Yulia Petenburg.
Known as the Witch of Petenburg.
She has been leading the family ruling the small mountain village of Petenburg for 50 years, maintaining its independent status amidst the powerful nations.
The secret? Potion business.
The image that Petenburg’s potions are the best is well-established, and despite being expensive due to limited production, they sell like hotcakes every year.
The elixirs, unique to Petenburg, have also contributed to her fame.
One bottle of elixir can cure any ailment, so the price is whatever she asks for.
Having made a fortune, Petenburg cleverly utilizes her border with several great nations to act as a financial center.
Didn’t I say it’s a small mountain village?
I said small, not rural.
Located at an altitude of 2000 meters, it’s a financial city where the world’s money gathers.
If I were to compare it to the real world, it’s like Luxembourg with Wall Street.
“Hey, Yoo Jin. Did you know elves live in a strict matriarchal society? If you marry an elf, you have to change your last name to some bizarre elf language, live in some weird vine house, and your children can only be registered as pointy ears? Ugh, just imagining it makes me cringe, right?”
“Yeaah…”
And so, Jill and I are packing our bags to head to Petenburg.
You might have guessed from the fact that Yulia Petenburg has been leading the Petenburg family for 300 years, but she is not human; she’s an elf.
She maintains a youthful appearance until just before death, has pointy ears, and embodies the stereotypical traits of her genre’s novels.
Just a company using the same tropes established long ago by the masters of fantasy.
“Ugh. I hate elves. You shout it out too. Hurry.”
“I hate elves.”
“One more time!”
“I haaaate elves.”
“Good job!”
As if there would be any other elf in Petenburg, just Yulia would be it.
The intention behind this forced elf-hatred education is so blatant it’s almost crude.
At this point, it would be better just to lay it out:
You’d die if you fall for an elf.
Just like this.
‘But what is our relationship right now?’
As Jill hums happily while packing her bag, I feel mixed emotions watching her.
What should I objectively call the relationship between Jill and me?
The mischievous noble and her butler or caretaker.
A genius girl and her stress-relief toy.
A spoiled child and her easy mark, etc.
It’s hard to pin it down to one definition.
But one thing is for sure: none of those relationships include a romantic aspect.
‘We’re extremely close, but it’s not like we’re dating.’
Jill is now heavily reliant on me.
Until now, she has been fine on her own, but since gaining someone who completely understands her, she has dropped all her defenses.
In front of others, she’s still a charismatic priestess, but alone with me, she quickly turns into a child.
If I were to demand a deeper relationship right now, she would probably accept it without hesitation.
If I declare that I’m getting bored and leaving, she wouldn’t be able to bear it for a moment, so I have no choice but to fulfill all her wishes.
“Oh, by the way, Yoo Jin, I bought a building in your name. You can do whatever you want with it, tenants or whatever.”
“I passed the building on in the name of the priestess.”
“Whaaat?! Why?! Why won’t you accept it?”
Feeling uneasy about this one-sided relationship, Jill has been desperately trying to give me gifts lately.
She seems to think that the only thing she can give me is material wealth.
In reality, she has grown immensely from reading the secrets of Dakia-style swordsmanship…
Even though Jill saw me training firsthand, she still thinks I’m only mastering a flashy sword dance.
It will be fun to see her eyes wide with surprise when I face a real fight someday.
“I didn’t become your bodyguard for the money, you know.”
“Then is it for honor?”
“That too. But the biggest reason is that serving the priestess is my joy.”
“Why? Why are you treating me so nicely, Yoo Jin? The maids born and raised in my family aren’t as selfless as you.”
Well…
I’m just behaving like this because in the end, I’ll say goodbye anyhow.
I suppress those words as they rise in my throat.
“Who knows? Maybe I fell for you at first sight. When I thought, ‘This person is the master I’ll serve.’”
“Fell for me at first sight? When?”
“When your hand touched mine and you wrinkled your brow, saying it was dirty.”
“Ah, can we please stop talking about that time…?”
I mixed in a little joke to diffuse the mood, but Jill will undoubtedly believe that I genuinely respect and follow the priestess.
That’s enough.
Jill won’t be afraid of me running away anymore.
“Enough! Pack your bags already! Stop the useless talk!”
