“Old executives really are something else. Even for a fellow Purple-clad Executive, the gap is just too wide. I guess that’s the advantage of an old-timer’s experience. Once he completes nine more Pastoral Services to receive the Blessing, he might even be promoted to a Black-Clad. Master Andre’s only weakness is probably his lack of skill in close-quarters combat. Well, that makes sense. If he were good at both long-range and melee, he could handle all the Pastoral Services himself, and we wouldn’t even have a turn.”
“Exactly, Sister. We can’t afford to fall behind Master Andre. Pass me the pepper, please. Thanks.”
Inside the narrow Secret Chamber, nine tables were arranged, surrounded by various materials, artifacts, steel-frame beds, laundry, and other daily necessities. Beneath a skylight, men’s and women’s clothes were hanging to dry; it was clear the two had been living here for some time. A Magical Lantern used for lighting emitted a faint blue glow, which, combined with the naturally occurring Glowing Moss in the chamber, still left the place very dim. The brother and sister sat on salvaged wooden stumps, eating Compressed Rations and freshly boiled vegetable soup as a late-night snack.
The sister casually helped her brother sprinkle pepper into his bowl.
“Why do we have to live in such a dark place like villains from some old nineties manga? I remember telling you to buy the highest-wattage lamp, the one with warm yellow light. Even though I’m here to perform Pastoral Services and help you strengthen the Refined Tree Nest along the way, there’s no need for us to live so poorly.”
The sister chattered away as she bit hard into the rock-like Compressed Rations.
“Uh… Sorry, Sister. I bought the wrong one…”
The brother’s eyes darted around, his head lowered, and he even looked timid while sipping his soup. The sister turned her head toward the two bedroom doors behind them. From one of the rooms, the sound of labored, heavy breathing could be heard.
“Once Master Andre feels better—which is to say, once he completes his Pastoral Service—that vampire should be able to help him complete his heart chamber. He probably won’t bother us for a while, so I’ll have time to go to the surface and buy some better equipment. Ugh, just thinking about the image of Master Andre with a loli makes me feel like his tastes are way too heavy. I have no interest in seeing an old bearded man with a little girl… Wait, that vampire is also hundreds of years old, so maybe it’s not so bad? One could say it’s quite fitting?”
“I’m really sorry for the trouble,” the brother said with a guilty, forced smile.
Clack— The stone door leading outside opened, and someone entered. The person appeared with steady footsteps, their face obscured by the dim light. Naturally, their face couldn’t be seen because they were wearing a mask. The figure pushed back a brownish-black hooded cloak to reveal a mask with a crimson base and exaggerated colors and patterns, looking extremely menacing. The mouth section of the mask was elongated, with a white beard reaching down to his stomach. Although he was hunched over, he was quite tall, and the triangular beast ears on his head flickered to drive away flies.
A Fox-kin of the Fox-kin tribe.
‘His head is a genuine fox head, so it makes sense for the mask to be that protruding,’ the sister thought. Combined with the classic mysterious black cloak, it was the perfect look for a nineties mastermind. Her gaze drifted to the hem of his cloak, confirming it wasn’t bulging. His large tail was hanging low, meaning he wasn’t here to scold anyone today. After living together for these past few days, she had grown accustomed to judging the Orc’s mood by his tail. She teased, “Welcome, welcome. Coming to see your brother so late? You two really have a great relationship.”
“Hmph—”
The figure let out a low, threatening growl, and the hem of his cloak immediately puffed up. He walked straight into his room and slammed the door shut.
***
After washing up and drying his hair, Siloque found his bedroom to be quite spacious, even if it wasn’t as large as the living room. A double bed sat in the center, a wardrobe stood against the wall, and there was even a three-sided vanity mirror that a boy like Siloque had absolutely no use for. He collapsed onto the bed in a simple short-sleeved shirt, his long hair spreading out like a black paper fan. Like a leisurely Greek from before the common era, he gazed listlessly at the white ceiling.
He glanced at the solid wood wall clock, which read 9:32. Since coming to this world, this was the first time he had experienced such a silent night. Back at his home in the City of Grana, no matter how late it was, he could always hear the distant hum of cars, the occasional sound of water in the pipes, or the whirring of the air conditioner—the sounds of the city. However, the night in the Third-Layer Forest was pitch black and utterly silent. The eyes of monsters were watching from everywhere, searching for prey. The fog-covered forest felt like a bottomless swamp, and Siloque felt himself being consumed by a massive sense of loneliness.
He hadn’t felt it before when he shared a room with Hill, but now that he was alone in such a large room, he had the illusion that he was the only person left in the world. ‘I really can’t settle down. Inafa actually manages to live in a ridiculously large room like this every day.’ Though, the real reason was likely that a commoner like him simply couldn’t get used to living in a noble’s mansion. ‘Even a gold or silver nest can’t compare to my own dump.’
According to the game’s plot, Inafa should be reading in her room at this time and would go to sleep exactly at 10:00 PM. Assuming she didn’t fall into a deep sleep, she would wake up at 8:00 AM the next morning. Incidentally, this information was learned from the side story “Flawless Leisurely Morning,” which unlocked during Part.3 of the game. Considering Inafa was already dead in the story by that point, unlocking it then felt redundant—it served no purpose other than to make the Player realize they had killed the wrong person.
‘Even though she’s a vampire, she keeps a very regular schedule. For a vampire, the night should be Inafa’s daytime. Unless there’s a special situation, she wouldn’t stay up late…’
Siloque’s thoughts drifted back to Hill.
‘Hill is probably trying to use the bathroom,’ Siloque thought hazily as he lay motionless on the bed. However, the sound of the door opening and closing had only occurred once, and several minutes had passed since then. This meant that Hill hadn’t gone from the living room to the bathroom, nor had she gone into the hallway or returned to her own bedroom.
Siloque listened intently for about twenty seconds before quietly getting out of bed. He stepped barefoot onto the carpet, walked to the door, gently turned the brass handle, and pulled the door open a crack. The lights in the living room were already out. However, the moonlight streaming through the window cast black and white shadows across the room, along with a blue reflection.
Blue?
Siloque slowly shifted his gaze and saw a figure curled up under a thin blanket on the large sofa against his wall.
“Can’t sleep, Brother?”
The thin blanket shifted toward him, revealing pale gold hair. It was Hill. She gave him a lingering smile that seemed to say, “I’ve been waiting for you.” A floating spherical Magic Generator was plugged into a power strip, connected to the PS5’s power cable. On the ancient, exquisite table against the opposite wall sat an LCD screen. Hill was wearing headphones and playing *Princess Lover!*, and on the screen, the Main Heroine Silvia’s school uniform was already half-off.
Siloque’s face darkened with frustration. He had picked a bad time to come out.