CH 49

Here’s the chapter, enjoy~

The fact that my ability to create adorable (to the people of this world) and innovative outfits has been made public. Yes, I have done that. This was an ugly move under the circumstances of this liberation army, where the ratio of men to women is almost 1:20.

“Um, I’m not a dressmaker, you know.”

“Please give up. It’s like the harm of dressing the princess in such a cute costume.

“No way.”

The days spent in the rugged fortress, with weapons in hand, watching out for Gizma and the armies of the Holy Kingdom, or incessantly producing new tools, arrows, and food, deprived the girls’ moisture. Yes, fashion is a luxury.

Now, in a sense, it was wartime. Luxury is not allowed. Although they can bathe every day, their clothes and equipment are basically the same. The materials are leather and iron. Also, the durable fabric was hemp-like and not pleasant to the touch. Of course, there were no cosmetics, and there were no flowers or plants that smelled good in this wilderness.

Then, I dressed Sylphy in that frilly black goth-style dress. The dress was made of comfortable fabric with lots of pretty frills and lace. How on earth did she get that dress? It’s you, right? It’s you, isn’t it? The women who had been admiring Sylphy for a while looked at me with great intensity.

Their eyes were glowing. I thought I was going to shit my pants.

I tried to run away, but they circled me, grabbed me by the shoulders, and brought me into the conference room. And so I continued to make various outfits, until now.

Different colors of the dress I had made for Sylphy, different designs of dresses, various clothes made of comfortable fabrics, and even underwear. In any case, I was made to make anything and everything. There was no shortage of leaves and fibers to use as materials, as there was plenty to go around from the massive logging.

But I didn’t keep quiet about it either. Isn’t it a healthy relationship if I just make things and hand them over? It’s true that I shouldn’t do anything too rash considering my power and position, but shouldn’t I ask for a bit of compensation?

My plea was much discussed and approved by the girls.

“I have no choice. Then I’ll start…”

“Why are you taking your clothes off? That’s not the kind of compensation I’m looking for!”

“Tsk.”

Melty-san, did you just click your tongue? Or rather, were you really aiming at me?

“What kind of compensation do you want then? There is no compensation that we can give you, Kosuke-san. All of the goods produced here were originally created by you, and we have very little private money.”

“I know that. I’m not saying that there isn’t something to be said for that kind of compensation, but I don’t think it’s right to ask for a body in exchange for fashion. The compensation I want to ask for is, you know, Sylphy.”

“What do you mean?”

Melty and the others tilted their heads, not understanding the purpose of my question.

“Sylphy is not very active in such areas. She doesn’t like to dress up or wear pretty clothes.”

“That’s true.”

“So, here’s the thing. From now on, I will provide you with clothes. In return, I was hoping you could help me dress Sylphy in the clothes I’ve made for her. I want to see Sylphy in all kinds of costumes!”

I clenched my fists and explained firmly. I want to see her in all kinds of costumes! Any boy who has had even the slightest exposure to fantasy would love an elf, you know? And it’s a brown elf. It is a natural desire to dress her up in various ways.

At that moment, I caught sight of Isla in the corner of the conference room. She opened her big eyes halfway and said with a stunning scowl.

“You look so desperate and perverted.”

“Gwah!”

Isla’s merciless words caused me to explode and scatter.

“But I’m glad you want Her Highness to get dressed up. By the way, does Kosuke-san know the story of the Cycle and Zephyr?”

“Uuh… no, I don’t know.”

“The story of the Cycle and Zephyr is…”

Melty began to talk about the so-called north wind and sun. Cycle is the name of the sun in this world, and Zephyr is the name of the wind god.

“I see. In other words?”

“It is impossible for me to force her to change her clothes like I did yesterday. If I do it too much, she will become stubborn.”

“I don’t know if it’s unreasonable or not, but it might make her stubborn. And?”

“So, you know. What if Kosuke-san made a lot of otherworldly costumes and made us wear them, thereby arousing the jealousy of Her Highness and making her change her own clothes?”

“Wouldn’t that just make her jealous?”

“No, I don’t think so. I’ve known her for a long time, so I’m sure of it.”

“Hmm… Well, if that’s the case.”

