Chapter 54: Character Quest - Grace's Hometown 4
TL/Editor: Raei
Illustrations: Here
I somewhat understand Grace's actions.
To her, I'm the knight in shining armor who saved her life, a big part of why she does what she does.
I'm the hero to her village, her family, and the guy she fell for at first sight.
So when she's scared and feels unsafe, I get why she wants to be near me.
What I don't get is Han Se-ah's strong need to watch us through the hole in the tent.
"...You're warm, Roland."
Grace, sitting beside me, gradually moves closer and settles into my arm.
She says she's cold sitting on the ground, and then she finds a spot on my lap.
All the while, Han Se-ah watches us with great interest.
Looking at those partially visible eyes through the fluttering tent flap, old memories come to mind.
It reminds me of the way my younger sister used to look while watching a romantic scene in her favorite drama.
It's a guess, but I can't think of any other reason.
Han Se-ah knows that Grace's story is closely tied to mine.
Given that sometimes relationships form between in-game characters, it's a reasonable possibility.
She's not streaming right now, so she probably just wants to see what happens between Grace and me.
Maybe she doesn't know that Grace came to me that night we drank, or maybe she just likes playing matchmaker.
It must be like watching a live drama.
"It's strange, isn't it? I was so anxious before, but next to you, I feel at ease."
"......"
Without saying a word, I hold Grace while she opens up to me bit by bit.
While holding Grace, with Han Se-ah watching us, the night moves on.
However, it appears she didn't plan on cuddling all night because she slowly rises and enters the tent.
As a way of saying thanks, she quickly kisses my cheek before she goes into the tent.
She smiles as she leaves, looking like she's back to normal.
After that, nothing big really happened.
However, Grace, who had regained her spirits, stayed closer to me than usual, and Han Se-ah continued to orbit around us.
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Raei Translations
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"Well, it's been a while, everyone. Over the past two days, we haven't encountered any monsters or bandits, so we've just been sitting around the bonfire, stargazing! And now, we've finally arrived at Count Kolmar's domain! During this time, I grew quite close to Grace and Irene, but I have to say, I really want a skip feature."
We spent another half-day riding in a small carriage.
Finally, after exactly three days of travel,
We come across a small village.
Luckily, the village looks normal, with no broken fences, burned buildings, or dead bodies.
Standing beside Grace, who breathes a sigh of relief upon seeing her hometown after a long time, Han Se-ah quickly starts her stream.
"The carriage was surprisingly comfortable, and it felt quite sentimental to gaze at the stars and cook food over the bonfire. However, it's not the best for streaming. It felt like running a stream with no content, just 40 hours of healing music playing in the background."
-Fire gazing is fine for a while but 3 days lol
-My butt would be wrecked if I rode a carriage, it must be worth the high price
-It's not bad to have some peace, but it's just not good for streaming
-healing music, healing music
The chat was flooded with comments after the long break.
Grace leads us toward the village.
At the entrance of the village, two men with stern expressions await us, their unsightly faces and grimy skin indicate they are not gacha characters.
Seeing us approach in a carriage, clearly not wandering monsters, they appear somewhat relieved.
It looks like a lively village, with more than twenty homes close together; a strong community.
"It's been a while, gentlemen!"
"Hmm, who are you?"
"Hey, it's me, Grace!"
"Huh? What...?"
Grace lifts her hand high and greets the two men who appear to finally recognize her.
The men, previously wearing grim expressions, comically drop their jaws.
But they welcome her with warm smiles, showing no signs of doubt.
They probably sought help, expecting the worst.
But it's not just a timid adventurer girl who has returned.
Gleaming leather armor, stacked with magical potions, and a composite bow crafted from monster materials: she is no novice adventurer.
And she is not alone.
By her side stands a robust knight clad in heavy armor, a swordsman exuding a charismatic aura, a priestess, and a magerare sights in rural villages.
It's clear to anyone that they're experienced adventurers who have long left their newbie days behind.
"Your father should be with the village chief."
"No one has been injured so far, but the signs of danger are getting closer. I'm worried that the herbalists or fruit pickers might encounter them."
"It's fortunate that no one has been harmed."
