Right now, I was being carried in
At first I'd been walking perfectly fine on my own, but Benno had gotten impatient with my walking speed, bellowed "Too slow! What a waste of time!", and scooped me up in one motion.
Then he launched into a lengthy lecture about the importance of time, and I couldn't even talk back.
"Oh, by the way, Benno. What exactly is the Commercial Guild?"
When you don't know how something differs from what you already know, it's best to ask for the details.
"What, you don't know?"
"I've never been there.
"That's where people who do business go, right?"
I'd turned to Lutz assuming any child in this city would know, but what came back was something even I could have figured out.
Benno let out a light sigh and gave me the explanation.
"...Well, yeah. Their main jobs are issuing permits needed to open a shop in this city and punishing businesses that operate with malicious practices. You can't open a shop or set up a stall at the Market without a Commercial Guild permit. And everyone involved in business has to be registered—anyone who trades without registration gets hit with severe penalties."
Listening to Benno's explanation, I guessed it was something like a government office for commerce. You needed permission to open a shop, and you had to register as an apprentice, so I wasn't far off.
"It sounds like a pretty powerful organization."
"That's right. They've got power, and they're stingy with money. Take on an apprentice and you pay a registration fee. Want to start a new business? Expansion fee. Do anything at all? Transaction fee."
Maybe having to pay for everything was the same in every world. It was a miserable place to live if you were poor.
"Either way, once you finish the
"So what you're saying is, the reason you need registration to buy paper today, Benno, is because of that?"
"Exactly."
I see. So the reason Benno was rushing to get us registered was so he could buy the prototypes.
As I nodded to myself in understanding, Benno's brows furrowed sharply.
"Hopefully registration goes smoothly, but with that old geezer, he's sure to find some fault again."
"Find some fault?"
The words that came out of him didn't sound pleasant at all. I'd assumed Benno was someone important at the Commercial Guild, but maybe not? Or maybe there was some kind of factional rivalry?
"Right now, the business that's growing fastest and expanding nonstop is mine. The Guild Master is dying to skim off as much as he can. You two—don't say anything unnecessary."
"Yes."
Lutz and I answered in unison. I had no intention of sticking my nose into the kind of fox-and-raccoon-dog game that shrewd merchants would play against each other.
"Oh, right. Mine, about those hair ornaments you brought in."
"These?"
I opened the tote bag slightly to show the hair ornament, and Benno nodded briefly before fixing me with his sharp, reddish-brown eyes.
"How fast can you make these?"
"If all the materials are ready, Lutz has already made the wooden parts, and I'm feeling well... well, just the flower part—if I push myself, I could probably do it in one day, maybe..."
It depended on how many small flowers there were, but at my pace it was a one-day job. If Mother, who was skilled with a needle, had two bell-weights' worth of time, she could probably make them.
"What about you, Lutz?"
"I just have to carve and sand the wood, so if I had one bell-weight's worth of time, I think I could manage?"
"Hmm, that works."
Benno's voice sounded cheerful, but his eyes alone were gleaming with a sharp light.
"What's good about it?"
"You'll find out after this."
With the smile of a predator that had locked onto its prey, Benno stared ahead at the Commercial Guild building.
The Commercial Guild was a large building standing prominently at the corner facing the Central Plaza. The fact that it occupied the entire building from top to bottom—none of it rented out—told you right away that this was an organization with serious money.
"When I think my hard-earned money is being poured into this place, it makes my blood boil."
"True, but you'd be in trouble without it, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah. That's what makes it even more infuriating."
In front of the door stood armed guards, who looked us up and down before asking our business.
"What is the nature of your visit?"
"Temporary registration for these two."
"This way, please."
The door was opened for us, and we stepped inside—only to be startled by a staircase right away. It was a fairly wide staircase, but the first floor was nowhere to be found.
"Benno, what's on the first floor?"
"Oh, that's where traveling merchants park their horse carts and wagons. Can't have them all lined up along the main street—that'd be a nuisance. Go around back and you'll see a row of carts."
When we climbed to the second floor, we found a spacious hall.
A large number of people were moving back and forth through it. The sheer noise and bustle was enough to make me marvel at the thought that this city actually had this many people.
"Nothing for us here. We're going to the third floor via the back staircase."
Still carried in Benno's arms, I was taken safely toward the back staircase, but Lutz, who was walking behind Benno, was getting jostled around in the crowd.
"Lutz, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, but... it's like a festival."
"This is where you apply for Market stall permits and where traveling merchants who arrive in the city get permission to trade. It gets like this when the Market is approaching. Once it's over, it's quiet for a while."
"Huh."
The back staircase had a sturdy metal fence installed, and another guard stood in front of it.
"May I see your registration cards?"
"Three of us going up."
"Very well."
When Benno produced a card-like metal object and handed it over, the guard waved it over something.
A white light raced along the fence, and the fence vanished as if melting away.
"Wha—?! What is that?!"
"It's a Magical Tool. Lutz, don't let go of my hand. You'll get thrown back."
"O-okay."
Benno held me with one hand, took Lutz's hand with the other, and started up the stairs.
