The Innkeeper



In the testing room, the soldier who had set up the test, as well as everyone else, were all startled by the change. What kind of technique was this? They had seen a lot of different kinds of techniques, but never one that turned an entire army into a seemingly massive robot.

To be clear, the battlefield they were currently at was not run by the Jotun empire, but by a subsidiary force of the Elven empire. As such, they had a much greater exposure and history than that of humans. Still, this was something completely unprecedented. Moreover, it was not the optics of the situation that was an issue. Even in the control room, separated by a protected wall, they felt a sense of danger.

In the testing hall, neither the invading force paused nor the Midnight mech. Even Z did not pause to appreciate how awesome this moment felt for him. Since the Innkeeper had trusted him with this responsibility, he would live up to it.

Silently, the mech moved. Despite its ridiculous speed, it caused no sound as its lithe and nimble frame moved through the hall, let alone the sonic booms it should have caused due to its velocity.

In one single move, which was too fast for those in the control room to see clearly, the mech attacked. A moment later, it appeared in the opposite end of the hall, its back towards the enemies it had crossed. Yet it did not really even need to turn back, for a few seconds later all the attacking robots exploded!

Not a single one survived the single attack. The Midnight battalion, after its first successful combat test, ended their technique, dissipating the awesome mech as if it was a mirage. All that was left were 1000 soldiers, standing there unimpressed. Even the bunnies in their daycare faced more of a challenge than this.

*****

"Child, you clearly don't have the same vision as the Innkeeper and I, so don't try to boast empty compliments. You'll only embarrass yourself," said Geeves. He was not happy at all upon receiving a compliment on his work. That was because the person paying the compliment did not even understand enough of what he did to even pay a proper compliment.

Lex, on the other hand, did not feel offended by Geeves' seemingly rude attitude. First of all, the man was seriously sleep deprived, so he could not be blamed for being grumpy. Secondly, so long as he did a good job, why did it matter if he had a bit of an attitude?

"Like I was saying, the suit you made thoroughly impressed me. I wanted to order one for myself as well."

It hardly surprised Geeves to hear as such. Who wouldn't want his suits? Rather, it was the fact that Leo could even order a suit from him that was curious. Just because they were workers at the Inn did not mean they could so easily be exempted from the privilege requirements. Similar to how there were privileges for guests, the official workers of the Inn were also ranked based on how long they had worked, their performance, customer satisfaction, etc.

The only reason why it was not relevant before was because Lex was manually setting up privilege requirements, so he never put them up for his workers. The tailor shop, however, naturally had a restriction on it so the same applied to the workers.

Still, monitoring workers ranks was not Geeves' job. Since Leo was here, the man clearly had the qualification.

"What kind of suit do you have in mind?" he asked, as he massaged his temples. Even if he didn't plan on working immediately on the suit, he took his job very seriously. As such, he needed all his presence of mind for when he took orders.

"I have a very… unique problem," Leo confessed as he scratched his head. "I don't really care about defense or protection, as it's already very hard for anything to hurt me. Instead, I just want clothes that are extremely durable, so that I won't end up naked while fighting or facing a dangerous situation. Since my body is so durable, I end up facing more extreme situations than anyone else would normally face."

Geeves nodded as he took in Leo's requirements and ran a few ideas through his mind.

"Any style requirements?" he asked.

"You did a good job with the previous suits, so I'll defer to your judgment on that."

Geeves nodded once again, as if that was the correct answer.

"What about your budget?"

"Let's just say my budget is… big. So long as my needs can be met, the price is irrelevant."

Geeves nodded once more. That's what he liked to hear. But instead of continuing to ask Leo questions, Geeves moved from behind the counter and approached him. He put an arm around Leo's shoulder and patted it a few times before he spoke.

"Child, I understand your requirements. But I have a small suggestion - a small amendment to your requirements, if you will. As a professional, it is my job to educate you about the possibilities even you don't realize."

Geeves paused, and then sighed. He was truly exhausted, so it was hard to focus. But at the same time, inspiration filled him, and he needed to get it out.

"Imagine you're facing a foe," he said, waving his hand out in front of them, as if that would conjure up an image of Leo fighting an enemy.

"Imagine your foe's desperation, his sheer tenacity and will as he uses everything he can to fight you. Imagine that he fails, but manages to escape. Through planning and scheming, and unsavory alliances, the foe returns, this time prepared better to face you. Through the culmination of all his hard work, he finally manages to pierce through your nigh indestructible armor - your suit. He tastes the sweet nectar of ambrosia as he finally succeeds, peeling away your defense, leaving you vulnerable to harm. For surely someone who relies on such resilient armor must be weak himself, right? He is at his zenith, only to fall to an agonizing and hellish nadir when he realizes that your defense is higher still than your seemingly impenetrable armor. 'Why', he roars to the heavens moments before you strike him down. 'Why would someone as strong as you even need such an indestructible armor' he wonders in his last moments? The answer… it is simple. You may not really need that extra bit of defense, but since your foes don't know that, why not frustrate them a little? You see lad, that is called playing with your enemies."

For a moment, Lex was startled. Then, he grinned.