Through her closed eyelids, the dim sunlight stimulated the young girl’s pupils and slowly brought her back from her drifting consciousness.
After a while, Mira sat on the canopy bed and started tidying up her thin and now out of shape clothing. At the same time, she opened her small lips and took a deep breath, trying to keep her drowsy self awake. That, however, was in vain. Succumbing to the vestiges of sleepiness that still affected her, the girl’s eyes closed as her back made contact with the bed once again, her mind drifting away to the land of dreams.
Then, the moment she finally fell asleep, Mira’s slumber was disturbed anew by something else. Inside that quiet room at the highest floor of the tower, where not even the birds’ cries could reach, a muffled and rhythmical sound could be heard, over and over again. Against her own will, the girl ended up half-woken by that terrible noise. While staring blankly around her with unfocused eyes, she got up and, surprised, found herself in an unfamiliar and very luxurious room.
“Where am I…?”
Triggered by the high-pitched voice that escaped from her lips, all the events that happened yesterday suddenly gushed forth like a geyser and filled Mira’s mid. At the same time, similar to dizziness, she was affected by a slight sense of loss as the girl became aware of her current state. “Ohh, I see…” was the only thing she could mutter in response, resigned to her fate.
Still not used to her petite body, Mira let herself slide to the edge of the bed and sat there, taking a breather. But all of a sudden, from that position, she caught sight of her young and charming legs; now revealed by the flipped over end of her robe. The light shining in from the gap in the curtains worked almost like a spotlight, somehow emphasizing even more the pure whiteness of her skin; Mira was simply at a loss for words.
Even though she was blushing like a teenage boy, the young girl observed her legs and used her fingertips to quietly feel and verify their skin: it had just the proper degree of flexibility and softness, as ascertained by Mira’s sense of touch. She also clearly became aware of another thing that was going through her brain at that exact time. It was something Mira had felt yesterday while observing her own body, a sky-high sense of arousal.
“…But wait a moment, just what is this noise so early in the morning?”
With her mind now completely awake, the girl finally noticed the incomprehensible and rhythmic sound that had started while she was still asleep; consequently, she strained her ears to try and identify it.
(*knock knock knock*)
First came the sound of something hard being hit; next was the faint and unclear voice of a person. In the end, what Mira managed to grasp was that at least two people were talking, so she left the bedroom to check if anything had happened. As she got closer to the main door of the Private Room, the voices and their intention were made clearer, the chaotic noise from before now forming recognizable words in Mira’s ears.
“Mira-sama, are you there? Mira-sama.”
“Litalia-sama, are you really sure that the disciple of Dunbalf-sama is here?”
The first voice seemed to belong to an elegant woman while the second one came from an unknown man.
“Without a doubt. She held the Master Key of the Tower of Summoning and, after asking around, I found out that a young girl with silver hair was seen entering this tower yesterday night. That means she most probably slept here.”
“But later in the night, couldn’t she have left the tower and gone for an inn?”
“She has the Master Key, why would she bother staying in an inn, of all places? The Private Room has everything she would ever need. Moreover, I made sure to clean and tidy it up every day, the entire room should still be in perfect shape.”
This time, a different voice could be heard from behind the door and, rather than an adult woman, it sounded like a young girl was talking. All together, there were three people outside the room: one man and two women; Mira felt the younger girl’s voice was strangely familiar, but couldn’t clearly remember to whom it belonged; thus, she chose to open the door and verify it with her own eyes.
“My, so it was you, Litalia and Mariana.”
After quickly looking up to confirm who the visitors were, Mira glanced at her acquaintances while rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, still displaying some traces of sleepiness. At that moment, she made eye contact with the third person; a man dressed in a military uniform standing in wait, one step behind the two women. It was possible to see on his right shoulder an armband of the Kingdom of Arkite.
“And you are…?”
“Mira-sama! Why are you dressed like that!?”
“You! Please look the other way!”
For an instant, Litalia stood there, dazed at the sudden appearance of Mira’s figure. The next moment, she rushed to the girl’s side and covered that nearly naked body with her own, trying to block it from the man’s line of sight.
A girl who was dressed in maid’s clothing acted simultaneously, her sapphire twin-tailed hair fluttering and sparkling while she moved. The maid’s intention was to force the military man to do a right about-face; before that, he couldn’t take his eyes off from the parts of Mira’s body that were visible through her thin robe. That was then followed by a dull sound as he faced the wall and nearly hugged it with his entire figure. Behind him, Litalia already had Mira on her arms and was bringing the young girl back to the room.
“Just what are you doing!?”
