While foraging in the forest, I started building a
Screen Frame
together with
The Screen Frame is made of wood, so it can be built relatively easily with wood and nails. The hardest part was cutting the wood straight and to the same length, but the construction itself wasn't that difficult.
Since this time we weren't making large paper but postcard-sized sheets, I figured we wouldn't even need the crossbars that support the Screen Frame .
Let me try making one based on the small frame I used in home economics class.
"Um, I'd like you to make it like this…"
After drawing the finished shape on a Slate for Lutz to see, I listed out the necessary parts.
Lutz cut the wood as he looked at my drawing.
"You have to cut it straight so it fits together perfectly. In the end you can sand or shave it down to match, but—"
"This is more of a pain than I thought. Straight, huh…"
We cut the wood into rectangles with the inner dimensions roughly postcard-sized, making two rectangular frames.
Once the upper and lower frames were done, we attached a fixing plate to keep the upper frame from shifting while we worked the pulp. Then I added a handle to the upper frame so it could be gripped by hand.
"Done! Lutz, this looks great!"
"Is something like this really fine?"
"Yep! We sandwich the screen between the upper and lower frames, hold the handle like this, and shake it like this to even out the fibers, so the shape is fine."
"The shape?"
When Lutz looked puzzled, I laid the stacked frames on their side and pointed to the slight gaps visible where they didn't sit flush.
"If possible, when the upper and lower frames are stacked, there shouldn't be any gaps. Sand or shave them down little by little until they fit snugly, and it's done."
"Snugly!? I'd need my dad or brothers for that, and I don't have any tools…"
"…Think you could borrow any tools?"
"Couldn't tell ya…"
Lutz had given up on becoming a Traveling Merchant , but having chosen to become a merchant's apprentice of his own accord—defying the construction and woodworking jobs his parents wanted for him—he was currently under heavy pressure from his family. It was absolutely not the kind of situation where he could ask to borrow tools or for their help.
A merchant is nothing but a cold-blooded money-grubber, and his father couldn't stand the idea of his own son becoming one. That was Lutz's father's view.
His mother, Aunt
But Lutz himself said that no matter how harsh the pushback, he'd carved out his own path and didn't want to give up. There wasn't much I could do beyond that.
When I met Lutz's family, I could subtly convey how hard he was working, or try to win them over with cooking recipes—that was about the extent of it.
Since the frame was shaped, the worst-case option was to use it and shave it down if it didn't work. The problem was the screen itself.
I had to make the screen—the kind you'd wrap calligraphy brushes around—from scratch.
I'd need bamboo splints and string, all cut to uniform size. And it had to be strong string. We didn't have any string we could freely use, and splitting bamboo into thin splints didn't sound easy either.
Even though it was postcard-sized, I could easily predict it would be extremely tedious to make.
"Since we got the frame done today, let's start tomorrow by shaving bamboo and making the splints. But can you really make rounded bamboo splints easily? If they're roughly the same thickness and size, would square ones work? What do you think?"
"You really can't know until you make 'em and try 'em out, huh…"
I couldn't use a knife very well yet, so I wasn't much help, but since we needed a lot of them, we'd just have to grind through them one by one.
The silver lining was that today's goal—the frame—had gone well.
"Mine, and you too, Lutz—could you two come over here for a second?"
On our way back, we were called over at the
Gate
by
"Me too?"
"That's right. Here, both of you—an invitation."
He handed us a tablet similar to the one that had come from
" Benno is inviting me and Lutz?"
"I wonder what it's about?"
I'd thought we wouldn't see him until the paper was finished, so I couldn't understand why an invitation would suddenly arrive for two kids who weren't even apprentice s yet.
"Tomorrow? That's awfully sudden. What could it be? …Could it be, he's decided we've failed without even seeing a finished product?"
My mind spiraled through worst-case scenarios: maybe someone else had taken priority, and our apprentice positions were already filled; maybe the scraps of information I'd let slip had given him enough to figure out the product on his own, making us obsolete—every terrible possibility churned in my head.
"Whaaat!? No way!"
"No, no! That's not it!"
I glared at Otto , who denied it in a panic.
" Otto , what do you know?"
"…Ah well, Benno saw Corinna 's hair and grilled me about it from every angle, so I spilled everything I knew. It's probably about that."
"So this invitation is your fault! Why'd you blab everything?!"
"A husband is supposed to show off when his wife gets prettier, right?"
Was taking the nails to show off her improved hair his revenge for us taking every last one?
Complaining to Otto was pointless—the invitation had been sent, and if we wanted to become apprentice s under Benno , this was essentially a summoning order we couldn't refuse.
"Officially, it's an invitation to lunch. I wonder if we'll get a fancy meal?"
"Ohh! I'm going! I'm definitely going!"
