LBC Chapter 6: Reveal (Patreon)

Shion weakly shook her head and pulled up her helmet. Silver hair fell down like a waterfall. A face was revealed, covered in tears. The glistening tears continued trickling down her heterochromatic eyes; left golden and right sapphire blue. Two dragon horns curled down from the sides of her head, their tips nearly touching her scale-covered chin.

I had to say… she smashed my expectations with her stunning face. Splendidly. Her lips quivered before slowly parting. No voice came out, however. Complete silence. Either she hesitated in speaking a word or she could not speak.

I reached out and caressed her scaly chin. The dragon scales seemed tough, worthy of its reputation as the best crafting material for armor.

Patiently, I hypothesized: Shion had served as my maid for about a decade. Why would a woman hide her beauty under armor for that long?

First, she hated her appearance enough to hide under armor. There was a disorder about that, which I forgot. Unfortunate.

Second, she suffered discrimination everywhere she went, so she got fed up and donned armor to block out those insults.

Third and last, her family and friends traumatized her by hurting her feelings and confidence over and over. To the point she found comfort under an armor.

All these potential reasons caused one crucial and difficult problem in her life.

Loneliness.

So I put up a disarming, delicate smile and wiped her tears with my thumb. “Tears don’t suit this beautiful face.”

She opened her eyes wide, startled at my cheap compliment. She pushed me away and covered her face, whispering something in her hands. Unwrapping her hands, she showed me a familiar paper, right in front of her chest.

[I don’t know…]

Her magic converted her words into texts on paper. What a neat spell.

The jiggling flesh of her exposed tits lured me, again. “Shion, please put on some clothes…”

I didn’t let my carnal desires ruin my plan.

Shion put a hand on her mouth and giggled, her shoulders shaking gently and her bosom bouncing hypnotically.

I also chuckled along. “Come on.”

Suddenly, her eyes snapped up as though she was a mouse who had smelled its feline predator. She looked at me, and her gaze softened with tender warmth. Her lips stiffened as she tried to smile. The efforts only yielded an awkward, desperate smile.

Her eyes, glistening with tears, made me uncomfortable.

Something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

She lunged at me and gripped my face. “Lord…”

The single word that came out of her mouth melted my ears. My knees went weak. My eyes closed on their own while the single word echoed. Her voice was too charming. More charming than the whispers of a devil.

In a dreamy state, I felt something brush my lips. She was kissing me, drowning me in a sweet euphoria. Unable to shake off the paranoia, I forced my eyes open.

The curtains on the windows fluttered strongly, the wind whistling in my ears.

Shion, her helmet, and her skirt were gone…

In that silence, Shion’s teary face smile kept flashing in my eyes. I felt a chill in my blood, bringing the synapses of my brain to a standstill. I wasn’t as cold-blooded as I thought. Shion’s sudden disappearance had left a hole in my chest. A hole that left a bittersweet taste in my mouth.

I shook off the feelings and forced myself into a calm state.

Why did she run?

A knock came on the door as though answering my question. Shion must be scared to let anyone see her, so she ran away. Probably.

As I reached for the latch, the door creaked and came crashing down on me. I hurriedly moved away.

The person panting outside was none other than Elysia…

She dashed at me and clenched my shoulders. The force behind her fingers made me wince. My body was nothing but a piece of hollow wood before this S-rank mercenary.

“Stop,” I said, giving her a teary-eyed look. “You’re hurting me.”

She immediately stepped back and breathed a sigh of relief. “You are safe… I was worried something happened to you…”

The look of concern on her face was absolutely odd; it wasn’t the type of concern she should show considering our once-in-blue-moon interactions. It might just be her worry for the child of her master, the Duchess.

Once she calmed down, she looked at the room. “Why is Lord in Shion’s room?”

“I was searching for her,” I lied with an innocent face.

Shion’s identity will be kept secret, otherwise, she might murder me for betraying her. Could someone stop her in this duchy? The Duchess maybe. The power structure of this world couldn’t be comprehended from the books alone. A trip to the capital would immensely help me in this regard.

“I see.” Elysia didn’t have any change in her expression, but the corners of her mouth rose. Her genuine emotions surfaced for a moment.

What could she be happy about?

I pretended not to notice her faint smile. “Why are you here?”

Elysia took my hands. Her soft hands, unlike a mercenary, felt warm. As I was lost in a wonderful sensation, she led me to Shion’s bed. After she sat down, she put her hands on her lap, her shoulders brushing against mine.

She patiently answered my question. Her pleasant scent kept drawing my focus away, but I cling on to my rationality.

Sir Lionel had sent Shion to fetch me over twenty minutes ago. When Shion didn’t return, Lionel sent several maids on search duty. Which brought Elysia to me.

If they asked Shion to bring me, then she waited in the hallway for me? Either she hoped things would turn out this way… or she planned everything that led up to her removing the armor. The thought made me shiver. No, Shion can’t be that manipulative!

“Lord, please follow me to Sir Lionel.”

“I haven’t sh—washed yet.” I almost said shower in a world where showers didn’t exist.

“It will not take long,” Elysia persuaded me. “You can bathe afterward.”

So I relented and followed Elysia. I strode through the corridors that were all too familiar to me by now.

“Lord, have you ever felt…” Elysia started with a question, but stopped midway and shook her head. “It’s nothing.”

It’s NOT nothing. It was obvious this sussy mercenary hid something.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Have you entered the Shattered Tower before?” The beauty with demon horns smoothly transitioned to a different topic, demonstrating the experience that came with age.

“Shattered Tower?”

I never heard about that tower, much less visiting it. The name somehow brought up an image in my mind. An old wizard standing on top of a tower with a wooden staff in his hands. Who was he and why was his beard so damn lush?

Elysia’s lips curled mischievously. She made the face of a child experimenting with a new prank. Did she read my thoughts? Impossible. Her mischievous smile had to be a coincidence. Why else would she keep my transmigration a secret? I assured myself and kept my face impassive, careful not to show any odd expression.

Elysia looked away from me. “The Duchess hid many things from you.”

I gave a wry smile. “I don’t know…”

The Duchess did it to protect me for as long as possible. She was a mother bird who tried to stop her baby bird from flying as long as she could. An overprotective parent—they only made things harder for their kids.

Elysia squeezed my hand reassuringly with a sweet smile. “Things will be different from today.”

Is she hitting on me? She had to be. Something felt wrong, though. A top-notch mercenary falling for a young and naïve elf—the story seemed believable at a glance…