Tilea's Worries

[TL note current chapters are quite long so skipping next day chapter.]

"Oruuuuu!"

Consumed with rage, I storm through the Underground Empire searching for Oru.

I check every room Oru might be in—the Second Division’s quarters, the training room, the pantry, the confession room. One by one, I look through them all.

...He’s nowhere to be found.

Curse you! Where have you gone, corrupt official Ortissio?

He's always seeking attention with his chūnibyō antics, but now he’s nowhere to be found.

This place is unnecessarily huge. I wish I could put GPS trackers on the squad members, especially on those like Oru or the perverts who are likely to cause trouble.

Well, no point in wishing for what's impossible. I’ll have to methodically ask people and track down Oru’s whereabouts. After questioning several squad members, I finally find out where Oru is.

Apparently, he’s in Conference Room C, presenting the Second Division’s financial report.

Another Evil God meeting?

They never seem to tire of these meetings. Surely they’ve held over a hundred by now?

Anyway, playtime is over for today.

He made those innocent children cry, and he needs to be punished!

There’s an old saying: “You can’t fight crying children or the taxman.” Normally, a commoner like me wouldn’t be able to stand up to a noble’s son. But Oru is a coward at heart. With proper guidance, he’ll understand the difference between right and wrong.

As soon as I reach Conference Room C, I throw the door open.

Inside, Timu, Dryas, and the Evil God Army officers are all present. Naturally, the corrupt official Ortissio is there too.

"Ah, Lady Tilea."

"Sister, are you joining the meeting? Please, take the throne."

Timu offers me a seat, but I’m not here to join the meeting. I refuse Timu’s offer and head straight to Oru.

The moment Oru sees my face, he grins. He hasn’t realized I’m angry.

"Lady Tilea, listen to this. We’ve achieved exceptional results this time. We’ve—Gah!"

I punch Oru right in his smug face.

"That was for Rabbit Girl."

"L-Lady Tilea, wh-what—Guh!"

I deliver a body blow to Oru's side.

"That was for Tiger Boy!"

Oru flies into the wall, clearly in pain, but I don’t relent.

"And this one is for Cat Girl!"

"Ow!"

I continue to punch Oru, naming each of the crying children.

"And this, and this...!"

"Please, Lady Tilea, I beg you, forgive me..."

"And this one is for Rabbit Girl again! And this! And that!"

I put the children’s feelings into every punch. Each punch represents one child's feelings. Maybe Rabbit Girl got a few more punches, but she was the saddest of them all, so it's justified. Oru twitches and convulses from my blows.

Did I overdo it...?

Excessive punishment crosses the line into mere violence.

Sorry, Oru.

I didn’t do this because I hate you. I want you to reflect and become a better person.

"Tim, use your healing magic, please."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I don’t want him to die."

"Understood."

Timu raises his hand, and Oru’s body heals rapidly. Timu’s healing magic is indeed miraculous. Timu might dislike it, but he’d make a great cleric someday.

After a while, Oru fully recovers and regains consciousness. He wobbles to his feet and kneels before me.

"Lady Tilea, why are you so angry...?"

"I heard everything from the children."

"W-What!? I don’t know what those brats said, but it’s a misunderstanding!"

"Excuses are pathetic. I know all about your misdeeds."

"L-Lady Tilea... I can’t forgive those brats. I’ll tear them apart."

"Oru, you are forbidden to take revenge on the children. Do you want to make me really angry?"

"P-Please wait. It’s a misunderstanding."

Oru backs away, but Timu blocks him from retreating any further.

"A subordinate who incurs Sister’s wrath is worthless. Oru, you shall be executed immediately."

Timu forms a magic bullet. The small orb, about twenty centimeters in diameter, is more than enough to blow away the feeble Oru.

"Oh! Execution at last♪"

It’s as if there’s a ♪ at the end of Edim’s sentence. Edim watches the scene with delight. The other squad members have similar reactions.

This is bad. Group psychology is terrifying—no one feels guilty about brutal acts when everyone is involved.

These people might seriously kill Oru.

"Tim, stop it. The punishment is over."

"But..."

"Tim!"

"I-I understand."

Timu extinguishes the magic bullet, and Oru breathes a sigh of relief.

"I didn’t realize Lady Tilea was so furious... What exactly did Oru do?"

Dryas asks, puzzled.

That’s right. I should explain why I resorted to violence against Oru.

"It’s about Oru’s tax collection."

"Tax collection?"

"Yes. Did you know Oru went to collect taxes from the villages?"

"Yes, we just heard Oru’s financial report in the meeting."

So they knew. The squad members are aware that Oru helps his father with tax collection. I’m the only one who didn’t know.

Maybe I should attend these meetings more often?

Well, whatever. Since everyone knows, it’s easier to explain.

"As you know, Oru went to collect taxes from the surrounding villages. And he, of all things, decided to raise the tax rate. To nine-tenths!"

