After three days in the forest leveling and after playing... experimenting with all the monsters that had the misfortune of getting in our way, I saw the dirty and dilapidated serf village in the distance.
I do not regret spending so many days in the forest; I leveled up several times and learned a lot about fighting in real combat.
Things that actually worked and were just crazy ideas that sounded fun but turned out to be a disaster in practice.
I did not give up in melee combat either; in the end, I managed to kill a few monsters but broke my poor dagger. That was the last thing I had left from my previous life as Victoria, so I was saddened when it shattered into pieces since it could not handle my mana...
However, it was enjoyable to kill them, and I liked tormenting and causing pain to these creatures more than I ever thought possible. Part of me wanted to keep inflicting suffering on everyone within my grasp, but another part of me realized that if I did that, I would be lost forever and would become a mad demon slave to my own dark desires.
My main responsibility is to make Gor happy, so I will do whatever my loved one thinks is best for me; that is my duty above all else; that is the only purpose of my existence and the only genuine thing that brings me joy.
One important thing I discovered during my tests is that I have difficulty using spells that I have not learned through scrolls. It's sluggish—in fact, too slow to utilize in actual real combat.
Unfortunately, I could only employ variations of the Firebolt and the Fireball until the monsters were immobilized. Then I assaulted with magic from the other elements, taking my time to perform the tedious spellcasting, of course.
But shooting with a Firebolt was quite enjoyable, and I would love to develop a customized variation of that spell to make it even deadlier and more effective.
One of my top priorities should be obtaining Magic Scrolls, but obviously after locating a decent pair of shoes.
I approach cautiously, careful not to be seen, and examine my alternatives.
I must find a way to enter the village and acquire anything remotely suitable among the rubbish that these lowly people possess.
It is regrettable that the serfs of such a modest and isolated community have achieved so little advancement over the past six years. I strongly suspect there is nothing worthy enough to request as a offering.
The sole positive aspect of all this is that, similar to the previous occasion, they will not have any adventurers either. It is unusual for adventurers to emerge from such humble bloodlines. At most, there ought to still be a solitary Priest able of sensing demonic power.
I am somewhat tempted to break into the estate of the property of the Lord of these lands to get a pair of shoes that meet my standards.
— No, it would not be a wise decision at all. —
But I'm so ashamed to go barefoot that I'm truly contemplating the choice.
Gor is so gentle and compassionate that he offered to wrap my feet with two of his tentacles, but I refused. I would never pardon myself for pulling my beloved throughout the filthy floor, replacing something as mundane as boots.
— I believe the village is as grimy as ever; the only discernible difference is that they appear more scared. —
They even dismantled parts of their homes to pile up the rubble on the wall of filth that encloses the village.
—What are they so terrified of? Their Lord's duty is to safeguard them, and they, as good servants, should merely accomplish what their Lord commands. —
They should be pleased with the benevolence their Lord provides them by permitting them to cultivate his land.
Even though it occurs only once per year, it offers them the chance to exhibit their stats to the youthful ones, and if they are deserving, they may strive to be adventurers or mercenaries.
— Such lowly beings should already be satisfied with the basic food that their Lord enables them to eat to survive, and as a prize, only if they execute well will they be permitted to marry. —
— But no, as compensation for such tremendous generosity, they construct foolish mounds of filth to ridicule their Lord and to make him the laughingstock of the other nobles. —
It is an unforgivable crime; something as severe as this cannot go unpunished. They are not even my servants, yet I remain so fucking furious and offended.
— My father would have already executed them; he would have burnt them alive, hence tarnishing our prestigious family name and questioning his authority.—
—Oh. —
— That all sounded incredibly bad for some reason. —
It is absurd how the common sense of this world differs from the other world where I lived. In no way during my years as Victoria did I consider these lowly serfs as more than just livestock.
If I were still Victor, I would never address them as if they were simple things that I possessed the right to dispose of based on my desires. Regardless of how poor, dirty, and ignorant they are, they are still people.
It's not that I have a much better opinion of them now that I'm a superior race, but the constantly conflicting perspectives inside my mind are fun in some way.
Rather, to me now, even nobles seem like serfs. I think that is the most correct way to define my opinion on the humble humanoid races that crawl on this earth.
— When I enter, if they are good, respectful, and don't do anything that offends me, I will let them live as a reward. —
Today, I feel so generous that I don't know how my heart doesn't overflow and burst with so much goodness and mercy.
I rest until nightfall; now I am ready to start my infiltration task. Using darkness magic, I cover my body with a veil of darkness.
