Chapter 5

"Kaaawaaaaiiiiii!!!"

In a spacious room of the palace, lined with colorful children's dresses, I called out in ecstasy.

In front of me, Aya stood shyly, dressed in the attire of a holy maiden.

"Oh, Aya in the holy maiden's dress is so cute...! It's so sacred that it could drive away monsters just by looking at her...!"

The cuteness of Aya, enhanced by the serious and proper outfit, was something special. Aya, standing there in a crisp, neatly pressed dress with a serious expression, was so adorable that I could eat a whole loaf of bread just by looking at her.

Hehe... Her messy hair had been neatly styled, and her cheeks had plumped up from eating more recently, making her truly invincible. Oh, I want to capture this cuteness in a painting right now...!

While I was admiring her with my hands twitching, the High Priest, who had been watching, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, the holy maiden's attire is fine. ...But what about those over there?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the dresses nearby.

"Oh, those are Aya's clothes. She can't wear the holy maiden's dress all the time, can she?"

"H-ha... Yes..."

I smiled, and the High Priest wiped his sweat.

...I can understand why he was confused. After all, there were easily over twenty dresses lined up.

The styles ranged from the usual elegant dresses to some outrageously flashy ones that made you wonder when they would ever be worn.

This is all due to my taste! ...I really wanted to see Aya in them.

"Hey, Aya, do you want to try on these dresses? If you don't like it, we can go back to your room, okay?"

Trying to suppress my excitement, I asked tentatively, and Aya nodded happily. —There was no trace of lies or hesitation on her face. Her eyes sparkled, and it was clear she was already drawn to the dresses.

Great, if she's enthusiastic, it's settled! I quickly dressed Aya in various outfits.

A beautiful, frilly, classic princess dress.

"Oh! What a cute princess!"

A slightly cool, black dress with a red lining.

"Kyaa! My heart has been stolen by a little devil!"

A fairy-like dress made of layers of light, fluffy fabric with star sequins.

"Cute! Fairy, look this way!"

...Ah! No, no. The High Priest is looking at me with a serious expression.

I cleared my throat. I shouldn't be enjoying myself alone.

"Aya, which dress do you want to try on? You can choose any of them, or even all of them if you like."

I approached her with a bit too much enthusiasm, worried that I might scare her, but Aya didn't seem to mind. She smiled shyly and started looking for the next dress on her own. Hehe, a good sign. We should buy all the dresses.

I nodded in satisfaction and called for the tailor. As I was talking to him, I suddenly noticed something.

...In the corner of the room, Emperor Yuri was standing there, looking ghostly and vague.

"Ah!? You scared me, Your Majesty! If you were here, you should have said something...!"

"..., Well, I thought it might be bad to surprise you again..."

Ah, he was trying to be considerate. Maybe I overreacted last time...

"So, what brings you here?"

...Is he going to tell me I'm buying too many dresses? But it's not my own clothes; I don't want to compromise on Aya's clothes at all! I'll buy them all with my allowance!

As I was thinking of a rebuttal, the Emperor started talking about something completely different.

"...It seems there is no way to return a summoned holy maiden."

"Is that so..."

The Emperor and I looked at Aya.

"I thought the former Empress Sakura might know something... but unfortunately, I couldn't meet her."

The Emperor lowered his eyes.

—The former Empress Sakura was the holy maiden before Aya.

The best way to learn about the holy maiden is from the holy maiden herself. The Emperor must have thought the same. But she had been hiding in a secluded palace since being betrayed by the former king and no longer appeared in public.

Moreover, Emperor Yuri was the son of her lover. ...She probably didn't want to see him at all.

While I felt bitter, I was also secretly relieved.

Aya is five years old. Logically, we should look for a way to send her back.

...But I didn't want to.

I couldn't imagine Aya being happy with parents who had hurt her so much and made her afraid.

As the Emperor and I fell silent, Aya ran over with a smile, wearing a dress with a fluffy white tulle skirt that gave off a sense of transparency.

Her angelic cuteness made me scream.

"Oh! An angel! An angel has descended! Her cuteness is so overwhelming that I can hear the sound of my lifespan extending by ten years! Don't you think so, Your Majesty!?"

At my words, Aya seemed to notice the Emperor and looked a bit frightened.

The Emperor, looking confused, said:

"...Yes, I think it suits her very well."

I nudged the Emperor and whispered:

"In situations like this, you should say 'very cute' instead of 'it suits you.'"

"V-very cute... I think."

At the Emperor's words, Aya looked surprised and then smiled a little.

I've been thinking recently that Aya seems to understand what we're saying.

If that's true, it's a good thing.

Emperor Yuri may seem intimidating when he's quiet, but he's a good person at heart. If she can understand us, I want to take my time and help her overcome her fear of the Emperor...

Just as I was thinking this, Aya's body suddenly trembled.

"Aya? What's wrong?"

Ignoring my voice, Aya ran to the window with a tense expression.

"Be careful, don't fall—"

I rushed after her and grabbed her arm, and a tingling shock ran through my body.

"!?"

At the same time, words flowed into my mind.

'Saint Aya: Learned the skill "Monster Detection"'

...Huh? What is this?