Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Business, Not Art 2
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Edward had arranged for the stonemasons to visit the estate.
They said they came from the Architecture Guild, and they were apparently a fairly large group of artisans.
“Hugo Kahn.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
I led him into the parlor.
“I’ve looked over the blueprints you sent ahead.”
Hugo took a sip of his tea, then pulled a sheet of paper from his coat.
It was the architectural drawing I had sketched out.
Of course, since I hadn’t majored in the field, it was incredibly sloppy.
It was less of a blueprint and more of a doodle.
“The design is quite unique.”
Hugo said with an intrigued smile.
So artisans see things differently, after all?
He’s not making fun of me, is he?
“A central theater surrounded by three buildings. The paths split apart and converge in one spot. This is the first time I’ve been commissioned for a building of this scale since the Imperial Palace.”
“The Imperial Palace?”
From what I heard, Hugo was a state-certified stonemason from a guild that had designed some of the Imperial Palace’s buildings.
How did Edward even get in touch with someone like this?
“We’ll gather all the famous stonemasons and sculptors from the guild. We’ll probably need painters and glassblowers too. The building you’ve commissioned, Young Master, is a stroke of genius. It will be a very exciting project.”
Watching Hugo explain everything with the excitement of a child, even though I hadn’t asked, made me feel good too.
“Ah! I should show you this first.”
This time, he pulled out a new sheet of paper.
It was an official blueprint, a professional reinterpretation of the doodle I had sent him.
It was so intricate and neat, it looked like one of Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical drawings from a history book.
“Oh...”
The exclamation slipped out of my mouth unconsciously.
“I see you envisioned the central building as three stories.”
Hugo said.
“That’s right.”
A stage on the first floor, with seats arranged in ascending rows from the front.
If completed this way, it could hold about 1,200 spectators.
Six times the size of Rune Moon.
“We’ve modeled it as you requested. By arranging all the seats in a stepped formation, no one’s view will be obstructed, no matter how far they are from the stage. What do you think?”
It was perfect.
“And please take a look at this.”
Hugo continued his explanation.
An experiential museum and an inn.
“We put a lot of effort into this. Since we’re building on such a grand scale, we have to pay close attention to the finer details.”
Indeed.
He had adhered to traditional methods while adding his own creative touch to the sketches.
A place for a true experience, not just a brief stopover.
The goal I had in mind when conceiving this theater was laid out perfectly before me.
At this level, it wouldn’t pale in comparison to modern architecture.
It was a masterpiece.
If we could complete it properly, it would become the Empire’s greatest landmark.
My heart was already starting to race.
“Finally, the Academy.”
“Ah.”
“What is it?”
Hugo looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“Please put the Academy up for last. I haven’t received a reply from them yet.”
The request to establish a branch campus.
We can’t start construction until we get official approval.
If it falls through, I might have to consider building a smaller structure and renaming it as a private academy.
“I see. Understood. To be honest, I designed the Academy with the most care, which is a shame.”
“...I’m curious. Let me hear the design anyway.”
As if he had been waiting for my answer, Hugo clapped his hands and handed me the paper.
Drawn inside was a blueprint so different from what I’d seen before, it could be called the pinnacle of medieval fantasy architecture.
“...A Pentagon?”
The five-sided headquarters of the Department of Defense in the United States.
It looked exactly like that.
“I had a lot to think about. The Empire’s largest theater and the Academy branch. Which of the two should I design to be more eye-catching.”
“I understand.”
It was an important issue.
The theater had to be located in the center.
At the same time, it had to stand out.
After all, the theater was the core of this entire plan.
But that didn’t mean we could push the Academy to the back burner.
It was, after all, an Academy.
“This is the answer to that dilemma.”
Hugo gathered all the blueprints and overlapped them.
The center of the five-sided Academy.
The theater was built into that empty space.
The museum and inn were positioned on the two outer sides of the Academy.
“This way, no building will feel like it’s in the back.”
“That certainly seems to be the case.”
“In fact, yesterday, with Baron Tilberg’s permission, I visited his territory.”
Probably to check the land.
To build a structure of this size, the available land area was the most critical factor.
“It seemed more than possible. The foundation is solid too.”
Thank goodness.
I was so pleased with the blueprints Hugo showed me that I felt I wouldn’t be satisfied unless we proceeded with this plan.
At this point, a question arose.
“When can you complete it?”
“In one year.”
Shorter than I expected.
I was bracing myself for at least five years.
“Our guild consists of the Empire’s top-tier talent. We can dedicate all our resources to the conditions you’ve proposed.”
“Conditions, you say?”
To be honest, I wasn’t well-versed in that part.
Edward had been the one communicating with the guild.
“I was informed you offered five thousand gold coins.”
“...Excuse me?”
Five thousand gold coins?
