Chapter 83
After watching the opera at the indoor theater, we prepared to return as my embarrassment lingered . A sudden call from the guard outside was heard .
“Shaft, there are people here who want to see you . ”
The guest room door opened slightly as the guard peeked in . Someone wanted to see me? Within the capital, the only other person I knew here was Marida . This was Duke Balga’s room, should I leave this to him? If I tell them I have a quest, they’ll probably let me see them . Though, right now, I’m supposed to be Laptiricisama’s escort . Just to confirm, I asked her and the duke if it were alright .
They both agreed with me – nodding slightly – so I left Ashley in charge for a short while before I headed out into the hallway . When I walked out, I saw a man in a black tailcoat . He looked like a white barrel with that much belly fat…
“Ooh! Are you the one known as Black Shaft?”
“That’s right . So you need something?”
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“That was rude of me . I’m Frank, the director of the First Theater . ”
The reason why Frank, the director, had come to see me was probably just to give a polite greeting . Maybe talk of the protagonist and the theatrical transformation . In this world, things like copyright and portrait rights seems immature . The names of the characters in tonight’s play were not pseudonyms, but their real names . However, this didn’t particularly affect me, as I was not of this world . For those who lived here and within the kingdom, it was a great honor to have their story told in a play .
Also, Frank didn’t ask for permission, but to continue the play . Please do your best! That’s how the whole story went…
The next day was a rest day . Lapitiricisama spent the day slowly and would be leaving for the capital tomorrow morning to head towards Veneer . As for me… I am also free with nothing to do . I am an escort, so I couldn’t leave her . I couldn’t go anywhere aside from my room, the living room, or the waiting room . While there are things I want to do, I just can’t .
Shooting practice .
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Aiming was different for each person . I felt that if I couldn’t practice every day, especially after three, my abilities would drop . I felt dull for three days and even if I mentioned it, there was no way for me to open fire in the mansion . VMB was able to move a player from their space into a private range to practice . Even if I activate the TSS and move to the private range, I couldn’t use up my ammo .
It couldn’t be helped . I asked Ashley, who was in her room, to tell Laptiricisama that I’d be going to look around the mansion .
The mansion was surrounded by greenery with some of the gardens home to tall trees . That was where I was headed off to . As I walked outside, I zoomed in on the map on my screen to look for anything suspicious nearby . I also looked for a spot where the trees would create a blind spot to the mansion . Luckily, I found a place, but I had another problem . I didn’t have a target . There was no way I could shoot the trees on the property .
I activated the TSS and searched my inventory . I then pulled out a bulletproof vest type 2 . This was the one adopted by the Japan Ground and Air Self Defense Forces . The latest was the type 3, but for now, I took out the type 2 and hung its green coloring on a fallen tree branch and positioned it so .
Now, I only had to shoot . I took out the Welrod and its reticle appeared over the small protruding piece of metal that was its equivalent ironsight . I relaxed my posture and pointed the pistol downward, aiming . Hold, release, hold release, and repeated over and over again . I made sure that I could require the target easily . Next was the actual live-fire . Teaching the body to adapt to the recoil, how the crosshairs spread, and their characteristics . And after an hour, I ended my shooting practice .
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For tomorrow, I’ll have to focus more .
I didn’t know how the Dark Guild assassins would move . If they’d attack before we left the capital or after, or even before we left the mansion . There were many possible attack points . I considered using the T-UGs I’d installed around the mansion grounds in Veneer as I recovered them .
The next day, there were four carriages including Duke Balga’s carriage . His own guards were escorting us to the east of the Capital where the road to Veneer was located . It took five days by carriage to reach our destination . The route followed the highway with its rest areas . The soldiers themselves would escort us and the servants to the city . From there, I would be the escort . The duke also had a village in the city, but he wouldn’t be accompanying us, so we wouldn’t be using it . Instead, we would have a different but still luxurious place .
The schedule was to depart from the capital, travel five days to Veneer . We’d stay for three days, participate in a few events . From there, we’d make the five-day journey back . And then the most important time . The banquet at the Royal Castle . For the first time, we’d see the third prince of the kingdom .
After confirming the schedule without our escort, we moved onward .
After five days, we hadn’t encountered any problems . At the end of the highway, we saw the entertainment city of Veneer… However, the scenery of the city was a completely different atmosphere from that of the Royal Capital . There were no labyrinths around here, the reason was unknown, or maybe it was just a coincidence . Well, it was a fact that there were no labyrinths around the city . Although there seemed to be several to the east and north, the city hadn’t been attacked by monsters for a long time . So they were probably far off .
The city lacked a large defensive wall, and you could see a short fence erected to protect the city . Around that, we entered the residential area where houses were lined up . Although, I wasn’t sure if they were really houses . The slums were so bad that you couldn’t even see the roads properly .
Veneer started off as an outpost, but nobles discovered that it rarely suffered monster attacks . They started to build villas and dance halls one after another, then luxurious hotels for other nobles to stay at . One after another, amusement facilities were established to lure more nobles and merchants . Veneer never had any specialty to start out with . Over time, it became a playground for the rich and the poor alike . The Lord of Veneer who governed it, despite the widening disparity between the rich and poor, pursued his policies which resulted in what the city looked like today .
On the main street that led towards the city center, there were stone walls and gates, lower than that in the capital, but robust at that . From here onwards, we’d be in this so-called city of happiness that drowned in money .