When Fainyx stepped inside the establishment, he could hardly believe his eyes.
The expansive interior was filled to the brim with rows upon rows of pristine garments.
It was currently only five in the morning, yet the shop was already fully open for business, catering to the early-morning schedules of the high society.
One grand section was dedicated entirely to elaborate dresses worn by noble ladies, while another expansive wing displayed fine menswear.
As he walked across the polished marble floor, he was immediately greeted by the subtle, disdainful glares of a few noble patrons who had arrived early.
They whispered behind their fans and sleeves, casting judgment on his masked, cloaked frame.
Fainyx paid absolutely no attention to their quiet chatter. Instead, he approached one of the nearby clerks, who looked visibly uncomfortable under his mysterious gaze.
He pulled out his notepad, quickly writing down his request.
[ I want to buy a proper suit that can match with this mask. Do you have anything available? Here is 10 gold. ]
He handed over a heavy leather pouch containing ten gold coins. The clerk's eyes instantly glimmered with extreme greed, and he let out a hasty, nervous cough to regain his composure.
"!?... Please follow me this way at once, sir! We shall immediately move to a private fitting room for a generous guest such as yourself!"
Fainyx nodded smoothly behind his mask, following the man down the hallway.
'It really is good to be rich~ '
They reached the private room, completely secluded from the other patrons.
The clerk bowed deeply and guided him to sit on a luxurious velvet couch, promptly serving a steaming cup of fine tea on the side table.
"I am Quinn, the proud owner of this establishment." the man introduced himself with a flourish.
"So, what is the exact occasion for this purchase, sir? Is it a private evening party, or perhaps an aristocratic tea gathering?"
Fainyx wrote his response on the pad.
[ It is for an upcoming banquet. I need a suit that properly matches this mask. ]
He pointed to the dark mask that covered his face. The design was shaped similar to some black normal mask and it completely concealing his eyes while covering only the upper half of his face.
Quinn nodded thoughtfully, studying the shape of the mask before asking.
"Are there any specific design preferences you have in mind? What about the preferred color palette?"
[ No excessive frills, and no other colors except black and white or gold. ]
"Eh...? Such a plain and dull color combination?"
Quinn gasped dramatically, resting a hand on his cheek.
"Are you entirely certain you do not wish to stand out in the eyes of the young noble ladies at the banquet?"
'...I am far too young to be caring about that kind of stuff, mister...' Fainyx thought dryly.
"Hm... well, we can certainly draft a custom creation for you since it is a standard order."
Quinn declared, snapping his fingers twice.
In an instant, a bustling team of tailors rushed into the room carrying specialized measuring tapes.
They motioned for Fainyx to stand up from the sofa, immediately taking his physical measurements with terrifying precision.
They finished the entire process in less than thirty seconds.
"Oh my, such an remarkably slender waist for a grown man~!" Quinn remarked cheerfully.
"I will need to adjust the midsection tailoring for this piece. And you wish to match it perfectly with your mask, correct? Then let us incorporate subtle, classic golden thread accents along the lapels of the tuxedo! Let's get to work, everyone~!"
Quinn and his staff quickly hurried out of the room to gather the finest materials, leaving Fainyx standing alone in the center of the private chamber.
'Whoa... it felt like a total hurricane just swept through the room... Is it really alright for me to just stand here and wait?'
Before he could even sit back down, the door swung open once again.
Quinn re-entered with a bright smile, followed by several clerks carrying various racks of suits, trousers, and polished leather shoes.
"Sir~! I have gathered several pre-tailored options that match your exact specifications! Let us have you try on this first set right away. Would you like my assistants to help strip you down~?"
'...'
Fainyx immediately wrote on his pad.
[ No thank you, I will handle changing into the clothes myself. ]
"I see~! Then please feel free to use this private room to select whichever set catches your fancy! Simply ring this small silver bell on the table whenever you are ready for me to return~!"
Quinn and his clerks bowed and exited the room, leaving Fainyx alone with the vast collection of luxury attire. He let out a weary sigh.
'This is going to be incredibly exhausting...'
He unclasped his heavy cloak, removing his outer layers to try on the suits one by one. He slipped into the first combination.
'Hm... not too shabby, but the cut looks a bit too dull.'
The first option was a standard black suit paired with a simple black bow on the collar.
He quickly changed into the second set, but as soon as he looked in the full-length mirror, he paused.
The chest of the coat featured an open, low-cut design that radiated a distinctly scandalous aesthetic.
Because it exposed the prominent scars across his illusionary chest, he immediately rejected it.
'Who in their right mind even wears this kind of revealing clothing to a formal event?'
He continued changing into set after set.
Most of the designs were either far too open or overly elaborate, adorned with ridiculous amounts of lace, ruffles, and heavy embroidery that he thoroughly despised.
