Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 114: Extra Story — Thor, Rukie, and the “Forbidden Dress”
Now then.
This time, a certain dress arrived for Thor…
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“Oh, Thor! Has that dress finally been completed!?”
Rukie entered my room, her eyes sparkling.
What she was looking at was the dress placed on the table.
It was made from Magical Weave Fabric, something Rukie had commissioned for private wear.
Rukie removed her recognition-inhibiting mask and robe, revealing her appearance as a young girl.
Then, she picked up the dress from the table.
“I had been looking forward to this. To think you made two dresses… how wonderful.”
“Thank you very much, Rukie-sama.”
“Well then, without delay—”
“Let’s burn them both.”
I said.
Rukie was stunned, eyes wide.
“…Thor. What did you just say?”
“These dresses are failures. Let’s burn them both.”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait!”
Rukie waved her hands frantically.
I understand how she feels.
But this can’t be helped.
“Thor. Let’s calm down and talk.”
“Yes.”
“These dresses were made by you for me, correct?”
“Yes. I secretly asked the castle’s tailor.”
“Mabel took my measurements and gave them to the tailor, right?”
“That’s right. Since it was Mabel’s work, I trust it’s accurate.”
“On top of that, you told the tailor, ‘I want Mabel to wear short dresses. It’s a hobby,’ to avoid suspicion, didn’t you!?”
“That was really embarrassing.”
“The tailor probably thinks you enjoy making Mabel wear small clothes.”
“It couldn’t be helped.”
“It could be helped. Didn’t I say that my clothes are usually made through Kelve’s private route? You should’ve asked him.”
“But then it wouldn’t be a personal gift from me to Rukie-sama.”
“Hmm. You insisted on that. So, what are you going to do with the dresses?”
“Burn them both.”
“That again!? Why!?”
“…Alright. I’ll explain.”
This was my mistake, so I really don’t want to talk about it.
But still, just saying “I made clothes and now I’m burning them” won’t convince her.
It can’t be helped. I’ll explain it properly.
“These dresses use ‘Dark-Element Magical Weave Fabric’ to suit Rukie-sama.”
“Indeed.”
Rukie touched the dress lying on the table.
When she poured her magic into it—the once white dress instantly turned black.
Both dresses reacted the same way.
“This is what you meant. These dresses turn black with my magic. Since I possess strong dark magic, they’re fitting for me. Isn’t that what you said?”
“Yes. But one of them isn’t made of ‘Dark-Element Magical Weave Fabric.’”
“…What?”
“One is made from ‘Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric.’”
The Dark-Element Magical Weave Fabric reacts to the magic it touches and turns black.
But the Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric either turns black or becomes transparent depending on the magic.
That outcome is random, and even I can’t control it.
In other words, this dress has a chance of turning transparent when worn.
“No, that’s strange, isn’t it? Both of them only turn black, right?”
Rukie repeatedly touched and released both dresses.
Each time, the dresses changed from white to black. Never to transparent.
Well… that’s true.
“Also, your skill Appraisal Insight should allow you to distinguish Dark-Element Magical Weave Fabric from Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric. And yet—”
“Actually… when I was making this cloth, I performed a certain experiment.”
“An experiment?”
“Yes. Normally, I’d use half ‘Light Magic Stone’ and half ‘Dark Magic Stone,’ but this time I used 99.9% Dark Magic Stone and only 0.1% Light Magic Stone.”
“What!?”
“I thought maybe that would let me manipulate the odds… But because of that, even my Appraisal Insight couldn’t tell the difference anymore.”
“R-Really?”
“I mean, I actually wanted to make a Magical Weave Fabric that even Appraisal Insight couldn’t distinguish.”
“…Why would you do such a thing?”
“To strengthen myself as an alchemist.”
But because of that, the Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric became indistinguishable from the Dark-Element Magical Weave Fabric.
And then I unknowingly handed both types to the tailor, mixed together.
And the result was these two dresses.
In other words—
“One of these two dresses turns pitch black when infused with magic. The other one turns black or, very rarely, becomes transparent.”
“What a dangerous thing to have made…”
“I spent all last night pouring magic in and stopping, back and forth. But neither one ever turned transparent.”
“That’s why you look so tired?”
“I tried about 200 times. But still…”
“You couldn’t tell them apart.”
Rukie looked at me with an exasperated expression.
“Then, if even after all that it didn’t become transparent, isn’t it fine to just call it a ‘Dark-Element Magical Weave Fabric’?”
“Please think carefully, Rukie-sama.”
“What is it?”
“For example, let’s say you toss a coin 200 times.”
“Hmm.”
“If it lands on tails every time, can you say that it’s a coin that only lands on tails?”
“…No, you can’t.”
