Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: How to Use the Slave Gladiator (1)
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Canelian thought to herself.
'99% defense? That has to mean everything's covered except the eyes, right?'
The current form (rashguard) left her legs fully exposed below the groin, and her hands and neck above.
Her body was about half exposed.
So maybe that's why it only had 50% defense?
In that case, wouldn't 99% defense cover 99% of her body?
"Number 1024, V-line slingshot string bikini! Color: emerald!"
"...?"
"...?"
Neither Canelian nor Silvret understood a word the prince had shouted.
And at that moment, the bikini armor (rashguard) emitted a brilliant light before fading away.
Canelian looked down at her body with a pounding heart, only to turn pale as a ghost.
"Whoa, Your Highness! The armor disappeared!"
"It didn't disappear."
"L-Lady Canelian! The armor turned into strings! How could it take such an indecent form?!"
"Kyaaah!"
Canelian covered her chest with both hands and squeezed her legs together as she sank to the ground.
Silvret's face had also drained of color, her teeth chattering.
'Wh-what kind of clothing is that even possible?'
It was a sight Silvret had never even imagined.
Any underwear would cover more skin than that.
It was lewd—far too lewd.
The three vital points were barely concealed by scraps of fabric even smaller than gold coins, connected by thin strings.
One vigorous movement, and the cloth over her chest would sway and slip off precariously.
It was to the point where being completely naked might look more modest.
"Your Highness! Please! Change it back to the previous form right now!"
Canelian cried out from her huddled position, her eyes glistening with tears.
"What are you talking about? We have to test it."
"Wh-what kind of test in this state?!"
"My special eyes see it as truly 99% defense. We have to verify it, don't we? Get up."
"I can't get up! I'd rather die!"
"No helping it then. Professor, prepare your strongest anti-personnel attack spell."
"Y-you want me to hit her with a spell in this state?"
"It's a test. A test."
In the end, Silvret drew the activation magic circle in the air with trembling hands, and the operational circle spread out beneath her feet.
A powerful fire spell struck Canelian directly.
Booom!
A moment later, as the flames subsided, Canelian looked utterly unharmed.
Not a single hair was singed.
Silvret covered her mouth with both hands in shock, while Canelian frantically checked her body all over in confusion.
"I-it didn't hurt at all?"
"99% damage reduction."
"I'm basically naked, so why the hell does the defense go up?!"
"Ah, that's just common sense. Beauty and defense are proportional by nature."
"B-beauty?"
Canelian's already flushed face turned redder than her hair.
"The duchess's body is truly delicate and lovely."
"Th-thank you. But..."
"Why so shy, though? You show it to me every morning anyway."
"Th-that was with underwear on!"
"Ah, right. Well... Duchess, you've got a desert down there, huh?"
"Pardon?"
Canelian blankly echoed, momentarily failing to comprehend.
The prince shrugged.
"Couldn't tell with underwear in the way before, but now it's obvious—barren as can be."
"Ah...!"
Only then did Canelian realize this armor was in 'string' form.
"Your Highness!"
"It's fine. I like that look better."
"Don't look!"
I desperately wished for a real screenshot function right then.
"Duchess, we need to finish the tests, so get up."
Truth be told, I just wanted a closer look.
Even her back side needed a proper inspection.
"I'd rather die than get up."
"Ha, what a hassle."
No choice—I switched it to a standard micro bikini form.
The coverage over vital points was bigger than the V-line slingshot.
Defense dropped accordingly.
90%.
"Defense is down to 90% now."
"Th-this is no different from before!"
"No different? Should I switch it back then?"
"N-no!"
No options between 91~98% apparently.
Micro bikini (90%) led straight to V-line slingshot string bikini (99%).
Switched to tube top bikini.
The bottoms had decent fabric now, up to regular panty level.
Defense at 80%.
Still, Canelian shook her head stubbornly, refusing to stand.
Kept lowering the defense like that,
until it finally reached high-leg one-piece.
Deep cleavage, strings tied behind the neck, back fully exposed.
"Damn, defense down to 60%. How do you fight in something like that?"
"H-how could I fight in this?!"
But since it was one-piece mode, she hesitated before standing up.
I approached closely, inspecting every angle in detail, while Canelian covered her face in shame, speechless.
"What a magnificent armor. Duchess, Professor—truly mysterious, isn't it?"
"Mysterious my foot! I'm dying of embarrassment here!"
"Defense increasing with exposure... It's an incomprehensible law of nature."
"That's common sense for artifacts."
"C-common sense?"
I gently held Canelian still and patted her exposed back.
Only then did she lower her hands from her face.
Her eyes were moist, on the verge of spilling tears.
"No matter the defense, I couldn't go to battle like this..."
"Don't worry. You think I'd make you wear that? I don't want anyone else seeing your bare skin either."
"Your Highness... Really?"
"I've got quite the possessive streak."
Canelian fidgeted bashfully.
Hit that affection point? Her opinion of me probably went up a bit.
"Th-then... the initial form might be okay in front of people."
"The rashguard?"
"Yes. It only exposes the legs, so in an emergency..."
"But I don't even want your legs showing. I want them all to myself."
