Chapter 8: ① The Shameless Merchant’s Otherworld Panty Revolution

They reached the innermost salon of Karou Hall’s inner quarters. Beyond the windows, seasonal flowers were in bloom, and their faint fragrance rode the breeze into the room.

Inside, the ladies-in-waiting had already prepared the tea.

Celine, Lieselotte, and Yuuri took their designated seats.

Once the tea was set out, the ladies-in-waiting bowed and withdrew, leaving only Aina behind.

From Yuuri’s shadow—light as a puff—a black cat hopped out.

Star Spirit Kokuyou.
As if she were the true master here, she sauntered to the center of the table with a perfectly natural air, let out a big yawn, and then began lazily washing her face with her forepaws.

“My, Kokuyou-sama. It has been a while—”

Celine lifted her teacup to her lips and smiled softly.

“…Was it comfortable inside Master?”

Wait, hold on!? The way she said that… there was definitely a loaded meaning in there, right!?

Still wiping her face with unhurried strokes, Kokuyou answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“…It was warm and makes me sleepy, nya.”

No way… she really lives “inside me”!?

The moment Yuuri went pale, Lieselotte murmured under her breath.

“So in other words… she resides somewhere around your liver?”

That’s a bit too real!! Can we keep it more fantasy, please!!

Ignoring Yuuri’s fluster, Kokuyou glanced to Celine and Lieselotte as naturally as breathing.

“More importantly, why are you all sitting so solemn, nya?”

“More importantly…?”

I am extremely interested in that, okayyy!?

“We are considering how to make this shameless merchant appear more ‘Hero’-like.”

Matching Lieselotte’s dead serious face, Aina silently set a massive tome on the table.

A fat volume, as thick as a statute book, titled “Hero Training Manual.”

What is that brick? Is there some kind of national certification exam?

“Fnyaa… Master, on a bed… is top-tier, nya.”

“Hearing it put that way is kind of embarrassing.”

“Kokuyou-sama, broadcasting it to the entire populace would be… rather mortifying.”

Celine’s quietly breathed comment.

…Huh?
…Did she just say “broadcasting”?

He nearly spewed his tea and clapped a hand to his throat.

A government-run live broadcast!? A harem documentary!?
Celia and Lotte, and then Cecily and Leticia—all of them…

His face burned with shame. And yet, what flashed across his mind was—
on a terrace under the eyes of the kingdom’s people, he draws a thinly robed Celine’s white shoulder to him and steals a kiss.
He slips a hand around Lieselotte’s waist as she blushes even while bristling—

…What am I thinking!?
What kind of eroge is this!? I’m way too much of a perv!!

Shame, confusion, and self-detonation.
His heart could not be busier.

“I-I would… I would hate that! Doing such a thing in front of the entire populace would be—beyond shameless!!”

Flipping through the Hero Training Manual, Lieselotte flushed scarlet and raised her voice.

“No one said we were actually doing that!!”

…Okay, I did daydream it a little!!

Celine touched her cheek with one hand and tilted her head, mildly troubled.

“But if we are to consider ‘Hero’ in earnest… defeating the Demon Lord would be the main line. However—”

There, she lowered her eyes, faintly apologetic.

“With Master’s current level of experience, that seems a touch precarious…”

“He’s hopeless in combat, nyaaa~”

“Don’t call me hopeless!!”

“In that case, how about enriching the kingdom by leveraging the merchant’s gift?”

At Lieselotte’s words, what sprang to mind was—
the scene from earlier when Fiona slipped in the corridor and fell.

“White cloth!!”

“…What?”

Lieselotte’s face went instantly blank.

Then, after a beat,

“And why do Fiona’s drawers come into this!”

“N-no, I am taking this seriously, I swear!”

I really need to stop blurting out the first thing I think!!

“I-I am listening seriously!!”

SLAM!

Lieselotte smacked the Hero Training Manual down on the table.

“Why do you always drag it that direction! Honestly, really!!”

“S-sorry!!”

Whoa, Lotte’s genuinely mad!? Is this a first!?

“Now, now, Liese, calm down. That is not very princess-like. …If you must raise your voice, do it a little more gracefully.”

After gently chiding Lieselotte, Celine turned her gaze, slow and level, to Yuuri.

“So then, Master? Are Fiona’s drawers to save the kingdom?”

“It’s not specifically the drawers, but I think this could make the kingdom richer… Look, the Otherworld Shop!”

Yuuri blurted as he lifted his palm.

In the next instant—a modern-looking virtual window shimmered into being in midair.

Chapter 8: ② The Shameless Merchant’s Otherworld Panty Revolution

— The Otherworld Shop —
“From cup noodles to space battleships! Instant delivery to another world!”
Note: Raise women’s Affection to expand the lineup!!

Yuuri blinked rapidly, purely reflex.

Whoa, what is this… the menu screen is super polished!?

