Chapter 6
My gaze fixed in the direction of the rustling sound.
It was the spot beside the farm, overgrown with bushes and trees.
‘Someone’s there.’
I kept a close watch on the trees surrounding the bushes.
From the bit of a school uniform sticking out, it was a student from Yggdrasil.
‘Why would they come all the way here?’
The only person who would come to the barn was me, the caretaker.
At least, that’s how it had always been until now.
“Stop hiding and come out. I’ve already seen you for a while.”
While sweeping aside the scattered straw at my feet, I spoke casually.
At my words, I heard a startled rustle.
“Ah, um… well…”
Someone stepped out hesitantly from behind the tree.
It was someone unexpected.
‘Arowell?’
Arowell, my teammate.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to spy on you.”
“Well, you must have a reason. No one would come all the way here without one.”
Maybe it was Villed’s unique tone of voice.
It must have sounded unintentionally confrontational, because Arowell flinched and lowered her head.
“Um… this…”
In her small fists, she held several sheets of paper.
“What’s this?”
“A-a group verification form.”
Was there such a thing? I think there was.
If I remembered correctly, it was something that confirmed we were on the same team and had us sign, along with notes on precautions for the dungeon.
‘Originally, it should’ve been filled out when the team was first formed.’
But thanks to Nix storming off, things had never progressed that far.
“This… um… it has to be submitted today.”
“Yeah?”
I took the paper and nodded knowingly.
A quick glance showed that the stack was fairly thick, with more than one place to sign.
I held out my hand toward Arowell, and she reflexively took it.
“…?”
“…?”
Our eyes met awkwardly in midair, both of us holding unspoken questions.
I pulled my hand back, clearing my throat.
“I meant the pen. I have to sign, right?”
“Oh! Ah! Ahhh! Y-yes, yes!”
She fussed for a moment before quickly producing a fountain pen and offering it to me with both hands.
She was keeping her manners toward a noble.
“Thanks.”
As I signed, I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.
“Hm…”
Her shoulders had drooped, her gaze cast downward.
I thought I could see moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes.
Maybe she was regretting what happened earlier.
‘If she goes back to the dorm looking like that, I can already guess what rumors will spread.’
I tried not to care, but this was a matter that also touched on my own reputation.
Even if it had already fallen to rock bottom, I hadn’t completely given up on it.
With that in mind, I met her gaze.
“Do you like animals?”
“Huh? Animals?”
Arowell’s pupils darted around for a moment before she gave a small nod.
“Come on. I’ve finished cleaning, so it doesn’t smell anymore.”
Saying that, I headed toward the pen where the lambs were.
From behind, Arowell followed with a puzzled look.
She still seemed uneasy.
But only for a moment.
– Baa!
As if recognizing me, a lamb hopped toward us.
It poked its head out between me and Arowell.
I gently stroked its neck, then glanced at her.
“It’s only been born recently.”
“Ah…”
Arowell blinked at the little lamb.
It didn’t seem like her earlier claim of liking animals was just for show—life returned to her eyes.
Almost entranced, she reached out to pat the lamb’s head, gently brushing over its wool.
– Baa~
The lamb seemed to enjoy the touch, staying still.
“…”
Arowell silently continued stroking its head.
With each pass of her hand, the trembling lessened.
‘Yep, this was the right move.’
I could see she had calmed down somewhat.
“Here.”
I shook a bottle with a bit of milk left inside and held it out to her.
Arowell silently nodded and took it.
– Baa!
Gulp, gulp!
With every mouthful the lamb drank, Arowell’s expression seemed to regain more life.
‘That should do it.’
Starting with the lamb, she began to look around the farm.
Meanwhile, I took the chance to scrawl my signature on the papers she’d brought.
“All done.”
“Oh, okay! I’ll be going now.”
As if suddenly coming back to her senses, Arowell bowed at a perfect ninety degrees and hurried off.
“Hey.”
I stopped her for a moment.
She turned back to me cautiously.
“You don’t have to use formal speech.”
At my words, Arowell gave a faint nod.
Then she slowly opened her mouth.
“Yes.”
She was someone who stuck to formal speech until the very end.
***
It was when F4 Team had just been formed with Villed.
“You don’t have to do anything. Nothing at all.”
Nix, unable to endure Villed’s deceitful smile, shot up from her seat and headed toward the rest area outside the school, taking Arowell with her.
“We don’t need that guy’s help at all. The two of us are enough, so let’s not get involved with him, Arowell.”
Nix was very confident.
With Arowell’s defensive magic and her own breakthrough ability, they could clear the dungeon without Villed.
In fact, the weak link was Villed.
He was nothing more than a noble in name, with no skills worth boasting about.
If he was only going to be a hindrance, they were better off without him.
“But… he’s still in the same team…”
“Arowell, you’re too naive for your own good. You don’t need to bother with someone like him.”
Nix continued, fuming.
“I heard he got punished to work in the barn, right? I’ll be impressed if he’s not bullying the animals instead of reflecting on himself.”
