---Viktor's POV---
Anyway, if I went outside, the players would follow to eavesdrop.
So I decided to stay where I was and chat with Alyanne instead. How long could the players stand there gawking at a conversation they could only half understand?
I glanced at the water cup and the fan made of folded leaves beside me.
"It seems like you're getting along with them pretty well," I remarked.
Alyanne awkwardly wiped her hands on her clothes.
"I only helped them crush some rocks," she replied.
I could tell she had refused multiple times, but the players were persistent.
To be honest, she probably wasn't hot or thirsty at all.
I picked up a fragment of crushed stone from the table and shook my head with a smile.
"That's not something to downplay."
Dragons were famous for two things: their powerful draconic magic and their unparalleled physical strength.
As a dragonborn, Alyanne had inherited these traits. Even though she was still in her juvenile stage, her strength was far superior to that of humans.
The crushed ore she worked on had already completed nearly 80% of the ore processing steps. The players were essentially exploiting her labor for free.
"You should separate the parts you complete into another container. I'll increase your wages."
Player wages were managed by ProGamer_Daddy, but Alyanne, as an NPC, was under my jurisdiction. I didn't ask her to help just to let her work for free.
Alyanne's eyes widened.
"That's not right!" she exclaimed.
I could see she had volunteered to help because she was curious about "gunpowder," a magical tool usable even by ordinary people, and wanted to see how it was made.
"I simply wanted to observe the process," she explained, almost defensively. "The tall one allowed me to watch. That was already a tremendous favor."
"And in exchange, you're providing free labor?" I asked.
She nodded earnestly. "In Aeltia, knowledge itself is the most valuable and scarce reward! My labor is the least I can offer in return."
I chuckled softly.
"You're so strict when checking players' task outcomes. Why can't you apply that same standard to yourself?"
"This is… different," Alyanne said, her voice growing smaller. "It's my job to serve The Watchers. I can't afford to make any mistakes."
I could practically see the hierarchy in her mind:
Me = The Watchers > ordinary Watcher members > herself.
Using a bit of labor to exchange for precious knowledge was already a huge privilege for her. Even with the language barrier, the players occasionally corrected her actions, which significantly improved her efficiency and benefited her immensely.
Actually, it was just about adjusting the point of applied force. Pyrite, due to its unique molecular structure, was a cube, so there were specific techniques to crushing it.
The player who corrected her had only looked up this information after finding pyrite in the game. Although their attempt to show off to other players fell flat, earning the label "completely useless," Alyanne found their guidance effective. Her efficiency boost, though minimal, felt miraculous to her.
Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, I couldn't bear to reveal the truth. I turned away to change the subject.
"In any case, you're a member of The Watchers and a part of this territory. Your contributions deserve recognition and rewards. For today, we'll let it go, but starting tomorrow, you're not allowed to help them for free anymore. Either they pay you, or you don't assist."
Alyanne's expression went blank, like a machine malfunctioning.
"But..."
"You don't think you belong here," I said. It wasn't a question.
"I've only been with the Watchers for a short time," she whispered.
I placed a firm hand on her shoulder, feeling her slight flinch before she relaxed.
"To dragons, fifty years might feel like a single nap. But for many ordinary humans, it's an entire lifetime. Spending a lifetime dedicated to The Watchers—how could that not make you one of us?"
"Lord Viktor…" Alyanne's eyes glistened with emotion.
"Just Viktor."
I knew she had grown up in the Ironblood Mercenary Corps, a place where only the strong survived.
Even as a child, she wasn't spared from the constant pressure to become stronger. Often someone either died or was eliminated and abandoned for failing the evaluations.
She sniffled, trying to hold back tears.
"But Viktor, you also say you're human, yet you've lived for 600 years according to legends and history."
"…"
"Your members include individuals famous for centuries."
"…"
"Even the members you call players are all astonishingly talented. Powerful mages generally live…"
"Alright, stop talking," I quickly interrupted.
Any more and my motivational speech wouldn't land.
"These are temporary circumstances. Once The Watchers are fully operational and Honeyvale Town is running smoothly, we'll take in ordinary people."
"In the eyes of non-magical people, you will always be a part of The Watchers, even for the rest of their lives," I guaranteed her firmly.
"Ordinary people?"
At my words, the tears in her eyes immediately vanished. Her voice still carried a sobbing tone, but her gaze returned to the one she had when we first met—the look you give a lunatic.
"Are you seriously planning to establish a nation ruled by The Watchers inside the Great Oak Forest?"
Though she stopped short of saying the last part, her eyes were filled with the word "foolish."
"…"
I swallowed all the plans I had prepared to share. This was why I disliked dealing with dragons. With their short attention spans, intense emotional swings, and single-mindedness, they were a nightmare for any leader!
And to make matters worse, the players nearby were whispering, thinking they were being discreet.
---
"What are they talking about?"
"Not sure, but it seems like Alyanne might leave."
"An NPC change? What's the next one's name?"
I fell silent. Neither side ever let me have peace.
At that moment—
Thud, thud, thud!
Urgent footsteps sounded behind us. A player arrived, panting and bracing his hands on his knees.
"So, here you two are… Huff… Huff—Lord Viktor, hurry up! Huff—"
From his urgency, it was clear something serious had happened. I cast a Holy Light spell, calming his breathing.
"You're looking for me?"
He nodded frantically, grabbing my hand and trying to pull me along.
"Lord Viktor, come quick! LootGoblin has been captured by goblins!"
For players who had been grinding main story quests for days, the word "goblin" was like a trigger.
As soon as the words were spoken, a player in the corner jumped to their feet.
