CH ss - 13

[Alfine: Alfine Restarts as a Crossdressing Swordsman]

※Alfine’s POV

A week later, the lockdown of Youg Hannotes was lifted, so we were finally able to reach our destination.

However, on the way to the city of Youg Hannotes, I encountered a scene where a person wearing Royal Guard’s armor was hanging out with some peopls who seemed to be adventurers.

Given that I obtained information on Finn’s traces by threatening Vigo and taking Gile hostage, it seemed that they focused on investigating Youg Hannotes as my escape destination.

According to the information that Meila purchased in the city during our escape, I was still a Sword Master in public, and I was in the middle of medical treatment in the secondary residence of the Royal Guard Knight Commander.

Therefore, as a result of discussion with Meila, it was concluded that freedom of action is indispensable for searching for Finn, so it is better to change my appearance.

“D-do you really want to cut it? Such a beautiful black hair…it’s a waste, you know.”

“I’ll have to resolutely cut it short so that I won’t be suspected as Alfine. I’ll borrow your scissors, okay.”

A rug was spread on the floor of the wagon so that my hair didn’t scatter, and I lifted my long black hair and cut them with the scissors.

The cut black hair spilled onto the rug.

For the first time since I was born, I cut my hair short to above my shoulder.

“Ahh, you really cut it…what a waste. What a waste.”

“Hair grows again anyway, rather than that, the first priority now is that I don’t get exposed as Alfine.”

“In that case, you have to change your name too… No matter how much you change your appearance, you’ll get suspicion on you if you’re called by Alfine. Moreover, if you want to change anyway, I think it would be harder for you to get exposed if you disguise your gender.”

Meila, who was collecting the hairs that had fallen on the rug, suggested me to make a pseudonym and disguise my gender.

Certainly, if I became a man and changed my name, I would be less likely to be found by Gile’s pursuer, huh.

Girlish boy, huh…perhaps, that way is better.

I’ve shortened my hair anyway.

“I’ll use Meila’s idea. I’ll stop being Alfine from today, and call myself Al. How is it? Isn’t it a girlish boy-like name?”

“Al? It certainly sounds girlish boy-like, but…girlish boy doesn’t call themselves as I(atashi).”

“Then, I(ore)…don’t really like it, is it okay to call myself with I(boku)?”

Meila, who was collecting the hair that had fallen on the rug, raised her face and stared at my face.

“Can you say that again?”

“I(boku) am Al.”

To become a girlish boy, I consciously lowered my tone.

*jiii~* Meila’s gaze is concentrated on my face.

Then she suddenly hugged me.

“Nnnnnn~!! Good!! Al is good even as a girlish boy! Haaaaa, love youuuuu!”

Because I was suddenly hugged, my defense instinct worked for at once, and I struck the top of Meila’s head with a knife-hand.

“Auuu!! It hurts, but love youuuuu!”

“Hey Meila, get away. Or we’ll disband, you know.”

“Doooon’t, don’t abandon meeeee!”

Meila’s voice resounded to the outside, and people of the city peeked into the wagon.

“Oya, is it a lover’s quarrel? Even though Nii-chan looks young, you can’t make a woman cry, y’know.”

Because I wore a cloak, he couldn’t see my body line, and the uncle who peeked into the wagon seemed to mistaken me as a young man.

“N-no. You’re mistaken. This person is my sister, see…”

I immediately replied so to the people of the city who peeked into the wagon.

“That’s the case. Because my younger brother wants to leave his sister, me, and go on a journey, I stopped him now, y’know. Ohohoho.”

Meila quietly stood in front of me so that I could be hidden from the gazes of the people of the city.

“So that’s the case. Nii-chan too, don’t trouble your sister too much, okay?”

“Yes, I’m sorry for making a ruckus.”

While half hiding behind Meila, I bowed my head.

By shortening my hair considerably, I looked like a young man at first glance, huh…

If this is the case, I wonder if it is possible to shake off Gile’s pursuer.

“Huh, that made me flustered. No, but if you shorten your hair by that much, you can insist that you’re a boy. You look handsome anyway, and you might be popular with girls. But, how about your sticking out body line? Al’s boobs are huge after all.”

