Chapter 148

After Belona also left the Grand Duke’s castle, Enria plunged into earnest wedding preparations without even a moment to feel the lingering sadness.

Under Chavel’s responsibility, she began grooming every aspect of her appearance, including skin, body, and hair care. While preparing for the wedding, Enria discovered that face masks existed in this world as well. Of course, they weren’t the egg or potato masks of her original world, but rather a mysterious and unique transparent purple mask created through magic.

Chavel explained that applying this magic-infused mask would turn a dull face smooth and clear. She mentioned there were no specific side effects, but because continuous use would accelerate the aging process, they were rarely used except for extremely important events. Hearing this, Enria twitched her eyebrows as she looked at the transparent purple mask in her hand.

‘Wait, isn’t accelerated aging itself a side effect?’

Concluding that there was no need to use a magic mask that negated the very reason for using a mask in the first place, Enria decided it would be better to maintain her skin steadily using things she could make herself, like the egg masks from her previous world.

‘Right. There are eggs here, too. I still have plenty of time until the wedding, so that would be better.’

Enria recalled how to make the egg masks she had tried a few times back when DIY masks were a trend.

“Chavel, you can take this back. Could you bring me some eggs, flour, and honey? Oh, and a bowl to mix them in. I think I can use this brush.”

As Enria handed the purple mask back to Chavel and detached only the small brush, Chavel looked at her with a bewildered expression.

“I’m not going to use a magic mask that speeds up aging. I’ll just make one and use it.”

“M-make one? Do you mean… using holy power?”

Enria shook her head vigorously at Chavel, who asked if she could make such a thing because she was a Saintess, and began to explain the benefits of applying an egg mask to the face.

“It’s not holy power; it’s the effect of the egg itself. Egg whites have whitening, exfoliating, and pore-tightening effects, and the yolks are excellent for dry skin. If you mix the yolk with honey and flour and apply it to your face, it provides nutrients and makes your skin radiant.”

“My goodness, do mere eggs really do all that?”

Enria let out a small laugh as she watched Chavel, who admitted she had only thought of eggs as food and never once imagined applying them to her skin.

“I’ll do one for you too, so go bring the ingredients I mentioned.”

***

Exclamations of admiration poured from Chavel, Roseanne, and Belona after they tried the egg mask—the substitute for the magic masks that caused premature aging.

“Wow, this is several times better than a magic mask!”

“Heavens, my face has become so much brighter.”

“To think that applying food could make one’s face this clean… how did you ever come up with such an idea?”

Seeing them admire their own faces in hand mirrors, Enria felt a sense of pride.

“Tomorrow, I’ll give you a yolk mask.”

At Enria’s words, the eyes of Roseanne, Belona, and Chavel sparkled.

“Enri, you could actually start a business with this!”

Belona’s suggestion that this was a perfect business item made Enria’s ears perk up.

“The reason the Magic Tower developed magic masks was for money. Most of the Tower’s operating costs come from those masks.”

She argued that if they launched a mask made of safe, easily accessible food ingredients—instead of masks that carried the risk of rapid aging if used repeatedly—everyone from nobles to commoners would buy it. At that moment, details of the original story began to surface in Enria’s mind.

In the original novel, there was an episode where Roseanne started her own business using her magic, all to help the impoverished people of the North.

The North, where it snowed all year round, was a region where farming was fundamentally difficult. Since it wasn’t easy to sustain a livelihood just by raising livestock and cold-resistant plants, Caldeon would hunt monsters of the Empire to raise funds. Arsen would then distribute that money as monthly living expenses for the Northerners.

‘That’s why the Roseanne of the original story made magic supplements and sold them to nobles, wondering if she could help the Northerners directly.’

Enria thought that she, too, could help the Northerners with this mask.

‘But I shouldn’t just earn money and give it away like Roseanne or Caldeon did.’

Enria believed that teaching the Northerners how to earn money themselves would lead to a much better life for them than simply distributing funds.

‘Free money is spent easily and expected easily. If the Northerners manufacture and sell the masks themselves, many people will travel to the North just to buy them. Then, wouldn’t the North soon become a tourist attraction?’

To achieve this, Enria realized there needed to be something that could only be used for the masks in the North.

