Windsor Knights' Bankruptcy (4)
People tend to value most what they think about the most. Since ancient times, the basics of advertising have been about getting exposure everywhere, with the goal of sticking in as many minds as possible. If a dragon shows up, of course everyone's attention would flock to it.
"Dragons are cool and cute."
With that, Sisilia dove headfirst into making dragon merchandise.
First up, she hunted down skilled artisans to craft the goods. But what they produced? Disappointing, in her eyes.
"Is this the best you can do?"
"Hmm, the best? We've never actually seen a dragon. How are we supposed to make one?"
The biggest issue was that this was pre-dragon reveal, so they had to rely on imagination. She showed them sketches, but Sisilia's drawing skills were so abysmal they could send you on a quick trip to hell just by looking at them.
"Hm. That's not a dragon—that's a wounded griffin."
She tilted her head. No matter how hard she tried, only mangled griffin shapes emerged, making her suspect the artisans' skills were the real problem(?).
"In my life as a smith, I've never hit a wall like this."
So Sisilia went to the artisans who forged swords for the Windsor Knights and made her request. They were troubled, but their expertise let them approximate the quality she wanted just from her description.
But another problem arose. The labor costs for these exclusive Windsor swordsmiths were so exorbitant, even Sisinyang's legs would wobble.
"I'd have to sell Betty to a tavern to cover this."
But as always, Sisinyang found the answer.
"If labor's too expensive, just outsource to something without human rights, right?"
True genius, she thought, grabbing Liliana by the head.
"H-Hiiik."
"Is Liliana a bad demon?"
"No! I'm a good demon...!"
Leaving Liliana—lemonade dripping from her eyes—in front of the dragon corpse, Sisilia said,
"Make the cutest, most perfect dragon plush in the world. If you fail, you're a bad demon, and I'll feed you to a Welsh Corgi."
The result was immensely satisfying. Thanks to analyzing every single fuzz on the real dragon, the fidelity was spot-on. Sisilia hadn't known this, but succubi had naturally deft hands for seducing men. Plus, demonic precision like a machine allowed mass production.
And best of all—no human rights meant zero labor costs for Liliana.
"Got a great factory too—hmm. But something's still missing."
Still, the finished dragon plush felt bland to Sisilia. Cute, sure, but lacking that something. Like seeing Betty's plain panties—the feeling gnawed at her.
"Probably because it's a dragon that doesn't breathe fire."
Sisilia decided on a fire-breathing dragon plush. She slathered tiny magic stones around the throat area and infused them with her Aura.
Next, she sought out the future hero party's mage.
"Investor has arrived."
Ariana bowed deeply the moment Sisilia appeared, worshipping her like a god. For a mage, the water-pouring goddess wasn't wrong.
"Can the enchantment from your magic staff work here?"
"Tricky on squishy material, but I'll try."
"How long?"
"Hmm, about three years..."
But well-fed mage Ariana was dragging her feet. Sisilia preferred sturdy, turtle-like mages with hearty gukbap vibes.
"Too bad."
"Pardon...?"
"I was planning to donate more next time."
"Ah, haha, how soon do you need it?"
"Three hours."
"...!"
Staking her life, Ariana pushed hard and succeeded in implanting a semi-permanent circulation formula after 2 hours and 55 minutes. Unlike one-use artifacts, it recharged ambient mana for repeated use.
"Haaak, hek."
Ariana was exhausted to death, but Sisilia loved the final product. Squeeze the belly—cute dragon mouth opens. Glass eyes glow silver, then it blasts a fierce breath.
Sisilia eagerly opened wide and savored it.
"Wheeeeeeoooaaah—"
In other words, a mini fan with killer output.
Sisilia had zero doubt this dragon merch would be summer's top seller.
"...Are you insane?"
Edward stared blankly at Sisilia after hearing about the "Wind Dragon" model.
"How did you even think a dragon plush should breathe fire?"
