10 – Mountain Village

Thud.

Crash.

Crash.

Clang.

“….”

My eyes open.

‘So noisy.’

I tossed and turned.

My head throbbed with every thud.

Her chest was already uncomfortable, and now with her ears ringing, a look of irritation crept onto Amel’s face.

From the direction of the sound, she felt the presence of a [Magic Fragment].

She sensed four of them.

She remembered.

Half-drunk on excitement, she had implanted [Magic Fragments] in the people who’d asked her to save the village, controlling them like puppets.

Were they sparring with each other for training? But the longer the thudding continued, the more her consciousness was drawn to the [Magic Fragments].

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

“Ugh…”

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Amel-nim, are you awake?”

“…Yes. Come in.”

The door creaked open.

Leki entered.

I sat up.

I pressed a hand to my head.

“Looks like you have a bad hangover.”

“Yeah, well. I get drunk easily.”

“In that case, I have just the thing. Please wait a moment.”

“….”

Leki left the room at once.

Sitting on the bed, I turned my consciousness back to the [Magic Fragments].

They were fighting.

One was being ganged up on by the other three.

My throbbing head told me something.

A memory surfaced.

She had implanted [Magic Fragments] in three of them.

In that case, the last one…

‘…Is it that thing?’

There was one pest she had dismissed as a nuisance before falling asleep.

The one with the [Magic Fragment] had finally crawled its way into the village and was now locked in a fierce battle with the three women.

Three women.

Puppets…

‘Honestly, the things I do.’

In any case, the three women were fighting on even terms with the demon beast.

All four of them were clearly exhausted, but at this rate, the women would lose.

“I told them to wake me if anything happened.”

Yaaawn.

A yawn.

Leki returned.

Leki handed her a cup.

“What’s this?”

“A hair of the dog.”

I took it and drank immediately.

A hair of the… what?

“A hair of the what, you said?”

“A hair of the dog. The best cure for a hangover is more alcohol. This is a special drink for hangovers, and I happened to have some. It’s delicious, isn’t it?”

“….”

“The worse the hangover, the more delicious it tastes.”

It was delicious.

Incomparably so, compared to any hangover cure I’d tried back on Earth.

It seeped into my body.

This sensation was magical power.

It was similar to the euphoria you feel when you absorb an excessive amount of magical power, the feeling that you can do anything.

Heat ran to my fingertips, warming the blood all the way to my toes. The hot blood surged, as if filling every last capillary to the tips of my fingers, toes, and head. It was just one sip, but I felt wonderfully fuzzy.

“…What did you just give me.”

“Feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Drinking alcohol to cure a hangover. Doesn’t that mean I’ll just get another hangover after this?”

“You can just drink it again then. It’s a specialty of our village, and we have plenty, so please, drink as much as you’d like.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

But still,

Sip.

…Damn, this is good.

It was perfectly suited to my palate.

I don’t even like alcohol that much.

But this went down so easily.

“Mmm…”

The hangover headache was fading.

The heat warming my body made me feel like I was floating.

I shouldn’t be doing this.

Sip.

Delicious.

‘To think I’d discover the drink of my life at a time like this.’

Should I be happy to have found an alcohol that suits my taste?

Or should I be upset about the terrible timing?

“….”

Sip.

‘I don’t know.’

Whatever feels good is good, right?

My body grew pleasantly languid.

This was a game, anyway. No one would say a thing even if I lived my life doing only what felt good. An NPC might say something, but it would be nothing more than an NPC’s nagging. There was no need to pay it any mind.

Freedom.

Liberation.

A sense of self-assurance swelled within her as she became certain of the freedom that came with having no one in this world she had to be wary of.

Thud.

“Has a demon beast come?”

“Yes. Polia and the other two are fighting it now.”

“I told you to wake me.”

“They said they wanted to try and defeat it with their own strength. And we couldn’t possibly disturb your sleep, Amel-nim.”

“Right. How thoughtful.”

Since they were being so thoughtful, I decided to help them out a little.

I let a current of [Electricity] flow.

My hair floated up slightly.

The [Electricity] I sent out reached the three women, connecting to them and giving me control. But not wanting to tarnish their commendable spirit, I only applied a subtle stimulus.

Swing like this.

And then like that.

