「Yuuki-san, Amilia-san, sorry to keep you waiting〜!」
「Oh, perfect timing.」
「Yes, just in time.」
「Ehehe〜 I’m glad keeping watch paid off!」
「So… we can leave these two to you, right?」
「——Burrrrl」「——Burrrrl」
The two horses gave us looks that clearly said “Already done playing?”
「Yeah… from here on out it’s narrow stairs, and it’s dangerous anyway.」
「Exactly. We can’t just leave you behind, so you have to go back.」
「That would defeat the purpose〜 So I’ll take care of both of you!」
With that, Marian vanished along with the horses.
「Alright then… let’s go.」
「Yes! Let’s do this!」
「Ah, wait, I almost forgot.」
「Eh? What’s wrong?」
I stopped Amilia just as she was about to charge ahead energetically.
「Here, put this on.」
I pulled a brooch and a cloak from my Item Box.
「What’s this?」
「I haven’t used it much since coming here, but this is magical armor, super tough equipment. Well… I cut up some fabric and forced it into a cloak shape, so it looks kind of awkward, but as long as you’re within the cloak’s range, it can block pretty much any attack. So please wear it.」
I’d carefully sliced apart the integrated magical circuits without breaking them and sewed them into an existing mana-cloth cloak.
The effect radius still covered the circuits properly, it should be fine.
(Thank goodness my middle-school-level sewing skills were just barely enough…)
「This is amazing… How much can it actually block?」
「Probably three of my techniques? Normal enemies won’t even scratch it.」
「Three… that’s ridiculous…」
「Hmm… well, if Yuffie made the real thing it’d be way tougher.」
「Um… I’ve never met that person… right?」
「I don’t think so. Pink-haired elf, ring any bells?」
「No, not at all.」
「Then I’ll introduce you when we get back to my world.」
「Looking forward to it♪」
After confirming the cloak was properly fastened on Amilia, she gave a few practice swings to test the feel.
「How’s it feel? Not in the way?」
「Hmm… it’s fine. The defense position shifts a little, but if I flow attacks across my whole back it shouldn’t be a problem.」
She gripped the cloak like a shield, experimenting with movements.
She’d already removed the light armor from her shoulders and knees to make herself more agile.
「Hey, Yuuki? You had those gauntlet-looking things on earlier, do you have any spares?」
「Gauntlets…? Normal ones okay?」
「Yes, anything made of really hard material is fine.」
「Got it. Hang on a sec…」
I rummaged through my Item Box and pulled out the item I was looking for.
「How about this?」
「What is this…? Isn’t it a little big?」
What I showed her was a slightly oversized gauntlet. When gripped tightly, the knuckle guard slid forward to cover the hand. It had been sized for me, but the inner lining was made of magic power cloth, so it could automatically adjust to the wearer’s size.
「This is just a prototype. Once you wear it and channel mana, the size changes automatically. So it should fit you perfectly.」
――Shakin, shakin.
Amilia moved it curiously, testing the mechanism.
「What is this… it’s amazing…」
「Yuffie’s been making all kinds of things since she came to my world… She gets inspiration from tokusatsu shows and Western movies…」
「I don’t know what ‘tokusatsu’ or ‘Western movies’ are… but she must be an incredible inventor.」
「Yeah… Anyway, looks like the enemies are here.」
「Leave them to me! I want to try out the new gear!!」
Amilia stepped forward eagerly.
They looked like high-tier specimens, but against her, it should be no problem at all.
「「Gyagyagya!!」」
「Here I come!!」
Amilia closed the distance in an instant.
She deflected the enemy’s sword with the cloak on her back, letting the blow slide harmlessly away.
「Haaaaahhh!!」
――Bakibakibaki!
Her magic power-charged sword sliced down in a diagonal arc.
The enemy’s outer shell split apart, crumbling to ash in an instant.
Without missing a beat, she rushed the next one, slamming the gauntlet on her left hand straight into its core.
「Gya!」
The shell shattered.
Amilia leaped onto the staggering enemy and drove her sword deep into the exposed core, turning it to dust.
「Fuu… This gear is incredible. It’s so light… and punching doesn’t hurt my hand at all…」
Having dispatched two enemies in the blink of an eye, Amilia stared at the equipment in awe.
「It’s working even better than I expected.」
「Yeah… way better than I thought.」
「Good to hear. Next time we meet Yuffie, make sure to praise her.」
「I will.」
「Alright then, let’s keep going.」
「Yes!」
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
From there, we raced through the corridors, literally kicking aside any enemies that appeared.
I could’ve just smashed through the walls, but I figured it would be rude to wreck the place too much.
「Ah, Yuuki! Over there!」
「Yeah, looks like it. With this much magic power leaking out, it’s impossible to miss.」
「Right. Let’s just kick the door down.」
「Then let’s do it together!」
We backed up about twenty meters and matched our speed.
「「One! Two! Three!!」」
We slammed both feet into the door at the same moment.
It burst open inward as we charged straight into the chamber.
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