Benno

班諾 ベンノ

Gender:Male

The head of the Gilberta Company, which primarily deals in clothing. After his parents passed away, he took on the role of raising his younger sister while managing to uphold the company, establishing himself as a young talent. He supports Myne in her roles as a merchant and workshop manager. Recognizing Myne's value early on, he brought her into the company. The products derived from Myne's knowledge sold at high prices, leading to rapid growth for the company. Although Benno sometimes seems to deceive Myne, he provides her with hints, intending to help her grow as a merchant. Despite Myne's lack of interest in anything but books and her unsuitability for commerce, Myne often amazes by proposing revolutionary ideas that shake up the market, sometimes causing Benno frustration as he tries to prevent her from being too conspicuous. He clashes with the guild leader who dislikes a clothing specialty shop dealing with things like plant paper, as he eagerly challenges vested interests. Originally a clothing store, the company expanded too much after starting to handle Myne's products, leading to increased transactions with nobles and resulting in much jealousy. Benno eventually hands over Gilberta Company to Corinna and Otto, establishing Plantin Company to focus on books and paper. He separates the Gilberta Company and an establishment handling printing-related matters, receiving the name "Plantin" from Rozemyne, thereby becoming independent. He was also awarded the title of Gutenberg (Benno of plant paper). Still unable to forget his deceased lover Leise, who died from mana exhaustion, he has not found another woman he could love more, so he apparently has no intention of marrying.