Prologue
Part 1
“Over 7 billion players online now! Moving towards a future of
infinite possibilities – Create a story that is truly your own!”
… Reality.
From a broader perspective, our precious lives are but a game.
Just hearing that attractive slogan makes us want to imagine
being part of it.
Exactly as the title states, the game called “Life”, is truly an
epic game that lasts for a lifetime.
Game start.
First, you cooperate with your parents and automatically begin
the process of character customization.
After receiving blessings from your father, mother and many
others in a touching opening cutscene, you can finally begin
controlling your main character.
Even though the controls take a while to get used to, you
eventually learn them, and you are thrown into a hub of social
competition – school.
The realm where this game takes place in – Earth.
We were thrown in a corner of this gigantic map, and faced a
massive sandbox game. We saw the slogan and were instantly
hooked, but we quickly noticed –
-- “We were tricked”.
Infinite possibilities – Well, this statement may not be false.
But the catch to this game was, no one told us that we could do
things our own way.
Disadvantages were caused by insufficient character levels,
experience points, funds and not to mention spawn location.
Seemingly endless shackles ruined the freedom allowed in this
game.
However, we continued to work hard.
Trusting in the fanciful slogan, we constantly fell down and
picked ourselves up.
We truly believed that we possessed infinite potential.
So, we engrossed ourselves in raising our levels, farming
experience and earning money.
Despite our complaints about the unfair conditions given due to
the “Talents” or “Qualities” and other skills we received during
random character customization, we did not give up, but relied
on “Effort” to increase our experience points, endlessly
working hard – That’s the kind of game “Life” is.
This really is a story that motivates and touches the heart, isn’t
it?
- But, that has no meaning at all.
No matter how high your score is, you will never be able to
beat this game.
This is because even though your level, experience points and
funds have reached the cap, you will still suffer – in this case
being ostracized.
Why?
- Because of putting in “Too much effort”.
Because even if it is something acquired by “Effort”.
Others will still claim it is completely unfair.
When you own “Something that others do not”, they will
undoubtedly claim that it is unfair.
Because of that, we were “Punished”.
Receiving punishment from seven billion other players,
shackles were imposed on us.
At this point, a thought flashed through our heads –
- Does freedom truly exist in this game?
No matter what choices we made, we would still receive
criticisms from society, other players or from god-knowswhere.
Even if we accepted the criticisms and continued on with the
game, as long as we once again wished to achieve success, the
same fate would befall upon us.
Looking back on it all, we realized –
Our actions were not carried out upon free will.
The path we have walked, was only a pre-regulated path built
according to a combination of the wishes and commands from
others.
When we realized were merely – “Walking a path built by
others”…
Our suspicions were only confirmed.
No mistake about it, this massive scam called “Life” was no
doubt a massive and vast sandbox game.
The thing is – The players were not ourselves.
So we unconsciously lowered our heads and looked down at
our hands.
- Looking at those hands bound by infinite but yet
infinitesimally small ropes, our suspicions turned into
confirmations.
So we unconsciously surveyed our surroundings.
- Looking at the others around us bound by infinite yet
infinitesimally small ropes, our confirmations turned into
understanding.
As long as we shook our heads, we would hear creaking noises,
which was when the gamer siblings realized.
All the players were actually puppets. Everyone was adhering
to the countenances of others and fulfilling their preset role in
this game called “Life”. Just like puppets in a puppet show –
Just like NPCs.
So, after you’ve considered the above, let me just ask one
question.
“For what reason are you living?”
- Is your answer to this question, truly based on your own free
will?
- ………
- This is the world as seen through the eyes of a <Puppet
(NPC)>.
The <Puppet> did not question this truth in the ten years since
the game began.
The soulless <Puppet> did not feel anxious nor worried when
faced with that truth.
Just like <PuppetsPrayers>, we only look upon the faces of
others, and make requests to <HumansPlayers> though we are
not even sure if they exist.[1]
All it prays for is that the tricks would one day bring about
some sort of benefit to mankind.
- Until that day.
Part 2
Elven Gard – Tillnog County, Lower Miguel
This was merely a district within the territory of the faction
with the largest amount of land, stretching three continents and
52 states.
Located southeast of the capital, close to the kingdom of the
Dwarves – Harden Fell.
- It is the city of those who were born in and would receive the
blessings of the forest, the elves.
The architecture found there was completely different
compared to the Imanity's – Elchea.
In the center of the city lies a “Heaven Tree” – With one
branch stretching up and beyond the clouds, an unbelievably
large tree towered, with its roots tangled at the forest floor like
blood vessels, expanded by the elves to form a network of
roads. Houses and street lights tangle and merge with the
stumps and vines growing from the earth, filling the cracks and
bumps between the pavements.
That fashion of architecture was completely unlike flattening
forests and reclaiming land to build “buildings” made of brick
and stone.
This could only be done through well-practiced and potent
magic, truly a “Living City”.
Within the streets that were one with nature, there lies a
particularly large mansion.
That is the residence of the mayor – Ron Barter.
At that time, a young lady was passing by the the gates that
were embroidered with rosebuds.
She had a mane of silky golden hair with a few curls.
A pair of pointed ears signified an Elven heritage, and the ruby
on her forehead produced faint streaks of light when struck by
the sun's rays.
The person coming out to receive the girl was a man that
looked as if he had just entered old age, similarly had pointed
ears, and was dressed in clothes clearly meant for higher
echelons of society.
“Welcome, Miss Fii, or should I call you Miss Nilvalen?”
The girl known as Fii replied gently in a diplomatic voice,
“I don’t mind what you call me, Barter, for I have not
officially inherited the position of the head of the family.”
The man - Barter hearing her reply, curled up the corners of his
mouth into an evil smile.
He stepped back, spread out his arms, and invited Fii into the
mansion completely made of flora.
“To allow a young maiden to travel so far just to visit my
humble home, I offer my sincerest apologies.”
“Fufu, your talent for flattery sure has not deteriorated in the
slightest, I see.”
“I never thought you would say something like that. I may be
old, but I believe my ability to appreciate beautiful flowers has
not been lost…. Despite the fact that you are nothing but an
ugly weed compared to my garden, of course.”
“A flower that is being appreciated can still bloom, you know.
Oh, I should also mention that the time it takes to do so is the
same as well~”
While the two of them were walking, their smiles did not
diminish even by a fraction, however during the entire trip,
they did not look at each other at all.
Barter led Fii into the main hall.
In the center of the hall, decorated by various flowers and
plants, laid a table and two chairs.
As Fii sat down, Barter took a seat on the other end as well.
“This must be extremely boring for both of us, so let’s get
straight to the point.”
He jumped right into the main issue without beating around the
bush.
“For this round of senatorial elections - Nilvalen, may I
request that you withdraw?”
Barter addressed Fii by her family name directly, as though it
were a command instead of a request.
- Despite the fact that Fii had said she didn’t mind what she
was addressed as – There was an unspoken rule within the
circle of nobles in Elfen Gard, which was….
Addressing someone directly by their family name was akin to
an insult.
However, Fii maintained her composure and continued smiling
with not even a twitch of the eyebrow.
“Is that all?”
“Of course not, I also request that you personally recommend
me for the elections, officially under your family name of
Nilvalen.”
“Oh~ so that’s how it is.”
“Yes, the election deposits and earnest money would also be
your responsibility. Another thing, a close friend of mine, Sir
Castor Lesto desires your Golden Dragon Bone Harp, as long
as you give it to him, he will recommend me for this round’s
elections.”
“Hmm… that's my family heirloom, you know! Previously,
an entire city was traded in exchange for it –“
“That is what I heard as well, I’m sure he would enjoy this
gift very much.”
The corners of his mouth twisted once again, revealing a
cunning smile.
His eyes drooped downwards, with his line of sight directly
fixated upon her large and supple breasts.
“I won’t force you to make the decision right away of
course, so why don’t you stay over tonight. We need to sit
down nice and proper and have an 「all-night」 talk regarding
how our relationship should proceed from here? Hmm?”
“No matter how a person’s outward appearance is decorated,
the personality will remain the same you know?”
Fii replied, almost failing to hold back her laughter.
“Essentially you want money, land and women right? In this
current age, I would imagine that even mountain bandits would
have more reasonable demands.”
“That is because they know their place as small fries. Don’t
you think that a person of my position and caliber deserves to
request for correspondingly important demands?”
“I completely disagree, but if you want to think that way, then
it’s your own decision~?”
Fii continued to maintain the smile on her face, then replied:
“So, you think I would accept that kind of request, are you
drunk or something?”
“Haha, compared to being drunk, I prefer being intoxicated
by the beauty of flowers. You should have known I would have
these kinds of demands, but you still came here, didn’t you?
Anyway – “
Barter snapped his fingers once.
As she sensed an Elemental Gallery being accessed, a tea set
with steam still billowing out of it appeared on the table.
A piece of tissue paper as though dancing through the air,
gently landed in front of Fii’s position at the table.
“… As the current vice-congresswoman, you actually
attempted to liberate the slaves – If you’re not afraid of me
exposing you, you could always refuse the deal? Sounds good
to you?”
Hearing the threatening words spoken by Barter, Fii continued
smiling nonetheless.
She merely inspected the piece of paper on the table
wordlessly.
The content written on it was simple, merely a record of Fii
and her group’s affiliation with the act and also evidence
regarding the matter.
If the laws regarding slaves were removed, the society of the
Elves would not be able to remain stable, thus her actions were
likened to a crime.
If this list were to be exposed to the public, it would not be a
surprise if Fii and the others were convicted with treason –
“Since you’ve already dug up so much information about us,
why don’t you go ahead and expose us?”
“I personally believe in free will, and only do things that
would benefit me personally, what good would it do me if I
went ahead and exposed your little tricks?”
“So you’re using this to threaten me instead? Freedom really
is the best, isn’t it?”
“Threaten? There you go again with such strong words… I
am only offering suggestions to a silly woman. I will train you
properly, so how about you kneel down and beg like a dog for
forgiveness? Hmm?”
“I appreciate it, but no thank you – How about we get straight
to the topic here?”
“Hah, you really can’t wait, can you? Hmm? – Fine then.”
After Barter spoke these words, he snapped his fingers yet
again.
A complex-looking magical formation appeared out of thin air,
and a deck of cards materialized from the center of it.
“The game is 「Oracle Cards」– I trust that this does not
need explaining?”
Oracle Cards.
A game popular among the Elves, where twenty-two magical
cards are used for combat purposes.
- It is also a dangerous game used to settle disputes.
For someone with weaker magical ability like Fii, it would be a
disadvantageous duel.
By the 「Ten Oaths」, the challenged party, Fii, had the right
to select the game. But then –
“So, let us now decide upon what each of us are willing to
bet.”
Fii carefully answered her opponent with her line of sight
directly fixated upon him, her expression ever unchanging.
Both were deciding the requests that would be fulfilled under
the absolute authority of the 「Oaths」.
“Well then, I want all your personal rights – and you will
belong to me for the rest of your life, if I win, of course.”
“We want you to forget everything related to our efforts, and
assist us unconditionally to any extent.”
- This was a reasonable demand.
If Barter were to acquire Fii, he would acquire everything to
her family name and also her virginity.
On the other hand, Fii’s demand was for him to relinquish all
his evidence that he could use threaten them, and also to drain
his personal savings dry as revenge by acquiring his services.
“No problem – but for a third-rate thug like you, it’s best that
you don’t think about winning too much, you know… When
imagination goes overboard, it becomes fantasy you know?”
“Your obvious attempts at bluffing are really entertaining,
hmm? Does the disgrace of the Nilvalen family really think she
can beat me?”
After a brief exchange of taunts and loaded glances – Both
parties immediately swore on the pledges.
「「 Acciente 」」
As though corresponding with the spoken word, the spells cast
on the table were activated, and the game began.
Barter and Fii were both given twenty-two cards each.
Their cards automatically hovered in the air at fixed positions,
shuffling themselves at an angle where the opponent was
unable to see the card's face.
After, both would draw cards of equal amount and type, then
battle face-to-face.
- This was the game known as 「Oracle Cards」.
The simple game played with tarot cards then began.
- When both parties of the game are elves, cheating with magic
is almost impossible.
Because both parties are able to detect each other’s spells and
Elemental Galleries, if any party attempts to use magic to
cheat, it would be impossible, thus Elves particularly enjoy
playing automatically controlled games powered by magic like
this.
Among which, this game known as Oracle Cards, was
particularly popular for its entertainment value and for its
victory conditions.
“Set two cards down.”
Fii spoke one simple sentence, and immediately two cards
disappeared from the deck floating in the air.
At the same time, those two cards materialized on the table
instantly in a face-down position. Barter smiled, and said:
“Set two cards down.”
This time, it was Barter’s cards that landed face-down on the
table.
Both would use the two cards they had each drawn to decide
the victor of the match.
Barter then uttered, rather impatiently:
“How about we reveal our cards?”
“Fine~ now then-“
The two competitors simultaneously spoke a single word.
「「 “Draw” 」」
Immediately after the word was uttered, both their cards
simultaneously flipped over.
In an instant – the surrounding air seemed to have imploded
upon itself, as massive amounts of energy were drawn out of
the Elemental Gallery.
The cards Barter drew were 「Strength」and 「The Chariot」.
The combination of the cards was known as -「Fame is
Power」.
Fii’s cards were 「The Fool」and 「The Lover」.
「Love is Insanity」.
The cards belonging to both parties began to emit a bright light,
and semi-transparent images began to materialize in front of
them.
Barter had summoned a fully armored knight that immediately
drew its sword and began its attack.
And the figure that was summoned from Fii’s cards was
instead a half-naked maiden with an expression of exquisite
pain.
The maiden moved gracefully as if she were a dancer, grabbed
the knight’s neck and softly spoke a few sentences into his ear.
The knight raised its head as though it was very troubled – then
turned his blade in the other direction.
He turned around while carrying the maiden, and slashed his
sword towards the one that had summoned him instead -
Barter.
- Created by the seventh most powerful among the
「Exceed」, and the most adept with magic, the elves.
This was the game of cards that could only be created through
the harnessing of that magic.
The 「Return Seal」 spell that was triggered on the cards
harnessed the mindless violence emanating from the knight and
redirected it towards Barter.
His response to this was – Muttering a few words, stretching
out his palm, and instantly conjuring a defensive shield.
Two magical formations appeared from thin air, to block the
sword of the knight.
An extremely large noise echoed throughout the room, and a
jet of bright light burst forward.
Large amounts of spirits exploded and burst through the entire
courtyard progressively, then disappeared.
Despite bearing such a powerful counter-attack, Barter still
appeared to be unaffected.
“Actually using a combination to reflect my attacks since the
beginning, it appears that even the cowardly weakling is afraid
of being injured, hmm?”
Fii likewise replied with an unwavering smile.
“Avoiding risks in the first hand of cards is a perfectly
reasonable strategy, you know. And I would feel frustrated as
well if the victor was decided instantly in that fashion.”
“Hehe, that’s exactly the reason why others can’t put up with
you…. Using that sort of tricks in games, you clearly don’t
understand the style of play, so how about I teach you a lesson
about the methods that are up to standards truly befit for one of
noble descent, hmm?”
Essentially, this is a game of 'Oracle Cards' (Magical Tarot
Cards).
