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Chapter 16
A Different Class of ‘Disguise’
“Alright, let’s stay here tonight, then disguise ourselves tomorrow morning and head into the castle.”
After leaving Carapedon, which lay northeast in the Kedem Empire and relatively closer to Acticos, Himena and Lois rode for over half a day before unpacking their things at an inn near Marquis Thermos’s castle.
“No matter how much I think about it, I just don’t get it, my lady.”
As they secured a room and began sorting through their luggage, Lois started grumbling again.
“What now?”
“Why are you so obsessed with becoming a knight? A knighthood isn’t even higher than a ladyship. Why go through all this hardship, staying in some strange shabby place, just to chase after it?”
“I told you. I have my own dream too. I want to know if my swordsmanship is truly good enough to be recognized as a knight, if I really have the ability to found a knight order. I want official acknowledgment. And if, as you say, I pass and get to learn swordsmanship directly from Marquis Thermos, we could use that foundation to set up a branch in our territory. The Red Moon Knight Order’s Carapedon Branch, the Blue Mold Knight Order! How’s that sound?”
“Tch… Don’t lie. I’m not that dense, my lady.”
“Lie? What do you mean?”
Lois narrowed his eyes, giving her a suspicious look.
“Be honest. You still haven’t gotten over the marquis, right? That’s it, isn’t it?”
“What? Hey, what nonsense are you spouting? If I still had feelings for him, would I have gone to that noisy banquet just to publicly clear things up?”
“Eh, but thinking of it that way, it all fits. Take that banquet—wasn’t it less about ‘public clarification’ and more about provoking the marquis’s jealousy? That’s why you purposely chose that pale constable to go to the balcony with. And then the marquis even sent you flowers, didn’t he? See? Fits perfectly.”
Smack!
“Ow! Why’d you hit me?”
“To knock some sense into that thick skull of yours, obviously!”
“Tch… You’re just flustered ‘cause I hit the nail on the head…”
“Absolutely not!”
Himena raised her hand to smack him again but stopped herself.
Sigh… Fine, what would he know? That a true hero always hides their identity and sacrifices themselves for the greater good. Not that I knew either… that the path of a hero would be so lonely… so isolating… haaa…
Seeing her sigh so heavily, Lois felt a twinge of guilt.
“Cheer up. That’s what unrequited love is like. Tough. But someday, someone will understand your—”
Smack!
“Ow!”
“I said that’s not it!”
“Quit hitting me! My head’s gonna grow huge at this rate!”
“Quiet. Just practice what I taught you.”
“Still, why do I have to disguise myself too? Even change my name?”
“Think, dummy. We made a huge fuss at the Empress’s birthday party, boasting about being the Blue Mold Knight Order. Do you think Marquis Thermos wouldn’t remember? He hates me. He knows you’re my escort knight. What if he spots you and says, ‘Huh? What’s that mold doing here?’ and tosses you out?”
“…Ah. When you put it that way… yeah, that’d be bad.”
“Exactly. So put on this wig and practice your new name until it feels natural.”
Himena pulled out two short blonde wigs and handed one to Lois.
“Isn’t this too flashy?”
“Didn’t I tell you? The marquis loves blondes. He goes wild at the sight of them… ahem. Anyway, we have to make it into the final ten no matter what. Skill isn’t enough—we’ll use any edge we can get. No whining. Put it on.”
Lois, originally with short gray hair, slipped the wig on easily. Himena carefully bundled her long brown hair up, tucking every stray strand away before donning hers.
“Oh? Lois, that suits you! You look like a young nobleman!”
“R-really? Heh. Well, I’ve often been told I could look refined if I actually dressed up.”
“How about me? Do I look like a man?”
“My lady… like that, you look exactly like a spoiled young master who never listens.”
“What?”
“Eek!” Lois quickly shielded his head from another smack.
“Good. Then step one, appearance, is a success. Hm… no, something’s still missing…”
She rummaged through her bag, grabbed some makeup, and drew a big black mole under her lip.
“Yes! Now it feels different! Come here, Lois. You get one too.”
She marked a mole next to his eye.
“Perfect! Now for names!”
“What should we pick?”
“Didn’t you prepare one already?”
