Chapter 82. The Hero's Day Off
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"Wow~ Just as I expected, it suits you perfectly!"
Even though saying this would make the girl in the dress shyly hide her face in her hat, Reines couldn't resist giving a thumbs-up. In fact, seeing the girl blush was one of her goals.
"No... I can't! My face... my face is fully exposed," Gray clung to the curtain, refusing to come out.
"Don't worry! This dressing room..." Reines glanced at Cyd and the tall, mature version of Medusa, who were standing by with their arms crossed. "It's just us! Come out and show it off~"
"Ugh..."
Gray had no intention of coming out; in fact, she looked ready to stay inside forever.
Originally, she thought Reines only wanted to go shopping, but who would have guessed that Reines would spend the entire time making her try on different outfits? Gray even felt like she was being treated as Reines's doll.
"Well, as they say, clothes make the man—or in this case, the country girl—uh... wait, wait! Ugh!"
Add's usual sharp and piercing comments almost snapped the fragile thread of Gray's composure, already frayed by embarrassment.
Watching the chaos in the changing room, Cyd rubbed his temples in exasperation. "I think I'll leave."
"Oh, I was hoping you'd help Gray get over her shyness. Maybe I'll have my brother try next time?" Reines teased, smirking as she called out to the changing room, "Or maybe I should call him right now! I'll make the call~"
"Master! Absolutely not! My clothes—my clothes are gone!"
Even through the curtain, Cyd could imagine Gray's frantic state.
"Give it up, Gray," Reines said, shaking the bag in her hand. "No way I'm letting you wear these boring old clothes again~"
"That's so unfair!" Gray poked her head out of the curtain, looking pitifully at Reines. "Please... give me back my clothes."
"Well~ Can you grant me a tiny little request first?" Reines snapped her fingers, and a silver maid brought over another set of clothes.
"Okay..." Gray trembled, pulling her face back behind the curtain.
"Then~"
Reines licked her lips and pulled out a backless evening gown.
"Let's try this one first!"
"It's... it's too revealing!"
Yes, she was really about to cry.
Cyd nodded.
Seeing Gray looking so pitiful, anyone would feel sympathetic. But unfortunately...
"Then you can go home wearing that off-the-shoulder one."
Reines was a devil.
"Wahh..." Gray pitifully looked at Cyd, hoping he would stop Reines from treating her like a doll.
"Hmm..."
Cyd tilted his head in thought, and a flash of light crossed his forehead.
Now he understood! Why did it take him this long to realize that Gray, who was such a shy child, was really just...!
"I got it!" Cyd gave a thumbs-up. "I'll leave right away, so you don't have to worry about me being here!"
With that, he pulled Medusa away, leaving only Reines and Gray behind.
"How could you..." Gray slumped to the floor, clutching the curtain.
All hope was lost...
"Alright, Gray~ Let's keep going!"
A shadow loomed over Gray as Reines grinned wickedly, handing her the backless evening gown.
"We have plenty of time~"
"Wahhh..."
Today, Gray finally understood why Lord El-Melloi II always looked like he had a stomachache whenever he saw Reines.
"Do you think Gray will be okay?" Cyd absentmindedly spooned his chocolate parfait, eating it slowly. "It seems like that little princess just wants to boost her confidence."
"Is that so?" Medusa wiped some chocolate from the corner of Cyd's mouth with a napkin. "She reminds me a bit of my sisters."
Kindness mixed with a touch of personal amusement.
"Is that so?" Cyd stroked his chin. "Weren't those two female devils just bullying you?"
"My sisters... always hid their kindness deeply," Medusa hesitated, then, seeing Cyd's playful expression, pouted. "Isn't Reines just using Gray for her own amusement?"
"That's... huh?" Cyd put down his parfait, his expression growing serious. "The hero is on vacation today."
This was one of the largest department stores in London. While it wasn't as noisy as a market, there were still plenty of people around. But now, there was no one.
The only sound was Cyd's finger tapping rhythmically on his glass.
"An... alternate space? I'm allergic to these things now," Cyd rubbed his neck. After finally escaping from a world where even the concept of time didn't exist, he was now being thrown into another space...
It was extremely uncomfortable!
"A probe? Or an attack?" Medusa stood up, her form beginning to shift and grow. Her smooth purple hair began to flutter as if alive. Having often been attacked by magi, she knew this was a technique meant to isolate the target.
Then, they would be killed in the alternate space...
"Killing intent? None," Cyd stretched lazily. "Did the security system malfunction? Whatever, let's dismantle it. They won't have any complaints about us taking it down."
As he spoke, Cyd pulled out a compass from his pocket. After spinning around once, the needle pointed towards the elevator.
"Gotcha~"
Cyd cracked his knuckles, and black scales began to spill from his scarf, completely covering his right hand.
Medusa, after glancing around, slipped into Cyd's shadow.
"Ding----"
The elevator doors slowly opened, and Cyd stepped in, holding the compass.
"First floor? No, it's underground?" Cyd raised an eyebrow as he looked at the compass, its needle still spinning.
The destination had arrived, but...
Cyd turned the compass upright, just as he suspected, the needle pointed straight down.
"Interesting~"
"Ding----"
The door slowly opened, and Cyd, hands in his pockets, leisurely surveyed this... extravagant space.
"Too luxurious," Medusa commented.
"It feels like any piece here could let an ordinary person live comfortably for a lifetime," Cyd glanced around before focusing on the most luxurious item in the center... a statue.
Just the emerald on its stomach, larger than his face, could allow a family to live lavishly for generations, yet here it was, merely one of the tools sustaining the magic... just one of many.
"This kind of magic isn't something ordinary people can afford," Cyd stepped forward. "Anyway, let's dismantle it first."
Without warning, the four pillars surrounding the luxurious statue emitted a dazzling light, and numerous mannequins emerged from them.
"A defense system?" Cyd raised an eyebrow and lifted his right hand. "All gold and shiny, flashy but useless."
With that, countless spikes made of scales shot out from his right arm, precisely piercing each mannequin's head.
"All done."
However, Cyd failed to notice that the elevator behind him was slowly reopening.
New intruders had arrived.
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