Chapter 58

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Is she deliberately ignoring the atmosphere, or does she not feel the need to read it?

It seems that God appears without regard for the place.

The fragrant tea, bubbling gently, was poured from a white porcelain teapot with delicate lilies of the valley into matching cups, placed on a pair of plates, and presented to Lord Igor.

When I offered him the finest white sugar cubes and the incredibly expensive honey from the monster hornets that only inhabit the depths of the Kikunoi territory's dungeon, Lord Igor smiled.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for coming by so suddenly."

"No..."

Well, the timing was really bad. Why did he come when I was only in my pumpkin panties?

As I thought this with a hint of resentment, Lord Igor smiled wryly after drinking the tea with plenty of honey.

"I didn't plan it, it was just a coincidence. I just had something to talk to you about, so I dropped by."

"Hmm..."

I nodded.

From the distant sofa, Sō-kun said, "So God drinks tea like this," and someone choked, but that's exactly it.

The scream I let out was apparently quite loud, and the first to run over were Mr. Romanov and Sō-kun, who dragged Regulus-kun by the hand. The second were Utsunomiya-san and Rottmayr-san, and the third was Viktor-san.

Viktor-san had a terribly tragic face, saying, "Even though I cast a body strengthening spell, Regulus and Kanata got there first!?"

Incidentally, seeing such Viktor-san, Lala-san muttered, "I need to train harder," but I don't know anything about that.

Anyway, when the group rushed over, Lord Igor greeted them casually with a "Hello!"

It was quite a scene. Lala-san, who was meeting God for the first time, hugged me and knelt down, the two elves who were meeting him for the second time knelt quietly, and Rottmayr-san pulled Utsunomiya-san's hand to make her bow.

But Regulus-kun and Sō-kun were different.

"You shouldn't come into someone's house from the ceiling. You should ring the doorbell."

"No way! No way!"

Yes, that's the right thing to say.

Lord Igor was taken aback and said, "Oh, sorry?" with a childlike innocence.

So, I had to invite Lord Igor to the reception room and entertain him.

Sitting on the sofa opposite Lord Igor are myself and Regulus-kun.

Rottmayr-san, as expected, quickly regained her composure and served the tea, and Utsunomiya-san returned to her maid duties.

Sō-kun drinking tea in the background is probably due to the three elves who shied away from God.

Let's get to the point.

What is it that you need from me?

While watching Regulus-kun, who was trying to sit on my lap with a cookie made by the head chef, Lord Igor began to speak.

"It's not a bad thing for you, I hope."

"What kind of business is it?"

He started off cheerfully, and it turned out to be a matter that was quite convenient for me. Apparently, a great noble of this country, who is under Lord Igor's protection, is trying to submit a law to the Emperor, similar to what I discussed with Lala-san.

It must be a Duke or Marquis, above the rank of Earl.

"He submitted it through a trusted route to the Emperor. However, it lacks specific examples of the technology or craftsmen that need protection. Then, he heard about a hair ornament worn by a certain songstress, which was made with a technique he had never seen before."

When he secretly peeked at the songstress from heaven, he confirmed that her hair ornament was indeed made with an unknown technique. However, it seems that God's eyes can see through everything, and the fabric used in the hair ornament was from a friend who is also a god, and the maker was a child under his protection.

"Wow, what a coincidence."

"Yes, indeed."

Is it really a coincidence? It seems too perfect.

While thinking about this, it also seemed suspicious that the Empress was suddenly interested in hair ornaments at this timing.

"…You said through a trusted person, but is it the Empress?"

"Why do you think that?"

"I have information from a certain source that the Empress wants my hair ornaments."

I won't be used for free.

Even if it's a minor craft, it has a wonderful history from my previous life, and I want to use it as a profession for the people in my territory. I don't want it to be seized by a great noble.

Even if he is a god, if he tries to force me, I will tell him to go to hell.

The tension in the room increased as I harbored a sense of distrust and unease.

Despite the tense atmosphere, our expressions were relaxed, and we exchanged probing glances.

Lord Igor ended this exchange by scratching his cheek and looking away.

"Don't be so guarded. If you raise your guard too much, he will come."

"Who…?"

"Momoka. You have a strong protection from Momoka, so if anything unusual happens, she will know immediately. Although I'm jealous, Momoka is stronger than me."

He shrugged and smiled, then frowned.

Then he said, "I'm sorry," and waved his hand.

"I can play the game, but not everyone likes it. Merchants usually enjoy it and engage in probing conversations, but you are more of a craftsman. I should have been honest from the beginning and asked for your cooperation with sincerity. I made a mistake in my approach."

"Ah… So it wasn't a coincidence after all."

"Well, a little bit."

According to the story that started with "It's a long story," the great noble who submitted the law was actually the second son of a Duke, who bypassed his father and older brother, who are typical elitists, and submitted the law through the Empress via his own route.

The Emperor, who originally cared for his subjects, was interested, but he was pondering the lack of specific examples.

"Originally, the second son wanted to be an adventurer. He walks around the city incognito, using it as an excuse for training, and he noticed the plight of the people. Then, his father took in a half-sister from a lover, but the mother was a commoner. His half-sister was bullied by her biological mother and brother because of her bloodline, so he protected her. He even thought about leaving home with his sister, but he didn't have the means. Just as he was thinking about starting a business, he met me."

"Ah."

"Through our conversations, he realized, like you, that 'a world where people are kind is a world where his sister can be kind.' He wanted to make the world a better place, so he started with the protection of craftsmen's rights and technology. His collaborator is a dwarf, who is upset that their technology is undervalued by his father and other nobles with similar ideologies."

What a story.

So, the Empress wanted the hair ornament because she thought it could be used as a specific example.

The second son, despite being related to his father and older brother, has completely different ideals.

In any case, if the nobles only exploit the commoners without giving back, there is no choice but to force them to give back.

This law is the first step.

The second son consulted Lord Igor about using the technique of the hair ornament that Maria is wearing as the first registered technology under this law.

"Momoka was grumbling that you gave the hair ornament to a certain girl, and even though you care for her, you only consider her a friend. I thought it might be related, so I went to see the songstress, and I sensed your and Momoka's presence from the unique hair ornament. So, I thought it would work and gave it a thumbs up."

"Ah…"

"If the news that the Empress wants the hair ornament reaches the maker, she might be able to present it. In return for the presentation, the technique could be registered under the law… That was the plan. I deliberately spread the rumor that the Empress wants the hair ornament you made…"

There is one problem with this plan.

It's my nature.

"Because you told Momoka that you can't make it without the right materials, right? Momoka was boasting about it, saying, 'A first-class maker is like this.'"

"Wait, that's not quite right!?"

"Ah…? It's just Momoka's misunderstanding… But in this case, she's right. You used such high-quality fabric for a mere songstress, so if it's for the Empress, the material quality will naturally be higher. It won't be easy to make, though."

"That's exactly the issue."

That's the point.

If the Empress uses the hair ornament, I think it will become popular in society. Then, I thought about training craftsmen and turning it into a small industry.

But I hesitated because I don't have the materials to make something worthy of a presentation. That's the problem.

When I said this, Lord Igor looked surprised.

"Eh? Ah…, so you were thinking about it too?"

"Eh…, I was talking about it from a business perspective?"

"Ah, I see. I thought something was off. I see, I see."

Lord Igor nodded.

It seems there is a gap in our understanding.

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