CHAPTER 46: FORGED DRESS

XENON WINGATE

2 YEARS AGO

“My friend Xenon Wingate. Would you have the honor to join us at our dinner later?”

That’s what the bastard said. Me? Joining lunch with the person who killed and betrayed me? Don’t make me laugh! I’d rather dine with a demon rather than take up his ‘kind’ offer. If I’m going to dine with him, I’ll make sure that he won’t have any teeth to chew down his food.

My crossbow is pointed at him. Michael fucking Eldritch. Beside him are dragon knights and even Lothar Pendragon, and they are ready to shield their emperor before I fire my arrow. The joke is on them, though. My crossbow has the power of a rail gun, and it can pierce through multiple enemies without any problems. It can even pierce a dragon’s hide and armor. No matter what they do, killing Eldritch is already at my hand. 

All I need to do… is to pull the trigger.

“Senpai, stop!” Serena immediately grabbed my arm and redirected it away. I stopped trying to pull the bow’s trigger when it’s no longer aimed at Eldritch. “Senpai, this is not the right way of doing this! If you continue what you’re planning, innocent lives would be in peril!”

No! This ends here and now! I might end up dead after this, but I will kill him! That’s what I wanted to say to Serena. I wanted to argue and scold my dragonoid who keeps on trying to be a goody-shoe, but I can’t bring myself to it. I don’t want to have a quarrel with her, even though the purpose of my second life is to get my revenge.

However, looking at all logical conclusions, Serena is definitely right. If I kill the Emperor of Elysia right here and now, a world war would break out. Millions of humans and dragonoids would die just for the sake of my revenge. My friends Alphonse, Kevin, and Danielle, and more importantly, Serena would be caught up with extreme trouble and might end up dying for my own selfish ambitions. I’m not like Eldritch or Trystgade who uses lives as their pawns. 

“Senpai, please refrain from doing this. Please do it for me.” Serena hugged me.

I gave up on Serena’s calming words. I won’t kill that bastard here. I won’t kill them now. I will wait for the perfect day to slaughter them. Even if Eldritch and Trystgade are here, Cheng is not present. I won’t be able to execute that damned doctor if I manage to get my revenge on these two while dying in the process.

Suddenly, Emperor Elkyria joined the conversation. “Oh Sir Wingate, this will be a great opportunity for us. Our private conference with Emperor Eldritch will be conducted while we dine in the grand castle. It will be a great honor for both nations to have a majestic dragon knight like you to join us. It would be kind if you take up the offer of invitation coming from the Emperor of Elysia.”

Emperor Sirius Elkyria is a wise man. He has secret schemes on his own head, and there is no way you can read him. He must be planning something for the conference. His idea might prove useful to me.

“Fine. I’ll take up the offer.” I said with curled eyebrows. “But I will take my dragonoid Serena with me at that dinner.”

Hearing my words made Marisse Trystgade’s eyebrows irk. She must be irritated that his ex-boyfriend is already ‘hooking’ up with a celebrity girl.

“Oh, that is of no problem, my dear friend,” Eldritch said as he spread out his hand and made a genuine smile. “I’m glad that you didn’t let us down.”

This plastic bastard. I can’t stand the sight of him anymore, so I turned my back and walked away with my balled fists, going towards the arena’s backstage. Serena worriedly followed me like an obedient dog.

And thus, my blood pressure went low right after I left the scene. I immediately left the school, went to our apartment and jumped on my bed to sleep. It’s still noon, and there’s so much time left before dinner. Sleep is one of the best ways to relieve me from stress and frustration, which is only second to alcohol. I don’t want to resort to alcohol right now because Serena might scold me again.

It’s already afternoon when I woke up. Everything was colored orange in the bedroom, in the kitchen, in the dining room and even in the living room of our apartment. On the sofa, I saw my dragonoid Serena and her friend Z talking. Z seemed to have a colorful letter in her hand, and she gave it to Serena.

“Here. This is a formal invitation to the conference. The Emperor told me to deliver this to you.” Z said.

Serena took up the letter and read it out silently. Then, she exclaimed on one thing that is not supposed to be a big issue.

“The conference dinner will have a proper dress code?” Serena said. “So this is like a royal party or a ball?”

“Sure it is,” Z said. “You guys are so lucky. The castle rarely does such kinds of events, and you guys are invited. Do you have your suit and gown ready?”

“Nope~” Serena answered happily. Serena is telling the truth since she just got all our dresses hanging on our backyard, which are still wet. The weather is partly cloudy today, so our supposed clothes at the party didn’t dry out. And the offer for that dinner ball party is too sudden, so there is no way we could have prepared for that.