Meila, who had driven away the people of the city, asked about what to do with my breasts, which is an obstacle for me to becoming a man.

I can’t cut off these boobs after all… I wonder if there is a good way…

When I looked around while thinking so, I saw a knight wearing a metal armor.

That’s it! I’ve been wearing leather armor for a long time because I don’t want to be slow, but if I hide my breasts, dress as a man, and wear a metal armor, I shouldn’t be able to be tell apart from outside.

“Meila, can you lend me some money?”

“It’s okay if it’s Al, but what do you want to use it for?”

“I’m thinking of buying something like that.”

When I pointed at the armor of the knight who passed in front of us, Meila seemed to realize my thoughts.

“Metal armor… Ahh, we can hide Al’s breasts if we buy a thick chest plate.”

“Right. And I also want a sword, but…I want to buy two stilettos even if it’s the cheap ones.”

I have always used a sword.

However, now that I’m a fugitive, I can’t use the sword stance of the Sword Master Alfine.

Therefore, I decided to completely erase my existence by wielding two stilettos that are easy to use for piercing.

“Then, why don’t you change your hair or eyes color as well? There is a shop in this Youg Hannotes that specializes in such things. People with various problems come to the frontier after all.”

“Heee, such a shop exists. In any case, it’ll be easier to hide from the pursuers if I changed into a completely different person.”

“If you have decided to do so, let’s go to that shop first! Though, before that,”

Meila closed the cloth at the entrance of the wagon.

Then, she gently rubs her hands and come closer to me.

“We have to get those boobs out of the way. Guhehehe”

“It’s okay, I’ll do it myself.”

I pushed back the approaching Meila’s face with my hand.

“Au, I’ll put up with just touching the tip for a bit!”

“Meila, if you make any more ruckus than this, I’ll go away and abandon you here, get it?”

“Ahh, doooooon’t…I’ll be obedieeent.”

When I saw Meila lying down on the floor on the verge of tears, I took off my clothes and wrapped a cloth tightly around my breasts which emphasizing my femininity.

Meila took me to a shop owned by a man named Loran.

“Welcome. What do you need here?”

A man who looked like a shopkeeper was looking at us with a suspicious look.

“Actually, my younger brother Al caused a lot of problems, see… He needs to hide for a while. I heard rumors that this shop can alter your hair and eye color if you have some circumstances, but…”

“Hmm, a younger brother who doesn’t look similar to his sister. What have you done with such a cute face…?”

The shopkeeper’s gaze became more severe.

I can’t say that I ran away from the capital after taking the Royal Guard Knight Commander hostage, right….

It was Meila who sent me a rescue boat when I was in trouble with the answer.

“My younger brother is a child from our mother’s previous marriage, so we don’t look similar. Moreover, look at his features. He lived in the Royal Capital, but a strange noble took a liking to him, and he was forced to become that noble’s page, and then he ends up injuring the said noble. Although he looks like this, he’s a skilled swordsman after all.”

Meila was telling the shopkeeper a story with exquisitely mixed lies and truth.

The outline was correct, so I nodded involuntarily.

“So that was the case! You should just say so earlier! I will spare no effort to help those who fled to Youg Hannotes from the noble bastards of the Royal Capital. Really, the nobles of the Royal Capitals are all trashes so it can’t be helped. It’s no wonder that serious and single-minded people keeps flowing into this frontier city.”

The shopkeeper seemed to hate the nobles of the Royal Capital, he completely changed the suspicious attitude he showed at the beginning, and spoke with a gentle smile.

“I’m glad. So, I want you to alter my brother’s hair and eye color, can you?”

“Ahh, it’s an easy task to do. I’m in charge of the hair color. That’s right, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Loran, the owner of this shop.”

“I’m Meila, my brother is—”

“I’m Al.”

We shook hands with the shopkeeper who called himself Loran.

It seems he’s the one who will alter my hair color, but I was a little worried because I didn’t ask how it works.

“U-umm. Is altering hair color safe? I wonder if it affects your body…”

“The dyeing is done with a special solution derived from a monster that has been confirmed to be harmless to human body, and it changes the hair color from its roots. In other words, once dyed, the hair will continue to grow in the dyed color. So, what about the hair color? What color do you want to alter your beautiful black hair to?”

