Chapter 163
Chapter 163. A Masterpiece
“Come on, Leila-chan! Don’t hide behind your hands, let’s show him your wonderful appearance, okay…!”
“U-ugh…”
Encouraged by the breathless Kusemon, Leila nervously dropped her hands that were hiding her chest.
“Do I… look good…? Is it not weird…?”
Her face, along with her whole body, turned beet red as if she had been boiled. Those glistening golden eyes were fixed on me—
I felt as if I were caught in a spider’s web; I couldn’t move.
“You… look good…”
If it’s a choice between looking good or not, there’s no doubt she looked good. There was an incredible charm and allure that made it hard to look away—I’ll admit that.
But this isn’t an outfit for a girl before her marriage!
Even dancers in a shabby tavern wear more modest clothing!
…Wait, can this even be called clothing? It’s practically just leather straps…?
“I-I mean, is it not painful? You can take it off if you don’t like it.”
“It’s not… painful. I don’t particularly dislike it, but…”
Leila fidgeted and let out a heated sigh.
“How is it? Doesn’t it look nice? It’s secured tightly, but it won’t obstruct your breathing or blood flow! Now let me explain its functionality!”
With a bubbly enthusiasm, Kusemon stood next to Leila and said, “Leila-chan, raise your arms a little!”
“Y-yes…”
“That’s right, now interlace your arms behind your head… and there! Now we can see it well!”
Kusemon had an incredibly bright smile on her face.
“Behold, this equipment is named 【Kizuna】! As per His Highness’s request, it can be worn beneath casual clothing for easy portability and is extremely lightweight!”
Well, with such a small surface area, of course, it would be light!
“As you can see, the design is nearly complete on the upper body. Once transformed, tails and wings will grow, therefore it is designed to not interfere with those parts!”
While explaining, Kusemon gently traced her fingers along Leila’s upper body down to her waist. “Mmm,” Leila let out a subtle, teasing sound. —I suddenly felt the urge to dash away from this scene.
“The leather straps passing through the neck, chest, and waist will change into a harness that stabilizes the saddle, keeping it firmly in place, even during vigorous movements. Now, turn around for me!”
Leila spun around as instructed. The back was wide open.
“This part, which covers from the back of the neck to the base, will transform into the saddle in dragon form! This ribbon will become stirrups and the choker will change into reins!”
I see. Looking at it from that perspective, it’s a well-thought-out design. The leather straps constricting Leila’s chest and the leather band extending from her waist are securing the saddle to the center of her body. With so many pivot points, it seems quite stable.
“The harness for 【Kizuna】 has been imbued with extraordinary toughness, so it won’t easily break! Moreover, if the strap takes any hits, there’s a magic that allows Leila-chan, the wearer, to take the damage instead!”
What!?
“If the strap gets cut, Leila takes the hit instead!?”
That’s practically a curse! Why implement such a feature!?
“For the safety of His Highness.”
Unfazed by my outrage, Kusemon answered with a serious face.
“Of course, this feature was implemented after consulting with Leila-chan.”
“Um… I strongly requested for it.”
Leila glanced back and said.
“Just in case, I wanted to make sure that the saddle wouldn’t come off mid-air… In dragon form, I’ll be able to withstand a bit of cutting or shooting due to my scales. It’s better for the string that supports you not to break, I thought.”
Her words were modest, but there was a strong light in her eyes.
“Just so you know, even if one strap were to snap, the design supports can hold up the rest! But if the force of the attack breaks through the magic meant to protect the equipment, Leila-chan would likely not come out unscathed! In that case, I advise a quick retreat or landing! As a creator, that is!”
“However, even in human form, that magic should still work, right?”
“Yes, that is indeed correct! However, this equipment is not armor! If you wish to enhance your defensive capabilities in human form, please order separate armor instead!!”
Such a refreshing level of audacity…
“However, if you wear sturdy armor in human form, it will impede your ability to transform, so that would defeat the purpose!”
“Well… that’s a valid point.”
I couldn’t deny it, reluctantly.
Leila was training to focus on evasion and quick movements to dodge the first attack and instantly revert to dragon form… Pursuing defense in human form is rather nonsensical.
“And, and! This 【Kizuna】 is actually not yet ‘complete’!”
Wiggling her hands, Kusemon said.
“To complete it, we need your cooperation, Your Highness!”
“…Cooperation, you say?”
“Hehe, you needn’t be so wary! I just want a drop of Your Highness’s blood!”
“Please soak the choker with your blood!” Kusemon insisted.
An equipment that completes with my blood… isn’t this practically a cursed item…?
