Blending In
Blending In
"Who..."
Even as she said that, her widening eyes confessed the truth.
'What a relief.'
It seemed that the aesthetic standard I had established wasn't too far off from the universal perspective.
Helsi forgot her thirst and began to shed tears of emotion.
Now there was no need for questions and answers.
After recording Helsi's body temperature, heart rate, respiratory volume, and other details in detail, I got up from my seat.
"Get up. We need to choose clothes now."
Since I was going to pick out the clothes anyway, I took the lead.
I walked cheolpeokcheolpeok across the soaking wet carpet from cleaning, approached the entrance door, grabbed the handle, and yanked it open.
At the same time, the aura I felt made me flustered.
'Suddenly, the presence of people...'
While the door was closed, I could only feel Hati's presence.
But now, I not only sensed unfamiliar presences but also heard a cheerful voice.
"Indeed. Perhaps I'm more kind than what the General-nim thinks."
For a moment, I thought there were multiple people.
Because the amiable voices continued endlessly, as if exchanging pleasant conversation.
"There's also a cute cat. Would you like to come over and take a look?"
"Huh? This is a dog. I must have mistaken it for a cat because it's so cute."
"Oh my. Then we need to brush it. If left as is, it will throw up nasty hairballs."
"I told you it's a dog. You're not listening to me."
"Don't dogs throw up hairballs?"
"A dog's stomach acid can even dissolve a boar's fur."
Only after hearing that did I realize that all these lines came from a single person's mouth.
Immediately after, an anomaly occurred.
The hanger in front of me rolled away with a doreureu sound.
The other hangers also began to move one by one.
The radially arranged hangers spun around the room like a vortex, then entered one by one through a door that had swung open.
Meanwhile, the other furniture didn't stay still either.
The furniture moved their positions in an orderly fashion like a well-designed mechanical device, transforming the place from a clothing shop into something like a ladies' tea party hall.
The last to change position was the sofa that had been pulled to the center.
Just as my gaze turned to Hati, who was sleeping soundly saegeunsaegeun on it.
The curtains were drawn back, and sunlight streamed in.
Startled, I looked at the window.
The girl in Gothic Lolita attire standing in front of the window turned around flamboyantly and faced me.
From her expressionless face flowed a fresh voice.
"Hello. I am the dollmaker, Rodwell."
My thoughts deepened.
'No matter how I think about it, it's a staged scene...'
For what purpose did she show me such a scene?
Is there some special etiquette that I don't understand, like the French social circles of Louis XIV's era?
If so, I must not jump to hasty conclusions.
"Hello. I am the pilgrim, Soi."
kkubuk
As I bowed, Rodwell spoke.
"I apologize for being late. As an apology, I have prepared refreshments."
Once again, a poltergeist phenomenon occurred.
Chair
Table
Teapot and cups
Snacks in a can
Plate with cake on it
Objects flying from different directions gathered in one place in an instant, forming a pretty tea table.
After straightening up, I looked at Helsi.
To her, who kept feeling her own body and exclaiming in admiration, I said the pre-arranged code phrase.
"Nun-nim. I'm hungry. Can I eat the refreshments before choosing clothes?"
Fortunately, Helsi understood immediately.
She was startled, jumped up, and came out of the bathtub with a tense face.
Helsi stopped behind a wall invisible from outside and extended her palm toward me.
I made a dagger out of blood and placed it in her hand.
As I came out, I asked Rodwell.
"Do you sell clothes too?"
Rodwell nodded.
"Of course. From banquet dresses to special suits with magical engineering equipment, we custom-make everything."
Magical engineering equipment?
Troublesome.
I felt reluctant to kill her.
I raised my voice so Helsi could hear and asked.
"I'm very thirsty. Can I have some clean water first?"
Rodwell nodded and entered the door where the hangers had been stored earlier.
Only then did Helsi look outside.
Peeking her head out, Helsi scanned the room with wavering eyes, then scurried over and whispered.
"'Thirsty' means 'situation over', right? Should I keep holding this?"
I pondered for a moment.
'If a fight suddenly breaks out, could Helsi be safe?'
It didn't seem like a single dagger would change the outcome.
Instead of answering, I retrieved the dagger she was holding out.
Helsi looked at the blood seeping into my pores as if fascinated, then let out a sigh of relief.
A moment later.
Rodwell came out holding a teapot and pointed to the table.
"Please sit."
Before Helsi could show any clumsiness, I ran to the table.
Like an immature child, I opened the can as soon as I sat down.
Rodwell's poker face was incredibly solid.
Even though crumbs sprayed everywhere upon opening the can and hit her cheek, she showed no reaction.
Calmly, as she poured water into a cup, Rodwell asked.
