Chapter 1:
Plans for the Future and Cliff's Concerns
ONE MONTH HAD PASSED since the events in the Shirone Kingdom.
Winter was drawing to a close, and spring was right around the corner. For the
past month, I'd focused on crafting a detailed plan with Orsted. Our first order of
business: gathering allies. For this, we settled on a three-pronged approach.
The first major goal would be putting together an intelligence agency to
gather information. Ruquag's Mercenary Band, the group that Aisha and Linia
set up, would work nicely for this. Its top brass were all my people, so I might as
well use them. I'd have their full cooperation behind the scenes. I'd structure the
group's global hierarchy such that headquarters maintained contact with each
branch, so it would pull in information from countries around the world. I'd
design them so that if I ever couldn't make it to headquarters, I could still visit a
branch to learn every detail of the current news.
This would be less for Orsted's use and more for mine. I was placing my
pieces on the board, ready to be played.
The second goal was to draw in figures of authority and future leaders.
Laplace's resurrection was going to trigger a war—with all of humanity, I
suppose. If each nation was prepared, it would only improve their response times
when the invasion finally came. So, we'd inform those in power of the coming
war and what was at stake. We'd offer whatever little aid we could and have
them prepare for what was coming for us in eighty years at whatever pace they
could manage. The cooperation of these nations in the coming Laplace war
could make our lives as Ruquag's Mercenary Band easier if we had it—or much,
much harder if we didn't.
The third prong in the plan was to recruit warriors for combat. This was
the primary goal, as far as Orsted was concerned. He'd rather other fighters take
on Laplace instead of him. If we managed to lift Orsted's curse so he didn't have
to fight solo anymore, then we could even have our new recruits join the final
battle against the Man-God. Orsted and I talked over who would be a good fit,
and finally settled on this profile: The warriors already fated to battle Laplace,
but who won't easily become disciples of the Man-God.
For instance, titles such as Ogre God and Ore God— their current holders
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had no hate or love for Laplace, but future generations would oppose him later
on. Same for schools like Water God Style and Sword God Style—the current
practitioners were far removed from Laplace, but their apprentices would face
him down as well. We also planned to ask long-living warriors like North God
Kalman the Third or Death God Randolph. Some held personal grudges against
Laplace—Ruijerd especially. Ruquag's Mercenary Band could locate the ones
whose whereabouts were unknown, after which I could visit them personally and
negotiate on my hands and knees. I imagined that some of them would ask me to
make it worth their while. But for now, the plan more or less came down to
asking all the strong and capable people that came to mind.
Now, then.
Once we assembled all those resources, we'd be faced with final
bottleneck: the Man-God. Knowing him, he was sure to send his disciples to get
in our way. For the most part, we didn't know who might end up serving as one
of the Man-God's disciples. Orsted said that he could estimate the odds in any
normal loop, but since the disciples in this loop already included people who'd
never joined the Man-God before, it would be hard to tell for certain. If I wanted
to carry out my missions, then I had to risk-proof them against disciples that
Orsted wouldn't see coming.
As for how I could do that… To be honest, I couldn't think of anything.
So, I decided not to think. I didn't know what standards the Man-God chose his
disciples by. Orsted said he "tended to choose those with strong fate," but people
with weak fates had already shown up as disciples. I didn't even get how you
could measure the "strength" of someone's fate. It seemed like the kind of rule
that only Orsted and the Man-God would understand. Even if I tried to follow
every minute detail, asking Orsted about every little thing would just give him
more of a headache. Thinking about it wouldn't get me very far.
I was a small piece in this game, but pawns can still make power moves. I
could spread a message among the people we ally with, something like, "don't
believe what comes to you in a dream." Disciples would probably pop up, even
so. We'd just have to confirm it with anyone we find suspicious and kill them if
necessary. A tough job, but I'd do it.
Aside from that looming and nasty work, there weren't any downsides to
making every ally I could. After all, the Man-God could only have three
disciples at a time, which meant that every number added to our forces gave us
an advantage. If there were only five people on our side, our strength would fall
by twenty percent if one were to betray us and become a disciple. If that disciple
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joined the enemy forces, the math would look even worse for us. But if there
were ten of us, or maybe twenty of us. Maybe a hundred, or a thousand…
Basically, the greater our numbers, the less impact a betrayal or two would have
on our position. True, we'd be screwed if a leader on our side fell under the
Man-God's control and turned a thousand allies into enemies, so I had to
minimize that risk by not giving any one leader too much power. Then again, I
was going to be that leader for a while, so I didn't need to worry about it for
now. It'd become a problem following my death, but there already were plenty
of leaders far more suited to the job than I was, and more in line after that. I
already had Roxy, after all.
Recruitment was just one of many logistical needs. I needed a way to
contact Orsted, for instance. Our failure to prevent Pax's death during our last
battle happened due to a lack of communication. Of course, it was far from the
only cause…but if we'd had some clear way to reach Orsted, we might have
been able to stop it. I couldn't rely on Orsted for everything, but our plans were
going to have us working separately more and more, so communication would
be crucial. It was better to handle a delicate situation after consulting with your
team than to trust your gut feeling alone. And if you knew your ally was in
danger, you could rush to help. Not that I could imagine Orsted needing me to
save him, but even being able to send him some information one-way could help
him in a pinch.
And so, I brought all this up to Orsted. I tried to explain the concept of a
phone while asking if something like that already existed, and whether we could
make one if it didn't.
"So, a magical implement that can send voices or text?" Orsted asked.
"Text alone would be fine, but I figure it'd help if we had some way to
share information over long distances. Like, if I have to make a tough decision,
I'd rather talk it over with someone first. Do you think that's possible?"
I wasn't optimistic. That would've been too convenient, right?
"The dragonfolk have a magical implement like that," said Orsted. "If we
recreate it, then it should be possible to do what you're asking."
I was surprised. "Huh, so stuff like that really does exist?"
"Yes. You've seen one before, too."
For real? When the heck did that happen? Something like that would've
been way too handy for me to forget about it.
