Chapter 37

2-1. Sure, you have skills now, but nobody ever said you can use them as you please.

Translated by Yonnee

To call Adrian an angel… I wondered if there was ever any other combination out there that was so out of sync. Still though, I was surprised by the good deeds he had supposedly done. Of course, I still doubted what he was up to.

“It’s not just that. They built a new orphanage to gather and take care of all the children who lost their parents in the slums. Children who grow up in the slums inevitably learn to steal as soon as they can start running. We all have felt such a huge relief from this. So, whenever someone from the Pfalzgraf household comes, we give them everything. So, please don’t feel pressured and just take it all.”

“No, but, it’s really too much…”

“Don’t be shy! Take it all!”

Before I could even decline, the general store owner packed everything at the speed of light and pushed them to me. The bag wasn’t bulky because the items were packed in there one by one with practiced ease, but somehow, it felt like she put her raw feelings in there as well.

It’s not polite of me to keep refusing someone’s sincerity when they continue to offer like this. Besides, it’s a sign of gratitude towards the House Pfalzgraf, not me.

“Alright, thank you. May I ask where I can buy the rest of the items listed here?”

“If you go out through the door and turn right, you’ll find the grocery store.”

Even though another customer had come to pay at the cashier, the general store owner came out with me to the street and tried to guide me there.

She already showed me the way, so I tried to steer her back to her store since there was another customer waiting there, but she just proceeded to guide me all the way to the grocery store and said to the grocery store owner, “This customer— she works at the Pfalzgraf manor!”

“Oho, so you’re from the Pfalzgraf manor, are you?”

The grocery store owner’s eyes twinkled.

“Yes. So then, what I need is salt, pepper…”

I was trying to recite the list’s contents, but the grocery store owner snatched it out of my hands like an eagle. I thought he would take care of it, but he read a note with a sour expression and soon walked towards the shelves.

“What’s written here is this, this… and this, too. Aha, you’re gonna need this as well.”

It was a similar scene to what happened in the general store.

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since the Count’s residence has bought basil. But if there’s basil, you’re going to need rosemary, too. And then also bread spread… We’ve got good quality condensed milk and butter this time, so I’ll give you some samples.”

“……”

“By the way, I’ve also got some savory milk from the sheep ranch. Let me see here…”

“Um, excuse me, I think this is too much though.”

“Not at all. Here, take all of this.”

All kinds of sauces, spices and seasonings were taken from the shelves and placed on the counter. Obviously, Catarina had listed down a variety of spices, but it wasn’t this much.

I had the same thought in the general store, but can I really take all this with me without paying for them?

That system. It’s not going to rob me of my money again for this reason, is it? After telling me that I had no conscience, it just might play a joke and change my title again.

With suspicion lacing my eyes, I stared out in the air and waited for it. But then, I suddenly felt sorry for myself. I feel like a gameplayer who’s being harassed by the game’s goods and system…

“Just take it all, don’t worry about it. Whenever someone from the Count’s residence comes, they always take this much. With how much we owe the Count, what’s one or two things for that.”

“Really? Has our Count helped you that much?”

“Of course! Do you know just how many people he has saved when they were about to die? The children who were lying lifelessly on the side of the road were all given a place to live in. And when they grow up, they’re sent to cities far away so that they can study.”

Seeing how he said exactly what the general store owner said, the good deeds done by the count’s family seemed to be all real. They established an orphanage, saved people from poverty, and Adrian was even being touted as an angel by the villagers… It was a backstory that I didn’t know about at all while I was just playing the game.

Because the game didn’t show this village or anything, I couldn’t go to this place at that time. It’s interesting because it’s like I’m being given a peek into the behind-the-scenes story of the game. Like a director’s cut of sorts.

Still, I somehow felt goosebumps rising up my skin since it felt so realistic—as though this was a real world with real people. The NPCs also have their own circumstances and backstories.

So then, what’s the difference between them and real people?

I glanced at the grocery store owner’s hand on the counter. His skin was pale and dry, and the veins that protruded bulged noticeably. They were thick, and this alone showed just how hard he was working to maintain this store.

I wondered if there was real blood pulsing in that vein. Or if I held it, would it feel warm?