Rattle, rattle—.
It wasn’t just Caron who appeared. Five wagons were trailing behind him.
The strange thing was that iron-barred cages were loaded on top of the wagons.
“Look over there.”
“I told you, I knew from the first time I saw them. They gave off a bad vibe.”
“Tsk, tsk. And they call themselves knights…”
That’s right. The ones locked up in those cages—
They were none other than the knights of Trash Village.
“We’ll wait here for a bit. We’ll send the children off first, then continue the transport. How ready are we?”
“Only about half the wagons for the first-years have arrived. It looks like it’ll take a little longer.”
Caron started inspecting the wagons the kids had boarded, together with the instructors.
The cages holding the knights were left a bit off to the side. One of the wagons shook.
We turned our gaze over and soon met his eyes.
The knight who had cut off Baron Kelven’s head.
It was Pjol.
“Why’s he doing that? Trying to escape?”
“Keke, doesn’t look like that. Seems more like he has something to say.”
“…To us?”
More precisely, it was probably because of me. Luna and Rezé hadn’t been there for the final battle.
‘A summons from Pjol, huh…’
I couldn’t help being a little curious.
In tens of thousands of playthroughs, this was the first time Pjol had survived.
“Shall we go see him?”
“Mm… but the instructors will block us.”
“Rezé will take care of that, so it’ll be fine.”
“Eek?”
Maybe because her name suddenly came up, Rezé jumped and shrieked.
“S-so you finally show your true colors! I-I refuse! I don’t want to end up skewered on the instructors’ swords and roasted like rabbit, okayyyy!”
Roasting students, huh. Does she think the instructors are some kind of cavemen?
“That’s not it. The instructors aren’t cavemen.”
“He-hehe. R-right, of course.”
“Though rabbit stew might be a different story.”
“Ee-eeeeeek!”
I grabbed Rezé by both shoulders as she panicked and pushed her out in front.
On the crown of her head, that long Idiot Hair stuck up and spun around like a radar.
‘If it stops, we stop. If it moves, we advance.’
Maybe she really didn’t want to become rabbit stew. Thanks to her we slipped past the instructors’ gazes and reached Pjol without incident.
As expected, that radar’s performance was the real deal.
“Thanks for coming.”
“Keke, what did you call us for?”
“I have a favor to ask. It’s shameless of me, but… will you hear me out?”
[Sub Quest #1]
–Trip of the Trash Knights.
The knights of Trash have committed an unforgivable mistake. But there are still children in the village who look up to them.
With a gentle lie, make sure their hearts aren’t wounded.
It will surely be of great help in the future.
Tell the Trash Sprout Defense Squad that Pjol and the other knights have gone on a journey to save the continent. (0/1)
Reward: Reputation +30
Additional Reward: Future ally (Trash Village)
Penalty for refusal: None
The quest window popped up almost before Pjol finished talking.
Obviously, I’d never seen it in the game.
‘A gentle lie, huh… The base reward is stingy since the difficulty is low, fine, but… what exactly does the additional reward mean?’
The phrase ‘Future ally’.
It meant, literally, someone who would appear as an ally later on and lend support.
That type of reward showed up plenty of times in the game, so nothing strange there.
The problem was…
‘Those kids are going to help me…?’
Adel, Whale, Acela.
The idea that those chaotic gremlins would show up as allies in the future…
Just imagining them bursting in during some crisis, shouting “Trash Sprout Defense Squad!” made cold sweat run down my back.
‘Should I even take this?’
I was debating whether to accept the quest or not when Luna stepped forward.
“Hmph! So you do feel ashamed after all?”
“They’re kids who dream of being heroes. I can’t let them down.”
“Hmph~ Maybe this is a good chance to show them some reality?”
“…I’m begging you like this.”
Pjol’s wrists, ankles, and neck were all bound; he couldn’t move an inch. He strained and bowed his head.
So far that blood seeped out around his collar.
Luna freaked out at the sight and shouted.
“Stop! Stop! Fine, okay! I wasn’t actually going to do it! Why would we go around shattering kids’ dreams!”
“…Thank you.”
[You have accepted the quest.]
…What a bullshit system. It does whatever it wants.
It couldn’t be helped. If those kids showed up later saying they were going to help us, I’d just knock them out with a flick to the forehead.
“But can we even go see them? It looks like we’re leaving soon…”
“Keke, if we use Rezé, we can manage somehow.”
“Go where, when we’re about to depart?”
A cold voice came from behind us.
Our heads slowly, very carefully, turned around.
He was standing there.
Caron, the Empire’s Rat and a master of torture.
“E-eek…”
Rezé toppled over sideways and passed out. If I didn’t have [Mental Defense], I’d have ended up the same.
That’s how sudden his appearance was.
“Keke, we still have a little time, don’t we? We’ll be right back.”
“If you want to go, then go. It’s not like it’ll end in anything worse than dying by my hand anyway.”
‘Yeah, I’m dropping this quest right now~.’
It was a quest with no refusal penalty anyway. Dropping it wouldn’t cause any issues.
No, even if it cost me 10 stats, I’d still choose to abandon it.
You only get one life, after all.
“Sir… can’t you do something?”
Luna clutched Caron’s sleeve and looked up at him with desperate eyes.
Hey now, Luna. Did you not hear what Caron just said? Forget Pjol’s request and get in the wagon alrea—
“…We do still have a little time.”
You damn lolicon piece of—?
I stared at Caron. He cleared his throat and continued.
“I’ll go with you instead.”
“There’s no need to trouble yourself just because of us…”
“I just happen to have business nearby. Don’t worry about it.”
“Keke, business, huh… I’m really curious what kind of business that is.”
“…It’s real.”
