The High Price of Soap
“Soap is that expensive……?”
“Haa…… haa…….” A child who looked about eight years old was breathing heavily, clearly in pain. Their face was flushed red, and hives had broken out across their skin. A crowd had gathered around them, unsure of what to do.
“What happened?”
“I-I don’t know either. It was so sudden……”
The woman who appeared to be the child’s mother was shedding thick tears. She wanted to do something for her son, but had no idea what to do. Elena gently comforted her, then examined the boy.
“Judging by the symptoms……”
“It’s food poisoning,” Albert finished from behind her.
System.
Analyzing……
Based on the high fever, muscle spasms, and hives, this is definitely food poisoning.
Given the child’s condition, it appears they ate spoiled food while their hands were dirty.
The hygiene standards here aren’t exactly great, after all.
That makes sense.
“It’s food poisoning, all right. We can treat it with medicinal herbs. There are some at the mansion, so if he takes them, he should recover within a week.”
Elena made the judgment quickly. Having served as lord for so long, she had seen these symptoms many times and had also learned from her mother. Because the hygiene in this territory was poor, she had stocked up on herbs for food poisoning, stomachaches, and fevers in advance.
“Ah, f-food poisoning. I-I’m sorry. I was so shocked and flustered that……”
“It’s understandable to be flustered.”
If she had stayed calm, she would have realized it was food poisoning. But how many people could remain composed when their child suddenly collapsed with a high fever right in front of them? It was perfectly understandable.
“Then, Hans, the herbs……”
“No, there’s no need for that.”
“Huh?”
“He just needs to drink this.”
Albert brought over a cup filled with well water.
“What is that?”
“Well water.”
“It’s true that water helps with food poisoning, but right now we need the herbs……”
“Just let him drink it.”
When Albert handed her the cup, Elena hesitated for a moment. But she trusted him. Nothing he did was ever meaningless. No matter how absurd his actions seemed, there was always a reason behind them.
I’ll trust my brother. I already decided to.
Elena brought the cup to the child’s lips and helped him drink. After a few gulps, something miraculous happened.
“Haa……” A small sigh escaped the boy. His expression, which had been twisted in agony from the fever just moments ago, relaxed completely. Not only that—the hives on his body disappeared, and his fever vanished entirely.
“Good heavens……”
“What? Was it not food poisoning? He didn’t even need medicine?”
“How did water……?”
It was only natural that everyone was shocked. None of them were unfamiliar with food poisoning. They had only forgotten in their panic; in the past, such incidents had happened often enough that they kept medicinal herbs on hand. Yet the boy had recovered just by drinking water, without any herbs at all. Was that even possible?
All eyes turned to Albert.
“Brother?”
Elena’s cute amethyst eyes also looked to him, silently asking for an explanation. Albert scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“So you’ve been putting medicine in the territory’s well water all this time?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind of medicine?”
“Ahem, it’s only natural to answer when asked.”
Albert pulled a bottle of Bakhass out of his dimensional storage.
“This medicine, you see—if you drink it, wounds heal faster, concentration improves, and your immune system gets stronger! And that’s not all. Digestion improves too! Constipation gets solved cleanly as well!”
“There’s such a medicine?”
“That’s not even the end of it!”
“There’s more?”
“If you drink this, it surprisingly helps with muscle growth, and……”
At the mention of muscle growth, Aiden would have enthusiastically run off to chug well water. Elena, however, showed only a lukewarm reaction. She didn’t respond to muscle growth at all. But that wasn’t the end.
“It even increases your basal metabolic rate.”
“Basal metabolic rate? What’s that?”
This world apparently didn’t have the term “basal metabolic rate.” It made sense—it was a scientific term, and without developed science, no one here would know about it. Albert explained it in a way Elena could understand.
“It means you can diet without gaining weight even if you eat a lot.”
“Good heavens! That’s possible!?”
The moment the topic of weight came up, Elena finally reacted. Perhaps because she was a woman, she was far more interested in this than muscle growth.
“But this Bakhass—since when have you been putting it in the well water……?”
