Once upon a time, I heard a story about a cow.
Although we often use phrases like “as dumb as a cow,” cows are surprisingly clever and can sense when they are about to be taken to the slaughterhouse.
I heard that some of them resist or even shed tears, trying not to go.
Although I had never witnessed such a scene myself, seeing Victoria now reminded me of that story.
“…”
Victoria had frozen in place as if her shoes were glued to the ground.
She didn’t move a single step, as if she had turned into a stone statue.
I spoke to Victoria.
“This is the end of our date. You must be wanting to rest soon too, right?”
Let’s meet the ‘Secret Merchant’ in the back alley of Section D and wrap this up.
I wanted to check quickly because I wasn’t even sure if the Secret Merchant, who appeared from the second playthrough, was actually here in Ludens this time or not.
However, Victoria, who had been following me closely until now, suddenly stopped moving, as if the events of just a moment ago were a lie.
She stood still like a stone statue at the entrance of Section D’s shopping area.
Suddenly, I thought I understood why Victoria wasn’t moving.
This kid wasn’t moving because there were no snack shops here.
Were the snacks I treated her to that delicious?
Does she want to squeeze more out of me, even though I’m already broke?
I started to feel a little afraid of how greedy the Duke’s second daughter could become.
“Victor, are you sure this is the place? Is this really the last place?”
Victoria asked.
After standing there for a while, had she finally sorted out her thoughts?
It was clear that Victoria was asking if this was really the last course, even though there were no snack stalls.
Or maybe she had figured out with her sharp senses that I was looking for the Secret Shop?
Yeah, if it’s the Victoria Arkwright I’ve seen in D&A, it wouldn’t be strange if she realized that I wasn’t just wandering around but was looking for ‘something.’
I asked her.
“You, did you figure out where I’m trying to go?”
“Of course! I’d be an idiot if I didn’t after coming this far! All the roads we’ve taken so far were to get to Section D, right?”
“That’s right.”
“This, is this really it? Really?”
Was she asking if this was really it?
It wouldn’t be strange if she didn’t trust me, considering I had failed three times before and was asking for another chance.
But Section D is the real deal.
If ‘Secret Merchant Balkan’ exists in Ludens right now, there’s a 100% chance he’s here.
Not trusting me like that made me feel like my D&A experience was being dismissed, and my pride flared up a bit.
I spoke with confidence.
“Don’t you trust me? This is the place. This is the last one. So stop standing there and follow me. I’ll show you something amazing.”
“A-a-amazing thing…?”
Victoria was more flustered than usual.
I wasn’t even lying.
The Secret Shop is truly amazing.
Depending on what you buy there, the entire course of the game can change.
“What, what are you trying to show me? Can you really handle it? A lot will change…!”
Well, if there are items you purchase from the Secret Shop, many things are bound to change.
I decided to explain it simply.
“Indeed, once you try it, there’s no going back to the way things were. It’s amazing. So you don’t need to be scared. You’ll definitely like it.”
“W-what crazy nonsense…! Why would I like something like that…!”
“…?”
Was there really a reason to get that angry?
“This kind of thing, it’s still too early for us…!”
“Too early…”
Suddenly, I recalled something from the past.
Among the veterans of D&A, there were those who were skeptical about the Secret Shop.
Those guys strangely rejected second-playthrough elements like the 「Secret Shop」 or the 「Mysterious Forest」.
What was it again? Their argument was something like, “It makes the game too easy.”
Indeed, the content elements you could obtain from the second playthrough had parts that made the game easier.
As I mentioned before, they felt more like ‘perks,’ making the difficulty easier.
I didn’t like the 「Infinite Potion」 either.
But on the other hand, there was also a hardcore aspect that you could only enjoy from the second playthrough onwards.
For example, the full-throttle difficulty of the 「Hell Mode Dungeon」, which reinforced the existing dungeon, is something you can’t leave out in a multi-playthrough.
I said.
“We have a long way to go. We don’t have time to stop here. You said it’s too early to come here, but it’s not at all. In fact, coming here is rather late.”
If we had come to the Secret Shop from the beginning, it might have been a bit easier to pay off my debt by now.
But I didn’t come earlier because I didn’t want to wander around alone at night.
Victoria seemed to shiver slightly, as if my persuasion had worked.
“Well, we have known each other for over 10 years. If you think about it that way, maybe it’s not too early. O-of course, that’s not really what I think. I mean, these days, everyone’s already doing it from middle school….”
Wait, they’re already finding the Secret Shop in middle school?
That was a surprising story.
Is the Secret Shop famous?
As far as I know, the items sold here are limited to just one of each.
If I keep hesitating like this, won’t the stock run out?
Thinking that, I couldn’t stay still any longer.
“Victoria, we don’t have time to waste.”
I quickly grabbed Victoria’s wrist, as she was eating up my precious time.
Victoria started struggling, truly shocked.
“Hey! Where are you grabbing! Let go! C-can’t you let go?”
“There’s no time.”
“You crazy b*stard! I’ve been seeing you differently lately! But now I’m really disappointed, Victor!”
“I’ll do anything for my dream.”
It’s not a crime to use the Secret Shop.
It’s perfectly legal.
“Ugh…!”
But Victoria’s resolve was firm.
It really felt like dragging a cow to the slaughterhouse against its will.
“Hurry up. We’re just a few steps away!”
“N-no! You crazy maniac, you’re crazy!”
Dragging her along, I forcibly led Victoria.
