The evening sun ca quite soon. Damon found himself dressed for a noble gathering... except he wasn’t wearing so expensive, lavish clothes.
On the contrary, he found himself wearing armor.
With the war gas only days away it was a given that a lot of people would be wearing armor, eager to show off their battle attires, each more ostentatious than practical, especially for the nobility who thought everything was just an opportunity to show off wealth and prestige.
However, Damon would have preferred to wear anything but armor... but he had to match his company.
Matia was refusing to wear a dress. Or rather, she didn’t want to take off her Ascendant Armor.
The best Damon could do was convince her to use the awakened shell form of her armor, which was actually a light outfit that looked regal, made of shining fabric and small tal plates to protect her vitals.
She opted not to use her helm, seeing how Damon was already at his wits’ end with her.
So she decided to finally let the world see that beautiful face of hers.
One more thing stood out: the giant sword made of ice she had crafted and carried on her back.
"You do realize you don’t need to do that, right? Your Ascendant weapon is malleable.."
She didn’t show much of an expression, only glancing at him like a porcelain doll, then she gestured lightly across her chest.
Damon sighed, shaking his head.
"Fine, whatever, do as you please... though between the both of us, I don’t really need protection.."
He bit his lips with a soft sigh. His worries about Matia had not been laid to rest... not fully. It seed with each passing day she was acting more and more like her old self.
Otherwise, why would she want to assert herself so much?
And that was why Damon was wearing his Ascendant Armor. It was so he could match with Matia. Damon used the armor’s Ascendant form, however this ti he equipped his helm, making his crown look like part of it. Still not satisfied.
He used the shadow armor skill and modified how his armor looked to avoid any chance of eting Abellona of Valtheron and getting recognized.
While she had only seen his armor in the awakened shell form and had no idea what the Ascendant form and Sovereign Mantle forms looked like, he wanted to be cautious.
She was a sly woman. As for his helm, he rely opted to dismiss it altogether after staring at himself in the mirror for a while.
Only his crown remained. He equipped the hood his grandfather had given him.
Giving himself an air of mystery, this was a good opportunity to ride on his Ascendant reputation.
He walked out to find a carriage with Renata’s family crest on it. The violet-haired young woman was already waiting for him.
Damon got in, followed by Matia, giving Renata, who bowed, a curt nod.
As soon as he sat down, he noticed a raven and a squirrel sitting comfortably in the carriage as if waiting for him.
He sneered, looking at them.
"I haven’t seen you two in a while. What do you want.."
The squirrel and raven glanced at each other, then at him, before putting on their most fawning expressions while stealthily climbing onto Damon’s shoulders.
He sighed, feeling irritated. He knew these two. They were trash, and he was worried about what they might do with so many nobles around.
"Listen very carefully, you two... I do not condone theft..."
He glared at them with indignation.
"Especially if I’m not involved... so... take what you can... and bring it to . Don’t worry, these people are rich young heirs, they can afford to lose a few trinkets.."
He cleared his throat.
"Of course, if you get caught... I don’t know you..."
The two squealed and cawed respectively. Renata watched them with a shocked expression.
This was clearly not their first ti...
"My lord, how can I be of help to you.."
Damon smiled at her, glancing at her dress which draped all the way to the floor, her high heels, her hair tied into a bun, and her luscious lipstick that all added to her allure.
"Just keep an eye out while looking pretty.."
She nodded her head, then forced a smile.
"My lord, wouldn’t that end up antagonizing all of these young elites.."
Damon sighed, feeling a bit sad.
"It’s a small price to pay... I’m teaching them to value their stuff. This world is a dangerous place... lots of petty thieves around here... why can’t we get rich off their stupidity... Renata, we need every di for our plans..."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Or do you think you’re better than us all..."
Feeling peer pressured more than anything, she quickly shook her head.
"Of course not, my lord... I would never doubt you..."
He nodded, smiling internally to himself.
’Damn this Renata is such a pushover..’
"Good. Work hard, Renata.."
With that, Damon’s pets dived into the darkness of his hood and hid there, waiting for him to take them inside the venue so they could do so real damage.
Matia remained quiet throughout. She wasn’t really the talkative kind anyway... though Damon almost missed when she had been, the ek, fearful girl who relied on him.
He glanced at her pale hands that seed almost like a corpse’s. Reaching for them, he slowly gave her hand a squeeze, her cold skin carrying only the warmth that ca from his own.
She was far from that girl now. Now she was a shadow who was born from a warrior woman who had experienced years of hell all by her loneso.
A wonder she didn’t want to talk. Maybe she had gotten used to not having anyone to talk to, so she had lost her voice. Or maybe, as a shadow... she simply couldn’t talk.
Damon bit his lips, muttering a soft apology.
"Sorry..."
When he said those words, her fingers gently squeezed his own. Even though she didn’t say anything, in her own way she conveyed it to him.
I am here.
Even if Damon didn’t understand that... or maybe he did, but just wasn’t sure if it was hope or delusion.
With those thoughts, the carriage crossed a grand arch, reaching a vast castle where the gathering would be held. Sure enough, Damon could see many people eager to show off.
"Huh, with my temperant I hope no one pisses off... because I won’t let anything slide.."
He wasn’t in danger of crossing a powerful noble. No... Damon was the danger.
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