The Indigo Fish of the Glass Workshop
After Björn and Skadi had gone outside, it was Yulia who broke the silence that followed.
"Father, I would like us to step outside and finish our conversation."
"That would be best."
With those words Marquis Deshang rose, and everyone got to their feet to pay him their respects. He looked them all over, then came up to Blow and, with a smile so faint it was barely there, held out his hand.
"We ought to have a meal together sometime, just the two of us."
"Yes. Of course."
A moment later the hands they had quietly clasped fell apart, and Yulia came over to him.
"I'm sorry, Young Master. The meeting we were meant to hold today will have to wait until the day after tomorrow. I have a duel tomorrow."
"Of course."
"Tomorrow... you will come, won't you?"
There was something a little desperate in Yulia's face. Blow nodded.
"Of course. I have to be there."
"And you have to cheer for me. Promise?"
"Yes. I will."
Yulia smiled, left it at that, and went out with her father. They were no more than a couple of steps apart, yet to Blow those steps looked like dozens, thick with awkwardness.
Before long the sound of carriage wheels rolled away, and at last he could drop into the nearest seat.
"Ugh. I'm spent."
"You've worked hard, Young Master."
"Yeah. You too, Jane."
"Young Master, I'll head to Red Forest with Linne now."
"All right. We can't leave the place shut forever. What about dinner?"
"We'll take sandwiches."
Sandwiches in hand, the two of them set off for Red Forest. Rachel, meanwhile, was humming to herself as she finished the lemon tea she had been drinking.
"Is the lemon tea to your taste?"
"No. It still tastes absolutely dreadful."
"Then why did you order it?"
"To keep my head clear."
"You're more thorough than I gave you credit for."
"So I look that simple to you, do I? Blow Deblique."
The truth was, that first impression really had been exactly that. The more he saw of her, the less sure he grew. Still, she had helped him in more ways than one today, and he could hardly let it pass without a word of thanks.
"You went through a great deal, my lady. And thank you."
"Hm? For what?"
"For speaking so well of me."
"I only told the truth. What's there to thank me for?"
"It was a great help all the same. And are you all right with Grand Duke Björn? You even crossed blades with him."
The two of them facing each other, sword to sword, was still vivid in Blow's mind. Rachel only shrugged and brushed it off.
"Well, His Grace is pretty clear-cut about things like that. He'll understand."
"I couldn't even follow it with my eyes."
"No? Then you're lucky. You witnessed quite the spectacle."
"Really?"
"Grand Duke Björn is not a man one gets to see face to face very often."
"Hmm... I'm not sure that counts as good luck."
"Well, better to think of it that way, no? Anyway, His Grace cherishes Skadi something fierce."
"I was a bit surprised myself. His expression was nothing like when he looks at me."
At that Rachel's eyes narrowed to slits, and she spoke as if she could not believe what she was hearing.
"...Well, of course it isn't. Looking at you, and then— never mind."
"......"
"Most fathers are helpless with their daughters, just like that."
"When you say most?"
"There are exceptions somewhere on the continent, I suppose. Haghia! Sophia!"
Her two retainers, who had been sitting at the next table with hardly any presence at all, began stacking documents on the table where Rachel sat. Unease crept over Blow, and he asked carefully.
"What... are you doing?"
"Working. I'm not on Yulia's level, but I'm quite busy myself, you know."
"The question was why you're doing it here."
"The investor wishes to observe how customers react, on site. Is there a problem?"
Rachel's face asked why he would even bother with such a question. Blow had plenty he wanted to say, but he swallowed it and only lifted the corner of his mouth.
"Shall I bring you a drink, at least?"
"Beer."
"Yes."
"As a rule, when I show up, put lemon tea out if the seat is an uncomfortable one, and beer if it isn't."
"It occurs to me all over again how fortunate it is that you attend school in the Imperial Capital, my lady."
"Is that your way of saying I'm a nuisance?"
"Not at all."
"Then stop grinning and go see to your work."
With that she even put on her glasses and began looking over the papers. A little later the Traffic Light Trio came into Hills after school, mouths falling open and eyes going wide, and so the evening service began.
The next morning, once the morning service was done, Blow was on his way to Caipol's central market. At his side, as always, were Jane; Rachel, who had tagged along on the grounds that she had nothing to do before noon; and Sophia, her escort knight.
"You really don't have to come."
"Where did you say you were going?"
"A glass workshop."
"Oh, truly. A place I have never once even thought of setting foot in."
"So it won't be any fun for you, will it?"
"No? That's exactly why it sounds fun."
Rachel chuckled, as if Blow's discomfort amused her. Sophia, meanwhile, was tilting her head at the way he made no effort to hide how put out he was.
"Sophia, shall we stop by the Caipol Knight School this afternoon? Loosen up a little."
"Yes. I'll send word ahead."
"Good. Their headmaster has a weak heart, so that's for the best."
So the afternoon means freedom.
The moment a smile crept onto Blow's mouth of its own accord, Rachel whipped around to look at him.
