Kays Translations

Chapter 52: Making Soap

While we were enjoying the newly completed temporary shower, several female knights heard the commotion and came to investigate. There weren’t many women in the Heine knight order, but there were a few.

“What in the world is this?”

“Is it some kind of washing facility?”

“It resembles a bath, but it’s different…”

The women regarded the refreshed male knights with intense interest.

“Lord Julius, what’s this?”

“It’s a shower. It washes away sweat after training and helps everyone in the knight order remain clean.”

“Please explain how it works.”

They crowded around me. Evidently, the smell at the training grounds had bothered them for some time. The men might have been satisfied with pouring well water over their heads, but the women clearly weren’t.

After I explained how to use the shower, they said that they would like to try it but pointed out that the open stall offered no privacy.

“All right. Give me a moment.”

I raised earthen walls around the shower with earth magic, blocking the view from outside. The knights then fitted a makeshift wooden door at the entrance.

“That should solve the problem.”

“How extraordinarily precise…”

“As expected of Lord Julius. I didn’t know earth magic could be controlled so delicately.”

Ignoring their murmurs, I gave the women soap and asked them to test the shower.

The final plan called for separate facilities for men and women, so their opinions were essential.

Delighted voices soon rose from within the earthen enclosure.

“Lord Julius, have you already finished it?”

Lionel arrived after hearing the commotion. When he saw that the women were using the shower, he looked faintly disappointed that he had missed the demonstration.

“It’s still only a prototype. I wanted the knights to test it and tell me what needs improvement.”

“This is a wonderful facility, Commander.”

“It truly is. All we need now is a steady supply of soap.”

Soap? Ordinary cleaning soap was simple enough to make. It didn’t need to be luxurious if it was only for use by the knight order.

“I can teach you how to make soap.”

“You can make that as well?”

“Yes. Basic soap isn’t especially difficult.”

Why did everyone look so shocked? It was only a matter of combining lye with fat or oil.

Once I explained the ingredients, the knights gathered everything with astonishing speed. By the time the women emerged from the shower looking refreshed, a suspicious-looking group was already heating an equally suspicious mixture.

“Um… what are you making?” one of the women asked.

“Soap. You said it was difficult to obtain, so I’m teaching everyone how to make it.”

“You can actually make soap?”

She stared at the mixture, fascinated. I combined the ingredients, heated them carefully, and poured the thickened liquid into a rectangular mould.

“Now it must harden and dry before it can be used.”

“That’s all?”

“For basic cleaning soap, yes. It’ll remove dirt, but it won’t smell as pleasant as the bar I gave you. Adding fragrance would cost more.”

“Removing the dirt is enough. I look forward to trying it.”

The knights carried the filled mould away with extraordinary care. They were beginning to resemble an increasingly peculiar craft guild.

I then asked everyone for detailed opinions on the shower.

The general conclusion was that showers were ideal for removing sweat and dirt quickly after training, but the knights still wanted to soak in a bath at the end of the day.

We therefore decided to build large communal baths beside the separate men’s and women’s shower rooms. I considered several methods for heating the water before choosing a magic tool that could be installed directly inside each bath.

That design would allow bathers to adjust the temperature themselves and would eliminate the need for a separate hot-water storage tank.

With the overall plan settled, I needed to redraw the blueprints. The project had become much larger than expected, but the knights’ enthusiasm was tremendous. With their full cooperation, construction might finish surprisingly quickly.

Until then, they would use the temporary shower stalls. One was plainly insufficient, so I built three more of the same design.

I had intended only to conduct a small test, yet the users’ feedback had transformed the entire project. Thinking at a desk wasn’t enough. Visiting the site and asking the people who would actually use a device was often the fastest path to a good design.

By the time Rosalia and I returned to the mansion, darkness was approaching and my clothes were thoroughly dirty. The servants scolded me at once. I shuddered to imagine what Mother would have said had she been home.

Naturally, they refused to let me attend dinner in that state, so I bathed first. Rosalia joined me, as she had the previous evening.

She kept saying that she wanted to try the shower, so I hastily assembled a portable version that drew hot water from the bathtub.

Rosalia was delighted.

“This makes washing my hair much easier, Big brother.”

She laughed as warm water flowed over her long hair. Until now, a servant had needed to scoop and pour water repeatedly, which must have been troublesome.

“You’re right. Perhaps I should make a version that can be fitted beside an ordinary bath.”

“Mother would be pleased.”

She probably would be, but she might also be furious if I altered the bathroom without permission.

I would begin with a portable shower. I wasn’t yet brave enough to modify the family bath permanently.

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