"[NEW QUEST! NEW QUEST! NEW QUEST!]" she yelled, and the familiar glittery screen appeared in his field of vision, glowing so bright it made him blink. "[Quest: Use glue to stick the king's wig to his head during the feast. Make sure everyone in the hall sees what happens! Reward: 200 LP + 1 FREE Rare Draw. Fail: You have to wear the silly chicken hat for two whole weeks and I'll make sure everyone in the estate sees you!]"
Ashreign's eyes widened so much they almost hurt. The king's wig? He'd forgotten that little detail from the game, King Theron wore a dark brown wig to cover his thinning gray hair. It was an open secret in the court; everyone knew about it, but no one ever dared to mention it. Sticking it to his head would be hilarious… but it was also a huge risk. What if the king didn't laugh this time? What if he got angry and punished the whole Khain family?
"[Relax, Laugh Master!]" Ziggy said, as if she could read every worried thought in his head. "[He laughed at the cake, didn't he? He's not the kind of king who gets mad at silly stuff. Also, I already got you the glue, it's in your tunic pocket. Go on, check!]"
Ashreign hesitated for a second, then reached into the pocket of his dark blue tunic. Sure enough, his fingers brushed against something small and hard. He pulled it out: a tiny tube of clear glue, no bigger than his thumb, with a little cap that twisted off easily. It smelled like fresh flowers, not the strong chemical smell of glue back on Earth.
The Sassy Bread wiggled again, as if it was excited. "Glue on the wig? That's actually pretty clever. I approve. Now hurry up before the feast starts, I'm getting hungry, and all this talking is making me want to be eaten."
Ashreign laughed and tucked the glue back in his pocket. He looked around the hall and saw that servants were already carrying out trays of food: roasted beef with herbs, golden brown chicken, steamed vegetables glistening with butter, and baskets of warm bread. They set the trays on long wooden tables in the center of the hall, and the smell of food filled the air, making his stomach growl.
The king was walking toward his throne at the front of the hall, and as he went, he pushed his wig back with one hand — it was slightly askew, hanging a little low over his forehead. It was the perfect chance.
Ashreign took a deep breath, straightened his tunic, and walked over to him. "Uncle Theron?" he said, his voice steady even though his hands were shaking a little. "Excuse me, but your wig is falling off. Let me fix it for you before the feast starts. I don't want it to fall off while you're giving your toast."
The king touched his head, looking surprised for a moment. Then he smiled warmly. "Oh, thank you, nephew. I didn't even notice. You're a good boy, always looking out for me."
Ashreign's heart squeezed. In the game, the king had eventually turned against House Khain, but right now, he was just a kind old man who loved his family. He pulled out the glue tube, twisted off the cap, and squeezed a tiny drop onto his index finger. It was sticky but clear, no one would be able to see it. He carefully lifted the edge of the wig and dabbed the glue on the inside, right where it met the king's scalp. Then he patted the wig down gently, making sure it was firmly in place.
"There," he said, stepping back. "All fixed. It won't fall off now, no matter what."
The king smiled and patted his head. "Good job, Ashreign. Now let's sit down for the feast. I'm starving, and all this cake on my clothes has made me even hungrier."
Everyone in the hall took their seats at the long tables. Ashreign sat next to Lila on one side and his parents on the other. His father, Duke Valerius Khain, was a tall, stoic man with the same dark amber eyes as Ashreign and a jawline so sharp it looked like it could cut glass. He'd been quiet all day, watching Ashreign with a serious look on his face. Now he leaned over and whispered, his voice low enough that only Ashreign could hear.
"That was a brave thing you did with the cake, son. Making the king laugh is a good way to keep his favor and House Khain needs all the favor it can get right now. The Sunlight Order has been asking questions about our shadow blood again."
Ashreign nodded, his smile fading for a second. He'd forgotten about the Sunlight Order's distrust of his family. In the game, that distrust would grow into hatred, and they'd eventually convince the king to turn on the Khains. But here, right now, he had a chance to change that.
He was about to say something to his father when the king stood up from his throne, holding a tall glass of wine. The whole hall went quiet, waiting for his toast.
"Friends, family, nobles of Aethelgard!" the king said, his voice loud and clear. "Today we celebrate my nephew Ashreign's 12th birthday and what a celebration it's been! I've never had a cake on my face before, but I have to say, it's a new experience I won't soon forget. To Ashreign, may he grow up to be a strong, wise leader for House Khain and a loyal servant to the kingdom!"
He raised his glass high in the air… and as he did, he accidentally tugged at his wig with his free hand.
It didn't move.
The king frowned and pulled again, a little harder this time. Still no movement. He looked confused, then grabbed the wig with both hands and pulled as hard as he could. The wig stayed firmly on his head, and his face stretched slightly as he pulled, making him look like a funny cartoon character.
