When Alfred rushed over upon hearing that aid had arrived from Count Bruno, he found about fifty people huddled there, barely clothed and wearing anxious expressions.
…What on earth is going on?…
As Alfred stood there dumbfounded, unable to process the situation, an elderly gentleman stepped forward from among the group.
”A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Alfred Lindrott.”
He kept his back straight, placed his left hand on his abdomen, his right hand behind his back, and bowed from the waist upward.
”…This is… the butler’s formal bow..,” Flora murmured under her breath.
The man slowly raised his head and continued speaking, meeting Alfred’s gaze directly.
”My name is Brooks Gardner. I have served the Riegel family as head butler since the previous generation’s time. However, I have recently received orders from Count Bruno, and have thus come to this Lindrott territory.”
”…Huh? A butler… here to support our village?” Alfred looked puzzled.
Brooks offered an apologetic expression and explained the reason. “…The truth is, I have been dismissed from the Riegel family.”
”…Wait… what?” At Brooks’s shocking declaration, Alfred, Flora, and everyone who heard it froze in place.
”As I mentioned earlier, I have served the Riegel family since the previous generation. The previous lord treated me exceptionally well, so I devoted myself wholeheartedly, hoping to repay that kindness. Naturally, I also endeavored to educate young Lord Bruno from childhood, so that he might become a fine lord in the future. Of course, there were many occasions where I had to offer criticism, but it seems that Lord Bruno did not take kindly to that.”
”…Strict old butlers are the same everywhere, aren’t they?” Flora seemed to recall something, her face twisting bitterly as if she’d had similar experiences.
Seeing the three-maid Sarah, guard Mireille, and Maria-turn toward Flora with expressions of strange understanding while nodding vigorously, Alfred wondered just how much trouble Flora might have caused…
”Lady Flora may seem one way, but she’s quite the tomboy, so she often gets scolded by the old butler..,” Sarah the maid sidled up and whispered to Alfred.
”And she’s quite a klutz,” Mireille the guard added.
”…And on top of that, she’s quite the glutton,” Maria piled on.
”Hey!? I can hear you!! The three of you, you’re going to pay for this later!!” Flora shouted, her face bright red, but the three paid her no mind. They calmly returned to their positions and stood there with innocent expressions, as if nothing had happened.
”…Flora, I’m sorry I never noticed before. I’ll increase your portions from now on.”
”Wha-!? Even you, Lord Al!? That’s so mean-!?”
…Pfft… Ahahahahaha!!
Laughter erupted from the people who had been listening to this exchange. The anxious faces from before had softened somewhat, everyone’s expressions more relaxed now.
”It seems you all get along splendidly. How heartwarming. Now then, to continue from earlier…”
…Ah, I forgot…
Everyone’s faces tensed up again.
”Even after Lord Bruno became head of the family, I continued to offer him necessary advice. However, as time passed, he gradually stopped listening. And recently, finding me troublesome, he began to distance himself and surround himself with others.”
…Ah, so that’s why when I visited Count Bruno’s manor the other day, there was a young man by his side…
Alfred recalled the face of the person he’d met at Count Bruno’s manor during the Reversi incident.
”Nevertheless, I still felt the weight of the previous lord’s kindness. I believed it was my duty to correct Lord Bruno when he went astray. But lately, he’s not only refused to listen but has only grown more arrogant. And the final straw was this matter of supporting the Lindrott territory.”
”…Huh? Our territory is involved in this?” Alfred’s expression grew perplexed.
”No matter how many times I urged him, Lord Bruno refused to take this support for the Lindrott territory seriously. This, despite having received such magnificent gifts as Reversi and chess. During the inspection, he made no proper arrangements for troop formation, only scrambling to gather soldiers after seeing Margrave Rommel’s forces-and what a sorry sight that was. The soldiers were far from elite, to put it generously. Even for supplies, he begrudged reducing inventory, and refused to issue life-saving herbs or potions because they cost money.”
…So that’s why Granny Luciola had that look on her face when she was distributing potions…
”…The results were as disastrous as you can see. Moreover, despite Lord Alfred graciously providing potions for the soldiers, Lord Bruno stubbornly refuses to pay for them.”
