《The Boss of Beginner’s Village》


 Prologue

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 Chapter One

    -Mary¡¯s POV-


    I wonder if after I die, wouldIbecome a ghost myself? I shivered before such dreadful thought, but something about these words seems weirdly important.


    Hmm...? Dead? Am I not already...?


    Does that mean... that I¡¯m really... a gh-


    ~?~


    Sorry. It was so simple, so why am I not able to do that? And I even scared that simple and honest looking boy with my behavior. By the look in his eyes, he must have been frightened. Aya, I was actually already used to this kind of expression from my past life, but to imagine that even after gaining such a cute appearance I would still receive those fearful stares. Well, I guess that even if the shell is changed, the soul inside is the same.


    reality have plot holes?


    Appraisal.


    <blockquote>


    Name: Brann


    Race: Human


    Age: 27 years old


    Stats:


    Skills:


    Titles:


    </blockquote>


    ~?~


    Brann¡¯s POV-


    Oh, fuck, it was something even worse.


    She is really intelligent girl. And cute, too. And so mature despite her age, you¡¯ll see. She never asked me for anything, you believe that? And she now actually asked her grandma for a birthday present fufufu so, so adorable. She is also very obedient, you won¡¯t find another little girl like her... Yeah, there was an endless sea of compliments towards the child. At the end she said, It would be a great favor. After all, I can¡¯t think of anyone else who would be fitting.


    And I told that cute girl I would do it, so it¡¯s not like I will let you go~ But I think I had misheard it.


    Whatever I thought I had saw in her eyes, my younger self once told himself, it was just an illusion.

 Chapter Two

    -Brann¡¯s POV-


    I focused my mind as I cleaned my throat. Miss Mary was sitting at the Chief¡¯s desk, her attention aimed at the village¡¯s financial records. There was a time when I thought that doing such a bureaucratic work as tax protocol was boring as hell - actually, I still kinda of do - but I¡¯m not stupid enough to slack it off when she is around.


    Her eyes left the book and focused on me. I unconsciously straightened my back. Maybe it was disgraceful from a 27-years-old man to act this way towards a twelve-years-old girl, but to be true, the blame can¡¯t be placed on me.


    It¡¯s obvious that Miss Mary is the peculiar one here.


    I wanted so badly to sigh or even whine a bit, but I can¡¯t change what have already passed. Our village¡¯s healer pushed this hot potato on me, and before I could notice the burn, it has already fused on my skin.


    The child who everybody thought was my ¡®pupil¡¯, took control of the village¡¯s prefecture as soon as she arrived. The system that all the previous generations¡¯ chiefs worked with was easily discarded with a simple, cold word.


    Useless.


    Miss Mary doesn¡¯t talk much, but when she does, it¡¯s direct and concise.


    I was helpless and didn¡¯t want to scold Alma¡¯s granddaughter. So, I decided to let her play around for a bit, and when she got tired, I would give her back to her grandmother.


    It¡¯s always beneficial to get in a healer¡¯s good side, and Alma loved that child immensely. Besides, Miss Mary was just a little girl and Doveshire, just a small village.


    What could go wrong? It was just the two of us since our village doesn¡¯t require more personal than the chief himself and maybe an assistant. I would watch from the sidelines and before something bad could happen, I would intervene.


    At the beginning, I actually thought it was kinda cute, that tiny human being with such a serious face, as if she was really ¡®working¡¯. However, soon enough, I realized it wasn¡¯t just a childish play.


    And then... it got scary. Because that young girl wasn¡¯t just a genius. She was... well, I don¡¯t even know.


    I was so shocked by her actions that I didn¡¯t react at first. For a time, I just passively did what she told me to, almost automatically following my earlier plan of ¡®letting her play¡¯. It continued for a couple of weeks until it finally hit me and I thought I should do something.


    First, I went to Alma. She was the girl¡¯s grandmother and I thought it was important to talk to her regarding this matter. But the gray haired lady just smiled and affectionately said, Isn¡¯t she really smart? I told you she was special. Such a cute, intelligent little girl.


    In a sense, the old woman was another unusual character. That level of doting was astonishing.


    Anyways, even after explaining that ¡®oh, my granddaughter can count until one hundred!¡¯wasn¡¯t the same as ¡®oh, my granddaughter improved the village¡¯s tax system, created a census model to record our village¡¯s population information, introduced a long-term plan aiming at our village¡¯s public security and it¡¯s also working at our village¡¯s main product and the relations with the Adventure Guild¡¯, Alma easily brushed if off with anas expected from that child.


    I realized it wouldn¡¯t lead me anywhere, so I gave up on this doting grandmother.


    And then, just when I was planning on speaking to someone else, I was hit by another shocking event. Bowie came to talk to me. He¡¯s the manager of our village¡¯s Adventure Guild Branch and also the father of the girl I love.


    Bowie used to be a pretty muscular guy, but now all those muscles are slowly turning into fat meat. Not that I will ever mention this fact. But, one way or another, he is big. And I don¡¯t know why, but he really doesn¡¯t like me that much. So, when I saw him calling my name, and with a good smile on his pudgy face on top of that, it was strange, at any rate.


    ¡®Oh, if it isn¡¯t our chief.¡¯ He said when he approached me, friendly patting my shoulder. The abnormality of the situation couple with his rough laugh made me freeze, but I quickly let out an awkward smile. Probably not noticing my stiffness, Bowie continued. ¡®I just finished reading the report your little assistant gave me. And I have to say, I¡¯m impressed.¡¯


    My not-so-sure future father-in-law would never say something like that to me. After a brief conversation -where he would mainly do the talking- I realized that all of that girl¡¯s ideas were written down in this ¡®report¡¯. Those innovative and incredible ideas, they were the ones responsible for such a response from Bowie.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    But the thing is, the credit of those ideas... were given to me.


    I mean, how couldn¡¯t they? Miss Mary was just a child, who would seriously think she was the brain behind all this? As soon as Bowie left, I hurriedly made my way to where I knew Miss Mary would be, the village¡¯s prefecture. To be honest, it was just an adapted study at my family¡¯s house, but the name makes it fancier, so my ancestors decided to leave it like that.


    The younger version of Miss Mary was sitting -as usual- at the chief¡¯s chair. I looked at the fair skinned child with complicated eyes before asking why she had given the record to the Adventure Guild¡¯s manager under my name. To be true, I didn¡¯t think she would answer me. Miss Mary has always been a girl of few words. Sometimes, when I talked to her, she would flat out ignore me, so I was surprised when I heard her voice. It had a slightly childish tone, but her voice was lyrical and pleasant to hear, although a bit emotionless.


    Because this village needs a good chief,was her answer. Iwas pretty confused and maybe a little offended.


    Are you saying I am not a good chief?


    You¡¯re not.


    My younger self was stupidly hot-blooded sometimes, so I actually argued with a child more than half of my age.


    You think you¡¯re better as a chief then?


    I am. But that¡¯s not the point. You are the chief. Look how it¡¯s done.


    I knew she was. Everything in these past weeks proved me that she was way better for this role than me, but I couldn¡¯t let a little girl trump over my pride. (Funniest thing, now, I don¡¯t even think I have a pride anymore.)


    Intense eyes were looking at me, full of seriousness. Those greenorbs were like shining blades on my ego, and I suddenly didn¡¯t want to talk anymore. I was seriouslyworse than a five years old child, and in her eyes, I was close to nothing.


    I didn¡¯t matter that we were talking about Miss Mary here, who is completely out of a normal standard. I was feeling like shit. The only time that the father-in-law of my dreams came talk to me, wasn¡¯t because of my numerous efforts, but because of a little girl, who bluntly said I wasn¡¯t good enough.


    Ahhh, a youth¡¯s egois so easy to crush.


    What should I do then? I was so immersed in my misery, that I didn¡¯t notice I had actually said it out loud. Surprisingly, Miss Mary heard my words, and answered me. Now that I think about it, it was one of our longest conversations.


    If you¡¯re not a good chief, just act like one.


    I thought about what she said to me for days after. I reflected for long hours until I came to a conclusion. It was true. I wasn¡¯t fitting to be the village¡¯s chief. I already knew it long ago, but I never had the courage to speak my mind to my father.


    Perhaps I could just keep pushing the situation and pray for it to work, but I couldn¡¯t risk the village that my family cherished so much because of my selfishness and insecurity. I had to acknowledge my lack of talent in this aspect. So... I would do as the girl had said. I would let the talented one between us to be the true chief while I would just ¡®act like one¡¯.


    Because that, I believe, was the real meaning behind her words.


    Anyway, I thought so hard and deep that my brain hurt, and I had an all-day-long hellish headache. However, after it got better, it felt like a huge weight was taken from my shoulders. I was completely relaxed, for the first time since my father¡¯s death.


    Since the decision was made, why keep worrying over it? Let¡¯s just see how things go.


