Belsus had a dream.
A tidy-looking boy took him to his home. Behind him, knights with clanking armor were charging forward with spears, but the moment the boy grabbed his arm and crossed the threshold, the knights crashed into an invisible wall and vanished.
In that space, no one ridiculed him. It was a place so incredibly cozy and serene that he almost wanted to just close his eyes and end his life right there.
Even though he was the filthiest, most shabby-looking person in the boy's house, the boy didn't even frown. Far from holding his nose in disgust, the boy sat him down, fed him until he was full, and generously offered him the well. Perhaps he was an angel, or a fairy.
If this was a dream, it was too cruel. He would rather not have had it at all.
Because when he woke up, shoved back into a filthy back alley, his body reeking of rat urine, with a stomach so starved it had long forgotten how to rumble and just clung flat against his organs... the pain would be too much to bear.
'This isn't my home.'
'This isn't a space allowed for me.'
'This is all just a dream.'
Slowly waking up, he blinked his eyes a few times.
"..."
No matter how long he waited, he didn't wake up from the dream. Belsus pinched the center of his thigh hard with his nails. It hurt.
Was it just his imagination...? The walls of the barn seemed to be made of cleaner wooden planks than when he had fallen asleep yesterday.
As he sat up, a clean blanket slipped off him. It was a blanket he had no memory of pulling over himself.
Creeeak... He stepped out of the barn. The door made a much quieter noise than yesterday.
It was certain. In just one night, the farm he was staying at had progressed. And it was all thanks to the landlord, who was already up and bustling about carrying sacks of dirt, though heaven knows when he had woken up.
The man, wearing a straw hat over his small, round head and clad in black overalls, spotted him.
Heean's eyes went round at the sight of him. Then, he shook his head side to side, which Belsus realized a moment later was Heean's way of bowing his head in greeting since his hands were full.
Belsus approached, reaching his arms out to take the load first. But a scolding came back instead.
"What are you doing?!"
It was quite a thunderous reprimand. Had he offended him? Belsus froze, stopping all movement.
For a moment, an awkward silence flowed. A sense of bewilderment, embarrassment, and unfamiliarity passed between them, until Heean soon let out a small chuckle.
"You know I'm not giving you a discount on rent for doing this, right?"
Seeing Belsus frozen, not knowing what to do, Heean loosened him up with a light joke and smoothly slipped past him. He set the sack of dirt down in the field and went inside the cabin.
Belsus washed his face at the well and tidied his hair. Behind him, he heard Heean bringing out breakfast. Not knowing what to do with himself, Belsus carefully sat down at the outdoor table.
"Are you...?"
"I ate."
He was getting used to this conversation, too. Heean didn't even tell him to enjoy his meal; he just set down the hearty, painstakingly prepared food and disappeared.
Belsus bowed his head, chewing his food thoroughly, letting out an occasional sigh.
What exactly was his identity? How old was he? What kind of life had he lived?
At first glance, seeing only his face, Belsus had thought he was just a young boy who hadn't fully grown yet. But seeing him with the long cloak that had covered him removed, his limbs were long and his physique was sturdy like an adult's. Still, it was certain that he had lived a shorter life than Belsus. His tanned, clear skin still had soft peach fuzz, and he had no facial hair.
He wasn't as bright as a child running through a field, but he wasn't as gloomy as a traveler standing in the rain, either.
He seemed completely unburdened by anything. He was free and lighthearted.
This space was special. Belsus felt as if he had been allowed into his inner sanctum.
And because of that... this place was hard for Belsus.
"Why are you hovering around?"
"I want to help."
"No need."
His insistence on helping only made the other uncomfortable. That was the conclusion Belsus had reached after long deliberation.
However, Belsus simply didn't know how to stay still. Standing around doing nothing while the landlord worked made him feel so incredibly guilty and uncomfortable he practically wanted to faint.
Perhaps knowing how he felt, Heean tried to persuade him, which only made him feel more ashamed. To think his slow-witted nature was forcing the landlord to explain things to him step by step.
"It's better if only my hands touch things on my farm as much as possible. That way, the experience points go up faster. Got it?"
"Is that so."
"It's most efficient if I do it. Not helping me is helping me."
"..."
"I'm telling you, it's fine to just relax. Seeing you lying still is what I like best."
Well, actually, seeing him doing weight training or swinging a sword would be what he'd like best, but there was no need to tell him the truth. Heean shut his mouth on his own and walked past him.
