"I would like to hear the details of the letter's contents, Lady
It seemed that
Since the Guild Master was also present, I decided to explain as politely as possible.
"When noble children turn ten, they spend the winter studying at the
I began with an explanation of the Royal Academy, then described how territories were ranked by influence, and that from now on, the candidate archdukes would follow—meaning Ehrenfest was to set trends and raise its ranking, as Aub Ehrenfest had ordered.
"The trends I am to spread from Ehrenfest through the Royal Academy—rinsham, hair ornaments, cooking recipes and tools, Plant Paper, ink, books… are all things I have been involved with. So Aub Ehrenfest seems to have decided that spreading them to other territories should begin after I awaken."
"So that means Lady Rozemyne, who is now set to attend the Royal Academy, has already begun spreading these things…"
At Benno's words, I nodded and said, "That is correct." His eyes were telling me to make sure I said this before departing, but there was nothing I could do even if he glared at me like that.
"I only heard about the trend-setting initiative right before leaving for the Royal Academy, which is why I couldn't contact any of you. But didn't you receive some kind of communication from the civil officials?"
"For a while, there were indeed orders not to send rinsham, hair ornaments, or books outside the territory. …I figured those orders would eventually be lifted and that everything would spread at once, so I made what preparations I could."
"As expected of Benno. What keen foresight."
To prepare for spreading things while under an order not to send them outside the territory—that was truly Benno.
"So, what is the current situation regarding the spreading of trends? Has Lady Rozemyne's return here meant that they have already spread?"
"First of all, I believed that rather than spreading everything at once in the first year, it would be better to spread things little by little during my time at the Academy."
By releasing trends gradually and continuing to put them out over a long period, I wanted to impress upon others that Ehrenfest was no one-hit wonder.
"Indeed, merchants will make repeated visits to a place where new things are being made each time they come. And it's also possible that nobles from other territories would come to verify the actual products. Since Ehrenfest currently sees few visitors from other territories, this would be quite a significant change."
On top of that, the current Lord's orders restricted entry to only those who had received permission, which made the situation even more so.
…Now that he mentioned it, I hadn't really seen many nobles from other territories, had I?
"This year, I decided to spread four things at the Royal Academy: rinsham, hair ornaments, quatre-quarts, and Plant Paper. They are things I regularly use myself, and I chose items that would easily become topics of conversation at tea parties."
"Hmm, so we can consider these to be items that were well-regarded among the nobles of Ehrenfest?"
At the Guild Master's question, I nodded lightly.
"Furthermore, I considered that expanding workshops would be relatively easy. These are the type of first-mover-advantage products where you want to earn as much as possible before the manufacturing methods spread. I expect similar items will appear in other territories soon enough."
Once you knew the method, these were things
Otto of the
"And then, when the trend of items other territories can imitate settles down a bit, I plan to spread printed materials. Printing is difficult to spread because preparing printing presses takes so much effort—Ehrenfest itself probably hasn't even fully adopted it yet, right? I imagine it will take a very long time to spread to other territories."
I said that if the method of making printing presses could be kept secret, the printing industry could be monopolized in Ehrenfest for a while, and Benno grinned with a raised corner of his lip and nodded.
"My goal is to spread books at the Royal Academy, and within a few years, have manuscripts brought in from other territories. For my part, I have always wanted to spread books as quickly as possible, but…"
"Lady Rozemyne, rushing too hastily often leads to botched work. It is best to slowly but surely let things take root."
Don't rush. Make sure you do the groundwork properly! I felt as though I could hear Benno's subtext. His reddish-brown eyes weren't smiling behind his pleasant expression, so I was probably right.
"At the tea parties I attended, rinsham and hair ornaments were extremely well-received, and the quatre-quarts, despite its simple appearance, earned praise for being quite delicious. These evaluations came from the great territory of
"…Klassenberg? Now that's quite a big name…"
The one whose eyes widened at my words was the Guild Master. As the person overseeing commercial transactions, he was probably well-informed about other territories' names and influence.
