by Sakon Kaidou
I could only imagine the amount of passion that had gone into the costume. Nothing could really stop a person when they got absorbed in something they liked.
“What about you?” I asked. “Did you join the Triangle of Wisdom because you’re a mecha fan?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I joined the clan because I know the leader. In fact, I started Infinite Dendrogram because he invited me.”
Well now, doesn’t that sound familiar? I thought. I started in the Kingdom of Altar because my brother told me to.
“All right, I have some things I want to know, as well,” said Hugo. “I’m especially curious about the details of the Gouz-Maise fight.”
“Sure, I’ll tell you,” I nodded. “After you and Cyco escaped with the children, Nemesis and I...”
After that, Hugo and I continued exchanging information or just chatting pointlessly for awhile.
“Oh, it’s time,” I said. Before I’d realized it, barely over an hour was left until the event began. I no longer had the time to go shopping at Alejandro’s, so I rescheduled to tomorrow.
“Is something happening?” asked Hugo.
“Yeah, I got my hands on a ticket for the event,” I said. “In the central arena, there’s gonna be a match between Figaro and Huang He’s Xunyu — two Superiors. Do you know about it?”
“I do. In fact, it’s probably what every Master in this city is here for.”
“Are you gonna see it, too?” I asked.
“...You could say that, yes.”
“Oh, we might meet in the arena, then.”
Hugo said nothing. He seemed to be pondering something.
Did I say something strange? I wondered.
“Ray, there’s something I want you to keep in the corner of your mind,” he said before taking a deep breath and continuing. “It’s west.”
“‘It,’ as in...?” I raised an eyebrow, not understanding what he meant.
“It’s nothing important,” he said. “You know how the fighters in the great arena’s matches enter from the east and west? Well, today’s main deal, the Over Gladiator, Figaro, will go in from the west side.”
“Is that how it works? I’ve never watched a match before, so I didn’t know,” I said, unable to shake the feeling that Hugo was hiding something. “Anyway, I’m going to the arena now.”
“I see,” said Hugo. “Cyco and I will wait a bit longer.”
“All right, then. Guess this is goodbye for now. Oh, should we add each other to our friends lists?” I asked. If we ever had business with each other, knowing whether the other person was online or not could be a great help.
“Not now,” he answered. “Let’s do it next time we meet... or the time after that.”
“Hmm. Well, that’s fine by me.” We seemed to have some sort of bond, so I didn’t doubt that we would meet again.
“Until then, Ray,” he said.
“See you again, Nemesis,” Cyco added.
“Yeah, later, Hugo,” I said.
“Until our paths cross once more, Cyco,” Nemesis added.
◇◆◇
“Hey, Hugo. Was it really okay to tell him that?” Cyco asked.
I said nothing.
“Isn’t that what they call ‘leaking information’?” she prodded.
“It might be,” I admitted.
“You don’t want the plan?” she asked.
“...Maybe, maybe not,” I said. “In all honesty, I’m not sure myself.”
“You’re not?”
I shook my head. “I certainly want to help fulfill his desires. If I didn’t, my very existence as Hugo would be meaningless. However, I also cannot ignore women in distress.”
“What an antinomy.”
“Antinomy... that’s a good word for it. I gave Ray the information, but that’s the whole extent of what I did. Whether he acts on it or processes it as idle chatter is of no matter to me. As a piece in the plan, I will only do what I must.”
“Then I will help you do whatever it is you do,” Cyco said.
“Thank you.” I nodded.
Interlude: Before the Festival
Royal capital Altea, State Guest House
In a certain part of the royal capital’s noble district, there was a building meant to accommodate honored guests from foreign lands. One of its rooms currently had three people in it.
The first of them was a bedridden young boy with a mask covering the lower part of his face. The ice pack on his forehead and the occasional coughing made it obvious that he had a condition similar to a cold or flu.
The second person was a young woman standing by the boy’s bed, looking obviously worried. Her thick glasses implied that she was nearsighted, and they made her appear like a fainthearted kind of person.
The third person was abnormally tall, to the point of making someone question whether that individual was actually a person.
The bedroom’s ceiling was high — perhaps surpassing four metels — and yet the creature’s head was almost touching it. Naturally, it was a weird sight, but the other two people didn’t seem to be bothered by it.
The first person was Canglong, third prince of the Huang He Empire. The second was Lan Meihai, Huang He Ambassador. And the third was Master Jiangshi Xunyu, one of Huang He’s Superiors.
Canglong coughed and coughed. “I’m sorry, Master Xunyu,” he managed at last. “I wanted to watch the match and cheer for you, but I’m clearly not in the state for it...”
“It’s fiNe. You just rest till you’re healthy aGain,” said Xunyu in response. “But man, seeing you bedriddEn is just...” The jiangshi heaved a sigh so heavy that the talisman covering the face did nothing to hide it.
“Yes. I find it quite curious, as well...” murmured the prince. “But at the very least, I can be glad that you didn’t get ill, as well.”
Soon after the long trip from Huang He to the Kingdom’s royal capital, Canglong had become part of an Epidemic.
