Evil-like Duke Household

Conversation About Armour

The day finally arrived, the day where I, Erza=Ractos, having her marriage interview.

Nervous... thought it was not to such extent, but I still felt like my heart slightly thumped, excited, beating so fast.

Well, I think the reason that my heart beating so fast like this was not because of excitement or anything like that, but because of the lack of preparation that my heart should make when facing the marriage interview that happened so soon after I was informed about it.

But, because today was not like the previous time where armour was prohibited,it could slightly... made my heart calm,at least it was better than last time when I had to wear a dress in big brother engagement party, as I stand in wait on the entrance while waiting for the opposite party to come.

Though since mother said [Please, at least take off your helmet] with a scary expression on her face, I had to take off my helmet and held it under my arms...

Rather than that, about today’s guest. From what I heard from father, it’ll be someone named Zen=Helix, a son of a family with military lineage, and also one of the members of chivalric order light unit.

From what I heard, he had the nickname of <<Young Ace>>, and famous as the candidate for the next commander of the light unit.

And so, that was also the reason why my family permits me to use armour.

Now that he said it, I felt like there was indeed someone like that in the chivalric order.

Probably when we do subjugation expedition, we met each other at some occasion, or maybe not... perhaps, we were actually acquaintanced with each other.

As I thought so to kill some time, finally the opposite party arrived at the front gate.

A man with a trained body, around the same age as my father, and a tall woman with a slightly nervous expression.

Probably they were Mr. and Mrs. Helix.

Now, where was my partner... Zen=Helix, for marriage interview today.

[Long time no see! The eldest son of Viscount Helix house, Azolias Kingdom Chivalric Order Light Armour Unit, Zen=Helix here! Pleased to meet you today!]- Zen

A young man with blonde hair and red eyes around the same age as Big Brother came into my eyes.

... And, in armour. Just like me.

Well, it was light armour, so it was not a full plated armour that covers all his body like mine.

[ Thought it’s a bit rude on such an occasion, but since the other party is that Erza-sama, I thought to match with Erza-sama, and so today, I wore the uniform of a knight of Azolias kingdom!]- Zen

Somehow, it felt weird hearing other people calling my name while adding prefix –sama like that, rather than that, what do you mean with "That", huh? Also, I felt like it was not my place to said this, but going to a marriage interview with armour is a no-no, yeah.

Wait. Though this would be heard as an excuse, the armour that I wore was armour that could also be used as the uniform for a formal occasion.

The thoroughly polished black metal that glistened brightly, adding with red metal ornament, furthermore the dynamic streamline.

That was right, my armour was not just emphasizing on its utility but also designed for a ceremonial occasion, yeah!

On that point, the armour that Zen-dono wear was just the normal light armour, and in the first place the light armour that light unit wear had totally opposite function than the heavy unit, their armour mainly functioned as the protector when something unexpected happened, and not as the shield for the body, adding to that normal armour was not something that fitting to be a formal wear.

That’s why, please don’t treat me same as... eh? I felt that his elbow and knee protector’s shape were different from the standard one.

Somehow, it seems like there was some frame-like thing that inserted in it...

Ah! This was the now popular <<Thin Rebar Treatment>>, right!?

A metal with high density that will be too heavy if used for full armour, is used as a skeletal frame and inserted into the armour, covered with normal light metal!

Furthermore, by the fact that I couldn’t discern it with a normal armour at a glance, means that he designed it to have the same shape as the general knight armour on purpose!

Aah!? Now that I look closely what he was wearing was skin belt from Sutaz Black Metal, wasn’t it!! It didn’t have any utility, rather, because of its weight, wearing that thing would only bring nothing but demerit, but it’s really stylish!!

Now that it became like this, the poor like red metal that decorated the joints, became something of a high sense!!

... Now I get it, this was what you call to imitate, huh.

Respecting my only one stylish black metal armour that wrapped my body, and so, he didn’t make those stylish things appeared on the surface and emphasizing the modest style on a place that’s hard to discern by bare eyes.

Without harming the utility of the armour, at a glance it looked like a boorish thing but in fact, it doesn't have any uselessness.

Now I must rethink my impression on him. Honestly, I had been looking down on Zen-dono.

Zen-dono’s armour, it's a proper formal armour, yeah!

I got a better opinion of you!!

--- And so as I nodded my head re-evaluating my opinion on Zen-dono, it seems that father and Viscount Helix were already finished their greeting and left us together in the room alone.

Well, now that I already recognize how good Zen-dono’s sense in armour, I could face this marriage meeting in more positive view, furthermore I remembered how the thing goes from looking at big brother’s marriage meeting before, there shouldn’t be any problem with this, or so I thought...

[...]

In the room where the two of us alone, were filled with silence in present continuous tense.

Now that we were alone in the room like this, I didn’t know what should I do after this.

Zen-dono also looked like he was nervous, the whole room was shrouded in still silence.

Hmmm... I wonder what should I do first? If I remembered correctly, what my big brother do was---

Ah, that’s right, it should be talking about the weather!

[ Today is a really good day, huh]- Erza

[Eh, ah... yes!]-Zen

Then... what should I do next?

