Game Master in Another World

The next morning, Juliana and I woke up before Toby. He was still fast asleep, cuddling with Juliana, his small, warm body pressed securely against our chest.

Juliana was smiling again. “Lord Geoff, thank you for allowing this child to join us on this adventure,” she whispered softly.

“You’re very welcome,” I whispered back through her lips.

Toby began to stir. “Were you saying something, Juliana?” he mumbled sleepily.

“Oh, just talking to myself, child. Nothing of import,” Juliana replied, her tone soothing.

After a few minutes, we climbed out of bed. Toby carefully dressed himself in his new tailored suit, while Juliana and I wiped ourselves down with a damp cloth at the washbasin. The cold water was bracing but quite refreshing.

“So, Toby, do you feel like doing some clothes shopping today?” Juliana asked.

Toby nodded eagerly. “Yes, please. I would love some clothes that I can use every day. These are far too nice to be worn everywhere; I’d hate to ruin them.”

Juliana’s broad, unblinking smile returned. “Splendid! We shall avail ourselves of this city's wares.”

We headed out into the brisk morning air. The cobblestone streets were still fairly quiet, but I quickly spotted a lone street vendor setting up a small cart selling roasted meat skewers.

I smoothly took control of Juliana’s body. “How about some breakfast?”

Toby’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”

We approached the vendor, who currently had no other customers.

“Welcome! Are you both after some meat skewers, then?” the man asked.

“Yes, please,” I replied.

“Certainly. They are two silver each.”

I internally balked at the price. That was easily twenty times more expensive than standard street fare from my previous life. The food shortages from the blockade were obviously causing massive, crippling inflation.

“Alright, two skewers, please.” I handed over one of our newly acquired gold coins, and the vendor quickly counted out six silver pieces in change.

He handed us the two steaming skewers. I immediately passed both of them to Toby. With our max-level stats, I would be perfectly fine without food for a while, but the growing boy desperately needed a hot breakfast.

II released control of our body, and Juliana’s serene, unblinking smile instantly returned.

“Now, how about we find you some wonderful clothes?” she said to Toby.

We walked down the cobblestone street until we found the shop Lady Evelyn’s quartermaster had recommended. The storefront was incredibly ornate, boasting large, pristine glass windows displaying stylish garments against a clean, white facade.

As we stepped inside, the sheer size of the store surprised me. It was spacious and elegant, deliberately avoiding the cluttered, crammed feeling of cheaper merchants.

We were immediately greeted by a thin, professionally dressed woman with greying hair. “Welcome. How may I help you both today?”

I aggressively took control of Juliana again, handing over the wax-sealed letter. “We would like to purchase some nightwear, some everyday wear for Toby here, and something formal that I can wear out to dinner.”

Deep in our shared mind, I could feel Juliana’s immediate, hot frustration welling up. As a max-level druid, she despised the idea of wearing frivolous, aristocratic clothing. But she needed to look presentable to the nobility if she wanted to achieve the peace she desired, so I stubbornly held my ground.

The clerk checked the letter closely before nodding with newfound respect. “I see you have the backing of the Mage Tower. Yes, I believe we can perfectly accommodate your request.” She smiled warmly at Toby. “Firstly, shall we take a look at some everyday clothing for the young man?”

Toby nodded shyly.

We were shown to a neat rack of children’s clothing.

“Please, pick out the style you prefer, and we can then alter it or make a new set entirely to fit your measurements,” the clerk offered.

Toby carefully thumbed through the hangers before pulling out a pair of durable brown trousers and a simple, cream-colored long-sleeved tunic.

“I’d like these, please,” Toby requested quietly.

The clerk noted it down in her ledger. “A very practical choice. Now, for your bedclothes, I would suggest a simple, oversized nightshirt. That way, you have room to grow into it.” She pulled a pair of folded white nightshirts from a nearby shelf. “I think these will serve you both quite well.”

“And now, for your dress.” A genuine, eager smile spread across the clerk's face.

I was led to a different section of the store, dominated by rows of extravagant, brightly colored gowns. The clerk looked my Nhalyri frame up and down.

“Yes... I think this blue dress right here would suit your complexion beautifully.”

My breath hitched in my throat. The dress looked almost identical to the one I had purchased with Illara when I lived in Drisnil’s body, all those decades ago. A heavy, suffocating weight pressed against my chest.

“No,” I said quickly, my voice tight. “I don’t want a blue dress. How about a red one?”

I absolutely did not want to invoke the painful memories of my dead wife every single time Juliana wore this outfit.

The clerk blinked, surprised by my sudden intensity, but quickly recovered. “Of course. How about this style?” She pulled out a beautiful, high-cut red dress made of a semi-sheer fabric. “You would wear a simple white petticoat underneath, but I think the deep crimson will look incredibly striking on you.”

I nodded firmly in agreement. It was perfect.

