Chapter 192

Troublesome
After returning to the mansion, I called Natalia and Raul to Maria’s workshop.

Raziel was there too, to keep an eye on me and Maria.
Apparently, people say no one knows what kind of trouble the two of us might cause when we’re together.
That’s just cruel.

Raul had gone back to Helios Village once to fetch the Guush hides and hair.

After relaying the Adventurers’ Guild’s opinion—that Guush hair would be bought at 3 copper per kilo and the hides would be appraised—he agreed to the arrangement.

Since both the villagers of Safied and the others had always considered those materials worthless, and because they trusted us, they said they’d accept the price we suggested.

He had also brought both untreated and tanned hides.

When I asked if separating Guush hair from the hides had been difficult, Raul explained that slimes handled it. Slimes would crawl across the hairy hides, eating the hair as they went, and once they grew larger, they would spit out the Guush hair.

Wherever the slime passed, the hair would be gone, leaving only the hide behind.
What an amazing creature slimes are.

The tanned hides he brought were soft and pleasant to the touch.
The color wasn’t pure white, though—it had a slight grayish tint.

“This is soft and feels nice. It’d work well for gloves, coats, or even shoes, don’t you think?”

“It’s similar to sheepskin, so it might not last long, but it will likely become popular. The key is whether or not it can be dyed,” Raziel said.

Raziel arranged to have specialists in dyeing and processing take a look, and he would also confirm the price with the Adventurers’ Guild.

“Since you must be curious, this is the fabric and plush toy made from Guush hair,” I said, showing Natalia and Raul.

“I can’t tell you the processing method yet, but eventually I’ll entrust it to you. Just know this: since there’s another village in a region where Guush live, it’ll be a joint project. That’s why I want you to raise more slimes.”

According to Raul, the village already had two slimes when he returned, and they would likely continue multiplying.

Natalia studied the plush from various angles.

“Natalia, did something catch your eye?”

“No… it’s adorable. But if it’s going to be a souvenir, I think it should be a little more compact. That’s why I was wondering if I could make one myself.”

When I asked further, she explained that if it were something to attach to a shopping bag when going to the market, a flat and lightweight charm would be better than a three-dimensional plush.

“That’s true. Flat ones would require less work and could be sold cheaper, which would make them affordable for commoners. Still, putting just a little cotton inside to puff it up might make it look nicer,” Maria added.

The more souvenir variety, the better.
Flat mascot charms could be made not just of our familiars, but also flowers, plants, and other animals.

After Raul and Natalia returned to the knights’ quarters, I was about to leave the workshop too when Maria stopped me.

When I asked what was wrong, she explained that Meyer and the others had asked if Guush felt could be used for boot insoles.

Insoles already exist, but if they’re too thick, they’re uncomfortable to walk in; too thin, and they hurt the feet. Guush felt could be adjusted to any preferred thickness, which would make it ideal as a cushion.

However, felt alone wouldn’t be stable enough, so she asked me for ideas.

“What if you put a harder cushion material between the sole and the felt?”

“A harder cushion, huh? Then I’ll try experimenting with Guush hair processed at a temperature between high and medium.”

At this point, Raziel, who had been listening behind us, buried his face in his hands.

“Raziel, why are you holding your head when it’s not even finished yet?”

“No… it’s just, I know it will work. If we make insoles like this, they’ll sell insanely well. But then we’ll run out of fabric for plush toys.”

That would be a problem.
The plushies are supposed to be the main focus.

Even if the harder cushion lasts longer, insoles are still essentially a consumable item, which means demand will continue endlessly.
Raziel pointed out that this could drive up the price of Guush hair.

In that case… maybe we should raise Guush ourselves.

I could ask Raul to capture a few and pasture them in the village, then test if slimes could act as “living clippers.”
We’d also need to confirm whether Guush hair grows back after being cut.

But then again, I don’t even know what Guush eat… so pasturing them might not be realistic.

“What’s on your mind, Young Master Reinhardt?” Raziel asked when I fell silent.

“I was thinking of raising Guush, but then I realized I don’t know what they eat. Without understanding more about their traits, it’s impossible.”

“You mean, you were considering whether their hair would regrow like sheep’s after shearing?”

“Exactly. Their hides and meat are so similar to sheep, it makes sense to assume the hair behaves the same way.”

“That does make sense,” he admitted.

Since Guush live only in certain areas, it’s probably linked to their diet.
Maybe I should ask Captain Kyle’s team to investigate.

“Maria, once you finish the prototype, let me know immediately. I need to report it to Grandfather.”

“No, you should report it even before it’s finished. Also, please write a letter to the lord as well.”

Things just got big again.
I sighed deeply.

What do you think about this chapter?