Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Seris and the Village (2)
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Seris's story was heartwarming.
In these harsh times when scraping by was tough for everyone, to take in a child whose parents were unknown and raise her as family... It was the kind of tale you'd only find in fairy tales.
That's why I was curious. What could a letter from such kind-hearted people say?
But damn, I should've just said I couldn't read.
Once I read the parchment's contents, all those warm feelings got crushed flat.
As I sat there feeling a mix of emotions, Seris gave me a puzzled look.
"Why the long face?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
How the hell was I supposed to read this aloud? I didn't have time to agonize over it long.
I opened my mouth.
"To my beloved daughters, Seris and Kara."
"How have you been? It's your father. It's a bit embarrassing, but I've found someone who can write and I'm leaving you this letter."
"It's a bit pricey, sure. But hey, don't we splurge now and then? Understand that some things are hard to say out loud, so I'm writing them down."
"Life's been so rough lately that it feels like I haven't been able to look after you properly. It's those damn goblins—they're the real enemies."
"Still, I'm truly grateful to you both for enduring these hard times without complaint. Especially you, Seris. Taking care of your little sister must've been tough, but you never once grumbled. Thank you."
"Time will pass, and you'll grow into beautiful adults. Just thinking about sending you off to marry brings tears to my eyes."
"But what can we do? When the time comes, we'll have to let you go. Until then, let's all live happily together."
"Seris, Kara. My precious daughters. I love you."
I finished reading the letter and looked up.
Seris was wiping tears from her eyes with her hand. They'd been welling up halfway through, and now they'd burst.
"S-sob... Hic... I'm s-sorry. I thought it was fine... Hic..."
"I'll sleep first, so don't force back those tears."
I handed the parchment back to Seris and lay down on the empty bed.
"Hoo..."
I tried to sleep, but it wouldn't come. My mind was too unsettled.
'Being a noble's concubine isn't so bad in itself...'
In fact, it could be seen as good. It was the most realistic path to social advancement for a commoner.
The problem was that Seris's parents hadn't taken her in out of pure kindness—they'd raised her intending to sell her off to a noble.
I glanced over at Seris.
"Hic..."
She was clutching the parchment to her chest, sobbing.
I scratched at my chest and closed my eyes. It took a while to fall asleep.
-Cock-a-doodle-doo!!
My eyes snapped open. As I sat up, I realized I was in Seris's house. Turning my head, I saw Seris and Kara still asleep.
"Maybe a bit more sleep."
I lay back down.
How long had it been since I'd slept in? I couldn't quite remember—must've been ages.
-Cock-a-doodle-doo!!
-C-Cock-a-dooo-dle-doo!!
"...That rooster from whose house is belting it out."
I decided to just get up. Trying to sleep in after not doing it for so long wasn't working.
'How can they sleep through a rooster that loud?'
No matter how raucously it crowed, Seris and Kara showed no sign of waking.
Seris just frowned, tightening her arm around Kara.
Kara squirmed uncomfortably, trying to escape, but Seris wouldn't let go.
I chuckled and got ready to head out. I placed 3 copper on the table and reached for the door when the status window appeared.
"Wonder if the sync's done."
I turned my head, looking for the blue window.
It wasn't there.
What?
Did I imagine it? A bit flustered, I muttered softly.
"Status window."
Thankfully, it hadn't been a hallucination—the blue window popped up.
"...It's the status window."
Just like in that game I'd tried once.
Maybe it was a dream? I pinched my cheek and rubbed my eyes, but no—it was real.
"Hah..."
Excitement surged through my body, making me tremble. My legs shook so badly I could barely stand.
I pulled up a chair and sat.
"Puhahaha..."
I buried my face in my hands and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!"
I'd always gone to bed worrying about tomorrow.
Every time I pickpocketed, I was on edge about getting caught.
To survive in the slums ruled by thugs and thieves, I put on a tough front when I wasn't.
To save money, I ate awful food and lived in a sweltering hot or freezing cold shack like some beggar.
But now, that's over.
I had abilities now. The kind you only see in novels!
Now I could eat my fill of good food and sleep in a warm place.
Just thinking about it kept the laughter coming. I didn't want it to stop.
"Mm... Bro, you're so loud..."
"Ah, sorry."
My laughter woke Seris and Kara.
I took deep breaths to calm my excitement.
But I couldn't stop my lips from curling up.
"Yuseong, what's wrong?"
Seris approached with a worried look. I was about to say it was nothing when my eyes widened.
A new blue window had appeared before me.
(Village Escape)
Beneath this village's peaceful facade, dirty schemes are brewing around Seris.
Leave the village with her as soon as possible.
Success:
- 1 Talent Discriminator system item
Failure:
- System retrieval
"What the hell."
"...Pardon?"
"Nothing."
"..."
Alright, let's sort this out.
The system sync finished, and I got the status window function.
I tried calling for a skill window or equipment window, but nothing happened.
A quest appeared too.
Just like when the system synced, it popped up when I looked at Seris. And the content was about her.
At this point, wasn't it reasonable to suspect some connection between Seris and the system?
"...Bro."
Kara called me with a grumpy look.
"What?"
"You like my sister or something?"
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
Seris, who was making stew, spun around in surprise.
"Kara, what are you saying?"
"But this bro keeps staring at you like he's trying to bore holes."
...Was I staring that obviously?
My head was too full to notice others' gazes.
"He was probably looking at the stew, right, Yuseong?"
Seris threw me a lifeline. I grabbed it quick.
"Yeah. Smells great. What kind is it?"
"Potato stew."
Seris beamed as she answered.
Potato stew was just mashed potatoes in water.
I wondered how anyone could call that stew, but surprisingly, Kara and Seris ate it just fine.
Like my taste buds were the weird ones.
After the meal, I asked Seris one question.
"A way to settle down in the village?"
"Yes."
The quest was to get Seris out of the village.
The "dirty schemes" probably meant sending her off as Baron Singla's concubine.
I hadn't expected the whole village to be in on it.
So, how to leave with Seris?
Nothing came to mind.
Simplest way: tell her everything.
But we'd only met last night. No way she'd believe some conspiracy theory from a stranger.
Plus, she might even be happy about becoming a noble's concubine.
Even if she left the village that way, I doubted the quest would count it as success.
So until a clever idea hit, I'd stick around the village and get to know her better.
"You wanna live here? Why? Don't you live in the city, bro? Isn't that more fun?"
"Cities have plenty of fun stuff, sure. But life there is brutal. Neighbors scam each other."
Slum talk, of course. Normal folks get by okay.
"I see. I thought the city would be different somehow..."
Seris murmured softly.
"I don't really know how to settle here either. No one's ever done it... Why not ask the village chief?"
"Village chief... Got it."
I nodded and stood. After goodbyes, I opened the door.
"Wait, isn't this coin yours, Yuseong?"
Seris handed me the 3 copper from the table.
"Oh, hold on."
I pulled 2 more copper from my pocket and placed them in her hand.
"Huh? Why 2 copper...?"
"For dinner and breakfast."
"No, that was just hospitality. I didn't do it expecting payment..."
Seris tried giving back the 5 copper, saying she couldn't accept. I backed away, refusing.
"A friend told me: when staying at someone's home and getting fed, it's polite to pay."
"Polite...?"
"Yeah. He's traveled a ton, so he knows that stuff inside out. I'm just following etiquette, so no need to feel burdened."
Only then did Seris accept the coins. Seemed happy with the unexpected windfall—her lips curved up slightly.
I said goodbye again and stepped outside. I left the village and headed down the road.
First, time to retrieve my hidden money.