“No, nothing came to mind…”
“Alright then… Lois… Luwis… Lurox… Lorux… Lorex… Rolex… Ooh! Rolex! Fancy, classy!”
“Rolex? Hm… I like it. Sounds good. What about you, my lady?”
“Me? Let’s see. Himena… Hemena… Hermena… Hermes… Oh! Hermes! Perfect! Sounds luxurious, like Hermès!”
“Nice! Hermes it is!”
“Right? Rolex and Hermes! Amazing how a name change makes us sound like designer brands!”
Her eyes sparkled with self-satisfaction.
“So, what’s next?”
“Now our backstory. Lois, where did you say you were from?”
“Anatole.”
“Right. Childhood friends from Anatole, grew up together. Brothers in all but blood! I’m the older brother, you’re the younger.”
“Eh, but looking at us, you seem younger. You’re shorter.”
“Does height decide age now? No. I’m seven years older than you!”
“What? I thought you were twenty-three?”
“Oh? Y-yeah. Twenty-three…”
“You lied about your age? By four years? Ha, no wonder—”
“No wonder what? I am twenty-three! Just got confused from hitting my head earlier!”
“…Yes, yes. Lady Hermes.”
Smack!
“Ow!”
“Brother Hermes! From now on, treat me like a man, your brother! Got it? Call me!”
“…Yes, Brother Hermes.”
Lois rubbed his sore head, sulking.
“Good. Don’t forget, Brother Rolex. Our real identities must never be discovered. Understood?”
“Wale, what have you learned about House Sylvester?”
On the morning of the Red Moon Knight Order’s entrance exam, Cailian received his secretary’s report in his office.
“Yes, Commander. Just as you suspected, things have changed. The duke left for a villa in Anatole on the southern continent right after the Empress’s birthday banquet. Supposedly his health suddenly worsened and he went there to recuperate. Since then, Lady Himena has been managing the Carapedon domain entirely. But… something seems off.”
“What do you mean, off?”
“She drastically lowered taxes, began relief efforts for the poor, and frequently visits the domain herself. As a result, the people are praising her more and more.”
“Hm… sounds like she’s preparing to inherit the family headship.”
“That’s how it appears.”
“A lady once obsessed with parties and men suddenly turning into a respected domain ruler… odd indeed. But will that greedy Duke Sylvester really hand over the family so easily? Has she contacted us at all? Asked for visits, anything?”
“She too left yesterday morning with only her escort knight, heading to the duke’s villa in Anatole. She claimed it was to nurse him. Perhaps his condition suddenly worsened. Maybe that’s why succession is being rushed.”
“Did the duke have any chronic illness?”
“No reports of that. Nor do his retainers seem concerned.”
“Hm. Puzzling. Keep watching. And the entrance exam—running smoothly?”
“Yes, Commander. Applications are still being accepted until noon, then matches will start this afternoon.”
“Good. Once some are filtered out, I’ll go to the training grounds myself.”
“Understood.”
“Wow, so this is Marquis Thermos’s castle!”
Himena, clutching her application, looked up in awe at the towering walls. Passing through the open gates, she found an entire village inside—lord’s palace, homes, a marketplace, and a central plaza with the dueling arena ready for the exam.
Unlike castles built around walls, this had started as a village, then high walls were raised around it, making it into a small fortified city.
“Line up! Line up!”
Following the crowd toward the recruitment tent, Himena was stunned to see the sheer number of applicants.
“Eek! Rolex! Were there always this many? How many are here?”
Caught between burly men, she craned her neck and tiptoed nervously.
“I told you, Brother Hermes. Joining the Red Moon Knight Order is every knight’s dream. Looks like over five hundred here.”
“F-five hundred?! I thought maybe a hundred at most! And they’re only picking ten?”
“Yes. So steel yourself.”
While Lois remained calm, Himena muttered in growing panic:
“Surely most of them are nobodies. Ten out of five hundred… that’s just beating fifty people each. I can do this!”
Adjusting her wig firmly and patting her tightly bound chest with confidence, she strode into the tent.
What she didn’t know was that five hundred applied today alone—and another five hundred had already registered yesterday. In total, one thousand applicants awaited.
