"Yuri, I've got something to tell you." (Carol)

Carol came in and gave me a writing paper. When I opened it…

[We recognize your invention as the first patent]

It was written that. It seemed to have pa.s.sed.

The first patent was a technology related to papermaking. Of course, it wasn't a technology to make parchment, but a paper made of plant fiber.

'If it goes well, I'll make a huge profit.'

'…I think. For sure. Maybe.'

"It's fine to have side job, but don't forget your main job." (Carol)

Carol reminded me. Although she preached the other day, it didn't seem she was taking into heart.

"I understand. If I skipped school, I'll be sorry to my parents." (Yuri)

"It's good that you understand that." (Carol)

Carol took something like a leather bag that was attached to her waist belt, and suddenly gave it to me.

"It's a reward." (Carol)

'Reward?'

When I received the leather bag and opened it, there were a lot of gold coins in it. It was a leather bag that fits in the hands of a child, but that was a lot of money.

"What's this?" (Yuri)

"I told you, it's a reward." (Carol)

"What is this reward for? Is this a different kind of reward from the other one?" (Yuri)

"Have you done so many good things that you were rewarded so often?" (Carol)

Carol grinned and smiled meanly.

"I don't know anything about it." (Yuri)

"There was a complaint from the Seven Great Witches households. Whether it became a reward or not, they felt not good to owe a favor to the Hou Household if the compensation system wasn't applied." (Carol)

"Is that why they give money? Dang it." (Yuri)

'I don't think they owe me. When I think that I am parting with a fresh feeling, I feel like being given a consolation money.'

"They said it would be better not to do this even a little bit." (Carol)

"A little bit?" (Yuri)

When I roughly looked inside the bag, there seemed to be 30000 Ruga inside. A piece of gold coin was 1000 Ruga, so there were 30000 Ruga. It wasn't possible to convert it to j.a.panese yen, but it was likely about 3 million yen.

"It's a lot of money, you know." (Yuri)

"I don't know much about the extent of your discovery. I have never heard of a reward to the extent that you are required to be called by Okasama." (Carol)

'Is that so? It makes me think that the royal family is not stingy, so they may give up to 50000 Ruga. As expected, the royal family has a different sense of money.'

"I'm still a kid. I never thought that I would be given a huge amount of money." (Yuri)

"Why is that? Does it matter whether it is a child or an adult?" (Carol)

'What a naive princess.'

"When you give a lot of money to children, they will destroy themselves by buying worthless things, so their reputation will be decided. For example, visiting luxury hotels, or having prost.i.tutes." (Yuri)

"Wh-what is that? You should return the money! There is no way I can't let you do that!!" (Carol)

I was wondering what she was thinking since he was trying to take away the leather pouch. Since I wasn't going to let the large money earned to be taken away, I hid the pouch behind my back. I pretended to throw it back and forth, and dropped in on the floor across the bed.

"Hey! Give it to me!" (Carol)

It seemed that Carol didn't notice the sound of the pouch falling on the floor because of her loud voice. While someone being jostled, she got up and tried to s.n.a.t.c.h the pouch.

"Idiot, calm down! I'm not going to use that money in that way." (Yuri)

'Even if I have deep knowledge about it, I won't do it.'

"Haa, haa… really?" (Carol)

"Yes, and it's none of your concern anyway." (Yuri)

"…Well, you're right. I don't want my roommate to go to that degraded direction…" (Carol)

"For you to say that to me…" (Yuri)

'Even if I become degraded, if I get a lot of money, the best I can do is to be a Neet. In the case of degraded personality, people would go for marijuana, gambling and cabaret. So, I'm all good.'

"Then, what are you going to use it for? Saving?" (Carol)

'Are you some kind of old woman?'

"I will use it as an upfront investment." (Yuri)

"Upfront investment?" (Carol)

"Well… how should I say it? It's like buying a good spear before going to war." (Yuri)

'It's totally different though. This is somehow already become more troublesome.'

"Well, that's a good thing for you. I'm impressed how you spend your money." (Carol)

Carol seemed to be in a good mood. It was like a compliment to the examinee who bought a reference book for the exam.

Actually, it was more like buying a PC for Eroge, but there was no need to tell her that.

