I abandoned the mountain of documents and headed to the workshop, and there Laeva was making bowling-related items.
「Eh? Is something the matter?」
「Yup, I was thinking of making something that would make it more convenient to make calculations.」
Laeva’s hands stopped as she asked in curiosity.
「Yup, we have a lot of money coming in and out, and those amounts are huge. Moreover, calculations are troublesome because taxes complicate it.」
「Certainly, such calculations would be an enormous undertaking.」
Until now, I had been doing mental math when I did the calculations, but the people of this world were bad at mental math.
Well, I suppose that’d be normal. I had been learning it since I was a child in my previous life thanks to the soroban[1]. Even when I calculate these days, I still imagine flicking the beads on the soroban(Japanese abacus) in my head.
As could probably already tell, what I wanted to make was an soroban. I had thought about making a calculator-type magic device, but an soroban was more than enough. If they get used to the soroban, it might be possible for everyone to learn mental math.
As I processing the wood to be used as the material, Laeva began observing with great curiosity.
「Is that a tool for calculations?」
「That’s right. It’s called a soroban.」
「A soroban? Why is it a soroban?」
「……now that you mention it, I didn’t think that much about it. Sorry Laeva, I don’t know the origin of its name.」
I chose a hardwood to be manufactured into the beads, but making them all into the same size was a difficult process when done manually, so I will just transmute it all in one go using alchemy.
「?? They have holes.」
「Come on, just watch.」
I transmuted poles that would go through the wooden frame and beads.
Actually, if i have the materials, I’m able to make it in one go using alchemy, but rather than saying on magic power, it’s easier if I make one from scratch to helps solidify the image.
「Transmute! oop, it’s done?」
Finally, I tried flicking around the beads in the completed soroban.
「Ohh! So that’s how you use it!」
「Should I teach you how to use it, or would you like to try?」
「By all means, please teach me!」
「The beads on top represent five, and the bottom four beads represented one, So if it’s six, one of the upper beads goes down, and one of the lower beads goes up ,……… and that makes six. To add seven to this, two of the bottom beads goes up, the top bead goes back, one bead for the tens goes up, aaaaaand……… now it’s thirteen.」 Follow current novels on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
When I showed her what was actually simple addition, Laeva stood up excitedly.
「That’s amazing! It’s a simple contraption, and yet it has made calculations so easy!」
「Well, it needs practice though.」
I will make several, and if I don’t return soon, I have to return soon, there’s a pile of papers waiting for me. They’ll get mad at me if I don’t go back soon.
I was about to return to the library after transmuting five sorobans when Laeva suddenly stopped me.
「Wait, Takumi-sama! That soroban is a device that would be highly sought after by companies! Please sell it!」
「Why don’t you want to!?」
Give me a break already. The bowling stuff just started, and now another new thing…… it would increase the amount of paperwork.
「No matter how I think about it, this will have a patent. That’s so much trouble.」
「Please give up. Making things is your job, Takumi-sama. You can’t escape from this.」
「Urk, you’re right about that, but…… haa, it can’t be helped. I’ll make a sample for Papeck-san.」
「That’s is satisfactory.」
Laeva nodded in satisfaction and returned to working on the bowling pins.
When I returned to the study carrying the sorobans, Gina and Charlotte looked a bit reproachful.
「No, I wasn’t just skipping out on work. Try using these.」
「It’s a device you use when you’re calculating. It’s called a soroban.」
Explaining it just as I had with Laeva, I taught them how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide, and I could tell from their wide-eyed expressions that they were surprised.
「What a useful device!」
「This is magnificent. This is a first seeing such a device, even for me.」
「……this is convenient. Though we will need to practice a bit. Takumi-sama, may I please borrow one?」
Gina was excited, while Charlotte was surprised in a modest manner befitting of a Noble’s daughter, and Ana mentioned practicing on the soroban immediately, so I handed one to each.
It was when everyone began practicing that I realized. Huh, this… doesn’t this mean that I have to settle all the documents by myself?
Crap. I’ll have to deal with so many documents, so I’m glad I made the soroban.
1. The soroban is the Japanese version of an abacus. As there are several types of abacus, I’ll stick with the Japanese name.