Volume 2 - CH 13

I understood from a single glance. This dwarf who is wearing leather top and bottom with large opening on the chest part opened, and posing with feminine gesture is the eccentric little brother of Galbas who gave me weapon.

Gelf is a man who is a woman in the inside. It’s my first time seeing it but, I know from that woman’s “knowledge” that this kind of person existed.

Although the elf called Mira knew about this beforehand, Feld seemed like he didn’t know. He froze for some reason just like Er and Mihail. I stepped forward through them, took off the hand protector on my left hand and placed it on the counter.

「It’s an old thing but, can you fix it?」

「Oh, cutie pie, you bring a really rare item with you here. It’s using monster leather that I don’t think I’ve seen before but……what monster it came from I wonder?」

「I heard my boots were made from Night Stalker but, I don’t know about the hand protector. The toughness and elasticity are different so I think it was from different monster but, although the leather is still good for use, the other parts are reaching their limit.」

「Aamazi~ing, that’s a really rare monster from the west. But, the leather part also has to be cared for you know? Even though it’s said to regenerate from the water and magic power in the air, there is a limit to it. I can fix it but……I have a small request for you, so can you come with me to the back?」

「Hm? Got it.」

「W-wait a second!」

Gelf pulled my hand to go to the back, but Mihail hurriedly caught my other hand and stopped us.

「……What?」

「You ask what……you, after looking at……him? Aren’t you thinking anything about it!?」

Mihail should be wary and suspecting me whose identity is suspect. And yet why is he this panicked and even grabbed my hand to stop me from being dragged away?

「If you’re talking about Gelf’s appearance then, I know from “knowledge” that this kind of person exist. It isn’t really meaningful to bother about it that much if you know about it right?」

When I said such thing, Feld and the elf Mira opened their eyes wide in surprise. Gelf who seemed to be used to hear similar words like what Mihail said was watching us with amusement and he spoke in admiration after hearing my words.

「You, you are really manly despite being so cute aren’t you……」

And then, *pon* Er hit his hand with a face that looked like he has found an answer to his question.

「Aa, I see. Mihail, you kept talking to him because you are concerned and worried for him huh.」

After being told something like that, Mihail who has been making a composed smile all this time made a sulking face as though he is a kid.

「……Got a problem with that? This guy is a reckless guy who will enter a dangerous place without a care, there is no way I can just leave him alone.」

「…………」

What? Could it be his action and words that seemed like probing at me until now were actually because he was worried for me? Perhaps I had done and said something dangerous without realizing it but……what a troublesome man. He should just say it openly.

「My my, you don’t need to worry like that, I won’t kidnap your 『princess』 to somewhere. I’m an armorer. There is just this armor that I want this cutie to wear for a bit, so please wait here for a little.」

Gelf winked one eye with long eyelashes heavily. It made Mihail stiffened. Gelf dragged me to the back of shop with that opening. Er and Feld’s muttering overlapped and reached my ears at that moment.

「「……Princess?」」

.

I was dragged forcefully but, I didn’t resist because, it’s strange for me to say this but, it might be because I felt something like “motherhood” from Gelf who is a male…….

「You are really a child with nerves of steel. Even Mira-chan became tearful with convulsing expression when she first met me you know? No wonder Galbas took a liking to you.」

「……How do you know?」

Galbas told me to try meeting his little brother, but I haven’t mentioned about it at all to Gelf.

「That knife on your waist, it’s the one that Galbas made in the past right? It looked like the person himself didn’t like it but, he is actually really attached to it. For you to receive it is the proof that he took a liking to you greatly.」

「I bought it……after a fashion.」

I still haven’t paid the price though.

「It’s the same. Galbas won’t even sold it if not to someone who he liked. Well, that’s why I’ll give it my all and do my best-」

「…………With what?」

「……W-well, it will be fine. He is an eccentric but, he isn’t a bad person at all.」

The elf Mira gave that reassurance that wasn’t reassuring at all.

It seemed that she had been in the care of this armorer ever since she was still a low ranked adventurer, but she didn’t sound persuasive at all even if she said that while wiping the cold sweat on her face, Mihail thought with a frown.

