I Entered a Gacha Game That Had Been Abandoned for 10 Years chapter 119

119 – Proposal Ring (3)

Approaching the Lord’s castle, the carriage with the banner boldly engraved on it.

Watching as both mercenaries and citizens looked at the carriage with puzzled expressions, Kim Hyunwoo shivered with immense embarrassment. Yet, escaping the situation was not an immediate option.

Because, if he were to rush out to somehow take down that banner, the already focused gazes would undoubtedly intensify.

“…No, there definitely wasn’t something like that.”

Kim Hyunwoo gazed at the sign with a wry expression, recalling the events of ten years ago. However, no matter what information he reviewed, there was no instance where a blue merchant brought a banner like this.

“…Well, considering the top-down perspective, I might not have seen the banner being brought, but still.”

Nevertheless, thinking about it, witnessing such a conspicuous banner made his whole being cringe as if hearing a thunderous sound.

Especially with the Lord’s people and mercenaries staring at the banner piercingly.

Hence, until the blue carriage arrived at the Lord’s castle, Kim Hyunwoo contorted his body uncomfortably.

Before long, a short period passed.

Kim Hyunwoo could meet the blue merchant who had come to the office.

“Welcome, Lord of Larthania.”

The casual greeting from the blue merchant closely resembled the appearance of the blue merchant Kim Hyunwoo had seen in the in-game character.

She wore a blue pointed hat and a blue robe on her head, and within the robe, she wore subtly tight clothing, almost like a thief.

To put it nicely, the short-haired girl in this peculiar outfit, which could be described as a mishmash of various professions, flashed her characteristic cheerful smile and soon sat in front of Kim Hyunwoo.

“First of all, congratulations on your marriage.”

As if she had been waiting, the blue merchant, who sat directly in front of Kim Hyunwoo and began talking, looked at him. Kim Hyunwoo replied,

“…Marriage is not in the plans yet.”

“What? You bought an engagement ring, didn’t you?”

“…That was only to meet you.”

The blue merchant made a slightly puzzled expression at Kim Hyunwoo’s words, but soon nodded as if fully understanding what he meant.

“Indeed, engagement rings are the cheapest… but wouldn’t it be better to save a bit more and buy something better?”

“…All the decent items are priced above 20,000 stones.”

In fact, Kim Hyunwoo had seriously considered several times whether buying something other than an engagement ring would be better. However, he had bought the engagement ring for the sole reason that in order to purchase anything better than that, something reasonably useful, he had to unconditionally buy an item priced at 20,000 stones or more.

Moreover, it was clear that it would take more than a month to gather 20,000 stones. Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo had simply bought the engagement ring.

“Well, that’s true.”

Agreeing with Kim Hyunwoo’s words, the blue merchant looked at him, made a thoughtful sound, and then, as if realizing something, nodded and said,

“Well, since you insisted on meeting me… let’s discuss things from the perspective of an envoy and an outsider rather than that of a merchant and a lord.”

Thud!

With that, the blue merchant clapped her thumbs and index fingers together, making a sound.

And then.

Wooong!

The space that was just a home office had clearly started to transform into a meadow.

A meadow where a blue moon was shining down.

“…What?”

Kim Hyun-woo was taken aback.

But the blue merchant casually waved his hand and spoke.

“Oh, it’s just a private space. Actually, I don’t really have to worry about sound leaking out beyond the vicinity, but borrowing the space for a moment like this won’t let any information leak.”

Saying that, the blue merchant seemed pleased with the fact that the wooden chair he had been sitting on a while ago was now dyed pure white, and he fiddled with the armrest a few times before speaking again.

“Alright, now that the space is all prepared, let’s start talking in earnest. Um, what should we start with? Ah, do you have any questions you want to ask?”

“Questions?”

“Yes. Anything.”

Upon hearing the blue merchant’s words, Kim Hyun-woo pondered.

It wasn’t that he was pondering because he didn’t have any questions, but rather because he had too many questions to ask.

And so, after pondering, the first question that came out of Kim Hyun-woo’s mouth was-

“…Who sent me here?”

-This.

In truth, there were so many other things he could have asked, like a mountain of things. But the reason he asked this question first was simply because it was the thing he was most curious about.

