The Raglann Company’s Kaina Village branch. The manager: Erik.
His inventory consisted of daily necessities, clothing, seasonings, a small selection of books, and much more. In essence, it was a general store. Every morning, Erik spent his time in the attached workshop crafting various sundries for the shop.
"Are you... are you really letting me lease this entire place?"
"Yeah. As long as you're doing business in this village."
The property was massive: a two-story building that served as both a shop and a residence. Being told he could lease it for free only made Erik feel more anxious.
"On the one condition that you never make Barbara cry."
"Eh? Oh, yes! Of course!"
With only that single stipulation, he was granted a two-story house complete with a stable, a carriage shed, and a warehouse. On the first floor, the shop faced the street while the workshop occupied the rear. It even came equipped with a kitchen, a washroom, and a toilet.
The second floor contained four rooms, each with a bed. For some reason, two sets of futons were also provided; they were softer and more comfortable than anything Erik had ever seen. There was even a small sink and another toilet upstairs.
Renting a storefront like this in the royal capital would easily cost more than ten thousand Toll a month. In truth, Jin was prepared to simply give the property to them as a wedding gift if the two ever married, but Erik had no way of knowing that.
"Good morning, Erik."
"Morning, Barbara."
Barbara, the Village Chief’s niece, came to help out every day. By now, they were a publicly recognized couple, and there wasn't a soul in the village who didn't know it.
"What are you working on today?"
"Oh, this?"
Erik showed her the item he was currently assembling.
"Oh, a water gun!"
It was a toy Jin had designed the previous year.
"Yeah. I saw the village kids playing with them the other day and figured they’d sell well."
"Sell well... You mean at the main branch?"
"Exactly."
Normally, trends flowed from the capital to the provinces, but the Raglann Company had its eye on Kaina Village, suspecting it would become a hub for new culture.
"Actually, Erik..."
"Hmm?"
"Um... how long... can you stay here?"
"In Kaina Village? Well, let me see... For at least a year, I think."
"Oh. I see."
Erik was actually the grandson of the Raglann Company's chairman. Since he possessed an aptitude for Craft Magic, he had spent two years at the Cecilio Magic Academy in the royal capital, where he had mastered a full range of elementary techniques.
"Alright, it's done."
It was a pistol-style water gun made by processing muscovite gathered from the deep northern mountains. Erik filled it with water to test it out and pulled the trigger.
Instead of a stream shooting from the nozzle, water sprayed out from every possible gap in the casing.
"Gah!"
"Eek! It's cold!"
Both of them were instantly drenched. Since Barbara was wearing a thin linen top, the water made the fabric translucent, creating a very awkward situation.
"D-Don't look!"
"Eek! Ah, sorry!"
As Barbara sprinted away with a bright red face, Erik watched her go, his own face burning just as fiercely.
Erik opened the shop for business in the afternoon.
"Um, do you have any pepper?"
"Welcome! Yes, we do. How much do you need?"
"I'll take a hundred grams."
"That'll be four hundred Toll, or two hundred grams of magi-stone sand."
"I'll pay in Toll. Here you go."
"Thank you for your business!"
In Kaina Village, the currency earned from selling magi-stone sand, pen nibs, and rubber balls had begun to circulate widely. However, the shop still accepted traditional bartering.
The Raglann Company had a long history with Kaina Village and made sure to accommodate its customs. Of course, the fact that the village was ruled by Jin was a major factor in their hospitality. They wanted to maintain their relationship with Kaina Village—and more importantly, with Jin—at all costs.
With only about thirty households in the village, the shop was never exactly "swamped" with customers. Most days, the sales were light enough for Erik to handle everything by himself. The real reason they had established a branch here was simple: to discover new products.
Around three in the afternoon, Erik closed the shop for a short time to walk around the village. He was always on the lookout for new discoveries. Today's destination was Nidou Castle.
He arrived at the castle with a gift of sweets in hand. It happened to be a break period; Barrow and Belle were sitting in a corner of the dining hall, sipping tea.
"Hello there."
"Oh? Welcome. You're Mr. Erik, right?"