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"The monuments to the Seven Great Powers and the Adventurers' Guild
cards."
"Oh, those!"
Now that he mentioned it, I had seen them. The Adventurers' Guild cards
accepted voice input, and the monuments to the Seven Great Powers had the
same text all over the world. Interesting, though; I didn't know that the
Adventurers' Guild cards were dragonfolk-made. They did seem unusually sci-fi
for a world like this…
"It'll take some modifications," Orsted continued, "but I'll try making
them."
"Huh? You mean you'd make them yourself?"
"Your arrival already threw a wrench into all of my predictions. I may as
well make those things in case we ever need them. Besides, they'll be useful
next time, too."
And with that, Orsted offered to make them himself. Definitely a
miscalculation I was happy to have made. Knowing that Orsted would still want
me as an ally next time made me all the happier.
"There's a chance it won't work out, so keep that in mind," Orsted
warned.
"Roger Wilco, boss!"
That settled the communicator issue.
One more thing, though. Given our failure last time, it was clear that there
was something else I needed to make: a way to transport the Magic Armor. Even
though I managed to bring the Version One with me last time, the only use it got
was when I traveled in it. Hauling it from the city to the fort was already a huge
hassle, but not being able to fit it inside the castle meant that it ended up useless
during my fight with Death God Randolph. I didn't think I'd be fighting anyone
on the Death God's level any time soon, but I couldn't rule it out. Given how
dire the situation was back then, I wanted to be proactive this time around.
Development on the Version Three was still progressing, of course, and its
goal was to resolve these issues by being both powerful and lightweight.
However, there was still a long way to go before it would be completed. Even
with Zanoba's full cooperation it was still going to take a year or two to finish
this project.
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To that, one suggestion came to mind. Why not summon the Version One
as is? According to what Sylvaril once taught me, physical objects couldn't be
summoned…but I felt like, you know, with a little change of perspective, it
might be possible. I planned to try it out myself just to be sure. If it didn't work,
then that would be that.
With that, plans for gathering allies were finalized. For now, I would
expand Ruquag's Mercenary Band and network with powerful figures in nations
around the world. We'd start with Cliff and Ariel—a relative of the Millis
Church's pope, and the next ruler of the Asura Kingdom. I was already halfway
to being allies with them, and now it was time to officially add them into
Orsted's camp.
Who first? Cliff, of course—he was stationed nearby. Making Cliff an ally
would give us ties to the Millis Church. The Holy Country of Millis was
powerful, which would make them a powerful force in the war against Laplace,
too. Battles came down to money and numbers, after all. Having some
connections who could provide both wouldn't hurt.
Cliff might have said otherwise, but I considered him a close friend. He
was already helping out with Orsted's curse, so a verbal agreement was probably
all I needed to get him fully aboard. I could already hear him say "Sure" with no
hesitation in my head. With my plan settled, I made my way toward the
apartment where Cliff lived.
I arrived at Cliff's love nest. It was a rare moment of me not catching
them in the act; the afternoon apartment was silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Then again, if they went at it every day, his neighbors probably wouldn't get
much rest… Wait! I'd misremembered. They typically did it in the school's
research room this time of day. Maybe it only got busy around here at night?
When I entered his room, I was greeted by a gaunt, exhausted Cliff. "Oh,
hey, Rudeus…"
He seemed like he was doing all right during Elinalise's pregnancy right
up until his child's birth, but lately, he'd been white as a sheet every time I saw
him. I was starting to worry about his stamina outside the bedroom, too.
"Oh, Rudeus. What's the occasion?" asked Elinalise.
Elinalise, on the other hand, had a healthy glow. She had a satisfied look
on her face as she held her baby up to her breast. She was naked above the waist,
and wore only a pair of panties below it. It seemed like I'd caught them in a
short break; they were probably going to pick up where they left off once lunch
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was over.
"Ah, well, I had something to discuss," I explained. That said, I was
distracted—the sight of this blonde, dainty beauty bestowing her baby with a
nipple was high art. It belonged in a museum. Her lithe elven body certainly
didn't help. The tension between her usual sluttery and the almost saintly scene
before me was captivating.
Seeing Sylphie and Roxy breastfeed gave me that same feeling. Even Eris
had been showing that sort of tension lately; she carried that baby and let him get
away with suckling her teat without so much as a shout or a slap. Yes, the sight
of a woman becoming a mother and offering a breast to her child is enchanting.
"Hey, Rudeus, could you stare a bit less intensely?" asked Cliff.
"Huh? Oh, sorry."
I'd gotten too lost in thought, and Cliff snapped me back to reality. My
bad. I wasn't looking out of horniness. Seriously.
"And Lise, we have a guest over, so could you put some clothes on?"
"Oh my, Cliff… Are you getting jealous?"
"Yes, I am. You might only see Rudeus as family, though…"
Elinalise's shoulders slumped. "Fine, if you insist."
She retreated with her baby into an inner room.
"Rudeus, could you please refrain from looking at my wife like a piece of
meat when you already have three wives of your own?"
"Piece of meat? Hey, listen—"
I tried to explain that I had done no such thing, but the fact was that I did
look. I wouldn't want people looking at my wives naked either, so it was better
to apologize.
"Never mind, I'm sorry. I'll keep that in mind next time."
"Right…"
Cliff heaved a sigh as he sank into his sofa. He was certainly tired, but he
also seemed to be in a sour mood. Maybe he was having some technical
difficulties during his nightlife.
"So, what did you come for today?" he asked.
"Oh, well, I just had a little request. An invitation, if you will…"
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Cliff stared back at me with vacant eyes. It felt kind of hard to broach the
subject. I considered coming back later, but I figured I ought to ask why he
seemed so bothered first.
"Did…something happen?"
"Nah, nothing…" Cliff started, but he shook his head and began again.
"On second thought, your timing's perfect. It's something I have to tell you
about anyway."
It felt like he was leading into something serious, like how Zanoba was
recently summoned by his family.
"The truth is…a letter came in from my grandfather in the Holy Country
of Millis."
