As a Reincarnated NPC, I Want to Live a Peaceful Life

Don’t criticize other people’s work—you can offer suggestions, but you can’t make demands. —Red71

Tone and delivery reflect your attitude. The moment you make demands of others with a poor attitude, you’ve already made a bad impression. —Yuèshí Ling

(This happens especially often online—everyone, please be mindful.)

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Time flew by, and it was already afternoon. The guards, acting on received intelligence, were frantically searching for me. They probably weren’t doing it for the reward money, but for 【Prestige Points】—

Well, it doesn’t matter to me anyway. In my eyes, no matter how imposing you are, you can’t suppress my thoughts.

The sun in the sky was occasionally obscured by clouds, its rays fractured and faint, casting small, scattered patches of light on the ground.

Thanks to that, I could comfortably stay on the open, unobstructed rooftop.

Of course, it would rain soon.

The architecture in 【Malettes】 was quite distinctive. Aside from the ornate and lavish fronts and sides, the backs and rooftops were plain and unremarkable. The roofs were flat, and there was almost no way to access them—it was practically designed as a resting spot for assassins. Unless you were a noble who could afford a mansion, you’d end up with this kind of housing.

Naturally, the guards would eventually think of this too and come up to check the rooftops.

I crouched at the edge of the roof, watching the guards coming and going below, then glanced at the South and North Gates in the distance—both were constantly guarded, just to prevent me from escaping.

I nibbled on the fruit I’d brought with me, keeping myself full and in good condition… I still had over a dozen pieces of fruit left. For some reason, each one restored about forty percent of my satiety. With these, I could last a few more days.

“A man is iron, food is steel—skip one meal, and you’re done.” Who said that again? I can’t remember.

Nas’s sister wasn’t dead, and Nas was still alive. Should I go find them?

Probably not. We’d gone our separate ways now, and Nas had her sister to take care of her.

Go back to 【Crov】 to rest for a while? That would only make things worse and waste time.

I was torn. Advancing felt wrong, retreating felt wrong, and staying put wasn’t an option either.

If things went on like this, by the time news spread, it would be too late to escape.

If Alec were here, he might’ve been able to offer advice and help, but he wasn’t. Elf—she could’ve been my emotional support, but she wasn’t here either. Huihui—if only she could teach me the secrets of Fireblast, but she wasn’t here either.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t considered using 【Intermediate Flight】 to fly over the low city walls, but it was dangerous. Without specialized skills or innate talents, my flight speed would be slow, and the altitude I could reach would be low. I’d be turned into a pincushion by the archers on the walls in no time.

I’d also thought about 【Universal Stealth】, but the city gates here had security mechanisms similar to 【True Sight】. Any spell or magic of that nature used near them would be instantly detected.

What kind of game is this? The protection mechanisms didn’t need to be this thorough.

I complained inwardly, crouching down and hugging my knees.

I couldn’t trouble unrelated people with my own problems—I always remembered that, so I wouldn’t ask Lyle In Hart, who had already helped us so much.

He was a public figure. If he were found colluding with a wanted criminal, it would only tarnish his reputation, making things worse and worse until he hit rock bottom.

What was I doing? Instead of going back to Lady Cleroll to live the peaceful life I wanted, I’d thrown myself into this endless turmoil, tangling with players and not even ending up with a good result?

Was I crazy? Even foolishness shouldn’t go this far…

I hadn’t—I hadn’t been any help to them at all—

Elf, relying on her own wits, had probably already found a way out of the city by now. Alec could live out his days peacefully in his alchemy shop. Huihui was a player—a player I’d dragged into this, a player whose goals I’d messed with.

I was filled with self-blame, guilt, anxiety, worry, and anger at myself.

What was I doing?

…..

“Haven’t found that little one yet?”

“No, not yet. The alleyways in 【Malettes】 are more complicated than we imagined. Lyle, what are you hiding from me? Why are you so anxious about that wanted criminal?”

“Lord Lyle! Lord Winter! Huff, huff… I’ve obtained new intelligence.”

“Did you find the wanted criminal?”

“Where is she?”

“No, Lord Lyle, don’t rush. I just investigated the transport station. The two people killed weren’t actually staff members. The real staff were tied up in the storage room inside. Unfortunately… they were killed too.”

“What else? Any other leads?”

“Lord Winter, could you…”

“Ah, Winter, could you step away for a moment? There must be something urgent.”

“Oh, I understand. I won’t disturb you two, then.”

“…..Lord Lyle, after investigating the transport station, I found that the transport rug originally bound for 【Crov】 had been placed in the 【Feltrow】 room. As for 【Feltrow】’s transport rug, the magic array is missing, and there are three sets of footprints on the rug—two female, one male.”

“What’s going on? I asked Mr. Alec to… ahem… 【Feltrow】 is a city of demi-humans. It has close ties and frequent trade with our city. Here’s what you’ll do: continue searching for the wanted criminal. Report back immediately if you find anything.”

“Understood. I’ll take my leave.”

…..

“Lyle, what’s going on now?”

“To be honest, Winter, my old friend recently asked me to help him leave the city. So, I got three permits for him… Unfortunately, something went wrong mid-process, and my friend and his companions ended up in 【Feltrow】.”

“【Feltrow】? You mean that city gathering with demi-humans? Don’t they avoid dealing with 【Colovett】? You’re from the royal city—why would they listen to you? Getting into the city would be difficult enough.”

“Well, no, 【Feltrow】 has close relations with our 【Malettes】. In Pith’s name, they wouldn’t act recklessly.”

