Epilogue 2 – The World of My Game at Last

"Thank you for playing 'The Murderer of the Counts of Pfalz.'"

"You have been selected as a beta tester who can directly move to and play in the world of 'The Murderer of the Counts of Pfalz.'"

"Do you want to proceed with the beta test? If you do not proceed, the beta test opportunity will be lost forever."

"You have chosen to proceed with the beta test."

"Welcome."

"First, choose your player character.

1. Merchant of Aida Village (Strength, Gold ↑)

2. Guard with access to the Pfalz Household (Many survival items, Survival probability ↑)

3. Servant of the Pfalz Household (Health ↑)

4. Priest blessed by God (Many items to combat demons, Survival probability ↑)"

"You have selected 'Servant of the Pfalz Household.'"

"You have clicked the wrong place."

"Re-selection of player character is not allowed."

"When you open your eyes, you will start the game as a 'Servant of the Pfalz Household.'"

"There are 'Demon Assistant' and 'Demon Hunter' routes, and the type of main quest depends on your choices."

"As your level increases, you can acquire various skills and items."

"Please familiarize yourself with the main quest activation conditions."

"When the main quest is completed, the beta test ends."

"The game will start soon."

"Loading resources..."

"Choosing game UI font style..."

"Paving the roads of Aida Village..."

"Dusting off the fireplace in the Pfalz Mansion..."

"Checking for holes in the mansion's roof..."

"Chasing away onlookers..."

"Counting gold..."

"Planning to extract gold..."

"Setting item prices..."

"Preparing quests..."

"All preparations to enjoy the game are complete."

"The game starts now."

"Hilda, you don't look well today."

Adrian's sudden question during breakfast made me look up. His blue eyes were filled with concern. It was only then that I realized I had been stabbing at my salad with a grim face throughout the meal.

"Sorry. I just had a nightmare last night."

"What happened? You woke up in a fright this morning and have looked troubled ever since."

"It's nothing, really. I'm sorry for worrying you."

I quickly composed my expression, but Adrian asked several more times if something had happened.

I did have a nightmare. During the dream, I was horrified and even felt wronged, but upon waking, I couldn't remember anything. It seemed like a forgotten memory had resurfaced, but strangely, it left me feeling dirty.

Did the system mess with me again in my dream?

"Hilda, you look dark today. Is something wrong?"

After I hastily sent Adrian off to work, Emily came and asked. If even Emily was saying that, my expression must indeed be bad.

"No, I just had a bad dream. Does my face really look that bad?"

"It's so serious that I thought something happened. Do you want me to brush your hair?"

"Yes, please."

As soon as I sat in the chair, Emily brought a brush and gently started brushing my hair. Our Emily is so good at this. Just one look and you can tell she's always had a talent for being a head maid.

It's been six months since Priscilla passed away. There have been many changes in the mansion. I was preparing to officially marry Adrian and become the countess, Emily was promoted to head maid, and Kazimir became the butler. Leticia, Alben, and Olivia decided to retire to a villa after Priscilla's funeral. Katarina, who was considered the next likely head maid, also decided to follow her mother, saying she couldn't leave her alone.

I had hoped Leticia would stay a little longer to help Emily, but seeing her hair turn completely white the day after Priscilla's funeral, I couldn't bring myself to ask. Leticia left the mansion relieved, saying she was at least leaving the two of us together.

Despite my worries, Emily did well. Although young and potentially dismissed by the servants, she led them confidently. She was not just gentle and kind but could make tough decisions, much like Leticia. Or maybe the position made her that way. Either way, I'm proud of her.

Emily reverted to her old self when we were alone, despite her elevated position. She was always perceptive, handling potential issues proactively. She's truly a capable and reliable friend.

Yet, I felt uneasy giving direct orders to Emily, so I delegated most tasks to Dolores. I also made Dolores a floor manager to help control the servants Emily found challenging. Dolores managed well too.

