One morning, after breakfast, Isaac visited the Office where his grandfather and father worked.
Through the Secretary, he was ushered inside.
At desks on either side of the room, several Secretaries were busy processing stacks of documents.
At the main desk in the back, his grandfather Morgan sat, and next to him, at another desk, his father Randolph worked.
Scrolls and paper documents were piled high on their desks.
"Grandfather, Father, I'm sorry for dropping by suddenly. I'd like to observe your work. I won't be in the way, may I?" Isaac asked politely.
"That's sudden. But... an observation, huh?"
Morgan glanced at Randolph.
(Hmm... Randolph seems a bit slack lately. Perhaps having his son watch will give him a good push.)
Morgan thought a little stimulus might be good.
He granted Isaac permission to observe.
"Very well. But if you get in the way of work, we will stop immediately."
Isaac was a quiet child, yet a warning was necessary.
Though a grandson was cherished, the work had higher priority.
Even a single sheet of paper, depending on the signature, could affect hundreds of people.
Morgan would not let affection cloud his judgment about what was important as a Noble.
"Thank you, Grandfather," Isaac said.
Randolph looked puzzled at Morgan's easy approval.
"Father, is this alright?"
"It's fine. Isaac won't cause trouble... Randolph, remember, in front of your son."
"I understand," Randolph replied.
His father smiled wryly, while Isaac grinned.
Now he was undergoing training to learn practical duties as the next Lord.
The actual work was different from what he had been taught.
There were things he didn't understand and mistakes he would make.
――Everyone wants to appear as a good, respectable parent to their child.
Randolph naturally felt the same.
He resolved, I will show my son the best of me and hide my flaws.
"Isaac, come here," Morgan said, patting his knee.
"Will I disturb your work, Grandfather?" Isaac asked.
"No, it's fine. Randolph is working, and I'm just checking the completed documents."
Morgan reassured him, but Isaac still glanced at Randolph.
Morgan was the head of the Wellrod family.
Yet Isaac, as Randolph's son, had to respect his father as well.
Anyone would find it strange if a child only obeyed the grandfather.
Correct for a Noble, but it's not ideal within the family.
Isaac waited for Randolph to give a slight nod.
Once permitted, he approached his grandfather.
Morgan lifted him effortlessly onto his lap.
"What is Father doing?" Isaac asked.
Morgan explained, "He is processing documents similar to what the Tax Officers handle. To give orders, a Lord must know who to command and how. By doing this work himself, he learns firsthand. One day, you, Isaac, will do this too, so observe now."
"Yes, Grandfather."
Morgan tried to maintain the dignity of a Lord, speaking in complex terms, far beyond a three-year-old's comprehension.
Yet Isaac seemed to understand, so Morgan kept talking.
He was thrilled his grandson took interest in his work, unaware that the content was far too difficult for an ordinary child.
"What kind of work do you do, Grandfather?" Isaac asked.
"I'm reviewing the documents Randolph has processed. There's much to a Lord's work, but it's early and everyone has just started. Until the reports and plans come up from below, I check the documents."
"Being a Lord's work is really hard, isn't it?" Isaac remarked.
Morgan smiled broadly.
It was rewarding when someone understood his work—especially when that someone was his adorable grandson.
"Yes, it is. But a Lord could slack off if he wished, tossing work to subordinates. That is not permitted. If those above are lazy, the people below will naturally rot. Working diligently every day is exhausting, but it is the fate of those born as Nobles. You should be prepared, Isaac."
"Yes, I understand. Grandfather, you are admirable."
"Not at all. This is just a basic mindset."
Even as he spoke, Morgan suppressed his joy at receiving his grandson's admiration.
In front of his staff, he could smile, but showing a silly, doting expression was out of the question.
Still, his heavy breathing betrayed his effort to hold back excitement.
Isaac felt his grandfather's warm breath against the top of his head.
"Father, I've finished. Please review," Randolph said.
Not wanting Morgan to claim all the respect, Randolph handed him the completed documents.
Morgan accepted the documents while keeping Isaac on his lap and began reviewing them.
"Isaac, this is the Financial Report from two months ago for a town in the south called Alster."
"Eh..."
Isaac froze.
Randolph's documents still showed evidence of effort.
Yet they merely categorized expenses and added totals.
If this was post-processing, what had the raw documents looked like?
"What did it look like before this?" Isaac asked.
A fair question. Randolph showed the unprocessed documents.
Seeing the unorganized report, Isaac felt his head might explode.
Daily income and expenses were all jumbled together.
"Toll income one day, equipment expenses, marriage taxes... Another day, toll income, repair costs, death taxes..."
They simply wrote each day's income and expenses in order, without separating income from spending.