"You're coming to the preliminaries this evening, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"And Hills?"
"An event this big, everyone ought to enjoy it together. The others want to see it today too. Megan, for one."
"The one who's always standing bolt upright. Black bob, fierce look. You mean her?"
"Yes. Your eye really is sharp."
"There's something odd about that girl."
"Megan isn't easy for me either."
Jane nodded as if she agreed completely.
When they reached the glass workshop the door flew open, and the owner, Venis, came out and bowed low to Blow.
"Young Master! You've come!"
"Good morning, Venis. I thought the potion-bottle samples and the Freshmen Kit samples might be ready, so I stopped by."
"Ah! Of course. Please, come right in! And the person beside you..."
"This is Lady Rachel of House Campbell."
"Hrk—!"
Venis, startled half out of his wits, folded until his head nearly touched the ground.
"M-my lady. It is an honor."
"The people of Caipol are polite as a rule."
"I do not know if I dare show my lady so humble an interior."
"I'm fine. Just see to Blow."
"Yes! I will attend you with everything I have today as well!"
They stepped inside to the sound of that booming voice, and the workshop was full of glasswork enough to seize the eye. There were reds and blues one seldom saw, and long-necked bottles of such curious geometric form that it was a wonder how they had been made at all; bouquets shaped in full bloom, as if one were looking at works of art, and the figure of a woman caught mid-ballet, sights that drew a gasp even from Rachel. All the while Blow stood before the counter, speaking with Venis in a serious tone.
"This is the Freshmen Kit prototype, Young Master."
"Jane. Tell me if anything looks short."
"One moment. Mana Bead, distillation flask, test tubes, a standard flask, beaker, test-tube holder, crystallizing dish... Do you not have the flasks by type?"
"Ah! By type?"
"Yes. It's much easier if they come in different capacities."
"If you'll tell me the capacities, I'll make them exactly as you say."
"I'll write them down. One moment."
Venis spent a good while taking down the figures Jane gave him. Blow spoke to him in a low aside.
"Venis, the capacities have to be as exact as you can make them. Keep the error to a minimum."
"Ah— ah! Yes, understood."
"It's fine if it costs a bit more. You hear me?"
"I'll keep it in mind! Ah, and for the potion bottles, I tried shaping them like this. Will this do?"
On the round bottle Blow had shown him last time, the letters RF had been worked elegantly into the glass. Blow looked it over closely and nodded.
"Not bad at all."
"Haha! What a relief."
Rachel, who had been watching from the side, put a question to him.
"What's that?"
"We set the letters RF, for Red Forest, into the bottle, along with a tree."
"Why?"
"So anyone can tell at a glance that it's ours."
"Hmm? I don't quite follow."
"I mean to push the Red Forest brand itself."
"And that works?"
"People pay far more than the cloth is worth for a luxury wallet or a coat, don't they?"
"...That is true."
"That's the point I'm aiming at. Goods out of Red Forest will carry a premium. Of course, if someone subscribes, the first two bottles or so will be free."
The notion was one he had taken from Starbucks, whose vivid green had stuck with him in his days as Han Ji-hoo. People who went to Starbucks went only to Starbucks, because the customers felt they belonged to the brand, and some felt a vanity that ran past belonging. Blow meant to make Red Forest a brand out of which the people who used it could build a piece of who they were. Of course, back when he was Han Ji-hoo he had only ever set foot in places where an americano didn't cost more than a couple of dollars.
"When do you mean to take Red Forest into the Imperial Capital?"
"First I secure Caipol. After that, the capital."
"Hmm. Planning to sell Straight there as well?"
"Yes. Near the schools I'll expand as Red Forest, and on ordinary streets I mean to go in under another brand. I'll specialize Red Forest as a potion-shop name."
"Now that is something to look forward to."
He had originally meant to stuff every kind of goods into the Red Forest name, the way a shop that sold absolutely everything would. Lately, though, running the business had left him feeling that its identity as a potion shop was growing too strong. So he would leave Red Forest as it was and raise one more brand to handle general goods, splitting and joining them freely from branch to branch. That second brand would carry things far more familiar to ordinary people than anything Red Forest sold.
"If your Red Forest takes in the capital as well, that would be a legend in the making. Fashion usually starts in the Imperial Capital and spreads across the whole continent."
"Right. Which is why the process itself will be tremendous fun."
He said as much, but starting in Caipol had no small number of advantages. True to its byname as the city of commerce, the people themselves had no hesitation about taking up something new, and the rent was overwhelmingly cheaper than in the capital. In his Han Ji-hoo days he had heard of restaurant franchises that began in Busan and worked their way up to Seoul. In much the same spirit, he was thinking of sending not only Red Forest but Hills, the doughnut shop, and the rest back into the Imperial Capital the other way around. It was still closer to a daydream than a plan, though, and Rachel let out a short laugh and looked at Sophia beside her.
"Hmm. A romantic notion. Isn't it, Sophia?"
"Yes. The more I hear, the more I feel he is a most uncommon man."
"Kind of you to see it that way."
