Chapter 147
Chapter 147
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Scheme - 2
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Following Laxia out of the castle, I spotted someone beyond the knights standing there with troubled expressions and mirrored their look.
The moment the unit members confirmed my arrival, they parted to the sides as if on cue.
Standing at the center was the last person I expected to see.
……Aurora?
It was Aurora.
She had pulled a wide-brimmed beige hat low over her face and covered two-thirds of it with a black mask, but the long black hair trailing down her back and the golden pupils gleaming through were more than enough to identify her.
The fact that Aurora, who should have been at the mansion, had shown up at the castle out of nowhere with her face hidden was bewildering enough, but her outfit took the cake.
She wore only a single dress shirt on top, with about three buttons undone to expose her bare skin. Through the shirt, the black lingerie wrapping her breasts was fully visible.
She wore nothing below. The hem of the shirt, barely long enough to cover her hips, was the end of it. In other words, she had on a bra but no panties.
What kind of ridiculous getup was this?
If she had simply gone without underwear altogether like her usual dresses, that might have made sense, but wearing a bra while skipping panties? What was that about?
'Why is she here?'
Even setting aside that women in this world dressed like that as everyday wear, I couldn't think of any reason for Aurora to come here specifically.
'I have no idea why she'd bother with a disguise. Is she deliberately trying to be recognized?'
Whether she even intended to hide her identity properly was questionable. The vice-captains and regular members had already figured it out, and I'd known the instant I saw her.
It made sense now why Laxia had used the word "guest" with such an ambiguous expression.
She seemed to be trying to hide her identity in her own way, but since the disguise was utterly useless, Laxia must have wondered if she was dressing like that on purpose to be recognized.
I whispered to Laxia beside me.
"Laxia. What do you think of that outfit?"
"You mean what the lord is wearing? I think it's ordinary women's clothing for going out. She chose something fairly normal. Though it doesn't seem particularly meaningful."
'Normal?'
I examined Aurora's outfit again.
The shirt had three buttons undone, openly revealing her black lingerie, cleavage, and upper breasts, and the fabric was so thin that even the lace patterns showed through.
The shirt's hem, precariously covering her privates and hips. With nothing underneath, her thighs and calves were fully exposed. And to top it off, black high heels with tall heels.
That was ordinary outing clothes?
……Ah. Could the original modeling have been that?
If the common women's cloth outfit worn by street NPCs had been modded into a "naked shirt," then Laxia's reaction made perfect sense.
She would perceive it as normal outing wear, not a naked shirt. Just like how she saw the knight uniforms as bunny girl outfits.
I let out a deep sigh and approached Aurora.
"What are you doing here, my lord?"
"Who's the lord? I don't know anyone like that."
"If you're going to pretend to be someone else, at least try changing your voice. Did you really think I wouldn't recognize your voice, my lord?"
…….
Aurora stood there shamelessly. She clearly had no intention of revealing herself. Whether she genuinely believed her disguise worked or was just being brazen, I couldn't tell.
Probably the latter.
"Fine. If that's how you want to play it, no choice."
"Yeah—"
"But why are you talking down to me?"
The instant I switched tactics, not only Aurora but also the vice-captains and members who knew her identity flinched.
"I'm the second most powerful person in this territory after Lady Aurora. You can't just show up for the first time and talk casually to me. Unless you reveal who you are."
I calmly forced her to choose: either admit her identity or use formal speech. The best way to handle a shameless person is to be shameless right back.
Whichever she picked, I lost nothing. If she revealed herself, goal achieved. If not, I'd get formal speech from Aurora.
After agonizing for a while, Aurora seemed to steel herself and cautiously opened her mouth.
……Sorry, Captain.
She was sticking to denial until the end.
Since she was going that far, I didn't feel like pressing her identity. She must have some plan or reason.
"Good. Now, who are you? You know who I am, so no need to say that."
"Oro……ra."
'Oro-ra?'
Was she really doing this to be recognized?
"Right. Au…… Oro-ra. Why are you here?"
"Because the lord commanded Delta to play with me today."
Aurora—no, Oro-ra—slipped her hand into her bra.
Startled by the sudden movement, I glanced around at the onlookers, but they all reacted calmly. I was the only one shocked.
While I panicked, Oro-ra pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from her bra and handed it over. As I took it, a warm heat transferred to my hand.
