That night, after returning from subjugating the Rock Centipede, I sat at my desk and grasped a pencil.
Above me, there was a fluorescent light, the air conditioner was running, and the modern desk and chair were there, along with a modern bed, paper, and a pencil. This felt like being in a real version of my home, not just in a game.
I had no idea why these writing tools were here. When I asked if there was something to write with, they handed me a pencil and an eraser. I was momentarily taken aback.
Aurora was using a feather pen that looked like it belonged in the medieval times.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now, so I shook off my idle thoughts and refocused on the paper. I needed to sort through the upcoming situations.
‘The main story I need to pursue is obviously related to the Knight Order.’
I wrote down “Silver Dawn Knights” and circled it, then tapped the end of the pencil against it. There was no story in Brightest Darkness 4 as easy and comfortable as the Knight route.
The number of bosses I had to capture was notably low, and compared to other mandatory bosses, their difficulty was relatively easier. It was no wonder it was called a newbie-friendly story.
Even in the Darkest Light Mod, where the specs and aggression of enemies were running wild, that status remained.
Were it a real game, this story would be looked over for being boring, but here I only had one life. I had to walk the easiest and most comfortable path.
Moreover, once I cleared the main story, the player could become the first commander of the Silver Dawn Knights or even become a direct guard knight of the Empress.
The path to success was certainly laid out, so the future looked bright.
The side quests weren’t overly complicated, the story was average, the number of mandatory bosses was low, the difficulty was easy, and the ending was fantastic. It was a route filled entirely with advantages.
‘Perhaps catching the Creature that Devours the World will allow me to return home… but since it’s not a sure answer, I should be prepared.’
The reason I was worried about my future in this world was simple.
The cliché of an isekai scenario generally has the protagonist returning home after clearing the final boss or completing the main story, but I couldn’t ignore the possibility of having to live here for life.
So there would be no harm in preparing ahead. I’d secure what I could, cut off all thoughts of anxiety, and make sure I was fully prepared before seeing the ending.
‘…So, what should I do about the Empress?’
I paused for a moment, looking at the word “Empress” written at the top of the paper. Just as in the game, she had become a human whose predictions were far more difficult here.
If all my remembered choices turned out to be useless, I didn’t have confidence in selecting the right answers from the Empress’s unpredictable, chaotic selection options.
Unless I chose to move my base to the Holy Kingdom or completely sever ties with humans, staying in the Empire meant I was bound to encounter the Empress at least once.
However, the Empress was notorious among players for many reasons. As a boss, in terms of story significance, and related to her character’s personality.
‘Well, it’s meaningless to think about it now, so I’ll save it for later.’
In fact, if the Empress’s personality had truly changed, my actions of preparing alone here were in vain.
Right away, the dialogue choices with the NPC who was the original of Lize were still fresh in my mind, yet that knowledge had proven to be completely useless in conversations with Lize.
At least Iris and Claudia kept their NPC-like personalities strongly, but with Lize and Erica, you could say they were completely different characters.
What would be different about the Empress?
‘I don’t have to stop by the Holy Kingdom right now.’
I redirected my thoughts. If I proceeded in a somewhat organized manner, I would probably reach the Holy Kingdom midway through the story.
But I surely had to stop by that country someday. I needed to obtain magic from the Pope there. When fighting the demon-type enemies later, it would be much easier to buff with that spell.
But that was just someday. There were plenty of tasks I needed to accomplish right now, and there was no time to worry about the Holy Kingdom. Before that, there was so much to do within the Empire.
I had to ask the Knight Commanders for help regarding the Combat Fatigue Debuff Rune, and I still had to take down the mandatory bosses in the main story.
‘There are three mandatory bosses in total.’
Spider Queen Arachnae.
Burning Golem.
Blind Black Wolf.
These three were the only bosses that one must capture in the early stages to progress the main story of the Silver Dawn Knights. The rest were either optional or added in the mid-game.
If I classified them by location, it would make sense to first take down the Spider Queen Arachnae, then the Blind Black Wolf, and finally the Burning Golem to minimize wasted movement.
Conversely, if I thought about efficiency, it would be beneficial to take down the Burning Golem first. The magic obtained from defeating the Burning Golem would give an immense advantage in the boss battle against Arachnae.
Sure, my mana would run low and I’d probably only be able to use magic one or two times before my mana pool dried up, but it wasn’t impossible to use magic.
No, if Erica played her role, perhaps the magic gained from defeating the Burning Golem might not even be necessary—
Knock, knock.
“Newbie. Are you in there?”
The knock from outside broke my thoughts. Soon after, I heard Iris’s voice. Startled, I hastily hid the paper. I could reveal the truth someday, just not right now.
“I’m here. Why?”
“I have something to tell you.”
I cautiously opened the door at the mention of something to tell me. Standing in front of the door was a knight with silver hair, clad in the usual white sleeveless top and silver dolphin shorts.
To put it bluntly, it was Iris.
“What did you want to tell me?”
“It’s about Lady Aurora.”
“Lady Aurora?”
“She said all the backlog of tasks has been completed. So, she’s going to hold a celebration banquet soon.”
“Oh, I guess they finally decided on that.”
Just days ago, Aurora had been fretting over the impossibility of squeezing out a budget. Yet, somehow, in this short time, she had finished everything and allocated the budget.
“She said she pushed herself a bit, even cutting down on her sleep. One should throw a celebration banquet before the good feelings fade away.”
This upcoming banquet had three reasons for celebration: the death of that lord, Aurora rising to the position of new lord and head of the family, and the Silver Dawn Knights regaining their original status.
“And so, I came to relay a message to you about your preparations.”
“Not asking if I want to attend, but ordering me to attend instead?”
“Lady Aurora stated that all members of the Silver Dawn Knights must attend. Especially you, the newbie who contributed the most to this event. Since the attendees are only five of us counting her, we can’t afford to miss even one. Is there any problem with that?”
“I’m not thinking of skipping anyway, so it’s fine. So, what should I wear? Should I just wear what I had on as a knight?”
This kind of banquet was an event that hadn’t appeared in the game, and I definitely wouldn’t know the dress code for a medieval noble’s party, making me a bit anxious.
While a man’s attire might be somewhat standard, I wondered how the women’s dresses would pan out. I couldn’t even imagine how outrageous the dress would be.
“Lady Aurora mentioned that she would prepare everything. So, you don’t need to worry.”
After our last conversation, it seemed Aurora was equally affected by the mod’s changes in perception. It wasn’t about not worrying; it was about preparing even more.
I was flabbergasted when I saw her praising the white sleeveless top and dolphin shorts as being superbly stylish last time.
“…I got it for now. When is it?”
“Tomorrow.”
“What?”
“Tomorrow evening, she said.”
“I’ve heard enough, so no need for detailed explanations. But seriously, can all the preparations for the banquet be done in just one day?”
“They had instructed to hold the banquet to coincide with the end of work. The real preparations had actually begun weeks ago.”
So that was it. Truly, just like Aurora to handle things like this.
“That’s all I have to say, but do you have any questions or anything else to say?”
“No, nothing in particular.”
“Alright.”
Once Iris finished speaking, she turned away. And just before the door closed, she flashed a very red face and quickly threw out a short greeting.
“Goodnight, Newbie.”
“…Okay, got it for now.”
I had only managed to return her simple goodnight and her face turned scarlet all the way to the tips of her ears. After that, she dashed away down the corridor.
‘What was that about?’
It was a mystery to me.
And the next day.
‘I knew this would happen.’
Seeing the dresses worn by the Knight Commanders, I was once again reminded of the mod’s power.
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