Chapter 687: Flowers and Moonlight

An hour later, inside Coldwind City, at the old civilian house where Lyra and Astrid were staying.

The pink-haired girl stood by the bed. On her upper body was a white shirt whose hem reached past her hips; below, a pair of tiny hotpants that were almost impossible to see, and white silk stockings. Shyness spilled over in her sky-blue eyes. Her fingers lightly pinched the cuff, and her two slender, smooth, snow-white silk-clad legs were held straight, taking on a delicate sheen under the light.

"I remember Lyra once said the Holy Armor of Light has traits similar to the Sword of Light, both can change their appearance at any time according to the owner’s will, becoming the most suitable state for the current environment."

Astrid, having kicked off the troublesome high heels, sat on the bed with her legs crossed. Her hands overlapped on her skirt as her red eyes silently appraised the pink-haired girl before her. Her pink lips parted.

"So that means you can control the style of the Holy Armor of Light yourself?"

Lyra, already out of her armor, gave an almost imperceptible nod and swallowed softly.

"Mm... in theory... yes..."

But she didn’t frequently change the armor’s form the way she did with the Sword of Light.

Aside from the light one-handed sword form she used most often in everyday combat, the latter also had a two-handed greatsword that emphasized power and instant bursts, a silver-white engraved bow that made it easier to project mental power as arrows for long-range killing, and, in a fully released state that focused purely on defense, a radiant sword-and-shield.

"In theory?" Astrid raised a brow, mildly puzzled. "So you haven’t tried other forms up to now?"

In the original novel, Lyra had a heavy-armor form beyond light cavalry, abandoning agility to pair a Crusader ranked physique with thick armor that had extremely high magic resistance and greatly reduced physical impact, crushing enemies head-on with absolute force.

"I have tried," the pink-haired girl answered softly. "But in the beginning I wore this light set, so if I switch to heavy armor, my fighting style has to change too. I’d be a bit lacking in experience."

And besides, just like blade morphing, armor morphing didn’t preserve a physical state during the process of mental power transfer. In its original form, it couldn’t collide with outside objects, nor would it affect the activity of other elemental particles.

In other words, for the few seconds Lyra switched armor, she would enter a brief state of lost defense. Apart from a thin layer of mental protection, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say her body was completely exposed beneath blades and arrows. That was why back in White Maple Town, when facing the Pope of Light Hebrew’s mid-tier Arcanist mage–level light-element spell, Lyra could only forcefully block it in her light-armor form.

But after taking that loss once, she’d learned her lesson. She gained some insight in battle, and in the end not only made the major leap from Magnus to Arcanist, but also obtained precious combat experience, how a lower-ranked Arcanist fights a higher-ranked mage.

The defensive cloak-like armor couldn’t be transformed at will, but the knight’s sword in her hand used for offense could become a shield to resist frontal attacks. If it happened again, she would know how to deal with it.

Hearing Lyra’s words, Astrid fluttered her lashes and spoke gently.

"Then switch to the heavy-armor form and let me see."

She hadn’t seen Lyra’s red form... no, the heavy-armor form looked like...

The pink-haired girl shook her head slightly. The fingertips that had been gripping her sleeve finally loosened. She let out a light breath and tried to draw on her mental power.

The next second, the light sigil on her index finger flashed brightly. Soft, luminous motes gathered around Lyra, and in no time at all formed a set of metal armor based in silver-white tones.

"This is what it looks like right now."

With a crisp clink of metal, Lyra slowly extended her hand toward Astrid.

In Astrid’s red eyes, the slender pale hand that had been empty a moment ago was now covered by a thin gauntlet. The shining holy-white metal flickered under the light; only the finger joints were left with gaps, it wasn’t a single solid slab of sacred iron that couldn’t bend.

Following the hand upward, Lyra’s entire arm was wrapped in armor. Her well-developed, delicate body was completely hidden beneath the thick holy plate. The semi-integrated helmet could even protect her neck and cheeks. From head to toe, aside from necessary joints where a softer light-film was used to preserve mobility, there was almost not a single gap to be found.

