I'm Sorry
“My Lady? What brings you here so suddenly…?”
When I lifted my head, the figure standing by the door was none other than Aurélie—the very same girl who had roared like a lioness at me this morning. The unexpected appearance of such a guest had my curled-up, nap-ready posture snapping straight in an instant.
Didn’t you say we’d never see each other again, My Lady?
Seeing her face again was certainly a pleasant sight, but right now, relief was far from the first thing crossing my mind.
Don’t tell me the bracelet shattered?
Unlike her fierce, arrogant demeanor from earlier, she stood thoroughly intimidated, her voice trailing off meekly. Something had definitely gone wrong.
“…Did something happen to the bracelet? Or did you come to demand compensation for damages—”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just…”
Trailing off into silence, Aurélie nervously fidgeted with the bracelet encircling her wrist. When she had chewed me out this morning, the words had poured from her like a raging torrent; now, I couldn’t fathom what kind of business had brought her back here.
“Please, come inside for now. You can sit right here. Can I get you something to drink?”
“…I’m fine…”
When I pulled out the chair before the reception desk, Aurélie settled into it with cautious hesitation. Sitting across from her, I waited for her next words, but her gaze merely darted back and forth between the workbench and the floorboards.
My Lady, wouldn’t you rather just yell at me instead?
Just as the agonizing silence threatened to stretch into eternity, she finally parted her lips.
“…I won. In my sparring match.”
“Oh, what a relief. Congratulations!”
“It was against an opponent who always overwhelmed me with pure brute force, someone I could never beat. I went in today thinking I’d try to manage with technique instead of strength, but as we exchanged blows, something felt bizarre.” Having broken the ice, she seemed a bit more at ease as she continued her explanation. “I wasn’t pushed back in strength at all. In fact, I was the one pressing forward, and in the end… I kicked him flying.”
“Gasp… You sent your opponent flying?”
“Yes. All the way into the arena wall.”
What? Smashed him all the way into the wall?
I had only tested the performance improvements using a box of spare parts, but this young lady had gone straight out and conducted a full-scale clinical trial in the field. This was precisely why user feedback was so invaluable.
Still, after winning such a resounding victory, why on earth was she wearing such an uncomfortable expression?
“It was thanks to you that I won. I came to tell you that.”
“I’m glad I could be of help. If you ever experience any discomfort while using it down the line, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”
At the very least, it seemed my modifications hadn’t backfired. Just as I breathed a quiet sigh of relief, Aurélie began squirming awkwardly in her chair.
“…And about this morning… I was way too harsh.”
“Pardon?”
Caught completely off guard by words I never expected from her lips, I blinked in bewilderment.
“I accused you of ruining it before I even tried it. And speaking to you like that… I was completely in the wrong.” Aurélie looked down at her hands clasped tightly in her lap, then lifted her chin to meet my eyes squarely. “…I’m sorry.”
Good grief. A highborn noble lady personally going out of her way to apologize to a commoner workshop employee?
I couldn’t have imagined this in my wildest dreams. She could have simply kept her mouth shut and enjoyed the upgraded bracelet, yet she took the trouble to come back just to say that. This morning, I was the one who couldn’t even meet her eyes; now, she was squirming far more awkwardly than I ever had.
“Not at all, My Lady. I should be the one apologizing once again for tampering with your possession without permission. Next time, I’ll be sure to ask before touching anything.”
“…Yes. Thank you.” Aurélie let out a soft, relieved breath. “By the way… I never asked for your name. May I know it?”
“…Ah, it’s Noel. Noel Brighthome.”
“Noel… Brighthome…”
“The surname comes from an orphanage. That’s where I grew up.” Seeing Aurélie part her lips only to hesitate, I smiled and offered an explanation first. “I understand. I found it pretty absurd at first, too.”
“No, that wasn’t what I meant…”
Ah, I rambled for no reason. This ridiculously flowery surname always forced me to add an unnecessary disclaimer whenever I introduced myself.
“Noel. Can I ask one more thing, then?”
“Of course. Go ahead.”
“How did the performance improve even though you swapped the enchanting plate for iron? In our family workshop, they won’t even touch materials inferior to platinum.”
I’m dying of curiosity about that myself, My Lady. I could explain how I made it, but answering why it worked under this world’s magical framework required far more research than I had done.
“It didn’t improve because of the material change; rather, rewriting the spell formula seems to have done the trick. As for the exact extent of its efficiency, that’s something I still need to investigate.”
Hearing my answer, Aurélie’s gaze shifted toward the sheet of parchment spread out across the workbench. “Is that the formula originally inscribed on the bracelet?”
