Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Beauty Raid Party (2)
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Like being gradually soaked by a drizzle.
Canelian's embarrassment threshold had risen higher than before.
She'd shown off her 99% armor—made of just a single strand of thread—in front of the prince and Silvret.
The 75~80% mode (tube top bikini) was on display every time she slept.
And when the three of them were together during the day, she often lounged comfortably in 50% mode (rash guard).
'Rash guard level is fine, right? It's not in front of other guys, just my sister.'
But to Ceres, it was a shocking sight that made her eyes bulge and her breath catch.
A difference in familiarity, one could say.
'H-how can she charge into battle outdoors in underwear like that?! Canelian!'
Ceres looked back at Prince Ragna and Silvret in horror.
Both were watching Canelian's charge with utter nonchalance.
"Your Highness, what if someone sees Canelian?"
"Don't worry, Duchess. Silvret is thoroughly scouting the surroundings."
"But even if no one's watching, how can she fight outdoors in such an embarrassing outfit...!"
"In that state, all damage is reduced by 50%. That means your healing burden drops by 50% too. And that's her weakest form, even."
"Th-then don't experiment for my sake and just boost the defense more! That would cover more skin, right?"
Silvret burst out laughing with a pfft.
Embarrassed, she stifled her laughter and bowed her head.
"My apologies, Duchess."
"Professor? Why are you laughing?"
"Well, boosting defense from that state doesn't cover more skin—it does the opposite."
"What? Isn't it common sense that more coverage means higher defense?"
"Duchess, that's incorrect common sense. Mythic female armor flows ethereally, and the higher the exposure, the greater the defense."
"Th-that doesn't make any sense!"
"For relic or legendary grades, your common sense applies. But mythic is different. That's what makes it mythic."
"... "
Ceres's hand trembled on the giant bolt crossbow.
Something was off.
It felt like all common sense was crumbling.
'Isn't Canelian bothered by this?'
Canelian still couldn't wear a regular micro bikini (90~95% defense) even in front of the prince.
But a ridiculous misunderstanding was building up inside Ceres.
"Now, Duchess Ceres. Get ready."
"... Yes, Your Highness."
Her trembling hand aimed the crossbow.
'More exposed skin means higher defense? Does that even make sense?'
A minor issue cropped up.
'Her aim is terrible. Well, she's still a beginner.'
Ceres's crossbow skills were lacking.
She'd hit the Woodrender Colony dead-on at first, so I'd praised her.
"Um, that wasn't the one I aimed for. I was targeting the one next to that, next to that..."
Even with eyes closed, a shot at such a huge target should hit something.
Missing not just beside it, but two over...
Sometimes bolts even stuck into Canelian's back or exposed thighs.
Of course, they bounced off without piercing the rash guard or skin.
"S-sorry! Canelian, does it hurt a lot? I'll heal you right now!"
"No, Sis! I'm fine! No need for heals yet!"
"Indeed. No heal needed."
The errant bolts didn't even scratch 0.1% of Canelian's health.
Given the HP gap, it was efficient to give minimal heals every time Canelian lost 0.33% HP.
"Sorry. I can't tell how hurt my sister is."
"I'll let you know, so it's fine."
I could see HP percentages thanks to Discernment Eye, but Ceres couldn't.
Without me, wasteful heals were inevitable.
But it was a very minor problem.
'We'll all be moving together anyway.'
And Canelian knew her own status, so she could call out feedback if urgent.
'A swordmaster charging in bikini armor makes a Woodrender Colony legion nothing.'
A marten leaping into a flock of chickens...
No, a tiger.
"Kyahaha! Die! Die! All of you, die!"
Canelian was thrilled, rampaging wildly.
Less like combat, more like venting stress.
Ceres provided cover fire with her awful bolts, and every time I spoke...
"Minimal heal."
"Yes! Minimal heal!"
She fired off a heal instantly.
A beautiful powerhouse healer launching heals and bolts at once.
Pure romance, right?
Another bolt hit Canelian's back and bounced off.
"Your Highness, Canelian! Sorry! I'm so sorry! It's my first time shooting a crossbow today...!"
"It's fine, Sis! Doesn't hurt much!"
"Duchess Ceres, it's okay. That much doesn't faze Canelian at all."
She really can't shoot...
Still.
'She's a healer anyway. And a powerhouse, so no need to protect her.'
"Ah, missed again! I'm such an idiot!"
"It's okay, Sis! You hit another one!"
"B-but against a single enemy, I'd be useless!"
My turn to step in.
"I'll show you that the duchess's bolts weren't wasted."
I extended my hand forward.
No need to shout, but for a cool show for Ceres...
Paralyze Field
Forms a wide-area electric field to paralyze and shock enemies within range.
A blue electric field spread wide, paralyzing every Woodrender Colony inside.
Superconducting Collapse
Overloads energy through metal conduits within range, inducing explosions.
The hundreds of metal bolts Ceres had fired so far crackled with surging electrical energy.
Volta Explosion
Releases charged electricity to generate a wide-area shockwave.
The overloads chaining through the metal bolts erupted into a massive shockwave.
Boom! Bwoom!
'This is why [Superconducting Collapse] at level 50 is called a pseudo-ultimate!'
No mana cost—instead, it uses the mass of metal conduits for destructive power.
Stick a huge iron spear into a boss and unleash it for insane cost-efficiency.
And Ceres's bolts weren't even anti-personnel—they were wyvern-hunting anti-air rounds.
