I Became a Clothing Designer in Another World - Chapter 37

I sat on a chair in a corner of Heini Yang's lab, staring blankly out the window.

The happiness of not being bothered by people.

The tranquility of not hearing any loud noises.

The sense of security that no one is following me.

How long has it been since I've enjoyed the leisure of looking at the blue sky...

"Hoo..."

I took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair.

It had only been 30 minutes since I entered Heini Yang's lab, but peace and happiness were already filling my heart.

Indeed, people needed a space where they could be alone.

"You seem to be doing quite better than before."

As I slumped in the chair, finding peace of mind, Heini Yang approached with a smile and spoke to me.

"Yes, I feel much more comfortable since it's a quiet place."

"That's a relief. When I first encountered you, your face was as white as a corpse, so I was a little scared."

"I don't really enjoy meeting people, so this much attention is a bit overwhelming."

"Hehe, I can relate, since I had a similar experience when I entered the Magic Tower."

"Haha..."

It's not as much as a Honorary Knight, but mages aren't easy to see either.

People around must have made a huge fuss.

It's just that the extent is too much for me, which is the problem.

As I smiled bitterly and glanced at the ceiling, Heini Yang cautiously said,

"If you're feeling a bit better now, would it be alright if I asked you a question?"

"Yes, feel free."

"What was the order that His Majesty the Emperor gave to Sir William that made you come to me?"

"Ah, that's right."

At Heini Yang's question, I straightened up from the chair where I had been slumping.

I had forgotten the most important matter because of the peaceful situation.

"Do you remember the hooks and eyes I asked you for before?"

"Ah, yes, that's right. I made them in a hurry because you said you were going to show them to His Excellency the Royal Consort."

"I used them when making clothes to show to His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the Royal Consort, and both were satisfied with the clothes."

"Yes."

Expectation slowly began to fill Heini Yang's eyes.

"His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the Royal Consort told me to come up with a plan to stably supply hooks and eyes."

"Stable supply!"

The corners of Heini Yang's lips turned up.

Smiling brightly and clenching her fist, Heini Yang asked in an excited voice.

"How many do you need?"

"Roughly, about 4,000 hooks and 500 eyes are needed per year."

"Hmm..."

The smile disappeared from Heini Yang's face, and her brow furrowed.

And she pouted her lips and muttered in a low voice.

"It's a bit... ambiguous."

"Ambiguous?"

"Yes."

"Could you explain in detail?"

I tilted my head, wondering what was ambiguous, and asked, and Heini Yang held up two fingers.

"First of all, there are two ways to produce hooks and eyes: hiring a mage or using a machine."

"Yes."

"But both methods have fatal problems."

Heini Yang folded one finger and continued.

"In the case of mages, they can be made without any special equipment, but stable production is difficult. Precise manipulation is required to make hooks or eyes, and to do so, you have to hire at least an intermediate-level mage, and those mages don't want to do these odd jobs. They all have their own research to do."

"Is that so."

I had seen Heini Yang making hooks and eyes before, so I wasn't expecting much from this plan.

If it was a novice mage, I would have considered it, but hiring high-level manpower?

It was an option that I had even less reason to choose.

"Can't you make them if you're not a mage?"

"You can make them, but you'll need a skilled blacksmith, so the speed and price won't be satisfactory."

"Hmm... I see."

I neatly gave up on making it with people.

Because supply shouldn't be slow before price.

"Then what about machines?"

"There are already similar machines that make hooks and eyes. Production is also fast, so if there are enough materials, hundreds can be produced in a week."

"Oh..."

"However, the price will be a problem. It will cost a considerable amount to modify and manufacture it to produce what you want."

"How much do you expect?"

"It will cost at least 10 gold."

"10?"

Even if it's expensive, it's about the price of a moderately decorated dress.

It didn't seem like a problem.

"Isn't that a decent level?"

"This is a problem because it's related to the country. If you run it for a few weeks, you'll be idle for a few months, and I don't know if the managers will allow it..."

"Ah... that's true too."

Certainly, cost is a problem that cannot be ignored.

And this is about spending the country's money.

There's no way they'll readily allow you to make a machine that will be used for a few weeks.

"Hmm..."

