Chapter 65: The Future of the Glassworks

After returning to the main house, I handed the basket containing the glasses and cutlery to Heralda, then made a round through the mansion to check if there was anything else that needed attention.

Since we hadn’t originally prepared for guests, a few daily necessities were missing, so I added them to the shopping list along with the extra food supplies.

While I continued with those preparations, Mother came home, and before long, the evening dinner party began without a hitch.

“Welcome to Ravenstadt. Our family warmly welcomes you, Rosanne-sama, and you, Marnix-kun.”

“Thank you very much for your kind hospitality, especially given our sudden visit.”

With those words of greeting exchanged between Mother and Rosanne-sama, the dinner party officially began.

Tonight’s menu began with a starter of pickled vegetables wrapped in ham, followed by a sweet potato milk soup. The fish course was lightly seared white fish with sesame sauce, the palate cleanser a platter of assorted fruits, and the main dish—venison sautéed with green sauce. Dessert was a compote of lilrant.

For something put together in a rush, I thought it had turned out quite well.

“Marnix-kun, you’ve gotten much better at eating properly.”

The last time we stopped by the Baron Merlot’s estate before moving to Ravenstadt, Marnix-kun had still needed a maid to help him during meals.

“It’s thanks to Al-kun. He prepared smaller cutlery for Maaru-chan, so it’s easier for me to handle too.”

When we first served a full course meal at the Merlot house, the adult-sized silverware had been too heavy and awkward for Marnix-kun. I’d made smaller ones especially for him to use comfortably.

Silver is heavier than iron, after all—adult-sized cutlery is difficult for a child to manage.

“I see. That’s wonderful.”

Oblivious to our conversation, Marnix-kun was absorbed in his meal.

I felt a little sorry for the maid fidgeting behind him, clearly itching to help, but Marnix-kun handled his utensils just fine.

“So then, what brings you all the way to Ravenstadt at this time of year?”

“This time, I came to report something and make a request to both you, Oneesan, and Al-kun. If possible, could we speak privately after dinner, just the three of us?”

Rosanne-sama spoke with an unusually serious expression.

“I understand. Then let’s talk in the reception room after dinner.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

The conversation drifted back to lighter topics, and when the main meat dish was served, our wine glasses were replaced and filled with red wine.

“Indeed, the red wine truly shines when the glass is clear.”

“Yes, it does.”

As she enjoyed her meal and wine, Rosanne-sama spoke at length about the quality and beauty of the glassware.

Dinner concluded smoothly, and after a short rest, we gathered in the reception room to hear what Rosanne-sama had come to say.

“So then, what is it you wanted to discuss?”

“First, please take a look at this.”

From her bag, Rosanne-sama brought out a glass ingot and set it on the table.

Its shape was the same as the ingots sold in Merlot, but this one had a faint reddish tint.

Even so, the transparency was high enough that you could still read the letters on the opposite side through its thickness.

“This is a new kind of glass ingot that recently started circulating.”

Apparently, it had become common lately to imitate Merlot’s glass and ship it in ingot form.

“The issue—if I can call it that—is that the company selling these operates out of the Zernike Trading Company, headquartered in the Viscounty of Kaupels.”

“In other words, they suspect that we might have leaked information?”

“No, that can’t be it—the quality of their glass simply isn’t good enough.”

Merlot’s glass was purified through alchemy, so it would never end up at such a middling level of quality.

In other words, Merlot and Zernike were producing glass using entirely different methods.

“Um… I might know something about that.”

I explained that when I went to pick up Mother, I’d found research notes in House Kaupels’s archives describing a method for glassmaking—and that Zernike had been supporting their work to bring it to reality.

“Tell me, Al-kun—what kind of method was it?”

“I can’t tell you the details, but I’m sure it didn’t involve alchemy.”

Even though House Kaupels had treated Mother terribly, I had no intention of leaking confidential information.

Besides, that method could have unpredictable harmful effects on the surrounding environment—I didn’t want to risk spreading it around.

“So the technical information wasn’t leaked after all. Still, it’s hard to judge whether we should proceed with our business plans under these circumstances.”

Half a year ago, the plan had been to build a large, isolated glassworks in the ruined town of Furnendorp, using silica sand sourced from the Donat Barony to produce and sell glass ingots.

But if the Zernike Trading Company started distributing large amounts of glass of this quality at lower prices, Merlot’s superior craftsmanship might not be enough to prevent a decline in sales.

“Rose, are your glass sales dropping?”

“No, not at all. Even after increasing production, every ingot we make still sells out completely.”

If Merlot’s business wasn’t affected even after Zernike entered the market, perhaps their production numbers weren’t that high yet.

“Rosanne-sama, how about the spectacles—aren’t those selling?”

“They’re selling, but only to people who can afford them, so profits are still limited. And as for the monocles, they’re still being tested by the territorial army, so we haven’t begun selling them yet.”

That made sense—spectacles required both transparent glass and metal fittings, as well as several skilled craftsmen. Naturally, they ended up expensive.

Nobles could afford them, but it would still take time before commoners could.

“So then, what’s your reason for wanting to proceed with the project?”

Given the current situation, it seemed more prudent to pause and observe for a while rather than move forward.

But if she was still struggling to decide, I thought it best to approach it from another angle.

“The biggest reason would be customer demand. Even though we’ve increased production since we opened, we still have to restrict sales, and we get a lot of complaints because of it.”

In other words, if they delayed and Zernike captured part of their customer base, the business could falter—but if they ignored customer demand, they risked losing them anyway.

It came down to choosing which risk to take.

“…I think it would be better to continue with the business plan.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Well, I just don’t think two or three trading Companies could ever meet all the demand for glass. And in the future, I’m sure there’ll be more and more products that use it. Plus, if we keep selling the highest-quality glass, eventually people will say, ‘When it comes to glass, it has to be Merlot.’”

I didn’t believe the glass business would collapse that easily.

There were plenty of product ideas still waiting to be made.

If Merlot became the name people thought of before transparent glass became widespread, their brand would remain strong even if others made similar goods.

“—Yes. You’re right.”

Rosanne-sama clasped her hands together happily, clearly agreeing with my reasoning.

It might have been a little optimistic on my part, but even if glass ingot sales ever declined, there were other products to rely on.

There was no need to be overly cautious.