Chapter 19
Ever since I was reincarnated in this world, I've sometimes wondered about something.
Had I, a man in my previous life, gotten used to living as a woman too quickly?
But…
“Oh my, it looks wonderful on you!”
“…Ahaha.”
Absolutely not.
I still haven't gotten used to it.
I'm so embarrassed I could die.
“What do you think, my lord?”
“…”
Please don't just clam up like that. Say something, anything.
I'm wearing this dress because of you, after all!!
“Isn't it a little too low-cut?”
I nodded emphatically, agreeing with Theo.
Honestly, that was exactly why I was embarrassed right now.
At a glance, it was a beautiful dress with a sky-blue base and jewels that shimmered brilliantly, but it was cut far too low across the chest and back.
“Is that so? Well, there's no need to emphasize it on purpose…”
The shopkeeper trailed off, her gaze drifting toward one particular spot,
“Could you stop? It's making me uncomfortable…”
That spot was my well-endowed chest.
“Oh, I'm sorry.”
If you're going to apologize, then don't do it in the first place!
“I'll bring out another dress, then.”
“That would be best.”
Then the shopkeeper disappeared into the back of the store.
Getting another dress sounds good, but… Honestly, this is exhausting.
I've lost track of how many times I've changed already.
Swoosh
And why is this body's chest so big…
“Pfoo—cough, cough!”
What's wrong?
*
In the end, it was almost lunchtime before we finally left the shop.
“Haaaah…”
“Was it that exhausting?”
You wouldn't know. You just sat there sipping tea in comfort.
The dress was hard enough to put on by myself, and the shopkeeper, who'd stayed close by to help, kept chattering away. Then she yanked the waist in so roughly, as if testing just how much tighter it could be…
Seriously… Ever since I was born into this body, I've hardly ever thought things were difficult,
but today was… really, truly exhausting.
“Are you all right? Shall we head straight back to the mansion?”
“Let's walk around for a little while. Send the luggage back to the mansion first.”
Honestly, I wanted to say we should just go back,
but this was my first time going out with Theo since the last time, so I decided to put up with it a little longer.
Now that I think about it, this is only the second time we've gone out together like this.
Last time, Theo was in disguise, and we even held hands…
I wonder how Theo would react if I held his hand now?
Curious all of a sudden, I reached out and took Theo's hand, hanging limply at his side.
“What?!”
“We're pretending to be lovers, right? We should walk around holding hands!”
“…I suppose so.”
“Don't you like it?”
“…I don't dislike it.”
For some reason, Theo didn't look very happy.
…Oh! Now that I think of it,
I hurriedly let go of Theo's hand.
“What was that…?”
“Ahaha, my hand was sweaty.”
Theo said he had someone he liked.
Maybe he was worried we'd run into her.
…But then shouldn't he avoid going to Verdia with me while we're pretending to be lovers?
What if she finds out?
“What strange thing are you thinking about now?”
“If anyone heard you, they'd think I was always thinking strange things.”
“Are you not?”
“I am… Eep!”
Just then, a strong gust of wind whooshed past, and my neatly arranged hair started whipping around in an instant.
I hurriedly tried to catch it, but by the time the wind died down, it was already a complete mess.
”Ugh, at times like this, I really want to cut my hair off.“
I'd already tried that, actually…
But it grew back whenever I transformed. Pointlessly.
“For the record, I prefer long hair.”
Why are you suddenly telling me your preferences?
I couldn't understand why he brought it up, but
“I like women with long hair, too! We have the same taste!”
“…”
I could understand that.
That was why I hadn't cut my hair, either.
Even though I'm a woman now, I might as well look pretty to myself, right?
But Theo's expression turned a little complicated when he heard me say that.
“What's wrong?”
“It's nothing.”
He's always saying it's nothing.
Yesterday, I kept telling Seolli it was nothing until she almost tore my hair out. Maybe Theo needs to have a few strands pulled out, too, before he'll stop saying that.
“Let's go into that dessert shop over there for now. The wind's pretty fierce.”
