Any VVIP perks?
Any VVIP perks?
Two days later, the top floor of Ignis Industry, the Chairman's office.
Click.
The heavy safe door closed, and Carmilla's bedroom, now a perfectly sealed room, was filled with a strange tension.
"Did you bring it?"
Carmilla asked, pretending to be nonchalant with her arms crossed, but her gaze was fixed on the large, opaque garment bag in my hand.
The horns on her head were trembling slightly, suggesting she had been waiting quite anxiously.
"Of course. I worked on it perfectly, on the honor of Sanctuary Laundry."
I placed the bag on the table and carefully unzipped it.
Charreureu-.
As the packaging opened, the Ice Sea Silk blanket, emitting a blindingly blue light, and the lingerie, washed perfectly without a single lace damaged, revealed themselves.
"Wo, wow......."
Carmilla's eyes sparkled as she saw the perfectly cleansed bedding.
A small gasp escaped Carmilla's lips.
She approached as if possessed and carefully stroked the silk blanket.
"No way. It's really gone without a trace......."
Not only was the dragon ash that had been deeply embedded gone, but even the smell of soot had vanished completely.
If anything, the inherent cold and soft texture of the Ice Sea Silk was even more vivid than before the wash.
"It was quite a struggle to remove. Dragon ash is a contaminant that isn't easily removed once it stains, so I had quite a hard time making the synthetic detergent."
At those words, admiration appeared on her face as she examined the clothes made of Ice Sea Silk.
"The fibers aren't damaged at all? Even these thin undergarments......?"
Our client stared at the results with a dazed face.
"Even the thin frills on this underwear...... how on earth did you wash it?"
"That's a trade secret. Thanks to the excellent natural enzymes doing their part."
At my cheeky answer, Carmilla's face flushed bright red.
She had realized that the natural enzymes I mentioned were actually her own bodily fluids.
However, she couldn't bring herself to get angry and avoided my gaze with a cough.
Because the result of the laundry was perfect enough to cover up that shame.
"Ahem, yes. Well....... It's a result worthy of such rudeness. The laundry passes. It's really...... perfect. But."
She cleared her throat and continued.
"What about the flame retardant? You said it wouldn't burn even if sparks fly. It's fine on my dress, right?"
"Of course. From now on, your clothes won't be damaged by Dragon Breath. I even applied flame-retardant magic that blocks all reflex breaths that occur during sleep."
"I'll know if I check it myself."
At my confident attitude, Carmilla sparked a small flame at her fingertip.
It was a highly concentrated flame mana that would have turned ordinary fabric pitch black just by being near it.
She hesitated, then brought her finger, with the flickering flame, to the silk lingerie.
The flame, with a concentration similar to Dragon Breath, touched her lingerie.
Chii-iik-!
Instead of the fire catching, a pleasant friction sound rang out.
Cool, refreshing energy rose from the area the flame touched, traveling up Carmilla's fingertips.
"Huh?"
Carmilla looked back and forth between her finger and the blanket with surprised eyes.
A special coating that absorbs heat and converts it into cool, refreshing energy instead of burning when fire touches it.
It was a technique that perfectly utilized the dragon's intense heat.
"Just now, this......."
"It's something that converts heat into cold. Since there's nothing to burn, there's no reason for dragon ash to form."
It's my masterpiece.
I used a massive amount of the best magic ingredient, dragon saliva, to make this.
"No matter how hot a breath you blow inside the blanket, the bedding will automatically turn it into a cool massage. You'll be able to sleep very peacefully without tossing and turning all night."
"......."
Carmilla hugged the coated blanket and lingerie tightly without a word.
Usually, it would have just been the cold texture of silk, but now it was different.
Between the fibers of the fabric, Jinsoo's delicate consideration, trying to cover her shame and make her as comfortable as possible, was permeated throughout.
The softness of the fabric was incomparably different from before.
If anything, it felt much better against her skin than when it was new.
'It even smells pleasant.......'
A cozy and soft scent brushed against the tip of her nose.
That day, the memory of the day she covered her body with the blanket he had ironed himself at Kim Jinsoo's laundry shop came to mind.
That blanket she wore back then.
It felt similar to that.
