Ascendance of a Bookworm

"Dear Rosemaine, I would like you to tell me more about the contents of your letter."

The interaction with me seemed to be entrusted to the closest Benno, who was the one who opened his mouth most when he looked around at those who lived side by side.

Since the guild chief is with me, I shall explain it as carefully as possible.

"If the aristocratic child turns 10, he will study in the House of Lords during the winter months. This is where the noble sons of the other kingdoms come together in the same way."

Beginning with the House of Lords explanation, I tell you that each territory is ranked by influence and that from now on, the Lordship Candidates will continue, so Aerenfest has been ordered by Aub Aerenfest to disseminate an epidemic and increase their ranking.

"Through the House of Lords, Aub Aerenfest seems to have thought of the fashion of spreading it from Aerenfest to other territories after I woke up, as all the recipes and tools, botanical paper, ink, books… I was involved in"

"So Master Rosemaine, who is going to the House of Lords this year, has already spread the word..."

To Benno's words I nodded, "Exactly." Tell me before you leave, Benno's eyes say, but I have trouble being looked at like that.

"I heard about the epidemic, too, just before I left for the House of Lords, so I couldn't get in touch with you, but didn't you get any notice from the clerk?

"For a while, there was a circular saying to keep the phosphors, hair decorations, and books out of your territory. … from that circular, in time it will be lifted and I intend to be somewhat prepared to spread it at once"

"That's Benno. You have cancer."

With the circular not to let it out of the territory, it is just Benno to prepare to spread it.

"So what is the current situation regarding spreading the epidemic? Does the fact that Master Rosemaine is back here mean it's already spread?

"First of all, I thought it would be better to spread all things out a little bit while I was in school, rather than spreading them all at once in my first year"

To make the epidemic smaller and keep it out longer, to impress that Aerenfest is not a one-shot shop.

"Indeed, every time you visit, merchants will come to the place where new objects are made, and it is possible that other lords of the realm will come to the feet to ascertain the actual objects. Aerenfest doesn't have many guests from other territories, so it's going to be a big change."

As a traveller, Otto, who had crossed various lands, said so with all his eyes slightly narrowed. Compared to neighboring flavel turks and Arlensbach, Aerenfest is said to be lacking in attraction for those in other realms to try to get to their feet and to have less access to nobles in other realms.

It is all the more outrageous because now, by the Lord's command, nobles from other realms than those who gave permission are prevented from entering.

... If you ask me, maybe I haven't seen much of a nobleman in other realms?

"There are four things I've decided to spread in the House of Lords this year: phosphorus, hair decorations, cattle curls, and vegetable paper. It's something I use from time to time, and I've chosen something that's easy to talk about at a tea party."

"Hmm, can I see it as something that even had a good reputation among Aerenfest nobles?

I nodded lightly at the words of the guild chief.

"In addition to that, I thought it would be relatively easy to increase the number of workshops. That's a preemptive runaway product that you want to make as much money as possible by the time the manufacturing method spreads. I think something similar will soon emerge in other territories."

If only I knew how to make it, it would have been made of me and Lutz as a poor man. It is easy to imitate. That's why I want to make more and make as much money as possible when it starts fashionable.

Otto of the Gilberta Chamber of Commerce, carrying a phosphor and hair decoration, nodded as he pulled his lips together.

"And we will spread the print material in anticipation of when the epidemic of objects that other territories are likely to be able to imitate will settle a little. Printing is hard to prepare the printing press to spread, so even to Aerenfest, that would be a situation that hasn't spread yet, right? It's going to take a lot of time to spread to other territories."

If I could keep a secret about how to make a printing press, the printing industry would be able to monopolize it at Aerenfest for a while, Benno nodded with Ni's lips up.

"I would like to expand the book in the House of Lords with the goal of increasing the number of printing houses in Aerenfest and, in a few years' time, manuscripts will be brought in from other territories. As far as I'm concerned, I always want to spread the book as quickly as possible..."

"Dear Rosemaine, if you are too hasty, you can do a lot to hurt things. Slowly, but surely it is good to penetrate"

Don't rush. Be as decent as you root! I think I heard Benno's side audio that I don't have reddish brown eyes laughing in my love laugh, so maybe, I don't think I'm wrong.

