By the Grace of the Gods: Volume 3

  Chapter 2 Episode 26: A Meeting With Subordinates

  Day 12

  Before noon, a carriage slowly proceeded through Gimul. It was occupied by Glissela, Pioro, and Serge of the Merchant’s Guild. There was also Taylor of the Tamer’s Guild and two of Serge’s subordinates, a twin boy and girl who were to be Ryoma’s assistants.

  “Now, I believe we’re just about there?”

  “Yes, past the corner a couple streets ahead.”

  Tension and anxiety hid in the two nearly identical faces. After what Serge said, they looked out the window. It all began a few days prior. They were working at a branch store in a town called Louiam when they received instructions from the main store to pass their work to someone else and come to Gimul. It was signed by Serge, the president of the company.

  After that day, their promotion to the main store was celebrated, and they passed down their work as instructed and came to Gimul this morning. The weather delayed their arrival by a day, and when they got to the main store, they were told that they weren’t to work there. Instead, they were to temporarily work for an 11-year-old boy with connections to the duke’s family. Following that, they hastily headed to the store’s opening party by changing into travel clothes and getting on the carriage. They were, of course, worried about this failure of management, as well as what exactly this boy who they presumed to be the son of an aristocrat had to do with anything. They were also prepared for the possibility that this job may determine their future.

  “I see it. Here we are.”

  “Hohoh, looks like that kid did all right.”

  “This is one lovely store! It only took a week or so to build this?”

  “Sister, look at this.”

  “...Yes.”

  The store was a simple building with white walls and a few windows, but it was surrounded by a well-maintained lawn and flower bed to give it a tidy appearance. The carriage’s passengers got off and entered the store, where there were shelves that reached close to the ceiling, upon which there were four divine statues that drew attention. The rest of the store gave off a soft, wooden feel, and there were glossy L-shaped counters. They were surprised by how complete the building turned out to be. Carme and Carla had an ounce of hope in the future of the bright building.

  “Welcome to your local laundromat, Bamboo Forest!”

  The boy who was to be the twins’ boss, and the greatest source of their anxiety, appeared. They gave him a close, judging look.

  “Ryoma, thanks for inviting me here today. I’m so glad you even thought to include me!”

  “Nice store you have here. It’s got a bright future ahead.”

  “Congratulations on your grand opening.”

  “Thanks, everyone.”

  Ryoma greeted the guests with a smile. He looked like a meek, ordinary boy not fit to be a merchant. The twins thought his behavior matched his appearance, for better or worse. It would be nothing strange from an average child in the neighborhood, but for someone meant to be their boss, it raised fears for the difficulties soon to come. The world of business could be cruel. The twins were young, but they had worked for the company long enough to know the reality.

  “Thank you for coming too, Mr. Smit.”

  “Congrats. I didn’t think we’ve spoken since you registered, but then Reinbach told me about you.”

  The boy cheerfully spoke to the leaders of two guilds and the heads of two companies. The twins saw this and looked at each other and knew what one another was thinking. This boy must have been the son of some aristocrat.

  “Serge, who are they?”

  “Oh, I forgot to introduce you. They will be your assistants.”

  “I’m Carla Norad. My brother and I worked at the Morgan Trading Company’s Louiam Branch until recently.”

  “I’m Carme Norad. We’re pleased to meet you.”

  “Nice to meet you too. I’m Ryoma Takebayashi.”

  “These two may be young, but they served as the vice managers of the Louiam Branch. They’ve worked for the Morgan Trading Company for a long time, and you can trust them to do good work. I’m sure they’ll be of great help to you.”

  “But...”

  “Is something the matter?” both the twins asked in unison. Ryoma panicked and explained.

  “You just sound like greater talent than I was expecting to get. There’s no problem from a business perspective. It’ll help to have some skilled employees on hand, but the job I was planning to give you isn’t that hard, so I don’t know if you’ll get to use your abilities to their fullest extent. That’s not to say that I don’t need you, though.”

