Chapter 109

“I see you’ve reached an agreement, master.”

“… Yes, well…”

When I finished my ‘talk’ with Estoa. Sofia, who was waiting for me on the other side of the sofa with a leisurely cup of tea, called out.

“This will strengthen the ties between the Yuri Empire, Holy Land, as well as the Duchy of Selsia and the Kingdom of Eldard.

… Well, it is almost certain that the kingdom itself will go into exile, but the future of the remaining land and people will be secure. Master is fierce when it comes to those who point their swords at her or her friends, but is extremely lenient when it comes to her relatives.”

“Why does it seem like you can already see through my character……”

“If you watch the daily broadcasts, you can at least get an idea of your master’s personality.”

“Mmm…”

Yuri raised her eyebrows at Sofia’s words with a smile. However, Sofia’s assessment was so accurate that she couldn’t think of anything to say in protest.

In the end, without being able to say anything else, Yuri just sipped the tea.

“Hmmm, tea alone is a bit too much for my taste. Now that I’ve mastered the storage skills, I should have bought a variety of sweets.”

“Really? I’m satisfied with just tea, but… Oh, by the way, I have some pound cake I made myself if you want some.”

“Oh, you don’t mind? I’d love to!”

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to visit the village of Notoku, which has a thriving livestock industry, and the village chief gave me some eggs and butter as a gift, so I used them to make this in my spare time.

Pound cake is a cake made from four ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, and it gets its name from the fact that it uses one pound of each ingredient. ―――Of course, you don’t have to use a pound of each of the four ingredients, you just have to make sure they are evenly distributed in terms of weight.

Even though the ingredients are simple, it is surprisingly difficult to make a pastry that has both the right look and texture. It’s not a problem for Yuri, who has already mastered the skills [Confectionery II], to make a good quality product.

“If you have plates and forks, I’d like you to get them for me.”

“Yes, master.”

Yuri placed the pound cake from her inventory on the plate that Sofia had taken out of the [Maid Bag] and laid it out for her.

Unlike the items in the [Maid Bag], the items in [Inventory] are affected by the passage of time. I’ve wrapped it up, and the pound cake itself will keep for about a week at room temperature, so it should be fine.

“You can taste the sweetness properly, but not too sweet. The taste of the sweets that Master makes is always just right for my taste.”

“You’ll only get a second helping if you flatter yourself.”

“… Do you happen to have a lot more?”

“Yes. I have six more slices of cake already cut, and four whole pound cakes that I haven’t cut yet. I think they’ll only last about three or four more days, so we’ll have to get rid of them before then, or serve them to someone else……”

“Well, in that case, could I have half of it? If I keep it, it won’t matter how long it lasts, and I’d like to taste it every day.”

“I don’t mind. I would appreciate it if you would take it.”

I took out two whole pound cakes from [Inventory] and handed them to Sofia, who accepted them with a happy, smiling face.

“Would you like me to pay for this by serving you in bed?”

“That deal is not going to work. As long as you are my mistress, I have the freedom to do with your body as I please.”

“Mm… Yes, that may be true.”

“So, well, you can pay me in ‘labor’ instead.”

Yuri took out a document from her [Inventory] and handed it to Sofia.

“Master, what’s this?”

“I think it’s some sort of plan of action that I discussed with Lizelia and Roselotte yesterday. Can you take a quick look at it and let me know if anything strikes your fancy?”

“Let’s see.”

It took less than a minute for Sofia to finish reading the four sheets of paper, which were filled with words.

Yuri was impressed with her ability to concentrate, even at such a young age.

“… There’s one thing I don’t like about it, and one thing I’m not sure about.”

“Can I ask you about it?”

“Well, let me start with what I don’t like about it. In the future, you will be entrusted with the management of cities and villages in the kingdom’s territory, after hiring the kingdom’s noblewomen as civil servants. Is that correct?”

“I’m sure of it.”

“I don’t like the fact that they are not being punished in any way.”

