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The Reincarnated Thirty-Something Woman’s Otherworldly Reform Life

The Future of the Business

Translated by: ME

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

Note: Trying to reduce Magnolia's lisping to show her growth.

*****

Beyond expectations.

That was the consensus of every adult involved.

However, there was no time to bask in the afterglow of their massive success, nor was there room for leisure. They were forced to push their bodies and minds to the absolute limit.

「...Our Young Lady is seriously something else. If it's like this now, the next thing with the paprikas and the handicraft team's projects are going to be insane too.」

「Right? At first, I thought she was just naive, thinking things were way too simple. I thought she was being soft. Turns out, I was the soft one...」

The people from the slums grumbled even as they laughed amongst themselves.

"Our Young Lady."

Before she knew it, that was what everyone involved in the business had started calling Magnolia. She wasn't called the "Thug Lady," the "Delinquent Lady," or the "Stingy Lady," as she had once feared.

While she adapted her responses to the situation at hand, Magnolia was fundamentally unlike a typical noble lady. As long as the person across from her held no hostility or malice, she treated everyone like her own kin.

The commoners—those at the very bottom of society—felt it was presumptuous to treat a daughter of high nobility like family... and yet, those who worked with her called her "Our Young Lady" with genuine respect and affection.

...Of course, it was also common knowledge that she was a "Runaway Train" of a lady.

With "Betterment" as her creed, once she set a plan in motion, she would rouse herself to achieve the absolute best possible result. It was inevitable that she would sweep everyone around her into her wake as she surged forward. What made it so difficult to describe was that she seemed to think she was simply doing what was necessary, with no intention of dragging anyone along.

A typical young lady... if she wanted to help people, she might pass the information to an acquaintance or a doctor. Even if she were exceptionally aggressive, she might use someone—a cooperative merchant, a workshop, or perhaps a servant—to make and sell sauerkraut.

No one expected a toddler of high-ranking nobility to get her own hands dirty.

No one could have imagined that she would start a business related to disease mitigation, solve territorial issues and manage "problem children" all at once, create jobs for those in need because it reduced costs, and even factor in ecology for a "one stone, three birds" solution! ...And certainly, no one thought she would start with making compost. Even now, fabric scraps and insect-eaten leaves were being transported daily to the farmlands of each district via the patrol carriages, along with people and supplies, all to create fertilizer.

In any case, when they first heard the proposal, most people thought it would never succeed and assumed it would collapse halfway through.

***

「...For bulk orders, we'll require an order form. We'll use a deposit system for the bottles to encourage recycling, with refunds given upon return. Anything else?」

Back in the conference room after a long absence.

A slightly haggard-looking Victor confirmed the details with Magnolia. Dominic sat there in silence, looking as if he’d chewed on a bitter bug. His complexion was terrible. It was no wonder. Despite being at an age one might call elderly, he had ended up working like a galley slave.

...He was truly exhausted.

Even the veteran Guild Masters hadn't expected the business to be such a hit. There had been fraudulent schemes selling dubious medicines in the past, but there was no precedent for a product backed by the fact that it actually improved people's health.

「Businesses rooted in human fear and anxiety are the motht profitable... That is exactly why we must prioritize safety, quality, and trust over all else.」

When the toddler spoke with the air of someone who knew all the truths of the world, the two Guild Masters let out deep, heavy sighs. Even Victor’s red hair seemed to have lost its spirit, looking limp and deflated.

「Let’th create a fowmat... a fixed template for the order fowms. It will be useful for other projects and easier to manage. If the information and check-off items vary by person or shop, it will be a nightmare to organize, and we’ll miss any mistakes. If possible, I’d like to color-code the paper or ink for the cabbage, the paprika, and the handicraft team.」

「I'll put in the order for those along with the explanation cards. Do you have a general design in mind?」

Claude didn't complain either, agreeing that simple and error-free was better than complicated.

Magnolia quickly sketched lines onto a wooden tablet, filling in the necessary information: product size, quantity, due date, delivery date, and a section for special notes. She also included fields for the customer’s name, address, contact info, the name of the clerk who took the order, and a checklist for when the item was handed over.

「How is thith? Big Brother, Guild Maththewth, Paul—please check it.」

The tablet was passed around the table for review. They added things they deemed necessary and removed what they felt was redundant. Finally, Paul, who received the tablet last, nodded repeatedly in admiration.

「...I think this is excellent. Will we be the ones filling these out?」

「Yes. We can give some to our regulars so they can fill them out beforehand. Rather than the clerks writing it, it’s better for the customers to do it whenever possible, then have the clerk check it with them. It reduces mistakes and misunderstandings. We can also keep them as records or evidence if there's ever a dispute.」

Magnolia thought for a moment and turned to Claude.

「Should we have the woodworking workshop make a printing block and print them ouwth-elves?」

「No... let's save that for when we have more free time. Every second is precious right now. If the expense isn't too high, it's better to outsource it.」

...Well, that was true. Magnolia nodded. Dean and Lily, who were standing by, looked relieved. They had been worried about whether even more extra work would be piled onto them.

