Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Mary Heidi (3)
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Mary Heidi hated rainy days.
On days when it rained.
The mere possibility that her body might get wet bound her movements.
"Why are you so pathetic? Act like the eldest daughter of the Heidi Family!"
Her father was a strict man.
As the head of the Heidi Family and a mage of exceptional talent, her father held a high-ranking position even in the Lillias Kingdom. He was a remarkable figure.
In his eyes, timid and cowardly Mary was utterly disappointing.
"Can't you even do this one thing right? It's all because you don't put in the effort!"
Whenever Mary made a mistake or brought home unsatisfactory grades, her father would bellow at her.
Splash!
And then he'd douse her with water from above.
The massive amount of water soaked her body in an instant, and her father left her just like that.
"Stand there. Don't come in until you've figured out the right answer."
He'd leave her in the hallway like that for a long while.
Once enough time passed for her body to start drying, he'd soon send a maid to drench her again.
Splash!
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, miss."
And then the time came once more to endure the soaked, heavy clothes.
Her body began to shiver from the cold.
Her teeth chattered, and her legs trembled.
But she couldn't leave her spot.
The only ways for her to end this torment were to come back with the correct answer to make up for her mistake.
Or to collapse.
"Cough, cough."
The days she caught a cold were actually a relief for her.
At least her father wouldn't scold her then.
But even lying in bed with a cold dissatisfied her father.
"...Pathetic weakling."
She feared the way her father looked at her.
She feared the soaked, cold memories that came with every mistake.
All of it was because of her own timid, cowardly nature.
Mary hated herself like that.
"See? You can do it if you just try."
So Mary pretended to be strong.
Someone who wouldn't flinch at any pain or hardship.
A person like cold ice.
She killed her emotions, overcame her weak self, and acted like someone who could accomplish anything.
Someone who could protect others.
And that act soon became Mary's new personality.
To protect her cowardly self.
From the damp cold.
From her father's gaze.
To shield herself from everything that tormented her, she created a new personality.
And thus, the icy Mary Heidi was complete.
"...N-No."
But.
"...I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll do better. I'll try harder. I'll give it my all. I'm sorry..."
When she got drenched again.
She reverted to her weak, fearful self.
Along with the damp sensation wrapping her body.
'...I can't go out.'
That was how she came to hate rainy days.
The masses of raindrops filling the window were a possibility of soaking her.
She couldn't even step outside the building.
'...I have to go to the academy.'
And so she was.
Cursed by the rain.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Having somehow calmed Rafne down, I picked up my crafting tools first.
Honestly, I still had no idea how to help Mary overcome her trauma.
Well, I didn't even know what the trauma was.
But if I thought about it, my goal from the start wasn't to cure Mary's trauma.
It was simply to get her out of the academy.
The reason Mary skipped the academy on rainy days was the fear that her body might get wet.
So then.
'What if her body just doesn't get wet?'
Simple, but certain.
That's why I decided to try crafting something.
"...Rafne. ...Um."
"......"
By the way, Rafne had calmed down, but she was still upset.
Normally, she'd chatter away by my side, but now she had her back turned, playing with her dolls.
'Well, I don't need fire right now, so it's fine.'
Anyway, the misunderstanding would clear up with time.
If I kept coming to the tower, she wouldn't suspect me anymore.
'More than that, no woman would be interested in a fat guy like me...'
Honestly, I felt a bit wronged.
People really lose their judgment when desperate.
After tidying up the tools, I pulled out my materials.
It was the leather from the [Albino Cyclops Giant] I'd obtained not long ago.
'Not sure if this will even work.'
This crafting attempt was different from the dagger last time.
For the dagger, the skill had automatically replayed the blueprint in my head.
But this was experimental crafting.
Namely.
'Can I make something not in the categories?'
If so, the possibilities for crafting would be endless.
If the skill worked regardless of the category blueprints, for anything I wanted to make.
