Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 141: “Gathering Ingredients for the Silky-Smooth Lotion”
──Thor’s Point of View──
“Well then, let’s make a ‘Lotion for Sensitive Skin’!”
“Yes, Thor-sama!”
“I’ll help too—!”
This is my home in the Raisenga territory.
The day after returning from the Trading Post, I decided to start making a sensitive skin care item for Dorothy-sama.
First, I thought about what measures I could take immediately.
Then, a lotion to protect the skin came to mind.
“But Lord Thor, is it even possible to make lotion with alchemy?”
“It’s possible. I’m an alchemist, after all.”
I nodded in response to Mabel’s question.
“Besides, I tried making a ‘UV protection lotion’ before, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right!”
“Even back then, I was confident I could make a basic lotion. Mixing the necessary herbs and medicinal plants is one of an alchemist’s fundamental skills.”
“…Alchemy really is something amazing, isn’t it?”
“Alchemy is a technique for evolving and developing various things, after all.”
Alchemy began with the attempt to create gold from various materials.
It started as a way to turn base metals into precious ones—in other words, to transform matter into a higher existence.
As alchemy developed, it came to encompass the idea of transforming humans, demi-humans, and demons into greater beings.
Just as base metal could be refined into radiant gold, the goal became to elevate living beings as well.
My efforts to recreate items from the Heroes’ world are part of that pursuit.
Well, it’s also because I simply love magic items.
And—I believe the Heroes’ world has succeeded in elevating people to a higher level.
The proof lies in the outrageous abilities of otherworldly heroes and the absurdly powerful magic items listed in the Mail-Order Catalog.
I think the Heroes’ world has achieved the alchemical goal of “evolving humans,” at least to some extent.
The ‘Foot Bath’ and ‘Health-Boosting Pendant’ have strengthened Mabel and Agnis—in a sense, they’ve evolved.
I’m still far behind the technology of the Heroes’ world.
But… even just a little, I want to use alchemy to help everyone live more comfortably. That’s how I feel.
“So healing Dorothy-sama’s sensitive skin and helping her perform at her best is also part of an alchemist’s work.”
Saying that, I finished my explanation.
“Understood!”
“That makes perfect sense!”
Mabel and Agnis nodded firmly.
“If that’s the case, I’d love to help out.”
“You can even use Agnis as a test subject!”
“Thanks. Then let’s start by making a basic lotion.”
Typical lotion is made using herbs as ingredients.
Each herb has properties such as moisturizing the skin, improving circulation, or stimulating it, so lotion is made by combining those effects.
We extract the essence of the herbs and blend them together. Since this is meant for the skin, “toner” might be a more accurate term.
I grow herbs in the garden, so I can get them ready right away.
The only issue is──
“If an ordinary lotion were enough to solve Dorothy-sama’s problem, she probably wouldn’t still be suffering from it.”
Even the Empire probably has toners.
Which means Dorothy-sama might already be using one.
But her sensitive skin problem hasn’t been solved yet.
…So we’ll need a more high-performance toner.
If I use my skill to grant it attributes, I could probably make something pretty good… But since I accepted this request, I want to make the best possible item.
That means I should reference something from the Heroes’ world.
For now, I made a list of skin-friendly herbs.
Mabel and Agnis took the list and went outside—to check whether the garden had any of the listed herbs.
After seeing them off, I opened the ‘Mail-Order Catalog.’
“If it’s from the Heroes’ world, maybe there’s something that works for Dorothy-san’s sensitive skin.”
However, toner is something you apply directly to the skin.
Can I really treat Dorothy-sama’s skin the same as that of a hero who can withstand a griffon’s claw attacks?
If strange ingredients are used, it might actually make things worse.
I’ll be extra careful and pick something that’s gentle on the skin.
In that case… this one might work.
“The gentlest on the skin—‘MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium,’ huh?”
────────────────
With the gentlest-on-skin ‘MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium,’ achieve friction-free skin!
Dryness, roughness, prickliness—do you have such concerns?
Protect your skin with our ‘MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium’ and enjoy smooth, touchable skin!
This ‘MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium’ uses a secret regional ingredient to deliver the ultimate smoothness.
It’s made entirely from natural ingredients.
Since it uses skin-friendly components, it’s safe even for those with sensitive skin or children.
It protects your skin, so it’s recommended for anyone suffering from itchiness or discomfort from clothing.
The smoothness you feel upon application is like a freshly peeled boiled egg.
With its completely frictionless texture, everyone will be amazed!
We’ve received many happy testimonials from users (*individual results may vary).
With this ‘MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium,’ get skin as smooth as flowing water!
────────────────
“So… this is the item. What do you think?”
““Oooohhh────!!””
Mabel and Agnis, who had just returned, sparkled with excitement in their eyes.
“I’m very interested in that item too. I’ll give my full support!!”
“Agnis wants some too… I-I mean, I’ll cooperate!!”
Both of them were highly motivated.
