I Look Forward to Working with You

I studied Princess Tianis's expression. She was beaming like any girl her age.

Were this anywhere else, I could have gazed at that charming smile forever.

She was popular with the people, too.

(Shrewd woman. Far more troublesome than the attendant behind her.)

She was the head of a faction swimming in the palace's treacherous currents. Whatever lay beneath that exterior surely didn't match the surface.

I let out a quiet sigh. This was never a proposal I could refuse. All that remained was my resolve.

"Very well. I gratefully accept your most generous offer."

I bowed my head and said so.

"Oh, wonderful! Then it's a deal. This conversation was well worth having."

"A splendid decision, Tianis-sama."

"I'd like to discuss the specifics, if we could."

Left unchecked, the conversation would stall. No offense to Kanon, but please keep that sort of thing between the two of you.

"Of course. The land to be leased covers this area."

A map depicting the terrain around Luido was unrolled. The scope made me freeze.

It was roughly three times the area Alexia had tilled for us in Alsarm.

Given how rough the map was, the actual land was likely even larger. As expected of the breadbasket of the kingdom.

This was far beyond what any individual could manage alone.

"That's… vast. No, too vast."

"We seized it all at once. I had the enclaves consolidated for simplicity."

"I see."

I was so taken aback the reply came out flat.

"You needn't worry about the management itself. The workers who've been tending the land are still in place. They've done nothing wrong."

"A commendable approach."

And she thought a complete stranger, an outsider no less, could simply step in and manage people like that? Not that I could say it. Apparently I was expected to figure that part out on my own.

I'd think of it positively: at least I didn't need to assemble a workforce from scratch. Depending on how things went, improving their conditions to win them over was within consideration.

"Regarding what to plant: wheat and sugarcane must be included. This pertains to the kingdom's food supply. A fixed quantity will be purchased by the state with each harvest, so please keep that in mind. Meet that threshold, and I'll see to it that no one takes issue."

"A minimum quota, in other words."

She'd said "I'll see to it." Emphatically. Meaning that if I fell short, I'd be dragging Princess Tianis's reputation through the mud.

Having dealt with farmers as a supplier, I understood. Crops weren't industrial products with guaranteed output. Weather, climate, monster and animal damage, disease, soil problems.

There would be bountiful years and barren ones. Most of Luido's cropland was probably dominated by wheat and sugarcane precisely to meet this quota.

That sort of approach would never turn a profit. In lean years, the quota would be barely met. In good years, the surplus of the same two crops would crash the price.

Luido was caught in that vicious cycle. The kingdom only cared about collecting its required crops, so falling food prices were, if anything, convenient for them.

This venture was, in effect, a rehabilitation project for Luido. Without reforming the system, it would never be worth the effort.

Yet the scale was enormous, and it would become a burden I couldn't shed. No wonder this offer had landed in my lap.

If the land couldn't be freely planted with profitable crops, better to foist it on someone else. Typical noble thinking.

The truly lucrative deals were always consumed in-house. That was the iron rule for nobles and merchants alike. The moment something was passed to an outsider, it came with some kind of defect.

And that was precisely why it was also an opportunity. A clear advantage none of the others had. The fragment of the Earth Elemental Stone.

It could suppress poor harvests and boost good ones. That was exactly why Princess Tianis had brought this deal to me.

Her reputation would be preserved, and I'd have a business opportunity. A mutually beneficial arrangement.

"You can do this, can't you? I hold your abilities in very high regard."

"I'm deeply honored. I'll do my utmost to meet your expectations."

"I knew you'd say that. Now then, your name and magic stone seal, please."

Kanon produced two sheets of paper in a swift motion. Not parchment. Fine-quality paper, smooth to the touch.

I wrote my name, pressed my right thumb dusted with magic stone powder to the page, and stamped my seal. The contract was complete.

To break it now would mean breaking a contract with the crown.

Princess Tianis probably thought she was using me. But if it had come to this, I'd use her as a stepping stone right back.

I rose from the sofa and turned my back to Princess Tianis.

"I look forward to good results."

"Of course."

I left the room with Azu and Elza.

My legs nearly buckled, and Elza steadied my shoulder.

"Are you all right?"

"Thanks. My legs are shaking a bit."

"That really did turn into quite the situation."

Azu steadied me from the other side, and I managed to put strength back into my legs. That the maid stationed by the door didn't so much as flinch was, if anything, a mercy.

"We're done. Let's get out of the castle."

"Understood."

With the two of them propping me up, I escaped the royal castle without incident.

Outside the castle, Ramiza-san was puffing smoke from her pipe. By that point, my legs had recovered.

"Hey there, kid. You look a bit rough."

"Can you please stop calling me 'kid' already? And that's rich coming from you. You just up and left me."

"True. But the share flowed to you, didn't it?"

"I can't say I'm thrilled about that… but having it consolidated under one party is better, I suppose."

"See?"

Her true motivation, wanting to be left alone so she could hole up at home, was painfully transparent. But she'd been a lifesaver in all this, and I'd asked a lot of her.

There was also the matter of the candy production going forward. Maybe this was how it was meant to be.

"Speaking of, will the candy production be all right? I imagine they'll want quite a large quantity."

"Ha!"

I hadn't said anything funny.

"Just goes to show alchemists aren't well understood. The hard part is creating the recipe. The batch I threw together before was a rush job, sure, so everyone pitched in. But compounding alone? I have alchemical tools for that. It's not that taxing. Don't need help, either."

"If you say so. Then I'll focus on the land I've just been saddled with."

"You do that. Though it's the off-season right now, so nothing much will happen until winter's over."

"Right. I have time, so I'll plan things out."

Hectic as it had been, I hadn't disliked the collaborative work. But if I could avoid it, all the better.

While I was at it, I really wanted to find a way to popularize those sweet potatoes.