CH 23

Chapter23 - Interlude. Company Royal Capital Branch

“Thank you for your purchase!”

This was at the entrance to the store.

Marco Fonti, the manager of Kingsley Company’s royal capital branch, saw Lou and Fran off with two students from the Magical Girls Academy.

When Lou and his company were out of sight…

Marco ordered Olvo Gilden, the weapon and armor craftsman, and Elda Cafaro, the tailor, who were present, to go back inside the store.

The three people returned into the shop and entered the back room.

This was the reception room of the store where the girls had just been.

Marco casually locked the door behind him, and then he and Olvo split up and took the reception set to the far end.

This was to make it difficult for eavesdroppers to find the door, even if someone was right outside.

As they sat down, Marco whispered to them under his breath.

“I’ve instructed them that no one is to go near the reception room for a while. I have something important to tell you both.”

It was unusual of him to clear out people.

But Olvo nodded as if to say, “Of course!”

He must have something else to tell them.

“Marco, I’ve got something I really need to tell you, too… Let’s hear yours first, shall we?”

Olvo muttered in a hushed voice, folded his arms and closed his eyes.

“Oh, what a coincidence. Me too. It’s very important.”

Elda also raised her hand to indicate her intention to speak.

Marco couldn’t help smiling.

It was a rare occasion when Elda, a reticent person who usually worked in silence, took the initiative to speak.

“I understand. I’ll listen carefully to what you two have to say later. I’ll go first…”

Finally, Marco spoke up.

Olvo and Elda listened intently, trying not to miss anything.

“It’s about the True Dragon King’s leather armor…”

“That! It’s the same for me!”

“Me too!”

“Now then, even better. Why don’t we talk it over?”

Marco paused to restrain their enthusiasm with his hand.

And then he said plausibly.

“Once the armor is completed…let’s make good use of it to make the feats of our Kingsley Company known to the world.”

“…………”

“…………”

“We need to spread the word that you, Olvo, our exclusive craftsman, were the one who crafted it, not to mention that the company contracted it directly.”

There was only one True Dragon King’s armor in the world, or two if Fran’s was included.

Kingsley Company produced this super rare product.

They should make this fact known to the world at large.

As the royal capital branch manager …

It was a natural statement from the standpoint of increasing fame and profits of the company.

But!

Olvo and Elda were in direct opposition.

“You can’t do that, Marco! Absolutely not!”

“That’s right! Marco-san”

When Marco heard the two disagreeing voices, he slowly shook his head in surprise as if to say, “No?”

“Please hear me out, both of you.”

After calling out to Olvo and Elda, Marco asked for their consent.

“Both of you…We have a very rare, national treasure item like the True Dragon King’s armor…Can you imagine how easy it is to be targeted by rebels and bandits.”

“Isn’t that obvious? So what? To begin with…”

Olvo gave him a quizzical look…

Marco stopped him from speaking with a, “Wait.”

“Well, Olvo, let me finish…I, for one, want to keep it absolutely secret that we’re producing this particular armor! I’m going to issue a branch manager’s order about it.”

Olvo and Erda looked at each other when they heard his words.

Before long…

It was Olvo who spoke first.

“Why not! I’m on the same page as you. This is the kind of thing that builds trust with customers. I’m just trying to be a man and earn Lou’s trust.”

Olvo shook his head and continued.

“I’m sorry, but the honor and profits of the company take a back seat! I don’t want to gain more of a name for myself in the world. Even if other people don’t know about it, it’s enough for me to know that I have worked on some great material.”

He had no desire for honor…

It was an unusual statement, atypical of the eccentric Dvergar.

After Olvo finished speaking, Elda followed.

“I-I I totally agree with you too.”

“Oh, yeah! Elda, that’s great!”

Olvo praised Elda for agreeing with him.

Elda chuckled and continued speaking.

“Hey, Olvo-san, I hate to break it to you and the two of you, but I’d like to see the design of the armor be as inconspicuous and plain as possible.”

“You get what I’m talking about! In fact, at that time, Lou also asked me to make the design less flashy and less conspicuous.”

