Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Friday Night Posting
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We managed to finish the clothes before Sunday rolled around and could have snapped photos of the completed pieces right then and there. But we held off on any action, sticking to our usual routine while quietly observing how things played out.
The biggest reason for keeping watch on the situation was that Mondays saw the least interest in the bulletin board.
To post anything there through official channels, you needed approval from the administrative office or the knights' order—and that usually didn't come until Wednesday or Thursday.
So, whatever was up on the board on Mondays was just a carryover from the previous week, and people paid it little mind.
The second reason was that the administrative office had issued an order to the newspapers.
A truly draconian command: no publications for a full week.
It felt like the harshest punishment imaginable for a newspaper, but what we had to remember was their biweekly schedule.
It was just a show of doing something to avoid looking idle—a measure with no real penalty at all.
Of course, we had no plans to advertise through them for the time being, but we'd pretend to lay low for a few days.
If the guy who'd been blustering loudly suddenly went quiet after the order hit the papers, it'd look like he'd gotten cold feet.
Nothing ramps up blood pressure like showing up right when people start thinking, "Did he back down?"
After mulling over the perfect timing to draw aggro and lull them into complacency, I settled on Friday evening.
The very next day was the weekend, and the bulletin board was in one of the Imperial Capital's larger squares.
With autumn in full swing, no risk of cloudy weather throwing a wrench in things—virtually no unexpected variables.
The ideal spot where people of all classes, ranks, and ages gathered, drawing maximum attention at the perfect moment.
Plus, if they saw me as some green kid, they wouldn't expect an unauthorized post over the weekend—perfect for catching them off guard.
"Hoo..."
After sunset, I headed to the now-deserted square and paced around the bulletin board.
The square glowed faintly under moonlight and the sparse magic lamps—few enough to count on one hand.
"It's, uh, pretty damn dark..."
Far dimmer than I'd imagined, a chilly, eerie vibe settling over the place.
I'd figured the Imperial Capital's streets, lined with magic lamps, would be fine. But they didn't make much difference here.
Just enough light to barely make out that I was on a walkway.
I sorely missed the light pollution of city streetlamps.
"You there! What are you doing?!"
"Urk..."
Standing there dazed near the square's bulletin board, clutching the poster tight against my chest—then a sharp shout hit me, followed by a blinding magic lamp flooding my face.
An unexpectedly strong light stabbing right into my eyes.
A needle-like pain shot through them.
"Gahhh..."
"Stay still... Huh? W-Wait... Sir William?"
As I groaned and covered my eyes, hurried footsteps approached, then a woman's voice laced with confusion rang out.
"S-Sir R-Rachel... the, the lantern..."
"Ah! Sorry!"
Still squeezing my eyes shut, I flailed my right hand. The light seeping through my fingers and eyelids finally dimmed.
"......"
Peeking ever so slightly through parted eyelids and fingers, I confirmed the magic lamp now pointed at the ground, not me. With great effort, I pried my eyes open and looked ahead.
"Uh... Where are you, Sir Rachel?"
But even with my eyes open, I couldn't see her.
Was something wrong with my vision?
Too much intense light could cause blindness... No way...
"Sir, you're looking the wrong way."
"Pardon? Oh..."
Spinning around, I spotted her—even if the area ahead still flickered a bit.
"Ahem! Good to see you, Sir Rachel."
"Ah, yes..."
Embarrassment flooded me.
I cleared my throat to shake off the awkwardness and extended my right hand for a handshake like nothing had happened.
Awkward as it was to shake hands with someone I'd parted ways with just three hours ago, Sir Rachel gave a halfhearted clasp before letting go.
"So, what brings you out at this late hour? And what's that you're holding?"
"Actually, I was waiting for you, Sir."
"Pardon...?"
Sir Rachel pointed at the poster with a bored expression—until her eyes widened like full moons.
"I have something to post on the bulletin board."
"Ah, ahem...! I see, got it."
I explained the reason to Sir Rachel, who was fidgeting with her lips and darting her eyes around. She cleared her throat, her face flushing slightly.
"I wondered why I suddenly got stuck with a solo patrol. For something this minor, please handle it during the day next time."
"Haha, sorry about that."
"Haa..."
Sir Rachel rubbed her brow as I smiled and dipped my head apologetically, then let out a sigh and extended her right hand.
