Chapter 62

Clang! Clang! Ping!

Early in the morning two days later, Angelica, Clarice, Deirdre, and I gathered to forge their new suits of personal armor. With permission from Duke Redgrave, we borrowed the estate’s private blacksmith forge and set to work, having resumed my mortal form so we could labor shoulder-to-shoulder.

“Careful now, Angelica.” I gently took my fiancée’s hand in mine. “Metal cannot be forced to bend to your will; it must be guided with a patient, steady hand. Like this…”

Together, we brought the hammer down at a measured angle, shaping the final contour of her breastplate. As with the previous segments, she submerged the glowing metal into the quenching oil. When the hiss subsided and the oil stopped bubbling, Angelica lifted the piece out for inspection.

She turned it under the forge light, a proud smile gracing her lips. “I think it looks perfect. What do you think, Leon?”

I took the breastplate from her hands, examining the curvature with a scrutinizing eye. This metal would bear the responsibility of safeguarding one of the most precious women in my life. Its protective enchantments and structural integrity had to be beyond reproach.

“Flawless work, Angelica.” I leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. “Now, for the last step. Take it to the assembly table and secure the various pieces with the magical bindings.”

Having finished our work at the anvil, I cleaned and stowed the smithing tools while Angelica carried her plating to the assembly area. Clarice and Deirdre were already seated there, each at differing stages of their work.

“About time, Angelica. If I did not know any better, I would say you deliberately acted clumsy just to monopolize Leon’s attention.” Clarice shot her an impish grin. “An esteemed daughter of House Redgrave would never stoop to such shameless tactics, though… right?”

Angelica’s cheeks flushed crimson. “I… I have no idea what you are implying! I have never worked a forge in my life. Is it not entirely natural that I would struggle at first?”

Deirdre set down her completed gauntlet, thoroughly unimpressed by the defense.

“And I suppose it was equally natural that every third hammer strike missed its mark, requiring Leon to step in and wrap his arms around you?” Deirdre rolled her eyes with an amused smirk. “I watched you lean back against his chest every single time he guided your hand. If you intend to insult our intelligence, at least make the performance convincing.”

“Well, you have had your turn. Now it is ours.” Clarice waved over to Leon, her eyes dancing with mischief. “Oh darling, could you assist me with this troublesome piece? I am having the most terrible difficulty getting the articulated fingers of my gauntlet to latch properly.”

I walked over and knelt behind her chair, resting my chin comfortably on her shoulder. With a quiet chuckle, I took her slender fingers in mine and walked her through the hinge mechanism. As I murmured the instructions beside her ear, Clarice leaned back against me, letting out a soft, contented sigh.

‘I swear, the three of you are becoming worse than Lucoa. At least she has the decency to act this way when she is certain we are in private.’

My gaze drifted toward the doorway and the forge windows, where several estate servants were covertly peeking in on us. The number of onlookers had steadily increased throughout the morning. By now, Vincent and my future brother-in-law Gilbert surely had a good idea what was transpiring out here.

“Ahem!”

Deirdre cleared her throat loud enough to startle our uninvited audience.

“Leon, could I please have your assistance donning my armor? I have assembled every piece and require only a few adjustments.”

I planted a soft kiss on Clarice’s cheek before rising. She watched me walk away with an indignant, pouting glare.

“Very well, please have a seat.” I gestured toward the wooden bench. “Fastening your greaves and boots comes first, correct?”

“I… I can manage that much on my own!” Deirdre’s cheeks burned crimson. “All I require is your aid with securing the backplate and cuirass.”

With a faint smile, I caught her hands and gently guided her down onto the bench. “Nonsense. I am helping you don every single piece. You would not deprive your loving fiancé of such an honor, would you?”

Deirdre’s haughty defenses crumbled. With a faint nod, she yielded to my insistence, burying her flushed face in her hands.

I set aside the riding shoes she was wearing and slid the fitted armor leggings over her legs. A stray fingertip grazed her inner thigh, coaxing a soft, startled squeak from her lips. As I tightened the leather tension buckles along her calves, I glanced upward. She was peeking at me through the gaps between her slender fingers.

“You… you are taking immense pleasure in my embarrassment, are you not?” Deirdre asked, her eyes glistening with flustered mortification. “If a single soul hears of this—”

“They will keep their mouths shut, never daring to breathe a word. Only I am permitted to tease my gorgeous fiancées.”

I turned my head and shot our gathered onlookers a sharp, unmistakable warning glare. The servants nodded frantically, most choosing to scurry away from the windows before suffering any dire consequences.

After getting Deirdre fully suited up, I made the necessary adjustments to her handiwork and gave it my seal of approval. She headed out to the estate training yard to break in the underlayer of chain mail and articulated joints while I assisted Clarice and Angelica. An hour later, the four of us departed the Redgrave estate, returning to my airship to regroup with the rest of our party.

“About time you four showed up!” Lucoa placed her hands on her hips with an exaggerated pout. “If you intended to take this long, you should have at least brought—MY EYES!”

Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre stepped down off the boarding ramp, tilting their heads in mutual confusion.

“Sorry, we… we lost track of time.” Angelica watched in bewilderment as the dragoness waved her arms around like a madwoman.

Under the harsh glare of the midday sun, Angelica’s ruby-red armor, Clarice’s forest-green plating, and Deirdre’s sky-blue cuirass gleamed with radiant brilliance. The three noblewomen had buffed their metal to an immaculate mirror finish, inadvertently focusing the concentrated sunlight straight into Lucoa’s face for a blinding moment just as they stepped onto the deck.

