Chapter 47
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: I Feel Like Doing Something Bad
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"Ugh...! Grk. Hngh."
The elf let out groans with her face scrunched up tight for a few seconds.
"..."
Then, just like that, the atmosphere snapped back to normal as if nothing had happened.
"I knew from the moment I first saw you that you weren't your average guy. The way you casually found my hidden home, too. There really must be something about you that's beyond words."
Hold on a second. What was that? Trying to gloss right over it?
Something was off just now. Like some kind of glitch or error.
"Excuse me?"
Yoon Young looked at the elf and spoke up.
But still, she showed no interest in his voice.
You could talk during conversations, but it was estimated as inputting lines into the NPC after substituting Yoon Young's words as dialogue.
That meant NPCs didn't actually hear and understand it with their ears just because Yoon Young spoke out loud in his real voice.
"You can hear me, right? Don't ignore me."
Yoon Young knew that but stubbornly tried talking anyway.
Squish!
He even groped her breasts with both hands while asking.
But there was no reaction from her.
She merely turned her gaze this way.
[Who... are you?]
In the midst of all that, the protagonist's line gave off the vibe that he was seeing her for the first time.
That's when Yoon Young realized it.
'Ah... So in the story, this elf and the protagonist are supposed to meet here for the first time?'
But because Yoon Young had found her hidden cabin first and met her ahead of schedule, something got messed up.
'That [something]... what the heck is it?'
Questions piled up in all sorts of ways.
If that's how it was gonna be, shouldn't they have made it impossible to discover in the first place?
Anyway, judging by the elf's reaction, it looked like it had been patched in real-time.
This time, it seemed like they were trying to let it slide like this.
"I'm Daphne. If you run into any trouble from now on, feel free to come consult me."
Daphne, huh.
Come to think of it, first time hearing her name.
"You know where I live, right? Well, it's just a temporary spot, so who knows when I'll leave."
Snap!
Right after finishing her words, Daphne snapped her fingers.
"Wha, wha...?"
"Ugh, sleep is coming on... Ah...?"
"Haa."
Thud!
Just like that, Barel, Liena, and Amael—who had been watching the situation—collapsed to the floor one after another.
Daphne chuckled softly to herself.
Seeing her face, Yoon Young wondered if he was next.
"Standing must be tough for you too, so rest easy. I'll handle the cleanup somehow. Oh, and of course, you know better than to tell anyone you saw me, right?"
Snap!
Daphne snapped her fingers once more.
At that instant, Yoon Young felt an irresistible wave of drowsiness.
'Snooort. So this is what it feels like... Ah, I'm so freaking sleeeeepy...'
Thud.
*
"Gah."
His eyes snapped open suddenly.
The surroundings were bright, he felt suspiciously refreshed, and a strangely crisp sensation washed over him.
Yoon Young felt like he'd experienced this sensation once before.
'Right. Like when I was so sleepy before school that I thought, "Just five more minutes," closed my eyes lying down, and woke up at 11 a.m.'
He looked at the ceiling. It was somewhere he'd never seen before.
He sat up and turned his head, and for some reason, Redia's face came into view.
'Ah, right. I fell asleep under Daphne's sleep magic or whatever... and somehow they cleaned things up and brought me to a place like a hospital?'
It seemed like that was the only explanation.
'Whoa. The knight in casual clothes is pretty.'
Since she wasn't on duty and was indoors, Redia was dressed comfortably.
He savored the fresh look for a moment, then executed the [Talk to her] command.
"Ah, you're awake... The healer said you'd be bedridden for days, but waking up after just one? You recover fast."
[What happened?]
"Barel carried you here on his back after you passed out."
Ah, so that's how they played it out...
Just left it alone and let it sort itself?
Some pretty sloppy cleanup.
"All the adventurers trapped in the slimes' bodies have been rescued, so don't worry. The number of variant slimes is dropping fast too. Word is, it's all thanks to you. Truly impressive."
Good to know it's over and done with. Relieved.
Honestly, I was pretty tense back then.
As he patted his chest in relief, Redia asked a question.
"But... according to Barel and Liena's testimonies, it sounds like quite the ordeal went down. They say they blacked out midway and don't remember what happened after. If you're up for it, I'd like to hear your account as the one directly involved..."
[Tell her what happened]
[You told her about what you saw and experienced in the cave.]
[But you decided to keep quiet about Daphne the elf who saved you in the crisis.]
"I see... So even your memories aren't fully intact. Well, after going through something like that, it's understandable. Get some good rest now. The clinic bill's covered by the knights, so no worries."
