Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Explaining the Designs
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"Do you have any explanations regarding these clothes?"
The question I'd expected first when they dragged me in had finally arrived—dead last.
My lips itched with the urge to spill everything, a sign that the confession drug was starting to take effect.
Was that why they'd dragged out all those trivial stories and unnecessary details?
It wasn't strong yet, but a little more time, and I might even blurt out my 'reincarnation' tale.
That really would be heresy. Major trouble.
The common belief was that death sent you to hell or heaven for eternity. Say something like, 'I actually died and got reborn in a new body!' and you'd hear, 'Well, well, our brother here has some fascinating ideas!' as the priests piled up the firewood.
"Cough...!"
I'm done for.
I'd taken it lightly since there was no solid proof, but now the guillotine was hovering right at my neck.
I didn't know how fast the drug worked, but dragging this out was dangerous.
I had to wrap up my defense quickly and get out of here.
"First, as for why I started making clothes, I picked up needle and thread because I wanted to spread garments that let women enjoy beauty without any discomfort."
"So that's your reason for creating lewd outfits?"
"I can see how it might look that way, but what exactly is the problem?"
"......"
When I boldly went on the offensive, Bishop Bianca's face twitched, and the air around her grew steadily colder.
"William, do you truly believe there's nothing wrong with the clothes you've made? These lewd, hideous things?"
"Yes. I don't even agree with calling them hideous, and I certainly didn't make them for any lewd or depraved purpose."
"Ha! So you're saying you can explain why these hideous clothes exist in a way that I'll understand and accept?"
"Yes."
"Fine, then. Let's go through each one of the outfits known to be your designs."
Her voice carried a hint of emotion.
Bishop Bianca, grinding her teeth in genuine displeasure, jabbed violently at the photos as she spoke.
"The very first design was for maid uniforms, wasn't it? Excellently made—neat, no exposure, not flaunting the figure. The butler outfits that followed were the same."
"They're my favorites too. Simple, yet they make a person look beautiful."
"But right after that came these sheer stockings that reveal everything underneath, right?"
Bishop Bianca ripped the black-and-white photo of the see-through stockings from the papers and shoved it in my face.
I gently pushed it aside and met her eyes.
"I made these for my little sister. With spring and summer approaching, I experimented to create stockings suitable for warmer weather."
"And your sister used them to seduce a man, didn't she?"
"The result was that, yes, but if you look closely, it was just that Young Lord Lennox helped my injured sister, and feelings blossomed between them. What's wrong with falling for the man who helped you, or the woman who loves you?"
"......"
When I made the stockings for Hayes, it wasn't to 'seduce'—it was to help confirm their mutual feelings.
Not to lure some stranger, but to bridge the gap faster between two people who already liked each other.
And showing her legs? It wasn't deliberate; it happened naturally while Young Lord Lennox was helping Hayes with her sprained ankle.
What role did the stockings play?
They just gave Hayes the courage.
"Then why make them so thin? You could have used other materials to make summer stockings without making them sheer."
"At the time I made them for my sister, I had no access to witch-made fabrics. So I maximized what I had—existing materials—to handle heat and sweat."
"Couldn't you have at least used a less transparent color?"
"Is pure white a problem? My sister is an unmarried virgin, so I chose white to symbolize purity and innocence."
"But the design risks arousing impure thoughts."
"That's true."
This was logic I couldn't deny.
So I admitted it outright.
Bishop Bianca's lip twitched slightly in satisfaction, but before she could speak, I pressed on.
"But stockings are underwear. Underwear inherently risks arousing desire by nature—so should we ban it altogether?"
"Using it that way is a separate issue. Still, it was used to seduce a man, wasn't it?"
"As I said, it was just a minor mishap from my sister hurting her foot. It brought them closer, but it didn't cause any real problems in their relationship. They're still pure, steadily preparing for marriage. They're set for an engagement in April, and the families are discussing wedding dates. Your Excellency, do you see any issue here?"