Lila was the first to laugh a soft, tinkling sound that echoed in the quiet hall. Then a knight at the next table snickered, covering his mouth with his hand. Then another noble laughed, and another, until the entire hall was filled with loud, happy laughter. Some people were laughing so hard they were crying; others were pounding their fists on the tables.
The king looked down at Ashreign, who was trying his best to hold back a grin, and his eyes widened in realization.
"Ashreign Khain!" he said, his voice sounding angry at first but then Ashreign saw the twinkle in his eyes. "Did you… did you glue my wig to my head?"
Ashreign nodded, unable to hold back his smile any longer. "I wanted to make sure it didn't fall off during your toast, Uncle. You looked so serious up there, I thought you needed another laugh. And everyone else did too."
The king stared at him for a long second, his face completely serious. Then he burst out laughing a loud, deep laugh that filled the whole hall. He laughed so hard he had to sit down on his throne, holding his stomach.
"You little rascal!" he said, when he finally stopped laughing enough to speak. "That's even better than the cake! I'll have to wear this wig for the rest of the day now — everyone will think I've finally grown my hair back! To Ashreign, the funniest nephew a king could ask for!"
Everyone raised their glasses and cheered, and the laughter started up again. Just then, Ziggy's voice exploded in Ashreign's head, so loud he almost dropped the Sassy Bread.
"[WOOHOO! QUEST COMPLETE! QUEST COMPLETE!]" she yelled, and the glittery screen flashed bright green. "[You earned 200 LP for completing the quest! Plus bonus points for making the entire feast laugh that's 50 extra LP! Total LP: 348! Way to go, Laugh Master!]"
The screen updated to show his new LP count, and then another message popped up. "[FREE RARE DRAW TIME! FREE RARE DRAW TIME! Let's spin the big, shiny wheel!]"
A larger, more colorful wheel appeared in his mind, it was covered in bright colors and little pictures of prizes, spinning so fast it made him dizzy. Ziggy cheered as it spun, her voice full of excitement.
"[Spin spin spin! Come on, let's get a good one! Maybe a minion! Or a cool skill! Spin spin spin!]"
The wheel slowed down, spinning slower and slower until it finally stopped on an icon of a small, jester-like figure with a red nose and bells on its hat.
"[YES! YES! YES!]" Ziggy screamed. "[Rare: JUMPY THE JESTER! He's your new minion! Ta-da! Say hello to your new funny friend!]"
A soft, golden light appeared next to Ashreign's chair, and when it faded, there was a small figure standing there. He was about three feet tall, with bright purple hair, a colorful hat covered in silver bells, a red rubber nose, and clothes covered in blue and yellow polka dots. He did a backflip, and the bells on his hat jingled loudly.
"Hi there! I'm Jumpy!" he said, his voice high and cheerful, like a little bird singing. "I'm here to make people laugh and help you out with whatever you need! Want me to tell you a joke? I've got hundreds of them! Hundreds and hundreds!"
Before Ashreign could answer, Jumpy did another backflip and yelled at the top of his lungs. "Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field!"
The whole table laughed even Duke Valerius, who cracked a small smile and shook his head. Lila clapped her hands so hard they must have hurt. "That's so funny! Jumpy, tell another one! Tell another one!"
Jumpy nodded excitedly, bouncing up and down. "Okay! Okay! Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide!"
Lila laughed even harder, and Ashreign found himself laughing too. He looked across the hall and saw Mai still standing by the window, watching him with a big smile on her face. When their eyes met, she waved gently, and he waved back, his face feeling warm again.
The Sassy Bread wiggled in his hand. "Ooh, someone's got a crush. A big, huge crush. Also, Jumpy's jokes are terrible. I can tell way better jokes. Want to hear one? Why did the bread go to the doctor? Because it was feeling stale!"
"Hey!" Jumpy said, pouting. "My jokes are great! Everyone's laughing! Your joke is the one that's terrible!"
Ashreign laughed and held up both the bread and Jumpy. "You're both funny. I'm glad I've got you two."
He looked around the hall at his smiling family, his new minion, his talking bread, and the king with the glued on wig who was now telling everyone about how clever his nephew was. Back on Earth, his life had been quiet and lonely just him, his laptop, and the game. Here, in Aethelgard, it was chaotic and silly and sometimes a little scary… but it was also full of joy and love and laughter. And with Ziggy's gacha system, he had a real chance to change his fate to keep his family safe and never become the Demon Lord.
Just then, Ziggy's voice popped in his head again, full of excitement. "[NEW QUEST! NEW QUEST! Get ready for tomorrow, Laugh Master!]" she yelled. "[Tomorrow you start at Aethelgard Academy. Quest: Make the headmaster laugh so hard he falls out of his chair. Reward: 300 LP + 1 FREE Epic Draw. Ready to make some academy chaos? I know I am!]"
Ashreign grinned, looking forward to tomorrow for the first time in his life. Academy chaos? He was more than ready.