- This was the ultimate duel game played by the seventh ranked
race, the Elves.
Both participants have the same twenty-two cards, and every
turn two are drawn to form a combination.
Combinations not only consist of raw power, but also possess
different affinities, and the losing party will suffer an
「Attack」 of power corresponding with the ability of the
combination used.
And those attacks can only be blocked by the magic of the
player.
Used cards will be dumped into the graveyard, and after eleven
rounds – meaning after all the cards are used, both parties will
be given the option of surrendering or continuing the game. If
the option to continue is selected, both players will be given
another twenty-two cards and restart the duel – as long as one
party is unable to continue the game, then victory will be
decided.
There are a total of two hundred and thirty-one combinations –
predicting and countering each one of them would be an
impossible feat.
Hence the key to victory would be 「Dodging attacks」.
- Also a test used to gauge the standards of aspiring Elven
mages.
Those who are able to 「Quadruple Cast」 would be only the
best mages, despite Barter being incapable doing so, he was
still a very capable 「Triple Caster」.
While Fii, on the other hand –
“ – You are only barely capable enough to 「Double Cast」
even after using that kind of runic magic and the support soul
gems used by beginners. Do you really think that with that kind
of standard, you, the disgrace of the Nilvalen family, can
triumph over me, hmm?”
- No doubt about it, in this game, victory is decided by the skill
of one’s magic.
The amount of spells that one can cast simultaneously – also
represents the strength of one’s magic and the times one has
used it.
Fii that could barely reach the standard of a Double Caster, to
wish of defeating a Triple Caster like Barter, would be an
impossible feat.
However Fii merely laughed nonchalantly. “Yes, of course I do
think that way! You’re already becoming this cocky even only
after blocking this first attack. How about you land a hit on me
first before you act so savagely, hmm?”
Then, she glanced upward momentarily.
The movement of the spirits had not ceased, and the second
floor of the mansion was visible from the central courtyard
with petals still flying about from the aftershock of the
previous explosion.
Fii glanced through a window on the second floor – a girl with
black hair and clothes – the shadow of her 「Partner」 walking
was visible, and the corners of her mouth faintly had a ghost of
a smile.
No doubt about it, this magic game had absolutely no room for
the Imanity who could not use or detect magic.
As long as they took a single hit, they would definitely lose,
thus it wouldn’t even be considered a game.
But – images of two people flashed through her mind’s eye.
A young man and a little girl wearing expressions of pride and
condescension, but at the same time carrying a hint of sadness
–
- Why do you insist on taking on the opponent head-on?
Also –
“The game ended before it even began, you know?”
Part 3
“…Cheh, that bastard Barter.”
Observing the duel taking place in the central courtyard from
the second floor with a bird’s-eye view, Barter’s butler, Fritz,
rudely swore.
- From his master’s deal, his ulterior motives were obvious.
Grasping his opponent’s weakness, forcing the opponent into a
game she couldn’t possibly win, and win over her personal
rights.
As long as he were to defeat that woman, the house of
Nilvalen’s vote, power, money and of course the one thing
more precious than gold – breasts, would all belong to him.
Despite Barter’s expression being generically villainous and
composed, he was almost certainly thinking of what he would
do after he achieved victory.
He most definitely was thinking how he would enjoy that
massive pair of breasts in bed at night.
How could he be so certain? Because he who was standing in
the blind spot of the woman, helping Barter block the
「Attacks」 from her cards, was also thinking of nothing but
gigantic breasts.
Also the most important things related to women were her
breasts, looks, butt, waist, and legs, and not to mention these
were only accessories as compared to her breasts for
accompaniment, valued just about as much as the napkins one
would receive at a restaurant for lunch.
Her intelligence? Her skill with magic? Those were completely
unimportant.
- Essentially, Fii was exactly Fritz’s type of girl.
“Ah, to meet in a place like this, it really is a coincidence.
Barter’s butler… Your name is Fritz, right?”
“ -?! You are Nilvalen’s –“
Fritz desperately turned around, and was staring at a blackhaired
and black-clothed Imanity… Nilvalen’s slave.
'Her name was Kurami I think,' Fritz thought while rendered
speechless.
“Cheh, you flat-chested woman, don’t simply approach me.”
Just being spoken to by a pitifully flat-chested Imanity was
already bad enough.
Also he had no time to entertain her words.
Because he had more important things to do, those being to
simultaneously assist Barter and enjoy the view of Fii’s chest –
and as the flat-chested one probably couldn’t read his inner
thoughts, she continued to speak in a calm tone:
“To meet in a place like this must also be the doing of fate,
how about you 「Challenge me」 to a game?”
“… Watch your words, you lackey. At least let your chest
grow three times bigger before you talk, you inferior being.”
Hearing the words carrying condescending, insulting and
infinitely other meanings, the girl still maintained the smile on
her face.
“Words... huh? How about something like –“
Her glance immediately sharpened. “I wish to expose you and
Barter’s cheating – what do you think about these words?”
“… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You were thinking of saying Imanity aren’t capable of
detecting magic – right?”
“……….”
While remaining silent, the flat-chested girl instead shook her
head as though acting in a play.
“That definitely is the case, for example… Note that this is
merely an example. For example, for a Double Caster to defeat
a Triple Caster would of course be difficult, but not impossible,
but if you assist Barter in deflecting her 「Attacks」, then this
game for you of course would be a 「Guaranteed Victory」;
and I who of course have no ability to detect magic would be
unable to prove it, thus my master – Fii is in a lot of danger
here.”
“……..”
However – the flat-chested girl chuckled while covering her
mouth, and continued:
“Actually I have no need to actively expose you. Because you
will admit it anyway.”
“… What?”
“I’ll say this again, do you want to 「Challenge me」 to a
game? Because if you refuse –“
The girl revealed a cunning smile, and produced a small
gemstone. “You have been using Barter’s funds to produce
「Highly concentrated magical potion」, and have been
secretly selling it to the Dwarves – the neighboring country, I
will report this to the police and ruin your reputation – what do
you think of this phrasing?”
“What-!?”
Fritz let out a cry that sounded as if it were a wail.
Understandable, of course.
The gemstone that Kurami was holding in her hand, was
coincidentally the potion he was selling – a prohibited product.
“Compressing and liquefying spirits then absorbing them to
increase the amount of spirits in one’s body. This is a potion
created to boost magical powers, but it also has side effects –
no, it should be mentioned that it was exactly because of these
side effects that result in massive amounts of people abusing
this drug, and thus it was banned.”
And that side effect was –
“The adrenaline rush and feeling invincible after an overdose,
is just like those acquired from drugs.”
“……!”
“You should understand the situation by now right? Quickly
challenge me to a game, or else you will have no other
options.”
Kurami spoke with an unbelievably sinister and cunning smile
on her face, and Fritz who was looking directly into that
frightful expression couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his
mouth slightly in fear.
It’s impossible.
Just end it here.
“… Ugh!”
No, I must endure it, I can’t do it yet, must not laugh yet…!
Laughing at a pitiful flat-chested girl who thinks she possesses
an advantage despite only having a bit of information, would
be too shameful!
Fritz turned his back toward the flat-chested girl, and his
shoulders were shaking uncontrollably.
Don’t I look like a man that has no other options and has truly
been pushed to his wit’s end? – Stupid, this whole thing was
unbelievably stupid.
This duel was instigated by Barter challenging Nilvalen.
He adopted a close-one-eye attitude towards Nilvalen’s
schemes in attempting to free the slaves and used it as a
condition for the game to force her into accepting unfavorable
conditions, and to grasp an even more decisive victory, he even
made Fritz help secretly.
But – he recalled a sentence the super busty one (Fii) had said
previously…
- I would feel frustrated as well if the victor was decided
instantly in that fashion…
( - So essentially speaking, their target from the start was not
Barter, but me instead.)
Fritz struggled to hold his laughter in, as he realized that Fii
accepting Barter’s challenge so easily was also part of the plan.
In a situation where his hands were tied in assisting Barter,
even a young Imanity girl could force him into a corner.
That sort of dirty tactic should have been obvious to spot.
Also he himself should have predicted that something like this
would happen.
Him smuggling and selling magic potions, and that Fii and
Kurami would come into contact with him during the duel, all
these things were already notified in advance to him by Barter
himself.
Why? Because they had went to discuss the matter with him
initially.
- Your butler has been committing such crimes, and you are his
master, so as not to damage your reputation, we plan to secretly
make him admit to everything by himself, thus we seek your
assistance in this matter.
They created this situation, just so he would fall into their trap.
(… That is definitely what they had thought of – It’s just too
laughable!)
What these two had not realized is that, the person that they
had sought assistance from, Barter, was the ringleader of the
smuggling ring.
Barter would not sell him out, because as long as Fritz
confessed, not only the smuggling pipelines, but even evidence
that Barter himself was the ringleader would all be leaked out.
Thus he had pretended to cooperate, and planned to acquire Fii
for himself in the process.
Barter himself had come up with the plan, and chose his own
mansion as the venue that the entire course of events would
take place. Since the premise was that the plan was a secret,
other than this flat-chested slave, no others had accompanied
them.
- It was too easy.
So the Imanity with the pitiful chest and the busty Elf with the
pitiful brains – the two that had attempted to frame him, ended
up being trapped in the spider’s web instead.
“… You are really unexpectedly stupid, to let even an idiot
understand, I shall attempt to explain this again.”
The flat-chested girl’s voice was like a jet of ice-cold water,
sprayed at Fritz who was still trying to control his laughter.
“You have no other options, so do you want to play a game,
or have your life ruined? Do you understand?”
Hearing this hilarious challenge, Fritz clenched his teeth and
held in the urge to laugh uncontrollably, then raised his head.
His line of sight left the courtyard, and instead he turned to
look at his opponent.
Fritz tried his best to act calm, and sat down at a table located
at his side.
“… Fine, however I am bored as well, so just end this
quickly.”
“What a coincidence, I cannot let this game drag on due to
my partner, so let’s just play a simple game.”
The flat-chested one sat across from him.
“Here is a perfectly normal deck of cards.” She drew three
cards and placed them on the table.
The cards were the Ace, Queen and King of Spades.
“King trumps Queen, Ace trumps King, Queen trumps Ace.”
As she said this she laid the cards face-down again, then
shuffled the cards multiple times on the table.
“We will each draw one card in its face-down position, then
draw our cards to decide victory. I’m sure even an idiot like
you will be able to understand this?”
“-Hmph, so what is your demand?”
“Isn’t that what you should be stating? Or do you want to just
beg for mercy?”
The flat-chested girl laughed in an insulting manner, and
despite feeling angered by her actions, Fritz conceded to her
requests just the same.
“… Then I request the destruction and forgetting of the
information 「You both」 have acquired regarding the
smuggling.”
“Fine, then I request that you 「Confess」 and 「Testify」,
and not leave out a single detail.”
Hearing her request presented in a warm tone, Fritz’s brow
jumped slightly.
Her aim was – for him to confess all the details related to the
smuggling, and cheating by interfering in the game currently
taking place in the courtyard.
So, these two stupid and pitiful women may be foolish, but
they had thought out their own interests before coming here, as
if they hadn’t fallen into their trap from the start….
“- Fine, 「Acciente」.”
“OK, 「Acciente」……”
- Draw.
While maintaining the card he had drawn in a face-down
position, Fritz used a tiny bit of magic.
(So you think I cannot assist Barter and use magic at the same
time?)
And the opponent was merely the shame of Nilvalen.
Fii Nilvalen – The most incapable existence since the founding
of the House of Nilvalen.
Even graduating from school – 「Towering Alabaster Trees」
[2] proved to be too difficult a task for her, if not for the runic
markings on the back of her hand and her forehead, she
wouldn’t be able to even Double Cast, being an
underachiever; on the other hand, Barter could Triple Cast, and
his opponent was a stupid busty woman overconfident with the
illusion that it was a false competition, even if he left
momentarily, what could go wrong?
- Using the spell known as 「Perspective」, he saw that his
card was an 「Ace」.
Sadly he was unable to see through his opponent’s trick before
the game had started, however this was a game suggested by
his opponent, and cheating was to be expected.
He confirmed that he couldn’t feel the presence of magic, so
the only cheating method a species like Imanity would be
capable of is – Did she mess with the deck when she shuffled,
to control the card that she would draw?
No matter, the only card that the flat-chest could beat him with
– would definitely be a 「Queen」.
The predetermined cards were only three.
Even if he turned his 「Ace」 into a 「King」, as long as the
remaining card was flipped open, his cheating would be
revealed.
But, if that happened, all he had to do would be to 「Use
magic to swap the images on their cards」.
Even if she messed with the deck during shuffling to control
which card she would draw, but that action itself would be
cheating.
Also, even if Fritz used magic to switch their cards, Imanity
like Kurami that cannot detect magic would be unable to prove
it.
- She would be thinking something along the lines of this.
(You puny species (Imanity), do not underestimate me.)
He used the bare minimum force required to use his finger to
tap the tabletop so it would not produce any sound.
In an instant, the spirits that flowed across the table told him
that the flat-chest’s card was 「King」.
Essentially speaking, she guessed that her card would be
swapped with his – and intentionally picked a card that would
lose against him.
“- After all, it is the 「Shame of Nilvalen」 and her slave…
How naïve.”
Fritz at this point didn’t bother concealing it anymore, then
burst out laughing.
“A dumb busty woman is better than a smart flat-chested one,
women’s vitamins rather than being sent to the brain, would be
even more of value if they were transported to their chests.
However – if one is both dumb and flat-chested, then it’s a
really incurable case.”
“… It appears the rumor that character cannot be developed
without having it from birth is true.”
The flat-chest wrinkled her forehead in displeasure.
Fritz cleared his throat slightly, as he did not need to do
anything besides let his opponent fall into his trap.
“So, can we flip our cards now?”
“Fine, then it will be your loss.”
They flipped over their cards simultaneously.
Fritz’s card, as expected, was an 「Ace」.
And the flat-chest’s card was –
- A 「Queen」.
“… H-How could this be - !? This is impossible!?”
Fritz kicked away his chair and yelled.
How could this be possible? Impossible, it shouldn’t be this
way – hearing Fritz’s howls, a smile appeared on Kurami’s
face.
- It was a gentle smile. Yes, spreading on her face like the sun.
“… Heh, it was different from the card you peeked at, are you
surprised yet?”
- After the pitch of her voice changed, Kurami’s body appeared
to shimmer.
“Magic, should be used only after you detect who you’re
using it on, you know!”
The black-haired girl disappeared as though she was a mirage,
and instead turned into a girl with a mane of blond hair, which
was to say –
“You…. You are Nilvalen!?”
Fii who had previously taken on the image of Kurami, returned
to her original form.
“Yes, I am Fii Nilvalen.”
Fii smiled indulgently, with the shape curling up into a
sideways half-moon.
“You were saying compared to my brains, my vitamins had
all went to my breasts right…? Then I have a question for you,
in the case of you, where did your vitamins run off to – the
growth of your thing down there doesn’t seem that good
either.”
In an instant, spirits scrambled over Fritz’s body, inspecting the
condition of his body, and Fii smiled until both her eyes were
but tiny slits.
“Both the top and the bottom are not being used adequately, I
really feel sorry for the vitamins that you have absorbed, you
know!”
But Fritz did not take particular notice of her insults – He lost?
Lost to Nilvalen!?
