Chapter 135
“That’s right. I have no intention of standing on the public stage, and even though Shilent is a meritorious contributor, he’s currently receiving treatment. That means the person who stands as the head of our group…the leader will need to appear.” (Shizuma)
“Yes, that’s how it will go. He’ll probably have to attend the ceremony as well. Seimu-san, I understand you’re someone who cherishes a peaceful life. But I also understand you’re someone who extends a helping hand when needed. That’s why I thought it might be better not to inform you about this announcement. No… perhaps I was relying too much on that. I might have asked you to attend.” (Kokuri)
Kokuri-san’s words were probably true. But at the same time, considering the existence of the Brigade, which has displayed so much power until now, Her Majesty likely wants to confirm with her own eyes whether the one who leads it is someone she can truly trust.
…Well, as long as the attention isn’t on Seimu, it probably won’t be too much of a problem.
“Fortunately, the leader is staying in Lindblum. In fact, the reason I went to the Golda side this time wasn’t just because I had business with the Brigade. In this war, some people did get caught in the crossfire, and there were residents who suffered damage. Someone related to the Brigade was harmed and their child was left behind in the ruins. I rescued the child and brought them back. The leader came here to take the child in.” (Shizuma)
I weave Lent into the explanation to justify why the leader is conveniently nearby since I was given the opportunity.
But perhaps that wasn’t a good idea…Kokuri-san’s face goes pale.
“W-What a terrible thing… Is the Brigade’s leader angry? No, please let me apologize first. Yes… even if the war ended quickly, damage was inevitable. How could I have let that slip my mind…?” (Kokuri)
…Right! The death of someone connected to the Brigade, and the leader personally coming to retrieve a child… Of course that would be treated like a major national incident! I should have thought more carefully about the Brigade’s current influence and position before speaking!
“I-I think it’s probably fine. But since the leader is here, I’ll be the one who has to go manage the group in the meantime, so please look after the leader while they’re here.” (Shizuma) “I’ve thought this before, but… Seimu-san, are you something like the vice-leader of the Brigade? Thinking back, letting someone like that be affiliated with our country…that alone might have caused complaints.” (Kokuri)
“I’ve already settled matters on that front, and I regularly take on requests like this, so it’s fine. Anyway, either tomorrow or the day after… I think the leader will come here. Should they head to the castle afterward?” (Shizuma)
“No…we intend to go greet them ourselves. From what I’ve heard, Shilent-san, you, and the woman named Shire, plus Shizuma-kun…all of you are on par with the Thirteen Knights. I cannot summon the person who leads such individuals and worked to resolve this war and this national crisis.” (Kokuri)
…Looking at it now, perhaps the Brigade has earned too many favors from the country.
If not for Still’s plan, we might have seriously been offered positions among the nation’s top officials.
Even the current treatment is already pushing the limits.
With Shilent’s injury, they probably reconsidered and decided to avoid relying on us any further.
After this Core announcement, they very likely won’t involve us in the nation’s inner workings again.
“Changing the topic a bit, yesterday when I passed near the Mid Layer, Melt said the Adventurers’ Den felt strange. Did something happen?” (Shizuma)
I threw Melt’s question in to shift the topic since it had been on my mind.
“Oh…that matter. Well…to put it simply, it’s an extension of a territory dispute. It’s not that serious, but the number of visitors has decreased a bit. Actually, it’s not unrelated to the refugee issue. The country will have to deal with it eventually.” (Kokuri)
“I see… Don’t tell me, among the refugees there’s someone dangerous…?” (Shizuma)
“No, that’s not the case. But well, it’s not something you need to concern yourself with. And the area near the entrance is still thriving.” (Kokuri)
Hmm. Related to the refugee problem, but not caused by the refugees themselves.
It does bother me…but perhaps it’s not something we should get deeply involved in.
“Anyway, I understand that the Brigade’s leader will be coming here soon. Will you be gone again for a while then, Seimu-san?” (Kokuri)
“Yeah, I’ll manage everyone at the Brigade until the leader returns, just in case.” (Shizuma)
“Understood. And lastly…about dealing with this leader…anything I should be careful about? I absolutely cannot risk offending them…right?” (Kokuri)
I understand Kokuri’s concern. Yeah…considering that Shilent follows him, anyone would be wary.
As for the leader… who should I use? Still once said I should use that one.
That character was honestly created solely for a specific purpose.
He is max-level and, job-wise…his two jobs are among the game’s only “special classes”, matching the strongest and second strongest.
“It should be fine as long as you don’t act rude. He’s not violent. He’s more like a kind old man.” (Shizuma)
“An old man…? A senior citizen? That’s surprising…” (Kokuri)
“Well, if he fought Shilent, he could defeat him completely and render him unable to fight. Just keep that in mind.” (Shizuma)
“…Defeat him? At that point… is he still human?” (Kokuri)
The job is honestly weak for story gameplay.
But in the game’s popular PvP arena -player vs player- it was a different story.
The special job Sword Saint is specialized entirely for PvP.
Not strong in PvE, but in PvP…
Overwhelmingly fast skills, fine-tuned movement to control spacing, a huge number of selectable techniques depending on the opponent’s position, abilities designed to utterly dominate in 1v1.
The class concept itself was “for PvP experts”.
Naturally, the difficulty of using it was nightmarishly high…requiring action-game-tier execution, strict inputs, and frame-perfect timing.
But in the hands of someone skilled, it was simply strong. Too strong. The arena once overflowed with Sword Saints, and matches became entirely determined by the players’ skill.
Gear, matchups, luck…none of it mattered.
