Chapter 93

"It was almost a terrible accident."

Fredo laughs it off, but I can't think of the right words to say as I shrug my shoulders.

Really, it's a good thing such an accident didn't happen.

"But why are you wearing your adventurer outfit today instead of your regular clothes?"

"Inside the amber, the image of 'Fredo' is this appearance."

Today, Fredo is off-duty, so he's dressed casually in a sweater and a linen shirt. The form that Amber transformed into was Fredo's adventurer outfit, complete with a cloak and armor. But indeed, when I think of Fredo, this is the image that comes to mind.

Even though I've seen him in casual clothes many times.

"But this transformation spell of Amber's is amazing. It's not just the appearance; the body itself has changed. It's clearly heavier than when she's in her usual form."

When Amber sat down on the sofa as usual, it creaked loudly. Seeing Fredo, who was already sitting, sway, I couldn't help but comment.

...Where does this extra mass come from? If it's created by Amber's "transformation spell," which is similar to magic... According to the four principles of magic theory, anything created by magic should disappear once the magic used to create it is consumed... Moreover, it doesn't seem to be a substance created by magic, which is quite mysterious. I'd like to investigate it thoroughly if I get the chance... But I'd have to ask her to transform into someone other than Fredo.

"Amber, do you need your hair to change your appearance?"

"Yes, but if I had more tails, I could change my appearance just by looking at something."

"That's incredible. It's a technology far beyond the 'magic' I know. It's amazing, to say the least..."

"You got it! You understand well!"

Edi sincerely praised her. Even though I know it's Amber inside, seeing her with Fredo's face and an innocent, proud expression is somehow very cute...

Wait. Usually, Amber is a beautiful girl and is cute, so why am I thinking about this?

I shook my head to clear my strange thoughts. ...It's a good thing I didn't do something weird just now.

"Indeed... If the fox ears disappeared and the eye color changed to match mine, it would be impossible to tell the difference."

"What, eye color?"

Amber's face, which had been looking down, suddenly lifted, with a frown and an unhappy expression. It's a type of emotion I've never seen Fredo display, and it made me feel a bit flustered.

What's wrong with me? It's strange.

"That's right. Lord Fredo's eyes are a deep pink, but when Amber transforms into Lord Fredo, her eyes are... green."

"What? Anna, a mirror! Where's the mirror?"

"Please wait, Lady Reina's dressing mirror is on the dresser..."

"I can't wait, I'll go to the bathroom!"

Amber ran off noisily. Her body is that of an adult male, so she's just running at her usual pace, but it feels very loud. I broke out in a cold sweat, thinking I'd have to apologize to the guests downstairs after this.

"Hmm... Indeed, the eye color hasn't changed to Fredo's. I thought the transformation spell was perfect except for the ears..."

"Amber, don't worry. You'll be able to do it eventually."

When Amber returned from the bathroom, she had a dissatisfied look on her face. Seeing such an expression on Fredo's usually smiling face, I felt very uneasy.

"Still... It's so amazing that I can't believe Amber can do this."

"Yes... I think it's a bit dangerous to let others know about this."

"What do you mean?"

Anna looked back and forth between me and Fredo, who were speaking seriously.

"Because, Anna, if bad people find out about this, they'll definitely try to use Amber."

"...Ah... That's true."

Yes, Amber's "transformation spell" is too perfect. It can make her look like someone else without any trace of magic.

Right now, the fox ears are a clear mark, but even those can be hidden with a hood or something. The first to notice this power would likely be criminals. After that, nobles or royalty looking for body doubles might also be interested. In any case, it's not a good situation.

Anna understood Fredo's explanation and her expression darkened.

"Fredo, that's rude! Amber wouldn't help bad people!"

"No, I don't think Amber would try to do bad things. But bad people approach without introducing themselves, you know?"

"Enough! Amber won't be fooled."

"Not 'I'm fine,' but... Bad people might try to trick you, and I don't want that to happen. So, please don't tell others and keep it a secret..."

"No way! I want to show Todd and Lala and surprise them!"

...It's only been a day since she almost helped a lower-ranked adventurer. I'm a bit exasperated. What exactly is this "growth" she's talking about?

And, this might be a bias, but people who say, "I won't be fooled, I'll notice,"... often get fooled.

But it's troublesome. She's being stubborn and not listening to our reasonable advice. Maybe... it's a rebellious phase.

"Amber, if someone at the square's café offered to treat you to as much cake and juice as you want, but only if you transformed back to your original form... what would you do?"

Suddenly, Edi, who had been deep in thought, started speaking. She hadn't been listening to us when we were trying to convince her to keep it a secret, but since it wasn't a direct refusal, she listened earnestly.

"What? I'd agree to that request any number of times."

"But, in fact, the person who made that request... was using the time you spent eating cake at the café to commit theft. Later, when they were about to be caught, they claimed, 'I was eating cake at the café. Many people saw me.'"

Amber, who had already agreed to the request, looked at me awkwardly after hearing the story.

Yes, it's good that you noticed.

In reality, it wouldn't be so obvious, and they would try to trick you more cleverly, in a way that you wouldn't even realize you were helping them with something bad.

"Many people might try to use your 'transformation spell' for bad things because it's so amazing."

"...What? Because Amber's spell is amazing?"

"Yes. Amber's 'transformation spell' is so amazing that it can make her look exactly like someone else... If the transformation was obviously bad, I don't think Reina and the others would have said to keep it a secret..."

Amber's ears perked up. Edi's approach was so skillful that I couldn't help but admire it. Amazing.

I'll fully support Edi. Thank you, Edi. Considering the consequences of Amber's power becoming known, it's best to keep it a secret no matter what.

"Hmm, I see. ...Because Amber is amazing, bad people will target this. That's... inevitable. I'll keep it a secret."

When Edi spoke, the three of us agreed, and Amber, who didn't seem entirely unhappy, said, "I'll keep it a secret."

Good, we did it... The four of us quietly signaled to each other with our eyes and nodded silently.