And that was just for one month.
Other reports were similar, some even in diary form.
(A kingdom five hundred years old, and this is how they handle documents... What on earth is the culture of this world's humanity?)
Isaac had immense respect for the Tax Officers who processed these documents daily.
Yet he could easily imagine that such inefficiency would ultimately create trouble for him.
"Grandfather, this is..."
"This may be too difficult for Isaac. Our job is to check the compiled documents every day."
Morgan observed Isaac's stunned expression and thought, Even clever, he's still a three-year-old.
But he was wrong.
Isaac wasn't frozen by complexity.
He was frozen by inefficiency.
"Grandfather, may I borrow a pen, ruler, paper, and this report?"
"That's fine, but what do you intend to do?"
"I want to try something."
"Hmm... this desk won't work. Hey, bring a board or something to use underneath."
Morgan called to a Secretary, who retrieved an A2-sized drawing board with a strap—likely for writing while standing.
"Isaac is still small. You won't reach the desk. Will you work on the floor?"
"Yes. I'll be careful not to dirty the carpet."
Isaac smiled, and even Morgan, trying to maintain Lordly dignity, couldn't help relaxing his cheeks.
Grandchildren were truly adorable.
"Is this alright?"
"Yes, thank you, Benjamin."
The Secretary placed the board on the floor next to Morgan's desk.
――Isaac, Morgan, Randolph.
Morgan silently rejoiced at this alignment of three generations of Lords.
Seated on the floor alongside his father Randolph and at a desk, Isaac—the grandson—was aligned with the three generations of Lords.
The day Randolph would take his place as Lord was not far off.
But would Morgan live to see Isaac sit in that very chair?
He found himself gazing into the distant future.
It was because of such reflections that Morgan had missed correcting Isaac's minor Noble faux pas: thanking subordinates directly instead of offering the customary Gokurou (T/N: a polite expression acknowledging someone's hard work).
Isaac placed a sheet of paper on the board and began drawing lines with a ruler.
He was creating a simple income-and-expense table.
It was similar to a spreadsheet he had made during computer lessons in school, now recreated by hand.
He recorded when, why, and how much income had been received, and whether any expenses had occurred that day.
The table was familiar to him, which gave him confidence that it would be acceptable even in this world.
He believed that enduring the initial inefficiency would be worthwhile until everyone became accustomed to a more streamlined method.
Watching Isaac work diligently, Morgan recalled the portrait Isaac had gifted him recently.
(Raising a son requires responsibility, but a grandson can be adored unconditionally... it's true.)
Educating one's son was a father's duty.
But educating a grandson was the son's responsibility.
As a grandfather, all Morgan needed to do was spoil him.
Though he had not wanted to grow old, in moments like this, he thought, Growing older isn't so bad after all.
Randolph had wanted to ask his father about how to handle the documents but hesitated when he saw Morgan absorbed in watching Isaac.
Morgan's earlier resolve seemed to melt away.
He too wanted to see what his son could accomplish.
(Could I take a seat instead?) Randolph mused silently.
"Done! Grandfather, may I show you?" Isaac asked excitedly.
"Ah, let me see. This is..."
Isaac had extracted the daily toll incomes from the reports and summarized them in a new table.
The table was simple.
Not even a rudimentary bookkeeping exercise, but in terms of readability, it surpassed the original reports.
Yet obvious challenges remained.
"This is easier to read than before... but making separate documents for each income and expense is laborious," Morgan remarked.
"That can be handled with printed copies. Once made, it becomes much easier to manage," Isaac replied.
Since printing technology was already common in this world, printing itself was not a high barrier.
Lines could be printed rather than handwriting, making it significantly easier.
"Even if printed, distributing these sheets might confuse people," Morgan said.
"There may be initial resistance, but once accustomed, the advantages become clear. You can see at a glance if any fields are missing."
Isaac pointed to the documents in front of Randolph.
"Also, standardizing paper has its benefits. Scrolls and varying paper sizes make storage and management difficult. If we use uniform sheets and punch holes for binding, they won't scatter or mix with other documents."
"Huh, you're advocating this strongly," Morgan said.
Morgan had always considered Isaac "an unusually quiet child."
Unlike his elder brother Nathan, who constantly demanded new toys or more Confectionery, Isaac's reserved nature left a strong impression.
A quiet child who spent time in the library—rarely did he push for anything.
Yet here he was, making recommendations.
The idea had merit, and what remained was the reasoning.
Was there a deep, unforeseeable reason behind it?
Could Morgan maintain confidence as a grandfather if the reason were beyond his imagination?
Reluctantly, he decided to ask.
"Isaac, you are a clever child... why do you recommend this so strongly? If there is a reason, I would like to hear it."
