Rou-chan’s Glorious Exploration Record
Rou-chan, age 9, has completely gotten the hang of exploring the capital city these days.
Today, he sets out once again on his daily social studies field trip, asking, “Is there anything interesting?”
The capital is lively wherever you go, which is wonderful.
Every day, new items arrive from various territories, so both the merchants selling goods and the citizens buying them are all smiles.
The market is filled with numerous products.
Recently, especially, a lot of fresh seafood has been circulating, enlivening the citizens’ dining tables.
Of course, trendy eateries are also eagerly incorporating these new ingredients to develop novel dishes.
And the fastest place to find delicious offerings? The food stalls!
Rou-chan’s daily routine includes visiting the park where the stalls gather, observing the newly introduced dishes with interest.
Then, depending on his mood, he might browse through sundries or play in the park… and around lunchtime, he heads to Grandpa Hana’s house for a meal.
When he visits, he never forgets to bring a small token of appreciation for the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper sometimes takes Rou-chan to the military outpost when off-duty or secretly brings him to the forest outside the capital.
In noble culture, even the smallest favors are valued, and since the gatekeeper, though a military family, is also of noble status, this is no exception!
So, Rou-chan looks for a “little something” as a gift.
The gatekeeper is happy with simple things like grass or acorns found in the park, so Rou-chan usually picks something casually… but occasionally, he finds a real gem at a flea market that makes the gatekeeper exclaim, “Wow!”
Just the other day, Rou-chan gave a misshapen plate — a good-quality piece gone wrong.
It seemed to match the gatekeeper’s taste, who was surprised and asked curiously, “Where did you buy this?” So, Rou-chan told him the shop’s location.
Unfortunately, it seems that the shop closed down the very next day.
With mostly defective pottery on display, perhaps only eccentric customers visited, leading to financial difficulties.
Or, given that the small shop’s site was now a clean vacant lot, maybe the construction was so shoddy that it collapsed.
Anyway, for these reasons, Rou-chan thought to find something rare that others might overlook.
“Fortune Raffle~ Tomikuji~ If you win, your dream comes true tenfold~ 100 gold coins isn’t just a dream~ How about a dream-filled fortune raffle?”
Oh~! A new business venture already!
Rushing towards the voice, a crowd had already gathered.
Apparently, the fortune raffle can be purchased starting with one silver coin.
Patterns were painted on bean shells. After purchasing one, you break it in half, inserting one half into a lottery box. One lucky winner would receive ten times their bet… According to the schedule, those who bought today could participate in the draw by noon tomorrow.
Hmm?
That means if you bet the minimum one silver coin, you could get ten silver coins, equal to one gold coin.
One gold coin becomes ten gold coins…
Ten gold coins become a hundred gold coins…
What a dream!
Full of dreams, hope, and greed!
This is something I definitely want to try!
I opened my wallet to check my money…
…Only copper coins.
I decided to dash back home at full speed.
“Barku -niisama!! Please give me some money!”
Spotting Barku -niisama, who manages the household finances, I immediately made my request.
“Rou-chan?! That’s what you say right off the bat?! Well… alright, how much do you need?”
“Hehehe, Rou-chan is different today!! My target is gold coins!”
“……..Really? Alright, maybe a thousand should suffice?”
“………”
Barku -niisama is the second son of the Melissa family.
Despite our similar ages, he has the financial sense of a wealthy noble.
Could it be that when I ask for money, he casually hands over a thousand gold coins? That’s not an amount suitable for Rou-chan, the nominal third son of a noble family.
Shaking, the titular noble third son considered this.
“Rou-chan is about to splurge recklessly today!! I’ll waste money like crazy!”
“Hmm, is that so? That’s fine, isn’t it? Your budget hasn’t decreased at all… You’ve been living too modestly. Since we’re in the capital, indulging in noble extravagance is part of your education.”
“……”
Barku -niisama called a servant to actually bring a thousand gold coins.
“Bar-kun, I think 10 pieces will be enough for Rou-chan…”
“Is that so? Well, it’s heavy. Let’s give him about 50 pieces…”
Barku -niisama prepared a backpack, but the gold coins were incredibly heavy, so I quickly went to the raffle stand to exchange them for tickets.
Handing over 50 gold coins, I received branded beans and got a proper receipt.
If nobles spend large amounts of cash, they might be accused of funneling funds abroad, so receipts are essential for significant transactions.
