Lily installed the logo she had made with Glowstones in the empty space on the signboard. I had offered to do it myself, but she rolled up her sleeves and insisted that she had to be the one to do it. She said she needed to earn the money she had been paid.
“Oh! It already stands out tremendously. It’ll be even more spectacular once the sun goes down.”
“I designed it so the brightness and color change depending on the angle and amount of light it receives. It can produce a full seven colors of light. And it reacts to moonlight too!”
“Impressive. Our Young Master merely commissioned you to make a glowing logo out of Glowstones, yet you even added color-changing effects of your own accord....”
Lily smiled at Isaac’s praise, then looked toward me and subtly raised her shoulders with pride. Perhaps because no one had acknowledged her talent until now, she seemed to be the type who secretly craved praise.
‘Well, the signboard is a little excessive....’
It was far more extravagant than I had imagined, but I did not show it. I thought it would be better to respect her tastes so she could continue thinking creatively as a Magical Engineer.
“Um....”
“Please, just call me Lily! If even that feels uncomfortable, you can call me whatever you want!”
“All right, Lily. In any case, you worked hard. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you make the semi-automatic grinder every bit as impressive as that logo.”
Lily smiled brightly.
They said praise could even make a whale dance. I hoped my small compliment might somehow contribute to the future of the woman who would one day become the Workshop Master.
“Oh? There’s something new on the signboard.”
It was at that moment that I heard a familiar voice.
When I turned around, Howard was standing there with an intensely curious expression. It was not particularly surprising. Recently, Howard had been visiting our shop often under the pretext of keeping an eye on me.
“It stands out far more than the other signboards. If we were to produce them by combining the existing Glowstone signboards with such an elaborate logo, I believe it could certainly benefit the territory’s finances....”
Howard had started calculating profits in his head the moment he saw the signboard. He was not the sort of man who would ever pass by something profitable without a second glance, so I readily introduced Lily to him.
“This is Lord Howard, the financial officer of our territory as well as the head of House Edwell’s merchant company. And this is Lily, a Magical Engineer from Griffin’s Workshop.”
“Oh! A Magical Engineer from Griffin’s Workshop. If you don’t mind, would you have a moment to discuss some business?”
“B-Business...?”
“Naturally, I mean something involving money. If you’re interested, please spare me some time. I’m certain the discussion will prove beneficial to you as well.”
This was an excellent opportunity for Lily.
If she earned more money, she could develop more inventions, and through that process, her talent would shine even brighter.
That talent would then be used to create equipment for our café. And if Howard used Lily’s help to improve the quality of the Glowstone signboards and made even more money, I might eventually be able to squeeze even more out of him as well.
“Lily. You’ve probably noticed already, but that man is obsessed with money. He’d drink poison if there was enough profit in it. So if he tries to commission something from you, charge him as much as you possibly can.”
“Ah, I understand! I definitely will!”
“...Third Young Master, I can hear everything.”
I gave him an awkward smile and stepped away to give them some privacy.
Judging by the satisfied smiles on both their faces after their lengthy conversation, it seemed Howard and Lily had reached an agreement that pleased them both.
Both of them would become valuable assets to me.
As someone watching their growth, I could only be pleased.
“Thank you so much for giving me so many wonderful opportunities, Lord Maxim. I’ll repay this kindness for the rest of my life. No, if there’s any way to keep repaying you even after I die, I’ll find a way!”
Lily repeatedly bowed to me as she expressed her gratitude.
There were many things I wanted to say to her, but she still needed to make my semi-automatic grinder, so I sent her back to the workshop for the time being.
“She’ll repay the favor for the rest of her life....”
I watched Lily’s retreating figure and repeated her words to myself.
Perhaps it was because I knew she would someday become the next Workshop Master, but her words stirred a strange sense of anticipation within me.
***
“Lord Howard, why are you still here instead of leaving?”
He looked me up and down before turning his gaze toward Isaac.
After similarly inspecting Isaac from head to toe, Howard let out a deep sigh and spoke to me.
“Third Young Master. Surely you don’t intend to keep doing business dressed like that?”
