落とし穴１１４堀：わたしたちは頑張ります (Part1)
Pitfall 114: We Will Do Our Best
Side: Vilia
"Ahhh..."
"Ughhh..."
Dressa and Hiiro were slumped over their desks, faces buried in their arms.
Even though there were three stacks of documents waiting for them—tasks requested by Brother himself.
It wasn't as if these papers required complex political judgment; their behavior was simply pathetic.
"Come on, both of you. Stop taking unauthorized breaks and get back to work. It’s only been two days since we started, you know?"
If a week had passed, I might understand the boredom or the struggle. But these two were throwing in the towel after a mere forty-eight hours. Was it a lie when they told Brother they could handle it? This reflects poorly on my own evaluation, so I really need them to take this seriously.
Well, Brother hasn't denied that these two are dead weight, so I doubt my own standing will plummet too far. Still, we’ve been working together up until today to support him, and I don't have the heart to cast them aside so easily. I want them to succeed, but with this level of incompetence, there’s nothing to evaluate.
Brother would likely just laugh and forgive them, but if I—or sisters like Seraria—allowed such spoiled brats to remain as his escorts, we would be failing him. To protect Brother’s life, I have to be strict. If I’m not, the outcome is clear: Hiiro and Dressa will be removed from his side—or rather, fired from their guard duties. If that happens, Hiiro might do something drastic, and Dressa would likely lose her mind. I don't want that result either.
...However, reality is oblivious to my concerns, and the two of them showed no signs of moving.
"Hey! Both of you, enough is enough!! Do you want to be fired from being Brother's guards?!"
"I-I know that, okay!?"
"No! I don't want to be separated from Brother!"
"Then act like it! Being a guard requires more than just physical strength. Besides, we were only assigned these roles provisionally. We’ve just been drifting along since the incident on the New Continent, haven't we?"
"..." "..."
My words made them both shrink back.
That’s right. In truth, we don't yet possess the skill level required for professional guard work. We ended up living at Brother’s house due to a series of complications, but we are still mere apprentices. When we were sent to the New Continent, we simply took on a portion of the guard duties because of a manpower shortage. It was easy work—mostly just protecting Brother, with almost no paperwork. These two have become completely accustomed to that comfort.
"Listen. I’ll say this again: being Brother’s guard isn't just about protecting him from enemy attacks. The mission Brother was given by Luna-san is to investigate and resolve the magical depletion phenomenon in this world. To do that, he needs to negotiate with countless nations, manage organizations, and handle a mountain of miscellaneous tasks involving people, money, and records. You saw that when you were guarding him on the New Continent, didn't you? Even Ria-san and Deryu-san sort through documents and handle minor settlements to make things even a little easier for him. Jessica-san, Samantha-san, and Cleena-san are demonstrating their skills as diplomats for the If Continent. The paperwork they handle makes this look like child's play. And yet, you two just sit there, staring blankly while everyone else works? We don't need people that useless."
"Y-you don't have to go that far. We helped with the paperwork on the New Continent too..."
"We did! Hiiro helped with the paperwork properly!"
"That level of effort isn't enough! You know how Brother and the others are always dealing with stacks of documents like this, don't you? The papers we were given on the New Continent were, at most, a thousand sheets. And all we did was sort them. Or re-type things written on poor-quality paper into the computer and print them. Do you really think that qualifies as doing a full-fledged job?"
"..." "..."
They seemed aware that they had been slacking off; no words of rebuttal came.
*Sigh.* They work so hard when Brother is watching, so why do they become like this when he’s not around?
As I was wondering what to do, the door to the room suddenly opened.
"Hi there! I came to check on how things were going—oh my, you all look quite exhausted."
It was Ratz-san. She had been requested by Brother to support us. Despite being incredibly busy with her own work, she had made time to come by.
"I-I’m sorry. It’s my lack of guidance."
"N-no, Vilia isn't at fault, it’s us..."
"Vili-nee isn't bad. We were slacking off..."
The two of them didn't make excuses and apologized honestly to Ratz-san’s observation. ...I wish they would apply that honesty to their work. Seeing them like that, Ratz-san gave a wry smile.
"Haha. Well, it happens. I was the same way at first."
"Eh? Really?"
"Ratz-nee? That’s surprising."
I was surprised by her words too. Ratz-san is the former representative of the Commercial District and currently the deputy representative; she is a capable, impressive woman. I had assumed she was someone who could handle anything from the start when Brother entrusted her with the Commercial District.
"Well, I was just an adventurer who played at being a traveling merchant. I didn't know the first thing about paperwork. I learned how to write, organize, and process work while Brother taught me. Well, since I was playing merchant, I could do calculations to some extent, so the work... became easier, I suppose?"
"It didn't?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, my love for business was both a curse and a blessing, so I ended up assigned to a department with a lot of paperwork."
"..." "..." "..."
It’s true; I always imagine Ratz-san and Eris-san buried in paperwork. Tori-san and Riel-san, on the other hand, seem more like the type to be out on patrol.
"Well, anyway. With that said, I’ll teach you how to handle the paperwork properly. Brother asked me to, after all."
"Eh? Yuki did?"
"Brother did?"
"Brother requested it?"
"Yes. I’m sorry to say this to you three, but Brother doesn't have the time to teach you hand-over-fist right now. He told me to make sure I teach you properly. Since the New Continent, you three have been doing things haphazardly, and you’ve never had a proper training period."
"I see... despite everything, he was thinking about us after all."
"Brother is kind."
He really is. Brother is kind no matter what. He hasn't changed a bit since the day we first met.
"Alright, let’s get started. Let’s finish this quickly so we can go greet Brother and the others. It seems Eris’s homecoming only took a day, and they’re on their way back now."
"Alright!! Let’s do this!!"
"Yeah!!"
"Honestly, whenever Brother is involved, you two are like this..."
"Haha! Isn't it fine? The reason we work hard is for Brother’s sake. It’s very 'us,' don't you think?"
And so, thanks to Ratz-san’s precise guidance and the boost in Dressa and Hiiro’s motivation, the work proceeded smoothly. We finished on time, including the backlog.
And then...
"We're home."
"We're home!"
"Welcome back."
We were able to greet Brother safely. Though, since they were just returning their consciousnesses from the Doppelgangers, the group that had been on the business trip was just waking up in the guest room. Even so, there is no doubt they were mentally exhausted. I have to make sure to look after them.
"Brother. Thank you for your hard work."
"Oh, Vilia. How was the work? I asked Ratz to teach you."
"Yes. She taught us carefully, and we finished today's work without any issues."