At the appointed time, we gathered at the guild. For some reason, Aileen called us to the edge of the shore, which provided a view of our small beach. And she asked us to bring all our belongings for the trip.
"Well, I think it's time to present my creation to you," Aileen puffed up with pride, but besides the empty beach, there was nothing else around.
"Hmm, it seems to be a very invisible creation," my doubt and the giggles of the girls confused the engineer.
"Fool, I haven't shown it yet. It's supposed to be somewhere here," after rummaging among the boulders on the cliff's edge, Aileen finally took one of them and threw it down, saying, "ta-dam."
Following the stone, a rope went down and somehow found its way under it. With a loud screech, the edge of the cliff began to move apart, revealing an entrance to a cave.
"So, it's here, and one more time," Aileen took another rope hidden in the grass and, wrapping it around a rock, pulled it towards herself.
With an even louder screech, something huge began to emerge from the depths of the cave. The ship slid down the gentle slope into the water, if it could be called a ship. It didn't resemble anything else with its broad bottom, clad in metal, and masts that seemed insufficient to make it go fast with such weight.
"Is this your ship?" I studied the strange construction with doubt.
"Yes, you said it yourself. If that fleet attacking the Empire appears again, we'll need to stop it somehow. So, I decided to build a ship using all my knowledge. I started building it during the tournament."
"Hmm, are you sure it won't sink?" I looked doubtfully at the runners, which bent under the weight of the ship as it slid down.
"Pff, of course not! Or do you think it must be made of wood to float? No, it cost me a lot, but I managed to make it watertight enough for it to float despite being entirely metallic."
"Huh? It's not just covered in metal? That makes me even less confident."
"Don't worry so much," Aileen ran down while the ship slowly descended into the water, "everything is secure."
The girl climbed down the rope ladder hanging from the right side.
"Okay, there," she rummaged on the deck, pulled out a long plank, and lowered it to the shore, "climb aboard, don't be afraid."
After glancing at each other uncertainly, we decided to trust her engineering skills.
"Hmm, it doesn't quite look like a real ship," I looked at the construction of the deck, "too few sails for such a vessel."
"Don't worry about that. The design is quite streamlined, and there are more sails than you think. Besides, it's not the only propeller on this ship."
"Hmm, and how big is your galley that you need such ovens?" I pointed to two stovepipes rising next to the helm.
"Heh-heh, that's a secret. I haven't found a better source of fuel yet, but even with what's available, this ship can sail faster than your vessels."
"And the weaponry? Weren't you planning to fight on it with the enemy?"
"Oh... that. Well, for now, there's only one weapon," Aileen pressed a lever near the mast, and the familiar structure rose from the hold.
"Hmm, the ballista we dismantled in Nordrune?"
"Yes, the same one. They gave me its remains, and I rebuilt it... As it turns out, it's not easy to forge serious weaponry on your mainland, so I have to make do with what's available. If there's a serious commotion, I'll rely on your magic," the girl deliberately used a dismissive tone on the last word.
"Mmm... better not show up on that ship there, they might mistake it for an Imperial attack."
"Why would they?"
I raised my head and looked at the emblem with a golden dragon painted on the sails and the flag.
"And why did you do that?" I asked.
"Well, all our ships have such sails," Aileen replied.
"And you still think they won't mistake us for invaders?"
"Alright, alright... I don't have any other sails anyway," Aileen shrugged, "what do you suggest we do?"
"Well, on the eastern side of the island, there's a small bay. We can sail there at night and quietly disembark. I'll explain everything to the town's leader, and there won't be any panic among the residents."
"Then let's set sail! In the meantime, you can settle in the cabins on the lower deck," the girl led us to the stairs and stood behind the wheel.
Inside the ship, too, was mostly made of metal, and on the lower deck, there were two doors leading to spacious bedrooms.
"Alright! Girls to the left, boys to the right," Katrina swiftly scattered us into different rooms.
"Hmm... Won't it be too cramped for them in there?" I grinned mischievously.
"Hey, better leave them alone," but Algo grabbed me by the collar and dragged me into another room.
"No, I'm just thinking, maybe we should split them in half?"
"Uh-huh, and do you think they won't feel uncomfortable sleeping in front of us?"
