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Chapter 94: The Dragoness dresses for the Occasion. [Release Version]
🕑 Added 2020-08-19 22:57:12 +0000 UTC“Okay, waistband tightened. Get rid of any wrinkles…and done. Tasianna, be sure to tighten the strap of the mantle, otherwise it will fall down,” Saori ordered as she was meticulously taking care of every detail. “Hestia, this is made with mana, so any damage will not be long-lasting, but make sure you do not accidentally scratch your sleeves with your claws.”
“Yeah, of course,” I answered, carefully taking care to not ruin these pure white sleeves with my claws. “The band is pretty tight, but I guess it could be worse. Infinitely better than a corset, I think.”
It was finally the day of my meeting with the lord of these lands. As Colwyn, the chief of Carine village, promised me a favor if I accepted and finished the bandit quest, I told him I wished to ask for a favor from this aristocrat of the Kingdom of Artorias. An urgent one, actually.
IDs, identification cards or identity documents, were essential for somebody to live inside a town or city. You needed them to receive Quests, joins guilds, get a job, and even to enter a town in the first place. Master Kush made sure to emphasize how important they were to us.
However, he also informed us how IDs were issued. Using a manatech called a [Crystal of the Divine System], guilds and government organizations would take a copy of your current profile, your status board, and print them onto a manatech card. Issuing shouldn’t be a problem, as the fee isn’t that high, but what was problematic were those crystals.
According to Master Kush, you couldn’t lie to them. You couldn’t hide your complete status board from them. Even with [Identity Blocker], the truth cannot be hidden. The only effect that might would be [System Neutrality]’s ability to circumvent this rule, as only the gods and I could control its visibility.
As my title [The Light] had this effect, I believe even these crystals can’t see it, but this doesn’t apply to my other titles. [Otherworldly Reincarnator], [Bearer of Kargryxmor’s Blood], [Divine Inferno], [Princess], even my dragon abilities will be exposed by this.
Even if the guild were to keep quiet about it, others wouldn’t. When we first met, Master Kush asked us to show him our IDs so he could see our status with his party bracelet. While it wasn’t common, some Quest givers, like Colwyn, can ask you to show them your ID, and depending on your answer they could reject your employment entirely. You even had to show your IDs to village and town guards. Imagine if they had party bracelets to check on you!
Master Kush wasn't sure if the crystal would document our humanized form's status boards or our true form's, so it was risky. The last thing our party wanted to do was to tell the world we were two monsters and a fairy, especially not inside a human kingdom.
That’s why I needed to talk to Count Helvas. Special IDs used to hide a person’s true status board existed, and we needed them. Only a few people knowing the truth was better than everybody. I can only hope this meeting will be successful.
“Whew, done! Let me have a look at you…oh my! You really, really look like a princess from a fairy tale, Hesta!” Saori answered while covering her mouth with both hands, however, looking at her cheeks and glimmering eyes, she couldn’t entirely hide her excitement. “Tasianna, Tasianna, quickly! A mirror, conjure up your ice shield and let her look!”
Tasianna also covered up her mouth, having the same expression Saori did when she responded, “By the Godd-Oh y-yes, Miss Saori! You look gorgeous, Princess Hestia!”
After she conjured up her [Frozen Shield], I used its smooth surface as a pseudo-mirror, peering into the image of me wearing a dress, “Wow.” I exclaimed before doing a twirl, fluttering my long dress hem like an umbrella. “I wore dresses in my previous life, but never such an…extravagant one.”
It might have been fun to wear this for prom…
“Earth’s medieval dressing culture was richly documented in books. Noblemen and noblewomen were expected to show off their status through their clothing,” Saori explained. “The type of cloth, the variety in colors, the amount of fine cloth used, everything you can do to increase the prestige of your clothing without ruining the aesthetics. First impressions are important, and if the noble culture in Peolynca is similar to Earth’s, then this should do the trick.”
My dress was a complete 180 from my normal outfit. Whereas my normal clothing emphasized an energetic, idol-like appearance with all its bright colors while retaining the ability to fight in it, this dress was designed with the idea of giving me a more mature look. “Dress for the occasion,” Saori mentioned when she went for an elegant and noble approach with the design.
When we had our first dress-test, the dress was simple in design without any special embroidery as Saori wanted to see which dress style fitted me. Now, with all the colors and added parts to compliment the dress, it was nowhere recognizable from its version two days ago.
