Chapter 92 - Chapter 91: Strengthening the Territory ⑤ The Magic Item Artisan
"The Alessandri Magic Item Workshop" is a reasonably well-known workshop in Laden, the capital of the County of Kivileft.
Run by a single female artisan, it had gained a good reputation for creating simple yet high-quality magic items... Noein, who was ten years old at the time and learned of this through Matilda's information gathering, poured nearly all of his allowance into commissioning the production of golems from this workshop.
Noein had not been permitted to leave the detached building of the Count's estate, but he had Matilda run errands for him, communicating with the artisan via letters to have the golems produced and improved. That artisan's name was Daphne Alessandri.
"Nice to meet you... and, it has been a long time, Daphne-san."
"Yes, it has been a long time, Noein-sama... no, you are His Excellency Arqvist now, aren't you? My apologies."
At the guardhouse built into the gates of the capital city, Noeina, Noein faces Daphne. Since their previous interactions regarding the golem production had been through letters, this was the first time they were meeting face-to-face.
"My subordinates and the people of the territory still call me 'Noein-sama,' so it is fine for you to call me that as well, Daphne-san. I am not very used to being called 'Excellency.'"
"Fufu, then I shall do so. Also, it has been a while for you too, Matilda... was it?"
"Yes. It has been a long time, Alessandri-sama."
Unlike Noein, Matilda was not meeting Daphne for the first time. Being spoken to, Matilda, standing behind Noein, responded accordingly.
Facing Noein and his companion, Daphne wore a smile that carried a certain elegance. Considering her career, she should be well over thirty, but she maintained a beauty that would make it believable if she were said to be in her twenties.
She was by no means dressed in flashy attire or wearing heavy makeup, but there was a nobility to the atmosphere she exuded.
And for good reason, for she carried noble blood.
"I was a bit wary when I heard from my subordinates that someone who knows me was coming, but if it is Daphne-san, it makes sense. Did you hear about my circumstances from your family home?"
"Yes. From my father's side... the house of Baronet Alessandri, I heard that Noein-sama was given a territory and a title and cast out of the Count's house. It seems His Excellency Kivileft made an effort to ensure rumors did not spread among his subordinate lower nobility, but it seems one cannot put a lid on people's mouths."
Daphne responded to Noein's question with a small chuckle.
Noein had heard via letters back then that Daphne's uncle—her father's older brother—was a Baronet serving as a military officer for the House of Count Kivileft. Because of that, the circumstances of Noein's situation likely reached her as a rumor.
"How are the golems I made doing? Have they been useful?"
"Of course. Not only have they shown their strength in land reclamation, but they were also greatly active last year when protecting the territory from a bandit attack."
As a child, Noein had repeatedly requested modifications from Daphne to further improve the golems' performance in tandem with the improvement of his own puppet magic skills.
Since Daphne had mentioned in her letters that they were "her greatest masterpieces as golems," she was likely curious about what had become of those masterpieces.
"I see, in bandit subjugation... To be able to master golems in actual combat, I am truly impressed by Noein-sama's talent for puppet magic."
"It is true that I intend to have put in a reasonable amount of effort as a puppet mage, but it is thanks to Daphne-san's golems that I can bring that out to the maximum."
"Thank you. It is the greatest reward for an artisan."
Without the golems, the current Arqvist territory would not exist. Noein praised Daphne's golems not out of flattery, but from the bottom of his heart.
"Even so, why has Daphne-san come all the way to the Arqvist territory wishing to migrate? Of course, as a lord, I am happy to have a skilled magic item artisan migrate here, and I personally welcome you, Daphne-san, but..."
The County of Kivileft was located in the southeastern part of the kingdom, while the Baronetcy of Arqvist was at the northwestern edge. To Noein, it was a mystery why she, who had earned high praise as an artisan in Laden, had come all the way to such a place.
"That is... to put it without choosing my words, because I grew disgusted with the current state of the County of Kivileft."
As she said this, the expression on Daphne's face as she sighed was one that conveyed exhaustion and exasperation.
"Noein-sama, were you aware that Count Kivileft... well, is a lord who is not very kind to his people?"
"Of course. Even while being confined in the detached building of the estate, I heard plenty about his reputation as a lord. That he is a corrupt lord who only gets along with wealthy merchants and ignores the common people."