To avoid this hassle, nobles typically use checks. Since checks can only be exchanged for gold coins at the royal castle, withdrawal records are meticulously documented, and the royal castle can explain any discrepancies.
However, there seem to be monthly reports and approvals for cashed checks, so I’ve been instructed to report to Barku -niisama whenever I use a check.
Anyway, I got the beans!!
Since I wanted to put my raffle ticket into the box just before the deadline tomorrow, I returned to the grand mansion with the beans.
While having lunch with Grandpa Hana, he noticed my cheerful demeanor.
“Rou-chan, did something good happen today? You’re all smiles?”
“Rou-chan indulged in noble extravagance today! I’ve joined the ranks of the nobility! I’ve grown up!”
“Hmm… What did you buy?”
“This!”
At the perfect moment to show off, I took the bean shell out of my pocket.
“………??”
“This is no ordinary bean.”
Grandpa Hana carefully examined it… then looked relieved.
“It’s not medicinal herbs…”
“Of course not! This is called a fortune raffle~”
I explained the dreamy tenfold gold coin system.
After hearing my explanation, Grandpa Hana clapped his hands.
“What an interesting game! So, Rou-chan, how much did you bet?”
“50 gold coins!”
“……….Which means if you win, it’s 500 gold coins!! Incredible! As expected of Rou-chan! Hopefully, you’ll win~”
As expected of Grandpa Hana, he perfectly understood this fortune raffle system.
“It sounds fun. Maybe I’ll put in about 100 gold coins too!”
“Let’s all have fun!”
“Let’s tell Louis-tan too!”
We woke Louis-tan immediately and, while drinking tea, I told them about the fortune raffle I found.
Louis-tan initially listened with interest, saying, “Huh, interesting,” but gradually, their expression changed.
“Isn’t that… a scam?”
“Huh?” “Huh?”
“Well, technically, it’s a system that allows for scams… Since the drawing isn’t on the same day but the next, they could remove high-value tickets from the previous day. If the store draws the ticket, they could rig it with a safe amount, or they might just collect the money and run away, right?”
“!!”
Thanks to Louis-tan’s observation, I finally understood.
Running away… which means the drawing tomorrow won’t happen.
“Then… should I put the beans in now?”
“…Rou-chan… slightly off…”
Louis-tan gave me a lukewarm look while patting my head gently.
“Well, let’s ensure the drawing happens since you’re looking forward to it… It might be best to request it…”
“Master Hana, still slightly off…”
Louis-tan nodded off but quickly raised their head again.
“Well, targeting citizens, most beans would be bought with silver coins. Even if someone wins, it’d be only a few gold coins. Statistically, it’s a viable business… To prevent running away or cheating, let’s have the national army keep an eye on them…”
Louis-tan stood up and immediately went to call a neighboring national army member.
A few minutes later, Shibu-ojisan arrived.
Upon hearing the situation, he frowned deeply.
“I see… That’s… quite a suspicious business.”
“Right?”
“Lately, with citizens becoming wealthier, small-scale frauds like this have been rampant in the city… As Louis said, if they don’t run away, it’s within the scope of business, so we can’t crack down on it. The national army will monitor it.”
Shibu-ojisan scrutinized the beans while looking at me.
“By the way, why did Lord Rouville bring the beans home instead of putting them in the box?”
“I thought it’d be better to pop them in last minute! With a big box, if I drew, the beans at the bottom might be hard to reach…”
“As expected of Rou-chan, thinking about the person drawing the beans! Such a kind child!”
Praised by Grandpa Hana, I felt pretty good.
“And since this is my first time seeing these beans, I wanted to examine them closely!”
They resemble chickpeas, which appear on citizens’ dining tables, but have a slight bluish tint and almond-like tips.
Receiving particularly characteristic ones among many, I arranged them to compare.
“….Hmm… Northern territory beans tend to be more bluish… They might be from there.”
In the north, slight snowfall occurs in winter, subtly changing the beans.
Impressively, the national army knows everything about the country.
“So, even if the vendor disappears, we still want the drawing to happen tomorrow. Rou-chan is looking forward to it, and the citizens surely feel the same.”
Shibu-ojisan frowned at Grandpa Hana’s request.
“Hmm, however, allowing such practices to continue raises questions about making high-risk gambling like fortune raffles a common entertainment…”
“The mechanism itself is simple, and anyone can start without capital, so copycats will follow… Hmm, I just thought of something good!”
