kscans

Chapter 24 - Chapter 5: Part One, Strategy Meeting

"Ah, um..."

After that self-important crowd left, Rilka approached me.

"Th, thank you... Mia."

Then, she turned a sharp ninety degrees.

"No, it wasn't me," Mia said.

"And Princess Alfina, you were also, um, concerned about someone like me."

"Although I only just became one, I am an officer for the Shoken Festival. It's only natural that I fulfill my duty. Besides, I was not the one who handled the negotiations," Alfina replied.

At their words, Rilka hesitantly stood before me.

"Um, I feel like I got you mixed up in this too..."

"This one was my own doing, so don't worry about it. More importantly, I need information about the Shoken Festival. Since it looks like I've been forced to participate now."

"Your own doing? Forced to participate? ...I have a lot to say about that, but fine. What do you want to know?"

For some reason, my words seemed to snap the energetic girl back to normal. Not that I said anything particularly strange.

"Okay, so first of all..."

"Wait. How long do you intend to keep the princess standing in the hallway?" Claudia interjected, sounding as if she couldn't bear it any longer.

"Clau."

"Th, this isn't a complaint against Vinder. It is merely my duty to ensure the princess's safety."

I see. So she's being so quiet because she's under some kind of restriction. Probably the Grand Duchess's doing.

What should I do? Looking at Alfina's expression, I can't very well say, "This area is for commoners only." She seems to have her own issues with that group's leader anyway. And it looks like I'll need information from Claudia about their side of things. Besides, we could be overheard by anyone out here.

"Let's move. To a room where we can organize our thoughts more calmly."

I pointed back the way we came.

We stopped in front of the now-expanded laboratory. The entrance was locked. Right, Fulsy had been complaining about not wanting to attend the meeting. Mia produced a key from her pocket and opened the door.

"It's better to be close to the slate, so that table will do."

"You have the key to the Sage-sama's room... Seriously, who are you people?" Rilka said, looking exasperated at Mia and me as we moved with familiarity.

Alfina sat in the middle of the side with a view of the slate. She seemed to understand that no one else could sit until she did. Claudia stood to her master's left. I sat opposite Alfina. Mia sat to my left, and Rilka hurriedly tried to sit to Mia's left.

"Ah, my bad. It'll be hard to hear from over there. Could you sit on that side?"

But I was ruthless and excluded Rilka from the commoners' side of the table. Rilka looked at me with teary eyes but reluctantly started to move next to Claudia. However, Alfina pointed to the seat beside her. Rilka's body flinched, but she managed to take the seat with a series of awkward movements.

I felt a strong sense of kinship with the "How did this happen?" look on her face.

"I would prefer if Claudia-dono would also be seated. Everyone gathered here is facing some kind of difficulty regarding the Shoken Festival. I believe you can share in that, Claudia-dono. There are limits to the information we can gather about the nobility on our own."

"Clau. You need not be so tense here," Alfina added.

Claudia hesitated for a moment before finally taking a seat. It seemed she, too, was dissatisfied with the duty that had been forced upon her master.

"Now, about what I wanted to ask. First, Rilka-san."

"That's too formal, just call me Rilka. I call you Vinder, after all."

"R, right... Rilka. Um."

Is this okay? We're both calling each other by name without any honorifics, but she's using my last name while I'm using her first. Doesn't that make me sound presumptuous?

No, this isn't the time for that. We're currently up against one of the Royal Capital's most powerful merchants. His backers are the prince's fiancée and the Chancellor's second son. In the face of such headwinds, I have to open a shop at a festival I never intended to join. And in a location no one would normally go near.

"My first question is this. Why is Calest going to such lengths?"

I still hadn't resolved that fundamental question. I'd heard the reason for the rule change, but the justification still felt weak.

"First of all, you don't seem to fully grasp what it means to open a shop at the Shoken Festival. To begin with—"

Rilka explained. It was, of course, a matter of upholding one's family name, but it was also one of the few opportunities to appeal to a large number of nobles at once. New products were even announced there sometimes. A specially marked currency was used at the festival, and the profits were used to rank the participants. In other words, it established a hierarchy among the potential heirs of the various merchant companies.

"I see. So it's less like a school festival and more like an exhibition."

That made a little more sense to me.

"An exhibition? Anyway, it's important for us commoner students. Much more important than any exam."

"I get it. But even under the old rules, the one with more capital could get the better location, right? Was there really a need to spend even more money just to shut everyone else out?"

"I've been wondering about that too. At first, I thought it was just a dispute between my company's headquarters and Calest. But the only special circumstance this year is the talk about expanding the trade quotas with the Empire."

"Ah, that came up at the tea party. If I remember right, the Empire is struggling in its fight against monsters. But still..."

"There's no way they'd decide national trade quotas based on a competition between students," Rilka said, tilting her head in thought.

"Um... if it concerns the Empire, I may know something," Alfina spoke up.

"It seems students from the Imperial Academy will be accompanying the next delegation as attendants. Hilda-senpai also mentioned that she would be inviting them to the Shoken Festival."

"We were never told anything like that..."

"I bet Calest knew," I muttered.

That was an unexpected piece of information. Still, it was just a matter concerning students. I couldn't imagine it would influence trade between nations. Well, whatever. The next thing to figure out is the relationship with this Hilda person.

"Okay, next question. What's the link between the Grand Duchess's daughter, the Chancellor's son, and Calest?"

"That is..."

At my question, Rilka glanced to the side and trailed off.

