Chapter 36

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Joanie spoke in a rather serious tone.

“Even if it’s orc meat, when you think about it, it’s not much different from pork, right? It’s not like it’s insects or tasteless, so there’s no real reason not to eat it. Don’t you think?”

—It’s too late to argue now…

—You’ve got quite the tongue^^

—So, were you planning to log out and run away?

“I-I didn’t! I didn’t do it, right? That’s all that matters, so why are you picking at that?”

If you log out in a non-safe zone, your character stays right where they are.

Perhaps as a courtesy from Demoninus, there were many safe zones even outside the cities, and players could even create their own if needed.

Because of that, players didn’t feel too inconvenienced even if they spent several days away from the city, as long as there weren’t any NPCs around.

Safe zones outside the cities had no NPCs, and creating one was only possible if there were no NPCs present.

Players speculated about why Demoninus chose such a cumbersome system.

The most widely accepted theory was that it was to enhance realism.

Since it’s a game, they couldn’t completely abandon convenience, but allowing players to log out anywhere would ruin the realism.

So, the theory was that Demoninus designed the system to balance convenience and realism while ensuring players didn’t feel disconnected from the NPCs.

‘Only Demoninus knows the real answer.’

Even when asked directly, Demoninus remained silent, so despite the theory’s popularity on the internet, it never moved beyond speculation.

This, combined with the game’s time dilation system, led to escort quests being dubbed ‘the realm of the unemployed’ or ‘the privilege of the jobless,’ which made sense.

In short, Joanie hadn’t escaped logging out last night to avoid eating orc meat—she simply couldn’t log out.

‘Streamers need to be shameless sometimes.’

With a sly grin, huh?

When Joanie first started streaming, she was all about being honest, but now, after gaining experience, she could handle situations like this.

But viewers had grown experienced from watching streams too.

—Not that she didn’t log out, she couldn’t.

—Classic Joanie dodging escape! Thumbs up!

—Didn’t anyone teach you that you’ll pay with your hands if you get caught lying?

“…By the way, even if I use nap mode and keep watch whenever I can, I still get tired.”

Joanie, feeling exposed, quickly changed the subject.

—Haha, you’re caught!

—Yeah, nothing beats lying in a bed. For sure.

—But I’ve heard expensive capsules are comfier than beds.

—Expensive capsule vs expensive bed?

—Bed all the way.

—But beds don’t have gaming functions…

“Oh, right. I tried a really expensive capsule once, and I instantly got why people use them. The features are one thing, but the comfort is on another level.”

—Isn’t the one you use already pretty expensive?

—It’s definitely overkill for regular folks.

—My capsule disconnects randomly…

—You should upgrade at that point.

“I thought the same thing, but is this what they call post-experience regret? Once you experience it, the downsides become painfully clear. Honestly, I almost gave in to the urge to buy it.”

—”I’m jealous you even have the money to splurge if you feel like it…”

—”If you don’t mind, could you at least buy me an ice cream?”

“Of course, I couldn’t pay it off in one go. Maybe with a 48-month installment plan? Ice cream? Hey, you can buy that much yourself!”

—”48 months? LOL.”

—”That’s a voluntary slave contract right there.”

‘But it was good.’

Joanie smacked her lips.

Not all expensive items are worth their price, but the capsule she experienced was quality she could understand for the cost.

Back then, Silia Online hadn’t been released yet, so she barely managed to resist the overwhelming temptation and conquer her impulse.

‘Now, it might not be such a bad idea…’

Now that Silia Online had launched, the time spent in the capsule had increased significantly compared to back then.

Joanie, swaying with the movements of the carriage, searched for reasons to buy it rather than to hold back.

Then a question suddenly popped into her head.

“Does Kana even sleep?”

Last night, thanks to the merchant group’s kindness, Joanie and Kana had shared a tent, just the two of them.

It probably wasn’t pure generosity. It was likely an attempt to get on their good side.

