SH~_C27_Chapter 27 The Flavor and Effects of Economic Pie

27. The Flavor and Effects of Economic Pie

The skill “Master Artisan” seemed to function as a support skill to others like “Green Hand” and “Blue Hand.” It boosts anything involving the use of your hands and was said to be the kind of ability only granted to a rare handful of elite craftsmen.

As for “Igor’s Blessing,” it was exactly what it sounded like: a divine blessing from Igor—the god of the sky, medicine, craftsmanship, wind, and commerce.

Incidentally, I’ve only ever met the goddess Hyakka, not Igor.

“So I can understand Artisan,’ but the blessing part? That’s completely out of the blue.”

“Then why do you have it?”

“Beats me.”

As I stitched a torn button onto a worn shirt, mended frays, patched a hole in some trousers, and even embroidered a swirling vine pattern—an elven design—over the patch, I casually chatted with Romanov-sensei and Guildmaster Roland.

According to Sensei, the condor motif boosts magical power, while vines enhance durability.

Patches on the knees—where pants usually tear the most—should be extra sturdy now.

“There, all done.”

“O-oh… Thanks.”

Roland’s clothes had seen better days—life as a widower will do that, I guess.

This mending session had started as a little test of my Blue Hand ability, and since there was thread and needle at hand, I patched and repaired everything I could.

When Roland used [Appraisal] on the pants I’d just repaired, he practically choked.

“Unbelievable… The durability boost is legit.”

“Now you believe I really made the handkerchief too, right?”

“Well, yeah. Seeing it done right in front of me…”

Roland scratched his chin, nodding as he turned back to the original embroidered handkerchief on the table.

Wait a minute—why was I even here again?

I leaned over to quietly ask Sensei, and he slumped a little.

“You’re here to sell your handkerchiefs.”

“Oh… I am? Wait, what!?”

Hold up.

Sure, the Adventurer’s Guild probably deals in gear and equipment, but I brought a hand-embroidered handkerchief. That’s not exactly a hot commodity…

“How about two gold coins for the whole batch?”

“Sold.”

“YOU SOLD IT!?”

My voice cracked in pure shock as I blurted it out. Both men turned to me with blank stares.

“Of course it sold.”

“Of course I’d buy it.”

“But why!?”

“Why? Well, uh…”

Roland went on to explain.

“Durability” was a stat referring to physical defense and could be improved through training. But things like magical power or resistance were entirely innate, determined by the structure of your mana nerves. You can’t train those—it’s just luck of the draw.

“Like the elf here,” Roland said, pointing at Sensei. “He’s got mana nerves all throughout his body. Even a low-tier spell could kill someone if he casts it. But guys like me? I can barely use a low-tier spell, and even if I cast a high-tier one, it’d have all the force of a damp sparkler.”

“But with Agaha-kun’s handkerchief, even my magic might only half-kill someone instead of fully killing them,” Sensei added.

“Sensei, I don’t really get how strong you are, so I don’t know if that’s impressive or not!”

“Oof, fair.”

“Let’s say normally I can throw one fireball, right?” Roland said. “But with your handkerchief, I can toss four. And someone who’d die from one could potentially survive four.”

“Whoa—that is amazing.”

“Finally catching on, huh?”

I nodded furiously, only for Sensei to grab my chin and pinch my cheeks into a fish mouth.

“So now you do understand what I’ve been trying to explain these past few days?”

“Yef, I unnerstann!”

“Excellent.”

Okay, I got it now.

But still—it’s a handkerchief. Even if it has magic boosts, isn’t two gold coins a bit much?

That’s enough for a single person to live comfortably for a month. Probably. If my half-useless memories are right.

When I voiced this concern, Roland made a bitter face and nodded.

“Normally, gear with magic boosts is made from rare materials by master craftsmen with specialized skills. The cost includes material harvesting, processing, transportation, labor—so prices skyrocket. Two gold coins wouldn’t even get you in the door. But your handkerchief? Plain cloth, plain thread. So yeah, two coins is a bargain.”

“I still think it’s too much. What kind of materials do they usually use—magic-threaded cloth, enchanted metals?”

“That, and stuff from monsters—like hides, bones, or slime. Adventurers are sent out to gather those.”

“Most of it’s dangerous, so it all costs a fortune.”

“Ahh… So that’s how the economy flows, huh…”

Now I was thinking, what if I dumped my cheap cloth and thread-made items into that economic cycle?

Better yet—what if I embroidered plain cotton undershirts that could be worn under armor and sold those?

Still, I paused—and sighed without meaning to.

“It’s not good to build an industry reliant on just my skills…”

“Oh? But it could be your side hustle,” Sensei said.

“Thank you, but I want something more sustainable. Not just a home-based craft—something that revitalizes the entire region.”

Sure, if it were just about the Kikunoi family, then a cottage industry might be enough. It’s a start—at least it’d prevent us from going bankrupt.

But my goal was bigger: I wanted to raise literacy levels. Or more accurately—I wanted to ensure that our people received proper education.

To do that, we needed money. And to generate money, we needed industry.

As I laid all the facts about the farm.

“Can’t deny it.”

“And poverty feeds ignorance. It’s a vicious cycle.”

The poorer the family, the less they spend on education. That child grows up with limited opportunities—no access to jobs that require reading or writing. Those jobs tend to pay better, but without literacy, they’re out of reach. That leads to continued poverty. And the cycle repeats for the next generation.

“But if parents can earn enough to not rely on their kids as labor, then they can send them to school. That’s why it doesn’t help if only I profit. The entire domain needs to prosper.”

“So that all children can receive education…”

“But why go that far?” Roland asked, brows furrowed. “What made you start thinking like that?”

“It’s a long story…”

“Shall I explain, then?” Sensei offered.

And so, from a third-person perspective, Romanov-sensei began recounting the recent upheavals in the Kikunoi household to Guildmaster Roland, while I quietly listened and added details here and there.

Before long, Roland glanced up toward the ceiling and muttered,



“So that’s why…”

Eunie: 5/5 chapters for today~ done. I will throw in some extra chapters today if I can~^^ Episode 9 of the anime is around c49 of the WN. I really hope I can catch up before the new episode is released. >.< The manga on the other hand.... is way ahead of the anime. Last time I checked, its around c80 of the wn.

Though if I have to be honest...I do feel like skipping out on the chapters that already came out and are seen in the anime, but really it's just the laziness in me talking...like I get it, you know...if I'm the reader, I'd rather start reading right where the anime episode stopped.

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