Everyone looks shocked, as expected. No lord in the world collects ninety percent in taxes.

"Your anger is justified, Lady Tilea. This was Oru’s blunder."

"Right? Ninety percent tax is not just 'neither living nor dead' for the peasants; it’s outright killing them."

"As expected of Lady Tilea, your words of wisdom guide the people."

"It’s not about wisdom... Oru’s actions are a crime, aren’t they?"

I don’t know much about kingdom law, but changing the tax rate on a whim has to be illegal.

"Indeed. Oru, the tax rate is decided in the Evil God meetings. Why didn’t you follow it?"

"But, the occupied territories should be at my discretion as the division commander."

No, no. The discretion belongs to Oru's father or the royal family, not you. What a ridiculous interpretation.

"Your actions violate the Evil God laws."

Evil God laws!? What is that?

Dryas makes a bizarre statement. These guys must have come up with some nonsensical rules while I wasn’t attending the meetings.

"Dryas, sorry to interrupt, but what are the Evil God laws?"

"In short, they are laws for the benefit of Lady Tilea, by Lady Tilea, and for Lady Tilea."

I wish I hadn’t asked. Trying to take this seriously will drive me mad.

Dryas condemns Oru for violating Article 25 of the Evil God laws.

The Evil God laws... They include clauses like, "The Master has the right to the highest standard of living. Squad members must strive to improve and enhance the Master’s living conditions."

"Because of your excessive collection, long-term revenue is lost. This threatens Lady Tilea’s highest standard of living."

"Advisor, if we can’t collect from one place, we can always take from another. I will never let Lady Tilea’s standard of living drop."

Oru and Dryas argue fiercely. The other squad members also chime in, saying, "That would be bad for Lady Tilea."

Aren’t you guys just using the Evil God laws to justify blaming me for the tax hike?

My role has turned me into the villain. If Oru gets arrested, won’t I be implicated too?

I don’t want to end up in jail.

These guys are threatening my life. Forget about the highest standard of living.

"Okay, that’s enough. I understand the situation. The discussion is over. Oru, restore the tax rate to its proper level! Understood?"

"Y-Yes. But..."

"But what? Do you have any complaints?"

"Lady Tilea, our Second Division is under severe financial pressure. We’re struggling to meet quotas for quality furnishings and food supplies. Can we please have the tax increase just for this year?"

What is he talking about? Asking me for tax increase approval won’t do any good.

Is he stupid? An idiot?

Go back and discuss it with your father. And no, increasing taxes is not an option because it would harm the people.

However, I now understand why Oru is desperate. Timu and the others have been demanding "expensive furniture" daily. To avoid being ostracized, Oru spent his allowance fulfilling these demands until he reached his limit.

In short, it’s like a bullied child trying to take money from their parent’s wallet to satisfy the bullies. Here, the parent's wallet is the family estate, making it a bigger issue.

In essence, the reason Rabbit Girl and the others cried was also the responsibility of Timu and the other Evil God Army officers. And ultimately, it was my fault for not stopping it.

Well, I guess I have no choice. To avoid pushing Oru further, I’ll put these guys in their place.

"I understand the situation. Oru, you’ve had it tough. You don’t have to suffer anymore."

"What do you mean...?"

"Was it about upgrading the furnishings? You don’t have to do that anymore."

"But

, Sister, having only low-quality junk affects your dignity."

"Tim..."

I pinch Timu's cheek.

"Sister?"

"Tim, since when did you become so demanding? I won’t allow you to impose unreasonable demands on Oru. You don’t even understand the true value of these furnishings. What we have here is more than enough."

"Lady Tilea, with all due respect."

"What, Nielsen?"

"The furnishings provided by Oru are inferior compared to the ones in the Demon City Benz. They are not suitable for decorating Lady Tilea’s castle."

The pervert sides with Timu. The other officers nod in agreement.

Sigh, these chūnibyō sufferers just don’t get it.

I turn to Edim, who is relatively sensible.

"Edim, what do you think? These furnishings are splendid, right?"

"Well, I don’t know the Demon City Benz, so I can’t compare. But they don’t seem inferior to those in the Demon Lord’s castle."

"Edim, are you satisfied with being on par with the Demon Lord’s castle? Lady Tilea deserves the very best."

"I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say..."

"Alright, enough of this debate. We don’t need to upgrade the furnishings. No tax increase. Understood, Oru?"

"Yes, thank you, Lady Tilea. Now our Second Division can operate normally again."

Oru bows, tears streaming down his face.

He must have been under a lot of pressure from everyone. I’m glad this resolved quickly. Now he won’t need to steal from his family estate. The tax rate will return to normal.

Problem solved.

I head to inform the children who were taken as hostages that the tax rate will be lowered.

When I return to the room,

"Don’t move, or I’ll kill you!"

"Whoa!?"

Several children surround me, creating magic bullets and threatening me. Rabbit Girl and the others cower in the corner.

What is going on!?