Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 104

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Chapter 104 – Product Development Advisor

“Since then, I’ve also had the help of craftsmen with high skills in areas like Manufacturing and Craftsmanship. I tried to replicate it as much as I could.”

“O-oh… Can I hold it and look at it?”

“Of course. I’d love to hear your opinion.”

When he said that, I carefully picked it up, and the shape was exactly like a ballpoint pen.

The main body has been successfully reproduced by carving wood.

There’s no grip, but it doesn’t feel strange to hold.

But this ballpoint pen… anyway.

It’s as thick as those extra-thick magic markers you find on Earth, and it feels really heavy.

“So the biggest obstacle is here, right?”

I asked, pointing at the tip, and Yagov-san, who looked reluctant, nodded deeply.

“Even if I understand the structure of the sphere at the top from Loki’s explanation, it was completely impossible for even the craftsmen in this town to make it that small. As a result, they made the whole thing bigger to force it to fit.”

“I see…”

I remember that night when everyone was discussing the structure of the pen while looking at the actual product.

Chronologically, the fountain pen should have come first.

But even though I had a vague idea of the product, I didn’t have enough knowledge to explain it to someone who didn’t know anything about it.

Since I’m not a technician, I had no choice but to rely on the actual product in front of me.

Looking at Yagov-san’s face, which clearly showed signs of fatigue, I wondered if I had told him something too harsh, but I was still determined to find out the purpose of the pen.

While I was looking around for something to test the pen on to see if it would write normally with ink, I noticed that Amanda-san, who was very good at her job, had stood up and was holding a wooden board in her hand.

Both Yagov-san and Amanda-san are really amazing.

I ran the pen over the piece of wood that had been handed to me and…

“Wow, this is amazing! It writes perfectly, even though it feels a little rough.”

“By the way, the parchment I gave to Loki earlier was also written with this ballpoint pen.”

Looking at the parchment in a flash, I saw that the ink was uneven, with some parts being faint and others suddenly thick, but the writing was still legible.

“Yes, it might take a little longer for the ink to dry in some places, but that’s the same with quill pens… I think this is convenient enough.”

“I see… It’s a relief to hear Loki say that…”

As I watched Yagov-san lean back in his chair, I could tell that he had gone through a lot of trouble to get here.

He seems to be a busy person already.

I’m sure he’s been concentrating on perfecting the pen, even at the expense of his own time.

If that’s the case, is there anything I can tell him to improve the quality even more?

“By the way, have you tested how usable it is?”

“No, I haven’t yet. It’s only been a few days since this form was completed. As you can see, even after using it for the past three days, it’s still usable.”

“Hmm. Did the ink not come out during that time?

“It’s about the size of a hand. If you shake it hard, the ink will come out, but there was a time when the ink dripped out, so I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement.

I haven’t experienced this with the latest pens, but in the old days―when I was in elementary school―I think there were times when cheap pens would stop working even though there was still ink in them.

I thought that would be the first problem that would come up, and I was right.

It only happened a couple of times in three days.

If it’s much easier to use than a quill pen, isn’t that enough?

When modern people use it, they’ll probably complain that it’s big, it’s not smooth, and it scratches, but people who only know quill pens will probably think it’s a revolutionary pen.

From here, it depends on the skills and techniques of the manufacturer, but if they gradually improve the quality of the product, it should be fine.

“Is it possible to see the inside of this pen when you remove the tip?”

“Yes, you can. It is extremely difficult to reproduce the structure of a ballpoint pen like the one Loki has, where you have to twist it several times to remove the tip. This pen is designed so that you can remove the tip by turning it about half a turn.”

“I see.”

As he said, I turned it a little, and like a puzzle, the wood was carved so that it would come off at the bottom after about half a turn, and it looked easier to make than modern products that you turn like a screw.

But if something like this doesn’t come off very often, that’s fine.

As I pulled it out, confident that there would be no problem, I could see that most of it was connected to the tip by a blackened stem-like object.

“Is this the stem of something that was in the concept?”

“Yes, that’s right. I couldn’t think of anything else that would work as a ‘tube.'”

“The only problem is that you can’t see how much ink is left, and then there’s the question of how long this stem will last and how much ink it can hold.”

“Exactly. The amount itself is not a problem, because it’s grass that grows here, but we still don’t know how long this stem will last before it rots and becomes unusable. Unlike Loki’s pen, the remaining amount is not transparent, so it is impossible to tell how much ink is left at this point.”

Hmm.

I’ve never tried to see how long a stem would last in my life, so I don’t know…

Besides, the translucent tubes we have today are probably made from materials used in the chemical industry, which involves petroleum.

It’s not realistic to reproduce them in this world… but… translucent… transparent, huh…

“Well, there is a way to make a transparent tube so you can see how much ink is left. And if you use this method, you won’t have to worry about it rotting.”

“Wha… Really?”

“Yes, but I don’t know how it will work in terms of cost, but if you use ‘glass’ I think it will be solved, right?”

