Parallel World Pharmacy Chapter 2 Episode 2

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Cosmetic Brand, MEDIQUE

 After one week, please come back again.
 During that period of time, I will prepare the skin whitening powder.
 Therefore, please don’t ever have phlebotomy performed until then.
 
 And so, that was the promise Falma gave to the young Marquis’ daughter, Chloe. It was already dark in the Imperial Capital, and the shops had already closed.
 “I will be leaving soon. Master Falma, are you still working hard?”
 “I am, looking at the situation right now.”
 Lotte went up the stairs to the 4th floor.
 “Master Falma. We are going back to the mansion, why don’t you leave the research for tomorrow? A carriage is coming to pick us up.”
 Lotte was worried, she knocked on the laboratory door to check Falma’s situation. Beyond the door, Thank you, but go home first. I will be staying today, was what Falma told her. It seemed that Lotte was waiting for a while in front of the door. Falma locked the laboratory while researching. He must not be seen using substance creation, and it was dangerous if he inadvertently spilled some chemicals. He would only invite a person who knew how to handle laboratory instruments. Ellen sometimes came.
 
 “Like Master Falma has told us before. Master Falma, please do not overwork too much. I am already worried that you didn’t eat lunch.”
 Then after that, the laboratory doors suddenly opened.
 “Thank you, Lotte. I’ll end today’s work. Let’s go home.”
 “Yes!”
 Falma remembered that he was about to become too immersed in his work again. Being completely absorbed in his work was natural for Falma, so he had to be careful. This was even a greater burden on a child’s body.
 He declined, this time, to die from overworking. He wouldn’t last long if he wasn’t relaxed. Thus so, Falma self-reflected.
 “I wonder what today’s dinner is.”
 “Yes! You’re hungry I see.”
 The two people rode on the carriage that picked them up back to de Médicis family mansion.
 
 He continued to research during business hours only for a few days without being unreasonable with his health. When Falma appeared in the staff break room from the 4th-floor laboratory, the staff spat out their drink.
 “Prrfftt! What the hell happened!?”
 Ellen went back to change her clothes because her white coat got dirty after bursting into laughter.
 “Master Falma, your face is too white!”
 Lotte’s eyes became wide.
 “How? White?”
 Falma became embarrassed when he heard Ellen laugh her heart out again after returning from changing her white coat.
 “Why did you apply it on your skin by yourself…!? Why did you apply it on your own skin…!? I say it’s better to apply it to a woman.”
 He hadn’t seen himself in a mirror, but Falma believed he looked like someone wearing a white face mask.
 “That is the whitest I have seen so far. It has the sense of translucence, and the features have depth too!”
 Ellen’s fingers were slightly trembling as she was trying to touch his skin.
 “This whiteness is surprising.”
 Falma didn’t originally have pure white skin. Since he had been training in Divine Art outside in the sun for so long, he was a typical tanned kid. Though now, he was white as snow. Well, only his face.
 
 Women of this world that had white skin were deemed more attractive, so his goal was to make a real medical white foundation.
 
 Ah, but… Ellen seemed to look troubled.
 “Lord Bruno told me that too much white is not good. Are you ok with that much whiteness?”
 “Don’t worry, this doesn’t have any white lead or mercury. So this is safe.”
 Before I give this, I should do some allergy tests on her.
 Falma remembered that he better give his mother the whitening face powder that she wanted too while looking seriously.
 “Wait a minute, why are lead and mercury a bad thing?”
 Bruno had understood it by intuition, but Ellen didn’t yet realize that they were harmful to the human body.
 “Those are poisonous.”
 “But isn’t everyone using the face whitening powder!? And both lead and mercury aren’t good for the body!?”
 Ellen was horrified when she knew the reason.
 