It was following the same pattern, too. That could only mean one thing:
this was designed to lure Cliff away. Was it another war? Or was it a trap laid by
the Man-God? No matter. Either way, I was planning to ask Cliff to build some
bridges between me and the Holy Country of Millis. He apparently had the same
idea, so he wouldn't waste time by asking me to tag along. I would have liked
for him to stay in Sharia, of course, but I had a goal to pursue.
Cliff stood up and pulled a single letter from off his shelf. It gave me
another hit of déjà vu. I could guess the contents of the letter without reading a
single word. Do you know how much money it cost your grandfather to raise
you? And why it cost money? So that you would grow to be an asset to our
faction. And when do we need that asset? Right now!
I had to prepare for the worst before looking.
"Oh, it's not that serious a problem or anything," Cliff said as he gave his
cheek a nervous scratch. He seemed to feel a bit guilty. "It's just that we agreed
a long time ago that I'd return once I graduated. I'm only worried about my
travel budget and any dangers on the road."
I took a look at the letter.
It started off asking after Cliff's health. After that, it instructed him to
show the enclosed insignia of the Millis Faith Curia at a Millis Church if he ever
ran low on travel funds. It said Millishion was currently embroiled in a power
struggle and that they were on the losing side. Then, a stern warning: Cliff had to
prepare for the worst if he intended to come home, and if he couldn't, then he
shouldn't bother. Cliff's grandfather concluded the letter by saying that despite
the harsh words, he longed to see Cliff again and that he was awaiting his return
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from the bottom of his heart.
Every word on the page bled concern for Cliff. I'd never met Cliff's
grandfather, but if he could write such a heartfelt letter, then I was sure he had to
be a good person. What could be the problem with this?
"Honestly, I've been going back and forth," said Cliff, apparently
referring to the part about preparing for the worst. "I was planning to return
home the moment I graduated. It's what I'd trained so hard for. It's what I'd
wanted this whole time until now. I was confident that I could even make it in
the cutthroat world of the Millis Church."
"Figures," I said. Cliff had been talking about it from the beginning; once
he graduated the academy, he'd return to the Holy Country of Millis and follow
in his grandfather's footsteps… Though of course, he understood how difficult
papal succession had become lately, so he'd been diligently training for the
humble profession of priesthood as well.
"But," Cliff continued as he sat back down on the couch and held his head
in his arms, "I've gotten married. I even have a child."
I instantly understood what he was worried about. It was the same kind of
worry that I'd always been plagued by.
"The Millis Church, they have no qualms with targeting the families of the
weak…of their enemies."
"…"
"Lise would be fine, she knows how to protect herself. But Clive, he's not
old enough to walk on his own two feet. I'm—I'm not confident that I can
protect him."
I understood his concern. You always want to keep your loved ones safe.
"I haven't even told my grandfather I'm married. If word got out that the
Millis pope's grandson got married to an elf, he could have a scandal on his
hands. One that could force him to flee the country."
The Millis faith was pretty rough on other races. Elves might typically
face less discrimination due to being a forest-dwelling race, but I'd heard that
there were extremists who persecuted them just because they weren't human.
And given that Elinalise wasn't exactly in great standing among the elves, the
reality awaiting Cliff and his family was harsh.
"I've been thinking about it over and over. Should I go back, should I not
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go back. Then Lise comforts me when I just don't know anymore… It's all I've
been thinking about lately. It's a bit late to realize this, but I think I get what
made Zanoba so stubborn about going back to Shirone…"
I was sure that Cliff personally wanted to return, even if he wasn't set on
it. But doing so would put his wife and son in danger; worse yet, his choice of
wife could even put his grandfather at risk. Would it be right to stay committed
to his old dreams? Impossible to say. Even I didn't know the answer. But what I
came here to discuss also touched upon that very question. I was finally in a
position to offer him a lifeline.
"Cliff?"
"…What?"
"I'd like to you to join Orsted's army in a formal capacity."
Cliff stared blankly in response. It might have been a clunky choice of
words on my part, but I didn't want to confuse him by asking him to "join my
cause" or something. I had to be clear.
"What do you mean?"
"If you become Orsted's subordinate, then Orsted and I can offer you our
full support. You'll be able to protect Elinalise and Clive while also leading your
grandfather's camp to victory."
Cliff furrowed his brow. "If I accepted your help, what would I need to
do?"
"Once you assume power, you'll have to prepare for Laplace's eventual
resurrection."
From there, I explained my plan—the one centered on Orsted eighty years
from now. I'd mentioned the Man-God to Cliff before, but this time, I explained
everything in detail from the beginning.
"…" Once I was done telling him everything, Cliff looked deep in
thought.
"So, what do you think?" I asked.
Cliff didn't answer right away; he crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and
mumbled in consternation. "Hmm…"
I thought it was a pretty good deal. Cliff knew that his vague disdain for
Orsted was due to Orsted's curse. He didn't know what Orsted was really like
without the curse…but even if you took him out of the equation, I wouldn't
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betray Cliff. I would've been sad if he had questions about that.
"Can…can you give me some more time?" Cliff asked, as though his
response was being pried out of him after all that deep thought. "The graduation
ceremony's happening soon. I'll make a decision by then."
He gave me a clear deadline, so I had no choice but accept it. I had to
wonder why he couldn't let himself simply nod and agree, but perhaps Cliff
himself didn't understand his hesitation.
"In that case, you should talk it over with Elinalise, too," I said. "There's
no reason to carry the whole burden yourself."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's right. Thanks."
This time, Cliff simply nodded as a faint smile crept across his face.
Elinalise probably overheard our discussion. I'd noticed flashes of blonde
hair peeking out from behind a cracked-open door down the hall. I was sure that
someone like her could make Cliff see sense. They might not end up where I'd
like…but hey, that'd be fine, too.
"All right, I'll come back later."
"Sure. Sorry about all this," said Cliff.
"Don't worry. I know it's hard, but we're all in this together."
With that, I left Cliff's room—though, not before giving the heads up to
Elinalise.