“From the very beginning.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you think it was strange? The territory residents suddenly became more motivated, their concentration improved, and their stamina seemed better?”
“That was…… Don’t tell me……”
“All thanks to the effects of this Bakhass.”
Albert explained proudly.
“Well, mixing it into the well water must have diluted the effects quite a bit, but it was still enough. You’ve seen it yourself, haven’t you?”
“That’s true.”
So that was the effect of Bakhass. Elena clapped her hands together.
“I’m touched.”
“Huh? Touched?”
“Yes! I had no idea you cared so much about the residents’ health. To think you’ve been putting Bakhass in the well every morning just to look after their well-being.”
“……Well, yeah. I do think about the residents a bit.”
[Lie.]
[It’s not for the residents’ health—it’s for their labor force.]
[You put it in so they’d work without rest.]
The reason Albert had put Bakhass in the well water was simple: to secure the labor force the territory needed most. He had only added it so they could work longer, without getting tired, and keep working. Elena, unaware of this, simply believed he had done it out of concern for the residents’ health.
[You just wanted to squeeze out every last drop of value equal to their wages!!]
[Lying is bad!]
[٩(๑•̀o•́๑)و]
Shut up.
“Does food poisoning like that happen often?”
“It happens quite frequently. We try to be as careful as possible, but it’s not easy.”
“What about soap?”
“Soap? That’s far too expensive.”
“Expensive?”
“Yes. Soap is made using alchemy, after all. Something a little smaller than my palm costs 100 gold.”
Albert’s eyes widened. Considering that the average monthly wage for commoners here was 200 gold, soap cost half of that. And more importantly—smaller than Elena’s tiny hand?
If it’s smaller than that cute little hand, just how tiny is it?
“That’s way too expensive. Why is it so pricey?”
“I suppose it’s because of the ingredients and labor costs.”
“How is it made?”
“The method is strictly controlled by the Alchemy Guild, so no one knows.”
[Technology monopoly.]
[It seems the Alchemy Guild is deliberately monopolizing the technology to sell it at a high price.]
That figures.
Without developed science, it made sense that such technologies were monopolized. Soap, which was commonplace in his previous world, was traded at a high price here. Commoners couldn’t even afford to use it—only nobles could.
“Then commoners can’t use it at all?”
“They can’t even dream of it. It’s made to be sold to nobles in the first place.”
“I see.”
System.
Yes? What is it?
Can you make soap?
It’s possible.
However, the more complex versions can’t be made right now due to unavailable materials.
Then what can you make?
Given the current situation…… there are a few options, but considering the circumstances, lye soap should be possible.
You can make soap with lye too?
It’s possible.
It’s difficult with just lye, but combining it with animal fat and vegetable oil should work.
That was new to him. He had only ever bought and used soap before—he had never made it. But none of that mattered.
What matters is that we can make it.
Albert’s lips curled into a grin.
[Your nostrils are flaring. You’re planning to sell soap, aren’t you?]
You know me too well.
Selling soap isn’t a problem, but you know this, right?
The one making the soap has to be you, Lord Albert.
……
Only you can read my messages.
Naturally, you’ll have to make it yourself. By the way, here’s how to make soap with lye.
First, prepare the lye…… Then combine it with animal fat and vegetable oil……
The System explained how to make soap using lye. As expected, making something wasn’t easy. And even if he wanted to teach this to someone else, it ultimately meant Albert had to learn and do it himself.
“Brother?”
“What……?”
“No, why does your face look like that?”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
“Suddenly…… how should I put it, you look extremely annoyed…… like…… the face Father used to make when Mother asked him to help sort receipts?”
“……Did I?”
“Yeah.”
So this was how Father had felt. But for proper hygiene management, soap was essential. He had shampoo and conditioner in his dimensional storage, but the quantities were limited and he couldn’t distribute them to the residents. That left only one option.
……Let’s make it.
Then shall we start by gathering ashes?
Let’s get moving.
Hurry, hurry! Chop chop! ٩( ᐛ )و
“Oh? Where did the young master go?”
“He said he had something to do and left with a very annoyed look on his face.”
“Ah, I see.”
