Chapter 70

The place I was summoned back to was Lady Clara’s private room. As usual, it was a spartan space with very few personal belongings.

“I’m back.”

“Welcome home. You’ve brought quite a load with you this time.”

Lady Clara stared in surprise at the bulging Sancho Panza bags.

“These are souvenirs for you, Lady Clara, and actually, they’re also tools for a new business—cosmetics.”

“You have my thanks, as always. But truly, you needn’t bring me gifts every single time.”

“Now, now. More importantly, I have a favor to ask.”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

Lady Clara always looks so happy whenever I ask for a favor. It seems she genuinely enjoys being relied upon. Since I wanted to verify the effectiveness of these basic skincare souvenirs immediately, I decided to have Lady Clara try them out.

“For now, I’d like a few people to try them so I can see how well they work.”

“Medicine to improve the condition of the skin? In that case, I shall call Fiene and Emma as well.”

With Hans’s help, we immediately set everything up. We prepared plenty of hot water in a tub and placed three washbasins on a stand. Then, I lined up a stack of towels and the cotton pads I’d bought on a plate. Once we thoroughly washed our hands, we were ready.

“Alright everyone, please sit in the chairs and relax.”

I took charge of Lady Clara, Akito handled Fiene, and Hans was assigned to Emma.

“Lord Hinoharu, is this some sort of ritual?” Emma asked, looking slightly terrified.

I didn’t shout, “Gwahahaha! Feel honored! You have been chosen as a sacrifice for Lord Seraphim!” Instead, I said, “It’s nothing like that. It’s a reward for all your hard work, Emma. Lord Seraphim himself said we should make good use of these.”

I mean, he did say that, right? He didn’t specifically mention Emma, but close enough.

“I-I see… if that is the case…”

Mentioning Lord Seraphim’s name made the color return to Emma’s face. On the other hand, Hans was hesitating.

“S-Sir K-Kota. Is it truly necessary for me to do this? To touch a lady’s face is… quite presumptuous…”

There’s no one else here, so let’s just get on with it.

“Hans, this is for Emma’s benefit.”

“But…”

I wasn’t about to allow any “buts” or boycotts. I told him there was no need to be so nervous.

“Hans, assist Lord Hinoharu. I do not mind,” Emma said, closing her eyes as if resigning herself to her fate.

“Hey, let’s hurry up!” Meanwhile, Fiene—who knew that the things we brought back were always wonderful—was waiting with wide, sparkling eyes, practically vibrating with anticipation.

“Alright, let’s begin!”

The treatment started by applying cleansing gel to their faces.

“Use the pads of your fingers to draw circles, gently applying it from the inside out.”

The three of us followed the instructions I read aloud. For Lady Clara, I gave her a special application using Level 1 of my Golden Finger skill. Just as I thought her body temperature rose slightly, she suddenly turned icy cold.

She must have used her Ice-Cool Magic to hide the fact that it felt good. Good grief, what a shy one.

Once the gel was applied, we had them wash their faces.

“W-what kind of… magic is this?” Hans whispered.

Akito and I were stunned too. All three of them were young, so their skin was already beautiful to begin with, but now the dullness was completely gone. Even the slight freckles Emma had were vanished.

“What is it?” Emma asked worriedly, but the big reveal is the best part. I kept the mirrors away, making them wait a little longer.

“Next is the treatment cleansing. Apparently, it features a moist finish with fine-textured foam. We’ll use this foaming net to work it into a lather until it forms stiff peaks, then apply it.”

…

…

…

“Akito… any thoughts?”

“My, what a transformation!”

Yeah, the difference was night and day. Their skin now had a translucent, ethereal glow. It felt like we had become master craftsmen.

“Next is the treatment essence.”

I soaked the cotton pads generously and gently patted their skin. It felt like the clarity was being locked in even further. Finally, we applied the milky lotion to give it a healthy sheen, and we were done.

“How do you feel?”

“This is…”

“…”

“…”

Even Lady Clara, whose skin was already incredibly beautiful, looked shocked. Fiene and Emma seemed moved beyond words. The hands holding their mirrors were actually trembling.

“Kota…?”

“What is it, Fiene?”

“How much!?”

“Eh?”