“You do not need to be this bewildered, hmm? Despite being
both small and short "down there", there will definitely be
people that will like it… But if your brains and appearance are
both lacking, then I really have nothing to say~?”
- Then – t-t-then!?
“… Impossible! Then the one currently dueling against Barter
– who is it!?”
Part 4
“Kurami~ I’m already done on my part~”
Fii Nilvalen stretched her body out from the balcony, and
waved towards the courtyard.
Instantly – the body of Fii Nilvalen that was currently in a duel
against him – no…
The one that was merely imitating her appearance – took off
her veil, returning to her normal appearance.
The black-haired and black-clothed girl that appeared in her
place – Kurami Zell, took a bow gracefully.
“- Thank you for your cooperation, Sir Barter.”
“… No, no, my servant has been doing illegal things behind
my back, I have to take responsibility for not realizing earlier,
um.”
Upon seeing the Imanity female that had bowed deeply, Barter
hid away his shock, and spoke with a wrinkled brow.
“No, but this is different from what we had agreed on earlier?
Hmm? You both agreed with me that this would be carried out
in secret… I had not heard that there was another accomplice.”
When she heard Barter’s question, the girl exclaimed “Hmm?”
and tilted her head in confusion.
“If I may speak, if there were any uninvited intruders in your
mansion, you would have detected them before anyone else
right?”
“Um, uhm….”
That was the truth, and Barter had nothing to say in return.
The mansion only had him and Fritz, Fii and Kurami, and
numerous other helpers in it.
It was his own mansion, as long as there were others inside, he
would have detected it, as within the mansion there were
numerous spells of this capability.
Not to say that he intentionally utilized this advantage to carry
out the duel in this venue, but –
Then how did this female Imanity, carry out the duel with him
previously?
The black-haired female chuckled and said:
“According to the deal, only the both of us came.”
“Yes, yes, forgive me for being rude… Then, then this game
will be considered null and void, so let’s end it now, hmm?”
- Not right, something was not right.
Barter felt a strong sensation of unease, and stood up from his
seat.
First things first just void this duel, and quickly plan what
needs to be done next –
“Hmm? Sir Barter, did you misunderstand something?”
- Hearing that line that chilled him to the bone, Barter quickly
turned around.
The black-haired girl, Kurami, had stood up as well – with an
expression of extreme mockery on her face.
“Set two cards down.”
Two cards from the girl’s deck disappeared and materialized
again on the tabletop.
“I have not agreed – to end the game you know?”
“- What!?”
In a situation where both parties have yet to agree to end the
game, the game will not end.
“You, you, what are you trying to do!?”
“To continue the game of course, please return to your seat, if
you wish to surrender, then I have no choice but to redeem the
reward.”
Hearing the words Kurami spoke, Barter’s eyes opened wide.
He had previously thought that he would definitely win, so he
didn’t pay much attention to her demands.
- “We request that you forget all about our plans, and assist us
unconditionally and to any extent.”
Even though the phrasing was somewhat different, but it was
of the same severity as his request to Fii – no, even worse.
He would forget even the details of the game, and would
become their slave.
In comparison to this: Barter’s request was:
- “I request your personal freedom – and you must obey me for
the rest of your life.”
In this situation, the person that had agreed to the duel was
Kurami, and not Fii.
Even if Barter had won, he would only win an insignificant
slave belonging to the Nilvalen family.
He had initially believed that the opponent had agreed to
conditions advantageous towards him – but instead he was the
one that had accepted disadvantageous terms - !?
“You, you both!?”
“Barter! Your time is almost up, do you wish to surrender?”
In contrast to the emotionally unstable Barter, Kurami asked
the question nonchalantly.
- If one party has already picked their cards, and the other does
not draw theirs within a given period of time, it would be
regarded as the other party’s defeat.
Barter remembered this rule, and quickly yelled out:
“- ! Set two cards down!!”
Following Barter’s order, two cards disappeared from his deck
and materialized on the tabletop.
Kurami smiled with pride.
「Draw」
When the command was uttered, the four cards were
simultaneously revealed.
Barter’s cards were 「The Moon」 and 「The High
Priestess」.
「Within the robes lie Deceit」.
Kurami’s cards were 「Justice」 and 「The Emperor」.
「My rule is Absolute」.
As compared to Barter’s combination’s ability which dispelled
the enemy’s attack and resisted the opponent, Kurami’s
combination’s ability was to carry out its own will over all
others while releasing all possible status effects upon the
enemy. The sword drawn by the emperor, revealed the true
identity of the high priestess, and relieved her of her position.
Removing the opponent’s power and influence, the emperor's
strength was then directed towards Barter who appeared to be
still in a daze.
“- Ugh!?”
He hurriedly casted a defensive spell.
Just as the emperor's sword was about to connect, three spells
activated at once.
But the hurriedly made defensive shield made a cracking noise,
and caused scalding damage to Barter’s Elemental Gallery as
the sword broke through.
After the explosion and blinding light had subsided, a voice
spoke behind the panting Barter.
“Oh no! It appears that strike had diminished your stamina by
at least half, hmm!”
Turning around, he saw Fii leisurely walking towards him with
his dejected-looking butler trailing behind.
“! Fritz – you actually lost to a weakling like Nilvalen!?”
Upon hearing Barter’s scolding, Fritz’s facial expression
twisted slightly, but he remained silent and bent his head
downward.
While Fii who was standing beside him spoke with a relaxed
smile:
“It was inevitable, wasn’t it? He let down his guard because
he thought I was an Imanity.”
“You shut up, Nilvalen! You bitch, how dare you lie to me!?”
“Sigh~ what do you mean lying, such an ugly word…
Because…”
Fii’s line of sight shifted towards Kurami who was still sitting
at the table.
And Kurami merely nodded her head once, a cold smile
appearing on her face.
“- You were the one that had planned to cheat us to gain
victory, weren’t you.”
Barter took a deep breath, and Kurami continued:
“You were the one that ordered your butler to smuggle
contraband and earn illegitimate cash – did you really think we
wouldn’t know?”
“As long as you pretended to cooperate and set a trap for us,
you could eliminate the evidence, and gain all the benefits –“
“When the plan fails you call off the game, and refuse to
admit anything – you really are a dirty person.” [3]
Upon hearing Fii and Kurami’s accusations, Barter’s facial
expression twisted violently.
The plan was a failure from the beginning, they clearly knew
his intentions, but instead they used it against him - …No!
“Heh, heh heh… You’re still one step behind, Nilvalen.”
“Yes? Looking for me?”
Fii opened her eyes wide and tilted her head to the side in
confusion while Barter confidently shouted:
“Since I’ve found out that the one dueling against myself
was this little strumpet, then the evidence of you cheating is
obvious! Because a normal Imanity would never be able to
block the 「Attack」 of the cards, it was you who helped here,
wasn’t it!?”
- No mistake there, since the game began, they had already
contested three rounds with seven battles between them.
So in forty rounds, Kurami had been targeted by several
「Attacks」.
Barter clearly saw her using magical shields to deflect the
attacks.
Since Imanity are unable to use magic, then it was definitely
Fii who was helping her – but…
Fii was speechless when faced with these accusations, instead
scratching her cheek and replying with a chuckle:
“The person who had instructed his butler to do the exact
same thing, shouldn’t have the right to say anything, right~ …”
Kurami continued:
“Also that wasn’t even considered cheating – you fool.”
Faced with a direct accusation, Barter was momentarily
stunned.
“How about you take a moment to chew on the pledges
regarding the game – when I confirmed the conditions, I
clearly said 「We」.”
- At this point, Barter really opened his eyes wide, unable to
think of a reply.
Since the opponent had stated 「We」, then the game would
be considered as a duel between Barter and a tag team
consisting of Fii and Kurami. The rules did not restrict leaving
the area during the course of the game, so even if Fii was
casting defensive barriers at a distance, it wouldn’t be
considered as breaking the rules – no, wait, before that.
(She changed their appearances so as not to let us find out, and
was simultaneously playing a game on the second floor while
casting defensive barriers -?)
Kurami sighed and frowned slightly.
“… Fii, it appears this moron has finally realized it.”
“Since he has an unfair disadvantage of blood overly
concentrated in his posterior area and not being transported to
his brain, we can forgive him for now right?”
Fii said that while chuckling, but her voice sounded chilling
enough to cut through bone.
“He fell for it even when using such a simple word game,
how disappointing. I had even prepared much more
complicated back-up plans, strategies and traps – for no
purpose since they’re all unnecessary now anyway.”
The underachieving girl standing in front of him sighed as
though she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Just a quick mention… Your cards were too easy to guess,
initially you would definitely take the offensive, and use a
curse combination if the attack were to be blocked. Since you
don’t like countering, you wouldn’t use it, and the combination
just now was just a result of your panic, to survive the round,
you attempted to use cards to 「Prevent Attack」, even an
idiot could – sorry, if it was so, it would be normal if you
couldn’t guess that.”
Barter’s shoulders were shaking uncontrollably due to anger,
shame – and a pang of fear that was almost painful to admit.
In the forty rounds of cards, Kurami only suffered very few
「Attacks」.
And that was only in the early phases where luck played a
much bigger role, in the later rounds – all his cards were seen
through by her.
This was not the doing of an Elf, but a puny species (Imanity)
had managed to –
“- Don’t underestimate Imanity, you useless old man.”
This unpredictable black-haired girl….
“…OK – Let’s continue the game!”
… She said it with a laugh as though from a god of death.
--…….
Sharp and fast-flowing spirits bound Barter’s arms – disrupting
the nerve systems within his Elemental Gallery.
A pain too exquisite to describe, made the centuries-old man,
cry like a baby,
After the blow sufficient to scatter all the flowers growing in
the courtyard had subsided – The Elven old man had fallen
from his chair, writhing in pain, while the young Imanity girl
whispered to him gently:
“– This concludes the fourth round, what do you plan to do
from here? Sir Barter.”
“Eh, eh”
“Also, you should have noticed by now, Fii… my master (Fii
Nilvalen) – is a 「Hex Caster」.”
When he heard that whisper, the old man’s skin turned whiter
than a piece of paper.
He knew that it was not a bluff.
Because if it were untrue, it would be impossible to explain the
various things Fii was capable of doing.
Kurami crouched down, as though to console the pale,
shuddering old man and continued:
“No problem, even though you look as if you have no
remaining energy to cast defensive barriers – you still have a
good chance of winning, as long as you are able to predict all
my following cards and finish me without taking a single hit,
draining the power of the Hex Caster in the process.”
- After stating the one-in-a-trillion chance, Kurami laughed.
“There’s no problem even if you lose, it will only hurt a little
– you’ll only die if you’re not careful.”
- Yes, the exact feats entailed in that were – what Kurami had
pulled off just minutes earlier.
Even a puny species could do it, so it shouldn’t be too hard for
an Elf –
“I su- I surrender! I’ve lost! So please, stop the game!”
“-OK, so it’s our victory then. It’s been hard on you, Sir
Barter.”
Kurami ignored the pitiful old man, stood up from her seat
while Fii embraced her with a cheer.
“You are amazing!! An Imanity besting over an Elf in this
game, it must be the first time huh?!”
“… Beating this old fool has nothing deserved to be praised
so much about, after all, he was the weakest among all our
recent opponents.”
Fii looked as if she was comforting the unhappy Kurami,
stroking her hair gently, then turned around.
“Now –“
Fixating her eyes upon the still-prone Barter and Fritz who was
still standing motionless in shock.
“So Sir Barter, please adhere to the pledges, and forget
everything related to our business.”
And then – Kurami spoke with a large smile on her face.
“Continue your illegal smuggling and vending as per
normal.”
-Wait… What?!
“And then, Mr. Fritz! You will 「Confess everything」 in –
half a month’s time.”
- What is going on?
While Barter and Fritz were still in the midst of their
confusion, Kurami walked closer to the table.
“Now we should be taking our leave. But, before that –“
She lifted up the deck of tarot cards used in their game, and
shuffled them while smiling.
“I will predict your futures as a gift.”
”Eh? Kurami, you actually know how to do this? It’s the first
time I’m hearing of it.”
“Yeah, because it’s the first time I’m trying it today, but –
these futures will definitely come true.”
Kurami said that jokingly but yet somehow sinisterly, and
began shuffling the cards –
“Oh, some interesting cards have appeared, um – let me take
a look?”
After she said that, she flipped open the four cards one by one.
-「Temperance」.
“After today, you will successfully continue your potion
smuggling and vending business with the Dwarves.”
-「The Tower」.
“But half a month later… Oh no, this is terrible, the Dwarves
doing business with you will confess 「For some reason」.”
-「The Wheel of Fortune」.
“Also 「Very coincidentally」, the butler will be found
implicated in the affair, your evil doings discovered one by one
… Then –“
-「Judgment」.
“Sir Barter will be brought to justice by the government –
story ends, please restrain your grief.”
Ignoring the two pale-faced men, Kurami spoke to Fii as
though acting in a play:
“Heh, interesting isn’t it, Fii. If Sir Barter is arrested, I
wonder who will assume position of head of his company that
so happens to be the top trading company of Elven Gard, Will
Andomoro (ウイル アンドモロ)?
“Oh, coincidentally it happens to be the young master of the
Enrihl (エンリヒ) family whom we 「Played with」 just three
days ago.”
- All this, was in their control. When he saw their sinister and
yet all-knowing smiles, Barter furiously roared:
“Nilvalen, you – no, what are you both planning!?”
Both replied with chilly smiles:
“Eh? It’s OK if we tell you actually~”
“You’ll forget everything anyway, which of course includes
this meeting we had.”
Barter couldn’t help but shudder upon seeing the innocent
smiles on the faces of the two demonic women.
- What kind of monster have I provoked?
“OK, now just like we swore on the pledges – Goodbye, Sir
Barter.”
“I will pray for your sake, hope your business thrives from
here on out~”
- Just like that.
With a snap, as Kurami and Fii snapped their fingers…
All their memories regarding the events that happened on that
day, vanished without a trace.
Part 5
Kurami and Fii pulled down their identical veils to mask their
faces.
Both of them were not there, and were never there.
That was the way things worked.
Carefully avoiding the detection of the eyes and ears of others,
both of them leaped from the top of Sir Barter’s mansion.
The spell conjured by Fii caught them mid-air with a force
greater than gravity, lifting them both gently up and into the
air.
- They overcame air resistance, and flew through the night sky.
Only the red moon, the starlight, and the light of the city were
left, illuminating the surrounding landscapes.
This was the city within the forest, a green metropolis woven
through utterly and completely trained magic. It was a sight
Kurami was used to seeing – but even for those seeing it for the
first time, and obvious despite the faint light, Elven Gard’s
different castes of civilization could be observed – the duo’s
hoods billowed in the wind as they cruised through the skies
above the city.
“Kurami was perfect just now~”
From the trees – no, from one building to another, as if hopping
from roof to roof, Fii said:
“You had to defeat that useless old thing without any help
from me, I was really worried you know.”
“… Let’s drop the subject, Fii, are you OK?”
“Hey, it’s not a bad feeling to have Kurami worried once in a
while, you’ve really grown~”
Fii maintained the spell that allowed them to continue floating
in the air while replying with a mischievous grin on her face.
But even in the faint lighting, Kurami could clearly see that the
gemstone on Fii’s forehead had lost its usual glimmer and was
now dark due to overuse of magic.
