Chapter 62

......And then, two weeks later. I continued to draw Cloa, and in the process, I "tamed" her.

We played in the forest, collected nuts. I was surprised to see a giant bird taking a bath. ...Cloa had become quite accustomed to this forest.

Then... I felt a bit careless, but I still summoned the pipe fox. She seemed to like soft creatures, so I thought she would really like the pipe fox with its fluffy tail.

It was funny, though, the pipe fox... seemed to be considerate and came out of the gem. And it came out in a "transformed" form.

I was surprised. When it first came out, I panicked, thinking, "Did I summon the wrong thing?" ...But apparently, the large fox that came up to my waist when sitting was the transformed form of the pipe fox.

Yeah, when I thought about it, the pipe fox could clearly fit into a bamboo tube smaller than itself, so it wasn't strange that it could change its size.

...No, if you think about it, since summoning creatures come out of gems, there's really nothing strange about it.

My teacher said that in the myths of the original world, there were dogs that came out of the horns of animals. They're called Tindalos dogs, apparently. They're mythological creatures from some country... Well, if such things exist, then creatures that can enter and exit gems, fit into bamboo tubes, and change their size, aren't strange at all. After all, myths have become reality.

...And that transformed pipe fox became Cloa's favorite. Cloa sometimes combs the pipe fox's tail with a brush. The pipe fox seems to enjoy it and makes a happy "kon" sound.

When Cloa heard the sound, she said, "What a strange sound for a fox..." ...Huh? Don't foxes make a "kon" sound?

......After spending time like that. Two weeks before the deadline.

I finally decided to draw the requested painting.

"Okay, I'll start drawing."

"Yes. ...Are you not embarrassed anymore?"

"...To be honest, a little, I'm still embarrassed."

Cloa chuckled at my answer. She was laughing while playfully petting the unicorn in the spring.

...This composition might not be suitable for a nude painting.

This painting shows Cloa, waist-deep in the spring, leaning against the unicorn and stroking its neck, looking at me and smiling.

In other words, I don't have to draw much of the lower body. Her legs and buttocks are in the water.

And since her body is tilted slightly backward, I only need to draw Cloa's face, arms, back, and sides. This way, it doesn't feel so indecent while drawing.

...Of course, even with this composition, I can't say I only look at her back and sides...

"Ah, no, you have to stay still."

The horse is smart, but it doesn't stay still. Sometimes it circles around Cloa or nudges her with its nose.

When that happens, Cloa moves, and then, well, it becomes visible.

...If I concentrate, I won't feel embarrassed, but when the horse moves and Cloa moves, my concentration breaks... Yeah, it's a bit embarrassing.

Since I can't keep Cloa in the water for too long, I quickly finished the underdrawing.

Then, I adjusted the details based on my memory, refined the lines, and mounted the paper on a board.

...Nude paintings are often associated with oil paints. But this time, I decided to use watercolors.

Partly because I need to meet the deadline, but mostly because I thought that instead of the heavy feel of oil paints, I could create a light, transparent, and refreshing impression.

...This time, I'm trying to create a non-sleazy nude painting.

I wanted to depict the dappled sunlight, so I made the contrast of light very clear. I left the parts directly hit by sunlight white, used light colors for the parts where light filters through the leaves, and painted the shadows dark and vividly.

The water surface, in particular, has a large difference between the parts that strongly reflect light and the shaded parts. ...However, if I only focus on the high contrast of the water, the attention might shift away from Cloa, so I made the shadows on the water lighter.

I think there might be a way to depict the light on the water more subtly. However, in this scene, the horse takes up a significant area, and it's close to Cloa. The horse is originally white.

...So, to make the most important part stand out, I made Cloa's colors dark and vivid.

Especially vivid are her bangs and eyelashes, which cast a deep shadow, and her emerald eyes. I wanted the focus to be on her face and expression rather than her body.

"...Do I look more like the forest now?"

"Yeah."

