Chapter 34
When I first heard the legend, and even now, Estelle’s reaction is completely different from mine.
Should I call it logical? Or cold?
At this point, Estelle seems scarier than the legend of the lake itself.
“Well, I can’t say for certain. But according to rumors, someone with red hair has been spotted coming and going from this lake… Though, of course, it’s just a rumor, so who knows if it’s true.”
Gilbert seemed to have half-given up on getting the reaction he wanted from Estelle. The way he shrugged and made a helpless face made that clear.
“Still, you never know. Someone might think it’s fine to go into the lake alone, but something really dangerous could happen. So don’t even think about going into the lake. There’s no need to risk angering a dragon. Whether or not it really exists, we can’t be sure.”
Even as he spoke so casually, he made sure to warn Estelle not to go into the lake.
He looked genuinely worried that if she went in, something might happen to her.
“Well then, I suppose I should get going. Thanks for the sandwiches. They were good.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“Of course. We’ve talked enough, and I got a free meal.”
Looking satisfied after filling his stomach, Gilbert grinned broadly and stood up.
He dusted off his pants, grabbed the bag he had tossed onto the grass, and slung it over his shoulder.
“I’ll look around the area a bit more. The festival isn’t far off, so maybe we’ll meet again then.”
Saying it had been fun, Gilbert waved at us.
Then he walked into the forest, his figure gradually fading from sight.
After many twists and turns, our picnic—which started off beautifully but ended up a little too frightening—was finally over.
Estelle and I walked home slowly, chatting about what had happened at the lake.
“Hmm. A dragon, huh? That’s intriguing. But what’s the deal with that red-haired figure?”
Sensitivity: 19 (+2)
Stress: 8 (–40)
Estelle seemed completely absorbed by the lake and the legend surrounding it.
Ever since we parted ways with Gilbert, she had talked about nothing else all the way home.
But I, on the other hand, had something else stuck in my head.
“Wait. Did he just say the autumn festival is coming up soon?”
What I couldn’t stop thinking about was Gilbert’s parting remark: “The festival isn’t far off.”
Now that I thought about it, it was summer. And the festival was held in late September. So yes, it wasn’t far off at all.
“So, less than two months left…”
A heavy weight pressed down on my chest—anxious, suffocating pressure.
The reason I was so worried was because of one crucial stat Estelle needed in order to become emperor.
Fame.
And what is fame?
It’s having one’s name known far and wide, spoken of with respect.
In other words, for Estelle to raise her Fame stat, her name had to spread beyond just this village.
But in our current situation, both in-game and in reality, there weren’t many chances to raise fame.
Studying and part-time jobs couldn’t make her famous, after all.
“Still, we have to raise it somehow before the year ends.”
Because Fame was a mandatory stat for the emperor route.
Thankfully, there were at least two silver linings.
First, the required Fame stat for this year was only 80, much lower than the thresholds for other stats.
Second, opportunities to gain fame weren’t completely nonexistent—they were just rare.
“Gilbert mentioned the hunting tournament earlier. Estelle, aren’t you interested in that?”
“The tournament?”
That was it—the way to gain fame was by winning competitions at the festival!
Right now, when our only options were studying or working, the tournament was the only realistic way to boost her Fame.
“Yeah. There’s not just the hunting one. There are other contests, too.”
The Perso Festival in late September.
It’s held to celebrate the harvest of the year and pray for next year’s bounty—a grand festival filled with food, entertainment, and more.
But the highlight of the entire event was the final-day tournaments!
There were contests at the spring Elditin Festival as well, but the prizes at the Perso Festival were much bigger. No wonder everyone, young and old alike, paid such close attention.
“Even if the contest wasn’t one of the popular ones.”
There were four main tournaments:
The hunting tournament Gilbert was entering,
A martial arts tournament for superhuman fighters,
An arts competition showcasing various works,
and finally—
“Estelle, you’re helping Peter with farming these days, right?”
Farming Skill: 35 (+5)
“So I was thinking, why not try the Beautiful Crops Competition?”
That was my real target: a contest held only during the autumn festival.
Because it was such a crowd favorite in the village, winning would guarantee a boost to Estelle’s Fame stat.
“The Beautiful Crops Competition, huh…”
But Estelle’s reaction was lukewarm at best.
She didn’t look interested, nor did she seem to have any intention of participating.
Which was understandable.
After all, it wasn’t nearly as exciting as the hunting or martial arts tournaments.
“Who would care about whose crops are prettiest? Especially at her age.”
The very name “Beautiful Crops Competition” just sounded dull.
Still, it was a tournament.
Even if fewer people cared, the Fame increase would be more than enough.
“Besides, there’s that one famous farmer in town…”
Marcus—the man who provided most of the village’s food.
I’d heard that when he was younger, he devoted himself to promoting the Beautiful Crops Competition, bringing in all sorts of bizarre and spectacular crops every year.
“Thanks to him, even if outsiders don’t care, the villagers take this contest more seriously than any other.”
Everyone wanted to outdo Marcus’s legendary crops.
“You don’t like the idea? Not interested?”
I asked Estelle carefully.
The way she trailed off, eyes darting, made it look like she was struggling to find a polite way to refuse.
But this time, I had no choice—I had to get her into that competition.
“It’s the only way to raise Fame right now.”
Honestly, until recently, I hadn’t even considered this contest.
Winning would raise Farming Skill, but at the cost of lowering Dignity and Sensitivity.
If luck was bad, it could even unlock the Farmer Route.
But ever since I burned that farming journal, I’d made up my mind.
With the Farmer Route gone, why not go all-in on the Beautiful Crops Competition?
In Raise Your Daughter, once a route was gone, it was gone for good unless you restarted the game.
That had caused me to restart more times than I could count, all because of one bad choice. After that, I’d become painfully cautious about every option I clicked.
“Luckily, Dignity is already rising thanks to Claude.”
And we still had plenty of time.
By the time the festival arrived, Estelle’s Dignity would be high enough that the loss wouldn’t matter much.
“Peter’s always praising your farming skills, Estelle. I think it’d be worth giving it a try.”
At that moment—
“…Huh?”
Estelle’s eyebrow twitched.
It seemed she reacted to Peter’s name.
I quickly pretended not to notice and turned my head.
Then, to test my suspicion, I muttered casually to myself:
“Come to think of it, Peter did win that competition once, didn’t he?”
“…Peter did?”
As I thought—Estelle was definitely reacting to his name.
Unlock soon!~