The Genius of My Needlework Bewitched a Noble Young Lady
I needed to build a work circuit first.
I connected the spent magic stone to the workbench circuit.
A moment later, a faint light began to flow through it.
Let’s begin.
[1st Tier Composite Formula: Damage Repair + Stain Removal]
First, I mended the warped threads until the fabric looked untouched. Then I used mana to isolate and erase the wine that had soaked into the cloth.
Hssst.
Fine strands of mana stretched from my fingertips.
Invisible magic needles worried at every single thread in the fabric.
“......!”
Cold sweat trickled down my forehead.
If I pushed the mana output even a little too high, I’d scorch the silk itself; too low, and the stain would remain.
It was a tightrope walk, one misstep away from failure.
I need to control it even more finely.
The red stain on the dress vanished as if it had never been there.
That still wasn’t the end of it.
[1st Tier Transformation Formula: Color Restoration]
With a whisper of mana light, I gave the old, roughened silk a fresh luster, as though it had just been woven.
That should be enough. Maybe I’ll try one more thing as an experiment.
[1st Tier Transformation Formula: Anti-Soiling]
A spell that did more than repel dust; it kept even spilled tea from seeping in.
I used no fewer than four formulas on that single dress.
And yet there wasn’t the slightest sign of it.
Perfect.
The finished dress shimmered softly in the moonlight.
“Hoo...”
When I let out a breath, dizziness swept over me.
My mana’s completely drained.
My mana core would go into a state of exhaustion after mending nothing more than a single garment.
Most mages hated that depleted state.
It was unpleasant, and it left them powerless.
But I, on the other hand, enjoyed this moment.
This is it. The time when my core grows.
Mana was like muscle. It had to be torn down and recovered again and again before it could grow larger.
The more work I had, the faster I would become stronger.
A short rest.
Sensing my mana slowly refill, I picked up the next garment.
“This one’s a riding outfit. The leather’s peeling badly.”
[1st Tier Composite Formula: Hardening + Elasticity]
I stitched up the torn sections and cast a double-knot spell on the loosened buttons.
At this point, the buttons would hold unless something truly absurd happened.
One by one, then two by two...
The perfectly restored clothes were hung neatly along the rack.
* * *
The next morning.
Knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Hans, are you awake?”
It was the maid, Nenn.
I’d stayed up all night, so I jerked in surprise.
She’s early.
I still hadn’t put away the workbench.
In a hurry, I swept the magical tools on top of it into a drawer and released the security spell I’d set on the door.
Then I opened it with a calm expression.
“Good morning, Nenn. I was just waiting for you.”
“I came to tell you which clothes need urgent repairs today. For now, I’d like you to start with the banquet dress.”
Nenn.
Despite her gentle-looking face, her eyes were remarkably sharp.
I saw it yesterday too—she has calluses on her hands. And her footsteps are perfectly even.
Not just ordinary calluses.
Signs of harsh training.
No matter how I look at her, she’s not a normal maid.
I tensed up quietly inside.
This is the sort of person who’s really exacting.
She probably wouldn’t let even the smallest flaw slip by.
“Hans? Are you listening to me?”
When it seemed like I was lost in thought, Nenn spoke again, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“The urgent thing for today, first of all...”
“They’re all already repaired.”
“Pardon? All of them?”
Nenn looked shocked and swept her gaze around the room.
Then her eyes widened as she turned toward the rack.
“Are these really the same clothes from yesterday?”
She started with the silk dress that had been stained with wine.
There wasn’t a trace of the stain left, and the fabric actually shone more richly than when it had first been bought.
The ragged riding jacket had been restored to crisp, sharp lines, and its gilt buttons gleamed as though they were brand new.
“That’s impossible. You didn’t happen to stay up all night, did you? Even if you did, how did you manage all this by yourself...?”
“I couldn’t sleep anyway, so once I got started, I just finished them all.”
I smiled as if it were nothing.
