AT THE INN
Outside, the snow is falling fiercely, right on time. We have finally turned in all our quests. It is dinner time. The inside of the inn is wrapped in the delicious scent of meat. Wooden tables are filled with food and drink for every purse. This is a wonderful game.
My servant, Awen… The delicate elf ears peeking out from her beautiful red hair twitch gently up and down as she tears pieces from the well-cooked haunch in front of her and chews. Her crimson eyes are completely focused on her meal, gleaming with appetite.
Ever since entering the game, I have been trying to convince Awen that this place is a game, and that she herself is an NPC. I am sure everyone who has ever entered this game has tried at least once to give consciousness to NPCs.
"Awen, did you think about what I said last time?"
After forcing down a huge bite of meat, she answered:
"About what, my lord?"
"Oh, Awen… You never take me seriously…"
"You know, we talked about this. This world is a game, and you are a character in it."
Awen lifted her eyes upward. Bringing her fingers, slick with grease, to her mouth as if pretending to remember, she said:
"Yes… Last time, my lord, I remember."
"But…" she added.
"The games I know are rock-paper-scissors, dodgeball."
"Not that kind of game…" I said.
How can you explain a multiplayer game to a medieval elf, honestly?
A bit harsh, but the words slipped out of my mouth:
"Awen. You are not real."
She stopped. Her eyes filled with tears.
That was probably too much.
"Like a ghost, my lord?!" she said.
I thought to myself, "There really is a limit to misunderstandings."
"So… did I die and start haunting you?"
I couldn't tell whether she was mocking me or taking it seriously. Through her tears, her body moved like red rose bouquets swaying in the wind between her panicked, flailing arms… Even though I was in a child's body, she completely stole my mind.
Embarrassed, I replied:
"No, Awen, not like that! You are very much alive!"
"In fact, more alive than the people from the real world I told you about."
Awen leaned her elbows onto the table, over the food.
"My lord," she said, sniffing, "to prove that I am not a ghost, you must touch me now."
And she reached toward me, over the dishes.
I may be in a child's body, but in the real world I am an adult. She slowly brushed the hair falling in front of her face behind her ear with her hand. Too close. I can smell her wonderful scent.
Awen took my hand.
"My lord… Do you think I am a ghost? That hand shouldn't be there. Do you think I am a ghost?"
I could feel Awen's beating heart in my palm. The beats were growing faster. Her chest trembled slightly. Beneath my hand, it wasn't a heart, but something like a sparrow trying to escape.
All my arguments, all my attempts at persuasion… everything vanished from my mind. My virtual heart began pounding like a machine gun.
In my mind, a voice echoed:
'Adult content restriction triggered.'
Reason: Physical contact + emotional intensity
Duration: 4 min 59 sec → auto-resolve
Once again, Awen managed to get me banned.