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第二話 準備万端 さて、ギルド長室から退出しようとしたところで、コラードギルド長から待ったがかけられた。 「ちょっとお待ちください。確認したいのですが、陛下は王都カルディアへはどのような手段で潜入されるお積りですか? あそこは基本フリーパスな 「そんなもの、ぴゅーとひとっ飛びだよ」 穴を掘るのも面倒臭いしね。 「ま、まさか、またあの派手なドラゴンに乗って行くお積りですか?!」 泡を食うギルド長に、ないないと手を振って見せた。 まあ日本の小さな県の面積にほぼ匹敵する 「......とはいえ、まともな手段で潜入されるわけではなさそうですね」 「そりゃそうでしょう。私が正面から『こんちわ~っ』と堂々と入れるはずないしね」 名乗っただけで大騒ぎだよ。 そういうとコラードギルド長は諦め切った顔で、執務机から銀色の――以前ジョーイに見せてもらったギルド証に似ているけど、あれよりも二周りは大きく、縁のところに飾り模様が入った―― どうやらまだ話の続きがあるみたいだと判断して、ボクもソファーに戻った。 「――なにこれ?」 「通行許可証です。アーラ市で発行された正式のものですから、それがあれば王都へも問題なく入れる筈です」 「ふ――ん、でもいいの、ここまであからさまに私の支援をして?」 「・・・しかたがありません。誠に不本意ですが、いまやアーラ市は陛下の国土に三方を挟まれ、喉元に剣をつき立てられた状態です。そちらにわずかな動きがあっただけで致命傷を負う、いわば運命共同体ですから、王都で不要な騒ぎが起きないよう多少なりともリスクを回避できるよう努力するのが、私の務めでしょう」 おおぅ、コラード君も清濁併せ呑む度量ができてきたみたいだねぇ! やっぱり逆境は人間を成長させるのかなぁ。 それともあれかな、彼女の出来た余裕というモノかな? 「・・・なんですか、その生暖かいような、蔑んだような微妙な目つきは?」 「べ~つーにィ。――まあ、ありがたく頂戴しておくよ。ところでこれ魔力が感じられるけど、なにか機能とかあるの?」 「ええ、誠に勝手ながら私の方で手を加えておきました。王都の門をくぐる際に右上の『☆』マークを指で触って、『 まあ陛下のお力なら防御結界ごとき問題にはならないでしょうが、力づくで破られればそれだけで非常事態だと知らせるようなものですからね」 ああ、そういえば防御結界なんてシロモノもあったねえ! 全然苦労しないで破ったので記憶に残らなかったけどさ、どの程度の規模で張り巡らされているかわからないけど、最低限門や城壁の上くらいまでは覆ってあるだろうから、夜陰に乗じて城壁を飛び越えて王都に潜入しようとしたら、知らずに破ってあっさりボクの存在がバレてた危険性もあったわけだねぇ。 これは反省しないといけないね。 いきなり大きな力を持って万能感に浸っていたけど、人間どこで足元をすくわれるかわかったものじゃないからね。いまつくづく実感したよ。 やはり中身の身の丈にあったところから固めていかないと、あとあと取り返しの付かないことにもなったかも知れないねぇ。 それを思えば、そのことを教えてくれたコラードギルド長にも改めて感謝しないとね。 「ありがとう、コラードギルド長。重ね重ね感謝するよ」 そう言って頭を下げたボクを、まるで見知らぬ化物を見るような目で見るギルド長。 「――な、なんの嫌がらせですか陛下?! それともなにかの婉曲なイヤミですか!?」 「・・・いや、普通に感謝したつもりだけど?」 「陛下が? 私に! 感謝ァ?! ――ま、まさか私を殺すので最期の別れの挨拶ですか?!?」 慌てて腰を浮かせて逃げの体勢になる。 「ちょ、ちょっと待って! 私ってどんだけ物騒に見られてたのさ!?」 「ご自覚がなかったんですか!?」 ジト目で見られたけれど、なんかあれだね、うちの部下の非常識さを全部ボクのせいにされていないかい? ボク自身は無益な殺生もしてないし、基本対話路線で過ごしているつもりなんだけどねえ。 「・・・自分ではかなりの平和主義者のつもりだけど?」 うわっ、駄目だこいつ! という顔を掌で覆って天井を向くコラードギルド長。 「......まあ、お互いの認識に多少のズレがあるのはわかりました。それと補足としてソレの効果は30分間、1度使用すると半日使用不能になります。範囲はせいぜい半径1~1.5mほどですのでお忘れなく」 気を取り直したか、開き直ったらしいギルド長の説明に、大いにモヤモヤするものを感じつつも、ボクは黙って頷いた。 「それと、差し出がましいようですが、その結界の大きさではお連れできる家臣の方は1人かせいぜい2人でしょうが、 は性格に多少難があるから。 「それとこちらの手紙は、王都の手前にある街道のファビオラ市のギルド本部宛です。中身については、陛下はクレス=ケンスルーナ連邦の貴人であり、今回お忍びでアミティア王国の貴族と密会するために訪問されている。そのため国際問題にならないよう、秘密裏に事を運べるよう協力するようにとの依頼文ですね」 そう言って、もう一方の手紙をボクの手元に押し出してきた。 「クレス=ケンスルーナ連邦? そんなのもあるの?」 「ふぅん。いろいろと面倒なんだね。というか疑問なんだけど、通行許可証があれば通過できるんなら、別に冒険者の手を借りる必要とかないんじゃないの?」 見知らぬ第三者の手を借りると、その分、こちらの正体とかバレるリスクも高そうなんだけど。 そう言うと、再びコラードギルド長は深い深いため息をついた。 「陛下、まさかとは思いますが歩いて王都の門をくぐるお積りではないでしょうね・・・?」 騎鳥 唾を飛ばして力説され、なるほどねぇとボクは納得した。 足元を見ないといけないと思った矢先からこれだよ。 言われないと気が付かないんだから、ボクって奴は本当に間が抜けているね。 「それに比べてコラードギルド長は、本当に痒いところに手が届くねぇ。良いお嫁さんになれるよ」 「なんで私が嫁なんですか!? もらう立場でしょう!」 「いやぁ、ギルド長はどっちかと言うとお嫁さんの方が似合ってるよ。家事能力も高そうだし」 自覚があるのか、うっと唸るギルド長。 「そ、それはまあ、男も30まで独身でいれば家事くらいできますけどねえ・・・そういう陛下こそ、刺繍くらいは淑女のたしなみですので練習されたほうがいいですよ」 と嫌みったらしく言われたけど、あれ?ひょっとしてボクのこと、戦い以外できない箱入りだと思ってるのかな?だとしたら、ちょっとプライドが傷つくね。 「刺繍や裁縫、料理、洗濯くらいは普通にできるけど?」 なにしろ小学生の頃から小公女みたいに働かされて、その後も一人暮らしで全部やってきたんだし。・・・そう考えるとあれだね、『他人に頼る』という感覚が、そもそもないのがボクの最大の欠点なんだろうね。 「失礼ながら、正直意外ですね。陛下にそうした面があるとは」 本当に失礼だね。 「全然経験ないけど、別にいいんじゃないの? 今回は名目だけで王子様と密談するだけなんだし、適当に壁の花になっておけば」 ボクの答えに一瞬ぽかんとしてから、なぜか血相を変えて立ち上がったコラードギルド長。 「じょ、冗談じゃありません! 仮にも舞踏会と銘打っているものに参加するのに、踊りの一曲も踊れないなんて恥なんてものじゃありません!!」 真っ赤になりながら、なぜか机や椅子、テーブルを部屋の隅のほうへ片付け始める。 「いや、私が恥なだけで、別にギルド長が焦る必要は・・・」 断固とした口調で言われ、勢いに押される形で聞き返した。 「そ、そういうもんなの・・・?」 「そういうものです! では、陛下、直ぐに立ってください。時間もないので基本のステップだけになりますが、早速始めます!」 そう言いながら部屋の 「・・・あの、いまからここで始めるの?」 アーラ市冒険者ギルドのギルド長室には、その晩は遅くまで灯が燈り。 オルゴールの音色と、人が複数で激しく動き回る足音。 「違います、4拍子のカウントです!」 「ステップが早すぎます! 音楽に合わせるんじゃなくて相手に合わせて!」 「タンタタタッタ・タッタ・タッタ、わかりますか!?」 ギルド長の怒鳴り声が一晩中響いていたとか、女の子の半泣きの声がそれに応じていたとか、その後しばらく噂になったのだった。

22 Second Story, We'Re Ready. Well, I was about to leave the guild chief's office, and I was called by the collard guild chief. "One moment, please. I'd like to confirm, by what means does Your Majesty infiltrate the King's capital, Cardia? Unlike the basic free-pass free cities there, access is quite strictly restricted." "I'm flying with Piu." Digging holes stinks, too. "Are you going on that flashy dragon again?!" I shook my hand at the bubble-eating guild leader without it. Well, it's almost comparable to the size of a small Japanese prefecture, so I'm lost in judging which one is more flashy. "... but it doesn't seem like you're going to be infiltrated by any decent means" "That would be so. I'm not supposed to dignify" Hello "from the front." I made a fuss just because I named it. That said, the Collard Guild Manager gave up his face, silver from the desk - similar to the Guild Certificate Joey had shown me before - but bigger around two than that, with a decorative pattern at the edge - and a letter with a seal (but this one has the mark of the Ara City Adventurer Guild properly on the back and the name of the Guild Manager), and placed it this way on the reception table. Apparently, I decided there was still more to the conversation, and I went back on the couch. "- What's this? "It's a pass. It was officially issued in the city of Ara, so with it, you should be able to enter the Wang capital without any problems." "Phew, but okay, with my support so far, obviously? "... but there is. Sincerely, no, the city of Ara is sandwiched on three sides of His Majesty's soil with a sword on its throat. It will be my duty to try to avoid any risk of unnecessary noise in the King's capital, as it is a fateful community, so to speak, where only a few moves have been made." Oh, Collard, it looks like you're getting a cloudy, swallowing dose, too! I wonder if adversity will grow humans after all. Or is that, like, her margin of being made? "... what are those raw, warm, contemptuous, subtle eyes? "Be-two. - Well, thank you very much. By the way, I can feel this magic, but does it have any function or something? "Yeah, I took the liberty of putting my hands on mine. Touch the" "mark in the upper right corner with your finger as you circle through the gates of Wangdu, and say" Unlock (Open) "and a special junction will occur, which can temporarily invalidate the defensive junction of Wangdu. Well, with His Majesty's help, it won't be a defensive issue, but if it's broken with strength, it's like letting you know it's an emergency. " Oh, speaking of which, there was no such thing as a defensive junction! I didn't have to struggle at all to break it, so it wasn't memorable, but I don't know what scale it's stretched out on, but it would at least cover it up to about the gate or the top of the walls, so if I tried to jump over the walls at night and infiltrate the king's capital, there was also a risk that I would have torn it unknowingly and my presence would have been revealed. I have to reflect on this. I was suddenly immersed in a sense of omnipotence with great power, but it wasn't something that humans figured out where to shrug their feet. I feel like I'm making it now. Still, if I didn't solidify it from where it was in the height of the contents, it might have become irrevocable. If you think about it, thank you again to the Collard Guild Director for telling me about it. "Thank you, Commander Collard Guild. Thank you very much." That's what I said and bowed my head, guild leader looking at me as if I were looking at a stranger. "-Na, what harassment, Your Majesty?! Or some euphemistic yami!?" "... no, I usually meant to thank you? "Your Majesty? To me! THANK YOU?! - Is this the final goodbye greeting because it kills me?!?" In a hurry, I sit back and get in the running position. "Hey, wait a minute! How much noise did I get?" "You weren't aware!? Jito, did you blame me for all my men's insanity? I didn't kill useless myself, and I'm going to spend some time on the basic dialogue route, hey. "... I'm going to be quite a pacifist myself? Oh, no, this guy! Collard guild length facing the ceiling with his palm covering his face that "... Well, I know there's some discrepancy in our perceptions of each other. That and as a supplement, the effect of the sole is 30 minutes, once used, it becomes unusable for half a day. Don't forget that the range is about 1 to 1.5 m radius at most" I nodded silently as I felt much of a mockery at the explanation of the guild leader who seemed to have regained his mind or reopened it. "And it seems to be a gift, but at the size of that juncture there will be one or two ministers you can take with you, but if you are going to a masquerade (masquerade), women are more natural to take women with each other, so it would be better to be accompanied by women" And, I guess, the capital of life. Because Akaho has some difficulty with his personality. "That and this letter is addressed to the guild headquarters of the city of Fabiola on the street in front of the Wang capital. As for the contents, His Majesty is a nobleman of the Confederation of Cres-Kensruna and is visited this time with patience to meet closely with the nobility of the kingdom of Amitia. That's why you're asking me to help you keep things secret so that they don't become an international problem." That's what I said, and I pushed the other letter out to my hand. "Cres-Kensruna Federation? Do you have one of those? "Huh. You're a lot of trouble. I mean, I doubt it, but if you can get through with a pass, don't you need to borrow an adventurer's hand or something? With the help of a strange third party, there seems to be a high risk of finding out who this person is. With that said, once again, the Collard Guild Commander took a deep deep sigh. "Your Majesty, I don't think so, but it wouldn't be an allowance to walk through the gates of the king's capital...? "Bird riding (emu), but horseback riding, but unnatural as you wish! I'm a noble or royal princess no matter where you look from, so it's normal to take that carriage, albeit with patience, and go harder on security! Spitting and being forcefully theorized, I see. I'm convinced. I thought I'd have to look at my feet. This is it from the arrow tip. I don't realize if you don't tell me, I'm really out of time. "Compared to that, the collard guild length really doesn't reach where it itches. You'll make a good wife." "Why am I my daughter-in-law!? I would be in a position to get it! "Hey, the guild leader looks better on your daughter-in-law, one way or the other. He's got a lot of chore skills." Are you conscious, Ugh Roaring Guild Leader? "Well, that's well, a man can do about chores if he's single up to 30, too, but hey... that's the kind of sire you'd better practice because embroidery is a lady's sagging." And he said he hated it, but that? Hey, you think you can't do anything but fight about me, boxed? If that's the case, your pride hurts a little. "I can usually do about embroidery, sewing, cooking, laundry, though? Anyway, I've been working like a little princess since I was in elementary school, and I've lived alone ever since and I've done it all.... That's what you think, I guess the feeling of 'relying on others' is my biggest drawback in the first place. "With all due respect, you're honestly surprised. I didn't know His Majesty had such a side." That's really rude. "I don't have any experience at all, but isn't it okay? This time we're just going to secretly talk to the prince in name alone, if it's properly a flower on the wall." After a moment of poking at my answer, I somehow changed my blood phase and got up as a collard guild leader. "I'm not kidding! It's no shame you can't dance a single song of dance even though you attend what you label a ball!!" While turning bright red, somehow he starts cleaning out his desk, chair, and table to the corner of the room. "No, I'm just ashamed, it's nothing. The guild leader needs to rush..." Said in a resolute tone, he listened back in a way that was pushed to momentum. "Oh, that's what...? "That's what it is! Then, Your Majesty, stand immediately. We don't have time either, so it's just a basic step, but we'll get started fast! With that said, Orgol, who had been removed from the room's cosmetic shelf (cabinet), opened it and played the music. "... Um, you're starting here now? The guild chief's office at Ara City Adventurers Guild was lit late that evening. Orgol tones and footsteps where people move around hard in multiple. "No, it's a count of four beats! "Step too fast! Don't go with the music, go with them! "Tanta tatta tatta tatta, you know what I mean!?" It was rumored for a while afterwards that the guild chief's yelling had been sounding all night and the girl's semi-crying voice had responded to it.

第五話 魔導帆船 白波をかき分けて白塗りの魔導帆船ベルーガ号が、勇躍進路を西にとり、グラウィオール帝国の大陸北西部域植民国家インユリアを目指して、ひた走っていた。 周囲では屈強な海軍の兵士たちが、お互いに号令を掛け合いながら、キビキビと無駄なく動き回っている。 素人が そう不安に思っていたところへ、白いグラウィオール帝国海軍用の軍服を着た、切れ長の目に彫が深い顔立ちをした――若い頃はさぞかし社交界で浮名を流したろう(それとも現在進行形かも?)――気品のある壮年のオジサマと、彼を二回り若くした(つまりこちらもやたら美形の)15~16歳くらいの、軍服に似ているけどちょっと違う制服を着た少年が、連れ立ってやってきた。 「こちらにいらしたのですか、姫陛下。いかがですかな、我が帝国の誇る魔導帆船ベルーガ号の乗り心地は?」 慣れた仕草でその場で胸に片手を当て、左膝をたて片膝をつけ一礼をするオジサマ。 併せて少年の方は若干ぎこちないながらも、貴公子として充分に及第点を与えられる仕草で一礼をした。 「ええ、とても満喫していますわエストラダ大公」 船に乗るんだから、いっそセーラー服でも着てこようかと思ったんだけど、周囲の反対が強かったため、普段着のビスチェドレスのシャーリングを絞り込んだデザインをしたスカートを抓んで、カーテシー(片足を後ろに引きもう片足の膝を曲げて行なう挨拶)を返した。 「それは重畳でございます。それと、できれば艦の上では『大公』ではなく『提督』とお呼びください」 そう言って悪戯っぽくウインクをするグラウィオール帝国大公にして、帝位継承権3位という超VIP――フェルナンド・イザイア・ ゾフ・エストラダ(仰々しい名前だ。さすがは皇族)。 「『提督』......ですの。確か帝国元帥の位をお持ちと伺っておりますけれど?」 ちなみに提督は艦隊の司令官や、海軍の将官一般を指すので、それより上の元帥号を持っているなら『元帥』と呼び習わすのが普通だと思うんだけど......。 「いやいや『元帥』なんて称号は七光りもいいところですよ。どうにも落ちかないもので、どういうわけか海軍士官学校時代からあだ名で呼ばれていた『提督』の方が、よほどしっくりくるもので、いまでも全員にそう呼ばせています」 その身分にそぐわない気さくな調子で、朗らかに笑うエストラダ大公。 この社交的な人格と海軍を後ろ盾にした軍事力から、兄である現皇帝よりもよほど皇位に向いているというのが、周囲のほぼ満場一致した意見らしく(呆れたことに現皇帝まで認めて、さっさと皇位を渡して隠遁したいと常々口に出しているいるとか......オリアーナがため息混じりに話していた)、ちょっと彼がその気になれば、血で血を洗うお家騒動もあり得たのだろうけど、賢明――もしくは、生まれながらに間近で権力に伴う裏表を見てきたため嫌気がさしていたのか、早々に旗幟を鮮明に兄を支持することを公言し、ごたごたの内紛を未然に防ぐばかりか、当時ほとんど陸軍を掌握していた宰相派に対抗して、大義名分、そして『武』という形で協力してくれた大恩人であるらしい。 「伯父上がその気であるなら、わたしは甘んじて次期帝位をお渡しする所存です」 と、あの現実主義者のオリアーナをして言わしめる程の人物なので、よほどの奸物かと思ってたんだけど、なんかアレだね......単純に船が好きなだけで裏表のない人物に思えるね。 「ところで、こちらに控えるのは我が息子のクリストフと申します。ご紹介してもよろしいでしょうか?」 ちらりと隣に控える 「よかしいでしょう。直奏並びに拝謁の許可を与えます」 命都が鷹揚に頷いた。 その言葉で顔を上げたクリストフ公子が、ボクの顔を見てはっと息を呑み、それから夢から覚めたような顔で、もう一度一礼をした。 「お初におめもじ致します。姫陛下、フェルナンド・イザイア・ ゾフ・エストラダが一子、クリストフ・リントゼ・ジェム・エストラダと申します。このたびは拝謁の栄を賜り、身が引き締まり感激の極みでございます」 「初めまして、クリストフ公子。 こっちが肩が凝るしね。......まあ、さすがに非公式とは言え第三者がばっちりいる場なので、普段の口調ではなくて、どこぞの令嬢みたいに振舞っちゃいるけどさ。 「はははっ、そう言っていただけると助かります。それなりの教育はしているつもりですが、息子はまだまだ若輩者ですので、いつメッキが剥がれるかとヒヤヒヤしておりました。まことにもって、陛下のご厚情に感謝いたします」 莞爾と笑う父親を、困ったような、なにか反論したいような顔で睨むクリストフ公子。 「それと、息子は現在帝国士官学校に在籍中でして、親の欲目なしになかなか優秀ですので、この航海中は私の代わりに姫陛下の案内役を勤めさせたいのですが、よろしいでしょうか?」 なぜか意味ありげな視線をこちらに向け、それから息子に目配せするエストラダ提督。 「――? ええ、私としては異論はありませんわ。ご迷惑をおかけしますが、よろしくお願いいたします。クリストフ公子」 握手しようと、そっと手を突き出す。 「ぉうぇ...はぃ、陛下」 照れた様子で、壊れ物でも扱うようにソフトタッチしてくる。 「あ、私のことは普通に『緋雪』でいいですよ。その代わり、私も『クリストフ君』って呼びますから、お互い様ということにしましょう」 初々しくて可愛いねぇ。 笑顔を向けると真っ赤になった美少年の手を無理やり両手で握って、ボクはぶんぶん上下にシェイクした。 「いや、ありがとうございます。年も近いことですし、ぜひ末永くお付き合い願えれば幸いですな」 そんなボクらの様子を微笑ましげに眺めながら、エストラダ提督が悪戯っぽく言葉を重ねた。 「そうですわね。お互いの(国益の)為にも、私からもお願いしたいですわ」 「あ、ありがとうございます。まだまだ未熟な僕ですが、必ずや緋雪様に相応しい人間になってみせます!」 ボクの手をしっかり握り返して、きっぱり言い切るクリストフ君。 いや、別に友人関係でそこまで気負いしなくても、良いかと思うんだけど、この辺りは軍人クオリティなんだろうか? ふと、気が付くと甲板上に結構な人数が集まって、妙に優しい視線でもってボクらを遠巻きに眺めていた。挙句、命都や七夕まで混じって、子供の成長を見るような、母性愛・父性愛を滲ませた生温かい視線でもって、口元を柔らかく曲げていた。 ――はて? なにか間違っただろうか? そんな周りの好奇の視線にクリストフ君も気が付いたのだろう。あせった様子で、両手を放すと提督の脇に戻り、生真面目な顔を作って畏まった。 「いやいや、俺に似ないで堅物だと思っていたら、なかなかお前も言うじゃないか。まあ気持ちはわからんではないが......」 「ち、父上っ! 陛下の前であまりおかしな事をいわないでください。皇族として、軍人として、鼎の軽重が問われますよ!」 にやにや笑う父親に食って掛かるクリストフ君だけど、これは完全に役者が違いすぎる。と同時に、遅ればせながら一連の遣り取りの意味が見当付いてきた。 「......ああ、なるほど、そういうことね」 まあ、普通は魔物の国の吸血姫なんぞという、得体の知れないものは敬遠するかと思うけど、幸か不幸かこの二人はそういうこと一切気にしないみたいだしねぇ。 ま、初対面のいまの段階でそーいうことは、ボクとしてはまったくの埒外だけど、今後もこの世界で生きていくんだったら、将来的には考慮に入れないとマズイのかも知れないねぇ......。 「――か、姫陛下。どうかなされましたか?」 おっと、いつの間にか考えに耽っていたみたいで、エストラダ提督とクリストフ君が、心配そうにこっちを見ていた。 「ああ。いえ、少々今後の予定――インユリア国での海賊対策について、思案しておりました」 適当に答える。 「なるほど。ですがご安心ください。いかな相手といえど、我がグラウィオール帝国海軍の誇る魔導帆船艦隊8隻が、おめおめと遅れをとることなどございません。文字通り大船に乗った気で、この船旅をお楽しみください」 自信満々に断言するエストラダ提督だけど、 、いざとなったら救助お願いね!』 ボクは従魔合身中の【 今回は海上(ひょっとして海中も)での戦が想定されるので、久遠に出陣してもらったんだけど。 『久遠! ちょっと、聞いてるの、久遠ーっ!?』 『......いま、寝てなかった?』 『いやいや、起きてましたぞ、姫様』 ウソだ。絶対にウソだ。 『ご心配召されるな。この儂がついている限り、大船に乗った気で構えていてくだされ』 「それでは、私は職分に戻りますので。クリストフ、姫陛下のお相手をしっかりお勤めするんだぞ!」 「はいっ。わかりました!」 お互いに敬礼を交わして、エストラダ提督が艦内に戻って行った。 それを見送ったクリストフ君は、どことなく肩の力が抜けた笑みを浮かべて、こちらを振り返った。 「無作法な父で、すみません陛――いえ、緋雪様。取りあえず僕にわかることでしたら艦内をご案内しますが、どこか見たいところとかありますか?」 その質問に、ボクはさっきから気になっていた場所を、真っ先に確認した。 「それでは、救命ボートの位置を教えていただけないでしょうか?」 「は、はあ? わかりました」

122 Episode 5: The Magic Sailboat A white-painted magic sailboat, the Beluga, was running west on the valiant path, aiming for the colonial state of the northwestern part of the continent, Inyulia, of the Grawior Empire. Surrounded by tenacious naval soldiers, they move around without acne and waste, multiplying each other's ordinances. If my amateur was standing on the deck (like this), I guess I'd get in the way. To the point where I was so anxious, a sculpture looked deep in the eyes of the cleavage chief, dressed in a military uniform for the White Gravior Empire Navy - when I was younger, I would have floated in the social world (or maybe it's presently in progress?) - an elegant magnificent odyssuma and a boy, aged 15-16, who made him two times younger (that is, beautiful if I did this one too), in a uniform similar to the military uniform but a little different, came together. "Did you come this way, Your Highness? How do you like it, how comfortable is the boarding of the Beluga, the proud guide sailboat of our empire? Odysama puts one hand on the chest on the spot with her accustomed trick and knees on one knee with her left knee. Together, although the boy was slightly less expensive, he gave his thanks in a manner that would give him full credit as your son. "Yeah, I'm enjoying it very much, Grand Duke Estrada." I got on the boat, so I thought I'd wear some sailor clothes as well, but because of the strong opposition around me, I wrapped up a skirt with a refined design for my everyday Bisce dress shearing and returned Cartesy (a greeting to go with one leg pulled back and the other knee bent). "It's a superimposition. And if you can, call me Admiral, not Grand Duke, on the ship." Make it Grand Duke of the Grawior Empire, who says so and winks like a prank, and super VIP - Fernando Isaiah Zov Estrada - third place in imperial inheritance. It's an obedient name. That's royalty). "'Admiral' .... I'm sure you have the rank of Imperial Marshal. By the way, the Admiral refers to the commander of the fleet and to the Navy general, so if you have a Marshal above that, I think it's normal to call him 'Marshal' and learn... "No, no, no. 'Marshal' is a good place to call it Seven Lights. It doesn't fall, and somehow the 'admiral', nicknamed after him since Navy Cadet School, is more solid, and we still make everyone call him that." The Grand Duke of Estrada laughs in a casual manner that doesn't fit that identity. From this social personality and the military power behind the navy, it seems almost unanimous around him that he is better suited to the throne than his brother, the current emperor (admittedly even the present emperor, who has always spoken out in his mouth that he wants to give him the throne and hide just now... Oriana spoke in a sigh), a little bit if he was concerned about it, he could have had some home commotion to wash his blood with blood, but wise - or he was disgusted because he had seen the back cover that came with power nearby at birth, publicly stating that he would support the flag sooner rather than later, just to prevent a mess of civil strife, against a prime minister who had almost mastered the Army at the time, and greatly cooperated with me in the name and 'martial arts' form. "Uncle, if you are willing, I will give you the next emperor." And I was wondering how much of a rapist you are because you are enough to do that realist Oriana to make me say... you seem like someone with no back surface simply because you like ships. "By the way, my name is Christoph, and I will refrain from doing so here. May I introduce you? See the life capital next door and the New Year's Eve. "That would be nice. Direct music and permission to worship." Life Capital nodded to Eagle Deep. Lord Christoph, who raised his face with those words, breathed much more when he saw my face, and then, with the kind of face he had woken from his dreams, he thanked me again. "I'll take care of you first. Her Royal Highness, Fernando Isaiah Zov Estrada is the only son, my name is Christoph Lintze Gem Estrada. This time, I give you the glory of prayer, and I am extremely grateful." "Nice to meet you, Lord Christoph. It is Scarlet Snow, the lord of the Crimson Imperial of the Crimson Empire. This is only an informal visit, so feel free to deal with it in such a format" This one has stiff shoulders.... Well, it's just a place where there are third parties, so I'm acting like a courtier here instead of the usual tone. "Ha ha, that would help if you could say that. I intend to educate you quite a bit, but my son is still a young man, so I was hissing when the plating would peel off. With all due respect, Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness." Prince Christophe stares at Gual and his laughing father with a troubled, somewhat objectionable face. "And since my son is currently enrolled in Imperial Cadet School and quite brilliant without the desire of his parents, I'd like to have him serve as a guide to His Majesty on my behalf during this voyage, would you mind? Admiral Estrada, who for some reason turns a meaningful gaze here and then turns his attention to his son. "-? Yeah, as far as I'm concerned, I have no objection. Thanks for the inconvenience. Prince Christoph." Trying to shake my hand, I gently stick my hand out. "Wow... no, Your Majesty" It looks illuminated and comes soft-touch to handle even broken goods. "Oh, you can usually say 'Scarlet Snow' about me. Instead, I'll call you" Christopher, "so let's just say we're each other." You're so naughty and cute. When I turned to smile, I was forced to hold the hand of a beautiful boy who turned bright red with both hands, and I probably shaked up and down. "No, thank you. It's almost the year, and I hope you'll stay with me forever." Admiral Estrada staggered her words like a prank as she smiled at us like that. "Right. I'd like to ask you to do it for each other's own good." "Oh, thank you. I'm still immature, but I will definitely make you the person Scarlet Snow deserves! Hold my hand back tightly, Mr. Christoph. No, it's nothing. I don't have to feel that bad about friendship, I wonder if it's military quality around here? Second, when I noticed, a good number of people gathered on the deck and watched us far-flung with a strangely gentle gaze. By the way, his mouth was bent softly with a raw and warm gaze that seeped through maternal and paternal love, mingled until the capital of life and the seventh sunset, like watching his children grow up. - What? Did I do something wrong? I guess you noticed, too, Christoph, the gaze of curiosity around you like that. When he let go of his hands, he returned to the Admiral's side, making a serious face and fearing. "No, no, if you don't look like me and think I'm sturdy, you'd say it pretty well, too. Well, I don't know how it feels..." "Chi, Father, go up! Don't say anything too strange in front of His Majesty. As a royal family, as a soldier, you will be questioned about the light weight of the Ding! You're the one who eats and hangs on a father who laughs slightly, but this is totally too different an actor. At the same time, the significance of a series of intercessions came to light as of late. "... oh, I see, that's the thing" Well, normally I don't think you'd distract yourself from something you're not good at, the bloodsucking princess of a demonic country, but happy or unhappy, these two don't seem to care about anything like that. At this stage of my first encounter - that's completely out of my mind, but if I'm going to live in this world in the future, I might have to take it into account in the future... "- Or, Your Highness. What have you done? Oops, it seemed like I was late for a thought at some point, and Admiral Estrada and you, Christoph, looked at me worried. "Oh. No, a little bit of future plans - I was thinking about countering piracy in the Inyulia country" Answer as appropriate. "I see. But don't worry. Speaking of nasty opponents, the eight proud demon-guided sailboat fleets of our Grawior Empire Navy will never be congratulated or delayed. Enjoy this voyage, literally thinking about taking a big boat." I assure you with confidence, Admiral Estrada, but this is what Cathedral Crusaders of the Cathedral Crusaders looked like, and you stepped on the annihilation flag. "Kuyuan, please rescue me if you have to! I cautioned against the [Divine Fish (Bahamut)] in the body of the submissive demon. I was asked to come forward for a long time, as a battle at sea (and even a little while at sea) is envisaged this time. "Kuyuan! Hey, I'm listening, Kuyuan!?" '... weren't you asleep now? "No, no, I was awake, princess." Liar. Absolutely not. 'Don't be worried. As long as it's on, stay with me on the big ship. " "Then I shall return to my post. Christopher, I want you to work for Her Majesty! "Ha. Okay! We saluted each other and Admiral Estrada returned to the ship. Christophe, who dropped it off, smiled somewhat out of his shoulder strength and looked back at this one. "He's a rude father, and I'm sorry, Your Majesty - no, Mr. Scarlet Snow. If that's what I know for now, I'll show you aboard. Is there anything you'd like to see? To that question, I first checked where I had been concerned. "So can you tell me where the lifeboat is? "Ha? Okay."

第十四話 幻想皇帝 真っ白い紗幕が帝都アルゼンタムを呑み込もうとしていた。 姫陛下の説明によれば、雲の高さはおよそ3000メートルだそうだけれど、間近に眺めるそれはほとんど垂直の壁であり、見上げても先端が見えず天まで届くかのような圧倒的な存在感を示していた。 それを成したのは『神』を名乗る一人の人物だという。 姫陛下は彼――聖典に謳われる『蒼神』をして、この世界を オリアーナ皇女は物憂げにため息をついた。 あの方はご自分が同じ高みにいるせいで、ご自覚がないのだろうけれど、結局は人間にとって相手の 人間を越えた力があるというだけで、それは異端の者であり、さらに超越した力の持ち主は“怪物”と呼ばれる。罰することもできない怪物相手に人間は無力であり、その行動を制御できるのはただただ本人の意思のみだろう。 結局人間にできることはただ祈ることだけ。どうか我が身に災いが降りかかりませんように、どうかその良心に従いますように...と。 そうして、人々に害を及ぼす怪物を“悪魔”と呼び、利益をもたらす怪物を“神”と呼ぶ。ただそれだけのことにしか過ぎない。 もう一度『 脳裏に浮かぶのは、友人である優しい怪物――緋雪の最後に別れた時の顔だった。 「まったく...あんな迷子の子供みたいな顔をされては、せっかくの決意が崩れそうでしたわ」 独りごちた声が閑散とした宮殿の廊下を木霊する。 住民の退避に伴って宮殿内の侍女や侍従たちも、さまざまな理由をつけて去って行き、残っているのは根っからの譜代の貴族や、豪胆な一部の職人くらいなものである。そういえば毎日の食事の味も変わらないでいたけれど、料理人もいまだに留まって己の職務を全うしているのかも知れない。 ふと中庭を見てみれば、庭師の老人が普段どおりの態度で、脚立に乗って庭木の手入れをしていた。 緑が好きで、子供の頃から中庭を遊び場にしていた彼女にしてみれば、いつも同じ顔で同じ仕事をしている印象があった彼だが、まさかこの状況でも変わらず仕事をしているとは思わず、思わず足を止めた。 そんな彼女に気付いたのか、老人は手を休めると、脚立から降りて帽子を脱ぎ、恭しく一礼した。 オリアーナも軽く一礼をしてその場を離れた。 気が付くと、口元に苦笑ではない、淡い微笑が浮かんでいた。 けして長いとは言えない人生だったけれど、いままで出会った人々、そして名も知らない彼らに感謝しながら、彼女は離宮から中庭を抜け宮殿へと足を進める。 閑散とした宮殿にまるで別の場所に来たような錯覚を覚えながら、オリアーナはさらに足を延ばして、父である皇帝陛下のおわす離宮へと足を運んだ。 『余人を交えず、ゆっくりと話がしたい』 伝言を受けて指定された時間に来たわけだけれど、この離宮にもほとんど人影というものはなかった。 皇帝陛下の居室だというのに衛兵の一人もいないことに、微かに不満を感じながら――表には出さずに――軽く北方産の雪樫でできた扉をノックする。 「皇帝陛下、オリアーナです。仰せにより 「――開いているよ。お入り、オリアーナ」 扉越しに父の優しげな声が聞こえ、彼女は少しだけ安堵した。 この期に及んで表舞台に立たない皇帝陛下に対して、民衆どころか大貴族の間にまで「皇帝はとっくに帝都を離れて逃げている。今頃は大陸を脱出して諸島連合に泣き付いている頃だろう」などと、根も葉もない流言飛語が飛び回っているのだ。 そんなことはないと思いながらも、今日まで直接顔を合わせる機会がなかったため、オリアーナにも一抹の不安があったことは確かである。 だが、間違いない父の声を耳にしたことで、ほっと胸を撫で下ろしながら、「失礼いたします」そっと扉を開けた。 扉を閉め、伏せていた顔を上げたところでまず最初に感じたのは困惑だった。 皇帝の居室とは思えないほど簡素な室内には椅子と執務机、そして部屋の中央に描きかけの白いキャンバスがイーゼルに乗せられているだけで、他には目立つような装飾品の類いは置いていない。 ここまでは見慣れた部屋なのだが、椅子に座ってにこやかに微笑む父――グラウィオール帝国第44代皇帝ヴァルファングVII世――だが、その他に見慣れない金髪の煌びやかな鎧とマントを纏った騎士らしい青年と、魔法使いらしい薄い紫色のワンピースと杖を持った少女とが、窓際に並んで同席していたのだ。 オリアーナの視線に気付いて、恭しく礼をする彼らから父に視線を戻す。 机に座ったまま出入り口に立つ愛娘を私室に招き入れるヴァルファングVII世。 当たり前の話であるが、彼の弟である伊達男、エストラダ大公に似ていた。そしてまた、オリアーナとも共通点が多い。つまり、どこからどう見ても美男子――それも線の細い、ガラス細工に似た透明な美貌――であった。 オリアーナの記憶によれば、すでに30半ばの筈だけれど、ほとんど日に当たらず室内にいるせいか、まだ20歳台に見える。 「――ああ、彼らは私の知人でね。今回の件に関して少々無理なお願いをしたので同席を許可したんだ。取りあえずは気にしないで構わないよ」 躊躇する娘の反応を見て、ごく簡素に付け加える。 説明になっていない説明に釈然としないものの、いつまでの皇帝陛下を待たせるわけにもいかず、オリアーナは部屋の中へと歩みを進めた。 普段はあまり喜怒哀楽を表に出さない父皇帝が、珍しく目を細めて笑いながら、近寄ってきた娘の姿を再度確認するかのように、じっと目を凝らして眺めた。 「――どうかなさいましたか?」 「いや。もう立派な 「そうでしょうか? 多くの方々は、わたしを父親似とおっしゃってくださいますが」 知らず口調に棘が混じる。オリアーナにとって実の母親は、自分を生んだ女性というだけに過ぎず、一切の愛情を感じない(それはあちらもそうであろう)相手であった。 もともとが父を傀儡とした摂政である大叔父の孫娘であり、父との結婚は政治的なものであったのは子供でもわかる事実であり、実際に夫婦間の愛情など(少なくとも母の側からは)まったくなく、それならそれで無関心を貫けば良いと思うのだが、これが支配欲と物欲の塊のような性格で、父に側室を設ける事を決して許さなかった。そのため、今上帝に直接の跡継ぎが自分しかないという面倒な事態を招いた張本人である。 同じく一子のみの弟エストラダ大公夫妻が、熱烈な恋愛結婚の結果であるのと比べ、好対照も良いところであった。 ちなみに皇妃はとっくに荷物をまとめて、実家に避難している。 オリアーナの口調から、そうした一連の感情を読み取ったのか、皇帝は寂しげな笑いを浮かべた。 「皇妃もあれで可愛いところもあったのだよ」 「左様でございますか」 知ったことではないと言わんばかりの愛娘の態度に、『この気の強さは我よりも皇妃似だな』と言いたげな笑みを浮かべる皇帝。 なんとなく居心地の悪さを感じて、視線を転じて見れば、真っ白だと思っていたキャンバスには、ありありと真っ白な雲の壁が描かれていた。 「これは、『 「ああ、こんなものが間近に見られる機会など滅多にない......いや、喪失世紀以来かな」 危うく聞き流しかけたオリアーナが、弾かれたように父皇帝を振り返る。 「さほど驚くようなことではあるまい。皇家に伝わる喪失世紀の伝承を、君に教えたのは他でもない我であろう。ならば同じ結論に達するのも自然と言うもの」 正直、父たる皇帝陛下は事態を正しく把握していないがために、楽観視して帝都に残留していると予想していたオリアーナは、泰然として微笑を浮かべている彼を瞬きして見詰めた。 「まあ完全に神話の再現かどうかは不明だが、どうやら蒼神は本気のようであり、天空の姫君もなす術なしとなれば、我ら俗人は従容と世界の変貌を受け入れるしかあるまい」 今度こそオリアーナは目を剥いた。見目と人が良いだけで実務能力に欠け、凡俗も良いところ......と思っていた父が、まるで別な人間になったかのように見えた。 「......振り返れば、まるで長い夢を見ていたかのようだよ。父たる先帝は苛烈な人柄で、後継たる我に対しては“皇帝”という記号に徹することを求め、人間としての個性は認めなかった。長じれば摂政たる叔父は我を人形と見なし、宰相は道具としての価値しか求めなかった」 そこには怒りも悲しみもない、在りし日の日々を機械的に話すだけの平坦な声音であった。 「だから我はそれに応えた。故に我には何も無い。魔法装置が何も考えずに定められた手順に従い、結果を出すが如く、我の中では一切のものが価値が無いのだよ。善悪、身分、権力、人間の尊厳も生命も、自分を含めて等しく等価――全てゼロなのだよ」 にこやかに語る父がまるで別な生き物のように思えた。 うっかり覗き込んだ深淵から見えたのは、底知れぬ虚無と絶望だった。 穏やかで人畜無害な凡人――とんでもない。誰が死のうが生きようが、世界が終わろうが知ったことではない、徹底的な無関心。それが父たる皇帝の本質だったのだ。 「だが――」 柔らかな表情は変わらないまま、どことなく戸惑ったような響きがその声に混じった。 胸を突かれた面持ちで、オリアーナは声にならない呻きを発した。声を出せばそのまま泣き出して、崩れ落ちそうだった。 「だからね。我は皇帝として、夫として失格であったけれど、最期に父として君を守りたいのだよ、 ついにオリアーナの口から堪えきれない嗚咽と、その瞳から大粒の涙がこぼれ落ちた。 「ああ、泣かないでおくれ、愛し子よ。君の涙だけが我の心を乱す。どうか生きて命を繋いでおくれ」 立ち上がった皇帝が、そっと彼女を抱き締め囁いた。 しばしお互いに抱擁を交わした後、いまだ涙に濡れる瞳で、父を見上げるオリアーナ。 「ですがもう間に合いません。この場から あまりにもスケールが圧倒的過ぎて距離感が狂っていたが、虚霧はまさに王宮を呑み込まんとするギリギリの距離まで迫っていた。 「大丈夫。その為の彼らなのだから」 「彼らは君の知っている言葉で言えば共に“ 続けざまに語られる衝撃の事実に呆然とするオリアーナに向かって、ぽりぽりと頬を掻きながら口を開く金髪の剣士。 「まあ、もともと宰相派と平行して帝国内の勢力バランスを取るために、影郎さんと別口で皇帝陛下に接触していたんですけどね。ほとんど無視されていたと思ったら、最後の最後にとんでもない依頼が舞い込んできた...ってわけですよ」 親しげに話しかけてくる青年だが、立ち居地的には敵側である2人に対して、警戒心からオリアーナは柳眉をひそめた。 「えーと、ね。怪しく思うのは確かだけど、今回は本当に個人的な動機で動いているから、あたしたち二人とも貴女のお父さんも、緋雪さんも裏切るようなことはしないよ。信じて」 なんとなくこの2人は信じても良いのではないか。なによりそれが父の願いであれば。 そう瞬時に判断したオリアーナが、一歩彼らの方へ踏み出そうとした――その瞬間、どこからともなく、ひび割れた男の声が聞こえてきた。 『――ほう。それはつまり俺に対する裏切りと解釈していいわけだな?』 「――っ! この声は!?」 咄嗟に窓際から2人が離れたのと同時に、離宮全体が一撃で崩壊したのだった。

134 Lesson 14: The Fantasy Emperor A bright white veil was about to swallow the Imperial City of Argentina. According to Her Majesty's explanation, the cloud is approximately 3,000 meters high, but looking up close it was almost a vertical wall, showing an overwhelming presence as if you could not see the tip and reach heaven when you looked up. He said it was one person named 'God' who made it up. His Majesty the Princess is him - although he is a fanatic (fanatic) who views this world as a play (game) by playing the 'Ethereal God' which is enshrined in the Scriptures and affirms that its entity is merely a human being...... Empress Oriana sighed with concern. Because you're at the same height, I don't know if you're aware of it, but it doesn't end up being an important point for humans to separate human beings from others, such as their spirituality (mentality). Just because there is power beyond man, it is a heretic, and the bearer of even more transcendent power is called a "monster". Humans are powerless against monster opponents who can't even punish them, and only their own will will will be able to control their actions. In the end, all humans can do is pray. Please do not let disaster befall us, please follow that conscience.... Thus, monsters that harm people are called "demons" and monsters that benefit them are called "gods". It's just that. Once again he looked up at the 'Idle Fog' and the Empress Oriana smiled sarcastically. What floats behind my brain was my friend, the gentle monster - my face at the end of Scarlet Snow when I broke up. "Not at all... you look like such a lost child, and your resolve seems to be breaking down." A solitary voice woods the idle hallway of the palace. With the evacuation of the inhabitants, the maids and squire in the palace also leave for various reasons, and all that remains is as noble as the roots of the spectrum or as audacious as some craftsmen. Speaking of which, although the taste of daily meals remained the same, the cook may still be staying and doing his job. I looked in the courtyard and the gardener's old man was in his usual attitude, riding on the stepladder and taking care of the garden trees. I liked the green, and if I tried making the courtyard a playground for her since she was a kid, he always had the impression that he was doing the same job with the same face, but I didn't think he was working the same way in this situation, and I stopped by accident. You noticed her like that, the old man rested his hands, got off his stepladder, took off his hat, and bowed his respects. Oriana also left the scene with a gentle thank you. When I noticed, there was a pale smile on my mouth, not a bitter smile. Though it was an untold life, thanking the people she had met so far, and those who did not know her name, she proceeded from the outer palace through the courtyard to the palace. Remembering the illusion that he had come to the idle palace as if he had come to another place, Oriana extended her legs even further and took her to the lair of her father, His Majesty the Emperor. "I don't want to exchange extras, I want to talk slowly" I came at the designated time after the message, but there was hardly anything called a shadow in this outhouse either. With a slight dissatisfaction with the fact that it is the Emperor's chamber but not one of his guards - without putting it on the table - he knocks on a door made of lightly northern snow oaks. "Emperor, this is Oriana. I just walked over." "- It's open. Come in, Oriana." I heard my father's gracious voice over the door, and she was only a little relieved. Against His Majesty the Emperor, who does not take the stage for this period, even among the people but among the great nobles: "The Emperor has fled from the Empire for so long. By now it will be time to escape the continent and cry to the Union of the Islands" and so on, rootless and leafless flutter flies around. Though I do not think so, I am certain that Oriana also had a little anxiety because until today she did not have the opportunity to face each other directly. But hearing my father's voice without a doubt opened the door softly, "Excuse me," as I stroked my chest down. The first thing I felt when I closed the door and raised my face where I was lying down was confusion. There are no other conspicuous types of ornaments but chairs and executive desks in a room so simple as the Emperor's chamber, and a painted white canvas in the center of the room, which is simply placed on an easel. Up to this point, it's a familiar room, but my father, the 44th Emperor of the Grawior Empire, Valfang XVI, sitting in a chair and smiling, but other unfamiliar, knightly young men with brilliant armor and capes of blonde hair, and a girl with a wizard-like thin purple piece and cane, were present side by side at the window. Noticing Oriana's gaze, I return my gaze from them to my father, whom I humbly thank. Valfang XI invites his beloved daughter to her private room standing at the entrance and exit while sitting at her desk. As a matter of course, he resembled his brother, the Dada man, the Archduke of Estrada. And also, Oriana and I have a lot in common. In other words, it was a beautiful man from wherever he looked - it was also a thin line, a transparent beauty similar to glass finishing. According to Oriana's memory, she's already in the mid-30s, but she still looks like a 20-year-old because she barely hits the sun and is indoors. "- Oh, they're my acquaintances. I asked for a slightly impossible favor in this case, so I was allowed to be present. Don't worry about it for now." Seeing my hesitant daughter react, I add very briefly. Though uninterrupted by the unexplained explanation, Oriana proceeded to walk into the room, unable to keep His Majesty the Emperor waiting for long. My father, the emperor, who usually doesn't put much joy and sorrow on the table, gazed and looked at me as if to check again the appearance of his nearby daughter, laughing uncommonly narrowly. "- What's wrong? "No. Consider yourself a fine lady already. When I was a little girl, I wasn't as good as Sasa, but when I saw her like this, she still looked like a queen." "Is it? Many say I am like a father." Thorns mix in the tone unknowingly. For Oriana, the real mother was just the woman who had given birth to herself, the other person who felt no love whatsoever (which would be the case all over). It is a fact that even children can see that he was the granddaughter of his great-uncle, the Regent who originally puppeted his father, and that his marriage to his father was political, not at all (at least from his mother's side), in fact, affection between the couple, etc., then I wish I had penetrated my indifference with it, but this was the character of a lump of dominance and appetite, which never allowed him to have a side room in his father. For this reason, he is Teng himself, who has now caused the troublesome situation that he is the only direct heir to God. The good contrast was also good compared to the fact that his brother and his wife, Archduke Estrada, who were also only one child, were the result of a fervent romantic marriage. By the way, the queen has packed her bags and evacuated to her parents' house. From Oriana's tone, the emperor laughed lonely as he read such a series of emotions. "There was a queen and there was something cute about her." "Are you left-handed?" The emperor smiles at the attitude of his beloved daughter, who says, 'This strength of mind is more like a queen than I am'. Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, I turned my gaze and saw that the canvas, which I thought was white, depicted a wall of plain white clouds. "Is this' Idle Fog '...? "Oh, I rarely get a chance to see something like this up close... no, I guess since the Lost Century" Oriana, who listened to her dangerously, looks back at her father emperor as if she had been played. "Not so surprisingly. I will not be the one who taught you the legacy of the century of loss passed down to the royal family. [M] Then it's natural to come to the same conclusion." Honestly, his father, His Majesty the Emperor, didn't know the situation correctly, but for that reason, Oriana blinked and gazed at him smiling at him as he optimistically expected to remain in the imperial capital. "Well, it's not entirely clear if it's a myth reproduction, but apparently the Ethereal God is serious, and if the princess of the sky is without the art of doing it, we can only accept obedience and the transformation of the world" Now it was time for Oriana to peel her eyes. It seemed as if my father, who thought that appearance and people were just good and lacked practical ability, and that common sense was good... had become another human being. "... Looking back, it's like you've been dreaming for a long time. My father's predecessor was a harsh man, and he asked me to be thorough with the symbol" Emperor ", and he did not recognize his personality as a human being. My uncle, the regent if he were to grow up, would see me as a doll, and the Chancellor would only ask for value as a tool." There was no anger, no sorrow, just a flat voice that mechanically spoke the days of the day of his presence. "So I responded to that. So I have nothing. The magic apparatus follows the procedure laid down without even thinking about it, and as it turns out, everything in me is worthless. Good and evil, identity, power, human dignity and life are equally equal, including yourself - they're all zero." It seemed to me like a different creature my father, speaking with a smile. What I saw from the abyss I accidentally peered into was bottomless nothingness and despair. Peaceful, human-induced, harmless ordinary people - outrageous. Whoever dies or lives, it's not what the world ends but what it knows, a thorough indifference. That was the essence of the Father Emperor. "But..." The soft expression remained unchanged, and the somewhat bewildered sound mixed with its voice. With a face poked in the chest, Oriana gave a silent groan. If I spoke up, I would cry straight out, and I was about to collapse. "So. As an emperor, I was disqualified as a husband, but I want to protect you as my father at the end of the day, my lovely princess." Finally, a whimper unbearable from Oriana's mouth and a large tear spilled out of her eyes. "Oh, don't cry, my love. Only your tears disturb my heart. Please live and connect my life." The risen emperor gently held her and whispered. After often holding each other, with eyes still wet in tears, Oriana looks up to her father. "But we can't make it anymore. It will not be possible to escape from the 'fog' unless it is also used in the Fei Long (Wyburn) from this location." The scale was too overwhelming and the sense of distance was insane, but the fog was just as close to a critical distance to swallow the royal palace. "It's okay. That's why they're here." "Because they are both" transcendents (players) "in the words you know, and under his Ethereal God, they are also the ancient knowledge of your well-known Princess of the Rose. As soon as we get out of here, we're supposed to move under you." A blonde swordsman opens her mouth as she scratches her puffy cheeks toward Oriana, stunned by the fact of the shock that continues to be told. "Well, I was originally in contact with His Majesty the Emperor at a separate word with Mr. Shadowloon to balance forces within the Empire in parallel with the Prime Minister's faction. I thought it was almost ignored, and at the end of the day, a hell of a request came in..." Oriana whispered Willow Eyebrows out of vigilance against two of the youths speaking intimately, but standing on the enemy's side. "Uh, yeah. I'm sure it sounds suspicious, but this time it's really personal, so neither of us will betray your father or Mr. Scarlet Snow. Believe me." Wouldn't it be nice to believe these two somehow? More importantly, if that is my father's wish. So instantly judging, Oriana tried to take a step toward them - at that moment, out of nowhere, she heard a cracked man. - I mean, you can interpret that as betrayal of me, right? "-! What's this voice!? The entire outhouse collapsed in one blow at the same time as the two men left the window.

第四話 英雄王子 ボクは非常に不快な面持ちで噂の英雄という王子様の前に立っていた。 仮面は部屋に入る前に脱いであるので、お互いに素顔のままなんだけど、なんてゆーか・・・最初ボクの素顔を見て「ほう......」と妹のアンジェリカや、お付らしい黒髪の青年と一緒にあげた感嘆の声は、まあわかるよ。皆同じような反応をするし。 で、その後の相手を値踏みするような鋭い目、これもお互いの立場なら当然だろうね。 ところがその後の視線――なんなのこれ?! 露出した肌や胸の辺り、腰周りを中心にナメクジが這い回るような、なめ回されるような、この不快な感触は!? よく女の人は、男が気が付かないだろな、とちょっと胸を見ても、一発でわかるっていうけどさ、今日ほどその意味がつくづく実感された日はないね! 「――お兄様、あまりじろじろレディを眺めるのは不躾ですわよ」 眉をひそめたアンジェリカの注意に、「おっと」とやっと視線を外した王子は、馴れた仕草で恭しく膝をついた。 「失礼をいたしました陛下。アミティア王国第三王子アシル・クロード・アミティアであります。本日は貴重なお時間を頂戴いただきましまして誠に光栄でございます」 そういってごく自然な流れでボクの手を取って、その甲に口づけをした。 ・・・す、素早い。警戒するヒマもなかったよ。 を、アシル王子は黒髪でどこか冷たい雰囲気をまとった青年カルロ卿――を紹介して、席に着いた。 いちおう国主たるボクの方が身分は上なので、ボクが上座に座り、下座のソファーにアシル王子が、その隣にアンジェリカがちょこんと座った。 「それにしても」座った途端、アシル王子はボクの顔を真正面からガン見して、「佳人だとは噂には聞いていましたが、まさに月すら恥らう絶世の美姫ですな、ヒユキ陛下は」 感に堪えないという口調でべた褒めしてから、ふと真顔に戻って、なんとなく恐る恐る訊いてきた。 「――実はこの世のものとも思えぬ姿で、化けているということはありませんか?」 「見たままこの姿ですよ。生憎とそういう芸はもっておりません。――それと殿下、私のことは普通に『緋雪』か『姫』とでも呼んでください。そちらの方が呼ばれ慣れていますので」 そう言うと3人とも、ほっとした顔で胸をなで下ろした。 「そうなんですの! では、これからも『お姉さま』とお呼びしてもよろしいでしょうか、ヒユキ様?」 アンジェリカの弾んだ声に、ボクは「ええ、アンジェリカ様さえよければ」と、ぎこちない笑みを浮かべて頷くしかなかったよ。 嫌とはいえないわなぁ・・・。 それにしても、おねえさま......おねえさま、ねえ......。なんかそろそろ無くなりかけて来た男の尊厳とか、存在証明とかが、豪快にゴリゴリと削れて行く音が聞こえてきたよ(だいたい初日に 「お姉さま・・・?」 不思議そうに聞き返す兄に向かって、うんうん頷くアンジェリカ。 「さきほどお願いしましたの。ヒユキ様って、お話していても本当に『お姉さま』って感じですので!」 あー、おねーさまな感じなのかー。 そろそろ残りの弾も少なくなってきたかなぁ・・・。 なにか問題でもあるのか、難しい顔で考え込んだアシル王子は、怖いほど真剣な瞳でボクを見た。 「なんでしょう?」 「俺...いや、私と結婚しませんか?」 アシル王子とアンジェリカ以外の3人が、一斉にずっこけた。 「まあっ! お兄様、名案ですわ。そうすればわたくしも堂々と『お いやいや、本人そんなコロンブスの卵を発見したみたいなドヤ顔されても、どこをどうすればそんなぶっ飛んだ思考に行き当たるんだい?! 「馬鹿ですか、貴方は!?」 一国の王子に対してアレだけど、思わずそう叫んじゃったよ。 で、普通は面前で自分の主人が罵倒されたら嫌な顔をするものだけど、後ろで従者のカルロ卿もうんうん頷いているところを見ると、この手の発言は割りと日常茶飯事なのかもしれないねぇ。 苦労してそうだね彼も。 「・・・そんな馬鹿なことですか?」 赤毛に近い金髪に、端正な――気品と同時に野性味も併せ持つ、人の注目を集める 「いいですか、現状、この国は我が国を国家として認めておりません。まして我が国は魔物によって構成された国家ですので、人間側が魔物に人間同様の権利を認めない以上、今後も法的に解決することはありえません。ましてや私は魔物ですので私と貴方との間で、合法的に結婚できるわけがありません!」 うんうん頷く命都とカルロ卿だけど、肝心の王子の方は、 「そこらへんは二人で愛を育み周囲を納得させるしかありませんね。なんでしたら、事実婚ということで先に子供の1人2人作るというのはどうでしょうか?」 また斜め上の提案をしてきたよ。 てか、子供って............ああ、ボクが産むわけか。 コウノトリが運んできたりカボチャ畑でとれるわけじゃないからねぇ。 そうすると、この王子と夜な夜な頑張って励むわけだね........................うん。無理っ。 さすがにわずかに残ったソレが堤防となり、生理的な拒絶反応を示した。 「・・・生憎と、私は結婚するまで清い体を保つつもりですので、その案には乗れません」 やんわりと拒絶すると、アンジェリカも猛烈な勢いで頷いた。 「そうですわ。お兄様は結婚をあまりにも軽はずみにとらえていますわ!」 「――というか、会って5分で結婚を持ちかける時点で、軽はずみそのものだと思いますけれど」 阿呆ですか貴方は、という口調で付け加える。 「そう言われると返す言葉もありませんが、それだけ貴女が俺...ああ、もうお堅い言い方でなく俺でいいですね? 俺にとって魅力的で、一生をかけても構わないと思える、そんな運命の出会いだったのです」 熱い視線で真剣にそう言われてもねえ、ジョーイの時はまだ子供子供してて可愛らしく思えた部分もあるけど、17歳という割りに身長も180cmを越えて胸板も厚く、男性ホルモンを全身から放出しているムサイ男に告白されても、いまいちときめくものがないんですけどねぇ。 「お姉さま、いきなりのことで信じられないのも当然かも知れませんが、兄がここまで一人の方に真剣になっているのを見るのはわたくしも初めてです。立場上、兄はずいぶんと沢山の女性から秋波を送られ、また、国内外を問わず数多くの縁談を持ち込まれましたが全て断っております。その兄が自分から結婚を口に出したのは初めてのことです。けしてその場限りの浮ついた気持ちではないと、それだけは信じていただけませんか?」 アンジェリカからも切々と訴えられ、う~~ん、まあ信じないわけじゃないけどさ。 どっちかというと信じたくない、という感じかなぁ。 「――とはいえ殿下、現実にヒユキ陛下を妻にというのは無理でしょう」 それまで黙っていたカルロ卿が口を開いた。 「仮に陛下を始めとした王族の方々のご理解が得られたとしましても、貴族院がそれを許さないでしょう。それどころかこれ幸いにと、王子は魔族に魂を売った背信者として廃嫡、もしくは粛清の対象になるでしょう。――というか、ここでの会話が漏れただけでそうなります」 あー、まあ、普通に考えてそうだよねー。 うん。なんか流れで危なく真剣に検討するところだったよ。 「貴族院か。どこまでも邪魔だな、あいつらは」 そう言ったアシル王子の横顔が、一瞬抜き身の刃のように見えた。 それから居住まいを正して、改めてこちらを向いた。 「――そういえば、今回ご招待したのは、本来はこちらが本題だったんですが、ヒユキ姫に貴族院から接触はありませんでしたか?」 訊かれてボクは肩をすくめた。 「ありましたねえ、アシル王子以上に熱烈な恋文が。『お前のすべては俺のものだから、身ぐるみ剥いで差し出せ』って内容でしたけどね」 「ふん、連中の言いそうなことだな。それでヒユキ姫はどう対応されるつもりですか?」 「軍団をもって首都に攻め込んで、抵抗する者と国の上層部は皆殺しでしょうか? ――ああ、貴方たちは別ですよ。好意を抱いてくれる相手を殺すほど非道じゃありませんからね。まあ、立ち向かってこない限りは」 その言葉に息を呑むアンジェリカとカルロ卿。 「立ち向かう者はともかく、上層部も皆殺しですか? あまりにも理不尽だと思いますが」 思わず――といった口調でボクを非難したカルロ卿の体が、ギンッ!という金属が砕ける音とともに壁際に吹っ飛び、轟音を立て叩きつけられた。 いつの間に取り出したのか、愛用の聖杖を構えたまま命都が柳眉を吊り上げ、吐き捨てた。 その目が、じろりといつの間にか立ち上がっていたアシル王子と、その手に握られた折れた剣を見た。 あの一瞬、カルロ卿の命を奪うはずだった命都の一撃を受け止めようとして、受け切れないと悟り、剣が砕けるまでの数瞬の間に、片脚でカルロ卿を安全圏まで蹴り飛ばした早業は、ボクと命都にしか見えなかったろう。 当然、アンジェリカは訳がわからず、おろおろと兄と壁際にもたれ掛かるように座ったまま、荒い息をしているカルロ卿とを見比べるだけだし。 「すまん、部下の無礼は俺の責任だ。幾重にもお詫びしよう。だが、こいつは俺の大事な そう言ってその場に両膝をついて、頭を下げるアシル王子。 「......で、殿下......」 その姿にカルロ卿が絶句し、唇を噛んで下を向いた。 「私の発言で、アシル王子やアンジェリカ王女の身を案じての忠信からの無礼でしょう。不問にいたします」 それから命都に目で合図すると、しぶしぶという感じで聖杖の先端を倒れたままのカルロ卿に向けた。 さらに追い討ちを?! と慌てたアンジェリカが席を立ったが、アシル王子の方はなにをするのか予想できたんだろう。軽く頭を下げた。 「・・・姫の寛容さに感謝するがよい」 治癒

25 Episode 4: The Prince Of Heroes I stood before a prince named Rumor Hero with a very uncomfortable face. The masks are undressed before we enter the room, so we stay face-to-face with each other, but I don't know... the first time I look at my face and say, "Ugh..." I know my sister Angelica and the admiration she gave me with her adorable brunette youth, well. We all react the same way. So, the sharp eyes that value the other person afterwards, I guess this is also natural if we're in each other's shoes. But then the gaze - what is this?! What's this unpleasant feeling, like exposed skin, around your chest, and around your hips, like a numekji crawling around, getting naked?!? Often a woman looks at her chest and says she can tell by a single shot that a man won't notice, but there's never been a day like today when the meaning is made! "- Brother, it's not easy to watch the lady." "Oops," the prince finally took his gaze off to Angelica's attention, hissing his eyebrows, kneeling humbly with a tame trick. "I apologize, Your Majesty. It is the third prince of the kingdom of Amitia, Asil Claude Amitia. It's a great honor to have you here today." So he took my hand in a very natural flow and mouthed it on its back. ... Shh, quick. There was no alarming hippo. Then we took our seats by introducing each other's squire, Lord Carlo, a young man whose life capital (Miko and I) Prince Ashir had dark hair and some cold atmosphere. Because I am better, Prince Ashir sat on the couch in the lower seat, and Angelica sat next to me. "Nevertheless," as soon as he sat down, Prince Ashir glanced directly at Bok's face with cancer and said, "I heard rumors that you were a good man, but you're an endless beautiful princess who even shames the moon, His Majesty Hiyuki." I praised him with the tone that I couldn't stand the feeling, and then I went back to my true face and asked him somewhat terribly. "- Doesn't it actually look like it's from the world, and it's turning into something? "I'm looking at this as I see it. I don't have raw hatred and that kind of art. - And, Your Highness, call me usually 'Scarlet Snow' or 'Princess'. I'm used to being called there." Saying so, all three of them lowered their breasts with a relieved face. "It is! So may I continue to call you 'Sister', Master Hyuki? To Angelica's bounced voice, I had to smile and nod, "Yes, if only Angelica." I'm not saying I don't like it... Still, hey... hey, hey... Something about the dignity of a man who was about to disappear, or proof of existence, sounded like he was going gobbly and scraped off (about 90% disappeared the first day when he washed his body, wore bras, pants, and went to the bathroom). "Sister...? Turning to my brother, who asks back strangely, yeah nodding Angelica. "I asked you just now. Because Master Hiyuki really feels like 'sister' even when we're talking! Ah, hey, does it feel like it? I wonder if it's time for less ammo left... Something was wrong, Prince Achill thought with a difficult face, and he looked at me with his frighteningly serious eyes. "What is it? "Me... no, why don't you marry me? Prince Asil and three other people besides Angelica stuck together. "Maa! Brother, it's a good idea. That way, I can call you" Sister-in-law "with dignity! No, no, no, I don't care where I get doomed like I discovered a Columbus egg like that, how do I get to such a blown up thought?! "Are you stupid, you are!?" It's an array against a prince of a country, but I didn't mean to scream like that. So, it's usually something to look disgusted when your own husband is cursed in front of you, but when you see your squire Sir Carlo nodding yeah in the back, maybe this hand statement is a crack and a daily tea meal. You're struggling. So is he. "... is that stupid? It is no exaggeration to say that a beautiful man (handsome) who attracts people's attention, who is close to redhead, has an endless - elegant and wild flavor at the same time - I answered chewing and including him, wondering why I had to explain such a simple thing to Prince Achill, who brings a question mark to his face. "Look, as things stand, this country doesn't recognize our country as a nation. It is precisely because our country is a nation made up of demons that there can be no further legal solution in the future than the fact that the human side does not recognise human similar rights to demons. Not to mention that I'm a demon, so between me and you, there's no way I can legally marry you! Yeah, nodding life capital and Sir Carlo, but if you're the prince at heart, "The only way to get there is for the two of us to nurture love and convince our surroundings. What if, by fact, marriage, you mean making one or two of your children first? I've made another diagonal suggestion. Oh my God, I'm having a baby. Because it's not like a bat can carry it or take it in a pumpkin field. So you and this prince work hard at night to encourage..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Irrational. Just a few remaining soles became embankments and showed physiological rejection. "... raw hate and I'm going to keep my clean body until I get married, so I can't get on with that proposal" Refusing gently, Angelica also nodded with fierce momentum. "That's right. Your brother takes marriage too lightly! "- Or at the point of meeting and having a marriage in five minutes, though I think it's a lightning bolt itself." Are you stupid? You add in that tone. "I don't have a word to give back when you say that, but that's all you got me... oh, not the hard way to say it anymore, but me, okay? It was such a fateful encounter for me, and I don't think I'd mind spending the rest of my life." I don't care if they say that seriously with a hot gaze. Hey, some parts of me still seemed childish and cute when I was Joey, but even though I was 17 years old and I was over 180 cm tall and my chest plate was thick, and I was confessed to a musai guy releasing male hormones from all over my body, I don't have anything to do with it sometimes. "Sister, it may well be that suddenly things are unbelievable, but this is the first time I've seen my brother get so serious about one person. From a standpoint, my brother was sent Autumn Wave by a lot of women and also brought in a number of friendships, both domestic and international, all of which I refuse. This is the first time that that brother has spoken of marriage from himself. Can you just believe that it's not a floating feeling on the spot? Angelica sued me. Uh-huh. Not that I don't believe it. I don't want to believe it one way or another, I wonder if that feels like it. "Nevertheless, Your Highness, it will not be possible to make His Majesty Hiyuki his wife in reality." Until then Sir Carlo, who remained silent, opened his mouth. "The House of Lords will not allow it, even if the understanding of the royal people, starting with His Majesty, has been obtained. On the contrary, fortunately, the Prince will be subject to abolition, or solemnity, as a treacherous man who sold his soul to the Demon Nation. - Or that's what happens when the conversation here just leaks." Uh, well, think about it normally. Right. Yeah. I was about to seriously consider it with some flow. "House of Lords? You're in the way everywhere, they are." The side of Prince Asil, who said so, looked like a blade for a moment. Then I corrected my residence and turned this way again. "- Speaking of which, this time I invited you, this was supposed to be the point, but did you have any contact with Princess Hyuki from the House of Lords? When asked, I shrugged my shoulder. "There was. Hey, more enthusiastic love sentences than Prince Asil. It said," Everything about you is mine, so give it away with a peel. " "Yeah, that's what they're gonna say. So how does Princess Hyuki intend to be dealt with? "Will you attack the capital with your legions and kill all those who resist and the upper echelons of the country? - Yeah, except you guys. Because you're not outrageous enough to kill someone you like. Well, unless you come up against me." Breathtaking Angelica and Sir Carlo for that word. "Regardless of who stands up to you, do you kill all the upper echelons too? I think it's too unreasonable." Unexpectedly - Sir Carlo's body denounced me in such a tone, gimp! blown up on the wall with the sound of the metal crushing, and was roared and tapped. When did you take it out, the Life Capital hoisted the willow brow with its favorite cane in place and threw it away. And his eyes saw the prince Asil, who had risen at some point, and the broken sword that was held in his hand. At that moment, in an attempt to take the blow of the Capital of Life, which was supposed to take Sir Carlo's life, I realized I couldn't take it, and in the few moments before the sword was crushed, the early work of kicking Sir Carlo to the safe zone with one leg would only have seemed to me and the Capital of Life. Naturally, Angelica doesn't know why, she just compares it to Sir Carlo, who has a rough breath, sitting on the wall with her grate and brother. "I'm sorry, I'm responsible for my men's disrespect. Let's apologize multiple times. But this is a dear friend of mine, why don't you just help me with my life? That's what I said. On both knees on the spot, Prince Achill lowering his head. "... so, Your Highness..." Sir Carlo ceased to appear, chewing his lips and looking down. "In my statement, it would be disrespect from my loyalty to Prince Asil and Princess Angelica. I will not ask." Then when I signaled with my eyes to the Capital of Life, I directed the tip of the Holy Cane towards Sir Carlo, who remained fallen, feeling like a shabu-shabu. Angelica, who panicked, took a seat, but I wonder what Prince Ashir would do. I lowered my head gently. "... thank the princess for her indulgence" The healing (heel) light enveloped Sir Carlo's entire body.