“Huh?”
“Unless they run away, why not intentionally let them operate and make an example of them?”
Louis-tan crafted a mischievous smile, whispering something into Shibu-ojisan’s ear.
The atmosphere was akin to adult transactions in a red-light district.
“? Hmm, that’s a good idea!!”
Eventually, Shibu-ojisan smiled. Then he looked at us.
“Master Hana, Lord Rouville, the national army guarantees the drawing will absolutely take place tomorrow!”
“???”
Grandpa Hana and I tilted our heads but concluded, “Looking forward to the drawing~.”
Here we are! The next day!!
On a sunny afternoon, I headed to the park with Grandpa Hana for the drawing.
I snapped my bean in half after spending the night with it and popped it into the box!
“Hope it’s a win!”
“Would be nice if it does~”
Making the final wish, I waited for the drawing while sucking on a candy bought from a stall.
A pompous figure appeared at the platform where the raffle box rested.
“Well, it’s time, so let’s begin the drawing!”
“Military! Don’t move!!” “Relax, it’s not a raid!”
Surprisingly, soldiers surrounded the park, causing panic over a possible military crackdown, but it turned out differently.
Amidst the tension, Shibu-ojisan stepped forward.
“Recently, investment-related frauds have been rampant in the city. To ensure your business is conducted fairly and doesn’t violate public order, we, the national army, will oversee it. Understood?”
“Yes, of course! We have nothing to hide.”
The shopkeeper’s confident response reassured the audience.
The drawing proceeded as planned, and with the national army overseeing, it guaranteed fairness, with results officially recognized by the state.
Knowing high payouts wouldn’t be contested, everyone welcomed the national army presence.
“Shopkeeper, how will the drawing proceed?”
“One of our staff will pick a bean from this box.”
“No, the shop staff are stakeholders. Someone other than those who placed the beans must draw.”
The audience agreed with the national army’s words.
“Shopkeeper, naturally, anyone can draw, correct?”
“O-Of course. We have no issues.”
“Alright, then I’ll draw.”
“!!”
Turning to the voice, Louis-tan, dressed flamboyantly as if heading to work at night, lazily raised a hand.
Oh, Lord Daisen!!”
“It’s Lord Daisen! How wonderful!!” “Lord Dai-seeeen~”
“So beautiful…” “We’re so grateful~”
“Hehe, a business with tenfold returns suits someone as splendid as me, don’t you think?”
Louis, who had drawn everyone’s attention, smiled even more beautifully and majestically.
The charismatic aura that gripped the masses was overwhelmingly present.
“However, when I draw a lot, I only pick the most valuable tickets – it’s just my nature to be lucky, you see~. Shopkeeper, is that acceptable?”
“O-Of course! For our shop to be graced by Lord Daisen of the capital’s moon is an honor that will last for generations!”
Louis happily stepped onto the platform.
Everyone began to worship Louis, chanting ‘We’re grateful!’ and ‘How noble!’
“Could someone please get me a spoon? Perhaps from that chestnut vendor over there?”
“Yes, certainly!”
The uncle from the nearby roasted chestnut stall quickly brought a spoon to Louis.
As expected of Louis, they wouldn’t do something as crude as putting their hand directly into the box. They maintained their beauty and dignity at all times.
Gracefully, Louis inserted the spoon into the box and swirled it around.
Thump thump.
As the spoon was gently lifted, half a bean rested upon it.
Everyone held their breath, watching intently.
“Please, read it out loud.”
The shopkeeper, directed by Louis with the spoon, hastily knelt down, received it, checked the bean…
“It’s Black Star 1 with a feather pattern.”
!!
I looked at the bean in my hand.
A black star…with a 1…and a feather!!
“Grandpa Hana! I got a winning ticket!”
“Waa! Amazing! Rou-chan! Incredible!!”
“I got a tenfold winning bean~”
Hooray! The crowd noticed and started clapping. Amidst the generous congratulations of “Congratulations!”, I stepped forward with a “Thank you~”.
I handed the bean to Shibuoji.
Together with the shopkeeper, they matched the beans, verified the patterns, confirmed they were identical, and finalized the win.
“Well then, shopkeeper, please pay this child.”
“Yes.”
“It amounts to 500 gold coins.”
“Huh??”
“This clearly states 50 gold coins, and since it’s tenfold, it should be 500 gold coins.”
