Chapter 65: A Stepfather's Dignity
There were only two days left until the full-moon ball.
Every time Flamme passed by the study, she would deliberately make some noise—sometimes louder than necessary—casting pointed glances into the room.
Yet the ancient demon remained completely unmoved.
He stayed buried in his work, fully immersed in creating magic.
This had gone on for three straight days.
By this morning, Flamme finally couldn't take it anymore.
She knocked softly, stepped into the study with a complicated expression, and sat down silently across from the desk.
"Elias, don't you think you've forgotten something?"
"—Yes."
Without lifting his head, Elias continued flipping through documents, manipulating pen and ink with magic as he wrote.
"I forgot that dancing between two people follows interaction logic similar to combat. If I approach it from the perspective of avoiding incoming attacks, the design difficulty should be greatly reduced."
Flamme: (≖_≖'')
"That's… not what I meant."
"Elias, don't you think that aside from dancing itself, there's something else just as important?"
At the word important, Elias finally stopped writing and looked up.
The blank confusion on his face made it painfully obvious—he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
"…Ah, please spare me."
Flamme practically sighed toward the heavens.
"It's formalwear, Elias."
She lowered her gaze, her expression complicated as she stared at the ancient robe he was wearing—the same old traveler's outfit that opponents on the arena stage had already mocked as ragged.
"If I remember correctly, the first time I met you eight years ago, you were wearing this exact same robe."
"—Is there a problem?"
Elias lifted his sleeve and innocently examined his clothes from left to right.
"I don't remember where I bought it, but it's been with me for two thousand years already."
"I'm used to it."
Flamme: (ᇂ_ᇂ|||)
"Two thousand years…"
"So it's an antique…"
"No—scratch that. It belongs in a museum as an antique among antiques."
"That said, for an antique, it does look surprisingly well-preserved."
"—Is that so?"
Elias accepted her words at face value, treating them as praise. He even smiled.
"I remember that two thousand years ago, I once tried to replicate the principles of a washing machine."
"Using water-flow magic, I created Spiral Laundry Magic."
"Then, based on the principles of a dryer, I combined fire magic with airflow magic to invent Clothes-Drying Magic."
"Unfortunately, the process was far too complicated. In the end, I had no choice but to steal a couple of tricks from the old dwarf—"
"Stain-Cleansing Magic and Fabric-Preservation Magic."
"I have to admit, sometimes the old dwarf's magic is actually quite decent."
Flamme ground her teeth slightly, rubbing the side of her neck in irritation.
She hadn't come here to listen to bedtime stories.
This guy still hadn't grasped the point at all.
"Alright, Elias."
Flamme spoke bluntly, her tone absolute.
"You cannot—absolutely cannot—wear this outfit to the full-moon ball."
Each word landed with force.
Elias met her gaze and clearly sensed the determination in her eyes, yet confusion welled up inside him.
Back then, when he attended banquets, it was usually for one of three reasons:
First, boredom.
Second, Aivis insisting he show up out of respect for the client.
Third, Serei dragging him along to freeload food and drinks.
Even then, the three of them had always dressed casually.
So really…
What was so important about clothes?
Before he could finish that thought, Flamme suddenly stood up and grabbed his hand.
"…Huh?!"
Ignoring the surprise on Elias's face, she dragged him straight out the door.
Just as they stepped out of the inn, they ran into a hopping, cheerful Frieren.
"Teacher Flamme! I just escorted Captain Julie out of the city—she—"
"Frieren! Perfect timing!"
Flamme cut her off instantly, grabbed the bewildered elf with her other hand, and marched aggressively toward the shopping district.
Along the way, Elias remained silent, faintly aware of the warmth in Flamme's hand.
He couldn't help but wonder—
Was this forceful dragging sensation what humans referred to as holding hands?
Flamme led the two of them straight to Annabelle's Formalwear Boutique.
Looking up at the shop sign, she said:
"They say this is the most popular formalwear shop in all of the Holy City!"
The moment they stepped inside, rows of exquisitely crafted gowns greeted them—different styles, yet all refined and elegant, radiating noble splendor.
For some reason, Elias froze and glanced at the master and apprentice.
Frieren slowly approached a small princess-style dress, carefully reaching out to touch the lace trim.
The moment her fingers brushed it, the hem fluttered like drifting petals.
"A single dress… enchanted with magic. That's a clever design."
Frieren murmured in awe, her eyes trembling slightly.
"This must be really expensive…"
"—Ohohohohoho~~"
A sharp, flamboyant laugh suddenly rang out.
From the back of the shop emerged a graceful woman in a pearl-white gown. The aura she exuded alone filled the entire store—clearly the owner.
She swayed as she approached, waving a feathered fan. With a single flick, a fragrant trace of magic filled the air.
"If it weren't expensive, how could it embody the unattainable elegance of our boutique?"
Her gaze drifted downward toward Frieren.
"For example, the Fluttering Blossom Dress you're admiring costs eighteen Strahl gold coins. Fixed price. No discounts."
Frieren: Σ(ŎдŎ|||)ﾉﾉ
"Eighteen Strahl gold coins?!"
"That's several years' worth of my allowance!"
The shop owner leaned closer, her red lips whispering like a succubus:
"But little elf, isn't it said that your kind lives for thousands of years?"
"A few years' allowance is nothing more than pocket change in such a long life."
"Spend a little money to gain great joy—this is a rare opportunity!"
She then turned to Flamme, clicking her tongue appreciatively.
"Slender waist, exquisite curves."
"With such an outstanding figure, only the most expensive gowns are worthy of you."
"Especially for women—better to shortchange your future self than your present one!"
"Women suffer enough as it is… youth is the only time we get to indulge."
Elias listened quietly.
For some reason, this sales pitch felt oddly familiar—had he heard something like this in a previous life?
Finally, the shop owner turned her attention to Elias.
Her eyes swept over his ancient robe.
She immediately frowned and sighed dramatically.
"A beautiful wife, an adorable child—sir, you must maintain some dignity as well!"
Elias: (≖_≖'')
"May I ask… how exactly do human husbands and wives give birth to an elf child?"
Shop owner: (´-ι_-｀)
"Oh! So you're the stepfather!"
She instantly recalibrated, snapping her fan open and returning to full combat mode.
"No matter! With such a beautiful wife and such a cute stepdaughter…"
"Even a stepfather must have dignity!"