Please Give Up
This summer, when Brother Chris returned from the academy, a lot happened—Brother Gerald partnered with Ripka, and Brother Chris with Bianca.
Then, a royal princess visited from the royal family, Brother Chris’s school friends came to our house, and we even worked on treating the decaying World Tree.
It was quite an eventful summer.
Brother Chris and his friends returned to the royal capital for the new school term.
I felt relieved that life was finally returning to normal.
As planned, we will go to the Sea of Trees next week to check on the World Tree.
The team had marked the path to the World Tree, but when they later tried to find the markers again, they had disappeared.
It seems that the World Tree isn’t a place we can visit freely—we likely need to be invited in order to enter.
This month, I turned eight years old.
Next month, after undergoing a mana assessment at the church, I will begin studying magic and practical skills, making frequent visits to the World Tree more difficult.
It would be nice if they could go without me...
As I was lounging on the sofa in the usual greenhouse, Georges came to tell me that Raziel wanted to see me.
Not the office, but Father’s study?
I was behaving myself, so why?
When I entered the study, I found Carlo there, looking nervous.
Well, of course, if Father (the lord) is present, it’s only natural to be tense.
Raziel told me that a prototype had been completed and asked me to take a look.
A prototype? I don’t remember requesting anything.
Curious, I opened the box on the table.
“Oh, it’s a glass pen! You actually made one just from our brief conversation at the workshop? That’s amazing, Carlo.”
“There’s still room for improvement, but I wanted you to see the prototype.” Carlo said nervously.
“Father, this is more convenient than a quill pen.”
I had Henry prepare some paper, ink, and a small pot of water. I dipped the glass pen into the ink.
Even just watching the dark blue ink coil around the transparent glass nib was beautiful.
The writing experience was smooth as well.
When Father and Raziel tried it out, they were impressed.
“Mr. Carlo, you did an amazing job getting this far in such a short time.”
“Thank you. Are there any improvements I should make?”
I started brainstorming ideas—how many grooves should the nib have for the longest writing time?
Would a longer nib hold more ink?
Would adding a round or oval bead between the nib and the handle make it easier to write?
And if they wanted to popularize it quickly, perhaps they could use wood for the handle instead of glass.
“I see. There’s still plenty of room for improvement in the nib design. Also, while making the entire pen out of glass takes time, mass production would be possible if we focus on just the nib.”
“Even in its current state, it’s easier to write with than a quill. I’d like to order twenty of them immediately. We can refine the design based on user feedback.” Father suggested after listening to our discussion.
It would be a good idea to gather feedback from others besides me.
I also explained that as long as the ink was rinsed off after use, the pen could be used with different colors.
Carlo promised to bring more prototypes and left.
I asked Raziel to stay behind.
“Young master Reinhardt, is there something else?”
“It’s about the glass pen. There’s a chance someone might create a substitute, so could you ask Mr. Carlo to apply for a patent and start developing another product?”
“You think copies will appear soon?”
“I’m not sure about ‘soon,’ but once people understand the mechanism, someone will eventually think of making a variation.”
“Oh… You mean they might make the nib out of metal?”
As we talked, I started to wonder—could this lead to the invention of the fountain pen?
I didn’t know the mechanics, so I’d leave that to Maria...
“Exactly. I can’t explain it well, so I need you to guide Mr. Carlo in that direction.”
“Carlo would probably jump at the chance to develop a new product. Understood. However, for now, I’ll have him focus on improving the glass pen. I’ll also handle the patent application preparations.” Raziel agreed.
I left the sales and distribution of the glass pen to Father and Raziel.
After Raziel left, Father asked what I planned to do next.
He had told me to behave, but now a new product was in development.
Well, it couldn’t be helped.
Once I start thinking about ideas, I just can’t stop.
You might as well give up, Father.
I made sure to emphasize that the real credit should go to Carlo, Maria, and the craftsmen who actually brought my ideas to life.
Father told me not to be ridiculous, but I could tell he had already resigned himself to my antics.
What do you think about this chapter?