Hearing that it was harmless to the body, I immediately got relieved.

However, the solution seems to be derived from a monster, but I have to believe the shopkeeper’s words because of the urgent situation.

“Can you make me blonde? I want to have a hair color that was farthest from my original hair color…”

“Hou, blonde, huh. If it’s Nii-chan’s hair, it’ll definitely turned into a beautiful blonde hair. It is as thin and silky as a woman’s, I think I can understand why the trash noble bastard wanted you to be their page. Alright. Let’s dye it blonde. Then, in case of your eyes, how about you make your eyes be noble-like blue eyes? When Nii-chan became a noble-like blonde with blue eyes, young girls will definitely squeal.”

The face of Meila, who was staring at me, also looked bright and shining.

“That sounds good. I think it will definitely suit him. It won’t be strange to call my brother a prince after all. Let’s go with that!”

“Okay, then I’ll get in touch with the fake eye expert later, so let’s start with your hair first. Sit down here.”

I sat at the seat suggested by Loran.

Although the hair was shortened, the face of the Sword Master Alfine, which I had become used to seeing for 20 years, was reflected on the mirror.

Afterward, my hair was dyed carefully by Loran, and when I inserted the hard glass fake eyes, which was carved from a monster material, made by the acquaintance fake eye expert, the me who was reflected in the mirror was like a completely different person.

The face that gives off androgynous feeling with blond hair and blue eyes was completed.

“This is me…I looked completely different though…”

“How is it? With this, even the weird noble bastard wouldn’t notice that it is you. It’s just, you might be called out by another weird guy though.”

Loran crossed his arms and looked satisfied with the results of his work.

Certainly no one would notice that I was the Sword Master Alfine…

If I changed my equipments and sword, perhaps even Finn won’t be able to notice me…

Meila looked at such me with a feverish gaze.

“Aaaaaaaaal! Love youuuuuu! Ahh, I want to eat you!”

Since she tried to hug me, I pushed Meila’s face away with my hand.

“Nee-san, we’re in public, can you calm down?”

“Haaaaa, love youuu!”

“Hahaha, she sure is a younger brother-loving sister. The cost is 3,000 oz. It’s always cheap for them who has special cirmcumstances.”

Looking at Meila struggling to hug me, Loran laughed.

From his point of view, we probably look like siblings who are very close to each other.

“Huh, I lost my self-control. My brother is so cute, so……here’s the cost.”

Meila took out a gold coin from her wallet, then we thanked Loran and went out.

Afterward, we bought a full set of equipment, and got our hands on a metal armor and two stilettos, and then we drive the wagon to the Adventurer’s Guild of Youg Hannotes where Finn’s emblem was picked up.

Changing into a completely different person, I decided to impersonate as a rookie adventurer using the name Al in order to collect information on Finn.

“Meila, is the Adventurer’s Guild of Youg Hannotes the one over there?”

A large design of a dragon spitting out flames was drawn on the wall of the building in front of us.

“That’s right. That’s the Adventurer’s Guild of Youg Hannotes――Al!”

I couldn’t wait to hear about the disappeared Finn, I jumped out of the wagon, and ran toward the entrance of the Adventurer’s Guild.

While running to the entrance of the Adventurer’s Guild, I was distracted by Meila who called to stop me, so I bumped into a male adventurer who was waiting near the entrance.

“I’m sorry. I was in a hurry…”

“No, I was also standing in a disturbing place, I’m sorry.”

The other party is an eccentric male adventurer with bright red short hair, red eyes, and even red sword.

However, it seemed like he is someone with a considerable sword skill because there was no gap in his standing posture.

I heard that there are many skilled adventurers in the frontier, but I wonder if this person is by far the best among them.

I wonder if Finn can make it in this frontier region where there is such a skilled adventurer…

Or, he may have moved to another city, so I have to collect information as soon as possible.

The male adventurer bowed lightly to me who was thinking about Finn and moved to another place.

“Al~! Wait for me~. Don’t leave me~.”

“Meila, hurry.”

I hurried Meila, who was leading the horse connected to wagon, and after she catch up, we entered the Adventurer’s Guild of Youg Hannotes.