In the dead of night, at the conclusion of his conversation with Felmenia, the King heard the door to his audience room swing open.
The one entering was Yakagi Suimei, the friend of the Hero and the one Felmenia had explained to be a mage from another world.
This ordinary-looking boy from another world bowed at the entrance, and then slowly approached.
Although the impression he gave off was identical to the one he’d felt from Suimei when they’d first met in this same room, he was now attired in clothing that the King had never seen before. This clothing was uniformly pitch black, and elegantly designed: clearly of the highest quality.
Visibly unaccustomed to such situations, Suimei’s posture was a bit stiff as he kneeled before the King.
“As summoned, I have come before you, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you for answering my summons despite the late hour. Your formality in presenting yourself is appreciated, but tonight, it’s just the two of us. There’s no need to be so formal. Please relax.”
“…”
“Is that unacceptable?”
“…I understand.”
Surprised at the request, Suimei hesitated for a moment heeding the plea and raising his head.
His expression, however, was still somewhat stiff.
At this, the King opted not to jump right into the main topic, but instead asked about his clothing.
“Suimei-dono, what is this clothing you have on? You don’t wear this normally.”
“That is correct. This is something I’ve brought with me from our world. Originally, it was something I kept in my bag, one of the very few items I have with me.”
“The style seems rather different from Hero-dono’s.”
“In our world, it’s considered formal wear, and is worn on occasions such as this.”
His words caused the King to again consider the clothing Suimei now wore. The jet black material was entirely uncreased and the inner lace lining ran to the neck. The stark contrast drawn by the two reinforced the feeling of an elegant design.
“Hmm. It fits you rather well.”
“Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty.”