"At the tea party I attended, I have a very good reputation as a phosphor, hair decorator, and Katorkar has earned the recognition of being rustic looking yet very easy to eat. This is an assessment from teachers in the Grand Territorial Classenburg and the House of Lords, so I think that from now on, more and more territories will be out there wanting a deal by the Lords' Conference"

"... Classenburg? What a big guy this is again..."

It was the guild chief who peeled my eyes at my words. He may be familiar with the names and influences of other territories just because he is formerly in business.

Unlike guild leaders, Benno and Otto seem to have felt hooked up somewhere else than the name of Classenburg.

"Dear Rosemaine, what does it mean that other territories are coming out?

"Although the social season in the House of Lords is the second half of everyone's lecture, I rushed to finish the lecture for the service ceremony and came back here. So since I've only had a tea party with teachers and the Lords' Candidates of Classenburg and the Second Prince, I don't know what the House of Lords will look like in my absence."

"... Dear Rosemayne, did you say that we are only having a tea party right now with teachers and the Great Territories and the Royal Family? So the client of this hair decoration..."

It was the guild leader who lost color from his face and turned his gaze to the Ottos. For a long time, I've been seeing nobles as guild chief, and I think it's a good guess.

"Yeah, I'd like the Guilberta Chamber of Commerce to make hair decorations for the adult celebration of the Lords' Candidate in Classenburg."

"... How impotent..."

The gaze of sympathy is directed at Otto from the guild chief and his squire. But Otto's expression didn't change much.

"So can I ask you what color of hair or costume you can wear? Theo, please refrain."

"Yes, sir."

When I explain Eglantine to Otto, Theo, who refrains behind Otto, writes it down.

"You're like a goddess of light, and the color of your hair is the closest thing Lutz has. If you gloss with a phosphor, you will have a more similar color. They say the costume is the red of Gedurlich, the goddess of dirt."

Discuss and decide whether there are any colors you would like to accompany other than red Collarerier flowers, how big they will be, what to do with the price, etc.

"... Otto, you know what I mean? A tribute to the royal family."

To the guild leader whimpering his eyebrows, Otto glanced lightly over his shoulder.

"I know, but is that so hasty? The royal family liked the hair decorations Lady Rosemaine put on. If we make the best things for the Guilberta Chamber of Commerce right now that we can't make in any other realm, it doesn't exist any more. And..."

Otto reflected his gaze at the hair ornament I was now inserting into my hair. It's one of the hair decorations that Thuri was making for me while I was asleep.

"Craftsmen at the Guilberta Chamber of Commerce are getting more new ideas, more new forms of flowers, and constantly evolving with every single hair decoration they make. I'm proud of that. If the finest yarns are used by the best craftsmen to invent new decorations as always, we think we can live up to Lord Rosemaine's expectations, and hence the expectations of the royal family."

"But Classenburg and royalty..."

Looks like the guild leader is the only one who clearly knows the difference between Aerenfest and Classenburg. Benno glanced lightly at the guild length that he was not convinced of.

"Guild chief, roughly speaking, aren't both Classenburg and the royalty like the same clan of lords as Lord Rosemayne"

"It's not the same, Benno!

"From the point of view of not being able to fail, there is no great difference between the senior nobility of Aerenfest, the senior nobility of other territories, or the Lords clan. Because they're nobles who can easily crush us."

Nobility alone makes sense to civilian merchants. Benno ran out, then, saying that there was no big difference for a single merchant in the sense that neither Aerenfest's lower nobility nor royalty could fail.

... you depend on me to sit on this belly, right?

"Otto and Benno are right. It might be easier for the royal opponent to take the form of a donation from us."

Since it is a request from me, the degree of tension would be completely different compared to dealing with me and with other senior nobles. Besides, royalty isn't the kind of person Otto and the others deal with directly. It is my adoptive father who feels painful in my stomach.

"Dear Rosemaine, how long will the deadline be? When are there mitzvahs?

"The House of Lords mitzvah is the end of winter. By then, please."

"Yes, sir."

