128-128
◆1.04
Many of the ruins buildings in the downtown area along the canal are draped with colorful banners. In this civilization-devastated world of Seldesia, the adventurer city of Minami is the most advanced in terms of environment. However, even so, not all buildings can be beautifully renovated, so the downtown ruins are covered with banners like this, hiding the devastation.
However, it is not for the purpose of pretending to be booming. There is no need to pretend to be such a thing, and at the foot of these ruins, on the obscene side streets, there are countless signboards and many shops that are attracting customers. It was more of an advertisement in the true sense of the word and an adventurer's own sense of beauty.
The canal city is characterized by the color of the festival, which has become a part of everyday life.
Night has come to the streets of Minami.
In Yamato, where neon electric lights are not used to decorate the streets, the lights of the city are from "firefly lights" (bugus lights) and "magic lights" (magic lights). Banners and signs are illuminated, and the city smells the delicious smell of burning oil.
Passing through the spit-roasting and drinking establishments that cling to the edge of the canal and blending in with the hustle and bustle of the Southardi Walk, the downtown area is filled with numerous restaurants and bars on both sides. Many of them are on the ground floor of abandoned buildings, but the most popular restaurants seem to have refurbished the second and third floors to make room for their customers. In this other world where electric elevators don't exist, stores on the upper floors are not very desirable.
The one Boyle chose in the alleyway where he turned right was not such a street shop, but a basement shop down a narrow staircase beside it.
Minami has few shops on the upper floors, but there are many of these underground restaurants. The lottery to rent a space from Plant hwyaden is extremely popular in the downtown area, where Thousandie Walk and Item Street meet. As a result, these basement storefronts, which are a bit less user-friendly, are getting better and better.
The Zesta's Store is an izakaya (Japanese pub) style restaurant, which is not unusual for this area. There are about ten tables inside the restaurant, which are half full.
Boyle took a seat without being guided and breathed thickly as he sat down without permission. He had been out at Set's for a few days, and today was his first return in a long time.
'Welcome back, Mr. Boyle!
"Oh, Wica! For now--
Beer? I understand!
Boyle's heart fluttered at the familiar girl. A frothy amber liquor was placed vigorously in front of Boyle in a chilled metal mug. Boyle smiles a nihilistic (and Boyle himself thinks) smile, suppressing his inner turmoil, and hands the grinning signboard girl a half-gold coin. A tip.
In Minami, where credit card payments have become so widespread, the gold coins and the half-gold coins that are broken from them are almost exclusively used for tips.
It is said that the Daichijin of the entire Holy Empire of West Runde, who work in Tokyo, collect these chips and send them home.
Wika, as she was called, twirled her shoulder-length purse in front of her ample breasts, which were covered with a white, fluffy, frilly fabric, and tucked away the half-gold she had received from Boyle.
'Today's recommendation is...'
Olive salad, chicken breast baked with miso, scallop and asparagus tartar, assorted sashimi, smoked duck breast, and ginger-grilled eggplant.
Just the mere mention of this menu will whet your appetite.
At Zesta's, the kitchen is staffed by a skilled chef who learns how to cook from the Adventurer every week, and the menu is quite authentic.
In this area, where there are many classic izakaya that serve one-item meals such as miso-stewed pork belly and grilled skewers, the price range is somewhat high. Unless you're an adventurer like Boyle, it can be tough to keep coming back to this izakaya that serves good food.
I'm not going to be able to get it right," Boyle thought as he watched Wika smiling as she took his order and walked away.
The restaurant was about six minutes full.
There are one customer and a group of friends (a party). Every customer had a cheerful expression on their face.
Although the town of Minami has an air of optimism to it, the atmosphere was still lively and relieved.
This is probably due to the arrival of the goodwill delegation from the East that is scheduled to arrive next week and the ceremony that will follow.
This is the hottest topic in town at the moment.
It is known that the delegation was sent by the aristocrats of the United Free Cities of Eastal, an organization of landlocked people in the Kanto region, to the aristocrats of the Holy Imperial Westland, or in other words, the Senate.
But of great importance to the adventurers, Boyle and the others, was the fact that they were being assisted by the adventurers of Tokyo Akiba.