Sir Barter and his butler Fritz…
They were 「Triple Casters」 and 「Double Casters」
respectively, although they were not yet considered top-ranked,
they were still exceptional mages.
But… Kurami glanced at the girl cruising through the night sky
beside her, and was immersed in thought. - Fii Nilvalen.
Kurami was serving her master as a slave, head of one of the
very few highly prestigious families in Elven Gard.
Due to poor results, she was expelled from the most prestigious
magical learning institutions in the land - 「Tree of White」.
She drew white runic markings upon herself and wore a
support gemstone used by beginners, while those not in the
know mocked her and labelled her as the most incapable
existence since the founding of the House of Nilvalen – calling
her 「Scrap metal」.
But, those who knew better (Kurami) merely snorted at the
insults, and thought of her as the most talented existence since
the founding of the House of Nilvalen – as though she were a
precious ingot of 「Gold」.
Fii had never intentionally revealed her true strength to
Kurami.
However –
She had cast magic on herself and Kurami to disguise
themselves, and in order not to let Barter and Fritz realize, she
had also cast more spells on them to prevent them from being
recognized, even placing 「Defenses」 on Kurami from a long
distance during the game of Magical Tarot Cards, all while
dueling Fritz… She had casted six spells at once.
「Hex Caster」- She was undoubtedly beyond the level of a
talented mage.
No, previously in their game with Sora and others – the game
of Reversi that was only made possible through the usage of
Jibril’s core.
The Flugel, ranked sixth, possess astronomical power, and Fii
could actually conjure up a spell strong enough to deflect one
of their attacks.
Based on this fact, it is easy to imagine that the words
“incredibly talented” wouldn’t even be enough to describe the
sheer talent Fii possessed.
Considering that she is in such a high caliber, even the school
that had expelled her, might recruit her as a professor.
… She should at least be enjoying that sort of treatment.
“Hmm…? Is something wrong? Kurami?”
Her golden hair billowing in the night air, her skin white as
snow even in the darkest night, and her smile was even more
illuminating and attractive than the sun.
Fii Nilvalen, not only born to a normal family but also
possesses abnormal intelligence and adept magical ability.
What should be waiting for her would be a bright and hopeful
future – if she had not given it all up herself.
Yes, she had rejected a fantastic future that was within her
grasp.
She had hidden her actual potential and portrayed herself as a
useless person, even choosing to defy her hometown, country
and even her race.
She did all that not for anyone else, but only for the sake of one
person –
“- …Nothing.”
Only for her best friend.
Kurami silently bent her head down and exhaled loudly.
Choosing to call a mere slave and Imanity (herself) her best
friend, and oppose the rest of the world.
Slave liberation – how nice it sounds indeed.
However, that would be equal to releasing Elven Gard’s
national secrets. For if they attempted to free the Fairies and
such, who are being harnessed for their advanced magic, it
would be akin to selling out their country’s secret weapons to
other countries.
If things got to that stage, the Dwarves - Hagenfell would not
miss such a great opportunity.
Elven Gard would probably lose a continental territory that has
been contested for nearly a thousand years due to a land
dispute.
Even worse, the country would fall apart, and the inevitable
fate if that happened – would be obvious enough not to
mention it.
- As long as it was for Kurami, it didn’t matter even if her
hometown were destroyed.
She swore it, and she genuinely meant it. To be honest, she had
already made several very dangerous moves.
For Fii to be like that, Kurami had only gratitude, and a feeling
akin to yearning that seemed to transcend race and age.
- But Kurami couldn’t help wondering, what about herself?
Even if it didn’t show on her face, Fii’s soul gem showed that
she was exhausted.
She couldn’t even win a game without relying on such a
remarkable person to bear such a heavy burden.
Whether or not she was worthy of being the 「Best friend」 of
someone like Fii –
- Suddenly she felt a bolt of pain shoot through her head.
Old memories flashed past, and Kurami stopped in mid-air
while holding one hand to her head.
- A pinky swear with a young girl, and a puppet that desired to
become a human.
Had he – the puppet – Sora ever thought that he would serve as
shackles to bind the young girl?
The girl had the ability to cruise the broad skies alone, but he
instead became a burden that tied her down to the ground –
“Eh… Kurami, is there something wrong?”
Her best friend noticed that she stopped and turned around for
her, while Kurami looked down and replied:
“… Fii, sorry. If I could do better…”
“Kurami…?”
Elven Gard, with overwhelming affinity for magic as its
weapon, a superpower that controlled nearly 30% of total land
mass.
Its national power was over twice the size of the country of the
Dwarves, Hagenfell, that was ranked after the Elves, taking the
position of the largest country in the world.
Its foundation was as sturdy as a castle, just finding one
opening in its defenses was harder than attempting to reach
beyond the heavens -
… No, that was merely an excuse.
The images of two people flashed across her mind, and Kurami
clenched her fists even tighter.
“This time, if it had been 「Those two」- then magic
shouldn’t even be necessary.”
“Kurami.”
Removing the high-ranking officials controlling transport,
trade and welfare step-by-step, secretly shaving off their
power, that would only create an opening smaller than a
needle, as though an ant’s nest.
But if this continued how long would they have to wait until –
“Not only that, they should be able to win even more!”
After many smaller games have been played, the loopholes will
gradually increase.
If the higher powers were to detect their activities, their
existences would be wiped out in an instant.
What they needed was a move like Sora had used in the game
of chess - 「Using an unexpected strike to end the game in one
move」.
“But… all I’m doing is being a burden to Fii, and I haven’t
improved a single bit –“
“Kurami!”
Kurami’s clenched nails were almost piercing through her skin,
but a calm yet powerful voice stopped her just in time.
“Kurami can’t possibly become 「Those two」.”
“…. Yeah, I get it.”
Kurami looked down dejectedly. She knew, even if she
imitated Sora, it would have no meaning.
Sora and Shiro would only be 「 」 when they were together
– would only be Imanity’s strongest gamers.
She needed to find a method suitable for herself –
“No, you don’t understand at all, you know!”
Kurami who had her thoughts interrupted looked up.
“I don’t know what kind of memories Kurami received from
Sora-san, but what kind of person Sora-san is – I believe I have
at least a slight understanding.”
In the hypnotic glow of the forest city, Fii said seriously.
“Sora-san had calculated that they couldn’t do it themselves,
which is why they chose Kurami instead!”
“… Yes, but considering I’m like this –“
“Also, they had calculated that Kurami alone can’t do it, so
they sent me as well!”
“--!”
“Both us and them are two as one, and don’t even think about
not borrowing my power in order to win games, that would be
like trying to do alone what Sora-san and Shiro-san do together
you know!”
“…Fii.”
“Kurami can borrow my power you know, it makes perfect
sense.”
They are a team of two, we are a team of two as well.
If the result is the same, then there would be no need to feel
shameful – but…
“But I’ve always been a burden to Fii, and not –“
“It’s only because Kurami is around that I can do my best…
and –“
Fii grasped the hand of Kurami who was still looking
downward, then said while smiling:
“I know, of course! Kurami has been looking through Sorasan’s
memories daily, digging up all of Sora-san and Shirosan’s
strategies and tactics, wanting to make them your own –“
Her expression changed, and her eyes revealed an expression
of worry.
“Because of that, you haven’t slept for a long while, haven’t
you?”
“………!”
“If Kurami doesn’t sleep, then I won’t sleep as well. If
Kurami does her best, I will do my best. If you think I am very
tired – then of course Kurami yourself must be very tired as
well!”
Fii said while looking into Kurami’s eyes.
- Rubbing at heavy eyebags that couldn’t even be shielded by
the night sky, speaking gently as though a mother lecturing her
child:
“Kurami, if you’re worried that I’ll stress myself out, then
I want you to promise me, tonight you have to sleep well… At
this rate, 「Both of us」 will collapse together, you know…”
“… Sorry, I’ve worried you so…”
“Hmph, of course not.”
Fii intentionally puffed up her cheeks.
“At this point there should be other things to say right?”
“… - Yeah, thank you, Fii.”
Fii smiled and nodded her head, took Kurami by the hand then
recast the spell to lift them into the air.
“Also, I think the reason why Sora-san gave us the mission in
Elven Gard, wasn’t for a particularly serious reason… am I
wrong to say this?”
Both of them recalled the face of that man – imagined his
bored expression, then simultaneously exclaimed:
“'Politics and power and whatnot, all that crap like dividing
up a country is way too troublesome, so I’ll just leave you two
to it.'”
The duo laughed bitterly, then soared higher up into the night
sky.
Part 6
At the roadside hotel where both of them were spending the
night, two beds were placed in a small room.
Fii that had removed her hood and put on her pajamas, repeated
again as though lecturing:
“So Kurami, you must get a good sleep tonight, OK?”
“…Then, may I request something?”
“What is it? Just say it, I won’t mind.”
Kurami hugged her pillow while awkwardly shifting her gaze.
“U-um… Co-could you sleep with me tonight?”
Upon seeing Fii’s satisfied smile, Kurami whose face had
turned red yelled:
“It, it’s not like that! I couldn’t sleep because I kept dreaming
of Sora’s memories! So, so what I wanted to say was, like how
Sora holds Shiro – just holding Fii’s hand will make me feel
better… All this is Sora’s fault, OK?!”
“Fine, fine, it’s all Sora-san’s fault, so don’t be shy. Just like
before, if you have a scary dream, there’s no need to be
courteous, just burrow into my side of the bed, hmm?”
“I’ve already said it’s not like that, right!? Ugh, this is all
Sora’s fault, why do I have to deal with such things –“
Despite her constant swearing, she still got into bed under Fii’s
constant persuasion.
Just like that, Kurami lay on the bed with her back towards Fii,
while Fii laughed and said:
“Kurami, is there anything else you want me to do for you?
Like singing a lullaby, for example!”
“I just want you to stop teasing me and let me sleep.”
“Really? Don’t you want me to pet your head or hug you?”
“……………. If Fii wants to do it, I have no objections.”
“Yay~! Of course I want to do it, so let me pet your head for a
bit, hmm!”
The touch of Fii’s hand made Kurami’s body gradually relax.
Kurami recalled previously when things happened – when she
cried, Fii would stroke her hair like this as well.
As a slave, being brought up at the Nilvalen household.
Despite Fii always standing by her side – there were a lot of
painful memories, memories that made her cry, make her feel
like dying, but she always told herself, she couldn’t immerse
herself in self-pity. Kurami frantically resisted the flow of tears
until she was safely inside the covers of her blanket – those
times seemed so far away.
Now after coming into contact with Sora’s memories… Now
when she was no longer the one crying –
“Kurami… are you asleep?”
Fii softly asked – with a volume soft enough so as not to wake
her up if she was actually sleeping.
And it was Fii’s voice that prevented Sora’s memories from
once again resurrecting and keeping her awake.
“…Not yet, what is it?”
“Hmm~ if you can’t sleep, before you do, could you chat with
me for a while?”
“Of course, what do you want to talk about?”
Her casual words were at the same time spoken with a serious
tone, and Kurami curiously nodded her head, signaling Fii to
go on.
“Kurami appears to completely trust Sora-san.”
After which Fii worriedly continued:
“Honestly, this makes me worried…”
“…..”
“The memories that Sora-san passed onto you, are they his
real memories?”
- Sora had a Flugel by his side, so memory editing could
definitely be done through the power of the pledges.
Would he create fake memories and hand them over to Kurami
just so he could control her?
What Fii implied was this, but…
“It’s true that I may have been cheated, that is something Sora
would do…”
Kurami smiled bitterly and continued.
“- Or at least, that’s what everyone seems to think.”
Seeing Fii tilt her head in shock, Kurami chuckled slightly.
“You should relax, the one that 「Thinks too highly of」
Sora – is not me, but Fii.”
- A piece of his memories flashed through Kurami’s head.
Sora’s memories generally made others discomforted – but the
one just now was –
“Fii… do you know why the term 「Genius」 exists?”
“…Eh?”
“It’s to make others admit that they are different from other
humans. Puppets refer to the people they do not understand as
geniuses, those who are praised are known as geniuses, while
the reverse would be labelled as monsters; and to most of them
– it is an insult.”
- Because they are different life forms from us, so not being
able to compare ourselves with them isn’t very surprising
either.
Most people would admit this, then give up – but that puppet
was different.
“Yes, he was really just a puppet.”
- He was merely normal (an idiot).
“But he refused to be just a puppet.”
- A genius that yearns for what lies before him (the real thing).
“So – he experienced things that makes one question how he
still managed to remain standing.”
Thus, Kurami in a state of being half-asleep and half-awake,
traversed through Sora’s memories.
To invent something that would allow something that was
bound to the ground to fly – how would one test whether the
invention had worked or not?
The answer would just be to try flying – to verify whether or
not one would crash, no matter how many times one crashed,
even if your body and soul were smashed to bits –
“… He would still stand up, cheerfully, and pretended as
though nothing had happened.”
Bleeding inside, clenching his teeth, he looked at his sister,
then stood up again.
Any characteristic we would typically expect in a genius did
not exist in him at all.
- It’s true, having a capable sister really is hard, Onii-chan.
“Sora – is extremely stubborn, so you could catch up to him –
no, even surpass him without any problem. He’s just at a
level that’s definitely attainable, as long as you are
「Human」. Just as he claims, he’s just an idiot. Although
he’s an idiot, he’s also the real thing, constantly pursuing
what he yearns for, constantly struggling - a normal… idiot.”
… As she said this, Fii’s hand was still gently stroking her
head.
Kurami’s consciousness was also gradually fading.
“What he needs is just a little bit of – but to truly understand
it is – a truth hard to comprehend…”
As she was falling asleep, Kurami recalled what Sora had said
during the King selection games in Elkia.
- When it comes to contests and brutal fights to the death, we
are veterans way more experienced than you…
This line spoken by Sora seemed to overlap with one of his
past memories –
- Emptily gazing down at both of his hands that were covered
in fresh blood…
Merely wanting to be human –
A puppet’s memories – “…Really…too stupid…can’t even…
tell a lie…”
“Kurami?”
… What replied to her call was merely the breathing of
someone in a deep sleep.
Still fondling Kurami who was muttering to herself in
dreamland, Fii began to think.
And, another thing – she gazed up at the ceiling, thinking about
Kurami’s unfinished sentence.
Fii remembered the face of the stupid man who according to
Kurami was unable to even tell a lie.
- Remembered the face of the man whose existence itself could
almost be substituted for the word “lie”.
The face that was always cocky and smiling, that made you go
on full alert at first sight of him –
“-Ah…”
At that time, Fii’s thoughts had finally run their course.
“So that’s how it is… 「The liar that can’t lie」…So it’s
something like this, hmm…”
The things that man had experienced, was enough for Kurami
to think that he had lived a tragic life, that sort of man -
Why – would he want others to feel apprehensive towards him?
The unease that Fii had been feeling for a long time suddenly
disappeared. The answer – the future that Fii, Kurami, Sora and
others had all been fantasizing about.
As her thoughts led her to reach a point of ecstasy, a small
smile gradually appeared on her face.
Immediately, a wave of sleepiness that she had not felt in a
long while came over her, and she closed her eyes.
- I can’t wait.