Another notable change... Adrian finally got his lifelong wish for his own greenhouse. With his powers restored, he even asked if he could bring back a demon's flower from hell. If I hadn't visited the hell dungeon, I might have accidentally said yes.

Planting a flower with teeth drooling in the mansion? Naturally, I refused, horrified, and Adrian pouted for days.

This delayed my plan to sell bonsai grown in the greenhouse. He would be shocked to sell something he nurtured so carefully. But it makes no sense to just keep something valuable. Hmm, I'll have to proceed secretly.

"The wedding is next week already. I can't wait to see how beautiful you'll look."

"Emily, speaking of which, why don't you reconsider my offer? The one about opening a macrame craft shop. Currently, you only receive royalties, but if you agree, I'll transfer everything to you and even set up the shop."

"Oh come on, I told you I'm not leaving you alone in the mansion."

Emily laughed as if hearing a far-fetched tale and started braiding one side of my hair. Even after explaining how much one could earn daily from macrame royalties, she had the same reaction. Up to 40,000 gold a day! My friend truly embodies simplicity.

"I also prefer having you here. But wouldn't it be more free and pleasant outside the mansion?"

"Alright, I'll think about it again. Hilda, I'm curious about something..."

"Yes, what is it?"

She drew out her words and paused brushing, clearly very curious.

"Did the Count propose? He must have, right?"

"Oh? Oh... yes, he did. He did."

Well, he did.

"Ah! Really? How? How did he propose?"  

"Well... I don't remember..."  

"What? How can you not remember? I bet the Count made it incredibly romantic and unforgettable!"  

Emily's eyes sparkled with excitement, but she quickly showed disappointment, protesting loudly. When I smiled and apologized, she reluctantly asked me to tell her if I ever remembered. However, it wasn't that I wanted to keep it to myself or didn't want to share.  

I did get proposed to. But I didn't hear it.  

Yes, I mean that literally—I got proposed to, but I didn't hear any of it. Not once, but four times. Each time, I only remembered that it was in a beautiful place and incredibly romantic.  

It wasn't that I didn't pay attention to Adrian's proposal. The system kept interrupting me so much that I couldn't focus. I knew the system didn't like Adrian, but I didn't expect it to interfere with my love life to this extent.  

"Adrian is approaching you to propose."  

"Adrian is proposing to you. Will you accept?"  

"You chose 'accept'. Is that correct?"  

"You chose 'yes'. Do you want to cancel?"  

"You chose 'no'. Do you want to cancel?"  

"You accepted Adrian's proposal."  

"The demon is pleased! Hurry and receive your gold and experience points!"  

"Adrian is curious if you liked the proposal."  

"Title update pending..."  

Every time Adrian proposed, these ridiculous notifications would pop up non-stop, blocking my view. The constant alert sounds even drowned out his voice. After four confessions, all that remained in my memory were the words "Hilda, with me" and "forever." Just those two phrases.  

Moreover, there was an even bigger problem. You might think that there's nothing worse than blocking a proposal, but there was. While a proposal is a one-time event, the alarms started going crazy every night when we made love.  

At some point, messages like "Your bed's durability is decreasing, causing damage," "Your excitement level has exceeded normal," "Adrian's heart rate is rapidly increasing. Suspected 'arrhythmia'!" "Give Adrian some medicine," and "The bed's durability has fallen to a dangerous level" began popping up, making it impossible to concentrate.  

Once, I tried ignoring the alarms on purpose. No matter what sounds or messages popped up, I focused solely on the passionate night. However, without realizing it, the bed's durability hit zero, and I ended up getting thrown off the bed. In the middle of it... Can you believe that? My thousand-year passion cooled instantly.  

Will I have to live with the game system forever?  

If this continues, I'll end up dying with notifications like "You are dying," "Convince the Grim Reaper to lower his killing intent," and "Hurry and take medicine to survive! Otherwise, you will die" flashing before my eyes instead of reminiscing about my life or making promises with Adrian for the next life.  

Of course, there were parts where the game system did help. I managed to complete advanced studies by grinding through the late Countess's funeral with the help of various items and buffs, and leveled up significantly, gaining new skills.  

