It's raining. Undeniably, unequivocally raining.
Slumping my shoulders at the sound of raindrops tapping against the wooden window shutters, I eat my breakfast. Just as Frieda had smiled brightly about, and just as
It can't be helped. Now that it's been decided I'm going to Frieda's house, I want to do whatever I can to squeeze some useful information out of the visit.
I soften the coarse-grain bread—which is hard to chew—by soaking it in last night's leftover soup, munching away. After wiping the plate clean with the bread, I finish breakfast and look around our little home, letting out a sigh.
"I'd like to bring a gift, but there's nothing in our house that would be suitable for that place..."
We have nothing in a household like ours that could serve as an appropriate gift for Frieda's home, where so many items found in noble estates have been collected.
Turi gulped down some water, then looked over at me and tilted her head.
"What about the Simple Ledger? You brought it before and they were really happy with it, right?"
"Hmm, it just started selling, so while I might make enough for my own use, Benno told me not to hand them out carelessly."
"I see. And since it's raining, you can't go pick flowers either. That's tough."
Turi said that while using a bit of water from the jug to wash the dishes. After washing, she seemed busy preparing to head out for work.
Mom had already left for work, and Dad, who'd worked the night shift, was asleep. I also quietly used water from the jug to wash my dishes, trying not to make too much noise.
"If only we'd had a few days' notice, and there'd been a clear day, I could've at least gone to pick some fruit in the forest..."
Benno does things like cut Lutz some slack and propose the Mine Workshop for me to develop new products, going out of his way to help in various ways. So I always try to avoid doing anything that might anger him.
I do have a habit of letting things slip and giving in to my desires, but it's never intentional. I'm not trying to get yelled at.
But trying to avoid Benno's anger means no Ledger, and nothing paper-related either. If I brought a new candy recipe, Frieda and Ilse would probably be happy, but I'm sure Benno would definitely get angry.
Well, since I've already given up on becoming an apprentice, I suppose I'm free to share the candy recipe wherever I want, but it'd probably cause trouble either way.
Hmm, as I'm pondering this, I hear a knock at the door. Turi, who was putting on her thick mantle—canvas-like cloth treated with oil and wax for waterproofing as much as possible—was preparing to head out for work, but she looked up and went toward the door.
"Coming! Who is it?"
Hoping Lutz might have arrived a bit early, I was clearing away the plates I'd washed when Turi's startled voice echoed through the house.
"Frieda!? What are you doing here!?"
Startled by the unexpected words, I turned around. Standing at the door was Frieda, with her Attendant in attendance. Dressed in fine outing clothes despite the rain, Frieda and her neatly uniformed Attendant against the shabby backdrop of my impoverished home looked so jarringly mismatched that, honestly, our poverty was thrown into sharp relief.
"I was so excited from the moment I woke up that I simply couldn't wait, so I came to fetch Mine."
The words said with a bright smile sounded to me like "I won't let you escape, you know?" and a chill ran down my spine. I wanted to do an about-face, but I couldn't just abandon Turi and run.
Turi, smiling warmly, turned back to me. "She was looking forward to this so much that she came all the way here to pick you up in the rain!"
Turi, you're a literal angel. Please never lose that purity.
"It's raining, so I couldn't very well have the frail Mine walk outside. I've had a carriage waiting on the main road."
She must have assumed I'd refused to go out in the rain for fear of catching a fever. I could only admire Frieda's efficiency.
"Wow, a carriage!? That's amazing, Mine!"
Frieda tilted her head slightly at Turi, who was innocently gushing with envy while carrying her work supplies.
"Oh? Mine's older sister has work to do?"
"That's right. I should be going soon."
"It's a shame, but—" Turi began, and Frieda gazed upward for just a moment as if considering something, then clapped her palms together with a meaningful smile.
"Then, I'll send you part of the way."
"Huh!? Me too!? I can ride in the carriage!?"
Turi's face lit up. A carriage was the kind of vehicle that people like us, commoners, would never ride in our entire lives. I could understand Turi's excitement. It seemed I had no choice but to hurry up and get ready to go out.
"Turi, you need to go call Lutz."
"Oh, right. I'll go get him."
"Oh, but if Lutz comes, there won't be room for you to ride..."
Just as Turi was putting down her things to dash out, Frieda stopped her apologetically. Whenever I went out, Lutz was supposed to accompany me as a guard. If Lutz came and Turi couldn't ride, she'd have no choice but to bow out.
"Huh? Huh? ...Then I can't go?"
