NOVEL NEXT Chapter 24 - Episode 24: Laundry Increased Workload.
Episode 24: Laundry Increased Workload.
Laundry didn’t go smoothly at first. When we had the people from the gambling den try it before starting the service for customers, problems arose. While laundry can effectively remove dirt and improve hygiene, it also damages the fabric, causing fraying, tearing, and color fading. I realized that even mass-produced items in my past life were refined. The quality, which doesn’t deteriorate even after dozens of washes, is completely different. Spinning and sewing natural materials are all done by hand. There are no synthetic fibers, large machines, or factories.
It wouldn’t be good to wash clothes unnecessarily, risking tearing them. I’ll have them sign a paper acknowledging these possibilities beforehand. There are also nobles among the customers.
“If we’re going to do it, let’s do it on a larger scale.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“When the current festival in the capital ends, there will be plenty of people hanging and selling clothes. So it might be a good idea to buy while it’s cheap. The gambling den is making good profits too.”
So, it was decided that people with martial abilities like Olmiroi and Markea would supervise the laundry department, and Talarine would also be involved as a seamstress. Unusable clothes are washed once, and only the usable parts are cut and patched to make new clothes. Remodeling! SDGs!!… Well, it’s a bit different? In my past life, I had a friend who was good at this kind of thing. Clothes were just a hobby unless they were cheap and couldn’t be used for work, but here, each piece fetches a reasonable price, making it a business.
Even brothels have seamstresses, and if work increases, maybe slaves can be helped…maybe.
There’s no need for a business registration for a new business, and if the boss says so, we’ll just do it anyway.
“What you said before about being a ‘big boss who manages hundreds of people’ and ‘just leave what you can do to capable people’ really struck a chord with me.”
I’m gently stroked on the head. It’s a bit painful and clumsy, but it’s probably the boss’ way of being kind.
“When I was younger, I made a lot of mistakes, and I thought it was okay as long as I succeeded now and everyone could eat. But… people are still increasing. It’s not a good feeling to see my sons fighting over money… You know?”
“Boss…”
This tough-looking, violent father figure would be a complete scumbag in my past life’s standards, but it’s a common thing in this world. The guards are being hit because they haven’t received an education and don’t understand what’s truly right and wrong. They’re physically enforcing common sense and hierarchy… I have things to say, but even so, discipline is maintained, and force is necessary because other mafia groups might attack. It’s normal for slaves to kill each other in this country.
Pakis punched me unjustly, but the boss never hits me unjustly, even with his intimidating appearance. He even shows concern for whether I and the other subordinates are eating properly. He’s not the type to enjoy violence, mischief, and women.
Still… it’s a bit scary to stay here. Some people don’t like me advancing. And the mafia may be attacked by law enforcement agencies at any time. They might be doing worse things behind my back than just collecting protection money. Despite considering various things, for now, I understand that staying here is better.
The best option would be to be taken in by an upright noble, but that’s not so easy. And here, there’s Logan, Markea, and Talarine, who worry about me.
“I’ll do my best!”
“Yeah.”
The work is simple, but you need to establish facilities and processes firmly. For those who want their laundry done, they have to sign a consent form and agree not to complain even if it tears, then we wash using water and commercial detergents, and hang the laundry on the rooftop.
We also provide a service to repair tears and frays as much as possible. Friim-chan also helps by providing water. We bleach with hydrogen peroxide, and perform ultrasonic cleaning… What was that pounding wash again? Well, never mind. After drying, we gather the clothes in the room and further deodorize them with ozone. I can handle many tasks when I’m around, but we need to design a system that can operate even when I’m not.
In addition, I also want to engage in buying and selling second-hand clothes and remaking them. I need dye and lots of needles. Wouldn’t it be fine to use all black dye?
I also want soap, but I don’t remember how to make soap. It involves something with oil… caustic soda? Or sodium hydroxide? And some kind of potent chemical, right? I’ve seen people use ozone and hydrogen peroxide in their daily lives, but I only caught a glimpse of soap making on TV… Do they sell it at the pharmacy here? Can they sell it to me even without a seal?
Knowledge from past lives proves useful in various ways. Though my knowledge of chemistry is vague, it’s useful for magic, business, and even gambling, as I know “a certain degree of correct answers.” Plus, I can deduce and act based on people’s positions, actions, and various other factors.