With the door finally closed, Mira was let off on the side of the leather sofa. She didn’t understand why she was forced to return inside; so, while feeling completely baffled, the girl looked up at Litalia and demanded an answer.
“I should be the one asking that. This may be the Sage’s Room, but you can’t simply come out dressed like that! There’s a possibility that people will come here for a visit!”
While feeling a bit angered, Litalia scolded Mira’s choice of attire; as a result, the girl brought her gaze down to look at her clothes, wondering what could be wrong with them. Instantly, she noticed that indeed, the “Robe of the Celestial Maiden” was too transparent to be used as underwear, let alone as everyday clothing.
More often than not, she spent her time inside the Private Room while casually dressed. And right now, all the robes Mira had prepared before going to sleep were only tailored for combat. Even the Sage’s Robe she was wearing yesterday was, in the end, something oriented for battle.
If compared to what she was using now, though, Mira would feel more comfortable in any of those combat clothes. The problem was that she didn’t have any intention of wearing outdoor clothing while inside her own room.
“Sorry, but I do not have any clothes for the occasion.”
Feeling she couldn’t do anything to fix that problem, Mira brazenly said what she thought of it.
“There is something you can use here. At least cover your skin, or you might end up attacked by some lecherous pervert.”
After warning Mira, Litalia picked up a red and black robe from the sofa and put it over the little girl’s head. She squirmed for a bit and when her face finally appeared through the collar, Mira realized that its size was simply too big for her body. The lower hem was dragging on the ground and not even her fingertips would come out from the sleeves.
But the biggest problem was that the collar of the robe, once a perfect fit for Dunbalf, now was simply too wide for Mira. Its opening reached the area around the young girl’s chest, exposing a huge part of it while giving off a bewitching aura that differed from being simply naked; consequently, this went against Litalia’s original intention.
“It is too big.”
“Of course, that robe has the right size for Dunbalf. It would never fit your small frame.”
While saying that, the maid girl took out one of the bands that tied her hair and used it to fasten the robe’s collar. After that, the red, ribbon-like band that now decorated Mira’s chest area emphasized even more her little girl appearance.
“This does not suit it at all…”
Mira dropped her shoulders, reacting to the sight of one of her favorite robes losing part of its majestic feeling due to a single ribbon.
“Mira-sama. Are you really Dunbalf-sama’s apprentice?”
The maid asked Mira while still adjusting the collar, her eyes fixated on the young girl. It seemed as if she were clinging to a sliver of hope that suddenly appeared in front of her.
“Indeed. Mariana, I have heard a lot about you.”
She was a maid that could easily take one’s breath away. Her sapphire-like hair and eyes didn’t have a single stain that tainted its color and her physique was similar to Mira’s. On her back, two butterfly-like wings slightly swayed. Those same wings, that instead of wind used the mana captured from the atmosphere to fly, were proof of her status as a member of the Fairy Tribe. Another characteristic from that race was that its individuals would maintain the appearance of a human child even after reaching adulthood. And that fairy girl was none other than Dunbalf’s aide, Mariana.
“I’m so glad… Dunbalf-sama…”
Feeling completely relieved, Mariana’s eyes got slightly damp and tears started flowing down her face, the reddish tinge on her cheeks moistened by that crying. Upon seeing the aide breaking out in tears, Mira became incredibly flustered and, in a semi-unconscious act, held out a hand to that girl’s cheek, unable to endure that scene any longer.
However, right before touching the girl’s face, Mira brought that hand back and idly placed it on her chin, having finally grasped the feelings behind Mariana’s crying expression. Those tears were shed because of her emotions towards the disappeared Dunbalf; as a result, Mira hesitated to caress the aide’s cheek, feeling somewhat guilty for deceiving her.
Being moved by those tears, she considered telling the truth, at least to Mariana. However, she dropped that thought. Just how would Mira explain that situation to her? It would be a huge shock to the aide if she knew that her master, Dunbalf, had turned into a young girl. What that in mind, the “apprentice” decided to continue using her fabricated story.
In the past, Mira had only treated Mariana as a mere assistant. But now that the NPC became a real person with a sense of self and even shed tears for Dunbalf, the girl wasn’t sure on how to deal with her aide. This was mostly caused by two different emotions that fought within Mira: one was the selfish feeling of not wanting to be rejected by Mariana, who dearly missed her master; the other was the desire to not let the assistant feel worried anymore.
Naturally, as Mira chose the selfish way out of that situation, the words she wanted to say stopped at her throat and slowly disappeared into silence. While still feeling pathetic for that, the girl stared at the hand that was now hidden by the robe’s sleeve and then silently watched the scene in front of her. Responding to what Mariana felt, Litalia whispered “Indeed, I am also glad” while gently wiping the tears from the maid’s cheeks.
