“What’s this? An old chandelier that has lost its light and fell asleep? Is it a quest item?”
I stared at the chandelier with a puzzled expression.
All the candles were still lit although it was said to have lost its light.
What was strange was that unlike the game setting where main quest items were usually enchanted, each candle on this chandelier was real and actually lit…
However, I distinctly remembered that the main quest item for [Count Hailey] was not a chandelier.
I then noticed a large stained glass window behind the chandelier.
The interior of the mansion somehow felt dark and oppressive.
Even though it wasn’t yet evening, most of the windows in the mansion were covered by black curtains.
‘Is it set to be gloomy and desolate because it’s taken over by monsters?’
When I casually dismissed the thought, another idea flashed through my mind.
‘Come to think of it, the name ‘lost its light’ sounds similar to the main quest item. What was it?’
I hesitated to just pass by since the level of the chandelier was quite high. I also couldn’t just ignore it.
Maybe I hesitated for too long.
“What are you doing there? Hurry up and follow me. These damn servants…”
The aide who was walking ahead of me suddenly became irritated and urged me on.
He was a rather annoying guy who looked and acted like a brat.
“Oh, yes, yes. I’m coming.”
Because I was a lowly herbalist at the moment, I had no choice but to nod my head and follow him.
After being led by the impatient aide, I finally arrived at the Count’s office.
Inside, a young man with platinum hair was sitting behind a fairly narrow desk.
“Count, I have brought the person you were looking for.”
Even though someone had entered, the man didn’t even glance in our direction and just looked at the documents.
I couldn’t tell from a distance, but the characters in this game all seemed to have a common trait that would drive the players crazy.
They lacked respect.
“Hello, Count. My name is Shari Azrael, an apothecary. I heard that you were looking for me, so I came to visit.”
Although I wanted to curse him inwardly for repeatedly ignoring me, I politely greeted him.
Finally, as if recognizing my existence, he briefly raised his head and looked at me.
Clear, blue eyes were fixed on me.
A grim expression, a face as arrogant and handsome as a typical nobleman’s.
[Count Adam Hailey]
He was one of the main characters who helped the protagonist and was known by the players as the ‘Deity of the White Sword.’
His piercing gaze that seemed to penetrate through my robe suddenly became tinged with curiosity.
“…Are you alone?”
“Yes. I’m alone.”
I replied nervously.
Except for the players, all the characters in this game were AI.
Moreover, Adam Hailey was known to be one of the more difficult AIs, so I had to be careful not to act suspiciously.
Building good relationships with the main characters was important since it would allow me to join them as a party member when the protagonist confronted the final boss.
‘He probably doesn’t know what he’s asking.’
If it went according to the game scenario, the player had to persuade the apothecary NPC in the Count’s territory to come here after completing the potion-making quest.
So, logically, at least two people should have come.
But how could the game’s AI know that?
I chalked it up as just one of his many lines of dialogue.
At that moment, Adam, who was sharply scrutinizing me up and down, spoke up.
“You seem to be a beggar or a wandering witch.”
“…”
“If you came here to deceive people, it’ll be difficult for you to escape alive.”
“Hey, take off your hood and show your face to the Count!”
At that moment, a system window appeared in the air.
「 [Adam Hailey] is suspicious of you. 」
‘It appeared.’
The game allowed players to know a part of the emotions the main characters felt toward them through the system window.
It was part of the ‘affinity’ aspect. However, unlike other games, it wasn’t represented by numerical values.
“[…] trusts you strongly.”
“[…] considers you a reliable ally.”
“[…] holds a very high level of affection and liking towards you.”
The players could only make vague guesses while looking at the system window.
The developers advertised that they could build a more realistic relationship with the in-game characters, but it’s all nonsense.
‘A beggar as a first impression?!’
Adam, being one of the main characters, had the system window appear right away.
However, less than a minute after I thought I had to be careful, a crisis came.
“What are you doing? Show your identity immediately!”
The attendant scolded me harshly for hesitating and not revealing my identity.
I was a little flustered because in the trial playthrough, bringing the Apothecary NPC to the Count was the end of it.
‘Is this the AI anomaly that causes the hell-level difficulty?’
