Chapter 90

▶ Episode I. Clearing the Isolation of Rusmaier!

▶ Successfully apprehended the culprit Tuspel, affecting the Rusmaier territory positively! ◀

Three knights, or rather, three bandits were subdued smoothly.

Statistically, I was in the upper hand, so their movements were clumsy and futile.

Even until the end, Tuspel, that guy, wielded his sword and charged at me as if throwing a tantrum, but he didn’t seem particularly strong.

When playing a character, all I saw was a dot screen, so I didn’t notice, but moving my body directly felt awkward.

‘Alright. With this, I’ve at least buttoned up the first one.’

There’s no point in overthinking it. I’ve just cleared an episode.

-Ding!

▶ Successfully moved Diena to the hospital.◀

[Remaining time limit: 20 hours 33 minutes]

▶ The time limit is comfortably left. Diena’s recovery accelerated, reducing the necessary time for village entry significantly! ◀

▶ Successfully triggered results beyond the choice! ◀

▶ Additional rewards follow! ◜

‘What additional rewards? It’s going to be marked with question marks again anyway.’

I grumbled inwardly.

At first, when the ??? sign disappeared and something helpful appeared, such as solving Camila’s Dead Trigger, it was truly helpful.

So, when I saw the same message again, I had expectations, but the game system didn’t allow it, so there was nothing after that.

The messages appeared, but suddenly vanished, and upon checking if anything different was added to the existing content, nothing major changed.

This completely extinguished my expectations.

‘…Huh?’

▶ The deferral time for entering Remten Village in Rusmaier Territory has been fully consumed! ◜

[You can now enter Remten Village.]

[Threat level: Warning]

Seeing the sentence directly revealed instead of question marks, this wasn’t something to be overlooked.

Rusmaier Territory could only be entered after two days following the punishment of the three knights disguised as bandits who had been plundering.

After Diena, this character, recovered in the hospital and returned with Kian, the lock would be unlocked, allowing Carsein to enter.

If those two days could be shortened.

If Carsein could enter two days earlier.

‘This would yield a higher achievement level. This way, I’d have enough time to visit the Shatren Territory!’

Either way, it was a significant benefit.

While I was pondering this, these kids, who looked 2-3 years younger than Carsein, seemed to have finished their conversation.

“Really, thank you, My Lord. I don’t know how to express my gratitude…”

Diena, this girl, regained her color and thanked me in front of me. The other three boys did the same, bowing repeatedly and saying ‘thank you’.

“I’m grateful for your help, but I don’t have anything to give…”

-Ding!

▶ This choice is an automatic choice! ◜

[1. Then let me show you around our village.]

…The world.

How things unfolded.

Originally, the expected development was that they would doubt the real reason why they were saved.

Of course, the distrust towards nobles had diminished only because of Kian, and now even Tony and Melik’s affinity had risen, diminishing distrust, but Diena, being a stranger, would be more suspicious.

But to offer a tour of the village, and today?

“Then let me show you around our village.”

There was no reason not to go.

Just this alone had saved me two days and several hours.

***

Clearing the episode by simultaneously achieving the two biggest factors influencing Rusmaier meant entering the village wouldn’t be difficult.

However, I knew.

Even if it became possible to enter the village, I couldn’t relax.

Starting from a sub-episode, the first episode of Chapter 2 must be concluded once the main episode is determined.

Any problem arising would result in the loss of authority to participate in the Eastern Nobles’ Meeting, which directly leads to Carsein’s bad ending.

‘Even if I advanced the episodes, despite distorting the plot, this part will inevitably lead to a bad ending.’

-Ding!

▶ Episode II. The Escaping Touch Proceeds! ◜

▶ Enter Rusmaier Territory, Remten Village, and ease the villagers’ suspicions! ◜

It finally started.

As soon as I stepped on the land of Rusmaier Territory, Episode II automatically appeared.

From here, not a single mistake can be made.

▶ Warning Area Entered! ◜

[Be cautious! Additional choices may arise from conversations with the residents!]

As the carriage door opened, deep-seated gazes full of emotion turned toward this side.

Specifically, toward me.

‘Considering the game’s internal story, it’s not just Kian. The villagers of this village are also seasoned. They have experienced nobles.’

What they had done to them.

What unreasonable treatment they had endured.

What kind of disturbance they had faced from them.

For the villagers of this village, everything would vividly come to mind.

And such things are never overlooked by the system.

-Ding!

[1. (Whistling) Everyone, your eyes are too intense?]

[2. (Furrowing brows) That’s harsh. The lord came all the way here, isn’t treating him coldly a bit much?]

[3. (Silent)]

These were daunting choices.

Had my affinity with a certain character not filled up, the third option would have been silence, leading to immediate expulsion.

But I had already filled up the affinity with a certain character sufficiently.

“Mr. Barak!”

“Kian? What are you doing here…”

“Hold on. I see Tony and Melik too. And Diena?”

“What’s going on? Those kids walking out of a noble’s carriage.”

Thanks to raising the affinity with four people, even adults looked confused.

Of course, depending on the third choice, I only needed to stay silent.

“Lord Carsein’s young master has become the owner of our village, no, of the Rusmaier Territory!”

“That’s not all! He also lent us a carriage to take Diena to the hospital!”

“And look, I’m perfectly fine now. Can’t you see how energetic I am?”

“Plus, those Modrich Count’s knights. They deliberately didn’t clear the path even though they knew Diena was in danger, but the lord handled it all!”

“What…?”

The boys and girls happily recounted the day’s events as if boasting.

Soon, the status window reappeared.

▶ The villagers’ suspicion of Rusmaier eases! ◜

[Threat level: Caution]

Previously, the threat level dropped from warning to caution, and from then on, choices would appear.

