Okay, waistband tightened. Get rid of any wrinklesand done. Tasianna, be sure to tighten the strap of the mantle, otherwise it will fall down, Saori ordered as she was ticulously 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 eting with the lord of these lands. As Colwyn, the chief of Carine village, promised 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 docunts, were essential for sobody 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 inford us how IDs were issued. Using a manatech called a [Crystal of the Divine System], guilds and governnt organizations would take a copy of your current profile, your status board, and print them onto a manatech card. Issuing shouldnt be a problem, as the fee isnt that high, but what was problematic were those crystals.
According to Master Kush, you couldnt lie to them. You couldnt 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 cant see it, but this doesnt apply to my other titles. [Otherworldly Reincarnator], [Bearer of Kargryxmors Blood], [Divine Inferno], [Princess], even my dragon abilities will be exposed by this.
Even if the guild were to keep quiet about it, others wouldnt. When we first t, Master Kush asked us to show him our IDs so he could see our status with his party bracelet. While it wasnt common, so Quest givers, like Colwyn, can ask you to show them your ID, and depending on your answer they could reject your employnt 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 docunt 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.
Thats why I needed to talk to Count Helvas. Special IDs used to hide a persons true status board existed, and we needed them. Only a few people knowing the truth was better than everybody. I can only hope this eting will be successful.
Whew, done! Let have a look at youoh 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 glimring eyes, she couldnt entirely hide her excitent. Tasianna, Tasianna, quickly! A mirror, conjure up your ice shield and let her look!
Tasianna also covered up her mouth, having the sa 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 wearing a dress, Wow. I exclaid before doing a twirl, fluttering my long dress hem like an umbrella. I wore dresses in my previous life, but never such anextravagant one.
It might have been fun to wear this for prom
Earths dieval dressing culture was richly docunted in books. Noblen and noblewon 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 Earths, 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 a more mature look. Dress for the occasion, Saori ntioned 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 . Now, with all the colors and added parts to complint 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. dieval tis 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 ntality off. Saori told 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, shouldnt 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 didnt 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 didnt 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 dont style my hair so it felt nice to have it prim and proper similar to Tasiannas.
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 didnt sleep for the past two days?! Saori, thats unhealthy! I called out her outrageous action, looking down at the dress she made for .
Now that I think about it, considering how elaborate the details were and how it was just blank two days ago, shouldnt 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 Colwyns. Seeing how the sun was slowly descending, the carriage Count Helvas would send for us should be coming soon. Dinner ti wont start anyti soon, but welcoming and greetings needed to be done before it.
As we walked to Colwyns, so villagers saw walking through the village. All of them gasped before assuming a prayer stance to bow, giving praise to Aurena before thanking for the sermon I gave this morning.
As today was Friday, which ant LightDay, it was ti 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 so dinner etiquette to get rid of so rust, but it seems the villagers had other plans.
Lorena and Ruld ca with their families, asking why I wasn't in the church area. Then Rita ca with her husband and two sons, giving Saori the sa response. Then Colwyn and Harriet ca, informing Saori how the villagers were complaining why is the priestess not here yet? and were wondering if I was sick or sothing. You dont know how much I wanted to shout, leave 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 dont 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 so older songs I made during my days in the Belzac forest and told them that was it. I anticipated so disapproval for the short and effortless event, but everybody just thanked .
Apparently, Carine village didnt receive priests often, so sermons were an uncommon event. Everybody wanted a mont to give their thanks to Aurena and ask her for her blessing, and while I was channeling my [Prayer] spell was considered the perfect ti to do so. The villagers seem to believe these monts were holy and the best ti for Aurena to hear their prayers. I guess thats why people call it [Prayer], huh?
While we were waiting at Colwyns house, the carriage eventually ca, 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 wasnt due to the carriage itself but cause of my tail.
dieval 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 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 ti, 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 ticulously.
While they were doing that, I suddenly noticed Saoris outfit has changed, Saori, didnt you say you didnt want a wardrobe change?
Saoris 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 she eventually noticed how monochro it was, admitting she didnt 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 tal gate after confirming the drivers identity. They seed pretty friendly with each other, so I wonder why they had to do that.
Hmm, it felt like I entered sothing. It feels warr 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 desne. As you would expect from a noble, the garden before his manor was filled with statues and well-maintained shrubbery flowerbeds, informing 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 so n sparring on a field a bit further away from the garden. The ones along the path also saluted us the mont 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 a clear contrast from the rich and the poor, delineating how different the worlds were for the two sides. From the door fra 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 ti 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 ti for to co out.
Colwyn, who was trained in this stuff, told Saori and Tasianna that a lady needed help to co 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 carriages stairs.