Lutz was instantly all-in. Wave a fancy meal in front of a poor kid who was always hungry, and it was an instant win. I was a little curious about rich people's food too.
The invitation naturally specified the time and place. It simply said: after the fourth bell, at Benno 's shop.
"…Where even is Benno 's shop? We don't know, do we?"
"It's on the first floor of my house."
Otto 's house was above his wife Corinna 's family home—a room that her much older brother had prepared out of concern for his beloved younger sister.
In other words, Corinna was Benno 's sister, and the relationship between Otto and Benno was…
"…You're brothers-in-law?"
"That's right."
If everything I'd told Otto had reached Benno 's ears, it wouldn't be surprising at all. I was too deflated to say anything more.
The next day, Lutz and I dressed in our cleanest clothes and headed to Benno 's shop. Once past the Central Plaza , the area grew more and more upscale with every step.
Lutz had apparently never been from the Central Plaza toward the City Wall either, and he looked around with wide eyes.
"This is incredible…"
"Yeah, it's totally different even though it's the same city. When I went to Otto 's house, I was shocked too."
"If the neighborhood is this different, the lunch must be way fancier than anything at my place. I can't wait!"
I gave a small sigh at Lutz's innocent excitement and offered a word of caution.
"You should watch how you eat."
"Huh?"
"Like, the dining etiquette—I'm pretty sure they'll definitely test us on that."
"Whaat!? I don't know any of that!"
I didn't know either. More precisely, I had no idea if my own manners would even apply here.
There was only one countermeasure.
"Pay attention to your posture, don't stuff your face, and watch what Benno does before you eat. That way you shouldn't make too many mistakes."
"…Dammit, now I'm getting nervous."
With the vague anxiety of not knowing what awaited us, the two of us ended up walking hand in hand.
We arrived at Benno 's shop before the fourth bell. Since it said to come after the fourth bell, we had to kill time near the shop.
"What do we do?"
"Hm? I'd like to look at the shops around here, at least. I have no idea what Benno 's shop sells, how many people work there, or what kind of work an apprentice does."
"…Fair point."
Gathering information about a potential workplace was basic common sense for me, but there was no internet or job magazine here. You either hunted for word-of-mouth rumors or checked things out with your own eyes—that was the only way to get information.
Normally, you'd learn about an industry through your parents' work, hear about it from someone who introduces you, and get info about your workplace that way.
But if Benno and Otto were keeping their in-law relationship hidden, I couldn't be sure whether information from Otto was actually making its way to me. Even when I went to hear about the Traveling Merchant path, the introduction from Benno was just "someone I knew from my merchant days." Maybe he was already set on rejecting us, because he didn't explain a single thing about the work.
If we had a chance to verify things with our own eyes, I wanted to make the most of it.
"There aren't many goods on display, huh."
"Compared to the Market , there aren't many customers going in either. Is this place actually making money?"
"I think it is. The shop is really clean, and the employees' clothing and movements are more polished than the surrounding shops. The training is solid and the presentation is good, so I'd guess they deal with rich people and Nobility —that kind of clientele."
Even the guard-like man standing in front of the shop wore finer clothes than us. Proof that they catered to appearance-conscious customers.
The world gap was enormous. If Lutz and I were going to work here, there seemed to be many walls we'd have to overcome.
Cling-clong…
The fourth bell, signaling lunchtime, rang out.
At the same time, the shop began to close.
"Huh? Huh? They're closing!?"
I grabbed Lutz's hand and rushed toward Benno 's shop. If it closed completely and everyone left, I had no idea what we'd do.
I hurriedly called out to one of the guards pulling inside, showing the invitation.
"I'm terribly sorry! We received this invitation from Benno —could you please tell us what we should do?"
"Oh, no need to panic. I've heard about you, but could you wait a little while until we're done closing up?"
During the lunch break, the shop closed down, leaving one guard on day shift while all the employees went out to eat.
We didn't need to cause a scene while the shop was closing—we should have just spoken to the day-shift guard.
The shop was swiftly closed, and after the employees all dispersed for lunch, we were led inside by the young day-shift guard.
"Master, your guests have arrived."
"Ah, come in."
The door opened and we stepped through. The day-shift guard bowed and left.
There was a room obviously used for business meetings, and in the back, shelves were lined with unfamiliar objects.
Behind the wooden desk where Benno sat, there was a shelf stacked with wooden boards and Parchment .
Could it be… a bookshelf!?
There were no books, so it was more accurate to call it a reference shelf, but it was a shelf packed with text.
When Benno stood up in front of me, I had to struggle to keep my wobbly feet planted in place rather than drift toward that shelf.
"Sorry for the sudden summons. I felt there were things we had to discuss."
"What would that be?"
