Chapter 71

Baroness Petersen was a gentle, somewhat plump, and pleasant woman. She spoke with a bright, carefree air—not resembling Emma in the slightest. Instead, Emma seemed to take after her father and grandmother.

“Welcome to our home, Lady Ansbach. Thank you for looking after our daughter,” the father said, greeting Lady Clara politely.

His name was Hansel Petersen, Baron of Hobrich. He held a legal position at Court regarding land affairs and appeared to be a very serious, upright gentleman.

Akito and I weren’t in uniform; we had come disguised as the merchants Shonai and Kawagoe. Emma had introduced us as individuals serving a certain person of high rank, but we were met with very suspicious looks. Therefore, when I offered my greetings, I made sure to tell the truth: that we were merchants with free access to the households of Count Bremen and Marquis Berlion.

Upon hearing this, the Baron seemed to immediately realize who we were.

“I have heard rumors of you. I hear His Majesty the King is quite envious of the wristwatch Marquis Berlion possesses. You may very well be summoned to the Court in the near future.”

That was good to hear. I’d have to prepare something of the highest quality.

Once the introductions were finished, the Baroness immediately began peppering Emma with a storm of questions.

“Goodness, Emma, you’ve become so beautiful! When I read your letter, I thought you were exaggerating—which isn’t like you—but seeing you now, I was dead wrong. You look wonderful! Even a baby’s cheek isn’t this smooth. Come now, don’t be shy, let your mother have a feel.”

Emma looked embarrassed but allowed her mother to touch her face as she pleased.

“It’s marvelous. And you want me to try this technique as well? Of course I will! Dear, you don’t mind, do you?”

As the Baroness grew excited like a young girl, the Baron gave a light shrug of approval. He looked as if he were saying, “Even if I tried to stop you, you wouldn’t listen, would you?” This was clearly the dynamic of the Petersen family.

But then, a sudden objection came from Emma’s grandmother.

“Now wait just a moment, Gretel. Allowing a strange man to touch your bare skin is simply scandalous.”

I suppose this was the standard public stance for a noble in this world.

“But Mother, look at Emma’s skin. It’s practically glowing!”

“That is…”

The grandmother’s attitude softened slightly upon looking at Emma. Meanwhile, we began lining up the colorful cosmetic bottles on the table. Even by the aesthetic standards of this world, these bottles were quite beautiful.

“Ladies, what we are about to perform is a form of medical treatment. It is a technique to revitalize the skin and draw out its inherent beauty. It is by no means anything suspicious.”

Yeah, “suspicious” was written all over it. If I said this in Japan, I’d be arrested, but this is another world, so no problem!

“Look, Mother! Look at all those beautiful bottles. I’ll try it first, so you must join me!”

“Honestly, you… you’ve been like this ever since you married into this family.”

Despite her grumbling, the grandmother clearly adored her daughter-in-law. In the end, both of them agreed to the treatment. Having practiced on Lady Clara the night before, I remembered the steps perfectly.

Today, I would perform the treatment alone. This was because I intended to use Golden Finger simultaneously with the skincare.

I started with the cleansing gel, just as I had the previous night. Lady Gretel had large, bright eyes and was quite cute for her age, but her double chin and nasolabial folds (smile lines) were the main drawbacks. While massaging at Level 1, I thought vaguely about whether these could be resolved.

After the cleansing was finished and it was time to apply the treatment essence with cotton pads, a bottle of massage oil caught my eye like a divine revelation. While everyone around me was making a fuss over how Lady Gretel’s skin was becoming radiant, I distinctly heard a voice whispering in my head.

“Take that oil in your hand.”

As I reached for the massage oil, Akito, noticing it wasn’t part of the standard procedure, let out a confused noise.

“Senpai, the essence comes next—”

I silenced him with a hand gesture and took a generous amount of oil. I took a deep breath, pressed my hands together to calm my mind, and gently placed my fingertips on Lady Gretel’s skin.

Golden Finger Level 4

I channeled mana into my fingertips and began painstakingly massaging her jaw and cheeks. I touched her as if awakening every single cell, stroking her as if in conversation.

Come on, answer my call!

At that moment, a fanfare echoed in my head.

I see!

If I do it like this!

If I focus my mana here!

Just flush this, loosen that, and push this up!

Understanding and technique linked in my head one after another, and my fingertips put them into practice.

And then…

“Senpai, you’ve overdone it…” Akito whispered.

Lady Gretel, who was thirty-eight, now looked like she was in her mid-twenties.

“How is this even possible…?”

I guess I got a little carried away. It was my first time using Level 4, so I didn’t really know how to hold back.

“Mother…”

“You may call me ‘Elder Sister’ now.”

Well, Lady Gretel herself doesn’t seem to mind, so I guess it’s fine. In fact, she seems ecstatic.

“This is wonderful, Master Shonai! To think such magic exists in this world!”

“Oh, Gretel… it reminds me of the day you married into this family…”

The Baron’s gaze toward his wife was intense. I hope they reignite their romance tonight.

“N-next… please do me…”

Even the grandmother was ready for it now. But I’ll have to hold back a bit this time. If I’m not careful, I might end up creating an elderly woman who looks twenty.

“Senpai, we need to swear them to secrecy later.”

“I know.”

If word got out that I could do this, I’d be dragged hither and thither. Just like how American celebrities spend a fortune to maintain their beauty, the wealthy of this world would surely flock to me. Spending my days constantly rubbing people’s faces sounds like a hassle, so I decided to keep this top secret.

I could probably charge over 10 million Marques per session without any complaints. From now on, I’ll limit this service to Ultra-VIPs only.

“Wait, Senpai, if you combine your massage with hair restorer, you might even be able to revive hair follicles!”

Whoa!

How incredible. Based on my family tree, I’m in trouble no matter which side I take after. With this, one of my worries has vanis—no, it hasn’t.

I can’t use Golden Finger on myself.

…And the same applies to God Finger.

Life is hard.

Starting tomorrow, Akito will be away from his military duties for a while to look for a storefront. Since Fiene and I are around as attendants, there shouldn’t be any issues with the workload. Hans is also being very helpful.

“Leave the shop location to me. However, handling the interior design with just our sense might be difficult,” Akito noted.

If this were Japan, we’d hire an interior coordinator, but unfortunately, no such profession exists in Saxens.

“Yeah. Let’s pin our hopes on the person the Baroness is going to introduce to us.”

Since today was a verification experiment, I didn’t charge Emma’s mother or grandmother. In exchange, they agreed to help us in various ways. Apparently, they’re going to introduce me to someone famous for their good taste in Saxens high society. Once we have that person’s cooperation, we can start moving on the shop renovations.

It’s finally time for our social debut. I’ll have to get some new clothes made.