Chapter 53: Bleeding

It only took a moment for me to be surprised that no one was there. I felt someone in the backyard and heard Tuck saying something. When I came out the back door, the four of them were doing something around the mattress of the bed. The stupid dog notices me and woofed, and everyone turned around.

"Oh my. Harris. Welcome home."

Tiana, who usually comes rushing over, turns bright red on her side of the mattress and bows her head. Gina comes staggering over and pushes me into the house.

"What's happening?"

"Calm down. Harris. It's no big deal. Is everything okay over there?"

"Yeah. Just a little cleanup. I'm more interested in......."

"You know, umm, Tiana..."

Gina stammered. My heart jumped at the attitude that didn't match her words about it being no big deal.

"What the hell happened?!"

My voice gets louder and I shake Gina's shoulders with my hands.

"She's hurting a little. It's really no big deal. It's just hard to say."

"Huh?　I don't get it."

"You know, Tiana has a bit of blood on her bed. She looked like she was in a lot of pain, so I should have noticed it sooner. So don't scold her."

"Did she hurt herself badly enough to stain the mattress?"

"No, that's not what I meant. .......See. Women do that from time to time. You know what I mean, right?"

Oh. So that's how it is.

"I guess she's been slow because she haven't been well nourished."

"Don't be so damn indirect, just say it straight out."

"That's not how it works. If you're going to say that, then tell me about the first time you soiled your underwear while sleeping at night."

I surrendered to Gina's retort.

"My bad. I was just worried something was wrong with her."

"Well, I almost had a case once. This is my fault entirely. I can't complain about what you're accusing me of."

"Hey, hey. Don't talk like that again. What happened?　I'm not mad at you, so just say it."

"You know what? Tiana was almost taken by Dennis the day you went out."

"What?!"

Gina sighs.

"Look. You're getting louder. Well, I know how you feel. She was almost taken home by his words, but I think she ended up stopping and coming back. It was only a short walk back and forth, and I'm sure nothing happened."

"Oh, I see."

"I know I'm not in a position to speak for anyone else, but why didn't you tell that girl that she wasn't even allowed to talk to Dennis?"

"I was careless. I know. He's back in town, isn't he?"

"Looks like it. I've been following Tiana ever since I heard she had that problem. Maybe that's why he hasn't shown up."

"Yeah. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

Gina shakes her head.

"So, I have one more important thing to tell you about Tiana. For now, sit in the chair."

I sit down at the table. Gina sits across from me, staring at me.

"What is it?"

"You. You're wearing the underwear Tiana sewed for you today, aren't you?"

"Oh. What about it?"

"Have you noticed anything?"

"No, nothing in particular, but......"

Gina fetches the cane from the wall.

"I'm going to use a little magic on it."

Gina is mumbling something in her mouth. When she finishes chanting, she exhales.

"I knew it."

"What do you mean, "I knew it?" I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I cast a spell to detect magic on the underwear you're wearing right now. Do you want to know the result?"

I nodded, pushed by Gina's momentum.

"Wait. Don't tell me you're telling me it's dirty because it's been on all the time, huh?"

"Don't be silly, it's not like that. The underwear you're wearing has a name. You know that even with magical armors, the ones with names on them are more effective. From what I've seen, 'Harris-sama's Underwear' increases physical defense by 20%, mitigates cold by 90%, and blesses by 20%. Of course, it's exclusively for you."

I looked back at Gina's face. Her eyes were serious.

"You mean?"

"Your underwear is a so-called named magic item, a named item. And it means they've been granted a uselessly high blessing. By the way, what you're wearing is also 'Harris-sama's underwear'."

What is she talking about?　My head couldn't make sense of what Gina was talking about.

"Yes, it does. It doesn't make sense. It's hard to believe that consumable items such as underwear can be given magic power. The original functionality is so low that the percentage of blessing granted is negligible. But to increase it by 20% is a waste of magic."

Gina breaks off.

"Tiana, you know, she don't know about it, but she has a permanent magical grant. Through needlework."

"So does that mean that Tiana has the mage qualities?"

"Unfortunately, that's not quite right. Her own total magic power is almost the same as that of an average person. What is amazing, however, is her ability to use that little magic power to seal magic into objects. Her curse is unusually strong."

"Curse is a fancy way of saying....."

"But you're right. A spell to invoke magic is just a formula for releasing supernatural power. Blessings and curses have the same root. It's just a matter of which direction you're facing."

I'm overwhelmed by Gina's rapid speech.

"So, did you tell that girl about that?"

"I didn't tell her anything. Because if she knows, she might want to master the power of magic more. If she's fascinated by magic like I am, it's quite a hard life. I made my choice, and I'm happy with it. But I don't know if that would be happy for Tiana."

I see. So that's why Gina is an adventurer. I guess being a mage is a causal profession. With my doubts answered, Gina continues speaking.

"What I told her is that she is now in a body capable of having a child. See, she was bleeding and scared, so I told her that. And she's surprised."

So, where was I in all this?