Benjamin called out cheerfully, now fully clothed in his light brown linen shirt tucked neatly into the darker sleeveless leather jerkin, sturdy woolen breeches, and dark brown leather boots that rose just below his knees.
He waved with an easy, bright smile as he stepped into the guest waiting room where the group of Amazons were busy cleaning. "Ahaha! The clothes were right under the bed the whole ti. Who would’ve thoug—!"
Benjamin quickly clamd up, his words dying in his throat the mont he properly noticed the atmosphere in the room.
The weary, exhausted looks on the faces of all the workers there hit him like a cold wave.
Their expressions were heavy and drained, as though sothing deeply unpleasant had just wandered into their world and refused to leave.
Shoulders slumped, eyes dull, and mouths pressed into thin, tired lines that barely masked their discomfort.
"Y-Yay!" one of the workers forced out, her voice unnaturally high and brittle as she avoided eting Benjamin’s eyes altogether, her gaze fixed sowhere on the floor near his boots. "That is great indeed. Ah, Sir Benjamin, if you would excuse us... We wish to finish our work before dawn breaks fully."
"Ah... Of course..." Benjamin dropped his waving hand slowly, the cheerful energy draining from his posture as he turned halfway toward the door. "I was disturbing you guys. Please continue your work. Don’t let get in the way."
The mont he stepped out of the room and the vine curtain fell closed behind him, he could feel the collective tension in their bodies ease, as if a foul-slling weight had finally been lifted from the air.
Their shoulders relaxed visibly, quiet sighs escaped, and the soft clatter of cleaning tools resud with a little more life than before.
[Rude much? What the hell...? I thought it was just because of my depraved nudity that ti, but they seem to be acting really weird today.]
Benjamin pondered silently as he made his way toward the grand exit of the royal palace, his boots echoing softly against the moss-covered stone floors.
[Maybe I should just give them so space. Deli usually used to be far more perverted than even Midori back in the day. She shouldn’t have any problem with walking around nude.]
Just as he was about to push through the final set of vine-draped doors leading outside, he bumped gently into soone familiar.
A small, petite figure with striking blue eyes and very blonde hair that caught the morning light like spun gold.
"Lulu!" He bead instantly, his face lighting up with genuine warmth at the sight of the familiar dark-skinned girl.
Without thinking, he slid his hands under her armpits and lifted her small body straight up into the air, holding her at eye level as he grinned. "Did you have a good night slee—"
"P... Put Lulu down!" Lulu yelled sharply, squirming and kicking her legs in the air as Benjamin held her suspended. "Who simply raises a lady like that first thing in the morning?!"
Benjamin observed her with a still, slightly confused face for a long second, his smile faltering, before he dropped her imdiately back onto her feet with a soft thud.
"Uh... Is sothing the matter, Lulu?" he asked nervously, watching as she straightened up her salacious gown with quick, irritated tugs, smoothing the fabric over her petite fra while shooting him a pointed glare.
"The matter is you are treating Lulu like a doll, and it bothers Lulu," her small voice resounded clearly, sharp and laced with clear annoyance as she adjusted the neckline of her gown with precise movents.
"Oh... Oh! Ahaha!" Benjamin scratched the back of his head awkwardly, forcing a laugh that sounded too loud in the quiet hallway. "Sorry, sorry! Lulu wants to be treated like a grown-up already, right? Since you’re so small and cute, I couldn’t help it... Lulu?"
As Benjamin looked directly at her, searching for the usual playful spark in her eyes, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge.
She held the disdainful look of soone watching a pig fooling around in the mud—cold, judgntal, and utterly unimpressed.
Her blue eyes narrowed slightly, lips pressed into a thin line of clear disapproval that made his stomach twist uncomfortably.
Benjamin’s pupils dilated as the mory slamd into him hard.
It was the exact sa look his old colleagues and classmates used to give him back on Earth whenever he had crossed so invisible social line—pity mixed with disgust, the kind of stare that made you feel small and repulsive all at once.
He soon left her standing there without saying another word, turning on his heel and walking away quickly.
The dread was building steadily in his chest like a heavy stone sinking deeper with every step.
His shoulders felt tighter, his breathing a little shallower as the corridor stretched out before him.
[What’s this...? Is sothing wrong? Did the Amazons hear so kind of rumor about ? Even Lulu was looking at like I was the bane of existence.]
{Perhaps they are bluffing? Or maybe they are associating Master with sothing terrible concerning their culture or recent events.}
[If that was the case, I must have known about it before now. Anyway, it might just be Lulu and the palace workers acting strange. Let see if the others feel the sa way.]
Then the world began to turn and shift swiftly around him, colors blurring and space folding in on itself in that familiar, instantaneous way until everything settled into an entirely different location.
He had teleported smoothly to where Sara was picking flowers sowhere deep in the Whispering Wilds.
Tall brown grasses swayed gently around his legs as he erged from the teleportation, the soft rustle of leaves and distant bird calls filling the peaceful clearing.
"Sara~! Good morning!" Benjamin called out warmly, waving one hand high as he broke into a light run toward her, the tall grasses brushing and tickling against his legs with every stride. "Did you have a good night’s sleep?"
"Why would I not have a good night’s sleep?" The reply from Sara ca out sharp and unforgiving, cutting through the morning air like a honed blade.
Her tone carried an edge that made the words land heavily, though her eyes soon softened just a fraction as she straightened up from among the wildflowers, turning her gaze toward him with a carefully controlled expression.
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