Put most plainly: the Lyra Astrid had seen just now, a graceful, sweet, pure-type pretty girl, had turned into a cold, steel can. Not a trace of the original owner’s aura could be seen.

If not for the wearer’s slightly petite build and the armor’s relatively compact cut, hinting it was probably a girl, swapping in a burly man over six feet tall wouldn’t have looked out of place at all.

Astrid took Lyra’s hand, feeling the faint chill of the metal gauntlet in her palm. She narrowed her eyes and gave a fairly objective evaluation.

"Very... gallant..."

Completely different from the "pretty girl armor" in the novels and anime of her previous life, this one maxed out practicality to the limit.

At Astrid’s comment, Lyra let out a small "eh." With her head covered by the helmet, her voice sounded muffled and metallic.

"...Is that so?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Lyra realized it too. Her face reddened where Astrid couldn’t see. A few seconds later, the helmet dispersed into flowing light, revealing cherry-pink long hair.

"With light armor, elemental resistances are very high, but it doesn’t soften physical impact as well. You have to keep an eye on not getting hit in the joints, if you can dodge, don’t tank it," Lyra explained softly.

"With heavy armor, you don’t have to worry as much. Even the weaker connections aren’t easily penetrated by mental power. If the spell level is a bit low, you could even soak in a bath inside and it’d be no big deal."

The only downside was how clumsy it was. Whether chasing or providing support, she’d be half a beat slower than with light armor. On a battlefield where circumstances changed in an instant, maybe it would be these few short seconds, Lyra arriving too late, and a life would vanish before her eyes.

Astrid nodded in agreement, her gaze lingering on the heavy armor. She leaned forward and lightly touched it.

From the silver-white protection on both sides of the girl’s neck, down to the slightly raised breastplate, then to the willowy waist that could be wrapped in one hand, and the integrated leg armor that encased her white-silk snow legs, leaving only a little gap at the inner thigh root for movement.

"..."

Take off the helmet, and under the tin can was in fact a pink-haired, blue-eyed petite girl who could hug people and act spoiled. The contrast was indeed huge.

But back to the point, compared to the light armor that had dazzled Astrid at first glance, this heavy set, built purely for utility, completely covered the girl’s figure and aura. It was a bit inferior.

Seeing Astrid silent for a long time, Lyra parted her lips to ask.

"Does it feel too bulky?"

That was exactly how she felt, which was why she rarely used the heavy-armor form.

Astrid nodded, speaking softly.

"It is a bit bulky, and you can’t tell who’s inside at all. In terms of appearance it’s not as good as the light armor."

If she wore it, it’d probably be the same.

"But aesthetics are subjective in the end. Maybe someone would think the red form looks better."

"R-red... form?"

What was that? This armor was silver. Even if you named it by color, it should be the silver form or the pink form, right?

Lyra was confused.

"I mean the heavy-armor form."

Astrid’s pale fingers lingered on the raised breastplate, giving it a light poke. Before the girl could blush and reach out to brush her hand away, Astrid continued.

"Change back to light armor. We’ll modify it using that template."

A kingdom idol bathed in holy light couldn’t very well hide her face behind a solid helmet, unable to be seen.

Lyra answered with a soft "okay." Her mental power shifted, returning the armor to a lighter, more convenient style. The armor at her neck and wrists dispersed; the sacred iron that had fully covered her legs became more segmented, letting the creamy-white silk fabric beneath show through faintly, with a slight pink tint visible at the legs.

Astrid looked at Lyra. The hand she had been holding since earlier tightened a little, pulling the other closer.

Feeling Astrid’s legs only inches away, the soft black-silk jade feet lightly scraping against her leg armor, Lyra blinked, obedient as a well-behaved puppy, letting the other arrange her at will.

"Here... we can use patterns like the sword scabbard’s floral motif. Combined with holy light, it’ll add a lot of sacred purity..."