    After that faithful day, I became Doveshire Village¡¯s False Chief. Miss Mary was the brain, while I was the face, since we obviously couldn¡¯t just tell others that a child was the one managing everything. Trying to prove my worth, I slowly learned some acting techniques (it was self-taught but anyway) and it turned out I was pretty good at it. Maybe, if it was another situation, I could have gone to the capital and become a famous actor.


    But, well, we cannot have everything in life.


    As times pass by, the village was clearly improving under Miss Mary¡¯s command. Even with some guilty, I couldn¡¯t help but love the praises the others would give me as ¡®the best chief they ever had¡¯. Specially when the other person was Luci, my childhood sweetheart. And yeah, even though we know each other for a lot of time, the progress is still a bit slow.


    Okay, there is no progress at all, but I¡¯m currently thinking of some tactics.


    In the end, after seven years, I don¡¯t regret my decisions of that time at all. Just look at it: the village is good, so I get the credits while I don¡¯t have to work for it.


    However, it¡¯s true that saying ¡®don¡¯t have to work¡¯ is a little incorrect. After all, all those minor, annoying and boring works usually made by the assistant are given to me. But I still think the gains outweigh the losses. I don¡¯t have to bear the responsibility of leading all those people while in their eyes, I¡¯m a great man.


    So I just keep doing what Miss Mary tells me to. It¡¯s because it is beneficial for me, but also... to be completely honest, I don¡¯t have the guts to disobey her. Especially not after the imp episode.


    I still vividly remember those green eyes, shining in a dangerously beautiful way. And that girl¡¯s fair, slender fingers, entirely soaked in deep red blood...

 Chapter Three

    -Brann¡¯s POV-


    The striking memory of the past and the present¡¯s peaceful sight overlapped in my mind. Completely distinct situations, but those eyes were still the same.


    Such a warm color that felt paradoxically cold.


    I gulped and started talking.


    ¡°cough, my apologizes, I thought you wouldn¡¯t come since today is your usual day off. But, as you can see, the village¡¯s financial records were finished and there is nothing out of place. Our harvest of the Blueleaf Herb and the Queen¡¯s Flower were better than predicted and our alchemists are optimists regarding the results.¡±


    Miss Mary just nodded and I continued.


    ¡°There were some rumors about an imp assault in a near village, but as expected, there wasn¡¯t a single case in Doveshire.¡±


    The girl in front of me, although with her habitual indifferent and aloof expression, seemed to be pretty satisfied. Others may not notice those subtle changes, but my insight of Miss Mary¡¯s state of mind is continuouslyimproving.After all, understanding your Boss¡¯ moods is essential when you are below in the food chain.


    And her satisfaction is understandable. She is, in the end, the one who came with a way to protect the village against those little devils.


    Imps. Together with Goblins, they are the most common species of the widely varied group known as Demons. Of course, they are also undoubtedly the weakest ones of the demoniac races, classified as Lesser Demons. Compared with a High Demon, the difference is like earth and heaven.


    Or so the legends says. It¡¯s not like we had contact with anything stronger than a Lesser Demon in a long time.


    Goblins were once a bothersome problem. Around half a man¡¯s height, with greenish skin and sharp teeth, they posses relative brute force. Their Earth Elemental Magic that qualifies them as Demons is so weak that barely counts as something useful. They usually live in small groups and had the more-than-baffling hobby of attacking human settlements. Summing it up, goblins are battle maniac fools, that, without an inch of intelligence, will charge against anything on the way.


    They also eat human meat.


    Because of this disturbing eating habit, goblins were hunted down by both the Kingdom¡¯s Knight Brigade andthe Adventure Guild. Nowadays, they are sort of demoniac endangered species in our Saran Kingdom.


    Imps, however, aren¡¯t stupid like their green skinned cousins. Actually, they are irritably clever. Smaller and thinner than the goblins, they would look just like humans in miniature if not for the slightly pointed ears, disproportionate long fingers and two small horns on their foreheads. They don¡¯t rely onbrute strength, but high speed and some Phantom Magic. Malicious and ill-intended, they are responsible for some harmful pranks across the these lands, but these creatures are most known for their habit of stealing. Have you ever heard the saying ¡®greedy like an imp¡¯? There are truths embedded in popular knowledge. After all, anything that might be slightly valuable are potential targets for those small thieves.


    But, again, even if greedy, they are nowhere near being idiots. Smart and fast learners, imps know that some places are ¡®untouchable¡¯. There aren¡¯t news of a noble or a rich merchant being robbed by imps. After all, they know they might be caught and those little devils are incredibly cautions, dispite of their appearance of recklessness.


    And that¡¯s why they come to villages like Doveshire.


    There¡¯s nothing we can do. The higher-ups claim that it isn¡¯t worthy to mobilize the knights'' precious resources to hunt small thieves ¡®who just take away one or two gold coins¡¯. They aren¡¯t life-threatening anyway. So we villagers should just... cope with it.


    Of course, it¡¯s not like those pompous nobles will ever know just how important ¡®one or two gold coins¡¯ are for a poor family in the countryside.


    Butwe cope with it. We have to, since they come every year. Just one at a time, because imps are selfish and not likely to share their gold, but one of them always comes as certainlyas the annual tax.


    I mean, it did. But then Miss Mary showed up.


    It was a winter day, some years ago. I was happily enjoying the warmth of my bed when there was a sudden light and abrupt sound. Not so surprisingly, there was a girl at the doorsteps. After properly waking up, I found her at my house¡¯s backyard.


    With a dead imp.


    Okay, by that time I should have already got used to the girl¡¯s abnormality, but I just couldn¡¯t understand why -and how- she had it. Imps arrive quietly at night and vanish early at dawn before anyone notices, and that¡¯s why it was so difficult to catch one.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    So I asked her. It was one of the many times I was ignored. (What does it say about me, the fact that being ignored is just an ordinary part of my everyday life?)


    There was no way Miss Mary would talk if she wasn¡¯t willing to. I may have aquired some understanding of this complicated human being, but most of the times I¡¯m still pretty lost regarding her actions. Since I didn¡¯t know what to think, rather unsual thoughts began sprouting in my head, like how my little boss looked like a cold and unapproachable kitten, bringing its dead prey for the owner...


    ¡°Take its blood.¡± She said.


    ...Hmm?


    Was it because I pictured myself as the owner? My apologizes, I shall never do that again.


    However, there was no way of retreat. Have you ever dried something out of its blood? Let me tell you, it¡¯s not pretty. The aftermath of this event was so traumatic, that after that day, I lost all the love I had for blood sausages.


    Oh, and I also pledged my unconditional loyalty to Miss Mary.


    That¡¯s what you should do when your boss can accurately slice a corpse¡¯s throat, just the right way so the blood could flow quicker.


    Almost one year later, and I still had no idea of what had really happened - and more importantly, why. My paranoia was added to the hours when I should be working but was instead doing something unrelated and unimportant, and the results were muddy. My mind began wandering to weird, dark places, as I pondered... maybe an unspeakable fetish or some forbidden ritual?


    One way or another, I still didn¡¯t get an answer.


    This lasted until a disaster happened, when a ferocious storm ravaged Doveshire. Most of our villagers are farmers, and the fierce wind and intense rain destroyed nearly all of their crops. We were at mid-way autumn, chances of recuperation were minimal and the fast coming winter seemed bleak.


    People were extremely worried and stressed. Because the crops were basically destroyed, they would have to buy even more provision for winter than usual, like basic nourishment. However, buying it would require selling what originate the whole problem, the ruined farming products.


    The tension was about to erupt, but Miss Mary was steady and fast to think of a solution. Thanks to her, we had already changed our tax collection system, instead of once a year with full taxation, it¡¯s now twice a year in which the tribute is parted in half, thus, reaching the same amount.


    But regarding the situation, the thing is, different crops have different growing periods and also different preferences regarding the climate. That¡¯s why we have two harvest seasons, at spring and at autumn. The last spring harvest had profitable results, and it also affects the taxation. Before, we would just collect the money at the end of the year, but Miss Mary¡¯s new system ensured us some early credit.


    That¡¯s why, even if the villagers had huge losses, the Doveshire¡¯s prefecture didn¡¯t have an immediate problem. And so, Miss Mary took the farmers and paid them to work for the prefecture. In other words, the Village had the money so by giving a job for the farmers, they could have some income before winter.


    The fence surrounding all of Doveshire was highly damaged by the storm, so the job consisted in fixing that fence. At the end, one more detail was added. When everything was fixed, they also painted the fence with Enchinata¡¯s sap. In short, Enchinata is a type of tree found rather easily in Saran, and its sap gives the wood more resistance against the climate. Just as a curiosity, but the sap has a reddish color.


    I wonder if anyone noticed that it was slightly more red than it should be.


    Of course, hiring so many extra workers had a price, and we couldn¡¯t pay all our taxes to the Silverhold¡¯s Landlord, the big oversee of Doveshire. Because of it, on the following year, there were some interests to settle.


    However, that winter, not a single villager starved.


    This episode made me realize once more how unfathomable Miss Mary really is. Not only she solved almost smoothly a somewhat catastrophic situation, but she also made sure no other imp would assault our village. It was all thanks to the suspiciously red paint...


