Chapter 71: mira, help
Middle Fire Month, 27th Day, 600 AGG
"Mngh," Draudillon groaned and blearily blinked the sunlight out of her eyes. Despite staying up so late, a glance at the clock informed her that it was still fairly early.
She attempted to roll over only to find a pair of pale, delicate arms preventing her from doing so.
Tender. Warm. And the faint fragrance of blossoming lilies.
"Ah," she was struck dumb upon coming face to face with Yuriko's closed eyes. Memories of last night flooded in, a powerful deluge that brought her mind to a stuttering halt.
For her, love wasn't a passionate blaze that consumed all reason, but more of a warm coziness. The warmth of their soft lips against hers, of their slender arms around her, of their affectionate gaze meeting hers.
Of the way they gave encouragement when the world weighed upon her.
Of the undiluted joy with which they called her 'Drau.'
Of the nourishment they always insisted on making for… speaking of which, they hadn't cleaned up the glass and soup on the floor yet.
Well, whatever.
'She looks so peaceful,' Draudillon reached out and gently traced the angel's face with her fingers. 'Is this real? It's not just a dream, is it—?'
"Good morning," Yuriko's eyelids fluttered open, the corners of her pink lips curling upwards as she clasped Draudillon's hand. "So, eh-ehm, did you sleep well?"
"... I did," Draudillon praised herself for not stammering. "And you? Wait, nevermind. I forgot you can't sleep—"
"Cute," Yuriko giggled and cuddled up closer. "I don't get to see you like this super often."
"Because it's shameful," Draudillon muttered in response, burying her face in Yuriko's petite bosom. "If people were to see me act at a loss…"
"Mmmm," a tingly warmth spread from the top of her head to the tips of her toes at the same time Yuriko began rubbing her back. "I don't want anyone else to see you like this either."
"I, I'll try to keep a closer eye on my conduct in the future," Draudillon's face flushed in embarrassment. Of course the angel would find such behavior from her to be out of place. A woman as old as herself had no business acting like some innocent maiden. "I'm sorry—that was disgraceful of me."
"That's not what I meant," the angel tangled her legs between Draudillon's. "I meant that I w-want to be the only person who gets to see you being this cute." Yuriko cringed at her own words. "Ugh, that sounded really weird."
"It wasn't," Draudillon released a silent sigh to accompany the relief she felt. "Weird that is. And if it's just you… I suppose I can try to unwind a little more."
"Great!" Yuriko beamed, lighting up the room better than any magical light could. "We should get up now, shouldn't we?"
'Ha… I'm going to become useless at this rate.'
"There's still a little time left," Draudillon twisted and pushed Yuriko flat on their back, holding the squeaking angel down on the shared bed. "I think we can find a few more things to do in the meanwhile, no?"
"We need to expand housing for the refugees," Martin reported as they walked down the hallway, having dismissed the Royal Court just minutes prior. "Oriculo and the other major cities only have so much space."
"I see," Draudillon absentmindedly agreed.
'The smoothness of her silky skin as our fingers intertwined.'
"More angels would be needed to build these accommodations, Your Majesty," she barely registered the words, so distracted she was. "To my understanding, this will interfere with Lady Yuriko's current tasks."
"Yuriko won't mind."
'The warmth of her breath against my neck.'
"Ahem," Martin cleared his throat. A cough? She did work him quite hard; perhaps it was time to grant him leave again. "Your Majesty. You are the one who talked about having her handle resurrections for our soldiers in the Beastman Country. On top of the regular ones she's been busying herself with as well."
Yuriko was just that wonderful wasn't she? Sometimes, Draudillon had a tough time believing somebody so conscientious and considerate could exist.
'The way she quivered around my—'
"Your Majesty," Martin hissed in her ear. "Save the fantasizing for later. Please."
"Huh?" Draudillon blinked. Had she…? "O-Oh, I apologize. Could you repeat that, Prime Minister?"
"Hah… make sure there's no confusion with how she's using her mana pool, Your Majesty. And we need additional angels unless you want to dip deeper into our, if I may be so impolite, meager treasury."
"I'll look into it, but are there that many people who want to move to Oriculo—Yuriko?" They rounded the corner and ran into the startled angel. Yuriko fumbled with the tray, and for one terrifying instant, Draudillon thought they were going to drop it and the contents atop it once again. "Is something the matter?"