I'd wait until the graduation ceremony for Cliff's answer. That was about
two months out, so I figured I'd get things rolling on another project. For that
one, I needed Zanoba's assistance.
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Chapter 2:
The Zanoba Store
ZANOBA WAS NO LONGER a prince. He'd been spending his days pawning
off his royal relics so he could build a house near my own—a stout, two-story
place. He designed it with figurine production in mind, so the first floor was
wide and spacious, like a garage. The living space was primarily on the second
floor, where he planned to house Ginger, Julie, and himself. It seemed roomy
enough for the three of them. I didn't know how their relationships would
change over time, though; might get a little strange if any of them got married.
Anyway, while he had enough money for now (whether it was from
savings or from a royal allowance), it was only going to down from here. I
decided to pay rent to him for the Magic Armor production, which I also
categorized as research costs. Zanoba accepted the money, but not without some
objection.
"I'm not the only one working on this, so I can't help but feel it wrong to
be the one to accept money for it," he said with a pensively raised brow.
I caught his drift; the creation of the Magic Armor was a team effort
between Zanoba, Cliff, and myself. But here, only Zanoba was receiving R&D
funding. It didn't add up.
But by that logic, what really didn't add up was me. I went out and did
work in the Magic Armor, and I was the one getting compensated for it. In other
words, I was the only one receiving money from the Magic Armor's creation
until now. A creation that we had all worked together to make. The Magic
Armor wasn't created for financial gain, but it's in our nature as humans to go at
each other's throats over an extra coin. If I wanted to be fair about it, then I
should have paid Cliff, too. Though Cliff was hardly pressed for money, of
course, so I wasn't sure he'd take it.
Well, that aside.
There are times in life where you just have to pay up if you're asked. And
hey, nobody I knew was greedy enough to take advantage of myself. I had
enough wiggle room in my pocketbook to be charitable. Yes, we all have a duty
to give back when we've got some financial freedom.
Either way, I needed the Magic Armor, and I also needed Zanoba's
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figurine-engineering skills. It's only natural to pay money for something you
need. And with that, I could consider Zanoba's lifestyle paid for.
I now stood before the front door of that figurine engineer's home. I took a
deep breath. I'd been told I was free to enter as I pleased, even when the head of
the house was absent. But there was one rule: knock before entry. It was simply
proper etiquette between two amicable compatriots.
"Zanobaaa, yoohoo! Open up already!" I shouted, calling for Zanoba as I
clanged the doorbell.
"Oh, Master. Please, by all means. The door's already open."
His response was incredibly quick. However, I needed a little more than
that.
"You suuure? Can I reeeally come inside? Watch out, I'm gonna dooo iiit!
Stop me while you caaan! Once I get staaarted, I can't hold myself baaaack!"
Not getting consent last time led to a mishap I nearly could have been
locked up over.
"I have no idea what you could possibly be referring to, but I won't stop
you, so do come in."
"You sure? There's no woman next to you getting dressed, is there?"
"You've nothing to worry about."
I felt that. I believed Zanoba. That's right, I'd place my trust in him once
again. In the man who never stopped believing in me when I got that diary from
the future. If black became white and the world were inverted, I'd know that
there was still a lone man worth believing in: Zanoba.
"Okie-doke, here I come."
I opened the door. This place was Zanoba's workshop from the first step
inside; it was a wide-open space with two work desks amidst a sea of wooden
boxes and figurines strewn all over. Zanoba sat in front of one of the desks. Julie
was with him.
That alone wouldn't have been out of the ordinary, but the atmosphere
about the workshop was a bit different today. If I had to put my finger on it, I'd
say the problem was in where Julie was sitting. Normally, Julie would be
making figurines at the desk just a short distance away from Zanoba's.
But today, she wasn't sitting at that desk.
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"…"
Julie was sitting on Zanoba's lap. She was sitting on his lap while looking
intently at the figurine she was painting.
Zanoba, by the way, was carefully carving away at a Magic Armor part
above her head. The scraps of his carvings were dropping on top of her head, but
Julie didn't seem to notice.
"Zanoba… You sure got close to Julie while I wasn't looking, huh?"
"Hm? Does that pose a problem?"
Julie's small frame nested within Zanoba's tall stature. They looked like
siblings. Wholesome! You know, as long as the only thing they did in that
position was make figurines together… But yeah, it was safe to say that there
was no hint of lewdness here. I mean, not that it'd have been a problem for them
if there had been. This world didn't have any age of consent laws, so nobody
would've held it against him.
But, just, you see…I did knock, so I wish they could've separated a little.
"Nah, you're a heartwarming sight," I said as I pulled up a chair from the
corner of the workshop.
"So, Master, what brings you here today?"
"About that…"
Of course, I didn't come to Zanoba's to talk about the weather. I'd already
tasked him with the Magic Armor manufacturing project, but I had another job I
wanted to give him that he'd work on in parallel.
"The truth is, Zanoba, I came to inform you of your new position."
"Huh… Position, you say?"
"Yes, position," I confirmed as I pulled a single piece of paper out of my
breast pocket. I held it up to Zanoba as though it were an offering.
"Ah, pardon my manners!" said Zanoba. He hurriedly plopped Julie down
and brushed the scrapings off of himself before gracefully accepting the paper.
The guy had a sense of refinement.
"Hmm…" murmured Zanoba. "It says that 'Zanoba Shirone is to be
assigned to the Figurine Sales Department.'"
"Indeed. I implore you to accept."
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"I wouldn't be unwilling to do so…but did we not intend to postpone that
project?"
This reassignment effectively meant that we'd begin moving forward with
the plans to sell those Ruijerd figurines that we had made so long ago. He might
have wondered why we were doing that now, at this moment. But actually,
selling those specific figurines at this specific time was crucial. We were going
to be enlisting leaders from around the world while also nabbing every ally we
laid eyes on for the battle against Laplace. However, there were a few people
whose whereabouts were unknown. Including, yes, Ruijerd.
Ruijerd spent typical timelines on the Demon Continent, but in this loop,
he warped with me to the Central one. I hadn't heard from him lately, nor did I
know where he was. I didn't think there was any chance of the worst coming to
pass with him, but the fact remained that I couldn't meet him and ask for his
help right this very moment.