The Kansai-based Plant hwyaden adventurers saw their decision to form a single guild as a way to cope with the changes that had occurred since the Catastrophe and, given the circumstances, as a way to minimize confusion.
Plant hwyaden was forced from its inception, and in some respects its accession to the organization was heavy-handed. But that was necessary in its own right, and in that sense it was accepted.
However, the Plant hwyaden adventurers had one concern, and that was the mental conflicts with the adventurers in Kanto. Plant hwyaden's philosophy of preventing trouble with a single guild was threatened by the existence of the Round Table. The reason being that they had achieved a certain amount of peace and prosperity without the need for guild unification.
Another problem for some of the Kansai
The Plant hwyaden had a particularly close relationship with the Holy Empire of West Runde, and it would be no exaggeration to say that they were inextricably linked. It would be no exaggeration to say that they were inextricably linked to each other. To begin with, the organization's top officials, the Daichijin, from the Holy Empire of West Runde, participate in the Ten-Seat Conference.
In layman's terms, the average adventurer of the Plant hwyaden is somewhat inferior to the Round Table. The panic of the Catastrophe allowed the establishment of a powerful guild, and at this moment they are still cozying up to the Lords of the Earth, a parasite.
It's not so much the ones who are desperate or insensitive to live their lives day by day, but many of us care about them. -- such is the mental distance.
It was not clear to Boyle, Hira's adventurer, what the purpose of this mission was, but if the adventurers of the Round Table had come along with them, and the Plant hwyaden had welcomed them, then that would have changed the current relationship for the better. Isn't it a sign that we are going to do this?
There was such an observation in the city.
There was a sense of relief in the city, and once the air had loosened, all that was left to do was to celebrate and welcome the newcomers.
It was also significant that the Plant hwyaden ally, Wetha, the West Nodoka, issued a statement welcoming the adventurers from the East.
The Guildmaster's words for the first time in a long time were a great relief to the members of Plant hwyaden, since he had not been seen in public for some time, and there had been theories about his imprisonment and the disagreement with the Ten-Seat Conference.
It is true that Boyle is an immensely beautiful woman, but he has no personal interest in Wet Feather, who is far above his reach. With the dissolution of my guild, I am in no mood for resentment.
But as a member of Plant hwyaden, it's important that the guild master continues to run the guild in a healthy and healthy manner. Besides, if you're going to be an ornament, you're a very beautiful woman.
Either way, as long as it eases the tension, it's a welcome relief.
Well, that's not the point.
There's something else that's more important.
Fortunately, the clientele isn't as overcrowded as it could be. There are no rivals to draw attention to it. Boyle fixed the position of his bandana and fiddled with his pocket. The accessory I took out is a rose stone bracelet with a stylish design, although it is not a great piece of equipment from an adventurer's point of view.
Such items are not cheap here in Minami.
In the Elder Tail, a good piece of equipment was a powerful and high level piece of equipment. The higher the level, the more extravagant and extravagant the design usually becomes. In other words, it's generally true to assume that all factors are proportional to equipment level.
However, those items are beautiful to the majority of the earthlings, but they are not practical. The equipment level is not high enough. The items that are usable by the earthlings are of one to ten equipment levels, and most of the lower equipped items are shabby looking.
They are low-level equipment like Boyle's, but they're good-looking enough to be gifts for the earthlings they care about - something that didn't exist in this world. It was a newly developed product developed by the adventurer's craftsmen, and it was reasonably priced.
What are you wandering around for?
Such thoughts startled Boyle, who didn't realize it until the other party came in front of him.
With a smile of positivity, Wika smiled at the positivity, and then laid out the exhilaratingly charred roasted chicken breast, the salad with its bright contrast of yellow and green, and the light red smoked meat to share with him in a worthy manner.
The gesture moved Boyle so much that he had to shut his mouth again, but Wika didn't mind that, saying, "You're our customer, so I'll give you this much service," before recommending it to Boyle.
'You call this asparagus shavings? I recommend the kitchen! But it's certainly crispy and delicious, isn't it? Mr. Boyle doesn't have a squire and lives alone, so he has to eat this kind of food.
