A mountain of correspondence sat on the desk before Cornelia. If she were being honest, she didn't want to look at any of it. She wanted to ignore every single envelope, wash off her makeup, crawl into bed, and sink into a leaden sleep.
Unfortunately, she could not run from her responsibilities. No matter how terrifying the contents might be, and no matter how much her stomach cramped in agonizing protest, she had to read them.
But before she began, there was one thing she had to say. Cornelia turned toward Anne, who stood waiting nearby, and spoke in a quiet, weary voice.
"My stomach is in knots. Cancel all of today's appointments."
"Understood, Milady. Today was mostly set aside for your management studies anyway. Depending on the contents of these letters, it is likely we will need to arrange an emergency meeting with the Earl and your mother regardless."
Since she had no plans to leave the estate, adjusting the schedule was a simple task. With that handled, Cornelia's focus returned to the letters. She wondered if the First Hero, who had challenged the Demon King as a mere human, had felt this same sense of soul-crushing dread.
"Let’s start with the one I can predict," Cornelia muttered, reach for an envelope. "The one from the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company."
She desperately needed a mental buffer, so she chose the letter whose contents were at least somewhat foreseeable. As she expected, it was a formal greeting regarding their visit in two days, coupled with a request for Cornelia herself to be present at the negotiations. Thanks to Kaito-sama’s influence, she was already on speaking terms with the four Special Advisors, so this was within the realm of her expectations.
"Everything seems in order regarding the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company. I was already planning to attend, and the contents are standard. I shall send a reply via Teleportation Delivery soon. Now, the next one..."
"Will it be the letter from Miyama Kaito-sama, then?" Anne suggested.
"Yes. I suspect it holds the key to the others."
With trembling hands, Cornelia picked up Kaito-sama's letter. She closed her eyes for a moment as if in prayer, then steeled herself to read.
At first, the letter seemed innocent enough—a simple note saying the specialized brush had arrived and that he was very pleased with it. However, the paragraphs that followed were a disaster waiting to happen.
"Converting magic power wavelengths with specialized tools? Significant effectiveness in the uniformity of magic power penetration rate? He says it's fine for personal use even without conversion, but... Ah, I see. So that's what's happening."
Cornelia felt the blood drain from her face.
"Neither I nor the Victor Trading Company realized this, but that brush is far more than a simple grooming tool. It has a profound effect on the physical beauty of the Dragon Species and beastman-type demons... and Kaito-sama has already recommended it to the high-ranking members of the Dragon King’s faction... Ugh, I’m glad I haven't had breakfast yet. I feel like I'm going to be sick."
"Lady Cornelia, this is an emergency," Anne said, her voice sharp with concern. "This is clearly spiraling beyond our initial projections."
"It is. We expected interest from the Dragon King’s camp because Kaito-sama liked the product, but we assumed the orders would come from a few wealthy individuals looking for a luxury grooming item."
As Akane had predicted, the Sharon Trading Company had planned for a surge in demand driven by Kaito-sama’s personal endorsement. However, they had assumed the brush’s actual performance wouldn't be significantly different from high-end commercial products. They expected a respectable volume of orders, but nothing unmanageable.
That premise was now dead. Cornelia knew that the uniformity of magic power penetration was the holy grail of beauty for dragons and beastmen, and she knew that achieving it usually required immense technical skill. A brush that could simplify such an advanced process was no longer a luxury—it was a necessity. Every dragon with a modicum of pride would want one, regardless of the price.
"This could result in orders on an astronomical scale. Those brushes are custom-made; they take a significant amount of time to produce. We’ll have to expand the production workshops to five times their current size just to keep up!"
"I shall go and inform the Earl and your mother to gather immediately," Anne said, moving toward the door.
"Please do. In the meantime, I’ll check the rest of the letters."
Even as a cold chill ran down her spine, Cornelia could guess that the letters from Magnawell, Nizbel, and Eingana were related to this development. But as she wondered what could possibly be in the remaining envelopes from Amel, Bacchus, and Gluttony, her eyes fell on the final sentence of Kaito-sama's letter. Her face went from pale to ghostly white.
'Since I have the chance, if I run into anyone else I know outside the Dragon King’s subordinates who might be interested, I’ll be sure to recommend the specialized brushes to them too!'
Cornelia slumped back into her chair, her strength leaving her. She finally understood how a prisoner felt when the executioner began to sharpen the blade.
Serious-senpai: "She’s taken a fatal blow right out of the gate. Is she going to be okay? She hasn't even realized it yet, but talk of a magic tool revolution is about to come in from the Seditch Magic Tool Church as well."
???: "So this is it... a true Catastro-stomach."