Chapter 10: 10

Chapter 10: Most needed departments

“I’m tired…”

“Yes, you’ve worked hard. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Please rest.”

Lord Balk smiles at me and suggests I sit on the sofa. I sit down and let out a sigh.

Everywhere is in a similar dire situation, so I have no choice but to stop the palace work for a month.

During this month, I need to gather the necessary items. I need to do it quickly.

We must gather enough paper for use in the royal palace, even if we don’t go as far as setting up a paper mill. We’ll likely receive wooden tablets from the provinces, so if possible, we should call in multiple artisans and technicians…and after considering these options, I arrived at a possible solution.

“Lord Balk, do you know the other name for the country of Seanapse, known as the art country across the sea?”

“The other name? No, I do not know it.”

“That country indeed has a favorable environment for nurturing skilled craftsmen in woodworking and gold/silver decoration, but of course, there are also people who are left behind. For crafting, it is essential to have a design or a blueprint. It is a craftsman’s country… It is not to be ridiculed, but the left-behind technicians end up doing rough work like making paper using machines, don’t you think?”

Lord Balk nodded with a serious expression for a moment as I stumbled over my words.

Since the paper consumption is high, there should be many workshops domestically selling paper cheaply. There are six major cities in the Baratonia Kingdom, and ideally, I would like to bring in ten workshops with their machines.

“Let’s send a letter immediately. We’ll buy the machines and technicians from each workshop, provide them with a guarantee for their livelihoods and allowances, and produce a large quantity of paper, right?”

“Yes. We were exporting timber from this country too, weren’t we? Please also hire lumberjacks from the country. We will reduce the amount of exports and switch to domestic consumption.”

Even though the victorious country is receiving income, I intended to use a certain percentage of the national treasury.

Nothing can start without the basics being in order.

For ink, we’ll buy coal from the domestic market at a higher price than the domestic rate from a coal mine where they can extract mica from a mountain across the river where they can no longer extract mica.

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Lumberjacks will be very busy. Special allowances must be paid. In addition to the raw materials for paper, we also need to make solvents for ink.

For submission and storage documents, we will use ink, and for daily records, we will use sharpened coal… The ink and brush on the wooden boards will become handicrafts.

Anyway, the most essential ‘stationery’ is the top priority. We’ll calculate how much each department will use and manage the budget. We need someone with expertise in trade, and I looked at Lord Balk at that point.

“So… Lord Balk? You’re familiar with all departments…”

“Yes. I am responsible for transcribing the contents of the wooden tablets compiled by those departments onto parchment, and submitting them to His Majesty. I believe I am suitable as Claire-sama’s assistant.”

“Thank you, that’s a great help. Later on… yes, I will create a department called the General Affairs Department, and I think we will have to select someone responsible for that department…!”

He’s a godsend to me! As I lean forward with a smile that’s different from the friendly one I showed at first, he laughs happily.

When this person laughs, maids, servants, and civil servants all freeze, but is there something strange? He’s been laughing all day today.

“You’re a mysterious person. This is a country that used to be a vassal state, a country that has defeated your homeland.  How can you be so enthusiastic like this?”

“Because this will be my country.”

The words came out of my mouth smoothly, without any hesitation or arrogance.

“When I married Prince Auglia, I prepared for death. But if I’m welcomed this much, I have to do my best. Because I came to this country as a bride.”

Lord Balk put his hand to his mouth and thought for a moment before murmuring, “Too bad,” and then looked at his watch.

“I understand, I will serve you from the bottom of my heart.——It’s almost 7 o’clock.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. Then, see you again tomorrow, please!”

I hurriedly said goodbye and headed to dinner with His Highness.

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