Chapter 51: Character Quest - Grace's Hometown 1
People typically cut down trees in a forest, burn the remains, and farm on the fertile ashes until the soil loses its nutrients.
When that happens, they move on.
But Grace's village was different.
It was home to a mixed group, including ex-rangers and former blacksmiths who chose to stay put.
They turned the temporary settlement into a pioneering village at the edge of the kingdom.
As more people and traders came, it would naturally grow into a small city, as long as a road was built.
But monsters were a problem.
"Today, we're not going into the tower. We have a quest."
"Hanna..."
Hearing Ellis and Grace, Han Se-ah, our party leader, made the call without a second thought.
Kind-hearted Irene agreed at once, and even the usually quiet Kaiden spoke out in favor of Han Se-ah's decision.
I comforted Grace, who was on the verge of tears.
I reassured her by gently stroking her short hair and spoke up.
"We can take the request and go. It's not too late. Remember, we've been through this before?"
"That's right...."
All the party members, as well as Han Se-ah and even the viewers, were in agreement.
-Wow! Outside the city!
-I can't stand seeing Grace cry.
-Don't just stay in the tower. Let's do something fun!
-Even 1-2 star characters have character quests...
-We're living in the era of Han Se-ah.
No one was unhappy to break the routine hunting trips with a new character quest.
Grace's nature made her very popular among the viewers.
Grace, the charming ranger, Irene, the modest priest, and Kaiden, the straightforward, cross-dressing girl.
Everyone in the group was getting more and more popular, except for me.
So, we decided to leave.
"We can go right now... but how do we get there? Grace, is there a carriage that heads there?"
"I don't know if there's a carriage going to the village..."
Han Se-ah was keen to go, but this was her first task outside the tower.
Ellis smiled at her naivety.
"If you head east from the city, you'll find a merchant caravan going in the same direction as our Guild. Just tell them I sent you and that you're joining the adventurers. Show them this paper, and they'll let you ride the carriage. But remember to say you're only going as far as Count Kolmar's domain."
She held some sway in the guild thanks to her skills, influencing both front desk staff and office workers.
It looked like this document was ready ahead of time.
Usually, they would sort out the guard details for a big caravan like this earlier.
It was impressive that they were willing to wait until the day itself.
Another impressive display of her abilities.
The escort request was for a intermediate-level adventurer.
But with a top-level adventurer like me, it would be a plus for the caravan.
While I looked over the papers, Ellis gave Han Se-ah a large pouch.
"This is a new product the inn guild wants to sell to adventurers on long trips. Since you won't have time to visit a general store, take this and head straight to the east gate."
Han Se-ah looked stunned as Ellis explained.
After a reassuring pat on her back, she finally snapped out of it and hurried out of the guild.
Ellis watched us go, looking pleased.
It had been some time since Ellis had got me moving like this, and old memories started to come back.
But I had no time for reminiscing as I made my way to the city's east gate.
***
Raei Translations
***
"Sir, a guest from the Adventurer's Guild!"
"Oh, I was worried they might not come Roland and Mage Hanna?"
The man who greeted us was stout and middle-aged, with thinning hair.
The man's size seemed to match his wealth, and he was surprised to see me.
He held out his hand in greeting.
According to the chat, he's 2 'Ambitious' Jean.
To show off his two-star status, he had nearly twenty carriages ready to go, complete with staff.
He was a high-ranking person and seemed well-informed, recognizing Han Se-ah and me, or rather, our whole party except for Kaiden.
"You really helped us out with those wolves last time! If I weren't so busy, I would've had a cup of tea with you."
"Please take care of us until we get to Count Kolmar's territory."
"Shouldn't I be saying that? I feel better knowing the city's heroes are with us."
He briefly chatted about how our actions saved the goods, how the warehouse almost had a big problem, and assigned one of the workers to be our guide.
The carriage was quite fancy, not like the fully-loaded worker carriages.
Even with all five of us in it, there was plenty of room.
As the carriages started to leave one by one, Grace said something.
"Thank you, everyone."
"You don't need to thank us. It's normal for adventurers to take requests."
"Still."
She only relaxed once the carriage started moving, and a small smile appeared on her face.
As time went on, only Grace's older parents were left in the village.
If they couldn't find more young people, her father and the village's youngsters would have to step in.