After that Blow spent a long while circling the workshop, in case there was anything he might put to use. Then Rachel's voice called him over.
"Hey. Blow Deblique."
He turned, and she was holding a glass bottle up against his face. The glass warped him left and right until he looked flat and wide as a flounder. Rachel burst out laughing and slapped Sophia on the shoulder.
"Hahaha! What a ridiculous face! Don't you think, Sophia?"
"Pfft..."
Not only Sophia. Even Venis, standing beside them, was choking back a laugh. Blow's eyes narrowed to slits, and he shook his head at her.
"The same would go for you, my lady."
"Just now. What did you say about my face, Blow Deblique?"
"I apologize."
"That was a joke, wasn't it?"
"Yes."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
"Good. I nearly drew Black Blade again."
Joking about drawing that greatsword...
A faint sigh left him, and Jane came into view, earnestly examining potion bottles and beakers.
"Jane!"
"Yes, Young Master! What is it?"
He held a bottle up against her face the way Rachel had, and Jane's pretty features scrunched into something absurd.
"Pfft..."
"...What are you doing? Right now...?"
"Sorry."
"That is honestly so childish!"
"Oh ho. Jane Foresti. Did you just call me childish?"
Only then did she grasp the situation. Her face went red, and she bowed her head to Rachel.
"I apologize, my lady."
"Tsk, tsk. See? You should have chosen your master more carefully."
At the thoroughly teasing tone Jane pressed her mouth into a straight line and shot Blow a glare. He stroked her hair.
"Sorry. I just tried a little joke."
"Yes. I. Un. Der. Stand. Young. Mas. Ter."
"You're not sulking, are you?"
"I am sulking! Very much!"
"Now I've done it."
Rachel, watching the two of them bicker, let out a short laugh toward Sophia beside her.
That evening, at Caipol Municipal Magic School, Björn Arena was packed even on the first day of the duels. Blow sat with Rachel, who had come from loosening up with the knight cadets of Caipol, and with Jane, while his employees had taken the seats around them. He had gotten the tickets as a bit of staff welfare, and perhaps because of it their loyalty looked to have doubled.
He was gazing with quiet satisfaction at the employees, all of them bright with anticipation, when Yulia came up from the waiting room, smiled, and greeted them.
"Young Master!"
"Senior."
"Thank you for coming! The first round is Hervena. You aren't going to watch only the first round and leave, are you?"
"No. I came to see you as well, Senior."
Yulia laughed as if that pleased her. She had looked so low until yesterday, and she seemed somewhat recovered. Blow was glad of it.
"Senior, shall I prepare tomorrow's meeting as we originally planned?"
"Yes, of course. I'll have it ready without any trouble. I finished the organizing yesterday, so tomorrow let's talk mainly about plans for the future!"
"Right. That fellow Blow's business plans come pouring out, smooth as you please."
"Oh, really? Were you with him again today?"
"We went to a glass workshop this morning. Quite a lot to look at there, wasn't there, Blow?"
When Rachel said it, the corners of Yulia's mouth dipped. The two of them seemed to have enjoyed themselves without her, and she wilted just a little.
"I'll lay the plans out for you tomorrow. And... Lady Rachel played far too many pranks at the workshop. It was a bit exhausting."
"Want me to show you what a real prank looks like?"
"Please don't say frightening things."
"...You must have enjoyed yourselves."
A bitter smile touched Yulia's lips. Blow held out a piece of glasswork. Inside a sphere worked to look like the sea, an indigo fish hung suspended. Her face flushed bright red, and she asked him with shining eyes.
"Oh my. Young Master, this is...?"
"It's indigo, and the longer I looked at it, the more you came to mind, Senior. So I bought it."
"So... it is a gift?"
"I prepared it to lift your spirits."
"......"
Gratitude stung her eyes, and she held his face in them. Beside them Rachel shook her head as if she could not understand it at all.
"Honestly. What's so wonderful about a thing like that? Don't you agree, Sophia?"
"Hmm. That is true, but..."
"It'll only gather dust. Just more cleaning for the lot of you."
"Honestly. Would you please be quiet for a moment, Lady Rachel!"
Yulia snapped it sharply, and Rachel turned her eyes away with elaborate casualness. Then Yulia looked at Blow again and smiled with a tender ache.
"Thank you so much, Young Master. I'll keep it tucked safely away in my office!"
"If you do, the honor is mine."
"And I won't let a single speck of dust settle. I'll wipe it and look after it myself."
As she said it she shot Rachel a sharp look. Rachel was still avoiding her eyes.
"Thank you, truly. Today, just as always! I'll be sure to show you something worth seeing!"
"Haha. You're thanking me so much I hardly know what to do with myself."
Yulia was staring straight at him, hesitating, when three magic circles flashed across the arena. At once the noise died, and Aurora, serving as both judge and host, came out to the center. She looked around the stands, smiled, swelled her voice with an amplification spell, and shouted.
The moment the words fell, Greig climbed into the arena with a thoroughly tense face. Hervena faced him with a wide smile, even licking her lips.