When My Younger Sister Enrolled in a Female Knight Academy, She Somehow Became a National Hero. Or R

Chapter 76 – The Best Thing to Do Would Be to Join Suzuha’s Older Brother (Touko’s POV)

Secret conversations in the Dukes of Sakuragi are usually highly political, diplomatic, conspiracy and world affairs conversations.

But it was none of these that were the topic of conversation tonight.

“…What? You’re not sure about the sushi chef you were going to send to that guy?”

“Yeah. And the material itself, too.”

To Touko, who consulted him with a serious face, the head of the Dukes of Sakuragi replied with just a few words.

“Are you an idiot?”

“I’m not an idiot! No, I’m aware that I look like a total idiot from the outside, but I’m extremely serious!”

“Explain yourself.”

“Because! If you send a very skilled craftsman and he likes it, that means that that craftsman will have a hold on Suzuha’s older brother’s stomach, right?”

“That’s…”

“I suddenly realized—That would be the shortest route to world domination.”

“What…”

What nonsense—The Duke couldn’t say it back.

“…When you put it that way, surely it’s possible… But I don’t see how such a silly thing could happen in reality…”

“Normally, that would never happen. But you see, Suzuha’s older brother has a great respect for talented craftsmen. He would never look down on a chef like a normal aristocrat.”

“Rather, he’s probably the type of person who subconsciously thinks that a skilled chef is better than an aristocrat.”

“That’s right. So, as Suzuha’s older brother’s character, don’t you think he would want to return the favor to the chef for always preparing delicious sushi? And the chef would do it frequently, too.”

“…Isn’t it a sushi chef’s job to make sushi…?”

“That’s obvious for people like us, but you see, Suzuha’s older brother is a good man.”

For the Duke, it’s too complicated of an agenda to simply use the word “good man.” 

But it is certainly possible that a chef of decent character and skill is hired, only to be treated like a family member as time goes on.

While aristocrats are accustomed to accepting status relations as natural and drawing boundaries, most commoners are not.

And as far as the Duke is concerned, apart from Suzuha’s older brother’s tremendous abilities, his personality is that of a complete commoner.

“That’s certainly something…to consider.”

“Right?! Besides, you know dragons, rock birds, and other incredibly powerful monsters have amazingly delicious meat, but what will happen if they’re hunted recklessly? The balance of power between nations will collapse in no time, won’t it? Each country is already struggling to deal with different types of monsters, so they can’t afford to engage in wars. The balance of power relies on such delicate factors.”

“That’s true too… But dragons and rock birds aren’t fish, are they?”

“Don’t you know? It’s called ‘meat-sushi.’ Nowadays, sushi chefs can make sushi with any type of meat.”

“Isn’t that sacrilege…!?”

The duke was a bit seriously mortified, and Touko learned that the head of the Duke of Sakuragi is a fundamentalist when it comes to sushi. 

It was very unimportant information.

“Well, that’s why I’m having such a dilemma. If I send a bad chef, the balance of power between nations could be destroyed, even if I don’t exaggerate to the point of world domination… And I can’t just break the promise I made to Suzuha’s older brother. That would shake my credibility as The Queen.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“I’m seriously contemplating it—I even thought about disguising myself as a sushi chef and going there. I considered leaving a doppelganger queen in the capital. But it seemed too unrealistic, so I scrapped the idea.”

The Duke’s memory reacted to the word doppelganger queen uttered by Touko.

“Come to think of it, there was a rumor about something like that that was spread just recently.” 

“Heh, what is it?”

“The current Grand Duchess of Ventas is a doppelganger queen. The real Grand Duchess is missing. But the evidence is terribly vague and not very convincing.”

“Hmm… But that could certainly be a possible story.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. The country was in a bad state because of the family quarrels of the previous generation, and it seems that The Grand Duchess Ayano overpowered them all with her powerful military skills. The war with our country was going well for them, but Suzuha’s older brother turned the whole thing upside down, so all the distortions that had been suppressed may have erupted at once.”

“I see. That’s certainly possible…”

“Well, Ayano is a very talented individual, so even if she’s in hiding for now, I’m sure she’ll come back someday. As for me, I’d like to see the Grand Duchess, who is too much of a nuisance to be made an enemy of, out of the picture for good.” 

“Hmm, is she as good as you say she is?—If the Grand Duchess of Ventas is really using a doppelganger queen, what do you think the real one would do?”

In response to the Duke’s question, Touko thought for a while.

“Well, the best thing to do would be to join Suzuha’s older brother, even if she has to pretend to be a sushi chef.”

“There is no way the Grand Duchess would know such behind-the-scenes affairs.”

“I was just saying… But if that were to happen, it would really be a major crisis. Like suddenly having our secret documents taken by an enemy country!”

“…Hmm, it’s definitely no laughing matter.”

At the time, the Duke and Touko both felt chills for some reason, the reason for which was not revealed until much later.