"I thought only nobility could use magic?"
"The upper echelons of organizations like this are usually connected to the Nobility. Many nobles won't hesitate to provide Magical Tools if they see profit in it."
This was the first time I'd seen one.
It was the same as when I'd witnessed Contract Magic—I really was in a far more fantasy-like world than I'd imagined.
When we reached the top of the stairs, Benno let go of Lutz's hand and set me down.
From the top of the stairs, a stretch of white wall continued ahead, with what looked like a counter visible in the distance. The second floor handled Market stall-related business, while the third floor dealt with shop owners—so compared to the noisy second floor, the third was quiet and sparsely populated.
The second floor had wooden floors and dingy corners where dust had gathered, but the third was carpeted and meticulously cleaned. The furniture and upkeep all gave off an aura of expense. A society of disparity, visible at a glance.
"Behind this wall is the conference room. You two won't have any reason to use it."
Benno pointed at the white wall as he explained, then started walking toward the counter. I held hands with Lutz and followed. The everyday luxury on display here was a bit intimidating.
Past the conference room, the counter stretched from wall to wall. Behind it, apprentice-looking children who were regulars at the Commercial Guild were reading wooden tablets and doing calculations using Calculators in the back.
"Lutz, we need to learn our letters and numbers over the winter."
"...Yeah."
On the other side of the corridor, opposite the counter, were sofa-like seats arranged more like a reception room than a waiting area, a place where you could relax in comfort.
Looking around, I spotted a shelf against the wall lined with wooden tablets and parchment.
"Is that... a bookshelf?!"
My excitement surged, and Benno looked at me with a quizzical expression, tilting his head.
"Oh, that's a shelf with rulebooks for opening shops, simple maps of the surrounding area, Noble Yearbooks, and so on. ...Interested?"
"So interested!"
I wanted to rush over to the bookshelf immediately, but Lutz squeezed my hand tighter and wouldn't let go.
Watching me fidget, Benno smiled wryly.
"Once the registration is done, you can look. The wait will be long anyway."
"Really?! Great!"
"Mine, calm down. You're way too excited."
Of course I was excited—finding what looked like actual readable books! No way I could stay calm. Even if Lutz told me to cool it, there was no stopping the thrill racing through me.
Or so I thought—until Lutz said one thing, and I had no choice but to behave.
"If you get too excited, you'll collapse before you even read anything."
...Now that would be a problem!
Benno, who had been watching our exchange with amusement, sensed a natural break and called out, "Come on."
We walked to the counter, where a staff member who seemed to recognize Benno put on a pleasant smile.
"Oh, Benno. What brings you here today?"
"Temporary registration for these two. Mine and Lutz—both of them."
"Temporary registration? ...They're not children, are they?"
"They're not. But they need registration. Make it quick."
Temporary registration was apparently a legal loophole that merchants had come up with so they could have children help with family businesses before the Baptism Ceremony—children who technically couldn't be registered or employed.
You weren't supposed to hire children before their Baptism, and it was highly unusual for such children to be involved in trades significant enough to require registration without their parents present, so having unrelated children temporarily registered was virtually unheard of.
The staff member narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but continued questioning Lutz and me before starting to write something down behind the counter.
The questions, when I thought of it as standard bureaucratic procedure, were all fairly ordinary. Our names, our fathers' occupations and names, our addresses, our ages.
"A carpenter's son and a soldier's daughter, seeking temporary registration?"
The staff member's expression grew even more dubious as he looked back and forth between Lutz and me. Not even merchants' children, yet seeking registration—he seemed to be searching for whatever meaning there could be in it, and his gaze wasn't particularly friendly.
"That's right. If you're done with the questions, finish the registration. I'm not that闲 either."
"Just a moment. Please wait over there for a little while."
The staff member gestured toward the lounge area. Suppressing my urge to dash over, I looked up at Benno.
"While we wait, can I look at the bookshelf?"
"Sure. If there's anything you want to know, I'll tell you. Go ahead. Lutz, don't take your eyes off Mine."
"Got it."
Together with Lutz, who still wouldn't release my hand, I went to the bookshelf. I spread out the parchment, picked up wooden tablets, and examined what was on offer—maps, pictorial guides, Noble Yearbooks, commercial law, newspaper-like compilations of local information. Every last one was practical.
"Wow, this is a map!"
It was quite a rough map, but it was the first one I'd seen in this world.
Clutching a map that didn't even show my current location, I headed toward the sofa where Benno was sitting.
I sat down expecting the same springiness as a normal sofa, but beneath the nice upholstery there was nothing but a board—no cushioning at all—and I slammed down hard, bumping my rear.
"Ow..."
"Even if you're excited, there's no need to throw yourself down like an idiot," Benno said, looking at me with an exasperated expression. I let out a small whimper.
I'd been deceived by this bizarrely fancy pseudo-sofa. If it had been a bench with the wood grain showing, I would never have sat down like that.
Making excuses only in my head, I spread the map out on the wooden board upholstered with fabric.
"Benno, which part of the map is our city?"
