The Bandit Hideout

“Must we truly capture that demon?”

“Of course, we must. Otherwise, everything will be ruined.”

“But… do I really have to be the one to capture it?”

“You don’t want to?”

At my words, Nocturne hesitated for a moment before nodding. I couldn’t fathom what the problem was. It wasn’t unheard of for a companion NPC to refuse a request, especially if it involved something like assaulting someone on the street or stealing an item.

However, expressing a desire to flee from combat was unacceptable. That was the very essence of a companion NPC’s existence. Moreover, Nocturne possessed an Evil alignment, which should have made him more amenable.

“I didn’t realize you’d dislike it that much. Can’t you just try a little longer?”

“How can a mere human possibly capture such a monster?”

“If I can do it, so can you. It’s only natural.”

“I… we… we aren’t you. We can’t do things like Sir Haut.”

Why was he so distressed? It couldn’t be an escape attempt. Typically, betrayal or desertion events involved a knife in my back. The fact that dialogue was possible meant this was simply a progression event. What was the purpose of this conversation?

“It’s possible if you diligently raise your level.”

NPCs in RPGs generally do not grow independently. If they were to level up on their own, regardless of game progression, they could become excessively powerful without any limitations. Therefore, NPCs are either scaled to the player’s level or designed to operate within fixed values in limited times and areas.

“It might not work on its own, but you have me, don’t you?”

Companions were the exception to this rule. Companion characters shared experience points with the player. NPCs could only grow when they were with the player.

“If I were to run away, would you capture me?”

“I’d rather not, but… I do like you.”

I responded casually. Wasn’t it natural to want to nurture a character I liked, especially if given the choice? Efficiency? Cost-effectiveness? What good were those when I was simply doing what I enjoyed?

‘I suppose I got a bit too carried away on my own. I was just so thrilled to finally have someone to travel with. I didn’t mean to scare him quite so much.’

I knew he wouldn’t understand anyway. It was strange, really; I could have simply stayed silent and ended it, but I felt compelled to speak. Even for an NPC, seeing him tremble so violently and try to distance himself from me was a little disheartening.

“Do you want something? Is there anything you wish for?”

I wondered if offering him something might help, but Nocturne remained silent, simply staring at me. His expression was profoundly peculiar, though I couldn’t quite decipher its meaning.

Glancing over, I saw Jack and Faust, their hair held captive by fairies, being adorned with flowers, pinecones, and all manner of trinkets, transforming them into odd spectacles.

‘Fairies, of course, wouldn’t understand human aesthetics, but it’s rather endearing nonetheless.’

Spending three days playing at the Singing Lake was quite enjoyable. It had been a long time since I’d indulged in such old-fashioned fun. I played tag with the fairies, ate delicious food, sang songs, and whenever boredom struck, I’d either swim in the lake or put on a magic-infused fireworks display.

“How is it? I couldn’t take a screenshot, so I drew it instead.”

The game had a drawing feature. In the beginning, I’d learned it but never used it since I could just take screenshots. Now, unable to capture images, I’d pulled it out for the first time in ages.

I dressed the companions in various beautiful outfits and armors, styling them before using them as models. Thanks to this, I’d used up half of my stack of paper.

The drawing depicted the three of them standing by the lake. The portrayal of the trio in the splendid armor they wore upon entering was quite impressive. After all, I had maxed out my drawing skill.

‘Why did I learn and max out a useless skill, you ask? Because I hated having even one skill level missing, like a gap in my teeth.’

“Sir Haut.”

“Hm? What is it? Don’t you like it? But I can’t draw you any more handsomely than this. It’s beyond my capability.”

“No, no, that’s not it! It’s just… well…”

Faust gazed at my drawing, appearing flustered and uncertain. What was wrong? Was there something he didn’t like? Yet, Faust was the number one beauty in the game’s rankings. I simply lacked the creativity to draw him any more handsomely.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Faust squeezed out his words.

“Sir Haut, aren’t you in it?”

“Why would I need to be?”

‘I already have plenty of screenshots of myself. And I see my own face every day when I log out of the game, so why would I need one now? If I looked, I’d probably find tons of pictures taken here too, though I haven’t counted them precisely.’

“You can only draw pictures of yourselves right now.”

The in-game drawing skill required a subject to be present. While I could draw something I had already seen, I couldn’t create something from scratch. No, to be precise, I couldn’t draw it with the skill. I could draw without the skill, but my real-life drawing ability was so poor I couldn’t even draw a proper circle.

“Should I color this later? If you like it, I’ll match all three of you with the same colors. It would be perfect to share.”

“Wouldn’t it be even better if Sir Haut were in it too?”

“It would ruin the drawing. This is beautiful as it is.”

‘I could draw the basics, meaning I could draw my own character. But standing here, I can’t see myself. Adding a basic data drawing into an already well-drawn picture would only spoil the harmony.’

Not just Faust, but the others also had peculiar expressions. I simply brushed it off. What was the point of asking anyway? They’d just say something strange.

“Let’s go now. We’ve been here too long.”

