Chapter 111 - Formal Delivery and Expedition Stove
“Lady Dahlia, I must thank you. Thank you for the excellent products.”
Feeling the need to calm her nerves, Dahlia excused herself to freshen up.
As she returned to the reception room, Randolph called out to her in the hallway. She took half a step back and bowed slightly.
“Randolph-sama, your words are too kind. Thank you for your guidance the other day.”
“No, I was worried I might have been too nitpicky. I’m impressed that you managed to learn so much in such a short time.”
“Thank you.”
Randolph, who usually exuded the rugged aura of a warrior, suddenly softened his expression into a gentle smile.
Even though Dahlia was relatively tall for a woman, she still had to look up at Randolph, who stood over two meters tall. His reddish-brown eyes met hers, and for a moment, they seemed to relax.
“Volf has gone to greet the heads of the Merchant Guild and the Tailors Guild. He should be here soon. He wanted to welcome you personally, but the captain told him, ‘You’re also affiliated with the Rossetti Company, so you should handle the reception.’”
Before Dahlia could even ask about Volf, Randolph had already explained.
If it were a summons for the Rossetti Company, that would be one thing—but could it have been addressed to her personally? The thought crossed her mind, but without asking, she returned to the reception room with Randolph.
Shortly after, guided by Volf, Viscount Jedda, the head of the Merchant Guild, and Viscount Fortunato, the head of the Tailors Guild, arrived at the reception room.
Volf was dressed in his black knight’s uniform, while Jedda and Fortunato wore three-piece suits suitable for the royal castle.
As always, Volf drew attention with his presence, while Jedda, with his white hair and beard despite his middle age, exuded an air of dignity. Meanwhile, Fortunato, with his striking golden hair and blue eyes, radiated an elegance even in his posture. Each of the three had their own distinct presence, filling the room.
Dahlia could feel Lucia beside her holding her breath.
“Now, on behalf of the Rossetti Company, I would like to formally announce the delivery.”
With everyone gathered around the table, Dahlia delivered the standard greeting under Ivano’s guidance. It was mostly a memorized script, and Grato responded with a similarly formal acknowledgment.
After that, Jedda and Fortunato gave brief remarks, and Dahlia and Lucia signed three pieces of parchment.
With this, the first formal delivery was complete. From now on, the Tailors Magic Workshop and the Tailors Guild would handle communications with the royal castle.
The Rossetti Company would receive a monthly profit share from the Tailors Guild.
Dahlia felt a deep sense of relief. The company now had a stable income, and she no longer had to worry about paying Ivano or the new hires. At least for now, some of her anxieties had been alleviated.
However, this alone wasn’t enough. She still needed to build a “financial foundation” that could sustain the company for at least three years without any additional income.
As she recalled Ivano’s advice, he himself pulled out a white envelope with a silver border.
“As a memento of our first transaction, the Rossetti Company would like to present five ‘shoe dryers.’ Here is the catalog.”
“‘Shoe dryers?’”
Grato tilted his head in confusion at Ivano’s words.
Thanks to the five-toed socks and insoles, the internal environment of their boots had improved dramatically. The idea of drying the boots themselves didn’t immediately make sense.
“It’s a warm air dryer that can quickly dry everything from expedition boots to leather shoes and fabric shoes without damaging them. It should help reduce wear and odor. Think of it as a hair dryer for shoes. It’s perfect for rainy days or after washing your boots.”
“I see. Regular dryers can damage leather, so this sounds useful.”
“It might be good for military boots after expeditions too. We’ll give it a try later.”
“The ‘shoe dryers’ will go on sale tomorrow, so please look forward to them.”
Ivano smiled as he made the pitch, and Fortunato nodded slightly. His eyes briefly met Dahlia’s before shifting back to Ivano.
“...Mercadante-kun, I’d like to speak with you later if you have time. Preferably sooner rather than later.”
“Of course, Luini-sama.”