Carrying these feelings within herself, she had for a really,
really long time – for an unclear amount of years, even, not fell
Prologue
Part 1
“Over 7 billion players online now! Moving towards a future of
infinite possibilities – Create a story that is truly your own!”
… Reality.
From a broader perspective, our precious lives are but a game.
Just hearing that attractive slogan makes us want to imagine
being part of it.
Exactly as the title states, the game called “Life”, is truly an
epic game that lasts for a lifetime.
Game start.
First, you cooperate with your parents and automatically begin
the process of character customization.
After receiving blessings from your father, mother and many
others in a touching opening cutscene, you can finally begin
controlling your main character.
Even though the controls take a while to get used to, you
eventually learn them, and you are thrown into a hub of social
competition – school.
The realm where this game takes place in – Earth.
We were thrown in a corner of this gigantic map, and faced a
massive sandbox game. We saw the slogan and were instantly
hooked, but we quickly noticed –
-- “We were tricked”.
Infinite possibilities – Well, this statement may not be false.
But the catch to this game was, no one told us that we could do
things our own way.
Disadvantages were caused by insufficient character levels,
experience points, funds and not to mention spawn location.
Seemingly endless shackles ruined the freedom allowed in this
game.
However, we continued to work hard.
Trusting in the fanciful slogan, we constantly fell down and
picked ourselves up.
We truly believed that we possessed infinite potential.
So, we engrossed ourselves in raising our levels, farming
experience and earning money.
Despite our complaints about the unfair conditions given due to
the “Talents” or “Qualities” and other skills we received during
random character customization, we did not give up, but relied
on “Effort” to increase our experience points, endlessly
working hard – That’s the kind of game “Life” is.
This really is a story that motivates and touches the heart, isn’t
it?
- But, that has no meaning at all.
No matter how high your score is, you will never be able to
beat this game.
This is because even though your level, experience points and
funds have reached the cap, you will still suffer – in this case
being ostracized.
Why?
- Because of putting in “Too much effort”.
Because even if it is something acquired by “Effort”.
Others will still claim it is completely unfair.
When you own “Something that others do not”, they will
undoubtedly claim that it is unfair.
Because of that, we were “Punished”.
Receiving punishment from seven billion other players,
shackles were imposed on us.
At this point, a thought flashed through our heads –
- Does freedom truly exist in this game?
No matter what choices we made, we would still receive
criticisms from society, other players or from god-knowswhere.
Even if we accepted the criticisms and continued on with the
game, as long as we once again wished to achieve success, the
same fate would befall upon us.
Looking back on it all, we realized –
Our actions were not carried out upon free will.
The path we have walked, was only a pre-regulated path built
according to a combination of the wishes and commands from
others.
When we realized were merely – “Walking a path built by
others”…
Our suspicions were only confirmed.
No mistake about it, this massive scam called “Life” was no
doubt a massive and vast sandbox game.
The thing is – The players were not ourselves.
So we unconsciously lowered our heads and looked down at
our hands.
- Looking at those hands bound by infinite but yet
infinitesimally small ropes, our suspicions turned into
confirmations.
So we unconsciously surveyed our surroundings.
- Looking at the others around us bound by infinite yet
infinitesimally small ropes, our confirmations turned into
understanding.
As long as we shook our heads, we would hear creaking noises,
which was when the gamer siblings realized.
All the players were actually puppets. Everyone was adhering
to the countenances of others and fulfilling their preset role in
this game called “Life”. Just like puppets in a puppet show –
Just like NPCs.
So, after you’ve considered the above, let me just ask one
question.
“For what reason are you living?”
- Is your answer to this question, truly based on your own free
will?
- ………
- This is the world as seen through the eyes of a <Puppet
(NPC)>.
The <Puppet> did not question this truth in the ten years since
the game began.
The soulless <Puppet> did not feel anxious nor worried when
faced with that truth.
Just like <PuppetsPrayers>, we only look upon the faces of
others, and make requests to <HumansPlayers> though we are
not even sure if they exist.[1]
All it prays for is that the tricks would one day bring about
some sort of benefit to mankind.
- Until that day.
Part 2
Elven Gard – Tillnog County, Lower Miguel
This was merely a district within the territory of the faction
with the largest amount of land, stretching three continents and
52 states.
Located southeast of the capital, close to the kingdom of the
Dwarves – Harden Fell.
- It is the city of those who were born in and would receive the
blessings of the forest, the elves.
The architecture found there was completely different
compared to the Imanity's – Elchea.
In the center of the city lies a “Heaven Tree” – With one
branch stretching up and beyond the clouds, an unbelievably
large tree towered, with its roots tangled at the forest floor like
blood vessels, expanded by the elves to form a network of
roads. Houses and street lights tangle and merge with the
stumps and vines growing from the earth, filling the cracks and
bumps between the pavements.
That fashion of architecture was completely unlike flattening
forests and reclaiming land to build “buildings” made of brick
and stone.
This could only be done through well-practiced and potent
magic, truly a “Living City”.
Within the streets that were one with nature, there lies a
particularly large mansion.
That is the residence of the mayor – Ron Barter.
At that time, a young lady was passing by the the gates that
were embroidered with rosebuds.
She had a mane of silky golden hair with a few curls.
A pair of pointed ears signified an Elven heritage, and the ruby
on her forehead produced faint streaks of light when struck by
the sun's rays.
The person coming out to receive the girl was a man that
looked as if he had just entered old age, similarly had pointed
ears, and was dressed in clothes clearly meant for higher
echelons of society.
“Welcome, Miss Fii, or should I call you Miss Nilvalen?”
The girl known as Fii replied gently in a diplomatic voice,
“I don’t mind what you call me, Barter, for I have not
officially inherited the position of the head of the family.”
The man - Barter hearing her reply, curled up the corners of his
mouth into an evil smile.
He stepped back, spread out his arms, and invited Fii into the
mansion completely made of flora.
“To allow a young maiden to travel so far just to visit my
humble home, I offer my sincerest apologies.”
“Fufu, your talent for flattery sure has not deteriorated in the
slightest, I see.”
“I never thought you would say something like that. I may be
old, but I believe my ability to appreciate beautiful flowers has
not been lost…. Despite the fact that you are nothing but an
ugly weed compared to my garden, of course.”
“A flower that is being appreciated can still bloom, you know.
Oh, I should also mention that the time it takes to do so is the
same as well~”
While the two of them were walking, their smiles did not
diminish even by a fraction, however during the entire trip,
they did not look at each other at all.
Barter led Fii into the main hall.
In the center of the hall, decorated by various flowers and
plants, laid a table and two chairs.
As Fii sat down, Barter took a seat on the other end as well.
“This must be extremely boring for both of us, so let’s get
straight to the point.”
He jumped right into the main issue without beating around the
bush.
“For this round of senatorial elections - Nilvalen, may I
request that you withdraw?”
Barter addressed Fii by her family name directly, as though it
were a command instead of a request.
- Despite the fact that Fii had said she didn’t mind what she
was addressed as – There was an unspoken rule within the
circle of nobles in Elfen Gard, which was….
Addressing someone directly by their family name was akin to
an insult.
However, Fii maintained her composure and continued smiling
with not even a twitch of the eyebrow.
“Is that all?”
“Of course not, I also request that you personally recommend
me for the elections, officially under your family name of
Nilvalen.”
“Oh~ so that’s how it is.”
“Yes, the election deposits and earnest money would also be
your responsibility. Another thing, a close friend of mine, Sir
Castor Lesto desires your Golden Dragon Bone Harp, as long
as you give it to him, he will recommend me for this round’s
elections.”
“Hmm… that's my family heirloom, you know! Previously,
an entire city was traded in exchange for it –“
“That is what I heard as well, I’m sure he would enjoy this
gift very much.”
The corners of his mouth twisted once again, revealing a
cunning smile.
His eyes drooped downwards, with his line of sight directly
fixated upon her large and supple breasts.
“I won’t force you to make the decision right away of
course, so why don’t you stay over tonight. We need to sit
down nice and proper and have an 「all-night」 talk regarding
how our relationship should proceed from here? Hmm?”
“No matter how a person’s outward appearance is decorated,
the personality will remain the same you know?”
Fii replied, almost failing to hold back her laughter.
“Essentially you want money, land and women right? In this
current age, I would imagine that even mountain bandits would
have more reasonable demands.”
“That is because they know their place as small fries. Don’t
you think that a person of my position and caliber deserves to
request for correspondingly important demands?”
“I completely disagree, but if you want to think that way, then
it’s your own decision~?”
Fii continued to maintain the smile on her face, then replied:
“So, you think I would accept that kind of request, are you
drunk or something?”
“Haha, compared to being drunk, I prefer being intoxicated
by the beauty of flowers. You should have known I would have
these kinds of demands, but you still came here, didn’t you?
Anyway – “
Barter snapped his fingers once.
As she sensed an Elemental Gallery being accessed, a tea set
with steam still billowing out of it appeared on the table.
A piece of tissue paper as though dancing through the air,
gently landed in front of Fii’s position at the table.
“… As the current vice-congresswoman, you actually
attempted to liberate the slaves – If you’re not afraid of me
exposing you, you could always refuse the deal? Sounds good
to you?”
Hearing the threatening words spoken by Barter, Fii continued
smiling nonetheless.
She merely inspected the piece of paper on the table
wordlessly.
The content written on it was simple, merely a record of Fii
and her group’s affiliation with the act and also evidence
regarding the matter.
If the laws regarding slaves were removed, the society of the
Elves would not be able to remain stable, thus her actions were
likened to a crime.
If this list were to be exposed to the public, it would not be a
surprise if Fii and the others were convicted with treason –
“Since you’ve already dug up so much information about us,
why don’t you go ahead and expose us?”
“I personally believe in free will, and only do things that
would benefit me personally, what good would it do me if I
went ahead and exposed your little tricks?”
“So you’re using this to threaten me instead? Freedom really
is the best, isn’t it?”
“Threaten? There you go again with such strong words… I
am only offering suggestions to a silly woman. I will train you
properly, so how about you kneel down and beg like a dog for
forgiveness? Hmm?”
“I appreciate it, but no thank you – How about we get straight
to the topic here?”
“Hah, you really can’t wait, can you? Hmm? – Fine then.”
After Barter spoke these words, he snapped his fingers yet
again.
A complex-looking magical formation appeared out of thin air,
and a deck of cards materialized from the center of it.
“The game is 「Oracle Cards」– I trust that this does not
need explaining?”
Oracle Cards.
A game popular among the Elves, where twenty-two magical
cards are used for combat purposes.
- It is also a dangerous game used to settle disputes.
For someone with weaker magical ability like Fii, it would be a
disadvantageous duel.
By the 「Ten Oaths」, the challenged party, Fii, had the right
to select the game. But then –
“So, let us now decide upon what each of us are willing to
bet.”
Fii carefully answered her opponent with her line of sight
directly fixated upon him, her expression ever unchanging.
Both were deciding the requests that would be fulfilled under
the absolute authority of the 「Oaths」.
“Well then, I want all your personal rights – and you will
belong to me for the rest of your life, if I win, of course.”
“We want you to forget everything related to our efforts, and
assist us unconditionally to any extent.”
- This was a reasonable demand.
If Barter were to acquire Fii, he would acquire everything to
her family name and also her virginity.
On the other hand, Fii’s demand was for him to relinquish all
his evidence that he could use threaten them, and also to drain
his personal savings dry as revenge by acquiring his services.
“No problem – but for a third-rate thug like you, it’s best that
you don’t think about winning too much, you know… When
imagination goes overboard, it becomes fantasy you know?”
“Your obvious attempts at bluffing are really entertaining,
hmm? Does the disgrace of the Nilvalen family really think she
can beat me?”
After a brief exchange of taunts and loaded glances – Both
parties immediately swore on the pledges.
「「 Acciente 」」
As though corresponding with the spoken word, the spells cast
on the table were activated, and the game began.
Barter and Fii were both given twenty-two cards each.
Their cards automatically hovered in the air at fixed positions,
shuffling themselves at an angle where the opponent was
unable to see the card's face.
After, both would draw cards of equal amount and type, then
battle face-to-face.
- This was the game known as 「Oracle Cards」.
The simple game played with tarot cards then began.
- When both parties of the game are elves, cheating with magic
is almost impossible.
Because both parties are able to detect each other’s spells and
Elemental Galleries, if any party attempts to use magic to
cheat, it would be impossible, thus Elves particularly enjoy
playing automatically controlled games powered by magic like
this.
Among which, this game known as Oracle Cards, was
particularly popular for its entertainment value and for its
victory conditions.
“Set two cards down.”
Fii spoke one simple sentence, and immediately two cards
disappeared from the deck floating in the air.
At the same time, those two cards materialized on the table
instantly in a face-down position. Barter smiled, and said:
“Set two cards down.”
This time, it was Barter’s cards that landed face-down on the
table.
Both would use the two cards they had each drawn to decide
the victor of the match.
Barter then uttered, rather impatiently:
“How about we reveal our cards?”
“Fine~ now then-“
The two competitors simultaneously spoke a single word.
「「 “Draw” 」」
Immediately after the word was uttered, both their cards
simultaneously flipped over.
In an instant – the surrounding air seemed to have imploded
upon itself, as massive amounts of energy were drawn out of
the Elemental Gallery.
The cards Barter drew were 「Strength」and 「The Chariot」.
The combination of the cards was known as -「Fame is
Power」.
Fii’s cards were 「The Fool」and 「The Lover」.
「Love is Insanity」.
The cards belonging to both parties began to emit a bright light,
and semi-transparent images began to materialize in front of
them.
Barter had summoned a fully armored knight that immediately
drew its sword and began its attack.
And the figure that was summoned from Fii’s cards was
instead a half-naked maiden with an expression of exquisite
pain.
The maiden moved gracefully as if she were a dancer, grabbed
the knight’s neck and softly spoke a few sentences into his ear.
The knight raised its head as though it was very troubled – then
turned his blade in the other direction.
He turned around while carrying the maiden, and slashed his
sword towards the one that had summoned him instead -
Barter.
- Created by the seventh most powerful among the
「Exceed」, and the most adept with magic, the elves.
This was the game of cards that could only be created through
the harnessing of that magic.
The 「Return Seal」 spell that was triggered on the cards
harnessed the mindless violence emanating from the knight and
redirected it towards Barter.
His response to this was – Muttering a few words, stretching
out his palm, and instantly conjuring a defensive shield.
Two magical formations appeared from thin air, to block the
sword of the knight.
An extremely large noise echoed throughout the room, and a
jet of bright light burst forward.
Large amounts of spirits exploded and burst through the entire
courtyard progressively, then disappeared.
Despite bearing such a powerful counter-attack, Barter still
appeared to be unaffected.
“Actually using a combination to reflect my attacks since the
beginning, it appears that even the cowardly weakling is afraid
of being injured, hmm?”
Fii likewise replied with an unwavering smile.
“Avoiding risks in the first hand of cards is a perfectly
reasonable strategy, you know. And I would feel frustrated as
well if the victor was decided instantly in that fashion.”
“Hehe, that’s exactly the reason why others can’t put up with
you…. Using that sort of tricks in games, you clearly don’t
understand the style of play, so how about I teach you a lesson
about the methods that are up to standards truly befit for one of
noble descent, hmm?”
Essentially, this is a game of 'Oracle Cards' (Magical Tarot
Cards).