幕間 薔薇羨望 通路の向こう側からオープンチャットでの会話が流れてきた。 「オレもうHPレッドだよ。こりゃ、死に戻りするしかねーや」 「待て待て、いま戻ったら絶対他のプレーヤーに 図らずも会話を盗み聞きする形になってしまった僕は、どうしたものかと思案した。 この『灼熱の迷宮』は とは言え、このままだと全滅は必至に思える。 なにしろゲームシステムによって、与えたダメージ量/総HP 50パーセント以上でなおかつ、最後にダメージを与えたものにドロップ物の所有権が移行することになっているのだから。 そして、いまの会話を聞いた限りでは、まだHPの半分を削ってイエローにも達していない様子なので、ここで彼らが全滅すれば、せっかくの幸運も、その後から来たプレーヤー(もしくはPT)に奪われることになる。また、得てしてそういう場合に、レアアイテムがドロップされたりするのが世の常だったりするので泣くに泣けない。 また、仮にHPが半分以上削られた状態で彼らが全滅し、 (とは言え、どこで誰が見ているかわからないからな。黙って見ているわけにもいかないか) 良くも悪くも悪目立ちする、自分の )は小走りに洞窟のようになっているダンジョンの角を抜け、溶岩が流れる川に掛かった岩の橋を通って、目標――小学校の体育館ほどの広間にいる、ちょっとした二階建ての家ほどもある、棹立ちした角の生えた巨大な熊と、その周りに5~6頭いる眷属の黒熊、そして向かい側の通路に半ば隠れるようにして、攻撃を凌いでいる3人のプレーヤーを確認した。 広場の中には他に2人のプレーヤーが倒れて、その上に死亡を示すアイコンが浮かんでいる。 僕は部屋の反対側から、こちらに背を向ける 「あー、すみません。助けが要るようなら、手伝いますけど?」 突然言われた彼らも面食らったのだろう、数秒沈黙した後、どことなく破れかぶれの調子で、PTのリーダーらしい人間の剣士が、返事をよこした。 「――頼む。周りの雑魚でいいのでタゲを取ってくれ!」 「いや、取りあえずしばらく壁になってますので、皆さんその間に回復してください」 言いながら愛用のソードブレイカーを抜いて、ヒーターシールドを構えながら躍り出る。 完全にタゲ(ターゲット)が、あちらのPTにあるので、悠々と背後に回りながら、素早く連続突きを ごときなら秒殺できるけど、これ以上、余計なダメージを与えると横殴りと見なされる恐れがあるので、以降は一切手出しをしないようにして、ひたすらタゲを取ることに専念することになる。 一方、窮地を脱したかに見えた初心者PTの方だけど、リンクした 「まずは回復に専念して! 攻撃は後回しだ!」 手際の悪い彼らに指示を飛ばしたところ、信じられない答えが返ってきた。 「すんませんポーション持ってたら分けてもらえませんか。できれば死んだ連中用に 頭の上に表示されている名前を見るまでもなく、見覚えのあるそのプレーヤーの姿に、思わず唇が綻んだ。 「緋雪さん。ちょうど良いところへ。すみませんけど、そこら辺に転がっているプレーヤーの蘇生と、奥の彼らの回復をお願いできませんか?」 「いいけど。......なに、ギルドの新人育成?」 言いながら冷凍マグロみたいに転がっている連中に、手際よく 「いえ、今度の龍狩り用にハイヒールPを多めに用意しておこうと思いまして、ここの『炎花』を採りにきただけです。で偶然ピンチに通りがかったので、壁役になってるだけですよ。――緋雪さんこそ、どうしてまたここへ?」 「へえ、相変わらず人が良いね~。私は今度の月末のギルドイベントの『ドキ☆男だらけの水着大会 (ポロリもあるかも)』の会場にここのダンジョンがどうかと思って、下見に来ただけだよ。ちなみに男性キャラ限定で水着で、革の鞭だけで熊狩りをする予定。私はいざと言う時の回復役だねぇ」 「......最弱武器で熊狩りですか。そちらも変わらず珍クエ好きですね」 話している間にも、すっかりHP・MPともに満タンに回復したPT全員に、これでもかと 「聖女とかオレ初めて見たぞ」 「こんなにアイコン並んだの見たのも初めてだ」 唖然としている連中に声を掛ける。 「これでバックアップは充分でしょう。いまのうちに皆さんで斃してください」 それで我に返ったらしい5人組が、一斉に いつの間にか、椅子に座ったまま軽く居眠りしていたらしい。 男は夢の中で追走した、在りし日のなんと言うこともない出来事を思い出して、自嘲気味の笑みを浮かべた。 (......結局あの後、案の定BOSSドロップで『 そういえば、その後が面倒臭かったな。 聖女である緋雪がギルマスと知って、連中、彼女のギルドに入れてもらおうと、何度断ってもしつこく頼み込んで辟易させていたっけ。 緋雪本人はどう思ってたか知らんが、初心者が冷やかしで入れるような敷居の低い所じゃなかった。その上、ほぼ全員が最後までギルドを退会しなかったくらい結び付きが強かった。 あの当事の俺は、就職に失敗してその後何年も家でだらだらとゲームばかりして、現実を見ないで......だけど、アイツは俺と正反対だった。俺なんかより余程辛い人生を送ってきたのに、ずっと前向きで明るかった。だから俺は......。 ふっ......と、夢のせいか、いつにもなく感傷的になっていることを自覚した男は、一つため息をつくと、手に持っていた二つの水晶球(内側に『白銀』と『紫』の炎のような光が揺れている)を、しばし凝視してから、壁に向かって軽く放り投げた。 水晶は空中にレールがあるかのように、そのまま真っ直ぐに壁際に設置してある燭台のような、台の上にピタリと乗った。 呟いた男の言葉が、誰も居ない無機質な部屋の中で溶けて消えた。

117 Tabernacle Rose Envy Conversations in open chat came from across the aisle. "I'm already HP Red. We have to go back to death." "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! I figured out what was wrong with me when I listened to the conversation without trying to. This "Burning Labyrinth" is a dungeon that is not so challenging, with intermediate-level players attacking together PT, among the dungeons with mountains in "E. H. O." and "Eternal Horizon Online" (operations have announced that there are at least 20 dungeons that are currently discovered but still undiscovered). That said, total annihilation seems imperative if it stays this way. Anyway, the game system is supposed to transfer ownership of the drops to the last damage inflicted, at least 50 percent of the damage inflicted/HP. And from what I've just heard of the conversation, it looks like we haven't even reached yellow by cutting half of our HP yet, so if they are wiped out here, then the luck of the cause will also be taken away by the players (or PTs) who have come since. Also, I can't cry because it is common in the world for rare items to be dropped when I get them. Also, assuming they were wiped out with their HP shredded by more than half and the ghost bear (Auga Bear) abandoned, there wouldn't be a new ghost bear (Auga Bear) to not kill him first than the BOSS is a springtime, so the player I found would be efficient to get ready for next. (That said, I don't know where or who's watching. Can't you just shut up and watch) For better or worse, I sighed in front of the monitor when I saw my identity (avatar). I (the Avatar) went through the corners of a dungeon that was cavernous on a small run, through a rocky bridge on a river with lava flowing, and confirmed my goal - a giant bear with a raised horn, about a little two-story house, in a halfway house about the elementary school gymnasium, and a black bear with five or six dependents around it, and three players halfway across the aisle, who were abusing the attack. Two other players have fallen inside the square, and there is an icon floating above them that indicates death. I spoke to them from the other side of the room, over the ghost bear (Auga Bear) turning my back here. "Uh, excuse me. If you need help, can I help you? All of a sudden they were told they must have eaten too, after a few seconds of silence, in somewhat torn shape, a human swordsman like PT's leader, replied. "- Please. You can have the miscellaneous fish around you, so you can take the tage! "No, it's been on the wall for a while now, so please all recover in the meantime" I pull out my favorite swordbreaker as I say, and leap out with a heater shield in place. Totally Tage (Target) is on the PT over there, so he quickly puts a continuous poke in the back of the ghost bear (Auga Bear) as he slowly turns behind him. To be clear, if you're a ghost bear (Auga Bear), you can kill seconds, but any more of this could be seen as a tyranny if you do extra damage, so after that, you'll be focusing on not doing any handouts and even taking a tag. On the other hand, he's a beginner PT who seemed to have taken off his predicament, but he's got his hands full to deal with the linked Bear (Pruteau Bear), and he seems to be lagging behind on his key recovery. "Focus on recovery first! Attack is behind us! I skipped directions to them that were not handy and they returned an incredible answer. "Excuse me. If I had a potion, could you share it with me? If possible, two resuscitation pills (elixirs) for the dead guys would help." My lips broke unexpectedly to the appearance of that player, who looked familiar, without having to see the name displayed above my head. "Mr. Scarlet Snow. Just the right place. Excuse me, but could you please resuscitate the players that are rolling around there and recover from them in the back? "Fine....... What, developing guild rookies? He handily perfectly resuscitates (lizalection) people rolling like frozen tuna as he says it - more than a species called the Bloodsucking Princess, in "E. H. O" and "Eternal Horizon Online" he is the "Virgin" of the rare profession - she (he?). "No, I was going to have more high heel P's for my next dragon hunt, and I just came to pick up some 'flame flowers' here. So I accidentally wanted to go through a pinch, so I'm just being a wall player. - Mr. Scarlet Snow, why are you here again? "Well, people are still good ~. I just came down here to take a look, wondering if there's a dungeon here at the venue of the next Guild Event at the end of the month's" Doki Swimsuit Games full of guys (maybe some polories) ". By the way, it's a swimsuit exclusively for male characters, and I plan to hunt bears with just a leather whip. I'm a healer when I say I have to." "... are you a bear hunter with the weakest weapon? You like Jen Que the same way." Scarlet Snow layers auxiliary magic (buffs) on all PTs who have fully recovered from both HP and MP while talking. I've never seen a Virgin before. "I've never even seen so many icons lined up" Speak up to the blatant people. "This will be enough backup. I want you all killed right now." So the group of five, who had returned to me, stood up to the ghost bear (Auga Bear) at once with their own weapons. At some point, he slept lightly while sitting in a chair. The man chased away in his dreams, remembering the unspeakable event of the day of his presence, and smiled with self-derision. (... After that, there was "Ghost Slash Maru (Auga Stroke)" on the advice BOSS drop, and that beginner (Newby) PT made a note on the big note) Speaking of which, you stinked after that. Knowing that Scarlet Snow, the Virgin, was Gilmouth, they were persevering in asking her to open up, no matter how many times she refused, in an attempt to get her into her guild. I don't know what Scarlet Snow herself thought, but it wasn't a low-lying place for beginners to chill in. On top of that, the ties were strong enough that almost everyone didn't leave the guild until the end. That party of mine just played sloppy games at home after years of failing to get a job and don't look at reality... but he was the opposite of me. I've lived an extra hard life than I have, but I've always been positive and bright. So I... Phew... and the man, aware that it was because of his dreams or that he was becoming sentimental at no time, sighed one and threw two crystal spheres (the flaming light of 'silver' and 'purple' shaking inside) that he had in his hand, staring often, then gently against the wall. The crystal rode perfectly on the platform, as if there were rails in the air, like a candlestick installed straight on the wall. The whining man's words melted and disappeared in an inorganic room where no one was present.

番外編 冒険者は新婚を夢みる10 気が付いて目を開けると、森の中。そこだけ木も起伏もないテニスコートくらいの広場――芝生のような草が一面に生えた草地――に寝転がっていた。 見上げれば、どこまでも とりあえず上半身を起こそうとしたのだけれど、全身に粘液質の液体が付着していて、草に張り付いてほとんど身動きが取れない。 「トリモチに引っかかった小動物かい!?」 そう自分の状態にツッコミを入れて、無理やり立ち上がろうとしたのだけど、普通だったらステータスにモノを言わせて引き千切れるはずのトリモチも草もビクともしない。 これ以上無理をすればただの布製であるウエディングドレスは破れ、下手をしたら髪の毛もダメになりそうだ(こういう時に無駄に長い髪は邪魔だよねぇ)。 そもそも手足の素肌部分だけでも動かない。なんというか......感覚的に腕力が、見た目通りのか弱い女の子になった感じだ。 「......このあたりもジョーイの主観というか、願望が入っているんだろうねぇ」 理想は可憐な乙女か!?! どんだけボクに夢を見ているんだろうね、アレは。 なら切り離そうにも、いつの間にか《 あとジョーイもミーアさんもフィオレも、ついでに陸鯨本体も目の届く範囲にはいない。 あの後、どこから排泄されたのか、この液体がなんなのか、ボクはあえて考えないようにして空を見上げた。 「......乾いたら取れるかなぁ」 つーか、この世界で結構な時間が経ったような気がするけれど、いつまで経っても蒼穹が広がる春の陽気のままなのは、やはりジョーイの夢の中だからだろう。 「脳天気な奴だからねぇ」 わかりやすいっちゃわかりやすい。 「けど、生理現象とかどーなってるんだろうねぇ......?」 気のせいかそこそこ空腹を感じてきたんだけれど、ただボクの感覚でそう感じるだけなのかも知れない。 とりあえず状況が変化するまでここでじっとしているしかないのかなぁ......と思った瞬間、不意に汗と垢と獣臭が混じった不快な臭いが近くの森の中から漂ってきた。 「――んんっ......?」 どっかで嗅いだことがあるような......と、記憶をまさぐるよりも早く、小枝をへし折り、下草をかき分けて、 「――ブウ?」 「ブウブウ!!?」 「ブモ~~~!!!」 なぜか各々頭に黒いチューリップ(現実の黒いチューリップだと、深い紫色だけど、これはマジで墨を塗ったように真っ黒な色であった)を一輪ずつ咲かせた、胡散臭い腰蓑一丁の 豚鬼 「「「ブホッブホッブホホ♡!!」」」 地面に張り付けられているボクを見つけて盛り上がっているチューリップ たちが小走りに向かってくる。 「止まれっ」 そんな奴らに向かって寝たまま視線を向けたボクは、『 「ちょ......なんでぇ!?!」 そりゃ確かにここはジョーイの夢の中で、ボクの能力も制限がかかっているのはわかっているけど、ジョーイが見たことがあるボクのスキルはある程度再現できるはずだよ?! 『 覚えてないのか、それともスキルの内容を理解してないのか、ジョ~~イ!?! 悪態を放ったのと同時に、身動きが取れないボクの周りを、鼻息も荒く囲んだ 「ハアハア♪♪」 そのまま辛抱堪らんとばかり、 ボクの着ているウエディングドレスを、お菓子の包装を剥ぐみたいに、三匹がかりで剥ぎ取り始める。 思わず悲鳴をあげた刹那――。 どこからともかく響いてきた裂帛の気合とともに、一陣の疾風のように現れた剣士――身の丈ほどもある 「大丈夫だったかい、ヒユキ? 俺がきたからもう安心だ」 そう爽やかに言いながら、自分のマントを外して、ボクにふわりとかけるのだった。 「ん? どうしたんだい、ヒユキ? ――ああ、怖かったんだね。可哀想に。まずは俺の拠点へ行こう。そこで体を洗って......ああ、そうそう、ミーアさんとフィオレも保護しているから安心してくれ」 に服を剥ぎ取られ、舐められたおかげのか、自然と起き上がれるようになっていたボク。 受け取ったマントで体を隠しながら顔を伏せ、ブルブル震えるボクの姿にジョーイは爽やかスマイルから一転、痛まし気な表情を浮かべ、そう言ってボクの手を取ってどこかへ案内しようとする。 「......タイミングが良すぎるよねぇ......」 「――ん?」 「ヒロインが絶体絶命のピンチの時に、颯爽と現れるとか、どう考えても出来過ぎだよねぇ......」 「んん? 何のことだ、ヒユキ?」 「全部君の仕込み! マッチポンプだろうこの野郎ーーーっ!!!」

162 Outside Adventurers Dream Of A Newlywed 10 When you notice and open your eyes, in the woods. That's all I slept in a square about a tennis court with no trees or ups and downs - a lawn-like grass growing on one side. If you look up, the sky of Aotearoa (Pecan) is spreading everywhere. I tried to wake up my upper body for now, but there was mucus fluid all over my body, sticking to the grass and I can barely get around. "Are you a little animal caught in a tri-mochi?!?" Yes, I put a scratch in my condition, and I tried to force myself to stand up, but if I were normal, I wouldn't let Stats say things and pull a thousand times off. Trimochi, grass, or freak. Wedding dresses that are just made of fabric if you can't do any more are torn, and if you do poorly, your hair is going to be damaged (long hair for nothing at times like this gets in the way). The bare skin parts of the hands and feet alone do not move in the first place. I don't know...... it feels like my arm strength has turned out to be the weak girl it looks like. "... I guess there's also Joey's subjectivity around here, or his aspirations in it" Is the ideal a poor maiden!?! I wonder how much you dream of me, are you? Then even if we were to disconnect, at some point the Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Rey) is also out of hand and unknown. And Joey, Mr. Meer, Fiore, and finally the land whale body are out of sight. After that, I dared not think about where it had been excreted from and what this liquid was and looked up at the sky. "... I wonder if I can take it when it's dry" Either that or I feel like a good amount of time has passed in this world, but I guess it's still in Joey's dream that the Ethereal Dome remains a sprawling spring cheer. "'Cause he's a brain-weather guy." It's easy to understand. "But I wonder what's going on with the menstrual phenomenon...? I've been feeling hungry there because of my mind, but maybe I just feel that way because of my senses. I wonder if I'll just have to sit here until things change for now...... The moment I think about it, an unpleasant smell of a mixture of sweat, dirt and beast odor drifted from the nearby woods. "- Hmm...? It's like I've smelled it somewhere... and it's faster than snagging my memory, snapping twigs, tearing up the sesame grass, "- Boo?" "Buuuuuuuu!!?" "Bumo ~ ~!!!" For some reason, a frigid lumbar pig ghost (oak) appeared on each head with black tulips (real black tulips, deep purple, but this was a black color, as seriously inked) blooming round after round. "... oh, the wild pig ghost in the lower realm (oak) ah" "" "Buhobhobhobhohoho !!" " Tulip pig ghosts (oaks) thriving on finding me stranded on the ground. At last, the front of the waist was also very exciting. Pork ghosts (oaks) come for a small run as they pour their covetousness down towards me sighing. "Stop." Turning my gaze as I slept toward them, I unleashed The Devil's Eye (Evil Eye) (the unique skill of a blood-sucking princess who can eliminate her will to attack by using it on a subject). "Hey... why!?!" That's true. I know this place is in Joey's dreams and my abilities are limited, but Joey should be able to replicate some of my skills he's seen?! "The Eye of the Devil (Evil Eye)" is fine even in front of Joey, he showed it often! You don't remember, or you don't understand the content of your skills, Jo ~ ~ y!?! At the same time as he unleashed his evil state, the pig ghosts (oaks) bent around me, whose nose was rough, holding my right hand, the other holding my left hand, and the other holding both feet with his knees. "Ha-ha-ha." I just have to be patient. I start peeling off my wedding dress with three pieces, like I peel off the sweet packaging. The moment I thought so... With the mood of rift that echoed from anywhere, the swordsman appeared like a wind for a while - with a great sword (Great Sword) as long as his height, and Joey with his legendary brave gear and cloak wrapped around him, as he flew over to the scene, he cut off the neck of three pig ghosts (oaks) whose situation was uncharted and flashing with a side-by-side blow. "Are you all right, Hyuki? You can rest assured I'm here." So refreshingly, he took off his cape and fluttered into my bare body. "Hmm? What's going on, Hyuki? - Oh, you were scared. Poor thing. Let's go to my base first. Wash your body there... Oh, yeah, don't worry, Mr. Meer and Fiore are also protecting you" I was able to get up naturally, whether it was dry or because the pig ghost (oak) stripped me of my clothes and licked me. He lays down on his face hiding his body in the cape he receives, and Joey flicks from a refreshing smile to a painful look at me, saying so and trying to take my hand and lead him somewhere. "... the timing is too good..." "- Hmm?" "I don't care what you think about heroin appearing refreshed when it's a pinch of absolute desperation..." "Hmm? What are you talking about, Hyuki? "It's all yours! It would be a match pump you son of a bitch!!!"

第八話 鎮魂之鐘 ――そして王子様と王女様は幸せに暮らしましたとさ。めでたし、めでたし。 王都カルディアには鎮魂の鐘が鳴り響いていた。 人々は、老いも若きも俯いて悲しみに浸り、時たま王宮の方角を向いて、彼らが敬愛したその魂が、安らかに天上へと導かれんことを切に願った。 また、王宮前に設えられた献花台には、国内外から集った多くの弔問客が長蛇の列を作り、各自が持参した花束を供えていた。 涙を流す者、静かに瞑目する者、自らの信ずる神に祈る者、その行いは様々だが、死者を悼むその気持ちは全員が一緒だった。 「お伽噺のラストみたいにはいかなかったみたいだねえ。――まったく。 それにしても、こういう辛気臭いのは苦手だねぇ。だいたいなんなのかなアレは、人が黙って瞑目している隣で『イーオン神よこの穢れなき魂を御御許に...』とかゴチャゴチャ唱えるのは。そんなありがたい神がいるなら、この世に悲劇なんて起こらないはずじゃないかい?」 「さあ? 我々が信奉する唯一の神は姫――緋雪様だけですから」 「......うっ。そーいえば、ある意味、うちもカルト集団と変わらないんだったけ」 献花を終えたらしい、ネックラインに白のクレープを用いた黒のモーニングドレス、そして胸元に一輪の赤薔薇を差した少女と、それよりも年上らしい薄墨色のドレスを着た女性が、連れ立って――というか主従の関係なのだろう、少女が先に立ち、女性が後に侍る形で歩いていた。 どちらもベールハットに隠されて素顔は覗えないが、素肌の白さ、瑞々しさ、その全体から発せられる凛としたたたずまいが、ただ者でない気品と隠された美貌を漂わせていた。 「とはいえなんだね、実際問題こうなると馬鹿王子のいってた改革を差す時計の針もずいぶんと後退しただろうし、こちらもある程度方針を変更しておいたほうがいいかも知れないねぇ」 「滅ぼしますか?」 晩のおかずでも決めるような軽い侍女の口調に、少女は軽く肩をすくめて答えた。 「滅ぼすのは簡単なんだけどね。うちは基本的に君臨すれども統治せずの方針だろう? そうなると後々、この国は周辺国に掠め取られるのが目に見えてるし、トンビに油揚げはちょいと業腹だからね。できれば使えそうな人材に任せたいねぇ」 「あの王子のような人物ですか?」 「ああ、あれは駄目だね。あれならまだコラードギルド長のほうが百倍ましだよ。少なくともギルド長は自分の物差しを持って、常に周囲を推し量っていたけれど、あの王子は自分の物差しと周囲の目盛りが合わないことすら気付いてなかったからねぇ」 だから足元に注意しろっていったのにねぇ、と付け加えた少女の足がふと止まった。 彼女たちの前方、街路樹にひっそりと隠れるようにして、黒髪の青年貴族――カルロ卿が片膝をついて、二人を出迎えていた。 「おや、意外と元気そうじゃないかい」 開口一番そう言われて、アミティア王国三王子アシル・クロード・アミティアは、久方ぶりに口が笑いの形になるのを心地よく思った。 「・・・そう言ってくださるのはヒユキ姫だけですよ。誰も彼も腫れ物にでも触るように慰めの言葉ばかりですからね」 「そりゃそんだけひどい顔――は、まあ元々あまり変わらないけど――やつれて死にそうな顔をしてれば、慰めの言葉のひとつも言いたくなるさ」 「・・・やれやれ、もともとそんなひどい顔でしたか?」 「たいていヘラヘラ笑ってるか、スケベな目で人の体を嘗め回すように見るかのどちらかしか記憶にないからねぇ。――ああ、失礼させてもらうよ」 軽く肩をすくめながら、アシル王子が座っている対面のソファーに腰を下ろす緋雪。 各々の背後には、当然のようにカルロ卿と その言葉に苦笑の色をより強くしたアシル王子だが、ふと、緋雪が身にまとっている衣装に気がついて、知らず尋ねていた。 「そのモーニングドレスは・・・?」 通常、モーニングドレスは葬儀で近親者がまとう衣装である。 「ああ、勝手なことをして申し訳ないけど。仮にも私を『お姉さま』と呼んでくれた『妹』の弔問なのでね、はばかりながら着させてもらったよ。迷惑だったかい?」 ゆっくりと万感の想いを込めて、首を振るアシル王子。 「とんでもありません。それを聞いたらアンジェリカがどれほど喜ぶことか」 その名が出たことで初めて緋雪の顔から笑みが消えた。 「このたびは気の毒だったね」 ただそれだけ。弔いの言葉とも言えぬ言葉だが、そこには百万言を連ねても足りない深いいたわりの心が宿っていた。 その背後で、命都が主に代わり深々と頭を下げていた。 「いえ......すべて俺の責任です。俺が警備の人間の確認をしてれば防げたことです。......なにしろ、犯人は俺が保養所の警備を依頼した青年会の連中だったんですから!」 血を吐くようなその言葉に、緋雪は眉をひそめた。 「裏で貴族派が手を引いた襲撃ではなかったのかい?」 「・・・だったらまだ、この怒りのぶつけようがあったんですけどね。手を下したのは、我々の政治運動に賛同する青年会に所属する15~18歳の若者4人です。裏もとりましたがシロです。単純な金目的の犯行でした」 「それはまた、なんとも 「奴らは保養所の中の警備を担当していたんですが、『お前ら王族、貴族が贅沢三昧をしているから!』『俺たちの苦労を知れ!』『これは正当な報復だ!』と言って保養所の家財を略奪し、さらにアンジェリカに暴行を加え......。ようやく外を警備していた者どもが騒ぎに気付いて、連中を取り押さえた時には、妹は護身用の毒を服毒していたそうです」 緋雪は沈痛な表情で無言のまま首を振った。 「王家としてもこうした不祥事は表沙汰にできませんから、幸い――と言うべきか、アンジェリカは表向き病気療養のためフルビア湖の保養所に行ったことになっていましたので、そこで容態が急変した...という形で公式には発表されています」 「ふーん、まあそれはいいけどさ。そのアンジェリカを襲った外道連中は、当然始末したんだろうね?」 「・・・いえ、非公式に裁判を行い、おそらく近日中に処刑されるでしょう」 その言葉に緋雪の目が剣呑な光をたたえた。 「――ずいぶんと悠長だねぇ。なんで君が処罰しなかったのさ?」 その言葉に、何かに耐えるように黙って俯いたアシル王子は、やがて怒りと悲しみがない交ぜになった顔を上げた。 「正直、奴らを八つ裂きにしても飽き足らない!! この手で始末してやりたいと、何度剣に手をかけたか! ......でも、奴らを殺してもアンジェリカは帰ってこない。それに、血で血を洗うなって連中に言ってたのは俺なんですよ。復讐はなにも生まないって――」 「何も産まなくてもいいじゃないか。少なくとも君の気は多少は晴れるよ」 そう言われてぐっと唇を噛み締めるアシル王子。 「まあ、あくまで君の気持ちの問題だからね、これ以上は言わないけど、民主運動のほうはまだ続けるのかい? より良い世界を見せる妹さんはいなくなったわけだけど」 その言葉に緋雪は肩をすくめた。 「あまり意固地になるのもどうかと思うよ。前にも言ったけど、足元をおろそかにしないようにね」 「・・・はい。今度こそ肝に銘じますよ」 頷いたアシル王子の顔を見て、緋雪はソファーから腰を上げた。 「もうお帰りですか? そういえば再会の時は再戦の時の約束でしたけど、そちらはよろしいのですか?」 「やめとくよ。チャンバラする雰囲気じゃないしね。第一、自殺の片棒を担がされるなんて真っ平だよ」 『自殺』という言葉に、アシル王子ははっとした顔になった。 気が付かないフリをしていたが、自分が求めていた答えを指摘された顔であった。 「そういえば、アンジェリカの遺体には逢えるのかな?」 「いえ、すでに王家の墓所に移されたので、王族以外は会うことはできませんが、綺麗な顔でしたよ」 妹姫の綺麗にされた遺体を思い出して、アシル王子は泣き笑いのような表情を浮かべた。 「そうかい。直接お別れが言えるかと思って、カルロ卿について来たんだけど残念だね」 言いつつ胸に差している一輪の赤薔薇を取って差し出す。 「邪魔でなければ、次に君がアンジェリカに会いに行く時にこれも一緒にあげてくれないかい?」 そう言った緋雪の目が一瞬、紅い光を放った気がした。 「――わかりました。きっと」 頷いて受け取るアシル王子。 帰りはここ――王宮内の別棟である自室――から外にお連れするようにと侍女に命じて、二人を送り出した後、アシル王子は緋雪から手渡された薔薇を手の中でクルクルともてあそびながら、塞がっていた心がずいぶんと軽くなっていることに気が付いた。 ――どうやら自分は本気であの風変わりなお姫様に心引かれているらしい。 愛する者を失い凍りついたと思っていたが、まだ自分には誰かを愛せる心が残っていた。 そのことが素直に嬉しかった。 「――さて、カルロ。また明日から忙しくなるぞ!」 背後に立つカルロ卿にそう言って立ち上がったアシル王子の胸から、ずぶっと鈍い音を立てて剣の先端が生えた。 「......カ、カルロ...?」 驚いたというより信じられないという顔で振り向いたアシル王子の目に、どこか途方に暮れた子供のような顔で、自分を刺したままその場に立つ、乳兄弟であり、腹心であり、親友でもある青年の顔が映った。 「......なぜ......?」 「・・・なぜと問いたいのは私です殿下。なぜアンジェリカ様がお亡くなりになったというのに、政治ごっこを続けるのですか?! こうならないよう、殿下が諦められるよう手を回したというのにっ!」 絶望を伴う質問にカルロは頷いた。 「直接私が手を下したわけではありませんが、段取りは整えました」 「......なぜだ? お前は......貴族派に......?」 その質問には首を振る。 「いいえ、私は生まれた時から王家に忠誠を誓った身です」 「.........」怪訝そうな顔をしていたアシル王子だが、はっと気が付いて目を見開いた。「......そうか、父上か」 その質問には答えないカルロだったが、沈黙が雄弁に物語っていた。 あの毒にも薬にもならない父王は、貴族院に尻尾を振って邪魔な息子を亡き者とすることにしたのだろう。 おそらくそれを命じられたカルロも苦悩したのだろう、そしてその妥協点としてアンジェリカの襲撃を手配し、その痛手から自分が政治運動から手を引くことを願っていたのだろう。 だが、その意に反して自分は運動を続けることを宣言してしまった。 だからもう、こうするしかなかったのだろう。 『足元をおろそかにしないようにね』 さきほど別れたばかりの緋雪の言葉が甦った。 ああ。自分はちゃんと足元を見なかったのだな・・・。 だんだんと霞む目の中、アシル王子は手の中の赤い薔薇に語りかけた。 「......すみません姫。約束2つとも...守れそうにあり...ませ......」 意識が暗闇に融ける間際、アシル王子は遠くから聞こえる鎮魂の鐘の音を聴いた。 アミティア王国第三王子アシル・クロード・アミティア暗殺される。 現場に残された遺留品である魔剣と薔薇の花から、犯人は人間ではなく魔物と断定。 ――同日、アミティア王国は魔王国インペリアル・クリムゾンへ宣戦布告を行なった。 なお、王家の墓所に安置されたアシル王子の遺体が、その3日後、忽然と消えていることに気が付いた者は誰もいなかった。

30 Episode 8: The Soul Bell - And the prince and princess lived happily ever after. Congratulations, congratulations. The King's capital, Cardia, had a bell of soul relief ringing. The people leaned over and immersed themselves in sorrow, old and young, sometimes turning in the direction of the royal palace, eagerly hoping that their beloved soul would be led to heaven in peace. In addition, the flower table set up in front of the royal palace was lined with long serpents by many mourners gathered from home and abroad to serve bouquets of flowers each brought with him. Teardroppers, those who meditate quietly, those who pray to their own believing God, their deeds vary, but their feelings in mourning the dead were all together. "Looks like it didn't go like a last of the gaga. - Not at all. Still, I don't like this kind of spicy smell. I wonder what it is more or less. Aren't you going to rattle next to people meditating in silence, 'Aeon God, this filthy soul to you...' or something? If there's such a thankful God, isn't there supposed to be a tragedy in this world? "Come on? Because the only god we believe in is the princess - Scarlet Snow." "... ugh. Speaking of which, in a way, we were no different from the cult group." Apparently he finished donating flowers, a black morning dress with white crepes on the neckline, and a girl with a round of red roses on her chest and a woman wearing a light-ink dress that looked older than that, I guess it was a relationship of taking - or subordination, where the girl stood first and the woman later walked in the form of a samurai. Neither was hidden in the veil hat and the face could be peeked, but the whiteness of the complexion, the luminosity, and the rinse and discrepancy emanating from the whole of it drifted with an elegance and a hidden aesthetic. "What is it, though, that the clock needle that gave the stupid prince the reform that he said would have backed off a lot when things actually went wrong, and this one might as well have changed its policy somewhat." "Do you want to destroy? The girl replied lightly shrugging her shoulders to the tone of a light samurai that would decide even during the night. "It's easy to destroy it. We're basically a reigning policy, aren't we? Later on, this country is visible to be plundered by the surrounding countries, and the tombies are a little fried. I'd like to leave it to someone who might be able to use it." "Is he like that prince? "Oh, you can't have that one. That would still be a hundred times the length of the Collard Guild. At least the guild chief had his own indicia, always guessing the perimeter, but that prince didn't even realize his indicia and perimeter scale didn't match." So I went to watch my step, and hey, the girl's leg stopped fumbling, I added. In front of them, trying to hide in a street tree, a young nobleman with dark hair - Sir Carlo - was on one knee, greeting them both. "Oh, you look surprised." That's what they said most about the opening, and Asil Claude Amitia, the three princes of the kingdom of Amitia, for the first time in a long time, felt comfortable with her mouth becoming a form of laughter. "... Princess Hiyuki is the only one who says that. Everyone and he are all comforting words to touch the swelling." "That's just a terrible face - well, it didn't change much originally - but if you look like you're dying, you'll want to say one of your comfort words." "... man, were you originally such a terrible face? "Because I usually only remember you either laughing hella or looking around at people's bodies with sketchy eyes. - Oh, excuse me." Scarlet Snow sits back on the opposite couch where Prince Asil is sitting, shrugging his shoulders gently. Behind each is, naturally, Sir Carlo and the Capital of Life. Prince Achill, who made the colour of bitter laughter stronger in the words, but, uh, he noticed the costume Scarlet Snow was wearing, and he was unknowingly asking. "What about that morning dress...? Morning dresses are usually costumes put together by close relatives at a funeral. "Oh, I'm sorry I did something unsolicited. Assuming it's a" sister "condolence for calling me" sister, "I let you wear it barely. Was that annoying? Slowly and with all the thoughts of the universe, Prince Asil shook his head. "Not at all. How happy Angelica would be to hear that." For the first time, the name disappeared from Scarlet Snow's face. "I'm sorry about this one." Just that. Words that could not be described as words of condolence, but where there lived a deep heart of affection that was not enough to take a million words. Behind it, the capital of life had bowed his head profoundly instead. "No...... it's all my fault. That's what I could have prevented if I'd checked the security people.... Anyway, the killer was one of the youth clubs I asked to guard the nursery! Scarlet Snow frowned at those words like spitting blood. "Wasn't that a raid with nobles behind it? "... then there was still this angry bump. There are four young people aged 15-18 who belong to youth associations that endorse our political campaign. I also took the back, but it's silo. It was a simple gold crime." "Again, I don't know what to do..." "They were in charge of security inside the nursery, 'cause you royals, nobles, are luxuriously threesome!' 'Know our hardships!' 'This is legitimate retribution!' and plundered the nursery's possessions, and further assaulted Angelica...... At last, those guarding outside realized the noise, and by the time they were captured, my sister was poisoning herself for protection." Scarlet Snow shook her head silently with a sinking look. "Even as a royal family, these scandals cannot be taboo, so fortunately - it should be said that Angelica was to have gone to a nursery on Lake Fulvia to cure the superficial illness, so it has been officially announced in the form of a sudden change of condition there..." "Hmm, well, that's good. The outgoing men who attacked Angelica must have killed them, right? "... no, we will conduct the trial informally and will probably be executed shortly" Scarlet Snow's eyes shone a swordswallowing light upon the word. "- That's a lot longer. Why didn't you punish me? Prince Achille, who leaned in silence to endure something in the words, eventually raised an alternating face free of anger and sorrow. "Honestly, I'm not tired enough of tearing them apart!! How many times have I put my hands on my sword that I want to finish them off with this hand!... but killing them won't bring Angelica back. Besides, I'm the one who told them not to wash their blood with blood. There will be no revenge." "You don't have to give birth to anything. At least you'll feel a little better." Prince Achill bites his lips all the time when he says so. "Well, it's just a matter of your feelings, I'm not going to say any more, but is the democratic movement still going on? I don't have a sister to show you a better world." Scarlet Snow shrugged her shoulders at the words. "I don't know if it's going to be very solid. I told you before, don't leave your feet behind." "... yes. Now it's time to remember your liver." Looking at Prince Asil's face, who nodded, Scarlet Snow lifted his hips off the couch. "Are you home yet? Speaking of which, when we reunited, it was a promise during the rematch, but are you sure you don't mind? "I'll stop. It's not a chambered atmosphere. First of all, it's flat to be responsible for a suicide stick." Prince Achill's face was stifled by the term 'suicide'. He pretended not to notice, but was the face pointing out the answer he was looking for. "Speaking of which, will we meet Angelica's body? "No, I've already been transferred to the royal cemetery, so I can't meet anyone but royalty, but she had a beautiful face." Remembering the cleansed body of his sister Princess, Prince Asil gave her a crying look. "Right. I was wondering if I could say goodbye in person, and I'm sorry to hear about Sir Carlo." I take a round of red roses that I am giving to my chest as I say it and give it away. "If I'm not in your way, will you give this to me next time you go to see Angelica? That's what I said. For a moment, I felt Scarlet Snow's eyes shed a red light. "- Okay. I'm sure." Prince Asil, who nods and receives. After ordering the samurai to take you outside from here - her own room, which is a separate building in the royal palace - and sending the two out, Prince Ashir realized that his blocked heart was much lighter as he entertained the rose handed over from Scarlet Snow with a circle in his hand. - Apparently, I'm genuinely drawn to that weird princess. I thought I'd lost the one I loved and froze, but I still had a heart to love someone. I was honestly glad about that. "- Well, Carlo. We'll be busy again tomorrow! From the chest of Prince Asil, who stood up saying so to Sir Carlo standing behind him, a much dull sound was made and the tip of the sword grew. "... ca, Carlo...? In the eyes of Prince Achille, who turned with the face that he was more incredible than surprised, he saw the face of a young man, a daughter-in-law, a belly heart and a best friend, who stood on the spot with a stab at himself, with a childlike face somewhere on the way. "... why...? "... I'm the one who wants to ask why, Your Highness. Why does Angelica continue her politics when she says she's dead?! She said she turned her hand so Her Royal Highness could give up so this wouldn't happen! Carlo nodded at the question with despair. "I didn't put my hands down directly, but the steps are in place" "... why? You... to the aristocracy...? I shake my head for that question. "No, I have sworn allegiance to the royal family since my birth." "..." Prince Achill, who looked surprised, opened his eyes much more aware. "... right, Father" Carlo, who would not answer that question, but silence was eloquently telling the story. Father King, who is neither poisoned nor medicated, would have decided to wave his tail to the House of Lords to make his disturbing son a deceased. Perhaps Carlo, who was ordered to do so, also suffered, and arranged Angelica's raid as that compromise, hoping that he would draw his hand from the political movement from its painful hands. But contrary to that intention, I have declared myself to continue exercising. So I guess this is what I had to do now. "Don't leave your feet behind." Scarlet Snow's words just broke up came back to life. Oh. You didn't see your feet properly... Gradually in his sumptuous eyes, Prince Asil spoke to the red rose in his hand. "... Excuse me, Princess. Both promises... are unlikely to be honored..." While his consciousness melted into the dark, Prince Achill listened to the sound of a soul bell heard from afar. The third prince of the kingdom of Amitia, Asil Claude Amitia, is assassinated. From the Devil's Sword and Rose Flowers, a legacy left at the scene, the killer is determined to be a demon, not a human. - On the same day, the kingdom of Amitia declared war on Imperial Crimson, the demonic kingdom. It should be noted that no one noticed that the body of Prince Achille, rested in the royal cemetery, had disappeared neglectfully three days after that.

第十一話 孤軍奮闘 北の白龍山脈を別にして、アーラ市の東西南を占める大草原。 交通の要所として大小様々な街道が走る平坦な地形は、旅をするものにとっては非常にありがたいが、主だった遮蔽物や迂回路がなく、あまりにも見晴らしが良すぎて、いざ戦いとなると正面からのぶつかり合い以外、ほとんど小細工を弄する場所というのがなかった。 「・・・塹壕が精一杯か。せめて溝を掘るヒマがあればよかったんだがなぁ」 獣型の魔物に乗った敵の こちらに向かってくるだろうと考えていたのだが、意外なほど統制された敵集団の動きに、当初の目論見を外された形となってしまった。 予定では、塹壕を掘って伏兵を潜ませ、一団となって襲ってくる敵の集団に向けて、まずは遠距離から弓矢と投石器による攻撃を行い、敵が混乱したところで、塹壕に隠れている魔術師や精霊使いが魔法による中距離攻撃を行う。 ここで同じ塹壕に護衛として、数名で待機している冒険者たちが飛び出し、個々に分断された敵に攻撃を行う。 「――接近させる前に、なんとか弓矢と魔術師とで仕留められればいいんだが」 私には現場経験がありませんから、と言って今回の指揮権をすべて自分に委託して、一魔術師として前線に出ているギルド長を思って、ガルテ副ギルド長は苦い唾を飲み込んだ。 と、その視線が、作戦指揮所――草原に広げられた天幕――の前をウロチョロしている、武装した冒険者たちの一団の中にいた見知った顔に当たり、反射的にその相手を呼び止めていた。 「おい、小僧っ!」 「は、はい!」 呼び止められた相手――ジョーイは、思わずその場で直立不動の体勢をとる。 「なにやってんだ、お前?!」 のっしのしとジョーイの目の前まで歩いて行きながら、呆れたように言うガルテ副ギルド長。 「も、もちろんモンスターの迎撃戦に参加するためです!」 「ハア? お前まだFランクだろう。Eランク以下には強制動員令は出てないはずだが?」 「......そうですけど、でもこんな時に黙って見てるなんてできません。俺だって剣を振るくらいはできます!」 「足手まといだっ。お前みたいな小僧は、さっさとこの場から離れろ!」 子供の我がままと判断して、イラついた口調で吐き捨てる。 「・・・離れてどこに行くんですか? もう街の避難所には、女や子供、老人、戦えない人たちで一杯じゃないですか。俺たちがここで負けたら、その人たちだって化物に食われるんでしょう?」 「うっ......!」 図星を差されてガルテ副ギルド長は黙り込んだ。 確かにDランク以上のいわば一人前と言える冒険者の大多数は、ギルドの強制動員令に従いこの作戦に参加してくれたが、その人数は7000名。さらに駐留軍500名。市民の義勇兵が2500名の合計1万人と敵の数約7000匹に比べて3000多いが、モンスターを相手にするには最低でも3倍の数であたるのがセオリーだ。 現状では圧倒的に数が足りない。 この際、猫の手でも馬の骨でも借りたいのが実情であった。 「・・・だがなぁ、小僧、お前はまだ若い。お前さん一人くらい逃げても誰も文句は言わんさ」 そう言うとジョーイは泣き笑いのような妙な表情を浮かべた。 「ミーアさんにもさっきそう言われて怒られました」 この年になるまで独り身だったガルテ副ギルド長にとっては娘のような存在で、この作戦が始まる前にも避難するよう、何度も口を酸っぱくして言ったのだが、頑として聞かずにいまもこの場所のどこかで、物資の確認作業や救護班の調整をしているはずだ。 「――それに」ジョーイは照れくさそうに笑った。「今朝、ひょっこりヒユキが顔を出したんです」 その名を聞いて顔をしかめるガルテ副ギルド長。結局、あの後緋雪は姿を消したままで、宣言どおりこちらを一切助けるつもりはなさそうだ。 「あいつ『ジョーイ、君は弱っちいんだから、ミーアさんでも連れてさっさと逃げるんだよ』って、ホント余計なお世話だよな。俺ってそんな頼りないかっての」 「むぅ・・・業腹だが、俺も同じ意見だな」 「そんなことできねえ――いや、できません。アイツも逃げないで『せっかくなので、特等席で見物してるよ』とかわけわんねーこと言ってるし。だったら化物がアイツんところへ行かないよう、俺が前に出なきゃ!」 決意を込めて言うジョーイに、『お前さんが惚れた相手は、もっととんでもないシロモノなんだぞ』と言いかけたガルテ副ギルド長は、少年の表情を見てその言葉を飲み込み、かすかに目と口元を緩めた。 ――小僧が、いっぱしの男の顔しやがって。 「小僧・・・いや、ジョーイ。俺たちは冒険者だ、この作戦でも生き延びることを考えろよ。ましてやお前には、そんな風に心配してくれる相手が2人いるんだからな!」 「わかってます!」 元気よく返事をして、足早に冒険者たちの一団に合流するジョーイ。 「・・・こういうのを、女冥利に尽きるというのかねぇ」 により作られたバイパスを通して聞いた、ガルテ副ギルド長とジョーイとの会話に、ボクは思わずそんな感想を漏らしていた。 まあ得がたい体験ではあるかなぁ・・・? 人間の目にはゴマ粒程度にしか見えないだろうけど、いまのボクには個人の顔までハッキリ見える。 「どっちが勝つと思う、天涯?」 「魔物でしょうな」天涯はあっさりと断言した。「あの程度の武器と数の差ではまったく問題になりません。力負けするのが目に見えております」 「うん......まあ同意見かな。人間側が勝つとしたら、もともとの数が上回っているんだから、EランクもGランクも関係なく戦える冒険者2万人、それに戦う気があるならたとえ女子供でも動員して圧倒的な数で押して、相手の動きを止めたところへ火力を打ち込むしかないだろうねぇ」 まあその場合相当数の犠牲者も出るだろうけど。 「しかしあのギルド長にはそんな決断はできますまい」 「そうだね。いざとなれば100人を助けるにあたり50人を犠牲にすれば済むところ、100人のうち99人を助けようとして全員殺すタイプだね、あれは」 だいたいあれだけヒントを出してあげたのに、情に訴えるだけでボクを利用する手段――例えば『喪失世紀』の情報を優先的に集め渡すとか、表向きは国に忠誠を誓いつつ裏でボクらと結託するとか、幾らでもあったはず――それができなかった段階で、交渉相手としては失格と見なさざるを得ないんだよ。 「まこと人間とは愚かなものですな」 侮蔑もあらわな天涯に、そういえばボクはまだ中身人間なのかなぁ、そーいや最近はあんまし意識しないけど、外見と環境が影響してるかも知れないなぁ、と思いつつ語りかけた。 「まあ、いろいろ居るから面白いんだけどね」 それから、ふと、動き回る人間の一団の中にある見知った顔に、そっと語りかけた。 「忠告はしたよジョーイ。だけど君はやっぱりそれを選んだんだねぇ」 何匹モンスターを斬ったか、もう覚えていない。 最初、前線は持ちこたえていたが、火力が途切れたところでついに敵の 戦局はどうなっているのか、味方はどこにいるのかわからないまま、ジョーイも仲間たちと一緒に戦っていたが、いつしか一人倒れ、二人食われ、また一人・・・と、気が付いたら一人になっていた。 血の付いた長剣を握ったまま戦場を走り、時たま出会う敵を斬る。 『距離を取って、視界の中に入れておく!』 『動きが直線的で大振りだから簡単に避けられるし、振ったあとは体勢を崩すから隙だらけ』 『モンスターの反射神経を相手に、そんな見え見えの攻撃なんて当たりっこないよ』 『相手の動きを見て、フェイント以外は自分から攻撃しないこと』 ほんの数日前に教えられた通りに動いただけで、自分でも驚くほどマトモに敵と渡り合えている。 だが、それでも敵の攻撃は少しずつジョーイの体に傷を作り、戦うたびに著しく体力を消耗していった。 「――ちっ! 寄りによって」 咆哮とともに振るわれた巨大な 「・・・やった・・・けど、俺も限界、かな」 殴られた衝撃で骨の5~6本も折れたろう。 残った体力も使い切った。 「・・・ミーアさん、ヒユキ、あいつら無事に逃げたかなぁ・・・」 呟いて、ジョーイの瞼がゆっくりと落ちた。

17 Episode 11: Lonely Struggle Aside from the northern White Dragon Mountains, the prairie occupies the south-east of the city of Ara. The flat terrain of various streets, large and small, as a transportation hub, was much appreciated for those who travelled, but there was no shelter or detour that was the main one, too much view, and there was little place for small craftsmen other than a bump from the front when it came to a lot of fighting. "... is the trench full? I wish I had at least a hippo digging a ditch." While watching the enemy cavalry (rider) on the beast-shaped demon, Deputy Guild Commander Garte was alone with a bitter face. However led by the Great King (the Orgy King), I thought I would leave it to my instincts to monsters, without thinking about it, to come this way uniquely (shudderly), but unexpectedly the movement of a controlled group of enemies took its original outlook off. The plan is to dig trenches and lurk ambushes, first with bows and arrows from a distance and an attack with a stone thrower towards a group of enemies attacking them as a group, and where the enemy is confused, a magician or spiritualist hiding in the trenches makes a magical medium-range attack. Here, as escorts in the same trenches, adventurers waiting for a few pop up and attack individually divided enemies. "- Hopefully, before I let him near me, I'll manage to finish with a bow and arrow and a magician." I have no field experience, so I entrusted myself with all this command, and thinking of the guild chief who is on the front line as a one-mage, Deputy Guild Chief Garte swallowed a bitter spit. and that gaze was on the discerning face that was among a bunch of armed adventurers, urochiring in front of the operational command post - the tent spread over the meadows - reflexively stopping its opponent. "Hey, kid! "Yes! Called opponents - Joey accidentally takes an upright immobility position on the spot. "What are you doing, you?!" deputy guild chief Garte as he walked up to Joey's sight with a hint of "Also, of course, to take part in the monster interception! "Ha? You must still be F-ranked. There's no mandatory mobilisation order under the E-rank, is there? "... yes, but I can't watch you shut up at a time like this. Even I can wave my sword! "My foot is fine. Kids like you, get the hell out of here! Decide to be a child's selfish and throw up in an irritable tone. "... where are you going away? Isn't the city shelter full of women, children, old people, people who can't fight anymore? If we lose here, they'll be eaten by monsters too, won't they? "Ugh...! Deputy Guild Commander Garte shut up when he was given a picture. Indeed, the vast majority of adventurers, so to speak, more than D-rank, took part in this operation in accordance with the Alliance's compulsory mobilisation decree, but their number was 7,000. 500 more troops stationed. Though there are 3,000 more citizen prostitutes than there are 2,500 total 10,000 and about 7,000 enemies, Theory is the least three times as many to deal with monsters. The current situation is overwhelmingly undernumbered. At this time, it was the truth that I wanted to borrow it, both with the hands of cats and with the bones of horses. "... but hey, kid, you're still young. Nobody's complaining about you running away." With that said, Joey gave a strange look like a weeping laugh. "That's what Mr. Meer told me earlier, and I was pissed off." For Deputy Guild Chief Garte, who was single until this year, he was like a daughter, and I told him many times to sour his mouth to evacuate even before this operation began, but he should still be coordinating supplies and ambulance teams somewhere in this place without trying to ask. "- And," Joey chuckled lightly. "This morning, Hiyuki showed her face." Deputy Guild Commander Garte, who hears the name and faces it. After all, Scarlet Snow remains disappeared after that, and as declared, he doesn't seem to be going to help this one in any way. "He said, 'Joey, you're weak, so you can take me with you, Mr. Meer, and get away with it,' which is really an extra favor. I don't know if I can count on that." "Mmm... I'm a businessman, but I agree with you." "I can't do that - no, I can't. Don't even run away from him. 'Because of this, I'm looking in the special seat' or something. I'm talking about it. Then I have to step forward so the mold doesn't get to him! To Joey, who said with determination, 'The person you fell in love with is a hell of a lot more silly thing,' Deputy Guild Manager Garte swallowed the word when he saw the boy's expression, faintly loosening his eyes and mouth. - The kid said he had a face full of men. "Kid... no, Joey. We're adventurers, think about surviving this operation. Not to mention you have two people to worry about that way! "I know! Joey responds well and joins a bunch of adventurers early enough. "... I don't know if I'm going to run out of women's profits about this." I overheard the conversation between Deputy Guild Director Garte and Joey through a bypass made by the Devil's Eye (Evil Eye). I wonder if it's an unacceptable experience...? It will only look like sesame seed grain to the human eye, but it even looks clear to my personal face right now. "Which one do you think will win, Heavenly? "I guess it's a demon," Heavenly assured me lightly. "It's not going to be a problem at all with that degree of difference in weapons and numbers. We can see the loss of power." "Yeah...... well I guess I agree. If the human side is going to win, the original number is up, so there are 20,000 adventurers who can fight regardless of their E or G rank, even women and children will have to mobilize and push in an overwhelming number to punch in the firepower where they stopped their movement." Well, there will be quite a few victims in that case. "But that guild leader can't make that decision." "Right. If you have to, you have to sacrifice 50 people to help 100 people, and you're the type to kill all of them trying to help 99 out of 100 people." I gave him more or less all those tips, but the only way to use me is to appeal to emotions - for example, to give priority to gathering information about the 'Loss Century', or ostensibly to bond with us in the back while pledging allegiance to the country - at a stage when I couldn't do that, I had to be seen as disqualified as a negotiator. "A human being is a fool." In a lifetime of blatant contempt, I wondered if I was still a contented person. No, I haven't been aware of it lately, but I was wondering if my appearance and environment might be affecting me. "Well, it's funny because there's so much going on." Then, fu, he spoke softly to the beholden face in a group of moving humans. "I gave you some advice, Joey. But you chose it after all." I don't remember how many monsters I slashed anymore. At first, the front line was holding up, but where the firepower was interrupted, it was finally broken by enemy cavalry (riders), and then corresponded with Jiriziri down the front line, but only when people were separated and fighting the monsters individually. Without knowing what was going on with the battlefield and where his allies were, Joey was also fighting with his people, but when only one fell, two were eaten, and one again... he was alone when he realized. Run on the battlefield holding a long, bloody sword and slash the enemies you occasionally meet. 'Keep your distance and keep it in your sight! "It's easy to avoid because the movement is linear and big-time, and after you shake it, it's full of gaps because you'll lose your posture" "You can't hit a monster's reflex nerve with a visible attack like that." "Seeing your opponent's movements and not attacking him from himself except Feint" It just moved like I was taught just a few days ago and I am surprisingly able to cross over with my enemies to Matomo myself. But still, the enemy's attacks wounded Joey's body little by little, draining him significantly more health each time he fought. "- Shit! By stopping by." Read the trajectory of the giant Battlestick (Mace) wielded with the roar and swing it backstep, aiming at the outstretched arm and waving down the long sword. "... I did... but I guess I'm at my limit, too" Let's break 5-6 bones with the impact of a beating. I also ran out of my remaining health. "... Mr. Meer, Hyuki, I wonder if they've escaped safely..." Squirting, Joey's lid slowly fell off.

第六話 海賊戦法 物々しい轟音を響かせて魔導機関を構成する、巨大なピストンがシリンダー内で回転している。 案内役のクリストフ君の説明によれば、蓄えられた魔力を変換して、船体に取り付けられた外輪を回して加速を行う仕組みらしい。 ちょっと驚いた。まだスクリュー・プロペラの発明までには至っていないけれど、初期の蒸気帆船並みの技術力があるってことだからね。正直、この世界の文明を中世~近世程度に見積もっていたボクとしては予想外の技術力だった。 「魔法を使って速度を加速させたり、攻撃したりするというお話なので、 そんなわけで、自慢の宝物を披露する男の子の顔をしているクリストフ君に向かって、ボクは苦笑しながら最初に『魔導帆船』って聞いたとき思い浮かんだ子供っぽい予想を言ってみた。 「さすがにそれはないですね。いえ、実際黎明期にはそういった試みもあったようですが、場所をとって非効率的だったり、魔術師の消耗が激しく早い段階で淘汰されたようです」 澄んだ笑みを浮かべながら、こちらの無知を馬鹿にすることなく、丁寧に解説してくれるクリストフ君。ちなみに命都と七夕の二人は、ちょっと離れたところでこちらの様子を窺っている。 「そうなんですか。クリストフ君は博識なんですね。恥ずかしながら、私はこういったことには疎いもので......ご面倒をおかけして申し訳ありません」 「いえ、僕の知識は父や学校で教わった座学、それも通り一遍のものばかりですので、本当なら偉そうにどうこう言えるシロモノではありませんから」 はにかんでそう答える仕草は、もとの美形と相まって非常に母性本能をくすぐるものがある。かといって軟弱な訳ではなく、男らしさも兼ね備えていて、エスコートもバッチリだし......いやいや、これは相当私生活でモテるんだろうねぇ。 そんな内心が表情に出たのだろう、クリストフ君が怪訝そうに聞き返してきた。 「――あの、なにか?」 「いえいえ。クリストフ君がとても謙虚で紳士なので感心しておりました。さぞかしお国ではご令嬢方の注目の的なのでしょうね」 なるべく嫌味にならないように、思ったままを口にする。 「......どうでしょうか。あまりそういうことは気にしたこともないですし、士官学校は男ばかりですが、友人達と馬鹿やっている方が僕としては気楽ですね」 「あら、もったいない......それとも、どなたか素敵な方がいらっしゃるの?」 「い、いえ、そんな女性はいません。本当です!」 なぜか断固とした口調で強弁するクリストフ君。 「そうなんですか、意外ですね。てっきり――」 その先は言葉にならなかった。なぜなら、いきなり足元から突き上げるような振動がきて、ベルーガ号の船体が大きく跳ね上がったからだ。 「きゃっ!」 完全に油断していたせいで姿勢を崩し倒れそうになる。 「――っと?! 大丈夫ですか?」 覚悟していた衝撃はなく、代わりに耳元でクリストフ君の声がした。 倒れそうになったところを、咄嗟にクリストフ君が抱き止めらてくれたらしい。意外と広くて鍛えられた胸の感触にドギマギしながら、ボクは身を離して礼を言った。 「ありがとうございます。お陰で助かりました。――でも、いまの衝撃はいったい?」 「さ、さあ。この辺りは入り組んだ地形の海域ですので、岩礁にでも乗り上げたんでしょうか」 お互いに照れて言葉を交わす。そんなボクらの疑問に答えるように、どこからともなく乗組員達の切迫した叫びが聞こえてきた。 「海賊だ! 海賊の襲撃だ! 各員配置につけっ!!」 「例の報告にあった『紅帆海賊団』だ! 魔導機関全力!」 思わずクリストフ君と顔を見合わせた。 「帝国海軍だかなんだか知らねえが、俺の 事実上、彼の傀儡と化しているグラウィオール帝国の植民国家インユリア。 その総統府宛に届いた極秘文書の中身――緊急査察の名目で、帝国海軍の精鋭魔導艦隊が訪問予定との報を、ほぼトップアップで筒抜けに受け取った彼は、勇躍配下の海賊船団を引き連れて、複雑に岩礁と海流の交わるこの場所での奇襲を仕掛けたのだった。 甲板上の操舵輪を操作しながら上機嫌のももんがいに向かって、背後に立っている小間使い頭の兎人族の少女が尋ねた。 最強の剣と鎧を持っているのに、わざわざ相手の土俵に合わせて、素手で殴り合いをするが如き行動に、不可解な表情で首を捻る少女とは対照的に、ももんがいは苦虫をまとめて噛み潰したような顔で、激しく首を振った。 「かああ~~~っ! 嫌だねぇ、これだから女にゃ男の浪漫が理解できねえんだよ。そんな約束された出来レースみたいな勝利になんの意味がある!? お互いに五分と五分、知恵と勇気と根性で渡り合ってこそ、海の男ってもんじゃねえか!」 「はあ......相手の情報を掠め取って、前もって機雷を設置して奇襲を仕掛けた段階で、公平に欠ける気もしますけど......」 少女のもっともな疑問に対して、ももんがいは悪びれた様子もなく胸を張る。 「いいんだよ、そりゃ。そこらへんも含めての駆け引きなんだから、条件は同じな。同じ。ナイフ一丁で渡り合う『 熱く語る主人を冷ややかに見詰める少女。んな阿呆なことは普通の海賊はしないわ、とその目が語っていた。 その間にも接近した両艦隊の間で、戦いの火蓋が切って落とされていた。まずは飛び道具――石弓、弩、弓矢等――の応酬が行われる。 火矢が飛び、火砲が唸り、魔術の炎や氷の塊が宙を駆ける。 「――味方『春一番』大破しました。乗組員は絶望と思われます。同じく『木枯らし一号』中破、乗組員の安否は不明です」 次々に飛び込んでくる味方の不甲斐ない戦況に、ももんがいがターバン越しに収まりの悪い頭を掻き毟る。 「一方的じゃねえか。なにやってやがる、あいつ等!?」 「まあ、もともと旦那様の下で甘い汁を吸いに来た寄せ集めですから、正規軍相手ではこんなもんじゃないですか? 装備も士気も練度も段違いですので」 身も蓋もない言い分だが、すべて事実なのでぶ然としながらも頷くももんがい。 「しゃあねえ、ちょっくら俺が敵の大将を取ってくるんで、後のことは副長に任せる。――つーか、どこにいるんだ他の連中は?」 「船内にいるに決まってますよ。こんないつ流れ弾が飛んで来るかわからない場所に、突っ立ってるわけないでしょう」 『阿呆ですか、あなたは』と言わんばかりの口調に、ももんがいは口を尖らせる。 「ええ、目の前にちょうど良い弾除けがありますので。旦那様がいなくなれば、すぐに船内に戻りますよ」 「......お前、本当は俺のこと主人だと思ってないだろう?」 「まさか! それは下種の勘繰りですよ旦那様」 その表現がどう考えても主人に対するものとは違うなぁ、と思うももんがいであった。 「まあ、なんでもいい。兎に角、敵さんの総大将は帝国の大公様らしいからな、こいつを人質に取れば身代金もたんまりだろう。上手くすればインユリアをそっくり、表立って俺のものに......いや、マズイか」 そもそも裏から北部域を支配して、パワーバランスを取るのが彼に与えられた役割であり、現状でも逸脱気味なのは理解している。本来なら、帝国の正規軍と表立って事を構えるなどせず、さっさと逃げの一手を打つのが得策であり、この戦の勝敗に係わり合いなく、まず間違いなく自分はなんらかの制裁の対象となるだろう。 「だが、海の男がいちいち明日のことを考えてもしかたねえ!」 海に向かって絶叫するももんがい。 「またいつもの発作ですか」 慣れた様子でばっさり切り捨てながらも、甲板に準備しておいた彼の騎獣の手綱を解いて渡す。 「おうっ、わりーな。――んじゃ、ちょっくら行ってくるぜ!」 ももんがいは颯爽と騎獣に跨り、手綱を引いて一気に海面へとダイブした。 一際大きな水飛沫が上がり、数秒間の潜行の後、海面に浮かび上がる。 そのまま全速力で敵艦隊の旗艦らしき、一際大きな魔導帆船目掛けて突き進む。 「さてさて、帝国正規軍の腕前を見せてもらうぜ!」 歓声を上げながら、ももんがいは片手に手綱、片手に抜き身の

124 Episode Six: Pirate Warfare A giant piston is spinning in the cylinder, which makes up the demonic guidance engine by making a noisy noise. According to your description of the guide, Christoph, it seems to be a mechanism for converting stored magic and turning the outer ring attached to the hull for acceleration. A little surprised. Although it has not yet been invented by Screw Propeller, it means it has the technical skills of an early steam sailboat. To be honest, it was an unexpected technical ability for me to estimate the civilization of this world to the extent of the Middle Ages to recent times. "Since we're talking about using magic to accelerate or attack speed, I thought I'd put a golem rower on the bottom of the ship and row oars all at once, or even release wind magic toward the mast." That's why I turned to you, Christoph, with a boy's face showing off his prized treasure, and I laughed bitterly at the first childish prediction that came to mind when I heard 'Magic Sailboat'. "That's just not it, is it? No, there actually seemed to be some such attempts at dawn, but it seemed to be inefficient to take a place or the sorcerer was wiped out at a fiercely early stage" With a clear grin, Mr. Christoph politely explains this ignorance without making a fool of himself. By the way, the two of us, the Life Capital and the Seventh Eve, are watching this one a little farther apart. "Really? Christoph, you're an expert, aren't you? I'm ashamed that I'm neglectful of these things... sorry to bother you" "No, because my knowledge is a classroom taught by my father and school, and it's just a street trip, so if it's true, it's not a great thing to say." There is a trick to answer that way in a way that coupled with the original aesthetic shape very much tickles the maternal instinct. It's not that it's weak, it's a combination of masculinity, and the escort is perfect... no, no, I guess this is pretty personal and hot. I guess that kind of inner appeared on your face, Christoph, and you asked me back in surprise. "- Um, what is it? "No. Christophe, I was impressed because you are so humble and gentleman. It must be the attention of the ladies in your country." Mouth whatever you want so you don't dislike it as much as possible. "... what do you think? I've never really cared about that, and cadet school is full of guys, but it's easier for me to be stupid with my friends." "Oh, what a waste...... or is anyone nice? "Yes, no, there's no such woman. True!" For some reason, Christopher, I insist in a resolute tone. "Really? That's surprising. Exactly -" I was speechless beyond that. Because all of a sudden there was a vibration poking up from my feet and the hull of the Beluga jumped hugely. "Yikes! I'm about to collapse because I was completely alarmed. "- Hey?! Are you okay? There was no shock I was prepared for, and instead I heard your voice in my ear, Christoph. Christopher stopped me when I was about to fall. [M] I let myself go and thanked him, dogged by the unexpectedly broad, worked-out chest feel. "Thank you. Thanks to you, it helped. - But what's the shock? "Come on. This area is a sea of terrain, so did you get up on the rocky reef?" Exchange words in the light of each other. I could hear the crew screaming from nowhere, as they answered our questions. "A pirate! A pirate raid! Place everyone!! "It's the Red Sail Pirates in the example report! Magic Engine, do your best! I accidentally looked at you and Christoph. [M] "I don't know if it's the Imperial Navy, but I'm not gonna let it get any bigger in my waters." In fact, the colonial state of the Gravior Empire, Inyulia, which is transformed into his puppet. The contents of a top-secret document that arrived at the Fuhrer's office - in the name of an emergency inspection, when the Imperial Navy's elite demon-led fleet received reports of an upcoming visit, almost top-up, he took a courageous pirate fleet with him to carry out a complex ambush in this place where the rocks and currents meet. As she manipulated the steering wheel on the deck, she turned to her superior mood, and asked the girl with the small user head standing behind her. With the strongest sword and armor, but purposefully to match the opponent's mound, to beat each other with bare hands but to behave as if, in contrast to the girl twisting her neck with an inexplicable look, Thigh Cancer shook her head violently with a face that looked like she had chewed the bitter bug together. "Ahhh! I don't like it, this is why I don't understand the romance of a woman nya man. What's the point of a victory like that promised made race!? It's five and five minutes for each other, crossing each other with wisdom, courage and guts that make you a man of the sea! "Ha... I'm also willing to lack fairness at the stage of plundering the opponent's information and setting up a lightning bolt in advance to ambush him..." In response to the girl's biggest question, thigh cancer tenses her chest without looking bad. "That's okay, that's right. The conditions are the same because it's a rush, including Lahein. Same thing. It's like" Pirate Duel "where you cross with a knife. You know" Pirate Duel "? It's a duel where you tie your left wrist to each other with a leather string and fight with just a knife in your right hand. Continue until one of you is fighting dies or succumbs - here we go, pirate! This is a man's fight." Girl gazing cold at her hot talking husband. I wouldn't do anything stupid like a regular pirate, that's what my eyes were talking about. Between the two fleets, which also approached in the meantime, the battle lid had been cut and dropped. First, there will be rewards for flying tools - stone bows, crossbows, bows and arrows, etc. Fire arrows fly, cannons roar, magic flames and ice chunks run through the universe. "- My ally," Spring is the Best, "I broke it. The crew seems desperate. Likewise," Woody One "is broken, and the crew's safety is unknown." Scratch an ill-fitted head over the turban in the inexorable war situation of one ally after another. "Isn't that one-sided? What the fuck, those guys!?" "Well, this is what regular army opponents are like, because it's originally a collection of people who came under their husbands to smoke sweet juice? The equipment, the morale, the level of training are wrong." No body or lid, but it's all true, so there's something to snort about. "Hey, hey, I'll get the enemy general, I'll leave the rest to the vice president. - Where are the others? "I've decided to stay on board. You can't be standing in a place like this where you don't know when a stray bullet will fly." "Are you an idiot, you are," he just said, thigh cancer pointing his mouth. "Yeah, because I have just the right amount of bullets in front of me. If your husband is gone, you will return to the ship immediately." "... you don't really think you're my husband, do you? "No way! That's an inferior reckoning, sir." Whatever the expression was, it was not the same as it was for my husband. "Well, whatever. Horn to horn, the general of the enemy seems to be the archduke of the empire, if you take this guy hostage, there will be plenty of ransom. If we're good, we'll make Inyulia look just like me, stand out and make it mine... no, it's not good." I understand that it is the role vested in him to dominate the northern region from the back in the first place, balancing power, and even in the present situation it is deviant. Originally, it would be a good idea to strike a quick escape without standing up for the Empire's regular army. Without having to do with winning or losing this battle, I would undoubtedly be subject to some kind of sanction. "But if only the sea man could think about tomorrow! Screaming for the ocean. Cancer. "Is it another usual seizure" Untie and pass the reins of his horseman, which he has prepared on the deck, even though he cuts them off just as he is accustomed to. "Whoa, whoa. - Come on, let's go! The thigh cancer straddled the refreshment and the horseman, pulling the reins and diving to the sea at once. A large water splash rises and, after a few seconds of diving, rises to sea level. It appears to be the flagship of the enemy fleet at full speed, and advances with a large guided sailboat. "Well, let me show you the skill of the Imperial Regular Army! With a cheer, Thigh Cancer quickly jumped into the flagship's nose with a one-handed long sword (hanger) in one hand and a one-handed long sword (hanger) in one hand to remove stray bullets and bows and arrows that came down from time to time.

