Chapter 55
Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Securing Custom Wires
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After gauging the employees' reactions, I decided deep down to push pantyhose through without any changes.
Negative feedback had trickled in, but when I thought about it, it all boiled down to things like "It's too bold in revealing tastes," "The skin exposure feels perverted," or "How could we anticipate clothing we've never seen before?" Every bit of it was negativity aimed at me.
Forcing myself to dredge up anything negative about the clothing itself, the only quibble might be "Will the material have exactly the texture I'm imagining?" But I already knew it existed, so that wasn't an issue.
Besides, even if complaints about pantyhose had arisen from the start, I would've dismissed them as slander from narrow-minded fools with no vision.
Because I'd resolved to bring this to the world no matter what.
That said—or rather, as an alternative—the conversation I'd had with Princess Elizabeth at the end left me with plenty of worries on multiple fronts.
I didn't know the exact direction, but she'd sensed something suspicious about me, and it was clear she wasn't the type to sit idly by after picking up on it.
I had no idea what she might do, but it didn't worry me much.
Unless she kidnapped and imprisoned me, there was nothing to uncover even if she dug deep.
I could declare that with confidence because the very notion of isekai reincarnation was nearly impossible to even conceive here.
Abilities to manipulate time and space were in the realm of gods, so without divine intervention, no one could even attempt it.
Even with a god's help, teleportation was severely limited—you needed a bishop or higher in a major church praying fervently for about an hour to send exactly one person of bishop rank or above to another church with someone of equal or higher standing.
Prophecy of the future was even more restricted; mimicry was impossible.
The only true foresight came from divine oracles bestowed by the gods themselves.
So inferring reincarnation or future sight was no easy feat.
If someone did make that leap, they'd either be a madman or another reincarnator just like me.
No matter how you sliced it, this defied logic.
Well... if someone did figure it out, my future home would be a swanky cell in the imperial palace basement, Magic Tower basement, or papal vaults.
And there was no preparing against that.
"Sir William, today's quota is complete."
"Already?"
"Thanks to Adelaide, everyone's turning into automatons. We can go from fabric to bra in just thirty minutes now."
"Oh~"
The sun had passed its zenith, and I was pondering lunch when Princess Elizabeth delivered the shocking news.
We'd started at nine, so three or four hours at most.
Yet they'd already finished twenty? It was astonishing that speeds could still improve.
At this rate, even electric sewing machines might start lagging behind. No spiderkin aiming for society yet?
Just one or two more, and we'd finish the order maid outfits in three days.
Then we'd dominate the custom clothing market entirely.
"Haha..."
I let out a hollow laugh, narrowing my eyes.
What a ridiculous thought.
The staff's overflowing personalities were already a handful; adding more would overwhelm me.
"Tell them to wrap up and head home, then."
"Got it."
I instructed Princess Elizabeth to dismiss everyone, then tilted my head back to stare at the ceiling.
At this pace, we'd meet the knights' order quota by mid-next week. Time to prep the next phase.
My next step: release bras, girdles, and pantyhose to the masses.
Ideally, debut bras and girdles together.
To replace corsets, they needed to launch as a set.
The issue? Not knowing when Princess Pannee and Lord Herbert would deliver results.
October had the founding anniversary—a prime event—so debuting in September for the masses would be ideal to grab the big holiday...
But that was wishful thinking.
November brought His Majesty the Emperor's birthday, December the crown prince's—plenty more chances.
And holidays or not, events kept coming, so hitting the founding day was great, but missing it was just a shame.
Still, pinning down schedules mattered, so I'd check in with Princess Pannee and Lord Herbert midweek. For now, tackle what I could solo.
Right now? Brainstorm newspaper ads and design body-shaping bras.
"Hm..."
Bras first.
_
The bras I was making now were sports-bra style, focused on preventing breast bounce.
Sports bras made fine underwear, but their purpose and design kept them from winning women's hearts.
They minimized bust size, had clunky designs, and thick straps/bands that clashed with outfits.
Were they comfy enough for daily wear? Not really.
Preventing jiggle meant more compression, and compression brought discomfort.
So the public version needed a different angle from the knights' batch.
Not crushing the chest firm, but beautifully accentuating shape and adding a size boost.
The perfect fit: underwire bras.
As the name implied, they featured metal wire along the cup undersides to shape and support.
The rigid wire gave bras powerful shape retention and lift, like corset boning.
Beauty and design trumped comfort, so stretch was secondary—silk worked fine, and lavish lace/ribbons were encouraged.
These were a double-edged sword for women, but discomfort was relative. Compared to corsets, it was negligible, and precise sizing minimized it further.
Much later, once women adapted to underwires, demands for wire-free stretchy versions would emerge—but not now.
No demand meant it'd flop quietly, so roll out innovations gradually.
Underwire bras' issue wasn't design.
Silhouette was sorted, lace/embroidery was standard women's intimates flair.
The key: wire.
Stable supply was critical.
Plain hooks/straps could be machine-stamped, body-irrelevant. But wire needed custom shaping per bust variance.
That meant handmade, one by one. For custom bras going forward, I'd need a blacksmith or foundry for wires.
So I headed straight to the foundry supplying my hook/ring raw materials.
"S-Sir William?"
Isabella, the foundry owner and mid-level mage, looked stunned to see me again after just a week since her last report.
"What brings you today? Don't tell me last week's materials are gone already? Th-that was a month's worth! Physically impossible to burn through!"
"Not for that reason. I need some advice."
"Phew... that's a relief."
Isabella sighed in relief, her face brightening instantly.
"So, what advice does milord seek?"
"I want to make wire like this."
I showed her the pre-sketched wire on paper and began explaining.
"I plan custom versions per body type. Is that feasible?"
"So, produce on demand per client?"
"Exactly."
"Hm..."
Isabella frowned, studying the drawing intently before looking troubled.
"Shape's no issue, but inconsistent workload's the problem. Unless you're hiring your own smith, forges and foundries avoid it—complex specs, sporadic orders."
"I see."
"I'd love for us to help, but we're raw materials specialists. We handle wire coils, not tiny custom cuts."
"As expected."
Isabella tapped her lips thoughtfully, eyes narrowing slyly.
"Wait."
She muttered to herself, then flashed a meaningful smile, meeting my gaze.
"We've got a new hire dreaming of smithing."
"Oh?"
"Foundry work's far from smithing, so we're both stuck. How about assigning her to wire full-time? Short experience, but solid skills."
"Sure."
I nodded without hesitation.
Not urgent, and if her work didn't cut it, I'd shop around later.
"Work details aren't set yet, so can we hash out specifics later?"
"Of course."
"Thank you."
I smiled and bowed slightly.
Wire sorted—time to make clothes with Emily again after so long.