The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations – 113



Chapter 113: Should I Give Life Another Go? (1)

Now all that’s left is to mass-produce it and properly commercialize it.

“First stir this diligently.”

The laborers diligently stirred the extract as instructed by Ghislaine.

After stirring for a while and letting it cool the extract’s viscosity increased.

Ghislaine dipped her finger in and rubbed it.

The extract absorbed into her skin in an instant as if melting away.

The laborers slowly approached Ghislaine and asked.

“What what is that Lord?”

In another territory these commoners wouldn’t have dared speak to a lord.

No way they would even have thought to.

But thanks to Ghislaine’s casual demeanor when interacting with the territory residents they felt comfortable asking simple questions.

“Is it a balm for the body?”

“The scent is really nice.”

Ghislaine replied proudly.

“Ah don’t you know? This is called ‘Essence.’ It’s concentrated goodness extracted from herbs.”

“What do you use that for?”

“Nobles use it for skincare. There are a lot of humans who risk their lives for beauty.”

“…Ah yes.”

The laborers didn’t quite understand what she meant but they nodded along.

How would they know about things only nobles use?

Typically nobles extract good ingredients from herbs and fruits or use steam on their faces.

If they are wealthy families they might even use divine power or magic.

But most of them didn’t see significant results.

Consistent use may improve the skin but compared to the money and time spent the effects weren’t impressive.

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But this product is different. The worse the skin is the more dramatic and rapid the effect.

“Heh heh this will become a must-have for nobles.”

Ghislaine smiled confidently.

Nobles tend to obsess over appearances regardless of age or gender.

Clean skin is a symbol of wealth so once word gets out that it has any beauty effects it’ll be a trend in no time.

In her past life this product swept the continent and Duke Delphine raked in the riches.

“I should run some tests.”

From her first experience it looked just like it had in her previous life.

But she needed to confirm whether it really worked.

“Belinda will give the best evaluation right?”

Belinda had a subtle fondness for cosmetics.

She was quite interested in skincare and for a head maid working in a poor northern territory her skin was especially fair and smooth.

Ghislaine filled a low wide glass vial with the essence and set off to find Belinda.

Essence in hand Ghislaine went to find Belinda.

“Belinda here take this. Try putting it on your face.”

“What is this?”

“It’s cosmetics cosmetics. It’s really good for your skin.”

“Oh my really? Where did you buy this? It’s super expensive… Did you get this for me? What brand is it?”

Belinda was taken aback and bombarded him with questions.

Ghislaine seemed to splurge money like a boss yet he was extremely frugal when it came to luxury items.

He dressed shabby and didn’t bother to groom himself well.

But he brought back expensive cosmetics? The kind only nobles use?

‘All that effort raising him paid off…’

Feeling a bit moved Belinda’s spirits dropped instantly with his next revelation.

“I made this.”

“……”

Ghislaine looked as if he didn’t see a problem.

Belinda glared at him with half-open eyes.

“Uh Young Master you do know you can’t just use any cosmetics right?”

“I know. That’s why I made sure this one has guaranteed results!”

“I never taught you how to make cosmetics; where in the world did you learn this!”

Belinda had been teaching Ghislaine since he was young.

But she had never once taught him how to handle alchemy or herbal medicine.

So how could he suddenly show up with cosmetics? Who would believe that?

“You do realize if you slap on anything and ruin your skin you can’t just fix it right?”

Considering how costly skin care could be many looked for cheaper materials.

Some even smeared lead or mercury on their faces.

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Of course most attempts ended in failure.

If it just didn’t work that would be a relief. Sometimes people ended up worse off or got sick and withered away.

Quack pharmacists had turned noble faces into festering messes only to lose their heads over it.

“I think I’ll pass. My skin’s already nice you know?”

Dealing with mana gave a bit of recovery ability and slowed aging.

Belinda was skilled enough to handle mana so her skin was in good shape.

Still with proper care it would become even better so Ghislaine pressed on a bit more.

“This will make it even better! Your face will practically shine. Just trust me this once!”

“No way! If my skin gets ruined divine power or magic won’t fix it easily.”

Divine power and magic were not something just anyone could use.

Just because you used it didn’t mean you’d definitely see results.

While they did heal illnesses and boost recovery the side effect was merely a slight improvement in condition.

“Thanks for the thought but I really can’t use it. Skin is way too important.”

“Why don’t you believe me? I did incredible things with farming!”

Ghislaine grumbled.

Dismissing it without even a trial?

Couldn’t she at least pretend to try?

Belinda gave him a satisfying reply.

“Back then I could just watch and see if you succeeded or failed. But this? This is a live experiment on my face! Who’s going to volunteer for that?”

True there was a massive difference between secretly cursing and watching the results and testing on her own face.

When it came to skin care even a tiny mistake could be irreversible.

“Um…”

Ghislaine frowned.

Even if he forced her to apply it she would probably toss it out secretly.

His own skin was super smooth thanks to his newfound regenerative powers.

Her skin is so smooth.

It’s a well-made product so using this will improve skin but I mean don’t expect dramatic results.

Should I just look for someone else?

Even after Belinda fled Ghislaine lingered around for a while.

Wendy who was passing by stopped as she noticed him.

Ghislaine waved her over with a smile.

“Hey Wendy! Just the person I needed. Here have a gift. Try this cream.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a great cream for the skin. I made it. Give it a try. Do you trust me?”

