Chapter 114: Should I Walk Through Life Once More? (2)
Seeing the mages barging in with confidence, Ghislaine made a ridiculous face.
“What’s with the group effort?”
“We came to make a bet! We’re all betting that Lord’s cosmetics are worthless.”
“Hmmm, there are too many of you… What are the conditions?”
Claude, stepping up as the representative, grinned and replied.
“If we win, you’ll cancel the slave contracts and give us 2,000 gold each. How about that?”
“And if you lose?”
“Then we’ll add 10 years each to our contracts.”
Ghislaine pretended to think carefully, then asked again, “What if I refuse to take the bet?”
At that, Claude and the mages’ eyes sparkled with excitement.
The notoriously reckless lord was showing uncertainty for the first time. It indicated a high chance of victory.
“Didn’t you suggest the bet first, Lord? It’s dishonorable to back out now. If you want to quit, let’s reduce it by 5 years each instead.”
“Oh, that’s troublesome…”
After a moment of consideration, Ghislaine nodded.
“I’m just sorry to add 10 years more… But since everyone is so determined, I can’t help it. I accept the bet.”
“Yes!”
Claude and the mages clenched their fists and let out small cheers.
“Great! Then set the deadline.”
“Hmmm, how about a month or so?”
Ghislaine confidently tossed it out.
Fifteen days would be enough for the effects to show, but since everyone’s skin condition varies, she generously set it for a month.
Claude was all smiles as he called in a lot of retainers to witness the bet.
All except Gillian, who was out inspecting the territory, and Vanessa, who was training in the training ground, gathered in the hall.
Naturally, Belinda protested vigorously.
“What kind of bet is this! Have you been influenced by that guy? How on earth will we prove the effectiveness of cosmetics?”
Agriculture has visibly sprouting shoots and fruits, but there were no objective standards to evaluate cosmetics.
It’s a fact that simply eating well and sleeping soundly can improve one’s face.
In other words, one could easily mess up their skin on purpose.
“Are you really thinking of giving it to those guys? Who knows what they might do!”
Ghislaine waved a hand dismissively as if to say not to worry.
“Of course, Claude and the mages will be exempt from the testing. If they can win the bet, they’d probably smear poop on their faces.”
The mages’ pride was wounded, but they couldn’t argue back.
In a pinch, they were seriously considering actually smearing poop.
Despite Ghislaine’s words, Belinda couldn’t calm down her anger.
“So, who will be the test subject? If I get even one pimple, they’ll raise a fuss claiming victory!”
“Hmmm, that’s true. We need a reliable person for this…”
“I need someone who can take this on…”
Ghislaine looked around.
Everyone present quickly lowered their heads, afraid of making eye contact.
No one was eager to experiment with an unverified product on their own face.
“Who would be good for this…?”
It wouldn’t be difficult to force them to apply it.
But if people got scared and refused, the results of the bet would be ambiguous.
That would give Claude and the mages room to argue that it was ineffective.
No matter how effective the new product was, it would take a few days of consistent application to see results.
Ghislaine decided that finding someone to properly test it was more important than forcing everyone to apply it.
“Kaor, do you want to give it a try? I’ll let you skip a few training sessions.”
Since he was also training with Mana, he’d be less affected by external conditions, making him a suitable candidate.
However, Kaor scoffed and rejected with an arrogant expression.
“A man doesn’t apply that stuff.”
“Who doesn’t know you stick fruit peels on your face every night?”
“That’s! That was just something that accidentally happened while eating fruit!”
Kaor had often gone to sleep with fruit peels stuck on his face before he joined Ghislaine.
Everyone who knew him since coming to Perdium was aware of this.
“Anyway! I’m not applying that. I don’t do stuff like that anymore.”
He wouldn’t calmly apply something he knew nothing about, especially since he had already taken care of his skin.
With his firm refusal, Ghislaine merely shrugged.
She had no intention of forcing someone who didn’t want to comply. It was better to find someone trustworthy.
“I guess I’ll have to look for someone else to experiment on. In any case, the bet will go on, so everyone should keep that in mind.”
