"—Don't treat NPCs as NPCs; they're living, breathing people."
This was a lesson Xia Ya learned early on in his first week.
The NPCs in "
Illusory Realm
" are indeed indistinguishable from real people—except they can't understand terms like "system" or "player" that relate to the side of creation, and they are constantly reset by the system.
That's why Sennia was angry at the moment.
Although Sennia was a voluptuous female swordsman, she wasn't a wild girl; instead, she was quite innocent.
Innocent as she was, she was easily deceived by the priest in their team with just a few words, leading to her pregnancy, settling in the Starter Village, and eventually putting down roots there.
To everyone but her husband, she maintained a polite yet distant demeanor. If anyone tried to get too close and aroused her suspicion, she would not hesitate to greet them with her greatsword.
The three players hadn't yet broken free from the typical RPG mindset. At most, they realized they needed to watch their words in front of NPCs, but their gazes and actions were unrestrained, lewdly eyeing Sennia's chest, likely already plotting how to take advantage of her later.
Xia Ya chuckled inwardly and carried a rusty iron greatsword from the backyard, leaning it against the wooden stump where clothes were washed.
"Thanks~ Now stand back a bit."
Sennia gave him a charming wink and then looked up.
Even after giving birth, her figure hadn't changed; if anything, it was more mature and full.
She quietly watched the three approaching.
"Are you Mrs. West? These flowers are from Mr. West for you. He's busy tending to the wounded and can't attend to this side. If there's anything we can do to help, please let us know. It's our honor to serve you."
The leader seemed to notice something different about the NPC and carefully crafted his words, clearly experienced from playing many games.
But his actions showed less awareness.
Not only were his eyes wandering, but he also stood too close, holding the flowers in front of Sennia, almost eager to slip his hands into her sweater.
"Really desperate, haven't seen a woman in real life?"
Xia Ya chuckled, picking up the greatsword just before Sennia's volcanic eruption and swung it at them.
The greatsword, as large as half a door, charged into the crowd like a wild beast, scattering the three immediately.
With only 5 points of strength, it was impossible to wield the sword properly, but in "
Illusory Realm
," as long as you could lift it, you could use it—it was all about how you performed.
Xia Ya was already accustomed to using heavy weapons this way, focusing all his strength on maintaining direction and accuracy, relying solely on inertia to swing.
"What the
[beep]
?"
The three were forced back, cursing with muted profanity.
Players couldn't swear in the game, and neither could Xia Ya.
But he usually resorted to action.
He charged at them again, swinging the greatsword like a madman, seemingly about to crash into a tree at any moment, yet surprisingly stable. If it were a real battle against a boss, Xia Ya would have to think twice, but against these newcomers unfamiliar with "
Illusory Realm
," he could handle ten more like them.
"[Beep], we've run into a lunatic. Where did this one get a weapon??"
The leader abandoned the flowers, threw them to the ground, and turned to flee.
The three had just logged in, with nothing but 50 copper coins in their bags. Seeing Xia Ya's fierce demeanor, like a madman, they were scared out of their wits.
No one wanted to lose their beginner status in the Starter Village—it would be too humiliating to talk about.
After driving them away, Xia Ya snorted, dragging the sword back to the stump, where Sennia hurriedly came over to take it.
The greatsword Xia Ya had to drag, she lifted with one hand.
No wonder, with 25 points of strength, she was a formidable female swordsman...
"Oh dear, what are you doing? I didn't ask for your help, and you're so weak..." she complained, yet she looked Xia Ya over for injuries.
"It's better if I handle it."
Xia Ya smiled shyly, like a bashful boy next door.
"Why?"
"They're wandering heroes taken in by the village chief, likely here to do something for the village. If Miss Sennia were to fight them, what would others say or think? The village chief would probably have a hard time too. So let me handle it, and if there are consequences, I'll bear them."
Sennia wasn't stupid; she just disliked these complicated matters. Xia Ya's explanation made her understand, and her favorability towards him soared, though she still huffed and ruffled Xia Ya's hair in a mock complaint.
"Ah... you still need to be careful. If they dare to bully you, remember to come to me and Enke."