Now, swing this way.

Yes, that’s it.

It was a small stimulus, but Amel knew they wouldn’t realize it.

In fact, because it was so small, they would mistake it for their own epiphany.

That misconception would build their confidence, and at the peak of that confidence, their blind faith would lead them into a state of self-forgetfulness.

They were still moving according to the stimulus from the [Electricity], but…

“…Hm?”

The three women’s reaction speed had become astonishingly fast.

They moved with spinal reflexes in response to the electrical stimulus.

Without doubt,

Without thought,

Moving with a deep, unconscious trust in that stimulus, the three of them shattered the demon beast’s blade and brought an axe down on its neck.

“….”

Amel smiled a damp, knowing smile.

She had found something good.

“Let’s go.”

“…? Go where?”

“The demon beast is dead. I have to praise the ones who did well. You looked after me too, didn’t you? Thank you.”

“It was nothing, really.”

Leki’s face flushed.

She was simply happy to assist someone she admired, so being praised for it made her not know where to put herself.

We left the building and went to where the demon beast had been slain.

A crowd had gathered.

They were cheering for the three women.

When Amel arrived, the crowd parted to the left and right, opening a straight path to the three of them.

The three women approached.

They boasted that they had killed the demon beast.

Blonde hair.

Green hair.

Blue hair.

What a color palette.

For reference, most of the people in this village were blonde, so I could tell which of the three was from here.

Additionally, Leki had red hair, and many of the people from Stillo also had red hair.

‘But what were their names again?’

I searched my memory, but either the film was cut or I just hadn’t been listening. I knew one name, at least.

I’d just heard it.

“Polia.”

“Yes!”

“You did well. You’re able to kill a demon beast without my help now, are you? I was watching from a distance. Your final move was especially good.”

“Yes… Thank you…!”

Awe colored her voice.

Her happiness made me feel good.

Just then, I sensed something. A hint of expectation.

This feeling…

Polia lowered her head until the crown was visible, her eyes glancing up, filled with anticipation.

She wasn’t being obvious about it, but she was clearly hoping for something.

I placed a hand on her head and stroked it.

“….”

I could see her body tremble, and I felt it through the head I was patting.

I praised the other two as well and patted their heads.

Their faces flushed.

They were motivated.

‘Well, of course they are.’

Amel maintained a nonchalant expression on the outside.

With a face flushed from the drink, she praised them.

She imagined the scene from a third-person perspective and understood.

A beautiful, overwhelmingly powerful woman like herself was praising their growth and even patting their heads.

‘Of course they’d be motivated.’

Amel is beautiful.

It’s undeniable.

She’s beautiful.

She’s pretty.

Hehe.

The person inside might be a man, but it was precisely because he was a man that he was all the more delighted by the fact that he was the complete master of this female body.

At the same time, he felt a pang of regret that he could never possess it, but if he had existed as another person, he probably wouldn’t have even been able to talk to her.

Better to rejoice that he himself had become such a beauty. Wasn’t this a much deeper form of possession than simply making her his woman?

Now that it had come to this, she had no choice but to become the most ideal beauty she could imagine.

Her train of thought had skipped a few steps, but,

Amel pictured the ideal woman.

In her mind.

And then.

In her actions.

Amel’s posture began to change subtly.

She straightened her back, emphasizing her hips.

Her folded arms supported her chest, lifting it to make it appear fuller.

Her head tilted slightly, making her look more alluring. She imagined this image in her mind, stealing glances at the people around her as if checking for the right answer.

Gazes of adoration.

She soaked in the satisfaction.

Walk like this.

Eat like this.

Stand like this.

Beauty isn’t limited to just physical appearance.

Just think of the noblewomen she had met during the Full Dive.

An air of refined grace, born from their education, was conveyed from the tips of their fingers to the tips of their toes. Such small gestures created an aura of luxury.

She hadn’t acted like this until now.

Because she was embarrassed.

The idea of her, the man inside, pursuing feminine mannerisms felt a bit off.

But at the same time, she’d always had another thought.

‘What a waste.’

If she was afraid of her feminine actions becoming habit,

That was a problem she could deal with by readjusting when she returned to her male body.

How foolish.

How pathetic.

How cute.

Haha.

Amel’s way of thinking was changing.