I made a small cut on my hand with Adamas, letting the blood seep out.
“Ah…”
As I stepped closer, Leila lifted her face to show the choker. The leather belt dug in, revealing her neck stained with crimson —‘If I were a vampire, I might have bitten her right then,’ I thought briefly in an uncharacteristically frivolous manner.
“Now, just apply a little bit of your blood here to complete it!”
Following her instructions, I soaked the choker with my blood—
Thump, the harness emanated a red aura and “Ah!” Leila shuddered.
‘—It feels like being embraced by you — it’s so thrilling—’
And then, I heard the echoing voice of my heart.
…Huh, Leila?
‘—Huh, you?—’
We exchanged glances, blinking in surprise.
“Oh, it seems to be complete now! This is the greatest feature of the magical saddle 【Kizuna】, what’s referred to as the ‘Heart-to-Heart’ ability!”
Kusemon explained with gusto.
“As long as we’re touching 【Kizuna】, we can communicate using thoughts! I hear it’s hard to have conversations high up in the sky with all the wind blowing around!”
Huh… so… our hearts’ voices are…
‘—It’s like we can hear everything—’
Not just words, but even warm feelings…
The emotions we hold for each other were laid bare.
We met eyes once more and both turned beet red simultaneously.
“Oh-ho-ho♡”
Kusemon squeaked, saying, “Thank you for the meal!” as she bowed deeply to us. Belatedly, I pulled my hand away from the choker.
Seriously…
What an outrageous feature she’s added!
Honestly, being able to communicate without shouting is ridiculously convenient… especially when it’s hard to hear in the sky due to the wind…
But really…
Leila’s feelings felt incredibly comfortable… like I was soaking in a deep hot spring, or the sea…
I couldn’t help but worry… What about my own feelings?
“Alright! So, here’s your 【Kizuna】! I’m confident you’ll be utterly satisfied, what do you think!?”
Kusemon asked, grinning confidently.
“Yeah… I think it’s amazing…”
At least in terms of functionality, I couldn’t find fault with it.
“By the way, as for weaknesses, this equipment can only be effectively utilized by you and Leila-chan! The transformation can only be adapted by Leila-chan, and the ‘Heart-to-Heart’ feature can only be used by you, Your Highness, so please understand that!”
Even if you have children, they can’t inherit it — Kusemon added with a creepy smile, causing us to blush again.
“Um, just to confirm, I’d like to check how it performs in dragon form as well.”
“Of course! Unfortunately, we can’t leave from here, so it’s a pity we can’t join you, but I believe it’ll turn out perfectly!”
“Please don’t hesitate to let us know if there are any issues!” Kusemon called out as we left the Dwarf workshop.
“………”
We walked to the training ground. Leila was dressed in her usual maid outfit, but she was gripping her skirt tightly and looking down, her cheeks flushed.
“…Are you okay?”
“Y-yes… but it feels a bit… um, uneasy…”
I totally understood her feelings.
Despite being her usual self, the thought of wearing that outrageous thing under her maid outfit was making me feel hot too. Even though it was winter.
At the training ground, there weren’t that many, but beastmen and demon race warriors were diligently training.
“Ugh…”
Leila, trying to take off her maid outfit, froze as she reached for the ribbon. Unsurprisingly, she was worried about being seen…
“I’ll act as a shield…”
Knowing this might happen, I raised the cloak I borrowed from the Dwarf workshop, making myself a barrier. I thought this gear might not be suitable, but…
I heard the fabric rustling behind me.
“I’m done taking it off… so please, step back…”
—Behind me, Leila’s presence expanded.
“Wow, stunning.”
The sleek dragon form adorned with silver scales fit perfectly with 【Kizuna】. The harness tightened around her arms to her chest, and it securely held the saddle at the nape of her neck.
“Well then… um…”
“Yes, please…”
She looked up at me, her gaze inviting as she slightly bent down.
I lightly jumped onto the saddle.
‘—Ah—’
As I took the reins, Leila’s shy inner voice and burgeoning emotions, along with the pounding of her heart, flowed into me.
‘—I’m embarrassed—but… I’m so happy—’
To be able to carry me.
To be able to fly together with me.
Realizing she felt that way made me both happy and guilty.
‘—It’s okay. It’s all good—’
She reassured me as she turned. Even in dragon form, those clear golden eyes remained unchanged.
…Let’s go.
‘—Yes, you—’
With a soft thud, Leila kicked off the ground and spread her wings.
—On that day, I completely understood what it meant for a dragon to “fly” in the sky for the first time.
It felt absolutely amazing.