“I’m a bit busy right now… I’m sorry.”

Wendy’s new form shook and then disappeared from sight in an instant.

“No way! You’re running off even using mana? You were going to see Claude anyway.”

Ghislaine clicked his tongue and went to find Claude.

As soon as he entered the office he saw Wendy hiding behind a pillar.

Reluctantly handing it over to Claude Claude took the cosmetics and examined it suspiciously.

“So you think this is going to be our territory’s specialty? A cosmetic for skin care?”

“Exactly! Nobles are going to love it. It’ll become a must-have!”

“Huh… Hehe.”

Claude laughed in disbelief.

‘I’ve got a betting opportunity!’

He had socialized with the noble kids at the academy.

That’s why he knew how much effort nobles put into skin care.

Once nobles find a truly effective cosmetic they’ll pay any price—even if it means selling jewels by the box.

But making cosmetics isn’t something anyone can do.

Only someone well-versed in medicine herbalism and alchemy can make a proper product.

‘The Lord doesn’t read books. He’s distant from studying.’

The only books in the office were a few on military strategy. They were covered in dust too.

It seemed impossible for someone like him to have made cosmetics.

Claude hid his true feelings and cautiously asked.

“Um so this is a specialty product… It really doesn’t exist in other territories?”

“Of course! I was the first to make it.”

‘Of course!’

If the lord claims to have made it first then it’s probably true.

He hadn’t heard of anything like this coming out recently.

‘This won’t sell at all.’

How could a lord who knows nothing about herbal medicine have made something effective?

Even if it turns out it actually works what noble would trust and use cosmetics from some unknown village territory?

No matter how many times he thought about it the outcome was clear.

Claude pretended to be upset while feeling giddy at the thought of canceling the slave contract.

“Are you trying to turn my face into a pockmarked mess? You want to keep me inside working all day? I’m already a slave; do you really need to go this far?”

“I’m telling you this stuff works great! Don’t you trust me? I succeeded in agriculture!”

“That’s a whole different thing. The fields and cosmetics are completely unrelated. No one is going to use this! What would they trust it for?”

Ghislaine raised an eyebrow with a look that said “Really?”

“Oh yeah? How about a bet to see if it actually works?”

“Ah I quit gambling… how many years are we talking?”

“I told you last time 20 years. If I lose I’ll cut it down to 10 years and throw in 5000 gold.”

“Hmm…”

Claude hesitated for a moment.

It was definitely nonsense but the stakes were high so he felt a little scared.

This senpai was slightly scared.

“I need to reduce the pressure a bit.”

“What’s there to wait for?”

“I’ll bring someone who will bet with me.”

Claude quickly went to find Alfoy.

As soon as Alfoy saw him he frowned.

His resentment from losing in Claude’s previous bet hadn’t faded yet.

But Claude casually shot him a fierce glance.

After a few exchanges Alfoy seemed to become much more approachable.

“What’s up? Why are you here?”

“I have a good idea. Want to hear it?”

“Get lost I’m not listening to you.”

“Oh come on just hear me out. A great opportunity has come up. The chance to escape slavery.”

“Escape from slavery? A good opportunity?”

“Yeah the lord personally made cosmetics as a specialty product…”

Claude enthusiastically persuaded Alfoy sharing what he knew and speculated.

“Hasn’t the Mage Tower done something similar?”

“…They have actually.”

Since magical research requires a lot of money the Mage Tower tends to undertake various businesses.

Naturally many Mage Towers have tried making cosmetics.

If they succeed they can rake in a fortune.

However not many have achieved notable results.

This means it’s difficult to create effective cosmetics even to the point of failing like those Mage Towers.

Claude moved his snake-like tongue with flair.

“How did it go at the Mage Tower? Did they make anything useful?”

“The head of the tower a 6th Circle Mage couldn’t make cosmetics. They did make high-quality soap though.”

“Do you think it’s possible that our lord created something all by himself when even the famous mages and alchemists couldn’t? Does that seem plausible?”

Alfoy shook his head.

“It’s really absurd to think he did it alone. Didn’t he get help from someone?”

“Who could he have gotten help from? If that was the case he’d have gone to someone rich and powerful instead of our lord.”

“……”

“So what do you say? Want to put your life on the line one more time?”

“I quit gambling…”

Claude looked down at Alfoy like he was something trivial and let out a snort.

“Seriously? You quit after just one time? Gambling isn’t something you quit once you start; it’s about holding on. Life is about betting whenever the opportunity arises.”

“Hmm……”

After a moment of pondering Alfoy nodded with a firm look in his eyes.

“Okay this time I really trust you.”

“Don’t trust me; trust yourself. Trust the knowledge and experience you’ve built up so far. You’re the heir of the Mage Tower the strongest mage in this territory. You’ve always been the best bro.”

Claude lightly punched Alfoy in the chest.

Feeling a sudden warmth in his heart Alfoy nodded with excitement.

“Yeah I’m Alfoy. A man who never gives up.”

Quite a grand conversation for a bunch of gamblers.

However the mages around them could feel the hot friendship and passion from the two’s exchange.

“Let us join in too! Let’s all team up!”

“Alright let’s go together! This time we’ll completely shatter the lord’s bravado. We will win!”

Claude and twenty-six mages moved forward with solemn faces.

“……Everyone’s lost their minds……”

Wendy who had been guarding Claude could only shudder as she watched the whole spectacle unfold.