The beautiful girl, who had been stroking her silver hair that shone mysteriously as if steeped in moonlight, turned her head and opened her mouth.
“Yuanrang. What do you mean, he’s an amusing fellow?”
Enchanting red eyes stared at me.
She looked as if the beautiful appearance of Cao Cao from Misam8 had been stamped directly onto her.
I took in the form of something rather threateningly enormous, wholly unfitting for her small frame.
No, I had no choice but to take it in.
After all, the thin garment of black silk, engraved with silver orchid blossoms, looked as though it could barely withstand the overwhelming volume of her chest!
At the same time, a simple interface appeared before my eyes.
Only then was I able to recognize for certain that the beautiful girl before me was Cao Cao.
It was then.
[ ‘Honey Water’ can no longer be used. The used item will be returned. ]
[ ‘Honey Water’ can no longer be used. The used item will be returned. ]
……
[ ‘Honey Water’ can no longer be used. The used item will be returned. ]
‘Huh? Why is Honey Water suddenly coming in?’
This text only appeared when you gave a gift to a general whose Affection was already full, didn’t it?
Could it have inherited the Affection of the material general and exceeded the limit?
But then again, I’d never raised Cao Cao’s Affection….
I doubted my eyes.
The moment my eyes met Cao Cao’s, the Affection item Honey Water entered my inventory in full. Twenty of them, at that.
The alert sound rang nonstop.
[ Cao Cao’s Affection has reached 20! ]
…
[ Cao Cao’s Affection has reached 100! ]
[ Affection milestone rewards have been issued! ]
[ You have acquired 250 yuanbao. ]
“His face is handsome enough, but…”
‘Whoa…. I didn’t even see the Affection event, and the yuanbao came in all at once? That’s damn sweet, isn’t it?’
“And he isn’t even pretending to listen to me.”
Cao Cao said as she approached me.
“Yuanrang, he’s only unpleasant, so what exactly is amusing about him?”
“The truth is, I brought him here because I thought your reaction would be amusing. Hahahaha!!!”
“……”
When Cao Cao glared at him, Xiahou Dun hunched his shoulders and spoke.
“I’m joking. This fellow took my aura head-on and was perfectly fine. That means he’s at least on the level of a military officer.”
“A military officer–level talent…”
“And his origins are unusual too. So, uh… Dongyi? Goguryeo? He says he came from there.”
“Dongyi? He came all the way here from beyond Liaodong? He must have injured his head.”
“On top of that, when he said he wanted to enter the army and I accepted him, he changed his mind in three seconds. Said he wanted to resign.”
“Hmph. How absurd.”
Cao Cao moved her eyebrows slightly and looked at me again.
“Speak. Who are you?”
“My name is Li An. I have no courtesy name.”
“Li An? A person of Lijia Village, then. Perhaps you may even be a distant relative of Li Qian. She is the only member of the Li clan who has cooperated with me, after all.”
I do have a relative named Li Qian, but… how did she know?!
“I see! Now all my questions have been answered!”
Xiahou Dun’s eyes flashed as he continued.
[ Xiahou Dun’s Affection has increased. ]
“This fellow was originally a young man Li Qian intended to bring with her. But he became separated from the group due to an unfortunate accident. Then, having lost his memories, he made his way from Juye County all the way here to Juancheng through countless hardships and trials.”
“I walked here from Wangjia Village in Puyang, though?”
“You came from Puyang?! It seems you took the wrong road… how truly pitiful! Even so, you obtained heaven’s fortune and arrived here, so, Li An, I shall value you dearly!”
[ Xiahou Dun’s Affection has increased. ]
After beating the drum, playing the janggu, and even striking the ceiling all by himself, Xiahou Dun seized my shoulder tightly and looked at me with burning eyes.
Was this what they called mirror therapy?
It was so frustrating I could die, not being able to communicate.
Was this how other people felt when they dealt with me?
‘From now on, I’ll only open the interface window when there are no people around.’
“Mengde! What do you think of recommending this man as Xiaolian?”
“Xiaolian… Not bad. If he can withstand your aura, he’ll be of sufficient help to us, and I need more talented people.”
— Ding!
[ An official post quest has appeared! ]
[ Xiaolian Recommendation ]
[ Description: Cao Cao regards you as a talent and wishes to keep you by her side. Accept her recommendation and take office. ]
[ Objectives: Cao Cao’s Affection 100/20 (Achieved), Merit 0/5000 (Not Achieved) ]
[ Rewards: 1,200 yuanbao, 1 Wei Premium Gacha Ticket, Title ]
Huh?
I take back what I just said.
What do you mean we couldn’t communicate?
We were communicating so smoothly it was like flowing water.
The frustration in my chest burst open the instant I saw the words 1,200 yuanbao.
On top of that, there was even one Premium Gacha Ticket that guaranteed an SSR-rank military officer.
At this rate, it was such an attractive offer that I wouldn’t even need to do an achievement run.
“I will accept the two of you’s oceanlike offer! I shall devote myself to the Governor until my bones are shattered and my body ground to dust, so please recommend me!”
[ Quest completion failed! You have not met the objectives. ]
Huh?
“Pff… Puhaha, Li An. You’re more ambitious than I thought. That must be why you caught Mengde’s attention with such absurd words!”
Xiahou Dun laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.
[ Xiahou Dun’s Affection has slightly increased. ]
That wasn’t it at all….
A helpless laugh escaped me from the sheer injustice of it.
“Stop teasing him, Yuanrang. Someone who transparently reveals his ambition is far better than gloomy types who have swallowed black snakes in their bellies.”
Cao Cao walked over with a faint smile.
