Hours before the night incident occurred:
I was about to arrive at the city of Dontryon - the first major city in the game - where the protagonist would begin to meet some characters, and the main story would finally start. This would lead to the meeting with the duchess, who would guide the player on where to go next.
As I walked through the city with Freytan, I realized that a considerable amount of time had passed since Beranoth's death and my arrival in the city.
'They must have already noticed the remaining existence,' I thought, looking around for something I recognized.
Now I wonder how long it will take for them to get here or if they're already in this city.
If I encounter the star-eyed woman, should I get rid of her? In the game, she was supposed to appear in the middle of chapter one, which isn't too far from here.
Freytan squeezed my hand tightly, catching my attention.
"What's wrong?"
"We're already here, and you know where you need to go, right?"
The building in front of me was majestic, with an elegant mix of black and white colors that made it even more imposing. The sign indicating its function read "Central Guild."
"Yes, thank you. I was so immersed in my own thoughts that I didn't even notice."
"Hmm, I see." Freytan seemed curious, looking at the mark on my glove and remembering the symbol she had seen before.
Putting my hands in my pockets, I walked into the guild headquarters. As expected, everything looked identical to the game, with various people scattered across more than seventy tables. Most were drinking and laughing nonstop, while small parts were grumbling for failing a mission or were in total silence. The tension in the air was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.
Approaching the counter, I was greeted by the attendant, a young woman with green hair and eyes, with ample breasts, wearing a white ruffled shirt and a tight black leather skirt that reached halfway up her thigh.
"Hello, Mr. Dantalian, it's good to see you safe." The young woman handed me a brown paper with various sayings, including the location of the next guild, where I will be the master.
"And also, we all feel very sorry for what happened... We promise to reach the next town as fast as possible if anything happens."
Smiling, I took the paper. "Don't worry about it. I had a lot of help and managed to get most of them out alive. It was a miracle, I would say."
"Haha, that's great to hear, sir. And again, we apologize. If anything happens, let us know immediately."
'Straight to the point, just like in the game. I like that. No beating around the bush, they just give you what you need and that's it.'
I glanced briefly at the young woman.
'Besides, those developers really did a great job on her design... They really knew their audience.'
As she continued talking, her eyes finally noticed Freytan's presence.
"Freytan, what are you doing here? Didn't you have an important mission?"
Before Freytan could speak, I intervened.
"Do you remember the help I mentioned? Well, it was her. And really, without her, it wouldn't have been easy."
The young woman looked at Freytan with shining eyes.
'So, you really saw the message. Most high-ranked adventurers just ignore it because there's no reward."
"Huh? There was no reward? What do you mean?" Freytan thought, looking at the young woman energetically grabbing her hand and thanking her.
"I just did my job. Hehehe," Freytan replied, trying not to show her disappointment.
'The way she's acting... she's a little different from what she was in the game... So much so that one of her dialogue scenes is complaining about these urgent requests having no rewards.'
The young woman let go of Freytan's hand and cleared her throat, realizing what she had just done.
"I'm sorry about that..."
"No problem. In the end, it seems to be something rare, so I understand your reaction."
'You don't understand anything. You must be wanting to steal that gold ring from her,' Freytan thought, just looking at the two.
Placing my hand on the counter, I said:
"Well, that's all, right?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry for taking up so much of your time, Mr. Dantalian."
"No problem. I hope to see you again in the future."
I felt Freytan's sharp gaze after hearing what I said.
"Miss Freytan, shall we go? We have a place to go now."
"Right, let's go, Mr. Dantalian."
After leaving the central guild, we went to a small tavern nearby. While Freytan ate and drank, I had my plate untouched, looking at the paper in my hand.
"So, which town are we going to?"
"It's a city a bit far from here. It's in the region under the control of Duchess Marian," she said.
"Is that so?" Freytan gave a smile, sliding her finger over the edge of the metal mug she was drinking rum from.
'I've seen this smirk and this behavior before in the game. She's thinking of doing something bigger than she thought.'
Eating and drinking, time passed. Nightfall came, and since I still had things to do in this city, I ended up renting a room in an inn to try to advance my objectives. But as you know, I didn't even have to do anything, and now we're back to the decisive moment.
Here and now, I will discover what this woman is up to. After all, she was trying to get drunk on purpose, or rather, pretending.
"But what kind of face is that of yours?"
Freytan sighed.
"Tsk, you know more about me than I do myself."
Freytan touched her chest, letting her black-as-night hair down from its ponytail, flowing down to the end of her back, a long and wonderful hair.
"I really had planned what you already know, but I remembered everything I've seen so far, and with that, it would be impossible to deceive you."
"I don't think it's for that much, I'm just very attentive..."
Freytan chuckled lightly.
"Stop lying... But listen, I have a proposal for you."
"What would that be? Is the swordswoman thinking of throwing away her pride? I don't like that at all."
'I really hate that, that's why I haven't done anything until now. I really care about her,' he thought, looking apprehensively at Freytan.
Conquering her in this way, with quotes, being one of my favorite characters, could destroy me, just like the protagonist of that novel I read once.
"Help me tear down that duchess, and I'll give you both myself and that bitch of her daughter."
The scene I was seeing now, I never thought I'd see with my naked eye. The rage of a
person leaving their body and affecting their surroundings, the wooden floor beneath Freytan's feet, wood chips were flying.
Stop admiring Dantalian at a time like this, the protagonist has to run away!
"I've already told you once what I want: you by my side."
"Han?"
Hugging the heroine tightly.