“Epidemic” was a term used to describe any sudden diseases that spread among the weak and strong alike. Masters saw it as an unpatterned, irregular, widespread Infinite Dendrogram event. There were many various Epidemics that covered many large areas, creating sufferers among both Masters and tians. Though some went away with the passage of time, some required special healing methods such as vaccines or healing magic available only to Superior Jobs.
Epidemics completely ignored all stats and resistances. Even high-level Masters would become bedridden or simply log out until the disease went away. They were considered to be natural disasters above human knowledge.
Needless to say, it was quite fortuitous that the current Epidemic was more like the common cold or flu than anything else. However, it was an illness nonetheless. Originally, Canglong had been meant to accompany Xunyu to the Clash of the Superiors and observe the battle, but it was clear that he was in no state to do that. The same applied to the first princess of the kingdom, who’d also succumbed to the Epidemic.
“Oh dear... umm... Your Highness, should I change the ice pack?” asked the woman fretfully. “Or would you like an apple?”
Meihai’s worry about her country’s prince’s condition was needlessly excessive.
“Ambassador, you’ve changed the ice pack five times in the past hour. And I just peeled an apPle for him,” said Xunyu. “Oh yeAh, this country’s queen is sick, too, rigHt? That’s the reason why Cang’s business got postpoNed, isn’t it?”
“M-Master Xunyu!” the ambassador protested. “She’s not the queen, but the first princess!”
“...Whatever. She’s acting as a queen, anYway.”
“She isn’t! There are many differences in a diplomatic setting! First of all...!” Meihai began arguing with — or merely lecturing — Xunyu. Though it made her seem quite childish, she was a member a distinguished family and had a lot of diplomatic skill that made her stand out as an ambassador.
Some might have argued that such behavior didn’t belong in the presence of her co
untry’s prince; however...
“Hee hee. You never change, Mei,” said Canglong before coughing again, clearly not minding her inappropriate behavior.
Though he spoke to her in a highly casual manner, Meihai definitely wasn’t in a respectable enough position to have the prince treat her like that. The reason he did was because Meihai’s mother was Cang’s foster mother, making them foster siblings. That meant that the only ones in the room were those who were close to Cang. The other chamberlains and officials were in a different part of the guest house.
“Master Xunyu,” said Cang and coughed. “Shouldn’t you go to Gideon now...?”
He was looking at the clock hanging in the room. The event would begin in about three hours. Normally, that amount of time was far too small to cover the distance to Gideon, which usually took a whole day and night. However, everyone in the room knew that it wouldn’t be a problem.
“You gonna be saFe?” asked Xunyu.
“You’ve no need to worry,” said Cang. “It’s true that I’m not at my best, but I’m sure I can manage.”
“Don’t be stuPid. You’d be overdoiNg it... Give me your hAnd.”
Cang did as he was told and Xunyu gave him a gem — a Jewel, to be precise.
“Master Xunyu?” he asked.
“It’s a spare Jewel. One of the ones I don’t plan to use in this match.”
“Are you sure you won’t?” the prince asked.
“Duels only allow you to use ones that don’t exceed your caPacity. Take iT,” said Xunyu and made Cang close his hand around the Jewel. Though it was done by the jiangshi’s blade-like claws, the action was strangely gentle, and didn’t put a single scratch on the prince.
“Then I shall take it, Master Xunyu,” said Cang.
“GoOd,” the eccentric nodded in response.
Following that exchange, Xunyu went to the window. After skillfully opening it with those blade-like claws, the jiangshi made them clash.
The resulting high-pitched, metallic sound made one of Cang’s chamberlains hastily run into the room.
“Your Highness! Master Xunyu! What is the matter?!” asked one of them.
“After we leaVe, close the winDow.”
“Excuse me?”
Ignoring the puzzled chamberlain, Xunyu extended one arm to the side — making it reach more than five metels in length — and made the metallic claw wrap around Meihai.
“Eh?” she sounded a voice of confusion.
“Well, ambassAdor, we’re goiNg to Gideon,” said the jiangshi. “Don’t bite your tongue on thE way.”
Then, Xunyu’s body bent...
“Umm, Master Xunyu! I-I’m not quite ready yet, so— AAAAAAaaaaahhhh!”
...and they both disappeared beyond the window, leaving behind only the echo of Meihai’s scream.
A few seconds later, they were on the walls of the noble district, so far from Cang’s room that they looked like ants.
“Goodbye, Master Xunyu and Mei,” the boy said as he raised up his upper body from the bed and waved at them.
The chamberlain had no words for what had just happened, so she did as she was told and simply closed the window.
Thus, the Master Jiangshi Xunyu left the capital and went towards Gideon.
◇◆◇
Gideon, City of Duels, ???
The city of Gideon was full of excitement.
With it being the most prosperous town in the Kingdom of Altar, such a mood wasn’t a new thing here. However, the enthusiasm that had enveloped it this evening was on a different level than usual.
The reason for that was the fact that the event happening in the central arena was simply that big.
It was a duel between Superiors — something that had never happened in any duel city anywhere.
People gathered from in and outside of the city and even other countries, and everyone was full of enthusiasm and expectations for the event. It seemed as though all of Gideon was lapsing into delirium with excitement.
