Chapter 116
Chapter 116: Shall I Try Living Life Again? (4)
With so much on my plate, the day of the feast had arrived in a flash.
Ghislaine had decided to forget about work for just today and enjoy some rest.
“I just wish I could relax sometimes.”
Ghislaine loved to have fun too.
During his days as the Mercenary King, he tossed all the annoying tasks to his followers, choosing only the interesting ones for himself.
But now, there was too much to do, leaving no room for a proper break.
“Ugh, I need to clear everything out so I can relax properly.”
Complaining, Ghislaine smiled widely as he slowly made his way to the banquet hall.
Although the banquet hall in the Castle of Penris wasn’t too big, the number of retainers and servants was low enough that hosting an event wouldn’t be a problem.
While some retainers insisted that bringing in the servants would lower the dignity of the occasion, Ghislaine didn’t care and pushed ahead.
He believed that having everyone celebrate together was the way to enjoy oneself.
“I’ll make a huge plaza later and gather all the territory residents. That’ll be fun.”
In truth, he wanted to invite all the territory residents again this time.
But no matter how small the territory, it was out of the question to let all the residents into the castle at once.
Regrettably, Ghislaine decided to distribute drinks and meat to each house.
The territory residents who received free drinks and meat, along with the servants who got to experience a feast typically reserved for nobles, praised their lord with delight.
In a poor territory with no entertainment, everyone, young and old, eagerly awaited the feast day.
Except for one group.
Claude and the wizards huddled in a corner of the banquet hall, whispering among themselves.
Their faces were ashen and dark.
“Please, just one…”
“There must be at least one person experiencing side effects.”
“We can’t miss even one. We must find them and force them into a draw.”
They were desperate, frantically searching for anyone with side effects, clutching at straws.
Their actions weren’t typical of those who pursued reason and rationality, which only showed how anxious they were.
‘The goddess may not have sent a demon lord, but perhaps she sent at least one pimple our way.’
Claude stared wide-eyed at the entrance of the banquet hall.
He was thoroughly examining the faces of those entering.
*
After the basic food setup was complete and the hastily assembled band took their spots, Ghislaine entered the banquet hall.
“Has it not started yet? Just start informally. What’s so complicated about having fun?”
Typically, the highest-ranking person arrives last, but Ghislaine didn’t care about such formalities.
As the lord slumped into a chair and began tearing into the meat, the retainers shouted in surprise.
“Start already!”
The band hurriedly played a tune.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Since they were hastily gathered, no one had impressive skills.
They barely managed to hit the right notes, and starting the performance suddenly without any preparation made it even worse.
Clatter!
As soon as the door opened, those who had been waiting for the feast surged in.
They weren’t dressed extravagantly like nobles, but everyone wore clean clothes, making an effort to look presentable.
One commonality among them was that their faces all sparkled brightly.
“Ah, ah…”
Claude turned his head away.
For some reason, his eyes were stinging, surely due to the lighting.
It wasn’t tears because he felt he was going to lose!
“Damn…”
Claude bit out a curse while intently scanning the people entering the banquet hall.
Clean here, clean there, all radiant.
There were differences in skin tone and wrinkles, but not a single person looked like they had bad skin.
The only ones looking unwell were the wizards beside Claude, anxiously scanning their surroundings.
As the crowd gathered, Ghislaine raised his hand and stopped the music.
To be honest, it hurt to listen to it.
“Thanks for your hard work with the busy affairs of the territory. I appreciate everyone. We will continue to be busy, so make sure to rest well until tomorrow.”
It was a rather bland speech, but everyone nodded in agreement.
It was already well-known that the lord lacked the typical dandyism of nobles.
Ghislaine cast a peculiar smile towards Claude and the wizards.
“You all know that the territory’s chief officer and the wizards made a bet, right?”
When cosmetics were mentioned, the atmosphere grew as quiet as a mouse.
It was finally time to confirm the results of a bet with clear odds of winning and losing.
“Opinions on cosmetics are bound to be subjective. I believe most here have tried them.”
Leaning back in his chair, Ghislaine spoke in a relaxed tone.
“Those with side effects, step forward. I will provide ample compensation.”
No one stepped forward.
After all, who would dare face the lord even if they had side effects?
The fortunate thing was that there indeed seemed to be no side effects.
