# 041 Combat Suit
# 041 Combat Suit
As I submitted the entry application, I meant to be as considerate of Sharia as possible, regardless of what anyone else thought.
Practically speaking, I had to shove Sharia into the most dangerous, insidious place imaginable—a place packed with things that spend their time preying on women.
But I was the only one who wanted to see Sharia's pretty body. I had no intention of showing it off to other bastards.
At the same time, I also wanted to see Sharia wearing cute, sexy clothes and flaunting herself boldly in front of those same bastards.
I would sooner die than let anyone glimpse my woman naked, yet I still felt this perverse urge to boast that this was the woman I held in my arms every night!
I could say it proudly.
That I was Sharia's master, and I was the only man who could command her as I pleased.
With that in mind, I had spent a great deal of time brainstorming with Arvata about what kind of outfit to make for Sharia.
"About Sharia's chest. I want to cover it, but with a material thick enough that it doesn't reveal the shape."
"For something like that, how about this? We could modify the shield made from White Dragon scales among the items you brought...."
I thought about putting it on Sharia.
Arvata thought about putting it on and going out.
The collaboration born from my demands as a client and Arvata's craftsmanship was finally complete.
As soon as the outfit was finished, I took Sharia to Arvata's laboratory.
"This is the attire you'll be wearing."
"......."
Sharia said nothing.
She simply stared vacantly at the garment placed before her with a rigid expression.
"Um, Master. Is this... clothes?"
"Of course it's clothes. Your model is wearing it right now."
I pointed at the clothes draped over Sharia's plaster casting.
"It's custom-made. Unless your body shape has suddenly changed, it'll fit you perfectly."
Since the garment was made using Sharia's mannequin as the standard, it was sized to fit her body exactly.
"Master, I can accept the other stuff, but... isn't this meant to be worn during sex?"
"There's a separate one for sex. This is for combat."
"For combat? Are you telling me to wear this and go out in front of people?"
"Yeah."
Sharia's mouth fell open as she pointed at the clothes.
"You're just a pervert!"
"Why? There's nothing left uncovered. It's just different from the norm. And to participate in the Sword Demon God's tournament, you need to be dressed at least like this."
A form-fitting black full-body bodysuit.
And over that black bodysuit, a white leotard of leather, the sort you might see in the night streets—especially in gambling dens.
Its name was....
"Bunny girl."
"......."
I set a rabbit headband atop the frozen Sharia's head.
Since I was giving her a concept to project outward, I had found no animal whose image suited Sharia's disposition better than a rabbit.
"Where exactly is the exposure?"
"It's a design that reveals the entire line of the body. The inside of the stockings is visible. The lower part rises far above the pelvic line, so the sides of the pubic bone are completely exposed. And worn like this, the entire upper chest is exposed! My god, now that I look, the entire backside is just bare!"
"Of course it is, since it was designed to be seen that way."
"It's lewd!"
Sharia shrieked and talked back.
"There's no way I could go out in something like this in front of others!"
"But wearing it in front of me is fine?"
"Th-that's...."
Sharia's mouth opened and closed wordlessly.
While she hesitated, I attached a fluffy white cotton tail behind Sharia's rear.
"You're plenty pretty. And have some confidence. The way it looks may be one thing, but its defensive power is tougher than your average full plate armor."
"This?"
"Naturally. Would I make the clothes you're going to wear carelessly?"
"Arvata was the one who made them."
"Just gloss over it."
I drew the iron sword the mannequin was holding.
Then I channeled a suitable amount of Aura, the kind knights typically emit, into the iron sword.
"Hap!"
One light blow.
I swung the sword at the mannequin's abdomen, but even against the Aura-wreathed blade, the garment didn't sustain so much as a scratch.
"......What is it?"
"It's made by grinding down a shield crafted from a White Dragon."
"......So this is one form Dragonbane can take."
Sharia swept her hand over the spot where the Aura had struck, letting out a hollow laugh.
"This... can it be changed into another form?"
"It can't. Completely melt it down and destroy it, chuck it in the trash, or wear it. Those are the three choices you've been given now."
"Wow...."
Sharia shook her head with a voice full of resignation.
"Do you want to send me out in lewd clothes this badly?"
"You're pretty in them."
"Pretty, sure, but, well...."
Sharia fiddled her fingers over the clothes, gauging my reaction.
"It's, just a little, I guess I should say I don't like...."
"What part?"
"...Exposing my body to anyone other than you, Master... I don't really want that...."
Thump.
How long had it been since I last felt this kind of sentiment?
What I wanted from Sharia and Sharia's own feelings aligned perfectly.
The lewd displays, just for the two of us.
But actively showing that off to others.
It reminded me of the High Elf.
My former wife.
She, too, had fought in the lewd battle attire I'd made for her.
But no matter how lewd the outfit, there was one thing she absolutely refused to concede on, standing firm: that the cleavage and the flesh around her private parts should never be visible to the enemy.
—Then showing them to me is fine?
—You see them every day, whether in battle or not, so why...?
It wasn't good to recall what I'd felt from my former wife through a new woman, but thanks to Sharia, those old sensations surfaced, leaving me with a bittersweet yet pleasant feeling.
