In the First Village (1)
Every RPG permits a certain unreality as a matter of genre. Start with the status window and the list would never end. Take the blacksmith, for one. This village barely has a proper guardsman, let alone a knight — and yet the forge somehow stocks everything from keen-edged blades to full plate armor.
I was standing in front of just such a shop.
"Whoa. What's with this sword glowing blue? Does anyone in this village actually buy something like this?"
"Beats me. Figured a smithy ought to have one or two swords like that hanging up, so I put it out. Haven't seen it sell yet, though."
I was a little curious how the people of this world felt about that kind of unreality. The answer would almost certainly be something like that's just how it is, so I didn't bother asking.
"Never mind that. Show me a regular sword I can actually use. Doesn't have to glow — just something sturdy and sharp."
"You're no fun, miss. The village boys lose their minds the second I show them this thing."
"That may be, but still."
My tastes did lean male-oriented, I'd give him that. But I still couldn't quite get behind that particular aesthetic. Does glowing automatically make it cool? Well... not quite that, either.
"Here. Judging by the look of you, a sword in this range ought to fit your budget. Pick one."
Even as he said it, the smith hauled over an armful of reasonably sized blades. Shortswords with no ornamentation, built purely for practicality.
I grabbed one at random from the ones he'd brought and held it out.
True to form for a VR game, WM had a system where an item's performance varied slightly depending on who crafted it and how. It wasn't completely random — there were rules. Ordinary items bought from a village's official shops, for instance, didn't differ much in quality. A shady store lurking in some back alley could swing so wildly you'd risk getting conned outright, and even goods from a properly registered shop would jump all over the map the moment someone slapped a label like "the shop's prized rare item" on them.
In other words, the sword I'd picked at random here was neither a legendary blade with a hidden history nor a pretty piece of junk designed to fleece suckers. It was exactly as good as it looked.
"I'll take this sword, and a wooden shield. Something about the length of my forearm would be perfect."
"Your forearm? Let's see... Yeah. That diameter, plus the sword. Twenty gold and ten gold — thirty gold."
I paid the thirty gold he asked and took the sword and shield.
File this away. Sword and board is the truth.
Of course, back when I played as a hero, I used to swing around a two-handed sword as long as I was tall, the way a proper fantasy protagonist should. Further in, you start running into attacks that send you flying from the sheer difference in mass even if you block with a shield, and it gets annoying. Even then the shield was a high-grade item in its own right, so the defense was high enough that you'd take no damage no matter how far you got launched — which made for some pretty bizarre situations.
But this was the early game, and we were well behind the front lines against the Demon King's army. Probably. So the enemies I'd be facing would be orcs at worst.
And if I was wrong? If some ridiculous monster showed up? If an ogre — fantasy's favorite punching bag — suddenly appeared and wiped everyone out?
Go ahead, show up. I'll just die and that's that.
It's a game, after all. There's an autosave that only triggers when you log out, plus one save slot you can buy with WM Points.
In VR, where realistic immersion is everything, a manual save slot that lets you undo your mistakes tends to kill the fun. But the whole point of this playthrough is getting off. So I'll save before making a choice that looks irreversible, enjoy the show, then load.
"Next stop, the clothing shop. Kiven. Kiven? Where'd he go?"
Only then did I realize Kiven, who'd been right beside me until just before we reached the smithy, was gone. I looked around and spotted him a good distance away, waving me over.
"What? What's the matter?"
"I, uh... I got chewed out pretty bad by that guy when I was a kid. Still kinda awkward..."
He was a full head taller than me, and it did not suit him at all. Not that any of that was my concern.
"Whatever. Let's go to the clothing shop. If we don't hurry, we won't make it through everything before sundown."
Kiven gave me a once-over. Not a lingering look — more like he was taking stock.
"Clothes? Yeah, you probably need some. Wait, you didn't buy armor? They sell that there too."
"Armor's expensive. I'll make do with enchanted clothes for a while."
Enchanted clothes were ordinary garments with magic cast on them to provide a measure of defense. Nowhere near armor-level protection, and even though they were cheaper than armor, they sat in that awkward spot of being expensive for clothes. Still, they'd be fine to wear for now.
More importantly, enchanted clothes were still clothes — which meant the designs were pretty and varied. As a woman, that was not a point I was willing to compromise on.
"Hmm... The adults always said never go clothes shopping with a girl."
I gave him the look you give someone who's just said something stupid.
"Quit talking nonsense and lead the way. If you hate it that much, you can just point me there and leave."
"Hey, I was kidding. Don't be like that. It's us, you know?"
"Yeah. The 'us' who met for the first time today."
And after walking me to the clothing shop, Kiven actually did leave. It wasn't some principled stand against shopping with women — he said it was time for his daily physical training.
Nothing much happened after I parted ways with Kiven. I changed clothes at the shop, picked up some basic consumables at the general store, and by the time I reached Luon's inn, the sun was already starting to set.
"Welcome! Wait, it's you, Soira."
