1. Spring – Season of Beginnings

“How many times has this happened now.”

The moment she heard the irritated male voice, Rudis opened her eyes. Before her was a dazzlingly clean, pure white garment. When she lifted her head, vivid green eyes were looking down at her. Those clear, deep eyes were as pure as a forest brimming with life, yet strangely cold and sharp.

“Noah…”

Rudis instinctively murmured his name. Noah’s face was flawless as always. His silver hair sparkled like jewels when touched by sunlight, and his sharply chiseled features perfectly matched his cold personality. But right now, his face clearly showed annoyance.

“You fainted again. I’ve told you many times not to wander around late at night.”

Noah looked at Rudis with a cynical sigh. Rudis turned her head to survey the room. The walls and ceiling made of white marble reflected light, giving off a sacred yet cold feeling. She was lying on an altar located in the center of the room.

‘Ah, I fainted at the hunting grounds yesterday.’

Blinking her large eyes as she pieced together the situation, Rudis turned to look at Noah again. His face still showed irritation, but somehow even that expression looked perfectly beautiful.

“Aren’t you tired of this happening every time?”

Noah added while organizing medicine bottles on the table beside the altar. This place was a white tower on the northern outskirts of the village. Noah was a priest who lived alone in this remote location. It was a quiet space untouched by people, but for Rudis, it was a familiar place where she woke up whenever she fainted.

“What on earth were you doing out so late? I…”

Ignoring the familiar nagging, Rudis hurriedly checked her bag.

Sigh… Just as I thought. Gone again.

It was the same thing every time. Whenever she was forced to sleep or fainted from exhaustion, she always woke up at the priest’s house. With several items missing. Thanks to this, she could fearlessly hunt monsters as a beginner, but as expected of a game, penalties existed.

“Have you seen the meat pie that was here? Some money is missing too…”

“Are you suspecting me right now?”

“No, I’m just asking. Let me look a bit more.”

Rudis gave an awkward smile and rummaged through her bag again. If someone had taken it, it was surely Noah, but she had only circumstantial evidence and no proof. So she decided to let it go this time too.

Huh? Oh my goodness.

As she fumbled through her bag in embarrassment, she felt something hard deep inside.

This is!

There was an unfamiliar item.

Rudis’s eyes sparkled. She would need to check the system window for its exact name, but it was definitely the Winter Crystal. She must have defeated a monster and then fainted.

I really was lucky after all.

Rudis muttered to herself and curled up the corners of her mouth.

“What makes you so happy? After suspecting someone.”

At Noah’s brief rebuke, Rudis scratched her head sheepishly.

“It’s nothing! But Noah, is there any device or tool that automatically hunts monsters?”

“Would there be?”

It was a somewhat frosty answer, but Rudis was used to it. Actually, Noah always spoke curtly but was kinder than anyone. From the greenhouse that could grow crops regardless of season to the barn system that automatically fed animals and collected byproducts. All were made by Noah. Of course, Rudis provided all the materials needed for crafting… anyway.

If it weren’t for Noah, Rudis would have been stuck on the farm working all day. So what was wrong with testing him once in a while?

“Then could you make one for me?”

“No.”

It was a firm answer that even a knife would seem duller. Rudis pouted and shrugged her shoulders.

Tsk. When he’s this adamant, I guess it’s not happening.

“Then I’ll buy some potions.”

Coolly giving up, Rudis headed to the familiar product shelf. Today was the first day of spring. Since she had lots of preparations to make anyway, she might as well stock up on fertilizer and other farming necessities.

“Hmm. This is premium fertilizer… Oh! There are three bottles of premium growth accelerator this time?!”

Noah’s fertilizers were on a completely different level from those sold at the village shop. They not only improved crop quality but also doubled the harvest. They even advanced harvest time when needed. The high-value agriculture was all thanks to Noah’s fertilizers. Of course, recovery potions and such were also on a completely different level.

“Planning to take everything?”

At Noah’s indifferent question, Rudis smiled awkwardly.

“Ah… Then I’ll just buy everything you have.”

“Sigh… Fine.”

She was so busy grabbing things that she was practically clearing the entire shelf. There was no point in selecting. She already had some stored in her home warehouse, but what did it matter? Noah’s fertilizers and potions had to be bought whenever available.

After completing the payment and checking the items in her bag, Rudis’s eyes widened.

“…But why have they become so expensive?”

“I raised the prices.”

“By this much?”

“Yes. Now, shall we head out?”

With such a resolute attitude, Rudis was kicked out before she could protest. She clasped her hands together. They were trembling at the sharply reduced balance.

But under the warm spring sunshine pouring down, Rudis smiled. Today was the first day of spring. That alone seemed enough to make it a perfect day.

* * *

It was definitely worth spending the money.

The sound of footsteps running on the well-maintained stone path echoed cheerfully. Once a dirt road that turned to mud whenever it rained, she had recently spent a large sum to renovate it. Every time she ran on the solid, smooth stone path, Rudis felt a strange sense of achievement.

Reaching the end of the path, she finally saw her house. Well, actually the house was still far away, but this meadow was Rudis’s land. To the right of the meadow where grass grew just right for livestock to graze, three barns stood neatly in a row. Built with a whopping 3,000 oak logs, just looking at the barns made her feel full. Along with the sturdy feed warehouse right next to them, she didn’t envy any castle.

And next to that was a vast field. It was empty now with nothing planted, but it was so spacious that when she got greedy, she’d spend all day just watering it. It was also Rudis’s main source of income.

A red-roofed house occupied the center of the meadow. The three-story house, upgraded to the highest level, was so massive that Kuku the carpenter had firmly insisted he couldn’t expand it anymore. In fact, Rudis had more unused space than used.

If there was something she wanted to boast about more than this enormous mansion, it would be the glass greenhouse next to the house. Though it wasn’t a space for lavish tea parties but solely for agriculture, it looked like a luxurious garden thanks to all sorts of exotic tropical fruits planted inside.

“Iska! Sorry. Am I late?”

Catching her breath as she finally arrived in front of the house, Rudis spotted a huge silhouette in the distance and waved her hands vigorously. The reason she had rushed here so hurriedly was because of the farm worker, Iska.

Whenever she saw Iska’s figure, distinctly noticeable even from afar, the corners of her mouth naturally turned up. With his shaggy black hair and a hat pulled down to cover half his face, his aura was still different. Rudis was certain. Iska was probably the most handsome man in this world.

Moreover, Iska’s charm didn’t stop at his face. Shoulders as broad as the farm, solid muscles that couldn’t be hidden even by the sackcloth-like clothes he wore carelessly, and a height tall enough to provide perfect shade without needing a straw hat when standing close. Everything from head to toe was perfect.

Really, this game must be targeted at women.

Though it was a farm management game, it was obvious they had put effort into character design. Among the villagers, there might be mentally unstable people, but not a single one with strange looks.

Among them, some stood out exceptionally. And the best among them was definitely Iska.

In fact, she could have automated the entire farm with the system applied to the greenhouse. It would cost money, but it wasn’t impossible. However, Rudis didn’t do that. The reason was simple. The very existence of the farm worker, Iska, was Rudis’s healing and welfare.