"Let's eat first. We'll talk after."
My eyes kept getting drawn to what looked like a bookshelf as I sat down in the seat Benno indicated. Lutz sat beside me, looking a bit tense.
"I'll have it brought right away."
Benno rang the bell on his desk three times, and a woman carrying a tray of food entered through a door in the back of the room. Apparently there was a staircase connecting to the second floor.
"Welcome. Mine and Lutz —please, eat up."
I thought she might be Benno 's wife, but since no introduction was made, she could have been an employee or a maid.
"Thank you," I replied, and looked at the place settings.
There were only serving plates, a fork, and a spoon—the amount of cutlery wasn't much different from what we used at home. A knife was placed only in front of Benno .
It seemed the rule was that the host, Benno , did all the serving. Salad and meat were placed on plates, and soup was set down.
"Please, dig in."
Lutz had been trying his best, but the moment he started eating, my advice flew right out of his head. He was shoveling food in with impressive enthusiasm.
Before Lutz started working, it might be a good idea for him to learn proper manners too.
I picked up my fork and ate while watching Benno , but there didn't seem to be anything particularly unusual about his table manners. Or so I thought—yet somehow, I was the one being closely observed by Benno .
Was I doing something wrong? Maybe some small detail was off and bothering him? I ate nervously. I didn't think I'd been that vulgar, but I had no idea what had caught his attention.
The etiquette lesson I learned firsthand at this meal was this: leaving a small amount on your plate signals that you're full.
I'd worried it was rude to leave food, so I'd eaten as hard as I could, but when they brought refills, I nearly clamped my hand over my mouth.
I'd had modest expectations for a rich person's meal, but it was really just a lot of the same food—the taste wasn't that different. The cooking methods were probably the same. It was somewhat disappointing. But for Lutz, whose motto was "quantity is life," it seemed to be very satisfying.
"Looks like you're full. Shall we talk?"
"Yes."
Benno drank a dark, coffee-like beverage that smelled different from coffee, while we had herbal tea, and the conversation began.
"First, I want to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Why did you go to Otto ?"
I could see irritation and a trace of anger in Benno 's expression and tone. Lutz flinched, and I tilted my head.
"I'm sorry. I'm not sure what you mean. We're always relying on Otto , but which time are you referring to?"
"He reported that you borrowed nails from him. In exchange for a liquid that adds shine to hair, apparently?"
"Yes. …Was there a problem? The only person around me who could've lent us nails was Otto ."
I didn't understand why Benno would be angry that Otto had lent them to us. Had I been wrong to hand over the Simple-chan Rinshan ?
Since we just kept tilting our heads in confusion, Benno let out a heavy sigh.
"By merchant common sense, you should have consulted me first."
"With you, Benno ?"
"That's right."
I could tell from his grave nod that this was indeed the correct way of doing things according to local merchant customs, but I wasn't entirely convinced.
"But we're not even apprentice s or anything yet, right? Since making the paper is like an exam, I thought consulting you would be beside the point."
"No. If the paper is successful, you'll become an apprentice here, and the paper will become a product this shop handles. So the first person you should consult is me—not Otto ."
Even though we weren't officially apprentice s yet, we'd been promised conditional employment, so I supposed I could think of him as something like a supervisor. I'd been treating the papermaking as an exam, but I should think of it as an extension of the work.
In that case, this incident was a situation where someone below the level of an apprentice had gone to an outsider instead of their superior about work-related matters. It was a total blow to the boss's face.
"I understand. I apologize. It was an act that damaged your reputation—or rather, your dignity—as my employer. I'll be more careful going forward."
Having seen my understanding and remorse, Benno nodded several times, then straightened up.
"Now, let's discuss business. In exchange for the method of making the hair shine liquid, I'll procure all the materials needed for papermaking."
"Huh? Making the paper is the test to become an apprentice , isn't it? Is it okay for you to procure them for us?"
I'd thought the whole point of the test was to source everything ourselves. If Benno was going to provide the materials, making paper would be considerably easier.
"If you can't make it because you lack tools, I can't measure your ability. And you can't start a new venture without any upfront investment. But on principle, I can't give free assistance to someone who's technically still an outsider. Collateral is required for a loan, but you don't have anything that could serve as collateral, do you?"
Obviously, Lutz and I, as children of poor families, had nothing that could serve as collateral.
"Information isn't something you can return later, so it wouldn't count as collateral, right?"
"Exactly. So in this case, instead of a loan, we'll treat it as a sale. I'm buying the method. In return, I'll prepare everything you need to make the paper. …It's not a bad deal, is it?"
"It's certainly not a bad deal."
If I commissioned tool-making or imposed conditions for sourcing raw materials, it could lead to information about the papermaking process leaking out. But as someone who couldn't even prepare a single pot, I desperately wanted this assistance.
