*So exhausted.*
I roughly threw myself onto the soft bed. This hellish day had finally come to an end.
Outside the window was the pure moonlight and a night sky sparkling with stars, but I had no mood to appreciate the evening's beauty.
"It's like I accomplished nothing today...!"
Looking back on this unforgettable day, you could say it was both fulfilling and empty at the same time.
The initial moves by the Watertown Merchant Association and Lone Star Merchant Association seemed to have set off alarm bells for other major player factions. However, I wished it had remained just a show between the major powers. Without their leadership, the remaining players rushed in completely disorganized and undisciplined. Things got so bad that Count Montefeltro had to dispatch troops to quell the uprising. Otherwise, my house would have been trampled flat.
Speaking of "my house"... it's only called that because I'm the only one living here now.
The small estate where I live nominally belongs to my original master, who won first place in the martial arts tournament jointly held by the human kingdoms. The king had initially planned to grant them the title of Baron, but it fell through when my original master stopped logging into the game.
The conferring of noble titles isn't as strict as in medieval times, and even the title system itself has been somewhat modified. The three human kingdoms share the same nobility system, divided into three ranks: Baron, Count, and Duke. Although official announcements state that it's possible for players to become kings, regrettably, none of the three kingdoms has seen any player reach even the position of Duke yet.
My village of Rothschild is just a small settlement, not even a baronial domain. The Count won't actively send troops to suppress disturbances every day.
"Should I maybe act more enthusiastic?"
But I really can't get excited about the gifts I receive. Will I have to welcome this many players every day from now on?
What makes me feel most complicated is that today's number of players hasn't even reached its peak. Transportation methods on the Lemoria continent aren't as convenient as in other games. While there are teleport crystals between major cities, using them is expensive. By the way, these teleport crystals are constructed using cash shop crystal items that players spend money on. Some players joke that if we all spent more money, we won't have to suffer so much just getting around.
As compensation, during normal horseback travel, the officials have designed numerous event chains that can only be triggered while on the road. Players traveling by horse might encounter distressed widows and orphans, hermit masters, traveling merchants selling curious goods, knights touring the continent, illegal tomb raiders, and so on. Of course, if a player is unlucky enough and likes taking mountain paths, they might even run into bandits.
Based on these designs, although horseback travel wastes time, players don't completely reject it.
This means there's still a large wave of players on horseback, making their way here.
Today, I was blocked at the front gate all day, unable to eat lunch or dinner on time. My gardening skill is Level Max, so I can repair the fences and lawn damaged in fights by myself, but more than physical fatigue, the mental toll is especially severe.
If this continues, and I'm not successfully recruited by any player in a day, Rothschild will never know peace.
I have something I must do: figure out exactly what happened in the real world, and why I came to this game world.
"That's not hard, I won't just stupidly stay at home."
As long as I run fast enough, the players won't be able to keep up with their gift-giving. Wouldn't that solve the problem? I'm such a genius.
"Skills... skills... found it~"
Magic is always a classic element in fantasy worldviews, and the Lemoria continent is no exception. If there's anything different, there's probably no way to achieve absolute dominance through magic alone.
Put it this way: don't underestimate the common soldiers of Lemoria. Even ordinary people who don't understand magic can literally beat a magic-proficient player to death with basic attacks if there are enough of them. It's tough to achieve one-versus-thousands hack-and-slash operations in the game—well-trained armies aren't just for show.
The role of magic is far from reaching balance-breaking specifications. Things like single-handedly destroying a country might only be possible for the Demon King who has long since been sealed away.
I opened my skills panel to search, finding the perfect solution to my predicament.
[Spatial Transfer]
A magic that transfers from one specified location to another. It was originally meant to be used to escape from the battlefield when one's master is in danger. It can transfer multiple people, with consumption proportional to the transfer distance and number of people being carried (the master doesn't count toward the consumption). Additionally, it cannot transfer to unexplored areas.
Rothschild is a small village, meaning the distance to transfer outside the village isn't too far.
Without a master, some of my skills can only achieve 30% effectiveness, with the highest being 50%. My combat ability has also decreased. If you factor in the bonuses from forming a bond with a master, the actual gap would be even larger.
But it should be enough. I won't randomly run into dangerous areas, and I can handle ordinary crises.
The curfew system helped me greatly. The so-called curfew doesn't completely prohibit going out. Since theft skills exist in the game, and players reportedly like to get creative with such skills, regardless of how severe the consequences of getting caught might be, there are still countless Thief Kings. So they simply restricted nighttime travel, giving guards reason to arrest suspicious characters. Therefore, players generally don't wander around towns at night.
Interestingly, "It's not a crime if you don't get caught" is an official statement.
The Count's troops haven't withdrawn yet, so there shouldn't be any thieves tonight with the tight security, but in a few days, who knows?
Harboring worries about the future, I prepared hot water for bathing.
Taking a bath every day wasn't a habit that started after becoming a girl—how could someone who stinks be qualified to serve at the Young Miss's side?
Young Miss...
Come to think of it, in such a large house with only me, I do feel somewhat lonely.