It doesn’t feel like it’s being taken advantage of or even being put on as well, but it seems like a much more gentle way to go than forcing Sylphy to wear the clothes again and again. I think I’ll just let her get away with it. It would be good for the eyes to have Melty, who has a similar build and shape to Sylphy, wear various clothes.

Hmm, I wonder if this or that would be good. As I was thinking about this, someone tugged on the hem of my clothes. What is it? When I turned my head to look at her, I saw her big eyes staring at me.

“Me too.”

“Hmm?”

“I will also wear a variety of costumes. I’ll help inspire Her Highness.”

“O-oh. I understand.”

I nodded to Isla, who said this with a very strong will. Isla seems to be more suitable for costumes that are quite different from those of Sylphy… Yeah, but if she wants to wear various kinds of clothes, that’s fine. Isla is a cute girl, and although the direction is different from that of Sylphy, various outfits will look great on her.

That’s why I made various otherworldly ― or as I like to call it, modern ― costumes for her. No, it’s more like a cosplay costume, yeah. Anyway, I made a lot of things.

“This costume somehow makes me feel more relaxed.”

“It might add to your administrative and teaching skills.”

I made Melty a recruiter suit-like outfit. I made her wore a pair of glasses, and she looked like a career woman or a teacher… Yeah, it would have been perfect if she wore black stockings, but unfortunately, I couldn’t make stockings.

“It’s kind of a different direction for me…”

“N-no, it looks good on you, you know?”

In contrast, Isla is wearing a light blue smock, a pink skirt, and a yellow hat on her head, a little girl’s style. The haircut and Isla’s physique are so well matched that it smells like a crime.

“It’s an outfit for children, no matter how I look at it. I demand a proper one.”

“Okay, okay, calm down. I’m sorry.”

She gave me a stern look, and I pulled out another outfit for her to change into.

“T-this one?”

“Yes, come on, hurry, hurry!”

“Mmm…”

She was frightened by the pinkish color of the costume, but she took it and went to change. There, I was poked in the shoulder.

“Try not to turn your head and look at the window over there. Just a glimpse.”

“Yeah?”

Following Melty’s advice, I glanced at the building window and saw Sylphy looking in from outside. She groaned, gnununu, and it’s cute.

“Let’s give it one more push. So, I’ll be wearing a different outfit. It can be a little more sexy, okay?”

“That kind of thing is for Sylphy.”

“Tch.”

She clicked her tongue again! Or rather, I think that a recruitment suit with a tight skirt and bare legs is sexy enough. While thinking about it, I gave Melty a new outfit as well. It’s a Dirndl dress, one of the traditional European costumes. I think it would look great on Melty.

“I’m off then!”

Melty walks into the changing room with the Dirndl in her hand, looking very excited. I handed out the costumes I had improvised to the other girls. Among the costumes, the idol-like costume for Harpy and the shrine maiden’s dress for the demon girl seemed to be the most popular. As for the Lizard Woman, she looked good in a cowboy or cowgirl style outfit. She also looked good in something that looked like a knight’s uniform, so maybe a cool outfit would suit her.

Lamia looks good no matter what she wears, but… her lower body is a snake. However, she seems to prefer Arabian-style or dancer-style costumes that are more revealing and sexy. That said, Lamia-san is usually the only one who exposes a lot of skin… I wonder if it’s a racial preference.

“I’ve changed my clothes.”

Isla appeared from the next room, which served as a changing room.

“Bravo.”

I clapped my hands, and Isla fidgeted, her cheeks reddening in embarrassment. I asked her to wear a pink, frilly, magical girl outfit. She also held a cute wand that looked like something a magical girl would carry, and she held it firmly in her hand. In fact, the wand is made of mithril, so it’s very practical. It should be.

“Well, what do you think? These clothes are quite comfortable.”

The next person to come out was Melty, wearing a Dirndl. Yeah, the bosom. It’s amazing. It’s a feast for the eyes. I couldn’t help but admire it.

That’s when it happened.

“Kosuke… you look like you’re having a lot of fun.”

Perhaps she finally couldn’t take it anymore; Sylphy, her cheeks flushed, stormed into the meeting place, which had half turned into a fashion show.

(It took her long enough…!)

