Vol 1 Chapter 2 – Duke Howard

“Eh? Uh, um, since when did you realize…?”

The self-proclaimed Ellie, who had just gotten off my lap, was in a right fluster.

“atafuta”

Yeah, this repertoire of expressions is amusing.

“From the very beginning.”

“Ohh…”

“H-how did you figure it out?”

“Well, I mean… even though you were wearing a maid outfit, your coat was far too high-quality. More than anything, you didn’t really act like a maid. And if you’d go so far as to disguise yourself just to check me out, well, that narrows down the suspects.”

“As expected of you, sir.”

“Ugh…”

Her Highness the Duke’s Daughter lowered her gaze, looking embarrassed.

Perhaps unable to bear her mortification any longer, she left Graham-san and me and dashed into the mansion.

“My sincerest apologies. The young lady absolutely insisted on coming along…”

“No, it’s quite natural for her to be curious about the person who will be her tutor. Though I do have my doubts about the maid outfit. It was cute, though, I’ll give her that.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Please, do tell her that yourself later. She would be delighted. Now then, the Master is waiting. This way, please.”

The interior of the mansion wasn’t as lavish as I’d expected. Putting it charitably, it emphasized practicality. Less charitably, it was on the spartan side.

It was a relief that the heaters were working properly, keeping it warm. Managing the temperature in a mansion this spacious must be quite the chore.

“Allen-sama, this way, please. Ellie, the luggage.”

“Y-yes!”

A maid-san, who appeared older than Her Highness the Duke’s Daughter but still had a rather youthful air, came rushing over with a nervous look on her face. Ah, if you hurry like that—

“Kyaa!”

“Whoa there—Are you alright?”

“Y-y-yes. I-I-I’m t-terribly sorry!”

“How many times must I tell you not to run inside the mansion?”

Graham-san wore an exasperated expression.

I handed my bag and overcoat to the real Ellie (who, sure enough, did bear a slight resemblance to Her Highness the Duke’s Daughter) as I helped her up—and there goes my muffler, she’s taken it.

“I’m glad you’re not hurt. I’ll leave the luggage to you.”

“Y-yes! You can count on me!”

“Thanks.”

“Hyau.”

“Er, um, uh…”

“Oh, sorry about that.”

It was a force of habit from how I treat my juniors and my little sister; I’d ended up patting her head.

No, no, that won’t do. If that exasperating friend of mine finds out, I’ll be branded a pervert again.

…And yet, she’s the one who demands I pat her head. What is her deal, anyway? We go way back, but she’s still full of mysteries, that one.

Graham-san, who had witnessed the scene, was giving me a rather lukewarm look.

“Allen-sama, you truly are just as the Sensei described.”

“I’m extremely curious as to how that person portrayed me… but at the same time, I feel like I’d rather not know.”

“He mentioned various things… among them, he also called you a ‘natural-born slayer of younger folk.'”

“Th-that sounds terrible! I’m just somewhat used to handling younger people because I have a little sister back home, that’s all!”

“Is that so? Well then, please come this way.”

That’s the face of someone who doesn’t believe a word I said… That blasted Sensei!

The next time I meet him, I swear I’ll make him pay, with interest, for this unjust defamation of my character.

Graham-san knocked on a heavy, imposing door. A deep voice from within called out, “Enter.”

He opened the door, then gave me a look that clearly meant, “You alone.”

I get it. So this is the final interview, huh?

“Excuse me.”

“Oh, you’re here. I suppose I should say, ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’ Though, after hearing an earful about you from that guy, it doesn’t quite feel like our first time meeting. The name’s Walter. For appearances’ sake, I’m Duke Howard.”

“I’m Allen. Although my faith in the Sensei has taken a considerable dive just today.”

“Hahaha, so you’re another one of his victims, are you? He’s always been like that. When he takes a shine to someone, he just can’t resist telling everyone about them.”

“Haaah…”

“Well then, I apologize for making you come all this way from the Royal Capital. I assume you’ve been briefed on the situation, but I’m counting on you. I discussed it with him, and he insisted you were the only one for the job.”

“Please wait a moment. I’m sorry, but I haven’t been told anything about that. What I heard was that I am to serve as tutor to Her Highness the Duke’s Daughter until she enters the Royal Academy, and that’s all.”

Hearing that, the Duke was silent for a moment. Then, a deep sigh. He put a hand to his forehead. You’d normally tell someone the details, right?

Then, he turned back to face me and declared.

“…Next time he visits, I’m going to beat the stuffing out of him.”

“Definitely. We should invite Graham-san to join in.”

“Mm.”

“So then—is there some discrepancy with what I was told? I did hear a little bit in the carriage, but about the previous tutor…?”

“It’s true that I want you to tutor my youngest daughter, Tina, until next spring. However, that part about ‘until she enrolls in the Royal Academy’ is slightly off.”

“Meaning?”

The Duke rose from his chair and gazed out the window. Looking at him now, he didn’t seem at all to be of the same generation as the Sensei—that is, in his mid-fifties. He possessed a splendid, powerfully built physique.

“Since the founding of the kingdom, our family line has been entrusted with the North. However, as you can see from this vista, this land can only be described as harsh for human habitation.”

“Yes.”

“Furthermore, it borders other nations and has, on countless occasions, become a theater of war. This is why the Howard family is known outwardly as a martial lineage.”

“Yes.”

“…I have only two children, both daughters. My wife passed on several years ago, you see. I have no intention of taking a new wife. The Ducal House of Howard, as a martial family, will end with me. My eldest daughter, rebelling against this, went off and enrolled in the Royal Academy, however.”

…I was beginning to see the picture. In other words, the Duke…

“What I want to entrust to you… is to make Tina give up on enrolling in the Royal Academy. Regrettably, my youngest daughter possesses—absolutely no magical talent whatsoever.”

Sensei. I’ve had all sorts of troublesome tasks foisted upon me up until now, but this one really is on a whole other level, isn’t it?