“What are you looking for! The Lord’s dignity is at stake; isn’t it absurd to go around looking for someone because of a bet?”
Belinda glared with intensity in her eyes.
Ghislaine tilted her head in confusion.
“Everyone here said they wouldn’t do it. So, how about you, Belinda?”
“No, that’s a bit….”
With everyone’s eyes on her, she became flustered and lowered her head.
‘Ugh, I can’t help it. I’ll just pretend to apply it and find a way.’
Belinda lifted her head and boldly extended her hand.
“Fine. I’ll do it, so hand me a bottle.”
She had no intention of actually applying it.
Her plan was to sleep as much as possible, practice Mana diligently, and then use her Mana to tighten her skin on the day the bet ended.
That would boost her skin’s appearance, even if just for a moment.
“Wait! The Butler can’t do it.”
Claude stepped in and halted Belinda’s actions.
“Why not?”
“He already has pretty good skin, doesn’t he? There are some fine lines around the eyes, but…”
“Shut up, will you?”
“Either way, the Butler can’t do it. We don’t know what tricks he might pull. Please have someone else do it. It would be best if it were someone whose skin is clearly not in good shape.”
Having gambled for years, Claude immediately sensed something suspicious about Belinda’s sudden change in attitude.
‘Ugh, that guy…’
Belinda fumed and shot a glare at Claude.
That crafty guy always disrupted things at crucial moments, sensing too much.
Ghislaine nodded knowingly.
“Alright, let’s look for someone else instead. Everyone, please go about your business now.”
Belinda sighed and left, with others escaping hastily, visibly relieved.
Though everyone had refused, Ghislaine thought nothing of it.
There would surely be someone willing to comply if she found someone trustworthy.
“There must be someone who will use it.”
“Don’t you think the mercenaries and servants would like it? Only nobles use this kind of stuff, after all. Well, at least a few people will probably believe me.”
Ghislaine walked around, wearing a confident expression, looking for people.
“Would you like to try this?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“How about trying this? It’s a really fantastic product. Nobles are the ones who use it.”
“Please forgive me!”
Everyone seemed hesitant about the cosmetics made by Ghislaine.
It was only natural to be cautious about something they didn’t understand.
“Is everyone really satisfied with their current status? Should I gather the ones who aren’t doing so well and give it to them?”
He tried giving it to servants and mercenaries with bad skin, but they either reluctantly accepted it or showed signs of outright dislike, and he took it back immediately.
This wouldn’t make for a proper test.
“Ugh, this is maddening. Selling it to nobles later is going to be a problem too, isn’t it? I’m not even as well-known as Duke Delphine right now.”
The Duke of Delphine had gained trust just from his name alone.
Before his regression, when he announced it was a newly developed product from his house, everyone rushed to buy the cosmetics.
But the Penris Territory was an outlier in every sense, and Ghislaine’s reputation was at rock bottom.
Who would trust and use something made in such a place?
Even his followers who knew him well were acting like this, so it was clear the nobles would disregard his existence altogether.
“I should find a way to promote it in the capital once testing is over.”
Ghislaine clicked his tongue.
He thought making it would be the end, but now he had to find someone to sell it to.
“Let’s think about that later. Testing is the priority for now.”
He diligently roamed the castle, recommending his cosmetics to people.
The complaints of the initial test subjects spread like wildfire.
People started avoiding Ghislaine as rumors circulated.
“Did you get that thing the Lord’s carrying…?”
“Uh, I did receive it, but seeing their expression, they took it back.”
“Why suddenly decide to make and sell something like that?”
“Our lord gets weird sometimes. Last time, he nearly died drinking poison.”
The lord’s success in agriculture was well-known throughout the territory.
At that time, everyone acknowledged that Ghislaine’s new attempt had been effective.
But whether that was due to Ghislaine’s true ability or just a stroke of luck, many were still uncertain.
He had a tendency to be eccentric, so trust wasn’t fully granted.
Was it a precarious balance between belief and distrust?
They thought a new attempt could succeed, yet no one wanted to be the guinea pig.
News that the lord had acted strangely spread quickly throughout the territory.
As negative public opinion began, it became even harder to find volunteers.
“These guys… I guess I’ll have to force it on them.”
Unknowingly, Ghislaine’s face twisted with frustration.
Days passed, and not a single person volunteered for testing.
The tranquility and confidence he once had were shattered long ago.
Normally, he’d try to use peaceful methods, but with everyone being so uncooperative, there was no choice.
It would probably be faster to apply it to everyone collectively and gather a representative sample.
Just then, when Ghislaine was determined to proceed with forced testing, a savior unexpectedly appeared.
“My lord, I’ll try it out!”
“Oh, Gillian!”
Because he had been inspecting the territory, Ghislaine hadn’t been able to offer it to Gillian right away.
But this loyal man eagerly came forward to volunteer for the experiment as soon as he had heard the rumors.
As soon as I heard the rumor, I came here first and volunteered for the experiment.
Ghislaine looked Gillian up and down.
“Quite wrinkled, and the skin is rough…”
Upon closer inspection, he seemed like a perfect candidate for the test.
Though Gillian could handle mana, he hadn’t completely escaped the marks of time.
On top of that, his skin wasn’t in great shape from training outside and living a rough life.
He could certainly be called an excellent test subject.
Still, Ghislaine asked just to confirm.
“Are you sure? Everyone else is avoiding this. I made it, you know.”
“I don’t really care about looks. It’s fine.”
Gillian didn’t actually say he believed it.
Though it was frustrating, Ghislaine sighed a little at the fact he was at least volunteering.
He fished out a jar and handed it to Gillian.
“How do I use this?”
“Just wash your face before bed and apply it. It doesn’t have to be only on your face; you can put it on other areas too.”
“Understood.”
From that day on, Gillian started to consistently use the cosmetics Ghislaine gave him.
After all, this was also an order from his lord.
By the third day, whispers started to circulate around him.
“Old man, do you have a woman now? You look good. Where did you meet her?”
“Don’t spout nonsense. I’ll snap your neck before you get any ideas.”
Gillian replied dryly to Kaor, who was teasing him.
He was always busy training and overseeing the development of the territory; when would he find time to meet a woman?
He was just living day by day to be helpful to his lord.
A couple more days passed, and the reactions from those around him had noticeably changed.
The mercenaries started murmuring every time they saw Gillian.
“What’s up? Doesn’t he look a bit younger?”
“Look at that firm skin. Is he eating well on his own?”
“No way, did his face just suddenly improve like that? Could it be… he’s using that cosmetics the boss made?”
Gillian’s face now had a healthy glow that it hadn’t had before.
The wrinkles were still there, but the texture of his skin had changed, making him look noticeably younger.
His once dull, sunburnt skin now appeared lively and bronzed.
Having never done any skincare, the effects were all the more dramatic.
Gillian quickly realized why this was happening.
“Looks like the lord’s creation actually works. Truly, our lord is amazing.”
After discovering that it really had effects, he began using the cosmetics even more diligently.
Previously, he had been applying it with one finger, but now he used two.
Although he said he didn’t care about his skin, with so much chatter around him, he found himself glancing in the mirror one extra time before bed or when leaving his room in the morning.
“Even as I age, I still can’t help but care.”
Watching his face change day by day, Gillian smirked.
Each time people asked, he described how the effectiveness of the cosmetics made by his lord.
The rumor spread quickly once again.
Cosmetics so amazing that even someone with bad skin like Gillian saw results in just three days! It was a true revolution in the cosmetics industry!
Then, on the seventh day after handing over the prototype to Gillian.
Bang!
The door to Ghislaine’s office burst open with a loud crash.
Caught up in his work, Ghislaine looked up, wondering what was happening.
The people from the territory, including Belinda, Claude, and Wendy, had gathered around.
“What’s going on?”
As Ghislaine asked with amusement, Belinda gasped and shouted.
“Give me that too!”
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