Esperanza had always been a conspicuous figure since becoming a ranker. The chat window that would catch fire every ti she appeared in the field... It wasn't anything new. Being accustod to pouring gazes wouldn't be any different for Cider Claiborne, who was born with that appearance.
So, that would be the setting, right? A man with that face and that personality didn't seem like he would fear attention. She had seen people liking that kind of unexpectedness in characters... what was it called, a gap? But she hadn't read the chat window properly.
"It's better than wearing the original clothes, isn't it?"
"Ah, those clothes."
He tapped his cane and asked in an amused voice.
"Please don't even think about wearing 'those' clothes while riding in my carriage."
If he knew the stats attached to each piece of those clothes, he would never say such things. He was extrely conservative as a noble, but displayed surprising flexibility when it ca to magical engineering. He seed like he would gladly accept almost naked Halloween event costus, bunny girl or bunny boy outfits appearing before his eyes.
"Hmm."
"What are you thinking?"
His face suddenly ca close. Esperanza pulled her head back.
"It's nothing much."
It could beco sothing. But not now. They had to go do sothing more important.
"In that case."
The offered arm was quite thick and solid. Well, he had made a shooting range in his house. Pink silk gloves wrapped around the coat sleeve. Esperanza's hand resting on Cider's arm looked smaller than usual. Mrs. Lux watched the back view of them boarding the carriage side by side with satisfaction, then nagged Millen.
"Millen, haven't you heard anything from the Count?"
"Would the Count be the type to tell
such things?"
"But those two match so picturesquely well together!"
However, Millen clearly rembered that bizarre outfit from the day Esperanza first visited. Whether Mrs. Lux had forgotten it all or had heard so reasonably convincing explanation was unknown. But to Millen, Esperanza was still not 'a lady of status who could marry the Count.' Though he was treating her equivalent to such status.
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Count Avondale's silent steam carriage raced toward the shopping district. Esperanza rested her chin and admired Nine Holder from 13 years ago that disappeared far away in an instant.
"Huh?"
She tried to stand up abruptly in the middle and bumped her head on the ceiling, becoming the laughingstock of the wicked Count.
"Why are you so surprised?"
"That building doesn't exist 13 years later. So there was originally such a big building there."
"Then what's there at that ti?"
"13 years later is......"
Esperanza trailed off, and Cider understood.
Even though it was only 13 years, it was quite different from the Nine Holder Esperanza knew. The shops in the shopping district, the shapes of buildings, even the shapes of roads. Compared to the newly paved roads, the current roads were narrow and bumpy.
"That's where the Hunter Association was located."
"There? That's a city-owned building. Nine Holder must have been quite short on finances. To sell that off."
After experiencing such disasters several tis, even the world's wealthiest city would have no choice.
Besides that, she saw buildings that were similar to or completely different from what Esperanza knew. Nine Holder seed changed yet similar, and in that respect, Esperanza felt a strange sense of relief. It seed like confirmation that this wasn't a world completely separated from the ga world she knew.
Counting familiar buildings, Esperanza recalled events with fellow players she wasn't very close to. Cyrus, Seraphina, Gemini, Balthasar... Several who quit the ga after lawsuits were exchanged from fighting on forums, several whose character faces she knew but couldn't rember their nicknas.
When they reached the shopping district, traffic began to jam. As movent slowed down, the scenery of Nine Holder beca more visible. This was a shopping district frequented by the middle class.
The shopping district mainly visited by nobles from Upper Lane was called Mayton Hall, an indoor mall format. It wasn't a suitable place for a magical goods store that often sold rough materials to set up shop.
Compared to Mayton Hall, which concentrated Nine Holder's wealth, this middle-class shopping district was shabby, but being outdoors, it was better for sightseeing the city from 13 years ago.
Steam carriages with chimneys, though slightly different in shape from 13 years later, moved around, and behind gentlen with canes and ladies with parasols followed not only servants but also automatons. The basic forms were beautiful boys and girls, but there were also clothed animal forms. Powder was applied to their faces to hide welding marks, and steam spouted from hat-like chimneys.
Esperanza stared intently at Cider.
"You look like you want to ask why we don't have those at ho."
"Surely you can make them."
"Ridiculous."
Cider Claiborne, who responded with a snort, pointed to a page boy chasing after so gentleman's rear end.
"Sothing like that? I made one when I was fifteen."
"Ah, yes. How amazing."
He didn't mind the indifferent response. He asked with a sowhat listless smile.
"How much do you think one of those costs?"
"I wouldn't know."
Still, she took a guess out of courtesy. Seeing him talk like that, it must be expensive.
"The price of one steam carriage?"
"Not even close. It costs as much as one building on this street."
