episode_0007
by fnovelpia
7. A Boss Who Loves Books
After the successful demonstration of the thermal bulb…
Though my pencil, which I had made because fountain pens were inconvenient—requiring dipping in ink and drawing lines—was taken away…
Well, I still successfully completed the request.
Then, it was only ‘natural’ that I’d receive a sweet reward—a ‘natural’ progression and a ‘natural’ act of workplace ethics.
Even in RPG games, you get rewards for finding a cat or defeating the Demon King.
But why am I…?
“Haha, research is more tedious than I thought. It’s amazing how that troublemaker Vivian endured it.”
My boss at work…
No, if we’re comparing it to a company in the original world, the CEO was personally supervising me.
Erica, sitting in the workshop, watched me with interest as I scribbled aimlessly on papyrus.
Her near-black blue eyes stared at me intensely, making me uncomfortable.
Isn’t this just like…?
After finishing a major company project, getting a one-on-one meeting with the CEO☆—that kind of feeling.
Getting repaid with crap after doing the work.
Today, too, I could hear the sound of my retirement stack growing by one.
“How boring~! Extremely boring!!”
“Then perhaps you should leave…”
“To drive away your lord? How cruel.”
Her clothes were so carelessly put together that it was hard to believe she was a countess.
At least she had a cloak-like outer garment draped over them, but there wasn’t a speck of dignity to be found.
Of course, if she put on a serious face, there was a somewhat chilling aura about her, but…
Where was I supposed to feel dignity when she dragged a chair over and poked my side with her toes?
Eventually, I sighed and asked Erica.
“Well, is there anything you want?”
“Anything I want?”
She pressed her finger against her cheek and fell into thought.
For someone who looked so cool and was a short noona, these small actions of hers were oddly cute.
Not to mention she was incredibly beautiful.
After a long moment of contemplation, Erica spoke to me.
Judging by her excited demeanor, she was probably about to ask for something outrageous.
“How about a steel horse?”
“A steel horse, you say?”
“Yes. Here, hand me the papyrus and pencil.”
And with that, she began sketching on the paper.
A horse made of steel…?
“Here, it’s done. Take a look.”
“….”
“Was it too unreasonable a request?”
Why is she so good at drawing?
Erica, whom I had pegged as a 155cm shorty who tormented me like a mischievous, immature noona.
Yet, in less than 10 minutes, she had produced an incredibly well-drawn sketch.
The design was a mess, with steel pieces haphazardly connected and joints tightly packed, but…
The texture was clearly expressed, and it was just a damn good drawing.
Staring at what looked like the underpainting of a masterpiece, I spoke.
“Making it exactly like this would be impossible.”
“Hmm, I suppose so.”
“But with some modifications, it might work.”
“…!”
Erica’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at me.
Her hopeful gaze was so intense it felt like she was looking at me as if I were Doraemon.
“First, let’s remove the legs and add wheels.”
“Oho….”
Then, I drew a new object next to the exquisitely drawn steel horse.
Two thick wheels and a system to make them turn automatically.
Yes, it was a motorcycle.
Seeing the motorcycle sketch, Erica began pondering seriously.
Yes, in moments like these, she exuded the dignity of a noble…
“Pfft—!! You’re really bad at drawing.”
This bitch…?
Were you just holding back your laughter?
But as is the way of corporate life, I forced a smile and replied.
“…You draw surprisingly well, Countess.”
“Since childhood, art, music, and writing have been my specialties. I’m also skilled in combat and tactics.”
What a cheat character.
She’s literally the pinnacle of arts and athletics, isn’t she?
Meanwhile, I don’t even have mana and nearly die just lighting up a thermal bulb.
And here’s someone who excels in both academics and arts.
As I pouted and reached to take back the papyrus, Erica stopped me.
With a mischievous smile, she giggled and patted my shoulder.
“Hahaha! But you possess a talent I could never dream of, don’t you?”
“….”
“Look, if I were to make a steel horse, I’d never have thought to use wheels instead of legs.
I wouldn’t have considered folding paper to reduce volume, let alone the thermal bulb.
Have some confidence.”
That’s some high praise.
Annoying, but still comforting.
Of course, I didn’t actually invent the motorcycle, but still.
After teasing me a while longer, Erica soon grew bored and stretched before speaking.
“Yaaawn. It’d be nice to have a book to pass the time.”
“Huh? Why not bring one?”
“I’ve already read them all.”
