Chapter 704: Entering the City
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 704: Entering the City
Paul Marvin, the wandering swordsman who had once accompanied the Platinum Princess to the Pay Homage to the Sage Ceremony.
And Reta, the alchemical killing machine who was always by the side of Annie, the white-stockinged, short-tempered loli from the Stone Cauldron Association.
Never in a million, billion years did Muen expect to run into these two again.
Of course, a chance encounter wasn't inherently shocking. Although the world was vast and travel was difficult, for adventurers like them who roamed dangerous lands, reunions in perilous places were bound to happen.
But even if Muen racked his brain until it went numb, he couldn't understand why their reunion had to take place... inside a carriage used by the Demon Race to transport female adventurer captives?
The keywords here: Demon Race, captives, female adventurers!
No matter how one looked at it, those words should never be associated with labels like "the continent's top elite youth" or "outstanding young geniuses bearing the weight of everyone's expectations."
Muen could, of course, offer a partial explanation for the first two. It seemed his father wasn't the only one who had noticed something was wrong with the Demon Race. Various powers across the continent had keenly sniffed the dangerous scent of the Abyss and sent people to investigate.
Given the elite status of these two, it wasn't surprising they had been dispatched for an infiltration and reconnaissance mission.
But...
Why did you two use this same god-awful method to sneak into the Demon stronghold? And why are your methods even more bizarre than mine?
Compared to these two, Muen suddenly felt his potion-based disguise was far too conventional. Simply using a potion to turn into a beautiful girl was nothing compared to one guy rewriting his own perception of his gender and the other literally swapping out his "parts" to become female!
It was beyond absurd. Muen actually felt that if the Demon Race used more rigorous inspection methods, he would definitely be the first of the three to be exposed.
...Of course, being discovered by the demons was a small matter. But if his current situation was discovered by these two... then the already questionable reputation of Muen Campbell across the continent would likely take an even weirder turn.
Muen could already imagine the tabloid headlines in every newspaper across the land if he were exposed: Shocking! The Duke’s Son Has This Secret Hobby!, Abnormal Psychology: How a Playboy Uses Potions to Get Close to Innocent Girls, An Eyewitness Account: How a Dashing Man Gradually Degenerated into a Woman, Unbelievable: The Imperial Prince is Actually a Girl!
...The mere thought was terrifying. His father would probably cry himself to death if he heard.
"Is something the matter, Miss?"
Paul... no, "Maven," who had simply swapped his first and last names and added a slightly feminine lilt to the pronunciation, leaned in with a worried expression. "You look a bit pale."
"...N-no, it's nothing."
Muen forced a polite smile. "Perhaps my injuries haven't fully healed, and I'm just feeling a bit weak. Miss Maven... please, don't worry."
"Is that so? Well, that’s a relief."
Maven propped one hand against the carriage wall, looking remarkably gentlemanly. However, as the carriage jolted, his floral dress swayed back and forth, occasionally revealing a pair of blindingly hairy legs.
"But speaking of which, Miss, you haven't introduced yourself yet."
Maven gave a flamboyant wink. It seemed the cognitive rewriting didn't affect his own self-awareness. "Could it be that you're shy?"
"...Muse. Just call me Muse." Muen maintained his awkward yet polite smile. In this situation, smiling was all he could do.
"Miss Muse... what a lovely name. It’s as beautiful and moving as your appearance."
Maven nodded earnestly. "She"... no, he... was about to strike a more dashing pose, but as the carriage hit another violent bump, he had to give up and sit down properly.
"Dammit, the Demon Race builds terrible carriages. Do these demons have nothing but muscle in their heads?" Maven grumbled.
"..."
"But don't you worry, Miss Muse, I will protect you." Maven looked sincere once more. "As a gent—no, as a lady, I will never let you come to harm!"
"...Th-thank you, but I don't need protection for now." Muen’s cheeks were starting to ache from the forced smiling. Why hadn't he noticed how flamboyant this guy was before? Did the Platinum Princess, Margarita, know about this?
Muen quietly shifted away. Compared to the flamboyant Maven, the tall, imposing, and silent Leita provided a much greater sense of security.
At the same time, he breathed a secret sigh of relief.
Though the situation was a total mess, overall, things were okay.
At the very least, he had successfully infiltrated the Demon stronghold. He hadn't been exposed yet, and there was no immediate risk of it.
Most importantly, looking on the bright side...
The situation was already this bad; could it really get any worse?
He was already standing on the precipice of fate; why worry about encountering another cliff?
In other words, since he already had these two acquaintances in this carriage, was it possible that an even more dangerous person would pop out of another one?
