New Ink and Strange Lady

While we were working at the back of the workshop, we heard a voice from the front, and everyone stopped what they were doing.

“What? A customer? At the workshop?”

Ink was expensive. Only the wealthy bought it. However the wealthy didn’t come to a workshop that was both dirty with ink and smelled bad. They just ordered from the stores that dealt with ink.

So, the only people who came to our workshop were usually store clerks or people from the Ink Guild. Yet, it seemed an unusual customer had arrived.

“I’ll go, Heidi, you are absolutely staying here. Josef, keep an eye on her.”

Dad said that and went to the front. Though it was rarely used, we had a place for receiving customers.

As I watched my dad’s back anxiously, my husband Josef grabbed my shoulders firmly.

“Heidi, get back to work.”

“But look, it’s a rare customer. Aren’t you curious? It might be something troublesome…”

“If you go out there, it’ll only make things even worse.”

Even though I was glaring at him, trying to move out of curiosity was out of the question. However, I couldn’t help but listen intently.

I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I could tell Dad was shouting.

“It seems like a really difficult customer, doesn’t it?”

“Heidi, focus!”

The customer was quickly sent away, and the storefront had soon gone quiet.

“Josef, Heidi, come here.”

Instead of returning to the back of the workshop, Dad, looking troubled, called both Josef and me to the front. Josef and I exchanged glances. Being called at the same time usually meant it was something important regarding the family business.

“Dad, what’s going on? Was the customer that bad?”

When I asked my dad, who was frowning hard, he lowered his voice and said, “There’s a child who knows the ink-making process. They seem to be connected with the Gilberta Company.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

The ink-making process is supposed to be a secret. That was a serious issue that needed to be discussed with the Guild to find out where the leak came from.

“Moreover, they mentioned there might be another method of making ink. They asked how many types of ink we have.”

“There are different types!?!?!? What kinds?!?!?”

I had eagerly tried to question him, but Dad just grabbed my head hard and shouted, “Shut up. How should I know?”

“You should have asked for more details! This is so intriguing!”

Despite my Dad still having a vice grip on my head, I argued back. Until then, I had believed there was only one type of ink. I believed my life would consist of continually making the same ink over and over, but that was no longer the case. It was only natural to want to know if there was a new method.

“Calm down, Heidi. Our ink-making process is a secret. Do you think they would simply share their new method with us?”

“Ughghghgh…”

“Besides, no one has ever seen this different type of ink. We don’t even know if it truly exists,” Josef said, but his words didn’t satisfy me. I turned my gaze to Father.

“Dad, you mentioned the Gilberta Company, right? Let’s go ask for more details.”

“No, Josef is right. Without any physical evidence, no one will believe there’s a different type of ink. It’s possible that child was just making things up.

Dad’s face looked grim as he spoke. He didn’t seem to believe that it was merely something made up.

“Master, for now, shouldn’t we at least report to the Ink Guild that our process might have leaked?”

“You’re right. We don’t want more trouble later. I’ll go report to the Ink Guild.”

With a sigh of annoyance, Dad tossed his apron aside and left the workshop.

“Heidi, get back to work. Let’s go,” saying that, Josef pulled me back into the workshop.

The strange customer had arrived at the beginning of autumn. By the end of autumn, the Ink Guild had obtained a book made with the new ink.

“It’s a book sold by the Gilberta Company. It really is different ink.”

”…A book? This? Ain’t it just a stack of paper?”

I had seen books before, considering there were workshops that did bookbinding. But the stack of paper in front of me didn’t resemble the books I knew.

“Yeah, it was taken apart and distributed to the ink workshops. We’re supposed to investigate the new ink’s method.”

It was immediately apparent that the ink was different. The ink we made had a slightly bluish tint, but this was pure black and seemed somewhat thick.

“It’s more like paint than ink. It smells like oil.”

I quickly began smelling it and trying to dissolve the ink’s components.

“What? No way! The paper dissolved in the water?! It fell apart almost instantly!”

“Does that mean the paper is also different from what we’ve used before?”

After Dad contacted the Ink Guild and they had investigated, it was found that the Gilberta Company had established the Plant Paper Guild. They had convinced the Merchants Guild Master that their paper, made using a different method from traditional parchment, was a unique product.

“Somewhat cheaper plant paper is starting to circulate. Although it’s been agreed that official contracts will still use parchment, plant paper, which can be mass-produced, is selling better.”

“Does this mean the Gilberta Company might establish a new Ink Guild?”

“Yeah, many people think so.”

While Dad and Josef were discussing something while looking really serious, I was closely examining the remaining parts of the book. Both the paper and the ink were different, entirely unlike the materials we used. The book contained mostly illustrations with very little text. From observing how the ink was applied, I could tell it wasn’t handwritten, although I might be mistaken.

…The edges seem slightly raised?

I wondered how anyone could create something new like this. I wanted to see into the mind of the person who thought it up. Excited to have discovered something I didn’t know, I thoroughly investigated the paper and ink at hand.

“Hmm… So, they mixed something that adds color to the oil. This black looks like soot. Alright, let’s try making it.”

As soon as I had enthusiastically stood up, Dad and Josef, who were in the middle of their serious discussion, immediately got up and grabbed my arms.

“You idiot, stop! There might be restrictions on this!”

“If the Gilberta Company intends to form a separate Ink Guild, they must have taken measures to keep it secret. Don’t suddenly try to replicate it!”

“What? Another Ink Guild? That would be a problem. If it’s really just a matter of mixing a base material with oil, then we could create not just black ink but a whole range of colors. They’d definitely have the advantage.”

We, who could only make a single type of ink, stood no chance against the Gilberta Company, what with their new ink-making method holding the potential for so many future developments.

