Colette entered the Lounge Space, and Kousuke, who had been resting, stood up.
“How was it?”
Colette held a stack of papers in her hand.
It was a grimoire detailing the Spirit Arts that Cecil and Arisa had completed the other day.
Colette smiled and replied, “Honestly, I was surprised.”
Kousuke grinned at Colette’s concise answer. “So, it met your standards?”
“Yes. There are a few minor errors, but once those are fixed, it’s perfectly usable.”
“I see. That’s good.”
Kousuke felt that he had burdened the two of them with extra work. He didn’t want it to be completely in vain. If it received Colette’s approval, it could be sufficiently utilized. However, he doubted Cecil and Arisa, who were given the work, would consider it extra work.
“Anyway, please tell them to correct the parts that need revisions.”
“Of course, I will. But what’s next?”
Kousuke nodded, acknowledging that Colette’s question was reasonable. “Well, honestly, I didn’t expect them to create something this usable from the start, so I haven’t really thought about it yet.”
Colette’s expression turned exasperated at Kousuke’s answer. “You haven’t thought about it…?”
“No, realistically, do you expect someone to write for the first time and produce something this complete?”
“…I don’t,” Colette admitted.
“Right? So, I thought we could have them revise it a few times to improve its quality.”
“So, you’re troubled because you’ve created something too good?”
Kousuke waved his hand at Colette’s concern. “No, no. It’s just that it doesn’t seem like something that should be easily sold off to others, so I was wondering if we could mass-produce it.”
“By copying it?”
In this world, books, which were precious items, were basically unique. To create many copies, there were individuals who specialized in copying to increase the number. Naturally, this incurred enormous costs, making books extremely valuable.
“That’s an option, but… do you think it would sell?”
“It would be difficult.”
The text they wrote was highly specialized, making even the copying process time-consuming.
“Right? So I was wondering what to do.”
Of course, this world did not have movable type printing. Furthermore, literacy rates were not particularly high, so even if books were produced, the audience was limited. This audience typically consisted of wealthy merchants or nobles, but while some learned magic or sacred arts as a hobby, few studied Spirit Arts. Elves who used Spirit Arts generally passed down their knowledge orally, so there was no established custom of writing it down. Additionally, the text these two wrote was from a human perspective, with slight differences from an elven viewpoint.
By the way, Kousuke had no intention of delving into movable type printing. While he had an image of printing using something like woodblocks, he didn’t understand the detailed mechanisms. He certainly didn’t think others could create such a thing based on his explanation.
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Kousuke handed the book, which had been meticulously corrected based on Colette’s feedback, to Schmidt.
“…What is this?”
When Colette had checked it, it was a stack of papers, but now it was neatly bound after the revisions. Schmidt picked it up with a puzzled expression. Schmidt was here not for a meeting, but to inquire about Kousuke’s new magic tools. Recently, he hadn’t been presented with many new items, but he still visited with some regularity. It looked like just a book and not a magic tool at all, so Schmidt tilted his head.
“It’s a book on Spirit Arts written by Cecil and Arisa. I’m unsure what to do with it.”
“Those two?”
Schmidt naturally knew about the two of them, who were already on the path to becoming High-Rank Adventurers.
“Yes. When I visited them during their free time and asked about Spirit Arts, I found it quite interesting. So, I encouraged them to try writing about it.”
“I see.”
Schmidt understood the circumstances behind the book’s creation, but he still tilted his head, not understanding why it was being presented to him. Kousuke understood Schmidt’s confusion and continued. “I thought it would be something for them to do in their spare time, and I was surprised when I saw the finished product.”
“You mean?”
“If you read it, you’ll understand. Its level of completion is so high. It’s hard to believe it’s their first attempt.”
Hearing Kousuke say this with a hint of exasperation, Schmidt’s eyebrows twitched. It was understandable, as he found it difficult to believe that a book written by two slaves could be so well-crafted.
“Well, I understand how you feel, but I think you’ll understand once you read it.”
“Me? But Spirit Arts aren’t my specialty?”
“The specialized descriptions have been checked by Colette, so it’s fine. You just need to read it as a simple piece of literature.”
Schmidt tilted his head, not quite grasping what he was being told. “Literature? Not a technical book?”
Since it was about Spirit Arts, Schmidt assumed it contained technical information. “Well, why don’t you take it home and read it, even if it’s just for my sake?”
“Alright. I understand.”
Having known Kousuke for a long time, Schmidt knew it was best to do as he said when he had that kind of expression.
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A week after Kousuke gave him the book, Schmidt returned, his face flushed with urgency. As a Division Head, Schmidt’s days were busy, and he didn’t have much time to read, which was why it took so long. Conversely, this meant he had managed to read the book written by Cecil and Arisa in just one week.
“Kousuke! What are you going to do with this book?!”
Kousuke chuckled at Schmidt’s flustered tone. “Schmidt, don’t panic. I gave it to you because I wanted to discuss what to do with it.”
Kousuke’s words seemed to calm Schmidt somewhat. “How was it after you read it?”
“…I was surprised. To be honest, I couldn’t believe it was written by slaves.”
“Right? I wonder how they learned to write like that.”
The book written by Cecil and Arisa was very easy to understand and started from the basics. It was designed to be accessible even to Schmidt, who knew very little about Spirit Arts. Moreover, starting from the fundamentals, it also covered some higher-level Spirit Arts towards the end. It could be said to be the best possible outcome for a book for beginners.
Incidentally, the two of them never expected such high praise. They had written it after consulting with each other, discussing what parts were difficult to understand and what needed more detail. They had simply written it down to be as understandable as possible, based on what Yuri and Colette had taught them. It was hard to judge whether the teachers were good, or if the two had understood and explained it well.
“It turned out too well, and I’m honestly having trouble deciding what to do with it.”
Kousuke’s words made Schmidt look puzzled. “Isn’t it going to be sold?”
“To whom?”
At that answer, Schmidt’s expression cleared. “See? It’s surprisingly difficult, isn’t it? That’s why I wanted to consult you.”
“…Indeed, it is difficult.”
Schmidt, fully understanding Kousuke’s point, replied with a thoughtful groan. “For now, I’d like a copy for myself, so I’ll have one made. As for the rest, could you think about what to do with them? I’ll consider it on my end as well.”
“Understood. I will think about it carefully.”
And so, unknown to Cecil and Arisa, the book they wrote began to be treated with great importance.
Thus, Cecil and Arisa found themselves facing the problem of where to sell their book. If it could be mass-produced at a low unit price, that would be ideal, but it wasn’t that simple.
By the way, as mentioned in the text, Kousuke has no knowledge of how to create a printing press, so please don’t expect any cheat knowledge regarding movable type printing.
