Getting Various Things Done

I delivered Orleans to the Cat's Paw Inn along with her belongings.

She'd stay there until we expanded the shop's living quarters.

The inn's exterior had been refurbished to the point it looked practically brand new.

The old woman who'd sold it to me would surely be pleased.

I entrusted Orleans to Kazusa.

Apparently inquiries about lodging had been picking up, so it was finally time to open for business.

Since I'd been away in the Empire and we hadn't had a chance to talk, we chatted for a while.

"Would it be all right if I served light meals as well?"

"Do you have enough hands?"

"Yes, it'll be fine. I can outsource a lot of it cheaply, and I figure I should try to earn more."

"I see. Go for it. Just don't forget to come to me if you're really stuck."

Kazusa was branching out from the inn itself into food service.

She seemed like a capable girl from what I'd seen, so as long as she didn't run a deficit, I planned to leave the inn's operations to her discretion.

From what she described, it was a thin-margin, high-volume approach, but she'd streamlined the labor well and for a side venture, it should bring in decent income.

Sourcing good ingredients cheaply wasn't easy… yet she'd only arrived in this city recently and was already well-connected.

Her personality and experience were paying off.

Kazusa was going to make a fine merchant.

"May I help out when I have free time? After all, I'm now one of your subordinates too, sir."

"You don't have to go that far… but all right, do that when there's no other work."

"Is that okay? Even occasionally would be a huge help!"

It looked like Orleans and Kazusa would get along just fine.

Alexia and I returned to the shop and got ourselves sorted.

Back in my room, sitting in my chair, I finally felt settled.

That said, I still had work to do.

The report to Princess Tianis.

She could summon me at any time, yet reaching her on my own initiative wasn't so simple.

She was royalty, after all. Only natural, but still a hassle.

The whole point of running my own shop was having no boss.

Then again, she'd provided me with vast farmland, so I couldn't complain.

I also needed to send payment for the wheat to Luido soon.

I started writing, beginning with the safe delivery of the wheat and continuing through the events that had transpired in the Empire.

Iselia in particular I documented as thoroughly as possible.

That sort of intelligence was probably why she'd authorized the shipment in the first place. Best to do it properly.

As a result, I'd ended up in a position where I supported Crown Prince Kelves under Princess Tianis's orders.

How to handle that was up to her.

If the crown prince lost the power struggle, my future wouldn't look bright either.

I sincerely hoped he came out on top.

I rolled up the document and tied it with cord.

Then I slipped it into a tube and took it to Jacob.

The contents of this report couldn't be leaked to anyone untrustworthy.

Handing it over directly would be best, but securing an appointment could take days depending on her schedule.

Going through Jacob was far faster.

For now, he was someone I could trust.

"You again…"

"Can't help it. Princess Tianis has me running errands, so please bear with me."

When I mentioned it concerned the princess, Jacob met with me immediately.

But exhaustion showed on his face.

He probably didn't want to get involved.

"So I just need to deliver this?"

"Yes. It contains the latest developments in the Empire."

"… Indeed, that must be delivered without fail. The capital is on edge right now over who the next emperor will be. They're our massive neighbor, after all."

"Quite. If an emperor who wanted to invade the kingdom came to power… that would be trouble."

"I'll have this delivered tomorrow. You'll likely be summoned directly, so keep your schedule open."

"Understood."

With that, I entrusted the report to Jacob.

This affair should have earned goodwill from Duke Dantarg and Crown Prince Kelves, and it benefited the kingdom.

On my way back, I stopped by Ramiza-san's shop.

She was dozing at the counter, so I shook her awake.

"Oh, you're back."

She wiped the drool from her mouth with a handkerchief as she rose.

Apparently she'd been out cold.

She should've been swamped with work, ramping up candy production and all.

Then I glanced at the workshop in the back, and a fairy was compounding medicine.

"Oh, that? I couldn't keep up by myself, so I made a contract. Now I've got too much free time."

She laughed it off.

She might seem scatterbrained, but she was a top-tier alchemist for a reason.

I'd heard contracts with fairies were notoriously difficult, yet she'd managed to put one to work like this.

"So what brings you?"

"Oh, right. Ramiza-san, that perfume I ordered before, and the scented soap you've been supplying us. I need a lot more of both. One of each makes a set."

"Those, huh. Mm, I've got Silver Peach extract in stock, so it's fine. How many sets?"

"Four hundred."

"Ugh…"

She grimaced.

But then a smile quickly replaced it.

"You really do bring me work, don't you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Buying that much, is it the duchess again? She really took a liking to it. Maybe she liked it because of the rejuvenating effect."

The Silver Peach was one of those special items.

It moisturized skin to the point of reversing aging, and was even said to slightly extend one's lifespan.

It spoiled quickly after harvest, so it could only be eaten on the spot.

Previously, Ramiza-san had used a special method to preserve it as an extract, which we then incorporated into the fragrance.

The effect was weaker than eating the fruit outright, but it was still there.

For mature ladies like the duchess, it would be especially popular.

"The sooner the better, right? Last time everyone pitched in. The candy was fun too… Guess I have to work."

"It's not as urgent this time. When can you have it ready?"

"Should be done in ten days."

"I'll leave it to you, then."

Ramiza-san answered with a lazy "Sure, sure" and went back to her nap.

She'd get started once she woke up.

The fairy would keep working without a break, anyway.