Being a middle-class district, it was an area where land prices alone would be considerable. The roads were clean, and security was maintained to the extent that ladies could walk around with just one maid. One building on such a street? It sounded like a Gangnam apartnt.
"But what it can do is at most holding clothes, holding umbrellas, opening doors."
He lightly clicked his tongue and closed the window.
"It's just showing off. I don't need that."
As a magical engineer known by na alone, he didn't need such ostentation. Because he wasn't soone who ran at the cutting edge, but soone who pioneered the cutting edge of the cutting edge.
But.......
"Is that all?"
Light flashed in Cider's eyes. As if he hadn't expected to receive such a question. He looked at Esperanza for a long ti. And said quietly.
"That's all."
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The carriage stopped smoothly. It was at the very edge of the shopping district, not far from the slum area. When a figure of Count-level appeared in this region, which was uncommon, gazes gathered.
"Isn't that Avondale?"
"Was there a lady at that house?"
The whispers of gentry ladies who had just co out of nearby shops could be heard. When Esperanza perked up her ears, Cider whispered low.
"Pretend you didn't hear. I haven't decided how to introduce you yet."
To act like a lady, one needed status. Esperanza nodded briefly. The door of a shop with a dark green fra and white sign opened. The ladies leaning against the steam carriage whispered again.
"Taking her into such a rough place."
"The Count is quite an eccentric."
"Still, it won't be a sight fit for a lady to see, so I'm worried."
"Well, if you frequent that household, you'd see it as ordinary."
It was treated like a haunted abandoned house. Of course, it would beco that soon enough.
"Anyway, if the Count has any sense, he'll bring her out for introductions soon. Then we'll be able to tell whether that miss is the Count's relative or soone who will beco his fiancée."
Even if Cider Claiborne didn't want to introduce Esperanza to Nine Holder's social circles, given the situation, he would have no choice but to introduce her. Reputation was more important than gold in this society.
The mont Esperanza's next outing schedule was decided against her will. The person in question was completely absorbed in looking around the magical goods store she was visiting for the first ti.
There were pretty magical items too. Things that seed like stewards of great noble houses would buy. There were quite a few practical things as well. However, there were much better things 13 years later. Esperanza slowly passed by the sparkling display cases.
And while looking at the strings of magic-perable fabrics hanging in rows, she discovered sothing familiar.
"Isn't this troll hide?"
Why is this here?
In this worldview, monsters appeared only after the monster crisis, only inside dungeons. But suddenly, troll hide in a roadside shop like this?
She might have seen it wrong. Well-tanned troll hide was difficult to distinguish from other leather, and the lighting here was dim too. But her pounding heart was telling her. This was definitely troll hide.
In a world one year before the monster crisis, monster hide was being sold openly.
"Lord Avondale!"
Esperanza grabbed Cider, who was talking with the shop owner.
"What's the matter, Miss Hunter? If you're scared, it's fine for you to go outside."
Since it was in front of the owner, Cider was being courteous, treating Esperanza like a lady. But now wasn't the ti for that. When she gave him a look, he frowned slightly.
"What's wrong?"
He whispered briefly, only with lip movents.
"Look at this."
Esperanza pulled him over.
"Haha, what a lovely sight. For a miss who drags the Count around like this to appear, it's really sothing you see after living in the world for a long ti."
The shop owner laughed heartily. Esperanza saw the lips under the hat moving quickly, so minutely as to be almost invisible.
'Did he just curse?'
This wasn't the ti for that! Esperanza, who had dragged Cider in front of the troll hide, moved only her lips as she spoke.
"Dr. Cider Claiborne, please look at this."
It seed like they needed to establish so kind of code. Or hand signals. Until now, when she had sothing to say, she could just dismiss people, but she couldn't do that in situations like this. It was fortunate that the shop owner was quite an oblivious person, otherwise he would have noticed sothing by now.
"This hide, ask where he bought it, and definitely buy it. I'll tell you the reason later, when we get outside."
Could the existence of monster byproducts be related to the Golden Claw? Needless to say. It was decided where to start the investigation.
Esperanza, who pointed at the troll hide and urged him a couple more tis, left Cider and carefully went outside.
'Standing out.'
Standing out as a hunter and standing out as a lady were different. The forr was just a gaze of awe, but the latter was a gaze that restricted and evaluated. Why had she overlooked this difference earlier?
Esperanza, who had hidden behind the carriage, took out a long black riding hood from her inventory. It was equipnt that reduced presence by 30%. She also threw the hat and gloves made of fine silk into her inventory. The dress couldn't be helped, but except for the hem, it was reasonably covered by the hood.
Esperanza went around to the back of the green-frad shop and entered the alley. No one noticed the existence of the woman who disappeared as if lting into the shadows.
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