Damn, I recarneted As A Judge in Fantasy World

Chapter 161: The Unplanned Expansion

Although Abel had received the Emperor's orders, he did not set out for the Marquess of Yates immediately.

"I can't go alone; i have to go with the tax collectors from the imperial government. My role is to supervise them," Abel thought, realizing the weight of his task.

"By the way, it's troublesome to keep leaving my post," he muttered to himself.

There were already so many businesses underway, and it seemed they would have to refrain from further expansion until reaching a certain level of stability. Most things would work out on their own if left alone, but the fashion business was just taking its first steps. He had to oversee it for a while to ensure it didn't go astray.

?Ahem! Ahem!?

As Abel was looking around the workplace, he suddenly heard a cough. It was a sound that didn't hit his ears but rather his mind directly. There were only two people in the Carriers Duchy who could do that. One was Shuguri, a spirit that sat in his pocket and ate his spiritual energy.

The other was Adam, who worked in a pottery workshop.

"What are you doing here?" Abel asked, looking at the being in front of him with a puzzled expression.

Adam had ventured out into the shopping district of Midias, which was odd because he usually avoided going out due to his intimidating appearance. Today, however, Adam was out in the open, even wearing the suit Abel had tailored for him.

"How are the clothes?" Abel inquired, curious.

"This is exactly what I wanted," Adam replied, striking various poses. "Not only is it stylish, but it also fits my body perfectly."

Adam's behavior reminded Abel of the main character from *Beauty and the Beast*. The problem, however, was Adam wandering around the Midias shopping district. "What good is wearing a fancy tuxedo?" Abel thought.

They say that the face completes the fashion, but this wasn't a good result.

"Oh my! Adam, you're so cool!" a voice exclaimed.

"A sturdy build, a fierce face, and a warm gaze. Perfect!"

"Can I have your autograph, please?"

What was happening now? Abel blinked in confusion as a dozen or so women rushed over. They were all pretty, and while they didn't seem to be nobles, they appeared to come from well-off families.

"He must be using some kind of power of a demigod," Shuguri piped up from Abel's pocket.

"Can you feel it?" Abel asked.

"No."

"Oh, you're just jealous."

-That's right. I want to do that too, but I can't, so I'm doing this.

Abel rolled his eyes. "You're leeching off me, so be quiet for a bit."

Shuguri was content to steal the spirits of people who bowed to Abel. It was practically automatic hunting for the creature, so it remained stuck to Abel like gum. Whenever Abel's spiritual energy overflowed, Shuguri would curl up on the office sofa, digesting the energy.

Despite everything, Adam was proving to be an unexpectedly good model. Abel thought, "I should sell the suits a bit cheaper now. Separate them by size." But this would require productivity to support the demand, and currently, they were struggling to handle even the existing volume.

The fashion business was too popular.

"Butler Wilkin?" Abel called out.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Your Highness. I didn't realize you were here," the butler apologized.

"That's understandable when you're busy. How much stock do we have left?"

"It's almost gone. The tailors are working overtime, but if this continues, we may need to take a few days off."

"If you rush things, you'll only cause accidents. Put up a notice saying the shop won't be open tomorrow."

"Is that alright, Your Highness?"

"Of course. It won't reduce the demand for our products, and besides, it's time to change the style."

Until now, Midias' clothing store had only sold beige T-shirts, black pants, and brown wool coats. But with the dyes from Vargas, they could now create a wider range of colors. There were even plans to make women's clothing soon.

"It'll probably sell really well," Abel mused. "Women are more interested in fashion than men." For now, though, the common people didn't distinguish their clothes by gender. They wore whatever they could afford.

However, once you moved up into the middle class and above, fashion became flashy. Corsets were used to tighten the waist, and skirts were puffed out with various tools. "You can't change noble culture all at once," Abel thought. No matter how light and stylish the clothes he made were, if they didn't sell, it wouldn't matter.

Suddenly, Abel had an idea. "What if the Empress wears the clothes I made? Just like the suit, it could be a huge success." He smiled meaningfully. He was already making new clothes for the Emperor, so it would be perfect to pair them as a set.