The dragoness staggered backward, clutching her eyes.

“Lucoa, what is the matter?” Olivia appeared at the top of the companionway alongside Roxanne.

Before Lucoa could utter an explanation, she crashed straight into the two unprepared women. All three tipped backward, teetering over the brink of the steps, only for Fenris to dart up from the lower landing and catch them firmly by their shoulders, bracing them upright.

“Watch where you are stepping, you oversized lizard!” Fenris rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“Eat my tail, you mangy mutt!” Lucoa blindly flailed her hands, searching for a railing. “I did not plan on being flash-banged by three walking mirrors! Excuse me for failing to foresee the future!”

Fenris bared her sharp canines in an irritated growl and dropped low, coiling her muscles as if to tackle the offending dragoness, but froze the moment she realized that Leon and the others were standing on deck.

“Oh, hey there, Leon!” Fenris grinned, offering a cheerful wave toward us. “Holy cow… Why on earth did you polish those suits so much?”

“We helped forge these sets ourselves. It is only natural for us to want them to look their absolute finest.” Clarice hurried forward to guide the blinded dragoness to a deck railing. “Sorry, Lucoa, we may have gone a bit overboard with the buffing.”

“Haha… just a little.” Lucoa rubbed her temples as her vision cleared.

While the three noblewomen flaunted their gleaming armor, I headed belowdecks to fetch the rest of our party. Down in the galley, Yumeria, Yunyun, and the two royal sisters were gathered around a game of Blackjack, while Solaris stood quietly behind Yunyun’s chair.

“Ladies, we are preparing to head out.” I stepped over and rested a hand on Solaris’s armored head. “Ready to go crush some monster skulls?”

<Rawr!>

Solaris’s blue optics flared as his mechanical tail thumped against the floor with excitement. He was not the only eager one.

Hertrude, Hertrauda, and Yunyun sprang to their feet in unison, snatched up their gear, and darted past me toward the door. None of them bothered to bid Yumeria farewell or acknowledge my presence.

“We are not in that great a hurry. You could have finished your hand…”

I watched them scramble around the corner and disappear.

Turning my gaze back to the galley table, I flipped their remaining cards over to examine the play. When I saw that all three of their hands totaled well over twenty-one, a smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth.

‘Ah. They refused to sit there and concede defeat to Yumeria.’

Yumeria surveyed the busted cards, then revealed her own hand with a tranquil smile: an Ace and the Queen of Clubs.

“A pity they did not let you play out the round. You had already won.” I offered her an apologetic grin.

“It is alright, Lord Leon.” Yumeria swept up the cards and tapped the deck neat. “They are still learning the nuances of the game. I have won the last twenty consecutive rounds!”

A radiant, proud smile lit up her features as she turned to place the deck inside the parlor cabinet. She was savoring her unbroken winning streak to the fullest.

“Given the late hour, I doubt our party will return before tomorrow morning.” I turned toward the corridor with Solaris trotting at my heel. “The ship is yours until our return, Yumeria. Relax and make yourself comfortable.”

“Actually… I was hoping to venture into the lower city to search for my son.” She followed us out into the hallway, wringing her apron. “You see, he entered into a labor contract as an indentured servant to earn coin for the two of us. Now that I have steady employment and a roof over my head, I wish to redeem his contract and bring him aboard to assist with the ship’s upkeep. Would that be acceptable?”

I nodded without hesitation. “Of course. I will set his wages at a slightly reduced rate until you train him in his duties. Since you are reuniting after so long, take this.”

Reaching into my Item Box, I drew out a small, heavy velvet pouch of gold coins and pressed it into her hands.

“Take him out to an upscale dinner on my coin and celebrate your reunion. I will not take no for an answer.”

A tear slipped down Yumeria’s cheek as she clasped the velvet pouch against her chest.

“You… you must think me a dreadful mother. Allowing my child to sell his freedom merely to keep bread on our table…” Yumeria lowered her gaze in shame.

I paused at the foot of the stairs and looked back.

“No, I think nothing of the sort. That your son willingly bore that burden to protect and feed you proves how deeply he cherishes his mother. In my eyes, that makes you a wonderful parent.” I began ascending the steps toward the sunlight. “Now that you possess the means to provide him with a prosperous future, ensure his sacrifice was not in vain.”

Yumeria lifted her chin, meeting my gaze. Finding only sincere reassurance reflected there, a bright, tearful smile graced her face.

“I will!”

When we reached the top deck, Yumeria bowed with polite deference before taking her leave. As she disappeared down the gangway toward the city, I turned my attention to our assembled strike force.

“Is everyone prepared? We will make camp inside one of the dungeon’s fortified safe zones overnight, so ensure you have all necessary provisions.”

“We’ve been packed and ready since yesterday evening.” Olivia patted the satchel on her hip with a proud smile. “Thank you again for crafting these Bags of Holding for us, Leon. They are far more convenient than hauling cumbersome rucksacks through subterranean tunnels.”

“I’m glad they are serving you well.”

I swept my gaze across the other women, receiving a firm nod of affirmation from each. With our gear secured and preparations complete, I led the expedition down the boarding ramp toward our destination: a Rank 3 dungeon nestled along the capital’s less developed perimeter.

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