Chapter 7

I forcefully opened the old, moldy and dusty door of the dilapidated house.

Creak!

...I tried to open it.

"It’s quite dilapidated, isn’t it, Miss?"

"Yes, it is. After all, it’s a cheap property that came with the land for just two gold coins."

I casually threw the door aside.

This place is at the edge of the capital of the Rebrik Viscount’s territory, a ruin I bought when I registered with the Commercial Guild through Lord Lucas’s introduction.

The sunlight is poor, it’s far from the city center and the gates, the well is contaminated with dead leaves, and the garden is overgrown with weeds.

"It’s not a suitable mansion for a lady at all."

Mirei grumbled, glaring at the cracks in the wall where the cold wind seeps through.

"There’s no choice. I only borrowed 100 gold coins from Lord Lucas.

We can’t afford to waste money, can we?

I managed to get the business license thanks to Lord Lucas’s recommendation, but I needed a building to register the guild as a commercial establishment."

I handed Mirei a rag and took a broom in my own hands.

"O, oh, Miss, if it’s cleaning, I can do it..."

"It’s fine. We’re short on hands right now.

And, please stop calling me ‘Miss.’"

"B, but..."

"We are refugees.

We should avoid drawing attention until we gain enough strength.

How about we introduce ourselves as Ely Rais? Mirei, please call me Ely."

"Y, yes. T, then, Ely... Miss."

"Hmm, that’s fine.

Now, let’s start cleaning.

This place will be our new base, the stronghold for our counterattack against the kingdom."

I declared bravely, but the task at hand was just cleaning.

I swept the dust, cut the grass, and sealed the cracks in the walls.

It took three days to clean the ruin to the point where it could be called a dilapidated house.

Then I hung a simple sign with the name of my new guild, "Tretor Guild," on the front.

I plan to replace it with a proper sign soon.

Now the guild has a proper appearance.

"So, Miss Ely, will Tretor Guild start by selling cosmetics like before?"

I used to run a guild that primarily sold cosmetics.

The cosmetics I created by decoding ancient documents stored in the royal palace using the artifact I explained to others as the "Book of Wisdom," but was actually the "Book of Arrogance," were far superior to traditional products.

The recipes, from popular items in the Halderia Kingdom to unpublished ones, are all recorded in the "Book of Arrogance."

However, I shook my head.

"True, selling cosmetics to noblewomen is profitable, but we don’t have the facilities or personnel for that right now."

"Then..."

"I’ll sell this."

I took out a product I had prepared while Mirei was gathering information on the guilds and influential people in this city and showed it to her.

"Is this... soap?"

"Yes."

"Indeed, the quality is much better than the soap used in this country, but..."

"Hehe, of course, this soap is just a stepping stone. Eventually, our Tretor Guild will dominate the empire’s business world.

For that, I need to meet a few people."

I picked up a document from the pile of information Mirei had gathered and handed it to her.

"First, please make contact with this man."

◇◆☆◆◇

"Kyaa!"

In the evening, I was running a bit late from my errand, so I was hurrying back to the mansion as the town was turning orange. I bumped into someone who was walking around the corner.

"S, sorry!"

The woman I bumped into, who had fallen on her bottom, offered me her hand.

She was a beautiful woman, a bit older than me.

Her black hair and sharp eyes looked a bit intimidating, but her gentle smile softened that impression.

"Are you hurt? I’m really sorry.

I was looking for the Commercial Guild and wasn’t paying attention."

"N, no, I’m sorry."

I stood up and brushed the dust off my skirt.

"Um, the Commercial Guild, right?

If you go to the square with the clock tower that you can see, you’ll find it easily."

"Thank you. I just arrived in this town and was a bit lost."

The woman smiled.

"Oh, right. Here, take this as an apology and a thank you."

"Huh?"

She handed me a small package from the basket she was carrying.

"What is this?"

"It’s soap."

"Soap?"

"Yes. I’m Mirei from Tretor Guild.

This soap is a product that our guild will handle.

It’s made with a special method from my hometown, so please try it."

So, it’s a form of advertising.

I should accept it gratefully, then.

"Thank you."

"No, thank you.

Well, I’ll be going. Please take care of Tretor Guild."

I parted ways with Mirei, who smiled playfully, and returned to the mansion where I serve the viscount.

The viscount I serve works under the Rebrik Viscount, the lord of this city, and is a very kind noble.

His wife is also a friendly person and often talks to us maids.

She is a central figure among the noble ladies in this city.

She is standing in front of me now.

"Um, Madam..."

"I’ll ask you again, Melia. The woman who gave you the soap said she was from Tretor Guild, right?"

"Y, yes."

That night, after using the soap to wash my body, I was questioned by the lady about the soap.

"It’s clearly of higher quality than the soap currently available."

"Y, yes. It lathers very well and has a wonderful scent."

"The woman from Tretor Guild, Mirei, is new to this city, right?"

"Yes, she was looking for the Commercial Guild, so I think she recently came from another country and just started her guild."

"Right. This soap is excellent.

I must contact Tretor Guild."

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