The food was likely meant for her, but the dragon queen didn't want to assume.
"U-Um," Yuriko's face burned a brilliant red as she straightened up in a stiff and awkward fashion. The angel's eyes shifted to Martin before immediately snapping back to her. Were memories of last night… Draudillon found her own face growing hot too. "We forgot to have dinner and breakfast, so! I made some for you to eat when you find the time."
They pushed the tray into Draudillon's hands. "I'll see you later tonight, okay? And don't worry about the mess in your room either!" Yuriko shuffled her feet. "Sorry for b-bothering you."
Draudillon's heart thudded in her chest as Yuriko took a step back, biting their lip in hesitation until the angel finally decided to take the plunge and kissed the dragon queen on her cheek.
In front of Martin who was rolling his eyes—and when did that castle servant show up?
"『Gate』," Yuriko shakily waved her hand, forming a purple rift that she put one foot through before turning back around and giving Draudillon one last kiss, on the lips this time. "Iloveyoubye!"
The『Gate』winked out of existence, leaving behind a deathly stillness and silence in its wake.
"Not a single word leaves this hall," she slowly turned around to face an unimpressed Martin and a terrified servant. "Understood?"
"As Your Majesty commands."
"Y-Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Good. Since no one has any more points they see fit to bring to my attention, you two may leave," Draudillon watched the attendant scurry off with a small amount of guilt. Guilt that immediately turned to ire when she directed her gaze at the Prime Minister. "That includes you, Martin."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Martin smoothly bowed, utterly unflappable. "Ah, one last thing; please invest in some silence wards around your bedroom—"
Draudillon made a jerky gesture, and the Cherubim Gatekeeper lifted him by the scruff, ready to carry the impudent man elsewhere. "Your suggestion has been duly noted. Gatekeeper, please make sure that he has plenty to do."
"I'll be taking my leave then, Your Majesty," Martin raised his voice as the Gatekeeper floated away with him in its grip. "Have a good day."
"Gods," Draudillon set the tray on the floor, burying her face in her hands, and moaned in mortification. "Gods."
In retrospect, she was fortunate that nobody else came across her at that moment. Two people already knew; a third would bury her in embarrassment. Presenting a childish front was humiliating, but it was far, far different from having others hear of… merely thinking about it caused severe damage to the spirit.
She peeked at the tray of food through the gaps between her fingers. Now that she thought about it, she was hungry. Last night and this morning played their part in satiating her, but only in a figurative sense.
Draudillon considered the spread laid on the ground and inhaled the robust scent.
"This smells really good…"
She handed the platter off to the Gatekeeper who had been silently observing the whole mortifying interaction, deciding that returning to the bedroom to regather her composure was probably for the best. She had an outing with Yuriko later this evening, and who would find it pleasant to spend time with a stammering wreck? 'May as well finish this while I'm am it.'
The food tasted delicious, but…
Not better than the person who made it.
"I don't have anything to wear."
The angel said something ridiculous while Mira was enjoying a rare reprieve from work and training. She looked Yuriko up and down with a raised eyebrow.
"Okay Mira, but y'know what I mean," they pinched the hem of the shimmering dress that had come to be associated with them in the same way their six feathery wings were. "This is like, the first time Drau's taking me out somewhere for something that's not work. The other stuff in my Item Box is all tattered, so I need your help!"
"Ehhh? Don't you have money though…?" Mira unhappily chomped on a sandwich the angel had kindly offered her. Bribery wasn't effective on an upstanding member of the Royal Guard—unfortunately for her friend! Nobody was stealing her hard-earned downtime! "Lots of stuff out there for you to buy. And what's wrong with what you're wearing anyway? Looks like it's worth more than the whole kingdom."
Whole western region, she wordlessly added.
"I'm not supposed to be using the Yggdra—foreign money I have. Drau said not to," Yuriko propped their elbows against their thighs and rested their head on their hands as they watched her peers mess around in the training yard. "And I don't wanna bother her about an allowance."
"Her Majesty definitely offered you one, didn't she? She probably offered an insane amount the kingdom can't afford, right?"
Yuriko frowned. "Yeah. Even when I've told her 'no' so many times…"
'Because she foresaw this kind of thing happening,' the guardmage kept the thought to herself; it wasn't her position to interfere with how those two chose to handle monetary matters. "How's this for an idea: walk around a bit and ask for clothes. End of day, you'll have enough to start your own clothing empire."
