I Have Tamed a Spider Monster - Chapter 217, Chapter 218, Chapter 219

Shop Assistants from the Orphanage
With Famille and her team joining us, the preparations for the store have been moving along at a rapid pace.
By the time the signboard was ready, we had finished cleaning and redecorating the interior, and all the necessary materials had been brought in.
Now, we were fully prepared to welcome customers at any time.
Famille and her team had even brought additional decorations, making the store look even more dazzling. It’s looking great!

Now that the interior of the store is ready, the opening is drawing near.
It’s about time to go pick up the employees who have been waiting at the orphanage.

I headed to the orphanage with Famille, the person in charge of The Magic Butterfly.
At the orphanage, the children who are graduating this year are making their final preparations.
This year, some of the children will be working at the Spiderling's Nest, so the percentage of those becoming adventurers is lower.
However, there are still some who will become adventurers, so Teysa, Hannon, and I decided to have a discussion and give those children some equipment as a gift.

Although the equipment is only the kind that beginners in the black rank would have, it’s still high-quality for the graduates of the orphanage.
I hope they’ll use it to survive.
It’s the best support we can provide.

When we arrived at the orphanage, it was still early afternoon, so there weren’t many children outside.
As we entered, we were greeted by the headmistress, Jada, and a staff member, Sibyl, and were shown to the reception room.
It was finally time to meet the children who would be working at my store starting today.

We had previously asked for volunteers, but since there hadn’t been time for interviews, this would be our first face-to-face meeting.
I intended to have Famille, as their supervisor, also evaluate them, and unfortunately, we would have to turn away any who didn’t meet our criteria.

After a short wait, Jada brought in four girls.
These must be the volunteers.

“Thank you for waiting. These are the children who have expressed a desire to work at your store, Lady Lily.”

“Understood. First, please tell us your names, starting from next to the headmistress.”

“Yes. My name is Rena. This is my twin sister, Nina, next to me.”

“I’m Nina. As my sister said, we are twin sisters. I’m the younger one.”

“I’m Seiran. I was working as a staff member at the Spiderling’s Nest until just recently.”

“My name is Reni. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I see, Rena, Nina, Seiran, and Reni.
But why did Seiran come here?
I should ask her about that.

“You’re asking why I left the Spiderling's Nest? I was in charge of the floor, so I thought that by stepping down, it would allow more children to join from this year onwards, so I left.”

Famille was the first to react to this, immediately responding to Seiran’s explanation.

“Seiran, was it? That’s naive thinking. A customer service role isn’t something you can learn overnight. By you leaving, things that were running smoothly might start to falter. I suggest you reconsider and return to the Spiderling’s Nest”

Seiran seemed a bit taken aback but appeared to understand after hearing Famille’s words.
She decided to stay at the Spiderling’s Nest as both a floor staff and mentor.
The restaurant doesn’t have a surplus of staff, so I’m glad she reconsidered.

After Famille and I asked a few questions to the remaining three, we concluded that there wouldn’t be any problems with hiring them all for the time being.
They agreed to initially work only behind the scenes, without any customer interaction, which resolved any concerns.

We also planned to have them train in etiquette and to see if they could learn magic sewing in between their store duties.
With training, anyone should be able to use it.
The tough part is not seeing any visible results until the outcome starts to show.

The starting pay isn’t very high, but as Alizée mentioned, considering that the employer covers room and board, it’s a decent wage.
I hope they’ll work hard to earn a raise.

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First Batch
With the employees from the orphanage welcomed, the preparations for the opening of The Magic Butterfly were finally complete.
However, the first dress we will be delivering is for Princess Rodenlight, so we can't accept any other orders for now.
Yes, we're technically in an "open for business but no business" situation.
What should we do?

"Lady Lily, if you have some spare time, would you consider making a dress for Lady Plum?"

"A dress for Plum?"

"Yes. Originally, Lady Plum is a princess, meant to wear dresses. While she currently dresses the same as us, there might be occasions when she'll need appropriate attire."

"I see. With Plum nearby, I can ask her what kind of dress she wants as I make it."

"Exactly. It might be impolite to say this, but I believe Lady Plum would be perfect for practice."

"Got it. I'll make a dress for Plum, then."

"Thank you. We'll start preparing everything necessary for making the dress, so if you'll excuse us."

Preparing for dressmaking is important, after all.
Although I can just use magic sewing to create the pattern with a simple "Hah!", normally, it would take months to carefully select the fabric and make the dress.
Since I already have the fabric, I don't need to spend too much time on that step, but choosing the right fabric is crucial in the traditional process.
Yeah, I really have it easy.
Well then, let’s call Plum.

"Hmm, a dress for me?"

"Yes. Please think of it as helping me with my practice."

"If that’s the case, then it’s fine. Besides, you will need a dress for social occasions as well. Even as a bodyguard, I need to keep my eyes peeled in such settings."

Hmm, I might have to attend social events in the future.
I don't like the sound of that...