Well, it wasn't like he was in hiding. We could find him easily with just a
little searching. But I couldn't deny it; he was the first person I wanted to ask for
help in defeating Laplace. This was Ruijerd, after all—Laplace and him had a
history together. I wanted to do whatever it took to find him and ask him
directly. I wanted to give him the chance to get his revenge…
Well, that was half an excuse. Deep down, I really just wanted to see
Ruijerd again after all these years. And maybe a mutual goal could set us side by
side on the same path again, if only for just a little while. So my motives were
selfish, but that was how we began selling the Ruijerd figurines. And hey, it was
sure to be faster than organizing a search party. Not to mention that repairing the
image of the Superd was something I'd been planning for a while…
I had other excuses for Zanoba too, just in case he needed more
convincing. Take, for example, the Magic Armor; Me, Zanoba, and Cliff had all
reached a standstill in the development of this weapon. There was a very real
possibility that the Version Three wouldn't be completed at all. But what luck!
In came these large-scale plans to sell figurines; reaching the scale required for
distribution and sales meant hiring and training engineers. Remember, the
engineering techniques for dolls and figurines could be carried right over to the
engineering of the Magic Armor. By increasing the number of specialists who
understood our engineering and having more iterations for trial and error, we
increased the odds of finding a revolutionary breakthrough. Developing talent
was key.
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"And that about covers the plan," I concluded. I had just finished
explaining all of that in great detail to Zanoba. "While I do have personal
reasons for wanting to do this, I want to grow our engineering expertise for the
Magic Armor project. I wanted to ask you because you understand this better
than anyone else."
"Hmm…"
"I'll search the Ruquag Mercenary Band for someone with prior business
experience to support you. And of course, Aisha and I will help you to get the
first store up and running. So…will you do it?"
"Indeed! It shall be done."
Zanoba nodded without hesitation and kneeled before me. Julie, after
watching from the sidelines, hurriedly took to her own knee as well.
"Grand Master! What is it that I shall do?" she chirped.
"Julie, you are to stay with Zanoba and follow his directions!"
"Okay!"
It looked like Julie was all in as well. We'd be heading into mass
production of the first lot of Ruijerd figurines soon, which meant that she'd be
working to make Zanoba money. She'd surely be excited to hear that.
"All right then, we'll go over the details on a later date. That's all for
today."
"Understood."
Next, I figured I would bring over that mercenary that I'd had my eye
on…
***
Several days later, I returned to Zanoba's house with two people in tow.
On one side was a fearful-looking man in round glasses; he shaped his hair into a
7:3 part instead of a bowl cut. He wore a black coat with yellow embroidery. He
was clearly human.
"This is where you'll be working from now on."
"A-all right…"
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"Listen well, Joseph. It would be no exaggeration to say that this massive
project rests upon your shoulders," I said.
Joseph gulped.
"But you needn't worry more than necessary," I continued. "After all, to
our great benefactor, this is but one project of many."
This was Joseph: an anxious temperament and a nasty drinking problem
combined to make him frequently pallid, which led to "Pale" becoming a cutesy
nickname of his among the mercenaries. Before joining the Mercenary Band, he
was a merchant. Merchants in this world typically started their careers as
traveling salesmen. If they saved their money and gained enough status in their
guilds or trades, they could become the employee or apprentice of a high-profile
merchant, and by amassing even more resources and experience, they could
finally open their own store. If a store owner could maintain that momentum,
they could end up owning a larger store, becoming a company executive, or even
being selected as a personal supplier for the royal family.
Joseph seemed to have made it to the store ownership stage, but then he
made one big mistake that cost him everything. Whenever he was asked where
he went wrong he'd always shut down and go silent. But there was no doubt that
it was over a woman; or so Linia had told me. Of course, if you knew Linia's
reputation, her theories had the strength of a wet paper bag. My guess was that
his mistake involved alcohol. He might have drunken himself into a stupor and
put his hands on a female employee, only to find out it was a setup to get dirt on
him…
Wait. That sounded like what Linia told me.
Never mind.
Either way, after losing it all, Joseph here wandered around until finding
his way to the Mercenary Band. According to Aisha, he was incredibly skilled at
management and finances, so it didn't seem like he was lying about owning a
store. And considering how high Aisha's standards for skills were, that praise
meant a lot. Well… On second thought, Aisha considered me skilled, so that's
what that praise was worth. Anyway, this all led to him getting picked out from
the crowd to be the advisor for the grand opening of Zanoba's first store.
"A-are you sure?" asked Joseph, his wan face living up to his nickname.
"I've heard that Mr. Zanoba can be a fearsome individual… That when he gets
angry, he'll flatten people into the ceiling, like pancakes…"
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"Joseph, my boy, those are merely rumors," I reassured him. "In what
world would a man slam someone into the ceiling when angered? If someone
was truly angry, wouldn't they slam people into the ground instead? Exactly!
The ground's much harder."
"Y-you're right, yeah…"
Of course I was right. Zanoba only slammed people into the ceiling when
jumping for joy. His preferred move when angry was an iron claw to the face.
"That said, it's best to not get him angry in the first place. But that goes
for anyone, no? You've been a salesman before, so I'm sure you agree that it's
best to keep your customers smiling?"
"No…no, there times where it's best to anger them."
"Are there, now?"
"P-people can make poor decisions when they're angry. Especially
enemies. Getting them angry can cloud their judgment and give you the upper
hand in negotiations."
Interesting. Might apply to enemies. But we weren't talking about
enemies, now, were we?
"Is Zanoba an enemy?" I asked.
"N-no! My apologies. I didn't mean to be pedantic…"
"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. I was wrong, after all. Yes, some
enemies are best handled when they're angry, very true."
