Popular NPC in a Gender-Reversed Game

Before meeting with an old acquaintance, I first headed to the depths.

Since I was already heading to the city, I wanted to take care of a few other things along the way.

For example, Neriah's trip to the city.

Though I had just gone out to catch Amon, I couldn't leave the kid in the depths forever. Like me, she'd probably feel a bit frustrated being cooped up there all the time.

It would probably be nice for her, too, to get out of the forest every now and then.

So, a few days later, I went to the depths.

As soon as I entered, Barbatos greeted me with a disinterested look.

"Ho... You've come quickly again. You must be here to give your little one a treat, right?"

"No? I came to meet Neriah."

That brat had gotten so used to me bringing snacks every time I came that it became a habit. I had promised myself that the next time I sent Neriah away, I'd make her suffer by feeding her a giant sausage bun.

Neriah was quietly lying in the corner of the altar.

When she saw me, she tilted her head and asked.

"...What's going on?"

At that moment, I couldn't help but be a little taken aback.

Her voice was quite hoarse.

Actually, she'd been like that since we returned from the wagon ride.

"Could it be a lingering side effect?" I thought.

It seemed like the overuse of her abilities during the battle with Amon had taken a toll. While a hoarse voice wasn't a serious side effect, lingering ones like this could still be quite a nuisance.

Well, she said her body wasn’t in pain, so I figured I’d let it slide for now.

I answered her question.

"I was planning to go to the city. I thought you might want to come along."

She immediately nodded, her crimson eyes sparkling as she looked at me. Judging by her reaction, it seemed like she really wanted to visit the city.

I muttered to myself, thinking that I should take her out occasionally.

"Guess we’ll need a disguise, though…"

Though she had been active last time, that didn’t mean she could wander around freely. We never knew how people might react, so a disguise was still necessary.

The best option was probably the adventurer’s license. That alone could shake off most suspicions.

Since she'd already built a reputation from last time, she also had some background.

But the problem was how to make another adventurer's license.

The last one had been destroyed by fire, and now she was struggling with side effects.

Of course, if she used her abilities, she could quickly forge another one…

But, "I think it’ll be hard in her current state."

So I started thinking of another way. A method where she wouldn’t need to use her abilities to disguise herself.

"Ah."

Luckily, I thought of someone who could help.

So, a few days later, I set out for the city with Neriah in tow.

"So, you want me to cast an illusion spell on her?"

I added one more member to the group.

It was none other than the magician, Lim Haneul, whose chest was particularly prominent. Back in the day, I had often relied on her help to secretly visit the city. Now, I was planning to have her cast the same illusion on Neriah.

Fortunately, Haneul nodded enthusiastically.

"Well, it doesn’t really matter…"

For a moment, suspicion flashed in her eyes. She alternately looked at Neriah and me, clearly wondering something.

"By the way, where does Neriah stay? I didn’t see her when we went to the cave last time."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

Come to think of it, I’d only mentioned that I was taking in a little kid, but I hadn’t told her where she lived.

I acted nonchalant as I spoke.

"There’s a good cave in the depths. I made a space for her there and visit from time to time."

"By herself?" she asked.

"Don’t worry, sis. The monsters around there are all handled by my brother from time to time."

Quick-witted Neriah chimed in, adding some extra explanation. Fortunately, Haneul accepted this and nodded in understanding. Since Neriah herself said she was fine, it seemed like it was easy to brush off.

I sighed with relief inwardly.

"Thank goodness."

The demon in the depths was still a secret, after all. No matter how much I trusted her, it was difficult to tell her that I was raising a demon.

The manifestation was at least a human, but that demon with only a neck wasn’t even human.

Of course, it acted worse than any human brat, but there was no need to share that with others.

The reason I brought only Neriah this time was because of that.

There was no way to bring a neckless demon with me. Moreover, it was connected to the altar and couldn't leave.

"Barbatos probably wants to come out too..."

I didn’t say it, but I could tell from the strange longing in his green eyes. He’d probably be just as curious about the outside world. After all, he'd been stuck on that altar for decades.

"..."

Though I had a little sympathy for him, I didn’t think too deeply about it. It wasn’t like I was going to resurrect him myself. There would come a time when I’d have to decide Barbatos’s fate. For now, keeping it a secret was enough.

"Let’s go."

With that thought, I entered the city.

Neriah, to my delight, was overjoyed.

"Wow-"

She let out a small exclamation as soon as she saw the streets of the city before her.

Usually so stiff and quiet, Neriah seemed pretty much like any other minor in this regard.

"Now that I think about it, you said you lived in a remote village, huh?"

It must have been quite a sight to see such a big city. The empire's cities were huge, after all.

They started wandering the streets.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to do.

Unlike modern times, there were no internet cafes or karaoke places around here.

They simply walked around the streets, watching people, or ate something delicious.