Marco naturally smiled, listening to the conversation between Elda and Olvo.

He knew that Lou was no ordinary person.

Lou had taken into account the concerns of the company on the spot.

If word got out that the Kingsley Company had produced a priceless national treasure of special leather armor…

Naturally, they might think, “Maybe there’s another one in stock!” so there was a high possibility that someone would attack this branch…

It wouldn’t have mattered if they were like the heavily guarded palace, but they were but a merchant in the royal capital, after all.

They would have had to hire a lot of extra security for a non-existent product.　

Besides, there was a saying that rushing things would cost you more in the end.

As for the armor…

Adelaide’s daughter, Francesca, would soon inform her, in private.

If she knew that the company had kept important secrets of its customers and had taken appropriate measures…

Furthermore, her uncle, Duke Edmond Dumer, Grand Duke of Bardland, the head of the original Dumer family, would definitely hear about it.

For Kingsley Company, which had its head office in Bardland…

Their relationship with the Dumer family was even deeper than the royal capital.

They would be a sincere store where customers could shop with peace of mind.

It was to a store’s biggest merit to gain the deep trust of its best customers…

Marco finally decided so.　

“By the way, Marco, why exactly did you present Lou that material?”

It was Olvo who questioned Marco.

That material?

He should be referring to the skin of the Ancient Dragon.

“That’s easy to figure out, isn’t it? Olvo, you’ve known me for a long time.”

Marco lightly punched Olvo on the chest.

“Mmm…”

Marco teased him. Olvo mulled over it for a while, but in the end, he didn’t understand.

“Marco! Stop playing guessing games, tell me!”

Orvo punched Marco’s chest in return.

Marco gave him a look like a mischievous child.

“I, you know, try to see how much of a person a customer is, especially if I’m interested in him or her. That’s why I presented such an awesome treasure like that. It’s also partly because I don’t want to be treated with contempt by offering cheap products.”

As a merchant, Marco offered expensive goods in order to measure the other party.

He didn’t mean to be rude, but…

It was also an effective way to do business afterwards.　

“Some customers admire the product, some shout and resent that they can’t buy it, some are expressionless, and some give up sadly…Customers react in different ways. Apologies, but that’s how I measure how capable the customer is.”

“Ha…You…Your character’s rotten.”

Olvo shrugged in dismay as he listened to Marco.

Marco, however, was unfazed.

“Rotten character? I’ll take that as a compliment. But did you see that Lou? I’ve never had such a great customer…popping out a piece of material that was more than just that Ancient Dragon and asking for armor.”

Marco was not at all affronted by Olvo’s characterization of him.

On the contrary, he said happily that there was no customer like Lou.

Olvo, of course, agreed with him.

“You’re dead right. He’s kinda crazy.”

“Hahaha, he’s definitely crazy.”

Marco laughed in agreement with Olvo, and now turned to Elda.

“That aside…Elda, you seemed uncomfortable earlier. What happened?”

“Yeah, it’s Lou. It’s his fault.”

“Huh? Did Lou make you feel sick?”

Marco asked worriedly.

Elda waved her hand in response. “No, it’s the other way around!” 

“I miss it…”

Elda muttered, with a distant look in her eyes.

“Lou-san’s vibe…It’s like…it smells of fresh breeze and the dry sun.”

Elda was reminded of her hometown…

It was just like the mountain village she had lived in as a child.

An empty village in a grassy countryside…

“It cheered me up.”

Elda smiled nostalgically.

Then she clenched her fists and nodded vigorously.

“I’ll do my best to finish it quickly for Lou-san.”

After declaring that, Elda went back to her workroom.

Looking at her departing figure, Marco thought that Lou was really a mysterious man.

Marco…

He now understood why that hard-to-please Francesca was so comfortable with Lou.

Meanwhile, Olvo was no longer in the room.

After getting into the spirit of things to forge the leather armor, he bravely began to work in his workroom.

Someday, I’d like to work with Lou…

Marco thought somehow.