Chapter 20

At the gates leading into towns or safe zones, and at every guard camp along the roads, soldiers were always stationed. Their job was to fend off endless monster raids and defend the peace of the safe zones.

The narrow pass cutting through the Polia Mountains and leading into the Cottonflower Hills was no exception. That path was notorious for frequent monster attacks, and its guard camp was always locked in brutal battle. Normally, you could hear the noise and chaos from far away. But today, it was dead silent.

The camp was deserted, only messy footprints scattered across the ground. Collapsed tents, shattered tools. Signs of a fierce struggle were everywhere, yet there was no one left—no NPCs, no attacking monsters.

At the same time, down the main avenue of Lucilvania, the NPC vigilante corps began to assemble. Civilian NPCs looked on in terror, shuttering shops or running to hide, while players, intrigued by the unusual sight, gathered to watch.

The line of vigilantes stretched beyond sight. Then came the blare of horn calls, and they began to march. Their solemn expressions all carried the same resolve.

Among the players in the crowd were two figures in identical tracksuits—three stripes top to bottom, and matching striped slippers. They stared for a moment at the column of vigilantes before suddenly bolting off. Their destination: the guild house of Father and the Guest.

The door banged open loudly, making Father frown from where she sat in the central hall. When she saw who came rushing in, she shook her head slowly.

“Unnie, unnie! The NPCs outside are going crazy!”

Red-striped tracksuit and slippers, blue hair tied up in a messy knot—it was If It’s You Then Me.

“They look like they’re going after something, all lined up without end.”

Yellow-striped tracksuit and slippers, pink hair tied the same way—it was If It’s Not You Then Me. Identical twins, from head to toe.

Same faces, same clothes, same voices. Only their hair color differed. And now, the two of them were practically climbing onto the table as they shouted over each other.

“I’ve never seen anything like this. What is it, an event?”

“If it were an event, they would’ve announced it. When’s there ever been an event players didn’t know about?”

“Could be a surprise event.”

“If it’s a surprise, they wouldn’t make it so obvious. You think something like that could be a surprise?”

“…I guess not?”

“Exactly.”

“But where did all those NPCs even come from?”

“Good question. Even if you gathered every NPC in Lucilvania, it still wouldn’t be that many.”

“Ugh, I’m dying of curiosity. Let’s follow them!”

In the end, If It’s You Then Me jumped up and ran out. If It’s Not You Then Me hurried after, calling for her to wait. Just as noisily as they’d barged in, the twins stormed back out.

Father watched them leave without a word, closed her eyes, rubbed her forehead, and let out a long sigh.

Lately, guild members had been picking fights more often, and her head already ached from hearing all their complaints. Now, after the twins stirred everything up and left, her temples throbbed worse than ever. With a scowl, Father pulled a potion from her inventory and downed it in one shot. It wouldn’t cure a headache, but at least it might calm her nerves.

A few days later, the reason for the vigilante corps’ sudden march—the one the twins had been so desperate to follow—was revealed in an unexpected place.

Torches flickered on the walls, casting orange light over a damp underground. The air rang with clinking chains and muffled groans. In one of the many prison cells sat Noquia.

“……”

Father stood on the other side of the bars, gazing at her intently.

A few days ago, the vigilantes had mobilized because NPC guards at regional gates, watch camps, and outposts were being slaughtered repeatedly by someone. The damage had grown so severe that the vigilantes launched a full-scale pursuit. After several fierce battles, they finally captured the culprit and threw them into prison.

That culprit was Noquia.

Father’s eyes demanded an explanation. But Noquia’s response was neither apology nor excuse.

“Pay my bail, would you?”

Noquia rubbed her hands together obsequiously like a sycophant, but Father’s eyes narrowed into a deadly white-eyed glare.

Noquia wasn’t much for hunting. What she loved was PvP. A murderer junkie. She didn’t even know what her Murderer Tier was anymore, only that it was high enough that she rarely lost.

The Murderer Tier had another trait—once you reached a certain level, you could even attack NPCs. At some point, Noquia had climbed high enough to cross that line.

Father’s gaze was chilling. Noquia lowered her head, avoiding her eyes. She pinched her brow and sighed.

“What’s your Murderer Tier?”

“……”

Noquia fidgeted without answering. Father asked again.

“What. Tier.”

“…Three.”

Father nearly fainted. She strode up to the bars, shoved her hand through, and yanked Noquia close.

“Three? Three?! You’re Battle Tier 7, and your Murderer Tier is already 3? Just how many fights have you been picking?!”

“I mean, it just sort of… happened. You know how it is, when you focus you get absorbed….”

“Why would you focus on that?!”

“It’s… it’s just what I’m good at. My aptitude, you know?”

“Aptitude my ass!”

Father shoved her other arm through the bars and smacked Noquia repeatedly.

“Ah, ow, ow ow ow!”

Even as she yelped, Noquia twisted and turned to dodge, then looked past Father at the two behind her, begging for help with their eyes. Red Snapper and Bastard Kid, who had followed Father here, hurried to intervene.

“N-noona, hitting won’t solve anything…”

“Yeah, it’s just a waste of energy.”

Father’s hat had fallen to the floor, her sleek hair now wild and messy. As Red Snapper and Bastard Kid pulled her back with effort, Noquia glared at them resentfully. Hitting’s pointless? Waste of energy? Just wait until you get outside—you’re dead.

Bastard Kid picked up the fallen hat and handed it to Father. She took it, set it on her head, and turned around. The jailer NPC was standing there.

“Look, if you just pay my bail, I’ll get out and pay you back. Please? Yeah?”

Noquia was certain Father would post bail. But she walked right past the jailer.

“There is no bail.”

“…Huh?”

“Rot in here.”

“What?!”

Noquia grabbed the bars, shouting in shock, but Father never turned back as she climbed the stairs. Red Snapper and Bastard Kid exchanged uneasy glances, then quickly followed her up, casting apologetic looks at Noquia as they left.

“Wait…! H-hey, Avi—no, Unnie, Unnie! Guildmaster, guildmaster, ma’am, ma’am!”

Noquia reached out desperately toward Father’s fading back, but she disappeared up the stairs. The only thing that returned was the echo of her own cry,

“MA’AM!”

After returning from the underground prison, Father informed everyone of Noquia’s crimes. None of them could find words for the sheer recklessness of it. Some even pitied Noquia’s current state, locked away in a cell—but they all agreed it was nothing but self-inflicted.

For a few days, peace flowed through the guild without Noquia. But that flow soon reached a waterfall.

In the central hall of the guild house, Father’s hand trembled as she held a sheet of paper. It was an official notice addressed to the guildmaster. The letter carried news of Noquia’s prison escape, along with a request from the NPC vigilantes to aid in her recapture.

It added that wanted posters of Noquia would soon be posted in every town, and until she was caught, all members of Father and the Guest would face restrictions when using NPC services. Along with the notice was a photo: an empty cell, and scrawled across the prison wall in what looked like blood were the words…

“Red Snapper, you’re dead.”

At that moment, Theo had his own unpleasant experience when he went to the general store to buy potions. The shopkeeper glanced at him with disgust, turned away, and slammed the door in his face.

“…What the hell?”

Stunned, Theo opened the chat to tell the others. But it seemed he wasn’t the only one.