Ch.49Rewards (1)

All conditions for the city upgrade have been met.

The palisade has been installed around the village, and all roads have been paved with cobblestones.

A shopping street has emerged with various craftsmen and merchants, and we’ve converted unused abandoned buildings into a school and a small clinic.

The season is summer. Cicadas are chirping, the sun is blazing down, and so on.

It was early spring with traces of winter still lingering when I was possessed.

Back then, I was tearing into dry bread from the shelf when I resolved to urbanize the village to lead a safer and more comfortable NPC life. Now, just a few months later, I’m on the verge of achieving that wish!

“Haa, haa, Mr. Jack. Haa…”

The administrator let out suggestive moans while exhaling hot breath repeatedly.

In her hands was the city upgrade application to be sent to the royal castle.

The completed application was almost as thick as a book.

This was because we had gathered all available data for the roughly 200 inspection items on the city upgrade evaluation form.

Once that goes up to the royal castle, the National Development Inspection Team will be dispatched to thoroughly examine our village from top to bottom to determine if it qualifies for a city upgrade.

In the game, you don’t actually deal with this directly, though there is a related quest.

It was about rescuing an inspection team that was kidnapped or attacked while on their way to upgrade some city to a metropolis.

I hope the inspection team coming to our village doesn’t get involved in such strange incidents.

“I’m going crazy… I’m so nervous I could die…”

The administrator trembled and broke out in a cold sweat.

“To become a city… I never thought it possible… I always thought I’d just be stuck here, barely surviving until I either made a mistake and got kicked out or the village collapsed… And now we’re becoming a city…”

“Don’t be too nervous, Administrator. You’ll faint when the inspection team arrives.”

“I don’t know, Mr. Jack… I really don’t know… Whether I can handle such great fortune… This is all because you’ve been working so hard for the village…”

“Haha, yes. I’ll continue to help you going forward. Don’t give up, Administrator. You’re doing well right now.”

“Thank you… Thank you…”

We decided to send the application with the knights and Liberone’s group.

It’s an extremely important document. Nothing can go wrong along the way.

* * * * *

After seeing Liberone’s group off, I walked along the riverbank with Brasya, taking the pigs for a walk.

“Hey, Brasya.” “What?”

“Are you happy living here?”

“Mmm. Of course I’m happy. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering. It’s not where you originally lived. In a way, you came here because you had no choice.”

Brasya hopped a few steps ahead of me, then bent slightly at the waist and looked up at me.

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“Just curious.”

“Are you going to kick me out if I don’t like it?”

“Even if you wanted to leave, I’d keep you here. How would I raise the pigs without you?”

“Hehehe. Then I can settle down with peace of mind. I like it here. It’s such a peaceful and cozy place.”

In a good mood, Brasya ran to the shallow riverbank where the water reached her ankles, along with the pigs.

Splashing and wiggling—she’s practically a green pig herself.

“Oh? Jack! There’s a boat coming!”

Brasya shouted while wringing out her skirt that had gotten wet from the splashing water.

In the distance, the Starting Ship slowly came into view.

It had finally returned after completing its glorious first waterway trade.

“The Starting Ship is returning!”

Someone on the watchtower must have seen it too, as the guard shouted loudly.

The slowly drifting boat stopped as it reached the makeshift dock.

But something was strange. There was nobody on the boat…?

By now, they should be shouting about their arrival and unloading goods, but it was eerily quiet.

“Brasya! Don’t go! Come over here!”

As she was about to head to the dock, I called her back, and Brasya came running with wide eyes.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Take the pigs and go back to the farm. Hurry.”

After Brasya left with the pigs, I shouted to the person in the watchtower.

“Ring the bell now!”

The tower bell rang and a red flag was raised. The knights would arm themselves and deploy here.

While waiting for the knights, I kept watch on the boat from a distance.

I had an ominous feeling that they might have encountered monsters on their way.

Even worse, there could be monsters aboard the ship.

If monsters were to land in the village now, with Liberone gone, everything would be ruined.

If all our preparations for the city upgrade were damaged… it would be devastating just to imagine.

Shortly after, heavily armed knights arrived with a clamor.

There seemed to be over forty of them—likely all personnel currently in the village.

Surprisingly, Adelheid and the 2nd Squad Captain were among them at the front.

