Summons
I hurried to the tournament headquarters.
Several people were already gathered there.
That’s fast — I thought I’d be first since I was sitting up front with the representatives.
About fifteen minutes later, everyone had assembled, and Rosetta called out to let me know. Since there were a lot of people involved with the Local Cuisine Cafeteria, I called them over first to talk.
At first, they looked puzzled or uneasy, but once they understood what I was proposing, their expressions turned to surprise — some even asked, “Is that really true?” In the end, everyone seemed pleased with the idea.
I told them that my family’s administrative officer would explain the details at the Adventurers’ Guild tomorrow, and asked them to come by before sending them back to help with cleanup.
Next, I called over the group from the Quiche Tart Dough Style shop that wanted to collaborate.
“So, the dough I made will become a dessert base?”
“Exactly. We’ll layer sponge cake, whipped cream, and fruit on top. We’ll also need help from the fruit growers for the development. Would you like to give it a try?”
Once again, I told them the details would be discussed at the Adventurers’ Guild and sent them back to finish cleaning up.
That left two men.
I took out a small item and called over the man who had made it — a basket woven from a plant different from bamboo.
He explained that it was made from a plant growing around their village, something they’d used in place of bamboo crafts since long ago.
He said they made other things too, so I told him I’d like to visit the village sometime soon and asked for its name before sending him back to the cleanup.
Finally, I called the last man and asked if he was a bamboo craftsman. He said he was actually a wheat and field farmer, but made bamboo crafts in his spare time.
I showed him a sketch I had drawn of a tea whisk (chasen).
“Think you could make one out of bamboo?”
“This uses only the skin, with the inner part removed, right?”
I didn’t really understand his question, but it wasn’t fair to expect him to grasp my idea perfectly from such a rough sketch.
“I’ll give you one gold coin in advance. You don’t have to return it even if it fails. Just tell them your name and pick it up tomorrow at the Adventurers’ Guild when you fill out the participation form.”
“I can’t accept that much.”
“Bamboo crafting’s a source of income too, isn’t it? This is a formal commission from me — please take it.”
“Thank you. I’ll make it happen,” he declared before leaving.
Once it was all done, I stood from my chair, stretched my arms above my head, and turned to look around the hall — only to find Uncle Davit and Duke Clondale standing there.
So they’d been listening from behind, huh? Well, whatever.
“Reinhardt, there are a few things I’d like to ask.”
“I still need to oversee the cleanup of the venue today. Would tomorrow be all right?”
“Very well.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but must’ve decided to hold back given the situation.
The next day, while cleanup at the venue continued, I was summoned to the conference room — this time by three people: Princess Rinaluna, Duke Clondale, and Uncle Davit.
Well, they’d been patient enough, so I couldn’t refuse.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting until now. Thanks to everyone’s cooperation, the exhibition ended successfully,” I said, bowing my head to the three of them.
“No, we’re the ones who made unreasonable demands. Still, it was a great success.”
“Thank you. It wasn’t quite the kind of event I had envisioned, but I’m glad the townsfolk enjoyed it.”
“Not as you envisioned?”
“No. Ideally, I wanted people to take their time strolling around, and to be able to eat what they’d bought right there at the venue.”
“But that idea of turning the main boulevard and shopping streets into a pedestrian zone, closing them off and lining up long tables and chairs for dining — that was brilliant.”
“That was only possible thanks to the cooperation of the local stores and merchants.”
“The idea of compensating the smaller shops for closing by purchasing the goods used in the venue was also excellent.”
If they already knew all that, they probably didn’t need to summon me here in the first place.
“Now to the main point — we’d like you to evaluate the expenses, including the preliminaries, and analyze the economic impact, then report it in the royal capital.”
“You’re already investigating all that yourselves, aren’t you? You could just send in a written report.”
“Actually,” said the Princess, “we’d also like to propose that the female administrative officer uniforms and necktie rings you designed be adopted in the royal castle. So this would be a presentation — together with the officials who worked on them.”
“The necktie rings carry a risk of misuse.”
“There’s risk, yes, but after seeing the two officials from Westland, I believe the castle will want to adopt them.”
“Couldn’t Brother Chris accompany them instead of me?”
“We thought of that, but since those two are still new this year, it might be too much pressure for them.”
“To be blunt, we’d like your insight on how to ensure success if the event is held in the royal capital.”
“I really don’t want to expand my circle of acquaintances in the royal palace any further.”
“We’ll be selective about who you meet.”
So they really want me to go, huh.
“There’s absolutely no benefit to my family in doing this.”
My response must’ve caught them off guard, as the Princess’s expression flickered for an instant.
“I’ve been fully transparent with everything. Why should I be the one to plan a royal-sponsored event? My family is already busy developing the new district. We’ve poured huge amounts of money into it and are doing everything we can to make it a success. Copying what we do is fine — but if you intend to rely on us further, then you’ll need to offer proper compensation.”
I’ve got villages to visit after this. I don’t have time to tag along with them.
What do you think about this chapter?
