Chapter 24: The Tailor

The warm rays of the morning sun filtered through the wooden shutters of the inn’s modest room, casting golden streaks across the walls and floor. The gentle light broke through in narrow slits, painting the space with shifting patterns as the breeze nudged against the shutters. 

It stirred Meisatsu up from his slumber...

“Another day…” he sighed, stretching his limbs wide across the bed until his joints cracked with a satisfying pop. “Time to go find a Tailor.”

A second sigh escaped his lips—this one heavier than the first. His thoughts drifted back to the previous night, when he and Ayame had been arranging their lodging…

The female innkeeper behind the counter had asked them what kind of room they’d like, presenting two options with a courteous smile—individual or shared.

Ayame squirmed at the latter option, obviously scheming something. What she didn’t realize was that her expression alone was enough to make anyone misjudge her relationship with Meisatsu.

And, as if in on the plot, the inn keeper with sly smile began explaining the "benefits" of a shared room—how they had cheaper rates, and, of course, how popular  they were among couples...

Waaaaaaaaaait!!! 

With some quick thinking, Meisatsu quickly flipped the script by casually addressing Ayame as “sis” while tossing a question back at the innkeeper.

The switch was instant. The innkeeper immediately dropped the couple act and began strongly recommending individual rooms instead—a shocking turn of events to Ayame, who had been so sure she was on her side...

After meeting up with Ayame—already prepared and ready to go—in the inn’s downstairs lobby,the pair shared a quick breakfast, ten coppers each.

On their way through the streets, they asked several people if there was a tailor who could use magic, but all the answers came up negative. Until…

“Sure, I know one.” A beastperson replied to Ayame without looking up. His attention fixed on the glowing rectangular object in his hand.

A pair of dog ears twitched atop his head, perfectly spaced, while a fluffy brown tail swayed casually behind him.

That thing in his hand kinda looks like a pho… Meisatsu suddenly heard his sister's voice

“Satsu, come on! Let’s go!” She called out to him, already hurrying in the directions she'd been given.

“Welcome!” came a greeting as they stepped inside. A man, who looked like he was in his late thirties, wore a plain grey shirt that had a visually wool-like texture.

“I’d like some magic clothes.” Meisatsu said, phrasing it the best way he could. “You can use magic right?”

His eyes skimmed around the shop as he asked, observing the rows of ordinary-looking clothes.

“Sure can! I am a Level 35 Tailor!” The man replied, flashing a wide smile. “Looking for something to boost your magic? Or maybe, something that'll protect you from attacks?”

The Tailor’s eyes caught the glint of Meisatsu’s pendant, figuring out that he was an Explorer. “I could even seal it into that pendant of yours.”

“Seal it?” Meisatsu echoed, startled.

“Some Explorers ask us Tailors to bind their quest gear into their pendants." the man explained smoothly. “That way, they’ve got different outfits for different occasions.”

Ayame, meanwhile, had wandered over to a nearby rack, picking up a shirt that caught her eye. I wonder if this would look good on Satsu...?

“But nothing here’s really my style,” Meisatsu complained.

“Then tell me what you'd like!” Rubbing his hands greedily together, the tailor now had his full attention on Meisatsu. I could charge him extra for this!

The inner otaku lying dormant within Meisatsu had awoken.

“Okay! First—it has to be black!” He then paused dramatically, waiting for the tailor’s response.

“Anything else…?” the man asked with an awkward smile.

“It should also have some red mixed in too. On the chest, two red lines should cross like a big X! Oh! And add a cape. Yup, definitely a cape.” Meisatsu nodded firmly on the idea.

“Why...a cape...?”

Cuz it’s cool! Meisatsu almost blurted out, but instead, pulled his Glock out and said, “For cover. I can use it to aim without my enemies knowing!”

A young boy with a black stick… Could he be!

With a wavering voice, the Tailor asked, “You’re not the hero by any chance, are you?!”

“So you’ve heard? Yes I am!” A proud smirk formed on Meisatsu’s lips.

“The Hero of legend?! In my shop?!” The tailor clutched his clean shaven head, shaking with excitement. “What an honor!”

Ayame simply giggled of to the side. Everyone knows of Satsu’s greatness.

“I know just the thing! I'll have it ready by tomorrow!” The tailor then reached for Meisatsu's neck “I may need to borrow your pendant if I'm to seal it inside. Will that be alright?”

“No problem!” Meisatsu slipped it off and handed it over. And recalling the incident with Elena yesterday, he cautiously asked, “That’ll be…?”

“Three gold and two silvers,” the tailor answered calmly.

A choke sounded in the background—from Ayame. “So cheap? Are we at the right place?”

“I hold a deep respect for the Heroes who are destined to fight the Demon King. A being so terrifying, the mere thought of him could make a grown man cry.”

He’s that scary? Maybe I’m not cut out for—

“But the Heroes… they’re willing to risk their lives against someone who could wipe out entire nations on a whim?”

Uhhhhh… To be fair, I just wanted to shoot guns…

“I find such self-sacrifice deeply moving.” He clutched at his chest where his heart would be, and his eyes teared up. “Thank you…”

Ayame nodded along happily,though she immediately stopped when he mentioned one thing in particular...

Self-Sacrifice.

✦✦✦

After exiting the shop, both siblings decided on doing some sight-seeing around the city. As they walked Meisatsu saw a few Magi-Mobiles in action.

It turned out they came in all sorts of other forms, like pickup trucks, and ordinary cars that weren’t flashy but still had a certain charm.

