“I’m heading out. I’ll go right after I finish my work!”

Rudis packed items from her storage that villagers might like or buy and headed to the village. Replenishing her funds was essential after taxes had reduced her balance to zero. This was Rudis’s survival strategy, bordering on compulsion.

Her destination was the tavern.

The tavern was a hub for rumors. Here, one could gather various pieces of information. If you needed quick cash or sought specific information, collecting rumors was fundamental.

She had plenty of items to sell in storage, so raising money wouldn’t be difficult. However, information gathering was essential to determine which items to keep in anticipation of price increases due to trends, and which to sell first.

In truth, with her storage full of items, it wouldn’t matter what she sold, but Rudis didn’t operate that way. She was a player who preferred extreme efficiency, unable to forget her days of poverty.

This is what happens when you can’t forget being poor.

Rudis was walking toward the tavern with a bitter internal smile when she stopped, noticing something unusual.

Why is he sitting there like that?

On one side of the village, Ralph sat on an old tree stump looking utterly miserable. With him displaying his distress so openly, there was no way she could just walk past. As a quest hunter, it was simply unacceptable.

“Hello, Ralph. What’s wrong?”

“I’m ruined.”

“What? What happened?”

“Sandra is going to leave me.”

A year ago, he had her searching every mountain to create a massive bouquet for his confession to Sandra, and now what was the problem? Rudis frowned momentarily.

“Why? Tell me the details.”

“Sandra… Sandra… said if I don’t propose within this year, she’ll never see me again.”

“So?”

What’s the problem here? Rudis tilted her head.

“I can’t just do it.”

“Why not? You don’t have money. You need a house to propose! Sandra said she absolutely refuses to see me propose when I’m not prepared.”

Ralph clutched his head in agony.

“I’m about to lose Sandra because I can’t afford to build a house! I don’t have any savings, and the house Sandra wants is too expensive!”

So that’s it. Rudis rubbed her forehead in dismay as Ralph clasped his hands together, pleading with a desperate expression.

“Rudis! You can do it, right? Please help me. You’re the richest person in the village. Sandra is everything to me! Please? I’m begging you.”

Sigh… The system window that had been humming in the background since Ralph asked for help bloomed like a flower at his plea.

[New Quest Generated!

Quest Name: Ralph’s Destiny – 2

Quest Description: Build Sandra’s dream house to help Ralph propose.

Deadline: Last day of Spring

Reward: Experience Points + 20]

So it’s a series quest with “2” attached, starting from the confession.

At least this quest was simpler than the confession one.

This much is manageable.

If it had been a few years ago when she was struggling with poverty, it would have been different, but now her storage was full of building materials she had squirreled away. The issue was the phrase “dream house”… Still, it was an easier quest than combing mountains like hunting mice to gather all sorts of wildflowers. She just needed to find out what kind of house Sandra wanted.

Nevertheless, a small question bloomed in a corner of her mind.

‘Is it right for me to do this? After helping with the confession, shouldn’t he handle the marriage preparations himself?’

…Well. There was no end to such questions. Some people asked her to pick up trash or find flowers for their gardens, so this was actually quite a reasonable quest by comparison.

“Okay. I’ll help you.”

“Really? Then I’m counting on you!”

Ralph left the tree stump with a light-hearted expression, almost dancing away. Left alone, Rudis sighed with a somewhat bitter expression.

‘What can I do? It’s a quest, so I have to complete it.’

Then suddenly, something occurred to her.

At least this is something new? It’s not a quest that repeats every year, right?

Having stayed in this game for so long, many quests were repetitive. New quests always led to new stories. Realizing this fact, Rudis’s mood lightened considerably.

She adjusted her load and collected herself.

‘Now, shall I head to the tavern?’

* * *

“The little miss is here? You’ve grown prettier in the new year. Perhaps I should call you ‘young lady’ now?”

As soon as she opened the door, Xenon greeted her with his usual line. Rudis’s face contorted as usual.