Unlike the Guild Master, however, Benno and Otto seemed to have latched onto something other than the name Klassenberg.
"Lady Rozemyne, what do you mean by other territories coming forward from now on?"
"The Royal Academy's social season is in the latter half, after everyone finishes their lectures, but I rushed to finish my lectures and returned here for the Dedication Ritual. So I have only held tea parties with the teachers, the Klassenberg candidate archduke, and the Second Prince—I don't know what will happen at the Academy in my absence."
"…Lady Rozemyne, did you just say you've only held tea parties with teachers, a great territory, and royalty? Then the client who commissioned these hair ornaments…"
The Guild Master lost the color from his face and turned his gaze toward Otto and the others. Having dealt with nobles as Guild Master for so long, he was quick on the uptake.
"Yes. The Gilberta Company has been asked to create a hair ornament that the Second Prince will present to the Klassenberg candidate archduke as an adult gift."
"…How reckless…"
Sympathetic gazes from the Guild Master and his attendants were directed at Otto. But Otto's expression barely changed.
"May I ask for the hair color and garment color of the person who will be wearing it? Theon, take notes."
"Understood."
I explained
"She is like the
We discussed what additional colors to include beyond the red colalier flower, how large to make it, and how to set the price, then came to our decisions.
"…Otto, do you realize what this is? It's a tribute item for royalty."
The Guild Master furrowed his brows, but Otto only shrugged lightly.
"I do, but is there really any reason to panic? The royalty took a liking to the hair ornament that Lady Rozemyne wears. Since other territories cannot make them, the best thing the Gilberta Company can create now is the best that exists. Furthermore…"
Otto turned his gaze to the hair ornament currently pinned in my hair. It was one of the hair ornaments Turi had made for me while I was sleeping.
"With each hair ornament our craftspeople create, they develop new techniques and new flower shapes—they are constantly evolving. I am proud of that. Using the finest thread, having our most skilled craftspeople continue to refine their techniques as they always have to create new ornaments—I believe we can meet Lady Rozemyne's expectations, and by extension, the expectations of the royalty."
"But Klassenberg and royalty…"
Only the Guild Master seemed to fully grasp the difference between Ehrenfest and Klassenberg. The Guild Master still didn't look convinced, so Benno shrugged lightly.
"Guild Master, broadly speaking, aren't both Klassenberg and the royalty essentially the same as the archducal family that Lady Rozemyne belongs to?"
"They are not the same, Benno!"
"From the perspective of not being able to fail, the difference between Ehrenfest's upper nobles, other territories' upper nobles, and the archducal family is negligible. The other side is nobles who could crush us without any trouble."
Being nobles alone meant that unreasonable demands would be tolerated when dealing with commoner merchants. So Benno declared flatly that whether it was Ehrenfest's lower nobles or the royalty, when it came to clients you couldn't afford to fail, there was little difference to a merchant.
…That unshakable composure was reassuring.
"As Otto and Benno say, since we can approach this as a tribute from our side, dealing with royalty might actually be less stressful for you. Since this is a commission from me, if you compare handling me versus handling another upper noble, the level of tension would be completely different. Besides, the royalty isn't someone you'd deal with directly anyway. The one who'll be agonizing over this is my adoptive father."
"Lady Rozemyne, what is the deadline? When is the adult ceremony?"
"The Royal Academy's adult ceremony is at the end of winter. Please have it completed by then."
"Understood."
Having finished placing the hair ornament order for Eglantine, I let out a small breath.
"Next, regarding Plant Paper—the name immediately reveals the raw materials, so at the Royal Academy I've been calling it just 'new paper.' However, this is rather unclear, so I thought a new name might be necessary."
"Do you have any candidates? That is, something like '
Benno's eyes narrowed—probably worried I was going to give it some strange name again.
"No. I was thinking it might be good to use the name of the person who first made it, so I was considering 'Lutz Paper'…"
"If that's the case, I believe 'Mine Paper' would be more appropriate," Lutz said immediately. His face clearly said, Please, spare me. I had thought Lutz Paper was a nice name, but apparently not.
