Chapter 48，Part1

Extra chapter thanks to Water

Chapter 48.1. The Bottomless Girl

-Kazamichi’s POV-

The Count Takano family. Originally a prestigious family of wind magicians, the family had considerable status in this Japanese magic empire. Recently, the eldest son has strong wind magic, but is crude and has low management ability. As a high-ranking noble, he behaved arrogantly, so they lost their connections, and their business was in the red, making them a family on the decline. The eldest son’s wife and children tend to spend extra money makes things worse.

However, the old and famous clan stayed afloat because the family head, Kazamichi, was still alive and well. The Takano family is just a low-income family. They’re still not a ruined family. There is also a rumor that if the heir succeeds him, the family certainly will fall.

Kazamichi, the old but still going strong, frowned at the head of the family and took a quick sip of the sake poured into the cup.

The kimono-clad samurai sitting by the room wall is silent at the sight of his grim expression. He’s now in a living room with tatami mats. The old wooden table with a dull gleam that reminds one of its age, Japanese paintings, and flower arrangements create an elegant atmosphere.

“It’s good sake. As expected of us, the Takano family. It is hard to find such a good sake. They use magic rice, don’t they?”

The man sitting opposite him, holding the sake cup, laughed pleasantly. Kazamichi looks at the man and answers in a grave voice.

“It’s [Yougen Senmai] sake. They almost make nothing this year. The rice grown in the dungeon this year was damaged by monsters a lot, so the harvest wasn’t good.”

The sound of a deer prowler clanked against the open sliding door, revealing the splendid garden outside. The sky was turning from dusk to night, and the darkness of the evening was about to change.

“The transportation business is still alive and well. It’s a blessing to be in the black.”

Kazamichi’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sound of the teasing voice. He slightly draws his mouth into a sarcastic line.

“The Takano family’s transportation business is second to none.”

The Takano family is a prestigious wind magician family, and they have used their power to secure the top position in the transportation industry. The reason is quite simple. The Takano family manufactures large quantities of wind magic [Floats] with magical tools. This isn’t a hand-made device. The head of the family creates a large-scale magic circle, and ordinary magic users use the magic circle to mass-produce it.

The [Float] is what makes it so superior. It is simply magic that floats a few dozen centimeters in the air. But the magic greatly reduces the load and the consumption of magical stone energy, which in Miu’s previous world would be equivalent to gasoline, to a fraction of its original value. It’s not only for cars. But also airplanes with [Enchant Wind]. All of them can reduce the use of magical stone energy.

Fuel costs account for a large percentage of the transportation business. By reducing the fuel cost, the Takano family has been able to lower the cost of transportation, which has given them an advantage for a long time.

“If the transportation business belongs to the Takano family, even an idiot can run it. That’s what I thought. I didn’t think they could make up for the losses of other companies. Your son is very talented.”

He clicked his tongue at his sarcastic remark. Because he was right.

“Arashi has no talent for management at all.”

The Takano family, which is at the top of the transportation industry, has used its transportation business to diversify its business. Mainly in the food industry. Like restaurants and taverns. This was also an advantage because meat and vegetables could be shipped directly from the local market at low prices.

Because of the taste and other aspects, like the transportation business, they could secure better sales because they could ship directly at a low cost, but they were not at the top, and this one was in that position.

But all of them are profitable simply because of the low cost. If they ran the business normally.

But his legitimate son, Arashi, has been making a series of losses and closing the chain stores, no matter where he went wrong. He has no choice but to make up the money from his profitable transportation business, but it was obvious he had no talent.

In a sense, he does have talent. He has a talent for taking a profitable company and turning it into a loss. Kazamichi checked to see if it was intentional and confirmed it was not.

Arashi was extremely incompetent. Kazamichi was telling the truth when he said he would put his second son, Yoshiyuki, in charge. He thought Yoshiyuki would run the company better than Arashi.

“I should have left the incompetent eldest son as the decorative head of the family and let him concentrate on making wind magic tools. If they had put the second son in the position of the original head of the family, they would still be in peace.”

The Takano family is a family that believes in the supremacy of magic power. Because the Takano family is a family of magic.

“If Yoshiyuki had some magic power, there would have been no problem. But that fellow never awakened to mana at all.”

Kazamichi growled in frustration. Kazamichi was shifting the blame to Yoshiyuki, even though he was the one who had banished him.

“If I had done so, the position of head of the family would have rolled over by now. His daughter is a recovery magician. The other thing to do was to have her marry a wind user from a branch of the family, and she would have been good at the level of a general magician, and even at that level, everyone would have respected her as the head of the family. That fool!”

He slammed the boar cup down on the table vigorously and revealed his dissatisfaction.

“Oh, come on, that’s terrible. You’re the one who threw him out.”

The one who answered in a disgusted tone was Aguni Enraku. He has fiery red hair and red eyes. He’s a large man with a coarse appearance and eats the food on the table.

“Well, it happens all the time. But I think it’s about time we made up, don’t you?”

“I think so too. Over the years, I have graciously offered to help and have given my granddaughter many gifts. ……But, he refuses everything.”

annoyed, Kazemichi distorts his face at his second son’s stubborn attitude. He will be able to return to the Count’s house. What’s more, he’s secretly hinting that he will hand over the seat of the head of the family. What is there to be dissatisfied with? He still resents being expelled because he didn’t awaken to mana.

“Kazemichi-dono seems to be hated a lot.”

“Isn’t that normal in the world of nobles? If your son had not awakened to mana, you would have thrown him out, wouldn’t you? Enraku-dono.”

“Well, magic is the basis of our nobility. Some too many people don’t understand that. Magic is essential for making money and defeating monsters.”

Laughing, Enraku agreed with Kazamichi. In other words, we don’t need mere humans who have not awakened to mana. There is no problem if they throw them out. In the past, it would have been even worse. After all, they would have died of illness before age 15, so it would have been better to let them go.

Seeing Enraku agree with him, Kazamichi, who had regained some good moods, softened his attitude.