To Solve The Problem! (5)

Watching me get misty-eyed over the sorrow of not being able to start my morning with coffee, Hare and Demina looked like they were about to die laughing, so I spoke.

“Do you two even understand what caffeine addiction is?!”

Of course they didn’t. They wouldn’t even put it to their lips, saying it tasted bad…

So all I could do was lament the fact that I hadn’t brought any, thinking my mouth felt dry and rough. Honestly, it was the right call not to bring it.

If the Imperial Palace found out for no good reason, there was a risk it would cause trouble. For now, I was hiding behind the excuse that I was working hard to keep the seeds of Mansia—currently known as a pretty worthless fruit—and Kanapa, which might possibly be cocoa pods, secret so I could monopolize them.

‘If the Imperial House finds out and starts making a fuss, even cheap things can turn expensive…’

Coffee, as long as it was stored properly, could keep its quality for a long time, so my plan was to monopolize as much supply as possible before informing the Imperial Palace. I had a similar idea in mind for Kanapa as well.

And today’s task was to find a raw material for “sugar.”

‘If sugarcane exists in this world, I won’t need to ask for anything more…’

First I planned to walk the markets, then visit a museum or professors at an academy that studied botany.

Syrup was all well and good, but what I needed for hot coffee was sugar cubes. Straight Americano was fine too—but I desperately wanted that cloyingly sweet taste from that big coffee chain.

On top of that, even though the hastily made rice syrup I’d produced had flavor, it still wasn’t that taste. So today I intended to move with the resolve that I would find the ingredient no matter what.

Besides, I had already entrusted all the miscellaneous tasks to Linda and Matilda.

I had told them to receive the Disintegrators and other devices I had ordered yesterday and deliver them to the Imperial Palace. But something kept nagging at me.

Last night, after dinner, I had passed on to Matilda the plan Linda and I had discussed—that her family would also move together to the Ingrad Domain.

So when I asked for her opinion, Matilda said she had a large family and wondered if that would be allowed. I told her it didn’t matter either way, but…

When I learned that the actual number was over thirty people, I was taken aback. When I asked about her circumstances, I found out Matilda hadn’t been living the kind of life I had imagined.

What surprised me most was that the “family” she wanted to bring with her were actually her “orphanage” family.

According to Linda, Matilda had worked every job imaginable to earn her academy tuition, which I found impressive in its own way.

And then, because someone had mentioned that the profession most often chosen by orphanage girls in the capital, if they wanted to attend the academy without overstraining themselves, was “selling their bodies in brothels,” I had almost developed a prejudice.

‘They did say that if your level of education was low, you practically couldn’t get hired…’

The main clients were young nobles, and since most of them drew their stipends from the Imperial payroll, I heard that if you lacked a certain level of learning, they wouldn’t even give you the time of day in the first place.

I kind of wanted to visit one someday, but since this was just a three-day trip, I decided to leave that regret for later and simply move on with today’s tasks.

The first place I visited was the “Farming Guild.” It was a guild that basically did business with commoners and Free Citizens who farmed, and it felt like a giant store selling fertilizer, growth accelerants, and farming tools.

Still, thinking they would have knowledge related to plants, I headed straight to the counter and posed a question to the clerk.

“I’d like to get some information on plants. Is that something you can provide?”

When the guild hall fell silent at the sight of Hare and Demina, who had come with me, we ignored it and waited for the clerk’s answer—only for a response to come from another direction.

“In that case, I know quite a bit.”

When I turned my head, I saw an older man speaking. When I looked to the clerk to ask who he was, the clerk quietly murmured, “That’s the master,” so I thanked him and stepped forward to shake the man’s hand as I spoke.

“I was hoping I could get access to a plant encyclopedia or some information about plants.”

“Judging from your hands, you appear to be a noble.”

The Farming Guild Master and I took a small room to ourselves and, once inside, I glanced around to see a considerable number of books.

“Is this some sort of cradle of agricultural knowledge?”

“There’s no need to call it a cradle. We simply store a collection of old books written more like essays.”

As the Farming Guild Master offered me a seat, I sat down and asked my question.

“By any chance, I was wondering if you knew of any ‘cane’-type plant that produces sweetness.”

“A cane-type, you say?”

“Mm, it grows to roughly between two and six meters, and when you strip the outer skin, the inside is packed with sweet juice.”

“Hm… and how thick is the plant?”

“About this thick, I’d say.”

When I indicated the approximate thickness with my fingers, he rose from his chair, took one of the books, and flipped through it with a rustle.

Then, when he seemed to have found something, he showed me one illustration and asked.

“Does it form dense patches, grow in moist areas, and count as a tropical plant?”

He was spot on. The illustration was exactly the sugarcane I knew. When I nodded to confirm, he chuckled and spoke.

“And what do you intend to do with this, once you obtain it?”

“I plan to try various things using its juice.”

“This plant, called ‘Child-run,’ isn’t hard to obtain. However, it’s generally considered something people shouldn’t eat.”

