It was the morning of the fourth day.
Once again, Hanbyeol logged into the game and spent her time in a tedious wait.
After sneaking some food last night, her hunger had eased slightly, but she was still starving. Boredom gnawed at her, too.
With her whole body tied up, all she could really do was sit there and think.
Of course, she’d occasionally log out to browse the web, but... As a top-ranking player, she’d spent most of her time in the game, aside from her workout sessions. Otherwise, she’d feel restless. It was a habit, really.
Thus, with nothing else to do, she often found herself feeling bored.
There was, however, one thing she could do even in her restricted space—observe Yor as he went about his day.
Despite the tranquil setting of the forest, he was surprisingly busy.
Every morning, he’d prepare her meal and then head out to hunt.
Around lunchtime, he’d return to serve her another meal and then go about his chores—catching up on cleaning, laundry, and sometimes even bathing if he had the time. He usually appeared in a freshly clean state around this time.
Then he’d prepare dinner... By evening, he seemed to have a bit of free time, sometimes attempting to “play” with her.
Though she mostly ignored him since he treated her like a pet.
Still, Yor had a surprisingly active routine.
She’d heard from the community that NPCs could act autonomously, but seeing it firsthand was quite fascinating.
For a moment, another thought crossed her mind.
‘He’s actually... really handsome...’
Though he’d locked her up, she was still, after all, a woman.
Seeing a handsome person right in front of her was bound to provoke some reaction.
And it wasn’t just his looks; he had a certain aura.
Unlike the soft demeanor typical of other men, Yor had a sharpness to him. Usually calm, he looked like he’d cut deep if provoked. Likely a quality honed from years in the forest.
But she didn’t find it off-putting. In fact, it left a strong impression, in a good way.
To be honest, she wasn’t fond of the softness she sensed in most men. It made her feel like she had to protect or lead them... and Hanbyeol was far from suited to that role.
Perhaps that’s why she’d never dated anyone. While her busy lifestyle played a role, she had rarely found herself drawn to anyone.
‘...But so what? He’s just an NPC.’
But the thought didn’t linger. She sighed, snapping back to reality. This was all useless thinking. What mattered was finding a way out of this cave.
And so another day passed.
On the fifth day, she made a decision.
‘...Alright, I’ll just tell him.’
What was all this suffering for? Simply handing over the holy water would end it.
Sure, the price of holy water had recently skyrocketed, but it wasn’t worth five days of confinement.
She’d have to swallow her pride, but she was ready to break free, eat a proper meal, and get back to leveling up.
She also needed to resume her streaming.
So she called Yor over.
“Hey.”
“Hm? What’s up, Happy?”
“...I’ll give you what you want.”
“What?”
“The holy water you wanted. I’ll give it to you.”
“Oh...”
Yor let out a soft, appreciative sound. He seemed pleased yet also slightly regretful, as if something hadn’t gone quite the way he’d hoped.
Unconcerned, Hanbyeol opened her inventory and retrieved the holy water.
Three sacred-looking vials appeared before him. Not an enormous amount, but given the scarcity of holy water, it was far from trivial. After all, she’d used two vials during their fight.
With a broad smile, Yor collected the holy water she offered.
“Thanks. See? Things go smoothly if you just hand it over from the start.”
For Yor, even these three vials were a tremendous gain. With them, he could manage one full Frenzy for free.
And that wasn’t all—if used correctly, the holy water might save his life one day. Frenzy A wasn’t just painful; the smell of blood it emitted attracted all sorts of creatures.
Until now, hiding deep in the cave had kept the scent from spreading, but with its location exposed, things were different.
If Frenzy struck while he was in hiding, he’d need something to shield himself.
‘Better save these for later.’
Frenzy Day was approaching.
But even if Frenzy A hit, he wasn’t about to use the holy water right away. He’d endure the agony as long as possible to keep his reserves intact.
He stashed the holy water safely away in his storage.
Now that he had the holy water, it was time to find out its source.
Looking at Hanbyeol, he asked,
“I heard even going inside the cathedral won’t get you holy water these days. Where did you get this?”
“...I have connections with the knights.”
She explained further,
“The knights are stockpiling holy water, but they don’t use all of it. So if you have the right connections, it’s convenient. A few deals can yield a lot.”
“I see.”
Yor nodded, genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected this.
Now that he thought about it, the knights had established a fixed purchase agreement for holy water some time ago. Apparently, they often had surplus holy water.
With her connections, Hanbyeol could acquire it without much difficulty.
“And did you learn swordsmanship from the knights, too? Your technique seemed pretty refined.”
“Well... I did get some help. They didn’t directly teach me, though.”
Yor nodded again. This unexpected source gave him much to think about.
The knight order was notoriously closed off, making information difficult to obtain. They were strict about security.
He thought,
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‘If I play this right...’