“Yes. And right next to it is the new formula I wrote.”
When I brought the paper over to show her, Aurélie compared the dense, labyrinthine original script with the concise code-like formula beside it. “This short? Is that really possible?”
Watching the young lady—who had been unable to meet my eyes moments ago—now stare with wide-eyed fascination brought an involuntary smile to my face. I really did a fantastic job, didn’t I? Part of me wanted to hoist a crate of spare parts to show off my physical enhancement, but there seemed little point in flexing before someone who had just folded another human being in half.
“Could you tune other items the same way?”
“I’d have to inspect the item first. I still have a lot to learn, so I can’t promise everything will work.”
“Then could you take a look at this too?”
Aurélie set the parchment down on the counter and unclasped the necklace resting against her chest. I accepted the necklace and examined it, but its external appearance offered no clue as to its intended function.
“What kind of magic tool is this?”
“It’s for training. When activated, it makes my entire body heavy and difficult to move.”
“Ah, an artifact meant to intentionally increase training intensity. What about it doesn’t satisfy you?”
“It’s too light. My body needs to be much heavier for it to feel like real exercise.”
First, I modified a bracelet to make her stronger, and now she was asking me to make her body heavier. Lady Aurélie, if you have surplus strength, wouldn’t it be nicer to just relax and take it easy?
“Could it be that it feels light because you’re using it alongside the bracelet?”
When I pointed toward her wrist, Aurélie shook her head. “I turn off the bracelet when I train. Overcoming the burden with my own raw strength is the whole point.”
“What sort of training do you usually do?”
“In the morning, I put this on and run laps around the training grounds. During class, I use it for conditioning drills and swordsmanship practice.”
“Good heavens, that’s intense. Doesn’t that make classes exhausting?”
“At first, I had to stop running halfway through and switch it off because I ran out of breath and my legs burned. But lately, I guess my body adapted. Even wearing it all day doesn’t feel like much of a workout anymore.” Aurélie looked at me, her eyes shining with anticipation.
Whenever I hauled sacks of flour, I spent every agonizing second wishing they were lighter. Meanwhile, this young lady was deliberately weighing herself down just to break a sweat. Is this the difference between nobility and commoners? Our mindsets were fundamentally cut from different cloth.
“How much heavier would you like it? Just a bit more demanding than it is now?”
“As much as possible. Crank it to the absolute maximum.”
Good grief, just how deep does this drive for self-improvement run?
“If it’s too strenuous, you won’t be able to keep up your training for very long.”
“Then I can just train in short bursts at first—short and intense. As I get used to it, I’ll gradually increase the duration.”
This time, her requirement was crystal clear: make it hurt more.
“It might take a little time. I need to design the spell formula and analyze the necklace’s internal structure.”
“Yes, take all the time you need. Please, do whatever you think is best, Noel.”
“Understood. I’ll make sure it exceeds your expectations.”
As I moved to place the necklace on the workbench, Aurélie didn’t rise from her seat. Instead, she peered up at me with lingering hesitation. “…And could I ask one last thing?”
“Of course, My Lady. What is it?”
“Would it be alright if I visit often from now on?”
Often?
Since she had entrusted a necklace to me, returning to collect it was a given, but why emphasize visiting often?
“I don’t mind at all, but… do you have other items to commission?”
“Well, there’s that… but I was wondering if I could also drop by whenever I have questions.”
I wondered if this was truly the same girl who had declared this morning that she never wanted to see my face again. My mind tangled slightly trying to fathom her motives, but honestly, why overthink it? Getting to see an incomparably gorgeous, voluptuous noble lady on a regular basis was bound to add a little warmth to my dull life.
“Of course. As you can see, it’s pretty quiet around here, so I’d welcome the company.”
“I won’t be disturbing your work?”
“Not in the slightest. Whenever there are no commissions, I get shipped off to do odd chores elsewhere, so please keep me busy. Besides, a beauty like you is welcome anytime.”
“Heh, beauty? What nonsense… Don’t joke around.” Aurélie offered a shy, bashful smile. “…-élie.”
“Pardon? My Lady?”
Did I hear that right?
“From now on, just call me Aurélie. Drop the ‘My Lady.’”
Huh? Wait, what? We’re making this kind of leap in progress already?!
I had no idea what had prompted this sudden familiarity, but when a client makes a request, who am I to refuse?
“Uh… ahem. Understood, Lady Aurélie.”
“Drop the ‘Lady,’ too. Just call me Aurélie.”
“I’ll work up to that once I get used to it. If the workshop head or the other staff catch me right now, they’ll skin me alive.”
“Pfft. Alright, let’s do that, then.”