Chapter 146

Chapter 146 \n<h1>FPS 146</h1>\n

 

Kay:  I remmebereddd.

 

In the second district of the Capital, I sat on the coach seat with Matla-san as he held the reigns. We proceeded through the district to the Marida Company headquarters… 

At first, my purpose for creating my second persona, Shaft, was to hide my first persona, Schwartz, for when I did things publicly. But what about this current situation? The impact of Garo’s Labyrinth being subjugated alone was great. However, the popularity of masks similar to the kevlar mask had become insane. Also the increase in theatrical performances too… Wasn’t it a little overkill?

Somehow, feeling the hyped-up atmosphere, I saw the Marida Company headquarters. 

As expected, the guards who stood by the warehouse on the first level did not wear a mask. They wore coats similar to what I was wearing. As far as I can remember, I hadn’t worn it when I came through before though… I couldn’t speak for others, but spring was approaching and the day’s temperature was rising, so it shouldn’t be so cold that you’d want a coat. 

“We arrived.”

“Company Chairman! Thank you for your hardwork!” \n

One of the guards who stood in front of the warehouse noticed Malta-san and approached us. He looked at me sitting beside me. I think I was meeting this one for the first time, so he didn’t seem to know who I was because of the mask covering my face. 

“Do you know where Marida is?”

“Yes, she is in the store.”

“Tell her that Shaft has come.”

“Yes, Mr. Shaft, underst—…”

The guard’s mouth went stiff mid sentence… 

“It’s been a while, Shaft-sama.”

After I was brought through the reception room of Malta-san’s residence, Marida, Malta-san’s wife, came. It seems she was working by the look of her appearance as she put her long brown hair down as she wore a white blouse and blue trousers. Behind her, the maid Maltia pushed a tea wagon. I had met her before, she had long straight black hair and was in her mid-twenties.  She was in charge of the family’s care. 

Both the Malta couple and I sat on the sofas in the drawing room, with a table between us while the maid prepared tea. \n“It’s been a long time, Shaft-sama. I heard that you like tea very much, so I brought you freshly picked tea shipped from the production area.” 

Meltia talked about the tea and poured it into the tea cup. It was a transparent light orange, similar to Darjeerling tea. The mellow scent of the flowers and fruits had a strong scent, which I enjoyed. The taste of tea tends to be light, but if you steam it slowly in hot water, the taste will strengthen. The tea culture in this world was still developing, but meltia seemed to have steamed it slightly longer. 

“Here you go.”

“Thank you.” 

Though I replied, I still wore my mask. I didn’t pick it up right away and waited for Meltia to leave the room. Perhaps she realized I didn’t want to show my true face, she left the room after she poured a portion for the couple, saying “If you need anything else, please let me know.”. 

Below the table, I secretly opened the TSS and removed the zombie face beneath the mask through the avatar customization. Afterward, I removed the mask and exposed Schwartz’s face to Marida. I hadn’t met her as Schwartz yet, but considering the future, it would be more convenient if she knew who I was. I had already taught Bil-san, the manager in Barga, thus I didn’t see a reason to hide it from Marida. 

“Oh my, your real face is more normal than I expected. In the Capital, Shaft-sama’s face is a hot topic, especially among women.”

“I usually show a different face with the help of magic tools. I showed my real face now after thinking about the future. My real name is Schwartz, not Shaft. Please keep it all a secret.”

“Marida, Schwartz-san’s magic tool is amazing, usually – to put it simply – looks like the face of an undead. There is a good reason why he wears a mask. Among the company, only Bill and I know of this matter.”

“I understand, I swear I’ll never speak of what is under teh mask, Shaft-sama and Schwartz-sama, however I recalled I heard that name somewhere… Oh, maybe it’s that map shop Schwartz?”\n\nAnd it is said that masked balls had become a popular time of party with the nobles. They hide their face and identity while dressing up bright and indulge in gossip and small talk. The kind they normally could never speak of in public, even the kind that included secrets related to the kingdom. 

From here on, it was a new type of business. Matla-san and Marida-san asked a question, such as where my tomahawk was made. That kind of question. 

I was at a loss for this question. They say demand for throwable hatchets like the one I used was growing. However, the blacksmith guild had many things to research, such as weight, material, and the weapon’s center of balance. Apparently, it was far from being close to Shaft’s hatchet. 

Then, their idea was to trade directly with my supplier. However, my business partner was the VMB shop. 

I did not want to be a weapon merchant in this world. I knew that anything other than a firearm could be handed over, even the hatchet, but it was still a weapon. So I decided to fell one to Malta-san as a research sample. We continued our talks with a few more topics being brought up but Marida-san was interested in the wine I’d brought out of the RV. She argued that if the taste was high-class, it’d be wasteful to leave it be. So she suggested I sell it. 

But how do you sell a wine with an unknown origin and harvest date? 

“Let’s say its wine born in the land where the mysterious ‘Black Nobleman’ was born and raised. You don’t need a label. If you are aware of the alcohol content, we can sell it with a black label attached. As for the brand name, how about wine from Shaft — Shaft Wine?” 

No, it’s certainly the wine from the RV from VMB, born in the world I was from, but shaft wine… Felt like a counterfeit… 

Malta-san also started to consider this idea, and decided to sell it as a hidden alcohol that would be known among the aristocrats and wealthy. To recover my CP that had been exhausted in the battle with the Pirate fleet, I needed to earn a stable income … This situation made me realize once again that the Marida Company was indeed one of the largest companies in Kurtmerga.