The shop Theo pointed to had a rather cute sign shaped like a loaf of bread.
“Sure.”
As soon as we entered the shop,
“Isn't that the lord?!”
A man with impressively massive muscles came toward us.
“Jake, how have you been?”
“Hahaha, very well! And is this lady perhaps…?”
“…Please show us to a good table.”
“Hahahaha! Right this way!”
He led us to a table by the window.
The space was unusual in that it had a partition, and the window inside was faintly imbued with traces of magic.
Was some kind of magic cast on it?
“You can't see through the window from outside, and there's a Silence spell on this curtain. It's a completely enclosed space, despite how it looks.”
Perhaps he noticed my confusion, because Mr. Jake kindly explained it to me.
“Oh, thank you?”
“Hahaha, you seem to know quite a bit about magic, miss.”
“A little.”
It wasn't magic, though.
How did he know?
“I've met a lot of mages. I used to work as a mercenary, and on top of that, now…”
“Jake!! Stop bothering the customers and get over here!”
Just then, a sharp woman's voice rang out from the back of the shop.
“Sorry, Marie!! My lord, what would you like to order…?”
“Hmm, bring us something sweet to drink, along with your recommendation.”
“Understood!”
Then Jake disappeared into the back of the shop at a sprint.
He really is like a whirlwind of a man.
“I take it she's your wife?”
“Yes. As I understand it, they used to be in the same adventuring party.”
Wow, so just like in the novels I read in my previous life, they risked their lives fighting monsters and traveling together, then fell in love and got married in the end.
I'm really jealous. I'd always wanted to travel like that at least once.
When I was born in the forest, I risked my life just as much as they did, but not anymore.
“What's wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking I'd like to travel, too.”
Since I've ended up in a medieval world, I'd like to visit a magnificent old castle.
I'd also like to explore a dungeon, and lie in a beautiful field where it feels like the stars could fall right out of the sky and gaze up at them.
But I can't do that right now. So, someday, when Theo's life finally runs its course and he leaves this world…
Then, let's really go on a journey.
My lifespan is much longer than Theo's, since he's an ordinary human, anyway.
…That thought made me a little sad all of a sudden.
“Edel.”
Just then, Theo called my name.
“It may not be the kind of trip you're imagining right now, but after we get back from Verdia, let's take a vacation.”
“A vacation?”
“That's right.”
Did my expression give it away?
Anyway, right after we get back from Verdia?
“But you have your duties as lord.”
“Even a lord needs to take a break now and then.”
That's true. Theo's been working so diligently all this time.
No one would blame him for taking a break once in a while.
But a trip all of a sudden… Of course I want to go.
A little while ago, I'd thought of traveling after Theo died because I didn't think we'd ever get to travel together while he was alive. If we could go together, that would be wonderful.
Of course, it'd be closer to a vacation than the free-spirited journey I had in mind, but that was fine, too.
No, actually, it was wonderful.
“I'd love to!”
“Heh. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?”
Somewhere I want to visit…
Hmm, like I said, I'd like to see a castle, and also somewhere I haven't been in this world…
Oh!
“The sea.”
“The sea?”
“Yes. I've always wanted to see it.”
I wanted to see how beautiful the sea in this world was.
I'd loved the sea in my previous life, too, and often went every summer, but in this life, surviving had come first, so I hadn't even thought about the sea.
But now I might really get to see it.
The environment in this world is cleaner and more beautiful than Earth's, so I couldn't help getting excited already, wondering just how blue and clear the sea would be.
“All right. Then let's go to the sea.”
“Hehe, I'm excited!!”
Oh, should I ask Lazuli if they want to come, too?
They'd never been there, either…
And maybe Lazuli would want to meet Theo, too.
“Um, would it be all right if I brought my younger sibling?”
“Your younger sibling?”
“Yes.”
“I didn't know you had a younger sibling.”
“They're really cute.”
…Though they're a shut-in.
Still, that's part of their charm, in its own way.
But Theo's expression darkened slightly, as if he didn't like my suggestion.
“What's wrong?”