It's a word that might feel nosy to some people, but not to Boyle, who has a deep sense of satisfaction with his situation and the fact that he's not alone in it. He feels a deep sense of satisfaction at his situation of being nosy, and a chilling desolation at the fact that he is not alone in it.
You're right. You should at least eat your vegetables.
'What's with the mysterious look on your face? Aren't you going to talk back like you usually do?
I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea for you.
I've been to the Reigang Sixsire, by the way. It's pretty crowded there too. It's a good thing I saw this on the other side of the world, but it's just a souvenir, so take it if you want, I'm sorry it's a cheap one.
He lied about the fact that he didn't happen to see them and that they were made to order by a craftsman from the other side, and that they were cheap.
It is a line that is full of lies and embarrassment, but Boyle, having accomplished the task, thrust the accessories into Wika's hands, along with a brown paper bag. In reality, it came with a black-painted, extravagant box, but since it was going to be "kind of heavy" if it was in there, I purposely replaced it with a paper bag, which is readily available here, and handed it over.
It's quite heavy at the point of sending jewelry to the clerk of a familiar shop, but Boyle's head can't possibly be that heavy, and he doesn't even realize that even that "it looks like it's going to be a lot of things heavy" was a hesitant excuse for "I'll be depressed if I show off and don't receive it" in the first place.
'Oh well, were you in a dungeon or something? It was a dangerous job, wasn't it? Only recklessly........ Ah.........
Wika looked at the contents of the bag and seemed to have an expression of annoyed, but unconcealed happiness and embarrassment on her face. Even Boyle knew that she was one of the tavern's signature girls, and that there were other men who were approaching her besides herself.
But if it wasn't egotism, she's pretty close to one of them (I think). I'm not going to get all up in arms that it will ever work out because it's a love affair, but it's not like he's disgusted with me...I'm sure he's not.
Wika's gaze swept left and right, restlessly raising and lowering her heels. Her breasts, wrapped in a fluffy blouse, swayed with her restless posture, and her pretty face changed in a kaleidoscope of expressions.
''........Is it okay? This looks expensive.
Not really. And this mission was from above. It was a pretty rare acquisition of a quest item, so I got plenty of rewards.
Boyle told the truth.
There were just over ten thousand members of the Plant hwyaden guild living in Minami City, but there were a good three thousand members in the battlefield who were constantly engaged in expeditions like Boyle. Naturally, they are considered important, and Boyle himself is gradually gaining a higher reputation among them. It's not as top-notch as the former members of the Howling and Zangetsu, but it's at the very top of the second tier, if that's what you mean.
In this day and age of technological innovation, even low-to-medium-level magic items for adventurers are sold for a surprisingly high price as materials for experimentation, research and the production of useful items. Again, I delivered plenty of materials in my quest to defeat the Night-Brite. They are warm.
That's why it's okay. Put it on.
Yeah...!
'Thank you,' smiled Wika, slipping her slender wrist through the milky-white, sweetly glistening bracelet and holding it up in front of her chest as if to hug it, giving her a melting smile.
Boyle waved his hand bluntly, stifling his racing heartbeat.
The night in Minami continued on.
The city was at peace, and more prosperity was imminent.
Boyle continued to talk with Wika at the right time afterwards, and chewed on the happiness he had in this city. The outlook for this summer was bright. Happiness will come to me, even after I was washed up on an island in another world.
Back at his roost, Boyle enjoyed his soft bed for the first time in a long time.
I've been on a lot of expeditions and I've been living in a dormitory with only a bed for now, but it's not a bad idea to move out. Plant hwyaden will provide us with a room with enough space to invite people over.
It is a modest hope that I had been pondering until I fell asleep.
1.05
The detached palace in Icoma.
Even that detached palace where Wet Feather dwells has a completely different atmosphere depending on the direction of the separation. The Palace of Kinrenka, located in the northeast, the farthest away from the center of the city, had a lonely atmosphere among them.
This remote temple was used by Saigu Touri.
He was the ruler of the Holy Imperial Westland itself.
He was wearing a thin hunting robe and leaning against the side of a hall with a view of the garden.
Around him is Ains, who is accompanying the emerging nobleman Malvez from Akiva. He was one of Saigu Touri's few chiefs of staff. However, no matter how much of a chief of staff or comrade he is, Tori has no resources to help him fight. The Holy Imperial West Runde is the highest authority, yet a weak force. This is the true state of affairs for Touri Saigu and his party.
