He must have been overjoyed at the hiring.
The moment he heard my words, the man collapsed where he stood and burst into tears like a five-year-old child.
Mr. Rotan assimilated into our organization quickly.
"......That rude company head still rubs me the wrong way, but at least it's a relief that Boss is managing him firmly."
"Managing? What managing have I done?"
"Are you not writing a letter to him right now?"
Rang pointed at the letter I was writing.
Since his job was running around sourcing materials from various places, this was a letter to Rotan, who was hard at work as always.
[I hope you are well, Mr. Rotan.
Do not forget that your one and only son is currently in my hands. I mean this in the sense that I am taking full responsibility for his care, so please rest assured. I am always keeping a close watch, after all.
The child tears up from time to time.
His father was always busy with trading company work and they rarely got to see each other, even before. Still, the child asks me about five times a day when his daddy is coming back, saying he misses him.
A child who loves his father this much -- if something were to happen to you...... the child would be terribly sad.
I don't want the child to be sad either.
So please always make wise decisions, take care of yourself so nothing happens to you, and make sure you are never separated from your child......]
I looked over the letter and said.
"It's just a normal letter. Your kid loves his daddy a lot. I'm telling him to stay safe because the boy would be sad if he got hurt. Hmm...... maybe it's a bit too familiar for something from a boss?"
Other than that, I couldn't find any problems with it.
Rang answered my question.
"No, it is a flawless letter. Your wisdom shines through even in your writing, Boss. The moment that Rotan reads this, he'll understand exactly what the wise choice is."
"Should I take a picture with the kid while he's smiling? I don't think cameras exist yet, but if there's a magical device with a similar function......"
Seeing family always energized a father.
If Rotan saw his child playing and laughing with me, he'd surely feel at ease, and his work productivity would soar.
"Burning hot when the moment calls for heat, yet colder than anyone when it's time to be cold. Boss truly is cut from a different cloth. This must be what they call the talent of a leader."
"......Is praising me once a day a habit of yours now? I just wrote one letter, what's the big deal?"
"Boss is far too modest."
Rang was revering me to a degree that was honestly a little concerning.
This had gone past flattery into outright deification.
At this rate she'd be writing my biography any day now.
"Anyway, the materials procurement problem is no longer a concern. All that's left now is mass production."
"I've been thinking it would be nice to have an ally who could get into noble circles and help spread our soap."
......A noble ally.
True, influencers were important in marketing.
Whether or not an influential figure promoted our product in noble society. The difference that made would be bigger than one might think.
"That's not the kind of thing you can just go out and find. I doubt we'll find a noble willing to cooperate with our cause."
"Yes, I thought so too. But...... if we could get one, we could use our weapon to purify even the most powerful and vicious noble in the Empire."
"That's certainly true. With good backing, it'd be much easier to plant our soap even among those with high status."
This...... was definitely something worth thinking about.
I had a fair amount of pride in my soap.
I could state with confidence that it was the finest in the world. It was made using a formula that had been refined and improved over hundreds of years, after all. If my soap wasn't the world's best, something would be wrong.
Good products naturally generated word of mouth, so I believed it would catch on even without a noble to spread the word, but.
"I should look into whether there's a way to find a noble ally. We'll need to search carefully for someone who agrees with our ideals."
If we could find one, it was definitely better to have one.
Nobles did have noses, presumably.
They were the type to believe they smelled fragrant just by spraying on perfume after not bathing for a month, sure.
But among all those filthy people, wasn't there at least one person like me, suffering from the stench, whose eyes had been opened?
"But there's no way to look for a noble ally right now, is there? For the time being, let's pour everything into mass-producing the soap."
Of course, promotion was still a story for the distant future.
We were still in the process of attempting our first mass production of soap. Completing that perfectly had to come first.
Everything needed a solid foundation, did it not?
"How's the progress looking?"
At my question, Rang answered in an uncertain voice.
"The contents inside can't be visible, obviously. Anyone would be terrified if they saw a bomb in there."
"Right. If anyone can see whether it's a dud or not, there's no way it'll sell. We'll have to be careful about that too."
The random gacha element we'd decided to put inside the soap.
If the bomb image with the text 'Too bad! Better luck next time' was blatantly visible, who would buy that soap?
"On top of that, they're apparently trying to modify it with materials that melt in heat as fast as possible. It's better if no traces are left afterward, right? Can't have any problems cropping up."
"......Mm, it would definitely be better if it melted well."
The better it melted, the more of our product would sell. Making it get used up quickly was better for profitability.
I hadn't expected the kids to think that far ahead.
They had a surprising knack for business.
As expected, I truly was blessed with incredible people.