—

'I have lived for a very long time in subjective time, but it is the first time to start a business. The capital is 50000 Ruga. It's coming from 30000 Ruga that was given a little while ago and the pocket money I saved on annual basis. The amount of 50000 Ruga has a good value, and it was about 5 million yen in j.a.panese yen, but I can't  simply converted the value. In this country, the prices of food are particularly low and the prices of processed goods are high.'

'The level of manufacturing industry is at the level of everything is [made by hand, one by one] just like in j.a.pan. Therefore, the value is naturally high. Even if it is a laundry basket, I could buy it for 100 yen in j.a.pan. So, here, I could buy it for 1 Ruga. However, it doesn't end like that. The price is roughly about 50 Ruga if it is handcrafted from thin plant.'

'However, speaking of the opposite, if people don't live luxuriously, they can live their life economically. Basically, just eat dried meat with salt, bread and after that, go to sleep. With that life and depending on the rent, it is possible to live in the royal capital at about 10000 Ruga a year.'

'So, 50000 Ruga is roughly a salary of a person without technical skills that could be employed for five years. Or it could be done in other ways such as employing five people for a year.'

'However, in reality, apart from the manpower expenses, since investment in facilities and equipment is necessary, I can't afford to hire five people.

'I didn't work in a papermaking company, but I know the primitive ways to make j.a.panese paper and Western paper. Unfortunately, I am not good at it, so I hardly know how to make the tools.'

'So it's unclear when it will be possible to produce a paper that can be used as a product, and how much money it will take to get there. Even if I have 50000 Ruga, I am completely feel uneasy about it.'

'Besides, although I am free, I am still busy in the morning, so I can not afford to spend the whole day. In the afternoon, I had three block of lectures, and I would like a capable person who can manage it.'

'Or, there is a way to do it by yourself without leaving it to others.'

'Even without relying on capital to hire people from the beginning, I should rent a hut by the water alone, and spend my free time working for labor. I have never thought of becoming a company owner, so I don't know because I have never learned business management, but before hiring people, I'll try to acc.u.mulate know-how by working alone first. There's no need to be scolded by the business scholar.'

I was eating in the dining hall while using this place to reflect the plan, Myaro called me out.

"What are you thinking about?" (Myaro)

He asked without any signs of concern.

"Well." (Yuri)

"If you like, I can give you some advice." (Myaro)

'It seems to me that I will get a consultation. If it's Myaro, it's not bad to get consulted. Rather, there may be no other person qualified in this.'

"I want to start a business. So, I was thinking where I could find a capable person who I can entrust the business." (Yuri)

"Business, is it?" (Myaro)

Myaro looked surprised.

"This year, the number of lecturers in the afternoon has decreased. So, I have a lot of spare time." (Yuri)

"That's luxurious trouble, isn't it?" (Myaro)

'It may be true. But… I can't help with it since I'm almost done.'

"You will be like that someday in about two years, I think." (Yuri)

"I wonder. Since I'm not good at practical skills, I have to build my strength." (Myaro)

'Aah, that's right.'

As what he said, he wasn't good at practical skills. This year, our schedule broke up because I went to the upper cla.s.s.

His reflex wasn't bad, but he seemed to be incapable of building up muscle. If it was dagger techniques, he could handle it. However, he was hopeless since short brief of spearmans.h.i.+p still required muscles.

If I had to be extreme, even if Myaro was holding a spear with full strength, his spear would fly far if it was. .h.i.t. Perhaps, he wouldn't be able to move after that, or lose his posture which could leave a gap.

In a short brief of spearmans.h.i.+p, it was impossible to avoid all the clashes, so it was a decisive disadvantage for Myaro.

"But, you can still graduate, right?" (Yuri)

The Academy decided that those who had slow reflexes couldn't graduate, so the Knight households, whose son was born weak, was in trouble.

"Yes. But if that's the case, it'll be past 20 years old." (Myaro)

'20 years old, is it? I want to graduate as soon as possible. It is troublesome to learn as much as you can, but you are unable to graduate.'

"That's hard…" (Yuri)

"It's fine. Don't worry about that. Let's talk about your problem." (Myaro)

'Aah, yes. The discussion is getting far away from the main topic. What was the discussion again?'

"It's about a capable person." (Yuri)

"Yes. What about it?" (Myaro)

His face became serious.

'It is encouraging if he listens to the discussion seriously.'

