The Pretty and Capable Administrator (9)
She grabbed the butler, who had loyally stood guard in front of the lord's door without ever fleeing, by the scruff of his neck and dragged him inside. Baron Benson, witnessing this, let out a monstrous screech and hurled whatever he could grab. I yanked the butler forward and blocked them effortlessly; the ashtray that struck his head drew a pained groan from him.
"You... you bastard... You think you can pull this shit in a noble's territory and get away with it? How dare a mere civil servant...!"
"I'm not a civil servant. Let's talk this out like civilized people. Stop rampaging like some rootless thief."
"Don't fuck with me!"
The baron snatched the sword leaning against the wall and charged. I shoved the butler hard at him. The baron couldn't dodge, and his blade pierced the butler's gut before bursting out his back.
"Damn it!"
He cursed, kicked the butler off with his foot, and yanked the sword free—but it was too late. I closed in right under his nose and slammed my fist into his gut. His eyes bulged like they might pop out, saliva drooling from his gaping mouth. He screamed silently, mouth agape, and slowly crumpled to his knees.
"Guhk..."
Clutching his stomach, the baron pressed his forehead to the floor with a groan.
"That's what you get for not listening when I tried to talk nice."
I stepped past him and sat at the desk. Grabbing a sheet of paper, I picked up a pen and began writing. It was a letter to the capital, in the baron's name.
Hmm, let's see... The content would be...
Right... Even as I finished the letter, the baron hadn't stirred, still huddled motionless.
"Hey. Where's your seal?"
When he didn't answer, I nudged his ass with my foot. "Where's the seal, you fucker?"
"D-Drawer... in the desk..."
I opened the drawer and found a gaudy seal plated in gold leaf.
"For a baron, anyone'd think you were a grand duke just looking at this seal."
I stamped the bottom of the letter, sealed the envelope, melted some wax, and stamped it again. Tucking it into my pocket, I stood.
"Listen up, you thieving bastard. Your knights were patrolling and found an exhausted administrator near Anan City. You listening?"
"Y-Yes..."
"They brought her back to the territory in a hurry and had a doctor check her out. Turns out she's got pneumonia. So you wrote to the capital."
"Y-Yes..."
"The letter says she's under your care due to whatever, but with her pneumonia, sending her north could be fatal. Got it?"
"Understood..."
Mesula must have already sent couriers to nearby cities and the capital about the missing administrator, so without this, the whole area would flip out soon enough. And this gave Hildeva one more solid reason not to go to Apenzel.
I crouched beside the baron and patted his back.
"My visit today never happened. Keep your mouth shut. Got it?"
"Yes..."
"If you whine or make trouble, I'll come back. Next time, I won't come empty-handed."
"G-Got it... sir..."
"The stolen stagecoach is here, right?"
The baron just nodded, unable to speak. I left him there and headed downstairs.
Hildeva, glancing around anxiously, spotted me and hurried over.
"Bertrand!"
"Let's head back to Mesula. Get some food and sleep."
I found the carriage parked by the stables and led it out past the stockade. Mounting the dumbstruck horse, I guided the carriage toward Mesula.
We arrived at dawn. I slipped the coachman some gold coins to keep quiet.
"The administrator fell ill on the way to Anan City, so we got help from a nearby territory."
The coachman counted the gold with a beaming smile, swearing repeatedly never to breathe a word.
I took Hildeva to a clean inn for a meal. Over food, I filled her in on Rosens.
New administrator Zamas had no confidence in reviving the city and resigned, recommending her as the best fit in a letter to the capital. I'd run into Benson's knights by chance and learned she'd been taken. And I'd forged a letter in Benson's name saying she had mild pneumonia and heading to a cold region was worrisome.
Hildeva listened quietly, then spoke.
"Bertrand."
"Yeah?"
"Who... are you, really?"
She adjusted her glasses.
"You show up in a ruined city, buy up buildings and open an inn. Goblins vanish like coincidence. And now you storm a noble's castle alone."
"Just an innkeeper with some cash. Haha."
"Hmph..."
She made no secret of her suspicion but didn't press. Sure, I seemed to turn everywhere upside down, but I hadn't broken the secrecy oath. The guys I'd dealt with just figured they'd been unlucky running into some brute force—not that Hero Bertrand had delivered justice. (Though it wasn't justice anyway.) Ordinary folk didn't even know my name, face, or what a hero could do. As long as I didn't wave the Holy Sword around yelling "hero," it was fine. Even if Hildeva dug into my background, nothing would come up... The oath specified as much, so this light stretching(?) was just minor noise in planning my post-retirement life.
After eating, we rested in our rooms till afternoon. Both of us were sleep-deprived and groggy. As we parted for our rooms, Hildeva called me back.
"Bertrand. Thank you for saving me."
"No big deal. It's better if you keep being administrator. Glad you're safe."
"True, better than a fat slob like Zamas to look at—someone pretty and slim like me."
"Haha... Rest up."
As I turned for my room, she suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me in. A sweet fragrance wafted as she kissed my cheek.
"Eek!"
I recoiled in shock; she stepped back, face slightly flushed, staring at me.
"Why so surprised?"
"Uh... out of nowhere..."
"Thanks for saving me."
"Ah, yeah..."
"Sweet dreams!"
She darted into her room. I stood in the hall, stroking my cheek in a daze.
After a deep sleep, we caught an evening stagecoach south to Bue. Arriving at dawn, we switched carriages at the post station. Rosens' station was empty but as a direct territory with an administrator traveling, they handed one over readily. We retrieved my horse too, and Hildeva suggested heading straight to Rosens.
"No administrator means a vacancy. It's a full day's ride, but... if you're okay with it, Bertrand."
"Fine by me. Can't leave the inn empty much longer."
We rented a small one-horse carriage. Hildeva took the passenger seat; I climbed into the driver's. I tied my horse to follow.
Passing through town, we saw groups murmuring by the roadside.
"Heard the north road to Rosens is open...? Goblins gone."
"Rumors true? How'd they clear what the army couldn't?"
"Saw the goblin boss's head shipped to the capital via post station recently."
"Word is an official notice from the capital guaranteeing the north road's safety came down today..."
I opened the small window to the passenger compartment.
"Administrator. Looks like word's already spreading."
"If ordinary citizens know, anyone who matters already does."
"Let's hurry. This ain't the time."
We sped out of Bue and turned onto the north road to Rosens.
Heading north, we encountered a few speculators—quick movers on goblin intel.
"Rosens is no-man's-land now. First to claim it owns it."
"We're buying up production facilities. Mills, smithies."
"Haha. Nation confiscated 'em, so dirt cheap. Charge high rents."
"Inn did great back in the day. Snag one of those."
The speculators chuckled nonstop, dreaming of profits. But what could I do...? I'd already bought those facilities.
A full day's ride brought us to Rosens. We pierced the morning mist, stopping before City Hall to let Hildeva off.
Surprisingly, a few outsiders waited out front.
"You the administrator? About time. Been waiting since yesterday."
"Oh, sorry. I was on a trip outside. Who might you be?"
"Here to scout real estate. Bakery and brewery around?"
They spoke with smug confidence, as if those were rightfully theirs.
Wow... merchants and speculators sure had sharp intel. Not even days later, and they swarmed. But oh well... I almost felt sorry for them.