Chapter 77

Chapter 77: The Craftsmen’s Situation

The evening of the next day .

Kazura and Lieze, who had finished with the constant works at the field yesterday, met with Zirconia and visited a certain workshop . They had sent Eira, Marie and the servants to the mansion firsthand, so the ones who accompanied them now were only several guards . The workshop that the three visited was a carpenter workshop numbered 1, where numerous large timber were piled at one of the corners of the yard, waiting to be sawed . In the middle of that yard was a building to store the completely sawed lumber and an annex workshop building . Right now, the three were inside that annex workshop building . Together with an elderly carpenter, they were surrounding a table . Unrolled atop the table was the blueprint for the waterwheel parts . He was the master of this workshop, a veteran that had tread upon this field for 40 years,Zirconia had explained about the previous waterwheel parts’ precision to this master but the master made a moody face and fell into silence after he heard the explanation . The other people inside the workshop were three young carpenters, who were working the wood wholeheartedly using the bronze saw and wooden hammer, relying on the illumination of nearby candles . It seems that, after the cease fire treaty 4 years ago, this workshop had always worked in such manner and they continued even late until night every day . The master was still staying silent like this for some time, but finally, he reluctantly started to speak out . 「…… Perhaps this is just a guess, but the defective parts were made by the Krupp’s place at the workshop number 2 on the next building . Since they should be the one who drilled the blade planks of the waterwheel, so if the waterwheel rotation speed is irregular, I see no other cause but that . If after we corrected it, it still doesn’t work right, then it would be the workshop who made the wheel outer parts . 」(Master Craftsman) 「I see . Then, let’s go to visit that workshop right now . Kazura-san, Lieze, shall we?」(Zirconia) After prompting Kazura and Lieze, Zirconia walked towards the entrance . Kazura greeted the master, “Pardon us for the intrusion” and began to walk towards the entrance, chasing after Zirconia . 「……Zirconia-sama . I know this might not be someone of my stature could say, but may I speak it nonetheless?」(Master Craftsman) Just when the three was about to exit the building, the master suddenly addressed Zirconia . 「Yes, what is it?」(Zirconia) Zirconia stopped walking, turned back and looked at the master who called her with a nervous expression while tilting her head to the side . Kazura and Lieze also turned back and looked inquisitively at the master . 「We are craftsmen . It’s obvious that if we receive a work then we will do everything we can to complete it, we also absolutely won’t let any defect in the work we received . In the current waterwheel parts case, if Krupp is really the cause of the defect, then I will punch him so hard until he pukes out blood . But, you know, please turn a blind eye just this once . 」(Master Craftsman) 「……Umm, let’s have a seat and talk about it . 」(Zirconia) The master spoke with a great sadness on his face . Zirconia returned once more into the room and sat on the chair near the table and prompted the master to take a seat . Kazura and Lieze also followed Zirconia and sat together on a nearby wooden bench . The young carpenters that had been working in the room, cease their work and turned their attention to the silent master . The master sat at the chair and made an imploring expression as he faced Zirconia . 「That guy had lost his old man and his best disciple in the war back then . Even at the other workshops, most of them had their skillful workers either died or crippled in the war, so they lack hands for the job . Even at my place, the guy who had always working with me died, while the other guy lost his right hand so he couldn’t do any carpentry anymore . The ones in this place now, are their children or relatives . 」(Master Craftsman) 「……Keep on . 」(Zirconia) With a serious expression, Zirconia prompted the master to continue his story . The master looked at Zirconia before he began to speak in a downhearted manner . 「We know that we must postpone everything else when there is a request from the Lord and we also understand that this request is important for the province, hence why all the workshop accepted the request . Even if we made it in a hurry and it was a rush job, this is no excuse for the lack of precision; of course, the whole craftsmen could understand . But, you know……」(Master Craftsman) The master only spoke until that point, his words temporarily cease . His voice slightly trembled . 「Even we have a limit . All of the craftsmen had been sent into the front lines to repair the equipment or constructing the camp field . There were many of the older craftsmen died from disease due to unable to adjust to the life on the camp . A craftsman is not something you can obtain from just one or two years of teaching . A craftsman can be said to be able standing on his own only after 20 to 30 years of working . In Isteria, there are no more people to replace them . 」(Master Craftsman) The young carpenters, who heard what the master had said, gulped . What the master had said was something that could be said to be a criticism of Isteria’s leaders.h.i.+p . 「MotherOkaa-sama, what the master has said is justified . 」(Lieze) Just when Zirconia was about to say something, Lieze called out to her as if to obstruct her . 「These craftsmen have forced themselves to work excessively for the province’s sake . So please, please do not blame these people . 」(Lieze) 「Eh? I’m not going to do any……」(Zirconia) Zirconia showed a perplexed expression at Lieze who said those words as if she was trying to protect the craftsmen . Perhaps the master and Lieze had a misunderstanding, that Zirconia was about to punish the craftsmen due to the defect on the manufactured part . Zirconia didn’t have the least intention to do any punishment, as she could wholly sympathize with the carpenters and the other craftsmen, who had to work to the limit every day . That’s why she wanted to greatly reward the craftsmen who were involved in the waterwheel production and since it was a rushed order she didn’t even put any production quota on it . 「Lieze-sama…… Thank you very much……」(Mob Worker 1) 「How compa.s.sionate……」(Mob Worker 2)