Choices related to nobles. Choices related to the Duke House of Bargrand at the peak of nobility. Choices filled with distrust and suspicion.

They were planned to pop up repeatedly to harass me.

I intended to use the information Camila organized and the experience from retry techniques to counter them.

But the initial choice at village entry didn’t appear. I wondered how to react to the question about whether I deceived Kian, but it didn’t come at all. The threat level dropped two levels from restriction to caution.

In that state, a man approached me.

This was an opportunity.

■ Held Items

◆ Ivory-colored twine

[Quantity: 4 pieces]

I pulled out all four pieces of twine and showed them.

The man’s eyes widened.

“I can’t say the target wasn’t hit, but I never intended to deceive those guys.”

After a brief silence, he said with a softened expression.

“…I am Barak, the village chief of Remten. Would it be okay to change seats?”

“Of course.”

As expected, the usual questions were all skipped this time too.

I was happy. There was no reason to refuse since it meant advancing to the next stage immediately.

***

This is Barak’s house, the village chief of Remten, located in the heart of Rusmaier Territory.

Arriving at this place through the villagers’ and residents’ intense gazes.

Entering the village chief’s house, I thought the villagers’ suspicions would ease.

▶ Episode II. The Escaping Touch Proceeds! ◜

▶ Enter Rusmaier Territory, Remten Village, and ease the villagers’ suspicions! ◜

As you can see from the status window, their suspicions haven’t eased yet.

Although Diena announced her recovery and Kian relayed today’s events, somewhat easing the villagers’ suspicious looks, the villagers’ gazes remained negative.

They had been ostracized as objects of disgust and contempt by the conspiring nobles.

Therefore, I can confirm.

With just this much, their suspicions won’t be completely removed.

This was a feeling I knew best, having been ostracized even from my family.

-Tick.

“The village finances make it difficult to serve you a high-grade beverage like tea, young master. I brought some warm milk, albeit modestly. Please drink this.”

Village Chief Barak.

He offered me a mug filled with warm milk.

Steam rose from the mug of warm milk.

In the slightly chilly winter now, there’s nothing better to eat.

▶ Drinking milk reduces coldness and fatigue slightly. ◜

Seeing that, I checked the status abnormality values next to it.

Though they weren’t dangerous levels, those values affected me somewhat, making me feel a bit uncomfortable. It was an opportunity to mitigate status abnormalities that needed direct management.

However, this was merely a clever deception.

▶ From now on, depending on your choice, the achievement level of the episode will be filled! ◜

▶ Will you accept and drink the milk offered by Village Chief Barak?

[1. Drink it.]

[2. Push it away without drinking.]

This minor action itself signifies the occurrence of choices.

Moreover, the system’s subtle manipulation is involved. At first glance, it appears that the episode’s direction changes through choices, but there’s no mention that the achievement level drops.

Now, they don’t even inform you that a bad ending will occur here.

I immediately pushed the mug away.

[2. Push it away without drinking.] ☑

“Milk is a nutritious, high-end food. Feed it to children. Not to me.”

“But even if that’s true, shouldn’t we show respect to young master, the lord?”

“That milk is rare. It’s hard to get. I understand that because conditions for raising cows aren’t good, it’s usually bought for children.”

Barak twitched his lips.

Just as he said, this milk shouldn’t be given to me.

“…Understood. But since the milk is already warmed, someone needs to drink it immediately. Who should I give it to?”

-Ding!

▶ An additional choice has occurred!

▶ To whom should you command to bring the milk?

[1. Barak]

[2. Diena]

[3. Kian]

[4. Melik]

[5. Tony]

…

…

Additional choices followed.

Depending on who gets the warm milk, affinity changes.

Option 1 is outright a trap.

Affinity with Barak wouldn’t rise; it might even fall.

Options 3, 4, and 5 for the three boys are similar.

Drinking that milk wouldn’t yield significant effects.

So, originally, I chose Option 2.

The most dangerous child was Diena, and giving her the milk would yield the greatest effect.

As a result, not only Diena but also the villagers’ affinity increased, slightly improving their perception of me in the village.

But now, that doesn’t seem right.

‘It looks awkward. Diena has fully recovered, so why is her name popping up?’

That means it’s necessary to give it to the person who needs it most.

This choice is quite important.

It’s not just about drinking the milk.

It’s the only chance to start a conversation in this territory.

‘Don’t miss it. Missing it means the end!’

I racked my brain, trying to recall all information about Rusmaier.

Starting from Camila’s documents, I began replaying each page in my head.

‘Statue? Money? Layout of the village? No, it’s different from this… Something unique to this place…’

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck.

“In Rusmaier Territory, most children show symptoms of malnutrition. It’s called Rusmaier disease, a unique illness where children from childhood to adolescence cough severely and lie down sick for a while.”

Barak’s eyes, previously locked, suddenly lit up.

“It’s because they mainly consume food based on crops grown only in that area. Seeing healthy people who ate the same food, it’s not the diet itself that’s the problem, but later, it was found that only children couldn’t properly absorb the nutrients.”

“…”

“Therefore, usually, milk is fed in such cases. Feeding milk allows the absorption of missing nutrients, quickly stopping the cough and lowering the fever. Surprisingly, the disease disappears as quickly as if it weren’t a disease.”

This was a very important hint.

Thank you, Camila.

Thanks to you, I could recall every hint without missing any.

“Milk and malnutrition. And the Rusmaier disease. Given that one child with a cough is still there, I don’t intend to serve this to myself, do I?”

Yes. That child needs to drink this milk.

“Delfina. That child needs to drink it.”

Not missing a beat, I even mentioned the child’s name.

[7. Delfina] ☑