Night faded as the purple sun rose.
Fragments of morning light gradually filled Vivian’s small wooden cabin.
The couple, Vivian and Nolan, woke up quite early.
This was because Nolan had his daily routine of morning prayers and physical training.
Vivian, on the other hand, was less fortunate; she had been grumpily awoken by the noise Nolan made.
“Ah…”
Vivian covered her mouth and let out a yawn, looking quite adorable with her sleepy eyes.
‘Maybe we should sleep in separate rooms from now on…’
‘Who gets up this early in the morning? I’m still a growing girl.’
However, since she was already awake, she didn’t feel like going back to sleep.
She decided she might as well join Nolan in his prayers.
No sooner said than done, she immediately imitated Nolan’s posture, kneeling before the window.
Facing the sun outside, she pressed her palms together and prayed devoutly.
‘Great Elios, please bestow more money upon your devout believer.’
‘You wouldn’t want your followers to starve to death in some unknown corner, right?’
A god would naturally desire devotion, but the faith of a certain vampire princess seemed to have strayed off course.
Beside her, however, Nolan wore a gratified smile.
Seeing Vivian praying so piously and intently, he silently gave her his utmost approval.
‘Under my guidance, Vivian is undoubtedly on the right path…’
Nolan nodded with satisfaction.
After finishing his prayer, he stood up and began his physical conditioning in the open space.
Vivian also slowly stood up from the floor to prepare breakfast.
Today’s breakfast was…
Yesterday’s leftovers!
“Sigh… this big pot of rice is enough to last us for three days.”
“We’re going to have to eat this until we puke…” Vivian scratched her head in frustration and sighed.
‘But wait, I can look at this from another perspective…’
‘That means I don’t have to cook for the next three days!’
The moment she thought about being lazy for three days, the frustration in Vivian’s heart vanished. She couldn’t help but lower her head and snicker.
She lifted the lid, poured a bowl of fresh water into the pot, and then gave the stove a light kick.
Watching the smart appliance ignite automatically and monitor the heat on its own, Vivian clapped her hands.
“Done!”
She then grabbed a small stool and sat down next to Nolan.
While watching him sweat and work hard during his exercise, she began to drool.
Sluuuurp
‘Oh no, I’m not hungry again, am I?’
Vivian wiped the corner of her mouth, patted her stomach, and hurried to open her interface.
[Satiety: 108/150]
It was fine; she could last a few more days.
After a simple breakfast, the two began to discuss their schedule for the day.
“I feel like I’ve mostly recovered. I should head back to the church to start working today.”
“Staying at home all day makes me feel like I’m becoming a stinking salted fish.”
Nolan stretched his limbs and spoke to Vivian.
Vivian remembered the temporary classroom she had seen at the cathedral yesterday.
She turned her head to look at the calendar on the wall.
“Then let’s go together.”
Nolan looked at Vivian with confusion but didn’t say anything.
“There should be a public class at the cathedral today. I want to go there to learn.”
Vivian didn’t like studying; in fact, she got a headache just looking at books.
However, she also knew that being illiterate was not a good thing.
Therefore, she was always proactive about attending these free, official courses.
It definitely wasn’t for the free bread provided after class…
“Wait, if I remember correctly, those courses are offered by the church for children under the age of ten.”
“Vivian, why are you trying to join in on the fun?” Nolan asked.
“I just turned ten this year, okay…” Vivian glared at him and cleared away the used dishes.
Vivian, the “granny” who had been buried in the dirt for who-knows-how-many years, retorted shamelessly.
“Ah…”
Nolan opened his mouth wide, but not a single word came out.
He wondered if he should go to the church and turn himself in before the Inquisition came to arrest him.
The taste of prison wouldn’t be pleasant.
***
“Hey, Nolan.”
On the way to the cathedral, Vivian suddenly skipped forward.
Holding her small parasol, she tapped her toes lightly and spun around, her ponytail tracing a graceful arc in the air.
With her eyes curved into crescents, she wore a friendly smile and said, “I know a secret foraging spot.”
“Let’s go get something to eat together.”
Nolan rubbed his chin, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Didn’t we just eat breakfast? Let’s forget it.”
