Chapter 144 – Scheme – 2
As I headed outside the castle following Laksia, I noticed someone beyond the knights standing there with a flustered expression, and mirrored the same expression.
The members of the order stepped back to the sides when they confirmed my arrival, as if it was a good thing. In the center stood someone I never expected.
‘…Aurora?’
It was Aurora.
Wearing a wide-brimmed beige hat pulled down low and a black mask that covered two-thirds of her face, her long black hair cascading behind her and the shining golden irises were enough to make her identity clear.
It was ridiculous that Aurora, who should have been at the mansion, suddenly appeared at the castle, and the outfit she was wearing was even more astonishing.
She was only wearing a loose shirt, with three buttons undone revealing bare skin. Through the shirt, her black lingerie hugging her chest was clearly visible.
Below, she wasn’t wearing anything at all. The hem of the shirt barely covered her backside, meaning she wore a bra but no panties whatsoever.
What kind of ridiculous outfit was that?
If she had completely discarded underwear like in the usual dress she wore, it might have made some sense, but what was it with wearing a bra but no panties?
‘What brings you here?’
Women in this world wearing such clothes might be common, but I still couldn’t think of a reason for Aurora to come here.
‘I don’t understand why the disguise at all. Is she asking to be recognized?’
That was also in question; her identity was already figured out by the vice squad leaders and regular members, and I instinctively recognized her as soon as I saw her.
Laksia’s ambiguous expression when she used the word guest made sense now.
It seemed she was trying to hide her identity, but the disguise was completely useless, making me wonder if she was secretly hoping to be recognized with that outfit.
I leaned slightly towards Laksia beside me and whispered.
“Laksia, what do you think of that outfit?”
“Do you mean the clothes the lord is wearing? I think it’s a typical outfit for a woman going out. It seems she’s chosen something quite ordinary. Though, it seems unnecessary.”
‘Ordinary?’
I took another look at Aurora’s outfit.
With three buttons undone, exposing her black lingerie and cleavage, the shirt material was so thin that it almost revealed the pattern of the lingerie beneath.
The hem of the shirt barely covered her groin and backside, leaving her thighs and calves completely visible. Wearing high black heels to top it off.
Was such an outfit considered ordinary for going out?
‘…Oh. Could it be that’s the original modeling?’
If the outfit most frequently worn by female NPCs on the street had been modified into that sheer shirt by a mod, then Laksia would certainly react that way.
She might be perceiving it as ordinary clothes when in fact it was a sheer shirt. Just like how the knight order’s uniform was glamorized with a bunny girl theme.
I sighed heavily and approached Aurora.
“What are you doing here, my lord?”
“Who is the lord? I don’t know such a person.”
“If you’re going to pretend to be someone else, you should at least try to change your voice. Did you think I wouldn’t recognize your voice, my lord?”
“……”
Aurora stood there shamelessly, showing no intention of revealing her identity. I couldn’t tell if she truly believed her disguise was effective, or if she was just being brazen about it.
It was likely the latter.
“Alright then. If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Right—”
“But why are you talking to me in informal speech?”
As I swiftly changed my tone, Aurora, along with the vice squad leaders and regular members who had recognized the surprise guest, all tensed up.
“I’m the next most powerful person after Lady Aurora in this territory; you can’t start off using informal speech after coming here for the first time. Or you can reveal who you are.”
I calmly forced her to choose between revealing her identity or using respectful speech. The best approach with a brazen person is to match their boldness with your own.
Whichever option she chose, I would come out on top. Revealing her identity would fulfill my purpose, while not revealing it would mean I could enjoy hearing formal speech from Aurora.
After quite a bit of contemplation, it seemed Aurora had finally made up her mind and cautiously opened her mouth.
“…I’m sorry, Commander.”
It seemed she intended to keep up the act till the end.
Since she was going to such lengths, I didn’t want to pry into her identity. She probably had her own plans or thoughts.
“That’s fine. So who are you? You should know who I am, so there’s no need for me to say it.”
“It’s… Aurora.”
‘Aurora?’
Is she really trying to get me to recognize her?
“Yeah. Au…uro…ra. Why did you come here?”
“Because my lord ordered Delta.”
Aurora, or rather, “Oro”, slipped her hand inside her bra.
Startled by the unexpected movement, I looked around, but everyone else remained completely calm, leaving me as the only one shocked.
While I was flustered, “Oro” pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from her bra and handed it to me. Accepting it, I felt a warm sensation.
I opened the paper. It contained a brief note from Aurora saying, “Spend the day playing with that child. It is an order from the lord.” The handwriting clearly confirmed that it was written by Aurora.
Or perhaps it was directly written by “Oro”.
“Got it. It’s definitely in the lord’s handwriting.”
I folded the paper along the lines and glanced at “Oro”.
“You could have just asked me to play without all this fuss.”