“It’s the same here. To put it metaphorically, both of these dresses are like a coin flipped 200 times that always lands tails—that’s, the black side showed up every time. But it’s not impossible that the heads—the transparent side—could appear. Yet, you can’t tell the difference. So, I thought the only choice was to dispose of them.”
It’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped.
As an alchemist, I can’t give Rukie a dress that might become transparent.
People, demons, or demi-humans—all emit magical power during normal life.
The “Magical Weave Fabric” reacts to that magic.
Of course, if it were a dress for personal enjoyment, it might be okay even if it became transparent… But as an alchemist, I have the responsibility to provide something proper.
Besides, Rukie would want to show the dress to Mabel and me.
Or rather, I want to see it.
That’s why I can’t give her a dangerous dress.
“…Hmm.”
Rukie seemed to be thinking for a while.
She picked up the two dresses one after the other and felt their textures.
Then, fixing me with a strong gaze, she said,
“Thor.”
“Yes, Rukie-sama.”
“Which of these dresses do you think suits me better?”
“…Huh?”
Um… I already explained, Rukie-sama.
That dress is dangerous. It might become transparent.
But Rukie just kept staring at me.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Rukie-sama?”
“Whether it becomes transparent is another matter. I’m asking which dress you think suits me.”
“…Um.”
The dresses have almost the same shape.
Both are strapless types, with short skirts.
Only, one has lots of decorations around the chest, and the other has ribbons on the hem.
If anything, I thought the one with the decorations around the chest would suit Rukie better…
Thinking that, I pointed to the one with the chest ornaments.
“I understand. Then, I’ll take this one.”
Rukie smiled slyly and picked up the dress I pointed to.
“Well then, I’ll try it on. I’ll borrow the warehouse.”
“Please wait, Rukie-sama.”
“I understand your concerns. But it was I who requested the dress be made.”
Rukie declared this while holding the dress to her chest.
“Even if there are some minor flaws, if I requested it, I’ll accept it. Besides, according to your calculations, it only becomes transparent once in a thousand times, right?”
“That’s right. That’s the ratio of magic stones… but…”
“Then it shouldn’t become transparent now, right?”
“…But…”
“Then let me ask you another question. As an alchemist, by intuition, which do you think is the ‘Dark-Element Magical Weave Fabric’?”
Rukie asked again.
My intuition… I’m not confident, but…
I pointed to the dress Rukie was holding.
She nodded with satisfaction and said,
“Then, there’s no problem. I’ll change now, so wait there.”
With a slam, she closed the door and went into the warehouse.
…
“…I tried it on. Well? Tell me your thoughts.”
“It’s perfect.”
The dress fit Rukie perfectly.
She seemed to have let her hair down while changing in the storeroom.
Because of that, her golden hair was tangled around the floral ornament on her chest.
That alone made the mere decoration look like a masterpiece made by a skilled craftsman.
Perhaps because it was strapless, Rukie’s white shoulders and collarbones were clearly visible.
When she twirled around, the large ribbon on her back swayed like wings.
The black dress and Rukie were like a single work of art.
To be honest, I could only sigh.
“…Don’t you have any other impressions?”
“…It’s so wonderful, I feel that any words besides ‘perfect’ would be unnecessary.”
“I-I see.”
Rukie scratched her cheek shyly.
“I like it too. It’s a wonderful dress. I won’t allow it to be burned.”
“That’s right…”
Yeah. This can’t be burned.
It’s necessary to bring out Rukie’s charm.
It’s too precious to just dispose of.
Besides—
“I feel like it won’t become transparent.”
“That’s right. Your intuition was correct.”
“The ‘Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric’ was the other dress, wasn’t it?”
“Most likely. Actually… I want to try on that one too.”
Rukie looked longingly at the other dress.
It was a cute one with lots of ribbons on the hem.
I want to see her wear it, but… well, it would be a problem if it became transparent.
“As expected, when meeting Thor, I should wear this one with the decorations on the chest.”
“Yes. That makes me happy, too.”
“Hehe. Is that so?”
When Rukie smiled like that—
“Hmm? Your Majesty, you were here?”
The door opened, and Mabel peered into the room.
“Oh, this is the dress we requested from the tailor, isn’t it? Is it finished?”
“Yes. Right now, Rukie-sama is trying it on.”
“I’m glad Your Majesty looks happy as well. But, Thor-sama—”
“What is it, Mabel?”
“Why was one of the dresses made with the ‘Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric’?”
…Huh?
How does Mabel know about that?
“When I was shown the dresses by the tailor and touched one of them, it became transparent. Since I was supposed to wear this dress, it seems they showed it to me first.”
Mabel said.
“That’s why, to tell them apart, I asked the tailor to put ribbons along the hem of the Dark-Element Magical Weave Fabric dress and a floral decoration on the chest of the Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric dress.”
