Since the battle with the [Red Orcs] ended, Elise has been very quiet. She doesn't say anything unless I ask her first, or not at all.
I've tried to tell her my point of view on that... but I don't think she's going to listen to me for a while.
That's why I'm now making preparations to go up to the next floor on my own. From the ice fragments that sometimes fall through the crack, we gather that [Floor 13] has a stormy climate of constant cold.
Elise shouldn't have any problems since she has [Frostbite Immunity], but I don't have that ability with me.
That's why I have to prepare better for that kind of weather. After all, I'm not immortal by any means. And dying from [Frostbite] wouldn't be a very funny thing to say.
I've prepared a winter outfit for Elise anyway. The truth is that when I'm not playing my role as [Heroine], I'm into fashion design. I've been pretty good at it since I was young.
So using the wool from the [Beastly Sheep], and the leather from the [Wild Boars], I've been able to create coats, hats, earmuffs and gloves for the cold.
I know how difficult it is to fight in freezing weather, so precautions are quite necessary.
Having injected my [Magical Energy] into the needle with which I sewed everything, I was able to give a little [Fire Spell] to the clothes made. This way we will be able to keep warm in the midst of all this ice.
I would like to get some help from Elise for this... but maybe she is still thinking about the fact that she was sullied.
I have great mental strength, so being used like that didn't leave me with any kind of trauma, but I don't know how it is for Elise, who has the mentality of an 18-year-old girl.
Well, it's not like I'm that much older... we're only three years apart, but at the end of the day, our experiences have been very different.
I don't know how she's coping, but she sure as hell can't be doing well.
Like I said, maybe it's best to leave her on her own for a while?
-Olivia.
-!
Just when I was thinking of leaving her alone, she suddenly comes and talks to me.
Wow, that surprised me a bit.
-What is it, Elise?
-I haven't asked you yet... What's the outside world like?
Hmm?
-Hmmm? -Why do you want to know?
-After I get out of here... I want to know about the things that await me. The place I want to go...
Oh.
That's right, she's someone from another world. Once she gets out of this dungeon, she has no purpose in this world. She may be looking for a place to fit in after that.
-When I become [Empress of Ahrsei], I will unify this country with another country, so we will expand our territory by half the hemisphere, and when that happens, the [Demonic Territory] will turn against us. That's why I want you to be our ally in the future, Elise. I've seen you in combat, you still have a lot to learn but you're going to get better, I know it.
-Mm? Are you a princess?
-No, no. It's a tradition in my country to nominate young ladies from different noble families to the throne. And so far I am the one who is winning with the most contributions to the country.
-Oh, I understand... but why would you want to have me in a position like that? You're all supposed to hate vampires.
-That may be true... but you're different, Elise. You think like a human before you think like a monster. I'm sure my family would like you if I explain things properly... besides, I want to help you.
-Help me?
-Yes. It would be nice if we could find your classmates, wouldn't it?
I smile at Elise after telling her that. She opens her eyes a little wider than usual in surprise, I'm sure.
She must be feeling a bit confused, but it's understandable.
There are a lot of kids out there who were born with incredible potential, just like Elise. They're probably human for the most part, or maybe not even born yet.
-Thanks, I guess... although I still don't understand why you trust me so much after being honest with you.
She hugs her knees as she says that.
That's just the gesture I'd expect from someone her age. I actually think it's kind of cute.
And in response to what she said...
Ok, I'm not going to tell her that I have a skill called [Lie Detector] so I know that everything she told me was the truth, heh.
I'm going to lie to her a little bit so I don't make her feel bad...
-The truth is, that's just me, I tend to blindly trust what people tell me because I have a hunch that they're not going to lie to me. So, it's the same thing that happened with you, I trust you because I know you wouldn't lie to me, Elise.
-Oh... thank you... -. She responds that way, but from her tone of voice, I know that she was even a little bit happy about what I said.
Ahh, this is relaxing. Being locked up in the orc place was very stressful for me, and I almost lost control of my actions because of the [Curse] I have against me.
Talking to Elise is very good for my mental health, for some apparent reason.
-Oh, Olivia, you've told me almost nothing about the outside world. -. She reacts, as if she has remembered our conversation.
-Well, what do you want to know?
I started talking to her about the basics of the world, like our monetary system, the regions and all that.
I will still narrate it here so that there is no omission regarding the details.
Our monetary system is through coins of different materials. There are eight specific types of coins and they all have an equivalent value. These coins are: copper, bronze, silver, tungsten, gold, platinum, mythril and adamantite.