“At that point… wouldn’t he at least do some self-reflection…?”
“Self-reflection?”
Before Arowell could finish, Nix scoffed and replied first.
“If he was the kind of person who could change from that, would he have been such a punk at the start of the semester? People don’t change that easily.”
That much was true.
She remembered clearly the rampage Villed had caused all over the place right after enrolling in Yggdrasil.
Born into a prestigious family, he had lived an indulgent life without restraint.
Just assigning him barn work for a bit wasn’t going to make him change overnight.
Arowell knew that too.
But… for some reason…
There was something suspicious.
‘Nix called it deceit, but…’
When the team of three was first formed, Arowell remembered clearly what Villed had done.
‘Somehow… he felt different from before…’
From his demeanor to his expression, everything had changed.
And because Arowell remembered Villed’s early days all too clearly, she could tell.
Was it really just her imagination?
Of course, only Villed himself could know the truth.
Time passed, and it was the afternoon after classes.
‘Oh no.’
Arowell was sweating cold.
Just as she was about to submit the team signature form to the professor, she realized.
She had completely forgotten to get Villed’s signature.
And today was the deadline.
‘Should I ask Nix to come with me to get it…?’
She hesitated for a moment but shook her head.
‘No, I can’t trouble Nix any more than this.’
Nix already went out of her way to look after her.
She felt too guilty to keep asking for help.
Determined, she headed alone to the barn where Villed was.
‘Still… this is kind of scary…’
When she finally arrived, her trembling wouldn’t stop.
In the end, she hid in the bushes beside the barn to secretly watch Villed.
If she asked him while he was struggling with work, he’d surely get angry.
It would be much better to wait until he had finished and was in a better mood.
She was waiting for the right timing.
‘He’s… working?’
The lazy, incompetent Villed was, surprisingly, working diligently.
‘He… is a noble, right?’
It was a strange sight.
Not like a noble at all—he looked more skilled than a commoner who’d worked on a farm for years.
Chopping wood into firewood with an axe.
“Phew!”
Lighting a fire with flint.
Even the carrots for the animals were scrubbed clean in water.
Every task was done with care.
Contrary to Nix’s words about him abusing animals, Villed seemed to be taking care of them with more effort than necessary.
‘…That Villed?’
She couldn’t believe it, even seeing it with her own eyes.
Could a person change this much in just a few days?
As far as she remembered, Villed had been one of the most arrogant nobles of them all.
“Are your eyes just for show? Can’t you look straight?”
“Wipe that expression off your face. If I see those eyes again, I won’t let it slide. And don’t forget to speak respectfully next time.”
Those were the insults Villed had thrown at her the moment he realized she was from a poor commoner family.
It might have been just teasing for him, but for Arowell, it was a terrifying memory.
‘After that, I couldn’t even look him in the eyes.’
It wasn’t just Arowell.
If he thought a student looked easy to pick on, they became his prey.
A thug among thugs, who trampled on others while boasting of his noble status.
That was who Villed had been.
But now…
“You don’t have to use formal speech.”
He’d told her that.
It was so unlike the Villed she remembered that, flustered, she ended up replying with “Yes” instead of the casual “Yeah.”
Why had Villed become like this?
‘Did he… hit his head or something?’
First he demanded formal speech, and now he was telling her not to use it.
From the look of things, it was enough to make her wonder if he’d been replaced by someone else.
‘…What happened to him?’
With a face like she’d just woken from a dream, Arowell quietly walked away.
***
How many days had passed since then?
Daily Quest complete!
You are rewarded for taking good care of your animal friends!
You have obtained 10 Points!
“I’ve reached 50 Points!”
It was currency earned after five days of grueling labor.
A truly moving moment.
I immediately accessed the Universal Shop.
You have purchased Happy Nest!
On the green field of the screen sat a brown nest.
‘Finally…!’
I felt like I could cry tears of joy.
Even Hwayo seemed curious about the nest, circling around it.
“Hwayo, from now on you can sleep warmly in the nest, okay?”
– Popong.
Did it actually understand my words?
Your animal friend Hwayo likes the nest!
Looking very pleased, it climbed right into the nest and went to sleep.
‘Now its experience will increase.’
In a few days, it would level up.
Wasn’t there a saying about the art of waiting?
It had been a long time since I last enjoyed such happiness and anticipation.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t talked to them since then.’
I hadn’t had a chance to see my teammates Nix and Arowell.
They were both top students with excellent grades.
They probably decided they could manage just fine without me.
‘Well, I’m sure they’re preparing diligently to clear the dungeon.’
They must also feel the pressure of having to clear a three-person dungeon with just two people.
That would make them train harder than usual.
After all, they were top-ranking students.
‘But you never know.’
Things don’t always go as planned.
<Yggdrasil> was a game with no shortage of variables.
‘I should prepare in my own way too.’
Even if I didn’t need to step in, I should still be ready for the worst-case scenario.