I Became a Raid Boss

Joanie spoke in a rather serious tone.

“Even if it’s orc meat, when you think about it, it’s not much different from pork. It’s not like we’re eating bugs, and it’s not tasteless, so there’s really no reason not to eat it, right?”

Now it’s too late…

Your tongue is so sharp^^

So, were you trying to log out and escape??

“Y-You didn’t end up doing that…! So what? Are you just going to nitpick about that?”

If you log out in a non-safe zone, your character remains exactly where it was.

Thanks to Demoninus’s consideration or something, there were many safe zones in the field, not just in towns, and players could even create one themselves if needed.

So players didn’t really feel uncomfortable spending days in the field, as long as there were no NPCs around.

That is only if there were no NPCs, though.

There were no NPCs in safe zones outside the towns, and players could only create them when no one else was around.

Players buzzed with theories about why Demoninus would adopt such a cumbersome method.

The most widely agreed-upon theory was that it was designed to create a sense of realism.

After all, you can’t completely disregard convenience in a game, but allowing players to log out anywhere would reduce realism.

So the claim was that this method preserved both convenience and realism while avoiding dissonance with NPCs, but…

Only Demoninus knows the answer.

Even if you asked Demoninus, who created the system, for a reason, they remained silent, so no matter how much it resonated with others online, ultimately, it was all speculation.

Given that time took such aspects into account, it was natural for the escort requests to garner the meme of “the domain of the unemployed” or “the privilege of the unemployed.”

In other words, Joanie didn’t escape and log out to avoid orc meat last night; she simply couldn’t.

After all, streamers need to be a bit shameless.

Playfully, huh?

When she first started streaming, Joanie was strictly honest, but now, seasoned, she could handle it like this.

However, the viewers also got seasoned alongside her.

You couldn’t do it, right?

If Joanie wanted to escape, that’d be a huge thumbs up!

Didn’t you learn that if you get caught lying, your arm will get it?

“…By the way, even if I use sleep mode whenever I get a chance and pull all-nighters, being tired is unavoidable, I guess.”

Having been hit right in the feels, Joanie deftly changed the subject.

LOL, caught right red-handed!

Lying down in bed just can’t compare, huh?

They say the expensive capsule is more comfortable than a bed!

Expensive capsule vs. expensive bed?

Fight me!

But a bed doesn’t have any gaming functions…

“Oh, right. I’ve used a really expensive capsule before, and I understood immediately why it’s worth it. The functionality is one thing, but the comfort is on another level.”

Isn’t the host’s one quite pricey too?

Too much for regular folks to use.

My capsule disconnects when I get bored…

Then just buy one…;

“I thought so too, but isn’t that what they call reverse conditioning? After experiencing it, the downsides really stand out. Seriously, I almost caved in.”

Must be nice to have the money to buy what you want…

If it’s not a bother, could you buy me an ice cream?

“Of course, I can’t pay all at once. Maybe installments over 48 months? Ice cream? You can buy that with your own money…!”

48 months? LOL!

The slave walks in willingly, huh?

Good times.

Joanie smacked her lips.

Just because something is expensive doesn’t mean it’s truly worth it, but the capsule she experienced was worth every penny.

Back then, before Silia Online was even released, she could resist the impulse and fend off the temptation.

But now… it might not be such a bad idea…

Now that Silia Online was out, she spent more time in the capsule than before.

Joanie let herself be rocked by the cart while looking for reasons to buy instead of reasons to resist.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

“Does Kana sleep at all?”

Last night, thanks to the merchant’s consideration, Joanie had shared a tent with Kana.

It probably wasn’t a pure act of kindness; there was some ulterior motive in trying to impress both of them.

Even if it wasn’t purely altruistic, it allowed them to enjoy a spacious tent comfortably, so from Joanie’s perspective, it was no loss.

Thanks to that, she could see Kana sleeping…

…Not really.

They say kids sleep a lot, but against that, Kana was wide awake, pulling her knees tightly until Joanie logged out.

When she turned the capsule to sleep mode and logged back in, Kana was already up and active.

But it wasn’t like she was taking a quick nap in the cart.

NPCs didn’t sleep either, so she must sleep, but Joanie pondered over the fact that she had never seen it for herself.

“You have to sleep well to grow tall.”

“…”

“…Sorry.”

Given that she was speaking as Arkish, Kana probably didn’t catch it, but sensing something, she shot a piercing gaze Joanie’s way, making her flinch and apologize.

LOL!

LOL!

Feeling the life-sign detector over here!

“Ugh…”

Joanie glared at the viewers hammering down on the chat with random consonants.

Obviously, her warning went unheard.

*

I quietly watched Joanie chattering away by herself.

Thinking about it, she seemed to talk to herself a lot.

She’d laugh on her own, suddenly get angry, and when it seemed like she’d calmed down, she’d laugh again.

Watching her like that made me wonder if she was feeling unwell.

It was perfectly reasonable to find her behavior quite odd, but Catherine, sitting in the cart with us, didn’t seem to react to Joanie’s antics at all.

Maybe she was used to it.

…

Or perhaps…

“Kana, what are you thinking about?”

“…Nothing.”

“Hmm?”

A finger with some dubious intent seemed to hover before me.

Avoiding the poke on my cheek, I answered.

What’s with the urgency to poke me anyway?

So far, I had let it slide out of annoyance, but it seemed like I needed to impose some order soon.

Even while I was thinking this, the merchant cart smoothly moved toward the next destination.

