I Am Not the Heroine

Hmm.

The reactions are a bit lackluster.

‘Are they the type to picture flashy magic tools when you mention them?’

I had a lot of those preconceptions in my past life too.

Like thinking whoever’s in computer science can fix computers, or that an English major can speak like a native.

In this world, magic tools shared a similar treatment.

‘But these four shouldn’t be completely unfamiliar with them.’

People with thoughts like that are usually commoners who rarely see magic tools.

A hero, princess, saint, and minor noble would have seen household magic tools to some extent.

I decided to ignore that and continued explaining the gloves.

“As a proper example of a magic technique… Hero.”

“Uh, huh?”

“Would you like to try on those gloves?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess I should….”

The hero’s gloves were black with white sword patterns etched onto them.

Honestly, the reason I fell asleep earlier? I was tired from painstakingly carving such designs—there were eight of them, after all.

“Are they a good fit?”

“No, they fit perfectly…”

“That’s the first magic technique. It adjusts to the user’s hand size.”

No matter how strong and high-performing gloves are, if they don’t fit, they’re useless. Thus, this feature was the first to be included.

They were made from materials with good elasticity.

Hearing my words, the other three also put their own gloves on.

“My hands are a bit small, so the gloves the church gave me were quite loose, but these fit perfectly.”

What? A big chest and small hands? Now that’s unbalanced.

At Aria’s praise, the two remaining folks exchanged silent agreement.

“But it doesn’t seem like that’s all there is? It feels… refreshing.”

“During intense battles, you tend to sweat a lot. So, there’s a ventilation feature too.”

The hero and Serelin particularly liked this.

After all, they tend to make more vigorous movements on the front lines than Aria and Rapirie.

When gloves get sweaty, they become extremely uncomfortable, which is why mercenaries and knights might deliberately avoid wearing them.

“Other common features include water resistance, dirt resistance, and self-sealing.”

“Oooh…”

“This is… beyond what I imagined.”

“Uh… um…”

To be honest, something like gloves doesn’t necessarily need to be water-resistant.

Once water seeps in through the gaps at the wrist, it’s all over.

But I wanted it included. Why? Because I believe water resistance is a basic quality for high-end items.

Just like how in my past life, water resistance was a basic option for smartphones.

As for dirt resistance, it reduces the hassle of washing, and self-sealing allows small holes to repair themselves magically.

Both were inspired by ideas from new materials I’d seen in my past life, carefully mixing appropriate materials and coating them onto the gloves.

“And now for personal options. First, both the Hero and Serelin have a weight modification feature.”

“Weight modification?”

“Yes. You can reduce or increase the weight of the items you’re holding. Hero, try holding that cup and imagine it being heavier.”

“Got it… Wow. It really works.”

The hero held a wooden cup and slightly trembled his hand.

If that’s an act to cover my failure, he should win an Oscar.

“It really does work.”

Serelin, conversely, easily lifted a rather heavy chair.

This was evidence that both the reduction and enhancement spells worked perfectly.

“I get the weight reduction, but why include the enhancement?”

Rapirie, who was observing the spectacle, looked at me with curiosity.

“To be honest, I didn’t think of a proper use for it. Since I’m a mage, I rarely need to exert physical strength. But I thought it might be useful in training.”

At least, it should work well for strength training.

Hearing this, the two nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, with this, sword swings might become faster.”

“Thanks, Rui. Giving me such a gift.”

“Not at all. And the only other thing is that they enhance defensive capabilities. They could probably block a not-so-sharp sword.”

“… Huh?”

“…?”

“And next, for Lady Aria’s gloves. I increased their purification abilities compared to the others. I’ve seen her tirelessly volunteering in poor neighborhoods and hospitals in the news.”

“Ah…”

Considering her frequent contact with patients, I slapped on three spells to ensure she stayed clean.

I figured she’d use the glove’s features more than the hero and Serelin, so I also made them more durable.

“And since you have no combat skills compared to the others, I included rebound-related spells to help.”

“Rebound?”

“Simply put, when you touch something with the glove, it bounces back.”

“Uh, really? Let me see…”

“Uh, don’t do it on a person…”

Boom!

In an instant, the nearby hero flew to the ground.

“… Ahh! Hero! I’m sorry!”

Aria rushed over to help the hero.

Yet the hero seemed to find it amusing, laughing as he took her hand to stand.

“It’s okay. It definitely works well.”

“Right? With this, I won’t have to move around as much to protect Aria.”

