How long had I been leaping across tree branches like some beast and walking through the forest path? I, who had been heading toward Marquis Filipa’s territory in the south, stopped in my tracks. In the distance, I could see smoke and lights.
Marquis Filipa was known as a good and devout believer, famous for treating immigrants generously, and when starting on a commoner route, the standard strategy was to go to Marquis Filipa’s territory and play the tutorial.
Of course, the Marquis being good and devout had nothing to do with letting a suspicious outsider carrying a child into his territory.
Especially if it was a young man who didn’t look at all like the father carrying a sleeping little girl. If I were the Marquis, I would first separate the child and then lock me in the underground dungeon.
To prevent such a mishap, at least I should wait until Estella wakes up and we exchange names, right?
Having roughly come to a conclusion by myself, I carefully leaned Estella against the base of a tree and plopped down beside her. Worried the child might be cold, I took off my clothes and covered her with them, and didn’t spare a Fireball magic scroll to start a campfire. In case she was hungry, I also took out some jerky and a canteen, which were basic provided items.
When I opened the character encyclopedia, I saw [Mikaela/23 years old] at the very top. Twenty-three years old, a young age. Too young to throw away her life for a child. I deliberately looked down and pressed [Estella/5 years old]. Along with Estella’s favorability toward me, I could see Estella’s stats.
Favorability 0
Swordsmanship 8
Stamina 17
Mana Utilization 24
Nature Affinity 7
Intelligence 29
Dignity 5
Mental Strength 20
Considering she wasn’t just an adult but five years old, these weren’t low numbers.
However, the goal was the Emperor ending. For the Emperor ending, all stats absolutely had to be maxed at 100. Other stats aside, Dignity 5 was the most worrying.
Looking down beside me, I saw a cute child still sound asleep. Her soft platinum hair, which seemed to have been carefully tied prettily, was covered with leaves and twigs from pushing through the forest. Even while carefully tidying her hair so Estella wouldn’t wake, this situation didn’t feel real.
I still couldn’t believe that this small, soft child who seemed like she’d crumble with just a bit of force in my hand would determine my life or death—probably.
Right. It’ll work out somehow. Her Intelligence is 29. I’ll skip through quickly, make her into a wise ruler, and return to the original world.
I nodded my head, having barely managed to turn on my positive thinking circuit. Ah, there was one thing I had overlooked—this wasn’t a ‘game world,’ and Estella wasn’t a game character made up of stats like Intelligence 29 either, but a ‘real young child.’
For the sin of forgetting that one simple thing, about an hour later, I wanted to kneel before a child not even half my height.
“I, I’m Mikaela’s friend, a close friend.”
“Liar! Mikaela said not to follow people who say they’re her friend. She said she has no friends.”
‘Mikaela, what did you teach this child…!’
It was an expected reaction that Estella would be wary of me and look for her mother Mikaela as soon as she woke up. However, I really didn’t expect that the moment she woke up and looked around with bright eyes, when I greeted her with “Hello,” she would kick me in the crotch with all her might and flee up a tree.
I knew Mikaela’s teaching method was right. If a stranger you’ve never seen acts friendly saying they’re mom’s friend, you should kick them in the crotch and run away. But, I’m the real deal…
“What should I say for you to believe me? Right. Little En? Or Angela? Hm?”
I tried coaxing her gently while dropping various pieces of information, but Estella still just clung to the tree trunk with no intention of coming down.
I was worried she might fall and get hurt like that, but in this situation, if I climbed the tree and forcibly grabbed her, it felt like our relationship would cross a river of no return.
“Estella. It’s dangerous there, so you have to hold on tight, okay? If you’re scared, I’ll go over there for now.”
When I placed jerky and a canteen on the ground like dealing with a stray cat and backed away, Estella, who had been glaring at me with lime-green eyes identical to Mikaela’s, slowly climbed down from the tree, grabbed only the jerky and canteen, and then scurried back up the tree.
Wait, there wouldn’t even be jungle gyms in this world. How is she so good at climbing trees?
After letting out a deep sigh, I opened my mouth.
“Estella. To be honest, I’m not Mikaela’s friend. But, I do know both you and Mikaela well. Mikaela had to leave urgently for a while, um, somewhere far away, so she entrusted you to me.”
“Where did she go?”
I tried to express it euphemistically but hit the nail on the head. Estella interrogated me triumphantly. For a moment, I remembered the woman bleeding to death inside the hollow tree and shook my head vigorously to shake it off.