"Lutz, what do you think?"
I turned to Lutz, who had been sitting beside me listening silently. Papermaking was a joint effort between the two of us. I didn't think it was right to decide on my own.
Lutz lowered his gaze slightly and shook his head.
"…Figuring things out is your job, Mine. Whatever you decide is fine."
"Really?"
If Lutz was okay with it, then I'd try to wrap this up on the best terms I could.
If Benno was willing to take on everything from tools to raw material sourcing, we could focus entirely on making the paper.
"Just to confirm—when you say everything we need, does that include raw materials as well, or just tools?"
"Raw materials too. You're planning to experiment with various things, aren't you? I've heard that Lutz has been going around asking at lumber yards."
I see—merchants' horizontal networks were terrifying. When unfamiliar children started wandering around gathering information, it spread fast.
"How long will this assistance last?"
"Until the
Until the Baptism Ceremony was no problem. We'd bring the finished paper and have him buy it. Even with a slightly inflated commission, we'd still secure our own profit, so there was no issue.
But after the Baptism, I felt a twinge of unease.
Having profits added to wages was fine, but what if we were fired? If wages stopped being paid, there was a possibility that profits would stop being paid too.
I'd felt the thick wall between their common sense and our own. Once the paper was established and profitable, there was no guarantee we'd be protected.
"Instead of a wage bonus, please make it so the right to make paper belongs to me, and the right to sell it belongs to Lutz."
"…What do you mean?"
"If the paper becomes a success and we get the finished product in hand, only to be thrown out—I can't have that. I'd rather have insurance against being discarded than short-term profits."
"Hmm." The light in Benno 's eyes glinted as he stroked his chin.
"Well, it's not a bad instinct to look out for yourself. It's a child's half-baked idea full of holes, though."
"Ugh… I'll study up."
Since I didn't know their common sense, no matter how clever I tried to be, a child's half-baked plan was all I could manage.
"So, you're only claiming rights related to paper. What about rights related to the hair shine liquid?"
"Yes. I won't make any claims regarding the Simple-chan Rinshan . That's something I'm selling to you."
I had no intention of claiming rights over something I was selling.
All I wanted was to ensure that if the paper became available, Lutz—who was pushing forward despite his family's opposition—would have guaranteed work as a merchant's apprentice .
"Fine. The rights to the paper will belong to you two. However, as long as you're associated with this shop, all transactions will go through us. You won't have any say in pricing or profit arrangements, and there will be no wage bonus. That acceptable?"
"That's fine. It's just insurance."
Right now, the most important thing was securing a place where I could work and earn a salary. Profits could come later.
From the hairpin Benno had his eye on, to cooking recipes, to beauty products—once raw materials were available, there were plenty of things that could turn a profit. I could think of several at the drop of a hat.
"Good. Then the discussion is over. I'm heading out to visit the nobles' estates this afternoon. I'll be back by evening, so until then, stay here and write a purchase order. List everything you need to make the paper."
I appreciated the efficiency, but I'd never even written a purchase order at the Gate .
"…I don't know how to write one."
"I'll leave the teaching to someone else. If you can get it done by the time I return, I'll reward you with something useful."
"Something useful?"
"There's a method of contracting that I only use when I need to seriously protect my own rights, or in deals with nobles, or in massive transactions with enormous profits. You've never seen it—someone who only buys and sells at the Market . Instead of a verbal agreement, I'll properly secure your rights."
I had indeed wanted a written contract instead of just a verbal promise, but I hadn't expected Benno to bring it up.
"…Why would you go this far for us? Wouldn't a verbal agreement be more convenient for you?"
Benno shook his head, then gave a grin.
"Having a proper contract is to protect my own profits regarding the Simple-chan Rinshan . If we stay with just a verbal agreement and then you start making demands once the product becomes profitable, that would be troublesome. By making you formally waive your rights through a contract, I'll recognize yours in return."
"Thank you."
He was essentially saying: we don't fully trust each other yet, since we'd only met twice. That made sense.
If there was a written contract, we could both have peace of mind.
As the employees filed back in from their lunch break, Benno assigned one of them as our tutor. He was a capable-looking man who gave off an almost butler-like aura—I had to resist the urge to call him Sebastian.
"
"Understood, Master."
While issuing various instructions to the other employees, Benno prepared to leave.
Just before exiting the room, he turned back and called out to Mark .
"Oh, right. Mark , have the preparations for the Contract Magic ready by the time I get back, too."
Contract Magic?
That's what I thought I heard.
Wait… was this a fantasy world?
The papermaking had surged forward.
And, as a bonus, a vaguely fantasy-ish word had appeared.
Next time: Contract Magic.