Chapter 57
“It would be better to disguise myself after all.”
“…Pardon? A disguise?”
At the sudden remark, Shen, who had been bringing over the brooch to pin onto Aquila’s clothes, asked in confusion.
The boisterous first day of the Founding Festival had passed, and the morning of the second day had finally arrived.
Aquila had just finished getting ready for today’s outing.
Cahena and Heinen were waiting outside, and all that remained was to head out.
But after looking at his own face in the mirror, Aquila had suddenly said that.
“My hair color. It stands out.”
“Oh. Then should I bring a different hat…?”
“No, it is fine. There is an easier way.”
“Huh? Is there such a way?”
As Shen tilted his head with a bewildered expression, Aquila shot him a look as if asking why he was even questioning sothing so obvious.
“I will change it with magic.”
“…W-wait, Young Master! What if you start feeling unwell again after using magic?”
The one flustered by how casually the words ca out was Shen instead.
“It is sothing simple. It will not strain my heart.”
“But…”
Although Aquila stated it firmly, Shen did not look convinced.
Before the possession, Aquila had been unable to use mana properly because of conflicting blessings, and this ti he had nearly died from severe mana exhaustion.
When Shen’s expression grew serious, Aquila shook his head.
“I told you nothing will happen. Just decide what color it should be.”
“Does any color work? It is not fixed?”
“Of course.”
“Th-then, um… sothing safe, like brown or black? Honestly, I think any color would suit you, Young Master…”
Shen trailed off after falling into deep thought while looking at Aquila.
At that, Aquila imdiately raised his hand.
Woooong!
Mana gathered, and a halo of light shimred at his fingertips. In an instant, a complex-looking formula appeared.
It shot up along his arm and wrapped around Aquila’s hair.
The faint glow subsided, revealing—
“Oh my…”
Black hair, and black eyes.
As Aquila, now carrying a far darker impression, turned his head, Shen jumped in surprise.
“W-wow… y-you are the Young Master, right?”
The sudden change in hair color was shocking enough, but the fact that it was Aquila made it even more startling.
With his eyes wide, Shen circled around Aquila.
With the blazing red hair turned black in an instant, it felt as though he was looking at an entirely different person.
His impression also seed colder than before.
“Well?”
“It, it suits you! You look like a completely different person, though! Ah, but…”
Shen stared intently at Aquila’s face.
“Hm. Your eyes look sharper than I thought, Young Master. W-were they always this fierce…?”
The servant muttered with a serious expression.
Even when his hair had been red, Aquila’s impression had not been particularly gentle, but with the darker color, it now looked even stronger.
Shrugging, Aquila pointed with a finger at the dragon-shaped brooch Shen was holding.
“We should put that away. If I wear that outside, changing my hair would be pointless.”
“Oh, right! Then I will just leave it here!”
Still wearing an astonished expression, Shen stared at Aquila for a long while before nodding hurriedly and scurrying back inside with the brooch.
Aquila watched his retreating figure, then examined himself in the mirror again.
‘I need to move without drawing attention and make sure I find it. Hopefully nothing happens…’
With hardened eyes, Aquila looked outside, then turned his gaze toward Shen as he approached again.
***
There were many people in central Portplum today as well.
Not only the main square, but rows of tightly packed street stalls stretched from the center all the way out to the outskirts.
Because of this, carriage traffic was sowhat restricted, and one could not pass straight through, having to circle around instead.
That ant an enormous number of people had co into Portplum carrying items they had stored away for the ‘Great Old Dust Release’ event.
Aquila had traveled near the central area where the market was held by renting a new carriage, rather than using one bearing the seal of House Reschenhardt.
Continuing to ride a carriage would certainly be comfortable, but that would an skirting only the outskirts and finishing without ever stepping inside.
No matter how noble one was, the essence of the ‘Great Old Dust Release’ was that one had to dismount and walk around personally to truly browse.
Thanks to that, among the crowd, there were occasional people dressed like nobles.
‘If we are not careful, soone could get lost.’
Aquila and his group had also dismounted at the furthest point the carriage could reach and walked here on foot.
The weather was slightly cool, but because of the sheer number of people, it did not feel especially cold even outdoors.
Aquila scanned the groups of people gathered in small clusters, then turned his head.
Shen pressed in close to his side and muttered,
“Waaah, if we get separated even once, that would be bad…”
He had heard there would be many people, but he had not expected this many, Shen said as his shoulders trembled.
Such a massive market, so many people, and goods laid out without a single gap to step into.
It was a sight impossible to see in Igrail.
Of course, Portplum around this ti of year was likely the only place where such a scene could be found.
“Goodness, I have been here once before, but I do not rember there being this many people…”
As Cahena scratched the back of her head, Heinen continued.
“This year, especially, more people have gathered. During the previous event, there was a great deal of grim news.”