"R-right… But of course, Mr. Zanoba is no enemy…so I do intend to
avoid angering him… It's just that, when I was with the mercenaries, everything
I did got someone mad at me…"
True, he didn't seem like he'd fit in easily with the reckless heroes that
made up our mercenary band. Probably because he was so timid and reserved. I
remember how awful he was during my first interview with him after Aisha
suggested him to me: the color on his face as he entered the captain's room had
gone past Pale and straight to White, like he was a walking corpse. He started
the conversation from the assumption that he was surely about to be punished for
some mistake he'd made, so he kept a faint, rictus smile pinned to his lips at all
times as he kissed ass. I had my doubts about the guy, to say the least. Even
Aisha attempted to walk back her recommendation of him.
He was a salesman dropout. That is to say, he was a screwup. Advice from
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failures is usually unreliable. If someone didn't understand exactly why they
failed, then they were liable to repeat their mistakes. I was speaking from
experience. But failure was also a fact of life. The maturity of someone with a
lot of failures to draw from is worth its weight in gold. We'd never grow if we
let failure stop us. You didn't need a hundred percent success rate; sixty percent
is still a passing mark, even when the "test" is changing the world.
A taste of success changes people. I felt that if I could give this man that
taste, he'd grow into an exceptional asset. I chose him for this project not in spite
of his past, but because of it.
"Our benefactor is forgiving of failures, and he makes sure success
doesn't go unrewarded. If you're able to make this project a success, you could
find yourself managing the mercenary band's marketing division."
"Wh-why, I'm not certain I'd be fit for that position."
"Perhaps. But you didn't refuse the opportunity. You're here. That speaks
for itself."
It was quite the profound line to end on, if I did say so myself.
Well, it was profound until a certain someone ruined it. That "someone"
was Linia.
"Don't sweat it, mew! Zanoba's like a little bro to mew. Keep your chin
up, and if anything happens, just lemme at 'im. I'll give him the ol' one-two,
mew!"
For some reason, she tagged along when I first set this project up, acting
like some business guru the whole time. Considering that her first foray into an
honest line of work ended before it ever started, her bluster made her come off as
a know-it-all novice.
"Boss… Thank you so much. I feel so relieved."
Joseph seemed comforted that she was here, and she did have some
authority I didn't want to undermine, so for the moment, I decided to let her talk
nonsense without interjecting. She was getting the boot if she got in the way,
though.
"Now then, shall we enter?" I suggested. I wanted to avoid any further
wavering, so I opened the door.
"Hey, Zanoba, you know that thing we talked abou—"
It was then that I realized: I had messed up. Once again, I had opened the
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door without knocking. And before our eyes, beyond the door that had opened
with a clank, lay an unbelievable sight.
Inside the first floor of Zanoba's home were Zanoba and Julie, who were
sitting down and working on their own figurines. This time, she wasn't sitting on
Zanoba's lap. That part was fine.
But someone else made me stop in my tracks the moment I entered:
Ginger. She was lovingly holding an adorable plush dog.
"Wh-what is it?" she asked suspiciously.
Ginger. With a stuffed animal. Oh no, that wasn't to say they didn't
belong together, but it was an unexpected sight. I felt like I'd walked in on
something. I could have sworn that Ginger had no interest in these sorts of
things. Maybe Zanoba no longer being a prince had given her a change of heart.
Yes, after calming down and giving it some thought, it felt natural.
Besides, it wasn't right to judge someone for their tastes.
"Gah ha ha ha! What's a knight doin' coddling a stuffed animal, mew?!
What is she, a bab—Mew?! Boss, what's the big idea, mew, just wait a sec—"
I gave Linia the boot.
Incidentally, beastfolk had a form of play in which they practiced hunting
on dolls of demons and animals. It was a game that very small children would
play. So I couldn't hold it against her; she wasn't making fun of Ginger's tastes.
She was just speaking from her experience as a beastwoman. Not to say that her
words had no bite. Ginger glowed with unbearable humiliation. I had to cheer
her back up.
"Ahem, that's a lovely stuffed animal you have there. From where might
you have procured it?"
Ooh, I sounded a bit like Zanoba there.
"It…was an import from the Asura Kingdom. Its creator was someone
named Venger, who used blanket rags to make dolls like this, or something…"
"Venger, eh? Quite a similar name to 'Ginger,' isn't it?"
"Yes. That's why I've taken a bit of a liking to it… Is it really that
childish?"
"Oh, by no means. Pay no attention to what some insensitive cat tells you.
She has no taste. I believe you should love what you love."
"Oh… Yes, thank you very much."
I could tell that Zanoba had a smile on his face as he overheard us. It was
the face of a hobbyist watching a friend fall down the rabbit hole of a hobby of
their own; he must have been happy to see Ginger take an interest in dolls. Well,
a stuffed animal. Not quite a doll.
"Rudeus, who might this person be?" Joseph asked nervously.
"Ah, I'll introduce you. Zanoba!"
"Right!" Zanoba shouted back. He rose up the instant I called his name,
dusted the shavings off of his clothes, and joined us. Julie trotted along behind
him.
"This is Joseph. He's one of the most knowledgeable people in the
mercenary band when it comes to marketing. I'm assigning him to be your
advisor for the figurine-selling project."
"Hmm." A glint of light shone in Zanoba's glasses. He weighed Joseph
with his gaze. Julie imitated Zanoba's glare in miniature. Cute.
"Master, pardon my rudeness, but may I inquire as to his figurine
expertise?"
"Total novice."
"Well, now." Zanoba raised an eyebrow. "I trust that you have your
reasons, Master. Might I inquire as to why you chose a novice?"
This was unusual. Knowing Zanoba, I figured he would've accepted
Joseph by the second reply. Something along the lines of trusting me to have my
reasons, but choosing not to ask what they were.
"Pardon," Zanoba continued, "but I simply must ask. This work is not
mere child's play to me, you see."
"I'll explain, of course."
Zanoba was taking this job seriously. Joining Orsted's army was a step
toward avenging Pax's death, and that choice was not made lightly. Zanoba
wasn't putting his foot down just because he didn't want a philistine who didn't
understand true art criticizing his work.
Right?