“What does doing business have to do with how I dress?”
“Haah. I knew this would happen. Since this is your first time running a business, it seems you simply never considered it. As your senior in this field, may I offer you a small piece of advice?”
“Please, spare no advice for your inexperienced junior.”
“The academy’s opening is approaching. Around this time, nobles will gradually begin arriving in Fence. Do you truly think those proud nobles will even spare you a glance if you conduct business dressed like that? They might judge your coffee as shabby based solely on your appearance.”
“Ah! I see!”
“Running a business is a service that involves dealing directly with customers. Until now, I assume you lacked the money to pay attention to your clothing. But now it is time to start paying attention to appearances as well.”
“As expected of my senior. Your insight is exceptional.”
“Ha ha. It all comes from experience.”
Truthfully, I already knew all of that and had merely pretended not to.
Of course I could not wear just anything while working. I had already planned to put the same logo from the signboard onto our shop uniforms once it was finished.
‘The uniforms are practically the shop’s first impression.’
The first things customers saw upon entering were the interior and the employees working inside.
Just as Howard said, customers naturally placed greater trust in employees wearing clean, neat uniforms.
Did sales increase simply because the coffee tasted good?
Service was just as important.
And for the employees, the uniforms were not merely meant to instill a sense of belonging. Wearing them also helped reinforce the awareness that they were currently at work.
Even though I knew all of that, I continued pretending otherwise.
Judging from Howard’s reaction, I felt there was something I could gain from him.
‘Maybe it’s because fashion culture isn’t as developed here. When I looked into it before, there were hardly any places selling ready-made clothes, so most people seem to have their clothing tailored....’
Most customers at clothing stores were nobles as well.
Perhaps that was why clothes were extraordinarily expensive.
In Lily’s case, I had no choice but to spend a large sum because I needed to win her over. But money should be spent boldly when necessary and saved whenever possible.
“Just as knights prepare their armor and weapons before going to the battlefield, merchants are no different. Wouldn’t a person’s mindset toward battle change depending on whether they were wearing battle gear or not?”
“As expected of my senior. But it isn’t as though I enjoy dressing like this. When I left the territory, my father only packed clothes like these for me....”
“The Head of House was extremely angry at the time, was he not? He probably did not want to give you anything belonging to the family. Perhaps he also wanted you to learn how to resolve even the smallest matters on your own.”
“But I don’t have spare funds to worry about something like clothing right now. I already spent all the investment money you gave me commissioning equipment from Lily.”
“W-What? You spent that enormous amount already?”
Of course, I still had plenty of money left.
But I tried to appear as inexperienced as possible.
I wanted the confident image I had shown Howard when I surrendered the family necklace and secured his investment to fade from his memory as much as possible.
“Your spending habits certainly haven’t changed. Until just recently, I had begun to harbor at least a little hope after seeing a side of you so different from before....”
“Lord Howard, why don’t you help me a little more?”
“What sort of help are you referring to?”
“Buy me some clothes.”
“......”
Howard fell into thought.
As a man who never wasted so much as a single coin, he naturally had to consider it carefully.
But ultimately, I believed he had no choice but to accept.
He was the one who had personally invested in me.
If he wanted to recover that investment, my business needed to succeed.
And he could hardly withdraw his investment now, could he?
“Now that I think about it, a thought suddenly occurs to me. Don’t tell me you’ve been putting on an act just to make me pay for your clothes, Third Young Master.”
“Aren’t you making quite a bit of money from the Glowstone signboards thanks to me?”
“And that is why I gave you the investment money.”
“I provided the idea for the logo and introduced you to Lily. Thanks to that, you’re going to make even more money, aren’t you?”
“...Hmm. Very well. I’ll pay for the clothes.”
As expected, Howard was quick to catch on.
And at times like this, I could not help appreciating that his calculations were every bit as quick as his intuition.
Judging by the way he kept muttering that he had been caught in a trap, he seemed to understand the situation perfectly. Even so, he willingly accepted it because he now had the opportunity to upgrade the Glowstone signboards.
