Chronicles of an Interdimensional Drifter

 

One of the functions of the Wanderer's Manual was its radar map.

Before taking action, Siegfried had already checked for any hidden variables in the vicinity.

As it turned out, he did discover a lurker.

On the map, a cluster of blue dots huddled together, representing the non-hostile villagers gathered in the village square.

Several dozen meters away, in a certain house, a red dot symbolizing an enemy flickered conspicuously.

So he entrusted Little Towa to relay this information to the other villagers, while he took on the responsibility of diverting the army's attention.

The plan seemed to be progressing successfully.

At this moment, Catalina was already flustered, stammering and unable to utter a complete sentence.

She had originally intended to stall Siegfried, allowing the hidden scout to escape and report back to His Highness.

But unexpectedly, even the stealthed scout had been captured. This level of capability inevitably reminded Catalina of a rumor.

According to legend, the Meilan family had always been favored by the gods throughout generations. Each Meilan would be granted a [Divine Miracle] on the day of their birth.

Among these miracles, [Eagle Eye] was the most representative, almost a standard configuration for every Meilan.

[Eagle Eye] was said to possess the world's most powerful intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities. It could see through everything clearly, detect the slightest details, and encompassed almost everything that all reconnaissance magic on the continent could achieve.

This included, but was not limited to: night vision, far sight, surveillance, item identification, psychological observation, blind spot detection, movement prediction, formation decryption, magic replication, and so on. It was truly a multi-purpose tool.

The most terrifying aspect was that when this miracle was activated, it spread outward in a large spherical domain centered on the user, rather than targeting a single individual object.

It could be said that if those Meilans stood in the center of the royal capital,

Within a day, they would know everything from how many dogs neighbor John kept in his house, to illegal transactions in the underground black market.

Even details like which concubine the king favored at night, and how many moles that concubine had on her bottom would be clearly discerned.

If the person before her was indeed this generation's Meilan, then capturing a lurker was hardly surprising.

(What should I do now? Should I beg for mercy? The Meilan family is known for their eccentric personalities, will he spare us?)

(There's still a chance... He doesn't know the origin of our troops yet, so he shouldn't suspect His Highness. I just need to insist that we're deserters, and it won't implicate His Highness.)

Siegfried, of course, was unaware of Catalina's intense mental activity. He flipped through the Wanderer's Manual, beginning to search for information about the dwarf on the ground.

Name: Bobo

Male, 36 years old

Race: Garden People

Alignment: Order

Occupation: Scout

A secret agent of the Moen royal family, sold to the royal city by slave traders when he was still a child. Raised and trained as a royal spy. Ostensibly serves Princess Kriemhild, but has actually been bought off by the second prince Roderick, lurking as a spy by the princess's side.

The proposer of this robbery plan.

Specialized skills: Reconnaissance 69% (Expert) Acting 51% (Proficient)

Combat skill: [Presence Elimination]

Ability data:

Strength: E

Agility: A

Magic Power: D

Intelligence: C

Luck: C

Leadership: B

Overall evaluation: C

Note: The Garden People are small in stature and swift in movement. Extremely adept at stealth and reconnaissance, they are born scouts.

"That's a lot of information," Siegfried's brows furrowed as he read.

(This second prince is quite interesting. The attack on the village must have been ordered by him.)

(Having the princess's people attack their own country's village, eliminating the possibility of the princess inheriting the throne. After all, no country's citizens would support a crown prince who robs them to become king.)

Siegfried pondered, a smile involuntarily curling at the corners of his mouth.

Things seemed to be much more interesting than he had anticipated.

[Ding! You have successfully defeated the army invading Fengtao Village. Stage mission one completed.]

[You have obtained a historical story jar, which can be opened after the mission settlement.]

Draw from a jar?

This incredibly familiar setting momentarily distracted Siegfried. He composed himself and refocused his attention on Catalina beside him.

The erotic scene flashed through his mind again, and a bright smile unconsciously appeared on his face, making the female knight's skin crawl.

Siegfried instructed the three sturdy young men:

"Tie up all these soldiers. As for this woman... send her to my room."

...

