Chapter 05
“Another theater troupe has popped up.”
A man sitting behind a mahogany desk frowned seriously as he read a newsletter.
He had jet-black hair, pale skin, and sharp features, but his long lashes were noticeable even from afar. His golden eyes were filled with worry.
This was Leon Brabant, the Duke of the North.
****
“I don’t think you need to worry too much, sir.”
His aide said that, but even his voice sounded worried.
“You can’t stop people from seeing you as a hero. Defeating a dragon is a big deal.”
“It’s too much.”
“It’s not something they’ll forget in a year or two. It’ll become a legend…”
Leon looked up at the aide, making him flinch and cut off his words.
“Of course, I understand you’re concerned about the Crown Prince’s suspicion. That’s why we’re here—to clear up any misunderstandings.”
“That was your idea.”
Leon had come to the capital to attend the Crown Prince’s upcoming birthday celebration.
To Leon, these royal events were a complete waste of time, but he was trying to show goodwill.
“Has it helped?”
“Well… it’s better than not pretending to be loyal at all.”
But even the aide didn’t sound confident. The Crown Prince’s distrust was deep.
“Why do you think the Crown Prince is allowing these troupes and epics to go on?”
“Because the people enjoy them…?”
Leon gave him a sharp look. That wasn’t the answer he wanted.
“He’s letting them continue so he can pin something on me whenever he wants.”
No matter how popular the Duke of the North was, he didn’t hold more power than the Crown Prince.
Leon wasn’t even of royal blood. He was only given his title to lead the fight against monsters.
Now that the monsters were gone, the royal family had no reason to keep him around.
****
“All the troupes and plays in the capital will be shut down.”
“What? That would make people turn against the Crown! Besides, isn’t the royal family encouraging them…?”
“That’s why we need to make the royal family shut them down.”
In other words, Leon was planning to trap the Crown Prince—or maybe even the royal family itself.
A dangerous move. If things went wrong, it could be considered treason.
The aide panicked and tried to stop him.
“There must be a more peaceful way to reassure the Crown Prince!”
But Leon crumpled the newsletter and threw it aside.
“He only trusts the dead.”
In other words, as long as he lived, he was a threat.
To survive, he had to do whatever it took.
****
The First Day of Sales.
It was 30 minutes before the play started. I sat on a chair beside a little stall, with the items laid out in front of me.
Sitting next to me was the same trainee who’d guided me to the troupe leader last time, now helping with sales.
“Shouldn’t we call people over? Maybe say something?”
The trainee looked nervous about just sitting there quietly.
“Hehe, not yet.”
We had a big wooden sign that said “Leon Brecht’s Handkerchiefs and Portraits”, but we hadn’t started calling out to people yet.
“I just want to see how people react for now.”
Market research is just as important as selling, after all.
I smiled to reassure the trainee.
As expected, regular theatergoers couldn’t take their eyes off our stall.
“What’s this?”
“A handkerchief?”
“Oh, I know what this is!”
Just as I thought—some recognized it right away. As they came closer, I started explaining.
“Many people said they wanted to keep a piece of Leon’s courage and determination. So we managed to prepare handkerchiefs like the one he used in the play. We’re a small shop, so we don’t have many, but…”
“I’ll take one handkerchief and one portrait, please.”
“Sure! That’s one silver and five copper coins!”
Newcomers didn’t seem too interested—they glanced our way but didn’t stop.
But I looked forward to seeing how they’d react after the play ended.
****
In short, we sold out.
Yes, we didn’t prepare many items, but still, the atmosphere after the play completely changed.
“One handkerchief, and ten portraits please!”
“Ten portraits? That’ll be six silver coins! Must’ve really liked the artwork, huh?”
“I’m giving them out at my next tea party! I like to share nice things.”
Her words made me smile. That kind of customer is golden—someone popular and eager to spread the word.
“Then I’ll give you one extra! Keep one for your bag, one for your desk, and share the rest!”
“Oh my, what a great idea!”
“Thank you so much~!”
The joy of fandom is sharing it.
The trainee next to me looked amazed and whispered:
“You’re really good at this.”
“Well, of course~”
I acted a little smug.
I had years of experience working in entertainment before I became a team leader. This was nothing.
In my past life, this kind of thing was totally normal.
Here, though, buying things in bulk to share wasn’t something most people could afford—probably only nobles could.
****
“Just one portrait, please.”
A young girl in plain clothes came over shyly.
She kept glancing at the handkerchiefs, but it looked like she couldn’t afford both.
“Sure! That’s five copper coins.”
“Here you go.”
“Thanks a lot!”
“Wait a second!”
Just as the girl was quietly walking away, the trainee called out to her.
“Here’s a little extra from me.”
He handed her a small pouch. Her face lit up when she opened it.
“Weren’t these your snacks?”
“They’re a gift. Please take them.”
“Thank you so much!”
She bowed cheerfully and left. It was sweet, but also…
“Hmm~ Do you like her or something?”
“No! She just reminded me of my little sister. She loves plays too, but we didn’t have money to see them often.”
“Ah, I see.”
I nodded. That made sense.
Interacting with customers like this was a good thing.
But of course, if other customers felt they were being treated unfairly, it could be a problem.
“Just don’t give out too much for free.”
“Got it!”
The trainee responded brightly, clearly enjoying himself.
****
“At first, I wasn’t so sure about this…”
“About what?”
He scratched his head.
“I wondered if it was okay for a theater that moves people with art to be selling stuff like this…”
“Well, even Zion and the leader hesitated at first. I’m surprised they didn’t put up more of a fight.”
“I’m just a trainee, but if the leader thought it was okay, I figured he had a good reason. And now that I’ve tried it—our audience loves it way more than I expected. I realized it’s not just about making money.”
How thoughtful.
It showed he trusted the leader, and he’d really paid attention to the audience.
I was about to compliment him, but another customer showed up.
****
“Um, excuse me…”
“Yes, what would you like?”
“A handkerchief.”
“Just one? All right!”
The customer looked at the portraits too but seemed unsure about buying both.
“The portrait came out really nice, don’t you think? If you keep it with you, it might cheer you up on tough days!”
She seemed interested but still shook her head.
“Just the handkerchief for now.”
“That’ll be one silver coin.”
Even after paying, she kept glancing back, but eventually left the theater.
****
“Should I have tried harder to convince her?”
“Nah, let’s not pressure anyone.”
If she regrets not buying it, she’ll come back.
And sure enough, while we were helping someone else, we saw someone running toward us, out of breath.
“Excuse me, excuse me!”
It was that same customer again—
But this time, she looked like she had something urgent to say.
