The person standing there was Rei, yet at the same time, someone who could hardly be believed to be Rei.
At the very least, anyone who only knew Rei from his time in Gilm would never have thought the current Rei was the same person, even seeing him now.
"How is it? I did my very best to tailor it to suit you, my client."
The merchant woman who had brought Rei's bespoke suit asked the question.
She was a woman in her forties, but the fact that she had been summoned to Duke Kerebel's House like this made it obvious she was quite capable.
Though the measurements had only been taken a few days prior, the fact that the bespoke suit was already finished was surprising to Rei, yet somehow understandable.
If Rei had been knowledgeable about bespoke clothing, he would have understood just how extraordinary it was to produce a bespoke suit in such a short period—and one worthy of being worn to a large-scale party hosted by Duke Kerebel gathering nobles together.
Naturally, she had used Magic Items of various kinds to produce it as quickly as possible... yet without cutting any corners whatsoever. Looking at the suit Rei currently wore, no one would dare mock it as something improvised.
"Yeah, it's a bit hard to move in... well, it's this kind of clothing, so that can't be helped."
In reality, the fact that it was bespoke was precisely why the discomfort was limited to that extent.
What Rei usually wore was his Dragon Robe, and what he wore underneath was also clothing with a high degree of freedom.
Because of that, wearing something like a suit would inevitably feel restrictive no matter how high-quality it was.
Rei understood this as well, which was why he did not demand alterations to the clothing in this situation.
Even without being well-versed in bespoke clothing, he could fully appreciate how difficult it must have been to make.
Besides, it was only somewhat restrictive—not to the point of genuinely impeding his movement.
Seeing Rei's reaction, the merchant woman who had brought the suit breathed an inward sigh of relief, though she did not let it show on her face.
Had she been told to make adjustments under these circumstances, it would almost certainly have been an unmanageable situation.
(So this child is the one who holds the Crimson alias, hm. Glad to see he's not the type to throw his weight around needlessly.)
Looking at Rei's face once more, she noticed features so refined that he could hardly be taken for a man—one might even describe it as a feminine face.
He was short in stature, but there was no denying he possessed a certain charm.
If possible, she would have liked to take more time and prepare a truly fitting garment for Rei, or so she fleetingly thought.
(Though it's not like there's any time for that kind of thing.)
The woman's shop, which employed skilled artisans, naturally received a wide variety of orders.
Especially during this season, she was so busy with orders from nobles who had come for the party that she barely had time to sleep.
Mind you, most of the work was not making entirely new bespoke clothing from scratch like Rei's, but rather adjusting existing garments.
Clothes that could still be worn months, half a year, or even a year ago no longer fit due to changes in body shape, and needed to be adjusted.
Such jobs came in one after another.
Of course, not all nobles were like that, but even so.
In any case, with work pouring in as it was, there was simply no room to be thinking about preparing a truly fitting outfit for Rei.
"If everything is to your satisfaction, may I formally hand this over to you?"
"Yeah. No problems."
At Rei's straightforward reply, the merchant woman smiled, said only that she hoped for the opportunity to serve him again, and left the room.
Appearing as if to swap places with the merchant woman was Miranda.
Under normal circumstances, it would not have been strange for Miranda to have been present during the discussion with the merchant, but Rei had asked her to go check on Set, so she had been absent.
"How was Set? Was he sulking?"
"Yes, he was playing with Ielo. Though he did seem a little lonely."
"...I see."
Against his enemies, Set showed no mercy, wielding his beak, his front legs, or his skills. But by nature, he was fundamentally friendly and affectionate.
That tendency was especially strong toward Rei, whom he loved most of all. For Rei to not show up at the time he had promised was quite lonely for Set.
"The suit's been handed over, so I'll go see Set in a bit. Maybe I'll pick up something from the kitchen as a treat."
Set was being cared for in the stables of the Duke Kerebel Mansion, and the meals served there were naturally far better than what an ordinary person would eat.
Set could eat raw monster meat without issue, but even so, it seemed he still preferred meals that tasted good.
Granted, the meals served to Set were not prepared by Georgima himself but by others. Even so, those individuals, trained under Georgima's guidance, possessed skill fully worthy of being called first-rate.
Of course, that was not true of everyone. When Rei had gone to look before, there were some being scolded about their heat control.
"I think you should. Though... before that, you should change out of those clothes. You wouldn't want to get your nice suit dirty, after all."
Rei nodded at her words.
If he dirtied this suit, he would have nothing to wear to the party.
Well, considering the financial resources of Duke Kerebel's House, there might be a possibility they could manage something, but Rei had no intention of relying on them to that extent.
Moreover, dirtying the clothes would be entirely Rei's own fault.
And so, following Miranda's advice, Rei took off the suit and handed it to her.
Normally, he could have stored the removed clothing in his Misty Ring, but Miranda forbade it.
The reason being that proper garment storage required various specific steps.
When told this, Rei had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Having been a high school student in Japan, Rei had no knowledge of how to properly store suits or formalwear.
He had attended relatives' weddings and funerals and the like, but being still a student at the time, Rei had participated wearing his high school blazer uniform.
That was why, when Miranda told him such steps were necessary, he simply accepted it as how things were done.