Even if the motives weren’t entirely selfless, Joanie had no complaints since they had the spacious tent to themselves.

That allowed her to observe Kana as she slept…

‘…Or didn’t.’

They say kids need a lot of sleep, but Kana sat wide awake, hugging her knees until Joanie logged out.

When Joanie reconnected after sleeping in the capsule using a night watch mode, Kana was already up and active.

She wasn’t dozing off in the carriage either.

Since NPCs do sleep, Kana must sleep too, but Joanie had never seen it happen, which made her wonder.

“If she doesn’t sleep well, she won’t grow taller.”

“…”

“…Sorry.”

Even though Joanie had said it in Arkish, which Kana couldn’t understand, Kana shot her a sharp glare, as if she sensed something. Joanie pre-emptively apologized.

—”LOL!”

—”Hahaha, she sensed the burn!”

—”Oof, detected killer intent there!”

“Utch Mm….”

Joanie gritted her teeth and warned her viewers, who were spamming random letters in chat, but her words, of course, had no effect.

***

I watched Joanie talk to herself quietly.

When I look closely, it seems she talks to herself quite a lot.

She laughs alone, then suddenly gets angry, and just when I think she’s calmed down, she starts laughing again.

Watching her makes me wonder, “Is something wrong with her?”

It was strange enough behavior to make one question her well-being, but the woman riding the carriage with us, who introduced herself as Catherine, showed no reaction to Joanie’s antics.

Perhaps she was used to seeing her act this way.

‘…’

Or maybe…

“Kana, what are you thinking about?”

“…Nothing.”

“Hmm?”

I dodged her finger, which was suspiciously trying to poke my cheek.

What’s with her obsession with poking me?

Until now, I’ve ignored it out of annoyance, but I think it’s about time I set some boundaries.

Meanwhile, the carriage we were riding in steadily moved toward our next destination.

Since we hadn’t encountered any monsters since we met the group of orcs yesterday, the merchant group’s pace had quickened considerably.

Although traveling straight through the Empire would be the fastest route on the map, roads are not always conveniently placed.

There could be mountains, rivers, or dense forests in the way…

For that reason, this merchant group I joined was skimming the northern border of the Lo Arka Empire.

Unlike the border control I was used to in my previous life in Korea, the Lo Arka Empire didn’t have a solid border blockade; instead, they set up fortresses and cities, entrusting the border defense to the local lords.

It feels like each city’s territory serves as part of the border.

Isn’t this what they call a feudal system? I think that was the term.

Anyway, even though we were crossing a small part of the Empire’s land, it didn’t seem to cause any significant issues.

We just had to pay a bit of a toll.

Was medieval Europe like this too?

The reason I was suddenly thinking about such things was that the next stop for the merchant group was a small village in a barony of the Empire.

It originally belonged to the Grasis Kingdom, but after its fall, it was absorbed into the barony.

Of course, as someone who’s spent most of my time buried in the mountains, I wouldn’t know such details. This was information I heard from someone else.

Who?

Who else but the Apostle, whining beside me?

“There’s a flower garden near that village. It’s so beautiful that people even go out of their way to visit it.”

“…”

“Let’s go see it together, okay? Kana, you like flowers, don’t you? You’ll love it.”

“…”

“I don’t like flowers, so the premise is wrong from the start.”

Since the premise is wrong, it’s only natural that the conclusion, which is that I would enjoy it, is also incorrect.

Even if the premise is wrong, there’s still a chance of guessing correctly by luck. But unfortunately for them, it’s wrong.

As I sat there, feeling indifferent, Joanie seemed to grow increasingly anxious.

‘If you come with me, I’ll treat you to something delicious!’

‘…I’m not a child.’

‘…O-Of course. Who would dare call you a child, my Kana?’

‘…And I’m not ‘your’ Kana either.’

…Even the way she spoke was already a lost cause.

How could she continue speaking in such a soft, soothing voice, as if trying to console a sulking child, with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips? I furrowed my brow, irritated by the warm gaze directed at me, and let out a sigh.