"Nio's rainbow trout are very good. Here, eat.
'Huh...'
Following Malvez, who munched on the grilled fish served to the mending in front of him, Ains also took a bite of the salty grilled fish. It's a good thing that you're able to have a good time with your friends.
Ains watched him and proceeded to eat.
Cozy, not bad.
It had been nearly two months since he left Akiva.
Freed from the heavy responsibility of being the Guildmaster of the 〈Honesty〉, with only a dozen or so people left to follow him, he had come to the West Country with his new ally, Touri Saimiya, but Ains was strangely calm and energetic.
''Have Ains and the others gotten used to life (life) here?''
Yes. And they've been good to me.
Life here could hardly be described as simple or opulent.
The quarters provided were in a separate building for the guards near this detachment, and while they were large enough and had plenty of rooms, they seemed to be old fashioned. The pillars were thick and the walls were thick. The water supply had to be to the well outside. The bathrooms are small.
Such accommodations were inconvenient, but on the other hand, the building itself and its furniture were of high quality. The chests and couches decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay and carvings are what Ains and the other adventurers would consider to be antiques. Their functionality and storage capacity were low, but they were fine works of art.
It's a bit like eating, and even though he is no longer in power, he is the head of the Saigu family, which sits atop the Holy Empire's West Runde. He receives support from the Senate when it comes to food and daily consumption, and the ingredients he uses are the finest imaginable. Ains and his entourage were suspicious at first of the paucity and unevenness of the food, but upon closer inspection, they found that it was nothing to worry about. It's just that Akiva and her adventurers are extraordinarily curious about food, and this is a normal range of food for the nobility to eat, and the quality itself is, as the carefully selected words say, 'imperial warrant'.
To sum up, despite the inconveniences and inconveniences here and there, the sincerity Touli was showing me was of the highest order among them, and I had no choice but to thank him.
As for the inconveniences, just being an 'adventurer' in the first place gives you a wide range of things to deal with. You can add or replace furniture, and you can remodel your lodgings. The adventurers have a tremendous advantage over the adventurers, as they have the ability to prepare their own meals. We can even prepare garnishes.
"Hey, Ains. I've told you this is a bad idea. Can I have a piece of that?
Come in.
Malvez quickly took the grated daikon and a small citrus fruit resembling a sudachi (Japanese radish) out of the Magic Bag and put them in a large bowl.
You put a little soy sauce on the grater. The spicier the radish, the better. It's good to have a hot radish, the hotter the better. The rainbow trout go down a treat.
You're right," Ains said, but when he thought about the fact that the grated daikon went out of Ains' bag, he had a sensitive expression on his face.
The Adventurer has the advantage of strength and strength, so you should at least let him eat the grated radish.
Yeah.
The most difficult of all the inconveniences is the location of this detached palace.
It is to the east of the city of Minami and to the south of the capital of Kyou, so to speak, which makes it an important location at an equal distance from both, but in reality, it is a remote and remote mountainous area. In reality, however, it is a remote and remote place deep in the mountains, and if you want to go out either way, you will need to go down the mountain, and in terms of transportation, there will certainly be problems.
However, if you are an adventurer, it is a different story and you can run down the five kilometer long mountain road to Minami in less than ten minutes. Some of the high level riders used by the Adventurers are not even eagle lions, but can fly for short periods of time and can even traverse forests.
This is why Ains and the breakaway group from the Honestis were making their daily purchases and gathering information in the cities of Minami and Keough.
"The situation in Rande doesn't look good.
I'm sorry.
'Ains. What do you think of the situation between Kyou and Minami? What do we do now?
Ains thinks about the watered down topic.
It's not so much an abrupt chat as it is a topic that Ains and his party have been working on for the past two months.
Objectively speaking, Ains has no reason to serve this fallen prince of Yamato. Although he was knighted, that is no longer the case in name only, and Ains doesn't even live in Akiva. From a profit standpoint, there would be no reason for him to follow Saigu.
However, Ains had no intention of abandoning Saimiya Touri.
