Chapter 83
Ch 83 -- Lambert-san's Wife
Fer, Sui and I were having a relaxing breakfast in the courtyard of the inn when the landlady brought a boy aged about 13 or so to us .
"You have a visitor from from Lambert Company . " she said . I recognised the face of the boy when I looked closely, it was the lad I had seen assisting Lambert-san with his wagon on the way to Carerina .
"You see, the owner is waiting at the store . . . " the boy seemed distracted by something . What's up? You're drooling, kid . I wondered if he was remembering the meal he had enjoyed while returning to town as he watched us eat . Okay then, growing kids have healthy appetites so your sempai here will treat you to breakfast .
"It's maybe a bit much for breakfast, but since you're young I think it'll be good for you . " I said as I quickly grilled some Orc General meat pickled in miso, made a dish of Orc General miso-yaki-don, and passed it to him . The boy looked between my face and the miso-yaki-don, back and forth .
"Someone as young as you are will never get enough of something like this . " I reassured him .
"Oh, it's that good, is it?" He was still unsure .
"I made it for you . " I pushed the bowl at him .
"Oh, thank you!" The boy began gulping down Orc General Miso-yaki-don .
"Oh, it is tasty . . . " he said, eating it with a happy face . Once he finished the bowl I gave him some roasted green hot tea . I warned him to blow on it before drinking since it was something he hadn't encountered before .
"The food was very delicious and this tea is also delicious . Thank you so much . " the boy bowed to me in thanks . Yeah yeah, he's a pretty polite kid . Having to work for a living when you're his age, this other world is a tough place to grow up in . Work hard, kid and don't give up .
"Oh, the store owner is waiting for you . . . " the boy suddenly remembered why he had been sent to meet us .
Of course, Lambert-san wants me to call on him . I accompanied the boy to Lambert-san's store along with Fer and Sui .
* * * * *
Lambert-san hurried out to greet me as soon as I entered his store .
"Mukouda-san, you finally came, I'm saved . . . " he blurted, a relieved expression on his face . A woman suddenly appeared from behind Lambert-san . She was about 30 years old, a determined-looking beauty with long olive-brown hair put up in a complex style .
"Dear, you promised to introduce me," she said, elbowing him in the ribs .
"Oh, ah . . . Mukouda-san, this is my wife . . . " he stuttered . Pushing past Lambert-san, his wife took over .
"I am Lambert's wife, Mary . I am very pleased to make your acquaintance . " she said, curtseying in her long skirt in a very refined manner .
"I owe much to Lambert-san so I am similarly pleased to meet you too . " I replied, rather flustered as Mary-san slowly approached me, silently staring into my eyes .
"What is it?" My heart pounded as such a beautiful wife came close to me .
"You see, these items are . . . " She held out a basket containing the soap and rinse-in shampoo I had given to Lambert-san yesterday to try out . It turned out that Mary-san had noticed a nice smell from Lambert-san after he had a bath last night . Lambert-san had tried to conceal his use of the soap and shampoo because he was planning to surprise her with them on their wedding anniversary, but Mary-san would not be deterred from discovering the truth . Truly a determined lady .
"The fragrance of the soap the master of the household used while bathing was astounding . " she explained . "There are no issues with hair loss in our family line so I said that I was fine with trying the hair treatments . I hadn't really bothered with taking care of my hair before now, but when I saw how clean and glossy my lord and master's hair was after his bath I couldn't wait to try it . As you can see my hair is smooth and glossy too . " She looked down shyly but I wondered, given her forcefulness and assertiveness before whether it was only an act . Her "lord and master" was clearly under her thumb . . . "I don't believe there is a woman anywhere who wouldn't wish for such hair too . "
So it seemed I had guessed correctly, women liked such scented things but as a result of Mary-san's sensitive nose Lambert-san's plans were uncovered . "I was really surprised when I tried the soap my husband had used . " Mary continued excitedly . It seems the cheap soaps I bought at the Net Super were like high-class soaps in this world, they foam up well and leave a smooth feeling in the skin and the scent is superior too . The shampoos do a better job of cleaning and treating hair than just soap and water, the usual way to wash hair in this world .
Mary then held out a small jar, the one with the hair masks . "But this product is the truly amazing one . " She stroked her long hair tenderly .
