Chapter 143 – Scheme – 1
I pondered for a moment about how to respond to Aurora’s question.
There was a lot to do. No, it wasn’t just a lot; it was overwhelming. There were so many tasks that I had to determine the order before I could start.
First, I needed to obtain two more runes to complete the final build of a close combat character in Darkest Light Mod, and for the same reason, I had to acquire a dark magic as well.
Just considering the essentials, I had to visit two rune dungeons. If we combine that with all sorts of trivial tasks like weapon enhancement and leveling, I would certainly be quite busy for a while.
‘I can proceed with the main story later. As for the ring, I could just ask Aurora to send it if necessary.’
Since it had come to this, I plan to put story progression aside for a while and focus on leveling up. Returning to the Imperial Palace now wouldn’t be the best choice anyway.
“Yes. There is.”
Noticing Aurora waiting for my reply, I cut off my thoughts at a suitable point. Not only were my words true, but there was also a faint disappointment reflected in Aurora’s expression.
“Really? That’s disappointing.”
“What were you planning to ask?”
“Um… 24-hour close protection?”
“Why do you phrase it as a question?”
“I just thought of it. I didn’t have anything definite in mind. I was just asking if it was possible.”
“What a brazen answer, My Lord.”
Aurora leaned back casually against her chair despite my words.
“Brazen is fine. After all, I’m talking about the knight who defeated a dragon, right? It’s only natural I want you by my side.”
“I didn’t kill anything, let alone defeat one. That’s all just rumors.”
“Even though His Majesty the Empress personally acknowledged that you did?”
“……”
I felt a tightening at the back of my neck. Since Kaiquilia endorsed the rumor, it was practically a setup.
It was even more problematic because it sounded plausible on the surface. If I had truly defeated that creature, I could understand having such a nickname, but that wasn’t the case at all.
After that, I had a one-sided conversation with Aurora, and nearly an hour passed before I finally felt free. I never could find out the real reason she wanted me to come over late at night.
Could it be that she just wanted to chat genuinely?
“Has he left?”
“Yes, My Lord. He just stepped out the main gate.”
Aurora slumped in her chair when she heard that Delta had left. Standing right next to her, with her hands clasped, Lana asked in a blunt tone.
“Did he fail?”
“You don’t really expect me to ask after he came all the way to my room, do you?”
“I know, but I was just trying to help you realize how pathetic you are. Do you feel how pathetic your actions were just now?”
“……”
Aurora found herself speechless, staring vacantly at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Lana wasn’t the type to speak first, so silence descended quickly.
Considering her actions were indeed pathetic, one should start by pointing out she liked a man already occupied, but Aurora was betting everything on a single possibility.
It was the moment when the rumors that she defeated a dragon were personally validated by the Empress that she began to believe.
Even though she was jumping up and denying it, looking back at how she had attributed all her merits to Minerva after finding the crystal scroll, it was probably a similar case this time.
The reason for her denial was likely due to the burden of excessive attention. Delta had a personality that was far from showing off his achievements.
“……But it’s intriguing.”
The silence didn’t last long. Surprisingly, Lana was the first to speak. Aurora turned her head, taken aback by that fact.
“I’m curious too. That was genuinely interesting.”
“What do you mean, My Lord?”
“That you, Lana, spoke to me first.”
“You can take it to mean my frustration with your behavior drove me to this level of action.”
The maid’s behavior would generally be considered extremely rude depending on her master’s personality, but Aurora merely gave Lana a slightly pouty look.
After all, Lana was her most trusted ally. There was really no reason to get upset over her calling her a little pathetic.
Moreover, Aurora herself was aware of it, making it even less so. In hindsight, given her recent behavior, it was almost Lana who should have been angry.
“So, what’s so intriguing?”
“It’s odd. You’re not the type to get embarrassed easily, yet why is it that when you stand in front of him, you can’t convey your feelings honestly and always end up dancing around the subject or joking about it? If you had spoken as you usually do, he would’ve been the one here instead of me. Then I would’ve ordered all the maids in the mansion not to approach until special orders were issued.”