It's not that he didn't like the young man, but more importantly, Ains didn't dislike the young Saimiya. Ains felt that this young man, strangely obedient and even open-minded for the heir to one of the oldest families in Yamato, was worth following.
We will overthrow the Senate and create the rightful Lord's world!
It's also violent.
I'm going to take down a big guy and marry a lovely princess! It's a man's true nature!
It's not a mistake," Ains said to himself, glaring at his partner, Malvez, who was laughing at his giggling partner (in the organization, they are considered to be equal partners) with a sideways glance, "Well, it's not necessarily a mistake.
It's not a mistake, but it's probably not the right one either.
Honesty, which pursued an expansionist strategy in order to secure a voice in the Round Table, has fallen from grace, and the Akiba Governing Authority, which was set up with the aim of becoming the governing body of Akiba, has failed.
What is victory?
Without a doubt, the guild with the most influence at the Round Table was the D.D.D. The D.D.D. had lost its leader, Krusty (at least he was no longer in a position to lead it), and had given up the guild's influence. The D.D.D. has lost its leader Krusty (at least he's no longer in a position to lead it) and has given up its size, but as far as Ains is concerned, it doesn't seem to have diminished its influence in the slightest.
Ains gave up the size that he had so bloodily sought, and split up the guild's structure of guiding and protecting the rights of the members he had fallen in love with, and the trust and ability to carry out his duties that remain.
To say that Ains' personal leadership skills were lacking would be an understatement, but if you think about whether that's really the essence of it, perhaps it's not. It's not about charisma or management skills, it's about a much bigger, more strategic decision.
The problem that is now developing at Yamato is, in a word, a catastrophe.
The catastrophe is not over, and it is still going on at the present time.
There are two meanings to this.
The first is that the catastrophe, an unprecedented phenomenon of this magnitude, is still unfolding at this very moment.
In the beginning, the Catastrophe was thought to be the consciousness of the Adventurers in this alternate world of Seldesia. From the point of view of Ains and the other adventurers, it was the incident that brought them suddenly into the world of the Elder Tail. From the moment it happened, it was considered by both the Adventurers and the Earthlings to be a sudden and extraordinary event, a momentous and irreversible event. The reason for this is that all of the Adventurers woke up in this alternate world at about the same time, in a flash, and without any additional information.
But this is now considered to be a mistake. Roderick's work at the Round Table has revealed a strange phenomenon in Yamato, a gradual increase in the distance between two points. There have also been other attacks by the Codex Alimentarius.
We do not know the causes and mechanisms of the Catastrophe, so it is difficult to say for certain, but a Catastrophe is not a momentary explosion, but rather a phenomenon that occurs at a certain point in time and slowly transforms the world long afterwards. Or, to put it without embellishing the word, isn't that the kind of phenomenon that erodes? This is what Ains and the other adventurers who share a certain amount of information about this matter are now beginning to believe.
The second is the transformation of society and the world itself, which is taking place in various parts of Seldesia, perhaps even beyond Yamato. In this other world, the Adventurers have existed for a long time, but they did not "live" in the sense that they do today. A catastrophe changed everything, and the Adventurers were forced to become a part of this world. And if the Adventurers roamed the land at will, all sorts of changes would occur.
As well as job improvements and technological innovations, as in the case of the Sevenfold Fortress, vanishings that had gone on without a hitch would come to a standstill, or systems that had not been in place before would be used, and monsters that had never been seen before would be defeated. And this would bring about a drastic change in the society of the earthlings living in Seldesia.
A nobleman with a fish-hook has a taste for grated daikon and says, "I've become addicted to this pungent taste! But there are many more irreversible changes, huge changes.
The Adventurer and the Man of the Earth.
The Round Table and Plant hwyaden.
The Saigu family and the Senate.
The Holy Empire of Westland and the Free Cities Alliance of Eastar.
The conflicts are numerous and confusing, but they all have one thing in common. A catastrophe has rewritten everything and made the present a thing of the past.
The rules that used to apply have been broken, the common sense we used to rely on has been rendered useless, and people are wandering around in search of a guidepost.
An era of turmoil has arrived.
This is not only in the sense of military force and military affairs, but also in economic and cultural affairs, organizational relations, and the conventional status and hierarchy of people.
