A sleek, dark gray breastplate accentuating feminine curves. This newly acquired ore breastplate was the core component among the ‘virgin’ armors.
It wasn’t just basic armor performance; even the magical engravings carved into it couldn’t be properly utilized without the breastplate.
Well, more precisely, it wasn’t the breastplate itself, but rather the triangular metallic plate attached to it that was the key.
The rune engraving circuit.
That plate operated as a power source, independently emitting magical energy to supply the entire armor.
The magic on the breastplate was merely a protective spell that layered a mana barrier over the whole body and a spell that absorbed magic emitted from the rune engraving circuit, spreading it throughout.
In other words, an armor without the rune circuit was like a car missing its engine.
And this dungeon doesn’t drop rune circuits.
There might be ‘fragments of damaged rune circuits’ like earlier, but a complete metallic plate doesn’t appear at all, or so the theory goes.
It was the same in the game and even in novels based on it, so I was no exception.
In reality, the breastplate I picked up also had its rune circuit cleanly ripped out, leaving the lining completely exposed.
Perhaps to enhance mana absorption, that particular area was distinctly translucent compared to the other linings.
Well, if it had been intact, this armor set wouldn’t have been named ‘Damaged Virgin Armor,’ but rather ‘Worn Virgin Armor.’
In short, the armor set we had diligently gathered was close to being just a shell without its power source.
Of course, the virgin armor had countermeasures in place considering the rune circuit might be damaged… but those were merely temporary fixes.
It could absorb and store ambient mana to activate the magic engraved on the armor, but at best, that meant I could barely utilize one of the eight spells.
Well, my original goal was solely to get one spell and the inherent defense of the ore armor, so I had no real reason to complain.
“…….”
“…….”
Yeah, it definitely wasn’t something to complain about, but…
“Um… this is a bit….”
Trying it on revealed a rather serious problem. A very serious one.
◆◆
“Waaah… oh my… so fantastic… no, I mean, bold. So bold…!”
My appearance in the new armor seemed to be quite impressive, as Friede covered her mouth with both hands and gushed her unfiltered impressions.
Her gaze was glued to me, refusing to budge. An oddly restless gesture. Her cute face had flushed red like an apple.
“……Right.”
I replied in a barely audible voice, my head slightly bowed.
Reassuring myself by mentally repeating that it was really a trivial issue, Friede’s reaction made my cheeks feel heated for no reason.
No, let’s calm down. Looking back, it truly is a trivial issue.
It’s just that, well… that the part where the rune engraving should be was replaced with a translucent black fabric. Yeah, just that, right?
So, I continued my lengthy self-justification while looking down at the empty space where the rune engraving circuit should have been.
An empty triangular shape extending from below my collarbone to the middle of my chest.
Through the translucent elven silk like vinyl, the flesh and crevices within were clearly visible.
“…….”
A level of exposure one might see at a film festival. For me, who used to wander around covered in metal plates, it felt almost like I was half-naked.
…No, seriously, what is this?
I had known it would turn out like this, but experiencing it firsthand was unimaginably audacious.
“Ha….”
I let out a deep sigh as I pulled down the barely long enough remnants of my torn cloak, trying to cover my exposed cleavage.
But even then, only half was covered. I could barely manage to cover the upper part, but the lower part remained completely exposed.
…Well, it didn’t matter right this second, but in the future, I couldn’t walk around like this.
“Um, excuse me, Hilde. So, you’re not really planning to walk around like that, are you?”
Unfortunately, that was the only option. So unfortunate.
“… This translucent fabric here… it’s elven silk.”
I looked up at the air and explained why I had to roam around in this state.
Elven silk.
A type of anti-stab fiber from this world that hardly tears even when stabbed, and it inherently absorbs mana from the atmosphere.
In other words, this translucent fabric that fully exposes my cleavage is the key part to activating the remaining spells in the armor.
“Oh, is that so? But why?”
What do you mean, why?
“This armor has the magic that those undead used left over, albeit weakly… but if I cover this part, mana absorption stops. I can’t use it.”
The moment I cover my cleavage with another fabric or metallic plate, this armor would block even its reserve power, becoming just a sturdy tin can.
“I mentioned it before, didn’t I? I plan to roam freely without the fear of being discovered because I have the helmet of the undead. For that to happen… this place has to remain open at all times.”