Luon was working the inn's front desk.
"'It's you'? That's how you greet the person who saved you?"
"Ugh. When you put it that way, I've got nothing."
"Soira, you're here? Perfect timing. It'll be dinner soon and the dining hall's going to fill up. Want to eat now?"
Sophie came over, apparently having overheard my back-and-forth with Luon.
"Huh? Sophie, why are you here? Didn't you go home?"
"I did, then I came back. I work here. Just during mealtimes, though."
Now that she mentioned it, I noticed Sophie's clothes and Luon's clothes looked similar.
"Is that a uniform? It looks good on you."
"Right? It used to be way frumpier. I talked the owner into changing it. Cute, isn't it?"
She looked every inch the fantasy tavern waitress. Swap the colors to black and white, add a headband, and she could pass for a maid.
"Sophie, you sure you should be standing around? The dining hall's about to get busy."
"It's fine. I can see Luon from here, can't I? It's still quiet."
The two of them started chatting right there. Am I getting in the way here?
"I'll go eat first, then. Good luck~"
I left Sophie and Luon where they were and headed to the dining hall. Plenty of tables were still empty, but I could feel the kitchen buzzing with prep work.
"Soira, that you? Sorry, we're a bit swamped right now. Mind waiting a minute?"
"I'm here to eat. Someone said it fills up soon, so I figured I'd get in early."
"That so? Then you're a customer. Welcome! What can I get for you?"
The man shifted into seasoned innkeeper mode in an instant, the picture of professional hospitality.
"Whatever's fastest, one plate. Meat, if you've got it."
"You got it! Just a moment!"
I was partway through the dish that came out a short while later when people started filling the dining hall. So it really was about to get crowded. In no time at all, finding an empty table became a challenge.
As the room grew noisy, Sophie — who'd been talking with Luon — began weaving busily between the tables, taking orders and carrying food.
I should get up and free this table.
I cleaned my plate and stood.
"Sophie. Can I get the check?"
"Sure~ Just a sec~ Oh! Soira? You don't have to pay. The owner said so."
"Did he? I told him he didn't need to worry about it... Well, I'll take it gratefully anyway."
"That's just how he is~ I'll clear the table, so go on ahead to Luon's place."
"Got it. I'll head over first... Wait."
Hold on. What did she just say?
"Sophie, what do you mean 'go on ahead'? You're coming too?"
"Of course. A pretty girl like you shouldn't stay at a guy's house alone. I know Luon isn't that kind of guy, but you still have to be careful about these things."
That was what Sophie said. I could tell immediately it wasn't what she actually meant.
She's wary of me, huh...
We'd known each other less than a day. Why would she think that?
"His mom lives there too... Why does everyone keep calling it a guy's house?"
"Anyway! I'm sleeping over tonight too! Got it?"
"Sure... Who's going to stop you..."
Whether she was guarding against me or using me as an excuse to sleep under the same roof as him — either way, I didn't see Luon that way, so it made no difference to me.
I only felt a little bad for Kiven. Oh well.
I left the things I'd bought today in the room I'd borrowed at Luon's house and changed into something light. A thin shirt and hot pants, both from the clothing shop.
I liked sleeping in as little fabric as possible — not quite naked, but a tank top and panties was my usual. Even so, I couldn't dress like that in someone else's house.
I headed to the shower as I was.
A modern shower room, complete with a showerhead and stall. If you asked whether it belonged in a medieval fantasy setting, the answer was a hard no — a convenience of civilization that had no business being here. But there was no helping it. Anyone who'd lived in the modern world simply could not endure historically accurate medieval hygiene. Even when I'd played WM on the most realistic settings, the minimum hygiene options had been non-negotiable.
I turned the tap and warm water poured down. I would have loved a full bath, but even with all the convenience settings in the world, baths weren't something you could take just anywhere. A pricey room at a big city inn might have one. No point wishing for what wasn't here.
I let the water run over every inch of me, washing the day's fatigue away with it.
"Why is it so slick between my thighs...?"
It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. If anything, it felt... cleaner than everywhere else, somehow?
Come to think of it, things had been incredibly suspicious when I took those pictures earlier today. Part of me desperately wanted to check the Replay Room, and part of me didn't want to break the flow of the playthrough. The two were locked in a fierce battle. The latter was still winning, which was why I was still going.
After washing my hair as well, I used the everyday magic Clean to get rid of the moisture.
You could argue I should have just used Clean from the start. And you'd be right. Clean would have left me cleaner than a thorough wash with body soap and shampoo. But then it wouldn't feel right. The sensation of actually washing your body with water turned out to be more precious than I'd expected.
I put my clothes back on and was heading to the borrowed room when I ran into someone.
"......"
Luon. The dining hall had been that busy, so I'd figured the inn would be too — I hadn't expected him home yet. And yet he was staring at me with something like horror on his face.
I was wearing something a little thin, sure, but was it really that shocking?
I followed his gaze down, and—
Oh.
Oh?
Come to think of it... had I even put on underwear?