While I was coloring, Cloa, who was on a break, peeked at the paper and chuckled.

Then, Cloa suddenly said,

"Right. Then I'll work for you."

"Huh?"

I was surprised by the sudden decision. I almost dropped my brush and quickly grabbed it again.

"...Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Is it okay?"

"Well, I guess it's okay."

"What about your previous job? It wasn't a bad job, right?"

"Well... it wasn't bad, or rather, I changed to not think it was bad. Besides, I didn't particularly like it either."

...I see. That's how it is. If that's the case... Cloa must have had a tough time.

"Besides, in about ten years, I won't be able to do this job the way I do now."

"Huh, why?"

"Because I'll get older. The charm magic only works because I'm young and beautiful. Once I age, that's the end of this job."

...It's a harsh world. Even though she's so beautiful, I think she would still be beautiful even when she ages, but apparently not.

"So... anyway, I would have had to change my way of life somewhere. I don't think I can get a proper job now, so... I thought I would either die in the wild or be killed by someone."

"Huh?"

I don't want you to die! It would be a waste!

"Well, if I say I was planning to die, you'd make that face, wouldn't you? Spending time with you might not be so bad."

Cloa looked at my face and smiled.

Her smile was quite forest-like.

"But, I'll have to live in luxury, you know? I'm expensive."

Cloa, switching from her forest-like smile to a seductive smile, poked my cheek.

"Of course! I'll build a great house for you and make furniture for you! I can buy them too. I might even make a whole room for clothes. And I'll prepare a lot of jewels to adorn you."

"Oh, how wonderful."

That's right. I should try designing the house. Making furniture might be fun too. I'm not confident about clothes, but I want to try. And I might design jewels too.

What should I do? I get excited just thinking about it. I get excited, but...

"Also... there are a lot of horses. A lot of trees. Bamboo grows here. Birds come, and the pipe fox seems to like you..."

"...What should I do? This sounds more appealing than the previous one, so it's too late, isn't it?"

...Watching Cloa chuckle, I first want her to eat a lot of heart food before clothes or jewels.

Then, I took my time to complete the requested nude painting.

"How is it?"

I showed the completed painting to Cloa to get her opinion. When Cloa saw her painting, her face lit up.

"...Amazing. I've seen many nude paintings in the capital, but this is the first time I've seen something like this."

I see. Is that... Is that good? Did it deviate too much from the request? But the request said, "The size of the painting, the materials, and the composition are all up to you," so this should be fine. I'll make it fine.

"This is really good... Are you really going to give this to the Schere family? It's a waste."

"Well, that was the request..."

However, Cloa doesn't seem to want to give this painting to the Schere family. If she likes it so much, I'm happy, but...

"...I've decided. I'll decorate my new home with this painting."

"Huh?"

When I was at a loss with Cloa's words, she smiled seductively and said,

"I'll take this painting from the Schere family. As a severance pay, you know."

Thus, the two months came to an end.

Somehow, it felt like the two months passed in a flash.

And the last day of the two months... was the interaction with the Schere family.

"Hello, it's been a while!"

We were welcomed at the place we were invited to. Schere looked the same as always, with a friendly smile on his face.

"How was our Cloa?"

"Yes, she was a wonderful person. I filled four sketchbooks with her alone."

The sketchbooks weren't very thick, but I drew a lot. Yeah.

"I'm glad you liked her. Cloa, thank you too."

"Yes, thank you. I'm very happy to be depicted so attractively."

Cloa's smile was not the perfect one but the forest-like one. I was so happy that I couldn't help but smile too.

"By the way, about the requested painting..."

"Oh! I've been looking forward to it. What did you create?"

I asked Laocles, who was carrying the framed paper, to remove the cloth covering the frame. ...Maybe this presentation was a bit too showy.

"Oh...?"

...When Schere saw the watercolor painting in the frame, he looked a bit surprised.

"This is... quite a unique style. The composition is also quite unusual..."