“Of course, I didn’t just slap them together. These are Lady Ellen’s clothes, so I put a lot of care into them.”
Nenn inspected the garments one by one, her amazement deepening.
“I can’t find a single flaw, even if I try. Incredible. Now I understand why you were so confident. Lady Ellen will truly be delighted.”
When a smile spread across Nenn’s face, I finally felt myself relax.
“So, does that mean I passed?”
“I don’t know whether I’m qualified to judge, but even if the runaway Ponpar himself came back and did these, I doubt he’d do any better.”
“That’s way too much praise.”
“From now on, don’t push yourself like this. You can sleep at night and work only during the day. And one dress a day would be plenty.”
Nenn moved to gather up the clothes.
“Hey, Nenn. Just a moment.”
I stopped her.
“Yes? What is it? Do you need something?”
I pointed at the maid uniform she was wearing.
A black dress with a white apron.
It looked neat enough, but to my eyes the cuffs were worn thin and the threads were fraying loose.
“The edges of your sleeves are pretty worn. You’ve probably been too busy working to notice, so bring it by anytime. I’ll fix it quickly.”
Nenn waved both hands in embarrassment.
“Don’t worry about my clothes. You’re Lady Ellen’s personal repairman. It wouldn’t be fitting for you to mend a maid’s uniform.”
“This isn’t work. It’s my personal way of saying thanks.”
“Personal thanks? What do you mean?”
“You helped me yesterday. If you hadn’t spoken to Lady Ellen for me, I’d be in a very difficult position right now.”
When I’d been getting beaten up by those thugs, several other carriages had passed by nearby.
But they’d all gone on as if it had nothing to do with them.
And yet the carriage carrying the Valderd family’s young lady had stopped. That hadn’t been a coincidence.
Nenn had recognized me and told Ellen, and that was why she’d stopped.
In truth, Nenn was practically the benefactor who’d brought me here.
“That was Lady Ellen’s decision. I only happened to see you and mention it.”
“You could have just passed by without saying anything, couldn’t you? You spoke up for me. I’m very grateful for that, so please make sure you bring your clothes to me, all right?”
“......”
Maybe because of my sincere words?
Nenn hesitated for a moment, then looked down at the frayed cuffs of her sleeves.
Honestly, it must have bothered her too.
As Lady Ellen’s direct maid, she would need to look even neater than the others.
“All right. I’ll bring it later. It isn’t urgent, so take your time.”
“If you bring it by anytime today, I can have it ready by tomorrow morning.”
I smiled confidently.
In truth, it was a job that would only take a moment.
I would have liked to fix it right then and there, but that would mean showing Nenn how I used magic.
Even if it’s only useless 1st Tier household magic, these are spells I’ve poured my soul into. I can’t show them off carelessly.
The thing mages despised most, and looked down on most of all, was household magic.
But to me, it was invaluable.
“Then I’ll bring it later this afternoon. Is that really all right?”
The caution in Nenn’s eyes faded, replaced by warmth.
“Don’t worry about it. Bring it whenever you like.”
I answered with a smile.
There’s no harm in making Lady Ellen’s direct maid friendly toward me.
It would make life here much easier.
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.
I was genuinely grateful to her for yesterday.
And if I repaired her clothes, I’d naturally improve my magic proficiency too, so it was a triple win.
* * *
Two o’clock in the afternoon.
Lady Ellen’s dressing room.
When she saw the clothes hanging on the rack, she was left speechless.
“You’re lying! This is really the dress that got wine spilled all over it?”
She held the silk dress against her body and spun before the mirror.
“Not only is the stain gone, but the color is even more vivid. The fabric feels so much softer, too... Hans, what in the world did you do?”
“Since it’s your dress, I put my heart into every stitch. I’m glad you like it.”
Ellen burst into a bright laugh.
“Of course I like it. How could I not? You really put your heart into every stitch? It certainly seems that way.”