- This was the ultimate duel game played by the seventh ranked
race, the Elves.
Both participants have the same twenty-two cards, and every
turn two are drawn to form a combination.
Combinations not only consist of raw power, but also possess
different affinities, and the losing party will suffer an
「Attack」 of power corresponding with the ability of the
combination used.
And those attacks can only be blocked by the magic of the
player.
Used cards will be dumped into the graveyard, and after eleven
rounds – meaning after all the cards are used, both parties will
be given the option of surrendering or continuing the game. If
the option to continue is selected, both players will be given
another twenty-two cards and restart the duel – as long as one
party is unable to continue the game, then victory will be
decided.
There are a total of two hundred and thirty-one combinations –
predicting and countering each one of them would be an
impossible feat.
Hence the key to victory would be 「Dodging attacks」.
- Also a test used to gauge the standards of aspiring Elven
mages.
Those who are able to 「Quadruple Cast」 would be only the
best mages, despite Barter being incapable doing so, he was
still a very capable 「Triple Caster」.
While Fii, on the other hand –
“ – You are only barely capable enough to 「Double Cast」
even after using that kind of runic magic and the support soul
gems used by beginners. Do you really think that with that kind
of standard, you, the disgrace of the Nilvalen family, can
triumph over me, hmm?”
- No doubt about it, in this game, victory is decided by the skill
of one’s magic.
The amount of spells that one can cast simultaneously – also
represents the strength of one’s magic and the times one has
used it.
Fii that could barely reach the standard of a Double Caster, to
wish of defeating a Triple Caster like Barter, would be an
impossible feat.
However Fii merely laughed nonchalantly. “Yes, of course I do
think that way! You’re already becoming this cocky even only
after blocking this first attack. How about you land a hit on me
first before you act so savagely, hmm?”
Then, she glanced upward momentarily.
The movement of the spirits had not ceased, and the second
floor of the mansion was visible from the central courtyard
with petals still flying about from the aftershock of the
previous explosion.
Fii glanced through a window on the second floor – a girl with
black hair and clothes – the shadow of her 「Partner」 walking
was visible, and the corners of her mouth faintly had a ghost of
a smile.
No doubt about it, this magic game had absolutely no room for
the Imanity who could not use or detect magic.
As long as they took a single hit, they would definitely lose,
thus it wouldn’t even be considered a game.
But – images of two people flashed through her mind’s eye.
A young man and a little girl wearing expressions of pride and
condescension, but at the same time carrying a hint of sadness
–
- Why do you insist on taking on the opponent head-on?
Also –
“The game ended before it even began, you know?”
Part 3
“…Cheh, that bastard Barter.”
Observing the duel taking place in the central courtyard from
the second floor with a bird’s-eye view, Barter’s butler, Fritz,
rudely swore.
- From his master’s deal, his ulterior motives were obvious.
Grasping his opponent’s weakness, forcing the opponent into a
game she couldn’t possibly win, and win over her personal
rights.
As long as he were to defeat that woman, the house of
Nilvalen’s vote, power, money and of course the one thing
more precious than gold – breasts, would all belong to him.
Despite Barter’s expression being generically villainous and
composed, he was almost certainly thinking of what he would
do after he achieved victory.
He most definitely was thinking how he would enjoy that
massive pair of breasts in bed at night.
How could he be so certain? Because he who was standing in
the blind spot of the woman, helping Barter block the
「Attacks」 from her cards, was also thinking of nothing but
gigantic breasts.
Also the most important things related to women were her
breasts, looks, butt, waist, and legs, and not to mention these
were only accessories as compared to her breasts for
accompaniment, valued just about as much as the napkins one
would receive at a restaurant for lunch.
Her intelligence? Her skill with magic? Those were completely
unimportant.
- Essentially, Fii was exactly Fritz’s type of girl.
“Ah, to meet in a place like this, it really is a coincidence.
Barter’s butler… Your name is Fritz, right?”
“ -?! You are Nilvalen’s –“
Fritz desperately turned around, and was staring at a blackhaired
and black-clothed Imanity… Nilvalen’s slave.
'Her name was Kurami I think,' Fritz thought while rendered
speechless.
“Cheh, you flat-chested woman, don’t simply approach me.”
Just being spoken to by a pitifully flat-chested Imanity was
already bad enough.
Also he had no time to entertain her words.
Because he had more important things to do, those being to
simultaneously assist Barter and enjoy the view of Fii’s chest –
and as the flat-chested one probably couldn’t read his inner
thoughts, she continued to speak in a calm tone:
“To meet in a place like this must also be the doing of fate,
how about you 「Challenge me」 to a game?”
“… Watch your words, you lackey. At least let your chest
grow three times bigger before you talk, you inferior being.”
Hearing the words carrying condescending, insulting and
infinitely other meanings, the girl still maintained the smile on
her face.
“Words... huh? How about something like –“
Her glance immediately sharpened. “I wish to expose you and
Barter’s cheating – what do you think about these words?”
“… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You were thinking of saying Imanity aren’t capable of
detecting magic – right?”
“……….”
While remaining silent, the flat-chested girl instead shook her
head as though acting in a play.
“That definitely is the case, for example… Note that this is
merely an example. For example, for a Double Caster to defeat
a Triple Caster would of course be difficult, but not impossible,
but if you assist Barter in deflecting her 「Attacks」, then this
game for you of course would be a 「Guaranteed Victory」;
and I who of course have no ability to detect magic would be
unable to prove it, thus my master – Fii is in a lot of danger
here.”
“……..”
However – the flat-chested girl chuckled while covering her
mouth, and continued:
“Actually I have no need to actively expose you. Because you
will admit it anyway.”
“… What?”
“I’ll say this again, do you want to 「Challenge me」 to a
game? Because if you refuse –“
The girl revealed a cunning smile, and produced a small
gemstone. “You have been using Barter’s funds to produce
「Highly concentrated magical potion」, and have been
secretly selling it to the Dwarves – the neighboring country, I
will report this to the police and ruin your reputation – what do
you think of this phrasing?”
“What-!?”
Fritz let out a cry that sounded as if it were a wail.
Understandable, of course.
The gemstone that Kurami was holding in her hand, was
coincidentally the potion he was selling – a prohibited product.
“Compressing and liquefying spirits then absorbing them to
increase the amount of spirits in one’s body. This is a potion
created to boost magical powers, but it also has side effects –
no, it should be mentioned that it was exactly because of these
side effects that result in massive amounts of people abusing
this drug, and thus it was banned.”
And that side effect was –
“The adrenaline rush and feeling invincible after an overdose,
is just like those acquired from drugs.”
“……!”
“You should understand the situation by now right? Quickly
challenge me to a game, or else you will have no other
options.”
Kurami spoke with an unbelievably sinister and cunning smile
on her face, and Fritz who was looking directly into that
frightful expression couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his
mouth slightly in fear.
It’s impossible.
Just end it here.
“… Ugh!”
No, I must endure it, I can’t do it yet, must not laugh yet…!
Laughing at a pitiful flat-chested girl who thinks she possesses
an advantage despite only having a bit of information, would
be too shameful!
Fritz turned his back toward the flat-chested girl, and his
shoulders were shaking uncontrollably.
Don’t I look like a man that has no other options and has truly
been pushed to his wit’s end? – Stupid, this whole thing was
unbelievably stupid.
This duel was instigated by Barter challenging Nilvalen.
He adopted a close-one-eye attitude towards Nilvalen’s
schemes in attempting to free the slaves and used it as a
condition for the game to force her into accepting unfavorable
conditions, and to grasp an even more decisive victory, he even
made Fritz help secretly.
But – he recalled a sentence the super busty one (Fii) had said
previously…
- I would feel frustrated as well if the victor was decided
instantly in that fashion…
( - So essentially speaking, their target from the start was not
Barter, but me instead.)
Fritz struggled to hold his laughter in, as he realized that Fii
accepting Barter’s challenge so easily was also part of the plan.
In a situation where his hands were tied in assisting Barter,
even a young Imanity girl could force him into a corner.
That sort of dirty tactic should have been obvious to spot.
Also he himself should have predicted that something like this
would happen.
Him smuggling and selling magic potions, and that Fii and
Kurami would come into contact with him during the duel, all
these things were already notified in advance to him by Barter
himself.
Why? Because they had went to discuss the matter with him
initially.
- Your butler has been committing such crimes, and you are his
master, so as not to damage your reputation, we plan to secretly
make him admit to everything by himself, thus we seek your
assistance in this matter.
They created this situation, just so he would fall into their trap.
(… That is definitely what they had thought of – It’s just too
laughable!)
What these two had not realized is that, the person that they
had sought assistance from, Barter, was the ringleader of the
smuggling ring.
Barter would not sell him out, because as long as Fritz
confessed, not only the smuggling pipelines, but even evidence
that Barter himself was the ringleader would all be leaked out.
Thus he had pretended to cooperate, and planned to acquire Fii
for himself in the process.
Barter himself had come up with the plan, and chose his own
mansion as the venue that the entire course of events would
take place. Since the premise was that the plan was a secret,
other than this flat-chested slave, no others had accompanied
them.
- It was too easy.
So the Imanity with the pitiful chest and the busty Elf with the
pitiful brains – the two that had attempted to frame him, ended
up being trapped in the spider’s web instead.
“… You are really unexpectedly stupid, to let even an idiot
understand, I shall attempt to explain this again.”
The flat-chested girl’s voice was like a jet of ice-cold water,
sprayed at Fritz who was still trying to control his laughter.
“You have no other options, so do you want to play a game,
or have your life ruined? Do you understand?”
Hearing this hilarious challenge, Fritz clenched his teeth and
held in the urge to laugh uncontrollably, then raised his head.
His line of sight left the courtyard, and instead he turned to
look at his opponent.
Fritz tried his best to act calm, and sat down at a table located
at his side.
“… Fine, however I am bored as well, so just end this
quickly.”
“What a coincidence, I cannot let this game drag on due to
my partner, so let’s just play a simple game.”
The flat-chested one sat across from him.
“Here is a perfectly normal deck of cards.” She drew three
cards and placed them on the table.
The cards were the Ace, Queen and King of Spades.
“King trumps Queen, Ace trumps King, Queen trumps Ace.”
As she said this she laid the cards face-down again, then
shuffled the cards multiple times on the table.
“We will each draw one card in its face-down position, then
draw our cards to decide victory. I’m sure even an idiot like
you will be able to understand this?”
“-Hmph, so what is your demand?”
“Isn’t that what you should be stating? Or do you want to just
beg for mercy?”
The flat-chested girl laughed in an insulting manner, and
despite feeling angered by her actions, Fritz conceded to her
requests just the same.
“… Then I request the destruction and forgetting of the
information 「You both」 have acquired regarding the
smuggling.”
“Fine, then I request that you 「Confess」 and 「Testify」,
and not leave out a single detail.”
Hearing her request presented in a warm tone, Fritz’s brow
jumped slightly.
Her aim was – for him to confess all the details related to the
smuggling, and cheating by interfering in the game currently
taking place in the courtyard.
So, these two stupid and pitiful women may be foolish, but
they had thought out their own interests before coming here, as
if they hadn’t fallen into their trap from the start….
“- Fine, 「Acciente」.”
“OK, 「Acciente」……”
- Draw.
While maintaining the card he had drawn in a face-down
position, Fritz used a tiny bit of magic.
(So you think I cannot assist Barter and use magic at the same
time?)
And the opponent was merely the shame of Nilvalen.
Fii Nilvalen – The most incapable existence since the founding
of the House of Nilvalen.
Even graduating from school – 「Towering Alabaster Trees」
[2] proved to be too difficult a task for her, if not for the runic
markings on the back of her hand and her forehead, she
wouldn’t be able to even Double Cast, being an
underachiever; on the other hand, Barter could Triple Cast, and
his opponent was a stupid busty woman overconfident with the
illusion that it was a false competition, even if he left
momentarily, what could go wrong?
- Using the spell known as 「Perspective」, he saw that his
card was an 「Ace」.
Sadly he was unable to see through his opponent’s trick before
the game had started, however this was a game suggested by
his opponent, and cheating was to be expected.
He confirmed that he couldn’t feel the presence of magic, so
the only cheating method a species like Imanity would be
capable of is – Did she mess with the deck when she shuffled,
to control the card that she would draw?
No matter, the only card that the flat-chest could beat him with
– would definitely be a 「Queen」.
The predetermined cards were only three.
Even if he turned his 「Ace」 into a 「King」, as long as the
remaining card was flipped open, his cheating would be
revealed.
But, if that happened, all he had to do would be to 「Use
magic to swap the images on their cards」.
Even if she messed with the deck during shuffling to control
which card she would draw, but that action itself would be
cheating.
Also, even if Fritz used magic to switch their cards, Imanity
like Kurami that cannot detect magic would be unable to prove
it.
- She would be thinking something along the lines of this.
(You puny species (Imanity), do not underestimate me.)
He used the bare minimum force required to use his finger to
tap the tabletop so it would not produce any sound.
In an instant, the spirits that flowed across the table told him
that the flat-chest’s card was 「King」.
Essentially speaking, she guessed that her card would be
swapped with his – and intentionally picked a card that would
lose against him.
“- After all, it is the 「Shame of Nilvalen」 and her slave…
How naïve.”
Fritz at this point didn’t bother concealing it anymore, then
burst out laughing.
“A dumb busty woman is better than a smart flat-chested one,
women’s vitamins rather than being sent to the brain, would be
even more of value if they were transported to their chests.
However – if one is both dumb and flat-chested, then it’s a
really incurable case.”
“… It appears the rumor that character cannot be developed
without having it from birth is true.”
The flat-chest wrinkled her forehead in displeasure.
Fritz cleared his throat slightly, as he did not need to do
anything besides let his opponent fall into his trap.
“So, can we flip our cards now?”
“Fine, then it will be your loss.”
They flipped over their cards simultaneously.
Fritz’s card, as expected, was an 「Ace」.
And the flat-chest’s card was –
- A 「Queen」.
“… H-How could this be - !? This is impossible!?”
Fritz kicked away his chair and yelled.
How could this be possible? Impossible, it shouldn’t be this
way – hearing Fritz’s howls, a smile appeared on Kurami’s
face.
- It was a gentle smile. Yes, spreading on her face like the sun.
“… Heh, it was different from the card you peeked at, are you
surprised yet?”
- After the pitch of her voice changed, Kurami’s body appeared
to shimmer.
“Magic, should be used only after you detect who you’re
using it on, you know!”
The black-haired girl disappeared as though she was a mirage,
and instead turned into a girl with a mane of blond hair, which
was to say –
“You…. You are Nilvalen!?”
Fii who had previously taken on the image of Kurami, returned
to her original form.
“Yes, I am Fii Nilvalen.”
Fii smiled indulgently, with the shape curling up into a
sideways half-moon.
“You were saying compared to my brains, my vitamins had
all went to my breasts right…? Then I have a question for you,
in the case of you, where did your vitamins run off to – the
growth of your thing down there doesn’t seem that good
either.”
In an instant, spirits scrambled over Fritz’s body, inspecting the
condition of his body, and Fii smiled until both her eyes were
but tiny slits.
“Both the top and the bottom are not being used adequately, I
really feel sorry for the vitamins that you have absorbed, you
know!”
But Fritz did not take particular notice of her insults – He lost?
Lost to Nilvalen!?
