Chapter 183
(Kyle
Calendar Year 509: Age 16)
Dealing with
the Homework
Translator : PolterGlast
My stay in Teigoon
passed in the blink of an eye, and I had returned to the Royal Capital. Still, Miseri's
awakened mode was incredible.
"Anne, with all
those arrangements in place, there was really no need for me to go to Teigoon,
was there?"
Yes, in the meetings,
I had really only offered a few ideas and named the new development districts.
What's more, the
subsequent harvest festival and victory celebration had also been fully
arranged, and the plans for the supreme tournament had even been incorporated
into the immigration acceptance plan.
"Not at all. It
is precisely because you are behind her, Takuhir-sama, that she (Miseri) can demonstrate
her skills with peace of mind. And entrusting tasks to others is also an
important duty of a lord. Above all, a festival needs its main star."
Anne said with a
smile. Miseri had deliberately held off on distributing all the rewards until
the victory celebration, so that I could be the one to announce it.
Naturally, the
citizens were ecstatic at the great generosity. For three days, all
construction was halted, toasts were raised continuously, the cheers of those
enjoying the festival went on all night, and the festive mood never died down.
At the ceremony, I
officially appointed Miseri as the steward and the Commander as the supreme
commander of the combat forces. With this pair, the pillars of administration
and military, I could confidently leave things in their hands for the time
being.
"Well then, we'd
better get started on our homework, too. First up... the old fox."
"Since it's a
matter concerning the academy, how about taking Yuka-sama with you this
time?"
"That's right. If
it's a discussion related to the politics of the nobility, her covering fire
might be a great help."
And so, the day after
returning to the capital, I ended up visiting the Headmaster's office,
accompanied by Yuka-san.
※
"Hohoho, for the
Demon Territory Count to visit, bringing with him the woman who is to be his
wife. Has something happened?"
"Your Excellency,
Klein, it is an honor to meet you for the first time. I am Gorman von Yuka,
fiancée to the Demon Territory Count Solis. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
Please accept my humble apologies for my delay in greeting the person who has
taken such extraordinary care of the man who is to be my husband."
Hmm? What's this?
Yuka-san is following perfect etiquette, but I feel like there's a thorn in her
words... In fact, while her face is smiling, her eyes are not.
"Hmm, no, no, I
haven't done anything of note. I am just a simple headmaster here. Still, a
young lady who has made a name for herself on the battlefield has a fine spirit
compared to the sheltered ladies of high society."
Knowing her as I
usually do, I understood. Yuka-san was angry. At the adults who had used the
man who would be her husband for their own political gain.
"We have come
today with a request for you, Headmaster. The truth is, we would like you to
introduce us to a restaurant in the Royal Capital that is well-known and of as
high a standing as possible..."
"Oh, a
restaurant, you say. Are you plotting something? The customs of the nobility
are a troublesome thing. As the price for borrowing my name, has the Demon
Territory Count prepared something?"
Just as I thought. The
old fox is smiling. This too is practice in the art of negotiation. He's
probably saying that to test me.
"Let me see...
Compared to his contributions regarding the ousting of the Restorationists in
the capital, the victory in the war on the eastern border, the suppression of
the rebel army, the implementation of the Royal Command Mage system in
accordance with His Majesty's will, the operation of the academy's mage
courses, and the discovery of a treatment for the plague...
This is such a trivial
request, so I am sure that the Demon Territory Count-sama is too embarrassed to
even mention something like a price."
Yuka-san! That's
dripping with sarcasm, isn't it?
After contributing so
much to the kingdom and the Headmaster, you have the shamelessness to talk
about a price now? That's certainly how it sounded.
The Headmaster used me
for political purposes, and even if he had the intention of protecting me, his
reactive responses constantly put me through the wringer. Yuka-san was furious
that he had made me leave my domain at a critical time, and that many people
had been caught up in the affair. I felt her anger keenly.
"I wished to see
for myself what the guidance of an elder was like, so I asked Takuhir-sama to
allow me to accompany him today."
She said this, smiling
with a face that was so obviously a fake smile. It even seemed as though she
were conveying, without words, 'I am judging your character.'
Seeing that, not just
the Headmaster, but I too felt a chill run down my spine.
Even though she was
angry on my behalf, she was going head-to-head with the old fox on their first
meeting. What's more, she was dominating the exchange.
"...Hohoho, the
Demon Territory Count has chosen a fine young lady for his wife. The courage of
the House of Gorman, renowned for its valor—I have certainly received the proof
of the blood that flows in your veins. The price, indeed, I have
received."
With that, he wrote a
letter of introduction on the spot and handed it to Yuka-san.
He ran away... I
thought, but of course, I didn't say it out loud.
"Thank you for
your guidance. I will come to visit again with my wife, Yuka, in the
future."
I had become a fox
borrowing the tiger's might, through and through. My own weaknesses didn't
matter to her. She was speaking only of objective, public facts.
※
"So that man is
the old fox you were talking about, Takuhir-sama? I was so nervous. I might
have said a little of what I was thinking... I hope I wasn't a bother?"
"No, no, watching
it was very... amusing. The Headmaster was just taken aback. I don't think
he'll hold a grudge in the future. He was laughing quite cheerfully, after
all."
The old fox was
probably laughing at the sight of my future, being henpecked by a wife who,
contrary to her lovely appearance, was actually very strong-willed... but there
was no way I could say such a thing to Yuka-san.
"By the way,
about the matter I asked you about, have you found any of your school friends
who would be willing to cooperate?"
"Yes, a few of
them. They are all from respectable families, and there are no problems with
their character. They are gathered in the salon after this."