And once again, Ains asks himself, "What is victory?
What is victory?
The Holy Empire of Westland is in the midst of an unprecedented political conflict.
Ains made that statement.
Of course, the Alliance of Free Cities of Eastar is not without its challenges, but the Holy Empire of Westarande is larger and more urgent by comparison.
In the end, the problem with that is the weakness of the governing body.
'I don't think so! The Holy Empire of West Runde is a great power with a long history.
No, I don't think so. The conflict between us and the Senate. The opposition between the Lords and the Adventurers. The plant hwyaden and the traditional nobility. These are the things that make the Holy Empire of Westland so fragile. --Aren't you, Ains?
Tohri snapped the fan in his hand shut and caught the exact point Ains was trying to make. Ains returned the eye salute to that thoughtfulness and continued with his choice of words.
'Yes. The history may be there, but it has caused a rigid organization to be uncomfortable with the changing times and pumping for its own interests. Lord Malvez. Lord Tohri speaks highly of himself as a weak force, but I disagree. And I don't think the Senate is strong enough.
Is that so?
They overthrow the old aristocrats and make themselves the mainstream of the Holy Empire of Westland. We will hold the casting board of the times and change the world. Malvez, who only thought of it that way, cracked his eyes.
I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. The strength and the assets that come from the level. And the violence of civilized people is also endearing compared to the Adventurers. The root of the current turmoil in the West Yamato is the internal division of the Plant hwyaden. Even if this is resolved, the conflict between Plant hwyaden and the Round Table is what lies ahead. In other words, the Senate and ourselves are riding at the heels of the quarrels between the Adventurers, calling for war and trying to get in on the action. It seems so.
"...I see. Does it look like that to Ains?
Of course, that's one way of looking at it.
The adventurer is being used by the Senate to further the Senator's ambitions.
That's one way of looking at it.
But in the first place, there must have been a hundred years of peace between the Holy Empire of Westland and the League of Free Cities of Eastar, in the name of non-interference.
Both Malvez and Tori would like to deny it, because they've had their heads held down, but from the point of view of the adventurer Ains, the Holy Empire of Westarande is weak.
They are the descendants of cowards who have withdrawn from the League of Free Cities Eastal because they are afraid of its military might, and they simply can't complain because they don't have the strength to fight.
It would be difficult to describe them as "strong" when you look at the fact that that relationship has continued to the present day. If they had laid bare their ambitions, it was because the adventurer element had appeared in this world and seemed available to them.
"Touri-sama, embrace your enemies.
"--
What happens when you crush such a weak enemy as an enemy?
There will only be conflict between the newcomers and the other forces of the Earthmen, except for the new Senate. The only way to negotiate with the strongest entity in the world, the Adventurer, is to destroy the Senate, and we cannot afford to do so. We will have to swallow them and grow. That is the natural course of reason.
And after that, what do we do? You're going to fight one of the Adventurers? As I thought earlier, this would be a difficult task considering the strength ratio. The only way to fight the Adventurers was to tie up with another group of Adventurers.
They'd make a connection, destroy it, win, and bring in yet another challenger. --And so on. It's never ending. They swallow them to win, destroy them, and then get caught up in the battle. It's a loop.
As long as the world is painted (,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, we will always lose.
That's why Ains made a proposal that he was most certain was correct.
There was no point in the Saimiya family, a weak force, fighting anywhere.
It is only a folly to take risks, wear down their forces, and diminish their only asset, their name.
That is what I have learned from Shiroe. "That's what I learned from Shiroe: don't defeat the enemy, but defeat the source of the enemy's need to exist. Fortunately, I have the cards.
Immersed in a sea of thoughts, Ains answered Tori's request in a straightforward manner. It was not an indecisive, iridescent path, but rather the path that may be the steepest in this turmoil looming 'Holy Empire of Westland'.
''Touli-sama's name is more useful for ending a conflict than for starting one. Until then, all we have to do is survive without hating anyone (,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,...)
Tohri holds that word from Ains deep in his heart.
The three of them will hide from the turmoil of the Holy Empire Westland for a while, no matter if they are insulted or slighted by that one word.
◆1.06
And then--.