  Using such talent for nothing but carrying laundry and sitting at the reception desk might have been wasteful, but the already nervous twins reacted to Ryoma’s explanation gravely. Serge sensed that something was off about their behavior.

  “You two got a little too worked up, don’t you think?”

  “Ryoma! We’re here!”

  Just when Serge tried to calm the twins, eleven more men and women flooded through the entrance. They were from the Adventurer’s Guild.

  “Welcome to Bamboo Forest, your local laundromat! Come to this empty counter here, please.”

  “Hey, how’s it― Ack! Why’s the hag here?!”

  “Who are you calling a hag?! I may be old, but I’m no hag! I swear, you’ve been the head of the Adventurer’s Guild for a long time now, but you still have a rotten mouth, Worgan. It’s always been the same with you.”

  “Do you have to drag up the past every time you see me?! Yeesh, how long do you think you can keep leading your guild, you stubborn old lady? Why are you here, anyway?”

  “I was invited, obviously.”

  “Well, whatever. Ryoma, how am I supposed to ask for your services here?”

  “One moment, please. Oh right, Carme, Carla, let me explain the work process for you. Come inside. The rest of you can come with too.” Ryoma said, opened part of the counter, and ushered the six of them inside. “First, the customer needs to buy one of our exclusive bags. They cost twenty sute each. They can use the same bag every time they come to our store, so there’s no need to make them buy another one each time.”

  “All right, then I’ll take a bag. I just need to stuff my laundry in here, yeah?”

  “Yes, and as thanks for going along with our employee training today, we’ll wash your clothes for free. You can also have the bag as a bonus, so bring it with you next time you come.”

  “Thanks a bunch.”

  “So, Carme and Carla, it’s your turn. After the customer pays you, you take these tablets with the corresponding prices and put them on these sticks on the right side of the counter,” Ryoma explained, reached under the counter, and pulled out some thin, different-colored tablets with holes in them. At the same time, he pointed to the edge of the counter where there were sticks the perfect size for the tablets mounted in a stand.

  “What’s that?”

  “A tool I came up with for calculating revenue. The bags we sell come in three sizes: one that costs a medium bronze coin, one that costs a medium bronze coin and eight small bronze coins, and one that costs four medium bronze coins. When you accept a medium bronze coin for a small bag, take a black tablet and put it on the stick on the black part of the stand. There’s space there for a hundred tablets. Once you reach a hundred, use a pen to write a tally on the paper under the stand, then return all the tablets to the shelf under the counter. Do this repeatedly throughout the day, and after the store closes, check the results to calculate our sales. For example, if records show that we filled up the black tablet space three times, and there are forty-two left on the stick, that means we received 342 medium bronze coins for
small bags, coming out to 3420 sute. We charge for three different laundry options, three different bags, and a special armor and equipment-cleaning service for adventurers, making seven types of purchases in all. Check the results for each at the end of the day, and if you add it all up, I think it should make your daily revenue calculations easier. I also think it’ll be nice to know how well everything sells individually, and how much demand there is for specific bag sizes. It’ll take some testing to figure it out.”

  With that, Ryoma went off to greet Worgan. Meanwhile, the group from the Merchant’s Guild were left to stare at this tool. Ryoma simply remembered how conveyor belt sushi restaurants in his past life calculated prices by the color of each plate the customer took, but in this world that didn’t even have cash registers, it drew a lot of attention.

  The literacy rate in this world was far lower than that of Japan, and a fair number of people even had trouble with basic arithmetic. It was especially glaring in small villages, but this tool only demanded charging the proper fee and following a set procedure to work as intended. If the time and place called for it, this would allow them to hire employees who couldn’t do math. They could also use different measurements to apply a similar system to their own businesses. The five merchants realized the tool’s potential, but Ryoma failed to notice their sharp stares as he continued to greet the customers.

