The Sales Meeting and Review

"If you haven't experienced practical work as an apprentice scribe, you can't become a full scribe. Your ambition is to be the Librarian, correct? Prioritize work for the printing industry."

The Chief Priest counseled me to first finish my own work before meddling in everyone's family problems, overturning the social system, and plunging everything into chaos.

"Start with the castle sales meeting that's right in front of us. Have you finished communicating with the Plantan Trading Company?"

"I have. I've received word from Fran that the workshop is ready as well."

While I'd been sleeping, Charlotte and Damuel had been smoothing things over with the Chief Priest, and apparently the Plantan Trading Company had been holding book sales at the castle every year—it had become a regular event.

This year, too, many customers came and purchased books.

The most impressive sight to everyone's eyes was undoubtedly the former Count Liesegang, who had claimed the front row in order of purchase. He'd collapsed while receiving my blessing not long ago, yet here he was, back in action. He'd even brought a caretaker along, and while hobbling along with a cane, he made his way to the Plantan Trading Company's booth and purchased one of everything—"one copy of each title."

I could tell that Benno and the others were momentarily stunned by the large sum of money coming in right from the start. Back when they'd had only a handful of titles, buying everything at once was one thing, but with the catalog having grown, no one bought every single title anymore.

"Richarta, your great-grandfather is quite wealthy, isn't he?"

"Apparently, since the creators of the books are you and Lady Elvira, he wanted to personally purchase the books made by his great-grandchildren. He'd only just recovered, so Count Liesegang was very worried about him."

...Hey, great-grandfather, don't overdo it! You'll collapse again!

Watching him on tenterhooks, not knowing when he might keel over, I understood all too well—unpleasantly so—the feelings of everyone who watched over me.

...This is bad for my heart. I should be getting scolded with "Enough already, just stay still!" I need to find the self-restraint I've thrown away.

After that nerve-wracking time passed, children who had recently completed their Baptism Ceremony came wanting karuta and playing cards, while adults arrived to purchase books. There were many female customers, and the most popular story was the romance-oriented knight story that Mother had written.

The romance stories set in the Royal Academy were also popular. Since these were based on stories Mother had heard from ladies of various generations at tea parties, readers would narrow their eyes fondly and ask, "Is this story about that person and this one?" or "I think I've heard this before"—apparently there was something for every generation to get excited about.

And this year's featured product was the "Rozemyne's Selected Recipe Collection," which sold more than any other item. It was the first color-printed book, made using the inks Heidi had developed. Ella and Hugo selected recipes for ease of preparation and basic dishes, Nicola painstakingly wrote out the recipes, and Wilma drew the illustrations. By the way, the last page also contained an advertisement for the Italian restaurant.

The first color printing was done using stencil duplicators. Compared to single-color black printing, it consumed enormous amounts of time and cost. Gil reported that the printing staff in the workshop were completely exhausted. Apparently, keeping the layered colors perfectly aligned was extremely difficult.

It was a slim book containing only ten recipes, but it was the most expensive book they had ever published. Even so, since it included instructions for making consommé and pasta dishes, nobles who had eaten dishes prepared by the castle's personal chefs during the winter social season were all eager to get their hands on it. Incidentally, it didn't include instructions for making natural yeast, so fluffy bread was still only available at the castle.

Of course, since the cooking methods were quite different from what they were used to, it was uncertain whether the chefs could actually replicate the recipes. Ella and the others said that things like heat control and timing required practice.

"Then, tomorrow after breakfast, we'll return to the Temple. It's only for the meeting with the Plantan Trading Company, so keep in mind that we need to be back at the castle by dinner. Prepare accordingly."

"Understood."

The plan was to hold a review meeting with the Plantan Trading Company in the orphanage director's room at the Temple, then discuss future printing projects and a business trip to Haldenzel.

I'd sent a summons to the orphanage during the sales meeting and gathered up everything I wanted to discuss, so I tucked letters to my family into the documents I handed over. My preparations for seeing Lutz and Benno for the first time in ages were complete.

"I would also like to participate in the meeting at the Temple, Lady Rozemyne."

Hartmut said this. My immediate thought was: Oh no. Just like the other day at the Temple when he'd watched me write letters with unwavering attention, I'd only be able to maintain a composed facade. Was this how things would be from now on?

...I was finally going to get to see Lutz and the others.

Last time, I had taken him to the Temple, so I didn't have a sufficient reason to refuse this time. When I reluctantly tried to grant permission for him to come along, the Chief Priest shook his head with a troubled expression.

