Duke, Please Fail! - Chapter 15

Episode 15

I was trying to eat and rest for a bit, but someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

“Ms. Nelly, a group of supervisor applicants is here. What should we do?”

Well, we’ll have to see!

I got up from my seat and looked at Sophie. She was looking at me with a face full of admiration, covering her mouth.

Why is she looking at me so admiringly like that?

She awkwardly smiled and tilted her head. As I approached, Sophie, who was blocking the door and standing there, stepped aside and asked.

“Is it that good?”

Was I laughing too much at the thought of causing a problem to Leonel?

“Is it noticeable?”

“Yes. Ms. Nelly, you really… take care of us.”

Huh? Why is the conversation flowing like this?

I gave her a confused look, and she smiled like she knew.

“You’re happy because you don’t want to give us a hard time.”

Wrong. It’s wrong, but I can’t say it’s wrong.

“That’s not it.”

I tried to deny it passively, just in case, but it was futile.

Her expression became even more pleased; it seemed she thought I was being modest or embarrassed.

Yeah. Let’s give up. It’s easier to give up. After all, I decided to think positively last time!

I smiled vaguely and went downstairs to the first floor. Six people were sitting in the lobby.

“… Are these all the applicants?”

“Yes.”

As far as I knew, the population of Altwood Duchy was about 3000 people.

During Leonel’s time on the battlefield, the population hadn’t grown much due to neglect. Moreover, I remembered that they didn’t accept immigrants until the territory was stabilized. So, even though the land was vast, the population and the size of the town were more like a small city.

Furthermore, since most of the residents of the territory were engaged in agriculture, there weren’t many who could read, write, or do calculations.

But still, six people? Six is too few!

“Were there so few people in the Duchy who could read, write, and do basic arithmetic?”

“There are more, but they…”

Gerald looked disheartened and shook his head.

Tom came closer and whispered in a low voice.

“They said they didn’t want to work under the Duke.”

“These people were barely gathered.”

Sophie interjected from the side.

I know. The Duke’s bad reputation has spread even to the capital; it’s not surprising that the residents wouldn’t know.

So, are the people here those who are desperate enough to endure an extremely tough work environment?

‘It feels like things are strangely flowing again…’

I stood in front of the nervous applicants.

“Anyone who can read and write?”

All six of them eagerly raised their hands.

“Anyone who can do basic arithmetic?”

Again, all six of them raised their hands. Great. Well, that’s settled then. If they can’t do the work, I’ll teach them or replace them.

“You all pass!”

At my words, the girl who looked the most anxious trembled as she raised her hand.

“A-Are you not going to give us a test?”

“If it’s a lie, it will be found out quickly, so it’s fine. For now, you’ll learn the job for two weeks before creating a contract.”

They all seemed stunned that it was ending so quickly.

Except me, of course! I’m feeling quite relieved inside.

With six supervisors added, Sophie, Tom, and Gerald will probably breathe easier. And I can use Leonel’s money!

Great. Things are working out well.

Moreover, when these folks adapt well, they will be more willing to work. When it’s time to hire more people, I’ll raise the wages!

“Then, Sophie, Tom, and Gerald, please inform two people each about their tasks.”

“Yes! Ms. Nelly.”

The three of them answered in loud, well-trained voices.

I encouraged them with a nod and returned to my office. Just as I was getting back to work, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in!”

I shouted toward the entrance, but the door didn’t open for a while.

Who’s playing around? I put down my pen and stood up to open the door. The girl who had asked questions earlier, tears streaming down her face, was standing there.

“Miss.”

“Why the tears… what’s wrong?”

No sooner had I asked than the girl burst into loud sobs.

No, why is everyone crying only when they see me? I hesitated for a moment, then led her inside, her tears still flowing. When I handed her a handkerchief from my pocket, her crying only got louder.

“Hmf! I’m sorry!”

“For now, stop crying and tell me. Your name…”

“Li… Hmph… My name is Lizzy.”

“Alright. Lizzy, take a deep breath…”

“I lied to you, miss!”

“Me?”

When I asked again, Lizzy buried her face in the handkerchief and answered through sobs.

“I don’t know how to read.”

Crying like this wouldn’t be solely due to not knowing how to read. Is she crying because she’s afraid she’ll be fired?

Before my thought finished, Lizzy knelt and clung to my leg.

“Please let me work! If I can’t find a job, I might have to marry the rich old man from the neighboring town! And my younger sibling might starve to death!”

For a moment, the image of the wealthy old man from the neighboring town I almost married flashed through my mind. Of course, it couldn’t be the same person.

I lifted Lizzy and helped her to sit down.

Lizzy continued talking non-stop as she climbed onto my lap.