They beeped their—magical?—horns, moving the pedestrians out of their way.

The silence lingered between the two as they walked, but Meisatsu broke with a question.

“I forgot to ask. While I was off with Umare on that quest, you also took one too, right? How was it?”

The reminder the he had gone with Umare instead of her caused her to curl inward for a moment, before she put on a wry smile before responding, “It was super tough. We into this weird goblin. It was buff!”

“What?!!”

Ayame’s mind wandered back to that quest.

Their team that Akane—the Guild's receptionist— had put together, had gone to inspect a small settlement, unshielded by the trees of the Melodious Scales Forest.

Nothing but open space separated it from the barrier.

“What? A monster has been killing your sheep?” A young man called Andrei Arakawa lead the team. Being a mid-level Explorer, he was more than fit enough for the job.

“Yes. The darn thing eats them before we even see it…” croaked an elderly woman, resting her hands on the shoulders of a small boy—no more than nine—standing in front of her. “My grandson here’s the only one who’s seen it.”

With a soft, gentle smile, Andrei asked the boy, “Could you tell me what kind of monster you saw?”

The boy whimpered, “A g-goblin…”

Murmurs rippled through the six team members—seven if you counted Ayame, who simply watched from a short distance.

He clung to his grandmother’s leg, shivering.

“Don’t worry. We’re here to handle it,” Andrei said, reassuringly rubbing the boy’s arm. “Let’s go find this goblin!”

The group members shouted a small battle cry in unison. “Yeah!”

Based on reports from the locals, the attacks targeted only livestock. One moment, a goat or sheep would be grazing. The next—it would vanish.

Akane had informed them that the Guild’s desk suggested, from the monster’s proportions, that it could be a goblin—but its movements and anatomy did not match the usual patterns.

“Nooooo!” The cries of a man rang sharply in the air as the team made a beeline for the source.

At the scene, a man had stumbled to the ground, shaking with fear. A greenish figure viciously tore into one of the goats in his field.

Its toned, green body tore at the limbs and flesh of the animal, splattering blood everywhere.

“That can’t be right…” Andrei muttered in disbelief, watching the horrific scene before him. Having faced his fair share of battles with monsters, he had amassed a wealth of experience—but this was unlike anything he had seen.

He knew…

This was no ordinary goblin. Abnormal wouldn’t even begin to describe it.

Goblins were known for scrawny, frail bodies and reliance on primitive weapons. The one before them, however, had well-defined muscles, taut and bursting with explosive power.

And for a creature that should have lacked hair, this one had a sharp, angled strand of golden hair atop its head—like a little lightning bolt.

Acting on reflex, Andrei reached for the katana at his side, faster than any of the other team members could react. His wavy beige hair swished as he moved.

But the goblin was faster.

“Gwaaaar!” The last sound Andrei heard before the burly, clawed arm of the goblin was about to sever his head clean off...

It had closed the distance between them in an instant.

BOOM!

A tall pillar of red fire erupted from below, catching the goblin mid-strike and nearly grazing the mortified Explorer’s face. The crotch of his brown trousers was drenched, and a sharp, acrid smell filled the air as he slumped to the ground.

“I-I almost died… I should have died!” he stammered, clutching his neck.

Ayame stepped over to the partly singed goblin corpse, her expression grim. Being this close to death was far beyond what Andrei had imagined.

“This is way more than unusual…” she thought as her eyes narrowed, watching the remaining team members struggle to carry the body back, while others rushed to comfort Andrei.

“When we brought the body back to the Guild, Akane totally flipped! She said it was a national emergency.” Rubbing her temples, Ayame sighed. “All I can say is, national emergency or not, you always have me, Satsu.”

“I’ve known that since forever.” He steps slowed, then came to a steady halt. “ And I’ll always have your back, Ayame.”

Meisatsu’s hand rested over the pocket holding his gun. As long as I have this, it’ll all work out.

Far away, in a castle planted firmly at the center of Asturia, a king sat upon a grand, ornate throne of silver. Tall glass windows arched along the hall, letting in a few streams of sunlight that illuminated select areas while casting the rest into shadow. 

Before the throne knelt the apprehended Gaspard and his son Akira, along with Pierre. Soldiers had positioned them at the center of the hall, ensuring they were fully within the light, avoiding the other half in looming shadow.

Only half the throne was in the light, showing two dainty legs that dangled above the floor.

From that shadow, a glint of silver flashed—the king’s crown, crafted entirely from the finest polished silver, caught the sunlight and reflected it in sharp, dazzling angles.

“Your Majesty, please pass judgment upon them,” a young man implored, standing beside the throne. Though physically barely over twenty, his poised gait and composed demeanor made him seem far older.

His hair, a darkish-red, was combed back with meticulous care. Not a single strand strayed. He wore ceremonial regalia adorned with silver tassels that shimmered faintly as he shifted. Each movement was controlled and precise.

He stepped closer to the shadowy figure on the throne. “You can’t keep—!”

A hand suddenly jutted into the light, waving them off. That was the silent signal to have the prisoners removed.

“Again…? Why won’t you just judge them already?!”

“Conrad, I’ll do that when I’m ready,” came the measured response from the throne.

Conrad quickly bowed with his posture rigid, excusing himself before stepping back into the shadows of the hall.

The king rested an elbow on the arm of the throne, the other hand catching the faint glow from the windows. A pair of emerald eyes, caught a sliver of light. “Sorry… I lied,” he murmured, almost to himself.