“Thank you for your time today.”
“The pleasure was mine. It was a productive transaction. Please feel free to stop by again whenever you have a need; you are always welcome here.”
With our business and consultation concluded, I left the Moulton Slave Company behind me.
The weight of the final piece of information I’d received sat heavy in my chest, and a wave of fatigue washed over me. I decided to head straight to my lodgings for the day, but then I remembered...
“Welcome, Master Ryoma.”
“It’s been a long time, Arone-san. You look as well as ever.”
“And I have heard many rumors that you, too, are in good health. It is a pleasure to see you.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask what kind of rumors are going around...”
“Do not worry yourself. There is nothing but good being said. Every member of the Ducal House’s staff is delighted to have you back.”
I had momentarily forgotten that I was supposed to stay at the Ducal House’s mansion tonight. Whenever I visited, the servants turned out in force to greet me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. As someone with a commoner’s soul, this level of formality always set my nerves on edge.
Sensing my discomfort, Arone-san gave a cheerful laugh and led me toward the guest room. Still, the treatment felt unusually meticulous. They had always been polite, of course, but today there was an extra layer of care to their service that felt different from my previous visits.
“That is likely because you have been producing such remarkable results, Master Ryoma. While we are servants of the Ducal House, we are also human. Even if our professional conduct remains the same, a person’s genuine goodwill tends to manifest in the finer details of their work when they are serving someone they truly respect.
The Master did indeed instruct us to treat you with the utmost courtesy, but there is a natural difference between simply following an order and serving someone you are personally grateful to of your own volition.”
“I understand the difference in behavior, but why the gratitude?” I asked.
I knew I’d achieved a few things, but had I really done anything to earn such personal thanks from the staff? Arone-san offered a bright smile as she explained. According to her, there were two primary reasons. The first was the wedding of Hughes and Lulunese.
“Many here saw how you exerted yourself for the sake of those two. It is only natural to feel a deep fondness for someone who works so hard for their companions and achieves such a wonderful result.
Furthermore, because that ceremony ended with the ultimate honor—a blessing from The Five Gods—others have begun wishing to follow in their footsteps. At first, I only heard talk of people offering prayers at the venue or sharing stories of romance as a way of wish-making or seeking good luck, but...”
“But?”
“Well, several couples have actually formed since then. While relationships between servants aren't unheard of, the frequency has increased dramatically. Now, the rumor is that the wedding venue itself holds a Matchmaking Blessing.
Consequently, both the couples who have found love and those hoping for a good match in the future feel a sense of gratitude toward you, Master Ryoma, as the one who built the venue.”
“Oh, boy...”
I knew exactly who was behind this. It had to be her—or rather, that fairy. Yui was the former tamed monster of a transferrer who had married into royalty, and while she watched over the Jamil Ducal House as her descendants, she also meddled in the servants' love lives as a hobby. She was the self-proclaimed Matchmaker Fairy.
It wasn’t my doing at all, and their gratitude was technically misplaced. However, since she went to great lengths to hide her existence and had mentioned she wasn't particularly fond of people, most only saw the venue I’d built. Naturally, the thanks landed on me.
“Does that mean the venue still hasn't been torn down?”
“Correct. Initially, the plan was to return the area to its original state once the wedding was over, but we received an overwhelming number of requests to preserve it.
Moreover, the fact that it was blessed by The Five Gods carries immense weight. Such an occurrence is incredibly rare, so even those not seeking a partner felt it should be kept as long as possible. Some even felt it would be sacrilegious to demolish it.
A group of volunteers is actively handling the maintenance and cleaning, and since leaving it there doesn’t interfere with our daily lives or duties, it remains standing for the time being.”
“It’s really being cherished that much?”
“Indeed. Recently, the rumors have even reached other noble houses. We have seen a surge in letters asking if we would be willing to hire their sons and daughters as Etiquette Apprentices.”
An “Etiquette Apprentice” was someone who lived and worked in another household to study manners and high-society conduct. In this kingdom, it was common for younger siblings—those who wouldn’t inherit the family headship—to be sent to a higher-ranking house to learn the ropes.
It was a system designed to help noble children establish themselves when they couldn’t rely on an inheritance, but it also served as a prime opportunity for matchmaking.
“Since you have men and women of high status and verified backgrounds working together for long hours, you get to see more than just a superficial facade. You see their work ethic, their passion, and their true character. You’re evaluated by your peers and your employer alike,” Yudam-san added, chiming in to clarify.
