There is a way to distinguish nobles from non-nobles even among well-dressed people. For example, a noble’s daughter would never expose her bare hands. The upper class tends to be conservative and strict about etiquette. Some young ladies even wear gloves indoors.

Come to think of it, among the passing people, there were those wearing expensive-looking outfits with gloves and those without.

The surest method is to frequent high society gatherings and memorize all the faces. Even then, people sometimes get scammed by those pretending to be foreign nobles and become laughingstocks in social circles.

“Why do they get scammed? Couldn’t they just not trust anyone from the start?”

Oh, that method. Siod inwardly admired.

“Of course, you can do that because you’re a Rodante. Guinevere Rodante receives 10% of the defense budget as Adelia’s guardian. But how do ordinary nobles make money? Nobles don’t work.”

“Tenant farming fees?”

“That’s right. But there’s almost no additional income besides tenant farming fees or dowries brought by brides when marrying. So what do you think nobles do when they want to earn more money?”

“I don’t know.”

“They invest. Nobles who make big money through good investments are praised for their discernment, while those who fail try their best not to show it in noble society.”

So that’s what it was about when James’s father often talked about what he invested in this time. William hadn’t paid much attention because he had no interest in such things.

“Not trusting anyone is a good method, but it’s not generally applicable except for the Rodante family. That’s why they sometimes fall for scammers. If you had to maintain your family without Guinevere’s income, what would you do? By the way, the Rodante family’s territory is just wasteland.”

“… Maybe I’d reclaim the wasteland?”

Siod was pleased with William, who gave quite smart answers without being taught anything.

“That’s a good method too. Then who would you assign the work to? How would you hire, select, and manage the workers? What you need then is discernment in judging people.”

That discernment again. William sighed. He wasn’t confident in that.

“Then what do people look at first when judging someone?”

“Their attire?”

“Attire, their manners, small habits and attitudes, and so on. You’ll be constantly tested on your discernment in noble society. Even trivial things like what you wear and carry will all be evaluated.”

William had a vague idea of what Siod was trying to say.

‘Does it mean how I’m perceived is just as important?’

Arriving at the dessert cafe, Larisa looked happy as she saw the menu.

“Teacher, I can’t choose…”

“Order everything from here to here.”

“What? I can’t eat that much!”

“We can ask to pack up the leftovers and send them to the mansion.”

Larisa learned about a new world. Nobles may not be great, but being rich is the best.

“Teacher, I want to become rich like you.”

Come to think of it, William was curious about something too.

“Professor, are you of noble origin?”

As far as Siod knew, he was a commoner.

“Oh, I was a noble. Once upon a time. I’m in exile.”

There were nobles in both Cadia and Laruan, so he could have made up any story. But William didn’t ask further. He thought it would be impolite.

‘He’s thoughtful.’

Siod felt proud of that too. It seemed like he took after him in everything.

‘It’s definitely not from Guinevere. He takes after me in everything.’

As the desserts came out one by one, Larisa finished her careful deliberation and said,

“I’ll just eat this and this.”

“Please pack up the rest. For the Rodante house.”

“Understood.”

After finishing the drink order, Siod remained silent for a while to let the children eat comfortably.

There are etiquettes to observe even when drinking tea, but that wasn’t what he came out to teach today.

He wiped the cream off Larisa’s cheeks with a handkerchief and asked William,

“You said you wanted to open an alchemy general store later, right?”

“Yes?”

“Shall we visit a general store later?”

“Ah…”

William was a bit flustered. Weren’t we out for nobility lessons? But William, who had never bought anything himself, was also curious about what a general store was like.

When he nodded, Siod smiled and said,

“Let’s go if you’re done eating.”

Seeing that Larisa looked tired, Siod picked her up. Larisa rested her head on Siod’s shoulder and started dozing off.

“There’s the general store. When we go in, you choose the items yourself.”

“What?”

“You’re not going to enter and not buy anything, are you? That would be a loss of face.”

“I understand.”

The interior of the general store was luxurious and neat. As soon as they entered, an employee greeted them politely.

“Welcome.”

It was William’s first time directly buying things, as he usually just told the butler if he needed anything, so he looked around the store with a curious feeling.

