落とし穴７９堀：家を守る者 (Part2)
Hiiro is a magic, staff, and melee-type fighter, so her dress armor covers even less of her body than Vilia’s. Since she isn’t a vanguard, we prioritized ease of movement. However, for some reason, she requested a large shield, so I prepared a tower shield for her.
I suspect she wants it to compensate for her lack of weight. Because she uses magic to enhance her physical capabilities, she can wield a large shield with ease—a real feat of skill. Naturally, both her buckler and tower shield are equipped with multi-layered barrier deployment and omnidirectional defense.
Furthermore, thanks to the special alloy fibers, they also function as magic amplifiers, allowing her to unleash magical attacks from the shields themselves, with the power scaling based on the surface area of the shield used. Well, the higher the firepower, the worse the fuel efficiency, and it’s hard to control. I’ve installed a core to store mana so she can fire them off, at least.
"Hmm, hmm... It doesn't look like there are any misalignments, but do the two of you feel any discomfort wearing them?"
"Nope. It fits perfectly. Actually, it feels like my body is lighter somehow."
"Yeah. Hiiro feels stronger wearing this armor. It’s like I’m constantly under a physical enhancement spell."
"Ah—that’s exactly right. It has that kind of enchantment. You could call it physical enhancement, but it’s a different category from the standard stuff."
"Enchantments are supposed to be super expensive, right!? Are we really allowed to wear something so valuable?"
"I heard Hiiro’s allowance wouldn't even cover a fraction of it... Does this mean no more allowance for us?"
At the mention of "enchantment," both of their faces turned pale. It seemed strange to me at first, but I suppose that, on the surface, enchanted items are still considered incredibly expensive. Since I’ve been making all sorts of things alongside Brother, Sister Narjia, Brother Zargis, and Sister Comet, it just feels like the norm to me.
"It’s okay. Both Vilia and Hiiro are knights who protect Brother. This much is nothing. Of course, Brother is paying for it, so don't worry about the cost. As the creator, I’m just happy if you treat them with care."
"Understood!! As Brother’s knight, I will do my best!!"
"Yeah. Hiiro will do her best, too!!"
"But, since we’ll be using the armor, we might not be able to keep it in perfect condition..."
"Ah, what I mean is that you should maintain it properly and bring it to me or Sister Narjia if there are any issues. If you can repair it yourselves, that’s fine too, but treating it with care means talking to the creator and working together to make it even better."
"Understood. If anything happens, I’ll be sure to rely on Firia."
"Got it. Hiiro will treat it with care."
Just as we were finishing the adjustments, a scream echoed from the room in the back.
"I-I’ve never heard of enchanted equipment like this before!?"
"That’s because it’s my hobby to tinker with things. Make sure to tell me how it feels to use later, okay?"
Ah, Sister Narjia must be the one handling Dressa’s equipment. She definitely packed it with all sorts of spur-of-the-moment ideas. To be honest, the claim that Brother is footing the bill is a bit of a lie. In reality, this is Sister Narjia’s "Spur-of-the-Moment Weapon Trial Marathon." Or, in other words, human experimentation.
"You don't actually use a self-destruct device, do you!?"
"You never know when you might need it! Try using it later, okay?"
"I won't use it!?"
She must have gotten that idea from a manga. Brother had already told her that a self-destruction mechanism wasn't necessary since a self-demolition feature was sufficient, but it seems she couldn't stop herself.
"It’s fine. To prevent it from being captured, it will self-destruct completely, and the magical overload of all the equipment will cause a meltdown-like effect that will erase everything within a 100-meter radius."
"That is not 'fine' at all!?"
...I’ll have to report this to Brother later. Sister Narjia has made another outrageous weapon.
"Um, Firia..."
"Is that stuff on ours, too?"
"Please, rest assured. It isn't. But you do need to be careful with any equipment you receive from Sister Narjia. Make sure to read the manual on how to use it and ask her about it directly."
When Firia said that, the two of them nodded their heads vigorously. Just then, a message arrived via call.
*“Firia-chan. Could you also get some potato chips?”*
*“I’d like some sweet potato sticks.”*
*“Could you get some chocolate? My room’s stock is gone. Please get a whole bag.”*
It was a request for additional shopping from Aslin, Labyris, and Shera. Firia immediately sent back an "OK."
"Alright, the adjustments are good. Now, let’s go shopping for dinner. Today is hamburger steak!!"
"Yay!! Hamburger steak!!"
"Hey, Hiiro, you have to help make it, too. *Sigh*, well, it’s getting late, so let’s go quickly. The people who came for dinner shopping will crowd the place."
With that, Firia and the others headed out to shop for dinner.
"Hey—!? Don't leave me behind—!!"
"Hey, why don't you try using this 'Ship-Slicing Sword'?"
"I’m a one-handed sword user—!?"
Dressa, hang in there.
Man, my cold is finally starting to clear up. It’s the worst when a cold ruins your time off. And so, Vilia and the others' equipment continued to evolve into something from the day after tomorrow.