You think you're worthy of saving the world?

"Hehehe, Anna, you're putting on such a serious act, but you're actually quite excited, aren't you? I know you've prepared several brand new sets of lingerie, haven't you?"

“That, that’s for unforeseen circumstances… for the necessities of life! Unlike you, I’m always fully prepared!” Annabelle retorted, her face flushed.

"Hmm? What kind of occasion would require such mature-style lingerie?" Eileen asked with a mischievous grin. "Anna isn't expecting anything to happen, is she?"

"N-nothing like that!" Annabelle exclaimed and fled in panic.

As for the other two members of the Night's Watch, Stella and Amelod remained in the Papacy.

During Yuri's absence, the two of them will be responsible for intelligence gathering and communication in the lower and upper districts, respectively.

"Don't fight, okay?"

Yuri cautioned Stella and Amelod, noting that the two had been at odds for a long time.

"Please rest assured, Lord Yuri, leave the affairs of the Holy See and Miss Stella to me." The girl with long, straight black hair nodded slightly.

"Huh? When did I need you to discipline me? Don't take it upon yourself to do things your way!" The witch put her hands on her hips. "Neither you nor Yuri can be considered my superiors; we can only be considered business partners."

“Lord Yuri, shall I take everyone from the school to the station to see you off?” Amelod asked.

“No, that won’t be necessary. You have class tomorrow morning, right?” Yuri said.

“Hey! You two, don’t ignore me!” Stella protested.

……

……

……

The next morning, Yuri took Annabelle and Irene to the train station leading to the territory.

"Yuri! Grandia and I have come to see you off!"

Among those who came to the station to see them off were the Grand Duke's daughter and the Elf Princess.

The beautiful figures of the blonde knight and the silver-haired elf princess were quite eye-catching on the platform in the early morning.

"Yuri, take care of yourself on the journey."

"Yes, Cecilia too."

The Grand Duke's daughter straightened Yuri's bow tie like a dutiful wife seeing her husband off, while the Elf Princess watched with great envy.

"If you're finding it too difficult, then go back to the Holy See... Your mother and I will help you with the rest of the affairs."

Haha, Cecilia, are you trying to encourage me to desert?

Yuri looked at the blonde knight, her beautiful face filled with worry.

However, he has no intention of giving up halfway.

If he can't even do this simple task well and runs back to the Vatican, then all the reputation he has worked so hard to build will be ruined.

"I...I feel the same way! Euryphus, if you encounter any difficulties, please feel free to contact me anytime! Her Majesty the Queen and I will do our best to help!"

The silver-haired elf princess said nervously, "The Holy Tree Kingdom will always be your support."

"Oh my, Yuri is really popular!"

Eileen, standing to the side, smiled and made a joke.

"Why not go all the way and kidnap Princess and the Duchess, and elope together?"

Cecilia: "..."

Grandia: "..."

Neither of the princes smiled.

On one hand, she was genuinely worried about Yuri and wanted to go with him to help.

On the other hand, the word "elopement" made her cheeks turn bright red.

Finally, Annabelle came to the rescue, breaking the increasingly awkward atmosphere.

"Alright, stop joking around with the students, Eileen."

Cecilia said respectfully, "Teacher Annabelle, I'm entrusting Yuri to you."

“Mm.” Annabelle nodded gently.

"Leave it to us~" Eileen puffed out her chest proudly.

Then, a female voice announced the train's arrival on the platform.

"——————"

Accompanied by the roar of the steam whistle, light pierced through the morning mist.

A steam locomotive appeared on the tracks and stopped in front of everyone.

"Then let's go."

And so, Yuri boarded the train, seen off by Cecilia and Grandia.

Looking back, Yuri saw a familiar, luxurious carriage parked in the distance.

That was the carriage that Yuri and Rosalia usually used for their rendezvous. The Elf Queen waved from the carriage window in this direction.

"Aunt Rosa and Celeste also came to see us off."

With that thought in mind, Yuri resolutely entered the carriage.

……

……

……

According to the number on his ticket, Yuri found his own compartment, a room that was not luxurious but quite elegant.

After they had all sat down and put their luggage away, the train slowly started moving.

"Master, would you like an apple?" Eileen asked solicitously.

"Want to eat."

"Okay, let's leave it to them."

While Eileen was peeling the apple, Annabelle took out a notebook and began to explain the situation to Yuri.

Because Yuri had been very busy the past few days, dealing with school affairs and spending time with Rosalia and Celeste, he entrusted the preliminary investigation to Annabelle.

The estate that Yuri was granted by the Augusta royal family was called Oak Estate.

The total population is less than three hundred people. It has a very nice farmland and pasture, and is named after the many ornamental oak trees planted on both sides of the road in front of the lord's mansion.

This oak estate is about 100 kilometers from the city of Papal States.

From the suburban station of the Papal City, take a steam train for three hours, then transfer to a horse-drawn carriage for about half an hour to reach the destination.

The previous owner of the manor was an Imperial Baron.

Five years ago, the baron died without leaving a legal heir, which is known as being without an heir.

The manor remains under peasant self-governance, awaiting the arrival of a new lord.

"It seems a bit late to say this now, but something just doesn't feel right..."

Yuri, gazing at the receding scenery outside the window, suddenly interrupted his report.

"What do you mean by 'something's not right'?" Annabelle asked.

“The lord has been dead for five years… Has the manor and the surrounding fields been without a lord for the past five years?” Yuri frowned.

"It's said that the previous lord was an exceptionally capable nobleman who managed the territory exceptionally well, which is why there haven't been any internal problems all these years... Come on, ah~?"

Eileen skewered the peeled apple with a toothpick and brought it to Yuri's mouth.

"I'm not talking about public security."

The black-haired boy took a bite of the apple, chewed it a few times, swallowed it, and then said, "It's taxes, taxes."

For the past five years, who has been collecting taxes from the farmers every year?

For nobles in feudal times, the security of their territories was of paramount importance, but taxation was equally crucial.

Yuri didn't believe anyone would simply leave a manor's substantial tax revenue unattended for five whole years.

"..."

Eileen and Annabelle exchanged a glance, then showed expressions of relief.

"As expected of Lord Yuri, you are truly perceptive. This is exactly what I wanted to report next..."

In fact, for the past five years, someone has been acting as the lord of Oak Manor, collecting taxes from the farmers.

"Who is it?" Yuri asked, frowning.

They are levying taxes on their subjects without authorization, which is clearly a violation of imperial law.

Was the Augusta royal family unaware of this matter?

impossible.

Or...

Annabelle paused for a moment, then proceeded to present her findings.

"The one currently managing Oak Manor is the illegitimate son of the previous lord."

Yuri stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "So that's what 'leaving no legitimate heir' actually means?"

In the continent of Diamate, where monogamy is upheld, illegitimate children are not considered to have legitimate inheritance rights.

Although this is the law, noble birth is of paramount importance.

However, in the actual operation of society, it is still inevitable that illegitimate children will inherit their parents' estate.

In feudal society, what mattered was never law or legal principles, but rather strength and ability.

Aunt Rosa has really given me a hot potato...

"If you want it, you have to come and get it yourself...?"

Yuri suddenly became interested: what he thought would be a peaceful trip turned out to be a turbulent adventure.