By the Grace of the Gods

Three chapters posted today simultaneously.

This is chapter one of the story.

“Ryoma-kun, you look tired. Are you alright?”

On the way back from the mine, Mr. Reinhardt spoke to me like that.

“I was thinking of stopping by a place that can help sell the iron, slime threads, and that waterproof cloth you developed…”

“I’m fine. I just used a bit too much mana.”

I had turned a large amount of red soil into brick-shaped blocks with create block to secure them, and now I just felt the familiar fatigue of nearing mana depletion. But there was no other problem. I hadn’t used up all my mana, so this kind of tiredness wouldn’t affect my work.

About an hour after being asked, the carriage arrived at the town and stopped in front of a certain shop. The exterior was not flashy, but it was a large wooden building with a clean atmosphere extending around the store. Since people from the Duke's household came here, it must be a high-class shop, though it didn’t have an intimidating sense of luxury and felt easy to enter.

Once inside, I was quickly led to a large reception room in the back. This room had pictures on the walls and decorative vases in the corners. It clearly had more luxury than the outside of the store. I sat on a sofa as offered, but it was so soft my body sank in.

…This felt more luxurious than any reception room I remember from previous lives’ business contacts, and I felt somewhat out of place... I’d better stay quiet next to Mr. Sebas.

Waiting quietly and properly without being vulgar, soon a stout man arrived. He must be the person in charge of this shop.

“Well, well, welcome, all of you from the Duke’s household.”

“Long time no see, Serge.”

“Good to see you again. Although the Duke’s household always treats us well, it’s rare to have a chance to meet face to face. I’m glad everyone is well.

And this must be your first time meeting. I am Serge Morgan, head of the Morgan Trading Company.”

Oh, he greeted me as well.

“I’m Ryoma Takebayashi. By fate, I am under the care of the Jamil family. Nice to meet you.”

I greeted him, and he returned my smile. I had heard he was trustworthy, but what kind of person was he exactly…

“Well, let’s get to the main topic right away…”

“Are you bringing something new today as well?”

While I was thinking that, the two quickly started a business discussion. “Today as well”—so Mr. Reinhardt has brought products like this many times before.

“Before showing the items, I want one promise: do not leak any information about what you will see. I trust Serge, but just to be safe.”

“Of course. Information about business partners is the most important thing to us. If you don’t want information leaked, we will not leak it and will take care to prevent it. But it’s unusual for you to say that, Mr. Reinhardt.”

“This time is different… there are reasons, but I’m confident this will yield profits on a completely different scale.”

Could it really be that good? I’m not sure about the standards, since raincoats were common in my previous life...

“Sebas.”

When Mr. Reinhardt said this, Mr. Sebas took out the waterproof cloth, slime threads, and the iron ingots I made from the Item Box.

“This is a cloth processed with a somewhat unusual method.”

“May I take a closer look?”

“Of course.”

Saying that, Mr. Serge took the cloth in his hands. At once, he showed interest and carefully examined the waterproof cloth while stroking it.

“Oh, this texture is nice.”

“This isn’t just about the texture. This cloth repels water; it won’t let it pass through to the inside.”

“…Really?”

“You can even test with appraisal magic or by wrapping your hand and dipping it in water. This is a sample brought for trial.”

“In that case, I’ll take you at your word…”

Mr. Serge called a servant to prepare a vessel filled with water. While waiting, he seemed to check the cloth’s information with appraisal magic. His eyes sparkled. When the servant brought the water, he immediately wrapped his hand with the cloth and dipped it in to confirm its water repellency.