The Forgotten Estate

The mansion was eerie.

A thick, oppressive gloom clung to the grandeur of the vast estate. Shallow dust stirred with every step I took, and the three following behind me shivered, unnerved by the inexplicable chill.

“Trimoss, what happened? Why is it so dark?”

Trimoss remained silent. She simply continued walking forward, offering no response. Her demeanor was cold.

I had personally crafted everything within this estate’s domain. While the general NPC area below merely had its foundations laid and paths cleared, I had poured considerable effort into this mansion where Trimoss resided.

Trimoss disliked darkness, extreme heat or cold, and especially detested humid air. Of course, she was merely an NPC, her reactions predetermined by set values. Functionally, there would have been no issues regardless of how I set things up, yet I had still gone out of my way to add these personal touches.

After all that effort, what was this desolation? Along the walls, soot-stained, unlit torch stubs hung forlornly from grime-encrusted sconces.

As I walked, I couldn’t help but stare at them, utterly failing to comprehend why a torch sconce would even be necessary here.

When I halted, Trimoss, who had been leading me, also paused and turned to look at me.

“Why are you stopping?”

“What is that?”

Trimoss followed my gaze, then glanced at the sconce before responding frostily.

“A torch, obviously. What of it?”

“That’s not what I asked. I know what it is. Why is it hanging there? So filthy, too.”

“Mind your tone. Even if you are the Knight of a Thousand Hands—!”

The Knight of a Thousand Hands. Trimoss never used to call me that. She always addressed me as ‘Captain,’ or occasionally by a string of curses, but never by my title. She had explicitly stated her dislike for it. Yet now, she was calling me the Knight of a Thousand Hands.

I stared down at Trimoss, who had been twitching her eyes peevishly. Under my unwavering gaze, her expression slowly stiffened. The hand I held grew chillingly cold.

[Please help me, Princess.]

Uttering the system command, I stamped my foot twice, a resounding thud. From where my foot struck, a faint, ethereal glow erupted, rapidly diffusing outwards. As the boundary of that light passed, it unveiled vibrant colors, as if shedding a snake’s old skin.

The grimy dust coating everything around us crackled and vanished as if incinerated, restoring the surroundings to their original state. The boundaries of the walls, floor, and ceiling began to glow, filling the space with light.

I thought I heard something like a faint scream. Trimoss watched, wide-eyed and breathless, utterly transfixed. I deliberately feigned a gentler demeanor, smiling softly as I spoke.

“I taught you, didn’t I? Everything.”

“Y-you… did?”

“You used it perfectly at first, so why now?”

Her eyes trembled, her lips seemed parched, and her body quivered. In stark contrast to the brightly lit surroundings, Trimoss’s face grew progressively darker.

I smiled. I had to smile. After all, I had wanted to see her.

“It happens. It’s nothing.”

‘Perhaps the command I added simply didn’t save. Or maybe the system glitch caused the data to degrade and vanish. Since the estate and mansion functions were custom-made by me, it’s possible that Trimoss, as a standard NPC, simply forgot them quickly.’

Trimoss dropped my hand as if shaking something off, and I didn’t reach for it again. Straightening my back, I spoke with deliberately forced cheerfulness.

“More importantly, let’s play. What would you like to do? Shall we dance? Or perhaps take a horseback ride?”

“What insolence—!”

“I’ve told you countless times, I won’t collect anything. The profits are for you to spend as you wish. I don’t know why she keeps trying to give me paltry sums whenever I visit.”

‘There’s often a bug where custom-made areas don’t properly transfer to a new owner upon handover. That must be why, despite clearly transferring the estate to Trimoss, she persistently tried to give me the meager estate profits whenever I arrived. If it were a significant amount, it might be different, but she kept trying to hand over a mere 50 or 60 gold. It was tiresome; every time I visited, I’d tell her to use it for estate operating costs, yet she’d still try to pass it to me.’

Trimoss seemed about to say something more, but her outfit caught my eye, and it was so dreadful that I couldn’t help but interrupt her.

“Now that I think about it, are you still wearing the dress I gave you? I’m sure I set your attire to ‘free choice mode’ with maximum customization…”

“How dare you—!”

“Is it that the outfits I gave you are too valuable for you to wear anything else? Hmm, I truly only have basic women’s clothing, so there isn’t much I can offer… Still, you should try to wear something a bit more varied.”

‘When you gift outfits or equipment to NPCs, they can wear them. However, it’s rare for them to wear the same thing for such an extended period. Such cases usually fall into two categories: either the outfit I provided is incomparably superior to anything they possess, or the NPC’s financial situation is so dire they cannot acquire new attire.’

‘Certainly, now that I look, the mansion seems to be in poor condition. It must be the latter, then.’

I opened my inventory and pulled out a few women’s outfits I still had.

“Since I’m a man, I don’t have many women’s clothes. Still, these should be better than what you’re wearing now. That green velvet you have on, while its stats are good, isn’t it terribly out of season? Isn’t it heavy? How about some cool chiffon and rayon? Linen has pretty colors, but it might be too rustic, wouldn’t it?”

