Speaker 5

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As I said earlier, I’m the bus.

If you just hit the gas, I can accelerate to speeds that rival most sports cars… but the problem is, something’s missing—like, say, a steering wheel.

My strength and agility stats are both under 4, which is considered the bare minimum to survive as an adventurer, so I might literally have to be carried around.

So the first thing I had to do in my current state was, of course, find some “drivers” to carry me.

In other words, I had to recruit some party members.

And the place I came to for that was—

[Stout.]

It’s known as the “first region” in this game.

[It’s one of the twelve city-states named after the twelve gods worshipped on the Zodiac continent, and it serves the water god, “Stallion.”]

The protagonist I possessed, the Cursed Star Hero, is said to have woken up with all his memories lost.

But when he reaches certain places or witnesses specific events, he starts recovering those memories—and this “voice” responds to that, helping him retrace those lost memories. Sometimes it even shows them directly through flashbacks.

[You had a feeling that maybe that place held some clues to recovering your fragmented memories.]

So, the early part of the game plays out like this: the Cursed Star Hero, guided by a “mysterious voice,” gradually recovers his memories.

And whether you escape successfully like I just did, or fail and end up enslaved, Stout is the very first stage of that story.

You could say it’s where the real main storyline begins.

Though right now, I’m here not to regain memories—but to find companions.

As with most major cities surrounded by walls, you have to pass through a checkpoint to enter the city gates of Stout.

Sure enough, being one of the three largest cities among the twelve, the line to enter was visibly long—but it was moving quickly, so I figured my turn would come soon.

Technically, they called it a checkpoint, but it was more of a simple ID check.

Stout is the first city most players visit after hitting level 1 or 2.

It’s what you’d call part of “level design.”

Geographically, it’s located in the southeastern part of the continent, so it’s completely different in atmosphere from the northern frontline “Barrier,” which faces off against the demon forces.

The monsters in the surrounding area are also much milder compared to those up north—either because they’re not aggressive or simply too low-level to be a threat.

So on the plus side, the place is relaxed; on the downside, discipline is loose, and unless you look really suspicious, you can usually pass the checkpoint with ease.

But… I was about to be stopped here on purpose.

That was the whole point of this “checkpoint event.”

If your ID checks out, you can pass with no trouble—but unfortunately, I currently had no identity.

There was nothing to verify, and on top of that, my character had no memories according to the setting.

Still, that didn’t mean I couldn’t pass.

In fact, there were plenty of ways to get through this event, depending on your play style or character stats.

You could use your silver tongue to [Persuade], or try [Deception] to fake an identity.

If your character wasn’t good at conversations, you could steal someone else’s ID nearby, or just flat-out offer a bribe to get through.

And if none of that worked, you could temporarily back off, find someone nearby with an exclamation mark above their head, take on a quest, and then escort them in to get inside together.

In short, this was an event designed to show you just how many ways you could solve a problem in this game—so normally, there was nothing to worry about…………… but this time was a little different.

Honestly, I was starting to worry about whether I could really pass through unscathed.

“Next, please…”

And just as expected—

“…!?”

The guard who had been checking IDs half-heartedly with a bored look flinched the moment he turned toward me.

He couldn’t help it.

As I mentioned, Stout is a big city. Tons of foot traffic.

Now imagine walking around in a place like that with a face that could rival the literal god of beauty.

The whole city would flip upside down. Seriously.

People would swarm me just to get a glimpse of this face, I’d be stuck in one place, and everyone would start fighting each other under a charm spell, each trying to claim me. It could easily escalate into a major disaster.

The so-called “Water City” would quickly turn into a city of fire.

That’s why this face is like a secret weapon—something I should only reveal when absolutely necessary.

But the problem was, I didn’t have anything to properly cover my face—no helmet or anything like that.

All I had was the dagger I picked up after defeating the goblin and a burlap sack I had grabbed just in case.

Yeah, that sack I had over my face.

“…??”

So basically, I was currently walking around with a sack on my head, with just two tiny holes cut out for the eyes.

Of course the guard, seeing that, would freeze in place with his mouth hanging open.

Honestly, I looked exactly like a robber.

And now I was walking right up to a checkpoint guard at the city gate.

The poor guy was probably suffering from cognitive dissonance, staring at me in total confusion, trying to figure out whether or not to arrest me on the spot.

“W-What… are you…?”

Eventually, he spoke in a very cautious tone.

And as he did, he subtly moved his hand toward the sword at his hip.

“What brings you here…?”

If I even hinted at anything suspicious, he looked like he’d draw his sword immediately.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, people nearby began to turn their attention toward us.

In that frozen moment, with everyone around watching me—the suspicious sack-wearing possible robber—I slowly raised my hands and spread them open wide to reassure them.

It was to show I had absolutely no intention of doing anything sketchy.

“Please, don’t be alarmed.”

Then, glancing at the startled guard, I spoke in the softest tone I could manage.

“I know I look like this due to… circumstances, but I assure you, I am not a suspicious person.”

“Pardon…?”

“My face… it’s not something I can casually show to others…”

It wasn’t a lie.

It was, after all, a face that shouldn’t be shown lightly.

[Persuasion]

Difficulty: 20

So instead of [Deception], a [Persuasion] check was triggered.

Since both skills rely on the Charisma stat, it didn’t really matter which one was used.

