It's Best to Do as I Say

Chapter 14: It's Best to Do As I Say

As Linton and Iris returned to Blackwater Village together, the distant horizon had already begun to show a faint glimmer of light.

They hadn't spoken much on the way back, unlike on their journey to turn in the quest. The atmosphere was somewhat silent.

Iris was feeling conflicted and didn't want to talk, while Linton didn't know how to comfort her.

From his past life to the present, he had never been good at dealing with women.

The tension between them only eased when Iris saw the dilapidated thatched hut Linton had rented.

"We're... going to live here?" she asked, looking at the structure that could barely be called a "house" after a long silence.

The entire house was built with adobe bricks, and the wooden windows swayed precariously in the breeze, creaking and groaning. Together with the rustling of the paper pasted on the windows, it created a somewhat noisy symphony.

If the main purpose of a house was to shelter from wind and rain, then Iris believed this building, with its incomplete thatch roof, could only be classified as a ruin.

"Uh, for now," Linton replied sheepishly.

Iris couldn't help but tug at her hair again.

Although her family situation was as fragile as this house, her parents had at least provided her with the best in terms of material life.

She had never imagined that one day she would sleep in a place where she could see the pure, natural starry sky from her bed.

Linton understood that this doll lady, who had grown up in a noble family, might not be able to adapt to the current environment. However, they had only known each other for a short time, and it wasn't even dawn yet, so there was no way to find a place with better conditions.

"Forget it," Iris sighed. "I guess if I keep following you, this kind of environment might actually be considered good. I'll just get used to it in advance."

"This was my oversight. It won't get any worse than this."

Linton tried to offer his doll lady some comfort, but Iris just looked at him sideways and asked, "You said before that mages are all fanatics, and to seek 'knowledge,' they would even venture into the abyss to explore mysteries. Since you're a mage who studies death, can you guarantee that you won't go digging into tombs or ruins, or some mass grave filled with countless withered bones in the future?"

"..."

"See, I knew it. A man's words are as trustworthy as a ghost's."

Iris raised her beautiful eyebrows, triumphant in their verbal sparring, proud like a warrior returning unscathed from the battlefield.

"In any case, you should rest first."

Linton found his broken chair. "I have something to do."

"Huh? It's not even dawn yet, what do you have to do?" Iris asked, a hint of playful mockery curving her lips. "Don't tell me it's because you're embarrassed to be in the same room as a girl? Logically, as a Necromancer, shouldn't your interest in corpses exceed that in living people? Why would you be awkward about something like this?"

"I think I know why you couldn't get officially transferred from the Knights Order," Linton said, a wry smile on his face. "At a time like this, shouldn't you pretend not to know, let me leave, and then lie in bed overthinking things, afraid I might barge in?"

Iris scoffed dismissively. "I wouldn't think about such things. Don't lump me in with those little girls who are always preoccupied with romance."

She paused, then said seriously, "Since I've chosen to swear my loyalty to you under the stars, it means I've entrusted everything to you. Even if you encounter danger in the future and choose to abandon me to save yourself, I will rush forward without hesitation to buy you the time you need. So, sir, you only need to treat me as a disposable doll, a replaceable tool. There's no need for any pretense of avoiding suspicion."

Linton fell silent for a moment.

"What you said is wrong."

The doll lady's nascent, relaxed smile froze, and she became a little angry. "What's wrong? Are you doubting my ability to do it? Or are you trying to win my loyalty with overly sentimental and hypocritical words? Please, don't question a knight's loyalty—even though I never had that title!"

"I mean the first part," Linton said, his expression somewhat strange. "Are you sure you're alive?"

"Crack—"

Iris felt something in her head shatter.

She looked at Linton in horror. "Are you serious about me? I told you to treat me like a disposable doll... but not in that way! Don't think of me as something strange!!"

"I..."

"Didn't you say you had something to do? Go quickly! I want to sleep!!"

Just as Linton was about to speak, Iris abruptly covered her ears, not wanting to hear any more of his rambling. She ran into the house with all the strength she hadn't even used in her knight assessment, and then slammed the door shut.

Outside, Linton looked at the dilapidated earthen wall, which now had a few more cracks. His mouth twitched, then he chuckled and shook his head. He picked up his chair and walked towards the large tree in the center of the village, waiting for the new day and the arrival of the players.

Inside, Iris leaned against the doorframe and looked up at the sky.

The starry sky in her memory should have been beautiful, but the stars in her eyes were becoming increasingly blurry, as if moving further away from her. Her body also gradually lost a certain supporting strength, and she softly sank to the ground.

In what could barely be called a private space, the young girl could finally carefully take out her vulnerability, wipe it clean with tears, and then find a more hidden corner to cover it with a black cloth.

Until one day, the cloth was covered in dust, and she never took it out again.

Perhaps it had been too long, and she had forgotten where she had hidden it.

After a long while, Iris raised her head again and placed her hand on her chest.

Compared to that guy who was shorter than her, with legs that weren't as long, and whose appearance was only barely comparable to hers, but whose chest was so ample it was almost uncomfortable, her curves seemed a bit lacking. However, there were still some curves present.

At this moment, an organ called a heart was forcefully beating again and again below, sending blood to all parts of her body, ensuring the normal operation of every system.

"I should still be alive, right?"

She let out a long sigh and murmured softly.

"Thank you, but... please don't do this anymore. Just do as I say."

"This way... is best."

"What the hell is going on?"

Linton fell into thought as he looked at the crowd surrounding the large tree, most of whom were women with various IDs displayed above their heads.

When there were no version updates or maintenance, the game time should have been synchronized with the real world. This meant it was currently around four in the morning.

Are all of you Necromancers? Don't you need to sleep?

Or are you preparing to contribute to the research of Necromancy?

Just as Linton hesitated to take another step forward, the extremely excited players noticed him first.

"Wearing a strange black hooded robe, with several large transparent question marks above his head. That's him, it has to be."

"It's an NPC who gives quests! I finally found one! I don't have to do unpaid labor anymore!!"

"Mr. Question Mark! I'm your dog!!"

Linton: "."

I just went to pick up a doll, and you players, where did you all come from?!