A week has passed since that day in Voros' workshop. Things have started to flow naturally and for the first time, I've started to feel at home in this world. I think that the assimilation of Nadia and Vivian has finally reached a stable point in my mind.

For the past seven days, I had breakfast with the family after my secret morning workout, which I am sure they are mostly aware of by now, then I head to the company at the same time my Father heads to work, I stay there from 9 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, sometimes I would drag it to 7 in the evening but I always arrive home before dinner time.

Having such a routine is healthy for the mind. My days since my transmigration were a hectic mess and I couldn't make heads or tails of my sleeping schedule but now it is all nice and dandy. My mind thinks slower about things and it gives me time to appreciate a world I am starting to find beautiful.

And on this particular Friday, I even gave myself a vacation, how cool is that? Being your own Boss is the fucking best.

I can sit under the sun in a nice floral dress, wear a big hat, doodle something on paper, drink from a river of tea, and even head out to the gun range to shoot some bullets with Titania, my new baby gun.

This life is the best.

"My Lady."

A voice approached me with nimble steps that I almost couldn't feel until it got so close. I turned around and watched as Oliver, the errand boy, approached me carrying a small box in hand.

"Oliver, you're finally here."

"I apologize for being late, my Lady. I didn't want to be seen carrying such an expensive thing in the streets." Oliver said as he bowed.

"It's alright. I wasn't in a rush or anything."

I have been anticipating this delivery for some time now and it is the reason why I am sitting alone in the back garden. I have been spending 10,000 pounds for the past few days on these deliveries and Oliver was just so helpful with them.

As I opened the box, I found a small amount of beautiful-looking crystals that had a colorful luster. These are Magic Crystals like the ones I once swiped from Robert's stash and they are the premium currency from the game which can be converted to System Points or SP for short.

A week ago, I purchased a magic crystal with 1000 pounds. Once I converted it with Sir System, I got 458 points. I purchased another Crystal with the same price tag the day after and I got 425 points.

Like that, I speculated that there may be a rough difference in the quality of each crystal but on the third day, the 1000-pound crystal gave me 381 points.

That was an alarming drop. For the following few days, I kept purchasing crystals with the same specs and price and made sure they were all of the same quality, weight, and color even. Each day, the SP I got kept decreasing. I got 326 points then 260 then 183.

In the box Oliver brought me today, I had three Crystals rather than one this time.

After dismissing Oliver, I used the seventh crystal which is worth 1000 pounds and…

« 95 SP have been awarded! »

95? Every drop in reward was worse than the one before it. This is by far the worst loss I suffered regarding crystals.

But I had to go through that, I had to suffer these losses.

There are very specific methods to earn SP and Sir System is very stingy about it. Quests are the best way to earn SP and I have to keep doing them to earn more.

The problem with quests is that they are whimsical and come only in certain situations regarding certain things. It is as if Sir System has its own agenda, and anything that serves that agenda awards me with SP.

Quests fall under 4 types from what I have seen so far. Main Quests like avoiding the forced marriage and impressing father, Emergency Quests like the karma thief and acquiring the spirit lotus quests, Challenge Quests like the one that popped up when I used the gun range for the first time, and finally Daily Quests which I have to do daily in order not to lose SP.

There is also the "Survive" quest which I don't have any idea what category it is from but if I survive a lethal situation, it awards me with SP.

In conclusion, while it seemed at first that money may work on Sir System, there is a limit to that exploit.

But right now, I still have two Magic Crystals remaining each of which costs 1000 pounds. I had no idea what would happen if I tried to convert one of them to SP after the disastrous drop in price.

That's why I wanted to try and see what happens, maybe I can get some hints on how to acquire more SP.

So, without further ado, here you go, Sir System.

« Unable to Absorb! »

« You have reached the limit of absorbing Magic Crystals! »

« Upgrade the System before trying to Absorb more! »

Upgrade the System?

Hohoho! Boy oh boy! Look at that.

"How am I supposed to upgrade you, Sir System?"

« Requirements Not Met! »

"Alright, what are the requirements?"

« … »

Sir System didn't even respond and I feel like there is something I am missing. If Sir System wants an upgrade, it can just ask for it with a quest.

Hmmm…

Can it be that I am missing something?

I don't know, something doesn't add up. It should be obvious if Sir System is giving me the silent treatment.

Daily Quests? A secret maybe? Something I am missing?

Well… I guess if only I can get more SP, the answer may be clearer or I may discover another hint.