She looked as though she could float away from happiness.
“And the timing was perfect. I have a tea party today. I didn’t have anything suitable to wear, so I’ll wear this.”
Ellen chose the sky-blue silk dress I’d restored.
“Have a good time, my lady.”
I saw her off with confidence.
* * *
Salon de Rose, an upscale social club in the city of Rowen.
Noble young ladies had gathered in little clusters, sipping black tea and chatting.
The main topics of conversation were war and fashion.
“Oh my, Ellen! Did you have that dress made new?”
Sophia, the young lady of a rival house, asked with her eyes wide.
She was famous for nitpicking Ellen’s fashion at every opportunity.
Today, she looked especially desperate to find some flaw.
Meanwhile, the other young ladies swarmed around Ellen.
“The color is so unusual, Lady Ellen.”
“It’s clearly a design that was in style last season, but why does the fabric shine so beautifully?”
“It’s really lovely. Is it the latest cloth imported from the south?”
Ellen set down her teacup with a smile.
“It was just something I already had at home, but my personal repairman fixed it up for me.”
“Your personal repairman? You don’t mean Tailor Ponpar? I thought that man fled in the middle of the night.”
“That man ruined my clothes and then ran off irresponsibly.”
“Then you hired another repairman with real skill.”
“That’s right. He’s an absolutely amazing repairman.”
Then Sophia, pretending it was an accident, tilted the glass of grape juice she was holding out of jealousy.
“Oh no!”
Sploosh.
Dark purple juice spilled over Ellen’s sky-blue dress.
“What am I going to do? It’s silk—it’s ruined!”
Despite her words, her face showed no remorse at all.
In fact, a strange smile lingered around Sophia’s mouth.
But then.
Drip, drip.
The grape juice didn’t soak into the dress at all.
Like water beading on a lotus leaf, it gathered into round droplets, slid down the skirt, and dropped to the floor.
The dress wasn’t merely dry; it was spotless, with not a single stain on it.
“Wha...”
Everyone stared at the dress, dumbstruck.
W-what is this? A water-repelling spell? But if magic had been cast on it, I should be able to feel a mana fluctuation—why is it so natural?!
Sophia’s eyes widened as if they might burst out of her head.
“Lady Ellen, where did you have this done?”
“Which workshop made it?”
The questions came pouring in.
Defensive spells cast by mages usually gave off an ugly glow or a low hum.
But this felt less like magic and more like the fabric itself had simply been perfected.
“I told you already. It was my personal repairman’s work.”
Ellen could barely contain her delight.
She knew perfectly well that Sophia had deliberately spilled the juice out of jealousy.
And now Sophia, instead, looked thoroughly deflated.
* * *
Toward evening.
When Ellen returned to the manor, she came running over the moment she saw me and grabbed my shoulders tightly.
“Hans! Just what are you, anyway?”
“Did something happen?”
“There was a scene at the tea party today! I completely crushed Sophia!”
She was so excited that she rattled off the day’s events like a heroic tale.
I only smiled and listened.
Of course. I used four formulas in total.
Especially the spell I’d used experimentally—it seemed to have worked beautifully.
“I’m glad to hear that. It’s my job to preserve my lady’s dignity.”
“Yes! You really are a lucky find. Nenn was right. If I’d let you slip through my fingers, I would’ve been kicking myself forever.”
Ellen pulled a heavy pouch from her pocket and pressed it into my hand.
Jingle.
When I opened it, ten silver coins gleamed inside.
“Here. Take it. That’s for cheering me up today.”
My monthly wage was five silver, and she was giving me double that—ten silver—as a reward for good mood alone.
As expected, a great noble’s spending habits were beyond imagination.
“Thank you, my lady. I’ll put it to good use.”
“If you ever need anything from now on, just say the word. Materials, tools, anything—I’ll provide it all.”
Humming to herself, Ellen went back into the main house.
I tucked away the fattened pouch and returned to the annex.
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