"Vee."
"..."
Proud Sisilia had that infuriating spark, but this time, Edward had to concede. Even to him, the Wind Dragon was revolutionary. No one could've predicted a breathing dragon plush.
He wanted to roast her but couldn't, so he picked up another plush with hazy eyes.
"So what's with the non-wind ones?"
"All are artifacts."
'Dangerous.' Sisilia could hardly believe her own words.
'If I hadn't flown here, I'd top Forbes' richest entrepreneurs.'
Her business genius was off the charts.
"Built-in magic adjusts temperature—cool when hot, warm when cold."
Hot and cold packs in medieval times...! Shaped like adorable dragon plushes!
"Wind model has it too, so double effect."
Edward eyed her dubiously, his light blond hair fluttering from the breath.
"Still too pricey. 30 gold and 100 gold? Unrealistic. ...Did you threaten customers?"
Expensive. That was his verdict. Innovative, sure. But just mild warmth or coolness? ...100 gold was overkill.
"Not buying?"
"..."
Sisilia blinked up at him.
"...We worked so hard."
She fiddled with the plush sullenly.
"Buy now, knights' exclusive 30% discount..."
She dangled it, wiggling the chubby foot.
"Set discount 20% too."
That day, Edward returned with a full set of four dragon plushes.
Contrary to Edward's worries, Sisilia's dragons exploded in popularity.
"Papa!"
"Aigoo, my princess."
"Me too, me too! Buy dragon!!"
Several reasons for the boom. The epochal dragon discovery spiked interest, sure. But the design was killer. Sisilia's impeccable aesthetic sense made the quality top-tier. Even a 6-year-old would nag relentlessly!
And it wasn't just kids.
"...This dragon plush is 100 gold?"
"Isn't it too cute?"
"Joking! There's expensive and then there's this! Return it now!"
"See the breath—you won't say that."
"Br-breath?"
"Come here."
The Wind Dragon's performance captivated nobles.
"Refreshing. Like a mountaintop breeze. Hey, get another for my office."
In sweltering heat or biting cold, nobles endured work. The Wind Dragon was a godsend. And since it used Sisilia's Aura, it wasn't just cool or warm—it was invigorating.
With it, no paperwork daunted them.
"Oh, ...just a regular dragon plush?"
"Well, a lady's finances wouldn't stretch to Wind Dragon."
"This the famous Wind Dragon? So hard to get—I'll never forget your kindness, Baron."
Nobles couldn't quit luxury, even starving—it tied to survival. Sisilia's high prices worked in her favor. Windsor Aura-infused artifacts weren't for just anyone.
Thus: regular dragon for average nobles, Wind Dragon for the elite. Soon, dragon plushes were socialite essentials.
"See, Betty? Told you we'd get rich."
Sisilia beamed at the piled gold.
Beatrice, watching beside her, had eyes shrunk to dots.
In just a month of plush sales, Sisilia earned 100,000 gold. Self-inflicted bankruptcy crisis? Casually resolved.
...Though it didn't fully cover the blown budget. Pocket change compared to the dragon corpse's value.
"Now everyone acknowledges me, right? Best vice-captain ever."
'Big trouble.'
Beatrice sweated bullets.
'Can't stop Sisilia anymore.'
Big earnings didn't fix her zero sense of money...
If Sisilia kept finance reins, bankruptcy loomed eternally.
But thankfully, Beatrice's fears didn't materialize.
"...What the hell is our Sisinyang doing now?"
Dragon merch done—now fetch a live dragon, Sisilia declared, heading straight to the palace.
"...Weird. I swore it had a tail."
Even affable Lydia twitched at the stunt. Sisilia pulled off a massive scandal.
"Sisilia Windsor, you're suspended starting today. Finance privileges revoked as compensation."
Thus, Sisilia lost finance rights and a month's social service punishment.
The charge? Peeping the Empress's panties.