"Mira…"
"No," today was the free day earned in spite of Queen Oriculus's wrath. No one, and she meant no one, was taking this away from her. "No. Stop. Don't look at me like that!"
She wanted to laze around! Stare at the clouds and slurp fruit juice! Soak in the river; restore her sanity!
'Crud,' her colleagues were giving her dirty looks, and her friend was throwing a pitiful, puppy-esque plea her way. Whatever option she went with, she would suffer. "We're friends, but…" Everybody in view had her in their sights. "Seriously…"
"Please?"
"Fine! But I really don't get what's wrong with what you've got on," she gestured at their outfit. Oi, Fernando, stop glaring! Queen Oriculus'll bite off your head if you make any moves on the angel! Why did they all want to see her in different outfits so badly? 'Dumb question, Mira.'
"I just… want it to be special."
"Alright, alright!" Mira shouted and shot to her feet before imperiously pointing at the angel. "Anything I give you is going to be shittier than what you have now, so I better not hear any complaints, ya hear?!"
"Yes Ma'am!" They leapt to their feet as well and snapped off a salute.
"Cool, follow me," Mira and Yuriko waved farewell to the other Royal Guards, navigating their way outside the bounds of Oriculia Castle. "『Invisibility』.『Invisibility』. You can see me, right?"
"Yup," as expected, strong beings had senses that couldn't be foiled by low-tier magic. "Can you see me?"
"Of course I can't—oh," they were completely visible. A few of her peers had the audacity to snicker in the distance; well, she'll show them who's laughing when they find itching powder in their clothes. "『Invisibility』. Okay, what's going on?"
"I dunno," Yuriko helplessly shrugged. "Can't we fly?"
"I don't want a bunch of crazies hanging around my place!"
"Oh, I forgot about that," The angel's shoulders slumped. "What do we do—hm, maybe it's spell resistance?"
"Can you turn it off then?" That was mana she could've spent on earning more pocket change… "『Invisibility』. Cool, follow me."
The guardmage had no way of telling if the angel was behind her or not, but the alternative was gathering a crowd of stalkers. 『Gate』was an option, though why waste that much mana when sneaking out worked just fine?
"Try not to run into anybody," Mira whispered a warning. Only seconds later, a startled yelp caused the people near them to glance curiously in their general vicinity. Flesh slapped against stone, and the invisible guardmage dragged both hands down her face, forehead to chin. 'Haaah…'
At least they didn't full-on collide with anybody. Or get run over by a horse-drawn carriage. That would be harder to ignore.
With no further incidents—okay, she was lying. Yuriko accidentally bumped into a couple others along the way, but they eventually made it to her home mostly undetected before the invisibility wore off.
"Wipe your shoes," Oriculo's streets weren't bad; although, they did have their fair share of dirt and grime. The angel stared at the doormat. "What?"
"It's super dirty," dammit. Her current schedule meant she was falling behind in various daily chores.
"『Clean』," the filthy mat suddenly became not-filthy, and—crap, she'd have to cast『Clean』again on her laundry 'cause she forgot to pile it together. "Come in, come in. Want anything to drink?"
"I'm good. Thanks though," Yuriko watched the guardmage dig through her wardrobe. "Feels a little weird seeing all these outfits."
"It'll be weirder if the only thing I wore was my armor," oops. The angel's mood visibly sank. "J-Just kidding~!"
"Mm… it's fine."
"Want to go through it yourself?" Thankfully, that was enough to improve their spirits. "Get an idea of your options."
This way, she could doze off and get some much needed rest. Bodily fatigue was easily removed with potions and magic, but the same couldn't be said for mental exhaustion.
"Okay, uh—"
"Change outside," there existed a very real possibility of Queen Oriculus executing her if Yuriko mentioned anything mildly suspicious. The angel promptly left the room with an ensemble in hand before coming back in, carelessly laying their usual magical regalia over a chair.
"How's this?" Their—hers! The clothes were hers—sweater and skirt combo was charming, although…
"Might want to choose something more dressy," Mira leaned over and pulled the holy garment towards her. "What's it even made out of?"
Now that she was touching it, the sheer amount and potency of enchantments exuding from the article was staggering. "Adamantite isn't this nutty."
"Hm?" Yuriko tilted their head in reminiscence. "I didn't make it, but there was stuff like Star Silver, Divine Ichor… um, something-something Light?"
