Buying Winter Innerwear

The afternoon had warmed up a little, so I decided to take Azu and the others out shopping.

Most things we could get from our own shop, but not everything.

Winter clothes in particular were lacking.

We needed some for wearing around the house, but also for going into the labyrinth.

Our cold-weather gear was top-notch, so all we really needed were good layers to wear underneath.

It was my duty as their master. I'd cover it all.

They'd more than earned it with what they'd brought in.

I headed out with the three of them.

The moment I mentioned we were going shopping, the energy level spiked.

Women really do love shopping, I thought for the umpteenth time.

First up, loungewear. Azu was mostly set, but the other two hadn't prepared much.

Without proper winter clothes, I'd never hear the end of it.

At the same store I'd brought Azu to before, I had each of them pick out whatever they liked.

"Hmm, which one should I get?"

"Which of these are warmest, I wonder?"

"This one, and this one, and…"

I'd told them five pieces each, so it shouldn't take too long.

While I waited, I browsed the accessories.

I pulled out my monocle, fitted it over my right eye, and examined the necklaces and rings.

Nothing special. All cheap, priced accordingly.

Well, I might as well pick some up for them while I was at it.

"I want these!"

Azu called out. She seemed to have finished choosing.

I went over, and all three of them were standing there with their selections in hand.

I recalled how they used to come back with armfuls.

I paid in silver coins, and the shopkeeper packed everything into burlap bags.

"Now we should be able to stay warm this winter."

"We have hearths in our rooms, too."

"The clothes you bought me before were getting small, so this really helps."

"Also, this."

I handed over the necklaces I'd bought.

Azu's eyes lit up.

"Would you put it on me?"

"Sure."

Azu turned around and lifted her hair with her right hand.

Her pale nape was exposed.

I passed the necklace around from the front, fastened the clasp at her nape, and hooked it shut.

"Does it suit me?"

"Yeah, I think it looks good."

The silver necklace looked slightly awkward on her at first, but it actually suited her well.

Azu pulled out the gold hair ornament I'd given her before and clipped it in.

She was clearly fond of it.

"You'll put one on us too, right?"

"I could do without…"

After watching me put Azu's on, Elza spoke up, and I ended up fastening necklaces on the other two as well.

Even Alexia seemed to be in a better mood once hers was on, so she wasn't as indifferent as she'd claimed.

A cheap gift, but it had done the trick.

I'd learned as a boy that giving girls presents made them happy, and apparently it still worked at this age.

Next was clothing for adventuring.

Ordinary clothes didn't hold up well enough.

What we needed now was innerwear to go under their gear.

All three already had good adventuring equipment.

Anything better would have to be custom-made by a craftsman with special materials, or bought at a steep price.

Adding a layer underneath for both warmth and durability was the most practical option.

Adventurer-grade innerwear was popular among intermediate adventurers.

The beginners who needed it most were usually stretched thin just getting basic equipment and couldn't afford it.

"I can finally wear my battle dress without freezing."

Alexia murmured as she browsed the innerwear.

So that outfit really had been rough in the cold. I could imagine.

Maybe I should've addressed this sooner. Despite her sharp tongue, I thought we were on good terms nowadays.

I bought tops and bottoms for each of them, with spares.

"The priestess robes are surprisingly drafty too, so this is a big help."

Elza said, fluttering the slits of her vestments.

Healthy thighs peeked through.

The robes covered her whole body, but without those slits, her movement would be restricted.

There were looser-fitting priestly robes available, but they tended to snag on things, making them unsuitable for adventurers.

Weapons were another matter. I'd like to upgrade Alexia's and Elza's when the opportunity arose.

The battle-axe and mace both saw plenty of action, from what I'd heard.

If I could find them something special, like Azu's Sealed Sword Grungaus, they'd get even stronger.

"There are loads of those kinds of weapons for swords, spears, and bows, but you hardly ever hear about special axes or maces."

"Blacksmiths want to make things that sell, after all."

"I feel bad about that, somehow…"

I patted the dejected Azu on the head.

Don't worry about it.

Still, bows. Those could be useful.

Even as a layman, I understood that ranged attacks were powerful.

"I can use both a spear and a bow, actually. It's part of a noblewoman's training. The spear is manageable, but I wouldn't want to bring a bow into a labyrinth."

Alexia could handle them without issue, it seemed.

Bows just weren't suited for labyrinth work, though.

"The labyrinth's layout means you can't shoot from any real distance. If you're engaging at close range anyway, magic packs a much bigger punch, and you have to worry about arrow supply on top of that."

Without a porter, even the logistics were difficult.

"On an open battlefield, of course, they're the star. You can attack unilaterally from far beyond magic range. The strongest weapon there is."

We weren't likely to find ourselves in that scenario.

Hunting might change the equation, but that wasn't our line of work.

"If there's a good spear to be found, I'd take one, but a battle-axe is what feels most natural in my hands."

"Understood. I'll keep that in mind."

"I can't carry blades outside of cooking, so… I'll wait without getting my hopes up too much."

Elza said that as she stroked her mace.

From what I'd researched, the Church of the Creator King itself had largely faded away, but the faith hadn't disappeared entirely.

That was precisely why Elza could still perform miracles.

I wasn't about to question that.

The spears and bows sold here were perfectly ordinary.

They'd serve for training at best and held no real value for us.

We made a few more stops to pick up other necessities for Azu and the others, then headed home.

Tomorrow I'd be going to the ducal estate to negotiate the orb deal. Not much downtime to be had.

The ducal territory was a trek, but a merchant would go anywhere for coin.

Tonight, some meat to fuel up.