    Hey, did you know that an imp can smell another imp¡¯s blood from miles away? It¡¯s a sort of scene that only their race can notice. And since they are so cautious, they will surely avoid it. It¡¯s like an internal device to avoid danger.


    I didn¡¯t know that before. It¡¯s always nice learning something new, isn¡¯t it?


    ~?~


    -Mary¡¯s POV-


    I left Brann¡¯s house satisfied. Hehe, isn¡¯t it good when two parts can have a conversation?


    Even if one would mainly do the talking while the other basically nods. But! At least they can understand each other. And that¡¯s what matters when it comes to communication.


    Of course, it would be nice to have a real real talk. You know, just like me and Brann had, way back when we were still getting to know each other. I was still a little child and Brann was just a half-witted youth. Alle, those old days, it seems so far.


    I remember when Brann came to me, flustered, asking why I had given the records under his name. I knew I had to expose my thoughts to him sooner or later. Brann is, after all, the village¡¯s chief, and he ought to know what was really happening. Too bad that every time I opened my mouth to speak, it was like my tongue had suddenly turned into sand, and I ended up saying nothing.


    That specific day, however, looking at his confused eyes, I was able to say it. Gathering all my efforts, I explained to him the situation. About how he was a bad chief, but I was good and would teach him. He just had to look, learn and then act like a decent leader.


    I was so proud of myself! From that moment I knew me and him would work well together! And then, seven years passed and things are still fine.


    Lost in thoughts, I made my way home, basket in hands. Grandma said she would cook a delicious meal today, so I have to deliver these goods safely, for the sake of my stomach.


    Crossing the market, something suddenly caught my attention. Two village women, gossiping loud enough for me to hear it.


    ¡°...Dak, yeah, I¡¯ve already told my son to avoid any contacts. It¡¯ll just bring problems.¡±


    ¡°Right? But with that father of his, what could you expect? And have you seen? The scar.¡±


    ¡°Yes! I heard he got in a fight with someone. At the end, he just got that scar on his face, but the other person...¡±


    ¡°So scary...¡±


    Hmm? Scar on his face? Could it be... that the novel¡¯s very first cannon fodder just appeared?

 Chapter Four

    Scar on his face? Could it be... that the novel¡¯s very first cannon fodder just appeared?


    <hr>


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    Kaito collapsed on the soft grass, his whole body tired as it has never been before. But even while feeling soreness all over, he couldn¡¯t hold the loud laugh that bubble out of his dry lips.


    His laugh contained equal parts of joy and relief, but also some hidden despair. He had walked for hours, non-stop, and finally escaped that eery forest, but what now?


    His eyes focused on the origin of his salvation. The faint black smoke lazily rising from a small chimney was his guiding star inside the unfamiliar, mysterious place where he had woken up. In the first five hours or so, he had burnt his brain trying to understand what was really happening, but now he was tired and thirsty and all he wanted was a large bowl of water and some food.


    Feeling like his muscles were crying, Kaito forced himself to stand up and walk to the unknown village. It looked small and old and nothing like the modern cities he was familiar with, but if there was a village, there must be humans. And, hopefully, someone who could explain just where the hell this was.


    Jumping over the ramshackle wooden fence, Kaito observed the small agglomeration of houses that, although old-looking, seemed well-cared and neat enough.


    That was when he heard it.


    ¡°Ohh, what kind of filthy stray we have over here?¡±


    It was some very rude words, but all Kaito could think of was how wonderful it was the sound of his mother language amidst such a puzzling situation. It means that at least he wasn¡¯t kidnapped and sold in another country!


    He turned around to face the first person he met ever since he had found himself in that strange, bone-chilling forest.


    Actually, there were three of them. The one who spoke earlier was standing in the middle, clearly the leader of this small group. He was big, strong and smelled like trouble but these weren¡¯t the first things Kaito noticed.


    No, it was the deep, unsightly scar that went from the man¡¯s left eyebrow all the way to his hard chin.


    </blockquote>


    Excerpt of The Rising of the Magic Swordsman.


    <hr>


    -Mary¡¯s POV-


    It has been a while since I¡¯ve read the novel, but some things on it made me so annoyed that they are still fresh in my mind.


    The existence of delinquents in the novel¡¯s Doveshire was one of those things.


    That¡¯s the reason why I made a deal with the Adventure Guild¡¯s Branch of our village, since a small, negligible town like Doveshire didn¡¯t have a proper security system. Therefore, the prefecture would supply the guild with our key product, Willow¡¯s Lake Healing Potion, while its adventurers would take turns working at the recently created Security Department. In simple words, they would behave just like policemen and deal with anything -or anyone- acting against the village¡¯s harmony and peaceful environment.


    As a matter of fact, the town¡¯s administrator has no power over the Adventure Guild¡¯s Branch situated in their territory. Just like on Earth, when the nation A¡¯s embassy is located within the country B¡¯s territory, but the embassy itself belongs to nation A nonetheless, all Branches of the Adventure Guild are an independent institution from the Kingdom¡¯s authority, and they respond solely to their corresponding Guild Master. The Saran, Atalia and Corralys Kingdoms¡¯ branches are all under the command of the Southeast Region Guild Master, the advanced gold ranked adventurer, Warrick the Berserker.


    Of course, it¡¯s not like the Adventure Guild can do whatever they want. The Kingdoms and the Guild have a pact of mutual respect, wherein the adventurers must abide the country¡¯s laws while the king cannot impose his will on the guild.


    However, even if we couldn¡¯t order the Adventure Guild¡¯s Branch as we like, we could still hire their adventurers. And we pay them extremely well, because apart from bigger cities, there¡¯s no way one could find a fairly decent healing portion around, and affording those money-eaters healers is a luxuriance not everyone can have.


    For sure, my respected grandmother is different from those Golden Clover¡¯s healers, but the truth still persists.


    At any rate, especially after the security department creation, Doveshire is as calm and serene as it could be and there is no delinquent at sight. But I didn¡¯t lower my guard. I¡¯m still not sure how strong is the novel compelling force regarding its contents, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m always attentive about the rising of a gangster, perhaps the three ruffians who had beaten up the protagonist in the beginning of the story.


    Since they were just mere cannon fodders and stepping stones for the protagonist¡¯s brilliant path, not much are said about them in the novel, apart from the big, strong and scary guy with a scar on his face. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t even know the name of these possible wrongdoers in my village, but I have a guess that one of them is Dak, son of Croy.


    My guess is based on nothing more than the fact that he does look big, strong and scary.


    Naturally, I wouldn¡¯t punish someone with just this wild guess, even more because he didn¡¯t have a scar. Now, however, it seems I have to check out and see whether I am right or wrong.


    If I¡¯m wrong, nothing will be done, but if I¡¯m right, proper measures shall be applied.


    I started walking a little faster, eager to reach home. I¡¯m sure grandma will know more about Dak than the record of few lines that I have regarding each one of Doveshire¡¯s inhabitants. In my humble opinion, grandmother, with all her influence and knowledge of our town, is the one who should be the village chief. I have actually asked her once if she wanted to take the lead and that I would arrange it, but grandma said she is too old for such a heavy responsibility and Brann is already doing well enough. Since she said so, there¡¯s nothing I can do, but it sure is a shame.


    Mine and Brann¡¯s house was actually quite close, so soon enough I was already standing in my home¡¯s front door. In Doveshire, the most importance place was the main square, where one could find the village''s prefecture, the Adventure Guild¡¯s Branch, Old Joe¡¯s Bakery, Cyntia¡¯s Smithy and the village¡¯s only inn, Sunrest.


    My family owns the inn, even tough it¡¯s just grandmother and I right now. Anyway, we don¡¯t actually live inside the hostel, but in a small cottage next to our establishment. To be honest, there is a door inside connecting the two buildings, so maybe it can be said as such.


    As soon as I stepped inside our small, but cozy and warm house, I felt the usual soft sensation in my heart. Home. It was the feeling of home, in a place incredible different and -literally- worlds apart from my precious life¡¯s. But be it here or there, home has a special meaning for me. The meaning of love, safety and relaxation.


    ¡°Hey there, sweetie. You took a while, did you go visit little Brann?¡± Grandma Alma¡¯s voice is gentle and nice, and she also has the habit of calling anyone below thirty as ¡®little¡¯ or ¡®child¡¯.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°En.¡± I said in agreement. Incredible how by being close to grandma, maybe because of her comforting presence, my tongue actually works.


    ¡°Did you buy everything?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Okay, it doesn¡¯t mean it works very well, but it still does.


    ¡°Oh, is it the eggplant? I knew it could be difficult, it¡¯s not time for eggplants to grow, but I still wanted it...¡± The voice coming from the kitchen sounded disappointed and sad, but I couldn¡¯t help but thank the goddess that it wasn¡¯t the season for eggplants. Don¡¯t get me wrong, my grandma¡¯s cooking is great, but eggplants are just... disgusting.


