She felt that once Gauss put on that robe, it was like he'd become a completely different person.
On the way over, she'd already thought his looks were flawless—but now she realized her earlier judgment had actually been too conservative.
It was the first time in her life she'd ever seen a human this… captivating.
Gauss pulled his attention away from the status panel and only then noticed that all three people in the reception room were staring straight at him.
He didn't comment on it.
"Can we head out now?"
"Of course, sir." The staffer snapped back to her senses and answered quickly.
She led Gauss back through the corridors the way they'd come.
On the way out, Gauss took the opportunity to ask about the Blessing of the Lake God.
When he learned the ritual preparations were still underway and that he'd have to wait for the Guild's notice about the exact time, he let the topic drop.
The two of them eventually emerged back into the plaza.
"Thank you for your help."
"It was my honor."
Only after Gauss's figure completely disappeared at the far end of the street did she suddenly feel hollow inside, as if something important had just slipped out of her hands.
…
"Gauss, so that's the robe you picked?" Alia circled him twice, looking him up and down for quite a while.
The others had also been eyeing him since he came out, but they weren't as blatantly overwhelmed as the people in the vault had been.
Partly, adventurers in general had more "resistance" to this sort of thing than ordinary people; they weren't going to be charmed senseless just because someone looked good. At most, they'd look with a bit of appreciation.
On the other hand, all of them had been with Gauss long enough to build up a bit of tolerance.
Well—except Albena.
Her reaction wasn't much different from the receptionist's; her cheeks were flushed bright red, and she looked dizzy.
"What do you think?"
"It looks really good." Alia bobbed her head up and down like a little squirrel.
That moon-white robe fit her aesthetics almost perfectly.
"Can I try it on sometime?" Seeing it look so good on him, she couldn't help but ask in a small voice.
"Mm, I'll let you borrow it later when we have time."
Gauss wasn't stingy.
And since it was an outer robe rather than an underlayer, there wasn't anything awkward about someone else trying it on.
If she wanted to wear it, then she could.
"Yay."
Shadow watched him with bright, starry eyes.
Meanwhile, Serandur only felt that the draconic pressure coming off Gauss was getting stronger and stronger.
He couldn't help thinking that if the captain showed up in his home tribe, plenty of serpentfolk would probably fall to their knees and worship him as soon as he opened his mouth.
Gauss's very presence was becoming increasingly oppressive for anything with reptilian blood.
Thankfully, that aura could be consciously suppressed; since they were teammates, Gauss naturally kept the pressure off them. Otherwise, just standing next to him would probably tank Serandur's combat power.
It took Albena quite a long time to get her heart, which had been hammering wildly, back under control.
Too intense.
Being teammates with Sir Gauss was really hard on the heart.
Once she'd calmed down, her attention finally shifted back to the gear itself. She swallowed and asked in a low voice.
Aside from pretty boys, her second greatest passion was absolutely equipment and magic items.
"Sir Gauss, that robe… it's exceptional-grade, isn't it?"
She really was an expert—without Identify, she'd still pegged its quality at a glance.
Gauss nodded.
"Yeah. I got lucky—this was the only excellent artifact on the list."
"Oh right, I also picked up a cooking pot."
"A… pot?"
Alia, who'd been focused entirely on how the robe looked, blinked at that.
Why a pot?
Wouldn't a weapon or some more obvious gear be better?
"It's a magic pot. It can be used to cook enchanted dishes—lets us handle more exotic ingredients and gives the food special effects. It's a really great item."
"From now on, even when we're out on the road, we'll be able to eat something truly tasty."
"…"
Alia shot him a look, then traded glances with the others.
They didn't have to say anything.
So he really is a foodie, huh.
As one of the longest-serving members of the team, she knew perfectly well that Gauss had never let go of his desire to find rare ingredients and create better meals.
Most of the time, the monsters he hunted—goblins, kobolds—weren't exactly edible, so that urge had been pushed aside.
But after that crab feast in Lakeside Town—one of the best meals they'd ever had—he'd clearly relapsed completely.
"Let me be clear," Alia said, eyes narrowing. "I'm not eating goblins or kobolds. Not even if you use that pot. Not happening."
Sure, up till now Hepis had been the one dealing with those corpses, but who knew what would happen now that Gauss had a new toy?
"Uh…"
"You don't have that kind of idea, right?" Her tone sharpened at his hesitation.
"Relax, I definitely have zero interest in goblins," Gauss said, a bit guilty.
Goblins smelled awful, and they looked like ugly, green-skinned caricatures of humans. No thanks.
But kobolds, biologically speaking, were closer to lizards and other reptiles.
He had no interest in your average, scrawny kobold, but… if he ran into a particularly unusual specimen someday, perhaps its meat would be like that crab boss—unexpectedly excellent?
From what he knew, powerful kobolds' life forms tended to grow increasingly draconic.
So… best not to swear too firmly about what he'd never eat.
Alia scratched her head, suspicious.
…
Because they still had to wait for the Guild's notice about the Blessing, the group couldn't leave Fishsong just yet.
By all reports, the "blessing" ritual was basically just ceremonial—supposedly it conferred a "Favored of the Lake God" title and… not much else.
Still, after going to all the trouble of taking first place, Gauss didn't intend to skip it. Worst-case, it was another unique title; and in the adventurer world, reputation was a real resource.
Even if he personally thought the odds of an actual "Lake God" existing in the water were low, the added fame definitely wouldn't hurt.
While waiting, two days passed in a blur.
Because they were expecting the Guild's summons at any time, Gauss didn't wander far—just lingered in town.
During that time, he paid a formal visit to the town head.
The man was a scholarly-looking middle-aged gentleman. If he had any resentment about Gauss "stealing" the victory that was originally all but reserved for his son, Herbert, he never showed it.
Quite the opposite, he praised Gauss extensively, and even tried to engineer some alone time between him and his youngest daughter—an idea Gauss gently turned down.
Even after the refusal, the town head only expressed mild regret and said that Gauss was welcome to visit his house anytime during his stay.
Judging from his expression, he hadn't fully given up the idea of becoming Gauss's father-in-law.
Aside from the official visit, Gauss spent the rest of the time getting familiar with his new artifacts.
The magic pot exceeded his expectations.
Food cooked in it was on a completely different level from normal—both in flavor and appearance.
Literally glowing food.
In the cooking process, ambient mana naturally infused the dishes, boosting taste while giving the food a subtle, attractive sheen.
And if he used ingredients that already contained unusual energy, the pot could draw that out and turn the dish into something genuinely nourishing and strengthening.
Originally, the whole party had been running themselves ragged—hunting, traveling, training. Exhaustion was starting to show.
But with the magic pot and the enchanted meals it produced, everyone bounced back in just two days, energy even higher than before.
It really was like someone had plugged them in and fully recharged them.
So no, Gauss thought, it wasn't unfair to say he was turning into a bit of a gourmand.
For adventurers, food is a matter of survival, not luxury.
Even the strongest warrior collapses without fuel; without good logistics, a professional-level body will burn out in days.
Plus, delicious food lifts the mood and clears the mind—perfect for training or study.
As for the Moonlight Robe… the more he used it, the more he liked it. He'd practically stopped taking it off.
Aside from the one time he lent it to Alia to try on and the usual bathing, the robe almost never left his body.
When he wore it, his mana felt livelier, more agile.
And thanks to its synergy with his other abilities, even his Fireball had undergone a substantial evolution.
In short, he could now use dragon-speech chanting and breath casting to dramatically shorten Fireball's lengthy charge time.
Before, Fireball was a niche spell—too strong for most situations, with a long wind-up time. By the time he finished casting, he could often have just cut down a bunch of enemies by hand.
Now, with the robe and his dragon-tongue enhancements, he'd fully mastered the spell.
He could even adjust its power, dialing it down to a "reasonable" level instead of nuking the entire area into rubble.
Too much power wasn't always a good thing.
Dong, dong, dong!
Just as Gauss was glancing at the time, wondering if he should go ask the Guild about the blessing, someone knocked on his door.
"Sir Gauss, the Blessing of the Lake God ceremony is ready. Would you prefer to attend tonight or tomorrow night?"
"Tonight."
He didn't want to drag it out any further.
"Very well. Then, please arrive at this location before the full moon rises tonight…" The messenger took out a small map and explained the address.
It was at the junction of the Talna River and Blue Lake, where the first settlers were said to have met the "generous Lake God."
"So it's finally happening, huh?"
After seeing the messenger off, the party gathered around, their eyes full of curiosity.
They'd eaten and drunk well the last few days, but all of them were more than a little curious about this so-called Lake God.
Stories about gods and spirits were always good fuel for the imagination.
"The elders back home used to say," Albena said, "that some special mountains or lakes might have ancient spirits sleeping within them. Not necessarily gods, but powerful, fickle beings. Treat them well, and they may protect you; anger them, and they bring calamity."
Her family had their own traditions—traces of giant blood flowed in her veins.
"Ancient spirits, huh…"
…
Once the ceremony time was finalized, Fishsong grew more and more lively.
Dong, dong, dong!
On the waterfront, people from all walks of life—from poor laborers to wealthy merchants—gathered at the lakeshore, faces solemn as they tossed offerings of black bread and other foods into the water.
Unfortunately, their "Lake God" did not rise from the depths in answer.
Still, that failed to dampen the enthusiasm of some believers.
Gauss noticed that, contrary to his original assumptions, Blue Lake really did have a circle of genuinely devout followers.
Some claimed to have seen the god in their dreams; others told stories of being pulled from the water by a mysterious force after nearly drowning; still others claimed to have drunk lake water when gravely ill and miraculously recovered.
"I've seen a god!"
On the shore, a ragged villager declared this with absolute conviction.
Seeing the conviction in their eyes, Gauss wasn't entirely sure what to think anymore.
Then again, it wasn't all that strange. In a world where real power existed, devout faith was practically guaranteed. Even in his previous, utterly mundane world, there had been plenty of fanatic believers.
Worshiping a lake was nothing. He'd even heard of cultures that revered particular animals so fervently they went on to hold public festivals where they… ate the animal's droppings.
The sky dimmed.
At twilight, the "witching hour," Gauss and his companions left the inn and made their way slowly toward the ritual site.
"Is that him? That's Gauss, right?"
"No wonder he's the one receiving the Lake God's blessing."
"I'm so jealous. I wish I could be chosen, too…"
Some believers' envy was plain to see.
Other adventurers were much less excited.
While a portion of the common folk firmly believed in the Lake God, veterans knew that in all the past ceremonies, not one champion had ever actually seen this supposed deity.
There had been plenty of local and foreign winners, and all had walked away with nothing but a title and a ceremony.
They didn't expect this time to be any different.
Even if Gauss had slain more monsters, was stronger, and better-looking than average, he was still just flesh and blood like anyone else.
"Looks like there's more people than before," Serandur murmured, noticing the sheer size of the crowd.
"Probably folks from nearby towns and villages coming to watch the spectacle," Gauss said casually.
Nightfall deepened.
A full moon rose, the silver light pouring down over the water, turning the shallows where the Talna River merged into the lake as bright as day.
Gauss lifted his head.
Maybe it was his imagination, but the moon did seem especially round tonight.
~~~
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