I returned to the Winheim Village Hall once again.
“Don’t tell me you’re here to say you’re giving up after just a few days?”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“Then, what’s the business today?”
“As promised, I’ve found a way.”
“What? So quickly?”
The village chief furrowed his brow slightly.
“So, what’s this proposal?”
“I’m going to build a sewing factory here.”
“…A sewing factory?”
“I’ll hire the villagers. Of course, I plan to provide free sewing training—”
“Enough.”
The village chief interrupted with a displeased expression.
“Stop with the absurd talk. You’re just wasting time.”
“Why? It’ll create a lot of jobs, won’t it?”
“How frustrating.”
He clicked his tongue and shook his head before continuing.
“What do you plan to do by building a factory in such a remote place?”
The village chief raised his voice.
“Training? Sales channels? Distribution? Do you think you can handle all that alone?”
“Of course I can’t.”
“Right, of course you can’t.”
His face clearly said, I knew it. He continued mockingly.
“And yet you proposed it?”
“No. I’ll borrow the power of the merchant group.”
“Seriously. The more I hear, the more ridiculous it gets.”
The village chief continued, looking incredulous.
“Who in their right mind would open a business in this backwater?”
Thud, thud.
At that moment, a person walked into the hall.
“Fabir, my boy. Sorry I’m a bit late.”
“You came just in time.”
I turned to the village chief with a smile.
“Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Welper, the leader of the Blue Horse Merchant Group.”
Thump.
“W-Why is the merchant group leader here?”
“Of course, to support the business.”
“B-Business?”
The village chief seemed unable to grasp what was happening.
Mr. Welper opened his mouth.
“The Blue Horse Merchant Group plans to build a sewing factory here.”
“R-Really?”
The village chief’s eyebrows shot up. Suddenly, his tone became extremely polite.
“But I heard some unpleasant words from outside. Someone trying to do business here being called crazy.”
Mr. Welper frowned.
“I wonder who would want to do business in this village after being treated like that.”
Mr. Welper openly showed his discomfort, and panic spread across the village chief’s face.
“N-No, that’s not what I meant.”
The village chief hurriedly tried to explain, but the words were already out and couldn’t be taken back.
“Moreover, to be so rude to my business partner.”
Mr. Welper turned to me.
“Fabir, my boy. There are plenty of other villages nearby.”
“A-Ah….”
The village chief was so flustered that he could only stammer.
Still, he quickly assessed the situation and turned to me.
“F-Fabir, my boy. I apologize for what I said earlier.”
Bowing deeply.
He kept bowing his head repeatedly, seeking forgiveness.
“I-I’m sorry. I was ignorant and rude. Please forgive me.”
I couldn’t say I had no resentment at all, but abandoning the started business would be a shame. Moreover, I couldn’t give up on the orphanage.
“Everyone makes mistakes. I believe you won’t do it again.”
“T-Thank you!”
Mr. Welper’s furrowed expression finally relaxed.
“Our Fabir is too understanding; that’s the problem. You need to be a bit firmer sometimes.”
“Shall we continue the business discussion?”
I quickly changed the subject to lighten the mood.
“The sewing factory will be directly operated by the Blue Horse Merchant Group. Our operations are second to none among the capital’s merchant groups.”
“That I know well. How could I not know the Blue Horse Merchant Group?”
The fame of the Blue Horse Merchant Group was greater than I had anticipated. At least in the border regions, its influence surpassed that of any capital merchant group.
Because all the producers in the border areas wanted to trade with the Blue Horse Merchant Group.
“Instead of standing, please have a seat over here.”
The village chief politely guided us to the sofa.
As soon as we sat down, he urgently spoke.
“Fabir, my boy, could you explain in more detail?”
“We’ll be making woolen fabrics.”
“Woolen fabrics? From sheep wool?”
I shook my head.
“Then?”
“From beastkin fur.”
“……?”
The village chief’s face stiffened. What kind of nonsense is this now? But this time, the reaction was different.
“H-Haha. You’re quite the joker. Teasing me like this means you’re still angry, huh?”
“It’s the truth, though.”
“H-Haha……..”
The awkward smile completely vanished from his face.
“Well, I understand your reaction. Even as a businessman, I can’t quite figure out Fabir sometimes.”
Mr. Welper nodded.
Both of them were looking at me with strange eyes, making me feel like a real oddball.
“I-It’s hard to believe even if it’s true. How on earth…”
“Please leave that to us. Instead, there’s something the village chief needs to do.”
“What is it?”
“We need land to build the sewing factory.”
