Chapter 752: The Thing Beneath the Disguise

Deep beneath this unknown cavern space, the temperature should have already dropped far below freezing. Along the way here, many places had already formed a thin layer of frost.

Even with a campfire lit, even with the space here tightly sealed, it still shouldn’t feel warm in such a short time.

And yet...

At this moment, Muen felt as if he had suddenly been thrown into a steaming furnace. Sweat poured down his back.

"D-disguise?"

Muen forced himself to stay calm.

"What are you talking about? I don’t understand a word. Besides, there isn’t even another living person here apart from the two of us. Why would I need to disguise myself?"

"Hmph. Stop playing dumb, Miss Muse!"

Ariel snorted coldly, deliberately stressing the words Miss Muse.

"Do you really think I haven’t noticed anything strange this whole time? You’re underestimating me. If I, Ariel Bugaard, were dull enough to miss things at that level, there’s no way I’d have survived this many life-and-death crises!"

Gulp.

Muen couldn’t help swallowing. His racing heart felt like it was lodged in his throat.

She had a point.

For Ariel to have made it this far, she’d faced countless mortal dangers. Without a razor-keen instinct for glimpsing truth and the ability to catch the slightest anomaly instantly, she wouldn’t deserve to be called a chosen protagonist at all.

"It seems Miss Muse is still being stubborn and unwilling to reveal the truth. Fine. Then I’ll peel away that disguise of yours bit by bit."

Ariel’s fingers lightly stroked the red-gold blade before her. As a superb ancient relic, even after so many battles, the edge of the Heavenly Fire greatsword was still mirror-bright, gleaming with cold light.

So when Ariel’s fingertips brushed along its surface, the metallic hum that rose was like a blood-thirsty icy dagger lightly scraping against Muen’s trembling little heart.

"First—what just happened earlier."

"Th-that... earlier?"

"Still pretending not to understand? Miss Muse, you used my Heavenly Fire Unsheathed just now, didn’t you!"

Ariel suddenly tightened her grip on the hilt. Instantly, the greatsword’s hum vanished—no, not vanished, but contained.

Vibration, edge, flame, battle qi—everything was forcibly compressed into the thin blade. In Ariel’s hand, it was as if the sword had been hidden inside an invisible sheath. Terrifying power condensed completely, waiting for the moment it would erupt and reduce the enemy before her to ash.

This was Ariel’s most commonly used—and signature—technique: Heavenly Fire Unsheathed.

And at that moment when she lost consciousness, she had clearly seen it—

Miss Muse had caught her Heavenly Fire and used Heavenly Fire Unsheathed.

It made perfect sense that Heavenly Fire had allowed Miss Muse to wield it. Ariel had been on the verge of passing out, and Miss Muse would never harm her. Heavenly Fire had only acted to save its master.

But that technique...

That was absolutely not something you could use just by holding Heavenly Fire!

"Explain it, Miss Muse. Why do you know my Heavenly Fire Unsheathed?" Ariel stared straight into Miss Muse’s eyes. If the answer failed to satisfy her, this Heavenly Fire Unsheathed might well be used on Miss Muse herself.

"That... techniques being a little similar isn’t strange, is it?"

Muen forced out a smile. "Perhaps we just happened to see the same martial manual—"

"Impossible. I created this move myself! I should be the only one in the world who can use it!" Ariel declared decisively.

"Well... at the end of the day, the principle of your Heavenly Fire Unsheathed is extreme compression of power. Similar techniques existing is normal, right?"

Muen continued. His brain spun at high speed. The reflexes he’d forged surviving vicious romantic battlefields—who would’ve thought they’d come in handy at a time like this.

"Similar techniques are normal. But Miss Muse—can you tell me why the angle of your strike, the timing, the way you applied power... were all exactly the same as mine?"

Ariel narrowed her eyes.

"It was like you’d personally observed me using this move at close range many times..."

There were no two identical leaves in the world. Naturally, there couldn’t be two identical techniques either.

Even when two people used the same move, there would always be subtle differences. Ariel did not believe such differences here could be coincidence.

There were already far too many coincidences surrounding Miss Muse—so many they stopped being coincidences at all.

"..."

Muen’s expression stiffened slightly. Even the best composure would crack under Ariel’s relentless pressure.

This was really a headache. He’d chosen to use Ariel’s Heavenly Fire Unsheathed partly because she hadn’t fully passed out yet—if he’d drawn Elizabeth directly, she’d have recognized him immediately.

And partly...

Because in that situation, Ariel’s Heavenly Fire Unsheathed was just that damn effective.

"Th-that still doesn’t prove anything. Maybe I just accidentally saw you use it a few times, Ariel, and that’s why our techniques ended up a little... a tiny bit similar." Muen pinched his fingers together to indicate a microscopic amount.

"True." Ariel folded her arms. "That alone doesn’t prove anything yet, nor does it prove Miss Muse is disguised. So let’s change angles for now."

"Change angles?"

"Yes. Very simple."

Ariel’s gaze slowly moved from the Heavenly Fire blade, inch by inch, onto Miss Muse’s body—finally settling on her chest.

Beneath the loose clothing, that pair of rounded curves, while not overwhelming, still hinted at gentle hills and valleys.

