Kazuki had fought sentient sludge, battled bio-mages, and out-sanitized a literal rot god.
But **winning hearts in the royal court?**
That would take something stronger than bleach.
Something fragrant. Practical. Familiar.
Something like...
"Soap," he muttered, staring at a bucket of sheep fat and a bag of dried herbs.
Princess Lysandra raised an eyebrow from across the palace alchemy lab. "That's your next weapon? Bath cubes?"
Kazuki held up a sprig of local *lamb's mint* and a vial of *willow oil*. "Not just cubes. *Strategy.*"
---
The problem was simple: even after purging the castle dungeon, most nobles still saw hygiene as peasant work or mage trickery. They'd learned to tolerate Kazuki… not trust him.
The solution?
**Normalize cleanliness. Make it desirable.**
Make soap not just a tool—but a *symbol*.
So he started a quiet campaign:
1. **Infiltrate court salons** with "exotic" herbal soap samples.
2. Host "accidental" demonstrations of \[Purify Touch]—leaving stunned nobles with baby-smooth hands.
3. Get Princess Lysandra to casually compliment anyone who smelled like citrus and basil.
Within a week, the term **"Tanaka Wash"** had entered high society gossip.
---
Kazuki's first major creation was a **triple-layered cleansing cake**:
* Bottom layer: **goat fat & ash base**, rough for deep scrub.
* Middle layer: **lavender-thyme infusion** for scent and mild antiseptic.
* Top layer: **mint-oil glaze** that tingled on skin and glowed faintly with cleansing magic.
He called it: **Royal Purity Blend – No. 1**
It looked good enough to eat. One noble *tried.*
---
Then came the public debut: **The Great Wash-Off.**
Kazuki set up a sanitation booth during the **Festival of Lanterns**, offering free "skin enchantments" that were secretly just soap and elbow grease. The booth outdrew three illusionists and a fire-juggler.
But the real breakthrough came when he presented a bar to **Queen Elanore** herself.
"For what purpose?" she asked coolly, examining the wrapped cube.
"Defense," Kazuki replied. "Against disease, discontent, and body odor."
The Queen blinked.
Then slowly nodded. "Very well. Let the court trial your... 'tactical cleansing agent.'"
---
Kazuki began production with the help of **Lila**, an herbalist who'd once sold "poultices" to nobles made of swamp grass. Under Kazuki's guidance, she refined techniques and opened a proper *Soapery Guild*.
They called themselves: **The Order of the Lathering Hand**.
Within a month, soap production became a booming industry—employing peasants, reducing plagues, and lowering the general stench of the capital by 40%.
---
But not everyone was pleased.
In the shadows of the guild district, a masked figure watched as a line formed outside the soapery.
"She's selling *clean air,*" they hissed. "And making them like it."
"Soap is rebellion," growled another.
They vanished into the mist, their cloaks trailing mildew.
The **Cult of Rot** was adapting.
---
That night, in his now-clean lab, Kazuki etched a new design into a prototype:
> **Soap Bomb – Breaks on impact. Cleanses target. Stuns rot-based creatures. May smell like lemon and vengeance.**
He smiled.
"Soap," he said, "is strategy."