———–
“Sorry, I’m fine now.”
Just as Mariana had finally sorted out her feelings and calmed down, a familiar rhythmical sound could be heard inside the room.
“Hello? Litalia-sama, Mariana-sama. Are you finished yet?”
Following it, after a short while came the muffled voice of the military man, the person who had been forced by Mariana to turn around and face the walls; once again, with renewed composure, he restarted the absolute mission assigned to him by the king himself.
“Yes, we are leaving now.”
With that reply, Litalia then returned her attention to the one who was the original goal of her visit, Mira. Currently, the little girl was shaking the sleeves that covered her hands while stretching her body on the sofa.
“So, what does he want? I see that he is a soldier from the Kingdom’s army.”
“Oh, right. Yesterday after we met, I humbly reported that matter to King Solomon and he instantly wanted to meet you, Mira-sama. That gentleman outside is an envoy from the capital sent to pick you up.”
“Hmm, Solomon… I see…”
The King of Arkite, Solomon. He was Dunbalf’s best friend, the player who invited the Summoning Expert to his newly founded nation. Compared with Luminaria, Solomon’s friendship with Mira started much earlier.
However, neither Litalia nor Mariana knew that, so they thought the casual tone used by the young girl to address the king had a different meaning. It would be considered a huge disrespect to their leader if one were to use his Solomon name without the “King” title or the correct honorifics; the assistants, though, simply treated Mira’s shameless behavior as a charming trait of a rebellious adolescent. Not only that, the way she talked was so similar to Dunbalf that, in their mind, it evoked the image of a child mimicking her parent’s actions. Yet, those thoughts were unknown to Mira.
“Luminaria-sama is also in the capital, so I believe you can meet her after your audience with the King.”
“Oh, good. Then, we should not make them wait any more.”
If Solomon was really there, then he would probably be in the same situation as Luminaria: a player stuck in this new reality. After realizing that, Mira got up from the sofa to respond to the summons; an act in vain, as her movements towards the door were stopped instantly by Litalia and Mariana.
“Stop right there, Mira-sama.”
“Hmpf, what now?”
“Surely, you are dressed in a robe now, but you still cannot go out like that.”
What Litalia meant was that the hem of that robe was dragging on the ground and its sleeves still covered Mira’s hands. In short, the size of that clothing was still a problem for the girl.
“Please stand still, Mira-sama. I will fix it really quick.”
To Mira, Litalia’s eyes seemed to show a suspicious gleam but, in the end, the aide’s hands didn’t leave a single opening for escape and captured her. What followed next was a scene where a joyful Litalia helped Mariana, who produced a great number of ribbons out of nowhere, to adjust the robe, rolling up its sleeves and raising the hem. Mira still tried to somehow oppose them, but ended up overwhelmed by their splendid coordination, her clothes finally decorated with the ribbons.
———–
“Now the only problem left is the underwear.”
“Exactly.”
Having roughly finished with the outside part of Mira’s clothing, the assistants remembered what happened earlier, when she came out of the room wearing nothing but the “Robe of the Celestial Maiden”[1]; they then pondered about what to use for undergarments since that one-piece, now under the remodeled robe, didn’t serve as a proper underwear. Upon hearing the only word she wanted to avoid at all costs, the girl who was treated as a dress-up doll felt a terrible chill run down her entire spine.
Although the robe Mira was wearing now covered her skin, it was just that; her current state could still be considered as being naked. She also didn’t remember ever wearing any kind of underwear since arriving in that world. So, to sum it up, Mira was currently both pantyless and braless.
Incidentally, there was no way that the two assistants would allow the girl in front of them to go out in that state. After considering her options for a bit, Mariana made up her mind about something.
“I know exactly what you can use. Please wait a minute, I’ll be right back.”
Stating that, she opened the bathroom’s door and entered the place where just yesterday night Mira had defiantly charged in. A few moments later, the maid came back with something in her hands. Even though the younger girl couldn’t identify what it was at glance, it looked like a garment made of white cloth. Still, for some reason, Mira felt she had seen something similar before.
“Well, this should be a proper fit. Now, come here, Mira-sama.”
In spite of being the one who asked the girl to move, Litalia ended up using her own hands to lift Mira without any effort; followed by that, the little girl was practically forced to wear the item Mariana had brought with her, receiving a simple “excuse me,” before the act. In the end, it was something Mira had no say at all.
When the girl finally looked at the underwear the maid put on her, she saw something that resembled short pants and remembered what it was. Called “bloomers”, they were a kind of underclothing often used in the Gothic Lolita fashion.