"First, as a former salesman, he's well-versed in marketing. Second, he
once failed as a salesman, so he'll be careful. Last, as a complete novice to the
world of figurines, he'll be able to provide a fresh perspective."
"A fresh perspective, you say?"
"Yes. The people this project aims to market to aren't all going to be
enthusiasts like you. They'll mostly be casuals. Some of the people we're aiming
for might lack any interest in figurines whatsoever. The question is, how do we
sell to those people? If we come up with an idea that wouldn't make Joseph here
want to buy it, then it wouldn't sell to other casuals, either."
"I see! Another brilliant idea, Master. Indeed, sometimes an almost
childlike perspective is necessary to spread art."
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Julie followed Zanoba's lead with a profound nod of her head. I took this
to mean that Zanoba had given the okay in his own way. Then again, we hadn't
even done anything yet, so there wasn't much to greenlight.
"Joseph, this is Zanoba. He'll be your boss from now on."
"R-right! A pleasure to make your acquaintance! I promise to put my heart
and soul into this work!"
Joseph gave Zanoba the Mercenary Band's signature bow. It was
beautifully done, a sign that Linia had been teaching them well.
"Indeed. I am Zanoba. Let us join hands and blanket the world with
figurines."
And with that, the two men shook hands.
But I had to hope Zanoba wasn't mistaking the goal of this project here.
Spreading figurines was important, but this was also supposed to be a separate
source of income from the Mercenary Band, a way to ally with influential
business organizations, and a way to train future engineers. Remember? Then
again, I had my own reasons too—my goal was to see Ruijerd one more time.
Wait, if marketing was the point here, then there's no reason that figurines had to
be our product of choice…
"Now then, let's talk about the plan to open our first store."
Introductions were out of the way, so it was time to get to work.
***
"First, these are going to be our main products. We want to sell these
primarily to the common people."
The three of us were gathered around a large desk in the studio that made
up the first floor of Zanoba's house. I placed a Ruijerd figurine and a single
picture book on top of it. The book contained the tales of Ruijerd's heroics that
Norn had written.
"We plan to sell the book and the figurine as a set."
It was an idea that I'd had brewing for a while. Of course, we had Norn's
permission to sell the book. This world might not have had copyright laws, but
we should stick to some principles.
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"I see…"
Joseph picked up the book and flipped through its pages.
"So…it's a story about how the Superd weren't actually terrifying devils,
but instead the heroes who lead the world during the final battle? Are you sure
it's a good idea to sell this?"
"We've gotten permission."
"Um… Whose?"
"Lord Perugius's, of course."
Joseph frowned. But who else was I supposed to ask? Lord Perugius was
the only person in the book who was still alive. He was the only one who could
give the rights to anyone's likenesses.
Not that those rights existed in this world, but still.
"Um… Won't this draw some flak from the Millis Church?"
"That's true. There are people who won't like us selling something that
sings the praises of devils. But the Millis Church isn't the only group that treats
the Superd that way. And anyway, the story itself borrows passages from the
Millis bible to show how the hero's actions are right according to its teachings."
Norn was a follower of Millis, so she sprinkled phrases of its teachings
throughout her work. The story was respectful toward the faith; anyone who sat
down and read it would come away thinking that Millis was a wonderful
religion.
Too bad they wouldn't accept me, though. Too many wives.
"Is that so… I'm not a follower of Millis so I can't say either way, but if it
does, that should be fine."
Honestly, I was expecting we'd get Millis Justice Warriors bitching over
every "problematic" detail regardless of whether they'd read the book or not.
However, taking that crowd at face value is always a waste of time. I wanted this
to sell. I wanted to restore the Superd tribe's good name. If we couldn't come
together, then we'd inevitably fight each other.
"That said, we're considering where and how to most effectively sell
these… Joseph, we'd like to hear your honest opinion."
Joseph looked back and forth between the figurine and the book as he
thought. Eventually, he raised his head and gave it to us straight.
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"They won't sell. Not like this."
Well now, this was a surprise.
"Now, listen—" Zanoba interjected with a threatening step forward.
"Now, now, give him a moment," I said as I held Zanoba back. I wanted
to hear the guy out.
"First off, books are never going to move. There aren't even that many
people who can read. You plan to sell this to casuals instead of enthusiasts, no?
It could garner a few sales from the nobility class, but if your target audience is
commoners, then it'll be quite difficult…"
So, it'd only sell among nobles and enthusiasts, huh? That would've been
fine if our only goal was money, but I was after something else. It'd defeat the
purpose if the book could only reach a limited audience. Hmm…
"Master, might you have forgotten something?"
"Hm?"
A glint of light shone across Zanoba's glasses. Not on purpose. His
glasses just reflected more light after he stepped forward.
"I believe you once suggested that we could attach something like this
along to the book…"
Zanoba took the book Joseph was holding and flipped through it. He
stopped on the final page; Joseph held his breath as Zanoba spread its contents
out for the rest of us.
"Is this…a reading worksheet?"
Oh, yes. This was a worksheet designed for learning to read. It contained
pronunciations, grammar rules, stroke order, and even practice exercises. It
wasn't going to teach someone to breeze through academic tomes, but they
should be able to read something simple by studying alongside it.
Honestly, I was pretty proud of it. This felt like an achievement. The
theory summarized on that worksheet was what taught Ghislaine Dedoldia, of all
people, to read. Enough said.
"Reading textbooks differ from country to country, but this is rather easy
to understand. If this comes with the book, then I think we can consider our
literacy hurdles cleared."
Joseph nodded with respect. Aww, you're makin' me blush.
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However, his gaze grew stern when he considered the figurine.
"But to be perfectly honest, I don't believe that selling the book and the
figurine together is going to work. The people who want the book will be
different from the people who want the figurine…"
"Of course," I sighed. That should've been obvious. It could even bother
people to be stuck with a bulky figurine when all they wanted to buy was a book.
"But wait," Zanoba objected. "We can't know until we try, can we?
Considering that it teaches people to read, I'm sure many people would purchase
it for their children. Including a figurine to catch their children's attention
shouldn't be entirely disregarded."