第八話 雨天決行 空模様がいよいよ怪しくなり始め、通りを行き交う人々も周囲のことなど眼中になく、急ぎ用事を済ませようと、まるで火事場のように大通りを無秩序に動き回り、いよいよもって馬車は一歩もその場から歩けなくなってしまった。 「おいっ、いつまでモタモタしてるんだ!」 気の短い随員が窓から顔を出して御者を怒鳴りつけると、御者は気弱な態度でペコペコと頭を下げた。 「...申し訳ありません。どうにも人通りが多すぎまして、どうにも身動きがとれません。――あの、いっそ裏道を通った方が早いかと......」 ちっと舌打ちした随員が、「どうします?」とレヴァンに訊いてきた。 「しかたがない。これ以上遅れるわけにもいかないだろう。――裏道を行ってくれ」 窓越しに御者に言うと、「へい。ただ少々道が悪いので、多少揺れると思います。しっかり掴まっていてください」という返事が返ってきた。 ――もともと目星をつけていたのだろう。程なく人波が途切れた瞬間を狙って、馬車をほとんど90度に曲げて、細い裏道に入って行った。 「おっととと・・・」 その拍子に『ちびちび緋雪ちゃん』の足元に置いてあった籐のバスケット――馬車に乗る前から抱えていた荷物――が、馬車の床を滑りそうになった。 慌てて緋雪が現在の体のサイズを考えないで持ち手を押さえようとして、逆にその重さに振り回されて一緒に転がりそうになる。 「――おっと」 それを咄嗟にバスケットごと、ひょいと両手で膝の上に抱え上げるレヴァン。人形の為、甘い体臭はないが代わりに香水の匂いが鼻をくすぐる。 「やあやあ、ありがとう。助かったよ」 にかっと無邪気に笑う緋雪。 その笑顔に緋雪本人の笑みが重なって、なぜか胸の鼓動が一度大きく高鳴った。 そのことに、微妙な罪悪感を感じつつも、ことさら普段どおりの態度を作って尋ねる。 「い、いえ、別にどうってことないですけど。なんですか、この荷物は?」 表通りと比べて道幅も狭く、道路も舗装されていないため、御者が言うとおりかなり揺れる車内。 結果的に落ちないように、緋雪人形を抱え込むことになってしまったレヴァンは、周囲の生暖かい視線に気恥ずかしい思いをしながら首を捻った。 「これ? 最近飼い始めたペットのシンちゃん」 言いつつバスケットの片側の蓋を開けると、そこから茶色い動物が顔を出した。 「......嫌味ですか」 その動物――まだ子供と思える仔ライオンの雄を見て、獅子族の若長であるレヴァンが半眼になった。 「いや、別に深い意味はないんだけど、なかなか賢いんだよこの子。――ほい、お手」 差し出された緋雪人形のモミジのような手を胡散臭そうに眺めていた仔ライオンは、ぱくりとその手に噛み付いてもぐもぐして、食べれないとわかるとぺっと吐き出した。 「......すげー、頭悪そうに見えますけど」 「いやいや、ここがシンちゃんの凄いところで、即座にボケに回れるこの臨機応変さ! これぞまさに他の追随を許さぬ賢さだね!」 そーかなぁ、単に馬鹿なだけなんじゃないかなぁと車内の全員が思ったが、賢明にも口に出す者はいなかった。 と、その時、馬車が急停車して、うわっと随員たちが座席から跳ね飛ばされて、狭い車内で体をぶつけ合ったり、前の座席にぶつかったりして痛みに呻いた。 レヴァンも慣性に引かれて腰が浮きかけたが、両足を突っ張って、どうにか自分の体と腕の中の1体と1匹を守り抜くことができた。 「なにをやってる――」 先ほど御者を怒鳴りつけた随員が、痛みに眉をひそめながら、また窓から顔を出して怒鳴った。 「すみません。道の真ん中に突っ立っている行商人がいまして。――おい、どかないか!」 御者の怒号が聞こえてきた。 「......行商人だって?」 その単語に反応した緋雪の、切迫した声が腕の中から響いてきた。 「それって、黒髪で目が細い男性?」 「は? はあ、そうですが......」 窓から顔を出していた随員が応じ、緋雪が大きく目を見開いた。 「逃げて! すぐに馬車を捨てて逃げないと、死ぬよっ!!」 刹那、必死の叫びが車内にこだまし、全員が呆気にとられて顔を見合わせる。 「――あの、それはどういう...」 事態についていけない全員を代表して、レヴァンが質問を重ねるのを、もどかしげに――そして、絶望に染まった顔で見つめ返す緋雪。 「......ダメ。もう、間に合わない......」 唇を噛む緋雪に再度質問をしようとしたその矢先、馬車の扉が外側から軽くノックされると同時に無造作に開けられた。 「おばんでやんす~。今日は嫌な天気ですなぁ、とうとう降り始めましたわ」 そう言って体についた雨粒を払いながら、行商人の格好をした青年が、知り合いの家にでも入る気安さで、馬車の扉から顔を覗かせた。 人間族だろう。会って会話しても記憶に残らないような、不思議なほど存在感のないその青年は、意外な闖入者に唖然とする車内の様子を一瞥して、軽く被っていた帽子を持ち上げた。 「勝手にお邪魔させていただきました。今日は仕事で皆さんに用があって伺いました」 「なんだ、お前は......?」 青年――影郎はレヴァンが抱えている『ちびちび緋雪ちゃん』を見て、細い目を軽く開いた。 「ひょっとして、お嬢さんですか? なんか、えらく可愛らしい――いやいや、普段も最高に可愛らしいですけど、イメチェンですか?」 「......お知り合いですか?」 「前に話した暗殺者が彼だよ」 『なっ――!?』 気色ばむ一同の前で、影郎はにこやかに頷いた。 「どーもー。本業は歌って踊れてベタも塗れる商人ですが、副業に暗殺者もやってます。今日はバイトでして、短い付き合いかと思いますが、皆さんよろしゅうに」 ぞくっ!――本能的な恐怖を感じて、咄嗟にレヴァンは緋雪(+仔ライオン)を抱えて、背中から体当たりする形で、反対側の扉を破って馬車の外に飛び出した。 ちらっと御者がぬかるんだ地面に倒れているのが視界の端に見えた――刹那、馬車が内側からバラバラに砕け散り...言うまでもなく、中に居た同乗者も同じ運命をたどり、降りしきる雨の中、赤い血飛沫が一瞬花開いた。 「糸と針に気をつけて!」 悲しむ暇もなく、緋雪の注意が飛び、はっと目を凝らすと、空中を斜めの線のようなモノが数本、こちらに向かって飛んで来るのを、辛うじて視認することができた。 どうにか躱した背後で、民家の石塀がすっぱりと断ち切られて崩れ落ちた。 「お嬢さ~ん、あんましこちらの手の内バラさんでくださいよ。――それと、やっぱ雨降りはいけませんな~。鋼糸の軌道がバレバレですわ」 髪の毛よりも遥かに細い鋼糸を自在に展開させながら、影郎が愚痴をこぼした。 影郎を中心に円を描くように、雨粒が空中で斬られて一瞬だけ鋼糸が弧の字型に浮かび上がるが、あまりにも一瞬過ぎる。レヴァンだからこそ、どうにか反応できた恐るべき攻撃であった。 「まあ、逆に針の方は雨粒に紛れて目立たんようでしたけど」 その言葉に応えるように、レヴァンは左肩に刺さっていた数本の針をまとめて抜いた。 体が熱く、痺れるような感触がある。間違いなく毒が塗られていたのだろう。 「!! ちょっ――私たちのことはいいから、早く逃げて!」 「いや~、無理だと思いますよ~」 はっと気が付くと、すぐ目の前に影郎がいた。その右手にダガーが握られ、切っ先の向きは真っ直ぐにレヴァンの心臓に向けられている。 「ほな、さいなら」 あっさりとダガーが振り抜かれる、その寸前―― 緋雪の叫びに応える形で、その腕の中の仔ライオンが咆哮をあげる――と同時に虹色の光を放った。 「な、なんでっか?!」 咄嗟にバックステップで距離を置き、目をかばう影郎の前で、鮮やかな光が消え――そして、うずくまっていたレヴァンと、緋雪人形たちも煙のように消えてしまった。 「転送石? いや、あれはプレーヤーしか使えん筈。......なにをしたのかわからんけど、お嬢さんの仕業なのは間違いないやろな」 それから血のついたダガーの先端を眺めて、ため息をついた。 「深手を負わせた手応えはある、毒も回っている、とはいえ死体がないから生死不明か。こりゃ怒られそうですなぁ」 ◆◇◆◇ そこはちょっとした森か林のように思えた。 藪の中に埋もれるようにして突っ伏していたレヴァンは、頬を舐めるザラザラした感触と、雨とは違う生暖かい液体に、かすむ目を見開いた。 目の前に緋雪が「シンちゃん」と呼んでいた仔ライオンが座っている。 どうやらこの子が自分の頬を舐めていたらしい。 「......助かった...のか?」 体を起こそうとするが、毒のせいか体に力が入らない。 「......いや、助かったとも言えないか」 それから、ふと、腕の中に『ちびちび緋雪ちゃん』が居ることに気が付いた。 「陛下...あれから、どうなったか、ご存知ですか......?」 だが、『ちびちび緋雪ちゃん』は文字通り人形のように身動ぎもしなかった。 しばらく待っても、ゆすっても反応がないのを確認して、レヴァンはため息をついた。 「ダメか......孤立無援だな...」 緊張の糸が切れたせいか、急激にまぶたが重くなってきた。 仔ライオンが慌てて咆え、目を覚まさせようとするが、どんなにがんばっても押さえつけられなり、崩れ落ちる一瞬、こちらを照らす明かりを見たような気がした。

71 Lesson 8: Rainy Weather Decisions The sky pattern finally began to get suspicious, and the people crossing the street were not in sight about the surroundings or anything, trying to run errands around the boulevard as if it were a fire place, and at last the carriage could not walk a single step off the spot. "Whoa, how long have you been mottled! And it came to pass, when a short-minded servant came out of the window and yelled at him, that he bowed his head in a feeble manner. "... I'm sorry. There were so many people out there, I couldn't get any movement. - Um, I was wondering if it would be quicker to go down the back road..." A slightly tongue-in-cheek attendant said, "What do you want to do?" He asked Levan. "There is no other way. You can't be late any more. - Take the back road." And he said unto him through the window, Heh. It's just a bit of a bad road, so I think it rocks somewhat. Hold on tight, "he replied. - I guess I had my eye on it originally. Aiming for moments of interruption of the human wave, he bent the carriage almost to 90 degrees and went into a narrow back road. "Oops..." A basket of vines - the luggage I had for a long time before I boarded the carriage - that I had at the feet of 'Chibi Scarlet Snow' on that clap nearly slipped through the carriage floor. Scarlet Snow hastily tries to hold down her handshake without thinking about her current body size, and vice versa, swinging at its weight and about to roll with her. "-Oops." Levan holds it up on his knees with both hands, one basket at a time. Because of the doll, there is no sweet body odor, but instead the smell of perfume tickles my nose. "Hey, thanks. Thank you." Scarlet Snow laughs slightly innocently at. Scarlet Snow's own grin overlapped that smile, and for some reason her chest beat loudly once. Even though I feel subtle guilt about it, I ask by making an attitude as usual all the time. "Yes, no, I don't care. What is it, this package? In a car that rocks quite a bit, as you say, because the road is narrow and unpaved compared to the front street. Levan twisted his neck feeling embarrassed by the raw and warm gaze around him, as he was supposed to carry the Scarlet Snow doll in so that it didn't fall as a result. "This? I recently started keeping a pet, Sin." When I opened the lid on one side of the basket as I said it, a brown animal came out of it. "... do you dislike it" The animal - Levan, the young head of the lion clan, half-eyed when he saw the male of a child lion who still seemed to be a child. "No, it doesn't mean anything deep, but she's pretty smart, this kid. - Hey, hands." The little lion, who looked frigidly at Momiji's hand like the Scarlet Snow doll he had been offered, chewed into his hand and spit it out peppery when he knew he couldn't eat it. "... wow, you look retarded though" "No, no, this is where Sin is awesome, this ad hoc thing that can instantly turn into a mess! This is exactly how clever you are not to allow any other followers! I don't know, everyone in the car thought it was just stupid, but there was no one to speak to wisely. And, at that time, the carriage suddenly pulled over, and whoops, the attendants jumped out of their seats, hitting each other in a narrow car, hitting the front seat, moaning at the pain. Levan was also pulled by inertia and his hips floated, but he was able to stick his legs together and somehow protect his body and one and one of his arms. "What are you doing -" An attendant, who had yelled at you earlier, frowned at the pain and yelled at you again with his face out the window. "Excuse me. There was a pedestrian standing in the middle of the road. - Hey, get out of the way! I heard the anger of your Lord. "... a pedestrian? Scarlet Snow's, incisive voice echoed from within his arms in response to the word. "Is that a man with dark hair and thin eyes? "What? Oh, yeah..." Scarlet Snow opened her eyes wide, responding to an attendant whose face was out of the window. "Run! If you don't dump the carriage right away and run, you will die!! For a moment, a desperate cry clings to the inside of the car, and everyone is taken aback and looks at each other. "- Um, what's that..." On behalf of everyone who can't keep up with the situation, Scarlet Snow stares back at Levan overlapping questions - and with a face stained with despair. "... no. I can't make it anymore..." Its arrow tip, the carriage door, which tried to question Scarlet Snow again biting her lips, was opened unconstructively at the same time as it was knocked lightly from the outside. "Nan Yan Su ~. It's an unpleasant day, I'm finally starting to come down" With that said and paying off the rain grains on his body, a young man dressed as a pedestrian peered his face through the carriage door with the ease of entering even the house he knew. It would be a human race. The strangely inexistent young man, who seemed unrememorable to meet and converse, lifted the hat he was wearing lightly, glancing at the unexpected intruder in the car. "I'm sorry to bother you on my own. I asked for you at work today." "What, you...? The young man - Shadow Lang saw "Chibi Scarlet Snow" held by Levan and opened his thin eyes gently. "Hey, is that your daughter? Something, perhaps, cute - no, no, it's usually the cutest, but is it Imechen? "... do you know him? He's the assassin I told you about. "Become -!?" Shadowloon nodded in front of the faint one. "None of them. The main business is a merchant who can sing and dance and paint betta, but he also does assassins for the side business. I'm working part-time today, and I think we're having a short relationship, thank you all." Come on! - Feeling instinctive fear, Levan aggressively took Scarlet Snow (+ Child Lion) and, in the form of a body hit from his back, broke the door on the other side and jumped outside the carriage. It was at the edge of my sight that my lord was falling on the soaked ground for a moment - a moment, the carriage splashed apart from the inside... needless to say, the passengers who were inside followed the same fate, and a red blood splash blossomed for a moment in the rain that descended. "Watch out for yarns and needles! Without time to grieve, Scarlet Snow's attention flew, staring all the way into his eyes, he could barely see a few things flying through the air like diagonal lines, toward this one. Somehow, behind his back, the stone walls of the private house were completely cut off and collapsed. "Lady, please be the rose in your hand. - And it shouldn't rain after all. The track of the steel thread is found out." Shadow Lang spilled his stupidity as he let himself unfold steel threads much thinner than his hair. As a circle is drawn around Shadow Lang, the rain grain is slashed in the air and the steel thread floats to the shape of an arc only for a moment, but too soon. It was a terrible attack that I managed to react to because it was Levan. "Well, on the contrary, the needle seemed to stand out in the rain grain." In response to that word, Levan pulled together several needles that had been stabbed in his left shoulder. My body feels hot and paralyzed. Definitely would have been poisoned. "!! Hey - I don't care about us, just run! "No, I don't think so." I noticed all the time, there was Shadowloon right in front of me. A dagger is gripped in its right hand and the cut-top orientation is directed straight at Levan's heart. "If you want, if you want" The dagger is swinging through lightly, on the verge of... In the form of responding to the screams of scarlet snow, the little lion in its arms growled - and at the same time emitted a rainbow light. "Hey, what the hell?!" Aggressively distanced with backsteps, in front of a shadow man with his eyes covered, the bright light disappeared - and Levan and the Scarlet Snow dolls, who were grumbling, disappeared like smoke. "Transfer stone? No, that should only work with players.... I don't know what you did, but it's definitely your daughter's fault." Then I looked at the tip of the bloody dagger and sighed. "Is there a response that put a deep burden on you, the poison is spinning, but life and death are unknown because there are no bodies? This is gonna piss me off." * * * * It seemed like a little forest or forest there. Levan blurred her eyes open to the shimmering feeling of licking her cheeks and the raw, warm liquid unlike the rain, as she buried herself inside. A little lion sits in front of him, whom Scarlet Snow called "Sin." Apparently, this kid was licking his own cheek. "... helped...? I try to wake up my body, but I can't help my body because of the poison. "... no, can't you even say it helped" Then, uh, I noticed that 'Chibi Scarlet Snow' was in my arm. "Your Majesty... since then, do you know what has happened...? But 'Chibi Scarlet Snow' literally didn't even move like a doll. Even after waiting a while, Levan sighed, making sure there was no response, even if it was sloppy. "No... you're isolated and helpless..." My eyelids are rapidly getting heavier because of the thread of tension cut. Son Lion roared in haste, trying to wake him up, but no matter how hard he tried, he was held back, and for a moment when he collapsed, I felt like I saw a light illuminating this one.

第二十三話 吸血聖母 「......どうあっても、その子を産むおつもりですか?」 意を決して口を開いたオリアーナが一歩踏み出して、咎めるような――それ以上に相手を心配し、諌めるような口調で緋雪に詰め寄った。 「ええ。何度繰り返しても同じです、私の意思は変わりません」 窓際の椅子に腰を下ろした緋雪が、淡く微笑みながら、それでも断固とした態度でそれに応えた。 いまや帝国の女帝となったオリアーナに対して、いささか礼を欠いた態度とも思えるが、そうした姿勢をとっている理由は一目瞭然だった。 しげに撫でる腹部は膨らみ、妊娠20~23週を示していた。 おそらくこの時期であれば、すでに胎動を感じているであろう。 産み月までにはまだ間がある――とは言え、緋雪自身がもともと小さく、抱き締めれば折れてしまいそうなほど華奢なため、その存在はあまりにも大きく、明らかな負担にしか見えない。 事実、かつての輝くばかりの美貌はやつれ、拭いきれない色濃い疲労がその面相に浮かんでいる。だが、それとは反比例して、母親特有の柔らかさと包容力が増している――その痛々しくも崇高な姿に、オリアーナは沈痛な面持ちで唇を噛み締めた。 どれほど言葉を重ねてもおそらくはこの頑固で優しい友人は、我が子を犠牲にすることを是としないであろう。だがそれでも、オリアーナは親友として言わずにはいられなかった。 「わたしも女です。安易に子供を堕胎しろなどと、本来であれば口が裂けても言えません。ですが、その子供は別です。誰からも望まれず生まれ、世界から拒絶され、呪われた子と蔑まれ、苦しみを背負うことになる......そんな過酷な人生が約束されているのですから」 真正面からその言葉を受け止める緋雪だが、その微笑みは変わることなく。逆に弾劾するオリアーナの方が苦しげですらあった。 「いえ、それだけならばわたしもここまで反対いたしません。望まれない子供など、この世には幾らでもおりますから。ですが、その子はあまりにも危険すぎます。――聞いているのですよ、貴女がそこまで衰弱している理由を。その子はまだ胎児の段階でありながら凄まじい力を秘めている。その力が暴走しないように、貴女は常にご自身に弱体化魔術を行使し、その力を抑え込んでいる......そんな危険な存在がこの世に産まれたらどうなることか。そして、己の出生を知ればどうなるか、火を見るより明らかです。自身の存在とこの世界を恨むことでしょう。そして、破壊を目論めば、最早止める事ができるものが存在しないのですよ!」 もうその時には、もう貴女はいないのだから!――と、言葉にならない視線で訴える。 妊娠が判明してから、緋雪は日に日にやつれていった。当初は精神的なものと思われていたが、どんな魔法治癒や霊薬を用いても衰弱は治まらず――ほぼ一日付きっ切りで治癒術を行使している お腹の子供に母体の生命力が吸い尽くされている。 最初にそれを聞き、そして実際に緋雪の弱り切った姿を見た時から、オリアーナの目にはもはやそれは慈しむべき生命ではなく、おぞましい悪腫であり、寄生虫にしか思えなかった。 そんなオリアーナを、まるで慈母のような静かで澄んだ瞳で見つめる緋雪。 「どうしてこの子が世界を恨み、憎しみに囚われると思うのですか? それに勝る愛や喜びを知れば、おのずと苦しみや悲しみに負けない人間になるでしょう。確かにこの子は生れ落ちたその瞬間から、苦難を背負い込むことになるでしょう。ですが、およそこの世に生きる人......いえ、たとえ魔物や禽獣であろうと苦しみ、悲しみのない世界に生きる者はおりません。ですがそれに負けずに生きている。この子も同じです。私はそれを信じています」 きっぱり言い切る友人に一瞬、気圧され言葉を詰まらせたオリアーナだが、哀しげに首を横に振ってため息をついた。 「貴女からそんな楽観論がでるとは思いませんでした。この世界は、人間はもっと残酷で無慈悲です。世界を滅ぼしかねない異端のものを、普通の人間と同じように許容できるほど堅牢ではありません。産まれた子が成長し、世界を破滅に導こうとしたその時に貴女は責任を取れますか? 産んだだけで放置して、それで他人任せにするのは、あまりにも無責任ではないですか」 「――できる限り、私はこの子の支えになるつもりですが?」 「できるわけないでしょう! いまだってどれほどの負担が掛かっているのか、この状態で出産などしたら耐えられるわけが......! いまなら間に合います。お腹の子を処理してください! もう充分でしょう、貴女ばかりがこんな苦しい思いをする必要なんてないんです!」 身を切るような叫びで懇願するオリアーナを、困ったように見詰める緋雪。 「オリアーナ。別に私は自分を不幸だと思ったことも、この子が重荷だと思ったこともありませんよ、それどころか、かけがえのない大切な宝物だと思っています」 納得できない顔で、ほとんど睨みつけるように自分を見詰めるオリアーナから、緋雪は視線を逸らせて、背後に並んだ見舞い客の一組――コラード国王夫妻の妻クロエが抱いている、この春産まれたばかりの赤ん坊を見た。 「思えば私はずっと中途半端で何かに欠けていた気がします。ですが今は本当に満ち足りた気持ちなのです。女として母として子を生すことで、本当の意味でこの世界の一員になれる。こんなに嬉しいことはありません。ありがとう、心配してくれて。本当に感謝しています」 まるで遺言のようなその言葉に、オリアーナは泣き怒りのような顔で、反射的に口を開いて反駁しかけた――その背に、クロエの落ち着いた声が掛けられた。 「皇女様――いや、いまは女帝様だったかい。まあ言い慣れてるので『皇女様』って言わせてもらうよ――皇女様、子供を産むってことは、どんな女でも命がけなんだよ。だけどねえ、ひとつの命をこの世に送り出せるなら、母親はどんな苦難にも耐えられるもんさ」 実感を伴った揺ぎ無い言葉に、悔しげに俯いたオリアーナは、「やはりわたしは納得できません」と小さく呟いた。 そんな彼女に代わり、我が子を抱いたままクロエが前に出てきた。コラード国王もそれに続く。 「姫陛下、陛下にもしも迷いがあるようなら、あたしも皇女様と同じことを言ったんだけどね。......どうにもあたしから言うことはなさそうだね」 緋雪は苦笑するクロエに軽く感謝の礼を送り、それからふと、思いついた顔で夫妻の顔を見た。 「そうそう。お二人に勝手なお願いがあるのですが、聞いていただけますか?」 「どのようなことでしょう?」 怪訝な表情でコラード国王が眉を寄せ、クロエは何かを察したのか無言のまま頷いた。 「私に万が一のことがあれば、産まれた私の子を、お二人にお預けしたいのです」 その場にいた全員に緊張が走った。 ただ一人、クロエは予期していたのか、驚きはなかった。 「本当なら私一人だけでも育てたいところですが。先ほどのお話ではありませんが、実際に子を産むとなれば、なにがあるかわかりませんから」 気負いもなく毅然とした態度も終始変わらないものの、この会見が始まった当初に比べ、明らかに消耗している緋雪の様子に気付いて、慌てて命都と零璃が治癒術を掛けながら、「姫様、あまりご無理をされないほうが」と休憩を勧める。 「ありがとう、ずいぶんと楽になりました。でも、もう少しだけ話させて」 ゆるゆると首を振って、当惑した顔のコラード国王を見詰める。 「ご迷惑なら無理にとは申しません。ただ、お二人の人柄とアミティアという土地柄が、子供を育てるのに最適だと思われたものですから。空中庭園にいるだけでは、子供が世間知らずの籠の鳥になりかねませんので」 「任せておきな! あたしらなんかをそれだけ信頼してくれるんなら、文句はないし、文句を言う奴は張り倒してやるよ。あんたもそうだろう?」 懸念を口に出しかけた亭主の背中を、片手でバンと叩いて、クロエは屈託なく笑った。 「――はいはい。わかりましたよ。まあ、そうなったらたとえ陛下の御子様でも、分け隔てなく育てますよ? よろしいですね?」 叩かれた背中を丸めて、涙目で確認してくるコラード国王に、緋雪は深々と頭を下げた。 「ありがとう。それこそが私の望みです」 それから周囲を見回して言い添える。 「我が国の力も衰えました。いまやほとんどの魔将も消え失せましたが、それでもアミティアを守る程度の力はあるでしょう。何かあれば遠慮なく申し出てください」 その後、緋雪の体調を見かねた一同が自主的に退席をしたことで、自然消滅的に会見は終了となった。 命都たちに付き添われて寝室に移動した緋雪は、用意してあった鮮血をワイングラス1杯飲むと、大きくため息をつき、着替えもそこそこに崩れるようにベッドに横になった。 「流石に少し......疲れました......」 命都が先ほどのオリアーナと同じような顔で、悲しげに緋雪の顔を見た。 「命都、もしも私がこの子を残していなくなったら――」 「......もしもの話です」 そう横目で笑いかける緋雪。 「その時にはこの子と空中庭園をお願いします。もう円卓の魔将で残っているのは、あなたと この時ばかりは、緋雪の瞳が哀しげに揺れた。 「彼には辛い役目を押し付けてしまいました。空中庭園を維持するために、死ぬことも許されず放浪するさだめを背負って、ただ一人生きなければいけない。これだけが私の心残りです」 「あなたは決して殉死しようなどと思わないでください。天涯を筆頭に主だった魔将や力のある列強たちはもういない。あなただけが頼りです」 が消えるとの引き換えに、意識をなくし無残な姿で戻ってきた緋雪を目の当たりにした、天涯をはじめとする魔将のほとんどと、らぽっく、タメゴローを含む賛同者――その総数10000騎に達する軍勢――が怒髪天を衝き、世界を滅ぼさんばかりの勢いで、大陸の中心に唯一残っていた『蒼き神の塔』へと襲撃を敢行した。 大地が震え、天が割れ、河川は血に染まった。 3日3晩続いたまさに 後の調査では、跡には何一つ残らず――『蒼き神の塔』すらも消え失せていた――ことから、彼らは蒼神と相討ちになった、というのが大方の見解である。ただし、後ほど意識を取り戻した緋雪は、「彼は結局すべてに失望して、この世界に興味を失ったんでしょう」と異なる感想を述べたが。 「それがご命令とあれば私は従いましょう。ですが、私の主人は未来永劫、姫様ただお一人です」 苦しげに命都が答えた。 事実上、産まれてくる子供にはタッチしないという宣言に、緋雪は苦笑して首肯した。 「姫様、私はずっと姫様と一緒...だから、姫様がいなくなれば、私も消える」 「別に、私に囚われずに自由になってもいいのですよ?」 「自由にしていいのなら、それが私が決めた自由」 「......ふう。仕方ないですね」 説得を諦めて、緋雪はため息をついて目を閉じた。 「しばらく眠ります。あなた達も他の者と交代をして、休んでください」 「――はい。姫様」 「それと、この子の名前ですが。男女どちらであっても良いように、双方の意味合いをとって『――』と決めました」 夢うつつの中、緋雪は己の中にある命に呼びかけた。 「――。どうか、あなたの前に美しい世界がありますように」 はっと気が付くと、なぜか“赤い扉”を閉めたところだった。 「......黒い方を開けた筈なのに、なんで赤い方に居るんだろうねぇ」 というか、さっきまで見ていた白昼夢(?)は、なんなんだろう。 また蒼神が見せた何らかのトラップなのは間違いないだろうけど、今回は妙にリアルというか最初に見せられた臭い学園漫画みたいな作為的なものでなく、まるで実際にあったことを追体験したような......兎に角違和感のない体験だった。 改めて来た道を戻って分岐のところに立つ。 「扉はまだあるし、まだ閉まっている。つまりもう一度どちらかを開けろってことだろうけど......」 開けたらまた同じことの繰り返しなんだろうか? それとも、また別な体験をすることになるのか? しばし悩んでいたが、ふと足元の光る小道の光量が落ちてきたような気がして、後ろを振り返って見れば、延々と続いていた道が、向こうの方から徐々に崩れて近づいて来た。 「さっさと選べってことか。まったく――」 とは言え、どちらかを選ぶかはとっくに決めてある。 「いい加減、ボス部屋に続いていてよ!」 ボクは選んだその扉を開くと同時に、崩れかけた小道から、その中へと駆け込んだ。 その瞬間、視界が暗転し、ふと誰かが耳元で「ありがとう」と囁いた気がしたけれど、確認する間もなく、ボクは蒼神の待ち構えるその地へと降り立ったのだった。

143 Lesson 23: The Bleeding Virgin Mary "... no matter what, are you going to have that child? Oriana, who never opened her mouth to her will, took a step forward, like blaming her - more worried about her opponent than that, stuck to Scarlet Snow in a tone that flattered her. "Yep. It's the same no matter how many times I repeat it, it won't change my mind" Scarlet Snow, with her hips down in the window chair, smiled lightly, still responding to it with a resolute attitude. The reason for such an attitude was obvious, although it seemed a lack of gratitude to Oriana, who had become the empire's empress. Her abdomen, which she stroked with love, was swollen, indicating 20-23 weeks pregnant. Perhaps, at this time of year, you already feel fetal movement. By the birth month there is still time - that said, Scarlet Snow herself is so luxurious that it is originally so small that the more she hugs it, the more she is likely to break it, that its existence is only too great and appears to be an obvious burden. The fact is, the beauty that used to just shine is done, and the dark fatigue that can't be wiped is floating in its face. Contrary to that, however, the softness and inclusiveness characteristic of the mother is increasing - to its painful but sublime appearance, Oriana bit her lips with a sinking face. No matter how many words overlap, perhaps this stubborn and gentle friend will not sacrifice my son. But still, Oriana couldn't help but say it as her best friend. "I'm a woman, too. I can't tell you to abort your child cheaply, etc., even if your mouth is ripped if it's supposed to be. Except for that kid. Born unwanted by anyone, rejected from the world, despised as a cursed child, and to bear the pain... because such a harsh life is promised" Scarlet snow taking the word directly from the front, but its smile unchanged. On the contrary, impeaching Oriana was even more painful. "No, if that's all, I won't disagree so far either. Because there are many unwanted children in this world. But the kid is too dangerous. - I'm asking, why you're so debilitated. The child is still at the fetal stage but has tremendous power. To prevent that power from rumbling, you are constantly exercising weakening magic on yourself and suppressing that power... what happens if such a dangerous being is born in this world? And it's more obvious than seeing fire what happens when you know you're born. You will resent your existence and this world. And if we seek to destroy it, there is no such thing as the earliest we can stop! At that time, there will be no more of you! - And I will sue you with my unspoken gaze. Scarlet Snow became more obnoxious every day after the pregnancy was discovered. Though initially thought to be spiritual, any magic healing or psychotropic medication used would not cure the debilitation - Life Capital (Miko) and Zero Glass (not much), who practise healing almost all day long, were steadily polishing their vitality with their mouths aligned "as if they were pumping water into a bottom loose bucket". And the cause was obvious. Maternal vitality is sucked up in the belly child. From the first time I heard it and actually saw Scarlet Snow's weak cut, to Oriana's eyes it was no longer a life to be merciful, but a nasty malignancy, which only seemed like a parasite. Scarlet Snow stares at such Oriana with quiet, clear eyes like a Mother of Mercy. "Why do you think this child will resent the world and be imprisoned by hatred? Knowing the love and joy that beats it will make you a man who can't beat bitterness and sadness every second. Indeed, from the moment she was born, this child will carry in the ordeal. But those who live roughly in this world...... no one lives in a world that suffers and is free from grief, even if it is demons or animals. But I live without losing it. Same goes for this kid. I believe that." For a moment, I let my clearly outgoing friend clog me with barometric words, Oriana, but I shook my neck to the side with pity and sighed. "I didn't think you were such an optimist. This world, man is more cruel and merciless. It is not robust enough to tolerate heretical things that could destroy the world, just like normal human beings. Can you take responsibility when the child born grows and tries to bring the world to ruin? Isn't it too irresponsible to just give birth and leave it to others?" "- As much as I can, am I going to support this child? "There's no way you can! I don't know how much of a burden I still have, if I give birth in this state, I can stand it...! I can make it now. Process your belly child! You've had enough, you don't have to suffer like this! Scarlet Snow stares at Oriana pleading with a shredding cry, like trouble. "Oriana. Nothing. I've never thought of myself as unhappy or of this child as a burden, on the contrary, as an irreplaceable and precious treasure" With an unconvincing face, from Oriana, who almost stares at herself, Scarlet Snow shifted her gaze and saw a newborn baby this spring, held by the wife of King Collard and his wife, Chloe, a group of visitors lined up behind her. "I feel like I've been halfway and missing something. But now I feel really full. By giving birth to a child as a mother as a woman, I can be a true member of this world. I can't be happier. Thank you, for worrying about me. I really appreciate it." To that word as if it were a will, Oriana, with a crying, angry face, opened her mouth reflexively and rebutted - on its back, Chloe's calm voice hung. "Empress - No, were you an empress now? Well, I'm used to saying it, so let me say 'Empress' - Empress, having a child is a life-saving thing for any woman. But, hey, if you can get one life out of this world, your mother can endure any ordeal." "I'm still unconvinced," whimpered Oriana, leaning down to repentance, in an unshakeable word with a sense of reality. On her behalf like that, Chloe came forward with my child in her arms. King Collard follows suit. "Your Majesty, if there seems to be any stray in Your Majesty, I said the same thing to the Empress.... I don't think you have anything to say to me." Scarlet Snow sent a gentle thank you to Chloe, who grinned, and then, fu, saw the couple's faces with the faces that came to mind. "Yes, yes. I have a favor to ask of you both, can you listen to me? "What would that be? King Collard frowned with a strange look, and Chloe nodded silently as to whether he had perceived anything. "In case anything happens to me, I want to leave my baby with both of you." Tension ran to everyone who was there. Just one, Chloe wasn't surprised to see if she expected it. "If it's true, I'd just like to raise one. I'm not talking about this earlier, because I don't know what it would be like to actually have a baby." Although the attitude of perseverance and perseverance remains unchanged at all times without feeling it, "Princess, it is better not to be too forced," he recommends taking a break, while the life capital and Zero Glass hastily hang on to the healing technique, realizing how scarlet snow is clearly wearing off compared to the beginning of this meeting. "Thanks, it's a lot easier. But let me just talk a little more." I shake my head loose and gaze at King Collard with a bewildered face. "I'm not saying I can't if it bothers you. It's just because you two personalities and a land pattern called Amitia were thought to be the best way to raise a child. Just being in an aerial garden can make a child a bird in a cage unknown to the world." "Leave it to me! If you trust us that much, I won't complain, and whoever complains will strain you. You would, too, wouldn't you? Chloe laughed uncontrollably as she banged the back of the pavilion owner, who nearly put her concerns to her mouth, with one hand. "- Yes, sir. I get it. Well, if that happens, even your majesty's children will grow up undivided, won't they? Are you sure? Scarlet Snow bowed his head deeply to King Collard, who rounded his slapped back and confirmed it with tears. "Thanks, that's what I want" Then I can look around and say. "The power of our country has also diminished. No, most demon generals could disappear, but they would still have enough power to protect Amitia. If you need anything, don't hesitate to offer" The meeting was then naturally extinguished by the voluntary withdrawal of the same person who saw Scarlet Snow in physical condition. Scarlet Snow, who was escorted to her bedroom by the Life Capitals, sighed loudly when she drank a glass of wine blood that had been prepared, and lay on her bed so that her dressing would collapse there as well. "A little on the boulder... I'm tired..." I saw the face of Scarlet Snow sadly, with the face of Life Capital similar to that of Oriana earlier. "Life capital, if I don't leave this child..." "... it's a story of what if" Scarlet snow laughing sideways. "I'll have this kid and the air garden then, please. All that's left of the Round Table Demon General is you and Yasuo (Hozumi), and Zero Glass. The right of control has been transferred to Mr. Shadowloon, so I don't think he'll disappear without me... maybe Mr. Shadowloon won't come back" All this time, Scarlet Snow's eyes shook with pity. "I've pushed him for a hard role. In order to maintain the aerial gardens, you just have to live alone, bearing the burden of not being allowed to die and wander. That's all I have left." "Never think about martyring, etc. There are no more demon generals or powerful rows who were the Lord at the head of Heaven. You're the only one I can count on." That day. In exchange for the disappearance of the idle fog (kim), most of the Demon General, including Heaven's Lifetime, who saw the Scarlet Snow returning unconscious and unbroken, and his endorsers, including Lappy, Tamegoro - an army that reaches its total of 10,000 rides - stormed angry hair heaven and dared to storm the only remaining 'Tower of the Pale God' in the heart of the continent, with momentum that just destroyed the world. The earth trembled, the heavens cracked, and the rivers stained with blood. The exact final war (Harmagedon) that lasted three days and three nights abruptly subsided, and no one returned alone. In a later investigation, it is the prevailing view that there was not one thing left on the trail - even the 'Tower of the Pale God' could disappear - so they consulted with the Pale God. However, Scarlet Snow, who later regained consciousness, expressed a different sentiment: "I guess he ended up disappointed in everything and lost interest in this world". "If that's an order, I will obey. But my husband is a future perpetrator, my princess, only one of you." Life Capital answered bitterly. In fact, Scarlet Snow laughed bitterly and concurred with the proclamation that she would not touch a child who would be born. "Princess, I've always been with the princess... so without the princess, I'll disappear too" "Nothing, you can be free without being imprisoned by me, right? "If it's okay to be free, that's the freedom I decided to be" "... ugh. You don't have a choice." Giving up persuasion, Scarlet Snow sighed and closed her eyes. "I'll sleep for a while. Take turns with others, and rest." "- Yes. Princess." "And that's this kid's name, though. I took the meaning of both sides and decided '-' so that I could be either male or female." In his dreams, Scarlet Snow called to life in himself. "-. Please, may there be a beautiful world before you" I noticed all the time that for some reason I had just closed the "red door". "... why are you in the red if you opened the black one?" Or the daydream I was just having (?), what is it? I'm pretty sure it's some kind of trap that Ethereal God showed again, but this time it wasn't something oddly real or manipulative like the first smelly school comic strip that was shown, it was like chasing what actually happened...... it was an experience with no horn discomfort in the Xu. Once again, we go back the way we came and stand at the branch. "The door is still there, and it's still closed. I know that means opening one of them again..." If I open it, is it a repeat of the same thing again? Or are we going to have another experience? I was worried for a long time, but I felt like the amount of light on the glowing trail at my feet had fallen, and I looked back and saw that the path that had been extended gradually collapsed and approached me from the other side. "You mean just pick it. Totally..." That said, I have decided to choose one at a time. "Come on, boss, follow me to my room! At the same time as I opened the door I chose, I ran from the crashing trail into it. At that moment, my vision dimmed and I felt someone whispering "Thank you" in my ear, but shortly after I confirmed it, I stepped down to the land where the Ethereal God was waiting.

第二話 港湾都市 「それは、チャンスですな」 影郎さんが訳知り顔で頷いた。 実り多い――かどうかはさておき、オリアーナは随分とウチの国を気に入ったみたいで、もっと頻繁に訪問したいとか、いっそ帝都にある王宮の別館にでも、 は、この世界の転移魔法陣と違って、いちいち個人登録しなくても目的地や石の中へ移動できる、完全なオーバーテクノロジーなので、流石に相手の希望に沿うわけにはいかなかったけれど。 で、3人が帰った後で、本人曰く「あの坊ちゃんや皇女様の前に顔を出すとイロイロ面倒な上に、知らなくてもいい事まで教えないとマズイ」ので、密かに『 「チャンスってなにが?」 「そりゃ勿論、デブのところに攻め込むチャンスですな。――いや、美味いですわ、これ!」 の通称だったりする。......ま、オフ会で逢った本人の実物も、実際にかなり肥満体だったのは確かだけどさ。 「なんで海賊とデーブータさんと関連するわけ? なんかあるの?」 名探偵に推理を聞く、トンマな助手になった気分で訊いてみた。 「おおありです。そもそもお嬢さんは、アイツのいる聖都ファクシミレへ、どうやって潜入するつもりなんですか? ――あと、お代わりいただけますか?」 「普通に変装して、一般人に化けて......」 「無理ですなあ」にべもなく却下された。「軍事統制下の独裁国家で、なおかつ国民全員が狂信者みたいなもんですから、どうしたって余所者は目立ちます。他国からの巡礼者もいないことはありませんけど、信者なら当然の聖典の暗唱や、祈り、挨拶だけでもとんでもない数ですから、付け焼刃ではとてもとても誤魔化せるもんじゃありません」 う~~む。隣国のシレントに行った時も、相当他国人には厳しかったけど、どうやらイーオン聖王国本国の排他性は、あれの比ではないらしい。 さんや、兄丸さんほど脅威ではないので、あまり深刻に考えることはないと思いますけど、それはさて置きまして、先日確認したところ、亜茶さんの『花椿宮殿』はなぜか跡形もなく消失してました」 「位置を変えたってこと?」 「.........。......なら、まだいいんですが」 歯切れ悪く言葉を濁しながら、デザートを口に運ぶ。 「まあ、こちらは現時点では棚上げして置きまして、そうなると残る心当たりは の現在地がどこにあるのか、影郎さんはわかっているの?」 影郎さんは食後の紅茶を飲み干しながら、あっけらかんと答えた。 「意味ないじゃない!」 「ですから、ここで先の海賊騒動です」 「おや、ご存じない。ももんがいの兄さんの座右の銘は『七つの海は俺の海』『海賊○に俺はなる!』ですよ」 あの人、そんな難儀な病気を併発してたのか。あんまし喋ったことないから気が付かなかったけど。 「つまり、今回の海賊騒動はももんがいさんが裏で手引きしているってこと?」 「そのものズバリ関わってるか、一枚噛んでいる程度かは不明ですが、可能性は高いと思いますよ。迂遠なようですけど、確認する価値はあると思いますな」 正直、水に関わる場所には、あんまし行きたくないんだけど、そうも言ってられないか。 「わかったよ。天涯、コラード国王に連絡して、キトーの別荘の使用と、現地の案内人を手配するよう頼んでおいて」 「はっ。承知いたしました。現地へ同行する従者は、いつものように私めで選定いたしますが、よろしいでしょうか?」 天涯の問い掛けに少し考えて、注文をつけた。 なにしろ、今回は事によると、勢いで敵の本拠地まで乗り込むことになりそうなので、考えうる最強布陣を用意したほうがいいだろう。 そう言うと、空穂がうっそりと微笑んだ。 「では、円卓の魔将級全員での出陣ということでございますなあ」 その言葉に同調して、周囲に居た魔将たちがいきなり臨戦態勢になった。 武者震いだけで、城全体が振るえ、立ち込める闘気だけで窓が割れる。 「そういうことだ、神を詐称する愚か者に、姫が鉄槌を下す! 諸君、これは戦ではない、制裁である!!」 天涯が一同に言い渡すと、それに応じて魔将たちの鬨の声があがり、衝撃で椅子ごとボクは引っくり返った。 ――早まったかもしれない。プレーヤー2~3人に対して、 「なんかもう最初からクライマックスですなあ」 ガクブルしているボクの向かいでは、影郎さんが相変わらずのんびりと、手ずから紅茶のお代わりをカップに注いでいた。 ということで、準備が整ったボク達は、港湾都市キトーの傍にある元王家の別荘へと、赴いたわけなんだけど......。 「なんで、君が案内人なわけなのかなぁ?」 午前中、死ぬほどガッツリ泳ぎの特訓を受けて、どうにか5メートルほどビート板に捕まれば泳げるようになったボクは、案内人のジョーイに連れられて午後は街の方へ出てみることにした。 さすがにいつもの黒のドレスは見た目も熱いし鬱陶しいので、衣装はパニエの上に胸元にフリルと、スカートにティアートがついた白のサマードレスを着て、白の鍔広の帽子に、同じくレースリボンのサマーシューズという、思いっきり夏仕様にしている。 ちなみに三つ編は解いて、いつものストレートにしている。解いても一切癖がつかずに、一瞬で元に戻る髪は、便利なんだか不便なんだか微妙なところだ。 「そりゃあ、俺がこの辺りの出身だからだろ」 当たり前の顔で、当たり前のようにボクの手を取って歩きながら、ジョーイが端的に答えた。 なんでも、ここからもう少し山の方へ行ったところの僻村が生まれ故郷で、村の中で賄えないものや祭り、大きな買い物なんかがあった時には、子供ながらにここまでほぼ半日がかりで足を延ばしたらしい。 「なるほどねぇ。――そういえば、今回はフィオレは一緒じゃないんだね」 「ああ、フィオレはなんか来週、国家4級の魔術師試験があるとかで、しばらく冒険者活動は休むそうだ。今回は結構、自信があるって言ってたな」 「へえ、頑張ってるんだね。うまく合格してくれればいいけど」 あれ、でもフィオレが国家試験に合格したら、その後は冒険者続けるんだろうか? もともとそっちで挫折したから冒険者になったって言ってたし、本道に戻るのかなぁ......? 心配になったけど、パートナーのジョーイが特に何も考えてないようなので、あまり根掘り葉掘り聞くのもどうかと思って、話題を変えることにした。 「そうそう故郷が近くなら、せっかくだから、この案内が終わったら、そっちに顔を出したらいいんじゃないの?」 数呼吸の間を置いて、ジョーイがどことなくほろ苦い笑みを浮かべて、そう答えた。 そういえば、以前、家が貧しくて食い扶持を減らすために家を出て、アーラで冒険者を始めた――そんな話をしていたのを思い出して、迂闊な話題を振ったことを、申し訳ない気持ちになった。 自然と俯いたボクの顔を、怪訝そうに覗き込んだジョーイは、首を傾げ......天頂付近で輝いている太陽を見て、何か得心いった顔で、ポンと手を叩いた。 「そっか、もう昼過ぎだもんな。その辺で飯にしようぜ」 なんか勝手に気を回して落ち込んでたのが、馬鹿らしくなった。 適当に目に入った小さな食堂に入ったんだけど、お昼時を過ぎていたせいか、他に理由があるのか、ボクらの他にお客さんはいなかった。 で、座った途端になんか女将さんにやたら気に入られ、「どこのお姫様さ!?」「なんて綺麗なんだい!」「まるで月の女神アルテ様みたいだね~っ」「あたしの若い頃を思い出すよ!」と散々持ち上げられて、注文してない料理まで、どんどんテーブルに並べられたのだった。 ちなみに最後の台詞に被せて、奥から旦那さんの「出鱈目言うな、このオカチメンコが」という悪態が聞こえてきて、ニコニコ笑っていた女将さんが一瞬にして修羅と化した。 「言ったね、このロクデナシが!」 「それがどうした、くそババア!」 そして始まる こういう局面に慣れていないボクが仲裁しようかどうか、オロオロしているのを尻目に、ジョーイは完全に無視して、テーブルの上の料理に手を伸ばし始めた。 「ほっとけよ、ヒユキ。夫婦喧嘩なんて、関わると禄なことにならないんだから」 達観したような口調は、こういう場面に慣れ切った大人の風格さえあった。 促されてボクも席に着く。 「新鮮だから、けっこういけるぞ」 と、言われるまま名物と言う魚料理を食べてみるけど、奥で掴み合いの喧嘩をしている食堂で、悠々と食事をしているジョーイとは反対に、ボクの方は何を食べても味なんて感じなかった。 何のことを指しているのかすぐにわかったのだろう。またも、陰のある笑みを浮かべるジョーイ。 「まあ、うちも毎日似たような状況だったからな。俺は長男だったから弟妹を守って、仲裁に入って、ぶん殴られたり蹴られたり、家の外に放り出されたりだったから......」 「そういえばさ。さっき、女将さんに『月の女神アルテ様みたい』って言われて思い出したんだけど、君と初めて逢った時にも『月の女神様だ』って言われたよね」 途端、飲んでいた海鮮スープを喉に詰まらせ、目を白黒させながらジョーイは、げほげほむせる。 「ゲホゲホ...お......お前...ゲホ、そんなの、まだ覚えて......」 呼吸が苦しかったせいか、耳まで赤くなっているジョーイ。 「なかなか衝撃的だったからねぇ。ま、ぜんぜん女神でもなんでもないのがわかって、失望させたろうけど。――にしても、月の女神アルテってのは土着の信仰かなにかかい?」 明後日の方を向いて、いや、そんなことないぞ、俺にとってはお前はずっと......とか、なんか口の中でブツブツ言っているジョーイに代わって、ドスドスと足音荒く奥から女将さんが戻ってきた。 旦那さんの姿が見えないところを見ると、どうやらこちらが勝利を収めたらしい。 言いながら勝手に空いている椅子に腰を下ろす。 「海神様と夜女神様との娘さんで星々を統べる女神様ってことで、船乗りにとっちゃ、どれも同じくらい崇める対象さね」 なるほど。目印のない航海では、月や星が重要な目安だからね。神格化されているってところだろう。 「この街にも祠があるんだけど、最近は海賊の被害も多いので、船乗りがよくお参りに来ているよ」 何気なく世間話をしている女将さんだけど、『海賊』という単語に、少しだけ背筋が伸びる。 「へえ、海賊ってそんなに増えてるんですか?」 厚い唇を歪める女将さん。 なんでも、海賊は最近活発になってきた、アミティアとクレスの貿易航路に出没するようになったらしい。いまのところ大型船や魔導帆船は船足が速く、武装も整っているので大きな被害はないが、時を経るごとに海賊の規模や増え、またこの海域にも慣れてきたようなので、遠からず被害にあうのではないか、というのが船乗り達の一致した見解だそうだ。 なるべく世間知らずのお嬢様を装って、意見してみる。 「あんな連中アテにならないね。所詮は陸の軍隊だしねぇ。返り討ちにあうのが関の山さ」 女将さんの声には露骨な侮蔑と、諦観とが混じっていた。 「そう...ですか。それにしても、どうして急に海賊が増えたんでしょね」 「ふむ......」 女将さんは太い腕を組んで、口を曲げた。 「あくまで噂だけどね。ここらへんにいる海賊は、もともともっと北の方にいた連中で、あっちでの縄張り争いに負けて逃げ込んできた負け犬連中って話だよ」 この話は初耳なので、思わずまじまじと女将さんの顔を確認する。 「それって本当なんですか?」 「噂だよ噂。なんでも赤い帆を掛けた、見たこともない魔導船に乗った海賊が、北の方で縄張りを広げているとか。そいつが真っ白い化物魚を操っているとか......ま、与太話みたいなものさね」 半信半疑ところか、ほとんど信じていない口調の女将さんの話に、ジョーイと二人揃って相槌を打ちながら、思いがけない収穫に、ボクは内心ほくそ笑んだ。

119 Lesson Two: Port Cities "That's your chance." Mr. Shadowloon nodded with a translation face. It's fruitful - aside from whether or not, Oriana seems to have liked our country for a long time, and there was a scene where she wanted to visit more often, and even in the annex of the Royal Palace, which is in the Imperial Capital, she genuinely said she wanted to set up a transfer gate (teleporter), and the regular reception closed amidst ease at all times. ... Unlike the world's metastatic magic team, the most metastatic gates (teleporters) are complete over-technologies that allow you to travel into destinations and stones without having to personally register, so you couldn't match your opponents' wishes with boulders. So, after the three of them left, he said, "When I put my face in front of that boy or the empress, it's ironic. On top of all the trouble, I need to teach you something you don't even know," so Shadowloon, who was secretly eavesdropping on the story in "Hidden (Stealth)," showed up, cheeky with a tart of tea candy and Catalana (both handmade by me, by the way. It was also popular with Oriana, so I let her have both one-holes for her souvenir), and she put the dialogue ahead into her mouth. "What's the chance? "That's, of course, your chance to attack the fat guy. - No, it's delicious, this! Fat can be the common name for "Eternal Horizon Online" by "Aoshi" Dragon Knight Day Boota.... I'm pretty sure the actual person I met at the off-duty meeting was actually pretty obese. "Why do you associate pirates with Mr. Daebuta? You got something? I asked the famous detective for reasoning, and I asked him in the mood of becoming a tomaholic assistant. "Oh yes. How does your daughter intend to infiltrate the Sacred Capital Facsimile where she is in the first place? - And can I take your place? "Disguise it normally, turn it into ordinary people..." "I can't," he dismissed. "It's a dictatorship under military control, and all the people are like fanatics, so the rest of us stand out for what's going on. There's never been a pilgrim from another country, but if you're a believer, just recitation of the Bible, prayer, greeting is a hell of a number, so you're not very deluded by the blade." Uh-huh. Even when I went to Cilento, my neighbor, I was pretty tough on other people, but apparently the exclusivity of the Eon Holy Kingdom's own is not that ratio. "- Well, as a force of war, I don't think you'll think too seriously about it as it's not as threatening as Mr. Warden or his brother Maru, but I put that aside, and I checked the other day that Mr. Atcha's" Flower Tsubaki Palace "had somehow disappeared without a trace" "You mean you repositioned it? ......... ... then it's still okay. " Bring dessert to your mouth with your teeth cut badly clouding your words. "Well, at the moment, I shelved this one up and put it down, and then the only thing I can think of is the transfer gate (teleporter) inside the White Whale. If you hold this down, you can easily eat it down your enemy's throat." "I see... So, does Shadowloon know where the current location of the White Whale is? Shadowloon replied openly as he drank up his after-dinner tea. "That doesn't make sense! "So here's the pirate riot ahead" "Oh, I don't know. The motto of my thigh cancer brother is" The Seven Seas Are My Sea "and" I'll Be A Pirate O! 'That's right. " That man, was he co-morbid with such a difficult disease? I didn't realize you had never spoken. "I mean, this pirate riot is being guided by Mono in the back? "It's unclear whether Zubari is involved in it or to what extent he's chewing one, but I think it's likely. Sounds far-fetched, but I think it's worth checking out." Honestly, I don't want to go anywhere that involves water, but can you say that? "I get it. For heaven's sake, contact King Collard and ask him to arrange the use of the villa in Quito and the local guide." "Ha. I understand. Do you mind if I select the attendants who will accompany you to the site as usual? I thought a little about the Heavenly Inquiry and placed an order. Anyway, according to things this time, we're going to be riding into the enemy's home base with momentum, so we'd better have the strongest formations we can think of. With that said, Akiho smiled inadvertently. "So that means all the demon generals at the round table are in battle." In tune with the words, all of a sudden the demon generals who were around suddenly became warriors. Just the samurai tremor, the whole castle shakes, and the windows crack just because of the fighting that can stand in. "That's the thing, to the fool who defrauds God, the princess lowers the hammer! Gentlemen, this is not a war, it is a sanction!! When Heaven said it together, the sound of the demon generals rose accordingly, and the impact pulled me back from chair to chair. - It might have been sooner. There are over 20 Massive Combat (Reid) class squires against 2-3 players or something that already stinks of overkill! "It's been a climax since the beginning." Across from me gabbling, Mr. Shadowloon was as relaxed as ever, pouring a cup of tea substitute from his hand. So when we were ready, we went to the former royal villa next to the port city of Quito... "Why, I wonder if you're the guide? In the morning, having been specially trained in gutsy swimming to death, and having managed to get caught on the beat board for about 5 meters, I decided to take Joey, the guide, out of town in the afternoon. Exactly because the usual black dress looks hot and depressing, the costume is wearing a frill on the chest over the pannier and a white summer dress with teart on the skirt, in a white Xuanhuang hat, and likewise a lace ribbon summer shoe, to the desired summer specification. By the way, I solve the three editions and make them my usual straight. Without any habit of solving it, hair that returns to normal in an instant is a subtlety of convenience or inconvenience. "Well, that's because I'm from around here." With a natural face, Joey answered frankly as he took my hand and walked as normal. Anything, they extended their legs almost half a day to this point as a child when a remote village was born just a little more from here to the mountain, where there were things in the village that could not be covered, festivals and big shopping. "I see. - Speaking of which, Fiore's not with you this time." "Oh, Fiore's got some sort of National Grade 4 sorcerer exam next week or something, and he says adventurer activity will be off for a while. You said you were confident this time." "Oh, you're trying. I hope you pass well." That, but if Fiore passes the national exam, will she continue to be an adventurer after that? He originally said he became an adventurer because he was frustrated over there, and I was wondering if he was going back to the main road...? I got worried, but since my partner Joey didn't seem to think of anything in particular, I decided to change the subject, wondering if I would ask too much root digging leaf digging. "Yeah, well, if your hometown's close, because of that, why don't you just show your face that way when you're done with this guide? I put it between a few breaths and Joey gave me a somewhat bitter grin and I answered that. Speaking of which, I felt sorry for waving a far-fetched topic before when I remembered that the house had left the house to reduce food support and started an adventurer in Ara - talking about it like that. Joey glanced suspiciously into my face, naturally bent over, tilting his neck... watching the sun shining near the top of the sky, with a face he was good at something, pounding his hand. "Oh, well, it's already past noon. Let's make dinner around here." I was depressed by some unsolicited distraction, which made me look stupid. I appropriately went into a small dining room that caught my eye, but there were no other customers besides me because it was past lunch hour or for any other reason. So, as soon as I sat down, the general did something to me and he liked it, "WHERE PRINCESS!?" "How beautiful!" "You're like Arte, the goddess of the moon - eh" "I remember when I was younger!" He was lifted up scattered and placed on the table more and more until the dishes he hadn't ordered. Covered in the last dialogue, by the way, I heard your husband's vice "Don't cod me out, this octopus" from the back, and Nico laughed and turned it into Shura in an instant. "I told you, this locudenasi! "What's wrong with that, damn Baba! And a couple fights that begin (battles). Whether or not I'm unfamiliar with this kind of phase, Joey starts reaching out to the dishes on the table, ignoring them altogether. "Leave me alone, Hyuki. Couple fights don't get locked up when you get involved." The kind of tone that I had achieved even had an adult style that I was used to in these occasions. I'm urged to take a seat. "It's fresh, it's cool." And I try fish dishes that they say are specialties as they say, but contrary to Joey, who is having a relaxing meal in the dining room with a grasping fight in the back, I didn't feel the taste of anything. I guess I knew immediately what you were referring to. Also, Joey with a shady grin. "Well, we had a similar situation every day. Because I was my oldest son, protecting my siblings, going into arbitration, getting punched, kicked, thrown out of the house..." "Speaking of which, I just remembered that the general told me," It's like Arte, the goddess of the moon, "and when I first met you, she said," It's the goddess of the moon. " As soon as he drank the seafood soup, he stuck it in his throat, his eyes black and white, and Joey chewed. "Gee ho... oh... you... gee ho, don't forget that..." Joey is getting red to his ears because he had a hard time breathing. "Because it was pretty shocking. Ma, I know it's not a goddess at all or anything, and I would have let you down. - Even so, is Arte, the moon goddess, an indigenous faith? Turn around the day after tomorrow, no, that's not true, for me you've always been... or something. On behalf of Joey, who's saying bumps in his mouth, Dosdos and Footsteps came back rough and from the back. Seeing where I can't see your husband, apparently this one won. Lie back on your own empty chair as you say. "Daughter of the Sea Goddess and the Night Goddess, the goddess who can unite the stars, so take it as a sailor, they're all just as admirable." I see. For an unmarked voyage, the moon and the stars are important guidelines. I guess it's somewhere deified. "There are shrines in this city, too, but there's been a lot of pirate damage these days, so sailors come here a lot." She's a casual public speaking general, but the word 'pirate' stretches her spine just a little bit. "Heh, are there so many pirates? A damsel distorting her thick lips. Anything, the pirates have recently become active, they have begun to appear on the trade route between Amitia and Cres. So far, large ships and demon-guided sailboats have fast feet and are armed, so there is no great damage, but it seems that the size and increase of pirates over time, and they have become accustomed to this area, so it is the unanimous view of the sailors that they will not be far away from harm. As far as possible, under the guise of an unknown lady, I'll give you my opinion. "You're not going to be an athlete with those people. The Army of the Land is what I'm talking about. It's the mountain of Sekiyama that pays back." The woman's voice was mixed with blatant contempt and a view of giving up. "Really...? Still, how could there suddenly be more pirates?" "Hmm..." The general put her thick arms together and bent her mouth. "It's just a rumor. The pirates around here are the losers who were originally more northerly, who have fled after losing a territorial battle over there." This story is my first ear, so I accidentally check the face of the general seriously. "Is that true? "Rumors. Rumors. You think a pirate on a magic ship with a red sail on everything, never seen, is spreading its territory north? It's like he's manipulating a white-white fish... or something like Yotai." I laughed inside out at the unexpected harvest as Joey and I hammered each other into the story of a half-heartedly or almost unbelievably toned damsel.

