Chapter 544 - Off to Altear
There was not much time to rest for everyone. Those from Half Moon Village were occupied with the setting up of their new base of operations. Schaf struggled with understanding the system used in the Merchant Guild as Olaf complained non-stop about the paperwork for the Adventurer Guild. Neither of them was pleased with Duke Connie’s previous method of management. It was messy and severely flawed that both guild masters decided that it would be better to start from scratch instead of trying to salvage anything.
Even Old Gary looked like he aged ten years ever since the Humanitarian Guild was officially recognised. The demons on work visas were doing a very good job but there were simply too many slaves, poor people and refugees who needed a place to live. They couldn’t build enough shelter for everyone and even King Brice ordered for the outer court of his castle to be loaned to the Humanitarian Guild to cope with the influx.
The one good thing that came out of the business was Zero’s ability to sneak away more frequently to learn how to charm men from Lilith. He took longer than expected to perfect his first charming personality. The young doctor was worried that he wouldn’t have time to perfect all the other personalities before he left for Altear but Lilith assured him that once he got past that first stage, the rest would be relatively easier.
She didn’t lie. Zero finished learning the rest of the tricks within a week, just in time before they were ready to leave Smargdas.
"I can’t believe we spent three months in Smargdas!" Zero flopped onto the bed, exhausted after another long day.
Truen g.r.o.a.n.e.d. His body ached and Zero was pulsing gentle healing magic to ease those sore muscles. The archer had been running from place to place in order to coordinate everything. Zero didn’t know how Truen was able to cope with so many projects at once without getting confused. Zero was rather confused with so many personality types to study with Lilith. He might have let those mannerisms slip once or twice around Bob and Truen but thankfully, they didn’t comment about it.
King Brice was slightly teary when he had to send Zero off. For the last two days ever since Zero told the young king that he was going to leave Smargdas, he was continuously asked if he required anything.
Zero already had the official letter as an envoy. There was no need to get anything else. Bob was a trusty steed if they needed to travel quickly. The only thing Zero could think of was the letter of introduction for formality on King Brice’s side.
The messenger hawk was sent to Altear a day before Zero and his party left. This time, Zero insisted on taking it easy. He was going to travel leisurely and insisted on taking in the sights that he failed to enjoy on his way to Smargdas. This time, they were leaving through the west gate. Zero wanted to see the newly established farms outside the capital. Truen didn’t stop him. Instead, he suggested renting two mounts so that they didn’t have to walk.
When King Brice learned that Zero was looking for two mounts for his journey, he didn’t hesitate to offer any mounts of Zero’s liking from his royal stable. They had everything from a speedy stallion to the magnificent wyvern for Zero to choose.
Nobody was expecting Zero to select a paka-paka. Truen took one glance at the alpaca with wings and shuddered. Instead, he chose a regular black wyvern for his mount. The paka-paka was a very strange creature that would spit on those who it didn’t like. Thankfully, it liked Zero enough to tolerate Truen and Bob to not spit at them. At least in front of Zero, it wouldn’t do that. Truen didn’t know if the paka-paka would take the chance to spit at them once Zero wasn’t around.
Fully prepared for the trip, Truen and Zero chose to leave Smargdas with Bob in a low-profile manner. They pulled their travelling cloaks close and pulled the hood up. With a reliable guard escorting them to the city gates, the gatekeepers didn’t even question their identities and let them pass. The trusted guard bowed and watched as the unsung heroes of Smargdas left with their new mounts. Zero’s paka-paka was very outstanding in its own way but he didn’t have much time to stare. Once they were out of the main roads, they took to the skies and disappeared into the clouds.
Once they were safely out of sight, Zero started his transformation. Bob who was comfortably tucked in the front of Zero’s shirt was forced to migrate to his neck as balloons of flesh started to fill the empty space.
Truen wasn’t concentrating on Zero and was still trying to read his wyvern’s temperament so that he wouldn’t fall off his mount to his death. The wyvern was only meek because Bob was around and it didn’t want to offend a dragon. The wood elf had a feeling this wyvern wasn’t going to be so obedient if Bob wasn’t around.
"What the heck?! Zero!"
The commotion beside made Truen turn around to see what was going on. He wasn’t expecting Zero to be replaced by a bombshell babe. For a moment, Truen wanted to draw his bow and shoot the imposter but something didn’t add up. There was no way anyone could replace Zero so high up in the air on his paka-paka.
"Zero?"
The bombshell babe was a feisty brunette with fair skin and heterochromatic eyes. The icy blue right eye and sea green left eye bore into Truen’s emerald eyes, striking him with a sense of familiarity.
It looked so wrong and right at the same time that Truen was momentarily stunned. Bob was confused about his master’s new appearance. Why did he choose such an inconvenient vessel? Now Bob had to put up with being half cold because there weren’t any warm spaces left to hide in his shirt with those useless mounds of flesh on his c.h.e.s.t.
Truen swallowed hard. Zero was most certainly getting better at choosing his appearance. IN fact, the Great Goddesses might not be wrong in their opinions. Zero did look better as a female and those female clothes the Great Goddesses nought for him were not in vain. At this point, the only thing that wasn’t a good investment had to be the wig.
