Last night we went upstream using the flat-bottomed ship route, this time we travelled there using a horse-drawn carriage.
By the time we arrived at Gilbert’s workshop, the sun was already high.
When we opened the door and entered the workshop, the golems seemed to be continuing the same works as last night still.
Meanwhile, Gilbert, the workshop’s owner, were sleeping at his work desk.
Just as I was thinking of what to do, Harold showed his face from the back door at the right moment.
The redhead which was always beautifully arranged had also became a mess, he seemed a bit tired.
“Yo, Erica and mister. Please don’t wake Aniki up.
Because he only went to bed one hour ago after an all-nighter.”
『Umu, I see.』
Tirnanog gently fix the blanket which had fallen at Gilbert’s foot.
“Isn’t it still too early for baking?”
“Nope, now is a good time.
The second firing is finished soon, and it’s about time to steadily cool it down.
We have two prototypes, the finishing touches on the first one has finished……do you want to see it?”
“Amazing……really?”
“Hehe, are you surprised?
Aniki, that guy, he seemed to want to see the finished product as soon as possible.
I happened to have a magic recovery potion, so he used his magic vigorously……well, that is the result.”
Harold referred to Gilbert who was sleeping with a look like a burned-out boxer at the end of a death match.
If it was not only mere sleep deprivation and fatigue but also magical power depletion, then it was understandable.
Hrold lined up two flat wooden boxes on the desk and opened one of the lids.
What appeared was a delicate-looking dish with a lace made of blue and white silk threads.
On the slightly bluish white, there was a pattern of pomegranate drawn in glossy indigo blue.
“First off, it’s a dish painted only with blue.”
“Because of the deep blue, the white looks all the more brilliant……it’s very beautiful.”
『Hou, beautiful.』
“Right? This is a dish I am proud of. Aniki called this ‘sometsuke’ or ‘seika’, by the words of the eastern continent1.”
Harold opened another box.
The first thing that caught my eyes was the vivid colors of the drawing.
At the center of the dish, lions and flowers that were drawn in red and gold were dancing.
In addition, the circ.u.mference part was divided into six, and animals like auspicious beasts were drawn in each.
The shade of indigo blue made the beasts stood out fantastically.
It resembled something I saw once.
The design of the dish which decorated the wall of Turm Wand Store, that had broken once and repaired with golden joinery.
“This other one is called something like ‘somenishiki kinrande’2.
Paint a picture in blue and apply a glaze from the top and bake it, then put colors other than blue and gold and it’s done.
As you can see, it took a lot of trouble making this.”
“This seems to be the same pattern as the one with the crack traces that decorated the back of the store.”
“Aa, that’s right. Like the one that Aniki broke as a child.
It seems that this dish is based on one of Knot Reed’s legend, the legend of a navigator who met seven kinds of monsters.”
The large dish on which seven beasts were drawn was a beautiful but grotesque artwork.
Speaking of which, that legend should be compiled in the collection of stories that I only began to read.
“It’s not like a dish but an artwork.
The appearance of the beast depicted on the broken plate is very beautiful.”
“Nn? A dish? Didn’t you say something unthinkable?”
The blanket was squirming while saying something, and Gilbert raised his face.
Oops, not good, the exhausted Gilbert was waking up.
Hm? But, I wondered if I said something strange.
“What do you mean by ‘something unthinkable’?”
“Ojou-san, it’s not ‘like an artwork’, this dish is actually an artwork……fuwaa~ah.”
“I mean, Aniki, is it okay for you to wake up?”
“Aa, I already slept enough. It will be bad for my back if I sleep at a weird place any further.
Even so, Ojou-san has a bold way of thinking, huh……as expected from the Aurelia Ducal.”
I inadvertently talked about porcelain with my previous life’s aesthetic sense.
On this continent, porcelain was a rare existence.
Naturally, even the wealthy Aurelia Ducal couldn’t afford porcelain dishes.
However, Gilbert seemed to be interested in my careless remarks.
“Do you know?
Porcelain was originally an artificial gem made by the King of the eastern continent.”
Gilbert gently stroked the surface of the result of his hard work while laughing.
Certainly, its beauty could be compared to jewels.
“It seems that in that place jewels like precious stones were thought to be the key that leads to immortality.
Since the successive kings used precious stones for everything, of course, naturally the produced precious stones were not enough.
Those who were commanded by the King did trials and errors repeatedly to artificially make precious stones.
It was this porcelain that was created in the end.”
Gilbert proudly said so.
I guessed he naturally felt connected to the people who did trials and errors.
“Initially it was created as an equipment used in the King’s rituals, then it became an artwork to be collected by the n.o.bles, and finally it became a dish for ordinary people.
……Isn’t it great? Interesting. This guy is not bad.”
When I heard Gilbert’s words, I realized.
It might be that this continental porcelain culture had reached a major turning point with my careless remarks.
Gilbert held his hand out to the air in order to lift the dish up.
I felt like I could see a vision of the future of porcelains in his hand.
“Haah!? I don’t know what you’re talking about suddenly, Aniki.
Are you still sleeping? Are you tired?
Hey, hey~ I still have potions to remove drowsiness and fatigue.”
Harold who seemed to get tired of the story pressed a potion bottle against Gilbert’s face.
The content of the bottle was pretty much a grotesque purple color.
Gilbert retreated to pry his face and escaped from the bottle.
“N-no way! I don’t want to drink anything like that stupid unpleasant potion!”
“I got plenty of freebies from Sergei-ojisan, so please don’t hold back and drink it, Aniki!
“I’m not holding back or anything!”
Harold cornered Gilbert with a lively expression.