However, seeing that the craftsmen gratefully articulated their words of grat.i.tude for Lieze’s cover, so Zirconia, who was going to explain her remarks before, closed her mouth and keep silent . Since the situation had calmed down somehow and Kazura was nearby, she decided to just take up the villain role . 「I understand what you want to talk . I only came because there was a defect in the completed goods, not to deliver any punishment, so please be at ease . It will be alright as long as you can pin down the fault and fix it . 」(Zirconia) When they heard Zirconia’s words, the carpenters raised their voice in amazement . Then, for some reason, once again they gave their words of thanks to Lieze . Lieze smiled gently at the carpenters’ action . 「(……Am I, that scary?)」(Zirconia) Seeing that warm scene from the side, Zirconia was a bit sullen and hurt . 「(How should I say it…… Good job……)」(Kazura) From her appearance, Kazura could guess what Zirconia had been thinking and appreciated her inside his heart . ✧✦✧✦ Three hours had pa.s.sed since then . After finished with their inspection on the various workshops, the three people returned to the estate and had a quick dinner with Nelson . Currently, Kazura, Zirconia, and Nelson were having a meeting in the office room . As usual, Lieze also had a bath today and afterward, she went straight to the bed after it . Since it was Lieze’s habit to sleep early and wake early, it would be hard for her to stay up late for the clerical work like the rest . It was something that Kazura had heard from Nelson not long ago that Lieze’s age is 14 years old . For a girl in p.u.b.erty, staying up until late in the night might harm their beauty and growth, so even if she proposed to help, everyone might unanimously tell her to sleep instead . 「It was only a brief inspection, but it seems that every workshop has a shortage of skilled workers…… In addition, they are so buried with works, that the parts came out with defects in their precision . 」(Kazura) 「I had already grasped the situation of the craftsmen since some time ago…… However, it seems that my dealing of this matter didn’t turn out well . I am deeply sorry for this……」(Zirconia) As Zirconia said this, she hung his head in shame with a pensive expression . After the event with the master, Kazura’s group had inspected the workshops, but it was just like what the master of the first workshop had said, when they asked the craftsmen, there was a dearth of skilled workers for the work . When the workers saw Zirconia at first, they shrink back and so the group couldn’t immediately talk about what are the obstacles in their work . However, at Kazura and Lieze’s prompt, they began to share the situation little by little .

