wanted to talk things through, then it would probably be better to face them even though they are badmouthing me. But if they are just letting off steam there is no point in taking them seriously.”

“Do you think they are just letting off steam?” She looked at the five students, who were still at it. “You may be right. I don’t think anything we could say would stop them.”

“Judging from what they are saying, it seems that they do not like us very much. And people’s dislikes do not change that easily. Besides, I have no interest in hearing anyone’s one-sided preferences if it does not further the conversation. Especially if they are not positive. Of course, that does not apply to hearing the preferences of someone you like.”

“You’re right! I’d want to know those too! I like your Hamburg steak!”

“I will make you one soon!”

Seeing her nod excitedly made me realize that she was still a child at heart.

“Either way, it is not like it is harmless, but pointless—there is really no point to it. We would just end up wasting their time too. Just treat them like they are an annoying gnat.”

I was very busy, so I could not really spare any time. If they just wanted to complain, I was sure the majestic rock over there was more than willing to listen to them.

“I see. I think I now understand why you can rush along without paying attention to your surroundings.”

“What? I feel like, other than slander, I pay a lot of attention to my surroundings...”

She just ignored my response. It probably sounded like an annoying gnat to her.

“But while you may be fine with it, I still think they’re causing trouble.” She sent a deadly stare in their direction.

“Well, you are right, but...” I felt that it was going to be more bothersome to engage with them than simply leave it be.

“Yeah, I understand that you don’t want to waste your time on them.” She reassured me with a nod. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

Seeing her lively, determined expression, I felt a slight chill run down my spine.

The night after hearing Lady Maika’s declaration of war, I asked my roommate for advice.

“So could you please help Maika if she gets herself into any trouble?”

“Yeah, she can sometimes become very determined...”

Lord Arthur showed a wry smile while raising their eyebrows and putting a hand on their chin. It was an expression of both resignation and affection.

“Leave it to me. I don’t like that kind of malicious gossip either, so I’ll help where I can. I’ll try making up for not being able to help with the compost.”

“Thank you. I feel relieved hearing you will help.”

“Now I feel really responsible hearing you say that. I need to brace myself.” They stared at me with a smile, as if they enjoyed that responsibility.

It should be said that we had this conversation sitting next to each other on the bottom bunk bed. That was nothing unnatural for roommates, but it could have been considered a risky situation in this case, since she was a girl of high social status and I a heterosexual boy. I felt like I deserve some applause for my virtuous behavior so far.

As I was waiting for my applause from all over the world, Lord Arthur suddenly adopted a serious expression. “But it’s unfortunate that our serious project is being ridiculed. I can see why Maika would get upset.”

“Well, considering what we are doing, I can also understand why you would want to keep your distance not knowing any details.”

Especially to someone from a good upbringing, it must have seemed unbearable to see us handle something so unclean.

“Maybe, but you’ve made sure that proper sanitary measures are taken. It seems rude to denounce it as dirty without knowing anything.” It was unusual to see the aristocratic, calm Lord Arthur criticize someone else with such a strict expression. “Since I’m living with you, I can say with confidence that I know no one who is taking as much care of their appearance as you are. You may lack a certain noble style and high-class accessories, but you have impeccable cleanliness, and above anything else, perfect manners. I like you much more than Moldo.”

I was overjoyed hearing that from someone elegantly wearing high-class accessories themselves. I was getting closer to my objective of becoming a perfect gentleman.

“Thank you. It gives me confidence to hear you say that you like me.”

“I mean as friends, of course! I like you as a friend!”

“Yes, thank you.”

Lord Arthur was a girl after all. As such, she was in a difficult position, where she had to be careful when using the word “like.” Men were simple creatures prone to misunderstanding and getting excited too soon, after all. I’ll make sure to take care too.

“However, I have to apologize to you,” I said.

“Why? Did you do something wrong? What did you do, Ash?”

Holding their chin, Lord Arthur inclined their head to the side. Underneath their bangs, their eyes were blinking in confusion.

“Networking is one of the purposes of this academy. I imagine that is not going great for you, since I got you involved in my plan and everyone else is avoiding you now. I am sorry for selfishly causing you trouble.”

