[V11C17] Shopping Shaman

“Thank you for going out of your way to visit us at such a distant location, Melissa Roseberg-sama. I am Lana Colette, the president of the Flux Company.”

Once Nero and Karina had returned to their posts, and Clifford was busy with office work, Lana gave a polite self-introduction.

Her refined and confident mannerisms reflected her pride as the president of this trading company.

Next, Lana turned her attention to the huddled and hooded Ray, greeting him with a warm smile.

“Your companion must be from House Albright. Perhaps the head of household himself?”

“O-Oh, you know who I am?”

The trembling Ray moved the hands covering his face, receiving a cheerful nod from Lana.

“Yes, your grandmother is a valued customer of the Colette Company, which belongs to my father.”

“Eh, y-you know Grandmother…?”

“But of course. She visits our main store quite often.”

Apparently, Lana was acquainted with the Second Abyss Shaman, Adeline Albright. In that case, it made sense for her to recognize a member of House Albright by their purple hair and pink eyes.

Moreover, she knew that Monica was a Sage and that Melissa was a former Sage. It was not hard to imagine the Third Abyss Shaman would be accompanying them.

“I am honored at the opportunity to meet the head of House Albright. Our store also handles men’s attire, so please do not hesitate to speak your mind. We would be delighted to tailor an outfit suiting your needs.”

Lana’s charming introduction caused Ray to blush. The cheeks hidden under his hands turned as red as an apple.

“W-What is going on? A cute and kind girl is saying she’s honored to meet me… She’s smiling… I’m being loved. Really, really loved!”

“This guy, getting so carried away after a simple sales pitch…” Melissa muttered, but her comment failed to reach Ray’s ears.

Ray squirmed for a few moments before putting on an apologetic expression.

“…I-I’m really sorry. I already have a fiancé, and she’s really important to me…”

Ray lowered his head and apologized to Lana.

“I can’t be in a relationship with you.”

“You’re the most disrespectful garbage bag in the entire world right now. Know your place.”

In contrast to the harsh words from Melissa, Lana was beaming with joy.

“Oh my! It’s wonderful that you are able to say that so decisively. Please, allow us to help if you are ever interested in getting a gift for your fiancé.”

As expected of a true professional. Even Melissa was impressed.

Meanwhile, Ray looked at Lana with eyes filled with admiration.

“S-She’s too kind…!”

Monica nodded in agreement with the stunned Ray.

“Y-Yes, that’s right. Lana is wonderful!”

After a cold glance at the overly impressed Ray and the happily nodding Monica, Melissa brought up the main subject.

“President Colette, about the fabric I sent you…”

“Ah yes, I have taken a look at it. What a splendid Ashend weave.”

“I want you to make a dress robe using that. You know, similar to the one this Little One wore before, with Randall lace and the silhouette cinched at the waist.”

Melissa was referring to the dress robe worn by Monica at the soirée with Princess Cecilia.

Dress robes were the formal attire of mages in social settings, generally referring to decorated robes with fancy ornaments. However, some mages chose to add their own brooches and other decorations to an ordinary robe instead of using a dress robe.

“Understood. I’ll bring out the samples of fabric and lace right away, in addition to the design sketches… Cliff! Cliff! Please get the fabric and lace we received from Roseberg-sama!”

Lana called for Clifford, who was working in another room, then placed a set of design proposals for dress robes on top of the table.

Monica peered into the designs and let out a small gasp.

Even with Monica’s lack of familiarity in this field, all of Lana’s dress robe designs captivated her eyes.

Many had a unique silhouette, such as the sleeves turning into flower petals at the ends. All of them had elaborate patterns of embroidery, lace, and other decorations.

Melissa took the design proposals in her hands, grinning like a cat in front of a feast.

“I like the one with the separation under the chest, but I’d rather one that shows my curves more clearly… This one is cute too, but the tiered frill skirt is a little too… childish for my age.”

“If we adjust the tiered frills to be a bit higher, I believe you can avoid looking childish.”

“Oh, you’re right. Not bad.”

Monica only understood about half of the conversation between Melissa and Lana, so she waited for them to finish while occasionally tapping her shoes together or twiddling her thumbs above her knees.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the sofa, Ray was still savoring Lana’s compliments. Apparently, that joy would linger for some time to come.

“If possible, I’d like a dress robe that can be adjusted based on the occasion,” Melissa explained.

“In that case, how would you feel about adding detachable collars?”

Melissa frowned, seeming skeptical of Lana’s suggestion.

“I’ve never been a fan of detachable collars… I know they were trendy about ten years ago, but they always feel like an afterthought, completely mismatched from the rest of the design…”

Melissa’s complaint caused Lana to blink her long lashes a few times, before putting on a smile again. Then, she pointed to the collar of her own dress.

“See this? It’s a detachable collar.”

“Eh? No way.”

As Melissa widened her eyes in surprise, Lana untied the ribbon at her collar.

The detachable collar of violet fabric and layered lace came off, revealing her neckline.

That was all it took to completely change the visual impression of her dress.

“This collar is made to match the fabric, color, and decorations of my dress. That way, it won’t look out of place, right? If you’d like, shall I show you some of the other detachable collars we are selling?”

“I’d love to see them. Whoa, no way! This is so cute!”

“This type of detachable collar can be enjoyed in various ways if you swap the ribbon or brooch used to hold it.”

Lana quickly lined up several detachable collars on the table.

