A Dress That Suits the Knight
We left Queen Anaris's cabin and headed back toward the Elf Village. We hadn't been told what her next experiment would involve, but since she'd at least promised to certify the Holy Sword's power for us, I didn't much care.
On the way back, Freesia was in an especially good mood, humming without a single pause.
"What are you so happy about?"
"Fufufu~ I've been living without these for so long. My babies!"
"Your *babies*?!" "Whatever do you mean by that?!"
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Following Freesia, we arrived at her room. It was housed in a Great Tree with comparatively heavy security than the others, and among all the structures attached to that tree, hers sat at the very top.
*Creak!*
Freesia flung her door open and barged inside.
"Ooh! It's been ages, my room! And it's still spotless~"
"The cleaning has been kept on a regular schedule even since you left, you know."
Histira said this as she opened the windows. Sunlight streamed in and brightened the room, revealing what lay within: an antique, elegant chamber that radiated the unmistakable feel of a princess's room.
"Huh, the place is actually classy. I figured it'd be full of junk."
"That's so mean! I'm a princess too, you know!"
"The layout and cleaning are handled by the servants. If it were left to Freesia alone, I suspect it would be exactly as the Hero describes, truly."
"Even you're being mean, Sis~"
Grumbling her complaints, Freesia nevertheless never stopped her eyes and hands from rummaging for something.
"Found it!"
Before long, she pulled a fairly large box with ornate gold fittings out of a drawer.
"Is that some kind of treasure?"
"Fufu~ They're my babies, that's all!"
Freesia snorted with laughter at Valeri's question and flung the box wide open.
"These are the very ones I meeean!!"
What Freesia drew from the box were two crossbows. Both were crafted of dark-toned wood, one engraved with elegant golden patterns, the other with silver. They looked less like ordinary weapons and more like a kind of treasure.
"I've missed you sooo much~ Dis and Troy~!"
*Dis and Troy*... as in *Destroy*?!
Freesia showered her crossbows with rapid-fire kisses.
"Ah, you were referring to the crossbows."
As Valeri drew close, Freesia proudly showed off her weapons, and Valeri examined them with keen interest.
"I had no idea you could use a crossbow, Freesia."
As the two of them talked, I muttered to myself — and Histira came up beside me.
"Freesia was originally our finest huntress."
"The finest huntress?"
"Yes. When we set out on a hunt, we need beaters to drive the game toward the hunters who will take it down. And among those hunters, the elf with the most exceptional skill has always been Freesia, truly."
"Whoa..."
A princess, a phantom thief — Freesia just keeps surprising me with one thing after another. Though her signature personality and perversion make the surprises hit even harder...
"Those crossbows in particular are special items that Mother personally enchanted with her magic. Freesia is the only one who has ever mastered them completely."
"If the Queen made them, no wonder Freesia treasures them so much. But then why did she leave something that precious behind?"
"...Because before that, she fled the village while running from me, truly..."
"Ah..."
Right... Freesia left the village because she'd infuriated Histira and ran for it.
"I'm never leaving them behind again!"
Once Valeri's inspection was over, Freesia gripped a crossbow in each hand and struck a dramatic pose.
"Now I can join the fights too! Leave all our adventures to me!"
"Ooh!"
Watching Freesia declare this with total confidence, Valeri applauded.
"I waaant to go on a hunt again, it's been so looong~"
"As it happens, there is a task for you, Freesia."
"Huh? But I already did today's hunt?"
"I speak of a *different* hunt, truly. Quite a few have multiplied in your absence. Let us discuss it over a meal, shall we."
A *different* hunt?
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Valeri and I were shown to our own guest rooms at Histira's direction, and were also given Elf clothing to wear comfortably during our stay. Outfits of brown and green, made of cloth and leather, gave off the unmistakable feel of an elf's garb straight out of a fantasy world. Best of all, though, was that I'd been given *pants*.
*I'm saved...*
That was my first thought upon seeing them.
After changing into the clothes we'd been given, I waited a little while until an elf came to guide me, saying the meal was ready. I arrived at a room with a large round table and took my seat to wait for the others. Like the other buildings, the room itself was built of timber. Unlike the meal we'd shared with Lord Raking, there was no chandelier here — instead, the flames of beautiful candelabras lit the table alongside the sunlight. Perhaps because it happened to be lunchtime, the scene looked for all the world like an aesthetic date spot straight off social media.
