Chapter 180 - 180 The Circumstances of the Parker Baronetcy
Since the setting book disappeared, I apologize for mentioning the name of the Parker Baronetcy before. Please tell me in which episode they appeared.
Two years had passed since Heimdall Parker inherited the title of Baronet from his father, Oz. Oz's wife was Freya, meaning Heimdall was Steve's nephew.
The management of the territory was heavily influenced by Freya, the de facto lord, and Heimdall had yet to leave behind any achievements befitting a lord. Approaching the milestone of thirty, he spent his days wishing to leave behind some achievements as a lord.
The main industry of the territory was agriculture, and the major crops were azuki beans and Dalmatian Chrysanthemum. Both were shipped to the Archibalt Territory upon harvest. While it provided stable income, it was not particularly profitable.
In contrast, the shipped azuki beans brought immense profits to the Archibalt Territory. In recent years, commoners' disposable income had increased, and sweets became sellable. The paste made from azuki beans was used in confectionery. However, the Archibalt Territory did not generate profit solely from sweets.
They manufactured and sold encrusting machines that automatically wrap the paste. Consequently, the performance of Archibalt Confectionery Co., Ltd. and Archibalt Automachinery Co., Ltd. had been soaring.
Heimdall, watching this, thought, "Are we not like serfs?" Freya was not quite at that level, but she was trying to find a way to process and sell the azuki beans themselves, sending several people from the territory to Archibalt Confectionery for training.
However, due to a shortage of personnel, they could not establish any new large-scale industries, and the results of the training could not be utilized.
Such Heimdall was doted upon by Margrave Sowell. Or rather, not by Aurora, but by her son, Loki.
This Loki turned forty this year. He officially succeeded as Margrave five years ago, but Aurora still held the actual power, and all the vassals were looking toward Aurora, causing him to harbor resentment that no one knew who the head of the house was.
Precisely because of this, he felt a sense of closeness toward Heimdall, who was also a head of the house while his mother held the actual power, and was keeping an eye on him.
Whenever these two drank, they would always get excited complaining about how they wanted to prove their mothers wrong.
One day in May, such Heimdall was having a conversation with his father.
"Heimdall, this year the azuki beans might be a poor harvest."
"Why is that, Father?"
"Because the Dalmatian Chrysanthemum will be a bumper crop. Somehow, when the Dalmatian Chrysanthemum becomes a bumper crop 1.5 times or more than usual, the azuki beans become a poor harvest."
"Is that true?"
"I noticed it while looking at the harvest statistics for a long time."
"If that is true, we could make a profit in the azuki bean market."
Heimdall said that with a slight malice.
"We won't do that. It is a promise with Mother."
Oz Parker smiled bitterly.
He had failed in the market many times during his time as a Baronet, and each time, Freya had pleaded with her family home to lend them funds for the territory's operation. Brian had also told him to stop being careless, and he had not touched the market for over ten years.
Heimdall felt that if his father had not failed in the market, their territory would have developed even more. And he had confidence that he, unlike his father, would not make such mistakes. There was no evidence to back it up, though.
"Well, if it is a poor harvest, we can get a higher purchase price, so it won't be a huge blow to us."
"I wish we could escape from an industry like agriculture, which is like gambling dependent on the weather, soon."
Heimdall said this with some dissatisfaction.
Later, when Heimdall met Loki at a gathering of western nobles, he told him the story he had heard from his father.
"Hmm, a sign of a poor azuki bean harvest? If that is true, it could turn into something interesting."
Loki smiled.
Azuki beans were used in large quantities by the emerging company, Archibalt Confectionery. He thought that if the purchase price rose, it would be a blow to them.
Loki hated the Archibalt family, whom his mother constantly compared him to.
Aurora praised not only Steve but also his children. And then, he was the one being put down. He often thought that he must teach the western faction leader who was actually the leader.
"We will take the lead here. Then, I will have you work for me too."
"Yes. For Your Excellency's sake."
Heimdall was happy, wagging his tail like a dog praised by his master.
Meanwhile, in the Archibalt Territory, Steve was having a meeting with the designer, Ellie.
"President, even if you say to make a design that appeals more to children, it is too abstract and I don't understand."
"Isn't that your job? Also, you are no longer President, you are a Consultant now."
Steve had retired as President six months ago and became a Consultant.
The company had also changed its name to Archibalt Heavy Industries, and Isabella had taken the position of President. They were establishing group companies one after another, with Michael and Isabella serving as Presidents.
The basic rule was that Steve would not interfere, but Steve was currently working on something new, and Ellie was in charge of the character design for it.
"Anyway, the concept of a righteous hero distributing anpan to children is meaningless. If you can defeat evil while distributing anpan, please defeat the evil from the start."
