If there had been some sort of announcement from the Admins like Hey, starting tomorrow, this world will be two hundred years in the future! it wasn’t hard to imagine that the majority opinion would be Quit screwin’ around! After all, the Battle Event between the seven nations was undeniably a big part of Leadale’s popularity.

“I think I’ll stretch my legs a bit and head on over to the tower tomorrow… Hmm?”

As Cayna formulated a plan, she felt a sudden tug on the sleeve of her robe and saw Lytt draw close.

“Um, um, also, I came to tell you dinner’s ready.”

“Oh, sorry to hold you up.”

“That’s okay. After all, you’re the only guest here, miss.”

Cayna was struggling with thoughts like This place really is in trouble and Should the innkeeper’s daughter really be telling me this? when she felt Lytt tugging at her hand. It turned out that Lytt had finished closing and latching the shutter windows while Cayna was busy fretting. She then began leading Cayna down the stairs.

Unlike that morning, Cayna could hear the muffled chatter coming from below. The villagers likely came here at night to relax and wind down. When she peeked into the dining hall from the stairs, she saw that a dozen or so men of varying ages had filled the seats. They were drinking, eating, and conversing merrily.

Apparently, a guest in the inn really was a rare occasion. Feeling the villagers’ stares, Cayna crossed the tavern and sat in the same spot at the counter where she’d taken her breakfast that morning.

Without skipping a beat, Marelle placed her supper in front of her.

“Sorry ’bout the noise. Don’t worry, though—these guys wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Marelle informed her with a jovial smile.

However, objections immediately began rising up around them.

“That’s harsh, madam!”

“Yeah, we give ya a lot of business, y’know!”

“Better watch out, missy. He may not look it now, but back in his heyday, he was the village’s bravest… Guh!”

This last comment earned the speaker a tray to the face from Marelle herself. Strength like that meant she’d probably be pretty good with a Frisbee. Knocked from his seat, the head of the villager who’d been struck stiffly jostled back.

Naturally, this sudden comedy act left Cayna in a slack-jawed state of shock. The dining hall (or since it was night, maybe barroom was more appropriate) roared with the villagers’ laughter.

“Eat it while it’s hot. My dad’s cooking is the best.”

“Oh, I will. Thank you very much… Huh?”

Cayna cocked her head at the younger, slimmer version of Marelle who now praised the still-steaming dish.

Her expression must have obviously read I don’t remember ever seeing her this morning, because the girl gave a wry smile and began introducing herself.

“I’m Luine, the eldest daughter at this here inn. I’m already married, so I only come at night to help out. Are you one of our rare long-term guests?”

“Yes, my name is Cayna. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Hey now, that’s ain’t no way for a guest to talk to staff! Where ya from, young miss?”

Cayna didn’t think she’d said anything especially polite and found herself at a loss for words.

She’d been fairly upper-class back when she was human, but any suitably genteel manners had slipped away after her parents died. Furthermore, her personality had changed quite a bit since she’d started interacting with other people in the game. Cayna herself hadn’t noticed this at all, but her cousin had cautioned her on numerous occasions.

The proprietress, Marelle, helped Cayna out of her current predicament by chiming in.

“C’mon, Luine! Don’t bother the regulars. A lot of work went into that meal, and you’re gonna let it go cold. If you’ve got time to prattle on, then at least carry a drink or two.”

“Okay, okay, I’m coming. Honestly, Mom, a minute or two ain’t gonna hurt anyone…”

Cayna watched Luine muttering as she returned to her waitressing duties, then looked up anxiously at Marelle behind the counter.

Although it seemed as though she had scolded her daughter harshly, the proprietress wasn’t the least bit angry. She turned to Cayna good-naturedly.

“Hmm? If you want to talk with my daughter, make sure you eat that first.”

“I will, thank you.”

The menu included that morning’s soup mixed with a small portion of meat and vegetables for a more savory flavor, as well as a small plate of salad. And just as at breakfast, Cayna was all smiles from beginning to end, constantly praising its deliciousness. Marelle gladly gave her one helping after another.

A few hours later, when it was obvious the villagers were thoroughly smashed…

Luine sat down next to Cayna, and they began chatting like old friends. Cayna did most of the talking. The rush of orders had died down, so Luine seemed to use this time to temporarily escape her waitressing duties. There was plenty of free time until closing.

“Wooow, you used to stay here two hundred years ago?”

“This was a border trading town back then. It was a bustling place full of carriages, people, and inns.”