Jedda, on the other hand, remained expressionless, quietly sipping his tea.
When Dahlia glanced at Volf, he was listening to the conversation with a serious face, though his eyes were smiling.
The shoe dryer was something Volf and Dahlia had developed together. He must be pleased that it would improve the environmental conditions of the Monster Subjugation Force.
“Well, that concludes the formalities, but do we have a little more time? If anyone has other commitments, feel free to say so.”
No one responded to Grato’s question. He gave a slight nod, and Volf stood up and left the room.
“I’ve been shown something interesting. I thought I’d share this with everyone here as part of our conversation.”
As the others looked on with curiosity, Ivano pulled out some documents.
“Chairwoman, if you need them, here you go.”
What he handed Dahlia were the specifications and blueprints for the expedition stove.
“Was this... done by Volf...sama... by any chance?”
“No, I hadn’t heard anything of the sort. But I thought it might be related. My apologies if I’m mistaken.”
As they whispered to each other, Volf returned with a green-haired unit member.
They carried the expedition stoves they had made, along with silver cups and small pieces of bacon.
The two expedition stoves were placed on the large table, looking even smaller in comparison.
“This is a derivative of the compact magic stove, called the ‘Expedition Stove.’”
“It’s quite compact.”
At Grato’s introduction, Fortunato looked on with interest.
The dials on the expedition stoves were turned, and they began to heat up, warming the frying pans.
“This is the pot section, and this is the frying pan, which also doubles as the pot lid.”
As Volf explained, he transferred the sliced bacon from the plate to the frying pan.
Dahlia couldn’t help but wonder if this was appropriate for the reception room, but no one seemed to mind. She was worried about the smell lingering on the luxurious carpets and fabric walls, even if it was just a small amount.
“How’s the heat output?”
“It’s about the same as the compact magic stove.”
Dahlia quickly answered Jedda’s sudden question.
“What kind of magic stones does it use?”
“Small fire magic stones.”
“How long does it last?”
“Shorter than the compact magic stove, but it can run for four to five hours. It varies depending on the temperature and location.”
“During expeditions, those who can use fire magic can recharge it, so it’s not a problem.”
“Then, it should be reliable for use.”
After Dahlia and Volf’s explanations, Jedda narrowed his dark eyes and nodded.
“I’d like one of these in my office. If I keep it in the corner, I can have hot coffee anytime.”
Dahlia was surprised by this unexpected request. She hadn’t considered indoor use, let alone in an office.
“Do you brew your own coffee, Fortunato-dono?”
“Rarely, but I don’t want to call someone just for a coffee when there are fewer people around at night. The compact magic stove is a bit conspicuous, but this one can be easily hidden.”
“When it gets cold, it’d be nice to have hot wine in the bedroom.”
At Jedda’s words, Dahlia suddenly remembered Gabriella.
When she had gifted Gabriella a compact magic stove, they had talked about hot wine. She must have discussed it with Jedda as well.
Gabriella had been nothing but helpful. Perhaps she should send her an expedition stove and a shoe dryer as additional gifts.
“The bacon’s already cooked? That was quick.”
The fried bacon was divided onto small plates for each person, and tiny silver cups were passed around. From the smell, it seemed to contain white wine.
Was it appropriate to drink wine in the royal castle at noon? Since Grato had offered it, it was probably fine, but this wasn’t covered in the flashcards or the etiquette lessons from Ozwald.
“Water would be too bland. I brought out some slightly aged ‘grape juice.’”
As they held the silver cups, the cheerful captain offered a rather forced explanation.
Lucia’s eyes widened, Jedda’s expression remained unchanged, and the others looked somewhat troubled.
“If this were wine, I’d say, ‘Let’s toast to the success of this delivery and wish each other good fortune,’ but it’s grape juice. Well, just go ahead and clink glasses with those near you.”
Everyone lightly clinked glasses with their neighbors.
Dahlia took a small sip of the slightly amber-colored wine and found herself unable to simply swallow it.
