Chapter 225: It’s Been a While (5)

Chapter 225: It’s Been a
While (5)

“I’ll
leave the inn to you while I’m gone, Tans.”

“Yes,
Lady Diana.”

Tans,
an elderly woman with scattered gray hair, bowed to Diana.

She
was the coachwoman who occasionally delivered ingredients Diana
purchased and drove the carriage for Ellie’s graduation ceremony.

Though
I hadn’t paid much attention then, now I noticed that her level was
quite high.

Level
44, no less. She was a powerhouse on par with Nate Elin, the paladin
guard protecting Serif.

Rescued
by Diana during her explorer days, she had pledged to dedicate her
remaining life to following her, and now she was the one who would
guard the inn while Diana was away.

“Have
a good time, Master!”

Not
to be outdone, Denshi, standing next to Tans, bowed deeply in
greeting.

She
had decided not to accompany us to the royal palace, saying such a
luxurious setting would be too awkward.

Having
spent most of her life as a slave in the lawless zone, she added that
being at an upper-class party would give her goosebumps.

“As
a slave, I should be your footmat wherever you go, but I’m sorry…”

“What’s
there to be sorry about? I’ll be back in three days, so take it easy
and look around the area.”

“Hehe.
Yes!”

Denshi
smiled and naturally extended her collar.

Perhaps
inspired by the sight of me sharing a warm “welcome back”
hug with Diana, she was now asking for a “see you later”
choking.

-Paak!

Balkan
pulled the collar without hesitation.

“Kuhp…
Kehek, huk…!”

“Harder?”

Denshi
nodded with an expression somewhere between pain and pleasure.

Perhaps
due to our height difference, by this point her feet were already off
the ground.

“…Hu,
huuk…”

When
Denshi’s face had gone beyond red to pale, I finally released the
collar.

“Puhuu…Huu,
hu…”

Collapsed
on the floor, she finally showed a satisfied expression as she rubbed
her face against my suit pants.

“As
expected of Master. The best…”

“Come
here, senior. The lord is uncomfortable.”

“Uuh,
ah, nooo…”

Denshi
was dragged away by Belle.

Though
she was bigger than Belle in build, height, chest, and hips, Belle
had slightly higher physical stats.

With
Tans and Belle the Gluttony worshipper, plus the intruder detection
relics and mansion defense artifacts Diana had brought to the inn
last night, this level of security would be enough to handle even a
Lust worshipper’s servant or mid-high level succubus prowling around
the inn.

Satisfied
with the thorough security, I patted Denshi’s head as she was being
dragged away with a loose smile.

“I’ll
be back soon.”

“Hehe…have
a safe trip.”

Leaving
the loosely smiling woman behind, I boarded the carriage with Diana.

Slightly
upgraded from before, the carriage with its luxurious wheels from the
start was driven by a middle-aged woman who was said to be Tans’
daughter.

-Clunk.
Clunk.

With
some vibration, the carriage started moving smoothly northward,
toward the noble district where the Arlonia Royal Palace was located.

***

Past
the noble district’s guards who saluted Diana after seeing her
explorer ID, beyond the Academy on the same route, and out of the
forest area characteristic of the noble district.

Looking
out the window, I saw the scenery of a city lined with buildings both
splendid and classical.

It
was unlike the explorer district’s scenery, giving a different
feeling from that place where commoners, explorers, nobles, and
priests all mixed together.

Being
a place exclusively permitted to nobles or those of equivalent
status, it felt cleaner and more refined, but quietly refined without
heat.

“This
is my first time here.”

“Take
a good look around. You might come here again later.”

While
there was nothing wrong with memorizing new places, there had to be a
limit.

This
vast city of nobles was overwhelming to take in at a single glance.

After
briefly looking around the unfamiliar scenery with perception range
maximized, I turned my gaze back to Diana before me.

Diana
was wearing light armor instead of her usual midi dress.

No,
it might be inappropriate to call it light.

‘How
much does all this cost?’

Everything
worn on her body, from clothes to accessories, emitted a dazzling
blue light, clearly indicating these were relic equipment from
Diana’s active days.

At
Ellie’s graduation ceremony, she had worn flashy and bold attire that
was hard to look at anywhere, but now Diana wasn’t just here for fun.

A
white blouse and shawl draped over her shoulders covered her curved
upper body, and with short pants and knee-high boots, the typical
archer outfit on Diana stirred unfamiliar emotions.

“This
is my first time seeing Diana dressed like this.”

“…Is
it strange?”

“You’re
just beautiful.”

“…Huut…”

I
didn’t mention how the massive breasts’ lines showed through clearly
despite the blouse and torso-covering shawl, or how the shorts
wrapping her plump thighs and buttocks looked ready to burst at any
moment.

They
said Diana’s body during her explorer days was much sharper than now
when it exuded female pheromones in streams.

The
equipment was the same as before, but seeing her body transformed
into the most feminine of females was quite stimulating.

“If
anything, I wonder if it’s okay for me to be like this while you
work.”

“Hmm?
Why?”

“It
feels like I’m just playing while you work hard.”

Diana
looked at the worried Balkan with a bitter smile.

A
clean suit, tie, shoes and even the wristwatch she had personally
gifted him in the past.

Except
for the oversized axe he brought saying he’d be anxious without it,
his attire showed no intention of engaging in combat.

It
was natural, if anything.

“That’s
because you’re not here on guard duty like me. It’s natural.”