”…Dad, why don’t we join their Ink Guild?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Dad dropped his fist on my head. Having earned his beruf certification and then become the head of our workshop through the current Ink Guild, there was no way he could join a new one. Even though I understood that, the new ink seemed much more exciting.

“There’s no talk yet of a new Ink Guild being formed. We’re going to discuss it with the Gilberta Company. For now, stay away from the new ink!”

A few days later, not only did Wolf, the head of the Ink Guild, go to the Gilberta Company, but Dad also went. He was the only one who had met the child familiar with the new ink.

After discussions with the Gilberta Company, it was decided that they would sell the new ink-making method to our Ink Guild.

I didn’t know the details, but it meant that our workshop could now make the new ink. It seemed no other ink workshops were willing to take the risk of trying to sell it, so I was tasked with making it for the time being.

“So, who was the kid that came up with the ink formula?”

“They weren’t involved in the contract signing. It seemed like the head of the Gilberta Company was quite wary of Wolf.”

“I get it. It’s no surprise the Gilberta Company’s head is so cautious of Wolf. Ever since he took over and started dealing directly with the nobles, he’s become quite arrogant and has probably had some shady dealings.”

As the heir, I was involved with the Ink Guild, so I wasn’t completely ignorant. I just wasn’t particularly interested.

“But still, where did that kid learn how to make multiple types of ink?”

“Who knows?”

“Is it okay for us to make other colors according to the contract? Are we allowed to?”

When I asked the question that concerned me the most, Dad let out an “Uh…” He had apparently completely forgotten.

“Dad, That’s awful. I wanted to experiment with different colors during the winter since we can’t go outside! You need to find out right away.”

“You think I can just schedule a meeting for that kind of question when everyone is busy with winter preparations?”

“It’s your fault for forgetting.”

“During the contract negotiations, Wolf’s tension was so high that it made it impossible to ask such questions. I’ll ask the Gilberta Company in the spring, so until then, do not make anything other than black ink.”

No matter how much I pestered him, Dad never got around to asking the Gilberta Company, and winter soon arrived. I had gathered materials that seemed like they could make different colored ink, but I had no idea if they would work. Even with the black ink, just changing the type of oil could result in failure.

…I really want to talk directly with the kid who knows about this type of ink.

While I was pondering that, we’d received the news that Wolf had died, and amidst that chaos, spring arrived.

“What? Dad became the new head of the new Ink Guild? Why? Why not someone from Wolf’s workshop?”

“That place is on the brink of collapse. They couldn’t possibly handle being the Ink Guild’s head.”

Apparently, no one, including Wolf’s heir, had the necessary qualifications to become the foreman of the workshop. While Wolf’s workshop being in crisis didn’t concern me, having Dad as the president of the new Ink Guild was a much bigger deal.

“Being the new head means dealing with nobles. Can Dad handle that? Wouldn’t a big store owner be better at it?”

Josef sighed and then explained the situation with the Ink Guild. Because Wolf had monopolized all dealings with nobles, no one else knew how to handle those kinds of transactions. Rumors had also spread that Wolf had been murdered by a noble, leading to no one wanting to take on the role of the new head. As people were pushing the responsibility onto one another, someone has suggested asking the owner of the Gilberta Company to handle any dealings with the nobility. Consequently, Dad, who was acquainted with him, was subsequently chosen.

“So, you’re going to the Gilberta Company? I want to ask if the method I’ve been thinking of can make colored ink and if it’s okay to make it. So I’ll go with you! If I leave it to you, you’ll just forget again.”

I wasn’t going to miss this chance. As I leaned forward eagerly, Dad, looking rather annoyed, said, “Josef, stop Heidi.” Josef, after observing me for a moment, quietly averted his gaze from Dad.

“Master, I think it would be better to give up. It’s better to let Heidi accompany you, else she is likely to just storm into the Gilberta Company alone… Probably.”

So, I went along with Dad to the Gilberta Company. There, we met an unusual young lady. She was cute and seemed intelligent but was astonishingly small. I almost wanted to check if she had really gone through her baptismal ceremony given her height.

…Really? This is the kid that knows multiple ink-making methods?

Though I was initially skeptical, the conversation about ink was dominated by the young lady. The owner of the Gilberta Company only intervened to prevent her from spilling too much information, without correcting the point that it was the young lady who was the source of the knowledge.

She was unusual, but not unpleasant. She was enthusiastic about researching colored ink, readily providing both information and funding. When I invited her to the workshop, she responded with, “Wonderful! I’d love to visit!” She entered our messy workshop without a complaint, not bothered by the dirt or the smell.

“There are drying oils that harden when left to dry and non-drying oils that do not harden even when left out. The ones suitable for ink-making are drying oils.”

The young lady knew so much. The types of oil, potential colorants, and most impressively, how to document her research. I could barely write, but she was scribbling away effortlessly on a strange board she held.

…I’ve never seen notes like this before.

It was completely different from the notes taken by other craftsmen. While I recognized some of the materials, there were too many unfamiliar terms. Even the kids with her seemed to understand everything.

…Wait a minute. What kind of education have these kids had at their age? Even for a young lady from a big store, this is unusual, isn’t it? Thinking up ink creation methods isn’t something merchants do, right? Wasn’t she also involved with plant paper? Since the Myne Workshop is allowed to make both plant paper and new ink, it’s clear that the young lady is involved in both. She’s so full of mysteries. What on earth is inside that small head of hers?

“I’ll compile today’s experiment results by the day after tomorrow.”

“I can’t write well, so I’ll leave it to you,” I said, even though she had already written down the results. I had no idea what else she wanted to document, so I decided to leave it to her.

Smiling, we shook hands, and I watched her and her companions leave with Josef.

”…Well, she was quite the strange young lady.”

“I’m sure that she would say the same about you,” Josef replied.