‘A silver-haired, red-eyed girl is sitting right before my eyes.’
Just this single sentence is enough to send people’s imaginations soaring in countless directions.
Some would recall elves or vampires from fantasy worlds, while others might imagine a sweet night from a romantic comedy.
I, too, was an ordinary modern man of the twenty-first century and a subculture gamer who had, admittedly, secretly hoped for such a sweet development.
But regrettably, the reality currently unfolding before my eyes was something that far surpassed human imagination.
“How long do you intend to stand there blankly, Ian?”
Mysterious silver hair that faintly shimmered as if imbued with moonlight, and bewitching red irises that could entrance a person.
An overwhelming volume rising precariously above her black silk garments, as if about to burst her sash at any moment.
Inside my newly assigned private quarters, the identity of the girl sitting astride the narrow bed, chin in hand, nonchalantly looking up at me, was none other than my lord, Cao Cao.
“Um… My Lord? Might I ask why you are sitting in my quarters?”
I asked as politely as possible, carefully suppressing the resentment of having my happy alone time interrupted.
I had run all the way here humming a tune, thinking about gleefully tearing into gacha tickets in the private quarters I received as a promotion commemoration.
At first, I had even mistaken that I pulled Cao Cao from a gacha ticket.
That was how unrealistic the situation was.
“Does my sitting here disturb you?”
Cao Cao spoke in a sulky voice, pouting her lips slightly.
I hurriedly waved my hands and bowed so deeply my waist nearly folded in half.
“Disturb me? Perish the thought! I was merely surprised because I never dreamed you would personally visit the humble quarters of a mere Shizhang!”
Of course, it was a blatant lie.
Disturb me? It was an enormous disturbance!
Right now, inside my inventory, an SSR Guaranteed Gacha Ticket was emitting a brilliant golden light, begging me to take it out…!
“Shizhang… Hmph!”
Cao Cao’s crimson eyes pierced through me.
“Every single one of them, I don’t like any of them…”
Cao Cao’s lips were tightly shut, and she puffed both cheeks slightly with air. Based on my experience as a core user of Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII, that was the unique habit she unconsciously displayed when she was thoroughly furious and forcibly suppressing her anger.
‘What happened at the merit discussion ceremony…?’
Seeing that, I recalled what had happened at the merit discussion ceremony just moments ago.
***
Dongmuyang council tent.
“Wuzhang Ian! Enter!”
Cao Cao’s voice came from inside the tent.
I quickly straightened my clothes, swept open the tent flap, and strode in proudly.
Once inside, the gazes of the numerous people in the tent all focused on me at once.
I saw familiar faces like Xi Zhicai and Xiahou Dun.
Xiahou Dun was smiling at me, while Xi Zhicai, for some reason, lowered his head slightly with an apologetic expression.
“Ian, step forward!”
At Cao Cao’s words, I took three more steps.
“Closer!”
Two more steps.
At a distance close enough for Cao Cao to look up at me, she raised her hand to stop me.
“Wuzhang Ian! Since being scouted by Commandant Xiahou in Juancheng and entering the military, your merit in taking the heads of two hundred sixty-three remnants of the Black Mountain bandits en route to Dongmuyang has become a model for the army!”
Cao Cao unfurled a bamboo slip and spoke.
“Moreover, the merit of annihilating the five-hundred-strong Black Mountain bandit stronghold of Xiwushan with merely five men, including three peasant soldiers, and beheading the enemy leader Sugo, is truly immense!”
The gazes of the numerous generals and strategists in the tent all focused on me.
Shock, admiration, or jealousy. Amidst the sticky gazes mixed with various emotions, Cao Cao continued with a satisfied smile.
“Furthermore, safely rescuing the people of Dongjun who had been kidnapped by the Black Mountain bandits, and recruiting the warrior of the realm, Dian Wei, as an ally in the process—these merits are by no means insignificant either!”
The inside of the tent became rowdy once more.
Cao Cao slammed the bamboo slip shut and shouted magnanimously,
“Therefore, I bestow five catties of gold and ten bolts of silk, and appoint you as Junsima to lead two hundred Bugu!”
[Acquired 50 Yuanbao.]
Fifty Yuanbao…!
And on top of that, Junsima and two hundred Bugu!
Having jumped straight from a Wuzhang leading a single squad of five to a Junsima commanding Bugu, those around me cheered and offered congratulations.
‘Kuh…! As expected, Cao Cao certainly rewards merit!’
Overcome with emotion, I was about to prostrate myself and readily accept the rewards.
That was when.
—Ding!
[Promotion stages have been abnormally skipped!]
[When skipping the positions of Shizhang, Dubo, Tunzhang, and Quzhang, the rewards for the corresponding promotion quests will vanish permanently. Do you wish to proceed?]
Without realizing it, I nearly let out a string of foul curses in front of everyone.
The rewards would vanish?
My Yuanbao?
My gacha tickets?
‘Crazy… where the hell is this…!’
Super-fast promotion or whatever, this was no time to be happy.
Based on my experience thus far, quests created under special circumstances had always yielded sweet rewards, so hearing that they would disappear made cold sweat begin to trickle down my back.
What good was a promotion if I couldn’t gacha…!
I passed Xiahou Dun, who was approaching to offer congratulations, and rushed to Cao Cao, throwing myself flat on the ground.
“M-My Lord! Please withdraw your command!”