The economy of the County of Kivileft was controlled by a few large merchant guilds. Although it prospered through maritime trade, only those with vested interests grew wealthy, and the gap between rich and poor was severe.
The Count's house had been deeply entwined with such large guilds for generations, and Maximilian was no exception, continuing to favor the large guilds in exchange for bribes. There was no way such a lord would have a good reputation among the people.
"I see... The County of Kivileft was originally that kind of land, but since I am from a branch of the House of Baronet Alessandri, and thankfully my skill as a magic item artisan was recognized, the operation of my workshop was reasonably smooth."
Daphne was also a person of a lineage connected to a noble house, albeit at the lowest rank—in other words, a person on the side of the "vested interests." Since she also possessed actual skill, it seemed she had enough leeway to maintain her own workshop.
"However, right around the time Noein-sama left the County of Kivileft, a big change occurred."
"A big change?"
"Yes... The Republic of Betumia in the Southern Continent—His Excellency Kivileft permitted a large-scale magic item guild from there to establish a branch in the capital city of Laden, allowing them to almost monopolize the market for magic item production."
Hearing Daphne's story, Noein was stunned.
The Republic of Betumia was a great power holding hegemony in the Southern Continent across the sea. Various territories with ports in the southern part of the Lordberg Kingdom, including the County of Kivileft, prospered by trading with this Republic of Betumia.
"What about the protection of the magic item artisans and workshops within the territory?"
"There was none at all. His Excellency Kivileft likely didn't even think about such a thing... That magic item guild, using overwhelming capital as a weapon, produces cheap and high-quality magic items. The small and medium-sized workshops within the territory could not possibly compete, and almost all of them, including mine, were wiped out."
If you let a foreign large guild enter the domestic market without thinking, the local small shops and workshops die. The artisans within the territory lose their jobs, and the succession of techniques is severed.
What Maximilian had done was the same as handing over the entire magic item production industry of his own territory to the Republic of Betumia.
"That piece of shit father... ah, my apologies."
"No, I understand your feelings."
Daphne gave a wry smile and forgave Noein for the involuntary curse.
"I thought I understood that Count Kivileft was a greedy lord, having been a legitimized child myself, but I never imagined he was a man who would crush one of his own territory's industries for the sake of money."
"Yes. I am a relative of one of the Count's high-ranking vassals, but even so, I was ignored by His Excellency. When I consulted my uncle, I was simply told that since it was something His Excellency was doing, it was impossible to stop him..."
Daphne's face looked as if she had chewed on a bitter bug. The workshop she was attached to had been destroyed. Her heartache was more than enough to imagine.
"...For those reasons, I judged that there was no future for me as a magic item artisan in the County of Kivileft. Fortunately, I had a reasonable amount of savings, so I thought I would use that as capital to migrate to another territory and start over from scratch."
"And that is why you came to this territory."
"That is how it happened. I remembered that Noein-sama valued the golems I made very highly, so I thought that if I were to do it, I would like to be given a place to be active under such a lord."
Hearing Daphne's explanation, Noein understood. Like Noein and the former Yuri, she had become one of the people whose life was ruined by Maximilian.
"...As I said before, for my part, there is no reason to refuse Daphne-san's migration. Rather, for the development of this Arqvist territory, it is very welcome to have a skilled magic item artisan like you move here."
"Thank you... thank goodness."
From the County of Kivileft to the Baronetcy of Arqvist, it would likely take a month even if the journey went smoothly. To Daphne, who had gone out of her way to travel such a distance, Noein responded with a smile. Daphne also muttered, looking relieved that her wish had been granted.
"I will prepare the workshop and house for Daphne-san. If there is anything else I can help with, please do not hesitate to say so."
"I couldn't possibly trouble Noein-sama to that extent."
"Preparing a workplace and house is something we do for all migrants to our territory, so please accept it... Let us seize a new life and success in this land, and use that as revenge against the piece of shit Count."
"...I understand. I will exert my strength as an artisan so that I can live up to the kindness I have received. Let us have our revenge."
When Noein flashed a fearless smile, Daphne responded with a smirk of her own.
Thus, the Arqvist territory welcomed a powerful talent in an unexpected way.