 “Both of you, will you please try applying this to your skin? I want to hear a woman’s opinion.”
 Lotte was using foundation for the first time in her life and shouted with joy when she saw herself in the mirror.
 “Waa… It adapts to the skin quickly!”
 “You should not have applied it Lotteー; You’re still young and suppleー.”
 “Eh? Even Lady Eléonore is like that!”
 “No way, right?”
 And so, both Lotte and Ellen did their girl talk while sparkles flew.
 “Let’s see, is there any stinging sensation on your skin?”
 “Not at all.”
 Cedric applied it to the back of his hand, and he was impressed by it. However, he was an old bachelor, so he didn’t have any use for it at all. Ellen applied it to her skin as well, and praised it. She always worried about her freckles, but now the acne scars had disappeared.
 “Falma, this, I want this too.”
 Ellen would not be likely to let it go now, because she was holding the cream tightly.
 “Falma, how did you know about this thing.”
 “Well, about that…”
 He was a pharmacologist in his past life, formerly an associate professor in the graduate school of pharmacy, he frequently collaborated with pharmaceutical companies in research. He worked as a third-party evaluator on new cosmetic products by doing allergen testing. So he was somewhat familiar with cosmetics with that kind of background.
 “Is this because of your past life as a Medicine God?”
 He already became like such a figure to Ellen.
 “No this is different.”
 “So, what kind of cream is this?”
 
 “This, this is a foundation to prevent tanning. Therefore, it will whiten skin since it prevents tanning.”
 “Are you saying this will prevent tanning?”
 Really? Even if you bathe in the sun’s rays? Was what Ellen said as she fell in surprise.
 “Yes, it can do that.”
 Light is made up of waves, and there are many types. He said that this cream had special ingredients, as it contained materials that absorbed ultraviolet rays. Falma was telling them all about it.
 
 “I wasn’t able to keep up midway.”
 Ellen said while yawning as she took a break. Lotte was just nodding.
 “You just said it blocks the sun’s light. Therefore, you aren’t exposed to sunlight. So in turn, the sons and daughters of the nobles can go out without worrying about getting a tan.”
 “No matter what, it’s an excellent product! It’s time for them to let go of the parasols, you see!”
 “No, they don’t have to let go of their parasols.”
 Rather than saying that the skin of the women clientele were naturally dark, they just got tanned easily. The women were more likely to go out as they loved shopping, even if they rode on carriages, they would still get tanned little by little every day from the reflected light off the ground passing through the window. They would be whitened, just from the protection against that.
 
 For that girl he promised, Falma was trying to make a few simple makeups, a (relatively) skin-friendly cosmetic.
 1: CC Cream
 Based on the medical Cream (BB Cream), it was initially used in cosmetic surgery to cover inflamed skin gently after surgery. It was further improved, and called CC cream; it had been released under various brand names in Japan and throughout the world. The ingredients of this cream carried the following effects:
 UV protection, skin tone up, fixing underlying skin blemishes, moisturize, and various vitamins that cares for the skin.
 Just apply this face lotion immediately after washing your face, and in 30 seconds, the makeover would be done. Just using the CC cream wouldn’t make the skin features bland. It would refract the light depending on how it was applied, so the face would not be merely “painted white”, it would be best described as “clad in the light.” The skin would achieve a sense of translucence and their facial features would be more prominent.
 
 2: Loose powder that is a mixture of Sericite, for final touches that will give a sparkling feel.
 He made the finishing powder per her request to be “white as snow.”
 
 3: Finally, the thing that he mustn’t forget; makeup remover formulated to repair the skin.
 It would clean off the make-up that got stuck to the skin, this would prevent clogging the skin pores. Skin care was the basics of beauty.
 
 There were already moisturizing facial cleansing lotions and medicinal soaps sold in bundles in the pharmacy from the start.
 A cosmetic set made just for her was the only one on this world.
 
 The day of the promise had arrived.
 
 The carriage of the Marquis’ daughter, Chloe, stopped near the Different World Pharmacy in the morning.
 “Come, quickly!”
 Falma couldn’t just leave her alone. Falma was already working, but had been waiting.
 “How do you do, Sir Apothecary, thank you for what you did last week… Is the face whitening powder done?”
 “Yes, I have it.”
 Falma ushered her to the counseling corner and brought out a 5-piece makeup set, placed in a box. He handed over a sample vial as an allergic reaction test. He said that if the skin got irritated, it would be free of charge.
 