  “After they pay, take their bag of laundry, take one of these signs under the counter, and tie it to the string used to close the bag. Give the corresponding sign to the customer, and when it’s time to give their laundry back, check the signs to see which bag is theirs,” Ryoma explained, then walked up to a hole in the wall that looked like a garbage chute and tossed a bag in. “The room back there has a cleaner slime― Oh, I should talk about cleaner slimes.”

  “They eat filth. Mr. Morgan told me.”

  “Thank you, Carla. Then do either of you have any questions?”

  “Regarding this new type of slime, will it actually clean the clothes?” Carme asked right away. His sister was about to ask, but shut her mouth.

  “Maybe it’s hard to believe until you see it. Would anyone mind if I opened up their bag to demonstrate?”

  “You can use mine,” Jeff offered and tossed his bag over. Ryoma thanked him and showed the twins the bloodstains inside, then tied up the bag and put it in the hole.

  “As soon as you throw something in here, orders are sent out to clean it and carry it to the next room, so it’ll be cleaned automatically. Clean laundry will be left in a designated spot. Then you pick it up, check whose laundry it is, and return it to the customer. That’s the gist of the job.”

  To reduce the risk of lost clothes and allow employees to focus on serving customers, the job was limited in scope. Employees never had to open the bags and fold the clothes. After a few seconds of explanation, Ryoma entered the other room and collected the washed clothes. He again opened the bag and demonstrated that the blood stains were gone without a trace.

  “Can it actually clean any kind of filth?”

  “It’s worked on everything so far, but if you could check before you return their clothes, I think that would be for the best. If it’s still dirty, have it washed again.”

  “Wouldn’t dyed clothes lose their color?”

  “I tested it on a cloth that used a plant-based dye, but the color remained. Maybe it depends on how fresh the dye is, I don’t know. Warning the customer about that possibility before you take their clothes would be the safest option. Is there anything you don’t understand about the process?”

  “Not that I can think of right now,” both twins said.

  “I see. Tell me if anything happens, then. Why don’t you split up and go serve the customers?” Ryoma suggested, prompting Carme and Carla to come to the counter as well. The three of them accepted the clothes from the nine remaining customers. Ryoma watched the twins out of the corner of his eye, relieved to find that they worked diligently. As long as they could do their job, that was enough. Ryoma and the twins took one steady step toward being coworkers. The twins’ misunderstandings remained intact.

  Chapter 2 Episode 27: A Fun and Busy Banquet

  When the duke’s family finally arrived, Ryoma led the twenty-nine guests inside.

  “The employee area is past this point, so customers generally wouldn’t be allowed inside. Employees have a changing room, parlor, offices, a break room, and a bathroom. There’s also a small kitchen.”

  “Mind if we take a little look around?”

  “Go ahead,” Ryoma said and went through each room with the other twenty-nine following behind him. They were like the tourists in his previous world. They ended with the break room, after which he headed off to finish cooking and had them wait in the break room for a while.

  As an aside, this was when Ryoma finally realized that he had called the duke’s family, people of high status, for a personal gathering, an act that stretched the bounds of reason. He planned this gathering as thanks to them for all their help, and out of a yearning for the positive relationships he never had in his previous world, but after he reflected on the situation in the kitchen, he felt it may have been a hasty decision. Most of the adventurers were of a high rank too, but they didn’t mind as much as Ryoma thought. Those who he left waiting were nervous, but calmly chatted with one another.

  ■　■　■

  About ten minutes later, Welanna suddenly began to look antsy.

  “Welanna? Something wrong?”

  “I don’t know what it is, probably Ryoma’s cooking, but something smells delicious,” Welanna said, provoking everyone to sniff the air, but nobody else noticed the odor except the other three beastkin and Asagi the dragonewt.

  “Meow?! Now that you mention it, something smells tasty!”

  “You’re right.”

  “I don’t smell a thing.”

