The snow began to melt, and clear, sunny days became the norm.
Though it was still cold, my family gave permission for me to go as far as
I packed the bag where I'd been collecting money from everyone who'd done handiwork, along with the finished hair ornaments, and set off for the shop.
The middle of the main street was clear of snow, but there were half-melted snowmen tucked into alley corners and hard-frozen snowbanks piled up here and there—a lingering trace of winter.
The faces of people welcoming spring were bright, their steps light, and the merchant wagons and carts passing along the main street had increased significantly.
Benno's shop also seemed to have more merchants coming and going. Even though I'd deliberately come during the comparatively quieter afternoon, it looked extremely busy.
As I was discussing with Lutz whether we should come back later,
"Hello. It's been a while, Mark."
"Ah, Lutz and Mine. Blessings upon the snowmelt. May the Goddess of Spring bring great fortune."
Mark brought his right fist to his chest, pressing it lightly against his left palm with fingers together, and gently lowered his eyes.
Not having the faintest idea what Mark was doing, Lutz and I stared at him with wide eyes.
"Huh? What was that?"
"...It's a greeting to celebrate spring?"
From the way Mark seemed baffled that we didn't understand, I realized this was a completely ordinary greeting in this area.
"I've never heard it before. Lutz, do you know it?"
"Nope, first time I've seen it too."
If even Lutz didn't know, it might be a greeting unique to this neighborhood, or possibly one tied to a particular profession.
"...Could it be a merchant-specific greeting?"
"My family has always done it, so I've never really thought about it deeply, but since all my professional contacts are merchants, that may well be it. When the snow melts, trade picks up, so we greet each other with 'Blessings upon the snowmelt. May the Goddess of Spring bring great fortune.'"
Mark explained the merchant greeting to us. It was apparently only said the first time you met someone in spring. I decided to interpret it as something like "Happy New Year" and left it at that.
I tried practicing the greeting the way Mark had done it, pressing my right fist against my left palm.
"Blessings upon the snowmelt?"
"That's right."
"May the Goddess of Spring bring great fortune."
I murmured it a few times, but I was confident I'd have forgotten it by tomorrow. This was exactly when I wanted my memo pad. I had my slate in my bag, but no memo pad.
"The master is currently in a meeting. What business do you have with him?"
At Mark's question, I counted off on my fingers what I needed to do today.
"Um, settling the winter handicraft payments. Also, I'd like to resume papermaking soon, so could you check whether the craftsman has made a larger Screen Frame? And I have something to discuss with Benno about apprenticeship, but he's in a meeting, right?"
"Understood. Then let's start with the handicraft settlement. That should wrap up before long."
We were led to a small table inside the shop. Lutz and I sat side by side, with Mark across from us.
"Here are all the handmade hair ornaments. Please verify."
Lutz, using the polite language he wasn't quite accustomed to, held out the bag of hair ornaments. Mark took them out and counted.
"Twenty-four here. Adding those to the ones we held over winter, that makes one hundred eighty-six in total. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
Since the number carved on our board matched what Mark said, I nodded.
For each hair ornament, five medium copper coins. From that, the commission Lutz and I had agreed to take would be set aside with the guild. The remaining amount was divided into separate bags I'd brought along for easier distribution.
Lutz's brothers had split the work equally among the three of them (excluding Lutz) to avoid arguments, so their share came to six large copper coins and two medium copper coins each—nice and simple.
At our house, the numbers were all over the place since Mother had made eighty-three, Turi had made sixty-six, and I had made thirty-seven, which made things a bit tedious. Mother's share was one small silver coin, six large copper coins, and six medium copper coins. Turi's was one small silver coin, three large copper coins, and two medium copper coins. Mine was seven large copper coins and four medium copper coins.
"With this many in stock, they should last until next winter. Hair ornaments are selling quite well. With so many different colors, everyone seems to enjoy picking them out."
At Mark's words, I pictured parents and children choosing hair ornaments, and I couldn't help but smile.
"Really? That makes me happy. I made one for my own
"What kind of ornament is it?"
"It's a secret until the day."
When I giggled, Mark raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh my, then I look forward to seeing it. Now, your other business was resuming papermaking, correct?"
