Chapter 38

"Cheer up!"

Finally, after getting Kirie's permission, I got out of bed! It was a long time! It was such a long time!

Moreover, it took two and a half months to get the permission. Thanks to that, I gained weight! I have some meat on my belly, and some on my face!

When I looked in the mirror and felt depressed, Kirie scolded me, saying I had finally reached the standard. Apparently, I was very skinny. I hadn't noticed. I didn't look in the mirror much in the Glass Forest.

"Shina, I'm off."

Jin, dressed for travel, came to say goodbye.

He wasn't in the adventurer's outfit I had seen before, but in a knight's uniform. Barry was also dressed as a knight.

The royal prince's entourage is about to return to the Kingdom of Marita, but there have been a lot of monsters lately, so Jin is leading a unit to welcome them. Jin, dressed in the knight's uniform, looks about 30% cooler.

When I heard that Jin was going to welcome the royal prince's entourage, I became a bit worried. If strong monsters that aren't repelled by the monster-repelling incense appear, like in Kailat, it would be dangerous. If the frequent appearance of dangerous-class monsters is due to the Glass Forest extermination team poking the monster cave, it would be a bit embarrassing. It's not my responsibility, though.

So I decided to make a sword for Jin. I mixed mithril ore with other ores and shaped it like Jin's favorite sword. I embedded a magic stone in the hilt and adjusted the weight, center of gravity, and handle with Jin's input. After that, I quickly engraved a magic circuit on the blade. The weight changed slightly, so I had Jin swing the sword for fine-tuning. Yes, it's done.

"Then, please channel your magic power."

At my signal, Jin channeled his magic power into the sword. The blade was filled with Jin's blue-tinted magic power.

"Beautiful—"

The magic stone glowed blue. It was a blue that contrasted with Kirie's red. It was very beautiful. The same color as Jin's eyes.

In the knight's training ground, Jin swung the sword.

The blade, infused with wind magic, trembled. Yes, it seems to be in good condition. When he infused it with strong magic power, a blade of wind was released from the blade.

"I'll name it the Wind Sword."

"Cool!"

Jin, with a proud face, named it, and I immediately gave my approval with a sparkling face. Is that name okay? ...If Jin likes it, it's fine. Yes, he looks like a child who got a new toy.

"A national treasure, no, a legendary sword."

Barry said with a strained face. A sword made in two hours won't become a legend.

"Jin! Try the bracelet too! Does it work properly?"

In the middle of the training ground, I called out to Jin, who was sending wind magic from his sword. Jin's magic power flowed gently into the bracelet, so my voice must have reached him.

I also improved Jin and Barry's bracelets. In addition to enhancing physical abilities, magic power, and defense, I added magic defense and automatic full recovery. Yes, it's an impenetrable defense. Barry was also very happy.

The king told me not to make too many magic swords. It could be misused. When I consulted him about making one for Jin because I was worried, he gave his permission with a stern face, but he looked happy.

After making all the preparations for the journey, we return to the beginning. Jin was saying goodbye to me with a very serious face. A round trip of about 30 days on horseback to the border? Is leading a unit that difficult?

"Can't see Shina..."

When I thought he was going to say something serious with that serious face, it was what I expected. From his previous actions, I had a hunch. Jin is a man who doesn't disappoint expectations.

"You're going for work, right?"

Jin picked me up and rubbed his cheek against mine. The uniform has decorations, so it's a bit painful.

"It's the first time I'll be away from Shina. What if someone tries to kidnap you while I'm gone?"

"Eh? I'll just blow them away."

With wind magic, *snap*! Oh, *snap* would cut them. Besides, Kirie wouldn't overlook such a thing. Such a person would be literally split in half.

"That's right. Shina is strong... Ah, Shina, wait for me until I come back."

"Um, okay."

Don't think I'm just giving a casual answer. I'm exaggerating a bit for a month. Well, I might be a little lonely... but it's also nice to be away from this overprotective attitude.

"I'll do my best. Even if I can't see Shina, I'll endure and do my job."

