Chapter 53 - Chapter 53: Famous Cattle Hide Production Areas
The second factory was unfinished, but once the roof was completed, Steve, Cyril, and Nick began creating the shoe-making process.
First, they made a pattern for cutting the leather, and then created die-cutting molds using magic to match that pattern. This time, they also created the Hand Clicker that sets those molds using magic. The handle has threads cut into it so its length can be adjusted, making it easy to attach and detach.
Also, if the handle is too long, and an adult pulls the handle while putting their full body weight on it, even an iron handle can easily bend or break.
They set the die-cutting mold and cattle hide into that Hand Clicker, and the three of them checked the results.
Nick handled the Hand Clicker. He tried punching out the cattle hide a few times and gave his impressions.
"It comes out quite easily."
"There's a way to use a backing wood and hit it with a hammer, but it's noisy, and if you think about swinging a hammer all day, the Hand Clicker is better, isn't it?"
"Well, that's true. If you had monster-like stamina and concentration like someone over there, you could do the same work all day."
"Who is this 'monster-like someone' you're talking about?"
Even though Nick knew he was being talked about, Steve deliberately pretended not to understand. Cyril burst out laughing at the exchange between the two.
"So, when are we going to do the FMEA?"
"The die-cutting molds look good like this, so let's do it after this."
"Ah, I'm not good at that."
Hearing FMEA, Nick shrank back.
FMEA stands for Failure Mode and Effect Analysis in English, and in Japanese, it's called Failure Mode and Effects Analysis. It is a systematic analysis method for potential failures.
Simply put, it means predicting things likely to cause mistakes in advance, and if the impact of those mistakes is large, prioritizing countermeasures.
Speaking of safety shoe making, regarding the initial punching of cattle hides, if the process is skipped, later processes cannot be processed, so the priority of countermeasures is low, but forgetting to insert the iron plate or shipping with sewing needles still stuck in them involves the possibility of injury and cannot be reliably detected as mistakes.
Therefore, it should be dealt with prioritized.
Nick, who liked using his body but was bad at using his head, was particularly bad at this FMEA.
Also, Cyril had already reported this method to the Royal Research Institute, and the Kingdom of Cascade had decided on the official way to do it. However, since it wasn't familiar, only the Archibalt Territory had put it into practical use.
Right now, research was being conducted to see if it could be converted for use by the military.
Seeing Nick shrink back like that, Steve showed a disappointed attitude.
"If you do that, major defects will leak into the market. If that happens, Nick's salary will be reduced, you know."
"That would be troubling. If my salary is reduced, my wife will scold me terribly."
It's impossible in Japan, but in the Kingdom of Cascade, salaries can be easily reduced. You could say it's a difference in education or national character, but if salaries don't decrease even when mistakes are made, it's a national character to cut corners extremely.
Nick has pride as a craftsman, so he doesn't cut corners when making things himself, but he sometimes tries to cut corners on management tasks. So, Steve is preventing those cut corners by dangling the penalty of salary reduction like this.
However, generally there is only salary reduction, but Steve, linked to the factory's performance for Nick, increases and pays the salary when performance is good. Reward and punishment, carrot and stick, Steve was managing Nick.
Nick, who is a henpecked husband, desperately tries to prevent that because his wife scolds him harshly if his salary is reduced.
"Since you're going to do it anyway, showing such a disgusted attitude at the start is just a loss."
"Well, that's true, but maybe Wakasama will say I don't have to do it, won't he?"
"That's not true---"
Trying to say that's not the case, Steve swallowed those words midway.
"Just raise someone who can do FMEA instead of Nick."
"Haha, I see. So that means I don't have to step up, right? Who are you going to raise by when?"
"Why do I have to raise them? Educating workers is the Factory Manager's job."
"Even if you say that, do you think I can teach FMEA?"
"Then you'll have to become able to teach it."
Steve's smile seemed to Nick like the smile of a demon.
In the end, Nick decided to seriously tackle FMEA here, teach the learned knowledge to someone, and ask them to do it next time.
A few days later, the relocation plan was left to Brian, and Steve, whose preparations until the immigrants arrived were finished, was training Bella and Abel in the garden of the house.
Abel was already an adult and was officially employed as an attendant by the House Archibalt.
Right now, they are having a mock battle holding wooden swords against each other, but Steve, who moves like the Royal Guard Knight Commander, was not an opponent Abel could match.
Due to the overwhelming difference in power, all of Abel's attacks missed the mark.
Since current Abel had no skill to use feints, he got out of breath continuing monotonous strength-based attacks.
"Your muscles have grown so sword speed has increased, but the attacks are too monotonous."
"Even if you say that, it's difficult. That's the realm of a master, right?"
"If Bella can do it, Abel can do it too."
As Steve said, Bella had already become able to use feints. Of course, it wouldn't work on Steve, but if it was Abel, he would perfectly fall for that feint and receive Bella's one strike.
"Strange. Three years ago I was the strongest."
Abel, remembering the past and feeling frustrated. Bella walked over to such Abel and pushed his body with her hand.
"Move. Next time I'll do it with Steve."
"Say it with words."
Abel said that but yielded the place to Bella.
Abel also knew that Bella wanted to train with Steve immediately. And if possible, he thought it would be better if Bella was away on a mission or vacation when he could teach Steve.
Because it was like a friend coming along on a couple's date, it was very uncomfortable.
However, unfortunately, Steve did not have such a sense at all, and called Abel with the same feeling as when they played as childhood friends in the past. If it was play, he could refuse, but since it was training as an attendant, he couldn't refuse without a valid reason, so he was participating in training with the three of them like this.
When coming to train, the gaze from Bella asking "Why are you coming?" was very painful.