 “I want more of this, here is the money.”
 Chloe gave a purse filled with gold coins generously in front of Falma.
 “As long as this money can fund, I will give you more of this as long as there are no allergic reaction to the skin. Now then, please try applying it.”
 Falma, like a beauty consultant of a department store, encouraged her to wash her face first. He recommended soaking the cotton with the cleansing facial lotion.
 “Next is the face whitening powder.”
 Falma served a white cream using a spatula from the container; she was looking at the unusual thing.
 “This face whitening powder, is not a powder?”
 “This is much easier to apply to the skin. I have prepared it as a cream type. There are a lot of ingredients contained in here for beauty. It’s very effective to prevent tanning.”
 “Oh my!… This item is incredible if it lessens tanning! It’s a face whitening powder that looks good on the skin.”
 Chloe was stretching her face. The cream was not sticky, and she was particularly surprised that it wasn’t that oily.
 “This powder is for the finishing touch. Let me apply it for you.”
 “Oh! I seem to be sparkling.”
 When Ellen applied it quickly with a brush, it was sparkling white as it reflected light, as if the woman’s skin was wearing a fine veil of light. It was different from merely applying conventional face whitening powder. It was as if it were looking at natural skin.
 
 “This is… Me?”
 Like a beautiful girl from the legends, Chloe was praising herself. She was spellbound and fascinated while looking at the mirror.
 “This is entirely different… Everything is completely different from yesterday!!”
 “Do you like it? Will you take this? This makeup will draw out a woman’s beauty.”
 Falma was talking like a beauty consultant.
 “Oh my…! What should we do?!”
 She looked down as she felt embarrassed for being shy. And then, she grasped the precious sample set, since this was cheaper than calling a doctor every day for phlebotomizing, and it was far better than the face whitening powder she used before. She was shedding tears of joy. Another piece of advice she received was to use a hat and parasol, or even better was wearing a veil.
 
 “Thank you, this will give me an advantage over my rival. I will always come here to make purchases!”
 Chloe was delightfully bowing her head many times as she went back.
 
 The next day, Lotte was shouting and getting the attention of the women passing by in front of the Different World Pharmacy.
 “New product! Face whitening powder and skin care set, right here! You can buy the trial pack for three coppers only.”
 It was Lotte’s suggestion to sell samples of the products for three copper coins. When Lotte distributed it out on the street with a basket, hands from the women extended to her saying “Me too, me too.”
 “Can I also get some?”
 A hand of a feeble old woman was grasping three copper coins.
 “Of course, our motto is, all women are beautiful.”
 For those who couldn’t read, they were respectfully told to look at the storefront, as the instruction, using a series of pictures, were posted there.
 For once, everyone couldn’t hold back something called desire, and spent their money on the high-class cosmetics that were sold at the noble’s shop, because they could get a sample for little money.
 
 And then at the Different World Pharmacy…
 “10 pieces of Sailor’s Candy.”
 “Yes, thank you very much as always.”
 “Well then, I will drink some water!”
 They weren’t sure if old man Jean was aiming for the candy or the water, but still, he was a regular customer. Furthermore, the quantity he bought was increasing little by little. Falma was guessing that he might be giving it out to someone.
 He might be distributing it to his companions that were walking with him.
 Falma had thought that much.
 However, that was not only it; customers came to the Different World Pharmacy little by little afterward. Mostly female clients.
 The commoner women who were conscious of skin whitening started to hit an astounding rate and became repeat customers. The foundation set was selling like hot cakes. The basic skin care and make-up remover too, sold the same amount.
 
