6.

"Sorry, but that's too much to accept as collateral." Kim Buja shook his head. "I have to travel back and forth from my world, and you'll need to manage on your own while I'm gone. We can talk about… that… later."

It wasn't that he was immune to her charms. The princess was so beautiful that, had it not been for Jeong Seora, he might have wondered if he'd ever meet a woman like her again, even in a game. He spoke nonchalantly, but internally, he had to summon every ounce of willpower to fight off the absurd temptation before him.

Still, he held firm. It wasn't out of guilt toward Seora, either. He knew it sounded scummy, but this world was his for the taking—a world made for the Gold Maker, a place where his actions had no bearing on reality.

'No man feels guilty about playing a dating sim while in a relationship,' he reasoned. 'And they shouldn't.'

However, he stopped the princess because this world wasn't one he could dismiss as a simple game.

She was, after all, human. Even if it was another world, even if he tried to perceive it as just a single-player game, she was a person who thought and lived here all the same. And he knew all too well what happened when physical affection became part of such a relationship. He could act cold and ignore it, but he also knew his own principles wouldn't let him.

That was why he couldn't accept.

The Gold Mission had to remain a side quest—a place he visited occasionally for a change of pace or a reward, a supplement to his growth in the real world.

"Do you not find me to your liking?" she asked, undeterred by his firm refusal. She paid no mind to the robe pooled at her feet.

"No, I'm not made of stone, and it's not that I don't like you," he said. "Let's just avoid the R-rated route for now and focus on our plans for the future."

He gave a second refusal. Realizing he was serious, the princess tilted her head. Then, seeing the earnest expression on his face, she sat back down.

"Still, my resolve has not changed," she declared. "Please, tell me whenever you need me."

"I'll have to make sure I spend my retirement here," he quipped, nodding at her unwavering determination.

With that, the charged atmosphere dissipated, and they began the conversation they truly needed to have.

"Do you have any abilities that would be helpful in a fight?" he asked.

The princess had said she was different from the emperor. If she participated in battle differently from a ruler who charged into the fray, it had to be one of two things: cheering from the sidelines or attacking from a distance. One might assume her delicate frame was useless in a fight, but this was the world of the Gold Mission. Though he hadn't met any yet, if knights existed, then mages likely did too. There was no reason to assume the various classes from his world wouldn't exist here.

"I am a bard," she answered. "I can raise morale on the battlefield by singing."

"Oh." The ability and her class, she had shared, was something he hadn't expected at all.

'That's cheating,' he thought.

An image flashed through his mind: a massive war, with tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of soldiers clashing. Amid the chaos, a beautiful voice would ring out across the battlefield, lifting the spirits of her allies while demoralizing the enemy, all with just a song. On a field teeming with men, the sound of a woman's voice could be a miracle for morale. But with a bard's abilities amplifying that effect?

It didn't even need to be a huge boost. A simple +1 buff per person. A number so small it might seem insignificant could be enough to turn the tide of war dramatically.

And then there was the added variable: Kim Buja.

'Well, I won't be much help, for now.'

He immediately excluded himself. He'd be lucky not to be a liability, let alone a valuable asset. No matter how he pictured it, he couldn't see himself, a man with no skills to speak of, playing any significant role on the battlefield. It might be a different story if he were an Elemental Wizard like Fly, but that wasn't the case.

In any event, it wasn't a problem for the present, so he set the thought aside.

This was good. This information helped solidify his decision, banishing any potential regret. All that remained was to proceed with the quest. Now that his mind was made up, he had to see it through. Only then could he plan his next move.

"How long would it take to reach the Imperial Army by carriage?"

He had no intention of spending three months dodging and weaving his way across the continent.

At his question, the princess did a quick calculation, then shook her head. "If we ride horses and take the shortest route, it would take two weeks, assuming we can switch horses at every castle. But that's impossible. Our faces are probably on posters in every nearby castle and village by now."

Normally, no one would go to such lengths to find a single runaway slave. But she had seen them—a few slave traders still searching for her even after two weeks had passed.

Kim Buja knew why. "They must have figured out it was you who escaped."

The mole on her chest. The slave traders hadn't laid a finger on her, wanting to sell her at a high price, but their gazes had roamed every inch of her body daily. They would surely remember the distinctive mole just beneath her left breast.

"The moment we enter a castle or a village, we'll be captured," she said grimly.

That made the plan seem even more impossible. There was no guarantee of victory even if they reached the Imperial Army. For the two of them to travel alone and boldly enter a castle? It would be throwing away all their hard-won freedom in an instant.

Despite this, Kim Buja didn't back down. "It's fine."

'As if I hadn't already considered that.'

Right now, he couldn't even defeat a single knight from the Allied Forces disguised as a slave trader, let alone fight a war. But this Gold Mission wasn't necessarily about defeating someone. It was a quest that required him to utilize the unique characteristics of his Gold Maker class.