When Abel left, Bella started attacking towards Steve. Even though it was a man she liked, she attacked with full force without cutting corners. Because she knew Steve's actual strength, but if a stranger saw it, it would only look like a rebel attacking their master seriously.
She tried to mix in foot attacks during wooden sword attacks, and swung the wooden sword's trajectory to block Steve's line of sight, trying to hit him somehow. Naturally, feints were included there too.
Steve deflected such attacks while smiling.
"You've become about as good as Daphne before she used Godspeed Sword."
"Is that strong?"
"Among knights, it's middle-upper. Well, there's a difference in physique so attacks inevitably become light, but if it was a real sword, if the blade hits, it's the same."
Bella, whose physique wasn't as good as Daphne's, had light strikes, but Steve considered that and gave Bella a sharp sword.
Swords in the Kingdom of Cascade are closer to blunt force than slashing, close to the feeling of hitting with an iron rod.
If you had skill like the Royal Guard Knight Commander, a sword that cuts cleanly would be fine, but if the enemy is wearing metal armor, generally hitting is more effective than cutting.
However, blunt weapons inevitably become heavy. For Bella, who is a minor girl, she cannot handle such weapons. But, she had extraordinary dynamic visual acuity and reflexes. So, she can make attacks like piercing gaps in armor with a cutting sword.
That Bella had met Daphne when she got married, and Daphne, who aimed to be the Royal Guard Knight Commander even after marriage, was a goal Bella thought she should catch up to. Also, she was wary that if she let her guard down, Steve would be taken away too.
So, she became stronger than Daphne and suddenly got serious to try not to have Steve taken by her.
"In that case, I'll catch up to current Daphne right away!"
Saying that, she gathered her spirit in a flash, and a sharp attack struck Steve's face. Steve just tilted his head and dodged it by a paper's width.
"Bella's body isn't built enough yet to use Godspeed Sword. If you try now, you'll break your joints."
"Steve isn't the child."
"Because I can strengthen my body."
"Then do that for me too."
Steve's SOP Magic, the effect is passive, and once an SOP is created, the effect is permanent. So, he isn't consciously consuming mana to strengthen his body and use Godspeed Sword. However, the effect of that SOP is only for Steve himself, and cannot be used on others.
Even so, important things called the vital points or points of the work, Steve understands them, so instruction is always appropriate. Therefore, the instructed side feels it's easy to remember and easy to understand.
Asked by Bella to strengthen her body too, Steve realized he should have done that.
"Then, let's end the mock battle here and try using Godspeed Sword."
"Yeah."
Just as Bella nodded with a smile, there was a visitor. It was Emmanuel.
"My Lord, long time no see."
Emmanuel, who entered the garden, bowed his head to Steve.
"Oh, what's up today? If it's just delivery, the usual people should be enough. The fact that the President came himself means something important, right?"
"I'm sorry for your insight. Actually, a bit of a problem occurred with purchasing cattle hides."
"The fact that Emmanuel can't solve it himself and comes to me means it's quite a troublesome matter. Is it noble-related or crime guild-related?"
"Exactly as you say. We are receiving pressure from the noble supplier, and we absolutely need your lordship's power."
Emmanuel has established a status as a major merchant who is neither pushed nor pulled in the western region. Business partners don't want to mess with the House Archibalt behind them, so they don't poke at Emmanuel Trading Company. Recently, even bandit groups that attack caravans don't attack Emmanuel Trading Company's wagons.
Because there's a high possibility it's an order from the House Archibalt, and if stolen, Steve will deploy. It's clear they'll be defeated in a flash, so unless it's a very new recruit ignorant of the bandit trade, they don't touch Emmanuel Trading Company.
If it's a problem Emmanuel can't solve, it was easy to guess that a noble who doesn't care about the House Archibalt or a crime guild that takes on noble assassinations was involved.
Bella, who thought she could use Godspeed Sword right now, couldn't ask for it even though it would interfere with Steve's work, and barely swallowed that wish that came out of her mouth.
However, her mood was bad, so she decided to vent that frustration on Abel.
"Abel, we can't interfere with Steve's work, so let's stay here and train."
"Gah."
Abel, who had known her for a long time, saw through Bella's bad mood in one shot. And he saw his future of being beaten up to relieve stress.
And that future became reality.
When Steve and Emmanuel moved indoors, Abel was beaten up by Bella and lay flat on the ground looking at the sky.
Meanwhile, in the indoor salon, Steve and Emmanuel talked about that problem.
"As for the famous cattle hide production areas, I went to buy from Viscount Keard and Viscount Wall, but both told me to buy the entire amount from their own territories. As for me, if I trade with only one, I'll be hated by the one I didn't trade with, so I don't want to do that. Also, considering the stability of procurement, it would be good to purchase from both."
"Viscount Keard and Viscount Wall, weren't their territories neighbors?"
"Yes."
Viscount Keard and Viscount Wall's territories were adjacent, and since the climate was similar, both were lands suitable for livestock farming. The cattle hides here are famous in the Kingdom of Cascade and are shipped to various places in the country.
However, because they are adjacent, they often clash over territory boundary issues, and large-scale battles occurred a hundred years ago. That's why they have been bad neighbors for generations.
So, if you side with one, it's clear you'll become the target of the other side.
"So, should I persuade them so I can purchase from both?"
"No, it's not like that. Both of them want to talk directly with your lordship. From a status perspective, they should come to your lordship, so they asked me to arrange that."
Steve, told that, thought for a while.
"Since it's a rare chance, I'll check the cattle hides at the site myself. If the territories are adjacent, moving isn't troublesome."
"Won't you teleport with magic?"
"For now, that's treated as a secret. Like not filing a travel permit request with the lords of territories passing through from here. Also, Chris and Bella probably want to go out sometimes too."
Thus, Steve came to visit the famous cattle hide production areas.