Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Scheme - 3
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“No.”
“Huh, what? Why not?”
As if she hadn’t expected to be turned down, the woman jumped to her feet in surprise. Even in that moment, her bandage-wrapped chest held firm without a wobble, maintaining perfect balance.
There wasn’t any special reason I refused her request.
It was just a delivery quest. Something I’d done to death every time I started a new game, so I knew it inside out.
It required going pretty far from here, and the reward—a single free use of the forge—wasn’t worth the hassle. The payoff didn’t come close to justifying the effort.
Sure, in the game, it was great for early on when you were stingy with money for weapon upgrades, or when enchanting ate up tons of cash. But right now, money wasn’t an issue.
‘It’d be useful to knock out eventually, but do I really need to?’
Of course, it wasn’t some bullshit quest like delivering holy water infused with light. Just stick the item in your inventory like any other quest, fast travel or whatever, and come back. Done.
I was skipping it because I couldn’t use the sculpture for teleporting, making it annoying.
“And we just met today, right?”
“Well, yeah, for now.”
“So why propose a deal like that to a total stranger?”
In the game, you needed at least five forge visits to unlock that quest. I was curious what made her think she could trust a first-time visitor like me.
“Hmm?”
The woman tilted her head.
“You’re... that guy here, the... whatever. The knight captain, right?”
“That’s right.”
“A knight captain like you wouldn’t pull any shady shit. Sure, I’ve heard some rely on their skills or backing to act all high and mighty, but if you were that type, word wouldn’t have spread like it has.”
Instantly convinced. Fair enough— I wasn’t some newbie knight anymore. I was the captain of this order, so my identity was solid backing. Even if it was our first meeting—
‘Hold on. Did I just hear something weird?’
Word had spread?
“What do you mean by rumors?”
“Your crew came out spending money yesterday, right? That’s when I heard. The knight captain who did something amazing at the imperial palace. They were all singing your praises, so I wanted to see your face. And yeah, you live up to the hype.”
“......”
No wonder people were staring at me funny on the way here.
“Could you tell me what kind of rumors, exactly?”
“Oh, a bunch of stuff, but the big one? Slaying a dragon?”
“......”
That damn dragon-slaying story was everywhere. Guess I’d have to actually kill one for real someday.
To even attempt a conversation with the World Devourer—instead of just getting mind-blasted one-sidedly—I’d need to take down at least one dragon as a prerequisite.
Gotta grab proof of the subjugation anyway, so might as well lop off a tail while I’m at it.
“Got it. Thanks for the answers, but I’m afraid I can’t take the request.”
I turned down the commission, pulled out my gold pouch, and placed the exact amount she’d quoted on the counter.
The woman pocketed the coins with a resigned look, picked up the Wingless Nightmare, and headed into the back of the forge. She didn’t seem too disappointed. Just a mild “oh well.”
In the game, you’d select a weapon from the UI, pay, and it’d upgrade instantly. Here, you apparently had to handle the weapon directly.
Of course, at +4, failures didn’t exist.
“Let’s sit and wait, Aurora.”
“Oh, sure.”
I sat on one of the chairs lined up beside the shop. Aurora scurried over and perched on the one next to me.
Sitting down bent her upper and lower body at a right angle, causing the hem of her white shirt to ride up toward her torso, fully exposing her already precarious pubic area.
One wrong move, and her privates would be on full display. I averted my eyes.
Aurora had been fanning herself nonstop. With her hat pulled low and mask covering her face, she must’ve been sweltering.
“If you’re hot, why don’t you take them off for a bit, my lord? I’ll pretend not to notice.”
Aurora—no, Aurore—froze for a second, then ditched the hat and mask without hesitation. I inwardly whistled at her shamelessness.
“Ahh, much better. Thought I was gonna bake.”
“What’s with all this commotion since morning?”
“Why? It’s fun. I’ve always wanted to try wandering the territory incognito. Never had the chance till now.”
The mysterious woman Aurora had reverted to the brazen lord Aurore, one hand holding her hat, the other twirling her mask strap around her index finger.
“Not so fun from the receiving end. Didn’t you see how baffled my men were?”
“I’m the one paying them. What’s the harm in a little prank now and then? If they hated it, they could’ve said so. I’ll double their next pay.”
“You’re utterly shameless, my lord.”
“Yeah, I’ve got that side to me.”
Aurore flashed a sly grin, then suddenly flinched and yanked her hat and mask back on. Wondering what was up, I spotted the woman approaching from afar, carrying the Wingless Nightmare.
She thunked the weapon down on the shelf. The handle spun toward me with a clink. Guessing it was done, I headed to the counter.
“All set?”