"No. After the meeting with the scribes recommended by the various Giebe in two days, official work on the printing industry will begin. Until then, Aub Ehrenfest's approval hasn't been granted, so he won't be accompanying us this time. Prepare a document listing the materials and procedures needed to build the papermaking workshop and printing workshop, so it can be distributed to the scribes."

"Understood."

The Chief Priest said this, then assigned work to Hartmut and Philine as a way of rejecting the request. I felt terrible for Hartmut, but I was immensely relieved, and I wanted to pray to the Chief Priest and my still-slightly-slow-on-the-uptake adoptive father.

...It's fine. I wasn't actually praying. My expression might have gotten a little too pleased, though.

The next day, I returned to the Temple with the Chief Priest. My guard knights were Damuel and Angelica, while the underage guard knights stayed behind at the castle. During my absence, they would be undergoing special training from Grandfather, targeted at apprentices.

"Lady Rozemyne, please return quickly for the sake of the knight apprentices as well. Grandfather is getting far too enthusiastic about this, and it makes me extremely uneasy."

Cornelius, who had trained under Grandfather as a guard knight of the Lord's family, saw us off while muttering darkly that the apprentices might end up dead.

...Not that I think Grandfather would go any easier on them even if I were there.

Once we arrived at the Temple, the Chief Priest came to my room almost immediately for a pre-meeting to prepare for the review session with the Plantan Trading Company, which would be held starting at the fourth bell.

"Questions and directives for the Plantan Trading Company... about this much, I suppose..."

I scribbled the Chief Priest's words onto my writing board while agreeing. "Yes, that's right."

"There are probably matters decided on the commoners' side regarding the town's development and scribe selection, as well as questions and requests. So after the report meeting, a meeting with Aub Ehrenfest will likely be necessary as well."

"Let's schedule a meeting with him starting now."

At my words, Justus moved briskly.

After the Chief Priest and I finished our preliminary discussion, Fran brought in tea and sweets. Damuel had complained about not being able to eat last time, so today we had crepes again. And these were luxurious crepes that also used Paru juice in the batter.

The Chief Priest, who wasn't good with overly sweet things, had his with less cream and more Rumtopf, while mine had a bit more cream mixed with chopped Paru pulp. When you bit into the Paru pulp, the juice burst out with a burst of sweetness, filling you with an indescribable sense of bliss.

They were a delicious winter treat, sweet and wonderful, but the season for Paru to bear fruit had already ended, so this would be the last Paru of the year.

"...Have new sweets been added again?"

"The crepes themselves have been around for a while—the only difference is what's inside them."

After eating a small amount of sweets, the Chief Priest clinked and produced the eavesdropping-prevention Magical Tool. I took it in my hand and gripped it.

The Chief Priest's expression twisted slightly, as if with pity.

"Today is the last day you can use the hidden room in the orphanage director's office."

From now on, scribes would be accompanying me, so it would no longer be possible to dismiss those around me and admit only specific merchants into the hidden room.

The weight of those words pressed down on me heavily. It was the same thing that had briefly crossed my mind when Hartmut had said he wanted to come along. I'd thought: it's probably impossible now, isn't it?

"...Was the Chief Priest stopping Hartmut from accompanying us because you wanted to give me time to say goodbye to Lutz and the others?"

"I thought it would be better for you to mark the occasion on your own terms rather than have it suddenly taken away."

The Chief Priest said this with a sigh.

"I had expected you to be able to spend time with your family until you entered the Royal Academy, but I ended up separating you from them. As long as I could fill that instability, I turned a blind eye—but you've already enrolled. From now on, scribes will be attending every meeting. I can't turn a blind eye any longer."

"...No, you can't."

He must have waited until the very last moment, truly the very last moment. Knowing this, I couldn't say anything.

"More importantly, the banquet celebrating the imminent spring will also include the announcement of your engagement to Wilfried. Having an engaged woman invite a commoner man into a hidden room would be extremely damaging to her reputation. It would hurt the Plantan Trading Company's reputation as well. Surely that's not what you want?"

"...No."

I couldn't let my efforts to desperately expand the shop, respond to the nobility's outrageous demands, and run all over Ehrenfest be for nothing—nor could I let Benno's, Lutz's, and the other Gutenberg's hard work go to waste.

"I'll have Justus accompany you today. Justus knows your situation and already has ties with the Plantan Trading Company. It should be a bit easier to let your guard down around him than around me."

For today's review meeting, they would be discussing matters that needed to be raised at the upcoming meeting where all the scribes gathered, so it was impossible to go without bringing a scribe.

