episode_0091

On the outside, the villa didn’t seem much different from when I helped the Knights with their investigation.

Windows were broken here and there, and some areas were burned and collapsed.

The good news is that the knights in charge of the investigation removed all the bodies.

“Looking at it now, it looks pretty cool. If I hadn’t known about what happened here, I might have just lived.”

“Sure. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry, Laura. I will build you a house that is fancier than this later.”

“I just want us to be able to live happily in any house.”

Laura said to me, crossing her arms and wagging her tail.

I actually wanted to build a house in Laura’s hometown for us to live in, but I couldn’t bring myself to say that idea because she was reluctant to even go back to her hometown.

In order to complete the relationship quest, Laura’s hometown will be restored one day, but there is no guarantee that she will be able to live there.

“I have the same thoughts as Laura. A big, nice house like this is nice, but a house like the one I lived in when I was young would be enough.”

“Well, we are not some kind of noble family, so there is no need to build a mansion to live in. Still, since I’m an honorary knight, I think I should save some face.”

I have a vague yearning for a frugal and simple life, but I think there should at least be enough room to sleep guests.

I don’t know about other people, but there should be at least a room for Veronica and Elena to stay.

As I was imagining the house I would live in in the future, my eyes fell on Erica, who was looking at me with troubled eyes.

“Erica, why are you doing this? Is something going on?”

“I didn’t know that Rebecca was an honorary knight.”

“Ah, this is the title I received in return for saving Rizerka. Since it’s an honorary position anyway and you’re not a true noble, there’s nothing to worry about. Just treat me like you always did.”

“You saved Rizerka? What on earth happened?”

“If I were to explain it, it would be a bit long, but you need to know anyway, so I’ll tell you.”

I began to briefly tell Erica about the attack by Darius’ mercenaries in Franca.

Then, he came to Rizerka and attacked the Darius mercenaries, found evidence that Maxian was behind it, found out from Elena what he was trying to do, and then listed all the efforts he made to stop him.

After hearing my whole story, Erica suddenly grabbed my hand with both hands.

“Rebecca saved my life without me even knowing!”

“It’s not me, it’s the credit of everyone who fought together that day. Especially if Krausen hadn’t sacrificed himself, we all might have died.”

“Still, if Rebecca hadn’t made the decision to stop Maxian, Lizerka would have been finished.”

“In the end, it could be seen that way. Anyway, I think it’s really fortunate that no innocent people living in Rizerka, including you, were killed or injured. And I think the fact that I met you like this was probably a gift from heaven for that matter.”

Erica was slightly embarrassed by my flirtatious flirtation, but smiled seductively.

Captivated by that smile, I unconsciously walked up to Erica and tried to capture her lips, but was content with kissing her forehead.

Erica gave me a strange expression and a look with unknown intent, then walked away from me and looked somewhere else.

I thought I had made a mistake, but seeing as Erica often placed her hand on her heated cheek, it didn’t seem to be the case.

Let’s go inside “ and see if there’s anything useful left. Make sure you have a gun because there might be something dangerous inside. But Erica, don’t you know how to shoot a gun?”

“No. I’ve fired crossbows a few times, but I’ve never fired a gun.”

catapult? It’s amazing that you can load a crossbow with those weak arms.

When I tried to pull the bowstring sold at a magic weapon store, my arms were shaking.

“Then I will teach you. You guys go in first and look inside. We’ll follow soon.”

I let Laura and Iris into the villa first, then took Erica with me and headed to the open garden.

Then, I took out several empty bottles from my bag and placed them at regular intervals on the bench.

I couldn’t bear to throw away trash anywhere, so I just kept it in. I didn’t know that I would end up using it like this.

“I’m not very good at teaching others, but I still listen patiently.”

“Yes, Rebecca”

“This is a magic pistol. The most widely used firearm magazine. What you must keep in mind before using a gun is that it is a weapon that can easily take your life. It is a terrifying monster that kills not only the enemy but also you in an instant.”

“Aren’t you being too scared?”

“Actually, I think this is not enough. It’s too easy to use compared to its power. So, you should always be alert and handle your gun. Got it?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Before handling a gun, always check if it is loaded, and regardless of whether it is loaded or not, never look directly into the muzzle or point it at another person. Don’t ask questions or question this, just keep it. Then, I’ll teach you how to open the chamber.”

In front of Erica, I focused my mind on the small magic circle of the magic pistol and opened the chamber.