Cayna was actually a mess inside. After all, Luine had suddenly begged her to talk about life two hundred years ago. Even if she’d asked Cayna about just the past few days, Cayna would have been as fuzzy on the details as if she’d been told to describe a photo she’d seen only once. She felt bad that most of what she told Luine was a combination of lies and conjecture.

“Hey, I wonder if you ever met Great-Granny. They say she was a real looker back in her day.”

“Um, I-I’m not sure if I did…”

Pretty impressive that people were still talking about this great- grandmother’s beauty two hundred years later. In fact, Cayna was more intrigued by the fact that such an NPC even existed.

“So why’d you come to a backwoods place like this in the first place?”

“Ah, well, um, I’m looking for something…”

“Looking for something?” Marelle asked Cayna as she passed behind her with a handful of tankards.

Cayna hadn’t meant to answer so bluntly. She didn’t even know what she was looking for.

Lytt listened intently as she carried a tray and tilted her head cutely. Cayna couldn’t help but pat her head, and the girl looked back at her sweetly.

Cayna had said she was looking for something, but it was more like someplace. A facility, to be exact.

According to her support AI, Kee, Cayna was cut off from the master system and could no longer access location services like the World Map. In other words, she was more than just lost; she was at the mercy of the world itself.

She wanted to know the location of her tower base and how far it was from this village. Nevertheless, Cayna thought it best to stay here for the time being until she was more familiar with the lay of the land.

It wasn’t as if there was any problem with her ring. It would still take her directly to the tower regardless. However, she would have no choice but to pass through the surrounding forest if she wanted to get back to the village.

Initially, Cayna thought maybe she could use Flight to soar high above the trees, but based on Lytt’s reaction to her earlier spell, she realized she was getting her priorities mixed. The villagers would likely mistake her for a monster and end up stressing unnecessarily. She needed the reassurance of knowing she wasn’t interrupting people’s peaceful lives.

“What’re you lookin’ for anyway? I’d be happy to help if I can,” Marelle offered.

“Um, well, it’s a silver tower in the middle of a forest.”

““?!?!””

Cayna’s honest answer left the old Marelle and her eldest daughter, Luine, speechless. Their faces expressed shock, but their eyes held distinct fear.

“N-now why would you wanna go to a terrifyin’ place like that?”

“J-just give up now! Who knows what you’ll find?!”

Their trembling voices indicated a definite fear of the place, and based on their warnings, it was clear they were worried for Cayna.

However, those concerns were being directed at the master of the silver tower herself. Cayna couldn’t begin to guess what was driving their terror, and her mind swam with questions.

Huh? What? Did a dragon or something decide to move in after it sat neglected for two hundred years?

Dragons were a quintessential popular monster, but in a VRMMO like Leadale, dragons weren’t Active-type monsters that openly roamed the fields.

Basic dragon-type monsters could be called upon using Summoning Magic. Most were found in places like player- and guild-run dungeons, where they were generally used as guard dragons in place of guard dogs.

In other words, if you wanted to fight a dragon outside of raiding someone else’s tower, you had to get a player with the Summoning Magic: Dragon spell to do it for you.

Thus, Cayna couldn’t rule out that someone had decided to occupy the empty tower and use it as their base.

However, Luine’s next words overturned that concern.

…And not in a good way.

“Legend says the fearsome Silver Ring Witch lives there!!”

THUNK!!

It was Marelle and her daughters’ turn to look baffled. Cayna had slammed her forehead on the counter as if she’d suddenly passed out. They stared at her for some time, but she only twitched slightly with seemingly no sign of getting up.

Worried their guest might be coming down with something, Lytt tugged at the sleeve of Cayna’s robe. As the girl did so, not only did Cayna sit up, she rose from her chair entirely.

“A-are you okay? …Feelin’ a bit under the weather?” asked Marelle.

“YesI’mfineperfectlyhealthynoproblematatllwellthengoodnight!”

The three ladies blankly watched Cayna quickly rattle off an excuse and rush up the stairs at top speed.

“I wonder what’s wrong…,” Lytt said.

“Some trauma related to the Silver Ring Witch, maybe?” Luine suggested.

“Could’ve fooled me… Well, what can ya do? Let’s call it a night.”

Marelle’s word was law. The girls started cleaning up and quickly forgot about Cayna’s odd behavior.

Meanwhile, back in her room, Cayna lay on the bed with the blanket over her head and trembled in agony.

“I can’t believe that lasted two hundred years into the future! This is sooo embarrassing…”

Moreover, she couldn’t help but think it was a perfectly timed, wicked stunt someone had pulled solely to humiliate her.