幕間 勇者迷走 クレス自由同盟国の暫定首都ウィリデ。 この町の乾いた空気は常に活気に溢れ、猥雑さと混沌とが同居する、いまや南方域有数の交易地と化していた。 その首都に程近い、元『砂塵の迷宮』と呼ばれた 長蛇の列を作る人の流れを眺め、唯一の男性である上半身に金属鎧を着た剣士らしい少年が、ぽかーんとした顔で呟いた。 「これに並ぶのか......?」 軽く肩をすくめてそれに応じるのは、一番小柄で黒髪のとんでもない美貌の少女神官である。 見れば列の一番最後には、『さいごび:まちじかん3じかん』と書かれたプラカードを持った獣人の係員が、声を張り上げて注意を呼びかけていた。 それを見て、「コ○ケかネズミの国かい」と、意味不明の独り言を呟く彼女。 「......しょうがない、取りあえず並ぶか」 諦めた顔で少年が列の最後尾に向かおうとするのを、また黒髪の少女が止める。 「そっちじゃないよ。先に移動先のチケットを買って、番号順に並ばないとダメなので、チケットカウンターに並ぶんだよ」 「面倒臭いなぁ。つーか、こんだけ並んでて、また並ぶのかよ......」 肩を落とす少年を、一同の中で一番年長(と言っても見た目16~17歳だが)の、真珠色をした髪の軽剣士らしい装備の少女が、心底小馬鹿にしたような目で見つめる。 「と言うか、前もってこの『転送魔法発送所』を使うとわかっていて、なぜその程度の事前情報も調べていないのか理解に苦しみます。この施設の開設に先立って、貴方も深く関与しているとお聞きしましたが?」 「あ。いや、だって、目的地は北方域の国だって聞いていたし、まさかこんな大回りすると思わなかったから......」 しどろもどろの弁明に、問い掛けた少女の目がさらに冷たくなる。 「なるほど、理解しました。貴方は馬鹿なのですね。人間は基本的に歩くか、騎獣に乗るかしか移動手段がないはずですが、貴方は西部域のアミティアから、北方域まで何ヶ月かけて移動するつもりだったのですか? 普通に考えれば、ここに転移魔法陣で転移できる以上、ここからさらに転移魔法装置で目的地までショートカットするのが常識的でしょう。その程度の発想が導き出ないとは、脳に深刻な障害があると考えられます」 「なんだとーっ。あのな、普通の冒険者がホイホイ高い金の掛かる転移魔法とか使えるわけないだろう! ひたすら足で歩くのが常識なんだよ!」 「やはり馬鹿ですね。『時は金なり』と言いますが、数ヶ月かけて移動する労力と時間、危険、旅費と、転移魔法を使用するのに掛かる料金では、雲泥の差でしょうに」 ぎゃーぎゃー喚く少年と、完全にゴミを見る目で淡々と返す少女剣士。 この二人のやり取りを面倒臭げに眺める少女神官に向かって、一行の最後の一人、栗色の髪をした魔法使いらしい、少年と同年輩の少女が、こわごわと尋ねた。 「......あのぉ、ヒユキ様。シズさんって、師匠の事が嫌いなんでしょうか?」 聞かれた少女神官は、顎の下にフリルの付いた白のフィンガーレス手袋から覗く人差し指を当て、可愛らしく小首を捻った。 「いやぁ、別にジョーイを特定して嫌いってことはないと思うよ」 「そうですか?」 なおも感情的に言い返す少年と、すべてバッサリ切り返す少女剣士の態度に、疑わしげに眉根を寄せる魔法少女。ちなみに3人娘の中で一番地味な見た目に反して、胸の大きさは圧倒的である。 そんな彼女の心配を杞憂だというように、パタパタと手を振るヒユキと呼ばれた少女神官。 の場合、単純に“馬鹿が嫌い”ってだけで、馬鹿全般が嫌いなだけだから、他意はないよ。あと口が悪いのは、単に根が悪人なだけだから、あんまり気にしないで」 『いや、その説明は無茶苦茶不安しかないんですけど!』 そう口に出して叫びたい魔法使いな彼女であった。 「――それにしても、ジョーイもがんばるねー。普通あんだけ馬鹿馬鹿を連呼されたら、多少なりとも凹むと思うけど、全然堪えた様子もないし」 「......それは多分、当人に一切の自覚がないから、ではないでしょうか?」 思いついたことをポロッと口にした後で、その可能性の高さに思わず顔を見合わせる二人の少女。 「「あり得る(ます)ね」」 一切の自覚と反省のない馬鹿......! お互いの瞳に、戦慄と驚愕に引き攣った自分の顔が映っていた。 「お久しぶりでございます、我が主」 「久しぶり~っ、輝夜。元気だった?」 「はい、お陰様でつつがなく......して、此度はいかような御出座しでございますか?」 まあ、前もってアポも入れずに一般の客として入り口から入ってきたので、当然怪訝に思ってのことだろう。ちなみにあの後、4人分のチケットを買うのに2時間待ちをした挙句、当日券は販売済みとのことで、翌日まで1泊した。 なお時間も遅かったし、そもそもウィリデにはまともな(従魔合身中の天涯曰く)宿泊施設がないとのことだったので、真珠に案内された迷宮【ファルサス】の32階にあるボク専用秘密部屋――ちなみに31階は裏ルート『真のボス部屋』になるらしい――に泊まって出直しとなった。 あと聞いたところでは、獣人族の聖地にも似たような隠れ家があるらしい。いいんだろうか......? 「将来的には大陸中の50キロ圏内に1箇所は類似の施設を設けて、姫のご不便を解消する所存でございます」 とか天涯に言い切られたけど、どこの全国チェーン店だそれ? 何を目指してるのか、ますますわからないねウチの国は。 そんなわけで一晩ぐっすり休んで英気を養った翌日、チケットを持って出発のための行列に並んだ。 ......まあ、その前にジョーイが「せっかくだから、ここの迷宮ちょっとやってみようぜ!」とか、考えなしの発言をして、半眼になった真珠に「はい、どうぞ堪能してください」と有無を言わさず31階の『真のボス部屋』に蹴り落とされ、裏ボスのジャバウォックに瞬殺されて、八つ裂きにされて転がっていたのをパーツごと回収して、プラモみたいに組み立て直したのも、旅の醍醐味と言えるだろう(蘇生させたら、真珠が露骨に舌打ちしてたけど)。言えないかも知れないけど、この際面倒なので言い切る。 で、なんだかんだで出発準備を終えて、この場に辿り着くまで4時間掛かった。 まあ、ここらへん横車を押せば即刻出発できないこともないけど、今回、一般客と一緒に並んだのは、あくまでお忍びだったのと、実際に利用してみて周囲の反応とか見てみたかったからなんだけどね。 「――ま、そんなわけで、今回は公務じゃなくて、個人的な旅行だから普通に転移を頼むよ」 「なるほどわかりました」 掻い摘んだボクの話に頷いた輝夜は、一緒にいる顔ぶれを眺めて軽く目を瞠った。 「そこにいらっしゃるのは、十三魔将軍の真珠様であらせられる。ご挨拶が遅れて申し訳ございません」 「よい。姫様を第一に奉ることは臣民の責務であるからな。――ま、いまごろ気が付くのは、少々状況判断能力に難があると言わざるを得ないが」 うわぁ、このお姉さんの容赦のなさは本気で相手を選ばないなぁ......という、フィオレの呟きが聞こえた。 再度、真珠に謝罪した輝夜の視線が、そのフィオレとジョーイを捉えた。 あー、やっぱりそういう覚え方してるのか。 懐かしげな輝夜とは違って、ぎこちなげな挨拶を返すフィオレと、気楽に「よっ、久しぶり」と返事をするジョーイ。 真珠の視線がほとんど絶対零度まで冷たくなっているんだけど、ストレスを感じない人間ってある意味無敵だねぇ。 「それで姫様、此度の目的地は何処を目指しておいでですか?」 取りあえず旧交を温めあった(?)輝夜が、肝心の質問をしてきた。 「目的地は大陸北方域、シレント国だよ」 「シレント? ですが、彼の国は転移目的地から除外と承っておりますが、よろしいのですか?」 「今回だけ特別に許可を貰っているから大丈夫だよ。あと運がよければ、今後も転移可能になるかも知れないので、一応覚えておいて」 「......ま。可能性は低いと思いますが」 じろりとジョーイの横顔を見て、言葉を続ける真珠。 「なんだよ!」 「はあ? ――取りあえず、姫様方をシレントへ転移すればいいのですね?」 要領を得ない顔で確認してくる輝夜。 「そういうこと。悪いけど詳細は後日説明するよ」 「いえ、これが我が使命ですので。――おおっ、申し訳ございません。我が子の挨拶が遅れておりました。......これ、 愛おしげにその背中を舐めた輝夜が、そっと前脚でその子をボクらの方へ押しやる。 促されてトコトコ歩いてきた仔ライオン――実際は輝夜の子の男スフィンクスで、ボクが『震夜』と名づけた――を抱き上げる。 「シンちゃん、久しぶり~。うわぁ、なんかまた一回り大きくなったんじゃないの?」 とは言えゴロゴロ鳴いている様子は、相変わらずネコみたいだけど。 「本当ですねー。シンヤちゃん、あたしのこと覚えていまちゅか?」 お腹の辺りを撫でるフィオレの声も、とろとろに蕩けていた。 懐かしげに頭のところに触ろうとしたジョーイの手を、いきなりガブリと噛み付く震夜。 噛まれた手を押さえて、ぴょんぴょんその場を跳び回るジョーイ。 「ほう。なかなか利発そうな子であるな」 感心感心と目を細める真珠に向かって、嬉しそうに「恐縮です」と謙遜する輝夜。 まあ、そういうことで......なんてことはない、『転移魔法装置』なんていうのは実際は存在しないんだよね。あの日、輝夜に案内されて行った『砂塵の迷宮』の宝物庫にあったのは、金銀財宝ではなくてこの子――『転移魔法を使える魔物』――震夜っていうのが実体で、『装置』っていうのは対外的なブラフと保険なわけなんだよね。 要するに宝物庫に隠してあったのは、金銀財宝より大切な子宝だった。......ありがちな話だけど、その後、親子ともどもボクに従うと言ってきたので、二人に名前を与えて、でもって震夜の特技を聞いて『転移魔法装置』の設定を考えて、一緒にいたクロエ、ジョーイ、フィオレには口止めをお願い(口止め料を払おうとしたけど3人とも受け取りを遠慮)した。 これが『転移魔法装置』の真相だったりする。 ひとしきり再会を喜び合ったところで、輝夜が震夜を呼び戻した。 「さて、それでは名残は惜しいですが、そろそろ転移を行います。準備の方はよろしいでしょうか?」 「大丈夫」 「は、はい」 「では、震夜よ。姫様方をシレント国へ転移させるよ。できるであろう?」 「――にゃ」 「問題ありません。それでは、よき旅を――」 その刹那、震夜が一声あげると虹色の光がボクたちの全身を覆った。 一瞬の浮遊感の後、ボクら4人は大陸の南の果てから北の果てへと移動していたのだった。

108 Tabernacle Brave Lost Willide, provisional capital of the Free Alliance of Cres. The dry air of this town was constantly vibrant, turning it into not only one of the leading trading grounds in the South, where obscenity and chaos lived together. An underground labyrinth (dungeon), formerly known as the 'Labyrinth of Dust', as close as it is to its capital - now Sphinx, a 10-tier boss, is attacked and its treasure is an unidentified adventurer (?) Recovered by, almost out of existential significance, renovations were made in the liver of the Crimson Empire Imperial Crimson, the Patriarchate of Cres, and a tower-shaped labyrinth [Falsus] (also known as the "Princess's Observatory"), 30 floors above the ground, was built - to the "Transfer Magic Shipping Station," close enough to - came a harlem-constituted adventurous boy and girl named three women for one man. Watching a stream of people making a long line of snakes, the swordsman like boy in metal armor on his upper body, the only man, shrugged with a pompous face. "Do you line up for this...? Gently shrugging his shoulders and responding to it is the tiniest, dark-haired, outrageously beautiful girl cleric. At the end of the line, if you look, an attendant of the beast man with a placard that said 'Saigobi: Town Jikan 3jkan' was raising his voice and calling attention. Seeing it, "Co-oke or a rat country," she mutters a pointless soliloquy. "... I can't help it, get in line for now" Another brunette girl stops the boy from trying to get to the rear of the line with the face she gave up. "It's not that way. I need to buy the tickets to the destination first and arrange them in order of number, so I have to arrange them at the ticket counter." "It stinks. Or are we just going to line up again..." The boy dropping his shoulders stares at the oldest (though he looks 16-17), pearl-haired, light swordsman-like equipped girl in the same group with the kind of eyes he mocked at the bottom of his heart. "I mean, I know I'm going to use this' Forwarding Magic Shipping Station 'in advance, and I suffer from understanding why I haven't even looked up that much advance information. Prior to opening this facility, I heard you were deeply involved, too? "Ah. No, because I heard that the destination was a country in the North, and I didn't think it was going to turn this around..." Various illustrations make the girl's eyes even colder. "I see, I understand. You're an idiot, aren't you? Humans should basically only have the means of travel to walk or ride a horseman, but how many months did you intend to travel from Amitia in the western region to the northern region? Normally, it would be common sense to shortcut from here to your destination with even more transfer magic devices than you can transfer here in the Transfer Magic Formation. If you don't derive that degree of idea, you have serious brain damage." "Oh my God. You know, there's no way a normal adventurer could use a hoe-hoe high gold hanging transfer magic or anything! It's common sense to even walk on your feet! "You're still an idiot." Time is gold, "I say," but with the effort and time to travel over the course of a few months, the danger, the travel expenses and the price it takes to use metamagic, it would be the difference between cloud mud. " Gyagi - a calling boy and a girl swordsman who returns pale with a completely garbage-looking eye. Towards the girl cleric, who looks troublesome and stinky at these two exchanges, the last of the line, a wizard with chestnut hair, a boy and a girl her age asked, frightened. "... Um, Master Hyuki. Does Mr. Siz not like his master? The girl cleric asked put her index finger peeking from a frilly white fingerless glove under her chin and twisted her little neck adorably. "Hey, nothing. I don't think you hate identifying Joey." "Really? Still a magical girl who frowns at suspicion in the attitude of a boy who says it back emotionally and a girl swordsman who cuts it all back bassari. By the way, contrary to the most plain appearance of the three daughters, the breast size is overwhelming. A girl cleric called Hiyuki waving patsy, as worried about her worries like that. "In the case of pearls (not), I simply don't like idiots, and I don't like idiots in general, so I have no other intention. And don't worry too much about the bad mouth because the roots are just bad guys" 'No, the only explanation for that is unscrupulous anxiety! She was a wizard who wanted to scream in her mouth. "- Nevertheless, Joey hangs in there. Normally, if they call me a fool, I think it would be somewhat dimpled, but it doesn't look like I've enjoyed it at all." "... maybe that's because the person in question has no consciousness whatsoever, right? Two girls look at each other unexpectedly at the high probability of it after pollo and mouth what they come up with. "It's possible." Any fool without consciousness and reflection......! Each other's eyes reflected their own faces, drawn to war and amazement. "Long time no see, my lord" "Long time no see - Hui Night. How have you been? "Yes, thanks to you, I can't connect... and this time, are you sitting out like this? Well, he came in through the entrance as a general customer without even having an appointment in advance, so naturally you're surprised. By the way, after that, I waited two hours to buy a ticket for four people, and the day ticket was sold, so I stayed one night until the next day. It was still too late, and Willide said in the first place that there was no decent (Heavenly Says in the Body of the Exorcist) accommodation, so he stayed and re-stayed in my private secret room on the 32nd floor of the Labyrinth [Falsus], which was guided by the pearl - and by the way, the 31st floor would be the back route "True Boss Room" -. From what I've heard, they have a similar lair in the sanctuary of the Beastmen. Is that okay...? "In the future, within a 50-kilometre zone across the continent, there will be a similar facility to relieve the princess's inconvenience." Like, heavenly enough, but what national chain store is that? You don't know what you're up to. That's why the day after I took a good night's rest and nourished my English, I queued for departure with tickets. ... Well, before I do, Joey says, "Because of this, let's do a little labyrinth here!" Or making a thoughtless statement and saying to the half-eyed pearl, "Yes, please indulge me," he kicked me down to the 'true boss room' on the 31st floor, instantly killed me by the back boss Javawok, recovering every part of it that had been torn to pieces and rolled over, and reassembling it like a pramo, could also be said to be the flavor of the journey (if I resuscitated it, the pearl would have tongued openly). I don't know if I can tell you, but it's a hassle at this point, so I'll say it out. So, somehow it took me four hours to get ready to leave and reach this spot. Well, I can't leave right away if I push the sidecar over here, but this time, I lined up with the general public because it was only a patience and I wanted to actually use it and see how it reacted around me. "- That's why I'm asking you to move normally because this isn't official business, it's a personal trip." "I see." Hui Night nodded at the story of me scratched, gazing lightly at the blush we were having together. "You are there, revealed in the pearl of General Thirteen Demons. Sorry I'm late to say hello." "Good, because it is the duty of the people to serve the princess first. - I have to say that I have a little difficulty judging the situation." Wow, I heard Fiore whining that this sister's lack of forgiveness doesn't really pick on someone...... Again, the gaze of Hui Night, who apologized to Pearl, captured that Fiore and Joey. Uh, is that how you remember it, after all? Unlike the nostalgic Hui night, Fiore returns a giddy greeting and Joey replies with ease, "Yo, it's been a while". The pearl's gaze is almost as cold as absolute zero, but people who don't stress are invincible in a way. "So, princess, where are you headed this time? It warmed up the old relationship for now (?) Hui Night has asked the key questions. "The destination is the northern part of the continent, the country of Cilento." "Cilento? But his country accepts exclusion from the transfer destination, are you sure? "It's okay because I'm only getting special permission this time. Remember, if you're lucky, you might be able to transfer in the future." "... ma. I don't think it's likely." Take a good look at Joey's side, the pearl that keeps the word going. "What the fuck! "Huh? - In the meantime, should we transfer the princesses to Cilento? Hui Night confirms with a face that doesn't get the guidelines. "That sort of thing. Sorry, but I'll explain the details later." "No, because this is my mission. - Whoa, I'm sorry. My child's greeting was delayed. ... this is the night of the earthquake. It is the princess's turn. Say hello." A luminous night licked his back thanks to love gently pushed the child towards us with his front leg. A child lion who walked through Tokotoko prompted - in fact, Sphinx, the son of Hui Night, whom I named 'Earthquake Night' - to hug. "Sin, it's been a while. Wow, didn't you grow up one more time? That said, the way it's gobbling sounds, it's like a cat, as always. "It's true. Sinya, do you remember me, Mayu? Fiore's voice stroking around her stomach was also swinging by the way. An earthquake night that suddenly bites Gabriel in the hand of Joey, who tried to touch his head with nostalgia. Hold on to your bitten hand, Joey jumping around the spot for a minute. "Well, you seem like a very resourceful kid." A glowing evening of humility, happily "I'm afraid," toward the pearl of admiration and narrowing my eyes. Well, with that... there's no such thing as a 'metamagic device' that doesn't actually exist. That day, in the treasure trove of "The Labyrinth of Dust", guided by Hui Night, was not a gold and silver treasure, but this child - "Demons that can use transfer magic" - an entity called Earthquake Night, and "Devices" is an external bluff and insurance, isn't it? In short, what was hidden in the treasure trove was a child more important than the gold and silver treasure.... It's a common story, but then I've said that both my parents and children will obey me, so I gave them a name and thought about setting up a 'transfer magic device', mostly after listening to an earthquake night stunt, and asked Chloe, Joey and Fiore, who were with me, to stop talking (I tried to pay a stopping fee, but they all refrained from receiving it). This can be the truth about the 'metamagic device'. When we reunited once and for all, Hui Night recalled the night of the earthquake. "Well, then the remnants are spared, but it's time to do the metastasis. Are you ready? "It's okay." "Yes, sir" "Then it's an earthquake night. I'm transferring the princesses to the country of Cilento. Can you do that? "- Nah." "No problem. Well, have a good trip." At that moment, when the night of the earthquake shouted, the rainbow light covered our entire bodies. After a moment of levitation, we were moving from the southern end of the continent to the northern end.

第一話 御前会議 常闇の国、 「遅れてすみません。勅命により参上しました、レヴァンですが......」 御前会議の名目で召喚を受けやってきたクレス自由同盟国の盟主(仮)である、獅子の獣人レヴァンは、案内された数多ある 「やあ......来たね、レヴァン」 どことなく疲れた様子で、力なく手招きをしている緋雪――黒に赤薔薇をあしらった豪奢なワンショルダーのドレスを着ているが、本人の美貌がそれを遥かに上回るので、これでもまだ地味に思える――の姿に非常に嫌な予感を覚えながらも、室内に足を踏み入れた。 ふわふわと雲の上を歩いているような弾力の床(絨毯ではなくて床の材質が未知のものらしい)に悪戦苦闘しながら、指定された肘掛つきの豪華な椅子――コラード国王の隣だったので、軽く挨拶をすると、どこか諦めたような顔での挨拶が返ってきた。これでさらに内心で警戒のレベルを上げつつ――に座る。 どうやらレヴァンの到着が最後だったらしい。緋雪が立ち上がり、集まった面々の顔を見回した。 「えーと、みんなに集まってもらったのは他でもなく...」 そこで、コラード国王が遠慮がちに手を上げた。 「あの、よろしいでしょうか?」 「貴様っ、姫のお言葉の途中で――!」 を、「まあまあ、今日は非公式な場だから」と慣れた様子で緋雪がなだめ、しぶしぶ矛を収めさせる。 「いいでしょう、直奏を許可します。他の者も、本日、この場限りにおいては許可いたしますが、特例であることを、ゆめゆめ弁えるように」 納得しかねる様子の天涯に代わって、 「はあ、ありがたき幸せにございます」 コラード国王以下その場にいた者が一礼したので、レヴァンも慌ててあわせる。 「それで、お聞きしたいのは本日は御前会議と伺ったのですが、集まったのは我々だけなのでしょうか?」 「そうだよ」 「えっ」 あっさり頷いた緋雪に、思わず驚愕の声をあげると、 「......他の重臣の皆様方がいらっしゃらないようですが、宜しいのでしょうか?」 重ねて問いかけるコラード国王の態度に、実は内心、初対面の時から『軟弱そうな男だな』と思っていたレヴァンだったのだが、その先入観を180度改めることにした。 さすがは一国を支える国王だけあって、たいした胆力である、と。 一方、聞かれた緋雪の方は、なぜか遠い目をして、 「いや、一応この前、正式な御前会議は、円卓の魔将以下、列強と呼ばれる主だった実力者や、世界樹の森や基底湖の長とか集めて行ったんだけどさ。――あ、議題は『今後の 「なるほど、興味深い議題ですね」 コラード国王同様、頷いてレヴァンも身を乗り出した。 「んで、壮絶な議論(殴り合い)の末、『全部征服しちゃえば問題ないじゃん』という結論に達したわけなんだけど」 ずるっと椅子に座ったまま、コラード国王とレヴァンの二人がこけた。 「私が指揮を執って全軍で侵略するのと、主要国をピンポイントで破壊するのと、全員好き勝手に暴れるのとで意見が対立してねぇ。最終的な決断が私のところに持ち込まれたわけなんだけど。――どーしたもんだろうね。そこらへん、現地の意見も取り入れたいので、君たちを呼んだわけなんだけど」 「......いや、あの、世界征服とか簡単におっしゃいますが、そもそも可能なのでしょうか?」 「ん? 可能だよ。てゆーか、破壊だけなら天涯一人でも2ヶ月もあれば可能なんじゃないかな?」 事もなげに答える緋雪の後を受けて、天涯が胸を張った。 「左様でございますな。1月と言いたい所ですが、森羅万象根こそぎとなると、そのくらいはかかるかと」 「ちなみに全軍を投入したら、グラウィオール帝国クラスでも分単位で倒せる思うよ」 いささかの誇張もない、水が高いところから低いところへ流れるのを説明するような、緋雪の自然な口調と、当然だという周囲の雰囲気に、それがまぎれもない事実だと悟った二人――コラード国王とレヴァンが、お互いに血の気の失せた顔を見合わせる。 いやぁ、なんか一人で核のボタン握ってる気分だねぇ、はははははっ......と訳のわからない感想を付け加えて、から笑いをする緋雪。 「まあ、不安要素と言えば、らぽっくさんを始めプレーヤー達と神様を名乗るその黒幕の存在かな?――まあ、神の定義なんて様々だけど、やってることの質の低さから見て、中身は人間だと思うけどさ」 「そのあたりを確認する意味合いを込めて、この世界に火を放てばよろしいのでは?」 空穂が事もなげに提案をする。 なんかネズミを燻り出す感覚で、世界が危機に陥っている。 その事実を前に、戦慄するコラード国王とレヴァンの二人。あと、実はほかならぬ緋雪自身が、一番恐怖しているのだが、そうした感情が何周か回りすぎて、すでにメーターが壊れまくっているので、見た目には平然と笑っていうようにしか見えない。 で、それを見て、円卓メンバーや列強の実力者たちは、『さすがは姫、この程度のことは笑い事であるか』と大いに感じ入って、盛大な勘違いをさらに深めたわけだったりするのだが。 「まあ、そーいうことでさ、なんか意見があれば聞きたいんだけど?」 もう諦めた。世界征服でもなんでもすりゃいいじゃん。という投げ遣りな気分で、二人に水を向ける緋雪。 「あの、そういう直観暴力に頼るやり方以外で、平和的に解決できないでしょうか?」 恐る恐る提言するコラード国王に対して、 「姫が支配する世界こそが恒久平和であろう。愚か者が」 「平和というのは戦と戦の間の準備期間でしょう」 天涯と命都が小馬鹿にしたように答える。 他の者も概ね『平和? なにそれ美味いの?』という反応である。 自身の無力を悟って沈黙したコラード国王に代わって、レヴァンが手をあげた。 「あの、そもそもの疑問なのですが、なんでそんな会議を開くことになったのでしょうか?」 ややあって、ポンと手を打った。 「――思い出した。なんか最近、ヒマだからなんか暇つぶししたいねぇ、と私が言ったら、いつの間に御前会議とかなんとか大事になったんだっけ」 『貴女が元凶なんですか!?』 と、言いたげな表情で固まる、レヴァンとコラード国王の二人。 「――いや、他にやることはいっぱいあると思うんですが」 それをぐっと飲み込んでレヴァンは訴えかけた。 「......例えば?」 訊かれてレヴァンは考え込んだ。はっきり言って国の舵取りとか問題だらけで、それこそやることは山積みなのだが、個別案件について相談しても意味がないだろう。だいたいその辺りの裁量は、 宗主国の国主に持ち込むなら、問題はもっと根本的なところだろう。 そう、一言で言うなら―― 「うちの国って貧乏なんですが、これってどうにかなりませんかね?」 実感の篭った切実な響きに、半分他人事で世界征服とか言っていた緋雪も、目が覚めたような顔で姿勢を正した。 「ああ、うん。そうだね、貧乏は嫌だねぇ」 うんうん、わかるよぉ......としみじみ言われ、予想外の好感触にレヴァンは内心首を捻った。 子供に飴玉でもあげる調子であっさりと言われて、レヴァンと隣のコラード国王が慌てて、さすがに今度は口に出して止める。 「いやいやいやいや!」 「やめて下さいっ。そんなことをすれば市場が大混乱になります!」 「で、できれば我々獣人族や亜人族が自立できる国家体制造りの支援をお願いしたいのですが」 冷や汗を流しながらのレヴァンの懇願に、緋雪は首を捻った。 「自立ねえ。――いまのままだと難しいの?」 「正直言って、食うだけで精一杯ですね。それすら穀倉地帯を抱えていたケンスルーナ側が帝国に押さえられたせいで、事欠く有様です」 ふむ、確かにあの荒野ばかりでは農業も産業も育ちようがなさそうだねぇ、と思いながら思いつくままを緋雪は口に出した。 「特産品これといってありませんね。鉱山とかは山が聖地の場所も多いので、おいそれとは掘れませんね」 「まあ、強いて挙げるなら獣人族そのものが資源でしょうか。外貨の獲得手段としては、他国で傭兵や冒険者などをして稼ぐのが唯一くらいですので」 コラード国王がすかさず言い添える。 「なるほどねえ。基本的に内需も外需もほぼ壊滅なわけか。ねえ、コラード国王、君がここの国王だったらどうするの?」 水を向けられたコラード国王は、前もって準備していたかのようにスラスラと答えた。 「やはり農業基盤の整備しょうね。まったく水源がないわけではないので、その傍に水路等で水を引き、徐々に穀倉地帯を増やす。あとはやはり人材の育成でしょうね。国内で無理であれば、他国へ国費留学生を送るなどして、将来の国の舵取りをする人材を育てる。これは必要不可欠でしょう」 「う~~ん、長期的なスパンで見ればそれがベストなんだろうけど、もっと短期的な計画とかないかな?」 「......難しいですね。これといって産業も、観光になる目玉もありませんし、地理的にも貿易の基幹はおろか中継ぎにもなりませんから」 けんもほろほろなコラード国王の言葉に、目に見えて意気消沈するレヴァン。 緋雪の脳裏に描かれたビジョンには地球のドバイのような、砂漠の中で発達した国家が描かれていたのだが、あそこは観光ではなくて基本的に貿易の中継地として発達した側面が強いので、単純に人工的な(某ネズミの棲家やカジノのような)観光地を作っても、先細りするだけだろう。 「せめて、帝国と自由貿易でも行えれば、新たな貿易路として発展する要素もあったのですが」 とは言え、ないものねだりをしても仕方がない。 「取りあえず、農地の拡充と人材の育成かな」 そんな感じで、この日の御前会議は有耶無耶に終わり、結局、世界征服とかの話題が棚上げされたままだと緋雪が気付いたのは、コラード国王とレヴァンの二人が退席した後だった。

64 First Story, Your Meeting. Everlasting Dark Country, Crimson Empire Imperial Crimson Country, Aerial Garden "Vacant Red Jade Castle". "Sorry I'm late. I came to life, Levan..." Levan, the beast of the lion, the leader (tentative) of the Free Alliance of Cress, who has been summoned in the name of your previous meeting, said that the size and ruggedness of the many Scarlet Snow (Hiyuki) private rooms that were guided are far above the sight of the nations on earth. It is also a tremendous building block toy to compare to - in a peeking indoors through the entrance to, the vast indoors of Scarlet Snow and its belly of the Four Wesen, King Collard of the Republic of Amitia, the foreign representative, and only a few others made me look kyotonous. "Hey... you're here, Levan" I stepped indoors, having a very bad feeling about the appearance of Scarlet Snow - a luxurious one-shoulder dress with red roses in black, but this still seems plain, as his beauty far exceeds it - who is somewhat tired and inviting without force. A luxurious chair with a designated elbow hanging - next to King Collard - in a vicious struggle against a floor of elasticity (which seems to have unknown floor material, not a carpet) walking on the cloud, so when I greeted him lightly, he returned a greeting with a face somewhere like he gave up. Now we are raising the level of vigilance even deeper inside - sitting down. Apparently, Levan's arrival was the last. Scarlet snow rose and looked around at the face of the gathered face. "Er, there's nothing else that has gotten us all together..." So King Collard reluctantly raised his hand. "Um, may I? "You, in the middle of the princess's words -!" "Well, it's an informal place today," he said, accustomed to snow and scarlet. "Fine, I'll allow direct music. Others will be allowed to do so today, but please allow me to say that it is a special case." On behalf of the heavenly life of the unconvincing appearance, Life Capital (Miko and) conveyed it in a resolute voice. "Oh, thank you. I'm happy." King Collard and those who were on the spot gave thanks, so Levan hastened to join him. "So, the only thing I'd like to ask you is, I asked you about your meeting today, are we the only ones who got together? "Yes, I am." "Eh." To the lightly nodded scarlet snow, I accidentally raise my dismay, from everyone on the side of the Crimson Empire Imperial Crimson, "Do you have any complaints about what the princess said, I'll kill you! 'Levan shrunk to the spot as his gaze was released simultaneously and he rushed to a loving laugh. "... it seems that there are no other heavy ministers, may I? To King Collard's attitude of overlapping inquiries, it was actually Levan who, from the first time he met, thought, 'You look like a weak man,' but decided to change that preconception 180 degrees. That's just the king supporting a country, a lot of guts, he said. On the other hand, if you are asked about scarlet snow, for some reason, you have a distant eye. "No, once before this, the formal meeting of your Majesty gathered the powerful who were the Lord known as the Legion of Strength below the Demon General of the Round Table, as well as the heads of the World Tree Forest and the underlying lake. - The agenda is about the future position of the Crimson Imperial Empire in this world." "Well, that's an interesting agenda" Like King Collard, he nodded and Levan embarked on himself. "Well, after a spectacular argument (a beating), I came to the conclusion that 'if you conquer it all, you'll have no problem'" Two men, King Collard and Levan, sat in a chair the whole time. "There's no conflict of opinion between me taking command and invading with the whole army and pinpointing the main country and all of us rambling on as we please. The final decision was brought to me. - I wonder where he went. I wanted to incorporate local opinions, so I called you guys." "... No, you know, you briefly said world conquest or something, is it possible in the first place? "Hmm? It's possible. So, if it's just destruction, it's possible if you're alone in heaven or two months? Heaven stretched his chest after Scarlet Snow answering beforehand. "Thank you, Mr. Left. I'd like to say January, but I was wondering if it would take as long as it takes to become the root of Morinawa." "By the way, if we put all the troops in, we could take them down in the Gravior Empire class on a minute basis." There is no exaggeration whatsoever, the natural tone of scarlet snow, which explains the flow of water from high to low, and the surrounding atmosphere that is natural, the two who realized that it was an irresistible fact - King Collard and Levan face each other with a bloody loss of heart. Hey, I feel like I'm holding a nuclear button all by myself, hahaha...... scarlet snow laughing from, adding an unexplained feeling. "Well, speaking of the anxiety element, is it the existence of that mastermind that names God with the players, starting with Lapokusan? - Well, the definition of God varies, but from the low quality of what we're doing, I think the contents are human." "With the implication of confirming the area, why don't we set fire to this world? Akaho makes a suggestion in advance. The world is in crisis with some sense of smoking out rats. Before that fact, two warring King Collard and Levan. And, in fact, the other Scarlet Snow herself is the one I'm most afraid of, but since those emotions have been around too many times and the meter is already broken, it just seems like a flat laugh to me. So, when I look at it, the members of the round table and the powerful men of the line might feel a lot like, "That's the princess, is this a laugh?" to further the grand mistake. "Well, that's it, if you have any opinions? I've already given up. You can conquer the world or whatever. Scarlet snow pointing water at both of us in a throwing mood that "Um, other than that way of relying on intuitive violence, can't it be resolved peacefully? against King Collard, who makes a terrible recommendation, "It is the world ruled by the princess that will be permanent peace. A fool." "Peace will be the period of preparation between war and war." Answer as Heaven and Life Capital made a fool of themselves. Others generally say, "Peace? What's that delicious? 'It is a reaction. Levan raised his hand on behalf of King Collard, who became aware of his helplessness and was silent. "Um, my question in the first place is, why were we supposed to have such a meeting? Slightly, I hit Pong and his hand. "- I remember. When did you manage to take care of your meeting recently when I told you I wanted to spare some time because I was a hippo?" "Are you the culprit!?" And, solidified with an unspoken look, two of King Levan and King Collard. "- No, I think there's plenty more to do." Swallow it all the way down and Levan almost sued. "... for example? When asked, Levan thought about it. Clearly, there are problems at the helm of the country and so on, and that's the pile of things to do, but it wouldn't make sense to consult on individual projects. By and large, it's up to Cress (here) to exercise her discretion. If we were to bring it to the lord of the Sovereign Nation, the problem would be more fundamental. Yes, in a nutshell... "My country is poor, can you do anything about this? Scarlet Snow, who said that he had conquered the world with half other personnel and so on, also corrected his posture with a face like he woke up. "Oh, yeah. Right, I don't like poverty." Yeah, yeah, I get it... he smugly said, and Levan twisted his inner neck to an unexpected fondness. I was told lightly at the same rate that I would give my child a candy ball, and Levan and his neighbor King Collard panicked, and now I just put it in my mouth and stop it. "No, no, no, no! "Please don't. Doing that would wreak havoc on the market! "So, if I may, I'd like to ask you to help us create a national system that allows us beasts and sub-peoples to become independent." Scarlet Snow twisted her neck to Levan's plea as she sweated cold. "I'm not independent. - Is it hard to keep it that way? "To be honest, you're just the best you can eat. The Kensruna side, which even had a barn zone, was held up by the Empire, and it seems to be lacking." Hmm, it sure doesn't seem like agriculture or industry can grow in all that wilderness, and Scarlet Snow put it in his mouth to think. "Specialties. You're not saying this. There are so many places in the sanctuary that you can't dig a mine or something." "Well, if you are strong enough to mention it, is the Beastmen themselves a resource? Because the only way to acquire foreign currency is to earn money from mercenaries, adventurers, etc., in other countries." King Collard is quick to say. "I see. Is domestic and external demand basically almost devastating? Hey, King Collard, what would you do if you were the king here? King Collard, pointing at the water, replied slushly as if he had been prepared in advance. "We should still develop our agricultural infrastructure. There is no water source at all, so pull water by the waterways, etc. and gradually increase the barn zone. The rest would still be the development of human resources. If it is not possible domestically, train people to take the helm of the country in the future, such as sending students to other countries for national expenses. This will be essential." "Uh-huh, I guess that's best in the long term span, but don't you have a shorter plan or something? "... that's hard. There's no industry, no eyeballs to tourism, no geography, no trade backbone to relay." Levan is visibly depressed by King Kollard's words. The vision painted behind Scarlet Snow's brain depicted a nation that developed in the desert, like Dubai on Earth, but there is a strong aspect that basically developed as a relay for trade, not tourism, so even if you simply create an artificial (like a rat habitat or casino) tourist destination, it would just slim ahead. "At the very least, there were elements that would develop as new trade routes if they could also be done in free trade with the Empire." That said, I can't help but screw around. "In the meantime, I guess expanding agricultural land and developing human resources" As such, the meeting before this day ended in Ariel, and in the end, Scarlet Snow realized that topics such as world conquest remained shelved after the departure of King Collard and two Levans.

の相手をしなくても? まだ健在で大暴れしていると思いますけど......ああ、それとも私に逢う為に大急ぎで駆けつけたため、それどころでなかったと? いやいや、男冥利に尽きますね~」 ふっと甘いため息をついて微笑むしまさん。 そう言ってもしまさんは特に困った様子もなく、大仰なジェスチャーで肩をすくめる。 「そうそう上手く行きますかね。......まあ、万一アレが敗れても、いくらでも替えは利きますから、どーでもいいですけど」 「私からも一つ訊いていいかな?」 「ええ、3サイズ以外なら」 うん。とっても残念なイケメンだね。そう思ったらなんか急激に冷えたよ。 「わざわざここまで乗り込んできた理由を教えてもらえないかな?」 「はっはっはっ。そんなもの緋雪ちゃんの下着をいただきに参上したに決まってますよ」 「......それでこの場で回れ右するなら、パンツくらい脱いであげるけど?」 本気でスカートの下に手を入れて、片膝20センチくらい上のところまでずり下ろした。 まさかそう来るとは予想してなかったのだろう。一瞬キョドったしまさんは、「......う~~ん」と腕組みして煩悶した後、握った両手を前に突き出して親指を立てた。 でもって、やたらいい笑顔で、 「うそです」 と告白した。 「うん。わかってるよ。本当のところはなんなわけ?」 パンツを戻しながらのボクの質問に、妙に真面目な顔でしまさんが感想を述べた。 「――緋雪ちゃん、えらくスケスケで派手なパンツ穿いてるんだねぇ」 ほっとけ!というかこれはボクの趣味でなくて、命都たちに勝手に穿かされたものだよ! 「取りあえず喋る気がないなら、問答無用でぶった斬るけど......というか、なんか無駄な気がするんで、もう斬るわ」 この相手と会話するだけ無駄と判断して、ボクは『 「ダーク・シー......どわ?!」 んなものチンタラ唱えさせるわけがない。一撃で首を刈りにいったけれど、間一髪展開しかかっていた 全身をズタズタに裂かれたしまさんの身体が空中に溶けた。 魔導師 が激突して、しまさんをそのまま押し込む。廊下を一気に走破して、突き当りの壁に激突。なおも勢いは止まらずに、分厚い壁を粉砕して、しまさんごともつれ合って飛び込んだ先は、見慣れた玉座の間だった。 もうもうたる粉塵の中、瓦礫を跳ね飛ばしてうつ伏せに倒れた姿勢から、上半身を起こしたしまさんが喜色満面に前方の玉座を見た。 「......へええ。ここが目的地だったんだ。どんな魂胆があるわけ?」 「ん――?」 自分の真下からの問い掛けに、しまさんの視線が90度下がった。 そこで自分がクッションにしている相手――つまりボク――と目が合い、ついでにその右手が掴んでいるもの――ボクの左胸――に気が付いたらしい。 妙な間を置いて、右手がふにふにと何か確認するように握られた。 「......64、75のA?」 「62、76のBだよ――この!」 獣王に習った剄と呼吸法を利用して、巴投げの要領で一気に蹴り上げた。 「――うおっと」 そのまま利き手を取って床に叩き付けようとしたんだけど、さすがの反射神経で残りの手足のバネで、叩き付けたところの威力を殺された。そのまま力任せに掴んでいた右手を放される。 「緋雪ちゃん、いまのって拳士系スキル? 立ち上がりながら首を捻る、しまさん。 「スキルじゃないよ。こっちの世界に来てから覚えた技術」 すると、なぜか、しませんが怪訝な顔で瞬きをしていた。 「『この世界の来てから』って......緋雪さんも、アイツに生み出されたんですよね?」 「違うよ」 ボクの否定の言葉に、ますます困惑した顔で重ねて訊いてきた。 「それ本当? ......緋雪ちゃんの本名ってなんていうんですか?」 「それってマナー違反じゃない」 思わず苦笑が漏れる。まあ、いまさらネチケットを云々言うのも変な話だとは思うけど、いまじゃこの『緋雪』が自分なんだし、正直、転生前の自分の名前なんてどうでもいい。 そうした内心が顔に出ていたのだろう。しまさんは困った顔で、自分自身を指した。 「......藍子ねえ。女みたいな名前だねぇ」 まあ、ボクの本名も実は 「ええ、女ですから」 「――いやいや! これは冗談じゃなくて、本当に真偽不明なんですよ」 で受け止めたしまさんが、鍔迫り合いの姿勢から早口で捲くし立てる。 「私にはアイツに生み出された際の情報として、それだけしか与えられていないんですよ。残りは 訊かれてボクは改めて首を横に振った。 「違うよ。物心ついてからの記憶もある......まあ、碌なモノじゃないけどね。その上で、あの世界の自分は死んで、どーいうわけかここに『緋雪』として存在している。わけがわからないけど、あるものは、あると受け入れて、現在ここにいる、それだけだよ」 「無関係だよ。まあ、なんでか勝手に手出ししてくるけど――って、しまさんこそ黒幕の手下じゃないの?」 てっきり今回の件も黒幕絡みかと思ってたんだけど、違うのかな? 「まさか!」 思いっきり嫌そうな顔で否定された。 「あんな奴に従う義理はないですね。それを偉そうに命令しようとしたので、思いっきり暴れ回った結果、封印されたわけなんですけど......」 本当かなぁ? 「......どちらにせよ、お互いに証明する手段はありませんね」 「そうだね。具体的な証拠がない、自己申告だけでは信じられないねぇ」 俗に言う『悪魔の証明』ってやつかな? 「緋雪ちゃんがアイツの配下でないのなら、できればいまからでも協力してアイツを斃す手助けをして欲しいところですが......」 未練がましく誘いかけるしまさん。 「そーだね。しまさんがいままで殺した全員を生き返らせたら話し合ってもいいよ」 にっこり笑って譲歩案を提示する。 「......つまり協力は無理と言うことですか。私としては、アイツが作り上げたこの世界の住人など、ことごとく屠ってもなんら痛痒を感じませんので」 「うん。その考え方だと絶対に妥協できないねぇ。なので、結論として、やっぱ敵だね」 お互いの立ち位置を確認しあったところで、示し合わせたようにゼロ距離で、しまさんの闇魔法『ダーク・ヘキサグラム』と、ボクの光魔法『ホーリー・サークル』が激突した。

"Do you mind if I don't deal with the Abandoned Dragon (Nidheck)? I think he's still alive and furious... Oh, or did he say it wasn't the other way around because he rushed to meet me? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no Shima smiles with a sweet sigh. Having said that, Shima doesn't look particularly troubled, and shrugs her shoulders with a lofty gesture. "Is that how it goes?... Well, in case you lose, you can replace it as much as you want." "Can I ask you one thing, too? "Yeah, if it's other than three sizes" Yeah. You're a very sorry good-looking guy. When I thought of it, it got very cold. "Can you tell me why you've bothered to get in here? "Ha, ha. I've decided to go up and get Scarlet Snow's underwear." "... so turn around on this spot. If you want to right, I'll take off your pants for you? I seriously put my hand under my skirt and slipped it down to about 20 cm above one knee. I guess I didn't expect that to happen. Shima, who shook for a moment, was tired of arming herself with "... uh-huh," then thumbed up with her gripping hands protruding forward. But if I did, I'd smile. "It's a lie." confessed. "Yeah. I know. What's the truth? Shima expressed her thoughts with a strangely serious face on my question as I put my pants back. "- Scarlet Snow, you're probably wearing sketchy, flashy pants." Leave me alone! Or this isn't my hobby, it's something worn on my own by the Capitals of Life! "If you're not willing to talk to me for now, I'll slash you without question... or I feel like I'm wasted, so I'll slash you already" Deciding it was useless to just talk to this other person, I dared Dash at the same time as I set up "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)". Get on top speed at once. "Dark Sea... Dowa?! There's no way you can make me chant. The Dark Shield (Dark Shield), which went to mow his neck with a single blow but was stretched out, is prevented by Shima-san's favorite snake-bellied sword (Gallian Sword). Shima's body dissolved in the air, tearing her whole body into a rattle. Magic Instructor (Warlock) Skill "Shadow Branch" - then the main unit was teleported... there! Once again, the Rose Sinner (Jill de Leye) and the Snake Belly Sword (Galliansword) clash and push Shima straight in. Run through the hallway all at once and clash against the wall of punctuation. Still, the momentum did not stop, crushing the thick walls and jumping in with each shima was between the familiar thrones. Shima, who woke up her upper body, saw the front throne on a delightful surface from a position in which she jumped debris and fell to depression in the dust that was about to fall. "... heh. This was the destination. What kind of soul dare you? "Mm-hmm?" Shima's gaze dropped 90 degrees to an inquiry from directly below her. So he looked at the person he was cushioning - that is, me - and finally noticed what his right hand was grabbing - my left chest. Placing a strange time between them, my right hand was gripped to confirm something to the fu. "... A of 64, 75? "It's a B of 62, 76 - this! He kicked it up once and for all under the bar-throwing procedure, using the bamboo and breathing methods he had learned from the Beast King. "- Whoa." I tried to take my dominant hand as it was and slap it on the floor, but with the rest of my hand and foot spring with just a reflex nerve, they killed the power where I slapped it. Let go of my right hand, which I was grabbing at the mercy of my strength as it was. "Scarlet Snow, what are you, a fist based skill? Were you using it in" E. H. O. "and" Eternal Horizon Online "? Twist your neck as you stand up, Shima. "It's not a skill. Technology I've remembered since I came to this world." Then, for some reason, I wouldn't, but he was blinking with a strange face. "'Since the coming of this world'... Scarlet Snow was also created by him, wasn't he? "No, I'm not." My words of denial were repeatedly asked with an increasingly puzzled face. "Is that true?... What's Scarlet Snow's real name? "That's not a violation of manners." Unexpectedly leaks a bitter laugh. Well, I know it's weird to talk about netiquettes, but now this Scarlet Snow is me, and honestly, I don't care what my name was before I was reincarnated. I guess those insides were on my face. Shima looked in trouble and pointed to herself. "... blue boy. That's a woman's name." Well, my real name is actually just literal, so I don't think it's a bit like a man. "Yeah, I'm a woman." "- No, no, no! This is not a joke, it's really not true." Shima-san, who received it with a snake-bellied sword (Gallian sword) that was placed obliquely, curls and stands fast from his impending posture. "That's all I'm given as information when it's created in him. The rest are only pseudo-memories made from conversation logs in" E. H. O "and" Eternal Horizon Online ". Backbone in the real world is empty. So I can't even tell if I'm really a man or a woman. But isn't Scarlet Snow? When asked, I shook my head beside him again. "No, I'm not. I have memories of it since I was tempted... well, it's not a busy thing. On top of that, the self in that world is dead and somehow exists here as' Scarlet Snow '. I don't know why, but there's something, accept that there is, and I'm here right now, that's all." "It's irrelevant. Well, for some reason, I'm on my own. - Isn't Shima the one working for the mastermind? I thought this whole thing was a mastermind tangle, too, but isn't it? "No way!" He was denied it with a disgusting face as much as he wanted. "You don't have the in-laws to follow a guy like that. I tried to order that greatly, so it was sealed as a result of rambling around as much as I wanted..." I wonder if that's true? "... Either way, you don't have the means to prove it to each other" "Right. I don't have any concrete evidence, I can't believe it's just self-declaration." Is that what you commonly call "demon proof"? "If Scarlet Snow isn't under his command, I'd like you to help me kill him now if you can..." Uncondescending lure Shima. "That's right. If Shima brings everyone she's killed back to life, we can discuss it." Laugh and present the proposed concession. "... you mean that cooperation is not possible? As far as I'm concerned, I don't get any itching from slaughtering all the people in this world that he created." "Yeah. You can never compromise if that's the way you think. So it turns out, you're the enemy." Where we checked each other's standing, at zero distance, as shown, Shima's dark magic "Dark Hexagram" and my light magic "Holly Circle" clashed.

第二話 暗中模索 「うおおおおおっ、姫様に続けーっ!!」 「インペリアル・クリムゾンも栄光あれーっ!!」 「我らが至高の主、緋雪様に勝利をーっ!!」 『――勝利を!!!』 様々な歓声が玉座の間にこだまし、最終的に一つにまとまった。 ・・・なんでこんなにノリがいいの、この 気が付いたときには事態にすでにボクのコントロールを外れ――いや、始めから暴走しっ放しでコントロールできたためしはないんだけどさ――なにか取り返しの付かないところまで来ていた。 「さすがは姫様、見事なお言葉です」 がうっとりと微笑み。 「これだけの魔将を前に眉一つ動かすことなく泰然としたあのお姿、さすがは 思わず視線を逸らせる。 勢いで喋って、その後気絶して半分死んでました......とは口が裂けてもいえない。 そして気が付くと魔将たちは、どの国を最初に陥とすか、誰が一番槍を立てるか、人口の何割を残すかなどと物騒な議題で討論を始めていた。 止めるべきなんだろうけど、こいつ等まとめて相手するなんて、それこそ『エターナル・ホライゾン・オンライン』の高レベルプレーヤーが総力戦でもしない限り無理! それなら、もうちょっと現実的な対応として、こいつ等のトップをピンポイントで倒せば・・・って、考えてみればそのトップがボク自身な段階で破綻してるじゃないか!? なんかもうどうなっても状況が詰んでる気がするんですけど?! というかどこか論理がおかしいんだよ! 長いこと不在であった主が復活した。 めでたい!国としてこれで元通り機能できる。 じゃあ派手に戦争して世界征服しようぜ!! ・・・変だろう!? なんでいきなりそういう結論になるわけさ?!? 「難しい顔をされて、どうかされましたか姫?」 「――いや、こうなった説明が欲しいな、と」 心配そうな顔で尋ねてきた はっとした顔で片膝を付く天涯。 「申し訳ございません。姫君の復活に浮かれ肝心な説明を失念しておりました。この罰はいかようにも負う所存でございます」 「謝罪は後にして、説明を先に」お願いします――という言葉を慌てて飲み込む。 はっと一礼して立ち上がった天涯は、カンカンガクガクの討論――というか火だの岩だの魔方陣だのが飛んですでに言語以外でのお話し合いになってる――をしている魔将たちに向き直った。 一喝して、文字通り雷を降らせる。 ・・・これ直撃したらボクなら即死するな。 余波だけでHPの3割以上がごっそり削られた状況を確認して、ボクは無言で自分自身に それに対して直撃を受けた筈の魔将は数%程度のダメージで、議論に水を差された程度の認識でいるんだろう。不承不承黙り込んだ。 「諸君らをこの場へ招聘したのは他でもない、姫のご復活を速やかに伝えるためと、復活を果たされたばかりの姫に、現在の我々...いや虚空紅玉城の置かれた状況を説明してもらうためだ。各自直奏を許可する」 そう言った後、天涯は玉座の前――何段か低くなった床の上に移動して、片膝を立てて跪拝した。 「それでは姫、僭越ながらこの私めから姫が突如お眠りになられた100年前から、現在に至る状況について説明させていただきます」 100年か・・・。人間の感覚だとけっこう前の時代って感じだけど、この世界だと感覚的にどーなんだろう? 「姫のお眠りは我ら臣民のいかなる術、また城にありましたあらゆる薬を飲ませてもまったく効く様子がなく――」 「・・・ちょっと待った。寝てる私にどうやって飲ませたわけ?」 「失礼とは存じましたが、私めが口移しにて行なわせていただきました」 しょ、しょうがないよね。非常時だったんだし、人工呼吸みたいなものだし、それにまだしも相手が色男だったのが幸いだし・・・。 ――とか思った時点で、さらに残った心の中の何か大事なモノが、ゴリゴリ音を立てて削れて行くような気がした。 「また、姫がお隠れになられたことで虚空紅玉城も雲上を漂うこととなったのです」 まあ基本的にコントロール等は所有者以外できないから、たとえギルメンでも―― 「他のギルメン......らぽっくさんや、タメゴローさんは来なかったの?」 ボクはギルドのサブマス2人の名を上げた。 「神人の方々ですか? いえ、残念ながら。それどころか転移魔方陣を始め、転移魔法、果ては飛行による脱出すら不可能になったのです」 その言葉に同意する形で、転移や移動魔法の使える者、それよりももっと手軽に空を飛べる者が各々意見を出してきた。 曰く、もともと妨害魔法の掛かっている虚空紅玉城は別にして、浮遊庭園内での転移は可能であるが、それ以外の場所に行こうとしても術自体が発動しない。 曰く、飛行して浮遊庭園の先に行こうとすると、浮遊庭園を囲む闇に呑まれて気が付くと元の場所に戻ってしまうとのこと(天涯でも突破は無理だったらしい)。 なので浮遊庭園からの脱出は諦め、残った意思の伝達可能な魔物たち86,789名(同じ種類の魔物は倉庫1枠に最大99匹収納可能なため相当数倉庫には眠っていたが、どうやら全て開放された状態になってるらしい)で話し合った結果、魔物たちを暫定的に統治する円卓会議と四凶天王や七禍星獣や十三魔将軍の役職を作り上げたらしい。 ところがボクが眠りについて100年目の今年、異変が起きたらしい。 「・・・違ったのですよ。我々の覚えている地形や国々、魔物の種類が」 そしてある程度の調査を行なった上で円卓会議は結論を下した。 ここは我々の知る世界とは似て非なる世界である、と。

6 Episode Two: Dark Exploration "Whoa, whoa, keep going to the princess -!! "Imperial Crimson is glorious too!! "Victory over our Supreme Lord, Scarlet Snow!! "- Have a victory!!! Various cheers stuck between the thrones and eventually came together in one. ... why so much nori, these demon generals?! By the time I realized it, things were already out of my control - no, I wasn't able to control it from the start by letting it run wild - it was coming to something irrevocable. "That's a brilliant word, Princess" Life Capital smiled. "You are the only one whose concubine recognized you as the Lord, the one who taunted you without moving one eyebrow before you." Unexpectedly distract me from my gaze. He spoke with momentum, then passed out and was half dead... and his mouth can't even rip open. And when they realized it, the Demons were beginning to argue on a noisy agenda about which country to fall first, who would spear the most, and what percentage of the population to leave behind. I know we should stop it, but I can't believe these guys are coming together against us, and that's what I can't do unless the 'Eternal Horizon Online' high-level player is also in total force! Then, as a more realistic response, if you pinpoint the top of these guys... if you think about it, that top is broken at my own stage!? I don't care what happens anymore. I feel the situation is packed?! Something's wrong with logic! The Lord, long absent, was resurrected. Congratulations! As a country, I can function normally with this. Then let's war flashly and conquer the world!! ... that would be weird!? Why do you suddenly come to that conclusion?!? "What have you done with your difficult face, Princess? "- No, I want an explanation for what happened." In the lifetime (Tengai) I asked with a worried face, I spilled my temper with momentum. A lifetime of kneeling with a stiff face. "I'm sorry. Princess, I was floating in your resurrection. I was missing the key explanation. This punishment remains as much as it should be." "Apologize later, explain first," please - and swallow in haste. The heaven rose with a great deal of grace turned to the demon generals who were discussing Kankangaku - or the devil's cube of fire or rock - flying and already discussing it outside the language. Drink one drink and let the lightning fall literally. ... If I hit this straight, I wouldn't die instantly. I silently healed (heeled) myself to see how the aftermath alone caused more than 30% of my HP to shred. I don't have to check. My life is a wind lamp in this place. By contrast, the Demon General, who should have taken a direct hit, is about a few percent damaged, and is probably aware of the extent to which he was watered down by the argument. Accepted. Impersonated. "I have invited you all to this occasion not only to promptly convey the Princess's resurrection, but also to ask the Princess, who has just been resurrected, to explain the current situation in which we... no, the Vacant Red Jade Castle was placed. Allow each direct" After saying that, Heavenly Lifetime moved to the front of the throne - on the floor a few steps lower, standing on one knee and kneeling. "Now, Princess, let me explain the situation to this day from a hundred years before the princess suddenly fell asleep." A hundred years... It feels like a long time ago when it's a human feeling, but it feels like this world. Which is it? "The princess's sleep was in every technique of our people, and in the castle, every drug she took didn't seem to work at all." "... wait a minute. How did you get me to drink when I was asleep? "I know it's rude, but I did it by mouth." Shit, you can't help it, can you? It was an emergency, it's like artificial breathing, and I'm lucky they were still colored men... - or something more important in my mind at the time I thought about it, I felt like I was going to make a gorilla noise and scrape away. "And the fact that the princess was hidden caused the emptiness of Red Jade Castle to drift through the clouds." Well, basically, you can't control anything other than the owner, even if it's Gilmen. "The other Gilmen...... Lapo Kusanya, Mr. Tamegoro didn't come? I named my two guild submas. "Are you the divine people? No, unfortunately. Instead, we started the Metastatic Square, and the Metastatic Magic, at the end of the day, became impossible to escape by flight." In the form of agreeing to that word, each one of us has come up with opinions on who can use metastasis and mobile magic, and who can fly more easily than that. Says, apart from the void Red Jade Castle, which is originally interfering with magic, it is possible to transfer within the floating garden, but the technique itself does not activate even if we try to go elsewhere. Says that if you fly and try to get to the end of the floating garden, you'll be swallowed up by the darkness surrounding the floating garden and when you realize it, you'll go back to where you came from (even in heaven, he couldn't make the breakthrough). So he gave up escaping from the floating garden, and after discussing it in 86,789 communicable demons of the remaining intentions (the same type of demons slept in quite a few warehouses because they can hold up to 99 in one frame of the warehouse, but apparently all are open), he created a round table meeting to tentatively govern the demons and the positions of Four Wesen Heavenly Kings, Seven Disaster Star Beasts and Thirteen Demon General. But in my 100th year of sleep, something strange happened this year. "... it wasn't. The terrain, the countries, the kind of demons we remember." And after doing some research, the Round Table concluded. This is a world similar to the one we know.

