The Preparation and the Pure White

I felt sick to my stomach imagining what might be inside that box.

John also spoke with a darkened face, understanding the implication of what Judas was trying to say.

“So even a man who designs strategies to kill thousands without blinking has a heart.”

After that, I sat by the window and watched various groups of people cross the training grounds.

No one caught my eye as much as that first man, but none of them looked happy.

I suppose that is only natural, considering a Demon King is being summoned.

“By the way, none of you seem particularly scared for people who are about to go fight a Demon King. Aren’t you afraid?”

“I am a knight who has offered my crystal to the state, regardless of how I appear.”

I looked at Simon, surprised by his unhesitating answer.

“You actually have a side to you that is like a real knight.”

“What is with that reaction?”

“Anyway.”

As Simon and I bickered as usual, the solemn Levi spoke up.

“Since only His Highness stands in the position to truly confront the Demon King, the knights have nothing to fear. Why should those whose crystals are in a safe place feel terror?”

I stared intently at Simon.

Simon avoided my eyes.

“Wait… what happens if Azrael fails? Is there a backup plan?”

“We create a new weapon. Since the Commander would have failed, ordinary knights would then step forward to use it. Until the Demon King is subjugated.”

“Until the Demon King is subjugated.”

The phrasing felt strangely familiar, and I chewed on those words repeatedly.

Challenging again and again, over and over, until the Demon King is defeated….

It sounds just like a quest.

I had heard the final strategy meeting would take place in about two days, but the progress of the Demon King’s summoning was slower than expected.

It was not until two days after that original deadline that the meeting was finally confirmed.

Once the date was set, I became serious.

…What on earth am I going to wear?

My current clothes were far too exotic, and if I borrowed clothes from the other knights, I would be wearing a uniform I did not officially belong to.

When I shrieked about why all the clothes they brought were uniforms, the knights reacted as if it were the most natural thing in the world—they were knights, after all.

And Azrael’s clothes… well, those were royal garments.

If Azrael offered me his clothes, I would honestly want to accept them in a heartbeat, but his garments had the royal crest engraved on every single button.

I had a vivid premonition that if I wore them, rumors would spread across the continent about a beautiful man favored by the Prince appearing at the strategy meeting.

“Can I not borrow clothes from the servants or attendants?”

“…If you wish to give the impression that a servant or attendant dared to participate in the final strategy meeting for the Demon King’s subjugation, I won’t stop you. Actually, I would stop you for the sake of His Highness’s honor.”

“But I cannot go wearing this…….”

I was nearly in tears.

If I walked into the meeting hall with a black hood pulled low, people would honestly think I was an assassin.

Would I not be the first person suspected if anything happened?

On the other hand, my cosmetic gear was way too flashy.

Not only did it look unimaginably expensive, but most of the designs looked completely out of place here.

To top it off, I had dyed all my clothes a shimmering, pure white.

My clothes were a vivid white with a faint radiance that never stained—they looked almost otherworldly.

…How was I supposed to know my cosmetic gear would affect a quest?

It is irritating enough when other players judge my look, but why do NPCs have to judge it too?

Even so, I did not want to dye my clothes another color.

Shimmering pure white is a rare dye that has only been released a few times, so it is quite expensive.

Even for me, my hands trembled at the thought of overwriting such a color for a temporary event.

“If I start making clothes now, I think I can make it in time…….”

“You know how to make clothes too?”

“The thing is, I do not know if any of the designs I can craft are similar to the clothes in this world.”

I knitted my brows.

“I did not want to resort to this, but I am going to need your help. You guys have been in the palace for a long time, so you have good taste, right? Pick out some decent, ordinary clothes for me to wear.”

Saying that, I whipped out a massive scroll-style catalogue containing every piece of clothing I could craft.

The giant scroll rolled across the floor with a loud thud.

It rolled until it hit the wall and finally stopped.

Since I was making them anyway, I wanted to craft gear with high stats, so I rolled past the low-level sections and spread out the high-level gear in front of the knights.

