The Laundry Owner's Secret Hobby(?)
The Laundry Owner's Secret Hobby(?)
A rumor spread throughout Ignis Industry.
A rumor that there was a laundry with skills even better than Wiz Clean.
Word spread that they had confidently solved a problem that Wiz Clean, the Magic Tower's laundry, had shaken their heads at.
There was even a rumor that she had completely disbanded an entire investigation team for the laundry owner.
The entire team was disbanded, and the team leader, Jaewon Kang, was demoted to a regular member.
Rumors swirled that it was all because they couldn't properly serve her VIP, the laundry owner.
"I saw it all, didn't I? Everyone there got kicked out."
"That's because of the laundry owner? No way."
"No, you're just talking because you don't know. That laundry owner solved the contamination that even Wiz Clean threw their hands up at."
"You know the Red Swamp Dungeon, right? The bloodstone extraction dungeon that the headquarters considers a core asset. The clearing there has become several times easier now, and they say it's all because of that laundry owner?"
"Nah, that's ridiculous. Hyung-nim, you're just ignoring me because I'm not with Ignis right now, aren't you?"
"Department Head Choi from the next team saw it all! And they say the dungeon negotiation team that was formed recently is also thanks to that guy!"
It was buzzing with talk about one person: Jinsoo Kim.
The guest personally invited by Carmilla.
The hero who saved all the investigation team members surrounded by Lizardmen.
The laundry owner who washed away all the liquefied mana tar, the headache of the Red Swamp Dungeon.
"That was all done by one person?"
"Sounds like a lie..."
There were many people at Ignis Industry who were skeptical about the rumors.
However, because so many people had seen it for themselves, the credibility of the rumors kept increasing.
"Then what exactly is his identity?"
"He's definitely not just an ordinary laundry owner, right?"
"Maybe he's a Hunter hiding his identity?"
"Team Leader Jaewon Kang said he created a shield full of light?"
"A Saint? Or maybe a Paladin or something?"
"If the CEO is treating him as a VIP, he's definitely not an ordinary human."
"I heard some Saints are perverts who like to hide their identities."
"The Saint of the Laundry, huh."
The Saint of the Laundry.
It was a new nickname attached to Jinsoo Kim.
However, the person in question, Jinsoo Kim, was...
"The fiber material is woven so intricately."
He was admiring Carmilla's lingerie made of Ice Sea Silk.
Sanctuary Laundry's underground workshop.
It was a personal workshop used when making new bleach or laundry materials.
Because constant research is the only way to handle the laundry of dungeon hunters filled with countless contaminants.
It was a place he always used whenever he discovered new materials.
The corner of the underground workshop was filled with protective suits ruined by experiments.
Failed works he had experimented on with all sorts of methods before going on business trips.
I carefully spread out the Ice Sea Silk bedding and lingerie I had received from Carmilla on the table.
A top-tier material with a bluish hue.
The touch of the mysterious underwear, which felt cold just by touching it, was simply amazing.
"So this is Ice Sea Silk... This is my first time handling it myself."
Ice Sea Silk was an S-class high-grade material that ordinary hunters couldn't easily obtain.
Because the manufacturing method is tricky, there are only a few alchemists and tailors who can handle it, making it a material that is almost impossible to get even a sample of.
To think it's underwear made from such excellent material.
"It's really soft."
My appearance, fiddling with the lingerie with my hands, might look like a pervert, but it's absolutely not.
It's the gaze of a researcher with academic passion, mind you.
It would be unfair to point fingers and call me a pervert for this.
However, the pitch-black dragon ash embedded here and there bothered me.
Every time I tried to feel the soft texture of the Ice Sea Silk fiber, it would snag.
It also looked quite unsightly.
"Whew, I can check it after I finish the laundry."
I took out a small glass bottle I had carefully kept in my pocket.
[S-Class - Appraising the target with Cleaner skill.]
[Item: Pure Saliva of the Fire Dragon]
[Trait: A top-grade enzyme that decomposes and neutralizes ultra-high-temperature flame mana.]
As expected of an S-class material.
Carmilla's saliva.
But if left as is, it was just a great magical material.
To turn this into a proper laundry detergent, I had to fuse it while following the order.
"Shall we begin?"
I sprinkled spring powder onto the pre-detergent I bought from the general store.
A magical material that helps any magical material dropped into it to easily dissolve into the detergent.
