Chapter 41

I've Heard This Story Before
After returning to the mansion, we headed straight to Father’s study.

Lately, hasn’t this pattern been happening a lot?

Mother was in the study as well. That was convenient.

"I think a tile-block printing would be very useful. It takes time for news to spread throughout the domain, but this method would shorten that time. Charging advertisement fees to reduce our expenses is a good idea too. And if we ask the orphanage to sell the prints, post them on boards, and collect them later, wouldn’t that become a source of income for them?"

"Mother, I think that’s a great idea. Could the orphanage handle the printing itself too? We’ll also need to find someone who can do the carving."

"Since it's just single-color printing, with practice, the older children could handle it. But that’ll be after we successfully create the printing blocks."

I left the finer details to them.

"Hardt, I'm curious whether you came up with the name 'tile-block printing (kawaraban) yourself, but never mind that. If this paper can be mass-produced, we should get Brother Davitt involved. This is turning into a nationwide project. Our family alone can't handle it."

Mother was sharp.

No, I didn’t come up with the idea. It was knowledge from my past life.

Will I have to explain that at some point?

"Shouldn't we wait until it's proven successful in our domain first?"

"It’s not a complicated project, so the chances of success are high. But first, we should visit the village and assess the situation."

And so, I suddenly found myself riding a carriage with Father, Raziel, and the others, heading to Shinana Village, where the straw paper was produced.

It seemed interesting, so Brother Gerald decided to join us this time as well.

Since Ripka would get tired if he flew too much, he perched on his shoulder while traveling.
Atre was napping on my lap.

Shinana Village was a half-day’s carriage ride away, so we planned to stay overnight before returning.

"My lord, I never expected you to come all the way to a village like ours. Thank you." Said the Village Chief, Hind, bowing his head.

Looking around, I saw broken fences and neglected farmland.

This village clearly had some problems.

Guided by Chief Hind, we entered his home.
It looked sturdier than the other buildings in the village.

"We don’t have any luxurious accommodations suitable for the lord. You’ll have to stay at my house."

"No, that’s fine. I’m used to sleeping outdoors. Sorry for the sudden visit."

When we asked about the village's situation, we learned that three months ago, it had been attacked by orcs and goblins, devastating the fields.

Many of the able-bodied villagers had left to work elsewhere to earn money for the winter, so there weren’t enough people left to repair the damage.

… Wait, this sounds familiar.

"This sounds like Canal’s story." I muttered.

The village chief reacted.

"My grandson’s name is Canal Bogarts. Do you know him?"

"Uh... If I recall correctly, Canal’s grandfather broke his leg?"

He had been injured in a goblin attack, but a villager who could use healing magic had treated him, so he had since recovered.

Canal’s father, frustrated that merchants rarely came to the village, had gone to the capital to become a merchant himself.

As promised, he had become a merchant and now visited the village once a month.

So, Canal must have accompanied him on those visits.

"Apologies for interrupting, but what business does the lord have with us? As you can see, I doubt we can be of much help."

"I heard this village produces this paper." Father said, showing him the straw paper.

"Ah, yes. This has been used in our village for generations. Normal paper is expensive, so we only use it for letters."

It’s been around for generations?

Why hasn’t it spread elsewhere if it’s so useful?

"I’d like to purchase all the paper you currently have available. Also, if I asked you to increase production, would that be possible?"

"This paper is made from straw. We can produce more as long as we set aside enough for livestock bedding and daily necessities."

"Then, produce as much as you can. Of course, we’ll pay for it. Your son is a merchant, right? Could you ask him to deliver the finished paper to the mansion?"

What do you think about this chapter?