“You… hey, you really deceived me well…! Uh, what did you come for…?”
The young Akashi trembled upon seeing Akashi and then spoke to Alterra with utmost deference. Then, realizing that she probably couldn’t speak, he told me to relay the message.
“…But, why do you talk to me so casually?”
“You wouldn’t dare to grab a child by the neck and lift them up, would you…? That guy over there would. Even if you had the wisdom of an Archmage, you should know when to be humble…”
It was because she was both powerful and dangerous that he naturally became polite. Though it felt somewhat unpleasant as if he were looking down on me, I let it slide since it was Akashi. Besides, he was rather cute.
“Pfft, where do you get off pretending to be an Archmage? You can’t even properly handle the knowledge you’ve stumbled upon. Know your place.”
“Noisy. Anyway, um… Alterra, was it? What is it you want…? You! Ask her quickly!”
Pushed by the pressure from the young Akashi, I formally asked Alterra, but she merely responded with a look of puzzlement, asking if I hadn’t already heard.
“…Back then, the invisible cloak you made from the Dalocos core pleased Alterra, but it didn’t fully satisfy her. The stealth performance was lacking. Alterra wants something better—an outfit.”
“Outfit… outfit? Wait, you have to tell me what kind of style or vibe you’re looking for before I can do anything… right!? Just coming here demanding clothes—what am I supposed to do about that?! We don’t even have your measurements yet!”
When I relayed the young Akashi’s quivering complaints to Alterra, she calmly replied that such things were obviously something one should adjust themselves.
“Well, take a rough look and then create something we both like.”
“She says that’s your job to figure out, young Akashi. What do you think?”
Upon hearing my relay of her words, the young Akashi immediately burst out without any hint of grievance or oppression.
“What?! I’m not a mind reader! How am I supposed to know what both of us will like?! Besides, we don’t even have the materials right now! I’d make it if I could, but we need ingredients!”
“So, that’s why you’re considered half-pennyworth. Mind reading is basic, isn’t it? Though I had my spellbook stolen. Still, you couldn’t cast magic anyway from the start.”
After loudly arguing and telling Akashi off, the young Akashi froze again at Alterra’s icy gaze, fearing the worst.
Honestly, Alterra’s request was quite unreasonable. Without knowing what kind of clothing she wanted, even the most skilled tailor would be unable to start.
“Alterra. At least give some requirements so the work might proceed more smoothly. For instance, whether you dislike skirts or prefer sleeveless designs… things like that.”
Covering up the young Akashi’s slip of the tongue, I modified the complaints appropriately to make them understandable to Alterra.
“…That makes sense. Even someone like her should understand that much… hmm. Sure. Comfortable, durable, no sleeves… and pants. That’s it.”
It looked like she came without much thought and just improvised these requirements on the spot. Nevertheless, since that was the case, I conveyed them to the young Akashi.
She exploded, asking how on earth she was supposed to make something with just those vague instructions, but that was beyond my ability to help, so I ignored it.
“Oh. Alterra. By the way, apparently there’s also the issue of lacking materials.”
“…Shouldn’t a merchant prepare that as a matter of course? Are you even planning to do business? Hmm, this is why Akashis are always like this. Fine. Let’s spend some money then.”
“Young Akashi, good news. Alterra says she’ll cover the cost of the materials. Though I can’t guarantee anything above 15 gold.”
“Do you really think everything can be solved with money…? Well, you’re not entirely wrong… Hmm. Still, thank you. You’re far more helpful than that big pile of garbage over there…”
“Hahaha, I don’t want to be called trash by you. If those guys over there call me that, fine. But still, sitting around doing nothing is boring. I’ll offer some advice from the sidelines.”
Even the elder Akashi offered to help, which seemed to finally give the young Akashi a bit of confidence as he carefully reconsidered Alterra’s requests.
“Comfortable, durable, sleeveless, and pants… Hmm. Alright, that works… Hey! Sure, I might’ve done the transparent cloak half-heartedly, but now that money is involved, I must take this seriously!”
“Why does it sound like you weren’t sincere when making that transparent cloak?”
