“Oh my, did you just hear that? Did you hear it?”
“Yes, I heard it, so stop hitting me, you silly girl.”
“He said he’s going to help her change! The master himself! What should we do? Oh my! Oh, oh!”
“Hey, you’re drooling…”
Whisper, Whisper.
The maids were whispering and giggling, completely unaware that Aslan had already noticed them.
They took turns peeking through the cracks in the door and giggling.
He used to leave the task of changing clothes to us!
But now, is he getting greedy?
Is it getting harder for him to hide his desires?
“I thought you had a lot of patience, master. I guess you can’t hold it in any longer···!”
“I used to think the master had incredible self-control, but it seems like he can’t hold back any longer…”
“No, don’t jump to conclusions. The master may be a bit dark, but he’s not someone who would break his principles. He wouldn’t lay a hand on a child.”
“Then what is it…?”
“He wants to engrave the current Charlotte in his memory before she disappears into the passage of time!”
“…?”
The junior maid tilted her head in confusion at the cryptic words.
“Think about it. Raising and educating mischievous girls to become his bride, it’s somewhat romantic, but there’s a big trap hidden in there.”
“What is it?”
“It’s that the young bride from childhood will disappear into the passage of time, never to be seen again! The young master would regret it for the rest of his life! He’d think, ‘I should’ve tried more things when she was still young!’”
“Ah…!”
The junior maid’s eyes widened, as if she’d never considered such a thought before.
“It’s called making memories! If you wait patiently like a gentleman for the bride to grow up, you’ll definitely regret it. There’s no shortage of things you should do before the young bride matures!”
“Th-that’s true. Once time passes, it never comes back…”
“From now on, the young master will cover his eyes with a blindfold, rely on Charlotte’s whispers, and as he helps her change clothes, he’ll pretend to make mistakes… Hehehe.”
“Senior, you’re drooling.”
A clothing change event!
Isn’t this a must-have event?
Teaching children unfamiliar with the complex attire of nobility, and sneaking in some subtle skinship!
Yes, it would be a waste to leave all of this to the maids.
He’d definitely regret it later and curse himself.
The master sure knows what he’s doing!
As the maids squealed and fussed, excitedly imagining the scenario…
“Here it is! My armor! Isn’t it cool?”
“Ah.”
“Ah.”
Charlotte returned, proudly holding a bag with her armor inside, and the maids’ expressions turned stiff.
…What? It was about armor?
“Let’s get back to work.”
“Yeah, we’ve still got dishes to wash.”
Ugh, they missed it.
The maids clicked their tongues and turned away.
***
“What’s wrong, Mister?”
“…”
I’m baffled.
She said it was armor.
So naturally, I imagined something shiny and metallic.
But what Charlotte pulled out of her large bag was nothing like that at all.
“It’s thinner than I expected.”
“It’s the kind of armor you can wear all day, like clothes! So it’s really thin and easy to move in!”
“…”
Flutter.
I took the ‘armor’ Charlotte handed me and felt it in my hands.
It’s light, stretchy, and barely deforms no matter how much I pull on it.
At first glance, it doesn’t look any different from regular clothes.
But when I slammed my fist into it, it suddenly hardened, confirming its function as armor.
‘It’s really no different from clothes.’
A form-fitting, stretchy armor.
The craftsmanship is impressive.
Considering there are people who coat their swords with mana and strike, or wrap their swords in aura and slash, the armor-making skills have to be just as advanced.
“Just looking at it, I have no idea how to put it on. There aren’t any buttons on the front…”
“It’s designed so someone has to tie it up from the back. I’ll help you.”
“Uh-huh. Thanks!”
Whirl.
Charlotte turned around, and with a swift motion, removed the outer garment she was wearing.
Now in just a thin shirt, she turned her back to me.
Then, plop.
She handed me something onto my palm.
“Could you tie up my hair?”
“…”
I wondered what it was, and it was a hair tie.
It’s been a while since I last tied a girl’s hair.
I carefully gathered her hair into my hands, and the silky-smooth strands felt pleasant.
As I swept her hair back, Charlotte’s nape was revealed.
There were tiny beads of sweat on her skin, perhaps from running over here.
I secretly wiped them off with my finger and then tied her hair into a ponytail.
“Wouldn’t it be better if you wore it like this all the time? It seems more convenient.”
“Hmm. Do you think it looks better tied or untied, Mister?”
“…”
A difficult question.
“Both look good, but I think tying it suits this armor more.”
“Then I’ll tie it whenever I wear this!”
Ponytail Charlotte.
She swayed her hair side to side in excitement, looking so cute that it was hard to resist the urge to grab it and pull her back.