I could try all sorts of things.
My first test subject was this.
'A raincoat.'
With that, I gripped the tools for cutting the leather.
And focused my mind, channeling mana into my will.
'Item Creation.'
I felt the skill activate, and various crafting options listed in my head.
But this time, I didn't select any.
I opened my eyes right away and brought the scissors to the leather.
'Amazing... My hands are moving like they're sliding.'
Fortunately, the skill worked normally.
Whether due to the skill or not, the scissors cut through the leather smoothly without snagging.
However, unlike the dagger, I had to imagine and calculate every step myself.
Clumsy as it was, I squeezed out knowledge from before my possession to design the raincoat.
Then I connected the leather pieces to the desired size with needle and thread.
Fortunately, while I had to think up the order myself, the techniques were aided by the skill.
I'd never sewn before, but my hands connected the leather at an incredible speed.
Thus, the giant's leather, which had been just a lump.
Was reborn in the perfect form of clothing.
'...And for the finishing touch.'
I attached an item to act as a brooch at the collar of the raincoat.
'Done!'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You have created an original item not listed in the Item Creation category. Bonus experience points awarded. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Created 'White Leather Raincoat'. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Raincoat creation method registered in category. The crafting was a success.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Tap!
A few days after Ken got caught in the downpour.
Tap! Crackle!
That day, too, rain poured relentlessly.
Tap!
'...The window?'
On rainy days, Mary always curled up in bed, doing nothing.
Her mind filled with thoughts of having to go to the academy, she turned her attention to the sound from the window.
Tap!
It was the sound of something small hitting the glass.
Reacting to the noise, Mary moved to open the window but hesitated.
The countless raindrops pouring outside.
Just seeing those streams of water made her body tremble.
Tap!
'A pebble...'
As she stared at the window in hesitation, Mary caught sight of what was hitting it.
It was a small stone.
Clearly thrown by someone on purpose.
'...Who is it?'
Steeling herself, she reached for the window.
With trembling hands, she pushed open the glass door.
"Eek, eek!"
Soon, wind and rain blew in, splattering her with a bit of rainwater.
"Whoa! Are you okay?!"
Startled, Mary huddled, then heard a familiar voice. A kind one worrying about her.
Emboldened, she cautiously peered out the window.
"H-Here!"
There stood Ken, holding an umbrella.
"What brings you all the way to the girls' dormitory..."
At Ken's sudden visit, Mary hurriedly dressed and went down to the dormitory entrance.
Men weren't allowed inside by regulation.
When she arrived at the entrance, Ken stood beyond the wide-open door, smiling and waving.
But Mary couldn't smile.
'...I can't go.'
Following regulations, Ken didn't enter but waited outside in the rain under his umbrella.
The two faced each other across the boundary of the rainless entrance and the rainy outdoors.
"I've come to escort you! Lady Mary! Come on, let's head to the academy together!"
Ken beamed brightly and said something incomprehensible.
"...Pardon?"
He surely knew her situation from a few days ago.
So he should know she couldn't go to the academy in such heavy rain.
"Ken, I'm sorry. I..."
"I know. That's why I prepared something. Just wait a sec."
Cutting her off, Ken rummaged in a small pouch at his waist.
Surprisingly, he pulled out a large coat from the fist-sized pouch.
'A sub-space pouch...!'
Even in the Lillias Kingdom, a hub of trade and technology, these were rare.
But her surprise was short-lived; her gaze soon shifted to the coat he'd taken out.
"What... is that?"
"Well, I made it by eye, so if it doesn't fit, I can alter it later."
"Pardon?"
No sooner had he spoken than Ken stepped forward.
From the rainy space into the dry one toward her.
Mary nearly jumped back in shock at Ken approaching through the rain.
But something wrapping around her back stopped her.
"Here, and like this..."
Fabric draped from her shoulders.
The long coat easily covered down to her calves, looking like a cloak at a glance.