"You don't understand. Righteousness and evil change depending on perspective. War is the same, isn't it? Almost everyone has their own righteousness. But distributing bread to hungry children is righteousness, no matter who looks at it."
What Steve was thinking was that a bread doll with a soul would distribute bread to children while defeating villains. If this were announced in Japan, it would receive severe criticism, but not in the Kingdom of Cascade.
And they intended to sell anpan linked with this character in the sweet bread department, which is becoming a pillar of business for Archibalt Confectionery.
"I understand. I will lower the body proportions and simplify the lines. But if you are not satisfied with that, give up."
"I won't give up, so don't worry."
"But I am worried."
"Oh, it's time already. Nick is waiting."
Steve was scheduled to meet Nick after this, so the meeting with Ellie ended.
"I will come again in three days."
"It is fine if it takes a little more time."
"If I don't come out, I won't come out, so three days is enough."
"Make sure you get enough sleep."
"If you say that, give me an easier job."
Turning a blind eye to Ellie's resentful look, Steve headed toward Nick.
And when he entered the waiting prototype room, Nick, who looked completely aged, was waiting.
Nick had also stepped down as Factory Manager and now held the title of Instructor.
"How is the prototype of the encrusting machine?"
Steve asked Nick. The encrusting machines currently on sale were made with Steve's industrial magic and modified versions of them, so there were no encrusting machines without Steve. Now, a prototype is being conducted so that encrusting machines can be made even without Steve.
"There are arguments over design and processing. The processors say such processing is impossible, but the designers won't yield, so it is lively every day."
"Oh my. The designers are stubborn too."
"There is a young guy named Leon, who has absolute confidence in his design, saying it must be this way. He tells them to figure out how to process it somehow."
"That sounds troublesome."
"Yes. Since the machine is mainly made of stainless steel, those who only cut iron find it hard and cannot grasp the conditions. They seem to be struggling with whether to cut slowly while oiling to prevent overheating, or to use high-speed cutting to cut before heat is generated. The materials are expensive too, so they cannot afford to fail many times."
Nick scratched his head.
But he looked somewhat happy. Steve noticed this.
"You look happy."
"Well. It is fun to see the surprised faces of those who said no one could process something like this when I made it. The look on their faces when I showed them the spiral processing done without a single millimeter of error was unparalleled."
"It is good to surprise them, but your job is to raise them up to that point. That is why I separated the automachinery company from the consolidation to allow for multiple failures. Well, Isabella seems to be desperate to make a profit soon. They say we must turn a profit to list on the stock exchange."
"The young lady talks about money constantly. Thanks to that, she has lost her charm."
Nick crossed his arms.
Steve agreed with that as well.
"It is all that man's influence."
"Again. You will be disliked if you speak ill of your son-in-law. Didn't you get angry last time, saying if you say any more, you won't let him in and won't show him the face of your grandson?"
It had been over five years since Isabella and Michael got married, but Steve still had not accepted it.
"Anyway, every time a daughter gets married, I cry my eyes out, and the boys get sulky. Why is it okay for boys?"
"I feel like I am losing my daughter. Don't you feel that way?"
"I don't feel that. I think I finally won't have parental responsibility anymore. Besides, aren't all the parents whose daughters marry into the Archibalt family overjoyed?"
Many of Steve's children had also married, increasing connections with other families. In the marriages of the boys, there had never been opposition from the other party's family.
This was because the other party was also a noble and wished to establish a relationship with the Archibalt family. However, except for Arthur, none of them were political marriages; all were love marriages.
Realizing he could not get any sympathy, Steve returned the topic to the original subject.
"Anyway, now is the time to accumulate technology. We must have them able to make encrusting machines without relying on me."
"Yes. But you really thought of such a mechanism."
"It is because of magic, but I had the thought that it would be nice if children all over the world could easily eat sweet confectionery."
"Indeed, confectionery making is hard labor, so people cannot make a lot by hand. So, does that mean the selling price will naturally become high? Thinking of children is befitting of a young master."
Due to this encrusting machine, the manufacturing cost decreased, so Steve was distributing anpan and sweets to orphanages free of charge. Although Steve had no authority over Archibalt Confectionery, Isabella listened to Steve's wishes and executed them.
"That is why, so that sweets reach children all over the world, please make the encrusting machines soon."
"Even metalworking craftsmen cannot be trained immediately."
"You must find a way to do that."
"Please don't ask for the impossible."
"I will create new stainless steel materials, so do whatever it takes."
Steve said that, then used magic to create stainless steel for the prototype and placed it in the prototype room.
"Well, I will try it."
Nick gave up on persuading Steve and sighed, wondering if he should urge the young people.