However, the town also included someone who shared none of that sentiment.
That person was looking down at Gideon with cold eyes, and that was no exaggeration. After all, he was wearing an Adélie penguin suit. Those cold, man-made eyes made it hard to guess what the person inside was thinking.
However, from the way the person was groaning and holding his head in his right hand, it was clear that he wasn’t in an optimal state of mind.
“Ohh boy... Ohhh man... Ohhhhhhhhh crap...”
After a moment of writhing, he used the Portable Communication Magic Device in his other hand to contact someone.
Two or so minutes passed before that someone answered.
“Ayy there, Your Excellency,” the penguin idly complained to the person on the other side. “There’s been a change of plans. One of my boys in the royal capital contacted me and, well... he said that the first princess won’t be coming.”
The information he was nonchalantly complaining about was a secret that was supposedly only available to a select few officials.
“And when I told it to His Majesty’s people... well, just her, actually, since she’s his contact and all... she actually went, ‘Then we will simply enjoy the fight and the sights here,’” he went on. “Ohhhh man...”
The penguin and the person who’d answered the call had a certain plan. That plan was based on the participation of the first princess and the help of another person.
“Well, yeah, with her being the Imperium’s strongest, her presence changes a lot. Now we’re left without a joker.”
The penguin spoke his complaints in a blatantly sad manner. Sad as his tone was, however, he was still smiling.
“Well, it won’t be a problem. She was a bit too much for this plan, anyway. Even if I don’t have all five of my cards, the other four are more than enough for the job.”
He went on:
“From my clan, there’s me, Veldorbell, and my favorite. Then there are the betrayers... Yes, the ones that want to switch sides to Dryfe. Sure, they don’t want to go to the gaol, so they’ll probably fight only Masters, but that’s more than enough, honestly. Tians without Superior Jobs aren’t a threat... Oh no, I’m definitely not belittling the Imperium’s forces. Still, what we have is good enough for a 90% chance of success.”
The person on the other side seemed to agree with the penguin’s words. However...
“You want the chances of success if there’s a Superior that’s aware of the plan? 50%.” The penguin answered the person’s question without a moment of hesitation.
“Ha ha ha! ‘Won’t it become lower?’ you ask?” The person inside the suit then put on a faint smile...
“Have you forgotten who you’re talking to?”
He spoke with a menacing voice thick with madness and even bloodlust.
“So yeah, the plan’s target will have to be changed, and I’ll have to do some other tweaks, but I’m still going through with it. You just sit there and pray for my success.”
With that, he ended the call.
“No stops from our sponsor, then. Guess the financial situation ain’t the best, so he probably wants it to be over quickly. This means that the plan’s failure would likely lead to us doing it the field marshal’s way...” The man inside the penguin suit chuckled. “Come what may, I say. Though I have no idea how things would proceed if someone tough showed up. What should I try then? How far should I go?”
As he imagined what would happen next, the suited man’s expression changed. It was reminiscent of both an innocent child pouring water or inserting firecrackers into an ant colony, and a cool-headed, calculating adult considering how things could unfold. However, he soon remembered something and reassessed the situation.
Oh, but anyone tough would probably lose to him before I even got the chance to intervene. The penguin remembered the Master he’d brought to the city. It was a person that he knew very well, and a rookie who’d started Infinite Dendrogram no more than a month ago. Though being a Mai
den’s Master made him quite special, he was still far from a veteran.
His Embryo is a joker card in its own right. Anyone who’s tough and has a relevant history is at a disadvantage. Honestly, if the situation is right...
“...I wouldn’t be surprised if he killed every Master in Gideon all by himself,” the penguin said.
Despite that Master being a rookie, the penguin had unwavering trust in his powers, and in the results he would bring.
Chapter Three: Xunyu the Yinglong
Paladin, Ray Starling
Opera halls and the like had a thing called “boxes” or “loges.” Half-open, half-closed and fixed to the walls, they were luxury seats which gave the best view of the stage.
Our box in the central arena was much like one of those, but not completely. It was closed off, but the wall facing the stage was all glass, giving us an unbroken view of the fight.
The normal seats in the arena were like those in a soccer stadium. The paths linking those with the viewer benches were all made of a stony material, while those of us in the box seats had a carpet under our feet and some fancy, antique-looking chairs — antique-looking by the standard of this world, anyway.
There was quite a bit of space between them, too, giving each of us the option to ignore the rough duels beneath and just relax. And with the fully-functional air-conditioning, the comfort here was nothing short of perfect.
Man, is this fancy, I thought. I can totally see why it cost a whole 100,000 lir. Of course, this is actually the equivalent of spending 1,000,000 yen to watch real life sports, which is something I’d definitely never do.
“For someone with a fortune of 60,000,000 lir in his pocket, you sure are frugal,” said Nemesis.
Having money doesn’t mean I have to be inconsiderate about how I spend it.
“Gacha.”
“Guahh...” I groaned, unable to say anything back to her.
...B-But gacha has a charm that I can’t resist, and...
“Ray, won’t you watch the match?” asked Marie, who was sitting next to me.
“Oh, yeah, I will,” I replied and shifted my attention to the stage.