We managed to capture Maki, who had suddenly run off acting strangely, and discussed our next steps.
Surprisingly, Maki herself spoke first:
“Hmm. If we leave things as they are, this world is going to be in serious trouble, right? So, Soma, if you’re okay with it, before I go back, I want to do something about this world. Unlike that game, the people in this castle are all so kind. I don’t want them to die or get hurt.”
Maki also argued that clearing the game should take priority over returning home.
Of course, I was in complete agreement with her opinion. In fact, I had been wondering how I would convince her if she had wanted to go back immediately.
“But, is that really okay?”
Even so, Maki has her own life back home. She must have more friends there than I do, and unlike university, where you can recover to some extent even with a break, I know how much a gap in high school can mean.
“Of course, it’s not ideal. But by trying to be an Adventurer to find Soma, I realized how desperate and how hard these people are trying to live. They’re living their lives on the line, in situations where they could die at any moment.”
Maki said, looking off into the distance. However, I could understand her way of thinking.
In this world, the danger to life is a constant companion. For example, Mitsuki’s statements, which can sometimes seem extreme, seem to be a clear reflection of this.
In this “Nekoneko” world, a small mistake can lead to death, the destruction of towns, and even the extinction of humanity. And who can stop it…?
“This might sound really patronizing, but we’re a bit strong right now, aren’t we? So, I think there’s something we can do for the people here.”
“Maki…”
Unbeknownst to me, Maki had come to say such admirable things.
…Well, if she hadn’t been stealing items from the ‘people here’ that she was supposed to protect in the game, or massacring them without question, it would have been an even more moving line.
“Alright, I understand!”
However, if Maki was so determined, I had no reason to object.
“For now, let’s move towards making this world peaceful. We should defeat as many Monsters as possible, and ultimately, we should aim to defeat the Demon Lord.”
“Yeah!”
Maki responded with an energetic affirmative.
“However, managing the events to defeat the Demon Lord is quite difficult. We need to complete almost all of the story events, which requires a tremendous amount of time and effort. Plus, there might be a chance to shortcut some conditions right now.”
“Huh? Huh? What do you mean?”
Maki tilted her head, unable to follow the conversation. It was understandable. I hadn’t explained it well enough.
“Ah, in other words, we need to make various preparations to defeat the Demon Lord. Actually, the main story of this Game eventually leads to all the preparations for defeating the Demon Lord.”
Defeating the Demon Lord is the clear condition for this Game. But does having sufficient ability mean you can clear the Game at any time? No. Systemic obstacles that cannot be overcome by sheer ability or level stand in the Player’s way.
For example, the black cloud floating above the Demon Lord’s castle, an embodiment of the Demon Lord’s power. If a Player approaches the Demon Lord’s castle without any countermeasures, dark lightning from the ominous clouds will instantly reduce the Player’s HP to zero.
Or, the boiling lake of blood surrounding the Demon Lord’s castle. Even if one manages to bypass the dark lightning, the Player cannot cross the surrounding lake due to systemic restrictions and cannot even reach the castle until they obtain a specific quest item.
Furthermore, various quest items are required to defeat the Demon Lord, such as a stone needed to breach the castle’s labyrinth, a mirror to find hidden stairs, and a gem to weaken the Demon Lord.
And the only way to obtain those quest items is by completing story quests.
(But this world is no longer different from reality.)
The freedom of action has expanded, and the unreasonable restrictions on Players are gone. Now, we might be able to blow away the clouds in the sky with a strong wind, or perhaps cross the lake of blood with an Air Hammer and Shuntou. We might be able to circumvent the castle’s mechanisms by breaking walls or entering from the outer walls, and defeating the Demon Lord without weakening him is not impossible.
We need to consider more carefully which mechanisms can be bypassed and which events are mandatory, otherwise, we might end up taking unnecessary steps.
“I’ll think about that more as well. So for now, I want to make a method to return to our original world—or at least, something that *might* be a method—usable.”
“There’s a way to go back!?”
Maki latched onto this with strong interest. I guess Maki also has a strong desire to ‘go back.’ I wish I could proudly say yes, but…
“…I don’t know if we can truly go back, and if things go wrong, we might die in the worst-case scenario. But, there is something I’m thinking about.”