“It looks like there aren’t any. I’ll leave the determination of the bet’s outcome to everyone here. Please speak honestly about the cosmetics.”
At first, people hesitated, looking around, but one by one, they stepped forward.
“The results are fantastic! I’ve never seen a product like this.”
“My skin is so much better than before. There’s definitely some effect!”
“I had no side effects! This is perfect cosmetics!”
“Could I have just one more? Please!”
Once a few people started giving their opinions, soon everyone was chattering excitedly, praising the cosmetics.
With the product’s effectiveness clear, many lamented that they wouldn’t be able to get their hands on it next time.
In the end, the praises for the cosmetics morphed into praises for the lord.
“This is amazing! I was shocked when you showed us the new farming method, but you made a product like this too!”
“This will be a smash hit! It will become a specialty of our territory!”
“Could you create more? I’ll trust you with anything now!”
The compliments didn’t stop.
Ghislaine lounged back, his expression gleeful, as if he were inviting more praise.
When the people began to tire and their compliments dwindled, Ghislaine looked back at Claude and the wizards.
“Well? It seems the results are in?”
“Ugh, uh…”
Claude and the wizards’ faces turned white in an instant.
Despite their prayers, no one had even a single pimple!
Who would’ve thought that actual effective cosmetics were created?
There was no room to argue anymore.
Claude scanned the area with trembling eyes. It seemed everyone in the banquet hall was staring at him, awaiting the declaration of defeat.
“Ha…”
Looking at the ceiling for a moment, Claude sighed and forced a self-deprecating laugh.
“Well, there’s nothing that can be done. Our lord has succeeded once again. Where on earth did he learn such things?”
Regardless of the reasons, they had to accept defeat.
That was… the nature of a ‘gambler’.
Of course, that was nonsense.
“Alright. I lost.”
Now I was a twenty-year slave.
Well, it was to be expected after gambling with my life.
Once Claude readily nodded and admitted defeat, awe erupted around him.
To accept twenty years of slavery so calmly!
He was indeed someone extraordinary, to be entrusted with the position of Chief Officer of Penris. Or perhaps not all there.
Claude shook his head with a truly helpless smile.
He lightly bumped his fist against Alfoy’s.
“I lost, but I fought well. That was an impressive gamble, right, bro?”
Alfoy, who had been in a daze, slowly turned his head.
Gazing at Claude’s face, which was brightly smiling from accepting defeat.
“Kick.”
Alfoy snickered and brought his fist up to Claude’s…
Only to suddenly open his palm wide.
Whoosh!
Flames surged from Alfoy’s palm, swirling forth.
“Ugh!”
Wendy quickly pulled Claude’s collar as he jumped in shock.
He avoided being burned, but ended up sitting down on the floor instead.
“Hey, bro! Why the sudden attack?!”
Claude rubbed his backside, looking up.
Alfoy and the wizards had expressions that were chillingly serious.
“W-what? Wait a minute. Are you trying to attack? Right in front of the lord? Today’s a joyful day, right?!”
“I’m gonna kill you.”
Alfoy and the wizards began to channel their magic.
As Wendy realized the situation had grown serious, she swiftly grabbed Claude and fled the banquet hall.
No matter what, she couldn’t face off against twenty-six wizards head-on.
“Catch them and kill them!”
Alfoy and the wizards rushed after them.
In the face of such a sudden turn, the bystanders were left dumbfounded.
Ghislaine waved his hand lightly.
“Now, don’t worry about that side, just enjoy yourselves. I’ll go deal with that guy.”
With the lord now involved, the guests felt free to enjoy the feast.
Wendy, upset about missing the festivities, grumbled inwardly while carrying Claude and dashing all over the territory.
“Run! We’ll die if we get caught!”
“Shut up.”
In a fit of rage, Alfoy and the wizards pursued them relentlessly.
The chase only ended once Ghislaine intervened and subdued everyone.
*
“We have a problem.”
Now a twenty-year slave, Claude spoke with a serious expression.
He looked a mess from who-knows-where.
“Is there ever a day when there’s no problem with you? Alright, what’s the issue this time?”
“The success of the cosmetics is indeed a cause for celebration. Anyone who tries them is bound to be impressed. Please give me a few to send to Anna.”
“Success is great. So what’s the issue?”
