by Sakon Kaidou
“What do you mean, ‘What a relief?!’” Liliana exclaimed. “What happened to the UBM?!”
“I defeated it,” I curtly answered.
“Oh, I see, so you... you defeated it?!”
“Here.” I showed her my boots and opened their informational window.
“...Ray, if I am not mistaken, you became a Paladin about a week ago and were only level 0 before that, correct?” she asked.
“That seems about right,” I said. Time went thrice as fast here, after all.
“Why are you able to defeat an UBM a mere week after starting?! Also, I just realized, but those bracers are...!”
“Oh. Yes. I got these the day before yesterday...” Saying that, I showed her the Miasmaflame Bracers, Gardranda.
Liliana froze solid.
“The scale of what they’re talking about is just ludicrous,” muttered one of the knights to the others. “The only person I know who can defeat a UBM by his lonesome is our late commander.”
“You need to be kind of insane to even attempt it, honestly,” said another.
“This is just off. Our vice commander is forced to act out the ‘straight man’ type of character,” commented the third knight. “I mean, she’s normally the ‘natural airhead’ type, isn’t she?”
“Hhaahh...” sighed Liliana. “Truly, common sense does not apply to you Masters.”
“Well, it’s not like I won just because of my own abilities,” I said. “I had my comrades, lady luck, this horse named Silver, and Nemesis with me.”
“Speaking of Nemesis, where is she now?” Lilliana asked.
“She’s currently resting,” I said. “The things she had to do left her completely drained.”
I unequipped the Miasmaflame Bracers and gently rubbed the crest on my left hand, where Nemesis was sleeping.
“Ray... Nemesis...” Liliana spoke again. “I cannot express how valuable your actions are. Because of you, the awful series of kidnappings in Gideon are over and the UBM disaster was prevented. I believe I speak for all the people of the city when I give you my gratitude. Thank you very much.”
“Well...” I had trouble reacting to that. “It just happened to turn out this way, for some reason.”
I had accepted a quest, gone to save a child, gotten mentally overwhelmed by the tragic sight in the dungeon, let my fury drive me into killing the Lich, and gone on to struggle against the Revenant Ox-Horse. Seriously, I was completely confused as to why things had turned out this way.
Thinking back on it, there had been events which got me all choked up. I’d felt both deathly dread and disgust. My heart had burned with a fire strong enough to sear my very being.
However, once I’d found out that the children had all returned to the city, safe and sound, the aftertaste of this whole event had become a bit better.
Once we were done with the information exchange, we grouped up and made our way back to Gideon.
Since there was no need to worry about any UBM attacks, Liliana and her knights decided to accompany me. Apparently, she’d noticed how tired I was and had chosen to see to it that I returned to Gideon safely. I highly appreciated that.
“...Ah.”
Suddenly, a certain question went through my mind.
“By the way, what happened with the search for Her Highness the princess?” I asked. “I appreciate your company, but shouldn’t you be focusing on that, instead...?”
My questions made Liliana’s expression turn stiff. At the same time, I felt a strong air of nervousness envelop the other knights.
D-Did I say something bad? I thought.
“Based on what you told me, Her Highness was kidnapped by the gang, right?” I continued. “I didn’t get a chance to take a look at the faces of the children in the carriages, so...”
“Her Highness wasn’t in the carriages.” Liliana’s voice as she said that seemed somewhat... flat.
“Does that mean that...?” I asked slowly.
Are there actually more gang members? Did they take her to some other area in the mountains...?
“The kidnapping itself was misinformation,” she said. “A short while ago, one of our people contacted me via communication magic and told me that she’d returned home, safe and sound.”
“That’s grea—”
“I was also told that she was carrying a store-bought mask, sweets, a goldfish, and a painting. She looked thoroughly satisfied.”
“I... uh...”
“The one thing she said to the people of the place she is staying at was, ‘It was most riveting!’”
I was dumbfounded.
...Your Highness, could you please read the mood? I thought. These people spent the entire day searching for you.
Though the way she’d explained the situation to me was highly smooth and matter-of-fact, I could see Lilliana’s forehead twitching in anger.
“Eheheheheheheheheh...” she laughed ominously.
“A-Ahahahahahahah...” I reluctantly joined her.
“Eheheheheheheheheh... Let us change the subject.”
“Good idea.”
Both the mood of the situation and my very instincts told me that delving into this was a bad idea.
We switched to doing some idle chatter and continued following the road towards Gideon.
◇
When we finally reached the city, I couldn’t help but notice that its atmosphere was exactly the same as it had been back when I’d entered it for the first time. One of Liliana’s fellow knights used a communication magic skill to inform the guards about the defeat of the Epic-rank UBM — Revenant Ox-Horse, Gouz-Maise — causing them to no longer stand on alert.
Once we passed the gates, I looked around, but Hugo and Cyco were nowhere in sight.
“Liliana, there’s something I’d like to ask you,” I spoke up. “Have you seen Hugo...? He’s my comrade. The guy who brought the carriages with the children here.”
“Do forgive me,” she said. “I ran out the second he told me of the situation. Give me a moment to ask about him.”
After saying that, Liliana began speaking to the guards stationed around the gates.
A moment later, one of them took a step forward. “After explaining the situation and handing the children over to us, the person in question said, ‘I must return to the other side’ and vanished.”
Vanished? I asked myself. What did he mean by “other side”? Dryfe? No...
“So he logged out, huh?” I said. He’d probably done it to avoid getting questions he wasn’t allowed to answer. The guy hadn’t gotten cuffed or anything, so he would have been able to go offline with no problem.
I wonder if I’ll meet him again tomorrow, I thought.
“Also, he gave me this,” said the guard and handed me a letter.
“Thank you.” I opened it and instantly realized that it was a message he’d left for me.
“Dear Ray Starling. I leave this message to you just in case you choose to stay in this world and either return here safe and sound or your death penalty expires.
First of all, I would like to thank you. Without you, I couldn’t have brought the children back to their parents or the lady we’d met in that alley.
You will likely be offered many rewards for acts such as defeating the Gouz-Maise Gang, and you can rest assured that it all belongs to you. I have no need for any of it. In fact, I’m incapable of taking any rewards from the kingdom’s public institutions.
It hasn’t been long since we’ve met, but I believe I have a good grasp of what kind of person you are. You will most likely hesitate to accept what you’re offered. However, with you having been the only one capable of doing it, you must be the one to take the rewards.
Also, you can rest easy knowing that I have already received my prize. My rewards were lady Rebecca’s smile and the tears of joy that she shed when I brought her little brother to her.
That was more than enough for me.
If you still feel apprehensive about it, you can
pay me back by treating me to lunch the next time we meet.
Please excuse the fact that it’s in written form, but this is my goodbye to you.
Farewell. I hope we meet again. Au revoir. À bientôt.
The machine knight of ice and roses, Hugo Lesseps.”
I was speechless.
In case I choose to stay in this world, huh? I thought. I...
“Umm... Ray?” As I got lost in thought, Liliana looked at me with worry in her eyes.
“Are you sure you are feeling well?” she asked.
“Oh, sorry about that,” I said. “I’m quite fine, thank you.”
“Well, if you say so... Anyway, since you have defeated the Gouz-Maise Gang, please take some time within the next few days to report it to the Adventurers’ Guild and the knight offices. The Adventurers’ Guild is for the bounties, while the knights need to know about the elimination of a criminal organization.”
“I see. Thank you.”
“The day is getting late now, and I believe you are exhausted beyond belief, so please go have some well-deserved rest,” she said.
“I really should,” I agreed. “It’s been a really long day, after all. What will you do, Liliana?”
“I will go back to protecting Her Highness.”
“...Clearly, I’m not the only one here who deserves to be thanked for all their efforts.”
“Oh, there’s no need, eheheh...”
“All right, I will take my leave now,” I said.
“Feel free to,” she said. “Let us meet again.”
With that, Liliana and I parted ways.
Still logged in, I went on to take a nap in one of Gideon’s inns. Once I let myself fall on the bed, all the events of the day flashed through my mind. However, due to how exhausted I was, the sandman took me before I could think about any of it.
This time, I didn’t have any dreams.
◇
The next morning, I woke up surprisingly early.
There was no sunlight flowing through the window and the sky outside only looked mildly bright, so it was probably before dawn. I placed my hand on my head and instantly found that the dog ears that had tortured me throughout all of yesterday were gone. With me spending the night in-game, they’d likely gone away due to the time limit.
“Have you awoken, Ray?” a voice asked.
I looked to where I’d heard the voice — the side opposite to the window. There, I saw Nemesis, who was sitting in a chair and looking at me.
“Morning, Nemesis,” I greeted her.
“Good morning, Ray,” she responded.
After that, we both just wordlessly looked at one another.
Eventually, I broke the silence and invited Nemesis for a walk. I took her to the plains right beyond Gideon’s northern gates. With it being my third time here, the area was already becoming familiar to me.
Nemesis and I were speeding through it while riding Silver. I held the reins and controlled the steed while Nemesis sat behind and held onto me by my waist.
“This is truly pleasant,” said Nemesis.
“Sure is,” I agreed.
As I had such meaningless exchanges with Nemesis, I continued making Silver gallop through the plains. After about thirty minutes had passed, I saw the sun begin to show itself from behind the eastern mountains.
“Will you leave this world?” That was when Nemesis asked me that question.
I said nothing. She was referring to what I had been considering back in the fortress’ basement.
If I processed Infinite Dendrogram the same way I did reality, it was questionable whether staying in a world so filled with death would be a good thing for me. The sight of the corpses of children I didn’t even know had been enough to make me feel as though my heart had been gouged out. If they were people I was familiar with, like Liliana or Milianne, it would probably hurt me as much as a loss of a friend in reality.
However...
“There’s more to this world than just loss,” I said.
If I hadn’t started Infinite Dendrogram, I would’ve never met the sisters, Rook, Marie, Hugo, Cyco and — of course — you, Nemesis. I simply couldn’t have come to know any of them if I’d only stayed there, and Nemesis wouldn’t even have been born.
“You are aware that you might go through something painful again, no?” she said.
Of course I am, I thought. You’re completely right about that. Events like what we went through yesterday are probably a daily occurrence here. But still...
“If something that would leave a bad taste in my mouth starts happening before me... I’ll just stop it,” I said.
This time, it had been all over by the time I’d gotten there. However, if I was ever in the right place at the right time, I would do everything I could to prevent such a tragedy. After all, the possibility leading to the desired future was there, as long as you didn’t give up.
“I would give my all to grab hold of the possibility,” I said.
“I see,” Nemesis spoke from behind me. “I feel like you are shouldering far more than you should, but I cannot say that this is unlike you. Yes — you should fight to protect. And while you do that...”
Still behind me, Nemesis gently patted me on the head.
The softness of the hand made me turn around.
“...I will be the one protecting you.”
Nemesis, covered in morning light, gave me the most gentle smile.
That expression made me face forward again and swing Silver’s reins to make him canter ahead. For some reason, I had become bashful enough that I was unable to look at her face again. Still, I felt that I had to say something back to her.
“Thanks... Nemesis...” That was all that came out.
As she held onto me, I felt as though she smiled once again.
After that, neither of us said anything more.
Still on Silver’s back, we dashed through the fields as we let that gentle morning of smiles embrace us.
Conjunction Episode: The Night Before
The surroundings of the east gate of Gideon, the city of duels
Midnight.
The day when Ray had fought and prevailed against the Revenant Ox-Horse, Gouz-Maise had reached its end.
The surroundings of the east gate of Gideon — which were completely devoid of people with the exception of the few guards on their night shifts — were suddenly intruded by the appearance of a pair of people emitting a faint light.
One of them was a man clad in a military uniform reminiscent of a pilot suit — Hugo Lesseps, High Pilot of the Dryfe Imperium. Next to him was his Embryo, Cocytus.
After the last event, Hugo had logged out to avoid further questioning from the kingdom, and had now logged back in again after waiting for the right time.
After logging in, the two of them quickly walked away from the gate, entered a small alleyway, and began waiting for something. Less than a minute passed until someone came.
It wasn’t a drunkard or some hoodlum.
Instead, it was a person wearing a penguin suit.
It was the very same penguin that had appeared before Ray last morning, pronounced himself “Dr. Flamingo,” and gotten rid of Ray’s debuffs while also giving him a pair of dog ears.
“Kept ya waiting,” said the penguin.
“Not at all,” replied Hugo. “I spent most of the waiting time offline.”
“You were pretty busy today, weren’t ya? Took care of the gang that was troubling this town, eh?”
“You’re aware?” Hugo asked.
“Indeed I am,” said the penguin. “I was doing some wiretapping on Ray, you see.”
“Wiretapping Ray? How?”
“Not telling. I’ve been listening on him like I would a radio drama, and boy, was it a good one. He’s as much of a Maiden’s Master as you are, Hugh.” The penguin made his body sway and chuckled.
“Well, if you know what he was doing, there’s something I’d like you to tell me...” said Hugo.
&nb
sp; “Yep, he won,” the penguin answered the question before it was even asked. “Victory is his. He actually solo’d a UBM.”
“I see. That’s good to know.” Hugo wasn’t lying when he said that. However, that sentiment was followed by thoughts that completely contradicted it.
If the UBM had given him the death penalty, we probably wouldn’t have to face each other today. After all, a person so straightforward in nature will surely try to stop the plan. Wait, in the first place, should I really be taking an active part in a plan that Ray would try to stop?
Little by little, hesitation began to envelop Hugo’s mind.
“So, Hugh, are you ready for tomorro— no, today’s plan?” the penguin asked, as if it was fully aware of Hugo’s inner struggle.
Hugo quickly held back the hesitation, and reported something. “The Marshall II was destroyed.”
“I see,” said the penguin. “Here’s a Garage with a spare one, then. It’s Marshall II Revised — an improved version of the Marshall II you were using before. Its defense and AGI are 30% higher. The fine-tuning is done, too.”
The penguin reached into his inventory and took out a large, rolled up, metallic scroll much like the one Hugo had used in the afternoon.
“Thank you very much,” Hugo said gratefully. “Oh, I just remembered this.”
Hugo took out a bundle of papers from his inventory. It was the sorcery blueprint that he’d discovered in the hideout of the Gouz-Maise Gang.
“Oh yeah, the sorcery that created that UBM, eh?” said the penguin.
“Well, with the clan already having scrapped the grudge power plan, I think it’s probably useless to us,” Hugo commented.
“Well, you think right,” said the penguin. “After all, we got help from the King of Tartarus for that one, so the sorcery of a high-rank tian is just a bit...”
“Leader?”
The penguin was looking down at the blueprint and silently examining the text. “I see... So just because it’s grudge, it doesn’t have to... This needs to be verified, though...”
After making some conclusions, the penguin put the blueprint into his inventory.
“Back to the matter at hand,” he said. “With that Garage I gave you, you are prepared to be the heart of this plan. Other preparations are just about complete, as well.”