Yes, I had asked
Yuka-san a favor. I was recruiting noble ladies to be monitors for the honey
project. We immediately headed for a salon within the academy.
※
There, honey toast,
honey pie, and honey tea, prepared by Yuka-san, were served to them.
"Oh my! It's so
sweet!"
"Yuka-sama, have
you been keeping this all to yourself?"
"How can we get
our hands on this?"
"Is there any
more of this?"
The young ladies'
reaction to the taste test was even better than expected.
"We are not yet
mass-producing it, but we plan to sell it at a shop in the Royal Capital as
soon as the system is in place.
I was thinking of
selling it as a gift in a small jar like this, and I would like to hear your
opinions, as ladies, on what kind of container would be cute, or rather,
desirable."
Saying this, I spread
out the samples I had brought before them. Yuka-san and the other four—the
daughter of a marquis, a count, and two viscounts—all snatched up the small
jars at once.
"Oh my!"
"It's so
cute!"
"A gift like this
would be most welcome!"
"Yuka-sama, you
always get things like this? I'm so envious!"
The containers and
packaging chosen by the women of Teigoon seemed to be popular with the noble
young ladies as well, and they all seemed to be examining each one seriously.
"As for the
price, in this container, I was thinking of about 10 silver coins..."
"That's too
cheap!" x5
I was shot down by all
of them in unison. It was the same in Teigoon, but women at times like these...
are truly scary.
"Well then, young
ladies, if you have any opinions on a suitable price for this product, or if
you have any ideas for other containers, I would be very grateful... and as a
thank you, I have prepared this."
This time, I prepared
five jars of honey in plain, unremarkable bottles for each of them.
"!!!"
From there, things
moved very quickly.
They proposed a fair
price based on their own experience and, within a few days, brought in
containers they knew of, high-end items that were only sold in the Royal
Capital.
For gifts, they said,
we should rank them according to the container, and the most expensive one
could even sell for a gold coin. The sample itself should be 30 silver coins;
any cheaper and it would lose its value, they said. It was rarer than the
currently popular sugar, and since it was for a gift, the price should reflect
the container and packaging.
They even provided
information on which shops to sell it at.
And so, I was able to
easily clear the first of the homework assignments Miseri had given me. I
immediately sent the information I had received and the actual container
candidates to Miseri and the others in Teigoon.
※
After that, I set to
work on the other piece of homework. I visited the restaurant introduced to me
by the old fox.
As Yuka-san and I
discovered upon visiting, it was one of the most exclusive restaurants in the
Royal Capital, used by nobles of the rank of count or higher and major
merchants. As such, they were extremely cold to us, who clearly did not look
like such important people.
"This is an
establishment that is always patronized by high-ranking nobles..."
The atmosphere was
overflowing with the unspoken message of "please leave." At this
point, the thought of showing them the Headmaster's letter of introduction had
vanished from our minds.
"This is the
daughter of a count's house, but I heard you say that a count's house is not
worthy of this establishment..."
Of course, I don't
blame them.
Normally, such nobles
would arrive by carriage. We had come on foot, and in any case, we looked like
students. Even if I was a count, I was just a count from some rural area, and
she was the daughter of a count who was trying to get into the good graces of
some low-ranking noble at the academy. It wasn't unreasonable for them to see
us that way.
"If our status is
not suitable, then we will give up and go home..."
When I said that much,
I was shown to a seat with an air of "it can't be helped." In fact,
until just the other day, I had been a baron, and Yuka-san had been the
daughter of a viscount.
We were well aware
that we were out of place, and our purpose was merely to visit as customers and
investigate the restaurant.
We enjoyed our meal,
ignoring the obvious glares from the other customers. The food was indeed good,
and the restaurant was of high standing.
But I felt that it
wasn't the right place to use for promotional purposes.
"Yuka-san, what
do you think?"
"Let's see... rather
than a place like this, perhaps a more casual, popular restaurant frequented by
the children of nobles would be more suited to our purpose. I think the
disinfectant alone would be worth introducing here, though..."
"I agree. Let's
change our direction. Would it be possible for you to look into such a
restaurant?"
"Yes! The young
ladies who have always lived in the Royal Capital should have such
connections..."
We were forced to
change course on our second plan. In fact, my opinion and Yuka-san's were in
agreement that we should.
After that, there was
a little extra incident...
It was when we had
finished our meal and stood up to leave. An elderly man who appeared to be a
high-ranking noble called out to us.
"I thought I
would be disturbing you during your meal, so I refrained from calling out to
you and was rude in my delayed greeting. Are you His Excellency, the Demon
Territory Count Solis? I saw you at the conferment of honors at the Royal
Palace the other day..."
I received a polite
greeting from a certain count. And then, the people at the surrounding tables
who had been eavesdropping came to greet me, each trying to be the first.
Of them, the only
noble was the first count; the rest were merchants from major trading companies
in the Royal Capital whom I had heard of.
Naturally, they must
have known through their own information networks that I had received a large
sum of gold coins as a reward. Seeing a perfect opportunity to make a
connection, they had come to greet me, each trying to be the first.
Honestly, I wished
they wouldn't bother with greetings. It goes without saying that I was filled
with the desire to leave quickly.
The staff member who
had first shown us to our seats saw this and turned pale, and the manager of
the restaurant rushed over to greet us. I honestly felt a little sorry for
them.
It goes without saying
that, a few days later, we found a popular sweets shop patronized by Yuka-san's
friends where we could have them test the disinfectant and soap, and where they
would use our honey as a sample.
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