Some of the collars had sturdy cores like those on blouses, while others were made of soft, draped fabric. There were also collars made entirely of lace.

Monica watched as Melissa picked up one of the detachable collars and placed it in front of her neck.

“Look at this, Moni-Moni. Isn’t it cute?”

“Um, yes, it’s cute.”

Monica was unable to come up with a better compliment, so she simply voiced her honest opinion.

Melissa let out a confident laugh and thrust one of the collars at Monica.

“You try this lace collar. It should be a perfect color match with the navy blue dress robe you were wearing the other day, don’t you think?”

Noticing Monica struggling with the collar thrust into her face, Lana stood up with another lace collar in hand.

“Since Monica is on the petite side, we should adjust the collar size to match. How about trying this slightly smaller one? See, the pearl button clasp is like a tiny brooch.”

“Um, but Lana, my blouse already has a collar.”

“This is meant to be layered over the collar. Just like this, so that the lace peeks out a bit from underneath…”

Monica’s eyes began spinning at the unfamiliar experience of layering collars.

For the next hour or so, the three of them had a lively discussion about detachable collars.

Melissa ended up ordering a dress robe alongside a matching detachable collar, and Monica purchased a detachable collar made of exquisite white lace, which matched well with the clothes she already had.

“That was a good purchase!”

Melissa had a contented smile as she stretched back against the sofa.

Then, she turned her attention to Ray, who was quietly sitting at the corner of the sofa.

“Alright, now it’s your turn.”

“…Eh?”

Apparently, Ray was still immersed in the afterglow of Lana’s compliments, even an hour later. He blinked a few times at vacant space before finally returning to reality.

Melissa pointed her thumb at Ray and turned to Lana.

“President Colette, can you get this guy something better than a garbage bag? Asking price is fine, he has the money.”

“Clothes…? F-For me…?”

Ray fidgeted nervously and broke out into a cold sweat.

Completely ignoring his reaction, Melissa continued her conversation with Lana.

“You’re acquainted with the Barrier Mage’s disciple, right? The blue robe he was wearing must be a work of yours.”

“My, you’re quite observant,” Lana replied.

This realization caused Monica to gasp.

Now that she thought about it, the Glenn had indeed been wearing a brand-new blue robe when they met in the capital.

Lana promptly explained to the surprised Monica.

“I gave Glenn that robe to celebrate him passing the novice mage exam. Since he uses flight magic a lot, I made sure to choose a firm fabric that wouldn’t catch too much wind.”

Mage robes were often worn over other clothes, so they tended to be made of soft and loose fabrics. But apparently, Lana deliberately chose a firm fabric generally more suited for a jacket.

Melissa chimed in while looking at the design proposals.

“The shape was like a mix between a robe and a coat, right?”

“Yes, I made it double-breasted to keep out the cold, and I designed it so the collar can be worn up or folded down. The hood is also detachable.”

After answering Melissa’s question, Lana went on to examine Ray.

“Albright-sama, since you have a slender figure, I believe a robe with slightly firmer fabric will suit you very well.”

“W-Well, I-I guess…”

“Please wait just one moment.”

Lana went to the warehouse and returned with a purplish-black robe, offering it to the blushing and fidgeting Ray.

“Could you try putting this on?”

The robe from Lana was similar to the one Glenn was wearing. It was adorned with a stiff collar, giving the same impression as a military jacket or coat.

Ray hesitantly put on the robe as he muttered rapidly under his breath.

“…E-Everyone is going to laugh at me… They’ll say it’s a hundred years too early for a slug like me to wear human clothes…”

“Oh my! It suits you perfectly!”

Lana quickly overwrote Ray’s muttering, then continued to shower him with praise while he was frozen.

“You see, this fabric generally looks black, but it turns slightly purplish under light, which compliments the lovely color of your hair! I chose a subdued tone for the gold buttons and thread to give you a refined and sophisticated atmosphere!”

Melissa grumbled, “Doesn’t look very sophisticated to me,” but Ray was no longer paying her any attention.

Lana’s compliments had easily won him over.

“…I’ll buy it.”

“Thank you very much. Is there anything else you are looking for?” Lana asked with a smile.

The question caused Ray to look up with a start.

“R-Right… I want, um… a hair accessory for my fiancé!”

Ray’s fiancé, Frieda Blanquet, was currently in a coma after the attack by Gluttonous Zoe. According to what Monica heard from Louis, Frieda had headed to the scene of the incident in order to help Ray.

Ray gripped the chest area of his robe and spoke slowly, as if squeezing out each word.

“My fiancé is currently bedridden, so I… I want to give her a present when she wakes up…”

The untalkative Ray confided in Lana because she had earned his trust. She had proven herself as someone capable of picking out wonderful gifts.

Her response to Ray’s desperate plea was a gentle “Certainly.” This was a woman who knew how to support someone’s wholehearted efforts.

(As always, Lana is amazing.)

The conversation only reminded Monica of how proud she was to be Lana’s friend.

“Do you have any preferences for the design and materials of the hair accessory? Bringing your own is also an option.”

“Materials… Oh, I see…”

Ray grabbed the hair flowing down the right side of his head.

“M-My hair or my blood… Which would be better…?”

Lana, who had maintained a perfect business smile until now, visibly flinched for the first time.

Meanwhile, Melissa smacked the back of Ray’s head in exasperation.

“And that’s why no one likes you.”

View the latest chapters at seeker142.github.io