A few days after the specialized brushes arrived, I visited Flare-san’s home in the Demon Realm. As promised, I gave her a rundown on how they felt to use. I had actually stopped by Magnawell-san’s place beforehand, so I’d already given him my recommendation as well.
"I see. So your evaluation is favorable, Comrade."
"Yeah. Canalis-san made an auxiliary tool for me, but since you don’t need to perform a conversion into magic power when using it on yourself, you can just pour magic power directly into the brush. According to Nebula, that allows the power to penetrate into the body."
"Hmm... magic power penetration? I see. Such beauty techniques do indeed exist. In that sense, these specialized brushes might be the ideal tool for the job."
"Is that so?"
In my case, I needed to perform a conversion into magic power for each individual when using the brush on Bell or Rin, but there was no need for that when someone used it on themselves.
When I had checked with Nebula, she told me that while it wasn't quite as effective as my own unique magic power, the brushes were still efficient at improving the luster of hair and scales.
"Indeed. While Eingana and her lot are more knowledgeable on the subject than I am, beauty regimens centered on uniform magic power infusion are well-documented. Beings like dragons and monsters—myself included—have massive amounts of magic power flowing through every part of our bodies, even our blood. We refer to the distribution across different parts of the body as the Magic Power Penetration Rate. The secret to maintaining beautiful scales or fur is to keep that rate as uniform as possible."
"I see. So that’s what Eingana-san and the others are putting into practice."
"Exactly. But while it is easy enough to say, it is quite difficult to achieve. Magic power is generated within the body, which means the extremities—like the scales or the tips of the fur—inevitably have a lower Magic Power Penetration Rate since they are the furthest from the source. This is something entirely different from cladding yourself in magic power through Physical Enhancement or barriers. If I were to describe it, it is more like regulating one's blood circulation."
It seemed the little trick Nebula had taught me for the brushes was based on a real beauty method used by dragons and monsters. But if even someone as powerful as Flare-san considered it difficult, the number of people who could actually pull it off must be very limited.
"The key is the uniformity. If you try to force magic power into the tips of your fur or scales, you usually end up pouring excessive magic power into the interior of your body and other areas. It is like trying to hit a distant target and overshooting the mark. Consequently, maintaining a uniform Magic Power Penetration Rate requires incredibly delicate magic power control."
"Oh, I get it. So if you use a specialized brush to infuse magic power from the outside, you can easily balance the Magic Power Penetration Rate without needing that master-level control."
"Precisely. In fact, many dragons are quite concerned with the aesthetic of their scales... Well, personally, it doesn't bother me much, but the obsession of Eingana and her subordinates is considerable, and there are many among my own troops who are just as vain. Whether it's the scales of a dragon or the fur of a beastman-type demon, these brushes are likely to be in high demand."
"I see. If they become popular, Cornelia-san will be thrilled. If you run into anyone else who might be interested, please let them know."
"I understand. Leave it to me... I'll mention it to Eingana as well."
The desire for beauty seemed to be universal, regardless of whether one was a human or a demon. There was clearly a massive market for it, so it would be great if these brushes took off.
According to Akane-san, it was better for Cornelia-san if they became a hit, so I really hoped word would spread through the Dragon King's subordinates, where there seemed to be plenty of potential customers.
If they worked for beastman-type demons too, maybe Anima or Caraway would want some. I decided I’d try talking to them later. I also wondered about Amel-san. If they could make brushes for hair and brushes for horns, I felt like a Brush for Wings could be made as well. The Winged Race was a pretty isolationist people, but they seemed incredibly proud of their wings. This might even serve as a catalyst for them to interact more with the outside world.
Amel-san had mentioned she wanted her people to be more social, so it might be worth a recommendation. Maybe I should even introduce her to Cornelia-san? No, the Winged Race had a lot of strict rules, so I’d need to consult thoroughly with Amel-san first... but it was a possibility. Though, I should probably talk to Cornelia-san first and have the Victor Trading Company see if a wing brush was even possible.
Stomach Pain Devil: "...Prepare to die! (Your stomach, that is.)"
Serious-senpai: "T-This guy... He's a Genius at Expanding the Scale of Damage through pure goodwill... and I've just been reminded once again that Cornelia belongs to that Heavy-hitter Type of victim."
???: "Now then, shall we have some wine?"