"I understand. I'll bring Justus along."

Could I really say a proper goodbye? That was presumably why Justus would be accompanying us. I nodded.

Before the fourth bell, I moved to the orphanage director's office. Today was planned as a leisurely meeting over lunch.

"It was the Chief Priest who designated today's timing, wasn't it? Having the fourth bell is unusual."

"It's Lord Ferdinand's consideration—he wanted to give you as much time as possible."

"The Chief Priest's kindness is so roundabout it's hard to understand."

"That's nothing new. Lord Ferdinand is fundamentally roundabout and hard to understand."

Justus shrugged as he said this. Apparently, the attendants assigned to the Chief Priest right after his Baptism Ceremony had all been puppets of Veronica. The pleasant ones had their duties stripped away, while the ones he disliked were forced on him—a miserable childhood, by the sound of it. Having grown up that way, the Chief Priest had learned to wear an expressionless face, revealing nothing to those around him, in order to protect himself.

"From Lord Ferdinand's perspective, Lady Rozemyne is an open book—no hidden depths, simply... rather, very easy to understand. On top of that, if you use the roundabout manner of speaking typical of nobles, he interprets it in completely the wrong direction. So I think he makes a real effort to be straightforward with you, Lady Rozemyne."

...If even that was considered easy to understand, I wondered how absurdly easy to understand I must be.

While I was puffing out my lips in a pout, the Plantan Trading Company group arrived. Fran led them upstairs, and while we exchanged greetings, Nicola brought in the food.

"Today, Mark and Lutz will be eating with us as well. My attendants will handle the serving."

Lutz looked between Justus and me, who were seated together, with an uncertain expression, while Gil took on the role of server.

"This is Lady Rozemyne's invitation. Please, have a seat."

At Gil's words, Lutz nodded as if snapping out of a daze and sat down with careful, proper movements. I'd heard he'd been learning etiquette at the Temple while I was asleep for two years, and sure enough, his manners were impeccable.

The Lutz I remembered—the one who'd been invited to lunch by Benno for the first time and devoured his food without a shred of proper manners—was nowhere to be found.

And Gil, who was practically an adult, had become such a perfect attendant that it was hard to believe he'd once been "the worst troublemaker in the orphanage and a regular in the reflection room." He worked so hard now that the very concept of a reflection room felt disconnected from him.

I'd been busy from the moment I woke up, and we hadn't had a chance to sit down like this for a long time.

Looking at them closely, both had grown remarkably, and I felt childish for thinking I didn't want to let them go. Unlike me, who wanted to cry and cling to them, I knew that if I explained the circumstances that required them to part ways, they would surely understand and accept it.

"Sales were decent."

Lunch began, and as we ate appetizers, talk turned to the castle sales meeting. Book sales were fundamentally conducted at the castle, so the Plantan Trading Company, as head of the Printing Guild, handled everything collectively for the time being.

"The recipe collection sold very well, so maybe next we could do new recipe collections from Hugo, Ella, and Ilse. Create them separately, and if we give them one-tenth of the sales as a recipe fee, we might end up with an even wider variety of recipes."

"However, sales in Ehrenfest have been declining a bit. I think it's largely because the books have already circulated among the nobility to a certain degree..."

There weren't that many people who could afford to buy books. The Plantan Trading Company was thinking it was about time to find new customers. But for that, they needed my adoptive father's permission.

While sipping consommé soup, I mentally sorted books into those that could be sold to other territories and those I didn't want to release.

"I want to maintain our strong performance at the Royal Academy, so we won't be selling the Holy Book picture books or the reference books we're planning to make. We might start selling other items like knight stories and sheet music, but given the chaos this year, that will probably have to wait until next year. We need to expand the printing workshops to keep up with demand, so this year, focus on increasing capacity. After that, it's printing the reference books."

At the mention of "chaos this year," Benno nodded deeply with a troubled expression. The chaos on the commoners' side was apparently far worse.

"Oh, and about the etiquette books—they seem to have sold almost not at all..."

I'd been quietly keeping track of sales, and the etiquette book that Turi had come up with had sold almost nothing. I was a little disappointed.

Lutz picked up a fluffy bread while saying, "Ah, the customer base for that is different," and narrowed his eyes.

"Sales were never bad."

"Really? Where are they selling?"

"They've been selling to lower-ranking nobles who can't hire good tutors, wealthy merchants who have dealings with nobles, and town and village chiefs in the domain's direct territories who interact with nobles."

The castle, where everyone already knew proper etiquette, had no demand—but elsewhere, they were apparently selling well.