“Chavel, is there a plant that grows only in the North, like the Hommel wine of the South?”

Chavel nodded and answered that there was. At the same time, Roseanne and Belona both asked, “Is it the Dapelle?”

“Dapelle?”

“That’s right. The Dapelle is a winter plant that grows only in the North.”

“What is it like? Do you know its properties?”

“Ah… I’m not sure about the specific benefits. We usually brew it as tea… Oh! Sir Arsen should have data on it.”

Enria’s eyes widened slightly at Chavel’s words. She rose quickly and said to her:

“I need to pay Sir Arsen a visit.”

“What are you going to do with Dapelle?”

Roseanne asked with a curious expression. Enria gave her a bright smile and replied: “A mask business for the Northerners.”

***

After finding the data on Dapelle’s properties from Arsen, Enria sat in Caldeon’s office because he had insisted she read it by his side if she was going to read it anyway. Arsen, who had even brought her Dapelle leaves while answering her detailed questions about its appearance, asked: “But why the sudden interest in Dapelle?”

“Ah, I was wondering if I could use it as a business ingredient.”

“…A business ingredient?”

Arsen asked with a puzzled look. Caldeon, who was reviewing documents, also looked up at Enria, but she was too busy checking the properties of the Dapelle.

‘Ah, the shape and scent are similar to pine needles, and even the benefits are similar.’

Enria held the Dapelle—which was very similar to pine needles from her original world—to her nose and sniffed while reading through the data.

‘It has seven times more Vitamin C than an apple? Isn’t that also similar to pine needles?’

Since she knew pine needles had excellent antioxidant effects and were great for anti-aging, the Dapelle, being similar, would surely be effective as a mask. Furthermore, since it was noted for being excellent at preventing decay, there was no worry about the food-based mask ingredients spoiling.

‘The problem is how to grind this and put it in…’

Since this world wouldn’t have blenders, the key was to turn it into a fine powder. If she had the technology to powder the Dapelle, a monopoly business was entirely possible.

‘There must be some tool…’

Then it suddenly dawned on her that even if they lacked modern tools, they had magic that was just as effective.

“Is there perhaps magic that can turn this into powder?”

As Enria held up the Dapelle toward Caldeon and asked, Caldeon’s gaze shifted from his documents to her.

“Powder?”

“Yes. I’m thinking of making a powder out of this to create face masks.”

“Masks?”

Caldeon placed the documents he was holding onto the desk to listen more closely.

“What is a mask?”

“Um, do you know the magic masks? The ones you apply to the face.”

“Ah, the Magic Tower’s source of funds.”

When Caldeon nodded, Enria followed suit and continued.

“I heard those cause accelerated aging if used often. So, I tried an egg mask myself since I happened to be meeting Rose and Belli.”

Enria explained that they were extremely satisfied with the handmade mask and, thanks to Roseanne’s suggestion to start a business, she thought of a venture for the North.

“Since this plant grows only in the North, we can grind it to make masks that only Northerners can sell.”

She added that the Grand Duke’s castle could provide the powdered Dapelle to the Northerners at cost, and she would teach them the mask-making techniques. That way, people from across the Empire would flock to the North to buy the masks, and the Northerners would be able to earn external money by selling their handmade products.

“Once the masks made in the North start circulating, ideas for combining other ingredients will surely pop up everywhere. But there’s only the North that has the Dapelle.”

Enria stated that she would promote the anti-aging and whitening effects of the Dapelle masks, and if the Northerners competed with something unique to their region, the masks would hold their inherent value no matter how many other products appeared. Arsen, looking very excited, exclaimed that it was a great idea.

“The hardships of the Northerners living in that barren land are truly immense. While Your Grace distributes the funds from monster hunting, they still cannot escape a life of poverty. If all the Northerners can earn money from the citizens of the Empire through the business Your Grace mentioned, the North will surely become a much more prosperous territory than before.”

Enria nodded and smiled at Arsen’s words.

“Great. Then let’s proceed. Before that, do you know of any magic that can turn Dapelle into powder?”

Arsen nodded vigorously with a look of absolute confidence.

“If it’s the wind attribute, it will surely be possible!”