Chapter 83: Secret Workshop (part five)
When Harold and I arrived at the courtyard of Castle of Light, Earl Nibelheim was about to get on a carriage while holding a doc.u.ment bag.
He was planning to go to Knot Reed again to negotiate with the creditors.
We were barely in time, it was good that we didn’t miss each other.
Harold quickly descended from the carriage and rushed over to Earl Nibelheim.
“Tou-san!”
“Harry!? ……And Erica-sama?”
Earl Nibelheim unexpectedly looked at Harold with a gentle expression on his face.
Because of his repeated anxiety, his presence was thin.
“U-um, Tou-san, you know what!”
“Harry, what happened, there are bags under your eyes…… You seem to be exhausted.”
“There was something I had to do no matter what so I stayed up all night……no, that, that’s not what I mean……umm, that……sorry, that was—”
Harold who originally was full of spirit seemed to droop as he went round in circles.
The situation had turned around for the better so far, and we only needed to tell him and get his approval.
I thought for a moment that maybe I should be the one to talk instead, but realized that it would not be good, so I chewed my lips.
I decided to take a step back and wait.
“There is something I want to talk about. Um, it’s about the matter of fundraising.”
When Harold finally started to talk calmly, Earl Nibelheim approached him slowly.
And then, he stretched his large and rugged hand and stroked his son’s short red hair.
“Harry, I’m saved that you work and think over various things. However, I cannot burden a young child like you any more than this—”
“Yeah, I know that it’s not a good thing for children to do. But!”
Harold strongly blocked the words of Earl Nibelheim.
Then Earl Nibelheim’s expression turned into a very serious one.
And Harold, who was sensitive to the change in his father’s facial expression, froze.
“S-sorry……!”
“……No, I’m sorry. The one who should apologize in this case is Tou-san.”
Earl Nibelheim crouched down to Harold’s height and their eyes met properly.
The Earl conveyed his feelings to Harold as if repenting to G.o.d.
“Harry, I think I will tell you the things that I couldn’t say because it wasn’t the time for it.”
“What’s the matter, Tou-san?”
“Harry, I feel remorseful every time I see your scar.
I have ruined your body forever due to my own carelessness.
I was scared to face you. I thought that you must have resent me.”
Earl Nibelheim cut off his words, he quietly took a deep breath.
“At that time, I couldn’t stay by your side when you were badly hurt.
Because I was sad, I couldn’t grant your wish for me to stay by your side.
Even when I could also watch over the progress of your treatment, I had left it to Turm elder.”
“Such a thing, it couldn’t be helped, because Tou-san was busy with the project at that time!”
“That was only an excuse. An excuse that couldn’t even fool myself.
Still, I should have stayed with you.
I should have made time for you even a little, and I should have gone to see you.”
“Tou-san……”
“This is also the case with the fraud.
Whether you were a child or not, I should have talked about it properly.
Because you will inherit the territory which is your hometown.”
That being said, Earl Nibelheim took Harold’s right hand.
He regretted that he hurt his son’s body and parted with his son who would inherit his territory due to his own negligence.
“Harry, I’m sorry.”
“Wait……what are you apologizing for, Tou-san?”
Harold had a confused face after his father’s repentance.
Harold held his father’s hand tightly with his right hand.
“Even if we don’t meet much, there is no reason for me to resent my hometown and Tou-san who works hard for the territory, right?”
Harold said with tone of voice as if he were a young child.
That way, Earl Nibelheim’s eyes were slightly moist.
“Even if I got such an injury, I still have the ability to create a wand.
My hands are miraculous hands.
That, I’m sure was chosen by destiny.
Don’t worry, Tou-san. It wasn’t due to Tou-san’s fault.
Everything, surely, was destiny.”
Harold kept on talking quickly and smiled a little.
“So, I have no regret or resentment in my life.”
Harold said that no matter what happens he would accept it and live.
There were somewhat intense thoughts, but that was his strength.
“Hey, Tou-san. And now, it’s the fateful absolute chance. That’s why, please, hear me out.”
In response to Harold’s words, Earl Nibelheim became silent for a while.
His expression looked like a criminal who was released from many years of constraints.
Those eyes were moist with tears, but those tears never fell.
And Earl Nibelheim nodded quietly.
“Harry……aa, let’s hear it. This matter that made you reluctant to sleep and did your best. I’m going to hear you properly.”
I felt like the stilted air between them changed.
At last, their mutual feelings were conveyed and the ill feelings had disappeared.
Harold opened the wooden boxes gracefully and took out the dish with pomegranate pattern.
The contrast of beautiful blue and white shone vividly under the autumn sunlight.
Earl Nibelheim stared at the dish and sucked his breath.
“This porcelain……it seems quite different from what was circulated by the antique fraud some time ago.
This warm color is warmer than the color of the earth, which has exactly the same radiance as the authentic masterpiece, no, this one has more texture.
Above all, this blue, isn’t it not supposed to be on this continent?”
“If I tell you it will take a long time, but……”
Harold explained the series of miraculous events that had happened so far to Earl Nibelheim.
The ident.i.ty of the alchemist who succeeded in restoring the white porcelain was Gilbert Turm and his meeting with him who came back to Knot Reed by chance.
