This is a rather mundane, or should I say, preparatory chapter.
“Aria’s the one who brought her, right? Then isn’t it fine?”
“Well, it’s Aria-chan, after all.”
“If Dolton decided it, I’ve got no complaints…”
They’re surprisingly casual about this…
The day after Aria went to see the princess, I met the other members of the “Rainbow Sword.”
Is it really okay for it to be this simple? Well, I suppose it just means they trust Aria that much. …Though some of them seem a bit hesitant.
“–!”
When I smiled at the dwarf girl, who was large both vertically and horizontally, she took a step back with a strained smile.
“Jesha, this one’s scary, but not a bad person.”
Saying that, the tall, muscular man… Feld, was it? He cheerfully said as he patted Jesha’s and my head.
Whether he’s magnanimous or just doesn’t care about the details, it’s not really my place to say, but I couldn’t help but stare, wondering how he could so easily pat the head of a murderer like me.
“I-I’m not scared, you know!”
That’s right. Otherwise, it’s as if I’m more dangerous than an Elemental Dragon.
The other one, Mira the elf, wasn’t intimidated, just like Feld. Or rather, I was surprised to find sweets had been slipped into my pocket at some point.
Normally, there would also be a scout named Viro, one of Aria’s mentors, but it seems he’s retiring to become a knight of the Shadow Unit, with me taking his place. Still, I think we could have at least met…
“Where’s Dolton?”
“He’s been summoned by Her Highness the Princess. Viro is with him, so they’re probably arranging it so Snow can update things without having to go to the guild.”
Feld, questioned by Aria, even cleared up my own question. Even so… Aria seems to trust him quite a bit.
It seems Viro used to act as something of a sub-leader, but with his retirement, Feld has taken over that role and is now giving us instructions.
“For now, Aria, just follow Dolton’s instructions. And Aria, you don’t need to go back to the academy, right?”
“I was attending the academy to guard Elena. Elena also has work at the royal castle, so it seems she doesn’t need to return to the academy either. Thus, my job is finished.”
Well, that’s how it would be for high-ranking nobles who’ve been learning from private tutors since childhood. The only reason high-ranking nobles attend the academy is merely for networking.
The graduation ceremony is also held at the royal castle, and conversely, for someone like the princess, it must be tough having to ensure reconstruction progresses enough for next year’s graduation ceremony to even happen. Still, the new students this year who thought they’d get to meet her might be pitiful.
After confirming all of Dolton’s instructions, Feld finally took out a sealed letter.
“From Viro. He says to treat him to something next time.”
“Understood.”
Aria put the received letter into her 【Shadow Storage】 and walked over to me.
“What was that?”
“I asked him to look into something. Well then, shall we go?”
Still such a girl of few words. I can mostly guess, but I just shrugged lightly and started walking beside her.
＊＊＊
“Aria-chan! What have you been doing for all these months!?”
As soon as we entered the shop we’d arrived at, Aria was being scolded by a Rock Dwarf in a sequined dress, who appeared with the clatter of steel high heels.
With the Royal Capital in this state, it’s only natural to react that way if you haven’t heard from someone for months. Not that I’m really in a position to say anything.
This shop belongs to the Rock Dwarf armorer from whom I also ordered a dress. If it were just an armor shop, there are bigger ones and top-tier craftsmen in the Royal Capital, but when it comes to a craftsman who strikes a good balance between design and performance for young women, he’s the best in this country.
Inside the shop, there’s armor that makes you wonder, “Is this really armor?”… stuff that only covers the chest and hips. I wonder if this Rock Dwarf wears it?
“…Oh?”
In the back of the shop, a familiar black dress was displayed, and the shopkeeper, noticing my murmur, turned to me.
“Ah, that’s a prototype of the dress Aria-chan wore to the party. I was thinking if I could make a new design, but…”
After finishing his lecture to Aria, he spoke normally to me, Aria’s companion, and then, upon seeing me, the shopkeeper froze.
“…Ah, you, that height and figure, could it be…”
“…On what basis are you identifying someone?”
“Ah, that’s right.”
The moment the shopkeeper was about to reveal it, whether by calculation or by instinct, Aria took out that black item from her 【Shadow Storage】.
“Can this be fixed?”
“Aria-chan!?”
It was the Dark Dragon material dress she wore during our battle. It’s quite something that it didn’t even tear after such a fight. However, from the creator’s perspective, it seemed quite damaged, and the shock of meeting me seemed to have vanished somewhere.
“Oh, it’s become like this! Self-repair has started while it’s still dirty!”
“And also…”
As the shopkeeper hurriedly began examining the damaged black dress, Aria apologetically took out something white.
“Hieeee!?”
That was the Mithril thread dress I had been wearing. It’s a dress that wouldn’t get a single scratch even from a Level 1 attack magic, but that one was grandly stained with my blood, and it seemed self-repair had also started while the blood was still on it, as the shopkeeper swayed like seaweed with both hands on his cheeks.
“…Aaaargh, enough!”
The shopkeeper had been quite shocked, but he suddenly revived, grabbed the two dresses, put them into something like a water tank in the back, and desperately poured in something like chemicals.
“Yes, I’ll do it! I’ll restore them completely… no! I’ll remake them so you can wear them even when you’re adults, so prepare yourselves!”
Prepare for what…? As I was thinking that, Aria muttered softly.
“We’re technically adults this year, you know?”
“That’s right, isn’t it?”
Both Aria and I turn fifteen this year. Nobles attend the Magic Academy, so next year’s graduation party also serves as their coming-of-age ceremony, but commoners are considered adults once they turn fifteen.
“Will we change that much…?”
I reflexively lifted the hem of my robe and looked at my legs. …Still pathologically thin.
Still, unlike commoners, we grow with magic. For women, it’s around the time when growth and aging start to reverse, so faking one’s age isn’t that significant, but even so, our appearance was like that of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old.
Our height hasn’t increased much either, so will it really change that much? When I voiced that thought, the shopkeeper glared sharply at me.
“What are you saying! Even among your acquaintances, there are elves who ate too many sweets and became a bit… that way when they grew up, aren’t there!”
“Ah.”
I see… Indeed, it might be normal for humans, but for an elf, it’s pitiful compared to someone like Serejyura-san. Hehe.
After that, we had the shopkeeper alter some ready-made items that were a relatively good fit, and arranged to have proper ones custom-made.
“He said the alterations will be done in three days, so let’s prepare by then.”
“Where are we going, I wonder?”
As we left the shop, Aria said those words to me.
I recall her saying something about instructions from Dolton. Since there’s a chance my identity will be exposed if I stay in the Royal Capital, perhaps we’re going to take on some kind of request.
Thinking that, I prompted her to continue, and Aria voiced our destination.
“We’re going to meet Samantha, the Rainbow Sword’s former Magician.”