"On the way to Haldenzel, in the villages and towns in the direct territories, I went door to door using the example of what happened in Hasse. I told them that if they didn't know, something terrible might happen to them—and they bought."

Lutz grinned smugly, the corners of his mouth curling upward, saying "They sold very well," and I couldn't help but laugh. Of course they'd have to buy. The previous High Priest's methods weren't unknown only in Hasse. It wasn't someone else's problem.

"Looking at the castle sales, it seems that stories favored by the nobility sell best in Haldenzel. The stories written by Lady Rozemyne's mother sold the best."

Mark said this as he narrowed his eyes over his wine-stewed beef shank.

Mother had the hearts of noble women firmly in her grasp. There was probably a faction bonus at work too, but I believed she could write stories that resonated with nobles precisely because she was one.

"We're currently losing to Haldenzel in terms of sales. I'd like to find something that plays to Ehrenfest's strengths as well."

Most children had already obtained the children's Holy Books and karuta and card game sets, so future growth in those areas would be limited. They needed to think years ahead with the reference books, but they also wanted something that would generate immediate profit.

As Benno said this, I cut my meat and thought for a moment.

"What about focusing on expanding stationery?"

"What kind of stationery related to books and paper do you have in mind?"

"Things like 'files' and 'binders' to keep paper organized. Also, how about making pre-printed order forms for merchants? More and more merchants from other territories will be coming from now on. Wouldn't it be better to standardize the format in advance?"

I explained that processing documents written in various different formats was a headache, and Mark nodded repeatedly with a look of deep understanding. Getting merchants to write things the way you needed them was apparently quite a chore as well.

"Oh, I also have a question from the Guild Master. You mentioned limiting trade to certain territories, but how should we distinguish between merchants who have been granted permission and those who haven't?"

When the pudding dessert arrived, Benno tapped his pudding with a spoon and looked at me.

Previously, they could simply trade with any merchant who showed up, but now they would need to screen them. Since there weren't enough goods to sell to everyone, they'd need to select territories.

"...I'll need to think about that a little. Did you ask Otto?"

"He said it varies widely from territory to territory. More importantly, he doesn't know in detail about merchants who operate under the Lord's direct orders..."

Even Otto and the Guild Master didn't know enough about the inner workings of merchants to help with this, and I certainly didn't either.

"Perhaps we should look into how other territories handle it. Or alternatively, it might be more reliable to create something unique to Ehrenfest that other territories couldn't replicate..."

What flashed to mind was the red seal ship trade. If I created a system where only merchants who received an official seal from Aub Ehrenfest could conduct trade, identification would be possible, wouldn't it?

However, it would be dangerous to judge based on my own common sense alone—I had no idea how many seals would need to be issued, or whether such a system would actually be effective.

"I'll ask Aub Ehrenfest for now. There might already be agreements between lords."

"I would appreciate that."

...Eating with someone really does make the food taste better.

With that thought, I finished what was probably my last meal with Lutz. I might have opportunities to dine with Benno of the Plantan Trading Company, but eating together with Lutz was impossible. Perhaps in about ten years it might be possible, but it felt impossibly far away to me.

"Lady Rozemyne, here are the documents regarding this round of sales, the opinions on the lower-ranking scribes, and the compiled information on town development."

"Thank you. I'll deliver these to Aub Ehrenfest. Here are the directives from Aub Ehrenfest."

At Benno's words, Lutz handed over the documents. I confirmed that a letter was secretly tucked inside the bundle, then immediately placed the bundle into my document box and closed the lid.

At the same time, I saw Lutz notice the envelope in the documents I'd handed him, and his eyes narrowed gently.

...Maybe this exchange of letters would be the last one too?

Even when you're prepared for it, your heart still aches. Suppressing the urge to cry, I ordered Fran to open the door to the hidden room.

"Fran, we'll be going to that room. Benno, Mark, Lutz—I have an important matter to discuss. The guard knight is Damuel, the attendants are Gil and Fran. ...And the scribe is Justus."

The moment Justus's name was mentioned last in the list of people entering the hidden room, Lutz's eyes went wide in disbelief. Mark lowered his gaze gently, and Benno shut his eyes tightly, as if to say, "So the day has finally come."

I glanced once at the door Fran was holding open, then turned my best smile toward Lutz.

"I have something important... to discuss."

It was the sale of the color-printed recipe book.

She couldn't read all the words yet, but Heidi, who had worked hard on ink development, had also received a sample copy. She didn't seem to have any plans to cook, though.

Next, the important discussion.