"And I think they won't just be talking in there right now," Grain boldly pushed me into the cabin and closed the door.
A peaceful atmosphere prevailed on the ship... but a real battle broke out in the women's section.
"Mmm, it's going to be fun at sea, hm-hm-hmm," Katrina cheerfully hummed as she settled on an empty bed.
"Ha-ha-ha, summer is not just fun!!" Serelia, with a serious expression, scratched her chin, "It's a battle of outfits, beauty, and perfect figures!! Ha-ha, and I'm unbeatable in that!"
"What do you mean, a battle? We're going on vacation!" Katrina snorted in disapproval.
"Heh, naive soul... We're going to the sea for the second time during our studies, with an official chance to get out of uniform. By the way, what clothes do you have?"
Easily picking up her neighbor's bag, the red princess rudely started rummaging through her things.
"So, underwear, a little more underwear, a negligee, a not-so-good-looking swimsuit... that dress... WHAT? Is that all?! You didn't even buy anything new?!"
"Huh? Well, why... I didn't plan to..."
"Oh my, ignorant are we... Ok, let's all present our bags for inspection!!"
Frightened by the seriousness of the girl's tone, everyone obediently displayed their belongings.
"No, just look... who goes like that," the girl looked displeased as she inspected her friends' modest bags, "we're not going for two days, but for a month if everything goes well. And here, look, only one dress, two dresses... A set of six dresses, but they all seem to be for balls."
Leira shyly looked away.
"And I'm not even mentioning the sack of food and three sets of underwear!"
The hand in the black bracelet reached into the bag and pulled out another snack, hesitating for just a second before putting it in her mouth.
"A set for enchanting magical silver... Where's the clothing here? Sharpening stones and spare armor plates... Alright, kids may not have such a rich wardrobe, but you, girls, should have at least five or six changes of outfits for the summer; otherwise, you become, hmmm, not too attractive to the opposite sex!"
"But why do we need that? Attracting too much attention is indecent!" Katrina nodded in agreement.
"Oh, really?" Seleria smirked and squinted mischievously. She hurried into the adjacent room connected to the bedroom and returned in a new outfit.
She had exchanged her usual fire mage uniform for a looser cut. The black dress made of thin silk barely reached her knees and had two side slits up to the waist, while the deep neckline left plenty of room for imagination.
"I might just go ashore in this, I wonder if I ask the guys to fetch water for me, will they all rush, or will they stay with the more boring company in their school uniforms? He-he."
Seleria nonchalantly reclined on the bed, and the dress slipped, revealing her thighs.
"What a vulgar sight!" Katrina jumped up, blushing furiously. "You... you're dressed like a street..."
"Who?" Seleria chuckled, "I don't see anything shameful. Everything that needs to be covered is covered, and yet there's room for imagination."
"But still, aren't you ashamed to appear in such an outfit? You're a noblewoman, and not just any noblewoman but a princess; you should display great piety."
"Ha, come on. If I act like a stuffy, haughty princess, then we shouldn't even talk to mere mortals. Krito, Algo, Werner should only be used as servants and never addressed unless necessary."
"Uh-uh," Katrina sadly cast her eyes down.
"We're just friends; status and origin don't matter now. So why can't I behave like an ordinary girl who also enjoys male attention?"
"But," Katrina stared at the princess's cleavage, "you can see your underwear there, and that's already too much!"
"This?" Seleria adjusted the black fabric strip on her chest, "you're mistaken, that's not underwear. It's a new model of a swimsuit."
She lightly took off the dress, revealing an even more immodest appearance.
"Ah! Are you planning to swim in that?!?!?! Those are just bits of fabric on strings!!!"
"Heh, I knew you wouldn't appreciate it with your conservative thinking. In my country, we've been considering a new, freer form of swimsuits for a while now because what's currently accepted in society is, to put it mildly, uncomfortable."
She lifted a swimsuit from Katrina's bag.
"So, a standard swimsuit. Multi-layered fabric, sleeves reaching the elbows and down to the knees, as well as a shapeless skirt around it, making it even more uncomfortable... It's inconvenient to swim in it, and it's hot to be in the sun, but at least it follows the rules of propriety."
"Of course!" Katrina snatched her swimsuit back, "but what you're wearing doesn't differ from underwear in any way!!!"
