Chapter 91 - Alfred Vain, the Grand Paladin

Joss chased us away without elaboration. We returned to our dorm.

Arriving early, the girls removed their armor plates and helmets, clearly tired of wearing them.

I changed clothes too. My red suit reeked of crude oil and smoked bacon. Their noses twitched every time they came near me. I rushed into the bathroom.

While preparing for a morning bath, I stopped, scratching my head. Something felt forgotten.

CAWK!

Right. Cawk‑Cawk.

Wait.

Where was that sound coming from?

I turned to the window and saw the ostrich crying, clinging to the other side of the glass.

"Crap. I’m so sorry."

I opened the window, letting him in. He waddled into the bathroom... with a meatbun in his mouth.

I thought I had abandoned it. Why did you have THAT?!

Cawk‑Cawk rubbed his head against mine, pushing the meatbun against my cheek.

No. Bad bird. You eat that. Me, no eat.

Frustrated, I shoved the meatbun down his throat. He coughed, but swallowed it.

"What’s the noise?"

Lia barged into the bathroom like it was normal. She froze when she saw Cawk‑Cawk.

The ostrich stared at her, then screamed like a maiden being seen naked.

CAWK!

What a scaredy cat... or ostrich. I wondered why.

Lia pointed. "Are you going to eat that?"

Woman, this guy is an ostrich, not a dog.

No, I meant, dogs aren’t food either. He’s an ostrich, not a turkey!

Explaining this would take a while.

.

An hour later, after bathing and explaining everything in detail, we returned to the bedroom and dressed in casual clothes.

Cawk‑Cawk had been washed and now curled like a ball in the corner. Lenitia was glued to his side, petting him. She seemed happy.

Lia and I, however, had another matter to discuss.

I tried to show her the inventory panel.

"Can you see this?" I pointed at the floating screen I controlled with my thoughts.

"No. What are you pointing at?"

I pulled a halberd from the inventory and showed her. Lia shrieked, crawling backward.

"W‑What?! How?!"

I coughed, puffing my chest.

"This is my new ability. I can store ten items in subspace and carry them anywhere, regardless of shape, size, or weight. Haven’t tested food yet, though."

"Food? What did you do with food? What does that have to do with the... invisible wall? What happened to your hand? How did it disappear, and how did you pull out the halberd? Did you create it?"

"Woman. One question at a time."

I facepalmed and explained everything like I was teaching a sixth‑grader. Two hours wasted.

By the time I finished, it was noon. Maids arrived, pushing the food carts inside. They set the table, dishes, and glasses. Then, they left quietly.

After the maids departed, a familiar face entered.

Dorothy.

"Dorothy?" Lia, Lenitia, and I exclaimed in unison. We froze.

Dorothy lowered her head gently.

"I have heard of the complications. I am here to make proposals."

I had a bad feeling.

"Speak."

"Pledge loyalty to Lady Sylveria and Lord Zen. Then, we shall protect you."

As she raised her head, another figure entered—a white‑haired elder with a long beard, dressed like a wizard. His deep eyes and aura of superiority resembled Sir Christopher Lee in his Saruman days.

Ahem. No homo.

Alfred Vain, the level‑7 Grand Paladin. The brain of the military, strategist to Louis Zen, mentor to Sylveria.

The elder gazed at us, emotionless.

"I was with Aki last week. She told me everything. About this world. A game world, was it?"

Goosebumps. This was the scenario I sometimes imagined. What if game characters became self‑aware? Would they resist the players? Would they change the story?

Alfred sighed.

"I was disappointed when Aki provoked you. I thought of her as my child when I adopted her."

Oh, this looked bad. Not only had I provoked Minze Dong, but I’d also offended Alfred, the strategist equivalent of Lu Bu.

But then, the corners of Alfred’s lips curved into a faint smile. He folded his hands humbly before his waist.

"Just jesting. She was untrustworthy and ambitious. She attempted to coax Lady Sylveria into nurturing strangers from the dark elf clan, an elf clan, an orc clan. Among those she called ’Protagonists,’ I saw names of bandits and criminals."

So Aki had tried to rewrite the roster, childishly attempting to monopolize the protagonist harem. Every clan and nation had one to three main characters. DLCs expanded that to six per faction. Add fantasy crossovers, and the roster could spiral out of control. I prayed it stayed limited.

Alfred coughed.

"I sidetracked. How childish of me. Anyway, I have heard the reports. You’ve gotten yourself into deep trouble."

I nodded. "...Yes."

"I am not like Sylveria. I don’t pry into your secrets or love life. You simply need to bow your head to my master and no one else. Then, my men will protect you from assassins sent by the duke or the prince’s faction."

"Is that all?"

Alfred stroked his beard, shaking his head.

"Of course not. Bowing is easy. Proving allegiance is harder. Contribute something tangible to declare your political stance."

"Then... how? What should I do?"

Alfred’s eyes lingered on the blue halberd resting on the floor. He pointed.

"I have heard from Paul. You can copy artifacts, yes?"

I nodded. Not entirely true, but close enough.

"Work for us... as an executioner. You will behead criminals, knights, and heretics. Whatever appears after your execution shall be contributed to the army. You’ll receive the stipend of a level-6 knight and a baron title. The fief that you have seized from Aki shall be recognized officially as your private territory. You may recruit or expand your personal army freely... with some limitations according to our laws."

Oh? Very tempting job offer, indeed. Alfred was more persuasive than Sylveria’s vague promises. This old man knew how to sell.

Lenitia interjected.

"Excuse me, but I doubt these are ordinary prisoners. Since this involves factions, I assume the prisoner belongs to the emperor’s faction. Am I right?"

Alfred finally revealed a cunning smile.

"You are sharp, Your Highness Lenitia. Indeed, the prisoner... is the empress herself."

Well, shiet.