That was the reason my cheeks, for reasons I couldn’t explain, flushed while I couldn’t bring myself to give up this armor.
“… Does that even make sense?”
Friede asked, looking utterly bewildered.
“Right? It doesn’t make sense. It usually wouldn’t.”
Sure, I knew that. It was so absurd there were no words.
To not want my face exposed, yet I had to expose my chest. What kind of equivalent exchange is that? It’s ridiculous.
Like I mentioned, this armor has plenty of reasons and explanations as to why the breastplate ended up like this, but…
Honestly, I felt that those explanations were excuses added later.
This was all just my personal guess, but maybe the armor ended up having this design because this world is based on a game. That’s how I thought.
The game set in the background of the original novel, NTRPG, is an NTR adult game disguised as a classic RPG.
Of course, female characters in such games are given outfits that match the adult game theme, right?
Extra characters can just wrap themselves in metal plates or wear tacky outfits, but this is the main character’s unique armor.
A design that doesn’t wholly destroy her identity as a female knight while still pursuing some commercial and sexual appeal is likely the result.
“Still… isn’t this a bit too… um, without the helmet, anyone else can see, right? Right?”
“… That’s correct.”
Truthfully, even with the helmet on, it was still visible. The only difference was that people wouldn’t pay it much mind.
The helmet’s perception-inhibiting effect rapidly weakened if it performed noticeable actions, but unlike actions, appearance didn’t significantly affect the effect.
One could go around with just the helmet while being completely bare, but if they started dancing with swords on the street while fully armored, the effect would break instantly.
“That’s, um, quite… troublesome, yes, very troublesome!”
Friede shook her head vigorously.
“H-Hilde’s chest… that’s something only I should see…!”
Claiming her exclusive viewing rights to my chest.
“Even so….”
It was such a dizzying declaration that I truly had no idea how to respond. It wasn’t incorrect, but…
“And moreover…! Yes, it’s dangerous! Very dangerous! It’s the most vital spot; what would happen if it gets stabbed?!”
Hmm… that’s actually true.
Unlike the other areas that are protected by ore plates, the completely exposed chest has nothing but this fabric.
The elven silk might have anti-stab properties, but that doesn’t mean it can stop a blade like a metal plate would.
It wouldn’t tear, but it would be pushed in if stabbed.
Given that it’s taut against my chest, it won’t penetrate deeply, but the ability to penetrate at all is a failing grade for armor.
In typical armor, that is.
“It’s okay… here, there’s a protective spell castet, so it shouldn’t be an issue. Like that mana barrier we saw earlier.”
However, despite part of the chest being exposed, the virgin armor had a mana barrier spell, so it wasn’t as defenseless as it looked.
In fact, the chest was the strongest part. The area was designed to protect the rune engraving circuit, so the strength of the mana barrier was maximized there.
“Your sword’s a direct hit to the protective spell?”
“…That’s because the sword you’re holding is the Nibelung.”
The Nibelung is a holy sword specialized in magical disruption and undead combat. It would be strange for it to pierce a mana barrier created by undead.
“Still….”
“And besides, if the target area is obvious, then it’s easier to counter.”
As Friede stared at my exposed chest with an incredulous look, I added one last believable excuse.
If, by chance, the perception inhibitor wears off and a battle ensues, they’d probably target the clearly exposed part rather than the solid metal areas. I’d do the same.
So assuming the first attack flies toward my chest, I could retaliate accordingly and might end the fight in one blow against a similarly skilled opponent.
If I went all out and aimed for a stab only for it to thunk against the mana barrier, it stood to reason that the follow-up strike could very well end with their head flying off.
◆◆
After hearing all my reasoning, Friede nodded, though her face showed she didn’t quite believe it.
Somehow, she was now fueled with a strange determination to find the rune engraving circuit and cover up the exposed area.
Of course, it’s not like a nonexistent item would magically appear just because of her wishful thinking.
The two Valkyries we had taken down left only shattered fragments of a triangular metal plate as loot.
“If we melt down the edges and piece them back together….”
“Yeah, right?”
Stitching up a dismembered person doesn’t bring the soul back.
Rune engraving circuits are the same way. Sadly enough.
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