After shaking hands, Jeanne staggered and sat down. The blood loss must have been significant, as she seemed dizzy.
‘Looks like we’ll have to spend the night here.’
Having stayed a night already, it shouldn’t be an issue. However, the martial knight’s corpse… As a matter of human decency, leaving it be felt wrong, so he piled stones to make a rough grave. He would have preferred to leave it for monsters, but lingering reluctance stopped him, leaving him no choice.
He haphazardly stacked nearby stones to form a mound. It was less a grave than a pile of rocks, but making it eased his mind slightly.
By the time the grave was done, the sun was setting. Yuda climbed with Jeanne to the third floor of the building where he’d stayed the previous night. Part of the wall was collapsed, and a hole in the ceiling revealed the sky, but it was suitable for a night’s rest.
First they needed to prepare food since they hadn’t eaten anything. Jeanne said she was fine with her jerky and dried fruit, but Yuda thought that was enough. To counter her anemia, he pulled some herbs and black wolf meat from his 〈Inventory〉.
The meat and herbs were perfectly fresh. As if time stopped once stored in the 〈IInventory〉, they remained as they were when gathered or butchered. Pulling out a pot and adding water, Yuda prepared a stew and served it to her.
“! It’s delicious. Your cooking seems to improve every time.”
“Want me to teach you?”
Jeanne let out a small groan at Yuda’s words, averting her gaze.
“As I mentioned before, I’m embarrassed to say I lack the dexterity to season food properly.”
She spoke with a lack of confidence, and Yuda chuckled at her response.
“It’s fine. We’ll be companions, so I’ll handle the cooking. Though, we might have to settle for jerky sometimes.”
“Oh, that’s fine. Even if it’s occasional, eating delicious and warm food outdoors like this is more than enough to be grateful for.”
Her claim that it was delicious seemed genuine as she devoured the stew like she was starving. After quickly emptying her bowl and still looking hungry, he generously scooped the rest for her. They ate in silence.
‘…Now that I think about it, isn’t there a treasure chest around here?’
The treasure chest is called the flower of RPG games. Anyone who’s played old pixel games would know. They’re always tucked away in castle corners, village nooks, or hidden spots. Opening one yields minor items like recovery potions or a bit of money. Of course, in this real-world game, taking items from someone’s home or castle is theft, but in open places like ruins, whoever finds it first gets to keep it.
But these ruins were long ago stripped bare by monsters and adventurers looking for valuables. Digging through collapsed buildings or clearing blocked paths might yield something useful if you’re lucky, but it’s rarely profitable. Even weapons found are just rusted, useless scrap. The quality of weapons sold at Serenia Castle’s blacksmith is far superior. Still, there’s one treasure chest untouched by adventurers or monsters, meant solely for the player. Yuda scooped stew with his spoon, lost in thought.
‘Nothing too useful in it, though.’
Recruiting a martial knight or blue lance knight as a companion was a hidden quest and it was inaccessible to those unaware of it. Players who uncovered such quests and gained companions first tested their performance. Naturally, they would hunt monsters in the ruins or search for hidden items.
This leads to an old mansion in the north. Goblins have nested there, turning it into a dungeon. Killing them all rewards you with an old chest inside, containing three or four gold coins hoarded by the goblins and a decent early-game weapon. There’s a slim chance for a code, but he recalled it wasn’t particularly great.
‘Do I need to bother getting it?’
When it came to money, Yuda wasn’t too concerned. He’d already made a tidy sum from relentlessly hunting black wolves and selling their hides and magic stones. Sure, more money was always nice, but there were plenty of other ways to earn it. He still had the wolf-hunting quest from the lord, and once he crossed Serenia Castle into the knightly nation of 〈Philoria〉, he could join a martial tournament with hefty rewards. The items in the chest didn’t matter much to him now. Maybe the experience points were the only thing worth taking.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
“Huh?”
Jeanne’s question prompted a reflexive response as he looked up. Her bowl was already empty, while his still had half a serving of stew, now cold. Scooping some into his mouth, the once-warm stew was chilly. He didn’t think he’d been lost in thought that long. Jeanne wore a faintly concerned expression.
“You were staring silently at your stew, so I wondered if something was wrong.”
“No, it’s nothing. Just wondering how Tia’s doing.”