"Miss Muse’s chest looks very perfect. Extremely perfect. Honestly... perfect enough to make people a little jealous."

Ariel spoke word by word, voice firm—almost... tinged with grievance.

"But when I carried you earlier, I did not feel the tactile sensation that shape and size should have produced!"

"..."

Ah.

Of course.

Muen felt his heart twitch violently again.

As expected, that kind of close contact made flaws very easy to expose.

After all, the potion his senior sister had given him did not truly turn him into a woman—it only made him look like one.

From sight and perception, this appearance was flawless. So far it had revealed no weaknesses.

But once touch was involved, dissonance would inevitably appear.

Miss Muse and Muen Campbell were similar in build—tall and slender, limbs strong and straight. For safety, even certain private ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) areas had been carefully disguised.

But...

Some things simply couldn’t be hidden.

That nonsense in dramas where a few bandages turn mountains into plains instantly was complete bullshit.

So if something looked present and even felt present in perception—but not in actual contact—any fool would know something was wrong.

If anything, the fact Ariel was only bringing it up now showed her attention had truly been consumed earlier by enemy pursuit, leaving no time to dwell on it.

But that Heavenly Fire Unsheathed he’d used just now had brought her focus back.

It was over.

Even if Ariel couldn’t deduce that he was the very Muen Campbell she hated most, she would absolutely realize he was male!

Being intimately handled by a man she disliked—like this and that—given Ariel’s personality, she’d definitely draw her sword!

At this distance... could he dodge?

Muen’s hand unconsciously tightened. His whole body was taut like a drawn bow, ready to flee for his life under Ariel’s furious pursuit.

"No rebuttal left? Then my guess was correct."

Ariel gazed into Muen’s eyes. In her deep pupils flickered an unreadable light. Her tone dropped, cold and shadowed.

"Miss Muse, you—"

It’s coming!

Muen held his breath, ready to—

"You padded them, didn’t you!"

"Very sorry, Ariel, I— ...eh?"

Muen, halfway through drawing the blade he’d prepared to block her strike while planning a full-sequence kneel-and-escape maneuver, froze.

"Y-you... what did you say?"

"Hmph. Don’t be shocked. No one understands this pain better than I do—and no one has more authority on this matter."

Ariel clutched her own vast, boundless, perfectly flat chest, face full of bitter indignation.

"I’ve done this kind of thing too. So with just a little thought, I can be certain... Miss Muse—you and I... are the same kind of person! Fellow travelers across the broad plains of the chest!"

"Ah... y-yes, yes, yes! You’re absolutely right!"

After a few seconds of silence, confusion, and brain freeze, Muen nodded vigorously and quietly shoved the half-drawn blade back behind him.

"Ariel, you’re completely right. My chest... is indeed padded. I’m actually about the same as you. I kept deceiving you before—I’m really sorry."

"It’s fine. I understand your feelings. But..."

Ariel’s brows shot up again, making Muen tense once more.

"B-but what?"

"But Miss Muse, the way you padded them has a huge flaw."

Ariel stroked her chin, appraising seriously.

"Padding that only alters visual appearance may avoid slipping, won’t affect combat, and won’t get damaged in battle. But in the end... a chest without tactile presence, even if padded, has no meaning at all!"

"Ah? Ah, y-yes... I agree with that too. A chest without tactile presence... has no meaning... haha, no meaning."

Muen’s mouth twitched.

This girl’s obsession with breasts was truly on another level.

"So—I recommend this."

Ariel suddenly took out a soft, squishy mass and handed it to Muen.

"This is...?"

"A kind of magic rubber."

"Magic rubber?"

Muen looked down, kneading the soft lump. The material was indeed some kind of rubber—but clearly different from ordinary rubber.

"That’s right. I personally developed this. A unique, world-exclusive masterpiece. Just inject magic power, and its softness and elasticity become nearly indistinguishable from the real thing!"

"I-is that so?"

Muen’s eyes widened. He channeled a trace of magic into it—and sure enough, the tactile quality instantly became astonishing.

That incredible?

Had Ariel’s magic already reached biotech levels?

"See? I wasn’t exaggerating. With this, you can make them as big as you want, as round as you want. For example—before, I used this to achieve S-size!" Ariel declared proudly.

"S-S?!"

Muen sucked in a sharp breath.

What was that? A monster?

Liya’s G was already shocking. Ariel’s S... was that some ultimate extreme fetish where half your body weight was chest?!

Truly worthy of a chosen protagonist—if she padded, she padded beyond limits!

"But... if you give this to me, what about you?"

Muen hesitated. "This can’t be easy to make. It must be precious to you, Ariel."

"It’s f-fine. I can make more. And..."

"And?"

"And I can’t ignore Miss Muse’s feelings."

"F-feelings?" That ominous foreboding began humming in Muen’s chest again.

"Yes."

Ariel’s cheeks flushed faintly. Her thighs pressed together shyly as she nodded.

"This feeling of yours—staying by my side even while hiding your name and disguising your identity, secretly observing me somewhere unknown, even learning my techniques. And when you finally appear before me, you even pad your chest just to show your most beautiful self... How could I possibly ignore that?"