An alluring orchid fragrance wrapped around my body.
Cao Cao slowly approached me, stopped at close range, and looked at me.
In her bewitching red eyes that seemed to draw people in, I felt an inexplicable mixture of affection and kindness.
“However, now that you have entered my army, abandon any thought of gaining a high position with that sort of mindset.”
“Pardon?”
“I do not care about family, origin, or any such background. I keep in mind only ability, and merit befitting that ability.”
As she moved, the orchid fragrance grew even thicker.
“I intend to recommend only those with talent. So prove your abilities to me. And then, proudly remain by my side…”
Cao Cao spoke in a firm voice as she grabbed my shoulder.
It was then.
“Nnh…?!”
[ You have defeated Cao Cao! ]
[ Achievement unlocked! Check the relevant entry. ]
Cao Cao, who had just been declaring her ambitions and telling me to prove my ability, collapsed limply into my arms with a strange sound the moment she touched my shoulder.
………?
The thick orchid scent piercing my nose made my head spin.
“Mengde?!”
Xiahou Dun was horrified and lunged toward Cao Cao, who was in my arms.
“D-don’t come. I’m fine, f-fine…”
Cao Cao seemed to be struggling desperately to stand on her own, so I grabbed her shoulder to help support her.
— Thud.
“Y-you move away too…!”
Cao Cao’s face was flushed as if it might burst at any moment, and her shoulders trembled.
Breathing hotly, Cao Cao forced herself upright and took a deep breath as she stood.
“Mengde…”
Xiahou Dun approached Cao Cao and placed a hand on her forehead.
“Your forehead is burning like fire. The recent battles with the Black Mountain bandits were indeed fierce. On top of that, you have been buried in work day and night, so it is only natural your body could not endure.”
Xiahou Dun looked at Cao Cao with worried eyes.
“Leave the recruitment in Juancheng to me and Zilian and rest well. I’ll call you when the recruitment is finished.”
I knew Xiahou Dun was mistaken, but I did not make any effort to correct him.
She was going to become my lord someday, after all. I ought to preserve at least her dignity.
“Haa… haah…”
Cao Cao calmed herself while panting for breath.
“Yuanrang. I-I’m fine now…. Assign soldiers to Li An. I must test his abilities.”
Xiahou Dun nodded.
“How many would be appropriate? Fifty? Or… ten?”
Hmm…. A captain commanding fifty men, a Dubo.
“I think it would be better to begin as a Dubo rather than a Shizhang…”
Cao Cao said.
A Shizhang would be ten men, right?
Suddenly, my eyes met Cao Cao’s.
…What should I do? Still, she was my lord now, so should I lower my head?
As I hesitated, I decided to smile for now.
After all, you can’t spit on a smiling face.
“Mengde! If we are to make Li An into a good talent, wouldn’t it be better to have him climb up slowly from the very bottom?”
Huh?
***
Li An, Wuzhang of Cao Cao’s army.
A position that could command five soldiers.
That was my current status.
For some reason, Xiahou Dun suddenly changed his mind and demoted me straight to Wuzhang.
Had there ever been anyone demoted two ranks in just three seconds from the status of a captain commanding fifty men?
Of course, I had never actually become a Dubo in the first place.
“Why isn’t there an achievement for this…?”
Grumbling as I left Cao Cao’s tent, I held an unfamiliar sword in my hand.
——
[Equipment Information]
Name: Qinggang Sword (靑釭劍)
Rank: SSR
Martial Power Correction: +5
Durability: 300/300
Special Effect: Unlocked after fulfilling conditions. [ ? ]
Description: Cao Cao’s beloved sword, called the Qinggang Treasured Blade (靑釭寶刀). It forms a pair with the Yitian Sword (倚天劍).
——
They demoted me to Wuzhang, and yet they gave me a weapon like this?
Compared to the SR-rank Ring-Pommel Great Saber, its martial power correction was much lower, but given that its rank was higher, it seemed there was something hidden that I didn’t know about.
This world was similar to the game I had played, yet slightly different in small ways, so in the first place, equipment like Cao Cao’s weapon had never been publicly revealed.
In any case, I fastened the Qinggang Sword at my waist and made my way to the assembly point Xiahou Dun had told me about.
There, countless young men excluding me were already waiting in neat rows and columns.
“Are you the newly appointed Wuzhang whom Lord Yuanrang personally named?”
A military official standing on the platform in front of the clearing approached me and asked bluntly.
“Yes. I’ve come to select soldiers.”
“If you caught Lord Yuanrang’s eye, you must surely be an extraordinary noble person! Though you arrived last, I will specially allow you to choose the young men first! The ones standing at the front are the most outstanding, so look carefully and choose!”
The military official spoke with shining eyes.
“Hah!!!”
“…Pardon?”
Is he telling me to cut in line for merch right now?
Cutting in line was the vilest of the seven deadly sins.
The sacred rule known only to those who had stayed up all night standing in line for limited-edition merch had to be upheld.
“Are you urging me to cut in line right now? I absolutely cannot do that! Since I arrived late, I will wait at the very back!”
“To think you are so fair and upright…! Understood. I wish you the fortune of war!”
When I refused his goodwill, the military official cupped his fist to me and stepped aside.
I stood before the platform and looked down.
Hundreds of young men stood there, looking at me and the other Wuzhang.
[ Militia (N) ]
[ Peasant Soldier (N) ]
[ Bandit (N) ]
In any case, the young men standing in the front row and the people in the back were all more or less the same.
‘Wait… I think there’s a named military officer mixed in over there?’
Amid the countless gray and white names, one particularly alien purple line of text appeared before my eyes.