The rattling horse carriage rolled forward, carrying Kirito deep into the lavish and imposing mansion of General Akaza. Just as he set foot at the main gate, the boisterous sounds of lively music, laudatory praises, and the loud chatter of distinguished guests echoed warmly. It was evident that tonight’s banquet gathered many prominent and immensely powerful figures within the alliance.
"Oh my, greetings, Lord Denji! It’s been quite a while since I last saw you grace an event," a middle-aged man suddenly stepped out from the crowd, bursting into a loud laugh of greeting.
Kirito paused, feeling a sudden jolt in his chest as he had no idea who the opponent was. He secretly regretted acting too hastily with the real Denji and forgetting to thoroughly interrogate his social connections beforehand.
Nonetheless, with the composure of an assassin, Kirito maintained a polite social smile and nodded in greeting: "Ah, hello, my friend."
The man reached out to stroke the beard beneath his chin, his probing gaze sweeping over Kirito before speaking: "Follow me to the back for a moment, I have a confidential matter to discuss with you in private."
Though quite surprised, Kirito calmly stepped along behind him.
Deep down inside, Kirito remained extremely alert and cautious. He understood full well that he absolutely could not rashly assassinate anyone at this crowded banquet. Furthermore, they were all powerful individuals who had long since consumed the royal antidote, rendering them immune to most conventional poisons. Kirito could not be certain whether his poison was potent enough to bypass that antidote, so it was best to remain inactive.
When the two of them stepped out into a secluded, uncrowded corner behind the large building, suddenly from the shadows, the sharp blades of several guards appeared, pointing straight at Kirito’s neck threateningly.
The man whirled around at that moment, stroking his beard, his razor-sharp gaze staring straight into him:
"You might as well take off that deceitful mask. Exactly who are you posing as Denji?"
Kirito was startled, completely unprepared to have his cover blown so quickly and easily. He arched an eyebrow, feigning surprise: "Oh, how on earth did you figure it out?"
The man let out a scoff, his tone full of smugness:
"You are still wet behind the ears. Denji is my bosom friend; his manner of speaking, intonation, and demeanor are completely different from your youthful tone."
Kirito let out a sigh, dropping his bewildered expression before smirking:
"Alas, you guessed right. Indeed I am not Denji... I am his adopted son." — Kirito cleverly fabricated a flawless lie to cope.
The man knitted his brows tightly, rejecting the claim immediately:
"Lies! I know every single secret that old man holds in the palm of my hand. If he ever adopted a son, how could I possibly know nothing about it?"
Kirito promptly raised his hand to remove the disguise mask, revealing his youthful, handsome face:
"My real name is also Denji; my adoptive father named me identical to his own."
"My father passed away not long ago. If Lord Akaza learns of my father’s death, he surely won’t trust entrusting heavy responsibilities to a greenhorn like me. To take over the work and maintain stability, I was forced to disguise myself in my father’s likeness."
The man continued stroking his beard in contemplation, a skeptical expression on his face:
"Your caution and the way you handled yourself just now truly resemble Denji’s style..."
"But that is still not enough to prove your words are true."
Unflinching, Kirito calmly reached into his pocket and withdrew a shiny silver ring—an item he had seized while rummaging through Denji’s person earlier:
"This ring is a token of affection my father gifted, originally a keepsake left to him by his late mother. Is this enough evidence?"
The man blinked, pressing further: "Then what was your mother’s name?"
Kirito replied without a moment’s hesitation: "Luna."
Hearing the familiar name, the man let out a breath of relief, stepping forward to give Kirito’s shoulder a firm pat:
"Very well, since you hold every nook and cranny of Denji’s memories so well, you are undoubtedly his kin. Moreover, this silver ring has an explosive mechanism embedded inside; Denji once swore that if captured, he would use it to commit suicide... I believe you."
In truth, the reason Kirito grasped this detail so well was because while checking the ledgers in the warehouse, he had accidentally read a personal diary recording the entirety of old Denji’s life.
And the man standing before Kirito at this moment, according to what the diary recorded, was none of other than Immu—the very man who had stolen Denji’s wife back in their youth, causing him to harbor secret resentment and seek revenge without success.
Immu turned his back and walked away, signaling for Kirito to follow:
"Just keep your real face; no need to disguise yourself anymore. Later I will officially report this to Lord Akaza. You handled the situation very calmly and sharply; I see you possess great talent."
The two returned to the banquet’s main hall, and Kirito was assigned a seat designated specifically for the warehouse manager.
Right at that moment, the music suddenly softened, and all the guests in the hall simultaneously bowed respectfully as a noble woman stepped inside. It was none other than General Akaza’s wife, Hinata.
She possessed vibrant, fiery-red long hair that accentuated her exquisite, sharply beautiful, and aristocratic face. Hinata wore a magnificent orange kimono, meticulously embroidered and studded densely with shimmering gemstones.
However, what drew Kirito’s attention even more was the silk fabric of her kimono—a thin, semi-transparent material under the dim candlelight. With the special vision and acuity of an experienced man, Kirito easily peered through that sheer fabric, vaguely capturing every curve of her voluptuous body into his field of vision: from her erect nipples pushing against the silk down to her wet vagina.
The reason Kirito could see so clearly was not merely luck. During his harsh training with his old master in childhood, he realized early on that ancients, due to nutritional deficiencies and lifestyle habits, usually had poor vision; furthermore, they favored absolute purity, often avoiding pungent spices, especially chili heat.
Meanwhile, chili peppers are foods exceptionally rich in vitamins and nutrients beneficial for improving visual acuity. As a reincarnated soul from the modern era, Kirito loved spicy food, which made his eyesight and night vision vastly superior to his contemporaries. That was why he could easily "see-through" Madame Hinata’s thin garment.
"Good grief... this woman is breathtakingly gorgeous..." Kirito muttered inwardly within his chest.
The thrilling sensation from the sight before him instantly caused Kirito’s massive cock underneath to harden violently. A dark notion began to sprout in his mind: at all costs, he must find an opportunity to approach and conquer this arrogant woman.