In the same detached palace, in the pre-dawn hours, a young man in full hair and kimono pierces his colleague's stomach.
A strong wind whistled through the treetops, disturbing the air around him, and the pale light cast a gloomy look on his face, and the swordsman, Kazuhiko, who belonged to the Ten-Seat Conference, was a member of the Ten-Seat Conference. The child-faced sorcerer Quon, the Prophecy Singer, lies at his feet, exhausted and vomiting blood from his mouth. The same adventurer, who also belongs to the Ten Seats Conference.
"I wonder if it's okay, then.
Yeah.
Kazuhiko answered in a few words.
The expression on his face, as if he were always in pain, was the same now, but there was concern in his voice.
Hehehe. I'm going to be able to sleep now.
....
The five senses of the Adventurer are no different from those of Earth, except that they seem to have a much more limited capacity for pain and suffering. Even in the case of a horrific injury, such as a severed arm or broken bones all over the body, the pain is changed to something more bearable, such as heat or numbness.
Although Kazuhiko doesn't like it, it is true that this measure is the reason why the 'warrior profession' is able to fight huge monsters in this other world.
Is it because of that treatment? Quon doesn't seem to be in excruciating pain either. Rather, he is staring at his abdomen with an interested gaze.
The wound in his abdomen would have been a fatal wound if he were on Earth.
The white scabbarded Japanese sword he had stabbed through rather stitched Quon and the floor. The bright red blood seeping out over the robe is expanding so fast it's beginning to oxidize and darken.
'In case you're wondering, you can properly log out of this, right?
Perhaps. This is the Heavenly Way. The next stop will be the Human Way. I've already told you about the illusionary class, remember?
Kazuhiko drew the sword with the name "Rikudou Rinnekei" that appeared in the item window. It was a weapon that could kill an adventurer (...), a unique weapon in Yamato.
If the flavor text is to be believed, it is a reincarnation device that sends victims into the world where they deserve to be, and Kazuhiko is convinced that people who die with this sword can return to the Earth world. At least he's not heading to the Great Hall of God.
'Oh well. Whether I get back or not, as long as I can sleep, that's all that matters.
Quon said in a throwaway tone.
For being killed by Kazuhiko, there was no anger or resentment.
That's how exhausted he must have been.
''Well if you have a favor to ask, I'll hear it.
Kazuhiko said.
I can't apologize for that.
I killed Quon for my own reasons. Even though we got what seemed to be an agreement for the moment, I still feel guilty. But there's no way I can apologize now. It's because Quon would have killed him regardless of whether or not he agreed to it.
Although too unwilling to do so, it's inconspicuous, this child-faced sorcerer's potential is high. His deep knowledge of the Elder Tail is enough to make him a great threat here in Seldesia. And considering the ability of the Call from Beyond, which is engraved on his body, we can't afford to ignore it.
Kazuhiko has worked with many of the Earthlings. He has not killed them, but he has eliminated the Adventurers. Most of them were assassins who wanted to kill Kazuhiko and Intix, but there were some who did not mean Kazuhiko and his friends any harm.
To protect the city of Minami.
Intix's insanity prevents the majority of people from being hurt.
Intix, a genius whose only instinct is to smell what his opponents don't like, used his ability to the fullest extent against his closest opposite s*x, Kazuhiko's partner. Tens of thousands of "earthlings" living happily in the city of Minami, who did not know Kazuhiko at all, told him that if he disobeyed Intix, he would take the lives of young children and women.
I have no interest in them and I don't know their names, so I am not upset or itchy at all. I don't think Kazuhiko has any such obligations, either, right? Because of you, a few dozen people will die. If you disobey me, just a few innocent strangers will be poisoned to death.
With such an altruistic threat, and with only a few victims for show, Kazuhiko became the dog of Intix.
Kazuhiko chooses to kill dozens of people in order to keep the Intics from killing them. It's a comedy that's not funny.
Stifling his regret as an excuse to himself, Kazuhiko simply asked for a wish.
'Nothing.'
With an unmotivated triangular mouth, Quon returned it in disgust.
He must have been really bored, because his cloudy eyes showed nothing but weariness and disgust.