After finishing ordering hair decorations from Eglantine, I exhaled lightly.

"And then, with regard to plant paper, I say in the House of Lords only with the new paper, because this name gives you an immediate idea of the ingredients. However, since this is difficult to understand, I thought I might need a new name."

"Do you have any candidates? That, like Gutenberg…"

Benno's eyes narrowed, saying he wouldn't be going to give it another weird name.

"No, I thought it would be a good idea to use the name of the first person to make it, so I thought I'd make it a Lutz paper..."

"Then I know if Mine Paper is more deserving."

That's what Lutz said instantly. Give me a break in the face, it says. I thought the Lutz paper was a good name, but it doesn't seem to work.

... Mine paper? Quick dismissal. There is no need to leave my name behind.

Marc, who looked sorry for Rutz, smiled softly, asking permission to speak and opening his mouth.

"How about using the name of the region? Irkner makes paper quite different from Aerenfest. So what about naming it like the Irkner or Aerenfest paper?

"That way, at the same time as the paper, the name of Aerenfest will likely be sold in the center"

Benno also deduced his place name so as to provide cover for Marc.

Indeed, the quality of the paper varies greatly depending on the material that can be picked. Place names are easier to fix than person names, and they can be advertised.

"... right. Now let's call it Aerenfest paper."

I could see Lutz exhaling like he had a heartfelt relief.

"Dear Rosemayne, is that Aerenfest paper going to sell?

"I don't know yet. I use it on a daily basis in libraries, lectures, minutes, etc., but not everyone at Aerenfest uses it. So far, we've only attracted the attention of teachers who tend to be buried in the material, and I thought the students' perception was low."

"I guess so," the guild chief stroked his jaw in my words.

"If you're more than a senior aristocrat, you don't have to bother trying to get new paper to get the parchment as usual. Even though it's somewhat cheaper than parchment for lower nobles, it's not an easy price to use everyday."

"Sure, you're right. If it looks as easy as possible to use, I give it to students who make copies in the library, but when they make copies on the orders above, it's normal to be given paper, so it may not feel so uneasy or everyday."

"If you have a lot of material, unlike wood tags, it would be nice to have a lot less songs, but it would be hard for students to understand."

Apparently, the guild manager is changing from a wooden plaque to a vegetable paper in order to manage the material in a commercial guild. He said that if the materials to be managed were on paper, it would save a lot of space compared to wood tags.

Benno, who was to travel heavily to Irkner and Haldenzel to do his job, also apparently came to the conclusion that paper was better than wood tags, given the amount of luggage he carried.

"You might want to ask Aub Aerenfest to use it first so that it can be used by Aerenfest civilians who sell paper. If the clerk himself knew that the material would be easier to handle, wouldn't his enthusiasm change when recommending it to other territories?

"... right. Let's make a suggestion."

I have trouble with the fact that my lord doesn't seem to be using the specialties of my territory. Let's have more and more adoptive fathers use it. I'm the best at botanical paper, and I can't be next in temple and commercial guild. We need to get them to use the guts in the castle and let them penetrate the nobility through the civilians.

"Yes, I want you to make tools about paper storage. I'll gather Gutenberg again, and we'll talk."

I have a number of things I want for office supplies, such as binders, files, boxes for organizing paper, etc. The guild chief, who picked up my words, looked at me with the same eyes as he had found his prey.

"Dear Rosemaine, why don't you leave it to the other chambers of commerce, not just the Plantan Chamber of Commerce? There are many who wish to enter into friendship."

To the word of the guild chief I slowly leaned my neck.

"I use the Plantan Chamber of Commerce as my own exclusive, so if you want a job, why don't you get your job turned around by the Plantan Chamber of Commerce? Is that the way merchants do things in this city?

"That's right..."

Due to my large order, the workload is too biased, Guild Manager said. But Gutenberg is busy with nobody and him, so if it's a job I don't think it's a problem to turn, I think I can get Benno's dedicated woodworking workshop to do what I do to Ingo. Maybe I just don't have enough trust and quality.

"I trust Gutenberg, starting with Benno, so I won't say anything for them to convince me to turn the job around. And if I am satisfied with the work that has been turned, I will turn the work that the person is good at as a matter of priority."

