Debut Party (10)
After that, while I was listening to Lord Taur’s requests about his outfit, Lord Sazaby and Marquis Vardmoi returned.
Apparently, they’d gone off to have some kind of private discussion.
… Huh? Where did old man Bastaraf wander off to?
“Your Majesty, so this is where you were.”
“Oh, spare me the act. You saw us apologizing just now, didn’t you?”
“Indeed. So, Lily, what did you agree to take on?”
“Yes. I’ll be making the outfit Lord Taur will wear for his investiture.”
“… I see. A fine choice—this will serve as proof that relations between you and the McFarlane Dukedom have been repaired.”
Even Marquis Vardmoi seems to think this is a job worth accepting.
Not that it matters—I’d have taken it anyway. That reward’s way too good!
“Still, Your Majesty, that commission must’ve cost you dearly.”
“One hundred Heavenwool Sheep. It wasn’t cheap, but for the sake of the kingdom’s future, it’s a fair price.”
“You mean those?”
“Hmm? Is there some problem with them?”
“No, not a major one. They’re just timid and easily frightened. Aside from that, they’re ordinary sheep. A hundred of them would have cost quite a fortune, though I suppose Lily could have bought them herself if she had the right connections.”
Yeah, and it’s because I don’t have those connections that I couldn’t buy them myself.
Anyway, sounds like this whole thing is turning into pure profit for me. Great news!
“By the way, Your Majesty, Princess Rodelight—you don’t plan to just sit back and watch Lily’s schools spread unchecked, do you?”
“Of course not. We intend to establish our own schools to counter—”
“Lily’s schools charge low tuition, teach not only basic knowledge but also advanced double-entry bookkeeping, and on top of that, they provide daily meals free of charge. Are you planning to build something better than that?”
“Guh… that’s…”
Even Princess Rodelight couldn’t argue with that.
How you design a school depends on where you expect to make money from it.
But my schools aren’t meant to profit—they’re charity work.
They run at a loss on their own, funded entirely by the profits from Saltas Company.
I even refuse most alumni donations.
Trying to compete with that, especially with a state-run school for commoners, sounds like an uphill battle.
“Wait, Vardmoi—do you have some kind of plan?”
“Of course, Your Majesty. I intend to establish an academy that takes in graduates of Lily’s schools who wish to pursue military service.”
“Ah, so something like a military academy.”
“We’ll also train guards, so it won’t be anything too grand, but yes, that’s the general idea. Competing with Lily’s schools is foolish. She’s providing nearly free basic education. Instead of fighting that, we should accept it and recruit from among her graduates.”
“That does make sense. But not all nobles will follow that reasoning.”
“Those who dislike Lily will likely try to compete. However, defying a decree issued in Your Majesty’s name would amount to opposing you directly. So they’ll accept it publicly while scheming something behind the scenes.”
“In other words, a useless rivalry, just as you say.”
“Exactly. They’ll either damage their territories by trying to rival Lily, or enrich them by cooperating with her. It’s a test of a noble’s wisdom.”
… Okay, I didn’t catch half of that, but I get the gist.
Basically, how the nobles respond to my schools will determine who prospers and who crashes.
With Kiblinki Saltas multiplying food supplies, things are only going to get busier from here.
“Now then, Your Majesty. The only thing you’ve commissioned from Lily is that boy’s outfit, correct?”
“Lord Sazaby, yes. Why do you ask?”
“Lily, do you have any time to spare?”
“Well, that depends on when the ceremony will be, but since it’s just a formal suit, it won’t take that long. Did you need something, Lord Sazaby?”
“Marquis Vardmoi told me something interesting—you can make armor using real dragon scales, is that true?”
“Wha—!?”
“Yes. I received mountains of material from the Dragon himself, so I can still make plenty. Why?”
“I’ll have the base armor forged here, and I want you to coat it with your silk and dragon scales. In short, I want you to craft a true Dragon Armor.”
Dragon Armor, huh?
Oh, that sounds amazing. I’m in.
“Understood. When do you need it delivered?”
“The base armor will be finished sometime between late autumn and early winter. After that, you can work on it at your own pace. It’s not meant for battle—just for prestige.”
“Got it. I’ll start as soon as it arrives and finish as quickly as I can.”
“Excellent… Now then, Darshe, you heard all that? Marquis Vardmoi has already ordered dragon armor for himself, his successor daughter, and her husband. Don’t you want one as well?”
Oh boy, he’s stirring things up.
And technically, I haven’t agreed to that kind of deal with His Majesty yet.
“Hmmmm… if that’s true, we’d want one as a national treasure. But upsetting our balance with Lily further…”
“Your Majesty, perhaps we don’t need to insist on something instantly recognizable as Lily’s work.”
“What do you mean, Princess Rodelight?”
“Lady Lily, among your materials—did you happen to receive any fangs or claws?”
Fangs and claws… yeah, probably.
I haven’t checked closely, since I wasn’t that interested.
“Yes, I think so. What would you make from them?”
“A single sword. If it’s a sword, no one will know you were directly involved. Do you know any blacksmith skilled enough to forge a dragonfang blade?”
A blacksmith, huh? … Yeah, I do.
“Yes, I know someone perfect for that. So, I just have to entrust it to them, right?”
“Y-you even know a smith capable of forging a dragon’s sword…?”
Well, yeah, I’ve known them for quite a while now.
“Then please, commission that sword. Officially, Marquis Vardmoi will be listed as the client, and he’ll handle payment. Later, I’ll reimburse him the full amount and more.”
“So this will be a token of the Marquis’s formal loyalty to the crown?”
“Exactly. The Vardmoi faction has grown too large. This public gesture will help balance things again. Agreed?”
“Understood. Lily, can it be finished around the same time as the investiture outfit?”
Hmm… same time, huh?
That’s totally doable.
“The moment he gets the job, he’ll start hammering away with a grin. It’ll be done way ahead of schedule. My outfit will definitely take longer.”
“I—I see. Then that’s settled. We’re counting on you.”
Teysa’s gonna be thrilled about this one.
Maybe I should have Hannon prepare a special case for it too.
Either way, this project’s gonna wrap up fast.
What do you think about this chapter?
Thanks for the treat.