My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 110: A New Look

"Come again?" Kace stammered as his jaw hit the floor.

"I said, this is for you." Sonja giggled like a schoolgirl. She was extremely pleased with his reaction just now. To be fair if he had shown that he was not interested at all, she probably would have just killed him on the spot.

Kace took a few tentative steps forwards as he ogled the armour. For a while now, he had felt that his previous set was lacking. However, he could not bring himself to part with it. Not only that, but he initially had no idea what kind of armour would have been best for him now. The set before him was practical and esthetically pleasing to his eyes.

In other words. 'It's a god damn work of art!' Kace thought as he imagined himself inside of it. Gallantly fighting on the front lines of a battle. He was beyond happy with the wolf head ornaments, he felt as though this set of armour spoke to his very soul.

"Try it on. I promise it's nowhere near as heavy as it looks." Sonja said with a glimmer of happiness in her eyes. She took her leave to give him some privacy this time. Personally, she was hoping that the makeover that she had ordered and seeing him in this armour would stir her daughter's heart even more.

After all, what girl did not hope for a night in shining armour to be her protector? 'Now that he has accepted this armour, although he may not realise it, it will officially mark him as a supporter of the royal faction.' Sonja smiled at her own cunning. She knew exactly what it was that Kace needed the most and how best to use it to her advantage.

'This should keep the nobles away and hopefully prevent the rebels from approaching him as well.' She mused, considering multiple possible scenarios that may develop. At this moment, the door creaked open beside her, and an ominous presence washed over her.

'This... Was his armour before that bad?' She wondered in slight amusement. He was quite the imposing figure now. The armour was a snug fit, showing off the lines of his body. Thankfully though the plates that tapered in around his waist were designed in such a way to not restrict his movements.

'Hmm, seems the enchanters did a fine job. He should have noticed by now that this is no ordinary armour. I wonder how he will react to the other gift?' She smiled warmly as she cast her eyes over him.

Kace traced his finger over his silver scar that ran from just above his right eyebrow down through it and over his eye to a stop just above his lip. With this and his new armour as well as the short beard, he looked like a battle-hardened veteran now, a far cry from his humble beginnings in this world.

He looked at Sonja with gratitude. He could tell from his system that the whole armour had been enchanted to increase his stats. Not just that, but his system even told him that this armour was class exclusive to Hexblades. Hence, it had enchantments that increased the effectiveness of those skills.

What had surprised him though was the fact it appeared to be a named set. Kace quickly glanced through his system yet again, taking another look at it. [Death Wolf Set Equipment]. The name was quite a shock. He had never seen or heard of set equipment in this world so far. It made him consider the possibilities for the future.

'I need to make a mental note to look into this more in the future.' Kace thought as he adjusted himself to the boost that the armour was giving him. 'I wonder if I can get something similar made for Grugda? Though, I have no clue what kind of style he would prefer. I'll ask him later about it.'

"Come on, we don't have all day." Sonja said with a hint of pride as she led him towards another doorway situated further down the hall.

Kace gasped as Sonja opened the door to the weapons hall. The walls were lined with every kind of weapon imaginable. Kace's eyes lit up as he considered copying all of them with his Cursed Armoury skill. Sonja chuckled as though she could read his thoughts. Which in reality, was not true, but since she had once been a Hexblade, she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"I know what you're thinking. However, all of these weapons are also enchanted. Cursed Armoury only copies the weapons form, allowing you to change up your style during combat. Each of these is part of my own personal collection." Sonja boasted happily as Kace's face looked lost.

'Damn! Here I thought I could get another massive boost.' Kace grumbled inwardly.'Why would you bring me here just to gloat over your toybox!' Kace looked around yet again, his face full of envy. This caused a chorus of laughter from Sonja as she realised his misunderstanding.

"You idiot. You think I need to have my ego stroked so badly I would bring you here for no reason?" Sonja said as she fixed him with a knowing look. Making Kace feel embarrassed about his private thoughts. "No. You can't just receive a new set of armour. You need a weapon fitting of your station as my disciple."

Kace looked at the myriad of weapons lining the walls yet again. A glimmer lit up his eyes as he began to estimate how much even one of these may be worth. A few of them had already caught his fancy. He was almost so enthusiastic that he nearly ran down the hall to get a better look at the ones further away. It was only now that he realised that the hallway seemed to be endless.

"I'll leave you alone to choose from the weapons here. There is a condition, though." Sonja said sternly. "No matter what. You must not select one from among those behind the door at the end. Have I made myself clear?"