Published: July 26, 2025
The day after I returned home feeling relieved, I headed to Benno’s shop with Lutz.
Though snowflakes drifted down intermittently, we had to report my recovery and express our thanks before the snow piled up, or else we wouldn’t be able to leave the house.
“Benno was really worried about you, Myne. He kept asking if the Guild Master was giving you a hard time or trying to poach you,” Lutz said.
“Ah, maybe it worked because I kept calling for help in my mind?” I replied.
When I was surrounded by Frieda’s family, I had silently pleaded with Benno in my heart a few times. Maybe some strange signal went out.
As I tilted my head, pondering this, Lutz glared at me with a dissatisfied look.
“...And me?”
“Hm?”
“Didn’t you ask me for help?”
Seeing Lutz’s sulky face made me feel an indescribable ticklish laughter rising up inside me.
I couldn’t help but laugh, which only made Lutz pout even more.
“Why are you laughing!?”
“Because you helped me properly, didn’t you?”
“Huh?”
Lutz looked as if he’d been shot by a bean shooter, and I burst out laughing.
“You told Frieda not to let me overwork myself and catch a fever, right? Thanks to that, I was able to rest properly and didn’t have to sit at the dinner table, so I avoided hearing any poaching talk. You really saved me.”
“Heh, I see.”
Lutz grinned proudly, then squeezed my hand a little tighter and stepped half a pace forward. The wind hitting me lessened, and I felt fewer snowflakes on my face.
“Hello.”
“Oh, Myne. I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
Benno’s shop was bustling and warm inside. Marc came up quickly as soon as we entered, spotting us exhaling relief.
Even though snow had started falling, it felt like Benno’s shop was as busy as ever. Some workshops, overly eager, had already closed.
I muttered something about that while looking around Benno’s shop, and Marc smiled broadly.
“This shop's sales peak in winter.”
“Is that so?”
I had thought winter meant more blizzards, more days stuck inside, and people trying not to spend money, but apparently not.
“Nobles trapped by the snow get bored and, to break the monotony, surprisingly loosen their purse strings for novelties.”
“I see, so entertainment goods, huh...”
We can’t make game consoles, but card games like playing cards, karuta, hanafuda, and sugoroku came to mind—games people are used to. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try making some if we had the chance.
Lutz tugged my sleeve.
“Did you think of something?”
“Well... it’d be better if we had paper.”
Card games might work if they were thin boards. But cutting wood into pieces similar in size and thickness like cards requires skill.
It’s easy to ask someone with woodworking skills to make them, but I don’t want to break the premise of “I think, Lutz makes” at least until the baptism ceremony is over.
I wonder if Lutz can make thin boards?
Also, I’ve never seen paint in this world. Since we have dyes, it probably exists somewhere, but it seems unlikely we’d be able to color playing cards at home.
We might manage with Othello or shogi using just boards and ink, but card games offer the most variety.
While pondering this, we were guided to a back room where Benno peered closely at my face.
“Myne, you’ve recovered, right?”
“Ah!? Y-yes. Thank you for worrying.”
Even as I blinked and said this, Benno frowned suspiciously and wouldn’t stop staring at me.
“Don’t worry, Benno. Myne just wasn’t feeling well because she was overthinking, not because she was sick.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Benno finally seemed convinced by Lutz’s words and quickly let go of my hand. He sat us by the table near the hearth and let out a deep breath.
“That old geezer kept nagging because these things were gathered for his grandchild. I bet whether those magic tools would even get used was a gamble...”
“Oh, it seems he wanted to poach me to the Guild Master’s shop. If the payment wasn’t enough, he was going to cause the shop to transfer as debt collateral, right?”