“Yeah. Weapon was so good, I barely had to touch it. A few tweaks, and boom—finished. But...”
Her narrowed eyes scanned Aurore, then me.
“Is she your girlfriend?”
“No.”
I denied it flat-out. Any vague answer here, and she’d spin a new rumor on the spot, spreading it everywhere. This woman looked like a total gossip.
Aurore tugged at my sleeve from the side. Her mask hid everything but her eyes, but I could tell her golden pupils were narrowed in a pout.
“She doesn’t look like the sword-swinging type. Why bring someone like that to a place like this? Gonna kill the romance.”
“I was planning to come alone originally.”
“Oh, so she’s the one into you? Makes sense—nice face and all.”
‘Does she not realize the woman next to me is the lord?’
Probably. If she’d never crossed paths with Aurore during settlement, it’d be natural not to recognize her.
Whether you could even settle here without meeting the lord was another question. Not like I knew medieval moving procedures.
“Come back anytime!”
I left the forge amid her send-off. Having paid properly for the upgrade, she didn’t bring up the delivery quest again.
It was just a personal whim anyway. Not like she’d lose the forge to debt without that ore or anything urgent. Pure curiosity.
If there’d been some pressing circumstance, I might’ve considered it. But no, so no reason to bother.
‘If I’m passing by sometime, I could grab it then.’
“Where to now?”
Aurore looked up at me from beside me. Gone was the sulky glare from the forge; now her eyes brimmed with anticipation.
She’d fully ditched the Aurora act, bantering casually. I debated calling her out but let it slide.
I stopped in place, pondering for a moment. I’d never planned a route for something like this.
Plus, with eyes like that, sending her away felt awkward. And now I was starting to wonder about Aurore’s feelings toward me—headache incoming.
“Clothing store first?”
“Clothing store?”
“Yeah.”
I figured a shop selling clothes might have at least one normal outfit. A no-panties white shirt with buttons undone to hell?
At this point, the white tank top and dolphin pants combo almost seemed ladylike. No undies, sure, but at least it didn’t flash her privates.
“You buying for me, Delta?”
“Of course. It’s not my money anyway.”
“You’re utterly shameless, Captain.”
Aurore parroted my earlier line back at me, nudging my side with her elbow. Her words said one thing, but she didn’t look unhappy at all.
“......So, who are you again?”
Laxia eyed the woman in front of her with a troubled expression.
Green-and-purple streaked hair, shorts with two huge cutouts that basically bared her hips, and a white shirt top that screamed “ran out of fabric mid-stitch.”
‘Her outfit’s not that weird, though?’
Usually, crazy people dressed crazy first. But this woman’s clothes were fine. Outfit alone, she seemed perfectly normal.
“Nix. Nix, hehe...”
The woman who called herself Nix wiggled her fingers in front of her absurdly huge chest, letting out a weird laugh.
Then she started glancing around like she was watching for someone. Laxia’s suspicions grew. Still eyeing her warily, she pressed on.
“Uh, so, you know our captain?”
“Hee, heehee. Yeah. We go way back.”
Nix laughed oddly again, nodding so vigorously it looked like her neck might snap. Her chest shook just as wildly.
This was tricky. Really tricky. Laxia was still new under Delta herself, so she had no way to verify the claim.
How was she, who’d only known him a few days, supposed to know his social circle? She’d only just learned today about whatever was going on between Delta and the lord.
But kicking out someone claiming to be the captain’s acquaintance wasn’t easy either. Couldn’t rule out it being true entirely.
“Mm...”
As Laxia agonized, Nix kept rolling her eyes like a paranoid wreck, giggling strangely while scanning the surroundings.
Watching her, Laxia’s doubts ballooned: *Can I really trust this?* Normal clothes, abnormal behavior.
“Alright.”
“You’ll... fetch him...?”
“I should’ve mentioned—Captain’s out right now. If you’re willing to wait in the castle, we can provide a room. Though it’ll come with a guard.”
She could send someone to retrieve her, but Laxia didn’t want to interrupt their alone time. The report could wait till he returned.
Maybe he wouldn’t even come back tonight.
“Out... out... Okay. Got it.”
Deflating from her tension, the woman stood shakily. As Laxia rubbed her throbbing forehead, she caught snippets of conversation.
“What now? Go look for him?”
“Hee, heehee... You idiot? After coming all this way, go back?”
“We messed up coming again today after yesterday!”
“And you shutting up and agreeing when I said let’s go again wasn’t a mess?”
It was Nix’s voice as she left the room. Watching her quirky retreating figure fade away, Laxia was certain.
*Yeah, she’s nuts.*
She was nuts.