Busy, busy, busy.
Repeating that over and over made me sound like the CEO of a company on the brink of bankruptcy, but the truth is, after my brief break ended, I was running around nonstop.
Continuing to persuade the higher-ups about new uses for magic stones, developing magic tools, travelling to mines across the country to build water purification systems. And of course, my regular duties didn't just disappear either.
The workload was clearly too much for one person, so I somehow encouraged a dejected Konrad-san and got him to work.
When both Konrad-san and I were away on business at regional mines, Master held down the fort at the palace workshop all by himself, without drinking. The best way to recover from addiction is to find purpose in life.
And so, the days of the magic tool development team running around in a flurry of sudden busyness continued for a while, until the following year. On New Year's Day, as crowds of people buzzed with celebration, I was summoned by the Director, and finally reaped the rewards of our efforts.
Immediately after, I rushed to the workshop.
I threw the door open as if I was kicking it down, and the mage technicians, who had no rest even on New Year's, looked up from their workbenches. Right before their eyes, I held up the parchment I'd received from the Director, stretching it out top to bottom.
"It's a royal decree!!"
Written on it was the King's permission to open a magic tool shop.
Clank. The sound of Master dropping a magic stone onto the floor echoed through the room. He staggered over to me and touched the parchment.
"Is this real...?"
"Forging something like this would get me more than just a scolding."
Master's finger traced the King's signature and seal.
The reputation of the magic tools we'd made in El Alley had been gradually reaching the palace. Once awareness of their new applications started to build, I'd persistently persuaded them, had them try using a lamp in the palace to confirm its usefulness, and worked tirelessly to win them over.
Master read the document over and over, as if he still couldn't believe it. I flashed a wide smile towards him.
"The world has changed."
It was only a small change. But it was a change that he had been longing for.
"...Once the ball starts rolling, it moves fast."
Master softened the wrinkled corners of his eyes. I'm glad. But there wasn't much time to bask in the emotion.
"Now, let's get ready to open. Development and manufacturing will be based here in the workshop, while the shop will handle sales and repairs. For that, we've been approved to hire more mage technicians. Master, Konrad-san, this time I'm really counting on you both to properly train the newcomers."
"I know, I know."
"What a pain..."
In contrast to the motivated Master, the senior apprentice grumbled from his chair in the back.
"I've been officially put in charge of the shop, so I need you to step up with the workshop, Konrad-san."
"...Well, it beats dealing with customers, I guess."
Technically, Konrad-san was the person in charge of this workshop. Master was his superior, but due to his background, he was treated differently from everyone else.
So naturally, the shop fell to me since I was the one who proposed it, and nobody objected. We were only building one shop. I'm hoping that once our reputation grows and we get more mage technicians, we can expand into a chain.
The news of receiving the approval wasn't just for my colleagues.
"Rille-nee, are you in?!"
That evening, I hurried back to the boarding house from the workshop and burst into the room with enough force to kick the door down again, nearly making Rille-nee, who'd been relaxing on the bed, drop her cup. Sorry.
"What happened?"
"We're opening a magic tool shop in the capital!"
"Wait, really?!?! Congrats!"
Rille-nee had heard the whole story from me. She knew how hard I'd worked, so she was just as happy.
"When? Where will it be?"
"The plan is to have it near the first gate by spring. And listen..."
Here's the part I really wanted Rille-nee to hear.
"Because of how the magic stones are managed, I'll need to live either in the shop or near it."
"So we'll have to move out of here?"
"Yeah. And the place next to the planned location is an empty house. So why don't we buy it and turn it into an apothecary?"
"Huh..."
Rille-nee was at a loss for words.
It was something I'd been thinking about for a long time, but I hadn't properly brought it up yet.
Even after Rille-nee came back, I'd been busy going in and out of the capital, so we hadn't really had time to sit down and talk.
"We both got reward money for El Alley, so we've got decent savings, right? I think we could come up with the down payment."
"Aime, you mean..."
I nodded vigorously.
"Let's bring Giselle here!"
It's been four years now. It felt both long and short.
"If I'm moving out anyway, I figured we could buy a place next door where the three of us can live. What do you think, Rille-nee?"
We sat on the bed and tried to talk calmly. But we couldn't help our voices getting louder than usual.
"I'd never say no! That's what we've been working for!"
"I knew you'd say that! Though, I'll be running the magic tool shop, so what will you do about your current job, Rille-nee?"
Rille-nee thought about it for a moment.
"...I'll talk to Jed-san and Franz-san. I'd always planned to stay until the shop opened anyway. I can't quit until they find a replacement, but in the meantime, I can still help out at the shop a little."
"Really? You don't have to force yourself to quit. You could keep working at the palace and we could hire someone else for the apothecary. It's basically Giselle's shop, after all. I'll help when I can too."
"Mm, but let me talk to them. It might actually be good timing..."
"Huh? Good timing for what?"
"Oh, um, it's nothing."
Rille-nee hastily waved her hands and shook her head. What was that about?
"Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened. Nothing at all. I want to run the shop with Giselle and you, Aime."