Are you serious?
An amount I hadn’t even considered suddenly came up, leaving me dumbfounded.
Even a thousand gold coins would be an immense sum, and this was five times that.
I knew it would cost a lot of money, but this is ridiculous.
For starters, we don’t even have five thousand gold coins on hand.
At least, not currently.
“You already sent three thousand as an advance. Thanks to that, our motivation is burning high.”
On top of that, an advance payment.
No way.
Listening to Hugo, one conclusion began to form in my mind.
‘Did Edward use his personal fortune to cover the rest?’
He wouldn’t have just offered that much common fund without my permission.
So, there was only one other answer.
Edward was a well-known tycoon in the capital.
The number of nobles who sponsored his theater alone was in the dozens.
He’s also quite old, so if he scraped together all the assets he’d saved up until now, he could probably cover it.
‘This is crazy.’
I’d have to meet him and ask directly.
I arranged a schedule with Hugo and parted ways.
I immediately ran to Rune Moon.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“I was the one who sent it.”
“What were you thinking?”
At my question, Edward asked back with a puzzled look.
“About building the theater, isn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“So, shouldn’t I be the one to cover a sum of that magnitude?”
Hearing it, it did sound plausible.
“If you think about it, this is also about relocating Rune Moon to your territory. We’re just scaling it up a bit. Naturally, the theater in the capital will become useless, so selling it would generate a profit. I simply calculated the value of Rune Moon in gold and put it in advance.”
“You leave me with nothing to say.”
When he’s this sincere, I can’t even object.
And he’s not wrong.
We’re more like partners than competitors.
The new theater we’re building is mine, but it’s also Edward’s.
If it were any other building, it might be different, but it’s only right for Edward to hold a larger share of the theater.
“May I ask one last thing?”
“Go ahead.”
If he paid that much as an advance, he probably has no funds left on hand.
Just as I suspected, he nodded readily.
“But what can you do? Sometimes you have to take risks for a great cause. I still have a steady stream of income coming in, so I’ll be fine for now. As for product orders, I can handle those with the common fund.”
I’ve never seen such a beast of a man.
“If you end up with nowhere to go, let me know. My father’s estate probably has a spare room or two.”
“Good. That’s reassuring.”
Since I was already at the theater, I decided to call Erdi and hold our regular meeting.
“What should we do about the next recital?”
I asked.
It’s still a year until the new theater opens.
We can’t just sit around doing nothing until then.
But Edward’s thoughts seemed a little different.
“Wouldn’t it be fine to take a break?”
This man’s personality has changed a lot lately.
Usually, he despises the idea of a recital being canceled.
I asked him why.
“Thanks to you introducing affordable pianos and practice materials, many more people in the capital have started taking up music as a hobby.”
He has a point.
“How long do you think it will take for them to master all the materials?”
“...Well.”
I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
‘Assuming my materials are around the difficulty of the Bayer Method.’
If they dedicate an hour a day to practice, it would take several weeks just to get the basic finger movements down.
For a complete beginner who has never touched a piano before, it would take at least six months to perfectly master the entire curriculum.
Of course, innate talent varies from person to person, so I can’t say for certain.
There could be variables since they’d have to learn on their own without any coaching.
If we factor in those who give up midway...
We might have to consider a period of up to a year.
“That’s exactly it.”
Edward agreed.
“So you’re saying we should give it a generous estimate of a year.”
“I believe so. A year would be more than enough time to memorize everything.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to hold the recital around that time?”
“Oh-ho.”
I immediately understood what he was getting at.
Pianos aside, the commercialization of Jubel has only just begun relatively recently.
It will take a bit more time for music to fully permeate the public culture.
Instead of rushing everything at once, he’s suggesting we wait for it to catch on and slowly ease into it.
“The nobles can satisfy their leisure with Jubel, and the commoners are only just starting to get used to this culture, so they’ll understand even if it’s a bit late. In fact, it would be better that way.”
It makes sense.
Alright.
To be honest, I was already stretched too thin trying to manage the recital on top of everything else.
Thanks to this, my mind is at ease.
I’ll put new ventures on hold for now and focus on what’s already in motion.
“Of course, it would be solved if Erdi performed on stage in my place.”
As I said that, I glanced over at him.
“...I will consider it.”
Don’t just consider it, do something.
Well, if he’s uncomfortable with it, I won’t force him.
“I will bring it up again once I can perform more perfectly.”
“That’s a good mindset.”
As I was about to wrap up the meeting, Edward casually asked.
“By the way, Young Master, how have the two of them been lately?”
He seems to want to know about Diana and Aria’s recent activities.
“I’m teaching them diligently.”
I was planning to do a mid-term check when I returned to the estate anyway.
Especially since Diana’s skills have improved a lot.
‘It’s about time to move on to the next stage.’