The warrior Feld and the spirit user Mira were adventurers that Mihail’s grandfather introduced to serve as the crown prince’s bodyguard. They were the members of adventurer party Rainbow Sword.

It was a famous adventurer party that his grandfather was friendly with since his youth. The members other than the dwarf leader and the elf Mira had changed several times, but due to the party’s achievement and reliability, even Melrose House had asked them to do many requests until now.

Currently the party members numbered four people since the party’s sorcerer retired several years ago and so the party was refraining from doing any full-scale work, but the three members other than the scout who was searching for a new sorcerer had started doing activity together again since around a year ago because the efficiency was bad when they all moved around individually.

And then this time the dwarf leader didn’t join with the work this time as a guard inside the city. Only these two served as bodyguards.

The city field trip this time began from the wish of the crown prince Ervan Fon Claydale, but that wish was realized because of Mihail setting it up, because he wanted to show the “reality” to Ervan who was somewhat lacking in tension similar like her mother the first queen who was formerly the daughter of a viscount.

Mihail and Ervan were friend, but their way of thinking as noble was different. Mihail was trying to determine whether Ervan was a suitable person to be the next king.

Mihail fundamentally didn’t trust other people. He trusted his family but he thought that only his grandfather was worthy of faith. It would be a different matter for trusting someone as a noble but, if he learned that Ervan wasn’t worthy for his trust as someone to serve in the future, Mihail would abandon Ervan and supported the second prince who was still young or the first princess who descended from the lineage of genuine high ranked noble. He would consider such act as something that couldn’t be helped.

This city field trip began from such thinking but, Mihail encountered “her” in the middle of that.

She was blending with the crowd inconspicuously. However, his gaze was drawn to her for some reason.

When he was a child, Mihail liked to see the portrait of his “aunt” who left the house before he was born. She was a beautiful woman with dignified aura but gentle smile. The feeling that Mihail felt at that time might be similar to a first love.

“She” was dressed in male attire but he knew that she was a girl from a glance. She had similar atmosphere with the woman in the portrait, so his gaze was drawn to her the instant he saw her.

When Mihail unconsciously followed that figure with his eyes, the adventurer Feld also noticed the girl for a different reason and told him that “he” was being targeted by some delinquents.

The girl looked even younger than Mihail, but “he” looked like he was quite strong despite her age so there would be no problem even if they left this alone, Feld explained and asked what they should do.

The usual Mihail would just ignore it but, Mihail hesitated just for a moment and it was at that timing the sheltered Ervan said to save “him”, and that was how Mihail ended up getting involved with “her”.

The dense Feld and Ervan didn’t noticed her gender, but Mihail felt irritated at her lack of vigilance that was like a “child” who lacked common sense.

Why didn’t she realize that she had an appearance that attracted people’s gaze? Because of that she was even drawing needless troubles to her. Mihail should be someone who drew a line that separated him from other people, but he couldn’t understand why his heart was disturbed to this degree toward this girl that he even ended up saying unnecessary cutting remark to her.

He sulked when Ervan pointed that out. He was made to realize of his childish part that he had forgotten along with the growth of his body, and the girl was dragged away by the eccentric while he was in astonishment.

.

「Oka~ay, sorry to make everyone waitt♪」

The eccentric dwarf Gelf returned. He couldn’t do something like peeking due to his pride as a gentleman, but when he turned his gaze to check whether the girl was alright…….

「Uwah, as expected from Gelf……」

Mira sounded like she had expected of what to come. Mihail only heard her voice, but all the men including him couldn’t say anything from surprise.

「Gelf……it’s a bit hard to move in.」

「I wonder, if it’s still too big for you?」

Her appearance was completely different from before. The girl was wearing leather short boots and knee-length skirt of leather dress. Her two arms that extended from the sleeveless shoulders and the white calves that extended from the skirt looked dazzling. Mihail unconsciously averted his gaze with embarrassment.

Even so what drew his eyes the most might be her face.

With the boorish shawl that hid her face removed, the untied hair with the ash dirtying it vanished hanging down on her shoulders, the “pink tinged blonde hair” that looked shiny and vibrant jade green eyes, they were really similar with the portrait of the woman that Mihail admired and harbored a feeling toward that was like first love.

「You……are a woman?」

Compared to that line of Feld who didn’t read the atmosphere at all, the attitude of Ervan who was staring with reddening face beside him was more irritating to Mihail for some reason.

「It’s the prototype that I created previously for temporary sewing but, I’m glad it can match your size with just simple adjustment. Use it for now until the repair of your equipments is finished. Then the next time you come you can tell me how does it feel wearing it.」

「……Yes.」

It seemed that this outfit that I was told to change into is lent to me as replacement until my equipment’s repair is finished. ……But, I can’t understand why I’m given full body equipment to replace hand protector and boots. Furthermore Gelf even saw through the illusion of ash on my hair instantly, dispelled it, and even combed it.

「That attire, originally I should be the one wearing it but, I prioritized shape and function too much that it became impossible to wear for me.」

Even though he is a dwarf, he wanted to wear this kind of thin and fluttery thing huh…….

But, he said that it was for temporary sewing but, it seemed this equipment is properly using real leather. Although thin, its defensive power is considerable and it also provided softness and elasticity to some degree.

「……Also, take this with you too. Wear it properly okay? No matter what okay-!?」

「Yes.」

At the end Gelf pulled something from the shelf where he put thin fluttery clothes and made me grasped it.

What’s this……he was completely shocked when I changed but, is this thing related to that? More importantly, I was told that this attire is made from normal leather so I won’t stand out but, am I really more inconspicuous like this?

I don’t want to stand out because after this I’m going to work. I dressed as man for that but, Gelf told me that soon I would be unable to hide my gender by dressing as man.

He persuaded me that if that was the case, it would be better if I didn’t use male clothing but attire like cloak to hide my body and made my age and gender ambiguous and wore equipment that prioritized function. He told me that this is the normal attire for female adventurer recently but……Feld and others are looking at me with dumbfounded face, so it made me felt somehow anxious.

Perhaps that’s why even though what Gelf did is the same like Galbas who gave me this black knife, I’m feeling a bit reluctant to thank him honestly.

「You……you are a woman huh?」

As expected it’s obvious with this appearance. I received such puzzled impression from Feld, but for some reason such inconsequential comment made me felt a bit gloomy.

The atmosphere is getting awkward, so let’s leave this place right away. I can ask more about this equipment and my equipment that I entrusted to Gelf later when the repair is finished.

At this rate it feels like they’ll also go with the flow and accompany me until the adventurer guild, so I go outside first, pointed behind me at the nearby person who seems to be a knight that they are still inside, and then without stopping I blend with the crowd and vanished. Then I heard from afar the voices looking for me.

After that I checked the item that Gelf put in my grasp before parting. This thing, in that woman’s “knowledge” it’s called an underwear. It’s a small thing made from cotton and it’s the type that is tied at the sides with string.

.

Originally I’m going to head to the adventurer guild from here to investigate about my target, the Mercenary of Dawn, but it’s possible that Feld and others will also head to the guild, so I should wait for several days before going there.

Even so I still need to obtain information. Because I shortened my travelling time to here, it’s possible that my contact from assassin guild still hasn’t arrived to the capital. But, if it’s not a contact, but a “watcher” with some level of strength, then it’s possible that they also used the same path like me.

Nothing happened at that day. But, when at the next day I did the same thing like yesterday, killing time by sitting on a wall at a back alley near the capital’s cathedral while using Stealth to deceive the eyes of normal citizens, after around two hours passed a voice called out to me from the “shadow” of the tree a little bit of distance away.

『──”Ash covered”, there is something that I want to ask you.』

「…………」

As I thought, someone from the guild contacted me. But, instead of saying 『I have information』, it’s 『there is something I want to ask』 instead. What’s the meaning of that?

I jumped down from the wall and started walking to the opposite direction of the voice.

『……Oi』

The voice just now called out to me again from inside a different shadow, but I’m not planning to stop.

「I don’t have anything to say to someone who won’t say themselves.」

『…………』

The watcher fell silent at the words that I muttered. Several seconds later, a cat beastman with her long hair fluttering behind her appeared from the gloomy alley in front of me.

「I want to ask you something. “Ash crowned”……what did you do to Guy?」

「…………」

No way……Shadow User Radha huh.