Renting a suit and a gown won’t make it in the time since most tailor shops do a made-to-order job. My dragon knight uniform can also serve as formal attire, but it got dirty during the battle earlier.

I guess I’ll just ditch the offer. I’m not fond of eating with my ex-bestfriend and ex-girlfriend anyway. I don’t like making fake faces while they go lovey-dovey during that dinner.

Suddenly, Serena hopped in joy and went in front of me. She pumped her fist and pressed her blushing face forward. She looks like an excited puppy wagging her tail for a treat.

“Don’t worry, Senpai! I got us covered!” Serena stood proud. Then, she put on her fingerless gloves and raised her index finger in the air. “Forge!”

Suddenly, sparks fly on Serena’s kimono and skirt. It slowly shaped itself into a long conservative white and blue princess nightgown with floral ornaments. She even has those high-heeled sandals that make her taller. She looked like a goddess bride with her new clothes.

Z and I stood flabbergasted, not knowing how to react. We’re so surprised that all of our brain cells went buffering. It took us about three seconds before I realized what was going on.

“You’re using Forge magic to change clothes?” I asked.

“Yep~” Serena blushed with a smile. “I always do this whenever I have a concert. Changing clothes between intermission numbers are quite of a hassle, so I just use my Forge magic to change the properties of the clothes I’m wearing and materialize something I have in my mind.”

That explains why she’s always wearing those Forging fingerless gloves I gave to her. She’s using it for her own convenience. And here I am, who despite mastering that Forge magic for about three years, is still struggling on wearing my pants that are getting tighter every month.

“I’m going to try it,” I said as I left the two dragonoid girls in the living room and locked myself in the bathroom.

“Hey, Senpai! You didn’t have to use the bathroom for that trick! Why? Are you embarrassed?” Serena teased me.

“Shut up,” I said. Then I looked at the mirror. Just changing clothes will not do, so I wet my hair and put wax on it so that my hairstyle will be up and spiky. I also sprayed the perfume I rarely use on my body. And then, I used my magic. “Forge!”

When I opened the bathroom door to present myself to the two girls, all their faces went to red blush. Their eyes went wide and their red irises became heart-shaped. Right now, I’m wearing a glossy black tuxedo, and underneath it is a pure white long-sleeved shirt. I have shiny black shoes on my feet. My expensive-looking royal red necktie blends well with my dress code. 

“So, how do I look?” I asked.

“Y-You look breathtaking, Senpai…” Serena prayed to me as her eyes sparkled. “...Please smash me…”

“Thanks!” I smiled. Then, I frowned. “Wait, what?”

“Bravo! Bravo! Tres Bien!” Z who is copying Danielle’s accent made a series of unending fast claps with her hand. “You two look like a royal celebrity couple. I couldn’t believe you can be handsome too, Sir Xenon Wingate.”

“Well, I can dress well too if I put my mind to it.” I held my hips and puffed my chest. “I just don’t feel like dressing like this most of the time.”

I don’t know what happened with the time, but the skies suddenly started to darken. I looked at my wristwatch and saw that it’s almost six in the evening. The dinner ball/conference meeting will start at seven, and there’s a one-hour-ride from this apartment to the grand castle if there’s no traffic. Time is not our friend here if we wanted to be punctual.

“Serena, it is time,” I said.

“Yeah, let’s go!” Serena said. Then, she genuflected like a royal princess. “But before that, can you please hold a lady’s hand?”

“We don’t have time for roleplaying! Let’s go!” I cried. Since she’s so insistent, I grabbed her hand and we ran out of the house together. I know it’s not the romantic thing she’s hoping, but this is not the proper place for that.

Waiting at the door is Alphonse. He is leaning on the wall with his arms crossed, his vaping device on his hand. He blew out smoke the moment we passed through him, and he was astounded when he saw me on my royal tuxedo. I didn’t have the chance to talk to him because we’re in a rush, so I just waved my hand. Unconsciously, Alphonse waved his hand too, but there is a doubt on his face as if he did not know me.

“Hey, is that guy a celebrity love team of Serena? They look good together. Poor Xenon, getting NTRed again.” Alphonse muttered to Z.

“Idiot!” Z scolded her master. “That guy is Sir Xenon!”

Hearing Z’s words of truth, Alphonse can’t do anything but to have his jaw drop. He also dropped his vaping device in the process. He was so astounded and he can’t help but mutter an eastern language from a different world.

“Na….Naniiiii!?”