Chapter 16: "The Clothed Beast"
"Goo~Gooββββ"
The crowing of a human rooster, accompanied by the morning sun and breeze, woke the man-wolf girl from her sleep. A new day has begun.
"Woo......"
Opening her eyes, Grey Lu sighed silently as she looked at the human woman lying beside her - the tailor named Sulbert behaved in a way that was really incomprehensible to her.
"Miss Sholbert, wake up, don't hold my ears. β
"Wooβββ don't ...... Let me sleep a little longer~"
Not only did Shulbert's left hand, which was pinching her dewy ears, not let go, but her right hand, which was originally just pressing her shoulder, had to slide down inch by inch and press it to her waist.
"Miss Shulbert...... It's a bit too much, and it's going to be very itchy. β
Before Sulbert's fumbling hand scratched the tickle of his waist, Grey Dew covered her ears with her paws and rolled to the side, breaking away from the bewildered tailor's embrace.
After settling Gakaya last night and taking out one of the Autonomous Alliance Gold Coins she had obtained and giving it to Yuna, she took Ash Dew to the room where the maid had slept and made a bed, while she slept on another bed.
After eating to replenish her energy, Grey Lu lies in a strange human building and closes her eyes. I thought I could sleep until dawn like this, and woke up with the sunshine, but I didn't expect that in the middle of the night, someone quietly pushed open the door and touched in.
"Wooββββ Luxue, don't run!"
Looking at Sulbert, who was lying on the bed like a child, Gray Lu patted her head irritably. If it weren't for their strong night vision and seeing clearly who came in quietly at that time, Yuna and the others would have to collect the body of their boss during the day today.
Today, no matter what, find Mr. Gott and leave this place of right and wrong.
"Miss Shulbet, I think I may need to reiterateβββ we Tooth Wolves don't hate humans, but we don't like to get too close to you. β
Picking up the close-fitting deerskin dress from the long wooden shelf, Gray Dew brushed the long gray hair behind him, walked to the mirror and looked at himself in the mirror - the [Barrier] magic cast by Master Gault had completely failed, not only the hair covering the entire forearm, but even the claws had been fully reflected in the mirror, and the sharpness of the claw tips could be seen at a glance.
"Ah, it's a fleshy wolf's claw!Miss Grey Dew, please shake my hand!"
While Grey was secretly thinking about how to hide her claws today, Sulbert, who was only wearing a nightdress, rolled over and got out of bed, jumped over and hugged her from behind.
"Wooββ!"
Instinct made Gray Dew immediately twist his waist and pop out his claws to swing at the creature behind him. But when she looked through the mirror to see the person holding her, the bewildered and defenseless face curbed her restlessness.
"Miss Shulbet, please don't suddenly hug me from behind...... It's likely to hurt. β
"Uh-huhβββ don't, Luxue, you're so comfortable to hold, I want to hug you all the time." β
"Miss, Hirsch has already prepared breakfast ......"
Just when Gray Lu was annoyed and sorted out her language to express her emotions, the door was suddenly pushed open.
"Ah, Yuna, good morning. β
"You ...... Sorry for the interruption!"
"Woohooβββ you ...... Miss Yuna, not what you think!"
Bang β
The door was closed, and Shulbet, who had been holding Ash Dew behind her, let go of her arms and returned to the bedside to put on her dress calmly, as if nothing had happened just now. Well, although it really didn't happen either.
Knock Knock β
In the strange atmosphere that embarrassed Gray Dew but Schulbert didn't care, there was a knock on the door.
"Please come in. β
"Miss, the clothes I made for Miss Luxue have dried in the shade, so I brought them here. β
Looking at the maid Hirsch who brought the clothes in, Sulbert nodded with satisfaction, and then walked over slowly, like a work of art, and lifted the dress made for Gray Dew and slowly unfoldedβββ through the gap in the blue-gray dress, the tailor stared at the wolf girl who was standing there.
"Looks like a perfect fit. Yuna, don't hide outside, come over and help. β
"Comeβcome!"
A flushed Yuna ran in from outside the door, her eyes constantly wandering between Sulbert and Gray Dew, until Hirsch on the side patted her back, and she remembered her job and adjusted her state to her goal.
In the delicate atmosphere, Gray Lu was unexplained by Yuna and Hexie pulled to the mirror, and before they could explain the question just now, the two began to comb her hair. This is the first time in the life of a human wolf girl that her hair has been combed by someone other than her mother.
"I beg your pardon for the recklessness of the eldest lady. β
As Yuna whispered this in her ear, Hirsch was already pulling Ash's arms through her sleeves as she stood in front of her, arranging the placket and preparing to button it up.
"Can you let me do it myself?"
