Chapter 34

For a while, there was nothing for me to do.

Cherina, who had entered the guild, was giving rapid instructions for the various cases that came in. I could only stand behind her, biting my finger and watching. Not only did I not understand the details, but she was handling everything so perfectly that there was no room for me to interject. I was only freed from the employees' blatant "Why are you even here?" glances when lunchtime came. Now, I was having lunch with Cherina alone in the small room of the guild.

"You're amazing. You're a real CEO, aren't you?"

"CEO...?"

"Oh, I mean you're a capable leader."

"It's just that our staff is excellent."

Her face turned a bit red, didn't it?

Or maybe it was just the redness of her whole body making me think so.

"Anyway, there's something I want to talk about while no one else is around."

"Yes?"

"Let's put the washi paper report aside for now. How much has charcoal spread in this city... or rather, in this kingdom?"

"Charcoal?"

She tilted her head slightly, which was kind of cute.

No, don't fall for it. That's how women break men down.

"I mean charcoal. Do you understand what charcoal is?"

"Is it different from coal?"

"Yes, it's different. So, it doesn't exist here... If someone as knowledgeable as Cherina doesn't know about it, it must be a minor thing in this region."

The latter part was a monologue.

"From the sound of 'charcoal,' the material is probably wood."

"That's right. This morning, I asked the innkeeper about the price of firewood, and it doesn't seem to be that expensive. I thought it would be more expensive in the wilderness."

"That's true. They say that large trees grow upstream of the River Liber, and they can unload a large amount of wood by raft. Since the next place after this kingdom is the sea, they sell it relatively cheaply to this country to avoid waste. Well, how much of what merchants say can be trusted... but at least in this country, it's easier to get than food. Building materials are a different story, though."

"That's enough for me to know. Take a look at this."

What I took out was:

【Complete Book of Charcoal Making = 113,000 yen】

The reason for the drastic reduction in my funds this morning.

It didn't look much different from the washi paper book, but it was about 20% thinner.

"Can I take a look?"

"I'd be more troubled if you refused to read it."

Her red eyes moved quickly back and forth. As always, she read fast. After skimming through it twice, she let out a deep breath.

"Does this mean we can make something like coal?"

"No, it's different. The best way to find out is to make it and try it. Can you lend me 2-3 craftsmen? I read it yesterday, and it seems we can make it quickly if we have the materials. We can build 3 charcoal kilns and try different lengths. If we take turns watching them for about 3 days..."

I was about to explain the procedure I had in mind, but she interrupted me with one hand.

"That's not necessary. I'll have the team from yesterday do it."

"But they're busy now, right?"

"They are both craftsmen and executives. This is a given."

Wow! This guild is more ruthless than I thought!

...Or is this the standard in this world?

"Hmm. Paper is also important, but..."

"I understand. However, both are top-secret projects, so from a confidentiality standpoint, I oppose increasing the number of people who know about them."

"That's true."

I had some concerns, but I thought it would be fine if I took the lead on the charcoal project. She was right, though.

"Alright, I'll leave the arrangements to you."

"Yes. I'll call Dauro later. There's no need to warn everyone again."

I see, so the reason they gathered all the craftsmen last time was to emphasize the secrecy. I had wondered why they only needed to call Dauro this time.

"If we can make charcoal according to this book, creating a sample shouldn't be a problem. However, I can't really imagine the convenience of charcoal."

"It's hard to explain. I think you're probably thinking that it's better to sell firewood as it is, right? But if we can mass-produce it, I think we can sell it both domestically and internationally."

Actually, there's another reason I want to make charcoal, but I'll wait until we confirm that mass production is possible. I strongly wish to finish everything during my stay.

"I trust you, so I'm looking forward to it... But..."

What?

"But if the wood trade increases, we'll have to bow even lower to the Baron."

That means...

"Yes. The Baron has a significant monopoly on the wood trade."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

Hmm. The ideal relationship with the Baron is neither too close nor too distant, but this makes it difficult to do business unless we take a lower stance. And the person who will be implicitly asked to do so is definitely Cherina.

"Trouble... "

"Yes... trouble."

Our lunchtime, filled with sighs, came to an end.

---

"Akira-sama, the next time will surely be more enjoyable."

After lunch, I called Dauro and gave instructions for making charcoal. This conversation took place after a few merchants had come and gone. Cherina, with her red eyes, was looking at me closely.

The person Melvin, Cherina's close aide, brought into the room was Halogen, a middle-aged man from the Aki-ri-ki shop. As always, he looked like a butler.

"Excuse me, Miss Cherina, Akira-sama."