"I'm going to make a new product and sell them. It doesn't mean that I'm going to buy a specialty product and sell it. I don't want to employ a person who doesn't have flexibility in consideration. Therefore, it may be difficult if the person who can only tend the store." (Yuri)

"I see. I do not ask you what kind of product because is a secret, but it may certainly not work for ordinary people." (Myaro)

'It's not really a secret, so it's fine to ask anything. Since the patent has already been issued, the person who copied it, is obligated to pay the patent fee to me. Rather, I have a feeling that if they could do it, they should imitate it more and more.'

"I wonder if I should go the merchant guild, and do job interview." (Yuri)

"Aah." (Myaro)

Myaro frowned as if he was anxious.

"Hmm?" (Yuri)

"The merchant guild is under the control of the Seven Great Witches households, so it will be a problem if you go there since you are from a Knight household." (Myaro)

'Uwaah, is there such a thing?'

"That's troublesome." (Yuri)

"If you want to offer a job, it would be wise to do it in your household's territory." (Myaro)

"Is that so? If I can't do it in the royal capital, I have to go on a business trip then." (Yuri)

'I can just fly away if I can use my Eagle King, but it will still takes a few years before I can get permission to go anywhere by myself. The preliminary steps must be done in the royal capital. Besides, speaking of a large consumption area for paper, it is also the royal capital. Hence, it is convenient in that regard.'

"If it's a merchant of the royal capital, I have a person in mind. Would you like me to introduce to him?" (Myaro)

'He has someone is it? Is he a person who knows many people? He is incredible. Are you really 15 years old?'

"What kind of person he is?" (Yuri)

"He is a person who has been fired by the company that has regular dealings with my house." (Myaro)

"He got fired?" (Yuri)

'Is he a man who has been fired out of work and is having trouble finding a new job? What am I going to do with him?'

"He isn't someone who steals money from the store? I think there was a bit of disagreement." (Myaro)

"Hmmm." (Yuri)

'I don't know the business customs of the merchants in this country, so I don't have a clue. Well, I won't know unless I meet him, right?'

"However, that company that regularly deal with the Witch household is doing that just for flattery. So, I think that would be a safe factor to go out against it." (Myaro)

'That person would be naturally absorbed into my household.'

"Well, there shouldn't be anything wrong if he is introduced by you." (Yuri)

'I need to interview him, but it's a bit hard to think as Myaro is introducing that person since I am completely incompetence in that aspect.'

'From what I understand about Myaro, he hates being incompetent, unproductive, and clinging to his family business.'

'He is probably a capable person. At least, it's worth meeting. I think.'

"I'm glad if you say so." (Myaro)

Myaro smiled while slightly embarra.s.sed.

"How do I contact that person?" (Yuri)

"Since I know nothing but his name, it's probably faster if you check the address at the royal castle and send a letter." (Myaro)

It was the first time I heard that the address was checked at the royal castle.

'I wonder if the royal capital is more or less know about the residents to some extent.'

"Understood. What's his name?" (Yuri)

"Cuffe Ornette." (Myaro)

—

Three days later, I visited Cuffe Ornette's room.

The apartment with Cuffe Ornette's room was located on the eastern side of the 4th Ring Street north of the royal capital. Here was the northern side of the royal capital that had become divided by the large river. It would be the fourth of the bypa.s.s connecting the main street extending radially from the royal castle to the side. (TLN: Click for the map.)

From my point of view, this was the neighborhood for second cla.s.s of common people.

The rich common people, if they were in the northern side of the royal capital, would say in the east of the 3rd Ring Street. The convenience for access was good if people wanted to go shopping in the marketplace or to go to the royal castle.

However, as the 4th Ring Street in the northern side was close to the capital's northern port, this would be a convenient location for merchants. As a merchant household with little money, it was a reasonable location.

I went up to the second floor of a three-story stone building, and knocked on the door.

"–I have unlocked the door." (Cuffe)

And, there was a voice from the other side.

'He is careless. Recently, migrants from Kilghina had pouring in, so the security is getting a little worse. Well, I'm just a brat who comes here alone.'

"Please excuse me." (Yuri)

I opened the door and went inside.

It had been a long time since I saw a slouchy single man living alone in a room. The trash were all over the place and the floor was full of dust. The only parts that free from dust was the parts where he frequently walks, which also looked like animal trails.

I saw it every day when I was in j.a.pan, or rather, my room was like that, but it was the kind of room that I saw for the first time ever since I started this life. At first, Suzuya cleaned my room well. Then, since the maids and the cleaning ladies cleaned it, my living s.p.a.ce had never been like this.

