TL: xLordFifth
ED:
“Unbelievable! You accepted that quest? Leeha-ssi! And you negotiated with the king? You could get into serious trouble later—”
“Shh, quiet, Nara-ssi! Don’t raise your voice. I almost got into big trouble with Lotzak glaring at me already.”
“-mmph, heup!”
Leaving Fibiel’s palace, Leeha explained the recent events to Shin Nara. Her surprise was natural, considering the situation. The ‘Bargaining’ skill isn’t something that worked on just anyone. If Leeha hadn’t been adequately leveled or if he had spoken awkwardly after using the skill, he could have been arrested for disrespecting the king – such is the world of Middle Earth.
“This stays between us, okay?”
“Of course.”
Leeha removed his hand from covering Shin Nara’s mouth. She could have easily moved his hand away with her strength and agility, but she chose to stay still, keeping her discontent to herself.
“So what will you do? The quest seems quite challenging.”“Yes, keeping it secret is crucial.”
The quest’s success condition was simple: assassinate Chiyou within 7 days. However, the failure condition was not to be detected. A single misstep could mean immediate failure if Chiyou escapes and reports to Minis’ palace.
“Are you taking this risk just for an item from the royal treasury?”
“Uh, yes, of course.”
Shin Nara looked worriedly at Leeha, who nodded nonchalantly. The royal treasury of Fibiel wasn’t just any storage but a collection of the kingdom’s treasures, overseen by the deputy finance minister.
‘I even got these boots from there!’
From the moment he used the ‘Negotiation’ skill, Leeha’s goal was to find an item with the skill ‘Joint Fixation: Upper’ to complement the ‘Joint Fixation: Lower’ skill of his current boots.
“If I can just get that skill.”
That was Leeha’s big picture – eyeing the next quest for Black Bass.
“I’ll start at Gaza City. Chiyou is likely back at Minis’ palace, so I’ll have to track her from there.”
“You’re doing the tracking yourself?”
“Heh, Nara-ssi, I have more means than you think. I’ll keep in touch if things go well!” Leeha activated his crystal ball.
As it buzzed to life, Nara hesitantly spoke.
“Um, you didn’t forget, did you?”
“Forget what?”
“I won’t rush you since you’re busy with this… but once it’s over—”
In a burst of violet light, Leeha was gone before she could finish.
“We were supposed to go on a date after you returned from the New Continent…”
Days had passed in real time since his return from the New Continent without any contact, making her anxious. Yet she chose to trust and wait for Leeha.
At least from her extensive experience in the New Continent, Shin Nara had learned one thing for certain.
“Aha, right, right. I promised to see you outside, didn’t I, Nara-ssi?!” Leeha remembered just in time, saved by the malfunctioning crystal ball.
‘I’ll be busy even after wrapping this up.’
Despite thinking about his upcoming tasks, Leeha didn’t slow his pace. After successfully dealing with Chiyou, he had to visit Fibiel’s royal treasury, complete the quest at the Papacy, meet with Shin Nara, manage Gaza City, and then it would be time to go to Hong Kong.
‘I feel like I’ve suddenly become someone important.’
Leeha was reminded of the days when he felt powerless and just lay at home. Days when, far from hope of recovery from surgery, he couldn’t find interest in anything. Despite the hardships, the game Middle Earth had certainly made his life better.
“Welcome—oh, city lord.”
“Is Madam Joo upstairs?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, I am going up.”
Leeha, smiling contentedly, arrived at the Holy Grill in Gaza City. Tracking Chiyou was not something Leeha needed to do himself. If it were a typical ‘hunt,’ Leeha would personally pursue Chiyou, but now the quest changed the context. He planned to utilize the Holy Grill’s agents to track Chiyou’s movements, then…
“I’ll kill her. This time. Definitely.”
Whether she’s the head of Shinobigumi or not, Leeha had a clear reason to kill her. What was once a personal matter had turned into an official one.
“Madam〜!”
Leeha burst into the Holy Grill.