"Right here. Ehrenfest. The Lord's family name is the same as the city's."
It was the first time I'd learned the city's name. And while I was at it, the Lord's name too.
There had been no need to know the city's name as long as I never went outside, and for the Lord, "the Lord" had been sufficient.
Looking at the map, I could see farmland and forest spreading south of Ehrenfest, and further on, there appeared to be a small town.
To the west was a large river, and relatively close to a town in the neighboring territory—their Lords were on good terms, apparently, so there was frequent travel between them.
To the north was the noble district where the Lord resided, so there was a large blank area on the map.
To the east was the highway, said to see the most travelers.
"Well, even if you two go on purchasing trips or whatever, you're probably not heading anywhere outside this map."
After getting the names of a few nearby towns, I returned the map and continued browsing the bookshelf systematically. On the bottom shelf, there were also practice books for apprentices learning their letters and numbers. I skimmed through them with plans to study together with Lutz.
In addition to the characters I already knew, there were many commerce-related vocabulary terms. I wanted to remember these.
"Benno, I'd like a slate and a Calculator for Lutz's studies..."
"Sure. I'll deduct the cost from what you're paying today. Make sure you study hard."
"Also, could you tell me—what level of reading and writing are merchant children's apprentices expected to have?"
After the Baptism Ceremony, we'd be working alongside the merchant children as fellow apprentices. Before then, I wanted to be able to do at least what the others could.
"Simple reading, writing, and calculation. For reading, it's mainly product names, so it varies depending on what goods a family handles and the scale of their business. Most of them can handle calculations up to the copper-coin-to-silver-coin range."
This was bad.
I didn't understand currency very well. I knew there were different sizes of copper coins and small silver coins, but I had zero knowledge of exchange rates or market values.
Because at home, we used almost exclusively copper coins.
I could barely even recall seeing any currency other than copper. Plus, at the Gate it had only been numerical calculations—
"What I think you two lack most is how to deal with customers. The other children see their parents' work every day and know it instinctively."
"That's... difficult for us."
Impossible, more like.
I had always been on the receiving end of services—I'd never been on the providing side. Lutz almost certainly didn't have any merchant's intuition either.
What were we going to do?
Before I could wander further down that maze of worry, a voice rang out from the counter.
"Benno, the Guild Master would like to see you."
"...That old geezer, right on schedule."
In a voice so low and quiet that only we could hear, Benno muttered with a growl, then stood up.
The way his eyes were glinting, the way both fists clenched tight at his sides—I could tell he had shifted into a combative stance.
"Let's go, you two."
"Yes."
When Benno approached the counter, the panel at the far end flipped down, opening a passage to the back.
There was another staircase behind it, and when we climbed it, a door opened automatically. It wasn't a particularly large room, but it looked comfortable and inviting.
Before a crackling fireplace, a warm carpet had been laid out, and upon it sat a desk for official business.
Seated there was a slightly portly man in his fifties who looked quite kind. I'd imagined an old man in a position like Guild Master, but he looked only a little past his prime.
"Welcome. I'd like to hear a little about this."
The Guild Master smiled gently and rose to his feet.
"Now then, Benno. Let me get straight to the point. Registering children who aren't even blood relatives for temporary registration—what exactly is the meaning of this? It's quite different from a stall owner wanting to register his own children to help mind the shop, wouldn't you say?"
When Benno had volunteered that we wanted registration before waiting for the Baptism Ceremony, it was essentially saying we held merchandise worth registering—and the Guild Master had said this with his smile still firmly in place.
"...Until the purpose is made clear, I can't approve the registration. There's no precedent in Ehrenfest for temporarily registering unrelated children."
The Guild Master's smile was completely unreadable as he studied Lutz and me up and down.
The smile and his demeanor gave him a kind appearance at first glance, but he wasn't kind at all. The implication was clear: answer my questions properly or no registration.
Watching the Guild Master say whatever he pleased, I felt a twinge of anxiety and glanced at Benno.
But Benno was staring back at the Guild Master with a dark, triumphant grin, smirking.
"You want to know what these children brought in?"
"Well, yes. Depending on the item, it might be better handled by a different shop. You've been spreading your business a little too wide."
So if it looks profitable, you want to swoop in and steal it. You're not even trying to hide your real intentions.
"These children said they want to sell through my shop. So we'll sell through my shop. Right, Mine? That's the way it is, Lutz, yes?"
After a sharp look from Benno that said "don't say anything unnecessary," Lutz and I nodded vigorously. This seemed to please Benno, who deepened his smile and looked down at me.
"Mine, show the Guild Master the hair ornaments you'll be selling from now on."
"...All right."
It seemed he still intended to keep the paper-making business under wraps for now.
Not sure what judgment had led Benno to this decision, I kept my mouth shut as much as possible, trying not to say anything extra, and reached into my tote bag.
I took out Turi's hair ornament and held it up where the Guild Master could see.
The instant I did, the Guild Master's expression changed drastically.
We tried to get temporary registration, but it didn't go smoothly.
Now, the time had come for Benno's counterattack.
Next time: the Guild Master's request.