...I had no intention of projecting my former wife's colors onto her, but at times like this, the simplest solution existed.
"Sharia, will this do?"
I took the black robe I had prepared for Sharia and dressed the mannequin in it.
I fastened the button at the neck, then clasped the buttons on each side of the robe's front so that no cleavage was exposed, pulling them all the way down in a straight line.
"How about this?"
"...The inside is still visible through it, but it's far better than having everything completely exposed."
"Right?"
"...Still."
With a resolute face, Sharia reached her hand back.
"This I can't accept."
"Tch."
She ripped off the tail.
Still, I was relieved I could protect the ears.
Because the bunny ears were the life of a bunny girl.
* * *
While preparations for the Sword Demon God's festival were in full swing.
To enjoy the festival thoroughly, the participants mattered, but the rewards also played a considerably important role.
What rewards could one obtain upon winning the festival?
An enormous cash prize?
Or a noble title?
Or the right to challenge the strong?
While the Sword Demon God's festival was a venue for exchanging swordsmanship, it was an undeniable fact that the reward was a major element that made the festival shine even brighter.
Most of the participants entered the tournament because they wanted to prove their skills.
Some participants entered the tournament to obtain the huge cash prize.
Mainly for bounty hunters or cash-strapped swordsmen, the powerful motivation to build their wealth or feed their families with the prize money was what drove them to participate.
Others entered the tournament focusing on the fact that they could legally kill their opponents during the competition.
For the homicides committed here, the Land of Darkness did not hold one accountable, but since the perpetrator was still a criminal, they would be treated as a murderer if they went elsewhere.
Yet, would such a breed of person care about any of that?
They would simply keep living in a place where it was permissible to commit crimes.
For honor.
For money.
For strife.
For slaughter.
Amid this blending of diverse desires, a woman who had come to the spectator seats of the arena called the Colosseum merely stared at the arena with a gloomy expression.
"Saintess Leticia."
"......It has been a while, Sword Demon Saintess."
At the appearance of the woman in a black dress, evoking a widow, Leticia bowed her waist in greeting.
Although Leticia was the Heavenly Demon Saintess, the other woman had held the position of Sword Demon Saintess far longer than she had.
"Are you worried?"
"Worried... what sort of worry are you referring to?"
"Naturally, regarding the matter of the Rape Dragon."
"......."
Leticia closed her eyes softly.
Though one couldn't voice it aloud, the meaning of affirmation lingered in her gaze.
"Heavenly Demon Saintess, you may not be fully aware, but most of the Demon Saintesses were likely violated by the Rape Dragon."
"Pardon?"
"The Dragonium Lair. Those are people who entered beneath it and came out alive. I'm one of them, too."
"......."
Leticia's mouth fell open in surprise.
"Sword Demon Saintess, last time, you were definitely with a single man and...."
"Yes. That one person is the dragon who raped me—Rapehal."
Leticia was at a loss for words at such a shocking statement.
"The Lightning Demon Saintess, and other Saintesses as well, were the same. All of us had our virginities stolen by the Rape Dragon. We once broke through the Dragonium dungeon as adventurers, but... fufu, shall I tell you an amusing story?"
"Amusing...?"
"Yes. The Unicorn at the entrance of the Rape Dragon's dungeon. A virgin gets a free pass."
"......."
"It just lets them inside. Instead, it attacks men and those who aren't virgins without hesitation."
"That's practically...."
"Meaning the one who deals with the virgins is the dragon. And everything else inside operates the same way."
The Sword Demon Saintess let out a hollow laugh.
"I was taken down in the most absurd way, held captive, and had my first time stolen by a dragon. Then I was violated for about two years before he finally released me. As if to say... 'I'm tired of you now.'"
Murderous intent began to seep into the Sword Demon Saintess's eyes.
"The Lightning Demon Saintess and all the others—we all became Demon Saintesses for the same purpose: to capture the Rape Dragon and take revenge on him for what he did to us."
"That's practically...."
"Yes. Rape ought to be repaid with rape, don't you think? Even if he is a dragon."
"I can't... understand. You were raped, yet...."
"......You'll know once you've personally experienced it."
The Sword Demon Saintess simply smiled quietly with a voice full of regret.
"If the Heavenly Demon Saintess ever finds herself one step away from being violated by the Rape Dragon, try saying this to him: It's my first time, so please be gentle with me."
"Would he actually listen?"
"Yes."
"......Hah?"
"He listens. That's why we aren't trying to kill him...."
Lick.
"We're trying to rape him, aren't we?"
* * *
The day of the decisive battle dawned.
I grabbed the leash and strode confidently out into the street.
"Let's go, Ria."
"Y-yes...."
The pink-haired woman, Ria, with an iron collar fastened around her neck, silently followed after me.
The gazes of other people brushed past Ria, and even as Ria's face reddened, she was smiling languidly toward me.
I knew it.
She was a woman with a certain degree of pride in her own beauty.
What's more,
"Vorpal Rabbit."
Here and now, the Combat Rabbit was born.