Chapter 153

Chapter 151 – Request for Help

‘What the heck is this?’

I calmly reviewed the content of the letter. I read it again and again, without missing a single word, and it was just as I thought.

A letter requesting my help from a nearby lord.

This was a quest indicating that the main story of the game had entered its mid-phase.

The ring I obtained after defeating Arachnae was still peacefully resting in my room’s drawer. So, it wasn’t like the ring was delivered without me knowing.

If this had occurred in a sub-quest, I might have understood it better.

For a user who places more importance on roaming the map and illuminating the map than on pushing the story or clearing quests, it was common to sometimes achieve quests unknowingly and feel baffled.

However, delivering the ring of the Pratroyd family after beating Arachnae is part of the main story. This means it couldn’t have been skipped or achieved ahead of time.

It definitely had to be that way.

‘…Is this the aftermath of meeting that Se-muk-ja guy?’

My head was troubled. If this was the result of the entity that devours the world breaking the story and interfering first, there couldn’t be a greater inconvenience.

Though I had practically given up on proceeding according to the game’s story, the appearance of the entity that devours the world and this request for help were similar but fundamentally different cases.

That lizard guy was a completely new event not found in the game, while this letter was an event that existed in the game’s main story happening earlier.

In a way, this could be seen as similar to defeating a creature abandoned by God right after entering the Holy Kingdom.

‘Is it because I defeated all the mandatory bosses in the early phase?’

That seemed to be the most plausible possibility. I had already taken out the spider among the three mandatory bosses from the early phase, and I might have also eliminated the golem and wolf during this opportunity.

In the game, these creatures that became mandatory bosses were all intertwined with various stories and quests, but I completely ignored that and went directly to take them out myself.

“Are you okay, Commander? You don’t look so good.”

Laksia also wore a serious expression. Seeing my gloomy mood, she seemed to have made her own assumptions about the letter’s content.

The content itself was not serious at all. In fact, one might say it is a good thing from the perspective of the people in this world. The only one who had to be serious about it was me, who knew the underlying circumstances.

“It’s fine. It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t seem like nothing, though. What does it say?”

I quietly handed over the letter. Upon receiving it, Laksia carefully read through the contents, her expression reflecting curiosity as she tilted her head.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s anything particularly serious. It’s a request for help, and the promised rewards don’t seem bad for you, Commander. In fact, you could argue that since they asked you directly, your reputation must be quite high.”

The letter’s message was straightforward. A lord from a nearby city had specifically requested my help.

The core of the request was to subdue a dungeon that had appeared near his territory, and the rewards included all the loot and byproducts from that dungeon, along with some additional money.

The overall outline was similar to what I had seen in the game, but the details were completely different.

Terms referring to me included chasing off dragons, obtaining the title of commander of the newly founded knight order, and serving the Article, Aurora, who is part of the royal family, should not have been present.

Another name should have been there instead. The entity that devours the world, the Dark Night Order, and Aurora’s name shouldn’t have come up. It should have been the names of the bosses from the early to mid-phase of the main story that were meant to proceed after returning the family ring.

Because defeating all of those was an event that occurred before I received this letter.

‘I feel like the trust placed in me is sky-high.’

In the game, it felt like a plea for help from a knight whose name had recently risen to prominence, grasping at straws, but now, it felt much more certain that I could solve this incident without a doubt.

It seemed that the level of rumors surrounding my achievements was notably different.

“I know. I have to accept it. I won’t refuse, as you expected me to, Laksia.”

“…?”

Laksia’s expression of confusion deepened. It was almost as if she were questioning why I had shown such a face if I was planning to accept the request in the end.

“…Understood. How many people will you take with you? I’ll prepare while you decide.”

“No. I’ll go alone.”

“Pardon?”

“So, you’re leaving again?”

“……”

Leaning on the desk, Aurora puffed her cheeks, looking incredibly displeased, was the first to speak.

“If you go by yourself like that, what about our promised outing?”

“I’ll do it after I return—”

Before I could finish my sentence, I felt an intense gaze from Aurora’s golden eyes directed at me. I halted my words.

The gazes of the other members of the Dark Night Order, including Helga, the vice commander, were also felt from behind. Unlike Aurora, their expressions were filled with excitement.

The expressionless Lana, who stood beside Aurora with her hands neatly placed on her lower belly, also bore a look in her eyes that showed she was eagerly anticipating how our conversation would unfold.

Laksia had insisted that Helga, the vice commander, had to go instead of going alone, so I compromised with just one member. That compromise led to bringing Helga.

Though I hadn’t realized it for long, the Dark Night Order had a very firm misunderstanding about the relationship between Aurora and me.