“What nonsense?! F-fifty gold coins?! That can’t be! Patterns worth more than five gold coins were all…”
The surrounding area fell silent. In an instant, the audience’s excitement turned cold.
“Last night?”
“N-no, it must be some kind of mistake. We didn’t receive such a high amount of gold coins – fifty gold coins…to a child like that…”
“Do you understand what would happen if the other party were a noble? Be careful with your words.”
The shopkeeper turned pale at the threatening glare. Even the spectators straightened their spines.
“Fifty gold coins…seriously?”
“But look, if you observe that child’s clothes…and their face…they’re not at the level of ordinary townsfolk.”
“A noble…perhaps a noble incognito?”
“As expected of nobles, their luck is strong.”
“Even small nobles are holders of great fortune!”
“Noble-sama, amazing! Their luck level is different from commoners! What wonderful fortune they possess!”
“What a wonderful sight! Our country is safe! As expected of nobles!”
It seems like everyone’s happy about my win?
Heine-kun often said nobles have an obligation to spend lavishly – is this what he meant? It appears Rou-chan’s shopping has satisfied everyone.
“And? How do you explain this bean?”
“That…it must be a mistake in marking the value on the bean. It was probably silver, not gold… According to our records, the highest amount we received yesterday was five gold coins.”
Didn’t pay, huh? Kind of thing? Well, it was a large amount of cash after all? As Father taught me, receipts are essential! As expected of Father! There’s no fault in Father’s teachings!
“Here’s the receipt~”
“!!”
“Bring the shop’s seal. We’ll verify it, and bring the ledger too!”
“M-my apologies, it was my mistake. Y-yes, I indeed received fifty gold coins! I remember now!”
“Well then, there shouldn’t be any objections to paying this boy his winnings, right?”
“T-that…”
“What’s wrong?”
“There aren’t any.”
“Huh? None? What do you mean? Isn’t the lottery supposed to be tenfold?”
“We never expected anyone to win with a fifty gold coin bet… We don’t have five hundred gold coins prepared!!”
The shopkeeper turned pale and pressed their head against the ground.
“Eh? This lottery shop couldn’t even pay five hundred gold coins yet operated a tenfold lottery? Even if a high-value win occurred, they had no intention of paying? That’s disappointing!”
Louis laughed heartily. The people, who were almost ready to riot, lost their fighting spirit at Louis’ hearty laughter.
“So, even if someone won with a high bet, they couldn’t receive their prize? This contradicts the advertised terms, meaning they intended to commit fraud?”
“N-no, we didn’t intend…”
“Well, we’ll investigate your crimes later. Right now, the issue is how to fulfill the already established agreement. If you can’t pay five hundred gold coins, you and all involved employees are obligated to work until the debt is paid… Naturally, all relatives’ assets will also be confiscated.”
“!!”
Not only the shopkeeper but all employees realized their joint liability, and though they panicked, the area was already secured by the national army, leaving no escape.
“Well, well, national army officers, I don’t want to be stingy with delayed payments for this customer I helped. Let me cover it for now. Of course, consider it a loan.”
When Louis announced this, Mr. Grou swiftly brought a large bag and poured gold coins onto the table.
“Amazing!!!”
“Lord Daisen! As expected! Lord Daisen!”
“Long live Lord Daisen!”
It seems Louis stole the show with their financial power? Though I don’t quite understand, all’s well that ends well, right?!
“Barku -niisama, I’ll deposit the money!”
“Ah, did you have leftover gold coins from before? And what did you buy…wait, what?!”
Since it was heavy, I asked Mrs. Kishi at the clinic to deliver the gold coins to Melissa’s house.
Barku -niisama froze with wide eyes upon opening the bag.
“Five hundred gold coins!”
…
I delivered the preemptive punch line and left!
“Wait! Rou-chan, seriously wait? Why has it increased? What did you do?!”
“It increased when I bought beans!”
“Incomprehensible! Hey, Rou-chan, this is troubling! What should I tell Father? Isn’t increasing supposed to be only for medicinal herbs? Not money too? What’s going on?!”
“If you win at ‘bean raffle‘ and ‘fortune beans ‘, your dream comes true tenfold~ Beans are delicious twice over with one bite~”
“Rou-chan!? Money doesn’t grow when buried, you know? Don’t try to brush it off with a song! Hey, come here! Explain properly!”
“…”
Barku -niisama remains steadfast?
His gaze fixed on me doesn’t waver. I quietly open the door to the compounding room.