「Well, as you can see, this situation is inevitable . The lack of workers could be compensated with tools . I will examine whether or not I could supply a waterwheel rotation-powered sawmill to saw the timbers and any other needed tools . If we increase the work efficiency then the craftsmen workload could be considerably reduced . 」(Kazura) 「……Yes . 」(Zirconia) These were what Kazura proposed, but Zirconia’s expression was still gloomy . When Kazura first arrived at Isteria, she had a more covetous impression but lately, he felt that she had become somehow pessimistic, or more precisely, become diffident . Kazura worried that perhaps the consecutive failure of the things she managed had made her lost her confidence . 「Please don’t make such a face . It will be alright, surely it will turn out well . 」(Kazura) 「……Yes, thank you very much . 」(Zirconia) When Kazura spoke those words to her, Zirconia finally showed a smile . It was a smile with a hint of gloom behind it, but it was much better than showing a depressed expression all the time . 「Then, let’s leave the matter of carpentry workshops for now . Concerning our inspection of the blacksmiths and the well-diggers, I also want to examine whether or not there are something we can do about them when I return to G.o.d’s Realm . Especially about the well, since it’s greatly concerned the health and sanitation issue of the place where there is no access to draw river water, so we will need to deal with it one way or another . 」(Kazura) After Kazura’s group had inspected several carpentry workshops, they inspected the workshop of the blacksmiths and well-diggers . The problem that the blacksmiths complained about was completely the same as the story they had heard from the carpenters, so he believed that only the introduction of machine tools might solve this problem . However, from the discussion with the well-diggers, the problem that they encounter was a completely different set of problemsWhen they were digging well in Isteria, they would dig through a layer of brown sand for about 6 to 8 meters deep before the water gushed forth . However, this water wasn’t that good for use, white clothes washed with this water would become bright red on the next day . Cooking food with it would cause a bad taste and prolonged consumption of it would be harmful to the body . By the way, under the brown sand was a layer of bedrock, which the well-diggers inform him was the place where they constructed a wooden-reinforced well . They could also construct a stone-reinforced one, but since this was costly, they were mostly using wood as the reinforcement . 「Thank you very much . Well water had been a problem since long time ago and it had long cause inconvenience for the people who lived far from the river . We also couldn’t construct waterway to cover the entire city, so we had given up on this problem as we couldn’t do anything about it . 」(Nelson) Nelson bowed his head and thanked Kazura for his proposal . Perhaps if they could solve the well problem then Isteria’s health problem might be drastically improved . For Kazura, well-digging was outside his realm of knowledge, so when he returned to j.a.pan he would borrow the wisdom of the experts and by supplying technical treatise or if the circ.u.mstance permits, the well-digging tools, then they should manage one way or another . 「By the way, when we were walking towards the well-diggers, Lieze-san seems speaking quite friendly with the craftsmen . Does Lieze-san often visited the workshops, too?」(Kazura) When they visited the well-diggers workshop, the craftsmen were at first shrunk back when they saw Zirconia, but when they noticed Lieze, their expression softened . They were actually talking with her in a friendly tone . Kazura heard the words 「Thank you like always」 mixed at their conversation, so he was curious whether or not she had previous encounters with the craftsmen .

「Ah, perhaps it was because Lieze personally replenished the mud she used to wash her hair and body from the well-diggers . Most of the was.h.i.+ng material used to wash the n.o.ble ladies’ hair or for the dishwas.h.i.+ng in the n.o.ble’s mansion are purchased from the well-diggers . There are many who used soap, but Lieze prefer that mud better . 」(Zirconia) 「Hah, mud? …… Is it much better even than the soap?」(Kazura) 「Depending on the mud type, but the one that is used by Lieze, the White Mud, is a top quality item, so it is far more superior than the soap . Does Kazura want to try using it? If you ask Lieze, she could procure some . 」(Zirconia) 「Hmm…… Then, next time I will ask Lieze-san personally for it . I am a bit interested . 」(Kazura) Using mud to wash body or head, could be said as counterintuitive, but even in j.a.pan, cosmetics company also sell mud face cleaner or mud pack . Since mud was also used even in j.a.pan to some extent, the mud in question might have a performance that was unbeatable by even the scientifically produced soap or detergent . 「Does Zirconia-san use that mud too?」(Kazura) 「I rarely paid attention to such things…… However, perhaps I will try it for once . 」(Zirconia) Even while having this kind of idle chat, the three people then continued their discussion about the workshop . ✧✦✧✦ 「Gla.s.s, flour mill, thres.h.i.+ng machine and…… Isn’t this had become quite an amount? It will take time to prepare all of these……」(Kazura) After finished with the discussion, Kazura returned to his bedroom and sat down on his bed while writing down what the goods that he needed to prepare in j.a.pan . At tomorrow morning he would depart to Grisea Village, so now he was sorting the information at hand so that he won’t forgot what he needs to purchase or examine . Since one-way trip from Isteria to Grisea Village will take about 2 days of travel, if he forgot to buy something then he couldn’t immediately return . It was a distance that is not close yet not that far, nonetheless, he was greatly vexed by this . 「If the carriage and the guards do a forced march then we would arrive in the village in one day, but if the carriage move that fast, then Marie and I would vomit . There must be something I can do with the carriage……」(Kazura) Because the road between Isteria and Grisea Village was an unpaved bare soil road, if the carriage traveled too fast, it was equivalent to a suicidal act . Even if he could endure it one way or another using the essential oil, he didn’t want to bother Marie too much, even on the last rushed return trip to Grisea Village, the rocking of the carriage was quite harsh for Marie . It might be better to leave Marie in the estate, but he thought that considering Marie’s position, it wouldn’t be a good thing to do . 「Ummm, receiving the generator, confirming the progress of construction plan……」(Kazura) While he kept muttering like this, Kazura spent the whole night looking at the notebook . By the way, at that time, Eira was waiting in the kitchen for Kazura . However, Kazura who was busy with the preparation of his trip tomorrow didn’t show up in the kitchen . In the end, Eira who remembered that Kazura was going to depart to Grisea Village on the next day, returned to her room in dejection and then went to sleep .