第三話 聖堂騎士 イーオン聖王国の虎の子、最強騎士団『 彼らは大教皇直属のエリート部隊であり、それぞれが敬虔な信仰の下、より信仰篤く能力・霊力ともに常人より抜きん出て神の御許に近い、選ばれし聖職者同士の聖婚により生み出された、生まれながらの純血種――『神の下僕』である。 その個々人の技量は冒険者レベルで言えば少なくともS~Aランク、小隊長格でSSランク(中隊長以上になると規定の測定では認定不能となる)。さらにその霊力は全員が国家1~超級という、まさに超人集団である。 さらに付け加えるのなら、全員が身にまとっている揃いの青い鎧兜と盾は、たとえドラゴンのブレスを浴びたところで歪み一つできない 蒼神よ御照覧あれ! 我が騎士団は無敵・常勝! その神意に敵うものなし! 実戦なき最強騎士団が実戦においても真に最強であることを、大陸中の俗人どもに証明してみせましょう! 事実、国境線を越えてから5日。 散発的に襲ってくる吸血鬼どもは、こちらに触れることすらできないまま霊光の一斉掃射で塵も残さず消し去っている。 手応えがなさ過ぎて逆に拍子抜けだが、ここで気を抜くほど彼も彼の部下たちも無能ではなかった。このペースであれば、あと1日2日で大教皇陛下が神より神託を受けたという、吸血鬼どもの首魁のいる『闇の城』とやらへ到着するであろう。 の衝動的な攻撃ではなく、知能を持った吸血鬼どもが手ぐすね引いて待ち構えているのは想像に難くない。真の戦闘はそこからとなるだろう。これまでの戦いは前哨戦と言うのもおこがましい落穂拾いに過ぎかった。 ベルナルドは傾き始めた太陽を仰ぎ見て眉をしかめた。 「止まれ! 日のあるうちに野営の準備を行う。おそらく今夜あたりから本格的な夜戦となるだろう。当初の予定通り3交替で警戒に当たる。外廓に聖印を刻んだ結界石を設置せよ。形態は 「はっ」 即座に伝令が飛ぶのを満足げに眺めていたベルナルドだが、それと入れ替わるように斥候部隊の隊長が緊迫した顔で駆け寄ってきた。 「ご報告いたします。斥候からの報告でこの先の空に異常があるとのことです」 「......異常だと?」 再度上空を仰ぎ見てみるが、彼らの行軍を神が祝福してか抜けるような青空が広がっているばかりである。 「はい。目的地点に近づくにつれて天空に黒雲が広がり始め、およそ30分も歩けばほぼ闇に包まれるとのことです。確認させたところ、目的地を囲んでぐるりと円形に雲が広がっていますので、自然現象ではなくなんらかの魔術によるものと考えられます」 話を聞いていた側近の者達に動揺が走る。 「天候を操る魔術だと?!」 「馬鹿なあり得ん!」 「まやかしではないのか!?」 「落ち着け馬鹿者! 我ら神の信徒はいかなる障害があろうとも――否、試練があればこそ、その信仰に従い乗り越えることに意義がある。さすれば天の門は開かれようっ。それとも、この程度のことで狼狽するほど貴様らの信心は浅いものか!?」 ベルナルドの一喝で、全員が夢から醒めたような顔で己の不明を詫び、その場で神への祈りを捧げた。 「当初の予定通りここで野営の準備を行う。明日からは強行軍だ。第一、第二部隊は私とともに呪われし吸血鬼の本陣を叩く。それ以外は防御に回れ、昼夜のアドバンテージがなくなる以上、おそらく敵は数に物を言わせて波状攻撃を繰り返すだろう。これを凌ぎ切るのが兄弟諸君らの役割だ。主の名において負けることは許さん。わかったな!!」 『了解しました、ブラザー・ベルナルド』 普段の冷静さを取り戻した聖堂騎士たちが一斉に唱和したのを、ベルナルドは満足げに見やった。 その時、彼らの頭上から乾いた拍手の音がした。 慌てて音の出所を探して視線を上げると、いつの間にそこにいたのか、翼の生えた醜悪かつ魁偉な肥満体の巨人の背に立つ一人の男がいた。 まるで夜会の帰りのような、黒のシルクハットに燕尾服、マントに赤い蝶ネクタイをしたその男は、白手袋越しに叩いていた手を止めると、 「いやいや、ご高説ご立派ですね。しかし、こういうのもポジティブっていうんでしょうか。狂信者の思い込みというのは、見ていて面白いものですね」 心底愉しげに眼下の騎士達を見回して笑い声をあげる。 決して大きな声ではないというのに、なぜか全員の耳に届いたその声に、何人かの隊長格の騎士達が、はっとした顔で周囲に警戒を促した。 その叫びに全員が聖教の一部を唱え精神耐性を向上させた。 「おやおや、よく仕込んだものですね。それにしても神様ごっことは、まったく奴も趣味が悪い......いやしかし、あれを神と奉るんですから皆さんもご苦労様ですね」 「貴様、何者だっ?」 ベルナルドは手信号で全員に戦闘態勢をとらせながら、慎重に体内の霊気を全身に循環させつつ、頭上の男に問い掛けた。 化物の上で、はははははっと陽気に 「――おっと、ご挨拶が遅れて申し訳ありません。口で説明するのは面倒なのですが私は、パーレン・アクサン・アポストロフィ・オーム...まあ、ここから折り返しになるので省きますが、あなた方が目的にしている城の主です。コンゴトモヨロシク」 そういって気軽にシルクハットを持ち上げる。 「貴様が首魁か!! 全軍第一次戦闘態勢! 5,000人からなる聖光が、雨あられとパーレンと名乗った男に向け発射された。 慌てた様子もなく、パチンと がその闇を突破できずに輝きを失うが、隊長格の放ったものはさすがと言うべきか、その守りをものともせず次々と巨人に命中して明確なダメージを与えた。 『GUAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!』 ひときわ強烈な咆哮を轟かせた巨人が、空中からやや離れた地面へと墜落する。 「おおっ!」 「やったか!!」 「見よ! 我等の神意を!」 「気を抜くな! まだとどめに至っておらんぞ!」 各隊長が喝采を上げる部下の手綱を締めると同時に、地面に蹲っていた巨人が憤怒の表情も凄まじく、その場に立ち上がると同時に、荒々しく両足で 身の丈15mを越える腰巻を巻いただけの肥満体の巨人の足踏みに、ずしんずしんと地面が激しく揺れる。 どうやらある程度のダメージは与えたようだが、致命傷には程遠く、逆に相手の怒りに火をつけた形となったようだ。 「はっはっは。やはり属性的に光相手は辛いですね。まさかプレーヤーでもないNPCの成れの果てに突破されるとは」 その足元に、こちらは無傷のパーレンが佇む。 「お陰で私の可愛いグレンデルの玉のお肌に ちなみにこのグレンデルが腰に巻いているのは腰巻ではなくマワシである。 「まったく、こんな愛嬌のあるグレンデルちゃんを『可愛くない』と言って 嘆かわしい、という風に仮面越しに右手で顔を覆って首を振るパーレン。 同時に、ぐっと上半身を沈めたグレンデルが、両手を地面につけて立ち合いの姿勢になった。 「よし! 時間いっぱい待ったなし! ――行きなさいっ、魔法の横綱・マジカル★ちゃんこちゃん!!」 『GUOOOOOOH!!!!』 グレンデルは雄叫びをあげ、猛然たる勢いで正面から を真正面から受けるとあれば、通常であれば泡を食って逃げるところであろうが、どの騎士達も動揺した様子もなく、手にした十字剣を素早く地面に突き刺して霊力を練り上げた。 「緊縛結界発動!! 強度S級! 各自押し込め!! 我らに神のご加護があることを忘れるな! 聖堂騎士の誇りに掛けて、忌まわしき怪物を討ち果たせ!」 「おおーっ!!」 聖堂騎士達が一斉に雄叫びをあげて、練り上げた緊縛結界を迫り来るグレンデルに向け、次々と放つ。 光でできた鎖のようなモノがグレンデルの全身に絡みつくが、無造作にそれを引きちぎりながら前進を止めない。 だが、まったく効果がないかというとそんなこともなく、明らかにその勢いが落ちていた。 もう一歩で先頭に手が届く――というところで、鋼のような声が戦場を支配した。 全身からあふれ出る黄金色の 防御を捨て2本の剣を同時に振るうこの姿こそ、ベルナルドの本気の姿であった。 右手の剣を上段から斬り落とし、斬り上げ、袈裟蹴りから5連続突き。 堪らず両膝をついたところを左手の剣が水平に腹部を切り裂き、途中で手首を返して真上に斬り裂く。 抜き出た刃を水平に構えて、「はああ!!」ドリルのように回転する ぐがしゃっ!!という破砕音と衝撃波を迸らせ、剣が根元どころか握った二の腕まで腹部を貫通し、自身の8倍はあろかという巨体を吹き飛ばした。 白目を剥いて吐血しながらも踏みとどまろうとするグレンデルに向け、再度 その途端、再び乾いた拍手の音が鳴り響いた。 「いやはや、ブラボー、素晴らしい。有象無象の集団かと思ってましたが、フィールドボスのちゃんこちゃんを斃すとはたいしたものですね。これは皆さんもぜひ私の王国の住人になっていただきたいものです」 つまり吸血鬼たる自分の眷属にするという宣言に、気色ばむ聖堂騎士たち。 「ふざけるなっ。神の恩寵からこぼれし闇の住人よ。蒼神の御名において、この場で討ち滅ぼしてくれる!!」 「はっはっはっはっ。まあ頑張ってください。ファイトです」 を放つ体勢になる聖堂騎士たちだが、その瞬間、彼らを取り囲むようにして次々と地面を割って吸血鬼たちが現れると同時に、躍り掛かってきた。 「ちっ! なんて数だ」 ざっと数えただけでも万に達しようかという数である。 しかも日が沈み始めたとあって、動きの早さが日中遭遇した 素早く固まった聖堂騎士たちが、向かい来る吸血鬼たち――ほとんどが第二世代から第三世代の知性ある眷属である――相手に奮戦しているのを眺めながら、 「さすがさすが。この分なら15分も保たないで全滅かな。ま、補充はいくらでもできるし、取りあえず挨拶は済ませたところで、今日は帰りますノシ」 パーレンはその場で踵を返した。 「ま、待て! 貴様っ」 逃すまいと間断的に 「ほ~ら捕まえてごらんなさいホホホホ~」 その上わざとらしく口元へ手の甲を当てて嬌声を上げる。 聖堂騎士たちの血管が切れそうになった瞬間――。 「うおおお――――っ、とととと!?」 どこからともなく飛来した8本の剣が、その身を次々と串刺しにした。 勝利の雄叫びが上がりかけ......地面に突き刺さったままの7本の剣を残して、パーレンの姿が幻のように消えた。 スキル『 「あたたたた。滅茶苦茶痛いな、これ」 背中側から貫通している最初に直撃を食らった細剣『 「ひさしぶり、それとも初めましてっていうべきかな、らぽっくさん? なるほどなるほど本命はこっちか。で、姿が確認できないところを見ると、影さんも一緒ってところかな? これに加えて愛しの緋雪ちゃんがいれば最高なんだけど、いないかのかな? だったら残念。――なら今日のところはこれでノシ」 『逃がすかっ!』 再び8剣が宙を舞うが、パーレンを守る形で吸血鬼たちが立ち塞がり、彼らを始末し終えたところで、彼のプレーヤー基本スキル 「......姫陛下の名前を口に出してましたけど、お知り合いですか?」 さっきまで自称パーレンなんとかが居たあたりを指差して、 「――らぽっくさんたちと敵対してるってところか」 「敵の敵は味方と行きませんか?」 さりげなく稀人が彼との共闘を提案してきたけど、現状だとちょっと判断し辛いね。 仲間割れに見せかけてこっちの油断を誘う姦計かも知れないし、そもそもアレとは極力係わり合いになりたくない。生身の体になったいまは特に。 「まあ、それは後に考えるよ。取りあえず、 改めて確認すると1万人近くいた吸血鬼がことごとく掃討されて、彼らには目立った損害がない程だった。 ゲームなら中級~上級レベルのプレーヤークラスの実力だね。 「らぽっくさんたちも付いてるからね。勝てる公算が強いかな? 取りあえず結果が出てから考えるよ」 「ん?」 「“愛しの緋雪ちゃん”ってどーいうことです? いったい貴女、何人の男を狂わせてるんですか?!」 「人を男を手玉に取る魔性の女みたいに言うな!!」 真顔で非難されて、再び『

89 Lesson Three: The Cathedral Knight Tiger Son of the Eon Holy Kingdoms, Strongest Knights: Cathedral Crusaders They are an elite unit under the direct authority of the Archpope, each born pureblood species - "servants of God" - created by the sacramental marriage between the chosen and priests, plucked out of more faith and closer to God than ordinary men in both ability and spiritual power, in devout faith. That individual's skill is at least S-A rank at the adventurer level, SS rank at the platoon captain level (becoming more than squadron captain becomes uncertified in prescribed measurements). Moreover, its spiritual power is a superhuman group, all of which are from State 1 to Super. To add further, the aligned blue armor helmets and shields that everyone wears cannot be distorted by one, even where they have been braced by a dragon (Gospel May) and the Holy Song Shield (Gospel Shield). Oh, my God, look at that! My Knights are invincible and ever-winning! Nothing rivals that divine will! Let us prove to all the connoisseurs of the continent that the strongest knights without battle are truly the strongest in action! In fact, five days after crossing the border. The vampires who strike sporadically are wiped out without leaving any dust with a simultaneous sweep of spiritual light without even being able to touch this one. Too unresponsive and on the contrary clapping, but neither he nor his men were incompetent enough to distract him here. At this pace, you will arrive at the 'Castle of Darkness', home to the chiefs of the vampires, where His Holiness the Archpope was entrusted by God in a day or two. Naturally, it's not hard to imagine that intelligent vampires are just waiting for each other to pull off rather than the impulsive attacks of lower vampires (Lesser Vampires) like before. True combat will come from there. Previous battles have been nothing but outposts. Bernardo looked up at the sun as he began to lean and frowned. "Stop! Get ready for camp in the day. It will probably be a full-fledged night fight starting around tonight. Hit alert with 3 alternating as originally planned. Place a junction stone with a holy mark on the outer contour. The form is a hexagram. Draw the Defense Magic Team quintessentially on the inside! "Ha." Bernardo watched the order fly with satisfaction immediately, but the captain of the scouts rushed over with a pressing face to replace it. "I will report to you. Reports from the scouts indicate that there are anomalies in the sky ahead." "... that it's an anomaly? I look up into the sky again, but the blue sky is just spreading like God bless or pass through their march. "Yes, a black cloud begins to spread in the sky as we approach our destination point, and we say that if we walk for roughly half an hour, we will be almost engulfed in darkness. Let me confirm, the clouds are spreading in circles around the destination, so it's probably due to some sort of sorcery, not a natural phenomenon" Upset runs to those nearby who were listening. "The magic of weather manipulation?!" "It can't be stupid! "Isn't that a bluff!?" "Easy, fool! Whatever obstacles our followers of God may have - no, it is only with trials that it makes sense to follow and overcome that faith. Then the gates of heaven will be opened. Ugh. Or is your faith so shallow that you wolf about this!? At Bernardo's sip, everyone apologized for their uncertainty with the kind of face they had awakened from their dreams and offered prayers to God on the spot. "Prepare the camp here as originally planned. Starting tomorrow, it's a forcible army. Troops one and two are cursed with me and beat the vampire's headquarters. Other than that, you can turn to defense, and beyond running out of day and night advantages, the enemy will probably let the numbers say things and repeat the corrugated attack. It is the role of your brothers to outrun this. I will not allow you to lose in the name of the Lord. You got it!! Copy that, Brother Bernardo. Bernardo saw with satisfaction that the diocesan knights, who regained their normal calm, summoned together. That's when I heard a dry applause coming from over their heads. When I rushed to look for the source of the sound and raised my gaze, there was one man standing on the back of a winged ugly and quintessentially obese giant. As if on the way home from a nightclub, the man with a swallow tail on a black silk hat and a red butterfly tie on his cape, stopping the hand he was tapping over white gloves, "No, no, you have a fine high theory. But is this also called positive? Fantastic assumptions are interesting to watch." I look around at the knights under my eyes for a heartfelt pleasure and laugh. Some captain knights urged their surroundings with a stiff face to that voice that somehow reached everyone's ears, even though it was never loud. Everyone chanted part of the sacrament to the cry to improve spiritual tolerance. "Oh, wow, that's a well planted one. And God forbid, he doesn't have a hobby at all... but you all have a hard time serving that with God." "Who are you? Bernardo asked the overhead man as he carefully circulated the spirits in his body throughout his body, letting everyone take a combat stance with a hand signal. On the sculpture, haha much cheerfully (straw) the lying man seems like a young man because of his standing and voice tone, but because of his brilliant gray hair and the white mask (mask) of a smiling face with only a simple eye and mouth in the three-day moon shape covering his entire face in addition to it, he cannot deduce his face or age from his appearance. "- Oops, sorry I'm late to say hello. It's troublesome to explain it by mouth, but I, Paren Aksan Apostrophi ohm... well, I'll skip it because I'll be turning around from here, but you're the lords of the castle for what you're all about. Congo Tomoyolosik" That's how easily I lift my silk hat. "You are the leader!! All Army First Combat Attitude! Holy Light! In a moment, the holy light, consisting of 5,000 Cathedral Crusaders of the Cathedral Crusaders, was fired at the rain and at the man named Paren. There was no rush, and a dark sphere arose around the pearlen and its beastly giants, who rang their fingers with plenty of pattiness and extrinsic flavor (convulsions). Most Holy Light bullets (Holly Wright) lose their luminosity without breaking through the darkness, but the captain's release should be said to be just fine, and their protection was hit one giant after the other, causing clear damage. "GUAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" A powerful roaring giant crashes into the ground slightly away from the air. "Whoa!" "You did it!! "Behold! Our divine will! "Don't get distracted! We haven't gotten to the point yet! At the same time each captain tightened the reins of his men who would raise their praises, while the giant who was squatting on the ground also had an awesome expression of anger and stood up on the spot, while roughly stepping on his four strands (lumps) with both legs. The ground shakes violently on the footsteps of an obese giant just wrapped around a waist roll that exceeds 15 m in length. Apparently, it did some damage, but it was far from fatal and, conversely, took the form of igniting the other's anger. "Ha ha. Light opponents are still hard on attributes. I didn't expect to be broken into the accomplishments of NPC who aren't even players" At its foot, this one stands intact Paren. "Thanks to you, my lovely Glendale balls have flawed my skin." By the way, it is not the waist roll but the mackerel that this Glendell is wrapping around his hips. "At all, I don't know about Scarlet Snow, who didn't make an obedient (pet) by saying she wasn't 'cute' like this. No one has ever had a better fit for a squire! It's lamentable, pearlen shaking her head with her right hand over the mask in the wind. At the same time, Glendell, who sank his torso a long time ago, put his hands on the ground in a standing position. "All right! I've waited all my time. No! - Don't go, Magic Yokozu/Magical Star Chanko!! "GUOOOOOOH!!!!" Grendel raised his roar and suddenly momentum went from the front to Cathedral Crusaders, the Cathedral Crusaders. If you were to take a giant's march (bump) directly from the front as well as Koyama, you would normally eat bubbles and run away, but none of the knights looked upset and quickly poked the cross sword in your hand into the ground to work out your spiritual power. "Tight junction activated!! Strength S! Push yourself in!! Remember we have God's blessing! Hang on to the pride of the Cathedral Knight and defeat the Abominable Monster! "Oooh!!" The cathedral knights roar in unison, releasing one after the other, toward Glendell, who looms over the tight bonds he has worked out. Things like chains made of light tangle all over Glendell's body, but they don't stop moving forward as they unmanipulatively pull it off. But it didn't work at all, either, and the momentum was clearly losing. In another step I could reach the beginning - where steely voices dominated the battlefield. Bernardo ran like a wind as he gathered the golden spiritual light (Aura) that flooded out of his body. It was this appearance of abandoning defense and waving two swords at the same time that Bernardo meant it. Slash the sword off the top of your right hand, slash it up, kick it five times in a row. Decide on the abdomen where the sword containing the Spiritual Light (Aura) has profoundly peeled off Glendale. The sword on his left hand slits his abdomen horizontally on his knees, returning his wrist and slashing him directly on the way. Position the blade pulled out horizontally and strike out the sword of both hands at super high speed along with the spiritual light (aura) spinning like a "haha!!" drill. Grrr!! made the crushing noise and shock wave burst, penetrating the abdomen to the two arms where the sword gripped instead of the root, blowing up a giant that was eight times as good as its own. Again, a simultaneous blast of holy light bullets (Holly Wright) was fired at Glendell, who stripped her white eyes and threw up blood but tried to stay on it, and Glendell, like a rag, instantly became an unspeakable wreck. In the meantime, the sound of dry applause rang again. "No, Bravo, it's great. I thought it was a bunch of elephants, but it's not a big deal to shoot the field boss Chanko. This is something that you would all love to be residents of my kingdom." In other words, the Cavaliers of the Diocese are distracted by the proclamation to make them their own family members. "Don't be ridiculous. Spill from the grace of God, dweller of darkness. In the name of the Ethereal God, it destroys me on this occasion!! "Ha, ha, ha. Well, good luck. It's a fight." So ignoring the thumbs-up paren, the diocesan knights who would be in a position to emit Holy Light bullets (Holy Light) three times, but at that moment, as they surrounded them, breaking the ground one after the other, the vampires appeared, they jumped. "Shit! What a number" It is a number that I will reach 10,000 even if I count it all the time. Moreover, the sun has begun to set, and the speed of movement is different from that of the lower vampires encountered during the day (Lesser Vampires), most of whom are equipped with weapons, although crude. Watching the quickly consolidated diocesan knights struggle with their opponents as the vampires coming across the street - mostly intelligent relatives of the second to third generations. "Exactly. Don't keep it for 15 minutes for this minute. I guess it's all gone. I can refill as much as I want, and I just got to say hello for now, and I'm leaving today, Noshi." Paren turned his heel back on the spot. "Ma, wait! You." A holy light bullet (Holly Wright) flies intermittently with a missed wind, but it highs without a cared for wind. "Come and get me, ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho." On top of that, he shouted deliberately at the back of his hand to his mouth. The moment the blood vessels of the Cathedral Knights were about to be cut... "Whoa - whoa!? Eight swords that flew in from nowhere skewered their bodies one after the other. The roar of victory was about to rise...... leaving seven swords stuck in the ground and Paren's figure disappeared like an illusion. Skill "Shadow Branch" - a move that leaves the body and travels hundreds of meters instantaneously. "I just did. It hurts, this." The first thin sword to take a direct hit that was penetrating from his back, "The Wind". As the name suggests, Paren glanced around for a moment as he pulled the sword with the wind attribute out of his hand and threw it away. "Hiccup, or should I say nice to meet you, Rapunzel? I see. Is fate this way? So, when you see where you can't confirm your appearance, do you think Shadow is with you? Besides this, it would be great if my dear Scarlet Snow were here, wouldn't she? Too bad if it is. - Then that's it for today, Noshi." "Let him go! 8 Swords strike the universe again, but the vampires blocked in a way that protects Paren, finishing them off, his return of basic player skills (return) was completed, and now it's time for that to disappear. "... I was mouthing His Majesty's name, do you know him? Earlier, I pointed to the area where I had managed to call myself Pearlen, and a rare person (barely) asked me in a subtle tone. Apparently, I couldn't find this one, but it feels like we're both flat for an unexpected development. "- You're hostile to the Rapunzels." "Will the enemy not go with his allies? A subtle rare man has suggested working with him, but it's a little hard to determine what's going on. Maybe it's a fornicator who makes you look like a broken man and entices you to be alert over here, and I don't want to get involved as much as possible with you in the first place. Especially now that it's a living body. "Well, I'll think about that later. In the meantime, the strength of Cathedral Crusaders of the Cathedral Crusaders was also known." Once again, nearly 10,000 vampires were swept away, and there was no noticeable damage to them. An intermediate to advanced level player class strength for a game. "It comes with Rapo Kuku and the others, too. Do you have a strong formula to win? I'll think about it after the results." "Hmm?" What do you mean, "my dear Scarlet Snow"? How many men are you driving crazy?! " "Don't talk like a witchy woman who takes a man for a hand!!" Condemned with his true face, he waved "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" again, chasing a fleeing rare man back the way he had come.

第二十四話 緋蒼神戦 闇の向こうに四角い出口のような光が見えた。 反射的にそこを抜けた瞬間、身体の芯――いや、魂すら震えるような痛みとも快感ともつかない衝撃が全身を駆け巡り、刹那の瞬間に身体を構成する素粒子まで分解され、その場で再生されるのを、ボクの意識はどこか遠くからぼんやりと俯瞰し、そして新たに構成された肉体へと受肉を果たしたのだった。 再誕 印象としては『蒼き神の塔』の螺旋階段を登り切った神殿に近いだろうか。 高い天井と並んだ柱、磨かれた石畳の床。ただし大きさ的にはあれよりも一回り小さく、四方に窓が開いていて――夜なのだろうか?――そこから暗黒の空が覗き見える。 がらんとした室内にはこれといった装飾品はないけれど、見覚えのある水晶球に似た そのほとんどはひび割れ、粉々に砕け、白濁して無残な姿を晒していたけれど......。 そして部屋の一番奥、神殿では祭壇のあった場所に、これだけは生活観を感じさせる巨木をそのまま削り出して作り上げたような、継ぎ目のない執務机に座った半人半龍のこの部屋の主、 気配に気が付いたのだろう。爬虫類の目をゆっくり開いた彼は、ボクを一瞥すると安堵か失望か、あるは両方なのか、深々とため息をついた。 「......そちらを選んだか」 「――?」 言われた意味がわからず瞬きをするボクの顔を、嘲笑と諦観混じりの表情で見詰める蒼神。 「自分の姿を確認してみろ」 なんのことやらと思いながら、鏡のように磨かれた床を覗き込んで自分の顔を見る。長い黒髪、緋色の瞳、小ぶりの顔、華奢な身体に黒色に赤薔薇のミニのドレス。パンツに付いたリボンの色も特に変わっていない。 「別に普段と変わりないけど?」 何かのハッタリかと思って、手にした『 蒼神の方は座ったまま、面倒臭そうに人差し指を突き出した。 「それだ。お前の言う『変わらない』というのが、すでに変わってしまったのだ」 「......別に禅問答しにきたわけじゃないんだけどねぇ」 んだ。なら、つじつま合わせを聞いておいた方が、多少なりともお前も納得できるだろう......いや、別にどうでもいいのだが、俺も退屈なのでな、単なる暇つぶしだが、まあ聞く気がないなら始めるが?」 右手で頬杖をついた蒼神が、ランチの主食をパンにするかライスにするかレベルの気軽さで、戦いを始めるかどうか訊いてきた。 「.........」 「この場所は本来、物質世界とは隔絶した半ば精神世界に属している。らぽっくたち人形は『蒼き神の塔』の最上階だと思っていたようだが、事実は若干違う、最上階のさらに上の次元に存在する隠し部屋のようなものだ」 そこで言葉を切った蒼神に、「外を見てみろ」と促されて、窓際に近寄ってみてみると、夜空だと思っていたのは、本当の意味で何もない漆黒の宇宙であり、その場にこの部屋がぽっかりと浮かんでいるだけだった。 「さすがに普段、連中が出入りする場合には、通常空間にある塔の最上階と入れ替えをしていたが、本来のこの状態であれば、いくら塔を登ったところで永遠にこの場にはたどり着けない。――仮にたどり着いたところで、連中の観測能力では自己を定義できず、その場で消滅するのがオチだしな」 「言っている意味が不明なんだけど?」 「ふむ......そうだな、『シュレーディンガーの猫』というのを聞いたことがあるか?」 「え~と、確か箱の中に半殺しの猫を入れて蓋をして、次に開けた時に生きてるか死んでるか当てるゲームのことでしょう」 「......別な例えにしよう」 ボクの答えになぜか話を変える蒼神。 「ここにパソコンがあるとする。ネットからゲームを いきなりオカルトな話になったねぇ。まあ、今更だけど。どーにも胡散臭いんだよねぇ。 「まあ信じようと信じまいとお前の勝手だが、この領域に来られる人間はそれだけのキャパと処理速度を持っているということだ。そして、その上で『自己』というキャラクターをエディットして、ゲームに参加することができる」 なるほど、まったくわからん。 「この場での『自己』というのは、『自分がこうである』と認識した姿に準じる。つまりお前は自分を男の『 蒼神の説明にボクは首を捻った。 「いや、別に自分のことを男だとか女だとか、人間だとか吸血姫だとか、いまさら明確に線引きしたことないけど? 私は“緋雪”なんだし、“緋雪”は私なんだからさ。適当なレッテル貼られて理解した気になられても迷惑だねぇ」 正直なボクの感想に、蒼神は棒を飲んだような顔になり、続いてなぜだか軽く肩を震わせ、含み笑いを漏らした。 一瞬、むっとしたけれど、その笑いに含まれた生の感情を感じて、不意にいまはじめてデーブータさん本人と話をしている気がして、瞠目した。 正直、直接間接的に接した彼の言動や態度は、かつての情緒豊かな彼の人間性からあまりにも乖離した――というか、どこか作り物めいた気がしていた。言うなれば、人間とは根本的に喜怒哀楽の違う存在が、人間の皮を被って、人間の感情を模倣しているような、気持ちの悪さを感じていたのだ。 だけど、今現在の姿を見るに、完全にかつての人間性を捨ててしまったわけではないらしい。まあ、かなり歪んで希薄にはなってはいるけれど。 「その姿で現れた時点で、お前のことは見限ったつもりだったのだが。どうしてどうして、お前はいつも俺の意表を突いてくれる」 なんでこう上から目線なんだろうねぇ、と思いながら一応ツッコミを入れる。 「見た目がどうこういうなら、自分だって気持ち悪い爬虫類のままじゃない?」 「ああ、これか」 右手を頬から離して、鱗の生えた腕を一振りする。すると一瞬にして、それは滑らかな人間の腕に変わった。 「初心者のお前は無意識にその姿を保っているが、慣れれば意図してこのように変化させることも容易い。まあ、あまりにも自己の認識から乖離し過ぎると、自他の境界線が曖昧になるが......まあ、人間を堕落させるのは『蛇』と決まっているからな。この姿でいる方がなかなかエスプリが効いているだろう?」 「へえ、自覚があったんだ。人間を堕落させる存在だって」 ボクの憎まれ口にも特に動じた様子もなく、蒼神は気怠げな態度のまま再びため息をついた。 「さて、俺が堕落させるのか、人間が堕落するのに俺という存在が必要なのか。因果律などというが、原因と結果、果たしてどちらが先にあるのかは、俺にもわからん。だが、運命と言うものがあるのなら、俺はそれを構成する空虚な歯車にしか過ぎん」 そうこぼした彼の姿は、まるで疲れ切った老人のようにも見えた。 「生憎と運命論とか宿命論とかは嫌いなんだよ」 全身の無駄な力を抜いて、自然体でボクは『 それに応じるかのように立ち上がった蒼神の手には、どこから取り出したのか小山のような、透明の刀身を持つ両刃の巨剣が握られていた。 「運命などではない、確定した未来だ。俺と戦うということは、お前は俺に打ち倒され、犯され、蹂躙される。抗う術はない」 「いや、理屈つけてゴチャゴチャ言ってるけど、結局は君の意思なんじゃないの? ここで剣を引けば私も君を飽きるまでぶん殴るだけで、あとは問題なく終わるんだけど?」 「それが無駄な考えだというのだよ。お前は過去・現在・未来は直線的なものだと思っているだろうが、実際は円環的構造であり、虚数空間で過去に遡ろうと、三次元空間で未来へ向かおうと、基本的に行き着く場所は同じだ。ならば、お前が選択し、垣間見た未来は観測した以上、ほぼ確定している。どのような抵抗を行っても、結局は辻褄が合う......個人の意思とは無関係にな。ならば、既定された未来に即した行動を取ったほうが効率が良いというものだ。だが、それでも抵抗するのか?」 「確定された未来って、さっき私が選んだ『赤い扉』で最初に見た幻覚のこと? それなら安心していいよ。全然信じていないから」 瞬間、ダッシュと同時にほぼ最高速に乗ったボクの突きが、蒼神の肩を掠めた。 「――ふん!」 追撃の刃が振るわれ、爆発的な衝撃波となって背後に迫るけど、壁と天井を使ってジグザグに走り、それを躱す。 「それといまの話を聞いて、なおさら腹が立ったからね!」 背後を取って袈裟懸け――着ていたトーガは裂けたけれど、鱗には傷ひとつ付いていない。 「ほう。理由は何だ? 俺が運命や未来やらを語ったことかな?」 問い掛けながら巨剣――『 この剣、確かに威力は絶大だけど、バカみたいな大きさのせいで軌道が見え見えだし、そもそも蒼神の剣技そのものが力押しで一本調子なために、ある程度の広さと足場のあるこの場所では、逃げ回るには都合がよかった。 だから、縦横無尽に跳ね回りながら、ボクは攻撃の合間に答えた。 「それもあるけどね。一番頭に来たのは――」 剣聖スキル発動――と見せかけて、光術、それも極限まで圧縮した『 』を、蒼神の目前で解放する。 刹那、眩い閃光が炸裂して、一瞬全てが白に覆われた。 「義務だの、効率だので、好きでもない相手を抱こうとするな――っ!!!」 スキルもなにもない(どうせ無効化されるんだから)、力任せの攻撃が蒼神の身体を弾き飛ばした。 氷のリンクのような床を滑った蒼神の身体が、後方にあった執務机と椅子を巻き込んで破壊する。 反撃を警戒して、素早く位置を変えたところで、案の定と言うか......机の成れの果ての中から、無傷の蒼神が立ち上がった。 さすがにズタボロになって素肌にぶら下がるようになっていたトーガを、無造作に片手で破いて取り除く。 たちまちその場で全裸になった蒼神は、少しだけ感心した様子でこちらを見た。 「驚いたぞ。まさかここまで食い下がるとはな。事によるとらぽっくよりも戦闘力は上かも知れん」 露出狂と戦うのは嫌だなぁ......。 「――ふむ。どうせ俺にとっては服など飾りに過ぎん。すべては空虚に過ぎん。ゆえにこのままでも問題はないが?」 「こっちが嫌なんだよっ!」 次の瞬間の行動は、自分でもまったく無意識のものだった。 残像を残しながら身体ごと転がる勢いで仰け反った蒼神の顔が、瞬間、今度は反対側から殴られ、辛うじて原型を残していた机の部品を粉砕しながら、床の上を二転三転した。 「さっさと服を着て!」 「......面倒な奴だ」 ブツブツ言いながら立ち上がると、どこから取り出したのか軍服のような濃紺の衣装を手に取り、その場で着替え始める蒼神。 どーでもいいけど、なんで下半身を最期まで剥き出しにしてるんだろうねえ。

144 Lesson 24: Scarlet God Wars I saw a light like a square exit across the darkness. The moment I flexed through it, the core of my body - no, my consciousness blurred from some distance, overlooking, and flesh-receiving to the newly constructed flesh - the shock of not even the soul trembling pain or pleasure rushed through my whole body, breaking down to the elementary particles that make up my body in the moment of the moment, and regenerating it on the spot. Rebirth (Re Bones). Or awakening. Is it close to the temple that climbed through the spiral staircase of the "Tower of the Pale God" as an impression? Columns alongside high ceilings, polished cobblestone floors. But smaller in size than that, with windows open on all sides - is it night? - From there you can see the dark sky. Although there are no ornaments such as this in the cancerous interior, spheres (orbs) resembling familiar crystal spheres - life beads were arranged in a way that encircled the round interior at equal intervals. Although most of them were cracked, shattered, cloudy and exposed to debris...... And in the deepest part of the room, in the temple, where there was an altar, the Lord of this room, the Half a Dragon, who sat on a desk with no joints, the Ethereal God (Daebuta), meditated and sat down, as if he had created a giant tree that made him feel a view of life as it was. You must have noticed the signs. Slowly opening his reptile eyes, he sighed deeply whether he was relieved or disappointed, or both, when he glanced at me. "... have you chosen that one" ---- The Ethereal God stares at my face, who blinks without knowing what it means to be told, with a mixed look of ridicule and giving up. "See who you are." I peek into the mirror-polished floor and look at my face, wondering what to do. Long dark hair, scarlet eyes, small face, mini dress with red rose in black on a luxurious body. The colour of the ribbon on the trousers has not changed in particular either. "Nothing unusual, though? I thought it was some kind of hatchet, so I set up the "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" in my hand. As the Ethereal God sat down, he stuck his index finger out like a pain in the ass. "That's it. What you call" no change "has already changed." "... I didn't come here to ask you a Zen question." "Hmm. Well, hang out. Anyway, I've already confirmed the results. Then you'd be more comfortable listening to the twitch match, too... no, I don't care, because I'm bored too. So, just a spare time, well, if you're not willing to ask, I'll start? The Ethereal God, with his cheek cane on his right hand, asked if he would start the fight, with a level of ease as to whether to bread or rice the staple food for lunch. ......... "This place originally belongs to a half-spirited world isolated from the material world. I thought the dolls were on the top floor of the Tower of the Pale God, but the facts are slightly different, like a hidden room that exists in an even higher dimension of the top floor." So I cut off my words, Ethereal God, prompted me to "look outside," and when I came closer to the window, I thought it was the night sky, a pitch-black universe with nothing in the true sense of the word, and this room was just floating on the spot. "Exactly. Normally, if they were going in and out, they would have replaced it with the top floor of the tower, which is usually in space, but if it were in its original state, we wouldn't be able to reach this spot forever where we climbed how many towers. - Assuming we get there, we can't define ourselves in their observation abilities, and it's the only way to disappear on the spot." "I don't know what you're talking about. "Hmm... right, have you ever heard of 'Schradinger's Cat'? "Eh, it's definitely a game where you put a half-kill cat in a box, put a lid on it, and hit it alive or dead the next time you open it." "... let's make a different analogy" The Ethereal God who somehow changes his story to my answer. "Suppose there's a computer here. I tried to DL (download) the game from the net and play it, but there's too much data and the computer freezes itself. Because there is no other way, the basic data alone, instead of the expensive version that sharpened the graphics and so on, is powered by the data before the trial. This is the limit of the capacity and processing power of the inhabitants of that world. There is a difference in level between us and the spa and console. I easily call this the" difference between souls, "the" limit of karma values. " Suddenly it turned out to be an occult story. Well, now. It's frigid on all of them. "Well, believe it or not, you're on your own, but it means that the humans who come to this realm have that much capacity and processing speed. And on top of that, you can edit the character 'Self' and join the game" I see, I have no idea. "The 'self' in this setting corresponds to the perception that 'I am like this'. That means you recognize yourself not as a man's" Ayase ", but as a woman's" Scarlet Snow. " I twisted my neck to explain to Aoshi. "No, it's nothing. I've never drawn a clear line between being a man or a woman, being a human being or a bloodsucking princess? I'm Scarlet Snow, and Scarlet Snow is me. It's annoying, even if it bothers you to be properly rettelled and understand." To my honest feelings, Ethereal God turned into a face like he drank a stick, followed by a slight shake in the shoulder for some reason and leaked laughter including. For a moment, I was annoyed, but felt the raw emotions contained in that laugh, and inadvertently I felt that I was talking to Mr. Daebuta himself for the first time, and I glanced at him. Honestly, I felt somewhere cropped up that his words and behaviors and attitudes, which he approached directly or indirectly, diverged too much from his once emotional humanity - or so. To put it this way, there was a feeling of disgust that a fundamentally different being of joy and sorrow from a human being was wearing human skin and mimicking human emotions. But to see what it looks like now, he hasn't completely abandoned his former humanity. Well, it's pretty distorted and thin though. "At the time I showed up like that, I was going to give up on you. Why? Why, you always poke at me." I wonder why this is a gaze from the top, and I put a scratch in it once and for all. "If this is what you look like, don't you stay a disgusting reptile yourself? "Oh, this one" Keep your right hand off your cheek and wave a scaly arm. Then in an instant, it turned into a smooth human arm. "Beginner you keep that look unconscious, but if you get used to it, it's also easy to intentionally change it this way. Well, too divergent from self-perception obscures other boundaries... well, because it is decided to corrupt man as a 'snake'. Esprit would be more effective with this look, wouldn't he? "Well, I was aware. He said he was corrupting humans." Neither did my hatred nor how I moved in particular, and Ethereal God sighed again with a careless attitude. "Now, do I corrupt, or do you need a being named me for a human to corrupt? Causal rhythm, etc., but I don't know which comes first, the cause or the result. But if there's something called fate, I'm just the empty gear that makes it up." So spilled his figure, he also looked like an old man who was exhausted. "I hate hatred and fatalism and fatalism." Without the wasted power of my whole body, in nature I set up "The Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)". In the hand of the Ethereal God, who rose as if to respond, was held a double-edged giant sword with a clear body, like Oyama, from where he had taken it. "It's not fate or anything, it's a definitive future. Fighting me means you will be overthrown, offended and ravaged by me. There's no way to fight it." "No, I'm reasoning and I'm saying a mess, but isn't it your will in the end? If I draw my sword here, I'll just punch you till I'm tired of you, too, and the rest will be over with no problem? "That's a futile idea. You would think that the past, present, and future are linear things, but they are in fact circular ring structures, and basically the same places to go in an imaginary space, trying to go back to the past, to the future in a three-dimensional space. Then the future you have chosen and glimpsed is almost more definitive than you have observed. Whatever resistance you take, you end up with Tsujitsu... independent of the will of the individual. Then it is more efficient to act in accordance with the established future. But still resist? "The confirmed future is about the first hallucination I saw in the Red Door I just chose? Then you can rest assured. Because I don't believe it at all." Moment after moment, Bok's poke, riding at almost the highest speed at the same time as Dash, plundered the shoulders of the Ethereal God. "- Hmm!" The blade of pursuit wields and becomes an explosive shock wave, approaching behind it, but using the walls and ceiling, it runs to the zigzag, flaunting it. "And when I heard what you were saying, I was even angrier! Take the back and hang it - the toga I was wearing was torn, but not one scratch on the scale. "Hmm. What's the reason? Is that what I told you about my destiny and my future? Ethereal God waving a giant sword - a cheat weapon such as the 'Divine Sword (Amadeus)' - as he inquired. This sword, it does have tremendous power, but I can see the orbit because of its silly size, and in this place, with some breadth and scaffolding, it was convenient to escape because the sword moves of Aoshi themselves are in one condition with a force push in the first place. So, bouncing around endlessly, I answered between the attacks. "There's that, too. The first thing that came to my head..." Kensei Skill Activated - Makes it look like it liberates the Optical Art, the 'Light (Light)' which also compresses to the extreme, in the current of the Ethereal God. Reflectively blindfolded the throat of the Ethereal God, releasing a thrust of his body. The moment, the dazzling flash burst, and for a moment everything was covered in white. "Duty, it's efficiency, so don't try to hold someone you don't even like -!!!" I don't have any skills (because they will be deactivated anyway), and an attack at my disposal bounced off the body of the Ethereal God. The body of the Ethereal God slipping through the icy link-like floor wreaks havoc involving the clerk desk and chair that was in the rear. Vigilant of the counterattack, where he quickly repositioned himself, he called it an indication... an intact Ethereal God rose from the end of the desk. Remove the toga, which had just become a mess and was about to hang on the bare skin, by unmanipulatively tearing it with one hand. The Ethereal God, who happened to be naked on the spot, looked at this one only slightly impressed. "I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to eat this far. It may be better to fight than it is to be torn apart." I hate to fight exposed maniacs...... "- Hmm. It's just a garment or something for me anyway. Everything is just empty. So you don't have a problem with this? "I don't like this one. Yikes! The behavior of the next moment was completely unconscious, even for myself. The face of the Ethereal God, who stood back with the momentum of rolling from body to body while leaving behind the remnants, instantly, was now beaten from the other side, turning two or three times over the floor, crushing the parts of the desk that had painfully left the prototype behind. "Get dressed now! "... he's a troublemaker" Standing up saying bumps, he takes a dark blue costume like a military uniform from where he took it out and starts dressing on the spot, Ethereal God. Whatever, but why are you stripping your lower body to the end of the day?

プロローグ1 その日は雪が降っていた。 真っ白な雪を染める薔薇の花のような血の染み。 走っていたトラックの荷台に積まれていた鉄骨が目の前で崩れて、ボクはそれに巻き込まれてほとんど訳もわからず死んだ。 ただ雪に栄える血の赤は消え逝く意識に残って、ふと、自分の半身とも言えるゲームキャラクター『 ・・・ああ、ボクが消えたら彼女も存在しなくなるんだな。 自分と彼女、二重の喪失を寂しく思いながら、ボクの意識は暗闇の中へと溶けて行った・・・。 ◆◇◆◇ 次に目が覚めた時、そこは薔薇の花が敷き詰められた豪奢な 「――うわっ――!?!」 なぜか本能的にそれを知っていたボクは、咄嗟に蓋に手をかけ力いっぱい上体を起こした。 思いの外軽く開いたそこから身を乗り出し、慌てて周囲を見回した。 だが、予想に反してそこは中世の城の中、それも王族が使用するような天蓋つきの畳何畳あるのかわからないくらい大きく立派なベッドと、これまた広くて立派な調度が揃った寝室だった。 「・・・へっ? ここどこ??」 そう一人ごちた声が妙に高くて可愛らしい。 というか着ている物も黒を主体とした絹のような光沢のドレスで、そこに赤薔薇のコサージュをふんだんにあしらった豪華なものである。 その上にふわりと垂れたベルベットのような光沢の長い黒髪はもしかしなくてもボクのもので、視線を更に下に転じて見れば、微かに膨らんだ胸と折れそうなほど細い腰、そして―― 「・・・ない」 股間の喪失感にまさかと思いながら、子供にように細くてなおかつしなやかな自分のものらしい指を這わしてみれば、慣れ親しんだ男性のシンボルが消え、代わりに未知なるスリットがその部分に鎮座していた。 あまりの衝撃に呆然としていると、誰かが寝室の黒檀の扉をノックする音がして、 「――はい...」 反射的に「入ってます」と言いかけて言葉を飲み込んだ瞬間、 「失礼しますっ」 挨拶の声ももどかしげな様子で、1枚だけで3×2mくらいありそうな重厚な扉を軽々と押し開け、見事な金髪で金瞳の美丈夫が部屋の中へ入ってきた。 その男、というか20歳前後と思えるタキシードをビシッと着こなした呆れるほど美形の青年は、物事の急展開についていけず唖然呆然としているボクを見て、その整い過ぎた美貌に満面の笑みを浮かべた。 いや、そっちの気はないつもりだったけど、ここまでの美形がこうしたフルスロットルの笑顔を浮かべるとか、ほとんど凶器だね。ボクが女だったら惚れてるところだよ。あれ・・・いま女みたいだけど、じゃあア――ッ!な危機なのかな? なんて馬鹿なことを考えてるボクの前で、美男子は右手を胸に当て、騎士の礼をとるように、その場で片足立ちで深々と頭を下げた。 「姫のご復活、まことにもって祝着至極にございます。この !!?」 「・・・は、はい。どうかなされましたか姫?」 怪訝そうな質問には答えず、ボクはその美形を指差した。 「? はい。その通りですが・・・?」 瞬間、指差した先のところから透明なポップアップメニューのようなものが現れ、美形にかぶさるような形で表示された。 HP:556,800(人間形態)/1,948,800(半龍形態)/61,234,800(龍形態) MP:767,800(人間形態)/2,303,400(半龍形態)/53,746,000(龍形態) と言う名をつけたのだが、まさかその当人?! いや当龍?! 混乱しながらなんとなく自分を指差してみたところ、同じように半透明なポップアップメニューが浮かんだ。 HP:78,000 MP:95,500 間違いなく、ボクがプレイしていた『エターナル・ホライズン・オンライン』のキャラ名とステータスであった。

1 Prologue 1 It was snowing that day. Blood stains like rose flowers dyeing bright white snow. The steel that was loaded on the carrier of the truck that was running collapsed in front of me, and I got caught up in it and died with little translation. However, the red of blood flourishing in the snow remained in the vanishing consciousness, and I finally thought about the game character Scarlet Snow (Hiyuki), which could be called my half. ... Oh, if I disappear, she won't even exist. Myself and her, lonely for the double loss, my consciousness melted into the dark... * * * * The next time I woke up, it was in a luxurious coffin (,,,) filled with rose flowers. "- Wow -!?!" I knew it instinctively for some reason, and I woke up full of strength with my hands on the lid. I climbed out of there, opening gently unexpectedly, and looked around in a hurry. But contrary to expectations, it was also a large and splendid bed in a medieval castle, not knowing how many tatami tatami with a ceiling the royal family would use, and this was another large and splendid bedroom with all the conditioning. "... Huh? Where am I?? Yes, your voice is strangely high and adorable. Or what you are wearing is also a silky glossy dress dominated by black, a sumptuous one with plenty of red rose costumes. Long, velvety, glossy black hair dripping over it may or may not belong to me, and if I turn my gaze further down, my slightly swollen chest and my hips are so thin that they seem to break, and... "... not" If I crawled through my own fingers that seemed thin and supple as a child, thinking I was no longer in the sense of loss of my groin, the familiar male symbol would disappear and instead the unknown slit would sit on that part. When you're too shocked, someone knocks on the sandalwood door in your bedroom, "- Yes..." The moment I swallowed the words by reflexively saying, "I'm in it," "Excuse me." The voice of greeting was also reversible, gently pushing open the heavy door that seemed to be about 3x2m with just one sheet, and the stunning blonde and golden-eyed sturdy came into the room. The man, or a stunningly beautifully shaped young man dressed in a tuxedo that seemed to be around the age of 20, looked at me stunned by the sudden unfolding of things and gave a full grin at its overneath beauty. No, I didn't mean to be that way, but the beauty so far brings these full throttle smiles to your face, or almost a murder weapon. If I were a woman, I'd be in love. That... sounds like a woman right now, but then A-hh! Is this a crisis? What a stupid thing to think. In front of me, the beautiful man put his right hand on his chest and bowed his head deeply on one foot on the spot so as to thank the knight. "We are truly celebrating the Princess's resurrection. I truly hoped that everything in the realm would be on this day, starting with Tennai." "Tendai!!?" "... yes. What can I do for you, Princess? I didn't answer the question that seemed suspicious, and I pointed to its beauty. "? Yes. Exactly, but...? Moments later, something like a transparent pop-up menu emerged from the tip of the finger, displayed in a way that would be worn over the aesthetic shape. HP: 556,800 (Human Form)/1,948,800 (Half Dragon Form)/61,234,800 (Dragon Form) MP: 767,800 (Human Form)/2,303,400 (Half Dragon Form)/53,746,000 (Dragon Form) And I named the golden dragon (Naga Raja) that I got Heavenly Life (Tengai), but I can't believe that person?! No, Honlong?! I somehow pointed to myself in confusion, and a similarly translucent pop-up menu floated. HP: 78,000 MP: 95,500 Without a doubt, it was the character name and status of "Eternal Horizons Online" that I was playing.

第十二話 黎明決戦 ユース大公国と隣国グラウィオール帝国との国境――峻厳な峰峰が立ち並ぶ天然の要害を、まるで子供が砂山を崩すように意に介さず、巨大なモンスターが直進していた。 漆黒で両刃の細身の刀身が半ば透き通った愛剣『 「できれば機動力の生かせる平原で勝負を決めたかったけど、そうも言っていられないか」 戦闘ドレス『 それから、ちらりと山脈の手前にある、わずかに拓けた平原に張り付くようにして陣を張った、イーオン聖王国の聖騎士団1万余りが、待機している様子を見下ろした。 当初は10万規模の志願兵・義勇兵を徴集して、『 に対して、攻撃役の聖騎士2,000名がこれを取り囲む。さらにこの後ろに交替役の聖騎士4,000名が陣取る。そのさらに後方に回復役の神官や、緊急時のバックアップ要員を配置する。 前線の聖騎士は有効射程ギリギリから 当然、前線の聖騎士は程なく魔力を使い果たすので、無理をせず後続の者と入れ替わる。この形で間断なく攻撃を浴びせることで、相手の再生力を上回る攻撃を蓄積させようというものである。 「――まあ、考え方は間違ってはいないかな。要するにMMORPGでは定石の『チェイン・ヒール』だし。ボス級モンスターを相手にする場合は、敵の攻撃力を上回る回復手段を用意するのは当然だからね」 いちおうの評価をしながらも、なぜか難しい顔をする緋雪。 背後に控える いったん言葉を切った緋雪は、はっきりと首を横に振った。 「まず無理だね」 「......やはり無理ですか」 その事実を緋雪の間近に接して、骨身に沁みて理解しているつもりのレヴァンであったが、身も蓋もない調子で明瞭に自分達の力不足を指摘されれば、やはり戦士として忸怩たるものがある。 そんな彼の心中を知ってか知らずか、緋雪は淡々と続ける。 「なので、彼らはあくまでいざと言う場合の足止めくらいに考えて、日の出と共にこちらから先制攻撃をかける。できれば大規模火力で一掃したかったところなんだけど、前回の戦いで光・雷・重力は封じられたため、残念ながらあの質量を一撃で消滅させることは難しいだろう。 を攻撃するよりも、大本である吸血鬼のしまさんを斃した方が早い。そんなわけで、なんとかして、彼に的を絞りたいところなんだけど......」 ここでため息をつく緋雪。 「あちらもわかっているからねぇ。すっかり 「なるほど。それで、どうやって殻から出させるんですか? ――なにか手が?」 首を捻ったレヴァンに向かって、自信満々な顔で頷く緋雪。 なぜか片手で長い黒髪をたくし上げ、白くて魅惑的なうなじをあらわにしながら、もう片方の手でスカートの裾を抓んで、太股のあたりまで軽く持ち上げる。 「「却下です!!!」」 「......というのは冗談で」 いまの絶対、本気だったろうな...と思うレヴァンの前で、緋雪は白々しい笑みを浮かべて、側近達の列の先頭方向に立つ白髪で黒人の美青年――十三魔将軍の筆頭たる 殊勝に片膝をついて一礼する斑鳩だが、一瞬、ちらりと緋雪の傍らに従う天涯を見て冷笑を浮かべる。 明らかな自分への皮肉に気色ばむ天涯だが、「天涯殿っ」命都にたしなめられ、踏み出しかけていた足を戻した。 代わりに一歩前に出た命都が、東の空に目を向けて緋雪に指摘する。 「姫様、太陽が地平線から昇り始めましたが、そろそろ予定時刻なのではありませんか?」 「いや、戦闘開始は完全に日が昇ってからだよ。耐性があるとはいえ、やはり太陽光は弱点足り得るというのが、周参の分析だからね。......とはいえ、そろそろ準備したほうがいいか」 「斑鳩は上空で待機。対魔眼用の目くらまし班―― 「天涯、こちらも全体の位置が見えるところに移動する。命都は私と従魔合身。周参は分身体をできるだけ、戦場一杯に配置。いざと言う時の全軍の指揮は任せる。 他の者はこの場に待機、当初の作戦が失敗した場合は、各自の波状攻撃により 獣人部隊は帝国軍と協力して、聖王国軍が崩れた場合の穴を塞ぐか、無理なようなら即座に退却して国境線で待機。そこを最終防衛線とする」 『はは――――っ!!!』 続けざまの指示に従い、全員が一礼したのを見届けてから、緋雪は命都と従魔合身を行い、龍形態になった天涯の背中に乗った。 即座にその場から飛び立った黄金龍の煌く巨体を、この地に集結した三ヶ国の混成軍が見上げる。 姫陛下のお出ましに、(聖王国軍の聖騎士達は別として)期せずして、戦場に地鳴りのような鬨の声があがった。 密かに不安と恐怖に駆られていた緋雪だが、人々の声に後押しされて、微かに笑みを浮かべた。

100 Episode Twelve: Dawn Final The border between the Grand Duchy of Youth and its neighbor, the Grawior Empire - a huge monster was marching straight through the natural elements lined with grim peaks, as if children had not intended to crumble sand mountains. The "Princess" Scarlet Snow of the Crimson Imperial Crimson of the Crimson empire groaned in a harsh tone, looking at a huge and brilliant silhouette that emerged on a distant and slightly whitened horizon with a pitch-black, double-edged skinny body poking a half-clear sword of love, "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)," on the ground, with both hands on a patterned head with its rose design. "I would have liked to have decided to compete on a plain where I could use my manoeuvre if I could, but could I have said that too" Battle Dress: The Rose of War, Ann of Guyastein. Battle Black Wings: Rosy Luck "La Vi Ann Rose". Left-hand shield equipment such as "Iserne Jungfrau", a rosy steel, is already wearing the showdown gear and looking fully prepared. Then, more than 10,000 of the Saint Knights of the Eon Holy Kingdoms, forming themselves to stick to a slightly pioneered plain in front of the mountain ranges, looked down at them waiting. Originally on the side of the Holy King, who sought to gather 100,000 volunteers and proselytizing soldiers to fight with the vicious warriorization by 'Jihad', the threat of Oriana, Empress Grawior, who fully accepted the Scarlet Snow claim that only feeding the abandoned dragon (Nidheck) of the missouri - changed this march to something of the size of 10,000 according to the main subjects of the Holy Knight and clergy, who can also use offensive and restorative witchcraft (the "miracle of God" in sacrament). 2,000 Sacred Knights surround this against the approaching Abandoned Dragon (Nidheck). A further 4,000 Saint Knights in alternating roles form behind this. Still further afield, the restorative clerics and emergency backup personnel will be placed. The Holy Knight on the front lines fires Holy Light bullets (Holy Lights), etc., from a critical active range. No matter how much magic you consume, everyone uses it at all costs to knock in an attack. The healer is dedicated to healing and demonic eye defense (Mind Resist). Naturally, the Saint Knight on the front line uses up his magic without any difficulty, so he is replaced with the succeeding one without being forced. It is an attempt to accumulate attacks that exceed the opponent's regenerative power by inflicting uninterrupted attacks in this form. "- Well, I don't know if I'm thinking wrong. In short, in MMORPG, it's a stone's 'chain heel'. If you're dealing with a Boss Monster, it's only natural to have a healing device that exceeds the enemy's Attack." Scarlet Snow makes a difficult face for some reason, even though she appreciates this one. Scarlet Snow continues to say in harsh words after being questioned by Tengai, who refrains behind his back. Once the words were cut, Scarlet Snow shook her neck clearly to the side. "First of all, I can't." "... can't you still do it" Levan, who intends to draw that fact close to Scarlet Snow and understand it in his skeleton, is still a warrior if he clearly points out his lack of strength in a way that has no body or lid. Scarlet Snow continues pale, knowing or not his heart like that. "So they think about it only as a stepping stone if they say it's a lot, and with the sunrise they make a pre-emptive attack from here. I just wanted to wipe it out with massive firepower if possible, but light, thunder and gravity were sealed in the last battle, so unfortunately it would be difficult to extinguish that mass in one blow. Then it is quicker to kill Shima the Vampire, who is a big book, than to attack the Abandoned Dragon (Nidheck). That's why I'm trying to narrow my focus to him... " Scarlet snow sighing here. "Because I know that one, too. He doesn't come out hiding in the shell of a snail." "I see. So, how do you get it out of your shell? - You got a hand? Scarlet snow nodding with a confident face towards Levan with a twisted neck. Somehow, with one hand, I fold up my long dark hair, revealing a white, seductive nod, while with the other hand I wrap around the hem of my skirt and gently lift it up to the area around my thigh. "" Rejected!!! " "... is a joke" In front of Levan, who I think absolutely would have meant right now... Scarlet Snow smiled white and looked back at the white haired, black beautiful young man standing in the leading direction of the line of his proximity - the speckled dove (but) (incarnation) headed by General Thirteen Demons. A speckled pigeon on one knee to a special victory, but for a moment, he smiles coldly when he sees heaven following him by the scarlet snow. It was an obvious irony for me, but I was tempted by the "Heavenly Lord" life capital and put my foot back where I was about to step out. Instead, the Life Capital, which stepped forward, points out to Scarlet Snow with its eyes on the eastern sky. "Princess, the sun has begun to rise from the horizon, isn't it about time? "No, the battle starts completely after the sun rises. Even though it is resistant, it is the analysis of circumferential ginseng that sunlight can still be weak enough.... Nevertheless, should we be ready" "Spotted pigeons wait in the air. Eye Blindfolding Squad for the Eye Against the Devil - Seven Eves (Takeshi), Yasuo" Hozumi ", and Gate" Mon "are about predetermined placements! "Heavenly, this one also moves where the whole position can be seen. Life capital fits me and my obedience. Zhou Jin is placed in a full battlefield as much as possible. I'll take command of all the armies when I say no. Others wait on the spot, and if the original operation fails, destroy the Abandoned Dragon (Nidheck) by their own corrugated attack. However, if you get too close, you are in danger of being eaten, so you should end up in a ranged attack. Immediately leave the battlefield as soon as the opponent begins to resist and prey on his attacks along the way, timing by following the instructions of Zhou Jin or the SS Angel! The Beast Troops work with the Imperial Army to block holes in the event of the collapse of the Holy King's Army or, if it does not seem possible, retreat immediately and wait on the border. Make it your final line of defense. " "Ha-ha-ha!!!" After continuing to follow the instructions and seeing that they had all been thankful, Scarlet Snow performed a fitting with the Life Capital and the submissive demon, riding on the back of the heavenly life that had become a dragon form. A mixed army of three nations gathered in the land looks up at the brilliant giant of the golden dragon that immediately flew off the scene. In the presence of His Majesty the princess, (apart from the Holy Knights of the Holy King's Army), a grunting voice was raised on the battlefield. Scarlet snow, secretly driven by anxiety and fear, but backed by people's voices, he smiled slightly.

第六話 月下苛刃 馬車の中には沈黙が流れてた。 あの後、立ち塞がる憲兵――実態は、貴族院の遣わした刺客だろうね。 「いたぞっ! 逆賊アシルだ、 れ!!」 「討ち取れば褒賞は思いのままだ!」 とか口々に叫んで襲いかかってきたしね。 まあ、王子のほうは惚けて、 「王子? なんのことだか知らんなぁ。俺は国を憂える謎の仮面騎士だ!」 ってノリノリだったけどさ。 で、ボクのほうもついうっかり興が乗って、 「同じく、通りすがりの謎の女剣士、マスク・ザ・ローズ見参っ! 命の惜しくない者はかかってこい!」 って啖呵を切って、ポーズまでとってしてしまった。 ・・・うん。いまは反省してるよ。 で、アシル王子と協力して難なくこれを突破して、仮面のまま ・・・時たま後方で光とか爆発音とか聞こえるけど、たぶん知らない人が花火でもやってるんだろうねぇ。 ちなみに目的地は、当初の予定を繰上げにする形で、王家の保養所があるというフルビア湖を目指している。 夜中ということで替えの馬を用意できないため、途中から非常にゆっくりしたペースになったけど、おそらく今夜中にはたどり着けるだろう、というのがアシル王子の意見だった。 また、王都から脱出するのにあたり、1枚しかない結界無効化の通行証明書はボクが持ったままなので、命都は後から結界の張ってなさそうな上空まで昇って、迂回してこちらに合流する予定になっている。だいたいの場所も教えてあるし、ある程度の距離になれば主と まあ命都の脱出にあたり、万一王都の上空まで防御結界があったとしても、命都にとってはそれこそシャボン玉を割るようなものだろうから問題は無いし、こっちはもう逃げた後なので騒ぎが起きても関係ないところだね。 で、一息ついたところでボクらは仮面を脱いで、無言のまま――アンジェリカは襲撃のショックで青褪めているし、アシル王子はそんな妹姫の肩を抱いて落ち着かせている、そしてボクはそんな光景を馬車の対面のシートに座ってじっと見てたんだけど――いい加減、沈黙とボクの目つきに耐え切れなくなったのか、アシル王子はおどけた仕草で肩をすくめた。 「どうしました、ヒユキ姫。そのように険しいお顔をされては、せっかくの花の 「・・・3対7ってところかな」 「――はい?」 「馬車に乗るまでに倒した敵の数だよ。ずいぶんと差をつけてくれるじゃないか」 か、まあ、俺の首が目当てだったんですから、2人3人多かったかも知れませんけど。......って、ヒユキ姫口調が変わってませんか?」 「こっちが地でねぇ。人数的には大マケにまけて4対6としたとしてもいいさ、だけどなんだいあれは? こっちがバタバタ斬ってる隣で、全員殺さないように手加減してる余裕は? ――なのでその分を加味して3対7なのさ」 「いやぁ、別に余裕というわけではなく、まあ...彼らも貴族院の命令に従っただけの我が国の国民ですからね」 困ったように頬の辺りを掻く王子。 「はん、金か名誉か知らないけれど、そんなものと引き換えに他人様の命を奪う連中なんだ、殺されるのが当然だと思うけどねぇ。そんな その迷いのない目を見て、ボクは押し黙った。 いや別に気押されたとか、反論の言葉がなかったとかではなく、もうこれ以上話しても無駄。お互いに平行線になるのがわかったから――というかなんだね。そう言われると、隣で人間をスパスパ大根みたいに斬っていたボクが、まるで血も涙も無い殺人鬼みたいじゃないかい!? 「――やはり、面白くないねぇ」 「と、言われても・・・困りましたね。どうすればご機嫌を直していただけるんでしょうか?」 その言葉に、ボクはふむと考えた。 どうにもモヤモヤするのは、この太平楽な王子が原因なのは明白だ。 「そうだねぇ、いい加減街からも離れたし、追っ手もいまのところない。おあつらえ向きに周りは誰も居ない荒野、ちょっと暗いのが難点だけど、その辺りはお互いになんとかなるだろう? ならちょうどいい、降りて試合してみないかい?」 そのボクの提案にアンジェリカが息を呑んだ。 アシル王子も難しい顔で腕組みした。 「試し合いだよ、別に死合いをしようってんじゃないさ。ただ、どーにもその澄ました顔を、一発ぶん殴らないと気がすまない気分でね」 「レディのご不興を買ったのでしたら、この場で頬のひとつふたつ殴られるのは覚悟のうえですが・・・それではお気がすまない?」 「『さあどうぞ』と差し出されて殴ったら、それこそ、ただの女の 諦めた顔でアシル王子は窓から顔を出し、御者をしているカルロ卿にいったん街道から外れて止まるように指示した。 荒涼とした大地を夜風が通り過ぎて行くばかり。 少し離れたところに止めてある馬車のランタンの光程度では、こちらの様子なんて見えないだろうに、アンジェリカとカルロ卿が心配そうにこちらを見ていた。 のままで、本当によろしいのですか?」 5mほど離れた場所から、そう心配そうにいうアシル王子こそ舞踏会用の燕尾服のままなんだけどね。 「ご心配なく、慣れてますから」 ......大丈夫かな自分。いろいろ心配になってきたよ。 「そうですか、では遠慮なく参ります」 言いつつボクが渡した『風の剣』を構えるアシル王子。 「・・・お見通しですか」 再度、剣を構え直して半眼になり、体内の魔力を練り上げながら、淡々とした口調で魔術的呪文だか自己催眠だかわからない、その言葉を口に出す。 名前:アシル・クロード・アミティア 職業:アミティア王国第三王子/アミティア王国冒険者(Sランク) HP:21,500→70,950 「これはこれは......さすがはSランク、この状態ならほぼ人間の あくまでただの無印の人間としては、だけどね。 とはいえ正直舐めていたかな、初期のステータスを見てこんなものかと思ってたし。 「うん。正直魔法剣士って言うから魔術併用型かと思ったら、すべて肉体強化に使うなんて、思い切ったことするねぇ。いまなら当たれば私にダメージを与えられるだろうね」 「当たればですか?」 「うん、当たればね。――まあどうなるかわからないけど、致命傷だろうがなんだろうが私か、後から来る 頷いてボクも『水の剣』を構えた。 「そうですか、それを聞いて安心しました。――では、参ります」

27 Episode Six: The Moon Blade There was silence in the carriage. After that, the stuck gendarmerie - the reality would be the assassins sent by the House of Lords. He was willing to kill and sword, and actually looked at Prince Ashir, "There he is! Rebellion Asylum, kill him!!" "Surround. Take the woman hostage!!" "If you pick it up, the reward stays on your mind! Or so you screamed and attacked me. Well, the prince is more in love, "Prince? I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a mysterious masked knight worrying about my country! It was a no-brainer. So, I accidentally got on, too. "Likewise, passing mysterious swordsman, Mask the Rose, come and see! Call on those who have no life to spare! I cut it off and even posed. ... Yeah. I'm reflecting now. So, working with Prince Asil, he broke through this without difficulty and escaped from the opera house (Opera House), which was transformed into an enemy land (Away) with a mask. ... I hear light and explosions in the rear sometimes, but maybe even fireworks are done by people I don't know. By the way, the destination aims to be Lake Fulvia, where there is a royal conservation facility, in the form of rolling up the initial plans. It was Prince Achille's opinion that we could not prepare a replacement horse due to the fact that it was at a very slow pace from the middle of the night, but would probably reach it by the end of the night. Also, as we escape from the Wang capital, only one passport for invalidating the junction will remain with me, so the life capital will later rise to the seemingly tenuous sky of the junction to detour and join us. I've told you more or less where, and if you get some distance, the Lord and the Obedient Demon (pets) can see where each other is, so this choice would be best. Well, in the escape of Life Capital, in case there was a defensive junction up to the top of King's Capital, that would be like cracking a chavon ball for Life Capital, so there's nothing wrong with this one, and it doesn't matter if there's any noise after we've already escaped. So, after a sigh of breath, we took off our masks and remained silent - Angelica is fading blue in the shock of the raid, Prince Achille is holding such a sister princess's shoulder to calm her down, and I sat and stared at such a sight in the opposite seat of the carriage - come on, I can't stand the silence and my eyes any longer, Prince Achille shrugged his shoulder with a set aside method. "What's up, Princess Hiyuki? If you look so harsh, the face of the flower will be ruined." "... I guess it's a 3-on-7 place" "- Yes?" "It's the number of enemies I've defeated by the time I got in the carriage. It makes a lot of difference." "No, no, that won't make a difference. Five to five (EVEN), well, my neck was what I was looking for, so maybe there were two or three more....... has Princess Hyuki changed her tone? "This is not the ground. In terms of the number of people, you can make it 4-for-6, but what is that? This one's slashing butterflies. Next door, how much room can you afford not to kill them all? - That's why it's three to seven." "Hey, it's not that I can afford it, well... because they're also nationals of my country who just followed orders from the House of Lords" Prince scratching around cheek like trouble. "Ha, I don't know if it's gold or honor, but they're the ones who take other people's lives in exchange for that, I think it's natural to be killed, hey. I don't think there's room for defense at the time I choose such a raw (i.e.) business, and I think it's better for the world to be gone. - By and large, you were paying back all eight assassins when you were 11. Seeing that unmistakable eye, I pressed silence. No, it's not that I was distracted or that I didn't have any objections, it's no use talking any more. Because we found ourselves in parallel with each other - or something. When they say that, I slaughtered a human next door like a spa radish, like a killer with no blood or tears!? "- Again, that's not funny." "And even if they say... you're in trouble. How can I fix your mood? To the words, I thought, Hmm. It is obvious that this pacifist prince is responsible for all the moaning. "That's right, I'm away from the good commute, and I haven't had a chaser yet. It's a little dark in the wilderness where nobody's around, but we can handle each other around there, right? Then just fine, why don't you come down and play a game? Angelica was breathtaking at my suggestion. Prince Achille also arm himself with a difficult face. "It's a trial, I'm not trying to kill each other. I'm just sorry I didn't have to punch you in the face." "If you bought the lady's discomfort, I'm prepared to be hit with one or two of her cheeks on this occasion... but then I'm sorry? "'Come on in,' he offered and hit me, and that's just a woman's eclampsia (hysteria). I'm sorry I had to hit you on equal terms." With the face he gave up, Prince Asil turned out of the window and instructed Sir Carlo, who was your man, to stop off the street once. Night breezes just pass through the desolate earth. Angelica and Sir Carlo looked at this one worryingly, as far as the lantern light on the carriage stopping a little further away would not see how this one was. "Are you sure you want to stay dressed like that? From about 5m away, Prince Asil, who seems so worried, remains the swallow tail suit for the ball. "Don't worry, I'm used to it" ... I wonder if I'm okay. I'm getting a lot worried about you. "Really? Then don't hesitate to come." Prince Asil sets up the "Sword of the Wind" that I gave him while I said it. "... is it a prospect" Again, I rearrange my sword and half-eyed it, refining the magic in my body, I don't know if it's a magical spell or self-hypnosis in a pale tone, I put that word in my mouth. Name: Asil Claude Amitia Occupation: Third Prince of the Kingdom of Amitia/Adventurer of the Kingdom of Amitia (S-Rank) HP: 21,500 70,950 "This is... that's the S-rank, it's pretty close to the human cap (Kanst) if it's in this state" As a mere unmarked person, though. I was honestly licking it though, I thought it was something like this when I saw my early status. "Yeah. Honestly, I say magic swordsman, so I thought it was a magic combination type, and you know, I'd think of using it all for physical enhancement, you know? If you hit me now, you'll be damaging me." "What if I hit it? "Yeah, if you hit it. - Well, I don't know what's going to happen, but I don't care if it's me or the next life capital (Miko), it'll heal without a trace." He nodded and I set up the "Sword of Water" as well. "Really, I was relieved to hear that. - Okay, I'm coming."