That’s what everyone in the room must have thought. In fact, my actions and those of the women present were swift. I quickly took the costume for Sylphy to wear out of my inventory, and the women invited her into the building to secure the entrance and block the way out.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Sylphy! I knew you would join us!”

“There are many clothes that I want you to try on. Since you’re here, you have to try them on!”

Sylphy seemed to realize that she had been set up at this point, but it was too late. There is no way out, including the window.

“You’ve conspired…?”

“Well, I don’t know what you’re talking about. See, everyone is dressed in otherworldly costumes, right? There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Gnunu…”

Perhaps she realized that there was no way to escape; she gave up and was taken by Melty and the others to the next changing room. From there on, she was no longer just mine…, but rather their dress-up doll.

“Since Sylphiel is so beautiful, you should wear more clothes and get dressed up. You always wear a leather battle dress, after all.”

“But then again, I’m the one who’s supposed to be leading everyone… It’s outrageous to be extravagant.”

“You don’t have to worry about that because Kosuke-san is here. In fact, you should dress up more for Kosuke-san’s sake.”

“I-is that so…?”

Good, good, good Melty, tell her more.

After being persuaded by Melty, Sylphy put on a variety of outfits. I like when she wears ribbed sweaters. It’s really a great way to show off her body lines, kuhu… guhyoguhyo.

There was a commotion that temporarily stopped the development of new tools, but after the commotion, the women in the fort’s faces became more lively, and morale was very high, so Danan only had to give me a few minor complaints.

“I can’t even lecture you because morale is up as a result…”

“I’m sorry.”

In fact, there was no time to get excited about clothing, and the fact that the first unit had returned meant that it was not surprising that other units would return with the liberated people. Since we didn’t know how many people would return, there was no such thing as too much preparation.

A few days passed, and when the fever for clothing had subsided somewhat, a messenger arrived at the front base. It was Pirna, who was supposed to be a scout in the first unit.

“The 1st, 2nd, and 6th units jointly raided the rock salt mines in Vinnisk, overpowered the garrison, and freed about 800 people and their families who had been forced to work in the rock salt mines. They are now on their way back to the Great Omit Wilderness, but they don’t have enough food, water, or anything else.”

“Oh… good grief.”

I looked up to the heavens when I heard the report. It is definitely Shumer and Sir Leonard who do this kind of sketchy stuff. I’m sure of it.

“What’s their course of action?”

“They said that they would liberate the pioneer villages between the rock salt mines of Vinnisk and the Great Omit Wilderness one after another and that they would head this way while supplying themselves with the crops of the liberated villages. They are expected to arrive at the shelter closest to the Merinard Kingdom in about a week.”

“In other words, the number of people will continue to swell. We’ll never make it in time with our normal supply methods.”

Sylphy glanced at me. Well, that’s right, we have no choice but to do so.

“We’ll start moving supplies from the home base and take the minimum amount of supplies stockpiled at the front-line base, which I put in my inventory. Along the way, we’ll also gather supplies from underground shelters and plant a field near the nearest shelter for harvesting. That’s about right.”

“That’s right… But letting Kosuke run into the territory of the Merinard Kingdom is a bad idea. You should stay in the shelter closest to the Merinard Kingdom and prepare to welcome them there. Let’s just hope they can make it that far.”

As for the number of people the underground shelter could accommodate and the number of supplies it could store, I had only envisioned up to fifty people in one settlement. About 800 people were completely unexpected.

“It’s too different from what was planned in advance… there must have been some unavoidable circumstances, but it’s just too much.”

“There is no point in lamenting about it. Your Highness, I’ll stay here and prepare for the reception.”

“Yes, please do. Pirna, tell the liberating unit what we have just discussed. But don’t push yourself too hard. The worst thing that can happen is that you crash and no information gets through.”

“Yes, I understand!”

Pirna saluted with her wings and flew out. Harpies fly in the sky, so their movement speed is much faster than on foot. They are indispensable for reconnaissance and messenger.

“Do you think the enemy will follow them?”

“Probably. We need a way to shake them off.”

“I have a few ideas, but I have no clear picture of what to do…”

Thinking of countermeasures, I headed for the supply warehouse.

Well, no matter which measure is taken, we are going to blow it up, yeah. When it comes to a small number of people fighting a large number of people, a ranged attack is the only way to go, right?