With only ten days until the New Year Festival and three days until the spring break, the corridors of the kingdom’s top educational institution, the Royal Academy, were slightly abuzz.
“Yaaaawn…” -Ricardo
I couldn’t help but yawn. After a year of enrollment, I was still exasperated with the middle school level curriculum, though I had gotten used to it. The history and social system were unique to this here, but I had studied them intensely before entering. When it comes to mathematics, I think I might be at the peak in this world.
Well, it’s all thanks to the memories of my previous life that I regained at five years old, so it’s not really my own achievement. In my previous life, I majored in macroeconomics and corporate governance in graduate school. “Economic forecasting is the most unreliable science, but that’s what makes it exciting,” my mentor used to say. Perhaps what I learned from him is proving useful now, even though I died before completing my studies.
This world has magic, but being a commoner, I can’t use it, so I don’t take any magic classes. Magic here isn’t practical without the help of magic crystals, and since this country hardly produces any, it’s rarely seen. Its most significant and critical use is for the knights’ monster hunting.
I attend this academy for two reasons. The first is the same as any other student – networking. This academy, which admits both nobles and talented commoners, is perhaps the only place in this conservative kingdom where there’s interaction between different social classes.
Officially, all students are equal, regardless of their background. Of course, that just means a hierarchy forms among the students based on their family status, and considering life after graduation, attitudes are naturally determined. Who would want to pay high tuition fees only to displease the future upper class?
Commoners look for future patrons, and nobles corral talented commoners. I, too, am here to find potential future partners. However, in this regard, I am struggling. Most of it is due to my lack of social skills…
“Walk on the side, commoner.”
“… At least stick to the pretense. You’re a commoner too, technically.” -Ricardo
As I turned around with a sigh, a chubby boy, the epitome of a young master, glared at me. As the son of an honorary baron, he wasn’t technically a noble. He skillfully acts as a commoner towards nobles and as a noble towards commoners. As someone who has been socially awkward since my previous life, I could admire his ability to switch roles, not that I respect him for it.
“Don’t lump me in with the poor. Do you have any idea how much Drefano contributes to the academy? In essence, you are learning here because of our generosity.” -Drefano
He had been aggressive since enrollment, influenced by his father. I had once outperformed him in a class debate, and this is the result. His view of me is distorted. He believes he’s merely exercising his rights. He’s probably irritated that I don’t understand this.
It’s fine if he deems me inferior. His assessment of me is his own, and he’s free to think as he likes. In fact, I’d be troubled if he accurately assessed me. What I don’t understand is that, although he publicly declares me his enemy, he doesn’t expect me to retaliate.
His belief in his own invulnerability is exasperating. Of course, the stronger one’s position, the less likely they are to be retaliated against. That’s logical. But no matter how powerful someone is, the risk is never zero. Even the mighty aren’t strong every day of the year—365 days, or 360 in this world. When they’re weakened, even the weak can take advantage.
Moreover, being wealthy makes one a target for time-consuming schemes. Would a con artist bother scamming a poor person? They target those with assets worth the effort. I can’t fathom why he doesn’t understand such basic self-preservation logic.
After all, even if you are a hundred times superior, to an unrelated person like me, it means nothing. Just as you puts yourself first, everyone else puts themselves first as well. Everyone is the center of their world.
I realized that this is the only sense in which humans are equal, but it wasn’t until I was over twenty in my previous world, so I can’t say it too proudly.
“Is that the peddler’s son?”
“Yes, Rowan-sama.” -Drefano
An arrogant voice interrupted. A well-built male student appeared, silver embroidery peeking from the sleeve of his uniform. Drefano instantly bowed. His gaze towards me was the same as Drefano’s, or rather, even more so. He would probably look more warmly at his own horse.
I tried to calm my mind. It wasn’t unusual for Drefano to show off his backing, but until now, it had been the son of the Minister of Agriculture, the Marquis of Goth. The connection with Drefano was natural, so it wasn’t significant information. Count Rowan, I believe, was related to the knight order.
If he’s involved with the son, it almost certainly means their parents are connected. What does the connection between Drefano of the Food Guild and the knight order signify? For a merchant, information is one’s most powerful weapon. That’s also true for the weak. Hide your own information while gathering others’. Such a convenient relationship only exists when the other party is off guard.
“I hear you sell a bland, honey-like substance.” -Rowan
He must have heard it from Drefano. He was referring to Vinder’s main product. Honey, the oldest sweetener known to mankind, is more prized than sugar in this world because bees only build nests in the hollows of certain trees, and entering the forests and woods, domains of magical beasts, is a matter of life and death.
