From 6 o'clock, the sun gradually set. Dinner was relatively low-calorie because I didn't train afterward. In the evening, I lit candles purchased with points, which were much brighter than the existing wax candles. And there was a rental section in the entertainment category; for 40 points, I could rent books.
So I mostly spent my evenings reading (novels, comics).
Because it was a rental service, there were no technical or professional books.
Sunday, when Church services were held, was a rest day for me.
The body needed proper rest to recover.
I think I trained really hard—harder than I'd ever worked even at the company.
Points were very important, so if I didn't earn this much, I couldn't save anything beyond daily living costs. I earned an average of 300 points a day, of which I regularly spent 60 points on food and 40 points on the library. That left 200 points.
I had accumulated 1,700 points over these two weeks.
This was what remained after purchasing the swordsmanship manual and toiletries for 1,000 points.
Besides fixed food expenses, there were incidental costs. I upgraded to a good bedding set for comfortable sleep or bought fragrant air fresheners to mask the smell drifting in from outside. So my life was maintained relatively stably.
The system trained me very cleverly.
If I had tried to train on my own, I wouldn't have found any enjoyment and would've been bored, but through quests, it dangled the carrot of points and copper coins. Since points were essential for using the shop, I had no choice but to tackle quests diligently.
So naturally, my body was trained, it gradually became routine, and I developed the habit of training even without quests.
Everyone rested on Sunday.
Ceasing labor and gathering at church to attend Mass was prescribed by Church law. It was a law that dated back to the Frankish Empire era, so it had long since become a natural part of life. This Church law gave commoners, who suffered from harsh labor, a guaranteed day off.
I also attended Church Mass.
I visited Breisburg Cathedral instead of the nearby Kisling parish.
And I gave 50 copper coins as an offering. I did so following the lead of the other attendees who gave 50 copper coins. Mass usually ended before lunch.
While attending Mass, my thoughts also drifted to the operator.
This world was a created world based on Medieval Knight. The irregularity called me proved it. Was the Lord that Church people believed in the same as the creator? Or was this Lord just an illusion conceived by humans? That's why I couldn't help but be a cynic.
What was my destiny in Medieval Knight?
It was a fundamental question, but ultimately the answer depended on my actions. I had no choice but to become a knight. The options were very limited—besides being a knight, you were just a commoner, and climbing the ranks and aiming higher was the ultimate goal, wasn't it?
The same applied to the Great Hero ending the operator and system had presented to me.
The higher you climbed, the more fame followed.
So I recalled the goal I'd had when playing Medieval Knight. My first goal had clearly been to become a lord who could rule and govern on his own terms. It was a route similar to the typical gameplay objective. So I set my sights on becoming a lord for now.
And that would ultimately become my ambition and the driving force of my life.
At least if I was going to live in this world.
"Oh, I ran into the thick forest! Into the fragrant flower garden!"
"Maria was waiting in the fragrant flower garden! In that place with no one!"
When Mass ended, the cathedral courtyard was filled with people singing cheerful melodies and dancing. There was so much suggestive content that I wondered if it was really acceptable to sing folk songs, not hymns, in the courtyard. The expressions of the bishops and priests watching were displeased, but the clergy didn't stop the singers.
"Oh, Maria! Are you truly Maria!"
"She was waiting for me!"
"She was waiting for me!"
Nobles also sang along to the songs with gusto, and street musicians enthusiastically whipped up the mood, creating a festival-like atmosphere. While I was watching with interest, an unknown girl grabbed my hand and pulled me out, and I danced along in confusion. Everyone was excited, and everyone was happy.
It wasn't exactly a ring dance, but grabbing each other and spinning around was the gist of it. The feeling wasn't bad, though. Flustered and awkward at first, I soon got swept up in it too. Oh, Maria! Are you truly Maria! She was waiting for me! I didn't know what it meant, but I sang along.
"Miss! What are you doing behaving so vulgarly!"
"It's fine, Priscilla! Everyone's singing and dancing cheerfully!"
My partner was a very beautiful girl with short wine-colored bob hair. Judging by her outfit, she was definitely a high noble, but she didn't hesitate to mingle with commoners. I ended up dancing with her too. She smelled of roses, and her eye-smile was truly charming. Who was she?
The girl dancing with me was eventually dragged away by her handmaid.
The rose scent seemed to linger around me.
Who was she? My Maria.
The next day, Monday, I was passing through the plaza during my morning jog.
Some bureaucrat was marshaling people in front of the government office, and it looked somewhat hectic.
I was about to pass by without thinking much of it when a quest suddenly appeared.
[Repetitive Quest: Occupation]
[Street Cleaning Supervisor]
[Manage street cleaning workers]
[Manager Scouter temporarily provided]
[Reward — 200 points, 200 copper coins]
[Quest proceeds upon employment]
A quest? And an occupation one, not training. I had been diligently saving up points to buy a scouter, but I noted that I could receive a Manager Scouter temporarily through this quest. This seemed worth trying.