Ch.19Wanted Order (1)

I lived my entire life as an orphan.

And the first thing I learned as a poor orphan was how to give up.

Abandoning expectations, renouncing desires, suppressing wants.

That was the skill I mastered even before language. If there was such a thing as talent for poverty, I thought no one could surpass me.

If you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed. If you cut off desires and suppress wants, likewise, there’s no reason to be anxious or depressed.

Though I don’t know much about Buddhism, isn’t this something like freedom from thought and emotion? At least that’s what I believed.

What I was trying to do now followed the same logic.

Protector Knight Lucilla.

It was the same name my sister always used in the game, but I tried not to expect anything from that name.

Her movements overlapped considerably with my sister’s as I questioned Isla and listened to her, but who knows?

Maybe the save file I had left behind without deleting was reflected in this world.

Or perhaps she had grown through adventures before I possessed this body.

There was no guarantee it was my sister. She might simply exist as my sister’s character, not as my sister herself.

Like a doppelgänger who followed my sister’s path exactly, imprinted with the choices and consequences my sister made, but not the sister who considered me her brother.

So even if we met, she wouldn’t recognize me, wouldn’t say she was sorry, wouldn’t say she was glad I came, wouldn’t say she had wanted to see me.

I organized my thoughts, cutting off all expectations.

This was the right approach, as it could have been even worse.

My sister might have adapted to this world and enjoyed the freedom of adventuring alone, without the burden of a troublesome brother.

She might have given up on returning for that reason.

I couldn’t handle such a shock without preparation. It seemed easier to defend against the executioner’s blade wielded by a Blood Knight than to face that possibility.

Look at me now—just thinking about it makes my heart ache and brings on a headache. I buried my face in the straw bed and swallowed my groans.

I believe humanity’s greatest virtue is preparedness. With proper preparation, there’s nothing one can’t endure.

As I was barely managing to organize my thoughts with this mindset, a translucent window rippled beyond my closed eyelids.

[Proficiency]

[Proficiency Bonus: +2]

[Weapon Proficiency: Simple Weapons, Special Weapons, Martial Weapons, Small Shields, Medium Shields, Large Shields]

[Armor Proficiency: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Heavy Armor]

Rather than thinking “You’re giving me this now?”, I first felt something flowing into my mind.

And I clearly felt something that wasn’t mine gradually rising within me.

The basic methods of handling all sorts of weapons I had picked up so far, including the star-bladed longsword leaning against the bed, were being engraved in my mind automatically.

Couldn’t you have given this to me earlier?

Even as I thought this, I was secretly relieved.

I had been worried I might not receive it at all.

Grim Darker was a game that adopted the free rules of the world’s most famous TRPG franchise.

Because of that, everything from ability scores to some systems used that TRPG’s system directly, including the proficiency system.

As your level increases, you become more skilled and gain bonuses for handling weapons as you gain experience.

And depending on your chosen class and race, you acquire skills to handle special weapons or common weapon groups.

But all of this was supposed to be received when starting the game.

Not after being possessed for a year and reaching level 2.

From this, I could form one hypothesis.

After a year had passed and I fell to the surface.

Until the moment I defeated the Blood Knight at level 2.

I hadn’t slept once of my own will.

Excluding unconsciousness, which wasn’t by choice. I hadn’t seen anything like this appear then.

So what was needed for this “status window refresh” was sleep and filling in the missing parts.

Name, class.

Things I didn’t have until a year had passed.

I was finally recognized as a player. Along with an indelible stain of guilt that wouldn’t disappear no matter how long I kept my eyes closed.

My stomach churned.

To escape these depressing thoughts, I closed my eyes again.

Protector Knight Lucilla. Someone who appeared to be the protagonist, whether she was my sister or not.

I couldn’t tell if she was my sister, but one thing was certain.

I needed her help to overcome the three clans and improve the situation.

If she was in this new continent, many problems could be solved.

The issue was that I didn’t know how to make that happen. I struggled before sighing.

And just then, the door opened.

“…What are you doing?”

Isla’s clear voice reached me. Like snow falling on a winter day, it was quiet yet attention-grabbing.

When I slightly opened my eyes, I found myself with only my lower body on the bed, my upper body flexibly stretched out on the floor.

“This is how monsters cope with frustration.”

“That’s stupid.”

“That’s the point.”

Isla didn’t respond and entered the room. She closed the door with her plump tail and placed the bundle she was carrying in front of the pile of armor.

She packed the purchased items into her cloak, and being accustomed to such work, she finished organizing before I could offer help.

“What did you buy?”

“Medicine, provisions, odds and ends.”

Odds and ends? Wondering if she was hiding something, I looked at her, and Isla straightened her tail.

“Pitch, rope, rosin powder for the bow, whetstones, and…”

“So those are the odds and ends.”

“Yes, we needed them.”

