Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: Tartan Patterns for Mages
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"How many groups do we need to be able to distinguish?"
"Around twenty would be ideal."
"Twenty... Not bad at all."
A bit much.
But it's not that difficult.
With twenty, you can honestly just tweak the colors a little and call it done.
Most people can distinguish that many shades anyway.
If the colors are too similar, swap out the achromats and peach tones for magenta or something. Problem solved.
Add simple shapes on top, and you could do it with just five colors.
Like how flipping the Polish flag gives you Indonesia, or rotating the French one turns it into the Dutch—pure magic.
Of course, I had no intention of going that simplistic.
Shove something too basic at folks who hate name tags, and they'll foam at the mouth yelling, 'Are you insulting me, boy?'
Can't afford to piss off the mages if I want a future. Gotta keep it stylish too.
"Do you know which group excels at clearly distinguishing themselves while still looking sharp, Viscount Fletcher?"
"Hm... Nobles, right? They love their family crests and symbols."
"That's part of it, but crests and symbols have been overused by nobles and nations. Unless they're ridiculously complex, they overlap. Plus, you have to redesign them every time a group reorganizes."
The Empire alone has hundreds of noble houses.
Throw in foreign ones, and it's thousands—imperial family, royals, Holy Kingdom, even cardinals and archbishops on par with marquises have their own...
Crests and symbols are bound to clash.
Make them insanely complex to avoid overlaps, and no one can tell what’s what without a magnifying glass.
So crests and symbols are out.
What we need is simple shapes that don't overlap easily, with great visibility. Possible?
If it's for clothing, not so hard.
"Any examples besides nobles?"
"Sure. They need to look good and be distinguishable. Knight orders and armies do it best."
"Ah...!"
Modern uniforms ended up so similar they needed ID strips, but look at line infantry era or interwar uniforms—easy to understand.
Parades of colorful, vibrant regalia, horned helmets—way sharper than today's camo.
They vanished as rifle fire punched holes in ranks, but that also means they nailed friend-foe ID from hundreds of meters away.
"But won't mages hate complicated uniforms like army ones?"
"Fair point. That's why I won't make them that complex."
"Then how exactly...?"
"Simple enough to finish the design right here, while you're watching."
"...?"
I spread out a sheet of paper and picked up my colored pencils, facing the viscount's skeptical, scammer-staring gaze.
"Do you know the difference between a cloak and a flag, Viscount?"
"A cloak's clothing, a flag's a symbol."
"No. Drape flashy fabric on a person, it's a cloak. Hang it on a pole, it's a flag."
"Pardon?"
I drew a rectangle on the paper, adding a tiny string at the top corner.
"Is this a cloak or a flag?"
"Er... Too simple. Can't tell."
"Exactly. No one can until it's attached somewhere. So just have them wear fabric with flag-like patterns draped around them."
"But you just said nothing too complex."
"Watch closely. I'll show you the magic of turning mill-woven fabric into a cloak with just a few cuts."
As the viscount started seeing me as a rambling lunatic, I scribbled lines inside the rectangle.
Some dense, some sparse. Horizontal and vertical lines in different colors. Fill squares between lines with contrasting hues—a check pattern.
Precisely, a tartan plaid.
In daily life, no need to split hairs, but strictly: alternating squares of two colors is checkered.
Vertical stripes and squares in varied hues weaving complex patterns? Tartan.
Think engineering club shirts for tartan, chessboards for checks. If unsure, call 'em all checks—no biggie.
Both full of squares.
"What do you think?"
"Looks good. With the right color combos and line spacing, it'll be stylish."
He gave an instant thumbs-up to the finished tartan.
Tartan's strength: Stick to non-tacky colors, and it's dapper and instantly distinguishable.
The Empire uses check patterns like chessboards sometimes, but not tartan—so no overlaps.
Misuse it, and you get engineer-shirt disasters. Use right, it's Burberry. Snag the pretty combos now.
"Doesn't even have to be a cloak."
"Right. Up to their taste."
"Hmm..."
And since it's a pattern, not clothing, no form restrictions.
"Any forms besides cloaks you'd recommend?"
"Cloaks are my top pick personally, but if not, scarves, neckties, hats, or stockings work great."
Use as accessories like neckties, scarves, hats, stockings. Or like army shoulder flags and division marks. Epaulets too.
"All everyday wear."
"Yep. That's why I recommend them."
"Hmm..."
The viscount's brow furrowed at my explanation.
All options sounded solid—hard to pick one.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you sketch samples using those?"
"Samples? All five?"
"Yes..."
"Hm..."
A tricky response.
I figured it'd be hard to choose, but not all of them.
Maybe two at most.
"From an admin's view, cloaks or neckties seem fine, but mages and witches... who knows what they'll pick."
Hard to say no—these are famously picky customers.
"Ah, yeah. Finicky bunch. They'll need options and eye-catching examples."
"Exactly. Show up with one cloak, and the complaints will fly."
Anyway, gotta haul samples till they like one. Their tastes are a mystery to normies like us.
"You have it rough."
"No, not really..."
Reminded me of my past-life boss rejecting reports left and right. Felt bad for the viscount.
Tough clients, but not his fault.
Blame the bosses assigning it and the diva mages.
"Ha... Fine."
"Pardon? Then...?"
"What the hell, I'll do 'em all. Hell, I'll even make real prototypes, not just drawings."
"Pardon?"
My bold one-up had his eyes bulging.
No demands, no testing waters—just cool acceptance. He looked flustered.
"Baron, I did ask first, but you don't need to go that far. We haven't even confirmed using your designs. No need to—"
"It's all upside for me. You're admin, might move departments. Better build goodwill now for smoother sailing later, right?"
"Haha, I'll gladly accept the favor."
He nodded with a satisfied smile.
No reason to turn down free work.
Plus, no bribes—just mutual goodwill and compromise.
"When should I come back?"
"Two days."
"Two days? That fast?"
"With fabric in stock, I'd say this afternoon."
"Impressive. Short history, yet the Empire's top atelier. Now I get why."
"All thanks to my stellar staff."
Minus their innate insubordination passive, they're perfect. Couldn't dream of this otherwise.
Even modern shops struggle with same-day rush jobs.
"Great. Can we draft the contract now?"
"Oh, no reports or approvals needed?"
"As long as your terms aren't outrageous, I have clearance."
"Came prepared, huh? Saves me the hassle."
Civil servants' nightmare: endless reports and check-ins. One ignoring red tape and VIP moods? God-tier.
"Ten gold. For the designs and prototypes, no touching how the magic bureau uses them."
Few lines for premium dress price? Feels steep, but I aimed high.
Gov folks haggle hard—overbid upfront to land fair.
"Ten? Cheap."
...?
"Thought thirty at least. Guess vice minister's son means big spender."
Thirty?
Three times?
"......"
Botched the market rate on designs.
Words out, and with him praising me via Dad, no window for "raise it."
"Eh, um... It's Dad's workplace. Can't squeeze too hard or it'll look bad on him, right?"
"Haha! Vice minister must be thrilled—such a thoughtful son."
"Ha, haha..."
Smiling, but lips twitching.
Ha... Should've asked for a quote...
My 20 gold...