    I made my way to the kitchen. Like the rest of the house, it was small, but it was just too small and tiny and not very efficient. To be honest, this place remains empty and unused for almost the entire year. Most of the time, we would just use the inn¡¯s bigger and more equipped kitchen, but today is a little different.


    As I stood in the kitchen¡¯s doorstep, grandma turned around and smiled. Her blond hair was now grayish and her face shows the passage of time. Her deep, dark blue eyes holds the wisdom of the old, but her cheerful smile remains young.


    From all my heart, I wished this stupid stone face of mine was capable to return a smile just as genuine back to her.


    But grandmother knows me best, and her eyes were warm and understandable as she said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, child. I can see that your eyes are smiling.¡±


    My mouth that was opened while I was trying to say something slowly closed. With my eyes smiling, I nodded.


    ¡°En.¡±


    In this comfortable atmosphere, we joined hands to cook. The small kitchen was quiet, while we just appreciate each other¡¯s company. And okay, it was too tight and narrow for both of us, so sometimes we would thump on each other and the ingredients would fall. And sure, my talent when it comes to cooking is on the negatives already, so all I could do to help was cutting the vegetables, but... It was good. Carefree-ly good.


    We sat down, the table full of tasty-looking foods. Warm spinach soup, black bread, roasted fowl with vegetables and freshly made orange juice. For a small family of the countryside like ours, it sure looks like a banquet.


    It kind of was.


    ¡°Congratulations, sweetie. May the Gods bless you with many summers ahead.¡±


    Today completes thirteen years since I was born in this world.


    In those thirteen years, many things were accomplished. The village¡¯s administration was improved and Chief Brann seems to be in the right track. Imps won¡¯t assault or village anymore, and we made a deal with the Adventure Guild¡¯s Branch. We also ensured Willow Lake¡¯s resources for Doveshire and our Healing Potions business is developing smoothly, just the right way to guarantee us some money while keeping the village low-key, safe and quiet. To make everything better, that old geezer still owns me a favor.


    Of course, some matters are still in progress and require attention. That handsome old man is as recluse as always, and a proper conversation between two unsociable people is as rare as an honorable Pope in fantasy stories. The matter regarding the magic beasts attack is advancing slowly, but it is a delicate topic and cannot be discussed with other people. Ryker¡¯s issue can¡¯t be hurried, as of now there nothing much we could do.


    But well, you must be patient if you want to eat the ripped fruit.


    I blew the hot soup before tasting it. Hmm, good as always. Grandma¡¯s cooking may not be the best that I have ever eaten, since I had plenty first class cuisine in my previous life, but it sure is my favorite. For me, nothing can taste like this warm homemade food.


    This is something that I didn¡¯t have in my past life. Professional chefs were good and so, but there was one time when I asked father why couldn¡¯t we just make our own food. I was feeling a little tired of all those flamboyant tastes.


    Oh, pumpkin. Don¡¯t you think it is a little too dangerous? Both you and me can cook poison out of burning water, while your mother... Are you sure is wise letting her in a room full of sharp objects and pseudo-weapons?


    Since he did have a point, I didn¡¯t insist on the subject. But, in moments like this, I wish I could bring them here, so we all could enjoy this taste that warms both the heart and the stomach.


    ¡°Iseverything alright, sweetie?¡± Grandmother¡¯s voice brought me back to reality.


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it. Do you think we should give some to little Brann?¡±


    ¡°U-hum.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t bully him so much. He is your friend, and we have to treat our friends well.¡±


    That¡¯s not the problem here. I just don¡¯t him to become suspicious of the reason we have so much food, after all, I worked a lot to hide the matter of my birthday. Because, urg, birthdays are a really traumatic event for me. In my past life, my parents would throw a party every year, where I would have to stand and listen to the names of countless people that I wouldn¡¯t even care to remember. To make everything worse, they were all old people,and some would even bring their young sons and daughters, that would then lead to the embarrassing conversation of ¡®We wish you the best. Here is my son, he just recently won the Olympics. Why don¡¯t you two become friends¡¯ that is obviously a nice way to say ¡®the birthday girl has no friends so, in respect to your parents, I will make him follow you around.¡¯


    A birthday party where all the invited are your parents¡¯ guests because you have no one to invite, how sad is that?!?


    So, nope. In this new life, I don¡¯t want anyone to know about my birthday. Since grandmother is almost like the village¡¯s Elder, I¡¯m sure everyone would come greet me to give her face. And then I¡¯d have to try talking to people and when I couldn¡¯t do it, it would be embarrassing as hell. So, I very much prefer a simple, delicious meal, with just me and grandmother.


    ¡°The Inn?¡± I asked, trying to avoid the subject.


    ¡°Laura is taking care of it. Aya, that girl is working harder than ever before. She¡¯s probably feeling guilty that she is leaving us to marry in another town. Fufufu, being young sure is great.¡±


    Laura is our waitress and helper, since me and grandmother can¡¯t take care of the whole inn by ourselves. A good girl, but recently she has fallen in love with a boy from Rustford, from all places.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look, Mary. Her fianc¨¦ is a good lad, and it¡¯s not his fault his family is from that town.¡±


    Rustford¡¯s mayor is just angry that I took Willow Lake¡¯s ownership away from them and now they came to steal our waitress. Although I wasn¡¯t in a conversation-base relationship with her, she was nice and would always come help me when I was in trouble speaking to a customer.


    I internally cursed the annoying mayor before focusing on the important stuff.


    ¡°Grandma.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem, sweetie?¡±


    ¡°Dak, son of Croy.¡±


    Grandmother slightly stiffed, and then she sighed with a tinge of sadness. But because she understood my question, she answered me.


    ¡°Ah, that poor boy. You know, when he was just a small child, his mother got really sick. His father came talk to me, and I tried to help, but... I¡¯m not a full healer. I wasn¡¯t strong enough to help them. So I told him just a high ranked healer could save his wife. ah. Sometimes I think it was my fault.¡± The last part was just a faint whisper, before she continued talking. ¡°They couldn¡¯t afford her treatment. Croy, who by that time was an advanced bronze adventurer, was willing to do anything to save the mother of his son. So he made a rash decision.¡± She paused. ¡°He tried to steal from his guild.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, he didn¡¯t succeed. Bowie caught him. And even if the manager could understand Croy¡¯spredicament, he still had to do his job. Bowie was already quite lenient by just talking Croy¡¯s adventurer badge.¡± Grandmother had serious eyes as she looked at me. ¡°But why the question? Did something happen to young Dak?¡±


    I just shrugged, because I¡¯m still not sure.


    ¡°Ahh, I heard he got in a fight recently. But I don¡¯t know, it may be just a gossip. We can¡¯t blindly believe what people say in the market. Dak¡¯s mother has passed away when he was a little child and his father has gained the label of a criminal. It must be hard on him. I don¡¯t think he is a bad person, he is just too used to fight against the world.¡±


    That¡¯s what grandmother said and what I kept in mind when I went to see him, later in the same day.


    Big and strong? Check.


    Scary looking? Check.


    Ugly scar from his left eyebrow all the way to his chin? Double check.


    His looks completely matches with the novel¡¯s evildoer, but...


    I checked once more the recently added title on his status window.


    Is ¡®Protector of the Fluffy¡¯ a title a bad person would have?

 Chapter Five

    Appraisal.


    A unique skill in this world.


    Yes, that was what the not-a-ghost voice has said when I was just born as a baby in Accardi. That ancient and strange idiom with low-toned and rhythmical sounding words was nothing more than the common language of Nam?r Continent¡¯s Southeast Region. That¡¯s the reason I couldn¡¯t comprehend anything.


    Coming to a new world and immediately understanding the language, humpf, that was a privilege just someone as the protagonist could possess.


    However, even if I haven¡¯t understand it at that time, that small and still rational part of my brain had memorized all of those sounds, knowing it was somewhat important. And then, later, I could decode what it truly meant.


    Well, what to say about it...


    <blockquote>


    You have earned the title [World¡¯s Designer].


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    [World¡¯s Designer] description:


    As Accardi¡¯s creator, enjoy a new life as an omniscient ¡®non-player character¡¯ (NPC).


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    Conditions met. The title [World¡¯s Designer] unlocked the Unique Skill {Appraisal}.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    You have earned the name Mary.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    You have earned the new identity <Village Girl>.


    </blockquote>


    <blockquote>


    New identity <Village Girl> interacted with title [World¡¯s Designer]. Modifications made. Adapted [World¡¯s Designer] description:


    As Accardi¡¯s creator, enjoy your new life as a village girl ¡®non-player character¡¯ (NPC).


    </blockquote>


    So the voice had said. If there was more, I was already unconscious by then.


    I have thought about it for a long time. For some reason, I¡¯m not able to use appraisal on myself and see my own stats window. However, whatever this voice truly represents, it knows about my previous life.


    And more. It knows about my specific role regarding this world¡¯s construction. Enjoy your new life as a village girl NPC. To be accurate, in the novel, ¡®Mary, daughter of Zet¡¯ is a pretty important character. True, she dies at the beginning of the story, but she keeps living in Kaito¡¯s mind and heart. She is the protagonist¡¯s great shadow and guilty and what drives him to his peak. Therefore, from the novel perspective, Mary can¡¯t be said to be a NPC at all.


