Chapter 456

About the Future in Vardmoi
Ten days after I returned to Plafard, Corinius and his faction were executed.
Everyone except Corinius was beheaded, but Corinius himself was burned at the stake.
How should I put it... he looked like he was in pain.
I’m not sure if that was a fitting end for someone who caused so much suffering, but in any case, the old regime has now been dealt with.

After witnessing the execution, we returned to Vardmoi.
I resumed making winter clothes, which I had already started.
Marquis Vardmoi took Miss Haniela, the daughter of Duke Plafard, to report the outcome of the incident to Duke McFarlane.
As the duke’s daughter, Miss Haniela was also expected to accompany him for the formal greetings.
I was told I didn’t need to go, and since I had winter clothes to prepare, I stayed behind in Vardmoi.
Well, I’m not officially a subordinate of Marquis Vardmoi anyway, so there was no need for me to go.

Then, some time later, Marquis Vardmoi and the others returned—and I was immediately summoned.
Yep, something definitely happened.

“Lily. This might sound strange, but... do you have funds to spare?”

“I do. Why do you ask?”

“It’s about the double-entry bookkeeping you're trying to teach the orphans. His Majesty the Duke has put a stop to it. Apparently, providing such a high-level education only to orphanage children is problematic.”

Hmm, even if you tell me it’s a problem...
It’s not like I’m teaching anything harmful.
I think it should be fine.

“I discussed it with His Majesty, and the royal house has decided to establish a new school to teach it there instead. You’ll be participating as the originator of that calculation method.”

“Uh, I didn’t come up with double-entry bookkeeping though.”

“We even confirmed with the Guildmaster of the Trade Guild, and he said he’d never heard of such a method. If no one is recognized as the originator, it can’t be taught.”

“I suppose that makes sense, but...”

“Don’t call yourself the ‘inventor’ or the ‘discoverer.’ Be the ‘originator.’ That’s the compromise. Someone has to be named the originator, and it’ll be officially endorsed by the royal house. Miss Haniela will be the one teaching it, but it wouldn’t be right to say it came from the Plafard house. You’ll be the originator.”

He’s being really insistent this time.
He must’ve gone through some pretty tough negotiations.
I guess I’ll give in here.
My goal isn’t to claim credit for the idea—it’s to educate the children.

“Understood. So, about the funding you mentioned earlier?”

“Right. As the originator of double-entry bookkeeping, you’ll be paid a large sum. However, even His Majesty can’t build schools in smaller towns, only in large cities. So he’s asked you to use that payment to fund schools in those smaller areas.”

Hmm. Here’s the detailed explanation:

Under the Duke’s initiative, new schools for commoners will be established.
But due to financial constraints, they can only be built in relatively large towns.
That’s far from enough to achieve my goal.

So, I’ll personally invest in building schools in the noble territories of Marquis Vardmoi’s vassals.
The funding will come from the compensation for the double-entry bookkeeping rights.
Marquis Vardmoi managed to obtain that permission directly from the Duke.

Ordinarily, not even powerful nobles—let alone commoners—are allowed to build their own schools.
But by exchanging the rights to double-entry bookkeeping, and limiting the scope to Marquis Vardmoi’s vassal territories, he made it happen.
He’s really capable.

“So, how much money do I need to pay?”

“You don’t need to pay anything directly. As long as you're seen as earning enough to ‘operate schools,’ that’s sufficient. I’ll cover the actual construction costs.”

“Really? Is it okay for me to rely on you like that?”

“It’ll eventually help energize the areas under my influence. I won’t be stingy.”

“You’re really generous. But won’t it be complicated, running schools and all?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll use my connections to gather teachers. Also, as part of the education, we’d like to attach a church of the ‘Eight Gods.’ Is that acceptable?”

“The Eight... Gods?”

Uh-oh, I don’t know that religion.
Still, moral education is important...
What should I do?

“You haven’t heard of it, Lily? They don’t have large temples or big religious events, so it’s understandable.”

“So, what kind of religion is it?”

“You can hear a proper sermon at the church in Vardmoi, but to sum it up: ‘Do not deceive others. Reflect on yourself. Live without shame before the heavens.’ That’s their doctrine. They believe in Eight Great Gods in the Heavens, and a variety of other deities under them.”

“That sounds pretty relaxed.”

“I heard it’s a religion that formed from a mix of local beliefs and myths. In the past, people had their hands full just fighting monsters—there was no time for humans to fight each other. Even if they believed in different gods, they considered each other comrades.”

It really does seem relaxed.
But it doesn’t seem extreme, so I guess there’s no problem.
The school construction will fully begin after winter ends, so for now we’ll settle things behind the scenes.
Things have gotten really big...
Still, I’m not backing out. This was my idea, after all.

What do you think about this chapter?