Chapter 13

The meeting of the Inventors' Association was held in a large hall where grand presentations took place, and a smaller hall next to it was used for the social gathering.

"Hmm..."

The social gathering area was set up with a buffet-style spread, and sofas and tables were placed along the walls, where inventors were engaged in conversations. A tall, slender woman sat down on a sofa that was unoccupied.

Her blonde hair was cut quite short, and she wore no makeup.

Nevertheless, her beautiful, elongated purple eyes suggested that she would look stunning in a dress—though at the moment, she had the air of a capable office lady in a tight skirt.

(Sigh...)

Astrid let out a deep sigh.

(Why do I have to be here...)

The Inventors' Association of the Kingdom of Freya mandates that anyone who calls themselves an "inventor" in the capital must attend an annual meeting.

The meetings are held four times a year, and one can attend any of them, but Astrid happened to attend this one to fulfill her obligation.

(What a pointless presentation...)

The Kingdom of Freya is indeed a nation of inventions, and it was the first to operate large magic-powered trains on the continent.

The enormous iron trains powered by magic amazed the other countries.

But that was over ten years ago.

Recently, things have been—lackluster.

Techniques that sound familiar.

Slightly improved magic circuits.

Even outright copies of technologies presented in other countries.

Inventors proudly present such things, and the audience lavishes them with praise.

In the end, most of them are just living off the royalties from inventions made long ago.

(Our situation isn't much different...)

Astrid can still maintain her guild, which resembles an abandoned house, in the heart of the capital thanks to the patents left by her father and grandfather.

However, those patents are about to expire, and she will have to earn her own living from then on.

(I want to get back to my research. Just one more step. Just one more step to a great invention.)

The inventors around her, standing and sitting at tables, were talking about:

"—The mining rights for the Belfort mine..."

"—Did you buy the bonds of the Waltor Principality?"

"—The most profitable business now is the art trade..."

All they talked about was making money.

They had achieved success using the legacy of the past, but in reality, they were investors, not inventors.

It wasn't just that.

"Oh my. Isn't that Astrid from the Mahogany Guild?"

Astrid turned around with a sense of weariness. There were about three women in flashy dresses.

They looked to be in their late 40s at the youngest, and possibly in their 60s.

Despite this, they wore dresses with deep necklines and had young men in their entourage.

"Hello... everyone, good evening."

Astrid thought that with their heavy makeup, they wouldn't be recognized even if they passed on the street.

"You still haven't decided to sell the guild? We've told you many times that we'll maintain the guild if you give us the land, haven't we?"

"Too early to be senile, isn't it?"

"Ohohoho, that's a bit harsh for a joke, isn't it?"

These women owned the land around the Mahogany Guild.

They wanted to demolish the Mahogany Guild and build a mansion on the entire area.

They didn't invent anything and just used their money to dress up and have young men in their entourage.

Still, in this country, they could call themselves inventors, and by financial standards, they were among the wealthiest in the nation.

They could even present the results of research done by others under their own names and still be called inventors.

And they were after Astrid's home.

"I believe I declined your offer before..."

"An 'offer'? Did you hear that?"

"I heard it, it sounds like we're begging, doesn't it?"

"Of course not."

Astrid's headache worsened at the sound of their "ohohoho" laughter.

"—This is an 'order.' Get out of there quickly. Besides, you haven't presented anything significant, have you?"

"…If it's a long-term research project, it's not a problem to postpone the presentation. I have the association's approval."

"Hmm? Did you seduce the old men of the association to get their approval? That's impressive, I didn't expect you to do that."

"What!?"

Astrid, too shocked to speak, turned her back as the women left, muttering, "Ugh, what a hassle."

"By the way—do you know what you're called in the inventor community?"

One of them suddenly turned back.

"You're called 'the weirdo from the garbage dump.' I thought it smelled strange, and then I realized it was you! Ohohoho."

Astrid had expected to be mocked—she hadn't produced any results despite claiming she was "one step away from a great invention."

However, it was painful to hear her home called a "garbage dump."

She was about to lunge at them in anger.

But she stopped just in time—she knew that the neglect of her home was her own doing.

"…Damn it."

The women were long gone, but Astrid gritted her teeth and couldn't move from the spot.

△

"—This year's presentation was lackluster, wasn't it?"

One of the board members of the Inventors' Association said,

"Hmm, if this continues, the name of our Kingdom of Freya will be tarnished. I hear that the neighboring Waltor Principality is more active in inventions these days..."