"Yes. I can't restart until Lutz goes to the forest and checks on the river conditions, but now that it's spring, I'm itching to get started."
Benno's investment wouldn't come through until the Baptism Ceremony in early summer. If possible, I wanted to restart soon. Mark nodded lightly.
"Understood. I'll ask the craftsman. You'd ordered two Screen Frames in contract size, correct?"
"Yes, please."
As we finished our discussion, the meeting in the back room seemed to have ended as well, and several merchants filed out.
"I'll report to the master. Please wait a moment."
Mark went into the back room briefly, and then we were invited in.
Since this would be my first time seeing Benno since spring arrived, I eagerly tried out my newly learned greeting, pressing my right fist against my left palm.
"Benno, it's been a while. Blessings upon the snowmelt. Um, the Goddess of Spring's... great fortune's? Wait, what was it?"
Watching myself—someone who couldn't remember something from just a few minutes ago without a memo pad—Lutz stepped in front of me with a look of exasperation. Smoothly, he pressed his right fist against his left palm.
"Sir, blessings upon the snowmelt. May the Goddess of Spring bring great fortune."
"That's it! Blessings upon the snowmelt. May the Goddess of Spring bring great fortune."
Thanks to Lutz, I remembered it correctly and repeated the greeting properly. Benno, who looked like he was suppressing laughter, returned the greeting.
"Ah, blessings upon the snowmelt. May the Goddess of Spring bring great fortune. ...Still, that was a terrible greeting. You need to learn to say it properly."
Chuckling, Benno tapped the table with his finger. Lutz and I took our seats and talked about celebrating spring.
"I just learned it from Mark. I'd never heard it at home, so for a first attempt I'd say that was pretty good—go on and tell me so."
"...Is that right? Then that was pretty good, Lutz. So, what's this about apprenticeship?"
The only one Benno praised was Lutz, who had delivered the greeting correctly. I pouted a bit, then stated the real reason for today's visit.
"After my Baptism Ceremony, I want to stop being an apprentice here."
"Huh? ...Wait. How did that happen? Was it because I didn't praise you? You couldn't say it perfectly, but you were trying, Mine."
Benno pressed his temple as if he couldn't understand, then tacked on praise for my greeting almost as an afterthought.
"No! The greeting has nothing to do with it."
"Then why?"
"Well, I don't have much stamina, right?"
"You'd exhaust a tired person."
Benno's quip stabbed me right in the chest.
"Guh... You were worried about whether I could actually work too, weren't you, Benno? If an apprentice keeps calling in sick due to poor health and gets assigned to lighter work, that's not great when you think about the relationships inside the shop."
"Is that all?"
He shot me a sharp look with those reddish-brown eyes, and I recalled the concerns
"Also, if I were receiving a share of the product's profits, I could end up making more money than veterans who've worked here for over a decade, right? Money is the thing that most easily destroys human relationships."
"Who told you that? You didn't think of that yourself."
I nodded emphatically at Benno's narrowed gaze. Ever since my days as
"Otto did."
"...I see."
Huh? His voice seemed to drop a notch. Plus, he was starting to give off a predatory-animal vibe. Or was that my imagination?
Tilting my head at Benno's increasingly fierce demeanor, I brought up what concerned me most.
"Also, you know about my Self-Eating, right, Benno? I think it's better not to hire someone who might not make it a year."
Any investment in my training would likely be wasted. A merchant couldn't afford that kind of waste.
Benno pressed hard between his brows, staring at me with sharpened eyes.
"So what do you plan to do instead of joining our shop?"
"I'll copy letters and documents from home, develop new products on Lutz's days off, and occasionally help out at the Gate... Basically, the same life as before. I talked it over with my family, and they agreed it's better not to put strain on my body."
"Understood. I'll take you off the apprentice list."
The tension drained from Benno's eyes and shoulders. Pressing his temple, he began muttering, "Now what to do..."
As Benno started grumbling, I spoke up.
"Um, Benno, is there any work you could send my way that I could do from home?"
The instant I said it, Benno's eyes glinted. A deceptively mild smile—the kind a predator might wear—spread across his face.
