Hanako nods. ”Yes. Most boys learn at least a little alchemy because it makes so many commonly used household items, but I’m much better at it than normal and I can make more complicated and specialized things. For example, if you combine silk, moa down, enchanted powder snow, and some difficult-to-cast magic, you get this.”
Hanako raises one of his arms, both of which are clad in white elbow-length gloves. Aside from the lace trim and pastel yellow ribbon bows on the upper sleeve, most of the slight, frail-looking glove is made of a soft white fabric.
”Angelwing. Angelwing cloth is much more durable than silk and is so feather-light that it feels completely weightless, but its heavenly-feeling softness is what gives it its primary use. It’s mostly used in boys’ clothes; gloves, socks and stockings, ribbons, and as an internal lining for dresses, for example. It’s also a good example of how Belsedori alchemy works; you make it by combining the desirable physical and magical properties of its ingredients, and then enhancing them and fusing them together using magic. Sometimes the mixing process creates new properties, which might be helpful, harmful, or both; in angelwing’s case, the resulting cloth is nearly completely impervious to both unintentional stains and attempts to dye it.”
Hanako lowers his arm and removes a small pastry from his bag.
”Aside from cloth fibers, you can make all kinds of things with alchemy; relatively mundane things like soap can be made by practically anybody, but alchemists of all skill levels can create ingredients for food, crystals and alloyed metals, medicines, and all sorts of other things. Most alchemically manufactured objects require further refinement, and the difficulty in making something quickly scales with its magical complexity, but alchemy overall is a wonderful kind of magic that’s an integral part of Belsedori society. Beyond that, it is a very broad topic to discuss; is there anything in particular that you wanted to ask about?”