Chapter 28 – Intentions Don’T Matter (4)

I hugged Carsilla and patted her back, then sent a whisper to Cha Hyewon.

▶ Are you asleep?
▷ Yup
▶ Okay, so why are you dragging her around?

She’s saying she’s asleep. Like she’d fall asleep first.

▷ Just to make her suffer because she’s annoying.
▶ ?? What’s annoying?
▷ She’s an NPC, but she’s playing with the players. You knew she was a succubus, right?
▶ Of course. But she noticed too. That I knew her identity.
▷ Lol, so pathetic.
▶ Fck…

Seriously, this girl. A newbie, and she’s acting up.

▷ Getting played by an NPC, tsk tsk. I didn’t like her messing with players, so I was going to throw her into a monster pit, but I forgot.
▶ Wow… what a personality.
▷ Whatever, it’s just a clone anyway.

Seriously, she has the same name as someone I know, but how can she act so completely opposite? What a waste of a name.

▷ Act like a player. Don’t be a loser. It’s disgusting.
▶ Tone it down.
▷ Sry…….

Ugh, I need to ask her for a favor, but she’s being annoying. Should I just flip the table?

▷ Sorry. I’m just stressed, and you’re the only one I can talk to comfortably, I guess. I won’t do it again.

She apologizes well.
…I have a favor to ask, so should I let it slide?

▶ Then, just one favor.
▷ Lmao
▷ You’re really taking advantage of the opportunity.
▷ Okay, tell me.
▶ I got branded with the Undead Archduke mark lol.
▷ Oh, congrats lol
▷ So, what’s that?

Ha, this newbie. She really doesn’t know anything.

▶ -20% debuff to physical abilities…
▷ Lmao, you’re a glass cannon for real.
▷ So, are you Yuri or not?
▶ No, Yuri/Not = Yurian
▷ Ah
▷ So lame, seriously..
▶ Sry..

Ahem.

Looks like my dad jokes don’t work on her, so she’s not that old. This is also part of my plan. Good, I’ll narrow down your identity little by little.

▷ Can’t you remove it?
▶ I can, but I’m going to use this opportunity to run away.
▷ ???
▶ I want to party and wander around with this opportunity. Please cooperate.
▷ ?? How?

I explained my plan to the person sending me hooks.

▶ I’m going to say I’ll remove the Undead Archduke mark and run away with Diana, Irian, and Carsilla. If I just run, they’ll follow, so I’ll join the magistrate’s group and say I’m going to the Empire. Please cooperate, pretty please.
▷ Lmaoooo, that’s hilarious.
▷ Okay, I got it.
▷ But aren’t you going to grind?

Normally, after the early game, I would have come to the Iruph lowlands to do various quests for grinding. The rewards are decent compared to other areas, so it’s a good place to grow. But I don’t need to grind.

▶ Nope. It’s not a real game anyway, why would I need to grind lol. I’m friends with the Saintess, so my wallet’s overflowing.

Kuh. That’s the way.

As expected of a powerful and wealthy religious order, the Saintess is treated beyond imagination. With the funds I have now, I can live comfortably without grinding.

▶ Jealous? Want some?
▷ Lol
▷ I’m the magistrate of the Empire.
▷ Infinite money lol
▶ ?? The magistrate wasn’t that great?
▷ Nope
▷ Being a magistrate means I can spend money freely.
▷ I get treated well anywhere in the Empire lol
▶ WTF. How is that possible?
▷ Lol

Wow, that’s ridiculous. In the game, it was just some minor benefits within the Empire. I should be happy for a fellow player, but why do I feel jealous?

▷ That’s annoying. I’m going to sleep.
▶ Ok ok, sleep well.
▷ Bye

Hmm. Is that it?
Should I sleep too?

▷ But why didn’t you tell me?
▶ ?? What?
▷ Wow..
▷ Why didn’t you tell me the quest content changes? That’s too much.
▶ Ah, that. Lol. Should I tell you?
▷ Yup..
▷ Tell me :3
▶ Nah
▷ ㅡㅡ
▷ I won’t cooperate, bye.
▶ Actually, there’s something called randomness in the game, and that is…

I rambled on for a while, explaining it to her.
She really was a newbie.
She’s a newbie among newbies in her second playthrough, but why is her character so good? It’s like those shut-in hikikomoris who pour money into their characters. Is she one of those? How pitiful.