This “MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium” might be useful for Dorothy-sama’s sensitive skin.
It has the ability to protect the skin.
If you apply it to your skin, it should reduce the ticklish sensation even when touched.
If your skin becomes smooth and without any roughness, it becomes harder to tickle too.
“The only issue is what kind of herbs are used in this, but—”
The list of herbs… yep, it’s listed.
They’re all ingredients that don’t exist in this world, but if I analyze them with Creation Alchemy, I can determine their effects. It looks like I can recreate them using herbs from this world.
“What I need is ‘Rozmarina,’ ‘Sageia,’ ‘Maronyaan’… and then ‘Great Sticky Ginseng’… huh?”
“What’s wrong, Thor-sama?”
“In tiny print at the corner of the photo, it says, ‘MAX smoothness achieved with a secret ingredient’…”
“‘Secret ingredient’? Could it be… you need that too?”
“Yeah. Without it… it seems it won’t become ‘MAX Smooth.’”
The text in the photo is really small.
Even I took some time to read it.
What kind of ingredient would they need to hide that much?
“Uh, it says… ‘A truly rare material, secretly sourced from a region with many lingering legends. Most likely, only our company is able to obtain this material. Those who are able to purchase this are truly lucky.’”
A rare material from the Heroes’ world, huh.
And it’s something that only the person in charge of this Mail-Order Catalog could get.
What should I do…
There’s no way something like that exists in our world.
“This is a problem. Without it, the lotion won’t become ‘MAX Smooth.’ What should I do…”
“…Thor-sama.”
“What kind of material is it, exactly?”
“…Yeah. I’ll read it out loud, so Mabel and Agnis, listen carefully.”
In the photo, there’s a forest. And a beautiful lake.
I read the explanatory text written there aloud.
“The secret ingredient is… something that can be obtained from a beautiful spring in this mystical country—”
“‘Locals refer to it as the Fairy’s Tear: Pixie Drop’…?”
“…Eh.”
“…So that’s the secret ingredient?”
“Y-Yeah.”
It’s clearly written.
“The Fairy’s Tear: Pixie Drop can only be harvested from a spring within the forests of this region! Said to hold mysterious powers, since ancient times, it’s been used as a skincare product by a select few noble individuals in this land. Our company has succeeded in acquiring it through a unique agreement with the local people, harnessing the natural energy of the forest!”
…Is what it says.
A beautiful spring. And… fairies, huh.
Come to think of it, the first time I met Soleil was also at a beautiful spring in the forest.
And this Fairy’s Tear: Pixie Drop is also harvested from a spring in the forest.
Which means… fairies must exist in the Heroes’ world too.
…Well, of course they do.
You wouldn’t name something “Fairy’s Tear” in a world where fairies don’t exist.
If this Pixie Drop truly comes from the tears of fairies living near the spring, then perhaps there’s a way to obtain it here.
I continued deciphering the Mail-Order Catalog.
The description continues:
“Harvesting this water is extremely difficult, and impossible without the permission of the local people.”
This too matches the situation of the winged pixies in this world.
You can’t pass through the western forest where the winged pixies live without their guidance.
And their actual tears? That would be even harder to get.
I see.
So, in the Heroes’ world, people must have befriended the local fairies and received their tears for use in lotion. That’s quite an idea.
Which means…
“Soleil or Lune… or any of the other winged pixies, are you here?”
“““Yeeees!!”””
The winged pixies flew in from the window.
There were three of them—the earth-, water-, and wind-element winged pixies.
“I wanted to ask something… do the tears of winged pixies have any special properties?”
“““Hmm?”””
The winged pixies shook their heads.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know.”
“…We winged pixies spend our days enjoying life…”
“We don’t really cry much~. So fluffy~”
Well, that makes sense.
The winged pixies have always lived leisurely in the forest.
Maybe they rarely experience anything that would make them cry.
I wondered whether the people of the Heroes’ world had received permission from the local fairies before collecting their tears.
If they were the tears of such fairies, it was no wonder they were considered precious.
“…The tears of winged pixies might possess special magical properties.”
Suddenly, the water-element winged pixie spoke.
“When we think of someone precious to us, we winged pixies become filled with powerful magic. If we shed tears in that state, those tears might contain a special magical essence…”
“Oooh.”
“The water girl’s talking a lot for once~.”
“…So embarrassing…”
The usually quiet water-element winged pixie looked bashful… Wait, why was she hiding behind my head?
“If that’s what the catalog calls ‘natural energy,’ then the tears of winged pixies are probably the closest thing to the ‘Fairy’s Tear: Pixie Drop’ from the Heroes’ world.”
—A spring in the middle of the forest.
—A rare material.
—Requires local permission.
Several clues suggested that “Fairy’s Tear: Pixie Drop” and “Winged-Pixie Tears” were the same kind of material.
However… it’s better to keep this a secret.
If word spread that winged-pixie tears had special effects, someone might target them. I should keep the ingredient secret even from Dorothy-sama and Princess Sophia.