"h.e.l.lo. My name is Yuri Hou." (Yuri)

"Sorry." (Cuffe)

Cuffe Ornette was lying on a solid couch and drinking alcohol. He didn't want to get up even though a visitor was coming.

"I don't have time to play with n.o.ble's children." (Cuffe)

"…Is that so?" (Yuri)

'What a bad manner. Is it no good?'

'Well, even if that makes me think so, I can't help about it. Nothing much can be done if he is busy. No matter how I look at him, it seems that you got a lot of time to spare.'

'However, his life is more rough than expected. It feels just perfect to put up a dead eyes at the corner of the room to a child who can't accept someone's livelihood.'

"In the future, I'm going to sell a product that can drive the parchment market." (Yuri)

"Really? It would be impossible." (Cuffe)

'That is straight to the point. Saying that it's not worth doing it.'

'Go home? No, I've come a long way, so I should stick a bit longer, right?'

"I wonder if that is true. I don't know unless I try." (Yuri)

"It's impossible. Even if it's true, it will be stolen by some b.a.s.t.a.r.ds anyway. No matter what you do in this country, that's how things work." (Cuffe)

'That is somewhat unsettling. Is he giving up on society?'

"Since that's how things work, it's going to be alright." (Yuri)

"Hmm." (Cuffe)

'I feel like this isn't going to be a discussion.'

"If anyone other than the inventor makes the product, they would be obliged to pay the patent fee. This has been certified by Her Majesty the Queen. I have also the letter with her signature and the imperial seal." (Yuri)

'I am more or less have it.'

"…I never heard anything like that before." (Cuffe)

"It was about a month ago when I had the audience with the Queen, and this had been enacted since a week ago. The approval came three days ago. By the way, this is my first invention." (Yuri)

"Hmm. Did you suggest the Queen to pa.s.s the suggestion?" (Cuffe)

"Yes." (Yuri)

When I said that, Cuffe got up and looked at me for the first time. When I looked for the front, his face looked terrible. It didn't mean that the features of the face were bad, but he didn't take care of his hair, and beard at all.

"I can't believe you. Show it to me." (Cuffe)

"Here you go." (Yuri)

I was worried about it being torn, but I gave it to him. The paper that I gave was a pure white, high quality parchment, and it wouldn't look fake.

When Cuffe read the doc.u.ment…

"This is serious." (Cuffe)

…he said so.

"Yes. It's real." (Yuri)

Cuffe returned the paper to me.

"So, what do you want me to do?" (Cuffe)

'Oh, did you get some motivation?'

"Overall supervision and manual labor. When the product is ready, sell it. In short, I want you to do what I have to do instead." (Yuri)

"What does that mean?" (Cuffe)

He looked stunned.

"I have to go to school in the morning, so I have something to do." (Yuri)

"Well then, I will do everything from the beginning to the end, and the money is your total take. Is that it?" (Cuffe)

"Rather than letting you handle the whole thing, I'm going to give you a rough idea, and explore how to make the product. The full-scale earnings will come out at least after six months. In the meantime, I think it is better to think that there is no profit." (Yuri)

"So, does that mean I will be unpaid during that period of time?" (Cuffe)

"There will be a fixed salary. I can't give you so much though. As for full-scale earning, let's think about it again when the business gets on track." (Yuri)

Cuffe took a deep breath. He seemed to be hesitating.

"Do you really think you're going to succeed?" (Cuffe)

He asked that.

"In a decade, parchment will be almost gone from the market. That's a story if production goes well." (Yuri)

"Is that so…? But the parchment guild is under the jurisdiction of Lacrama.n.u.s. They may try to sabotage you." (Cuffe)

'Aah, that's really troublesome. Lacrama.n.u.s is the name of the fifth Witch household.'

'The royal capital has become a place of fools everywhere. This is a stagnate city where it has no relation to the concept of liberty and good communication in business.'

"Well, that's fine. I am the heir of the Hou Household. If I am the representative, there are a lot of things I can do." (Yuri)

"…What? Are you sure? You're a heck of a young man." (Cuffe)

'My name is on the letter. Didn't you read it?'

