Ch.7373. Master and Disciple

Tactical Combat was fundamentally a game where combat using giant mechs was the main content. Whether carrying out special operations with giant mechs or enjoying mech battles on the battlefield, if you couldn’t handle a giant mech, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy most of the game’s content.

You could participate in small-scale sword tournaments or play as SWAT, but those were merely supplementary content. From the beginning, to progress through the main scenario, you had to be able to handle giant mechs.

This was why Tactical Combat, despite being quite well-made, was known as a “newbie cutter.” Controlling a giant mech was extremely difficult even with the game system’s assistance.

Why else would there be constant calls for difficulty adjustments in the community? That’s how challenging it was to pilot a giant mech unless you were a skilled gamer.

Nevertheless, many users enjoyed Tactical Combat. Even while cursing it as a terrible game, they would cling to it like addicts experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

The reason for this, apart from the difficulty, was the high quality of gameplay and the charm of the characters within it.

Characters with bubbly personalities but dark pasts, cold exteriors but warm hearts, or those who overcame unfortunate backgrounds to become hymns to humanity—they all seemed so alive that they created an illusion of reality. Additionally, Tactical Combat implemented an affection system that allowed players to unlock romance routes, and some gamers specialized exclusively in pursuing these.

Gilbert, who had completed all achievements, was also well-versed in such matters. Among countless achievements were those commonly known as “romance achievements,” and there was a time when he was obsessively focused on pursuing heroines.

Yet even he had been unable to unlock romance routes for exactly three characters.

The first was Seraphina, officially declared by the developers to have no romance route. The second was the Holy Maiden of the Holy Kingdom, also officially confirmed to have no romance route. The third was Briana, who inevitably died during the Academy Raid, making it impossible to unlock her romance route.

For Seraphina and the Holy Maiden, there were many events that hinted at potential romance routes, causing numerous users to attempt to unlock them. However, just when progress seemed to be made, the romance routes would abruptly end, leading frustrated users to delete their posts from community forums.

Gilbert himself had many moments when he thought he had unlocked romance routes for these two characters, making him question whether they actually existed while playing the game.

When the official announcement finally came from the developers, the community exploded with outrage. Users who had been collectively searching for romance routes erupted in anger.

In contrast, Briana showed almost no signs of having a romance route at all. She died early in the main scenario, shortly after the game began, which was the reason.

Despite her brief appearance, users captivated by her character once again demonstrated collective intelligence by searching for ways to avoid her death scenario. Finding the sub-scenario to become her last disciple was a byproduct of efforts to find a survival route for Briana.

However, despite users’ tearful efforts, the developers officially announced that Briana’s death was inevitable. This announcement came faster than those for Seraphina and the Holy Maiden, so the community didn’t erupt in flames, but the impact was even greater. Hardcore fans, known as the “Briana faction,” bombarded the developer’s website with requests to bring her back to life.

But the developers flatly refused to add a survival route for Briana. They explained that her death route was perfectly coherent within the narrative, and forcing a change would compromise the game’s integrity.

With the game company taking this stance, even the most dedicated fans couldn’t do much. At most, they could post requests on the website or send emails, but without any response, they quickly became exhausted.

Eventually, even the Briana faction gave up, bringing the whole incident to a close. They somewhat acknowledged that the game company’s answer made sense.

However, as the Academy Raid part approached, Gilbert believed he could avoid Briana’s death route. This world wasn’t like a game with predetermined routes; it was literally a living, breathing reality.

While events generally followed Tactical Combat’s main scenario, in detail, things that never happened in the game often occurred.

What confirmed this for him was when the chairman of the Resistance changed to someone named Vandyke during the Resistance Suppression part—a name he’d never heard before. If a central figure could change in a major event that was a pillar of the main scenario, then perhaps Briana’s death route could also be avoided.

Of course, the process wasn’t easy, but he eventually overcame all obstacles and shattered Briana’s death route. As a gamer who had liked Briana’s character since playing Tactical Combat, and as her only disciple, he couldn’t have been happier.

But this was unexpected.

Gilbert scratched his face as he watched people passing by at the place where he was supposed to meet Briana.

The reason he was waiting for Briana was because of her offer to buy him clothes for last week’s award ceremony. He had received a message that morning saying all important matters had been handled, so they could go shopping for clothes.

