Nearly Missed the Event
"Kirruk, queruk!"
Crunch!
Traveling through this barbaric fantasy world was basically just killing time. The road was clearly meant for carriages, but the damn travel time between cities was so long that weeds had grown long in spots, overgrown plants had taken over, and now a pack of orcs—along with some wild animals that had settled in naturally—were swarming our group. That was the situation right now.
Sitting on top of the carriage, yawning boredly as I watched the cuties do their thing, I instinctively noticed one cocky orc who figured he was the boss since our party was all women with me as the lone guy. The bastard was sneaking around to the back, trying to pull some cheap shot, but he ended up diced into kimchi chunks by the Sahonroeju threads I'd haphazardly strung up to guard the carriage and the seasoning soy sauce. What a way to go.
Climbing up on his own, oblivious even as his body got shredded, wriggling like he was prepping for kimchi season... There were already a shit-ton of orc kimchi pieces scattered around in similar states, but I just snorted and shook my head.
Time for some big-game hunting already. At least it'll liven up the entertainment.
Licking my lips at the thought, I glanced over. The women, used to this kind of travel, were killing the boredom of the repetitive journey in classic fashion—slicing throats clean when they could, but mostly toying with the green-blood fountains spraying from the squealing bastards.
"Que, quehaak! Quiruk...!"
The orc leader, finally grasping the desperate reality, started backing away and tried to bark a retreat order to his pack. But a water arrow pierced right between his eyes—courtesy of Undine with Nangkangi perched on her head. As the battlefield lost its center and fell apart, I reeled in my threads and quietly stood up.
Hopping down from the carriage top, I scanned the cleaned-up scene, waiting for the girls to return. A moment later, I spotted them huddled around something they'd pulled from the fallen orc chief's body, whispering excitedly among themselves.
"What the hell are you all doing? Get over here!"
Curious, I tilted my head and yelled. Tier jumped like she'd forgotten about me, flashing a hand signal to come quick.
Normally, after finishing up, the kids would rush over, show off their loot, and beg for pets. But they were totally engrossed now. Focusing mana around my eyes, I zoomed in on what they were holding: a ragged, weathered piece of leather.
No trace of the awe-inspiring aura or mana haze from high-grade materials—it was just plain old leather. Which left only one possibility, right?
Did they find a treasure map or something?
With such shitty base material, it had to be the contents that had them hooked. I'd just chugged that Filial Impiety Essence from the guild master recently, solidifying a concept for my achievement grind. Heart pounding with a mix of hope and hype, I strode over.
I didn't show it, but apparently my excitement leaked out—using lightness skill, I was at their side in seconds.
"Check this out! Plang found a treasure map! Heehee!"
"Oh... Mind if I take a look?"
"Yeah!"
With that, Plang leaped into my arms, rubbing her horns against my chest. Tier and Daphne just smiled warmly at her—no objections—so yeah, Plang had nailed it.
Nodding, I stroked the back of Plang's head as she purred in my embrace, then carefully examined the leather scrap she'd handed over.
"Ma... gic Engineering Workshop...?"
"Whoa! Boss, you can read that?"
"Uh... yeah... of course I can..."
They'd found something treasure-map-like, but Tier, Daphne, and Plang clearly had no clue what it said and were just buzzing about it. Whatever—didn't matter. I scanned the "treasure map" in my hand, feeling pretty damn flustered.
Fuck... Of course I can read Japanese...
The original mobile game this world was based on came from a famous Japanese corp. Glancing at these girls' looks or Ravina's cityscape, the whole otaku wet-dream vibe was undeniable. Chuckling dryly, I kept thinking.
But what the hell is it...? Japanese text makes sense for a Japanese game—easter eggs scattered around, sure. But...
Looking back at the map, I shook my head. Was a typical game easter egg something you find mid-journey to the Empire, carried by a random monster pack? Sure, some were easy access, but this didn't fit.
Come to think of it... Back in reality, playing the original, there was some event banner popping up. That it?
I never stuck to one game long—liked browsing concepts across titles but not grinding one out. I only played the original lightly for management, so memories were fuzzy. But yeah, the event timing on the banner lined up roughly with when I entered this world.
No choice but to check it out now that we've got the map. No rush to the Empire anyway—detour won't hurt.
Decision made, I pulled out the Empire-route map from inventory and compared paths. At our pace, it'd add about a week...
Whatever—treasure map plus real-world event vibes had my happy circuits firing. Grinning, I spoke up.
"Looks like we gotta swing by here."
"For real? Don't we gotta hurry to Griham's estate?"
"Eh... We'll sell what we need to sell quick enough. It's the Empire's frontier count territory, tons to see. But honestly, a place like this suits us way better, right? Heh."
Fluttering the map with a sleazy grin, Plang stayed glued to my chest, but Tier and Daphne nodded with light laughs—same wavelength. As ex-adventurers who'd left home for the thrill, they lived for new discoveries.
"Plang found it anyway, and Tier and Daphne don't mind, so detour here first, then frontier count. Adds about a week to the trip—keep that in mind."
"Yup!"
"Yes. Heehee."
Even if the world outside the blanket was scary, shaking up the boredom with some incident was prime entertainment—like a shot of life adrenaline. Plang started chirping in my arms, leading the charge, with Tier and Daphne beaming brightly.
"Alright, let's roll out."
With that, Tier sidled up, grabbed the reins for the half-resting Banban Set, and prepped departure. Daphne and Undine checked the carriage for issues.
"Plang's riding inside this time."
"Huh? Didn't you wanna pull the carriage? No more lessons from Tier?"
"That's no fun... Let Tier-sis pull it all she wants. Hmph!"
Mumbling as she refused to leave my arms, Plang was adorable—I couldn't help laughing. The chick heads were smart as hell, so she'd figured Tier had nothing left to teach, and pulling the carriage wasn't as fun as she'd hoped.
Two taking turns up top... Me and the reliever playing house in the carriage? Sweet deal.
I didn't hate driving, but honestly? Better to pamper the kids, max their happiness—that's true husband material inner support. Nodding with resolve.
This is what a real family head does.
No words needed—minds synced. Tier and Daphne naturally took the driver's seat. Anyone watching would point fingers, but if we're good, who gives a shit?