"For the breastplate, lifting it a bit higher is no big deal."

"As for the light wings on your back... the new scripture of the Kingdom of Velys has a description of the God of Light, Moserria. She bears six wings on her back and is the Judgment God at the Lord’s side. When the time comes, you might as well appear in a similar image."

Listening to Astrid’s idol-planning one idea after another, the warm contact at the top of her foot continuously transmitted to her skin. Lyra followed Astrid’s instructions, altering the armor’s cut bit by bit, until she ended with a set of preacher-like vestments that suited her own taste and still fell within Astrid’s acceptable range.

When everything was ready, Astrid released her hand. She looked at Lyra’s smooth pink hair, nothing on it but the waterfall-like strands. Against the holy-white armor, it seemed a little too plain.

The black-satin-gloved hand tapped lightly by the bedside, and a pretty little flower appeared at Astrid’s fingertips. The silver-haired beauty picked it up and tucked it into Lyra’s hair.

Soft pink and the flower’s faint blue not only completed the palette, but also echoed Lyra’s clear, translucent sky-blue eyes.

"This looks better," Astrid said as she handed Lyra a mirror.

Though she was already used to seeing the empire’s number one beauty display breathtaking grace in all sorts of situations, and believed she wouldn’t be easily stunned, when she saw herself in the mirror now, Lyra still felt a tiny bit proud.

She was... pretty, too, right...

It was just that her style wasn’t as seductive and flamboyant as Astrid’s, the kind that etched itself into one’s mind at a glance.

"..."

A few seconds later, Lyra curved her lips. She lifted a strand of fallen pink hair, lowered her eyes, and answered softly.

"As long as Astrid... likes it..."

For some reason, she suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

Probably because her lover giving her a flower on her own initiative, and even helping pin it into her hair, was just a bit too unfair.

Not to mention how straightforwardly Astrid then praised her as beautiful. She had no way to resist.

A dozen seconds passed. Having steadied her emotions, Lyra didn’t remove the flower. With slightly reddened eartips, she raised her eyes to the elegant Imperial Regent sitting on the bed.

"By the way, Astrid..."

"Why did you even have a flower in your gloves?"

Judging by the type, it looked like something from around the Capital City. When Lyra was a maid, she often watered flowers and tended Princess Third Highness’s grand garden; this one on her head felt especially familiar.

Astrid narrowed her beautiful eyes and replied softly.

"We’re leaving the imperial capital for so long. I kept thinking I should bring something as a memento."

From the time she could remember, Astrid Calliste had spent almost all her life in the Capital City. That glittering, decadent metropolis could be considered her second hometown after her memories awakened.

And they happened to leave in early spring, when everything revived. Astrid had specifically asked the head maid to pick some early-blooming flowers to bring along. She hadn’t expected they’d come in handy right now.

"Lyra..."

"Mhm?"

"The flowers are beautiful. And so are you."

"..."

That last part... you didn’t have to say it, did you...

Lyra had thought, after being teased by Astrid for so long, she was long past the stage of getting flustered. Yet in the end, that direct line, you’re as beautiful as flowers, still sank her in one blow. Her cheeks instantly turned tomato red.

"..."

"O-okay... I know..."

Her voice came out broken, tinged with a damp, watery softness. Lyra pretended sand had gotten into her eyes, lifting a hand to rub as she used her pale wrist to hide the flush.

But she quickly remembered they were indoors, with no wind at all. She pressed her lips together and spoke in a low, gentle voice.

"Astrid is very beautiful too... but not like a flower..."

"Mm?" Astrid’s tone lifted. "Then like what?"

Two deep-night black-silk legs crossed lightly. A few smooth silver strands fell loose, and Lyra caught them at the edge of her vision.

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. In a small voice, she said,

"Like... the moon hanging high in the night sky..."

Noble and cool, bearing an elegance that could not be profaned, yet still willing to cast down gentle, cool light to shine upon her.