My dress at its base was a navy-blue dress long enough to reach down to my ankles. Medieval times valued modesty, I believe, and the length helped cover up the upper part of my boots, only showing off my feet.
The embroidery on it was made with white mana threads, fashioned like small scales to fit with those on my feet and hands. There were also purple ones, mostly placed around the hem of the skirt and the collar of the top. All added to give the dress a maximalist feel, compared to modern dresses which emphasized minimalism.
My red and white sleeves were also quite long to show this mentality off. Saori told me rich people used to wear long sleeves, so long you could dirty them while eating, to show others you had servants to do all the labor-intensive duties.
Actually, now that I think about it, shouldn’t noble ladies wear this as their normal get-up? A ball gown should be even harder to walk in, I believe. Hopefully, I'm not underdressed for the occasion.
To finish off my dress, Saori also added a white mantle to give it a more majestic look. As I didn’t want people to know about that large, bright solar core in the middle of my chest, the navy-blue dress should be enough to cover it up, but we added the mantle just in case. It was a weak point, after all.
Although that was the reason for its inclusion, Saori didn’t let the opportunity slip to add an abundance of red and purple threads to give it that extravagance look. It was so outstanding I felt a bit nervous wearing it.
She even made my hair to fit with my dress. I usually don’t style my hair so it felt nice to have it prim and proper similar to Tasianna’s.
“Ahhh, those two sleepless nights were so worth it with how amazing the end result looks,” Saori casually dropped, finally giving a long-winded yawn.
“W-Wait, you didn’t sleep for the past two days?! Saori, that’s unhealthy!” I called out her outrageous action, looking down at the dress she made for me.
Now that I think about it, considering how elaborate the details were and how it was just blank two days ago, shouldn’t two days still be too little to work with? What kinda sewing monster is Saori?! A teacher, a historian? Fuck that, her true calling is a seamstress or fashion designer!
“Ah, did you forget I had [Abnormal Status Nullification]? That also includes [Torpor Resistance Lv. 10], so nothing bad will happen if I go sleepless for a few days. I will catch up on it tonight,” Saori responded, showing no signs of fatigue or drowsiness after her yawn. “We should be going now. While you are walking, do not forget to pick up your skirt. We do not want the hem to be dragged on the ground.”
With my dress-up finished, we departed from our house and went to Colwyn’s. Seeing how the sun was slowly descending, the carriage Count Helvas would send for us should be coming soon. Dinner time won’t start anytime soon, but welcoming and greetings needed to be done before it.
As we walked to Colwyn’s, some villagers saw me walking through the village. All of them gasped before assuming a prayer stance to bow, giving praise to Aurena before thanking me for the sermon I gave this morning.
As today was Friday, which meant LightDay, it was time for "Sunday church" again. At first, I had absolutely no intention of giving another sermon considering how the first was. Instead, I was planning to use the morning to practice some dinner etiquette to get rid of some rust, but it seems the villagers had other plans.
Lorena and Ruld came with their families, asking me why I wasn't in the church area. Then Rita came with her husband and two sons, giving Saori the same response. Then Colwyn and Harriet came, informing Saori how the villagers were complaining “why is the priestess not here yet?” and were wondering if I was sick or something. You don’t know how much I wanted to shout, “leave me alone!” with everybody coming.
But then Saori and I had this weird premonition of an angry mob coming to our house with torches and farming tools. In that situation, it was either them or our poor house. We three could defend ourselves perfectly but if we started killing villagers in self-defense, I don’t think we could stay around any longer. Even if I establish a barrier around it, the animosity would be a reason for us to move away anyways.
So I said, “fuck it,” and gave them a quick sermon. I just used [Prayer] and sang some older songs I made during my days in the Belzac forest and told them that was it. I anticipated some disapproval for the short and effortless event, but everybody just thanked me.
Apparently, Carine village didn’t receive priests often, so sermons were an uncommon event. Everybody wanted a moment to give their thanks to Aurena and ask her for her blessing, and while I was channeling my [Prayer] spell was considered the perfect time to do so. The villagers seem to believe these moments were holy and the best time for Aurena to hear their prayers. I guess that’s why people call it [Prayer], huh?
While we were waiting at Colwyn’s house, the carriage eventually came, being driven by two equerochs. The three of us boarded it and said goodbye to Colwyn and his family. While it was moving, I also began to notice how unenjoyable a carriage ride was. It wasn’t due to the carriage itself but ‘cause of my tail.
