PMEVBO 19

As my anger subsided, I realized something unexpected.

Would you like to use a Skill Draw Ticket (1x)?

Yes/No

Isn’t this just where I press No?

Come to think of it, there seemed to be a separate place in the inventory window to store Skill Draw Tickets… I hurriedly opened the inventory window.

Owned Skill Draw Tickets: 0

So apparently, unused skill draw tickets are automatically stored here?

“Ha…”

A hollow sigh escaped my lips.

Losing the Discernment skill earlier was ultimately my fault. I got blinded by the message saying I received a skill draw ticket, and I mindlessly clicked ‘Yes’ without even thinking about the inventory window. Thanks to that, I did get the Guidance skill, but that was pure luck.

From now on, I’ll be extremely cautious about using skill draw tickets. Since I know how to keep the Guidance skill, it’s probably best to stop getting excited over non-existent skill draw tickets.

First, let’s just clear the quest.

Wait, but they want me to give 15 compliments over 20 days…?

The number of compliments required was a whopping five times higher than the number required for Iser’s quest, yet the time limit was only doubled. Seriously, does that even make sense?

…This is seriously pissing me off.

Just as I was glaring at the status window, Seriha, who had been whining beside me like a puppy desperate to pee, pulled a handkerchief from his bosom. He tore it into a long strip and began carefully wrapping it around my finger.

Emergency treatment personally administered by the male lead? This is too much honor.

But the treatment was a bit excessive. It was just a tiny scratch, did it really need to be wrapped up this tightly…?

But I didn’t want to be rude when someone was being so kind, so I kept quiet. Seriha, having tied the handkerchief securely with a knot, scratched his cheek and gave an embarrassed smile.

“I’m sorry this is all I can do for my benefactor…”

“Well, it’ll come in handy for flicking foreheads. No problem. Thank you.”

I chuckled, firing imaginary flicks into the air with my enlarged middle finger, then looked up at Seriha. He quickly averted his gaze and began fidgeting with the tip of his nose.

Wait. He did that a lot in the original work too.

Like, when something made him happy.

Praise Seriha Kal Macelan Levana!

(1/15)

Wait, he was happy just because he got a thank you after helping me?

What is this guy? …An angel

If someone felt happy after helping others, that made him an angel. I thought he was genuinely kind when reading the book, but I never imagined it would be this extreme.

“Ahem, I’m Abel, belonging to the Tirovis Merchant Guild.”

“…Ah, I see.”

No, you’re Seriha.

Come to think of it, he used the alias Abel in the original work too.

Abel, a commoner belonging to the Tirovis Merchant Guild. Fortunately, it seems he’s following the path laid out in the original story.

Then, Seriha hesitantly asked.

“Um, if it’s not too much trouble, may I ask the honorable name of my benefactor……?”

…Honorable name? An unusual choice of words.

I decided to tease the male lead before me a little.

“You may call me Esteemed Lord Lucariel.”

“Yes, understood. Esteemed Lord Lucariel.”

……Wait, he’s taking this seriously?

Seeing Seriha’s harmless smile left me speechless. So this is what they mean by a sunshine male lead. Just looking at him felt like my very existence was being exorcised.

“Um, then, Esteemed Lord Lucariel….”

“Yes, Esteemed Lord Abel.”

“Wh-what?! Ah, no! Please, don’t call me that…!”

Seriha shook his head, his face pale. His desperate, pitiful expression made me have to look away toward distant mountains to stifle my laughter.

Oh… Hey, do you really think you can hide your identity like this?

The Holy ‘Levana’ Empire. And its capital, Macelan. As the name implied, ‘Seriha Kal Macelan Levana’ was of imperial blood. Though he now went by the commoner identity of Abel, affiliated with the Tirovis Merchant Guild

“Esteemed Lord Lucariel, may I ask you to just call me Abel…?”

“Lucariel.”

“Huh?”

“Call me Lucariel, and I’ll call you Abel.”

At that moment, Seriha’s eyes widened.

A vivid joy filled his mysterious pupils.

Praise ‘Seriha Kal Macelan Levana’!

(2/15)

Suddenly? …Why was this so easy?

Perhaps because I’d spent so long fretting over that prickly Iser, this situation felt unfamiliar.

If I can clear it quickly, I’ll gladly take it.

Just then, Seriha shyly asked.