“Um, couldn’t we leave tomorrow? The timing feels a bit awkward…”

“No. I’d be fine, but you all would get trapped here. If you stay in an inhuman realm for too long, you’ll assimilate.”

Jack, who had been frolicking with the fairies, seemed to want to stay longer, but I cut him off firmly.

It didn’t matter for players. The game’s lore stated that by hunting demons, players became imbued with their malice, making them human but no longer bound by human fate. However, regular NPCs who stayed too long in inhuman realms would become bound to them.

“Let’s come back another time. Or better yet, let’s go somewhere even better. I know many places. There are snowy landscapes with warm, cotton-like snow, sky gardens where you can walk among the clouds, and underwater palaces where you can breathe freely. Let’s visit them all.”

Our Bebe had only ever been to the sky garden. The other places were ones I had discovered while hunting demons. To bring Bebe into my party, I would have had to make her quit being an apostle, which would have killed her. So, I had embedded video stones there, allowing her to at least glimpse the sky. Video stones were difficult to acquire, so I had only been able to install five. Since they had a video recording function, obtaining video stones in-game was challenging.

“Now, change your clothes and put on your armor. There won’t be any demons since we just hunted them, but the monsters are still around.”

Being near the capital, they’d likely be insignificant creatures, but it would be hard for the companions—not me—to fight them while dressed in fancy civilian attire. At my words, the three of them began to change their clothes.

“Sir Haut, when exactly are you going to take off… that embarrassing outfit?”

“If you want me to take off my bunny look, raise your affinity with me a bit more. You all dislike me, don’t you?”

“No, well, I don’t exactly dislike it.”

“Liar.”

‘Yesterday, I even asked if I could touch their chests, just to see if their affinity had risen, but all three of them panicked and ran away. Hmph, I thought they’d at least tolerate that much.’

Raising their affinity was too difficult! Though, that only made it more exciting!

“Don’t worry. For now, we’ll just focus on leveling up. Your stats are too low, so your fear resistance seems weak. Let’s just hunt some monsters and wander around.”

Was that what they were worried about? Now that I’d said it, they seemed even more deflated than before. When I asked why, they claimed it was nothing. Honestly. If they had something to say, they should just say it. I hated these mystery events that offered no rewards.

We exited the Singing Lake, leaving its enchantment behind. Outside, the world was merely a gloomy, ash-grey forest of grass and trees. Was it going to rain? The weather was rather unpleasant.

“Hmm, this will be annoying. If it rains, the NPCs’ health stats will drop…”

“I imagine it won’t pour until evening, though. Wouldn’t it be fine for now?”

‘Should I have waited until after dinner, just before midnight, to leave?’

Once you exited an inhuman realm, re-entry was impossible for three in-game days. If I recalled correctly, there was another weak boss nearby. If I suggested we hunt that and then sleep there, the companions’ carefully managed condition would likely be ruined again.

It was troublesome. Annoying, even. Yet, seeing the little sprouts fluttering in the wind above their heads, it wasn’t entirely unpleasant. When else would I get to nurture ‘newbies’ like this? Even if they were just NPCs.

“If we head down this way, there’s a bandit hideout. Let’s raid it.”

“Uh… pardon? Raid a bandit hideout? Are you serious?”

“It’s suitable, isn’t it? Caves and such would involve monster combat, which would be too tough for you. Human NPCs are relatively easier to kill, and their facilities might be useful.”

Larger bandit groups, despite their crudeness, often fortified their hideouts like castles, complete with proper beds. While we could simply trek over the mountain to the next city, I disliked the idea of everyone collapsing from exhaustion except for me.

Unlike players, NPCs needed to eat, sleep, and adhere to a schedule. They could even fall ill. I, too, could technically contract illnesses based on my stats. Of course, the actual impact on me was negligible and easily ignored, but for them, symptoms directly affected their performance.

“Looking at the terrain, there’s definitely one nearby. You usually find at least one when you descend a steep slope.”

“You can even tell where the bandit gangs are located?”

“Somewhere inconspicuous yet easy for transporting supplies. It’s near the city, and if you go a little further down, there’s a decent main road. Plus, the steep areas are almost devoid of people, making it perfect for hiding.”

‘That’s generally how it is, anyway. Not always, mind you. Truly massive bandit gangs sometimes build fortresses right by a river, like castles. Some even dig tunnels underneath for ships to pass through. Of course, such large-scale cases are extremely rare in the game.’

“Even if they are just bandits, still…”

“What does it matter? They’re no different from monsters anyway.”

Evil-aligned NPCs like field bandits and brigands were essentially no different from monsters. They were hostile from the start, attacking anyone not on their side without hesitation. It wasn’t uncommon to see them attack or even kill regular NPCs.

‘Isn’t that how it always is? You don’t avoid fighting humanoid enemies, do you?’

“It would be even better if we found a necromancer or an evil-aligned class among them. Vampires are also quite lucrative to raid.”

They typically established their bases in damp caves or dark places, making them unsuitable for resting, but they offered a bounty of loot. With luck, one could find rare crafting materials, and since they often used magic, it would be good practice for the companions.

As I led the way, they followed, but their expressions remained decidedly unenthusiastic.