Chapter 284

I left the Carteraza house and went straight towards the exit of the noble district. The same gatekeeper was there, and we exchanged a few words before I headed back to the east district. I was going to where the street stalls were located. It seemed like the right place to look for Daniela…

“…So, that’s why I’m going out tonight.”

“I see.”

Finding Daniela turned out to be rather easy. And so I bought some lunch at one of the stalls and then sat next to her so I could talk about what had happened.

“It should be simple enough, since you have Night Eyes.”

“I guess…”

“But it is quite surprising that you should get involved with that Automata again.”

“Seriously. But it was nice seeing it moving. I almost didn’t believe it.”

“You would have sold a faulty product if it did not move.”

I wonder if I would have gotten into trouble for that? Gotten a low rating…? No, there was no point in thinking about that now.

We chatted about random things of no importance for a while. And then I brought up my equipment. Perhaps I should acquire a set that was good for stealth? Though, I did have Presence Block, and could use it pretty well. I asked Daniela if she wanted to go to the armor shop with me, but she looked like she was still hungry. And so we parted ways.

I would go to the armor shop and then continue the quest. Daniela said she’d go out drinking at some bar. She said it was because it was the kind of place I would embarrass myself in. I had nothing to say to that.

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And so I went around to different stores while thinking about guarding and hiding. As this was the imperial capital, there were many shops that sold armor. And they were all of high in quality. And there was a lot of great armor that wasn’t dragon. Not that I was very particular about that. I was a little conflicted over using the majority of the advance payment from Miss Camila, but I consoled myself with the fact that I would receive double that if I succeeded.

Daniela was still out eating. And so I decided to return to the inn and take a short nap in preparation for tonight. But there was one thing I had to do first. Inspect the equipment I had purchased. And so I took out the old appraisal glasses.

‘Shadow Lizard Belt – Belt made of Shadow Lizard leather. Absorbs sounds that the wearer makes.’

‘Nightmare Crow Cape – Cape made of Nightmare Crow feathers. Makes the wearer lighter.’

‘Thrust Bear Gauntlets – Gauntlets made of Thrust Bear claws. Claws are retractable.’

‘Bloody Spider Shoes – Shoes made from Bloody Spider webs. Erases wearer’s footsteps.’

‘Black Lamia Leather Armor – Leather Armor made from Black Lamia skin. Slight boost in strength.’

I had bought several other items as well, but these five were what I chose to use tonight.

The Shadow Lizard was a monster that lived in the shadows in order to hide. And this belt would absorb sounds coming from the wearer. Things like footsteps or the sounds of your clothes rustling. Also, the sounds of armor and weapons clinking. But it didn’t absorb your voice. So I would have to avoid singing while on the job. That’s just the way it was.

Nightmare Crows were mysterious monsters. They seemed to only appear in the night sky. So, how were they hunted for their feathers? Hunters that could use Night Eyes shot them down. The cape made the wearer’s body lighter. Legs of the God Wolf allowed me to straight-up float, but that also drew too much attention.

The Thrust Bear was a bear-type monster with especially deadly claws. And these gauntlets made use of those claws. You just sent magic energy into them and the bear claws would grow out. And it could do it silently, thanks to the Shadow Lizard belt. A silent, deadly weapon.

Bloody Spiders were monsters that lived deep in the forest. If you ever see a spider web that is red, you’ll know a Bloody Spider lives there. Not only are these spiders red, but they also drink blood. They weave remarkably strong webs as well. And so these shoes were durable like leather. Perhaps it was a feature of the webs, but they also absorbed sound. So they were perfect for secrecy.

Among the things I bought, these were the ones made of monster materials. The Black Lamia armor didn’t have anything to do with stealth, but I was curious enough to buy it. I had killed a Lamia before, but this one was a unique one. Or at least, it seemed pretty rare. Especially since it had an enchantment that boosted your strength. The armor was made to fit tightly and was pretty hard in spite of being light.

I had various reasons for choosing each item, but ultimately, they all seemed like they would help me stay hidden. It kind of seemed like over-kill for this specific quest, but I didn’t see the harm in it. And there was another reason.

I had been relying on Daniela way too much since coming to this world. There were too many moments where I wouldn’t have made it without her help. It had been a very long time since I last did a quest solo. And so this would be a good way to test myself. And using the equipment I bought on my own was part of that.

I had been hoping for an opportunity like this, so this quest was perfect. And so I prepared the equipment myself. With my own money. Everything I was wearing was chosen by me.

“Now that I think of it… The last time I chose my own armor was at Chief’s. I didn’t have money back then, and had to settle for old leather armor.”

Old armor and weapons made by the apprentice. I used them to hunt goblins every day so I could retrieve their weapons and sell them. It had not been easy.

“I should never forget how I felt back then.”

Remember it. I would treat this mission like it was my first.

And to do that, I needed to get some sleep. I was going to stay up all night, after all. And so I put my equipment by the table and then sunk into my bed. I hadn’t slept this early in a while, but it wasn’t too hard to fall asleep. I had plenty of practice during my time on the night-shift.

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I awoke to the sound of the door closing.

“Mm. Did I wake you?”

“Daniela…”

Her face looked a little red. I suppose her bar-hopping adventure had come to an end.

“Hahhh… I better get ready.”

“I came back early, so you still have some time.”

“Oh. Right.”

I looked at the clock and saw that it was a little past seven… The sun had gone down, but things were still lively in the city. This would continue until at least eleven, so I had plenty of time to go to the noble district. For all I knew, there were others hired to watch the area as well, but I hadn’t heard anything about them. Maybe we would have a meeting upon arriving. Otherwise, it would just be very confusing when trying to tell who was an Adventurer and who was a potential thief. Of course, it was also possible that I was the only one.

I mused over this while showering. My brain felt fully awake by the time I put the armor on. As for weapons, I grabbed a short sword, just in case. The Ashikirimaru. I had the gauntlets and could also use magic if necessary. It just seemed like a good idea to avoid any long weapons.

Then I made a quick meal out of the food that Daniela had bought, and then stood up from the chair.

“I better go now.”

“It is your first solo quest in a while. Be careful.”

“Yeah. I’ll try and treat it as if it’s my first.”

“Hmm. You look good in your new gear.”

“Thanks. See you later.”

Daniela raised her fist and I bumped mine against it. We would kiss when I got back. Until then, I would have to succeed in this quest and gain experience and some confidence.

I opened the window in our room and activated Presence Block. It was about average in level, but my equipment enhanced the effect. And so when I activated Legs of the God Wolf and jumped out of the window, no one noticed me. No one but Daniela. She waved from the window as I ran through the sky.