Ch.269Mueller Estate’s NPC. (4)

# The Mueller Family’s Reception Room

“I’ve brought tea.”

To be honest, the tea brought by the maid after I greeted Miss Grace’s family was less tasty than what I would have brewed.

“Hmm, I apologize. The tea leaves haven’t been good lately, and the taste has been rather disappointing. I didn’t want to serve something like this to our guests.”

“Oh, no! It’s delicious, isn’t it, Ira?”

“I think big sister’s tea tastes better.”

‘Ira. Please…!!’

“Mother, should I brew some instead? The tea really hasn’t been good lately.”

“Sister, please… I’m going to die of embarrassment.”

“Ahem, ahem! My apologies. The territory hasn’t been doing well lately. There seems to be an issue with the incoming goods.”

I wonder. Is it really the tea leaves that are the problem? Judging by the aroma, these are the same leaves I occasionally bought in Natie. It seems more like the maid is simply terrible at brewing tea. Either way, I should drink it appreciatively, if only for the sake of the Count who’s profusely apologizing.

“So, what brings Miss Ray and Miss Ira to our family home?”

“Well, you see…”

“Grace lied to me and went home! So I begged to come along and followed her!”

“I-Ira?!”

“My goodness, lied? What lie did our daughter tell?”

“She promised to play together during the break, and to have Latina come over to our house, and to practice spirit magic together, but then she took a leave of absence and left without saying anything…”

As she spoke, Ira seemed to be overcome with indignation again and began to sniffle. The Countess started comforting her, stroking her head while saying, “Oh my, oh my, I see, you must have felt so disappointed.” Meanwhile, the eldest daughter, watching Grace sweat profusely, curled her lips into a smirk and spoke.

“By the way, Grace, I just heard something about a leave of absence. Did you discuss this with Father and Mother? I don’t recall hearing about it.”

“Ah, well…”

“Surely you weren’t planning to blame it on the war? I distinctly remember writing in my letter that you should learn more at the Academy.”

“Well, you see…”

“Grace, I also wrote to you that it’s not serious enough for you to worry about, didn’t I? Making such a cute friend cry… you really take after your father in your behavior…”

“……”

It seems quite clear that while the Mueller family wanted her to return, they also hoped she wouldn’t. And yet, Miss Grace came home anyway. Her feelings must be similar to Ira’s.

“…I ranked first in the final exams. And they called me a spirit magic prodigy, the first in 100 years at the Academy. I’m also preparing to contract with my second intermediate spirit. So…”

“This sister of yours has also contracted with intermediate spirits. While I’m incredibly proud that you’re more talented than me, that’s still no reason for you to return here. So, when the break ends…”

“No, just rest for this week and then return to Natie with your friend. This mother also thinks there’s no reason for you to be here.”

“…B-but.”

“Grace, you’re still young. I know you’re clever enough to understand adult matters, but even if an imperial decree came ordering someone from our family to be drafted, we have no intention whatsoever of sending you. So…”

“F-Father!! I also have noble obligations…!!”

“Those obligations can be fulfilled by me, your older sister.”

“Yes, or by your father, the Count.”

“Indeed.”

“Ugh…!!”

I don’t know much about imperial noble customs or conventions, but I understand why Miss Grace returned here. Surely, she intended to volunteer herself if this small territory was required to draft soldiers and send a noble youth to lead them. Because she thought that was a noble’s duty.

But why do both Ira and Miss Grace, still children, try so hard to find duties they must fulfill? What was I doing at 12 years old? Swinging wooden swords? Are kids these days too clever? Or was I just stupid?

“B-but. Sister is the eldest daughter who must inherit the family! I am…!!”

“You are the proud second daughter who should support me for many years to come. This discussion ends here. Grace, throwing a tantrum won’t get you anywhere.”

“*Hiccup*!”

“……”

After the eldest daughter completely shut down Grace’s argument, a brief silence fell. In that silence, Ira started hiccupping, seemingly surprised to hear the same conversation here that she had previously heard from me. But let’s consider it silence anyway.

“My, this isn’t how we should behave in front of guests. Please rest comfortably today. I’ll make special preparations for dinner.”

“Yes, since we’ve served such tasteless tea. I’ll personally go hunting and bring something back.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Thank you!”

With this exchange concluded, we were shown to the guest room—one that I, Ira, and Gorg would share.

“Here it is. Well then.”

“……”

“…Sister, Gorg, we need to clean this place, don’t we?”

[This is truly infuriating.]

We frowned at the state of the room shown to us by the maid who had served that awful tea. Really, what is this? The Mueller family members are kind, so why does the maid who attends to guests keep doing this? A dust-covered guest room—is this an attic?

[…Sigh. I know the reason.]

“Huh? You do, Gorg?”

“What reason?”

[The reason why that maid makes terrible tea and is so poor at attending to guests.]

Gorg, who cannot move when separated from Ira, kept shifting her gaze as if conscious about including Ira in the conversation, but I shook my head. I believe it’s better to speak openly about any matter rather than hiding it, especially for the future.

[That woman. She’s from the Holy Nation. And not just any…]

[-Occupation: Holy Nation Fanatic- Level: 89]

[A fanatic beyond redemption.]

Gorg began to tell us what she had discovered while we were in the reception room.

*

Rewinding time a bit, to when everyone was exchanging greetings in the reception room.

The body of [Sla Mime Golem], unable to move when separated from Lady Ira, could be considered quite a heavy burden at the moment. However.

[The fact that the status window can move around separately is no problem at all, and it’s proof that my master is safe.]

When everyone is asleep or when monitoring the surroundings, floating around invisibly like this makes her quite a useful surveillance tool. Gorg had decided to act this way from the moment she entered this house and saw the maids and servants, because not a single one of the maids who should have been carrying their luggage was doing their job properly. Moreover.

[-Occupation: Holy Nation Fanatic- Level: 89]

[…There’s a possibility that the entire Mueller family could be pawns of the Holy Nation.]

She hadn’t stopped checking others’ statuses since entering the Empire. She had scanned every human she occasionally saw, including the knights they met earlier. Among them, she discovered that a person from the Holy Nation—which had gone to war against the Empire—was in this mansion.

[I actually considered beating them up on sight, but…]

That would only result in her becoming a pretty stone ornament again if she moved too far from Lady Ira, which would cause problems. So, even when they brought tea, she was checking for poison. Well, she only confirmed that it was just bad-tasting tea.

While the others were conversing, as she floated around the Mueller family mansion…

“What’s going on? Unlike what we heard, the second daughter has more magical power than the eldest?”

“The adventurer who came with her, and the female schoolmate, are also considerable magic power holders.”

“That golem beside them also seems to possess magical power. Do you know who its master is?”

“We’ve found something quite good in this rural backwater. Contact the priest who’s recruiting subjects from outside. Let’s ‘recruit’ them tonight.”

[-Occupation: Holy Nation Fanatic- Level: 61]

[-Occupation: Holy Nation Fanatic- Level: 56]

[-Occupation: Holy Nation Fanatic- Level: 73]

[…All fanatics. The Mueller Count’s family members didn’t show up as believers, so how did this…]

“What are you all gathering here for? The morning cleaning isn’t even finished yet. Do you intend to continue like this?”

[-Occupation: Mueller Family Butler- Level: 15]

When the butler irritably rebuked the fanatics who were huddled together conspiring, they all bowed their heads appropriately and dispersed. Hmm, that butler was also watching Ira and Grace’s reunion earlier with tears in his eyes, wasn’t he? He seems normal…

“…Tsk. We hid them to protect the subjects and the servants from forced recruitment, but using such incompetent temporary help just creates more work for the mansion.”

Hearing the butler’s muttered words that normally wouldn’t be audible to anyone, she began to think. So, the Mueller family, the lords of this territory, knew these people were fanatics? Yet they still employed them temporarily? Or…

[Did they hire them without knowing, and are now keeping them close out of suspicion? No, that would only be possible if they could protect themselves. Even the eldest daughter, with the highest level in the family, isn’t even 50, so that can’t be it. Which means…]

The lord’s family hid their subjects to prevent them from being forcibly recruited, and they also hid their original maids and servants who were loyal to them. To avoid drawing attention to this, they hired other outside people. But they didn’t know these people were a group of fanatics.

They’re plotting to target our party and both daughters tonight, and neither the Count, the butler, nor the knights we saw earlier seem to have any idea. That must be it.

[Sigh, trouble follows us wherever we go—is it in our blood? But that doesn’t mean Lady Ira needs to suffer for it, does it?]

Feeling a slight headache despite not being human, she returned to the golem body in the reception room after the conversation ended.