38 It's not good to overdo it for the time being.

A sudden visitor shows up after breakfast. The one who showed up breathlessly carrying a large luggage was Sila, the waiter of Dog Bone.

"Good morning, sir!

Saira.

"Oh, there you are.

"Oh, you're here." Saira is sniffling and looking at her surroundings with great interest. She would be excited to be invited to the home of Ilias, the man of her dreams.

"That's a lot of baggage. What's going on?

Oh, I asked him to bring me some of Ilias' clothes today.

Oh, are they mine?

The Iliad's clothes, which she had requested when she first had Wolfe's clothes made, had been difficult for Cyra to complete to her satisfaction. Rather, it seems that she had become overly creative. She repeatedly made and remade them.

In the meantime, she had some of Wolfe's clothes prepared for her. The cost was quite low for custom-made clothes.

I came by the house the other day to get a progress report, but it was a mess. I invited him to bring it over.

Oh, yeah. ...... So much for that.

No, not even ten percent.

What the hell, ......?

"I've carefully selected the clothes I made for the Iliad and brought them here!

That's why. I can't take all of them, so you'd better try them on and pick them out.

Oh, yeah.

So they went to Iliad's room. As they sipped their tea, Lakra muttered to herself.

I'd like to buy some clothes too. I'd like to have some clothes too, Master Shosho.

"Well, good luck. I'll at least consider bargaining.

I want some more too, Urfe.

You'll have to get some more personal effects. Tell me what you want. I'll buy what I can.

Yes!

That's terrible!

Lakra dresses like a priest every day. It's his work clothes, but the loose robes are useful for his personal clothes as well. Is that what you want, clergy?

It also has the advantage of saving her the trouble of choosing clothes. A sad reason.

Speaking of which, it is similar for Wolfe, but in fact Cyra has prepared several outfits other than the same one for him. She can make them quickly for Wolfe, but when it comes to Iliad, it takes a certain amount of time.

Cyra is still in training. You can get a costume or two by helping out as a model if you are beautiful and stylish. ...... I don't want to make it easy for you. I'm going to secretly put my hand around Saira.

I'm not sure what to do.

Ilias and Saira come down, seemingly having decided on one of the many outfits they brought in. Who are they?

"Ilias, you're beautiful.

So-so!

Ilias's personal clothes were mostly menswear-like, but Cyra's clothes were completely designed with femininity in mind. The skirt made me do a double-take.

However, it was a far cry from the image of Ilias, who usually wore armor and was a gorilla gorilla. The soft and fluffy cardigan also gives a soft impression.

"Isn't that weird ......?

"I think it's good. It's hard to believe you're a knight.

Is that a compliment?

Yeah. It's quite a change from your usual look, but you do look good in those clothes.

Well, thank you.

Well, I'll let you go.

What?

I'll let you go out in it. That's why I thought I'd have you wear it out for Sila today.

"Wait, wait, I'm your bodyguard, Your Majesty entrusted me with that.

Iliad. And then a new visitor arrives. I've been waiting for you.

"Hello, boy, what's with the pretty face?

"Hello, Grandfather Kara!

I've called for a replacement escort. I don't intend to go out at all, but I knew you'd insist.

You are .......

"Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!　It's okay, Ilias. It won't hurt to dress like your mother once in a while.

"Or, Ilias, you're not going to tell me you're unhappy with Grandfather Kara filling in for you when all you want to do is stay home?　If you insist, I'll call Lord Raggedy.

Stop it, okay?　You've got to stop this!

And so, thanks to some sincere persuasion, Ilias and Cyra went around the city together. They're the same age, and considering their personalities, I'm sure it'll go well.

"Whoo!

"Boy, I'm having a hard time with this .......

Wolfe, don't be so cautious with Grandpa Kara. ......

Master Shosho, I wish I could have been there.

I'll have to do something about the relationship between Karaji and Wolfe. I don't care about Lakra.

So it seems that the time has finally come to reveal the item I've been secretly preparing.

It must be boring to stay in the house. So I've prepared a little entertainment for you.

--------------------------------------

I went around the city with Cyra. She knew not only the markets, but also the clothing stores, shoe stores, and other stores that she would not normally go to. I hadn't imagined that there would be such a difference in the range of our activities, even though we were the same age.

I'm wondering if there's anything strange about the way people look at me. No, with my appearance, it would not be surprising if people misunderstood me as someone else. I guess I'll just have to live with it.

This is for Saira's sake, so it's not unbearable.

"Well, I've been to most of the places I wanted to go!　My creative juices are flowing!　Would you like to take a break, Master Iliad?

"Yes, of course.

He sat down on a couch in the square and took a break. I'm really annoyed by his mysterious energy. I wonder if he can't use it to improve himself a little more.