After tying her hair, we started fitting the armor in earnest.
Since it’s armor meant for everyday wear, the process wasn’t too complicated.
I wrapped it around her torso and chest, then secured it tightly from the back with a string.
“Should I tie it tighter?”
“Yes!”
“Ugh…”
“Hngh!? You’re pulling too tight! It’s too tight… I can’t breathe…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ yells at you to ease up, worried that our dark knight’s ribs might break!]
…There’s no way I could break her ribs with my strength.
Anyway, once the string is tightened to the right fit and tied off, the armor is on.
Now that I think about it, the armor looks a lot like a corset.
“There. All done.”
“How do I look, Mister? Do I look pretty?”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is beaming with a big smile, saying it looks so very pretty.]
“You look beautiful. It suits you well.”
“Hehehe!”
Whirl.
With a quick spin, Charlotte turned around to show me her front, smiling shyly.
For a moment, I wondered why it mattered if armor was pretty or not, but I kept that thought to myself. If she’s cute, that’s all that matters.
“Wow! It’s really comfortable! It feels like I’m not even wearing anything! Is it really protective? Mister, want to punch me in the stomach and see?”
“…I’ll pass.”
“Aww, why not?”
Charlotte stuck out her stomach playfully, her face full of innocence.
I turned my head away, avoiding her gaze.
Even though I knew that even if I punched with all my might, she wouldn’t feel a thing through the armor, I still felt uncomfortable about it.
An adult punching a kid in the stomach?
No way. I cut that idea off before it could take root.
“I feel like a real knight now!”
“Not yet. Having great talent, a fine sword, and excellent armor doesn’t make you a knight. You can only call yourself a knight when you’ve also cultivated the right mindset.”
“Wow! The Knight Sister said the exact same thing!”
“…”
Of course.
That was to be expected.
After all, I just repeated what Sylvia said in the game. Still, it was good to see Charlotte seemed to understand.
“Don’t worry! I’ve been memorizing that knight code or whatever it’s called! You have to value life, you shouldn’t enjoy showing off your strength… umm, what else was there? Anyway, there’s a lot!”
Charlotte was just excited, not showing off because of her fancy sword or pretty armor.
It seems Sylvia is doing a good job not only with sword training but with her education as well.
That’s a relief.
“Now that you’re all dressed, you should go check on Julia. She was really scared earlier after seeing that ghost, so try to keep her company if you can.”
“Hm…”
At the mention of Julia, Charlotte’s expression fell, and she slowly slunk behind me.
Then, with a little hop, she climbed onto my back, resting her chin on my shoulder.
“Mister, are you really busy? Will going out be helping you?”
“…”
I still have a lot to do.
There are books that need organizing.
Plenty of work to catch up on.
But…
“How about a little break? Want to give me a massage?”
“Where’s that massage coupon…”
Who could say no to a massage? I decided to take a bit of time off.
Charlotte’s face brightened, and she gave a wide smile.
“Where does it hurt? Where should I start the massage?”
“My back hurts, my shoulders hurt, my calves hurt, my neck hurts…”
It might be easier to list the places that don’t hurt.
“That’s basically your whole body! You work out every morning, so why are you like this?”
“…Good question.”
I sighed deeply.
My body was always so frail, and when I took over, I realized I needed to make some serious changes.
So I forced myself to go out in the sun, despite the stinging sensation on my skin.
I did strength training without rest.
I also made sure to eat regularly.
I’ve been living a healthy, disciplined life for three months now.
While I’ve gained a bit of muscle, the changes are minimal compared to the effort I’ve put in.
Maybe it’s just how my body is naturally.
At this point, I’m almost ready to give up.
“Looks like I’ll be giving you a full-body massage at this rate.”
“In that case, forget the rest. Just focus on my face.”
“Why? Is it because you look too scary? Should I smooth it out for you?”
“…No, my facial muscles are just tired.”
“Hehe! If that’s the case, leave it to me!”
Charlotte examined my face with a serious expression.
Is my face really that scary?
If a massage could fix this stern look, that would be nice.
“Hehe! Leave it to me then!”
Charlotte rolled up her sleeves and eagerly got ready.
I lay down on the sofa and closed my eyes.
Can Charlotte really handle this? She needs to be careful; it’s my face we’re talking about.
What if she messes up? I started worrying.
I heard the sound of something being taken off next to me.
Charlotte seemed to have finished her preparations and hopped onto the sofa.
“Ready to start?”
“Go ahead.”
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“Stop asking and just start.”
“Really?”
“…”
Charlotte’s hesitant voice made me open my eyes.
Something felt strange.
“Take that!”
“…?”
Charlotte’s small foot was now planted squarely on my face.
