The Young Lady's Concealed Weapon

Translated by: ME

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

「That sounds like quite an ordeal...」

Lately, whenever I meet anyone from the trading companies, they offer their sympathy as if following a script. Yes, they are referring to the debutante ball.

Behind the scenes (?), the little lady is revered as the "Goddess of Wisdom of Azenda." However, the general image the commoners have of her is of a girl who usually wears a simple, easy-to-move-in one-piece dress, kneels in the dirt of the fields, and eats nothing but budget-friendly meals. Consequently, even though they know she is brilliant, the common folk are the ones feeling anxious about whether she can successfully play the part of a proper young lady.

「...I wish I could invite everyone, too.」

「No, no, no, please stop right there! You can't be serious!!」

Dan spoke up firmly, realizing that if left to her own devices, Magnolia might actually try to invite the commoners from the guild.

「They don't have anything to wear, and they don't know the first thing about etiquette, do they?!」

「You're right. It would just be a burden for them...」

Even Magnolia could grasp that much. She had only suggested it thinking that having familiar faces around might make the unappealing party a bit more enjoyable.

Paul, ever the voice of reason, looked back and forth between Magnolia and her escort, Claude, before asking:

「...Are you going to be okay with the manners and such?」

「...I practiced to kill time when I was at the main house, so I think I'll be fine.」

「When you were at the main house? How old were you then...」

「Three.」

「「「「「「............」」」」」」

A delicate silence enveloped the meeting room in the Guild building. Of course, the Margrave's household had already confirmed that Magnolia's etiquette and manners were well above passing marks.

It all started after the monthly regular meeting, when Paul and Dan called out to Magnolia, who seemed more dejected than usual. The preparations for the party were becoming concrete. With the event finally feeling real, the debutante ball was weighing heavily on her mind.

「...Magnolia-sama is so lovely; if you just wear a beautiful dress and look composed, it'll be over in no time.」

Pianny offered comfort with a strained smile. Dahlia nodded in vigorous agreement.

「Exactly. And I'm not just flattering you; I mean it—I've never seen anyone cuter than Magnolia-sama. You're definitely going to be a stunning beauty in the future! I'm so jealous!」

(—Well, that face is exactly why there's so much trouble, though.)

Both Magnolia and Claude muttered this in their hearts.

「I don't think you need to worry so much, you know? Just relax and eat some good food!」

Victor, the head of both the Adventurer and Magic Guilds, laughed brightly as he spoke. Claude and Dominic, the head of the Merchant Guild, shot Victor a look as if they wanted to say something.

「Ah, also, the gauntlet. Sorry for the wait—it finally came back from the Holy Kingdom of Monteorona!」

「...That took quite a while.」

When Claude spoke to Victor with exasperation, Victor furrowed his brow.

「It has to expand and contract to match the thickness of her arm and the size of the weapon, plus all sorts of other enchantments! There was a waiting list. You can't make these unless you have magic power, you know.」

Victor grumbled petulantly. Claude ignored him, took the gauntlet, and began inspecting it—turning it over, looking at it from different angles, and giving it a light tap.

「...It seems to be fine.」

The gauntlet handed over by Claude was a rather sophisticated piece of work, shimmering with the scales of a black dragon. It looked like a long wristband, but it had three belts and buckles sewn onto it to ensure it wouldn't slip. Despite its sturdy construction, it felt surprisingly light.

The leather with black dragon scales was double-layered, and between them sat a plate made of the special alloy Claude had created. Likely, no blade would be able to wound the arm wearing this gauntlet.

It had a separate loop belt for attaching weapons, as she had requested a way to extend her reach even with her short arms. When she had asked if it could be made so it wouldn't come off, he had casually mentioned that an enchantment would do the trick... but was it possible this was actually a very big deal?

Magnolia said her thanks, but seeing her tilt her head at the reactions of those around her, Dominic let out a small sigh.

(......That is one incredible gauntlet......)

He wasn't an expert on weaponry, but he had confidence in his eye for quality. Looking at the item for which he couldn't even begin to estimate a price, Dominic looked back and forth between Claude and Magnolia with a complicated expression.