A sapphire-blue UI displayed neat, beautiful icons.
Categories were finely divided: Household Goods, Groceries, Weapons/Armor, Armaments, Medicine/Recovery Items, and more.

“Um… Master, is there something there?”

Celine watched Yuuri’s upraised hand as if he were performing some sort of ritual.

“So Celia and the others can’t see it.”

He selected and purchased two pieces of cloth from Household Goods.

One was a pink triangle; the other was fabric made of two joined cups.

Why are women’s items always so expensive?
And why do I feel guilty… These are samples. These are samples.

Before his eyes, a magic circle of gold and white unfolded in the air.
It turned quietly, shedding a gentle glow—
and at last, as if laying an egg, it lowered “them” into Yuuri’s hands.

—Silence.

“…A cloth that lifts the breasts, and a cloth that decorates the butt, nya.”

“My. These are underwear? Truly?”

Celine touched her lips and widened her eyes.

“How tiny… What is this supposed to hide? Is it not a waste of fabric?”

“This is underwear… Wh-what is this!? The fabric, the fabric is…!”

Lieselotte flushed to the ears and cried out, nearly leaning over him.

“It’s far too little! To tell me to wear this…!”

—Silence.

“Master, in this world—lavishly using cloth is considered a noble’s refinement.”

“I see… In my world, this was standard.”

Yuuri stared at what lay on the table.
The pink cloth, oblivious to the mood, gave a little flutter.

“And how, exactly, is this supposed to make the country prosperous?”

Lieselotte knit her brows, sounding exasperated.

“Because it’s cute? It’ll absolutely be popular.”

“Cute…?”

Celine suddenly picked it up and pressed the soft pink fabric lightly against her body.

PFFFT.

Hey, Celia, that’s a foul.

“Master. In your world, people truly wear such things?”

“S-sorry, I think that one’s… a bit small…”

Celine narrowed her eyes in a smile and then gave a small nod.

“Certainly… Unlike plain chemises and drawers, this has… a visual charm to it.”

“M-Mother, this… it stretches…!”

Lieselotte slowly drew the triangle of fabric taut. It stretched with a surprisingly smooth, supple give, then tried to spring back into shape.

“My… this is…!”

Celine’s eyes shone. For a moment she wore the solemn look of one touching a sacred relic.

“This fabric remembers its shape and tries to return. It’s almost as if… it understands the human body.”

“How astonishing… that cloth could be so clever and kind…!”

The two noblewomen were completely captivated by a pink scrap of cloth.

“Mother… this is no longer ‘cloth’… This is the future.”

Wait, hold on—was it really that big a deal?

“With this fabric, we might no longer need to cinch ourselves with harsh corsets.”

“Indeed… the era of enduring that suffering would at last be over…!”

“An age when women can live beautifully, and freely. This fabric will be the beginning.”

Celine gently held the pink fabric to her chest and smiled.

“Master, this… should be a national project.”

…Huh?

“Right? Exactly. If we produce and sell them, they’ll absolutely sell.”

…This is not the reaction I expected.

“However, to spread this underwear throughout the realm—”

Celine touched a finger to her chin and spoke softly.

“Yes… first we need a shift in mindset.”

“A shift… in mindset?”

“Indeed. With so little cloth, as things stand it would be reasonable to assume this is a slave’s or a prostitute’s costume.”

The phrasing, ouch!

“But… if a man’s wife or girlfriend wore this, he’d be thrilled, I’m sure…”

Yuuri let the truth slip out.

“…I see. This is… ‘for the decisive battle,’ a woman’s tactical undergarment.”

“Mother, what do you mean?”

“It’s obvious. To see this—one must remove the dress.”

“Haah!?!?”

Lieselotte’s voice cracked.

“In other words, equipment that raises morale and allure at the critical moment… simultaneously!”

“M-Mother!? What are you saying… Th-that’s so embarrassing…!”

Her face went beyond red; even her ears were rosy as she averted her eyes and hunched her shoulders.

“S-so that means… I would wear it, and then, for Master…!”

“Well, of course. That’s normal for a married couple, isn’t it?”

“It is not normal!!”

SLAM!

She smacked the table and leaned in.

“I-I never said I would wear it, or show it…!”

Lieselotte trembled, but her gaze was quietly, irresistibly drawn to the pink fabric.

“Even so, Master’s gifts—both the Grace of Benevolence and this Otherworld Shop…”

“Is there not a gift… less shameless?”

I’ve leaned into shamelessness a bit… time to redeem myself…

“Got it. Since you insist, I’ll show you something for real. Just give me a second.”

Saying so, Yuuri brought up the Otherworld Shop again.

Okay… I won’t miss this time. Anyone would love this!

He switched to Groceries and picked an item that caught his eye.

And then—
a gold-and-white magic circle rose again, sparkling with motes of light.

What settled lightly onto the table was—

a box of chocolates, adorned as beautifully as a jewel box.