Chapter 753: The Thing of Disguise
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 753: The Thing of Disguise
Deep within this cavern of unknown depth, the temperature should have been well below zero. Along the way, a thin layer of frost had already coated many surfaces.
Even with a campfire lit, and even though the space was quite enclosed, it shouldn't have been considered "warm" in such a short amount of time.
And yet...
At this moment, Muen felt as if he had suddenly stepped into a high-pressure steamer. He began to break out in a cold sweat.
"Dis... disguise?"
Muen forced himself to remain calm. "What are you talking about? I don't understand. Besides, there isn't another living soul here besides the two of us. Why would I need a disguise?"
"Hmph, stop playing dumb, Miss Muse!"
Ariel let out a cold snort, deliberately emphasizing the name Miss Muse.
"Did you really think I hadn't noticed anything unusual this whole way? You underestimate me. If I, Ariel Bugard, were so dull that I couldn't see through this, I wouldn't have survived all the crises I've faced!"
Gulp...
Muen couldn't help but swallow hard. His heart was pounding so fast it felt like it was lodged in his throat.
She had a point.
Ariel had walked a path fraught with countless life-and-death crises. If she didn't possess a sharp intuition for the truth and the ability to react to the slightest anomaly, she wouldn't be worthy of being called the Destined Protagonist!
"It seems you're still being stubborn, Miss Muse, unwilling to reveal the truth. Fine. Let me peel back your veil of disguise, layer by layer."
Ariel’s fingers lightly brushed against the crimson-gold greatsword in front of her. As an exceptional ancient artifact, the blade of the Heavenly Fire Greatsword remained bright and sharp, gleaming with a cold light despite having endured so many battles.
As Ariel’s fingers slid across the blade, the metallic hum sounded like a cold knife thirsting for blood, lightly grazing Muen’s trembling heart.
"First, there's what happened just now."
"What... happened?"
"Still playing dumb? Miss Muse, you just used my Heavenly Fire Draw, didn't you!"
Ariel suddenly gripped the hilt. In an instant, the greatsword’s vibration vanished... or rather, it was suppressed.
The vibration, the edge, the flames, the fighting spirit—everything was forcibly compressed into the thin blade. As Ariel held the sword, it was as if she had hidden the blade within an invisible sheath. A terrifying power was concentrated there, ready to erupt at any moment and reduce the enemy before her to ash.
This was Ariel’s most common and most iconic move—Heavenly Fire Draw!
And back then, the moment Ariel had fainted, she had seen it clearly... Miss Muse had taken up her Heavenly Fire and used her Heavenly Fire Draw!
It made sense that Heavenly Fire was willing to be used by Miss Muse at the time. After all, Ariel was on the verge of passing out, and Miss Muse wouldn't hurt her; the sword was simply desperate to save its master...
But that technique... that wasn't something you could just pull off simply by holding Heavenly Fire!!
"Tell me, Miss Muse, why do you know my Heavenly Fire Draw!" Ariel stared intently into "Miss Muse's" eyes, as if the Heavenly Fire Draw would be turned on "Miss Muse" herself if the answer wasn't satisfactory.
"Well... it's not that strange for techniques to be a little bit similar, is it?"
Muen forced a smile and explained, "Maybe we just happened to see the same martial arts manual..."
"Impossible! I realized this move on my own! I should be the only person in this world who knows how to use it!" Ariel said with absolute certainty.
"Well... the principle of your Heavenly Fire Draw is ultimately the extreme concentration of power. It's only natural that there would be similar techniques," Muen countered. His brain was working at high speed. He hadn't expected the quick-thinking reflexes he'd honed in the treacherous "shura fields" of his life to come in handy at a time like this.
"It's normal for techniques to be similar, but Miss Muse, can you tell me why the angle of your strike, your timing, and the way you applied your strength... were all exactly the same as mine?"
Ariel narrowed her eyes.
"It was almost as if you had observed me using this move from a very close distance, many, many times..."
No two leaves in the world are exactly alike, and naturally, no two identical techniques are born independently.
Of course, even if two people performed the same move, there would usually be subtle differences. However, Ariel didn't believe these similarities were a mere coincidence.
There were already too many coincidences surrounding Miss Muse—so many that it was impossible to believe they were all accidental. Therefore, these coincidences had to be a certainty.
"..."
Muen’s expression stiffened slightly. No matter how powerful one's poker face was, Ariel’s relentless questioning was bound to reveal a few cracks.
This was a real headache. He had chosen to use Ariel’s Heavenly Fire Draw for two reasons: first, Ariel hadn't completely blacked out yet, and if he had pulled out Elizabeth, she would have recognized it instantly.
Second... in that situation, Ariel’s Heavenly Fire Draw was just so damn effective.
"That... that doesn't seem to prove anything. After all, maybe I just accidentally saw Ariel use this move a few times, and that's why our techniques are a little... just a tiny bit similar." Muen made a "tiny" gesture with his thumb and forefinger.
"True." Ariel crossed her arms. "That doesn't prove anything for now, nor does it prove that Miss Muse is wearing a disguise. So, I'll change my perspective for a moment."
"Change your perspective?"
"Yes, it's quite simple."
Ariel’s gaze slowly moved from the blade of the Heavenly Fire Greatsword to "Miss Muse's" body, finally landing on his chest.
Under the loose clothing, that pair of mounds wasn't exactly mountainous, but they still gave the faint impression of peaks and valleys.