To
begin with, Balkan wasn’t formally invited to the party, but was
brought along through connections, purely to give him the rare
experience and memories of a royal birthday party.

It
wasn’t like she brought him to look at the moon or eat together after
the guard duty was over…well, actually that was true but……

“So
enjoy the party to your heart’s content.”

-Gulp.

Balkan
swallowed hard and nodded, feeling Diana’s gaze occasionally glancing
over his body.

After
all, he had come thinking of looking around the event, eating some
food, and having a small date with Diana after her duty was over.

If
lucky, he might even be able to form connections again with some
nobles, those he had made an impression on at the Academy graduation
party last time.

“Don’t
feel too pressured since we came to enjoy. Explorers who enter the
labyrinth need regular mood refreshment. A positive explorer has more
flexible thinking. Huhut. That’s my tip.”

“Yes.
I’ll take it to heart.”

Though
she tried to hide her true feelings by bringing up other topics,
everything showed on her face as they chatted and laughed for hours
while moving forward.

Having
departed at dawn, by the time sunset began to fall, the carriage
stopped again in front of massive castle walls.

They
had arrived at the royal palace and Balkan blankly expressed
amazement while looking at the scenery through the window.

The
castle walls were as massive as those dividing the four districts of
the Labyrinth City.

Is
this what makes the royal family different?

It
seemed like no one could easily intrude into the royal domain with
such massive walls blocking the way.

“It’s
amazing. Looks incredibly solid at a glance.”

“It
means nothing. It’s just walls after all.”

But
Diana looked at the walls with disinterest, like looking at a straw
house that could blow away in the wind.

“…Don’t
tell me, you could break through that?”

“Anyone
who wants to break in can break through it. What happens after
breaking through is the issue.”

Perhaps
because she had entered mission mode as we approached the royal
palace Diana’s atmosphere, which had been warmly smiling, dropped
slightly and sharpened.

Like
the noble district’s guards, there were people guarding the castle
gate in front of the walls.

Their
levels were in the mid-30s with at least 2 blessings each.

People
at the level of decent intermediate explorers were mere grunts
guarding the castle gate.

“We
welcome Lady Diana Ordia and her companion.”

“Open
the gate quickly!”

Those
wearing pure white armor similar to the Royal Knights Commander and
Armored Knight I saw before bowed to Diana in the carriage showing
respect.

Feeling
their gazes turn to him and widen, Balkan awkwardly scratched the
back of his head.

He
wasn’t wearing a helmet now.

While
that might have been possible at the Academy graduation ceremony, it
certainly wasn’t possible at the royal palace but he hadn’t
completely revealed his face either.

His
philtrum to forehead was covered by the classical half-mask Diana had
prepared.

As
he stroked his lower face that felt empty without anything covering
it, Diana spoke in a serious voice.

“If
anyone tries to remove even that, shout loudly ‘No, I don’t like it,
please don’t.’ I’ll come running right away.”

“Hu.
Understood.”

Since
he knew the action came from concern, he didn’t strongly refuse.

The
carriage moved again, rolling for a long time along the garden road
that was jaw-droppingly wide and elegantly maintained, before finally
stopping.

“It’s
been a while, Diana. And…that husband. Balkan, wasn’t it?”

Before
he could even take in the majestic royal palace that could only be
endlessly looked up at, an old woman in armor’s hoarse voice was
heard.

Royal
Knights Commander Seyton.

Since
Diana had said it was the Knights Commander who permitted Balkan’s
entry, it wasn’t surprising that she recognized him even with the
half-mask.

“Yes.
It’s been a while, Commander.”

“Keukkeuk.
Indeed it has. But…you’re not particularly rejecting it?”

She
glanced between Balkan and Diana with a playful smile.

“D-don’t
say such…huut…”

Diana,
who was about to snap back embarrassedly, swallowed hard as she felt
Balkan’s warmth firmly gripping her hand.

“Hooh…”

The
Knights Commander looked at their clasped hands with a genuinely
impressed expression before breaking into laughter.

“So
this is the man who bewitched Diana! His strength has grown much
stronger since our first meeting, truly a fine specimen!”

“…uut,
let’s stop… this conversation.”

“Keukkeuk.
To think that Diana would be caught by a man, what a laughing matter!
Anyway, I understand. The princess is waiting too.”

Balkan
had to stop while following the two heading into the inner palace.

Only
the Knights Commander and Diana, who was assigned guard duty, could
have an audience with the Second Princess.

It
wasn’t an area permitted to mere outside guests.

“Wait
just a bit. The servants will guide you to today’s room.”

“Yes.
Have a safe trip.”

Right
after Diana and the Knights Commander departed for their audience
with the Second Princess, a maid in neat attire guided him to his
lodgings.

It
was a room as spacious and luxurious as Idelbert’s room.

I
immediately jumped onto that white bed and planned to spend my time
leisurely here until the Second Princess’s birthday party in two
days.

-Buuuung.

Until
the small bead carefully tucked inside his suit started vibrating.

I
took out the bead that suddenly showed changes.

The
bead received from the Demon of Sloth, that item said to be able to
recover power from those with sloth’s energy suddenly started showing
changes.

This
meant only one thing.

[Sniff
sniff. I smell it. Energy that makes even breathing feel
bothersome…]

And
Bunny’s words on his back confirmed such thoughts.

[Someone
with sloth’s energy is inside this castle.]