Chapter 6: The Childhood Friend

“It’s been a long time, Will.” My childhood friend, Scarlet, came to visit with her parents. Scarlet is the daughter of the Count Cardiff family, whose territory is adjacent to the Fairchild Margrave family. The Cardiff family is historically close to the Fairchild family.

Specifically, the current Count Cardiff is a classmate and good friend of my Father from the Royal Academy, so they visit each other’s territories a few times a year. After the families greet each other together, the adults and children spend time separately. That’s why Will and Letty call each other by their nicknames and are close.

Letty is impressive with her dazzling red hair and large blue eyes, and she is a cheerful girl who is good at sports. Since this was the first time we met since acquiring our Skills, the topic naturally turned to Skills. “I got the Sword Skill. Will, what Skill did you get?”

“Letty, I got the Production Skill.”

Letty covered her mouth, trying to hide her surprise. “My, since you like books, I thought you would definitely get the Magic Skill… Production Skill is unusual.” Letty quickly continued her words. “I heard that the Production Skill is necessary for skilled craftsmen. I’m sure Will will be able to make good things too.”

It seems she was trying to console me. Letty is a gentle girl, even though her tomboyish side stands out. “Thank you for worrying. But I’m already making furniture and bags, and the Production Skill is more useful than I thought.”

Letty looked surprised. “Eh? You’re already crafting with the Production Skill? It usually takes time to master a Skill.” Since she seemed hard to convince, I decided to give her a demonstration right there. “Then I’ll make something now. Is there anything you want?”

“Uh, well, I was thinking it would be nice to have a bag to use when going to sword practice.”

“I see, then something that can be carried on the back would be good. What color would you like?”

“I thought I’d like a more adult color, like dark brown.”

“Dark brown, got it.”

I keep some leather material in my room too. Maybe I should make a crossbody bag? It might be surprising, but not just crossbody bags, but also backpacks shaped like those in modern Japan do not exist in this world. Even in my original world, bags carried on the back existed long ago, but it is said the backpack was first used in Japan in 1902.

For a shape that fits the body and is easy to carry, a crossbody bag would be best. I imagined the energetic Letty carrying the bag while running to sword practice. I concentrated on the image and activated the Production Skill. Magic power gathered at my fingertips and began to glow, and a magic circle floated over my palm. “Will can use magic now too! That’s great.”

And the warm light enveloped the leather. When the light vanished, the crossbody bag appeared. Yup, I made it exactly as I imagined. “My, you really can make a bag! And it’s a shape I’ve never seen before!” Letty‘s eyes widened in surprise. She picked up the crossbody bag and examined it from various angles.

“This bag is amazing. It looks sturdy, and the texture is good. Oh, it even has our family crest on it!” I also added the Cardiff Count‘s family crest as decoration. “If you like, try carrying it on your back.”

“Understood. Oh, it fits perfectly on my back! This way, it doesn’t seem like it will get in the way even when running.”

Wow, Letty is energetic. Is she going to run to sword practice? “I made that for you, Letty. I’d be happy if you like it and use it.”

“I really like it. Can I really have it?”

“Yes, of course.”

I made another handbag for attending noble parties. This time, the focus was on appearance. I imagined and recalled the French brand items I saw in my previous life. Letty is usually full of energy, but she can behave demurely when she puts her mind to it.

I made the bag imagining her wearing a dress at a noble gathering and matching it with the bag. “My, it’s stylish and adult-like. This bag is wonderful too.”

“The Production Skill can make whatever I imagine.”

“Even so, you’ve only just started practicing, haven’t you? I think that’s amazing.”

I was happy that she understood I could use the Production Skill. “Besides bags, I’m also making large furniture. I keep it in the warehouse in the garden. Would you like to see?”

“Really? Then I’d love to see it.”

Actually, because I made several large pieces of furniture like the rocking chair and mirror chest, I was having trouble finding storage space, so I built a warehouse. I couldn’t imagine making a large building structure by myself, so I asked a local carpenter to draw up the blueprints. I made the warehouse after understanding the internal structure from those blueprints.

Asking the carpenter to draw the blueprints, which included their years of experience and expertise regarding the internal structure, worried me about whether they would accept even if I paid a reward. But they said, “I’m happy that the lord’s son is crafting things. I’d be glad to draw the blueprints.” I am very grateful.

When building the warehouse, I had just learned the Storage Magic and could store materials in subspace, so I stored the materials and carried them there. Incidentally, the storage capacity of Storage Magic is determined by the volume of magic power. My magic power seems enormous, but it definitely doesn’t have the capacity of a warehouse, so I was glad I built the warehouse.

According to Teacher Erica, only those who have mastered the Production Skill considerably can use Storage Magic. She was surprised, saying, “My, so quickly?” After consulting with Father, I built it in the back of our garden so it wouldn’t obstruct the other buildings. The Margrave‘s territory is vast, and the mansion’s garden is also large.

I took my childhood friend Letty out into the garden and walked toward the warehouse in the back. The warehouse is a single-story wooden building with large windows and a design that emphasizes the natural wood grain, making it look like a log cabin.

“That’s quite a large warehouse. Was this building in the garden before?” “I made it.” Letty‘s eyes widened in surprise again.

When I guided her inside the warehouse, many chairs, bookshelves, and dressing tables were lined up. “My, so many! I’m doing nothing but being surprised today.” “Is that so?”

“It’s true. I didn’t realize the Production Skill was such an amazing Skill.”

It seems my childhood friend Letty understood the value of the Production Skill. Perhaps in the West, where it is hard to obtain various goods unlike the Royal Capital, the value of crafting is more easily understood.

As she was leaving, Letty smiled and said, “The Production Skill is a wonderful Skill. It looks like I don’t need to worry about you at all.” She was worried about me after all.