An Unexpected Reunion

A short while later, the table was completely laden, brimming with platters of waffles piled high with every imaginable kind of ice cream. Bodangbo, gripping a knife and fork with palpable excitement, began to speak.

“I’ve been wanting to eat this,” he declared. “It was too hot in the sewers, so I couldn’t have any ice cream.”

“If you wanted it so badly, you should have just come,” I retorted. “Even if you’d killed a few people, I would have taken care of it for you.”

“I don’t kill them,” Bodangbo insisted. “Humans are potential customers. Killing them would be bad for business.”

‘Bodangbo truly was intelligent. When NPCs interacted, maintaining at least a neutral stance was essential for any successful transaction. It was quite remarkable that an NPC, not a player, understood such a nuanced concept.’

“A goblin eating ice cream… Hmph…”

“Call Bodangbo by his proper name,” I corrected. “You’ll be one of his customers soon enough.”

“Oh… are we going to conduct business?” Nocturne asked hesitantly.

“I haven’t seen the other guild members, so I can’t speak for them,” I began. “But since you’ve gone to the trouble of coming here yourself, I’ll make you an apostle.”

“Given their current state, I doubt the others would be suitable anyway. And Bodangbo has been a significant trading partner for the Ravens for quite some time.”

At my words, Bodangbo, who had just piled a generous scoop of ice cream onto a waffle piece, exclaimed joyfully.

“That’s right!” he declared. “I am Pata’s friend and a crucial trading ally!”

“You heard him, didn’t you?” I said, turning back to Nocturne. “First, I’ll train you to be capable of taking down at least one troll on your own before we start any real work.”

“We’ll hunt demons together and focus on achievement hunting. Since you’re not a named NPC, I’d feel terrible if you died midway like Bebe, so this time, I’ll meticulously manage your achievement progress.”

‘With Bebe, no matter how much I boosted her stats, an AI limitation prevented her from effectively using advanced skills. I couldn’t predict how capable this new apostle would be, but he had to be an improvement over Bebe, whose base stats had been truly pitiful, no better than a newborn chick’s.’

‘Surely, this one would be at least turkey-level, wouldn’t he?’

Nocturne stared at me with an utterly unreadable expression. Why wasn’t he eating his waffle? The sight of the melting ice cream was rather unsettling.

“Are you sure that’s really acceptable?” Nocturne asked, his voice laced with concern.

“It is a bit noisy, I suppose,” I mused.

Just as I was thoroughly enjoying my meal, a city guard approached and immediately brandished a sword at me. Was this some kind of unscripted event? I hadn’t gained any infamy, nor was there a bounty on my head.

Even after I presented my [Proof of Glory], they proved unresponsive, so I simply repelled them with an elementary defensive barrier.

“This place has become incredibly delicious,” I commented. “Before, it felt like everything tasted rather bland.”

“I honestly can’t tell if what I’m eating is going into my nose or my mouth right now,” Nocturne muttered, clearly distressed.

“It’s fine,” I reassured him. “I won’t kill them anyway. I don’t engage in slaughtering regular NPCs.”

“Your terrifying words are making me feel like I’m going to throw up everything I’ve eaten,” he lamented.

‘Why was he so timid? His rich emotional scripts certainly indicated a weakness. Still, there was no need to constantly reinforce that fact.’

All the city guards were currently slamming against my defensive barrier, utterly repelled.

“Anyway, the capital guards’ intelligence has plummeted,” I observed. “They can’t even dispel an elementary barrier like this.”

“Inability to dispel magic doesn’t necessarily equate to low intelligence,” Nocturne countered.

“Why do you keep complaining instead of eating?” I pressed, a touch of exasperation in my voice. “The melting ice cream is incredibly annoying. Just eat it.”

‘It had practically turned into a liquid. Perhaps I should have just offered him some cookies instead.’

I cast a quick glance around. The shop owner was visibly trembling behind the counter, eyes fixed on our commotion. Other customers, who had been enjoying their meals, were now watching the spectacle in horror. An unusually large crowd of NPCs had gathered around.