“You do not need to be this bewildered, hmm? Despite being
both small and short "down there", there will definitely be
people that will like it… But if your brains and appearance are
both lacking, then I really have nothing to say~?”
- Then – t-t-then!?
“… Impossible! Then the one currently dueling against Barter
– who is it!?”
Part 4
“Kurami~ I’m already done on my part~”
Fii Nilvalen stretched her body out from the balcony, and
waved towards the courtyard.
Instantly – the body of Fii Nilvalen that was currently in a duel
against him – no…
The one that was merely imitating her appearance – took off
her veil, returning to her normal appearance.
The black-haired and black-clothed girl that appeared in her
place – Kurami Zell, took a bow gracefully.
“- Thank you for your cooperation, Sir Barter.”
“… No, no, my servant has been doing illegal things behind
my back, I have to take responsibility for not realizing earlier,
um.”
Upon seeing the Imanity female that had bowed deeply, Barter
hid away his shock, and spoke with a wrinkled brow.
“No, but this is different from what we had agreed on earlier?
Hmm? You both agreed with me that this would be carried out
in secret… I had not heard that there was another accomplice.”
When she heard Barter’s question, the girl exclaimed “Hmm?”
and tilted her head in confusion.
“If I may speak, if there were any uninvited intruders in your
mansion, you would have detected them before anyone else
right?”
“Um, uhm….”
That was the truth, and Barter had nothing to say in return.
The mansion only had him and Fritz, Fii and Kurami, and
numerous other helpers in it.
It was his own mansion, as long as there were others inside, he
would have detected it, as within the mansion there were
numerous spells of this capability.
Not to say that he intentionally utilized this advantage to carry
out the duel in this venue, but –
Then how did this female Imanity, carry out the duel with him
previously?
The black-haired female chuckled and said:
“According to the deal, only the both of us came.”
“Yes, yes, forgive me for being rude… Then, then this game
will be considered null and void, so let’s end it now, hmm?”
- Not right, something was not right.
Barter felt a strong sensation of unease, and stood up from his
seat.
First things first just void this duel, and quickly plan what
needs to be done next –
“Hmm? Sir Barter, did you misunderstand something?”
- Hearing that line that chilled him to the bone, Barter quickly
turned around.
The black-haired girl, Kurami, had stood up as well – with an
expression of extreme mockery on her face.
“Set two cards down.”
Two cards from the girl’s deck disappeared and materialized
again on the tabletop.
“I have not agreed – to end the game you know?”
“- What!?”
In a situation where both parties have yet to agree to end the
game, the game will not end.
“You, you, what are you trying to do!?”
“To continue the game of course, please return to your seat, if
you wish to surrender, then I have no choice but to redeem the
reward.”
Hearing the words Kurami spoke, Barter’s eyes opened wide.
He had previously thought that he would definitely win, so he
didn’t pay much attention to her demands.
- “We request that you forget all about our plans, and assist us
unconditionally and to any extent.”
Even though the phrasing was somewhat different, but it was
of the same severity as his request to Fii – no, even worse.
He would forget even the details of the game, and would
become their slave.
In comparison to this: Barter’s request was:
- “I request your personal freedom – and you must obey me for
the rest of your life.”
In this situation, the person that had agreed to the duel was
Kurami, and not Fii.
Even if Barter had won, he would only win an insignificant
slave belonging to the Nilvalen family.
He had initially believed that the opponent had agreed to
conditions advantageous towards him – but instead he was the
one that had accepted disadvantageous terms - !?
“You, you both!?”
“Barter! Your time is almost up, do you wish to surrender?”
In contrast to the emotionally unstable Barter, Kurami asked
the question nonchalantly.
- If one party has already picked their cards, and the other does
not draw theirs within a given period of time, it would be
regarded as the other party’s defeat.
Barter remembered this rule, and quickly yelled out:
“- ! Set two cards down!!”
Following Barter’s order, two cards disappeared from his deck
and materialized on the tabletop.
Kurami smiled with pride.
「Draw」
When the command was uttered, the four cards were
simultaneously revealed.
Barter’s cards were 「The Moon」 and 「The High
Priestess」.
「Within the robes lie Deceit」.
Kurami’s cards were 「Justice」 and 「The Emperor」.
「My rule is Absolute」.
As compared to Barter’s combination’s ability which dispelled
the enemy’s attack and resisted the opponent, Kurami’s
combination’s ability was to carry out its own will over all
others while releasing all possible status effects upon the
enemy. The sword drawn by the emperor, revealed the true
identity of the high priestess, and relieved her of her position.
Removing the opponent’s power and influence, the emperor's
strength was then directed towards Barter who appeared to be
still in a daze.
“- Ugh!?”
He hurriedly casted a defensive spell.
Just as the emperor's sword was about to connect, three spells
activated at once.
But the hurriedly made defensive shield made a cracking noise,
and caused scalding damage to Barter’s Elemental Gallery as
the sword broke through.
After the explosion and blinding light had subsided, a voice
spoke behind the panting Barter.
“Oh no! It appears that strike had diminished your stamina by
at least half, hmm!”
Turning around, he saw Fii leisurely walking towards him with
his dejected-looking butler trailing behind.
“! Fritz – you actually lost to a weakling like Nilvalen!?”
Upon hearing Barter’s scolding, Fritz’s facial expression
twisted slightly, but he remained silent and bent his head
downward.
While Fii who was standing beside him spoke with a relaxed
smile:
“It was inevitable, wasn’t it? He let down his guard because
he thought I was an Imanity.”
“You shut up, Nilvalen! You bitch, how dare you lie to me!?”
“Sigh~ what do you mean lying, such an ugly word…
Because…”
Fii’s line of sight shifted towards Kurami who was still sitting
at the table.
And Kurami merely nodded her head once, a cold smile
appearing on her face.
“- You were the one that had planned to cheat us to gain
victory, weren’t you.”
Barter took a deep breath, and Kurami continued:
“You were the one that ordered your butler to smuggle
contraband and earn illegitimate cash – did you really think we
wouldn’t know?”
“As long as you pretended to cooperate and set a trap for us,
you could eliminate the evidence, and gain all the benefits –“
“When the plan fails you call off the game, and refuse to
admit anything – you really are a dirty person.” [3]
Upon hearing Fii and Kurami’s accusations, Barter’s facial
expression twisted violently.
The plan was a failure from the beginning, they clearly knew
his intentions, but instead they used it against him - …No!
“Heh, heh heh… You’re still one step behind, Nilvalen.”
“Yes? Looking for me?”
Fii opened her eyes wide and tilted her head to the side in
confusion while Barter confidently shouted:
“Since I’ve found out that the one dueling against myself
was this little strumpet, then the evidence of you cheating is
obvious! Because a normal Imanity would never be able to
block the 「Attack」 of the cards, it was you who helped here,
wasn’t it!?”
- No mistake there, since the game began, they had already
contested three rounds with seven battles between them.
So in forty rounds, Kurami had been targeted by several
「Attacks」.
Barter clearly saw her using magical shields to deflect the
attacks.
Since Imanity are unable to use magic, then it was definitely
Fii who was helping her – but…
Fii was speechless when faced with these accusations, instead
scratching her cheek and replying with a chuckle:
“The person who had instructed his butler to do the exact
same thing, shouldn’t have the right to say anything, right~ …”
Kurami continued:
“Also that wasn’t even considered cheating – you fool.”
Faced with a direct accusation, Barter was momentarily
stunned.
“How about you take a moment to chew on the pledges
regarding the game – when I confirmed the conditions, I
clearly said 「We」.”
- At this point, Barter really opened his eyes wide, unable to
think of a reply.
Since the opponent had stated 「We」, then the game would
be considered as a duel between Barter and a tag team
consisting of Fii and Kurami. The rules did not restrict leaving
the area during the course of the game, so even if Fii was
casting defensive barriers at a distance, it wouldn’t be
considered as breaking the rules – no, wait, before that.
(She changed their appearances so as not to let us find out, and
was simultaneously playing a game on the second floor while
casting defensive barriers -?)
Kurami sighed and frowned slightly.
“… Fii, it appears this moron has finally realized it.”
“Since he has an unfair disadvantage of blood overly
concentrated in his posterior area and not being transported to
his brain, we can forgive him for now right?”
Fii said that while chuckling, but her voice sounded chilling
enough to cut through bone.
“He fell for it even when using such a simple word game,
how disappointing. I had even prepared much more
complicated back-up plans, strategies and traps – for no
purpose since they’re all unnecessary now anyway.”
The underachieving girl standing in front of him sighed as
though she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Just a quick mention… Your cards were too easy to guess,
initially you would definitely take the offensive, and use a
curse combination if the attack were to be blocked. Since you
don’t like countering, you wouldn’t use it, and the combination
just now was just a result of your panic, to survive the round,
you attempted to use cards to 「Prevent Attack」, even an
idiot could – sorry, if it was so, it would be normal if you
couldn’t guess that.”
Barter’s shoulders were shaking uncontrollably due to anger,
shame – and a pang of fear that was almost painful to admit.
In the forty rounds of cards, Kurami only suffered very few
「Attacks」.
And that was only in the early phases where luck played a
much bigger role, in the later rounds – all his cards were seen
through by her.
This was not the doing of an Elf, but a puny species (Imanity)
had managed to –
“- Don’t underestimate Imanity, you useless old man.”
This unpredictable black-haired girl….
“…OK – Let’s continue the game!”
… She said it with a laugh as though from a god of death.
--…….
Sharp and fast-flowing spirits bound Barter’s arms – disrupting
the nerve systems within his Elemental Gallery.
A pain too exquisite to describe, made the centuries-old man,
cry like a baby,
After the blow sufficient to scatter all the flowers growing in
the courtyard had subsided – The Elven old man had fallen
from his chair, writhing in pain, while the young Imanity girl
whispered to him gently:
“– This concludes the fourth round, what do you plan to do
from here? Sir Barter.”
“Eh, eh”
“Also, you should have noticed by now, Fii… my master (Fii
Nilvalen) – is a 「Hex Caster」.”
When he heard that whisper, the old man’s skin turned whiter
than a piece of paper.
He knew that it was not a bluff.
Because if it were untrue, it would be impossible to explain the
various things Fii was capable of doing.
Kurami crouched down, as though to console the pale,
shuddering old man and continued:
“No problem, even though you look as if you have no
remaining energy to cast defensive barriers – you still have a
good chance of winning, as long as you are able to predict all
my following cards and finish me without taking a single hit,
draining the power of the Hex Caster in the process.”
- After stating the one-in-a-trillion chance, Kurami laughed.
“There’s no problem even if you lose, it will only hurt a little
– you’ll only die if you’re not careful.”
- Yes, the exact feats entailed in that were – what Kurami had
pulled off just minutes earlier.
Even a puny species could do it, so it shouldn’t be too hard for
an Elf –
“I su- I surrender! I’ve lost! So please, stop the game!”
“-OK, so it’s our victory then. It’s been hard on you, Sir
Barter.”
Kurami ignored the pitiful old man, stood up from her seat
while Fii embraced her with a cheer.
“You are amazing!! An Imanity besting over an Elf in this
game, it must be the first time huh?!”
“… Beating this old fool has nothing deserved to be praised
so much about, after all, he was the weakest among all our
recent opponents.”
Fii looked as if she was comforting the unhappy Kurami,
stroking her hair gently, then turned around.
“Now –“
Fixating her eyes upon the still-prone Barter and Fritz who was
still standing motionless in shock.
“So Sir Barter, please adhere to the pledges, and forget
everything related to our business.”
And then – Kurami spoke with a large smile on her face.
“Continue your illegal smuggling and vending as per
normal.”
-Wait… What?!
“And then, Mr. Fritz! You will 「Confess everything」 in –
half a month’s time.”
- What is going on?
While Barter and Fritz were still in the midst of their
confusion, Kurami walked closer to the table.
“Now we should be taking our leave. But, before that –“
She lifted up the deck of tarot cards used in their game, and
shuffled them while smiling.
“I will predict your futures as a gift.”
”Eh? Kurami, you actually know how to do this? It’s the first
time I’m hearing of it.”
“Yeah, because it’s the first time I’m trying it today, but –
these futures will definitely come true.”
Kurami said that jokingly but yet somehow sinisterly, and
began shuffling the cards –
“Oh, some interesting cards have appeared, um – let me take
a look?”
After she said that, she flipped open the four cards one by one.
-「Temperance」.
“After today, you will successfully continue your potion
smuggling and vending business with the Dwarves.”
-「The Tower」.
“But half a month later… Oh no, this is terrible, the Dwarves
doing business with you will confess 「For some reason」.”
-「The Wheel of Fortune」.
“Also 「Very coincidentally」, the butler will be found
implicated in the affair, your evil doings discovered one by one
… Then –“
-「Judgment」.
“Sir Barter will be brought to justice by the government –
story ends, please restrain your grief.”
Ignoring the two pale-faced men, Kurami spoke to Fii as
though acting in a play:
“Heh, interesting isn’t it, Fii. If Sir Barter is arrested, I
wonder who will assume position of head of his company that
so happens to be the top trading company of Elven Gard, Will
Andomoro (ウイル アンドモロ)?
“Oh, coincidentally it happens to be the young master of the
Enrihl (エンリヒ) family whom we 「Played with」 just three
days ago.”
- All this, was in their control. When he saw their sinister and
yet all-knowing smiles, Barter furiously roared:
“Nilvalen, you – no, what are you both planning!?”
Both replied with chilly smiles:
“Eh? It’s OK if we tell you actually~”
“You’ll forget everything anyway, which of course includes
this meeting we had.”
Barter couldn’t help but shudder upon seeing the innocent
smiles on the faces of the two demonic women.
- What kind of monster have I provoked?
“OK, now just like we swore on the pledges – Goodbye, Sir
Barter.”
“I will pray for your sake, hope your business thrives from
here on out~”
- Just like that.
With a snap, as Kurami and Fii snapped their fingers…
All their memories regarding the events that happened on that
day, vanished without a trace.
Part 5
Kurami and Fii pulled down their identical veils to mask their
faces.
Both of them were not there, and were never there.
That was the way things worked.
Carefully avoiding the detection of the eyes and ears of others,
both of them leaped from the top of Sir Barter’s mansion.
The spell conjured by Fii caught them mid-air with a force
greater than gravity, lifting them both gently up and into the
air.
- They overcame air resistance, and flew through the night sky.
Only the red moon, the starlight, and the light of the city were
left, illuminating the surrounding landscapes.
This was the city within the forest, a green metropolis woven
through utterly and completely trained magic. It was a sight
Kurami was used to seeing – but even for those seeing it for the
first time, and obvious despite the faint light, Elven Gard’s
different castes of civilization could be observed – the duo’s
hoods billowed in the wind as they cruised through the skies
above the city.
“Kurami was perfect just now~”
From the trees – no, from one building to another, as if hopping
from roof to roof, Fii said:
“You had to defeat that useless old thing without any help
from me, I was really worried you know.”
“… Let’s drop the subject, Fii, are you OK?”
“Hey, it’s not a bad feeling to have Kurami worried once in a
while, you’ve really grown~”
Fii maintained the spell that allowed them to continue floating
in the air while replying with a mischievous grin on her face.
But even in the faint lighting, Kurami could clearly see that the
gemstone on Fii’s forehead had lost its usual glimmer and was
now dark due to overuse of magic.
