“I don’t mind, but...”
Bruno’s desperation perplexed me. He already monopolized all my magical products and the profitable businesses of our country. I would gladly do the same for this magic item, and Bruno should know that as well.
So why the rush?
“What’s wrong, Bruno? You’re acting a little strange.”
“Ah... M-My apologies for the unsightly display.”
“It’s fine. Did something happen?”
“Yes, well... There are two reasons,” he began. I listened intently, curious as to what could have shaken him so badly. “First, my instincts tell me that your new spell could produce immense profit for us.”
“Really?”
“Could you look out the window, please?”
“Huh? Sure.” With a nod, I followed his instructions—and there, I immediately spotted what he wanted to show me. Parked in the palace’s front yard were a fleet of wagons, one after another. I threw a look at Bruno behind me. “What are those?”
“Earnest payment,” he answered. Sensing my confusion, he explained, “Simply put, this is an expression of how much demand there is for this product.”
“Wow...” I muttered in awe.
My gaze naturally wandered back to the wagons outside. All that money for a single transaction of just one product? When I thought of it that way, it had to be our most valuable good to date—probably around twice as valuable as the last.
“Is it that popular?”
“Yes. Women, especially those of the upper class, are very fond of actors and poets. It stands to reason that they would love to have something similar to what you are giving out to your familiars.”
“I see...” I got the picture, but I still had to ask, “Was that really all it took to sell this much?”
“There is actually one more reason.”
“Figures.” Having gotten a good look at the money, I turned back around to fully face Bruno, then paused when I realized that his face was flushed. “What’s wrong, Bruno? Is it hard to say?”
“Well... I suppose it is,” he admitted with a wince. “Your Majesty, are you familiar with the concept of ‘proactive ignorance’?”
“Proactive ignorance...?” I sifted through everything I knew, but nothing rang a bell. I asked Lardon, but she came up short too. “No clue. What is it?”
“I suppose you wouldn’t know, Your Majesty, because you have yet to be wedded.”
“Do you learn about it when you’re married?”
“Yes. To be precise, if you are married and the head of a noble house...”
“Oh, right. You’re the head of your own house now.” We’d each started out as the fourth and fifth sons of the Hamilton house, but Bruno married into another family, became their head, and operated many profitable businesses.
Bruno nodded. “Pardon the unsophisticated topic... You see, married noblewomen are typically granted full freedom so long as they do not partake in any physical infidelity.”
“Physical infidelity...?”
“Like bearing another man’s child,” Lardon supplied.
Ah, that makes sense. Lineage and blood ties were important to nobles. I knew that a noble’s partner—especially the wife—was prohibited from cheating, but this was my first time hearing it put in these terms.
“Hence, married noblewomen are fond of forming relationships with their knights, who foster spirits of self-sacrifice and dedicate their all—emotionally, and not physically—to their ladies.”
“Oh, wow...” I understood what he was saying, but I still struggled to wrap my head around it.
“And,” he continued, “proactively ignoring these relationships is considered a virtue among family heads.”
“Oh!” When he repeated the word in these terms, it all fell into place for me.
“To nobles, permitting emotional infidelity is a virtue...as is putting on airs financially. These founded the concept of ‘proactive ignorance.’”
“Ohh...” What a...fascinating world they lived in.
“Hence, for me, incurring losses from this business will actually boost my repute among the nobility.”
“What? So you want to lose out?!”
“Yes.”
“Uh...”
“Human nobles conjure up the most bizarre rules,” Lardon mused, sounding rather exasperated—and frankly, I couldn’t help but agree with her.
✦ ✦ ✦
After pondering for a while, I finally nodded. “All right, then. When it comes to business, I don’t even know left from right, so I’d rather leave it all up to you.”
“Thank you very much!”
“Anyway, setting that aside... How about the matter with Amelia?”
With a gasp, Bruno sprung from his seat and flung his head down in a frighteningly deep bow. “My sincerest apologies!”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“No, not at all. I would just like to apologize for bringing up my own matters before making my report.”
“Oh, no need to put yourself down for that. Could I hear the report, then?”
“Of course!” Bruno sat back down. “Firstly, boosting Ms. Amelia’s fame is a must. Though I myself have heard of her, I believe she is not as well-known among the commonfolk as you would like, Your Majesty. So, I plan to play her songs in restaurants and taverns in my domain.”
“In taverns...?”
“Yes.” Bruno nodded firmly. “Stage performances are rather common in such venues, so this arrangement is not entirely new to the people. This will be our first step in boosting her familiarity among the populace. Thus, I would like to be entrusted with the magic items.”
“All right...” I hummed. “Could you come with me for a sec?”
Bruno looked a little perplexed by the sudden request but readily nodded anyway. “Understood.”
From there, I took Bruno to the reception hall and set up a meeting with Amelia in one of the parlor rooms. The three of us sat together as I filled Amelia in on Bruno’s plans.
When I finished, I turned to Bruno for confirmation. “Did I get that right?”
“Absolutely. A perfect explanation, Your Majesty.” Bruno got up and lowered his head. His bow was just as deep as earlier, but his movements were much calmer and more elegant.
I stared at him in confusion. Isn’t this a bit much?
“It’s because that girl is here,” Lardon explained. “He is boosting your prestige in her eyes.”
Now that she mentioned it... This sight wasn’t new to me. Before I became a noble, I’d see this sort of sycophancy whenever I went out for drinks.
Instead of replying to Bruno, I turned straight to Amelia and asked, “What do you think? If you dislike the idea, then we can think of another way.”
“Not at all.” Amelia slowly shook her head, rose to her feet, and lowered her head as well.
“A-Amelia?!” Seeing my idol bowing before me sent me into a full-blown panic. Why do people keep bowing to me today?!
“Thank you very much for your kind consideration. I’ve no objections.”
“O-Okay... Then it’s all yours.” Just barely collecting myself, I turned to Bruno and passed the baton to him.
Thankfully, he was much more composed than I was. “Understood. In that case, Your Majesty, I would like to request for several magic items containing Ms. Amelia’s songs. I shall place these in my planned locations.”
“S-Sure.”
“Ms. Amelia... No, Your Majesty.” Bruno turned his gaze from Amelia to me, catching me a little off guard. “I would like twenty units to start with. I humbly suggest they all be prepared at once, so as not to burden Ms. Amelia with multiple performances.”
“Oh, of course. We should definitely make this as easy as we can for her.” I was grateful that Bruno was so considerate.
I spread my hands and unleashed my mana. Bruno wanted twenty units, but I decided to make a bit more using my usual multicasting method. With the cheapest raw material—my mana—gathering at my hands, I crafted twenty-three Phonographs in no time.
I nodded in satisfaction. I’d done this countless times now, so crafting this many at once was a piece of cake.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I swear upon my name and life to safely deliver these magic items to where they must be.”
“You don’t need to swear on your life...”
“I certainly do.” Bruno looked dead serious, more so than usual. “Your Majesty, you are the only human who can craft a magic item with pure mana. Without a doubt, this item is a luxury good, the likes of which a noble house can only own one of at a time.”
There he goes, exaggerating things again. Lardon could make this thing in a jiffy too, couldn’t she?
“I am not a human,” Lardon pointed out in amusement.
Oh, right... I guess he did say that. Well, if we were limiting it to humans, then I guess it was fairly impressive?
Unlike me, however, Amelia was thoroughly stunned by Bruno’s explanation. She looked at me in awe. “Yet you made so many...in an instant? Wow...”
For some reason, Bruno looked terribly smug at her reaction.