And so, Rei changed back into his usual Dragon Robe...
"Ah..."
Seeing him like that, Miranda let out a regretful voice.
At that blatant reaction, Rei asked with a hint of bewilderment.
"Um... did I look strange?"
"Oh, no. It's not that... It's just that those clothes suited you so well, Rei-san. I thought you might have wanted to show Lady Elena and Lady Ara at least once."
At the mention of showing them, Rei felt vaguely as though he had been turned into a spectacle.
Even so, the ones he would be showing were Elena and Ara, so it was not an entirely unpleasant thought.
"I don't think there's any need to go out of my way to call them over for that. They'll be able to see it directly at the party."
"You don't understand a woman's heart at all. Lady Ara aside, Lady Elena would absolutely want to see it. Though I suppose it's too late now that you've already changed."
"...Yeah, probably. Let's just call it something to look forward to at the party. Honestly, I don't think it's anything worth making a fuss over."
Rei said as much, but Miranda, like the merchant woman who had brought the suit, felt that seeing Rei in a suit was undeniably a feast for the eyes.
Naturally, she understood it was not something to make that big a deal over—something that could not even be compared to Elena in a dress. She understood that, but it was still an undeniable fact that it was worth seeing at least once.
So much so that she even wondered whether they might be displeased that she alone had been the first to see Rei in the suit.
But then again, Rei had already changed back into his usual attire.
If that was the case, there was no point saying anything more now.
It was possible—just barely possible—that if she asked, Rei might put the suit back on. But in her position as a maid, she could not say such a thing.
"Alright then, I'll leave the clothes to you, Miranda. I'm going to go see Set."
"Yes, leave it to me."
After exchanging those brief words, Rei left the room...
"Oh my?"
The moment he stepped out, several people were passing through the hallway a short distance away, and one of them noticed Rei and let out a voice.
Rei turned his gaze toward the source of the voice, and though his expression remained neutral, he found himself thinking that he had run into a troublesome group.
That was because the person who had spoken, and the people accompanying him, were clearly wearing high-quality garments.
People dressed like that, present at the Duke Kerebel Mansion during this season.
What kind of people they were required no consideration at all to figure out.
Yes—nobles who had come to attend the New Year's party had arrived in Anesis and were here to greet Liberte, the Duke Kerebel.
(Am I going to get hassled again?)
Rei thought as much, but that expectation proved wrong in a good way.
"Oh! Could you by any chance be Crimson Rei? I've heard from my son. He tells me you swept through all the adventurers and soldiers employed by other nobles in the mock battle. It is regrettable that someone of your ability belongs to the Neutral Faction, but even so, it would please us greatly if we could cooperate going forward."
"Eh?"
It was not unreasonable for Rei to let out such a sound at the noble's words.
He had been fully expecting to be hassled again, but instead nothing of the sort happened. Rather, he was being treated in a friendly manner.
Even so, Rei quickly composed himself and spoke with a slight fluster.
"Yeah, I'm hoping for a good relationship too."
So saying, Rei turned his gaze once more to the man standing before him.
The person there appeared to be in his late twenties by age.
He could not say he had never interacted amicably with nobles of that age range before, but they had indeed been few in number.
If anything, the nobles who could build a good relationship with Rei tended to be ones like Bluitt—nobles who did not act like typical nobles.
Elena and Ara were nobles as well, but they would probably fall into the category of nobles who did not act like nobles.
Then again, by that definition, Miranda, who was assigned as Rei's handler, also came from a noble family, albeit technically...
"Hahaha. I see. Then I shall take my leave. I have many things that must be done. I look forward to speaking with you again at the New Year's party."
"Lord Viscount, we're running short on time before your next appointment..."
"Understood. Then, until next time."
So saying, the noble addressed as Viscount departed from Rei's presence.
His entourage followed after him, but none of them directed mocking or contemptuous glances toward Rei.
"So there are nobles like that too, huh."
That was Rei's honest impression.
Then again, thinking about it, it was only natural.
If all of the Noble Faction Nobles were like Gaiska, the Noble's Faction as a power would have collapsed long ago.
There were certainly many who held high pride, but those who possessed ability matching that pride, or at the very least did not look down on others without cause, must have been greater in number.
Wearing a faintly surprised expression, Rei left the area.
His destination was, naturally, the stables.
He had asked Miranda to keep Set company, but even so, he felt he should go see Set in person, even if he was a little late.
That said, from what Miranda had told him about Set's state, he understood the gryphon was feeling lonely, so he quickened his pace slightly.
Mind you, he did not go so far as to run through the Duke Kerebel Mansion.
That was because this was the residence of Duke Kerebel, who led the Noble's Faction.
If someone were seen rushing about in such a place, it could be taken as bad manners and invite contempt, or worse, people might assume some serious problem had occurred.
Of course, if there had been a genuine emergency, running would not have been unreasonable. But at the very least, doing so merely to appease Set was something best avoided.
(For now, the way to Set's heart is food. A dish using Gamelion meat... no, maybe something even tastier would be better? I have been making him feel lonely lately, after all.)
Thinking such thoughts, Rei hurried toward the stables where Set was waiting.