Chapter 62: Adventurer's Equipment 2
TL/Editor: Raei
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Kaiden seems like she's about to bring up something serious.
Is she about to reveal her crossdressing, or explain why she's known as the 'Sword Princess'?
We find a quiet spot to talk as we stroll down the street.
It's a high-end tavern, far beyond the scope of an average inn.
They have a private room, shielded with sound-blocking magic.
The outrageous cost of one gold coin for 'maintaining privacy' is a little extravagant.
It's a place we visit occasionally, as the quality of the food and drink is just as good.
"Um, this place....
"It didnt seem like something we should discuss out in the streets. Don't worry and come in.
Two hefty guards stand at the entrance, acting as bouncers.
Upon opening the vintage wooden door, we're greeted by well-dressed staff, bowing as if they serve in a noble's home.
Kaiden hesitates, clearly thrown off.
Shouldn't she be familiar with such luxury?
She steps in, hesitant.
She remains silent as we're led to a private room, probably collecting her thoughts.
After ordering our usual dishes and drinks, we settle down in the room, waiting in silence.
"...First, thanks for hearing me out."
"It's only natural, Rebecca did introduce us. What do you need?"
She sits up straight, hands clenched on her knees, much like a new recruit on her first day at the barracks.
What is it that's making her so uneasy?
While she's struggling for words, our food and drinks arrive.
It's tough to ask a favor from someone you're not really close with, especially when your relationship is purely professional.
"I would like... to ask for a favor."
"A favor? From me?"
After long deliberation, Kaiden finally breaks her silence.
Her story, however, doesn't touch on her crossdressing or her title of Sword Princess.
As she goes on, I start to understand her hesitation.
My relationship with Kaiden is somewhat similar to a mentor-student dynamic.
Our party consists of newcomers who showed their potential by hunting the Full Moon Wolf.
To this, Rebecca added Kaiden, a person with no proven credentials.
Kaiden got an easy way in, learned from us, and now is even asking for a favor?
If a brand new blacksmith's apprentice who entered through the back door also asked their master 'Please make me a sword, I'll pay for it;' it wouldn't go well.
Though it wouldn't matter as much if we knew each other for longer.
'But we're not close...'
Kaiden's usual behavior is to avoid me to keep her cross-dressing a secret.
We've never connected through typical male bonding activities like sharing a drink.
Kaiden isn't the typical mercenary either.
We might've bonded quicker if she were, but she's not your average joeshe's a cross-dressing maiden.
"I come from a fallen noble family. I brought some weapons with me, but due to personal issues, the magic applied to these weapons are broken."
"Do you need me to collect materials? Your equipment must be pretty fancy if you need a senior adventurer for this."
"As I am now, it's too fancy a piece of equipment."
Kaiden downs her drink as if to swallow her own words.
Always the lady, she daintily lifts her glass, blushing slightly as she speaks.
It seems a tad embarrassing that she's now bending the rules she usually strictly adheres to.
It's even more embarrassing when money becomes part of the conversation.
"Senior adventurers don't come cheap. You'd know if you've done your homework."
"Yes, I know."
Her choice to use the word 'favor' suggests she can't pay upfront.
Whether she's a fallen noble's daughter or a high-ranking noble hiding her identity, it's got to be humiliating to admit a lack of funds.
Her weapons need repair, but that involves pricey materials.
These are luxuries that an intermediate adventurer wouldn't dare dream of affording.
"That's why I'm asking for your help now. I want your help, offering myself, as the adventurer, as collateral."
"So, you, Kaiden, are the collateral."
Seeing her gentle nod, I briefly lose myself to a less-than-noble thought.
A cross-dressed maiden, caught in a weak spot; I feel like a wicked noble dealing in slavery.
I shake my head to clear both the slight buzz and the unseemly thoughts.
What Kaiden is proposing isn't to become some object, but to dedicate herself to our party as an adventurer.
She's not planning to return to Rebecca's group after learning the ropes.
She's promising to stick with us, it's a pledge.
Perhaps because she's of noble blood, her thinking is a bit aristocratic.
This isn't the mindset of a mercenary or an adventurer, but of a knight serving a master.
Neither a mercenary nor an adventurer...
"Yes, I am the collateral. Is my sword not worth it?"
She is confident in her abilities, yet her attitude is a paradox, proud yet embarrassed due to her financial situation.