Then, I took out all the magic bullets that were in there and closed it again.

“Did you see how to do it?”

“Yes. That magic circle acts as a lock, right?”

“Okay. If you focus your mind, it opens right away. Then let’s try it ourselves.”

I handed the magic pistol to Erica, and she simply opened the chamber.

It was really nothing special, but Erica looked happy.

“Now, let’s put these magic bullets into the empty spaces one by one. All guns take 6 magic bullets, so you always have to think about the remaining bullets when shooting. And it is just as important to practice reloading quickly as it is to practice shooting.”

While listening to my explanation, Erica filled the chamber with bullets and closed it to finish loading.

She looked around with the magic pistol, and perhaps remembered that I said you shouldn’t point the gun at people, so she pointed the gun at the floor.

When I saw that, I thought it was amazing and stroked Erica’s head.

“There are many types of bullets, but for now, let’s shoot using only regular bullets. What you are looking at now is the sight, and you can aim with the feeling of placing it in a straight line between your eyes and the target. Um… It’s hard to explain in words, so I’ll show you.”

I felt limited in explaining it in words, so I decided to demonstrate it, aiming at a glass bottle a little over 10 steps away and pulling the trigger.

Then, along with a gunshot, the glass bottle shattered and scattered in all directions.

Erica saw this and raised her arm and pretended to aim at the glass bottle in front of her.

“Can I do it like this?”

“Let’s see, raise your arms a little higher and posture…”

I stayed close to Erica and taught her a good shooting position.

Even though my teachings were a bit lacking, they somehow helped Erica, and the sight of her aiming at her target became just as believable as Laura and Iris.

“Now, make sure you have the determination to shoot and pull the trigger. Then it will fire. When shooting a gun, never look away or close your eyes.”

“Yes, Rebecca.”

Erica bit her lip and pulled the trigger with a trembling finger.

She flinched slightly when the gun was fired, and the bullet missed the glass bottle.

“Erica, don’t be scared, stay calm and shoot again.”

Erica took a deep breath and pulled the trigger again.

This time it didn’t flinch at all and succeeded in breaking the glass bottle.

Erica may have talent since she succeeded after only two attempts.

“Good job, Erica! Now, let’s shoot while increasing the distance little by little.”

Every time Erica hit the vial, I took her back a few steps.

Erica’s accuracy rate wasn’t that high, but she didn’t get discouraged even if she missed and fired steadily.

As time passed, Erica’s accuracy rate increased, and she finished shooting by hitting two bottles in a row.

With an expression of mixed satisfaction and regret, Erica held up the empty magic pistol in her hands and held it out to me.

“Thank you for lending me.”

“Oh, you can use that until I gift you a gun set. This is a pouch containing a bullet, and from today on, I carry it with me almost all the time. No matter how good a gun is, it is of no use without bullets.”

I put the extra magical bullet pouch I had on Erica’s small waist.

Because she was so small and slim, it seemed like it would fall down, but it fit perfectly over Erica’s moderately developed pelvis.

“As expected, it suits you well. But Erica, if you can use a crossbow, you must be stronger than you look?”

“The crossbow I used is a small one that can be fired with one hand, so even a weak person like me can use it without any burden.”

“There is such a thing? Do you still have it?”

“It was destroyed on the day I was kidnapped. I tried my best to resist but failed. When I was left at the orphanage, it was in the cradle with me, so it was something I became attached to.

Erica said with a sad expression on her face.

It’s such a shame that it must have been her only connection to a family she didn’t even know.

“It’s really unfortunate. I can’t restore it, but I’ll buy you a new one similar to it.”

“It’s okay. I’ve already given up my regrets. Still, I would be very happy if Rebecca gave me a gift.”

Erica smiled brightly and expressed her anticipation.

At first, I thought he was a person who doesn’t express his emotions very well, but now I think he was just shy.

The reason she quickly adapted to me was probably because of my character setting, which made it easy for most people to like her.

“You are a positive person. I’m jealous.”

“As much as possible, thinking positively is good for your mental health. That attitude helped me a lot when things were difficult.”

“I have to learn that from you too. Now, let’s go into the villa. I would be sorry if I left it to Laura and Iris.”

I took Erica through the front door of the villa.

The last time I came, the floor was very clean, but now it was a mess of dirt and sand.

It’s probably natural since there’s no way anyone has cleaned it since the investigation team visited.

‘Laura, did you find anything?’

‘I’m on the second floor now, but there’s nothing special yet. It looks like the investigation team has brushed off everything that was plausible.’

