Chapter 39:  Reviving the City (3)

“I’m sorry to have called you all out on a rare weekend.”

The table was packed with partners.

Standing right in the middle of them, I offered a relaxed smile of gratitude.

“What’s going on, Roger? Are you treating us to another company dinner today?”

That was the dwarf craftsman Schmidt, who was draining my personal funds at a rapid pace.

He chuckled and gave the shoulders of the team leaders beside him a friendly pat.

“The reason I’ve asked you here today is nothing more than to listen to the difficulties you’ve been facing.”

With my hands behind my back, I slowly walked around them.

Then I raised my index finger and said,

“Please each tell me just one major hardship you’re currently experiencing in your daily life.”

Being called out suddenly and asked to talk about hardships—

Schmidt, as well as the younger team leaders who had come along, all looked puzzled.

“If we tell you, President Roger… are you going to fix it?”

One particularly handsome blond youth asked with confidence.

He looked like he had come straight from work, wearing a worn-out jumper over a white sleeveless shirt.

With sweat and black oil stains all over, he looked like a hardworking man through and through.

“Of course. I was the one who brought you all here to Old Luton, after all.”

The workshop workers exchanged glances, silently urging one another to speak first.

Eventually, the one who’d asked the first question, the handsome young man, spoke up.

“Then, I’ll go first.”

“Very well. Please state your name along with it.”

I pointed to him, a corner of my mouth lifted.

“My name is Jake. I’ve been working at the Luton Workshop for ten years.”

The workshop worker stood up from his seat.

Then he took off his jumper and hung it on the back of his chair before opening up.

“I got married right around the time I started working at the workshop, and my child is now ten. Just the right age to be in school.”

In truth, I already knew that bit of information.

Jake—this handsome man’s son—would grow up to become quite a famous model in the near future.

That was exactly why I was paying close attention to his complaint.

“I’m getting a good salary from the Grand Duke’s house, and the benefits aren’t bad either. So overall, I’m pretty satisfied with my job.”

“Then what’s the issue?”

I handed a cool drink to this man destined for a fruitful family life and asked.

Jake answered in a slightly embarrassed voice.

“Well… The thing is… people can’t tell we work for the Grand Duke.”

“…?”

At that rather worldly remark, Anna, the upright legal officer, tilted her head.

The other hotel staff looked equally puzzled.

Jake shook his head and explained that this was, in his opinion, a serious hardship.

“It’s honestly more painful than you’d think. I’m a full-time employee, yet people just dismiss me like I’m nothing…”

The team leaders who had come along nodded in agreement.

Schmidt scratched his plump cheek as if he didn’t care much either way.

“More than anything, it’s exhausting always having to explain that I work for the Grand Duke’s house, and my son’s friends end up having preconceptions about it.”

“Well, that’s only natural. No matter who we work for, we’re workshop laborers at the end of the day.”

Schmidt let out a short laugh, as if to say that such things weren’t real problems.

“No matter how others see us, as long as we’re proud of what we do and sincere about our work, that’s what matters.”

The dwarf left behind words worthy of a true craftsman.

But Jake, a man with a family, still looked troubled.

“Even so… it would be nice to have some sense of belonging. Every time I have to fill in forms for my kid’s private tutoring, I get a headache just trying to explain where I work.”

While listening to the casual conversation between the two, I raised my palm.

Then, I neatly summed up the situation.

“So what you’re saying is, you’d like people to recognize that you’re part of the Grand Duke’s house and be treated accordingly, yes?”

Jake nodded enthusiastically.

The other team leaders also agreed with serious expressions.

“Yes, exactly. Especially when we go out with our kids—we just want to feel like we’re proud fathers.”

The greatest hope for commoners was always social advancement.

Working for a prestigious family fulfilled that to some degree, but if it wasn’t visible to others, it left a lingering disappointment.

“Look here, Roger might be competent, but how could he solve something like that? You should bring it up directly with the Grand Duke’s house.”

“But that’s kind of scary…”

At Schmidt’s blunt remark, the team leaders all shrank back a little.

Even men with rough-looking faces seemed intimidated just by hearing the name of the Grand Duke of the North.

“Lord Schmidt is right. I’m just a mere secretary candidate.”

I smiled gently as I looked at them.

But then, I said something completely unexpected.

“However, I believe this particular issue is something I can take care of myself.”

At my calm reply, the workshop workers all fell silent at once.

They stared blankly at one another for a moment, then Jake, the most outspoken of the bunch, spoke on their behalf.

“W-What do you mean, exactly…?”

As if responding to the question, I signaled to Yuria.

And our capable manager, quick on the uptake, began handing out a sheet of paper to each of the workers.

