21: Leather Artisan Garda / Forbidden Laser Cut Magic / Aglio e Olio 2.0 4

The next morning, Garda was woken up by Matthew, who had come to his workshop and home.

“Good grief, you’re taking it easy… Aren’t you in a tight spot?”

“…I was sleep-deprived. I haven’t even had a drink since the last time we met.”

“If you can’t wake up when it matters, it’s no different from drinking every day. Come on, get ready. It would be rude to visit too late when you’re the one seeking advice.”

Garda remembered that he had promised to go somewhere last night, and with a hangover, he began to get dressed.

“By the way, you told me to bring tools and scraps, right? The person we’re meeting is a leatherworker, right?”

“No, they’re not.”

“Huh?”

“They seem to know a lot about clothing and accessories, but they’re an amateur when it comes to leather. I told you before, there’s someone I want to consult about leather processing.”

Garda didn’t quite understand what Matthew was saying.

With a skeptical look, he asked more questions.

“Wait a minute. This person doesn’t know anything about leather, right? So why are we going to consult them?”

“Yes. Because consulting someone knowledgeable about leather didn’t solve the problem. So, we have to ask someone who can offer a different perspective. The more of an expert they are in a different field, the better.”

“Oh, okay…”

Garda nodded, still looking somewhat unsure.

“Wait a minute… Does this have something to do with what you mentioned before? About wanting to learn about leather?”

“Yes, that’s right. We’re consulting them about the branding issue, and they’re eager to learn about leather processing. Don’t you think it’s a good deal?”

“…I feel like I’m being cleverly manipulated.”

“You are, in fact. The rest is up to you to accept being manipulated.”

Matthew’s innocent expression made Garda sigh.

“Fine, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t think it’ll be a waste of time.”

“You sure seem to trust them.”

Garda said with a hint of sarcasm.

But Matthew responded casually, without seeming to care.

“Of course. Now, let’s get going.”

◆

“Hey, Matthew.”

“What?”

“Why are we leaving town?”

Matthew had led Garda out of the town and into the forest.

It was the Forest of Temptation, where monsters were said to roam.

“To consult with someone, of course.”

“There’s nothing ahead but an abandoned mansion!”

“There are people there.”

Matthew’s confident declaration left Garda breathless.

“…Is the restaurant open again!?”

Garda had once visited a secret restaurant long ago.

Matthew and Roland had been recognized by the restaurant’s owner for a good deed they had done together and were given invitations. The three of them went to the restaurant, and Garda later visited again with his mentor, who was still alive at the time, using an extra invitation. Garda still remembered the dinner they had enjoyed there.

“No. A new master has taken residence in the mansion.”

“You don’t mean someone just moved in without permission, do you?”

“Do you think that’s possible in a place like that?”

“…No, it’s impossible.”

“In other words, a legitimate heir to the mansion has appeared.”

That mansion was protected by a strange magic not found in the modern world. Everyone in town, including Garda, knew it wasn’t a place that could be easily broken into by burglars or thieves.

“In any case, please don’t harbor any unnecessary hostility or suspicion. The restaurant had its secrets too, didn’t it?”

“So, you can’t explain it?”

“I’ll explain after today’s business is done. The holder of this ‘invitation’ is me, so you’ll have to follow my lead.”

With that, Matthew took out an ‘invitation’ from his pocket and waved it teasingly.

“Tell me a bit more, Matthew. You said they wanted to learn about leather, but does the new master plan to make and sell leather goods instead of food?”

“You’re sharp today. They mentioned wanting to open a general store. They want to display and sell clothes, accessories, tableware, and other items they’ve made themselves.”

“And you’re helping with that?”

“Yes, I’m honored to be involved.”

Matthew was a man with a keen eye for clothes and accessories. While Garda found this understandable, he also knew Matthew’s pragmatic side as a merchant. In Garda’s experience, Matthew never let his passion for specific items lead him to make poor business decisions.

“I still can’t quite see how a general store would work… I mean, it’s not like a craftsman selling their specialty items, but more like displaying a variety of handmade goods…”

“You think they might be overextending themselves and setting up for failure?”

“Well, that’s about right.”

In the Kingdom of Dailan, there were few places akin to department stores or general stores.

The concept of a general store was something Garda couldn’t quite grasp.

“That’s something to look forward to seeing.”

“What is this person…”

With a sigh, Garda continued deeper into the forest.

Many monsters inhabited this forest, but they wouldn’t attack anyone holding an ‘invitation.’

He walked on, feeling a sense of nostalgia.

After about ten minutes of walking, an old but large mansion came into view.

“Excuse me! It’s Matthew! Jill, are you there?”

“…Do you think they can hear you?”