Naturally, only nobles can afford it. And the route to the nobles is monopolized by major merchants like Drefano. In this world, where most of the nation’s citizens have an Engel coefficient[1] over 80% and most disposable income is owned by the nobility, connections with the nobility are crucial. Naturally, the major merchants are as keen on maintaining their market share and entry barriers as they are on their profits. Traditions have been established so that only established merchants with generations of history are recognized by the nobility. They proudly display signs like “Purveyor to the Count of ***.”
It’s said that one former guild leader stated, “I can forgive being cuckolded, but not losing my patronage sign.”
This means even if you develop beekeeping technology and produce large quantities of honey in the meadows, you’ll be underpriced by major companies, then your production secrets will be exposed, and you’ll be done for. To prevent this, what I devised was,
“The honey we sell is a diluted imitation to deceive the common folk.” -Ricardo
I deliberately tarnished our reputation. I don’t know what flowers were used, but traditional honey has a citrusy flavor. So, I used the clear taste and color of clover honey to sell it to the citizens as something distinctly different and worthless to the nobles. It’s the difference between natural and cultivated, but I made it recognized as the difference between caviar and artificial caviar. By creating a new market, I avoided conflict with Drefano and gained time to accumulate strength.
It was a continuous struggle to spread bad reviews of our product along with our business rivals, but the real honey did indeed have a unique taste. In the market, it’s apparently called “copper honey” as opposed to the “golden honey” of the nobles who use gold coins, while the commoners use copper coins.
“Regrettably, commoners can’t distinguish the difference in flavor. That’s why a mere basket-carrier has become so presumptuous.” -Drefano
Basket-carrier is a derogatory term for street vendors. It’s really infuriating to have my father insulted like that. How much effort do you think it took me to make the chefs under the patronage of my family believe it’s an uninteresting, tasteless product?
Someday I’ll teach them about 『The Innovator’s Dilemma (by Christensen), 』[2] a concept from another world. Unlike Earth, which is overflowing with means of capital acquisition and production expansion, doing that here could take decades.
“Well, I have tasted it, and I found its clear flavor quite delicious.”
As I muttered in my mind, a gentle and elegant intonation reached my ears. After my product had just been thoroughly slandered, her words sounded particularly kind. The subtle flavor is what I consider the strength of clover honey. I never expected someone here to give it fair recognition…
When I turned around, a girl with silvery-blue hair smiled at me. Her long, straight hair reflected the light from the window, making even the luxurious corridors of the academy seem shabby compared to her.
But the moment I recognized who she was, my blood ran cold.
“Wha, you mean Alfina-dono has tasted such an imitation?” -Alfina
The presence of the only royalty in our grade caused the surrounding students, who had been smirking and watching us, to start murmuring. Next to me, desperately trying to maintain a composed face, Drefano let out a dumbfounded cry. Ironically, at this moment, his intentions and mine were completely aligned. What was this princess thinking? If rumors spread that our honey was patronized by a princess, Vinder’s current power couldn’t withstand neither its disadvantages nor its advantages.
This is bad, really bad. But why?
Every word from royalty is political. What could be her motive for saying something like this?
Even though she’s a classmate, Princess Alfina is a Shrine Maiden Princess of a cathedral, hardly attending the academy half the week. Even at school, surrounded by her female attendants, I had hardly any interaction with her, let alone conversation. Why would she go out of her way to defend the son of a mere small-time merchant?
Could it be she knows more about Project Clover Honey? No, that’s impossible at this stage. Most of it is still just in my head. I racked my brains.
“A-ah, I see. Perhaps in the cathedral, where modesty is valued, our diluted honey could be of use.” -Ricardo
Of course, modesty is not really valued in the cathedral, and tasting honey, even one marketed toward commoners, is far from modesty. While the countryside might be different, the grand cathedral in the capital is a den of nobility. But somehow, I managed to utter those words.
“That’s not it. I genuinely…” -Alfina
“Princess, you shouldn’t speak so casually about such things.”
A redhead ponytailed female student intervened protectively. Her sharp eyes glared at me as if saying it’s sacrilegious for someone of my lowly status to even approach. Behind her, the princess’s face clouded over.
“Claud, we are all students here.” -Alfina
“No. There are many commoners who try to cling to royal benevolence. Some might exploit Your Highness’s kindness. Even these words could be a deceitful scheme aiming at getting into the cathedral’s supplies.” -Claud
She said whatever she pleased. But, in a way, this was a lifeline. It’s easier to deal with this infuriating girl, who blindly believes in the social hierarchy, than the princess whose intentions are unclear.
The most important thing now is to defuse the landmine of the princess’s endorsement. I must provoke this girl and stir things up, despite the risk. Damn it, why do I, who always prioritize self-preservation, have to deal with this…?
“So, if one were to aim for supply to the knight order, they should ingratiate themselves with the count’s family, is that it?” -Ricardo
I said this looking not at Claud but at Rowan and Drefano.