    But, in a game¡¯s conception, ¡®the village girl working at the inn¡¯ personage can be interpreted as such.


    So, even if this Accardi dwells insidethe novel¡¯s universe, the voice gave me a title according to my contribution to the game¡¯s settings. After all, the map, the basic background, the countries and cities¡¯ names, they are all mine to claim.


    Also, an interesting choice of words. ¡®Omniscient non-player character¡¯. In the game, a player does not have access to another¡¯s player info, but as its creator, I do. Information that made me omniscient like the Appraisal skill. And as the game¡¯s programmer, I was also the one who designed the NPC¡¯s settled behaviors and actions. So, we can also say I am the only one capable of controlling a non-player character.


    This title was hand-crafted for me.


    In ATWCG (Accardi, The World of Chaos and Glory), the game¡¯s software had a pre-designed set of titles that would be awarded to players who fulfilled determined conditions. Usually, the one who received a title would either 1) gain a new skill related to the title; 2) level up an already existent skill related to the title; 3) improve a stat related to the title or 4) improve an affinity related to the title.


    Say all you want to, but I¡¯m certain that from the titles I¡¯ve devised, none of them was called[World¡¯s Designer].


    And neither [Protector of the Fluffy], for all that matters.


    I kept staring at Dak with a probing gaze. He was just two years older than me, nothing more than a 15, soon 16 years old brat, but he was standing tall like a three almost two meters high. Just one of those overdeveloped arms was as tick as my waist.


    Boy, what the hell did they feed you with?


    His dark hair was cut short and I¡¯m pretty sure he made it himself, with his own hunting knife, without a care about the final results. Well tanned and with bulging muscles, you may mistake Dak for a bear if you look from far enough.


    Hm, I think I may be a little myopic.


    Details aside, then there is the scar. Even before it, Dak¡¯s facial features were really not, hmm, welcoming. Since he looked suspicious, I¡¯ve kept an eye on him (actually, I told Brann to do it). This guy always walks around with a frowned forehead, and his mouth holds a perpetual snarl. Let¡¯s not even mention his jet black eyes that stares at you with an ominous glint.


    If I was not used to deadly stares and scary guys from my past life, perhaps even I would be startled.


    The scar recently added on his face just high-light all those unnerving traits and turns him even more intimidating.


    Poor Dak, he was born to look exactly like a mob-cannon-fodder-little-villain. Well, blame that absurd writer.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Hummm, what the hell you think you are looking at, you imp?¡± Yep, even his personality is just as one would expect from a cocky ¡®I¡¯ll act bad and moronic until the protagonist comes and crushes my pride¡¯ kind of character.


    We both are currently at the village¡¯s gate, a slightly bigger wooden fence that looks nothing extraordinary. From what I noticed it, Dak was planning to leave before I intercepted him. I took a deep breath, organizing my thoughts. I knew I had to talk, so I carefully planned my next words.


    ¡°You. Fallow me.¡± It almost went as I have planned.


    It seems he was a bit surprised from a moment, before the scowl returned to his face. He came closer, bending over me. His black eyes, a bit too small for his large face, were staring at me from up high.


    I stared back at him, my summer red dress blowing with the mild wind. Curious enough, this scene reminded me of Little Red Riding Hood and the Bad Wolf.


    And then I heard rumble from my left, voices getting louder and louder, so I broke the eye contact to check what was the commotion about. It was weird, but all the stares were on us, the villagers whispering to each other, their faces with a contained expression.


    And from the back, isolated from the rest, there was an old man. He looked a bit too handsome and well-built for his age, to be honest. He was standing far from the crowd, the shadow of a nearby three darkening his facial expression, but I¡¯m sure it would look stern and serious. And although I couldn¡¯t see his face clearly, his gaze was, without a doubt, focused on us.


    I observed him for a moment. However, I¡¯m not planning to deal with this person just yet. So, let¡¯s go back to Dak¡¯s issue...


    Oh.


    As I turned back to continue our starebattle, I noticed.


    Little Red Riding Hood had just run away.


    ~?~


    Life in Doveshire kept its flow, simple and plain. There were fresh fruits in the market, the air was clear and enjoyable. Birds would sing in the morning, crickets would cry at night.


    And I would follow Dak around.


    Alright, I¡¯m not gonna say I¡¯m proud of my recent stalking habits, but there was still no progress with him. And believe it or not, the problem was not the lack of conversation. I think that, apart from grandma and Brann, I¡¯ve talked more to Dak in these few days than I¡¯ve talked to any other villager in the last year.


    Is it because there is some comrade feeling around us, both being abused by that evil writer? I mean, I had to read the absurd Angel01 made out of Accardi, while Dak got that face of his. So, because I was feeling particularly generous and also because of this connection of ours, I resolved to help the boy.


    I didn¡¯t want him to go astray (more than he has already), while I¡¯m sure he will not like the consequences if he does. That¡¯s why I decided to leave Dak in Doveshire¡¯s most reliable hands: Grandmother Alma¡¯s.


    Things didn¡¯t go exactly as I planned from there.


    Is he your new friend? Oh, that¡¯s wonderful, sweetheart. En, what¡¯s with that face? You want me to talk to him? Hehehe, don¡¯t be shy. He is your friend, it¡¯s you who have to invite him over. Tell me when young Dak comes, I¡¯ll make a nice dinner.


    Icouldn¡¯tconvince grandma otherwise, so that¡¯s how I was sent tosuch an arduous mission as inviting someone over to dinner.


    And thenthe previously mentioned stalking habits came to life. The mission is still not accomplished, though, and I wonder why. I mean, like I said, we do talk to each other.


    ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°Do not you call me ¡®you¡¯, goddammit! I have a proper name.¡±


    ¡°Dak.¡±


    ¡°Argg, stop calling other¡¯s people name with such a snobbish face! Just looking at you is annoying.¡±


    ¡°Meal.¡±


    ¡°Go buy your own food, pighead! Are you that hungry? Just take this one and piss of!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°How could there be such a greedy bastard! Are you really an imp? Here, take this and disappears.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I stood there, and for some reason, I had a basket full of food. I was expressionless as I thought that the smell at least was delicious.


    I found him later again, outside our village.


    ¡°What the hell! What do you have inside your head, chicken poop!? Are you lost again? Don¡¯t you know this is the path to Gn¨²isWoods? Scram!¡±


    ¡°Tonight.¡±


    ¡°Tonight? Don¡¯t come closer to me, maybe your stupidity is contagious! Do you actually want to go back just at night? Well, do it, idiot. A worthless thing like you, it¡¯s better to become some beast¡¯s meal.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a dinner.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Dak didn¡¯t say anything more, he just made his way back to Doveshire. I don¡¯t know what he was planning to do in the forest, but I just shoot a glance at the dark woods before fallowing the boy. I reached him soon enough, and we walked side by side, one in silent, the other grumblinglow.


    Five days have passed and status quo has remained. Things clearly weren¡¯t working, so I decided to change my methods. After a deep analysis that I¡¯m rather proud of, I met Dak once again.


    ¡°Follow me.¡± As I said those words, I just started walking home.


    ¡°Fuck off. Who do you think you are to order me around?¡± I heard his angry bull-like voice from behind. ¡°Hey, how dare you ignore me! Come back here!¡±


    To the sound of hurried steps besides me, I just smiled internally.


    The sun was already setting in the horizon, the sky a multicolored screen of untold scenes. Purple and orange with no clouds, there was still some light before evening.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t head to our cozy cottage, but to the inn instead. Inside the three-floor building, a tempting smell was coming from the kitchen. And then grandma¡¯s voice reached my ears:


    ¡°Mary? Is that you? Come help me here.¡±


    Before the answer could leave my month, heavy footsteps in the wooden floor along with a fierce ¡®Hey, you!¡¯ alarmed the person in the kitchen.


    ¡°Oh, dear!¡± Grandma¡¯s content voice traveled to the dinner room where we stood. ¡°Young Dak, is that you? Come here, boy! It¡¯s been some time since we last talk. Come, help me finish dinner for us. Mary, can you set the table, please?¡±


    Hey, grandma, you sounded really happy right now. Was it because you met Dak again or because it means you will get another person¡¯s help in the kitchen? Other than me? Hmm?


    Well, anyway, I just silently set the table, and soon enough the two kitchen partners came out with the food. There wasn¡¯t a lot, vegetable stew with scarce chicken lumps floating around and boiled eggs. There were also some fresh strawberries for dessert.


    We sat down, Dak being unusually polite. I was sitting next to grandmother while Dak was placed in front ofus. Tranquility ruled this dinner until grandma spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m really glad you became friends with Mary, little Dak. You should come over more.¡±


    Dak¡¯s true nature probably couldn¡¯t be controlled anymore. He exploded, the impact of it so strong that, from his neck all the way to his ears, everything was dyed crimson red.