"Ugh..."
Bishop Bianca frowned, glaring at me in clear dissatisfaction.
She realized mid-conversation that the topic had shifted slightly.
The stockings were suspicious, but not enough to outright condemn.
Hayes and Young Lord Lennox's case was just a minor incident between a couple heading toward marriage—a healthy romance with no odd process or outcome.
Calling it impure would draw massive public backlash.
"Then why make the other underwear?"
"Corsets harm women's health, so I made those as replacements out of pity. Pantyhose prevent garters or stockings from slipping during vigorous movement, sparing women embarrassment and simplifying wear. The babydoll was planned as sleepwear for women prone to heat, made loose and thin for ventilation. Panties protect a woman's private parts."
I had defensive logic prepared from the start for the underwear too.
In truth, I made them because I wanted to see them, but I'd explained that upfront.
There are plenty of reasons to want to see them, and anyway, it wasn't a lie.
"Is that enough explanation for the underwear?"
"...There's room for debate, but no clear issues."
In the end, Bishop Bianca conceded on the underwear.
Suspicious, but that was it.
Worth all the brainpower I'd put into avoiding loopholes when designing.
"Then why make the animal ears and tails? To express some religious meaning?"
Pulling new papers and photos from the stack, Bishop Bianca shifted from underwear to outerwear to regain ground.
"Someone wanted them for a masquerade ball, so I made them. Abandoning human identity deserves caution, but beastkin are humans created by the Lord, in a form He approves—so I don't see a major problem."
"Then why mimic real movements so closely?"
"Just craftsman's pride. If you're making it, why not make it as lifelike as possible?"
"I see."
The animal ears weren't a big deal for me or the bishop.
In this world with beastkin—unlike my past life—they're recognized as humans now, so as long as the ears lacked religious or spiritual symbolism, no issue.
"Truth be told, the most problematic outfit is this recent 'bunny girl' one. It imitates an animal form, deemed shameless and made for lewd purposes. Anything wrong with that assessment?"
"No."
"Then why make clothes for lewd purposes? This could be a grave sin."
"I admit it has strong sex appeal, but I believed stimulating the count and countess's desires to fulfill their duty of procreation was more important. My apologies for committing the sin."
Bishop Bianca's eyebrows shot up as her eyes widened.
"A sin with justification? What does shameless attire have to do with procreation duties?"
"The Tigres Countess hadn't conceived after five years of marriage. She felt disgusted by her own cold attitude toward her husband, anxious in every way, and realized she needed to change."
People confuse desires as evil and virtue as good due to concepts like the seven deadly sins or virtues, but it's more complex—hard to divide cleanly.
Religion warns against excess, ultimately.
Expressing desires appropriately in the right direction is even encouraged.
"So she came to me, and I made the bunny girl outfit for her—to give her courage to express her feelings and grow closer to her husband. Thanks to it, she warmed up to him and conceived after five years."
And the bunny girl was what the Tigres Countess took to get frisky with her husband during breeding season.
How could that be a problem?
I deserved praise for it.
I contributed to humanity's prosperity and reproduction.
"Is it a sin for a wife to wear shameless clothes to bond with her husband and conceive? If so, I'll gladly be a heretic."
I finished my defense to the best of my ability, crossed my arms, and stared steadily at Bishop Bianca.
"......"
She didn't avoid my gaze, but her thoughts seemed tangled—she bit her lip repeatedly, clenching her fist tight.
"William Henry Howard."
"Yes."
"Can you swear that everything you've said so far contains not a drop of falsehood?"
"...? Yes, I can."
"Very well. Wait here a moment."
Having dosed me with truth serum, Bishop Bianca asked this baffling question, then stood with a puzzled expression and left the room.
As she vanished, tension drained, and my body slumped in the chair like a squid.
"Hoo..."
I'm really gonna die like this...