I also amassed a collection of ancient and mythical items. Opening my wardrobe, I saw ancient and mythical dresses and outfits fluttering with immense power. It was a satisfying sight, comparable to watching my wealth grow, and I would often open it just to admire.  

But those were useful only when needed. Now that the curse was lifted, there was no need to kill anyone, and with no enemies like Harrison around, I didn't need items or skills. I wasn't desperate enough to boost favorability to manipulate people anymore.  

I no longer needed the system, but I was stuck viewing the world only through the game's interface, which was agonizing. Even though I knew better, I unconsciously treated people as NPCs and objects as items, feeling like an eternal outsider in this world.  

Most of all, I was anxious about when the system might extort money from me again. Having experienced a massive loss once, I transferred all but 10 billion gold to Adrian, but managing the household with that situation was highly inconvenient. It's not like a proxy account or anything.  

I want to live normally now... I sighed heavily, looking at the buttons densely filling my view.  

"Kazimir, how did you propose to your wife?"  

"Propose?"  

"Yes, propose."  

Late in the afternoon, returning from external duties, Adrian, who had been staring out the window lost in thought, asked his subordinate sitting opposite him. The subordinate, who had cheekily married three months ago and often bragged about his sweet newlywed life, widened his eyes. He had been daydreaming about how adorable Avril would be when he got home.  

"Propose... I didn't do anything special. I just confessed to her with flowers."  

"Really? And she accepted?"  

"Of course. Avril and I were deeply in love. If your feelings are genuine, the way you propose doesn't matter."  

"As long as your feelings are genuine?"  

"Yes! Absolutely. Oh, but if you're asking like this, does it mean Hilda didn't like your proposal? Oh no... The wedding is next week."  

"... "  

"Don't worry too much, my lord. I'm sure you didn't want to propose poorly. The ability to move a woman's heart is something you're born with. It's sad to think Hilda was disappointed in what could be a once-in-a-lifetime proposal. Should I ask Avril to comfort her?"  

Should I kill him?  

Adrian silently seethed with murderous intent at his subordinate, who was insensitively babbling about how great his wife was.  

"Why did you rush into proposing, my lord? You should have asked her first. Hilda probably wanted a romantic and grand proposal. How disappointed she must have been..."  

Yes, let's kill him.  

Kazimir belatedly sensed the ominous killing intent and stopped talking, while Adrian, who had been about to act, paused. Hilda had asked him not to kill Kazimir because he was competent and promoted to butler. Also, remembering how useful Kazimir was in wooing Hilda a year ago helped him cool down. If needed, Kazimir could be useful for earning money.  

"Kazimir."  

"... Yes, my lord."  

"Keep your mouth shut until we arrive."  

"Yes. I won't open it at all, my lord."  

"I told you to shut up."  

"... "  

"Are you defying my order by not responding?"  

Adrian's pen struck Kazimir's forehead hard. Ouch. Rubbing his forehead and handing the pen back with both hands, he got hit again. Kazimir sat quietly in the corner of the carriage, thinking it was lucky his teeth weren't knocked out.  

Adrian, having gained nothing from his subordinate, looked out the window again in irritation. Now in the height of summer, he would normally admire the lush greenery, but today everything annoyed him.  

The late afternoon sun was unbearably hot and muggy. The wind was sticky and bothersome instead of refreshing. The mansion seemed too far away, making him even more annoyed. The outfit Hilda had admired in the morning felt cumbersome now. The river sparkled annoyingly, and he wanted to dry it up completely.  

After being irritated by everything, he realized his frustration stemmed from an unresolved issue.  

Contrary to Kazimir's words, his proposals were quite decent. He had proposed four times, and each one was not bad. Yet, Hilda hadn't cried. She had wept uncontrollably when he showed her the stars in the sky and the glass beads, but during the four proposals, she hadn't shed a single tear. In fact, she hadn't seemed to listen to him at all.  

Why? Was it too extravagant instead of being simple? Lately, she seemed distracted at night...  

