Chapter 139
Chapter 139
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 139
Chapter Title: A Deal with the Guild
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Do you know the difference between a giant capitalist who deserves to be torn limb from limb by revolutionaries and an intelligent investor?
It's whether they invested in me or not.
Those who don't invest in me are the giant capitalists trying to monopolize the market and squeeze small businesses to death, while those who do are people who properly recognize future value.
That was exactly my situation right now.
I started out as a giant capitalist barging into the market out of nowhere and causing chaos, but with just the words "collaboration" and "Atelier's clothes," I'd been promoted to a wise investor they had to bow down and welcome.
It's still provisional, so to become a true wise investor, we'd need to talk a bit more, but the fact that we could even have that conversation was a positive sign in itself.
Hey, I passed the paperwork screening, at least.
"Looks like you've got some quality beans. The aroma is excellent."
"Is it? I'm glad it suits your taste. Even if it looks cheap, these are beans imported from across the sea, from the continent."
"The Guild Master's eye for quality is impressive."
"Haha~ Thank you."
And look at Guild Master Gilbert right now, personally brewing coffee for me with a bright smile that refuses to leave his face.
He was like the gentlest, kindest puppy around. If that didn't make you think positively, there was definitely something wrong with your eyes.
"Having beans this good means things must be going well for you lately, right?"
Good beans, not a bad expression on his face.
So, with a light heart, I casually tossed out a question about his recent situation, figuring it couldn't be bad.
"...Grind!"
Guild Master's expression crumbled in an instant.
And if I'd heard right, there was definitely the sound of teeth grinding coming from between his lips.
Had I stepped on a landmine...?
"Tsk..."
My original intent was to start with something like "Haha, it's enough to wet my whistle," and follow up with "Haha, then I suppose I should offer a little help there." A light bit of banter. But it fell flat right from the start.
"How many tailors are affiliated with the guild...?"
I was so curious about just how badly I'd screwed up to get that reaction that, steeling myself for the atmosphere to shatter even more, I cautiously added the question.
At my question, the Guild Master flinched, struggling to manage his expression, but he downed his coffee in gulps, barely suppressing his anger, and finally opened his mouth with effort.
"...Including apprentices and regular workers, there are about 1,000. In terms of ateliers, there are over 200 across the entire Empire. When I first started as an apprentice, it was about twice that size... It's shrunk a lot now."
"I see..."
Considering the Guild Master's age, that's roughly 30 years.
You might wonder what the guild did to cause such a disaster, but it's just the regrettable flow of the times, with machines replacing artisans and factories replacing ateliers.
In a few decades, the great name of Luddite might echo through the Empire, probably.
Still, the good news was that the guild was maintaining its basic weight class for now.
Since the number of ateliers could generally be seen as the number of artisans, that meant there were over 200 skilled people across the country on the level of Prince Herbert or Princess Fanny.
More than enough—overflowing, even—to share our burden.
I was wondering if I should make a quick exit because his reaction had been so pathetic, but thankfully, it wasn't that bad.
As long as the Guild Master wasn't an idiot, the guild could hold on like this for at least a few more decades.
Not bad at all.
No risk of them becoming competitors, and they weren't some junk bond about to collapse overnight.
They could remain a decent collaborative partner while I was alive.
"Emily."
"Right here."
I snapped my fingers lightly and took the basket from Emily. Before explaining, I pulled out a piece of fabric used for garters and held it out to the Guild Master.
"...What is this?"
"It's the fabric used in the clothes I make. Take a look."
It looked like ordinary fabric, inferior to silk at first glance.
"Alright..."
The Guild Master looked puzzled about why I was showing him this, but since picking it up didn't require much effort, he carefully took the fabric.
"What's so special about th... Hmm?"
And proving that the position of Guild Master wasn't won by sleight of hand, he immediately furrowed his brow and examined it closely the moment he touched it.
"Hmm...? Huh...? H-Huh, haha..."
Letting out a sigh mixed with curiosity and doubt, he pulled, twisted, and folded the fabric, then burst into disbelieving laughter as he looked at me with wide eyes.
"Silk? No, rubber? H-How...? What in the world...?"
