IBSGAD 19

Episode 19:An Unexpected Business Venture 

Ain nodded at those words.

“Choose the option that brings a sample the child will be satisfied with.”

“Understood.”

Delphiro was dumbfounded as he watched Ain calmly return to her work. —Click. After closing the study door, Delphiro stood in the corridor for a while staring blankly at the wall. Liato was considered the finest fabric produced in Ither. It was not only incredibly expensive, it was also difficult to make. Naturally, there were plenty of people who wanted to wear dresses made from that fabric to attract attention in high society. Many merchants quietly offered deals to the Ither domain. But Ain had always ignored those proposals.

“Sell the Liato for a small profit and let outsiders come in and out of Ither on a regular basis?”

That was what the finance officer of Ither had heard not long ago.

‘Are you insane? You’d be feeding monsters to the wolves?’

With that chilling remark, the finance office and several related departments had all been kicked out to the annex.

“No, you showed no interest then!”

Of course, back then she had opposed merchants coming into Ither to buy Liato cloth; now it seemed she intended to bring craftsmen into Ither itself.

“No, that’s not it.”

This isn’t the time for that. Delphiro waved his hand and hurried toward the annex. Sending servants or maids to deliver the message wouldn’t do — from the expression on the master’s face, if the workshops weren’t secured properly, trouble was likely.

“Are they still in the finance annex?”

He hurriedly grabbed a passing knight and asked. The knight nodded.

“Yes. Why the finance office…?”

Then the knight’s face brightened.

“Are you asking His Grace to call the finance office back to the main building?”

That would be good news for the knights who guard the departments and deliver documents. But sadly, that wasn’t the case — their master didn’t give a second chance to those he’d already thrown out. So what remained? If the main building and annex communicated more, the knights’ workload would just increase. Delphiro patted the knight’s back with a pitying expression.

“No. I have business there.”

There will be many more in the future~. Delphiro couldn’t bring himself to add that to the knight who looked genuinely disappointed.

* The administrative structure of the Ither estate was closer to that of a royal household than a noble family’s. They’d had no choice but to adopt such a system: the fog sea constantly produced so much work across different fields that they couldn’t manage without dividing duties. So there were the finance office, military office, personnel office, medical office, and the ecological research office.

“She’s so pretty—why doesn’t she come to the annex?”

That was the daily refrain of the finance, personnel, and ecological research people who had been shoved into the annex. The military and medical offices, which had been placed in the annex originally because of the knights’ training, had fewer complaints, but the others did.

“If it weren’t for that damned Liato cloth, we’d at least get to see her from a distance!”

Lehar, the finance officer of Ither, was the unfortunate man boxed into the annex as the result of a past mistake. It was fine that he had considered Liato’s profitability — the problem was that he hadn’t adequately checked the safety of trading it. Strange things often happened around the Ither estate and the fog sea. If people from outside started coming and going, they’d see those phenomena and start accusing the estate of using magic. Then? The annex might end up needing some ridiculous new department like a “Magic Explanation Office.” It would be exhausting. But the once-eager junior treasurer Lehar hadn’t realized that.

“Your Grace! I’ve brought a proper business plan that will hit this year’s second half spectacularly! This is a goldmine! It’ll be huge!”

He’d intended to boast about his achievements like that, but he only received a cold rebuke from Ain, who’d returned straight from battle.

‘Are you insane?’

That particular year was remembered as “the year of terrible monsters.” Rumors began that the Duke of Ither had even slain outsiders who came into the domain under the assumption they were monsters. The timing was terrible.

‘…If you’re going to make useless reports like this, filter them as much as possible internally and report weekly.’

With those words, the finance office was sent to the annex. The personnel office that had failed to properly manage them, and the ecological research office that had gleefully joined the Liato project, were exiled along with them. The business itself was good — Liato cloth was actually selling well outside the Ither domain. The profit margin was quite favorable.

“Of all times, why then… why me…!”

He still regretted it. On his desk lay a strange item shaped like a pizza.

“I could have received this myself…!”

It was something that had recently arrived to the finance, personnel, and ecological offices — one for each.

‘It’s a gift from the young lady!’

That day, the annex staff came to the main building for the routine reporting, and the lucky juniors of the finance, personnel, and ecology offices were selected by the young lady.

‘A present!’

They bragged about it of course, and then it was taken away.

‘Where do you think you’re going with something so precious when you have seniors to answer to?’

With that, the candy naturally became the property of the treasurer, the personnel officer, and the ecology researcher. When the treasurer Lehar opened the huge package to see what it was, he couldn’t bring himself to damage it. The gigantic pizza-shaped object turned out — not to be a pizza at all — but candy!

“How could she possibly give a gift like this?”

Rumors about the young lady had already spread through the annex: that her pale pink hair sways like flower petals, that when she grasped a knight’s finger with her small hand she couldn’t even cover half his index finger — all those adorable little tales!

“I want to see her toooooo!”