…Mine Paper? An immediate rejection. There was no need to preserve my name.
"How about using the place of origin as the name? In Ilgner, the paper produced is quite different from Ehrenfest's. So what about calling it 'Ilgner Paper' or 'Ehrenfest Paper'?"
"If we did that, I believe the name of Ehrenfest would become known at the same time as the paper itself," Benno added in support of Mark.
Indeed, the quality of paper varied greatly depending on the materials available. A place name was more likely to stick than a personal name, and it would serve as advertisement too.
"…That's true. Very well, let's go with Ehrenfest Paper."
I noticed Lutz let out a breath of deep, heartfelt relief.
"Lady Rozemyne, is Ehrenfest Paper likely to sell?"
"I don't know yet. I personally use it regularly in the library, in lectures, and for meeting records, but it's not as though everyone in Ehrenfest uses it. At this point, it has only drawn the attention of teachers who tend to get buried in materials—student awareness is still low."
At my words, the Guild Master stroked his chin and said, "I suppose so."
"For anyone of upper noble rank and above, there is no need to go out of one's way to obtain new paper—they can easily get parchment as usual. For lower nobles, while it is somewhat cheaper than parchment, it's not a price that allows for casual daily use."
"That's quite right. I've been trying to make it look like something people use casually, so I provide it to students who are copying documents in the library. But since receiving paper as a matter of course when copying under orders from superiors is normal, it may not convey much of a sense of ease or daily familiarity."
"When dealing with large amounts of materials, it takes up far less space than wooden tablets, which is quite beneficial, but students would probably find it difficult to understand."
The Guild Master had apparently switched from wooden tablets to Plant Paper at the commercial guild for managing records. He said that once management materials were converted to paper, it saved a tremendous amount of space compared to wooden tablets.
Benno, who had also relocated to work extensively in Ilgner and Hartungszel, had reached the same conclusion—when considering the volume of goods to carry, paper was superior to wooden tablets.
"Perhaps you should ask Aub Ehrenfest to have the Ehrenfest civil officials who sell the paper use it first. If the officials themselves experience how much easier it is to handle materials, their enthusiasm for recommending it to other territories would surely change, wouldn't it?"
"…You're right. I'll propose that."
It would be problematic if the lord of a territory wasn't using its own specialty products. I would make sure my adoptive father and the others kept using it. The biggest customer for Plant Paper shouldn't be me, followed by the
"Oh, right—I want someone to make storage supplies for paper. I'll gather the Gutenberg again another time and discuss it then."
There were so many office supplies I wanted: binders, files, boxes for organizing paper. The Guild Master picked up on my words and looked at me with the eyes of someone who had found prey.
"Lady Rozemyne, would you consider entrusting the work not only to the Plantan Company but to other companies as well? There are many who wish to establish ties."
At the Guild Master's words, I tilted my head slowly.
"I am using the Plantan Company as my exclusive contractor, so if they want work, couldn't they receive it from the Plantan Company? Isn't that how merchants in this city do business?"
"That is true, but…"
The Guild Master said that my large orders were creating too much of an imbalance in the workload. However, since every single Gutenberg was busy, if the work was something Benno could trust would be done properly, he could delegate it—much like how Benno's exclusive woodworking workshop had passed on my work to
"I do trust the Gutenberg, starting with Benno, so as long as they are satisfied with delegating the work among themselves, I have no objection. And if I am satisfied with the work that has been delegated, I will prioritize assigning more of that type of work to whoever took it on."
Honestly, the Gutenberg was simply a collective of craftspeople and merchants who could meet my demands.
There was even
"However, given that work from the Lord keeps pouring in at an ever-increasing rate right now, I cannot afford to take on partners who would cause trouble. I have no intention of sending work from my side to anyone that even Benno, who must be desperate to delegate due to his workload, is hesitant about."
As for that matter, I cut off the Guild Master's proposal by telling them to sort it out among the merchants themselves. I had no desire to meddle in disputes between companies.
