Meanwhile, Elira, clutching the emblem tightly in her hand, felt a shiver run down her spine as she made her way through the royal palace.
She had done it. She had really done it.
A scenario even better than the one they expected had happened. With this, she should be able to retrieve every single thing her master needed.
She had thought that this part would be a lot more difficult and would involve her doing some pretty disgusting things. However, none of that seemed to be needed.
She had succeeded just like that.
In fact, Elira was prepared to go to any extent that was required. While her master told her to retreat if she was not comfortable with something and if her life was in danger, she did not care.
She was prepared to do anything and everything to achieve their goals and now it had all worked out without the slightest issue.
All that was left now was for everything to just play out. Would they once again get lucky?
By now she knew that it was not luck that had brought her here. Her master had tampered with her opponent during her last match and once again he had provided the pill that altered her appearance.
Even the hateful opportunist had a role to play in it as Eldrin was the one to provide information regarding the weakness of the prince.
However, now it all fell on her. This was the final phase and there were no more preparations that could help them. Victory or defeat would only be determined by fate!
And if it was a defeat, she was already fully prepared to lose her life right here and now.
Elira hurried as fast as she could and literally ran to the system shop. No one in the royal palace found her behavior to be odd as royal guards had several duties that required urgency.
She only stopped when she finally arrived at the system shop that was smack dab in the middle of the royal palace.
It was a heavily guarded area, considered extremely important to the empire. How could it be anywhere else? She already knew it but this only made her even more nervous.
Elira gave a slight nod at the several guards standing in front of the system store, guarding it as if they were guarding the Emperor himself. She couldn't see their levels so she did not know how strong they were.
On the other hand, they all could clearly see her, her level, the emblem in her hand, and more importantly, her dazzling beauty. The latter made them give her the benefit of the doubt.
Elira also announced herself as the newly minted royal guard with a shy polite smile as she stepped into the store which proved to be more than enough for their approval.
While many watched her back as she entered the small ornate building, they were only looking at a certain part of her and not really thinking clearly. Perhaps if they had inspected her closer, then everything would have been revealed. Thanks to her beauty, this situation did not arise.
Doors closed as Elira stepped into the bright building. Inside, she saw for the first time creatures who looked shimmering and sparkling like fine cut gems. Fairies!
This was the first time Elira saw such creatures. "I would like to talk to your store manager. Now." She hurriedly spat out.
The fairies, glowing with an otherworldly luminescence, looked at each other in confusion because it's been a while since an elf interacted with them in this manner but they were here to serve.
One of them flew over to Elira. The creature's tiny wings emitted a soft, pulsating glow, and its eyes were like two twinkling stars.
"Of course, honored guest," the fairy spoke, its voice melodious but imbued with a sense of urgency that matched Elira's own.
It gestured for her to follow and led her through a maze of shelves filled with all manner of mystical and arcane items, toward a more secluded area at the back of the store.
Soon, they arrived at a desk where another creature sat. It was a short balding male fairy wearing somewhat faded attire.
There was also no razzle-dazzle around him as he appeared to be in a particularly bad mood. Elira's pulse quickened. She could see that her appearance did very little to help with this bad mood.
"You wish to speak with me? I am Miralen, the store manager," he said, examining her from top to bottom before finally looking up into her eyes.
Unlike the other elves, this fairy didn't seem to be fond of her beauty. The disgruntled look on his face did not change at all. Not one bit.
Elira took a deep breath, maintaining her poise. "Yes, I have been granted permission by Prince Aranthor to obtain certain items from this shop. I wish to talk to you in private regarding that."
Now the fairy looked a little confused. He raised a brow as he wondered why the elf needed a private audience.
Naturally, he was not new to the recruitment event. This damned thing happened every few months and that was the only time any purchase was made from his shop. So how could he forget about it?
What he was more curious about was this elf's behavior. She seemed to be acting strangely. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something about her urgency, her insistence on privacy, made him feel suspicious.
"Well, alright. Private matters usually require a good reason. What is it that you can't discuss openly?"
Sending the other fairy away, Miralen waved a hand, and a soundproof magical barrier formed around them, isolating their conversation from even the keen ears of the other fairies in the shop.
Elira felt her pulse quicken again; she was acutely aware that this was the crux of her mission. Were they going to succeed or fail?
She took a deep breath and came to the point. "Prince Aranthor specifically mentioned that I could get whatever I needed from the system shop."
"Whatever." She reiterated.