“Exactly! Just how much would one have to pay to receive this treatment, Sir Kota!?”

“Both of you, calm down.”

I really wished they’d stop grabbing me by the collar.

“I’m thinking around 5,000 Marques per session, but I plan to decide for sure after seeing how long the effects last.”

I figured the price would change depending on whether this glow lasts for only a day or if it holds up for ten.

“5,000 Marques… if it’s only once a month, then maybe…”

“A little less than a third of my salary… cutting it close, but…”

No, no, that is not “cutting it close” at all. Emma aside, Fiene would go broke. I’ll make sure to give you guys your share at cost, so don’t go wasting your money.

“The results are plain to see, but do you think there’s a demand for this?”

“I think you’d be flooded with reservations for the day of—or the day before—a party,” Emma noted.

I see; spoken like a true Royal Capital noble. Make sure to spread the word to your friends, okay? Back in Japan, people often hit the spa right before a wedding, but the effects here are probably even better.

“However, the main targets would be ladies who are a bit more… senior in age. Testing it only on Lady Clara and the others might yield overly favorable results,” Akito pointed out.

Akito was right. Ideally, we needed subjects in their 30s or older. An acquaintance in their 30s, huh?

“Should we ask Captain Beckle?”

When I suggested that, Fiene and Emma both grimaced. Don’t hate on her so much. She might be tough, but she’s still a woman.

“In that case, would you be willing to test it on my mother?”

Emma’s mom?

“About how old is she?”

“She is thirty-eight. Oh, and my grandmother is also there; she’s fifty-six.”

Perfect! Being able to see the effects across three generations is fantastic.

“I’d love to, please.”

“Then I shall arrange things for tomorrow night. Once our duties are over, let us all go together.”

And so, we were invited to the house of Baron Petersen. Emma had apparently wanted to invite her superior, Lady Clara, to her home for a long time. It’s natural for a Knight Apprentice to introduce their senior to their family, but I wondered how she’d explain us. Generally, a knight’s attendants aren’t invited into the family living room.

“Would it be wrong to say you serve Lord Seraphim?”

“I think that would cause unnecessary misunderstandings. Besides, we don’t technically ‘serve’ him.” Though, since refusing his orders would mean preparing for death, it’s basically the same thing.

“Please keep that part a secret.”

“I doubt they’d believe us anyway,” I added.

“Then let us say you serve a certain person of high rank whose identity cannot be made public.”

Well, I really only serve Lady Clara, but I guess that works.

Not a soul was walking through the Grossel District in the middle of the night. As I walked past Count Cebarai’s mansion, tracking the scent, I found my target immediately.

“Hey there. Thanks for the stakeout.”

A shadow crouching beneath the iron fence flinched and stiffened into a defensive stance.

“Holger hired you, right? I’m Hinoharu, the employer.”

Once I gave my name, the pair relaxed visibly. These were the vagrants Holger had arranged to track the Saint’s nighttime movements. They were wearing decent clothes to blend in inside the city walls, but they still had a pretty “funky” smell.

“So you’re Master Hinoharu. Don’t go scarin’ us like that.”

“My bad. Here, I brought some supplies. I figured you’d be hungry this late at night.”

I handed over some handmade sandwiches—white bread slathered in peanut butter. They were made with love (by which I mean I just spread the butter). They should be quite filling. I also poured them some warm café au lait in paper cups.

“This is much appreciated.”

“I’ll keep watch while you drink that while it’s still warm.”

The men took a sip, then began to devour the food.

“Any movement?”

“Nah. We’ve been here every night since yesterday, but nothin’ feels out of place. The Saint’s room is the third from the left on the second floor.”

The lights were out now, leaving it pitch black. According to Holger, there was no specific connection between the Saint and Kunz, the man who was killed. At most, Kunz had gone to one of Juliana’s soup kitchens. Was it just a random act of violence? Or was the Saint simply at the scene…?

The image of Juliana working the soup kitchen flashed through my mind. Why was I so hung up on this? It was burned into the corner of my mind, and I just couldn’t let it go.

“It’s cold out, but hang in there a bit longer.”

“Aye.”

I pressed a 100-Marques copper coin into each of their hands and took my leave.