They were uninteresting items. At the same time, they were things I had no say in, with zero room for intervention.

It would be reasonable for her to be displeased when I cut her off after asking, but Isla was busy watching my reactions.

She had been like this ever since I discovered she was a shapeshifter.

At the time, I had no choice but to act, but now she seemed worried.

And for good reason. Even with my limited knowledge of the setting, I knew shapeshifters were openly persecuted.

This was because most of them were related to the three clans.

The former masters of the existing empire and beings who spread harm throughout the world.

Given that almost all monsters in Grim Darker were their creations, people’s hostility toward the three clans was understandable.

Shapeshifters were part of those clans and the only ones whose existence was known.

Their power was simple: the ability to transform into something resembling a beast.

When I recalled that some beastkin inherited the power of such shapeshifters, Isla’s cautious attitude made sense.

Ordinary people might reasonably suspect her of being a shapeshifter spy.

But was I an ordinary person?

I was an orphan with a monster’s body and a veteran’s soul.

I was certain she wasn’t a member of the shapeshifters, but this woman, exiled to the new continent because of her bloodline, still seemed worried.

Occasionally glancing at me, Isla maintained her usual expressionless face, but upon closer inspection, subtle differences were apparent.

Her tail barely moved and stood stiffly upright. Her ears were laid forward and fixed in position.

Because of this, she looked somewhat dejected. I sat up, trying to change the subject.

As I raised my body, which I had lowered to the floor using only my core strength, Isla glanced at me and paused.

“How is it outside?”

“Not very good. That’s why I’ve been hiding.”

As expected. Thinking this, I approached the window and saw a city outside.

It was a sight I hadn’t expected to find in this new continent, yet it made perfect sense.

No matter how much this was a land of exiles and outcasts, it was still a place where people lived.

The emergence of cities and villages was natural.

You know, like in Westerns, where there are lawless territories.

Places ruled by corrupt mayors with strong gunslingers serving as their enforcers, lording over the town.

This place was similar. The only difference was that there were some rules.

I looked at my status window.

[Name: Llewellyn]

[Race: Homunculus]

[Class: Warrior – Mourner 2]

[Reputation: Outlaw of Rumors]

[Strength: 20(+5)][Dexterity: 20(+5)][Constitution: 20(+5)]

[Magic: □][Inspiration: □][Charisma: □]

[Play Time: 8,857 hours]

As I stared at my unjustly earned reputation, the window expanded. What appeared was quite lengthy.

[Reputation]

[Escaped Blood Bag / Blood Clan

-You have defeated a Blood Knight who was pursuing you. The Blood Clan is taking this matter seriously and preparing to hunt you down.]

This was understandable. I had actually defeated him, and he had disappeared after saying something like “see you next time.”

The Blood Clan reputation I vaguely remembered from the game was similar.

The problem was what came next.

[Wanted Criminal / Servan

-Your infamy has been conveyed to the city by survivors. The city’s master, who closely cooperates with the two factions, has taken this seriously and will try to find you by any means.]

Servan.

Once the pillar of colonization established by an empire that wanted to pioneer the new continent, now an abandoned lawless city.

It was a city with some rules, governed by an imperial magistrate who had been more or less abandoned as well.

I was accused of eliminating the forces of the Cannibal Baron and the Star Blade in that city.

Regrettably, it couldn’t be called a mere accusation.

I wished that was all, but the status window had more to show.

[Person of Interest / Imperial Intelligence

-Somehow, your actions have been noticed by some in Imperial Intelligence. They are interested in you for eliminating two factions in a short period. However, they will approach cautiously, mistakenly believing your combat power to be considerable.]

Even Imperial Intelligence was looking for me. Everyone outside this city could be considered my enemy.

Or perhaps I couldn’t definitively call them enemies? I dismissed the final window that appeared with a glance and looked outside.

[Outlaw of Rumors / Overall

-You are known through rumors that are hard to believe. Many people won’t immediately recognize you because they can’t easily believe your deeds, but they will be wary and suspicious of your appearance.]

That was why I had been staying at this inn for so long. I stared blankly outside before sighing and lying back on the bed.

“…Going to sleep again?”

Instead of answering, I closed my eyes, and Isla sat on the bed right next to me, covering my eyes with her tail.

A fluffy, pleasant tail. As that tail swayed, a voice filled with hesitation held my consciousness.

“Thank you.”

As if being a shapeshifter was such a big deal.

I pretended not to hear and tried to go back to sleep, but…

Before that, I heard someone roughly knocking on the door.

As I slightly opened my eyes, someone shouted from beyond the door.

“By order of Magistrate Vetus, the mayor of Servan!”

As I sat up, the knocking continued.

In between, my ears caught the unmistakable heavy footsteps of armed people who made no effort to conceal themselves.

“Open the door immediately and respond to the summons!”