Anyway, I took Plum to The Magic Butterfly and began preparations for making the dress.
After having Plum remove her clothes to measure her whole body, I realized just how perfectly balanced her figure was.
Her arms and legs are toned, yet her bust and hip sizes are substantial, with a slim waist.
As a fellow woman, I’m envious.

With the measurements in hand, it was time to design the dress.
Since all the basic patterns are already drawn, I showed them to Plum, and we discussed which dress would be best.
We decided on an empire-line dress.
Additionally, following the vampire custom, I will make a mantle known as a "shoulder covering," which is a sign of an unmarried woman.
It’s similar to a cape, but only covers up to the upper arms and is fastened in front of the chest.
Famille and her team seem to know a lot about this, so I’ll ask them for details.

After deciding on the silhouette of the dress, the next step is choosing the color.
I have a complete color sample book ready.
It includes over a thousand colors.
Although I can clearly see the differences between the colors, Plum finds many of them look the same.
Gerbera, who came with Plum, can see the differences, but Plum cannot.
It seems like there’s a racial difference at play here.
For now, we decided on her desired color, wine red, and added a gradient transitioning to bloody red.
When asked how I would create a gradient with fabric, I explained that it’s simple for me because I have a universal dye.

… So, up to this point, these are the preparations before making the pattern.
Once the pattern is made, I’ll actually create the dress and check for any issues.
If there are problems, I’ll adjust the pattern accordingly.
If everything goes well, I'll make the final dress using the proper fabric.
At Marquis Vardmoi’s, I did it all in a rush, but I wonder how long it would take if done normally?
I need to measure that too.
Making a dress is a lot of work.

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Silver-grade Merchant
Plum’s dress design was finally coming together.
We decided on an empire-line dress adorned with many decorative fabrics, aiming for a luxurious finish.
Plum herself, being a ducal princess, naturally exuded elegance.
Even with a flamboyant outfit, it would come across as refined rather than gaudy.

As I was in the midst of magic sewing with the actual fabric—what I call the "real sewing"—I received a summons from Alizée at the Trade Guild.
Apparently, Priscilla had called for me.
Since I had just wrapped up my work, I decided to head over immediately.

"Welcome, Lady Lily."

"Hello, Alizée. What is this about today?"

"You’ll hear the details directly from Lady Priscilla. Shall we?"

Hmm, Alizée usually tells me the purpose of these meetings beforehand.
I wonder what’s going on today?

Alizée led me to one of the reception rooms, where we waited for Priscilla.
I’ve gotten quite used to this room.
It wasn’t long before Priscilla arrived.

"Welcome, Lily. How are things at your shop?"

"It’s been a while, Priscilla. Spider’s Silken Cloud is doing well. With spring here, more customers are looking for bright-colored clothes. The Spiderling’s Nest is also bustling with customers and seems to sell out every day. The Magic Butterfly is just getting started, though."

"That’s good to hear. What I’ve called you here for is related to that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I want to make you a Silver-grade merchant."

A Silver-grade merchant!?
I only became a Bronze-grade merchant last autumn!
I was quite surprised and asked for the reason.
It seems that one of the reasons is the opening of The Magic Butterfly.

"Becoming a Silver-grade merchant means that even nobles can't easily make unreasonable demands. In practice, it gives you a voice as strong as that of a count or a higher viscount."

"Wow... Is that really necessary?"

"Yes, it is. When dealing with nobles, payments are made by the household, not on the spot. Some unscrupulous families might complain later to get a discount or even refuse to pay. If it becomes known that a noble family tried such tricks on a Silver-grade merchant, it would ruin their reputation, and no merchant would do business with them. That’s one reason."

"That's one reason. Are there others?"

"You're also taking orders from Princess Rodelnight, aren't you?"

"Yes. I have a dress order from her. There’s been a bit of a delay due to the current state of affairs in the country, though."

"… A Bronze-grade merchant cannot accept orders from royalty."

"What?"

"It seems Princess Rodenlight wasn’t particularly concerned, but there’s a rule that merchants delivering to the Royal family must be Silver-grade or higher. To avoid creating exceptions, we need you to become one."

Wow, that’s quite a big deal.
I received the order from Princess Rodenlight herself, but I never thought I wasn't actually qualified.
Anyway, it looks like I need to become a Silver-grade merchant.

"Understood. I’ll become a Silver-grade merchant, then. What do I need to do?"

"To advance to the Silver rank, you need to pay a fee of 10 million Rubies, but for you, that shouldn’t be a problem."

"… Your sense of money is quite off, isn’t it?"

"The more income streams, the better. Also, be aware that taxes are higher for the Silver grade and above."

"I understand, and I accept."

"… Oh, you’re taking it quite calmly? Most people would put up a fight."

"Paying taxes is a merchant’s duty. If it means increased profits and gaining more trust, I think it’s only natural."

"You have a sharp mind in unexpected areas. But you’re usually a bit absent-minded."

Calling me absent-minded is mean.
Anyway, it’s decided that I will become a Silver-grade merchant.
All the necessary procedures were completed, and my ID was updated.
It seems that becoming a Gold-grade merchant or higher is not possible solely at the discretion of the Trade Guild, but I’m fine with not advancing any further.

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