Medieval carriages got this reputation for being less comfortable than modern cars, but I had to disagree. There was no shaking and the seat were laid well with cushion and other soft materials to make it feel like I was sitting on a cloud, until my butt reached the hard wood. What actually made it hard for me to enjoy this ride was a lack of space to put my tail, so it felt annoying to have it in this situation. I want to point out how super long my tail was.
The ride lasted for a good amount of time, enough for Saori and Tasianna to go through what they learned from Colwyn. Compared to noble etiquette, which was very similar to what I already learned, the etiquette and conduct expected from a retainer were completely different. Both of them were going through their notes meticulously.
While they were doing that, I suddenly noticed Saori’s outfit has changed, “Saori, didn’t you say you didn’t want a wardrobe change?”
Saori’s previous outfit was completely black except for the red scarf she had, but her current attire had purple and white added to the black. Saori told me she eventually noticed how monochrome it was, admitting she didn’t notice the “gothness” of her appearance. It looked much better, in my opinion, so I just gave a thumbs up to support her.
After a good while, the carriage stopped. We looked outside the window of the carriage and saw the carriage driver speaking with the guards, who opened the metal gate after confirming the driver’s identity. They seemed pretty friendly with each other, so I wonder why they had to do that.
Hmm, it felt like I entered something. It feels warmer now. Was that Mana? I thought as I felt a change in temperature once the carriage passed the gates.
Anyway, we finally entered Count Helvas’ demesne. As you would expect from a noble, the garden before his manor was filled with statues and well-maintained shrubbery flowerbeds, informing me how much this person must be spending to keep everything looking nice despite it being winter.
Soldiers clad in armor were patrolling the area while I could see some men sparring on a field a bit further away from the garden. The ones along the path also saluted us the moment our carriage passed them.
The manor itself was also quite grand, a stark contrast from how sloppy the construction of the village houses was. The pure white paint covering the whole mansion showed me a clear contrast from the rich and the poor, delineating how different the worlds were for the two sides. From the door frame to the beginning of the roof, everything was carved with delicate ornate designs, too beautiful to ignore.
An example of maximalism to boast their wealth and status.
When the carriage finally stopped before the mansion, the time for us to slip into our roles was here. The driver opened the door for us, and Tasianna left first with our presents before Saori followed. Once Saori was outside, she held a hand in front of the door, signaling it was time for me to come out.
Colwyn, who was trained in this stuff, told Saori and Tasianna that a lady needed “help” to come out of a carriage. With their long dresses, it was expected of knights or the head servant to give the noblewoman a hand while walking down the carriage’s stairs.
And just like that, I trusted Saori to help me down by giving her my hand. “Don’t look down, a Lady should always show confidence,” another quote from my etiquette teacher. Fixing my posture, I slowly walked down the stairs, keeping my head up and carrying myself regally.
In front of the mansion’s doors, a group of men in black suit and women in maid outfits stood in front of it. The man with the most decorated suit came forward, a person I already knew. “On this beautiful day of the Goddess, I welcome you to Lord Count Helvas’ home, Lady Atsuko. I am Barathan Kiesmay, the head butler and steward, and I am here to guide you inside, on the behalf of my Lord,” he welcomed us with a graceful bow, reintroducing himself like the perfect attendant he appeared.
Ok, time to act like the perfect little noble, Hestia, I encouraged myself.
“May the Goddess bless your soul, illuminating your path forward,” I responded to his religious greeting in kind, as I believed it was proper to do that first. “Lord Helvas has my deepest gratitude for inviting me to his dignified home on this wonderful day of Autumn. You have my trust, Mister Kiesmay. Please, guide me inside.”
Barathan widened his eyes for a moment before collecting himself, giving me a short bow in acknowledgment. He gave some quick commands to the maids and butlers before they dispersed and then began asking us to follow him. We were guided inside with me in the front and Saori and Tasianna walking behind me.
For a moment, I nearly stopped moving once I entered through the brilliant white wooden mansion doors, only continuing when Saori gave me a gentle push forward. “You are a noble lady right now, Hestia. Do not hesitate,” Saori told me through [Telepathy].
I understood what she meant, but it was honestly hard to execute it fully. The exterior was already amazing to look at, but the interior was so much more. Red, velvety rugs covered the smooth light-brown wooden floors we were walking on, as Barathan led us through rooms of pure white, richly decorated with statues of griffons and knights and verdant green plants.