I said, pointing at the window behind Yagov-san.

Although they’re not large, both the inn room and this room have small windows.

Perhaps this is also the achievement of the reincarnated person who brought the knowledge of glass to this world.

“It’s certainly transparent… and it won’t rot… so the question is whether or not it’s possible to mass produce such tubes with that material.”

“That’s right. However, I have no idea how much glass is produced in this world, or how many craftsmen there are who can work with it. So I’m just talking about the possibilities.”

“Hmm… I think the glass probably comes from the Kingdom of Odessen…”

“Then why don’t you try to gather information through the guild? The person making the glass might be from another world.”

“…What?!”

“I don’t know if the person who is currently making it is the same person. However, the person who brought the glassmaking technique to this world is probably a person from another world… a reincarnator, I think. After all, there are things in this world that are not at the level of civilization, such as transparent glass and glasses.”

“…..”

It must be complicated for Yagov-san, who probably doesn’t have a good impression of the otherworlders.

There are times when he seems to dislike them, but he also wants to rely on their technology now.

That’s probably it.

“I can’t say much because I only know this city, but I think it’s a good idea to use it effectively if it spreads, because not all otherworlders are bad people.”

“…Well, that’s true. The person in front of me who is giving me advice is also an otherworlder. Then I guess I’ll go check out the guild in Odessen.”

“Haha… I think that’s a good idea. Even if it works, the cost of materials will definitely go up, so like I said, you can sell it as a luxury item for the wealthy after it becomes popular or as an upgraded version later on. Even as it is, I think it’s far superior to a quill pen, so I think you should sell it as the first product before you start working on the tube.

“After all, it’s good that we talked about it before we started, right? Don’t you think, Amanda?”

“Yes, it really is.”

“?”

“Loki. Back to the beginning of the story, I want you to go to Malta with Amanda. The purpose is to go to the Commercial Guild in Malta because I want to register this ‘ballpoint pen’ there.”

“Commercial registration? I don’t know if this will be understood, but… is it like a patent?”

“Exactly. If you register it, you’ll be able to sell it exclusively for the next ten years.”

“I see. Since Amanda-san is going to the Commercial Guild as a representative, you want me to go to Malta as a bodyguard on the way.”

“That’s just a bonus. Loki will also be registered at that time.”

“Hmm?”

“It was Loki who provided us with the actual product to use as a model, and who provided us with information and helped us come up with ideas for improvements and strategies. In other words, we couldn’t have done it without Loki. That’s why I want to register Loki as an advisor so that you can get 10% of the sales as your share of the profits.”

“…Huh?

“We don’t plan to make the prices so high that they’re unaffordable for the common people, but even so, if we can sell a lot of them, there’s a chance that we can make a decent amount of money, right?”

“Wait, what? I didn’t expect that!”

“Don’t be so reserved. In return, I want you to give me advice when I’m in trouble, and if you have any other ideas for civilization in this world that are feasible apart from ballpoint pens, I want you to tell me about them again.”

“Is that why you mentioned the base?”

“That’s part of it. If you never come back to Bezart, there’s no way we can talk about anything in the future.”

Yagov-san lifted the corners of his mouth as he said this, and in a way, it was just as I expected, so I felt relieved.

Unfortunately, if I move my base, that will be the end of it.

In exchange for no further advice, he probably intended to register the business without me or with a reduced share.

Even if Yagov-san were to be transferred to Earth, I think he would be a good businessman.

“I see… Well, I plan to travel around the world from now on, so I can’t promise when I’ll be back. But I’ll definitely acquire teleportation skills and come back. If it’s okay with you, I’ll accept your offer to be your advisor and take Amanda-san to Malta.”

“A teleportation skill that even the method of acquiring it hasn’t been figured out yet? Kukuku… that really makes you feel like a person from another world. Well, that’s okay. If Loki says you’re going to do it, you’re going to do it, right? In the meantime, we’ll continue to improve the pen and revolutionize writing in this world.”

“That sounds good. Oh, if you don’t mind, please spread the clock as soon as possible. It’s incredibly inconvenient in this world that I can’t tell people the time!”

The conversation with Yagov-san continued after that…

Talking to him reminded me of my days as a salesman.

It’s something that only Yagov-san can do at the moment, and even though I didn’t like it, it was strangely comfortable.

I will probably not be able to return soon, so I wrote down how to make paper on Earth.

Relying on a vague memory of something I had seen on TV a long time ago, something about finely grinding wood and mixing it with glue.

So far I’d only seen wooden plates, but if they were made of iron, they could be used to serve hot meat.

Even when it was hot, there was nothing in Bezart to fan yourself with, so there was the possibility of using paper fans, folding fans, or even iron stretched thin to replace paper, and there was a time when they were even used as weapons.

I will convey as much as I can think of if there is anything I want in this world that I have felt in my life so far.

Yagov-san’s eyes widened at the content, and it was impressive to see Amanda-san desperately writing on the wooden board.

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