After encountering the orc pack yesterday, I was relieved to find no monsters attacking today, so the merchant’s pace felt pretty brisk.

In terms of the map, crossing through the empire would be the fastest route, but roads aren’t always in great shape.

They could be blocked by mountains, rivers, or dense forests…

Because of that, the merchant took a slight detour along the northern part of the Empire’s territory.

Unlike in Korea, where borders are tightly secured, Lo Arka Empire’s defenses were more like setting up forts and towns, leaving the respective lords in charge of those.

Each town collectively forms the border.

Is this what they call feudalism? I seem to remember something like that.

Anyway, so it wouldn’t be a problem for the merchant to slightly cross Empire territory.

Though a toll fee had to be paid.

Was this how it was in ancient Europe too?

I wondered suddenly, as the next stop for our merchant cart was a small village in the barony of the Empire.

Originally, it had been part of Grasis, but after Grasis fell, it got absorbed into the barony or something.

Having been isolated in the mountains, I had no way of knowing such things, so I gathered this from someone else.

Who did I hear it from?

Who else, but the Apostle whining beside me.

“There’s a flower garden near that village, and it’s so beautiful that people go there just to see it.”

“…”

“Let’s go see it together, okay? Kana, you love flowers, right? You’ll definitely be satisfied.”

“…”

I didn’t particularly like flowers, so her premise was flawed from the start.

Since her premise was wrong, the conclusion I’d be satisfied was obviously wrong as well.

Even if the premise was incorrect, I might take a guess, but unfortunately, that was a wrong answer.

Seeing my indifference, Joanie looked antsy.

“If you come with me, I’ll give you something tasty!”

“…I’m not a kid.”

“…Ugh, okay. I know too. Our Kana isn’t a kid. What kind of nasty person would call Kana a kid~?”

“…I’m not ‘our’ Kana.”

…Their speech pattern already gives it away.

The gentle tone of her voice, like soothing a pouting child, and the laughter that lingered on it made me cringe.

I frowned at the warm gaze directed at me, then sighed.

Just how badly did she want to see flowers?

Now that I think about it, most noble daughters I’d seen during my knight days liked flowers.

It might be some kind of instinct women have.

Whether it’s because I was a man in my past life or that I lived such a barren life devoid of sentiment, I couldn’t feel any special appreciation.

To be precise, I found them pretty, but merely passing by and thinking they were ‘pretty’ was as far as it went; I never felt the need to go visit them or sit down and admire them.

Then suddenly, the image of Garid, seated outside a flower shop, popped up in my mind.

It was a scene I had never witnessed, yet imagining it was easy.

His muscular build, the long scar cutting diagonally across his right cheek, a far cry from elegance, and his short brown hair.

Garid squatting down, eyes sparkling as he gazes at the flowers, and the perplexed flower shop owner in front of him.

“Puhuhuh…”

Imagining that sight made me chuckle involuntarily.

Was it a pure laugh? I’m not so sure. It felt closer to mockery.

“Eh?! Kana, you smiled? You did, right?!”

“…”

Joanie couldn’t restrain herself and got all excited.

“I didn’t smile.”

“Come on, you smiled. It’s fine to smile, so why lie?”

It was more something I should’ve been saying.

It’s fine to smile, so why the fuss?

I looked down on Joanie, who was squealing with delight alongside Catherine.

With a sigh, watching their antics made me say, “Alright. Let’s go.”

“Oh, really?!”

Joanie’s voice soared in surprise.

Why was she so shocked when she’s the one who suggested it?

“I thought you’d keep refusing… but looks like Kana must love flowers. Maybe her earlier cold response was just shyness? And that earlier claim of not being a kid? So cute! …What? You want me to kill you? Why?!”

“If you don’t want to go, then don’t.”

“No way! I just got carried away…. Ahem… No, I really want to! So it’s decided that we’re going to see them together?”

“Yeah.”

If it looks nice, I should also buy some seedlings or seeds on the way back to show Garid.

I’m sure he would love that.

“Oh, we must be almost there.”

The atmosphere inside the merchant cart became chaotic.

Unlike yesterday’s urgency, it didn’t seem like there was a monster attack this time.

Feeling that Joanie looked out the curtain and peeked outside.

“Oooh… I see it!”

Her voice was filled with excitement.

Joanie, craning her neck to look outside, seemed to notice Catherine chuckling and felt embarrassed, quickly sitting back down.

“Looks like you’re really excited.”

“Aha! I love traveling… I apologize if I seemed too enthusiastic.”

“Nothing to apologize for. It’s nice to see.”

I prepared to get off the cart.

Preparation meant just pulling down my cape and checking my belongings.

As the cart slowly slowed down and the clattering of wheels faded, a lively yet serene atmosphere filled the gap that was left behind.

Peeking outside the curtain, I spotted the idyllic village scene that looked like it was painted.

A boy somewhere had curious and expectant eyes when our gazes met.

Surely, for a child living in such a small village, a merchant’s visit would be a remarkable event.

It wasn’t my first time visiting a village like this one, but seeing such expression was a new experience.

I never went off on my own; I was always moving with the knight squad, and when they visited a village, it meant there was something that couldn’t be managed by the town guards or the lord’s soldiers.

Thus, every time we were greeted, it was with anxious and fearful, even despairing expressions rather than positive ones like curiosity or excitement.

I nodded back at the boy who was waving cheerfully at me while thinking about Garid and how he might feel sorry.

…Well, it’s not too bad.

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