"Let's wrap things up," he instructed. "Post the notice as soon as possible."

"Yes, Your Highness."

As Abel was about to leave, someone ran toward him from afar. It was Vargas, wearing a robe that hadn't yet exploded from one of his usual accidents.

"Your Highness!" Vargas called out.

"You didn't have another accident, did you? I told you to keep things quiet for a while."

"Oh, of course not! I just had a great idea!"

"What is it?"

"You know the universal dye? You can dye hair with it too! I just tried it."

Come to think of it, Vargas' hair was pitch-black today, a stark contrast to its usual uneven shades.

Somehow, Abel felt like he should open a beauty salon too.

"I wasn't planning on expanding my business, but fate seems to have other plans for me," Abel muttered, wondering if this was a revelation from the gods telling him to earn more money.

Though, of course, Abel didn't need more money. He chuckled. "But why am I laughing?"

***

I started developing new clothes right away. The original dress was too cumbersome and heavy. This was an inevitable result, as I preferred flashy and extravagant styles.

So, is everyday wear pretty and comfortable? That was definitely not the case. Usually, I wear something like yellow pajamas and only dress up when I have to go outside. Of course, it was an incredibly annoying task.

'In what era am I living?'

I wanted to make clothes that were much simpler and more stylish. They had to be suitable for wearing to formal occasions without any shame. A one-piece with a jacket wouldn't be bad.

What do you call wedding guest fashion? Actually, it probably wasn't really comfortable clothes, because you can't beat something like a pair of bodysuits.

'But it's still a lot better than that ridiculous dress.'

I sat Martin down and gave him some orders. As I explained while drawing the diagram, he quickly nodded.

"I think I know what that feels like."

"How long will it take?"

"If you just give me a day or two, that will be enough. How many sets do you need? I'll send them in a variety of colors."

"Don't worry, just hold on tight."

Martin looked confident. Well, the one-piece was a little different, but the rest wasn't much different from what I'd been doing so far. Haven't I made countless men's jackets?

"Then, thank you for your hard work."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

I left Martin's seat so he could concentrate on his work. Then I headed straight to the Medias shopping district. Even though it was getting dark, the place was incredibly crowded. It felt like all the people who had finished work had gathered there.

"I guess I should make something like a streetlight."

Even though torches were hung here and there, it was still terribly dark. I felt uneasy, thinking something might happen.

'You have to prepare in advance.'

The timing was perfect, as I was on my way to meet Vargas. Aren't Nermia's sorcerers also basically wizards? I guess I could easily make something like a magic lantern, but maybe I expected too much.

"Yes? We can't do that. We specialize in making potions."

"No, then what can I do?"

"Uh... attack magic?"

"Arai!"

I couldn't bring myself to call him useless. This guy had done so much for me.

"The lights are fine, so what about the beauty salon?"

"Butler Wilkin had already built a building. He's thinking of remodeling it. What do you think?"

"The location is good. It's close to the city."

"I intentionally distanced it from the Medias shopping arcade. I thought it would look good next to a suit store."

Look at this guy. He has such a great sense. In fact, both suit shops and beauty salons were spaces for the aristocracy. The privileged class is originally a group of people who want to be set apart.

They probably don't want to step foot into the bustling Medias shopping district. Especially since you have to go to the beauty salon in person, it had to have a more luxurious feel.

"Then you know how to make glass?"

"Of course. If you can't do that, how can you call yourself a wizard?"

I was just talking and not being able to do even the most basic things like a magic lantern. Anyway, it turned out very well.

If you want to become a place that everyone wants to visit, you have to show how fancy and nice the inside is. Moreover, it could satisfy the vanity of those who frequent beauty salons.

"We're going to fill this entire front with glass. Can you do it?"

"This much? That's all?"

"Oh. It can't be just like that. It has to be solid."

"It's not difficult, but it will cost a lot of money."

"It's okay. I'll pay a high enough price."

In this world, glass was an object that only wizards could create. Moreover, if I wanted to use strengthening magic, it would cost a lot of money. It didn't matter, though. Anyway, customers who use beauty salons would end up paying a lot of money.