Chapter 67. The Contents of the Scroll
Ailene Calendar 562, January 16th.
A month had passed since returning from the dungeon.
"Wouldn't it be nice to use the day we first met?"
"Aiiing, Shiro. Let's use the day we started dating, honey."
"Hahaha, how about we do both then, babe? Our wedding date too?"
"Uung, ungg, engrave both your name and mine too, Vivi."
"Shall we? Our Vivi's name and mine together?"
It was the first New Year in this world, and the Beauty Tower had undergone quite a few changes in the meantime.
"Baron, Cache and I have decided on the tattoos we want. The day we first met, and the day we fell in love."
"Aiiing~"
"And the day we'll be together forever, and......"
Compared to last year, the biggest change at the Beauty Tower was that most of the hospital's visitors were no longer patients—they were tattoo customers.
After Northern Duke Tolstoy Lancaster left the Beauty Tower, my loyal right-hand woman Cache—who had a better nose for money than a drug-sniffing dog—had plastered a massive advertisement on the first floor alongside before-and-after photos of the duke.
Even the Northern Duke got one!
Make your heart stronger and fiercer!
Unleash your inner wild charm!
Don't fall behind the times—flaunt your unique style!
— Want to look more seductive than the Adventurer Guild Master?
— Want to cherish your anniversary with your lover forever?
Finger-width lettering: 5 gold → 1 gold
[Discount valid until end of January, Ailene Calendar 562]
[Pictorial designs may incur additional costs]
[Payment required upfront]
The ad's impact was stronger than expected. Maybe because most of the local population were adventurers due to the Dungeon Zone? Word spread that tattoos symbolized eternal bravery, and adventurers swarmed the Beauty Tower like a tidal wave. More than ever before.
In December, most procedures were for rugged, strength-emphasizing designs. But come January, female adventurers wanted cute, dainty tattoos, and now couples like the ones flirting in front of me were pouring in.
The proportion of customers getting couple tattoos was steadily increasing.
......They'll probably regret it later, but that's their problem.
"We can do the work. However...... for couple tattoos, I recommend waiting until after marriage if possible."
"Marriage is still far off...... Why's that?"
"I hesitate to say this, but some couples who get lover tattoos before marriage end up breaking up. As you know, tattoos are permanent on the skin—"
"Oh my, Baron! What are you saying?!"
The couple here reacted with heated indignation to my sincere concern.
"Vivi and Jonny would never break up, right? Don't compare us to those shallow lovers."
"Vivi's right, Baron. Our love is stronger than mithril."
Love stronger than mithril, the strongest metal in this world......
I'd told them that some couple tattoo customers do break up, but unless they were married, pretty much all the lovers I'd tattooed had split.
The ones I did were scarily consistent.
Most of my customers broke up within a year of getting tattooed. When that happened, they had three options left.
First: Ignore the embarrassment and leave it as is.
Second: Cover it up with a larger, bolder tattoo via cover-up procedure.
Third: Laser removal.
If they had the money, laser treatment was obvious. But it often hurt more than the original tattooing and cost at least twice as much.
And you need at least 10 sessions for clean removal, so it takes way longer. That's why more go for cover-ups, tears and all.
For that reason, I try to dissuade unmarried couples—or anyone impulsive or emotional during consultation—from getting couple tattoos.
Of course, I fail with most of them. They're blinded by love.
"Baron, we're absolutely never breaking up, so please do the tattoo right now."
"That's right. Vivi and Jonny will be together forever~"
"......Understood. Let's get started then."
I quickly finished lettering for customer Vivianne: starting with her boyfriend's nickname "Jonny," then their first meeting date, dating start date, and planned wedding date.
After resetting, I started on John—her boyfriend—with her nickname "Vivi" and the same dates.
"Keurghhh!"
"Don't move. The line's bleeding."
Shady tattoo shops tell families or couples "it's fine since you're family/lovers" and reuse needles or ink on them. That's nonsense.
Not changing tattoo needles is like reusing medical syringes multiple times. Even sharpening them doesn't help if they reuse the ink cup.
