The damage from this invasion was truly catastrophic.
During the previous dragon incident, the battle took place at the Western Watchtower. While the casualties were high, the city itself had remained intact.
But this time was different. We managed to halt the Stormcloak soldiers' advance, but we couldn't stop the catapult stones and fire arrows.
Countless houses were smashed by stones, and the gardens and various facilities were completely reduced to ash by the fire arrows.
The number of fallen guards was too staggering to even put into words. Honestly, why does such terrible luck keep striking Whiterun?
Things were already grim because of the dragon crisis, and then this invasion hit like a finishing blow.
If there's a silver lining, it's that Whiterun is now officially under the Empire's protection.
General Tullius sent a massive amount of manpower and relief supplies to aid the city's recovery.
And from what I remember, there are no more major incidents that should threaten Whiterun. I just hoped the damage would be repaired as quickly as possible.
**
"Oh—this looks cozy and nice!"
"It even has an alchemy lab!"
"And there are exactly four beds."
We were currently at Breezehome, the house available for purchase in Whiterun. For some reason, this house had miraculously escaped damage.
It was sparkling clean, and all the furniture and decorations were in great condition. It looked like it came fully furnished.
"Haha! This is so soft!"
"I want to lie down too!"
Choi Ha-neul and Eloise flopped onto the beds like children.
"All the tableware is brand new as well."
"I'm not sure if we'll ever actually cook, though."
Lydia and I checked the daily necessities in the drawers. The cupboards were packed with spices and alchemy ingredients.
'Isn't this a bit too much stuff?'
For the record, I didn't buy this house with money. It was a gift from Balgruuf.
"Your bravery has given my people great hope, and both I and this entire city owe you a great debt.
As a small token of my gratitude, I am granting you Breezehome, located right near the entrance of Whiterun. You no longer need to rely on the inn."
I knew some kind of reward was coming, but I didn't expect him to just hand over a whole house.
It was practically like earning ten thousand septims at once.
Now we wouldn't have to waste money on inn rooms anymore.
I wasn't the only one; everyone seemed surprised by this unexpected generosity.
"However, in whose name should I register the deed?"
The game logic is surprisingly realistic when it wants to be.
Choi Ha-neul tried to decline, but we all agreed that it should belong to her, as she had contributed the most to the battle.
After finalizing the deed and receiving the keys, we came straight here for the housewarming.
"There you are. Take this."
While I was touring the house with my party members, feeling a swell of pride at being a homeowner, Legate Rikke found us.
She had written a report for Tullius regarding the incident and had our next orders ready.
"As you know, you are part of my unit. Your achievement in defending Whiterun is truly impressive, but this war isn't over yet."
She informed us that her unit was currently engaged in the campaign to retake the Rift.
"My command post is here. Deliver the report to the General and then find me at this location."
She handed me a map and pointed out the base for the detachment handling the Rift.
I was a little puzzled.
From what I remembered, the next quest after defending Whiterun was usually to retake the Pale, where Dawnstar is located.
"Aren't we retaking the Pale first?"
"Another unit is already handling that region. Apparently, the failure of the attack on Whiterun crushed the rebels' morale, making the operation go smoothly."
'It's slightly different from the original.'
Well, fine by me. The faster we finish the war quests, the better.
"Yes, Ma'am. I'll deliver this to the General. And please, take this."
I pulled a soul gem from my pocket and handed it to her.
"A soul gem? Why are you giving this to me?"
I told the puzzled Legate that she'd find out soon enough, and then we left Whiterun.
We traveled to Solitude and met Tullius at Castle Dour.
"It's you. I heard about the great work you did in Whiterun. Truly impressive. Holding off such a vast army with so few men..."
He gave a rare smile and added that even he, in his younger years, wouldn't have found such a feat easy.
I handed Rikke's report to Tullius.
"Thank you for coming all this way to deliver it. I assume you know your next assignment?"
"Yes. We're to retake the Rift, correct?"
"Correct. However, because we are currently focusing more on retaking the Pale, the support troops for the Rift won't be sufficient."
Tullius warned that this operation would be quite difficult, but there was no need to worry.
I've played through Skyrim more than ten times. The solution was already prepared in my head.
"Then we'll be on our way."
"Good luck."
I said goodbye to Tullius and left Castle Dour. I thought about teleporting back to Rikke immediately, but decided against it.
"Hmm? Aren't we going right away?"
"Come to think of it, if we go now, she'll probably be on the road. It would be a bit awkward to just pop out of nowhere in the middle of the highway."
