{Chapter 41} Elves are really good.
"Royal cuisine really does get cloying fast."
Stretching lazily as she walked out of the restaurant, Anna savored the lingering taste of the dishes and made this remark.
"Cloying? Yeah, it definitely is. Royal dishes always lean towards the sweet side. I heard they even dump an entire can of sugar when stewing meat!"
"An entire can of sugar? I can't even imagine what it would feel like to pour that straight into my mouth." Atala, who had clearly struggled with the imperial food, shivered at the thought.
"Do elves not eat sweet things?"
"Mm, our tastes are different from you humans. In your language, what you call 'bitterness' is actually our favorite flavor,"
"Bitterness... I can’t even begin to imagine what a whole table of bitter dishes would be like. Sounds like a nightmare."
Helga shivered just like Atala had earlier.
"But, Anna, didn’t you say your monthly salary is just one gold coin?" Helga suddenly focused on another detail.
"Yet you said you’ve eaten here before?"
Considering the meal had cost over a hundred gold coins, Helga couldn’t fathom how Anna could afford to dine there.
"Oh, that was when I came here with Louise last time while we were out shopping," Anna replied, though she sounded oddly guilty the moment she mentioned Louise.
"Ah... from the Latimir family, huh." The mention of Louise immediately wiped the smile off Helga’s face.
Her gaze toward Anna even carried a faint trace of familiar resentment. "Next time, you have to go out with me alone!"
"Yes, yes, of course..." Anna had expected this reaction and quickly agreed.
"So, where to next?" The little third wheel, Atala, seemed completely oblivious to the tension between the two and asked with curiosity.
"Next, huh..." Anna’s gaze shifted to Atala, studying her face for a moment before slowly letting her eyes drift downward…
Atala’s face flushed red under Anna’s lingering stare, until Anna finally spoke:
"How about we check out a clothing store? Since we’re out shopping, we should at least pick up a thing or two."
"Wait, what? Anna, are you going to pick clothes for me?" Helga instantly latched onto Anna’s left arm, pressing it firmly into her chest.
"...I can pick something for you too, but we should help Atala find something first."
"Eh?"
Atala hadn’t expected Anna to want to pick clothes for her and quickly waved her hands in refusal.
"No, no, I don’t have much money..."
"Don’t worry about it, I’ll cover it." Anna waved her hand grandly, as if her earlier days of stretching a single gold coin to its breaking point were long behind her.
"...But your salary is so low. Where did you get the money for clothes?"
Helga’s slightly resentful tone cut through Anna’s earlier bravado, making her deflate instantly.
"Well... Louise gave me the money..."
"...That won’t do. I need to give you some too."
Saying this, Helga pulled out a large money pouch from her spatial ring and stuffed it straight into Anna’s hands.
"Wait, wait, wait! This is way too much..."
"The more, the better! I can't lose to the Latimir family!"
Why are you getting competitive over something so weird right now?!
Feeling like she was being sponsored by two rich girls, Anna had a sinking feeling, both her instincts and calculations told her that things were going to get complicated.
And she had read some erotic novels where a girl gets sponsored by someone rich and they ask something in exchange.
...
"What about this one?"
Atala, who usually wore a black robe and only swapped it for an imperial-style maid outfit when working at the restaurant, was now dressed head-to-toe like a proper adventurer.
She wore a teal leather vest over a gray-white shirt, paired with a white goatskin leather skirt decorated with blue patterns.
A rugged imperial cowhide combat belt cinched her waist, and on her feet were high, stretchable worm-leather boots that wrapped around her calves.
An arrow quiver was clipped to her belt at the back, and her hands were now gloved with wool-lined leather archery gloves.
Gone was the shady, robe-clad figure, Atala now looked every bit the elite adventurer.
Of course, all of this was the result of Anna and Helga’s relentless encouragement.
"Elves really do have an eye for style. You just glanced around, picked out a few pieces, and boom total adventurer vibes," Anna marveled, eyeing the slightly bashful elf standing in front of them.
"It’s... it’s not a big deal. We just have own sense of aesthetics when it comes to outfits," Atala murmured, clearly flustered by Anna and Helga's stares.
"What a shame. If this shop actually had the kind of robes I want, I would’ve totally asked you to style me too..." Helga sighed dramatically.
"...The kind of robes you want? What kind of robes are you looking for?"
"You haven’t noticed how ugly this mustard-yellow thing is? Plus, the fabric is so thick! It’s the worst in summer, and it’s super inconvenient during battle!”
"...Inconvenient?" Anna twitched at the corner of her mouth, she was starting to get an idea of what Helga meant.
"Yeah! Totally inconvenient! The fabric’s heavy, and the sleeves are way too long, it’s so annoying to swing my staff around!"
"Wait, Helga, you’re not a warrior?"
Atala, who had been about to try on more clothes, was now completely distracted.
"I knew someone was going to say that!" Helga puffed out her already impressive chest, her tone full of pride. "I’m a fully certified mage, thank you very much!"
"Eh?" Atala looked shocked. "But aren’t all Lunarians warriors?"
"...I keep telling you, I'm Lunareth!" Helga corrected, then added, "Besides, Lunarians have Shamans, right? So even if I were a Lunarian, being a mage wouldn’t be impossible."
"But if I remember right, Lunarian Shamans can accelerate Blood Rage and even use unique blood magic after activating it." Atala tilted her head. "Can you do that too, Helga?"
"...Just because you can make your blood rage doesn’t mean you have to be a warrior! My dream has always been to become a mage, so I became one. Simple as that."
"Dreams..." Atala froze for a moment before her eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Right! All for the dream... Helga, you’re amazing!"
"Right? I know!" Helga beamed, clearly basking in the praise.
Watching Helga and Atala laugh and chat, with Helga bragging to her heart's content, Anna found herself drifting into thought.
‘Helga told me when we were kids why she wanted to become the “strongest close-combat mage”... It was because of... what was it again?’