"Listen up, you lot! From today on, I'm your employer!" Aboard the Einhorn heading toward its study abroad destination, Leon was shouting at the eight people holding deck brushes on the deck. Luxion watched the scene from the shadows.
The one with complaints about Leon was Jilk.
"What do you mean by employing His Highness?! Are you getting carried away just because you became a count?"
"Shut up, you snake! Her Majesty the Queen told me to be strict with you lot. She said I'm free to work you to the bone."
When Leon showed the letter from Queen Mylene to Julius and the others, Brad vehemently protested.
"Hold on! We never heard about this. We were simply told to study abroad and learn about the world."
Leon snorted at that opinion.
"How do you plan to live over there without money? Remember, if you don't work, you won't get food or pay! Now hurry up and start scrubbing the deck!"
The five of them started cleaning, though still grumbling.
Marie, Kyle—and Carla—looked relieved.
"Yes. Now I don't have to worry about tomorrow's meal."
"That's good news, Master."
"Lady Marie, from today on it looks like you'll be able to have lunch every day."
At Carla's delighted words, Leon covered his eyes with his left hand.
For the kind-hearted Leon, it was impossible not to sympathize with Marie and the others who couldn't even afford lunch.
Considering everything Marie had done up until now, the treatment was too lenient.
Luxion's single eye turned toward the five.
Julius, seemingly annoyed, continued to complain.
"Forced to work from morning till evening, for a mere two hundred dia. Are you kidding me?"
Two hundred dia.
In yen terms, that's about twenty thousand yen.
"Master is too soft as well."
"How can this be allowed? What can you even do with two hundred dia? I cannot accept this treatment."
The fact that they could earn more by challenging dungeons as adventurers also hindered their shift in mindset.
"Shut up, you high-class ne'er-do-well! Get rid of those obsolete values, pronto!"
Leon kicked Julius, who was voicing his complaints, from behind.
Jilk approached Julius, who was now rolling on the deck.
"Your Highness! Count Bartfort, this is far too pitiful for His Highness!"
Ignoring Jilk's remark, Leon looked at the deck.
"You're just scrubbing the same spot over and over! Do you even intend to clean properly? When this is done, next is cleaning the ship interior. Be prepared—I'll make you scrub the toilets too."
Chris was grinding his back teeth.
"Can such unjust treatment really be permitted?"
To Julius and the others, this treatment seemed unforgivable.
However, Luxion checked the employment terms.
"Work hours from eight in the morning to five in the evening. Total breaks of two hours... Seven hours of labor for this compensation is far too generous."
Leon provided food, shelter, and clothing. They didn't worry about meals, a place to sleep, or what to wear. The kingdom provided funds as necessary expenses, but it was Leon who was taking care of the eight of them.
From Luxion's perspective, this treatment was unjust—unjustly lenient.
He thought it could be even harsher.
Greg readied his deck brush and stood before Leon.
"Bartfort, face us fair and square! If we win, you'll change this unjust treatment!"
Leon covered his face with both hands, looking deeply saddened.
"What is wrong with you guys? If you're serious, that's not funny. Please tell me you're joking."
Greg deftly twirled the deck brush,
"We're serious!"
Watching the other four also raise their deck brushes was Marie, with the light gone from her eyes.
Muttering to herself...
"Just that much work. You're not exactly busy on this ship. At least clean. Please, just work. Earn your own pocket money at the very least."
As if remembering something, she began trembling uncontrollably.
Facing the five with their deck brushes at the ready, Leon shook his head.
"You guys are fine with no dessert for lunch, right?"
"Wh-why?!"
To the flustered Julius, Leon grinned smugly.
"Because you're defying your employer. You can resist more if you want. If you keep slacking off, I can make you work an hour of overtime. Or should I line up all your least favorite foods for breakfast starting tomorrow?"
Chris lowered his deck brush.
"That's low, Bartfort!"
"Low is just fine. But employing workers like you lot, I think I'm plenty kind-hearted."
Watching from a distance away from everyone, Luxion observed the five—
"Their lives have been completely different, so perhaps they can't adapt that easily? Differences in values can't be helped. They don't correctly understand their current situation."
—he made a harsh judgment, but he also had an idea about the reason.
Until now, even though they'd been disinherited, people fawned over them because of their birth and appearances. With Marie supporting their lifestyle, they hadn't understood their own situation.
Therefore, they were probably thinking that things would work out somehow from here on out.
"Come to think of it, Marie is the same as Master."
He concluded that Marie was a deadbeat-manufacturing machine.
At the same time, he thought she greatly resembled Leon.
As the five were looking vexed, Kyle took his cleaning tools and headed off to clean another area.
"Master, I'll clean this area first."
"Please do. You and Carla are the only ones I can rely on."
Carla, having been relied upon by Marie, was deeply moved, her eyes sparkling.
"Yes, Lady Marie!"
Luxion couldn't help but think.
"...Still, why are we heading abroad for study with this lineup?"
No matter how you thought about it, they had initially been enemies.
If Olivia and Angie were here, that would be one thing, but this group of eight was unexpected to Luxion.
Watching Leon as he supervised the five, Luxion murmured.
"I hope it turns into a pleasant study abroad, Master."