Chapter 274: As expected of Nero

"――sama, Julius-sama!"

"Hm? What's up, Nero? Is something wrong?"

Nero shook me awake, snapping me out of my thoughts. It seems I had gotten lost in my own thoughts for a moment. Fabienne also looked concerned.

"Nothing's wrong. It just seemed like you had another one of those peculiar ideas."

"Well, I don't think it's that strange, but..."

Today, Nero seemed particularly irritable. Maybe he had been scolded by Alex-niisama before leaving. I'd like to think that's the reason.

"What idea did you have?"

Fabienne tilted her head curiously. Her worry seemed to switch to curiosity. I decided to tell her, as it might pique her interest.

"I was thinking of making a 'glass pen' using glass as the material."

"A glass pen?"

"Yeah. Like this, carving a groove at the tip..."

Nero quickly sketched the image of a glass pen on the paper he offered. As always, Nero was quite capable. Though, with a glass pen, you'd still need ink in the end. Oh well.

"That's quite an unusual shape."

"Yeah, it might be. But thanks to this groove, the ink would last longer."

"Is that so?"

Fabienne gazed at the paper intently. It seemed she was intrigued. I should make a glass pen and give it to her later. Maybe we should make matching ones. No, would that be too much?

After that, we browsed through luxury pocket watches, table lamps, colorful high-quality inks, scented stationery, and even practical magical tools in the general store.

"Next, let's go to a shop more geared towards commoners. We still have time, right?"

"I'm fine with that."

Nero glanced at his pocket watch briefly. I have one too, but his watch is quite high-end. It hasn't spread widely among commoners yet. That's why the bell tower chimes at morning, noon, and evening.

I think it would make meeting appointments easier if such items were more accessible to commoners.

Once again riding in the carriage, we moved from the noble district to the commoner's district. People hurriedly cleared the way upon seeing the Margrave's carriage.

"I might have caused some trouble. Next time, we should use a carriage that won't surprise the common folk."

"Hehe, Julius-sama, you're so kind. To think about such things."

"Do you think so? But it might not be very noble-like indeed."

We chuckled together. Well, I'm not fond of wielding power and showing off, after all. Guided by Fabienne, we arrived at a general store for commoners. However, a problem arose.

"We might stand out too much in these clothes."

"That might indeed be the case."

We both checked our outfits. Clearly, we looked like noble children. Going in like this might inconvenience the shop. This is troublesome. But oh well, there's nothing we can do. We didn't bring alternative clothes.

"Let's just go like this today. If we miss this chance, who knows when the next opportunity will come."

"You were that curious about it?"

"Of course. I've been curious about commoners' lives for a while now. I'd even like to try living as a commoner."

I asserted strongly. Fabienne seemed surprised at my declaration, while Nero, Giles, and Christopher looked like they had already figured something out. Could they be exasperated?

I escorted Fabienne out of the carriage. We held hands firmly to avoid any mistakes. Her hand felt warm and soft.

Naturally, the store became chaotic as we entered. Well, it's no wonder. A group with escorts like us entering would cause a stir.

I'm sorry. From next time, I'll come dressed as a commoner, so please forgive us just for today.

"Oh, they're selling playing cards and board games. They're all types I've never seen before."

"They're popular items with various new types coming out almost every month."

"Come to think of it, they weren't selling these at the previous shop."

"Julius-sama, the shops for noble children are separate."

Nero promptly provided additional information. Good job, Nero.

"I see. Mixing them together would make it noisy and diminish the sense of luxury. That certainly makes sense."

In the general store for commoners, there were feather pens, dip pens, and even clocks. The quality didn't seem very good, though.

Strangely enough, they also had potions. Of course, they were all low-quality goods. They were cheap, but using these might not just be ineffective—it could worsen the symptoms.

"They're selling potions too. I wonder if they sell well?"

"They probably do. They seem to be quite cheap."

"Maybe things sold at potion shops are just too expensive for people to buy."

"That might be true. Plus, maybe people think all potions are the same."

"That's ridiculous."

I turned around instinctively, but there seemed to be no one objecting. It appears that this is indeed a common perception among commoners. No, perhaps even among nobles.

"We're probably among the few who know there are easy-to-drink potions."

"I know about the potions Julius-sama makes, so now I understand there are differences, but until then, I thought they were all the same."

Everyone present nodded in agreement with Nero's words.

Is that so? It seems the knowledge that not all potions are awful hasn't spread widely among commoners yet. Maybe I should put more effort into advertising in the future.

How about some potions stamped with the Heinrich Margrave House seal? Of course, oversight of that would be Lord Alex's responsibility. If it's Lord Alex, he should easily handle one, two, or even three new ventures. I'll discuss it with him when I return.

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