第三話 双姫邂逅 アミティア王国は大陸西部域に版図を持つ中規模(というか3大強国の帝国、連邦、聖王国を抜かせば周辺国と併せてどんぐりの背比べ)国家であり、肥沃な土壌と温暖な気候から農業・牧畜が盛んで、国土面積・人口に比較しても国内消費量の数倍の収穫量を誇り、農産物の輸出量では近隣諸国随一を誇る、西部域の台所としてなくてはならない存在であった。 かつてはこの豊潤な国土を狙って侵略戦争なども行なわれたが、周辺国との外交政略によりここ80年以上、小競り合いを抜かせば本格的な戦争を経験したことはなく、時折発生するモンスターの被害を別にすれば、現在は平和を謳歌していると言っても過言ではなかった。 そんなアミティア王国の王都カルディアにある 歌劇場 参加者は上は貴族から、下は成り上がりの商人まで様々だが、時たまお忍びで参加する王族や他国の貴人まで居るとあって、参加する男女は鵜の目鷹の目で、仮面に隠された相手の素性を探ろうと、ダンスもそこそこに雑談に興じるのが通例であった。 だが、そんな通例を悠々と打ち破る、本日は凄まじいばかりの存在感を示す一組の主従がいた。 自然体で立っているだけで、超然とした存在感を醸し出す主たる女性。 一見して上半身はウエストまでフィットしたデザインで、折れそうなほど細い腰を強調しつつ、ウエストから下はフレア状に広がったドレープの黒のドレスに、生きた花と見まごうばかりの赤薔薇のコサージュを随所にアレンジした、とてつもない手間隙と時間、金を注ぎ込んだであろう衣装を身にまとった少女――見た感じまだ十代前半であろうか? 顔から上は紅い鬼面のマスクで隠しているため想像するしかないが、腰まで届く艶やかな髪といい、うっとりするほど白くホクロの一つもない肌、そして頬から下のラインから想像できる素顔はいかほどの美貌であろうか・・・とため息をつくしかない、まさに生きた芸術品である。 そしてその背後に付き従う侍女らしき、水色のロングトルソーのドレスをまとった17~18歳ほどと見受けられる女性もまた、まばゆいプラチナブロンドの髪と瑞々しい肌、白の仮面で鼻から上は覗えないが、想像できる素顔はこれまた絶世の、と言うべき美女であった。 そんな二人であるから、入場した瞬間から会場の注目は釘付けであったのだが、あまりにも高嶺の花過ぎて――身に着けている宝飾品の類いも超一級品どころか国宝級であり、どうみてもお忍びで参加した大国の姫とその侍女である――誰もが遠巻きに眺め、ヒソヒソと憶測をささやき合うばかりで、声を掛けようとするような命知らずな者は、いまだ誰一人としていないのであった。 「......なんというか、思ったよりも退屈なものだねぇ、この ――いまはさすがに熾天使の翼は隠した状態だけど――は、微かに首を傾げた。 「この程度ではないでしょうか? 舞踏会と銘を打っているものの、実質的には公然とした男女の享楽の場ですから」 「そうみたいだねぇ」 シャンデリアの光が届かない薄闇の中で、堂々とわいせつ行為(具体的にどこまでとは言わないけどさ、そういうのは別室でやりなよ)をしている複数の男女を見ながら(何度も言うけどボクの目には丸見えだからねぇ)、ボクは早々に来たことを後悔していた。 ひょっとして気が付かないのかな? 自分ではわかりやすい格好できたつもりなんだけど、案外目立たない可能性もあるし、ひょっとしたら地味過ぎたかな。 「・・・ったく、せっかく夜通しダンスの特訓をしたっていうのに」 「踊りたいのですか?姫様」 こてんと小首を傾げる命都。 「そういうわけじゃないけどね、貧乏性なせいか使えるんだから、使わないのは損な気がしてねぇ」 「左様でございますか。それにしても姫様を呼び出しておいて、待たせるとは不敬にもほどがございますね」 「いや、別に詳しい時間の指定もなかったわけだし・・・って、命都、相手の王子様が遅れて来たからっていって、いきなり喧嘩腰にならないでよ」 いきなり無礼討ちとかしたら、まとまる話もまとまらないからね。 そう言うと、命都は心外そうにため息をついた。 殿ではありませんから、下僕たるこの身が姫様の意を差し置いて、そのような短慮を起こすはずなどございません。――そも姫と何百年ご一緒してきたと思ってらっしゃるのですか?」 いや、何百年って・・・せいぜい3~4年じゃないの? 「まあ姫様のご指示とあれば、その無礼者を五寸刻みで成敗することに、一瞬の躊躇を覚える私ではございませんが・・・」 いや、躊躇しようよ! だめだ。ウチで一番まともそうに見えても、根本的に武闘派なのは変わらないんだよね。 命都がちらりとボクの顔――というか、仮面を見て言った。 「お好きなのですか、その仮面は? 城下町で良く似た仮面の者がラーメン屋にいた、などとも聞き及んでおりますが」 「さあ? まあ根も葉もない噂でございましょう」 「そ、そーだね」 と、トコトコいう感じで金髪で薄いピンクのドレスを着た、 「こんばんは、素敵なお召し物ですね」 「こんばんは、貴女こそ可愛らしいお支度ですね。よくお似合いですわ」 取りあえず同じように挨拶を返して、よそ行きの口調で付け加える。 すると彼女はじっとボクの顔を見て(仮面に隠されて顔かたちはわからないけど、瞳はブルーだね)、興味津々たる様子で訊いてきた。 「ところで、先ほどから気になってたのですけれど、貴女のような可憐な方にそのような恐ろしげな仮面は似合わないと思うのですけれど、それはなにか意味がございますの?」 後ろで命都も、「その通りですね」と頷いている。・・・うう、評判悪いなぁ、これガチャのレア品だったのに。 「意味があるというか・・・実は、本日ここで人と会う約束をしているのですけれど、相手方に私だとわかりやすいようにと」 魔物の国のお姫様だし、こーいうのがわかりやすいだろうな、と思っての腹積もりもあって選んだんだよね。 ところが、そう言うと相手の女の子は心底びっくりした顔で、可愛らしく口元を押さえた。 「まあ! あに・・・いえ、そのお相手の方は、貴女にそのような無体なことをおっしゃったのですか?!」 「ああ、いえいえ。これは私の判断です。相手方は場所と日時をおっしゃられただけで、特に服装や目印を指定されませんでしたので、私の独断で相手方にわかりやすいよう、こうしただけです。――なにぶん山出しの田舎者ですので、ご不快に感じられましたらお詫び申し上げますわ」 「そのようなことはございませんわ。少々不審に思っただけのことで、とはいえ相手の方も不親切ですわね。一方的に呼び出しておいて、肝心の目印などを指定しないなんて」 自分のことのように憤慨する少女の様子に、思わず口元が緩みそうになる。 「そうですね。なのでそろそろ退席しようかと思案しておりました」 「そうですか・・・」と頷きつつ、「あの、それでしたらわたくしと別室で少々お話してはいただけないでしょうか?」 はい? と思わず相手の目を見つめ返したところ、 「実は兄に連れられて来たものの、同じような年頃の方はいらっしゃらないようで、少々退屈していましたの。 それで、思わず貴女に声をかけたのですけれど、いまお話してみただけで俄然、貴女に興味がわいてしまいましたわ。ぜひ、じっくりとお話してはくださいませんか?」 その女の子ははにかんだ仕草で、だけど滅茶苦茶キラキラした目で訴えかけてくるんだよ。 ・・・ううっ、苦手だ。こういう相手の空気を読まずに自分のペースに巻き込む天然型は。 気のせいかなんか前にもこんなことがあったような・・・。 「ま、まあ多少でしたら・・・」 気が付いたら、思わず頷いていた。あーあ、なにしてんだろうボク。 「嬉しいっ! あの、失礼ですけど、貴女のお年はいくつでらっしゃいます? わたくしは12歳になりますが」 「ええと、いちおう13歳ですわね」 設定上はね! 「あら、では1つお姉さまですわね。――あの、お姉さまとお呼びしてもよろしいでしょうか?」 わくわくした様子で訊いてくる女の子。 なにこの生き物、妙に可愛いんですけど? 「え、ええ。貴女さえよろしければ」 逆らえるわけないよね。 「では、お姉さま、あちらの別室を借りておりますので、おいでくださいませ。お供の方もどうぞご一緒に」 「――よろしいのですか?」 小声で確認してくる命都に、半分自棄で答えた。 「いいんだよ。来ない馬鹿王子が悪いんだから。後から来てその辺ウロウロしてればいいのさ」 わかりました、と頷く命都とともに、女の子に文字通り手を引っ張られて、 彼女はその部屋の扉を軽くノックして、 「お兄様、アンジェリカです。お客様をお連れしましたわ」 『ああっ。入ってくれ!』 入室を促す若い男性の声と気配とに、 「「――ッ!?」」 ボクと命都は本能的な警戒から、2~3歩下がっていた。 そんなボクたちの方を向いて、彼女はかぶっていた仮面を脱いで可愛らしい――砂糖菓子のようにふんわりとした雰囲気の美少女だね――素顔をさらすと、改めて深々と挨拶をした。 「欺くような形になってしまって、誠に心苦しいですわお姉さま。改めてご挨拶いたします。アミティア王国第四王女、アンジェリカ・イリス・アミティア。馬鹿王子こと第三王子アシル・クロード・アミティアの同腹の妹にあたります」 そう言ってにっこり笑う彼女を前に、ボクと命都はどういったものかと思わず顔を見合わせていた。

24 Episode Three: Encountering The Double Princess The kingdom of Amitia was a medium-sized country with prints in the western part of the continent (or more and more backwards in conjunction with the surrounding countries if we let out the empires, confederations and holy kingdoms of the three great Powers), where agriculture and livestock flourished from fertile soils and temperate climates and had to be the kitchen of the western region, with harvests several times more than domestic consumption even compared to the national area and population, and the best of neighbouring countries in terms of agricultural exports. There was once also a war of aggression and so on aimed at this abundant land, but it was no exaggeration to say that in the last 80 years or more, due to diplomatic politics with neighbouring countries, we have never experienced a full-scale war without skirmishes, and that apart from the occasional damage to monsters, we are now singing peace. The opera house in Cardia, the king's capital of the Amitian kingdom, also hosted a masquerade featuring the aristocrats and wealthy dressed tonight. By the way, the Masquerade was originally held in court, but the peaceful times have slowly become less laid down and now it is extended to the general public (though only those with considerable wealth and status can participate), and is also held in these theatres and so on. Participants range from aristocrats on top to merchants on the bottom, but sometimes even royalties and nobles from other countries who participate with patience, and the men and women who participate, with the eyes of pelican eye eagles, sought to explore the identity of their opponents hidden in masks, where dance was also commonly involved in chatter. But there was a set of subordinates today who slowly broke such a routine, showing their just awesome presence. The main woman who just stands in nature and exudes an extraordinary presence. At first glance, the upper body is designed to fit all the way to the waist, highlighting the thin hips that are likely to break, while from the waist to the bottom, a girl dressed in a costume that would have been infused with gold, arranging everywhere with living flowers and a costume of red roses just to be seen - feels like she's still in her early teens? I can only imagine it because I hide it from my face up with a red faceted mask, but it's called lustrous hair that reaches to my waist, skin that is not white-white and porcupine enough to sneeze, and how beautiful the face I can imagine from the cheek-to-bottom line would be... and I can only sigh, it's just a living piece of art. And like a samurai who follows behind it, a woman who can be seen as about 17-18 years old with a long, water-colored torso dress, also had rough platinum blonde hair and luminous skin, a white mask that prevented her from peeking up from her nose, but the imaginable face was once again a dead beauty. Since they are such two, the attention of the venue was nailed from the moment of admission, but it was too high a ridge flower - the kind of jewellery worn is super first-class rather than national treasure, and at any rate the princess of the great kingdom who participated with patience and her samurai - and everyone just looked away, whispered speculation with Hisohisso, and those who were not commanded to speak up were not alone yet. "... somehow, it's more boring than I thought, this masquerade thing." The capital of life (Miko and I) - just now the wings of the angel are hidden - was slightly inclined. "Isn't it to this extent? Although it is branded as a ball, it is essentially an open place for men and women to enjoy themselves." "Looks like it." In the dim darkness where the chandelier's light couldn't reach me, watching multiple men and women doing grand acts of obscenity (I'm not exactly going to tell you how far, but do that in a separate room) (because I've said it many times but it looks round to my eyes), I regretted that I came early. Don't you realize it in a minute? I was going to be able to dress up plainly on my own, but there's a possibility that the information isn't noticeable, and I guess it was a little too plain. "... Damn, he said he trained for a dance all night long." "Do you want to dance? Princess." The capital of life, which tilts its neck so tightly. "It's not like that, but I can use it because of my poverty, so I don't feel like it's a loss not to use it" "Are you to the left? Nevertheless, you have been disrespectful enough to call the princess and make her wait." "No, it's not like I didn't specify a specific time... because the life capital, the other prince, came late, and all of a sudden, don't get into a fight." If I suddenly disrespect you, I won't be able to put together a whole story. With that said, the Capital of Life sighed outright. "Since it is not Lord Tenkai, there is no reason why this servant should take such short notice without the will of the princess. - And you think I've been with the princess for hundreds of years? No, hundreds of years... not three to four years at most? "Well, if it's the Princess's instructions, I'm not the one who remembers a moment's hesitation to succeed or defeat that disrespectful man in five inches..." No, let's hesitate! No. Looking the most decent thing about us doesn't change that you're fundamentally a militant, does it? The life capital is my face - or I looked at the mask and said. "Do you like it, what's that mask? We also hear that a very similar mask was in a ramen shop in Castle Town." "Come on? Well, it's a rumor without roots or leaves." "Oh, yeah." And when a girl dressed like Scarlet Snow (me), dressed in a blonde, thin pink dress with a tokotoko feel, came before me, she pinched Tiered's skirt with both hands with a tame method, unlike me, and did Cartesy (greeting me to go with one leg pulled back and the other knee bent). "Good evening, that's a lovely treat" "Good evening, you are the lovely courtesy. You look great." Return the greeting in the same way for now and add in a tone of approximation. Then she looked at my face (hidden in the mask and I don't know the faces, but the eyes are blue) and asked me intrigued. "By the way, I've been wondering about this for a while now, and I don't think such a horrible mask would suit a poor guy like you, but does that make any sense? "You're right," he snorted.... Ugh, you have a bad reputation, even though this was a gacha rare item. "You mean it makes sense... actually, I'm promising to meet people here today, but I told them to make it easier for them to know it was me" I'm a princess in the land of demons, and I guess it's easy to understand this kind of thing, and you chose it because of your belly buildup. But when I said that, the other girl had a heartfelt surprise face and held her mouth down adorably. "Well! Well... no, did that person say such an intangible thing to you?!" "Oh, no. This is my decision. They just told me where and when, and they didn't specify any particular outfits or landmarks, so this is all I do to make it easy for them to understand at my discretion. - I apologize if you feel uncomfortable because I'm a mountain country man." "That's not true. You're just a little suspicious, but they're also unfriendly. I can't believe you didn't unilaterally call and specify the key landmarks, etc." My mouth is about to loosen unexpectedly on the look of a girl as outraged as it is about me. "Right. So I thought it was time to leave." "Really..." he nodded. "Um, if that's the case, why don't you and I have a little chat in the separate room? Yes? I accidentally stared back into the other person's eyes and "Actually, although my brother brought me here, no one seemed to be around the same age, and I was a little bored. So, I accidentally spoke to you, but I just talked to you, and I was interested in you. Why don't we talk about it carefully? The girl is a soldering trick, but she complains with tear and sparkling eyes. ... Ugh, I don't like it. What natural type winds up at your pace without reading the air of these opponents. It's like this happened before because of your mind... "Well, if it's slightly..." When I realized it, I was snorting unexpectedly. Oh, what are you doing, me? "Happy! Um, excuse me, how old are you? I'll be 12 years old." "Uh, you're 13 years old." In the setup! "Oh, so you're one sister. - Um, may I call you your sister? A girl who asks me how excited I am. What is this creature, strangely cute? "Yeah, yeah. If you don't mind." There's no way you can turn it against me, is there? "Now, sister, we're renting a separate room over there, so come on. If you're offering, come with me." "- Are you sure? I answered the capital of my life, confirming it in a low voice, half abandoned myself. "That's okay. Because it's bad for a stupid prince who doesn't come. I just have to come back later and roll around." Ok, along with the nodding Life Capital, the girl literally pulled her hand and brought her upstairs in the opera house (opera house), in front of a deep room lined with private rooms. She knocked lightly at the door of that room, "My brother, it's Angelica. We've got a visitor." "Ahhh. Come on in! with the voices and signs of young men encouraging them to enter the room, "" - Huh!? " Me and the Life Capital were 2-3 steps back from instinctive vigilance. Turning to us like that, she took off the mask she was wearing and was adorable - you're a beautiful girl with a fluffy atmosphere like sugar confetti - and when she exposed her face, she greeted her deeply again. "It's really distressing to see you in a deceptive way, sister. I greet you again. Fourth princess of the kingdom of Amitia, Angelica Iris Amitia. Prince Idiot, third prince Asil Claude Amitia's belly sister." Before she said that and laughed, I looked at her face, wondering what life and I were like.

幕間 魔将軍衆 これは、彼らインペリアル・クリムゾン全住民が敬愛する主・ 緋雪 相談したいことがあるので是非に――ということで、猛烈に気が進まなかったんだけど、臨んだ謁見の間には、すでに十三魔将軍が勢ぞろいしていた。 もちろん全員跪拝してるけど、小さくなっているどころか、もともとのスケールが違う上に、中には不定形で常時大きさが変化しているのもいるので、普通に見てても ちなみに十三魔将軍は全員がLv110~130クラスのダンジョンボスばかりで、対するプレイヤーのレベル上限がLv99(まあ実際は0→1→2→3次転生に伴いステータスの上昇幅も上がるので、3次転生後は無印の実質Lv250くらいに相当するんだけど、もともとこのクラスのボスは対カンスト組用なのであまり意味が無い)なので、強いなんてもんじゃない。 文字通りの化物。 なら=プレーヤーのレベルで、ソロでも普通に倒せるけど、基本ソロで倒せるボスというのは、安全マージンを取ってLv20~30下なのがセオリーだったりする。 ということで、こいつらはソロではなくてプレーヤーが集団でボコるのが前提(なので捕獲には当然 ......なので苦手意識が強いんだよね~。 いくら味方と言われても、デコピン感覚で一撃入れられたら一発で死ぬし。 なにしろ一番小さい奴でも全高(全長じゃないよ!)10m。一番大きいのは50m(さすがに部屋に入らないので、今回は小型化しているけど)という巨大さで、百鬼夜行どころかどーみても人類殲滅に現れた邪神軍団です。本当にありがとうございました。 というか、運営もこのあたりでネタに詰まったのか、双頭の そんなわけで、取りあえず部屋に入って数段高くなった壇上の椅子に座りながら、いつでも逃げられるように素早く非常口のチェックをした。 ちょうど椅子の後ろが馬鹿でかい観音開きの扉になっていて、ボクが出入りする時に使用するんだけど、開けるのに となると廊下のあるボクから見て左側の扉か。 一番近いところまでは、ボクの逃げ足なら2秒とかからないだろうけど、まずいことに今日は5cmのヒールを履いている。 この不安定な足場では全力疾走は不可能。靴を脱いではだしになるまでのロスタイムが、生死を分けるかも知れないね。 こんなことならハイヒールでの全力疾走の訓練しとけばよかったよ。 とか思っていたところで、十三魔将軍を代表してヴェールをまとった白髪で黒い肌をし人間の青年の姿をしたウムル・アト=タウィル(クトゥルフ神話に出てくるヨグ=ソトースの分身)の『 「天上人たる緋雪様のご尊顔を拝し奉り、我ら十三魔将軍一同、この上なき栄誉を得てございます」 恭しく挨拶したところ、ボクの横に立っていた――並びとしては、 「面を上げなさい、姫様への直奏を許可します」 はて・・・? 普通これって天涯の役目だと思ってたんだけど、なぜか今日は本人、えらく不機嫌そうな顔で突っ立てるね。 「では、失礼ながら姫に確認したい仕儀がございまして、十三魔将軍を代表してお聞きします」 その目がちらりとボクから見て右手側、天涯と命都が並んでいる方を見た。 「姫、此度の行事に、ある特定の者のみ恩寵を与えた、という噂はまことでございましょうか?」 あちゃーっ!! このタイミングで言われる行事っていったら、明日から訪問する王都への同行者の件だよね。 今回はコラードギルド長の忠告を受けて、命都を連れて行くことにして本人以下、四凶天王には知らせてあるけど、他の円卓メンバーからすればいい気がしないのも当然かも知れないね。自分たちの頭越しにそういうこと決められてるんだし。 だいたい前回のお供も天涯一人だったことで、ずいぶんと七禍星獣からも文句を言われたし・・・でもまあ今になってみると、それが良かったかも知れないねぇ。 あの後、七禍星獣の気晴らしと現地調査を兼ねて、前回ボクらが壊し廃墟と化したアーラ市近郊にあった いたらさらに騒ぎがエスカレートしたろうにね。 それにしても、どうしたものかな、今回は人数制限がある上に『人間型女性』というくくりがあるので、正直十三魔将軍の出番はないんだよねぇ。 「くだらぬ邪推に過ぎぬ! 諸君らの懸念はまったくの的外れだ!」 そういった天涯に、なぜか十三魔将軍の本気の敵意を込めた視線が一斉に注がれた。 こ、こわ......っ!! 邪神軍団が本気で殺気を込めた視線、その余波に巻き込まれて、ボクは久々にしばらく意識が飛んでいたらしい。 気が付いたら天涯と十三魔将軍とが喧々諤々と言い争いをしていた。 「だから、あれは姫様に飲んでいただくために用意した生き血だと!」 「普段であればあのような締まりのない顔はしておらんでしょう!?」 「とりわけ霊力の強い巫女の血だぞ、姫に喜んでもらおうと――」 「嘘をつけ! 貴様だけ姫からご寵愛をいただいたのだろう?!」 「だからもらってないと言ってるだろう!」 「......なんの話?」 ボクの質問に命都が思いっきりため息をついた。 「今日は魔暦2月14日、バレンタインデーです。天涯殿が朝、手に箱を持って歩いていたのを見て、姫様からチョコをもらったのではないかと、十三魔将軍を始め、城の男たちが色めき立っておりまして・・・」 「ほんに男衆ときたら、かようなことでくだらぬ騒ぎを起こし寄ってからに」 呆れ果てたという口調で、空穂が騒ぎから目を逸らした。 バレンタインデー? なにかと思えばそんなことでこの騒ぎなわけ?! というか、あんたら全員邪神・魔神じゃない? そんなのが十字教関係の行事のシロモノもらうのに血眼になるわけ?! なんか間違ってない?? 頭を抱えるボクを余所に、議論はいよいよヒートアップして行こうとしていた。 そんなわけで、結局その後ボクは命都たちの助けを借りて、大量のチョコを作って配りまくってどーにか事を収めたわけだけどさ。 ・・・これ来月のホワイトデーのお返しの中身が凄く怖いんですけど。

28 Tabernacle Demon General Mass This was the day before the Lord and Scarlet Snow (Hiyuki), whom they all inhabitants of Imperial Crimson beloved, went to the Wang Capital with their life capital (Miko and Miko) in their offering. Over the past few days, the void Red Jade Castle had already flowed with raised air, but today, which can also be called X-Day, the tension culminated, and since morning those beneath him - especially the men - had been restless and vice versa, pointing the eyes of the suspicious demon towards their colleagues wearing the same heaven as Scarlet Snow. I must because I want to talk to you - so I didn't feel furiously about it, but during the sight I came, the thirteenth demon general was already in full swing. Of course, they're all kneeling, but instead of being smaller, some of them are amorphous and constantly changing in size, on top of the different scales they originally were, so even if I normally look at them, my proximity (Perth) goes completely crazy and cranky. By the way, General Thirteen Demons are all dungeon bosses in classes Lv 110 to 130, and since the level cap of the opposing player is Lv 99 (well actually 0 1 2 3 reincarnation also raises the width of the status, after the third reincarnation it equals about the unmarked real Lv 250, but originally the boss in this class was for the pair against Kanst, so it doesn't make much sense), it's not strong. Literal indiscriminate. By and large, if you are a general MOB (enemy monster) = player level, you can defeat a solo normally, but a boss who can defeat a basic solo can take a safety margin and LV20-30 below is Theory. So these guys assume the players will bump in a group, not a solo (so naturally I asked for the help of someone I know besides my buddy (Gilmen) to capture them), so assuming I tell them to fight solo, if they're the most downright opponent, if they're fully equipped and can use potion all they want, they can beat them in a few hours? No... what do you think? Well, let's just try to take it!... but if one of the other miscellaneous fish monsters attacked (linked) along the way, I'd be dead for sure!! ... so you're not very comfortable with it ~. No matter how many allies you say you're on, if you get a blow in with a decopine feel, you'll die in one shot. Anyway, even the smallest guy is totally tall (not the whole length!) 10m. The biggest is the enormity of 50m (which is just not going into the room, so this time it's miniaturized), which is the Legion of Evil that appeared in the annihilation of mankind, no matter what the hundred nights went by. Thank you so much. Or did the operation also get stuck in the story around here, because it's based on demogorgons that look like reptiles with double-headed baboons (hihi) heads and tentacles, punyphthal, a fog with tentacles, and co-workers with juicy hair on the human serpent body, and so on the evil and demonic gods that come to myths around the world, so it doesn't really get stylish now that it's materialized. That's why I quickly checked the emergency exit so that I could escape at any time, sitting in a chair on the stage where I went into the room and got a few steps taller for now. Just because the back of the chair is a stupid big kannon opening door, and I use it when I go in and out, but every single one of Heavenly Life (tennis) and Incense Glow (like this) used my hands to open it - and when I saw the door, the phrase 'Give up all hope for anyone who goes through this door' came to my mind - maybe when you run away from it, you can't catch up with my arms. Then I saw it from the door on the left side with the hallway. Up to the nearest point, it won't take me two seconds to escape, but to bad, I'm wearing a 5cm heel today. Full force disease is impossible in this precarious scaffold. I wonder if Rothschild's time to take off his shoes and fall apart might divide life and death. If this is the case, you should have trained yourself to walk at high heels. I was just thinking something like that, "Spotted Dove (but not)" by Umr At-Tawill (the Yog-Sothoth personality that appears in Kutulf mythology), who, on behalf of General Thirteen Demons, appeared as a gray-haired, dark-skinned and human youth who put Vale together, came a step forward. "We worship the face of the heavenly Scarlet Snow Master, and we, the General of the Thirteenth Demon, are honored without distinction." When I greeted him with respect, he stood beside me - like, Heavenly Heaven, Life Capital, Me, Akeho, Hatoyao - Life Capital opened its mouth. "Raise your face, I authorize a direct call to the princess" Ha...? Normally, I thought this was a lifelong role, but somehow today you stick out in person, perhaps with a grumpy face. "Now, with all due respect, I have a manners that I would like to check with the princess, and I ask you on behalf of General Thirteen Demons" His eyes glimpsed from me, and he saw the right-hand side, the one lined with Heaven and Life Capital. "Princess, are there any rumors that only certain people have been gracious to this event? Ahhh!! When it comes to the events they say at this time, it's about the companions to the Wang Capital who are visiting tomorrow, right? On the advice of the Commander of the Collard Guild, I decided to take the Life Capital with me. I have informed the Four Weapon Heavenly King, but it may well be that I don't feel like I should come from other round-table members. That's what they decide to do over their own heads. Mostly the last time I offered was alone in heaven, and a lot of times the Seven Hazards Star Beast complained about it... but well now, that might have been a good idea. After that, combined with the distractions of the Seven Hazards Star Beast and a field survey, the ancient ruins (dungeons) that we had in the vicinity of the city of Ara, which we destroyed and abandoned last time - following the empty hoe selfishness that attacking one floor at a time was a troublesome smell, and as a result of Sculpture Yao smashing through 10 levels to the room of the Dungeon Boss (which was five necked hydra, by the way) with one blow - were just as bad as leaving them alone, so we sent them for repairs and improvements, so they're not currently in the castle. Even more noise would have escalated if I had been there. Still, I wonder what's going on, this time there's a curse called 'Human-type Women' on top of the number limit, so honestly, there's no turn for General Thirteen Demons. "It's just a crappy evil push! Your concerns are completely off target! On such a lifetime, for some reason, the gaze of Gen. Thirteen's genuine hostility was poured out simultaneously. Ko, Ko...... Huh!! I hear my consciousness has been flying for a while now, caught up in the aftermath of the sinister army's genuinely murderous gaze. When I realized it, Heavenly Heaven and the General of the Thirteenth Demon were arguing in a hustle and bustle. "So he said that was the living blood prepared for the princess to drink! "You wouldn't normally have that kind of tight face!?" "Especially the blood of a spiritual witch, trying to please the princess..." "Lie to me! You are the only one who has received your love from the princess?!" "That's why I'm telling you I didn't get it! "... what are you talking about? Life Capital sighed as much as I could to my question. "Today is Valentine's Day, Feb. 14 of the Devil's Calendar. Seeing Lord Heavenly walked in the morning with a box in his hand, he thought the princess might have given him chocolate, starting with General Thirteen Demons, and the men of the castle were standing in colour..." "When you're really a man, after you make a crappy noise about something like that," In the tone that he was exhausted, the air ho diverted his attention from the noise. Valentine's Day? Is that what this is all about?! Or, aren't you all evil gods and demons? That's what gives me the bloody eye to get the shiloh thing about the events of the crucifixion?! Something wrong?? With the room for me holding my head, the argument was finally about to heat up and go. So in the end, with the help of the Life Capitals, I made a ton of chocolate and handed it out. ... I'm so scared of what this is all about next month's White Day payback.

第十話 散花狼藉 グラウィオール帝国帝都アルゼンタム。その王宮の外れにある『 貴人用の特別隔離施設の扉の前で、仁王立ちして周囲の様子を窺っていたグラウィオール帝国衛兵の鎧冑をまとった中背の男は、『ドスドス』といかにも鼻息荒く、床を踏み締めて進む足音の後、一拍置いてから、なにか軽いものが床に倒れる音を、扉越しに聴いて、冑の下でため息をついた。 これからなにが起こるのかは予想できる。 できれば、そうならないように願っていたのだが、どうやら事態は最悪の方向へ向かっているようだ。 「......しかたない。これも成り行きか」 彼は手にした短剣――先ほど預かった装飾過多の大教皇の懐剣――を無造作に剣帯に捻り込み、静かに背後の扉を開いた。 』は本来が監獄なのだから、当然、内側からは鍵が掛からない。外から鍵を掛けるしかないのだが、今日は本来の用途ではなく極秘会談の場所として使用され、またなにか事があればすぐに部屋の中に入れるように鍵は掛けずに、開けっ放しの状態になっている。 音を立てないように部屋の中に入った男は、奥の寝室から聞こえてくる、微かな衣擦れの音を聴いて、密かに安堵の表情を浮かべた。 ――どうやら、まだ事には至ってないようだな。 さらに足音を忍ばせて――重い鎧を着用しているというのに、まったく物音を立てないその様は、騎士というよりも名うての間者か暗殺者のようであった――寝室へと足を進める。 影に注意しながら、体を沈めてそっと中の様子を窺うと、ちょうどウェルナー大教皇が苦心しながら脱がせた緋雪のドレスを、ぽいと無造作にベッドの下に放り投げたところであった。 残るは小振りの双丘と秘所を守る2枚の布のみ。 意識のない緋雪にのしかかって、雪のように白い肌の感触を堪能している大教皇は、まったくこちらに注意を払っていない。 まったく鍛えていない、油断した腹回りや、生っ白い尻が丸見えである。 ――ふむ。これなら少しぐらい大胆な行動をしても大丈夫だな。 そう判断した男は、自分の身支度を確認して、『ああ、これが手頃か』という感じで一つ頷き、大教皇から預かっている短剣を抜いた。 「ハァ、ハァ、なんという手触りだ。天女の羽衣もこれほどではあるまい」 大教皇が鼻息も荒く、最後の防波堤へと手を伸ばそうとしている。 「さて、それでは......」 上下の下着の紐に指を掛けたところで、音もなくその背後に忍び寄っていた衛兵がしゃがみこんで、手にした短剣の切っ先を、大教皇の尻の中心部へと狙い定めた。 「はい、それじゃあいきますんでー。息を吐いて、力を抜いて楽にしてくださいねー」 「ん?」 「3、2、1、ほいっ!」 男の手にした大教皇の短剣は、その本来の持ち主を鞘として、根元まで深々と収まったのだった。 「死ね! 死ね! このクズが! ゲスが! どこが聖職者! なにが誠意だ! だまし討ちでレイプしようとするなんて!! 死ね! 死ね! さっさと死ね!!!」 激高した緋雪が、下着姿のまま容赦なく、尻に短剣を生やしたまま、白目を剥いて口から泡を吹き、下半身からおびただしい出血をしているウェルナー大教皇を、足で蹴り飛ばしていた。 ゴスッ!ゴスッ!と鈍い音がして、変わり果てた顔から流れ出た鼻血が、負けず劣らずの血溜まりを作る。もの凄い勢いでHPが減っていく大教皇の姿に、めちゃくちゃ引きながら、冑をとった衛兵姿の黒髪の男が、恐る恐る声を掛ける。 「あ、あの......お嬢さん、それ以上やったら、洒落抜きで死ぬんで、そろそろ......」 振り乱した黒髪の間から、ぎらりと凶暴な目つきで、男をひと睨みする緋雪。 「殺すつもりだから、当然っ!」 「いや、あの、お気持ちはよくわかるんですけど、さすがに殺すのは、いろいろと問題が......」 「問題なんてないよ! ごちゃごちゃ言うなら聖王国ごと消し飛ばせばいいことだろう!!」 ここまで過激に激怒するとは男の方も予想外だったらしく、なんとか緋雪を翻意させようと、大慌てで言葉を重ねた。 「いやいや、今回のことはあくまでこの馬鹿教皇の一存で、他は全然知らんことなんで、さすがにそれはやり過ぎかと......」 「んじゃ、百万歩譲っても、このゲスはこの場で殺しても文句はないだろう?」 本気で頭を潰すつもりで片足を振り上げる。 「ま、ま。気持ちが晴れんのはわかりますけど、ここでコレを殺したら、結局は戦争になるんで、なんとかこの半殺し状態で許してもらえませんか? 自分の顔を立てると思って」 拝み倒しまくる男の姿を視界の端に納め、ふーっ、ふーっ、と荒々しく肩で息をしながら、緋雪は上げていた足を思いっきり振り下ろした。 ズンッ!と一撃でその足がベッドを踏み抜いて、絨毯を敷いてある床まで貫通した。 細い足を引き抜いた緋雪は、ギリギリ直撃を逸れたウェルナー大教皇のボコボコになった顔から、ついと視線を外した。 「こんなゲスの顔も見たくない! 今回は助けてもらった恩があるから君の言葉に従って見逃すけど、今後、二度と関わるつもりはないからね!」 「へえ、すんません」 頭を下げながら、懐から取り出したヒールポーションを、ほとんど死に掛けの大教皇へと、適当に振り掛ける男。 取りあえずHPは戻ったが、尻の花弁を散らして刺さったままの短剣はそのままにして、手際よく両手足を縛る。 その間に緋雪は床に転がっているドレスやらソックスやら、大教皇に触られた衣装を嫌そうな顔で拾って着込んでいた。塔の内部では、 塔を出たらさっさと着替えて、お風呂入って、今日着ていた衣装はさっさと捨てようと決意する緋雪だった。 最後に黒のパンプスを穿いて、トントンと具合を調節しながら、ふと気になったという風に男に尋ねる緋雪。 「なんでここにいるの、影郎さん?」 訊かれた男――衛兵に変装していた影郎は、ベッドの上でずっこけた。 「――いまさらでっか!?」 「と、言うか、普通は『なんで生きてるの?』じゃないんですかね?」 寝室から移動した隣部屋――奇しくも以前に自分が殺された場所の辺り――の椅子に腰を下ろして、緋雪が手ずから備え付けの茶葉で淹れてくれたお茶を、ありがたそうに飲みながら影郎が首を捻った。 「.........。ああ。そういえば死んだんだっけ」 忘れてた、と自分の分のお茶を飲みながら続ける緋雪。 「なんか自分の命、エラく扱いが軽いんと違います? 正確にはお嬢さんらに殺されたんですけど?」 若干、恨みがましく言うも、緋雪は特に動じた風もなく、カップをソーサーに戻した。 「でも、死んでなかったんでしょ?」 「いや、しっかり死にましたよ。死んだフリしたのは確かですけど、きっちり死んでましたから」 嫌そうな顔で訂正する影郎だが、元気一杯そういわれてもまったく罪悪感の湧かない緋雪なのであった。 「それと、自分、いまは前の勤め先を辞めて、実質フリーなもんで、ここにいるのは単に個人的な好奇心ですわ。三ヶ国協議とかいいネタになりそうだったもんで。――ま、お陰でお嬢さんをお助けできたんで御の字でしたわ」 胡散臭げに影郎の顔を凝視する緋雪だが、相変わらずなに考えてるのか知れない彼の表情から、その内心を推し量ることはできなかった。 「......まあ、それについてはお礼を言わせてもらうけど。でも、黒幕のところを辞めてフリーとかは、ちょっと信じられないね」 「ま。そうでしゃろね」 苦笑いする影郎。 「というか、そんな簡単に抜けたりできるものなの? 裏切り者には死、とかないわけ?」 「ありますよー。『死』というか『存在』を消されるので、これやられると そう思いながら、緋雪は当然の疑問をぶつけた。 「なんでそれで生きてるわけ?」 「日頃の行いですわ」 「............」 悪びれることなく、ぬけぬけと言ってカップを空にした影郎は、「お茶、もう一杯いいですか?」と厚かましく催促した。 無言で2杯目のお茶を淹れる、緋雪の慣れた手つきを微笑ましく――傍目には胡散臭い笑みにしか見えないが――見守りながら、影郎は続きを口に出した。 「まあ、一か八かの賭けだったんですけどね。ちょうど手元に万病に効く変わった薬がありまして、これでちょいと体質を変えておいたんですわ。で、気が付いた時には土左衛門みたいに流されてまして、焦りましたけど、どうにか死地を脱したということで。――ああ、すんません」 礼をいって受け取ったカップの中身を美味そうに啜る。 「ふうん。......まあ、果てしなく怪しいとは思うけど、仮に、万一その話が本当だとして、これからどうするの?」 「そうですねぇ。前の旦那さんと元同僚...3~4人いるんですが、これは自分が死んだと思ってるんで、しばらく身を隠すことにします。――それと、実は薬の副作用で、現在ちょいとままならないことがありまして、こっちを先に何とかしないとマズイところですな」 困ったと言いながらも、まったく困窮した様子のない影郎を、胡乱な目つきで見る緋雪。 なにげに敵の戦力を教えてくれているが、明言を避けたどっちつかずの態度に、ますます疑いの視線が強くなる。 「......なんか他にも隠してることあるんじゃないの?」 影郎はあっさり頷いた。 「ええ、かなり隠してます。でも、まあ、これは個人的な事情なので、お嬢さんに直接関わる事ではないので......ああ、そうそう、ちょっとお聞きしたいんですけど、お嬢さんはまだシマさんと戦う予定ですか?」 訊かれた緋雪はしばし煩悶しつつも、しぶしぶ頷いた。 「まあ、正直、聖王国とはもう金輪際協力するつもりはないけど、シマさんはシマさんで脅威だからねぇ。これ以上、どうしようもなくなる前に叩いておくつもりだけど?」 「そうですか。なら、お嬢さんにお渡しするモンがありますわ」 そう言って懐から取り出したシロモノを見て、「っっっ!!!」緋雪は顔色を変えて瞬時に椅子を倒し、咄嗟に部屋の出入り口まで下がった。 影郎は気にした風もなく、その掌に収まるほどの十字架をテーブルの上に置いて、緋雪の方へと押しやる。 「『封印の十字架』。あっちで転がっている馬鹿ボンが使った粗悪品ではなくて、シマさんを封印したのに使った正真正銘の本物です。シマさん相手にするのに役立つと思うんで、お嬢さんが使ってください」 十字架をテーブルの上に置いたまま、気楽な調子で再度、お茶を啜る影郎。 「......どーいうこと?」 「いや~っ、自分が持ってても仕方ないんで。使い方と効果はさっき身をもって学習されたかと思いますけど?」 すでにトラウマになっている話を蒸し返され、渋い顔をする緋雪。 「これって使ったら、私まで反動で封印される仕様とかじゃないだろうね?」 へっぴり腰でテーブルまで戻り、直接触らず、カップの脇のスプーンで、手元まで引っ張ってきて確認する。 「さあ? 心配ならお嬢さんの眷属にでも頼んで、そのあたりの野良吸血鬼封印して試してみればどうですか? 1回使ったら終わりのパチモンではなく、これは繰り返し使えるらしいんで」 「......そうさせてもらうよ」 指先で抓んで安全なのを確認して、腰の収納ポシェットにしまう緋雪。 「だけど、なんでこんなもの持ってたの?」 「いや、まあ、そこらへんは色々とありまして......話すと長いんで、ちょいと時間が足りませんなぁ」 言われて壁に掛かった時計を見ると、そろそろオリアーナたちが来る時刻になろうとしていた。 2杯目のカップを空にした影郎は、立ち上がると脇に置いていた冑を再び被った。 「はいはい。君は死人で存在しないってことだね。私の胸にしまっておくってことで、これで貸し借りはなしのチャラにしておくよ」 「すんません。助かりますわ」 一礼して部屋の外へ出ようとした影郎だが、扉をくぐる寸前にふと尋ねた。 「――お嬢さん。自分がお嬢さんの知る『影郎』でなくて、魂のないそのデッドコピーだとしたらどう思います?」 「別に」軽く肩をすくめる緋雪。「取りあえずここで出会って話をしてる君は君なんだし、魂とか有無とかよくわからないけど、別段支障もないからいいんじゃないの」 「......自分も大概ですけど、お嬢さんも軽いですなぁ」 見える口元を笑いの形に歪めて、影郎は扉をくぐって出て行った。 ほどなく塔の出入り口が開いて、数人の足音が慌しく螺旋階段を早足で昇ってくる音が響いてきた。 取りあえず、襲ってきたので返り討ちにしたという説明するしかないかなぁ。天涯を抑えるのが大変そうだけど......と思いながら、緋雪はすっかり冷めた自分のお茶を飲み干した。

97 Lesson 10: Scattered Flowers Argentina, the capital of the Grawior Empire. The top floor of the Tower of Sinners "Peckertle Turris" outside its royal palace. In front of the door of the special quarantine facility for you, the middle-backed man, who was benevolent and watching the surroundings, listened over the door to the sound of something light falling on the floor, sighing under the door, after the footsteps of 'Dosdos' and how rough his nose was, stepping on the floor. I can predict what will happen next. Hopefully, I didn't, but apparently things are heading in the worst direction. "... there is only one way. Is this going to happen?" He unraveled the dagger in his hand - the overdecorated archpope's sword he had just deposited - into the sword belt and quietly opened the door behind him. This Tower of Sinners, Peckertle Turris, is inherently a prison, so naturally, it can't be locked from the inside out. The only way to do this is to lock it from the outside, but today it is used as a place for confidential talks, not for its original use, and if anything happens, it is left unlocked so that it can enter the room immediately. The man who entered the room so as not to make a sound, heard a slight rubbing noise, heard from the back bedroom, secretly gave a relief expression. - Apparently, it hasn't come to that yet. Sneak more footsteps - wearing heavy armor, but not making any noise at all, it was more like a namesake or assassin than a knight - and move on to the bedroom. Mindful of the shadows, sinking his body and watching softly inside, he had just thrown the scarlet snow dress that Archpope Werner had painfully taken off under his bed, seemingly unconstitutional. Only two pieces of cloth will remain to protect the small twin hills and the secret office. The Archpope, who is comfortable with unconscious scarlet snow and enjoys the feeling of white skin like snow, has paid no attention to this one at all. I have not worked out at all, I have a rounded view of alarmed bellies and raw white asses. - Hmm. You can act a little bold with this. The man who so decided, checking his identity, nodded one in the sense of 'Oh, is this affordable' and pulled out the dagger he kept from the Archpope. "Ha, ha, what a touch. The heavenly maiden's feather is not as good as this." The archpope has a rough nose and is trying to reach the last jetty. "Well, then..." I hung my finger on the string of my underwear, and the guard, who was sneaking behind it without a sound, crouched down and laid down the cutting-edge of the dagger in his hand to the center of the archpope's ass. "Yes, then. Exhale and take it easy." "Hmm?" "Three, two, one, ho! The archpope's dagger in the man's hand, with its original bearer as a sheath, tucked deep into the roots. "Die! Die! You scumbag! Where's the priest? What sincerity! I can't believe you tried to rape me for deception!! Die! Die! Die now!!!" A fiercely high scarlet snow was kicking Archpope Werner with his legs as he relentlessly remained in his underwear and grew a dagger in his ass, peeling his white eyes and blowing bubbles out of his mouth, bleeding badly from his lower body. Gosh! Gosh! And there is a dull sound, and the nosebleeds flowing out of his changed face create an unbeatable accumulation of blood. A dark-haired man in a guard who took a gigantic impetus, pulling so much on the look of the Archpope, whose HP is decreasing, calls out in horror. "Oh, um... lady, if you do any more, you're gonna die out of the sprinkles, and it's time..." Scarlet snow stares at a man with a ragged and ferocious eye from between his shaky dark hair. "I'm going to kill you, naturally! "No, you know, I know exactly how you feel, but killing just is a lot of problems..." "There's nothing wrong with that! If you're going to say a mess, you should just erase every holy kingdom!!" The man was also unexpected to be so radically furious that he managed to overlap words in great haste in an attempt to translate Scarlet Snow. "No, no, this is only one of these idiot popes, and I have no idea what else, so I was just wondering if that was too much..." "So if you give up a million steps, this gess won't complain about killing you on this occasion, will he? I'm seriously going to smash my head and shake one leg up. "Ma, ma. I know it's sunny, but if you kill me here, it's gonna be a war in the end, so why don't you manage to forgive me in this half-kill state? Think I'll stand my own face." Scarlet Snow waved down as much of her legs as she could as she laid down the figure of a man worshipping her down on the edge of her sight, breathing roughly on her shoulders. Zung! and with a blow, that foot stepped through the bed and penetrated to the floor where the carpet was laid. Scarlet Snow, pulling out her thin legs, finally took her gaze off the bumpy face of Archpope Werner, who missed a critical direct hit. "I don't even want to see a face like this! I'm gonna miss following your word because I owe you help this time, but I'm not going to get involved again in the future! "Uh, excuse me" A man who, bowing his head, appropriately shakes the heel potion removed from his nostrils to the near-dying archpope. In the meantime HP is back, but leave the dagger with the butt petals scattered and stabbed, handily tying both hands and feet. In the meantime Scarlet Snow was dressed and socked rolling on the floor, picking up the costume touched by the Archpope with an unpleasant face and putting it on. Inside the tower, the storage space (inventory) cannot be used, which is why a change of clothes cannot be prepared. When I left the tower, I just got dressed, took a bath, and the costume I was wearing today was Scarlet Snow, determined to just throw it away. Lastly, Scarlet Snow asks the man in the wind that he was concerned, wearing a black pump and adjusting his tongue and condition. "Why are you here, Mr. Shadowloon? The man asked - Shadow Lang, who was disguised as a guard, stumbled on the bed. "- Are you kidding me!? "And I mean, it's usually like, 'Why are you alive?' Isn't that right? Shadowloon twisted his neck as he thankfully drank the tea that Scarlet Snow had brewed me with prepared tea leaves from his hands, sitting back in the chair in the next room that he moved from his bedroom - oddly around where he had been killed before. ......... Oh. Speaking of which, you're dead. " I forgot, Scarlet Snow keeps drinking my share of tea. "Something about my life, it's not like I'm being treated lightly by Ella? The ladies killed you, to be exact? Slightly resentfully speaking, Scarlet Snow returned the cup to the saucer without any particular moving wind. "But you weren't dead, were you? "No, I'm firmly dead. I'm pretty sure he pretended to be dead, but he was dead." Shadow Lang corrects with a disgusting face, but even if he said so with a glass of energy, he was completely guiltless Scarlet Snow. "And I, I quit my previous place of work now, and I'm practically free, and it's simply personal curiosity to be here. It was going to be a good three-country consultation or something. - Thank you for helping your daughter." Scarlet snow staring at Shadow Lang's face in a frigid odor, but from the look on his face I wonder what he might still be thinking, I couldn't deduce the inside of it. "... well, let me thank you for that. But quitting behind the scenes and being free is a little hard to believe." "Yes, you are." Shadow Man laughing bitterly. "Or is it something that you can pull out that easily? Death to the traitor, isn't it? "Yes, sir." Death "or" Being "is erased, so when this is done, I will say complete resuscitation (Lizarection), but using resuscitation pills (Elixir) will not bring resuscitation. - I have this, so the others are following me." With that in mind, Scarlet Snow hit a natural doubt. "Why are you still alive? "It's everyday." ............ Without going bad, Shadowloon, who said he was soaked and emptied the cup, said, "Tea, can I have another drink?," he urged warmly. Smiling at the accustomed gesture of scarlet snow, which silently brews his second cup of tea - though it only looks like a frigid grin beside him - Shadowloon put the rest in his mouth as he watched. "Well, it was a bet of one or eight. I just had an unusual medicine on hand that would help with all the illnesses, and I changed my physique a little bit. So, when I realized it, it was being flushed like a dirt left guard, and I was in a hurry, but it means I managed to take off my dead place. - Oh, excuse me." Sip deliciously the contents of the cup you received in gratitude. "Yeah.... well, I know it's endlessly suspicious, but suppose, in case that story is true, what are we going to do? "That's right. My previous husband and ex-colleagues... I have three or four people who think I'm dead, so I decide to hide myself for a while. - And it's actually a side effect of the medicine, and it's a little annoying at the moment, and I need to do something about it first." Scarlet Snow looks at Shadow Lang, who says he's in trouble but has no distress at all, with a frigid eye. Whatever it is, it teaches us the power of the enemy, but the gaze of suspicion grows stronger and stronger in a whichever attitude avoids a clear statement. "... Isn't there something else you're hiding? Shadow Lang nodded lightly. "Yeah, I'm pretty much hiding it. But, well, this is a personal circumstance, so it's not about getting directly involved with your daughter... Oh, yeah, I just wanted to ask you, is your daughter still planning to fight Shima? Scarlet snow, who was asked, snorted, often annoyed. "Well, to be honest, I'm not going to work with the Holy Kingdoms on the Golden Wheel anymore, but Mr. Shima is a threat to you because he's Mr. Shima. I'm gonna slap you before I can't help it any more? "Really? Then I have a mon for you, my lady." That's what I said and saw the silo thing I took out of my nose and said, "Ew!!!" Scarlet Snow changed her complexion and instantly knocked down the chair, slumping down to the entrance and exit of the room. Shadow Lang has no wind he cared for, and puts enough cross on the table to fit in its palms to push him toward Scarlet Snow. "" Sealed Cross ". It's not the crude product used by the stupid bong rolling over there, it's the authentic real thing I used to seal Mr. Shima. I think it will help you deal with Shima, so use it, my lady." Keep the cross on the table, in an easygoing state again, Shadow Lang sipping tea. "... what do you mean? "No, I can't help it if I have it. I think you just learned how to use it and how it works. Scarlet Snow is steamed back through an already traumatized story, with a sinister face. "If I used this, it wouldn't be a specification that would be sealed with recoil until me, would it? Return to the table with your hips flat, do not touch directly, with a spoon by the cup, and pull to hand to confirm. "Come on? If you're worried, why don't you ask your daughter's family to seal it up and try it? It's not the end patchmon if you use it once, it seems you can use this repeatedly." "... I'll let you do that" Scarlet snow that hangs at your fingertips to make sure it's safe and becomes a storage pochette on your hips. "But why did you have something like this? "No, well, there's a lot going on there... it's a long time to talk, so I'm running out of time" When I saw the clock hung on the wall when they told me, it was about time for the Orianas to come. Shadow Lang, who emptied the second cup, again wore the one he had put aside when he stood up. "Yes, sir. So you're a dead man and you don't exist. By keeping it in my chest, I'll leave you with no loan." "Excuse me. That would help." I graciously tried to get out of the room, but I asked him a fuss on the verge of knocking at the door. "- Ma'am. What would you say if you weren't the 'Shadow Man' your daughter knew, but that dead copy without a soul? Scarlet snow shrugging her shoulders lightly "nothing". "In the meantime, we meet here and we're talking. You're you, and I'm not sure if you have a soul or not, but it's okay because there's nothing else in the way." "... I guess I am, but my daughter is also light" Distorted his visible mouth into the form of a laugh, Shadowloon walked out the door. Soon after, the entrance and exit of the tower opened, and the sound of several footsteps rushing up the spiral staircase at a fast foot. In the meantime, I wonder if I can explain that I paid back because I attacked you. Scarlet Snow drank her own cup of tea that was completely cold, thinking it seemed hard to contain the heavens...

第八話 喪失世紀 「遺失硬貨――か」 もともとはどこぞの貴族の屋敷だったというこのホテル『オリアナ・パレス・ホテル』のテラスから、夜の闇に沈む街を眺めつつ(もっとも で、正気に戻ったギルド長に、ボクは気になった点を尋ねてみた。 なんでも記録に残っていない通称『喪失世紀』の遺産として、ごくたまに発見されるもので、特にオリハルコンでできている と言うか逆の目的だったんだけど、そう言ってもどうせ曲解するんだろうなぁ――てか『あばら家』って、いちおうこのホテルって王族も定宿にするようなアーラ市最高ランクらしいんだけど――おっと、王族で思い出した。なら、ここは適当に話を合わせておこう。 「確かに当初の目的は果たせたといえる。しかし『喪失世紀』とやらどうにも気になる」 「左様でございますか? 取るに足らぬ伝説の類いかと思われますが」 「なるほど、そうであれば我らにとって最大の障害となる可能性が高うございますな」 旧交を温めあおうという発想はないらしい。 「とはいえ『喪失世紀』の記述については、各地の王族や神殿にしか断片的にないらしい。やはり予定通り、次は王族と接触してみるとするか」 「・・・わかりました、姫の仰せのままに。――ところで、先ほどの宿の食事は、やはりお口に召さなかったご様子。ギルド長の言質も取りましたし、今宵あたり姫のご要望の品を調達して参りましょう」 あー、確かにソースがくどいし、香辛料が効き過ぎてる割に素材の火の通し方がイマイチで、半分も食べられなかったなここの食事。普通にとんこつラーメンでも食べたかったよ。 「そうか。では、明日の朝までに用意を頼む――が、くれぐれもやり過ぎぬよう加減するように」 正直、アレを口にするのは若干ためらいはあるけど、どーにも生理的欲求が収まらないので、直接首筋に齧り付くより、天涯に調達してもらって飲むことで折り合いをつけることにした。 「――無論、承知しております」 「さて、と。そういえばジョーイは元気にしてるかな?」 吸血姫の本領発揮となるこの時間帯、ふとボクはジョーイの別れ際の泣きそうな顔を思い出した。 ◆◇◆◇ 粗末な夕食の乗った使い込まれた木のトレーを両手で持ち、ため息をつきながらジョーイは、宿の2階にある自分の部屋へ戻るため、階段を上がっていた。 思い出すのは今日の夕方のギルドでの出来事である。 自分の世間知らずのせいで迷惑をかけた女の子のことを考えて、またため息をつく。 「軽蔑されたろうなぁ・・・」 終わったことだとは思うが、思い出すと自分で自分のことを思いっきり殴りたくなる。 何度目になるかわからないため息をつきながら、ろくに鍵の掛からない部屋のドアを足で開けて、部屋の中へと入った。 「やあ、おかえりジョーイ」 ベッドを椅子代わりに座った緋雪にそう挨拶されても、ジョーイは最初それが現実とは思えなかった。 月の光が見せる幻影か、妖精の悪戯か、それともいよいよ自分の頭がおかしくなったのか。 「約束の朝には早いけど、気になったので勝手に上がらせてもらったよ」 にこやかに微笑む緋雪の声に、やっとこれが現実だと理解したジョーイは、大慌てで夕食の乗ったトレーを緋雪の隣のベッドの上に置き(机なんてものはない)、部屋のドアを閉めてチャチな鍵をかけた。 「お、お前、どうやってここに?!」 はジョーイの夕食のほうに興味津々の様子で、 「ああ、窓が開いてたから勝手に入ってきたよ」 食器の中身を見ながら上の空で答える始末。 「窓ってここ2階だぞ? だいたいお前のその格好だって・・・」 部屋着らしい、オフブラックのくるぶし丈のドレスの上にアイボリーのナイトガウンを羽織っただけの緋雪の格好に困惑を隠せないジョーイだが、本人はどこ吹く風で夕食の一つを指し示した。 「ねえねえ、なにこれ?」 これ以上訊いても無駄だと悟ったジョーイは、ため息混じりに答えた。 「へぇ、これがそうなんだぁ。名前は聞いたことあるけど初めて見たよ。一口食べてもいいかい?」 「そりゃ構わないけど、お前ギルドで宿をとってもらったんだろう? そっちで晩飯食べなかったのか?」 「ん? ああ一応『オリアナ・パレス・ホテル』ってところの貴賓室に泊まってるんだけどねぇ、あまり食事は美味しくなくて、ほとんど食べなかったんだよ」 言いつつ早速、スプーンでオートミールを一口頬張る緋雪。 「――ちょ、ちょっと待て、『オリアナ・パレス・ホテル』って言ったら一泊するだけでも、市民の月給くらいするって聞いてるぞ!? その貴賓室の食事がマズイなんて・・・」 聞こえてるんだか聞こえてないんだか、スプーンを口に入れたまま、微妙な表情で固まっていた緋雪は、口の中でオートミールを噛んで、意を決した感じで飲み込んだ。 「・・・いや、城で食べる食事に比べて美味しくないというだけで、別にマズくはないさ。それに比べてこっちは、正直とんでもなくマズイねえ」 「――まあ、俺たちみたいな金の無い、だけど体が資本だから腹一杯食いたいって奴らの食事だからな」 説明しながら緋雪から返してもらったオートミールをすすり、パンにバターを付け、ほんの申し訳程度にベーコンが入った馬鈴薯と一緒に食べる。 「なるほど、見事に炭水化物ばかりだねえ。たまには野菜も食べないと体に悪いよ」 「いいんだよ、飯なんて腹一杯になれば!」 なんとなくイラついて叩きつけるように言った言葉に、緋雪は一瞬目を見開き、続いて申し訳なさそうにうなだれた。 ただでさえ小さな体をさらに小さくしている緋雪の姿に、ジョーイは食事を中断すると、大慌てで慰めの言葉を探した。 「――ごめん。いまのは八つ当たりだ、なんか俺とお前の間にすげーでかい壁があるような気がして、それが悔しくて」 その言葉にきょとんと首を捻る緋雪。 「別に壁なんてないよ。こうして触ろうと思えば触れるし」 そう言ってジョーイの頬にひんやりと冷たい掌を当て、すぐに離した。 そんな思いがけない少女の行動に、ジョーイの胸の鼓動が高鳴り、反射的に聞き返していた。 「・・・じゃあ、触ってもいいか?」 照れた様子で、それでも頷いてくれた緋雪の方へジョーイは手を伸ばし、ふと、どこを触っても壊れそうな気がしてためらったが、覚悟を決めて、なんとなく二の腕の辺りを握ってみた。 「お前・・・こんな細いのになんでこんなに柔らかいんだ?! 本当に骨入ってるのかこれ?」 「――君もつくづく情緒がないひとだねぇ」 「いや、だって村の女とか冒険者の女とか皆、女でもけっこう固いぞ」 必死に弁解するのだが、ますます呆れたような顔をされ、ジョーイは気恥ずかしくなって手を離した。 「そういうのは農作業や労働で働いている女性の腕だよ、それはそれで尊いものだけど、普通の女性はだいたいこんなものさ。なんなら今度ミーアさんにでも頼んで触らせてもらえばわかるよ」 「・・・ミーアさんか。あの人、俺のことバカにしてる感じがするからなぁ」 「それは思い違いだよ、あれほどできた女性はなかなかいないよ。きついことや口うるさいことを言ってるように感じるかも知れないけど、それもすべて相手のためを思ってのことなんだから。恋人や連れ合いにするのならああいう女性を選ぶべきだね。特に君はどこか間が抜けているからピッタリだよ」 「余計なお世話だ! だいたいあんな年上の人が俺みたいなガキを相手にするわけないだろう」 「そうでもないと思うよ、そこらへんは君の頑張りしだいじゃないかな? ――これは勘だけど、彼女はたぶん何年か前に恋人と別れるか、ひょっとすると死別したのかも知れない。そうした心の傷を癒せるものを君の中に見ている気がするんだ」 「なんだそりゃ、オンナの勘って奴か?」 「う~~ん、そうだね。そういうことにしておこう。――おや、すっかり食事が冷めてしまったね。そろそろお暇するよ」 「お暇って、まさか本当に窓から...」 刹那、緋雪の瞳が煌々と光った気がして、ジョーイの意識は急にぼんやりとしてきて―― 「おやすみジョーイ、また明日」 ふと、そんな挨拶の声が聞こえた気がして顔を上げた時には、部屋の中のどこにも緋雪の姿はなく、鍵も内側から閉まっていた。 「・・・夢だったのかなぁ」 自分でも半信半疑のまま、ジョーイはすっかり冷たくなった夕食を平らげた。 それでもさっきまであった鬱屈した気分がすっかり晴れ、その晩は夢も見ないでぐっすり眠れたのだった。

13 Lesson Eight: The Century Of Loss "Lost coins"? From the terrace of this hotel, the Oriana Palace Hotel, which was originally a nobleman's mansion, while watching the city sink into the darkness of the night (most visible to the eyes of the blood-sucking princess (I) as it is during the day), I rolled the words I had just heard from the Collard Guild chief in my mouth. So, I asked the head of the guild, who returned to sanity, what bothered me. As a legacy of the commonly known as the Lost Century, which is not on record for anything, it is very occasionally discovered, especially when it comes to rainbow coins made of Orihalcon (like this), because the way Orihalcon itself is manufactured is unknown in the first place, it hardly ever comes out, and there are no five in the world, even if it is confirmed, in the condition of one in the treasure trove of this kingdom and one in the banks of this empire. I mean, it was for the opposite purpose, but even so, I guess I'll bend it anyway - not to mention, "Azumaya," which seems to be the highest rank in the city of Ara that royalty would ever accommodate this hotel - whoa, I remember it in royalty. Then let's talk about it appropriately here. "It is true that the original purpose could be said to have been fulfilled. But I'm really curious about the Loss Century." "Are you left-handed? I don't think it's enough to take a legend." "Well, that's likely to be the biggest obstacle for us." They don't have the idea of warming up old relationships. "Nevertheless, they only fragment the description of the" Century of Loss "in royalties and temples everywhere. Again, as planned, do we try to make contact with the royal family next" "... okay, just do as the princess says. - By the way, the meal at the inn earlier still didn't seem to be in your mouth. I've taken the Guild Commander's word for it, and I'd like you to procure the princess's request tonight." Uh, the sauce is definitely hard, and the way the ingredients are put through the fire is not good enough for the spices to work too well, and you couldn't eat half of the meal here. Normally I would have liked to have some tungkotsu ramen. "Right. Then ask for it by tomorrow morning - but add or subtract it so that it doesn't overdo it." Honestly, I have a slight hesitation in mouthing the arr, but I can't fit my physiological desire for any of it, so I decided to fold it by getting it sourced and drunk in heaven rather than sticking it directly to my neck muscle. "- Regardless, I understand." "Well. Speaking of which, how's Joey doing? During this time of year, when the Bloodsucking Princess was at the helm, Fu and I remembered Joey's crying face at breakup. * * * * Joey was walking up the stairs to return to his room on the second floor of the inn, holding a used tree tray with both hands for a crude dinner and sighing. What I recall is what happened in this evening's guild. Think about the girl who annoyed you because of her own public ignorance, and sigh again. "I would have been despised..." I know it's over, but when I remember, I want to beat myself up about myself. With a sigh of uncertainty as to how many times it would take, he opened the door of the room with his feet, barely unlocked, and entered the room. "Hey, welcome back, Joey." Even if he was greeted that way by Scarlet Snow, who sat the bed instead of a chair, Joey didn't think that was real at first. Is it a phantom that the moonlight shows, a fairy prank, or has it finally gone crazy on its own? "It's early in the morning I promised, but I was curious, so I let you go up on your own." Joey finally understood that this was reality in the scandalous snow voice smiling at him, placing the tray for dinner on the bed next to Scarlet Snow in a big hurry (no desk whatsoever), closing the door to the room and chatting. "Oh you, how did you get here?!" Although asked in an upward voice, Scarlet Snow (really) looked more intrigued by Joey's dinner. "Oh, the window was open, so I came in on my own." The beginning and end of answering in the sky above looking at the contents of the dishes. "The windows are upstairs, right? Mostly your outfit..." Looks like a room outfit, Joey, who can't hide his confusion in a scarlet snow outfit that just weaves an ivory nightgown over an off-black, candle-length dress, but he indicated one of the dinners with a breeze that blows where. "Hey, what's this? Joey replied sighingly, realizing it was useless to ask any more. "Heh, this is what it is. I've heard the name before, but I've never seen it before. Can I have a bite? "I don't mind that, but you must have gotten me an inn at the guild, right? Didn't you have dinner over there? "Hmm? Yeah, I'm staying in a VIP room at a place called The Oriana Palace Hotel once, but, hey, the meal wasn't very tasty and I barely ate it." Quickly as I say, Scarlet Snow cheeks oatmeal with a spoon. "- Hey, wait a minute, I hear if I say 'Oriana Palace Hotel', I'll just stay the night, but I'll be about the monthly salary of a citizen!? I can't believe the meal in that VIP room sucks..." You're hearing me or not, Scarlet Snow, who was solidifying with a subtle look with his spoon in his mouth, chewed oatmeal in his mouth and swallowed it like he had decided to. "... no, I'm just saying it's not tasty compared to the meals I eat at the castle, it's nothing. Compared to that, this one's a hell of a mess, to be honest." "Well, they don't have the money like us, but they want to eat a full belly because their bodies are capital." I rinse the oatmeal I get back from Scarlet Snow as I explain, butter the bread, and eat it with potatoes with bacon just about sorry. "I see, you're brilliantly full of carbohydrates. Sometimes it's bad for you if you don't eat vegetables." "That's okay, if you get a full stomach of rice! Scarlet Snow opened his eyes for a moment to the words he told him to slap him somewhat irritated, followed by an apology. Even to the appearance of Scarlet Snow, who was even making her little body even smaller, Joey rushed to look for words of comfort when she interrupted her meal. "- I'm sorry. It's eight hits right now, I feel like there's a really big wall between me and you, and I regret it." Scarlet snow twisting its neck properly on the words. "There's no other wall. If you want to touch me like this, you touch me." That's what I said. I put a limp, cold hand on Joey's cheek, and immediately let him go. Joey's chest beating and reflexively listening back to such an unexpected girl's behavior. "... then can I touch it? Joey reached for Scarlet Snow, who looked lit and still nodded at me, and, uh, hesitated to feel like it was going to break anywhere he touched it, but he was ready and somehow gripped around his arms. "You... why are you so soft when you're so thin?! Are you sure you have bones in you this? "- You're the one who doesn't have the mood to make it." "No, 'cause every woman in the village, every adventurer woman, even women are so hard." I desperately excuse him, but he looked more and more frightened, and Joey got embarrassed and let go of his hand. "That's the arm of women working in farming and labor, which is honorable, but normal women are more or less like this. Next time you ask Meer to touch you, you'll find out." "... Mr. Meer? He feels like he's fooling around about me." "That's a mistake, there's not a lot of women who could have done that. I know it feels like I'm saying something tough or nagging, but it's all for them, too. If you're going to be a lover or a mate, you should choose a woman like that. Especially since you're missing somewhere." "Extra help! More or less, there's no way that older people would deal with a kid like me." "I don't think so, isn't that your hard work there? - I don't know about this, but she probably broke up with her lover some years ago, or maybe she broke up dead after a while. I feel like I'm seeing something in you that can heal those heartbreaks." "What the hell is that, Onna's investigation? "Uh-huh, right. Let's just say that. - Oh, your meal is totally cold. It's time to spare you." "Your free time is not really through the window..." For a moment, I felt Scarlet Snow's eyes glow brilliantly, and Joey's consciousness suddenly blurred... "Good night, Joey, I'll see you tomorrow" When I felt like I heard such a greeting and looked up, there was no scarlet snow anywhere in the room, and the keys were closed from the inside. "... I wonder if it was a dream" Half-hearted himself, Joey flattened a completely cold dinner. Still, the depressed mood I had just had was completely clear, and I slept well that night without dreaming.