"You must have some idea already, Benno—you can't be monopolizing all the work, surely?"
Thinking it was impossible to take on everything, I looked at Benno, and he slowly nodded.
"For paper, building a new workshop requires Lady Rozemyne's approval, so I haven't increased them on my own. But with rinsham, once it started trending among Ehrenfest's nobles, I began sharing the manufacturing method with sisters who had married into other towns and relatives, and have been increasing workshops."
…The rinsham workshops had multiplied while I was asleep.
"Then, if you purchased the oil raw materials from the food processing workshops, and the workshops held by the Gilberta Company focused only on rinsham production, you could increase the volume even further. The important part is the ingredients and ratios for the scrub."
"I see."
"Can the hair ornaments be mass-produced?"
"Through the Sewing Guild, I've been commissioning several workshops since last year as winter handicrafts, having them produce the simplest items for commoners. Among those, I commission the next flower designs from those who produce high-quality pieces, while also poaching craftspeople at the end of their Daruu contracts. This way, I've been training skilled workers."
By sorting craftspeople according to the difficulty of their commissions, some degree of mass production had become possible. This had come about because it had become trendy among Ehrenfest's nobles to attach flower decorations to their garments, creating a need for mass production.
And since Turi had gone from commoner to the archducal family's adopted daughter in just a few years, being skilled at making hair ornaments for girls had apparently become treated as a shortcut to success.
…If we kept taking commissions from royalty at this rate, Turi might become legendary. Amazing, amazing—it would make you want to boast.
Without letting my internal excitement show on my face, I looked at Benno and nodded. "I am impressed by your excellent planning."
"If rinsham and hair ornaments are not a problem, shall we begin expanding the paper workshops starting next spring?"
"Lady Rozemyne, Hartungszel comes first."
"I plan to handle that territory in a consolidated manner in the social world after the Dedication Ritual. If there are any gaps based on
"Understood."
It seemed like things were already well on their way. Amazing, Mr. Benno, I thought, applauding internally. Then the Guild Master asked, "What will be done with the quatre-quarts?"
"If there is demand, I intend to sell just the basic recipe at the Lord's Conference. For a while, those who have been refining their recipes through innovation will have the advantage. And as a bit of extra information—I've noticed that the people of the central territories are too accustomed to overly sweet flavors, so the honey-flavored quatre-quarts with its stronger sweetness is the most popular."
"Oh? Honey-flavored?"
The Guild Master's eyes went round in surprise, as if he hadn't expected to receive such information. I was essentially making an advance investment in him, since I would need him to work hard from here on out.
"Once the Lord's Conference is over, merchants from other territories will increase, so please keep that in mind."
"You are too kind."
"What I would like to ask of Gustaf is to prepare a reception system for merchants and travelers. Won't the inns run short if the number of travelers increases? If we are to accept many merchants, the city's infrastructure will need to be improved as well. …Nobles probably won't have much interest in this area. But what commoner merchants see is the lower town."
If you wanted to attract people, getting merchants to come to Ehrenfest was the best approach, but arriving to find absolutely no products would drive customers away, and merchants who had traveled far would be furious. If outsiders increased and there was competition for scarce goods, public order would easily break down.
"To maintain order, close coordination with the soldiers would be necessary, as well as cooperation with the guilds related to inns and restaurants. I would like to leave that to the commercial guild."
The Guild Master's eyes went wide in shock, but I smiled brightly.
"Do go ahead and pass along work to all those companies that have been asking for it."
"Understood."
"Those who only know this city may have difficulty seeing its flaws. I heard that Otto was a traveling merchant. Gathering opinions from various people about the city's appearance and public order might lead to new discoveries."
"Yes…"
As I glanced sideways at the stunned Guild Master, Mark cleared his throat to rein in Benno, who looked as though he might laugh at the fact that the Guild Master's workload was increasing and serve him right.
Benno put on a serious expression and looked at me.
"Lady Rozemyne, what exactly is the Lord's Conference?"