“Um, then Lucariel… If you don’t mind, would you like to come with me to our merchant guild’s caravan?”

Good timing. I wasn’t planning on letting him go until the quest was done.

Even if it was just to get back to Iser quickly, I needed to quickly clear Seriha’s praise quest. To do that, I’d have to follow him to the merchant guild’s caravan or wherever.

Hopefully I can clear it within today at the latest…

Meanwhile, Seriha seemed to think I was hesitating to follow him. Perhaps because of that misunderstanding, he began stammering out his reasons for wanting to take me along.

“I want to give you a proper treatment, and also… you look cold.”

His eyes looked like he was staring at a puppy about to freeze to death. …The guy who cried in front of a bear holding a single twig was worried about me. How funny.

Yes, honestly, I was a mess right now. Soaked from head to toe, and my shoes had floated away in the river.

But seriously, wasn’t it strange for you to pity me? I have no idea who’s supposed to be worrying about whom here.

Whether I found it ridiculous or not, Seriha was staring at me with a face that looked like he was worried to death. Just as I was about to nod reluctantly, something happened.

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

────【 System Notification 】────

Player has departed from fixed position.

In 10 minutes, Player will automatically return to fixed position.

(10m)

────────────────

…So you’re sending me back to Hayut Castle in 10 minutes?

9m 59s

9m 58s

9m 57s

Ha, at least the kid won’t starve…

I felt relieved, but the moment I saw Seriha’s pale face, another critical problem flashed through my mind like lightning.

Wait, but if I part ways with Seriha like this… what about the quest?!

It was then. Seriha, who had been fidgeting with his fingers beside me, cautiously suggested once more.

“Um, this forest is dangerous at night. So, how about traveling with our caravan at least until we leave the forest?”

“Destination. Where is your caravan headed…?”

I asked urgently.

“Huh? Ah, first we plan to leave this forest and head to the Babet Plains, and our final destination is the Hayut Castle.”

“…You’re heading to the Hayut Castle.?”

“Yes!”

Seriha nodded obediently.

Seriha had visited the Hayut Castle. around this time? Was that mentioned in the original story…? Well, events before the original story began were glossed over, so it wasn’t exactly strange that I didn’t remember.

“How long will it take to get to Hayut Castle from here…?”

“About a fortnight.”

In other words, parting ways here now meant wasting at least 15 days out of the quest’s 20-day time limit.

Damn it, I barely managed three in ten days. How am I supposed to get fifteen compliments in five days…?

Well, technically it wasn’t 15, it was 13. Somehow I’d already managed to scrape together two. But even 13 felt like an insane amount to me.

“Is Hayut Castle also your destination, Lucariel?”

“Well, yes…”

It was technically correct since I’d arrive automatically in about 10 minutes.

8m 59s

…Correction. Not 10 minutes, but 8 minutes and 59 seconds until arrival.

Seriha smiled shyly.

“It’s amazing our destinations are the same.”

“……Yes.”

If the destination hadn’t been Hayut Castle, I would’ve begged him on my knees to stop by just once. Fortunately, it was.

I solemnly checked the remaining time, feeling like I was a bomb disposal technician. Things had come to this. No choice. I had to go for it, come what may.

I’ll take whatever I can get, even just one thing.

8m 3s

And so began the insane time attack.

Since I had nothing to offer, I decided to try my luck. Honestly, I wasn’t very confident, but I carefully observed Seriha and chose my words carefully.

“You have pretty eyes.”

“Huh?”

The man looked at me like a deer caught in headlights, my heart seemingly dropped to the floor.

Ah, this one’s a no-go.

7m 44s

I quickly changed the subject.

“You’re tall too.”

7m 28s

“And your skin is nice.”

7m 2s

“…and your voice is nice too.”

6m 30s

What do I do…

I was already running out of lines. Ah, if I’d known this would happen, I shouldn’t have just majored in Taekwondo in college, I should’ve double-majored in praises too. Once the string of candy-like compliments ended, Seriha finally asked with a confused look.

“Um… were those just now… all compliments…?”

“Uh, yes? Why?”

Of course they were compliments… so…?

Curious about his intention, I tilted my head and asked back. Instead of answering, Seriha bowed his head and buried his face in his palms. Through the man’s fluffy golden hair, I caught a glimpse of his ears, flushed bright red.

…He looks like a golden retriever.

That was when the status window changed.

(2/15)

(3/15)

Oh, I got it.