第十一話 心驕慢心 「このあたりでよかろう」 一際大きな影――濃紺のローブを着た獣王が、周囲を見回してひとつ頷いた。 「問題ないよ。てか、3分以内に片をつければいいんでしょ? 別にここまで来ることなかったのに」 そう気楽な口調で応じたのは、膝上までの薔薇をあしらったショートラインの黒いドレス――『 「まあ、面子が面子ですからな。どこに人の目があるかわかりませんので」 その視線が緋雪と、その後ろにつき従う九尾を持った白面の獣人――人の姿をとった神獣である もっとも、目立つ目立たないで言えば獣人族の頂点ともいえる獣王自身も、人に見つかれば騒ぎになること請け合いだが。 「あのぉ、神獣様......」 獅子族の巫女であるアスミナが、珍しくも殊勝な態度でおずおずと空穂へ呼びかけた。 「なんじゃな、獅子の巫女よ?」 「この大会が終わったら、ぜひ、わたしの部族のところへお立ち寄り願えないでしょうか。部族をあげて御奉りいたしますので」 「――ふむ。獲れたての馳走と美味い神酒があれば、妾は問題ないのじゃが・・・」 閉じた扇子を口元にあて、面白そうな目でアスミナを見て――ちなみに彼女のことは結構気に入っていて「小気味良い女子でありますなぁ」と目を細め話していた――続ける空穂。 「妾は姫様の臣下、姫様の許可なく勝手はできぬのぉ」 ――ストン、とアスミナの視線が、自動で緋雪の美貌へと(身長差の関係で)落ちる。 「3分もてばね。もたなかったり無様な真似をすれば、正直知ったこっちゃないねぇ」 緋雪の返答に、血相を変えたアスミナが、隣でいまだ事態に付いていけず、呆然としている 様、わかってるの!? いまって一族存亡の危機どころか、獣人族としての存在意義までかかってるのよっ!! ヒユキ様に見捨てられたら一族はお終い。神獣様に見捨てられたら子々孫々に渡るまで背徳者のレッテルが張られるのが!! 本当にわかってる!?」 「わかってるよ。勝てばいいんだろう、勝てば」 その手を強引に振り放して、面倒臭そうに答えるレヴァン。 わかってない。この期に及んで勝てる気でいやがる!?――そう瞬時に理解したアスミナは、絶望感からその場にふらふらと崩れ落ちた。 少し離れて一連のやり取りを見ていた緋雪が、どことなく不愉快そうな口調で獣王へと話しかけた。 とか、あれはあれで愛すべき美点もあったけど、ここまで徹底して相手を見ない愚者は初めてだねぇ。――これって環境が作った後天的な性格なのかな?」 「・・・いや、誠にもってお恥ずかしい」 苦虫を噛み潰したような顔で軽く頭を下げる獣王。 「少し痛い目にあわせる程度のつもりだったけど、これは徹底的に壊さないと駄目っぽいね。――そういえば、一応同じ師についた同門ってことになるんだけど、兄弟子をケチョンケチョンにしても問題ないわけ?」 「私闘というわけではなく、師匠の前でお互いの力量を見せ合う。手加減するなど逆に儂の面目を潰すようなものですな」 「――えっ、ヒユキ様も大伯父様の弟子、兄と兄妹弟子に当たるんですか!?」 その会話が耳に入ったのか、素っ頓狂な声をあげ立ち上がるアスミナ。 レヴァンもそれで多少は警戒する目つきになった。 「まあ最近教わり始めたばかりだから、弟弟子とか名乗るのはおこがましいけどね」 軽く肩をすくめる緋雪。 「そうなんですか。――あと、弟弟子じゃなくて妹弟子ですよ」 アスミナの指摘に軽く目を泳がせる緋雪。 「......ああ、そうだね。妹弟子、だね」 「そういうことだ。お互いに遠慮はいらんぞ」 獣王の重々しい声に、「わかりました」と同意して拳を握って構えを取ったレヴァンだが、やはりどこか相手を舐めている――妹弟子だとはいえ始めたばかりの所詮、女子供だという――雰囲気が如実に伝わってきた。 同じく無手のまま――こちらは拳を作らずに開手の――構えを取る緋雪。 「まあ今日はご挨拶ということで。――じゃあ行っくよ~っ」 「来い!」 刹那、緋雪の超脚力が大地をえぐり、5mの距離をほとんど0秒でゼロにした。 同時にその右手が翻り、唖然とするレヴァンの頬を、離れて見ていたアスミナの目にも残像すら残さない速度で、瞬時に8往復した。 一瞬遅れて「ぴぴぴぴぴぴぴぴぴぴぴぴぴぴぴぴーん!!!」という、景気の良いビンタの音がして、 「はっ」 次の瞬間、裂帛の気合と共に、緋雪は右の下段蹴りを、棒立ちになっているレヴァンの右足――膝裏の靭帯のあたりへ、斜め上から叩き込んだ。 ガクッと体勢が崩れたレヴァンの顔の側面に向け、スカートを翻してその右足が軽々と跳ね上がり、 「しゅっ」 上段回し蹴りへと変化させて、そのまま振り抜いた。 ガン!と重い音とともにレヴァンの顔が弾かれたように明後日の方を向き、あまりの勢いに足が地面から離れる。 「はああっ!」 緋雪はさらにそのまま右足を畳んだ姿勢で、左足を軸にコマのように回転をつけ、勢いを殺すことなく、空中のレヴァンの腹部に向け、遠心力を加算した回し蹴りを瞬時に叩き込んだ。 太鼓でも叩いたかのような、重く痺れるような打撃音が響き、レヴァンの体が爆発に巻き込まれたかのように、ほとんど地面と水平に10m以上も吹き飛び、ようやく地面に接触したものの、勢いを殺しきれずに数メートル地面に溝を掘り、最後にボロ雑巾のようにコロコロと転がって止まった。 「・・・決まり、ですのぉ」 退屈そうに、扇で隠した口元で欠伸をしながら空穂が呟いた。 「3分どころか、10秒ももたなかったか」 獣王も淡々と事実を告げる口調で同意した。 「まあ、こんなもんかなぁ――?」 イマイチ消化不良という顔で嘆息する緋雪。 やれやれ、つまらん結果だったなぁ、と3人の顔に大文字で書かれていた。 『ガラッ』と、もうもうと立ち込める土煙の向こうで、何かが動く気配がした。 見れば、完全に意識を失ったかに思えたレヴァンが、どうにか立ち上がろうとしているところであった。 意外な闘志と打たれ強さ――ではなく、3人の視線はそこから大きく横に流れた。 視線の先―― 「・・・あはは、実は試合前にはいつもわたしが強化の術をかけるのですが、今回はうっかり忘れてまして、途中からになっちゃったんですけど。......まずかった、でしょうか?」 アスミナが困った顔で言い訳をする。 誰が見ても、いま使っているのは強化ではなく治癒の魔法だとわかるものだが、空穂は興味なさげに無言を通し、獣王は軽く肩をすくめ、そして緋雪は―― 「そっか、まあ過失じゃしかたないねぇ。いいよ、取りあえず1回はね」 2回目はないよ、と暗にほのめかした言い方に、アスミナは固い顔で頷いた。 「......ちィ。油断した......!」 アスミナの治癒魔法のお陰でダメージが回復したらしいレヴァンが、口元の血を拭いながら立ち上がった。 「油断とか、まだそんなこと言ってるのレヴァン アスミナの叱責にも耳を貸す様子がないレヴァンの態度に、半眼になった緋雪が、ちょいちょいと自分の方を指差した。 「どうも裏表、満遍なく叩きのめさないと無駄みたいだねぇ。さっきは私から攻撃したんだし、今度はそっちからどうぞ」 「調子に乗るなっ――!」 震脚 ――ふざけるなっ! オレは5歳の時から10年以上修行してるんだ。昨日今日始めた素人に負けるはずがない! 心の中で叫びながら、獣王直伝の剄を使った右正拳突きを、緋雪目掛けて全力で放った。 「無駄の多い動きだねぇ」 その打突を軽く評しながら、体に触れるギリギリ一瞬で側面に回り、躱した緋雪の右手がレヴァンの右手首をがっちり掴み、 「な...?!」 驚愕の声をあげる間もなく、足を払うと同時に右手一本だけで、一本背負いのように地面に叩き付けた。 「がはああああああっ......!?!」 地面に転がってのた打ち回るレヴァンから、緋雪は視線を獣王へと移した。 「この技の欠点だけどさ。インパクトの瞬間に打点を固定するか、ズラすと単純な打撃技になるってことだよね。――まあ、いまのは相手が未熟だったから、並列思考使うまでもなくできたんだけどさ」 「そうだな。若いうちは下手に小さくまとまろうとせず、パワーとスピード任せのほうがよほど有効であり、基礎を磨く上でも必要なのだが。・・・しかし、ここまで腕を鈍らせておるとは」 緋雪ののんびりした声と、獣王の心底呆れたという響きの受け答え、空穂の嘲笑を受けて、 憤怒の表情で無理やり立ち上がった、レヴァンの行き場のない感情、その全てが緋雪へと向けられた。 「許せんっ!!」 一声叫んで緋雪へと踊りかかる。 その姿はお世辞にも洗練された動きとは言えず、自信と誇りを粉々に砕かれ、感情のままに襲いかかる手負いの獣だった。 それでも半ば反射的に放たれた中段突きを、反時計回りに回転して躱した緋雪の左肘――充分に回転力をつけたそれが、レヴァンの鳩尾目掛け放たれた。 「よっ――と」 「ぐはっ......」 数メートル吹き飛ばされるのと併せて、レヴァンの肺の中の空気は全て体外に排出され、急速に意識が薄い闇色のベールに包まれようとしていた。 どうやら自分は大の字になって倒れているらしい。その自分に覆いかぶさるようにしてアスミナが泣きながら呼びかけている。 わずか数秒にも満たない意識の消失であったが、それが怒りの感情をリセットして、白紙の状態で立ち上げる結果となったらしい。 ――泣いている。オレのために......。オレが泣かせたんだ。 そして、それと同時に、レヴァンは、師匠である獣王の自分を叱責し、同時にいまでも見捨てずにいてくれる厳しい視線。また、自分を打ち倒した緋雪の瞳の中にある気遣いと心配の感情に気が付いて、身の置き所のない羞恥心に身悶えしそうになった。 『獣王の後継者』などと呼ばれ天狗になり、自分は強い、その気になれば何でも出来る、そんな驕りから、いつしか周りのことを考えず自分勝手に生きてきた。 その結果、周りどころか自分自身すら省みなくなっていた。 そして、自分は強い、負けないという自信を、自分より遥かに小さな女の子に突き崩された瞬間、その慢心は自分自身の未熟を見据えるのではなく、相手に対する恨みとなった。 なんと無様なことか。 他人を恨んでも自分自身は一歩も前進しない。それどころか待つのは自滅だけだろう。 ――このまま終わるわけにはいかん! を開いたレヴァン。その瞳にはいまは一片の曇りもなかった。 「だいじょうぶだ、アスミナ。心配するな」 そう微笑んで、子供の頃のように そのまま全身の痛みと吐き気に耐えつつ、脂汗を流しならどうにか起き上がったレヴァンは、緋雪に向かって頭を下げた。 「陛下、いま一手、勝負をお願いしてもよろしいでしょうか?」 「はい。よろこんで」 嬉しそうに微笑んだ緋雪に向かい、再度礼をして構えをとる。 「ン・ゲルブ族次期頭首レヴァン、参ります」 互いの挨拶が終わると同時に、レヴァンが踏み込んだ。正直なところ到底戦える状態ではなかったが、それでも残った気力を振り絞り、緋雪に向かって直突きを放つ。 いままでと違い、スピードこそ格段に落ちているが、だが、そこには無駄な動きがない基本に忠実な技だった。 微笑んで緋雪も同じ突きで応酬する。 互いの技が交差した瞬間、レヴァンと緋雪の間に、パンッと乾いた音がした。 そして......息を詰めて見守るアスミナの目前で、ゆっくりとレヴァンの体が崩れ落ちた。 精神と体が限界を越えたのだろう、だがその顔は深い満足感に彩られていた。 慌てて駆け寄ってきたアスミナに後を任せ、緋雪は最後のレヴァンの突きを受け止めた左手に残る痺れに苦笑した。 「さて、トータルではどうにか3分はもったかな?」 「ずいぶんと下駄を履かせてだが、ぎりぎり及第点というところですな」 緋雪の問いかけに、厳つい顔を崩さず無表情に答える獣王。 「――ふん。まあ多少は気概があったというところでしょうな」 空穂も多少は見直した、という目でちらりとレヴァンを見た。 「取りあえず予選前に棄権にならずに済んで良かったってところだねぇ」 やれやれと緋雪が首を振った。

52 Eleven: Pride. "Let's go around here." A big shadow at first - a beast king in a dark blue robe looked around and nodded one. "No problem. Well, you just have to put a piece on it in less than three minutes, right? I never came this far." In such an effortless tone, it was Scarlet Snow wearing a short line black dress with a rose to the knee - "The Rose of War, Anne of Guyastein". "Well, Fumiko is a prick. Because I don't know where people's eyes are." Its gaze captures Scarlet Snow and a white-sided beast man with nine tails to follow behind him - a god beast who takes on the appearance of a man, and rarely takes the form of a bitter smile. Most importantly, the Beast King himself, which can be considered the culmination of the Beastman clan if not conspicuously noticeable, promises to be a noise if found by men. "Oh, God Beast..." Asmina, the witch of the Lions, called to Azumi and Azuho in an unusual and special manner. "What is it, a lion witch? "When this tournament is over, could you please stop by my tribe? I will give you the tribe to serve you." "- Hmm. With freshly caught treats and delicious kamikaze, concubines are fine..." With a closed fan in his mouth, he looked at Asmina with funny eyes - and by the way, he liked her a lot and narrowed his eyes to say, "You're a petty girl" - an empty ho that goes on. "The concubine is under the princess's command. You can't do this without her permission." - Ston, and Asmina's gaze automatically falls (in relation to the height difference) to Scarlet Snow's beauty. "In three minutes. If you don't do it or imitate it like nothing else, I honestly know it's not this way." In response to Scarlet Snow, Asmina, who had changed her blood phase, still couldn't keep up with the situation next door, grabbed her flashing brother-in-law (Levan) 's chest and shook her. "Hey. Dear Brother Levan (who is here), I know!? Instead of the current crisis of clan survival, it even depends on your existence as a beast clan!! If Master Hyuki abandons you, the clan is finished. If God Beast abandons me, the rettel of the treacherous will be put up until I cross it to my descendants!! I really know!? "I know. You can win, if you win." Levan shook that hand forcefully and answered in a nasty way. Oh, this brother-in-law (bogus) doesn't understand. I'm willing to win over this period!? - Yes. Asmina, who instantly understood, fluttered down on the spot out of despair. Scarlet Snow, who watched a series of exchanges a short distance away, spoke to the Beast King in a somewhat unpleasant tone. "But what is it? I don't even think about it, Azumi (Joey), or the fool who doesn't look at his feet (Prince Achill). That had some beauty to love, but I've never seen a fool who doesn't look at his opponents so thoroughly. - Is this an acquired personality created by the environment? "... no, sincerely embarrassing" Beast king gently bowing his head with a face like a bitter bug chewed up. "I was going to match it with a little pain in the eye, but this sounds like it would have to be broken thoroughly. - Speaking of which, does it mean that I have no problem making my brother Kechon Kechon? "It's not about personal struggle, it's about showing each other our strength in front of our masters. It's like crushing the face of a nun." "- What, does Master Hyuki also hit the disciples of the Great Uncle, his brother and his sibling disciples?!?" Is that conversation in my ear, Asmina, who raises her bare voice and stands up? Levan also caught a somewhat alarming eye with it. "Well, I've only recently started teaching, so it's a good idea to call me an apprentice or something." Scarlet snow gently shrugging her shoulders. "Really? - And I'm not a disciple, I'm a sister disciple." Scarlet snow that lightly swims your eyes at Asmina's pointers. "... oh yeah. Sister apprentice, right?" "That's the thing. Don't take it personally." To the heavy-handed voice of the Beast King, Levan, who agreed to hold his fist and take his stand, but he's still licking his opponent somewhere - an intrigue he's just started, even though he's a sister apprentice, a woman and a child - the atmosphere came true. As well as remaining unarmed - this one opens without making a fist - Scarlet Snow takes the stand. "Well, I meant to say hello today. - Then I'll go. - Uh-huh." "Come!" In a moment, Scarlet Snow's super leg power swept through the earth, zeroing a distance of 5m in almost 0 seconds. At the same time its right hand flickered, instantly 8 round trip with a flashing Levan cheek at a rate that did not even leave any remnants in Asmina's eyes as she watched away. After a moment of delay, there was the sound of an economical binta called "PIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPIPI!!! "Ha." At the next moment, with the mood of tearing, Scarlet Snow slammed the lower right kick into Levan's right leg, which was barbed - around the ligament behind his knee, from the diagonal top. pointing at the side of Levan's face, gagged and disfigured, flipping his skirt and his right leg jumping lightly, "Shh." It changed to an upper spin kick and swung out as it was. Cancer! and turned the day after tomorrow as Levan's face was played along with a heavy sound, his legs off the ground to much momentum. "Ha ha! Scarlet Snow further remained in a folded right foot position, rotating his left foot like a comma on the axis, without killing the momentum, pointing toward Levan's abdomen in the air, instantly tapping into a spinning kick with added centrifugal force. Even the drum sounded a heavily paralyzing blow, almost as if Levan's body had been caught in an explosion, blowing more than 10 m horizontally with the ground, finally coming into contact with the ground, but without killing the momentum, he dug a ditch a few meters into the ground, and finally rolled over like a boring rag to stop. "... it's settled, it's" Bored, Aaho shrugged as he extended with his mouth hidden with a fan. "Instead of three minutes, didn't it last 10 seconds?" The Beast King also agreed in a pale tone of fact. "Well, I wonder if this is the case -?" Scarlet snow sighs with the face of imbecile indigestion. Oh man, I mean, it was a boring result, and it was written in capital letters on three faces. "Gala," and beyond the earthly smoke I could already stand in, there were signs that something would move. Seeing it, Levan, who seemed completely unconscious, was about to get up. Not the unexpected fighting spirit and the strength of being struck - but the gaze of the three flowed from there heavily sideways. At the tip of his gaze - Asmina's hands spread toward his brother-in-law, a pale light flowing from the tip of his palm into Levan. "... haha, actually, I always do the enhancement technique before the game, but this time I accidentally forgot, and it started on the way.... bad, is it? Asmina makes excuses with a troubled face. Whoever sees it, knows that what he's using right now is healing magic, not enhancement, but Akiho is silent about his lack of interest, the Beast King shrugs his shoulders lightly, and Scarlet Snow is - "Oh, well, it was just a fault. Fine, just once." Asmina nodded with a hard face in the dark, saying that there was no second time. "... chi. I'm alarmed......! Apparently the damage was healed thanks to Asmina's healing magic, Levan rose as he wiped the blood from his mouth. "Be alert or something. I'm still saying that. Dear Brother Levan, Half-eyed Scarlet Snow pointed at herself a little more to Levan's attitude, who also had no way of lending an ear to Asmina's reprimand. "Hi back there, sounds like it's useless if you don't beat it up all over again. You attacked me earlier, and now you're on your way." "Don't get on well -!" Levan went into Scarlet Snow's nose with a unique gait that slipped through the ground, from a strong foot-studding motion, also known as a seismic leg (Shinkaku) or a tread (Fumiyaki). - No kidding! I've been training for over 10 years since I was 5. You can't beat the amateur you started yesterday! With a scream in his heart, he unleashed his right straight fist thrust using the beast king's direct legend, with all his strength, wearing a scarlet snow. "That's a lot of futile moves." With a gentle acclaim for that punch, he turned to the side in a critical moment touching his body, and the right hand of the swollen scarlet snow grabbed Levan's right wrist disappointingly, "Nah...?!" Shortly after I raised my voice of consternation, I slapped him to the ground like a single back, paying for his legs and only one right hand at the same time. "hahahahahahahahaha......!?! Scarlet Snow shifted his gaze from Levan, who was rolling around on the ground, to the Beast King. "It's a flaw in this move. You mean fix the punch point at the moment of impact, or if you squirm, it becomes a simple strike move, right? - Well, now that they were immature, I didn't have to use parallel thinking." "Right. When I'm young, I don't try to put it together poorly, but power and speed are more effective, and I need to hone the foundation.... but I didn't know you'd keep your arms so blunt." Scarlet Snow's laid back voice and the sounding answer of the Beast King's heartbroken, with the mockery of the Horn, Forced to rise with an angry look, Levan's feelings without a place to go, all of which were directed towards Scarlet Snow. "Forgive me!! I scream and dance to Scarlet Snow. The figure could not be described as a sophisticated move in flattery, but was a beast of help that shattered confidence and pride and struck as emotional. Still, the left elbow of Scarlet Snow spinning counter-clockwise through the mid-stage thrust emitted in a half-reflective fashion - fully rotated, which unleashed Levan's pigeon tail. "Yikes." "Gu Hu..." Along with being blown away a few meters, all the air in Levan's lungs was about to be expelled from his body and rapidly wrapped in a dark veil of faint consciousness. Apparently, I'm falling in big letters. I try to cover myself with that. Asmina is crying and calling. It was less than a few seconds of loss of consciousness, but that seems to have been the result of resetting anger emotions and launching them in a blank state. - I'm crying. For me...... I made him cry. And at the same time, Levan reprimands the self of his master, the Beast King, and at the same time his harsh gaze, which he still does not abandon. He also noticed the sentiments of care and apprehension in Scarlet Snow's eyes, which defeated him, and was about to be bored with shame without a place for him. Called "The Successor of the Beast King," etc., he became a heavenly dog, and he was strong, he could do anything if he wanted to, and from such pride, he only ever lived on his own without thinking about what was around him. As a result, I had stopped even skipping myself around. And the moment I broke down my confidence that I was strong, unbeatable, by a girl far smaller than me, that chronic mind became a resentment towards the other person rather than looking to my own immaturity. How unusual. I don't take a step forward myself, even if I resent others. On the contrary, the only thing to wait for would be self-destruction. - You can't just end up like this! Levan opened up a little bit. The eyes were not cloudy at the moment. "It's good, Asmina. Don't worry about it." Smile and gently stroke your sister-in-law (Asmina) 's head with a pomp, as she did when she was a child. Levan, who managed to get up if he was sweating while enduring all the pain and nausea in his body as it was, bowed his head toward Scarlet Snow. "Your Majesty, may I ask you to compete now? "Yes. Welcome." Heading to Scarlet Snow, who smiled happily, thanking him again and taking his place. "Levan, the next head of the N. Gerb clan, I'm coming." At the same time as we ended our greetings to each other, Levan stepped in. To be honest, he wasn't in a state where he could fight, but still squeezes his remaining strength and releases a straight ram toward Scarlet Snow. Unlike before, speed is the one that has fallen extraordinarily, but it has been a faithful move to the basics where there is no futile movement. Smile and reward Scarlet Snow with the same poke. The moment each other's moves crossed, between Levan and Scarlet Snow, there was a pungent, dry sound. And... Slowly Levan's body collapsed at the present time in Asmina, where he stuffs his breath and watches. I guess the spirit and body crossed the limits, but the face was colored with deep satisfaction. Leaving the aftermath to Asmina, who rushed over, Scarlet Snow grinned bitterly at the left-hand remaining paralysis that took Levan's last poke. "Well, in total, did you manage to have three minutes? "I put a lot of waste on it, but that's the point." The Beast King answers the Scarlet Snow inquiry without breaking his stern face. "- Hmm. Well, I guess I had some temper." I also looked at Levan with the eye that I had reviewed Akaho somewhat. "I'm glad I didn't have to abstain before qualifying anyway." Jesus Christ, Scarlet Snow shook his head.

第十二話 予選開始 次代の獣王を決める獣人族の戦い、その予選がここクレス王国の聖地『聖獣の丘』の麓にある『魔狼の餌場』で、今日から3日間に渡り執り行われる。 ちなみに丘の反対側にある『地竜の寝床』でも同様の予選が行われ、4日目に決勝戦として『聖獣の丘』で予選を勝ち上がってきた双方の勝者同士がぶつかり合うことになる。 そんなわけで、いまボクは予選会場の『魔狼の餌場』――そこに作られた貴賓室に来ているわけなんだけど・・・。 「......これって態のいい隔離だよねぇ」 郡――その中にいるであろう、獣人族の各部族長・長老連中の慇懃でありながら、こちらの脅威度を本能的に察して、腰が引けた状態になっていた姿を思い出して、ため息をついた。 貴賓席というより、天井桟敷だよね、これは。 「ご不快でありますか、姫?」 傍らに立つタキシード姿の 「――不快だけど仕方ないねぇ。あちらさんにしてみれば招かれざる客なんだし」 実際、この櫓には勝手に食えとばかり、木の実や食べ物、飲み物などが並べられてあるだけで、歓待しようという人間は誰もいない。 「少々お待ちいただければ、いますぐその原因を取り除いて参りますが?」 廊下に落ちているゴミを始末する感覚で、気楽に頭を下げて進言する天涯。 いや、大会予選が始まる前にツブしてどうするわけ!? 「それはやらなくていいけど、まあ勝手にしろというなら、勝手にさせてもらうよ。――と、いうことで。ちょっと頼まれてくれるかな天涯」 「はあ......?」 族の天幕には緊張が漂っていた。 「やあやあ、調子はどうだい二人とも? 昨日の怪我の影響はないかい?」 天幕前の広場で準備運動をしていたレヴァンと、その汗を拭いたり、水分の補給をさせたり、なにげなく 「へ・・・陛下・・・?」 「なんでここに......って、あれ?? 貴賓席にいます...よね?」 「ああ、あれ替玉」 「か、替玉って、影武者ってやつですか......?」 噂には聞いていたけど初めて見た、という顔であっちのボクを珍しげに眺めるアスミナ。 「まあ正確には、私を模した魔導人形なんだけど、よほど近くから見ないと区別はつかないと思うよ」 とはいえ傍に寄れば肌の質感とか、目の動きとか、体温とかでいかにも『人形』って感じで一目瞭然なんだけどね。気が付かないのはよほどの阿呆だね。誰とは言わないけど。 が目を輝かせて、「ぜひ1体譲ってください!」って懇願してきたので、ボコボコにしておいた。 で、カモフラージュの為、人形の隣に立っている天涯が渋い顔をしているけど、やっぱりこういう娯楽はかぶりつきで見ないと面白くないからねぇ。 「そういうことで、こっそり抜け出してきたんだけど、調子の方は良さそうだね」 話しかけられてやっと我に返ったみたいで、レヴァンが口元に、ふっと楽しげな笑みを浮かべた。 「ええ、お陰さまで」 いまから試合――いや、死合だっていうのに、そこには気負いや悲壮感のようなものは全然感じられない。というか晴れ晴れとして一点のシミもない青空みたいな笑顔だった。 ――これはこれは、一晩でずいぶんと化けたものだねぇ。 いまのレヴァンが相手ならかなり良い勝負ができそうな気がして、ボクも嬉しくなった。 「ありがとうございます。とはいえ、昨日までの駄目なオレを吹っ飛ばしてくれたのは陛下ですから、今日はその礼を込めて、無様な戦いをしないと約束します」 「そか」 「......あのォ、陛下」 そこへなぜか妙にドロドロしたアスミナの声が掛かった。 底なしの洞窟のような瞳で見据えられ、ボクは慌てて全力で首を横に振った。 「......そ、それはともかく、ずいぶん軽装だけど、防具とかはつけないの?」 レヴァンの衣装はいつもの民族服とほとんど変わらないもので、違いといえば動きやすいように両手の袖がないくらいだった。 「はあ、余計な防具は動きの邪魔になりますし。――マズイですか?」 「うーん、普通だったら問題ないと思うけど、今回は相手方に強力な武器が出回ってるって言うし、最低限の防具くらいはつけた方がいいんじゃないかな?」 その時、ふと茶目っ気が起きて、ボクは腰の収納バックからとある装備を出して、レヴァンに見せた。 「――手甲と足甲ですか」 飾り気のない黒のそれを見て、レヴァンの口から素直な感想がこぼれる。 「ちょっと大きくて重いかな......まあ、邪魔になるほどでもないですね」 軽く手足を動かしてのレヴァンの感想。 「そりゃ良かった。君がそれに見合うレベルになれば、重さも大きさもちょうど良い具合に、自動で調整してくれるし、本来の力も発揮できるんだけど」 ――そして、誰が認めなくてボクは君を『獣王』と認めるよ。 ボクは心の中だけでそれを付け足した。 ボクの言葉に殊勝な顔で頷くレヴァン。 「わかりました。お借りします」 「いや、いいよ。あげるよ。私が持ってても使い道がないしね」 「良いのですか、貴重なモノでは?」 「道具は道具さ」 あれだよね、最強の剣が手に入ったのに、凄いレアで使うと耐久度が減ってもったいないからと倉庫にしまい込んで、それより劣る武器で戦うプレーヤーとかいるけど、ボクの場合はあるものは使わないでどーするの?って感じで躊躇なく、どんどん使い潰してたけどねぇ。 「わかりました。ありがたく頂戴いたします」 一礼をして受け取るレヴァン。 かつての獣王の装備がボクの手元に来て、現在の獣王の後継者が受け取る。ボクは運命なんて信じちゃいないけど、こういうのも縁というのかも知れないね。 「――まあ、実際のところ、人のオッパイ揉んだりした変態の持ち物なので、持っていたくもないというか」 微妙な顔で、『 獅子族の次期頭首レヴァンVS兎人族の冒険者クロエ。 会場――と言っても荒地を整地して、相撲の土俵みたいに100m四方を周りから1段土盛りしただけの粗末なものだけど――の周りを囲む双方の部族及び、これから試合を控えた部族の関係者から盛んな歓声やら怒声やらが上がっているけど、相手の兎人族に比べ、獅子族の方にイマイチ盛り上がりに欠けるのは、昨日までのレヴァンと同じく、相手が脆弱な兎人族の、しかも女だということで舐めているのだろう。 やがて審判役の合図で、双方の代表者が試合会場の中央に進んだわけだけど―― 「......違うかな、アレは。プレーヤーじゃないっぽいね」 レヴァンの対戦相手の兎人族の女冒険者を見て、ボクは首を捻った。 一方、隣で観戦していたアスミナが泡を食った様子で、ボクに掴みかからんばかりの勢いで詰め寄ってきた。 「なんですかっ、なんですか、あれ?! あれって兎人族なんですか!? 冒険者の女ってみんな、ああなんですか!?」 「...いやぁ、アレは特別じゃないかなぁ」 アレ呼ばわりされた相手――兎人族の女冒険者クロエは、一言で言ってゴツかった。 身長は2m近く、太い眉に鋭い目、四角い顎先は2つに分かれ、全身の筋肉ははち切れんばかりで、二の腕の太さはボクの胸周りくらいあり、胸だか胸筋だかわからない膨らみははち切れんばかり、さらにビキニに似たアーマーを着ているため、8つに分かれた腹筋や、女性らしいまろやかさのまったくない『兄貴の尻!』って感じのお尻。そして、そこから足にいたるラインも、巨木の根が絡み合ったかのような筋肉の塊であった。 その頭の上に、申し訳程度にロップイヤーのウサ耳が垂れている。 うん、あれはプレーヤーキャラの限界を、ある意味超えてるね。 レヴァンは目の前にそびえる対戦相手を見て、内心ほっとため息をついた。 ――よかった。これなら遠慮は無用だな。 緋雪にはああは言ったものの、やはり女性相手に手を上げるのは、内心忸怩たるものがあったのは確か。 だが、目の前にいるのは紛れもない『戦士』。ならば手加減するなど失礼というものだろう。 だから自然と口に出していた。 「――よかったよ、貴女が1回戦の相手で」 「あん? そりゃアタシを舐めてるのかい?」 「違うよ。貴女が紛れもなく強敵だからだ。だからオレも自分の力を遠慮なくぶつけられる。それが嬉しいんだ」 一瞬、呆けたような顔をしたクロエだが、次の瞬間、にやりと凄絶な笑みを浮かべた。 「ふふん、嬉しいことを言ってくれるじゃないか。なよなよした坊やかと思えば、まあまあの男だね。――さては周りによほどいい女がいると見える」 と緋雪を見て、苦笑しながら答えた。 「そうだな。オレにはもったいない女たちがいてくれる。...ところでオレの評価は、『まあまあ』なのかい?」 「――フン、アタシに勝ったら『いい男』と認めてやるよ!」 「そうか、では遠慮なく!」 その途端、「はじめっ!」の合図と太鼓が鳴り、レヴァンは拳を、クロエは赤い2mほどの 気合の声を上げて、クロエの持つ棍の先端がレヴァンの顔面に迫る。 余裕を持って躱そうとしたその瞬間、 棍が予想を遥かに超える速度で滑り、目算を崩されたレヴァンの顔面へと到達し、硬い音とともにその体を吹き飛ばした。 「レヴァン 血相を変え、いまにも駆け寄らんばかりに身を乗り出すアスミナを、ボクは宥めた。 「大丈夫、ぎりぎりガードが間に合ったし、派手に飛んでるようでも、自分から跳んで威力を殺しているから、見た目ほどのダメージはないよ」 のドロップアイテム、『如意棒』じゃないか。普通に出回るものじゃないし、やっぱり裏でなにか陰謀が動いているのかな・・・」 そんなボクに向かって、心配そうな顔を向けるアスミナ。 「と、思うよ」

54 Episode Xii Qualification Begins The battle of the Beast Nation, whose qualification determines the next Beast King, will run for three days from today at the "Devil Wolf's Feeding Ground" at the foot of the Holy Land "Holy Beast Hill" here in the Kingdom of Cres. By the way, a similar qualification will be held in "The Ground Dragon Sleeping Bed" on the other side of the hill, where the winners from both sides, who have won the qualification in "Holy Beast Hill" as the final match, will bump into each other on Day 4. That's why I'm now coming to the 'Devil Wolf's Bait Ground' at the qualifying venue - the VIP room built there... "... this is a good quarantine." I sighed as I instinctively perceived this threat, remembering that my hips had been pulled apart while I was in the tent county on the other side of the venue, overlooking the qualifying venue, and the clan chiefs and elders of the Beast clan. It's more of a ceiling pier than a VIP seat, isn't it, this? "Are you offended, Princess? Asked by a tuxedo standing beside him, I thought for a moment and answered honestly. "- I'm uncomfortable, but I can't help it. If you try that, you're an uninvited guest." In fact, no one is willing to entertain this cunt, just because it is lined with nuts, food, drinks, etc. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll get rid of the cause right now? The feeling of ending the garbage that is falling in the hallway, the heavenly life of bowing your head with ease and propaganda. No, what are we going to do with it before qualifying for the tournament starts? "You don't have to do that, but, well, if you want to be on your own, I'll let you be on your own. - And so on. Can you do me a favor, Heaven?" "Ha...? There was tension in the tents of the Lions (N. Gerb) when they competed in Game 1 of Qualifying Round 1. "Hey, how's it going, both of you? Is there any effect of yesterday's injury? Levan, who was exercising prep in the square in front of the tent, and Asmina, who was wiping that sweat, rehydrating it, and touching her brother-in-law's (oh dear) body without hesitation, flattened out and opened her mouth, and saw my face wearing a robe from my head to make it unobtrusive. "To... Your Majesty...? "Why are you here... is that it?? I'm in the VIP seat... right? "Oh, that's Kaiyu" "Or is Kaitama, the Shadow Warrior...? Asmina takes a rare look at me over there with the face that I've heard rumors but I've never seen it before. "Well, to be precise, it's a magic puppet that mimics me, but I don't think you can tell the difference unless you look so close." Nevertheless, if you stop by, it's obvious how 'dolls' feel because of the texture of the skin, the movement of the eyes, and the temperature. How stupid of you not to notice. I'm not saying who. And when I saw the real thing, a rare person (barely) glanced at me and said, "Give me one!" I've begged, so I left it bogged down. So, because of the camouflage, the heaven standing next to the doll has a sinister face, but I knew this kind of entertainment wouldn't be funny unless I looked at it in a rash. "That's what got me sneaking out, but you seem to be doing better" Looks like he finally returned to me after being talked to, and Levan gave me a much more enjoyable grin on his mouth. Yeah, thanks to you. From now on, the game - no, even though it's a death match, I can't feel anything like feelings or grief there at all. Or he smiled like a blue sky with no spots as sunshine. - This is, like, a lot of overnight stuff. I felt like Levan would be able to compete pretty well with him right now, and I'm glad too. "Thank you. Nevertheless, it was His Majesty who blew up the useless ole until yesterday, so I promise I won't fight like no other today" "Sort of." "... Um Wow, Your Majesty" Somehow there hung a strangely drooling voice of Asmina. I was looked at with my eyes like a bottomless cave, and I shook my neck sideways with all my haste. "... well, that's a lot lighter, anyway, but you don't wear protective gear or anything? Levan's costume was little different from his usual ethnic clothing, so much so that there were no sleeves on either hand to make it easier to move when it came to the difference. "Oh, extra protective equipment can get in the way of movement. - Is that bad? "Um, I don't think it would be a problem if it were normal, but this time I'd say there's a powerful weapon out there on the other side, and you should probably wear the least amount of protective equipment? At that time, Fufu had a tea glare, and I put some gear out of my hip storage back and showed it to Levan. - Is that your armor and toenail? Seeing that in black with no decorations, honest thoughts spill out of Levan's mouth. "Kind of big and heavy... well, not enough to get in the way" Revan's thoughts on moving his hands and feet lightly. "That's good. If you get to a level commensurate with it, it will automatically adjust to just the right weight and size, and I can use my original power." - And who won't admit it and I'll admit you as the Beast King? I added that only in my heart. Levan nods with a special face over my words. "Okay. I'll borrow it." "No, that's fine. I'll give it to you. I have no use for it." "Is it good, in precious things? Tools are tools. That's it, you got the strongest sword, but when you use it with awesome rarity, you go into the warehouse because it's less durable and less wasteful, and there's a player who fights with a weapon inferior to that, but in my case, don't use something. Which one? I didn't hesitate to feel that, I was using it more and more, but hey. "Okay. Thank you very much." Levan to receive a courtesy. The equipment of the former Beast King comes to my disposal and the successor to the present Beast King receives it. I don't believe in destiny, but maybe this kind of thing is on the edge. "- Well, actually, you don't even want to have it because it's a perverted possession of people rubbing their opium" With a subtle face, Levan drops her gaze on 'Kanji' and 'Moya'. Chloe, the adventurer of the next head of the Lion clan, the Levan VS 'i. Even so, the venue - which is just crude enough to tidy up the wasteland and soil 100 m square from around like a sumo mound - is booming cheer and rage from officials from both tribes surrounding and from tribes that have refrained from the match from going forward, but compared to the opponent, the lion tribe lacks a good boost because, like Levan until yesterday, the opponent is a fragile one, but also a woman. Eventually, on the referee's signal, representatives from both sides moved to the center of the game venue. "... I don't know, are you? Sounds like you're not a player." I twisted my neck when I saw Levan's opponent, the Lady Adventurer of the Lady Tribe. Meanwhile, the way Asmina ate the bubbles watching the game next door, she stuffed me with momentum that just grabbed her. "Why, what, is that?! Is that a rabbit?!? Are all adventurer women, oh?" "... hey, I don't know if I'm special" Chloe, the female adventurer of the Hu tribe, who was called out to her, was gotten laid in a nutshell. He is nearly 2m tall, has sharp eyes on his thick brow, a square jaw tip divided into two pieces, his whole body muscles are just ripped off, his arms are about my chest thick, he doesn't know if it's his chest or chest muscles. The swelling is all ripped off, plus he wears armor that resembles a bikini, so he doesn't have abs split into eight pieces or any feminine mellows at all: "My brother's ass! 'It feels like an ass. And the lines on his feet from there were also masses of muscle as if the roots of giant trees had been intertwined. Above its head, I have a lop ear rabbit ear dripping to my apologies. Yeah, that's beyond the limits of a player character, in a way. Levan sighed heartily when he saw his opponent soaring in front of him. - Good. You don't need to be shy about this. Though I told Scarlet Snow, I'm sure there was something inside me that still raised my hand against the woman. But in front of you is the undisputed 'warrior'. Then it would be disrespectful. That's why I had it in my mouth naturally. "-Good, your opponent in WW1." "Am I licking my balls? "No, I'm not. Because you are indisputably a strong enemy. That's why I don't hesitate to hit my own power. I'm glad to hear that." For a moment, Chloe looked frightened, but the next moment, she grinned incredibly. "Hmm, you'd be happy to say something. So-so man, I think. - Now I can see there's such a good woman around." Levan answered with a bitter smile when he saw Scarlet Snow with his sister-in-law (or rather), who was blinking under the playing field. "Right. I have wasted women. [M]... By the way, is my rating 'so-so'? "- Hung, if you beat Atashi, I'll admit 'good man'! "Well, then don't hesitate! As soon as I did, I said, "Here we go!" The signal and drums rang, Levan fisted, and Chloe set up a stick (kon) of about 2m red - usually made of wood with a bar-shaped strike weapon, but this seems to be made of metal -. Raise your temper and the tip of Chloe's stick approaches Levan's face. At that moment I tried to spare you, The stick slipped at a rate far exceeding expectations, reaching the face of a broken Levan, blowing its body with a hard sound. "Dear Brother Levan, I forgive Asmina for changing her blood phase and riding herself out all the time. "It's okay, I've got my girdle guard in time, and it seems to be flying flashy, but it's not as damaging as it looks because it's jumping from me and killing the power" "Isn't that the" E. H. O. "and" Eternal Horizon Online "drop item," Ruyi Stick "? It's not something that goes out normally, and I guess there's some kind of conspiracy going on back there..." Asmina turns to me like that and looks worried. "I think so."

補足『エターナル・ホライゾン・オンライン』 純国産MMORPGとして数社共同で開発されたもの。 >正式表記は『ETERNAL HORIZON ONLINE』(通称『E・H・O』、『エタホラ』) >コンセプトは『王道にして無限』ということで、内容的には特に目新しさはないが自由度が非常に高いため1人のプレーヤーが様々なプレイで長く遊べる。現在可動から5年目。 >中世ヨーロッパ風の世界に人間や亜人、獣人、巨人、魔人などが住みモンスターが徘徊し、各地にダンジョンがあるというありがちな世界観だが、種族間抗争などはなく(かつては抗争や差別があったことになっているが)現在は基本的に互いに不可侵条約を結んでいる。 >基本無料、アイテム課金制ではあるが、課金で強力な武器が買えるという訳でもないので無課金でもそれなりに楽しめる。 >課金アイテムの利点は、一部経験値増加アイテムや生産調整アイテムを抜かし、全て自キャラの見栄えに反映するものとなる。 >例として最初にゲームをDLしてプレイする場合、プレイヤーは1アカウントで2名までキャラクターを作成可能(主人公も一応サブキャラを作ったものの絶賛放置)で、先に挙げた人間や亜人(エルフ、ドワーフ、ホビット)、獣人(ワーウルフ、ワーキャット、ワーラビット)、巨人、魔人の9種類から選択可能。 >ここで課金アイテム『ランダム種族決定』を使用することで低確率(およそ0.2~0.5%と推定)ながらこれ以外の種族(現在確認されている限り、龍人、天使、吸血鬼(女性キャラの場合は吸血姫)、妖狐の4種類)が選択される場合がある(主人公は奇跡的に数回で吸血姫を選択できた)。 >キャラクターメイキングは自由度が高く身長、体重、年齢、3サイズなど細かく設定できるが、この際に課金アイテムを使用することで、顔パーツや髪型などさらに種類を増やすことができる(なお、キャラクターは人間に近すぎると日本人は特に不快感を覚えるため、人気イラストレーターの基になるパーツにより、イラストがそのまま自然に動いている風に処理されている)。 ちなみに BOSSは通常のダンジョンやフィールドにいるものは捕獲可能だが、課金アイテムを使用しないとまず捕獲は不可能。 >称号はクエストや実績に応じて自動的に付与されるが、ゲーム内の上位ランカーや有名人に対しては、運営側から遊び心で勝手に称号を贈られることもあり(緋雪の『 >プレーヤーはレベル99になると転生して上級種族になることが可能だが、転生後はレベルが1からの再スタートとなる。 >ゲームは当たり判定がシビアで(逆に弱点に当てるとクリティカルも高い)ターゲットロック機能などはないため、すべて目視で攻撃を当てる必要があることから、ある程度やり込む者は通常のモニターではなく、より視界がクリアーな

4 Supplementary "Eternal Horizon Online" Developed jointly by several companies as purely domestic MMORPG. > The official notation is' ETERNAL HORIZON ONLINE '(commonly known as' E H O ',' Etahora ') > The concept is "Make it King's Road and Infinite," which is not particularly novel in content but very liberal so one player can play for a long time in various plays. The fifth year since it is currently movable. > There are humans, subhumans, beasts, giants, demons, etc. living in a medieval European-style world. The common worldview is that monsters roam and there are dungeons everywhere, but there is no inter-racial resistance, etc. (although there used to be protests and discrimination) and now we basically have an inviolability treaty with each other. > It's basically free, item billing, but it doesn't mean that you can buy powerful weapons with billing, so you can enjoy that without charge. > The advantages of billing items will be to skip some EXP incremental items and production adjustment items, all reflecting the appearance of their own characters. > If you play the game first DL as an example, the player can create up to two characters in one account (the protagonist also made a subcharacter once but admirably abandoned) and can choose from nine different types of humans and subhumans mentioned earlier (elves, dwarves, hobbits), beasts (warwolves, warcats, warrabbits), giants, and demons. > Using the billing item 'Random Race Determination' here is a low probability (estimated at approximately 0.2 to 0.5%) but other races than this (as currently confirmed, four types of dragon man, angel, vampire (bloodsucking princess for female characters) and demon fox) may be selected (the protagonist miraculously was able to choose a bloodsucking princess on several occasions). > Character making is more liberal and can be finely set in height, weight, age, three sizes, etc., but by using billing items at this time, we can add even more types such as face parts and hairstyles (note that the Japanese are particularly uncomfortable when characters are too close to humans, so the parts that form the basis of the popular illustrator are processing the illustration into a wind that is moving naturally as it is). Incidentally, Scarlet Snow (Hiyuki) has a set age of 13 years, 143cm, 34kg, BWH = 74, 50, 76 BOSS can catch anything in a normal dungeon or field, but it's impossible to catch it first without using a billing item. > Titles are automatically awarded according to quests and achievements, but for the top rankers and celebrities in the game, they are sometimes given titles on their own by the operators in a playful manner (Scarlet Snow's "Lady Tian is graceful", other "single-altar combat kung fu", "self-driving suicide bombing", "Beast King Blade Free", etc.), and these people are also called "title holders" and other interesting halves. > The player can be reincarnated and become an advanced race when he reaches level 99, but after reincarnation, the level will be a restart from 1. > Since the game is cynical in hit judgment (which is also highly critical when it hits a weakness on the contrary) and so on, all need to be visually attacked, it is predominant for those who do some to wear a HMD "head-mounted display" with clearer vision to play in sync with the character's eyes, rather than a regular monitor.

第二十五話 神人黄昏 「――以上が空中庭園でのシマムラと緋雪さんとの事の顛末になります」 直立不動のまま、生真面目な顔で一部始終を語り終えたらぽっくは、口を引き結んで眼前の男――緋雪からは『黒幕』と呼ばれ、イーオン聖教関係者からは『蒼神』と讃えられる、ある意味すべての元凶――の爬虫類の目を凝視した。 一歩下がった後ろには、タメゴローが男と視線を合わせないよう、そっぽを向いて無言で控えている。 古代ローマ人のように一枚布の上着であるトーガを身に纏ったその男は、豪奢な執務机と肘掛け椅子に座ったまま、青い鱗で覆われた半人半龍の異相を侮蔑の形に歪めた。 「ふん。あの出来損ないは無事に再封印されて緋雪のところか。大方予想通りだが......できれば手元に置いて、死なん程度に制裁を加えて置きたかったな」 「さすがにあの状況下で、そこまでの余裕はありませんでしたね。シマムラを封印した後の 秀麗な眉をひそめて弁明するらぽっくを、値踏みするように見据える男。 「ふふん。まあ、流石にその状況では手に余ったか。――いや、逆によく生きて帰れたものだ。最低でも1人は犠牲になるかと思っていたが」 自分達を完全に捨石にしか考えていない男の態度に、タメゴローが密かに奥歯を噛み締め、らぽっくも片眉を吊り上げた。 「いえ、なし崩しに同盟......いや、一時休戦をしたとは言え、共通の敵であるシマムラの脅威がなくなったわけですから、自然と休戦は破棄――緋雪さんも即座に剣を向けてきました」 「ふむ。それでよく逃げ出せたものだ。緋雪の情にでも訴えたか?」 ちらりと男の目に疑いの色が浮いた。 「ええ、条件を出されまして。俺と緋雪さんが一発勝負のガチンコ対決をする。先に相手に1撃でも当てた方の勝ち。負けた方は相手の言い分に従う......という賭けですね」 「それでどうなった?」 面白そうに先を促す男。 「勝ちましたよ。――でなきゃここに居ませんよ」 当然と言う口調で答えるらぽっくの言葉に、納得した顔で頷く男。 「ふん。まあ、そうか......緋雪の奴も甘いことだ」 「そんなわけで有耶無耶のうちに事は終了って感じですね。勿論、ユース公国には、まだシマムラの眷属が残っているでしょうから、その辺りの後始末も必要でしょうけど」 「そんなもんはNPCどもが適当に始末をつけるだろう」 自分の信徒を含めて、大陸に住む人間を『NPC』扱いする男の傲慢さに辟易しながらも、表面上は殊勝な態度で相槌を打つらぽっく。 「そうなると他国領にいつまでも正規軍が進駐しているわけにもいきませんね。そちらの後始末は帝国に任せることにして、聖騎士達には帰還命令を出したほうが良いでしょうね」 「その程度の些事は教会の年寄りどもに任せておけばいい......いや、大教皇の暴走を見逃した前例もあるからな、いちおう釘は刺しておけ」 そう言って、もう用はないとばかりに、しっしっと犬を追い払うように手を振る。 さっさと話を切り上げたかったらぽっくは、渡りに船とばかり、一礼してその場で男に背を向けた。 それまで無言で居たタメゴローが、感情を押し殺した声で男に問い掛けた。 「その前に、確認したいんだけど。亜茶さんの『命珠』の光が消えてるのは、どーいうことなの?」 言われてはっと見てみれば、壁際に並んでいた命珠の一つ。亜茶子を示す緑の炎が消えて、全体が真っ白に濁っているのが目に入った。これが意味することは一つ。本人の命と存在が完全に消滅したことを指している。 だからどうした、という口調の男の態度に、発作的になにか叫びかけたタメゴローを、咄嗟に右手を上げて黙らせ、らぽっくは彼女の肩を抱いて自分の背後に隠す形で一礼した。 「......それでは、俺達は事後処理に回ります」 もはや関心はないとばかりに、無言のまま顔も上げない男の気が変わらないうちに、揃って退出する二人。 完全にその気配が消えたところで、男は独りごちた。 「――ふむ。やはり緋雪との接触で悪影響が出ているな。おかしな動きをする前に、念のために潰しておくか」 ちらりと壁に掛かった『白銀』と『紫』の炎を宿した命珠に視線をやる。 一方、最上階から転移魔法陣で『蒼き神の塔』から、隣接する大聖堂の隠し部屋に移動したらぽっくは、いまだ憤懣やるかたないという風情のタメゴローの頭を、ぽんぽんと叩いた。 「無茶するなよ。生きた心地もしなかったぞ」 「だって、あんまりじゃない! そりゃ亜茶さん打算と下心で、アイツに媚売ってたからあたしはあんまり好きじゃなかったけど、それでも仮にも自分の女でしょう! それをあっさり――」 「奴にとっては彼女も俺達も、所詮は道具でしかないってことだ。役に立たない道具や、自分が怪我をするような邪魔な道具は......」 言葉を濁すらぽっくだが、言葉にしなくてもその先は容易に想像がつく。 ひょっとするとこの瞬間にも、自分の命に関わる命珠が、あの男の気まぐれで壊されるかも知れないのだ。 「......緋雪さんから貰った例のものは、肌身離さないようにしておけよ。 収納スペース 周囲をはばかって小声で注意するらぽっくの言葉に従って、タメゴローは頷いて、 「わかってる。万一の時には一か八かコレを使う。せっかく緋雪さんが骨を折ってくれたんだから」 「それにしても『勝ちました』とか、どの口がいうのかな、9剣全部躱されておいて」 「......少なくとも負けちゃいない。最低でも引き分けってところだろう」 ぶ然とした表情で、いい訳じみた答えを返すらぽっくを、タメゴローが生暖かい目で見る。 「まあ男の子だもんねー。女の子にケチョンケチョンにされたとか、言えないわねー」 「だから負けてないって、言ってるだろう!」 小部屋の中、少女の含み笑いと、青年のムキになった声とが、しばしこだましていた。 「いや~っ、ちょうどいいところへお嬢さんらが通りかかってくれて助かりましたわ~」 影郎さんが我が家のように――まぁ、実際ギルド・ホームなんだから我が家には違いないけど――リラックスした様子で、虚空紅玉城の客室に居座り、出された食事やお茶をパカパカと、馬のように飲み食いしながら、気楽な調子で聞いてもいない諸事情を喋り捲っていた。 周りを固める天涯たちも対処に困った風で、視線でボクに指示を求めてくるけど、こっちだってわけがわからないので判断に迷う。 「いや、最近はほとぼりを冷ますために北部域で商売してたんですけど、なんや自分の商売を詐欺だ騙りだ犯罪だと、 どこの『蜘蛛の糸』のカンダタだと思いながら、「商売ってなにやってたの?」と、お付き合いで相槌を打った。 「いわゆるサイドビジネスですわ。まず金貨2枚の浄水魔具を購入して会員になって、その商品を人に紹介すれば1人につき銀貨50枚のマージンが入るという」 「......それってネズミ講じゃないの?」 「違います、マルチ商法です。架空の商品を取り扱ったりするわけやない、まっとうな商売ですわ」 心外だという風に右手を振る影郎さんの主張に、大いなる疑問を抱きながら、取りあえずしまさんの件で、最後の助太刀をしてもらったことを思い出して頭を下げた。 「――まあ、それはそれとして、どうせなんかのたくらみがあって良いように利用されただけだとは思うけど、いちおう形式上はお礼を言っておくよ。しまさんを封印できたのは影郎さんのお陰だと思うので、ありがとうと取りあえず言っておく」 「......ここまで心のこもらない感謝の気持ちも珍しいですなぁ」 そのあたりは日頃の行いだと思うよ。 「そういえば、シマムラさんの遺体はどうされたんですか?」 「遺体というか、仮死状態かな? 万が一にも蘇生しないように、十三魔将軍数人がかりでも壊せない、マイナス500度の氷の棺を作ってそこに冷凍保存して、空中庭園にあるファーザー・フロストやジャック・フロストとかのいる氷系モンスターの生息エリア、『 食後のお茶を飲みながら、影郎さんがボクの言葉に首を捻った。 「マイナス500度とか、物理法則無視してませんか?」 「まあ、そんなわけで、これでしまさんの件はどうにか終了かな。後はユース公国の残党整理と復興だけど、そこらへんはレヴァンと 「...ははあ。いやでも、実際に表立って事に当たったことになってるのは、帝国を主体とした聖王国との混成軍ってことになってますよね? そのあたり盾に取られてあの坊ちゃんじゃ、下手したら皇女様に丸め込まれて、ユースの領土を掠め取られるんじゃないですか?」 「それか、復興とかだとお荷物になるんで、体よく押し付けられそうだねぇ」 まあ、それも良い勉強だろう。 「......ところで、影郎さんはこれからどうするわけ?」 「いや~、適当なところで降ろしてもらえれば、また商売を始めますけど」 わかっているんだか、韜晦してるんだかわからない笑顔のまま、ぽりぽりと頭を掻く影郎さん。 「ふーん。......じゃあ、私に雇われるってのもアリ?」 ボクの言葉に、天涯たちがギョッとした顔になる。 おそらく予想して――というか、わざわざ売り込みのために顔を出し――たんだろう影郎さんは、飄々とした顔で思案するポーズをとった。 「取りあえずは情報かな。蒼神――いや、最大ギルド・メタボリック騎士団のギルマスだったデーブータさんが、なんでそんな風になったか。それを教えて欲しいんだ」 「......気が付きましたか」 「できれば否定して欲しかったけどねぇ」 ヒントは随分前から出てはいたんだけど、タメゴローさんが黒幕を「蛇男」って呼んだのが決定的かな。 知り合いのカンスト組の中でも「蛇」――レア種族たる龍人に該当して、なおかつ「青い鱗」なんて言ったら彼しか居ない。 だけど、あれほど優しくて面倒見が良かった彼が、伝え聞く血も涙もない『蒼神』とはどうしても思えなくて、別の可能性を探っていたんだけど、やはり最悪の予想が当たってしまったみたいだ。 「なにがあったかは知りません。気が付いた時には、完全に頭のネジが吹き飛んでましたから」 「......ふむ。やっぱり直接逢って確かめるしかないか」 ボクは遥か後方、大陸中央部にあるイーオン聖王国の聖都ファクシミレの方を向いて、決意を新たに呟いた。

116 Lesson 25: The Divine Man Dusk That's the end of what happened with Shimamura and Mr. Scarlet Snow in the air garden. Remaining upright immovable, when he finished speaking the whole story with a serious face, he pounded, pulling his mouth together and gazing into the reptile eyes of the man in front of him - called 'The Dark Curtain' from Scarlet Snow, and praised 'Aeon Episcopal Officials as' The Aeon God ', in a sense all the culprits. Behind a step back, Tamegoro turns away and silently refrains from gazing at the man. The man, dressed in Toga, a cloth jacket, like the ancient Romans, distorted the alien phase of half a dragon, covered in blue scales, into the form of contempt, while sitting on a lavish executive desk and elbow chair. "Hmm. That failure was safely re-sealed and at Scarlet Snow's place? As expected... I would have liked to have kept it with me and put sanctions on it to the extent that I would have died." "Exactly under that circumstance, you couldn't afford that much. Abandoned giants (yotun) after sealing Shimamura are completely out of control... no, that's 'fanaticism'. In an untouchable situation, other than ours, Scarlet Snow and this massive battle (Reid) class squire wanted to stop by, and halved the castle, but managed to kill it - and when they realized it, the air garden was moving to near the pole, and Shimamura was transported somewhere in a crisp way, and there was a massive battle (Reid) class squire surrounded by dozens of dozens of dozens of dozens of dozens of dozens of dozens of them, and they escaped with their lives." A man who looks to treasure his brilliant eyebrows and elucidates them. "Huh. Well, were you left with the boulder in that situation? - No, on the contrary, it's something I could have lived and returned to a lot. I thought at least one of them would die." Tamegoro secretly bit his back teeth into the attitude of a man who only thought of himself as a complete throwaway stone, lifting a lapoku one-eyebrow. "No, alliance to collapse... No, even though we have a temporary truce, we no longer have the threat of our common enemy, Shimamura, so nature and truce are destroyed - Scarlet Snow has also turned his sword instantly" "Hmm. That's what I used to get away with. Did you appeal to Scarlet Snow's love? The colour of suspicion floated in the eyes of the man. "Yeah, I was offered terms. Me and Mr. Scarlet Snow have a one-shot pussy showdown. Win if you hit your opponent even with one blow first. If you lose, follow the other party's advice..." "So what happened? A man who looks funny and prompts ahead. "I won. - Otherwise, I wouldn't be here." A man nodding with a convincing face at the rapturous words he answers in a natural tone. "Hmm. Well, well... the Scarlet Snow guy is a sweet thing too" "That's why it feels like things are over while you're there. Of course, the Principality of Youth will still have Shimamura's family, so we'll need the rest of it." "That's what the NPCs will do." Including his followers, he opens himself up to the arrogance of a man who treats humans living on the continent as' NPCs', yet on the surface he hammers them with a special attitude. "Then there can't be a regular army stationed on the territory of another country forever. We'll leave you to the Empire, and we'll give the knights an order to return." "You can leave that amount of things to the elderly of the Church...... no, because there's a precedent for missing the Great Pope's rampage, stab the nails one day" That said, I wave to get rid of the dog snugly just because I don't need it anymore. If I just wanted to cut the story off, I would just be a boat on the crossing, and I turned my back on the man on the spot with a gratuity. Until then, Tamegoro, who had been silent, asked the man with a voice that pushed his emotions to death. "Before I do, I'd like to make sure. What do you mean, Mr. Atcha's 'life beads' light is out? If you ask me, take a look, one of the life beads that was lined up on the wall. It was in my eyes that the green flame showing the sub-tea seeds disappeared and the whole thing was bright white and cloudy. One thing this means. It refers to the total extinction of his life and existence. So what happened, to the attitude of the man in the tone, he praised Tamegoro, who shouted something episodically, in a way that raised his right hand to silence, and Lapoku held her shoulder and hid it behind his back. "... so we turn to post-processing" Just because you no longer care, the two of you leave together before you change your mind about a man who won't even look up silently. Where the signs had completely disappeared, the man was alone. "- Hmm. You're still adversely affected by your contact with Scarlet Snow. Shall I crush you just in case you make a funny move" I glance at the beads of life with the flames of 'silver' and 'purple' hanging on the wall. Meanwhile, from the top floor on the transfer magic formation, from the 'Tower of the Pale God' to the hidden room of the adjacent cathedral, Pompous slapped Tamegolo's head with a flair that he still had no reason to be angry. "Don't be impotent. I didn't even feel alive." "Because not really! That's sub tea, I didn't really like it because I was selling it to him, but still, it would be my own woman, assuming! Lighten that up." "For him, both she and we, it means the only thing we're talking about is tools. Useless or intrusive tools like you get hurt..." It clouds the language, but I can easily imagine beyond without having to put it into words. Even at this moment, the beads of life related to his life may be destroyed at the whim of the man. "... keep the example given to you by Scarlet Snow away from your skin. It is also dangerous to keep it in storage space (inventory). Make sure you can use it anytime." Following the lappy words of peeling and whispering caution around him, Tamegoro nodded, removing from the storage space (inventory) something like a cosmetic bottle enough to ride on his palm, checking for the red and black liquid inside and into his pocket. After nodding with a serious look, fu, a tamegoro with a pranky grin. "I know. I use one or eight in case. Because Scarlet Snow broke my bone." "Nevertheless, 'I won' or whatever mouth you say, keep all nine swords covered" "... at least I'm not losing. At least it's a draw." With a blurry look, Tamegoro sees a raw warm eye giving back a good, twisted answer. "Well, it's a boy. I can't tell you what a girl did to you." "So I told you I didn't lose! In the small room, the laughter of the girl and the murky voice of the young man were often obsessed. "No, thank you for taking the ladies to the right place." Mr. Shadowloon was like home - well, it must be our home because it's actually the guild home - and he looked relaxed, sitting in the room of the Vacant Red Jade Castle, pakapaka the meals and teas served, and drank like a horse, talking about the circumstances that he hadn't even heard at ease. The heavenly winds that solidify their surroundings are also having trouble coping with it, and they look at me for instructions, but I don't know why I'm here, so I'm lost in judgment. "No, I've been doing business in the North to keep most of it cold lately, but what makes my business a fraud. It's a fraud. It's a crime, and the great people (officials) wanted to stop by and decided, and they almost caught me. So, your face cracked in no time, and if you look up to heaven to see what you did, there's an air garden flying there! I thought it was Heavenly Blessing, so I flew the Yarn and climbed all the way up here." I thought it was a candata of which 'spider yarn', and I said, "What were you doing in business?," he hammered in his relationship. "It's called side business. First, if you buy two gold coins of water purification equipment and become a member, and introduce the product to people, you will get a margin of 50 silver coins per person." "... isn't that rat talk? "No, it's multi commercial law. It's not a fictional product, it's a decent business." I bowed my head to Shadowloon's claim that he waved his right hand in the wind that it was out of his heart, with great doubt, and remembered that he had been given the last assistant knife in Shima's case for the time being. "- Well, I suppose that was just used to make it look good because of some sort of glitch, but I'll say thank you formally. I think it was Shadowloon who sealed Shima, so I'll just say thank you." "... it's also unusual to feel unheartfelt gratitude so far" I think it's everyday around here. "Speaking of which, what happened to Mr. Shimamura's body? "Is it a body or a state of provisional death? Just in case it doesn't resurrect, even a few General Thirteen Demons can't break it, they can make a minus 500 degree ice coffin and freeze it there and seal it in the Ice Hell (Coquitos), an ice monster habitat with Father Frost and Jack Frost in the air garden." Mr. Shadowloon twisted his neck to my words as he drank tea after the meal. "Have you ignored the laws of physics, like minus 500 degrees? "Well, that's why I wonder if this ends Shima's case somehow. Later, we'll sort out and rebuild the remnants of the Principality of Youth, but we expect Levan and Suzuran to be there." "... haha. No, but what was actually supposed to stand out for was a mixed army with the empire, right? The shield will take it around there. If you do bad, the Empress will round you up and plunder the territory of the youth, won't she? "If it's reconstruction or something, it's going to be packed, and you're going to be pushed hard." Well, that would be a good study, too. "... By the way, what's Shadowloon going to do now? "No, if you could drop me off at the right place, I'd start doing business again." You know, I don't know if you're oblivious. Mr. Shadowy scratches his head with a smile on his face. "Hmmm.... so you're also saying you'll be hired by me Ali? In my words, the Heavenly Fathers will be a goofy face. Probably expected - or deliberately showed his face for the sale - Shadow Lang posed to conceive with a floating face. "I guess it's information for now. Ethereal God - No, Mr. Daebuta, who was Gilmouth of the Knights of the Greatest Guild Metabolic, why did he become like that? I want you to tell me that." "... have you noticed" "I wish you could have denied it, but hey" The tip has been out for a long time, but I'm guessing it's decisive that Mr. Tamegoro called the mastermind "Snake Man". Among the Kanst groups I know, "Snake" - he's the only one who falls under the category of a rare dragon, and yet says "blue scale". But I was exploring another possibility when he was so sweet and well looked after, I couldn't help but think of him as a 'pale god' with no blood or tears to tell, but it still seemed to hit my worst expectations. "I don't know what happened. When I realized it, it was completely blown out of my head." "... Hmm. I knew I had to meet him in person to make sure." Far rearward, I turned to Facsimile, the sacred capital of the Eon Holy Kingdom in the central part of the continent, to whine anew of my determination.