"Tsk-tsk-tsk, you're mistaken, silly Katrina, it does differ. We worked hard to make the fabric dense enough not to become see-through even when wet, so you can confidently go into the water, and it doesn't restrict movements."
"But it's too revealing!"
"There are less revealing versions too, but it's not hot in this one. But judge for yourself; it doesn't reveal anything new. Your ball gowns already bare your neckline almost to your chest, and the short skirts of your uniforms show your legs. Warriors and assassins often expose their midriff to reduce the weight of clothing or use thin fabric. But all that doesn't compare to this swimsuit, does it!"
Seleria pointed at Asura, who was peacefully unpacking her belongings from the bag.
"And what's this?"
"Will you show us what you plan to swim in?"
"Well, here," the girl took out several bundles of bandages, "warriors usually wear fundoshi, a special garment, you wrap it like this, and then like this, and you also wrap the chest."
In a couple of minutes, the girl fashioned makeshift panties from the bandages and wrapped her chest, and Katrina could almost hear something cracking in her brain.
"Asura!! This is even more indecent!!!"
"But why?! It's very comfortable. My ancestors wore this when they needed to cross a water obstacle and sneak up on enemies unnoticed. Many battles were won with their help," Asura proudly handed Katrina the bandages.
"You won't be wearing these for anything!!!" Despite the warrior's protests, Katrina disposed of the local cultural heritage.
"Well, suit yourself. But I don't have anything else..." Asura chuckled and pondered, "well, I'll just imagine that the sea is a big hot spring, and the main thing is to mentally distance myself from the surroundings."
"Hey! You're not planning to swim naked, are you!?"
"No problem, there were times like that in the traditions of my clan."
"Stop-stop-stop!" Seleria interrupted the dispute before it turned into a fight, "What would you do without me? Come on, everyone follow me!"
The princess headed to the other room, from where she returned in new attire, and everyone obediently followed her.
"Good thing I've thought of everything. I knew there wouldn't be any decent fashionistas among you, so I bought several options for each one. Let's go down."
Behind the door was a small room with a hatch in the floor. The hatch led to the hold, which was filled with various crates.
"Don't tell me..." Katrina approached one of the crates suspiciously.
"Yes-yes, that's exactly what you're thinking. I asked Aileen in advance about what we would be sailing on and had her move the entire wardrobe here. Don't worry about the size; I picked the most suitable outfit for each of you."
"It must have cost a fortune," Leira tried to count the crates, "there are dozens of dresses here."
"Don't worry about that; I got a discount, and whatever you like, Vina will deduct from your guild budget, and I can always return the excess."
"Whaaat? You also want to profit from us?!" Katrina skeptically glanced at her friend.
"Oh, don't worry about that. The clothes are simple and not too expensive, so anyone can afford it. Choose whatever you like, don't hesitate."
Skillfully opening all the crates, Seleria presented her friends with a quite extensive selection.
"Right side for larger sizes, left side for smaller ones, and the average ones in the middle. And this shelf is custom-made for Ragni," Seleria approached a separately standing crate, "you know how you made my task much harder with your sudden growth? I had to order most of the clothes to be custom-made for your figure and height, but I think I got the general idea. There are also a couple of spare outfits here for the kids... Let me take them for a moment; I'll help them change."
Seleria reached out for the white girl standing next to Ragni, who was curiously examining the colorful fabrics. The girl didn't notice the approaching threat, but her mother was ready.
"Ahem," pulling the red princess by the scruff, the dragoness frowned in disapproval, "I'll help her myself, you don't need to worry about that."
"Well, suit yourself."
Seleria stepped back and while the girls tried on different outfits, she moved away into the depths of the room.
"Hmm, I don't even know," Vivien browsed through the outfits but hesitated to try them on, "they look nice, but we don't have that much money for all this."
"Yes," Asura scanned the rows of clothes and stepped back, "I don't have a lot of gold either. Taking care of my katana requires expenses."
"Don't worry about that," Vina patted the girls on the back, "your contributions were invaluable in the battles in Nordrune, so you deserve a share of the reward, which will be enough for all this."
"Besides, I'll get discounts for you, let's call it promoting Leranian fashion in foreign markets. And while we're at it, I've prepared a few new clothing samples for you. Hehe."