There were also chandeliers and lamps radiating white light like incandescent electric bulbs. “Did they have electricity in this world?” I asked myself, but this assumption was quickly dispelled once I activated [Mana Eyes]. My eyes picked up blue energy flowing into those bulbs like electric wires, giving me the impression that these were manatechs from how similarly they functioned like Master Kush’s ID.
My home on Earth was simply an apartment filled with wealth, but this was the real deal. A real noble owning an authentic medieval house, filled with properly employed servants and guarded by knights and soldiers. I was amazed at the sight, but anxiousness was growing larger and larger inside me, as the pressure I felt made it impossible to relax.
Barathan suddenly stopped before a door, prompting us to stop too. He then picked up a bell from the table stand next to it and shook it, sounding an all-to-memorable bell sound, “Head butler, Barathan Kiesmay, here with Lord Count Helvas’ guest, Lady Hestia Atsuko, and her retainers.”
“Her retainers”, you know their names, dude, I thought, but kept it to myself. Saori and Tasianna are my friends and party members, but currently, they were visiting under the guise as my retainers. As individuals, they weren't invited, unfortunately, otherwise this whole charade would've been unnecessary.
After a moment of wait, a middle-aged woman in a maid dress opened the door for us, giving us a small bow before leading us inside. Seeing as how her outfit was nearly as fancy as Barathan’s, I would guess she must be a high ranked maid.
In any case, before I could enter the room, I noticed each side of the walls being decorated with filled bookshelves and butlers lining against them, like a bunch of robots waiting for their master's orders. Barathan and the maid led us inside before assuming positions at either sides of a desk.
There I noticed a blue haired man dressed in a lavishly decorated suit sitting comfortably in his ornate chair. To his sides, a blond woman around his age and a, rather attractive, young man stood next to him. Both wore clothing fitting for somebody living inside this mansion, filled to the brim with embroidery and colors. Compared to the butlers and maids, these three all had a similar-looking embroidered emblem of blooming rice plants growing on water stitched somewhere on their clothes.
I-I think our dresses look the same, right? I don’t need to be nervous, I think. Yeah, I look good, yeah, I thought as I compared the woman’s dress with mine.
[“Hestia,”] Saori suddenly called out to me, bringing me back to reality.
Shoot, I have to greet first!
The guest should introduce herself to the hosts first, that was common courtesy. Quickly collecting myself, I gently pinched the hem of my dress up and gave the people before me a curtsy. “May this meeting be blessed by our Goddess of Light, Aurena, on this holy day dedicated to her eminence. I thank you from the depths of my heart for this invitation, Lord Helvas. My name is Hestia Atsuko and may the friendship we form today last long and strong.”
The man I presumed as the lord of these lands narrowed his eyes in a small frown for a second, before restoring them and his polite smile. He stood up from his chair, showing how tall he was compared to me by being about two heads taller.
Still showing me a smile with his week-old beard, he pressed his right hand to his chest and gave me a short bow. As if they practiced it, the woman and young man imitated his posture and simultaneously bowed with him.
“House Helvas equally wishes you the bountiful blessing of our Goddess of Light, Aurena, Lady Atsuko. I am Andre Orlean Helvas, rightful Lord of the Helvas county and an ardent supporter of Lord Duke Greenveil, a loyal vassal of the royal House Artorias. It is both a privilege and honor to welcome you to our home and kingdom,” he replied in a tone so regal it made me dizzy for a second. “These are my wife and son. Including my daughter, they will be joining us for dinner.”
Acting like a signal for her introduction, his wife pinched the hem of her dress and curtsied instead of bowing this time, gracing me with a warm smile, “It is a great honor to have made your acquaintance, Lady Atsuko. I am Marianne Yvera Helvas, wife of Lord Helvas and countess of the Helvas county. I hope your travels from Loatryx hasn’t been arduous, and I wish your stay with us will be one to be remembered.”
Considering Colwyn must have informed them about me, they should know we came here through the Belzac forest.
“Our meeting must have been ordained by the Goddess, your Ladyship. My name is Jonathan Matthew Helvas, the only son and current heir of my father Lord Helvas. I thank the Goddess for our meeting today and wish our bonds to stay true,” the son of the pair, a tall and muscular young man, greeted me with a large smile.
“If the Goddess wills it, Sir Jonathan,” I replied nervously.