“By the way, unless it’s in battle, it won’t randomly activate like that in daily life, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

That wrapped up the hero, female knight, and saint.

All that remained was the Elf Princess, glancing over here with unspoken anticipation.

“Rapirie only has… one feature. After adding that spell, I had no room left for more.”

Compared to the gloves of the other three, Rapirie’s were adorned with a denser pattern.

“Ah… well, that’s fine.”

“The ability absorbs nearby mana to automatically create wind magic, enhancing the trajectory of arrows…”

“… Wait, what? Wind? Huh?”

“Think of it as a sort of aiming assistance device.”

“… ??”

Rapirie stared at her newly donned gloves with a puzzled look.

Since she couldn’t shoot arrows right away, she’d have to experiment later.

“Anyway, this is the equipment I can provide for you all. I’d love to give more, but there isn’t any time left.”

Though I had various magic tools in the equipment storage, they didn’t seem suitable for these four.

After all, they were prototypes, and side effects could occur. For instance, one magic tool always resulted in a strawberry flavor.

“No… This is already enough.”

“With this, I can customize something more for Aswel…”

“Weren’t magic tools supposed to only have one or two spells? I really don’t know…”

“Are you all hungry? I’m not hungry, but can we head back to the inn?”

Fortunately, the reactions were not bad.

It seems the bad first impression was somewhat mitigated by the gloves, but there was no time to rest.

‘Should I work on weapons next, or armor?’

Or perhaps a support tool similar to the gloves?

That’s something I’ll have to think about from now on.

“Food is here! Where’s the carrot soup?”

“Here!”

Oh yeah, the carrot soup I love has finally arrived.

Now, if I eat this delicious soup and head back to the inn for a good rest, it’ll be the perfect day.

I started munching on the appropriately cooked, tender carrots.

Since my mouth seems smaller since becoming this body, I had to eat like this or risk stumbling over my words.

*

The next morning.

Knock, knock.

“Ugh…”

“It’s me, Rapirie. Can I come in?”

Rapirie?

The voice of the elf princess jolted my mind awake from my sleepy state.

Quickly changing into suitable clothes after yesterday’s mishap, I opened the door.

‘She’s quite large again today.’

“Can I come in?”

“Yes. Oh, watch your step.”

Rapirie carefully avoided the scattered tools on the floor and took a seat on the chair.

I sat on the bed, waiting for her reason for visiting.

“… I just tried on the gloves you gave me yesterday.”

“Already? At this early hour?”

“Early hour? It’s past ten!”

Ten o’clock is practically still dawn!

“Anyway… it’s true. My accuracy has improved. Out of 50 shots, I hit 47. That’s seven more.”

That performance was about what I’d expected.

As the creator of the gloves, I felt unexpectedly proud.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“And, um… I came to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“Yes. I was a bit irritable yesterday.”

“Ah…?”

Irritable? Did Rapirie show me an irritated side? I couldn’t recall it at all.

“Aswel brought you here suddenly, so I thought you might be after him.”

“Oh, I see…”

Of course not. I have no interest in the hero whatsoever.

“I’ve had a few experiences like that in the past. Each time, Aria was restless while Serelin was mostly absent. Meanwhile, the subject, Aswel, was completely unaware of anything.”

Though he was a catch, the hero was a complete clueless idiot.

“So, I decided to play the role of the one to chase away those types.”

“I understand.”

I heard that some women sought a night with the hero and aimed to bear his child.

Each time, Rapirie used her status and wisdom as the elf princess to fend them off.

“So I thought you were the same this time. I’ll apologize for that.”

Rapirie seemed more serious than I’d expected.

Since the only impression I had of her was from the novel, where she was smitten with Aswel, I likely underestimated her.

‘Hmm, all good. You pass.’

I decided to help her as a sign that I wasn’t after the hero, making her the first heroine to gain my support.

That’s Rapirie.

“I initially joined the party to acquire materials.”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“And I have absolutely no interest in the Hero.”

Honestly, yesterday’s pajama blunder didn’t bother me at all.

“… Really?”

“Yes. So, I’m thinking of helping you, Rapirie.”

Helping her?

Rapirie tilted her head slightly. I cast her a sly glance.

As someone who’s thoroughly read the entire series more than twice, I know more about the hero than she does.

Soon, the hero party would leave town and pass through locations where events could occur. I would turn that into Rapirie’s stage.

I’d simply position the two together while I enjoy the show with popcorn.

“A way to attract our clueless hero.”

Suddenly, Rapirie’s eyes widened.

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