Chapter 25: New Mission

【Act 1, Node 2: The Disappeared Childhood Friend (Activated)】

[Quest Description: Yuli Floren, aren’t you just delighted after calling off that engagement? 😎 Yes, you are!]

[You’ve finally kicked that stain out of your life. You can’t even put into words how happy you are, and you’ve gotten a ton of rewards to boot.]

[Right now, you can’t wait to find your childhood sweetheart—Lian Camilla—and share the good news with her!]

[But when you go to Lian’s house, you don’t find her there. You even search around her home, but there’s no sign of her.]

[Lian’s parents are also frantic. They tell you that Lian hasn’t been home for a whole day and night.]

[With your sharp intuition, you immediately realize that something bad might have happened to Lian. From her parents, you learn that the last place she was seen is the farmland at the southeast corner of the village.]

[Quest Requirement: As the Flower Hero who upholds justice and protection, you decide to uncover the truth behind this incident and save your missing childhood friend!]

[Day 1: Head to the farmland at the southeast corner of Duke Village and investigate Lian’s whereabouts.]

[Quest Rewards: Sword Skill—Blossom Sword Dance, Flower Crystals × 500, EXP × 1000]

[Note: The player has reached the level cap. EXP may overflow! Please clear the [Sword Path Trial] to raise the level cap!]

At last, Lauren let out a soft breath as he stared at the system screen in front of him.

From the moment Lian had stepped through the front door of Skomet Mansion, the system had finally judged his kidnapping of her to be a success.

And so, the second main quest of the system was issued.

Time to rake in those rewards again.

The thought alone made Lauren couldn’t help but laugh with delight.

This time, he was genuinely happy—no fake smile at all.

The future was looking bright! Praise!

“Lauren dear, what are you giggling about?”

Hearing his laughter, Lian poked her head over from the side.

Her expression was playful, her tone filled with curiosity.

“I… I’m fine. Just thinking about something happy!”

“Huh? Something happy? Can’t you share it so I can be happy too?”

Lian teased him without any sense of boundaries.

“No can do. That’s my personal business.”

Lauren shook his head and refused with righteous indignation.

Matters concerning the Game System were his biggest secret, one he could never tell anyone.

“Hmph! You’re so stingy! You don’t trust me that much? I’m good at keeping secrets. Just whisper it to me—I won’t tell a soul!”

Lian persisted.

“Can’t do it. This is a matter of principle.”

He didn’t even reveal it to his closest Anne.

How could he possibly tell Lian, a girl he’d just met, especially when she was the one who had approached him first?

Who knew what motives she was hiding?

Upon hearing this, Lian didn’t shamelessly press the issue.

Pressing would be rude.

She knew that her current relationship with Lauren couldn’t yet compare to that of the cat maid, Anne.

She could also understand Lauren.

After all, even she had her own deep, inner secrets she didn’t want anyone to know.

Especially matters concerning her rebirth—she wasn’t about to tell Lauren about that.

So, rationally speaking, she could accept that Lauren wouldn’t share his secrets with her.

But if she said she didn’t have a little twinge of emotion at heart, that would be a lie.

After all, it’s not the same thing, is it?

No matter how you look at it, a girl’s heart is just that complicated.

The little secrets of her boyfriend’s heart that he wouldn’t tell her—she just couldn’t help but feel angry about it, even if it was unfair.

But Lian was able to suppress that emotion, letting reason guide her.

So she avoided the topic now and changed the subject.

“Lauren dear, does this outfit look good on me?”

Lian walked out from behind him.

She was wearing a standard black-and-white maid uniform.

Stepping in front of him, she lifted the hem of her skirt and performed a curtsy, her posture elegant and beautiful.

Lauren recognized the outfit.

No, to be precise, he recognized the character art.

It was one of those clever marketing gimmicks the official team used to sell.

Over the years of the game’s operation, there wasn’t a single outfit Lian hadn’t worn.

Lauren was already intimately familiar with every form Lian could take.

So yes, they were in the fitting room.

Lian had only pretended to faint for a moment.

The moment she stepped into Skomet Mansion, she had woken up in a hurry and was now very active.

She slipped into roleplay mode quickly and directly asked Lauren for a set of maid work clothes.

He had led her to the family’s wardrobe room and changed her into the maid uniform.

One strange thing was that, for some reason, Lian seemed even more familiar with the mansion’s layout than he, the master himself, did.

Moreover, it wasn’t just about changing into the maid outfit.

Before that, Lian had shown much more interest in other garments—evening gowns, gorgeous dresses, a limited-edition summer outfit…

It looked more like she was playing dress-up in a cosplay session.

Why did his own house have these clothes?

Lauren said he didn’t know either!

Maybe it was some kind of easter egg the game designers had thrown in to slander him, the upright and righteous youth from Blue Planet, and make him fit the twisted tastes of this blonde villain.

Either way, Lauren was amused and exasperated.

But from Lauren’s perspective, the maid outfit seemed a bit too big for Lian.

It didn’t fit well at all—the hem was dragging on the floor.

No, more accurately, Lian was too short.

Even when she lifted the hem with both hands, it only revealed a pair of pure white silk-covered feet.

Wait, feet.

Successfully grabbed the keyword.

Oh my god.

White silk little snow cones.

This wasn’t a 2D paper cutout.

This was a living, moving [Frost Flower Saint]—Lian Camilla.

A golden-haired loli snow cone.

“It looks good (♥∀♥)!”

Hearing his words, the golden-haired loli maid pouted, satisfied.

“Hmm…”

Her voice was pitched high with flair.

Lian spun around in front of him, showing off her figure and the outfit, clearly pleased with his reaction.

Then she sat down on his lap.

She was small and thin.

Treating him like a chair, she wriggled around in his embrace.

She didn’t look embarrassed at all; instead, she seemed completely at ease, as if she did this often.

As if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

But Lauren was different.

He was genuinely startled by her boldness (∑(O_O；)).

He dared not move—really, he dared not.

Oh god, trust me, she sat down on her own.

I’m not a lolicon.

Don’t hit me with lightning, okay?

Lauren raised his hands, not daring to make any move.

Seeing him look so shocked by her action, Lian immediately felt displeased.

Am I some kind of bad luck charm or something?

She grabbed his hands with some force and pulled them down to her own belly, arranging them so they hugged her.

There.

Satisfied.

Lian nodded to herself.

‘This is how I like it.’