The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent

Honestly, I was curious.

Where does one find the time to span that colossal Empire from end to end while also completing every single side quest and relationship event?

Of course, I’ve never really thought that seriously about game mechanics. Quite frankly, life doesn’t have a “second playthrough.” From that perspective, the protagonist’s life can only be limited to the first playthrough, and in that first playthrough, the protagonist cannot possibly see all the relationship quests.

Side quests are often hidden, so if you forget to talk to an NPC, you just miss them altogether.

So, just think of it as “game convenience.” Just like how an FPS character survives a bullet with a single shot and walks around shrugging off being shot just because they wear a bulletproof vest, RPGs bring in a simple time concept so that players don’t have too hard a time with real-time flow.

But what if that crosses over into reality?

In an FPS, the protagonist would be phenomenal, avoiding all shots while taking down enemies left and right. Because you can’t respawn in real life!

So, what about that unique RPG sense of time?

The answer: you shove everything into the limited time frame.

Having such weekly weekends in games isn’t always practical. If you implement “every week a weekend,” the game would stretch on endlessly. So there are about three important events sprinkled throughout the semester, and in the second semester, you have two at the start, followed by diving into the main story while the protagonists run around outside the academy.

And those crucial weekends have a total of seven side quests. Three in the morning, three in the afternoon, and one at night.

And obviously, the morning is literally ‘morning.’ The time before lunch, typically between 7 AM and 12 PM. In that time, three!

I mean, logically, wouldn’t it make more sense to have four in the afternoon and three in the morning? No matter how you think about it, that morning time is absurdly limited!

Plus, the side quests aren’t even the problem. The “relationship events” between characters in this game overlap with that ‘morning, afternoon, night’ concept. Side quests separately, relationship events separately. And those relationship events aren’t just brief chats—they involve errands, consultations, training, studying, helping with requests, etc…. Each one could easily take dozens of minutes up to an hour!

With that in mind, if you assume you’re seeing ALL those relationship events, handling those ‘time-unlimited setting’ side quests in that period might actually be the right move.

…But still.

“Dawn… four AM…?”

Four AM, you say?

Four AM!?

Were they already out hunting beasts at that time!? Are they out of their minds?

And the party consisted of just Leo and Claire.

Ah, right, the 24-hour stagecoach service at the academy is known to be trustworthy. Even making stops or being hijacked doesn’t happen, running on time between stations that even the residents use from time to time. They might get paid, of course.

So maybe it’s for nutcases like Leo and Claire who move around at such an unearthly hour, but I seriously didn’t expect anyone would take the stagecoach from that crack of dawn!

“Hmm? Sylvia?”

Right after I arrived, having just taken down the elemental dog they were after, Claire turned around as she heard my footsteps.

With the light from the streetlamp reflecting, I could see Claire’s slightly dazed expression.

“…May I ask what you’re doing here at this hour?”

I tried to keep my voice as calm as possible, making sure not to reveal that I had just jumped off the stagecoach.

“Uh? Uh…”

Did I look mad? Claire looked a bit flustered and glanced at Leo. Leo shook his head as if clueless too.

“Well, you see,”

Claire, still baffled, opened her mouth first.

“We were doing early morning training with Leo—”

“…Early morning training?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Despite the interruption, Claire continued explaining nonchalantly.

“Every morning, we do mental training and sword practice. We’ve been consistent with this training.”

“…Morning?”

I looked up at the sky.

It was slowly getting brighter, sure. But anyone could see it was still ‘night.’ The sky was tinged with a little blue, but frankly, it looked more like the dead of night than dawn to anyone’s eyes.

“Um, yes, but…?”

Claire tilted her head in confusion.

So, rising at four AM… No,

That means they must have woken up even earlier to be practicing mental clarity and swordplay at that hour. Plus, it takes a while to get here. No matter how clear the path is, the only means of transportation we have is the stagecoach.

Well, sure, they could ride, but honestly, I doubted they had horses. While the academy has a stable, very few people keep their own horses.

There are cars, but… Honestly, there must be fewer people using cars than riding horses. Plus, right now, cars had so many restrictions due to friction with the stagecoach drivers; you’d be hard-pressed to find one running in the Imperial Capital.

As for bicycles… Sure, they could have ridden one here.

But that said, I hadn’t seen any bicycles parked in the interim.

“Doesn’t getting up at such a time make you feel tired?”

“Tired?”

Claire looked genuinely perplexed by my question. Then she turned to Leo.

Leo had the same bewildered expression.

A chill ran down my spine.

No, it wasn’t just that the morning air was cold. It was more like… Well, how should I put it?

It was related to my feelings, rather than anything physical.

“Uh… So, that relates to energy, right?”

“Energy?”

Is this guy talking like a wannabe guru?