Having had her hopes up only moments before, the disappointment hit hard. Turi drooped her shoulders, looking on the verge of tears.
Frantically wondering what to say to comfort her, Frieda's hand reached in front of me. She gently took Turi's hand and smiled the sweetest, most tender smile.
"Mine's sister, today I will personally take full responsibility for Mine in place of Lutz. I promise to make sure Mine doesn't collapse. So why don't we all ride together?"
"...If we go by carriage, Mine won't get tired and won't get rained on, right? It'll be fine even without Lutz, right?"
It wouldn't be fine at all!
I wanted to say that, but I lost to the pleading look in Turi's eyes.
I couldn't tell Turi to walk just because Lutz needed to come. Seeing how excited she'd been about riding in the carriage, I couldn't just shut her down. I didn't want to go to Frieda's house alone, but I couldn't refuse either.
"...It's fine. Turi, let's go together."
"Thanks, Mine! I'll go tell Lutz, so you get ready!"
Turi bounced off lightly toward Lutz's house. As her footsteps faded away, all that could be heard was the sound of rain.
I glared daggers at Frieda, who had so skillfully used Turi to eliminate Lutz.
"Frieda..."
"Your sister looked so happy, didn't she?"
"Yeah. ...Sigh, oh well. I'm the one who chose this."
I was the one who couldn't cut Turi off, so there was no point in blaming Frieda any further. As I worried about getting yelled at again by Lutz and Benno for being thoughtless, I prepared my tote bag.
"Actually, I don't have a gift prepared."
"Oh, I'll be taking up your entire day, Mine. You just talking with me is more than enough."
The cheerful, fluffy smile was that of a little girl thrilled to have a friend come visit—but I knew perfectly well that Frieda was no ordinary innocent child.
"Mine, I left a message with Aunt
The heavy atmosphere between me and Frieda dissipated at the sight of Turi's beaming face as she lightly bounded back in.
"Then, let's be off."
We locked up and went outside. Our rain gear consisted of a thick mantle and a wide-brimmed hat. Of course, they couldn't keep out the rain completely—during heavy downpours or prolonged exposure, water would seep through. But for just the trip through the narrow alleys to reach the carriage on the main road, there was no worry of that.
"Come on, get in quickly."
Hurrying into the carriage waiting on the main road, I took off my mantle and hat and set them to one side. The Attendant sat next to the driver, so only the three of us climbed inside.
"Oh, so this is what the inside of a carriage looks like!"
"Now, sit down. Is Central Plaza nearby alright?"
"Mm, it's the spot on Artisan Way that's closest to Central Plaza."
Frieda gestured for the excited Turi, who was looking around the carriage interior, to sit down. I sat in the middle. The carriage was built for two adults, but three children could fit with a little room to spare.
Once the carriage started moving, it was quite bouncy, but unlike the times I'd ridden with the Guild Master or Benno, I was properly seated, so it wasn't the kind of bouncing that would throw you out of your seat.
"The
"Mine's outfit is a remake of mine, but it's so gorgeous you'd never guess it was a remake!"
Turi puffed out her chest and answered on my behalf, pride evident in her voice. After the initial alterations in winter, it seemed Mom and Turi had occasionally worked on it further, and little by little, the decorations had increased.
"...Gorgeous?"
"It's hard to explain, but it has a sort of unique feel to it. Mom worked really hard on it, so it's cute."
After seeing our house, it would probably be hard for Frieda to picture a gorgeous outfit. Frieda looked puzzled, but I wasn't lying. Plus, this kind of alteration was different from the sewing I'd done, so it was difficult to explain.
"Frieda's outfit was also so fluffy and wonderful. I'd love to wear something like that too."
"Oh, thank you. Well then, did you make a new hair ornament too?"
At Turi's words, Frieda smiled happily and steered the conversation toward hair ornaments. All the ornaments I'd made except for Frieda's had the same design—just different colors. But the one I'd made for myself couldn't possibly be the same as the others, so I was curious what she'd think.
"It's a celebration for Mine, after all. I worked really hard on it. Three big flowers, just like the ones I made for Frieda."
"So Mine's hair ornament will match mine?"
Frieda tilted her head, looking at me with a hint of doubt. Turi didn't seem to know how to explain and tugged on my sleeve, looking troubled.
"It's the same color—white—and it sways the same way, and the big flowers are the same, but it's not exactly matching, right, Mine?"
"The thread is unbleached, so it's a bit cream-colored, but from a distance it looks white. I added some small flowers, but it has a different feel from Frieda's hair ornament. What it actually looks like will be a surprise for the big day. Right, Turi?"
