The Annals of the Flame kingdom (LN) Chapter 3 Part1

– Rond de Terra ・d.u.c.h.ess' Mansion ・ Drawing Room

「Please take care, you two. Listen, Emily, especially you - 」

「I understand Miss Erica. You don't have to worry about me. Please depart for the royal capital as soon as possible. 」

This exchange between the lord of Terra and her maid went on for a while, and in the end, Erica repeated for the final time before leaving, 「no fighting among yourselves, you two! 」 .

The very next day-

「Miss Emily. 」

「What is it, Mr. Kouta? 」

Emily sat opposite Kouta in the waiting room. In between them were a few long tables arranged end to end, as if trying to separate the two. Since it's just two people, there's no harm in choosing a smaller room. However, Kouta stubbornly said, 「A man and a woman should not be in the same room by themselves 」, and chose a larger room. It would be fine if it was the female Emily who said that line. However, for Kouta to be the one to say that line … … Some eyebrows were raised. That being said, in this case, it can't be helped.

「Umm… … Why do you have such a scary expression on your face? 」

「I do not have a scary expression on my face. Also, that was very rude. 」

Emily, the personal maid of the Queen's sister, was exceptionally beautiful and had a good upbringing, earning her the t.i.tles of 「The Flower of the Notesfilt Family 」 and 「The Beautiful Maid 」. It was obvious that she was liked and welcomed by most people. Thus, Kouta's actions slightly angered her. Even if she didn't particularly flaunt her beauty, and she does indeed get angry over getting perversely stared at by others, but when the other party just straight up says something along the lines of, 「It’s just me and Miss Emily? Then let's just use the drawing room then, 」 and deliberately tries to maintain a careful distance between the themselves, even Emily would get mad.

「Excuse me. Umm… … I would like to discuss with you our plans for the future. 」

「There is nothing to discuss about. From my position, I will only carry out whatever orders Mr Kouta gives me. Your wish will be my command. 」

「Umm… … Miss Emily? That being said, we will be working together from now on, can you please be a bit friendlier? 」

「Would doing so increase the efficiency of us completing our work? 」

「At the very least it will improve our relationship, though? I believe that understanding each other will greatly help improve our work efficiency. Furthermore, this is for the future of Terra. I think we should-」

「Mr. Kouta, even though you say that, I don't think improving our relationships will do any good. Secondly, whatever you are thinking of, whatever you want to do, I have no interest any of it. But, do not worry, no matter how I feel, if it's a job, I will finish it as soon as possible to the best of my ability. 」

「I am not doing this for your sake. This is all for Lady Erica, 」 she added. Kouta sighed.

「Even if I say that I take these things seriously, you'll probably just say that it's my problem, right? 」

「That is correct. However, I am not denying that improving relationships can improve work efficiency. It's just that… … I am trying to act all high and mighty, but from my point of view, I only require the minimal amount of communication with you to successfully complete my tasks. 」

Communication is important in completing one's work, but it is not essential. Even if someone is silent, unsociable, and reclusive, if their ability is off the charts, then finishing a given task is a piece of cake. However, these types of superhumans are few and far between. Thus, communication becomes essential in completing a task.

「… … It seems that convincing you further would be a waste of time. I understand. Then, Miss Emily, please follow my instructions. For the future of Terra, please promise that you will complete your job to the best of your abilities. 」

「I would naturally promise to do so. But don't get me wrong, I am not doing this for your sake, but for Lady Erica's. 」

「For whose sake it is for is irrelevant. Then, Miss Emily, how much do we have after selling all those 『treasures』? 」

「The do not have the exact numbers, but after conversion, we should have about 250 thousand platinum coins.  Of course, this value may fluctuate… … but based on the market prices in Rarkia, the fluctuation in the prices should be about 1 percent. 」

「Is that so. Then, here's the next question. Somewhere close to here… … For example, if we were to construct a residential area in the large empty piece of land to the north of this building, how much will it cost? 」

Emily pondered the question for a while, and finally opened her lips and answered.