On the other hand, I felt annoyed that he saw me as a beggar while wearing the NPC exclusive costume [Shabby Robe].
I almost lost control and was about to flip my hood to show my face, but I managed to hold back.
It wouldn’t be difficult to reveal my face and defuse the situation here. However, since I decided to play the game, it would be better to keep this useful costume.
Besides…
‘My beauty is too noticeable.’
It wasn’t bragging; it was true.
As Adam Hailey was a main character, the chances of meeting him again were high. It would be awkward if he fell for me.
After a short moment of contemplation, I took out about 20 potions from my pocket and placed them on the Count’s desk with a thud.
“Isn’t this what you need right now, Count?”
“What is this nonsense…?!”
“It’s an awakening potion that induces insomnia. If my appearance is causing you discomfort, I will leave without any reward and give you this.”
“…What?”
The aide, who was trying to stop my impulsive action, and Adam looked at me with bewildered eyes.
Normally, the player was supposed to persuade Adam Hailey to let them stay in the Count’s manor to obtain rewards and achievements.
But I didn’t need any rewards nor achievements.
‘Besides, there’s no need for me to feed him the potions, right?’
In order to prevent [The Lord of Nightmares] from falling asleep and fulfill the main quest of preventing disaster, the player had to feed the insomnia potion to him.
At the same time, they had to build intimacy with Adam through sub-quests.
In other words, it meant running around tirelessly.
However, focusing on sub-quests could lead to neglecting the most important main quest, which could result in a terrible game over.
Therefore, the strategy was to have the Apothecary NPC brought by the player feed the awakening potion to [The Lord of Nightmares] on behalf of the player.
But I was neither a complete NPC nor a player.
I disliked being the one to lead and play the game even more.
‘Yeah! If I give him the potion, Adam can feed it to [The Lord of Nightmares] himself and prevent the disaster. Maybe I’m a genius…?’
My brief admiration for my quick reflexes and adaptability didn’t last long.
Adam’s next response dashed my hope.
“I’m pretty sure I instructed them to find an apothecary who can solve insomnia.”
「 [Adam Hailey] temporarily withdraws the suspicion he had towards you. 」
‘Why on earth is he withdrawing his suspicion?’
The cold wall touched the potion bottles I had put down.
There were two potions that can be brewed from the plant-like creatures in the fields near [Count Hailey’s Manor].
Sleeping potions and awakening potions.
The tutorial clearly stated that the way to stop [The Lord of Nightmares] was to keep him awake, but there were always players who chose to skip that part.
But for Adam to request a sleeping potion that could solve insomnia…
Adam’s words were a small trick to deceive players into wasting their time.
Normally, if I were a player, I would have proven my worth by offering the quest achievement of “Defeat 100 Intermediate Monsters” along with the fact that I can be of help…
Unfortunately, I couldn’t obtain achievements or titles as an NPC, so I could only give the best answer.
All I could do was play along and fit in.
Seeing the doubt in his eyes, I reluctantly spoke up.
“After the prisoner escorted by the Count passed by, a swarm of monsters attacked our village, causing many casualties.”
“…And?”
“Just before that, while watching the escort procession, I happened to hear the knights saying that they had to wake up the prisoner at all costs.”
“…”
“I may not be strong enough to fight monsters, but I can make potions to minimize sacrifices. That’s the only thing I can do.”
Adam Hailey trusted the just and righteous.
By quoting a response that closely resembled the standard advice circulating in the community, the suspicion in his blue eyes was thankfully removed.
“So, it was you who threw the potion.”
And the response that the players who obtained the ‘[Dover Village Apothecary Shari’s Special Healing Potion★!]’ usually heard came back.
At the same time, the system window appeared.
「 [Adam Hailey] feels a slight liking towards you. 」
Feeling a little strange, I nodded slightly, albeit a bit late.
“No matter how much of a sinner he may be, there was no need to cause unnecessary harm in the process of waking him up.”
“Ha, that’s funny. Does throwing a potion bottle prevent injury?”
Adam snorted as the players all gave the same answer.
「 [Adam Hailey] is a little offended by your words. 」
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