“Shut up! Anyway, don’t worry! Both Great Sages, Akashi, will put all our efforts into creating this for you! Oh, and I’ll take the 15 gold first. Not to embezzle it, but to buy materials. Truly, I’ll return whatever’s left.”
His confident stance demanding 15 gold upfront was oddly annoying. Still, when I relayed the young Akashi’s bold promise to Alterra, she nonchalantly handed over the 15 gold without hesitation.
That amount of money was usually earned only after completing multiple group monster extermination quests alone.
In many ways, Alterra was consistently impressive every time I saw her—her strength, beauty, and wealth alike.
“…There’s still something important I haven’t heard yet. Myungho. So, when will my clothes—or equipment—be ready? I can’t wait forever, you know.”
Ah, right. I had forgotten something important. When I asked, the young Akashi shamelessly admitted he didn’t know.
“If the materials arrive quickly but I can’t imagine the blueprint, it’ll take a while. If the materials come slowly but I already have the blueprint ready, it could be quick! Roughly, a maximum of one week? Now, let’s measure your size first! Come stand still! Stretch your arms like this!”
Ultimately, the completion date depended on when inspiration struck, so the young Akashi avoided giving a clear answer. What is this?
“…Roughly a week, they say. Alterra. Would you mind standing still over there for a moment? He says he’ll measure your body size.”
I thought I’d have to explain why it was necessary to measure her size, but Alterra obediently stretched out her arms and stood still.
The young Akashi somehow managed to measure Alterra, who was much taller than him, using a tape measure he pulled out from somewhere. He glared angrily when the tape reached her chest.
That was about all I needed to do. She slightly twitched and smirked when her thighs were measured, probably because it tickled, but quickly regained her composure.
“…This much… Even though she grew up in the wild, she’s this developed… This body… Hmm, never mind. Got it! Where will you be staying? I’ll bring it to you when it’s done, along with this trash here, so let me know!”
“The Tower Inn. I’ll be on the second floor. I hope it finishes quickly. Ah, remember—if you embezzle the money, Alterra will chase you to the ends of the earth and rip your wrists off.”
I’ve never said such a thing. However, I couldn’t allow that.
“There’s no reason for me to lie to you guys, unlike some random person! I swear by my knowledge. No need to worry. Instead, be surprised by the result!”
If he says so, maybe it’s worth trusting him once. Leaving the chattering Akashis behind, I slipped out through the gloomy back alley.
Alterra still seemed uneasy, wearing an expression of discomfort.
“What’s wrong, Alterra? Is something bothering you?”
“…No, not really. It’s just… maybe his touch was a bit creepy earlier. It briefly caught my attention.”
Was it creepy? As I wasn’t directly involved, I wasn’t sure, but I decided to accept that interpretation.
“It was a bit, wasn’t it? Still, it’s better than what the older Akashi would’ve done, right?”
“That’s obvious. If the older one had done it, I would’ve thrown a punch right away. I just let it slide because he was in his smaller form.”
“Alright, good job enduring. Since it’s at most a week until it’s done, let’s find something else to do in the meantime. Oh, by the way, that giant beast extermination quest we planned to do—is it still available?”
“Tomorrow. I’m tired today.”
When we returned to our lodging, Yuna had already left, leaving a note saying she was excited about heading into the elves’ forest and would buy various things.
Mari was alone in the room, staring blankly into space until she noticed us and greeted us with a brief hum of a tune.
Right. Come to think of it, I also need to buy potions and new books to teach Alterra. Even if I leave the spices to Akashi, I still need to take care of these things.
“In that case, let’s finish the vocabulary study we’ve been putting off. You seem to understand enough now, so from here on, it won’t be too difficult. The hardest part is already over.”
“…This feels like the hardest part…”
“No, I mean it. I thought the same at first, but surprisingly, it’s manageable from here on. Now, try reading this aloud. You know this word well. Worm.”
“…Worm. Hmm, so this is how it’s written. How strange that I learned the pronunciation before the spelling.”
“Akashi was… Hmm. There’s no excuse I can make for this. Still, don’t hate him too much. He’s not completely rotten to the core. Now, next. Boyfri…end.”
“Boyfri…end.”
“And suddenly, Yuna appears. At least knock before entering, will you?”