Sofia slowly rose from her seat and held out her hands.

“Master. You know the backgrounds of the other employees of the Explorers Guild, don’t you?”

“Of course I know. They used to be secret agents in the kingdom, right?”

“Yes. I’ve heard that all of the employees of this guild were once the kingdom’s soldiers who were given the role of ‘secret agents’.

I’ve heard that they were captured after attempting to invade the city of Nildea, the predecessor of Yuritania and that you were granted the right to be a quasi-citizen in the Yuri Empire after being punished by your master’s trusted people of the <Kuroyuri>.

“… You know a lot. I wonder if the staff members told you that much?”

“No, I heard this directly from the people of <Kuroyuri>.”

In the past, the children of <Kuroyuri> had ordered their servant Succubus to perform an ability-absorbing drain to drastically reduce Sofia’s wisdom.

This matter has already been settled in the form of an apology from Yuri, the master of <Kuroyuri>, to Sofia. In addition to that, I heard that the children of <Kuroyuri> also apologized to Sofia individually.

It was probably because of this that Sofia became involved with some of the <Kuroyuri>.

The children of <Kuroyuri> are similar to Yuri in that they behave as ruthless, lecherous sadists towards others, but are very lenient towards their relatives.

If Sofia calls herself Yuri’s ‘slave’, the <Kuroyuri> children will recognize her as one of their own, and it should not be difficult for them to get to know her.

“Master. If the secret agents were punished by the <Kuroyuri>, shouldn’t the noblewomen receive the same punishment?”

“… Are you serious about that?”

“Yes. As a person in the same position, I can say that noblewomen are essentially loyal to their desires for luxury, and on the other hand, unlike the heads of noble families and their legitimate children, they were raised without any loyalty to the state. On the other hand, unlike the heads and heiresses of noble families, they grew up without any loyalty to the state.

I can appreciate the fact that they are educated according to their family status, but only a handful of them have excellent personalities. If I were to entrust them with the management of the cities and villages of the kingdom, as stated in this document, there is a considerable probability that they would start exploiting the wealth of the people. This is the ‘uneasy point’ I mentioned earlier.”

Sofia continued, “Education is essential if we are to use noblewomen.”

“When hiring noblewomen, why don’t we ask them to undergo the punishment of two weeks by the people of <Kuroyuri>? 

I have been told by the people of <Kuroyuri> that it is possible to instill absolute loyalty to the Yuri Empire with such a long period. If you are going to entrust them with an important role in the nation, you must not hesitate to educate them.”

“… If you say so, then I suppose I should.”

It is true that if you are entrusted with a city or village, it is better to have someone you can trust.

The <Kuroyuri> children’s ‘punishment’ ―――which is more appropriately called ‘training’ than ‘punishment’ ―――Is not something that should be used excessively, though. Nevertheless, it is also very useful as a means of instilling loyalty to the nation, so it is not advisable to use it too sparingly.

After all, Yuri’s tendencies are [Extreme Evil].

The interests of oneself and one’s country should take precedence over moral values.

“If the secret agents are punished, but the noblewomen are not punished and can enjoy the benefits of employment, some people may complain about the difference in treatment.”

“You have a point, don’t you? All right, let’s do as Sofia says.”

“I’d like to take this opportunity to say that Princess Lizelia and Princess Roselotte should not be left to the <Kuroyuri>. I think it would be better if the master handed out the punishment herself.”

“If it’s… then the Principality was an ‘enemy nation’ not too long ago, and I’ll handpick the ‘punishment’ for Sofia as well.”

“Oh, that was a bit of a blunder. ―――But if Master can torment me, that may be one of the pleasures for me.”

Sofia gave a small smile as she said this.

(I wonder how long that smile will last)

Yuri also smiled secretly.

I’d like to see Sofia lose her composure, shake her body and plead for forgiveness.

That’s what Yuri’s thinking. In the end, it is an undeniable fact that Yuri is also as much of a sadist as the <Kuroyuri> girls.