It’s by no means a sure thing, and it’s dangerous. I kept my answer to that extent.
“No, that’s amazing enough! So, how does it work?”
Even so, Maki’s eyes sparkled with newfound hope. But…
“I’ll tell you the detailed method once the preparations are complete. However, for that, there’s something I need you to do, Maki.”
I averted my eyes from her gaze for a moment, avoiding specifying the concrete means. I didn’t think it was right to talk about it when it was so uncertain, and more importantly, knowing Maki, if I told her how to do it, she might rush ahead and do something rash. In the worst case, she might get fired up about “I can’t let Soma do something so dangerous!” and try to experiment on her own. At the very least, this method is not something a person without knowledge of that Game could figure out by guesswork. I secretly decided to keep it from Maki until the very last moment.
“To try that method, we need two things. One is something I’ve obtained in the Game before. The other is something I intended to obtain from now on. Getting either one won’t be easy, but I intend to pursue the one I’ve obtained before. So…”
“Okay, I understand.”
Before I could finish, Maki, sensing my intention, nodded powerfully.
“I’ll go with Soma and support you with all my might!!”
“No, that’s not it!”
She completely misunderstood.
“It’s not that. Right now, you’re playing the role of a Princess, so you can use your connections freely, right? I want you to use that power to go after the other one!”
“Eeeeh?!”
Maki let out a displeased sound. But there’s a reason I can’t go there myself. A reason I don’t want to go.
“I think I can get the item needed for an event with a character named Layla in this town, but it’s quite troublesome. So, I want to avoid going there directly.”
I’ve never cleared it, but I understand from personal experience that it’s a very dangerous event. No, it’s not just the event itself, but it’s just dangerous.
“But that was an event for male PCs only, so there’s no problem for you, Maki, in case something happens. However, if possible, I’d prefer if you didn’t contact her directly. Instead, negotiate with her through the Knights’ Order and somehow obtain the necessary item.”
“Hmm. I don’t really understand PC and all that, but if Soma says I should do it, I’ll try my best…”
Although displeased, she seemed to have agreed.
“I’ll write down the precautions on paper, and then we’ll split up! Oh, and I need to call Ringo and the others too!”
I quickly took out paper and a pen from my bag, speaking rapidly before Maki could change her mind.
Mitsuki and Ringo arrived quickly.
“Are we finally departing? I’ve grown tired of waiting.”
Mitsuki maintained her aloof demeanor, but her cat ears twitched slightly towards Maki, showing her intense curiosity. I don’t know what she’s interested in, but I have to wonder why she doesn’t just ask if she wants to talk.
Meanwhile, Ringo said:
“Eh? D-do you need something from me?”
She made no attempt to hide her own desires, staring intently at Maki. However, even when Maki asked her a question, Ringo wouldn’t answer. She just kept staring, staring at Maki.
A tense atmosphere filled the space for some reason. It was like two generals glaring at each other on a battlefield. However, the suffocating tension was…
“—?!”
Ringo herself rapidly broke through it. A momentary look of astonishment flashed across her usually expressionless face as she uttered:
“…Split end.”
She spoke the familiar words. However, her tone was the opposite of usual. Completely different from her usual calm yet joyous tone when she found a split end on me, it even conveyed a sense of defeat.
“Huh? What is it? What’s wrong?”
Leaving Maki, who hadn’t caught up with the sudden change, Ringo slumped her shoulders dejectedly and hid behind me.
“No, uh, Ringo?”
“…Soma.”
When I called out to her, she looked at me with pleading eyes.
(Seriously, even if you look at me like that…)
Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to brush her off. As I hesitated about what to do, for some reason…
“…N.”
Ringo pushed her head towards me. It wasn’t a sudden headbutt attack from a confused Ringo, of course.
“Are you perhaps telling me to look for split ends?”
When I asked, Ringo nodded.
“But, well…”
Since Game characters don’t have split ends, I wouldn’t find any even if I looked. I looked at the other two for help, but…
“…?”
Maki hadn’t grasped the situation at all, and…
“…You’re slow, Kuma.”
Mitsuki turned away as if to say, “He’s not noticing anything.” Even her cat ears turned sideways, desperately trying to convey, “I-I’m not looking at anything!” It’s almost too obvious, but she wasn’t going to help.