"Miss Ruxue, your paws...... Is that okay?"
"Isn't that just the right time to verify?" said Grey Dew, stretching out her paws, carefully closing the placket and inserting the first button into the buttonhole. Perhaps as luck would have it, the buttons didn't get cut open by the tips of the claws.
"The material used for the buttons is copper, but it is covered with black lacquer, which is hard enough, and it is okay to be less cautious. β
When the tailor's voice came from behind her, the wolf girl who was buttoning the second button exhaled, no longer caring about using too much strength and damaging the button, and put on a new outfit.
The dress is made by Sholbert for Gray Dew without sleeves, the upper body is looser, but it does not look draggy, and it can also do large movements while maintaining beauty; the buttons are arranged in an arc from top to bottom, starting from the collarbone to the right side of the thigh, which is convenient and beautiful; the length of the skirt is more than 3 cm above the knee, just enough to cover the tail, and with the same precisely customized boots, the characteristics of the gray lower body human wolf can be perfectly hidden.
"Miss Luxue, there's also a matching upper body decoration. β
"And a headdress!"
As Grey Lu stared in the mirror and looked at her dress, Hirsch and Yuna, who had just retreated to the side, came up again, one behind, and put a blue linen shawl covering her shoulders and arms, and the other in front of her, pinned a hairpin to the outside of her left ear.
Before she could look at herself in the mirror, she waited behind for an impatient tailor to come and hold her "model" by the shoulder, causing her to spin in a circle and a half.
"Not bad. β
"Ignore the wolf's claws and ears, and it looks like a human. β
Hirsch and Yuna's approval on the side, Gray Lu didn't pay much attention to it, but instead muttered "What else is missing" as she stepped back, which made her heart beat faster.
"Miss Shurbert, what do you think is missing?"
"I can't say it for a while...... Oh, I'm putting your arms back into the main perspective of what kind of obstacle magic you're using again. What do you think of yourself?"
Turning to look at himself in the mirror in the dress that only a human girl should wear, her gray cheeks were slightly red, "I think...... The dress is pretty good, but I don't usually have a chance to wear it. After all, if you wear this to fight in a conflict or something, you may be ruined all at once. β
"It's okay if you think it looks good, as for when to wear it, this is naturally according to your own wishes. β
"Hmm. β
Looking at the wolf girl who had taken off her new clothes and put on her armor, Shurbert snapped her fingers and asked Yuna to put away her new dress and wrap it up and send it to the bullock cart with gray dew. And Hirsch, who was standing aside, left very consciously and went to wait at the table.
When only Shurbert and Grey Dew were left in the room, the hunter tilted his head as he looked at the approaching tailor.
"Anything else?"
"I heard Yuna say you paid for a gold coin. β
"Yes. β
"I won't inquire about the source of the money, but in this dress, one gold coin is not enough. β
Faced with the fact that it was likely that Sulbert was asking for a sky-high price, Gray Lu did not directly question or refute it, but instead restrained her words as much as possible, and asked euphemistically: "This dress...... Is there anything special about it?"
"Yes. β
Under Grey Dew's gaze, Sholbert untied a ribbon she had tied around her wrist and handed it to Grey Dew's claws.
"What is this?"
"Try ripping it off. β
Grey Dew did so, but contrary to what she had expected, it was only a ribbon the size of a human thumb, and it took at least thirty percent of her strength to tear it offβsomething that would not have happened in normal times.
Is it because you didn't have breakfast?
"You mean, that dress, too, is made of this material?"
"It's not just the materials, either. Speaking of this, in order to hide his embarrassment, Sulbert paced to the window with small steps, turned his back to the gray dew and added: "Last night, I mistakenly ...... I thought that you were an beast warrior and that you might face all kinds of unexpected situations in the future, so I applied a kind of strengthening magic to your dress. As you know, I don't know how to do magic myself, so I can only use scrolls, and that enhanced magic is very mental and scroll-intensive. β
"Then make a price, and if I can afford it, I'll buy it. Such a sturdy cloth armor is really good to use as an inner lining. β
Faced with Gray Dew, who regarded his work as armor for just a moment, Shurbert pursed his lips and turned around, strode up to Gray Dew, and shouted, "Ten gold coins, do you want it?!"
"It's too expensive, I can't pay for it for a while, can it be cheaper. β
"We don't offer a bargain, but it's written next to the signboard at the door. Of course, it's understandable that you can't come up with that much money at a moment, so I don't necessarily have to be cash...... You can also pay by other methods. β
"For example?"
Looking at Sulbert, who had a fox smile on his face, Grey Dew quietly pulled her right paw behind her back and popped out her paw. With all her strength, she could smash the head of an ordinary human in an instant.
