I Thought It Was a Healing Farming Game - Chapter 92

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I thought this was supposed to be a healing farming game.
92

“……Ah…….”
My mind went blank. Even the breeze brushing past me felt disconnected from reality.
A lie.
“It’s only a minor wound. It should heal quickly.”
But that wound wasn’t on a tool.
I forced down the words that had risen all the way to my throat.
“By the way, have you been sleeping well lately? It’s been quite some time since you stopped drinking tea.”
“Yes, thanks to your concern……I sleep better than before.”
Even as I answered casually, my gaze kept drifting to his hands.
“I’m glad. I hope you’ll continue to live happily in the village without any worries.”
His thoughtful voice and the gentle way he looked down at me were just as they always were.
I wanted to believe that Siard truly cared for me.
I didn’t want to doubt him at all…….
‘He lied to me without hesitation.’
Siard was a character who detested lies.
He was someone who had always valued trust and honesty, faith itself.
The suspicion I’d buried beneath my affection for the villagers began to sprout.
Is this person really the resident I know?
Are those the same friends who comforted me through such a difficult and heavy time?

* * *

Hidden Quest
– Siard’s Basement

“Should I go back there again…….”
Unlike the Twins’ Sketchbook, when I’d entered the Basement, I found no records that could hint at Siard’s past.
‘Then maybe I should try talking directly to the people inside it?’
But…… no matter how I thought about it, I didn’t think conversation would work.
I shook my head slightly. That was too dangerous.
If those people told Siard that I’d been to the Basement, it would be catastrophic.
‘Until now, there were many times I wondered if I should continue the quest…….’
As I recalled Siard casually lying to me just moments ago, my suspicions grew even stronger.
Perhaps there’s a secret hidden in the village that I can’t even imagine.
‘I’ll continue the quest.’
If I don’t uncover the secrets tied to this village, I’ll spend the entire time I’m here consumed by anxiety anyway.
The thought that I might end up trapped in that Basement myself because of something I did without knowing…….
“Ugh.”
It was horrifying enough to make my skin crawl.
‘I can return to the Basement later if needed, so let me search for the other clues first.’
It just so happened that I could now move freely through Kaies’s Office.
I made it a habit to visit Kaies’s Office every time I left work at the Ranch, looking for hints.
“Hello!”
“You visit often, princess.”
“I thought Kaies might get bored.”
Wondering if there might be a clue hidden in one of his books, I began reading various titles.

– Kaies’s ??

What could those two characters possibly be?
‘This is tricky. It’s too short to be a book title.’
I searched through the Office again thoroughly, but found nothing particularly suspicious among books with two-character titles.
And there was no secret passage that opened as the bookshelf swung wide…….
‘Another dead end today.’
I’d simply accumulated a wealth of miscellaneous knowledge. As a bonus, my Experience Points in various theoretical fields had ticked up incrementally.
“You’ve been reading quite a variety of books lately.”
Kaies glanced at the book I’d spread open, then added his observation.
“That’s part of the fun.”
Now that I thought about it, no matter which book I chose to read, Kaies always seemed to know what it contained.
“How do you know? Have you read every book here?”
“Yes.”
“You’re quite the voracious reader. When did you manage to read them all with so little time?”
“I had plenty of time back then. So with nothing else to do, reading was my only option.”
I tilted my head in puzzlement.
That was strange. He always seemed busy with work every day.
‘I suppose there must have been quieter periods too.’
I was placing the book back on the shelf when a thought suddenly struck me, and I turned around.
“In that case, what sort of books do you like? Is there a particular favorite—one you treasure above the rest?”
“A favorite book?”
Kaies, who was sitting on the sofa, tilted his head back to look at me.
His gaze, which had been fixed on me, soon drifted down to the table.
Rising from his seat, he reached unhesitatingly into the pile of books and withdrew a single volume.
“This one.”
I hurried over to Kaies’s side and took the book from his hand.

The World of 0 and 1

“Oh? That’s the one you were reading before, isn’t it?”
“You knew?”
“Yes. I was curious what book you were reading.”
I turned the volume over in my hands, but its cover bore neither a synopsis nor even a standard promotional blurb.
‘This is supposed to be his most treasured book?’
When I opened to the first page, a sentence printed squarely in the center immediately caught my eye.

This world is comprised of 0 and 1.

I blinked and flipped through the pages rapidly.
‘Is this a theoretical text? The content is quite difficult.’
The book was filled with incomprehensible terminology, and I couldn’t make sense of more than half of it.
“This book looks terribly complicated.”
“If you’re unfamiliar with the field, it would be. Would you prefer another book, Princess?”
“Hmm—no, I think I’d like to read it little by little. Since you said it’s your favorite, after all.”
Kaies let out a soft chuckle.

Kaies’s Affinity +5

“Good. Then try your best to understand it, Princess.”
“Yes!”
After talking with Kaies, I left the Office later than usual.
I stopped by the Grocery Store to do some shopping, and when I arrived home, an exclamation mark was floating above our mailbox.
I walked over briskly, opened the mailbox, and pulled out the Letter.

—From Priam

“It’s from Priam?”
After confirming the sender, I immediately tore open the Letter.
Lately, he seemed to be sending letters with unusual frequency—once every two days, or at most once every four.
At first I was startled, wondering if something had happened, but when I actually read them, they were simply casual notes with no pressing business.
‘We cover everything in the Exchange Diary anyway. Is he just bored?’
Of course, a letter from Priam always brightened my day, regardless.
I went to my room, wrote a brief reply, and got ready for bed.
Chirp—chirp-chirp.
“Mm—ah.”
I stretched my limbs and pushed myself up from the bed.
“Ah, that feels refreshing.”
I’d slept deeply for the first time in ages.
I was padding toward the kitchen, rolling my shoulders, when a loud fluttering commotion came through the window.
Wondering what the fuss was about, I headed straight for the door.
Creak—
“What’s going on?”
As I opened the door, I saw a boy’s silhouette seated in front of the Chicken Coop.
I recognized the tousled brown hair and called out happily.
“Priam!”
It wasn’t even an Exchange Diary day, yet here he was at my door first thing in the morning. What was this about?
Priam rose to his feet and walked toward me slowly.
“I haven’t seen your face in ages, Miel.”
“Huh? Have I? Autumn farming’s been keeping me busy—”
I offered an awkward laugh, but Priam’s lips remained firmly pressed together.
“You’ve been to Siard’s place.”
At his voice—accusatory now—I looked at him with confusion.
“Several times to Kaies’ office too.”
The eyes that usually gleamed with vitality now held a murky, dark light like a swamp instead of their usual clear blue.
“Um… yes?”
I blinked in bewilderment, but Priam’s expression didn’t soften in the slightest.
‘Is he… angry?’
Priam?
This Priam?
Even as I watched him with my own eyes, I couldn’t quite believe it.
Priam was upset with me.
‘But why is he angry?’
As I tried to puzzle out the reason, he finally spoke.
“Have you grown tired of me?”
His voice was soft but edged with something sharp, and I found myself echoing his words.
“What?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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