“So, what’s the ‘extraordinary thing’ that’s all the rage in Kaina Village?”
Erik was taken aback by how eagerly his father, Roland, pressed him for information.
“Extraordinary? Father, really...”
Erik recoiled slightly at his father’s phrasing.
“L-Look, the royal capital is in an absolute uproar right now. Everyone is desperate for a profitable lead. Surely you can understand that?”
“Well, I am a merchant, after all.”
Roland nodded, satisfied with the answer.
“...So, what brings you back today?” Roland asked, resetting the conversation once he had calmed down.
“Oh, right. Um, I came to report that Barbara is pregnant,” Erik said, looking a bit bashful.
“Oh! I hope it’s a boy this time!”
“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Father.”
Barbara had given birth to their first child, Linda, in March 3461. This visit was to share the news of her second pregnancy.
“Congratulations, Vice-President!”
“Our best to you, sir!”
“Thank you,” Roland said, beaming as he accepted the staff’s well-wishes.
However, he remained a merchant to the core. Once the initial excitement subsided, he immediately pivoted back to the prospect of a business opportunity.
“...And?”
Erik gave a wry smile at his father’s persistence before offering a piece of information.
“It’s not actually in Kaina Village, but in the neighboring Toka Village. They’ve managed to put a blue dye into practical use.”
Erik pulled out a sample of blue-dyed cloth he had prepared beforehand and showed it to him.
“Oh, that is a beautiful blue.”
“It was dyed right there in Toka Village.”
“Ho? Tell me more.”
This blue dye was derived from the Aisugo berry, which Saki had discovered several years ago and Toa and Stearena had commercialized. Specifically, since the color would naturally fade, Stearena used a new magi-craft called Stabilize to fix the dye.
The local lord, Lishia, had encouraged the cultivation of Aisugo, and the industry had recently begun to flourish. It was a testament to Roland’s keen eye that the Raglann Company had taken notice, and for Toka Village, it was a perfectly timed opportunity.
“Excellent. If we dye fabric with this and make it the trend in the royal capital, it’ll be a gold mine.”
Roland calculated that with new ministers and officials being appointed, there would be a high demand for new clothing. If this color became the fashion during such a transition... Staring at the deep blue fabric, Roland began to plot his next moves.
＊ ＊ ＊
“We’ve certainly built up quite a stock.”
In Toka Village, the lord Lishia was personally taking the lead in applying Stabilize to the cloth dyed with Aisugo berries. Piles of dyed cotton fabric were already stacked high. They were currently dyeing cotton cloth ordered from Mitsuho.
The color was a deep, rich blue. Jin had once described it as being “close to indigo.”
Normally, achieving such a deep blue required expensive magic dyes, putting it far out of the reach of commoners. Consequently, blue was considered a “high-class color,” ranked alongside purple and crimson. To be clear, it was high-class in terms of price rather than nobility; it wasn't a crime for a commoner to own it, it was simply very expensive.
Now, Toka Village was mass-producing this once-exclusive blue fabric.
＊ ＊ ＊
One day in early summer, three wagons arrived at Toka Village. They belonged to the Raglann Company, come to purchase the village's signature blue cloth. After unloading the white cotton fabric they had brought as raw material, they loaded up the finished product.
“Well, Lord Lishia, this has been a fine transaction.”
“The pleasure is ours.”
The Raglann Company had established a system where they procured white cotton fabric in bulk through their own channels, supplied it to Toka Village, and purchased the finished blue cloth in return. This allowed Toka Village to obtain white cotton for half the price they would have paid on their own, while the Raglann Company secured an exclusive purchasing contract for the blue cloth for the foreseeable future.
Furthermore, since the wagons carried cotton fabric both ways, the transportation efficiency was remarkably high. Thus, in the Klein Kingdom’s capital of Alban, clothing made with this fabric became a massive sensation, and the color came to be known as “Alban Blue.”
＊ ＊ ＊
While the Klein Kingdom was buzzing with such glamorous news, the underworld was also becoming active.
“Tonight, we hit the Meldas Company. Most of their people are out of the country for business right now.”
“Understood.”
A bandit group was on the prowl. Evading the eyes of the royal security guard, they targeted medium-class companies—places that had a decent amount of cash on hand but relatively lax security. In the past week, three businesses had already been hit. Tonight would be the fourth.
“Hmm, this is a grave concern.”
Pascoe Rush, the third son of House Rush, wore a grim expression. He was currently serving as the Captain of the 2nd Unit of the royal capital’s Security Guard.
“It is a disgrace to our order if the citizens cannot live in peace. Patrol with spirit!”
“Sir!”
The Security Guard was divided into four units, rotating between twelve-hour day and night shifts to provide 24-hour coverage. Tonight, Pascoe’s 2nd Unit was responsible for the night watch.
The unit consisted of nineteen members excluding Pascoe. There were usually twenty, but one member was currently on leave for “home standby” due to poor health.
At 6:00 PM, having finished the handover from the daytime captain, Pascoe gave the order.
“Now, everyone, to your posts!”
They patrolled in three-man cells. As captain, Pascoe performed mobile patrols throughout the city as needed. He usually had two companions, but tonight he had only one: the vice-captain, Relamy Northland. She was a small woman with bright brown hair in a short ponytail and adorable brown eyes.
“Captain, regarding the bandit group—why are we unable to find any trace of them?”
“Indeed. If we knew that, we would have a way to deal with them,” Pascoe answered, looking down at her.
Relamy stood at 145 centimeters, while Pascoe was 172. The difference of nearly thirty centimeters was significant. Consequently, when Relamy tried to keep pace with him, she had to walk quite briskly.
“...Oh, my apologies.”
Realizing his mistake, Pascoe slowed his pace.
“I-I’m sorry, Captain.”
Walking side-by-side, they looked like a father and daughter, but Relamy was twenty years old—a full-grown adult. Moreover, she was the finest healer in the unit.
It was not yet seven in the evening, and the early summer sky had not completely darkened. Magi-lamps were lit under the storefront eaves, and the streets were still crowded with people.
“We really should move forward with installing more nightlights,” Pascoe muttered to himself.
“I agree. The awareness that someone might be watching acts as a strong deterrent to crime,” Relamy added.
However, magi-lamps weren't cheap to operate. The lights currently illuminating the storefronts would likely be extinguished by nine. Only the great merchant houses or the wealthy could afford to keep them burning all night just to light the streets. Thieves took advantage of that inevitable darkness.
“If we keep ourselves this tense all night, we’ll burn out. Shall we get a light meal somewhere?”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
Pascoe and Relamy turned into a diner as the crowds began to thin.