Seemingly sensing the purpose behind my formal speech, “Oro’s” body twitched for a moment. But she quickly returned to her original shameless self. Truly Aurora-like behavior.
Having been under stress from cleaning up the mess that guy had made while being a lord, she would definitely need a place to vent it. And having recently been to the Imperial Palace, it must have been even harder for her.
While I didn’t know why she chose such a method to relieve her stress.
“Laksia.”
“Yes, Commander. Please go on.”
“While I’m gone, you’ll take command in my place. If it gets too tough to handle alone, share the tasks with the other vice commanders. You’ll continue to take command in my absence, not just now but in the future as well.”
“…Understood.”
Laksia, who looked puzzled at the thought of continuing to take command, glanced back and forth between “Oro” and me, then nodded with a comprehending expression.
I felt like there was some misunderstanding arising from this.
“It’s not what you’re thinking, Laksia.”
“I understand perfectly.”
Laksia smiled and nodded. What exactly did she comprehend?
I returned the paper reluctantly, and “Oro” put it back between her bra and chest.
I was really curious about what kind of pockets her original clothes had that would allow her bra to serve that purpose.
“The lord told you to play with you today. Is there anywhere you want to go?”
“Um… I don’t really have anywhere specific.”
“Really? Then I’ll take you somewhere first. Is that alright?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Oro” had completely adapted to using respectful speech. There was no hesitation in how she addressed me now.
After checking the pouch of gold coins at my waist and leaving a request for Laksia, I stepped out of the castle. “Oro” quietly followed behind me.
As we exited the castle, I could hear whispers behind us, but I couldn’t catch the content, yet it was not hard to guess.
They were probably speculating about the relationship between Aurora and me.
‘Ruined my image.’
Having postponed the assembly time from evening to the next morning due to having sex with Lize at the Imperial Palace, now I was being seen like this with Aurora after returning.
While Laksia’s expression wasn’t too bad, I had no idea what the other knights were thinking about it.
“Commander, where are we going now?”
“To the forge.”
“Why there?”
“I have to… do some weapon maintenance.”
I almost said weapon enhancement, but quickly changed my words.
Thinking back to when I explained the vitality enhancement rune to Iris, I remembered she understood when I mentioned stamina, so there probably was a concept of weapon enhancement as well, but just to be safe.
I walked down the street chatting about various upcoming plans with “Oro”, claiming to be Aurora.
However, the gazes of people around felt different. They were distinctly more focused on me than usual.
It felt like they were staring at me in a way that filled them with awe, and women blushed and quickly turned away. It was definitely not a mere feeling.
Trying to shake off this awkward sensation, we soon reached the front of the forge as I finished discussing the monster subjugation plans.
‘This place is much bigger than in the game.’
I opened the door and stepped inside. “Oro” followed right behind me.
As soon as I entered, a blazing heat welcomed us. It was slightly less hot than a sauna, but definitely hot enough to feel it.
The walls were lined with all sorts of weapons, and in the back, I could see a blazing furnace. It was the same sight as in the game.
Beyond a large shelf distinguishing the customer space from the working area, someone was resting their chin on their hand.
‘It’s a woman.’
In the game, it had been a muscular old man, but here, it was obviously a woman. Perhaps due to her job involving fire, her hair was cut very short, barely reaching her neck. The color was a plain black.
She was completely bare on top, with her chest wrapped in bandages. Likely due to the heat. I couldn’t see what she was wearing below since it was hidden by the shelf.
With a bored expression, the woman bit her nails until she noticed me and sat up.
“Wow, a big shot is here on the first day of business. What brings you here?”
“I came to enhance… my weapon.”
I cautiously replied.
“Alright? Show me the weapon.”
The woman extended her hand. Thankfully, it seemed the concept of weapon enhancement did exist. I reached for the ‘Wingless Nightmare’ I had at my waist and placed it in her palm.
The woman gasped, “Wow, you’re really using a good weapon, huh? I can tell just by looking at it.”
After fiddling with ‘Wingless Nightmare’ for a moment, the woman opened her mouth again.
“So, how much do you want to enhance it?”
“As much as you can.”
Right now, it was likely that I could only enhance it to +10. To raise it beyond that, I needed to progress a bit further into the game.
To increase the enhancement level beyond +10, I had to find clues while progressing the story, clear a dungeon based on those clues, and discover forgotten tomes regarding enhancement materials and deliver them to any forge, which would unlock additional enhancements.
After level +10, the weapon UI displayed, “Additional enhancement requires knowledge of special materials,” so there wasn’t any way to overlook that. I doubted anyone would miss it, unless they didn’t read the descriptions at all.
“What about the pay—”
“Ah, wait a moment. The payment is on me.”
“What? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If you could do me a favor, I’ll do the enhancement for free. How about it?”
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