"Let me see your permit before you post."
"Don't have one."
"I must have misheard."
"Nope. This is an illegal post."
"...Are you joking?"
Sir Rachel gritted her teeth and placed her hand on her sword hilt, glaring at me murderously.
"L-Look, I've got unofficial approval, so could you take your hand off the hilt?"
"You need to explain this properly."
"Read this first."
"......"
I hurriedly rummaged in my pocket and handed her a letter.
"Imperial...? Request for cooperation...?"
Sir Rachel wrinkled her nose and eyed me.
"Sir, what mischief are you up to now?"
"You'll see."
Grinning ear to ear, I found an empty spot on the long wooden bulletin board and unfolded the large printed poster against it.
"Haa..."
A heavy sigh escaped Sir Rachel as the photo on the poster came into view.
The image showed a female form demurely seated on a bed, clad in a pure white babydoll.
"Mm... This isn't a real person, right...?"
"It's a mannequin. See? No head."
As I hammered nails into the corners, Sir Rachel asked in a worried tone. I calmly pointed to the neck area.
"Yeah, with the fabric so sheer, how could it not show? Imperial connections or not, I nearly arrested you on the spot."
"Exactly. If it were a person, it'd be a huge problem."
I couldn't dress a real person in something this revealing without covering up properly like with Caterina's outfit.
Exposing limbs was one thing, but the torso—especially the chest—was a whole other level, even a serious crime by modern standards.
"Mm..."
While chatting with Sir Rachel, I finished nailing it up. I tugged lightly to check it was secure, then stepped back to admire it.
"Looks good..."
"Tch..."
As I beamed at the poster, Sir Rachel clicked her tongue disapprovingly, shook her head, and turned the magic lamp illuminating the board elsewhere.
"Anything else to do?"
"Nope, that's it for tonight."
"Just checking, but you're not planning to pull this again, are you?"
"Sir, have you noticed a sudden uptick in night patrols for no reason?"
For example, inexplicable solo shifts circling a certain square for about thirty minutes.
"...Oh, for... "
Sir Rachel clapped a hand to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut as realization dawned.
"Thanks for your help next week too."
"No thanks..."
Sir Rachel grimaced and shook her head.
A knight sworn to protect the Imperial Capital and Family wouldn't feel great ignoring illegal acts, but her opinion didn't matter much.
She'd do it if ordered from above anyway.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The weekend arrived the next day, and I strolled into the atelier grinning from ear to ear.
"Good morning."
"Everyone's early today?"
After greeting the staff who'd arrived before me and waiting at the head of the table, Princess Elizabeth, seated right beside me, pointed at my mouth.
"Sir, you seem especially cheerful today."
"Ah, I passed by Western Square on my way in, and people were really crowding around the poster. Kinda lifted my spirits."
It was so packed, you could've called it an ant swarm.
If it was this busy first thing in the morning, imagine later when even more people showed up.
The knights' order planned to take it down around lunchtime, so plenty would see it.
Which meant word would reach the ears of shut-ins, old fogeys, and my haters soon enough.
"Glad it's going according to plan."
"Yeah, puts a nice spring in my step for work."
"Ha, so what's this new outfit from our good-mood Sir William?"
"Something as easy to make as the babydoll would be nice."
"How about something even more daring?"
"Well... We focused on the upper body first, so now it's time for the lower half."
"Lower half?"
"More precisely, an outfit that fixes the babydoll's flaws."
The babydoll used so little fabric that it had one fatal flaw.
Its lower half was way too exposed.
Legs showing was fine, but the babydoll rode up past the hips with the slightest movement.
That inevitably bared embarrassing areas, making it too risqué to wear alone.
So, what was needed to solve the babydoll's problem?
The answer was simple, and I'd already shown it to the staff once before.
"This time, we're debuting panties."
"Panties?"
"You mean that triangular one you showed us before, the one that covers the groin?"
"Ah!"
"Yep, that's the one."
Panties—specifically, the women's briefs I'd introduced to the staff earlier.
Nothing covered the hips and groin more reliably.
Yet they could be styled provocatively depending on the design, and paired well with most undergarments—a true all-purpose piece.
One of those garments you'd desperately want to unleash on the world, but it was still too soon. I'd held back with tears in my eyes.
Now it was time to bring it out.