Chapter 45
Chapter 45
‘Chapter 7. The Capital and the Ice Cream Street Vendor’
The New Year’s celebration usually refers to the week-long imperial ball held for six days at the end of the year plus the first day of the new year.
After that, the capital is usually filled with parties hosted personally by members of the imperial family or various large and small parties held by different families.
For this reason, the period from the new year to about a month later could be considered the festival period.
Luwin headed to the capital about two weeks early as there were things to take care of in advance.
More precisely, it was because Lady Rosalyn Freya had urged them to leave early, saying she had things to do.
Rosalyn went straight into her husband’s mansion, saying she would go to her family’s home since Luwin didn’t have a mansion in the capital.
I was rather grateful that she left like that.
Anyway, where would Luwin stay in the capital without a mansion?
When I was half curious and half worried, the place we arrived at was…
“They say there are no ghosts or anything, right?”
“Ah! There are such rumors, but we haven’t encountered any yet.”
“……”
[Is that supposed to be an excuse?]
That’s right, is that supposed to be an excuse?
The mansion itself wasn’t bad if you just looked at it.
It’s just that it hadn’t been managed at all, so overgrown grass and trees covered the building, and there was that strange atmosphere from broken windows and fluttering curtains.
It was like the setting of an American horror movie where ghosts appear.
It seemed like there must be a story about someone being murdered in there.
“Is that supposed to be an excuse?”
Cassis explained again with a slightly displeased face.
“It’s just because we haven’t been able to manage it properly. It looks a bit gloomy, but it’s quite a nice mansion where no one has died yet.”
[…This excuse isn’t easy either.]
[Like master, like servant.]
I shook my head and entered the mansion.
The mansion itself wasn’t that large, but since it was bought before they went bankrupt, everything was luxurious.
“It’s very high-class, isn’t it?”
“Of course. It’s a mansion that our Lord Cassis bought to stay in during his brief runaway period.”
As expected of a grand noble.
Extraordinary.
“But why hasn’t it been sold?”
Cassis muttered wonderingly, as if he really didn’t know.
In response to that question, Roen and I smiled and answered.
“Because it hasn’t been managed at all?”
“You’ll lose less in the long run if you manage it periodically.”
By the way, we tried to sell this mansion too.
Noticing my thoughts, Cassis spoke up without being asked.
“The first thing we sold off was the mansion in the capital.”
“Where was that?”
“There’s a large mansion on Ritzmond Street.”
Ritzmond is the most expensive and wealthy neighborhood in the capital.
The current crown prince’s private residence was located in Ritzmond, and the Lemiere family mansion was also located there.
Ritzmond Street was famous not only for its prices, but also for the scarcity of properties coming on the market.
I opened my mouth wide and asked.
“Who bought it?”
“I think it was the Cameltz Count family.”
Ah…
So that family bought it.
I feel unnecessarily heartbroken.
We’re standing in this small mansion that seems possessed by evil spirits.
There are several areas in the capital where noble mansions are concentrated, but this house wasn’t even in such an area to begin with.
It wasn’t in the area where the bourgeoisie lived either.
It just wasn’t a residential area.
‘That’s probably why it hasn’t been sold.’
[That’s why it’s actually good.]
[That’s right.]
‘What do you mean?’
[Think about it slowly.]
I first opened the curtains wide, which were old and smelled dusty, and opened the windows.
“Still, I think it could be decent if we manage it somehow.”
Standing in front of the window looking out at the garden, it had its own charm.
It looked gloomy from the outside, but from here it feels nice, like being in a forest.
Even though it was quite a small garden, it was better than not having one.
As I was quietly enjoying the view outside, I seemed to hear murmuring sounds from far away. Since it was a very small and faint sound, I stuck my head out the window to concentrate a bit more.
It was indeed murmuring sounds.
“There must be something nearby.”
Cassis, who had approached my side without me noticing, quietly listened along with me and then nodded saying “Ah”.
“This is the very end of Hailsga Street. It’s very close to Lowy Street and Eldos Street, which lead to the shopping and restaurant districts.”
“I think that’s why it hasn’t been sold even at a low price.”
Although it was a residential building, it wasn’t actually in a residential area, which seemed to be why it didn’t sell.
So that’s why I could hear people’s noises from afar.
The sound wasn’t too loud.
If I had to describe it, it felt like a pleasant afternoon street.
It just felt a bit unfamiliar because Orsha Palace in Luwin, where we had been staying, was too quiet.
‘By the way, if Lowy Street and Eldos Street are located not far from here, that’s not bad?’
[Right!]
Moreover, it’s not too noisy due to some physical distance and the garden.
“It hasn’t been sold yet, right?”
“That’s right.”
“The location is better than I thought. Let’s not sell it for now.”
We needed to look around the surroundings a bit more.
[Are you going to explore the neighborhood?]
‘Yes.’
[Then I’ll give you a quest~]
[SYSTEM | The quest ‘Explore Pahir District’ has arrived.]
[‘Explore Pahir Neighborhood’
This area, extending from the end of Hailsga Street to where the shopping districts of Lowy Street and Eldos Street intersect, is the commercial district of Pahir.
Although Pahir is not a high-end shopping district, it’s a place where the capital of newly rich people has started to gather.
