This morning, I went to report to the emperor what I'd learned from Gotts as soon as I could.
The emperor immediately ordered his men to hurry up and check it out.
And after a couple of hours, he finally confirmed it.
By the looks of things, was Gotts telling the truth?
No, keep your head up. So, what do we do now?
What do you want me to do?
Yeah, I want to go out and arrest all the criminals that Leo found out about. Also, I'm going to assign a replacement civilian and a bodyguard to you, Leo, until we get this thing under control.
Okay. But the guards are at .......
I think it's more of a hindrance: .......
No worries. I'll get Ivan and Eunice out of Damien's place. Then what's the problem?
Brother Ivan and Mr. Eunice?
Well, .......
I think they'll be fine.
And Elise was kind enough to help me choose an officer.
Oh, if you're good enough for Elise, you'll be fine.
Thank you, ma'am.
''No, the Empire is entirely to blame in this case. They didn't know about the embezzlement. And for failing to do something about the Philibert family.
Well, there's no denying it.
'How could you not see that ...... embezzlement? You've punished lords before for the same reason, haven't you?
Oh, I'm sorry. Earlier, Leo, you asked me to look into it, and all the civilian inspectors from the auditor's office had some kind of connection to the Philibert family.
'Oh, I see. ......'
The Philibert family has been doing that much: .......
It's not funny that the people who find out about the injustice are the ones doing the injustice .
I'm having them look into other territories now to see if the same thing is being done in other territories.
The sooner we get that done, the better.
There's gonna be a lot of cheating going on here.
Yeah. And about the Philibert family, ...... I think it's going to be fine.
That's it? If it's not good, that house is doing something that could crush the empire, right?
What? Isn't that kind of nice? Even if it's hard to take it down, wouldn't you reduce the territory or something?
That's about as much as you can do, or that house will do it again, right?
No, if we take the territory away from him, we'll lose it.
What do you mean?
Because of his maladministration, his domain is in a terrible mess. If we take away that fiefdom, it would be in his favor.
'Nah, I see. ......'
I didn't realize it was that bad: .......
So, if we stop him from cheating and leave him alone, he'll destroy himself one day.
And I'm going to fine him for it, which will cost him dearly.
Well, then, he'll be quiet for the time being.
I hope that this is an opportunity to get him to take the management of the estate seriously .
But since he's such a chubby parent, he's not going to give up ...... well.
I understand. Okay, I'll take Brother Ivan, Eunice and our new civilian back to the other side.
The Empire seems to be taking care of the rest, and I'll take care of my own territory.
''I see. But still, ...... you're really amazing, Leo-kun, to start reforming your territory in just two days. Are you really eleven years old?
Of course. I'm 11 years old, just like Sherry.
I don't know how old he would be in his previous life combined, but .
Oh, I'm just kidding. Well, I'll see you guys later. Hope to see you in two months this time.
Yeah, I'd like that, too.
I'd like to believe that it's all right ...... .
Oh, and any money the previous administrator embezzled is yours to spend on Mladin's estate. Take that as an apology for this imperial mismanagement.
I understand. I'll put it to good use.
Maybe there's not that much left, but .
From the looks of the maids, they must have been spending a lot of money on women's games: .......
Just hope for the best, I guess.
Yeah, good luck with that.
Okay, bye.
I bowed and left the emperor's room.
Good. Are you done talking to the Emperor?
When I left the room, Brother Ivan and Brother Ivan's partner, Eunice, were waiting for me .
Eunice's appearance is that of a blonde ponytail, tall and slender.
He has a strong personality, and the last time I saw him, he had beaten Ivan many times.
He carries a demon sword at his waist.
It seems my grandfather taught him how to use the sword when he was young, so Ivan would not have been able to beat him with just a sword.
By the way, I asked my master to make you a magic sword as an early wedding present.
Okay. Thank you for being my bodyguard.
With these two as guards, I'll feel safer.
They've cleared dungeons, so they're one of the few people in the world with the skills to do it.
I'll take care of him. I'll protect you no matter what.
Thank you.
Shelly and Rinna will be guarded by me.
Oh, Leo!
Oh, Elise.
As I was thanking Miss Eunice, Elise came in with a strange woman.
"I'm really sorry about this time. I didn't manage it well.
No, no. I wasn't harmed in any way, so don't worry about it.
Now that the emperor has apologized to me many times, I'd like to end this conversation.
Also, ...... is the civilian who will be assisting Leo. Now that he's here. Flair, introduce yourself.
With that, the woman who was brought before Elise bowed neatly and began to introduce herself .
''Yes . It's nice to meet you, my name is Fleur . I'll be assisting Leons-sama from now on, so it's nice to meet you.
Miss Flare seems like a pretty woman with a sharp eye.
She's from a humble background. But she was a genius who graduated first in her class the year before last. By the way, you were first in class that year, Alex.
That's the same age as your brother Alex. She's about the same age as your brother Alex.
Well, your brother Alex seems to have been super talented, so Flair must be great enough.
Oh, that's great. Well, it's nice to meet you too. Also, it's probably hard to say Leons, so just call me Leo.
Yes. Thank you, Mr. Leo. And please, no honorifics.
'What? Wow, okay ...... I get it.
It's hard not to suddenly use respectful words for people you've never met before: .......
"Leo-kun, you have a fiefdom now, you should know what it means to be a nobleman. You'll be lambasted if you use respectful terms of endearment to your subordinates.
Yeah, right: .......
Okay. I'll be careful in the future.
Yeah. Well, have a good day. You two in the back will be there to protect the princess and little Rihanna.
Of course.
Yes. I'll do my best.
Elise's words were answered cheerfully by her brothers .
''Well then, after we pick up Shelly and Leena, we'll head straight to the Myrddin territory .
I look forward to hearing from you in two months.
Yes, sir. Have fun. Bye.
I bowed to Elise and headed to Shelly's room.
'But then again, Flair is Leo's aide.
I was on my way to Sherry's room when Brother Ivan started talking about it.
So, you're your brother's junior.
'Yes, he is, but is there a problem?
Mr. Flare said back to Brother Ivan a little coldly.
Hmm? Aren't you two that close?
No, you're a good assistant. Well, you're going to have a hard time.
What do you mean?
Why do you have a hard time with me being the boss?
Because if you're Leo, you're sure you're going to cause another ruckus or two in the future. It's going to be tough for the civilian officials who have to deal with that.
Soooo, with that being said: .......
''Don't worry about it. Master Leo is free to manage his domain. And you should worry about yourself more than I do. I've been entrusted with the great task of guarding the princess.
Saying that, Flair gave her brother a piercingly cold look.
'Oh, oh ......'
He couldn't say anything else.
"Well, I'll try not to push you. And I'm sure Miss Flare will have lots of questions for you if you don't understand.
Because I don't know anything about fiefdom management.
Sure. You can count on me.
Unlike the way he treated his brother, this time he answered with a gentle smile.
''Ivan is such a soft-spoken man, isn't he?
Oh, shut up!
Yeah, that's all you can say to Mr. Eunice, and I think you're weak.