“Now that you mention it, she didn’t come with you? That’s why it felt off.”
In the two years Jeanne had known Yuda, he and Tia were never apart. Like twins, they went everywhere and acted together. The odd vibe she felt meeting Yuda was due to Tia’s absence. Yuda nodded, eating more stew.
“Yeah, I’m probably leaving Serenia Castle soon.”
“She’s not coming with you?”
Yuda gave a wry smile, stew in his mouth. Jeanne looked confused by it.
“Why? If you’re looking for a trustworthy companion, wouldn’t she be more suitable than me?”
How could he say that it was because of her stats? Like judging by appearance, Yuda had to judge companions by stats. To collect fragments in this world, he had no choice. He couldn’t ignore or dodge the question; it was a matter of trust.
“…?”
Just as he opened his mouth, a distant sound made him gesture to Jeanne for silence. Carefully setting down his bowl and spoon, Yuda moved toward the open wall.
Keek!
‘Goblins.’
About twenty goblins approached, warily scanning their surroundings. They glanced at their kin’s corpses piled to one side, each taking one. The remaining ten headed to the stone grave Yuda made for the martial knight, sniffing blood, digging through the stones, and pulling out her body. Yuda frowned.
The grave, built over two hours to keep her from becoming monster fodder, was ruined in under ten minutes. Unbelievable. The goblins, carrying the martial knight and their kin’s corpses, looked around further before retracing their steps. Watching from the building, Yuda sighed.
‘The mansion with the treasure chest?’
He had been hoping to avoid it, but now he had no choice but to go. Still, he hadn’t expected them to dig up the body he had buried to prevent this. Jeanne quietly approached, watching the goblins move in a group, then turned to him. Her lake-like eyes seemed to ask what he would do.
“I’ll explain later. For now, how you feeling? Can you move?”
“Thanks to the delicious food, I’m brimming with energy. Perfect for some post-meal exercise.”
Yuda nodded.
“Great. Shall we go? I made that grave, and I can’t let them get away with this.”
Jeanne nodded in agreement but looked up at the sky with a hint of worry. The evening glow painted it in beautiful hues, but darkness was creeping in fast. Goblins, being nocturnal, could see well in the dark, but she and Yuda couldn’t. Could they kill all the goblins before the light fully faded?
“But the sun’s about to set. Will we be okay?”
As if waiting for the question, Yuda pulled three glass vials filled with suspicious fluorescent liquid from his 〈Inventory〉 and handed them to Jeanne.
“What are these?”
“They’re liquids that emit bright light on impact. If it gets too dark after sunset, throw them on the ground. They’ll glow for at least ten minutes.”
Come to think of it, she’d never actually bought one herself, though she vaguely remembered the general store owner recommending them for cheap. The fact that Yuda kept even these little odds and ends in his subspace made her wonder what else he had in there and how much. Something about the way he always seemed ready to pull out whatever was needed felt oddly reassuring. Jeanne let out a quiet chuckle and followed after him.
“Why are you laughing?”
“…Hm, it’s nothing.”
Yuda gave her a suspicious look for dodging the question but said nothing, descending the stairs. Jeanne followed with a fond gaze. The goblins, seemingly unaware they were being followed, cheerfully carried the corpses and made their way toward a mansion. Moments later, they slipped inside.
‘As expected, it’s here.’
The map’s location matched. The mansion in the north, where goblins had nested. Yuda glanced at Jeanne. The last reddish sunlight illuminated the darkening night sky, casting light on her face. Before battle, her expression was blank, devoid of fear or joy.
“Dame Jeanne, um….how’s your arm? Can you fight?”
“Of course, Yuda. blue lance knights aren’t so weak as to warrant concern.”
Silver particles gathered around her, forming the blue lance knight’s signature beautiful full-body armor and helmet. However, her shield and lance were in poor condition, and her right arm was stained with blood. Yuda’s gaze fell on her gear. Perhaps sensing her words lacked conviction, she glanced between her lance and shield, adding with a hint of indignation.
“…Even like this, goblins won’t be a problem.”
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
***Author’s Note***
[Mission: Will you participate in the raid to release the seal of the WeepingSoul?]
[No / No]
[No]
[No]
[No]
[No]
[Error]
[Event canceled.]
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