“I already packed everything.”
“Then help me pack my things!”
“Should I help you choose your underwear?”
“You little—!”
If I’ve earned Jill’s trust, the next step should be much easier.
*
“Arrived, huh.”
“Wowwww…”
“Priestess, you’re drooling.”
“Hehehe. Yoo Jin can wipe it for me.”
As we emerged from the tunnel, it was Petenburg.
Seeing the landscape outside the carriage window nearly made me gasp in astonishment.
In this world, which heavily features medieval fantasy colors, Petenburg stands out with a gray-toned, modern city appearance.
The skyscrapers rising in the middle of the plateau seem so out of place.
It feels like stepping into a scene from a fever dream.
“Can’t take your eyes off it? Must be amazing, huh? Hehe. This is the pinnacle of magical engineering!”
“Are you speaking as if it’s your city…?”
The train soon arrived at the platform.
I felt the air was so thin that breathing was somewhat difficult.
The breeze was cool, and the air was refreshing, but the strong sunlight beat down, causing my skin to sting.
Quite different from Hameln, which was gloomy and would rain on and off, only to remain cloudy the rest of the time.
“Ugh!”
“Don’t forget! Your skin will burn!”
Jill quickly adjusted her huge hat, almost forgetting it.
I felt an urge to see Jill’s sun-kissed skin, but I held it back.
While Jill and I might be fine, the elders of the Diner family would surely get mad.
“Oh, she went to Petenburg and came back like a gyaru!”
“Yoo Jin! Hand!”
“Here it is.”
“Hehe!”
Her way of asking for my hand is quite strange.
Typically, one would spread their palm and say to place your hand on top.
Instead, Jill readies her own hand while asking me to show her my palm.
But whatever, that’s fine.
What matters is that we’re holding hands, strolling through a crowded place.
Since we’ve escaped Hameln, hardly anyone will recognize the priestess, and even if they did, they wouldn’t suspect that this excited mischievous girl is her, given her fully casual outfit.
We’ve even informed Petenburg that we’ll arrive tomorrow.
That means for the next 24 hours, we can tour Petenburg together comfortably without any interruptions.
“Ready, Yoo Jin?”
“What kind of preparation?”
“Prepare to collapse! We’re going to play all day! I heard Petenburg has all sorts of attractions like airships and flying trains, and also! And then…!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
It seems Jill still thinks of me as that weakling who barely managed because of the bodyguard penalty.
Having stocked up on various potions and completed some side quests to boost my basic stats, more importantly…
[Stats]
[Strength: 13(x5) * Bodyguard Effect Applied]
[Stamina: 12(x5) * Bodyguard Effect Applied]
[Mana: 12(x5) * Bodyguard Effect Applied]
[Agility: 20(x5) * Bodyguard Effect Applied]
[Luck: 14(x5) * Bodyguard Effect Applied]
I’ve never once let the bodyguard trait be inactive when I’m with Jill.
It seemed Jill toured until she was about to collapse.
After supporting her back to our hotel room, while she went to the restroom, I took out what I had bought, and her eyes widened.
“Alcohol?”
“There’s some booze you can only get in Petenburg. I thought I might regret it if I didn’t drink.”
“I decided not to drink. The elders of my house dislike it.”
“Oh really? Then I guess I’ll have to drink it all by myself.”
“Wha—what? You wanted it that much?”
“Yes. I must drink alone.”
“Why drink alone like that? Let’s drink together…”
Mission accomplished.
I successfully broke Jill’s sobriety.
As seen, the nature of my relationship with Jill isn’t me being led by her.
It’s quite the opposite.
I have a significant psychological advantage, and Jill is anxious to meet my expectations.
“Hmm? What’s this? I’ve heard all the drinks are bitter and taste terrible?”
“Haha, if you only drink something like that, you’ll never touch alcohol again. We should start by getting you to like it.”
“It’s delicious! I had no idea alcohol could taste this good!”
Jill may not know her limits, but I do.
Jill is incredibly weak to alcohol.
And the drink I’ve served her is a cocktail dubbed ‘Lady Killer’.
It’s a sweet drink that you can gulp down without realizing you’re getting drunk, making it quite a risky one.
Of course, I’ll be keeping a close watch over her to manage her pace.