‘If this looked like it was going to turn into a side quest, I’d have to make a swift exit.’

Why was the taste so incredibly well-rendered? It truly melted in my mouth. The food seemed to grow more delicious with each bite. As I diligently ate, occasionally wiping away Bodangbo’s spills, the mountain of ice cream waffles vanished rapidly.

I finished the last of my coffee, then diligently wiped Bodangbo’s hands. Since he wasn’t human, he often struggled with utensils, leading to frequent spills. While the mess would simply vanish if left alone, I found I couldn’t help but clean it up out of habit.

“Once I finish this, let’s go,” I announced.

“How do we get past all those people?” Nocturne asked, eyeing the crowd.

“Why worry about such trivialities?” I scoffed. “I’ll just use Blink to escape, and they’ll all be gone.”

“That seems like it would draw even more attention,” he pointed out.

“If push comes to shove, I’ll simply kill a few and pay the fine,” I declared with a shrug. “It’ll be a nuisance, but manageable.”

“Sir Haut, what exactly do you perceive humans to be?” Nocturne asked, his voice sharp with disbelief. “Is it truly acceptable to kill them so readily?”

“My own life is but a fleeting grasp,” I replied dismissively. “What, then, is an NPC’s?”

“Not everyone in this world can be as indifferent to death as you are,” he stated, a hint of frustration in his tone.

“Then they shouldn’t have challenged me,” I countered. “If they’re foolish enough, there’s nothing to be done.”

‘If there was no other way to resolve the situation, elimination was the only option. Surely, everyone had, at some point, killed an NPC blocking their path? Players even resorted to hitting bugged devices or characters that refused to function correctly.’

As Nocturne and I continued our rather pointless banter, a commotion erupted near the entrance of the shop. What was happening? The guards, who had been stubbornly clinging to my barrier like barnacles, suddenly scattered and retreated.

Then, stepping through the newly formed gap, was an entirely unexpected individual.

Raphael Carton. I had always known him as Rabi. His dark brown hair seemed to ignite with a fiery red hue when caught by the light. His golden eyes, upon finding me, widened in stark surprise, growing so round they looked as though they might roll right out of his head.

“Uh… Rabi? What’s wrong?” I asked, taken aback.

“Heavens above! By Taraki’s grace!” Rabi exclaimed, a tremor in his voice.

‘Taraki was the deity most revered by mages, a god of wisdom and knowledge, symbolized by a white owl. Though aligned with the Nine Great Sages, he was, strictly speaking, a neutral god; a true seeker of truth made no distinction between good and evil.’

Rabi dashed towards me with such speed that the hem of his pristine white cloak billowed dramatically, before he abruptly pulled me into a fierce embrace.

“Oh my god…!” he cried, his voice thick with emotion. “You’re alive! You’re actually alive!”

“Hey, Rabi?” I asked, still bewildered. “What’s wrong? What kind of event is this?”

My defensive barrier shattered upon Rabi’s impact, yet everyone merely stared with dumbfounded expressions. The guards, frozen like statues, remained motionless. I awkwardly patted Rabi’s back, attempting to gently push him away, but he only tightened his embrace, pulling me entirely from my seat.

“It’s almost a thousand years, and this human never returned!” he wailed, his voice cracking.

After that outburst, he suddenly burst into a torrent of tears. Why was he acting like this again? His golden eyes shimmered, rapidly welling up with moisture until tears streamed down his face like an overflowing basin.

Huh? What’s wrong with him?

“Rabi, why are you crying?” I exclaimed, utterly confused. “What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly weeping?”

“I could feel the demonic energy fading, yet the human never returned!” he sobbed. “I was on the brink of death countless times! Even your child died! Do you have any idea how anxiously I waited for you?!”

“What’s wrong?” I stammered, completely lost. “Uh… I came last time, didn’t I?”

“The last time you visited was over two hundred years ago!” he cried out, pulling back slightly to look at me, his eyes brimming with accusation. “And even then, you merely used the workbench and vanished! You should have at least said goodbye to me before you left!”