That night, the village opened several barrels of beer and held a grand celebration.

The theme, of course, was to celebrate Siegfried's first great victory as a hero.

These simple villagers seemed to have forgotten that they had just been robbed a few hours ago.

At this moment, the village square was brightly lit with bonfires, the aroma of alcohol permeating the air. Young men and women were holding hands, dancing freely in the center of the square.

The old village chief specially brought out the lute he had carried while traveling the continent as a bard in his youth, to accompany the young people.

Of course, it was easy to imagine that neither his playing nor his singing was particularly good, otherwise he wouldn't have come back to be the village chief.

Siegfried returned to his room reeking of alcohol, his cheeks flushed red, obviously having been plied with quite a bit to drink.

But this did not hinder his upcoming work.

In the room, a lonely candle struggled to cast its light into every corner.

The female knight Catalina was tied to a chair. With her left hand severely injured, even the grass rope that would have snapped with a single struggle before could now firmly restrain her.

As soon as Catalina saw Siegfried enter the room, she hurriedly began to explain:

"Mr. Meilan, we really had no ill intentions! It's just that the soldiers hadn't eaten for too long, and we had no choice but to resort to this. We never had any intention of harming the villagers, and we only took a portion of the food, certainly not enough to leave the village's people starving. I swear on my honor as a knight, everything I've said is absolutely true!"

Catalina was almost hysterical, her knightly pride completely gone.

She was very afraid. The Meilan family's heroes were historically known for being eccentric, with many being fond of killing and lust.

Although those who could become heroes were essentially good people, that goodness was only directed towards their companions. Heroes were always merciless towards their enemies.

Who knows what special fetishes this Meilan might have? Seeing that he had spared their lives, he probably wasn't the bloodthirsty type... so he must be lustful.

Sure enough, Siegfried didn't listen to the female knight's explanation at all and directly started to remove the knight's armor.

"Ah!"

Catalina let out a girlish scream, her dignified and beautiful face instantly turning crimson.

She struggled to escape from the chair, but was pushed back down by Siegfried with one hand.

"No... please... I beg you..."

Catalina's cherry lips trembled, tears glistening in her amber eyes.

For the first time in her life, this proud female knight uttered words of supplication.

If those soldiers could see their usually more masculine than men captain now showing such an adorably pitiful expression, they would surely think they were having a nightmare.

But Siegfried completely ignored the female knight's pleas,

Somewhat clumsily unfastening her breastplate.

The pair of snow-white, round globes beneath the breastplate nearly bounced into Siegfried's face.

(Hiss... that vision wasn't lying, they really are huge!)

Just as Shannon had shown in the vision, Catalina wore a white tank top under her armor. This tight-fitting top outlined the female knight's breathtaking body curves to perfection.

Through the indentations of the tank top, Siegfried could clearly see this woman's taut abdominal muscles, harmonious waist lines, and waist that could barely be grasped with one hand.

It was the perfect physique unique to female warriors, capable of making one feel both a sense of power and beauty.

He glanced at the female knight's leg armor made of mithril. If Catalina was really wearing white stockings with garters on her legs, that would be the killing blow.

Siegfried suppressed his wandering thoughts and continued to remove the female knight's armor.

Seeing that he had no intention of stopping, Catalina closed her eyes in despair...

However, even until the tears around her eye sockets had almost evaporated, the scene she had imagined still hadn't happened...

Catalina secretly opened her eyes, only to see that terrifying man applying ointment to a bandage.

"..."

Siegfried smiled, walking to the woman's side and beginning to treat her left arm injury.

"You're either bad or stupid. Fortunately, you met me. Only I know that you're truly stupid."

Intelligence D, it's understandable to say some stupid things and do some stupid things.

"The village priest was unwilling to cast healing magic for you, so we can only use these traditional methods. Make do with it."

Catalina's cheeks flushed red. Her own princess was particularly fond of reading some strange novels about female knights being defeated, and having been by her side for years, she naturally had been influenced by osmosis.

Catalina's mood calmed down, and she hurriedly expressed her gratitude:

"Thank you, Mr. Meilan. You truly live up to being a descendant of the hero family."

