After dinner, I sat with Mr. Serge, Mr. Pioro, and the Duke and Duchess.
The conversation had remained lively as we savored the exquisite cuisine and fine wine. However, I had dabbled in so many projects over the past year, and since the others were equally busy, the dinner hour simply wasn't enough to cover everything. We moved to tea to continue our talk in a more relaxed setting.
"I was aware of the waterproof cloth, but I didn't realize you were involved in so many other things as well, Ryoma-kun," Reinhardt said.
"And those music boxes were originally your idea as well, weren't they?" Elise added.
Serge bowed his head slightly. "Thanks to those, the Morgan Company's reputation continues to grow. Pioro, your business is also benefiting, isn't it?"
"You mean the barley tea?" Pioro replied. "It’s steadily gaining popularity as a new luxury good. While the full-scale launch won't be until next year, it’s off to a very promising start as a new venture. I’m deeply grateful to Ryoma for bringing me the entire proposal, including the suppliers and the raw materials."
"I'm just glad to hear it's going well," I said. "As for the ingredients, it just so happened that one of my employees was from that village. I was quite lucky."
"We’re the ones being saved by your luck," Pioro chuckled. "No matter how hard a man works, he can't just conjure good fortune out of thin air."
He had a point. Since arriving in this world, I’d had very few occasions to complain about "bad luck." Between receiving multiple divine protections and meeting the gods themselves on a regular basis, my luck was probably off the charts. If a Luck Skill existed, I would have likely hit the level cap already.
"I heard Weitzen Village was struggling due to its location, but it sounds like it will prosper from here on out," Reinhardt noted.
"As long as the villagers are happy with the arrangement, the Saionji Company will continue to purchase their barley. I'm planning to enhance our manpower, tools, and facilities by next year to better support the production," Pioro explained.
"The village grows the barley, processes a portion of it into tea, and the Saionji Company handles the sales. It sounds like a healthy cycle. I’ll offer what support I can, small as it may be," the Duke promised.
"Heh, with the Duke himself saying that, my people will certainly be motivated."
As I listened to their lighthearted banter, I occasionally felt a sense of distance. I couldn't even begin to guess how much weight or political intent was hidden behind their casual words.
When the turn eventually came to me, I gave a standard report on my recent activities—mainly the management of the abandoned mine and my recent experiments with slimes.
"Lately, I've been breeding Weed Slimes and Stone Slimes—species that mimic grass and pebbles. Their food is easy to find and they multiply quickly, but their best feature is their camouflage. You can't tell them apart from real stones or weeds unless you already know they're slimes. They seem to blend into the landscape by mimicking whatever is common in their environment. I've been looking into using this for security at the mine.
"Specifically, I’m deploying them throughout the tunnels to see if I can sense intruders through my taming link. Their numbers are still a bit low, so I’m currently running a trial in the East Tunnel, where we’ve had the most trouble with monsters lately. In my tests with the Rimur Birds, I was able to track the exact position and number of intruders as long as I stayed within communication range. I believe they’ll make excellent sentries in the future."
"You truly never tire of finding new uses for slimes," Reinhardt remarked. "If you can track people without them noticing, you could easily lead them into traps."
"So that’s how slimes work for security," Elise said with a smile. "I have my own tamed monsters guarding the gardens, but they’re trained to pounce on intruders the moment they spot them. The difference in approach is quite interesting."
The Duchess spoke pleasantly, but I recalled that her "children" were massive, wolf-like monsters. The one she’d shown me before was well-behaved, but it was a giant. I had a feeling that anyone foolish enough to trespass would meet a very messy end. I made a silent vow never to step foot in those gardens without permission.
"And how is the shop?" Reinhardt asked.
"Going quite well. With the recent rain and the drop in temperature, more people are complaining about the cold and their laundry not drying. We’ve been breaking our daily sales records quite frequently lately."
"I can imagine," Elise sighed. "The servants have been having a difficult time with the chores lately as well."
The Duke and Duchess always listened to my stories with genuine interest, as did Serge and Pioro. Encouraged, I spoke in more detail about my year—the summer festival, the training at the Adventurer Guild, and the aptitude testing for tamed monsters. I told them about meeting the traveling troupe, the new government officials, and my various adventurer friends. They listened with warm smiles, appearing truly happy for me.
However, once the topic shifted toward the Shulls Great Forest—my next goal—their expressions turned serious.
" " " "........." " " "
The room went quiet. After I finished the story about rescuing the missing people, they all looked deeply troubled.
