Dungeon Prep! (3)
I woke up feeling the refreshing morning sunlight, then took some extra care washing my body and grooming my mane. I was about to meet someone of high status, after all, so I had to make myself look as unferocious as possible. The problem was, no matter what I did, I still looked ferocious.
While stroking my mane, I pulled out the most luxurious-looking shirt and pants that Lianna had made for me, slipped them on, and threw a jacket over the top. Standing in front of the mirror... hmm. Even with fancy clothes, having a scary horse head for a face was still pretty unsettling. It did seem like the high-end outfit toned down the menace a bit... but there wasn't much else I could do, so this would have to do.
Once I was ready and it was time to meet Lizbet as planned, I headed down to the first floor. There she was in the lounge with Als. Lizbet spotted me first—her eyes went wide—and then Als's face stiffened as he looked my way.
"What? Does it look that bad? Kinda shocking..."
"N-no, it's not that. Your whole vibe's changed, Sema... It's even more different than the first time I saw your human form."
Als said it with a stunned expression. In the mirror, I just looked like a half-human, half-beast horse-head dude in nice clothes, though? Curious about Lizbet's reaction, I glanced her way. She still had her eyes round, cheeks flushed red.
Was she shocked by how handsome I looked? I mean, I wouldn't call this horse head handsome myself...
"Uh... Sema... that... um, yeah. It suits you!"
Lizbet smiled awkwardly, her face still pink. Hmm... starting to doubt Lizbet's sense of style. After confirming with them that nothing looked off, I headed straight for the Lord's Castle, her smile still on my mind.
Outside, just as I'd expected, people's stares stung—eyes wide in shock. But mixed in with the surprise were these admiring glances that felt... off. It wasn't just Lizbet; was the aesthetic sense of everyone in Essentia weird? Walking along feeling awkward, I parted ways with the two at the path to the church. They planned to collect the quest reward from Baul there, then shop for dungeon gear. Figuring my business at the Lord's Castle would take a while, we agreed to meet up again in the evening.
Separating from them, I passed through the noble district toward the Lord's Castle... and the stares from these affluent-looking folks burned even more. A whole new kind of gaze. When would I ever escape these looks...? It was exhausting.
Arriving at the Lord's Castle, I handed over the invitation, and staff guided me straight to the lord's office. Faster than I'd thought—no waiting around. I'd figured it'd take two or three hours... Was the lord more free than I expected?
Anyway, the castle I saw while being led around felt less like a fortress and more like a building full of offices. When I asked the official-like guide, he explained that floors 1 and 2 had various staff offices past the entrance, while floors 3 and up were for high-ranking officials and the lord's work areas. Without the antique exterior and luxurious interiors, it'd just look like a corporate HQ. The lord's family's living quarters were attached somewhere, but not accessible from the office side. Makes sense—living and working spaces mixed would be awkward.
"Please go in through here."
The guide gave a perfunctory smile. Before me loomed a grand, ornate door fitting for the lord's office—far more castle-like than the plain ones I'd passed. Finally felt like a proper Lord's Castle.
"Any etiquette I should remember for meeting the lord?"
"Just avoid anything too rude. He understands you're a Divine Beast still unfamiliar with human culture."
With that, he opened the door. Two soldiers stood guard at the entrance like bodyguards, and behind a massive desk piled with documents sat a middle-aged man. He'd been frowning at the paperwork but smiled and stood when he saw me.
"Ah, there you are. You must be the Divine Beast Sema. Welcome."
His expression radiated pure, genuine welcome. It had been a while since I'd gotten such an honest greeting from a stranger—first impression of this guy was pretty good. But... he looked exhausted. Deep dark circles and wrinkles screamed fatigue, even under some cover-up. Being lord must be tough.
"I've been eager to meet you. Come this way."
"Thank you."
The lord gestured to a reception sofa. I thanked him and sat; he rubbed his eyes and took the seat opposite.
"Whew... First, my thanks. They say you played a big role in subjugating the Hero Eater."
"Haha... I got lucky all around. Without the other adventurers, I'd have been done for."
He smiled. "You're 30, right? That explains why you lack the arrogance other Divine Beasts show. They'd have been exhausting otherwise."
"Other Divine Beasts?"
I asked, and he explained how they and the Reinhardt Kingdom handled Divine Beasts. Most were monsters centuries old, so they came off as haughty even to long-lived humans. It clashed with the human-centric culture here, and past interactions hadn't been close. No Divine Beasts were officially affiliated; at best, loose ties with one or two nearby. The kingdom revered goddesses and the royal bloodline next—didn't mesh well.
"Still, they're sacred, each with immense power and followers, so the kingdom can't shun them. But you show up wanting to be an adventurer and citizen."
Pretty amusing story. A rare Divine Beast walking right into the kingdom's lap.
"I'd planned a formal welcome here, but as you know, the massive dungeon and that Hero Eater made it impossible."
He sighed, leaning back. "The royals were in a frenzy assessing the situation... Anyway, sorry for the delay."
"No need. You've already been generous with the settlement funds and all."
He smiled, pulled out a magic device with a button, and pressed it. A secretary-like aide soon arrived with a small chest, setting it before me.
"This is your reward for the Hero Eater subjugation. I'd give more, but we contracted equal payments of 50 gold coins per guild... Please accept it."
"Thank you."
I left the chest unopened and thanked him. A lord wouldn't scam over coin. 50 gold coins at once. Jackpot. No way my mouth was twitching upward, right?
"Planning to stay in Radia?"
"Adventuring means traveling, but I'll base here for a while."
"I hope so. Some say your arrival alone is a blessing for Radia."
I hadn't met other Divine Beasts yet, but calling a human-shifting monster a blessing? I didn't feel special, but apparently they were a big deal.
Chatting with the lord, I brought up my other reason for coming: sharing Hero Eater info. Similar ones would keep appearing; I needed details to fight them. He looked surprised.
"Are you... an adventurer to hunt those demon beasts?"
"Partly wanted to try adventuring, but yeah."
Totally unrelated, but sure. He'd be at odds with many heroes soon, but whatever.
"...Your arrival might truly be a blessing. An adventurer to slay beasts targeting our heroes, the people's shield..."
After a moment's thought, he described past similar monsters: ones emitting Tesser-like energy with massive dungeons, no pollution, heavy casualties in subjugations. Coincided with missing heroes—likely victims like the veteran this time. The royals were stressing over it; he'd pass my info along and share any updates. Expecting perks from the Divine Beast angle? Fine by me.
We exchanged farewells, promising good relations, and I left the office. Got the world-doomers info-sharing promise... and this chest. 50 gold coins. Heh heh heh... whoops.
Stepping out in high spirits, I spotted a noblewoman in the hall clutching document envelopes, her heels clicking. Hair pinned up with expensive ornaments, translucent sky-blue locks, flashy dress screaming nobility. Clearly married middle-aged, but her face could pass for 20s—stunning beauty approaching. And those breasts... Up till now, the guild director and Klea were the top two, but this rivaled them. Maybe even bigger...?
As I stared at her amazing chest and looks, her blank expression twisted the instant she saw me.
"...Filthy monster..."
...What? Did I hear wrong? She muttered it softly, but she totally insulted me. She glared, then turned away and entered the lord's office. Figured from her look she was noble, but straight-up insulting? Damn, lady's got a temper. That rare hostile stare tanked my mood. Such a shame with that face and body. Stroking the gold-filled chest to shake off the funk, I left the Lord's Castle.