Siegfried nodded slightly in response.

The identity of Meilan would bring him great benefits. This was why he was willing to break the holy sword to demonstrate his strength. How could a person from the hero family be a weakling with only a C-level overall evaluation?

And this female knight, who had witnessed his "strength", would become the best proof of his identity.

"Introduce yourself, knight. You must have quite a few stories to share."

Siegfried asked while skillfully applying the medicine.

Hearing this, Catalina's face lit up with joy. Finally, there was an opportunity to communicate.

"My name is Catalina, a knight from the royal capital. I'm sure you know about the great turmoil that occurred in the kingdom half a year ago. My lord was killed by the rebels during that turmoil. I led the few remaining soldiers and broke out, fleeing all the way until we arrived here today. We..."

Catalina fluently recounted the pre-prepared story, half-truth and half-lie.

If Siegfried didn't have the Wanderer's Manual, he might have really been fooled.

"Where is Kriemhild?"

"Eh?"

"Kriemhild Ludwig, the first princess of the Kingdom of Moen, first in line to inherit the throne. She's your master, isn't she? Where is she?"

"Sir... I, I don't understand what you mean. We're just deserters... We..."

Siegfried stared directly at Catalina, his pitch-black pupils like bottomless pits, making her mind go blank.

The carefully crafted lies were useless; this man seemed to know everything.

Seeing her stammer for a long time without being able to say a complete sentence, Siegfried continued:

"There's nothing strange about this. Actually, one only needs to investigate which troops escaped from the royal city on the day of the coup. With a great knight as an escort, and residing in the royal city, even thinking with one's backside, it's easy to guess who they might be."

"It doesn't matter if you don't say it. I can find the person right now."

Siegfried gazed at Catalina's face, asking and answering himself:

"Your hiding place is nearby, right? East or west? No, don't speak, I can tell from your expression. It's in the east."

(Mind reading!)

Catalina's pupils contracted, and she immediately lowered her head.

Siegfried's cold reading skill was at 73% proficiency. At this level of mastery, even if the person opposite had a poker face, he could read the information he wanted.

Catalina from another world had never heard of cold reading, of course. She attributed this incredible phenomenon to the Meilan family's Divine Miracle - [Eagle Eye].

Siegfried lifted the female knight's fair chin with one hand, directing it towards himself.

"Where in the east? The forest? Hmm... It seems not. Then it must be a cave. The cave in the east... As far as I know, there's only one large cave in the east that can hide troops."

"The Wind-Calling Cave."

[Ding! You have successfully found Princess Kriemhild's location. All stage missions for this round are completed. You can choose to settle the rewards and temporarily return to reality at any time.]

[You have obtained a historical story jar, which can be opened after the mission settlement.]

[Mr. Wanderer, I am absolutely certain that you are very suitable for this world.]

Siegfried didn't choose to return immediately. He needed to lay some groundwork for the next mission.

Catalina was terrified. She finally understood why this Meilan hadn't dealt with her immediately. His target had been the princess behind her from the very beginning.

"Mr. Meilan, the attack on the village was entirely our own doing. Princess Kriemhild knew nothing about it. Please don't hold Her Highness accountable."

"It was that Garden Person called Bobo who came up with this bad idea, right?"

Catalina was stunned and blurted out, "How do you know?"

Siegfried sighed. This person's Intelligence D rating was truly well-deserved.

"He's a spy. I'm saying, don't you people have any brains to think? Why is it that no matter where you flee, the enemy always manages to find you? Why did the enemies who had been relentlessly pursuing you for half a year suddenly stop here?"

"If you had really robbed your own citizens today, do you think your princess would still have a chance to inherit the throne?"

"Do you believe that by tomorrow, the armies of the nearby lords wouldn't come out in full force under the banner of justice to eliminate the bandits?"

Cold sweat poured down Catalina's forehead. She was just a guard knight, never having dealt with nor cared to deal with those dirty schemes. All her actions were simply to make life better for the princess.

Catalina could never have imagined that her actions would push Her Highness into an abyss.

"How could this be... This has nothing to do with Her Highness. She knew nothing about it... I..."

