Chapter 14: Trust Your Gut

I have made a severe miscalculation. After eating as much Orcish cooking as my body could handle, I enthusiastically expressed to Mast Tersheff that I could help the Orcs by introducing their cooking at Dadirdtoun’s Frying Festival. If they saw someone as cute as “Village Girl A” gleefully enjoying Goop Soup and Slimeamander Bites, surely the NPCs in this place would change their attitudes! Right?

Wrong.

I’m currently hiding in my house. After showing off monster cuisine in the main square, I was immediately branded as someone who colluded with monsters for evil ambitions. I heard all sorts of unspeakable insults hurled my way as I painstakingly demonstrated the greatness of monster meals, and nearly was hunted down mob-style.

A mob character like me doesn’t deserve a mob coming after them! You’re confusing different definitions of the same word in that case! The Hero even drew his sword! As much as I wanted to fight him, it certainly wasn’t in a situation like this. Right now, I’m the same type of NPC as everyone else!

It feels like Namida reconstructed itself before my very eyes. I saw all the villagers’ expressions turn sour in an instant, and heard whispers about my appearance and actions. It reminded me once again why I needed to lock myself away when this is all over. Even NPCs can betray my expectations in a single breath. I couldn’t find Reuben in the crowd that surrounded me, but I’m sure that he was also influenced by the Hero’s presence. He probably resents my actions just like everyone else. That may have been the greatest loss. Although he’s an NPC, he was quite entertaining to be around.

I was planning on leaving Dadirdtoun tomorrow morning anyways, but I guess I’ll have to depart tonight. I’ll hide with the Orcs for a little while, make good on my promise to help them, and move on to the next location in The Hero’s schedule.

I take a look at my 22 Rock Chickens and sigh.

“You all, I’m leaving. I’ll open the coop, so, if you want to follow me, you can. If you want to do your own thing, now’s your chance.”

All I get are blank looks. I wonder if they even understood what I just said. My three aces in the squad, Cooper, Emerald, and Rocco, don’t change their usual behaviors either. I had thought that those three would at least show some reaction, but I guess not? Perhaps I was expecting too much. I guess it’s true that animals only like you if you feed them. I’ll have to use different means to form my own party, if those three aren’t tagging along.

“I see. Well then, have a nice life. Bye bye! Bawk bawk!”

Having said farewell to my chickens and sloppily packed clothes, which were my only possession, I exit through the back of my house, climbing over my coop. I make sure to use the darkness of the night to make my way out into the Tilde Plateau. Some monsters here are pretty scary for someone like me, but if I travel a small distance, I can make it to the Orcs just fine. They were nice enough to leave a small group there to retrieve me.

The Tilde Plateau is known to be windy during the day, and deadly calm during the night. In The Tears of Nephelai I didn’t really pay much attention to this place. All things considered the scenery wasn’t impressive, and the swarming monsters became annoying after a little while. It’s the largest area in the game, connecting multiple towns, but having a big and empty open space with little to do in it isn’t the best combination. Having played the game over and over, all I did in this place during later playthroughs was travel in the most optimal lines and go out of my way for the sparse treasure.

Right now, I feel a little different about it. In the darkness of the night, the Tilde Plateau is lit up by a brilliant stream of stars up in the sky. The sky is holding colors I never knew it could. Greens, purples, oranges, reds, all mixed within the stark darkness of nighttime. There’s a cool and fresh breeze swimming across the empty expanse before me as I make my way forward. The grass crunches beneath me and the world is silent, but beautiful. It’s completely different from what I had imagined.

I instinctively point myself in the direction of the next town as I walk. There’s small landmarks that I recognize now translated into something real and tangible. They’re harder to catch though, since the environment now blends more naturally, having been freed from the constrictions of the game. Dadirdtoun was grander in scale, and the Well-Done Dungeon was practically the same, but this place is on a whole different level.

My current existence is so paradoxical. So many things are the same and yet so much is different. I can be blown away by something trivial, but be betrayed by something seemingly important. This version of Namida tempts me with its natural beauty and living world, but then shoves game mechanics at me and expects me to follow half-baked rules.

I’ve accepted that by now. I’ll move forward and see everything this world has to offer, and I’ll keep the Hero from forcing everyone down a path they can’t control. If Namida can hold beauty like this, then I’ll be sure to create a world that can truly treasure it. My next goal is Fort Forth. Like Dadirdtoun, there’s a whole situation and boss to deal with, and if I can properly persuade Mast Tersheff to keep me around, I think I’ll continue to be successful!

The soft crunching of the grass and the cool wind is soon drowned out as I make it towards the campfire that the Orcs set up for me. Mast Tersheff, surprisingly, is part of the group waiting for me. He runs up to me, shaking the ground like always, and quickly starts a conversation.

“Small girl! I had heard many noises from town, and was worried. It did not work out, did it?”

“Haha… it seems like it didn’t. Sorry to disappoint, Sheffie.”

“Sheffie?”

“Your nickname! Since we’re friends now, I can call you that, that’s how it works!”

“Bahaha! Is that so? If that is what humans do, I shall follow. Small girl, what is your name?”

“Talon!”

“Small Talon, then! No worries, humans never understand the greatness of my cooking! We will find better solutions.”

“Sheffie, I already have a backup plan! If I lead you to Fort Forth, will you follow me? Something strange will happen there sometime soon, and the strength of the Orcs could be useful.”

“Hmmm, if Small Talon says so, I shall trust her, yes. For now, you shall be our Orc Queen! Lead us to victory, Small Talon, bahaha!”

“Eh…? Can I just take an important title like that? Aren’t you the leader Sheffie?”

“Mast Tersheff is the chef, Small Talon, how can I be the leader? We haven’t had a leader in a long time! You have sacrificed your life with humans for life with Orcs! I will give the position to you. My gut says so, and my gut never lies, bahaha!”

I’ve received such an unprecedented promotion, just like that. Orc Queen? I’m not even an Orc! How am I supposed to lead an entire tribe? Should I use this as practice for when I become the Demon King? I can’t even battle, and I’m a fraction of the size of everyone else. Will there be resistance from others in the tribe? Do I need to fight my way to the top? Oh, maybe I can ask for some battle training with these guys as well. Reuben and my chickens were helpful, but camaraderie with Orcs may prove even more necessary for the coming trials.

Well, I can think about all that later. For now, the Orcs have given me a place to sleep, tasty food, and pleasant conversation. It would be easy to become suspicious at all of this, but I’m taking a page out of Mast Tersheff’s book and trusting my gut. The Orcs don’t seem malicious. It’s almost hard to imagine that in an alternate timeline, all of these guys were already gone. I can be satisfied for now knowing that I prevented unnecessary conflict by directing it to me. Since I’ll become the Demon King in the future anyways, maybe it’ll just be better if I take the blame for everything. By focusing this world’s ire on me, I can become a truly devilish final boss. In a way, that sounds like fun!

“Small Talon, I’ll keep watch for tonight. You have worked hard for a human, so sleep!”

“If you say so. Good night, Sheffie!”

“Enjoy your dreams, Small Talon.”

After those words, the colorful night sky quickly lulls me to sleep.