Chapter 36: The Princess’s Direct Attack

I had detected something strange in the Carius Duchy, but there was nothing I could do about it right now.

Even if I rode like a madman, the round trip would take a full month.

Delriat was already drowning in work; how could I possibly leave?

The butlers will handle it. I left a solid system in place.

The textile factory, the porcelain workshop, the tool forge—everything had a clear structure.

It might not be as meticulous as when I managed it personally, but they could at least read the metrics.

Who worked when was recorded crystal clear; pinpointing responsibility when something went wrong was easy.

And from the Employee Management Window, there didn’t seem to be any major internal issues.

It must be some external factor. For now, I’ll trust them and leave it.

That’s why I had given the butlers generous authority in the first place.

I closed the hologram and focused on the pill factory.

Two days after assigning the task to Elector, the first prototype was finally ready.

Even though it was only roughly shaped, the storage box already looked quite decent.

“It turned out better than I expected. Good work, Elector.”

“T-thank you!”

“Can you teach the others how you made it?”

“Yes, of course.”

Elector explained the cutting order and techniques with utmost sincerity.

The overall framework was no different from what I had designed.

But the details were exceptional.

“You have to cut with the grain like this, or it won’t work.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Yes. Otherwise it will warp later or break while being cut.”

“I’ve seen carpenters at nearby construction sites; they don’t do that.”

“That’s because the wood is different. Papata wood used for the boxes is extremely hard.”

“So it lacks flexibility instead.”

“Exactly. But for small boxes, nothing is better.”

As expected from someone who had worked with local timber.

I examined Elector’s box from every angle.

Perfect for division of labor.

I immediately broke the process down into second-by-second steps.

Workers lined up along straight workbenches.

First station: cut the wood and pass it on → sanding → coating → assembly → lining the interior with velvet.

Four lines of workbenches were set up inside the factory.

Once we ran it, an average of four finished boxes came out every twenty-five minutes.

Production will rise soon. Once they get skilled, each step will speed up a little.

Of course, that wasn’t all.

I was also planning a quality-control team to inspect for defects.

These were luxury boxes meant to hold luxury goods; even the tiniest flaw was unforgivable.

They would bear my name, after all.

“We’ll handle the rest gradually. Shall we start the next phase?”

The production system was steadily taking shape.

Now all that remained was promotion.

No matter how good the product, it’s useless if no one knows about it.

In a medieval world where information crawled at a snail’s pace, advertising was brutally difficult.

But I had advantages others didn’t.

High status, vast wealth, and… killer connections.

I immediately took a finished box and went to find Princess Eustia.

She was inspecting the governor-general’s residence, which had finally entered reconstruction.

She had apparently grown tired of waiting and decided to build it herself.

There could be ownership issues later, but I didn’t particularly care.

I could just prepare a separate place to live.

It wasn’t as if the governor-general’s residence was some symbolic palace.

“Hello, Princess.”

“Ah, Duke Carius. What brings you here? I thought you were busy with the factory.”

“It’s more or less settled. Anyway, could you take a look at this?”

I presented a freshly made box.

The pills weren’t inside yet, but the box alone had a satisfying weight.

She ran her fingers over the glossy surface with evident interest.

“It’s very luxurious. It has a mature feel—perfect as a gift for a man.”

“That’s high praise.”

“It’s rare to see something made with this much care. And the interior is nice too. You’re putting the tonic in here?”

“Yes, that’s the plan.”

“Good thinking. It’ll sell well.”

Even someone as discerning as Eustia gave it high marks—this was an excellent start.

Now it was time for the main point.

I spoke cautiously.

“Since the product is finished, I was thinking of sending some as gifts.”

“Oh? To me? But didn’t you say it’s a tonic for men?”

“Ah, of course. So I was wondering… how about sending it to the Prince?”

“I’m all in favor of that. He’ll be delighted.”

Prince Peilly III of Crawford had taken dozens of concubines after his wife’s death.

But he was getting on in years; it was about time things started becoming difficult.

As expected, it’s a perfect hit.

I smiled triumphantly and immediately thought of the next step.

We had to promote it to the nobles of Crawford as well.

And beyond that, spread it throughout the Western Nations Alliance.

I could handle the Empire side myself; she only needed to cover the west.

But Eustia spoke with a meaningful expression.

“There’s one condition.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“You’re not planning to send it alone, are you?”

“Ah, well…”

“And it’s a tonic for men, right? It would be far more convincing if someone who has experienced the effects explains it!”

“So you’re saying you have to come with me?”

“Hehe! Of course.”

Damn it.

I didn’t expect her to pull this.

If I refused now, the perfect promotional tool would disappear.

