episode_0018

“Ugh! I’m sleepy!”

After a while, Mirella closed her novel and stretched with a yawn.

Then she looked up at the sky and exclaimed in surprise.

“Look at the Milky Way!”

Looking up, indeed, the Milky Way was crossing among many stars as if it were about to pour down in a strange form.

The original Milky Way is supposed to have a straight or curved shape, but for some reason, the Milky Way seen here was split into two branches.

Perhaps because it’s in the game, even the Milky Way looked strangely peculiar.

Maybe the Milky Way in this world is completely different from the Milky Way in the present world.

“There are more stars here than in our village. Unbelievable.”

“Look, there’s the ‘Slow-eyed Traveler’ over there.”

Pointing with her finger, Mirella grinned and looked at me.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a constellation.”

“I’ve never heard of it before.”

“Alright, let me tell you. Come over here.”

Mirella sat next to me and took my wrist, pointing to the sky.

“These stars are called Lena’s Eyes, Breta’s Foot, Warka’s Song, and Telumia’s Dream. If you connect them, it becomes the ‘Slow-eyed Traveler.’ It’s a constellation created by the goddess who admires the bard Warka, who travels the world and spreads the things he has seen as beautiful songs.”

“Huh? Warka, could it be the same Warka from ‘The Song Beyond Time’?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Hehe.”

Mirella’s eyes sparkled like stars.

“That’s a constellation called ‘Queen of Mist.’ It represents the tears shed by the queen Lailis, who controls the mist, grieving over the death of her lover, Fenrix, which are said to be embedded in the sky.”

“Wow….”

She drew another constellation on the other side.

“This is the constellation of the ‘Lost Heirs of the Forgotten Land.’ It is said to have been created to honor Anasty, the descendant of the long-lost Edos Kingdom, who became a great warrior after finding the sword of Leviah and the shield of Torteris while searching for the traces of his ancestors.”

“Wow, it’s really amazing. How do you know all this, Oppa?”

“You naturally learn a lot from reading books.”

“Amazing….”

Mirella looked at me with shining eyes.

It seemed as if the Milky Way was reflected in Mirella’s red pupils.

Liberone silently gazed up at the night sky.

Are you looking for the constellation I told you about?

But with no expression, there’s no way to know.

“Okay, let’s go to bed now. We need to wake up early tomorrow morning.”

The guards drew lots to decide their night watch shifts.

“No need for that.”

Libellune stood up and said, “I will cast a divine barrier. That way, we can be prepared for any external attacks.”

Ah, right. That’s a thing.

Choosing Libellune was definitely a good decision.

The divine barrier she erected emitted a subtle golden light, encircling the campsite in a semicircle.

“Well then, goodnight everyone.”

“Goodnight.” “Sleep well.”

Curling up in my sleeping bag, I gazed at the night sky for a while without falling asleep.

The night sky of this world, with its sprawling Milky Way, never fails to captivate me.

After a while, I heard the soft, steady breathing of Mirella and Libellune.

Libellune’s breathing included a slight snore.

But it wasn’t unpleasant; rather, it turned into a soothing ASMR.

Listening to the group’s breathing while watching the stars, I eventually fell asleep.

* * * * *

The next day.

“Archangel, look, it’s Odeline City.”

“Wow!!”

Mirella exclaimed as Odeline City came into view.

“Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Such a large city exists!”

Brick buildings, three-story structures, cobblestone-paved streets, lined with shops on both sides, bustling pedestrians and carriages.

The scenery of Odeline City would be a breathtaking sight for a girl from a rural village.

In reality, compared to other major cities, Odeline City is quite small, but to Mirella, who has only seen her hometown, it must seem like a mega-city.

“Wow, look at that…”

Pointing at a jewelry store and a women’s clothing store, Mirella murmured in an absent-minded voice.

“Let’s head to the city hall first. We’ll go through the documents given by the administrative officer and then buy what we need. Keep going this way and then make a left turn.”

Thanks to the original knowledge, a mental map of Odeline City and the locations of key facilities automatically formed in my mind.

As we continued down the main road, a rather stately building came into view ahead.

That’s the Odeline City Hall, where our village is under administrative control.

Of course, our village is so remote that it has rarely exercised proper administrative power.

“Hello. I’m from Start Village.”

When I went to the first-floor civil complaints desk, a visibly tired civil servant stared at me.

“The administrative officer from Start Village said there are documents to be sent to the city hall.”

“Give them to me.”

After handing over a box containing a stack of documents, the civil servant rummaged through it and nodded.

“Okay.”

“Just in case, please sign this receipt.”

“A receipt?”

“We need proof of the exchange of documents. That way, even if something goes wrong, we can clearly assign responsibility.”

With a somewhat annoyed expression, the civil servant took out two sheets of paper and wrote the titles of the received documents on them.

After signing and exchanging the papers, I left the city hall.

“I suddenly want to buy a lot of things now that I’m here.”

