Volume 4 Chapter 1 When It Comes To Winter, Everyone Has This, Right？
Because of the Crown Prince Assassination suspicion, winter vacation started earlier than usual. After the forced search at the Church and the camera reveal, Randy and Liz returned to Victor Territory, even though they were a bit late compared to the other students.
"Feels like it was just yesterday at the Harvest Festival..."
The fun Harvest Festival feels like it just happened, but since then, there have been things like the Tower of Time, dragon slaying, and the Church with the camera. Honestly, the only school memory Randy has is exploring the 'Seven Wonders.'
Randy thought he should focus a bit more on his studies this semester, but then he saw a carriage he had never seen before.
"Is someone visiting?"
As Rita tilted her head, it was clear that a carriage they hadn't seen before meant a visitor. The black, elegant carriage had a crest on it...
"That's the Guild's crest."
...Just like Randy said, it was the dragon and sword emblem of the Adventurers' Guild.
"They must be important people from the Guild, but what do they want, young master?"
Harrison sighed, and his breath turned white in the cold. Winter in Victor is pretty harsh.
"Who knows? I'll ask the Old Man later."
Randy's breath was also white.
"Isn't it really cold?"
"I thought so too."
Randy tilted his head at Liz and Rita's words, who were hugging themselves for warmth, but for them, it was their first winter in Victor. Braubelg is in the south of the continent, so winter in the northern Dukedom must be tough for them.
Randy put his coat over the shivering Liz and said, "Let's go warm up by the fireplace," leading her into the mansion.
As they went inside, it felt like going from cold to warm. They forgot about the winter weather for a moment. Now, with the fire waiting ahead of them, Liz started to feel better and her shivers stopped.
The sun was trying to peek through the cloudy sky, a faint sign that winter had officially arrived.
Even though the mansion was old and small, it was still too big to keep warm everywhere.
Randy was used to it, but for Liz, it was her first time feeling her breath turn white even inside the mansion.
"Oh, it's colder than I expected."
"For someone raised in the south like me, it's way too cold!"
Not just Liz, but even Rita, who came back with them, started complaining. Randy was used to it, but now that they mentioned it, it did feel cold. Maybe he should ask the other servants too. So, Randy quickly asked the maids...
"Yeah, it's cold."
"The mansion is colder than our homes."
"If it were a bit warmer, it would be easier to get up in the morning..."
They all agreed. The problem was that the mansion was colder than the maids' homes, which were probably not well-insulated and had drafts. Even those homes were warmer than this mansion.
It's strange how a mansion that doesn't seem too big feels so wide and cold in winter.
Now, making things more comfortable... is also a motivation for new inventions.
"Since winter vacation got longer, maybe we should think about new heating equipment."
Liz and Rita agreed with that idea. To be honest, Randy preferred a fireplace. There's something comforting about watching a fire burn. But there are only a few places with fireplaces.
He couldn't just put a fireplace in the hall or the bathroom. While he dozed off in front of the fireplace, the maids had to work in the cold hall... It might be the right thing for a noble, but Randy felt a bit guilty.
That's when he thought they needed something like central heating...
"First, we need to gather materials."
"Sorry. I want to help too, but..."
Liz, looking a bit apologetic, said, "I have my job as a civil servant to do too," letting out a white breath.
"Oh right, I almost forgot."
Randy looked up at the ceiling, completely forgetting that he had hired Liz as a civil servant in this territory.
"Speaking of which, what about your pay──."
"Don't worry. Sir Alan is calculating it properly and will give it to me."
Randy felt relieved by those words, but then he remembered he hadn't even reported back yet. His father, Alan, was probably busy with visitors, but he could at least say something to Keith the butler.
"First, I'll talk to Keith and wait for the old man to be free."
With a sigh, Randy, along with Harrison and Rita, headed towards Alan's office. If there were visitors, Keith would definitely be there too.
As they walked, they discussed what kind of heating equipment to use. After a while, they saw Keith standing in front of the door. He looked serious and didn't let anyone get close, which meant they were probably discussing something important.
"Should we wait?"
Just as Randy said this, the office door opened, and an old geezer appeared. He looked about the same age as Keith and Randy's grandpa, Volcan, with sharp eyes like a hawk.
The hawk-eyed man stepped out and waved lightly at Keith, then noticed Randy nearby.
Randy felt a bit uncomfortable under the man's intense gaze, as if he was being judged.
"...Are you Randolph? Volcan's grandson and Lord Victor's son?"
Randy nodded, a bit confused, and said, "Yeah."
"I see. You look just like him. 'Blood really doesn't lie.'"
After saying that, the man smirked and followed Keith into the office.
"What was that about, Randy?"
"Who knows? But I don't like being compared to that old man."
Randy snorted, and everyone else thought, "Yeah, you're totally the same," but Randy had no idea.
"Anyway, it looks like old man is free now──."
Randy pointed to the office, and everyone nodded, so he knocked on the door.
"Is that you, Randy? Perfect timing."
Hearing the voice from inside, Randy felt a bit uneasy but opened the door. There was his father, Alan, surrounded by papers, smiling but looking tired.
"You look older..."
"That's a pretty harsh first comment."
Alan frowned, and Randy shrugged, saying, "Just kidding," as he sat down on the sofa across from the desk.
"Well, sit down."
"This isn't the young master's room, right?"
"Exactly."
Harrison and Rita, looking annoyed, quickly said, "We're back," bowed, and left the office.
"Sigh... They just ran away."