"If we tell you everything, it won't be as fun on the day!"
Turi said that, covering her mouth and grinning mischievously. Frieda couldn't help but smile along.
"My, I really am looking forward to it. I'll come out to see it myself."
As we chatted about the Baptism Ceremony, Turi's workplace came into view, tucked into a corner where workshops lined the street. Turi had the carriage stop, put on her mantle and hat, grabbed her bag of tools, and glanced back at me with a worried look.
"Don't worry. I'll take full responsibility for Mine."
"Turi, good luck at work!"
"Thanks for the ride, Frieda. I'm heading out, but don't be a bother, Mine!"
After waving goodbye and watching Turi dash off toward her workshop, the carriage started rattling along once more.
"Welcome, Mine. I'm so glad you came. I baked quatre-quarts and was waiting for you. Do tell me your thoughts!"
When we arrived at Frieda's house, the cook Ilse was waiting for us.
We were led to the drawing room, where tea and quatre-quarts were set out on the table. After one bite, I was all smiles. The dough was moist, with a perfect bake, and it seemed the oven had seasoned up nicely—much tastier than before.
"So good! Way better than before. The browning is perfect."
"I'm glad to hear that. I've been wondering if there's anything I could improve."
"Improve? Hmm, I think it's plenty delicious as it is..."
Popping another piece into my mouth and savoring the sweet treat, I thought hard.
There were ideas—like making it look more impressive when plated, adding dried fruit, or grating citrus peel into the batter for a different flavor—but I wasn't sure if sharing those would count as information that would get me in trouble with Benno.
Hmm, anything I did would probably anger Benno, and it's delicious enough as-is, so staying quiet wouldn't be a problem. But when a craftsman is this motivated, you just want to encourage them.
"I wouldn't call them improvements exactly, but... I'll tell you in exchange for a bag of sugar?"
Recalling the roughly one-kilogram bag of sugar I'd seen in the kitchen before, I made that offer. Ilse turned to Frieda, who held the final say.
"A bag of sugar... May I hand it over to Mine, miss?"
"Yes, that's fine."
"I have the miss's permission. Now then!"
Overwhelmed by Ilse's intensity—she looked like she might lunge at me—I swallowed hard and spoke.
"If you grate Ferijine peel and add it to the dough, it changes the aroma and flavor and makes it delicious. You can add other things too to change the taste. What to add and in what proportions will make it tasty is something you'll have to research on your own. This is a bonus tip, but if you're ever serving noble guests, adding well-whipped cream and decorative fruit garnishes will make it look much more impressive."
"I'll try it!"
After a sharp intake of breath, Ilse immediately stood up and left the room. Frieda and I blinked at each other a few times, then exchanged wry smiles.
"I'm sorry about that, Mine. Showing you such behavior. Ilse is usually quite calm, but she has a weakness for new recipes..."
"She's really dedicated, and that's a good thing. The more Ilse works at it, the more delicious things we'll get!"
It was admirable how studious she was. The more delicious food spread throughout the world, the happier that made me, so I really hoped she'd experiment and create all sorts of new sweets.
"By the way, Frieda, why are you apprenticing at the commercial guild? You're going to have a shop in the Noble District eventually, right? Can you even be an apprentice without becoming a staff member?"
I hadn't expected Frieda to be an apprentice at the commercial guild when she was already destined to go to a noble household once she came of age.
Nibbling on a quatre-quarts, I asked. Frieda sipped her tea and answered.
"I asked my grandfather to arrange it. It's for studying and building the connections needed to run a shop in the Noble District. When I open a shop there, I'll be on my own. I have to be able to do everything by myself, and I need to build as wide a network of contacts as possible."
"Everything by yourself? What about, um, an Attendant like Yutte?"
"Only I am permitted to stay in the Noble District. Once I go there, the other party will arrange Attendants for me, so I won't be entirely alone in daily life."
But I doubted the Attendants assigned to her once she was in the Noble District would be knowledgeable about economics or business management.
No matter how you looked at it, asking a girl who had only just come of age to run a shop on her own in an unfamiliar place without a single ally seemed excessively harsh. Couldn't they at least assign her someone to consult with?
"It won't be completely alone, either. My family will be permitted to enter and exit the Noble District for purposes such as delivering goods. They won't be by my side constantly, but it's reassuring, isn't it?"
"...Sure."
I didn't find it reassuring at all, but looking at Frieda—who was gazing straight ahead and seemed to be fighting her own destiny head-on—I couldn't say anything other than words of agreement.