“Why is that?”

“Because it rots the teeth.”

Well, that’s because none of you have any concept of brushing your teeth properly…

All sorts of thoughts went through my head, but for now, the Farming Guild Master went on to explain the origin of the name “Child-run.”

“…When harvest comes, they say the children, no matter where they’re playing, come running over at full speed and suck on it nonstop, so it got the name ‘Child-run.’ If you go to a rural village a few days’ travel from the capital, you’ll see it all over.”

‘So they don’t process it separately, huh…’

From what he said, the juice was sometimes used to add sweetness when kneading bread and such. So it was a plant with a decent level of demand, but because it caused mouth disease, the kingdom strictly regulated its trade and cultivation.

I had managed to get information much more quickly than I expected, and after learning that I would need government permission to purchase it, I placed a high-denomination gold note on the table as a token of thanks and left the guild. After that, the next place I headed, naturally, was the Imperial Palace.

When the chief attendant realized I had stayed out overnight(?) and then dropped by the palace in the morning, he came looking for me, and before I could exchange more than a few words with him, I was dragged in front of the Empress.

“I hear you were looking at magic devices.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty. With so many outsiders flowing in, a trash problem has arisen.”

“Is that so… Well, it was inevitable that the lifestyles of beastkin and humans would differ. So, has it been resolved?”

“I was able to complete the orders, and I plan to use the teleportation circle to transport them to the domain.”

“Are you not taking the teleportation circle far too lightly?”

“In trying to handle my schedule as quickly as possible… And since it was also time to hire people, I thought I might come for both reasons at once, as Your Majesty already knows.”

I wondered why she was doing this when she clearly knew everything already. At my unspoken question, the Empress gave a faint laugh and said.

“When I granted you your domain, I said I would exempt you from taxes for three years, did I not? Yet you’re making so much money that I almost regret those words. Have you anything to say?”

“Since the tax is already exempt, am I not allowed to earn?”

“No. That is correct. You should earn while you can… But once those three years are over, you will need to put your thinking in order.”

I fully intended to be an excellent tax mule later, without giving anyone reason to complain, so I asked her business.

“Then, for what reason did Your Majesty wish to see me?”

“The princess has just returned from your domain… and she brought back something rather unusual.”

That damned princess—what had she brought this time to cause trouble like this again?

A few possibilities came to mind: coffee and the rice syrup, perhaps.

“…What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

Just then, a familiar aroma drifted gently through the air. Coffee.

‘Damn it, for crying out loud… I’m going to die…’

The curses were about to burst out of my throat, but I held my tongue, thinking it might not suit the Empress’s palate.

Then I heard the sound of her sipping the coffee in her hand.

After that slurping sound, the word “Good” crashed into my ears like thunder.

“To think you’ve created another marvelous product—your ideas have no equal. I believe it was called ‘coffee’? How is it made?”

“That is a secret, Your Majesty.”

“Even when it is I, the Empress, who asks?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Is it not the intellectual property of a lord as a private individual? If it were a matter of supplying it to the Imperial House, that would be one thing, but if you are asking me to reveal the production method and ingredients, I can only say it is a secret.”

“So you intend to sell this as well. Is that correct?”

“That is correct.”

In truth, I didn’t intend to sell it just yet. Because of the limited number of coffee beans, I hadn’t been able to experiment with various roasting methods, and I had not yet found the optimal flavor.

I didn’t want to carelessly spread the concept of this thing called “coffee” and let it become something cheap.

“I also know it’s something you began producing after starting trade with Dust of Sands. And still you will not speak?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. You are free to imitate it by any means you like, but nothing about it will be coming from my mouth.”

“I see. Very well. We shall speak of this again at a later date.”

Just imagining the Empress moving in all sorts of directions now that she knew about coffee was enough to irritate me. Which made me feel resentful toward Princess Riana for no particular reason.

How many times had things like this already happened because of her?

If I had to pick people who suited the word “cancerous” the best, I’d probably choose the Empress and Princess Riana.

‘If I don’t do something about this, it’s going to be a problem…’

I wasn’t planning to harm them. But I did think I had to stop them from freely leaking my domain’s products to the outside world.

Thinking of all the things I intended to do from here on out, I could only say that this relationship would bring me nothing but losses.

As for the enormous profits, those were now something I could secure through other merchants, so I was just making up my mind to draw a line.

After that, we exchanged a few trivial words, and once the Empress had finished her coffee, she basically issued a dismissal order telling me to go. I had no choice but to leave the audience chamber, and from there I immediately went to find Linda and Matilda, moved up the schedule, and returned to the domain a day earlier than planned.

There had been three of us when we left, but Vincent was appalled to see that the number had swollen to well over a hundred on our return. He only relaxed his expression when he heard that roughly half of them would be helping with the work of the domain and living with us.

‘Hoo… Coffee has leaked out into the world. I may have to tighten our schedule a bit…’

It was an unpleasant night, with my head starting to spin.