The Genius Tailor’s Night Was a Busy One
“Haa...haa...”
Nen gasped for breath as she stared at Boros’s corpse lying crumpled on the ground.
The Sword Expert who had been pressing her hard only moments ago, pouring out blue aura, was now stiffening helplessly with his throat pierced through.
Compared to the time she had been driven to the brink of death by Kalik, it was a change so dramatic it might as well have split the world in two.
“Do you believe me now? That your mutant core isn’t a curse, but a blessing.”
“Thank you. Truly. I’ll repay this debt somehow, no matter what.”
“Debt? Forget that. Beating that bastard is enough for me.”
To be honest, it had been a somewhat experimental formula.
But Nen had proven that I hadn’t been wrong.
And because of that, I’d be able to make something new again.
“But, Hans... this goes beyond simple kindness. The flow of mana moving through my body is more precise and more stable than before—by an amount I can hardly compare. I even avenged my master’s enemy.”
There was deep trust in Nen’s eyes.
Well, there was nothing bad about being appreciated.
Still, this was no time to get sentimental.
Two Kran scout parties have already been wiped out. Before long, a large search team will be combing this area.
I looked around and said, “Let’s save the emotion for the road. First, I’ll treat your wounds.”
The cut from Boros’s sword.
I couldn’t just leave Nen’s shoulder bloodied and torn like that.
[Third Tier Modification Formula: Rapid Healing]
A formula I’d built by modifying the light of Third Tier healing magic.
The healing itself was a little weaker, but it consumed less mana and could be cast faster.
Whoosh—
As the gentle light wrapped around her shoulder, the torn flesh knitted back together in an instant.
“...Ah.”
Nen touched her shoulder, her eyes widening.
She looked at me as though she could hardly believe it.
“I keep relying on you, Hans.”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. More importantly, I should tidy up.”
“Tidy up?”
While Nen tilted her head in confusion, I gathered up the reinforced mana threads I’d spread around the area.
Chrrrk—
The equipment and belongings scattered around the elite Kran soldiers were sucked one by one into my subspace.
Boros’s greatsword, the mage Deccan’s staff, leather armor and pouches of gold coins, emergency rations, even little things like flint.
In an instant, the corpses were lined up in a pitiful state, wearing nothing but their undergarments.
Nen stood there speechless.
“You’re incredibly thrifty, but meticulous too, Hans.”
“They were going to be abandoned anyway. Wasteful to leave them behind. If you mend and repair them properly, they all turn into money or materials.”
“Then take this too.”
A quiver that had fallen out of sight, one I’d missed.
Nen picked it up and held it out to me.
“Haha, thanks.”
“It’s nothing. I should at least be useful in little ways like this.”
Nen carefully searched the area to make sure nothing else had been dropped.
I watched her with quiet satisfaction.
Truthfully, I was only taking things because my subspace had plenty of room.
The real treasure was the bead.
Killing enemies stores mana... it’s a terrifying thing.
The Empire was at war now, and death was scattered everywhere.
Maybe, for that bead, this would be the most fertile charging station imaginable.
“Let’s get moving. We’re heading to Bellat.”
“Yes.”
Nen took up her dagger and followed behind me.
* * *
There were two ways to reach Bellat.
The southern main road, clogged with refugees streaming along in a miserable, shuffling mass.
And the forest path, deserted and silent.
The main road was crowded.
And where there were people, there were eyes.
After taking out two Kran scout parties, there was no reason to show our faces on such a busy road.
Besides...
There are plenty of magical beasts in the forest.
To the coachmen and refugees, those beasts inspired only terror.
To me, they meant something entirely different.
Food for the bead.
“Let’s take the forest instead of the main road.”
“Yes.”
Nen fell into step without a trace of hesitation.
The air in the woods carried a faint, fishy stench.
They’re already swarming in here.
Normally, magical beasts lived deep within magical lands.
For this much demonic energy to have spread through such a shallow forest was anything but normal.
Growl...
Red eyes flashed between the shrubs.
Eight legs.
A body as large as a wagon wheel.
A giant spider with saw-like bristles embedded all over each leg.
Black Iron Sawtooth Spider.
I’d seen it in a bestiary before.
The silk it spun was finer than thread yet tougher than steel.
Woven together, it could stop even ordinary blades from cutting through and would repel mana intrusion as well.
For armor cloth, it was top-class material.
A rare material just walked right up to me.
It wasn’t a terrifying magical beast.
It was a sack of treasure.
Whoosh!
The spider hurled sticky webs at me like a net.
But I had a weapon that was its natural enemy.
Reinforced Mana Thread
Chrrrk.
The mana thread wrapped around the spider’s web and wound it back the other way.
No matter how tough it was, against reinforced mana thread it was nothing but a ball of string.
“Kiiii!”
The spider thrashed, its own web now tangling its legs.
The real question was how to kill it.
If I used fire, the silk glands would burn.
If I froze it, the tissue would be damaged.
Neither works.
And if I crushed its insides, I’d destroy the silk glands I actually wanted.