“Wha!” “You dare!”
The two, who had faded into the background, became angry. My insinuation was clear: if I was accused of currying favor with the princess, what about Drefano cozying up to Rowan? They couldn’t say anything, could they? The Adel family’s second daughter challenging the Rowan family’s second son goes against the social order. Claud’s face turned as red as her hair in anger, and I couldn’t help but inwardly smirk.
Now, how would the princess react? No matter how much she pretends to be impartial, she’s bound to side with her attendant. I’ll bow my head, and the conversation about the honey’s quality will be dismissed as bankrupt. It’s a difficult tightrope to walk. Admittedly, my words might have been too harsh because I couldn’t stand the ignorance of someone so convinced of their own righteousness.
“Vinder’s words are reasonable. It’s not commendable to doubt without evidence. I believe in Claud’s loyalty to protect me. But you should apologize to Vinder.” -Alfina
“P-princess, I… I just…” -Claud
I was taken aback. How does this princess keep defying expectations? No, the tightrope walk isn’t over yet. Claud can just bow her head and be done with it. It’s a head she’d rather die than lower, but bowing it won’t kill her. On the other hand, my head might literally roll off my shoulders.
I need to find a new way out. I have to create a farce. Once again, why do I, always cautious about self-preservation, have to deal with this…
“Indeed, the honey from my family might lack the flavor and color compared to Drefano Company’s golden honey. However, if a merchant can’t take pride in their own products, they can’t stand tall. That’s something Drefano surely understands well.” -Ricardo
I said it. Drefano, who seemed to be swallowed by the atmosphere, nodded. He probably hadn’t thought it through. I turned to the lady knight.
“Claud-dono.” -Ricardo
“…What?” -Claud
“It’s natural for you, as an attendant, to be wary of those who would borrow the prestige of nobility. As the princess said, it must be your loyalty. Such pride of the kingdom’s bulwark is beyond my comprehension.” -Ricardo
“…Hmm. Indeed. But perhaps it was excessive to doubt without evidence.” -Claud
Claud nodded grandly, clearly not thinking herself at fault. But the tension in the air eased. The keyword was ‘pride’. Everyone acted for ‘pride’, and this farce replaced the previous narrative. Even if no one believes it, as long as everyone supports this illusion, that’s enough. This is what ‘reading the room’ is all about. As someone who naturally can’t read the room, I’ve logically pursued what it means. That’s my skill.
Moreover, there’s no need for you to worry. I have no intention of exploiting someone as volatile as royalty. Now, the final issue. Please, don’t stir things up any further.
“Alfina-sama, thank you for protecting the ‘pride’ of our company.” -Ricardo
“I truly… No, your words are reasonable, Vinder.” -Alfina
The princess replied with a slightly puzzled voice. The situation fully relaxed. A commoner deeply bowing in gratitude to a benevolent princess – the picture-perfect scene for this country. Well, for me, it’s better to bow to others than lower my head.
…Ah, I forgot someone. I warily looked at the well-built male student.
“Seems the discussion is over.” -Rowan
Rowan momentarily twisted his face, then left as if he had lost interest, with Drefano quickly following him. It was somewhat unexpected. I thought he might defend himself in front of the princess.
Well, it’s fine. The connection between Drefano and Rowan needs careful attention. I couldn’t fully grasp the princess’s intention, but I’ll be careful to avoid any further contact with her.
Spring break is just around the corner. Hopefully, everything fades into obscurity by then.
TL Note(s)
[1] Engle’s coefficient is the proportion of one’s income spent on food.
According to Wikipedia, “Engel’s law can be used as an indicator when looking at standards of living in various countries. For that purpose, a measure called Engel coefficient is used, which is simply a food budget share at a point in time. A country that would be poor and have a lower standard of living would have a high Engel coefficient, whereas a country with higher standards of living would have a lower Engel coefficient. The Engel coefficient is used for this purpose by The United Nations (UN), where a coefficient above 59% represents poverty, 50-59% represents a state where daily needs are barely met, 40-50% a moderately well-off standard of living, 30-40% a good standard of living and below 30% a wealthy life.”
(Meaning that 80% is quite bad lol)
[2] “The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail, first published in 1997, is the best-known work of the Harvard professor and businessman Clayton Christensen. It expands on the concept of disruptive technologies, a term he coined in a 1995 article “Disruptive Technologies: Catching the Wave”. It describes how large incumbent companies lose market share by listening to their customers and providing what appears to be the highest-value products, but new companies that serve low-value customers with poorly developed technology can improve that technology incrementally until it is good enough to quickly take market share from established business. Christensen recommends that large companies maintain small, nimble divisions that attempt to replicate this phenomenon internally to avoid being blindsided and overtaken by startup competitors.”
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