Work had progressed at a startling pace ever since Alicia started helping me.
The amount of paperwork that used to take me a full day was now finished by noon, which meant we had more time to spend together in the afternoon.
Even though I call it "work," Sebas handled the truly vital matters. Alicia and I were mostly responsible for verifying the fine figures and details on various documents. I had taken some pride in being one of the more capable members of House Brave when it came to such meticulous number-crunching, but Alicia was on another level entirely.
I was a frog in a well. It was the moment my modern knowledge suffered a crushing defeat.
If there were creators who had designed this world, I’d have a word or two for them: "Make this a world where I can dominate more with modern knowledge, damn it."
At this rate, the household hierarchy went Sebas, then Alicia, and then me. If I didn't like it, I should have finished the paperwork faster than her, but since I couldn't win, I decided to contentedly accept my place under her thumb.
"Well then, I’m going to go help the staff with the cleaning now."
Seeing her with her work clothes' sleeves rolled up, it was hard to believe she was the daughter of a duke.
As we watched her leave, Sebas murmured, "Truly capable. It is easy to see why she was hailed as a Gifted Woman."
"No kidding."
This wasn't just the result of some elite education she had been forced into since childhood. She was simply a hard worker by nature—diligent enough to endure that harsh schooling. Once she shifted her mindset, she could survive anywhere. She had always possessed that potential.
Even in the game, she had gone as far as taking over House Brave and contracting with a demon just to get in the way of the protagonists' romance.
"Is that not a relief, Young Master?"
"Yeah, it really is...!"
I agreed with Sebas from the bottom of my heart. The battle against endless paperwork was, quite honestly, more painful than killing enemy soldiers. I was truly glad her proactiveness was being channeled into something productive. Did this mean I had successfully achieved a Doom Avoidance Route for the time being?
"The previous mistresses of the house never helped with chores, so the servants are all quite bewildered. However, no one feels poorly about it; in fact, they seem to adore her even more than they do you, Young Master."
"Was there really a need to add that last part?"
"Now then, let us work hard so that you may regain their trust. I have personally set aside a portion of the work and hardened my heart to ensure you do not slack off."
"You really are a demon, aren't you? Oh, wait. Isn't the pricing for this weapons shop way too high?"
As I looked through the documents with a sigh, I found a report for a newly established weapons shop. Compared to the other shops in town, their prices were incredibly steep. To think someone would run a rip-off shop in the Brave Territory; they must not value their life much.
"Hmm. They arrived in town and opened the shop on the very day Lady Alicia arrived, did they not?" Sebas noted, stroking his beard.
The same day Alicia arrived? That smelled incredibly fishy.
"I assume you've already looked into where they came from?"
"Yes. They are individuals from the Royal Capital."
"I figured."
According to the details, they were running a high-handed business. Their pitch was that they carried high-quality goods from the Royal Capital that didn't exist in the Frontier. If the items were actually superior, that would be one thing, but looking at the flow of money, it didn't seem like they were anything special.
In this land where battles were frequent and many were professionals at dealing with monsters, the "brand" of a sword didn't matter all that much. They were consumables. Daily maintenance was far more important. When you used and sharpened a sword every day, it naturally wore down until it was useless. That was why we stocked mass quantities of second-hand blades. Providing a service aimed at the elite was a recipe for failure here.
"I don't see the point in coming all the way from the crowded Royal Capital to the Brave Territory to do business. Is their goal to monitor Alicia? Do they intend to harm us?"
"Adventurers have witnessed them skulking around in the middle of the night. It seems one adventurer, annoyed by their arrogant business practices, was loitering near the shop at night intending to steal something valuable when he saw them sniffing around the area."
"Their actions are so fast it's almost funny."
Honestly, both parties were outrageous. Well, if you invited public resentment, that was bound to happen. The adventurers in this land weren't exactly paragons of virtue. House Brave took the lead in fulfilling the most dangerous roles, and it was only because of that background that we were respected by those rough-and-tumble sorts.
"I do not know their ultimate objective, but there is apparently a skilled individual among them. One of the adventurers who reported this had his arm severed."
"Heh..."
Adventurers who resorted to petty theft were usually small fry, but even so, they were stronger than adventurers in other lands. Surviving in the Brave Territory meant that much. To sever an arm and drive them off without killing them was a move made with considerable composure.
"What will you do?" Sebas asked.
Normally, it was Sebas's role to restrain me before I could act, but asking me like this meant I had his blessing to do whatever I liked.
"I’ll prune them."
Even if their objective wasn't violent malice but mere surveillance, she was a member of House Brave now. I would eliminate anyone sniffing around her.
"Then I shall investigate their movements by nightfall."
"I'll leave it to you."
"Shall we provide any aid to the adventurer who gave the report?"
"He got what he deserved, didn't he?"
There was no salvation for an adventurer who carelessly poked a thicket and got bitten by a snake. Was it conceit from having survived this long? He’d die eventually anyway; it was a waste to provide him with anything.
"Understood."
"That's right, Sebas. I have a favor to ask."
"What would that be, Young Master?"
"When we go to the Academy, is there any way to keep Alicia close to me?"
In a little while, I would have to leave the Brave Territory with her and head to the Academy in the Royal Capital. It was a full-boarding school, and both she and I would have to enter the dormitories without exception. If that happened, there might be situations where I couldn't protect her.
"Does that mean living under one roof? I personally do not mind, but I believe balancing academics and child-rearing would be difficult if she were to become pregnant while still a student."
"No! That's not what I meant at all!"
To think that's where his mind went; it was way too early for us. I had no desire to become the Beast of Brave.
"I just want to keep her within a range where I can protect her! There's already a possibility she's being targeted, so it'll be too late once something happens, right?"
"The Academy's security is... well, I cannot say it is perfect, but there are many eyes around. I doubt there are many who would plot something conspicuous."
"It's just a precaution. Well, if there's nothing that can be done, then fine."
The grounds for the Boys' Dormitory and Girls' Dormitory were separate. Furthermore, the upper nobility were provided with their own large, dedicated grounds. Even though Alicia was with House Brave now, she still had the blood of a Duke's house. If she ended up in the area dedicated to the upper nobility, security would become strict.
By the way, the rank of House Brave was technically high enough that marriage with a Duke's house was possible, but due to social prejudice, we were generally treated the same as the lower nobility. It was a harsh world, but that was how the "setting" worked.
"Well, rather than that, the people from the Royal Capital come first."
Before heading to the Academy, I suppose I'd go and clear the path.