After practicing in the forest, I discovered some slightly more efficient methods to hide my presence, although for the moment I have only had the opportunity to test them on low-intelligence monsters.
The first and most important thing is the sound, followed by the smell and the sight.
I created a current of wind that dispersed the air around me upwards to disperse any possible smell, and I also created a barrier with spatial magic to muffle the sound of my steps.
I'm not yet at the level of an assassin, but I think my skills have improved a lot.
Unfortunately, maintaining three magics at the same time through mental images is stressful and very difficult, so I can only remain in "stealth" for a couple of minutes, then I have to hide, dissipate my magic, and rest a few more minutes before starting again.
Without wasting any more time, I head towards the "wall".
If these minions thought this pile of crap would keep me from getting in, they were sorely mistaken. It just makes me a little sick to touch it, and I swear if I get dirty because of this, I'm going to make them... that doesn't matter, that doesn't matter.
I jumped over the "wall" without much difficulty through an area where there were no people nearby, except for some scouts hidden in the distance.
The villagers seem too scared to leave their houses, and there are less than ten people guarding the wall.
Why do they build a wall in defiance of their lord if they don't even plan to defend it?
Are they idiots and think that just by piling up garbage they are safe?
In short, I waste my time trying to understand beings as absurd as them. On the other hand, those scouts look professional; they are well dressed, and unlike the serfs, whose bodies are in shape, it is obvious that they eat correctly.
So should I kill them?
No, it's not a good idea. I don't know how many there are, besides the few that I can see from here, and if they discover me, for sure they will flee in all directions before I manage to kill them all.
Let's trust my "stealth magic" to do a good job instead of taking huge and unnecessary risks.
After checking all the "houses," as I feared, almost nothing was worth it—only a medallion with the symbol of the gods engraved, which was inside the abandoned chapel.
— So the gods have also abandoned them… —
Why do tears fall from my eyes?
I am literally the happiest person in the world. It is ridiculous to cry for beings like these, much less to feel identified.
Even though, for some strange reason, I no longer feel like hurting them... Maybe making that mountain of garbage was their only option, their last desperate attempt to stay alive and protect their loved ones.
Those scouts did not seem to have the slightest intention of defending them, and I cannot see any knights around this village.
In that case, the blame falls on their lord for not fulfilling his duty as a nobleman. It is unforgivable to use them as bait; it goes against imperial laws, and it seems to me like a despicable act.
My respect for this lord fell to almost zero; he is the one who deserves to be punished.
I dissipate my magic and lean against a wall inside the small chapel. I sigh in relief. I haven't eaten anything in years, but I feel like I want to vomit. My stomach hurts from the stress. It's horrible to use magic like this.
My head also hurts. I feel so miserable right now. The buzzing in my mind is getting louder, which evokes a feeling of happiness inside me.
— So nice and pleasant... —
I take the medallion in my hands; it is small and seems to be made of white gold. Anyway, this could be the only valuable object in the entire village, and maybe it can be of use to me.
It reeks of holy energy, but wearing clothes imbued with it doesn't seem to do me any harm; I don't feel pain or anything strange other than displeasure when touching something imbued with holy energy.
It would be problematic if my body started burning and releasing smoke like vampires in movies when they were splattered with holy water or touched a crucifix.
Luckily, I don't have a weakness as stupid as that, so I shouldn't trust myself; who knows what would do high-level holy magic to my body?
For now, let's focus on the fact that holy energy serves as a barrier against demonic energy, and since I have a tremendous affinity for other types of magic, I can do well without using demonic magic.
With elements like this, I could hide my nature more easily, or at least that's what I hope to achieve. I don't have any evidence that this could actually work.
I put the medallion around my neck. I hate wearing something that represents that bastards waste of divinity, but there are more important goals for now.
I feel a chill run through my entire body; it feels like a slight electric current that is a little unpleasant, but apart from that initial reaction, it doesn't seem to affect me in the slightest.
I really thought that sacred energy would be extremely unpleasant, but it doesn't seem to be that bad. The ringing in my head seems to be getting a little softer than before.
Anyway, the really important thing is that I need proper shoes; I can't continue looking like a homeless person; I would embarrass my beloved Gor.
As I assumed, there are no shoes worth it, and I would rather die than wear one of those moldy and stinky sandals.
I have no choice but to pay a visit to the residence of the lord of these lands.
I hope that some of the ladies who live there have shoes in my size, but above all, and much more importantly, I hope they have good taste.