“These are physical exam forms. You can fill them out when you get your routine health check this week.”

Schmidt glanced down at the sheet he received.

There, it said to write down one’s body measurements and size details.

“Please collect them from everyone at the workshop and submit them to me. I’ll give you a ‘nice gift’ in return.”

At the word “gift,” they began gathering up the stack of papers without hesitation.

I stepped back a little and watched the scene with satisfaction.

Just then, the sturdy dwarf Lord Schmidt quietly sidled up next to me.

“What’s that gift, and why are you keeping it secret?”

In response to the craftsman’s question, I lightly brushed off the dust from my suit jacket.

I looked at my reflection in the distant window and answered with eyes as sharp as a fox’s.

“That’s because it requires a bit of ‘procedure.’ You’ll find out soon enough.”

“You young ones sure like to play coy.”

Schmidt chuckled and gave my shoulder a firm pat.

The fiery weight of his hand made my lips part involuntarily.

“Still, I’m not worried anymore.”

The dwarf’s deep-set eyes quietly looked up at me.

Before I knew it, he’d wiped the smile from his face and now wore an expression of pride.

As if to say he completely trusted me now.

“……”

I silently looked down at his worn-out dress shirt.

Then I gently brushed the dust off his shoulder and spoke with sincerity.

“Thank you for saying that.”

――――――

And so, a week passed.

By then, unusual rumors about Old Luton had begun to circulate widely in the media.

Perhaps because of that, the streets were already bustling with people from early Saturday morning.

――――――

A grand carriage came to a stop in the hotel’s parking lot.

From it stepped a beautiful noblewoman in her middle years…

And her daughter, Rocellia.

“Mother, is this really the place where I’ll be performing…?”

The blonde young woman pointed toward the eight-story hotel in front of them and asked.

Lady Loriang, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, replied,

“That’s still unclear.”

As expected, the seasoned businesswoman didn’t jump to conclusions.

Instead, she gently held her daughter’s hand and stepped toward the street in front of the hotel.

The current time was 9 a.m.

Even on weekends, it wasn’t yet an hour when large crowds would be expected.

“……”

And just as she predicted, the area around the parking lot was utterly quiet.

Aside from a few hotel staff opening the doors, the street was completely empty.

“So it was just empty boasting after all. I didn’t expect much from someone who looks like a gigolo…”

“Who?”

Her daughter glanced up at her and asked.

But at that moment—

“…!!”

The mother and daughter turned the corner and bumped into a man coming from the opposite direction.

“Rocellia…!!”

“I-I’m fine…”

The blonde girl had lightly bumped shoulders and was pushed toward her mother.

The man they collided with looked at her with concern and asked seriously,

“Are you all right…?!”

Under the warm sunlight, his sturdy silhouette seemed to glow with a halo.

As the noblewoman’s daughter looked up at that figure—

“I’m truly sorry. I was rushing out on my way to work and didn’t see you…”

She saw his broad shoulders, like the sea, and the neatly pomaded hair swept back.

And then—

“Luton Arms Dealer”

—emblazoned boldly across the back of his jumper.

It was Jake.

Looking every bit like a dashing gentleman fresh off a polo match.

“Ah, it’s fine. I wasn’t looking where I was going either…”

Young Rocellia immediately recognized that he was a member of the Grand Duke of the North’s house.

Jake also politely returned the gesture with an apology.

“Oh my, you’re from the Grand Duke’s house?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m currently working as a team leader at a nearby workshop.”

When the elegant noblewoman recognized him, Jake gave an awkward smile.

He simply fidgeted with his newly donned jumper.

“Ah… Luton Workshop! The uniform looked so sharp I thought you were from a social club.”

“Haha… It’s not the official uniform yet. Just a sample. We’re testing it out.”

Jake laughed heartily, his handsome face lighting up.

Then he waved toward the boy who was following behind him.

“Jack, hurry up! You’ve got tutoring soon!”

“What do you want me to do? They served way too much food at the restaurant—!”

A tall boy, taking after his father, trailed behind leisurely.

Then, all of a sudden, his eyes lit up as he glanced at Rocellia.

“Your teacher’s waiting. Let’s go.”

Jake pointed to the first floor of a massive building in the square.

There, men in sleek jumpers and finely dressed women were heading in with children.

In the past, wives would never have walked around with their husbands like that.

But for some reason, ever since the Grand Duke’s black lion insignia and the arms dealer mark appeared…

「When are you off work today?」

「Just working until noon. Want to go see the hotel art exhibition after the kids’ classes are over?」

…They’d quietly started stepping out into the streets together again.

Dressed up as they had been in the early days of their marriage.

“What is that place that so many young couples are going to?”

“Ah—! That’s a tutoring academy. Students from elite academies nearby are tutoring our kids there.”

So, elite students lived in Old Luton now.

And young couples visited the area often.

At that, Lady Loriang’s red lips parted slightly in surprise.

She suddenly recalled the promise she had made with a certain man last week.

However—

“So this is all the change he was talking about.”

The seasoned businesswoman’s expression quickly turned cold again.

To her, who had survived countless hardships and business rivalries, all of this seemed like nothing more than a fleeting moment.

“A way of thinking befitting a small-time hotel operator.”

Letting nearby students and workers’ children receive private tutoring.

And issuing uniforms to improve the workers’ image.

At a glance, it was clever and rational.

But to her eyes, trained by years of sharp investment instincts, it was like pouring water into a cracked bowl.

For now, the atmosphere on the streets might appear revitalized—but it wouldn’t last long. The momentum would fade quickly.

“Let’s head back now.”

“Huh? What about my performance venue…?”

Rocellia looked up at her mother with confusion.

Lady Loriang simply gazed silently at the brightened square and slowly closed her eyes.

“I don’t think it’ll be possible right now.”

Then came the day—the one-month mark, the promised time.

Lady Loriang returned to Old Luton to notify the Erian hotel’s owner of her decision to terminate the contract.

“They’re especially late today… Did something happen to the horses?”

Loriang, seated with the curtains drawn and only the coachman’s window open, asked quietly.

The servant turned his head and apologized politely.

“My apologies, madam. There was a bit of traffic…”

Traffic.

In the capital city of Nord, such congestion was common—nothing to be alarmed about.

However—

“Wait… You’re telling me the roads in Old Luton are congested?”

Just a few weeks ago, the roads here had been utterly deserted. And now there was a traffic jam?

Finding it strange, the noblewoman forcefully drew back the curtain.

At that moment—

“…!!”

Loriang’s green eyes flashed sharply, like a startled serpent.

Her young daughter also turned to look out the window.

“What’s wrong, Mother…?”

Unlike before, the streets were now packed with people.

“What on earth is going on…?”

And it wasn’t the usual factory workers she always saw in Old Luton.

The people out there were dressed in the finest clothes—just like her and her daughter.

In other words, the people crowding Old Luton’s streets were now all upper class.

「A-Ah, apologies, everyone! Starting from this point, please take a detour!」

A loud voice rang out from the roadside.

Following the sound, Loriang leaned her head out the window and looked toward the hotel.

“Julius Roger…?”

Soon, she spotted knights from the Grand Duke’s house controlling the road in front of the hotel.

Behind the knights, rows of chairs had been set up, where people from the fashion industry—designers and buyers—waited for the models.

There were even celebrities from the northern region of the Empire in attendance.

Above them hung a banner:

“The 1st Luton & Erian National Uniform Design Contest.”

“A design contest…? Don’t tell me he partnered with the Grand Duke’s house?!”

Lady Loriang jumped down from the carriage in disbelief at the massive-scale fashion show filling all of Old Luton.

Then, tipping up the brim of her wide hat—

「Visitors to the design contest, please proceed to the hotel’s rear parking lot!」

—she stared blankly at me, standing in the middle of the road directing traffic.

「Madam, please park over this way as well!」

I looked at her as our eyes met, and gave a relaxed smile.

With a graceful gesture, I invited her to come and watch the show.

「The event is about to begin!」

At the same time as I called out, I gently stepped aside.

And in that moment—

The red carpet that had been hidden behind me was revealed.

At once, the countless nobles of the Empire all lifted their heads.

「This is the first stage.」

One of the most famous beauties in the Empire, and the eldest daughter of the Grand Duke’s house—

Freya Luton appeared wearing a fitted pair of slacks, over which she had on a Luton Arms Dealer jumper.

「This piece was personally created and modeled by Lady Freya, the Grand Duke’s daughter.」

Wearing an outfit designed at the peak of the Empire’s art world, she strode confidently across the stage.

With the proud gaze reminiscent of the Grand Duke of the North and a sensual stride, she captivated everyone’s attention.

「The Luton Jumper—Old Luton Edition!!」

Loriang quickly realized that this was the same jumper she had seen a few weeks ago on Jake, the workshop worker.

She had thought it was merely a well-made, stylish piece of clothing.

But now, renowned designers and celebrities were rising to their feet, clapping enthusiastically at the sight of it.

“Mom! There are so many people in this city!!”

Rocellia, who had followed her, shouted excitedly to her mother.

“Y-Yes… there really are…”

The noblewoman could do nothing but clap along, caught up in the moment among the elite and swept along by her daughter’s excitement.

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