「If we were to estimate that a single family consists of four family members, it would be around 5 hundred platinum coins. 」

「Eh? Just 5 hundred platinum coins? That cheap? How many rooms? 」

「Normally, it would be a single storey building with 3 rooms, one of which being the kitchen. 」

「Can't it be a multi storey building instead? Perhaps there is a prerequisite that must be met… … Hmm… … Perhaps the law of the land here prohibits multi-storey buildings… … 」

「That is incorrect. It is just that multi-storey buildings are more expensive than single storey ones. Building a house is not cheap, so this happens regularly when there is a budget. 」

「That means that normally only single storey houses will be built, correct? 」

Emily nodded, and Kouta thanked her for the answers. He then propped his chin on his palms and pondered for a while.

「If, for example, we were to build a double storey building with 6 rooms, how much will it cost. Just an approximation will do. 」

「If we use the previous case, whereby one family consists of four family members, the first floor will have a kitchen and one other room, while the second floor will consist of four rooms. If we only take the construction fees into account, it should cost between one thousand five hundred platinum coins and two thousand platinum coins. However, the exact value will depend on the building materials and construction methods. 」

「So it triples, huh… … Miss Emily, who owns that piece of land in the north that I mentioned before? 」

「It is the property of the Duchy of Rond de Terra. 」

「Then that means that we don't have to purchase that land and save that money instead. Then we can somewhat reduce our expenses… … Right, how much will it cost to furnish those houses? 」

「This question is too broad. For example, the furniture within this mansion are all masterpieces handcrafted by the finest craftsmen in the Orkena. If we were to sell off the furniture and use that money to build a couple houses, it would be a piece of cake. But there's no way I would ever allow that. 」

Kouta shrugged his shoulders at Emily who was glaring at him, signalling that he has no intention of doing so. He is very much grateful for the comfort of the bed he is sleeping in.

「Next is about the residents currently living in the coastal areas… … What's the population of the people currently living there? 」

「The total population is 152 people, including the children, from 43 households, most of which depend on farming for a living. Furthermore, there are no shops there. 」

「If that's the case, then… … 」

Kouta suddenly realised something and stopped in the middle of his sentence. He thought for a while and finally realised what was wrong.

「… … Anyway, Miss Emily, you are quite amazing. 」

Kouta exclaimed in wonder, and Emily showed a perplexed expression.

「Amazing? Mr Kouta, which part of me is amazing? 」

「Being able to grasp the market prices of art pieces, the cost of construction materials, the population number of the residents and their livelihoods perfectly. You were able to perfectly answer the wide array of questions that I had asked you. 」

「Oh, is that it? This is just the basic knowledge that a person must have in order to be a maid. It is nothing to be surprised of. 」

「Just because this is a Maid’s basic knowledge, you are able to answer questions from different fields. The women from this world sure are extraordinary… … 」

So that's how it is. Emily indeed has the right to say that improving relationships is useless. She is the perfect example of a person whose ability is so high that there is no use for communication.

「… … We'll leave this matter there then. I'd never thought that my error was not that I overestimated your ability but instead underestimated it… … I seems I was rude just now. 」

Kouta smiled wryly and fell into deep thought again. Moments later, he clapped his hands and stood up.

「… … Daydreaming here is not useful to us. Pardon, Miss Emily, I wish to take a stroll outside for a while. 」

「Where are you going? 」

「The coastal areas. I believe this is what you'd call a 『field survey』. Miss Emily, if we want to gather the residents near the coastal area, what is the best method to do so? 」

「Erecting a sign is the most effective. It's even better than word by mouth, in my opinion. 」

「Then let's have everyone gather somewhere in seven days… … Hmm… … Then let's have it here in this drawing room. Can you erect a sign notifying them of this? 」

「No problem. 」

Asking 「What are you planning on doing? 」 just moments after saying 「I have no interest in what you plan to do」 is embarra.s.sing to Emily… … Nonetheless, she convinced herself that this is part of the minimum amount of communication to finish her job and nervously asked, 「That… … What are planning to do by gathering everyone? Is it… … 」

To have anyone who rebels against him… … be executed.

This method is neither new nor uncommon. Since this would leave behind large amounts of adverse effects, this person who has stated that he would use methods that would bring the least amount of discontent, probably would not do so. However, it's because that the person in question is him, that there is a chance that he would not hesitate to do such a thing.

「Isn't it obvious? 」

In response to the Maid’s question, Kouta simply smiled back at her.

「For 『negotiations』, of course. For the betterment of Terra. 」

Sorry for the delay   > ~