Village Chief...
I went to see my grandfather and grandmother to tell them about the felt fabric, the stuffed animals, and the possibility of making shoe insoles.
“Hardt, if this turns into shoe insoles, the scale of sales will be nothing like before. Since they have to be replaced regularly, the demand will never stop,” my grandfather said as he touched the thicker felt fabric compared to the one used for stuffed animals.
“Even if it works, I don’t intend to take away the work of the insole craftsmen. I’m thinking of having them make the insoles from the finished felt fabric.”
The cotton used for the insoles could also be partially consumed through souvenir stuffed animals and cushions. And since Southcourt is already contributing with things like ice cream, tea bags, and increased sugar production, I think it’ll be fine.
“We’ll have to send this sample to Alfrecht as well. If we only send a letter, that fellow won’t be able to settle down without seeing it,” Grandfather added.
“That’s true. And since we also have to consider raising Guush through pasturing, it would be better to tell him,” Grandmother agreed.
In the end, Raziel went to the capital carrying both our letters and the felt samples.
“Welcome, thank you for coming all this way. I’m Marcus, the village chief,” greeted the chief of Lax Village.
It had taken me two days on horseback from the domain’s capital to get here.
Unlike other villages, this one didn’t have wooden fences but instead surrounded the houses with earthen walls, and even the fields outside were encircled by another set of earthen walls, making it a double barrier. Maybe some villagers here are skilled in earth magic.
“Village Chief, I’m sorry for the sudden order. I must have surprised you.”
“Not at all. When I heard that something we’ve been throwing away until now could turn into something valuable, my expectations only grew.”
Marcus was a big, sturdily built man, yet he seemed cheerful and easygoing. He looked to be in his late thirties. He didn’t strike me as a former adventurer though, which made him a bit mysterious.
“Captain Marcus, it’s been a while,” Meyer and Wilson greeted him with bows.
“Captain Marcus?”
“Former. I used to serve as the captain of the Third Unit,” Marcus explained.
“What?!” So the village chief was their former commanding officer.
Perhaps because I was taken aback, he smiled and said,
“I inherited the position after my parents. But thanks to the training in the knight corps, monster subjugations in the forest are no trouble.”
That explains it. His speech was more proper than the village chiefs I’d met until now. And Meyer and the others must be tense because he was their former superior.
“There are other retired seniors here as well,” he added.
“Meyer, how did you know what I was thinking?” I asked.
“You were saying it out loud,” he pointed out.
Ah. Careless of me. Maybe the reason I always got the answers I wanted from them before was because I was voicing my thoughts out loud. I’ll have to be more careful.
Marcus led us to the reception room in his house. Meyer took out a small magic device box to cut off outside sound.
“Is it really that serious of a matter?”
“Let’s get to it. Marcus, please take a look at these.”
I showed him two pieces of felt fabric of different thicknesses, one piece of tanned Guush hide, and a stuffed Kamui doll.
Since Raziel had taken the Ruan plushie to the capital, when I asked for a finished one, Kamui was what we had left.
It was made from black fabric, and the golden horn on its forehead wasn’t a sharp triangle but a rounded one made from embroidery thread. They said it was because a small child might hold it, so they made the horn round for safety. Its body shape was also rounder and cuter than its real appearance.
Maybe having distinct features makes it easier to design. Kamui might not like it though...
Marcus carefully examined the felt fabric, the tanned hide, and the stuffed toy, before letting out a long sigh.
“This is made from Guush hair and hide, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. I can’t tell you the processing method yet, but if this officially goes into operation, the fabric made from Guush hair will be produced here. The hide can be left to specialists.”
“And what price do you plan to buy it for?”
“The raw Guush hair will be bought at 3 copper per kilo. As for untanned hide, 7 copper per kilo—that’s the appraisal given by the Adventurers’ Guild.”
“The hide is just a little below sheepskin in value then,” Marcus said.
I explained that since it had been worth nothing until now, the Adventurers’ Guild had said it would start low.
“But as it is, there won’t be enough Guush hair. I’d like this village to try raising Guush in pasture.”
I explained that since their natural habitat in the forest was limited, maybe the food they liked was here.
“But if it’s just for stuffed animals, demand shouldn’t be that high, should it?”
“Do you know about the new city being built between the domain capital and Eminira?”
“Yes, the talk of it has even reached this countryside.”
I explained that the new city would be a tourist destination, a place for people to visit, and that the stuffed animals would be sold as souvenirs only there. Still, his expression didn’t soften. As expected of a former knight captain.
What do you think about this chapter?
