kscans

Chapter 71 - Chapter 8: Second Half - Announcement of Business Expansion

I was at the garrison for the first time in a while. The skeletons of several buildings and piles of stone spoke of the new Knight Order currently being formed. I was guided to the same tent as before, one facing the central track of the garrison.

Even though the number of personnel has doubled, has the command center really not changed that much?

"Mm. This is delicious," Craig said, holding a fish fry sandwich. The plate his attendant hurriedly offered went unused. I felt a sense of déjà vu. I feel like a caterer. For a Vinder who deals in honey, this feels more appropriate than servicing military carriages, which is a complicated thought.

No, if I'm being honest, eating a meal with a prince is improper from the start. To add to that, having a count's daughter standing by like a guard is plenty strange. Maybe Alfina's orders haven't been rescinded? I should offer her a lunchbox next time.

"I told you, didn't I? Ricardo is quite the gourmet as well," the Prince said to his two adjutants on either side, who were eating the same thing. The two knights looked surprised. Well, to the Knight Order, I'm probably just a merchant who sells poison.

Since the "Matsu" is aimed at the nobility, I'll take this reaction as encouraging.

"Oh, this fruit is new to me. A trifle too sweet, but what do you think, Elene?" the Prince asked one of his adjutants, the woman, for her opinion on the dessert.

"I have no opinion on a taste test, Your Highness," the female knight said. They're seriously treating me like a poison merchant!

The prince, meanwhile, was saying something nonsensical like, "Hahaha, there's no point being wary of Ricardo. He may one day become family, you know." If that were the case, wouldn't being more wary be the proper etiquette for royalty?

"For what reason have you summoned me? Has there been some trouble with the carriages?" I cut to the chase, seeing as we were getting nowhere.

Two of the Knight Order's carriages had already been replaced. Not only were they our primary target customer, but the Knight Order, which runs many horses daily, was also the perfect place for test runs.

For the Knight Order, deploying a carriage into a real battle without thorough testing would be unthinkable. In other words, this was purely a measure based on the customer's wishes and needs, not me using the Knight Order for my own ends. This isn't some collusion between the military and industry. Probably.

"Ah, that is going exceptionally well. Is that really a prototype?" Craig wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and stood up. The two knights at the tent's entrance pulled the flaps aside.

I heard a rumbling dododododo, and two carriages racing on the grounds passed by, kicking up clouds of dust from their wheels.

"It was a struggle at first. But when we had them pull cargo, the difference became clear," Craig said as I exited the tent with him. Seeing the commander, a knight with a thick beard and impressive armor rushed over.

"At first, the horses were confused by the carriage's lightness and went too fast. They actually tired out sooner. But…"

The carriage wrapped in white cloth overtook the one wrapped in black. Two soldiers standing at the finish line raised their flags.

"That's thirteen laps to eleven. Right now, we're having the baggage train maintain the optimal pace for the horses. The cruising speed is clearly faster."

An increase of just under twenty percent, huh? Not bad, considering how hard the two craftsmen worked, clutching their stomachs when they first heard who the client was. It was the first time I'd ever seen old man Bowgan's face turn pale.

"What's more, the one with the bearings is carrying about twenty percent more cargo," Craig added. So, about a 1.4-fold increase in speed and transport capacity. The cost, even including the leaf springs, was about ten percent more than a conventional carriage, with labor adding about twenty percent more, I think.

If the distance traveled in a day increases, they'll need fewer non-cargo supplies like food, so it's more than sufficient.

"I also tested them by switching out the horses and running them at top speed for a long time. Aside from my arms getting tired, there were no problems at all. The original carriage's axle bearing warped, though," Craig said with satisfaction. It seems he's been trying all sorts of things with it, as if it were a toy.

"Sounds like it's going well. A carriage built from the ground up for ball bearings would perform even better, I'd imagine."

I fell into thought. Well, it's probably impossible to fully draw out the bearing's performance. As long as the engine is a horse, it's overkill.

"Hmph. So this is the one the young lady, I mean, the Commander, was talking about," the bearded knight glared at me. Come to think of it, I don't recognize his face. His armor is quite impressive.

"I should introduce you. This is Vice-Commander Adele, who leads the new Knight Order's baggage train."

It's wonderful that a high-ranking officer like a Vice-Commander is in charge of the baggage train. No, that's not it. This is Clau's father. I instinctively averted my gaze. A sharp glare stabbed me in the temple.

"Can the leaf springs be reinforced further? It's fine if it costs more," the Vice-Commander asked, his eyes still stern.

"On that matter, please have the person in charge speak directly with the craftsmen. You'll get better results that way," I said. This was non-negotiable. If feedback from the Knight Order was conveyed directly, the speed of improvements would increase even more. I deliberately said "the person in charge" to imply that his subordinates would be fine, not necessarily His Lordship the Count. Those two would probably be troubled if a count showed up.