"I can't go into detail, but it's a new fabric blending silk with two newly discovered threads for strength and elasticity."
"Th-Thr... Three kinds?! You mean you used three kinds of thread? How much money did you pour into this? This isn't something a sane person would do!"
"Would you believe me if I said it involves a witch, the Magic Tower, weavers, and our atelier all together?"
"How could I not believe it after seeing this? The way it snaps right back to size, the strength that holds up to a man's pull, the texture that's not at all irritating—this is something you can't explain without magic!"
"Heh heh~"
This Guild Master knew how to react perfectly.
I didn't know if it was genuine or an act, but his response made me feel good, and a laugh slipped out.
"I still have one more thing to show you, so don't be too surprised yet."
"One more? What's that? More fabric?"
"Not fabric, but it's another material used in making clothes."
"Sh-Show me quick...!"
Seeing the Guild Master with eyes sparkling like a child waiting for a gift, I didn't keep him in suspense and immediately pulled a bra from the basket, placing it on the table with the band visible.
"...You attached hooks to clothes?"
"You caught on quick. I used hooks instead of buttons or laces for a clean connection."
"That must have cost a pretty penny too..."
"But it does its job perfectly. With three in a row like this, it's strong enough to withstand a man's pull."
"Gulp..."
At my explanation, the Guild Master stared holes into the bra and swallowed hard.
Seeing a middle-aged man react like that to underwear was visually unsettling, but knowing it came from an artisan's passion rather than anything lecherous, I gave an awkward smile and pushed the bra back into the basket.
"What do you think?"
"If I had the chance, I'd love to work with materials like these. The fabric is amazing too, but it seems tricky to handle, so personally, those hooks look really useful and tempting."
"An artisan's eye for materials is spot on."
Since the title of artisan wasn't won by sleight of hand either, his evaluation was quite accurate.
"You've probably guessed since I showed you these, but I came here wanting to share the production methods for clothes using these with you all."
"That's welcome news, but is it really okay to choose us just because we're short on people? The investment and effort so far must not have been insignificant..."
"The investment was manageable, and we have plenty of other exclusive clothes besides these."
"Huh..."
When I spoke frankly without pretense, the Guild Master let out a hollow sigh and looked at me with an indescribable expression.
Of course he'd be dumbfounded hearing that I'd recouped everything in just four months, not four years.
"What conditions would you share these under?"
"I'll let this explain instead."
I pulled out a stack of documents and handed them to Gilbert.
Taking them, he practically buried his nose in the papers, reading every single word without missing a thing.
"This is surprisingly generous."
"What is?"
"The conditions are more lenient than I expected. You could have pushed for tougher terms."
"Money isn't urgent for me, so I prioritized intangible assets like image and reputation as a designer."
"Well, a bigger pie is never bad for us."
"So you're thinking positively?"
"Overall, yes, but..."
"......"
The Guild Master suddenly trailed off.
I furrowed my brow, waiting for him to continue, and he cautiously opened his mouth.
"One concern... I'm not sure if small ateliers can handle this. The machines and fabric costs aren't cheap, and others don't have funds like you do."
"Then what's the Guild Master's solution?"
"There is one."
"We'll take responsibility for persuading and managing the affiliated ateliers. In return—or for smoother management—can we handle supplying the raw materials to the ateliers?"
"Aha-"
His tone was so ominous I thought he might reject it, but in the end, it was just the guild wanting to insert itself as middleman for a cut.
It might annoy the ateliers under the guild, but it wasn't bad for me.
I'd planned to connect the guild with Prince Hans and Miss Hayes with that picture in mind from the start.
"That part should be discussed with the parties involved, not me. But I'll say upfront that I won't interfere as long as whatever way you supply raw materials doesn't tarnish our atelier."
"Ahaha! Noted."
I'd essentially told him to take his reasonable cut, and the Guild Master nodded with a satisfied laugh.
"With these terms, the guild accepts Count Howard's proposal. Shall we proceed with the contract right away?"
"Of course."
A cool deal secured with a bit of concession.
The Guild Master and I exchanged satisfied smiles and lightly shook hands.
He was someone I could talk to easily, so I had a feeling we'd be meeting often from now on.