Hmmm, I couldn’t remember it again. But I suppose it should be no problem to just let the conversation flow like this!

Well, looking at Zen-dono’s armor, perhaps it’s better for us to talk about monster subjugation or equipment, yeah!!

[ On a day like this, we can pleasantly hunt monster]

[... monster subjugation, it is?]- Zen

Oh, Just as I thought, he took the bait!

[ Yes, monster subjugation. In clear day like this, don’t you somehow felt like the joint on your armor move smoothly than before, your blade sharper, and it’s sharpness become profound than usual]

[ Sharper, profound... somehow, I understand that feeling] – Zen

It seems I got a response!

As I thought, everyone had the same thought as me, right.

Since on a clear day the gloss on the armour nicely reflected the light, I thought it was better to just go to around and hunt all the monster to our heart content rather than just running around the training place, yeah!

Alright, let’s continue the conversation in this flow!

[... I am from the heavy unit, so I use a two-handed sword to slice my enemy into two, what about Zen-dono, what is your main weapon?] – Erza

After this, I shifted the conversation about our partner... our beloved weapon.

Since the particularity when choosing a weapon were a lot more than when choosing armour, this kind of conversation is a sure thing for a knight!

[ A slightly long one-handed sword, and a slightly small buckler, I guess. I got told a lot that it’s too common of a weapon, but I think this style is what fits me the most...]-Zen

Hm hmm. Indeed it was a normal choice of a weapon, but a person like Zen-dono who held a second name and also said to be the candidate for the next Commander should have an impressive technique on his hand.

I could imagine it, hearing that he used a sword slightly longer than the usual sword.

While showing that the buckler like a normal buckler, it’s actually order made. In other words, both the sword and the buckler should look like the mass production one.

From that common like weapon, the slash that came from the sword that was actually slightly longer than usual. If he used a technique like that, a newbie will become confused with the distance between the two people and get one-sidedly beaten.

He thought about it quite well, heh~

[Umm, is it alright if I asked something as well?] – Zen

Oh, a question from Zen-dono?

It’s alright, come! I’ll answer it as long I could answer it!

[Why, did Erza-sama choose to become a knight... even though you’re a noble lady, you choose to drag your body into the battlefield, why?]- Zen

Ah, you really gonna ask that? Seriously, asked about that?

I’ll tell you the story about it, you know~

... Well, even if I said a story, the answer to that question is actually just a simple one.

[... That’s, because it’s cool]

[Cool? What, did you mean... ]

[ Just as it is. When I was small, I saw the knight’s mock battle at the country’s national foundation day... at that place, I got captivated by a female knight who wore black armour with double-handed sword. While she was a woman, she wore a full plate armor on her body, I felt her figure who swing that big sword as big as her body is really beautiful]- Erza

Really, it was so cool. The double-handed sword and armour that that woman wore. Armour that looks so fierce like a ferocious animal, the thorny... just like a claw that was sharpened, her knee and elbow cap.

Ominous and elegant blade of the double-handed sword.

[And so, I want to become like that, I started to think that I wanted to become someone like her]

Though it had been modified more into my taste, I wouldn’t deny it that those armours were the base of the armor that I wear right now.

Well, I got little disappointed when I heard that those armours were not full black armor, but as I thought... it was somewhat that you call, imagination correction, right.

Even after knowing that truth, when I remembered the thing from back then, it was really an elegant design.

[... Wouldn’t that be something too hard for you? I think, there should be many problems that will happen]- Zen

[ Indeed, there are a lot of problems that have happened. To reach the thing that I aim for, I have been passed through a lot of trial and error, it felt like thousand people already told me to stop, and give up]

Seriously, it was quite a problem.

People were saying to me something like, the full armor made fully from black metal were passed the limit of sanity, the cold resistant will be gone, rethink this, you don’t need to make even the tilt to be the black metal, right?!, and so on.

Well, even so...

[But even so, I didn’t give up, and reached the place that I am right now. That’s why, only proud that I felt, not shame, regret, not all of that!]- Erza

That was right, that was why, no matter how people keep finding fault to it, no matter how many time mother scold me for it, I will keep wearing my armor, yeah!

I will continue to wear this armour of mass of black iron, the crystallization of power!!

[... Erza-sama, as I thought, you’re my ideal woman. Truly my ideal one, the one that comes in my dream that we are not balanced to be together. But precisely because of that, my feeling toward you, I can’t hold it anymore]- Zen

Eh? What did he talking abo... Aah! That was right, we were in the middle of marriage interview!!

It was totally felt like an interview about my feeling toward my armour!!

[Erza-sama. Please, will you marry me?]- Zen

Said that, Zen-dono kneeled in front of me.

... Ah! I saw this in play or something like that!!

Right now, I was proposed, right!

Well, in the first place, the marriage between us was something that was already set in place.

Looking from our conversation, I felt like this person was someone reliable who had a strong determination about armour, so I didn’t mind with our marriage... but, it seems I better said it directly, right?

[Zen-dono]

[Yes]

[Please cease the honorific, while we are from a different unit, we’re both the same knight... also, we will be wife and husband in the future, right?]- Erza

Now, saying something that I didn’t usually say somehow felt really itchy.