I'm Not an Earthworm, I'm an Earth Dragon

“You… you really did deceive me…! Ugh, wh, what brings you… here…?”

The small Akash trembled at the sight of Akash, then spoke to Altera in an extremely polite manner. Then, as if remembering that she couldn’t speak, she told me to relay the message.

“…But, why are you speaking informally to me?”

“You wouldn’t grab a kid by the neck and lift him up no matter what she did…! She would… If you have the wisdom of an archmage, you should know when to bow down…”

She was strong and dangerous, so it was natural to be polite. I felt a bit unpleasant being looked down upon, but it was Akash, so I let it slide. More than anything, it was cute.

“Haha, how dare you claim to be an archmage. You can’t even properly handle the knowledge you’ve stumbled upon. Know your place.”

“Shut up. Anyway, that… Altera… was it, what’s the matter…? You! Ask her quickly!”

Pushed by the urging of the small Akash, I formally asked Altera, but she just asked back, wondering if I hadn’t heard that earlier.

“…Before, that transparent cloak you made from the core of Dalokos, Altera liked it, but she wasn’t completely satisfied. She said the stealth performance was a bit lacking. Altera wants to make up for the dissatisfaction with clothes.”

“Clothes… clothes? Even if you say clothes, you need to tell me what style, what kind of atmosphere you want before I can do anything… or not! What am I supposed to do if you just come here and ask for clothes! I don’t even know the measurements yet!”

I relayed the small Akash’s tearful complaint to Altera, and she calmly asked if that wasn’t something that should be taken care of.

“…After looking at each other roughly, we just need to make clothes that we both like.”

“She says isn’t that something you should have prepared. Small Akash. What do you think?”

As soon as the small Akash heard the words I relayed, she exploded without any sign of being overwhelmed or suppressed.

“No!! I’m not a mind reader, how am I supposed to know what we both like!! Besides, I don’t have any materials right now! I need materials to make something even if I want to!!”

“That’s why you’re half-baked. Isn’t mind reading basic? Well, I had my grimoire taken away, but. You can’t even use magic in the first place.”

After shouting like that, the small Akash, who told Akash to shut up, faced Altera’s cold gaze and trembled again as if she was doomed.

Honestly, Altera’s proposal was unreasonable. If you don’t know what kind of clothes she wants and just ask for clothes, even the most skilled craftsman wouldn’t be able to start.

“Altera. You need to tell us at least the requirements to make it easier. For example, you don’t like skirts, or you want it to be sleeveless… something like that.”

Putting aside the small Akash’s slip of the tongue, I modified it appropriately so that Altera could understand and conveyed the complaints.

“…That’s true. Even that thing needs to know that much… Hmm. Well… comfortable, durable, no sleeves… and pants. That’s about it.”

It seemed like the requirements were made up on the spot without much thought. Anyway, I relayed it to the small Akash.

She also complained about what to make with just that, but I couldn’t help her with that, so I ignored it for now.

“Ah. Altera. By the way, they say they might have trouble because they don’t have any materials.”

“…Shouldn’t a merchant have that kind of thing prepared? Do they even intend to do business? Ha, Akashes. Fine. Then I’ll spend some money.”

“Small Akash, I have good news. Altera says she’ll pay for the materials. I can’t guarantee anything above 15 gold, though.”

“Does she think money solves everything…? Well, it’s not exactly wrong… Ugh. Still, thank you. You’re much more helpful than that big trash over there…”

“Haha, I don’t want to hear that I’m trash from you. If those things over there call me that, so be it. Still, yes. It’s boring to just sit around, so I’ll give you some advice on the side.”

With even the big Akash stepping in to help, the small Akash finally looked like she could manage, and she carefully reviewed Altera’s requirements.

“Comfortable, durable, sleeveless, and pants… Hmm. Can I do it like that…? Alright, if it were free, I wouldn’t bother, but since money’s involved, I need to get serious!”

“You talk as if you weren’t serious when you made that transparent cloak?”

