The Demon King Seems to Conquer the World

Lily-san’s fourth strainer arrived at the workshop three days ago. By now, the employees Cuffe hired would be making paper.

I met Lily-san at the usual coffee shop. Both of us were wearing plain clothes.

“I was surprised to see the strainer on the frame was even more detailed.” (Yuri)

“Well, that’s because the number of tools I’m using has increased. I can make a small hole now.” (Lily)

‘Heh.’

“That’s why I was able to make the frame thinner.” (Lily)

“Thank you. Sorry, it seems I give you a hard time.” (Yuri)

“It’s fine. I’m also the same. I’ve obtained 6000 Ruga and one of the tools I use is cheap to buy.” (Lily)

‘Indeed, speaking of 6000 Ruga, it is a large sum of money. It is a figure that I haven’t gotten from the sales yet. I didn’t study business administration, so I’m worried about the scope of allowance as a capital investment.’

“So, what do you want to talk about today? Is it another additional order?” (Lily)

‘Aah, yes.’

“I have a few thoughts, but I want to get advice from the Liberal Arts students.” (Yuri)

“Hmm? Why don’t you ask Syamu or Her Highness?” (Lily)

“Well, I don’t want to involve Carol.” (Yuri)

“Could it be about that book?” (Lily)

‘Heh. Why does she know?’

“It’s the first time see that kind of face from you. Were you surprised?” (Lily)

‘Of course.’

“You understand well. I was terribly surprised.” (Yuri)

‘I wonder how she found out about this.’

“Well, I’m not that fool either.” (Lily)

“Did you read it?” (Yuri)

“Yes, I did.” (Lily)

‘She read it, huh.

‘That book is a book that is circulating in the School of Liberal Arts. They are reading a book like Doujinshi in turn.’

‘Selling paper as paper doesn’t make much money. Nevertheless, the sales has risen up, but if I sell it through book publishing, the sales would jump twice the number. If I distribute it as it is now, someone is going to try to make it into books, but I don’t have to pay money to someone.’

‘However, there are only a limited number of people who can read characters in this country. More than half of the people can’t read, so they won’t buy books.’

‘In addition, if you look at it from the point of view of the common people, even if it is cheap, it is still an expensive product. Nevertheless, it is quite difficult to publish a book that you want to buy.’

‘So, what kind of book should I publish? It is necessary to target people who have money, who read letters, who have a certain obsession with reading.’

‘The market that existed in my vicinity is the Liberal Arts girls. If I can publish the books that they have a particular interest, they will buy it. This is still in a calculation stage.’

‘The School of Liberal Arts dormitory is a very large building and all female students live there. Of course, Lily and Syamu live there. I’m not sure about the origin, but it is called the Silver Birch Dormitory.’

‘If the population density is high, it will be easier to distribute books.’

“Lily-san, do you read that kind of book?” (Yuri)

“Uwahh… Yuri-kun, you shouldn’t ask that question to young ladies, you know.” (Lily)

She frowned.

‘Is that so? What’s it all about?’

‘Speaking of the Silver Birch Dormitory, I am thinking that they are publishing books about the dormitory, and stories from the literature club or something. Am I wrong?’

“Well, to be honest, I read it too, but…” (Lily)

‘She looks somewhat ashamed. She seems embarrassed as well. Why?’

“What kind of style is it?” (Yuri)

“Style?” (Lily)

“I don’t really care about the content, but I want you to tell me who wrote it, how to make it into a book, and how it is distributed in the dormitory. I also want to know where is the end of the circulation.” (Yuri)

“Aah, is it that?” (Lily)

“Yes.” (Yuri)

“I’ll tell you since it’s not a secret, but don’t tell anyone about anything I’m telling you.” (Lily)

“That’s for sure.” (Yuri)

“In the School of Liberal Arts, there are authors from all ages.” (Lily)

‘Author. Of course, it is about the person who writes the book.’

“The author is a kind of person who is awakened to a hobby after reading book of the past times, and picks a writing brush.” (Lily)

‘What does that mean?’

“When the author decides to take a brush, she begins to write, and when she finishes writing, she writes it out and makes it into a book.” (Lily)

‘Unlike me, who buy a blank book and write it freely, it seems that they write on parchment paper, and binding it to a book. The order is the opposite, but in the sense of book publishing, this is more orthodox.’

“Then, when you have a book, you’ll have your friends read it. You ask your friend to read it, and have it returned to you later. If you want to read the book again, you have to lend it again. It is obvious that the book may disappear.” (Lily)

‘So, the circulation style is books for loan style? That’s because mass publication doesn’t exist.’

“But, how do you manage old books with that system?  Besides, won’t the author spend a lot of money on parchment papers? Are they just spending money like that?” (Yuri)

“Well, yes, that’s how it is.” (Lily)

“I see.” (Yuri)

‘It seems they move ahead too much.’

“There is a room called the Culture Room in the Silver Birch Dormitory.” (Lily)

‘The Culture Room. For some reason, I feel like I hear a terrible name.’

‘Somehow, I have an image of a dark red pulsating heart in the middle of the dormitory.’

“You can’t enter the room unless you’re a resident. Since female cleaners are prohibited from entering, the dormitory students clean the room. It’s kind of a secret room. The room is filled with books written by past authors. The room is as much as this coffee shop, but it is full of bookshelves.” (Lily)

‘When it comes to a room with similar size as this coffee shop, it’s a big room. There may be more than a thousand books inside. It’s a very luxurious library.’