Jin said with determination, but the goal is too low to empathize with. It's the same level as not being late for work in the morning.

Barry looked at Jin with a "What an idiot" expression. Barry, who is usually disrespectful to Jin, is right in this reaction. Jin is an idiot.

"Okay, Your Highness. We're off. Thank you for strengthening the bracelets, Shina. Prince Alan said he's envious. Please don't make any for Prince Alan until I come back. I want to beat him at least one more time."

Master and servant, both have low ambitions.

"I can't promise that, but I won't recognize anyone as Kirie's partner unless they are strong in both mind and body. Keep improving."

It seemed to hit Barry hard. It's unclear if he has a chance against Kirie, who looks at him like trash when he's in sight, let alone in a series of defeats.

In any case, after seeing Jin and the others off, I secretly activated a plan I had been warming up.

The title: Shopping in the capital while Jin is away.

The carefree life of eating and sleeping has made me feel better both mentally and physically, but there's one regret. The clothes I bought in Aile are all ruined because I gained weight. It's not just my belly; my chest has grown a little... relatively. I've grown taller. My skirts have become too short. In this world, where the standard length is to the ankles, they are now too short.

The cape was large enough to be okay, but everything else is ruined. They don't fit my waist (and probably my chest). These are cute clothes that I love and haven't worn much. According to Grandpa Sand, my body is growing because I'm eating a lot and sleeping well, not just using recovery magic. His special medicinal bath is also doing a good job, although it tastes terrible.

My clothes were sadly taken to the orphanage. Goodbye, my cute clothes. It's recycling.

Well, I received a lot of dresses from the queen and other women, but dresses aren't suitable for everyday wear. I want to walk around the city freely! Dresses are too conspicuous.

So, today I'm going shopping in the city! Yay! Hooray!

Jin said we would go shopping together when I got better. It's fine to look around a few shops, like a general store or a weapon shop. But girls' clothes take time. Men are strictly forbidden for long shopping trips. That's a rule.

In my previous life, I had a very bratty younger brother. One New Year's Eve, he drove us to do some New Year's preparation shopping. He kept saying, "Hurry up, are you done yet, it doesn't matter which one," while holding his smartphone. In the end, he left us and went home alone, saying, "I can't deal with this." He left us with a lot of luggage, which was a good memory. After that, he was punished by my angry mother, Yoneko, and wasn't allowed to eat her delicious food for six months. I, being a kind sister, forgave him after three months and secretly shared my food with him.

Since then, in the Aoki family, it became a rule not to go shopping with men if it would take a long time. Incidentally, my father never goes shopping with my mother. He either gives her taxi fare or picks her up when she's done. When I told my mother that my father was kind, she smiled ominously and said, "The first impression is important." Father, what happened in the past?

Jin is kind and would wait for hours, but I don't want to make him wait. Even if I'm called selfish, I don't want to shop while worrying about making him wait! I want to shop without any reservations!

If someone asks if Kirie is okay, she enjoys choosing clothes even more than I do, so she can shop for hours. She's a shopping maniac. Kirie is the best.

Wearing the casual dress given by the queen for walking around the city, and with my slightly longer hair tied up by Kirie, I was all set!

This outing was properly discussed with the king and queen. The king's attendant was hesitant about going without a guard and tried to arrange a mountain of guards, but when I asked if there was anyone who could beat Kirie and me, he couldn't argue. That's right.

However, the king said that even if we are physically invincible, we are still mentally vulnerable. Indeed. I worked for free for five years in a honey trap, so I have no argument.

Therefore, a spy department member, Lamis, was assigned to be our mental guard? Lamis, a member of the spy department, is known for being a strategic thinker.

Lamis looks like a gentle older sister. She has honey-colored hair and brown eyes. She seems to be a quiet type.

"I am Lamis Guardock from the spy department. Nice to meet you."

Lamis said in a monotone, but her eyes had a look of disdain. Hmmm. Despite working in the spy department, she looks like she finds this troublesome. Her emotions are not hidden. Kirie's eyebrows twitched for a moment.

...Sigh. There might be some trouble.