“For noble men and women looking for a spouse, it’s a perfect setup. You can polish your skills while searching for a partner from a safe, high-quality pool of candidates. No one is foolish enough to try anything untoward in the home of a noble who outranks their own family, after all.”
“There are always minor issues, of course, but we provide the necessary education as they arise.”
I caught a sharp, professional glint in Arone-san’s eyes as she spoke. I imagined the “education” required to meet the standards of the Ducal House was quite rigorous.
In any case, I now understood that the demand for matchmaking was the first reason for the staff’s gratitude. As the builder, I was happy to hear it, even if the situation had grown to a somewhat intimidating scale without my knowledge. I decided to move on to the next point.
“The second reason,” Arone-san continued, “is your response to the firewood price hikes. A winter fuel shortage isn't just a problem of cold or money; it has the potential to trigger much darker issues.”
She used the example of two neighboring territories sharing a forest along their border. Each side would have villages near that forest, and in times of scarcity, the villagers would inevitably clash over resources.
While lords established clear rules and boundaries to prevent such incidents, those rules were often the first things discarded when lives were on the line.
“They would definitely come to blows,” I noted.
“Precisely. It becomes a matter of territorial rights. The village representatives report to their respective lords, who then enter negotiations. But the real problem is verifying the facts.
In a forest, footprints vanish quickly. Finding a stump proves a tree was cut, but it doesn’t prove who did it. Even when we question the villagers, it’s always their word against the other side’s. It devolves into a circular argument almost instantly.”
Whether one side was lying, both were, or there was simply a misunderstanding, determining the truth required an immense amount of manpower, time, and money. Even if the facts were eventually uncovered, that was only the beginning of the headache.
Depending on the outcome, the best-case scenario was a total breakdown in relations between the villages. However, if there had been armed conflict, injuries, or deaths, the dispute would spiral out of control.
“At that point, the lords can no longer settle things with words alone. They are forced to respond with force to protect their people and their resources.”
“It rarely escalates to a full-blown war, but small-scale skirmishes are common enough,” Yudam-san explained. “The servants here worry about their families being caught up in that. To them, the Owner is the person who neutralized that threat before it could start. Of course they’re grateful.”
I see. I had assumed the Ogalite and other measures were primarily for the benefit of the commoners, but it turned out the nobles were being spared a massive political and military headache as well.
“Your original assumption wasn't wrong, Master Ryoma,” Arone-san said. “The commoners far outnumber the nobility, and most nobles have the wealth to weather a price hike without shivering in the dark. It is the peace of the realm that you have helped preserve.”
“I’m just glad I could be of use.”
Still, I was surprised by how quickly the word had spread, considering it had only been three days since I made the proposal. When I mentioned this, it turned out Reinhardt-san and the others had been very proactive.
“Returning to the subject of the Etiquette Apprentices—taking in many children of other houses means we also take in many eyes and ears. Just as the rumors of the wedding venue spread, the Master purposefully allowed word of the new heating technology to circulate. The goal was to ease public anxiety as quickly as possible.”
“Is it really okay to move that fast? I’m the one who provided the tech, but if problems start popping up because we rushed, won't that reflect poorly on the Jamil name?”
“It is quite alright. What spreads through the apprentices is merely ‘rumor.’ Furthermore, the technology and documentation you provided have already been verified here and shown to be effective.
The Master and the others have already reached the Royal Capital. By now, they have likely concluded their audience with His Majesty the King and are undergoing the review process at the National Research Institute. Once that happens, the news of the new technology will explode regardless, so a few rumors now are of little consequence.
I should also mention that the Master left a message for you: ‘Keep the specific manufacturing processes secret, but feel free to actively promote the existence of Ogalite.’ He also prepared a map of locations where logging is permitted for increased production, along with the necessary permits. I will bring those to you shortly.”
I had known the Ducal Couple, Reinbach-sama, and Sebas-san were away, but I hadn't realized they were already at the Royal Capital laying the political groundwork. They were incredibly efficient and reliable. Politics and information warfare were far beyond my skill set, so if they were confident, I would trust their judgment.
After that, Arone-san and I had a brief meeting about my future plans while she handed over several documents. Once we finished, I spent the rest of the evening relaxing in a magnificent room with a spectacular meal, letting the luxury soothe my weariness as I gathered my strength for the days ahead.