“Shut up! Anyway, tell her not to worry! Two great sage Akashes will put their hearts and souls into making it! Ah, I’ll take the 15 gold for now. Not to pocket it, but to buy materials. Really, I’ll return what’s left.”

The way she confidently demanded the 15 gold was oddly detestable. Still, when I told Altera about the small Akash’s boast, she casually took out 15 gold and handed it over.

That was the kind of money you’d get for single-handedly taking on multiple monster subjugation requests that should have required several people.

Altera was amazing in many ways. Her strength, beauty, and wealth.

“…I don’t think I heard the important part yet. Title. So when will my clothes… equipment be completed? I can’t wait forever.”

Ah, right. I forgot the important part. When I asked, the small Akash surprisingly said she didn’t know.

“Even if the materials are found quickly, if I can’t imagine the design, it will take a long time… Even if the materials are found slowly, if I already have the design drawn, it will be quick! Roughly a week at most? Now, let’s take your measurements first! Tell her to come and stand still! With both hands stretched out like this!”

In the end, the small Akash avoided giving a clear answer, saying that the completion time depended on when the idea came to her. What was that?

“…It will take about a week. Altera. Can you go over there and stand still for a moment? The small Akash is going to measure your body.”

I thought I would have to explain why she needed to measure her body, but Altera just stood still with her arms outstretched.

The small Akash, who brought out a measuring tape from somewhere, was skillfully measuring Altera, who was bigger than her, with her short hands. Then she wrapped the tape around her chest and glared at her resentfully.

Other than that, there was nothing I needed to do. When she measured her thighs, she twitched slightly, and the corners of her mouth wiggled as if it tickled, but she quickly regained her composure.

“…So it’s this much… This much from growing up in the wild… This body… Hmm, no. Anyway, I got it! Where will you be staying? When it’s done, I’ll bring this trash here and come find you, so let me know!”

“Spire Inn. I’ll be on the second floor. I hope it’s done soon. Ah. If you pocket it, Altera will chase you to the ends of hell and rip your wrists off, so keep that in mind.”

She never said that. But I couldn’t allow that.

“Unlike someone next to me, I have no reason to lie to you! I swear on my knowledge. No need to worry. Just don’t be surprised by the result!”

If she said it like that, I could trust her at least once. Leaving the already noisy Akashes behind, I came out of the gloomy back alley.

Altera still looked uncomfortable as if something was bothering her.

“What’s wrong, Altera? Is something bothering you?”

“…No. It’s not that. It’s just, the touch of that small one earlier felt a bit lewd. So I was just a little bothered.”

Was it lewd? I didn’t know since I wasn’t the one being touched, but I thought that was the case.

“It was a bit much. Still, wasn’t it better than the big Akash doing it?”

“Of course. If the big one did it, I would have punched him right away. I endured it because it was the small one.”

“Yeah, you did well. It will only take a week at most, so let’s find something to do in the meantime. Ah, right. The monster subjugation request we were going to do, it’s still available. Shall we try it?”

“Tomorrow. I’m tired today.”

When we returned to the inn, Yuna had already left a note saying she was excited about going to the elves’ forest and was going to buy some things.

Only Marie was staring blankly into space in the room, and she greeted us with a short hum when she saw us.

Right. Come to think of it, I need to buy more potions and a new book for Altera. Akash is taking care of the spices, but I should buy those things.

“Then let’s finish the word study we haven’t been able to do. You seem to understand a lot now, so it won’t be too difficult from now on. The hardest part is over.”

“…I think this is the hardest part…”

“No. Really. I thought so too at first, but it actually gets easier from now on. Now, try repeating after me. This is… a word you know well. Earthworm.”

“…Earthworm. Ha, so that’s how it’s written. How did I learn the pronunciation before the letters?”

“Akash is a bit… Hmm. I can’t defend him on this one. But don’t hate him too much. He’s not rotten to the core. Now, next. Boy…friend.”

“Boy…friend.”

“Boyfriend?!”

And suddenly, Yuna appeared. Can’t she knock before entering?