▶ Special Stat: Gold Power 11(+1)

▶ Gold Held: 540G

'Guess it's time to dip into my emergency funds.'

Just like in the first chapter of the mission, he had received 500 Gold as compensation for arriving without his armor and equipment. Compared to the 200 Gold from before, this clearly indicated a higher level of difficulty.

He opened the Gold Shop and made a purchase.

[One-time Use Faceless Mask]

▶ Grade: Epic

▷ When worn, your appearance will randomly change according to your gender.

▷ Lasts for 30 days.

▷ The disguise will not be altered unless the mask is torn or removed.

[200 Gold has been used.]

They were a hundred gold each. They were absurdly expensive, but in this situation, nothing was more efficient.

"Just use this," he said to her.

It had been nearly six months since his awakening, but for the first time, he felt like he was truly taking the lead on something with his Gold Maker class. It had to be his imagination.

As he put on the faceless mask, the mask-like object seemed to melt into his skin, the sensation expanding throughout his entire body.

And then…

"Oh." He couldn't see his own reflection, but the change was obvious from the look on the princess's face. "There's no way we'll get caught."

They had transformed into completely different people—height, appearance, even their voices.

"It's amazing," she whispered.

The princess had changed into a stout woman in her mid-thirties. As for him, though he couldn't see a mirror, he had a feeling he now looked like a tall, stocky, hairy mountain bandit.

How could they possibly be discovered? A peerlessly beautiful princess and her escort had vanished. The only thing this new pair had in common with them was their gender.

"Hmm." Satisfied, he lay down. All that was left was a comfortable journey to the Imperial Army's location. That, too, could be solved with gold.

'Money truly is a necessity.'

He made a mental note to save up a little extra gold for the next mission, just in case. As he watched the princess lie down beside him, another thought flashed through his mind.

'Still, the original was bigger.'

It was a moment of renewed appreciation for the princess's intrinsic value.

* * *

The journey to the nearest castle was long, but once they arrived, everything went smoothly.

"How much is one gold worth here?" he asked.

"Enough to buy two ordinary horses," she replied.

He searched the Gold Shop for the 'Currency Exchange' system he had found before. It was less an exchange and more a way to purchase 'Gold Mission Coins,' but it worked. He could trade one gold for one in this world. He exchanged a hundred of his remaining gold.

"Let's buy two and get going."

He wanted to arrive as quickly as possible, which meant short rests and long journeys. After buying two horses for two gold each, they rode all day. No one stopped them. At some of the larger castles, guards checked faces against crude drawings on paper, but they couldn't recognize Kim Buja and the princess in their disguises.

And so, another journey began.

"This is boring."

It was extremely dull and tedious.

"How much longer?" he asked.

"At this rate, one week."

"Damn it."

All they did, day in and day out, was ride their horses on paved roads, stopping only to rest at inns in villages or castles. He was thankful he could at least summon whatever food he wanted from the Gold Shop; without that small comfort, he might have truly lamented the harshness of it all and regretted his choice.

'And there's no eye candy...'

The princess wasn't the princess right now. The person riding alongside him was just a stocky woman in her mid-thirties. The moment he had steeled his heart and refused her offer replayed in his mind daily. 'Maybe I should have…'

He sighed.

Just a little more patience. Soon, he would return and grind dungeons to his heart's content. That was far more entertaining.

The tedious journey had impressed upon him the sheer vastness of the continent, and another hardship awaited him when he finally arrived in the region where the Imperial Army was said to be.

"What is this?"

A castle stood with its back to a towering mountain, the very picture of a natural fortress. Its walls were so sturdy that one could believe this castle alone could stand even if the rest of the Empire fell. If they established a base here and gradually expanded their forces… it seemed entirely possible.

The only problem was that this Imperial Army was a little different from what he had imagined.

"The flag flying over there is the same one I saw from the carriage. Are you sure the Imperial Army is really here?" he muttered, suspicion creeping into his voice. "You're not actually a princess of the Alliance who brought me here to root out hidden Imperial loyalists like me, are you?"

The princess fell silent, and her eyes trembled. Having been sold off in the same carriage as him, she had no way of knowing.

'Sigh. Of course.' It was never that easy. There was no way the system would hand over two level-ups and two stat points without a catch. For a moment, he seriously wondered if the Hologram's management style was modeled after that of a game company.

"Should we go in and see?" he suggested.

She answered, "Yes."

The sturdy castle gates were open, and people were streaming in and out. They could investigate the situation once they were inside. He still had plenty of time left on his faceless mask.

In fact, as he stepped inside, passing through the gates with none of the inspections he'd faced at other castles…

His vision flickered, and darkness consumed him.

* * *

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