Chapter 11: New Information

"Hmmm... I see, I see..." Nio looks at the village chief, who gave her all the answers she was looking for. He knew far more than she expected and helped a lot, since apparently he used to be an adventurer who retired and became the chief of this remote village.

"There are roughly three main kingdoms that dominate the world... and a few other medium to small-sized kingdoms... that information is valuable. It shows there aren’t many races dominating the world at the same time." Nio looks at the map she obtained.

"Holy Theocracy of Hilya, Kingdom of Ortyr, and the Behe’Tuor Empire... looks like I’m in the territory of the Theocracy of Hilya... that’s bad, since it’s a religious territory, and it seems the world is dominated by humans." Nio murmurs, organizing the fragmented information she gathered.

"It seems the max level is still 100, but the average human level is far lower than I expected. So much so that a level 40 is considered extremely strong... well, that makes sense. This isn’t a game where you can keep reviving and trying again endlessly."

"Most people would avoid situations that could kill them. That means there are few threats to me among humans... but it also means there could be monsters and monster-race beings with the same power level as me... it’s a possibility."

"There’s also the possibility that the true levels of the most powerful warriors are hidden, so the chances of high-level people are real..."

"Hey, Village Chief, when I asked what would happen if a village were destroyed, you said they’d send knights to investigate shortly after. But how would they know a village was destroyed so quickly if it’s so remote? And why would they send soldiers to such a remote place?" Nio understands something simple — a few lives hold no value to powerful people, so spending resources to investigate a remote village seems strange.

"The Saint of Stars and Predictions, Stelaria Astra, is level 35 and has the ability to sense when something like that happens..." The Village Chief, still enslaved by the Charm magic, answers Nio.

"Saint? A saint with the power to predict things? And magic capable of noticing things across enormous distances?..." Nio grows thoughtful with everything she’s discovered.

"I’ve already learned the name of this world, my current location, the value of gold, the base power level of humans... all very useful. But if humans consider a level 35 a saint, then honestly, I’m disappointed." Nio speaks with sarcasm, feeling almost insulted that a saint would have such a low level.

’I only obtained my saint class when I was already level 90. A mere level 35 already earning the saint class sounds... almost ridiculous. It seems this level progression system is inferior to the game’s.’ Nio gazes outside.

’Perhaps it could also be that she’s merely recognized as a saint but doesn’t have the class of a true saint, like I do, who actually has the class...’

"Knights are approaching. I deduce they’re members of the Theocracy’s church... it seems you were right. They noticed a village was destroyed far too quickly... even being weak, you’re not to be underestimated... I need you to lie and go along with whatever story I come up with."

"Understood, Master."

"Perfect... one last question before that. You, as an adventurer, what do you think of a level 100 being?"

"It would be a monster, an aberration, a... god?" Although the village chief’s answer is somewhat confused and driven more by the fear a level 100 inspires, it serves Nio well.

"So level 100s are gods, huh? It seems the absolute maximum considered the peak among mortals would be level 80 then... although 200 level 80 people would be a problem for a level 100, depending on items, magic, and planning..." Nio realizes she needs to be cautious. She’s not as invincible as she appears and wishes she were.

Having obtained everything possible to learn from someone living in a small village, Nio steps outside, accompanied by the village chief.

’Well... I still destroyed a village... I shouldn’t expect the world not to care...’ Nio takes a deep breath. She didn’t expect anyone to notice, but she’ll try to deceive the knights she senses arriving.

"..." She walks out onto the street with the village chief. A few people notice how strangely the chief is moving, but they go on with their lives while Nio reaches the village exit and waits for a few minutes, patiently biding her time.

’[Nio, I just finished everything you asked for.]’ Nio receives a mental message, hearing Azalea’s voice. She accepts the communication, speaking mentally to her.

’[Alright. Now that you’ve finished that, I want you to expand the surrounding area as our territory. Use some relics to form a barrier around the palace. I discovered a few useful things I’ll pass on to you shortly.]’ Nio says to Azalea while thinking for a moment.

’[How are the other apostles?]’

’[Everyone is fine and on standby. A few have also started looking around the palace and testing things out.]’

’[Okay, Azalea. I’ll take a while to contact you again. Do as you wish after finishing what I asked, but tell each apostle they can’t spend more than a week outside the palace, or I’ll do things you definitely won’t like.]’ Nio threatens them, though it’s more of a trick to prevent her NPCs from causing chaos in the world.

’[Of course, Nio. We won’t push our luck. Thank you for your mercy in letting us go out. I deduce there should always be at least three apostles at the palace, no? So can I organize how the outings will work?]’

’[Sure, but I don’t want any of you drawing attention. Be careful... I have to stop talking now. I’m busy with a small inconvenience.]’ Nio says to her as she sees knights passing over the hill, heading toward the village. She cuts the message and takes a step forward.

"..." The sound of the horses stopping sparks a tense atmosphere. Dozens of knights observe Nio, who takes a deep breath and steps forward once more.

’I’m nervous... I know they’re just humans, and I can feel they’re weaker than me... but I don’t want to die. I can’t risk it... I need to defend my life at any cost. It’s mine, and I will never let anyone take it from me...’ She takes a deep breath, hiding any sensation of discomfort and maintaining a cold, almost apathetic expression.

"May I ask what you knights seek in these lands?" Nio opens the dialogue to show she fears nothing and has nothing to hide, even though she has thousands of things to hide from humans right now.