Purely the pilot’s ability.
Fighting-game enthusiasts loved it, but most MMO players didn’t.
As a result, second and third special classes were added, and two of my characters ended up as the strongest and second strongest special classes.
Still said that made him perfect to pose as the Brigade leader.
“Even so, he’s not dangerous, so if you need him to attend the ceremony or announcement, just ask. He’ll cooperate.” (Shizuma)
“Understood. I see… At first, I tried to convince you to attend the ceremony yourself, Seimu-san. But having the Brigade’s leader come instead… We must prepare accordingly. Thank you, Seimu-san. I promise to do my best so as not to offend your leader.” (Kokuri)
After saying that, Kokuri-san finishes her coffee and stands.
“Thank you for the delicious coffee. Next time, let me treat you. I’ve been studying ways to make cold coffee taste better. A bit out of season, though.” (Kokuri)
“I look forward to it. I like iced coffee too.” (Shizuma)
“Oh? I’m glad. Not many agree with me.” (Kokuri)
Kokuri-san leaves while smiling happily.
…Now then. I need to explain the situation to Melt before switching characters.
I wake Melt, who is dozing again in the lounge next door.
Lent is being used as a body pillow with a blank expression. Poor thing.
“Mm… I fell asleep… Kokuri-chan?” (Melt)
“She left already.” (Shizuma)
“What? Ah…did you ask about the Adventurers’ Den?” (Melt)
“Yeah. Simply put, some faction is fighting. It’s a bit tense. The entrance area is still safe so Hamstey Inn should be fine.” (Shizuma)
“That’s good. Still, fighting is bad, right?” (Melt)
“Yeah, it is. The country will step in eventually.” (Shizuma)
“Good. Let’s have the Queen go ‘Hey! Stop that!’ at them.” (Melt)
Hahaha… if things really resolved that easily, the world would be so peaceful.
Anyway, I explain the new plan… I’ll transform and act as the responsibility-holder over all of us.
Even though we’ve just returned home, things are hectic again, and I feel bad. Surprisingly, Melt looks a bit excited.
“What kind of person will it be next!?” (Melt)
“Mm… Probably still me on the inside. The appearance is an old man, though.” (Shizuma)
“Oh! I had a grandma, but never a grandpa. I’m kind of excited!” (Melt)
For some reason, those words from Melt make my chest stir.
“I’ll probably get called to the castle in that form. You might be asked to come too. That means Lent will be left alone, which I’d like to avoid. So I’m thinking of dismissing the summon for now.” (Shizuma)
“N-No… Lent-chan is so cute, you know? When I hug her she doesn’t resist anymore, and she even hugs back a little. She likes my tail, she uses it as a pillow… She’s adorable! I want to stay with her the whole time.” (Melt)
Hahaha… but I want to check on the result of the test, and talk to Lent directly. So sorry, Melt…I need to dismiss her for now.
Melt hugs Lent tightly and tries to hide her behind her back like a child refusing to let go of a favorite doll.
It feels awful…my heart hurts.
“Uuh… I see… Lent-chan… see you again, okay?” (Melt)
“…”
Melt says a sad goodbye. Lent is expressionless and silent as always.
But then…Lent gives a small nod and awkwardly waves.
“!?? Lent…so she really has developed a will!?” (Shizuma)
“…”
“Lent-chan! See you again!” (Melt)
I need to enter the mind world and talk to her as soon as possible.
As much as I don’t want to, I dismiss Lent.
Watching the small silhouette fade in light…I feel lonely.
Naturally… She has been with me all the way since the Dreamhill Great Forest despite everything.
“Alright…then it’s my turn to change appearances. Since the story is that he’s already in this city, I’ll transform right here and start acting normally without using the underground passage.” (Shizuma)
“Okay… got it…” (Melt)
“Haha… Cheer up, Melt. Someday, if I can summon more at once, we’ll call Lent and Shire together and we can all live in this house.” (Shizuma)
“Yeah…that would be wonderful! But…how will their hearts go back to normal…?” (Melt)
“Yeah… Lent seemed to understand us a bit, though.” (Shizuma)
This will be something to discuss in the mind world.
Still suspects “insufficient summoning”.
Maybe a price or vessel is needed…
I operate the menu and select the character [Rue] while thinking about that.
Light engulfs me. My viewpoint rises.
Not as tall as Shilent, but Rue is tall. He’s an old man though.
Isn’t a tall old man who’s a master swordsman cool?
That’s how I designed him. In the Sword Saint story he acted like an elder master too, so it fits.
“Fuu…”
“Wow! A big grandpa!” (Melt)
“Right? He’s about 190 cm…or one mail 90 sies in this world’s terms.” (Shizuma)
“Heeh! It’s strange… He’s an old man but talks young!” (Melt)
“Yeah. And this body is a sword master. Maybe I can even learn some fundamental movement knowledge…” (Shizuma)
Something drips from my nose, tracing along my lips.
My eyes burn. They hurt. Tears flow nonstop.
No…half my vision is turning red.
“Eh!? Seimu!? Shizuma!? Wait…I don’t know your name in this form yet! Hey! What’s wrong!?” (Melt)
“I… huh…” (Shizuma)
I touch my face. My hand is drenched in crimson.
An alarming amount of blood pours from my nose.
I move to the kitchen sink and turn on the water.
The bleeding won’t stop. The eye pain grows sharper. My vision fills with red.
Blood is coming from my eyes too.
What is this? What is happening?
“Me…lt…” (Shizuma)
My mouth and hands won’t move.
My consciousness collapses into darkness.
…Why…is this…happening…
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