“The cost of the materials is too high for mass production. If we produce in small quantities, the speed will be slow. That’s the issue.”
These cosmetics contained numerous medicinal ingredients.
The most expensive among them was a flower known as ‘Fairy’s Blessing’.
The same flower utilized when treating Gillian’s daughter, worth more than its weight in gold.
While only a small amount was actually used, the production cost was still significant.
“It’s fine. We can sell it at a higher price to the nobles. After all, the main demand will come from them.”
“Good strategy for premium goods. But that’s assuming the nobles will buy them! Even the servants in the castle rejected it. Gillian used it out of loyalty, but the nobles won’t feel the same.”
“Time to start advertising.”
“How? This is a rural territory, and there aren’t even nobles around.”
Ghislaine nodded as if he had thought of something.
“I’m going to the capital.”
“What?”
“The nobles who enjoy socializing are all gathered in the capital, right? I’ll build connections there and try selling the cosmetics.”
“Ugh… those capital nobles are notoriously picky. What would make them buy the lord’s products? If they don’t sell properly, we’ll incur losses and won’t even make back our investment.”
“What if we just shove it into their faces?”
“What?”
Claude’s eyes widened. Could they really force nobles to comply?
“Let’s kidnap a few for about two weeks, lock them up, and then let them go once their skin improves.”
“Are you crazy?”
“Still, I figure they’d be grateful if their skin gets better?”
“They’d be grateful my ass… Or maybe they’d just think after they kill me. They might only realize later, ‘Huh? This wasn’t poison after all?'”
“Hmm, maybe that’s not a good idea.”
“Of course not. Let’s at least be sensible.”
Truth be told, Ghislaine was starting to realize from this experience that there were some serious issues.
Unless Ghislaine’s reputation was on par with Duke Delphine, selling to the nobles would be exceedingly tough.
“Let’s just think about that later. We need to keep the production steady, so continue ordering materials.”
“Ugh… Well, I can’t just develop something and not sell it.”
Claude didn’t oppose the sale itself.
There wasn’t a product this effective anywhere on the continent.
The best course of action was to generate word-of-mouth among the nobles in the capital.
They were the trendsetters of the kingdom after all.
Once it began to sell among the nobles, they’d be sitting on a fortune.
If even just one or two used it, they would soon have nobles approaching them with money, but that first sale was the problem.
“It’s likely that sales won’t be great at first, so how about producing in smaller quantities until word gets around?”
“No, let’s stockpile first. Once someone uses it, it’ll sell like crazy. If we wait until then to prepare, it’ll take too long.”
“That’s true, but the more it doesn’t sell, the bigger the deficit becomes. The cost is just too high. If it doesn’t sell well, we won’t even break even. There’s a limit to storage as well.”
“It’s fine. I’ll go out there and fight through it in the capital. If it comes down to it, I can do door-to-door sales. Don’t some people do that?”
“…Your sales strategy seems dizzying.”
Door-to-door sales or not, who would buy cosmetics from some rural hick?
If Ghislaine were just promoting cosmetics, it might work, but he seemed like he’d threaten them with a knife to buy his products.
If news of that spread, it wouldn’t just dent Ghislaine’s reputation; it would smear the faces of those around him too.
“Let’s hold off on door-to-door sales for a bit. Making connections with the nobles would be a better strategy.”
“I’m considering that as an option too. Ugh, making friends is a tough business.”
“…Indeed. Not easy at all.”
Claude didn’t gamble on this.
With a product this effective, it would catch on sooner or later.
Eventually, there would be some nobles who’d latch on, and friendships would be formed.
But because it wouldn’t happen overnight, he was just concerned about the losses from piled-up stock until then.
“So when are you planning to leave? It’s going to take time to gather a sufficient quantity.”
“We’ll depart once we have enough to sell. We’ve been making it steadily throughout testing, so it shouldn’t take too long.”
“Phew, understood. Safe travels. Make lots of good friends. Ugh, I wish it would sell well.”
Claude tried to hide his joy, putting on a disappointed face.
Just getting to the capital would take a month.
Considering the time it takes for promotion, the lord would be away for quite a while.
Claude was planning to use Ghislaine’s absence to take a breather and soothe his weary soul.
‘Please just go away quickly.’
But the response from Ghislaine was like thunderclap.
“What do you mean go away? You’re coming with me.”