"Hoh, you're telling me to speak with a blacksmith…" Adele's eyes grew sharper. Help me, your dad is scary. I looked at Clau. I feel like I'm always hiding behind this girl lately.

"F-Father. No, Lord Vice-Commander. This person is exceedingly rude at first glance, and is in fact rude, but I believe he does not speak nonsense."

"Oh? For this wild mare to say so much. It seems you two are indeed quite close."

"Father. I am merely carrying out the duty assigned to me by the Princess."

Isn't this conversation heading in a weird direction, Clau-san of the Adele household?

"The merchants will grow noisy. We only sent out half the usual number for maintenance this time, after all. They must have been displeased."

"The head of the Carriage Guild seems to do big business in both Kurtheite and the Royal Capital, doesn't he?" I jumped on Craig's words, desperate to escape the heartwarming father-daughter chat happening over my head. Kurtheite, with its timber and mineral resources, also has a thriving carriage production industry. I've had Mia and the others research the Carriage Guild extensively.

"Indeed. He may have suspected he's been caught up in a factional dispute. Or rather, he did suspect it."

"The scary part is that he's not wrong. You just stated that as a fact, didn't you?" In an instant, the Adele father-daughter pair vanished from my mind. I looked at the Prince.

"The First Knight Order has requested we hold a joint exercise."

"…"

This was terrible. There was no way this was a friendly "let's build a cooperative system between knight orders" kind of thing. It meant I'd been dragged into the conflict between the First Knight Order and the new one.

Give me back that triumphant feeling I had just moments ago, that "the exhibition show is going to be perfect" mood.

"Does that mean you'll be holding a race?"

"It seems the head of the Carriage Guild is cooperating with the First Knight Order," Elene said.

"Which means the Grand Duke of Kurtheite and His Highness the Second Prince are naturally behind them," the Count added, getting back to business. In other words, this was that serious.

"The new Knight Order isn't a unified whole yet. There are those who were close to the former commander who took responsibility and retired, and the ones who tried to frame Adele. There is no shortage of those dissatisfied with the new system. Of course, we are trying to keep such people away from the carriages as much as possible."

So, Count Adele, who fought for his life only to be saddled with a disgraceful false accusation, is the one in charge.

"What is their intention?"

"For one, it's a check. A way of telling us not to get too big for our britches, putting ourselves above the First Knight Order."

"Wouldn't it backfire if they lose?" The existence of the improved carriages must have reached them, even if they don't have the exact numbers.

Given the pretext of a military march exercise to the west, it will be a long-distance endurance race. Those are favorable conditions for the improved carriages. Furthermore, the Monster Knight Order is structured for expeditions, while the First Knight Order is likely structured to defend the Royal Capital.

"If the Carriage Guild is on their side, they might have something up their sleeve. Or perhaps…"

"They have no intention of running a fair race from the start," said the great noble who was nearly crushed by a false accusation. His words carried a heavy ring of truth.

"I suppose it's unavoidable." For my part, the achievement of my goal is already guaranteed. All I need is to demonstrate that the performance of existing carriages can be improved. Just having the Second Knight Order's carriages, both conventional and improved models, compete against each other would prove the superiority of ball bearings.

"Won't the exhibition you're organizing be a huge success?"

"It'll be so successful the members of Central Garden will be screaming." There won't be nearly enough of them. There are plenty of regular stalls in the Forum, too. I had no intention of kicking them out, but I'll have to think of something.

"Then there are the rules. More precisely, a system for enforcing the rules." I sighed.

"This is their meddling. We can force them to align with us on the rules to some extent. Adele. Hurry the calculations for the expected time between the Royal Capital and Bertold. Elene, continue to probe their intentions. Prioritize Adele's information on this matter as well," Craig commanded. Adele bowed once and headed for the track. I felt the air in the place lighten just a little.

"Ricardo, I'm counting on you for that system to enforce the rules you mentioned."

Please don't say that with a look that says, 'it's better than dealing with a dragon'. It's a difficult problem in its own right. Creating rules for conflicts between people is my weakest area.

A rule to enforce the rules. It probably needs three elements. I have no choice but to repurpose that.

"I'll be using a bit more of those spoils from last time." Furthermore, I need a mechanism to time the finish at the Forum. Finishing in the middle of the night is unthinkable in this world, but an early morning finish would be bad for business. If it were just Craig's Knight Order, I could arrange something, but with a competition, that's not an option.

"I'll need to set up checkpoints, and incorporate a way to certify them."

This was worse than having trouble with the carriages.

"And another thing. The First Knight Order added one more condition."

"What is it now?"

"Actually…"

Hearing the Prince's words, my mood grew even more somber. They want to let civilian carriages participate too. That just makes everything, from the rules on down, even more complicated.