"Should we conduct a pre-screening of the presentation content?"

"If we do that, they'll start complaining about leaks of confidential information..."

"Perhaps we've been too lenient with the inventors."

"If you say so, we are no exception. Perhaps we should return to active duty."

"Nonsense. Our mission is to nurture the next generation. Now is the time to tighten up the educational front."

"…It will be a long-term project. We may die before we see the revival of the Inventor Kingdom."

"What nonsense. You look like you won't die even if you're killed."

"Appearance has nothing to do with it."

The old men, gathered around the table, continued their discussion.

"…What about the Mahogany Guild?"

The president of the association said.

"Oh, the daughter of the Mahogany Guild… She attended this time but didn't present anything."

"Her father and grandfather were both excellent."

"Indeed. Both her grandfather and grandmother were inventors."

"Those were the good old days. Every time, amazing inventions were presented… It was a wonderful meeting with four sessions a year…"

"Four times a year might be too much."

A sad silence fell.

"Still, I have high hopes for the daughter of the Mahogany Guild."

The president said.

"I hope she doesn't become a money-grubber like the other inventors…"

It was a wish that seemed out of place for an inventor—scientist.

△

Even though the days were getting longer, it was still chilly at night.

But,

"Damn it, what's so 'ohohoho' about it? That laugh is so pretentious!"

Astrid, walking unsteadily, felt a bit warm.

She had become frustrated at the association meeting and drank a lot of free alcohol.

She was drunk.

Somehow, she made her way straight back to the Mahogany Guild.

"I'm home… though there's no one here, of course."

As she muttered to herself and tried to enter the premises,

"Oh, oh, oh… This is dangerous. This is the neighbor's house."

She noticed the polished stone pavement and the neatly trimmed lawn—realizing it wasn't her home—and turned around.

"Hmm-hmm-hmm…"

Astrid, humming a tune, tried to go to the neighbor's house,

"Huh?"

She thought, "Wasn't that my place? The Mahogany Guild?" and dashed back.

"Wh-what…?"

The dilapidated and dirty Mahogany Guild.

The overgrown lawn and neglected grounds.

"Wh-what!?"

In the twilight, it was clearly visible—shiny and clean.

What had happened in one day?

Had time reversed to when it was newly built?

Or had Astrid time-traveled?

She was confused.

"—Welcome home."

The front door opened, and light spilled out.

A small maid stood there.

"I've been waiting for you. I'm Nina, and I took on the cleaning duties for today at the information center."

Nina bowed politely with her hands in front of her.

"……"

However, Astrid couldn't react.

"…Is that Astrid?"

"Yes, but… cleaning?"

"Yes, cleaning. Didn't you order it? I have the key as well."

"Well… yes, that's right."

Astrid, for some reason, was using polite language.

She hadn't expected anyone to take on the job.

The pay was low, and it was well known that the Mahogany Guild was in decline.

She had only thought about canceling the request and returning the key the next day.

"How many people did it take? The front must have taken a lot of time. I'm sorry, but I intended to give the job to just one person…"

If she was told that ten people did it and wanted ten times the pay, it wouldn't be an impossible amount, but it would be a bit tight for Astrid's budget.

"Yes, of course, I did it alone."

"Really? Just one—just one person!?"

"Yes. And I'm sorry, but it got dark faster than I expected, so I couldn't finish the front perfectly."

"No, no! It's more than enough! It's unrecognizable!"

"But…"

"Um, if you don't mind, could I ask you to come back tomorrow? It must have been quite a job to get this clean from morning?"

"Is that okay? It was my mistake in pacing. Also, I only worked from midday today, so it was half a day."

Half a day! Astrid was amazed that the outside was cleaned so thoroughly in just half a day.

"You have much greater abilities than you look."

"Well, that's just what a maid should do."

A maid who can clean the outside of a house and the yard in half a day?

That's impossible.

Astrid smiled wryly and said,

"Actually, I need the inside of the house cleaned. So, I was wondering if you could do the inside tomorrow?"

"…Huh? Did I say something strange?"

"Um, no, nothing… The inside of the house is already clean."

"……"

Astrid's face said, "No way," and then she rushed into the house.

"A-a-a…"

The floor, which had no space to walk, was now visible and polished like a mirror.

The walls had returned to their original colors, which she had forgotten about.

"Would you like some tea?"

"……"

"Astrid?"

"Um, yes, please…"

Again, she was using polite language.