“Edel… The truth is, I'm very shy around people I don't know.”
“What?!”
I couldn't hide my surprise at his confession-like words.
He's very shy around people? Theo?
But you're the lord of this territory.
Or does that not matter? But you're a leader…
“It's true. The person I really am would rather be alone in my room more than anything.”
“Really?”
“I do my best because I'm the lord, but that's what I'm really like by nature.”
Theo lowered his head, embarrassed, as if someone had uncovered a shameful secret of his.
There's no need to be embarrassed about it, is there?
“That's all right! I'm a little surprised, but—oh! I like lazing around in my room, too.”
“You do? Isn't that strange?”
“No. Not at all.”
Still, I was a little surprised.
Theo had never shown me that side of himself before.
But when I thought about it, everyone I knew Theo to be close to was a servant at the mansion.
I'd never really seen him around strangers, after all.
Was that why he was so curt when we first met?
“That's why I want to go on vacation, just the two of us.”
“I understand.”
It's only natural that you can't enjoy a trip properly if you're with someone who makes you uncomfortable. It was a reason I could fully understand.
I felt bad for Lazuli, but this time, I'd go with Theo.
I could go on a trip with my younger sibling some other time.
I had plenty of time, anyway.
“Thank you.”
But why are you smiling so slyly?
Whoosh!
Just then, the closed partition swung open,
“My lord, there's trouble!”
Mr. Jake shouted at us with an urgent look on his face.
“What's going on?”
“A wyvern. A wyvern has appeared over Rebellin!”
“A wyvern?!”
A wyvern…? Was that some kind of dragon-like creature I'd read about in novels?
Come to think of it, the scene outside the window was utter chaos. People seemed to be staring at the sky and screaming.
But why couldn't I hear anything? …Don't tell me the window has a Silence spell on it, too?!
“Please get to safety first. We'll also head out right away…”
“Understood. Edel, let's go.”
“Yes.”
We hurried out of the shop and looked up at the sky,
“Kieeeeeek!!”
“Kieeeek!!”
Two enormous monsters were flying this way and that high in the sky, yet they still looked heavy and imposing.
“Wow, are those wyverns?”
“Edel! We have to get away.”
“But they're coming this way, aren't they?”
“What?!”
The moment we left the shop, they began diving toward us at high speed.
With their claws pointed at us, too. They looked ready to attack us just like that.
Pointlessly, too…
[Telekinesis]
“Kie?! Kieeeeeek!!”
KWAANG!
The two wyverns that had been flying toward us crashed straight into the ground.
I glanced at them. I'd used Telekinesis to slam them down while they were still accelerating, so they seemed to have died on impact.
Why'd they have to come here making all that noise and attacking us?
“Edel?”
…What do I do? That was a performance with way too wide a range.
No, that's not right. How would Theo know I did it? The wyverns were just flying this way and then they happened to fall to the ground…
“It's Gravity Magic!!!”
Mr. Jake?! And the woman behind him…
“You're crazy, you know that?”
She was probably the mage wife he'd mentioned earlier, and it seemed she'd figured out that I was responsible.
Not that it was magic in the first place.
“Gravity Magic?!”
“Do you mean that Sixth-Circle spell?”
People began gathering around us one by one, and all eyes turned toward me.
What do I do? I don't like this kind of attention…
Just then, I saw Theo looking flustered.
Right… Maybe I should…!
“My lord?”
“Lord? What?”
“The lord used Gravity Magic!!!”
I shouted loudly, redirecting everyone's attention toward Theo, and all eyes naturally shifted from me to him.
After all, it was more believable that Rebellin's lord, who'd recently become famous for single-handedly defeating a criminal organization, had used the spell than some woman no one had ever seen before.
Besides, the people of the territory would be happy about it, too.
“T-The lord did?!”
“He can even use magic?!”
“Unbelievable!”
Fortunately, just as I'd expected, the onlookers gradually began speaking Theo's name in astonishment.
Good! Now I just have to figure out what to do about that mage.
“E-Edel?”
Theo looked at me in confusion, but I quickly turned my head away.