episode_0004

“We’ve arrived.”

After a night of relentless travel, they reached the capital of the Holy Empire, Hameln.

The view of the vast planned city was nothing short of desolate.

“There’s nothing here.”

It was a barren wasteland in itself.

All that existed were large roads and construction sites.

This was expected since Hameln was still in the early stages of preparation before officially becoming the capital.

Once the major buildings are completed, starting with the clergy and government officials, a large-scale migration will take place for the official transfer of the capital.

Of course, it will take quite some time for Hameln to truly embody the essence of a capital city.

“The Saint has quite the extreme job.”

And the Saint, Jill Diner, holds a position akin to overseeing the construction of Hameln.

Her main tasks include buffing the laborers on the construction site, ensuring subcontractors don’t cause trouble, and conducting consecration ceremonies in completed buildings, among other duties.

Originally a task that hundreds of priests should handle, now falls solely on the Saint.

Although designated as the future capital, the current situation is unstable due to the influx of foreign laborers, leading to security concerns.

In such circumstances, Saint Jill Diner feels the need for personal protection, hence the upcoming selection of bodyguards in a month.

Why such a long wait?

Well, that’s because I skipped the initial adventurer guild hunting grounds.

The conventional way is to complete quests, hunt monsters, and gain experience points there…

But I just couldn’t stand being around those adventurers and their antics, so I ran away.

“What am I going to do for four weeks?”

Thanks to that, I now have plenty of spare time.

Four weeks in the Holy Empire’s burgeoning capital under construction, Hameln.

Time is precious.

I can’t afford to waste it.

“Argh! My back!”

“These young ones can’t even exert themselves properly yet. Tsk tsk.”

It’s tough.

Exhausting.

I feel like I’m going to die.

Day 3 of grunt work.

I’ve already reached the point where I see apparitions gesturing for me to come over, while my lower back grazes past those who went ahead.

So why am I here enduring this?

The daily laborers in Hameln’s construction site earn a staggering amount.

Their wages rival those of skilled technicians in other cities.

With 3000 gold each, why the rush for money?

There’s a lot to buy.

And all of it is expensive.

“Hey, Eugene, right? Come here! You should watch how we detonate mana bombs!”

“Oh, he won’t last a few days before running away. What’s the point in teaching him that?”

“You’ll see from his eyes! He’s a tough one! In my opinion, he won’t run until the city is finished!”

“I’ll be right there, Captain! I really want to see the detonation process!”

It has arrived.

Learning how to handle mana bombs is a must.

I’ll be using them myself in a few weeks.

Small, lightweight, easy to store, and incredibly powerful, each mana bomb fetches a high price of 1000 gold in the black market.

I need to buy at least eight of them now.

I wonder if my back can handle it.

“Alright, everyone had a good rest? Shall we get back to work energetically?”

“Captain! Are you kidding? We’ve been plating all night inhaling fumes, feeling dizzy! And now in the afternoon, you want us to do metalwork?”

“We’re on a tight schedule. But the bonuses are generous! Today’s hourly wage is tripled! Everyone smells money and goes crazy, then complains later about something else?”

“This is too much! Are you trying to kill us all? If we collapse trying to meet the deadline, who’s at a loss? Isn’t it the responsibility of higher-ups to negotiate? Isn’t that the Captain’s job?”

“But still, let’s push through a little more…”

“Oh no! I can’t take it anymore! I’m lying down! Try finishing the plating without me!”

“These people…”

Two weeks into the grunt work.

The atmosphere at the construction site is unsettling.

A burly foreign middle-aged man, known for various labor skills, declares a strike and collapses, while the foreman looks on disapprovingly.

Though usually mild-mannered, the foreman has a quick-tempered nature, pushing things aside when angered.

He will likely force work to continue.

This situation might lead to a confrontation.

It was a moment where everyone seemed to be thinking that there was a fierce tension between management and workers.

“······?”

An extravagant carriage, out of place at a construction site, comes to a stop.

Both the management, who were preparing to suppress a riot, and the laborers, who were grabbing their tools, froze in their tracks.

As the carriage’s door opened, a modestly dressed girl stepped out gracefully.

With her head bowed, revealing her blonde hair, everyone involuntarily gasped in awe.

‘Wow. Insanely. Stunning.’

Of course, I was included in that group.

If it were a character illustration or a cutscene from Jill Diner, I would have seen it countless times.

So, I thought I wouldn’t react like an extra in a cheesy way.

However, overwhelmed by Jill’s devastating beauty shining through her simple attire, I was left speechless.

From her undeniably radiant smile to her somewhat reserved demeanor, she looked flawless.