"Zero, why the change in appearance?" Truen asked.
He understood the need to transform into a wood elf so that it was easier to explain why they were travelling together. Besides, Zero had the story and appearance of a female healer to keep up. When he transformed back to his taller self it was to negotiate for better terms with U.N.U. and appear more m.a.t.u.r.e to be befitting of his royal envoy image. Going by that logic, Zero didn’t need to change into a bombshell babe to meet Elf King Sharo, right?
Zero checked his appearance and examined his c.h.e.s.t area. It was exactly like what Queen Lilith told him. Why did it feel so wrong? He could hardly breathe with his formal shirt and lab coat. The buttons were threatening to pop open. Perhaps, he really had to wear that skimpy rogue’s armour to make this vessel feel more comfortable.
Truen looked away in reflex when Zero said he was going to change. Did the doctor not know about the propriety between male and females? He might be male previously and genderless in identity but this was a little too much for a conservative man like himself!
Zero changed into the clothes that Lilith gifted him for the missions and shivered a little. It has way too little coverage and Zero forgot to enchant them with everything he used to have on the clothes the Great Gods bought for him.
Bob yawned and looked at Zero’s new outfit in dismay. There was nowhere to hide and sleep now! Zero was too cruel to a legendary reptile like him. They were so high up in the clouds and it was cold. Even if was still wearing that magically enchanted bracelet for temperature regulation, the air he breathed in made his nose freeze. He needed a place warm to sleep comfortably, why did Zero choose such a troublesome gender?
Truen turned back after hearing Zero complain about the lack of magical enchantments. He only dared himself to look after confirming that his friend was changed. However, the new outfit did nothing to stop Truen from nearly going into cardiac arrest. Did he know what kind of clothes he was wearing? Better still, who gave this to Zero? Who suggested it? The Great Gods will have his head if they knew Zero grew up to be a rebellious teenager who wanted to wear s.l.u.tty clothes!
"Zero, why are you wearing this? Also, what’s with the new appearance? We’re going there to discuss terms with Elf King Sharo, right? It’s not like we’re there to talk to Dorgon..."
Zero added more enchantments onto his clothes, comparing what he missed out with his tracksuit. He was listening to Truen but didn’t respond as he felt slightly disappointed. Truen was also a male. Why wasn’t it working on him? If he couldn’t charm Truen, how was he going to charm Spriggan Alex?
"Am I not pretty?" Zero pouted and Truen mentally died a little.
"You’re very pretty now, Zero. That’s not the point. Who gave you these clothes? Why are you wearing them? Didn’t you say you liked the lab coat?"
Zero huffed. Maybe Truen was really the rarer type of male species who was harder to charm based on just appearance. However, Truen already knew Zero’s personality too well to fall for any of the tricks Zeo learned. Maybe it was because Truen treated him like a brother that he wasn’t falling for his new appearance. Zero felt slightly better thinking that way and grinned as he tucked the transformed YY Tonfas into the dagger straps on each t.h.i.g.h.
"I asked for them from Lilith. We’re not just seeing Elf King Sharo. I have to settle the matter with the Weeping Willow and Spriggan Alex in order to get the Moss Giant Orb."
Understanding clicked when Zero explained his plan to catch the womanising spriggan’s attention with his new appearance but the archer still couldn’t help but have his worries.
"You’re not allowed to go anywhere without me looking like that," he told Zero. "Promise me that you won’t go anywhere without me."
Zero raised his brow. "Why? I have Bob following me."
Truen frowned. Indeed, a dragon was a rather powerful protector but not for certain kinds of trouble. Zero was an effective trouble magnet for odd things on a regular day. However, he was going to be ten times more effective as a trouble magnet in this ditzy woman getup. Sure, it might be for a mission but Truen still didn’t like the idea of seeing Zero getting harrassed by low lives. Having a man around such a clueless lady can be useful and Truen didn’t want Zero to be taken advantage of.
"It’s a woman thing," Truen explained. "When you look like a woman as pretty as this, there will be a lot of different types of trouble. Having a man around is usually a good solution. I’m not doubting your ability to get out of sticky situations but we need to keep your act up as the defenceless and clueless lady."
It made a lot of sense and Zero agreed that he would stick close to Truen when they were in enemy territory. Bob sulked at the loss of his favourite napping spot and Zero noticed the dragon’s moodiness.
"Don’t sulk," he told Bob and pointed to the useless mounds of flesh on his c.h.e.s.t. "I heard that it is comfy in here. You can nap inside if you want."
Bob eyed those bouncing flesh and weighed his options. If they weren’t comfortable, he would just settle in between behind Zero’s neck hidden with the long ticklish hair. As Bob crawled inside, Truen shuddered. He didn’t know how that was comfortable for either of them but Bob looked cosy and Zero looked unbothered so he let them do whatever worked for the journey. It was good as long as Bob was close to Zero. At the very least, hiding in between those huge mountains will make sc.u.mbags think twice about copping a feel.
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel