Ardyn stood hesitantly, wondering how this would even work.
It was a banquet. How else could he blend in except by wearing fancy clothes?
Maybe there’s something I’m missing here?
Ansel approached him at that moment, staring at his hair, his eyes, every inch of his facial features as though he were memorizing them. His expression was serious and thoughtful.
Then, he started rummaging inside his bag.
“The two of us will be in charge of your style,” Evan said as he stepped forward, holding what seemed to be cosmetics in his hand.
“Are those makeup?” Ardyn asked in disbelief. “Wait, that’s the disguise?”
For a moment, he had thought there would be magic involved, like a spell that would change his appearance in an instant. Things like that.
Or maybe he just had an overactive imagination.
Evan nodded. “You’ll be posing as one of my royal friends from the Sapphire Kingdom,” he explained. “The nobility don’t dress down during events like this. They usually style themselves more elaborately. Your outfit is great, but you need to do something with your face. It’s too plain for royal standards.”
“Oh.” Ardyn’s brow furrowed. It made sense. Maybe.
Obviously, the culture was different here. The nobility probably enjoyed flaunting their wealth and appearance which set them apart from the commoners. They had ‘standards’ to uphold, basically.
But that was fine. If all he had to do to survive this night was pretend to be a noble, then that was good enough for him.
“Then I guess you’re good at makeup?” Ardyn asked conversationally.
Evan chuckled. “I think I’m decent enough. My fiancée would often ask me to style her all the time!”
“Your fiancée? Oh, right. You’re getting married.”
“You’ll get to meet her later. She’s also one of my Guardians. Unfortunately, she’s very busy, so she can’t come to participate in this discussion.”
While Evan was talking, he gently applied makeup on Ardyn’s face, accentuating his eyes with a soft, smoky look. The other Guardians, having lost interest, currently went over their plan a few more times, making sure that there were no loopholes.
Meanwhile, Ansel was done finding what he needed. He approached Ardyn with what seemed to be a masquerade mask, a comb, a bottle, and a hair extension.
Evan noticed the confused look in Ardyn’s eyes and clarified, “Ansel’s the one we usually send out for covert operations, so he has a variety of disguises ready inside his bag.”
“Gotta be ready anytime, right?” Ansel said with a pleased smile.
“I see…” Ardyn tried not to move too much in order to lessen the trouble for Evan.
The process took a while. Maybe about ten or fifteen minutes. Ardyn wasn’t really counting.
Evan’s eyes were narrowed in concentration as he focused on applying the makeup. Ansel, on the other hand, brought out a few more things and inspected Ardyn’s outfit, presumably to choose complementary colors for each item.
Covert operations? Ardyn wondered in his head. The term stuck with him somehow.
What kind of work do they do that requires such missions?
When Evan finally finished, Ansel stepped in, holding something in his hand. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a stylish half-mask with intricate designs. He handed it to Ardyn with a smile.
Ardyn wordlessly took it from him and waited while Ansel began to comb his hair into a sleek, side-parted style. After it was neatly groomed, he attached the extension in the back like a low ponytail, then brought it in front of Ardyn’s shoulder.
He made a gesture, and Ardyn nodded before promptly pulling the half-mask over his head. Ansel stepped back to examine the entire appearance, then nodded in satisfaction.
“Okay, I’m done!” he exclaimed, turning to his fellow Guardians. “What do you guys think?”
Clay raised his head, observed for a moment, then gave a thumbs-up.
“Great idea with the half-mask,” Gideon remarked.
“Yes. A subtle camouflage is better,” Mathias said with a nod. “This way, he won’t draw too much attention, and he would also blend in with the royal crowd.”
“Okay, now that that’s done, we should also start making the preparations,” Clay said as he stood up. “Remember, evacuation routes remain the same as before. But this time, we need to tell the soldiers to forget traveling through the seas. We’ll have to leave the ships here.”
“The seas?” Ardyn questioned, puzzled. “Why not?”
“Because the sealing crystal rests up there in the skies,” Clay answered. “Angelbay City is mostly surrounded by water. Traveling on ships would mean suicide, especially once the Calamity emerges from the depths of the ocean.”
“Since your arrival, the waters have been disturbed,” Gideon explained further. “The monster’s impending return might trigger seismic activity in the seas. The waves and the earthquakes are unpredictable, so it’s too risky.”
Ardyn repressed a shudder as he imagined a giant demon stepping out from under the seas.
“So naval routes are out of the question,” Ardyn stated for clarification.
Evan nodded. “The last Calamity attack was three years ago. Unfortunately, it’ll take some time to restore the resources and transportation that were damaged in the ruins back then. But we still have many wagons and caravans in the city as well as in various shelters around the island, so they might be enough for all the people here.”
“We will also ask our allies in the Sapphire Kingdom for help,” Mathias added. “The Prince has already prepared everything needed to send messages and alerts.”
“It’s a shame though,” Evan said with a shake of his head. “We could’ve created a large enough vehicle in a few more years to accommodate more people to transport, but it’s far too late now. We’ll have to make do with what we currently have.”
“Don’t you guys have airships or something?” Ardyn asked curiously.
“Airships? Ah… You mean the ones the Emerald Kingdom uses for emergency purposes?” Gideon spoke up. “Those would be nice to have. Unfortunately, the people there like to keep their fantastic little inventions to themselves. Their leader is quite paranoid.”
“Gideon,” Mathias said. There was a strange note to his voice. It was almost as if he was giving a subtle warning.
Gideon raised his hands in a form of surrender. “I’m not criticizing him in any way! Just saying…”
Mathias sighed. “Let’s not talk about the Emerald Kingdom anymore. Ardyn can read about all the history between the four kingdoms another day.”
Ardyn glanced at him, unable to hide his surprise.
This was the first time that Mathias called him by his name. And so casually, too.
Perhaps it was accidental. Perhaps it was progress.
Either way, it felt… nice.