"You've got beautiful handwriting, Mine. I'll send copywork your way. Just make sure you still come by the shop occasionally with Lutz. Got it?"
"Thank you."
For some reason, I felt like I'd been caught by a predator.
Since my request had slipped through so easily, I decided not to overthink it and asked my other question.
"Um, in that case, what happens to my guild card? I'm planning to sell through Lutz, but my card won't be an apprentice card for Benno's shop anymore, right? Will it become an outdoor-vendor card?"
After the Baptism Ceremony, I'd been planning to register as an apprentice at Benno's shop, but if I wasn't going to be an apprentice anymore, what would happen to my guild card? Since it would be after the Ceremony, I couldn't use temporary registration. But without belonging to any shop, I couldn't trade without being registered.
"I don't know how many goods you plan to make, but why not just call the warehouse you're currently using the Mine Workshop and make the card a Workshop Head card? If you sign an exclusive contract with us, you'll be able to trade in much the same state as now."
"Workshop Head!? That sounds so cool! If things stay the same as before, then let's do that."
When I clapped my hands in delight, Benno smiled happily and nodded several times.
"Oh, and I mentioned this to Mark too, but I want to check the river and resume papermaking. Lutz and I plan to make paper together until our Baptism Ceremony, but after that, Lutz will start his own apprenticeship work and I'll be stopping mine entirely, so I'd like to hand off the papermaking completely to a workshop of your choosing. Would that be all right?"
"Hand it off? But you're the one who decides who makes it, aren't you? Are you sure about that?"
Contract Magic had been set up so that Lutz and I could work at Benno's shop safely and securely.
Since this would be a new business venture, the people and workshop chosen to produce it might be important to Benno, who stood to profit. But for me, there was no extra salary or profit share involved—as long as paper ended up in wide circulation, I honestly didn't care who made it.
"Well, I don't know anything about workshops, and I don't have any acquaintances who are interested in making paper. But since one of the steps involves soaking tree bark in the river, a workshop near a river might be ideal."
"Near a river, huh... That's tricky. How do you two manage it?"
At Benno's question, Lutz shrugged lightly.
"We carry our tools to the riverside in the forest and work there, but I don't think that's feasible as a daily job—carrying all those tools would be too much... I think."
"If we want mass production, the tools would need to be bigger too, so carrying them wouldn't be possible. Well, figuring all that out is your job, Benno, and the workshop's."
"...Fair enough."
Since Benno seemed satisfied, I decided to leave the workshop selection and equipment setup entirely in his hands.
"The workshop selection, equipment installation, and sourcing of materials should all be wrapped up before the Baptism Ceremony. Once the Ceremony draws near, Lutz will go teach them the method."
"Me!?"
Lutz's eyes went wide, and his mouth opened and closed.
I grinned and nodded emphatically.
"Well, there are steps I can't do myself. It's best for Lutz to demonstrate. If you make it several times over the spring, you'll learn it whether you want to or not. And if you're worried, I'll go with you, so it'll be fine."
"Total handoff, huh."
Benno laughed as though he found it amusing, and I smoothly averted my gaze. I knew full well that this was a spectacular handoff.
But now that I'd made paper prototypes, improved the distribution to some degree, and had a path toward mass production, I wanted to move on to the next stage. If I kept fixating only on papermaking, I'd never get to making books. Once I'd made enough paper for my own use over the spring, I intended to move into printing as well.
"Then, if you'll excuse us."
With my time-limited ambitions burning in my chest, I left Benno's shop.
The efficient Mark had the new Screen Frames delivered to the warehouse the very next day. When Lutz heard about it, he volunteered to check on the river while collecting materials in the snow-softened forest.
"Lutz, how was it? Can we resume papermaking?"
"The water level's risen a bit from the snowmelt, but unless there's a heavy rain, the bark shouldn't get washed away."
Since Lutz judged it safe, I decided to resume papermaking.
Early the next morning, I had Lutz fetch the key and set off for the warehouse. Walking through the still-chilly alleyways without a coat, I let my thoughts drift to the day's work.