"Your Highness..."
"I'm planning to hunt powerful monsters threatening humans and conquer dungeons. Just the three of us."
Canelian's face lit up.
"Ah! If there are no people around..."
"You could wear the 99% slingshot string bikini?"
"N-no, not that... Even if it's just you..."
"Then what's the limit?"
Canelian glanced at her body and murmured softly.
"J-just up to this much."
Damn, back-exposed high-leg one-piece is the max, huh.
Windeler was enveloped in pitch-black darkness.
Nothing visible, nothing audible.
His body wouldn't move at all.
It felt like tough, unyielding iron chains bound him tight.
Right then—
Clank! Clang!
The metal covering his face swung open, vision bursting wide.
Silence shattered as wind and mountain birdsong filled his ears.
Before him, a red-haired woman in crude plate armor pointed a sword at him.
A green-haired elf glared with an operational magic circle at her feet.
Between the two women stood a golden-haired pretty boy with chiseled features, looking down arrogantly with bored eyes.
"Viscount Windeler, you have been captured by me, Ragna Volter Arcana."
A face he'd never seen.
His name hit like a thunderbolt, twisting Windeler's face in horror.
"A-Arcana Prince! Why are you on imperial soil?!"
"This isn't imperial territory—it's the northern jungle zone of the Hesin Duchy. The Edelmark Ducal Lands are across that river, sure."
Windeler's mind raced.
"Don't tell me that lightning magic was the work of that elf sorceress?"
"Quick on the uptake—saves me explanations."
"How in the world...! D-don't say you summoned that monster?!"
"As if. I just confirmed Baron Caron died completing the emperor's secret mission and headed to Caron Ducal Castle.
Figured I'd claim an artifact wooden sword as compensation at least."
"Kuh...!"
It made sense.
Logically, no way the prince summoned that monster.
But years of fattening up under the lecherous, ruthless emperor screamed not to trust him.
"Right now, you're wearing an artifact armor.
While wearing it, you can't attack its owner—me—and if I command, you'll be locked in silent darkness like before, unable to move."
"...Why are you doing this to me?"
"Then why did the emperor order Caron to assassinate me, torture my fiancée and her sister, and kidnap my sister Raisha?
Answer that first."
The two women flinched beside him, but Windeler didn't notice.
"His Majesty gave Baron Caron such a secret order? I knew nothing of it! Your Highness!"
Windeler hadn't known Caron's orders, but he could believe the emperor issuing them.
"150,000 gold coins and 10 legendary artifacts."
"...!"
"Your ransom."
"I-I couldn't pay that even selling my lands and everything!"
The prince smiled coldly.
"Don't worry. I trust the emperor. Having lost all his swordmasters, he'll prepare the ransom for sure."
The prince turned away.
"Night's falling. Sleep until I command otherwise. Oh, and while wearing that armor, no hunger, thirst, or bodily needs—rest easy."
Clang!
The helmet sealed shut, plunging him into darkness and silence.
The swordmaster turned slave gladiator fell into deep slumber as ordered.
The fastest long-distance communication in this world was sending letters via teleportation magic circles.
'Wish we had telecommunication magic.'
One reason I chose lightning mage.
Gotta invent a telegraph later or something.
As night fell, the messenger arrived at our rendezvous point as instructed.
I handed over the letter stamped with my ring seal.
"Deliver this to the prime minister."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The messenger left immediately upon receiving it.
I undid the cloak around my neck and unfurled it.
The cloak expanded in an instant into a large tent.
Both women gaped wide-eyed.
"Your Highness? Th-this is..."
"Don't tell me this is an artifact too?"
"Correct. A legendary artifact. My back hurt too much from roughing it last time, so I remembered to bring it this time."
"Huh? Why'd your back hurt?"
"Sleeping on hard ground with just a sleeping bag—obviously."
"...Ah, got it."
I'd knocked Windeler out forcibly too, and Canelian was now in bikini armor (rashguard).
It kept the body in optimal cleanliness while worn, so she'd changed into it quick.
"Duchess, you said earlier the back-exposed one-piece was acceptable in front of me..."
"Your Highness, please. We're not in battle now."
Should I warp it to 99% pretending it's my sleeping habit?
The three of us discussed future plans inside the tent transformed from [Milky Way Wanderer's Starlight Cloak for Comfortable Camping].
"I'm planning to hunt every monster we find in this Hesin Duchy jungle zone."
"Won't that accelerate monster breeding? Hesin won't hold out."
"That's exactly the point. The empire's in chaos now—they can't properly aid Hesin with monster subjugation."
Hesin Duchy.
A buffer satellite state the empire set up on the border with Arcana.
"Your Highness plans to annex Hesin while the empire weakens."
"Just as you guessed, Professor. But we can't attack Hesin first—we need them to reach out to us."
Canelian nodded and chimed in.
"It won't happen overnight, so you're laying the groundwork step by step."
"Something like that."
Truth was, it was for leveling up.
This jungle zone had level-up areas from 30 to 50.
"Using Windeler as a lightning rod will let us farm exp—no, subjugate—quickly."
In games, I'd use heroine NPCs like that for newbies, but this was reality, not a game.