The knights looked dazed by the sheer size of the scroll before huddling around it as if on cue.

“This outfit looks simple yet dignified.”

“Is that not a bit too old-fashioned? I think something like this would suit him better.”

Perhaps it was because they usually only wore uniforms, but the knights engaged in a passionate debate….

The outfit finally chosen by the knights was a loose, sensible long coat, plain black trousers, and black boots.

“It would be best if all the clothes were black, but just in case, they should not be the exact same shade as ours. Our dye is difficult for ordinary people to obtain, so your background would be questioned.”

“You guys are really picky….”

I grumbled as I pulled a cloth from my inventory that was not pitch black but closer to black than gray.

A few sub-materials were missing from my inventory, so I would have to craft them from scratch, but I felt reassured knowing the main fabric was ready.

When I touched the chalk to the fabric and drew roughly, the system automatically created patterns to match the clothes I intended to craft.

The knights seemed to think I was designing the pattern in one go, as even the calm Judas let out a sound of admiration.

I felt like I was performing a magic show.

I unconsciously got excited and cut the fabric with dramatic gestures as if I were casting a spell.

The knights held their breath and focused on my movements.

When I switched my profession to Blacksmith to craft the metallic accessories, they almost forgot to blink, completely entranced.

By the time Azrael returned to my room, the knights looked like people addicted to television.

It was no wonder, as they had been watching me for three hours without a break.

Azrael unconsciously took a step back.

“Ah, welcome back, Prince!”

When Azrael arrived, the clothes had already begun to take shape.

At my greeting, Azrael stepped heavily toward my side.

“Andrealphus, what were you doing to make the knights focus so intensely?”

“Ah, I was making some clothes.”

Azrael nodded as if he understood.

Though he did not show it, my clothes must have bothered him as well.

“I see the new clothes are black.”

He asked while looking casually at the fabric.

I nodded without much thought.

“That is a shame. You look best in the white you always wear.”

Azrael spoke while fiddling with the fabric as if he truly felt regret.

“Prince….”

A sound close to a sigh escaped my throat.

Seriously, truly, did the developers of Knights of Dark Ages not feel their consciences prickling when they gave this personality to a non-romanceable NPC?

Was Azrael’s AI not actually swapped with another romanceable NPC?

I nodded to myself, convinced my delusions were plausible, and barely managed to continue.

“…I also really like the color of the clothes I usually wear, but they are too conspicuous, so I was making something to wear for a little while.”

Azrael smiled brightly.

“You definitely look best in pure white, but it makes me happy to think you will be wearing a color similar to mine, even if only for a moment. It makes me feel as if… we belong to the same Knight Order.”

“Well, they are not the exact same color. It is not hard to dye them a similar shade, but they won’t look like they were dyed with the same material, and they say it is expensive in this world….”

“What does it matter? They look similar enough. Look at this.”

Azrael laughed and held my unfinished clothes against his armor.

His cheerful appearance made me laugh in spite of myself.

Because I had raised my non-combat stats too high, they did not look similar at all to my eyes, but since he said so, I felt like they might be.

What did it matter? If my favorite character said so, then it was so.

I found it funny to realize that if he told me black was white, I might have actually believed the colors were the same.

“Yes, you are right. They are a similar color to yours, Prince.”

When I giggled, Azrael laughed along with me.

It was a peaceful moment that felt like a stark contrast to the darkness outside the window.

The clothes took shape fairly quickly, but the process of imbuing them with stats took a frustratingly long time, as always.

Crafting items for max-level players is difficult, and the task of calculating and inserting the right stats is just as tedious.

Usually, I felt motivated when crafting on commission because I got paid well, but I lacked motivation when making my own clothes.

No money was coming in, the design was not one I liked, and it was not like I could upgrade my stats much….

I finished the outfit at the last minute, like cramming for an exam right before the meeting time, and only then did a thought occur to me as I nudged the knights.

“I do not know anything about the etiquette here. What should I do?”