Chapter 30
“Still the same.”
I had originally intended to boldly enter through the front gate, but seeing the palace guards more vigilant than ever, I quickly changed plans. In the end, I resorted to the sewer dungeon again.
That place greeted me with emptiness—well, not quite empty. At the exact spot where I parted yesterday lay a note I hadn’t seen before.
At first, the note was blank, but like stagnant water in Arc, after waiting a moment, words slowly appeared.
If there’s anything unusual, contact me. Write what you need on this note and it will be delivered to me.
Having played Arc several times, this didn’t surprise me.
What did surprise me was how expensive even trivial artifacts like this note were in Arc, yet the man left it behind carelessly.
Who on earth is he?
Could he really be the crown prince?
Clears throat.
It was possible, but there were just too many potential husbands in the route to jump to conclusions.
Is this why I must clear quests to get clues to his identity?
After some thought, I remembered not to come home later than Paula today, crumpled the note, and put it in my pocket.
Then I headed back toward the palace entrance.
But then…
What is this?
Turning on the tracking map, I was baffled.
What… what is this?
All the clues that had been scattered everywhere until yesterday were now gathered in one place.
I turned the map off and on again, thinking it might be a glitch, but the view didn’t change.
What was this? The neatly gathered, pretty clues looked like someone deliberately collected them.
This was suspicious.
Could I be followed?
Is the palace assassin aware of someone tailing him and trying to destroy evidence?
Should I go there or not…?
While I frowned, staring at the map, the system suddenly popped up a message.
[SYSTEM] Quest triggered!
Someone noticed your clue tracking. Investigate the person who gathered the clues.
· Quest condition (Time limit 01:00:00)
Find and investigate the ‘Person who gathered clues.’ (NEW!)
※ This quest applies a tracking system for the ‘Person who gathered clues.’
· Reward
Completion of <Trust of the Suspicious Knight>
Looking at this new objective tagged under the ‘Suspicious Knight’ quest, it seemed I had to start a new quest now.
Of course, if ordered, I had to do it. But… was this really okay?
There were paladins stationed down every corridor, and wandering the palace risked meeting Paula.
Sigh, whatever. Since I started, I had to finish it.
I accepted the quest, and then noticed a tiny note below the quest window.
Warning! If you abandon this quest mid-progress, penalties will be applied.
· Penalties
-
90% increased chance to fail the ‘Suspicious Knight’ quest
-
Gullibility +50
-
Notoriety –100
Damn…
I nearly cursed.
Shouldn’t they inform you of this before accepting the quest?
It wasn’t like an insurance contract. Writing it in tiny letters was absurd.
Anger rose at the system’s shameless attitude, but I forced myself to stay calm.
If failing this raises the main quest’s failure chance, this must be an essential linked quest.
Though irritated, it was important enough to affect the main quest flow, so I had to try.
Well, whatever.
“Let’s go.”
As a player, I was always a bit of a mad masochist, drawn to difficult quests.
This was still just a game—what could be different?
With that mindset, I began the pursuit and soon encountered a most unexpected person.
The palace cleaner, James.
He worked with the mission to keep the magnificent palace clean and beautiful.
Though others dismissed him as a mere cleaner, James’ passion was genuine.
Sometimes, his eccentricity made most people avoid him, quietly slipping away when he appeared.
But James didn’t mind. The palace’s beautification was what mattered most.
“Goodness, how careless…”
The moment James spotted trash on the floor, he dashed to pick it up with lightning speed.
Normally, such noisy behavior might draw attention, but during the spring ball, the palace staff pretended not to notice, and the visitors were too busy to care.
Since yesterday, James had been cleaning places he usually couldn’t reach, leaving no spot untouched.
“Heh heh heh.”
He was delighted to sweep, wipe, and collect trash across the palace.
No interruptions. Just focused work.
Anyone who loved their job would dream of moments like this.
Just as he busily moved, someone called out to him.
“Excuse me.”
It was the noble lady I’d seen yesterday, known for setting an example by caring for the environment.
Tracking the ‘Person who gathered clues’ was far harder than just finding the clues themselves.
Why?
Because people move.
The tracking system indicated a wide area, and the person kept moving constantly.
Making it even harder, unlike glowing clues shouting ‘I’m a clue!’, only the area was shown, not who within it.
The only way was to ask around.
But after bravely starting inquiries for 20 minutes with my poor social skills, I hit a wall.
“Um… I want to ask you something.”
[SYSTEM] ‘Palace servant Mathias’ feels unknown terror upon seeing you.
“Eek! Sorry!”
I approached with a friendly smile, but he freaked out and ran.
“Excuse me, maybe…”
[SYSTEM] ‘Palace maid Luise’ feels overwhelming fear and wants to kneel immediately upon seeing you!
“I swear I didn’t do anything! Please forgive me just this once! sob”
Suddenly, she begged for forgiveness.
Bewildered, I stood frozen as the system mockingly explained.
[SYSTEM] People with notoriety under 30 avoid conversations with you!
Damn…
I’d experienced this in the game before.
It usually happened when notoriety was too high relative to other stats, especially with low persuasion.
And my persuasion?
· Persuasion: 6/100
That number hadn’t changed in a while…
This damn notoriety system was useless when needed, but now a huge obstacle.
Even when I smiled and tried to persuade, the demon smile effect just backfired.
With less than 30 minutes left on the clock,
I have to do something.
Using the tracking system, I hurried into the third-floor corridor.
Spotting a familiar figure, I rushed over.
“Excuse me.”
It was none other than palace cleaner James.
Touched by my good influence yesterday, he had even lowered my karma somewhat—a helpful ally.