Favorability wouldn't prompt a notification unless there was a significant change, and there was no such thing as spamming gifts to max it out in a day—
these were real, living people!
Precisely because they were people, they could be moved by words.
Xia Ya suddenly broke free from Sennia's hand, resolutely stepping back half a step.
"Eh? Why are you..."
"About Mr. West, there's something I need to tell Miss Sennia." Xia Ya mustered his courage: "He's been unfaithful."
"
What?
"
Sennia's expression froze, but she quickly recovered, turning to glare at him warily, as if ready to draw her sword at any moment.
"
Why are you slandering my husband?
"
Xia Ya shook his head: "It's not slander. For the past four months, he's often stayed out all night. He claims to be working at the Monastery, but he's actually at the Tavern, just disguised. Miss Sanya at the Tavern knows about this, but she won't tell you the truth. The village chief knows too, but he chooses to help the priest hide it because he's afraid you'll leave the village, given the monsters around."
Sennia fell silent.
She had sensed something was off, but her trust in her husband made her choose not to doubt.
Now, with Xia Ya presenting evidence, she couldn't help but believe.
"You..."
"You want to ask me 'how do you know this,' right?" Xia Ya preempted her question: "I have a way to prove myself, but not now."
Like the players, he was also a wandering hero, set to have lived in the village for a week, establishing friendly relations with most people.
But evidence needed to be actively created, and Xia Ya was just making an advance.
"You must also want to know my motive..." Xia Ya shrugged helplessly: "You should remember passing through Panta Town, destroyed by monsters four years ago, right?"
Sennia nodded; she hadn't mentioned this to anyone else, only her husband knew.
"The town was massacred by monsters, and you rescued a twelve or thirteen-year-old child from beneath a collapsed house. But your team was in a hurry, and he was severely injured, so you only had time to leave some food and water before leaving... That child was me."
Sennia's eyes widened in shock.
"
You... you survived?
"
"Yes, I survived," Xia Ya said with a genuine smile.
—In fact, whether that child survived was unknown, most likely dead, but Xia Ya knew about it because Sennia had told him herself.
After fully winning over this married woman, she would confess that it was the most guilt-ridden thing in her life, and she could never forget the hopeful yet despairing look in that child's eyes.
Every time he impersonated this identity, it caused her attitude to change dramatically.
Of course, this was a one-time piece of information; one person could impersonate, but if a second or third "I'm the child you didn't save back then" appeared, she'd probably draw her sword and attack.
In the game, character fates intertwine, especially with minor characters who go unnoticed. Sometimes a single sentence or piece of information can drastically change favorability, but unfortunately, most clues go unnoticed, and even if noticed, they can't be used due to time constraints, at most serving as plot supplements and Easter eggs.
But for Xia Ya, this was no problem at all!
Sure enough, hearing this identity, Sennia's attitude changed. She found it hard to believe, yet she couldn't deny it.
Because only she and her husband knew about this.
"No, did he let it slip when he was drunk, and you overheard?" she remained cautious.
"You left three pieces of black bread, two bags of water, and even wiped my face clean. The bread was your own rations, the water was yours and Enke's, and no one else was willing to help, only he did. You also said, 'Child, don't be afraid, it'll get better.' With those words and the food, I held on for a week until the Church's rescue team arrived..."
The more details he provided, the less guarded Sennia became, her eyes eventually welling up with tears.
These details couldn't be recounted by a drunk person, but she remembered them clearly!
She reached out with a trembling hand, wanting to touch Xia Ya's cheek.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I left you behind then... I'm sorry..."
Xia Ya took her hand, smiling and shaking his head.
"No, Miss Sennia, you don't need to blame yourself. The Seven Sacred Spirits sent you as an angel to me, allowing me to survive, and then let me meet you again, and that's enough. I've also found the opportunity to repay you, and I'll bring evidence to expose that scumbag for who he really is, so please be patient a little longer."
He gently kissed the back of her hand and then turned to leave.
[Sennia's favorability towards you has risen to Intimate]
Proofreader & Editor: Lyra
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Vol.1 - Chapter 3 – Sennia
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