    ¡°Little...? And more than that, fri-friends?! As if! Your granddaughter is just crazy!¡±


    You know, I never truly cared about the things Dak said about me, but, grandmother, as my elder, could you please not chuckle when someone insults me?


    ¡°Fufufu, yes, so thank you for taking care of her.¡±


    ¡°Argg, this old woman...!¡± Don¡¯t even try, Dak. It¡¯s pointless against grandmother.


    ¡°Speaking about you, Mary, what do you think about today¡¯s dinner? It was Dak¡¯s idea to put the chicken together. It does taste good, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡±


    ¡°Humpf, it¡¯s nothing much. I just threw the chicken there. If you think it¡¯s bad, no one is forcing you to eat.¡± Oh, I see, you couldn¡¯t fight the older one, so you try against the younger.


    Grandmother chucked again, her voice light and carefree.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be embarrassed, Dak. You are actually a good cook, look at Mary¡¯s face, she¡¯s truly enjoying the meal.¡±


    Not gonna lie, it was delicious. The boy who was praised remained silent for a while, his fierce, intrusive black gaze on me. And then he said:


    ¡°Is that her face of enjoying something? For me, it¡¯s the kind of face a demon would make while planning the world¡¯s conquest.¡±


    This time, grandma couldn¡¯t hold her loud, unrestrained laugh that filled the inn¡¯s dinner room.


    ¡°Oh, goddess, young boys these days...¡± She wiped an escaping tear at the corner of her eyes. ¡°Mary, honey, you¡¯re supposed to say thank you when someone compliments you.¡±


    As expected from grandmother, I can¡¯t keep up with her logic,I thought.Precisely at the same time, an outraged male voice protested.


    ¡°It was not a compliment!¡±

 Chapter Six

    Mary¡¯s POV


    <hr>


    After that night, grandmother would always ask me to invite Dak over.


    ¡°Honey, your friend is lonely, so this is what you should do.¡±


    In my humble opinion, Dak didn¡¯t look lonely or pitiful. Rather, he looked like a mad dog who would bite anyone who dared to come closer. However, after Dak¡¯s father lost his adventurer badge, he has been trying to earn a living as a hunter. It seems that Croy would often go for hunting travels that lasted weeks, and while most of the recent times Dak would accompanyhim, this time specifically the boy stayed in Doveshire. According to grandma Alma, that¡¯s why he was ¡®lonely¡¯.


    ¡°Since his father is not around, young Dak must have been eating alone all the time. It¡¯s just the two of us anyway, there is no problem about feeding another mouth. Besides, it¡¯s nice having a more lively atmosphere, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    It¡¯s not like I would deny grandmother¡¯s words. If she says the novel¡¯s small villain is lonely, I shall believe it. After all, if there is someone who greatly understand other people¡¯s hearts, that person is grandmother. Everybody should bow before grandmother Alma¡¯s insight, it must be a supernaturalpower of hers. If I didn¡¯t know better, having such a vast knowledge about people¡¯s state of mind, I would think grandma was some kind of witch or something.


    But grandmother¡¯s background is normal, albeit a little complicated. She was once named Alma Brightowl, a girl from the family branch of the Silverhold City¡¯s ruling household. They shared the same surname and it looks fancy, but the family branch¡¯s members were nothing more than servants to those who were born in the main family.


    Grandma¡¯s father was the manager of a clothing store owned by the main family, while her mother was a seamstress working at the same store. Both grandmother and her older sister were training to be a seamstress as well, and soon enough it was reveled grandma¡¯s great talent on it. It was to such an extent, that grandmother was hired to be the family head daughter¡¯s personal dressmaker, and worked exclusively on the miss¡¯ clothes.


    Hmpf, of course grandmother is the best. But anyways, while working at the main house, she met the one who changed her life forever.


    And contrary to what you may expect, it¡¯s not my grandfather.


    It was the Brightowl Family¡¯s exclusive healer, who was also living in the house. Although saying exclusive is a little tricky, since he belonged to the Golden Clover Organization... But well, as long as the family could afford the high payment, the Brightowl name was as good as printed on the healer¡¯s forehead.


    According to grandmother, Jullian, the healer¡¯s name, was a kind, amiable old man. When she couldn¡¯t fallow the main family¡¯s strict rules of noble etiquette, he was the one who helped her. She always talks of him with affection and nostalgia, an existence similar to a father to her.


    She almost never spoke about her own biological father, though.


    To be true, she never talked too much about her past at all. It seems she was being forced to marry someone. When grandma was in her darkest times, Jullian gave her the light that saved her. A magic healing rune. It was damaged and most likely wouldn¡¯t work, but she tried anyways. That¡¯s how grandmother, even without being affiliated to the Golden Clover Healers Organization, was able to become a healer. It¡¯s true that the magic rune was weak and deemed useless by others, but it responded to her.


    That¡¯s what grandmother answered when I asked her about her story, but she never told anything regarding what happened between her and her family.


    But... I have used appraisal on grandmother.


    <blockquote>


    Name: Alma


    </blockquote>


    Next to her name, there was a sad blank space.


    In Accardi, most of the nations are ruled under a monarchy system. So we have the royal family, the nobles and the commoners. If you belong to a traditional noble lineage, or granted so by the king, you would have a family name, something that holds quite the prestige. Even in our Saran Kingdom, a country that encourages and cares about the individual talent, a family name still gives countless opportunities that a simple commoner could never acquire.


    And if someone is dishonored by their family, for example... they wouldn¡¯t have the right to carry that surname anymore.


    I¡¯m actually very curious about grandmother¡¯s life, and I could ask around Silverhold City. While I¡¯m sure I would be able to discover something, it would feel like I¡¯m betraying her trust. My past life¡¯s parents were very clear about it: family is the most important thing is someone¡¯s life. There was even a recurrent motto in my house, about how we own our family the heaven. (The complete motto goes like this: ¡°For the family, heaven. And for the enemy, hell is just a nice playground they would wish for.¡±)


    Yeah, that¡¯s why I¡¯d rather wait for grandmother to tell me about her life personally.


    But even if I don¡¯t know exactly what happened, my opinion regarding the Brightowl Family, the one who rules over the Fortress City of Silverhold, as well as the surrounding villages, including Doveshire... well, let¡¯s say it¡¯s not a favorableone.


    Maybe that¡¯s the reason why I dislike Rustford¡¯s mayor, that rat-like man named Faris, for he is working under the Silverhold¡¯s Landlord, Claude Brightowl.


    Nah, I dislike Faris as a whole person either way.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    I expelled the thoughts of these annoying people while looking for Dak. For the goddess¡¯ love, the boy would come every night to eat our food anyway, so I don¡¯t understand why I have to invite him over every time.


    But you know, hehe, if it¡¯s for a friend, I don¡¯t actually mind...


    A small village girl was staring at me with a strange look in her eyes, I sincerely hope I was not doing a weird face.


    But I can¡¯t help myself, I finally got a friend of similar age! I mean, we have a strange friendship, but I still think it¡¯s valid. At least it looks more like a real friendship than the relation I have with grandma, who is, well, my grandmother and therefore obliged to love me, and with Brann, with whom I share a healthy working relationship (let¡¯s just tactfully ignore the ¡®Mary¡¯s Puppet¡¯ title.)


    Dak and I still suffer a bit with the communication issue, but we¡¯re trying to overcome it. I got myself a friend while preventing the rising of a ruffian in my village. Yes, I think there is some good profits here.


    I left Brann¡¯s house earlier than usual. I made our virtuous chief asked around, and it seems Dak was last seen at the village¡¯s gate,around half an hour ago. Well, I¡¯ve got to say, that¡¯s a bit interesting. Before being acquaintance with him, I have already noticed Dak¡¯s inclination towards a little escape to the woods. Quite intriguing hobby of his...


    Since Doveshire has a small territory, I quickly arrived at our village¡¯s gate. The wooden fence looked better after its renovation some years ago, and the red color gives it a bit of sophistication, but no matter how you see it, it was still just a wooden fence. The kind you¡¯d think was built up just as a prompt solution, but that would give place to a more solid fence in a long-term plan.


    Well, that was probably the intention, but a more solid fence proved to be unneeded.


    Maybe one could think, such a tiny and unimportant village in the corner of the kingdom, why would a gate even be necessary?


    Of course, this specific line of thought makes sense if we¡¯re just talking about a normal peripheral village, but Doveshire¡¯s location is a bit... special.


    Because bordering our little town, lies the hostile Bhagavaan Krodh Forest.


    fufufu, yes, can you feel it? Just the name is enough to inspire dread on people¡¯s mind. Even if you have no idea what it means, this combination of letters, the sonority of those words, they are already intimidating by itself. It evokes power. That¡¯s a nice name, don¡¯t you think?


    The forest is named as such, because once upon a time, when demons were just a group of undeveloped species, and humans were still thinking about being born, there was a Dragon. His name was BhagavaanKrodh.


    Dragons are, by Nature¡¯s Law, already a freakish existence. But this dragon was even larger, stronger and more powerful than the conventional. And then, out of the ashes, a hero ascended...!


