The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Lady Rielle

It has been two months since the incident involving Algazar.

A lot has happened during that time, although from my perspective, most days have been surprisingly peaceful.

The biggest change was probably Cedric.

After everything that happened, he decided to remain with us rather than return to his former existence as the Grave Tyrant. Considering what he had been like before, his current personality was almost amusingly different from what I expected.

Cedric was quiet. Very quiet.

Most of the time, he would simply sit somewhere, observe what was happening around him, and only speak when he actually had something worth saying.

Draven, on the other hand...

"Master, what do you think we’re having for dinner today?"

"..."

"Do you think Starlight will have Earth Dragon steak again?"

"..."

"Or perhaps Wyvern wings?"

"Draven."

"Yes?"

"Can you stay quiet for five minutes?"

He thought about it.

"...Huh? why would i do that."

Exactly.

Draven talked too much.

He would comment on almost everything he saw, ask questions about things he had never encountered before, complain whenever he was bored, and somehow find a reason to mention food during nearly every conversation.

It wasn’t really a problem, though.

Having someone else staying in my dormitory wasn’t particularly unusual as long as they were officially registered as my servants, so nobody questioned why I occasionally had two additional people around.

During classes, Draven and Cedric would simply remain inside my dormitory.

Sometimes they would visit Starlight instead, where they could eat, relax, or find something else to occupy themselves with.

Honestly, it was probably the easiest arrangement.

As for the situation surrounding Algazar, things had become considerably quieter after the incident.

The kingdom still had no idea what had truly happened.

The cult responsible for the summoning had been completely dismantled, and with Cedric no longer involved in the matter, the threat surrounding the Grave Tyrant had effectively disappeared.

At least, for now.

There were still other problems.

The corrupted beings had started appearing in different regions of the kingdom.

Fortunately, most of the ones discovered so far were relatively weak.

The knights had already begun investigating the incidents, and because the corruption hadn’t yet developed into anything serious, there was little reason for the Eclipse Order to interfere directly.

We still kept an eye on everything from the shadows, of course.

If something became dangerous enough, we’d deal with it.

But there was no reason to interfere with every single incident when the kingdom was perfectly capable of handling the weaker ones itself.

The laboratories were another matter.

Our investigation had continued steadily, and we had made considerably more progress than before.

Several facilities had already been discovered.

Some had been abandoned before we arrived, while others had been dismantled after we gathered enough information.

We still hadn’t found the organization responsible for everything, but the network connecting the laboratories was becoming clearer.

There were more facilities than we had originally expected.

More researchers.

More experiments.

And more records connecting them to the strange substance and human experiments we had discovered.

For now, however, none of it was urgent enough to interfere with my daily life.

Which was why I was currently sitting inside my dormitory.

I glanced toward the two people sitting nearby.

Cedric was quietly reading a book.

Draven was staring at the ceiling.

He had been doing that for several minutes.

I wondered what he was thinking about.

Then he spoke.

"Master."

"Hmm?"

"Are we going to Starlight after this?"

I looked at him.

"Why?"

"I’m hungry."

I stared at him.

"You’re hungry again?"

"Of course."

Draven sat up immediately.

"You made us wait here until your class ended, and we’ve been doing absolutely nothing this entire time. I was beginning to think I was going to die of boredom."

Cedric quietly turned another page.

"You’re exaggerating."

Draven looked toward him.

"How can you say that? We’ve been sitting here for hours."

"You’ve been sitting there talking to yourself for most of that time."

Draven froze.

Cedric calmly returned his attention to the book.

Draven looked at me.

"Master, you heard that, right?"

"I did."

"And?"

"I think Cedric is right."

Draven placed a hand over his chest.

"Master..."

I sighed.

"Fine, fine. We’ll go to Starlight after class."

His expression immediately brightened.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Excellent."

He stood up.

"I’m already looking forward to the food."

I glanced toward Cedric.

"What about you?"

Cedric closed his book.

"I’m fine with whatever you decide, Master."

As expected.

Not a single unnecessary word.

I looked between the two of them.

I sighed.

"All right, then."

I stood from my seat.

"Let’s have a feast tonight."

"Yes!"

Draven immediately raised his voice.

Cedric simply nodded.

"Understood."

I looked at Draven.

"You really are happy about food, aren’t you?"

"Of course."

He smiled without hesitation.

"After all, Master, there are some things in life that are worth getting excited about."

I couldn’t help laughing.

"You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?"

"Of course I am. How often does an ancient dragon get to experience modern food after sleeping for thousands of years?"

Cedric quietly nodded.

"I agree with Draven."

I looked at the two of them for a moment.

"Fine. Since we’re already talking about enjoying ourselves, there’s something else I want to try."

I raised one hand.

The Eclipse power surrounding my body began to shift.

My appearance changed almost instantly.

My hair lengthened and darkened until it became a smooth black that fell naturally down my back, while my eyes changed into a vivid crimson. My features became softer and more feminine, and my body gradually transformed into that of a young woman with an elegant figure.

The clothes I had been wearing changed along with me.

The simple academy clothing disappeared, replaced by a fitted black dress that followed the shape of my body without looking excessively elaborate. The skirt extended down to my thighs, with a long slit running along one side of my leg, giving the outfit an elegant but rather daring appearance.

I looked down at myself for a moment before brushing a strand of black hair away from my face.

Then I looked at Draven and Cedric.

They were both staring.