Tattoo needles are structured to hold ink. Dipping a needle that's pierced the dermis back in the ink inevitably carries blood, risking inflammation or infection.
"Good work. All done. The nurse outside will take photos after the color settles, explain aftercare, and show you how to use the ointment."
"Thank you, Baron!"
"Thank you~"
"Sure. Have a beautiful love. Next customer!"
I offer healing magic for 2 gold to tattoo customers. That's over half off the usual 5 gold from priests or mages.
But cash-strapped couples like Vivi and Jonny skip it and learn ointment aftercare instead.
It's their choice; I can't say anything. And I can't discount either.
"Here's a photo of my beloved horse and friends. Tattoo it as-is, and add 'Friends Sharing Success' at the bottom."
"I want 'What doesn't kill me makes me stronger' on my forehead."
"On my leg, our kitty and puppy faces......"
"Mix birthstones with constellations......"
My hand ached from gripping the vibrating tattoo machine all day. After finishing the endless stream of customers, closing time finally approached.
"Good work, Director. I'll clean up, so go rest in the break room first."
"Thanks. Stella, wrap up and come for dinner. I'll be in Basement 1. Good work, Hazel too."
"Go on ahead, Director!"
As I felt extreme fatigue and rode the elevator, the crystal orb rang.
"Hello?"
—Director, are you off work?
"Yes, heading to the staff lounge now. Cache, wrap up and join us for dinner."
—It's not that. We have a visitor.
A call at closing time, and "visitor" instead of "customer." Cache's whispering tone—unlike her usual self—sent unease washing over me.
"A visitor?"
—Yes, says he's the Potion Co-op Chairman. What should I do?
Potion Co-op? Those thugs who boycotted my hospital with the magic towers to ruin us?
And the chairman? Their ringleader? What the hell at this hour?
Thanks to Rebecca and the half-elves, we started producing our own potions at the Beauty Tower. After that, the co-op thugs acted like nothing happened, quietly removed their signs, and resumed normal business.
No conflicts or contacts since, so this sudden visit filled me with suspicion.
"Seat him in the corner of the cafe. I'll head there now."
The elevator reached the first floor, and I spotted a plump man in the cafe corner.
A greedy face, obese body, and double chin. A face I knew all too well.
"Baron Radius?"
"Ahem, I'm Gregory Balio, chairman of the Frederik Dungeon Zone Potion Co-op."
Wasn't that the baron I treated for his double chin? He looked like a Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V copy.
"I'm Miner Gold, director of the Beauty Tower. If it's not rude, your relation to Baron Radius......?"
"Baron Radius is my cousin."
The Radius Baron I'd treated for his double chin was a regular with his wife for maintenance. But his first visit, he'd thrown his weight around.
Ah, cousins? So you put him up to the tantrum on his first visit?
The puzzle clicked, and a sly smile crept onto my face.
"Hmm, the world's gotten convenient. Related to Baron Radius, so no title yourself—a commoner, right? And you're using casual speech without permission...... Can't read?"
"Khum, I didn't see properly...... Sorry."
"It's fine. I prefer formal anyway, so let's keep it polite."
"Understood."
I might be a baron in name only, but I wasn't taking casual talk from rude commoners.
He'd clearly sent his cousin to mess with me at the Beauty Tower. So this personal visit couldn't be good news.
"You're the one who boycotted our products to stop sales, so I doubt you're here to buy or get treated."
"Khum."
"So, what brings Chairman Gregory to the Beauty Tower?"
Gregory—looking even more ill-tempered than Baron Radius, jowls quivering at my tone—replied.
"As fellow potion sellers in the Dungeon Zone, I came to pay respects and get acquainted. New Year and all."
"Ah~ Is that so? A bit late, but good to know fellow businessmen."
"And my other reason: as Frederik Dungeon Zone Potion Co-op Chairman, to invite you to join our co-op. Take a look."
Gregory pulled a scroll from his bosom and handed it over. It felt damp and warm from his body—disgusting.
Ha, this bastard? Is he messing with me?
And the contents written on the scroll only soured my mood further.