At least that's a plan.

I get 200 SP every day from the daily quest in addition to a Panacea flask that is exclusive to me. Yesterday, I tried to double my workout amount and I got no reward in particular.

I need to trigger one more quest right now.

As I thought of that, I could see Logan walking his horse back to the stable and an idea came to mind.

"Logan! Wait!"

I jumped off my seat and ran towards him.

"What's going on?" Seeing me come so quickly, Logan asked.

"I want to ride a horse." I said.

"No. Have a good day." His reply was instantaneous to the point where it shattered my soft feminine heart.

"Hey! It is not even against tradition for a woman to ride a horse." I followed him persistently.

"First of all, you are wearing a dress, you should wear something…" He started speaking without looking at me so…

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Done! What's next?" I said.

He turned to me and almost had a jump scare.

"Wh… How?"

I simply switched to my formal outfit without the coat dress.

"I was wearing it from the start." I replied.

"No… I swear you were in a white dress with blue flowers and a hat or something…"

"You must be having a sunstroke, Sir Knight. Now, don't argue with me! What's next?" I asked and put on an air of authority.

"… You need a horse."

"Can't I borrow yours?"

"Carlos is a Lozanish thoroughbred stallion. He'll throw you off once he smells weakness."

"Well, my family still owns the stables."

"… After you then."

I walked ahead with the confidence of a brat and arrived at the stables where the family's horses are kept. Most of these were the horses of the knights and the ones in the grand stable where my father's selection of horses, all of which are off limits. Logan led me to a small stable where some riding horses were peaking their heads through the fences and enjoying their morning hye.

"Those seven horses are fairly young and new here so no one will say anything if you ride any of them." Logan said.

"And the others?"

"They are taken, Knights tend to be a little sensitive about who gets close to their horses." Logan said and kept explaining, "While a young horse will be less stubborn than an older one, they are still a bit demanding to control. Old ones are experienced and easy to guide but most of them have developed quite the temper."

"I see. So I have to choose between one of those?"

"Take your pick." Logan said and picked a straw from a horse's feeding trough and put it in his teeth to pass the time while waiting for me.

Boy, you have made a mistake!

Ten minutes passed and I couldn't even decide.

"Pick one already!"

"Well… Liam looks cute with all that silvery hair but Edmond has that luster in his coat. Richard seems a bit tricky though since I don't like brown."

"You've got to be kidding me… you named them after those guys?"

"Well… This one has a silver mane so it's Liam, that all-black one is Edmond, Richard is that guy that foolhardy keeps hitting his head to the fence, Valentine is the one that didn't get his face off the hay since we arrived, and those two sleazy ones are Ian and Ronald, you can't feel right around them."

"So that one is Robert?"

"Yep, the little pony over there. Look how small he is."

"You are so petty."

"Alright, I'll go with Liam for now."

"Saddle him up, then."

"Erm… how?"

It took Logan a fair hour teaching me how to put on a saddle and reins for the horses, how to feed, groom, water, and walk it for a while. And then it was time to ride.

"Well… that's embarrassing!"

I may have gotten a little bit excited because now the horse is facing forward, I am facing backward, and Logan is facing downward laughing his ass off.

Even after I fixed myself forward and got everything in order, the horse refused to move even with Logan pulling it for me. A few seconds later, Logan jumped to catch me as I was thrown off.

"It is my fault, I am the one who called him Liam. I should have expected to be thrown off! Those Liams!"

Next off was Edmond.

The horse didn't even give us a chance to get to him, he kept making lazy rolls whenever we got close.

Richard the horse was akin to a force of nature, it kept hitting everything around itself whenever I got close so it was a skip.

Valentine was still eating and refused to move away, that hay must have tasted really nice.

Ronald followed silently at first but every time he spotted the horses from the other stables, he kept getting distracted and ran over to them.

Ian was just small like a pony but would always try to bite me off like a dog, even with the attitudes I've seen so far, that one was the least friendly.

The last horse was, of course, Robert. Somehow, I couldn't help but tease him a bit yet unlike the others, that Robert was chill. He ate well, chewed nicely, and let me ride him with ease.

"You are no Robert, from now on, you are Robin."

That was instant chemistry with that horse, finally, I could enjoy a horse ride without having to worry about being tossed over or bitten. Robin was a gentle horse and had a good nature even. According to Logan, Robin is a colt under the age of four and can't be ridden that much yet but in half a year when he reaches the age to be a stallion, there will be no problem riding him for extended periods.