There’s only one answer.
[Third Tier Modification Formula: Vibrational Shatter]
Vooom.
It didn’t touch the outer shell or the silk glands in its abdomen.
Only a precise vibration, aimed directly at the creature’s throat, as if pinching and shaking a single vital thread.
“Kieeek!”
The spider shuddered violently, then collapsed with its legs curling inward.
The silk glands were intact; only its breath had been cut off.
Neat and clean.
The material wasn’t damaged.
I immediately glanced into the subspace.
The gray bead.
The mana from the spider I’d just killed had already been sucked into it.
No matter how many times I saw it, it was still astounding.
“Hans, how should I prepare this?”
Nen asked, looking at the spider’s corpse.
“You need to cut open the abdomen and remove the silk glands. Make sure they don’t burst. Think you can do it?”
“Yes. I’ll try.”
Nen had deft hands.
She slit open the spider’s abdomen with perfect accuracy, carefully removed the translucent silk gland sac, and handled it delicately so it wouldn’t rupture.
“Should I put it all together like this?”
“Good. Really good.”
Apparently pleased by the praise, the corner of Nen’s mouth lifted slightly.
While she was doing that, more magical beasts came pouring in.
Nen stepped forward again.
“Rest, Hans. I’ll handle the beasts.”
Flash!
Each time her dagger gleamed, the beasts dropped without resistance.
After learning the new breathing method, beasts at this level weren’t even exercise for her anymore.
“I’ll kill the spider beasts, so leave those to me.”
If she cut them with her sword, the silk glands would burst and become useless.
“Understood. I’ll only kill the other beasts.”
Slash— swish!
“Kueek!”
Without me lifting a finger, every time Nen cut down a beast, mana flowed neatly into the bead.
This is easier than I expected.
I only moved when another Black Iron Sawtooth Spider appeared.
By the time we’d more or less cleared out the beasts, the sun had begun to sink.
“Let’s stop here for tonight.”
We found a suitable cave and settled in.
My stomach growled.
We’d been walking and hunting all day.
I took jerky out of my subspace.
“This is all the food I managed to stock up on.”
When I handed it over, Nen stared at me for a moment, then suddenly shook her head.
“Wait, Hans. Don’t eat that. Just wait a second.”
“Why?”
“I can’t let my benefactor make do with a meal this carelessly.”
Nen moved like the wind.
She gathered dry branches, lit a fire, and butchered the meat of one of the edible beasts we’d caught earlier.
Her hands were remarkably skilled as she sprinkled on herbs and spices she must have tucked away somewhere.
Sizzle, sizzle.
Soon, a savory aroma spread through the cave.
“Here. Eat. It’s nothing special, but...”
Nen held out the well-cooked meat.
I took a bite.
Huh...?
It was delicious.
The juices burst across my tongue.
It didn’t even begin to compare with jerky.
“Thanks, Nen. I’ll enjoy it.”
Nen’s face brightened.
“From now on, leave the food to me.”
“You don’t need to go that far. I stocked up on plenty of jerky.”
“At least while I’m by your side, I’ll take care of it.”
Her gaze was firm.
For saving her life and teaching her the breathing method, she clearly wanted to repay me somehow.
“All right. If that makes you feel better, then do that.”
“I’m glad I have something I can help with.”
Honestly, I didn’t mind.
When I was alone, I always ate carelessly anyway.
The night deepened.
After finishing her meal, Nen slept before long beside the campfire, dagger still in hand as she worked on it just before nodding off.
I couldn’t sleep.
I’d never been much of a sleeper to begin with.
Let’s get some work done.
When I looked into my subspace, the materials we’d gathered that day were piled high.
The silk glands of the Black Iron Sawtooth Spider, the hide of a Steel-Maned Wolf, and even the scale hide of a basilisk subspecies we’d caught in the swamp.
Every one of these can become something useful.
My hands itched.
Then, suddenly, my eyes landed on the old maid’s dress Nen had stuffed into one corner of her pack.
The dress that had been slashed along the right shoulder when Boros’s sword caught it during the day’s battle.
Was she seriously planning to wear that again?
Since she hadn’t thrown it away, it seemed she only had one spare change of clothes.
She’d probably just patch it up roughly and keep wearing it.
She didn’t seem to mind, but it bothered me.
Whatever else I can tolerate, I can’t stand seeing someone walk around in rags.
As a tailor, I simply couldn’t accept that.
Careful not to wake Nen, I quietly took the old maid’s dress from her pack.
Mana Sewing
Whip. Whip.
Without a trace.
It was as good as new.
While I was at it, I might as well fix the frayed cuffs and worn collar too.
And then...
...This shoulder is the problem.
The place where Boros’s sword had driven in during the day.
The right shoulder.
I’d examined it carefully while treating the wound.
Nen’s swordsmanship has leaped forward thanks to the breathing method, but it still has one decisive weakness.
The right shoulder.
I didn’t know whether it was a limitation in her sword style or something born from her own inexperience, but that part went empty for an instant.
