{"version":"1.0","provider_name":"Perpetual Daydreams","provider_url":"https:\/\/perpetualdaydreams.com","author_name":"Sleepchaser","author_url":"https:\/\/perpetualdaydreams.com\/author\/cherriepo\/","title":"Perpetual Daydreams - NHAD Ch 9 - Three Years Later","type":"rich","width":600,"height":338,"html":"

NHAD Ch 9 – Three Years Later<\/a><\/blockquote><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! 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My birthday\u2019s in the spring. Three years from now, the \u201cStarting Village \u201carc will end. After three more years of hard work, the goddess will transport me back to my world\u2014probably. It better be it! Goddess?! Why don\u2019t you show your face yet?! The silence is too cruel. What\u2019s going on? Although Granny Marie had prayed for the goddess to appear, she did not pay us a visit. On the contrary, it feels strange she never contacted us. What does it mean\u2014 Oh! Can it be\u2026 No way. Is it possible she\u2019s in a situation where she can\u2019t keep in touch with us? Is she in trouble? Can something unforeseen have happened to her? I shudder. Nonono. No way. There\u2019s nothing else I can do here but wait for her contact. I\u2019ll just complain, I mean, pray whenever I\u2019m at the church. That way, I can be reached as soon as possible. After hearing the goddess\u2019 message to Marie, I visit the church most weekends, except when I have business at home. One reason is so I can consult with Marie about future events, along with confirming and reporting the current situation to her. To see if the goddess has responded. Secondly, Marie offered me a spare room dedicated as my \u201cresearch and materials storage area,\u201d for the sake of developing technology toward the village\u2019s defense. Naturally, the room is lockable and comes with a key. Both have been replaced recently, too. I have also linked a hand-made security device, so that no one besides me can enter the room. Well, in theory that\u2019s the case. Finally, I can store materials and completed devices free from prying eyes! Back at the lord\u2019s mansion, I\u2019ve no privacy or a secure place to call my own. The butler and maids have master keys and can pretty much enter any room. Another reason I visit the church so often is because of Lian\u2019s elder brother. He chases me to no end that it\u2019s hard to relax. These days, his hand that frequently strokes my head has migrated to touching my shoulders and face, back and waist. It\u2019s frightening. I\u2019m being touched so freely. It feels like I\u2019m encountering perverts even at home. It\u2019s the worst. I can\u2019t even report it since we\u2019re related. Because of all this, I feel safe at the church. I have Marie as my ally, and I\u2019ve already won over the orphans. It\u2019s because I bring a box of confectionery each time, filled with donuts, cakes, and cream puffs that the children love. I\u2019ve done my research. There\u2019s no mistake, these are their favorites. As such, the kids are now absolutely obedient to my words. I\u2019ve strictly informed them not to tell anyone, especially Alfred, I\u2019m there during the weekends. The job I was given by the goddess is supposed to be kept secret. I\u2019ve told them that if they break their promise, the goddess will punish them severely. Basically, it\u2019s the carrot and stick method. In the dead of night, the goddess will appear at your bedside dripping with blood\u2026 When I added a touch of movie-like horror to my warning, everyone looked like they were about to cry.. I felt bad about it, but there is no denying that the effects were immediate. I also said, \u2018if you kids run your mouth to Alfred, then I\u2019ll never bring sweets over again.\u2018 Honestly, I think that one was more effective than the scare tactics. However, these are children so I worried if they could do it. Though they seem to be fulfilling their part of the bargain so far. Every time I go to the church, they immediately tell me they\u2019ve done as I asked, looking proud of themselves. When I praise them for it, they get so happy. I don\u2019t really get it, but they look like they\u2019re having fun. Well, kids love secret missions, just secret things in general. They\u2019re all orphans here, but they\u2019re spirited and smiling, a bunch of cheerful and good children. The way the gentle Granny Marie, though at times strict, raises them with love may have something to do with it. Whenever I take a break and play with them, they always get so happy. It\u2019s really soothing, wiping clean the daily buildup of stress… Alfred heads out early in the morning on weekends for his part-time job and doesn\u2019t return home until late at night. Very rarely does he get a half-day or a holiday break. I have his schedule memorized because both Marie and the children taught it to me. Because I\u2019ve confirmed this information before starting my weekly visits to the church, I never bumped into him, and therefore am spending my time peacefully. Though I sometimes encounter the village\u2019s elderly, they seem to think that whenever I\u2019m worried about something I\u2019ll go to the church. Every now and then, they would approach me with a kind expression and say if I keep praying and do my best, eventually the goddess will answer my call. Well, since the villagers are busy with farming and living out their lives, they don\u2019t often pay the church a visit. So it doesn\u2019t really matter if they know I\u2019m going there or not. For that reason, I spend my entire weekends at the church. Saturday rolls by. According to the kids\u2019 and Marie\u2019s \u201cAl\u2019s part-time job schedule report,\u201d he\u2019ll be at work all day and has been gone since the morning. Alright. This is great because I can\u2019t go to the church unless he\u2019s away. Today\u2019s bribes are the newly-released triple chocolate scone and redberry and blueberry scone. I bought it at a delicious and famous bakery yesterday while coming home from school. They\u2019re\u00a0 fluffy and have just the right touch of sweetness. I\u2019m fond of them as well and purchase them occasionally. The kids will definitely dig it. In high spirits, I leave the residence with my luggage, skipping on the way. The butler thinks I\u2019m heading to the library for some independent study. It\u2019s obviously a lie, but there\u2019s no one to doubt or confirm it. Lian\u2019s family is apathetic to everyone besides themselves. I don\u2019t know if they practice the principles of laissez-faire, or are just a family of egotists. His father is often at work, his mother is busy chasing the kingdom\u2019s latest beauty and fashion trends, and his brother sometimes shadows his father for the day to learn the ropes as his successor, but mostly just goes out and about in town to play. Craning my neck, I take in the warm sun and crisp blue sky.