Chapter 125 : Chapter 125
Chapter 125
Late at night, after confirming that the moon had risen to a suitable height, I got up from the bed.
I was still in my lodgings.
Compared to the quarters I had used in the Royal Capital, this place was miserably shabby, yet somehow I felt far more at ease here.
“I wonder if those three are still at Metis. Surely they didn’t leave work early just because it got late.”
It was no longer an underworld gang, but a company now. The employees had working hours too, so the office ought to have been empty by now.
“Maybe I should have sent word ahead.”
Still, I had heard that Eluna both lived and ate at Metis, so stopping by for a short while should not have been a problem. As for Kalmond, I could send word to him separately.
I opened the wardrobe and strapped my sword and pistol to my waist.
Last of all, I took the Outing Pass from my bag.
“Ah, I won’t be needing this anymore.”
It was just habit. I had always needed this certificate whenever I wanted to go out.
From now on, the Outing Pass Young Lady Sapiela had given me would no longer serve any purpose. I was now an Assigned Butler and a retainer of the Adeline House. There was no one left who could bar my way.
“It’s more convenient this way, but it still feels as though one good memory has disappeared.”
Rather than throwing the certificate away, I folded it neatly and put it back into my bag.
I did not think I would ever throw it away. Someday, if I became a very famous man and took it out again, I felt I would be able to recall exactly how I felt now.
I left my room and stepped out through the entrance of the mansion.
Then one of the soldiers standing guard to either side looked at me and spoke.
“Sir Dilen, is that you?”
“Do I need an Outing Pass?”
“Ah, no. Of course not.”
“I’m joking.”
When I smiled, the soldier smiled as well and gave me a military salute.
“Please lower your speech, sir. You are no longer a Butler Apprentice, are you?”
The soldier’s attitude was serious. I shook my head. I did not know his name, but I remembered his face more clearly than anyone else’s.
There was a reason for that.
“I haven’t forgotten how you always encouraged me when I trained at the Training Ground. You even woke me up when I collapsed from exhaustion. Once the mansion on my estate is completed, how would you feel about coming as my guest for a meal?”
“Ah!”
The soldier’s mouth fell open with emotion. But a moment later, he lowered his head.
“Your words alone move me deeply. But still... Thank you, truly, but how could someone of my standing dare...”
“This time I’m not joking. I mean it. I’ll send you an invitation, so come.”
“It is an honor, Sir Dilen. To tell the truth... there were times when I watched you working that hard and wondered how long you would last. Of course, now you’ve become someone I want to emulate.”
“You’re honest.”
We looked at each other and smiled. Even though the relationship we had yesterday had been turned completely upside down, we still felt a strange sense of kinship.
“What is your name?”
“Bright.”
“I’ll remember it. Bright. When I invite you, be sure to come.”
With those words, I climbed into the carriage waiting in front of the mansion. It rolled smoothly across the garden and out through the estate grounds.
***
At that same time, the three main pillars of Metis had all gathered together.
Kalmond sat in the seat of honor, with Eluna and Spinel seated to either side of him.
None of their expressions looked particularly good. As though some problem had arisen, Kalmond let out a deep sigh.
“So there’s been a hitch in the production of the standard fountain pens. Haa... the Master may be angry when he hears about this.”
“It seems the problem is that the supply of materials isn’t running smoothly. Securing stable suppliers will probably be important. I don’t think the Master will say much about this part, though. It isn’t our fault, is it?”
Spinel, the Head of Manufacturing, adjusted his glasses and answered. He looked calm enough, but Kalmond still seemed unable to shake off his worried expression.
“Even so, he left with such high expectations. And for things to turn out like this... On top of that, the balance hasn’t increased nearly as much as I thought it would.”
“Think more boldly. Weren’t you once the Wolf of the Underworld?”
“Are you mocking me?”
“No. It’s just that you make it sound as though this is somehow my fault...”
“As if I would! Don’t misunderstand me. How could I possibly blame you?”
Kalmond nearly sprang out of his seat, while Spinel grinned and adjusted his glasses again.
“If my misunderstanding offended me, then you can buy me dinner tomorrow night. Conveniently enough, I hear a fine restaurant opened nearby. Apparently Baron Rafine tried it recently and praised it to the skies. A place like that deserves a visit.”
“Why does it feel like my salary keeps disappearing into your meals these days? That’s just my imagination, right?”
“Hahaha. Are you really making a fuss over buying your subordinate a meal?”
“Even so, we need to come up with some kind of countermeasure. Earlier you mentioned securing stable suppliers, didn’t you? Be a little more specific.”
Eluna stepped in as though mediating, and Spinel folded his arms.
“A merchant company that supplied rare materials sent word saying they can’t deliver to us anymore. That much, at least, is understandable. They’re rare materials, after all. But the amusing part is that even the merchant companies supplying ordinary materials have begun cutting off business with us. Now, that part can be solved by changing suppliers, of course, but doesn’t it still feel strange?”
“Isn’t it possible for supply to get cut off at any time when you’re in business?”
“Basically, yes. But what I mean is that the timing is suspicious. The Count of Astria has been making troubling moves lately, and this has happened at exactly the same time.”
“The Delfino Merchant Company.”
That name leapt from Eluna’s lips. Spinel, now with his legs crossed as well, nodded arrogantly.
“It’s obvious those bastards are behind it.”
“Does that mean war is really about to break out?”
