Blue clear skies and a peaceful village, Yuuta still can't get used to the fact that he could see everything in this game. So much so that he longs for it every time he was reminded of his blindness— which was all the time in real life.
"Sweet master, you're back!" Lav Kravia greeted in a high tone as she rushed towards Yuuta and hooked her arms around his. "The head of the village was just talking to me."
Yuuta could see the information on the village elder's head but he didn't mind it. Instead, he stretched his hands to shake the old man's hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sakurai Yuuta,"
"Ah yes, the young hero, welcome to the beginner village. I am Aldr, and I've ruled over this village for more than fifty years now. We are honored to be graced with the young hero's presence." Aldr bowed down, his feeble knees almost giving out.
"Enough about that. I want to finish this test as soon as possible so I could move to the second one. Can you give me all the information you have on the demon lord and his four subordinates? After that, please direct me to the whereabouts of the demon lord so I could complete my quest."
"I'm afraid we can't tell you that, young hero. We've been holed up in our village for so long that we don't know what's going on outside. Aside from the occasional attacks we suffer from the demon lord's subordinates, we have no information about him."
"If it's about the demon lord, sweet master, I can tell you everything! You don't have to worry about asking everything from this old man!" Lav Kravia confidently interrupted as she pressed her thumb on her chest. She was emitting an aura that tells Yuuta to leave everything to her.
"Young hero, are you sure you want to believe a demon lord's subordinate? She might still be a traitor and yet, you accepted her to be with you. Young hero, please reconsider your decision and defeat this subordinate of the demon lord now. Our village will be in constant danger if it stays this way." Aldr pleaded.
"Don't worry, I formed an irreversible contract with her. There's no way she could betray me in that state... unless, the demon lord is nearby and he could use his magic power to fight with mine." Of course, Yuuta was bluffing, but he knew that there was more than meets the eye when it comes to the village elder. Due to being blind in real life, Yuuta could sense emotions by filtering out someone's words through his hearing. And now, he could tell that there was a bit of uncertainty in Aldr's voice.
Just from that alone, Yuuta could tell that the village elder was hiding something.
"Now, if you don't have information to give us, we'll take our leave." Yuuta bowed down. "Kravia-san, let's go."
"Yes, sweet master." Lav Kravia blindly followed Yuuta as they got away from the village elder.
A few seconds later, a young man, who was watching from afar, went towards the village elder with a concerned look on his face. He had a striking resemblance with the old man so it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that he was related to him.
"Grandfather, will you really just let them leave like that? The outside of the village is a dangerous place. Shouldn't we keep them in for now until they get strong enough to face the demon lord or at least his subordinates?" The young man worriedly asked.
"Don't worry, they'll be back so— ah, speak of the devil." Aldr smiled as he saw Yuuta and Lav Kravia walking back towards them.
"Village elder, I have changed my mind. Can we have dinner together, tonight? I would like to ask you about this village instead." Yuuta scratched his head, his invitation was rather sudden and spontaneous that he knew there was a chance village elder would decline it.
"Sure, it will be our pleasure to have you join us for dinner. Do you have any special preferences when it comes to food?" Aldr asked, his voice was more cheerful than ever.
"Not really, but I would like it if there would be a lot of sweets and meat. We have a celebration in our hands, after all."
"We'll keep it in mind."
"Well then, we'll take our leave."
.....
Outskirts of the Village,
Yuuta lay down underneath a tree, enjoying the perfect windy weather during the late afternoon in-game. Although he had spent a few hours in Lucid Dream Server already, he was still amazed at how real-life everything felt. Even the passing wind tingled his skin and the rustling of the leaves could faintly be heard.
"— And then we have the top four subordinates of the demon lord, we are also called the four generals but that's beside the point." Kravia-san continued. She was sitting beside Yuuta as they enjoyed their idle time together.
For Yuuta, this in-game experience of living an idle life is the top experience of Lucid Dream Server. And nothing can change his mind.
"Finally, and what are your names? Are the other three as powerful as you, Kravia-san?" Yuuta asked, inhaling a lungful of fresh air and exhaling with prime relaxation.
"No, sweet master, I'm the most formidable of them all. That's why, if they were to attack us and I lay down my life for you, they won't be able to touch a single hair on your body." Kravia-san confidently declared. "As for their names, we have Augustus Favus, a white-haired old man with glasses, Deitritch, blond-haired with the dragon scale wings, and Reygal, the most adept in destruction magic out of all of us. Then there's me, Lav Kravia, the former top general of the demon lord, now serving the Dark Flame Master!"
"Wha— ?!" Yuuta exclaimed as he choked on his saliva. The sudden comment about his title caught him off guard that his body jolted upright. In just a split second, Yuuta reverted to his sitting position in surprise.
"It certainly is a title befitting sweet master. Perish! Enveloped in the flames of da— " Kravia-san quoted with her arms outstretched.
"S-stop it!" Yuuta embarrassingly whimpered. This was just one of the times when he regretted picking his titles without thinking too much about it. "In any case, are there any generals who could pose a threat? I know you're confident about your abilities but remember, I was able to pin you down without using any abilities at all."
"Which proves that you're stronger than me, master. The way you subdued me is honorable, I can't ask for a better defeat. That's why I don't think the other three generals would pose a threat." Kravia spoke with the same confidence as before.
"Wait... hold on— can you repeat the names of the four generals again? Make sure to include your name." Yuuta continued.
"Sure.... Augustus Favus, Deitrich, Reygal, and Lav Kravia. But why?"
"Nothing, I have my suspicions." Yuuta furrowed his brows. "Could it be a coincidence? No, it's too obvious to be a coincidence... and yet, it's too obvious, or rather, too easy to discover. Am I being misled? Or is he really connected to everything?"
"There's one way to find out."