The fact that the refinery from the low-quality silver ore was actually a rare metal that could be processed into an expensive pigment.
The raw material of the porcelain was a common whetstone in the northwestern part.
And that they already reached the production of prototypes of porcelain in Gilbert’s furnace.
After hearing all these things, Earl Nibelheim seemed perplexed.
“No way, that such things will happen……suddenly I cannot believe it.”
“There is no worker to be employed and a.s.sembled so far, Tou-san. Let’s think about turning it into the main industry.”
“Is it true that the young man is Gilbert of the Turm family?”
“If you have any doubts, please visit the notary Bernhard. When we consulted about this case, we asked Gilbert’s older brother to attend.”
“Bernhard, huh……if he can prove his ident.i.ty, he is definitely the real thing.”
In the northwest part of the country, the name of Turm family had an absolute reputation.
It was the same whether it was Gilbert who was rumored to be the prodigal son whose life-or-death was uncertain.
Furthermore, if it could be guaranteed that Bernhard, a notary public, was his brother, then there was no further proof needed.
“If so, the problem is about the purchase of whetstones.”
“It’s not about the silver mining right, but how to buy the whetstone mining right?”
“That’s it, I cannot afford to purchase it outright with our current financial standing.
Since my reputation is falling lately, it will be difficult to borrow money more than this.
If we can explain the matter about porcelain……no, it wouldn’t be weird if we got taken advantage of……”
“No way, even though we obtained cobalt oxide with great trouble……”
“That’s right, it’s such an astronomical miracle that rare materials like that were thrown away……hm? Wait?”
Earn Nibelheim who was talking until that point had a frantic expression on his face.
“Harry, the production place of the whetstones, the raw materials of this porcelain, is it in Evit region?”
“Eh……uum, since it’s in the upstream of Varnalis River, yeah, it’s should be in Evit region.”
“It’s a miracle. No, this must be destiny……we did it, Harry!”
The expression on Earl Nibelheim turned bright.
He lifted Harold easily while raising his voice in joy.
“W-w-what happened, Tou-san?”
“Hahaha! What a fool I was! Everything was gathered from the very beginning!”
“Wait a moment, Tou-san! I don’t understand! Don’t leave me out of loop again!”
“Aah, sorry, Harry.”
Earl Nibelheim lowered Harold to explain after exhaling to calm himself down.
“About four years ago, a certain merchant in Knot Reed went to ask for investment in our silverware industry.
It was a long-established store that handled a large amount of whetstones of the Evit region.
At that time, he was in trouble with the disposal of the stone dust which came out when processing the whetstone.”
“Eh……?”
“Even if the amount of investment was small, I thought it was fine to accept the stone dust here.
We have a lot of old waste mines that have withered, so whatever it is, I don’t mind cramming them in the old waste mine until we can dispose it.
When I suggested it, he gave me a favorable offer for the fund.
It was a contract that said all the stone dust of the Evit region that the vendor produced for 20 years will be accepted by Nibelheim.
What we want is the whetstone, which is not a stone but a material……then, the stone dust is enough.”
“Eeeh~~~~!!!”
Harold and I were the ones who were surprised this time.
The bell that informed us of the time had just resounded.
Earl Nibelheim raised his head at ease.
“It’s time. Sorry, Harry. I will borrow a sample of this porcelain and this ore.”
“Of course, Tou-san!”
Harold carefully put the dish back into the wooden box and handed it to Earl Nibelheim.
Earl Nibelheim put his leg on the waiting carriage and looked back unexpectedly.
“Sorry, and thank you, Harry. You are my pride. It’s a waste that you are my son.”
After leaving behind something like that, Earl Nibelheim went out of the castle in no time.
Harold stood in the middle of the courtyard after his father left and didn’t move.
To me who was behind him, it seemed that he was staring at the sky.
“Seriously, that person always busy running around.”
“You mean your father?”
“Aa. I wish I could talk a lot more with him.
Saying I am his pride, now of all times……such a thing, if he said such a thing……what should I say, I don’t understand……”
Harold sniffled while cursing with a loud voice.
I see, he wasn’t looking at the sky, he was enduring so the tears wouldn’t spill.
I tried to take out my handkerchief but stop myself.
Because I recalled the rule that Harold imposed on himself about crying only once.
I thought that happy tears shouldn’t count, but it was he himself who decided it.
“It’s alright. You can talk a lot with him from now on.”
“I see……that’s true……”
It seemed that Harold couldn’t endure it anymore, he crouched and heaved with sobs.
Laying a handkerchief down, I sat in a back-to-back position with him.
“Erica?”
“I got tired from the conversation, so I want to take a break. Is that fine?”
“Well, but……”
“Harold must be tired too. You ought to take it easy.”
“Yeah……sorry, thank you……”
My back took a slight weight of Harold.
Beyond my expectation, Harold noticed my intention and began to cry without hesitation.
I pretended that I couldn’t hear him crying, so that Harold could cry as much as he likes.
I entrusted half of my weight on Harold’s back and looked up to the autumn sky from the courtyard.
I felt that the Nibelheim’s sky on that day was high, clear, and blue.