Chapter 94 — The Morning After
Chapter 94 — The Morning After
Translation: Godtl
Fortunately, when morning came, the rain had completely stopped and the sun rose.
Lelia and Oscar left the cabin early in the morning and departed.
Having mounted the horse, Lelia sighed inwardly at Oscar's natural touch as he embraced her waist.
Last night, Oscar had held her with his face pressed against her waist until nearly dawn.
Only when the sound of rain began to subside did Lelia push Oscar away, and she stayed by his side until he fell asleep.
Perhaps because of that? Now Oscar's attitude as he wrapped his arm around Lelia's waist was extremely natural.
"Aren't we going?"
Oscar's question, as if asking why she wasn't leaving, reached her ear. Lelia bit her lip and gripped the reins.
Several days passed, and they were nearing the Superion Territory.
In her heart, she wanted to run without rest since only a little distance remained, but it was too late at night to pass through the forest.
If she lost her way by mistake, it might actually take even longer.
So they decided to stay at an inn in a small village before the forest tonight.
"Wait here. I'll go ask if they have any rooms."
"...Yes."
Lelia answered Oscar's words while thinking to herself.
Surely there would be rooms?
This wasn't a tourist city, just a truly small village. She doubted there would be other guests besides themselves.
Lelia put the horse in the stable beside the inn building without any worry.
After coming out of the stable, Oscar, who had been waiting, jerked his chin and said,
"Go in."
Lelia nodded and followed his guidance toward the room.
If she rested well here today and ran from dawn, she would arrive at the territory castle by afternoon.
At that thought, her heart pounded with excitement and joy.
The room was narrow but cleaner and warmer than expected.
However, even after entering the room, Oscar showed no sign of leaving.
"……?"
Lelia looked at Oscar with puzzled eyes.
"There's only one room."
"...Why?"
"How would I know?"
Oscar responded as if asking what the problem was, and Lelia nodded awkwardly.
True, Oscar thought she was a man. Moreover, he always followed her around like a sticky parasite, as if keeping watch over her.
It would be strange to act distant now.
Lelia sighed deeply inside.
She felt at a loss about how to resolve the complicated misunderstandings with her friends.
Just like last time at the cabin, Lelia would take the bed while Oscar took the sofa.
In the narrow guest room, warm food prepared by the innkeeper sat on a small table.
As she ate her soup, Lelia stared absentmindedly at Oscar.
While dining, a sudden curiosity struck her.
'By the way, why hasn't his affinity appeared yet?'
A considerable amount of time had passed since they started traveling together, yet still no quest had appeared.
Compared to Kalix or Romeo, something felt strange.
'Since it came to mind, let me check.'
Lelia looked at the corner of her vision and opened the affinity window. She intended to check Oscar's affinity level.
[Do you wish to check the affinity of special affinity target?(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧]
'Yes, let me check.'
She answered internally and took a sip of water.
[Unable to view information]
Suddenly, messages appeared in succession as red light flashed like an emergency.
What was this?
Lelia froze in surprise at the sight she had never seen before.
At the same time, her eyes met Oscar's as he raised his head.
"……."
Oscar's gaze was directed subtly at the empty space before Lelia's eyes.
Lelia felt as if someone had grabbed her heart. She couldn't think at all.
Goosebumps rose on her spine and spread throughout her body.
As she watched him tensely, Oscar slowly lowered his gaze before raising it again to look at Lelia.
His eyes seemed to devour her thoroughly, and Lelia averted her eyes first.
"You're using some strange power."
"……!!"
Lelia felt her heart drop and looked at him again.
Since yesterday—no, since she met Oscar while running away—her heart hadn't had a moment's peace.
But this was another matter entirely.
Oscar warned in a low voice.
"I don't know what it is, but it's dangerous. If you meet Griffith again, you'd better be careful in front of him."
"…W-what do you mean?"
When Lelia feigned ignorance, Oscar raised one corner of his mouth and downed cold water.
Then he stood up, placed one arm on the table, leaned forward and brought his face close to Lelia's ear.
He whispered at her ear as if sharing a secret.
"I'll wash up first, so wait."
His tone was somehow intimate and subtle.
But Lelia didn't notice that at all. She was too startled by what Oscar had just said.
Oscar chuckled at her reaction and went into the bathroom attached to the room.
"Ha…."
As soon as he disappeared, Lelia put her hand over her heart and exhaled.
Beneath her palm, her heart was pounding wildly.
'What did he see?'
Feeling uneasy, Lelia called out to Alchemist internally.
'H-Hey, Alchemist… surely your message windows don't get exposed to other people, right?'
