A mid-level (middle-aged) office worker's laid-back industrial revolution in another world - Chapter 160

Translator: Jasper Kadowaki | Editor: NovelMultiverse

Takeo and the rest of the crew headed to the magical goods shop. 

“I wonder what kind of design they will come up with,” said King Azupal. 

“Yes, I hope it turns out looking good,” said William. 

They were talking about the tailor shop that they had just left. 

When the three guests had finished getting their measurements taken, Layla had suddenly realized something. 

“Will we not have those things Takeo-sama and Alice have on their lapels?” she asked. 

Takeo-sama and Alice had a symbol sewn into their lapels. It was a red rectangle with a single yellow strip down the center, and in the yellow strip was a star.

“You mean this?” asked Takeo. “We’ve decided to put a symbol showing one’s rank on the right lapel, and one’s station on the left lapel.”

“Ah, you’ve thought this through, haven’t you?” said Layla. “This way, you can tell if someone’s a higher rank than you just by looking at them. Does the symbol on your left lapel show that you are stationed at the Elvis Duchy manor?”

“Yes,” said Takeo, “And these two stars on the right denote my rank. Three stars mean the head of a family, two stars mean the vice-head of a family, and one star means a relative. 

A white line is used for soldiers, and as one goes from sergeant to lieutenant to general, the number of stars increases.”

“I see,” said King Azupal, “Very interesting. Shall we get them applied to ours, too?”

“If it’s just for three people, I think they could make some quite easily. They wouldn’t be very elaborate, though,” said Takeo. 

With that, they had left the tailor shop and headed to the magical goods store. They were most of the way there, already. 

“Takeo-sama, I’ll go on ahead and make sure that there is tea ready for us when we arrive,” said Alice. 

“What? …Lady Alice, perhaps I should be the one to go?” asked Takeo. 

“No, I will go ahead and take care of it,” said Alice. 

“All right, that’s fine,” said Takeo. 

Alice took off ahead of the group and started jogging towards the shop. 

“Oh? Has Alice gone on ahead?” as Layla. 

“She was there in the morning, too, so I think she has gone to clear the table. We’re almost there, so it’s not a big deal,” said Takeo. 

“I haven’t ever been to a magical goods shop in a town, before, so I’m looking forward to it,” said King Azupal, excitedly. 

“Alan-san, if you stay inside all day, you’ll get moldy, you know?” said Takeo. 

“Ah, well. The shopkeepers insist on coming to me,” said King Azupal. 

“I see. That sounds convenient to have them come to you, and it sounds like they could cater to your personal needs very well in those circumstances, but then again, if you visit a shop, there’s always a small chance that you might find some kind of weapon that interests you,” said Takeo. 

“Hmm… You’re right. It may be good to visit a shop once in a while to see more products and widen my horizons,” said King Azupal. 

“Yes,” said Takeo, “It may be fun for you to take a look at weapons that you don’t usually use, yourself.”

Layla and William were listening to King Azupal and Takeo’s conversation, but they kept their thoughts to themselves. 

They were thinking things like, If the King were to make frequent visits to the magical goods shop, we would need a guard and a proper escort. The roads would get clogged, and people would complain.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]

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Takeo and the others arrived at the magical goods shop, and as they stepped in, Taylor greeted them. 

“…Kitamizato-sama… Welcome,” he said, looking dejected. 

“Yes… I’m back… again,” said Takeo, wondering why Taylor looked so down on himself. He didn’t mention it, though. 

“Hmm, so this is the magical goods shop… Oh? The shopkeeper – You’re…” said King Azupal. 

“Alan-san, do you know him?” asked Takeo. 

“Hmm, yes… I’ve seen him at the royal capital, before. Takeo, do you know anything about his lineage?” asked King Azupal. 

“No. I’ve heard that he’s lived in the royal capital, but I didn’t ever ask about his lineage. He’s a very skilled craftsman, and he makes all my weapons,” said Takeo. 

“Ah… I see. By the way… Taylor, was it?” asked King Azupal. 

“Yes!” said Taylor, answering nervously upon hearing his name called, suddenly. 

“You know his name, too,” said Takeo. 

“Of course. He’s… He used to work for the government. When he was young, he was very successful as a junior associate, and in those days, he was rumored to be a genius,” said King Azupal. 

“Whoa!” said Takeo. “An exceptional member of the elite. But why is someone like that here? I wonder if he was bullied out or something.”

“No, I didn’t know what happened to him, either, but… Taylor, you quit so suddenly. My colleagues and I were very worried about you,” said King Azupal. 

“Yes… I’m very sorry,” said Taylor. 

“Can you tell me why?” asked the king. 

“I’m very sorry, but I’ve sworn to never tell anyone why I quit. I’m afraid I’ll never tell a soul, and I plan to take it to my grave,” said Taylor. 

“…I see… Well, you seem to be in good health, and that’s what matters most,” said King Azupal, smiling a little sadly.

“Hmm, it sounds like things can get quite complicated at the royal capital,” said Takeo. 

“Oh, are you interested in going to the royal capital, Takeo?” asked King Azupal. 

“No, I don’t want to move there. I now understand that Taylor is a genius, but an average person like me seems to have no place at the royal capital,” said Takeo. 

“Hmm? You think so?” asked King Azupal. 

“Yes,” said Takeo, “I think it would be bothersome to have to persuade prideful people of my ideas, and it would be bothersome to deal with envious people, as well. My opinions seem to be a little skewed and ambitious compared to the normal way of thinking here, and so I know that whatever I do, there will probably be people opposing me… I think it’s best for me to just stay here and enjoy myself.”

“I see… Now that I think about it, you’re probably right that working at the royal capital wouldn’t quite suit you,” said the king. 

“Yes,” said Takeo. “Should I write down the private consultations for you, Alan-san, and for William-san?”

“Oh, what about me?” asked Layla. 

“You can submit a consultation, too, but I think you should do it through Lady Alice. There are probably things that only women can understand, and since you’re sisters, I think you would be able to express yourself more frankly with her,” said Takeo. 

“All right. I will take care of Sister Layla,” said Alice. 

“Oh, I almost forgot. Shopkeeper Taylor, there’s the main issue at hand,” said Takeo. 

“What would that be?” asked Taylor. 

“Please make three lapel badges for these three guests. Also, please make three sets of reading glasses for them,” said Takeo. 

“All right, understood. Do you have a rough plan for the lapel badges?” asked Taylor. 

“I’ve thought of something,” said King Azupal. 

“I have, as well,” said William. 

“Well, then, please write them down on the paper, here,” said Taylor, cheerfully starting a consultation with King Azupal and William.[Read this novel and other amazing translated novels from the original source at the “Novel Multiverse dot com” website @ novelmultiverse.com]