\u00a0 A few white clouds float over the horizon. It\u2019s a bit dizzying. I drop my head and try to shake off the feeling. Maybe I\u2019m mentally drained. I did leave the school late at night after doing my homework, preparing for the next lesson, and working on the alarm devices for the village. So far, I\u2019ve created the first prototype and tried testing it with a mouse-type demon I caught past the village\u2019s borders. The risk of getting injured from a small demon is low. If you don\u2019t attack first, they won\u2019t bother you. Even so, they\u2019ll target the crops, so the farmlands will sustain a ton of damage if I don\u2019t do anything. It seems these mouse-type demons wreak havoc every so often. The alarm device senses the mouse-type demon and blares. For now, it\u2019s a success. The fruits of my hard labor. I sacrificed so much sleep for this and worked myself half to death! However, even though sleep is precious, increasing the village\u2019s defense as soon as possible is crucial as well. I also need to make several of these devices. Only one won\u2019t cut it. I plan to expand the search range, increase the alarm\u2019s volume, and add an electric barrier to the second prototype. I\u2019ll call it \u201cAlarm No. 2 (Electric Execution).\u201d By the time I reach No. 5, I should be close to something with practical use. Another thing on my list is drawing up a map of the village and marking the areas where demons will strike. Then I\u2019ll have to distribute them to the villagers as a disaster prevention measure. As long as I designate a few evacuation centers on the map, people should head there in times of need. It\u2019ll be a good idea to litter the perimeter of these shelters with demon traps and barrier devices. For these countermeasures to last a full night is my current goal. The demons appear to be weak against daylight, movement slowing into a trudge as soon as the sun rises, and as such giving the villagers an opportunity to escape. I sigh. This is not the time to be feeling dizzy. I have to get it together. I can\u2019t be collapsing now. There\u2019s still a long list of things waiting for me to check off. A whole mountainload of them. As usual, Marie greets me with a smile after I knock on the church\u2019s doors, her cheeks reminiscent of apples. \u201cWelcome, Lian-sama! Hehe. The children have been loitering around as they eagerly waited for you.\u201d \u201cHello, Marie. Haha. Is that so?\u201d \u201cYep!\u201d Well, it must be because I\u2019m always bringing goodies along. Sugar is very expensive in these parts. Unfortunately, this country doesn\u2019t produce sugar. Since sugar canes only grow in tropical climates, we won\u2019t be able to make any sugar even if we try. For this reason, we have to rely on pricey imports from the south, which drives up the prices of confectionary. Kids don\u2019t normally get a chance to taste them, let alone eat them every week. Similarly, in my original world, the general public can\u2019t eat frivolously. Noticing my presence, several kids that are playing in the courtyard rush toward me. \u201cAh, it\u2019s Lian-sama!\u201d \u201cLian-sama!\u201d \u201cHooray! Lian-sama is here!\u201d \u201cHello,\u201d I say. \u201cLooks like everyone\u2019s doing fine today, hm? It\u2019s good to be healthy.\u201d The kids burst into laughter. The little shorties\u2019 cheeks flush pink, shy smiles showing on their lips. Three little kids tug on the hem of my spring coat. All three sport a head full of brown curls, the one on the right with red eyes, the one in the middle yellow, and green on the left. According to Marie, from right to left is the elder brother, elder sister, and youngest sister, but to me, they\u2019re indistinguishable. \u201cLian-sama, pway!\u201d \u201cPway with!\u201d \u201cCome pway!\u201d \u201cSure. In a little bit.\u201d I pat each of their heads, and they each flash me a bright smile. Ohh, so cute. I feel soothed. \u201cNow, now. Lian-sama is a busy person, so don\u2019t pester him, okay?\u201d The kids say in chorus \u201cokaay\u201d looking a little disappointed, and begin to run back. \u201cSee you later, Lian-sama!\u201d \u201cLater!\u201d \u201cYes, yes.\u201d I wave my hand and see them off into the garden. Whenever I come here, it\u2019s always lively. Totally different from the deathly silence of Lian\u2019s mansion. I hand the paper bag with the scones to Marie. \u201cToday\u2019s tea desserts are scones. Here you go.\u201d \u201cOh my. What a delicious scent! Thank you as always. But even if you don\u2019t care about such things, is it really okay for you to spend so much money on the kids?\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s not a problem. Especially since you\u2019re letting me use that room. Besides, I\u2019m just buying what I want to eat, so don\u2019t worry about it.\u201d As I smile, Marie laughs and her cheeks dye red. \u201cIs that so? Then I will serve some delicious tea!\u201d \u201cGreat! I can\u2019t wait to try it.\u201d \u201cYes! Please look forward to it. I\u2019ll be working on some documents on the first floor, so if you need anything, please call out. I\u2019ll be able to hear it from the stairs.\u201d \u201cOkay.\u201d \u201cTea will be served at noon!\u201d \u201cThank you very much.\u201d I bring the lunch and Marie brings the tea. Although in the past she has told me that she would...","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/perpetualdaydreams.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ko-fi-button-300x135.png"}