Watching Heean's retreating back, Belsus finally gave weight to a suspicion he had harbored since yesterday.
It's hard to believe, but could Heean possibly...
Could he be feeling 'proud' when he sees him eating well and sleeping soundly?
If so, then he should do his best to satisfy Heean.
If eating, sleeping, and lazing around shamelessly is what he wants, then he should do exactly that.
'If this, too, is a way to repay my debt.'
But he must prepare his heart so that if Heean ever kicks him out, he can leave without a fuss, acting as if this had all been nothing but a fleeting dream.
Someday, I must leave this place.
To him, I must pretend to have adapted well and to be at peace here.
Before the kindness he has shown me completely destroys me.
Having spent his life giving but never receiving kindness, he resolved himself over and over again. Every time the sunlight gently warmed his body, every time the hot, moving meal cooked by the farmer settled in his stomach and warmth spread through him, he would have to remind himself.
Because no one else in this world is like him.
Because everyone else in this world will chase him out of their nest.
---
After shoving the hovering Belsus back into the barn and telling him to take a nap, I let out a small sigh.
'What did I tell you to do? Why don't you focus on figuring out how you're going to pay rent instead?'
Living with a pushover isn't easy. You have to tell them the exact same thing over and over again.
I only wanted one thing from Belsus: absolute rest and a strong body built on it. Was that really so hard to follow?
Sigh... Yeah. I guess that's exactly why he was called the worst pushover in the game. I just have to be patient.
I stared at the blue status window managing the farm system.
[Lv.4 Still Ash-like Farm]
There was only this single sentence on the status window. There were no quests or life guides.
Someone playing this game for the first time would definitely panic.
'But that's how the game originally was. There were no quests; it was entirely up to the user.'
Sweeping and cleaning the house, fixing inconveniences, and growing crops in the field naturally increased your level. So finding the points that raised your level was part of the fun. My Rank 1 Farmer title wasn't something just anyone could achieve; it was the result of countless trials to find the fastest, most efficient route.
On the other hand, there were variables I couldn't account for.
'Obviously, Belsus's existence.'
Belsus's food expenses... were honestly quite substantial.
To be perfectly frank, we were out of food. The crate serving as our refrigerator was emptied this morning. Since Belsus needed to pour all his energy into rebuilding his body, I had given him every last scrap I had.
'Earlier, I even rushed out of there because I was afraid my stomach would rumble, and knowing Belsus, he would freak out if he heard it...'
I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. I mean, I was fine. It wasn't like I had dungeons to run. I could just fill up on water.
But it was a problem if Belsus couldn't eat enough. My pride would hit rock bottom.
No, I just needed to go out and buy ingredients. Since the farm system paid out a small amount of money every day, today's allowance had already come in. I could just use that. So money wasn't the issue.
The issue was leaving the farm.
'If I go out... it's still that slum.'
Since a day had passed, would Calain and the Rank 1 Archer have moved on to somewhere else by now? Let's think about this. What were the chances that the Archer would still be sitting in that exact spot?
'I needed to track down the Archer on my end anyway.'
The Archer might find Belsus's disappearance suspicious and consult the chat or something. It was honestly better for me to make the first move and establish contact.
Having reached that conclusion, I headed for the farm's front gate.
[Do you wish to cross the subspace door?]
'Yes.'
That same alley in the beggar's village I saw last. I materialized out of thin air.
And then, exactly three seconds later...
I came face-to-face with a young man with a slender build, lying on the street.
Despite being covered in a filthy blanket like a homeless person, his sharp, pale face and flowing blonde hair stood out. His customization clearly followed the archer concept down to the bone. If his ears had been pointed, he probably would have looked exactly like an elf.
"You...! The guy who was with Belsus!"
As soon as the Archer saw me, he jumped up and shouted loudly, even pointing his index finger right at me.
Oh, fuck!
This is such bullshit, how could he be right there the moment I stepped out! I prepared to spin around and sprint away at top speed.
That is, if tears hadn't suddenly welled up in the Archer's eyes and started streaming down his cheeks.
It happened in a flash. A powerless farmer like me couldn't avoid the Rank 1 Archer desperately clinging to my arm.
"Are you a person? Or a character?"
This crazy bastard, recklessly blurting out dangerous statements just because he assumes I'm not an Origin Character. Also, aren't characters people too?
"No, whatever, it doesn't matter! Take me with you! You came to save me, right?"
Wait... It feels like I'm the one who got caught, but anyway, what the hell is this situation?
Why is this bastard begging in rags instead of Belsus?
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