The meeting place was in front of the fountain in Demeia, the territory near Demeia Academy.

As the territory of Headmaster Lucas, the city was large and sophisticated, with the fountain at the meeting place being particularly magnificent and popular among travelers. Someone at Tactical Combat’s development company must have been a big fan of “Roman Holiday,” as the fountain closely resembled the Trevi Fountain from the movie, causing users to debate whether it was plagiarism or not.

How much time had passed as he watched people go by? Just as he was starting to feel bored, Briana finally appeared.

“Um… Master?”

“Did you wait long?”

Gilbert momentarily thought he was seeing things. Briana, visible through the spraying water, was wearing ordinary civilian clothes instead of her usual professor’s uniform.

The outfit she wore was a bustier dress made of silk and cotton. The arm sections and the area from neck to upper chest were finely woven with elegant black silk in a sheer form, and the neck part was adorned with intricate embroidery like a choker. From below the chest, white cotton material with carefully crafted pleats showcased exquisite craftsmanship.

Gilbert couldn’t help but admire Briana, surrounded by water droplets glistening in the sunlight. To think he would see Briana in civilian clothes—something he never saw in the game—after being transported to this world. It was something even he hadn’t anticipated.

“Is something wrong?”

“Not really… It’s just that I’ve never seen you in civilian clothes before.”

“I do have civilian clothes. I just haven’t had a need to wear them.”

In the half-year since entering Demeia Academy, and counting the time playing Tactical Combat, he had known Briana for quite a while, but he didn’t know when those “needs” had occurred. She usually wore her professor’s uniform or training clothes, and even at academy events, she typically wore her professor’s uniform.

“Did you need to wear them today?”

“Hmm… Does it look that bad on me?”

What kind of reaction is this?

Gilbert felt bewildered seeing Briana awkwardly looking down at her clothes. It was quite different from her usual cool demeanor.

“Not at all. It suits you well.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief. It’s been a while since I wore civilian clothes…”

After clearing her throat a few times, Briana led Gilbert to a store run by the most famous designer in the city. Despite her general lack of interest in such matters, she knew of one place through a colleague professor.

A place known as the birthplace of imperial fashion: Luculentus.

After walking along the main street for about three minutes from the fountain, they arrived at their destination. From the entrance, they were greeted by lavish decorations and interiors built in the currently fashionable imperial style.

As they approached the entrance, an attendant quickly opened the door and welcomed them.

“Welcome. We sincerely welcome you to Luculentus.”

The inside of Luculentus was even more magnificent than it appeared from outside. Artworks by renowned sculptors and painters of the era were on display, along with new clothing designs by Luculentus designers, including Valentino. It wasn’t for nothing that people said you’d be overwhelmed by the atmosphere without considerable wealth.

However, Briana was a noble lady from a marquis family, and Gilbert was the eldest son of a count family who had seen even more splendid things in the modern world. Having gone through numerous battlefields, they weren’t easily intimidated.

“I heard birds chirping this morning, and now I see it was a sign of welcome guests. I am Valentino Luculentus, the owner of Luculentus. I sincerely welcome the two of you who have been causing such a stir in the empire lately.”

Gilbert and Briana were impressed by the man bowing before them, admiring his social skills in recognizing them and immediately treating them as VIPs.

“Pleased to meet you. I heard this is the finest establishment in the city, so we came.”

“You flatter me. But I do pride myself on providing unmatched quality that satisfies our customers.”

His words, humble yet full of pride, inspired confidence. Gilbert inwardly smiled as he observed Valentino, whom he had only seen in the game before.

Valentino Luculentus, the owner and designer of Luculentus, was from Cotton Poly territory, famous for its cotton. He initially launched his namesake store in Cotton Poly, but jealous competitors in the industry drove him out, leading him to settle in Demeia territory.

Having to start from scratch in a place with no connections, Valentino gritted his teeth and eventually became the owner of Luculentus, leading imperial fashion. His rapid rise as an outsider was possible due to his exceptional skills and social acumen like he was displaying now.

“This is truly an honor. One of you is known as the Empire’s finest sword, and the other is recently hailed as a hero—I feel rewarded for my years in this profession.”