Could it be that she's tired of me? What should I do if she is? How can I win her back? I can't imagine life without her...  

"Oh, my lord. Isn't that Hilda over there?"  

Hilda? Adrian reflexively turned at the mention of her name, deciding that if it were a lie, he would finally take his subordinate's life. But looking at the indicated spot, he saw it really was Hilda. Kazimir explained that she must have come out to greet them on the only path leading to the mansion. Adrian dismissed his words and stopped the carriage.  

Her long brown hair flowed behind her, with a thin braid on the side indicating her friend Emily had styled it today. Lost in thought, she rested her head on her neatly folded knees, oblivious to the carriage or his presence.  

Seeing her, the world changed.

The sky became beautiful as the sunset slowly began. The wind that playfully swept through her long hair was refreshing and pleasant. The river, bathed in the hues of the sunset, sparkled, filling her with happiness. She felt happy seeing her even more beautiful in front of such a pretty scene.

Hilda, do you like the river reflecting the sunset? Do you prefer the cool autumn over the hot summer? Or do you like the white blanket of snow in winter?

As much as I wonder about you, I've come to understand what I like too.

I love your smiling face. When your eyes sparkle with happiness and you candidly share your feelings, my heart melts. I love the way you lift your heels to hug me, struggling a bit. I love the sound of your embarrassed laughter when I lift you up. I love your baby-like warmth. I love how you snuggle in, saying it's warm. I love the weight of you completely leaning on me. I love the way your hips fit in one hand. I love your ticklish ankles. I love your moving lips and warm mouth. I love you so unbearably much, Hilda.

"Huu…"

Just as I wanted to hug her right away, a long sigh interrupted me. I thought she was absorbed in the scenery, but apparently not. She sighed again with her head slightly tilted.

Adrian stopped his approach and observed her. She kept sighing, indicating she was troubled by something. He pondered with her, trying to figure out what it was, when he suddenly noticed something in her gaze. Come to think of it, she had recently been staring into space as if tired and annoyed, looking anxious even when alone. Reflecting back, she always sighed while looking up at the same spot.

Could it be because of this?

Adrian slowly raised his hand. What he was about to do, he had done before, so utilizing the sensation from back then shouldn't be difficult.

Since morning, she had been too unsettled to concentrate on work or books, so she had come out to meet Adrian late in the afternoon. After barely shaking off the servants who insisted she shouldn’t go out alone, she reached the riverside, but the various game buttons and text made it difficult to enjoy the sunset. Once aware of it, it bothered her even more.

“Huu…”

Feeling gloomy, she squatted in front of the river. What if the system never goes away? Will I have to live my whole life seeing this? She couldn’t remember the last time she saw people and scenery without obstructive buttons or text. Would she get used to this after living like this for ten years? Could she continue her life unbothered by numerous notifications and alert sounds? She doubted it.

At this point, she just wished the system would understand her heart and disappear voluntarily. She had thought this a hundred times today alone, but it didn’t seem likely to happen.

Then it happened. Against the backdrop of the river dyed orange by the sunset, white text sparkled into view. She hadn’t done anything, so why this notification? What now?

「Skill function has been closed.」

「Level function has been closed.」

She was puzzled by the new notifications, but briefly. The icons that had occupied the upper and left corners of her vision disappeared, making her view clear. Bewildered, she slowly raised her head. Why did they disappear all of a sudden?

「Affection/Hostility function has been closed.」

「Lieutenant function has been closed.」

「Request function has been closed.」

「Quest/Alliance function has been closed.」

「Adrian has raised his Affection Level to 10.」

「You can no longer raise the Affection Level.」

「Adrian has raised his Affection Level to 20.」

「WARNING! External interference detected.」

「Game control authority has been seized.」

「Action restriction authority has been seized.」

「Gold recovery authority has been seized.」

「The game UI has been completely closed.」

After the skill and level icons disappeared, the remaining icons were erased one by one, and her vision became completely clear with the final notification. Except for the entirety of her fortune that made her smile.