The mature way of speaking and thinking was a weapon and armor that Frieda had cultivated for herself. She had to keep polishing them, refining them, to survive in an unfamiliar world.
"After I start my shop in the Noble District, I want to be prepared to handle just about anything that comes my way. So for now, I alternate between being a guild apprentice and helping out at my family's shop."
"Frieda, you're amazing. You're really thinking so far ahead, and I can tell."
At my words, Frieda's expression stiffened slightly. Looking at me with a serious gaze, she spoke quietly.
"There is something I'd like to ask Mine as well, if I may?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Ah, here comes the real topic.
I knew exactly what Frieda would ask. Still smiling, I gestured for her to continue.
"What exactly are you thinking? Mine, you should have cut ties with Benno long ago and come to my side, shouldn't you? I've been waiting all this time... for Mine to seek a connection and come to me..."
If she was looking for connections to nobles in order to survive, relying on the Guild Master and Frieda would be better than relying on Benno.
Frieda's tone, which had started with the confidence born of history and power, grew increasingly heated with each word, and in her eyes I could glimpse something like an irrepressible urgency.
"Summer is almost here, yet Mine has done nothing. Are you truly thinking about the future? You need to establish connections with nobles as quickly as possible, or else at this rate..."
I knew Frieda's plea came from concern for me, since I was Self-Eating just like her. Even if you made connections with nobles, there was no guarantee a contract would come quickly. The desperate need to act fast—faster—was what drove Frieda's pushiness, and knowing that I was the one she was worried about made me feel a little embarrassed.
I let out a soft breath and met Frieda's gaze directly.
"You see, Frieda, I thought it through, and in the end, I chose to stay with my family and rot."
"...What?"
Frieda froze, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. From her trembling lips escaped a faint whisper: "Impossible."
"I've already half given up. When Turi was crying, I said I'd find a way to survive, but Self-Eating can only be resolved by contracting with a noble, right?"
If there were any other way, the Guild Master would have used every tool at his disposal—power, money, connections—to desperately search for one. He would have gathered every Magical Tool he could find, bought time with them, and investigated whether there was any viable alternative to a contract.
If even the Guild Master didn't know of one—if he'd been forced to accept that no other option existed—then if the only path forward was for Frieda to choose the noble with the best terms and enter into a contract, then the answer was decided.
"...I wouldn't know."
"Honestly, I'm thinking maybe there's another Magical Tool out there somewhere? But I don't want to contract with a noble. There's no substitute for a Magical Tool when it comes to treating Self-Eating, is there?"
"If I knew of one, I would have used it long ago."
She glared at me with irritation, and I lightly shrugged my shoulders.
"Right? Actually, the question I was going to ask you today was whether it's possible to buy a Magical Tool from someone other than a noble. Or maybe make one myself... but that's not possible, is it?"
If it couldn't be obtained, why not just make one? That had been my initial thought, but unfortunately, none of the books Rwen had read contained instructions for making Magical Tools. The term had appeared in fantasy novels and games, but those would be of no practical help.
And there was no workshop for crafting Magical Tools in this city.
"I heard that Magic Power is required to create Magical Tools, and only nobles who possess Magic Power can make them. That's why no one this side of the City Wall knows how to make them."
"Right. ...I thought I'd make one myself if I knew how, but I guess that's really not possible."
If only nobles with Magic Power could create them, then Magical Tool workshops could only exist beyond the towering City Wall. I'd been hoping that if I knew the method, my ample funds would cover the rest, but I'd been naive after all.
"...I hadn't even considered making one myself."
"Well, you're a noble's daughter, Frieda. I've lived in an environment where if I wanted something, I had to make it myself to get it, so my first thought was whether I could somehow craft one..."
We shared small, quiet chuckles. The Ledger, the hair ornaments, the paper, the Soot Pencils, the cooking chopsticks—everything I'd made had come from necessity.
"Is your family that important to you, Mine? Aren't you afraid of being consumed and dying?"
Frieda asked quietly.
"Hmm, I wonder. I don't want to die, of course, but I'm not all that afraid."
Having died once already, Mine's life felt like a bonus gift from the gods. Living was finally becoming enjoyable, but deep down, probably nothing had changed.
"Right now, aside from my family, there's nothing else I treasure. There aren't any books around me anymore. It's not that I chose to die—I only chose to stay with my family."
"Books?"
"Yeah. I've saved up a fair amount of money, so I was wondering if I could buy at least one book..."
