Chapter 49
Chapter 49
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Celebration Banquet
-----------------------------------------------------------------
That night after returning from subjugating the rock centipede, I sat down at the desk and picked up a pencil.
Fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling, the air conditioner hummed away, and there was a modern desk and chair, a modern bed of course, even paper and pencils. It really felt like I was in my real house out in the real world, not inside the game.
I had no idea why these writing tools were here. When I asked if there were any tools for writing, they gave me a pencil and eraser. I was stunned for a moment when I received them.
Aurora used a quill pen that looked straight out of the Middle Ages.
Anyway, that wasn't important right now, so I shook off the stray thoughts and focused back on the paper. I needed to organize the situation ahead.
‘The main story I have to progress is obviously the knights’ order.’
I wrote "Silver Dawn Knights" and circled it, tapping the pencil end against the paper. Across all the stories in Brenak 4, none were as easy and straightforward as the knights’ route.
The number of bosses you absolutely had to defeat to progress was markedly low, and compared to other mandatory bosses, the difficulty was relatively easy. It wasn’t called the newbie-friendly story for nothing.
Even in Nakla mode, where enemy stats and aggression were completely off the charts, that status held firm.
In an actual game, I probably wouldn’t have touched it because it lacked excitement, but right now, I only had one life. I had to stick to the easiest, most comfortable path possible.
Plus, clearing the main story let the player become the First Knight Captain of the Silver Dawn Knights or even rise to the Emperor’s direct guard position.
It was a guaranteed path to success, with a bright future ahead.
No complicated side quests tangling things up, a straightforward story, few mandatory bosses, easy difficulty, and a great ending. It was a route plastered with advantages.
‘If I defeat the World Devourer, I might be able to go home... but since that’s not confirmed, I need to prepare for anything.’
There was another reason I was worrying about my future in this world.
The cliché in possession stories was usually returning home after clearing the final boss or finishing the main story, but I couldn’t ignore the chance I might have to live here forever.
So it wouldn’t hurt to prepare in advance. Do everything I could, cut out every seed of anxiety, make every possible preparation, and then see the ending.
‘...So, what to do about the Emperor.’
I paused my pencil at the word "Emperor" I’d written at the top of the page. He’d been unpredictable in the game, but here he was several times more so.
If all the choices I remembered became useless, I had no confidence in picking the right answer from his ever-changing, disastrous multiple-choice options.
Unless I chose the story where the base moved to the Holy Kingdom or cut ties with humans entirely, staying in the Empire meant I’d tangle with the Emperor at least once.
And the Emperor had a notorious reputation among players, in terms of boss difficulty, story impact, and even his personality.
‘Well, it’s meaningless right now, so I’ll think about it later.’
If his personality had truly changed, then all my fretting and preparations here were pointless anyway.
The dialogue choices for the original NPC that Lize was based on were all still in my head, but they’d been utterly useless with her.
Iris and Claudia at least felt close to their original NPC personalities, but Lize and Erika might as well have been completely different people.
No reason to think the Emperor would be any different.
‘The Holy Kingdom can wait.’
I shifted my thoughts elsewhere. If I followed the proper sequence, I’d visit the Holy Kingdom around mid-game.
I’d have to go there eventually. I needed a spell from the Pope there. It made buffing up to smash demon-attribute enemies much easier later.
But that was "eventually." With so much to do right now, I had no spare time to worry about the Holy Kingdom. There was too much to handle in the Empire first.
I needed to ask the knight captains for help with the Combat Fatigue Debuff Ignore Rune, and take down the main story’s mandatory bosses.
‘Three mandatory bosses total.’
Spider Queen Arachnaira.
Burning Golem.
Blind Black Wolf.
These were all the bosses I had to defeat in the early game to progress the Silver Dawn Knights’ main story. The rest were optional or added mid-game.
Classified by location, the order that minimized travel waste was Spider Queen Arachnaira first, then Blind Black Wolf, and finally Burning Golem.
But for efficiency, taking down Burning Golem first was best. The spell you got from it had insane synergy in the Arachnaira boss fight.
Mana would run dry after one or two casts since I was sorely lacking, but casting it wasn’t impossible.
Actually, if Erika did her part, I might not even need the spell from Burning Golem—
*Knock knock.*
“Rookie. You in there?”
My thoughts cut off at the knock from outside. Iris’s voice followed. Startled, I hurriedly hid the paper. I’d reveal the truth someday, but not now.
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“I have a message for you.”
At the words "message," I cautiously opened the door. Standing there was a silver-haired knight in her usual white sleeveless top and silver dolphin pants.
To put it bluntly, it was Iris.
“A message?”
“It’s related to Lady Aurora, the lord.”
“The lord?”
“She said all the backlog is cleared. So she’s holding a celebration banquet soon.”
“Ah, so she went through with it after all.”
Just a few days ago, Aurora had been fretting that there was no room in the budget. But in this short time, she’d finished all the pending work and sorted the budget allocation.
“She said she pushed herself, cutting into sleep. She wants to hold the banquet before the joy fully fades.”
This banquet had a whopping three reasons: that lord guy croaked, Aurora took over as lord and family head, and the Silver Dawn Knights reclaimed their original position.
“So, I’m here to tell you to prepare.”
“You’re not asking if I want to go—you’re ordering me to attend?”
“Lady Aurora said every member of the Silver Dawn Knights must attend without fail. Especially you, the rookie with the biggest contribution this time. The attendees are just the lord and us five anyway, so no one can be missing. Any problems?”
“I wasn’t planning to skip anyway, so it’s fine. So, what do I wear? Just go in the standard knight uniform?”
This celebration wasn’t in the game, and I had no clue about medieval noble party dress codes, so I felt a twinge of unease.
Men’s clothes might be normal enough, but what about women’s? I couldn’t even imagine how outrageous the dresses they’d pull out might be.
“The lord said she’s preparing everything. So put your worries aside.”
From our last chat, Aurora’s perceptions were just as mod-altered as anyone’s. Instead of easing worries, shouldn’t I be more concerned?
I was floored when she praised those white sleeveless tops and dolphin pants as splendid uniforms last time.
“...Got it. When is it?”
“Tomorrow.”
“What?”
“Tomorrow evening, she said.”
“I heard you loud and clear, no need for details. More importantly, the banquet prep in just one day?”
“She gave orders in advance to hold it when the work wrapped up. Actual preparations started weeks ago.”
That made sense. Classic Aurora efficiency.
“That’s all from me. Any questions? Or anything you want to say?”
“Nah, nothing.”
“Understood.”
Iris turned to leave. Before the door closed, she tossed a curt greeting with a face flushed bright red.
“Good night, rookie.”
“...? Yeah, got it.”
It was just a simple "good night," but Iris’s face was red to her ears. Then she bolted down the hall.
‘What’s her deal?’
It was beyond me.
And the next day.
‘I knew it.’
Seeing the dresses the knight captains wore, I truly felt the mod’s power anew.