"Yes, Erik from the Raglann Company. I was hoping I could ask you both a few questions. Is now a good time?"
"Of course. We were just resting."
"That's good to hear." Erik went to hand over the sweets, but his nose suddenly twitched.
He noticed a strange, yellow item sitting in front of Barrow and Belle. Judging by the cut marks, it appeared to be some kind of food.
"Um... what is that you're eating?"
"Oh, this? It's called a hotcake. Why don't we get some for you, too, Mr. Erik?"
With that, Belle stood up, pulled some powder from a cupboard, and began whisking it together with eggs and milk.
"Oh, please, don't go to any trouble. Here, if you'd like, I brought these."
"Ah, thank you for the thoughtful gift."
Barrow accepted the sweets with a polite bow. As Erik sat in his offered chair and engaged in small talk with Barrow, a delicious aroma began to fill the room.
"Here you go! Sorry for the wait."
In less than ten minutes, Belle presented him with a hotcake. Perido 101 had recently introduced the recipe—originally created on Hourai Island—to the castle staff so that Jin could enjoy them whenever he was in residence.
"So this is a 'hotcake'..."
"We have butter, syrup, and jam. Take your pick."
"W-Well then, I'll try the syrup."
Usually, syrup was made by boiling down unrefined sugar, resulting in a brownish liquid. However, the syrup here was perfectly clear. Erik was stunned; they were using pure, refined white sugar. He briefly worried if he would be able to afford the bill for such a luxury.
But seeing Barrow and Belle slathering their cakes in butter and drenching them in syrup, Erik found himself following suit. He took a bite.
"...It's incredible."
He was an instant convert. The sweetness paired perfectly with the astringency of the tea.
"I'm glad it's to your liking," Belle said.
Erik hardly heard her, too busy devouring the hotcake in a daze.
"Um... could you possibly teach me how to make these?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure. I'd need to get permission from Jin-sama first."
His request was politely declined for the time being. A few days later, however, Erik would plead with Jin upon his return to the village. Just as he had with the pump, Erik would eventually pay one hundred thousand Toll to have the recipe officially taught to him.
At 4:00 PM, Erik reopened the shop. This was the time for the evening rush as villagers came to pick up ingredients for dinner.
"Give me a kilo of sugar, please."
"Right. That'll be ten furs."
"Some salt, please."
"Certainly. That's a hundred and fifty Toll per kilogram."
As the long summer day finally began to dim, the bell of Nidou Castle rang out, announcing 6:00 PM. The timekeeping system had been well-received by the villagers. After some deliberation, summer hours were set to ring at 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM, while winter hours were set to 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
Just as he closed the doors and prepared to balance the books, Barbara arrived.
"Erik, have you eaten yet?"
"No, not yet. I was going to calculate the sales before starting on dinner..."
"Why don't you come over to our place tonight?"
"Eh? Is that okay? Well, I'd be happy to."
"It's a date! Here, I'll help you with the numbers."
Erik blinked in surprise. It was rare for a girl from a farming village to know how to calculate.
"Thanks... wait, Barbara, you know how to do math?"
"Don't look so surprised! I've been studying hard, you know."
She sat down beside him and began running the numbers. Erik watched her with concern at first, only to be blown away by her speed and accuracy.
"It's only natural. I learned from Mine-sensei. Simply totaling the daily sales and subtracting the costs is easy enough."
In truth, she had requested special lessons in calculation specifically so she could be of use to Erik, but she kept that secret to herself.
"You're a lifesaver, Barbara."
"...(I wonder if I'd make a good wife?)"
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"N-No! Nothing! Anyway, I'm all done over here!"
"I'm finished, too."
Barbara stood up with a flourish and grabbed Erik's hand.
"Come on, let's go!"
"Y-Yeah."
It seemed that only the newly risen moon was watching the two of them walk away hand-in-hand... Or so Erik hoped. In reality, during the walk from the shop to Giebeck’s house, they were spotted by Martha, Hanna, Jonas, Nona, and half the village. Erik was blissfully unaware that the "outer moats" had already been filled—the village had already decided their future for them.