"Forgive me for keeping you waiting, truly."
After a short wait, the door opened and Histira entered wearing a green silk dress. Her hair, which she usually wore tied up, now fell long and loose, adorned with delicate little flower ornaments. Even in her leather hunting gear she'd given off a princess-like impression, but right now she looked several times more the princess.
"Ahh, I can't get used to this... I was perfectly fine in my usual clothes." "It is a matter of courtesy to our guests! To still say such things at your age... Honestly..."
Trailing in behind Histira came Freesia, dressed in a teal silk dress. In contrast to Histira, Freesia's hair had been braided loosely back in a way that kept its volume. She fidgeted about as if the clothes displeased her, but honestly, her beautiful appearance took me by surprise. Having only ever seen her in skintight leather suits until now, the princess-like look struck me as strangely novel.
Shepherding the grumbling Freesia along, Histira took her seat at the table. Sitting in silence felt awkward, so I opened my mouth.
"You look lovely in a dress as well, Histira."
"Hah! W-well, I neveh, ahem, Hero, ho ho ho~ I gratefully accept your compliment. And the Elf attire suits you quite nicely as well, Hero~"
Histira covered her mouth with her hand and beamed so hard her head tipped back with laughter.
"Hero! What about me? What about me?!"
Freesia sprang up from her seat and leaned deep over the table, eyes sparkling. At her fawning display, Histira grabbed hold of her to force her back into her chair.
"Well... you're pretty too, Freesia."
"Hee hee~ Thanks, Hero! Though of course~ in *my* eyes, our Hero is the cutest and prettiest of all~"
Grinning ear to ear, Freesia said this in a teasing tone as she settled back into her seat.
"I don't... *need* compliments like that."
After I gave that answer, there was a brief lull — but for some reason, Valeri never appeared.
"Could something have happened to her?"
"Strange? The clothes were definitely delivered to her, weren't they? The ones I used to wear."
"The ones you *used to wear*?"
My question was answered that very moment as the door opened. With a careful creak, it swung open — and there stood Valeri, shyly, in a dress of white silk trimmed with pale-green botanical accents.
"F-forgive me for being late! These kinds of clothes are... um... awkward for me..."
Valeri bowed her head, fidgeting with the fabric and her hair.
"You look *incredible*, Valeri!"
"It suits you immensely, truly. There is no need to be so embarrassed, you know?"
Freesia's eyes sparkled as she and Histira, smiling beside her, heaped praise on Valeri.
"Th-thank you! But for someone like me... a country bumpkin... clothes like these..."
Despite the two of them praising her, Valeri only grew more embarrassed, freezing to a stop at the doorway. I needed to say something that would shore up her confidence.
"You really do look wonderful, Valeri. You're no country bumpkin, so none of that. You're as beautiful as the day you put on your armor!"
I added this praise of my own. Hearing it from beside me, Histira smiled and let out a small laugh.
"Haha... thank you, Hero!"
Valeri was still blushing, but her stiff, frozen bearing had softened. She walked carefully to my side and sat down beside me. The long skirt seemed to fluster her; she smoothed the fabric this way and that as she eased herself into her seat.
I'd always thought her pretty and cool, but the Valeri beside me right now looked especially beautiful. Normally her armor or leather gear covered every inch of her skin from head to toe, but now her arms and shoulders were bare, showing off the soft smoothness of her complexion. With the outline of her sturdy lower body, always visible in her form-fitting gear, now hidden beneath the dress, she struck me as impossibly cute.
Valeri dipped her head slightly, gave me a furtive glance with an awkward smile — then turned her face away, laughing quietly to herself. Watching her, I felt a small smile tug at my own lips.
"Now that everyone is seated, please bring out the food, if you would."
At Histira's word, the elf servants busied themselves setting out the dishes.
"Um, about this 'different hunt' Histira mentioned — what exactly is it?"
As the food was being laid out, I couldn't hold my curiosity in any longer.
"Oho ho ho. My, Hero, how impatient you are, truly. Well, it is an explanation you'll be hearing regardless, so I shall answer you.
A 'different hunt' means, you see, a *monster hunt*, truly."