The party venue was silent. Surely receiving a new arm directly from the Goddess was too much of an impact? But this was a world where people believe God was real, so I thought that much would be accepted. The people of the Marquis Vibolt family immediately believed me without any doubts...
"……amazing……"
"How divine..."
"Cool……" (x3)
...Huh? A moment later, there was an unexpected reaction...
In fact, at Arsha-chan's strong request, the myoelectric prosthetic arm was not designed to resemble a real arm, but rather had a mechanical, cyber-fashion feel, with a futuristic design like those seen in anime. The colors were flashy and colorful. You could tell at a glance that this was not a normal, flesh-and-blood arm. Yes, it's very cool!!
However, the reason I found it "cool" was because I was used to reading science fiction novels, manga, anime, and movies, and I was familiar with robots and cyborgs. That's why I was worried about how it would appear to the people of this world who knew nothing about such things—But it's been more popular than I expected, so I was a bit surprised.... Well, maybe the advertising tagline "Gift from the goddess" is effective.
People wear glasses to compensate for their poor eyesight. People wear a support to support the injured area. Similarly, a prosthetic arm was worn to replace a lost arm. There's nothing strange about it.
Also, there are glasses with elaborate designs that can make you look cooler than not wearing them at all. In that case, it would be nice to have a prosthetic arm that looks cooler than a natural arm.
In the venue, small murmurs gradually grew louder and spread. Then came voices praising Arsha-chan's courage and prayers of thanksgiving to the merciful goddess...
"Ah, so this is it..." (Sabine)
"Huh? What?" (Mitsuha)
Sabine-chan looks like she understood something.
"The Marquis has just announced that Theresa-chan was attacked by bandits. That means there is nothing to hide, in other words Theresa-chan clearly stated that she was safe. This means that even if word of the attack spreads in the future, there will be no need to worry about it turning into a strange rumor and damaging the reputation of Theresa-chan. And the members of the Marquis family are so loved so much that low-ranking servants will risk their lives to protect them. A home that receives blessings from the goddess. ...Furthermore, it showed all the guests that I was on such a close relationship with 'Lightning Archpriestess (Dear Sister)' that they would feel comfortable coming to the party. This has some pretty powerful political effects..." (Sabine)
"Ahh.... Well, I'll believe that he kindly invited me so that I could share some information with him as he was going to make an announcement about something related to Arsha-chan in front of a large crowd! The Marquis seemed like a nice guy, right?" (Mitsuha)
"Yeah, I've heard that for a nobleman, he's a man of great character who cares about the commoners. …It doesn’t contradict being a skilled aristocrat, and it seems he manages to balance both." (Sabine)
Ah, just like Marquis Bozes... Well, if the upper nobles were completely soft-hearted, they would destroy not only their territory but the country as well. I had asked the Marquis not to make my involvement with Arsha-chan's arm too public. ...If this kind of thing were to spread widely, I'm sure people with missing limbs would come flocking to me.
This was the level of civilization in the world. In Japan, injuries and illnesses that would be easily cured would often require amputation. In war, there were many cases where people survived by losing limbs because there were no guns. Therefore, there must be many nobles who had lost limbs.
There might be someone like that among the relatives of the guests here. Therefore, it should not be "Given by the Archpriestess-sama," but rather "The mercy of the goddess." Since I had to continue supporting Arsha-chan, I couldn't completely hide my involvement, but I could say that "My beloved child was ordered to support her by the Goddess's instructions." I could explain it in any way I like, such as, "Only my beloved child can receive the Goddess's words accurately."
Maybe I could coordinate with Beatrice-chan and had the Great Saint (Beatrice-chan) took over the command of the Goddess.
....Of course, I didn’t go out of my way to explain that to everyone. Just hint at it vaguely, and when asked directly, say something like, "It is the mercy of the Goddess," or "It is presumptuous to speak of the Goddess's deeds as if they were your own achievement...", and no one will press you any further. After all, this is a world where people believe the Goddess is real, and even if you don't believe in her, you can't openly declare it if you're in a position of power, unless you want to alienate the temple forces and the majority of the people.
The Marquis invited me, and then subtly hinted at the situation through our "goddess connection," but by treating me normally and not making a big deal about his relationship with me in front of everyone, perhaps he was sending me the message to "figure it out," but "don't pursue it," that those who understood would understand? And, of those invited to the Marquis's party, there was no one who didn't know that much...
Well, that doesn't really matter. If we don't have to deal with all this trouble... and if there's a better future for Arsha-chan...
Ah, Arsha-chan, you're getting a little cocky, surrounded by all the nobles and being praised. …Well, she’s a good kid, so she won’t get complacent. I guess they just have a strong sense of service. ……Right?
"...Why is Arsha-chan here..." (Mitsuha)
A few days after the party at the Marquis's house, Arsha-chan came to Sorority's tea party together with Theresa-chan. And my question was answered not answered by Arsha-chan, but by Theresa-chan.
"Arsha has become my personal maid. I thought I'd introduce her to you all, as you'll likely meet each other often from now on..." (Theresa)
…Well, that's within the realm of expectation. That much was well thought out, right? Well then, let's get ready for that...
Yes, it was the belt I was planning to give to Arsha-chan. It was like a tactical belt with lots of little pouches attached. Also, it was equipped with a lot of stuff. Security alarm, tear gas spray, army knife—and, of course, the all-purpose tool, needle-nose pliers! If you add too many things it will become heavy and difficult to carry, but by adding carefully selected convenient and safety items, you can create a "General-purpose maid", although not a "Combat maid"!!
……Yes. At that time, I had never imagined it. The members of Sorority, amazed at Arsha-chan's versatility... no, her general-purpose nature, decided to share in the goddess's mercy by having her own personal maids wear similar belts and equipment—And when the young ladies and sons who weren't members of Sorority saw this, they immediately began to imitate it... I'm sorry to all the personal maids who had to wear heavy belts...
Ah, the items that the maids other than Arsha-chan had on their belts weren't from Earth, so they were things like throwing knives, hidden weapons, poisonous powder, and other things—which much more dangerous. …That's right, it's not a "General purpose maid", but more like a "Combat maid". Although the maid herself is an amateur when it comes to combat, her equipment is quite advanced in that area... Give them more tools and other useful equipment!!
Hmm, maybe I should sell them some Earth-made security gadgets...