Chapter 36
“Ta-da!”
The [Blood Silk Garment] that Riri proudly held up with both hands.
Its appearance.
It was a Gothic-style Black Dress adorned with an abundance of frills.
A large ribbon was attached to the chest.
And as the finishing touch, a brooch embedded with a red jewel hung at the neck.
“Wh-what is this…?!”
In a word, it is a complete GothLoli Look.
It was a fashion that only cosplayers I occasionally saw on the internet would wear.
“How am I supposed to wear something like this…!”
I don’t have much interest in fashion.
I’m the type who just likes comfortable and plain things.
To the point that even now, I’m just wearing a plain black t-shirt and shorts.
But this outfit was far from comfortable.
And it was as far from plain as the Andromeda Galaxy.
On top of that, the [Ink Shadow Parasol] she made along with it was a parasol covered in frills to match the dress.
Red on the inside, black on the outside.
It was a design just as flashy as the dress.
“Would it be… difficult to modify the design a little?”
I maintained my [Exalted Dignity] tone and asked as euphemistically as possible.
I was trying to contain my desperation to somehow change the outfit without losing my dignity as a Master.
However
“Huh? I can’t fix it once it’s made, though?”
Riri tilted her head in confusion.
“Ah… Master, do you not like it, by any chance…?”
Soon, as if realizing something, her expression instantly became sullen.
Her shoulders drooped, and she lightly hugged the dress she was holding.
It was almost like the expression of an abandoned puppy completely soaked in the rain.
“She looks so pitiful…!”
My heart softened, and I immediately comforted Riri.
“No, no. Do not misunderstand. It is not that I do not like it, but rather that I was momentarily surprised because it is attire this body is not used to.”
“…Really?”
“Of course.”
“Hehe. Thank goodness!”
Riri’s face brightened up again.
Phew.
Fortunately, I managed to smooth things over.
Is this really a good thing? Should I have just been honest?
I decided to examine the clothes with [Appraisal Eye] for now.
But then
[Blood Silk Garment (A)]
[Ink Shadow Parasol (A)]
An A-rank item evaluation actually popped up.
Even though it was made using the Low-grade Blood of C-rank Gate monsters, the rank was an A-rank.
“Wow. Crazy.”
I got goosebumps at Riri’s ability.
I heard that it usually takes Crafting Class users over a month and a lot of materials to make a single A-rank item.
But Riri had just whipped up two A-rank items in an instant with Low-grade Materials.
This was truly ridiculous.
Not S-rank… but SS-rank, Riri?
Furthermore, that also meant she had worked very hard to make it for me.
'Ugh…!'
The sincerity and the rank were both great.
The only problem was the design.
It feels wrong not to wear it, but it also feels wrong to wear it… What should I do?
I was hesitating.
“Oh. It is a garment that suits you perfectly, Liege Lord.”
Katarina, who had been watching from behind, spoke up.
“It is a design that leaves nothing to be desired for my Liege Lord’s dignity.”
“Is that so…? But it seems a bit overly flashy… Si-Yeon, what do you think?”
Katarina always flatters me, so she’d say it’s good, but wouldn’t the level-headed Si-Yeon be different?
I looked toward Si-Yeon with desperate eyes, but.
She quietly nodded her head too.
“It is flashy, but that actually suits your atmosphere well, Master.”
“Hmm…”
“It’ll be much prettier once you try it on, Master!”
Finally, Riri smiled brightly and handed me the dress and parasol.
“Hurry up and try it on!”
“…Groan.”
All my Retainers were saying it was fine.
I couldn’t back out any further in this atmosphere.
In the end, I had no choice but to surrender.
“V-very well.”
I awkwardly accepted them and headed to the bathroom.
* * *
I locked the bathroom door and unfolded the dress.
“…But how do I wear this?”
It was my first time in my life trying on something called a dress, so I was at a loss as to where to even start.
Where is the zipper.
And what is the identity of these strings?
Are the frill parts on the inside or the outside?
I was even confused about whether I should put it on from the top or the bottom.
While I was groaning like that.
Knock, knock…
“Liege Lord. Do you not require assistance with donning your garment? This humble one can attend to you, so please just give the command.”
Katarina’s polite voice could be heard from beyond the door.
'…!'
I was tempted for a moment.
Honestly, it did seem like it would be really convenient if she helped.
Besides, I’m a woman too now, and Katarina is my Retainer.
It wouldn’t be weird at all to ask for help.
But
'…Still, that’s a bit much.'
No matter what, showing my naked body to someone else was embarrassing.