'I don't care if it's a game or real, I don't care anymore. I'm tired of making distinctions. What matters is whether we are on Earth or Seldesia. I don't care if the Earth is a game, as long as we can get to it. I mean, as long as it doesn't have this doorbell, I don't care what it is.
His voice, spat out without effort, resembles a dark cloud that hangs heavy.
'--See, it's here again. 'Alfun has been released', 'Zarblis has been released', 'Tukifat has been released'. You know, in the mind of a ping-pong pong person. I'm going to hit the chimes and dash. It's eight o'clock. I hope you've had enough of this.
Kazuhiko listened to the voice in silence.
It was a warning of the Divine Disaster.
With this prediction from Quon, Plant hwyaden was able to recognize the threat and prepare for the timed event early on. The special time-based monster progression implemented in Cultivating the Nowasphere.
''So it's a tower defense, right? I can't give you that kind of guidance without a publicity site and materials...''
It has now been transformed, and the contents of the Elder Tail have become an obscure cult. But there is no doubt that its body is the monster of the Elder Tail. That's why we can break through.
''Oh, that's right.
Quon added in a somewhat vague, unhappy voice.
The edges of his robe begin to burn up, melancholy and pale. The tips of the flames were being fueled by a strong wind and converted into rainbow light. The hit points were reduced to zero and the lost time was over.
Quon is now dying in Serdesia. Quon is now dying in Seldesia, and is probably undergoing a new awakening.
"Hey, why don't you go stab the maid in the dark with that sword?
Quon said irresponsibly.
Kazuhiko continued to listen to his words, his expression tightening as he tried not to put his emotions on it. 'I hear your wishes,' he said. I wish I could promise a samurai-like purity, that I couldn't mistake those words, but Kazuhiko is already fallen. He is nothing more than a dirty assassin. I can't fulfill Quon's wishes. He can only ask. But I couldn't afford such a terrible flip-flop and simply chose silence.
The only thing I can think of is that I'm not going to be able to get away with it. It's not that I'm not a shoulder to lean on, the tits don't affect me, but I think that the glasses are making things more complicated. If you can return to Earth with that sword's ability, you should do it. You're an acquaintance of mine, aren't you?
As if he didn't have the strength to twist his head anymore, Quon only turned his gaze to Kazuhiko, who was standing at his side. Their gazes met for a few moments and he slowly blinked twice.
In a very tired, old man's voice, Quon said, "I quit. I take it back," he said, reversing his previous statement. Already the flames had begun to turn in his arms and in his chest.
'I'm not going to poke my beak into you guys. I don't care. I just want it to be quiet for now. I only have one thing to say to you.
In a limp voice, Quon, whose entire body was no longer a shimmering rainbow of light, continued.
Havanaisday.
It was a frivolous and irresponsible word that meant nothing.
With those words, one of the ten-seat council left the Serdesia world.
'That's a good word,'
I don't feel like talking to you right now, KR.
Kazuhiko didn't turn around and returned the response to his friend, even once.
Kazuhiko's kimono sleeve and KR's old cloak rustled in the strong wind. The rainbow-colored soap bubbles were blown away in the midnight stormy wind, and all that remained was the equipment Quon had been using. It too turned to ashes and left into the wind.
'I don't think that's a bad end mark. For Quon, and for Intix.''
Unable to retort to KR's blurted out words, Kazuhiko bit his lip.
It would have been best if he could have done as KR said. If you can go back over there and be happy, then even Kazuhiko has no reason to refuse to choose such an option. But that's not the case. For Intix, Earth is the way to hell.
If Kazuhiko's knowledge and intuition were correct, Quon could have returned to Earth (and logged out) with this. He would lose all of his memories in Seldesia, but he would wake up over there. But however.
The Intics are not.
Kazuhiko bites his lip as he stares at the white sheathed sword that remains in his hand, which feels many times heavier than it actually is.
Because the inscription "Six Paths of Reincarnation" and its explanation does not guarantee a return to the Earth world. There are still four more outcomes in the lottery that will appear, in addition to the Celestial Way (Cerdesia) and the Human Way (Chikyu).
The path of Intix and Kazuhiko, moreover, seemed to be set in stone. Or perhaps, for the two of them, this world is now the alley of the shura.