When My Younger Sister Enrolled in a Female Knight Academy, She Somehow Became a National Hero. Or R

Chapter 75 – This Is Undoubtedly the Scent of a Thieving Cat

It has been two weeks since Ayano-san arrived.

As you would expect from a professional recommended by the clerk, Ayano’s speed of work is tremendous.

The piles of paperwork that used to cover my desk are now shrinking fast, and she’s very accurate in her decisions and follows up on the smallest of details.

Among professional civil servants, Ayano-san is undoubtedly one of the best.

“…This is what the world calls a cheat…!”

I was so shocked that I blurted out something, and for some reason Ayano-san gave me a glare.

“Hah… What is the cheat world representative of the world’s most powerful cheat army saying?”

“I was being unfairly accused for no reason!?”

“Alright, alright. Enough with the baseless accusations. Please just review the documents in the processed box over there and sign them away.”

Yuzuriha-san, who had been buried in papers before Ayano-san arrived, is no longer here.

Due to Ayano-san’s impressive performance, it seemed like it didn’t matter whether she was in the office or not, so she decided to do fieldwork with Suzuha instead.

Yuzuriha-san says that there is a right person for the right job.

“I’ll make sure to take care of the influential people in the city in your place! And while I’m at it, I’ll also recruit new soldiers for the border territory and personally train them to be formidable.”

“No, Yuzuriha-san, you don’t have to take care of them!”

“What are you saying? The first impression is crucial in these situations. We must show our full authority as the lord. Besides, it seems that while we were dealing with paperwork, Suzuha-kun was already taking care of various matters.”

“Yes. I train the new recruits personally every day in order to train them to become elite soldiers who can compete with the Amazons in the future. …It’s not that I’m beating down the new recruits out of frustration because I don’t have time to spend with Nii-san.”

“D-Do it in moderation…”

The soldiers that Suzuha and Yuzuriha-san trained would become famous as the strongest army in the world along with the Amazons, but that is a story that will be told much later. 

Incidentally, the maid, Kanade, is the only maid in the Lohengrin household, and she manages the castle. 

Although I personally handle cooking due to Suzuha and Yuzuriha-san’s strong requests, the fact that Kanade single-handedly manages the extensive cleaning of the vast castle is incredibly impressive. I am constantly amazed at how different noble maids are in their abilities.

“But Kanade, isn’t it hard to clean such a big place?”

“It’s fine. Kanade is strong, so any cleaning can be resolved with a single punch.”

“…Then I’ll leave it to Kanade.”

“Leave it to Kanade.”

Lately, what has been troubling reliable maid Kanade is a single cat, of all things.

“…Sniff, sniff.”

“What’s wrong, Kanade?”

“I don’t know where it is, but I can smell it.” 

“Smell?”

“Yes. Kanade’s maid instincts are saying… This is undoubtedly the scent of a thieving cat…!”

“A thieving cat, huh? But I don’t remember any food going missing.”

“It’s definitely not something trivial… That thieving cat is going to steal something very important, I can feel it…!” 

Kanade, who is concerned about the unseen cat, looks as innocent as her age. 

It was as if Suzuha had another sister under her, and it made me feel a sense of warmth. 

＊＊＊＊

If you have enough time, you will be able to look around and think about various things.

Then, you’ll arrive at a conclusion.

“Hey, Ayano-san. Something’s not right here.”

He stopped at my question and immediately asked me back, as if he understood my question. 

“Excuse me, where did you get that idea?”

“No matter where you look, this castle is just too magnificent to handle with these document numbers, isn’t it?”

I’ve been sorting through the papers, thinking about what the main source of income for this margrave territory is, but I haven’t found anything like that.

And the cost of maintenance of a magnificent building is also magnificent. With the numbers we’ve got, we wouldn’t have been able to keep such a thing going. Even with a good maid like Kanade.

But this Lohengrin castle doesn’t look like it has been neglected. 

Then there is only one answer.

Somewhere, the reports are falsified.

After listening to my story, Ayano-san agreed,

“By the way, does Your Excellency have any thoughts on what is currently suspicious?” 

“Perhaps it could be the mines? Particularly, the mithril mine seems suspicious. I think the balance between the mining output and maintenance costs is off. It feels as if they’ve reduced the mining output by a significant amount while keeping the maintenance costs the same.”

“I see. I too have been puzzled by the situation in the margrave territory, which is so different from what I had heard in the rumors. …I am deeply sorry that I did not bring this to Your Excellency’s attention.”

“No way. I’m always grateful to Ayano-san.”

From careful observation, I could see that there is a bias in the documents that Ayano-san provided. 

That’s why I knew the mine was suspicious and was able to pinpoint it. 

And in Ayano-san’s position, having just started work, it would be difficult for her to voice suspicions of misconduct.

If I were a stubborn lord, I would have suspected Ayano-san of being a spy who wanted to cause an internal rift. 

“So, I’m off to inspect the mithril mine. I’m sorry, but please take care of the paperwork.”

“…Excuse me? Your Excellency, forgive my impertinence, but I am a complete newcomer whose origins are unknown. Don’t you think leaving someone like me behind could potentially lead to problems?”

“I don’t think so. Even though I don’t look like it, I believe I have a discerning eye for people.”

I feel bad for Ayano-san for leaving her in charge, but inspecting the mine should indeed be our top priority, so let’s take care of that.

In no was am I using the inspection as an excuse to dodge doing paperwork because I dislike it.