And just like that, I trusted Saori to help down by giving her my hand. Dont 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 mansions doors, a group of n in black suit and won in maid outfits stood in front of it. The man with the most decorated suit ca forward, a person I already knew. On this beautiful day of the Goddess, I welco you to Lord Count Helvas ho, 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 welcod us with a graceful bow, reintroducing himself like the perfect attendant he appeared.
Ok, ti 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 to his dignified ho on this wonderful day of Autumn. You have my trust, Mister Kiesmay. Please, guide inside.
Barathan widened his eyes for a mont before collecting himself, giving a short bow in acknowledgnt. He gave so quick commands to the maids and butlers before they dispersed and then began asking us to follow him. We were guided inside with in the front and Saori and Tasianna walking behind .
For a mont, I nearly stopped moving once I entered through the brilliant white wooden mansion doors, only continuing when Saori gave a gentle push forward. You are a noble lady right now, Hestia. Do not hesitate, Saori told through [Telepathy].
I understood what she ant, 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 the impression that these were manatechs from how similarly they functioned like Master Kushs ID.
My ho on Earth was simply an apartnt filled with wealth, but this was the real deal. A real noble owning an authentic dieval 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 , 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-morable bell sound, Head butler, Barathan Kiesmay, here with Lord Count Helvas guest, Lady Hestia Atsuko, and her retainers.
Her retainers, you know their nas, dude, I thought, but kept it to myself. Saori and Tasianna are my friends and party mbers, 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 mont 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 Barathans, 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 sobody 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 sowhere on their clothes.
I-I think our dresses look the sa, right? I dont need to be nervous, I think. Yeah, I look good, yeah, I thought as I compared the womans dress with mine.
[Hestia,] Saori suddenly called out to , bringing 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 a curtsy. May this eting 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 na is Hestia Atsuko and may the friendship we form today last long and strong.
The man I presud 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 by being about two heads taller.
Still showing a smile with his week-old beard, he pressed his right hand to his chest and gave 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 welco you to our ho and kingdom, he replied in a tone so regal it made 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 ti, gracing 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 hasnt been arduous, and I wish your stay with us will be one to be rembered.
Considering Colwyn must have inford them about , they should know we ca here through the Belzac forest.
Our eting must have been ordained by the Goddess, your Ladyship. My na is Jonathan Matthew Helvas, the only son and current heir of my father Lord Helvas. I thank the Goddess for our eting today and wish our bonds to stay true, the son of the pair, a tall and muscular young man, greeted 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 the seat, I sat down on the couch first while Saori and Tasianna stayed behind . With 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 , all while showing little to no emotions. Presents, to show my gratitude for being invited and for the beautiful gifts you sent , Lord Helvas. I inford him.
Hmm, I thank you very much, Lady Atsuko, he replied before inspecting everything before him with the eye of an experienced appraiser. This ispurple mana threads? Isnt purple? he exclaid before pouring mana into the cloth of mana threads, producing electricity from them. Astounding, lightning elent. 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 sll only freshly baked cake could have. Pastry? Hmm, it certainly looks and slls wonderful, thank you.
Compared to the pure excitent he showed when he saw the mana fabric, his response to the cake was lackluster. It seems he wasn't a cake person. Sha.
Hold on, dear. However, that wasnt the case for Countess Helvas, who pulled the box of cake to her side before appraising it. Lady Atsuko, may I ask if youve 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 so into this cake? she asked with eyes filled with anticipation and longing.
The cake was baked with yeast, yes. Its called fragassa pound cake, and I can attest to its taste. Would you like to taste it with , Lady Helvas? I replied with excitent for finding another cake lover.
Oh, I would love to, but dinnerti 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 excitent. This is a very rare occasion, and I thank you so very much for this opportunity. Would it be impertinent of 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 Englands, 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 confird that yeast was known by the nobility of Artorias, and I presu by rchants also. Rita, being a village baker, couldnt know it as it was considered a luxury product for so reason.
With this information, we now knew we could always sell so 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 questions like how I defeated the bandits, how my stay was in Carine village, and if I wanted to co 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 so info out of . I an, why wouldnt you ask who I was? Sure, there was the chance they could [Identify] on , but theres a low chance of them breaking through [Identity Blocker]. I wasnt using it either as it was considered rude. I also didnt know much about manatechs and, in the case there was sothing to tell you sobody used [Identify] on you, I would be found out. Cant risk it.
In the middle of our talks, sobody knocked on the door and inford Barathan about sothing. He ca 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 ti, Lady Atsuko, but let us continue this at the dinner table. I also think it is ti we talk about why you wished to speak with , yes?
Guess its ti, huh?
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