I’d have to climb from the very bottom again.

And even that wouldn’t be easy.

A princess with twisted tastes could exert all sorts of inconvenient influence.

Still, it’s closer than the Empire, so a trip is doable.

A week should be enough.

I was willing to spare that much time.

As long as the dried pills sold like hotcakes.

Plus, visiting the Western Nations Alliance would bring personal benefits.

There were many noble young ladies there who owed me their lives, just like Eustia.

I could collect some “thanks” while I was at it.

I nodded with a gentle smile.

“Very well. Let’s do that.”

***

Prince Peilly III of Crawford looked skeptical.

As a famous lecher, he was well aware of cordyceps pills.

That was the problem—he knew them too well.

He had visited the former Delriat Kingdom many times specifically to consume them.

But the very next day, the prince’s attitude flipped 180 degrees.

“Wahaha! What a powerful, splendid morning!”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Thanks to this, I had the best night in years. Far more effective than anything I’ve had before!”

Look at that face overflowing with satisfaction.

His expression had relaxed so much he looked ten years younger.

But as they say, too much of anything is as bad as too little.

I had to rein in the prince, whose confidence was now fully charged.

“Please refrain from consuming more than one box per month. It could harm your health.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. A warrior like me can easily overcome such side effects.”

“But the masters say…”

“Enough. Deliver three boxes a month. No—didn’t you say they keep for a long time? Just give me a full year’s supply at once.”

No amount of persuasion seemed to work.

I wore a troubled expression, but Eustia only smiled cheerfully.

She was basically telling me to give him whatever he wanted.

I had no choice but to nod.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

One cordyceps pill cost twenty gold coins.

A single box was a whopping 200 goldens.

More expensive than most jewels, yet the prince didn’t even ask the price.

He was filled with determination to buy no matter the cost.

A year’s supply to one person is 7,200 goldens?

I had just sold one man an annual subscription worth 7,200 gold.

Was there any high-value business this insanely profitable?

And once other nobles started buying, we were looking at hundreds of thousands of goldens.

Eustia and I toured the entire west.

And everywhere we went, it was nothing short of a jackpot.

Already forty people had prepaid for a full year.

“To think it would be this popular—results beyond expectations.”

Eustia, peeking at the ledger, stuck out her tongue.

Even the heir of a nation was shocked by the amount written there.

But I had foreseen this.

“Of course. We only visited people who could afford it.”

“I didn’t expect even noble ladies to buy them, though.”

“Probably as gifts.”

She wouldn’t understand.

Thanks to the Empire’s certification, how many noble daughters had safely returned to their families?

They had been pulled up from the very depths of hell.

At first it was gratitude, but they’ll keep buying.

Once you experience the effect, you can’t stop.

And there were no serious side effects.

The repurchase rate would be astronomical.

Word would spread among the noble wives too.

Our initial goal was achieved; now all that remained was to return.

But then Eustia spoke in a sly tone.

“Your Grace.”

“Your expression looks extremely impure right now. What’s going on?”

“What’s wrong with my face?”

“For a moment it looked downright wicked… never mind. To the point—what is it?”

“I’d like to buy one box myself.”

“Ah, yes. For a gift? I’ll wrap it nicely and send it.”

“No. Don’t you have some left over from the samples?”

“This?”

I lifted the sample box I had brought.

She nodded with a pleased face.

“We can wrap it in silk later for gifting. For now, I need it immediately, so hand it over.”

“What do you mean…?”

Eustia handed me a ruby the size of a thumbnail.

A gem easily worth more than 200 goldens.

The price was more than enough, but I couldn’t understand her intention.

Tap!

While I was momentarily distracted by the ruby, she had already opened the box.

Cordyceps pills wrapped in gleaming gold foil.

Perfectly dried yet carefully processed so they wouldn’t crumble.

Truly a luxury item.

If it weren’t for me, who could have upgraded those squishy pills like this?

A brief surge of pride welled up.

But then Eustia suddenly made a strange sound.

“Piiiuu~!”

A pill flew toward my mouth in a wobbly arc.

I grabbed her wrist in panic.

“What are you doing?!”

“I heard if you do it like this, men usually accept it obediently.”

“That works with normal food! This is a cordyceps pill!”

“Exactly. If a woman goes this far, read the room. Hurry and eat it.”

“No, what are you…!”

“Eat it! I said eat it!”

Madness blazed in the princess’s eyes as she thrust the pill at me.

An illustration from the 4th century BC suddenly flashed in my mind—of Sarmatian nomads.

Fathers and daughters kidnapping the man they had chosen as son-in-law/groom.

Eustia would absolutely do that and more.

This is exactly why I tried not to get involved!