The female knight was completely flustered. If she hadn't been tied to the chair, she might have attempted to take her own life in atonement by now.

"What are you panicking for? I'm here, aren't I? Not a whisper of today's events will leak out. However, the premise is..."

Siegfried picked up a strand of Catalina's light brown hair, chuckling softly:

"You need to take me to see that princess of yours."

Catalina's face, which had just shown a glimmer of joy, fell again upon hearing Siegfried's condition.

"May I ask the reason?"

Catalina really didn't want this dangerous man to meet Her Highness.

Siegfried's smile grew more unrestrained. His hand slid from Catalina's brown hair to her delicate, snow-white neck.

Finally, it brushed lightly over her soft, towering peaks.

"Of course, it's to ask her if she's willing to give you to me."

Catalina's body trembled, her face turning crimson.

He really was lustful after all!

But this time, the female knight didn't show the same resistance as before. With a blushing face but an unusually resolute voice, she said:

"If this body can exchange for Her Highness's future, what's wrong with giving it to you? There's no need to see Her Highness. From this moment on, Catalina is yours, sir. You may do with me as you please."

Submitting to a man who was both stronger and smarter than herself, and who might be a future hero.

Huh? It doesn't seem like such a bad deal.

Siegfried was amused when he heard this. This knight sister was so straightforward. Should he perhaps try to take advantage of her?

(No, no, I'm a Meilan, a future hero. How could I do such a beastly thing?)

Unfortunately, Siegfried didn't yet know what kind of people the real Meilans were. Otherwise, he would have acted without hesitation.

Shaking off his wild desires, he composed himself and said:

"No, I was just joking. Don't take it seriously. How should I put this... I still have some attachment to this place. Since they've laid hands on my village, they should be prepared to pay the price. You take me to see the princess, and I'll help her out of her current predicament. In exchange, if one day she inherits the throne, she must punish the mastermind behind this attack for me."

At this moment, Catalina felt the temperature in the room drop.

Siegfried's face was as cold as frost, his words righteous, but his true thoughts were utterly pragmatic.

He was well aware that trying to reclaim the four borders and unify the kingdom was not something he could achieve alone.

He was not, after all, a true Meilan, let alone a hero. To correct this part of history, he had to align himself with a certain faction and use them to achieve his goals.

Siegfried could roughly guess what the next stage mission would be, most likely something like forming an alliance with a certain faction.

Whether it was the crown prince, the second prince, or the princess, it didn't matter to him which faction it was.

After all, what needed to be done was the same.

When Catalina heard that this Lord Meilan was willing to personally help Her Highness out of her predicament, her face immediately lit up with joy, and even her shoulder didn't hurt anymore.

In the past, the Meilan family had never been involved in political struggles. It seemed that this lord had truly been angered.

With a hero by her side to assist, forget about ascending to the throne, even if they wanted to reclaim the territories taken by the neighboring empire, the empire wouldn't dare say no.

The more Catalina thought about it, the more excited she became. She quickly agreed, saying they would set out early tomorrow morning to see Her Highness.

"Um, Lord Meilan, could you untie me now?"

They had been talking so enthusiastically that Siegfried had almost forgotten that he still hadn't untied her.

"Sure, you can stay in my room tonight. The villagers are still upset."

"Mm..."

Catalina's voice was faint, her ears tinged with another layer of red.

Siegfried regretfully untied the ropes.

White stockings with garters... He ultimately hadn't been able to confirm whether the long legs wrapped in mithril leg armor truly presented the scene he had imagined.

It was at this moment that Shannon's ethereal voice echoed in his mind again.

[Mr. Wanderer, do you choose to return to reality and settle your rewards?]

[You can also choose to proceed directly to the next stage mission, which will allow you to receive more rewards at the next settlement.]

"Of course I don't want to! Return immediately!"

Siegfried's vision suddenly went black, and he fell straight towards Catalina.

(Tsk, not even a moment's buffer?)

In the final instant before his consciousness faded, Siegfried felt his face press against something. It was soft and bouncy, with a delightful elasticity.

Moreover, it exuded waves of a rich, alluring fragrance.