Did she really want to go see the flowers that badly?

Come to think of it, almost every noblewoman I saw during my time with the Crimson Aegis seemed to love flowers.

Maybe it’s an instinct among women, though I can’t say for sure. Whether it’s because I was a man in my previous life or because my emotions have dried up from living such a harsh, barren life, I’ve never really felt anything special about them.

To be precise, I can acknowledge that they’re pretty, but it’s more like something you’d think in passing, like ‘Oh, that’s nice,’ and then just move on. I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to visit or sit around admiring them.

Then suddenly, an image of Garid popped into my mind — Garid, sitting in front of a flower shop, watching flowers.

It’s a scene I’ve never actually witnessed, but imagining it was easy.

His rugged, muscular frame, the long diagonal scar across his right cheek, his rough, far-from-handsome face, and his short-cropped brown hair.

He crouches down, eyes gleaming as he gazes at the flowers, with the flower shop owner standing awkwardly nearby.

‘Pfft…’

The image made me chuckle without realizing it.

Was it a pure laugh? Well, maybe not. It felt closer to a scoff, really.

“Oh?! Kana, you laughed! You did, right?”

“…”

Joanie couldn’t even wait a second and made a big fuss about it.

“I didn’t laugh.” seaʀᴄh thё NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Come on, you did! It’s okay to laugh. Why are you lying about it?”

If anyone should be saying that, it’s me.

It’s okay to laugh; why make such a big deal out of it?

I looked at Joanie, who was squealing and holding hands with Catherine, with a pitying gaze.

Sighing, I finally said, “Alright. Let’s go.”

“Oh, really?!”

Joanie’s voice shot up in surprise.

‘Why was she so surprised when she was the one who asked to go in the first place?’

“I thought you’d keep rejecting it… Seems like Canaria really likes flowers. Could it be that her indifferent reaction was just because she was embarrassed? Saying she’s not a child and all… Isn’t she just too cute? …Kill me?! Uggghh?!”

“If you don’t like it, then forget it.”

“Not at all! Ah, I blurted it out because I was so excited… Ahem… No, I love it! So, it’s a promise, right? We’re going to see them together?”

“Yes.”

If it looks good, I’ll pick up some seedlings or seeds on the way back and show them to Garid.

I’m sure Garid would love them.

“Oh, we’re almost there.”

The atmosphere in the merchant guild became restless.

Unlike yesterday, there didn’t seem to be any urgency, so it didn’t appear that monsters had attacked like before.

Joanie, noticing this, opened the curtains and peeked outside.

“Oh, I can see it!”

Her voice was filled with excitement.

Joanie, who had been craning her neck to look outside, sat back in her seat with an embarrassed expression when she heard Catherine chuckling.

“Seems like you’re really looking forward to this.”

“Haha… I just love traveling… Sorry, I got a little too excited, didn’t I?”

“No need to apologize. It’s nice to see you so excited.”

I began preparing to get off the carriage.

Though preparation was really just pulling my cape tighter and checking my belongings.

As the carriage gradually slowed and the loud sound of the wheels faded, the characteristic bustling yet tranquil atmosphere of a small village filled the space.

When I peeked outside through the parted curtains, the sight of a picturesque village, like something out of a painting, caught my eye.

A young boy, whose eyes I met by chance, was filled with curiosity and anticipation.

For sure, the visit of a merchant guild to a small village like this must be a special event for a child like him.

Although I’d visited villages similar to this one before, I’d never seen such an expression on anyone’s face.

I never traveled alone; I always moved with the knights, and the knights visiting a village meant that the village’s guards or the lord’s soldiers couldn’t handle a situation on their own.

So, the faces that greeted us then weren’t filled with curiosity or excitement like that, but with anxiety, fear, and despair.

As I nodded back at the boy who was waving with a bright smile, I thought to myself.

I’m sorry, Garid…

‘…But, this isn’t so bad.’