“Have you forgotten, Garda? If they’re the master of the mansion, they should be watching.”

As if to confirm Matthew’s words, the front gate began to open on its own.

In stark contrast to the overgrown forest, the inside of the gate was well-maintained, exuding an air of refined elegance. They walked along the stone-paved path and reached the mansion’s entrance.

And, as if expecting their arrival, the door to the mansion opened.

“Hello, Matthew. And who might this be?”

A woman with orange hair appeared from inside.

Garda was taken aback by her appearance. He had expected the new master of the mansion to be as eccentric as the previous one, but even so, he couldn’t hide his surprise. When he glanced sideways at Matthew, he saw that Matthew was just as astonished.

“Is something the matter?”

She asked with a puzzled expression.

Garda felt like he was the one who should be asking questions.

But, realizing it was best to leave this to Matthew, he kept silent.

“No… I was just surprised to see you dressed as a man.”

“Men’s clothing?”

The woman was wearing trousers.

◆

“Oh, you didn’t know? These kinds of trousers are all the rage in a foreign country across the sea. Look, they’re different in shape from what men wear, aren’t they?”

The mistress said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

She began explaining the clothes to Matthew, who nodded in understanding.

Indeed, the trousers the mistress was wearing had a unique design.

They flared out more and more toward the hem, and from a distance, they could be mistaken for a skirt.

The length was also about three-quarters down the leg.

These trousers were something Garda had never seen before.

However, Garda questioned whether merely making and wearing trousers because they were “trendy” would be acceptable. On the island of Argenes, including Dailan, women traditionally wore skirts or garments like tunics, robes, or dresses.

Compared to skirts, trousers had a shorter history. About two hundred years ago, during the Warring States period, they became popular because they were “very convenient for horse-riding cavalry.” Due to their comfort, they spread even to infantry who didn’t ride horses, and eventually, they became widely accepted by non-military people. Nowadays, the societal norm is that “trousers are men’s fashion.”

Incidentally, on Argenes Island, men wearing skirts or long tunics had been culturally accepted since ancient times, but recently, more men have grown to dislike it. Although tunics are still worn, “men wearing skirts” is becoming an outdated notion.

Taking this cultural evolution further, creating trousers for women and wearing them casually was both bold and sophisticated. Conservative-minded people might get angry at this, but at least Garda found himself thinking, “Well, there’s no real reason women can’t wear trousers.”

At this moment, Garda felt a sense of awe as a creator. Garda specialized in making leather bags, and occasionally he would dabble in eccentric designs. People like Matthew would give him blunt feedback, saying, “That’s cool,” or “That’s tacky,” and would praise the good ones.

However, the elders in the leatherworkers’ guild, where Garda belonged, would criticize no matter the quality, saying, “The young are neglecting tradition.” Garda would usually brush this off, thinking, “Let those old men say what they want.” In reality, beyond the snide remarks, there wasn’t much more they could do.

Yet, a small part of Garda harbored doubt and cowardice. “If I go too far with my designs, who knows what they’ll say, so maybe I should hold back.” And he was beginning to despise himself for having such reservations.

But the mistress in front of him showed no sign of such hesitation.

“…No, I still don’t get it.”

“Garda? What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Garda inadvertently muttered to himself.

Matthew looked at him curiously, but Garda shook his head.

“Please, follow me.”

Before the two were led to a sitting room inside the mansion, a maid appeared.

“Hey, hold on, Mistress! I’m supposed to greet the guests first!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot.”

“Wait, did you go outside dressed like that?”

“It looks great, don’t you think? It’s also convenient when riding a horse.”

“Well, that’s true… but whatever, it’s just like you.”

The mistress and the maid were having a somewhat awkward conversation.

The awe that Garda had felt earlier slightly diminished.

But then Garda noticed that the maid’s face looked familiar.

“Hey, isn’t that Maureen?”

“Garda? I thought we had some grand guest coming when they said there was a visitor, but it’s just you, huh?”

Maureen laughed heartily.

Maureen, Matthew’s sister, was like a childhood friend to Garda.

They were close enough to exchange banter.

“So you work here…?”

“Yeah, that’s right. But if you mouth off to the Mistress, I won’t let it slide.”

Garda was well aware of Maureen’s wild behavior in her youth.

The name of the rogue Maureen, who could ride a bareback horse, was well-known in the town of Shelland.

The idea that Maureen had pledged her loyalty to the Mistress was something Garda found hard to believe.

“Maureen, I’ll be having a meeting with the guests in the sitting room.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

In reality, it had been a few years since Garda last saw Maureen, and she had simply matured with age. But Garda, feeling unnecessarily tense, entered the sitting room.