"Good boy, Robin. Good boy. Now, try to catch some wind?" Logan said as he pulled the side of the reins and started running with Robin and me on it.

I could see the joy of horse riding even though it is still intimidating. Neither Vivian nor Nadia had prior experience riding a horse so this is something new for me to learn away from their lingering memories and emotions. I dare say it is the first time I have something of my own.

This riding and training kept going on until I finally received a message.

« New Daily Quest: Cavalry Training (Novice) »

————————————————————

[ Cavalry Training (Novice) ] < Daily Quest >

Train with your horse for at least 15 minutes every day.

* Time: 15 minutes daily

* Reward: 100 SP

* Penalty: None

————————————————————

I was hoping for a challenge quest but to think I would get another daily quest. One without penalty at that? That's super lucky.

But why would an action like shooting a gun cause me to unlock a trait while other things like training an aura manual or trying horse riding turn into a daily quest?

Can it be because of the Dormant Records?

If my guess is right, I don't need daily training in something that is already dormant inside me and all it needs is a bit of awakening and dusting off.

That sounds plausible.

But the fact that the reward is half of the Knight Manual Training and there is no penalty means that somehow, Sir System isn't recommending it that much.

« You have completed Cavalry Training (Novice) »

« 100 SP have been awarded! »

After 30 minutes of riding through the gardens, I decided to stop a fair distance from the gun range. As a new gunsmith took over after Jane's father. This man seemed to have learned from the mistakes of his predecessor and whenever I come visit the gun range, the poor man silently takes his leave for a while.

This is how villainess should be treated, well done me.

"Alright, Logan. Do you remember how to fire one of these?" I said and took out one of the guns that Jane and Voros made.

So far, Jane has made another Mouse Gun and seven medium guns that fire 0.41 rounds. Most of these new ones were made for testing and quality control before trying to add a extra few touches and suggestions like rifling the muzzle to make bullets spin and break air resistance to improve the accuracy.

"These genius new guns, I actually started to miss them." He said.

"Here you go then, and how about a little competition?"

"Well, knowing you, this is going to be a challenge."

"Thank you. So, we shoot the targets at all distances. On hit, you move from the nearer to the closer target, if one of us misses a single target and the other doesn't miss, that's a win." I entailed the details of the challenge.

"Fair. Let's do it." Logan agreed.

« New Challenge Quest: Shooting Competition! »

————————————————————

[ Shooting Competition ] < Challenge Quest >

Challenge and win against Knight Logan at a gun-shooting competition.

* Time: 10 minutes

* Reward: 100 SP

* Penalty: -150 SP

————————————————————

Now how about that?

Sir System is making the penalty greater than the reward this time. Is it trying to say that if I lose to Logan, I deserve punishment?

"Alright! You go first."

BANG

Logan shot the 10-meter target and hit easily holding the gun by one hand.

I used a different gun of the same kind but knowing how nasty the recoil is, I can only shoot while holding it with two hands and dear life.

BANG

And headshot!

"Goodness! The poor straw doll got its head blown off!" Logan said.

"I should have said that headshots count more."

"Easy on me, Princess. I'm still new to this gun cult of yours."

He shot the 20-meter target right at the center with one hand again and I shot a headshot once again.

"Show off!" He said and fired at the 30-meter target.

"Thank you." I followed and shot the target's head but it wasn't right on center like last time.

"Hah! Don't try too hard or I may actually win." He said and shot the 50-meter target but this time, he had to use two hands and aim a bit longer.

"Holding oneself to a certain standard is a sure way to improve." I replied and headshot the 50-meter target right on point.

The 60-meter target made Logan quiet as he needed to focus more and I wasn't sure I could get a headshot after that so I hit the bullseye. Logan's shot, however, only grazed the straw doll.

"I guess that's it, huh?" He said as he aimed at the final target and…

BANG

… he missed.

"Defeatism is something you should always avoid, Logan." I aimed and hit the bullseye once again.

« You Won! »

« 100 SP have been awarded! »

Up until this morning, I have accumulated 2128 SP from Magic Crystals, 200 SP from Aura Manual Training, 100 from Cavalry Training, and 100 from challenging Logan.

A total of 2528 SP added to the 1200 SP from the previous six days of training and the 59 SP remaining after giving Voros Tarot readings when I first met him a week ago. This all sums to a grand total of… 3787 SP at my disposal.

Now that I could earn more 300 daily points from training, I feel like I can turn these quests into SP Farms somehow.