I stroked my chin and pondered the words of His Majesty the Emperor.

[The issue of underwear production shall be handled and supplied exclusively by the Duke, who knows the most about it.]

His Majesty the Emperor only told me to solve the underwear production problem, but he didn't talk about specific methods.

It means that as long as I supply it properly, it doesn't matter how I do it.

Then shouldn't I just not spend the country's money?

I can just open an underwear store and make it.

Then quite a few problems are solved.

Small demand? The problem of the machine resting?

There are tens of millions of people in the Empire.

If I secure even some of them as customers, there's no reason to let the machine rest.

Even if I don't secure demand, I can just think of it as donating to the country.

What's the problem with the machine resting when I'm making it with my own money?

Without anything else, if I just close my eyes and spend 10 gold, I can gain the trust of His Majesty the Emperor.

Is it profitable?

"Heini Yang, is it possible to make hooks and eyes of various sizes from the machine?"

"It's possible, but the price will go up a bit."

"Aha."

The corners of my lips went up.

If I can make strap adjustment rings of various sizes, the degree of freedom in underwear design increases.

That means I can make various attempts for new demands.

There was no more reason to worry.

"Heini Yang, please make the machine, so that it can make hooks and eyes of various sizes."

Heini Yang, who was startled, widened her eyes.

"Yes? Are you really making it? What are you going to do with the money?"

"First of all, I'm going to make it with my own money."

"No..."

Heini Yang, who was about to say something, looked into my eyes, then closed her mouth tightly and began to worry, rolling her eyes.

And after a while, she nodded reluctantly and opened her mouth.

"Um... I understand."

"How long will it take to make everything?"

"It takes about two months."

"Please do so, I'll give you the deposit right now."

I immediately took out five gold coins from the pouch hanging on my waist and handed them to Heini Yang.

"Wow..."

Heini Yang, who let out a low exclamation at the gold coins in my hand, opened her lips slightly and stared blankly at me.

_

Having commissioned Heini Yang to manufacture the machine, I left the Magic Tower without hiding anymore, as I had the invincible excuse that 'I must carry out the orders given by His Majesty the Emperor'.

And whether someone talked to me in the middle, or came close to me pretending to know me, I ignored them all and went straight back to the town house.

"Young master...!"

As soon as I entered the town house, what greeted me was Emily, who was holding a pile of letters with a tearful face.

I felt like I knew what was going on without even asking, but I approached Emily and asked.

"What's wrong? Why are you like that?"

"While you were away, young master, two guests came and went with new letters."

"Who is it?"

"The third young lady of Count Elgin and Viscount Rubert."

"Um~ I see."

Judging by the fact that they didn't remain impressively in my head, it seemed like they weren't a very important family.

I can just refuse with a letter.

"Put all the letters that have arrived so far in my room, and refuse all letters and guests that come after this."

"Yes?"

"Just say, 'William Henry Howard is carrying out the orders given by His Majesty the Emperor, so don't disturb him and go back.' Got it?"

"Is that okay?"

"What are they going to do? If they're upset, tell them to protest to His Majesty the Emperor."

"Haa..."

Emily looked at me as if she was dumbfounded and sighed deeply.

I took the pile of letters Emily was holding, whether Emily did or not, and moved to my room.

_

Returning to my room, I wrote letters containing my intention to refuse the letters that had been piling up and the guests who had come to visit me, put the letters one by one in envelopes, pushed them into a basket, and handed them to Emily.

"Emily, please."

"Yes."

I left the delivery of the letters to Emily and the servants, and then I started thinking about how to supply underwear.

I decided to open an underwear store and deliver it directly to the Imperial Knights, but a store is not something that can be opened right away.

First of all, I can't sew every day, so I have to find someone to sew instead of me.

I'll have to find someone to run the machine.

Where to set up the store, how to secure materials, how to create new demand, etc. There were so many troublesome things.

If I had to do everything from scratch, my head would have broken, and I wouldn't have even tried, but I had my mother's chance.

What my mother said was a boutique, but a boutique or a lingerie shop are about the same.

I believed that my mother would understand even this minor difference.

I took out a luxurious stationery and carefully wrote down the words.

With simple greetings and light praise to my mother, and a whiny tone asking for help.