“Spare me the flattery. I’m simply here to have a suit made for my disciple.”

Despite Briana’s curt response, Valentino maintained his smile. Instead, he nodded at Gilbert.

“You have the most physically balanced proportions I’ve ever seen. Excellent. Let’s take your measurements first.”

Gilbert felt slightly creeped out by Valentino’s sparkling eyes but stood before him without complaint.

Valentino first jotted down approximate measurements by eye, then used a measuring tape for precise figures. A glance showed that his eye measurements were almost identical to the actual measurements.

As expected of someone who leads imperial fashion.

Being able to estimate measurements by eye indicated a good eye for detail. Of course, good eyesight alone wouldn’t make someone a leading designer in the empire. It was his exceptional sense and craftsmanship that made him the best designer.

In Tactical Combat, clothes made by Valentino were incredibly valuable. Outfits made with his full effort increased the difficult-to-raise dignity stat by a whopping 10 points. While the price was eye-watering, it was worth the investment.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered a body that inspires such creative desire.”

Having taken all measurements, Valentino sighed and examined the recorded figures. Even by rough calculation, Gilbert had what he considered the perfect body proportions.

He never thought he’d meet someone with such golden proportions in his lifetime, but the world was indeed vast. For the first time in a long while, his creative desire was bubbling up.

“Very well. I understand you’ll be wearing this at the upcoming award ceremony… is that correct?”

“That’s right. That’s why we’re here.”

“I understand. I’ll need about three days. I’ll have the clothes delivered to Demeia Academy.”

“Understood. This is for my disciple, so I’m counting on you.”

After paying, Gilbert followed Briana out. He noticed Valentino bowing with a strange enthusiasm in his eyes.

He seems to have gone into serious mode.

Gilbert briefly thought that the clothes might end up boosting his dignity stat.

“That ended more quickly than I expected.”

Briana looked somewhat strange as they left the store. Though her expression hadn’t changed, Gilbert, who had learned to read her expressions through their interactions, could tell she was feeling awkward.

“Is this about the meal you mentioned you’d treat me to last time?”

“You remembered? Yes, that’s right. I expected this to take longer, so I made a dinner reservation, but now we have too much time left.”

He remembered that along with offering to buy him clothes, she had also mentioned treating him to a meal. But thanks to Valentino’s enthusiasm, they now had time to kill.

Gilbert sighed deeply. The problem was that Briana’s experience was too limited to expect her to take the lead here.

With a natural talent for swordsmanship, Briana had been training with the sword since she was very young. Her own passion for the sword meant she devoted almost all her time to training.

While other noble ladies her age were making their debut in society, she made hers on the battlefield and spent nearly half her life there. Afterward, feeling disillusioned, she came to Demeia Academy and now taught cadets.

When not teaching cadets, she trained in swordsmanship, and otherwise prepared for classes—a repetitive daily routine. Leisure activities were non-existent for Briana.

Expecting her to know places to kill time in the city? That was laughable.

So Gilbert had no choice but to take the initiative. Though he hadn’t had much experience with dating, he could draw on his experience of pursuing various character romance routes.

This is really turning into a date.

Though unintended, he didn’t think it was a bad thing.

“Master.”

“Hmm? Oh, I’m sorry. If I had known this would happen, I should have arranged to meet later.”

“Not at all. Since we have time, it’s actually not a bad thing.”

“Did you have somewhere to go? If so, feel free. I can find a way to pass the time.”

“What are you saying? I hope you’ll spend time with your disciple on this rare occasion.”

“If you put it that way, I understand… though I’m not a particularly fun person.”

“I know a place you might like, Master.”

Gilbert gave her a meaningful smile. As it happened, there was an item he could collect in Demeia territory, making it perfect for passing time.

“A place I might like…”

“It’s our first date, so of course.”

“Date?”

“Just a figure of speech. Please follow me.”

Leaving Briana looking puzzled at the mention of a date, he took the lead. Though it was his first time actually visiting, he had been there countless times in the game, so there was no worry about getting lost.

Eventually, Gilbert, guiding Briana, stopped in front of a shabby-looking shop. It seemed this aspect hadn’t changed from the game.

Gilbert smiled slightly and opened the door.