Benno asked the question, but I had never attended the Lord's Conference myself, so I didn't know either. All I knew was that all the lords of
"I am not a lord, so I have never participated. I don't know the details, but I've heard from Aub Ehrenfest that agreements are made between lords regarding trade and distribution."
The Guild Master knew more about the Lord's Conference than I did.
"I only receive the results, but based on the Lord's Conference, we send merchants to other territories and dispatch traveling merchants, so I am somewhat familiar with it."
The Guild Master told us about several changes that had occurred as a result of decisions made at past Lord's Conferences. It sounded like quite the impactful meeting.
"To arrange how many contracts Ehrenfest would make with which territories at that Lord's Conference, I am to be called in by Aub Ehrenfest once the blizzard stops."
"That is… That is truly… Lady Rozemyne's thoughtfulness. This is most appreciated."
The Guild Master's words left me confused, and I tilted my head. According to the Guild Master, normally lords and nobles gave no consideration whatsoever to commoner merchants' convenience. Decisions made at the Lord's Conference simply arrived as official orders through the civil officials.
It was the way of nobles who didn't see commoners as fellow human beings, but it didn't seem like a method that would lead to much success.
"A normal noble would never hold meetings with us the way you do, Lady Rozemyne. They simply issue orders and that's the end of it. And if things go wrong, all the blame falls on us. So merely having a discussion arranged for us before the Lord's Conference is already an enormous kindness."
…If that was normal, it was absurdly unfair, and it was no wonder Ehrenfest's influence was so low.
When I had proposed this, neither my adoptive father nor the Chief Priest had objected—it seemed they had been too stunned by the idea of "bringing merchants' opinions to the Lord's Conference," having never held meetings with merchants before.
"Regarding the gathering at the Italian restaurant as well, Aub Ehrenfest realized that if a civil official was interposed, our opinions would not be heard. So perhaps we'll find things a bit easier to work with until the next generation takes over."
…Hearing it put that way, my adoptive father—who supposedly just wanted to visit the lower town and try new food—actually seemed to have thought very carefully, making him sound like a good lord who listened to the common folk's opinions.
Since he was already thinking in a positive direction, there was no need for correction.
"I will try to act as intermediary as much as possible to ensure smooth discussions with Aub Ehrenfest."
"That is most reassuring. Truly comforting."
Benno glared at me with an expression that clearly said, Don't stick your nose in too far.
"Is it acceptable to bring the same companions today to the meeting with Aub Ehrenfest? We need to determine the number and issue invitations."
"If you are going to the castle, the standard is one representative plus one escort."
"Understood. I will convey that to the civil officials and have the invitations sent out."
Following the advice of the Guild Master, who had the most experience dealing with nobles, I decided on the number of people going to the castle.
I then paused, clenched my fist tightly on my lap, and turned my gaze to Lutz. I didn't want to say this myself, but it was something I absolutely had to say.
When our eyes met, something passed across Lutz's face, and he stiffened. I took a slow breath, careful to keep my voice from trembling, and opened my mouth.
"…There is a possibility that Contract Magic will be dissolved at this meeting."
I had to consider that the contract between Mine and Lutz might be severed. Benno had made arrangements so that even if we ended up in the Noble District, we would maintain at least some connection through Contract Magic—but there was a high chance it would be canceled.
I knew it was unavoidable if we wanted to increase production, spread trends, and circulate goods. Even so, yet another of the thin threads connecting us would disappear, and our relationship would grow even more distant than before. The thought filled me with an indescribable loneliness.
"I will be issuing invitations for three people from the Plantan Company. Please be sure to bring Lutz along."
As I lowered my eyes slightly and ordered Lutz's inclusion, Benno's face twisted in pain for a moment, then he gave in with a resigned nod.
"As you command."
Benno is working hard to prepare with limited information.
For Otto, the archducal families of other territories and royalty are all lumped together as beings beyond the clouds.
And the Guild Master has joined the ranks too. "Congrats, Guild Master. Your workload just increased."
Next up are souvenirs for the Chief Priest and