“Ugh. Can’t you stop with the ‘little miss’ thing?”

That nauseating greeting had been his fixed repertoire since she turned 20. No matter how much time passed, it made her cringe every time she heard it.

Xenon leaned one arm on the counter with a relaxed smile, clearly enjoying her reaction.

“Your annoyed face isn’t bad either.”

With his deep red hair naturally scattered, Xenon looked perfect, like a carefully calculated scene. His physique was too sleek for a mere tavern owner, and his handsome face could easily be mistaken for that of a nobleman who had wandered in. The most lethal feature was his lips. That playful smile was truly Xenon’s greatest strength, making it impossible for anyone to stay genuinely angry with him.

‘I guess the tavern owner looks this handsome because this is a game targeted at women.’

“I’ll order now.”

Rudis decided to let it go again today despite his handsome face. Engaging further would only exhaust her.

“What would you like? Today’s recommended menu is…”

“I’ll have the cream cake.”

Skipping the predictable menu recommendations, Rudis ordered a cake that was at least edible. The “recommended menu” items on other customers’ tables all had bizarre appearances.

“Why? Not trying the recommended menu?”

The food here… isn’t meant for human consumption. Who would eat that?

“Haha. It’s my birthday.”

Swallowing her true thoughts, Rudis responded with an awkward laugh to Xenon’s question.

“Right, it is, isn’t it?”

Xenon’s eyes curved gently. His expression suggested he knew but was letting it slide. While Xenon turned to prepare the cake, Rudis looked around.

The tavern was bustling. The sound of people tapping tables while playing card games, sudden singing competitions among drunk patrons, and clinking glasses all blended together. Near the fireplace, village elders were smoking pipes and discussing current affairs.

Amid the noisy atmosphere, Rudis’s gaze kept returning to the tavern’s foreign guests. Customers at each table were laughing and chatting in front of bizarre-looking dishes. It was a familiar sight.

Foreign visitors appearing at the tavern every day for eight years… Even for a game, isn’t this excessively static?

Rudis looked around the tavern, thinking the same thought again. She had seen them so often she could almost memorize their faces.

“Happy birthday, Rudis. It’s on me today. As a birthday gift.”

“Thank you.”

Before her thoughts could continue, Xenon served her order with a playful smile. Despite his excessive teasing, his handsome face made it forgivable.

“Oh, this is for you.”

As soon as she received the cake, Rudis took out a small bottle from her bag. The sparkling glass vial contained premium perfume—an incredibly troublesome item requiring 18 different ingredients and taking 4 months to make. It was also Xenon’s favorite gift.

“Should I be receiving gifts on your birthday? What’s this? Premium perfume? How does Rudis know my taste so well? Are you paying too much attention to me?”

[Maximum Affinity Achieved!

NPC Name: Xenon

Special Reward: Exactly the information you need.]

His reaction was a bit over the top, but giving Xenon his favorite gift increased the quantity and detail of information. For instance:

“I hear Sandra is planning to get married soon?”

Like that.

“From what I overheard when she was here recently, yes. She said they need at least a two-story house to raise children. I guess Ralph must have earned some money somewhere?”

Earned money, my foot.

All of this was Rudis’s money. Sandra must know Ralph was penniless, yet she had big dreams.

Anyway, to build a two-story house… 800 pieces of lumber, 400 stones, and…

“Rudis.”

“Yes?”

Rudis, who had been mentally calculating for quick quest completion, looked up at Xenon’s voice. His red eyes were gazing at her seriously.

“How about you? Is there anyone in the village you like?”

At Xenon’s question, she thought of the young men in the village her age. They all looked decent, but the sides of them she’d seen while solving quests weren’t attractive at all. They might seem normal on the outside, but inside they were all duds.

“No, there isn’t.”

Rudis answered firmly. At that moment, Xenon leaned his upper body forward, pressing against the table, and whispered softly:

“Then, how about me?”