Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World - Volume 1 - Chapter SS1

Tingling, Fleeting Love

The wistful gaze of a young girl fell upon a boy of similar age. Bathed in gentle sunlight filtered through the trees of the canton’s woods, Erich dozed off for an afternoon nap. He enjoyed a small degree of local fame, and it was not just his blond hair and blue eyes that were popular with the Rhinian populace.

There were many reasons his name was recognized throughout their canton; first and most simply, he was popular with the ladies. In a world that had yet to achieve cultural maturity, he had the most attractive trait a man could have: the power to earn money. Usually, a fourth-born son with no hope of inheriting his house would draw no more romantic attention than a fallen branch. However, his name was a mainstay in the gossip that bloomed every time young girls gathered.

His statuettes of the Goddess were of good enough make for the church to grab them up, and his wooden board game pieces drew the admiration of even professional craftsmen. In fact, his skill as a whittler was so great that there were rumors of him funding his sickly sister’s persistent medical costs out of pocket. Hunger was a death sentence in this era, and anybody who could put bread on the table was more than certain to draw the eyes and ears of the opposite sex.

However, this girl’s interest was of a different kind. Like Erich, she was a mensch, and her growth spurt had begun one beat earlier than all her peers—as such, the intent behind her passionate stares was different too. Her tale was as simple as it was commonplace; still, to a girl barely past ten, it felt like destiny.

One day, her friends had teased her for her tall, developing body. They hadn’t done so out of malice—she’d grown prettier, and they’d poked fun at her in a cute, childish attempt to process the beating in their own chests.

However, a fragile young girl had no leeway to appreciate this “cuteness.” Unaccustomed to pain, the daggered words of those she considered her friends stung beyond imagination. She felt the wound deep inside her heart, in the vulnerable spot that people seal away when they reach adulthood. Tormented, the girl could only pray that she might disappear.

But then, Erich smoothly stepped in to stop them. With a silver tongue beyond his years, he led the group around by the nose, and before they knew it they were all playing together again. The girl had naturally found her place in their games, just as she found herself captivated by the tender look in Erich’s eyes as he watched over them. From an outsider’s perspective, the boy’s ungodly eloquence might have been seen as unsettling. However, his meaningful gaze only seemed dependable to the young girl, and catalyzed the shift in her feelings from gratitude to love.

Ever since, the girl could not pry her eyes away whenever he came into view. Yet despite harboring her fleeting first love, the girl never partook in the gossip that blossomed amongst her friends.

Erich’s best trait wasn’t that he could make money. He was kind, caring, and wouldn’t turn his back on you in a pinch. What was more, he’d endured the Konigstuhl Watch’s painful training, or so the story she’d heard one day had told, for a reason that tickled her heartstrings: he didn’t want anyone else to feel that same pain. How gallant and noble can he be?

None of the other girls understood his true worth. The money wasn’t secondary, or even tertiary. She could only imagine how dearly he’d care for the girl he deemed most precious.

Her fantasies alone were enough to send a sweet tingling sensation running through her body. She wanted to savor the pit of warmth in the depths of her gut overflowing to every corner forever.

But today the feeling was a bit different. An ice-cold fear made its way up from the tail of her spine. Surprised by this intrusion on the tender warmth of her happiness, she whirled around to face a pair of glowing, golden eyes.

“Excuse me, would you like to join me for a friendly conversation?”

The voice was at once amicable and hostile; the chill it carried drowned out the gentle tingle she’d been basking in—and she would never feel it again.

[Tips] There was once a time in human history when the ability to earn extra coin in the winter was far sexier than good looks or a beautiful singing voice.