"I see, children… Yes, that's an idea." Joseph nodded at Zanoba's
suggestion. "But in that case, shouldn't the figurine be a little more palatable to
children? This one is just a tad scary."
Joseph fiddled with the figurine's head as he spoke, but he shuddered
when the figure's carefully sculpted hair piece popped out of its slot.
"Would this not be perfect for a young boy who dreams of becoming a
hero?" asked Zanoba.
"Boys aren't the only children in the world, though. I think it'd be best to
have another figurine that girls would want."
One that girls would want, huh? I guess something fashionable, like a
Blairbie doll. Or maybe something small and cute in a mascot character sort of
way? I wasn't too sure what young girls liked. I made a note to ask Lucie about
what she'd want later.
As we worked, I could tell Joseph's sense of trepidation from earlier had
vanished. He and Zanoba seemed to make a better pair than I'd expected. Just to
make sure, I tried staying silent and letting them discuss it between themselves.
"So, what format do you plan to sell these in?" asked Joseph.
"For now, we want to sell these normally in a store. Should we have spare
stock, we could also start an open-air stall to sell them."
"A stall, you say? I'm afraid… No, there are many adventurers who can't
read, so that should work. Most didn't have the opportunity to attend school."
"Where do you suppose a good location for the store would be?"
"Somewhere with plenty of foot traffic would be a good start, but I've
been told that gaining more engineers is another goal of this project. In that case,
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a good place to open the first shop here in Sharia should be the workshop
district."
"We wish to expand our capacity as a workshop. We're prepared to go
into mass production, and if resources allow, we'll even go right for opening a
store on the main street," said Zanoba.
"Yes, I see that. The problem would be where exactly on the main street
we would open the store… We won't make many friends in the Commerce
Guild if we come out of nowhere and throw money around to land a good spot.
But location is important…"
"Hmm. Then perhaps we could consider the Asura Kingdom?"
"W-well, true, securing a store in the Asura Kingdom would draw more
customers than Sharia ever could—but once the shipping costs are factored in,
it's impractical. It would take months to travel to the Asura Kingdom from
here…"
"If that's the trouble, then we could simply manufacture in the Asura
Kingdom as well. Fortunately, the master and I are old acquaintances with the
land's next ruler. It'll be easier to work there than in Sharia," said Zanoba.
Joseph glanced at me. "I was told you were a mysterious bunch, but this
is… No, never mind. They don't call you the Right Hand of the Dragon God for
nothing. But yes, attaining some achievements in the Asura Kingdom could
make it easier to operate in Sharia, so…"
The two were working out the details between themselves without even
noticing that I'd backed off. Zanoba would listen to Joseph's ideas, offer his
kudos, and then summarize his own thoughts. Joseph seemed to be far livelier
here than he ever was in the Mercenary Band.
Yes, it was looking like I'd made the right call. Seeing how nervous he
was during that interview had me a bit concerned, but he really did love
business. Loving something is the first step toward getting good at it. He might
fail again…but that'd be fine in its own way.
"All right, I believe that shall settle our plans for now. What say you,
Chairman?"
Whoops, I'd spaced out. I glanced at Ginger and Julie for a hint. Julie had
a worried look on her face, as though she didn't quite understand what was
going on. Ginger's expression, however, was unconcerned.
"Ginger, what's your take?" I asked.
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"I can't say for sure since I'm still early in my studies…but from what
I've heard, I think it should go well."
Oh, so she'd been studying. You go, Ginger. I needed to find a chance to
keep up my studies as well. And the spare time to do it.
"Good point," I said "My business studies have been lacking, so I can't
make the call. We should tell our plans to Aisha for now, and if she gives us the
rubber stamp, we'll move forward from there."
I'd go ask Aisha for her thoughts as reference. Until then, I had a bit of
studying to do about trade in this world. It wouldn't make me more than a
novice, though. A novice is better referring to their reading than to their own
judgment.
What was important was that I could be content with hiring Joseph as our
advisor for now. Our advisor who came with Aisha's seal of approval, at that.
Zanoba, the manager of the project, agreed with the decision. The only action
left for me as the leader of the project was to approve it all and wait for the
results.
"Zanoba, Joseph, I hate to dump all the work on you, but I'll let you two
handle the business side. I hope you can set this project on the right path."
"As you wish!"
"I-I'll try!"
"If you need any resources, personnel, or connections, don't hesitate to
ask. I'll make something happen for you."
I wasn't planning to dump all the work onto them. If anything, I wanted to
run this project myself, but there were too many other things I had to do.
Handling them all myself wasn't an option. There were sure to be more ventures
that I'd have to trust my employees to operate, so this was an important first step
for me.
"Chairman, when the time comes to prepare our store, I believe a name
will be necessary. Can you think of an exciting one?"
I ventured, "Uh… The Zanoba Store?"
"Oh."
Christened and ready for launch. Of all the things we could name a store,
this was definitely one of them.
With the discussion wrapped up, I turned to leave and found my eyes
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meeting a pair that were peeking in from a crack in the door. Oops.
"Sorry, I forgot," I apologized as I opened the door. Linia glared at me at
first, but she sighed and slumped her shoulders soon enough.
"Well, it looks like Joseph got a warm welcome, so I can't complain,
mew."
"My, it's almost like you've matured."
"Of course I have! I'm the boss of the Mercenary Band. It's part of my job
to make sure my men don't get purrsecuted at their new posts, mew."
I see, so that was why she tagged along. If that was her motivation, I felt
kind of bad about kicking her out. Still, I was impressed that Linia had already
started to take her position at the top of an organization seriously. My joy at this
development stuck with me all the way home.
***
The Zanoba Store's first outlet was located in the workshop district. For
the building, we modified a warehouse on the workshop district's outskirts. Our
focus in the Magic City of Sharia would be headquarters and workshop duties,
with plans to further expand into the Asura Kingdom later on. I'd probably need
to call on Ariel for her assistance.
The Ruijerd figurine project was now out of my hands. I was nervous
because it was still in its infancy, but I let it go and prayed it wouldn't end in
disaster.