The equivalence is as follows:
1000 Coppers = 1 Bronze
1000 Bronzes = 1 Silver
1000 Silvers = 1 Tungsten
1000 Tungsten = 1 Gold
1000 Golds = 1 Platinum
1000 Platinum = 1 Mythril
1000 Mythrils = 1 Adamantite
There is no currency above adamantite, as very few people choose to change their currency to adamantite. They usually stay between gold and platinum, it is very rare for someone to change to mythril, and it is even rarer for someone to change to adamantite.
Copper coins are obviously the lowest, and these work mostly for retail trade. They are easy to get as they are in very high circulation, and there are several times where stalls are set up so that people of limited means can buy goods for this low price, outside of the flea market.
These coins are valid in all countries, and bear the royal seal of the [Empire of Ifgraine], which is the largest nation in the world.
There are a total of six regions around the world, and these constitute countries of a large size. These are: Eloim Gaia, Western Ifgraine, Ahrsei, Lhora, Cerola and Eastern Ifgraine.
Though among those six, only five are habitable, as Eastern Ifgraine was conquered several centuries ago by the [Chaos Dragon], a legendary beast that to date no one has been able to defeat, not even I am fit to face it.
Anyway, it turns out that Eloim Gaia is the capital of the [Church of Kýena], the deity we all worship. Only in Eloim Gaia they take it a bit more seriously than in other countries. They have a beautiful spring climate, and they have a very good number of monuments in honour of the goddess.
Western Ifgraine is the richest country in the world, and every merchant wants to have a stall there. Not to mention that they have a low tax rate, they also have a massive military power, and they are the cradle of the development of new technologies. They are also claimed to be the [Kingdom of Adventurers], as there are a huge number of them in Ifgraine, further increasing their military reserves.
Ahrsei is almost the same as Western Ifgraine, only we are more into fishing, farming, livestock and such things. However, if there is one thing we are renowned for, it is our production of precious metals from all the mines. Our land is quite fruitful in these materials, which allows us to be in the high market of blacksmithing and metallurgy.
It's worth mentioning that this is one of the things why I want Elise on my side, she seems to be a master of materials by the way she uses [Recreation] to produce very powerful weapons, I want her to teach my blacksmith masters how to improve to that extent! She can revolutionise the world of weapons as it has been known so far.
Lhora on the other hand is basically a large desert island. There are very few parts of normal vegetation, and it is in those parts that large cities have been established. It turns out that the sand on Lhora has very good [Magic Reception] - the ability to receive mana and strengthen the material from that - making Lhora thrive on glassware, greatly improving their economy. They are our main food buyers as their climate only allows them to breed certain species of animals and plants.
And finally, Cerola is the opposite of Lhora. This is divided into [North Cerola] and [South Cerola] depending on where we are located. They are colder spots in the world due to their positioning, and have an overpopulation of [Ice Attribute] monsters there. However, what stands out in Cerola is the production of [Boreal Wood], a very special type of wood that does not burn and also serves as an excellent heat preservative. Besides that, Cerola is where the largest diamond production in the world comes from, along with the world's extraordinary production of [Monster Cores].
They are masters of the hunt as their savage climate has forced them to be. They sell all their materials to both Ifgraine and Ahrsei, which allows them to survive in their extreme climates.
But to make it all work, we all have an egalitarian social stratification, from which we are guided to live in a fair society for all.
At the top are the royalty of each of the countries. Below them are the entities of the [Church of Kýena]. Then follow the members of the nobility: nobles, marquises and other diplomats. Then come those of the upper-middle society. Then the middle class. After them the lower class. And finally the prisoners and slaves.
But the latter can vary their social status according to which family they serve as slaves, although the mistreatment presented will always persist among those with an arrogant attitude towards others.
In my house we have servants, but we treat them equally all the time, as extended members of our family. Our servants have the same social status as someone from the upper-middle class, and might even basically become nobility for those who have earned the entire trust of the [Cross Family].
-Olivia, you forgot to tell me what the [Demon Territory] was. You said they would turn against you after you unify your country with another, why?
Oh, right. I almost forgot about that.
-It is an island a little larger than Lhora, inhabited mostly by [Demons]. These are among the most powerful monsters, almost on the same level as a [Vampire] like Redhart was. They have had only two [Demon Kings] in their history, Gyllenhall who died at the hands of the second generation of my family and Belial, who is the current one.