[The quest system is being adjusted due to an information-restricted target. =͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪ ‧̣̥̇) The update will take some time.]
'That's not what's important right now! Did Oscar see the game window or not?'
[The system screen cannot be seen by anyone except Master!( •̅_•̅ )]
'Then what did Oscar just see?'
[Unable to verify.]
'Then check it.'
[It is difficult to verify.]
This is really….
Lelia bit her lip firmly.
But since Oscar hadn't stated it exactly, he certainly hadn't seen it for sure.
Her head throbbed, and as she blinked her eyes several times, something she hadn't noticed before caught her attention.
It was the 'Announcements' section, the smallest among the menu items.
It was a menu that existed originally, but since coming to this world, there had been no reason to pay attention to it.
But now, she saw a small red exclamation mark floating there. Something that hadn't been there before had appeared.
'What is this?'
An announcement, of all things?
With an uneasy feeling, she clicked on the announcement, and a notification window appeared.
[Ta-da! In (3) days! A large-scale update for the otherworld is scheduled! Some patches from the original game can be applied. Do you agree to the update?( •͈ᴗ-)ᓂ-ෆ]
•Check patch details in detail•
Lelia blinked in disbelief.
So this meant the game from her previous world was scheduled to be updated.
The feeling was strange.
The game 'Alchemist's Lottery 'was loved for its charming illustrations, but it was also notorious among users for its tedious, repetitive quests and excessive cash-grabbing mechanics.
Moreover, shortly before she died, the game company had been very negligent with updates as they were making a new game.
Even during holidays, instead of events, they only released packages that encouraged spending.
Yet now a large-scale update?
As a user who loved this game more than anyone, her heart raced.
And if parts of the large-scale update would be applied here too, there was no reason not to agree.
'Still, just to be sure.'
Lelia decided to check the patch details first.
※The system used by this user is automatically modified and maintained by special 'conditions' unlike the original game.
•Original patches from the otherworld will be partially applied and adjusted for optimization.
•Weekly packages, monthly packages will be created.
•Special events will be created.
•New dragons will be added.
•New recipes, materials, quests will be added.
•New achievements will be added.
•Security will be strengthened.
Do you wish to apply the patch?
(※It will be automatically adjusted and optimized to fit this world's environment.)
Lelia frowned as she read the contents.
Did they not know the meaning of the word 'detailed'?
She was a bit annoyed by the simple explanation, but still, joy outweighed it. Plus, security was being strengthened at just the right time.
She had to do it, if only to ease her anxiety.
Lelia pressed the agree button without hesitation.
'If recipes are added, the Philosopher's Stone will get further away….'
Still, if packages worth the investment appeared, that wouldn't be a loss.
To collect 100 million crystals through pure grinding, she would need 100 billion shillings, but with discount packages, she could purchase crystals at a cheaper price.
[You have agreed to the patch. ٩(*•̀ᴗ•́*)و The large-scale update will proceed in 3 days!]
As soon as the final notification disappeared, the sound of Oscar coming out of the bathroom was heard.
'Put some clothes on.'
Lelia furrowed her brows seeing him shirtless, then pretended not to see him as she walked past.
After locking the door securely and washing up, she climbed onto the bed without a sound.
The last night before arriving at the territory passed quietly like that.
Early dawn the next day, Lelia and Oscar quickly made their way toward the territory.
Far in the distance, the tip of Superion Castle's tower came into view. Lelia's heart pounded wildly.
Grandfather, grandmother, uncles and aunt, even Becky.
Though it should have been obvious, the fact that precious family members were waiting for her made her heart swell with emotion.
It was just before passing through the checkpoint at the territory's border.
Lelia once again urged Oscar with words she had repeated many times.
Not to call her 'Leo.'
After repeating the same words enough times to become annoying, irritation settled on his expression.
"I heard you, so you can stop saying it. As long as you don't try to run away from me, I won't make things difficult for you."
"...This is my home, where would I run away to?"
At Oscar's sharp reply, Lelia answered timidly.
When she said 'my home,' subtle anger settled on Oscar's expression, but Lelia didn't notice it.
Lelia safely passed through the territory checkpoint together with Oscar.
Unlike the towns they had passed through before, priests were not often seen in Superion territory.
It seemed because it was a region far from the capital and too distant from the Holy Neutral Zone.
Seeing the peaceful scenery of the territory, her mind eased.
Her nose tingled for no reason, making it feel like tears might come.
When they arrived in front of the lord's castle like that.
Lelia realized something was amiss when she saw the gatekeeper who didn't recognize her.