Chapter 57
[Sudden Quest Cleared!]
[You have successfully doubled the male leads’ affection.]
[As a reward, your Reputation stat increases.]
[Reputation: -50 → Reputation: -20]
When Lucy saw the status window, she felt deeply moved.
Since possessing this body, her lowest stat had always been Reputation.
The Reputation stat that had troubled her for so long had now risen to minus twenty.
Feeling much lighter, Lucy looked at the three men.
Each of them was quietly lost in thought while looking at the gifts she had given.
Cecil’s eyes shone with excitement as he imagined what kind of medicine he could make with the herbs.
If someone talked to him now, he probably wouldn’t hear a word.
Logan, with his usual stiff expression, didn’t show much emotion like Cecil, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the glass bottle Lucy gave him.
Soon, he carefully put the bottle into his coat.
And what about Patrick, who received the strangest gift?
Thinking of his childhood, he lightly tapped the toy with his finger and showed a faint smile.
Lucy sipped her tea while watching the three of them.
This tea party was a complete success.
***
Even though the tea party went perfectly, something still bothered Lucy.
That was Bartholomew.
She wanted to give him a gift too.
Bartholomew hadn’t expected any reward, yet he had saved Lucy’s life.
Honestly, she wanted to give him the best gift of all.
But Lucy didn’t know what Bartholomew liked.
I can roughly guess the others because I played the game in my past life…
But Bartholomew was a character she met only after entering the game world, so she had no information about him.
She could only judge based on what she had seen so far.
That was why choosing a gift for him was so difficult.
Of course, Lucy believed that Bartholomew would accept whatever she gave him.
After all, he was her friend.
Still, she wanted to give him something special, not something obvious.
If I think about what Bartholomew likes most…
Lucy glanced down.
Cerberus was sleeping peacefully at her feet.
That’s right.
Bartholomew really loved Cerberus.
Cerberus was the reason he started visiting Lucy’s annex so often.
But Cerberus played an important role in the game, so she couldn’t just give him away.
In the end, Lucy stood up.
She had to go find a gift herself.
She felt a little unsure.
She thought of Bartholomew as a friend, but if asked whether she truly knew him well, she had no answer.
Bartholomew had many secrets.
Even though he accepted Lucy as a friend, he still kept his walls up.
What is Bartholomew hiding?
Not just his relationship with Alexander—she felt he was hiding something important.
But she couldn’t force him to reveal it. Even between close people, digging into secrets could damage trust.
While she was deep in thought, the carriage arrived at the shopping district.
Today, she planned to repay Bartholomew for saving her life and buy him a birthday gift.
At first, she wanted to fish for a rare item and give it to him.
Fishing was the only way Lucy could get useful items.
But no matter how much she fished, nothing felt good enough.
Let’s calm down.
Lucy decided not to rush.
Bartholomew wasn’t a romance target, so even if she chose the “wrong” gift, it wouldn’t affect the game.
She just wanted to show sincerity to a friend she had shared genuine moments with.
He looked happy when he asked to spend his birthday together.
Even now, it felt unlike Bartholomew.
How much must he have thought before saying that?
Wanting to return that feeling, Lucy searched the shops carefully.
She checked the pharmacy for recovery potions and spent a long time in the bookstore.
Bartholomew wasn’t interested in special or flashy books, so she chose books they had read together and shared memories with.
Remembering those happy moments, Lucy reserved a custom cake at the dessert shop they had visited together.
She could have ordered all this through the staff, but she wanted to choose everything herself.
After leaving the dessert shop, Lucy let out a small sigh.
Where should I go now?
Her steps wandered aimlessly.
Looking for something special, she gradually moved toward a quieter area.
She wasn’t afraid, since a guard knight was following her.
Turning into an alley, she saw a merchant with a small stall.
The merchant, who looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, didn’t even try to call out to her.
His attitude—like he didn’t care whether he sold anything or not—caught Lucy’s attention.
Ding!
[Lucky Event Triggered!]
[You have encountered a secret merchant who deals in special items.]
Lucy blinked at the system window.
This normal-looking man was a secret merchant?
[Do not miss this chance to meet a secret merchant, as you may never see him again.]
[He sells three items. You may purchase only one.]
[Choose an item that will help your game progress.]
Following the message, Lucy approached the merchant.
He glanced at her briefly, then looked down again.
In the end, Lucy spoke first.
“I’d like to see your goods.”
“Yes. Please wait a moment.”
Speaking in a bored tone, the merchant placed items on the stall one by one.
Two were small glass bottles filled with potions.
The last was a crystal orb that fit perfectly in her palm.
The merchant explained each item.
“This potion increases stamina. That one increases intelligence.”
Only then did Lucy understand why he was a secret merchant.
He was an NPC who sold stat-boosting items.
“What about the orb?” Lucy asked.
“It contains the four seasons of the Empire.”
Lucy placed the orb in her palm.
The dark orb brightened and showed a spring scene of the Empire.
Flower petals fell, a lively night market appeared, and then a colorful fireworks festival filled the orb.
It’s the fireworks Bartholomew and I watched together.
Lucy felt this gift could become a precious memory for him.
“Are you sure you want to buy that?” the merchant asked.
It sounded like he was asking if she really wanted to give up stat-boosting items.
Lucy hesitated.
But only for a moment.
She chose the orb, giving up both potions.
“I’ll take this.”
She believed this gift would truly make Bartholomew happy.