A fabric with a capacity to embrace anything.
A smile of a crescent moon, which she couldn't hide, spread across her lips.
"......This is truly amazing. I didn't expect such a good result."
Carmilla placed the blanket down on the bed preciously and looked straight at me.
It wasn't the gaze of an arrogant dragon, but the gaze of a woman completely enchanted by something.
"The flame-retardant coating needs to be reapplied once a month. I think you should visit the laundry then."
"Once a month is enough?"
"For the flame retardant, yes. Of course, I also accept individual laundry. Ice Sea Silk is tricky to manage, so you can visit separately for laundry."
She, who had been touching the underwear and bedding, bit her lip lightly and approached me.
Her hand brushed against my collar.
"You're cunning."
"......Excuse me?"
"To receive the flame-retardant coating once a month, I have to keep giving you my bodily fluids, right? You called me here on purpose for that, didn't you?"
"......."
"I knew it from the moment you realized my fake dignity and accused me of being an exhibitionist. You're a real pervert."
"Uh, well......."
I don't know what kind of misunderstanding this is.
"Fine. I'll visit periodically. Can't help it. If you need my bodily fluids, I have to go myself, right?"
Carmilla's face as she spoke turned bright red.
As if it were about to burst at any moment.
That was why.
'Actually, your bodily fluids aren't needed for the coating after this.'
I couldn't bring myself to say that.
Because if I did, she looked like she would burst from embarrassment.
I don't want to get hit by a Dragon Breath.
"Understood. Please come anytime."
"I'll get a subscription this time. Should I make a separate VVIP subscription?"
"We don't have a subscription, but let's make one this time."
"Really?"
Carmilla regained her relaxed smile.
"Then......."
Does she have something she wants to say?
Carmilla hesitated for a moment.
"Is there a special service for a VVIP who bought a VVIP subscription?"
"Special service?"
"Yes. For example......."
Carmilla, slightly flushed.
She wiggled for a moment and parted her lips.
What does she want?
"...S-so......."
Special treatment?
Hmm, certainly, people in special positions like her needed special treatment.
Like an additional service.
Just like how Lee Chaerim fell fast asleep wearing teddy bear pajamas at our clinic store.
She would need an additional service that an ordinary laundry wouldn't provide.
"We certainly don't have a service prepared for VVIPs yet."
"Ahem, well. To boost consumer desire, you need something special to target them."
As expected of a CEO of a large corporation.
A big picture that a boss running a mere laundry shop couldn't see.
I'm learning another thing.
"Good timing. I actually have one service in mind right now."
"R-really?"
She looked at me with eyes full of expectation.
"What is it?"
"We will provide a sleeping service at our laundry."
"S-sleeping service......?"
"Yes, we provide a comfortable place to sleep. To ensure you can recover from fatigue, and to verify the effect of the items we washed......."
I looked at Carmilla.
A Red Dragon who had frozen with a bright red face.
Her eyes were fixed on me and wouldn't move.
"S-sleeping....... T-that means sleeping, right? For humans, sleep is......."
She was muttering to herself, and it looked like she couldn't even focus properly on what I was saying.
"Chairman?"
"Y-yes?"
"Did you hear me properly?"
"O-of course! Sleeping service, right?"
"Correct. So please receive it when you visit later."
"I-I will! I have to try it! I can't pass up such a service. Ugh!"
How flustered is she?
She even bit her tongue.
"Anyway, I'll get going."
"Oh, and......."
Carmilla asked, looking at me as I was about to leave.
"C-can I ask one more thing?"
"Go ahead."
"That....... Did you use it?"
"Excuse me?"
"N-no! Forget I said that!"
What is this Chairman saying?
What kind of person does she think I am, including Elena?
I'm not that much of a pervert.
"I do not use customers' items privately."
"Ahem, s-sorry. Go now."
"I'll see you later with good items."
I solved the Ignis Industry request very successfully.
The laundry shop was peaceful today as well.
"Welcome! This is Sanctuary Laundry, providing peace through laundry."
After visiting Ignis Industry, there were more customers.
"I'd like to drop this off."
"My equipment is dirty."
"I heard your skills are great."
"I'd like to make a personal request."
"Do you do dry cleaning too?"