"How about being a model for me for three days and giving you three gold coins a day?"
It wasn't a bad request as expected, and Gray Lu put away his paws without a trace, "This ...... Let me consider it and reply later. β
"Well, okay, let's go eat first. β
Regardless of what Grey Dew was thinking, Sulbert reached out and grabbed her left paw and ran happily towards the door, as if something happy had happened.
However, it backfired, and Schulbert's long-awaited breakfast with Grey Dew was soon ruined by the wolf girl's act of taking two plates of food from the table and going to the backyard alone.
"Mr. Gagaya, it's time for breakfast. β
As soon as she reached the backyard, Grey Lu saw Gagaya wiping her weapons beside the bullock cart, so she walked over to the cart with a plate and handed it to her employer, which was the most vegetarian food.
"Thanks. β
"It's just the beginning of the day, eat well, and if I'm lucky enough to find my uncle and them soon, I should be able to get out of town in the evening. Still, be prepared for battle if you can. β
"Let's get lucky. May the goddess of the sea bless us, even though this is landlocked. β
"Hey, it's going to rain in the hinterland, too. β
While Grey Dew and Gagaya were laughing and eating, Yuna, the subhuman maid, ran out of the tailor's shop with a piece of paper and handed it to Grey Dew with a smile on her face. This is what she got from the Guards when she went out to buy groceries before.
"Miss Luxue, good news. β
"Could it be that my uncle sent a missing person notice?"
Stopping to eat, she took the paper from Yuna's hand, and Gray Dew only denied her idea at the first glance of the portrait on it. Not to mention whether the painting is ugly or not......
"Hee-hee, the face on the wanted announcement doesn't look like Miss Luxue at all, and the text below is written about subhumans, not orcs. I think it's the 'barrier' magic that's the work. β
"Ga, so you're still a wanted criminal? I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it. β
Putting down the plate, Gagaya's eyes were full of "shock", and she stretched out her webbing and patted Gray Lu's shoulder.
However, his acting skills are really not very good, and he didn't make Gray Lu feel any pressure at all, but the funny body language made Yuna on the side laugh and tremble.
"I just knocked over half a squad of street soldiers, I didn't think it would be that serious. Handing back the portrait of the wanted man with an 80 silver bounty to the maid, Ash asked her question before feasting on the rest of the food, "So, Yuna, what is your suggestion?"
"There are a lot of orc mercenaries in Dre City, and there are also some human wolves like Miss Luxue, so if you don't have other scruples, you can go directly to the street in the form of an orc, but you won't be noticed by the guards or street guards. β
"Is that so......"
After swallowing the food, Gray Dew and Gagaya handed the plate to Yuna and said "Youlao" in unison. The two then began to arm themselves.
"Coincidentally, the two killers who should have seen you in the tavern at the time were killed last night. β
"That's a coincidence. β
Gray Lu felt that Yuna's words were very reasonable, and then Gagaya stuffed another reassuring pill, so she tied the arm guard fastening rope, took off the hat that covered her ears, and took out a light helmet with two holes in the top of the helmet from the back of the ox cartβββ this armor belonged to a cat walker who was a scout in his life.
After eliminating a sizable number of demons on the banks of the River, Goult instructed Gray Dew to collect all the loot that could still be recycled, and piled a large pile in the back crate. When he entered the city, he was unexpectedly not inspected, so Derui City had no idea about the inflow of such a batch of troops.
If an orc uprising breaks out at this time, at least ten stubborn orc warriors can be armed here.
"Pick another weapon to take advantage of, and you'll be completely a mercenary. β
While Gagaya stood aside with her beak in her mouth and commented, Gray Lu had already taken out a slightly damaged iron leaf skirt armor from the back cargo box and tied it to her waist to protect her thighs and crotch. While this reduces agility somewhat, it is a good way to protect the body against sharp attacks.
"Unfortunately, I'm a hunter by professionβββ if the vagrants who stopped in the slums yesterday were using blunt weapons, I should be able to solve them all. β
"Judging by the fact that you only have a little bruise on your body after beating half of the street soldiers, this is true. Seeing that Grey Dew was about to pin the dagger to her waist again, Gagaya shook her head, "The dagger may not be very handy for you, if you plan to use a weapon instead of a claw, my advice is ...... Hatchet. β
"The axe is powerful, I've tried, but I'd rather use it as a throwing weapon. β
"Then you might try a handguard sword or a two-handed sword. β
As Gagaya said this, Grey Lu pulled out a chest-high black half-sword from the stack of weapons. The wolf girl took it and waved it twice, and found that it was even better than she imagined.
"Okay, I'm out of the house. β