“Is this the arrival?”
After running all night, I’ve finally reached the capital city of the Holy Kingdom, Hameln.
The view of this massive planned city is…
“What’s here? Nothing.”
It’s a wasteland itself.
What exists are only large roads and lots for houses.
The rest is barren open spaces or construction sites.
It’s only natural.
Hameln is still in the preparation stage for the official capital relocation.
Once the main buildings are completed, the relocation of the priests and government officials will begin in earnest.
Of course, it will take quite some time for Hameln to truly establish itself as a capital.
“The priestess has a tough job.”
And the priestess, Jill Diner, is here in a sort of supervisory role for the construction of Hameln.
Her main duties include buffing up the construction workers, monitoring subcontractors to ensure they don’t slack off, and performing the consecration ceremonies on completed buildings.
What should have been the work of hundreds of priests is being shouldered solely by the priestess.
Although it’s supposed to be the next capital, there’s a lot of foreign labor coming in and security is unstable.
In such circumstances, Priestess Jill Diner feels the need to select a bodyguard knight.
That’s precisely why there will be a bodyguard knight selection tournament in a month.
Why do I have a whole month left, you ask?
Well, I skipped the early hunting grounds at the adventurer’s guild.
The standard progression would involve performing quests and leveling up by hunting monsters, but…
I just couldn’t stand living with those adventurers, so I ran away.
‘What to do for these four weeks is the question.’
Thanks to that, I have a lot of free time.
Four weeks in the Holy Kingdom’s future capital, Hameln.
It’s precious time.
I can’t waste it.
“Ouch! My waist!”
“You young’un can’t even handle this already? Tsk tsk.”
It’s tough.
It’s hard.
I’m dying.
Day three of manual labor.
I’ve already reached the point where I’m seeing flashing lights and the spirit of Blin is beckoning me over.
Why am I here, you ask?
In Hameln’s construction site where labor is precious, daily laborers pull in monstrous pay.
The wages wouldn’t even be envious compared to what skilled workers get in other cities.
So why, despite having 3000 gold, am I still in need of money?
Because there’s too much to buy.
And it’s all expensive stuff.
“Hey! Was it Yoo Jin? Come here! You need to see how we handle mana bomb detonations!”
“Ugh, what’s the point in teaching a guy who’s going to run away in a few days?”
“I can tell from the kid’s eyes! He’s got some grit! I don’t think he’ll run away until the city’s done!”
“I’ll be right there, boss! I really want to see the explosion work!”
Here it comes.
I absolutely have to learn how to handle mana bombs.
I’ll need to use them myself in a few weeks.
Small, lightweight, easy to store, and with explosive power, mana bombs are priced at 1000 gold each on the black market.
I need to buy at least eight of them.
Will my waist hold up?
“Alright, everyone! Did you rest enough? Shall we begin again with vigor?”
“Boss! Are you kidding? We’ve been working on plating since dawn, and we’re all woozy from the fumes! And now we have to work with concrete in the afternoon?”
“The schedule is tight! But there’s a massive bonus! Today’s wage is triple! You all came in here smelling the money, and now you’re complaining?”
“This is way too much! Are you trying to kill us? If we all pass out trying to meet the schedule, who’s going to take the blame? Isn’t convincing the higher-ups part of your job, not this other nonsense?”
“But just a little more effort…”
“Ugh! I can’t take it anymore! I’m dropping out! Let’s see if you can finish the plating without me!”
“These guys…”
It’s the second week of manual labor.
The atmosphere at the construction site isn’t good.
A foreign worker, seasoned in all kinds of grunt work, has declared a strike and is lying down, while the boss looks down at him, visibly displeased.
Normally, the boss is quite easygoing, but he has a tendency to bulldoze everything when enraged.
I suspect he might force the work to continue stubbornly.
If that happens, there might be a confrontation.
It seems everyone is thinking the same, as a tense atmosphere settles between management and workers.
“…?”
A flashy carriage that doesn’t fit the construction site comes to a halt.
All management members, who had been drawing their swords to prepare for a riot, and workers, who were gathering their tools, froze in place.
Soon, the door of the carriage opens, and a pair of plain shoes steps down onto the footboard.
As a blonde girl bows her head to reveal herself, everyone, including me, gapes with our jaws dropped in awe.
“Wow. Crazy. So freaking beautiful.”
Of course, I’m included in that awe.
I’ve seen Jill Diner’s illustrations and cutscenes so many times it’s ridiculous.