“I can learn anything quickly. I really can! If you give me work, I’ll learn to read in no time.”

“Do you know how to do calculations?”

“Yes!”

With a tear-streaked face, Lizzy nodded vigorously.

“I memorized everything I heard. I can even do two-digit multiplication and division in my head!”

“Just being able to do mental calculations will be helpful enough, so don’t worry. However, you’ll need to learn to read and write after work.”

“…After work? I heard there aren’t any…”

Lizzy muttered uncertainly as if she wasn’t sure if what she heard was true.

To plead to work even knowing there were no fixed work hours, how desperate must she be? Can I employ these people? I hope nothing like what happened with Faust happens again…

And the worries became a reality.

The six new employees were extremely diligent. Astonishingly so!

It felt like each person was doing the work of three. Thanks to them, Tom, Sophie, and Gerald’s workload noticeably decreased. However, the workload was still substantial.

But I could return home for a few days after staying at the office day and night. It seemed like there was some respite.

The faces of the three had improved drastically. Their enthusiasm had increased just as much.

“Ms. Nelly! Today, I caught and reported the mushroom thief.”

“Yes, Tom. Good job.”

“I organized the warehouse items today.”

“Yes, Gerald, you’ve worked hard too.”

“Ms. Nelly, Lizzy made a new report template.”

Sophie’s voice praised gently as Lizzy emerged from behind her.

“It’s nothing special, but I also worked on other report formats.”

It was cute how she smiled shyly. Even though what she was doing wasn’t cute.

As I finished my thought, Lizzy, who had been approaching with a report in her hand, stumbled and wobbled, almost falling over. Reflexively, she reached out to steady herself.

“Be careful…!”

“Ack!”

Lizzy grabbed the edge of the desk to prevent herself from falling, but she still ended up falling, causing the desk to shake violently. The ledgers and cups piled on top of it crashed to the floor along with her scream.

Sophie, who was the closest, rushed over quickly. But the scene around Lizzy had transformed into something akin to a storm, so chaotic.

‘Indeed, a human tornado!’

At first, she wasn’t like this, but after becoming accustomed to the job, she was consistently in this state.

That’s right, Lizzy was clumsy. She was so severely clumsy that it was as if she traded her sense of balance to a devil for intelligence! Anything she touched would break and shatter into pieces.

For the past few days, she had been destroying anything she brushed past.

‘Just the other day, the plant Lizzy watered withered.’

I turned my head and looked at the potted plant recuperating by the window with a tinge of sadness.

‘And yesterday, she spilled ink and rendered an entire ledger unusable.’

I gazed at the desk with ink stains that hadn’t faded yet.

If it had stopped at just mistakes, I would have seriously considered whether I should continue working with Lizzy. However, Lizzy didn’t stop there. She cried a little, then suddenly stood up.

‘I will, I will make up for it!’

And she proceeded to re-write three days’ worth of ledgers right there. And she did it purely from memory!

Lizzy was a genius.

Her learning speed was astonishing. She grasped reading within a day. Now, apart from challenging spellings, she didn’t make any mistakes. Thanks to her rapid mental math skills, she finished a task that would usually take three hours in just fifteen minutes.

With such a genius at the office, it was clear that something was bound to happen.

As work sped up, we would have more free time, and with that leisure, Leonel would probably create more tasks even if they weren’t there! That would mean getting stuck in overwork hell again!

‘I can’t let that happen!’

I raised my head and looked at Lizzy.

As she backtracked while trying to clear the broken glass, she bumped into the bookshelf with a thud. The neatly organized documents came tumbling down, accompanied by a collective sigh from various directions.

Suppressing a sigh, I sat down and organized the documents.

Sophie touched her forehead and handed Lizzy a report. Lizzy carefully approached with the report in hand.

“Here’s the new report.”

She extended the report to me, her voice soft like well-cooked spinach.

I stopped moving and accepted the report. Not only did she finish the handover the fastest, but she also came up with a new report format.

‘She even made it well!’

The content was clear at a glance, and the lines were neatly drawn!

“Lizzy truly is a genius.”

As I let out a small sigh of admiration, Sophie looked at me with a face full of words to say. On the other hand, Lizzy had a look of overwhelming emotion, as if she might burst into tears any moment now.

Alright! I’ve made up my mind.

‘Before getting too attached, I need to send Lizzy away from the office.’

I can’t have a genius at the office. It’s like having a court musician at a kids’ pot-banging party.

…Not just any court musician, but one who breaks the instruments!

Of course, I don’t mean to kick her out. There’s a situation, so I’ll find her another job.

‘But for that, I need connections…’

But my connections are just Levance and Leonel…

‘Leonel!’