““…Eh?””
“I thought I attached a note with that explanation…”
At Mabel’s words, Rukie and I looked toward the table.
There it was. A small piece of parchment. It had fallen under the table.
It must have dropped when Rukie picked up the dress.
I was too preoccupied with the ‘Magical Weave Fabric’ issue, while Rukie was completely focused on the dress, so neither of us noticed.
So, the one left on the table was the one with the ribbon on the hem.
As expected of Mabel—she’s very thoughtful.
She marked it so that Rukie wouldn’t mistakenly wear the one made with the ‘Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric.’
Which means… the one Rukie is wearing is… um.
“Rukie-sama!”
“Y-yes!”
“…Please move slowly toward the storage room just like that.”
“U-understood.”
“Please be careful not to channel a strong magical power into the dress. If you do, it might change color as it’ll be treated as if magic has been reapplied.”
“W-w-w… okay. Don’t rush me so much.”
“Calm down… calm down, and move slowly.”
“I-I’m fine. The probability says there shouldn’t be a problem…”
I quickly pointed toward the storage room, and Rukie hesitantly started moving.
Mabel looked puzzled and said,
“Thor-sama, Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry…? Huh? The decoration on Your Majesty’s dress’s chest… could it be!?”
“D-don’t shout so loudly, Mabel! What if you startle someone and they trip!?”
“Rukie-sama! Don’t look back, watch your step!”
“…Ah!”
Rukie tripped over the leg of a chair.
Losing her balance, she grabbed the storage room doorknob to steady herself.
But—at that moment, it seemed she unintentionally infused magic into the dress—
“────!?”
At the instant she let out a wordless scream, Mabel covered both my eyes.
In the Heroes’ world, that would be called a fine save.
It was really a close call.
I couldn’t possibly look at Rukie’s bare skin or underwear.
Yes. Mabel’s blindfold was just in time. So I… didn’t see anything.
…Let’s just keep it that way.
“…I truly apologize, Rukie-sama.”
“…It’s also my mistake for not explaining directly to Thor-sama. I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
“…That’s enough.”
Rukie gave me and Mabel, who were kneeling formally, an embarrassed smile.
“There’s really nothing to apologize for. I wore that dress knowing full well.”
“…Rukie-sama.”
“I told you, didn’t I? Even if there are some small mistakes, if I requested it, I’ll accept it. Well, no real harm was done. Don’t worry about it.”
“Thank you, Rukie-sama.”
“However… probability is a terrifying thing, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is…”
Even if the probability is one in a thousand, it doesn’t mean it only happens once in every thousand tries.
Just like a coin can land heads 100 times in a row, transparency can happen repeatedly as well.
Manipulating probability is dangerous.
I’ll be very careful from now on.
“Thanks to Mabel, I now know which one is the ‘Dark-Element Magical Weave Fabric’ dress. From next time, I’ll wear that one.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“The ‘Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric’ dress will be worn in my private chambers.”
“In that case, no one will see it.”
“Indeed. I don’t let anyone I don’t trust enter my chambers.”
Saying that, Rukie wore a confident smile.
By the way, Mabel said,
“…Um, Your Majesty.”
“What is it, Mabel?”
“Actually, the tailor gave me something.”
“Something they gave you?”
“Yes. Since there was a little leftover fabric from the dress, the tailor made some underwear.”
Underwear?
But leftover fabric… could it be…
“But when I infuse magic into it, both turn black. I can’t tell which one is the ‘Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric’… What should I do with these?”
“Wait, Mabel. Whose underwear are these?”
“Thor-sama said that when making the dress, it was ‘to enjoy dressing Mabel.’ Also, since the tailor is making my maid outfit, they know my size.”
“…So that means?”
Could it be that the items inside the bag Mabel is holding are…?
“…Underwear made from the ‘Dark-Element Magical Weave Fabric’ and the ‘Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric,’ tailored to my size… What should I do with these…?”
It was a difficult problem.
There was no way I could keep Mabel’s underwear.
On the other hand, if Mabel took them home and they got mixed up with other underwear, that would be a huge problem.
In other words…
“…It can’t be helped. I’ll keep them.”
—That was the decision.
“I can’t just throw away the materials Thor prepared. Besides… I’ll probably grow physically one day. So it’s not impossible that my size and Mabel’s could be the same! I said it’s not impossible!!”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty. You’re absolutely right!”
“But for Rukie-sama to wear the ‘Light-and-Dark Magical Weave Fabric’ underwear…”
“I understand. By the time I grow, one of them will probably become transparent once or twice. I should be able to tell the difference. No problem at all.”
Saying that, Rukie smiled bashfully.
And so—
I learned to fear probability and vowed never again to make strange modifications to Magical Weave Fabric.