"Ryoma-kun," Reinhardt began, his voice level. "Judging by your face, you already know what we’re going to say."
"Yes, more or less."
"Then I’ll be blunt. I cannot recommend hiring criminals, even former ones. I understand that people often turn to crime out of desperation or because they can't find work. I don't deny that there are those who would have remained honest if they’d simply had a job. But—you don't need to be the one to solve that. Even if you try, it won't change the fact that society is incredibly harsh toward those with a record."
"I know you're acting out of goodwill, but the risk is simply too high," Elise added. "There are people who won't understand your desire to prevent recidivism. If something goes wrong, it could ruin the business you’ve worked so hard to build."
Serge nodded in agreement. "I must concur. As they said, the risk is immense, and there is no visible reward. To outsiders, it will look like eccentric behavior at best. At worst, people will baselessly suspect you’re gathering criminals to plot something nefarious. Your intentions don't matter in the face of public perception."
"It’s a bitter truth, but that’s just how the world works," Pioro added.
It was exactly what I’d expected, and it matched the advice Caulm had given me.
"Have you already discussed this with Caulm?" Reinhardt asked.
"Yes. He has a wealth of experience as a merchant, and he always considers my best interests, so I rely on him for advice."
"And your mind is still made up, even after your most trusted subordinate opposed you?" Pioro asked, his voice rising slightly. "Why go this far?"
Pioro looked genuinely perplexed.
"The catalyst was what I mentioned earlier," I said, pausing to gather my thoughts. "But I suppose I don't fully understand it myself yet. If I had to put it into words..."
"If you had to put it into words?"
"It’s because I felt like trying it."
"...Huh?" Pioro blurted out, looking as if I were speaking a foreign language. The other three stared at me, completely caught off guard.
"Wait, Ryoma-kun," Reinhardt said, leaning in. " 'You felt like trying it'? That’s it? I'll say it again: this is a high-risk project with no reward. It’s a massive burden for one person to carry."
"If I’m being honest with my feelings, that’s what it comes down to."
Caulm’s arguments, and the arguments of the four people in front of me, were perfectly sound. They were the "correct" way to think. Me trying to prevent recidivism on my own wouldn't change the world. In my previous life, such programs were the domain of national policy, and that was in Japan—a place with far more resources and stability than here.
One person acting alone would be a drop in the ocean. The idea that it was a pointless risk was the common-sense view. But that was exactly why I wanted to do it.
It's hard to fully grasp one's own motivations, but looking back on my life since arriving in this world, that had been my primary driver.
"How should I put this... You know that I lived alone in the Gana Forest before I met you all, right?"
They all nodded silently.
"I won't bore you with the details of my life before the forest, but it was... cramped. Tedious and joyless. I moved into the forest because I was tired of dealing with people. I just wanted to live freely. That was the result."
The expressions of the four, particularly the Duke and Duchess, darkened with sympathy.
"I started a self-sufficient life because I didn't want to go back to civilization. I researched slimes because they interested me. Eventually, I got curious about the outside world. Then Reinhardt-san and the others showed up, and I decided to leave. I registered as an adventurer because it sounded interesting. I started living alone again because I wanted to retrain. I opened a shop to ensure I could survive, but I've been reluctant to expand it too much..."
The gods—Gain and the others—had told me to live freely. And so, I wanted to live as I pleased. I wanted to follow my whims. That had been my fundamental policy since the day I arrived.
"I felt like trying it, so I started thinking about what I could do. That's all it is. It's not like I'm going to take some drastic, forceful stand to change the world overnight. I just think it would be nice if, by the time I'm old and ready to die, I’ve moved things in a slightly better direction than they are now. Does that sound too childish?"
"Not in the least!" Pioro barked.
"Being able to say you want to do what you want is one thing," Elise said softly. "But Ryoma-kun, when you say it with such a straight face, it doesn't feel childish at all."
"I'm more concerned that you're already casually planning for your old age," Reinhardt noted.
"I keep forgetting because of how you talk, but you're only eleven," Serge added. "I can't tell if you're a child or an old soul."
The tension in the room broke, returning to the pleasant atmosphere of the tea party.
"Even if I do start something, I have no intention of changing the shop's management policy overnight," I added. "And of course, I plan to consult with all of you before I take any real steps."
After all, I had people here who were willing to listen and lend me their strength.
" " " "........." " " "
"Um... why is everyone looking at me like that?"
For some reason, they all looked more shocked than they had all evening. Did I say something strange?