“Why… why was something like this inside my ro… err, inside my Master’s room…?”
The first thing that came into Mira’s mind were those questioning words that somehow escaped from her throat. Even though there existed, indeed, underwear equipments in the game, Dunbalf was never the kind of person who had the hobby of collecting women’s underclothing. Not only that, but Mira didn’t remember ever bringing that kind of thing to her room. Inside there she had, at most, a rainbow-colored loincloth that Dunbalf obtained from the River Climbing Festival.
“The bathroom here in Dunbalf-sama’s room is so big I can’t help but enjoy it.”
“Indeed, it is something splendid, but…”
“It’s my spare underwear.”
“Oh…. oh right…”
At that instant, Mira lost all her will to fight back and majestically hung her head in shame, having finally become a complete dress-up doll.
———–
The robe was now decorated with countless ribbons. Its hem was folded to make it look like a flared skirt and the sleeves, also enveloped in the same kind of ornament, were left in a moderately loose state.
At first glance, Mira could be easily mistaken for the likes of a magical girl; but the ones who accomplished such feat, Litalia and Mariana, simply nodded to each other, satisfied with the result. The young girl’s expression, however, was the complete inverse of the assistants, displaying over and over again a bitter smile.
“Well then, Mira-sama, shall we go?”
“The envoy outside is waiting.”
“Not while I am wearing these clothes.”
“We cannot make him wait any more.”
“Leave me out of that. You were the ones who decided on your own to do this with the robe.”
“That was because of the clothes you were wearing before.”
“Yes, but you did not have to go all the way with…”
Having found no way to win against those two, Mira gave up and brought her gaze down to the magical girl’s clothing she was wearing now; only to let out a splendid sigh as it didn’t fit her robe at all.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Leading the way, Litalia opened the door and there, outside, was the uniformed man standing in wait, exactly as when Mira first saw him. His cheeks, however, were somewhat red.
When the young girl left the Private Room, Mariana appeared behind her and calmly closed the door. On one hand, the man was surprised by the sudden change that Mira underwent, when her figure clad in a robe full of ribbons completely filled his view; on the other hand, the image of that same girl wearing nothing but a skin-colored one-piece resurfaced in his mind and made him remember what he felt at that time. Finally, being the first one to notice it, Mariana shoot him a glare that could even silence a dragon.
The man, who had been standing upright all the time, appeared to flinch a little from that gaze. Then, after slightly clearing his throat, he placed his right hand on his chest and bowed, in a sort of greeting. It was a style of salute used by the armed forces of the Kingdom of Arkite, but at the same time Mira’s expression became strangely stiff.
When Arkite was still in its early days and was about to fight its first war, everyone thought it would be a hopeless fight. However, the moment they triumphed, the victorious players’ mood was in perfect form and, together, they came up with that salute. In other words, it was something created in the heat of that moment.
Of course, as Mira clearly recalled, in the middle of the atmosphere and mood of the war, the scene of all soldiers doing the salute together was a sight to behold. But right now, when it was only one person doing it, Mira couldn’t help but give off a forced smile.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Garrett Astol, serving as the vice-leader of the Arkite Kingdom’s Mobile Infantry Force.”
“And I am Mira.”
“Dunbalf-sama’s apprentice, Mira-sama, right? I am here to bring a message from his Majesty, the King of Arkite.”
After Mira gave a short reply, Garrett continued without any change in his attitude.
“I have already instructed her on what the message was. Mira-sama has gladly accepted the invite for an audience with the King.”
While peering into the man’s face, who didn’t seem to want to lock eyes with her, Litalia spoke about his main objective.
“Oohh, is that so? Thank you very much. Well then, I have a carriage prepared in front of the tower, so let us leave without delay.”
Having finished saying that, Garrett’s expression revealed once again very small traces of seriousness. Then, as if trying to run away from there, he guided Mira to the front of the vehicle.
“Please take care on the way to the capital.”
“Mira-sama, if possible in the future, would you mind telling us about Dunbalf-sama?”
“Right, of course. I will make sure to do it the next time we meet, then.”
“Thank you so much. I will be waiting.”
“Good, see you later.”
Mira lightly waved her hand in a farewell to the two assistants and boarded the carriage, her mind now troubled by the need to create and expand a convincing story about Dunbalf’s disappearance.
TL: Names and Info
川上リ祭り – River Climbing Festival. To quote http://travel.kankou-gifu.jp/en/see-and-do/35/ : “…and ‘river climbing,’ a kind of mountaineering in which you follow a stream all the way to its mouth!”
ガレット・アストル – Garrett Astol
戦車団 – Mobile Infantry Force
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