Shall we add some vitality to this district that’s still in its early stages?
Let’s find a place to sell ice cream temporarily!
Reward: Minion 1]
‘The reward is a bit strange.’
It’s not just ‘Minion’, but ‘Minion 1’.
[You said you needed people, right?]
That’s true.
If the system is going out of its way to give a quest like this, it seems I’ll be able to hire a decent person.
I remembered how everyone, from Roen to Cassis, had said something when I got hiring authority from Cassis early on but didn’t directly bring anyone under me.
I thought it would be a great success if I could just get one or two good people from this capital trip.
So I decided to go for a neighborhood walk while this ruined place was being organized into a livable space.
“I’ll be back.”
To complete the quest and familiarize myself with the geography, I changed into comfortable shoes and set out onto the street.
* * *
“The location is really good, isn’t it?”
Lowy Street and Eldos Street are where quite bustling commercial areas are located.
Cassis’s personally owned mansion where I would be staying was a bit away from there.
“If, say, the ice cream business does well, and we need to open a shop, I think the place we’re at now would be good.”
I don’t know if Cassis would allow us to turn the house we’re staying in into a shop, though.
With every step, there were many people.
The street, mixed with quite diverse classes from commoners to nobles, was full of vitality.
While the high-end shopping districts of Quincy or Camilla in the capital don’t control entry based on social status, they’re spaces that intimidate people who aren’t dressed up.
[In that context, this place is the optimal location you’re thinking of.]
“That’s right. My goal from the start was to sell ice cream to everyone regardless of class.”
I moved step by step, putting each nearby shop into my head.
“An alley where many people pass by or stop is good.”
And usually, there are people who know such places best.
I caught someone passing by with a newspaper.
“Hello, where did you buy the newspaper?”
“There’s a kid selling them in front of the theater back there.”
“Thank you.”
[Is Irina a genius?]
Usually, places where newspapers sell well or where begging is successful are areas with high floating population.
“Moreover, it’s not enough to just have many people passing by. There need to be people who stay, even for a moment, for sales to go up.”
Such sales conditions are the same for ice cream.
After walking a bit, I saw a child selling newspapers ahead.
It was a boy who looked about thirteen years old, and he was busy holding out newspapers here and there to sell.
His sales performance didn’t look very good.
“Hello, little one.”
“Would you like to buy a newspaper, lady?”
I first bought one from the boy who held out a newspaper to me with a somewhat pitiful face.
I dropped a coin into the child’s hand and stood beside the boy for a moment to watch what kind of people mainly pass by.
“Um, miss?”
“Yes?”
“Do you have some business here…?”
I smiled slightly at the scruffy child.
“Do you usually sell newspapers here?”
“Uh… yes.”
“How many do you usually sell?”
“I usually sell a little less than 100 copies…”
The child seemed to be watching my reaction.
‘I wonder why?’
[Because you’re a noble~!]
I first opened my inventory to ease the child’s tension.
The inventory still had only three slots.
And all three slots were filled with ice cream.
I took out a glass cup filled with ice cream and a spoon.
The child seemed a bit surprised by the cup that suddenly appeared in my hand.
“Do you like sweet things? Would you like to try one? It’s a bit of an unusual dessert.”
The child received it reluctantly, but the moment he put a spoonful in his mouth, his eyes went ‘pop’ and widened.
He seemed to like the sweetness, emptying a cup in an instant even in the cold winter.
I handed a new ice cream to the child who looked regretful after scraping the empty glass cup clean.
I collected the used glass cup and put it back in my inventory.
‘If we’re going to sell ice cream in earnest, we need to solve the container problem quickly.’
This is actually something Apple needs to work harder on than me.
Since I brought Apple down to the capital this time, I hope he can produce meaningful results as soon as possible.
“So little one, what’s your name?”
“I’m Yuri.”
“Yuri, do you sell newspapers here every day?”
“…Actually, I used to sell at the station, not here. But my brother can’t work right now, so I’m selling in front of the theater first.”
So he has a brother.
“Brother? Your real brother?”
“No. Usually, kids who do this kind of work are all orphans, but my brother is someone who’s almost like a real brother to me!”
I see, so these were the circumstances.
The child became gloomy and mumbled while eating the ice cream.
“My brother is really good at selling newspapers. They say he was even called the legend of Pahir!”
“Really? How many did he sell?”
“They say my brother sold even 10,000 copies alone!”
10,000 copies seemed exaggerated, but thanks to the little one’s face full of pride, I nodded.
“That’s amazing.”
“But the bad branch… They don’t even pay properly. Even though they can’t sell much without my brother.”
A talented brother who can sell even 10,000 copies alone, circumstances that made him unable to work with the bad branch.
And the quest.
I instinctively realized that this little one was deeply connected to my quest.
And that meaning is that it’s also related to the ice cream business in the future.
The child put the ice cream spoon in his mouth again with a face that looked like he might cry.
“Little one. Is the ice cream tasty?”
“Yes! Can noble lords like you eat such delicious things every day?”
“Haha, so, until when are you going to sell newspapers today?”
“I was about to head back soon…”
The timing was good.
“Then could you tell me a bit more about your story?”
And if possible, I’d like you to introduce me to your brother too.