And it was understandable, considering that Kim Hyun-woo still had doubts about why he had come here.

When he thought about it, it had already been 10 years since he quit Arteil.

Sure, he was a ranker, but he wasn’t even in first place.

Did that mean he hated Arteil?

…Of course, it would be a lie to say that he didn’t curse, but at least compared to himself, the players who cursed the game more than he did were abundant.

In other words, Kim Hyun-woo was not particularly unique in experiencing these strange phenomena that only appear in novels.

Because of this, Kim Hyun-woo asked a question.

The blue merchant seemed to be contemplating the question.

“Well, I can somewhat predict what kind of answer you’re expecting.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. Perhaps you think that some transcendental being summoned you for a certain reason, but unfortunately, that’s not the case.”

“…It’s not?”

“No, it’s not. On the contrary, the reason you were brought into this game world…is largely your own fault.”

With a meaningful smile, he said so.

####

Lorelle, who is essentially the leader of the Five Swords of Callan and also Lin’s disciple, is generally not the type to have drastic changes in her mood.

Because of this, she was able to take on the role of leader among the slightly unruly swords of Callan, and she was practically working as the closest aide to her master.

…Of course, recently, all Lorelle did was monitor what was happening in Lartania and report to Lin.

Lorelle didn’t particularly have any complaints about her mission.

After all, the plan she was carrying out to help her master was already being executed by her colleagues in the Kingdom of Callan, and at first, this task was a bit boring, but it became quite enjoyable after she found someone to talk to.

In other words, one could say that Lorelle’s mission was quite comfortable, but on the other hand, one could also say that it was extremely boring.

However.

“…”

At this very moment, Lorelle’s pupils were trembling like never before.

And that too, more than not returning from tearing the teleportation scroll during a fight with Merilda in the Lin Lar’tania territory.

“…Did I read that correctly?”

Lorelle mumbled involuntarily.

Normally calm, Lorelle’s voice trembled slightly, unlike her usual state.

It was understandable; Lorelle couldn’t believe the characters before her eyes.

…A banner congratulating the marriage of the Lord of Lar’tania.

Therefore, Lorelle couldn’t help but tremble in her voice.

“I can see it well too.”

Just a moment ago, Gyral, who was yawning as if bored, felt the severity of the situation, sweating coldly as he stared at the characters.

…”

…”

Lorelle and Gyral, after realizing that the characters they confirmed in each other’s eyes were indeed true, did not say a word.

They just stared blankly at the banner.

Just in case, I wondered if I understood correctly? I looked back several times.

And.

“…Damn.”

Gyral’s subdued voice hit Lorelle’s ears.

“…Right?”

“Yeah.”

“…If the Master finds out about this…”

Lorelle involuntarily wore a perplexed expression.

Although it may sound strange, she greatly admired and cherished her master.

But what if her master happened to witness this situation?

From Noble mtl dot com

“Ah…”

Just imagining it made Lorelle dizzy. As she momentarily staggered and looked to the side, she saw that Giral was also deep in thought, his body covered in cold sweat, as if he had similar concerns.

And then…

“What should we do?”

“For now, somehow…”

Lorelle and Giral, who had been contemplating for a long time, began to think about how to conceal this.

Both Giral and Lorelle knew that lying about the situation in the territory was inherently wrong, as they had been instructed to report on it.

But despite that, they both believed that it would be better to hide it when the situation was revealed.

And as they opened their mouths to exchange urgent words…

“I’m back!”

“But…what are you two doing together?”

“Ah…”

Lorelle and Giral blurted out in embarrassment.

“Look at this, Giral!”

Merilda, seemingly unaware of their situation, approached Giral with great excitement and handed him something.

“Look at this, it’s a picture of the master!”

Merilda spoke with a smile, as if she had obtained something wonderful.

…In fact, she had persisted until the crimson salamander conceded to pose for a couple of shots in the end… Regardless, the crucial point was that she had obtained the photos, so she proudly boasted with a very satisfied expression.

“…Huh?”

Merrilda, who was making an awkward expression, stopped speaking when she saw what was behind Kyrall.

A banner congratulating the marriage of the lord.

“…Eh?”

…The two photos, taken from the crimson salamander that had been in Merrilda’s hands, fell powerlessly to the ground.