“Ah, did I not see you then?” I mused, a flicker of memory returning. “My apologies.”

“And even after all this time, you haven’t changed a bit!” Rabi exclaimed, a fresh wave of tears starting.

Rabi clutched me so tightly I felt I might shatter, then sobbed uncontrollably. His cries were a whirlwind of emotion, tears soaking my neck until it was thoroughly damp. I could only offer an awkward pat to his trembling back.

‘What was happening? I’d noticed an improvement in my sensory perception recently, but had it truly been set to such an intricate level? I could feel the crushing pressure of his arms, the dampness on my neck, even the subtle tremors of his sobs.’

‘It was so horrifyingly intricate that a shiver ran down my spine, raising goosebumps.’

[Change Sensory Level.]

[Cannot Execute.]

‘I kept forgetting what was impossible. This situation was so utterly bewildering. Why was this happening?’

‘While a welcoming animation usually triggered after a long absence, this was an entirely unprecedented reaction. I simply could not fathom what kind of situation I had stumbled into.’

As I merely averted my gaze, Rabi suddenly seized my face, forcing my head upwards. What was this now?

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he pressed his lips against mine!!

H-huh? W-what? W-w-what?! Wha—?!

I found myself utterly unable to move.

The crushing pressure of the hands gripping my head, the damp, crumbling breath as our lips met, the golden eyes pressed so close they were impossible to focus on.

A soft, fleshy mass probed the inside of my mouth. A foreign tongue clung to my stiff, stone-like tongue, crushing it, then swept across my palate, tracing the ridges of my teeth. It devoured everything, even the sticky, sloshing saliva that pooled within, as if plundering it.

I was being plundered. The sensation was grotesquely vivid.

After what felt like an eternity, the hands holding my face finally released, and the face that had been inches from mine receded. Only then did my vision regain its focus. A sticky strand of saliva stretched taut, trembling in the air before finally breaking.

“Uh… uh? Uh?”

What was this? What was happening? I wanted to spit something out, but my mind was frozen, leaving me speechless. I stood rigid as stone, staring blankly at the man before me.

Raphael Carton. Rabi. The NPC proxy to whom I had entrusted the magic tower.

Based on all the information I knew, I couldn’t comprehend this behavior. Lips meeting lips, that much was plausible. A simple peck was possible. Even without installing mods, actions beyond a kiss were technically possible within the system.

But I had never experienced such a raw, vivid sensation before.

“Now, have you truly returned? You won’t leave again, will you?”

Rabi pulled me into a tight embrace once more, sobbing. Even wrapped in his arms, I still struggled to grasp the situation. My ears felt muffled. I heard his words, but their meaning eluded me.

Then, at some point, it was as if a dam burst—all sorts of noises suddenly flooded in. Screams, boisterous chatter, a crushing pressure that threatened to obliterate my body, and the stark white color and texture of his attire right before my eyes became vividly distinct.

I pushed Rabi away, scrambling backward. Unfortunately, there was nowhere for me to retreat. I tripped over the leg of my chair, tumbling backward in an undignified heap. Crash! The chair fell with a resounding clatter, and I floundered over it.

“Pata! Are you alright?” Bodangbo cried out.

Rabi extended a hand to me. The part of his dark hair caught by the light seemed to burn crimson. His golden eyes were like those of a wild beast. Had the sensation of the floor always been this realistic?

“D-don’t come any closer!”

“I didn’t realize you would be so startled. I apologize. So…”

“W-what is this? Why are you doing this? [Change Sensory Level]!”

[Cannot Execute.]

‘Even the system message is popping up!’

‘No, it’s just strange. Yes, it’s only strange.’

‘Only the sensory setting limit is broken. It hurt when I died, but I revived quickly, didn’t I? Recovery worked properly, didn’t it? The system might not do anything right, but it still works, doesn’t it?’

‘Don’t doubt it.’

‘It’s been strange from the beginning. I knew that. Yes, the limit setting is broken. It’s just not working properly. That’s all.’