‘It doesn’t matter if you can’t find it, so don’t feel pressured and try to find it. We’ll look at the first floor.’

I cut short my telepathy with Laura and began searching through the rooms on the first floor with Erica.

As Laura said, there wasn’t much left in the villa.

The furniture was almost completely destroyed due to anything that might have been hidden inside, and the cabinets were empty.

In fact, it is greedy to expect something to remain where professional investigators have swept away.

“Rebecca, is there anything you are looking for in particular?”

“That’s not it, I’m just looking around to see if there’s anything left that can be salvaged before the people Alicia sends from tomorrow start repairing the villa.”

“I see. I wondered why I handed over such a mess of a villa.”

“They arbitrarily praised me as a hero, so shouldn’t they do that to me? Hey, this place is a mess too. Let’s go to another room.”

I took Erica to look at several rooms on the first floor, but there was nothing useful.

At this point, I realized that there was no point in searching the villa.

There’s only one room left on the first floor, so I’ll have to search for it and then go back.

I opened the door to the last room, and a dusty warehouse greeted us.

As soon as I opened it, I realized it was a waste of money and didn’t want to stay in the villa anymore.

“The dust piles up like snow here. Erica, let’s go back now.”

“Wait a minute. There are footprints here. I think it’s been a while since it was created.”

“It must be the footprints of the people doing the research.”

“Isn’t it strange that there are footprints going in but no footprints coming out?”

“So…”

I was trying to ignore it and move on, but Erica’s point came to my senses.

I immediately drew my magic pistol, put on my mask, and stepped into the warehouse.

And as I slowly followed the unidentifiable footprints, I stopped in front of a wall where the traces suddenly ended.

I checked the minimap and opened the map window to check again, but it was just a wall.

However, the owner of the footprints cannot have suddenly disappeared, so the wall must have been blocked by some magical means.

I carefully put the muzzle of the gun against the wall, and soon the wall trembled and the muzzle went in.

Ah, what a simple gimmick it is. I guess it didn’t disappear because it wasn’t made by Maxian.

‘Laura, Iris. Come right now to the room at the end of the hallway on the left on the first floor. ‘I found something.’

Instead of going beyond the wall, I immediately called the two people over.

Then I opened the window of the warehouse and fired a few blast bombs to blow all the dust out.

Even with the mask on, my nose was itchy and my throat and eyes were stinging, so I couldn’t stand it.

I suffered with tears and a runny nose, and was finally able to calm down when Laura and Iris joined me.

“Each! I’m dying, really. I’m fine now, so let’s go inside.”

Accompanied by three people, I entered the space beyond the quivering wall.

The hallway, completely devoid of light and completely blocked by stone structures, was reminiscent of a dungeon in a game.

However, it was an empty space with no enemies of any kind, and as a result of Laura’s careful inspection, there were no traps at all.

Moreover, it doesn’t seem to be such a grand place since you already come to a dead end without even walking very far.

Still, the magic circle drawn there and the box in the center gave it quite a dungeon-like feel.

However, the magic circle was badly damaged, and the box was wide open.

“I don’t know who the owner of the footprints is, but it seems he didn’t want to reveal his relationship with Maxian. We’re too late. Wait, what is this?”

I took off the note attached to the bottom of the box lid and unfolded it.

There were various numbers listed there, and they looked exactly like passwords.

“To me, it looks like coordinates on a map.”

“Coordinates?”

As soon as I heard Iris’s opinion, I immediately opened the map window and entered exactly what was written on the note.

Then, a village appeared on the northernmost border of the empire.

“Norheim?”

“Did you just say Norheim?”

Suddenly, Laura raised her voice in a slightly trembling voice.

He looks surprised, not angry.

“Why are you doing this, Laura?”

“The name of my hometown is Norheim. Why are the coordinates of that place… No way! El Kahim is my hometown too!”

“Laura, there’s nothing we can say for sure yet. So you need to go to your hometown and check the meaning of the coordinates. Will you come with me?”

I hugged Laura, who was excited, and stroked her head to calm her down.

And Iris also hugged Laura from behind and comforted her.

Thanks to this, Laura quickly calmed down her excitement and just nodded silently in my arms, agreeing to go to her hometown, which she had been reluctant to do so much.

I don’t know why someone left Norheim’s coordinates, but the answer must be there.

While I go to Norheim and resolve my doubts, I want to rebuild the place and heal Laura’s broken heart.