"Goblins? Where are they?"
"Who did it? Who captured my master?"
"Master? Are you role playing?"
"Has the prelude to the plot ended? Wait, why was it triggered by a player?"
The sudden uproar startled Alyanne, who looked at the messenger struggling to explain and then at the players, whose eyes were now gleaming with excitement.
I watched as she quietly stepped aside. Clearly, she thought this wasn't something ordinary people should get involved in, and that The Watchers were no ordinary organization.
Her worries seemed unnecessary in my opinion.
The reporting player pulled me along, explaining as we walked.
"Here's what happened," he began.
"We started our usual goblin hunt early morning. I had some sweetfruits for breakfast, by the way, never go hunting on an empty stomach."
"And as we were tracking these goblins, I noticed some interesting bird calls. Reminded me of my cousin's pet parrot. Anyway, we kept walking for hours, and my new self-created boots were giving me blisters. I should've broken them in first, rookie mistake. Oh, and I was carrying these dried worm meat strips in my pack, which we all shared when we took a break—"
"Nobody cares about your snacks!" someone interjected.
"—I'm just setting the scene! So after all that walking, we got completely lost as usual, and that's when we stumbled upon this pine forest. While searching the area, I almost twisted my ankle tripping over a root, but that's when I spotted some wild mushrooms growing nearby. So, all of us decided to see if there were any more mushrooms or berries we could gather for extra loot, and LootGoblin wandered off to...uh... relieve himself."
This was typical of players—halfway through a mission, their objectives would mysteriously change. Anyway, while exploring, experience points accumulated no matter what they did.
I hadn't reacted yet, but the other players following us immediately chimed in.
"Get to the point, dammit!"
"Why are you starting from the dawn of time?"
"Your language comprehension skills in school must've been abysmal."
"Hey! Don't interrupt—these are all important details!"
The reporting player rolled his eyes.
"The point is, when LootGoblin came back, we'd just found the way back."
"But halfway there, we realized it wasn't LootGoblin who returned—it was a real goblin!"
My heart skipped a beat.
A goblin pulling a switcheroo? Had their intelligence evolved?
I immediately stopped and held the agitated player still.
"What's your name?" I asked, needing to establish some order.
"Oh, I'm Thor!" the player said confidently.
"Alright, Thor. Are you sure LootGoblin disappeared near the pine forest?"
Thor thought for a moment.
"Uh... not sure. But that's the last time he left our sight."
"Do you remember how to get to the pine forest?" I pressed.
"Uh... maybe? Probably? Not really."
The onlookers groaned in unison.
"With so little certainty, you basically know nothing!"
"Why even bother reporting?"
Thor, unwilling to back down, shoved away the player tugging at him.
"Hey, bystander, stay in your lane! Believe me, I'll have Lord Viktor kick you all out!"
One sharp retort after another. What was the point of these?
I shook my head slowly.
"If you don't even know where he disappeared, rushing there blindly will just get us ambushed."
A player being captured by goblins was highly unusual.
Could it be that the recent frenzy of exploration had finally made the goblin shamans wary? Were they preparing to counterattack?
A player being captured wasn't a big deal. They could just bite their tongue and respawn.
The real issue was why the goblins had taken a player in the first place.
I decided to clarify the details further.
"Where exactly was LootGoblin when he disappeared? Was it far from where you were?"
"The pine forest isn't big, and it's covered in fallen leaves. You can see everything at a glance. In terms of straight-line distance... not far!"
Many tree species had translucent leaves. Even with canopies forming umbrellas, dense grass still grew underneath.
At least recognizable species like pine and birch still grew in environments consistent with their real-world counterparts.
"Not far…" I murmured.
If he disappeared while relieving himself and the connection to the others was severed unilaterally, the goblins must have seen the other players too.
Why did they only capture one person?
Was it because they didn't have enough goblins for a proper ambush?
I quickly dismissed that thought.
Impossible!
Goblins' combat strength was primarily based on brute force. If they were short in number, the captured player would've definitely caused a commotion, alerting the others.
But capturing only one person would reveal their movements, helping the players narrow down the goblin lair's location.
Given the goblins' typical behavior, it was unlikely they'd make such a calculated decision.
Unless…
They were planning to infiltrate the players to discover Honeyvale Town's exact location!
My eyes shot up as I urgently asked, "Where's that goblin who infiltrated your group?"
"Uh…" Thor looked down in shame. "I was in such a rush to report that I...forgot about it."
"What about the other players who were with you?" I pressed.
A goblin capable of blending in with players would undoubtedly be high-level and might carry tracking tools given by a goblin shaman.
I had already checked Thor—nothing suspicious.
But the other players? Who could say for sure?
If the town's location were exposed, we'd be forced into a defensive position, likely suffering a crushing defeat.
The best solution was to prevent that outcome entirely.
After explaining the situation to the players, I asked, "The players who went out with you haven't returned yet, right?"
"Are you talking about us?"
A voice came from behind.
All eyes turned simultaneously.
Three players, disheveled and exhausted, appeared with a goblin tied up like a bundle on the ground.
Apple, startled by the solemn expressions facing them, awkwardly dropped the rope he was holding.
"What's going on?"
"Lord Viktor, look! We caught another goblin. There's a reward for this, right?" Apple asked me.
Facing three pairs of expectant eyes, the players watching the scene clicked their tongues.
Thor elbowed them. "Shut up! Stop spouting nonsense!"
Just as he prepared to say something again, I raised a hand to stop him.
"No, this goblin is just an ordinary low-tier one. It doesn't have any tracking tools or the intelligence to report anything back."