It was a change that should have taken a long time to accept, but it was spurred on by the intoxication and the excuse of it being a game.

Enjoy being a woman while I’m a woman.

When will I ever get to be a woman again?

Being able to log in with a female body was a bug. Someday, when she logged out, she wouldn’t be able to play as a female character even in other virtual reality games.

So, enjoy the now!

If not now, when!

Then, a sudden thought.

Speaking of pretty, something else came to mind.

Keila, Leki, Polia, Leila, Molly, Dona.

The people she’d met after ending up in this mountain village.

Their faces had been messes, streaked with tears and snot from the overwhelming joy of reclaiming their village, but they were pretty. Not as pretty as Amel, but they possessed a comparable, seeping charm.

For a moment, she had been captivated.

Those messy faces.

I want to see them again.

If I could create those faces with my own hands…

‘…It would feel good.’

She could look at them a hundred times and never get tired of it.

“….”

She laughed just imagining it.

She wanted to feel it again.

Then let’s do it.

She took the cup from Leki.

She looked at the alcohol in the cup.

She downed it.

Worries, concerns, anxieties.

They all faded away.

The real-world worries, concerns, and anxieties that had been growing larger the longer she was logged into the game.

Her intoxicated mind turned its gaze away from them for the first time in a while.

Gulp.

One sip.

She drank the alcohol.

Still, let’s watch the amount.

I might black out.

Gulp.

Gulp.

Gulp.

No, why are you drinking more?

She finished the rest.

Come to think of it, there were few times she drank and didn’t black out. Back then, it was because the girls kept pouring her drinks, but now…

‘Wait, did I actually like alcohol?’

No, that can’t be right.

“Leki.”

“Yes.”

“I like this.”

“Right? It’s our village’s specialty!”

“I’ll have some more, please.”

“Yes!”

Jemilly Village.

She had saved it.

And she received the thanks of the villagers.

The Village Chief was dead, apparently.

His daughter had taken his place.

Her name was Dona.

Dona bowed her head to her.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I was just fulfilling a request. Thank Polia. If she hadn’t been prepared to be treated like an object by me, I wouldn’t have even thought of saving you.”

“An object?”

“My toy doll. Did you think she got as strong as she is now through her talent alone?”

“…Polia was an ordinary village girl. They said she became as strong as a Sword Expert overnight.”

So it was because of you.

Her gaze said as much.

“Does it bother you because she’s your friend? The fact that I’m handling your friend however I please.”

“It feels a little strange, but it’s fine. It was her choice. Besides, she seems happy. And it’s not something we, the ones who were saved, can complain about. What is there to say to our savior?”

“Yes. That’s right. You should have nothing to say to me.”

I took a sip of alcohol.

Delicious.

One more sip… no, that’s enough.

I controlled myself, telling myself not to keep drinking.

“So, Dona.”

“Yes.”

“There’s something I want you to do. You’ll do it, won’t you? Surely you wouldn’t disobey your savior’s command?”

“…I will obey.”

“Polia alone isn’t enough to make this profitable for me. So… hmm…”

Amel took out a piece of paper and a pen from her Inventory.

She put the pen to the paper.

Scribble, scribble.

She drew something.

She drew a circle,

And then a zigzag.

It represented lightning.

“Carve this design onto a flag and hang it.”

“…Pardon?”

Dona, who had received the drawing, stared with wide eyes.

“From now on, all of you are my subordinates.”

Don’t like it?

I stared at her threateningly.

And Dona, with a dazed expression,

Began to cry.

…I didn’t mean to make her cry.

Does she hate the idea that much?

Amel pictured a sullen face in her mind while outwardly glaring at Dona with a sly expression.

“Are you that moved? I’m glad. If you’re grateful, you know it’s good manners to say ‘thank you,’ right?”

“Ah… Ah, yes!”

Clutching the design,

Dona stood up and bowed deeply.

“Thank… you.”

Sob… sob…

She was crying.

‘Don’t cry.’

Did you really think saving your village and your lives would be free?

Outwardly, Amel watched with a sneer, but inwardly, she pouted, feeling sulky.

Crying so sorrowfully like that makes it seem like I’m forcing you to do something you hate.

But Amel had not the slightest intention of revoking her decision.