Unlike Wolfe, he doesn't like to study or train, but instead lazily runs away. That's why he's still relying on Maja's possession technique.

You've come all this way to be his bodyguard. I wonder if I should make him live a more regular life. But if I'm too hard on him, there's a possibility that he'll cleverly escape. So there's a rough road ahead. A sigh escapes me.

"Oh, Mr. Iliad, are you bored?

"Oh, sorry. That sigh is for him. He's been running away from his training and not showing up for a long time, but he's been doing this.

"Your brother used to come and check on me. He used to come and check on me. - And he did a lot of other things, too!

I'm curious about those things. ....... You didn't touch her, did you? No, Saira is a lovely city girl, and he's been relatively benign in his dealings with her.

But if she likes him, that's not a bad thing? No, it must be a bad story because I don't feel very good about it.

"The other day, Mr. Van - well, he introduced my clothes to a famous merchant in this city, and he got me a commission to send clothes to the Kuro Wolves, the same tribe as Wolfe!

The Kuro Wolves have been seen here and there in the city. She was wearing something that seemed to have a similar sense of style to the clothes that Wulfe had made for her, but I wondered if it had been made by Cyra.

The clothes for Wolfe were good. Could the clothes for the Kuro Wolves be good too?

"Yes!　The Kuro Wolves loved it so much that they gave me a gift in return!

The Kuro Wolves liked it very much and gave it to me as a gift!" She showed me the necklace she was wearing. It's a simple, but tasteful one with shiny ores.

"That's great. They are not yet familiar with this city. They'll have a lot of trouble negotiating with the other side.

"And then!　And now, in recognition of their achievements, they've been offered an apprenticeship at Mr. Van's clothing store!

I've heard about Saira. She usually worked as a waiter at Dog Bone and taught herself how to make clothes on her days off. She wanted to open a store in the future and learn the skills to do so.

However, artisans only take on apprentices when they want them to take over the store, and there was no one who would accept Sila as a potential business rival.

But she is making great strides toward her goal. This is how someone of her age is moving forward on the path she has chosen.

"That's amazing, Cyra.

Huh?

I've been training since I was a child to be a knight like my father. I've been training since I was a child to be a knight like my father. I've mastered swordsmanship, and thanks to that I've become a knight, but I've been stagnant ever since. But Cyra is moving forward steadily. As a person of her age, I honestly respect her.

"No, that's not true!　Ilias-sama's strength is one of the top five in Taze!　I'm sure you're only young now, but if your abilities are recognized, you'll be a knight commander!

I'm ashamed to say that since I became a knight, all I've done is train and patrol. It's only recently that I've finally achieved something. But that's not my own strength.

"In that case, your brother gave me a chance, too!　We're the same!

Isn't that right? I only gave Saira the opportunity, but it was her own strength that made her seize it. In my case, it was an accomplishment made possible by the cooperation of many people.

I feel differently about Saira, who was able to do it because of him, and me, who couldn't have done it without him.

"Mmm, you look like you're trying to tell me that's not true!　The speed at which you advance may be different, but the strength you've acquired is real, isn't it!　It's wrong for you to deny your own efforts!　I'm on the right track, but my skills aren't up to par yet. If Ilias-sama is so despicable, then I'm even lower!

"No, I'm sorry. I forgot that you told me that excessive modesty makes people uncomfortable.

Yes, at least I know and respect Ilias-sama's strength!

It was rare to find someone who would admit to himself so squarely. He doesn't talk about such things very often, and although he has been acknowledged by those in Raggedor, they rarely say it to his face.

Sila, on the other hand, is straightforward and conveys her thoughts clearly. I feel a little embarrassed, but it's not bad. I seem to have a weakness for being flattered, so I'll be careful.

But maybe they'll forgive me if I experience a little bit of pleasure.

...... Well, then we respect each other.

Yes, we do!

Then we're on equal footing. Please don't call me that. Don't call me "sir", call me "Iliad", Cyra.

No, no, I mean, .......

What, are you saying you're not like me?

Ugh, you sound like my brother. ......

If you ask me, it's not like me to talk in such a nasty way. If I've been influenced, it's by him. Let's blame it on him. I'll blame it on him. If you think about it, you can use such mean words without hesitation.

Maybe so. But it's not something I'd normally say. I'll take advantage of it. And Saira's tone is starting to break down a lot.

"Well, that's ...... it then, ...... Ilias, is that okay?

Yeah, I hope you guys can keep up the good work.

Yeah, I know I'm not the best, but it's nice to meet you!

For the first time in my life, I have a friend who is the same age as me, and who is also a woman. We are on different paths, but we are both passionate about our dreams and continue to improve ourselves. In that sense, we may be similar.

I want to go shopping with you next time, too, Wolfe!

Yes, I'm sure she'd love that.

