Rudis slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was an unfamiliar low wooden ceiling. It was hard to believe this was beneath the tavern—the space was surprisingly well-organized. This was Xenon’s bedroom.

She hadn’t had a chance to look around earlier, but the room had a more antique atmosphere than she expected. Simple yet time-worn furniture filled the space. On one wall stood a wooden shelf bearing clear signs of long use, neatly arranged with old books and vintage metal ornaments. Each item showed the passage of time, yet everything was meticulously maintained under the owner’s care.

It was strikingly different from Rudis’s room. Unlike her cluttered space that resembled an exhibition hall with various gifts from villagers scattered everywhere, this room was harmonious and serene.

Rudis curled up on the bed, covering her face with embarrassment that came belatedly. She tried to console herself that what happened was unavoidable because of the Bahala extract splash, but that didn’t make it any less mortifying.

The more she thought about it, the hotter her face became. Her mind kept replaying what had just happened—Xenon’s urgent expression, his awkward proposal, and ultimately ending up in this bedroom.

“I must have lost my mind.”

Rudis muttered to herself, ruffling her hair. How did things end up like this? She really wanted to hide somewhere.

“You’re awake?”

Startled by Xenon’s sudden voice, Rudis turned her head. Despite it being his own room, Xenon had lightly knocked and waited before entering.

“Yes.”

Rudis answered while avoiding his gaze, lacking the courage to face him.

“I changed your clothes. They were too wet.”

“…Thank you.”

Of course he did. Recalling what had happened earlier through Xenon’s calm voice, Rudis’s voice became incredibly small, almost disappearing.

“Eat this. I just grabbed whatever was available.”

Xenon placed a plate he’d been holding in front of Rudis. The food wasn’t the tavern’s terrible cuisine but ordinary potato dishes and a drink.

“And this.”

Xenon handed her a small box. When Rudis looked at it questioningly, Xenon raised the corner of his mouth in a slight smile.

“It’s Bahala jelly. Thanks to your help, I was able to complete it. Thank you.”

Even though she hadn’t been able to help until the end, and after everything that happened…

[Quest Completed!

Quest Name: The Great Bahala Jelly Shortage

Quest Description: Make the sold-out Bahala jelly.

Reward: Bahala Jelly]

[Quest Name: Ralph’s Destiny – 3

Quest Description: Help Ralph’s marriage by solving the problem. Bahala Jelly 1/1

Reward: Invitation to an Extravagant Wedding]

Rudis’s face brightened at the two system windows that appeared in succession. She felt like a thief getting something for nothing. While free quests were always welcome, Rudis was a polite thief.

“Thank you! I caused this accident with my mistake. Not only did you help me, but…”

“Accident… Yes, it was an accident. A simple one.”

Xenon paused briefly and looked at Rudis with an expression slightly different from usual.

Why?

Rudis tilted her head, observing Xenon’s reaction. His face had hardened coldly.

“You should go now, Rudis. I’m busy with work.”

And she was even being kicked out, before she could say anything more.

What’s going on?

Rudis murmured, looking down at the Bahala jelly in her hand. Xenon’s attitude bothered her. Normally, he would have concluded the situation with a playful remark, but today was different.

After returning home, Rudis carefully set down the box and sat on the edge of her bed, lost in thought for a long time.

‘It was an accident. A simple one.’

Though she didn’t want to dwell on a completed quest, Xenon’s awkward smile and stiff expression kept coming to mind, leaving her with an unsettling feeling.

Well, it’s probably nothing.

Rudis shook her head, trying to dismiss the thoughts.

Nevertheless, Xenon’s final gaze continued to prick at a corner of her mind. Though he pretended to be calm, there was something unfamiliar about how he seemed to be swallowing his words.

Oh, whatever.

Finally, Rudis lightly slapped her cheeks with both hands to collect herself, then checked the Bahala jelly in the box again, forcing a small smile.

‘Anyway… I got the reward and completed the quest, so that’s that.’

Now she just needed to take this to Sandra and get the invitation. Then the quest would be over, but…

Why did Xenon’s hardened face keep coming to mind?

* * *

[No treatable abnormal status found.]

That’s strange.

Rudis tilted her head in confusion. It had been a long time since she obtained the Bahala jelly. The effect must be powerful because she still felt strange. She kept thinking about Xenon—specifically, his appearance and touch from that time. Whenever she zoned out, her lower region would feel itchy and her underwear would become soaked. Iska seemed to be looking at her strangely as she kept crossing her legs for no reason.

[No treatable abnormal status found.]

This is definitely an abnormal status…

Maybe she needed a different treatment method?

Xenon had clearly said the effects of the Bahala extract were temporary, but instead of improving, they were getting worse. She had tried all kinds of potions by type and even consumed the most expensive panacea, but the system window kept displaying the same incomprehensible message.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to resolve this maddening condition on her own. She had touched herself while recalling Xenon’s movements, but couldn’t recreate that feeling from before.

‘Ugh… I’m really going crazy.’

Though she wanted to find Xenon, she couldn’t bring herself to go out of shame. Strangely, since that day, Xenon had been cold toward her. Rudis herself had stopped visiting the tavern long ago, feeling that her symptoms worsened whenever she saw him.

Let’s just do some quests.

[Quest Completed!

Quest Name: VIP’s Request]

“How did you get five premium potions so quickly? A sudden order came in and I was flustered, but thanks to you, Rudis, I’m saved.”

But there were subtle changes in the quests too. The general store suddenly buying premium potions at ten times the price was one thing, but…

[Quest Completed!

Quest Name: Life-Saving Wood]

“Thanks, Rudis. Now I can make a d*ldo with this.”

She had been asked to find hard, thick wood and brought rare timber, only to learn it would be used to make an adult toy, or…

[Quest Completed!

Quest Name: I’m Going Bald – 2]

“Be careful, Rudis. Never buy virility medicine from the general store. Who would have known? I couldn’t have imagined this disaster. Trying to date five people at once…”

“Aaaaaaah! Stop!”

When someone complained about feeling strange physically, she brought them a status ailment potion only to hear unwanted explicit information, or…

[Quest Completed!

Quest Name: Horses Know]

Even a simple quest to clean the stable was filled with obvious traces of passionate encounters.

What kind of farm management game is this…

It seemed the genre had suddenly changed, and quite drastically at that. Rudis wailed in distress.

But she couldn’t just stop doing quests. In fact, focusing on them to escape lewd thoughts had led her to complete all the village quests before she knew it.

Let’s go to the village plaza.

Rudis visited the village plaza after a long time. Notices were often posted in front of it, with fairly decent rewards. She liked checking them when she had nothing to do since she was free to accept or decline the quests. There probably wouldn’t be many quests available anyway, as it was the last day of spring.

What’s that…

Rudis’s brow furrowed as she spotted the only notice posted.

[Looking for the person who helped on the first day of the month. Please contact me. -Tavern Owner, Xenon]

Xenon was looking for her. There was no additional information beyond his promise to protect her honor. Not even a gender specification.

Writing it like that means…

Unless the person directly saw it and came forward, no one would know. It was something only the two of them knew anyway.

Rudis pretended not to see the notice and headed home. Even upon reflection, this was something she wanted to bury forever.

But who stole the “Sparkler”?

From the spring festival to the Bahala jelly—amid all the events that had transpired, a curiosity she had forgotten resurfaced. The theft had seemed strange from the beginning.

Normally in such quests, wouldn’t you first find the stolen item and then the culprit? From the start, people acted like they had no intention of finding the thief who stole the “Sparkler.” No one mentioned them at all, as if they had completely forgotten their existence.

‘Wait. Why did Xenon kidnap me?’