To be honest, Gutenberg is a gathering of craftsmen and merchants who can meet my demands. Johann, Ingo and Heidi were both referrals from Benno. And since each one of us was good at what I was able to do satisfactorily, I have only been dividing the work since then.

Some Zach has sold himself in saying he is better in arm than Johan, but if the good in arm can help me, I am basically most welcome.

"But now that work from lords keeps springing up, the kind of person who causes trouble is in trouble. I'm not going to turn my work from me to someone that Benno is reluctant to work with because he's too busy."

Talk to the merchants around there, and I broke off the guild leader's suggestion. We don't want to stick our necks in each other's troubles.

"You have some heart build-up, so Benno doesn't have a monopoly on all the jobs, either, right?

I couldn't possibly bring it all in, and when I looked at Benno, Benno nodded slowly.

"As for the paper, we need Rosemayne's permission to build a new workshop, so we're not increasing it on our own, but Lincian has been communicating the method to his daughter-in-law's sister and relatives in other towns since it began to become popular among the Aerenfest nobles and has increased the workshop"

... Linshan's workshop was growing while I slept.

"Then we might be able to make more mass production by buying oil, which is a material, from a workshop for food processing, so that in the workshop that the Guilberta Chamber of Commerce has, we can only manufacture phosphorus. It's the scrubbing materials and ratios that matter."

"I see."

Theo and Leon of the Gilberta Chamber of Commerce dealing with Linshan will look lightly into my eyes and write down my words.

"Is hair decoration going to be mass-produced?

"Through the sewing association, as a winter hand job since last year, we have commissioned a number of workshops to make the easiest things for the civilian population. In doing so, we train our artisans by asking those who make quality objects to have the following flowers, while pulling them out at the end of the Dalua contract"

The difficulty of the request makes some mass production possible by separating the craftsmen. That seems to be because mass production was needed because it was fashionable among Aerenfest nobles to put flower decorations on their costumes.

And from the story that Thuri has been the adoptive daughter of a lord in a few years, she says that making hair decorations well for a girl is treating her like a fast-track to birth.

... Touri is going to be a legend if I get a request from the royalty like this. Wow, wow, you want to brag about it.

The high tension in my heart did not appear on my face, and I looked at Benno and nodded, "I admire the goodness of the hand-wound".

"If you don't have a problem with your Lincoln and hair decoration, should we increase the paper workshop from the next spring?

"Dear Rosemayne, Haldenzel is first."

"I'll put that somewhat together in the social world after the dedication ceremony. If there's anything missing from Gil's report, please submit it."

"Yes, sir."

Seems to have some purpose. Wow, Mr. Benno, and applauding in his heart, the guild chief says, "What will Katorkar be treated like?," he asked.

"Katorkar plans to sell only the basic recipes at the Lords' Conference if requested. A pioneer who has been inventing ideas for some time will be in his favor. And this aside from the information, I found the most popular cattle curls with a strong honey flavor sweetness because central humans are too used to too sweet flavors"

"Ho? Honey flavor?

You didn't think you'd get that information, the guild leader circles his eyes as surprised. It's like investing ahead with information because I have to get the guild manager to work a lot from now on.

"After the Lords' Meeting, there will be more merchants from other territories, so please refer to"

"I'm afraid so."

"What I would like to ask Gustav to do is to put in place an attitude of acceptance of merchants and travellers. If there are more travelers, won't there be enough lodging? If we are to accept many merchants, we must also develop the city.... Perhaps the aristocracy is a less concerned part. But what a civilian merchant sees is a lower town."

If you want to gather people, it's best to have the merchants come all the way to Aerenfest, but with no merchandise at all at that time, the hearts and minds of the guests will go away, and the merchants who have come from afar will be angry. If there are more leftovers and there is a takeover of thin goods, it can easily disturb security and so on.

"Maintaining security will require close contact with soldiers, as well as collaboration with associations associated with accommodation and restaurants. I want to leave that to the commercial guild."

The guild chief opened his eyes like a little, but I laughed nicely.

"Please keep spinning it to the Chamber of Commerce that said you wanted me to spin your work"

"Yes, sir."

"It may be hard for those who only know this city to see the faults. I heard Otto was a traveler. When you hear from a variety of people about the beauty and security of the city, you may find something new."

"Ha..."

Marc coughs up Benno, who seems to laugh when he looks sideways at the glittering guild leader and says he feels good with more work.

Benno became a serious face and looked at me.

"Dear Rosemaine, what exactly is the Lords' Council?

I have no idea because I was questioned by Benno but I have never been to the Lords' Council either. In the meantime, all I know is that all the lords of Jürgenschmitt will gather for a meeting.

"I am not a lord, so I have never participated. I don't know, but Aub Aerenfest says there are arrangements between lords for distribution and trading."

As far as the Lords' Council was concerned, the Guild Chief knew better than I did.

"I will only receive the results, but I am somewhat familiar with sending merchants or moving travellers to other territories by the Lords' Conference"

What the guild chief has decided in the Lords' Council so far tells us a few things about the changes that have taken place. Looks like it's going to be a conference that's going to make a big difference in territory.

"We're supposed to be called from Aub Aerenfest when the blizzard stops to have a meeting at that Lords' Conference about how many contracts Aerenfest will have with which territory."

"It's, it's... Are you concerned about Rosemaine? Thank you very much."

The words of the guild chief leaned his neck, not sure to me. According to the guild chief, normally lords and nobles do not take into account the convenience of civilian merchants at all, so what they decide at the Lords' Conference just arrives as an order through a civilian.

When it comes to the noble way in which we don't see civilians as the same people, I guess so, but it's a very unsuccessful way to do it.

"Normal aristocrats will not meet with us like Master Rosemayne. I'm done ordering you. And if you fail, it's assumed that all responsibility lies here, so even if you just set up a forum for discussion before the Lords' Conference, it's a much appreciated story as far as this is concerned."

... I'm convinced that that's normal, unreasonable, and too dodgy to have Aerenfest influence.

The failure of the adoptive father and the clergyman to pinch his mouth when I proposed it seemed to be due to the fact that he had never been allowed to meet with a merchant before and was adamant that he would "give the merchant's opinion to the Lords' Council".

"Even when it comes to meetings in Italian restaurants, Aub Aerenfest thought that if we pinch a civilian, we won't be able to hear our opinions, so it might be a little easier for us to do it from now on until we take turns for the next generation."

... That sounds like a good lord who thinks so much about it and listens to the opinions of his descending fathers who just wanted to go downtown and eat new dishes.

Because you're thinking in a good direction, you won't even have to fix it.

"I will try to stand as long as I can in between so that my discussions with Aub Aerenfest can go well"

"I'm afraid so. That's very comforting."

Benno glanced at me with a face that said, Don't stick your neck in too much.

"Is anyone taking you to a place of discussion with Aub Aerenfest a problem with your companion today? You have to decide how many people you want, and you have to send out an invitation."

"If you're going to the castle, it's normal to go with a representative."

"Okay. I'll tell the clerk to send out an invitation like that."

Following the words of the chief guild, who has the most interactions with the nobles, I have decided on the number of people to go to the castle.

So I cut off my words, and when I clenched my fist on my lap, I turned my gaze toward Lutz. I don't want to say it out of my own mouth, but this is something I must say.

And he made his face strong, and looked at me, as to what Lutz, whom his eyes met, had felt. Breathe slowly, and I open my mouth, careful not to let my voice tremble.

"… in the context of this discussion, it is possible to carry out the dissolution of the contract magic"

It must also be taken into account that the contract exchanged between Mine and Lutz expires. There is a good chance that the contract magic that Benno was hitting me with will be lifted so that I can have a little connection even if I go to the aristocratic district.

I know that we have no choice but to increase production, expand the epidemic and distribute things. Still, one more thin connection disappears, making our relationship thinner than ever. That doesn't make me very lonely.

"The Plantan Chamber of Commerce will issue an invitation for the three of us. Be sure to accompany Lutz."

As I lay down my eyes a little, ordering Lutz to accompany me, Benno nodded as if he had no choice but to once his face was distorted in pain.

"I'll do as you say."