The grim news he referred to was the series of deaths involving Lady Friadel and other high-ranking nobles.
The atmosphere back then had been downright terrifying.
No one knew what the Curse of Deadly Poison truly was, and that incident had brought it to the surface.
As a result, during the last ‘Great Old Dust Release,’ far fewer people had participated than expected.
There had also been fewer items put up for auction.
But this year, as if to make up for that, people of all kinds had flocked in.
It was because the rumor that the Grand Temple of Portplum had discovered a way to resolve the Curse of Deadly Poison had spread with remarkable speed.
It had already been three weeks since then.
“It is all thanks to Aquila Reschenhardt.”
Heinen turned his gaze toward Aquila.
Perhaps because they were in a crowded area, he was not wearing the silver armor he usually donned, instead dressed rather simply.
This ti he wore a differently shaped helt than before, but his face was still not visible.
“It is thanks to the great ancient dragon. I did nothing special.”
“…Yes. The Temple of the Sun is also grateful for the blessing and rcy He has bestowed.”
Heinen finished speaking in his characteristically low voice, but his gaze remained fixed on Aquila’s hair.
When Aquila stepped outside after finishing his preparations, both Cahena and Heinen had voiced their surprise at seeing his hair now black.
When asked how he had done it, Aquila once again claid he had seen it in a book.
Since a large number of ancient tos lay dormant in the Reschenhardt Estate, he said he had found a few spellbooks among them.
But Heinen did not look particularly convinced.
To Shen, Aquila had explained it as simple, but changing one’s appearance was actually an extrely complex and difficult form of magic.
Of course, for Aquila, who in a past cycle had simplified magic formulas for disguise, it was nothing difficult at all.
‘It would be less uncomfortable if he just asked outright how I did it, rather than staring like that.’
Avoiding Heinen’s gaze, Aquila turned his attention toward the street stalls along the outskirts, where there were relatively fewer people than in the center.
After all, the reason he had co here, to the ‘Great Old Dust Release,’ was only one.
To find an item that could be obtained here.
‘Delvion Year 713… so it appears at this year’s Dust Release.’
Aquila slowly retraced his mories.
When he had asked about the item’s origin, he had been told that it was purchased at one of the street stalls during the ‘Great Old Dust Release’ held in Delvion Year 713.
It looked like an ordinary monocle, but it was a magical tool imbued with a special option.
‘The Eye That Sees the Hidden.’
By using that item, one could see things that were normally invisible.
Not only hidden treasures and traps, but also special things that could not be seen under normal circumstances…
‘With that, I could see where the cores of those bastards who beca corrupted spirits after eating mud were.’
Aquila absolutely needed that magical tool.
Not only to deal with corrupted spirits, but also because it would be necessary in the main scenario to co.
In the previous cycle, he had only obtained ‘The Eye That Sees the Hidden’ after completing every task the item’s owner demanded.
And that man’s temperant had been extrely eccentric…
‘This ti, I have to find it first, before it falls into his hands.’
Clicking his tongue lightly, Aquila swept his gaze across the area.
Of course, he did not know exactly where it was right now.
But since he had been told it was not found near the center, it might be sowhere along the outskirts.
‘He said it did not sell until almost the last day… still, it is better to look quickly.’
Brushing his hair back, Aquila gestured around.
“I want to browse here. May we start from this area?”
“Yes, sounds good! The path toward the center is way too crowded right now anyway.”
“Well, whatever our young master wants. Just do not stray too far.”
When Heinen nodded last, Aquila moved toward the first street stall in sight.
***
However, even after walking along the outskirts for quite so ti, there was no item resembling a monocle.
Since he had seen it before, he would have recognized it imdiately, but there was not even anything similar.
‘Is it not here? Or did it not co out at the stalls today?’
Letting out a sigh, Aquila pushed his hair back.
“…Young Master! If you are buying more, can I load this onto the carriage?”
Shen asked, gesturing with his chin toward the armful of items he was holding.
Although he had not found ‘The Eye That Sees the Hidden,’ he had still discovered many peculiar items at the street stalls.
Various scrolls, potions, and things that looked like toys.
Items that might not seem useful now, but could be properly used later.
‘At least it is not a total loss, I suppose…’
When Aquila nodded, Shen smiled.
“Yes. Then I will go by myself—”
“I will help you.”
“Oh, thank you! Then please stay here for a mont, Young Master. I will be right back, so do not go anywhere!”
“I will keep watch. Go on.”
Cahena raised her hand high and waved it side to side.
‘They treat like a child…’
Aquila shook his head.
He had no intention of going far anyway.
No matter that he had changed his hair color, those who could recognize him would still do so.
Turning his gaze away from the two who quickly disappeared into the crowd, Aquila closed his eyes for a mont.
“Kyaaah! Thief!”
At the scream, he snapped his eyes open.
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