Chapter 93: Salon 1
Chapter 93: Salon 1
A woman appeared before me without warning, dressed in a jet-black floor-length gown trimmed with pure white frills at the collar, cuffs, and chest—as if a maid uniform had been re-tailored into formalwear.
Each step brought a crisp click of her heels, an exaggerated caricature of a strict dormitory matron straight out of a comic.
"I have come to escort you, Constellation."
She inclined a ramrod-straight back into a flawless bow. Her short hair was immaculate, not a strand out of place, her ears cleanly exposed. From the elegant bow to the gold chain of her monocle, everything was pristine. The soft clinking of that chain brought the situation into focus.
So this was the gender-reversed world's version of a butler. A maid and a butler, swapped.
"Wait, how did you get in here...?"
The problem was that she'd appeared not in the Academy temporary sanctum, but in my own space. And I'd been lazing in bed after finishing my morning patrol.
She looked down at me sprawled diagonally across the bed in loose clothing, her face utterly unruffled. Not a single emotion registered in that cool gaze, and my senses as a Dream Demon couldn't read a thing from her either. A complete poker face.
Having such a cold, beautiful face stare down at me with zero expression made me feel oddly guilty. Her features were sharp, her expression blank, and I couldn't sense her feelings—plus I was still stuck at around 150 centimeters tall, which probably made it worse.
Was it because of the invitation? Why am I still this small?
"You tore the invitation and declared your intention to attend, so I have come to escort you."
The woman placed a hand over her solar plexus, just below her collar, and delivered a polite, ritualistic greeting. I felt awkward just lying there while she'd come to fetch me, so I sat up—and the moment I did, the blanket wrapped itself around me.
"Do you require assistance with grooming?"
She bent slightly, laying a hand on the blanket atop the bed. My own blanket—the one I'd been sitting on—had draped itself over my shoulders like a shawl, covering my bare skin. She'd lifted it without the slightest friction against my flesh.
Was that a maid's skill or some high-level martial technique? I couldn't tell. I gave a dazed nod—
"Hm. Truly, as my master said, you are beautiful."
Before my lowered head could rise again, my clothes had transformed from loose pajamas into a crisp tailcoat.
What the—an Authority for changing clothes?
In a tenth of a second, something had slipped down her wrist, wrapped around her palm, then switched my outfit and freshened me up. Definitely magical power. There wasn't likely a "change-clothes spell," so it was probably a Common Authority from the shop.
So the Martial Epic that Sings of Romance had granted his maid household-related Authorities? Or was she naturally gifted at domestic tasks and awakened them herself? Either way, it startled me so badly I felt goosebumps tracing my spine. One blink and my underwear was changed too—how could I not be startled?
Sure, this world gathers only the souls of geniuses, but who could have imagined a genius at changing clothes and serving others? I'd expected swordmasters, mages, archers, gunslingers, artists, writers, chefs—art-and-physical types. But this?
"I have a partner to bring."
"Would you deliver this invitation to her? The moment she opens it, I shall come to escort her."
Still slightly shocked by the crisp feel of fresh underwear against my rear, I brushed myself off and stood. Another gold-embossed invitation and a letter opener emerged from her bosom. So if my partner opened that and declared she'd attend, this maid would go fetch her too.
"Mm, then I'll be back shortly."
I took the letter and stepped toward a branch of the World Tree. She stood ramrod straight, hand placed over her chest again in a send-off gesture. At this point, I genuinely wondered if she was human or robot. Her hand was within reach and I still couldn't read a single emotion from her.
Thinking that, I laid my hand on the branch and headed for the space of the Unfading Giant Tree.
"Oh? What brings you here first thing in the morning? Did you come to show off your outfit? It suits you."
The moment my clone arrived, the Unfading Giant Tree came dashing over to hug me—then her eyes rounded into saucers at the sight of my attire, and she made a delighted fuss. It was so comfortable I hadn't noticed, but glancing down, I realized I was impeccably dressed in a formal suit.
"An invitation came for you too. Apparently, you just open this and say you'll attend."
Wanting to see more of her surprised reaction, I extended the gold-embossed invitation without explaining.
"Like you did yesterday? Should I wear a dress?"
"Open the invitation first, then we'll see."
She took the invitation and letter opener from my hand, yet couldn't tear her eyes from my clothes. To be fair, I wasn't used to it either—black trousers, vest, short jacket, all coordinated. No comparison to the suit I'd worn for job interviews back on Earth. Add a cane and a bowler hat and I'd look like a proper English gentleman straight out of a comic.
...Well, a tiny gentleman, considering my reduced height.
Normally she wore a tunic that wrapped from waist to shoulder with a single piece of cloth, and I'd been padding around in short sleeves and sweatpants. When we clung together skin-to-skin, cumbersome clothing had never been needed. So seeing myself fully covered from limbs to polished shoes felt a bit strange.
...Wait, I hadn't even noticed I was actually wearing dress shoes.
Are expensive shoes more comfortable than sneakers, or was this the maid's Authority at work? Curiosity prickled, and I shot a subtle prompting look at the Unfading Giant Tree.
"All right, I just open it with this, right?"
She scraped the wax seal with the letter opener, unfolded the long, perfume-scented stationery, and quickly read the contents. A quiet laugh escaped her—probably more ornate phrasing—then she murmured, "I'll attend," under her breath. Her cheeks flushed as she glanced at me.
"But, uh... do I really talk to the letter? That's weird."
"Yes, that is correct."
"Eek!"
It wasn't me who answered. The maid had stepped out of thin air again, heels clicking. The Unfading Giant Tree jumped, giving a girlish shriek I hadn't heard in ages, and dropped the letter—at which the maid's hand twisted through the air, caught it, and she appeared fully.
"W-Who are you?!"
The Unfading Giant Tree darted in front of me. Was she trying to protect me? At that, I caught the faintest twitch at the corner of that impassive woman's lips. A 160-centimeter-or-so girl blocking a boy smaller than herself to shield him—the maid seemed quietly amused. Watching her, I thought—
She's like a grandmother watching her grandchild's antics...
Despite her appearance, her practiced skill suggested she might be much older than she looked.
"Greetings, Constellation. You accepted my master's invitation, so I have come to escort you. Might you require assistance with grooming?"
While the Unfading Giant Tree still hadn't grasped the situation, I nodded from behind her back and said, "Yes, please."
"Grooming, what—ah!"
Still on guard, treating her as an intruder who had barged into her space, the Unfading Giant Tree remained wary. The maid took a calm step forward anyway, and the elf girl startled, throwing her arms wide in front of me to push me back.
"Mm, since you are both attending, I have coordinated your attire as well."
before she could fully extend her arms, the capable maid had already turned her tunic into a beautiful dress. Unlike with me, she didn't cover up because her charge was female. Though she still changed her so fast I didn't even glimpse her underwear.
"Attire—huh?"
Her bare arms, which had been exposed, suddenly felt fabric brushing her elbows—startling her into looking down at herself. From a white tunic that bared her knees and arms, she'd been transformed into a green dress that revealed only her wrists. Her eyes went round again.
Unlike my all-black outfit, her waist, shoulders, wrists, and collar were trimmed with yellow frills. Set against her snow-white skin, it was a striking match.
"No, what is this...?"
"Now then, are you both ready?"
Unconcerned with our reactions, the woman straightened her back once more, clasping her hands behind her. With a crisp click—perhaps using magical power—her heels rang clearly against the earthen floor. Then a black door appeared in midair.
One hand remained behind her back; the other pushed the door open. The air rippled, and a sweet fragrance of blossoms drifted through. If the Unfading Giant Tree's garden was a refreshing meadow, the space beyond felt like an exuberant flower garden.
Perhaps because she was an elf, the moment she smelled the flowers, the Unfading Giant Tree's expression melted. She extended her hand to me.
"I'll escort you."
Unlike the maid, whose lip corner twitched again, the elf girl's posture was a little awkward—but what did that matter? I took her pale hand and stepped forward with her. Walking into a rippling void, treading on empty air, felt oddly surreal. Almost like stepping onto the glass floor of an observation deck.
As if to insist the floral scent hadn't been a lie, an explosion of color stretched before us—flowers of every hue. Across the lawn, several tea tables were scattered, surrounded by chatting guests, while men in tailcoats bustled about, carrying teapots and desserts.
So the seated ones were Constellations, and the attendants were Incarnations?
"Welcome to my salon. I do hope your precious time here shall not be wasted!"
I was people-watching, and the Unfading Giant Tree was admiring the garden's flowers, when a woman strode up to us with a booming voice.
A blonde in a long, sweeping uniform straight out of a romance comic—her wavy golden hair cascading past her back, arms flung wide, a theatrical intonation reminiscent of a musical star. Her grandiose hospitality made both the Unfading Giant Tree and me stare at her.
How could we not? Where would either of us have experienced a social gathering like this? I was a half-bum who'd graduated university in the Republic of Korea and gotten nuked before I could seriously start job-hunting. She was an elf who'd lived from birth till death inside the World Tree Barrier.
"You seem unaccustomed to such an affair. Worry not—simply enjoy the tea and the fragrance of the flowers. If you wish for conversation, you may speak to anyone; if you prefer to simply sit, that is also fine. Perhaps butterflies drawn by the scent will approach you."
She lowered her wide-flung arms below her chest, concluded her greeting like a curtain dropping on a stage, guided us to an empty table, and then whirled off somewhere else.
Sitting at the table, I met eyes with the Unfading Giant Tree. She seemed flustered but also entertained, offering a soft eye-smile.
"She's, uh, quite a character."
"Right? I've heard traveling bards on the continent are like that."
Our eyes met, and we just laughed. Until, little by little, people began to gather, curious about the combination of a Dream Demon and an elf.