Chapter 95 - Orders and the White Handkerchief with Embroidery
"In the meantime, this should cover everything."
In a room they had rented for the Rossetti Company within the Merchant Guild, Dahlia listened to Ivano’s business report.
Two weeks had passed since their discussions with both the Tailors Guild and the Adventurer Guild. The Tailors Guild had finally established a near-complete mass-production system for five-toed socks and drying insoles for shoes.
Now, as a company, they had to make their first delivery to the royal castle, which also involved a formal introductory meeting. The thought weighed heavily on Dahlia.
"Dahlia, you look awfully gloomy."
"Well, after what happened last time..."
The previous visit to the royal castle had taken an unexpected turn into discussions about foot fungal infection prevention, which eventually led to suspicions that she had a foot fungal infection herself.
Honestly, she would have liked to treat that incident as the formal introduction, but that was clearly not an option.
"It’ll be fine. Last time, I’m sure Volf-sama was just trying to lighten the mood. I bet everyone’s forgotten about it by now. This time, it’ll just be a straightforward greeting."
"Even if it’s straightforward, there’s still the matter of royal castle 'etiquette' this time..."
"Oh, right. I’ll have to learn it too..."
They sighed in unison.
Before the previous visit, they had frantically studied etiquette the night before.
But their rushed preparation hadn’t gone unnoticed. Dahlia had been called out on it by Randolph, who had suggested she "seek the guidance of someone from a company experienced in navigating the royal castle." Following his advice, she had asked Gabriella for an introduction.
Still, Dahlia couldn’t help but wonder if any company experienced in dealing with the royal castle would be willing to teach someone who had only just started their business.
To be honest, she was filled with nothing but uncertainty.
Suppressing a second sigh, she tore her gaze away from the documents in front of her. Her eyes landed on the man’s face.
"...Ivano, you have dark circles under your eyes. Please go home at the same time as the guild employees in the evening."
"Well, that’s... a bit tough to promise."
"In that case, slow down. If it's something that absolutely needs to be done, I'll take care of what I can. I can at least write up clean copies of documents and manage the ledgers."
"That would just overburden you, Dahlia-san."
"If either of us collapses, it’s the same result. There are only two of us in this company."
Ivano glanced out the window and rubbed his eyes with his fingertips.
"...Alright, I’ll take it easy. You’re right—if either of us goes down, we both do."
"Yes, please do."
"I’ll hire someone to help with the clean copies of documents from the guild on a paid basis and speed up recruiting staff. Once we find someone suitable, I’ll review their records, then we can proceed with a trial hire. Before formal employment, you can interview them as well. Does that sound alright?"
"That works for me. Still, Ivano, it seems like you’re handling far more work than I am..."
"No, not at all. We don’t even have subordinates to train yet, and there’s no direct customer, or product management to deal with either."
When she thought about it, it was true—it was all still "yet."
Currently, the Rossetti Company consisted of just Dahlia and Ivano. Their clients came through the Merchant Guild, and there were no direct transactions. Even when it came to their magical tools, the Merchant Guild handled the deliveries, or the Tailors Guild transported them directly to the royal castle’s Monster Subjugation Force.
Thinking about the management responsibilities that would inevitably grow in the future made her feel a little uneasy.
"When I think about the future, it excites me."
"Huh?"
At the man's unexpected words, she couldn't help but ask for clarification.
"When we get more people and goods in the company, it’ll feel more alive, won’t it? I’d love for us to have our own building for the company someday. If we could manage to get a warehouse or even a direct store, it’d open up so many opportunities for business."
"You sound really excited about it."
"Well, I am a merchant, after all. Think of it this way, Dahlia—imagine a massive warehouse stocked with all kinds of materials for magical tools. You’d have access to rare and unique materials anytime you wanted. Doesn’t that sound thrilling?"
"...That does sound exciting."
When Ivano framed it like that, it was easy for her to understand his excitement. The thought of having a broader range of resources to pursue what she wanted to do was undeniably exhilarating. At the same time, it reminded her that responsibilities and opportunities were two sides of the same coin.
"By the way, is there any material you’d like to order right now?"
"There are a few things. Let me write up an order memo."
Last month, she had used far more kraken tape than planned. In addition, some types of slime were running low in stock. There were also slimes she wanted to procure for future experiments.
- Kraken tape: 10 rolls
- Magic-sealing boxes (Silver): 3 medium-sized
- Green slime powder: 5 cans
- Yellow slime powder: 2 cans
- Black slime powder: equivalent to 1 whole slime
The quantities weren’t large, but the problem lay with the black slime.
She wrote it down for now, but she wasn’t sure if black slime powder was even available on the market.
Due to its properties, it would have to be strictly secured in a silver magic-sealing box, and even the delivery would require extreme caution.
"This feels like it could be mistaken for an order deliberately made to make things hard for them..."
She couldn't help but mutter her thoughts aloud as she considered the list.
Still, she felt the matter might end just as easily if she was simply told the black slime wasn’t obtainable.
As she debated whether to cross it out with two lines, Ivano casually picked up the memo.
"Ivano, that's still unfinished."
"If we’re short on something, we can always add more to the order later. I’ll finalize this order and send it to Orlando & Co. Conveniently, I also need to pick up the 'fairy crystals,' and they offer great prices."
Thanks to her agreement with Ireneo, the head of Orlando & Co., she could purchase materials at cost price for three years. She had decided to take full advantage of this arrangement.
Since her engagement had been called off, she felt nothing in particular about it anymore, but she appreciated not having to handle the pickup herself.
"Sorry, I should really be the one picking those up."
"No. This is a subordinate’s job. 'Boss,' you should focus on asking Gabriella about the introduction."
With a smile, the man with mustard-colored hair left the room.
