"That... that is—"
Kurumi Tokisaki's Husband's tongue seemed tied in knots. He was unable to produce a complete sentence for a long time while cold sweat poured endlessly. Anyone who didn't know better would think I was threatening him.
I quietly waited for his answer when Kurumi Tokisaki's Husband suddenly clapped his hands.
"My family's calling me for dinner! Excuse me!!!"
The sun hadn't even set yet—I was about to try to persuade him to stay, but Kurumi Tokisaki's Husband had already logged off at light speed. His character, having lost control, fell to the ground with a thud.
Unlike other virtual online games, when players of The Eternal Pacificus log off, their characters don't disappear directly. Instead, they continue to exist in the game with a reduced [Hunger] decay rate. If they don't log into the game for a long time, their game character will starve to death, and only then will they disappear from Lemoria Continent.
Players generally choose to log off in safe areas. The game has a [Theft] skill; the more prosperous the safe area, the more difficult theft becomes. Each village and town has independent [Stability]—what players commonly call "security." The higher the [Stability], the greater the protection against [Theft] within the jurisdiction. For example, in Uriel, the royal capital of Michel Kingdom, [Stability] is maintained at its peak long-term, making [Theft] nearly impossible to accomplish. Even if one succeeds by chance, very little can be stolen, as the vast majority of property is protected by the extremely high [Stability].
However, logging off in neutral areas loses [Stability] protection, and items might be lost if one is carelessly targeted. In dangerous areas, there's even the possibility of being killed.
Additionally, sleep quality affects [Fatigue] recovery. Every village has taverns providing lodging services. If one lacks money or the tavern is full, players can choose to rough it on the streets for a night. The consequence is simply that upon logging in, friendly guards will kindly ask for a fine—sleeping on the streets disturbs public order.
Camps established by mercenary groups are safe areas only for players within that group, but recklessly logging off there isn't recommended.
There's really no choice but to ask others.
"A classmate needs me for something. I'll head out first!"
"I've got to work on my thesis!"
"I need to catch up on anime!"
In less than a minute, Anna's Support Group's camp was littered with unconscious bodies. All players except Hohenheim chose to log off.
"Well... everyone's quite busy."
"Y-yeah... Anna-chan? What are you..."
"Doing cleanup. Could I trouble Lord Hohenheim to inform everyone?"
With everyone either gone or drunk, the game couldn't continue, so it was time for me to do the cleanup.
Let me start with the first task: washing the used cooking utensils, returning borrowed tables and chairs to their original positions, disposing of kitchen waste, and finally washing everyone's alcohol-stained clothes clean.
I asked Kurumi Tokisaki's Husband before taking the cooking utensils from the camp warehouse. He said the people among them who could cook were all in jail, so they hadn't had a proper meal in ages. Therefore, I know where the cooking utensils should be returned.
Medieval cleaning tools weren't advanced, though there wasn't much grease back then, either. Just as players introduced concepts like high heels and glasses, cleaning supplies have been reformed. Using familiar cleaning products really helps.
Tables and chairs... hmm, I didn't take them out, so where should they go?
"Lord Hohenheim."
I decided to ask Hohenheim for help. He had been standing in place, staring blankly at me.
"Which tent should the tables and chairs be returned to?"
"Uh... Anna-chan, you..." Hohenheim seemed to wake from a dream. "Why would you suddenly start cleaning without warning?"
"I'm fulfilling my duties."
Surely, a maid can't sit and rest while mercenaries busy themselves with cleaning.
"We have a rotation system. Anna-chan doesn't need to take on all the responsibilities yourself."
"Laziness leads to skill deterioration."
Staying at home doesn't provide opportunities for major cleaning. Everything's clean every day, and doing the same thing day after day can become somewhat unmotivating over time.
"No one likes a lazy servant. The adventurers who visited yesterday were all attracted to my diligence, weren't they?"
Since I can no longer serve by the Young Miss's side, perhaps I should seek a new employer on Lemoria Continent as Anastasia. I believe being a servant is a profession, and a servant who only pines from afar has no value. I think the Young Miss would agree with this. The Young Miss has returned to her family, so I must pull myself together, too.
Since I can remember, I've never had family by my side. The Young Miss was my only attachment in the real world.
Now all I can offer the Young Miss are prayers, and to survive on Lemoria Continent, I must have an employer.
However, Hohenheim put on a serious expression.
"Anna-chan thinks this way?"
"Yes."
Didn't they come looking for followers? Although Texas mentioned needing a female secretary or something, it's essentially the same thing.
"No, of course not... Anna-chan, I need to explain this properly."
I suspect Hohenheim bought his glasses specifically to push them up constantly. No matter what he's doing, he particularly likes adding the glasses-pushing gesture.
"To tell the truth, Anna-chan, we invited you to drink Bacchus wine because we actually wanted to keep you here."
I already knew that.
"The reason adventurers are eagerly courting Anna-chan—as a fellow adventurer, I understand it well. What they value isn't actually Anna-chan's personal abilities."