The woman I could see through the [Gentleman Thief]'s 'Far Sight' skill had long, flowing light-purple hair, and her face, shadowed by sorrow, was truly beautiful — the very image of a sheltered noble lady.
Except she was wearing a transparent collar of subjugation.
When I looked again with [Divine Eye], the woman resolved into Lady Katarina.
You've got to be kidding me.
A slave collar on a married-off noblewoman? That was completely outside the aristocratic norms I knew.
Surely they hadn't put this collar on her just to cloud her judgment... No, that couldn't be it.
I didn't fully understand the situation, but this looked like it could be the breakthrough I needed.
Before getting close to her, I'd have Alisa use [Reverse].
It would cause all sorts of problems if a man approached her.
While I was at it, I'd change into a maid outfit... Oh, right, all I have is the Ironclad Maid Outfit.
The maid outfit made of mysterious material whose skirt absolutely would not flip up — obtained by reversing armor I'd scavenged from a junk shop.
What on earth was the creator thinking when they made this?
Maybe somewhere out there, there really was an incredibly powerful battle maid.
◇◇◇
"Lady Katarina, staying outside for too long will be hard on your health."
Disguised as Alisa, I teleported quietly to Lady Katarina's side and called out to her.
"Oh my, I'm sorry for making you worry. I suppose I should head back soon... No, wait — this is odd. This area should have been cleared of people. Come to think of it, I don't recognize you. Are you a new maid? But a new maid wouldn't be allowed in here."
She'd already figured it out.
Can't be helped — I didn't know the first thing about being a maid.
Well then, before she made a scene, I'd force my way into the real topic.
"Lady Katarina, would you like me to remove that collar for you?"
"! ............"
Lady Katarina's eyes went wide in shock, her mouth opening and closing wordlessly.
Ah, so she'd been restricted from speaking about the collar.
Sorry, but if she couldn't make a sound, that was actually convenient for me.
"May I remove it?"
Lady Katarina couldn't speak, but she gave a small, barely perceptible nod.
"Then — [Unlock Slave]."
And just like that, the invisible collar of subjugation vanished.
"......Oh, the collar is gone? I can speak again! I don't know who you are, but I'm truly grateful. ...Would you mind telling me your name?"
"Um, please don't be alarmed — I'm Ali... no, Alan."
With that, I used [Reverse] to restore my gender to normal.
My business here was done, and there was unlikely to be any commotion, so it was fine to go back to being male.
"My goodness, you're a boy? You looked nothing but a tomboyish girl to me..."
Ah, right — I was still wearing the maid outfit.
"I was just being careful with my disguise. But inside, I'm still a man. My name is Alan, an Orichalcum-rank adventurer. Lady Katarina."
"An adventurer, you say? Is this a commission, then? From my father?"
"Not exactly... well, how should I put this... it's more for my own sake. But if you'd like, I can take you to Lord Arkham right now. What would you prefer?"
"This is... almost too convenient for me. But the collar does seem to be truly gone... Is this some kind of dream?"
Ugh, she was getting suspicious in a bad way.
Was there anything I could show to prove my identity?
...Nope. The only thing I had was my adventurer's guild card.
"Excuse me, Lady Katarina — would you mind giving me a little of your time?"
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Skills: [Reverse] [Divine Eye] [Sword God] [Fist God] [Spear God] [Scorching Magic] [Frost Magic] [Clear Gale Magic] [Rock Iron Magic] [Holy Magic] [Dark Magic] [Space-Time Magic] [Thunder God Sword] [Gentleman Thief] [Ninja Master] [Truth Seeker] [Monstrous Force] [Swift Runner] [Pain Dampening] [Complete Status Ailment Resistance] [Dark Spirit's Protection] [Super Intuition] [Heaven's Gate] [Abyss Contract] [Magic Hand] [Treasure Search] [Seduction] [Incitement] [Tele-Mesmerism] [Eloquence] [Strong Luck] [Tenfold Growth Speed] [Growth Limit Breakthrough]
Rank: Orichalcum