“What are you talking about?” Lord Arthur looked genuinely puzzled. I did not know what to say in response to this unexpected reaction. “Ash, you’re a genius, but sometimes you’re just human.”

Wait, I’ve always been a human.

Including my past-life memories, I did not recall any time where I stopped being one. Although, admittedly, it would have been hard to deny if someone had called me “undead.”

While I looked like I had received a pie to my face in jest, Lord Arthur smiled gently. “My networking has been a success so far. I’ve become friends with Reina, who excels at all civil service-related things, and Maika, who is accomplished in both literary and military arts. I’ve also had my eyes on Glen, who is a pure fighter type. He’s also been approaching me more often lately.”

Ah, it made sense that Glen, who was attracted to Lady Maika, would also often interact with Lord Arthur, one of her close friends.

“You see, I’ve been getting involved with all the people who are top of the class,” Lord Arthur concluded.

“Now that you mention it...”

“And above all, with you, Ash.”

Me? The problem child sticking out like a sore thumb?

“Not just in relation to the academy itself—you are the most interesting person I’ve ever met. You’re intelligent, you get things done, and while you’re very carefully researching things, you don’t mind getting your hands dirty experimenting with compost. All your actions are very reckless.”

I see. I’ve been put in the “oddball” category. Can’t deny that.

“But even though you’re reckless, I have a lot of fun around you. You keep showing me new things and moving me. The capital was much more diverse than this place, but I never enjoyed myself this much. I didn’t realize the world could be such a fun place until I met you.”

It seemed that she had talked herself into excitement, as redness was shining through her cheeks. Her calm, aristocratic attitude had given way to the face of a young girl brimming with curiosity.

I’m glad you’re enjoying the sensory scientific experiment attraction presented by Ash, the guy with past-life memories.

“Besides, if it wasn’t for you, people would have only approached me because I’m related to the count. I realize that that’s inevitable for someone like me, but...” Her excited face, which had shone like the sun illuminating a sapling, was suddenly shrouded in dark clouds. “But if I’m going to be used, I don’t want it to be because of my lineage or social standing. I wanted them to look at me as who I am. Even if it was just for a little bit...”

I kept my mouth shut listening to her soliloquy. I did not carelessly acknowledge her past tense narration with any interjections. She had likely just told me something that was supposed to stay secret.

“That’s why I was so happy when I met you. You were excited when you heard that I could read and write and calculate. You wanted me to help because of my skills.”

“Since there was such a brilliant person in front of me in my time of need, I had to ask for your help with all my might.”

“Yeah, all your might. Haha, it felt indeed a bit overwhelming.”

Because I had locked on to you as a target for my workforce. And Lady Maika had rebuked me.

“You are good at using people. Saying ‘using’ might sound bad, but... I remember an instance where I felt extremely uneasy in the past when someone asked for my help. But with you, I want to help out of my own will.”

It was hard to look directly at her smile, which concealed the countless open wounds from which she was suffering. Who on earth would hurt such a young, delicate girl? And not just any girl—she was an extraordinarily brilliant girl. If you hurt her, you hurt the world. Or to be precise, you hurt me whom she was presently helping. It was inconvenient for me if she thought that the concept of “using someone” or “being used” was a burden. In this case, I had to prove to her that neither were bad. She needed to look at it from a different angle.

“I do not think you are hurting because you were used.”

“I don’t know... Since it’s you, I’m going to ask: Why do you think that?”

“No one gets hurt simply from being used. You are hurting because someone hurt you.”

Of course, in this case the word “using” meant to rely on someone. It was rigorously distinct from situations where it referred to someone using a person with the intention of harming them from the start.

“I do not know what you went through in the past, but please do not confuse people who approach you with ill will and those who just want your help.” Like me. “It can be difficult to make the distinction. You have to be careful. However, since you are an influential person, there will always be a lot of people asking for your help. You do not have to answer all of them. Just make sure to help those who truly are in need. I know you can do it.” I am begging you. I still need your help, so please keep being someone who’s easy to use.

“Yeah, there may be people who just want my help among those who are trying to use me.”

“There definitely are. I am one of them.”

As I proclaimed with a serious look on my face, it seemed that her restraints had come off and she burst into laughter. “If you say so yourself, there’s no doubt about it.”

I promise you with all my heart, sincere intentions and ulterior motives included.