I Level Up With In-app Purchases

I Level Up With In-app Purchases – 54

EP.54 The Letter (2)

“Are you the owner of this general store?”

Ariane asked me, still confused.

“If not me, then who else would be the owner? But who asked you to come here?”

It was hard to understand why someone would ask Ariane, of all people, to come to a place like this.

How bold must they be to pull such a stunt?

“Come inside first. You must have waited a long time; I’ll get you something to drink.”

I offered Ariane something to drink, inviting her inside.

“Oh, thank you!”

She must not have learned not to follow strangers offering tasty treats.

Ariane obediently followed me inside, her eyes wandering curiously around the general store.

“What kind of fruit juice do you like?”

“I like orange!”

Okay, got it.

Fresh fruit juice was a favorite among Rebecca, Sasha, Fran, and Shine, so I could confidently make it.

“Wow~ You have everything here.”

While I made the fruit juice, Ariane wandered around the store, exploring everything.

“Here, sit and enjoy.”

I couldn’t just give her the juice alone, so I also put out some snacks that Rebecca had bought but hadn’t finished.

Ariane politely thanked me and began eating happily.

Then suddenly,

“Oh right! I came here because I was asked to!”

She seemed to have just remembered her purpose for coming.

“What kind of request?”

Ariane rummaged through her belongings.

She pulled out a white envelope and handed it to me.

“This is it. They asked me to deliver it to the general store owner.”

“A letter, huh.”

I thought they had sent something significant since they sent Ariane.

But disappointingly, what came out of her pocket was just a plain letter.

“Here, take it.”

Ariane shook the letter, urging me to take it, then went back to eating her snacks.

I had no choice but to open the letter to find out who had sent it with her.

Who could be so bold to do such a thing?

“Sigh….”

I hoped it wasn’t her, but it was.

I sighed deeply upon recognizing the sender of the letter.

There was no one else who would do something like this other than Saintess.

I resigned myself to the fact that Ariane’s unique charm had already reached Fran.

‘Why didn’t she come herself? At least asking Shine would have been more reasonable.’

I was very curious about the circumstances that prevented her from coming and made her send a letter instead.

After reading the letter carefully to the last line, I decided to acknowledge her actions.

If I was this shocked, how much more confused must she be?

But I still asked Ariane,

“Is this real?”

“I don’t know what’s written, but I’m sure it’s not a lie.”

So, as it says here…

“She left? She just sent a letter and left?”

“Yes. She left a few hours ago. It’s a shame; I wanted to get to know her better.”

“No matter how urgent it is, taking her away immediately after informing her seems too harsh.”

If there had been any time, Saintess would have told me directly.

The fact that she asked Ariane to deliver the letter meant she didn’t have even a moment to spare.

“It seems like they’re really short on healers.”

“…Yeah. There must be a lot of wounded. But even if it’s urgent, this is too much.”

Stopping the monster wave at this level was an incredible feat.

Of course, the state and nobles who had no idea what would have happened if it wasn’t stopped wouldn’t think so.

I worried that the state, desperate to resolve the monster wave, might be overstepping.

“What’s your relationship with Fran?”

“We’re friends! We’re in the same class!”

Ariane raised her hand proudly as if it was something to boast about.

“Are you close? Well, you must be if you’re delivering things like this.”

“Hehe. Right?”

“Then, can I ask you a favor for your friend?”

“…A favor?”

“It’s a request for the safety of a friend who went to a dangerous place. Is it too hard for you? If so, never mind.”

Knowing Ariane well, I knew how to get her to move.

Handling Ariane was relatively easy.

Ariane would never refuse a request for a friend’s safety.

“Oh~ if it’s something like that, I can do it! Just tell me!”

As expected, Ariane puffed out her chest, ready to help.

Even though puffing out her chest didn’t mean much given her small stature.

“What do you need?”

She seemed ready to bring anything I asked for.

I liked her enthusiasm, but if I used her like a pushover, her family might take action against me.

I needed to moderate my requests appropriately.

“Find out where Fran has been dispatched and how the higher-ups plan to resolve the monster wave. Can you do that?”

“I understand the first request, but why are you curious about the second one?”