“You don’t need people stabbing each other with weapons for it to count as war.”
Spinel said that, then picked up the snack laid out in front of him and tossed it into his mouth. They were nicely baked cookies, and he had always liked sweet things.
“You can deal a sufficiently large blow through trade alone. Especially if it’s the House of Count Astria, whose scale is comparable to the Adeline House. That’s entirely possible. In fact, I’ve heard that the Delfino Merchant Company has been swallowing up small and mid-sized merchant companies based in Adeline. By taking shares in them.”
“That means...”
Taking another cookie, Spinel pointed at Kalmond with it and continued.
“Yes. That’s right. It means the war has effectively already begun. That’s how I see it, and I suspect the reason our supply lines have been cut is also part of that.”
“But when Eluna went to the Delfino Merchant Company, didn’t they discuss a Business Agreement?”
“Until the seals are actually stamped, it doesn’t amount to anything. Not in this world. They’re the same as robbers. The only difference is that they aren’t holding knives.”
Click!
At that moment, the door opened, and the person entering casually threw out a single line.
“So the Delfino bastards have started acting up?”
The three of them, who had been talking without much thought, turned toward the door all at once.
Then, after recognizing who had entered, they all sprang to their feet.
It was none other than Suhyeon, the owner of the Metis Trading Company.
In other words, me, wearing the Face Mask.
“Master!”
“But weren’t you supposed to be in the Royal Capital? What brings you here?”
“What brings me here? I came because I wanted to see all of you. Have you all been well? I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but your voices carried so well that I couldn’t help overhearing.”
Kalmond hurriedly vacated the seat of honor, and I sat down in the place he yielded to me. They all continued staring at me as though they still could not quite believe it.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s burdensome. I really did come because I missed you all.”
“But it’s not a distance you can cover in a day or two. And you never said you were coming.”
“I was worried about those Delfino bastards, so there was something I needed to confirm. What exactly are they up to?”
I had heard the rough outline by pouring mana into my hearing, but I hadn’t caught everything from the beginning. So I asked.
Eluna answered for them.
“There’s a problem with the production of the standard fountain pens. The merchant company supplying the material used for one of the key components says they can’t deliver to us anymore.”
“I see. How much have we sold so far?”
“A total of ten pens. We’ve secured roughly an additional 15,000 Gold.”
“So the unit price must have gone up. 1,500 Gold per pen, then.”
“A premium got attached to them. On top of that, rumors spread that they were hard to obtain, so some people paid extra on top.”
Smiling, I nodded.
“Well, if there are no materials, there’s nothing to be done. Spinel, find out whether you can secure the materials through another route. Or consider changing the material itself.”
“I’m already on it.”
“That makes what I said unnecessary, then. Since it’s been a while, let’s shake hands once each!”
It was only because I held the position of Master that I could use such a ridiculous excuse to grab their hands. I shook hands with all three and checked their Favorability and Alignment.
There were no surprises.
No, rather than no surprises, perhaps it was more accurate to say that there was one somewhat surprising result.
Eluna’s Favorability was a full 97.
Rohan, who could have passed as a childhood friend and lifelong companion, was only at 95, and yet her Favorability surpassed even that.
This revealed one thing clearly: Favorability had little to do with how many years you had spent together.
Was it because I had unexpectedly protected Eluna’s chastity?
I couldn’t know for sure yet, but it certainly didn’t feel bad.
As for Kalmond and Spinel, their Favorability scores were 90 and 75 respectively.
Spinel’s Favorability was lower than I expected.
But that couldn’t be helped. There had never really been any special point of contact between us. It was only because he had seen my astonishingly precise fountain pen blueprints that it was as high as 75. Otherwise it probably would not even have broken 50.
In terms of Alignment, Kalmond was Neutral, Eluna was Very Good, and Spinel was also Neutral. I still didn’t have enough data yet, but it seemed clear that a person’s nature was reflected in their Alignment.
“Then we’ll need a little more time until we find an alternative. How’s the company’s financial condition?”
“Very healthy. Branches keep increasing throughout the territory, and recently the Third Young Master lent us his strength, so we also signed a Delivery Contract with the Adeline House.”
“Pay close attention to that. There mustn’t be any discord.”
“Understood.”
Once Eluna’s report ended, I turned my gaze to Spinel.
“Don’t your hands itch a little?”
“That means...”
“I prepared a new item for you.”
I took a blueprint from my chest.
Compared to the fountain pen blueprint I had shown him before, this one was considerably simpler.
It was the very flower of office supplies: the stapler.
A revolutionary item used to bind documents together by driving in U-shaped metal staples. It was an object that had not yet been invented in this era.
“This is... simple, but very interesting. Is it used to fasten things together with metal staples?”
“As expected, you’re sharp. Compared to a fountain pen, it’s easier to make and a very useful item. It’s used to bind documents together by driving staples through them.”
For quite some time, Spinel’s eyes did not leave the blueprint. He was probably running production simulations through his head already.
“This... I need to make it right away. Forgive me, but I’ll have to greet you properly next time.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. Make it well. I’m planning to create more office supplies in the future. So Eluna, go to the major houses as well as the smaller noble houses and secure Delivery Contracts.”
“Yes, Master.”
As encouragement, I patted Spinel on the shoulder and sent him off.
My prediction was correct.
His Favorability shot straight up from 75 to 80.
It was clearly because of the blueprint I had shown him.
Raising Favorability is easier than I thought.