“Is there a specific product you’re looking for?”

“I’m thinking of buying a fountain pen…”

“They’re this way.”

William approached where the employee guided him. Then the employee started introducing various products, mentioning the names of the artisans who made the fountain pens.

William was confused as he listened to explanations about pen nibs and feeds, not knowing anything about them. He had just used the fountain pens that were at home.

Is it important whether the nib is gold or steel? The ones at home all seemed to have gold nibs.

‘I haven’t tried steel nibs, should I try one?’

William picked up a fountain pen with a simple steel nib. The employee asked,

“Would you like this one?”

“Yes.”

“It seems you’re buying it as a gift. It’s a popular product as a practical gift that’s not too burdensome in price.”

‘I was going to use it myself…’

Before William could say anything, Siod interjected,

“It would be perfect for your new attendant.”

“Attendant?”

William looked at Siod, hearing this for the first time.

“Why are you surprised? Now that you’ve become a viscount, you should at least have an attendant.”

“Ah, so you’re Viscount Rodante.”

William was startled and looked back and forth between the employee and Siod. As William expressed surprise at the employee who had deduced his identity from just a brief piece of information, the employee smiled and replied,

“It’s an honor to meet one of the six great families of the empire.”

“If you work in a place like this, you usually know all the members of the great noble families. Among them, you’re the only one young enough to be called a viscount.”

“Haha, the artisan who made this fountain pen will be delighted to know that Viscount Rodante bought one. Next time, we’ll have items suitable for the viscount to use and wait for your visit.”

“Ah, yes…”

William left the store with the wrapped fountain pen box, feeling dazed.

Lifting up the now completely asleep Larisa, Siod said,

“That employee probably thought you couldn’t find anything you liked, so you chose a gift for a servant.”

“I was going to use it myself.”

“The steel used in these is usually low quality, so it rusts easily and doesn’t write well. You’ll know once you try it. You’ll realize how many good things you’ve been taking for granted until now.”

William felt strange. He had thought he was far from a noble’s life, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. He felt like he didn’t belong anywhere, floating in between.

“The reason I brought you out today was to show you that discernment is also a basic quality of nobles. Why do you think that is?”

“So as not to be looked down upon?”

“That’s right. And there’s one more reason.”

William had no idea. As he looked at Siod with a questioning gaze, Siod smiled and said,

“Do you remember the name of the artisan who made that pen?”

“What? No.”

He didn’t remember because he had only half-listened.

“That artisan will be truly delighted. Because someone as important as Viscount Rodante bought his item.”

“…”

“Being in a high position means that. For some people, just being chosen by you is a dream and a goal. Artisans wait and wait for someone who appreciates the value of their items.”

William suddenly started to feel the gift box containing the fountain pen a little heavier than before.

“What about other merchants? Servants? Knights? Do you understand how much influence even a small choice of yours can have on so many people?”

“… Roughly.”

“Good. Today was just a taste, and from tomorrow, we’ll start looking into what it really means to be a noble.”

That was the end of the lesson. Returning home, William unwrapped the gift and dipped the steel nib in ink. He took out smooth stationery and wrote some random words.

‘This really is bad…’

It would have been nice if he could have tested it at the store. William thought that if he opened a general store, it would be good to have test samples.

‘You only know if it’s good after trying it. How can you choose just by looking?’

If discernment was a basic quality of nobles, he really wasn’t confident. He didn’t have much desire for material things or money, so he didn’t want to invest and increase his wealth either.

But…

‘It was nice to have someone appreciate my creation.’

William idly opened and closed the lid of the lamp he had made, turning the light on and off. He had used silver for the metal that fixed the wick to store magical power and engraved a magic circle on the lid.

Other magicians could simply cast a spell to light the wick, but William, who couldn’t move magical power, needed such a device. And…

‘This would sell well to ordinary people, wouldn’t it?’

Recalling something Siod had said once, William became lost in thought. He wanted to let ordinary people enjoy magic too. It would be nice if magic wasn’t the privilege of a few, but something everyone could enjoy. It was a night when William’s dream was growing vigorously.