"Yes, this is what I think is the best nude painting."

A beautiful woman and a unicorn bathing in a spring in the forest. The strong sunlight filters through the leaves, illuminating the water and Cloa's skin. ...I think I did a good job. I'm satisfied.

However, Schere probably imagined something different. He's tilting his head a bit. ...Well, it's fine. I think he didn't really care about the painting. His goal was to send Cloa to me, so he won't complain about the painting.

"Hmm, wonderful. No, it's quite refreshing. By the way, is the creature in the painting a unicorn?"

"Yes. There are many such horses in the neighborhood."

The horse, which stands by Cloa like a knight while they bathe, is quite dignified, and I like it too. Schere is probably interested in this horse because it's unusual, but it doesn't really matter.

"Then, this completes the request."

"Yes, thank you very much."

When I bowed, Schere politely bowed back and invited us to stay, but we declined and left the Schere residence. If Fei had been with us, Schere would have tried to keep us, but since it was just me and Laocles, he let us go easily. That was good.

"See you, Togo. Bye."

"Yes."

I waved to Cloa, who was seeing us off, and then left the Schere residence with Laocles.

...Our next move was already decided.

"Let's go to the inn first."

"Yeah. The northernmost room on the first floor. If that one isn't available, the one next to it... should be reserved by Fei."

We headed to the inn as Cloa instructed.

The capital is large, and there are many inns. Many of the buildings are grand. However, the one Cloa specified was small and cozy.

We entered the inn and went to the room Cloa specified.

"Hey, you're done?"

"Yeah."

When we entered the room, Fei was waiting for us, so we met up here.

...When I entered the room, as Cloa said, there was a tree outside the window, so I hung a green cloth on its branch. Now the preparations were complete.

All that was left was to wait for Cloa to arrive.

"Is Cloa okay?"

"Don't worry. If she lived as a spy, she should be able to handle it."

Laocles said that, but I still couldn't stop worrying.

What if she couldn't leave the Schere family smoothly? What if she's suspected of betrayal? What if she's captured and locked up somewhere to prevent her from leaking information? ...I have many worries.

"...Well, just wait. If you can't wait, go to sleep. You've been staying up late recently."

"I can't sleep with this feeling."

"Even if you can't sleep, get into bed and rest. The journey from the capital to the Redgard territory is long. The Alicorn can fly, but it still takes a lot of energy to ride."

Yeah. I understand. I understand. Worrying here won't improve Cloa's situation.

...Before Laocles could tell me to go to bed, I got into bed myself. A strategic retreat.

So, I was in bed, surrounded by the Phoenix and the pipe fox, just staring blankly. Fei was sound asleep in the next bed, and Laocles was sitting in a chair, waiting patiently.

...Time passed, and it was around evening.

The window rattled.

I jumped out of bed, and the Phoenix and the pipe fox were put back into the gem and bamboo tube, ready to leave at any moment. ...And a few seconds later.

"Good evening. I'm here."

Cloa appeared at the window!

"Are you okay?"

I hurriedly ran to Cloa, took her hand, and pulled her into the room through the window.

Cloa was surprisingly agile and didn't really need my help... but she came into the room, holding my hand and smiling happily.

"Yes, I left the job safely."

Cloa said that with a very happy smile.

"Also, I brought this."

...And in the package Cloa was holding, there was a long tube. When she opened the cap and looked inside, it was the watercolor painting I drew. It seems she took the paper out of the frame, rolled it up, and put it in the tube.

"I'm glad you made it here safely."

"Yes, it was no problem to leave the Schere residence."

I'm glad Cloa is safe. I'm honestly happy she brought the painting. ...Since it's something I drew and am satisfied with, I want it to be in the hands of someone who will cherish it.

So, we were celebrating Cloa's safe escape and arrival... but it seems we can't relax for long.

"...Well, I'm sorry, but can we hurry? I did leave the job, but it wasn't a completely smooth departure."

Ah, I see?