Chapter 2: Philena Trelop

In the world of 【Illusory Realm】, there exists a fashion system, or rather, it’s a major source of enjoyment among player communities, only someone like Miss Vilyric, who is obsessed with stats and strength, treats it completely casually.

In the game, the gear usually comes with its own appearance, like the white robe that Vilyric always wears, which is the embodiment of 【Feather Garment · Glareia】.

However, players also have another fashion mode.

With just a thought, Vilyric’s pure white long robe, along with its matching inner lining, slowly faded away, revealing her flawless, pale naked body beneath, a true masterpiece of creation.

She hadn’t unequipped 【Feather Garment · Glareia】; she simply activated the fashion configuration mode, making it invisible.

Typically, when she bathes, Vilyric does it this way; it’s quite convenient.

Though invisible and untouchable, the armor bonuses and inherent passives still function as normal; after all, artifact-level equipment cannot merely rely on physical means to absorb damage.

Just like how even when enemies attack Vilyric’s exposed body parts, 【Feather Garment · Glareia】 still triggers damage reduction.

“I wonder how to wear this thing…”

After fumbling with the white dress in her hands for a while, Vilyric realized that putting it on seemed much more complicated than she imagined.

For example, she thought it would be enough to just pull it over her head like a sweater, but when she tried that, she noticed the neckline wasn’t stretchy, making it hard for her head to fit in.

After some study, she flipped the dress around and noticed that it had patterned laces on the back.

Well, if it needs to be tied, then it should do just that, but the design was ridiculously complex; just untying it took quite a bit of effort. Once it was on, she had to extend her hands behind her and fumble in her blind spot to tie it back up.

Vilyric’s strength is, by the standards of this world, largely unmatched, but dressing requires a different kind of finesse; if she were to rip the dress, she still wouldn’t be able to wear it…

After a huge struggle, taking nearly half an hour, the priestess finally subdued the white gown, nearly breaking a sweat.

“This is way harder than dealing with any Pseudo-God Giant Dragon…”

Vilyric finally understood why the ladies in dramas and anime needed maids to help them dress.

“Tap, tap, tap”

There was a soft knocking outside, accompanied by a somewhat perplexed inquiry from a certain queen.

“Vilyric, are you not dressed yet? Should I help you…?”

“No need, no need! I’ve got it sorted, coming out right away!”

Straightening her collar and experiencing the oddly tight fit against her chest, the priestess opened the changing room door and cautiously stepped out.

As soon as she did, she made eye contact with a blue-haired girl guarding the door.

“Wow~”

The queen’s eyes lit up instantly, and she quickly pulled out what seemed to be a Shadow Stone, snapping several pictures.

“It suits you so well, Vilyric. You really are naturally beautiful! Always in that boring white robe, though pretty, can get monotonous, but this—this is super cute!”

“Is it really that exaggerated…?”

Glancing at her reflection in the Copper Mirror, Vilyric didn’t feel much; after all, she was already quite familiar with that appearance from the game.

The two girls chatted as they walked, soon exiting the inner chamber and arriving at the main fitting hall. Most of the maids had left, leaving just four attendants seemingly waiting for orders.

However, at that moment, there stood another woman Vilyric had never met before.

She was clad in the specially made ceremonial armor for high-ranking knights, with a sky-blue cape, a sword hanging at her waist, and a sharp bob haircut that emphasized her chiseled features; she had the posture of a striking beauty with a strong aura.

She appeared to be in her twenties, still quite young.

Wait…

This woman… she seems a bit familiar, hasn’t Vilyric seen her somewhere before?

Following the faint sense of familiarity, Vilyric focused on the imposing expression of the woman, desperately rummaging through her memories, when suddenly it clicked.

Got it! She is…

“Vilyric, let me introduce you. This is the vice captain of the Royal Knight Order, Baroness Philena Trelop, who has been out leading a team to investigate and capture the rampant cultists worshipping the Pseudo-God in our country. She just returned to the capital.”

Liliya’s voice happened to chime in at that moment.

“Philena is quite talented and one of my most trusted allies. For this diplomatic mission to the Kingdom of Azure, I intend to appoint her as the Envoy Group Leader to oversee the affairs.”

Right, this Philena, Vilyric has indeed seen her before.

Back when she first crossed into this world, in that dark forest upon arriving.

That night she had followed Carl the villager, stopping him from unleashing a Magical Beast and capturing him. Although their outfits looked drastically different, there was no doubt this Philena had the same aura and appearance.

At that time, it seemed she couldn’t handle the 【God’s Gem (Shard)】 alone and left with the villager, while Vilyric, lurking behind, conveniently snagged the gem that was offered on the altar.

What a… bit unexpected.

It seems the kingdom’s high-ups had already noticed those cultists marked with the symbol of the 【World-devouring Serpent】, sending people to investigate and handle them in secret.

I wonder how that turned out.

Also, since Vilyric swiped the God’s Gem, how furious would Miss Philena be when she returns?

Well, it’s probably best not to mention this…

“Philena, this is Vilyric, my most important friend who I mentioned earlier, and also an incredibly powerful super strong person. She will join the envoy as an advisor and accompany you all; the points to note have been communicated to you.”

Philena glanced dubiously at the somewhat guilty-looking priestess, nodded solemnly, and that was her greeting.

Then, she shifted her focus back to the queen, speaking in a serious tone as if to counsel her.

“Your Majesty, you have ascended to the throne now, and your status is no longer the same as before. You cannot casually refer to yourself as ‘I’; you should use ‘myself’ or ‘this king’ instead, otherwise it could become a laughingstock for outsiders and subjects alike, belittling your position.”

“Oh dear, this…”

Liliya awkwardly scratched her head, clearly feeling at ease with Philena, acting without any airs. Perhaps it was because the queen had only recently taken the throne and wasn’t yet accustomed to that elevated feeling.

She waved her hand, and several maids promptly understood and quickly withdrew, leaving just Vilyric, Liliya, and Philena present.

Only then did the queen start chuckling.

“I’ll definitely be cautious around outsiders! But with you two, I can just relax a bit, right? I know your family values etiquette and hierarchy, but sometimes it’s okay to loosen up a bit.”

“Subjects and sovereigns cannot lack principles, Your Majesty.”

The serious Philena replied with just that, then fell silent once more.

Wow, she seems like someone who isn’t easy to get along with…

   

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