Chapter 46: 46 Mr. Someone from Another World

Just as I was about to press YES, possessed by the offer, a sudden wave of anxiety washed over me. Selling is fine, but the reward is too generous. It’s suspicious.

’Besides, I was supposed to ship them this week. If the number of pigs in the sty suddenly drops, the buyers are going to look at me strangely.’

[Don’t worry about that! Through a ’slight’ alteration of cognition, I will erase all memories regarding this farm from the minds of those scheduled to come here. So, just as the Master Breeder worries, there is no need to fear that the ’Sow’ will be discovered! Furthermore, the feed company will be handled in the same way. So, if the Master Breeder just gives permission, all that’s left is to sit on a pile of money... Ugh... Is it still suspicious?]

Wouldn’t it be a lie to say it’s not suspicious? Honestly, there’s no reason to go this far for a mere pig farmer like me.

No matter if it’s the ’first time’ or whatever, if I carelessly touch this delicious-looking fruit, I might suffer a great calamity later.

My father once said: There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and always suspect those who try to give you something for nothing.

Should I trust this?

It doesn’t seem forced, so I can do it or not.

’What happens if I refuse this?’

[Since it is not a mandatory quest, there is no problem if you refuse. You can simply adapt to your daily life—now involving a sow—and continue solving other quests as usual. However...]

’However?’

[...If I may dare to offer a personal opinion, I strongly recommend that the Master Breeder accepts this offer.]

I never dreamed that a choice determining my life would appear while tracking Goblin footprints on a mountain path. But maybe it’s because I already made the choice to break Eleonora?

’...Alright. I’ve already stepped into this world anyway. It’d be laughable to pull my foot out now.’

At first, I thought I had gotten dragged into this. But spending these past few days, I discovered a version of myself that was actually enjoying it.

In just a few days, I had completely melted into this new daily life of farm work and breaking Eleonora.

The moment I grabbed the door handle of that pigsty, I must have already said goodbye to a normal life long ago.

Why act all surprised now?

’...Let me ask you one thing.’

[...]

’What is your goal? Why are you doing all this?’

As if answering my question, a woman appeared before my eyes. She had pink hair, armor reminiscent of a Valkyrie from Norse mythology, and wings on her back.

Clearly a woman I was seeing for the first time, yet somehow not unfamiliar—a face that felt very familiar nodded and shouted.

’[I cannot tell you about that just yet, but know that my entire existence is for you, Master Breeder. This much, I can swear.]’

It’s suspicious. And yet, it isn’t.

It’s incredibly suspicious, but why? Perhaps it was the influence of an unknown aura that made me want to kneel just by looking at her, so different from the cute, playful appearance she usually showed.

All the doubts I had built up against her melted away—a contradictory feeling of being incredibly suspicious yet completely trusting.

’Phew... Alright. We’ve come this far, let’s see how far we can go.’

20 head. No more, no less. I selected 20 pigs and pressed YES.

As soon as I gave the final approval, a massive beam of light began to shine down on the pigsty where Eleonora was kept.

It looked like a scene from a movie where a UFO beams something up.

The pure white light, looking holy and distinct from the glaring sun in the sky, shone down on the pigsty for several dozen seconds before vanishing.

At the same time, a new screen popped up before my eyes.

[Quest Success! ’Shipment’ has been added to the Awakener’s interface! The rewards for the pigs you currently shipped are being deposited, so please check immediately!]

’Oh.’

Along with the ding of my cell phone alarm, a deposit notification arrived. Simultaneously, all contacts and records of transactions related to this farm began to disappear from my phone one by one.

I had severed the connections my father had built up over the years with my own hands. I felt a complex mix of emotions and felt terribly sorry to my father, but as if to say there was no time for that, messages began to pop up before my eyes again.

[Someone in the other world is bewildered by the Master Breeder’s gift!]

[Someone in the other world is grateful for the Master Breeder’s grace!]

[Reward 2: The ’Someone in the Other World’ window has been added to the interface!]

What the hell is this now?

’Shipment.’

Literally speaking, it meant I was deciding the destination for my pigs.

Leaving that aside, I couldn’t suppress my curiosity about this newly appeared ’Someone from Another World’ function, so I pressed down on it.

Immediately, a screen appeared before my eyes like a loading screen in a mobile game. Along with the large text [Someone from Another World], the window slowly turned semi-transparent.

Unlike the usual blue system windows, this one floated up in a reddish, somewhat ominous hue. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Before I could even grasp its true nature, blood-red message windows began to list themselves row by row in front of me.

Month X, Day X

[It has been two weeks since we began being pursued. We haven’t eaten anything but water.]

The status windows began to unfurl chronologically, like a report on a specific person written in a large notebook.

Month X, Day X

[I am leading my family and fleeing from those attacking us! Aah, while escaping, my youngest son was killed by the hands of that cruel mob!]

I thought it would just be a message about them starving from the start, but from the second entry, the atmosphere took a dark and serious turn.

Month X, Day X

[We buried our youngest in the ground and vowed revenge, but skepticism and despair are overwhelming me as I wonder what I, starving and weak, can possibly do!]