"Miss Muse's chest looks perfect. Very perfect. To be honest, it's perfect to the point of being a little enviable..."
Ariel spoke each word with forceful emphasis, her tone even carrying a hint of... tragic indignation.
"But thinking back to when I was carrying you on my back, I didn't feel the tactile sensation that a pair of that shape and size should have given me!!"
"..."
Ah.
Of course.
Muen felt his heart twitch again.
As expected, such intimate contact made it very easy for flaws to appear.
After all, the Senior Sister's potion didn't actually turn him into a woman; it just made him "look" like one.
This appearance was perfect in terms of "looking" and "sensing." Up until now, no flaws had been exposed.
But if you added "touch" to the mix, a sense of incongruity would easily arise.
"Miss Muse" was very close in build to Muen Campbell—slender with long, sturdy limbs. To be safe, he had even used a wrap-around disguise for a certain private area.
But... some things just couldn't be hidden!
The idea in TV dramas that you could go from high mountains to flat plains just by using bandages was complete nonsense!
Therefore, if something looked like it was there and sensed like it was there, but there was no substance upon contact... even a fool would know something was wrong.
If anything, the fact that Ariel was only bringing this up now showed that she had been too preoccupied with the enemy's pursuit to really process it.
The Heavenly Fire Draw he had used earlier had finally snapped her back to her senses.
It was over... Even if Ariel couldn't figure out that he was the Muen Campbell she hated most, she would definitely know he was a man!
To be in such close contact with a man she disliked, and to have done this and that... with Ariel’s personality, she would definitely draw her sword and start hacking!
At this distance, could he even dodge?
Muen’s hand instinctively tightened. His whole body was coiled like a tensed bow, ready to flee for his life the moment a furious Ariel attacked.
"Unable to refute me? It seems my guess was correct."
Ariel stared into Muen’s eyes, a mysterious light flickering in her deep pupils. Her voice was low and cold as she said:
"Miss Muse, you—"
Here it comes!
Muen held his breath, focusing every nerve, ready to...
"You padded them, didn't you!"
"I'm so sorry, Ariel, I... Eh?"
Muen, who was about to perform a "slide-kneel-and-run" combo, had already half-drawn the blade he intended to use to parry her sword, only to suddenly freeze.
"You... what did you say?"
"Hmph, there's no need to be shocked. No one understands this pain better than I do, and no one is a greater authority on this matter than me."
Ariel clutched her own empty, vast, and flat chest, her face full of resentment.
"I've done this before too. So, with just a little thought, I could be certain... Miss Muse, you and I... we are kindred spirits! We are kindred spirits of the flat-chested variety!"
"Ah... right, right, right! You're absolutely right!"
After a moment of silence, a moment of bewilderment, and a moment of his brain stalling, Muen nodded vigorously and silently pushed the half-drawn blade back behind him.
"Ariel, you're absolutely right. My chest... it really is padded. I'm actually about the same size as you. I'm so sorry for lying to you all this time."
"It's okay, I can understand how you feel. However..."
Ariel’s brow furrowed again, making Muen nervous once more.
"However... however what?"
"However, Miss Muse, your method of padding has a huge flaw."
Ariel rubbed her chin, critiquing seriously. "While this kind of padding that only changes visual perception doesn't risk falling out, won't affect combat, and won't be damaged during a fight... honestly, a chest with no tactile sensation is meaningless, even if you pad it!"
"Ah? Ah, right... right. I agree completely. A chest with no tactile sensation is meaningless... Haha, meaningless." Muen’s lip twitched.
This girl’s obsession with chests was really something else.
"So, I recommend this to you."
Ariel suddenly pulled out a soft, squishy object and handed it to Muen.
"This is..."
"A type of magic rubber."
"Magic rubber?"
Muen looked down and squeezed the soft object. The material was indeed a type of rubber.
But it was different from ordinary rubber.
"That's right. I developed this myself with great care. It's a magnificent product, unique in this world! You just need to pour mana into it, and its softness and elasticity will be no different from the real thing!"
"Is... is that so?"
Muen’s eyes widened. He injected a bit of mana into the magic rubber in his hand, and sure enough, the tactile sensation of the thing became startlingly realistic.
This impressive?
Had Ariel’s magic already reached the level of biotechnology?
"I'm not lying, right? With this, you can be as big as you want, as round as you want. For example, I used this before to achieve an S-cup!" Ariel said proudly.
"S... S-cup?!"
Muen sucked in a breath of cold air.
What was that? Some kind of busty monster?
Saintess Liya’s G-cup was already staggering. Ariel’s S-cup... was that some kind of ultimate heavy-taste play where half her body weight was just chest?
As expected of the Destined Protagonist—even her padding had to be extraordinary!
"But... if you give this to me, what will you do?" Muen hesitated. "This thing probably isn't easy to make. It must be very precious to you, Ariel."
"No, it's fine. I can make more. And..."
"And?"
"And, I can't just ignore Miss Muse's feelings."
"Feel... ings?" For some reason, that very bad premonition began to buzz in Muen’s heart again.
"Yes."
Ariel’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she pressed her legs together, rubbing them shyly as she nodded.
"Those feelings... staying by my side even if you have to hide your name and disguise your identity, secretly observing me from who-knows-where until you've even learned my techniques, and even padding your chest to show me your most beautiful side on the rare occasions you appear before me... how could I possibly just ignore feelings like that?"