“Welcome!”
We arrived at a tailor shop.
It looked a bit shabby, but since it was recommended by *Trie*, I decided not to doubt it.
“Oh, are you an Imperial University student? Then it’s a 30% discount for you!”
“Thank you.”
“Are you looking for something?”
“A belt. And I’d like to order a scabbard.”
“A scabbard…?”
The shopkeeper’s expression changed dramatically.
Then she waved us in, guiding us to the interior.
We followed the lady holding the lantern down the stairs.
“Wow…”
A gasp escaped from *Emilia*.
The basement was even bigger than the tailor shop above.
There were leather clothes, knee pads…
All sorts of leather protective gear were abundant.
It seemed this was her main business.
“We only deal with leather scabbards. Is that okay?”
“As long as it doesn’t have a hole for the blade.”
“Ho-ho-ho. That’s not even a scabbard. Do you have the actual sword?”
“No, I don’t have it with me, but…”
I had once compared the sword that *Trie* gave me with *Vafe*’s size.
When I measured it side by side, it fit perfectly.
So, I just had to adjust it for *Vafe*.
I slowly rotated my internal circuit, generating mana energy.
Then a flash with an *zing* sounded from my palm as it burst forth.
I clenched that pillar of light, and before I knew it, a shimmering blue sword was in my hand.
“This is the same size, so it should fit.”
“Oh… Okay. Can you lower it a bit for me?”
“Sure. Be careful, as it might get dangerous upon contact.”
“Got it…”
I placed *Vafe* on the table.
The shopkeeper, with shaky hands, unfolded a measuring tape and started taking measurements.
Once she was done, she put *Vafe* back.
Then something caught my eye on the table.
“Eh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just… ”
The edge of the table was slightly charred and scratched.
Did I graze it?
I turned around and signaled to *Emilia* to keep quiet.
“What color do you want?”
“Black, please.”
“Alright. Then, could you choose a belt from those hanging on the wall? I’ll make the scabbard quickly.”
“Okay, I got it.”
The shopkeeper went into the back workshop, leaving just the two of us.
Then *Emilia* approached with a mischievous look, leaning in close to my ear.
“It looks like an expensive table…”
“……”
“Don’t say anything?”
“I’d prefer you didn’t.”
“Then what good thing can I get?”
“……”
Now she’s demanding a silence fee too.
She’s really gotten bold, hasn’t she?
Maybe she’s caught on to my identity.
I couldn’t help but wonder how someone could change so drastically overnight.
“Well, what do you want?”
“That thing you pulled out of your hand earlier. I couldn’t ask before, so what is it?”
“I don’t really know either. One day, it suddenly came out of my hand.”
“……”
*Emilia* stared at my face, looking confused.
She seemed uncertain if I was lying or telling the truth.
Of course, that was to be expected.
I mixed a bit of truth in with my lie.
A 100% lie wouldn’t work on *Emilia*, I was sure of it.
“Mm… I see. Brothers are meant to be heroes, right?”
“Not really.”
I immediately shook my head.
I was dragged here after stuffing all kinds of abilities and enlightenment into the body of an extra.
I was confident that *Schlus* himself had no remarkable talent.
Unless we count a little bit of swordsmanship.
“Hm. Then should I start asking for that silence fee?”
“Wasn’t that question good enough?”
“I never said that question was a waiver, did I? I just asked, and you answered.”
“……”
That smirk was cunning.
I almost gave her a headlock.
“Alright, so I’ll ask you clearly. What do you want?”
“I’ll choose.”
“What?”
“I’ll pick a belt for you. That’s all I need.”
Then *Emilia* started to hum and walked over to the display, examining the belts.
That was a bit unexpected.
I thought she’d try to get a wish token or something.
Of course, whether the wish token I got for excusing the charred furniture would hold any real value was another issue.
“Hm…”
Watching *Emilia* happily feel and choose the belts made me smile.
They looked just like a young couple out on a date.
*Emilia* measured the belt against my waist for quite some time, finally picking one.
It was a pitch-black belt.
“I think black would match the scabbard. What do you think?”
“It has no patterns.”
“Yeah. Don’t like it?”
“…… No.”
It was an incredibly plain belt.
It was perfect for my taste, not flashy at all.
There wasn’t anything I liked more than this.
Having spent considerable time with *Emilia*, it seemed she had completely grasped my preferences.
“I love it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“It sounds like a lie. Show a bit more happiness.”
“I’m already happy enough.”
“Uh-huh…”
Unintentionally, I found my hand on *Emilia*’s head, petting her.
*Emilia*, who was just joking around a few moments ago, suddenly turned quiet, clasping her skirt tightly and tilting her head.
After a while of petting her, her hair fell forward.
Scared of poking her eyes, I tried to push it back behind her ear—
“Mm…”
*Emilia*’s hand grasped my wrist and gently pulled it down.
Before I knew it, I was caressing *Emilia*’s cheek.
Her soft, squishy cheek.
*Emilia* seemed like a cat finally getting petted by its owner, closing her eyes and rubbing her face against my hand.
I continued to stroke her face as if in a trance.
“Smooch.”
The moment my thumb touched *Emilia*’s lips, I snapped back to reality.
It made a sound like a light kiss.
That was when I should have withdrawn my hand.
It was supposed to be then, but my hand was firmly grabbed by *Emilia*, unable to move.
Well, that’s actually an excuse.
I could’ve pushed her away easily if I wanted to.
When I finally came to my senses, my thumb had slipped between *Emilia*’s lips.
*Emilia* opened her sparkling pretty eyes and looked up at me.
Her eyes… they really stirred all sorts of impulses in a man.
“All done! Did you pick a belt?”
“Oh, yes. I did choose one.”