“No, you have to come with me!”
Vivian’s tone dropped, and her expression changed instantly.
“If you don’t go, I’ll punch you all the way into the cathedral right now to help that old man Derek haul bricks!”
“Alright, alright, let’s go foraging…” Nolan was ultimately no match for her stubbornness and had to go along with her.
There was no helping it; Priest Derek would just have to wait a while.
It was just eating something; it shouldn’t take too long.
“Yay! Let’s go!”
Vivian skipped back to Nolan’s side and took hold of his large hand, which was wearing a bracer.
“I’m saying, can you not wear this thing next time? It’s really uncomfortable to hold.”
Feeling the cold, hard sensation on her hand, Vivian spoke with a bit of a grudge.
“I must remain vigilant at all times. The threat of demons is everywhere.”
“They could be lurking in any dark corner, and there’s no telling when they might jump out and ambush us.”
Nolan shook his head, rejecting Vivian’s suggestion.
“Hmph, then go to the church by yourself.”
Vivian’s cheeks puffed out slightly as she pouted.
After saying that, she threw off Nolan’s hand and quickened her pace, running ahead.
“Hey, wait for me, Vivian!”
Nolan hastily pulled off the bracer from his right hand, held it in his grip, and shouted as he chased after her.
Ten minutes later.
In front of the ruins of a bakery.
Nolan, who had successfully reclaimed Vivian’s hand, stood before the wreckage with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
“This is the secret foraging spot you mentioned?” He asked uncertainly while staring at the pile of debris.
“Over there,” Vivian said, pointing not far away.
Nolan followed Vivian’s finger.
He saw a tall Orc wearing a chef’s uniform, sitting imposingly on a chair.
In front of the Orc was a table covered with all sorts of bread.
“Blake, we’re here for the free bread!”
Vivian’s energetic voice rang out.
Blake looked up without saying a word, simply pointing his finger at the bread on the table.
“Thank you very much.”
Vivian didn’t stand on ceremony with Blake and gestured for Nolan to take some bread.
In the end, the two of them each held a piece of bread in one hand, returning fully loaded.
Just then, a middle-aged man in a butler’s uniform arrived at the ruins, accompanied by two guards.
“Ah! Master Blake… your… where is your bakery?”
The butler stared at the ruins in front of him, standing frozen on the spot as he stammered.
“It’s fine. After I went to subjugate the demons, some of their remnants retaliated against me.”
“By Elios, those damn things are truly lawless, to think they would dare…” the butler said, gritting his teeth.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already dealt with all of them.” Blake waved his hand dismissively, indicating he didn’t care about the matter.
“Thank you, Master Blake, for your contribution to our city’s safety.” The butler bowed to Blake to express his gratitude.
Afterward, he walked to the platform in the center of the market and straightened his slightly messy tie.
The warm sunlight shone on his neat attire.
The butler pulled a document from his pocket, snapped it open, and then shouted at the top of his lungs:
“Citizens of Maern City, our Lord has an important matter to announce to everyone!
As his voice fell, the bustling market suddenly went silent.
In the next second, the crowd swarmed toward the platform, casting puzzled looks at the butler.
“The Red and White War has ended!!”
The butler loudly read the result written on the document.
However, the crowd didn’t cheer. Most people looked completely blank.
The Red and White War? What was that?
In this world where information was restricted, the common folk had no idea what that even was.
Does this war have anything to do with us?
Compared to that, they were more concerned about whether the Lord’s taxes would change. Nolan, however, felt a shock run through his heart.
‘The Red and White War? It ended this early?!’
‘This…’
His pupils trembled slightly, and his right hand tightened instinctively, drawing a confused look from Vivian.
The end of the Red and White War meant that two more nations would join the northern alliance to fight against the demons.
This seemed like wonderful news.
But… it was a full six months earlier than the timeline in Nolan’s memories from his past life!
‘This world… seems different from my previous life…’
Nolan looked at the butler reading the document on the stage, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.
Beside him, Vivian tilted her head. Like most people, she had a look of confusion in her eyes.
‘The Red and White War? What’s that? Is it edible?’