There might be information he didn’t know yet.
“So, it was the knights who put the bounty on me?”
“Probably... yeah.”
“Then, how strong are the knights?”
“What? Hah!”
She chuckled at his cautious tone, sensing a hint of unease.
“Are you afraid of the knights? Well, you should be. They’d hunt you down on sight.”
Yor didn’t respond, simply flicking her forehead.
Flick!
A dull sound accompanied by a strange, soft gasp from her.
“Ow...!”
“Just answer the question.”
Hanbyeol winced briefly before speaking.
“...It’s not a simple question. Each knight is skilled, but their real strength lies in their unity.”
She continued,
“Especially the Knight Captains—they’re monsters. It takes decades of training to reach that level.”
“...”
Yor nodded.
He asked her a few more questions, about the knight order’s activities and any unusual signs.
However, she couldn’t provide much.
It wasn’t that she was hiding information; she simply didn’t have access as an outsider.
Still, he was satisfied with what he’d learned.
Standing up, he looked at her with a pleased expression.
“Happy now? Can you untie me?”
“...Hmm.”
He gave her a cryptic smile. She’d fulfilled his initial conditions.
But something held him back.
Probably because it disrupted his internal plan.
Grinning mischievously, he said,
“I don’t feel like it.”
“...What?”
She exploded in fury, thrashing like she did the first time she was bound.
“You bastard! You’re breaking your promise!”
“Whoa, calm down. If you do one little favor for me, I’ll let you go. It’s not difficult.”
The favor was, of course, for her to eat the meal he’d prepared—like a pet, with her face in the plate.
Naturally, Hanbyeol scowled and refused.
“No way. Kill me instead! I’d rather die!”
“As expected from an Otherworlder, you talk about death so casually.”
Of course, Yor had no intention of letting her off so easily.
His reason was simple: he still hadn’t seen her eat.
But her resistance was fierce, so he’d have to bide his time.
In the glow of the kitchen fire, he pondered.
‘What could I make that she’d actually eat...?’
While she was obstinate now, she’d eventually need to leave the cave, and her hunger would remain.
Though she’d nibbled on fried rice the other night, she’d gone nearly five days without a full meal. She had to be starving.
So, the solution was to cook something so tempting, even she couldn’t resist.
Fortunately, Yor was rather good at cooking.
Not by choice, but he’d lived alone for over ten years.
He even had a special ingredient.
The preserved tail of the mountain beast, a highly nutritious and flavorful delicacy he’d grown tired of. It was nearing expiration in storage.
It was ideal for the task.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
With that, Yor set to cooking.
Meanwhile, Hanbyeol was fuming.
“I should’ve known not to trust him. The bastard...”
Why was he so obsessed with her eating? He wasn’t normal. Maybe he had some strange plate fetish.
But beneath her irritation, there was a sliver of worry.
‘What if he really doesn’t let me go?’
She had seen his resolute side over the past few days. Her choices had narrowed.
Just imagining herself eating like a pet made her cheeks burn.
After a while, Yor finally brought the meal over.
This time, the aroma was distinctive. A bit sour, with a hint of rich, cheesy scent.
The strong smell triggered her salivary glands.
He placed the dish in front of her.
In [Demons' Saga], items typically came with descriptions. Special items and elixirs often had effects listed.
The food was no exception.
[Dry-aged mountain beast tail cube steak]
Meat from a magical tiger, excessively aged yet preserved by its mana. Eating it permanently increases stamina.
The food description scrolled down.
Tiger meat... where on earth did he find that?
And a food with stat boosts? She’d never encountered anything like it.
She couldn’t deny the allure.
Seeing her hesitation, Yor spoke up.
“Here you go. If you eat it, I’ll let you go, as promised.”
“...”
“Come on, it’s not that hard. It’s beneficial to you, too. This meat is worth thousands of gold.”
It was hard to argue.
Items with physical effects were always costly.
Besides, she wouldn’t be able to leave if she didn’t eat.
After nearly five days without a real meal, her appetite was overwhelming.
Gulp—
Her throat bobbed as her eyes darted to the food.
Pride is a difficult thing to break, but once broken, the next hurdle is lower. Adaptation can be powerful.
The first time is always the hardest.
“....”
Finally, she leaned forward toward the plate, feeling the crushing weight of embarrassment and self-disgust. Her bound hands trembled slightly.
But the reward that filled her mouth was sweet.
The tender meat melted on her tongue, a savory taste spreading.
After nearly five days, the food tasted heavenly.
Watching her, Yor gently placed a hand on her head.
Expecting her to recoil, he was surprised.
Hanbyeol merely flinched, letting his hand rest there.
A sense of satisfaction and accomplishment welled up in him.
Patting her head, he grinned.
“Good girl, Happy.”
At his words, Hanbyeol felt something stir deep inside.