Another flex?
“I’m so smart I’ve read every book in the study~”—that kind of thing?
But my assumption was quickly proven wrong.
“There are only about 27 volumes. I should’ve bought more when I had the chance.”
“…That’s all the books you have?”
When I asked, Erica instead questioned me back.
She looked puzzled for a moment before nodding in understanding.
“Ah, you’re from the countryside, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Books are expensive. Cheap ones cost 50 silver coins, while good-quality ones go for about 2 gold coins.”
So, one good book costs as much as my thermal bulb and pencil combined?
The famed horse I received was worth 1 gold coin.
A farmer earns about 50 copper coins a day.
Based on my experience living in this world, converting it to real-world currency:
Copper coins = 100 won.
Silver coins = 10,000 won.
Gold coins = 10,000,000 won.
That’s roughly how it breaks down.
Meaning, a single good-quality book costs nearly 20 million won.
No matter how wealthy the family, filling a study with books would be impossible.
“Well, if it helps you, I’d gladly lend you my books. I trust the talent I’ve chosen.”
“Thank you. Just let me retire.”
“What’s there to thank?”
Then, a question struck me.
Why are books so expensive? Are they enchanted or something?
Or is it the same issue as in medieval history from the original world?
“But why are books so expensive?”
“Excluding magic scrolls, you mean?”
“Yes.”
Erica tapped her chin with her finger and began listing the reasons one by one.
“Well, the biggest factor is that each one has to be handwritten.
And those who write books are usually renowned figures, so their name alone adds value.
The paper quality must be high for long-term preservation, driving up material costs.
And since supply is low, prices skyrocket—that’s the biggest issue.”
Ah, same problem as the original world.
Then, what if I gave this mischievous noona a way to read as many books as she wanted?
Wouldn’t she just hole up in her study and leave me alone?
I looked at her and asked.
“Then increasing the supply would solve the problem, right?”
“Yes. But that won’t be easy. Human hands have limits.”
“Using lower-quality paper would reduce material costs too.”
“Oho….”
Erica’s expression shifted to one of interest, as if she’d caught on to my intent.
With a gleeful look, she urged me to continue.
“What world-changing invention will you unveil this time?”
“It’s not quite an invention… It’s a very simple method.”
“A simple method that the people of the Frontier Empire, with 300 years of history, didn’t know? Now that’s intriguing.”
Erica responded with excitement.
To match her mood, I grabbed some wooden blocks lying around the workbench.
Then, I began carving each letter of my name into the blocks.
Finally, I took a carving knife and hollowed out everything except the letters.
It took time, but Erica waited patiently, clearly amused.
Once the blocks were complete…
Erica looked at me with a hollow laugh, having already figured out how they’d be used.
“You’re truly a heaven-sent genius.”
She took the blocks from me, dipped them in ink, and slammed them onto the table.
And then…
“Ah, I should’ve flipped them… And the size should’ve been smaller.”
“Haha… To think no one ever thought of this simple method until now.”
My inked name appeared on the table.
It was a stamp-like method—the earliest woodblock printing technique from Goryeo.
In the West… Germany, around 1444, printing technology was first invented…
Assuming this era is mid-medieval, this is 500 years ahead of its time.
“What do you think? With this, even low-quality paper can be mass-produced.
Once that happens, the price of existing books will plummet, making them easier to acquire.
Long-term, more people will be able to read and write, increasing supply and uncovering talented writers.”
“That’s not all. We’ve essentially created a local specialty we can export to other regions.”
A simple technique—just stamp it like a seal.
Of course, the downside was having to create a stamp with reversed letters for each book.
But the advantages far outweighed the drawbacks…
And there was one most crucial advantage.
“And there’s one most important advantage.”
“What is it?”
I grinned at her.
“You’ll be able to read as many books as you want, Countess. That’s the most important task for me right now.”
“Huh….”
Ah, perfect.
Please just focus on books and leave me alone.
Seeing a beautiful woman’s face is great, but the problem is she’s my boss.
For some reason, her face turned slightly red.
She seemed in a great mood, so I placed my hand on the resignation letter I always carried.
“Then, about my resignation…”
“My, you’re wagging your tail quite cutely.”
“Huh?”
“Good!”
Countess Grace Erica.
She swept back her dark blue hair and declared.
“From now on… I’ll take you everywhere like my favorite doll. You’ll even attend the Grace family dinners!”
…What?
My resignation?
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