At that moment, the workshop door burst open, and I hurriedly withdrew my hand.
I stole a quick glance, and *Emilia* had already reverted to her usual serious expression.
What was that just now…
Lately, I felt like *Emilia*’s acting skills had noticeably improved.
Ugh. I still couldn’t shake off that stare.
“Well, I made it to match the flash I showed you earlier… If the sword doesn’t fit or rattles, just bring it back, and I’ll fix it.”
“Okay, understood.”
I slid the scabbard into the belt and looked into the mirror.
It didn’t look too bad.
Walking around in a school uniform with a sword would probably make me look quite the battle maniac…
Oh, of course, I wasn’t saying that *Trie* looked like a battle maniac.
“Are you left-handed?”
“What? No.”
“Then why…?”
“I’m practicing with my left hand.”
“……?”
The shopkeeper looked puzzled when she saw the scabbard on my right side.
*Vafe* could only be held with my right hand.
Most battles would be fought using *Vafe*, while the sword *Trie* gave me would typically serve as a display or intimidation tool.
So, I thought maybe when the time came, I could draw it with my left and use both swords.
To do that, I’d obviously have to get used to swinging the sword with my left hand.
I decided I’d practice that gradually.
“……?”
While I was feeling the scabbard, I sensed a faint trace of mana.
“Do you use magic to work on these?”
“Yes, exactly. Without magic, we wouldn’t get this speed, ho-ho.”
“That’s quite impressive precision and speed. Did you graduate from the Imperial University?”
“No.”
She seemed rather skilled, running a shop near the Imperial University, so I was curious.
But my guess was off.
Bummer!
“Instead, I worked there for a bit.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
So perhaps it wasn’t a total bummer after all.
Suddenly, I became interested.
Could I possibly gain some information about the Imperial University?
As the original creator, I was discovering so many new things these days, so it was best not to be arrogant.
There was a good chance that an ordinary extra might know things I didn’t.
“Do you have any tips that could help with school life?”
“Is the top student really asking that?”
“The more information, the better.”
“Hmm… I do have one tip. You know the mountain behind the school? When the professor is nearby, take a glance at the mountain and say something like, ‘Hmm, is it about time to wake up…’ with a suggestive tone.”
“Uh…?”
“If you do that, the professor will think you’re special and may want to take you to grad school.”
“……”
What she said while smiling was quite chilling.
By the way, it seems this lady isn’t just a worker but actually a professor.
Considering she knew about the sealed *Untier* on the back mountain, it seemed like a fact.
Anyway, the monster’s appearance was still quite a while away.
I decided to ignore the *Untier* for now.
“That’s quite a confusing joke.”
“Is it? Ah, students these days really don’t know, huh…”
I pretended not to understand and moved on.
*Emilia* tilted her head behind me.
That was a natural reaction since she had no clue about the topic.
After finishing shopping, we left the store.
Outside, it looked just like a tailor shop.
Most wouldn’t know that protective gear made of leather was sold in the basement.
I never expected to find such an interesting shop within the institution.
As the original creator, it was a rather exciting setup.
“Should we head back now?”
“Now that we’re outside, you’re back to using formal speech?”
“Should I speak casually? Would that be better?”
“No. You’d get criticized for not training your attendant properly.”
“That’s not my concern.”
“Hurry up and use formal speech before I correctly train your bad habits, outside.”
“You’re going to correct me? How will you educate this unruly attendant?”
“……”
*Emilia* kept getting closer, teasing with her questions.
Has she changed her personality so much?
Or is this her true nature?
I couldn’t help but wonder what had allowed her to become so carefree.
I even suspected that *Jin* might have hit her head hard and made her a little off.
“If you keep not listening, I’ll have to teach you like this.”
“Ah… eh…?”
I placed my hand on *Emilia*’s cheek.
Then gently wrapped my arm around her neck.
So she couldn’t move her head.
The back of her hair felt nice and stiff since she tied it up.
As I leaned my face closer, *Emilia* stepped back a little, then finally closed her eyes, surrendering to fate.
But why was she pouting her lips?
*Thud!*
“Oof!”
I bumped heads, causing *Emilia* to tear up, sitting down.
Her gaze up at me, with a mix of resentment, was something else.
“Are you still not going to listen? It’d be better to respond well.”
“Geez… I’ll listen, okay? Big brother.”
“Not ‘big brother.’ Outside, it’s…”
“…… *Hainkel*-san.”
“That’s right.”
Now it felt a bit rectified.
Smirking, I took a step forward, and *Emilia*, whining earlier, quickly followed me.
“Let’s stop by somewhere for a moment.”
“Where? My arms are sore from holding the shopping basket.”
Even though she maintained formal speech, her complaints remained.
I considered giving her another knock on the head, but more people were starting to show up on the street, so I let it go.
“I’m going to buy you some clothes.”
“Eh?”
“Aside from one maid outfit and a casual set, you don’t have much, right? We need to get a dress for more formal occasions… and it’d be good to grab a few more casual clothes too. Plus, we’ll get some shoes to match. Oh, and comfy pajamas would be nice as well.”
“Is that really… wow?”
“Have you ever seen me lie?”
“No… I just thought it was unusual for a stingy person.”
“It’s because I want my attendant to look prettier outside.”
“Oh, uh huh… I see…”
I began to think that *Emilia*’s straightforward complaints were some sort of protest.
She was expecting better treatment for her monthly salary of 200,000 won…
While I couldn’t raise her salary, I should at least ensure her welfare got richer.
After all, if an attendant only wore maid outfits and casual clothes, they’d be seen poorly.
While that reason was bigger, it seemed to have worked as *Emilia* walked closely beside me, her mood somewhat improved.