The conversation between the two men, whose furrowed brows smooth out as if steamed by an iron, continues without pause.
Thanks to the two talkative men, who seem more like gossipy women, we quickly understood the situation.
"We found traces of suspicious activity, and upon investigation, they appear to be signs of roaming orcs. No one has directly encountered the orcs, and there are no victims So far, but the signs are increasing and approaching the village."
If this keeps up, the villagers will run into them.
"So, the village put all their savings together to ask for helpis that right?"
As Han Se-ah summarizes, Irene and Grace nod in agreement.
By phrasing it this way, the viewers can also grasp the gist of the situation.
As expected, nothing significant has happened in the village.
The information collected by Grace's father, a retired ranger, is unlikely to be wrong.
The worst thing we can think of now is a bigger than expected group of orcs.
A highly intelligent monster capable of evading a former ranger, wouldn't appear in such a rural area.
Especially in the narrative of a mere 3 character.
The same reasoning applies to the 10th floor of the tower, where a full moon wolf, not a full moon dragon, would be more likely.
'If we exclude gacha characters, these guys have a pretty well-balanced game.'
The game starts with horned rabbits, horned foxes, and goblinsjust moving targets to help players get used to virtual reality.
Horned wolves, which are about as strong as players, highlight the importance of weapon techniques and skills.
The full moon wolves teach how to fight a strong enemy with party members.
Then come medium-sized monsters that need a well-coordinated party and small-sized monster groups that introduce hand-to-hand combat.
The game's difficulty differs depending on the recruited gacha characters, but the overall design is carefully planned.
"Go ahead and get the details about the request."
"Huh? Roland, where are you planning to go?"
"I'm fast on my feet, so I'm thinking of taking a look around."
With that, I set off to look for even the slightest variables.
It would be best for the party's overall experience to listen to the client's situation, locate traces, and have Grace meticulously track them.
However, just in case, I head outside the village.
As a gamer, I can tell from this point how the situation is going to go.
As we follow the tracks of a wandering orc, we'll begin to discover things like bloodied scarves.
I'm worried that there might be one or two victims, to add to the tension.
Grace acts tough, but she has a tender heart.
If a victim were to emerge...
She wouldn't show it, but she would be deeply upset.
'Things like 'pain is part of growing up' are honestly nonsense.'
Concepts such as pain being the fertilizer for growth, the idea that youth is synonymous with pain, that one learns by getting hurt
These are phrases that shouldn't be thrown around when you're comfortably riding in a luxurious 6 character's limousine-taxi.
My woman, who reveals her vulnerable side in my arms, shouldn't have to grow through pain.
It's normal that she shouldn't be hurt in the name of growth.
I'm the kind of man who would fight an ogre if a beauty shed a tear.
"Are you here with Grace? What happened...?"
"Which direction of the village were the orc traces found?"
"There's a big rock under that mountain over there, and just below that, oof?!"
With a resounding crash, I surge forward with great force.
The advantage of such a rural village is that you can freely run around without concern for well-maintained roads.
I don't make any attempt to conceal the sound as I charge into the mountain, shattering the ground beneath me.
Orcs aren't particularly skilled at hiding.
Only a named monster wearing moss wolf skin on the 20th floor stands out.
The stealthiest thing orcs outside the tower do is hide in a cave.
They don't try to erase signs of their presenceeating, sleeping, and defecating.
Even if you don't have the scouting abilities of a ranger or rogue, if you travel through the mountains, you'll eventually find them.
'A bonfire? ... It doesn't seem human-made.'
I can't ruin the mountain range that provides resources for the villagers, including Grace.
So, carefully controlling my power as I run, I discover a extinguished bonfire.
Next to the remnants, from which only a wisp of smoke rises, I spot the carcass of a rabbit, torn open and devoured.
It's unlikely that a villager gathering herbs would cook a rabbit and eat it, fur and all, out of pure hunger.
Starting at the bonfire, I follow the trail of broken branches.
The party needs to have real battles, so I don't plan on wiping them out completely.
If there are many, I'll leave a few and take care of the rest.
If there are only a few, I'll give them a mana massage and mess up their joints a bit.
Without bothering to hide my presence, I head toward a foul pig-like scent.
***
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