It was a fusing agent that prevents other magical materials from going berserk.
[Detergent Production]
I activated the skill on the pre-detergent to lower the risk of a berserk reaction, and then dropped a few drops of Carmilla's saliva.
Then, the transparent detergent turned into a special magical solvent tinged with a subtle red light and imbued with mana.
A detergent with a subtle rose scent was completed.
"Now, shall we strip away the old grime?"
I used a dropper to tap a drop of the special solvent onto the lace part of the underwear stained with dragon ash.
Ssssss-!
Along with a satisfying sound, a magical thing happened.
The pitch-black lump of dragon ash, which would never come off with regular detergent or magic, started to melt on its own, creating white foam as soon as it touched the solvent mixed with Carmilla's saliva.
"Oh..."
The fabric wasn't damaged even by 1%.
Only the contaminant, the dragon ash, was gently decomposed and flowed down like plain water.
It was the moment I felt the most thrilling pleasure as a laundry expert.
"The reaction is excellent because the materials are definitely good."
I put on gloves in earnest and hummed while applying the solvent to the lingerie and bedding.
"Let's try hand-washing one as a test."
After applying the detergent on the lingerie and wiping it, I sprinkled water and started hand-washing it neatly.
"Whoa, this really cleans well."
That tricky dragon ash was wiped away smoothly in one go.
Laughter came naturally.
The corners of my mouth kept going up.
The cleaning power is insane, seriously.
"Boss, I'm leaving first... Gasp!"
Elena, who was opening the workshop door and entering, froze in place.
Her gaze alternated between the see-through, suggestive lingerie in my hand and the bottle containing the mysterious liquid.
"B-boss, that in your hand... is that women's underwear?"
"Ah, Elena, you're here? You came at a good time. There's something I want to check."
She couldn't take her eyes off the lingerie in my hand.
The lingerie, which was damp and wet from just starting the wash.
Her face turned bright red upon seeing the see-through underwear.
"In the middle of the night, in an underground secret room, applying that suspicious liquid to women's underwear... what on earth are you doing..."
Look at this kid?
"My appearance might look strange right now, but obviously, I'm doing laundry."
"B-but that face just now... that wasn't the face of someone doing laundry! Wow, it was completely the face of a perverted villain!"
Perverted villain?
I looked at my expression in the mirror.
I only saw the smile of a laundry owner smiling with satisfaction at the effect of the laundry.
"Y-you're smiling deviously! T-that, you're not trying to make me wear that, are you?"
Of course, the lighting is gloomy so it could be misunderstood, but...
Calling me a perverted villain is a bit much.
"I smiled because I felt good that the stain was removed so perfectly. Stop talking nonsense and go home."
"W-whose underwear is that?"
"Obviously, it's a customer's underwear."
I couldn't bring myself to say it was Carmilla's.
I have to keep the secret.
"Hmm, it looks like really high-end panties, there aren't many customers who would entrust such expensive underwear to the boss..."
Elena's eyes shone sharply as she began to deduce the owner of the underwear.
"That's enough."
Fearing she might guess whose underwear it was, I hurriedly chased Elena out.
"Uh, uh?"
"Go home quickly. Don't disturb my work."
"Boss, you're not really trying to satisfy your personal desires, are you? If it's that, you'd better hold back!"
"I told you, it's not."
No matter how much I chased her out, she wouldn't leave.
"Then who requested it?"
"I can't say."
"Ugh! Then it just ends with you being a pervert, are you really okay with that?"
Why are you so desperate?
"Fine. Let's say I'm a pervert. I'll be the pervert who likes underwear, so get out quickly."
"..."
She looked at me with a shocked face.
"Pervert."
"Yeah. I'm a pervert, so let's focus on work."
"..."
Suddenly, the strength left her body as she resisted, and she was easily pushed.
Thud.
I focused on the work again.
After perfectly separating the dragon ash, I ran it in the special washing machine to rinse out the residue completely.
The Ice Sea Silk, having finished drying, regained its blindingly blue luster as if it had just been made.
But it doesn't end here.
"I have to make it so that embers never stick to it again."
I put the special flame retardant I had pre-mixed into a spray bottle and sprayed it evenly over the entire bedding and underwear.
It had performance on a completely different level from the temporary flame retardant I had sprayed on her bedding.
This was also because some of Carmilla's bodily fluids were included.