“Ah…”

As Adelheid hesitated after making eye contact with me, the 2nd Squad Captain stepped forward and asked sharply.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“The Starting Ship has returned, but something’s off. We need to search inside.”

After I explained the situation to the 2nd Squad Captain and the knights, tension appeared on everyone’s faces.

“Then the captain and I will sit this one out.”

After hearing the full explanation, the 2nd Squad Captain stepped back and grabbed Adelheid’s wrist.

“We’re not villagers here, we’re instructors, right? I don’t want to get involved in such dangerous business.”

“What are you talking about! If they’ve given us food and shelter, we’re residents! And as instructors, shouldn’t we set an example at times like this?”

“What nonsense!? Why did we come here in the first place…?”

The 2nd Squad Captain trailed off, looking around at the knights.

No one in the village knows that they are officers of the infamous Remugen mercenary group. Not unless they reveal it themselves.

The 2nd Squad Captain, who almost revealed her own identity, pulled Adelheid’s wrist instead of arguing further with me.

“Captain. We should stay out of this. Let’s go back to our quarters for now…”

“No. I won’t do that.”

“Captain?”

Adelheid gently pushed away the 2nd Squad Captain’s hand and looked at me.

“I’ll check what’s inside myself.”

“Captain! It’s dangerous! You don’t know what could be in there!”

“I’m going in… There’s no other way…”

“What…?”

Adelheid placed her hand on her sword hilt and turned to the knights.

“I will investigate. You all stay here and hold your positions.”

For a moment, I felt something like the intimidating presence from her days as a mercenary captain.

“Jack.”

“Ah, yes.”

Adelheid looked at me and said.

“I’m going in. So…”

Adelheid, who was about to say something, lowered her eyes and shook her head.

“Never mind. If I come out alive, we’ll talk then.”

“Captain! Let me go instead!”

The 2nd Squad Captain clung to Adelheid’s arm, whimpering.

While the two were engaged in their melodrama, I checked the potions at my waist.

I always carry various potions for different situations, and fortunately, I have everything I need right now.

“I’m going in first. One of you please cover me.”

As I pulled out a potion bottle and headed toward the ship, Adelheid followed me.

“Jack. If this can help me repay my debt of gratitude to you, that would be enough for me.”

What is she talking about?

“Captain!”

With the 2nd Squad Captain’s desperate cry behind us, we approached the ship with Adelheid in the lead.

* * * * *

“There’s nothing visible on the deck.”

Standing side by side on a wooden box and peering over the railing, we couldn’t see anyone, not even a common rat.

“We need to check below deck. I’ll tell the 2nd Squad Captain to bring torches.”

“No need. This will do.”

I pulled out a fluorescent potion bottle from my waist, and Adelheid flinched, moving her upper body backward.

Having been severely traumatized after drinking the pig aphrodisiac before, she was terrified at the mere sight of a potion.

“This isn’t for drinking.”

“Right…”

Adelheid jumped over the railing and slowly walked forward with her sword drawn.

As Adelheid opened the door to the lower deck, I threw the potion bottle hard through the opening.

With the sound of breaking glass, the contents spilled onto the floor, temporarily emitting a considerable amount of light.

“Let’s go in. That won’t last long.”

I followed Adelheid, who descended with her sword pointed forward, to the lower deck.

“Doesn’t seem like there’s anything here.”

Despite our tension as we examined the interior, there was nothing to be seen.

No people, no monsters, no trade goods.

“Strange. If they were attacked by monsters or bandits, there should at least be some traces.”

“Oh? Wait. There are some items left here.”

Inside a drawer in the inner compartment, we found a bag of gold coins and a receipt.

Looking at the contents, it was the transaction record of the trade goods they had taken when they first set sail.

From this, it seems they encountered something on their way back.

“If the money is still here, it’s probably not a bandit attack or the crew deserting.”

“They wouldn’t desert. Hmm… Then what could it be… Where did everyone go…?”

After carefully looking around, we decided to go back outside.

“Wait, Jack.”

Just as I was turning toward the stairs, Adelheid stopped me.

At that moment, the fluorescent potion’s effect ended, and the interior instantly darkened.

Everything except the light coming through the square hatch in the ceiling was plunged into darkness.

Even Adelheid, who was standing looking at me, was barely visible in outline due to the darkness.

“What is it?”

“Jack. There’s something I want to ask.”