First, I'd check the Trombe black bark that had been left hanging since late autumn to see if it was still usable. If it looked fine, I'd begin the process of turning it into white bark.
At the same time, I wanted to start papermaking using the stored Forin white bark.
"Really, it would be better to wait until the water warms up more."
"Yeah, well. But when you think about saving money, we've got to get moving."
Benno's support for papermaking would only last until the Baptism Ceremony. I wanted to produce and earn as much as possible before then.
"The Trombe black bark—do you think it's all right?"
"It's been hanging there drying this whole time. It should be completely bone-dry."
"But we never sun-dried it, so I'm worried about mold!"
It had been sitting there all winter, so it was certainly dry. The question was whether it was dry in the way we needed it to be.
"Mold doesn't grow on Trombe all that easily."
Lutz shrugged, but since the sun-drying step had been entirely skipped, I was every bit as anxious as he was unconcerned.
We arrived at the warehouse and unlocked the door.
With a creak, the warehouse door swung open. From the shelves in the dim interior hung massive quantities of black things resembling wakame seaweed or kombu. Against the dusty warehouse backdrop, they looked positively eerie.
"Is it really okay?"
"I'm starting to get a little worried, actually."
Poking the black bark with a fingertip, I found it completely dry and crisp. But whether it was the black color itself or actual mold, I couldn't tell by sight alone.
"Let's take it to the forest and soak it in the river for now."
"What are we bringing today?"
Lutz called out while brushing the dust off the backpack frame he'd left in the warehouse.
"Um, for you—pot and ash, I think. Also, we don't need a tub that big, but bringing a bucket would be handy. And if we can't gather firewood in the forest, we'd be stuck, so maybe bring some along too? I'll bring this black bark, the stored Forin white bark, and the stirring sticks."
"I don't know what you mean by a bucket, but if you say so, I'll bring it."
I prepared the Trombe black bark and Forin white bark that had been hanging in the warehouse, along with the stirring sticks Lutz had made for stirring inside the pot, several rags, and a basket.
Shouldering our loads together, we hurried to the children's meeting point for the forest.
Once we'd all arrived in the forest and dispersed for gathering, Lutz and I headed for the riverside.
Right by the river, Lutz began setting up the pot. He arranged stones into a simple stove, set the pot on top, and drew water with the bucket.
"Now this is nice—I can get water without stepping into the river. Nice thinking, Mine."
If you tried to fill the pot directly, you'd have to wade into the river, something Lutz hadn't considered.
Once the pot had water, he lit a fire with the firewood we'd brought. While waiting for the water to boil, I wanted to soak the black bark in the river if possible.
"That looks freezing."
Lutz stared at the river where snowmelt water flowed and muttered.
We needed to line the riverbed with stones to keep the black bark from washing away, but of the stone ring we'd built in autumn, only about half remained. To prevent the bark from drifting off, we'd have to rebuild the stone ring first.
"Do your best, Lutz!"
"Whaah! Cold!"
Lutz yelped and shrieked as he waded into the ice-cold river water.
If I went in, I'd definitely get a fever, and my family wouldn't let me leave the house for ages. All I could really do was offer moral support.
While picking up firewood scattered along the riverside to encourage Lutz, I heard his voice calling from the river.
"Mine, hand me the black bark!"
"Coming!"
Once all the black bark was in the river, Lutz leaped out and warmed himself by the fire in front of the stove. His bright-red hands and feet rubbed vigorously as he held them toward the flames.
I scooped out a bucket's worth of hot water from the pot and set it in front of Lutz.
"Soak your hands and feet in this. You'll get chilblains if you don't rub them properly."
"...That's warm. This feels really nice."
Lutz let out a long breath as he plunged his hands and feet into the hot water. The water cooled almost immediately, but having a footbath seemed to warm his body a little.
I stirred ash and white bark into the simmering pot, boiled the white bark, then soaked it in the river to rinse out the ash.
Through Lutz's valiant battle against the river's cold, the day's work came to an end.
After reporting to Benno, I officially resumed papermaking.
Lutz, who had to wade into the snowmelt water, had it rough.
Next time, the Parchment Guild—with all its vested interests—makes its move.