Hundreds scattered, overloaded, then chain-exploded with [Volta Explosion].
A festival of massive blasts.
Kaboom! Kababoom!
"Whew, feels refreshing. Right, Duchess Ceres? Silvret?"
A radius of hundreds of meters lay in ruins.
It felt good just watching...
"Kyaa! Wow, Your Highness! What about Canelian?"
"Ah, no worries. Canelian's in bikini armor, so she's fine."
As the explosions cleared, Canelian emerged.
Her hair was a frizzy mess from the electrical blasts, but Canelian was unscathed.
Blinking, she grinned brightly and ran to me.
"Your Highness, what was that just now? It was a terrifying spell explosion, but I didn't feel a thing!"
"My crown princess has a very sturdy body. Lucky her."
I pulled Canelian into a hug, stroking her back.
Her ecstatic face stiffened as she felt my hands directly on her skin.
Ceres paled, pointing with a trembling finger.
"Ca-ca-ca-Can-Can-Canelian! Wh-wh-what are you doing n-n-naked?!"
"Duchess Ceres, this isn't naked—it's proper micro sling shot string bikini armor..."
"Kyaaaa!"
Finally realizing her 99% mode, Canelian yelped, shoved me away, and collapsed.
"Your Highness! What happened?! Ch-change it back to rash guard, quick!"
"Hmm, it looks good. Can't we stay like this a bit longer?"
"Quickly! I can handle it in front of Your Highness, but not Sis and Professor!"
Regretfully, I switched her back to rash guard.
"... "
"... "
The sisters were too embarrassed to meet eyes.
Silvret alone remained unfazed.
"Your Highness, what exactly happened?"
"If the wearer takes what it deems lethal damage, the armor auto-switches to the optimal defense mode. It's a life-saving feature."
I continued seriously.
"So don't rely on bikini armor in front of others for risky fights. Got it?"
Or it'd turn into a public sling bikini show.
Absolutely not.
"Y-you could've just explained!"
"Experiencing it firsthand etches the lesson deeper..."
"Still too much."
"I wanted to see it again after so long. Canelian, your pretty string bikini look."
Canelian grabbed my chest petulantly, whispering against it with a sniffle.
"Next time you want to see, just ask in the bedroom..."
"I want to see you swinging a sword at monsters in it."
My crown princess doesn't get romance.
"Your Highness, please."
Ceres quietly looked away from us.
Stunned by my flashy skill combo, the Woodrender Colonies began fleeing.
We leisurely pursued and kept hunting.
These things stuck in swarms, never scattering.
So no letting even one escape.
Canelian and I would near-death them with skills, then I'd finish with [Thunder Chain], [Superconducting Collapse], [Volta Explosion] for the EXP.
Level 15 scraps even without level gap penalties.
Finally finishing the extermination, we rested by a campfire.
Silvret warned me.
"Your Highness, human life signs."
"I sensed it too."
No human could evade Discernment Eye's [Mana Observation] or [Life Observation].
"Canelian, armor up now."
"Phew, saved."
Canelian quickly donned armor over her rash guard, covering her bare legs.
The human presence neared, crystal clear through Discernment Eye.
Silvret and I pulled our robe hoods over our faces.
Canelian covered her helmet visor, exposing only her eyes.
Ceres flusterred.
"Sh-should I cover my face too?"
"High chance it's empire troops stationed at Steno. Hiding your face too would seem suspicious.
From now on, we're an adventurer party on a commission."
Clank. Clank.
Armor and weapons clashing.
A large force marching.
We finally encountered them.
"Who goes there!"
"We're an adventurer party commissioned to find a certain knight!"
I stepped forward, faking a trembling novice party leader voice.
The commander knight eyed us suspiciously.
"Commission? Knight?"
"Yes! A very powerful knight who repeats the same phrases no matter what you say, always in full plate."
The knights' expressions changed.
Soldiers stirred too—they knew Windler well.
"What did you intend to do with... er, that knight?"
"We can't say casually—it might harm him."
The commander huddled with his knights briefly.
Then removed his helmet, speaking with feigned dignity.
"I am Viscount Pavillion, knight of the Barmeon Empire, dispatched to aid Steno Kingdom in its crisis. Is the knight you seek perhaps Cheok Jun-gyeong?"
"Ah, yes. How did you...?"
"On my house's honor, the knight you seek has sworn loyalty to the empire and resides in our camp."
Lying through his teeth without a blink.
"If your purpose is legitimate, I can guide you to him."
I pretended to ponder carefully, then pushed Ceres forward.
"This huntress is his niece. We're moving on her commission."
Ceres startled but quickly played along.
"Y-yes! I'm his niece!"
The knights nodded at her giant crossbow, backpack, and bolt quiver.
"Hmm... Indeed."
"Isn't that a wyvern mechanical crossbow? Handling so lightly what takes several grown men... Definitely his niece."
"Very well. We'll guide you. Follow."
Thus began our unscheduled infiltration disguised as empire troops.
Canelian whispered to me.
"Your Highness, is it because of the dragged-off Steno civilians?"
The empire troops were carting hundreds of refugees.
Clearly coerced.
"Mm, one caught my eye among the refugees. Thought I'd tag along."
"Who?"
"An old woman in yellow clothes, carrying a wooden mortar on her back."
"Anything off with her mana or life signs?"
"No, perfectly normal. Discernment Eye confirms she's human. But..."
A name appearing means it's a monster?
'In a game, this'd flag a quest.'