"Who will be wearing the clothes? I'll take measurements in advance."
I replied while stuffing a snack into my mouth.
"There were a lot of clothes earlier. Can't I just pick from the ready-made ones?"
"You could, but they would be quite uncomfortable."
"Why?"
"Clothes that are not custom-made are inherently uncomfortable."
"Even ones as loose as this robe?"
"Is the garment you desire a robe?"
"Yes. We are pilgrims. I prefer comfortable clothes for traveling."
Rodwell's eyes scanned my entire body.
"I see. I understand what kind of garment you want."
Her forehead, which had been expressionless, slightly narrowed.
"I'm sorry, but we currently only have one robe in stock. If I use it to make clothes for the two of you, who are small in build, I can make one robe and one cape. How should I proceed?"
Then she looked at Helsi, so I raised my hand and shouted.
"Nun-nim's first! We came to buy a birthday present for Nun-nim today!"
Helsi was startled and alternated her gaze between the back of my head and Rodwell's face.
Then she nodded belatedly, but
'I mustn't make her act.'
Her rounded eyes and tightly shut lips gave off an atmosphere that she was hiding something.
Fortunately, Rodwell had a mild personality.
"Understood."
Rodwell replied plainly and entered the room.
Afterward, the robe she brought out was quite splendid.
The base was a glossy black fabric, and golden silk decorated the pocket openings and front hem.
When Rodwell spread the robe, the brooch on the chest revealed itself, like a fire dragon dotting its pupil.
'Come to think of it, the industry that grew the most when the late medieval nobles fell...'
Luxury goods.
Jewelry.
It seemed the souls of the nobles who sold their lands and houses to enter the Palace of Versailles were crying out to me.
'Go for it, descendant.'
Fortunately, my soul was born and raised on the Korean Peninsula.
Descendant my ass.
Ignoring the clamor of the negative examples, I first asked about the product specs.
"Wow— it looks incredibly expensive. How much is it?"
Rodwell snapped her fingers, making a wooden mannequin fly over, and answered while draping the robe on it.
"Fifty coins by trade gold standard."
"Why is it so expensive?"
"It is on the cheap side."
"Can't you buy a princess's castle with fifty gold coins?"
"You cannot."
"Can you buy a house?"
"Based on Brighton City's downtown, you could purchase two noble-class houses."
"Then isn't it expensive?"
Rodwell let out a faint sigh, turned sharply, and moved two steps forward.
What happened immediately after was violent for a 'demonstration.'
Kwang!!!
A shockwave spread from the mannequin where the robe was hanging.
What generated the shockwave were dolls emitting red glows from their eyes.
A soldier doll thrusting a cute spear the size of a fork.
A noble doll swinging down a hammer.
A princess doll wielding a hand axe larger than its own body.
All of them succeeded in striking the robe.
But they could not damage it.
Rodwell spun around again to face me and said.
"A castle protects what it holds within its place, and clothes protect what you hold within your place."
At her snap, the dolls returned to their places.
What she said afterward was the best sales pitch.
"Just as a castle is more precious than a house, a robe should naturally be more precious than a house."
[Helsi ver.2 (made by dr.soi)]
Helsi, standing before the mirror, fidgeted and fiddled with the hem of her clothes.
"C-Can I really wear this?"
Hati, who had woken up from sleep at some point, was rapidly making the refreshments laid out on the table disappear.
ujeokujeok
The cake was already exhausted, and a dessert similar to cream puffs wrapped in wax paper was being sucked into Hati's stomach without even revealing its brilliant form to the world.
"Hati and I are tough, so it's fine."
After answering cheerfully, I dragged over the bag Helsi had taken off.
I pretended to struggle, and unexpectedly, Helsi took the bait.
"I-I'll take it out."
Then she dashed over and rummaged through the bag, so I whispered.
"How much money do we have?"
Helsi also lowered her voice as much as possible to answer.
"I don't know exactly. About 200 Rehingel gold coins?"
"Is it similar to trade gold coins?"
"Yes. The last time I checked, there was a 10% difference."
According to Rodwell, the noble class in Brighton City probably meant the royal class. Anyway, it was an amount that could buy six such houses.
'It's more than I thought.'
What did they earn that money from?
The era here was too peculiar to guess based on memories of my previous life.
I had never heard of what scientists in the late medieval and early modern periods did to accumulate money.
It was information I needed to know if I was to secure research funds in the future.
I decided to ask Helsi later and proceeded with the calculation for now.
"Ask for some service."
"Huh? S-Service?"
"Since we bought something expensive, ask for something extra as a freebie."
"Ah."
Helsi picked up the money pouch and stood up.
Then, after taking a few deep breaths, she walked over to Rodwell.