The nanny wore a disappointed expression. She had been hoping the three of them could spend some quiet time together for once.
“He’s always so busy……”
Watching the nanny sigh with her chin resting on her hand, Elena gave an awkward smile.
“You’re right. Our brother seems even busier than me, the lord.”
“Still, he seems to enjoy it.”
The nanny poured Elena a cup of warm tea.
“It’s the Green Bell you like. Lady Richel brought some the last time she visited.”
“Oh my……”
Green Bell was one of Elena’s favorite teas. It was similar to the orange homemade punch from his previous world, and Elena often sought it out when she was tired.
“Ah…… It smells wonderful.”
The characteristic sweet-and-sour scent of Green Bell filled the office, warming her heart. It was a comforting, pleasant feeling. After taking a sip, the smooth, sweet, and refreshing flavor stimulated her tongue. As the warm tea slid down her throat, her fatigue seemed to wash away along with it.
“Wow.”
A gasp of admiration escaped her. She had drunk Green Bell many times before, but this batch felt distinctly different. The moment she drank it, her mind cleared, her fatigue melted away, and she felt energized. Even her eyes, which had been tired from working just moments ago, now sparkled brightly. It was like downing an iced americano for caffeine when on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.
“This tea really is amazing! How should I put it…… it feels like it’s giving me energy. Isn’t this expensive?”
Green Bell wasn’t all the same—there were low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade varieties. Elena had always drunk the low-grade kind. But this one was clearly different.
“This one…… yeah, mid-grade? No! It must be the highest grade. Right?”
Right? That’s the correct answer, isn’t it? Elena’s gaze, as if she had written an answer on a test and was waiting to be graded, made the nanny smile gently.
“It’s because the water is good.”
“Huh?”
“We used our well water.”
“W-well water? Th-then the energy I’m feeling isn’t from the tea……”
“It must be the effect of that Bakhass the young master put in the well.”
“……Ah…… I see.”
She had thought the tea was special. She had confidently declared it the highest grade, only to realize it was just doping. How embarrassing.
“But aren’t you going to say anything about that?”
“About what?”
“Oh my, are you hiding it from me too? I already saw the messenger arrive.”
“……You saw?”
“Yes. It’s another social gathering invitation, isn’t it?”
The nanny asked while refilling the empty cup. Elena couldn’t hide her troubled expression. The tea that had tasted sweet just moments ago now felt slightly bitter.
“You’re not planning to go this time either?”
“What would I even do if I went?”
She fiddled with the innocent cup.
“The reason they invited me is obvious anyway.”
The reason they had invited the lord of a fallen house was clear. They wanted to trample her down. To belittle others and feel superior. The Legrian family, once a count’s house, had become a baron’s house—they probably wanted to mock her for that.
“You went once before and got hurt badly.”
The wounds she had received there didn’t heal easily. Physical injuries were simple enough to treat, but the scars left on her heart couldn’t be healed by anything. The humiliation and disgrace she had suffered that day were still etched into her mind.
Looking at her, the nanny spoke.
“But the situation has changed now.”
“Huh?”
“The young master has returned, and the family is starting to rise again.”
The nanny spoke in a gentle voice, as if soothing a young daughter.
“It’s different from before. You don’t have to back down anymore, my lady. You don’t have to endure their insulting words any longer.”
The day Elena had returned from that social party in tears, the nanny’s heart had felt torn apart. She hadn’t known how to comfort her or what words to offer—she could only hold her. But now, things were different.
“My lady, it’s all right to stand tall now.”
It wasn’t “you can.” The nanny had deliberately used the words “it’s all right,” and that phrase quietly sank into Elena’s heart.
It really is all right now.
The nanny’s gentle “it’s all right” wrapped around her wounded heart like a bandage, carefully covering the injured spot.
Elena nodded.
“Yeah. I’ll go to this party.”
“It might be good to discuss it with the young master before going.”
“All right. There’s still a month left, so I’ll talk to my brother and go.”
And later, Elena would look back on the past and say:
“I shouldn’t have discussed it with my brother back then.”
She would regret that day for a long, long time.