I feel sympathy for her, as she’s so different from the person I know with the same name. I should treat her well.
After the whisper ended, I felt empty.

“Why are you smiling?”
“Huh? You weren’t asleep?”
“I was. Why are you smiling? You look happy.”

Her clear black eyes were looking at me, so I gently stroked Carsilla’s small back.

“Just… it reminded me of the old days.”
“The old days…?”
“Yeah. The old days.”
“Uh-huh. I see.”

Carsilla doesn’t seem to like talking about the past. Well, it’s understandable.
I felt sorry for bringing up bad memories, so I hugged her tightly.

Soon, her breathing became soft and even.

Was I smiling that happily? Carsilla’s words suddenly came to mind, and when I thought about it, it felt like I was chatting with a friend, and I felt good using modern language after a long time… I guess it was harder than I thought, for me too.

* * *

The next morning.
As usual, I woke up Diana and washed her, then started talking softly.

“Diana, I got branded with the Undead Archduke mark. Okay, nose, huff.”
“Huuu-ah!?”

Diana, who was pretending to blow her nose as usual, must have failed to control her strength, as she panicked.
The snot stuck to my hand, which was gently pressing down on Diana’s cute nose to help her blow it. The sticky feeling of it dripping down my palm. Ugh, gross.
Even if it’s my Diana, snot isn’t pretty. Should I skip the ‘nose huff’ from now on?

“Ah!? Ah, ah… ahh.”

Is her world-ending expression because of the Undead Archduke mark, or because she blew her snot on my hand? I was curious, but her expression was so serious that I had to quickly comfort her.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Diana’s nose isn’t dirty at all. If we wash it like this… ta-da. It’s clean now?”
“…You still think it’s dirty. Is Diana dirty?”

She’s on the verge of tears, is she really a child? Diana, who was so immersed in her method acting that she really became a child, was on the verge of tears, so I quickly hugged her and patted her back.

“No, no. Not dirty at all. Our Diana isn’t dirty at all~”

After comforting her for a while, I wondered what I was doing. Did I spoil her too much? I know that she’s acting like a baby because I’ve been showering her with too much affection… but she’s just too cute. Damn it.

‘This is the heart of a father!!’

Our Diana is cute after all. Haa… ahem.
This clever Saintess knows that I fall for her baby act, so she deliberately acts even more like a baby. It’s a truly chaotic collaboration. I feel a little sorry for Irian, who’s listening outside.

After comforting her for a while, Diana, who had calmed down… no, who had ‘pretended’ to calm down a long time ago, subtly asked what the Undead Archduke mark was.
…It was because of the snot after all.

“It lowers physical abilities. It seems to be a curse, and it won’t go away.”

Actually, it can be removed. It’s just that I don’t have the skill yet because my intelligence is too low. There are quite a few people in the Holy Nation of Hespolte who can remove it. If I just go to a cardinal and ask them to remove it, it would be solved in an instant. But I can’t do that.
I calmed down Diana, who was stomping her feet in frustration, and subtly threw out a bait.

“Okay, calm down. Diana. Shall we go on a trip?”
“…A trip? With Diana?”
“Yeah. A trip with Diana. How about it?”
“I love it!”

…Easy.

I haven’t even told her the plan yet, but our Saintess is already excited. She’s puffing out her cheeks while packing her bag, looking like a daughter excited about going on a picnic. This father is excited… no, I’m happy. Ahem.
I calmed down the overly excited Diana and told her that we had to take Irian and Carsilla too, and she was disappointed.

“…We’re not going just the two of us?”
“Yeah. We have to take Irian and Carsilla too. Right?”
“…Uh-huh.”

She wasn’t fantasizing about a runaway trip for just the two of us, was she?
I called Irian, who was silently standing guard in front of the door as usual, into the room. The way she’s grinding her teeth while looking at me is just adorable.

“What! The, the Undead Archduke mark? …So, that time.”

She looked at me apologetically, realizing what happened yesterday. This one’s easy too. As for Carsilla… she’ll just follow me wherever I go.
And so, a party of four was formed.

It’s called Yurian and his women.
…What a cheesy name. But whatever, what does the name matter? What’s important is that my own party, consisting of harem members, has finally been created.

* * *

A little later, I dropped a bombshell at the meeting with Sir Jacob.

“Sir Jacob.”
“Oh, Yurian. Did you sleep well? Your face is glowing, you must have rested well.”
“…Actually, I got branded with the Undead Archduke mark.”