Even though her father was once a ranger, in the end, he was only capable of settling in a humble village.
He could deal with goblins, but confronting orcs would be a challenge.
But, we had a glimmer of hope.
This wasn't mere coincidence; it was a quest assigned to Han Se-ah.
I had faith that no harm would come until we reached our goal.
It was an odd conviction, springing from the fact that we were in a game based on Heroines Chronicle.
Who would enjoy a character quest where, upon arrival, the village is burned to the ground and Grace's parents are dead?
Even in a game where novice adventurers drop like flies, the narrative shouldn't be so grim.
"But how long does it take to get to Count Kolmar's land?"
"When I came to the city, it took about three days."
Sitting shoulder to shoulder, we tried to lighten the mood.
Feigning distraction, I checked the forum but kept an ear to their chatter.
I wondered how I'd previously managed carriage rides without this forum.
To survive ten years detached from modern society is commendable in its own right.
-Carriage Travel Tips
-???: Hanbam, wake up
-I want to learn magic too
-Is the kingdom that large, or are we just slow?
Irene, who'd only seen strawberries for sale but never a wild strawberry vine, and Grace, intrigued by this.
And Han Se-ah, stuck in the middle, awkwardly laughing because, despite being from a 'rural village,' she didn't know anything about wild fruits.
Casually scrolling through the posts, I realized how tough the game could be for some players.
As the viewer count rose, so did the number of forum posts.
-I want to learn magic too
[Magic Tower's Magic List.JPG]
[Alchemy Recipe-Pest Repellent Incense.JPG]
[Mosquito Extermination Spell.GIF]
I'll pay you gold, so please cast a pest repellent spell in my house!!!!!
Or, make an alchemy version of that and spray it on them.
They're starting to blur the lines between game and reality.
Seriously lol, how does Han Se-ah manage her real life while full-time streaming?
??? Isn't it the other way around?
Honestly, I'm more jealous of everyday magic than battle magic.
Wish I learned that before leaving the city. Now I'm homeless.
The post with the most replies was a funny one, featuring a photo of a soldier on guard duty.
Given the three-day, two-night journey, posts expected Han Se-ah to also pull a night watch.
After all, there are no safe zones like within the tower out in the city.
Roaming monsters can be likened to wild beasts.
Even if Jirisan is considered a safe haven, one might encounter an Asian black bear wandering beyond its usual stomping grounds.
Despite being a peaceful rural region within the kingdom, goblins and orcs often crawl in.
If you're particularly unlucky, ogres in their mating seasons traverse through, en-route to other mountain ranges.
Among them, not only monsters but human criminals may occasionally be encountered as well.
"Nope! I'm a country girl born and raised in Seoul. But do you guys, what, come from Gangwon or Gyeonggi Province with strawberry bushes in your back hills or something? You have to be realistic. You were sucking honey when you were little... my stream might be a bit young for you."
Apart from the talk of night duty, what stands out are the stories of viewers venturing outside the city.
Screenshots displaying their experiences after venturing beyond city walls were fascinating.
While I was reading the forum, Han Se-ah, sensing an opening, launched a counterattack on the viewers.
The chat descended into chaos, delighted that there was another target to tease besides Han Se-ah.
From a viewer who denied reality, stating that it's not old-fashioned at all, to a viewer who teased, "If you were sucking honey, you would have gone to elementary school with a book bag."
These guys are like bloodthirsty piranhas or maybe more like hungry hyenas.
Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, book bags, and elementary school.
The outside world suddenly seemed familiar.
***
I'm sorry if anything is wrong here, I googled everything but if the dialogue didn't make sense I'll try and break it down. It definitely didn't to me until I did some googling.
- Jirisan is a mountain in SK. Half-moon bear, also called Asian black bear, is one of the animals found roaming in the area.
- Eating honey straight from honeycombs as a child is more common with the elder generations
- Same with bookbags, we use backpacks now.
- Gangwon/Gyeonggi province are areas more 'rural' than Seoul hence having strawberry bushes. Her being a country girl from Seoul is irony/sarcasm.
I think that was everything... See ya Wednesday, oh and I saw the comment about the Roland character quest, I'll take a look when I look for the other spoiler I said I'd get many chaps ago later this week. I have all the raws now.
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