'...A raincoat?'
Mary quickly realized what it was.
Clothing used instead of an umbrella on rainy days.
Worn when umbrellas weren't feasible.
'What's the point of something like this...'
Mary had tried raincoats before. She'd struggled to overcome rainy days too.
But they were useless.
The fear of raindrops hitting her body and possibly getting wet remained the same.
Wearing a raincoat changed nothing.
"There, perfect! How's it feel?"
But the one Ken dressed her in felt different somehow.
His gentle hands even placed the hood over her head.
And the brooch at the chest fixed the front closed.
That brooch wasn't just decoration.
'A spirit stone.'
Green in color. A wind spirit stone.
"Lady Mary. Try channeling some mana into the gem on your chest?"
At the confident smile of the boy looking at her, Mary hesitantly followed his instruction.
She released the energy flowing through her bloodstream bit by bit toward one point.
At its center was the green gem.
The spirit stone absorbed the energy she provided and soon emitted a faint light.
"Eek!"
Suddenly, wind swirled around Mary, startling her.
"Sh-Should I lower the output? Make it a bit weaker..."
"...Y-Yes."
Following his guidance again, she reduced the mana flowing into the gem.
With it, the wind's intensity lessened.
"Good! That's just right!"
"...This is?"
A gentle wind enveloped her body.
It wrapped around her entirely, forming a thin but impenetrable barrier.
"It's an application of the defensive spell Wind Cloak. How is it? Feel safe now?"
"......"
Mary hesitated, then hugged her arms with both hands. A subtle wind barrier pushed her hands away.
It was a strange sensation.
Her own hands.
A transparent wind barrier her physical strength couldn't pierce.
"Hmm, or would you like to step out and test it yourself?"
While Mary was distracted by the wind around her, Ken took her hand and led her outside.
Pulled by his male strength, Mary naturally took a few steps before.
"W-Wait! Ken! H-Hold on a moment!"
She hurriedly stopped him.
"Whoa, s-sorry. Was that too sudden?"
Understanding her, Ken stopped immediately.
Her hand in his trembled.
The wind barrier clearly enveloped her body.
Yet the deep-seated fear from throwing herself into that rain-soaked saturation welled up.
'...This should definitely keep me dry.'
It was odd.
The reason she couldn't walk in the rain was the trauma of getting wet.
Those damp, cold memories.
They were resolved, yet she still couldn't go out.
'...I'm still...'
She was a coward.
A timid, worthless coward.
Even with this precious item Ken brought for her.
Her cowardly nature held her back.
Mary clenched her lips.
She hated her cowardly self.
She hated herself for burdening others.
'...I just... can't do it.'
Just as she tried to let go of Ken's supportive hand.
"It's still scary, isn't it?"
"...Pardon?"
Ken asked her.
His voice didn't urge or scold her.
It simply asked kindly.
"I'm sorry. Of course it wouldn't be that easy to overcome. I was too short-sighted."
Though it was her fault for being a coward, Ken blamed himself.
And he understood her inability to take that step.
He accepted her.
"How about this, then?"
He smiled and approached her.
A shadow fell over Mary's head, another sturdy barrier covering her.
Ken sheltered her head with his umbrella.
"If any water tries to get to you, Lady Mary, I'll protect you."
He gave her a gentle smile.
A smile that seemed mischievous at first glance.
Brotherly at second.
A reliably sturdy smile.
"After all, I'm confident in my size! Feel free to use me anytime for this!"
"......"
"Come on!"
And his hand led her.
Not forceful, not rushed.
Just gently guiding the way ahead, like showing the path.
His back heading into the rain.
Mary's gaze was captured by Ken's broad back, promising protection.
"See? It's fine, right?"
And when she came to.
She was already out in the rain.
"...Huh?"
Patter, patter.
Raindrops hitting the umbrella.
But only the sound echoed. Not a single drop touched Mary's body.
Because he was protecting her.