Chapter 33:

Potato Salad

Otherworldly Acumen: The System's Rigged Against Me!

As expected, the court erupted.

“Who is this Crystal brat to dictate anything to the Phoenixes?!”

“A brat who just saved your King’s mind, maybe?! Or did we all forget who let him get kidnapped under their watchful eye?”

“An orphan, giving orders to nobility?! Preposterous!”

“The orphan who’s doing more than half of you twice his age!”

It was pandemonium.

The arguing wouldn’t stop. Humans and Elves alike pointing fingers, spitting words.

Duke Volkoz stood. His cane clacked sharply.

“That’s… enough.”

The court didn’t listen at first. But they did when the Duke raised his voice.

“I said… that’s ENOUGH!”

The chamber fell still.

“I should’ve taken time off. When Alimildah passed, I thought—if I buried myself in work, maybe the pain wouldn’t catch me.” He gave a bitter smile. “But grief is patient. It waits until you’ve worn yourself thin… until there’s nothing left of you to fight back.”

A pause.

“I failed. I should’ve stepped down long ago. My heart was gone the moment she was.”

He turned toward Calilah.

“This city needs someone who can still fight for it. From this moment, Calilah will act in my place. Effective immediately.”

He sat down, cane rattling.

Calilah’s mouth opened, closed, then opened again.

[SALARYMAN STATUS SCREEN]

[The East Gate Nobility] Reputation gain! +100

[The Orphanage] Reputation gain! +100

[East Gate's Commonpeople] Reputation gain! +100

New status effect: The Playmaker!

Description: You're on everyone's radar now. You must now take the good... with the bad.

“I—uh—y-your Grace… I—” Calilah's voice cracked, from which he promptly cleared his throat. “I… humbly accept this solemn duty.”

His fists clenched tight, trembling at his sides.

“For my final order as Duke,” Volkoz announced, “I ask that everyone return to their chambers and get some rest. We will deal with the fallout tomorrow, when our heads are clearer.”

The hall emptied fast after that. The man had just called an emergency board meeting. then adjourned it without minutes or action items. Incredible.

People knew better than to challenge the last words of a retiring Duke.

Well… everyone except me, Piper, and Uriel—because we were being dragged into a corner by a very insistent new Duke.

He tugged us along like a man on a mission. The fact that two Sand Kingdom retainers trailed him with equal urgency didn’t help the confusion.

“You derailed my plans of going to the Capital Academy.”

I opened my mouth, but words took a second to form. “I’m sorry, Calilah. But you’re this place’s best shot. It had to be done.” I paused. “Isn’t it every noble’s dream to shape their homeland’s future, anyway?”

“But you don’t get to decide that for me!”

“I know. It wasn’t my right to make that call.” I looked him in the eyes. “But let’s be real—your father would’ve clung to that seat for the next hundred years. Someone had to move things along.”

“I’m not ready for this responsibility!”

“That’s what makes you perfect for the job.” I smiled gently. “Besides, from what I know, Dukes have way more freedom than kings. You could adventure out, explore, live. Doesn’t sound like a bad trade-off, right?”

Calilah let out a breath as his shoulders sagged. “You cheering me up doesn’t change the fact that I’m inheriting a failing project. You understand how hard this is. I’ll have to raise funds—which likely means raising taxes. That’ll drive our people further away. And let’s not forget, we have a grand conspiracy the likes of which—”

“Then they’re not ready for what’s coming next,” I cut in.

“What?”

I stepped forward, closing the distance, and took his hand softly. “Right now, we don’t need to outfight them. We just need a few ideas they can’t predict. And for that, you’re not alone. I’m with you. All the way.”

His fingers twitched in mine.

“C-Cotter…”

“Y-You can count me and Uriel in too!” Piper suddenly blurted from the side, tail puffed. She slithered roughly up to us, wedging herself between our hands. “We’re a team, remember?!”

Uriel, bless her, had the most entertained smirk I’d ever seen.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright. We’ll figure out the grown-up stuff later. For now—” I threw an arm around both of them. “We won! A bunch of teenagers outmanoeuvred forces beyond our comprehension.”

…Do I count as a teenager?

“Yeah, through sheer luck, I might add,” Uriel grumbled. “Though not the cleanest way to have found out there was a conspiracy afoot… once we found that badge, we executed with precision and purpose. We should be proud of ourselves for that.”

Piper crossed her arms and pouted. Her tail, however, betrayed her wagging mood.

We felt the effects of Calilah’s rule almost immediately.

Being able to splurge on basic necessities and having coin to spare was a kind of euphoria I thought I’d never ever experience. Despite only being in this world for a month at most, the prospect of being able to eat solids was pure bliss.

I heard Mistress Lisa cough a storm. “Ugh, so dusty!”

“Gods, this purse is so heavy! Mother, help!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming. I can take it over from here!” Martha was laughing; really laughing.

“I’ll carry the carrots and potatoes!!” Piper cried, waving a basket like a trophy.

So here we were, stocking the kitchen pantry a day after his crowning.

I smiled. Or maybe I performed the act of smiling.

This should’ve been enough, shouldn’t it?

Seeing them, laughing, light, alive… wasn’t this what I wanted?

And yet, there’s this strange, hollow ring in my chest that no amount of baskets or potatoes could seem to fill.

Perhaps I expected… more.

More achievements.

More… me.

The problem with “impact” is that it’s a moving target. I drank a glass of water and I still felt thirsty.

A moment ago, it was about surviving. Then it became about saving. Now… I was expecting some grand personal legacy to materialize.

Like those nation-building stories back home… protagonists laying the cornerstones of empires, bathed in opulence, admired by everyone.

That settles it. I hadn’t really thought much of how I was going to help Calilah rule East Gate, but I think I now know. Beyond an initial plan of establishing a distinct reason for people to be attracted to East Gate products… I need to make it a force to be reckoned with.

The kobolds! I’ll seek them out again.

Other protagonists made pacts, built alliances… why couldn’t I?

Fortify East Gate’s economy, maybe even create a trade network to rival the Capital’s.

That’ll fix this feeling, right? This constant ache of…

…being replaceable.

Yes. That’ll do it. That’s the next project.

And for that… I needed to become an adventurer!

"—Oi, Cotter! Stop daydreaming and grab the celery!" Piper called.

I wiped my eyes, took a moment to compose myself, and grabbed the goods. “O-Okay! Coming!”

The moment Martha and her team finished cooking, the hall roared to life.

For the first time in what felt like forever, the scent of lamb and chicken filled the orphanage. Not stone-root stew, not week-old bread, but real, honest-to-goodness meat!

Tables were packed, wooden bowls clattered, and kids scrambled for seats. Even the older teens, who usually tried to act aloof, couldn’t hide their grins.

Piper, Uriel, and I had barely stepped back into the hall, still drying our hair, when—

“Look who it is!!”

“Oh, my savior!” one of the kids sang dramatically, hands clasped. “What would we ever have done without you?!”

“Eating stone-root stew, probably.”

“Damn right.” He shivered like the mere memory was trauma.

“A miracle,” Uriel sighed. “The Crystal Elf’s getting cheered for something other than conquest.”

We sat down, but before I could even lift a spoon, the noise shifted.

“PIPER, PIPER, STING ‘EM FASTER!”

The left side of the hall thundered.

“URIEL, URIEL, PRIME SOLDIER MATERIAL!”

The right side volleyed back, stamping their feet in rhythm.

Then, without missing a beat…