“W-wait! At least let’s go inside first—!”

“What kind of accessories would you like to match your outfit? Rubies? Sapphires? You liked glass stones and opals, didn’t you? Or perhaps… mithril with cat’s eye? Could you show me the shoes you’re wearing now?”

I gave Trimoss—no, ‘her’—not a single chance to speak. I rambled on, saying whatever I wanted, whatever I felt I needed to say, pulling out anything I could see or grasp. She glared at me, then screamed, but her voice didn’t reach me. She clenched her teeth and raised a hand, yet it couldn’t descend.

With a soft thud, I caught it effortlessly.

I knelt before her, looking up at her directly. Her arm was held firm in my grasp, and her gaze had nowhere to flee. I offered a smile more innocent than any I had worn before.

“My apologies. I had forgotten. You NPCs are like that, aren’t you? You’re beings who only remember me if I ‘do’ something for you. Please understand. I’ve been traveling with our kids for so long that I momentarily forgot.”

“What… what are you trying to say? Speak plainly.”

Her face was etched with vivid terror. I averted my gaze, unwilling to acknowledge it, ignoring the alarm bells ringing somewhere within me, and rationalizing my actions. I pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. She seemed to try to resist, but her strength was too feeble to make any difference.

“It seems your affection level reset because I haven’t visited in a while. It’s alright. I can just raise it again.”

‘I had spent too long with the three of them. Traveling with those three, whose interaction responses were abnormally excellent, made me forget. NPC affection levels can drop over time. In Rabi and Bodangbo’s case, their high affection would have ensured some level of retention, even if it decreased slightly.’

‘However, I hadn’t raised Trimoss to her full potential, nor had I maximized her affection level. I visited frequently, but never stayed long, merely tossing her a few items to maintain her data before leaving. Furthermore, she’s a married character. Even if an NPC is romanceable, once they marry, they are excluded from potential conquest targets, which can lead to cold reactions despite high affection.’

‘Yes, that’s all it is. My affection level simply dropped because I didn’t manage it properly. Trimoss hasn’t forgotten me. That’s enough. Affection levels can always be raised again. Unlike the other three, Trimoss is a tutorial character, so it should be easy to increase.’

Looking around, I noticed hired NPC servants had gathered at some point, peering curiously. What I sensed from them was a mixture of coolness and surprise. Perhaps they were simply dumbfounded. Yet, no one made a move to intervene.

“Right. I’m not the one who’s strange. It’s just not functioning correctly.”

‘If this weren’t a game, someone would have come to help. Something other than me would have saved her. But the salvation of this world is ‘my’ task. It is an act that only I can perform, no matter how trivial. That’s how it’s destined to be. It’s a game, after all. That’s the player’s role.’

‘Therefore, it’s natural for other NPCs not to save her. It would be different if I were physically attacking her, but for a simple interaction like this, their non-intervention is expected.’

I let out a giggle, then scooped her up with a swift motion, whispering to her.

“Affection levels can always be raised again. It’s no big deal.”

Her face was deathly pale. The Trimoss I knew would have squawked and fumed, then eventually tired herself out and laughed. But this Trimoss, who didn’t like me, was simply trembling in fear. I collected the items I had haphazardly pulled out, then walked forward, still holding her.

Tracing old memories, I advanced and pushed open a grand door. Thankfully, I still remembered this.

Even with abundant light pouring into the lavishly decorated reception room, an undercurrent of gloom permeated the space. Though the previous device activation had cleaned it thoroughly, the tattered curtains and the worm-eaten marks on the furniture were plainly visible.

I settled onto the softest sofa, still holding her close, and asked again.

“Is there anything you desire? Anything you wish to achieve? What do you need?”

She remained silent, simply nestled quietly in my arms, trembling as if on the verge of tears, glaring at me. Just then, a loud commotion erupted from the direction of the door.

Turning, I saw the three of them wedged in the doorway, whining. I gently set Trimoss down, rose, and approached the door.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Hey, can’t we, like, change out of these?”

“Don’t complain about your clothes like a baby.”

At my words, Jack flared up and yelled back.

“Look at this! We can’t even walk!”

‘Hmph. These idiotic NPCs! A sigh escaped me naturally. They must have gotten stuck trying to pass through the door simultaneously, their spatial hitboxes expanded by the event outfits! Just when I thought they were getting a bit smarter lately, something this foolish happens!’

“I thought their AI had improved, but all they do is get stuck in the map!”

“Sir Haut, we know it’s stupid, but please just get us out!”

The three of them thrashed and struggled, trapped in the doorway. With every frantic movement, loud squeak-squawk! sounds erupted. Even Faust, who didn’t seem the type, was stuck at the very bottom with only his face peeking out, flapping his limbs. His face was beet red with embarrassment, rendering him speechless.

“I was in the middle of a very important conversation, you know.”

“We didn’t want to break the mood, but…! These clothes are really hard to move in! We can’t walk!” Nocturne shrieked, a piercing sound like a scream.

Oh, well. I suppose there’s no helping it.