“……”
Aurora was taken aback by Lana’s lengthy explanation, as if she had been waiting for an opportunity to spill it out. She averted her gaze, unable to endure the stare Lana was locking onto her.
Although her expression resembled her usual one, she felt more intense embarrassment than normal.
“Isn’t it strange? Given your usual personality, you should be pushing forward with no hesitation instead of engaging in pathetic seduction.”
“I get it. I messed up, so can we drop it?”
Aurora managed to draw a response from her master, and Lana quickly closed her mouth. Even though her attitude was becoming bolder by the day, Aurora didn’t actually mind that.
The fact that Lana could act so comfortably meant she had found peace of mind. If anything, there was a tiny part of Aurora that wished she would joke around more.
It was really just a tiny part, but nonetheless.
Besides, since Aurora was the one who taught Lana those strange jokes, it was all her own doing. No point in complaining about her own actions. She had to accept it.
“Yeah, I know. I’m aware that such foolish behavior doesn’t suit me, but I can’t help it.”
A flush crept onto her fair cheeks. Her skin turned peachy. Aurora twisted her body slightly.
“Um, it’s embarrassing to say that I like someone right in front of him.”
Seeing Aurora’s expression, Lana momentarily stared blankly before continuing with a voice dripping with disdain.
“This might be something I just realized, but you don’t need to worry, My Lord. If you show him the expression you just made, he will surely—”
“Lana!”
“Just joking. Why can’t you handle even this light teasing when it comes to him? You’re perfectly fine when you’re doing it.”
“……I don’t know.”
Aurora turned her body in a huff. Lana clicked her tongue, looking at her disapprovingly, much like a mom looking at her immature daughter.
In fact, it wouldn’t be odd to call them a mother-daughter duo.
“My Lord.”
After pondering for a while, Lana took a step closer to Aurora.
“What?”
“What if you tried this approach instead?”
“……”
I was dumbfounded, sitting in my chair after looking at the conquest illustration that Laksia brought, which she claimed had been finalized.
The attire of the regular members was nearly the same. It was based on the high-exposure bunny girl outfit with variations in the length and type of stockings to categorize them.
It was barely a difference that involved a bit more refinement in details and a slight increase in exposure. For a moment, I was flabbergasted by the realization that they had gone further with the exposure.
The problem was the vice-commanders’ attire, which was the reverse bunny. Since there were no variations in the first illustration, I thought they were aiming for a unified design because wearing stockings was difficult, but that wasn’t it.
Next to the reverse bunny illustration, there were also stickers of various types meant to cover the nipples and genitals displayed very kindly.
Under each sticker were the names of the vice-commanders who would wear them. That’s how they planned to categorize them.
The types of stickers were circles, stars, hearts, three-leaf clovers, and an alphabet X—five in total.
‘No way, can they really categorize that way?’
I was flabbergasted, but given that the parties involved seemed okay with it, I found it a bit hard to argue. Eventually, I let out a deep sigh and folded the paper into quarters.
“Commander, are you free for a moment?”
Just then, someone knocked on the door. I jumped in surprise and hurriedly stuffed the paper into my chest. I looked just like someone caught reading a dirty book.
It felt instinctively right to do so.
Holding the paper that depicted the conquest of the Dark Night Order in my lap, I sat back down, struggling to maintain my composure, and spoke.
“Come in.”
The door swung open, and Laksia entered. She was dressed in a sports bra and leggings from her days at the Golden Dusk Knights.
Given her experience of getting soundly beaten when sparring with me in the past, it had almost become the norm for her to report to me. She didn’t seem to mind, so I left it there.
“What’s going on?”
I resolved to give up the majestic tone. I had tried, but I just wasn’t the type for that style.
“A guest has arrived.”
“A guest? Who is it?”
“Uh, that is…”
Laksia hesitated, looking as if she were debating whether she could really say it. She seemed to be undergoing some serious internal conflict.
What’s going on with her?
