A little over a week had passed since Arcus handed off all dealings with House Monvoisin to his father, Alan.
The news that the marquis and his wife were on their way reached him just as the summer break hit its midpoint.
Meanwhile, Arcus himself was—
"Arcus-sama, are you all right?""Yes. Just a little more—…there, it's finished."
—being anxiously watched over by Catherine Monvoisin, while crawling underneath a carriage.
The reason for this rather un-noble activity was simple.
Arcus and Catherine—well, Eleonora was involved too—were in the middle of modifying the carriage.
Carriages were the primary means of transportation in this world, but they shook terribly. Even around the well-maintained roads near the Alexandrian royal capital, they were unpleasant. Out here, where only rough roads existed, they were practically instruments of torture.
Wealthy families could afford slightly better carriages—but only slightly.
Most high-end models simply softened the seats to ease the burden on one's backside. The shaking itself, however, never changed.
And yes—some people got horribly motion sick.
That was why Arcus proposed a carriage that wouldn't shake as much, even on bad roads.
In short: a rebuilt suspension system.
Carriages technically had something resembling suspension, but to Arcus—a reincarnator—it might as well not have existed.
With less than ten days left before the journey back to the academy, a smoother carriage was an immediate and pressing issue.
Of course, there was more to it than comfort.
This modification was also part of rebuilding the domain's economy—following material refinement.
Once again, what made it possible were:
the magical beast materials Arcus hunted,
Production Magic: Craft,
and Catherine's immense magical power—acknowledged even by the ancient archmage Eleonora.
Creating tools from scratch required enormous magical power.
Items Arcus could never create with his merely average mana—jacks, simple tools, and more—were brought into existence by a cheat-tier noble lady.
Naturally, the foundation was Arcus's knowledge from his previous life. But turning rough blueprints into reality required Catherine's intelligence and overwhelming mana.
They removed the primitive leaf-spring axle fixed directly to the frame and replaced it with newly designed leaf springs—simpler to make than coil springs—and independent axles, all crafted by Catherine.
The installation work had just been completed.
"All right. Let's test it.""Yes."
Catherine took a seat inside the carriage while Arcus climbed up to the driver's bench.
The horses pulled forward slowly.
(Oh—this is good. Independent suspension and magical-beast materials for the win.)
With leaf springs installed for each wheel, the shaking was drastically reduced. Each wheel absorbed impact independently, and the carefully chosen materials worked perfectly.
Compared to the original setup—springs so stiff you'd wonder if they were meant to absorb shock—the improvement was obvious.
(There's still room for refinement in spring shape and structure, but…)
"Catherine, how does it compare to high-end carriages?"
"It's amazing! This one shakes even less!"
Her voice echoed from inside, brimming with excitement.
After completing initial testing, they had Harrison, Alan, and Keith—anyone who regularly rode carriages—try it out.
All three were impressed.
Harrison, in particular, was thrilled—unsurprising, given how often he rode with Arcus.
His admiration had transformed into genuine respect.
"You know… this reminds me of when people used to call you a prodigy, young master."
"A prodigy…?" Catherine exclaimed, genuinely surprised.
Perhaps embarrassed by her reaction, Catherine retreated—and Eleonora burst into laughter as she took control.
"The brat? A prodigy?"
Eleonora leaned in with a grin, only to have Arcus push her forehead away with a finger.
"Show some respect, great archmage."
"Oh?" Eleonora grinned back just as wickedly.
"Well, I'll admit this should solve your money problems—for now."
Peering under the carriage, she nodded.
"This should fetch a decent price."
"Sorry, but I don't plan on making this technology public."
Arcus snorted.
"What?""Huh?!"
Harrison and Eleonora froze.
Judging by Eleonora's expression, Catherine had probably been expecting a sizable profit as well.
"Young master, isn't this a waste?We can source materials locally, handle processing, delivery—the whole chain.This could make serious money."
"Oh, it would," Arcus nodded.
The confusion deepened.
"Then why—?"
"Because it would only make money."
Alan and Keith nodded immediately.
The others stared blankly.
"The biggest issue is that only Catherine and I can make this."
Production Magic users were extremely rare.
That meant:
handling orders,
repairs,
improvements—
—all falling on just the two of them.
Even instant creation had limits.
Arcus had no intention of turning Catherine into a tool.
"Second problem—if we sell it like this, it'll be copied and crushed instantly."
Without production capacity, imitators would emerge.
If someone with better manufacturing used cheaper materials, they'd undercut prices.
Arcus's group lacked:
production scale,
name recognition,
durability advantages beyond materials.
The result was obvious—loss of market share.
"So… you won't release it until mass production is possible?" Catherine asked.
"Close—but not quite."
Arcus smiled.
"Someone else will release it."
"You mean… selling just the technology?"
"Exactly.And we'll choose the buyer carefully—someone powerful, with high productivity."
That buyer was already decided.
House Monvoisin.
They controlled sea routes, employed skilled craftsmen, and even hired dwarves for processing trade.
They would pay well.
"I see… that's your plan.""As expected of you, Catherine.""What does that even mean?!"
As Eleonora interrupted, Catherine patiently explained Arcus's strategy.
The greatest advantage was minimizing Catherine's burden while monopolizing market share.
Monopoly meant material demand.
High-ranking magical beast materials were unmatched in durability and performance—lower long-term costs made them superior despite higher upfront prices.
Eventually, Arcus planned to hire craftsmen to produce materials.
His goal wasn't personal profit—but domain-wide growth.
Employment.Industry.Resilience.
Depending on something only he could make was unacceptable.
This technology was merely a stepping stone.
Arcus didn't even know he'd once been called a prodigy—but he did know how others had viewed him.
He had no hesitation using past-life knowledge.
What mattered was usefulness.
Until now, he lacked a way to turn knowledge into reality.
Now he had Craft—and Catherine.
He couldn't match her mana.
But in cunning?
He had no intention of losing.
(Time to get serious.)
He glanced at his father.
"Do as you like. This was your idea."
Arcus smiled.
"Then I'll handle negotiations.I may ask you to attend."
Catherine looked worried, but the buyer's identity was kept secret.
Apparently, the other side wanted to surprise her—a bit of playful retaliation for leaving without permission.
"Father, what did they say?""Two or three days to reach the duchy.They'll be here within a week."
Disguised. Traveling as merchants. By sea, then river.
"They even said being guarded by adventurers would be 'a nice experience.'"
Arcus couldn't stop smiling.
(They really love their daughter.)
He turned to Harrison.
"Harrison. I've got a job for you.""I have a bad feeling—""Go pick them up.""No way! They're a grea—mmph!"
Arcus covered his mouth.
"You get it, right?This carriage is your presentation.Do well—and your evaluation rises."
Harrison's eyes widened.
He nodded.
"Good. I'm counting on you."
As Harrison rode off happily—
"Man, this smooth ride is great!"
—Arcus muttered:
"Payment isn't guaranteed, though."
"Um… will he be all right?""He's the type who delivers."
Watching the carriage shrink into the distance, Arcus nodded.
"Now then—let's prepare to welcome our guests."
"Yes."
"First order of business—let's make the coffee exceptional."
"Coffee?"
Laughing, Arcus and Catherine disappeared into the mansion—
while Keith and Alan watched them go with fond smiles.