I saw some customers from Lee Chaerim's Hunters, but above all, there were many employees from Ignis.
It seems Carmilla punishing the investigation team in front of the employees had an effect.
The one most excited by the sudden increase in customers was, above all, Elena.
"May the Lord's grace be with you!"
"The Goddess will bless you."
"You want to receive the holy water service too? Good choice! How about adding a holy buff service to the surface as well this time?"
She even added extra charges to the bill by adding her own additional services that didn't exist in the original laundry.
Since the condition of equipment is more important than anything to hunters, she was a vicious Saintess taking advantage of it.
"Even if the extra charge looks expensive, it feels different when you go into a dungeon later, you know? This buff can save your life. You know how terrible it is once you get hit by a mental curse."
She sure talks well.
"O-okay, I'll add that then."
There was one more customer who fell for Elena's persuasion.
"Boss, this dry cleaning customer wants holy water cleaning added!"
One poor customer who fell for her persuasion added a service that didn't even exist.
"Is that really holy water?"
After the customer left, I asked cautiously.
"Of course."
"You're not just sprinkling tap water and calling it holy water, are you?"
"Oh my, Boss! If you put holy energy into tap water, that's holy water, right? It really works too. Do you think I'd scam people?"
I couldn't bring myself to say, 'Yes.'
She was smiling brightly, perhaps happy that she was putting offerings into her own pocket.
It's not good to ruin a good mood.
I'm happy because there are many customers, too.
Let's not make each other angry on a good day.
Just as I was receiving customers like that, news flowed from the TV.
-It has already been five days since Pandora, the guardian statue of the Magic Tower, stopped showing up for work. The shock is even greater because she returned as if nothing happened five days ago. The Magic Tower is currently announcing that Pandora has gone on an external business trip.
The news that Pandora hasn't been guarding the entrance of the Magic Tower for days.
"What's the big deal about a golem not showing up for work."
Elena, who watched the news, said.
"She's a popular star. I saw she has quite a lot of personal fans, too?"
She was a popular star, enough to have a fan club.
She was even the symbol of the Magic Tower.
"Sigh-, when I didn't go out for a few days at the Church in the past, no news appeared."
"......."
The Church she attended was the Church of Light, which worships the God of Light.
Unlike the Orbis Magic Tower, they didn't have many external activities, so they weren't very popular with the public.
"The Church of Light is minor. Honestly, isn't the Cross Knights the most popular among the churches that use divinity?"
"O-our Church was quite popular, you know?"
"You're kicked out, so it's not your Church anymore. Why are you getting upset?"
"I-it's just that I was thinking about the old days......."
Elena let out a deep sigh.
"There's such a pretty Saintess here, so why don't I have any personal fans......."
That appearance was quite cute.
"You're not even an official Saintess anymore."
"Ugh....... Boss, that was very effective just now."
"What would you do if you got fans?"
"If I get fans, I'll collect offerings from brothers and sisters and use them for my own greed."
This girl, how much does she love money?
-Ppi-i-i~.
Hearing that, Peep flapped its small wings on Elena's head and shouted.
With that kind of mentality, that's why you're not popular! I will correct that rotten thinking!
It was a dignified tone, though.
"Peep, you agree with me, right? If I become super popular, I'll use you as a mascot."
There was no way Elena, whose communion with spirits was close to zero, could hear that.
-Ppi-i-i!
I am a male! You wench! Do not sexually harass me!
It denied it desperately, but that, too, was unheard by Elena.
That was when.
"Is the boss in?"
The door opened and a new customer entered.
"Welcome. This is Sanctuary Laundry, providing peace through laundry."
Elena's tone, which had been pouring affection while holding Peep, changed completely.
Her gaze, equipped with a business-like capitalist smile, turned toward the customer.
The customer who entered was not an ordinary human.
Short stature that reached the waist of an adult male, but broad shoulders and muscles that looked like they would burst.
A thick brown beard covering half of his face, and the intense heat of a furnace emanating from his entire body.
Anyone could tell he was a member of the race that handles metal, a Dwarf.
"I heard the Saint of the Laundry is here. Is that you?"
"......Excuse me?"
Saint of the Laundry?
Who?
Me?