It Can’t be Helped
Raphael, Brother Isaac, and Brigitte were all curious about the products Uncle Davit had mentioned, so everyone insisted on seeing them, and we all headed to the reception room.
“Hardt, you explain,” Father said, leaving everything to me.
First, I showed them the backpack.
“To keep the straps from digging into the shoulders, you’ve padded them with cotton? No, not just cotton—there’s something harder inside too, right? This would probably sell well to people without a magic bag,” Uncle Davit muttered to himself while inspecting the backpack.
Since waiting would get us nowhere, I started explaining how to use the crest stamp, stamp pad, punch, and the document file.
“It’s a split seal, right? Even if you specify a spot for the stamp, it’s never perfectly aligned, so this helps prevent counterfeit contracts,” said the duke, holding two documents with the split seal aligned between them.
“This punch and file are also convenient for organizing papers,” added Raphael after trying them out.
“This ink in the stamp pad seems to be made specifically for the crest stamp, and the pad itself is well designed. I assume you can refill the ink when it gets low,” said Brother Isaac, correctly guessing the refill feature I hadn’t explained.
“Reinhardt, what led to the creation of all this?” asked Uncle Davit.
You had to ask that part?
I looked at Father, and he nodded. “Just tell them honestly.”
So I started from the beginning—how Raziel had handed me some business paperwork, saying she would help with my work.
“So in order to make operations more efficient, you opened a branch in the capital that only takes orders using sample products, and you came up with ways to prevent contract fraud and organize documents. And the materials for the products?”
“Uncle Davit, the artisans handled all the materials and manufacturing, so I don’t know.”
“What Reinhardt says is true,” Brother Isaac added. “He only gave the idea and explained it to the artisans. The actual crafting and materials were left to them.”
“Reinhardt, what did the rejected order forms look like?” Brother Isaac asked.
I took out a sheet of straw paper with item names, unit prices, quantity, subtotal per item, and total price, along with a separate price list. I showed everyone.
“I proposed that this form could be used in letters to place orders. If they’re printed in advance, people would only need to fill in numbers and do the math. But it was rejected since it could be easily forged.”
“This wouldn’t work for contracts, but it could be useful for clerks taking notes on customers’ orders or answering price questions in-store,” Uncle Davit said.
“Feel free to modify and use it however you like. It wasn’t adopted anyway.”
“We already use it at the merchant house, Hardt. What was rejected was the idea of sending it by mail.”
“Really, Father? I didn’t know that.”
“… Alright. That’s enough from you, Hardt. Let the adults handle the rest,” Uncle Davit said, dismissing me.
So I left the room with Brother Chris, Raphael, Brother Isaac, and Brigitte.
Once we were in another room, Raphael asked, “I saw some students earlier—what were they doing?”
“Students?” I repeated.
“Yeah, from St. Arthur Academy,” he said.
Brother Chris explained, “During summer vacation, we split them between the capital and the provincial cities to work part-time for the merchant house.”
Brother Isaac wanted to hear more, so Brother Chris continued: “They’re scholarship students from St. Arthur Academy. Those who volunteer receive wages, full room and board, and work half-days—either morning or afternoon—helping out the merchant house.”
“We have them wear their uniforms during work to distinguish them.”
“If you’re that busy, why not just hire more full-time workers?” Brother Isaac asked.
“Actually, we’ve been giving all our employees five consecutive days off in rotation.”
“““What?!”””
Even though we were paying overtime, I argued that without time to rest, people’s minds get foggy and work becomes inefficient. I said I wouldn’t want to work at such a black company. In this world, apparently no one gets long breaks unless it’s for a family emergency or ceremony.
Someone at the merchant house even cried when they heard they’d get a proper break. Productivity has reportedly improved since workers found out they’d get more rest.
With trains available, five days should be enough for people to visit their families. If this goes well, they might introduce it to our household staff and knights too.
“Using St. Arthur Academy students is a smart move,” Raphael said. “It gives them hands-on experience in the trade and will help with their careers after graduation. Are they doing well?”
“They’re quite helpful—translating foreign correspondence and scheduling appointments,” Brother Chris said.
“Why only half-days?”
“They have homework and summer exams to prepare for. When I offered the option of full or half-day shifts, they chose half-day. Since meals are included, it’s awkward not to do any work at all.”
“With such great terms, I’m sure they’re motivated.”
“Was this idea yours too, Reinhardt?” asked Raphael.
“I heard from a friendly adventurer that his younger brother is a scholarship student at St. Arthur. They’re smart, but might struggle with summer living expenses. So I suggested to Raziel that, if we were short-staffed, maybe we could ask the academy for help.”
“Another suggestion you just tossed at someone else to handle…”
Well, yes. But it turned out to be a win for everyone, didn’t it? I wanted to say that, but couldn’t. Everyone just looked at me with a “well, it can’t be helped” kind of expression.
While sharing updates with each other and showing them the dragon’s egg and scales, the adults finished their discussion and prepared to leave.
“I’ll need to meet with Reinhardt regularly,” Uncle Davit said as he left.
From the discussion with Father and the others, it was decided that beastkin would go to the Clondale Duchy to teach rice farming. If the duke’s territory succeeds, curry rice will be introduced publicly, and the duke’s family will teach rice farming to other interested domains. Meanwhile, Westland will also grow as much rice as possible.
It was also decided that the merchant tools—the crest stamps, stamp pads, punches, and files—would be patented and urgently distributed to the duke’s domain and Northtrad. The backpack would be patented too.
What do you think about this chapter?
