Chapter 327

The Reason Why My Store Would Be a Problem
The financing for the Count Galette’s territory has mostly been settled.
The problem is that I would end up monopolizing lower-ranked adventurers' armor, meaning I’d have to produce armor for men as well.
That’s the one thing I really can’t just brush aside.
However, according to Alizée, if we don’t recover profits from this part, there’s no point in making the investment.
Personally, I don’t mind spending money since I have plenty, but from the Trade Guild’s perspective, making an investment that doesn’t turn a profit isn’t ideal.
This is a problem.

“Hmmm, what should we do, Plum?”

“Do you mean about the armor production?”

“Yes. If I start making armor for men as well, I feel like that would cause all sorts of issues.”

“Issues, huh? Alright, let’s clarify exactly what those ‘issues’ are.”

I ended up having a back-and-forth with Plum, discussing what exactly made this a problem.
I thought the biggest issue was that my shop would no longer be exclusively for women, but according to Plum, that didn’t matter at all.

“Galette County is far away. As long as you’re selling over there, making armor for men shouldn’t be a problem. Unless they start swarming this shop, that is.”

“That’s true. Then what exactly is the problem?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out this time.”

Plum seemed to understand something but refused to tell me.
A bit stingy, honestly.

Well, setting that aside, I tried to think of a more concrete reason.
Since all the products in my shop are made using Magic Tailoring, the material costs are low, which reflects in the price, making the products cheaper.
I don’t fully understand it myself, but apparently, I have an absurdly high number of Magic Tailoring uses per day, which further drives down the prices.
In other words…

“... My pricing is way too low, so I’d end up putting all the other shops out of business?”

“Exactly. And on top of that, repairing magically sewn products without Magic Tailoring is difficult.”

I see, so it’s a pricing issue and an aftercare problem.
For the Red-ranked adventurers and Ulla’s equipment, I’ve enchanted them with Auto-Repair, so there’s no issue there.
However, enchanting lower-ranked adventurers' armor with Auto-Repair would be a problem.
That means even if the initial price is low, the armor would essentially become non-disposable.
That’s not a good thing for business.

But Alizée still wants me to open a store in Count Galette’s territory.
What should I do?

“... You really aren’t used to being in charge, are you?”

“Well, I’m not really old enough for that yet.”

“Fair enough. I’ll give you the answer. Hire staff to work over there. You probably won’t find anyone who can use Magic Tailoring, so just get regular leather armor craftsmen. Decide the number with Alizée.”

Apparently, people who can use Magic Tailoring are rare talents.
The three I hired from the orphanage still can’t use it yet.
I’ll have to consult with Alizée about hiring more people.

What do you think about this chapter?