 “The customers have increased.”
 Female customers. Their families and friends. These type of customers had been expanding gradually. Nobles, commoners and merchants from similar shops had come over in casual clothes.
 Lotte, who was the salesperson at the counter, was very busy.
 “Yes, face whitening powder, it’s three right? Eh, five you say? Bulk buying is only up to three!”
 Lotte was serving the customers delightfully. The female commoners, and even the nobles devoted themselves in pursuit of beauty.
 
 “We are sold out todayー!”
 
 When the commoners showed up at the Different World Pharmacy, they saw that the medicines arranged on the display shelf were incomparably cheap, compared to the other pharmacies. It became a hot topic among the commoners. Gradually commoners began to show up in the pharmacy in search of something other than cosmetics. Sure enough, there was a long line in front of the water dispenser.
 
 The health consultation began to appear, they immensely requested for Falma and Ellen to compound some medicines. Even if the customers were not using honorifics, it didn’t become an insult. On the contrary, because Falma and Ellen spoke to the commoners with honorifics, the customers went back with a very good mood.
 The compounding fee was surprisingly cheap, and the medicine that the child storekeeper prescribed worked well.
 
 “Well then, I will announce the results of the 3rd survey!”
 Lotte announced it loudly. It became a custom to hold public surveys in regards to the Different World Pharmacy.
 “I expect a little more this time.”
 Cedric held his hands together like he was praying.
 “Medicines are cheap and very effectiveー 44 votes.”
 “Changed personal pharmacyー 39 votes.”
 “I want you to produce more cosmeticsー 36 votes.”
 “Have seen the child shopkeeper in a new lightー 25 votes.”
 “Various candies are deliciousー 15 votes.”
 “The water was deliciousー 10 votes.”
 
 Both the number of customers, and customer satisfaction of Different World Pharmacy gradually increased.
 Customers were concentrated in the cosmetic section; women swarmed the storefront, and Lotte too, was troubled that she couldn’t handle some customers. The Marquis daughter, Chloe, even suggested that aside from the pharmacy, Falma should create a subsidiary cosmetic department. This time, Chloe had completely, and splendidly, become fair-skinned.
 
 “I will 100% invest in the cosmetic department. I will employ an apothecary, and a shopkeeper too.”
 That is, she thought it was frustrating as it was also for her sake that sometimes cosmetics were sold out, because Falma didn’t work in the cosmetic section.
 “That’s a good idea! Cedric, please proceed with the procedures.”
 “Please, I entrust it to you, Master Falma, to hurry up and draw the documents.”
 Falma agreed, it was decided that the sales of the cosmetics would be handled by the cosmetic department. And so, Chloe would employ a Second Class Apothecary and they would be thoroughly trained. They would be taught about the closely guarded recipe for compounding the cosmetics. It would then be possible for them to sell skin care products. Falma would then give them special ingredients for the cosmetics. As only Falma was able to produce these special ingredients.
 “I have finally employed a Second Class Apothecary.”
 The noble apothecaries arbitrarily decided that it was a lowly occupation. However, Chloe puffed up with pride as she did something using the power of the Marquis. It seems that they were wealthy.
 
 “Isn’t this amazing?! Now everyone can buy the cosmetics! Being sold out will not happen anymore!”
 Ellen was especially surprised that the second shop was already complete. Ellen would also show up in the second shop. Not just for supervision, but also to procure the cosmetics for herself. The resulting income was used for employee salaries at the main office, and as a working capital for the second shop. Despite the prices being low, they still reaped a huge profit.
 
 “I wonder if we’re starting on the right track.”
 For now, Falma heaved a sigh of relief.
 
 Thus, the second shop turned into the cosmetic department of the Different World Pharmacy. It was just like cosmetics from the heavens! That was the reputation of the newly established cosmetic brand, MEDIQUE, from the public.
 The symbol of a crown which was the seal of a Royal Charter and the symbol M was engraved in the brand packaging.
 Incidentally, it was not long before Falma advised her Imperial Majesty, thereafter products using white lead, mercury, and other specified toxic substances were banned from being sold in all pharmacies of the empire in the name of the Empress.
 

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