Before we continued the discussion, Count Helvas stretched his arm to the side and offered us to sit with him at the guest table. Accepting his offer with a nod, his family moved first while my group moved behind them, while Barathan and the maid moved elsewhere.
Offering me the seat, I sat down on the couch first while Saori and Tasianna stayed behind me. With me seated, Count Helvas and his family followed. Once everybody was seated, I took this chance to finally hand him the presents we bought with us.
Telling Tasianna to hand over our gifts, she moved around to the table and placed a thick purple piece of fabric and a blue fabric box onto the table before returning behind me, all while showing little to no emotions. “Presents, to show my gratitude for being invited and for the beautiful gifts you sent me, Lord Helvas.” I informed him.
“Hmm, I thank you very much, Lady Atsuko,” he replied before inspecting everything before him with the eye of an experienced appraiser. “This is…purple mana threads? Isn’t purple…?” he exclaimed before pouring mana into the cloth of mana threads, producing electricity from them. “Astounding, lightning element. Mana threads of this quality and abundance is already a precious gift. What benevolence, Lady Atsuko, I thank you,” he replied with an almost genuine smile.
“Hmm, and this is?” Putting the fabric aside, he then opened the fabric box, revealing a strawberry colored cake with a smell only freshly baked cake could have. “Pastry? Hmm, it certainly looks and smells wonderful, thank you.”
Compared to the pure excitement he showed when he saw the mana fabric, his response to the cake was lackluster. It seems he wasn't a cake person. Shame.
“Hold on, dear.” However, that wasn’t the case for Countess Helvas, who pulled the box of cake to her side before appraising it. “…Lady Atsuko, may I ask if you’ve made this yourself?”
“Yes,” I answered, as I was one of the three people who made the cake.
“As a dragonewt of Loatryx, you must also know the valuable elven product ‘yeast’, correct? Did you add some into this cake?” she asked with eyes filled with anticipation and longing.
“The cake was baked with yeast, yes. It’s called ‘fragassa pound cake’, and I can attest to its taste. Would you like to taste it with me, Lady Helvas?” I replied with excitement for finding another cake lover.
“Oh, I would love to, but dinnertime is around the corner so we must refrain for now. Pastries and desserts are best eaten with tea, after all,” she smiled as she closed the box. “Cake with yeast is hard to acquire, even at our capital, so please excuse my excitement. This is a very rare occasion, and I thank you so very much for this opportunity. Would it be impertinent of me to ask if we could taste it after dinner with my daughter? She would be very delighted.”
“Oh no, it would be my pleasure,” I answered with sparkles in my eyes, excited to get another taste of our cake.
While giving them presents was to give House Helvas a better impression of us, there was also another hidden agenda behind it. Information. Colwyn gave us a quick run-down of what the noble ranks were in this kingdom and it was similar to England’s, according to Saori. A noble of the count status was in the middle of the hierarchy, so it should be obvious these people must know trends and other subjects.
From my observation of their responses, it seems like both mana fabric and yeast were quite popular. It also confirmed that yeast was known by the nobility of Artorias, and I presume by merchants also. Rita, being a village baker, couldn’t know it as it was considered a luxury product for some reason.
With this information, we now knew we could always sell some mana threads and yeast if we ever needed cash. I bet Saori must be happy to know that. We also learned Count Helvas was a magician, and an educated one to boot. He knew how to activate mana threads and how purple related to lightning. Even without using [Identify] and [Mana Eyes], I could feel all three of them being acquainted with magic casting.
With the initial stage of our discussion finish, we carried on with small talk. They asked me questions like how I defeated the bandits, how my stay was in Carine village, and if I wanted to come over and stay at their mansion. Everything was harmless until now as they wanted to get a feel of how my personality was.
Honestly, I was expecting them to try to poke some info out of me. I mean, why wouldn’t you ask me who I was? Sure, there was the chance they could [Identify] on me, but there’s a low chance of them breaking through [Identity Blocker]. I wasn’t using it either as it was considered rude. I also didn’t know much about manatechs and, in the case there was something to tell you somebody used [Identify] on you, I would be found out. Can’t risk it.
In the middle of our talks, somebody knocked on the door and informed Barathan about something. He came over and whisper the information into Count Helvas’ ear. “Ahh, brilliant. It seems my chefs are ready to serve dinner. This was a very wonderful time, Lady Atsuko, but let us continue this at the dinner table. I also think it is time we talk about why you wished to speak with me, yes?”
Guess it’s time, huh?