“I’m concerned they might be making reckless decisions. I need to ensure Fran is properly protected in a safe place.”

“????”

They were probably under a lot of pressure from various sides to resolve the monster wave quickly.

Even though they knew it wasn’t an easy task, they likely resorted to threats and pressure to save face.

If they made the worst decision under such pressure…

The scariest thing is having an ally who acts recklessly.

‘I thought, since they’re all nobles, they wouldn’t treat soldiers as expendable!’

Why else would they bring along healing-type students?

It’s obvious they anticipated a massive number of casualties and took precautions.

‘They’re desperate enough to conscript academy students to resolve the monster wave.’

The safest way to eliminate a monster wave is to gradually chip away at it over a long period.

But the strategy the military is preparing is definitely not what I have in mind.

It’s likely a reckless plan that doesn’t even deserve to be called a strategy.

Unfortunately, countless soldiers who must follow orders will be slaughtered by the monsters.

“By the way, while you’re at it, check if any of your family members in the military are okay.”

For the scenario to progress, Ariane’s sister’s honorable discharge due to injury couldn’t be prevented.

Even if I warned her that her sister would soon be injured, she wouldn’t believe me.

So, I decided to show my gratitude to Ariane by giving her this piece of advice.

“Check if my sister is okay? Do you know something, boss?”

Being called “boss” was a bit surprising since I’d never heard that title in my life, but it sounded much better than being called “mister.”

“What would I know? It’s just that I’ve lived long enough to get a rough sense of the situation. When the higher-ups start pressuring the lower ranks, it’s natural for people to get anxious.”

And when people get anxious, it’s the subordinates who suffer.

“In situations like this, those caught in the middle end up getting hurt. Those who don’t want that take reckless actions and cause accidents.”

Even a duke’s family couldn’t interfere with the military once someone enlisted.

The military’s authority in this world was that significant.

That’s why no one could say anything when the second daughter of a duke’s family had her leg severed and was honorably discharged.

“So, tell them to be cautious for a while. They should be able to take care of themselves.”

Moreover, when she returned after her honorable discharge, the strained relationship from entering the room could lead to different outcomes.

In the game, it didn’t matter much if the relationship with her older sister deteriorated, but in reality, it would be a significant disadvantage.

However, missing the opportunity for stat bonus growth was even more undesirable.

“Hmm… Honestly, I don’t understand a word you’re saying, but I’ll do as you said, boss.”

Ariane suddenly started hopping in place as if in a hurry, then abruptly bowed to me.

“Can I go check right now? I’m leaving!”

“Huh?”

As expected of an awakened one.

Ariane disappeared in the blink of an eye.

I stared blankly at the spot where Ariane had been.

“She’s already gone? I still had more to ask….”

Like why she came instead of Shine.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to ask that question.

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***

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Saintess’s letter briefly explained that she had been conscripted and wouldn’t be able to visit for a while.

She didn’t know when she could leave the military or where she was headed.

I had tried to take good care of her before she left, but it was all for nothing.

“When will she come back?”

I hadn’t even asked about the cult or how the cult leader was dealt with….

I felt strange about having to let go of my first SSR so quickly.

“Damn it, if only the draws had gone better!”

The disastrous results of last night’s draws came to mind.

What’s the point of getting an SSR?

You might remember that there are different tiers even among SSRs.

Last night,

I drew two SSRs.

The problem was that both SSR characters were 4th tier.

They were trash not even worth raising.

‘And they were smelly men, of all things.’

If Ariane hadn’t shown up, I would have been much more upset….

At least with Ariane, I could just be disappointed and move on despite the failed SSR draws.

If I had drawn three mediocre SSRs instead of Ariane….

‘I might have shed a tear, to exaggerate a bit….’

I had squandered 1.33 million won.

Even if I had spent that money on the game instead of here, the results would have shattered my mental state.

The most frustrating part was that the number of SSRs was too low compared to the amount spent.

‘But at least I got Ariane.’

Moreover, today’s encounter with Ariane showed that she had a good enough relationship to fulfill Fran’s request.

There was no need for me to introduce them.

The title of “Free-to-Play Hope” wasn’t earned for nothing.