So I thought I wouldn’t react clumsily like an extra character.
But the stunning beauty of Jill piercing through her modest clothes left me speechless.
With a smile that looked innocent to a fault and modest demeanor.
I once again found myself captivated.
“I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Meeting the priestess for the first time in the game was during the selection tournament event.
I never planned to encounter her here.
By the way, I heard she’d been going around the construction site, encouraging the workers.
I thought she might’ve passed by long before I joined the crew, but I never expected her to show up so suddenly.
“Hello, everyone. Thank you for working hard until this late afternoon. From the looks of it, you all seem quite exhausted.”
“No way! The priestess’s presence greatly energizes us!”
“Fufu. I’m glad to hear that. To help you regain your strength, I’ve prepared dinner for everyone. How about we fill our bellies and take a short break before resuming work?”
“Sounds great!”
“After dinner, I’ll bestow a blessing to help everyone recover your stamina.”
“Wooahhh!!!!”
What am I even witnessing?
Just moments ago, these guys were croaking in exhaustion, and now they’re rejuvenated like soldiers receiving a surprise performance from a girl group.
I’m starting to think that a blessing might not even be necessary.
Soon, food carts come rolling in, releasing tantalizing aromas.
It’s the smell of real food, unlike the awful potatoes and cucumbers we eat every day on-site.
No matter how much money I have, there are no restaurants here, so I couldn’t enjoy proper meals—now this smell hits me…
“Ah. It’s making me tear up.”
Suddenly, I felt a rush of emotions.
So this is how people become fervent believers.
I can only imagine how the other laborers are feeling, as I’ve only been here for two weeks.
“Thank you so much, Priestess. The atmosphere has been quite tense, but now it feels better. Haha.”
“No, it’s our fault for imposing such a grueling schedule on you.”
“Why are you apologizing, Priestess! It’s common knowledge that you’re running around for us!”
What a fuss.
The priestess’s hard work isn’t just for you guys.
It’s for her future and to marry me, of course.
For now, I might just be a nameless laborer in Jill’s eyes, but once the bodyguard knight selection tournament starts next week, the situation will change drastically.
As I inhaled some pasta, a smug smile filled my face.
Damn, why does it taste so good…?
“Jill Diner, she’s too perfect, right? Can the other heroines even compete?”
Playing the game, I didn’t realize it, but experiencing it firsthand shows that Jill Diner’s charms are overwhelming.
She shines even without extra embellishments, her astonishing beauty, generous curves, and a kindness that looks out for even commoners, all paired with a humility that doesn’t indulge in extravagance.
Sure, she might have a hint of paranoia, but such trivial flaws matter little.
No, that paranoia likely stems from boundless affection based on trust in her partner.
Wow. Essentially flawless?
Perfect, absolutely perfect.
By comparison, the gloomy Yulia and the obsessional Yerina are diminished.
What if I end up disappointed when I meet them later?
If I show my disappointment, it would make conquest difficult.
I’m deeply worried.
“May I take a look around the construction site for a moment?”
“Oh, of course. I’ll accompany you.”
“No, it’s fine. You all relax. I’m just going to check right in front of me.”
“If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll stay and watch.”
“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable…”
Is she conducting an inspection to see if the construction is progressing well?
What a strong sense of professionalism.
At that moment, while I was sneakily glancing at the priestess, a thought suddenly flashed in my mind.
“Oh no. The pathetic fools left these shallow ditches.”
During breaks, workers would pretend to work while idly digging holes, and then cover them up with leaves and dirt out of laziness.
A perfect trap was set.
Since the work path doesn’t overlap, I thought no one would fall into them, so I left them there.
But unexpectedly, the priestess is walking toward that direction.
It’s dangerous.
“Oh shit! What’s going on, newbie?”
“Whoa! What are you doing?!”
“The newbie’s gone nuts; he’s trying to tackle the priestess!”
I flipped a table and jumped up.
Then I quickly accelerated toward the priestess.
Naturally, I expected the guardian knight’s ability to activate, but it was still silent.
As I grabbed the priestess’s wrist and pulled her back just in time…
“Ah?!”
The ground where Jill had stepped crumbled away.
If I’d been just a moment slower, she would have fallen forward and injured herself badly.
“Are you alright, Priestess?”
Jill is now sprawled over me after being pulled back.
Letting out a sigh of relief, as I checked her complexion…
“Ugh. Dirty. Peasant smell.”
“……?”
I witnessed it.
The moment Jill’s expression twisted in disgust.
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