It was the tenth day of my game-like life.
This morning, I woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in a while.
Yesterday, I agonized over where to sleep. In the end, I brought a large Adventurer’s Bag into the red room, set up another bed, and decided to sleep with Ringo.
Sleeping in a bright red room took some courage, so I let Ringo draw on the walls to liven it up. It was a huge success (artistically speaking). I concluded that once I closed my eyes, the walls would all look the same anyway, and went to sleep quickly.
It turns out the red room was a stress-related trap room. In the middle of the night, a voice, so high-pitched it hurt my ears, like that of a theme park character, kept whispering, “Do you like it?” I ignored it because I was sleepy, and it eventually gave up.
Even if the room was manageable, I didn’t know what would happen if I left the bear plushie unattended, so I came up with a plan. I was afraid it might suddenly appear and scare me if I looked away, so I decided to hug it while I slept. “Even a hunter won’t shoot a bird that flies into their bosom.” I had a feeling something was fundamentally wrong with that saying, but the bear was surprisingly comfortable to hold.
However, my refreshed awakening wasn’t solely due to getting enough sleep. Yesterday was a very productive day. I completed many Quests, and I’m confident that some of them were cleared in a better way than they would have been in the Game.
I managed to clear the “Michael’s Blue Bird” Quest without letting the Blue Bird die. In “Shocking! A Murder Case Full of Nobles,” I was able to resolve the incident without any casualties other than Richard’s father dying. This is a more valuable achievement than simply completing the Quest.
I tend to view this world as if it were a Game, but it’s both a Game and reality. The people living in this world are not just data; they are living, breathing individuals. If I can save them using my knowledge of the Game, then it’s truly a cause for joy.
Assisting the flow of events while intervening in ways different from the Game, and achieving better results than the original event – this boosted my confidence that my basic strategy was correct.
Furthermore, it was a fruitful day in terms of strengthening my combat capabilities. Not only did I increase my proficiency with various weapons and elements after returning home, but I also acquired some excellent items as Quest rewards.
The rewards for the murder case, in particular, varied depending on at what stage Greg’s murder was stopped. Normally, the investigation actions would only be unlocked after Richard died, and there would be a complex procedure of gathering evidence and keywords to declare Greg the culprit. However, in this world, such restrictions don’t apply. This time, since I even saved Richard, who should have died in the Game, the rewards were a rank higher.
Among them, the “Necklace of Indomitable Spirit,” which greatly increases HP and Stamina limits, was an unexpected boon. I equipped it immediately, and somehow, I already feel stronger. I guess this is what you get from a noble’s Quest.
As I admired the necklace, Ringo spoke to me.
“…Soma, you’re in a good mood?”
“Huh? Oh, maybe I am. You noticed?”
Was it that obvious on my face? I unconsciously touched my cheek…
“…Your hair’s sticking up.”
“That’s just bedhead!”
Please don’t assign strange functions to my hair. After Ringo’s comment, I touched my hair instead of my face. I had tidied up my appearance in the all-mirrored room, but the reflection of myself started striking different poses, so I made a hasty exit.
“Well, it’s true I’m in a good mood. I got some nice things yesterday. Here, like this.”
I showed her the magic book I received as a reward for “Michael’s Blue Bird.”
“…This?”
“Yeah. It’s a magic book I’ve been aiming for. It’s a spell called ‘Last Heal.’ It has a very long casting time, but an incredible effect.”
The subtitle of the magic book was “The Spirit Bird’s Final Prayer.” Considering the Quest’s content, it felt a little ominous, but since the bird didn’t die, I guess it’s fine.
“…Incredible?”
“Yeah. When you use it, a huge Blue Bird effect appears, and it takes 30 seconds to cast a wide range of healing and buff effects on everyone within a 3-meter radius of the caster.”
Incidentally, this spell is a unique magic that can only be obtained from this Quest. Placing such a rare magic in a Quest where a character must die to obtain it shows the creator’s truly malicious intent.
“Well, for those 30 seconds while the effect is active, you can’t use Skills or magic, and you can’t move, which is a minor drawback.”
“…Minor?”
Ringo, despite her often absentminded expression, surprisingly delivered a sharp retort.
“W-well, a long effect isn’t always a drawback, you know? For example, the strongest skill for the Odachi also has one of the longest animation times among weapon skills. That can be useful if used correctly, or, well, maybe not… I mean…”
This was a spell I intended to rely on. I tried to defend “Last Heal,” but I felt that no excuse would work in front of Ringo’s clear eyes. I gave up and changed the subject.
“Um, well. Never mind that, I’m planning to report our move to everyone today.”
“Report?”
Ringo showed interest, and I nodded.
“Yeah. I’ve made a few acquaintances in this town, but they don’t know where we live yet, do they? So, I thought I’d let them know.”
Honestly, I had moved around more than enough yesterday. For a while, I thought it would be fine to stay home and wait. No, it’s not that I lost the motivation to act because Ringo was cold. It’s difficult to assault an impregnable castle. In such cases, you can also take a firm stance and wait for the opponent to invite you in. There are situations where it’s better to abandon a quick solution and tackle it with patience.
Ringo didn’t seem to have any particular objections to this.
“…Going.”