”…Ah-well, I didn’t do it for the money, so it’s fine…”
”And now, regarding this support mission. Lord Bruno thought a few sacks of wheat would suffice, but upon seeing the scale of Margrave Rommel’s support force passing through the capital of Granliger, he was astonished. Then, in a panic, he remembered that the Lindrott territory was seeking personnel, and decided to use this opportunity to dispose of inconvenient people under the guise of providing support. And so, I was dismissed from the Riegel family and exiled to the Lindrott territory-supposedly as ‘support.’”
”…That’s horrible… Absolutely horrible..,” Flora’s face burned with anger.
”Lord Alfred Lindrott. I am an old man of fifty-eight years. If you say you have no use for such an elder, I will drift off somewhere else. However, if you would be so kind-could you give me some work? I’ll do anything, even weeding. I cannot let my family starve. I humbly beg your consideration.”
Looking beyond Brooks, Alfred spotted a woman-probably his wife-looking anxious in the background.
”It is not only Brooks who was dismissed from the manor and exiled from the Riegel family under the guise of support.”
Stepping forward beside Brooks was a beautiful woman who appeared to be around thirty.
”A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Alfred Lindrott. I am Camilla Taylor, formerly head maid of the Riegel family.”
Camilla performed an exquisite curtsy.
”…Including myself, all of those behind me are people who were dismissed from the Riegel family, along with their families.”
She turned to look behind her.
And then, the introductions began.
**Luche Prillare, 13 years old.**
The third daughter of the Prillare Knightly House. She had been delighted to be hired as a maid in the Riegel Viscounty, but that joy was short-lived. When Bruno attempted to force himself on her, she kicked him in the groin and was convicted of disrespect, then exiled to the Lindrott territory.
**Camilla Taylor, 28 years old.**
The third daughter of the Taylor Baronetcy. Head maid who had served since the previous generation. Her family had fallen into ruin around the time she began working as a maid. The previous lord consoled her in her distress and took her as a concubine while allowing her to continue serving as a maid. Through her own efforts, she rose to head maid, but to the current lord Bruno, his father’s concubine was nothing but an eyesore. Seizing the opportunity, he held her responsible for supervising Luche and exiled her to the Lindrott territory.
**Elenora, 24 years old.**
Blessed with exceptional swordsmanship and leadership abilities, she caught the previous lord’s eye and rose through the ranks to become vice-captain of the Riegel Viscounty Knight Order, despite being a commoner. However, becoming vice-captain made her striking beauty all the more prominent. She caught Bruno’s attention and was relentlessly pursued. She refused to entertain him at all, and he held a grudge over her dismissive rejections. Combined with his long-standing displeasure at a commoner holding the position of vice-captain, she was exiled to the Lindrott territory.
**Mary, 19 years old.**
A diminutive lady who looks no older than eleven or thirteen. An orphanage-raised prodigy of magic who appeared suddenly. Her magical power is unparalleled within the kingdom-enough to erase a major city with a single grand-scale spell. However, she cannot control that power and cannot properly wield magic. Still, the previous lord employed her in hopes that she might prove useful someday. But to Bruno, she was nothing more than a freeloader and a thief of wages. He took the opportunity to exile her to the Lindrott territory.
**Kirsten, 22 years old.**
A member of the Riegel Viscounty Magic Division. She possesses the rare talent of a magic user, but because she is an Earth Magic user-considered the least useful among the four basic elements of Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth-she was treated with extreme coldness by Bruno. It is said that only one high-level Earth Magic user is needed in the Magic Division. This time, she was exiled to the Lindrott territory along with twenty low-level Earth Magic users.
… … … … … …
When the introductions ended, the atmosphere grew heavy.
”How-how horrible. Exiling everyone who’s inconvenient to him under the guise of support… This is just too much! And to treat Lord Al with such utter disrespect! I’ll report this to Father and file a formal protest immediately!!” Flora’s face was red with indignation.
Well, Alfred understood how she felt. But…
”Everyone, welcome to the Lindrott territory. I wholeheartedly welcome all of you. Please lend your strength to rebuilding our village.”
Alfred welcomed them all with a smile.
Trivia:
- Brooks’s formal bow is specifically identified as butler’s formal bow by Flora, indicating she has familiarity with aristocratic household protocols and their precise terminology.
- The pattern of Bruno exiling those who rejected his advances shows he weaponizes authority to punish personal slights, not just political inconvenience.
- Mary’s inability to control her magic despite its immense power creates narrative tension—she is both a potential asset and a potential threat to the fragile Lindrott territory.