Redia stood up, opened the door, and left.
Yoon Young got out of bed and did some stretches, twisting his neck and waist to check his body's condition.
Crack! Pop!
'Oof, bone sounds.'
His body felt a bit stiff and sore, but nothing hurt or felt off.
What did that mean?
'Means today's another day that starts fresh.'
He'd been through a big event, but he'd slept it off, morning had come, so it was time to get to work.
Yoon Young left the clinic and headed to the Adventurer's Guild.
But there, in one corner, stood Barel.
'Kid's hanging out here.'
He went right over and talked to him.
Barel reacted with exaggerated delight.
"Adventurer! You're back with us!"
[Glad to see you're safe.]
"Yes, thanks to you! Man, really. I thought we were done for back there. Being able to see your face and chat like this now must be the gods' grace."
Barel kept rattling on with his lines.
"But... I blacked out midway, and when I came to, both the dark mage and the slimes were gone. What happened after I went down? No way—did you take out that dark mage, Adventurer?"
As if that could've happened.
Yoon Young firmly selected the option that popped up.
[No clue here either. Came to in bed.]
"Ah, I see. Hmm..."
A shadow of worry crossed his face.
But soon enough, Barel flashed a cheerful grin.
"Either way, Adventurer! I won't forget this debt. The divine power you showed and that iron will of yours—truly great and noble. The epitome of every knightly virtue! From now on, Barel here vows to strive toward becoming a knight with willpower as strong as yours."
He thumped his chest with his fist.
"If you ever need help, come find Barel anytime. For you, Adventurer, I'll give it my all."
NPC Barel's affinity has been upgraded to Stage 3.
You can now recruit Barel as a companion.
Oh ho. Affinity jumped two whole stages at once...
He hadn't cared much about male character affinity, but if Barel was like this, then Liena's had probably risen the same way.
Plus, being able to recruit as a companion meant he could drag him along as a worker anytime.
With a bunch of companions, he might even get auto-hunt while picking his nose...
Of course, he couldn't leave them hunting while slacking off or doing other stuff, so he'd end up joining fights anyway.
Yoon Young wandered the Adventurer's Guild looking for Liena.
She was standing in one corner of the second floor.
[Talk to her]
"...You're awake."
It didn't show as much on her face as with Barel, but she looked relieved to see Yoon Young.
[Glad to see you're safe.]
"Yeah. Thanks to you... Are you okay? Taking all that pain by yourself... No aftereffects or anything?"
Her voice was full of concern.
It was gentle, like a completely different person from when they first met.
[I'm fine.]
"Good, then. But... what happened after I passed out? That woman and the slimes were gone, and you were the only one left collapsed..."
[No clue here either. Came to in bed.]
"I guess... Nothing to be done about it, then. Anyway, Adventurer, looks like I owe you my life this time."
Liena clicked her tongue in mild annoyance. Her gentle tone had already shifted back to its usual prickly edge.
"I'm not the type to live with debts. If you need my help, just say the word anytime. I'll pay it back in full. Got it?"
NPC Liena's affinity has been upgraded to Stage 3.
You can now recruit Liena as a companion.
Hm. Yeah, same deal here.
Satisfied, Yoon Young turned to leave.
He was about to check the board for new quests when he spotted Amael standing in her usual spot.
'Will Amael react to this event too?'
Curious, Yoon Young talked to her.
"Ah! Adventurer, great to see you! You're awake!"
[Glad to see you're safe.]
Amael beamed brightly.
"It's all thanks to you, Adventurer! You accomplished something huge, so the guild recognized your merits and you've racked up some achievements!"
Hmm. So it all connects like this?
Come to think of it, with Daphne too, if something felt off, it got patched in real-time...
Maybe elements about Amael are fleshing out because I've been consistently paying attention to her?
Yoon Young pondered deeply.
'Either way, it's clear this game world is being managed. No idea by who, though.'
[Glad it worked out.]
"Yes! And Adventurer... the way you endured all that pain alone back then... It was like beholding a saint from the scriptures. The one who loved humanity so much that he bore all the suffering humanity was meant to endure by himself...! That sight was so cool—I decided right then to make you the person I admire most from now on."
Amael spoke with a shy expression, like she was confessing.
NPC Amael's affinity has been upgraded to Stage 4.
Amael respects you, trusts you, and sees you as someone worth following. She will obey your words without much doubt.
...Without doubt?
"Sniiiiiff."
Suddenly, he felt an intense urge to do something bad...