Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 46: Bisil’s Fabric Cord
After Mother disappeared, I couldn’t summon the energy to do anything at all. I simply sat in the chair by the window, staring blankly outside, letting my mind drift with the gray light of the afternoon.
Mother had said we would “talk things over,” but even she had been shaken when the viscount issued the summons.
A summons carried a heavy implication: it meant you were being called to explain yourself, usually issued to someone who had committed a blunder or a crime.
In other words, the viscount was treating Mother as if she were one of those people.
Could a proper conversation even happen under such circumstances?
To me, the Kaupels family were not people I would call hateful, exactly, but they were certainly people I didn’t want to have anything to do with. Yet for Mother, they were family she had spent more than twenty years with. Even if she severed ties, the bond of family lingered stubbornly.
I tried to distract myself from my worry about Mother by thinking back to the time I had spent in the Kaupels household.
At first, right after I was born, I had been elated by the fact of my reincarnation. But a few months later, I began to notice that Mother wasn’t in a normal mental state.
She would swing unnaturally between moods, bright and cheerful one moment, suddenly dark and somber the next, sometimes breaking into tears without warning.
Over time, her behavior grew more extreme. She taught words to me, even though I had just been born and couldn’t speak properly. She read me complicated books, trying to explain things I couldn’t yet understand. Back then, I didn’t know why she did these things, because I didn’t understand words. So I pushed myself to learn to speak.
As I slowly acquired language, she began teaching me to read and write. Even though I was just over two years old, she didn’t care that I might not fully understand—her intense, over-the-top education continued unabated.
It was around that time that I discovered I had no magical affinity. I couldn’t use magic, and understanding this helped me see, at least partially, the reason behind Mother’s extreme behavior.
She had been trying to give me a value beyond magic because, from birth, I was inferior to others in her eyes. Pride, resentment, even some bitterness and hatred had shaped her actions. That was why her moods had been so unstable, why she laughed and cried with such intensity.
At the same time, I realized that I had been the source of her suffering.
I cried the entire day that realization hit me. I kept apologizing over and over, saying “I’m sorry,” even if my words didn’t quite form properly.
But crying and wailing changed nothing. So I resolved to become the version of myself that Mother could be proud of.
Fortunately, in my excitement over reincarnation, I had been training my magical power. I wanted to use it, so I decided to pursue alchemy with that magical energy.
By then, having learned words and some literacy, I had eased Mother’s mind somewhat, allowing her to show me calm, gentle smiles.
And yet, despite believing in the path I had chosen, this was the result.
“Cheer up, okay?”
“Yeah…”
Even when someone said that, I felt no motivation. Everything had come about because of my own actions, and I almost felt it would be better not to try at all.
“Is the viscount really that cruel of a person?”
“…I don’t know. I’ve only met him twice, and never spoke to him directly.”
The first time had been when we moved from the marquis’ estate to the viscount’s mansion, and the second was when Mother’s marriage proposal had been discussed.
Mother hadn’t wanted me around strangers, so we hadn’t lived in the main building of the viscount’s estate, but in a separate wing tucked away at the back.
Apart from the occasional visit from Ditnell, almost no one came to the annex.
“Maybe I should have gone with her?” I asked.
“Do you understand why your Mother left you behind?”
Mother had left me because I was the source of the information, and because if I went with her, I might spill something. And since the binding magic was tied to me, her protection depended on me staying put.
“I know, but I’m worried about her.”
“Your worry for Tine-sama is shared.”
I understood—that was precisely why she had left me here.
“Staying moping around won’t help,” the voice continued.
“…Moping around?” I muttered.
“We should do something to clear our minds. Is there anything you want to do, Arthuer-sama?”
I drew a blank. Suddenly asked what I wanted, I couldn’t think of a single thing.
“Nothing you want to make? Nothing you want to have? You won’t be able to move for a week anyway. Is there nothing you’d like to do in that time?”
If Mother didn’t return in a week, I would go fetch her myself. I didn’t care if everyone else thought it foolish; even if I had to hand over the formula for spider silk, I would bring her back.
“Ah, that’s right. I want some fabric made from spider silk.”
“Oh, you want it for underwear, right? Speaking of which, I remember you being embarrassed once, Arthur-sama.”
“Embarrassed? Did something happen?”
“No, no, it’s more that ‘nothing happened.’ So you slept naked, right?”
“…Ah!”
I remembered now. It wasn’t underwear—I hadn’t bought any regular clothes, so I had slept naked at night.
“Then, first, let’s make my underwear!”
I didn’t even know why I was saying that. My face burned with embarrassment at my own words, but there was no turning back.
The underwear I needed for Rugena would be simple: boxers-like bottoms and a simple chest wrap to provide minimal coverage. No stretch meant that if it were made to fit tightly, it might hinder movement, and weak fabric could tear.
“Okay, understood. But I’m not actually making it myself.”
“Huh? You’re not?”
“I can’t spin the thread into cloth, nor can I sew. This time, we’ll ask specialists to do it.”
Alchemy was all I could do—I had no skill in weaving or tailoring. This time, we would have a weaving craftsman make the cloth and a tailor bring my vision to life. Considering we only had a week, we’d limit the initial project to the Bisil thread.
“Alright then, let’s go.”
“Where?”
“…Where, exactly?”
Neither Rugena nor I knew. She looked at Stefana with pleading eyes.
“I understand. I’ll ask Sebience-san, the butler-in-chief.”
“Please do.”
So Stefana went to ask Sebience-san, while we began preparing the spider silk. Half of the Bisil we had made would be sent to be turned into cloth. The Esil, being similar to degraded silk, would be fine, but Bisil’s elastic properties might make weaving it tricky.
“Arthur-sama, I’ve asked. It’s not far, and they’ll provide a carriage for us.”
“A carriage?”
“Yes, they said it was precautionary. It’s for the glass project, most likely.”
I wondered if someone was still watching the baron’s estate. It had been over six months since the glass project had launched, so reports should be the only thing reaching the estate. Maybe it was because we had returned.
“Persistent, aren’t they?”
“Well, that’s how merchants are.”
We rode in the carriage to avoid being followed and reached the weaving workshop.
Six looms were operating inside, all in motion.
I showed them the Bisil and asked if they could weave it. They said, “It’s a new thread, so we don’t know how long it will take,” and I almost gave up. But then they added, “If it’s cord weaving, we can make it in a few days.”
Cord weaving produced strips of fabric under five centimeters wide, suitable for belts or securing clothing. While we couldn’t make underwear yet, seeing the feel of the fabric would be enough for now.