Laundry might not perfectly fit into this country, but it’s not a violent job, which is good. With work, more people can earn income and feed themselves. In my past life, needles were sold in packs of dozens at a dollar store, but here, one needle costs as much as 22 copper coins… Is it difficult to manually pierce holes? Maybe I should ask someone who used to maintain underground weapons.
There was some strange race going on at the gambling den. Dogs exist in this world too. They seem formidable when alone in the alleys, but Pakis chased them away for me, so I never had to sleep alone. The rules are simple: predict which dog will reach the goal first. Of course, some dogs don’t move, and some get lost.
Initially, a simple win system seems sufficient, but let’s introduce place and show systems too. If cute dogs come, I think girls will come to watch. If that happens, maybe the guys will stop collapsing in their underwear or behaving barbarically. Even men might clean themselves up a bit and feel more motivated to work… It was the same in my past life. Men, they are…
To also introduce guard dogs, I’ve already caught some sturdy ones, but let’s also prepare some cute dogs in cute sizes.
“That magic of yours really gets the dirt out well.”
“Thanks, but I can’t do repairs, so I’m counting on you for that, Talarine.”
“Oh, come on.”
Talarine gets all squiggly when praised. We’ve really gotten close.
Talarine is very skilled at needlework. Apparently, her skin is tough, so the needle doesn’t pierce easily, but she’s adept with her hands and has been repairing clothes for a long time.
“But you don’t have to overdo it, okay? You can drink water however you like.”
“Thank you.”
“…”
I feel like I can get along with Markea… But I just can’t seem to connect with Olmiroi. Our eyes meet, but he says nothing and his expression remains unchanged.
“Big brother seems happy too. We Lizardmen suffer when we’re thirsty.”
“Huh, is he happy with this?”
“Big brother is very difficult to understand, you know. Look, doesn’t it seem like he’s happy around here?”
Talarine, who stood up, poked Olmiroi’s cheek with her index finger while tiptoeing. Olmiroi’s head tilts with considerable force, but there’s no change in his expression.
Maybe he’s trying to say he’s smiling, but he doesn’t seem to change at all.
“Can’t see…”
“Come to think of it, why did the three of you become slaves? If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to, but I’d like to know if possible.”
Although we’ve become quite close, Markea and Olmiroi, the gladiators, are mostly made up of criminal slaves. Some were enemy soldiers or committed major crimes. Some may have become slaves willingly, but still, if we’re going to work together, it’s something I should know.
Markea sat in a chair, glanced at me, took a deep breath—then looked straight at me and began to speak.
“I was an adventurer who hunted demons, but my comrades left me with debts, so it was better than working at a brothel, fighting with weapons.”
It was a difficult story to hear, but Markea smiled a little and answered normally.
“What about Olmiroi and Talarine?”
“…Our marshlands dried up due to drought, and there was no food. Because of that, we Lizardmen, who have rich blood, were sold from the village… um, that…”
Talarine seemed reluctant to say it, and at this stage, being sold from the village already seems like a heavy story. Is it an even heavier story?
“I… I killed the master. Talarine is not at fault.”
It was a story I didn’t want to hear. But I should also hear the reasons behind it.
“Why though? The story doesn’t add up.”
I was struggling with how to address the situation when Markea-nee-san spoke up. It seemed likely to be a cause for Olmiroi’s fury… There’s absolutely no indication of the master doing anything inappropriate to Talarine, but I feel like we should know what Olmiroi did. A slave bound by magic shouldn’t be able to harm their master, but was there some loophole?
“Big brother isn’t good at explaining things… Um, we’re Lizardmen, you see, and the slave trader we were bought from on the way here seemed to imagine us as stronger, more lizard-like creatures, so he got angry and said ‘I’ve been deceived’ at our appearance, then got drunk, hit me, and my brother accidentally killed the master in the commotion. …The trader was in debt to Lord Dugga and came here.”
“What do you mean by ‘accident’?”
“My brother was in the next room, and he tried to break down the locked door, causing the shack to collapse.”
“Umm, what?”
I didn’t understand. The shack collapsed while trying to open the door?
“It was a small shack, but the beam was large and it hit the trader, I was in danger too.”
“…It was an accident.”
It wasn’t intentional, but even if it was an accident, does that mean you can still kill your master? I’ll remember that. Olmiroi doesn’t seem to harbor any hostility towards me, but I still don’t know about the other slaves. From now on, they’ll each have other slaves or seamstresses as subordinates. Naturally, I’ll have to interact with them as well.