I didn’t really care when I was a guy, but ever since I became this body, I feel like I’ve become sensitive to those kinds of things.
I always bathe alone, and I make sure to lock the door when changing clothes.
Those little things piled up, and now I felt an instinctive aversion to taking off my clothes in front of someone.
And, crucially.
The clothes I wear now only show my arms and legs a bit, but if I show my naked body, it might completely expose that I have zero muscle and am just a soft, flimsy body with Strength 3…!
“Hu, huhu. It is fine. This much is nothing to this body. I can easily handle it alone.”
I answered, pretending to be as relaxed as possible.
“Understood, Liege Lord.”
The presence beyond the door faded away.
Phew.
Having passed the crisis, I focused on my struggle with the dress again.
In the end, I had no choice but to take out my phone and rely on searching.
I searched “how to put on a dress” on YourTube and groaned for a long time while looking up videos.
I barely managed to put on the clothes.
“Haa, this is exhausting…”
No joke, it was the hardest and most exhausting thing I had done since I awakened.
Furthermore, it was a pain even after it was put on.
The corset part that clung tightly to my body was stifling.
The material of the clothes was scratchy too.
The frills and ribbons were incredibly cumbersome.
“How do people walk around wearing things like this?”
I felt a newfound respect for the goths of the World.
Anyway, since I had put the clothes on with difficulty, I switched my phone to Selfie Mode to check my appearance.
The moment I checked my reflection on the screen.
'…Huh?'
I paused without realizing it.
Voluminous silver hair.
Blood-red Eyes and pale skin.
The combination of my small frame and the Gothic dress covered in frills was much more natural than I thought.
If just an ordinary person in Korea had worn it, it would have undoubtedly looked like a burdensome cosplay.
Since a fantasy-like appearance and fantasy-like clothes came together, the synergy was good.
At least, it looked that way to me.
“Surprisingly, is it… okay?”
I gained confidence little by little.
Alright.
Let’s go out and show them.
“Mm, ahem.”
I cleared my throat once, opened the parasol and held it, and opened the bathroom door.
As I stepped outside, the gazes of my Three Retainers simultaneously pierced me.
Ugh.
Showing my dress-clad self to others was more burdensome and embarrassing than I thought.
I forced my lips apart.
Despite my [Exalted Dignity], my voice came out trembling a little.
“…I-is it truly acceptable to dress like this?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
A brief silence.
For a few seconds, all three of them just stared at me blankly, frozen stiff.
An incredibly awkward silence.
“Is it not good…?”
Was my thinking it suited me just my own delusion?
My face flushed hot from the surging shame.
But then.
“Liege Lord…!”
Katarina was the first to cry out, placing a hand on her chest with a touched expression.
“It is to the point that words cannot fully express it! It is a garment that doubles my Liege Lord’s nobility and majesty!”
“…You are incredibly beautiful, Master.”
The always-calm Si-Yeon also spoke with a mesmerized expression.
“Wow, Master!! It suits you so well! You’re totally pretty!!”
Riri cried out while jumping up and down in place.
'…!'
I froze for a moment at the praise pouring out from the three of them simultaneously.
'Pretty', 'beautiful'?
These were the kinds of compliments I was hearing for the first time in my life.
Not to mention my days as a man.
Even after awakening, I had heard a lot of worship for being scary or amazing, but this was my first time receiving this kind of compliment.
It made my hands and feet curl up a bit, and my chest felt ticklish.
But anyway, everyone kept complimenting me and saying it suited me well.
“Is it really okay…?”
It was true that I didn’t feel bad.
Then, the most important task remained.
Namely, testing the abilities of the items.
I issued a command to Si-Yeon.
“Si-Yeon. Draw the curtains.”
“Yes, Master.”
Swish.
Si-Yeon drew the Blackout Curtains to both sides.
Sunlight poured brightly into the Studio Apartment.
'…!'
For a moment, my body flinched instinctively.
Because normally, I would have felt incredibly severe discomfort the moment the Sunlight touched me.
But this time, I didn’t feel that way at all.
Rather than it being okay to be hit by the Sunlight, it felt like the Sunlight itself wasn’t reaching me at all.
Normally, even if you use a parasol, a certain amount of Sunlight is bound to come in, but this blocked it perfectly.
“Wow, the performance is amazing.”
With this, I could be considered completely liberated from the Sunlight Problem.
I had expectations since it was an A-rank item, but I didn’t know the effect would be this good.
In that case.
“…I should be able to go to the 5th Floor now, right?”