Chapter 177: Clothes For The Children

Even the tailors in the capital had greatly varying reputations. The ones who were secretly well-reputed among the nobility did not accept wandering customers. Although of course, it could work out somehow by using the name of the Dark Knights. To begin with, simply sifting out the good from the bad tailors involved doing work. It wasn’t uncommon for rural nobles or expedition corps members to wear laughable clothes to their first debut in society.

I bit down hard on my molars, forcing on a smile as I said, “If I showed up to the banquet looking plain, that would be a dishonor to you, yes? And if the special unit showed up looking plain, it would be a dishonor to me, their leader…”

“Wait, Jun Karentia.”

“But, well… If you say so, Captain. Although I do slightly worry about what kind of formal dress they’ll have made… Well, I’m sure they’ll do fine on their own since the capital tailors are skilled too. Right?”

I finished with a bright smile, and Mayer heaved a sigh. Clearly, he didn’t want to take care of the others in the special unit too. He seemed to think I’d oppose him if he didn’t, though, so he gave up quickly. “Fine, fine. I shall send someone to their side once your dress is fitted.”

Mayer raised both hands in a gesture of defeat, and only then could I wipe away the forced mirth. I put on a sincerely happy smile at his show of consideration. “Thank you, Captain! Um, Bellonet? You can come in now! We’re done talking!”

* * *

Each expedition corps member was given a small room to themselves, regardless of where they hailed from. These rooms were originally used by the local nobles who wished to find favor with the emperor. Ever since imperial power was jeopardized by the advent of the demon lord, no aristocrat bothered to stay in such uncomfortable small accommodations to enter the ruler’s good graces.

The emperor made no effort to keep those nobles by his side. Instead, he staked the imperial throne to win over the expedition corps, who were the emerging powers. Had he tried to cling to his status, then he would have been dragged down by the hands of the Champion who would someday open a new era. By letting go of his crown, he managed to obtain a comfortable retirement as well as an honorable end to the imperial family line.

Putting all that into account, I had to admit that the emperor was an incredibly resourceful one. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded to pull out as he did. Maybe it was because he had no heir, but the timing of his action was simply amazing.

The rooms of the Dark Knights were a little bigger and better than that of the others. Mayer’s room, in particular, was comparable to the emperor’s. Clearly, the old monarch had given him extra care. As for yours truly, I got a good room myself, an old-fashioned one with a reception area and a good view outside.

The kids returned with flushed faces after going around the capital with Vegan. I called them to my room. When I explained that the imperial court tailor would be fitting their formal dress, they beamed with joy.

“Really? When do we go to get ours fitted?”

“Right now.”

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“Right now? It’s so late, though.”

“There’s not much time till the performance report meeting banquet, after all.” With that said, I clapped, cueing imperial court tailor Bellonet, who had been waiting outside. She immediately rushed into the reception area with her apprentices. Her helpers dragged along a cart made of acacia wood, which was lined with colorful fabrics.

As formal dresses for men were less labor-intensive, Sevi and Nova got theirs done first.

I had thought the two boys, being like their usual selves, would noisily try grabbing my attention. Instead, they merely whispered with Bellonet while shooting glances my way over the partition separating us. Clearly, they were up to something. Meanwhile, Julietta was entranced by the fabrics in the cart. She murmured, “It’ll be my first time wearing clothes made of this kind of fabric.”

Putting aside Sevi and Nova who were of common birth, I was sure Julietta would have worn many dresses. I cast her a quizzical look, but she only stared at the luster of the smooth fabric in a daze. It seemed as if the girl thought she shouldn’t be allowed to lay even a finger on them. Unable to bear seeing her like that, I urged, “You can try touching them.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded, but Julietta was hesitant. She mumbled as if to herself, “I’ve been strong ever since I was young… I wasn’t allowed to wear clothes made of good fabric because it’d be a waste if I ripped them. I always wore cotton… or similar things.”

Not even low-grade silk, but cotton?

A cotton dress was something I had barely managed to afford as a commoner after stepping foot into the world of nobility. It wasn’t something to be worn by an ordinary noble’s daughter. I didn’t hear that Julietta’s noble house was in such poor financial straits. In fact, from what I was told, they were likely to attend the upcoming performance report meeting banquet.

But, after Julietta’s next words, I could just tell what the situation was.

“Clothes like these were always for my big brother.”

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