"...Why do you sound a little off?"
"I-I don't!"
She was obviously deflecting. I wonder if something happened at the Medical Department. The first thing that came to mind was a certain someone. If it meant getting Rille-nee away from him, her leaving the palace wouldn't be a bad thing at all.
"More importantly, do you think Giselle can even come to the capital?"
She changed the subject. It bugged me quite a bit, but well, I'd press her about it later. Right now, we were talking about the future.
Rille-nee's concern was perfectly valid.
"I don't know. She did say that she might be able to come by the time I'm fully grown, so maybe she's waiting for something to blow over?"
"That doesn't mean, you know, that she did something she could get arrested for... right? Not Giselle, right?"
"Probably... not?"
We'd both accidentally ended up asking questions, but no, no, Giselle just looks scary. She's a perfectly upstanding person. Surely.
"...Oh, why don't we ask Chancellor Leonard first? It's New Year's, so we can visit him while we're at it."
"Good idea. That's the surest way."
If anyone knew the full story, it was him. He could tell us whether Giselle could come or not. And while we're at it, I'd really like him to finally tell us what happened. We wouldn't tell a soul, promise.
"The timing does line up nicely."
Chancellor Leonard said this after hearing us out, seated on the sofa in the reception room of his house.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, never mind. Just thinking aloud."
And with that, he swallowed his words along with his tea.
Important people apparently had many New Year's greetings and visits to attend to and were quite busy, so after sending a letter explaining that we had something to discuss, it took seven days before we could sit across from him on that sofa. Even so, he listened to our request without so much as a tired look on his face, which I was grateful for. But his refusal to share the details was, as always, frustrating.
Chancellor Leonard wore his usual cheerful smile that gave nothing away.
"So you want to give your sister a shop as a gift. What a wonderful plan."
"Then, may we bring Giselle to the capital?"
Chancellor Leonard nodded in response to Rille-nee's question.
"The preparations won't be finished until spring, correct? By then, there should be no issue with Giselle being in the capital."
The deadline was this spring? Is that why he said the timing lined up?
"Really? Thank goodness!"
Rille-nee smiled happily, looking relieved. I was happy too, of course, but...
"Is the reason Giselle couldn't come to the capital something we're never allowed to ask about?"
"Knowing won't benefit anyone. But I will say this much: it's nothing so serious that you need to worry. Calling it 'trivial' might earn me the ire of those involved, but to anyone looking at it calmly, that's really all it is."
What? Getting banished from the palace over something trivial? Now I was even more curious.
"I'm looking forward to the shop's completion as well. If you need any support, just say the word."
In the end, the truth was never revealed and the subject was changed. Well, I guess it's fine if it means we get to live with Gis-nee.
"Speaking of support, Chancellor Leonard, you put in a good word with His Majesty about magic tools too, didn't you?"
Alec had asked him about how magic stones were used in Galesh, and based on that, the Chancellor had supported making them available for everyday use. He'd helped me during the presentation too.
"Thank you very much."
I bowed deeply, though still seated. Chancellor Leonard let out a faint chuckle.
"Truth be told, when the two of you do well, it benefits me too."
Chancellor Leonard tugged at the tip of his moustache, and cheerfully said,
"Thanks to outstanding graduates like you, my school-building initiative is gaining even more momentum. Feel free to make as big a splash as you want. I'll spare no effort in supporting you."
Come to think of it, my enrolment at the Magic School was part of his plan. I'd completely forgotten. Being told that the things I'd done simply to solve the problems in front of me were being used to serve an entirely different purpose felt strange and surreal.
"Whether it's you two or Giselle, this country has far too much talent buried and ignored. We must actively seek them out. Talent isn't something that can be standardised by social class. Yet as things stand, we've been neglecting the effort to discover them, and losing gifted people for no reason. That is what I find most unforgivable about this nation."
He said something pretty radical there, all while smiling. Rille-nee and I couldn't help but glance at each other. Then again, anyone who ignores public criticism and unilaterally builds a school on his own land probably isn't a mild-mannered person. In short, he wanted to give equal opportunity to everyone.
For a feudal society, he held remarkably progressive views.
Someone who only knew their own country wouldn't think this way. I'm sure Chancellor Leonard had studied the ways and ideas of many other nations extensively. Regardless...
"We'll keep doing our jobs. It would be an honour if we can be of service."
Not wasting the opportunity we'd been given... that was surely the best way to repay this man.
The Chancellor nodded with satisfaction.
"I'm counting on you. Go ahead and make your preparations. I'll be the one to inform Giselle. You can leave everything regarding her to me."
The fact that he went out of his way to say that made me suspect there was indeed some sort of mess he needed to clean up.
There were still many things I didn't understand, and I couldn't leave his estate with a perfectly clear mind, but...
"...Well, the point is, we'll get to see Giselle by spring."
At the gate, Rille-nee and I reaffirmed that fact, our cheeks flushed with the joy we couldn't contain.
Things were about to get even busier.
But knowing what awaited us at the end of it all, it was the happiest kind of hard work there was.