Chapter 397

Request for Establishing a School
That should be enough discussion about the Kiblinki Saltas group.
Even if they were granted more land, with their current numbers, they’d likely be overwhelmed.
Besides, there’s already a lot to be done—initial cultivation in the new settlement, building their own village, and preparing to start livestock farming.
If it were me, I’d collapse from overwork.
No doubt, the Kiblinki Saltas are diligent workers.

“Let’s set aside the topic of Kiblinki Saltas for now… Lady Lily, I have another request for you.”

“A request for me? What is it?”

“I would like a school to be established in my domain. We will prepare the building and all. I only ask that you send teachers to staff it.”

A school, huh?
What exactly does he mean by that?

After hearing more details, it seems that while exchanging messages with Viscount Juneb, the topic of assigning teachers to orphanages came up.
If it were just teaching reading, writing, and basic arithmetic, Baron Oxit would have considered it a standard charitable act and paid it little mind.
However, the education provided at the Juneb orphanage went far beyond that.
They were apparently teaching a simpler method of bookkeeping than the currently common one.
If that’s the case, children from the orphanage would have a better chance at employment.
More than anything, advanced education is important for revitalizing the domain.
And so, the discussion evolved into the establishment of a school.
Yeah… that escalated quickly.

“Um, that initiative was part of the Juneb orphanage’s plans, not really something intended for constructing schools everywhere…”

“However, Viscount Juneb expressed concern that only orphanage children would have access to advanced education. There’s even fear that parents might start abandoning their children just to give them a chance at it.”

Ah, I hadn’t thought of that.
Certainly, if only orphanage children receive higher education, such behavior from some parents might occur.
What should I do about this?

While I was hesitating to respond, Marquis Vardmoi stepped in to assist.
He said that the establishment of a school crosses the bounds of a mere merchant.

“I understand Baron Oxit and Viscount Juneb’s concerns. However, deciding on the establishment of a school here and now is far too premature. Once we return to Vardmoi, we’ll work out the details. Please wait for now.”

“Is that true, Marquis Vardmoi?”

“Of course. The moment Lily decided to offer advanced education at the Juneb orphanage, I had already considered proposing school construction to her. But building schools on a larger scale brings with it various issues.”

“Issues…?”

“First, we must remember that Lily is just a merchant. The reason she’s allowed to provide higher education at the Juneb orphanage is because she’s directly managing it. But if schools were to be built in each domain, the nobles would have to take the lead. At that point, wouldn’t it be problematic if all the instructors were handpicked by Lily?”

In other words, they’re worried that with me deciding everything, the education content might become biased.
As far as I’m concerned, all I intended to teach was literacy, arithmetic, double-entry bookkeeping, and ethics—basically common sense.
But “common sense” differs depending on the person.
Having it shaped by the whims of a single merchant is certainly an issue.
And I’m not all that familiar with what’s considered “common sense” in this world.
I thought about relying on the Trade Guild, but then there’s the risk they’d only promote what benefits them.
“Common sense” really is tricky.

“Second, if we’re to build schools, we’d likely need to establish them throughout my faction’s entire territory. Juneb would need one not just for the orphanage, but at least in the main city as well. Other reasonably sized towns should have them too. We can’t entrust all of that to Lily. It’s best that such charitable initiatives be led by the nobility. It’s also for the sake of ensuring Lily’s company doesn’t grow any larger.”

Yeah, my company has gotten pretty big already.
Right now, I’ve only formally signed contracts with the four domains after Viscount Juneb’s, but I plan to finalize contracts with the remaining domains on the way back.
Most of the deals are just for the buying and selling of vegetables and grains, but even that ensures the company will become quite large.
If it gets any bigger, I might not be able to manage it anymore.

“And third, this is the most important point—if we plan to build schools across a wide area, we’ll need permission from His Majesty. Depending on how things go, we may even need to construct them across all domains, not just those in my faction. In that case, we’d need to determine who will take the lead, and how much compensation Lily, as the originator of this ‘double-entry bookkeeping’ system, will receive. Many details will need to be worked out. At the very least, we must obtain His Majesty’s permission.”

So basically, I’m being told: “Don’t go around teaching things on your own.”
Depending on what’s taught, it could become disadvantageous for the country.
If it’s just a private class in a single town, that’s one thing, but expanding across territories as a formal educational institution is another matter entirely.
Even His Majesty will need time to deliberate on something like this.
Looks like the school plan is going to be on hold for a while.

What do you think about this chapter?