She sits tall, eyes bright, but her breath is uneven, and there's a flush to her skin.
She's like a green recruit on the receiving end of a veteran's joke...only she's a lady, so it's not quite the same.
My mind stirs with mischief once the lustful thoughts dissipate.
"It is worth something. I'd consider it a fair trade to get someone like you in exchange for a few materials."
"Thank you."
"Why are you thanking me? You must've had a hard time talking about this. Let's take it easy for the rest of the day."
At my suggestion to unwind, Kaiden tries to rise from her seat.
I gesture to remain seated with a wave of my hand, and then ring the tableside bell.
It's time for a little prank I've been itching to play on a cross-dressing lady.
"As a mercenary, as an adventurer, you should learn how to rest properly"
"Huh?"
What greets Kaiden as she attempts to leave are women, dressed in delicate dresses like those at social gatherings, gliding through the door.
They're a far cry from the courtesans of the backstreets.
Two of them gently guide Kaiden back to her seat, while two more join me.
The sight of Kaiden, suddenly hemmed in by two beautiful women, is something to behold.
Perfect!
After a decade in a world without the internet, my appetite for this kind of entertainment has only grown.
It's the reason I was able to strike up a friendship with someone like Rebecca.
"Um, Roland?"
"That gentle soul over there is a promising adventurer who has climbed to the intermediate rank. He's quite the gentleman, with connections that stretch to a senior adventurer and the leader of a prominent mercenary group."
"Oh my? I assumed he was a noble or a tower mage, what with his fair skin."
Kaiden's cross-dressing is impeccable.
The issue is that her beauty is part of that flawlessness.
Her stunning looks, the product of being a gacha character, aren't hidden by her cross-dressing.
She is undeniably an attractive youth, and the ladies naturally gravitate toward her, eyes sparkling.
These women are pros in the entertainment industry, with ties to the information guild.
They quickly catch on realizing this is half entertainment, half prank.
They're not here to please a wealthy noble this time, but to tease a gentle, handsome young man.
What's not to like?
"Um, this kind of thing."
"Look at that skin. If things continue this way, he's going to break more than a few hearts in the red-light district."
This place doesn't adhere to modern moral standards.
This is a medieval fantasy world where children under ten farm for their meals, and women with no money naturally resort to unsavory jobs.
I don't feel guilty about calling entertainers to a high-end tavern.
After all, the Kaiden in front of me is a 'man,' a fallen noble who's experienced the gritty life of a lowly mercenary.
"Today, the alcohol tastes particularly good, perhaps because I'm in high spirits."
Unlike the two women who are cooing and clinging to Kaiden, the pair beside me quietly follow my lead, savoring their drinks.
They tenderly stroke my arm and carefully peel a small side-serving of fruit.
It's clear they know who I am.
"Did that gentleman ask you to take care of me?"
"Hehe. The only things that come out of our mouths are laughter and flattery."
"Appreciate the honesty."
The silent woman responds.
Her words hold no depth, but their very lack of substance speaks volumes.
Only recently, that gentleman, John Smith, had willingly unveiled his identity to the Adventurer's Guild.
The suspicious man, using an obviously false name.
What did they say in the chat? 5 'Silent Whisper' John Smith?
3 Grace and 6 Roland were linked.
4 Kaiden and 5 John Smith are also linked.
The issue is that the scale of a love-stricken country girl and a fallen noblewoman claiming to be a princess differ vastly.
I don't know when it will happen, but Kaiden's character arc seems to be unfolding on a grand scale.
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Raei Translations
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"What?! You're leaving?!"
"Saying it like that makes it sound like I'm getting kicked out. I just have to go alone somewhere for a private request."
The day after watching Kaiden frantically squirm out from under the ladies' skirts.
I brought up the subject and Han Se-ah's eyes became as wide as saucers.
"It's nothing serious, I just have to go get something far away. At our party's skill level, we could effortlessly reach the 20th floor, but I'd recommend you get comfortable camping up to the 19th floor for safety. Recall the homework I assigned? You should practice spending nights inside the tower."
"Um, Roland? You are coming back, right?"
I can't help but laugh at her.
-Get on your knees, now
-Roland Coin has been delisted~ It's a 10 crash~
-The sight of your face going pale is too funny
Ah, this is fun.
---
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