-Why would they want to attack you? You have done nothing.
-You see, Elise, it's more complex than that...
In the history of this world there have been three recorded periods to date.
Before humans existed, there were only the most powerful entities that ever existed on earth, considered the [Monsters] above [Legendary] rank, they were given the title of [The Ancients]. There were hundreds of them, but there was one that stood out above all others.
That was Elise Redhart, also known as [The Calamity] to this day. She consumed the power of each of her rivals and prevailed over them all, this event was called [Titanomachy]. This savage state of Redhart occurred during the period comprised as [The Antiquity].
The [Titanomachy] then brought an end to [The Antiquity], and ushered in the next age of the world known as [The Age of the Gods], wherein there descended from the heavens the chief [Gods] of our [Pantheon].
They took the last living existence on the planet, gave it an image similar to theirs and from it created all species. To some extent, we all have the same origin, Redhart, who had consumed the essence of all [The Ancients] and allowed a regulation in our appearances and capabilities.
To put it another way, they used Elise Redhart as the basis for creating the monsters, animals and humans. This took several thousand years, and when [The Age of the Gods] ended, she began to interact with the new life forms derived from herself.
Among the monsters, Gyllenhall was born, and it was he who grew from Redhart's knowledge. But Gyllenhall was too greedy, and wanted to dominate the humans. When Redhart intervened in this, Gyllenhall ended up being banished to what is now known as [Demon Territory].
So; the hatred that the [Demons] have for humans stems from Redhart's intervention in this. She may have become a fearsome monster, but she developed a certain attachment towards humans, even though it was not reciprocated.
-I get it... wow, why do I feel that Redhart becomes more and more monstrous with every thing you tell me about her?
-Haha, it's just the history of this world. Certainly, the language we have is the same language Redhart had. Which is the language of the [Fairies]. It is because of that facility that almost all species can communicate with each other.
-Oh...
-I know that all these things must sound very strange to someone from another world like you....
-Not at all, in fact, I feel like I'm at home knowing that I'm in a world as incredible as this one.
-Really? I'm glad then. -. That's the last thing I say before I get up, and put on everything I had prepared before going up to the next floor.
Elise goes "Ohhh", showing her surprise. I know, this all looks wonderful on me.
With a smile, I hand Elise her winter outfit.
-I made this one for you. I hope you like it.
Elise grabbed all the clothes keeping a surprised expression for this.
She lowers her gaze a little and murmurs.
-I've never been given clothes before.... Thank you very much, Olivia.
...
Okay, this time I can't hold back.
As a fashion designer, I've seen crowds of girls trying on my dresses and things like that, which I don't think look good on me, but it does on them. But of all the people I've met, this is the first of those times I feel motivated to go all the way.
Why is that? Simple, Elise is too cute!
No one can deny me that! This girl has golden hair, red eyes and porcelain white skin! Her facial features and physical attributes are perfect in every sense of the word!
She's a monster, so it won't take long for her to grow as she evolves.
I can't wait to see what Elise will look like when her body reaches maturity! She's definitely going to be a beauty beyond compare!
Although it's nothing in the romantic sense, I can still say it, I love her physical attractiveness! I want to see her wearing a lot more of my clothes in the future!
I bite my lip a little, patting Elise on the head.
Oh, shit. Her hair is softer than I expected. It feels like it's going to fall apart if it gets tangled in my fingers, but I know it's thick enough that that's not going to happen.
I'm a little envious, this hair is seriously every woman's dream.
I think I'm developing some kind of weird taste... but I won't be guided by worldly desires, I am the heroine after all. There's no way someone of my social status will be accepted if she behaves in such a brazen manner.
-Olivia? You can keep stroking my head, but at least let me put my hat on.
By the time I realised, I had been deep in thought for a few moments. And in that oversight, Elise had already put on over her normal clothes the whole winter outfit I had made for her.
Well, not to make it obvious, I used my [Wisdom] skill to assess her measurements from a distance. So I was able to take her by surprise.
But what stopped my actions at this moment is that somehow, the unruly tuft on Elise's head has started to move from side to side, like a dog's tail while waiting for me to stop petting her head.
-Hm? How do you do that? Do you use magic?
-What are you talking about?
-Your hair, it's moving on its own.
-Ah, I don't know either. It's just moving. It's not surprising at all.
Ohh, I get it.
Long story short, I ended up getting really excited to see Elise wearing everything I made for her. And after my little moment of heartfelt joy, we went up to [Floor 13].