Chapter 53: A Staged Encounter
Half an hour earlier, not far from Novarian’s current location, Arthur stood tall with an extremely serious expression on his face. As with his previous trip into the forest, he wore a black cloak that concealed his body, and in his right hand he carried the wooden mask, now slightly charred from what had happened the last time.
Laid out before him on the ground was a clean noble’s outfit, sky blue in color and adorned with golden trim. Beside the outfit sat a small barrel half-filled with Beast Lure
Arthur stared at the items with a complicated expression before sighing.
"These clothes are a bit ugly, but they’ll do. That Duncan has no sense of fashion."
There hadn’t been any especially elegant outfits that met Arthur’s strict requirements. Even after rummaging through all the castle’s wardrobes, this was the best he found—the very one Duncan used to wear to formal banquets.
’I’d normally say this doesn’t matter, but unfortunately, it does. That bastard Novarian still respects nobles deeply at this stage. If I look appropriately dignified, it’ll make talking to him easier... not to mention his annoying skill, which is the reason I have to go through all this.’
Without delay, he placed the mask over his face, hiding his features and giving himself a mysterious appearance. Then, with swift and methodical movements, he grabbed the Beast Lure from the barrel and sprayed it all over the noble outfit in front of him. His actions were swift and strange, but he didn’t stop there. As soon as he was finished, he stripped off his own clothes and removed the mask, then stored everything—including the Beast Lure —inside his Dimensional Storage.
Immediately after, he put on the noble outfit and added a few golden accessories to enhance the noble image. He also exposed the Fake Noble Seal, the pendant bearing the sigil of House Ravenshade. He adjusted his hairstyle slightly, even though the hair on the left side of his head was still awkwardly short. Within minutes, he had transformed into a picture of elegance and wealth.
To perfect his performance, he stood with a proud posture and wore an arrogant expression.
After a few moments of acting the part, he chuckled softly.
’I really don’t think this role suits me.’