Sir Barter and his butler Fritz…
They were 「Triple Casters」 and 「Double Casters」
respectively, although they were not yet considered top-ranked,
they were still exceptional mages.
But… Kurami glanced at the girl cruising through the night sky
beside her, and was immersed in thought. - Fii Nilvalen.
Kurami was serving her master as a slave, head of one of the
very few highly prestigious families in Elven Gard.
Due to poor results, she was expelled from the most prestigious
magical learning institutions in the land - 「Tree of White」.
She drew white runic markings upon herself and wore a
support gemstone used by beginners, while those not in the
know mocked her and labelled her as the most incapable
existence since the founding of the House of Nilvalen – calling
her 「Scrap metal」.
But, those who knew better (Kurami) merely snorted at the
insults, and thought of her as the most talented existence since
the founding of the House of Nilvalen – as though she were a
precious ingot of 「Gold」.
Fii had never intentionally revealed her true strength to
Kurami.
However –
She had cast magic on herself and Kurami to disguise
themselves, and in order not to let Barter and Fritz realize, she
had also cast more spells on them to prevent them from being
recognized, even placing 「Defenses」 on Kurami from a long
distance during the game of Magical Tarot Cards, all while
dueling Fritz… She had casted six spells at once.
「Hex Caster」- She was undoubtedly beyond the level of a
talented mage.
No, previously in their game with Sora and others – the game
of Reversi that was only made possible through the usage of
Jibril’s core.
The Flugel, ranked sixth, possess astronomical power, and Fii
could actually conjure up a spell strong enough to deflect one
of their attacks.
Based on this fact, it is easy to imagine that the words
“incredibly talented” wouldn’t even be enough to describe the
sheer talent Fii possessed.
Considering that she is in such a high caliber, even the school
that had expelled her, might recruit her as a professor.
… She should at least be enjoying that sort of treatment.
“Hmm…? Is something wrong? Kurami?”
Her golden hair billowing in the night air, her skin white as
snow even in the darkest night, and her smile was even more
illuminating and attractive than the sun.
Fii Nilvalen, not only born to a normal family but also
possesses abnormal intelligence and adept magical ability.
What should be waiting for her would be a bright and hopeful
future – if she had not given it all up herself.
Yes, she had rejected a fantastic future that was within her
grasp.
She had hidden her actual potential and portrayed herself as a
useless person, even choosing to defy her hometown, country
and even her race.
She did all that not for anyone else, but only for the sake of one
person –
“- …Nothing.”
Only for her best friend.
Kurami silently bent her head down and exhaled loudly.
Choosing to call a mere slave and Imanity (herself) her best
friend, and oppose the rest of the world.
Slave liberation – how nice it sounds indeed.
However, that would be equal to releasing Elven Gard’s
national secrets. For if they attempted to free the Fairies and
such, who are being harnessed for their advanced magic, it
would be akin to selling out their country’s secret weapons to
other countries.
If things got to that stage, the Dwarves - Hagenfell would not
miss such a great opportunity.
Elven Gard would probably lose a continental territory that has
been contested for nearly a thousand years due to a land
dispute.
Even worse, the country would fall apart, and the inevitable
fate if that happened – would be obvious enough not to
mention it.
- As long as it was for Kurami, it didn’t matter even if her
hometown were destroyed.
She swore it, and she genuinely meant it. To be honest, she had
already made several very dangerous moves.
For Fii to be like that, Kurami had only gratitude, and a feeling
akin to yearning that seemed to transcend race and age.
- But Kurami couldn’t help wondering, what about herself?
Even if it didn’t show on her face, Fii’s soul gem showed that
she was exhausted.
She couldn’t even win a game without relying on such a
remarkable person to bear such a heavy burden.
Whether or not she was worthy of being the 「Best friend」 of
someone like Fii –
- Suddenly she felt a bolt of pain shoot through her head.
Old memories flashed past, and Kurami stopped in mid-air
while holding one hand to her head.
- A pinky swear with a young girl, and a puppet that desired to
become a human.
Had he – the puppet – Sora ever thought that he would serve as
shackles to bind the young girl?
The girl had the ability to cruise the broad skies alone, but he
instead became a burden that tied her down to the ground –
“Eh… Kurami, is there something wrong?”
Her best friend noticed that she stopped and turned around for
her, while Kurami looked down and replied:
“… Fii, sorry. If I could do better…”
“Kurami…?”
Elven Gard, with overwhelming affinity for magic as its
weapon, a superpower that controlled nearly 30% of total land
mass.
Its national power was over twice the size of the country of the
Dwarves, Hagenfell, that was ranked after the Elves, taking the
position of the largest country in the world.
Its foundation was as sturdy as a castle, just finding one
opening in its defenses was harder than attempting to reach
beyond the heavens -
… No, that was merely an excuse.
The images of two people flashed across her mind, and Kurami
clenched her fists even tighter.
“This time, if it had been 「Those two」- then magic
shouldn’t even be necessary.”
“Kurami.”
Removing the high-ranking officials controlling transport,
trade and welfare step-by-step, secretly shaving off their
power, that would only create an opening smaller than a
needle, as though an ant’s nest.
But if this continued how long would they have to wait until –
“Not only that, they should be able to win even more!”
After many smaller games have been played, the loopholes will
gradually increase.
If the higher powers were to detect their activities, their
existences would be wiped out in an instant.
What they needed was a move like Sora had used in the game
of chess - 「Using an unexpected strike to end the game in one
move」.
“But… all I’m doing is being a burden to Fii, and I haven’t
improved a single bit –“
“Kurami!”
Kurami’s clenched nails were almost piercing through her skin,
but a calm yet powerful voice stopped her just in time.
“Kurami can’t possibly become 「Those two」.”
“…. Yeah, I get it.”
Kurami looked down dejectedly. She knew, even if she
imitated Sora, it would have no meaning.
Sora and Shiro would only be 「 」 when they were together
– would only be Imanity’s strongest gamers.
She needed to find a method suitable for herself –
“No, you don’t understand at all, you know!”
Kurami who had her thoughts interrupted looked up.
“I don’t know what kind of memories Kurami received from
Sora-san, but what kind of person Sora-san is – I believe I have
at least a slight understanding.”
In the hypnotic glow of the forest city, Fii said seriously.
“Sora-san had calculated that they couldn’t do it themselves,
which is why they chose Kurami instead!”
“… Yes, but considering I’m like this –“
“Also, they had calculated that Kurami alone can’t do it, so
they sent me as well!”
“--!”
“Both us and them are two as one, and don’t even think about
not borrowing my power in order to win games, that would be
like trying to do alone what Sora-san and Shiro-san do together
you know!”
“…Fii.”
“Kurami can borrow my power you know, it makes perfect
sense.”
They are a team of two, we are a team of two as well.
If the result is the same, then there would be no need to feel
shameful – but…
“But I’ve always been a burden to Fii, and not –“
“It’s only because Kurami is around that I can do my best…
and –“
Fii grasped the hand of Kurami who was still looking
downward, then said while smiling:
“I know, of course! Kurami has been looking through Sorasan’s
memories daily, digging up all of Sora-san and Shirosan’s
strategies and tactics, wanting to make them your own –“
Her expression changed, and her eyes revealed an expression
of worry.
“Because of that, you haven’t slept for a long while, haven’t
you?”
“………!”
“If Kurami doesn’t sleep, then I won’t sleep as well. If
Kurami does her best, I will do my best. If you think I am very
tired – then of course Kurami yourself must be very tired as
well!”
Fii said while looking into Kurami’s eyes.
- Rubbing at heavy eyebags that couldn’t even be shielded by
the night sky, speaking gently as though a mother lecturing her
child:
“Kurami, if you’re worried that I’ll stress myself out, then
I want you to promise me, tonight you have to sleep well… At
this rate, 「Both of us」 will collapse together, you know…”
“… Sorry, I’ve worried you so…”
“Hmph, of course not.”
Fii intentionally puffed up her cheeks.
“At this point there should be other things to say right?”
“… - Yeah, thank you, Fii.”
Fii smiled and nodded her head, took Kurami by the hand then
recast the spell to lift them into the air.
“Also, I think the reason why Sora-san gave us the mission in
Elven Gard, wasn’t for a particularly serious reason… am I
wrong to say this?”
Both of them recalled the face of that man – imagined his
bored expression, then simultaneously exclaimed:
“'Politics and power and whatnot, all that crap like dividing
up a country is way too troublesome, so I’ll just leave you two
to it.'”
The duo laughed bitterly, then soared higher up into the night
sky.
Part 6
At the roadside hotel where both of them were spending the
night, two beds were placed in a small room.
Fii that had removed her hood and put on her pajamas, repeated
again as though lecturing:
“So Kurami, you must get a good sleep tonight, OK?”
“…Then, may I request something?”
“What is it? Just say it, I won’t mind.”
Kurami hugged her pillow while awkwardly shifting her gaze.
“U-um… Co-could you sleep with me tonight?”
Upon seeing Fii’s satisfied smile, Kurami whose face had
turned red yelled:
“It, it’s not like that! I couldn’t sleep because I kept dreaming
of Sora’s memories! So, so what I wanted to say was, like how
Sora holds Shiro – just holding Fii’s hand will make me feel
better… All this is Sora’s fault, OK?!”
“Fine, fine, it’s all Sora-san’s fault, so don’t be shy. Just like
before, if you have a scary dream, there’s no need to be
courteous, just burrow into my side of the bed, hmm?”
“I’ve already said it’s not like that, right!? Ugh, this is all
Sora’s fault, why do I have to deal with such things –“
Despite her constant swearing, she still got into bed under Fii’s
constant persuasion.
Just like that, Kurami lay on the bed with her back towards Fii,
while Fii laughed and said:
“Kurami, is there anything else you want me to do for you?
Like singing a lullaby, for example!”
“I just want you to stop teasing me and let me sleep.”
“Really? Don’t you want me to pet your head or hug you?”
“……………. If Fii wants to do it, I have no objections.”
“Yay~! Of course I want to do it, so let me pet your head for a
bit, hmm!”
The touch of Fii’s hand made Kurami’s body gradually relax.
Kurami recalled previously when things happened – when she
cried, Fii would stroke her hair like this as well.
As a slave, being brought up at the Nilvalen household.
Despite Fii always standing by her side – there were a lot of
painful memories, memories that made her cry, make her feel
like dying, but she always told herself, she couldn’t immerse
herself in self-pity. Kurami frantically resisted the flow of tears
until she was safely inside the covers of her blanket – those
times seemed so far away.
Now after coming into contact with Sora’s memories… Now
when she was no longer the one crying –
“Kurami… are you asleep?”
Fii softly asked – with a volume soft enough so as not to wake
her up if she was actually sleeping.
And it was Fii’s voice that prevented Sora’s memories from
once again resurrecting and keeping her awake.
“…Not yet, what is it?”
“Hmm~ if you can’t sleep, before you do, could you chat with
me for a while?”
“Of course, what do you want to talk about?”
Her casual words were at the same time spoken with a serious
tone, and Kurami curiously nodded her head, signaling Fii to
go on.
“Kurami appears to completely trust Sora-san.”
After which Fii worriedly continued:
“Honestly, this makes me worried…”
“…..”
“The memories that Sora-san passed onto you, are they his
real memories?”
- Sora had a Flugel by his side, so memory editing could
definitely be done through the power of the pledges.
Would he create fake memories and hand them over to Kurami
just so he could control her?
What Fii implied was this, but…
“It’s true that I may have been cheated, that is something Sora
would do…”
Kurami smiled bitterly and continued.
“- Or at least, that’s what everyone seems to think.”
Seeing Fii tilt her head in shock, Kurami chuckled slightly.
“You should relax, the one that 「Thinks too highly of」
Sora – is not me, but Fii.”
- A piece of his memories flashed through Kurami’s head.
Sora’s memories generally made others discomforted – but the
one just now was –
“Fii… do you know why the term 「Genius」 exists?”
“…Eh?”
“It’s to make others admit that they are different from other
humans. Puppets refer to the people they do not understand as
geniuses, those who are praised are known as geniuses, while
the reverse would be labelled as monsters; and to most of them
– it is an insult.”
- Because they are different life forms from us, so not being
able to compare ourselves with them isn’t very surprising
either.
Most people would admit this, then give up – but that puppet
was different.
“Yes, he was really just a puppet.”
- He was merely normal (an idiot).
“But he refused to be just a puppet.”
- A genius that yearns for what lies before him (the real thing).
“So – he experienced things that makes one question how he
still managed to remain standing.”
Thus, Kurami in a state of being half-asleep and half-awake,
traversed through Sora’s memories.
To invent something that would allow something that was
bound to the ground to fly – how would one test whether the
invention had worked or not?
The answer would just be to try flying – to verify whether or
not one would crash, no matter how many times one crashed,
even if your body and soul were smashed to bits –
“… He would still stand up, cheerfully, and pretended as
though nothing had happened.”
Bleeding inside, clenching his teeth, he looked at his sister,
then stood up again.
Any characteristic we would typically expect in a genius did
not exist in him at all.
- It’s true, having a capable sister really is hard, Onii-chan.
“Sora – is extremely stubborn, so you could catch up to him –
no, even surpass him without any problem. He’s just at a
level that’s definitely attainable, as long as you are
「Human」. Just as he claims, he’s just an idiot. Although
he’s an idiot, he’s also the real thing, constantly pursuing
what he yearns for, constantly struggling - a normal… idiot.”
… As she said this, Fii’s hand was still gently stroking her
head.
Kurami’s consciousness was also gradually fading.
“What he needs is just a little bit of – but to truly understand
it is – a truth hard to comprehend…”
As she was falling asleep, Kurami recalled what Sora had said
during the King selection games in Elkia.
- When it comes to contests and brutal fights to the death, we
are veterans way more experienced than you…
This line spoken by Sora seemed to overlap with one of his
past memories –
- Emptily gazing down at both of his hands that were covered
in fresh blood…
Merely wanting to be human –
A puppet’s memories – “…Really…too stupid…can’t even…
tell a lie…”
“Kurami?”
… What replied to her call was merely the breathing of
someone in a deep sleep.
Still fondling Kurami who was muttering to herself in
dreamland, Fii began to think.
And, another thing – she gazed up at the ceiling, thinking about
Kurami’s unfinished sentence.
Fii remembered the face of the stupid man who according to
Kurami was unable to even tell a lie.
- Remembered the face of the man whose existence itself could
almost be substituted for the word “lie”.
The face that was always cocky and smiling, that made you go
on full alert at first sight of him –
“-Ah…”
At that time, Fii’s thoughts had finally run their course.
“So that’s how it is… 「The liar that can’t lie」…So it’s
something like this, hmm…”
The things that man had experienced, was enough for Kurami
to think that he had lived a tragic life, that sort of man -
Why – would he want others to feel apprehensive towards him?
The unease that Fii had been feeling for a long time suddenly
disappeared. The answer – the future that Fii, Kurami, Sora and
others had all been fantasizing about.
As her thoughts led her to reach a point of ecstasy, a small
smile gradually appeared on her face.
Immediately, a wave of sleepiness that she had not felt in a
long while came over her, and she closed her eyes.
- I can’t wait.
Carrying these feelings within herself, she had for a really,
really long time – for an unclear amount of years, even, not fell