But what neither Leeha, Shin Nara, nor the NPC intelligence guild of the Holy Grill knew was a hidden secret. On the day Leeha was first appointed as the lord of Gaza City, the city was attacked and destroyed by Faust and other minions of the Demon King. How did they know which city Leeha was going to be lord of? And so immediately after his appointment?
In a corner of Fibiel’s palace, someone murmured to themselves. A figure clad in a robe of the Mage Corps, not Lotzak, but someone else, was whispering:
“-So it can’t be regarded as accurate information, but it’s possible that the assassination order against Okasan came from Fibiel.”
“Such rumors are circulating in the Mage Corps?”
“Yes. Including the mumblings of the Mage Corps leader, it seems to be information he personally uncovered.”
“Hmm, I see. No wonder, the king seemed less intimidating than Lotzak lurking behind him. Sly as a fox indeed.”
“It’s certain that he’s the one to watch out for in Fibiel’s palace.”
Sasuke nodded in agreement with Chiyou’s statement.
Their spy in Fibiel’s palace. Well, not exactly a spy, since the Mage Corps member was genuinely a native of Fibiel according to the game lore. But they couldn’t fully control a user.
Their role was more as an information conduit. A hefty fee for information? For Chiyou, it was nothing.
“He asked for 100 gold, right?”
“Yes.”
“Give him 200 gold. Tell him we appreciate his work and to keep it up. Oh, and if we have any magical ingredients he wants, add those too. Make sure he never betrays us.”
“As you wish, Okasan.”
In Middle Earth, magical research required significant funding, even for the royal Mage Corps. It’s natural that not all members could have their research fully funded. Chiyou, identifying potential talents early, had been supporting a few promising Mage Corps members across various kingdoms since the game’s early days.
A smart and talented NPC mage without funds was just ‘food’ for Chiyou.
“So, what’s the plan for dealing with Leeha? Maybe report to the palace?”
“Hmm… Yes, that’s a good idea. I don’t know the specifics of the quest, but if it involves an assassination order against me, it’s better to make it official. Fibiel might offer me protection at a national level, or Minis could formally protest against Fibiel. Maybe this could be an opportunity for Minis to disregard Fibiel and seize power in the New Continent.”
Chiyou couldn’t know exactly what quest Leeha had received, its details, rewards, or failure conditions. However, with her ability to deduce possibilities from fragmented information and general trends, she was already considering various scenarios.
“If that happens, Minis’ palace will, of course, have to…”
“Yes. They can’t ignore it. Putting the Fox of the Prairie as governor and controlling all rights in the New Continent would be feasible. But…”
“But what?”
“It would be boring that way. For future plans involving Bluebeard, it might be better to also sway Leeha. How to do that, though…”
Chiyou crossed her legs, a smile playing on her lips, unfazed by Sasuke’s fleeting glance.
“The only way is to prove myself.”
“What do you mean?”
“One reason Leeha doesn’t like me might be that he sees me as incompetent.”
“That’s impossible. You, Okasan—”
“Right, that’s probably it. He doesn’t know my true identity, and I haven’t shown my capabilities during the New Continent voyage.”
Sasuke’s expression darkened, guessing what she meant.
“It’s too dangerous.”
“When has it not been? But… risking your life for Leeha—”
“He’s a big fish now.”
“Big fish?”
“…Yes, he’s that significant now.” Chiyou’s eyes briefly sharpened, then softened as she glanced at Sasuke.
“Don’t worry too much. Do you think I’m unprepared?”
“Yes, but please reconsider the risks if something happens to you.”
How do NPCs perceive a user’s death in a high-stakes game like Middle Earth? Deaths are frequent, so NPCs in Middle Earth are programmed to alter their memory only in relation to [specific events].
“Even if I die, the bigger picture of Minis remains unchanged. If my death becomes known to Minis’ palace, I’ll lose my influence in the New Continent affair, but that’s only if I fail… It’s simple. In the worst case, Sasuke can act on my behalf, right?”
Chiyou laughed lightly.
Sasuke realized he couldn’t dissuade her.
“Understood.”
It took three more days in Middle Earth time for Leeha to pinpoint Chiyou’s location.
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