“Well, don’t expect too much, okay?”
Reluctantly, I stared at Ringo’s hair, searching for split ends. However, Ringo, by nature, shouldn’t have any split ends. Still, to convey that I was being serious, I occasionally ran my fingers through her hair, pretending to search.
(But this is somehow… bad!)
I didn’t know why, but it was bad. It was too silky. When I ran my fingers through it, it flowed through, with almost no resistance and no snagging. I don’t know why, but it was amazing.
Is this because Ringo is special, or are all characters in this Game world like this? No, Ena’s hair seemed to have a lively, frizzy texture, so if I tried to comb it with my fingers, it would probably be full of snags. Perhaps the former Princess was on a different level.
“…N.”
As Ringo squirmed as if tickled, I felt strangely thrilled and said:
“Okay, I’ll check the back this time?”
“…U-understand.”
I moved behind Ringo and began to seriously examine her hair.
(Ah, just as I thought.)
The amazing thing about this hair isn’t just its texture. Even though it’s blue, which is impossible in reality, it doesn’t look cheap. If I even scoop a little and hold it up to the light, it shines beautifully. I’ve never seen the finest silk threads, but I feel like this wouldn’t lose to them at all. If I made clothes with this, I could probably easily create a “robe of the water” (Mizukagami).
No, Ringo’s hair isn’t just charming to that extent. Do you understand, this…
“—What are you doing?”
At that moment, Mitsuki scolded me for some reason. However, it brought me back to reality.
“…Soma.”
When I lowered my gaze, I could see that Ringo’s face, as she glanced back at me, was slightly flushed. I hastily pulled away from Ringo.
“Soma tends to forget his surroundings and common sense when he gets absorbed in something.”
Maki said to me with a look of exasperation. Well, regardless of the circumstances, I don’t think common sense is something you forget, but arguing here would be futile, so I bit my lip and endured it. Mitsuki seemed even more annoyed than Maki.
“Weren’t you supposed to depart for your next destination? Moreover, you seemed to have lost sight of your objective midway. If it’s about fur, I won’t lose either.”
She said it with even harsher words than usual. Her cat ears stood up sharply as if to say, “How about that!” showcasing her premium fur quality. I wanted to ask her what she was so competitive about.
“Even so, Kuma isn’t coming, so what can we do? Honestly, where is that guy…”
“…He’s here.”
Just as I said that, Kuma seemed to have arrived, and Ringo pulled on the hem of my clothes.
“You’re finally here. Kuma, you… Kuma?!”
Seeing his appearance, I was speechless. Kuma appeared on the landing of the stairs. His appearance was completely different from before. With countless dolls standing behind him, and a dazzling crimson cape draped over his shoulders, Kuma exuded a regal air at the top of the stairs. When Kuma saw us…
—*Nita*.
He descended the stairs with a menacing smile, and…
“Ah!”
He missed the first step and tumbled all the way down. Moreover, his large cape got tangled around him midway, and by the time he landed, Kuma had become a mysterious object wrapped in red cloth. The large red cloth on the ground wriggled desperately.
“…Ah.”
Seeing that, Ringo let out a small sound.
“What’s wrong?”
“…That’s the bed sheet from the red room.”
“…Ah.”
Come to think of it, the bed that was originally in the red room had red sheets, didn’t it? It was natural for such a situation to occur if he brought such a large item and wrapped it around himself.
“Kuma…”
I looked at the wriggling red cloth with mixed feelings, wondering if he had wanted to look so cool. Maki, who had come beside me, asked in a daze.
“…Um, Soma. What is this?”
“My companion… I think?”
Maki nodded at my unconfident words.
“Ah, yeah. ‘Birds of a feather flock together,’ it’s true.”
“Don’t include me in that.”
Mitsuki poked her cat ears forward and pointedly stated.
After rescuing Kuma, we immediately departed from the mansion. As we stepped outside, Maki asked:
“So, what are you going to do now, Soma?”
“More importantly, why are you still following me?”
I retorted, but Maki was unfazed. Instead, she looked at me with eyes that suggested she wanted to become my companion.
“Well, well, can’t I be with you a little longer?”
“Hmm. Alright, for now.”
It wasn’t that I was swayed by Maki’s desire to be my companion, but I didn’t have any urgent business. It would be problematic if Maki, the Princess, acted with me for too long, but as long as we were within this town, it would be fine for a while.