'What the hell,' none of that made any sense; Mira recognized none of the materials listed, and she doubted anybody else in the kingdom would. No, no. In the first place, how did one weave metal, blood, and light into fabric? 'It is fabric, right?'
Mira stroked the impossible dress between two fingers, rubbing the incomparably smooth fibers. The finest silks from the Empire couldn't compare in softness and comfort. "You're sure this 'Star Silver' is some kind of metal?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm pretty sure," Yuriko distractedly answered as they picked an off-shoulder dress with a pastel floral color and layered hem. "How's this look?"
"Try putting it on first," Mira absentmindedly continued to inspect the dress, divine vestment was a more fitting term, pushing her appraisal abilities as hard as she could. 'Actually, what in the world?!'
The resistances socketed on the damn thing could be divided among a squad's worth—more, even—of armor, and each one would still be considered a peerless magic item. Then there were the attribute modifiers, a provided spell… oh, some type of equip restriction. 'Damn. Would've been cool to try on.'
Yuriko re-entered the room, spreading their arms to the side as they did a little twirl. "Think she'll like this? Feels sorta loose at the chest, but it looks cute!"
'…' Why did they wear her clothing better than herself? "I'm so pissed."
"Wha—why?" Their eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected grumbling. "What did I do?"
"Nothing. And yeah, Her Majesty will definitely 'like' it," she would have to purposely try if she wanted to make them appear lesser. "Just a little jealous."
"Erm, s-sorry, but I only have one person in my heart—"
"Not about that," Mira stood up and knife-chopped the top of the angel's head. "Here's your magic item," she pushed the priceless relic into their hands. "Don't leave it lying around."
"Right!" Into the void the relic went. "Next one!"
Mira passed the next few hours alternating between snoozing and being jolted awake by the angel barging in to ask her opinion on whatever they had changed into.
'Can I just die now…?' Seeing Yuriko try on her clothes one by one was murdering her self-esteem. Too bad the city guards would never have the guts to arrest the angel for this massacre. "So?"
"Hmmm," Yuriko, having returned to their usual attire some time ago, cupped their chin in profound contemplation before pointing at the off-shoulder fit. "I like this one!"
'Finally,' Mira fought the urge to cheer. Trying out clothes could take a while; she knew that perfectly well herself. "Great! Now, the bed is calling my name. It's been a long day. Don't worry about locking the door."
"H-Huh?" The guardmage flopped face first onto her mattress, face buried in her fluffy pillow. Hopefully, they would understand this was their cue to leave. "Mira?"
A dainty finger ever so gently prodded her neck.
"Mira?"
'That tone—she's going to ask something troublesome again,' the guardmage pretended to snore. 'Queen Oriculus, please pick up your lost lover. She's being a menace to your poor guards.'
"Miiiiraaaaa."
"Whaaaa?" They weren't falling for her act. Drat.
"I've never been to a play before," Yuriko nervously fidgeted. "What if I accidentally do something weird and embarrass Drau? I don't want that to happen…"
'Shouldn't it be the other way around? Although I guess getting gawked at would be uncomfortable.'
"It'll be fine!" Mira found that she couldn't formulate a perfect answer and decided brushing over the issue was the way to go. "Be yourself, watch the play, and keep complimenting Her Majesty!"
A stream of meaningless nonsense spewed out her mouth. It felt pointless; from what she heard and seen, the two were doing great. Was this what love was? Constantly worrying about doing your best for your partner or partners?
'I miss—'
She immediately put an end to that train of thought. The ex-Imperial Knight came off as a straight edge, and considering their current precarious situation, advances from a member of Her Majesty's Royal Guard would put them in a difficult position.
"Got it!" Yuriko pumped her fists with a nervous but cutely determined appearance. Mira startled as they wrapped her in a quick hug. "Thanks Mira! I owe you one!"
"You owe me two!"
" 'Kay! Remind me if I forget!" The angel gave a thumbs-up and ran outside, wings flapping a few times before they shot into the sky.
"Another job well done," Mira's smile slowly flipped into a frown. She was forgetting something.
Her friend disappeared into the bounds of Oriculia Castle, and the gazes of the gawking bystanders gradually turned to her house.
Oh.
'I forgot to make her invisible.'
Mira slammed the door shut and silently screamed. Already, she could hear the whispers of those milling outside the residence.
An at-home vacation was fine too…