Honestly, I wanted to leave her behind and go alone, but I couldn’t, considering the sharp gazes in the alley.
Those guys looked like they’d block my path the moment I was alone and say, “Hand over everything you’ve got.”
“At least, at least give me some time to think! Is this why you broke off our engagement? This doesn’t make any sense!”
Engagement? Why is that coming up?
Why did you break up?
Victoria seemed a bit flustered at being dragged against her will.
But there was no way her tired body could outmatch my iron-like stamina after wandering around all day.
And so, we arrived at the back alley.
“This, this is an alley? Isn’t this outside?”
Victoria was beyond flustered.
Did she think the Secret Shop was located inside a building?
“Of course it’s outside.”
“This, this really isn’t right!”
“Trust me.”
We just needed to turn that corner.
“Please.”
I didn’t want to resort to begging because it would make me look pathetic. But with Victoria showing such strong resistance, begging seemed like the only way to persuade her.
“Victor, you’re begging? Are you serious? Are you really…?”
“Yes, you’re the only one.”
“…”
Victoria, who had been as noisy as a canary in a mine, suddenly quieted down.
It was as if she had resigned herself to her fate, her demeanor turning serene.
Has she finally given up her pride about the Secret Shop?
“You really won’t regret this.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Well…”
Well, because I’ve already used the Secret Shop plenty of times.
But if I said that truthfully, it might create a disconnect between this Victor and the Victor inside Victoria’s mind, so I decided to cash in one more lie.
“I heard stories too. But the information was reliable. Trust me. I’ll make sure you won’t regret it.”
With that, I used up my quota of lies for the day.
It hurt, but I could bear it.
Ssss.
Victoria’s golden eyes briefly glanced sideways under the weight of my earnest gaze.
“I don’t even know what’s what anymore. I don’t care.”
“Thank you.”
I took the suddenly compliant Victoria around the corner of the alley.
And there, upon seeing a small figure cloaked in a robe, I was so overjoyed that I clenched my fist in triumph.
“It’s here. I was right, wasn’t I? The Secret Shop. I told you it was here.”
“…Secret Shop?”
“Yes! As you know, there’s a Secret Shop in this Section D that sells amazing items. While there may be people who’ve never visited, I can guarantee that no one has ever visited just once.”
“Se-Secret Shop…?”
Victoria looked startled, as if hearing about it for the first time.
“Is this Secret Shop the reason you wanted to come here? Is that why we came to the Section D?”
“…Is there any other reason?”
Victoria’s face turned extremely red.
For some reason, her breathing was heavy, and her gaze nervously shifted from side to side.
“Of course not! Who doesn’t know about the Secret Shop here? I was the one who wanted to come here! You’re so funny, Victor. Did you really think I wouldn’t know about something like this?”
“So, you knew after all.”
Unlike other hidden content, it seems that this place was subtly known even among the students.
“Ha, it’s really funny. I had something I wanted to buy here too, you know? Even if you hadn’t suggested coming, I would have come here.”
“Got it.”
Thud.
Victoria sat down on the ground like a defeated marathon runner.
“If you want to rest, you can sit over there by the trash bin.”
“Shut up.”
So prickly.
But Victor felt a sharp twinge at the back of his head. For some reason, it seemed like he shouldn’t speak any further, so he decided to leave her alone.
After all, we’d been walking continuously from Section A to Section D for two hours, so it was only natural that she’d be tired.
* * *
Victoria snapped out of it about 10 minutes later.
She had been squatting down, repeatedly muttering, “I really want to go home,” and seemed to regret today’s date. Finally, she stood up.
Her expression was calm and her gaze was cold.
Her expression was calm, and her gaze was cold. Seeing the same cold and composed Victoria that I knew from D&A, I felt a bit relieved.
“Have you rested enough?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t know? Anyway, since you also suggested coming here, you must have had something you wanted to buy. I just hope it’s being sold at this time.”
The items in this shop change from time to time.
The fact that the items sold at the Secret Shop are random every run-through gives it a bit of a roguelike feel, which is quite fascinating.
However, an unexpected variable occurred.
“So, there are customers who have come to find this Balkan. …But it’s still a bit early for customers to arrive, isn’t it? My role isn’t ready yet either. What to do… The items aren’t fully prepared.”
It seemed that the Secret Merchant Balkan wasn’t ready to do business yet.
This was the first time something like this had happened.
Could it be that all the items were already sold out?
I asked.
“Is there really nothing available?”
“There is, but… No, really, I haven’t heard anything like this before. Did you guys really roll the dice right…? You did? Huh, what a situation. I don’t have anything to sell yet. Show me what you have right now.”
The Secret Merchant Balkan muttered to himself in a strange manner.
It was at a level where we could barely hear him whispering, but it was clear that his self-talk was odd.
Victoria leaned in close and whispered to me.
“This person seems a bit strange. His appearance is odd too. Why is he hiding his identity so thoroughly?”
“He seems strange to me too.”
Could there have been some kind of gimmick added to this Secret Shop in the DLC that I’m unaware of?
Just as I started to feel slightly confused, the Secret Merchant Balkan, who had been mumbling to himself, let out an awkward chuckle and said,
“Ahem, I am Balkan, the owner of this Mystery Shop. Although I was a bit thrown off by unexpected customers, it seems the problem has been resolved. Here, these are the items I have for sale.”
The man who introduced himself as Balkan reached into the wide sleeves of his robe.