"If they're going to interfere, it would be enough to threaten or destroy the production base. That's will be the story when the product circulate enough, it will threaten the parchment market. There's no point in worrying about it now." (Yuri)

"Well, you're right." (Cuffe)

"Once the production system is in place, the material used isn't the animal hide but the trees that grows in the surrounding area. It is able to circulate at less than half the price though the durability should be inferior. I don't know how powerful the parchment guild is but it's not possible to run away from them." (Yuri)

'I myself have been inconvenienced by the high cost of the parchment product and the high threshold. If there are more cheaply and large quant.i.ties of plant-based paper that can be distributed, it will surely spread.'

"For some reason, I think you are very convinced. Do you have definite proof?" (Cuffe)

'Definite proof? This guy… is he stupid?'

"If you can't move without definite proof, you'll be hit by others. Those people can't be called businessman." (Yuri)

"…" (Cuffe)

"Even for farmer's work, the success of a crop depends on luck. So, I have no definite proof that I will make a huge profit that can outwit the Witch households." (Yuri)

"…You're right. It seems that I was a fool." (Cuffe)

Cuffe shook his head once as if to sober up and removed unnecessary thoughts.

"Are you motivated now?" (Yuri)

"Aah. Anyhow, this is very interesting. It's not a bad idea to bet on it for one or two years." (Cuffe)

"I see." (Yuri)

It seemed that he had become motivated. I could see strength had filled the suspicious eyes caused by alcohol until a little while ago.

He was motivated.

—

"But, I'm still in the stage of planning. I haven't made the plan yet. For the time being, we can't talk until we have established the manufacturing method." (Yuri)

It seemed that Cuffe, who had woken up, was thinking about a concrete plan.

"That's right." (Cuffe)

'Of course.'

"At any rate, the first priority is to establish a manufacturing method. How are you going to make that paper?" (Cuffe)

"The raw material is plant fiber. It's not a weed, though." (Yuri)

"Hmm, is it something like a cloth?" (Cuffe)

'He is quick to understand. In this country, there are few opportunities, but cloth may also be written in the same way as parchment. Compared to parchment, cloth is more like paper in nature.'

'It would be fine to use cloth as paper, but since all clothes are hand-woven, this may not be price compet.i.tive enough to threaten parchment. Since ink bleeds from the knitting, only one side can be used if it is not a very thick cloth.'

"The cloth is spun into thread for as long as possible, and then woven into a cloth, yes?" (Yuri)

"Well, you're right." (Cuffe)

"There is no need to weave the paper. Paper is not meant to be a piece of clothing, so it doesn't need to be as st.u.r.dy as cloth. Conversely, what you need is the fineness of the grain." (Yuri)

"Yeah." (Cuffe)

“So, we need to process the plant into fibers in some way, put them in water, and layer them with fine nets. After that, we put the weight from above and compress it. If you dry it, the paper is ready." (Yuri)

"…Aah, I see." (Cuffe)

"Do you have any questions?" (Yuri)

"…" (Cuffe)

He became silent.

'What? Have you changed your mind?'

When I was wondering, Cuffe hit his knee suddenly. There was a loud noise.

"There are many questions, but it's fine. Anyhow, let's try to make one." (Cuffe)

"Is that so? I thought you had changed your mind." (Yuri)

When I spoke of my anxiety, he laughed.

"I have gone too far to turn back. I think if it doesn't produce a real thing for half a year, but it's not easy to get off." (Cuffe)

"I see." (Yuri)

'That's great.'

"But there is only one condition." (Cuffe)

'Condition?'

"What is it?" (Yuri)

"I'm not a worker. So, I don't need a fixed salary. If you start to make a profit, I'll get a percentage from the profit increased." (Cuffe)

"I see. It's not a fixed salary, but a commission, right? Of course, that's fine." (Yuri)

'I'm sure that he'll be more motivated. Especially with this type of person…'

"But first, I have no money." (Cuffe)

'Even if you don't tell me, it doesn't seem that you have any money.'

"Is the present working capital coming from the Hou Household?"

"No, I'm doing this on my own, so I'm going to spend my pocket money. I only have 50000 Ruga, but don't depend on it too much." (Yuri)

"If you have that much, it will be enough for the time being. Unlike trade, you don't have to have s.h.i.+ps or horses. I have no idea what kind of facilities it will be, but I can arrange it if you have 20000 Ruga." (Cuffe)

'Well, if it is 20000 Ruga, it's probably good enough.'

"Alright, let's do it right away." (Yuri)