NOVEL NEXT Chapter 93
Game logic allowance can sometimes have a significant impact on the story.
For example, when a cutscene starts, you clearly don’t have a weapon in your hand, but strangely, when you enter battle, you whip out a weapon from thin air.
The problem is that there’s no setting for this. If only there was a scabbard on your waist, at least it’d register as being drawn from there, but instead, you just pull the sword out of nowhere.
Well, it’s not like there’s a four-dimensional pocket or anything. Characters in this game are always supposed to have weapons, and they aren’t restricted by their outfits, whether they’re wearing school uniforms, dresses, or even swimsuits.
…Even if it’s a bunny girl outfit.
That’s right. Even Alice casually pulled out a weapon when the battle started.
But after ten years of living in this world and observing closely, I found that this just isn’t possible in reality.
To pull out a weapon, you naturally have to carry one first. If it’s large, there’s no way to hide it. Especially something like the two-handed sword Alice uses, which absolutely cannot be hidden under her clothes.
It was the same with the downscale revolver.
I thought about trying to find a smaller gun, like a derringer hidden under Mia Crowfield’s skirt, but even then, there was no place to conceal it in a bunny girl outfit.
Although I didn’t actually have a bunny girl outfit, just to try, I fashioned a paper replica to stuff between my breasts while wearing only underwear, but it was incredibly uncomfortable and honestly, it was just visible.
It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but even with my small chest, it was obvious. Alice looked to have a similar size, so hiding any weapon there would certainly be difficult.
I even pondered if I could hide something in the tail of the bunny girl outfit, but if something went off accidentally, I might lose my pelvis, so I decided against it. Even if I can turn back time, I’d rather not suffer something horrible.
…Besides, wearing a bunny girl outfit means someone is definitely going to grope me, and then the hidden item would be discovered, too. Just standing still, it would droop down due to the weight.
After thinking about all this, I reached a single conclusion.
I had to sort things out before becoming a bunny girl.
If I could just extract reliable information about the infiltrating church knight, that would be a successful mission, wouldn’t it?
And besides, I had already identified where the church knight was located.
…It was evidently the green-haired woman seen after serving the guests, sitting in the dining hall.
She was indeed the church knight.
*
Bella probably knows too.
In the game, the Papal State doesn’t show up lightly, but the Emperor is a character watching over things more.
Even possessing the prophecy book, he’s the type to dig up info directly rather than rely solely on the prophecies, so the Papal State was caught flat-footed instead. Well, the Papal State in the game was never a charming faction, so I didn’t feel much emotion about that.
The Emperor probably had identified not only that a church knight was infiltrated here but also “who” infiltrated, sending Bella on the task. That was how it was in the original work.
If a woman is wandering alone late at night around the casino, just that thought could sound a bit dangerous, but in reality, it wasn’t. Perhaps because they modeled this place after Las Vegas, the security in this area was superior to other regions.
Even at midnight, the surroundings were brightly lit, and I spotted knights roaming about sporadically. Not only that, among the civilians, there would surely be soldiers from this territory mixed in too.
Nothing would hurt a tourist more than having their belongings stolen in a tourist destination. If that money ends up in the hands of undesirables, tourists wouldn’t spend their cash, and it spreads undesirable rumors.
The servants working here don’t get special protection but, when seen from the perspective of ‘tourists,’ they receive quite stable protection from the territory. That’s how they ensure the tourists come back.
So, as long as I was dressed like a tourist, there was no way I’d face harm from anyone.
Emerging from the brightly lit hotel, as I passed through the bustling streets filled with tourists heading to the casino, couples and drunken individuals were joyfully enjoying the sleepless city.
There were folks with bunny girls or waitresses, and even some middle-aged women were accompanied by tall, handsome young men.
While it might not be quite as extreme as Sodom and Gomorrah, it definitely carried an atmosphere that felt rather morally bankrupt, especially judged by the standard of the early 20th century’s worldview.
I passed a slightly alcohol-scented street until I reached the casino entrance.
The individuals in black suits and top hats on either side of the entrance merely glanced at me but didn’t block my way. It was probably because I was a woman and a guest. A place where all kinds of wealthy people gather will undoubtedly have many young women coming and going alone.
Moreover, I didn’t even bring a gun. To the onlookers, I likely wasn’t perceived as dangerous.
Without hesitating, I walked into the casino.
The brilliant golden light filled my vision.
…It was flashy.
Way more glamorous than what I had seen in the game. Well, that’s to be expected; the graphics in that game were limited due to development capabilities.
Even so, the casino’s layout seemed quite similar to what I had seen in the game.
If that was the case, then the place where the church knight was too would probably be similar.
I headed up the stairs directly. Inside the dazzling building devoid of windows and clocks, people were bustling around. Are there really this many wealthy people in the world? It made sense, considering the reputation of this place wasn’t just known within the Empire; it attracted wealthy folks from around the world.
In a place like this, what a bunny girl does is nothing major. They just circulate between the guests, handing out drinks and collecting tips.
Tips mostly go into the space between their breasts.
“……”
Thinking back, that was dizzying.
I hurried my steps and went up to the second floor.
I quickly spotted the distinctive green hair again.
Her expression was strikingly different than the one I had seen in the morning. She wore a bright smile on her face, with her skin sparkling as if glitter had been sprinkled on it, proudly showing it off to the guests. Her cropped hair shone, making her look healthy.
“Oh my, thank you!”
Seeing that woman, who pushed her hips back and coyly thrust her breasts forward, I almost lost my senses again.
So, I was almost wandering around looking like that?
…I should quickly get that information and wrap this up.
I walked directly toward where she was located.
The young woman who had been taking tips from a drunken man looked up, and our eyes met for a brief moment. A flicker of surprise crossed her face before she playfully grinned at me.
That smile didn’t sit well with me.
But it wasn’t like I could just turn around without a word. I mean, why did I come all this way?
“Excuse me, dear guest, but as a devout follower of the Goddess, I cannot accept female guests, though I do not deny same-sex relationships.”
As I approached without averting my gaze, she spoke in a bouncy tone.
She probably already knew my identity. Who wouldn’t act so disrespectful to someone sent in place of the Pope from Velbur? Besides, she wrecked my plan entirely.
The warning probably had gone out long ago.
“……”
Silently, I took out a folded check from my pocket. Holding it up where the number ’30’ was written on it, I poked the folded check lightly against her breasts.
Of course, I was careful not to let my fingers touch her.
…Though honestly, it wouldn’t really matter if they did, but it just felt a bit wrong.
“……”
Seeing the check suddenly poking into her chest, the green-haired woman blinked several times, then beamed a wide smile at me. But her eyes behind the mask didn’t seem to share that happiness.
“Well, since you’ve given me so much, we can’t just skip chatting now, can we? Shall we go somewhere quiet?”
Seeing me nod silently, she turned around and began to walk away.
I followed her without a word.