"I am thinking about when I become Lord. It's like with the library books: some volumes are scrolls, others bound. A mixed series is hard to read. In the future, having easy-to-read documents will make work simpler," Isaac explained.
"I see... I understand now."
Standardizing formats.
It seemed simple, but implementing it would require immense effort.
Isaac proposed it so he could ease his own workload when he became Lord.
Morgan was slightly relieved to hear a childlike reason—but did not realize the sophistication of Isaac's logic.
Perhaps familiarity with Isaac dulled his perception.
"Indeed, there will be short-term effort, but if it makes work easier in the long run, it is worth doing now. Current reports may overlook mistakes. Of course, factors like available staff and budget allocation must be considered, so I'm not insisting it must be done immediately."
"I... see..."
Morgan had always known Isaac was bright, but not this bright.
If a three-year-old could reason this way, what might he achieve in ten years?
Perhaps Morgan should consider retiring early.
He was happy for his grandson's growth, but thoughts of retirement brought a bittersweet tinge.
Yet Randolph had only just begun learning.
He needed to remain active.
And there was a further issue.
"However, that cannot be done."
"Why not?"
It was a good proposal, but there was a solid reason it could not be implemented.
Morgan explained to Isaac:
"Nobles value tradition. Every house has its own methods. Forcing change would meet strong resistance. I cannot compel it."
"I see..."
Isaac's shoulders slumped.
(Strong resistance means I need enough power to enforce it...)
Seeing this, Morgan decided to change the subject.
"By the way, is there anything you want? It helps if you tell me clearly, like Nathan would."
――Bribery with gifts.
That was Morgan's own way of cheering Isaac.
It worked for Nathan, so it could work for a child like Isaac.
"Something I want... money and... allowance, and a flower bed. And a sword too."
Isaac nearly blurted out the truth but managed to hide it.
"Allowance, huh? If you want something, I'll get it for you."
Morgan did not question the sword; Isaac was a boy, naturally interested.
"No, rather than having someone buy it, I'd like to have an allowance and buy things myself."
Though perhaps unnecessary for a Marquis, Isaac wanted to develop a sense of money.
He wanted to acquire things himself rather than be handed them.
It was more effective this way.
"Very well. I'll make it happen. But don't hesitate to tell me if you want anything else."
"Yes, Grandfather."
Morgan lifted Isaac, who beamed, and nuzzled him affectionately.
"Have we finished talking?"
"Y-yes."
Seeing their conversation end, Randolph spoke up.
Morgan realized, Ah, Randolph is here too... and felt slightly embarrassed.
"Father, now that you've finished, could you explain what you just discussed?"
Randolph had not fully understood.
He knew they had spoken about standardizing formats, but not why it was important.
To him, documents—scroll or paper—were fine as long as they were readable.
Isaac's earnest discussion with Morgan seemed utterly puzzling to Randolph.
"Alright. We have time, so let's talk slowly," Morgan said.
It didn't matter that Randolph couldn't yet see the value in their conversation.
The important thing was his willingness to learn.
Morgan only needed to guide him toward understanding.
Randolph was still young; he could learn gradually.
As he watched, Morgan's thoughts drifted.
(Randolph's reaction seems normal... Could it be that Isaac is a reincarnation of my father? ...No, that's impossible.)
Yet the idea crossed Morgan's mind: (Could Isaac be the reincarnation of my father, Jude, who died before Isaac was born?)
Jude, Morgan's own father and Isaac's great-grandfather, had shown early signs of remarkable talent, or so Morgan had heard.
――Perhaps Isaac was reborn to try again, changing things in ways he could not in his previous life.
Morgan found himself musing along those lines.
(No, that can't be. My father was a terrible man, but Isaac is adorable... I must ensure he doesn't grow up like that.)
Determined not to let his cute grandson become like Jude, Morgan resolved to guide him wisely.
(Randolph grew up well, but Isaac's intelligence demands a different approach. Can Randolph and the others handle it properly...?)
Isaac's upbringing should primarily be the responsibility of Randolph and Lucia.
As parents, they needed to grow alongside their child.
Morgan should not interfere unnecessarily from the side.
He could offer support occasionally, but nothing more.
(Come to think of it, I heard before that a pet could help with emotional education. That should be fine.)
Which kind of pet would be suitable?
Morgan thought of consulting with his wife Margaret while gently patting Isaac's head.
He could never have imagined that his adorable grandson was thinking, Once I take over this country, I'll change not only document formats but everything else to suit my purposes, far more audacious than even Jude had dared.
Notes:
• Ran - She is a gentle orphan, appeared as Mobu's close friend, surviving the demon attack in their secret hideout.