I don’t know how such things are handled in the Heroes’ world, but keeping it secret is safer here.
“So, that’s why this must remain a secret.”
“Understood!”
“““Got it~!”””
“Um… Thor-sama.”
Agnis nodded while the winged pixies raised their hands.
But Mabel had a thoughtful look on her face.
“I just had a thought… Thor-sama. Isn’t it possible that the ‘Fairy’s Tear’ in the Heroes’ world is just ordinary spring water?”
“You mean, just a product name?”
“Y-Yes.”
Mabel nodded.
“For example, a store might advertise a regular sword as having ‘the sharpest edge in the world.’ By naming something with ‘Fairy,’ it could give the lotion a mysterious image.”
“That’s certainly possible.”
“…Yes.”
“But I don’t think that’s the case this time. After all, we’re talking about the Heroes’ world.”
I looked into Mabel’s eyes and said:
“Otherworldly heroes can reshape the land with tremendous magic and split massive rocks with a single sword swing, right? Their very existence is mysterious enough. They wouldn’t need to use the word ‘fairy’ merely to make lotion sound magical.”
“…Y-Yes, that makes sense!”
“The heroes also knew about elves, dwarves, and dragons before coming here. That suggests similar beings exist in their world too, so fairies wouldn’t be out of place.”
“That’s true. Besides, naming spring water ‘Fairy’s Tear’ feels unnatural.”
“Knowing the heroes’ naming sense, they would probably call ordinary spring water something like ‘Natural Energy High Water.’”
“Considering the heroes’ naming sense, definitely.”
So, “Fairy’s Tear: Pixie Drop” is probably exactly what it says—tears collected from actual fairies.
And in this world, we have winged pixies.
The places where winged pixies live resemble the forests described in the catalog. It was reasonable to think they were the same sort of beings.
So using “Winged-Pixie Tears” should allow me to make “MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium,” but—
“…But making a winged pixie cry just for that would be wrong.”
That’s not right. No.
We could try making them laugh so hard they cry… but that’s tough.
…It can’t be helped.
This time, I’ll settle for a normal premium lotion without “MAX Silky.”
“…The alchemist seems troubled.”
“…Are we… not helpful?”
“…So sad.”
Huh?
Wait, why do the winged pixies look so sad?
No, no, I’m the one asking too much. You don’t have to look like that—
“Let’s all try crying together.”
“…Try to imagine it, to cry.”
“Crying? Something sad? Like what?”
“““Let’s imagine something really sad.”””
The winged pixies huddled together, touching foreheads, discussing something.
And then—
“““For example… if Alchemist-sama disappeared from the Demon Lord’s Domain…”””
Sniffle.
Tears welled up in the winged pixies’ eyes.
In the blink of an eye, they overflowed… drip drip drip, falling one after another.
“A-Alchemist-samaaa! P-Please don’t go anywhere!”
“It would be… so lonely.”
“Waaah! A Demon Lord’s Domain without Alchemist-sama… I don’t want that!”
“Wait! I’m not going anywhere! You don’t have to cry from just imagining it!!”
—Wait, actually? Maybe having them cry is better?
A-Anyway, I hurried to get bottles so their tears wouldn’t go to waste.
“““Uwaaaaaaah! Alchemist-samaaa! Please don’t disappearrrrr!!”””
The winged pixies clung to my clothes, tears still streaming down.
They were crying way too much. I started feeling guilty, like I did something wrong.
“It’s okay! I’m not going anywhere, so don’t cry!!”
“““Uwaaaaaah!”””
“…Mabel. Agnis. Help me. We need to calm them down.”
“E-Everyone! Please don’t cry!”
“Thor Canaan-sama isn’t going anywhere! And if he ever does… I-I’ll abandon everything and follow him!!”
Mabel and Agnis did their best to comfort the winged pixies.
But why were both of them teary-eyed too?
Were the winged pixies’ tears contagious!?
“““Alchemist-samaaa~!”””
“I-It’s okay! Thor-sama isn’t… going anywhere!”
“S-Such a sad thought… I don’t even want to imagine it…”
So the winged pixies clung to me, bawling their eyes out—
In the end, although a single drop should have been enough, we collected enough “Winged-Pixie Tears” to make roughly a hundred bottles of lotion.
“““We feel all refreshed~! We want to take a bath~!”””
“…I-I’ll join you.”
“…I started crying too… so Agnis wants to take a bath and calm down…”
The refreshed winged pixies headed for the bath together with Mabel and Agnis.
“Um… thank you. Sorry for making you do something so unreasonable.”
I thanked the winged pixies.
And then,
“I’ll definitely repay you for this. If there’s anything I can do, just say the word.”
“Understood. In that case—”
“…We want to have a sleepover.”
“All of us together. Snuggly-sleepy time~”
The winged pixies happily made their request.
So, tonight, the six of us would all sleep together—
While everyone was bathing, I began crafting the MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium.