by Sakon Kaidou
“You think there’d be more tian-killing if people found out about this, huh?” I asked.
“Yes,” he answered.
I had no idea how many special reward-owning tians there were, but I couldn’t be certain that there weren’t any Masters who would kill them just to increase their chances of getting such items. At the very least, we sure as hell didn’t want to be the root cause of such killings. That was the reason why Rook hadn’t said that in public.
“Are you sure it didn’t slip?” I asked. “What if someone with a high Identification skill saw that part of the description?”
“It wasn’t in the item description, but in a personal message,” he explained. “No one knows this, I’m sure.”
“All’s good, then,” I said.
Though, now that I think about it, I doubt there would be many Masters willing to take the risk, I thought. Tian-killing could get you on the wanted lists, and there was no guarantee that items gotten this way would ever end up in your hands.
“Here are the details of the item.” Rook showed me a window that described the Touch of the Silencer.
Touch of the Silencer, Veltboule
Ancient Legendary Item
A treasure embodying the concepts surrounding the sphinx famed for being a “mage killer.”
In addition to increasing the wearer’s magic and special powers, it provides them with a great resistance to mental status effects and attacks.
Just as the description said, the gloves greatly increased the wearer’s resistance to mental debuffs and attacks while also giving a large bonus to MP and SP.
“So, what are the effects of the skills on it?” I asked.
“It’s pretty interesting,” said Rook. “There are two skills on it. I can’t read one yet, but the one that I can use now is called ‘Silence,’ and it cancels any magic-based skills that are in their preparatory stages.”
“Oh?” I asked.
Preparatory stages? What does that mean? I thought.
“Apparently, if an opponent is chanting or getting ready to invoke a magic spell, this skill will nullify it,” he continued. “But it can’t influence any insta-cast skills or magic that has already been cast.”
So it’s the bane of all casters, huh? Seems like it’ll be useful in many scenarios, I thought.
After all, the skill would cancel any spell that hadn’t been cast yet. Magic-based jobs would become powerless when going against him mano a mano.
“If it was originally owned by a tian, then... I see how it is,” I nodded.
The source of this Touch of the Silencer — the UBM known as Veltboule — had clearly been a creature that specialized in killing casters. It had probably been defeated by a tian who had been strong without having to rely on magic. Later on, the tian had died somehow, and this special reward had ended up in Rook’s hands.
“I must say, Rook,” Nemesis spoke up, “You are quite a lucky sort.”
I couldn’t help but agree.
First Marilyn, then Audrey, now this great pull in the gacha... Rook was definitely a very lucky person.
I wonder if that has something to do with him being a good person, I thought.
“But you pulled something good, too, didn’t you, Ray?” he said.
“Oh right, I got this thing.”
Saying that, I took out the X capsule. I couldn’t open it here due to the thing inside being a carriage or something, so I decided to do it after going through the northern gate again.
“I’m going to open it. Care to join me?” I asked Rook.
“I can’t. I’ve been getting messages saying that I need to return to reality,” he answered.
“Hm? ‘Visitor,’ I assume?” I asked.
“‘Hunger’ and ‘Lack of Sleep,’ actually,” he said. “I’ve been online since yesterday, hunting monsters and leveling. The only food I’ve eaten was in-game, and I didn’t get any sleep at all.”
“Holy crap!” I exclaimed. “Get some food, take a bath, and go to sleep already!”
“Ahaha,” he laughed awkwardly. “I’ll do just that. I’ll make sure to wake up in time for Marie’s plan.”
“Take care of yourself, man.”
After I said that, Rook logged out, so I left his room.
I’d never expected Rook to be enough of a no-lifer to forget his own basic needs.
I guess he’s just another student using his spring break for some unreasonable levels of gaming, I thought.
And so, I left the inn. The “spacious area” I was most familiar with was the Nex Plains north of Gideon, so I made my way to the city’s northern gate.
“Master,” Nemesis said, “shouldn’t we have lunch now?”
“Oh yeah, I guess we should,” I said. “I’ll open the capsule after we do that, then.”
I’d probably go hunting in the Nex Plains right after seeing what was inside, so having a meal before that was a good idea.
Since it was noon, most of the nearby restaurants were full, so I chose one that seemed somewhat empty by comparison.
“...Huh?” I said in surprise.
Inside the one I’d chosen, I saw that the shopkeeper was being questioned by a certain group. Wearing full plate mail armor and cloaks that had the Kingdom of Altar’s crests on them, they asked something of the shopkeeper while showing him a photo-like object.
Realizing that this was why the shop was so empty, I decided to observe them.
From his ragged voice, I could tell that the one asking questions was in a minor state of panic and that the subject matter was serious. However, looking stumped, the shopkeeper only shook his head in response, making it obvious that he couldn’t help them in any way.
After that, a woman from the group tried to calm down her panicked comrade. She was a familiar face.
“Liliana?” I asked.
“Oh? Well, if it isn’t Ray,” she replied.
It was the Kingdom of Altar’s Knights of the Royal Guard, Vice Commander, Paladin Liliana Grandria. I hadn’t seen her since I’d left the royal capital, and by some twist of fate, we had happened to meet again here in the city of duels.
As I was busy being surprised by the encounter, Nemesis telepathically told me something ominous.
“I feel some trouble brewing.”
Chapter Two: Back-Alley Cliché
Paladin Ray Starling
Liliana was the first tian I’d ever spoken to. Her responses had been so natural and she’d seemed so alive that I hadn’t been able to see her as a tian — as nothing more but an NPC. That feeling was still alive, and even though I knew I was in a game, I couldn’t see her as just a game character.
“It has been a while,” she said. “I didn’t expect to see you here in Gideon.”
“Well, I’ve only been here for about two days,” I said.
Probably due to her being my first personal — and physical — contact in this world, my manner of speaking automatically became somewhat courteous. She’d said that it’d been a while since we’d last met, but it had actually only been about eight days.
Now that I think about it, since I’ve started playing, only ten days have passed in this world and only three in reality, I thought. Man, this world’s days sure are dense.
“I must ask — why the dog ears?” she asked, looking above my head.
“Please don’t,” I replied. “Way too much has happened. So, why are you here with such a group?”
Liliana seemed to be somewhat troubled, so I decided to ask her about what was going on. She was surrounded by knights wearing similar armor, flags and unit symbols. Liliana was a Paladin and the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Royal Guard. From that, I could assume that the people with her were part of the Royal Guard, too.
“Well, Ray, we—”
“Lady Grandria!” one of them cut her words short. “We cannot let any outsiders know of this!”
It was the same man who’d been questioning the shopkeeper. He was glaring at me — or, rather, at t
he back of my left hand.
“But Sir Lindos, he is one of us — a Paladin,” said Liliana.
“He isn’t the same as us just because we share a profession,” retorted the man. “This is something we have to do without relying on Masters.”
It was clear by now that he was Liliana’s comrade — a Paladin from the Royal Guard. He also seemed to have a dislike for us players — the Masters.
“It’s only fair for him to hate your kind,” commented Nemesis.
Indeed. The Kingdom of Altar’s Knights of the Royal Guard had reasons to hate us Masters. Altar’s Masters were the ones who hadn’t helped much during the war, and the Imperium’s Masters were the ones who had done the most damage.
The king had even been killed by a Master, so it was only natural for him to hate us.
“But there are things that only they can know,” said Liliana. “We are not in a situation that allows us to choose who we get help from.”
“...That is reasonable,” he said, giving in. “In that case, please search the way you think is best. We will continue looking for her as we were. However, you should only request assistance from those you trust.”
“I understand,” she nodded. “Be careful in your search.”
“Certainly,” he said. “Come, men, we’re continuing this in the fourth district.”
The man Liliana had called Sir Lindos gave the other knights an order, and they all left the shop.
The only ones left inside were Nemesis, Liliana, me, and the shopkeeper, who seemed visibly relieved.
“I see,” said Nemesis. “From how he expressed his dislike for Masters, I thought he was an impulsive sort, but it seems that he’s malleable when he needs to be.”
Or maybe the situation is just grave enough for a Master-hating knight to accept a Master’s help, I thought.
“I am sorry, Ray. Sir Lindos isn’t a bad person or anything, but...” said Liliana.
“No need for that,” I said. “He seemed to be in a hurry.”
“Yes, about that... there is something I’d like to ask you.” With those words, Liliana took out a single photo.
It gave me a minor déjà vu, making me remember the first time I’d met her. However, the person on the photo was different this time.
“Have you seen this girl anywhere?” she asked.
The person on the photo was a young girl. She looked no older than nine. Her face was a strong contestant for the most good-looking one I’d seen so far here in Infinite Dendrogram. Of course, that was only among females. Rook was incontestably at the top if both genders were considered.
The girl in the photo had golden hair done into rolls and coils, and striking blue eyes that seemed to express a strength of heart. I also couldn’t help but notice that her clothes were very well-made. I didn’t know much about such apparel, but even I could tell that she wore a high-quality dress.
Her appearance, combined with the dignified way she was sitting in the chair, made the photo look like one of those formal marriage meeting photos.
She’s a bit too young for that, though, I thought.
Anyway, there was no way I could’ve missed a person that stood out this much, so...
“I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen her,” I said. “So, who is she?”
From how the knights were panicking, I could only assume that she was the young lady of some important nobles.
“Eh?! Umm, uhh...” Liliana couldn’t hide her surprise at my question and looked at me with a perplexed expression. It wasn’t because she had trouble talking about the lady in the picture or anything. The bewilderment seemed too strong for that. She was acting as though I asked her something weird, like the answer to one plus one.
Once she realized that I really didn’t know the girl, Liliana gave me the answer.