“The first thing you learn in the Grace style is how to circulate clear energy through your body… You need a clear mind at all times to handle sword intent, and you shouldn’t be tired doing that, so we always practice meditation to keep our minds balanced…”

Leo explained that with a tone as if he was trying to swallow his words.

Hah.

Energy? Clarity? Mind?

Wait, is this a steampunk fantasy world we’re talking about with an industrial-age background? What nonsense is this?

….

Oh, right.

Well.

Even I, who break settings, know that already.

This universe is one where terms like sword saint and sensation are casually thrown around. It was the same for Claire when she shot out her sword intent at me earlier. Sword intent in the Age of Enlightenment? What nonsensical thing is that?

But ta-da, this world has magic and mana stones! Absolutely! there’s no such thing!

“…”

But I never considered that calming the body and mind through meditation had benefits beyond mere self-hypnosis.

“So…”

I decided to ask one last time.

“You mean to say that even if you don’t sleep long, you can dispel fatigue and maintain a clear mind through morning meditation? And still use sword intent perfectly?”

“Uhm… right?”

Leo answered, as if to question why there was anything odd about that.

Ah, so I’m the weird one.

I had the wrong idea.

I was mistaken, right?

I should’ve thought the protagonists would genuinely complete all the side quests in the game!

“…Hey.”

Wait, hold on.

I just felt chills run down my back again. It’s probably just a feeling, but it felt like my body temperature dropped a couple of degrees.

Then… what about the other characters?

The number of characters Leo can take on side quests, including himself, is just six. Two of them are support characters who join in.

So, what about the remaining characters? Do they do side quests or what?

If, by any chance, the protagonist shares the workload with them, what happens then?

“Sylvia? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

As I stood quietly, sweat trickling down my forehead, Claire came closer with a worried look.

“…”

I took a quick glance at her and then,

I rewound time.

*

Let’s get a driver’s license.

Inside the swaying stagecoach, I vowed.

I don’t know whether a driver’s license even exists in this world, but one way or another, I should learn how to drive a car. That seems like the best plan.

Because horses need constant care. Sure, cars need maintenance too, but they’re less of a hassle than a living, breathing horse.

Plus, learning to drive a car is definitely easier than riding a horse. As long as you’re nearby, you can hop back into one anytime.

Yeah, just like now.

“…”

No matter what the driver says from the driver’s seat, I probably won’t catch it, but even without hearing his words, I could tell from his demeanor that he felt ‘this situation is super awkward.’

How could it not?

Essential information about important students is definitely shared with academy staff. They probably all know I’m a crown princess, and naturally, seeing me alone in a carriage at this hour must be incredibly awkward for them.

Well, I doubt anyone thinks I’m off to assassinate someone or anything like that.

“…”

If a high-ranking official with a nasty personality sat there, crossing their arms with a scowl without saying anything, from the perspective of the driver, they must be wondering if I did something wrong.

Of course, I did nothing wrong.

I’m just annoyed all by myself.

“We have arrived at the eastern Gado of the Imperial Capital.”

“…Thank you.”

As the carriage stopped and the driver opened the door for me, I thanked him.

“The next carriage will arrive in thirty minutes; will you be alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Seeing my stiff reply, the driver must have sensed the odd vibe, bowed his head, and quickly climbed back into the driver’s seat.

“…”

As I quietly watched the carriage pull away, I took my hand out of my coat pocket, retrieving my pocket watch.

Tick-tock, the quiet night made the ticking sound incredibly loud.

“…Three thirty.”

I muttered quietly afterward, looking up at the sky.

The moon was bright.

…Phew.

Letting out a big sigh, I began walking slowly.

Well, good.

Let’s finish this quickly and get back.

Since I rewound time and got to bed early last night, I could still get five hours of sleep.

…

Should I learn that meditation thing?

*

The elemental dog isn’t that strong of a beast. Though called a dog, it’s larger than a wolf; its fur color and the effects surrounding it vary based on its attributes.

Of course, that ‘effect’ was represented by actual wind or grass or fire or ice in this reality.

I’ve encountered these beasts a few times already.

They make for great practice for shooting.

The information on the quest request read, “An elemental dog has appeared on the Gado, threatening people. Please take care of it.”

The elemental dog that appeared before me had green fur, swirling with wind around its body. Surely, if I captured it and brought it back, I could sell it for a high price.

But here, it was just another common beast.

“…Sigh.”

I suddenly fell into a reflective state.

So, was I seriously awake at dawn to catch this one beast?

Knowing already that it would be a monster like this?

“…Grrr.”

The elemental dog growled, keeping its distance, clearly aware of how dangerous a single human could be.

“…”

Click.

I stared at it while silently pulling back the bolt to load the bullet into the chamber.

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