We had reported to Tullius only ten minutes after parting with Rikke.
She definitely hadn't made it very far from Whiterun yet.
"That's true."
"Well, it's lunch time anyway. Should we grab something to eat?"
"I'm in! I'm so hungry."
I nodded along with Choi Ha-neul at Lydia's suggestion.
Solitude, as befitting the capital of Skyrim, was lined with high-end restaurants, tailors, and gift shops.
"How about that place? Looks like it has a nice atmosphere."
"The Silver Goblet?"
The interior visible through the windows was elegant, and the whole place felt sophisticated. It had a fair number of customers too.
Since it was a restaurant in the capital, it was bound to be decent no matter where we went.
—Tinkle.
As I pushed the door open, a bell attached to the silver-ornamented frame chimed with a clear, refined sound.
"Welcome."
A waiter in a neat uniform greeted us at the door.
His movements were tidy and dignified.
'Definitely a high-class establishment.'
We followed the waiter across the luxurious marble floor and sat at a table.
The menus on the table were bound in leather with silver trim around the edges.
The list was full of dishes with unfamiliar names I hadn't even seen in the game.
The prices were easily triple those of a normal restaurant, but with our full pockets, we didn't mind at all.
It was my philosophy that a little luxurious nutrition is necessary every now and then.
I flipped through the pages, reading the items.
Nirnroot soup, Elsweyr Fondue, and even smoked salmon. Just the names made my mouth water.
After a moment of deliberation, I ordered the Elsweyr Fondue.
I've always loved cheese, and I was quite curious about Khajiit cuisine.
Inside the hall, where the scent of warm bread and spices drifted through the air, I spoke while waiting for the food.
"By the way... how about we just rest here for today and set out tomorrow?"
"That sounds good."
"I don't mind!"
They agreed, and I mentally organized my plans.
Solitude has plenty of easy side quests. It was a golden opportunity to raise my stats by handling requests from the citizens.
"Your meal is served."
Just as I was recalling the various quests in Solitude, the waiter arrived with a tray.
The meal was, as expected, even better than I'd hoped.
The rich scent of cheese filled my mouth, and when I dipped the bread and blanched vegetables, the cheese stretched in long, gooey ribbons. The combination of crispy bread and savory cheese made me smile automatically.
'This is the life.'
It tasted even better because I'd gone through hell recently.
Once the meal was over, the girls tried to drag me along to see more of the city.
"Come on... let's go together!"
Choi Ha-neul pulled at my arm with a playful, coaxing voice, but I shook my head.
"Sorry. I have business to take care of."
Faced with my firm refusal, she eventually gave up with a pout.
I felt bad, but I didn't have the luxury to just play around. I needed to get stronger, even if only by a little.
After waving goodbye as they left, I immediately went to find Octieve San.
The man loved his drink, so he was bound to be at the tavern.
As expected, inside the Winking Skeever, I spotted him laughing loudly over a drink despite it being broad daylight.
"Excuse me, I heard you have a debt."
When I approached and spoke, he put down his mug and glanced at me.
"Hm? How did you know that?"
"Does it matter? I might be able to solve that problem for you."
His face lit up, and a glint appeared in his eyes.
"Truly? I'd appreciate that! But wait... you look familiar."
Now that I thought about it, I had delivered a letter to Octieve San before.
"You're mistaken."
I brushed it off with a casual smile.
He looked puzzled for a moment but soon dropped his suspicion.
[Quest Started!]
ㄴ Clear Octieve San's debt.
ㄴ Success Reward: Stamina +10, Two-Handed skill slightly increased.
'Not bad.'
After hearing about the creditor, Irnskar, from Octieve, I went looking for him.
I found Irnskar resting on a bench and approached him.
"Hello. I know this is sudden, but could you clear San's debt?"
"Huh? What are you talking about, out of nowhere?"
He replied as if I was speaking nonsense. Now it was time to use my Speech.
"He's just a helpless old man. (Persuade)"
"That's his problem, this is business."
Damn, it didn't work. I'll have to try being a bit more threatening.
"You wouldn't want to get that face of yours scuffed up, would you? Clear the debt. (Intimidate)"
"Not at all. I'm not afraid of you."
Even though my Speech level had climbed to nearly 40, it wasn't enough to get past his firm stance.
I didn't like it, but for the sake of getting stronger, I had no choice but to open my wallet.
"Sigh... how much? I'll pay it for him."
Only then did his expression soften.
"Now you're talking sense."