Blah blah blah.
I rambled on. Damn it. I should have gotten some sleep last night.

“So, I’m thinking of going to the Empire with the magistrate.”
“Hmm. Wouldn’t it be better to go to Hespolte?”
“I vaguely saw in an old document that the Demon Archduke’s mark isn’t powerful, but it steadily weakens people, and it can’t be removed with divine power. The Empire has a solution, so I’ll go with the magistrate.”
“I see. Have a safe trip.”

Sir Jacob readily agreed. But a little later, Sir Jacob changed his mind and strongly opposed it.

“No! Absolutely not! The Saintess is going with you, how can I let you go!”
“Sir Jacob! It’s really serious. Have you ever been branded? It’s a real pain.”
“Tsk, it’s because you lack grit! Your face is so smooth, you look perfectly fine!”

Hey, you damn grit-obsessed person! Go be a baseball coach!

“…It, it’s making me feel bad inside.”
“Anyway, absolutely not.”
“I’m going!”
“No!”

I quickly gave Cha Hyewon a look for help. Cha Hyewon, who approached with a reluctant expression, also joined the persuasion. But because Diana was sticking right next to me, showing her determination not to leave, Sir Jacob was also having a hard time.

“The Saintess can’t go.”
“I’ll go alone.”
“I don’t want to! I don’t want to without Yurian!”

Sir Jacob, who was nearing 70, had experienced Diana’s tantrums many times in the past when I wasn’t around. He remembered how hard it was, and Sir Jacob’s healthy complexion turned pale.
We argued for half a day, but what could Sir Jacob do when the Saintess was throwing a tantrum?

“Sir Jacob! If Yurian can be healed, I’ll go anywhere! Don’t stop me!”
“Then we’ll go too!”
“Can the elite of the Order be away from Hespolte for too long?”
“Just me!”
“Sir Jacob, you’re the de facto leader of the group, you have to go to Hespolte and report.”
“Ugh!! No! Not unless dirt gets in my eyes, no, Saintess!?”
“Eek!”

…Sir Jacob, who was fed up with the endless tantrum, finally gave in.
As if it was natural, Irian and Carsilla followed, and Sir Jacob looked at the sky with a resigned laugh.

In the end, the party consisting of me, Diana, Irian, and Carsilla successfully joined the magistrate’s group, and we began heading to the Empire with them.
The people of the Order were crying and wailing, calling out to the Saintess, but Diana didn’t hear them and just kept smiling brightly, sticking close to my side. What a wicked Saintess.

We started with Cha Hyewon’s group, but we were planning to part ways in the middle since our destinations were different. I was going to the kingdom with the magic tower to help our cute Carsilla develop her magical aptitude, and Cha Hyewon was going to the Empire to report, as it was her duty as a high-ranking magistrate.

If it weren’t for the whispers, I would have gone with them even if it meant going the long way, but since we could contact each other anytime, we agreed to split up. We nodded lightly to each other at the crossroads where the road split to the Empire and the kingdom, and said our goodbyes.

▷ Bye. See you next time.
▶ Okay. See you in the magic tower area.

We exchanged friendly greetings, but I felt a subtle sense of competition. As a fellow player, I don’t want to be outdone by her.

▷ Oh, by the way. That little girl next to you. Is she by any chance the Calamity Witch who appears as a boss monster?
▶ Yup
▷ I thought she looked familiar. Does she not have a story?
▶ I don’t know. I just took her from the orphanage.
▷ That’s strange. I think her last line was that she wanted to live as a human.
▶ She’s just a normal kid. Be careful in front of her.
▷ We’ve already parted ways, why would I need to be careful?
▶ We’ll meet again later. Be careful then.
▷ Okay, bye.

The Calamity Witch, Carsilla.
She was a boss monster who appeared in the mid-to-late game and unleashed devastating magic.
I’ve played this game hundreds of times, and I’ve defeated Carsilla dozens of times. No matter how much randomness was applied to each game, Carsilla’s last line was always the same.

‘I wanted to remain human… or something like that.’

The warmth of the small hand in mine. I looked down at Carsilla, who was holding my hand and walking briskly. Her small black head seemed to sense my gaze and glanced up at me.

“Why?”
“Because you’re cute.”
“…Ew.”

She made a disgusted face, but she didn’t let go of my hand.
Even when I checked her status window, she only had the title ‘Sprout of Calamity,’ and she was no different from a normal child.
…Well, whatever. Carsilla is Carsilla.