“That’s not difficult.”
“There are more conditions. Please rent it to us for free as much as we need.”
“What? How much exactly?”
Mr. Welper spread two fingers and added.
“20 years would be good. We’re investing a huge amount of capital here, so that much is necessary.”
“T-Twenty years?”
“Don’t want to? Then we’ll go to another village….”
“I-I’ll do my best to persuade the villagers!”
The village chief seemed to sense this was an opportunity that wouldn’t come again.
By the way, Mr. Welper was quite ruthless when it came to business.
“Sorry to interrupt the discussion, but there’s one more important thing.”
At my words, the village chief asked back.
“The most important thing?”
“The orphanage.”
“Ah, I thought it was something else. Of course, we’ll continue to operate it….”
“No, that’s not enough.”
“Hmm?”
“Please give the orphanage land to me.”
***
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of hammering echoed in the orphanage.
“Now it’s securely fixed.”
I used the skills I had honed over time to fix various parts of the orphanage.
I repaired the creaky doors and fixed the windows that let in drafts.
This should make winter warm enough.
“Oppa, drink this while you work.”
Isabel approached and handed me water.
“Thanks. I was just thirsty.”
Gulp, gulp.
I drank the water refreshingly.
“When did you learn all this? Even a dwarf craftsman would be impressed by your skills.”
I’ve heard that many times already? I chuckled inwardly.
“Thank you, oppa.”
“It’s nothing.”
“For not forgetting our orphanage and coming back.”
“Ah… thanks. But now you’re the one working hard.”
……?
Smile—
I smiled at Isabel, who was tilting her head.
“You’re going to be the director of this orphanage from now on.”
“…What?”
The orphanage would be operated with profits from the merchant group.
And if the orphanage children wanted, they could learn sewing skills.
I planned to provide other education if they wished.
At least, I hoped my siblings wouldn’t have to worry about a bleak future like I did.
I wanted to give them a foundation so they could take root in the place they had lived.
The Royal Capital, the epicenter of trends, self-proclaimed.
Buzz, buzz.
“Oh my, is that a new scarf on you?”
“This? I bought one yesterday.”
***
The fox scarf around her neck was fluffy and glossy.
“It looks top-quality at a glance. Must be expensive.”
“Well, I paid a bit. But it’s worth it. I’m satisfied.”
“Where did you buy it? Tell me too.”
“You know the new shop that opened in the shopping district, right?”
“There? They were doing construction last time? You bought it there?”
“Yes. It opened the day before yesterday.”
“I should go too!”
“Wait a second.”
The woman with the fox scarf grabbed her friend who was about to stand up and spoke seriously.
“The most important story is left.”
“…What is it?”
Seeing her expression, the friend sat back down.
Then, the woman took a deep breath and opened her mouth.
“Do you know what kind of fur this is?”
“Hmm? It’s fox fur, right? I can tell that much.”
“It’s not just any fox fur.”
“Not? Then what?”
“It’s beastkin fur, no less.”
Gasp!
The friend held her breath in surprise.
“B-Beastkin? Really?”
“Really. I didn’t believe it at first either, but guess what? André came to the shop!”
“André? That famous designer?”
“Yes, that André.”
“What did he say when he came?”
The friend held her breath and perked up her ears.
“He looked at the material and said”
“Said?”
“‘Beautiful, gorgeous. This is the real deal.’ Or something like that?”
“R-Really? A famous person like that wouldn’t lie.”
“He must have handled beastkin fur before, so he could tell at a glance.”
“Wow. Who exactly is the owner of that clothing store?”
“They say the Blue Horse Merchant Group operates it directly.”
“The Blue Horse Merchant Group?”
“I heard it’s quite famous in the border regions?”
“Border? Not a capital merchant group, but a border one?”
“But now it’s not just any border merchant group. Its reputation in the capital has skyrocketed.”
“R-Really? The world is full of surprises.”
The friend didn’t seem to fully understand yet, but she pretended to get it from the trend-savvy woman’s words.
Then, she mentally noted the information about the Blue Horse Merchant Group and beastkin fur.
“Hey, didn’t you say you were going shopping for clothes earlier?”
“Hmm?”
The friend blinked.
“They only sell limited quantities there.”
“…What? Why are you telling me that now!”
In a hurry.
“Oh my, let’s go together!”
The two ran to the store.
Bustling.
“Please line up. There are many customers, so we’ll let you in one by one.”
The store was already packed with people.
This was the butterfly effect.
A young man’s small flap of wings in the remote Winheim had stirred up a massive storm in the Royal Capital.