  “It’s probably a bit faint for human noses. Maybe only beastkin can smell it.”

  “No, I notice it as well. Might this be meat? Fragrant bread, perhaps? Either way, it smells scrumptious.”

  “That reminds me, Ryoma’s cooking is pretty good.”

  “Is that so, Lord Reinhart?”

  “Yes, he’s clever with even a small number of ingredients. His rabbit saute with giger root was delicious.”

  “Master Ryoma does have Housekeeping Level 10, impressive for his age. I’m looking forward to this.”

  “10 at his age is pretty good, yeah. Even with skills that are easy to level up, few people get that far before the age of 40.”

  Five minutes later, Ryoma returned.

  “Sorry about the wait. The food’s ready.”

  “Oh meow, finally!”

  “Took long enough! You’ve been making us wait here with nothing but that smell. You know how painful that was?”

  “Oh, you smelled it? I put up an anti-odor barrier, though. Maybe it wore off before I finished.”

  “Nevermind that. Food, please.”

  “Understood.”

  “Allow us to help,” Sebas, Araune, and Lilian said. Ryoma thanked them, and they all brought the dishes out together. For drinks, Ryoma ordered a slime to carry them over. Ryoma’s slimes behaved differently from the average slime, but Taylor and the five members of the Merchant’s Guild knew nothing of this, so they were shocked. The others explained to them.

  In the meantime, more food and drinks were brought out. Once that was finished, Ryoma called for a toast.

  “Ahem, thank you all for coming to celebrate the opening of my store. It’s nothing special, but I prepared plenty of food for everyone. Enjoy the meal. Cheers!”

  “Cheers!” everyone shouted back. They all drank their alcohol at once, then Gordon loudly cheered.

  “The hell’s this booze? Quality stuff!”

  “It’s for a celebration, so I decided to splurge a bit.”

  “What is it, exactly?”

  “The owner of the liquor store said it’s called Jemis Fountain,”
Ryoma answered. Gordon looked at his glass and grinned.

  “Jemis Fountain?! I heard it was good, but never drank it before.”

  “Really?”

  “You bought it without knowing what it is? Every alcohol fanatic knows that Jemis Fountain’s world-class booze.”

  “I had no idea. I only bought it because the liquor store owner recommended it.”

  “What luck. Jemis Fountain’s relatively affordable, but it’s got so many fans that it sells out right quick.”

  “I see, so I got lucky― Oh!”

  “Is something the matter?”

  “No, I just realized why I was able to get such good alcohol.”

  “There’s a specific reason?”

  “Yes, I was blessed by Tekun, the God of Wine.”

  “What?! Really?!”

  “For real, kid?!” Ryoma’s explanation got a big reaction out of Gordon and Pioro.

  “Y-Yes, it’s true. Why do you ask?”

  “I’m jealous.”

  “So, so jealous!”

  “Tekun’s blessing is the kind of thing dwarfs dreams of. Particularly the Protection of the God of Wine.”

  “Not the Protection of the Craft God?”

  “Look, I’m an adventurer, so getting better at blacksmithing doesn’t help me much. Besides, any blacksmith who has to ask a god for help is a failure of a blacksmith. Skill’s something you have to work for. But every dwarf would love to have good drinks on hand, so we’d all want the Protection of the God of Wine. Getting ahold of good booze just isn’t always possible through hard work alone. Only thing that gets you over that barrier is the God of Wine’s blessing,” Gordon answered. Ryoma saw his point, so next he asked Pioro a question.

  “I see, but Pioro, you love alcohol too?”

  “Wouldn’t say I hate it, but I’m more jealous from a merchant’s point of view, to be honest with you. Haven’t told you this before, but my company mainly deals in food and drink, so I envy how you can easily get good alcohol.”

  “Interesting,” Ryoma replied.

  “Ryoma,” Welanna interjected.

  “What?”

  “I want seconds.”