Finally, he reached the very last set on the rack.
It was a refined suit styled similarly to the formal wear his father, Duke Arthur, frequently wore.
It featured subtle golden thread woven elegantly along the black fabric, fitting seamlessly with the aesthetic of his mask.
He turned toward the mirror to inspect his appearance.
The ensemble gave off the distinct aura of a dignified gentleman, while the dark mask added an air of deep mystery.
Curious, he temporarily removed his mask to check the full effect.
The face staring back at him was his old, scarred face from his past life, yet when paired with the tailored suit, the scar didn't look ugly or out of place at all.
Combined with his neat hair, he looked like a handsome, mysterious young man, even if his dark eyes still carried a slightly listless and droopy expression.
'Not bad at all, even on my old body. '
he thought, twisting his frame left and right to confirm that the fit was comfortable.
Satisfied with his choice, his eyes drifted over to a display of discarded accessories, where a small piece of fine black silk lace caught his attention.
He immediately thought of Lumi resting back in the Aetherium.
'I think Lumi would look really good wearing this silk lace... I can probably tie it into a small ribbon for him.'
He took off the suit, changed back into his worn traveling clothes, put his mask back on, and threw his heavy cloak over his shoulders.
He then walked over to the side table and rang the small silver bell.
Quinn opened the door almost instantly, bowing politely as he entered.
"Have you found a set that satisfies your taste, sir?"
Fainyx nodded, pointing to his chosen items while writing on his notepad.
[ I will take this specific suit, along with this black silk lace. ]
"A marvelous choice, sir! I am truly glad you found the perfect attire for the event!"
[ How much does this come out to? ]
"The grand total comes out to one-hundred gold coins, including the tailored suit and the silk lace, sir. Would you like me to pack everything into a travel bag for you?"
'Damn that's expensive for a single suit...'
Fainyx gave a firm nod, allowing Quinn to carefully fold and package his purchases.
Once the bag was handed over, Fainyx wasted no time in leaving the store.
He had absolutely no desire to browse through any more extravagant noble clothes, as he found the flashy styles thoroughly annoying.
The early morning sun was just beginning to crest over the horizon as he stepped back out onto the cobblestone streets.
'Such a fulfilling way to spend money, I suppose.'
He walked down the street until he found a quiet, deserted alleyway.
He cast an advanced invisibility spell over his body, using the wind magic formulas Master Ruth had taught him to lift his frame off the ground and fly silently back toward the estate.
He arrived back at the Nocte mansion just as the morning sunlight hit the outer stone walls.
Slipping through his open window, he landed silently inside his private room.
The golem Fain, was already wide awake and waiting for his return.
As it stood up immediately, executing a flawless, polite bow.
"Welcome back, Creator... I see that you were caught up in something troublesome while you were out."
"Sigh... that is entirely true..." Fainyx muttered softly.
"To think so many chaotic events would happen all at once on the very first night I decided to step outside..."
He deactivated his illusion spell, returning to his actual six-year-old body before changing out of his gear and slipping into his soft pajamas.
He sat down on the edge of his bed, looking up at Fain.
"Did anything unusual happen while I was away?"
"The twin siblings visited the room earlier..."
Fain reported smoothly. "They simply stood near the bed and watched me sleep for a while... It was quite an uncomfortable experience."
"I see... Well, your task is finished for now."
"Understood, Creator."
Fain bowed deeply once more.
His solid structure crumbled into fine particles of mana, vanishing completely from the room.
Fainyx let out a tired sigh, reflecting on the golem's behavior.
The decoy construct was becoming noticeably more intelligent with each passing day.
Whenever he issued an order, Fain was now capable of analyzing the situation and executing complex tasks that Fainyx hadn't even explicitly commanded.
Last week, the golem had unlocked the ability to communicate with him telepathically, and now it could even speak aloud with full fluency.
It was practically like having an exceptionally loyal servant, one that would never betray his trust or question his authority.
'...It would probably even execute an assassination order without hesitation if I told it to.'
He quickly shook the dark thought from his head, knowing how dangerous that line of thinking could be.
Still, having Fain meant he could safely leave the golem behind to act as his body double whenever he needed to attend the royal invitation.
'I can't escape attending the banquet no matter what... And I can't send Fain in my place either. The imperial palace utilizes heavy mana-nullification barriers, so any active spell or construct would risk being dispelled on entry... It is far too risky.'
He wasn't worried about Fain dispelling back at the mansion while he was away at the palace, though.
The golem had been upgraded to store its own internal mana reserve, meaning it could maintain its physical form independently even if Fainyx entered a nullification zone far away.
He pulled the soft blankets over his small frame and closed his eyes.
For now, he desperately needed to get a few hours of proper rest.