As if he had been waiting for the right moment, Dominic spoke up.

「Since this looks like it will become a much larger business than expected, how about incorporating it into a formal Trading Company?」

「Ith it no good to leave it as a wowkth-hop?」

「...Lady Magnolia, your business isn't just production and wholesale; you're also doing retail. And you're handling not just food, but apparel as well, aren't you? I believe it would be better to establish a proper Trading Company.」

At Dominic’s words, Magnolia looked up at Claude. Claude rubbed his chin thoughtfully and looked between the two Guild Masters and Magnolia.

「Magnolia, what do you think?」

「...Well... I did think it would be better to change to a fowmal workshop or company once things got on track, but I thought it would be better to wait until everyone has more experience.」

They were a group of complete amateurs. Magnolia felt it would be difficult for them to suddenly handle the rules and management of a formal company or workshop alongside their current manual labor.

「I think everyone already has their hands full with the work they’re doing now. It might be too difficult to manage a company at the th-ame time.」

Dominic nodded at Magnolia’s words.

「I suppose so. Do you have any concrete ideas for the structure?」

「Yes. I'd like the people currently managing each section to become representatives, and run it as a joint venture. Ideally, we would choose them by a vote, but I think the result would be the th-ame right now anyway. Since this business is meant to support those in need and help them become independent, it's only natural that they should be at the center of the management... or rather, that's the way I envisioned it.」

Everyone except Paul nodded slowly, weighing her words.

Since it concerned business, Dominic spoke up to clarify another point he was curious about.

「Regardless, the House of the Margrave would be the head of the company, correct?」

「...We've already recovered the initial costs, and everyone is wowking hard. From now on, I think we should move toward separating fwom the Margrave's house and letting them establish their own workshop or company.」

「...What!」

Hearing Magnolia's response to Dominic, Paul gasped and let out a small cry of shock.

「How could you say that...! Are you not going to be the Guild Head, My Lady?!」

To the panicked Paul, Magnolia gave a gentle smile.

「No. Even if someone fwom the Margrave's house were to be the head, it wouldn't be me.」

「...I have no intention of stealing Magnolia's credit, but legally, it's difficult for a child to be a company head. Besides... it's also for Magnolia's protection.」

「...Protection...?」

Paul still didn't look convinced, but he tilted his head at Claude’s ominous phrasing.

「It's too dangerous to attribute all the credit solely to Lady Magnolia. Among the nobility of this kingdom, the House of the Margrave is actually quite high-ranking.」

Victor turned to Paul to explain.

「Lady Magnolia is being raised in the Margrave’s house, but she is originally a lady of the Marquis of Gilmore. That is also an extremely high-ranking house among the Marquisate. Having the names of two such legendary houses, Magnolia-chan could easily become the Queen of this country.」

「...The Queen...」

Paul was used to seeing Magnolia constantly thinking about how to reuse waste, stuffing her face with dishes made from bones and leftovers, making compost and sauerkraut, and even shouting down thugs. He blinked his eyes in surprise.

「Now, imagine if she cures a disease that's been a mystery for ages. Then she makes one business success after another. Marriage proposals from other countries would come in by the thousands. Not to mention, she’s incredibly cute to boot.」

Magnolia felt a bit of a snag at Victor’s comment, but she kept her mouth shut to avoid unnecessary complications.

「...Does that mean you'll be withdrawing from the Anything Workshop?」

Paul looked at Magnolia sadly.

「No? I'm not withdrawing. I'm the one who came up with it, so I'll stay involved. It would be iwim-ponsh-ible to leave now when we've only just begun.」

「Huh?」

Paul was just as surprised by Magnolia’s casual answer as she was by his question.

She explained that she wanted to avoid marriage into the Royal Family or foreign royalty and live a quiet, unremarkable life... so she would participate without her name being made public, but stay involved in the business. She intended to provide ideas and assistance whenever necessary.

The funds provided by the Margrave’s house were a loan/investment; now that they were recovered, she wanted to separate the business from the Lord’s house and leave the management to others if possible. She believed that would benefit the workers more and raise everyone’s standard of living.

However, to ensure things didn't become lax... she intended to take a small fee for her ideas.

She also explained that she wanted to eliminate the "slum" label that was a source of prejudice. If the residents agreed, she wanted to eventually turn it into a new district—for example, as a public works project, they could beautify the streets, build shops and workshops with housing above them to secure residences for the people.

「...Is "not standing out" even possible?」

When Victor muttered this with exasperation, everyone else present except Magnolia nodded vigorously.

「For now, I'll take all these opinions into account, including Dominic’s. We’ll finalize things once my father returns... For the immediate future, our goal is to get the sales of pickled paprikas and sauerkraut on track. In the summer, we'll focus on paprikas, but it will be time for the autumn cabbage harvest before we know it. It’s going to be busier than ever. I'm counting on you all.」

「...Yes.」

At Claude’s mention of being "busier than ever," everyone present felt a chill of dread.

...Looking at Victor’s head, his usually energetic red hair looked quite wilted.

*****

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