“If you think of escaping to the compounding room, Rou-chan! I won’t let you escape!” “Kyakya!”
With a graceful farewell, I turned, but Barku -niisama caught me firmly!
This is strange! How can indoor Barku -niisama have better athletic skills than Rou-chan!
Afterwards, I heard that Barku -niisama, who reported the incident, got severely scolded by Father.
The next day, Barku -niisama told me sternly.
“From now on, Rou-chan can only carry up to five gold coins! For anything more, either Barku -niisama or the steward will accompany you and handle the payment!”
…
Indeed, Barku -niisama’s sense of money is that of a noble. They don’t know that commoners dream of turning one silver coin into tenfold, hoping for one gold coin.
“What? No matter how you look at me, Rou-chan, Barku -niisama won’t give you more than five gold coins!” “Rou-chan doesn’t need them; I still have leftover copper coins from the silver I received last month.”
I eat meals at Grandpa Hana’s house or Roro-chan’s shop. Occasionally, I buy snacks from stalls or purchase rare items as ‘souvenirs’. So, my allowance is plenty!
“!! Wait, Rou-chan?! You haven’t used the two silver coins I gave you last month yet?! Wait, what kind of life are you living?! Copper coins are rarely used by nobles!”
Eh? Then, do nobles pay with silver coins and say ‘keep the change’? Something like that?
Nobles are amazing~!
―――――――――――――――――
[Rou-chan’s Souvenir Thoughts]
[Side: A Certain Gatekeeper]
“Thank you always for being the gatekeeper~”
“!! Is, is this for me?”
“Please~”
“Thank you very much”
Pushed by Rouville -sama, I received the package. I was a bit surprised by its unexpected weight, but I was excited to see what was inside.
Occasionally, I heard that Rouville -sama brings various things to appreciate the gatekeepers.
Whether pine cones, flowers, candy, fallen leaves, or childlike gifts, they were called ‘Gifts from the Fairies,’ and among the gatekeepers, receiving them was whispered to bring happiness.
And now, I understood the truth. The ‘Gifts from the Fairies’ weren’t just gifts; the words of appreciation had the power to make gatekeepers happy.
Originally blessed with good looks, the young master of the Melissa family had a very lovely appearance. He was from the Melissa Marquess family, a noble family near the top of noble society.
Such a boy looked at me with round eyes, his pure gaze sparkling brightly, expressing heartfelt gratitude.
“Thank you always for being the gatekeeper~”
These words resonated deeply within my heart. For him, the gatekeeper wasn’t just another soldier; it was special.
Acknowledged! Admired! Such a feeling of superiority!
Unconsciously, my lips relaxed, and unable to wait until shift change, I opened the package on the spot. The gatekeeper opposite me, curious about the contents, didn’t stop me and shifted to a position where he could handle any surprises.
“???”
A plate? Maybe? The warped oval-shaped ceramic resembled a plate…well, it had a unique sense.
“Hmm…what?!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Look at this paper!”
“Paper?”
Removing the wrapping paper from the plate, I handed it to the other gatekeeper. He looked at it, shocked, and understood.
“Seriously, a flyer from Maika country?” “Come to think of it, this ceramic…it does seem like Maika-made…the color…” “Maybe we should report it to intelligence…?”
The shopkeeper probably wrapped it carelessly with whatever paper was lying around, but it was clear this paper wasn’t domestic. Because it was a flyer for an opera performance in Maika country, clearly stating the date and venue.
“Ah!”
“What’s wrong?”
Examining the plate and flipping it over, I noticed a depression on the back. From the glaze condition, it was evident that something had been peeled off, causing the balance to be off and preventing the plate from staying level.
Smuggling…
At the word, we exchanged glances. Immediately, we moved to report to the commander of the national army.
The investigation revealed that the dish shop was run by spies from Maika country. Moreover, the bottom or hollow parts of plates and ceramics were used to smuggle several types of poison.
Since domestic nobles purchased these items, the repercussions of the incident were likely to expand further.
This incident was named the ‘Fairy’s Gift Prank Incident.’
Soon after, the ‘Second Wave’ of the ‘Fairy’s Gift Prank Incident’ emerged.
The Rich Lottery Incident…
After this incident, among the citizens of the capital, the awareness that ‘trying one’s luck is a noble’s pastime’ spread, and gambling became completely unpopular.
Public order was preserved by the fairies.
All’s well that ends well!