Buried in Work

With the coronation over, the major turmoil surrounding the Kingdom had temporarily settled.

But the situation remained pressing.

The external enemy that was the Church of the Sun God.

The reorganization of the Kingdom's army, which had lost its core and could barely mobilize, along with further reconstruction of the Royal Capital.

None of these allowed for complacency.

The reorganization of the Kingdom's army was particularly urgent.

Dealing with monsters, the common enemy of humanity, couldn't be neglected either.

Delays would only result in more damage.

Adventurers were handling monster extermination daily, but that alone wasn't enough.

Especially for roads, large-scale military culling was necessary for safe passage.

Fortunately, there had been no more attacks from the Church of the Sun God, allowing us to focus on domestic affairs.

First, Orleans handled the document sorting.

We couldn't afford to worry about confidentiality anymore.

I decided we needed Orleans's help.

Alongside Her Majesty Tianis, we worked through the paperwork with Anatia-san and Princess Yupe.

With the royalist faction now controlling parliament, there was no need for coordination, and meetings had decreased dramatically.

Yet despite this, civil servants sent us a terrifying amount of documents every day.

It shouldn't have been this busy normally, but the gap left by the Secretary of Military Affairs proved too large to fill.

The newly hired maids and Azu's group were also extremely busy with meal preparation and document transport.

At the worst times, we ate nothing but sandwiches we could hold in one hand all day.

Thanks to those efforts, the mountain of documents finally diminished enough to see the floor.

"I can't do this anymore. I don't want to."

"Yupe, be quiet and work."

"Shut up, Nee-san."

"We've been cooped up for over ten days now! I can't believe it. We barely have time for baths, so it's just showers. I can't soak in the tub, I want to admire my jewels, I can't take it anymore!"

Princess Yupe sprawled on the desk and made an exaggerated crying act, but no one paid attention.

Not even the maids.

Because these antics of hers happened daily, and everyone had learned that engaging with her was a waste of time.

After crying for a while and realizing no one was coming, she pouted with a humph.

She was far more transparent than Her Majesty Tianis.

Perhaps she wouldn't be such a bad person if you didn't give her power.

But she absolutely must never be given authority.

"Tianis. Everyone's hard work has gotten the workload mostly under control. The civil servants are still understaffed, but with reassignments and improved efficiency, more matters can be handled on-site now. We've been pushing ourselves hard these past few days, so perhaps it's time to end this arrangement."

Anatia-san finished the work she'd been doing, had a maid carry off the documents, and made this suggestion.

Her sleeves were rolled up, her hair tied back, completely in work mode.

Yet she still didn't lose her elegance.

"You're right. If we keep this up forever, we'll collapse when we really need to perform…"

Her Majesty Tianis looked up.

She had bags under her eyes.

It must have been exhausting, yet she never once complained. Impressive.

"How's the reorganization of the Kingdom's army going?"

"They resumed monster extermination a few days ago with Mani Thousand-Cavalry at the center. The noble captains and their confidants who were under the Secretary of Military Affairs are gone, but they didn't take all the common soldiers with them. We're barely managing operations on this side too."

"She's essentially serving as general. Or rather, marshal at this point."

"She seems responsible enough, so that's fine. But she declined the Secretary of Military Affairs position, so that post will likely remain vacant for a while."

Pushing even the Secretary of Military Affairs role onto Mani Thousand-Cavalry would have been too much.

We'd have to proceed with this setup for now.

This was something that couldn't be rushed. The substance would have to be built up slowly over time.

"So as agreed with Duke Baroba, the Alsarm forces will withdraw from the Royal Capital? It would help if they could stay permanently."

"Don't ask the impossible. With no lord present, relying solely on the city defense force has its limits."

"I know, Anatia-nee-san. Then let's take a break from now until tomorrow once the current work is done."

"Yes!"

Princess Yupe quickly finished her remaining work and dashed off to the royal bath.

She must have been desperately waiting to soak in the tub.

Anatia-san also looked exhausted, and Her Majesty Tianis had fallen asleep.

"Azu, could you prepare some hot tea?"

"Yes. I'll bring it right away."

Azu quickly brought a pot of tea.

I thanked her, took it, and first poured a cup for Anatia-san.

"Thank you, Yohane-san. I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

"No, this is basically my job at this point."

I had been given a title, but I was essentially Her Majesty Tianis's handyman.

Better than being sent somewhere dangerous.

"I think we won't need your help with paperwork anymore. It should be enough for you to visit periodically like before."

"So I can finally go home. We'd been staying here so long we'd even brought changes of clothes."

"Ahaha… I'm truly sorry. I'll make sure it's reflected in your pay."

"That's what I like to hear most."

Come to think of it, I'd even had Azu and the others fetch clothes at some point.

Being confined to the castle was finally ending.

I wanted to check on the progress of trade with the Empire, and I needed to visit Luido too.

I also wanted to see how Kazusa was doing, and I had to greet Ramiza-san.

Being holed up in the castle meant other tasks had piled up.

I was really glad I'd set things up so work could continue even in my absence.

Otherwise, I might have destroyed the shop while stuck in the castle.

"We're finally free from dealing with that selfish princess. Even though we once fought to the death, she doesn't mind at all and keeps ordering us around. I can't help but be impressed."

"I cut off her head once, and she casually orders shoulder massages from behind. Is she not scared?"

"Maybe she's got nerves of steel."

Alexia and Azu were talking about Princess Yupe. Elza seemed frightened of her and had been keeping her distance since then.

Finn was often absent, calling it training, but she usually appeared by evening, so I'd just need to call her.

Orleans, despite having worked the hardest, looked perfectly fine.