"Thank you for your hard work. Please show us what you have."

There were now four people in the room: me, Cherina, Melvin, and Halogen.

"I have made two types, and both are functioning properly."

He took out two Aki-ri-ki from a fancy bag. They seemed to be imitating the cards I had shown, with one side featuring a complex and elegant pattern. When flipped, they had the word "Lighting" in decorative letters, with "Veriello Guild" and "Prototype No. 7" inscribed in small letters below.

That's good.

But...

"This won't do."

I immediately pointed out the flaw.

"Is it... too thick?"

Yes, it was too thick to be called a card, more like a small box. The material was wood, making it hard and uncomfortable to hold.

"Wasn't it supposed to be thinner?"

"I apologize. We could make it thinner, but it would break. It lacks flexibility."

Oh. I was disappointed. When I looked disappointed, Cherina activated the lighting and nodded.

"I don't think this is bad, but it's certainly different from our original plan in terms of portability. However, it does meet the condition of being clear to me but not to others."

Cherina and Halogen then started discussing the cost and production rate, so I decided to think on my own.

The Aki-ri-ki was about twice as thick as a smartphone.

I activated the lighting myself.

There were six metal candle holders mounted on the walls of the room. One of them already had a light lit by Cherina.

The lighting Aki-ri-ki was supposed to make the metal it touched glow for a certain period of time.

Cherina had touched the Aki-ri-ki to the candle holder, so I did the same.

The light she lit wasn't very strong. Maybe she had made it weak because a candle was already lit.

I thought the room was quite dark, so I imagined the brightness of a fluorescent light and touched the Aki-ri-ki to the metal.

The room was illuminated with a bright white light.

Yeah, this should make it easier to work.

I turned to go back to my seat and noticed that the three of them were staring at me.

"W-What is it?"

"Akira...-sama?"

"Was it too bright? Should I make it weaker... Halogen, can you adjust the brightness? And show me how to turn it off."

The first part of my words was a bit jumbled, but I managed to correct myself.

However, Halogen's expression remained frozen. I had lost my composure.

"What did you do, Akira-sama?"

Cherina's tone was strong.

"What do you mean? I used the lighting Aki-ri-ki just like Cherina-sama. If there's a problem, could you tell me?"

Was I being looked down upon for my choice of words?

"How did you manage to produce such a strong light?"

How... I just imagined a fluorescent light. The warm, cozy atmosphere of the room, which reminded me of a café, felt stuffy, so I tried to make it as bright as an office. Maybe she didn't like white light.

"I just imagined it? I thought of a fluorescent light... a bright, white image."

The three of them looked at each other.

Ah, this is the pattern where I've done something wrong.

Or maybe I'm about to be unfairly blamed.

"Miss... this is..."

"I understand. Both of you, please keep this confidential. I will confirm this matter myself."

"Understood."

"That's dangerous for you, Miss... I should..."

"Melvin, I appreciate your concern, but I will handle this matter entirely. Is that clear?"

"...Understood."

"Now, Akira-sama."

Her voice was scary.

"W-What is it?"

"I will ask you about this matter later. For now, let's continue with the discussion."

"Y-Yes."

I don't understand at all, but I'll just respond. The atmosphere doesn't allow for any denial. If I do, I might be devoured by this red tiger.

I switched my focus back to the Aki-ri-ki discussion with Halogen and Cherina.

Melvin was glaring at me with a terrifying look.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief to cover up my nervousness.

...?

Something was nagging at the back of my mind.

Handkerchief.

Soft.

Cloth... soft... paper?

"...Washi paper!"

I blurted it out without thinking.

"W-What are you doing now?!"

"Ah, sorry, what if we make it with washi paper instead of wood?"

"Eh?"

"See, you said we could layer and glue multiple sheets, right? Washi paper is too soft on its own, but if we layer it with glue, it could be as strong as plastic... I mean, it could be appropriately hard and appropriately soft."

"Ah!"

Moreover, washi paper is quite water-resistant. Depending on how it bonds with the glue, it might even be stronger than wood.

"Washi...?"

"Ah, washi paper... I apologize, washi paper is... think of it as a thin version of parchment."

I quickly corrected my choice of words.

"Parchment?"

Just as a question mark appeared over Halogen's head, Cherina came to my rescue.

"I will bring a prototype soon. In the meantime, please consider ways to make the wooden version thinner."

"Understood."

He bowed respectfully, relieved that a constructive suggestion had been made.

"Then, discussing the cost and production time at this point wouldn't make much sense. Let's end the meeting here."

With that, the meeting was over.