“You say you know her well but don’t even know where she went?”
“No, I know. Who said I don’t? Mikaela is the strongest hunter in Stellarunpie. That’s why she went to find Stella’s Wings.”
“Stella’s Wings?”
When I brought up Stellarunpie’s founding myth that even three-year-olds knew, Estella’s eyes narrowed. I did wonder if that smart child would actually fall for it, but my mouth smoothly spewed lies.
“Yes. That’s why she entrusted Estella to me. My name is Kim Isu.”
I spoke with the most gentle smile possible, and Estella’s eyes widened.
“Ki, Isu!”
It happened in an instant. Platinum hair like dandelions fluttered softly in the air. Her lime-green dress also flapped. Without thinking, I caught and held the child who was jumping toward me with both arms wide open.
“What are you doing! That’s dangerous!”
“No, it’s not dangerous. You’ll catch me. Why are you only coming now!”
The child who had just kicked me in the crotch disappeared somewhere, and a child smiling like a baby angel with short arms wrapped around my neck. I barely calmed my fluttering heart and adjusted my posture so Estella would be comfortable.
“Kiisu! Kiis!”
“Estella. Do you know me?”
I asked, dumbfounded. Even after seeing my face and hearing I was her mother’s friend, she had been wary like a cat with its fur standing on end, but she knew my name.
“Yes, Kiis!”
Even when I asked how she knew, Estella just giggled and kicked her feet.
Well, whatever makes her happy. Is this part of the prologue too? I couldn’t tell at all. Well, at the point where I’ve entered this game, met game characters, carried them on my back and held them, how could I possibly know how things work?
I moved the still wriggling Estella who kept repeating “Kiis” from my arms to my back and carried her.
“Now stay still. I don’t want to become a kidnapper.”
“Kiis is~ not a kidnapper though?”
“Right. Tell them that later too. Got it?”
Instead of a reply saying she understood, I only heard humming from behind me. It was typical five-year-old concentration. Right. Whatever makes her happy. I repeated that sentence like a prayer.
* * *
Not good. Things got bad.
“State your identity.”
I was tearing at my hair in the middle of a long line of immigrants and people returning home. At the front of the line, knights were investigating the immigrants’ identities.
Accepting immigrants well and letting just anyone into the territory were different stories. I had a deeply pulled-down hood that screamed ‘I’m suspicious~’ to anyone who saw, and when I hastily searched through my item window, I didn’t have the badge to verify identity that was given when starting with other professions. My eyes were even the demon race’s color—red. And on my back was even a child who had been chattering excitedly before falling asleep.
“Damn it. I’m using up all my items here.”
Right, well. Basic items just take up space in the item window anyway. I squeezed my eyes shut and took out a magic scroll.
[Item. Magic Scroll – Low-grade Polymorph]
– Shows an overlay of appearance to people within a 10m radius. Changeable range includes hair style, eye color, small accessories. However, they cannot be touched.
I tore my second magic scroll of the day. I had to bite down and tear it with my teeth since one hand was supporting the child on my back, but it was better than waking up the child who was using only the word “Kiis” to rewrite and sing all sorts of children’s songs.
With the Polymorph scroll, I changed my eyes to green, a fairly common color in this world, and made it so a badge-like necklace appeared around my neck. However, since this necklace couldn’t be touched, I had to get through somehow without showing the badge.
“Next. State your identity.”
While I was wracking my brain, my turn came. A fierce-looking red-haired knight blocked my way with a spear. A familiar face I’d seen when playing the mercenary route. It was Harriet, the commander of Marquis Filipa’s forces.
“I’m not in a position to move my arms right now… There’s a badge hanging around my neck. I’m Kim Isu, a commoner.”
“Kimi…su?”
“Kim. I. Su.”
“Kiis?”
“Ah, yes.”
Wait, this is a Korean game and you can’t even understand my name? I felt a slight complaint, but I obediently gave up. Harriet looked at me with a suspicious expression. His eyes sharpened.
“Why can’t you move your arms? Are you injured?”
His eyes scanned me up and down. I felt cold sweat running down the back of my neck. I can’t get a game over on the first day…!
“Um, well…”
“Hey—up front! Hurry up and move!”
Someone yelled irritably from behind, and an ajumma standing right behind me spoke to me in a calm voice.
“Listen, young man. I don’t know what’s going on, but people behind you are waiting too, so could you hurry through?”
Harriet narrowed his eyes. It was the very moment he reached for the back of my neck.
“Daddy!”