When I tilted my head, Frieda smiled, troubled.
"If you want books, why not go to the Noble District? They have them there, don't they?"
"Ah, well, if the contract terms included unlimited access to books, I might have gone running after any noble who offered. But do you really think some noble who'd essentially keep me as a pet would let a commoner like me read something that valuable?"
"Given your living situation, I suppose it would be difficult."
From the nobles' perspective, I was just another illiterate commoner in this city where literacy rates were abysmal. Even if they knew I could read, they'd naturally not want someone touching their precious, expensive books. If I read them without permission, I'd deserve to be killed.
And in a way, I knew myself all too well. I'd never be able to keep my sanity in check with a book right in front of me. I could easily picture myself lunging for a book and getting killed for it.
"...So, I'm hoping to set up a mass production system for books before I die, but that'll be tough. As for Self-Eating, I've half resigned myself to accepting it as my natural lifespan. I've caused my family so much trouble that I want to earn as much as I can now and leave it behind for them."
When I laughed it off with a lighthearted grin, Frieda's brown eyes glinted.
"Then, shall I buy the quatre-quarts recipe?"
Frieda's eyes had completely shifted into merchant mode, and I groaned.
Quatre-quarts was a basic sweet, so I wouldn't mind selling exclusive sales rights for a limited time. But having all rights stripped away like Benno had done with the Ledger would be problematic. It would surely stifle the development of sweets.
"...How about I sell you the exclusive sales rights for one year in exchange for five small gold coins? What would you do then?"
"Of course, I'd buy it."
The answer was immediate, without a moment's hesitation.
"...'Of course'? Was that, like, a bargain price or something?"
"Well, yes. Exclusive sales rights for unprecedented products like quatre-quarts or Plant Paper often exceed the value of large gold coins."
"Large gold coins..."
It seemed I had been practically giving away knowledge and information to Benno at fire-sale prices.
"Shall I raise the price?"
"No, no. It's for a year, so I'll sell the exclusive sales rights for five small gold coins."
Unable to bring myself to haggle up from a price I'd already named, I shook my head.
"Then, let's draw up the contract."
"Huh? Wait—Contract Magic!?"
Was I about to see blood again, or worry about the safety of someone I'd never met? Was this going to turn into something scary? When I inadvertently shuddered, Frieda let out an exasperated sigh.
"...Listen, Mine. Contract Magic isn't something you use lightly. It's reserved for situations where you're at an overwhelming disadvantage against someone with Magic Power or political influence, when you need to use an expensive Magical Tool just to protect your interests. Between the two of us, a standard contract on Parchment should be sufficient."
"I see."
Since our first contract had involved Contract Magic, my sense of things must have gotten a little skewed.
But if what Frieda said was true—against opponents without Magic Power or political influence—why had Benno used Contract Magic against us? That was strange.
"Speaking of which, Contract Magic is rarely used. Where did you even learn about it, Mine?"
"...Benno would get mad, so that's a secret."
"Oh my, you've learned something at last."
With a soft chuckle, Frieda reached for a bell on the shelf. At its chime, Yutte entered almost soundlessly.
"Please prepare the contract documents."
On the Parchment that Yutte prepared, Frieda took up a quill pen and began writing out the terms of the contract. The quill pen was fancier than the wooden pen I'd bought, and while it looked more impressive, it also seemed less practical—or was that just my imagination?
Drawing up contracts was routine work for Frieda, who was apprenticing at the commercial guild, and it had also become something I was familiar with over the past few weeks.
After confirming the contents were correct, Frieda and I matched our guild cards to settle the payment.
"Why one year, though?"
"In a year, everyone will know that quatre-quarts originated from Frieda's shop. Besides, sugar might become available to other people by then too, so I want to leave room for new competitors."
"New competitors?"
"If the recipe goes public, more people will try making it, and all sorts of new sweets might be created, don't you think? Delicious sweets make people happy, so I think it would be wonderful if many people made them and they spread far and wide."
"My goodness, you really aren't cut out to be a merchant, what with setting aside your own interests like that."
On the Parchment that would serve as the official contract, Frieda and I both signed. With that, the contract granting Frieda exclusive sales rights to the quatre-quarts recipe for one year was finalized.
"Still, publishing the recipe is only if I'm around a year from now. If I'm not, I'll leave the decision of when to publish to you."
"I'll be prioritizing my own interests, so please make sure to publish it yourself a year from now."
Frieda turned her face away with a huff, and she looked like she might cry.
Sugar GET. My cooking options are about to expand.