“This is the Kingdom of Altar’s second princess, Elizabeth S. Altar.”
“Ohhhhh.” It all made sense now.
“When someone asks you something that’s supposed to be common knowledge, it’s only natural to become perplexed,” commented Nemesis. “I’m not one to talk, though. Since we share most of our memories, I didn’t know the girl, either.”
How unbecoming of a Paladin, I thought of myself. I really should’ve investigated the ruling structure of the kingdom.
“So,” I said. “If you’re looking for her, then...”
“Her Highness went missing while we were visiting Gideon, and we of the Royal Guard are now searching for her,” she explained.
This seems like some serious trouble, I thought.
Since I didn’t know anything, Liliana gave me all the details about the disappearance of the princess.
First of all, she was the daughter of the king who had died in the war with Dryfe. The king had three daughters, but no sons. The missing girl’s elder sister — the first princess — was the acting ruler of the country.
The Kingdom of Altar had no rule that prevented females from inheriting the throne, but historically, the country had had more kings than queens.
Due to that, even though a whole six months had passed since the fall of the king, the accession had yet to happen, and Elizabeth was still just “the second princess.”
She had come here to Gideon to participate in some official event. She had arrived here and begun staying in Count Gideon’s mansion about two days ago.
Yesterday, she had still been there to talk with the count and participate in the preparations for tomorrow’s event. Today, she’d had plans to talk with some powerful people of this city. However, when one of Elizabeth’s maids had gone to her room this morning, she found no sign of the princess anywhere.
There had been only a piece of paper — marked with the royal seal — that said “I will be back by evening.” From the handwriting, it was clear that she hadn’t been kidnapped, but had slipped out on her own volition.
Also, it was well known that the princess had wished to look around Gideon, and had become quite upset when she’d found out that she wasn’t allowed to.
Additional info: Liliana made sure to be as indirect as possible when saying this, but the princess was whimsical, excessively vigorous, terribly insolent, and so full of curiosity that it was troubling.
Basically, the princess had slipped out of her roles just so she could go sightseeing in Gideon.
Of course, the Royal Guard couldn’t just let her walk around the city by herself, so, naturally, they’d begun searching for her.
If there was one thing I could say to this situation...
“Don’t you think you should up your security?” I asked.
I mean, they let this little girl slip past them. That’s clearly not right.
“You are completely right about that...” she said.
But it turned out they’d actually had a valid excuse.
During the time period in which the princess had made her escape, there’d been a certain bit of trouble.
It had happened in the process of passing the role of protecting the princess from the Third Order of Knights to the Knights of the Royal Guard. It didn’t seem like that could ever be particularly troublesome, but there had been a reason for it being so.
The princess’ visit to this city had been planned a long time ago. Back then, it had been decided that her protection — from the moment she left the capital until she finished her business in Gideon and was safely back home — would be in the hands of the Royal Guard.
However, the player killer incident had made them postpone the day they’d left the capital.
Once the killers had been taken care of, they had finally been able to leave, but there had been a whole new problem. It was the event that — as we’d confirmed with our own eyes — had reduced Noz Forest to cinders.
Most assumed that the one responsible was King of Destruction the Unknown, but there was no proof of that.
However, it had to be known, so the role of meeting the King of Destruction and asking him about it had been given to the only one in
the kingdom who knew him personally — Liliana. Apparently, everyone else who had been acquainted with him had died in the war.
Liliana was the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Royal Guard. However, since the Commander’s seat was empty, she was basically the top of the order.
Since there were some problems with the prospect of the Royal Guard protecting the princess without Liliana’s presence, the role had been hastily given to the Third Order of Knights. It had needed to be done because the princess’ leave had already been belated due to the player killer incident, and they hadn’t been able to afford any more delays. But that was the very cause of the trouble.
After she had finished questioning the King of Destruction about his role in the Noz Forest incident, Liliana and her Royal Guard had made their way to Gideon and arrived today, early in the morning. Right upon arriving, she had tried to take the role of protecting the princess from the Third Order of Knights.
During that process, both groups had looked at each others’ documents and found out that there were some inconsistencies. The inconsistencies were so big, in fact, that no one could even believe that they’d actually happened.
They had all had to compare and adjust the documents they had while occasionally using magic communication tools to contact and confirm certain points with the people in the capital, and that had cost them more than an hour of time. Once they had finished that and mentally prepared themselves to protect Her Highness, they’d found out that the princess had disappeared.
“...Oh man,” I said.
She had probably noticed the trouble going on and seen an opportunity to make her escape.
Sounds like she’s a resourceful girl, I thought.
“The document trouble might’ve been devised by the princess,” said Nemesis.
Ha ha ha, as if... I thought. Then I realized, Wait, you know what? You might actually be right.
Though it was slightly unrelated, Liliana’s exchange with the King of Destruction had gone like so:
“Were you the one to do it?”
“YES.”
“Why?”
“I was angry, so I just did it. I feel bad about it, though.”