Extraordinary, Ordinary, Soap! – Chapter 1

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Lucia, Encourage Laundry

(Soap bubble〜, softly, clean washing〜. Sunny, shiny feeling〜♫)

 

Today is blessed with a fine weather; it is really a day for laundry.

 

I will put soap on dirty clothes spread on the washing board and scrape off gobs to remove the dirt. It really feels good to see white clothes becoming white one by one.

(Ah, will it be wrong if I don’t use “bubbles”?)

 

I was in a good mood and excited to do the laundry that I sighed at the clothes that I picked. A wide range was dyed with blue that cannot be removed by hand washing.

 

「《Bubbles》！」

Chanting towards the soiled stain, a fluffy and rainbow – colored soap bubbles come up from the dirty clothes.

Under the blue sky, these seven colored fluffy bubbles are very beautiful. I smiled unexpectedly to my favorite site.

Because it is very beautiful. My favorite blue sky. It is my magic floating on it. The soap bubbles are approaching the sky steadily basking in the sunlight, they look like jewels.

「Now, it’s just drying up！」

          I picked up the tub with a pile of clean laundry, when I grasped it, I moved from the water area to the sunny area. If you could hold a heavy tub, you can only move a large castle with difficulty.

Well, let me introduce myself from here.

I am Lucia Arka, 16 years old.

My hair is the color of chestnut that loosely wave to my back and my eyes are violet which can be seen as black because it is too dark. I am of average height, not too short and not too tall. Not too skinny or too fat. I wonder if there is only a little chest. And even my face is the average of 10 people.

　

I wear ordinary clothes. That’s me, I am Lucia.

If only, the color of my eyes is a little lighter, the violet color could have been appreciated. But since it only looks black, it is just like a spur of seasoning.

 

　 If the color of eyes is at least slightly thin, I can understand Violets. Since it only looks at black as it is seen at once, it is spurious in its seasoning.

 

I lost my mother yesterday who was the only family I have. I will leave the city of Hassaweth which I just learned to live with, and I will go the Kingdom of Ahrtad with the help of my acquaintance. I will do the laundry for the royal castle which is my special skill.

Yeah, why are you doing that?

….I have debt. For the medicine of Okaasan.

In order to buy medicine for my mother, I also went far away to pick up herbs but whatever I did, my money is not enough. We have so much debt, that I can’t do anything about it even if I sell our house, we could not pay it.

 

So, I am living as a laundry woman. Aiming to pay our debt.

Oh yes, that’s my special skill.
Haven’t you heard of the magic “bubbles”? Didn’t you?

Yes, yes! Me too, I haven’t heard it from anyone before.

　

It is mediocre but it is somewhat special, it has a special magic. This “bubble”, it is magic bubbles. Is it only for children’s play? Yes, when I was a child I thought so too.

It is a very shabby magic, but when you put it on dirty clothes, it is a mystery. It can erase whatever dirt it is. You have no other choice but to leave it to the laundry woman, right?

So that means that I am being chased by laundry every day. It is a hard job, but I feel good because I love doing it.

By the way, I arrived at the drying area. Let’s dry up the laundry piled in this tub.

I will fasten the laundry and pinch it to the rope which is higher than me. Today is a fine and windy day. I am sure it will dry up soon.

 

「Your job is done!」

Although it is early spring. The sun is warm.

 

I wiped off the sweat in my forehead and stood up holding the empty tub. The laundry which piled up into 5 tubs is now all in the wind.

 

「I am afraid! Lucia」

「Kikkasan!」

When I look back, my colleague Kikka was holding a tub.

「This is bad at the end of the work but, can I use your “bubbles” on this? I already used a lot of soap but I really can’t remove it.」

When Kikkasan put down the tub, she pulled out a piece of shirt. The shirt is dyed with colors and it seems like she has strongly used her hands on it.

「Sure, Please use this, this is cheap！ 《Bubbles》！」

 

I focused on the dirt that won’t fall off and I used my magic spell. The dirt disappeared with the rising bubbles and only a white shirt is left on the hands of Kikkasan.

　

「It’s very helpful! I’m sorry to always bother you。Your magic is really helpful！」

 

Kikkasan showed a smiling face and pat my shoulder. “Bubbles” is the best magic for laundry. I am happy that you are praised!

「Kikkasan your in charge of the First Knight Corps, right？」

Kikkasan is a veteran in this field for 30 years. She is in charge of the laundry of the First Knight Corps of the Knights of Banfield.

 

The Knights of Banfield consists of the 1st to 5th Corps. The 1st corps is in charge to protect the Royal Family, the 2nd Corps do the surveys and negotiations, the 3rd and 4th Corps stays in the unit and the 5th Corps is a unit that guards and secure the kingdom.

A knight should obey the order, but since only the knights can ask for the laundry of the King, we only wash 50 of each corps. The laundry of the royal family is different. When the royal clothes are being washed, we cannot touch it.

By the way, because I am a hick, I am in charge of the fifth Corps. The most corrupt corps. They are the destroying unit – aka anything – they came from the 3rd and 4th unit which got out from demonic extermination and when they come back, they assume responsibility right away.

 

The body fluid of a demon, it’s not falling off, right… Ah, what is that? When it gets stained, the soap will never be effective.

 

So it seems that the clothing were disposed of before, but the clothes of the Knights of Banfield is a special product which was subjected to the magic defense and physical defense by the wizards of the Academy. It seems like the knights of the other countries are wearing armor, but our Knights in the Kingdom of Banfield are only allowed to wear army clothes. Because it is special and they can reuse it if they want.

So, when I realized that I can be a laundry woman and I can clean dirt with “bubbles”, I was quite pleased. It seems like I can help alleviate a considerable cost. Even if it is a shabby magic, I can still serve.

「That’s right. Lucy…are you in charge of any shops today? 」

 

「Yes. It seems like the 3rd unit went out to slay the monsters, it is their clothes, although this time it is not very dirty. 」

「I heard it from Marella though, but, this time it was only the team captain that exterminated it. That’s right; he is really the “dragon slayer hero”」

Marellasan is a low-rank made who is a friend of Kikkasan.

 

Those who are maids are noble ladies, but of lower class. They can also be daughters of the rich people. In other words, the maid is a noble man, the lower maid is an ordinary people of the upperclass family and we are the middle class.

　

「So that means that, the one piece of shirt which you used “bubbles” for, a while ago was Hideosan son’s clothes?」

I remembered the blue uniform.  

“Dragon Slayer Hero” . He is called Celestino Clementi, the Captain of the 3rd Corps. He is said to have stabbed the dragon during the dragon extermination a year ago.
Although it was a large team composed of the 3rd , 4th, and 5th Corps, it was the strongest creature. That dragon was truly strong, the 3rd and 4th corps was hurt and the 5th corps was overthrown.

　 So now the 5th Corps that I am in charge of is a newly-built squadron that has advanced group of soldiers.

「Isn’t it？ If the young girls would know that you took the clothes of the popular “dragon slayer hero”, they would be very envious！」

「It’s not it? It is just clothes.」

 

I looked at the laundry that fluttered in the wind, I caressed my neck. I understand the screaming inside, but clothes are only clothes?

「You are also a young girl…Hey. Are you in love？」

 

Kikkasan, don’t show me that regrettable look, please!

Because, there are also a few people who think that I am nice!