    No, this is not this kind of story. BhagavaanKrodh was already an ancient being before any humanoid sapient life-form has populated Accardi. By the time the first demoniac arrangements were being formed, he was so old as the land itself.


    So he died.


    Yep, no epic battle, no legendary hero. The dragon died of old age. Many humans may think that dragons possess immortality, and considering their abnormally long life-span, it can be said as such.


    But one day, even the so called immortality comes to an end.


    From his remains, the largest forest in Accardi flourished. Not so surprisingly, that¡¯sBhagavaanKrodh Forest. This belonged to the game¡¯s settings, and I remember how I spent days searching for the perfect mighty and cool dragon name for this, but then... then... then the people of the real world changed it because it was too difficult to pronounce?!?!?


    I CANNOT ACCEPT IT.


    The thing is, I can¡¯t even blame that useless writer, because he had actually kept the name. But when the game and the novel became reality... there was some slightly convenientmodifications. The official name was too arduous to say, so the forest gained a popular nickname.


    Dragon Grave Forest.


    ...


    Yes, I know. At least, at the northwest region of Saran Kingdom (more specifically, around Doveshire¡¯s territory), the forest has another denomination: Gn¨²is Woods.


    But no matter how it¡¯s called, the truth remains the same. The forest is a highly dangerous place, a deadly zone filled with strong magic beasts. Its core region is easily placed at the top of Nam?r Continent¡¯s Forbidden Places. The Fortress City of Silverhold gained its fame by holding against the powerful attacks of those wild beasts.


    And then, one may ask, how could we possibly explain the existence of Doveshire? A place that, in the game, was known as the beginner¡¯s village, and in reality, it¡¯s also somewhere you would send novices adventurers that didn¡¯t want to pay a dungeon¡¯s entrance fee to train. How could such a peaceful environment coexist with such a chaotic forest?


    Yes, that was once the most mysterious question of Nam?r Continent¡¯s Southeast Region. According to some documents at Brann¡¯s house, a couple of hundred years ago, many people, from scholars to mages to curious nobles, came to Doveshire seeking for an answer. They never got one, so the question was gradually forgotten, until it became an accepted fact.


    It¡¯s like this, and that¡¯s it. Maybe the goddess wanted so.


    The situation is just as I could wish for. A regiment of people trying to understand what really happens at Doveshire would be troublesome at best. Especially because I¡¯m actually digging out the one thing responsible for such an abnormality.


    The one thing that is at fault for the fact that just F ranked magic beasts lives in the region.


    The one thing related to the massacre in Doveshire some years from now.


    The one thing guilty of creating a big Boss in the future.


    And also... the one thing responsible for the name we like to callBhagavaanKrodh Forest.


    Gn¨²is Woods.


    I think it¡¯s fascinating how the people of Accardi, living in such a magical world, create their own mythical creatures. Gn¨²is is one of those. A strange mix of horse and an owl. And while a winged horse like-creature may seem novel, it looks nothing like the noble Pegasus. Instead, it¡¯s a disgusting monster, with a bodycovered by eyes. It lives in an underground cave, watching the world above with his 360 pairs of red eyes. If it sees someone being cruel or bad, it would rise from the ground and eat that person¡¯s heart.


    Yep, it¡¯s not pretty. And while a Gn¨²is is most used as a night story to scary naughty children, it fits uncomfortably well with the forest surrounding Doveshire.


    I looked at the dark woods before me. I knew that there was no immediate danger, especially at day time and close to the outskirts. However, even without stepping inside the forest, I could feel it.


    A light, almost non-existence pressure coming from it. I knew by personal experience, that the longer you remained at the forest, the heavier that pressure would be. You¡¯d feel being watched by all of Gn¨²is¡¯ 360 pairs of red eyes. Your heart you start beating dangerously fast, your hands would sweat, your head would hurt, you¡¯d feel presences around you and paranoia would consume you. After you leave the forest, those reactions would disappear. Maybe you¡¯d say to yourself ¡®Oh, goddess, I was just overreacting.¡¯, and probably you¡¯d even forget about the experience.


    But then, you¡¯d step inside the woods one more time...


    Take care, little child. The Gn¨²is is coming to catch you.

 Chapter Seven

    -Mary¡¯s POV-


    I started looking for Dak in the outskirts of Gn¨²is Woods. I could feel the forest¡¯s usual pressure, but I always had great resistance against it. Actually, that¡¯s the reason I could spend hours inside the woods, searching for the source of the upcoming magic beasts attack. That way, while the normal villager could be just one or two hours, maximum, under this pressure, I have no problem of spending the whole day among these trees.


    I was walking leisurely, listening to the sound of the forest. Or to be precise, the lack of it. Even though I kept alert, I wasn¡¯t worried about danger. Usually, the only magic beasts one could find around here are the F-ranked Shadow Sparrow and the F-ranked Horned Rabbit. But these are the kind that would run by the sight of humans, not attack. Of course, every once in a while, a disturbing D-ranked Silver Fanged Wolf would appear, and it was enough to make everyone¡¯s blood run cold. But, again, I wasn¡¯t worried. This species of magic wolf has strictly night habits, and as I said, it¡¯s rare. The last one appeared years ago, by the time the last chief has died.


    Yes, I still remember how there was a huge commotion, and a large team of our strongest adventurers (that are still pitifully weak compared with the ones at bigger cities) went on a hunt expedition. Even if this beast¡¯s attack power comes from the pack¡¯s union, and all we ever got around was a lone wolf, people were still frightened. On my opinion, sending five adventurers to deal with a single Silver-Fanged Wolf was like killing a fly with a cannon. But, well, people tend to act exceedingly when scared.


    When that happened, I thought how it was useless. If they let it be, sooner or later the wolf would disappear.


    It¡¯s because that¡¯s our Gn¨²is Woods. Just F-ranked magic beasts can live around here, and even among those, only the ones with negligible magic cores like the Shadow Sparrow and the Horned Rabbit could make a living on this place.


    I wonder how no one ever thought about the reason a stray Silver-Fanged Wolf would show up here, since their pack usually habits somewhere miles away from Doveshire.


    The truth is simple. The pack will not accept a burden, so the weak wolf will no longer have the right to stay with them. However, if it can prove itself, the stray will once more unite with its family.


    It¡¯s a test. The lone wolf must live on this forbidden zone for a while. If it¡¯s strong enough, it will return to its pack. If it¡¯s not, the forest¡¯s pressure will crush its magic core, and the beast will define.


    However, even A-ranked magic beasts can¡¯t deal with this pressure for more than a short period, even less a pitiful D-ranked one. No matter how you look at it, it¡¯s just an execution wrapped up with a nice gift paper made of hope.


    Those wolves, hm... aren¡¯t they intriguing.


    I randomly walked through a forest path created by Horned Rabbits. While fallowing their trails with a distracted mind, I though how these creatures are lucky. Being so at the bottom of the magic beasts ranks, almost a normal animal in their weakness, these horned rabbits found the perfect place for them to live, free of natural predators. Any higher, any stronger, and it would be impossible. Because their magical perception is so poor and feeble, they aren¡¯t quite affected by the pressure.


    Of course, there¡¯re still dangers lying around...


    Oh, isn¡¯t that bear-shaped-thing over there Dak?


    I narrowed my eyes, trying to see better in the distance, but it looks like it.


    From where I stood, I could see his large back. He was crouching in a small clearing, next to a fallen tree trunk. And those little things surrounding his big figure... Aren¡¯t those horned rabbits?


    The creatures known as Horned Rabbits look just like an earthling hare. They usually have sand colored fur, but there are also white colored ones, albeit rarer. Their most distinguished trait is what gives them their name, the sharp unicorn-like horn on its head. They are weak and reserved, so most of the times they would spring at the first signal of humans. Intelligent action, since wood and bronze ranked adventurers would often hunt those beasts as a training method.


    However, look at that. The always shrunken rabbits don¡¯t seem to care about Dak¡¯s presence. They are just peacefully eating with that scary looking boy by their sides... Could it be the [Protector of the Fluffy] effect? Horned Rabbits are indeed magic beasts, but with all that fur, they do look fluffy...


    ¡°Hey, baby, come here. Look at this yummy food~¡±


    Crack.


    That¡¯s the sound ofmy world¡¯s view cracking like a piece of broken glass as I watched the villain-like person handing a small carrot to the nearby rabbit. And more, what are you saying with this bull-like voice of yours, it hurts my ears.


    ¡°Does baby like it a lot? Don¡¯t worry, papa will bring lots of carrots for you. Here, take this~¡±


    Boom!


    My world¡¯s view directly exploded. That useless thing just doesn¡¯t make sense anymore.


    The mob-villain-cannon-fodder Dak approached the fluffy rabbit. I couldn¡¯t see his face, but my instincts told me it would have a loving expression that would look way too strange on Dak¡¯s perpetual angry face. As he approached the magic beast, he moved slowly and lightly, seemly afraid to scare it. You could see how he was careful, as he held the carrot next to the rabbit¡¯s little mouth...


