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 Reisenga 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. As a basic skill of an alchemist, I know how to mix the necessary herbs and medicinal plants.”
“…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.
That evolved, and alchemy came to include transforming humans, demi-humans, and demons into something greater.
Basically, just like turning iron into radiant gold, the goal became to make people, demi-humans, or demons into superior beings.
My effort to recreate items from the Hero’s World is part of that endeavor.
Well, it’s also because I simply love magic items.
And—I believe the Hero’s World has succeeded in evolving people into higher beings.
That’s evident from the fact that heroes from another world possess outrageous skills, and from the absurdly powerful magic items listed in the ‘mail-order catalog.’
I think in the Hero’s World, they’ve achieved the alchemic goal of “evolving humans” to some extent.
The ‘Footbath’ and ‘Health-Boosting Pendant’ have strengthened Mabel and Agnis—in a sense, they’ve evolved.
I’m still far behind the technology of the Hero’s 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 enabling her to perform at her best’ is also part of an alchemist’s job.”
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 effects like “moisturizing,” “blood circulation,” and “stimulating blood flow,” so we use those properties.
Extracting herbal essence and mixing various things together is how we make lotion—or rather, since this is for skin, we should call it a toner.
I grow herbs in the garden, so I can get them ready right away.
The only issue is──
“If a normal lotion could solve Dorothy-sama’s problem… well, that’d be tough.”
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 Hero’s 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 Hero’s 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 one to… I mean, I’ll cooperate!!”
Both of them were highly motivated.
This “MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium” might be useful for Dorothy’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 the Creative Alchemy skill… I can figure out their effects. It seems like I can recreate it with the herbs of this world.
“What I need is ‘Rozmarina,’ ‘Sageia,’ ‘Maronyaan’… and then ‘Great Sticky Ginseng’… huh?”
“What’s wrong, Thor-sama?”
“Well, in the corner of the photo of this MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium, in tiny print, it says ‘MAX Smoothness 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 Hero 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 has 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 live in the Hero 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 is truly gathered from the tears of the fairies near the spring—then maybe there is a way to obtain it.
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 fairies in this world.
You can’t pass through the western forest where the winged fairies live without their guidance.
And their actual tears? That would be even harder to get.
I see.
So in the Hero World, people must’ve befriended or captured fairies and used their tears to make lotion. That’s quite the idea.
Which means…
“Soleil or Lune… or any of the other Pixie fairies, are you here?”
“““Yeeees!!”””
The winged fairies flew in from the window.
Three of them. Earth, water, and wind fairies.
“I wanted to ask something… do fairy tears have any special effects?”
“““Hmm?”””
The fairies shook their heads.
“I apologize, but I do not know.”
“…Fairies… are a race that enjoys daily life…”
“We don’t really cry much~. So fluffy~”
Well, that makes sense.
The winged fairies have always lived leisurely in the forest.
Maybe they rarely experience anything that would make them cry.
In the Hero World, I wonder if the people got permission from the local fairies to harvest their tears.
If they were tears from such fairies… no wonder they were considered precious.
“…Fairy tears might have special magical properties.”
Suddenly, the water fairy spoke.
“When we think of someone dear to us, we fairies become filled with powerful magic. If we shed tears in that state… the tears might contain a special magical essence…”
“Oooh.”
“The water girl’s talking a lot for once~.”
“…So embarrassing…”
The quiet water-winged fairy looked bashful… Wait, why is she hiding behind my head?
“If we think of that as ‘natural energy’… then the tears of the winged fairy Pixie are probably closest to the ‘Fairy’s Tear: Pixie Drop’ from the Hero World.”
—A spring in the middle of the forest.
—A rare material.
—Requires local permission.
Several key terms point to the conclusion that “Fairy’s Tear: Pixie Drop” and “Winged Fairy’s Tear” are the same material.
However… it’s better to keep this a secret.
If it becomes known that the winged fairies’ tears have special effects, someone might target them. I should also keep the ingredients secret from Dorothy and Princess Sophia.
I don’t know how it’s handled in the Hero World, but in this world, keeping it quiet is the safer option.
“So, that’s why this must remain a secret.”
“Understood!”
“““Got it~!”””
“Um…Thor-sama.”
Agnis nodded, and the winged fairies 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 Hero 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 Hero World.”
I looked into Mabel’s eyes and said:
“Isekai heroes can reshape landscapes with incredible magic and split massive rocks with a single swing of a sword, right? Just by existing, they’re already mysterious enough. I don’t think they’d need to use the word ‘Fairy’ just to give a lotion a magical image.”
“…Y-Yes, that makes sense!”
“Also, the heroes knew about the existence of elves, dwarves, and dragons from this world. That means those beings likely 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.”
“In the Hero World, they’d probably call it 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 fairies, Pixies.
The places where winged fairies live are similar to where fairies live in the Hero World. It’s likely they’re the same kind of being.
So if we use “Winged Fairy’s Tears” in a lotion, we should be able to make a “MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium”, but—
“…But making a winged fairy cry for that—how would that be?”
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 fairies 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 fairies huddled together, touching foreheads, discussing something.
And then—
“““For example… if the alchemist-sama… disappeared from the Demon Lord’s domain…”””
Sniffle.
Tears welled up in the winged fairies’ 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 the 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, let’s get the bottles and collect the winged fairies’ tears.
“““Uwaaaaaaah! Alchemist-samaaa! Please don’t disappearrrrr!!”””
The winged fairies 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! Winged fairies, please don’t cry!”
“Thor Canaan-sama isn’t going anywhere! And if he does… I-I’ll throw everything away and follow him!!”
Mabel and Agnis did their best to comfort the winged fairies.
But why were both of them teary-eyed too?
Were the winged fairies’ 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 fairies clung to me, bawling their eyes out—
And in the end, even though one drop should have been enough, we ended up collecting enough “Winged Fairy’s Tears” for about 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 fairies, along with Mabel and Agnis, headed to the bath.
“Um… thank you. Sorry for making you do something so unreasonable.”
I gave my thanks to the winged fairies.
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 fairies happily declared this.
So, tonight, the six of us would all sleep together—
While everyone was in the bath, I got to work on crafting the MAX Silky Smooth Lotion Premium.