Lehar, who’d been shoved to the annex by a past mistake, had no time to visit the main building. Work finished at night, and he didn’t know what glares he’d get if he went to see the young lady. He slammed his desk. —Bang! Bang! At that moment, someone from the personnel office passing down the corridor shook their head.

“Here we go again… tsk.”

But his superior in the personnel office looked no different, so he let it slide and passed the finance office. No, he tried to pass by.

“Is the treasurer inside?”

Someone suddenly stopped him. The personnel staff blinked when they saw Delphiro.

“What is a physician doing this far? Shouldn’t you be napping at this hour?”

This doctor, with dark circles deepening under his eyes, looked like he might collapse soon.

“I have business with the treasurer.”

“You look like you’re about to faint…”

This doesn’t look like the time to be seeing anyone… The personnel staff scratched his head.

“He’s having another fit over the Liato.”

“Oh.”

Normally, Delphiro would have turned away. He knew the bad blood between Liato and treasurer Lehar well enough.

“I’m here because of that as well.”

But today was different. The personnel staff’s mouth fell open.

“Yes?”

Are you really going to poke a sore spot like that? Are you inventing patients because there are none to treat? While the personnel man had all kinds of thoughts, Delphiro knocked on the finance office door.

“Lehar? It’s Delphiro.”

Silence fell inside the office. Then the door opened.

“Delphiro, what brings you—”

Lehar, looking haggard, stuck his head out. Delphiro spoke before him.

“It’s about the Liato cloth—”

“Aaahhh!”

Lehar clutched his head and screamed. Delphiro, expecting that reaction, calmly continued as a physician.

“It’s not a bad thing!”

“Huh?”

Lehar stopped screaming and peeked up. When Delphiro added a few more words, Lehar widened his eyes, then shouted.

“Yaaaaay!”

His cry shook every office in the annex. *

“Miss, be careful walking around. There’s a lot of fog, you won’t see well ahead.”

“I’m fine.”

She said it confidently and went out, but once you step even a little beyond the estate the visibility is so bad you can’t see an arm’s length in front of you. It looked bad from outside, but being out there was worse — the fog was incredible.

“If the Duke isn’t here, won’t you be affected by the fog even inside the estate?”

They say the Ither blood blocks the fog, so if he isn’t here, wouldn’t that mean the fog affects things normally? Azelta tilted his head slightly at my question.

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

He didn’t sound like he’d seen it first-hand. Has Azelta only lived inside the estate? I blinked and turned; to my surprise, Lotia — who had kept quiet until then — answered my question.

“Yes. Generally, around this time fog penetrates all the houses in the domain.”

“…All the houses?”

—Beep, beep. I had to stop walking. If it’s all the houses then…

“Then Lord Lotia’s manor too?”

Lotia looked down at me. He paused as if thinking, then answered.

“Of course.”

No way! I frowned.

“Even where that child is?”

Lotia answered my question.

“Of course. There are no exceptions outside the estate.”

That won’t do. I covered my mouth with both hands.

“Does this happen often?”

Azelta answered that question.

“It’s an annual occurrence.”

Good heavens. I clamped both hands over my mouth. That meant the child had endured terrible pain every year. Even if I’d once corrected their mana circuit, when this concentration of mana hits the body it would tangle the circuit again in an instant. Unless the child were a prodigy wizard with a mana circuit that could withstand it, they wouldn’t remember the fix.

“Are they okay?”

Their condition might have become serious again by now. When I asked worriedly, Lotia’s expression became serious.

“Yes. We receive daily reports.”

His face was grave, but his words were good news.

“He’s improved quite a lot; he can move about the manor now.”

Really? I blinked. So the Deas manor hadn’t been affected by the fog yet? Thank goodness. I had to get that child away from the fog somehow. Just being near the fog made him cry out in pain; at this concentration he’d be in agony and might wish to die. I began turning over ideas in my head. Then—

“Thanks to you, Miss. Thank you.”

Lotia suddenly said that. I startled, having stopped thinking.

“It’s because Frey is healthy, really.”

I did nothing! Nothing at all! If I had, I’d be doomed! I wound my brain and shouted inwardly. I had to get Lotia’s younger sibling brought into the estate somehow. But I couldn’t very well tell a sick child to ride in a carriage. People here wouldn’t connect the fog’s mana to Frey’s pain unless a physician like Delphiro made that diagnosis.

“….”

Should I teach Delphiro magical medicine? If I avoid using the word “magic,” maybe it would be okay? There must be people somewhere in the Ither domain studying the mana fog… If I could stitch their knowledge together with Delphiro’s, maybe I could link the fog and Frey’s condition without mentioning magic. The problem was that would make me a five-year-old prodigy.

“Hmm.”

Setting aside becoming a genius, would anyone believe a five-year-old? Even if Delphiro could be taught, what would happen to Frey in the meantime? I had to get the child out within days!

“Ughhh.”

I felt Lotia and Azelta looking at me oddly as my worry deepened, but I had no time to care. A way… a way…! Just when I couldn’t think of a sharp plan, an opportunity presented itself naturally.