“All the old books and new books are in there.” (Lily)

“That’s a considerable library.” (Yuri)

“If it can be brought outside of the dormitory, it will be a great thing.” (Lily)

‘So, they can’t bring the books outside of the premise, is it?’

“Because of that, the head of the Culture Room is supposed to be the head of the dormitory.” (Lily)

“Ooh.” (Yuri)

“The books that the head recognizes would be bought by using the dormitory fee and put into the collection.” (Lily)

‘Eh. Are they bought by using the dormitory fee?’

“It’s about the price of the book publication and the cost of the paper. Well, as long as you don’t write a lot, you’re not going to lose too much.” (Lily)

“Then, can’t you take it to the bookstore and make a copy?” (Yuri)

“Basically, yes. There is no problem to take the book outside of the dormitory if you get a special permission from the head, but it is a kind of taboo to take it to the bookstore. It means that the transcriber will read it.” (Lily)

‘Transcriber is a person who transcribes characters. In other words, it is a profession that serves as a substitute of the printing press by manpower.’

“But once you graduate, you can’t go to the library. So, you may want to think to privately own the books that you like, right?” (Yuri)

‘If I were in the same situation, the books that I remembered when I was a student were something special. If I had the money, I would want to have it.’

‘Once you become an adult, you may be able to go to the dorm to read, but it would be difficult to go to the elementary school library to play.’

“In that case, you can either copy yourself, or the female apprentices to copy it for you.” (Lily)

‘Uwaah. It’s hard work to copy a book. The female nobles, who aren’t common people, do it for themselves.’

“But, if you do that, it wouldn’t sell very well, right?” (Yuri)

“I don’t think so.” (Lily)

Lily-san replied over a cup of tea.

“I’m told that the authors of this generation have a lot of talent. There are about five famous authors whose names remain in the history of the Silver Birch Dormitory, but it is said that they’re going to make a name by themselves.” (Lily)

‘Ooh.’

“If you can bring out their work, do you mean you can sell it?” (Yuri)

‘What she says is amazing, but I don’t really understand.’

“Think about it. There are more than five hundred girls in the Silver Birch Dormitory. Once the author put out a new book, they will borrow it. That’s the way it is. But, there is only a little over 360 days a year.” (Lily)

‘Aah, I see. When I think about the, the problem was obvious.’

“Not everyone in the Silver Birch Dormitory has such a hobby, but even if all the people who borrow read it in one day, there will be a waiting list for more than a year. Then, the author of this generation will publish as many as two to three books in a year. No matter how much I want to read it, I can’t read it.” (Lily)

‘It’s not possible to mass produce even if they want to do so. It’s a very hard work.’

‘Even if a bestselling author produces a book, you will have to wait more than a year to read it. This may be a painful situation to the point blood tears will come out when you finally able to read the book.’

‘Even if you’re lucky enough to read it earlier, you may want to read it again if it’s a good book. However, that doesn’t always come true.’

‘In addition, there is a system of graduation in the Academy. Those who are close to graduation will have it hard. If they are unlucky, there might lose the chance to read it forever.’

“However, you’re not really selling it if you publish your book there.” (Yuri)

“If the price is half the price of a parchment book, I think there will be plenty of children would buy it.” (Lily)

“No. Won’t that goes against the rules of the Silver Birch Dormitory?” (Yuri)

‘If you sell it in an open market like a paper distribution now, the law can be ignored to some extent. The law changes according to the age, and if the law is disregarded, a new law can be done.’

‘But if you sell the book in that way, it’s going to be sold in a completely closed world.

I can’t even enter because the dormitory is closed to men. Since the School of Liberal Arts is a world governed by the rules, nobody will buy it if you break the law. In addition to that, if you keep on ignoring the law, you’ll get a bad reputation. I have a feeling that it’s not very nice to have a bad reputation in the Silver Birch where Witches graduated.’

“I haven’t thought that far and how to do about it. The important thing is that is a hobby. It’s not that the authors are forced by anyone, and it’s not necessary to put it in the Culture Room just because it became popular. So… yeah, but…” (Lily)

‘Somehow, this seems troubling.’

“Is there a problem?” (Yuri)

“I don’t think there is a problem, but even if it’s a rule, it’s not exactly written anywhere. Of course, there is a written rule when it comes to bringing men into the dormitory or the curfew… How should I say it…” (Lily)

‘It’s indecisive.’

“Do you mean that even if you don’t agree with the rule, there are people who would like to interpret it as one of the rules forcibly?” (Yuri)

“That’s right.” (Lily)

Lily-san flatly pointed that fact at me.

“Even if the books that are highly rated, it’s up to the authors whether they want to put their works in the Culture Room or not, but since everyone is doing it, people think that action itself is one of the rules. That’s what I think.” (Lily)

‘There are people like that in every world. They can’t distinguish between their own rules and general rules.’

“Well, in that situation, the demand will take care of it. That’s because there is a need to make compromises.” (Yuri)

“Yes, it may be so. When it comes to quarrel on the present waiting list system, it’s really stupid…” (Lily)

She made a somewhat bitter face.

‘I don’t understand well, but I wonder what is she thinking about.’

“Either way, I need to speak directly to the authors. Lily-san, do you know any popular author?” (Yuri)

“No. But if you go to the Great Library, there will be a lot of them there.” (Lily)

‘Aah, the Great Library. It seems like it.’

“I see. I’m going to go there later. Do you have a name?” (Yuri)

“It’s Piña Colada.” (Lily)