87. The Star of Libertas
Let me sum up what I'd figured out about Epic Quests so far.
One, they revolve around a bunch of elite NPCs with advanced self-awareness. Two, they don't differ much in overall progression from their base quests, but the difficulty is sky-high. Three, the rewards are doled out by the System based on how the quest unfolds.
Put those three traits together in one line? High degree of freedom.
With the NPCs having stronger egos than average, every little action of mine spawns different reactions and sub-quests. In a way, it fits the word "epic" perfectly. It's narrative-driven, plain and simple. A story born from the conflict of the three major factions, and I'm right in the thick of it.
The scene on Floor 9 differing from what I'd seen in the community forums? That's probably because I'm influencing their narrative.
And this quest popping up right in front of me now? Likely because my existence is deeply tied to Elenoir's story.
Dark Elves' Chronicle - The Queen's Command
In the midst of a century-long war, the dark elves have gradually fallen into a disadvantageous position. The human kingdoms, quick to learn and grow, have become incomparably stronger than they were a hundred years ago.
Perhaps the dark elves' fondness for humans caused hesitation in battles against the kingdom's forces.
Moreover, arrogant and presumptuous high elves are charging in aggressively, leaving no respite for the dark elves.
Especially for the queen, who commands the war and bears all responsibility.
You alone can lighten the burden on her shoulders.
Fulfill the queen's command and aid her.
[Quest Objectives]
1. Complete the Queen's command (changes based on progress).
No quest I'd ever seen was this stripped-down. Just one goal: complete the command.
Of course, Floor 9's faction quests are like that by default. They branch into various sub-quests.
But the command Elenoir gave me? No matter how you slice it, it screamed sleep together.
Not that the objective read "Spend a steamy night with Elenoir" or some shit like that. But context and circumstances pointed straight there.
"Ah, come on, why make such a fuss? I'm saying we'll just hold hands and sleep!"
"Yeah, right!"
"That's how it starts—hold hands while sleeping, and who knows, maybe grab somewhere else too!"
And sure enough, Elenoir was spouting nonsense.
No matter the reward, this was a hard pass. Sure, Elenoir was attractive. Among everyone I'd laid eyes on, dark elves included, she was the sexiest.
That's exactly why it's a no-go. If I gave in to lust and slept with her, there'd be no coming back from it.
Even the minor mental connection we'd shared on Floor 7 had shaken me badly enough. Add physical intimacy to that? I wouldn't survive her turning into a hollow shell afterward.
"Just sleeping beside you is fine, I swear!"
I had to change Elenoir's mind somehow.
First, I needed to figure out why she was suddenly saying this crap.
Maybe because we'd shared memories and thoughts once, I could read her general emotions just from her eyes. And right now, something was off with Elenoir's. The starlight that had sparkled with longing for freedom had dimmed greatly.
"Lately, it's been really hard to fall asleep."
After a solid back-and-forth tussle, Elenoir finally started spilling the truth.
"After you left, I watched over the war for a ridiculously long time. Those tree-huggers and the human kingdoms—we killed and got killed in droves."
"When I broke off the engagement and decided to fight the high elves, I never imagined it'd come to this. I was young and naive."
"Now, whenever I close my eyes, I hear the screams of the dead—the voices of our kin lost over the past century. They never stop, not for a second."
Just like the previous queen had said, Elenoir was suffering immensely from the war.
"It wasn't about just wars or righteous revenge. It was the price of repaying cruelty with cruelty."
And there it was—the exact same words from the previous queen, straight from her mouth.
"No matter the method, Mother's way of trying to resolve things through dialogue wasn't wrong."
Irrelevant of justice, the moment you loose the arrow, everyone suffers until they sit down to talk. The scale of that pain? I couldn't even fathom it. A century—something I'd barely grasp by pouring my whole life into it.
The time it took for Elenoir, who always acted on her desires and whims, to end up like this. Time I'd skipped over with a single step—that had clouded the starlight in her eyes.
"Of course, that doesn't mean I regret not marrying that sleazy prince."
"What, no regrets?"
"If I'd hooked up with him, I wouldn't be here talking with you like this, right?"
Elenoir slowly met my gaze. The dimmed starlight was flickering back a bit.
"Ever since 120 years ago, time with you has always been special. Hard to put into words."
"If I had to compare, it's like life flowing through me."
"Without you, I felt perpetually dead. With you, alive again."
Her words sent chills down my spine.
"Heh, too weird?"
Thinking back, Elenoir had always been like this. A hazy memory.
'You, what are you staring at so blankly?'
In that mixed bathhouse, Elenoir had recognized I was looking at my quest window.
Regular NPCs don't notice even if you blatantly check your System window right in front of them. They don't register you're seeing something—just think you're spacing out alone.
But Elenoir clearly knew I was staring at something.
And that wasn't all. Using night elf secret arts, she'd peered into my memories. Indirectly glimpsing the Tower of Trials' existence and that I was challenging some trial.
This was no ordinary shit.
NPCs chalk up inventory pulls or outlandish combat to space magic. Even a mana-less scrub yanking weapons from thin air doesn't faze them.
In my fight with Mercedes, I'd awakened mana control, so space magic made sense. But against that high elf knight whose name I couldn't recall anymore? Plenty of reason to question it.
They just blabbered about how many weapons I handled.
Only someone as mana-illiterate as Erwen brushed it off as an "item box."
'Epic Quests revolve around elite NPCs with advanced self-awareness.'
The traits I'd summed up for Epic Quests? Might be wrong. No, definitely wrong.
On Floor 8, it was Erwen who kicked off the Epic Quest. Rizmel, fine, but Erwen? No way elite NPC. Just your standard blacksmith NPC—yet with more ego than elites.
And once the Epic Quest ends, they all lose their egos and turn into cans.
Meaning Epic Quests grant advanced egos to all NPCs involved.
So what happens to top-tier elite NPCs already human-like? Elenoir showed less mechanical, uncanny-valley responses even after her quest completed.
If that's the result of her gaining even stronger ego via Epic Quest—from the System's perspective?
"What's wrong with you?"
I didn't know what this meant. A less-canned can wouldn't change much.
But if Elenoir was somewhat free from the System's influence—
Couldn't I open up to her?
It wasn't just psychological reasons I hadn't spilled about the System before. NPCs straight-up couldn't hear it.
Even in open communities:
Don't blab about the Tower to NPCs acting human-like. Some System block turns them all the same: can't hear, reinterpret into their worldview, or steer the convo away.
Push too hard? Their settings reset. Exact scope unknown, but not something to ignore.
I looked at Elenoir.
She looked back at me.
Our eyes met.
"Not sure if this is right."
Glancing dismissively at the quest window, I said,
"We're really just holding hands and sleeping."