Even if my only strength is water magic, having modern knowledge should be sufficient, right?

Episode 25: Laundry and Fashion… and a Request from Someone.

“Isn’t this too much?”

How many rooms’ worth of clothing is this? A huge pile of clothes had been gathered.

“Well, you see, since people are gathering from all over the country to the capital… New clothes sell well in the capital, and it’s a hassle to take back the ones they were wearing, so they sell them off. That’s the fashion trend of the country, you see.”

“I see. But still… isn’t it too much?”

“They were cheap, and I’ve already made a profit, so don’t worry about it.”

Nobles come to the capital to participate in festivals and ceremonies, so they buy new clothes. The clothes they were wearing are handed down to their subordinates or sold off. Then, they pass into the hands of merchants of a slightly higher class or servants, and from there, clothes flow from the top down to the common people.

Boss collected a bunch of clothes that were being sold off cheaply in the market.

Noble clothes often come with decorations like jewels, so if those are collected and sold first, it’s already profitable… how delightful.

So, the clothes gathered here are considered fair game by Boss, and they’re often several generations behind in fashion. There are also some incredibly fragile ones that crumble at the slightest touch.

Yeah, let’s try dyeing them again.

I know it’s super easy, so I’ll give it a shot. It can be done with just rusty nails, vinegar, and water. There’s rusty iron lying around, and I’ll take out the fabric that I had soaked in the experimental iron solution before collecting the clothes.

“It looks dirty, doesn’t it?”

“Is it… not working?”

“It seems like a failed experiment; it did dye, but…”

The yellowed fabric became even darker. An old-fashioned brown color, a subtle shade between dried grass and soil. It’s not beautiful at all. My friend could clean up fabrics that had gotten worse due to stains that couldn’t be removed with remakes, but my friend also said, “To be honest, commercial dyes are easier and quicker. They have good color too.” I learned about this method too, so I tried it… but it didn’t work.

Well, at least I can make brown now, so I guess this experiment is a success.
There are also methods of dyeing with flowers or plants… That’s right.

“”

… It’s impossible. I can manipulate it a little bit, but it’s as easy to manipulate as pure water. Once liquids are mixed, they’re completely unusable. On the contrary, the water I produce can be manipulated to some extent, but freshly produced, unmixed water is still easier. I might improve with practice with ozone and such, but…

“Was it iron, copper, and alum…? What’s alum?”

“You know a lot about dyes for someone who’s not a dyer.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! Only dyers and apothecaries… and maybe even village chiefs know about it!”

… That’s right, even with this roughly made iron solution, it does dye properly. But originally, this kind of technology develops over many years of trial and error, and with just one of these skills, you might be able to make a living for a lifetime.

In my past life, it was an era where “anyone could easily access information” due to the spread of television and the internet. So I know about it to some extent, but… fundamentally, this kind of knowledge is something that only families would know, or something that would be obtained after many years or even decades of work, and it should be kept secret.

There were methods like dyeing with flowers or coffee or even wine, right…? No, on TV they said lapis lazuli was expensive for paints. So there should be colors that can be obtained by processing minerals or minerals somehow, right? Ground up and applied? Kimonos in the Edo period were very colorful… So, the things you dye with are natural… No, I heard that craftsmen in the Edo period also had highly advanced techniques…

“Hmm…”

“It seems like Frim-sama has something on her mind. Well, let’s call it a break here and continue with the laundry, laundry!”

If there’s persimmon juice, you can waterproof paper and make an umbrella. With persimmon juice, you can also waterproof the walls of a house and dye things… No, I haven’t actually seen any persimmons, just thinking about dyeing… Charcoal, was it charcoal and glue to make ink? No, oil, mix it with oil for oil paints! But before that, the extraction method, I don’t know it. Batiking, right? Soaking paper in wax to make it waterproof… No, no, dyeing! No, I feel like I saw it on TV in traditional crafts. Because wax is oil, water doesn’t seep into where there’s wax. So, dye adheres to the parts where dye hasn’t been applied… No, no, no! Dye! There’s no dye!!!

“Ugh…”

Let’s take a little break. Let’s just keep pouring out water without thinking about anything. The water drunk at the gambling den is mainly my water lately. Everyone drinks and uses my water. People even take it in several water bottles without asking. I alone can’t pour out all the water if everyone is using it… My mind keeps turning, but I still can’t find the answer. My memory has always been good, but I never specialized in chemistry. I should have studied more.

And come to think of it, although it wasn’t talked about much in my previous life, my grandmother used to say that clothes, depending on the dyeing and materials, could contain chemical substances or carcinogens… Which means…? Which means? Which means…? Modern Japanese clothes were amazing, huh?

I feel like my head is getting dumb from thinking too much. When I’m troubled or worried, words like “The answer lies within yourself” or “Return to the basics” come to mind, but how do you actually derive an answer that’s not already within you?

Looking at the mountain of clothes… That day came to an end.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

I had a flash of inspiration after sleeping overnight.

“So, Boss, if there’s a slave with knowledge of dyeing to increase the value of damaged fabric or clothes, I’d like to have them.”

“I see, so that’s what you were grumbling about… Understood.”

I didn’t have to come up with an answer solely from my own meager knowledge. The fact that there are colorful clothes, even if they’re worn out, means that there is already technology and materials for dyeing. And there must be craftsmen who specialize in that.

At first, it might not be necessary to dye them, but there are fabrics that still have uneven color when soaked in water alone, and subtly faded colors are still inconvenient to use. If there’s a way to enhance their value, it should be done.

Hopeless items can be patched together for slave clothing, and small scraps that crumble with a touch can be used for cushions or bedding.

It might be a good idea to make accessories without sticking to clothing. Since I have only touched needles and threads in home economics class, I’ll leave it to Talarine.

Laundry is currently being done for the internal humans, and as long as there’s no money coming in from outside, it’s okay to take it slowly. Talarine and her group of seamstresses are washing used clothes, cutting out parts that seem usable even if they can’t be fully used. Items in good condition can be sold after washing and drying, and if there’s a small tear, it can be repaired.

I roughly know what I want to do, and I can see the way forward. Now it’s just a matter of gradually improving to make it work.

“Frim-sama, gifts have arrived from the ladies.”

“Frim-chan, I’m gonna raise you up! I think it’ll definitely suit you!”

“Eat this! Sweets we got from the guests! They were delicious!”

“…Ngh.”

I’ll tell Boss to move us from the small room about the size of a business hotel room to a slightly larger room, and even though I’ve already folded and packed everything by size, more clothes arrived, leaving no room to step. My nose might get overwhelmed by the strong perfume, whether it’s good or bad…

I ate the sweets with Markea and the others, and it was decided that whenever there was time, all these gifts would be used as practice materials for laundry.

“Come to think of it, Frim. Is there any point in having bathing facilities and public baths?”

“If the people doing laundry and handling clothes are dirty, the clothes will ultimately get dirty too… Keeping clean makes you less likely to get sick.”

“Is that so?”

Oh no, even if I’m asked where I got that knowledge from, I can’t answer.

“Well, you know, slaves and people from the alleys are more likely to die from illness, but noble folks are less likely to get sick, right? I read that in some book somewhere.”

“…Is that so? Well, maybe.”

“If fewer people get sick, then Boss would be less likely to get sick too, right?”

“You’re quite observant… But, you’re using quite a bit of water, aren’t you? Is your magic supply sufficient?”

I might have forcefully led the conversation and flattered too much. However, Boss is tolerant of those who do things that benefit him. He’s quite unforgiving to those who lie or don’t obey…

“I can still produce plenty more!”

“You’ve been a good find… Once the festival outside is over, I’ll also look for a staff for you. It’d be nice if we find a good one, but don’t expect too much, okay? Finding the right one isn’t just about the price; it’s about whether it fits or not.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah— My old man even looked for something that suited me, but nothing came up. Tch, I said too much. Forget about it.”

Perhaps there was some unpleasant memory because Boss remained moody for a while.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

( (?)’s Perspective)

I get tired of this event every year.

I don’t know if it’s tradition from ancestors or what, but I have to visit several houses and greet them. It’s a hassle, but it helps maintain the status of the nobles known as the great houses of the capital and contributes to my support.

At the Fire House, a grand tournament is held with high-quality weapons made of fire. It’s good for the quality of the soldiers, but the stone chairs are too hard.

At the Wind House, they bring magical tools, medicine, and exotic animals from all over the world. It’s exciting to see what they’ll bring since they fly through the air to collect various things, but sitting in the same venue gets uncomfortable.

At the Water House, they serve alcohol to the people of the capital. Alcohol brightens up the country.

At the Earth House, since they built the capital, they decorate various artworks on new roads and buildings, but I don’t want to see my own statue. It’s embarrassing and makes me want to destroy it.

After that, I visit other houses… When I was a child, the statues in the gardens were novel, as they were tailored to resemble the landscape of the capital, but over the years, the stone statues have deteriorated and become dense. It might be tedious for me, now that I’ve learned about the transfers of estates and the shameful parts of the nobles’ history… The children from the provinces all come here, and it might be interesting for them, but there have been complaints about how it confuses them in their later education.

As usual, I visit the arena, the great houses of the four elements, and the major families, but there was something different this time.

Most of the statues of the Druggen family have become incredibly beautiful…! Even parts of the walls, stairs, and railings!? It’s so satisfying to look at… Some parts might have been rebuilt, but the Druggen family shouldn’t have that kind of luxury.

I heard that it was done by a magic user who belongs to a well-connected merchant… with a special kind of magic.

“―――――Sounds interesting.”