Despite her expressionless face, she showed a willingness to go. Well, it’s good that she’s motivated.
“Alright, let’s start by heading to the Bounty Hunter Guild.”
And so, we set out for our moving-day greetings, a day late.
We informed the owners of the two inns we had stayed at before, their daughter Alice, the staff at the Bounty Hunter Guild, Poison-tan, the clerk at the item shop, the Michael father and son whom we became friendly with during a previous request, and the siblings Kenny and Annie from “Lost Child’s Signpost” about our move. I thought explaining the location would be difficult, but it turned out to be unnecessary. The mansion we lived in had been famous in town for a long time as the “Mysterious Cat Ear Mansion” that no buyer had been found for.
The origin of the name? I hadn’t noticed it either, but there was a shachi-like ornament on top of the mansion that looked like cat ears from a distance. I wish I could tell those staff members how much they liked cat ears.
“…Are we done?”
After parting ways with Kenny and his sister, Ringo asked.
“No, not yet.”
The biggest one still remained.
“Rejoice, Ringo. You can eat your favorite food.”
“Onee-chan— no, Two apples, please!”
So, of course, we came to the greengrocer.
“You’re quite the regular here…”
The greengrocer’s auntie was exasperated. But still, this is where I’d come for information.
“Are you here to hear more rumors about the Princess again?”
The auntie said with a wry smile, and I returned a wry smile.
“Not always. Today, we came to report our move.”
When I told her we were living in the “Cat Ear Mansion,” she understood immediately. The “Cat Ear Mansion” was indeed quite famous.
“Still, you two…”
“Um, by any chance, have you heard any new rumors lately?”
Someone as well-informed as the auntie might even know about the 20 million E it cost. I steered the conversation by asking the auntie for recent news. I figured that since she liked to talk, she would engage even if she knew I was trying to change the subject.
“Let’s see. For an Adventurer like you, you might be interested in the recent sudden rise of a delinquent girl with a club who suddenly became active, but the biggest gossip today is definitely about that.”
“Ah, that, I see.”
As I turned my gaze in ‘that’ direction, the auntie nodded.
“Judging by your expression, it seems you already know.”
“Yes. Or rather, I might even know more about it.”
I had already heard about that rumor several times from others when reporting our move, and I considered myself the most knowledgeable person in town about it.
“You mean the mysterious pattern drawn in the plaza?”
“Yes, yes, that’s it!”
She clearly wanted to talk about it. The auntie proceeded to give me the details, albeit in a hushed voice.
“Apparently, it was set up last night. Well, it seems to be harmless for now.”
“Oh, really?”
“Well, according to the Knights’ Order’s investigation, anyway. There are no magic spells involved, and they can’t move it or know its effect, but it can be destroyed. Even if it’s some kind of summoning circle, it’s mostly been dismantled now, so there’s no danger. So, the Knights’ Order intended to conclude it was a prank by a show-off, despite the oddity.”
“…From the way you say it, that’s not how it ended, is it?”
This was the information I wanted. I leaned forward involuntarily, and the auntie grinned.
“Yeah. That’s when your worried Princess showed up. Apparently, she was quite displeased with the desecration in front of her house. She was seriously agitated and demanded that the culprit be brought before her.”
“…I see, I understand.”
I suppressed my excitement and responded.
“Besides, it was the Princess who identified it as a pattern. When I saw it, I just thought it was some strange object placed there. Apparently, it looks like some kind of symbol or writing when viewed from above.”
“I see, like a formation drill. So, is there any progress on finding the culprit?”
The auntie frowned at my question.
“I don’t know about that. However, according to the deciphered pattern, the culprit is a fellow named ‘Mikami.’ But by the time I saw it, more than half of it had already been cleaned up. I don’t know how it all happened…”
“Oh, I actually copied down the arrangement of that pattern.”
Saying that, I took out a piece of paper from my pouch.
“Really!? I’d love to see it!”
“Sure. Um, from the angle visible from the Princess’s room… it’s something like this.”
As I said that, I tilted the paper and showed it to the auntie. The auntie hummed in response.
“I see. So, the culprit is indeed Mikami! Thank you so much! I have to spread this information to my gossip friends right away!”
“Oh no, it’s fine. I want this culprit to be caught quickly too.”
As I waved goodbye, the auntie’s expression clouded over.
“I truly hope so. I hope the Knights’ Order catches them successfully…”
“Don’t worry. If they obtained so many of those things, they’ll surely leave a trail, and even if they did it at night, there must be some witnesses. I’m sure the culprit will be caught soon.”
With that, I said goodbye to the auntie, picked up Ringo with both hands, and prompted her, who was eating an apple, and left the place. On the way, I heard the auntie’s voice from behind,
“Still, why would anyone put such Skulls in the plaza…”
and immediately blended into the crowd and disappeared.
“Alright, let’s go back to the mansion.”
As I said that to Ringo, I idly took out the paper I had shown the auntie once more. Of course, no matter how many times I looked at it, the written words wouldn’t change. In front of my eyes, on the paper in my hand,
“Well, if it wasn’t you, no one would read this as ‘Sanjo,’ would they, Maki?”
The words ‘Ore Mikami’ were written, just like the arrangement of Skulls that had been placed in the plaza last night.