Should I change the basic form of her sword technique?
I thought about it for a while.
If I studied the flow of mana, I could probably force something to fit together.
But I shook my head.
No. That’s too much.
Swordsmanship wasn’t my field.
I was someone who dealt with magical formulas, not swords.
If I meddle clumsily, I might end up ruining Nen’s swordsmanship instead.
And more than anything else...
The sword’s weakness is something Nen has to overcome by colliding with it head-on herself.
Instead...
While she works to cover that weakness, I should protect her shoulder.
Basilisk scale hide.
Top-class material with both magical resistance and water resistance.
I reinforced it with Black Iron Spider thread to raise the durability even further.
This will make an excellent shoulder guard.
Not the bulky sort that simply sits awkwardly on the shoulder like ordinary armor.
If I did that, it would ruin the look of Nen’s maid dress.
If I’m making it, it should look good too.
Something that would appear to be decorative fabric layered over the shoulder.
Something so natural it looked as if it belonged to the maid dress as a set.
Swish. Swish-swish.
My hands moved quickly.
I sliced the basilisk scales into thin layers, quilted them densely into the inner lining, and used the mana thread from the Black Iron Sawtooth Spider to hold the grain in place.
Then I covered the outer surface with the same fabric as the maid dress so nothing would show.
Since I was already at it, I made both shoulder guards.
If both sides are reinforced, the balance will be right.
Only on the right side did I quilt in two extra layers of scale and wrap one more layer of mana thread around it.
From the outside, the left and right looked identical, but inside, the right side was much sturdier.
Because that was where Nen’s weakness lay.
Once she covers that weakness herself, she won’t need this shoulder guard anymore.
Until then, it would fill in the gap for her.
* * *
The next morning.
Nen woke up, looked at her pack, and gasped in surprise.
“Hans, this is...?”
The torn maid dress had been restored as though it were brand new.
And new, elegant decorations had been added to both shoulders where there hadn’t been any before.
“Try it on. I added shoulder guards too. They’re detachable, so when you change clothes, you can attach them to something else.”
“Shoulder guards?”
Nen’s eyes widened.
She touched her shoulders with an astonished expression.
“It just looks like some decorative fabric layered over the dress...”
“I made it that way on purpose so it wouldn’t stand out. The inside is quilted with basilisk scales, so it’ll block most blades.”
“...”
Nen couldn’t find her voice.
“And also.”
I added, “That right shoulder of yours... when you swing your sword, it goes empty for an instant. Did you know that?”
Nen’s eyes went wide.
“You saw that?”
I had.
Once I saw something, I didn’t forget it.
Especially not how Boros had managed to wound Nen’s shoulder.
Scritch, scritch.
I quickly drew the motion on the ground for her.
“Here. Like this. Your sword opened. And Boros’s sword came in here.”
“Ah...!”
Had she realized something?
Nen stared with her eyes wide open and her mouth parted in shock.
“How can you remember something like that? Hans... you’re really incredible. The young lady didn’t call you a genius for nothing.”
“I just happened to remember that one moment. Anyway... that’s why I made the right shoulder guard sturdier. Until you completely cover that weakness, it’ll protect you in your place, so fight with confidence even if enemies show up.”
“...”
“Improving the sword style itself isn’t my area, so this is as far as I can go. From here on, you’ll have to collide with it yourself and learn by doing.”
With tears glistening in her eyes, Nen lowered her head.
“Thank you so much, Hans... This is a truly important lesson for me. I’m in your debt again.”
“Don’t mention it. Come on, let’s go.”
I packed my things as if it were nothing.
Holding the maid dress carefully in her arms, Nen said, “And this shoulder guard... maybe because of it, the clothes look even prettier.”
“Is that so?”
Of course they did.
I hadn’t said so out loud, but...
If I’m going to fix it, it should look beautiful too.
That was my pride as a tailor.
As we traveled, my hands never stopped moving.
This time, it was my parents’ turn.
I can’t go back empty-handed without a gift.
If I was doing it, I might as well make one for Grandfather too.
“Something made of clothing would be best. And among those...”
After much deliberation, I settled on underwear.
Armor-Lined Undershirt
I took the finest cotton fabric I’d brought from Rowen and densely wove in Black Iron Sawtooth Spider thread.
Then I added Steel-Maned Wolf fur as a lining to keep it warm.
Something light enough that you’d barely feel it when wearing it.
And when impact struck, it would stiffen in an instant to protect the body.
One stitch at a time.
By day, we hurried along the road and hunted magical beasts.
And when night fell and Nen fell asleep, I sat by the campfire and stitched the garment together thread by thread.
And at last...
At the end of the road, after walking several more days and leaving the forest behind,
“...That’s...”
Nen stopped in her tracks.
Far ahead, a massive fortress wall cut across the horizon.
The southern military city of Bellat.
A scale that couldn’t even be compared to Rowen.
Countless banners fluttered atop the soaring walls.
So we’ve finally arrived.
I felt strangely moved.
The city gate was drawing closer and closer.