Wolfe is beginning to feel at home in this town. I'm sure I'll be able to get to know her better someday.

The first step that I had never taken before was nothing. What he lacks now will be revealed to him by taking these steps into the unknown.

I wondered if he had sent me away with the understanding that this would happen, in which case I should be grateful. I feel embarrassed because of the eyes around me right after I return. I'll thank her the next time we're alone.

Saira left without saying goodbye, saying that she had work to do at Dog Bone in the evening. Now that she has more employees, she has more time to work on the path she wants to take, but she still has to make ends meet.

From now on, I'm going to support her in her efforts, including those things. Just as she supported me, I should be able to support her.

However, I don't know what to do with the large amount of clothes left over. It's going to take up a lot of space. Besides, I don't feel comfortable putting them in the wardrobe where I keep my chainmail.

I'll buy a new one when he's free. That's good.

It's getting late, but I'm home, and I think it's a good idea for us to go to Dog Bone together.

"I'm home now, you guys--

The place had turned into a battlefield with many corpses lying around.

--------------------------------------

Well, it all started with the idea of inviting Grandpa Kara to my house, and wanting to get along with Wolfe. The only thing they have in common is their training. I thought that would not improve their relationship forever, so I prepared a recreational activity for them to play together.

Spread out on the desk is a board game familiar to the people of Earth. The goal of the game is to advance as far as the dice rolls, earn money, and go through various events.

Yes, it's a game of life. This game is also a reflection of the elaborate way in which I upgraded my partner from a wooden stick to a wooden sword.

The game has a huge map with many branching points and a hundred different cards that can be drawn in the event squares. There are even item cards that can be used to thwart your opponents, expanding the scope of your strategy.

It's a massive game with a wide range of opportunities for success, even by the standards of this world, where you can become anything from a local peasant to a king.

In the first round of the game, I explained the rules, and while the game stagnated to a certain extent, I was able to get people to understand the fun of the game. But then a guy named Lakra said something unnecessary.

"Since we're on the subject, how about we give the lowest rank a spanking?

The one who immediately agreed was Wolfe, and that made it impossible for Kara to object, so the additional rule was adopted. The first place would punish the last place.

However, if it was decided on the spot, I don't think there would be a proper punishment game if Wolfe came in first and Karayage fourth, or if Lakra came in first and we came in fourth.

Therefore, I decided to have the players declare the punishments they would give to the fourth-place player if they each won first place before the game started.

This way, he thought, the punishment that Wolfe had given would fall on the master, and there would be no heavy punishment at all. But Wolfe was relentless, and so was Lakra.

I couldn't believe my ears when I first heard the details of Urufe's punishment. And I almost regretted that I had made a mistake in my education. However, I decided to accept that it was indeed like Wolfe, if he was thinking of pure punishment.

Wolfe trusts that we will be able to avoid fourth place. Lakra's annoying thought was that it was her punishment game, so it didn't matter who it was.

As a result, everyone's motivation increased. What was bad was that he had introduced items to sabotage his opponents.

This would have caused us to drag each other down. Lakra was always looking at me, and Wolfe was always looking at Kara. The two men were evenly divided, reading the atmosphere.

And now for the important results: ....... First of all, the strongest player in the game was Wolfe. She was able to control the roll of the dice.

The second is the creator, who has all the data in his head, so he has the widest range of strategies. The second is the creator, who has the widest range of strategies since he has all the data in his head. He also keeps the second and third places to avoid getting hate.

The third is Kara, a normal player. Lakra was always playing the gambling game and destroying himself.

Our punishments were, at best, "play the next game in an air chair" or "be the first chair in the next game", so there was no serious damage.

However, Wolfe's damage to first place was severe, and Lakra was very much affected by it. I'm not going to tell you all of it because it's so bad. One example is "Eating Charcoal".

Lakra is just plain badly hurt. Even so, the relentless Wolfe finally makes Grandpa Kara fall prey to the punishment game.

Wulfe is happy to see Kara dying, but Lakra's gamble is right on the money. He was hit by the worst punishment game, and he too became half-dead.

It seemed that this would be the end, but at the last moment, the three of them colluded and declared the same punishment. They were defending the second and third place positions to avoid gaining hate, but as expected, the producer, who had been getting by without any punishments, was unable to manage the hate at the last moment, and was finally defeated in a one-on-three game.

The other three players also went down due to the accumulated damage from the punishment games they had taken. Thus ended the game of life with no one surviving.

Oh, I thought I'd never have a chance to learn the taste of charcoal. ...... Gosh.

What are you guys doing ......?

Then the Iliad came home, and everyone was scolded.

However, from that day onwards, the relationship between Wolfe and Kara got better, albeit only slightly. The game of life was a traumatic experience for Wulfe and Lakra, so it was politely sealed away.