・・・・・・・
It was some time later that Dahlia finally managed to secure time with Gabriella. Her previous meeting had run long.
In the interim, Dahlia kept herself busy drafting blueprints for the compact magic stove meant for expeditions, ensuring no time was wasted.
"Sorry for the delay, Dahlia. The last meeting I had with a company dragged on a bit."
"No, please don’t worry about it. I’m the one always asking for favors."
"Consultations about your company aren’t favors. It’s only natural as part of the guild’s responsibilities, so don’t hesitate to reach out."
Gabriella, seated on the office sofa, appeared somewhat fatigued. It wasn’t just the effect of her slightly somber navy dress.
"I reached out to two companies, and both have agreed. The Zola Company and the Bartolini Company—the one I just met with. I’d recommend Zola Company. Its head is also a magical toolmaker."
"Wait, is the owner of Zola Company Ozwald Zola, from the magical tool shop 'The Goddess’ Right Eye'?"
The familiar name surprised her, and she couldn’t help but ask.
Now that she thought about it, it made sense. Ozwald had a shop in the noble district of such high caliber. It wouldn’t be strange for him to run a company or have ties to the royal castle.
"Yes. You know him through the magical tool community, perhaps? He’s willing to offer guidance for a fee of one large silver coin for two hours. Ivano can join as well. However, there’s something you should know about Ozwald—he’s a bit prone to misunderstandings...”
"Uhm... if you mean the stories about his wives, I’ve heard them. He’s a friend of my father’s, after all."
"Then that’s good. Ozwald is soft-spoken and kind, which makes him prone to being admired by women."
Hearing the phrase "prone to being admired" made Dahlia think of Volf.
Being intensely admired wasn’t always a blessing, it seemed. In Volf’s case, it was almost sympathy-inducing.
"My family had its own troubles with him. Back when my eldest daughter was in primary academy, she bought magical tools from 'The Goddess’ Right Eye' a few times. At one point, she wanted to gift Ozwald a white handkerchief with embroidery..."
A white handkerchief with embroidery was a noblewoman’s token of confession.
It carried the meaning, ‘You are my first love.’
Although the ages of students in the primary academy varied due to its exam-based admission, most were between nine and fourteen years old. The thought of confessing one’s first love at that age reflected a certain courage and boldness, which Dahlia found genuinely impressive.
"Where did that handkerchief go?"
"My husband stopped her. As a result, our daughter didn’t speak to him for about two weeks... I remember he muttered something like, 'Ozwald, just go die already.'"
"That’s..."
Dahlia couldn’t help but wonder if that was really Ozwald’s fault. Still, from a father’s perspective, such a thing would undoubtedly be unforgivable.
"Well, it was just 'measles.' She gave up quickly, and now she’s married, so it’s just a funny story."
"I see."
"Ozwald is someone who’s never short on stories from the past."
"I’ll refrain from asking about that..."
If she pried any further, she feared she wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face the next time they met.
Since he had kindly agreed to teach her the royal castle's etiquette, she didn’t want to risk offending him.
"Will his schedule be alright? Ozwald-san seems quite busy with both his trading company and shop."
"Ozwald manages his staff well, so he’s fine. He mentioned that he dedicates half of his time to research. He also makes sure to take proper vacations."
It seemed Ozwald had achieved an ideal work-life balance. Perhaps Ivano and she could learn from him in that regard.
"Since you’re a woman, it wouldn’t be improper for you to learn from him with Ivano accompanying you during the lessons. Also, while things should be more settled now that he has three wives, you should still exercise some caution."
"Caution? I don’t see how someone like me would warrant that..."
"'Someone like you?' Dahlia, is this modesty, or do you truly lack confidence?"
"Of course, I'm not confident..."
Gabriella’s piercing gaze made her voice falter.
"Your looks are understated, but with some makeup, you’d be stunning. You’re a magical toolmaker and the head of a company—a 'pot of gold' with guaranteed income. A graduate of the high academy and a baron’s daughter. Yet, you have no confidence in yourself. Why?"
"I’ve never been called beautiful, and my company only has two people. My magical tools? This success was a stroke of luck, and a single failure in enchantment could lose me gold coins. There’s no guarantee my creations will continue to sell. As for being a baron’s daughter, my father’s passing makes that status rather meaningless now."
What Gabriella had pointed out were just surface-level positives.
In reality, Dahlia saw herself as utterly ordinary, and the work of a magical toolmaker was subject to constant highs and lows.
"You need to have more confidence. The reason my earlier conversation ran long was because the head of the Bartolini Company asked me to arrange a marriage meeting between his son and you. And it hasn’t even been three months yet."
"A marriage meeting?"
"Yes, for you. Nobles generally refrain from proposing marriage meetings within three months of a broken engagement or divorce. Yet here he was, insisting on at least a dinner meeting barely a month after the fact. The Bartolini family is a viscount house, so the conditions aren’t bad. Would you like to meet him?"
"No, I’ll pass. I’m not interested in romance or marriage."
Dahlia’s immediate reply made Gabriella narrow her eyes.
"Then, can I assume you want me to decline any other proposals that come your way?"
"Yes, please do."
"If you dislike receiving proposals, perhaps spending time with Volfred-sama in public would be a good deterrent. Though it might delay—or outright cancel—your chances of marriage."
"That might be perfect for me."
Dahlia’s carefree smile betrayed no hesitation, and Gabriella couldn’t help but recall her daughter embroidering a white handkerchief back then.
All she could do was watch silently, pretending not to notice, just as before.
But now, with her current position and age, there were at least a few things she could do.
In a voice so soft Dahlia couldn’t hear it, Gabriella whispered:
"...If he falls behind, I’ll make sure to give that 'deterrent' a good talking-to."
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