    Swisss.


    As soon as Dak entered a certain range, the serene rabbit suddenly turned hostile, and used its sharp claws to scratch the approaching hand. And then, with a surprising speed, it disappeared among the dense vegetation. Well, no matter how cute, it is still a magic beast...


    The menacing figure of Dak froze where it stood, a lost gaze directed to where the rabbit ran off to. And then he sighed, looking just like an old man regretting his life choices, and said with a dim voice towards the silent forest:


    ¡°It seems they still don¡¯t like me enough to let me touch them...¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡± I couldn¡¯t contain my reaction after witnessing all of this.


    Dak finally noticed my presence, and almost broke his neck by how fast he turned his head towards the sound of my voice. When he recognized me among the trees, it was kind of funny the sight of his increasingly pale face and the way his small eyes almost jumped out of his skull.


    Because he turned to my direction, I could see his now injured hand, and the single drop of blood flowing from the scratch. A sudden memory came to me, about how some nights ago, grandmother asked Dak about his scar. She was worried that he was really getting into fights with other people, but she was soon relieved when he said it wasn¡¯t the case. But then Dak scared the blood out of her when he told us it was actually the aftermath of dealing with a magic beast.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I stared at the scar on his face, and then at his wounded hand, and for a while my eyes went to the place where the rabbit disappeared. Finally, I retrieved my gaze and looked at Dak¡¯s jet black eyes, which was also observing me with a suspicious glint on them, like he was wondering what the hell was on my mind.


    ¡°...I see.¡± That was all I said.


    The hesitant Dak was replaced by the usual boisterous Dak, and his pale face quickly changed to a bright red color.


    ¡° ¡®I see¡¯, your grandmother! You annoying onion, stop looking at me like thaaaaat!¡± Oh, he seems really mad.


    ¡°It¡¯s my face.¡± In other words, I¡¯m not particularly looking at you in a different way.


    ¡°Arrrgggg! I know! But how can such a expressionless face gives off this much of a mockery feeling! Stop iiiiiiiiit!¡±


    ¡°Not possible.¡±


    ¡°Youuuuu...! Okay, I admit it! The scar was because I tried to hold a Horned Rabbit and it scratched me! But...! I¡¯m still very tough! I fight a lot! My favorite hobby is to beat the hell out of those infuriating adventurers! I will laugh at them when they can¡¯t win against a younger man! And then I will say ¡®Don¡¯t you dare come back here¡¯! Yes! I do all of this, so stop! looking! at! me! that! way!¡± Dak snapped while he yelled without even stopping to breathe. When he finished, his face was so red it looked just like he ran a marathon, and he had to pause a little to engulf large amounts of air.


    I got it. He fights the adventurers and forbids them from coming here. In other words...


    ¡°... you protect the rabbits.¡±


    ¡°...!!!!¡±


    ¡°I see now. [Protector of the Fluffy].¡±


    ¡°YOU...! What- what the hell did you just call me?!?!?!¡±


    In the end, I didn¡¯t understand why he became so furious. Don¡¯t put the blame on me, it was the world thatcalled you like this. Not that you would know it.


    On our way home, the always quiet forest was incredibly noisy.


    I looked at Dak from the corner of my eyes, noticing that he didn¡¯t seem so bothered by the forest¡¯s pressure. We didn¡¯t stay too long on the woods, but he is worthy of the highest Resistance score in thevillage. Well, or course,apart from that handsome old man.


    That night, I told grandmother what happened in the afternoon. Many wouldn¡¯t understand my meaning with myscarceuse of words, but grandma is proficient on it. When I finished, she looked at Dak with warm eyes.


    ¡°I see.¡± That¡¯s all she said.


    I don¡¯t know why, but from the look on his face, I genuinely thought Dak would cry.


    And so the days passed, calm and tranquil as always. Soon enough would be the day Laura would leave Doveshire to marry off in Rustford, so grandmother and I were thinking who we could hire to replace the hard-working girl.


    And then grandmother came with an outrageous idea.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we hire young Dak to help us out in the inn? I could teach him in the kitchen, since he is already a good cook, and then he would become our little chiefand I would be able to work in the reception.¡±


    Urg, this made me think about how I have no talent in cooking and even less in welcoming guests. Am I just useless?


    At first, I thought it was just a groundless idea, but grandmother seemed determined to hire Dak as our helper. Later, I began to think it could work out. With just me and grandmother, and even with Laura¡¯s help, there were some trouble that emerged because Sunrest is an inn managed by only women. Of course, I handled those troublemakers, but it was annoying that trouble happened in the first place, right in my peaceful village. But with Dak around, walking with that scary face of his, maybe we could avoid some problems just by having him...


    So, we decided to hire Dak. For some reason, I was the one responsible to ask him if he wanted the job.


    ¡°Dak. Work for me.¡±


    ¡°Youuuu little b****!¡±


    There were some complications on the way, but Sunrest Inn successfully acquired one more worker.


    ~?~


    -Laura¡¯s POV-


    It was my last day in Doveshire. Tomorrow morning my dear fianc¨¦ will come to take me to our new home. Since I was a child, I have never left this village, so it was understandable how fast my heart was beating. These last days, I almost couldn¡¯t have a single good night of sleep because of nervousness.


    Will his family really accept me? Will I adapt in a new town? How about my family? Will everything be alright...


    I looked at my face reflected by the bath water. Ahhhh, how embarrassing. Stop it, Laura! Doveshire and Rustford are just one day distance of travel, why I am so flushed like this anyway?! It¡¯s not like I will never come back.


    Even though there is a rivalry between the villages because of the Willow Lake¡¯s resources, it¡¯s not like there is no contact between the two places. Actually, some residents of Rustford will often come to Doveshire, because there is no Adventure Guild¡¯s Branch on their town and the closest one is located here.


    That¡¯s why, there is no need to be worried! I will marry the man I love and then have lots of beautiful babies...


    ...


    Ahhhh, how embarrassing! Why am I thinking about having babies while taking a bath?!


    Before my mind starts wandering to weird places, I finished lathering myself. Currently, I am using the private bathroom of the inn I worked at. The owner, Alma, is a gentle and nice old lady who allowed me to use all the beauty products the inn provides to the profitable costumers, like the flowery fragrant soap, as a marriage gift.


    Before today, I didn¡¯t know how relaxing a bath could be... Because it was too troublesome to heat the water, I would just quickly clean myself with cold water, but now I realized it¡¯s worthy the trouble.


    Thinking about how our usual clients are rough adventurers, it¡¯s indeed a waste to give them such nice fragrant soaps...


    I went down the stairs with this thought in my mind. Because of my momentary daze, I didn¡¯t notice the two figures waiting for me in the inn¡¯s large dinner room. The tallest one was Alma, the blue eyed and gray haired lady with a cheerful smile, whose presence feels like a warm spring breeze.


    And the small one was Mary, the village¡¯s prettiest girl, with dark blond hair and dazzling green eyes. She is five years younger than me, but I can¡¯t deny she is already a beautiful teenager. The girl bears great resemblance to her grandmother, and sometimes I got myself thinking how lethally cute would be her smile. However, from Mary, I¡¯ve never seen anything apart from the usual solemn expression of hers.


    Maybe that¡¯s the reason? When I first came to work at the inn, I was really expecting a nice relationship with Mary. Because I am the oldest daughter of five younger brothers, I placed all my desire of a little sister on that fair, lovely young girl. However, deep down, I knew it was just wishful thinking.


    Everything, from the way she moves to the manner of her eating, everything she does carries this innate elegance, this certain nobility, and it became even more evident when the background is such a small and somewhat crude village. I wanted to talk to her, but her aura was so oppressing, so... superior, that I would feel I¡¯m not worthy.


    How could I act like an older sister if the youngerone is so... like the way she is. If Mary was just pretty, I guess many of the village girls would secretly hate her for it, but her demeanor is so outstanding that we just don¡¯t compare ourselves with her anymore. So instead of jealousy, all we feel is admiration, and a tad of intimidation.


    She is like our village¡¯s princess, even if no one has ever seen a real princess before. And for those with higher identity, we don¡¯t befriend them. We just look at them from afar.


    Sometimes I wonder if Mary ever felt loneliness. But then I look at her aloof face and... Well, all I see is an indifferent expression, so I don¡¯t know what to deduce from it.


    Alma granted me best wishes while Mary gave me ¡°Congratulation.¡± Just one word, with her emotionless, but somehow pleasant sounding voice. And I don¡¯t know why, but I was kind of really happy.


    In the next morning, on my way to Rustford with my lover by my side, that pair of moss green eyesappeared in my mind one last time. Perhaps I am just uneducated and don¡¯t know much about the world, but I can¡¯t help but think...


    That girl isn¡¯t normal, is she?


    ~?~


    -Mary¡¯s POV-


    It was morning, the early dew moistening the forest¡¯s verdant vegetation.


    I blinked one. Twice. Three times just as an assurance.


    Hm.


    I may be tremendously wrong, but...


    I checked the fourth time.


    Isn¡¯t it a High Demon?