There was a theater performance along the way, and they watched that. It wasn’t that interesting from Yul’s perspective, though.

But Neriah seemed to enjoy it, constantly smiling as she did. Given how tough her life had been, these little things made her feel good.

It was rewarding to see her react like that.

Haneul smiled contentedly as she watched Neriah.

"This is nice, too..."

This was one of the advantages of this game.

You didn’t always need combat; you could enjoy small joys like this.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

After finishing the editing for the day, Haneul logged into the game to relax, enjoying these kinds of healing-like content.

She couldn’t help but think of something as well.

"I wish I could have a family like this."

The scene felt like a happy family.

A young, handsome husband (Yul) and a child (16 years old) delighted by the outing.

Thinking about it, Haneul couldn’t help but feel a small desire to try marriage.

"Not that I know any men in real life..."

She chuckled bitterly, shaking off that thought.

Every now and then, when she remembered this was all just a game, it would hit her. How this vivid, experience-filled world was all fake.

Even though it felt so real, it was a virtual world.

Sometimes, despite enjoying the game, thinking about its fake nature made her feel a little down.

Of course, deep thinking about it would only harm her mental health, so Haneul quickly dismissed the thought from her mind.

"A-class adventurer, am I fake?"

No, that can’t be true.

She was just an awkward, lonely editor who had never had a male friend in her real life. That world couldn’t possibly be real.

"Ah, speaking of which, there’s somewhere I need to go."

As Haneul dismissed reality, Yul suddenly spoke up.

Under the red light of the setting sun, he had a serious expression on his face.

She already knew where he was heading. He was going to an orphanage where his old acquaintances were.

"Should I go alone, or...?"

"Let’s go together."

Haneul interrupted his words and began to follow him.

He seemed a bit hesitant, embarrassed to take someone with him, but Haneul had no intention of falling behind. She was curious about where he had lived in the past. It seemed that Neriah had no intention of falling behind either.

Eventually, Yul sighed and led the way to the orphanage.

The walk to the orphanage was heavier than expected. This time, unlike when he had secretly peeked before, he was going there to face them directly.

"I wonder what kind of expression they'll make..."

Would they tremble in fear, or get angry, telling the demon to get lost?

When they parted on bad terms, he only had negative expectations of the reunion.

He didn’t blame them for kicking him out. In terms of common sense, it would have been odd not to kick him out. The middle-aged nun had done the right thing.

He just hoped that, when he returned, they would at least recognize him, even if they denied it at first.

Whatever reaction they had, he only hoped they would remember him.

With that thought, he entered the orphanage, his heart trembling.

It was a small building, one he had helped set up back then, near the back alley, where support had been lacking.

The walls were cracked, but the building had been well-maintained; there was no sign of mold.

And in the yard, there was an elderly woman watering a potted plant.

"Ah."

It was a familiar face. There were few people who took care of the children in this small orphanage.

The nun from the orphanage. Her face had many wrinkles now, but she had stuck with the place, maintaining the crumbling building.

Hiding his nervousness, Yul quietly approached her.

"A young man I’ve never seen before. What brings such a tall person to this place?"

The woman didn’t recognize him at first. That made sense. It had been over ten years since that day.

Yul wasn’t shocked; he had expected this response. He began to explain.

"I used to stay here when I was younger."

He had been taken in when he was just a child, and it had been more than 10 years since then.

Looking back, those weren’t bad memories. Even though he was kicked out in the end due to an unfortunate event, he didn’t hold any bad feelings toward them.

He just wanted to express his gratitude for the time he had spent there.

At this, the woman’s eyes widened. She stared at Yul’s face carefully, her gaze lingering.

Black hair, amber eyes. These were the features from her memory.

No, they were unforgettable features. That day was especially bitter for the orphanage.

"Yul? Is it really you?"

The woman gasped, calling his name. She seemed so surprised that her eyes trembled as if she had seen a ghost.

Yul tensed up a little in response.

He had prepared himself, but it was still a bit nerve-wracking to face it directly.

Then the woman grabbed his hand, speaking through a face now damp with tears.

"My goodness... Yul, you’re really alive."

"Yes? Yes..."

This wasn’t the response he had expected, so he was a little taken aback.

But the nun continued.

"Back then, when you were taken by the knights, I couldn’t sleep for a long time..."

Whether this was the truth or a polite lie, he couldn’t tell.

But judging by her expression, he thought it was probably the truth.

"I’m so glad you’re alive. I’m really glad you came back..."

The nun had probably been worried for a long time after that day.

She was /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ a kind-hearted person.

For a child who had been doing well, suddenly being dragged away by knights would have been something difficult to accept.

She wiped away the tears from her face.

Yul stood quietly for a while, and then finally said the words he had been holding back.

"It’s been a while."

He had come to the orphanage without much expectation, but the reunion wasn’t bad at all.