At first, she was bewildered. The world without buttons and text, for the first time in nearly a year, seemed empty and hollow. It felt like losing an eye, seeing the once familiar disappear, bringing a sense of emptiness. And… it was clear and pure. The sky, which had been covered with dark clouds, now shone with countless colors, leaving her speechless.

“Hilda.”

His voice came to her like a dream. The moment her gaze met his, her breath caught.

Seeing him without the game system, and the world around him, was too beautiful.

“Hilda?”

Adrian called her again, observing her reaction, and she ran to him and hugged him in response.

The natural embrace, the warmth that seeped in, the tender gaze looking up at him reverently. All of it was dazzling to the point of tears. At the same time, it was unrealistically beautiful.

Feeling like she was dreaming, she touched his cheek. Had his gaze and face always been like this beyond the relentless notifications? Adrian, without any distractions in her view, was just an ordinary man in love.

There was a time when the game system felt convenient. It showed the other person’s state, affection level, and emotions in text, making it more precise and detailed. Even though it was annoying, she thought it made survival easier and decided to use it as much as possible.

But it wasn’t like that. Even without the affection level, love was evident in his eyes. Even without reading notifications, she felt his emotions clearly. Instead of the warning of pain, she felt the deep and intense heartbeat, and even without the rising affection level, she shared the fluttering excitement. Without reading state notifications, the slightly flushed ears and the hand tickling behind her conveyed his feelings. It wasn't precise, but it was truthful, and even without detailed textual explanations, emotions were conveyed, making her overwhelmed.

“Hilda, your eyes are tearing up. Did I do something wrong again?”

Without titles or definitions, they were just ordinary lovers in love.

“…No. This time, you did really well. This is exactly… what I wanted. Thank you.”

“……”

“Thank you. For calling me so earnestly and bringing me into your world.”

And finally, for making it my world too.

No proposal could be more wonderful than this.

Her eyes heated up as tears welled up. She grabbed his collar, pulling him in, and Adrian, while being pulled, naturally turned his head to kiss her. Their breaths intertwined without sequence.

Her game world had finally become complete reality.

‘Surviving as a Maid in a Horror Game’ (Main Story) End.

References

=> For Adrian's line in Chapter 6, "Her color technique… (omitted) truly a coveted talent," and the phrase "a grand form (omitted) a firm shape…" are excerpts from "Ingrès' Art Talk" (Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingrès, Booknomad, July 28, 2014).

=> In Chapter 8, Leticia's line, "You all! (omitted) So be thankful to the Count and work harder every day!" and the depiction of the servants' life, "Countless silverware and brassware (omitted) I once tried it and my hands got swollen," are referenced from "Daily Life of a British Maid" (Murakami Riko, AK Communications, October 11, 2017).

=> In Chapter 8, Adrian's lines, "The first and the last, the beginning and the end," are from "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." (Revelation 22:13), and "Salvation, glory, and all power belongs to our God," are from "After these things I heard as it were a great voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, Hallelujah; Salvation, and glory, and power, belong to our God." (Revelation 19:1).

=> The arrangement of "The Cat Waltz" played by Adrian in Chapter 9 was referenced from "Is this really a cat, everyone?? - Cat Dance" arranged by YouTube user QBIC.

Here we are, at the end of this series. This has been such an amazing experience, and it saddens me to see this story completed. It has been a pleasure to translate this, and it was all thanks to the support you all showed me, it was truly the best. Thank you.
I won't work on the Side Stories, but to let myself be forgiven, i decided to pick up another novel called "Bailonz Street 13". The main genres are the same as SMHG, and the KR reviews are overwhelmingly positive from the looks of it, so i'm kind of expecting something good from it myself...!
I'm going to post it on this other website (https://salmonlatte.com/novel/bailonz-street-13/) for now, but i'm always open to discuss stuff with you all so feel free to comment here if you have something else in mind.
That being said, once again thank you all so much for the support, comments, kind words and donations until now, they really always made my day <3

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