We then decided to recruit refugees who were willing to migrate. They all possessed flexibility in that they were not too concerned about returning to their hometowns. They just wanted somewhere they would be able to live. Once they had been trained in a number of different fields, they would be deployed to frontier region areas, bringing their new skills as souvenirs. They would soon be famous out there. However, that was looking ahead. As our plans launched into action, people naturally launched into action as well. I had been worried that we would not have enough people for the tasks at hand, however, fortunately, we had some new arrivals.
“Long time no see, Your H— I mean, Lady Alicia.” It was the former fourth princess’s maid and entourage. They all bowed. The girls, who had almost accidentally referred to her as “Your Highness,” had given up their high-ranking positions within the royal palace and had traveled a great distance to be with her in this remote region.
“Thank you, everyone. I can’t put into words how grateful I am to all of you.” Alicia looked at her subordinates with tears in her eyes.
“What do you mean, Lady Alicia? We should be the ones thanking you for giving us the opportunity for a career change. We were doing nothing but causing problems within the capital.” Huh, is that so? This was the same group of extremely talented people who had managed to dramatically improve the medical office at the Royal Sword Fighting Tournament in one night. I looked over at Alicia with a surprised look, and she returned a wry smile and a nod.
“Being so good at your job to the point it causes issues is definitely a problem unique to the central regions.” For those that are skilled, it is human nature to want to offer advice and counsel to others. However, the maids and servants who had attended to the high-ranking nobles had to really think outside of the box when giving counsel in order to not upset them. Some also just were not that good at teaching or giving advice. If they were selfish and went against what their master wanted, or if they often gave incorrect advice, that could lead to them being treated as a nuisance.
“That’s a waste of good talent. I know it was the same when Alicia was there, but what are they even up to back there?” I asked.
“Right? I was thinking the exact same thing. They’d have it a lot easier if they relied more on adept workers,” Maika added.
Those talented and strong-willed subordinates who were treated as nuisances by those in power were assigned to Alicia when she returned to the capital. It was an ideal outcome for both parties. Alicia had learned how to deal with these kinds of people from the ever up-and-coming son of a farmer, me, and I was now desperate to recruit the talented group. The maids certainly preferred being able to work under a master like Alicia who saw their true potential and allowed them to act on it. It was much better than working under those who looked down on them instead. As a result, we had managed to recruit some top-quality personnel from the palace.
“When I quit being princess, I did say to let me know if you guys had anywhere you wanted to be assigned to, and I would have been able to sort it out for you. But I guess you all wanted to be here with me,” Alicia, the once charismatic princess, shyly responded while scratching her head.
“We were able to meet someone who made it all worth it. For that, we would follow you into the depths of hell.”
“All the way to hell? How wonderful. You are all certainly serious about your work,” Maika responded.
“Our jobs in the capital were tear-inducingly boring. It’s a given that even hell would be more fun than working for the royals.” They really are serious about this. It’s a little over-the-top. However, if they wanted a taste of hell, there was enough work here to give them the full experience.
“In that case, we will have everyone continue to work with Alicia. Is that all right?” I asked her.
“Of course, leave it to me. I know all of them very well, so I’ll be sure to assign them where they’d be of most use.” The maids all shot me a smile. I wonder why...
“Ah, that reminds me, Lady Alicia. We have been sent here ahead of everyone else. I would like to contact the others in the capital and make them aware of the situation here,” Amin spoke up.
“I don’t mind but...Amin, what are you planning?”
“It should be obvious, but...I am planning on rescuing the other ‘nuisances’ from their boredom in the royal capital and have them come here to serve under you, Lady Alicia. Not only those in the administrative and military departments. There are many talented ‘nuisances’ across the capital.” The maid smiled. She was planning to use this situation to light the fires of the others in the capital. Whoa, okay, they really are into this. At this rate, there will be no more talented personnel left within the royal capital. I like it, keep it up.
“In that case, please use the Quid Company to send your letter. I will explain the situation to them in advance,” I offered.
“Thank you very much, master,” Amin responded. Come to think of it, these were Alicia’s subordinates, so it was only natural that they would refer to me as their master. Yet I was still a little surprised. Alicia’s face went bright red.
“A-Amin! Why did you say it like that all of a sudden?” Alicia questioned her.
“It is quite normal for me... What is the matter?”
“What? What do you mean by ‘what’?!”
The maid covered her mouth as she giggled. Like an older sister teasing her younger sister.
“It’s not that I was particularly worried about it, but seeing Lady Alicia and our master getting along is a relief.” Yes, we get along very well. We have been working together for a while, after all.
I smiled and gave a nod. “Well, it’s yet to be official, so we’re still very much newly engaged.”
“Yes, that’s true. An engagement after many years of love,” remarked Amin.
“AMIN!” Alicia yelled, but Amin couldn’t be stopped.
“Heh heh, this really seems like a nice place. Alicia is so full of life here. I will have to do my best.” While the maids acknowledged that they had a lot of work before them, they were happy to be able to spend their days teasing their mistress. Seeing a master and servant so friendly with one another must have been a rare sight within the royal capital.
But they were not the only newcomers to Sacula. A man exhausted from a long horse ride appeared before me.
“Welcome back, Father Folke the Impostor.”
“You guys are struggling out here, right? The Head Priest sent me, saying you needed my expertise from running the orphanage. I couldn’t say no, so here I am,” Father Folke responded.