"When I heard that Mudouka-san told my lord and master that this item 'makes any type of hair look beautiful just like magic', I just had to use it immediately . After all the soap and shampoo were so wonderful how could I resist? When I actually used it . . . " She stroked her long hair repeatedly .
"Before, my hair had been dry and stiff and a great problem for me but now it is smooth and shiny and soooo soft . . . "
Mary-san was dreamily stroking her hair over and over again . . . Mary-san, do you love your hair that much now?
"I was also surprised at this," Lambert-san explained, looking at his entranced wife with tender eyes . "Mary's hair has become impossibly smooth and glossy and it smells so wonderful too . She is even more beautiful than I could wish for . "
Mary-san punched Lambert-san's arm lightly, saying "My darling . . . " and his cheeks reddened .
. . . . . . . . . . . . Normies, go figure .
"So then, actually . . . " Lambert-san seemed distracted by his affectionate wife cuddling up to him . I guessed I had a sale . So how much soap and shampoo and hair treatments will you buy for your wife then?
"Mukouda-san, will you please let me sell these items in my store?"
Huh . . . ? Did Lambert-san just ask to sell these things in his own store? I blinked, had I misheard him? Lambert-san owns a leather goods shop, it's not somewhere that you'd expect to sell soaps and shampoos and the like . "I understand your surprise Mukouda-san, I wasn't sure myself whether it was a good idea but . . . " Lambert-san looked over at his wife .
"You are still worried about that?" Mary-san interjected . "You don't understand . These items will be very popular and you're a merchant, aren't you? Are you going to let another shop get all the profits from their sale?"
She poked him in the arm again, all business now . "If you sell these items in the store all the aristocratic ladies as well as my friends and ordinary women and girls will come to buy them here . " She stroked her hair again . "No woman who sees my hair could resist buying such items . "
"But, we sell leather goods . . . " Lambert-san muttered .
"Yes dear, the store specialises in leather goods but you can allocate a small area to showcase Mukouda-san's goods . You don't have to have all of the stock on display at one time after all . " Mary-san explained .
"Yes, that's true . . . " Lambert-san said, obviously thinking hard about it .
"If you don't want to sell them yourself, dear I will deal with those customers personally . " Mary-san went on, pressing her attack .
"No, no, that's not it, ummm . " Lambert-san sighed and then gave up, overwhelmed . "Very well, we'll do it your way . Mary, I entrust the selling of Mukouda-san's goods in our store to you . "
Mary muttered "Heh heh heh, just watch me . " as a greedy expression crossed her face . M-, Mary-san?
Lambert-san coughed . "Mukouda-san, will you please wholesale these goods to me?" Thank you Mary-san, I didn't want to sell these items to people directly . I don't have a shop and I didn't want to do any complicated customer service .
"Of course I will . " I bowed to Mary-san . "I would appreciate it very much if you would sell my goods in your husband's shop . "
"Thank you very much! It is very kind of you to agree!" Mary said happily . I couldn't refuse, could I, in the face of a woman's obsessive desire for beauty . To say no was, well, unthinkable . "Well then, let's discuss the details in the back room . " Mary-san said commandingly and Lambert-san and myself followed her there like obedient servants .
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[A short digression on plumbing in this world]
"Lambert-san, how do you drain the bath after use?" I was puzzled about how this world dealt with such things .
"The drainage is dealt with by a tank under the bathroom, buried in the ground . " Lambert-san explained . "There is a magic tool inside the tank to purify the water held there . After the water is clean it is released through a drain pipe out into the river . "
"Oh, so they have things like drain tanks and drains in this different world too . . . " Mukouda-san thought to himself .
"It's advisable to hire a user of earth magic to deal with such things when installing a bath in your home . " Lambert-san went on .
"Oh, earth magic . Isn't it expensive if it's for that sort of complicated work, tanks and drains and such?"
"Yes of course . I hired an earth magic user to install the tank and its purifying magic tool . The final total including the bath itself was more than 500 gold coins . . . "
"500 gold coins, really?" I was amazed .
"Yes, it was a lot to spend but I have worked hard to provide such things for Mary, the love of my life . "
"Ah, of course . " I murmured . It probably will not be so expensive for me because I have Sui who has water magic and purifying water should be a snap for her especially since she's a Slime . Hooray for Sui-tan!