"Isn't the reason that Rotan has been running back and forth nonstop because they used up most of the materials he brought as test samples? It seems to be quite the difficult process."
"Yeah, I've lost count of how many prototypes they've made. It's past the point of being trackable."
They weren't even the workshop's original owner -- just former apprentices.
Since they were children without formal alchemist training, there was no avoiding a lot of trial and error.
"I suppose it'll take at least another month......"
More time was needed.
Just as Rang was about to voice that conclusion.
The door flew open with a resounding BANG—!
A subordinate who seemed to have just sprinted here, catching their breath.
The employee cried out in a voice brimming with excitement.
"I-it's done!"
***
I followed the excited employee to the workshop.
The employee proudly presenting me with the finished product.
"Look at this. It's an ordinary bar of soap from every angle, right? You could search high and low and never spot the bomb hidden inside."
A proud smile on their face.
And the result was certainly something to be proud of.
It exceeded even my expectations.
"This was the hardest part. We modified it so it melts and evaporates extremely fast when exposed to heat! By mixing in special herbs and such. So that not a single trace is left behind."
I was the one who'd provided the soap recipe, true.
But all I'd done was take a rough recipe I'd seen in a web novel and improve it through some trial and error.
These kids had taken my recipe and developed their own independent improvements. Even if Rotan had supplied them with all sorts of rare materials, it couldn't have been easy.
"What do you think, Boss?! Is this a passing grade by your standards? ......P-please be honest with me."
Success born from grueling experiments and countless rounds of trial and error.
Having accomplished this much, the child was still genuinely worried that I might not approve.
In a situation like this, there was only one thing I could say.
"No, I can't give you a passing grade."
"O-of course! A-actually, when I said it was done earlier, I was lying. Give me one more week and I'll bring the real finished product, so please save your evaluation for......"
"It's beyond a passing grade. If a hundred is a perfect score, this one blew past four digits. I'm speechless."
The child's face, which had looked ready to die just a moment ago.
Life flooded back into it in an instant.
A grin so wide it looked like the corners of their mouth might ascend to heaven.
"Can we start mass production right away?"
"We could improve the facilities and tools further, but even as things stand, we can mass-produce at a pretty fast pace!"
They could actually start mass production for real now.
......It wouldn't be long before our startup threw its hat into the ring. A smile naturally formed on my lips.
The child spoke, brimming with excitement.
"The day we purify this world isn't far off."
"Who'd have thought I'd find rebels out in a backwater like this. So, you're planning to carry out your scheme to overthrow the Empire soon, is that it?"
But what I heard was an unfamiliar voice.
Our gazes naturally converged on one spot.
A man who had been eavesdropping on our conversation from the start.
"I came here to grab Leon by the neck for skipping out on his debts. Never imagined I'd catch rebels instead of a debtor. Life is full of surprises, wouldn't you say?"
"Yes, Sir Sian. Fate is truly fickle."
Blond hair and blue eyes.
A man decked out in expensive accessories like a peacock.
And what appeared to be the man's butler beside him.
It didn't take long to assess the situation.
The children's faces went pale in an instant.
Rang cried out in an urgent voice.
"Boss, get back! We'll handle this!"
Rang tore off her gloves and seemed to be preparing something.
Seeing her, Ren shouted.
"S-sis! Unlike Leon, that guy has a personal bodyguard escort and a family crest! I-if we so much as scratch him, won't his whole house hunt us to the death?"
"We can't just stand here and do nothing!"
Everyone was rattled by the sudden turn of events.
Of course, I was a bit surprised myself, but.
"......Boss?"
What formed on my lips was a smile.
A smile couldn't help but form.
"Stand down, Rang."
This wasn't a case of bad luck catching up to us.
If anything, I should consider myself lucky.
'I'd been worrying about where on earth to find one, and here they come strolling in on their own. An influencer to promote our soap company.'
Turn a crisis into an opportunity.
What reason was there to be scared in a situation like this?
I walked toward the noble with calm, unhurried steps.
"......Well, that's an unexpected reaction. I assumed you'd panic and run. Even in this situation, your expression is perfectly composed."
"You're a guest, aren't you? The least I can do is come out to greet you."
His name was Sian, if I remembered correctly.
The man raised his sword toward me.
The blade caught the moonlight and glinted.
"Are you sane? You've been caught red-handed plotting a crime. Normally, someone would be panicking and trying to run."
But I kept walking toward Sian.
Paying no mind to whether he held his sword up or not.
I asked with a face of genuine incomprehension.
"A crime? Is wanting to cleanse the filth and make the world clean a crime? Why should I have to hide that?"
For an instant, the noble's expression was painted with bewilderment.