Chapter 40 A Reliable Superior
"I'll set aside my uncle's hobbies for now."
"Don't just leave them and throw them away, okay, Sara?"
"It might become a source of income later, but I'd rather not be ridiculed for using my uncle's erotic novel to fund the territory's finances, so I'll forget about it for now."
"Awful..."
Robert had tears in his eyes, but Sara didn't seem to mind.
"First, tell me about what happened in the office, Uncle. It seemed to be generally positive, but were there any problems?"
"Well, the lack of maids is affecting our work efficiency."
"That's true, isn't it?"
"Don't brush it off like that, Ms. Sara. It's a serious issue."
"But didn't my uncle and the bureaucrats protect them from my grandfather's harsh words, Miss Rebecca?"
"There's no way to go against my father's will, Rev."
"If it's really necessary, we should persuade him even if it means going against his will, uncle."
"However, we can't just ignore His Excellency the Marquis's intentions, Ms. Sara..."
'Ugh...it feels like we're stuck in a middle management position where we can't go against our superiors.'
"So, do you plan to continue having them (the maids) work in secret from now on? You seem to have forgotten what I said when I suggested letting them work in the office. Can you imagine how they'll be treated or looked at by those who don't understand the situation? Can you honestly say that there was nothing we could do before my grandfather started yelling at them?"
"Well, that's..."
"In the first place, didn't uncle, Mr. James, and Mr. Benjamin directly apologize to them? It's pathetic that the first thing you said was 'our work efficiency is bad' even though you're face to face with them."
"Of course, I think we owe them an apology."
"Then let's start by apologizing properly. We can talk about it after that. Or do you think that the Marquis's son and elite bureaucrats like you don't have the decency to apologize to a maid?"
Robert and the bureaucrat were taken aback by this remark. As the Marquis's son, Robert was used to keeping a certain distance from servants, and James and Benjamin, being from lower noble families, had never apologized directly to servants either. Even if they had caused trouble for the servants, they would at most express gratitude to the butler or housekeeper.
"I thought it would be easier for Sara and Rebecca to tell them..."
"Do you think that if I or Miss Rebecca apologize, it'll be enough, Uncle? Of course, I and Miss Rebecca will convey your apologies to them if you ask us to. But if you think that's enough, then as the one who proposed making the maids work in the office, I won't let them return to the office at all."
"What, Sara?!"
"Isn't it obvious? They've worked hard for the sake of Grandchester territory. Their achievements aren't small, and even you and the bureaucrat should understand that. But despite that, they were insulted and their direct superior didn't protect them, nor did they apologize. Do you want to send these excellent maids back to such a miserable workplace?"
Robert and the others were completely stunned, their faces showing they had never thought of this before. However, Robert steeled himself and turned to face the maids.
"I'm truly sorry. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for causing you trouble due to my lack of ability."
"Rob, do you understand that apologizing alone isn't enough?"
Rebecca was also bitter about this matter.
"It might take some time, but I'll definitely persuade Father to let them work in the office with pride. Please wait."
Then, as the representative of the maids, Eliza responded.
"I understand. Then, while we wait, we'll support Miss Sara and the maidens."
In response to Eliza's words, the maids bowed their heads to Sara in unison.
"The maidens?"
Robert and the bureaucrat looked puzzled.
"Today, I explored the tower where Paracelsus' laboratory is located, and since I was already there, I called over the female alchemist, blacksmith, and pharmacist we had discussed before. Including Miss Rebecca, we're all women, so I decided to call ourselves the 'Maidens'."
"I see. But, Maidens... aren't they age-restricted or something?"
Robert glanced at Rebecca. Sara immediately kicked Robert's shin with all her might.
"Ow!"
"Uncle, if you say something so rude again, I won't help you with your work from now on. Please be careful."
"Ah, yes... sorry."
'It's just that Uncle is a bit too much, especially when it comes to Miss Rebecca.'
Despite feeling uneasy about Robert's childish behavior, Sara continued the conversation.
"The laboratory of Paracelsus, or rather the tower and its grounds, seem to have incredible value."
"Value?"
"Yes. The tower has a library even larger than the main building's, and the attached document room has a massive amount of unorganized data and specimens. The multiple laboratories also have distillation furnaces and various experimental equipment."
"Whoa! That sounds amazing!"
"And, within the tower's grounds, there's a garden-like area where various medicinal herbs and plants are being cultivated. Although it's been neglected for a long time and looks like a jungle now, it's like a treasure trove for pharmacists and alchemists."
"Is that true?"
"Rob, Ms. Sara wouldn't tell such a boring lie. We've named that place the 'Secret Garden', and there are many fairies living there. They've been protecting the garden all this time."
Robert and the bureaucrats were stunned after hearing the explanation.
"It's likely that both guilds already know about the tower and garden being extremely attractive to alchemists and pharmacists. We just didn't keep their existence a secret."
"Then, shouldn't we have made a confidentiality agreement on the spot, considering how important that place is?"
James countered with a rough tone, his breathing heavy.
"The existence of Paracelsus' laboratory was already known to the Alchemist Magician Guild. Today, we only showed them a glimpse of it. We didn't publicly release detailed documents, nor did we grant them unrestricted access. It's the same with the garden."
"Then, let's hurry up and make a confidentiality agreement..."
"I don't think that's a good idea. We should maintain the stance that we can't release the information because it's not organized yet, and gradually reveal non-problematic information for a fee, of course."
"Indeed, the Alchemist Magician Guild might not be stingy with their money."
"It's likely the same with the plants that can be harvested from the garden. According to the information Miss Rebecca obtained from the spirits, if we leave enough for cultivation, we can collect them freely. The Pharmacist Guild might be interested in this as well."
"What!"
"We've already received offers from both guilds to cover the repair costs. However, if we let them take care of it, we might not be able to make money from the information, which is a concern."
Robert let out a deep sigh at Sara's words.
"Sara, we've only been idle for a day, and yet the workload has suddenly increased. We'll need to hire researchers and garden administrators to manage the money, won't we?"
"Yeah, but the maidens want to live and work here. It's not like we're in a hurry, so it's okay, right?"
"What? You're going to make the young ladies live and work here?!"
"There are rooms prepared for servants in the tower, so we can have them clean and use them. There are guest rooms as well, but they're not comfortable for commoners."
"I suppose so."
"That's why, Uncle, may we have your permission?"
"I suppose I can't refuse if you've gone this far..."
"Of course, I expected as much. I've also made arrangements for linens and such, and tomorrow I plan to thoroughly inspect the repair sites."
"This is quite a well-prepared plan..."
"Grandfather will be staying for about 10 days, and during that time, I'll have the maids work in the tower as well. There's a mountain of documents that need to be organized, after all. Of course, if Uncle and the others can persuade Grandfather, we might be able to get the maids to return to the office. But whether they'll come back or not depends on you, Uncle."
"Yeah, that's right. Ms. Sara is more reliable than Rob, don't you think?"
"Uh..."
Robert turned to the maids and asked, "You guys won't just leave without coming back, will you?" The bureaucrats standing on either side of him also gazed at the maids with moist eyes.
However, the maids in the office just floated Alkaix smiles and didn't say a word.
"In other words, it's up to Uncle and the others to try their best. That's right, Uncle. Please adjust the knight squad's patrol route to include the area around the tower. We need to take measures to prevent valuable documents and plants from being stolen, and besides, there's a young lady living there."
"Sara... you're really piling on the work, aren't you..."
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