"Please, say it. We cannot make any judgments without accurate information. That is what Ricardo-kun taught me."

"What have you been teaching the princess... Fine. Basically, there are rumors that the Calest, Kurtheite, and Chancellor families, the so called Second Prince Faction, are getting restless..."

"The prince's faction? Claudia-dono, I thought the royal succession was strictly primogeniture."

I directed the question to the stern-faced female knight. There shouldn't be any room for factional disputes over the throne. Unless, of course, they were to resort to extraordinary measures.

"The Crown Prince is His Highness the First Prince. The Grand Dukes of the East and West, along with all their vassal nobles, support the First Prince together. The Second Prince and Third Prince are to support the First Prince, each with their respective 'roles'."

"So, setting the First Prince aside, other princes can form factions, is that it?"

I began to strip away Claudia's pretense. The count's daughter scowled but didn't stop my interpretation. For someone who was supposedly being restrained, you'd think she'd have at least a word of protest. Perhaps she, too, had her own thoughts about being pushed around by her family.

"The Second Prince has deep connections to the Chancellery. And, as you know, the Third Prince is with the Knight Order. Due to the princess's recent accomplishments, it is now believed that the Third Prince and the Grand Duchess Bertold have formed an alliance."

"Aunt-sama has also said it's been troublesome, with the Third Prince's faction trying to cozy up to her even though she has no such intentions."

The commander of the Third Knight Order was the Third Prince. We had taken advantage of that, but did it really affect the balance of power between the factions? I had left all of that to the Grand Duchess.

"So, the Second Prince's faction is wary of the rising influence of the Third Prince and Princess Alfina's faction."

My assessment of Hilda wasn't so far off after all. But this political structure is more unstable than I thought. It'll hold as long as everyone abides by the formalities, but it could easily crumble if someone decides to break them. The crucial First Prince doesn't have any truly dedicated allies.

"I have a basic grasp of the situation now. The interests lie in the imperial trade rights, and the Second Prince's faction is feeling impatient."

I wasn't completely convinced, but I had a better understanding of the enemy's circumstances. I had far too little information about the Empire. I should probably think about using this business venture to gather intelligence. International trade is an essential element for my future dreams, after all. But, for now...

"Let's focus on our business for the Shoken Festival."

"What other choice do we have?" Rilka retorted.

"Senpai, the scope of what you consider is always strange," Mia added.

"Whatever. Next, let's talk about tenant locations. Do you know the current classroom assignments and which places are likely to be up for the next bid?"

"Hold on. Forget about us for a second. What about you and the princess being thrown out into the courtyard?"

"I know. That's why I need this. I need information to judge whether the idea I've come up with is feasible."

What I have in mind is a business model that's common in my old world but completely unconventional here. There are two conditions that must be overcome to make it a reality. The first is the physical constraints on human behavior. The second is the psychological constraints.

"I understand. Look at this."

Rilka spread a sheet of paper with the school's floor plan onto the table.

"Right now, there are about a dozen companies without a location. The numbered rooms on this map are the classrooms that have already been bid on. The cloakroom and guest lounges are marked with this symbol. The remaining spaces are all small rooms, like this one and this one. Most of them are prep rooms for special classrooms, or just storage rooms."

I see. All the places Rilka pointed to were about half the size of a regular classroom. Some were not even a third of the size.

"If we build a kitchen in a space this small, that's it. It's especially tough for anyone serving food. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. You have to set up a back of house and a hall, and since the customers are nobles, the tables in the hall have to be spaced generously, right?"

"Exactly. Last year we had a proper classroom and it was still a tight squeeze. The interior is also a problem."

This was originally an academy for the children of nobility. The classrooms themselves, as well as the chairs and desks inside, were of suitable quality. But the same couldn't be said for the other rooms.

"What about just bringing in pre-made food?"

"That's forbidden. The rule is that you have to serve something that has undergone at least a minimal process in the space you're given. Otherwise, there would be no point in us doing this."

"Come to think of it, you can cook?"

"No, we bring in cooks. There's no way we'd have enough people if we did that ourselves. The real test of skill is in having the students manage the entire process."

Right. I was getting the impression they were being bullied by a large corporation, but they were all young ladies and masters from wealthy families. And the Artisan Guilds were ranked below the Commercial Guild. Cooks were a type of artisan.

"I see. It's a good thing you're here, Rilka. That helps a lot."

"Wh-What! It's just that you're too ignorant," Rilka said, turning red after my honest praise.

"So, what are you going to do? Thanks to you, we might be able to secure a space, but it's still going to be a struggle. You don't even have that much, do you? The courtyard is nothing more than a pathway between the school building and the east arbor. What are you going to do in a place with no roof?"

She had a point. The only usable space was probably the narrow covered walkway. But...

"Rilka-san, you've been worrying only about Ricardo-kun for a while now," Mia teased.

"N, no, I haven't! I'm worried about Mia getting dragged around by Vinder. Right, Mia?"

"I believed in your friendship until a moment ago, but now I'm starting to have my doubts."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Besides, the courtyard issue involves the princess too. That's why we've requested her presence, isn't it?"

She was right. As things stood, we'd just be a lonely little stall, all by ourselves out in the courtyard. As a student, I don't mind being a loner, but if the shop is a loner, it's guaranteed to lose money. And the nobility wouldn't go anywhere near a mere food stall anyway.

"I know. It will all connect in the end. For now, tell me more about the companies that couldn't participate, especially the ones in the food and beverage business."

That's why my goal is to recruit allies. To create a festival venue in that courtyard that can rival any other.