“Hahh! Why didn’t I drink sooner? I feel so good! Hehe!”
As expected, Jill got tipsy quickly.
Just one more sip, and she’d be out cold, ready for sleep.
“Ughh. Nyaa.”
“Nyaa?”
What’s happening here?
Jill, having downed a whole cocktail, suddenly lays on my thigh, purring like a cat.
Her face looks as if she has completely lost her inhibitions.
“Don’t you want to adopt another cat?”
“I already have one. It’s a baby cat with a picky personality full of tears and affection who loves to throw tantrums.”
While that baby cat is much too big, I decide to indulge in this roleplay.
I humorously accept her lazy attempts to ‘cat paw’ me and scratch her belly, soon eliciting pleasing moans.
It’s rare to see Jill being so openly affectionate.
When writing game dialogue, I never imagined I’d witness this side of Jill.
“Nyaa. Nyaa! Then let’s adopt another one!”
“Should we?”
Suddenly, Jill laughs charmingly, then sweeps her hair back dramatically.
Startled, I look, and to my surprise, Jill has returned to a fully human posture, wrapping her arms around my neck.
The dreamy look in her eyes is now sharp and clear.
The cute baby cat is nowhere to be found; instead, there’s only a prideful lioness glaring at me.
It seems this roleplay is testing my attitude.
Of course, I’ve been aware of it.
If I mention adopting one, she’ll make a fuss, and if I say I won’t, she’ll whine about me not liking her.
Think there’s any fake tension here?
You bet.
Yet, I intentionally chose the former.
“The priestess will never lose her mind.”
“Right? You must have misheard, right? Hurry and say it’s true, Yoo Jin. Say it. Quickly.”
“…”
“Please. Won’t you say it? Huh? Yoo Jin. Please…”
“…”
In the end, I’ll have to betray Jill’s expectations perfectly someday.
Fate demands I abandon her and depart.
I believe that Jill wouldn’t fall apart just because I disappeared.
At least, that’s what I want to believe.
“Urgh… Huh…”
Jill’s breathing gradually grows softer as she clings to me and sobs lightly.
It seems she passed out after getting completely drunk.
I purposely embrace her a bit roughly and toss her onto the bed; she merely stirs, not waking at all.
No matter what I do, she probably won’t wake up or recall anything that happened.
Mission successful.
“Phew… Finally got away.”
Stepping outside, the cool breeze welcomes me.
I wipe the cold sweat off and do a high five with my inner self.
Jill won’t wake until tomorrow morning.
By then, I will have my freedom.
“How long has it been since I felt this bodyguard penalty kick in? I’ve missed this feeling of detachment.”
Even though I’ve surpassed my alcohol limit, Jill remains peacefully asleep without hurling or foaming at the mouth.
And I finally get the chance to roam the streets solo.
The streets here evoke a beautiful night view of the modern world.
Ah, even just walking feels healing.
If I were to settle in this world, I’d love to live in Petenburg.
Though, that’s not likely to happen.
I will absolutely return to reality.
No doubt about it.
“Huh?”
I catch sight of a tiny dot right in the center of a large bridge, glimmering with the light of passing carriages.
No, it’s not a dot. It’s a person.
‘Oh, no way.’
My heart sinks.
They’re not planning to jump, are they?
Petenburg has quite a few gambling houses targeting tourists.
Surely they haven’t lost all their money and become hopeless…
Oh no, this can’t happen.
With my bodyguard penalty making me weak, I sprint towards the center of the bridge.
“Hey!”
“…?!”
I grab the wrist of the black-haired woman leaning against the bridge railing and pull her back.
It’s only after her surprised expression that I realize:
She wasn’t trying to end her life.
“Yulia Petenburg?”
I’ve discovered that she’s not only the owner of this city but also the second main heroine, Yulia Petenburg.
I never expected to encounter Yulia here.
With her pointy ears proving her elf status, curly black hair, and stunning beauty, she is astonishing.
Even though elves maintain their beauty effortlessly, dark circles betray her weary eyes.
If she’d only keep her mouth shut, she exudes a mysterious yet chilly vibe.
“Ah. Uh… er… Uh… Uh… there…”
It seems she’s developed a communication disorder from not meeting anyone for 300 years.