I unfolded the paper. Scrawled on it was a short note from Aurora: 'Play with that kid today. Lord's command.' The handwriting matched Aurora's.
Or Oro-ra wrote it herself.
"Got it. It's definitely the lord's handwriting."
As I refolded the paper along its creases, I glanced at Oro-ra.
"Even without going to these lengths, if you'd just asked me to hang out, I would've gladly done it."
She seemed to catch why I'd switched to formal speech, her body twitching briefly. But she quickly reverted to her brazen self. Very Aurora-like.
As lord, she'd been stressed handling the messes that guy left behind, so she probably needed an outlet. And after recently going to the imperial palace, it must have been even worse.
I had no idea why she'd chosen this method to relieve stress, though.
"Laxia."
"Yes, Captain. What is it?"
"Take command while I'm gone. If it's too much alone, split it with the other vice-captains as needed. And not just now—do the same whenever I'm away in the future."
……Understood.
Laxia tilted her head at the "in the future" part, then alternated glances between Aurora and me before nodding in realization.
She seemed to have gotten the wrong idea.
"It's not what you think, Laxia."
"I understand perfectly."
Laxia nodded with a smile. Understand what perfectly?
Feeling awkward, I handed the paper back. Oro-ra took it and tucked it back between her bra and breasts.
I wondered where the pocket on the original outfit even was, for the bra to replace it.
"The lord wants me to hang out with you today. Anywhere you want to go?"
"Hmm…… Not really."
"Yeah? Then let's hit one spot first. That okay?"
"Yes. That's fine."
Oro-ra had fully adapted to formal speech already. No hesitation in using honorifics with me.
I checked the gold pouch on my belt, said goodbye to Laxia, and left the castle. Oro-ra followed quietly behind me.
As we exited, I heard whispers from the knights behind us. I couldn't make out the words, but guessing wasn't hard.
Probably gossiping about my relationship with Aurora.
'My image is ruined.'
I'd pushed back the assembly from evening to next morning at the palace because of sex with Lize, and now back home, this with Aurora.
Laxia's expression hadn't been bad, but the other knights might not agree.
"Captain. Where are we headed?"
"The smithy."
"Why there?"
"Need to…… get my weapon fixed up a bit."
I'd almost said "enhance my weapon" but switched words.
Iris had understood "stamina" for vitality enhancement runes, so weapon enhancement probably existed, but better safe.
I chatted with the self-proclaimed Oro-ra about future plans as we walked the streets.
But people's stares felt off. The way they looked at me was noticeably different from before. Far more attention.
I thought it was my imagination, but every time I turned, eyes filled with awe stared at me, women blushing and looking away. Definitely not imagination.
Ignoring the unease, we finished discussing monster subjugation plans just as we reached the smithy.
'Way bigger than in the game.'
I opened the door and went in. Oro-ra followed right behind.
A sweltering heat hit us immediately. A notch below a sauna. One more step, and it'd be hot, not just warm.
Walls lined with all sorts of weapons, and in the back, a glowing red forge. Just like in the game.
Beyond the wide shelves separating customer and work areas, someone sat with their chin propped up.
'A woman.'
In the game, a burly old man, but here, naturally a woman. Her hair was cropped extremely short, barely reaching her neck—probably due to the fire-handling job. Plain black.
She'd stripped off her top, wrapping her breasts tightly with bandages to secure them. Likely because of the stifling heat. Her lower half was hidden by the shelves.
The woman, idly biting her nails with a bored look, saw me and straightened her upper body.
"Wow, big shot on opening day. What brings you here?"
"To…… enhance my weapon."
I answered cautiously.
"Yeah? Hand it over."
She extended her hand. Good, weapon enhancement existed. I drew Wingless Nightmare from my belt and placed it on her palm.
She let out an "Ooh" of admiration upon taking it.
"As expected of the captain. Nice weapon. I can tell at a glance."
After fiddling with Wingless Nightmare for a bit, she spoke again.
"So, how far do you want it enhanced?"
"As far as possible."
Right now, probably up to +10. To go beyond +11, I'd need to progress the game.
Find clues in the story, clear a dungeon based on them, discover a forgotten tome on enhancement materials, deliver it to any smithy to unlock further enhancements.
The UI said after +10: 'Further enhancement requires knowledge of special materials.' Hard to miss unless you ignored explanations.
"Money—"
"Ah, wait, hold on. Money's fine."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"Do one favor for me, and I'll do whatever you want for free. Deal?"