I found myself falling for her once again.

‘I didn’t expect to meet her here.’

In the game, encountering the saintess for the first time was during the selection competition event.

Meeting her here was not part of the plan.

Come to think of it, they said the saintess had been going around the construction site, encouraging the workers.

Since she hadn’t visited our team for a while, I thought she had already moved on before my arrival, so I didn’t expect her sudden appearance.

“Hello, everyone. You’ve worked hard until late this afternoon. You all seem quite tired judging by your complexion.”

“No, no! We gain strength just by having you here!”

“Haha. That’s good to hear. To help you regain your strength, I’ve prepared dinner. How about filling your stomachs and taking a break before resuming work?”

“Sounds great!”

“After the meal, I’ll offer blessings to help you recover your energy.”

“Wow!!!!”

What am I witnessing?

Just moments ago, these guys were barely hanging on, but now they’re regaining their spirits like soldiers receiving a morale-boosting performance from a girl group visiting the troops.

It’s almost as if there’s no need for blessings.

Soon, food carts arrived one after another, wafting fragrant aromas.

Instead of the crappy potatoes and cucumbers we eat daily at the construction site, it was the smell of real food.

Even if you have money, there are no restaurants here, so you couldn’t eat proper food, but smelling this…

“Oh. Tears are coming.”

I suddenly felt emotional.

Everyone is becoming fervent believers like this.

It’s so touching that thoughts of joining the Sun God religion briefly crossed my mind.

Even though it’s only been two weeks since I arrived here, I can’t even imagine how other workers must be feeling.

“Thank you so much, Saintess. The atmosphere was quite hostile earlier. Hahaha.”

“No, it’s us who should apologize for pushing you with such a tight schedule.”

“Why are you apologizing, Saintess? It’s common knowledge that you tirelessly run around for us!”

Flattery.

The saintess isn’t running around tirelessly for you.

She’s doing it to climb the social ladder and marry me.

Although right now I’m just an inconspicuous laborer, next week, when the bodyguard selection competition begins, the situation will change drastically.

I smiled smugly as I savored the pasta, feeling superior.

Oh man. Why does this taste so good…

‘Jill Diner, is she too expensive? Will other heroines become rivals?’

When it came to games, I didn’t realize it, but experiencing it firsthand, Jill Diner’s prowess is overwhelming.

Without any embellishment, she exudes a radiant beauty, a purse full of jewels that seem to sparkle without effort, kindness that even commoners can feel, and a modesty that doesn’t indulge in luxury.

Although there may be a slight flaw or two, such trivial imperfections seem insignificant.

No, perhaps those flaws stem from infinite affection to trust her husband.

Wow. Essentially flawless?

Perfect, absolutely perfect.

Compared to Jill, Yuriana seems shabby and burdensome, a woman who obsessively seeks attention, likely to become pitiful.

What if they meet later and end up disappointed?

It would be difficult to strategize if disappointment is visibly expressed.

There is great concern.

“May I take a look around the construction site for a moment?”

“Oh, of course. I’ll accompany you.”

“No, it’s fine. Please rest. I’m just going to look around here.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll just watch.”

“It’s not uncomfortable…”

Is the construction progressing well, and are they not forgetting their inspection duties?

Even their unwavering work ethic.

In a moment when real-time perfection was being enhanced.

While slurping pasta and glancing at the saintly lady, something flashed through my mind.

“Oh damn. They’ve dug pits pretending they’re for repairs.”

Every time someone resting in the middle is called back, they pretend to work, leaving several meaningless pits.

Then they have to cover them up again, mostly with leaves and soil, disguising them as traps.

A flawless trap indeed.

Since the work paths don’t overlap anyway, no one should fall in, so I just left them.

But now the saintly lady is walking towards that direction.

It’s dangerous.

“What the hell! What are you doing, newbie?”

“Wha-what! Boss, what’s up?”

“The newbie’s gone crazy, trying to ambush the saintly lady!”

I overturned the desk and quickly stood up.

Then, accelerating rapidly, I headed straight towards the saintly lady.

Naturally, I thought the guardian knight would intervene, but this guy’s abilities remain unpredictable.

As the saintly lady, unaware of my intentions, stepped forward with me grabbing her wrist unknowingly and pulling her back.

“Eek?!”

The ground where Jill had stepped crumbled away.

If I had been a little late, she would have fallen forward and gotten seriously hurt.

“Are you okay, my lady?”

Due to the wind pulling her back, Jill is falling on top of me.

As I breathe a sigh of relief and examine Jill’s expression,

“Oh. Disgusting. Smells like a commoner.”

“…?”

I witnessed her expression contorting in disgust.