“I never said it was fake, did I? Feeling guilty about something?”
“…”
A little later, we headed toward the kids’ house.
There was a big lump on my head.
Not all wagons were created equal.
There were a few luxury carriages mixed in, and most of those ended up in the hands of the Teron faction.
The instructors backed by Teron’s family, House Vyuern, had pulled some strings.
In the seat of honor in one such carriage sat Teron, eyes closed, meditating.
“…”
But he couldn’t focus.
Because his hunting dog, Daike, was visibly restless.
For someone normally so stoic and unreadable, it was a strange sight.
But Teron easily guessed the reason.
“Hey.”
Teron opened the carriage door, glanced around, and called over an instructor. One of those funded by House Vyuern.
“Is… something the matter?”
Teron could clearly feel the instructor’s heart wavering between duty and personal interest.
Teron didn’t react much. He simply placed a pouch of coins in the man’s hand.
“Let my man speak to one of the prisoners for a bit.”
“No matter what, that’s a bit…”
“Sir Caron isn’t here, is he? It’ll only be for a moment.”
The instructor looked around, then slipped the pouch into his coat.
“Finish quickly. Things are tense enough as it is lately.”
“Of course.”
“…I need a hand with something. Any student able to help for a moment?”
The instructor started acting like he needed some help, and when Teron gave a small nod, Daike followed him out.
Soon, Daike was able to approach the wagon with the cages.
The one holding Pjol. Daike grabbed the bars with both hands and shouted.
“Sir Pjol! What in the world happened!”
“…Daike, is that you. How shameful. I never wanted you to see me like this.”
Pjol gave an awkward smile.
Come to think of it, the kids in the village weren’t the only ones who needed a gentle lie.
There was also Daike, who admired knights.
Though it was already too late to lie to him.
“This must be some misunderstanding, right? Just hold on a little. I’ll find a way somehow.”
“Calm yourself. This really is my fault.”
“Sir?”
“I cut off my lord’s head. With these hands.”
“…!”
Daike could only be shocked.
Because it was like imagining himself chopping off Teron’s head.
“And that’s not all. I failed to uphold a knight’s duty. If that doesn’t make me a heinous criminal, what does?”
“Sir Pjol…”
After learning that Baron Kelven had been the real culprit of this incident, Daike more or less knew what had happened.
But what could you do? A knight is someone who swears fealty to a lord.
Refusing an order was unthinkable.
“That’s not true.”
“Sir?”
“If your lord strays down the wrong path, you’re supposed to give him proper counsel. That’s what a true knight is… I realized it far too late.”
Pjol wore a bitter smile and went on.
“Do you know why I’m telling you this?”
“No, sir.”
“Because I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did.”
“I’m not a knight, though…”
That was true. Daike was a hunting dog.
All he had to do was obey his master’s orders.
He wasn’t even given the freedom to think. And now they wanted him to rebel and offer advice?
Impossible.
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing! Stay away from the prisoners!”
One instructor strode over.
Daike pretended to straighten things up and whispered.
“I’ll go ahead. Please stay safe.”
“If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”
Daike was chased away by the instructor.
Pjol watched his back and murmured.
“No, I can tell.”
That being a knight suited Daike perfectly.
“Don’t give up and have courage. That’s the path for you and…”
For your master as well.
“Did you hear?”
“About the discovery of top-grade mana stones? Who doesn’t know that these days? If you don’t, you’re basically a spy.”
“No, not that… The rumor that the owner of the mine and the owner of Trash Village will be different.”
“Is that true? If it is, this village is finished.”
“Exactly. No one’s going to invest in a village that isn’t theirs.”
Merchants gathered in the square whispered among themselves.
It was the rumor that the discovery of top-grade mana stones wouldn’t actually lead to the territory’s development.
For now it was a rumor, but it would soon become reality.
‘In the game, the Duchy of Vyuern took the mine.’
Trash Village didn’t develop; it declined even further.
Because no new lord ever arrived until the game ended.
“So there’s no lord appointed? Then what happens to the village? To the kids?”
“They’ll have to move the whole village.”
There wasn’t a lord alive who’d want to take charge of a dying village, and the villagers themselves had reached their limit.
Abandoning Trash Village. That was the most rational choice.
“Hmm… Leaving the village won’t be easy, but they don’t have a choice. Better than starving to death. At least the kids will get enough to eat. If they work hard, they might even get into Annwood Academy.”
“Will they, though?”
“Huh?”
“The mine’s owner has no reason to take responsibility for them. Sure, they’ll earn some money… but I doubt they’ll be able to develop the skills needed to get in.”
Annwood Academy’s bar was high, and nurturing a dream while working at the same time wasn’t easy.
“Just mining will exhaust them enough to pass out. Studying and training on top of that is impossible.”
Working in the mines to earn money.
At first, they’d think of it as a tool to reach their dreams, but willpower and stamina wear down.
In the end, they’d likely spend their lives as miners.
“Then what about the kids’ dreams? Their dream of becoming heroes?”
“They’ll stay dreams, nothing more.”
“That’s awful…”
Luna muttered, unable to believe it.
It was unfortunate, but that was reality. Changing the world you live in isn’t easy.
No matter how talented or gifted you are, if your environment is a mess, you can’t grow.
Because you’re too busy just surviving.
‘That’s why you need at least basic welfare, education, and infrastructure.’
Even now, somewhere on the continent, someone who could change the world was having their grand dream crushed by their surroundings.
Maybe because Luna was radiating gloom, Caron, walking ahead, murmured:
“Don’t worry too much.”
“Sorry?”
“Trash Village became part of Annwood Academy as of today.”
“…?”
‘Just what the hell is happening to this game?’
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt
