Chapter 143
“A dress!? A dress means that one, right!? The fluttery one that princesses wear! And I’m going to wear it!?” (Melt)
“Yes, Melt-chan will be attending the royal banquet together with me-ja yo. So you’ll need a dress -a party outfit like that. Kokuri-san is bringing several dresses she hasn’t worn, so she’ll adjust whichever one you like from those to suit your body-ja yo.” (Rue)
“Wow, she’s doing that for me? I need to thank Kokuri-chan properly.” (Melt)
“Yes, indeed.” (Rue)
When I returned home and told Melt-chan about the dress, she lit up with joy just as I expected.
Yes, yes… Just seeing her delighted face makes the entire trip to the castle worth it.
This girl…not only is she cute, she’s a real beauty… If she wears makeup for the banquet and puts on a dress, nobles in attendance might not keep quiet.
“…Should I ask Her Majesty and Kokuri-san to grant me some measure of authority as well?” (Rue)
Come to think of it, Shizuma presented “a certain degree of privilege” as part of the conditions for letting this country use the Dungeon Core… If I recall, in simple terms it was something like: “I won’t be punished even if I kill a noble I don’t like.”
…Yes. I want that too. ‘Hello. Is Rue-dono at home?’
About two hours later, there was a knock on the door.
By this time Melt-chan had already recovered, eaten lunch, and regained her energy. Once she realized Kokuri-san had arrived, her energy only increased further, and she darted past me toward the front door.
“Hello! Welcome, Kokuri-chan!” (Melt)
“Good afternoon. It’s been a while, Melt-san.” (Kokuri)
The slight tension and wariness on Kokuri-san’s expression eased at Melt-chan’s friendly greeting. That tension was most likely toward my presence.
“Come in, come in! And the artisan too, please come in!” (Melt)
Following Kokuri-san was a woman carrying a large garment case…clearly the artisan.
Yes, correct. If she had brought a male tailor along, I would have immediately sent him packing.
“Well then, let’s get right to it. Could you pick whichever dress you like from inside here?”
She opened the garment case and then hung the dresses inside one after another on something like a portable rod, lining them up beautifully like at an exhibition.
Melt-chan let out small, wordless sounds of amazement at the colorful display: different designs, textures, fabrics.
“Waa…! Haah…! Oooh…! Amazing, amazing! Fairy Silk… and this weave, what is it? I’ve never seen this before!” (Melt)
“That one is a fabric called satin. It’s woven in a special way.”
“Wow… So glossy and smooth to the touch… Amazing!” (Melt)
“I’m glad you like it. But I’m impressed…you recognized Fairy Silk at a glance?”
“My grandma’s lab coat was made of Fairy Silk. It wasn’t this shiny, though.” (Melt)
“Oh? Used for lab coats? I see… It does have high corrosion resistance and fire resistance, so that makes sense… I would’ve liked to meet your grandmother once.” (Kokuri)
“Hmm…? Maybe so…?” (Melt)
For a moment, I sensed faint confusion from Melt-chan. Something about Kokuri-san’s words must have made her think of something.
“Which one should I pick!? They’re all pretty but…this one… or this one…” (Melt)
Melt-chan picked up a white dress and a pale blue one as she started choosing.
Exactly as I predicted…those must be her favorite colors.
Both dresses shimmered beautifully, and somehow their hues resembled the color of Melt-chan’s silvery hair.
“Hey hey, Oji-chan! Which one would look better on me?” (Melt)
“Hyoh!? I’m choosing!?” (Rue)
This is a grave responsibility-ja… Emergency internal council, begin.
I immediately entered a meditative state and cast my consciousness deep within myself.
And then…
—————–
“…So that’s the situation-ja. I assume news of this has reached you all as well?” (Rue)
“Gwah!? Don’t appear out of nowhere, Rue!” (Shizuma)
“…Seriously, Rue? You were awake and you still jumped straight here…?” (Shilent)
I stood within the dark circular chamber of the round table.
Shizuma and Shilent reacted with surprise, but this is an urgent matter. Forgive me.
This is far too weighty a decision for me to make alone.
“I recommend the white dress. The pale blue one has a rather deep cut at the chest, which I consider too risky for someone as mentally young as she is.” (Shire)
“Is that so? But she’s starting to look closer to an adult physically, right? Isn’t it better for her to get used to it? It’s a royal banquet… The country will protect her to some degree.” (Seira)
“Yes, I agree with Seira-san. Melt-san is still a budding flower, but perhaps this is the ideal environment for her to show signs of blooming? Protected by countless knights… She may blossom freely.” (Hash)
Shire and Seira were split, but Hash sided with Seira’s group.
As for me, I sided with Shire.
“Yeah, I agree with Shire. She’s way too oblivious about such things. Shizuma, what do you think?” (Seimu)
“If anything happened to Melt, Rue and I would kill them on the spot, banquet or not. So white, the one with the least risk.” (Shizuma)
“Yes, I completely agree with Shizuma-ja. Anything that reduces the chance of Melt-chan being bothered is best. That said, not letting her attend would be too cruel, and I don’t want to take away her chance to wear a dress.” (Rue)
“Mm… True. Best not to turn the banquet into a bloodbath.” (Shilent)
“Well…if you say it like that, I guess I must agree… Hash, let’s give up. As long as doting Oji-chan is here, it’s impossible.” (Seira)
“Mm…yes, that’s true. We have no choice.” (Hash)
Good! They all understand!
“I still think pale blue is better, though? It complements her hair and fur more. And besides…wouldn’t it be perfect for drawing out foolish nobles and purging them?” (Still)
“I’m with Still on this one. Rue is going to be introduced as the head figure who supplied the Dungeon Core, right? Then Melt-chan, as his companion, will naturally be seen as someone important. Any noble stupid enough to approach her carelessly is worth purging, no? Harsh to say, but she could act as bait to lure such people.” (Lent)
Hmm…that is logically sound.
But Still and Lent agreeing is unexpected.
Are those two not on bad terms?
‘If you wish to enjoy killing, choose the blue one. A gathering of the nation’s upper ranks…drowning the event in slaughter and fear would amuse even me. It would be convenient for ruling this country through terror.’
A voice echoed…one belonging to the “strongest.”