Perhaps thanks to the added scent so that the subtle rose fragrance could last for a long time.
The lingerie sprayed with the flame retardant emitted a subtle fragrance.
Finally, after setting the temperature of the mana iron appropriately, I slid it over the fabric.
Sssss-.
Steam rose, and the flame retardant coating perfectly permeated between the fibers of the silk.
It was a special coating that, instead of burning when it touches fire, absorbs the heat and converts it into cool cold air.
[Laundry and repair complete!]
[Item: Ice Sea Silk Bedding Set & Lingerie]
[Grade: S]
[Additional Effects: Perfect Cleanliness, Flame Retardant Coating]
"Perfect."
I touched the bedding and underwear, which were ironed neatly without a single wrinkle.
The fantastic texture of the Ice Sea Silk was felt in my hands.
"Man, this is truly the best."
"I lose track of time when I touch clothes made of such excellent material."
Then, I suddenly saw myself reflected in the mirror.
"...Hmm."
I think I know why Elena said I looked like a pervert.
This appearance of me grinning and rubbing the lingerie in my hands.
It really looked like a pervert.
"Ahem."
I carefully placed the laundered underwear and bedding into high-end packaging.
It will solve her worries.
If I send the prototype first like this, and then wash and send the rest of the underwear and bedding, she'll like it, right?
-The flame retardant needs to be re-coated once a month.
I wrote a note of caution on the packaging.
Because of the nature of the flame retardant, it couldn't be permanent, so periodic maintenance was necessary.
"Since it's all done, shall I go home now too?"
I came out of the workshop and headed to the first floor of the laundry.
But.
"Whoa! You scared me!"
Elena was sitting on the sofa in the darkened laundry with her knees pulled together, staring intently at me.
-Peep~.
On her head sat Peep, who had the same hair color as her.
"...You didn't go home?"
"I didn't. I was keeping watch because I didn't know what kind of perverted things you would do in there."
"I told you, it's not like that."
"Pervert, lecher, underwear-obsessed man."
I looked at the laundry, which had been tidied up by the money-loving apostate saint who was staring at me intently with a lollipop in her mouth.
"You didn't go home and cleaned up."
"...Because someone was only enjoying their hobby instead of cleaning during work hours."
It's not really like that, though.
I couldn't bring myself to say it.
Because I remembered the image of Carmilla revealing her shameful secret while being embarrassed.
"Do you want to eat before you go?"
"..."
Growl.
It wasn't her mouth that answered, but her stomach.
"I'll make you something delicious."
"Don't think that I'll be appeased by something like this."
She said it firmly, but when I brought out stir-fried pork and lettuce, the corners of her mouth curled up.
"Hehe, delicious."
Yeah.
She's cute when she eats well.
"Eat a lot."
Clang-! Clang-!
Amidst the heat of the blazing furnace, the hammer of the dwarf master Garun struck the molten metal as if dancing.
The head of the 'Dark Iron Forge', who has forged countless famous swords for hundreds of years.
Garun, who is called a legendary master even among dwarves.
But today, his hammering was heavy and dull.
Crack-
Soon, with an ominous tearing sound, an ugly crack appeared on the blade of the longsword that was just taking shape.
"...Another failure."
Garun sighed deeply as he put down his hammer.
Even though everything was perfect, he failed the smelting again.
It wasn't a problem with the material, nor a problem with the temperature.
The cause was right there in the apron wrapped around his body.
An apron that was originally made of top-grade Wyvern leather, light and soft like a feather.
But now, it was heavy and stiff, like a steel armor plate.
It was because the fine metal dust that had splattered while working in front of the furnace for hundreds of years, or rather, the souls of the swords forged by him, had piled up in layers on his apron.
To a dwarf, an apron was the most symbolic item of all.
Hammer, anvil, and apron.
It was an item that must never be changed from the moment one becomes a proper blacksmith until retirement.
Because it was a companion that shared the beginning and the end, a lifetime.
To dwarves who believe that souls reside in objects, changing equipment that has been with them for a lifetime was no different from changing a wife or family.
In other words, it meant that from the moment trouble arises with the equipment, a dwarf must prepare for retirement.
"Is it already time to put down the hammer?"
Garun's beard trembled.
"There are still so many weapons I want to make."
Because he had so many regrets left, his hammering wouldn't end easily.
And to the ears of such a dwarf, the rumor of the Saint of the Laundry reached.