“So, what are you going to do now, Soma?”
To the question asked anew, I answered with a grimace that I could feel myself making.
“Didn’t I tell you? I’ll do what I can. I don’t relish the idea, but I have no choice but to meet him again.”
“Him?”
To Maki’s question, I nodded with a heavy heart.
“He’s one of the world’s strongest magic users, and the most troublesome Magician in existence. The strongest genius idiot magician, Sahzan.”
Unfortunately, Mitsuki didn’t seem to know Sahzan. Instead, we tried to find Raiden, who was believed to be partnered with Sahzan.
“Right now… he’s quite a bit northwest of the town. And it looks like he’s on the move.”
Raiden seems to have left the Capital City. Is Sahzan with him? The Demon Lord’s castle is due north from here, so if they moved northwest, they weren’t heading to defeat the Demon Lord. If that’s the case, they might have accepted some quest. That would be quite troublesome. However, that party’s individual abilities are extraordinarily high, even if their coordination isn’t. They’ll probably be able to return no matter what situation they find themselves in. In that sense, I can rest assured, but our response might change depending on which event they are involved in. With such conspicuous members, people in town might know something. I decided to gather information in town before chasing after Raiden and the others.
And if I wanted to gather information in this town, of course…
“Ma’am, three apples!”
I decided to go to the fruit seller’s stall.
“You really come here often, don’t you… Welcome!”
I handed over 15E and received three apples in return, giving them to Ringo and the others. Yes, it’s a bit complicated after a long time.
“Oh, I’m always indebted to you. So, I have something I want to know today, but do you know Sahzan?”
“Sahzan… Ah! You mean that Magician with the creepy mask from that eye-catching party of Adventurers, right? Of course, I know them!”
As expected, dealing with the fruit seller was quick. Plus, this confirms that Sahzan is indeed partying with Alex and the others.
“So, do you know where that party went?”
The fruit seller answered my next question without hesitation.
“They say there’s a big job up north. They probably went there, didn’t they? There are rumors, though I don’t know the details, about Monsters running amok in the underground of a northern village, or Cultists kidnapping a girl.”
“Northern village, underground, Cultists, and kidnapping a girl…?”
At the string of familiar terms, a warning bell rang in the back of my mind. The fruit seller, unconcerned by my reaction, continued:
“I don’t know the specifics either. If you’re that curious, why not go to the bar on the main street and ask?”
“Bar…?”
She pointed towards the largest bar in town, barely visible in the distance.
(Ah…)
As I saw it, I heard a click in my mind, like a jigsaw puzzle piece falling into place. What came to mind were the crowds of Adventurers I’d seen on my way to the castle to receive my medal. Why hadn’t I realized? The reason Adventurers were flooding the town wasn’t solely due to the aftermath of the Capital City Attack event. At least the groups heading away from the west gate. They were Adventurers tackling ‘a certain large-scale quest’ starting from that bar.
“I see. Thank you very much.”
The words of thanks came out of my mouth unintentionally, but my thoughts had already moved away from the present situation, and I was already formulating my next move. In any case, I couldn’t afford to waste another second. I left the fruit seller with unsteady steps and returned to my companions.
“Ah, Soma. Did you find that person called Sahzan?”
Maki asked in a carefree voice. I answered her with a voice that I knew was incredibly stiff.
“…Maki, return to the castle immediately and dispatch the Knights’ Order to the location I’m about to tell you.”
“Soma?”
Maki’s voice carried a hint of suspicion. But there was no time for explanations.
“Unfortunately, playtime is over. We’ve been a bit too leisurely. It might be too late, but we have to go all out from now on.”
The quest they headed for was the ‘Labyrinth of Sacrifice.’ That notoriously wicked quest, on par with the ‘Michael’s Blue Bird’ quest, has a crucial difference from ‘Michael’s Blue Bird.’ That is the quest’s danger level. Unlike ‘Michael’s Blue Bird,’ where Players are generally not in danger, the ‘Labyrinth of Sacrifice’ carries a high risk of Game Over. Since it’s a combat-heavy quest, Players, not just NPCs, can die. More importantly, that quest has—
“—a forced Game Over, other than player death!”