“Young Master. About those uniforms....”
Just as we were about to follow Howard to the clothing store, Isaac looked at me uneasily.
“Surely you don’t expect me to wear something like an apron too, do you? As a knight of House Edwell, wearing an apron instead of armor would be a stain upon a knight’s honor and valor....”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Of course you’re wearing one too.”
“......”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and follow me! We have to go while he’s still offering to pay!”
Isaac looked as though he desperately wanted to refuse.
I forcibly dragged him along to the clothing store.
***
We spent quite a bit of money on the uniforms we would be wearing from now on.
Of course, Howard paid for them, not me.
Shawl’s Clothing Store, the most expensive establishment in the neighboring shopping district and a favorite among nobles, was nearby. There, we selected only durable fabrics, and uniforms were tailored to our measurements.
I thought it would take several days, but the owner was clearly a veteran. The work was so fast that the uniforms were finished within only a few hours.
“...So I’m supposed to work wearing this.”
Isaac looked deeply displeased in his completed uniform.
But there was nothing to be done.
He could not exactly work inside a coffee shop wearing armor. It would obstruct everyone else’s movement, and the armor would inevitably slow him down while working.
Of course, I understood Isaac’s feelings perfectly.
A knight who was supposed to charge across battlefields in armor was now standing there wearing an apron. His pride must have taken quite a blow.
I did not show it, but frankly, even I thought it was somewhat embarrassing.
What knight in the world wore an apron?
“If this helps your business and graduation, Young Master, I’ll grit my teeth and tolerate an apron. But could you at least change the color?”
“What’s wrong with the color?”
“Silver is the symbolic color of House Edwell, Young Master. The color of this uniform is utterly unsuitable for a direct descendant of House Edwell and the knight who serves him.”
“You have a remarkable talent for saying ‘I’m embarrassed and don’t want to wear it’ in the most roundabout way possible.”
“...Ahem!”
The color could not be helped.
We had chosen black shirts, aprons, and hats because food ingredients could splash onto the clothing. Black fabric was also the most durable, so choosing it had been an obvious decision.
“Sorry, Isaac. I know it damages your honor as a knight, but if we want the shop to succeed, there’s no helping it. At least I made your name tag silver to represent the family’s symbolic color, so give in just this once.”
“Then why is your name tag gold, Young Master?”
“Because I’m the owner. You’re second after me, so yours is silver. Ordinary employees will come after you, so theirs will be bronze.”
“What? Someone’s going to work under me?”
For a moment, I saw Isaac’s eyes waver.
Come to think of it, Isaac had said he was among the most junior knights in the family.
Perhaps the prospect of finally having subordinates of his own had caught his interest.
“Not immediately, but if business goes well, we’ll have to hire more employees.”
“You mean I’ll have juniors under me, correct?”
“Yes. In our shop, you’re second in command, so any employees who join later will effectively be your juniors.”
“Hmm. I see. I’m second in command, no less.”
Name tags divided by color had a peculiar power.
I had merely changed the colors to distinguish positions, but sometimes people perceived them almost like ranks.
I had experienced that feeling myself when I worked part-time at a franchise when I was younger....
“There won’t be a second time. I’m giving in only this once.”
Apparently, Isaac had fallen prey to that same feeling.
For all his attempts to act strict, he was ultimately a remarkably simple man.
“Make sure you wear the uniform properly and work hard. The better the business does, the more juniors you’ll get, right?”
“This isn’t because of the juniors. I’m only giving in because you begged me so desperately, Young Master.”
“Sure.”
I let out a small laugh, gathered my uniform, and left the clothing store.
The sun had already begun to set, yet unlike usual, the streets of Fence were packed with people.
“Young Master. Look, a procession of carriages.”
“Wow. They’re pouring in all at once.”
Still dressed in his uniform, Isaac pointed somewhere in the distance.
Just as he said, all manner of extravagant carriages carrying nobles had formed a procession, and people crowded around them, murmuring as they watched.
“It means the academy’s opening isn’t far away.”
And it was also a sign that the busiest season was approaching.