Volume 3 Chapter 9 The Noble Lady
While keeping a distance from the mysterious noble lady causing a commotion, I took Moruru's hand and called out to the clerk observing from a distance.
"Excuse me. I'm looking for some clothes that would suit this child."
"Oh, sure...! Children's clothing, right? Let me guide you, please come this way!"
Freed from the uncomfortable atmosphere, the clerk led me to a different area with a look that seemed to say so. There, rows of children's clothes were displayed.
"If it's for that young lady over there, I recommend the clothes in this area. She gives off a gentle and fluffy vibe, so these should suit her well...!"
"Thank you. Can I leave it all to you then? I ended up having to take care of her for some reason, but she doesn't have a single piece of clothing."
"...By the way, customer. Our store is a bit pricey..."
"My budget is around one or two big silver coins per piece."
"Excuse me. I'll help you choose."
Lately, I've been feeling uneasy when the store clerks worry about my expensive purchases. Maybe I should start wearing more expensive clothes. It's not like I think my cheap clothes cost tens of thousands of yen.
...But it's a hassle, so maybe next time. Toxy always looks stylish. I'll ask Toxy for advice.
The clerk swiftly selects clothes for Moruru and puts them in the basket. They're all high-quality clothes. Maybe Moruru's fashion show is coming up. Exciting.
"Well, here you go. Take your time~"
We are led to the fitting room.
"Moruru, can you change by yourself?"
"I can! I remember!"
"Moruru, you're really smart."
So Moruru goes in alone. After a few minutes, the fitting room curtain swishes open.
I applaud, "Wow~"
Moruru looked like a typical rich girl at first glance. She wore a white shirt with a black cardigan. Her outfit was perfectly normal.
She also had a collar that could easily be taken off, but she stubbornly kept it on. It seemed like the imbalance was reaching a dangerous level. She looked so good that it gave off a criminal vibe.
"Paapa, is Moruru cute?"
"You're super cute!"
"! Moruru is cute."
Moruru was in a very good mood. I hesitated for a moment and said,
"...If the collar bothers you, you can take it off, okay?"
"No!"
"Alright then... I guess it can't be helped."
After trying on a few things, everything looked cute on Moruru, and she seemed to like them, so we ended up buying everything.
One thing I noticed was that there were no adventurer outfits available. It seemed like the store only dealt with sturdy clothing.
But that could wait for another time. Today's goal was just a walk and getting clothes for everyday life.
So, we happily held hands and headed towards the counter to buy clothes.
"So! Why would this outfit suit me!?"
I realized that the still clueless young lady was getting agitated.
"..."
I tried to avoid the young lady in silence and complete the purchase. But then, Moruru looked at the young lady and said,
"Paapa, that girl, can she be quiet? ...She, more childish than Moruru. Pupu."
Being able to assert dominance over other kids on the first day of birth, that's some impressive intellect.
But still, she's just a kid. I reprimanded her.
"Moruru, stop comparing yourself to others, thinking you're better than them. It's not cool to put others down."
"Hmm, why?"
"Why? Well..."
I glanced at the young lady. Moruru followed my gaze.
There, the young lady, who keenly overheard Moruru's gossip, gave us a fierce look.
"Because it could lead to trouble."
"...But ugly!"
Moruru became a bit smarter again. However, it was already too late, as the young lady briskly walked up to Moruru and glared at her directly.
Looking at her again, she seemed petite, appearing to be around single-digit age. She was about the same height as Moruru. Dressed in glamorous and elegant clothes, she was a striking figure.
"Oh, do you have something to say? You were quite shabbily dressed when you entered the store, but you look much better now~desuwa. Is it a makeover for a horse-riding girl?"
"Horse-riding...? Moruru, is not. Paapa's daughter."
I shudder as Moruru starts using particles.
"But you didn't take off this collar, did you? Are you trying to say you've welcomed a good master as a sl*ve? If you're a substitute daughter, that's fine, but most sl*ves like you are just outlets for their master's base desires, aren't they?"
"What...?"
"Ah, I don't want to meddle in children's fights too much, but..."
I bend down and meet the gaze of the young lady.
"This child is not a sl*ve. I only let her wear this collar because she said she wanted to wear it after I said she could take it off. So, could you please not say mean things about her?"
"Oh, even though you're a commoner..."
The young lady looks at me and trails off in her words. When I tilt my head, she speaks.
"...I know you. You're Wade, the leader of the Wade Party."
"Huh, you know about me? I'm honored."
"Yes. You're now a well-off rookie adventurer rather than a poor noble, right? You hunted a Fire Dragon not too long ago."
"You know a lot."
"If you're even slightly sensitive to information in this fortress city, there's no one I wouldn't know. And that includes you."
The young lady looks at Moruru.
"You're not a sl*ve, right?"
"That's right! Because Paapa said so!"
"Hmm... What's your name?"
"Moruru!"
Moruru greets energetically.
"Yeah. I'm Ridge. Ridge of Noble Karditsa. I'm the eldest daughter of the Margrave Karditsa, who rules this fortress city~desuwa."
I widen my eyes. Is this kid a noble? Well, more like the top daughter of this fortress city. She's pretty much a princess.
"I think you're quite interesting. I apologize for the correction. You've bought nice clothes. And this collar suits you well~desuwa."
Smiling, Moruru is in high spirits as Ridge praises her, "Really!?"
"Yes, it's true~desuwa. If we can get along well, that's all that matters."
"Get along? Sure! Moruru and Ridge, friends!"
"Yes, yes. Let's get along well, shall we? Well then, Wade-sama. Moruru-sama. Until next time."
Ridge was in a much better mood now and said to the shopkeeper whom she yelled at, "I'll buy all the clothes you recommended earlier." "Thank you very much!" the shopkeeper replied, bowing deeply as if his head would touch the ground.
Suddenly, someone approached.
"I apologize for the rudeness of our young lady."
"Oh, um, it's fine."
The person had a look that was hard to tell if they were a boy or a girl. They had a middle parting with long bangs that covered their ears, with a strand of green mesh mixed in.
"I am the butler, Windy. Until we meet again."
He... or she? Looking quite ambiguous, the butler named Windy gave a slight bow and approached Reige.
"..."
Despite feeling something off, I finished buying the clothes. In the midst of it, I noticed.
"...Do the trial runes glow?"
Its faint light was almost unnoticeable. Yet, the trial runes were subtly asserting that a trial was coming for me.
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