Randy frowned, and Liz stood straight, saying to Alan,
"Sir Alan, Elizabeth has returned."
With a graceful bow, Alan smiled and told Liz to sit on the sofa.
"Seriously. Compared to Miss Elizabeth... how did you turn out like this?"
"Blame your teachings."
Randy snorted, and Alan just looked at him with a tired expression.
"We don't need any formal greetings. We're family... more importantly──."
"Ah, about the waiting part."
Alan nodded and handed Randy a paper from the stack on his desk.
"Huh? A request form?"
Randy raised an eyebrow and looked at the paper, making sure Liz could see it too.
It was mainly requests from the engineers who came in the summer. Basically, they were saying, "It's too cold," which could be a big deal for dwarves who came from a much warmer place.
In fact, even though it was only early December, Liz was already acting like it was freezing.
"Not just the engineers, but we've also received similar requests from the residents."
Alan sighed and explained that usually, in winter, people stayed inside, but now, with more jobs from processing materials and making beauty products, they had to work even in the cold.
However, the workspaces they hurriedly built from summer to fall weren't ready for winter.
"Plus, we just got a request from the Guild."
Alan sighed again, saying that the person who came earlier was from the Adventurers' Guild, overseeing the Dukedom. Apparently, he was an old acquaintance of Volcan and Keith, and he knew Alan too.
The boss said that lately, the Beast Forest trend has been good for both adventurers and the Guild, but when winter comes, many beasts will become even more dangerous. This is because there will be less food for them, which is bad news for adventurers.
The demand for parts for carriages has calmed down, but recently, Lucian has started using materials from the Beast Forest for a new ship design. There isn't a huge demand, but there is a steady need.
Because of this, the Guild wants to focus on the Victor Branch, but the winter forest is just too harsh. They have to deal with not only the aggressive beasts but also the cold weather. So, the Guild boss asked for a safe road to be built to the Beast Forest.
If there's a road, adventurers can retreat to town or the street more safely, which would help them survive.
"I see. So we need to budget for heating and roads."
"And also for the Port City that's under construction."
"That too."
Randy covered his face with one hand and looked up at the sky.
For Port City, money has come from the Marquis family, so the road and waterways to the base Fishing Village are being improved, and construction is moving along. But the cold is a big problem.
Even though it's a bit warmer by the river, most craftsmen and engineers come from the south. The cold is slowing down their work, so construction is getting delayed. Plus, if they want to build a road to the Beast Forest, they need to pull craftsmen from the Port City project.
More delays will cause trouble for Braubelg and Hartfield.
"I see. We have a lot of problems."
Randy leaned back on the sofa and looked up at the ceiling. The house is way too cold, and there are other similar problems happening too.
"But it's strange, old man. You probably expected this and budgeted extra for winter heating..."
Randy frowned, and Alan nodded, saying, "Of course I did." Randy knows that Alan is a smart guy, just as clever as Cedric and Lucian.
"I did, but now it feels like a 'hassle'."
Alan handed over a quote.
"What's with this price..."
Randy frowned at the quote for magic ore used in heating equipment. It's a special stone that makes the fire burn hotter when added to a fireplace.
For people who can't afford fancy heating stoves, it's a must-have for winter...
"This price is almost double what it was last year, old man."
"They say the amount of magic ore being mined has gone down."
Alan sighed heavily, and Randy thought, "That can't be true." The hassle he mentioned must be about this outrageous price.
The price has gone up so much that people are hesitating to buy fuel, which is why they made that request.
"The Shadler family..."
Randy frowned, and Liz tilted her head, asking, "Shadler? The Count next door?"
"Yeah. Goldeis Shadler and Ordis Shadler. They own the magic ore mine and mining rights in the neighboring territory, and I can't stand them."
Randy didn't hide his dislike and talked about how they always pick fights with Victor.
"They really don't like that we're making money."
Randy kept clicking his tongue, and Alan sighed, looking annoyed.
"Our Knight Brigade could wipe out the Shadlers in just a few hours. But doing that wouldn't help, and it would only hurt innocent people."
"True."
Randy nodded, and Alan showed a mischievous smile that reminded Randy of himself.
"Randolph... I'm counting on your wild ideas."
Alan smiled, and Randy raised an eyebrow, saying, "Wild ideas?"
"On top of not having enough money for heating, the Guild is asking us to make sure the adventurers are safe."
"Let us handle the adventurer's safety. That's our job, huh?"
Randy frowned, and Alan explained, "If we build the road, we can get more materials more reliably."
"Anyway, whatever we do, we have to be able to handle the cold outside. If people can work better, we can save money."
Alan's idea was that if they could reduce the amount of magic ore used for heating outside, they could use the same method indoors later.
"So, we need cold weather gear..."
"Or a pocket warmer."
For Alan and Liz, cold weather gear only meant heavy, thick clothes. So, they thought a pocket warmer would be the answer. But Randy, who knew about modern Japan, had a better idea.
"No. 'Thin and light winter clothes'..."
""Thin and light?""
Randy nodded, saying, "Yeah, light and thin." He remembered seeing warm innerwear from fast fashion brands in his past life.
"Can we make that?"
"Not sure. It sounds fluffy, though..."
Randy, looking serious, stood up and said,
"We have to try. Liz..."
"Then, I want Miss Elizabeth to focus on the budget for a while."
Alan smiled wryly, and Liz nodded, saying, "Understood." With that, Randy started working on making a warm inner layer by himself.
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