Chapter 347
Sorry for not updating for some time . Thanks you for reading that far
"EVERYONE!!! WE'RE GOING ALL OUT FROM THE START!!!"
The victory celebration the other day still resembled a proper victory celebration.
**"YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"**
However, what begins with Amina's call has already transcended the category of a victory celebration—it's a full-blown festival.
Having finished the human side's celebration, we are now participating in the spirits' side.They seem to be getting used to festival preparations, setting up the live venue, preparing food stalls, and street performances.
"LET'S PUMP IT UUUUUUP!!!"
Lady Esmeralda, delighted to be on the drums after so long, is handling the sticks with incredible sharpness.Utilizing her Class 8 physical abilities, she accurately keeps the rhythm while avoiding monotony.Claudia, Ingrid, Nell, and I also weave our music in time with that rhythm.
We used to hold regular lives back in the Spirit World, and while it's been a while since I touched an instrument, my fingers remember surprisingly well.
The spirits' excitement seems even more intense than before, perhaps because it's been a while.
"FOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Yeah, let's ignore the Spirit King-like figure waving a glow stick in the front row for now.
"AMINA-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!"
And let's also ignore Dark-san screaming his lungs out right next to him for now.
The premium seats (S-seats) for the live are fully open to the spirits who participated in or supported the recent Aži Dahāka battle, so I can see a line of familiar faces whooping it up.
Volunteer spirit backup dancers further hype up the live, and new songs are being performed.
I understand there's no better event than this for recreation, but...
"Playing non-stop for half a day is insane."
There should be limits to things, right?We did take breaks in between, and Amina got really into it and started singing with all her might.
Getting swept up by the atmosphere and responding to endless encores led to this.
"Phew! I sang so much!""Drink a throat potion, will you?""Okay!!"
Amina, who probably had it the toughest, is thoroughly pleased, sitting on a chair, wiping sweat with a towel, and drinking a potion like a sports drink.
"Oww, my arms...""That's what happens when you go full throttle from the start. Please show me your hands; I'll cast Heal.""Oooh, thank you."
Well, the biggest victim is probably Lady Esmeralda.Stat-wise, her physical abilities are the lowest.
It's precisely because she's high-level, Class 8, that she could keep drumming non-stop for half a day, but even so, after pushing through, she's paying the price, showing significantly reduced grip strength.
Claudia, who maintained a steady pace, gently casts Heal on Lady Esmeralda enduring muscle soreness.
"Ahhh, it feels so good...""Esmeralda-san, you were amazing.""Yeah, that drumming isn't something just anyone can pull off."
The Heal must feel incredibly good.Lady Esmeralda's expression relaxes as if she's been revived, looking relieved. Nell and I exchange wry smiles seeing her face.
"Some food has been delivered from the stalls.""How's the situation outside?""It seems it will take some time to settle down. Right now, the spirits are performing an improvised play on stage about defeating Aži Dahāka.""Sounds fun.""Who's playing whom?"
Playing a live for half a day straight consumes a fair amount of calories.Naturally, that leads to incredible hunger.
Ingrid must be tired too, but she can manage to bring in the food delivered outside the waiting room.She probably saw the cause of the cheers outside then.
We got to hear some quite interesting details.
You'd think having your own actions turned into a play would be embarrassing, but right now, the post-live excitement and fatigue overlap, so I don't feel that.I'm purely curious about who is playing "me" from the Aži Dahāka battle.
"For Liberta-sama, a dark spirit is playing the role. For Nell-sama, a fire spirit. For Amina-sama, a light spirit.""Hmm, safe choices.""Maybe because of hair color?""Then I'd be an earth spirit?"
Given my appearance, a dark spirit playing me is fitting.It's not Dark-san, right? If that spirit were playing me, I'd kinda want to see it...
"Lady Esmeralda is played by a lightning spirit.""Is it because she uses magic?""Her hair color matches too, doesn't it?""Claudia-sama was played by a wind spirit. Probably to depict her speed of movement.""And what about Ingrid?""I was played by an earth spirit."
It seems spirits whose image vaguely matches are playing the roles on stage.At least, we seem to be in it. Curious, we get up and go outside the waiting room. Cheers echo.
Looking over, we can see the stage where spirits are fighting a CG-quality Aži Dahāka that puts actual CG to shame.Since we're watching from the wings, it has a different impact than from the audience seats, but...
"Hey, I didn't fight that fair and square.""Maybe it's depicting the replica one?""I was just singing in the back the whole time!"
It's a stage play, so the dramatization is excessive. The spirit playing me fights gallantly, like some honorable hero from somewhere, supported by a spirit singing in a position to back me up—likely due to the many Amina-fan spirits.
Feeling a bit sorry for defeating it with a full-on cheap-shot combo, I head back to the waiting room.
"How was it?""There was a 'me' that wasn't me.""Looked pretty fun.""Kinda wish I'd seen it from the start.""Oh? Then shall we watch the stage performance scheduled for next time?"