I had tried hard to explain it was not the case, but they didn’t seem to believe me at all.

So, this was why they were so fascinated by our conversation, thinking it was some kind of love rivalry from their perspective.

‘It’s a truly strange world.’

In the meantime, no one seemed to care that I had also gotten intimate with Lize. In fact, it almost felt like the atmosphere suggested it was only natural for me.

While having multiple women is considered disgusting and unimaginable, a man with numerous women was seen as a man of proven capability and thus deserving praise.

Of course, if the man failed to achieve something worthy of that recognition, he would be pointed at just the same, but it seemed they were already thinking in a twisted manner from that prior stage.

“Why suddenly? It’s a request, not an order or a threat. You could just decline it. It’s their urgency, not ours.”

“They say a dungeon has appeared nearby. It seems to be a Rune Dungeon.”

“If it’s a Rune Dungeon, they could just handle it themselves. Why are they asking for your help? When did they become so kind-hearted?”

“They already tried sending knights to handle it, but over ten have gone missing, so it’s become too much for them to handle alone.”

Not only were they desperate to make sure they wouldn’t lose all the rewards and loot from subjugating the dungeon, but they even included the possibility of additional rewards if they helped them get rid of it. They were in quite the predicament.

After attempting to hoard everything for themselves, they found themselves in a tight spot.

Moreover, while there were hardly any guardians, it was the principle to report the discovery of a Rune Dungeon to the Imperial Palace first. If it were revealed that they had attempted to take it for themselves, they would have to take responsibility for the consequences.

So they were attempting to make a request for help, along with a huge reward, to prevent this matter from getting out. No matter how precious a rune is, it’s not more valuable than one’s life or family.

That might be the case if they were asking a rookie knight whose reputation is soaring, but I’m curious why they trusted me, a knight granted by the Empress, to secretly eat the rune.

What if I went straight to the Empress and reported them?

“…What did they say about the rewards?”

“They said I could take everything from the dungeon, including the runes, and if you want, they would give additional money.”

At those words, Aurora’s eyes widened slightly. Saying I could take the runes indicated the situation was dire. She must have realized that well, hence her reaction.

“……”

Aurora seemed to be deeply contemplating something. Then, as if she had come to a decision, she relaxed her chin-resting hands.

“I want to go too.”

“…What did you just say?”

“I’m going too. Why, can’t I?”

I felt I understood Laksia’s feelings when I said I would leave alone.

“My lord, we’re fine going, but for you to join us could make it seem like it’s for some dubious purpose—”

“I’ll handle that myself. And you can think of this as a replacement for our ‘outings,’ right?”

Aurora was being stubborn. It seemed that like her aunt, Kaiquilia, she had an unyielding streak.

To bend that stubbornness would require clear reasoning, but unfortunately, I had no cards to play right now.

“…Understood. But you can’t enter the combat area?”

“Of course not. I know my place. I’ll be treated as a guest and just stay safely in that mansion, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

I had no choice but to nod, turning my body away. Immediately behind me, the knights, who were watching our conversation with great interest, averted their eyes.

Before me unfolded a feast of bunny girls.

And one reverse bunny girl.

“……”

With bunny ears that perked up over their heads, matching the color of their hair. Their bodies tightly fitted into clothing that barely covered their curves, revealing just enough to conceal their modesty.

No stockings, showcasing their bare thighs and calves. And high heels that matched the color of their hair like their bunny ears.

Finally, there were thick letter X-shaped stickers attached to the vice commander’s nipples and genitals.

Having felt dizzy when seeing the samples and designs, seeing them all dressed as bunny girls in a whole group made it double dizzy.

I struggled to suppress those feelings and opened my mouth.

“Helga.”

“Yes, you can speak.”

Returning was a reply with a half-lazy tone, unlike Laksia’s brisk responses.

Since it was better to have someone with this demeanor who finishes their job and pays no mind to other matters rather than someone overenthusiastic, I brushed it off.

“How many more do you think we need to bring for my lord?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure. But I think we will be sufficient as we are.”

“Are you sure?”

“No. I’ll bring one more.”

Realizing that the pressure would all fall on her if she didn’t, Helga quickly changed her tune.

As Helga wiggled her cute little bunny tail on her butt and departed, the other members followed suit, swaying their bunny ears and bouncing their chests and butts as they slipped away behind her.

They looked like they were off to do some dealing in a casino or something.

—So, inside the carriage….

—Inside the carriage, there’s a risk of being caught….

—As long as it doesn’t shake….

—And, sound….

Meanwhile, behind me, Aurora and Lana were eagerly whispering about something. An ominous feeling flickered across my mind.