Foundation or concealer? Forget it. Facing such a vast territory of "battle scars," those tools were utterly useless.
Durandal had even gone as far as manifesting Abyss Flower, intending to use the Power of Creation to restore their bodies to their pristine state.
Unfortunately, it seemed the universe didn't categorize these particular "scars" as injuries, leaving the divine key with nothing to heal.
Mercifully, it was February.
The biting chill gave them a perfect excuse to bundle up tightly, and neither looked out of place buried in thick, high-collared turtlenecks.
They managed to reach the doors of Eden's advertising agency within thirty minutes. The moment they arrived, they were greeted by Eden herself, who seemed to have been waiting with poised anticipation.
Eden didn't find anything odd about Durandal and Elysia being dressed far more conservatively than usual; she simply led them straight into the dressing room.
Inside, a team of makeup artists and three full rows of wardrobe racks were already waiting.
Scanning the outfits—most of which featured rather generous amounts of skin—the two girls felt their expressions turn distinctly complicated.
"Eden, do I have the right to choose my own clothes?" Durandal asked bluntly.
A flicker of suspicion finally crossed Eden's face. However, she chalked it up to Durandal's usual stoic nature. She assumed the Valkyrie simply wanted to avoid anything too revealing or potentially embarrassing.
For instance, it was hard to imagine the serious Durandal in a pink magical girl outfit, waving a sparkling wand.
"Of course," Eden replied. She figured that Durandal's disciplined personality paired with a more conservative or androgynous style would still pull in a massive audience.
If nothing else, the older demographic would find Durandal's mature, reliable aura to be a massive selling point.
That wasn't to say Elysia wouldn't appeal to the elders as well.
As long as Elysia dialed back her usual flirtatious charm and played the role of the sweet, innocent girl-next-door, she'd have them wrapped around her finger.
And as for the youth? With faces like Durandal's and Elysia's, they could be wearing burlap sacks and still be icons. Style—whether avant-garde or modest—wasn't the issue.
Eden's main concern was national appeal and brand recognition.
If the ambassadors she meticulously polished for Schicksal only appealed to a niche group of teenagers instead of winning over every man, woman, and child in the country, the project would be a total failure.
And in her professional domain, Eden did not tolerate failure.
"Then I..." Elysia started, her eyes wandering toward a rack of more masculine-leaning attire.
"No, Ellie, not you," Eden said with a gentle shake of her head. She pointed to a row of vibrant, youthful clothes that, while not overly revealing, were certainly form-fitting.
"Most of your choices need to come from these. Of course, if you want to play with contrast, we can shoot a special set later, but your primary styles must remain consistent with your established personas."
Elysia's eyes darted around as a thought struck her. She pulled Eden aside, lowering her voice. "Eden, have you considered something?"
"What is it?" Eden looked at her, puzzled.
Elysia didn't answer immediately. Instead, she waved over a visibly relieved Durandal.
Once they were both gathered, Elysia gestured toward the two of them.
"Eden, we're becoming the faces of Schicksal. Our organization is on the front lines against the Honkai. Durandal and I have been clashing with Zombies almost every single day lately."
She leaned in closer. "Schicksal isn't like Fire Moth. They don't host 'Traditional Nights' or fancy balls just to flaunt some high-society status. If Fire Moth is about the 'Elite' path, Schicksal needs to be the 'People's' path. Don't you think that makes sense?"
"It does indeed." Eden nodded, the gears in her mind already turning with fresh inspiration.
"See? So, these clothes you've prepared today don't really fit the image Schicksal needs to project. Maybe we should take some time to prep new outfits and come back another day?" Elysia's true intentions finally bared their teeth.
Behind Eden's back, Durandal secretly gave Elysia a thumbs-up. Even if Durandal chose a more masculine, bundled-up outfit, what about the "love bites" on her neck?
A shirt collar wouldn't hide everything. And while she could wear a scarf, wouldn't that just make the makeup team even more suspicious?
Elysia shot Durandal a triumphant "leave it to me" look. When it came to quick thinking, Durandal couldn't catch Elysia even if she were riding ten Krishnas.
However, Eden's next words caused Elysia's smile to freeze instantly.
"Why bother re-preparing?" Eden shook her head. "Actually, 'Elite' and 'Mainstream' aren't mutually exclusive. For example..."
Eden walked over to the rack of androgynous suits and picked out a sharp, gentlemanly ensemble. She grabbed a pair of scissors and—snip, snap—began shredding the fabric.
She even used her hands to tear at the seams, systematically ruining a perfectly good suit until it looked like it had been dragged through a war zone. It wasn't quite rags, but it was certainly "battle-worn."
Eden held the outfit up against Durandal, her expression growing more satisfied by the second.
"Look. Put this on Durandal, and the effect is perfect. Your natural elegance already screams 'Elite,' so trying too hard to look like an average person would just feel awkward."
"But seeing two shining stars who have thrown themselves into disaster to save the world, emerging covered in wounds and tattered clothes... that's what truly moves people's hearts."
She beamed at Elysia. "Ellie, your suggestion was brilliant. I felt like something was missing from the concept, and I figured I'd find the spark once we started shooting. I didn't expect you to provide the missing piece so perfectly."
Elysia: "..."
She turned to Durandal, her expression one of silent, desperate apology.
After all, this meant Durandal—who might have been able to hide most of her marks—was now going to be just as exposed as she was.
While a tiny, mischievous part of Elysia was actually enjoying the turn of events, she knew she had to at least pretend to be sorry if she wanted to be able to get out of bed tomorrow morning.
Durandal: !!!???
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T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.