“Brilliant. I will get you both measured up right now. The tailored clothing should be ready in two days.”

We followed the clerk into the back room. The woman was an absolute professional, her skilled hands moving rapidly with a fabric tape measure. She managed to take all the necessary dimensions for both of us in under ten minutes.

“Thank you for your patronage today. Here are your nightshirts to take with you, and I shall see you back here in two days for the rest of your garments.”

I finally relinquished my grip on our body. Juliana’s spine snapped straight, and her terrifyingly bright smile returned.

“Thank you for your wonderful assistance today,” Juliana beamed at the slightly bewildered clerk. “May the Lord's light guide you in your work.”

With our clothing shopping out of the way, we could finally focus on the food situation. We headed back to our accommodation to drop off the nightshirts, then marched straight to the Mage Tower to formulate a battle plan.

We approached the reception desk. “Good morning,” Juliana declared cheerfully. “I wish to discuss the plan of attack for freeing this city from the clutches of the blockade.”

The receptionist was a little taken aback by the abrupt, grand request. “Ah... yes. I shall summon our lead strategist, Charon.”

The receptionist quickly scribbled a note, handed it to a messenger boy, and waved him up the main staircase. “Please, take a seat while you wait.”

We made ourselves comfortable on the familiar plush sofas. The wait wasn't long before a young, sharp-looking man in military attire appeared. As he approached, his eyes seemed to linger on Juliana’s striking Nhalyri features just a little too long.

“Hello, I am Charon. Would you please follow me so we can formulate a plan?”

Juliana nodded, her unblinking smile firmly in place. “Certainly.”

We followed Charon up the stairs. Thankfully, his meeting room was only two levels up. The room was stark and simple—just a large, heavy oak table with no decorations, situated deep in the interior of the tower with no windows. The lighting was provided entirely by faintly glowing magical stones set into wall sconces.

“Take a seat,” Charon said, gesturing to the heavy wooden chairs before moving to sit at the head of the table.

Instead of taking a seat across from him, Juliana immediately bypassed the empty chairs and sat down right next to him. Charon visibly stiffened, his face showing clear discomfort at her complete lack of personal space.

Charon awkwardly cleared his throat before beginning. "Thank you for agreeing to break the blockade. What military resources will you need to clear the route?"

“Oh, I will just need myself to clear it of soldiers,” Juliana replied happily.

Charon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “And how will you keep the passage open?”

Juliana blinked. “Um. I suppose I will stay there and deal with the reinforcements.”

“Alright. And what happens if thousands of heavily armed soldiers show up at once?”

Juliana tilted her head, genuinely thinking it over. “I suppose I would retreat...”

“So how would we actually get the supply wagons through?”

“Umm. I am not entirely sure.”

From the other side of Juliana, Toby suddenly spoke up. “How about we organize a specific time window where the route is open, and then have the traders come through exactly at that time?”

Charon looked over at the young boy in the tailored suit, raising an eyebrow. “That is a great idea. But how would we get word out to the traders to establish that time window?”

Juliana clapped her hands together. “Oh! I can change into a bird and let the villagers know the route is open!”

“Do you know where these supply villages are? And how would you possibly have time to inform all of them before the Forlinth army regroups?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Juliana responded cheerfully, her smile never wavering.

Toby leaned forward. “How about you send twenty fast riders out with Juliana the first time? Give each rider a preset time for when the blockade will be open again. Juliana clears a path for the riders to escape into the countryside, they spread the word, and then she returns to clear the path again at that exact preset time.”

Charon leaned back in his chair, deeply impressed. “I think that could actually work. Does that sound acceptable to you, Juliana?”

Juliana nodded her head enthusiastically. “I think that plan is absolutely perfect. Thank you, Toby.”

From my passenger seat in our mind, I gave a firm internal nod of approval. The kid was a natural tactician. It was a highly workable strategy.

“Alright, it is settled,” Charon said, pulling out a map. “If you clear a path for our riders tomorrow morning at first light, they can spread the word. Three days later, you clear the path again. On that second strike, you will likely need to keep it open for at least four hours to let the massive backlog of supply wagons through.”

Juliana nodded in understanding.

“This operation must be kept strictly secret, known only to those of us in this room. If any Forlinth spies hear of this scheduled window, it will be an ambush, and the plan will fail.”

Juliana nodded again.

Charon stood up to finish the meeting. “Excellent. I will have a unit of twenty fast riders meet you at the North Gate just before daylight. You can ride out immediately after meeting up.”

“That sounds most perfect. Thank you,” Juliana said, standing up smoothly.

“Thank you. I look forward to seeing supplies flowing back into this city.” Charon held out his hand.

Before Juliana could do something weird—like bless his bloodline or ask to heal his mortal sins—I forcefully seized control of our body. I reached out, grasped his hand firmly, and gave him a perfectly normal, modern handshake.

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