She had expected it to be fragrant, but the aroma expanded even further in her mouth. She thought it was a dry white wine, but it had a smooth texture with a faint woody scent.
Even though Dahlia didn’t know much about wine, she could tell this was something special.
“It’s delicious...”
Lucia seemed equally surprised. Dahlia could hear her sighing softly.
When she looked up, Volf was sipping slowly, savoring the taste, while Fortunato still wore a wry smile, and Jedda was beaming.
“Now, please try the bacon as well.”
Following the green-haired unit member’s suggestion, Dahlia picked up a small piece of smoked bacon with a metal pin. It was only about three centimeters long but slightly thick.
She hesitated over whether to eat it in one bite but followed everyone else’s lead.
The bacon, still warm, had a rich, salty flavor with a hint of sweetness from the meat. The melted fat softened the saltiness, making it a perfect match for bread or wine.
“We might consider replacing some of the dried meat on expeditions with this smoked bacon.”
“We’ll switch as much as the budget allows.”
“Still, this is excellent. It means we can have warm meals during expeditions.”
“Won’t the smell of food attract monsters or animals?”
“During camp, we either use wind magic to disperse the scent or use deodorizers. We’ll have to try it to know for sure. If it comes to it, we can just eliminate anything that approaches the campsite.”
Grato spoke casually, but Dahlia couldn’t help but worry. What if a large animal or a powerful monster showed up?
On the other hand, she felt a little sorry for the monsters and animals lured by the smell.
“With that said, Chairwoman Rossetti, I’d like to request a quote for a hundred of these expedition stoves.”
For a moment, Dahlia felt the wine she had just swallowed threaten to come back up. She quickly turned to Grato.
“Th-thank you. We’ll do our best to offer a reasonable price...”
“No, I’d like to keep it within a sustainable range for future purchases. If the budget doesn’t allow it, I and some of the more well-off individuals can gradually purchase them.”
“I think many individuals would be interested in buying these as well.”
Volf chimed in with a smile, but Dahlia wanted to stop him.
The expedition stoves weren’t cheap. The Monster Subjugation Force included both commoners and lower nobles. Not everyone had deep pockets, and many had families or households to support.
“This is also from the Rossetti Company? Impressive.”
“Thank you, Fortunato-sama.”
Dahlia thanked Fortunato for his praise while wiping away a bead of sweat.
The expedition stove had nothing to do with the Tailors Guild, yet she had dragged them into this. She felt a little guilty.
“I’d like to have these ready by the winter expeditions.”
“Agreed. With these, we won’t have to drink burnt coffee after hunts.”
The thought of freezing winter expeditions, dangerous hunts, and burnt coffee was almost unbearable.
In this country, in this world, if monsters weren’t stopped, the damage to people would be immense. The destruction of villages and towns by monsters wasn’t just history or stories.
Given that they were fighting such monsters, the Monster Subjugation Force deserved better treatment.
As she thought this, Dahlia suddenly remembered something.
Once, when she had served Volf a meal cooked on the compact magic stove, he had said, “Why don’t you come teach the Monster Subjugation Force how to use this?”
At the time, she had casually replied that she’d be happy to help improve their expedition meals, without giving it much thought.
She had never imagined she would one day be in the royal castle, and she had dismissed Volf’s suggestion as a joke.
Now, standing here, she wondered if it was all connected to that day.
If fate had a hand in this, she wanted to contribute to the unit in any way she could, including helping Volf.
“Chairwoman, it looks like we’re going to get even busier.”
“Yes. It’s a good problem to have.”
Dahlia smiled honestly at Ivano’s words. His deep indigo eyes widened slightly, and he smiled back.
“That’s a very chairwoman-like response.”
“No, it’s a very magical toolmaker-like response.”
The sweet aroma of wine and the smoky scent of bacon lingered in the reception room as the pleasant conversation continued for a little while longer.
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