Looking at the desk, it seemed that there was a written explanation of the potion.
I was wondering what various things were mixed in, so I read it out loud.
“‘The main components are horse heart, deer horn, dried scorpion, dried sea serpent, mola.s.ses, and the cerebrospinal fluid of a kraken.’
Although the magical supplement ingredient is the kraken’s cerebrospinal fluid, I think it’s an effective ingredient to recover from fatigue.”
It could recover lots of magical power, and in addition, this potion was likely to become a nourishing tonic.
When Gilbert listened to the breakdown of the materials, his face turned pale.
“Geeeh, and I was chugging down lots of that strange potion last night!?”
『Is that so? It looks delicious.』
“Eh~, isn’t it fine, Aniki. This is a high-cla.s.s item that only costs three silver coins, you know~!”
When Harold drew near, Gilbert got up from the chair and ran away.
I felt his iron’s will to not drink even a single sip.
“Oi, oi, oi, please don’t bully the pitiful me with that kind of behavior, Botchan.”
“Don’t force him, Harold.”
“I’m not bullying him, I’m showing my appreciation for his efforts!”
“Ah~, if you have time to bully me, then this will be Botchan’s last job!”
“Uh.”
Harold was the next to suffer a painful expression this time.
His movement solidified while holding a gla.s.s bottle containing purple potion.
“Hey, you have to negotiate with Earl Nibelheim, right?
It’s crucial that you convince the Earl, after all, you can’t move things, people, and money in a big way, right?”
“Uuh.”
Speaking of which, we hadn’t talked about the story of the matter and the countermeasure plan to the most important party.
But, didn’t Harold hate to speak directly with his father, the Earl Nibelheim?
“That’s true, but, I don’t think he will listen to my story if I go.
It’s much better for Aniki to be the one who speaks with him.”
“I want to bake the prototype at once.
It’s not a large dish or a large vase that is intended for collectors……okay, first of all, let’s make a common dish like a small plate or teaware.
Besides, my appearance and character are dubious, right?
You are the trusted son of Earl Nibelheim after all, even if you only said that there is a bad feeling.
If Botchan persuades him, Earl Nibelheim who was once calm and cautious, will also move.”
When Gilbert said ‘trusted son’, Harold chewed his lips slightly.
I recalled the Nibelheim’s strained parent-child relation and the awkward air between them.
“Um, can I also go along with Harold? I’m worried about what will happen.”
“Erica, are you sure it’s okay?”
“But even if I am there, I may not be able to do anything.”
“No, rather than going alone, just by being there, you will make my mind feel dozens of times easier.”
Harold looked at me like a man who was grasping at straws, so I smiled back.
『Then, I suppose that I will also go with you.』
“No, he might be suspicious with mister because you look a bit too severe.”
Tirnanog who stood up sat back down again from Gilbert’s critics.
I couldn’t deny that he was indeed a bit suspicious-looking.
『Hmm……then, instead of coming along, I will advise you guys.
You will probably feel reluctant to reconnect with a family member who had a disagreement with you at one time.
However, no matter how unpleasant, make sure that you know the true feelings of your opponent.
It was fortunate that I was able to do it.
Since I can never see him again, I do not know what that guy was really thinking.
Because I didn’t understand, because he never responded, it was easy to arbitrarily think that he was a good guy, but……it’s somewhat lonely.』
Hearing Tirnanog’s words, not only me and Harold who held our breath but also Gilbert.
Perhaps because their situation overlapped with him that he couldn’t leave them alone.
Because he suffered hundreds of years without knowing the true feelings of those who he grew up with as families.
“Mister……”
『That’s it from me. Later, please listen to your father.』
Cutting off Harold’s words, Tirnanog closed his mouth.
Harold gazed at Gilbert who was hesitating, and nodded firmly even though he was still wavering.
“Then, wait a moment. I will change my clothes.”
Harold said so, unravelling the string of the ap.r.o.n and retreated to the back of the workshop.
Gilbert was pondering about something, but after sighing, he stood up from the chair.
He carefully put the dish with the pomegranate pattern into the box of white porcelains, and packed it in the bag.
Besides the dishes, he put as many as two samples of ore.
“A dish and a cobalt oxide sample for the whetstone. Give it to Botchan.”
“What about Gilbert-san?”
“I……I’m……ultimately, I’m the type who isn’t good at using my head.
Since I will be shutting myself alone inside the workshop, I will consult the furnace and clay while moving my fingers.”
Gilbert scratched his head and glanced at Tirnanog.
I guessed something in Tirnanog’s words just now made him think a little.
I received the bag and nodded deeply.
“I will leave Botchan’s matter to you. I will be doing my best by myself for the time being.”
“It will be fine. Because he is my chosen partner.”
“I see, that’s right.”
Gilbert smiled with a complex expression and nodded a little.
He held a few materials and retreated to the back of the workshop.
In exchange, Harold who had changed into a n.o.ble-like appearance appeared.
“Well, let’s go. Erica. To my father.
It will be fine. We only need to talk about the porcelain in particular, so you don’t need to worry about anything.”
Harold, who was putting on his brave face, urged me while talking rapidly.
I was still a little worried, but it was better than nothing at all.
For the porcelain industry and for the negotiations that would decide Harold’s fate, we headed to Nibelheim’s Castle of Light.
1 染付 (sometsuke) : blue and white porcelain, 青花 (seika) : ceramics with blue pattern on a white background. These words were written in katakana, so maybe the ‘eastern continent’ in this world has a j.a.panese culture.
2 染錦金襴手 : gold-painted porcelain that combined both dyeing and overglaze enamels.