When I wailed with the anguished resolve of one forced to execute his closest confidant, the noisy tent fell silent as if doused with cold water.
“…What?”
I could feel Cao Cao’s piercing gaze pouring down upon my head.
“You ask me to withdraw the command just now?”
“Yes! I am but a lowly Wuzhang lacking in knowledge and experience! I could not possibly undertake the heavy responsibility of Junsima, so please allow me to start from Shizhang and accumulate experience step by step!”
At my desperate cry, the commotion among the people grew uncontrollably.
People muttered, considering my actions eccentric.
Cao Cao let out a hollow laugh, as if dumbfounded.
“Ha! To refuse a position that others cannot attain even if they wished to—you truly are a peculiar one. Your humility is admirable, but how could I keep one who has achieved such great merit as a mere Shizhang! That would go against military law.”
Cao Cao coaxed gently.
“Very well. I shall compromise and appoint you as Tunzhang leading one hundred men. Accept this much.”
‘No!!! Then what about my Shizhang and Dubo quest rewards…!’
“No, My Lord! It absolutely must be Shizhang! Please let me prove my ability from the very bottom!”
—Crack.
For a moment, I heard something crack above my head.
Don’t look up.
My internal danger sensor was screaming that.
“If that is truly what you wish… so be it.”
Deep irritation—or rather, for some reason, thick disappointment—permeated Cao Cao’s voice.
“However, I shall not leave you as a mere Shizhang. From today, you and your troops are a Separate Unit that takes orders from no one else and receives my commands directly. Without my permission, you need not follow the orders of other generals or strategists!”
“An elite special unit?!”
Someone whispered, “For My Lord to give such treatment to a mere Wuzhang……!”
Even demoted from Junsima to Shizhang, jealous gazes did not disappear.
Still, it was better than advancing to Junsima in one go and drawing everyone’s jealousy.
Of course, from my standpoint, I couldn’t care less about that.
“I accept your command!”
“Furthermore, I shall add another five taels of gold.”
[Acquired 50 Yuanbao.]
“Your grace is immeasurable, My Lord!”
“Sacred grace…?”
For a moment, the commandants stirred.
“M-My Lord! Separate Unit Shizhang Ian is a Dongyi! It seems he has copied the etiquette used for the king of the Dongyi tribe!”
Xiahou Dun began explaining on my behalf, flustered.
Wait, did I make a mistake?
“Hmm……”
“Ian is merely a Dongyi unfamiliar with the etiquette of the Central Plains, so please do not blame him severely, My Lord.”
Even Xi Zhicai hurried forward to defend me.
Am I not supposed to use the term ‘sacred grace’ in Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
“Xi Zhicai speaks the truth. Rather, I should highly praise that he crossed beyond Liaodong to pledge loyalty to me.”
Cao Cao smiled slyly.
At that sight, I unconsciously nearly blushed.
‘She really is beautiful…’
“By the way. Ian! Then how old are you?”
I thought for a moment.
What do they call twenty years old in olden times?
… I don’t know.
“I am twenty.”
“You have reached the age of adulthood!”
Cao Cao exclaimed with a sigh.
“Then, you should have a courtesy name. Where are your parents?”
“……”
“I see, you came from Dongyi, so I asked something unnecessary. It is my mistake.”
I shook my head.
“Both are alive, but they are far away, so I do not think I can meet them anymore.”
“Hmm…”
Cao Cao paused for a moment, then opened her mouth.
“Ian. I shall personally bestow a courtesy name upon you.”
‘Oh! She’s going to give me a name?’
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, there is something called a ‘courtesy name.’
Roughly speaking, it is something used in place of one’s name, such as Cao Cao’s ‘Cao Mengde’ or Xiahou Dun’s ‘Xiahou Yuanrang,’ and it stems from the cultural tradition in Confucian society where calling the precious name given by parents carelessly was considered rude.
Therefore, when a friend, colleague, or superior creates a new form of address, that is the ‘courtesy name,’ and Cao Cao was going to personally give me one!
“You are a man who knows his place, refuses positions, and has upright conduct, so together with the character ‘ja’ (子), derived from your name, I shall give you ‘on’ (穩), making Ziwen (子穩).”
“Ziwen… Li Ziwen (李子穩)…”
It sounds better than I expected?
“I shall engrave this name bestowed by My Lord into my bones and never forget it for the rest of my life!”
So this was what it meant to acquire a title from quest rewards.
Cao Cao Army Shizhang, Li Ziwen (李子穩).
That became my name.
Ah, and My Lord! What do you think of making the mighty general Dian Wei I brought this time your personal bodyguard? Dian Wei is physically robust and imposing, with a loyal and diligent character, so she would be a perfect fit to assist My Lord!”
The synergy between Cao Cao and Dian Wei is very good.
Dian Wei’s Might is boosted by a whopping +5, and Cao Cao’s Command is boosted by +2.
“I don’t need her!”
… Huh?
Why is Cao Cao saying she doesn’t need Dian Wei?
“Isn’t she a sworn younger sister who follows you calling you ‘older brother’? You take her yourself! Keep her stuck to your side as a bodyguard or whatever!”
“Aha, I see. Understood!”
“……”
Cao Cao was left speechless.
“Hmm…”
Xi Zhicai let out a sigh.
“Ziwen, you……”
Xiahou Dun, too, wrapped a hand around his head and shook it from side to side.
What the heck.
Why is everyone acting like this?