Mirella looked around at the lined-up shops with sparkling eyes.

Here, there were shops selling extravagant jewelry that could drive girls like Mirella crazy.

Since these shops had nothing to do with basic living, they were nowhere to be found in Start Village.

“Do you have money?”

“My brother will pay for me. I’ll pay him back later. If not, just lend me once…”

“Girl, devaluing yourself like that is not right.”

At Mirella’s absurd statement, Reverone immediately intervened.

Truly a reliable holy knight.

“Come on, let’s hurry. We don’t have much time. Let’s start with lunch.”

We decided to have lunch at a delicious restaurant in the city.

We need to save money, but since we’ve come this far, we should at least eat out once.

“Ouch!”

Suddenly, Mirella collided with a tree and screamed.

I knew she’d been distracted since earlier.

Finally, I grabbed Mirella’s wrist and took her to a certain jewelry shop.

“Pick one.”

“Wha-a-a-at?!”

“Why are you so surprised? Pick one. I’ll buy it for you.”

“Reallyyyyy?!”

The previously excited Mirella suddenly became shy.

“However, we don’t have any money. These things are just expensive and useless, so I’ll just look at them.”

“It’s okay. Buy one. I have the money to buy it for you.”

The Jack before possession was extremely stingy.

So, a certain amount of gold coins were stored in a hidden safe in the potion shop.

She had been saving up for a rainy day, so she had the means to buy Mirella some jewelry.

“So don’t take it off… Where did it go?”

“It’s already inside.”

Liberone pointed inside the jewelry store.

Mirella had already gone inside, meticulously examining each display, trying on bracelets and necklaces, and making a fuss.

Just like any other girl her age.

Cute, pretty, and lovely.

Although she also carried a vicious-looking club on her back.

“How about this bracelet?”

“It gets in the way when fighting.”

At Liberone’s interference, Mirella took off the bracelet and chose something else.

“What about a necklace?”

“There’s a chance of getting strangled.”

“What’s ‘getting strangled’?”

“It’s when your throat gets blocked and you die.”

“Eek?!”

Mirella quickly took off the necklace.

The stern advice from Liberone left the owner of the jewelry store bewildered.

“Mirella. Then how about a ring?”

When shown a small, delicate ring, Mirella shook her head.

“No to the ring. I’ll save it for later. I need to leave room for a wedding ring or an engagement ring.”

After an hour of deliberation, Mirella finally chose a hairpin and a hairband.

All of them shone brilliantly, complementing Mirella’s fiery red hair and suited her very well.

“Aww, thank you so much. I’ll treasure these for the rest of my life. I’ll even take them with me to my grave.”

She laughed at her own words, and even Liberone managed a faint smile.

The guards stopped by “Peta’s Forge” and bought a few swords.

I know Peta’s Forge well too.

It’s the first place players visit when they arrive at Odellin City in the game to buy new equipment.

It’s a must-visit spot for users because you can get cost-effective gear early on.

I wish our village had a forge too…

* * * * *

He asked around to find the most famous restaurant.

“The dinner table of Odelin,” a rather straightforwardly named restaurant, was even larger than our town hall.

As the waiter stood at the door to guide us, Mirella murmured to me.

“It feels like we’ve become nobility.”

Looking at the menu, we ordered a few dishes.

After being possessed and never having eaten, Mirella, for the first time in her life, had a succession of new foods brought out.

“Wow!”

“Eat well.”

As Mirella cut into the steak and put it in her mouth, she smiled happily, then suddenly began to shed tears.

“Mmm… It’s so delicious. To think such food exists in this world…”

“There are countless types of food in this world.”

Liberone spoke up.

“Become a warrior, girl. Travel the continent as a way to become stronger and taste all sorts of delicacies.”

“Don’t just put ideas into her head.”

“But the girl has the potential to be a warrior. Haven’t even the Archangels seen the girl stirring up trouble?”

“That may be true, but the choice is Mirella’s to make.”

“I understand. But please consider it seriously.”

“If Mirella wishes.”

I smiled as I watched Mirella eat until her cheeks were about to burst, sobbing.

Anyway, it’s good to come out like this.

A city that properly enjoys the benefits of civilization.

Here, there’s no chance of starving to death, suddenly being robbed, or screaming in terror from monsters.

In a place where even a weak NPC like me with 100 stamina can live without any worries.

I will definitely make our starting village like this, no, even bigger than this.

So, I will scrape together money from the monopoly potion shop in the metropolis and enjoy my heavenly life.

Since there’s no way back to my original life, I might as well eat well and live well in this world.

Then something strange suddenly caught my eye.

Beyond the window of the restaurant I happened to glance at.

Something green peeking out across the street in the alley was looking at me sneakily.

Could it be a goblin?

“Hey, Liberone. Over there, could it be… huh?”

In the moment I turned my gaze to Liberone, it vanished like a mirage.

What? Did I see wrong?

Already three times?