But with the required difficulty set at 20, it was essentially designed to fail at this early point in the game, considering normal stat distributions.

However, even with my face covered, my Charisma stat was 25.

CHA Bonus: +25

Feeling lucky.

And I had two dice to roll—and even if I rolled two 1s and critically failed, since I was currently the center of attention, the [Attention-Seeker] trait would allow me to roll again.

Basically, it meant it was nearly impossible for me to fail.

Result: 30

[Persuasion]

Success

“I… I see…”

[Your heartfelt voice evokes sympathy in the listener.]

Thanks to the successful [Persuasion], it seems the guard accepted that I was dressed like this due to some unfortunate circumstance.

Which, to be fair, isn’t totally inaccurate.

“Well then… I-I apologize. Sounds like you’ve had a tough time.”

“Yes, truly. Haha…”

“Are you a citizen of Stout?”

“No, I’m an adventurer from another region.”

“In that case, do you have any way to verify your identity? Like a registration card from the Adventurers’ Guild?”

The [Persuasion] roll earlier was meant to prove I wasn’t suspicious, to avoid getting attacked on the spot.

“Ah, well… I don’t.”

“…Pardon?”

So now it was time to roll for passage.

“During my travels, I was ambushed by thieves and barely escaped. But they took everything I had…”

At that, the guard once again gave me a suspicious look.

And once again, the dice appeared in my mind.

But this time, the difficulty was actually lower.

Which meant—

“Oh dear…”

This would also be an easy pass.

[Deception]

Difficulty: 15

Critical Success

The guard listens to your story and seems to feel pity for you.

“You must’ve really had a hard time.”

His suspicion faded, and he looked at me with genuine sympathy.

Then, after pausing for a moment in thought—

“…Ordinarily, I shouldn’t allow this, but given your situation, I’ll make an exception—just this once.”

He let me through.

Thanks to the sack over my head, I could grin in victory without worrying about being recognized.

***

If I had to describe the atmosphere of Stout, now that I’d entered through the city gates, I’d say: a beautiful city.

As you’d expect of a city that worships the water god, it was filled with fountains, ponds, and other water features.

The coastal temperate climate and well-managed irrigation led to flourishing agriculture and orchards, which in turn gave rise to a thriving brewing industry.

In simpler terms, they turned every leftover into booze.

This is the city known across the continent for having the best-tasting alcohol.

Combined with the peaceful vibe of an early-game area, the streets were lined with taverns, full of entertainment and sights to enjoy—giving the whole city a vibrant energy.

Honestly, it made me want to settle down here and just enjoy sightseeing.

But well, that could wait for another day.

There was something I needed to do first.

“I’m looking for liquor.”

“Liquor…?”

At my words, the man in front of me looked puzzled and asked again.

It was clear he was confused about why I’d come all the way here just to ask for alcohol.

And fair enough—because rather than going to a tavern, the first place I came to was the office of a certain trading company.

Of course, in a city where liquor is a famous specialty, coming to a trade guild to ask for it isn’t that strange in itself.

Unless the person asking looks like some kind of shady figure.

“Ah, I see…”

More specifically, unless the customer looks like a bandit, walking around with a sack on his head.

Naturally, even getting this one-on-one conversation required multiple [Persuasion] checks along the way.

Just like at the city gates, the guards here flinched and tried to stop me as soon as they saw me.

And the merchant I was now speaking with had also been visibly startled when I sat down.

“What kind… of liquor are you looking for…?”

I had successfully [Persuaded] him that I wasn’t a bandit, but there was still a hint of wariness in his voice.

“I’m looking for a very special kind of liquor—something you can’t just find anywhere.”

“All the alcohol our company handles is of the highest quality, brewed right here in Stout. So you don’t need to worry about the quality, I assure you—”

“You know exactly what I mean.”

I gave a sly smile as I said that. Not that he could see it through the sack.

“I heard from a source that you recently acquired something very rare—aged for centuries.”

“…!”

“Something… elven, perhaps.”

Elf.

The moment I said that word, the man’s eyes narrowed sharply.

And at the same time—

[Persuasion]

Difficulty: 23

Another check began.

A difficulty of 23 at this stage of the game was essentially designed to be impossible—a warning not to even try.

And it made sense.

After all, even if I’d managed to [Persuade] him I wasn’t dangerous, I still looked exactly like a masked robber (which wasn’t entirely wrong), walking in here and casually implying that I knew about their secret slave trading.

“I heard that, just recently, you acquired an elf slave.”

And then, I said I was interested.

But as I’ve said before—my Charisma stat was already far beyond the norm.

Result: 28

Success

So who I was, where I got this information, or how I knew their coded language—none of that mattered to him anymore.

“Forgive me.”

He had already been [Persuaded].

“It seems we failed to recognize a true connoisseur.”

To him, I was a genuine ‘client.’

“In that case, might I suggest you visit our private brewery?”

And so, fully convinced I was on their side, he handed me an ‘invitation’ with a sly smile.

“We happen to be holding a party tonight for our most discerning clientele.”

Not a liquor auction—

“But I’m certain you’ll find the ‘elven-style special liquor’ you’re looking for at that event.”

A slave auction.

“How interesting.”

Of course, I had no intention of buying a slave.

There was only one reason I was going.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

To take the whole place down.

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