“So, what are you planning to do? Leave this mess of catching a wanted criminal to me while you go off to meet your old friend?”

“Of course not. I need to find that little one and bring her to my old friend.”

“You’re a strange one, taking the game so seriously.”

“Shouldn’t you give everything your all, with full passion?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re like this in real life too—that’s why you excel at everything. I just received a report—the guards have searched almost every corner of the city.”

“She’s not there? Could she have used transport magic to leave the city already?”

“No, no. We’ve been studying that transport array for weeks and still don’t get it. You think a little girl could easily learn it? Next, I’ll casually check the rooftops. The guards probably haven’t searched there yet.”

“You’re right. I’ll leave it to you, then.”

…..

I didn’t know how long I’d been on the rooftop. It felt like a whole year, but the sun’s position had barely changed—had it only been十几 minutes? Had I been spacing out that whole time?

I felt gloomy, realizing that without my companions, I couldn’t do anything. What did having power matter? It would only speed up your death, bring you closer to the end.

It made me ask myself—

Do you have what it takes to wield this power?

I laughed weakly, slapped myself across the face, and whispered—No, I don’t…

Then why not live a peaceful life instead of stirring up trouble? Did you think you were some kind of saint? Did you think you could help others? You can’t even save yourself, yet you’re worrying about others?

I couldn’t laugh anymore. My hand, ready to slap myself again, fell weakly to my side.

Slapping yourself—that’s what weak people do. Think it makes you noble or something?

Heaven gave you this chance at rebirth—can’t you, can’t you make the most of it?

Faced with these questions from “myself,” I was speechless, my heart feeling stuffed full of bitter hardship without being allowed to make a sound…

“I” was telling the truth. Hadn’t I been acting like a “jerk”?

To protect someone’s safety, I’d killed.

To protect someone’s interests, I’d ended up with a bounty on my head.

On a whim, I’d agreed to a request.

Out of curiosity, I’d boarded that carriage.

These interlinked events all boiled down to one thing: I’d brought this on myself.

Crouching down, I buried my face between my knees, hugging my legs tightly…

I knew how pathetic I looked right now, but at least let me have a moment of peace.

Could anyone tell me—was everything I’d done wrong?

“Hey! It’s dangerous for a little girl to crouch in a place like this.” A voice spoke up unexpectedly not far behind me, startling me so much I nearly toppled forward off the building.

Managing to regain my balance, I stood up and brushed the slight dust off my short skirt, not even turning around.

“May I ask your name?”

“…I am the eldest son of the Charlemagne family, Winter Windsplitter.”

Hearing that name, I lost all interest in listening further, remembering how I’d been locked in a room last night, almost meeting my end—

Why couldn’t he just let it go?

He was probably just here to capture me for the Prestige Points. Sons of noble families were always like this, especially since he was a player.

I walked along the edge toward the southern corner, trying to put distance between us, but this “Winter” kept closing the gap.

It was like trying to catch a turtle in a jar.

But did you know how people like me escape? Flying away like a bat was out of the question. Using 【Universal Stealth】 right in front of him would be like covering my ears to steal a bell.

I had no capability, so I could act recklessly. It wasn’t like anyone would blame me. Using 【Time Stop】 a few times wouldn’t kill me.

I raised my finger, then flicked it—

[Time, stop]

The familiar gear turning sound echoed, and everything around me shifted into black and White tones.

The man’s breathing halted instantly. Clearly, 【Time Stop】 was working as smoothly as before.

“Countdown: five seconds.”

5 seconds… Quickly move to his side.

4 seconds… Sweep his legs out from under him.

3 seconds… Pinch his cheek hard.

2 seconds… Hurry back to my original position.

[Then, time resumes]

A buzzing hum followed as the world returned to color. The man, tripped by my sweep, fell sideways.

“Oww! That hurts… What happened? My face—why did I fall?”

Feigning confusion, I watched the man’s embarrassed appearance as he lay on the ground, barely holding back laughter. My earlier gloom vanished in an instant.

Clearly, I’d found my purpose again…

Escape, then find everyone, and fulfill my promise.

“Lord Winter, thank you for the amusement. This will be the last time we meet. Please don’t pursue me further.”

What I was about to do next—I might not even be able to control the scale of it, let alone drag innocent people into it.

What exactly was a peaceful life, anyway?

Was it one without waves, smooth sailing…

Or was it rushing around all day to fulfill promises you’d made…

I was supposed to be an observer. I never thought I’d become involved one day. Only now did I start to worry and feel anxious.

Well, it didn’t matter anymore.

“What, what are you talking about?” Winter seemed baffled. He reached out, approaching me like he was cornering a house cat, completely ignoring my warning.

“Hurry, someone’s waiting for you.”

Probably the guards at the detention center. Those guys were always the cleanup crew, the executioners.

“No.” I snapped my fingers crisply, activating 【Impression Teleport】. With a blue glow, I transported myself to the ground.

When Winter Windsplitter saw that, he’d probably assume it was a pre-set spatial spell, not realizing it was my special skill—wasn’t it normal for a clever little girl to know how to set up spells?

See ya later! I’m going out of the city to find Elf and the others.

Haven’t you realized yet—

I don’t care! I don’t care about guilt, self-blame, anxiety, or hesitation! I want to live the life I desire. Isn’t that what a peaceful life is?

As long as I believe it is, isn’t that enough?

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Skill Changes:

【Time Stop】LV.3 ▶▶ LV.4

【Impression Teleport】LV.2 ▶▶ LV.4