Draven’s mouth was slightly open, while Cedric had gone completely still.

I smiled.

"Well?"

Neither answered immediately.

I tilted my head.

"How was it? Beautiful, right?"

Draven finally recovered.

"W-Who are you?"

I laughed.

"Seriously, It’s me."

His eyes widened.

"Master?"

Cedric’s face had also turned slightly red.

"Master..."

I couldn’t help smiling at their reactions.

"So? What do you think?"

Draven stared at me for another moment before his expression changed from confusion to realization.

"Is that the power of the Mask of the Faceless King?"

"Yeah."

I turned slightly, looking at myself again.

"I expected it to be useful, but I didn’t realize it could change this much. My appearance isn’t the only thing that disappears either. Even my presence has completely vanished."

Draven nodded slowly, clearly impressed.

"That’s far more useful than I expected."

He looked at me again, then gave a faint smile.

"Although I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting you to transform into a young lady."

You look like a noblewoman from one of the most influential families in the kingdom."

I smiled proudly.

"Amazing, right?"

Cedric quietly nodded.

"It suits you well, Master."

I glanced toward him.

"See?"

Draven laughed.

"He’s right. You actually look convincing enough that nobody would question it."

I looked down at the dress.

"Though I didn’t expect to see something like this again."

Draven glanced at the outfit.

"The clothing?"

"Yeah."

I lightly touched the fabric.

"This kind of fashion existed in my old place. I never thought I’d see anything similar again."

Draven nodded.

"I see."

I looked toward the door.

"Anyway, let’s go. From now on, you can only call me Lady Rielle when we’re outside."

"Yes, Lady Rielle," Cedric replied immediately.

Draven gave a small nod.

"Yes, yes, Master- ahem, Lady Rielle."

---

By the time we reached the busier part of the capital, I had already realized that disguising myself as a beautiful young woman came with one rather inconvenient problem.

The moment we entered the main street, several conversations around us gradually became quieter, and more than a few people turned their heads to watch me as I walked past.

"Who’s that?"

"She’s beautiful..."

"Is she a noble?"

"She looks like a princess."

A woman standing near a shop entrance watched me pass before quietly speaking to her companion.

"I don’t even know what to say. She really does look like a princess."

Another woman glanced at my dress.

"That outfit is certainly unusual, but somehow it suits her perfectly."

A young man nearby stared openly.

"Look at her..."

His companion followed his gaze.

"Stop staring."

"I can’t help it."

I continued walking as though none of them existed.

Draven, however, was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

"Master."

"Hmm?"

"There are far too many people looking at you."

I laughed.

"Is that really a problem?"

"Of course it is."

He glanced toward another group of men who had turned around to look at me.

"You’re attracting attention everywhere we go."

"Well, I suppose that’s unavoidable."

I casually reached up and ran my fingers through my black hair.

Then I turned my head slightly and let the long strands fall back over my shoulder.

For a brief moment, everything seemed to slow down.

Several men stopped walking.

One of them stared so intensely that his companion had to grab his shoulder.

Another young man immediately covered his nose.

His friend looked at him in confusion.

"Are you bleeding?"

He quickly wiped his nose.

"...No."

"You definitely are."

"I’m fine..."

I smiled toward them.

The reaction was immediate.

The young man’s face turned completely red, and another man nearby nearly walked into a signpost because he was too busy staring.

I couldn’t help laughing.

"To think even women are fascinated by my beauty."

Draven sighed.

"This is getting troublesome. You shouldn’t have dressed like this in the first place, Master."

"Why’s that?"

"Because everyone is staring at you, haa, this is getting troublesome."

Cedric, who had remained quiet beside us, glanced around at the crowd.

"He is right."

I smiled.

We continued walking toward Starlight.

"Still, I suppose there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the disguise a little."

Draven sighed again.

"I didn’t know you’d enjoy the attention this much."

I laughed.

"That’s exactly why it’s fun."

---

By the time we reached Starlight, the attention had only become worse.

The enormous establishment was already crowded, but the moment I entered with Draven and Cedric, several people turned to look.

The maids at the entrance immediately approached us.

"Welcome to Starlight."

Once we entered, I sat down while Draven and Cedric took the seats nearby.

Draven leaned back.

"Haah..."

He sighed contentedly.

"To think people would go crazy simply because Master changed his appearance."

I laughed.

"Well, I can’t exactly blame them."

He shook his head.

"You’re really enjoying this."

Cedric quietly looked toward me.

"Master does look beautiful."

I laughed again.

"Thank you."

Draven smiled.

"At least they don’t know you’re actually a man."

"hahahaha that’s pretty fun."

I rested my chin against one hand.

"That’s the whole point of the disguise."

A short while later, the food began arriving.

The first plate was placed on the table.

Draven’s eyes immediately lit up.

Then another arrived.

His expression became even brighter.

By the time the table was filled with dishes, he was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Master."

"Look at all of this..."

"This is incredible."

"It’s just food."

"It’s not just food."

Draven immediately picked up his fork.

"I’ve been waiting thousands of years for this."

Draven took his first bite.

"This is amazing!"

He immediately took another bite.

Then another.

I shook my head as I began eating as well.

Some things, apparently, never changed.

Draven might have been an ancient dragon who had lived for thousands of years, but the moment food appeared in front of him, he became almost indistinguishable from an excited child.

I couldn’t help smiling.

"Well, at least he’s easy to please."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!