It was just Nell, Amina, and I who went to watch. The remaining three were snacking in the waiting room.Upon sharing our thoughts on the spirits' play, Lady Esmeralda dropped a somewhat ominous remark.
"There's a... stage performance?""Yes, a musical accompanied by a bard's song. Father is supporting a theater troupe, going all out for Liberta's image promotion, he says. He's gathering top-notch performers even from the Edelgard family."
The spirits' stage is fine.That's just in-house fun. But the Duke's thing feels like a serious attempt to leave a mark in history.
"Lady Clarice, Lord Barbatos, and Lord Kon are also cooperating.""......"
If my disciples are cooperating too, I don't think my single word could stop it now.Well, if I said it's embarrassing and to stop, they probably would.
But the compensation would be the dejected expressions of my disciples, included without fail.Imagining that made me hesitate to ask them to stop.
'Liberta, are you here?'"Dark-san?"
Thanks to Dark-san arriving at the waiting room, I missed the chance to stop it.He's in his usual military uniform, but the uchiwa fan and spare glow stick tucked into his belt, plus the headband, look incredibly mismatched.
'Yeah. Sorry to bother you during your break. I forgot to report about the materials from the other day.'"Materials? You mean that gemstone?"
The mysterious gemstone embedded near Aži Dahāka.Thinking the spirits might know about it even if I didn't, I had entrusted it along with the Aži Dahāka materials.
'It turned out to be quite an interesting item. Even I, who have lived many long years, had never seen it, so I sought wisdom from spirits who lived in eras even older than mine.'"Did you figure out something?"
I had asked to be informed if there was any progress, so there definitely was.
'Yes. To state the conclusion first: it is Stardust Magic power.'"Stardust Magic? Is that different from regular magic power?"'It is. This clump of magic power is not from this star.'
I thought magic power was a common energy-like thing for everything.In fact, in terms of FBO's game design, magic power was recognized as energy common to all living beings.
However, according to Dark-san, it sounds like something different.To use a currency analogy, it's like Yen and Dollars, I guess?Both are currencies, but differences arise: Yen in Japan, Dollars in America.
'Magic tools that you all use won't activate with this magic power; mishandling it could even cause a runaway reaction.'"Like a specification mismatch?"'It is said the source of life, magic power, was created by the gods. Items that operate on this world's magic power won't work with the magic power of gods from other worlds.'"I see."
From Dark-san's explanation, I understood it's a valuable item but currently just a pretty stone.
'It is a remnant of gods from other worlds that flew here during the ancient era of divine strife. I had heard the gods of this world collected them all, but...'"So it's a so-called artifact... Hmm?"
I was about to conclude it was just for display, but the combination of the words "ancient era" and "other worlds" reminded me of something.
'What is it, Liberta?'"Well, how should I put it..."
It's a story from a long, long time ago when I was obsessed with FBO and my personal life balance was a mess.There was a live stream where FBO developers shared behind-the-scenes stories.They'd often talk about such topics within non-spoiler limits, and I'd watch and enjoy them every time.Among those, there was a session where a developer talked about a discarded idea he regretted.
It was an episode about an attack by extraterrestrial lifeforms, leading to a story development involving ancient civilizations.An SF development that would smash the fantasy world.
The story development direction didn't get approval from the higher-ups and was scrapped.Opinions on that stream were divided; some players thought it sounded interesting, while others said scrapping it was the right call.
In the end, under the management's desire to preserve the worldview, the space-themed update was shelved and never made it in until the service ended.
"I remembered a possibility that gives me a bad feeling."
If, hypothetically, the game based on this world is FBO...It wouldn't be strange if plot developments deemed too harsh by management were cut.
Then, does this mean there's a chance—however slim—that future enemies could be alien-like beings from space?
'You have some idea? But Liberta, you said you hadn't seen that gemstone before.'"I really haven't seen it. But, well, a rather absurd story came to mind..."
That sounds like a recipe for a crappy game.I want to tell them not to implement in reality something that wasn't even implemented in the game.
Just when I was thinking about leisurely building my town from now on, this information feels like it's telling me there's no time for leisure, damn it.
'Absurd?'"Yeah, well... It's the kind of story that feels foolish even to talk about."
Surely, SURELY not, right?I want to deny it. Deny it with all my might.
But, if it's that FBO management, it wouldn't be strange if they secretly created such a storyline or held onto information that could be its prototype.
'Seeing that expression, I can't think it's foolish even if you say so. Why don't you tell me what you can for now?'"Well then, I'll take you up on that offer."
Talking is free.And above all, Dark-san might know something too.
Ideally, he'd laugh it off as ridiculous, but considering the future...
'There were tales like that in the ancient stories.'"Eh, seriously?"'Quite old, and very few, but there should have been.'
It seems the fantasy of a flag named 'trouble' rushing towards me at full speed, refusing to be shrugged off, is becoming visible.