Impossible.
Muen couldn't imagine any dangerous figure who could shake his heart, which had already been tempered into stone by the baptism of his absurd fate.
This little accident would only make him more composed when facing the hardships and obstacles to come!
"Gutons Fortress..."
Muen ignored the noisy Maven and turned to look out the window.
Through the narrow slit of the carriage window, he could see the speeding carriage slowing down as it passed through a massive, ancient city gate.
Totems that looked as if they were drawn in primordial eras were carved into the giant doors. Ferocious magical beasts roared toward the sky, banners fluttered in the wind, and an endless army of demons stretched from the city all the way to the horizon.
High towers loomed, casting deep shadows that felt like the insatiable maw of a monster, completely enveloping his vision.
"The Demon city that appeared out of nowhere."
Muen’s eyes flickered as he whispered to himself, "Allow me to unveil your mysterious shroud."
*
"Allow me to unveil Miss Muse's mysterious shroud!"
Ariel had completely lost interest in the ancient buildings flashing by outside. She clenched her fist with determination. "This time, I will absolutely not let her slip through my fingers again. Why? Because this is the arrangement of fate!"
Fate had given her chance after chance. She had missed the first two, but this time, Ariel would not make the same mistake!
Having experienced the separation from her childhood sweetheart, tragic emotional setbacks, and the bullying of that detestable blonde bastard, she had grown. She had evolved! Her understanding of emotions had reached a whole new level!
She was no longer the naive Ariel of the past. She understood deeply that a moment of hesitation or waiting was the same as handing over a golden opportunity to someone else. Therefore, once she set her mind to it, her offensive would be like a violent storm!
Of course, she wouldn't mind sprinkling a little rain on a few more tender sprouts while the storm raged.
"Wait for me, Miss Muse!"
"Miss Muse?"
Feifei tilted her head in confusion. "Is that an acquaintance of yours, Miss Yali? Was she captured by the demons too?"
"Yes," Ariel replied absentmindedly. "But it's fine. I'll save her."
"Miss Yali is certainly optimistic."
Feifei chuckled softly. "In that case, if there's a chance later, I'll help you look after this Miss Muse. After all, anyone Yali cares about so much can't be an ordinary girl."
"Hmm?" Ariel blinked, then smiled. "Thank you."
"No need for thanks. Don't let my temporary blindness fool you; I'm actually quite capable."
Feifei rolled up her sleeve, showing Ariel her slender arm that didn't seem to have a lick of muscle on it.
It seemed this beautiful girl's lethargy wasn't just an aura. To develop such "powerful" muscles, one would have to stay in bed for at least twelve hours a day.
Ariel wanted to say more, but the carriage suddenly lurched violently, swallowing her words.
"We're here!"
The carriage door was shoved open roughly, and the piercing light forced them to squint.
"Everyone out."
Clatter.
The chains binding them were yanked hard, forcing the group to stumble out of the carriage. Ariel looked up; the man was still Govelt, a member of the Skinner unit.
Ariel’s gaze swept around quickly. They had arrived inside a gloomy, fortress-like building. There seemed to be fewer guards now than there were before they entered the city, but the oppressive, terrifying atmosphere was enough to crush anyone's courage to escape.
Julia, the pessimistic beauty, was already starting to tremble slightly.
Ariel opened her mouth but found she couldn't make a sound. It seemed the restriction on the chains had been fully reactivated.
Thus, she could only put on that angry, fierce expression again, glaring at Govelt to maintain her persona as a steadfast, unyielding captive adventurer.
"Heh, still haven't broken your spirit? Interesting."
Govelt sneered and tightened the chains, but he didn't do anything else to Ariel.
"You’d better pray that after Lord Bewitchment is done picking through you lot, you don't end up in my hands. Otherwise, I’ll enjoy experiencing your stubbornness firsthand. As for now... follow me."
The four of them followed Govelt deeper into the building.
No one struggled or resisted. They all knew such actions were futile and would only waste their strength or put them in danger.
The silence was suffocating.
But in that silence, the loli Nian’s fingers would occasionally brush against a wall, a door frame, or some decoration as they passed. Meanwhile, the temporarily blind Feifei tilted her head from time to time, as if listening for something.
As for Ariel, she had already begun habitually observing her surroundings.
No matter how many stray thoughts filled her mind, the instincts honed through countless crises had quickly put her into a state of high alert and caution.
"As I thought."
At the same time, her teacher’s voice echoed in her mind.
"I still find this architectural style very familiar. I have definitely seen it somewhere before."