(They've gone and made something outrageous... I suppose you could call it the Margrave family's literal 'Imperial Wrath.')

It went without saying for her grandfather, Servas, but even Claude doted on his niece quite a bit in his own way.

...He was blunt and his way of speaking sounded harsh, so it didn't look like it at first glance... but despite how busy he surely was, he accompanied his niece whenever he had time (though that was likely partly to keep her from doing anything too wild), and looked after her quite devotedly. Even now, he was kneeling to meet her eyes, trying to gauge the mood of the little princess who was slightly less energetic than usual.

It was understandable.
Princess Azelia—who was called the Fairy Princess and wooed by many men, and who was actually the princess of a small nation—had her homeland destroyed by an emperor of a desert country who wanted her for his own. This girl was the spitting image of that princess, her great-grandmother.

Dominic had seen Azelia in her later years, and he remembered her being an exceptionally beautiful woman even as she aged.

...And here was a toddler with those looks who was also quite friendly. If left alone, it wouldn't be strange for her to be kidnapped by someone at any moment.

On top of that, she possessed a unique and abundant wealth of knowledge. One could easily be deceived by her appearance, but she also displayed a depth of thought one wouldn't expect from a young child.

He could see why her family would become overprotective.

If that gauntlet were ever used, it would mean someone had appeared who intended to harm Magnolia.

(......Please let no such fool appear......)

He knew that "Demon General" was not just a metaphor. Dominic shuddered, remembering the truly ogre-like figure of Servas—who was usually surprisingly friendly—whenever he actually went into battle.

---

「So, you swing it out like this to lock it.」

Magnolia explained while swinging her arm down. Gai listened to his little master's movements and explanation, constructing the design for a new, never-before-seen weapon in his head.

「...A short stick... like a short wand, but with shaft rods of different thicknesses inside, right?」

「Yeah. Two or three stages, I think. If I recall, it locks via friction between the shafts. If that's impossible, just pulling it to lock is fine, too.」

「Hmm, I wonder if a taper angle would work......」

Currently, the cheerful guard and the little Fairy Princess were consulting about this and that.

Since the gauntlet was finished, they had gone back to the armory to see if they'd missed anything to attach to it... but there was absolutely nothing that felt "concealable."

When she asked what scouts or assassins did in such cases, he told her they made their own weapons. She had been hesitant about creating a brand-new weapon, but she eventually decided that as long as she made something with less lethal force than what already existed, it wouldn't be a problem.

As for the "extending" part, since jointed items already existed, wouldn't it be "barely safe"...?

And so, talking about various things, they made their way deep into the annex of the estate, where they found a blacksmithing workshop. Why was something like this here...?

「...Well, the Margrave family is a military house, after all. We can handle small repairs ourselves.」

Saying this, Gai expertly began cutting, melting, hammering, and quickly assembling pieces of a random weapon.

「You want it to be rock hard, right?」

「...Sturdy enough is good... but if it's so hard that the target shatters (the person) instantly when I hit them, that might be a problem...」

「That's a tough one. Even if you hit them, My Lady, it's nothing compared to being sliced or stabbed with a sword, right?」

He was saying scary things as if they were nothing. Magnolia made a grimace.

In a world where outrageous metals were just lying around (?), she realized that if she wasn't careful, it might turn into a weapon several times more terrifying than the original. That would truly go against Magnolia's intentions.

While they were explaining things and making small talk, the baton was finished in no time at all.

「Looks like it'd be better to wrap something around the grip.」

「Oh! Amazing! It actually extended!!」

When she swung the short wand down, there was a metallic sliding sound, and the metal rod she was used to seeing in police dramas appeared. To think he could build it from that clumsy explanation... He's good.

「Gai, thank you! ...You won't spread word of this weapon, right...?」

When she asked tentatively, he gave a wry smile.

「An extending club is something only you would use, My Lady. There are plenty of more efficient weapons out there, after all.」

(Thank goodness!)

And so.
*Level Up sound!* Magnolia obtained a new weapon (Gauntlet and Baton)!

*****

Note: If you want to picture her now, try googling Sukeban Deka girl with police baton instead of yoyo.

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