プロローグ2 と、開けっ放しの扉の表面を儀礼的に軽くノックして、メイド服を着た背中に3対6翼の翼をもったプラチナブロンドにアイスブルーの瞳のこれまた眩しいほどの美形の女性が部屋の中に入ってきた。 こちらの女性には見覚えがあった。もちろんモニター越しにだけど。 彼女は先に来て礼をとっている 。姫が目覚められた魔力を感じて、つい居ても立ってもいられなくて......な」 反省はしているが後悔はしていないという口調での返答に、やれやれという感じで首を振り、彼女は続いてボクの方に改めて向き直ると、背筋を伸ばし威儀を正して、優雅に一礼をした。 「姫様、お目覚めになられたこと、この 念のために彼女を指してポップアップウインドウで確認してみる。 種族: 緋雪 HP:27,960,000 MP:35,268,000 ・・・いや、もう笑うしかない能力値だね。ちなみに「▼」の部分をクリックするともっと細かいステータスとかスキルとかが表示されたけど、何十行あるんだっていう細かさだったから読み飛ばした。 というか、さっきの天涯の能力値もいろいろおかしかったけど、命都の方も全然まともじゃないよ。 彼女はボクがガチャで初めて当てた ってのは天使種の最上位で、いまだMOBとして現れてはいないんだけど、いま見た感じだと『堕天の塔』の最上階にいる1対2翼のMOB堕天使のレベルに比べて40~50倍くらい高いので、もしMOBとして実装されたらこれくらいになるんじゃないかな?と予想される数値だ。 どういう理屈かはわからないけど、 ・・・うん、下手に出て逆らわないようにしよう。 「あのー、お二人とも、ちょっとお聞きしたいんですけど・・・」 そう話しかけた途端、美形の男女二組がまるで雷にでも撃たれたように一気に背筋を伸ばし、愕然とした顔になった。 や、やばい。なんか間違えたかな・・・? どうしよう・・・ 「姫っ! 我々如きにそのような丁寧な口の利きよう勿体のうございます!」 「姫様っ、もしや永き眠りのせいで我々のことをお忘れでは・・・?」 「え?! あー......いや、覚えてるよ。 そういうと目に見えてほっと安堵の表情を浮かべる二人。 ん?ということはゲーム内での出来事とかは共通認識としてあるのかな・・・? 「それではどうかいままで通り名前で呼び捨てにしてください」 再度一礼した命都にそう言われたけど、いやいやっ、そもそもゲーム内で つまりアレのことかな・・・? 頭ごなしに命令する感じ?? 恐る恐る二人の様子を窺ってみると、妙にキラキラした目でボクの言葉を待っている。わんこだったらお座りしたまま尻尾を振ってる状態だ。 だ、大丈夫かなぁ・・・そんな居丈高に喋って、なんか隠しパラメーターかなんかで知らないうちに好感度とか下がって反逆とかされたら、はっきり言ってボクなんかイチコロなんですけど・・・。 し、しかたないよね。あんまし待たせるのも危ないし。 ボクはゲーム内での 「うむ。両名とも大儀であった。よくぞ私の眠りを妨げることなく取り計らってくれたな。感謝しておるぞ」 あー、なんかこれで良いみたいだね。 「・・・ときに私はいかほど眠っていたのか、前後の状況などを聞きたいのだが?」 そう言うと天涯が片膝を着いた姿勢から直り、扉のほうを指し示した。 「はい、そう仰られるだろうと考え、僭越ながら玉座の間に、主だった臣下の者どもを招聘してございます」 「わたくしども四凶天王を始め、 嬉しげに言い添える命都の言葉に鷹揚に頷き返したものの、ボクの頭には疑問符で一杯だった。 優雅に手を添え、そっと壊れ物でも扱うように棺からエスコートする天涯に手を引かれる感じで、床に下りたたったボクに近づき、馴れた手つきで素早く取り出した櫛でボクの長い髪を梳く命都。 「それでは姫、参りましょうか」 そう言って先導する形で前を行く天涯と、後ろにかしずく命都に挟まれる形で部屋からでたボクは、外見上は平然と――中身はガクブルおしっこちびりそうに震えながら、屠殺場に連れて行かれる豚さんか牛さんの気分でドナドナと――やたら広い廊下を歩き始めた。

2 Prologue 2 and liturgically knocked lightly on the surface of the open door, this again dazzling beautifully shaped woman of ice blue eyes came into the room on a platinum blonde with three to six wing wings on her back in maid clothes. This woman looked familiar. Over the monitor, of course. She came first and sent her gaze to the thankful Heaven (Tengai) and spoke in a slightly blameworthy tone. "- Mm-hmm. I'm sorry, life capital. I felt the magic of the princess being awakened, and I couldn't stay or stand..." I shook my head in response to the tone that I was reflecting but not regretting it, and she then turned again to me, stretching her spine, correct her authority, and gracefully thanked me. "Princess, I am delighted that you have awakened, this capital of life (Miko), to be increased to anything." I'll point to her just in case and check in the pop-up window. Race: Angel (Seraphim) Owned by: Scarlet Snow (Hiyuki) HP: 27,960,000 MP: 35,268,000 ... No, you have to laugh now. Talent. By the way, clicking on the "V" part showed finer stats and skills, but I skipped reading because it was the finesse of having dozens of lines. I mean, there were a lot of weird talents in Heaven earlier, but the people in Life Capital aren't decent at all. She was the first SR (Super-Rare) prize I ever won in a chatter, and as a submissive (pet) she used it longer than Heavenly Life, so on a level she's just as kansted as Heavenly Life, but she's skilfully creepy with me, and there shouldn't have been any figures so far. So, an angel (Seraphim) is the top of the angel species, and it hasn't shown up as a MOB yet, but if it feels like it just now, it's about 40-50 times higher than the level of the one-to-two wing MOB Fallen Angel on the top floor of The Fallen Tower, so if it were implemented as a MOB, would it be this much? That's the expected figure. I don't know what the rationale is, but does that mean that the limiter that was set up as a submissive (pet) is removed and in a wild state? Either way, this is a level of instant killing if you defy it. ... Yeah, let's get out poorly and not defy each other. "Uh, both of you, I'd like to ask you something..." As soon as we spoke that way, two pairs of beautifully shaped men and women stretched their spines at once as if they had even been shot by lightning, making them look stunned. Or suck. Did I make some mistake...? I don't know what to... "Princess! Such a polite mouthful as we are! "Princess, what if you forgot about us because of eternal sleep...? "Huh?! Uh... no, I remember. I've been taking care of you for a long time with your firepower and your recovery." That said, the two of them have a visibly relieved look. Hmm? Does that mean that what happens in the game or something is as a common perception...? "Then please call it down by name as it is now." That's what the Life Capital once again told me, but no, I never talked to an obedient demon (pet) in the first place in the game! I mean, are you talking about me...? Feels like ordering without a head?? If you take a peek at the fearful two, you're waiting for my word with a strangely sparkling eye. If I were you, I'd be waving my tail as I sat down. So, I was wondering if you'd be okay... if you talked so highly about your presence that before you knew it was some kind of hidden parameter or something, your liking was lowered and you were treasoned, so to speak clearly, I'm kind of a dick... And it's the only way, right? It's not safe to keep you waiting. I talked to the two of them again, mindful of my tone as Scarlet Snow (Hiyuki) in the game. "Hmm. Both names were dauntless. Well done. You've managed without disturbing my sleep. I appreciate that." Uh, sounds like this is a good idea. "... I'd like to ask how sleepy I was when, what was going on back and forth? Having said that, Heavenly Fixed from a one-kneed position, pointing toward the door. "Yes, I believe they will say so, and I invite those benefactors, who were the Lord, between the thrones of the throne," "We have been waiting for the return of the Seven Hazards Starbeast, General Thirteen Demons, and the Princess for a long time, starting with the Four Wesen King." Though I nodded back to Eagle Fling at the words of the Life Capital that I could gladly say, it was full of question marks on my head. Gracefully hand in hand, gently feeling drawn to the heavenly life of escorting from the coffin to handle even broken goods, approaching just me down to the floor, life capital combing my long hair with a tame hand and quick removal. "So, Princess, shall we come?" Having said that and gone forward in a leading fashion, and coming from the room in a fashion sandwiched in the life capital behind me, I started walking down a wide hallway with Donna in the mood of a pig or cow being taken to the slaughterhouse, shaking like a gable pee on the exterior.

第十三話 勝利条件 地面に転がった姿勢から、ひょいと起き上がったレヴァンは、 が聞いたら、大いに悩むようなことを呟いて、改めてクロエに向き直ると同時に、 「はっ」 前日、緋雪に使ったのと同じ、 の弱点である懐へ入れじと、クロエの攻撃が上下左右正面から縦横無尽に振るわれるが、特に脅威になる動きではない。 いや、その動きはフェイントを取り混ぜた緻密なものではあり、なおかつ距離感を狂わせる例の攻撃も織り込まれ、たとえ一流の技量を持った戦士であってもダメージを受けるのは必至な、クロエを中心とした暴風のような圏内が形作られている。 だが、『間合いが伸びる』という特性さえわかれば、レヴァンの目で充分に対応できるものであった。 易々とその懐へ飛び込んだレヴァンの右手が掻き消え、次の瞬間、複数の打撃音がほぼ同時に響き渡った。試合を凝視していた観客のほとんどの者の目にも留まらぬ、閃光のようなジャブであった。 この密着した間合いでは棍は使えない、そう判断したクロエは右手で棍を持ち、左の裏拳をレヴァンの背中に放つ。無論、この程度の大降りの攻撃が当たるとは思っていないが、この場合は相手が避けて距離を置くよう、突き放すのが目的なので当たり外れは考慮に入れていない。だが―― 「はっ!」 「ふんっ!!」 その攻撃をかいくぐり、レヴァンの渾身の左肘が、ガラ空きになったクロエの胴体へと吸い込まれた。 激しい打撃音に、観客は勝負は決まったかと思ったが、攻撃を決めたはずのレヴァンが驚愕に目を見張り、弾かれたようにクロエから距離を置き、左肘を押さえて、わずかな苦痛の呻きをもらした。 攻撃を決めた瞬間の喜色満面から一転して、血の気を失い騒然としているアスミナへ、やや呆然とした面持ちで緋雪が説明をした。 「攻撃が当たる瞬間に全身の筋肉を硬直させて、逆に相手の攻撃部位の自滅を誘ったんだ。...にしても、どんな肉体強度してるんだろうね、あのおねーさん。いや、ほんとこの世界も広いわ...」 「だ、大丈夫なんですか、 「鋼鉄を力任せに殴ったようなものだからねぇ、拳だったら砕けてたかも知れないけど、人体で一番丈夫な肘だから、多分砕けてはいないと思うけど・・・」 「ふふん、なかなか鍛えてるじゃないか。所詮は男の細腕、一発で砕く自信があったんだけどね。――まぁ、でもしばらくは左手は使えないだろう?」 クロエの言葉に苦笑で返して、レヴァンは痛む肘から右手を離し拳を握って構えを取った。 「片手でまだやる気かい?」 「勿論、右手も両足も無事ですからね。それに、貴女のような『いい女』を相手に、惨めな姿は見せられませんよ」 「はん、まあ...お世辞でも礼をいうべきかねぇ」 若干白けた顔で肩をすくめるクロエに向かい、レヴァンは大真面目に返した。 「お世辞なんてとんでもない。生命力に溢れ、鮮烈な生き方を信念を持っている、獣人族本来の姿を体現したような貴女は、とても美しいです」 その言葉に今度こそ上機嫌にコロコロと笑うクロエ。 「嬉しいこと言ってくれるねぇ! いい女ってものがわかってるじゃないか。あんた、まあまあの男から、そこそこいい男に認めてやるよ」 「それは、光栄ですね。――では、行きます!」 「なんですか、あれは! 他の女のことを美人とか!! 筋肉ですか!? 筋肉が問題なんですか?!」 アスミナが隣の緋雪の肩を掴んでガクガク揺さぶっていた。ちなみにジシスを始めとする他の獅子族の人間は、係わり合いを恐れて二人の周りには近寄ってこない。 「いやぁ......どうなんだろうねぇ...」 「わかりました! わたしも今日から筋肉つけます! 肉ですね肉! あと、ヒユキ様、手っ取り早く筋肉付ける方法とかありませんか?!」 「え...えーと、プロテインとか、ステロイドとか」 なんか不毛かつ不穏な発言をしている二人がいた。 再び、クロエの猛攻をかいくぐり、その懐へと入ろうとするレヴァンだが、攻撃の中心は現在死角となっている左手側に集中している。 ――手堅いな。 だが、相手の弱点を攻めるのは獣人族においては、なんら恥じるものではない。弱点をあからさまに出すほうが悪いのだ。 このままではジリ貧だと判断したレヴァンは、一か八かの賭けに出た。 足元を狙ってきた棍の先端を、躱し際、震脚で踏み抜き、伝わった震動に一瞬だけ両手の自由を奪われたクロエの懐へと飛び込む。 ある程度予想していたのだろ、瞬時に戻された棍が大気を裂いて、レヴァンの左側面へと襲いかかってきた。 これを左手の手甲で受け止めるも、もともと力の入らなかった左手は衝撃を殺せずに、鈍い音を立てた。 ――折れたか。 だが、これは織り込み済み。怪我をした左手をかばいながら動くと、どうしても体捌きが不自然になり、そこに隙が出来る。また、重心が安定しないと他の攻撃にも切れがでなくなる。なので、左手の怪我はないことにして、普段どおりの動きで受けたのだ、こうなる結果は予想していた。 頭の隅でその事実を確認しながら、左手の痛みは『ない』ものと無視して、レヴァンはそのまま半回転しながら残った右肘に、全運動エネルギーを乗せてクロエの鳩尾付近へ叩き込んだ。 これを受けて、先ほどの二の舞とばかり、にっと笑うクロエ。 刹那、とても人体の衝突とは思えない巨大な打撃音が辺り一円をこだまし、二人を中心にして土盛りした会場に、地割れのような亀裂が縦横に走った。 「......ふふん。なんだい、いまの技は? 体の芯を震動が通過していったよ」 「......そうかい。ところで、あんた最初から1回もアタシの顔を狙わなかったけど、手加減してたのかい?」 「そんなつもりはない。ただ、まあ、男の矜持って奴だ」 「......はん。馬鹿だね。だけど小利口な奴より、アタシは馬鹿の方が好きだね。まあ、これから先...がんばりな。アタシもいい男に倒されて満足だ...よ」 その言葉を最後に意識を失い、崩れそうになるクロエを支えるレヴァン。 一瞬の静寂を置いて、観客たちから耳をつんざくような歓声と、叫びが上がった。 一回戦、第一試合終了。勝者:獅子族レヴァン ― 敗者:兎人族クロエ その後も順調に試合は進み。一回戦の4試合が無事に終了したのだった。 「一回戦の勝者は、『魔狼の餌場』予選の方は、レヴァンの他、豹人族のダビド、熊人族のエウゲン、蛇人族のキリルと、このあたり予想通りだねぇ。で、『地竜の寝床』予選では虎人族のアケロンが相手を瞬殺、と。――鉄板過ぎて面白くないね」 城に帰って今日の結果を確認して、ボクはため息をついた。 「まあそんなものでしょう。ところで馬鹿弟子の怪我の具合はどうでした?」 ソファーに腰掛け、美味しそうに 「アスミナの治癒魔術――法術だっけ? あれが効いてすっかり元通りだね」 まあボクがその場で治しても良かったんだけど、関係ない第三者が治療したとなると、後で文句をいう奴も出てくるかも知れないので遠慮した。 ちなみにアスミナは、治療に邪魔だからと言って、嬉々として 前に治癒した時には、普通に服の上から効果があった気もするんだけど......。 たぶん突っ込んじゃいけない部分なんだろうね。うん。 そう思って、話題を変えるために獣王の鉄面皮を見た。 「――って言うか、弟子が心配なら見にくればよかったのに」 誘ってもなんだかんだ理由をつけて来なかったんだよね。 「まあ、大会にしろ、馬鹿弟子にしろ既に儂の手を離れた話ですからな」 。例の件は調べがついた?」 脇に控えていた命都が、一礼をした。 「はい、例の兎人の冒険者が持っていた『如意棒』の入手経路ですが、流れの武器商人から購入したと、本人は語っておりました。 「流れの武器商人ねぇ......。なかなか尻尾をつかませないねぇ」 それからふと予選の時から気になっていた点を、獣王に訊いてみた。 「そーいえば、クロエは魔法の武器を使ってたわけだけど、それって大会の規則に反しないの?」 「問題ないな」 あっさりと答えが返って来た。 「魔剣、神剣など魔法の武器は持てるのは、それに選ばれるだけの『格』があると見なされ、逆に賞賛の対象になる」 「まあそういうものとしか言いようがないな。だいたいそれを言えば、お前さんが『スキル』と呼ぶ秘術の類いまで使用不可になるだろう?」 「スキルは使っていいわけ?」 「当然だな。修行の果てに身に着けた秘技だ。誰はばかることもないわな。それと、今日の相手はさほど高度なスキルは使っていなかったようだが、明日からは違うぞ。どいつもこいつも一癖どこではない癖のある奴らばかりだ」 楽しげに笑う獣王。 レヴァンも大変だねぇ。せめて今日はゆっくり休んで明日の英気を養って・・・いや、無理か。同じ

55 Episode Xiii Conditions Of Victory From his rolling position on the ground, Levan rose once again to thank Scarlet Snow when he saw that the stick (kon) was on the verge of being shot in the face, the armor worn on both arms crossed by a staggering cross, and not one scratch on the surface of "Dry General". And, when Scarlet Snow (really) hears it, he whines about something very troubling and turns to Chloe again, at the same time. "Ha." The same unique movement that I used the day before for Scarlet Snow, slipping down the ground from my seismic leg (Shinkaki), fills the difference. Khloe's attack is infinitely shaken from up, down, left, and right fronts, but it is not a particularly threatening move. No, the movement is an elaborate mix of feints, yet it also weaves in examples of attacks that drive the sense of distance crazy, shaping a stormy, Chloe-centric area that is essential to take damage, even if you are a warrior of first-rate skill. But it was something that Levan could adequately cope with in his eyes, as long as he could see the properties of 'the time stretches'. Levan's right hand, which easily jumped into his nose, scratched out, and at the next moment, multiple striking sounds echoed almost simultaneously. It was a flashing jab, not even in the eyes of most of the audience who were staring at the game. The stick cannot be used in this intimate time, Chloe, who so decides, holds the stick with her right hand and releases her left back fist to Levan's back. Regardless, I don't expect an attack of this magnitude to hit me, but in this case I don't take the hitting off into account because the aim is to push it away so that the target avoids and distances it. But... "Ha!" "Huh!!" As he jerked off the attack, Levan's full left elbow was sucked into Chloe's empty torso. To the fierce hitting sound, the audience wondered if the battle had been decided, but Levan, who should have decided to attack, stared stunnedly, distancing himself from Chloe as he had been played, holding down his left elbow, causing a slight groan of anguish. Scarlet Snow explained with a slightly dazzling face to Asmina, who was losing her blood and making a scene, turning from the delightful face of the moment she decided to attack. "He stiffened his whole body's muscles the moment the attack hit him and, conversely, invited the opponent to self-destruct the attack site.... but what kind of physical strength are you, that lady? No, really, this world is huge..." "Are you okay, my brother-in-law? "Because it's like beating steel to its power. Hey, if it was a fist, I might have smashed it, but it's the sturdiest elbow in the human body, so I don't think it's probably smashed..." "Huh, you're working out pretty good. What I was reading was a man's slender arm, I was confident I'd smash it in one shot. - Well, but you can't use your left hand for a while, can you? Returning bitterly to Chloe's words, Levan took his right hand off his aching elbow and held his fist to take the stand. "Are you still motivated with one hand? "Of course, your right hand and both legs are safe. Besides, you can't look miserable with a" good woman "like you." "Ha, well... I don't know if I should thank you for flattering me." Heading to Chloe, who shrugged her shoulders with a slightly white face, Levan returned it with great seriousness. "There's no such thing as flattery. You are so beautiful, so full of vitality, so full of faith in a vibrant way of life that you embody what the Beasts are." Chloe laughs corny in a good mood this time for that word. "I'm glad you said it! You know what a good woman is. You know, I'm gonna admit it to a nice guy there from a decent guy." "That would be an honor. - Okay, I'm coming! "What is it, that one! Beauty or something about other women!! Are you a muscle!? Is your muscle a problem?!" Asmina was grabbing the shoulder of the scarlet snow next door and rocking her guts. By the way, other lion people, starting with Gisis, do not come close to each other for fear of engagement. "Hey... I don't know..." "Okay! I will muscle from today too! Meat, right? Meat! And, Master Hyuki, is there any way to muscle quickly?!" "Uh... like protein, steroids" There were two people making some hairless and disturbing remarks. Again, Levan tries to jerk off Chloe's onslaught and into his nostalgia, but the center of the attack is now concentrated on the left hand side, which is a dead end. - You're tough. But in the Beast tribe, attacking their weaknesses is nothing to be ashamed of. It's worse to expose your weaknesses. Determining that Jilli was poor as it was, Levan went on one or eight bets. At the tip of the stick, which has been aimed at his feet, he steps through with his seismic legs and jumps into the pocket of Chloe, whose hands were deprived of their freedom only for a moment by the vibrations transmitted. You had some anticipation, an instantly returned stick ripped through the atmosphere and hit the left side of Levan. Even accepting this with the armor of his left hand, the originally powerless left hand made a dull noise, without killing the impact. - Did you break it? But this is woven. If you move with your injured left hand covered, your body tightness really becomes unnatural and you can make a gap there. In addition, if the center of gravity does not stabilize, other attacks will not be broken. So I decided there was no left hand injury, and I got it in the usual motion, I expected this to happen. While checking that fact in the corner of his head, ignoring that the pain in his left hand was' none ', Levan slammed it near Chloe's dovetail with all the kinetic energy on his remaining right elbow as it remained half a spin. Take this, all with the two earlier dances, more laughing Chloe. In a moment, a huge striking sound, not very likely a collision of the human body, stuck around a circle, and a crack like a ground crack ran vertically and horizontally to a venue that was earthed around the two of them. "... Huh. What's your move? A tremor passed through the core of my body." "... right. By the way, you didn't aim at Atashi's face once from the start, did you? "I don't mean to. It's just, well, he's a man." "... Hang on. You're an idiot. But you prefer a fool to a smart one. Well, from now on... good luck. Satisfied that a good man knocked you out..." Levan supports Chloe, who finally loses consciousness of the word and is about to collapse. Setting aside a moment of silence, the audience shouted with deafening cheers and screams. Game one, game one is over. Winner: Levan the Lion - Loser: Chloe the Lion The game went well after that. Four games of the first round were successfully completed. "The winners of World War I, in addition to Levan, are Leopard Davido, Bear Eugene, and Snake Cyril, who qualify for" The Devil Wolf's Feedback, "as expected around here. So, in the" Ground Dragon Sleeping Bed "qualifier, Akelon the Tiger Nation instantly killed his opponent, he said. - It's too iron for fun." I went back to the castle and checked the results for today, and I sighed. "Well that would be it. How was your stupid apprentice's injury, by the way? I sat on the couch and drank coffee (coffee) deliciously - I can only drink it in our country so far - and the Beast King asked me, feeling like crap. "Asmina's healing magic - is that magic? That worked and it's working perfectly." Well, I could have healed him on the spot, but when an unrelated third party treated him, I didn't want him to complain about it later. By the way, Asmina was happily stripping her brother-in-law (Levan) naked because she was in the way of treatment and touching him directly to treat him, but does that make sense? When I healed before, I also think it usually worked from the top of my clothes... Probably the part where you shouldn't go in there. Yeah. That's what I thought, and I saw the iron skin of the Beast King to change the subject. "- Or if you were worried about your apprentice, you should have seen it." You didn't come here for any reason even if you asked me out, did you? "Well, make it a tournament, make it a fool's apprentice. It's a story that's already out of hand." "Hmm. Fair enough. By the way, Life Capital. Have you looked into the case? The capital of my life, which I had refrained from beside, gave me a thank-you. "Yes, this is the path to obtaining the Ruyi Bar that the Ruyi Adventurer in the example had, but he said he bought it from a flow arms dealer. There's no possibility of perjury in the magic of lie sensation." "Flow arms dealer hey...... I can't really grab my tail." Then I asked the Beast King what had bothered me since the qualifying period. "Speaking of which, Chloe was using a magic weapon, isn't that against the rules of the tournament? "No problem." The answer came back lightly. "Demonic swords, divine swords and other magical weapons can be held only if they are seen as having the 'character' to be chosen for it and, conversely, subject to admiration" "Well, that's all I can say. If you say that, it won't be usable like the secret technique you call 'skill', right? "Do you want to use your skills? "Naturally. It's a secret trick I wore at the end of my training. I don't think anybody's gonna get caught. Besides, today's opponents didn't seem to use much advanced skills, but they're not starting tomorrow. All the time, this guy's a one-of-a-kind, nowhere. He's just a bunch of guys with habits." Fun laughing beast king. Levan's in trouble, too. At least get some rest today and nourish your English tomorrow... no, you can't. There's an Asmina in the same tent.

第九話 九剣襲撃 「――っ。切れた・・・!」 私室......というか、どんだけ広いんだココ、山彦返ってくるんじゃね?という、生前ワンルームのアパート住まいだった身としてはまったく寛げない部屋の中央で、魔導人形No3『ちびちび緋雪ちゃんVer.3』(Ver.1は謎の紛失を遂げ、Ver.2は兄丸さんの弟分の・・・名前は忘れたナントカに壊された)の遠隔操作をしていたボクは、強制的にパスが切断された衝撃で、乗り物酔いみたいにクラクラする頭を抱えながら、占いに使う水晶球みたいなコントロール珠に再度両手を押し当て、魔力を流してみたけど、その先が糸の切れた凧みたいな手応えで、案の定まったく反応がなかった。 「あまり根を詰められると玉体に障ります。――まずは、落ち着かれてはいかがでしょうか、姫」 がワイングラスに注いだ鮮血を差し出してきた。 長時間の集中と魔力の放出で消耗していたボクは、半ば反射的に駆けつけ3杯どころか、ワインだったら急性アルコール中毒になる勢いで、おかわりを繰り返してHP、MPともに満タンにした。 ――よし、復調! どこの誰かは知らないけど、献血してくれたおねーさんたちありがとう!今日も貴女方の血潮がボクの活力となり、肉となり、脂肪となって最近ウエストラインが......うん、少し飲みすぎたから明日からダイエットしよう。 と、心の中で複雑に感謝しつつ、ボクは勢いよく立ち上がった。 「それはそうと、そのご様子ですと、アルゼンタムでなにか変事でもございましたか?」 ボクの様子から大体の事情を察したのだろう。 「レヴァンたちが影郎さんに襲撃を受けた。随員は全員死亡、レヴァンも行方不明になっている」 天涯が軽く目を瞠った。――おや? 意外とレヴァンのことを気にかけて...... 「では、あの魔導人形も失われたわけですか!? もったいないことを・・・」 ......る、わけないよね。うん。 心底悲嘆にくれた顔で額に手を当てて苦悩している天涯を、なぜか 「それはさておき、これからどうなさるお積りですか、姫様」 命都の問いかけに、即断で救助隊を出撃させようとしていたボクの頭が少しだけ冷えた。 他国の首都に勝手に武装した魔物の部隊を派遣したら、どー考えてもテロだよねぇ。 いや、別に軍事衝突を起こすのを恐れるわけじゃないけど、そんだけのことをして肝心のレヴァンが見つからなかったり、既に死んでたら本末転倒だし......つーか、ウチの連中ならボクの安否以外はどーでもいいので、勝手に暴れ回って街を破壊し、人々を襲い、下手したら虫の息で転がってるレヴァンに気付かず止めを刺す可能性もある。......いや、絶対に当初の目的を忘れる。 つ、使えない! ウチの連中って。大規模破壊活動以外は、自己啓発本よりも使えない! でレヴァンにバイパス付けとけば良かった。でも、あれ本人の意識がないと無効だし、それにレヴァンに迂闊に下手な真似するとアスミナにバレそうだしねぇ......あ! 「そーだよ。アスミナは巫女なんだし、レヴァンのことなら千里眼みたいに勘がいいから、こっちからわかるかも知れないね」 兎に角、一刻の猶予もならない。 「――お出かけですか?」 予想していた口調の命都に頷いた。 「ウィリデ経由で、アスミナのところに行ってみる。速度重視。飛べる者で随行は構成して」 クレス自由同盟国の暫定首都ウィリデ郊外。 レヴァンたちが刺客に襲われていた同時刻(こちらは時差の関係でまだお昼前だが)。 先日発見されたばかりの巨大な転移装置――直径20メートルのストーンサークルに似た黒曜石とも金属ともつかないそれ――の周辺で警戒にあたっていた獣人族の戦士たちは、いささか緊張感の抜けた態度で軽口を叩き合っていた。 「しかし、こんなもんが本当に俺らの飯の種になるのかねえ」 「若大将とその上の姫様のお考えだ、俺たちゃ、言われたとおり、こいつをしっかり守ってればいいのさ」 「守るって言ってもなぁ。こんなでかいもの壊せるような奴も盗む奴がいるわけないだろう」 「確かになぁ、違いない」 「――おう。お前ら、ちょいと気を抜きすぎだぜ。ガチガチに緊張しろとは言わねえが、締めるところは締めとけよ」 すぱーっとハッカ笹を吸いながら、警備隊長を任ぜられた熊人族の『巨岩』エウゲンが苦言を呈した。 『も、申し訳ありません隊長』 「わかりゃいいってことよ」 一斉に頭を下げた部下たちに、気にするなと手にしたハッカ笹を振るエウゲン。 「――む」 と、離れた位置の岩の上で結跏趺坐をしていた 「どうかしやしたかい、旦那?」 やってきた当初から自己紹介以外は一言も喋らず、じっと瞑想しているばかりだった九重の態度の変化に、ただならぬものを感じてエウゲンが確認する。 「それがしの張り巡らせておいた使い魔の布陣が一瞬にして破られた。侵入者――それも只者ではない。おぬし等では相手にならん。至急本国に増援を要請せよ」 言われてその方向を眺めるが、これといった人影は見えない。だが、百戦錬磨であるエウゲンの本能が、迫り来る脅威を感じて最大限の警報を鳴らした。 並みの頭の固い指揮官であれば、『お前らは役に立たないから、逃げて応援を呼べ』と言われても、はいそうですかと素直に従うものではないが、余計な問答はせずにエウゲンは素直にそれに従った。 「わかりやした。聞いての通りだ! お前ら全員退避しろ、一刻も早く 怒鳴りつけ、あたふたと部下たちが退避するのを確認して、九重に向かって深々と頭を下げた。 「ご武運をお祈りいたしやす」 全員が立ち去ったのを確認して、ひらりと金襴の袈裟を翻して岩から降り立った九重は、どこからともなく取り出した髑髏と背骨でできたような杖を振り上げた。 「いでよ、不死なる軍団よ」 その先端を地面に突き刺すと、そこから闇色の魔法陣が広がり......ポコポコと地面を割って各自武具を持ったスケルトン・ソルジャーが100体あまり現れた。 さらにもう一度魔法陣を発動させ、リッチーを10体。死馬に乗ったスケルトン・ナイトを5体。 そして最後に、巨大な骸骨で作られたモンスター、ネクロ・スコーピオンとボーン・センチピードを各1体生み出した。 この通常であれば一軍にも匹敵する軍団の前に、程なく......散歩の途中のような気軽な足取りで、白銀色の鎧兜をまとい赤い裏地のマントをつけた騎士が現れた。 「......やはり貴方でしたか、ラポック様」 「そういうこった。見たところかなりの実力者、それも緋雪さんの腹心のようだが、そこを通しちゃくれないかな?」 「通した場合、どうなされるのかお聞きしてもよろしいでしょうか?」 「その邪魔な粗大ゴミを掃除することになるな」 転移装置を顎で指して、なんでもないような口調で『破壊する』と断言する、らぽっく。 「では、お通しするわけには参りませんな。それがしもこの地の守りを姫様から預かる身ゆえ」 「俺を相手に戦えるのかい?」 味方識別コードを指して言っているのだろう。試すように尋ねるらぽっくに向かって、九重は淡々と応えた。 「姫様から許可はいただいております。邪魔をするようなら、痛めつけても構わない。最悪殺しても生き返らせるので問題ない、とのことです」 それを聞いて破顔する、らぽっく。 「緋雪さんらしいな。――とはいえ、かつての 「先に裏切られたのは、そちらの方かと。それに――」 「姫様は貴方様を、本物のラポック様かどうかお疑いですので」 その言葉を耳にした瞬間、余裕の表情を崩さなかった、らぽっくに一条の亀裂が入った。 呟くと同時に、らぽっくは両手で剣を引き抜いた。 右手に握るのは、最強剣『 各々が強力かつ、属性を付与した剛剣ばかりである。 「悪いが時間をかけられないみたいだからな。最初から全力で行かせてもらう」 自分一人ではおそらく勝負になるまい。 ――どこまで時間を稼げるかが真の勝負か。 らぽっくの殲滅力と自分の召喚力がどこまで拮抗できるかが勝負の分かれ目だろう。 増援――円卓メンバークラスが複数人集まれば、彼とてひとたまりもないはず。 勝負を急ぐのもそのためだろう。 ならば、自分は全力で時間を稼ぐのみ! 「やれ!」 九重の指示に従いまずはリッチーが各々魔法を放つ。 まずは接近させないよう距離を置いて......と判断した九重は目を疑った。 7本の剣を盾にして、意に介さず突っ込んできたらぽっくが、スケルトン・ソルジャーの群れの只中に突っ込むと同時に、風車のように両手の剣を振ると、たちまちスケルトン・ソルジャーたちが木の葉のように粉々に砕け散った。 仲間に攻撃が当たるのを躊躇うリッチーに向かって、 「構わん、撃て!」 指示をすると同時に、素早く追加のスケルトン・ソルジャーを召喚する。 さらに突っ込んできたボーン・センチピードの巨体を交差させた剣で受け止めると、残り7本の剣が巨体の脚を切り飛ばし、自分の体重を支えきれずに倒れたところで、唐竹割りに頭蓋骨を粉砕する。 ――なんという男だ!? これほどか!! 呼び出す端から消滅させられる軍団の姿に、時間稼ぎどころではないのを悟った九重は、残ったネクロ・スコーピオンたちとともに、らぽっくへと直接攻撃を敢行した。 押し寄せる有象無象のスケルトン・ソルジャーやナイトを相手取る傍ら、ちらっとこちらを向いたらぽっくの元から、3本の剣がジグザグの機動で跳んでくる。 これの対処はネクロ・スコーピオンに任せ、ある程度距離を詰めたところで、 九重の衝撃波が全開で放たれた。 あおりを食らってスケルトン・ソルジャーたちが粉砕されるが、らぽっくにもある程度のダメージを与えたようで、苦痛の声がその口から漏れた。 さらに追加の攻撃を加えようとしたところで、7本の剣が空中で輪を描き、凄まじい勢いで雨あられと放たれた。 咄嗟にネクロ・スコーピオンの巨体を盾にして、これを防ごうとするが、ザクザクと豆腐でも切るようにネクロ・スコーピオンの体が切り刻まれた。 「――奥義・バーストライトニング」 そして、防御のために一瞬動きを止めた九重に向かい、らぽっくのスキルが発動した。 輝く剣から振り下ろされた雷光が、飛び退ろうとした九重を捉えて串刺しにする。 ――だが、まだだ。この程度ならまだ耐えられる。 最強剣『絶』の攻撃力も加算され、1撃でヒットポイントの2割程度を持っていかれたが、逆に言えばまだ2割。しかも奥義スキルは一度放てばある程度のクールタイムが必要な筈、充分に取り返しが効く。 そう判断した九重だが、すぐさま考え違いをしていたことを悟った。 確かに一つの奥義スキルを放った後に同じ奥義を発動するにはクールタイムが必要だが、 そして、『絶』が大剣であるのに対して、左手の『月』は太刀である。つまり―― 「――奥義・疾風迅雷の太刀」 強風を伴う斬撃が九重の体を切り刻み、吹き飛ばした。 さらに追撃の剣が襲い掛かり、九重のHPを危険領域近くまで削り取った。 「これで、決まりだ」 らぽっくが再度、右手の『絶』を振りかぶり、九重に止めを刺そうとしたその瞬間、雨あられと降り注ぐ雷撃が、その体を吹き飛ばした。 「があ――っ!?」 さらに追撃してくる雷撃を円形にした剣でどうにか防御するが、それでもじりじりとHPを削られて行く。 ――この威力には覚えがある。 焦りを覚えた、らぽっくの周囲が急に暗くなった。 瞳をこらすその先で、天涯の背に仁王立ちした姿で、不機嫌そうにこちらを睨みつける緋雪の姿があった。 らぽっくの顔が、歓喜とも後悔ともつかぬ複雑な色で歪んだ。

72 Episode Ix: Nine Swords Raid "-. I'm out...! Private room... or how big is it, Koko, Yamahiko? In the middle of the room, which I would not forgive at all for being a studio apartment dwelling in my lifetime, Bok, who was remotely manipulating Demon Guided Doll No. 3, "Chibi Scarlet Snow Chan Ver.3" (Ver.1 had a mysterious loss, Ver.2 was of his brother Maru's disciple... his name was broken by a forgotten Nantka), was forced to have a severed pass, had a head that cluttered like a motion sickness, pressed his hands again against a control bead like a crystal ball used for fortune, and tried to shed magic, but with a threaded kite-like response ahead, I had no indication at all. "If you can pack too many roots, it will hinder your balls. - First, why don't you calm down, princess?" Heavenly (Tengai) just gave me the blood I poured into my wine glass. Instead of three half-reflective rushes, which were drained by prolonged concentration and release of magic, I repeatedly filled both HP and MP with the momentum to become acutely alcoholic if it were wine. - All right, demote! I don't know who it is, but thanks guys for the blood donation! Your blood tide has become my vitality today, meat, fat and recently my waistline...... yeah, I drank a little too much so I'll start dieting tomorrow. And while I appreciated the complexity in my heart, I rose to momentum. "That's right, and how are you doing, was there something wrong in Argentina? I guess you guessed the general situation based on my condition. "The Levans were raided by Mr. Shadowloon. All of our men are dead, and Levan is missing." Heaven closed his eyes lightly. - Oh? Surprisingly, I care about Levan... "So you lost that magic guide doll too!? What a waste..." ... Ru, no way, right? Yeah. For some reason, the Life Capital (Mikoto) watched the distressed heaven with his hands on his forehead with a face of heartfelt grief. "Aside from that, what are you going to do, princess" My head was only a little chilled when I was about to send out a rescue team at short notice to inquire about the life capital. If you send troops of demons armed on their own to other capitals, it's terrorism, no matter what you think. No, I'm not afraid to have a military collision, but if I do just that and I can't find Levan at the heart, or if he's already dead, it's the end of the line... one or any of us, except for my safety, so it's possible to storm around on our own, destroy the city, attack people, and stab Levan rolling with a bug breath if he's bad, without realizing it.... No, I will definitely forget my original purpose. One, I can't use it! My people. Except for mass destruction activities, I can't use it more than self-development books! If this is the case, I should have bypassed Levan with the Devil's Eye. But that's invalid without his own consciousness, and if he imitates Levan poorly in a detour, he's going to find out about Asmina... Aah! "That's right. Asmina is a witch, and if you're talking about Levan, she's as smart as Chiriko, so maybe you'll find out from here." A horn on a raven, not even a moment of respite. "- Are you going out? I nodded at the life capital in the tone I expected. "Via Willide, I'll go to Asmina's. Speed Focus. You can fly. Structure your journey." Suburb of Willide, provisional capital of the Free Alliance of Cres. At the same time the Levans were being attacked by assassins (although this one is still before lunch due to time differences). The warriors of the Beastman tribe, who had been on alert around the gigantic transfer device just discovered the other day - obsidian or metallic, similar to a 20-meter diameter stone circle - were tapping each other lightly with a slightly less nervous attitude. "But I don't know if this is really gonna be our rice seed" "It's the idea of the Young Admiral and the princess above him, I just need to keep him safe, as I was told." "I could say I would protect you. There's no way anyone could steal something as big as this." "Sure, it must be" "- Whoa. You guys are a little too distracted. I'm not gonna tell you to be nervous, but tighten up where you tighten up." Suffocating Hakka Sasaki, Eugen, the 'boulder' of the Bear tribe who was appointed captain of the guard, complained. "Also, I'm sorry, Captain" "You know what I mean." Eugen waves a hackathon in his hands telling his men, who bowed their heads at the same time, not to worry. "- Mm." and a helper from Imperial Crimson, a crimson empire of crimson that was sitting on a rock in a remote position - a three-eyed monk named the Seven Hazards Star Beast (Shikikaseju) and the Nine Eyes (What's Here), under a tense face, set his gaze on a certain point in the wilderness. "What have you done, sir? Eugen confirms that he has not spoken a word but introduced himself since the beginning of his coming, feeling a nasty change in the attitude of the Nine who had just been meditating. "The formations of the demons that it had stretched out were broken in an instant. Intruder - that's not the only one either. You won't be dealing with someone in a mess or anything. Ask your country for backup as soon as possible." I look in that direction when I'm told, but I don't see any figures like this. But Eugene's instinct, a hundred wars of smell, sounded the maximum alarm, feeling the imminent threat. If you're a hard-headed commander in line, 'you guys are useless, so run and call for backup,' it's not something you honestly follow, yes, but Eugen honestly followed it without asking any extra questions. "I understand. You're right! Evacuate all of you, and let the Crimson Imperial Crimson country know as soon as possible!!" He yelled and lowered his head deeply toward the Ninth, making sure that he and his men were evacuated. "Wishing you luck" Confirming that they had all walked away, Jiu-jitsu, who had descended from the rock flirting with a glimmer of gold, shook up the scepter as if it had been made of a spine and a scepter removed from nowhere. "Alright, immortal legions." Sticking that tip to the ground, a dark magic formation spreads from it...... less than 100 skeleton soldiers appeared with their own weapons, breaking the pocket and the ground. Activate the Magic Formation one more time and get 10 Richies. 5 skeleton nights on a dead horse. And finally, he produced one monster each, Necro Scorpion and Bourne Centipede, made of giant skeletons. In front of this normally comparable regiment of armies, a knight appeared with a silver armored helmet and a cloak of red lining in casual footsteps, like in the middle of a walk. "... was it still you, Master Rapok" "That's what happened. Quite a powerful man from what I've seen, that sounds like Mr. Scarlet Snow's stomach, too, but can you let me go through there? "If I let you through, can I ask you what you're going to do? "Don't be cleaning all that rubbish in the way." I point to the transfer device with my jaw and assure you 'destroy' it in a tone that is nothing, lappy. "Well, there's no way I'm going to let you through. That's the princess who keeps the protection of this land." "Can you fight me? I guess you're referring to the alliance identification code and saying it. Nine responded pale toward Lapo, who asked him to try. "The princess has given me permission. If you want to disturb me, I don't mind hurting you. Killing the worst will bring him back to life, so there's no problem." Hear that and break your face, lappy. "Sounds like Mr. Scarlet Snow. - Nevertheless, you must have been unfaithful to your former companion." "I thought you were the one who betrayed me first. And..." "The princess doubts that you are the real Lapoque." The moment I heard the word, I didn't break my spare look, a crack in the lapo. Whimpering at the same time, Rapoku pulled out his sword with both hands. Gripping in the right hand is the most powerful sword, "Absolute". Gripping in the left hand is the big knife of the optical attribute, "Moon", considering the battle against the undead. Each is a powerful and attributed sword. "I'm sorry, but I can't seem to take the time. Let me do everything I can from the start." Probably not a battle on my own. - How far can you buy time is a true battle? How far can Lappuchi's doom and his summoning power antagonize would be the division of the battle. Reinforcement - If more than one round table member class comes together, there shouldn't be a single clump with him. That's probably why we're rushing the battle. Then I only do my best to buy time! "Do it!" Ritchie unleashes her magic first, following the instructions of the Nine. Nine doubted his eyes when he decided to keep him away from me first... Using seven swords as shields and poking them in unintentionally, it was pompous, but waving the sword of both hands like a windmill at the same time, the Skeleton Soldiers happened to smash and scatter like leaves of a tree. towards Richie, who hesitates to strike at his people, "I don't mind, shoot! Summon additional Skeleton Soldiers quickly at the same time as giving instructions. When you take it with a sword that crosses the Bourne Centipede giant you've plunged further into, the remaining seven swords cut off the giant's legs, crushing his skull to a tangbamboo crack where he fell without being able to support his weight. - What a man!? So much!! Nine, aware that it was no place to buy time, to the appearance of an army that could be made to disappear from the edge of the call, dared to attack directly to Lapoque, along with the rest of the Necro Scorpions. Three swords jump on Zigzag's manoeuvres from his pompous source when he turns around slightly beside the extruding elephant Skeleton Soldier or Knight. I left the handling of this to Necro Scorpion, where I packed some distance, Nine shock waves were released in full. The Skeleton Soldiers are crushed by eating an acne, but it also seems to have done some damage to Rapoku, and the sound of pain leaked out of his mouth. In an attempt to make yet another attack, seven swords drew rings in the air and were unleashed by the rain with tremendous momentum. Using Necro Scorpion giants as shields to prevent this, Necro Scorpion's body was chopped up so that even Zakuza and Tofu could be cut. "- Deep Righteous Burst Lightning" Then he headed to Kyoukyu, where he stopped moving for a moment in defense, and Lapoku's skills were activated. A thunderlight waved down from a shining sword captures the nines that tried to fly away and skewers them. - But not yet. I can still stand it to this extent. The attack power of the strongest sword 'stunning' was also added, taking about 20% of the hit points in one hit, but conversely, still 20%. Moreover, it is necessary to have some cool-time once the Deep Skill is released, and it can be fully retrieved. Nine times I decided so, but I immediately realized I was mistaken. Sure, it takes cool time to activate the same depth after releasing one depth skill, but it doesn't matter what you use another depth skill (,,,,,,) with a different system of weapons (,,,,,,). And whereas the "extinct" is the great sword, the "moon" on the left is the machete. I mean... "- The Tai Knife of Righteousness and Wind Thunder" A slaughter with strong winds chopped up the nine-weight body and blew it off. A further sword of pursuit struck and sharpened the Kuju HP to near the danger area. "Now it's settled." At that moment when Lapoku again swung the 'stunning' of his right hand and tried to stab a stop in the ninth place, the rain and the pouring thunderbolt blew its body away. "Ha-ha!?" He manages to defend himself with a sword that circles the thunderbolt that comes after him even more, but still gets his HP scraped together. - I remember this power. I felt in a hurry, and the surroundings of Lapoque suddenly darkened. Ahead of glancing, there was a scarlet snow staring at this one in a grumpy manner with a royal figure on his heavenly back. The lappy face was distorted with intricate colors that were neither joyful nor regrettable.

終わった終わった。 帰って編み掛けのマフラーでも編んで、まったりしよう。 天気も良いので、お弁当作って公園のお花畑とかで食べるのも気分が良さそうだなぁ――そんなふうに考えていた時期がボクにもありました。 「――なんだとォ!?」 「――こんな馬鹿な!?」 の分身体(ちなみに本体は本陣で指揮の為に待機中)が、同時に驚愕の声をあげた。 あ、やばい。なんか失敗フラグの予感がひしひしと......。 できればなかったことにして欲しいし、聞きたくないんだけど......確認する前に、答えの方が目の前に落ちてきた。 轟音とともに巨大なタジン鍋――もとい、パーレンこと、しま○らさんの居城 《アルマミス》が突如、空中へ転移したかのように現れて、そのまま重力に引かれて地上へと落下した。 「なんで?!」 我知らず、ボクの喉から疑問の声があがっていた。 自力移動可能な兄丸さんの機動要塞《 ギルドホームも基本はアイテム扱いなんだから、プレーヤーが居ない状況なら、所有者がいくつかの部品に分けて 収納スペース だけど、この世界はゲームとは違う。たとえ本人が身動きとれなくても、一体化オブジェクトのように移動不能なわけはない。現に反則技で《アルマミス》はここまで移動してきた。なら、外部からの働きかけがあればオーバーウェイト状態のプレーヤーも動かせるということ。そして、それを成し得る存在は真下にいた。 つまり、攻撃が命中する寸前に《アルマミス》を分解して、 「......ずいぶんと小さくなったねぇ。これなら事によれば、聖騎士でも斃せるんじゃないの?」 申し訳程度に《アルマミス》の下に張り付いている 周参がすかさず解説してくれた。 「つまり、あんまり効果がなかったってこと?」 「ああ、小型軽量化してスペックを上げたわけね」 まるでどこぞの有名漫画の主人公が宇宙へ行って以降の敵役みたいだねぇ。まだ、何段階か変身を残してないだろうねぇ......? 「おのれっ、ふざけた真似を――――っ!!!」 一方、まんまと欺かれた当人である斑鳩が、怒りの声と共に全身の触手の先端を《アルマミス》へ向ける。 虹色に輝くオーロラのような壁が《アルマミス》を囲う形で展開された。 「上下左右すべてに逃げ場はないぞ! 今度こそ葬り去ってくれる! の照射を中断しようとした斑鳩だが、それを天涯が止める。 「構わん! そのまま続けて敵の足止めをしろ! ――姫っ。第一作戦失敗と見なして、予備作戦へと移行します。よろしいでしょうか?」 「オッケー! タイミングは任せるよ」 「よし。周参、 を伴って、数百mはありそうな円筒形の真っ白い筒......よく見れば人面のようにも見える巨大な物体が、ぐんぐんと高度を下げて降下してくるところであった。 十三魔将軍の一人《 ただし機動力に問題があるので、今回は第一作戦が失敗した時の次善の策として、上空に待機した空中庭園から直接降下させる、文字通り爆撃に使うことにした。 はっきり言って威力から言えば原爆なんて問題にならない筈なんだけど。 「......6・5・4」 「総員、退避! 斑鳩っ、バリアーを張れ!」 周参のカウントダウンにあわせて、その場から一斉に退避する。 「3・2・1――」 瞬間、世界が終わったかのような凄まじい閃光が炸裂した。 もうもうと吹き上がるキノコ雲と、薙ぎ倒されてまっ平らになった国境の山岳地帯。 そして、爆発の中心に立つ巨大な花弁―― 天涯の驚愕の声に、周参の淡々とした声が答える。 「いえ、直前で撃墜されました。重力波と次元波の複合技のようですが、さすがにエネルギーの消耗も激しく、復活してからいままで蓄えた分とプラスマイナスゼロというところで――いかん!!」 周参の声がいきなり焦りを帯びた。 あとは聞かなくてもわかった。巨大な蛇はその体をほどくと同時に、《アルマミス》を乗せたまま、全身で大地を打ったかと思うと、その反動で一気に、まるでロケットの発射のように、真っ直ぐに上空――成層圏に浮かぶ空中庭園《虚空紅玉城》へと向かって飛んでいったのだ。 大地が波のように揺れ、とてつもない量の土砂が吹き上がって、ボクたちの視界を塞ぐ。 「空中庭園まで到達......13・12・11・10・9・8・7・6――」 カウントダウンを続ける周参に向かって、天涯が緊迫した声を張り上げる。 へ緊急連絡! 即座に奴を迎撃せよ!」 難攻不落を誇っていた空中庭園に、この日、史上初めて激震が襲った。 彼らが見たのは空中庭園の北端――虚空紅玉城がある部分を南方と見立てて、一番外れを北方としている――民間施設からも程近い場所に突如現れた、肌色の巨大な蛇か蛭のような化物の姿であった。 『空中庭園北方に侵入者あり!! 魔将及び列強級魔物は排除に向かえ! それ以外のものは退避せよ!』 声の主は今回、留守居として残っていた四凶天王の空穂である。 彼女は何度かそれを繰り返したのち、半ば本性を顕わにした獣面から青白い炎を吐きながら、背後に控える重臣たちを振り返った。 「なんたる失態であろうか! この妾がムザムザ敵の侵入を許し、あろうことか姫様の御座所を穢すとは!! おのれ許さじ! 許さじ! かくなる上は妾自ら下郎を誅殺してくれようぞ!!」 「お待ちください。現在、円卓の魔将が現地へ向かっております。万が一にも本陣が狙われ、姫様の玉座に傷がつくことがあれば、それこそいかなる釈明もありますまい。お辛いでしょうが、空穂様はこの場にて玉座をお守りいただきとうございます」 切々と訴えられ、ようやく踏み止まった空穂は、手にした扇を二つにへし折った。 「なんでぇ、こりゃ?」 鍋の火を止め、現場に駆けつけた《オーク・キング》 見たことも聞いたこともない魔物の姿に、修羅場で鍛えられた彼の勘が最大限の警戒を促す。 まずは一当たり。 そう考えて、手に手に槍や手斧を持ったオーク兵を3ダースばかり召喚して、「行け!」突撃させる。 一斉に武器を振りかざしたオーク兵が肉の化物へと向かう。 ズブッと案外軽い手応えでその皮膚を破り、血を垂れ流す化物。 ――なんでぇ、見掛け倒しか。 そう思った瞬間、肉壁のそこかしこから細長い腕が生えて、圧倒的な数でオーク兵たちを拘束して、そのままズブズブと肉壁の中へ引きずり込む。 最初、抵抗しようとしたオーク兵たちだが、なぜか途中からがっくりと力をなくし、無抵抗のまま捕食されてしまった。 「野郎っ!!」 怒りに燃えた凱陣の拳がそこへ放たれるが、ずぶっと硬い泥を叩いたような手応えで、二の腕まで化物の腹に収まってしまった。 「うおおおおっ!?」 慌てて距離を置こうとするが、這い出した腕が全身に絡みつく。 思わず絶叫を放った瞬間、虚空に白刃が煌き、不意に体の拘束が解けた。 見れば全身の刃を極限まで伸ばした《 基本、接近戦メインの壱岐も、難しい顔で眼前の敵を睨み据えた。 と、見れば他にも血気と義憤に駆られた住人たちが、雪崩を打って化物に向かって行くのが目に付く。 「いかん! このままでは姫様の臣民が無駄死にすることになる。俺はなるべく前線で連中のフォローに回るので、お前は後続を止めてくれ!」 「おう! わかりやしたぜ」 そのまま前後に分かれて走り出そうとした二人だが、化物の全身に開いた目が赤く輝くと、その場から一歩も身動きができなくなってしまった。 「な......なんでぇ......こりゃ......」 「まさか......姫様の魔眼......?」 凝然と立ち尽くす二人に向かって、おぞましい触手が迫る。 「「ぐおおおおおおおっ!?!」」 絶望の唸りをあげた二人の前に、右手に金襴の袈裟をまとった三目の僧侶が舞い降りてきた。 精神波を伴ったその一喝で、二人の金縛りが解ける。 「九重か! 助かったぞ」 髑髏と背骨でできたような杖『飢魂杖』を地面に突き立て、アンデッドを召喚しながら、早口で指示を飛ばす九重。 「――だが、貴様一人でこの化物を押さえるのは不可能だぞ?」 を吸われ、魔眼の拘束で精神も消耗した凱陣に肩を貸しながら、壱岐が硬い声と表情とで問い掛ける。 「ご安心くだされ。それがしのみならず、円卓の魔将も集結しつつあります」 「わかった。頼んだぞ」 一礼した九重は、二人がこの場を後にしたのを確認して、飢魂杖を大きく振りかざした。 「行けっ、不死なる軍団よ! 我が国土、我らが敬愛する姫の所有物を穢した罪の重さ、魂の奥まで教えてしんぜよう」 膨大な数のアンデッドたちが、一糸乱れぬ行軍で

It's over. It's over. Let's go home and knit a knitting muffler, too, and get it straight. The weather is nice, so I feel good about making lunches and eating in the park flower gardens and stuff - there was a time when I was thinking that way, too. "- What the fuck?!? "- Such an idiot!? The body of the speckled pigeon and the circumferential ginseng (susa) (by the way, the main unit was standing by for command in the main unit), but at the same time raised a voice of amazement. Oh, no. Something about a premonition of a failure flag hissing...... I want you to decide what you shouldn't have done, and I don't want to hear it...... before I checked, the answer fell in front of me more. Along with the roar, a giant tajin pan - the pearlen thing, Shimao La's castle "Armamis" suddenly appeared as if it had moved into the air, and was pulled straight into gravity and fell to the ground. "Why?! I don't know, there was a voice of doubt coming out of my throat. My self-moveable brother Maru's manoeuvrable fortress, Baifu (Mukade), and my aerial garden, Vacant Red Jade Castle, can only sail normally. I just can't believe that an installed guild home moves instantly...... no, it's possible! The guild home is also basically an item, so in the absence of a player, the owner can split it it into several parts into storage spaces (inventories). However, if you have a problem and these parts have a hell of a weight and capacity value per piece, and you're not a production job with a high muscle strength value, it's not the first silo thing you can carry (and still finally carry a couple). At least I was able to empty the storage space (inventory) and carry the lightest parts somehow when I built the aerial garden. But this world is not like games. Even if he can't move, he can't be immobile like an integrated object. The Armamis has now moved so far because of its irregular moves. Then it means that if there is an external action, the player in the overweight state can also be moved. And the presence that could make it was directly beneath. This means that Shima, who disassembled the Armamis on the verge of the attack hitting him, plunged it into the storage space (inventory) and threw the Abandoned Dragon (Nidheck) over the sky as much as he wanted, and Shima reassembled the Armamis again while he fell free. "... you're much smaller. According to this, even the Holy Knight can be killed, right? I saw an abandoned dragon (Nidheck) stuck under "Armamis" to an extent that I was sorry, and I accidentally twisted my neck. This is more of an Iso wipe than a snail. Zhou Jin quickly explained it to me. "I mean, it didn't work very well? "Oh, so you made it smaller and lighter and you raised your specs." It's like the protagonist of one of these famous comics has been an enemy since he went to space. Still wouldn't have left a few stages of transformation...? "All of you, imitate the joke - Eh!!! Meanwhile, a plain deceitful person, the Spotted Pigeon, points the tip of the tentacles of his whole body toward "Armamis" with the voice of anger. A rainbowy Aurora-like wall unfolded in the form that surrounded Armamis. "There's no escape for everything up, down, left and right! Now it's time for me to bury you! Dimensional Tomography" Dimension Slash "!!" A speckled dove who hastily tried to interrupt the illumination of Dimension Slash, a dimensional tomography, but heaven stops it. "I don't mind! Keep going and stop the enemy! - Princess. Consider it a first operation failure and move on to a preliminary operation. May I? "Okay, I'll take care of the timing." "All right, Zhou Jin, let Musashi descend! Looking up at the sky, with enormous shock waves (sonic booms), hundreds of meters were likely cylindrical bright white cylinders... a huge object that, if you look closely, also looked like a human being, was about to descend at a lower altitude. One of the thirteenth demon generals, "Silent Angel (Shalom)" Musashi. However, because of mobility problems, this time it was decided to use it for bombing, literally descending directly from the aerial gardens that had been waiting over it, as a secondary measure when Operation One failed. To be perfectly clear, an atomic bomb shouldn't be a problem. "... 6, 5, 4" "All personnel, evacuate! Spotted pigeon, put up a barrier! Evacuate simultaneously from the spot in conjunction with the countdown of Zhou Jin. "3, 2, 1 -" Moment after moment, an awesome flash burst of light as if the world were over. The mushroom clouds that are about to blow up and the mountainous areas of the border that have been swept down and flattened. And a huge petal at the heart of the explosion - a complex of abandoned dragons (Nidheck) and Armamis - remained almost intact. The pale voice of Zhou Jin answers the astonishing voice of heaven. "No, I was shot down in the last minute. Sounds like a composite move between gravitational and dimensional waves, but just as energy-intensive, in a place where the minutes you've stored up to now since your resurrection are plus or minus zero - how about that!! Zhou Jin's voice suddenly hurried. I don't have to ask the rest. Okay. At the same time the giant snake unraveled its body and thought that it had struck the earth with its whole body, with its recoil, it flew straight up - as if it were a rocket launch - towards the Vacant Red Jade Castle, an aerial garden floating in the stratosphere. The earth shakes like waves, and a tremendous amount of dirt and sand blows up, blocking our sight. "Reach the air garden... 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 -" Heavenly Lifetime's pressing voice rises toward Zhou Jin, who continues to count down. "Urgently contact Akaho! Intercept him immediately! On this day, for the first time in history, a severe earthquake struck an aerial garden that boasted of a difficult downfall. What they saw was the appearance of giant snakes or leeches-like monsters of skin tone that suddenly appeared at the northern end of the aerial garden - the part where the void Red Jade Castle was seen as the south, with the outermost as the north - as close as possible to a private establishment. "There are intruders in the north of the air garden!! Demon warlords and powerful demons head to elimination! Evacuate anything else! The Lord of the Voice is this time the empty hoe of the Four Wesen Heavenly King, who remained as an absentee. She repeated it several times before recounting the heavy ministers who refrain behind her as she exhaled a blue and white flame from the beast surface that revealed her half nature. "What a lapse! I didn't know this concubine would allow Muzamza enemies to invade, or to disgrace the princess's seat!! Forgive me! Forgiveness! You will kill my concubine!! "Please wait. The demon general of the round table is currently on his way to the local area. In the unlikely event that the main force is targeted and the princess's throne is scratched, that is the reason for any explanation. It will be hard for you, but Mr. Akaho is here to protect your throne." Kuho, who was sued for cutting and finally stomped, snapped the fan in his hand in two. "Why, what the hell? Keijuan (the molester), who stopped the pan fire and rushed to the scene, frowned at the huge wall of meat standing in front of him. His inquisitiveness, forged in the training ground, encourages maximum vigilance in the appearance of a demon he has never seen or heard of. First of all, hit it. Think so, summon all three dozen oak soldiers with spears or hand axes in their hands, and say, "Go!" Let it storm. A simultaneously weapon-wielding oak soldier heads for a meat compound. Zubu and guide. Break that skin with a light response and drain the blood. - Why, are you forgetting it? At the moment I thought so, an elongated arm grows from there on the meat wall, restraining the oak soldiers in an overwhelming number, and dragging them straight into the meat wall with Zubuzub. At first, the orc soldiers who tried to resist, but somehow lost their power disappointingly on the way and were preyed upon as irresistible. "Bastard!!" The fists of the angry Kai formation are released there, but in response like a much stiffer slap of mud, they subsided in the belly of the monster to the two arms. "Whoa, whoa!? I rush to distance myself, but my crawling arms tangle all over my body. The moment I accidentally released the scream, the white blade was brilliant in the void and the restraint of my body was accidentally lifted. When I saw it, the Devil's Sword Dog (Sword Dock), which stretched its blade all the way to the extreme, stood on the spot. Essentially, the main enemy of the melee battle also stared at the enemy in front of him with a difficult face. And, as you can see, other inhabitants, driven by blood and proselytism, strike an avalanche and go towards the monster. "Why not! As it is, the princess's subjects will die in vain. I'm going as far as I can to follow them on the front line, so you stop following me! "Whoa! I know what you're talking about." The two of them split back and forth as they were, but when their open eyes glowed red all over the body of the compound, they couldn't move a single step from the spot. "Hey... why... what the..." "No way... Princess's Devil's Eye...? Towards the two of us standing stiff, our tentacles loom. "" GOOOOOOOOOOOO!?! Before the two roared of despair, a third monk descended with a golden claw on his right hand. With that one drink with a mental wave, we can untie the two of them. "Nine! Thank you." Jiujie flies the instruction with a quick mouth, poking the scepter 'Hungry Soul Cane' on the ground, like a scepter made of a scepter and spine, summoning the undead. "- But it's impossible for you to hold this monster by yourself, is it? Sucking on his life force (HP), he lends his shoulders to the Kai regiment, whose spirit has also drained due to demonic eye restraint, while Qi inquires with a hard voice and expression. "Rest assured. Not only that, but the demon generals of the round table are gathering." "Okay. I asked for it." Kue, thanking him, swung his hungry soul wand wide, making sure that the two of them had left this place behind. "Go, you immortal army! Let me teach you the weight of sin, the depths of our souls, which have molested the possessions of our beloved princess." An enormous number of undead went to the Abandoned Dragon (Nidheck) in an undisturbed march.

である。名前はまだない。 「じゃあ君の名前は『 あ、いま決まったみたいです。 そんなわけで今日から俺の名はイチジクになりました。 にやってくるニンゲン――冒険者とかいったかな?――に良く似た外見の雌のようでしたが、まとう気配や魔力が連中とは明らかに別物でした。 俺なんか息をするより簡単に滅ぼせる、とんでもない存在なのが本能的にわかりました。 それに...もう、見るからに外見から違うんですよね。いや、さっきの話と矛盾するみたいですけど、こんな美しい生き物がニンゲンなわけないです。 もう、見ているだけで息が詰まるというか......。 ぶり――具体的には股間のあたりを見て、そのお方は不可解な顔で首を捻られました。 「なんで生まれてすぐに発情してるわけ?」 「はあ、ついつい貴女様に興奮してしまいまして」 なもんで、魅力的な雌を見るとついつい発情します。老若男女関係ありません。 そう正直に答えたところ、その方はより複雑な表情でため息をつかれました。 の赤ん坊にまでモテモテかい」 なんかよくわかりませんが、思い切って初の交尾をお願いしたら、その場で張り倒されました。 よく死ななかったもんだと思いましたけど、なんか即死してその場で生き返らせてもらったそうです。 「――知能が高いレア個体で赤ん坊だから、今回は助けるけど、2度目はないよ」 念を押されたんですが、なにがいけなかったんでしょうか? ちなみに、後から聞いたらこの方は、この 如きでは交尾をしてもらえないということだな」 一週間後、いい感じに成長した俺が考え抜いた結論を口に出した。 「ドウシタ、イチジク?」 あの日、名付けをしてもらった――同じ場所で生まれた時に、あの方が偶然通りがかったとかで―― と変わりませんが、俺より体格が2回り大きく生後1週間だというのに、成人(と言っても1ヶ月もあれば成人しますが)とほぼ変わらない上に、腕力は成人以上にあるので利用価値が高く、最近は一緒にツルんで狩りをすることが常です。 「いや、交尾したい雌がいるんだが、俺なんかよりずっと強くて偉い魔物なんで、どうしたら交尾できるかと思ってな」 「強クナレバイイ。ソノ雌ヨリ強クナレバイイ」 ニノマエの言うことは単純明快ですが、それだけに真実でもあります。 確かにあの方より強くなれば交尾し放題です。だけど、問題は俺がこの 要するに上を目指すなら強い相手を斃さないとならなくて、強い相手を斃すには強くないと無理です。なんかこの時点で無理っぽいような気がしますが、なんかしらやりようはあるはずです。 三週間後、久しぶりに会ったあの方は俺を見て驚かれました。 「びっくりっ。もうホブ・ゴブリンに進化してるじゃない。どうやったの?」 ほとんど背丈が変わらなくなったあの方に、俺の考えた戦い方を説明しました。 まずは絶対に相手が一匹の時しか襲わないこと。 尖った石とかを投げて、近づく前に相手に攻撃を当てること。 これを実践したことで、たまに反撃で痛い目を見ることもありましたけど、ニノマエともども気が付いたらホブ・ゴブリンになって、短い角も二本生えてました。 「へえ~っ。たいしたもんだね。脳筋の冒険者よりも賢いんじゃないかな」 褒められました。認めてもらえたのです。 「......まったく。賢くてもやっぱゴブリンはゴブリンなんだねぇ。なんでこう下半身に直結するのかなぁ」 ぼやきながあの方が掌を俺の方へ向けていました。 「進化したご祝儀で生き返らせたけど、3回目はないよ?」 前にも同じことを言われた気がしますけど、それを言って怒らせると本気でマズイ気がしたので、俺は黙って頷きました。 さらに1ヵ月後、俺はゴブリン・チーフに進化し角が3本に増え体も一回り大きくなり、ニノマエはゴブリン・ウォーリアに進化し角が太く大きくなり、体もニンゲンの雄並みに大きく逞しくなりました。 そんな俺たちの後ろには、俺の軍団――通常のゴブリンが12匹と、 あの後、俺は考えたんですがやっぱり2匹だけだとこれ以上の進化は限界があるということです。 事実、2回目にあの方に張り倒された日から半月ほど、ニノマエと同じように狩りをしてましたが、いまひとつ体に漲る力が少なくなってきたように思えました。 狩場で狩れる獲物の質が、今の俺たちには物足りなくなってきたのだろう。 そう件の古老に言われて、俺たちはいまの狩場から下にある、もっと強い魔物がいるという狩場に移動しましたが、一つ下に行っただけで魔物の強さがガラリと変わり、ニノマエと二匹で これはまずい。未知の土地なのでこれまでのように地形や罠を利用することもできません。そうなると正面から戦わないとダメですが、これがかなりキツイ状況です。 「どうしたらいいと思う、ニノマエ?」 「知ラン。考エルノハ、イチジクダ。俺ハ戦ウダケダ」 で、考えた結論が、二匹でダメなら数を揃えりゃいいんじゃないか。 と言うことで、取りあえず寝起きしていた群れを支配下に置いて、俺たちよりひ弱で使いやすい が餌になって俺たちが隠れている方へ連れて来る(何匹か途中で喰われたけど)。 やってきたところで、集団で襲い掛かって斃す。 こんなことを半月ばかり続けていたところ、いつの間にか進化していました。 「......逢うたびに進化してるのは、君らくらいだねぇ」 俺の後ろでは部下たちが、あの方の「料理スキルで作った出来合いだけどね」と言って配われた『サンドウィッチ』とかいう、いままで喰ったことのない餌を喰って、感激の踊りを踊っていました。 「餌付けして大丈夫かなぁ......? 野生失わないかな」 なにか悩みでもあるのか、しきりに首を捻るあの方。 俺は胸の奥がモヤモヤして、思わず聞いていました。 「......なにか心配なことでも?」 「ああ、いや、心配と言うか。――ん~、そうだね。君の成長速度だと、近いうちにこのお試し階の適正値を越えそうだから、どうしようかと思ってね」 「はあ」なんかよくわかりませんが、どうやら俺が原因で困ってるみたいです。「俺が悪いんでしょうか?」 「いやいや。君は悪くないどころか、凄いよ。こんなイレギュラーな個体はそうそういないだろうね」 これもよくわかりませんが、なんか褒められたっぽいです。 「すごいんですか?」 「凄いねぇ」 掛け値なしの感嘆の声で言われて、俺は嬉しくなりました。なので今度こそはと交尾を――。 「......いい加減、このパターンは飽きてきたんだけどねぇ」 「ホントのホントに次はないからね!」 いつものようにそう言われるのも、慣れてきた今日この頃です。 イチジクです。 まあ最近は俺もニノマエも素手ではなく、冒険者が落としていった剣とか斧を使ってますけど。 あと、素っ裸ではなくこれも 配下も増えてゴブリンだけで30匹くらい。コボルトはしょっちゅう増えたり減ったりしているので正確な数はわかりませんけど50匹くらいいると思います。 で、頭数が増えると食料の調達も大変になりますが、下の階層の方に喰うと旨くて、食べ応えもある芋虫がいる場所がありましたので、ここを拠点に活動して、たまに迷い込んでくる冒険者を狩ったりしていたのですが、どうやら俺たちの集団がニンゲンの目には煩わしく思われたみたいで、現在、20~30匹のニンゲンの集団に奇襲を受けています。 「ギギ、イチジク。アッチが手薄ダ。アッチヘ行コウ!」 錆びた斧で向かってきたニンゲンの冒険者へ一撃を与えたニノマエが、指差す方向は確かに他よりも守りが薄いようです。 だけど俺にはピンときました。 俺もコボルトどもを使ってよくやった手――わざと誘い込んで一網打尽にするやり口です。 「そっちは罠だ。反対側だ! 反対側に全員で突撃するぞ!」 俺の掛け声を合図に全員が、一見して一番ニンゲンどもが多く見られる方向へと、雄叫びをあげて突き進んでいきました。 ですが案の定、その途端ニンゲンどもに動揺が走ります。良く見れば、こっちにいるニンゲンは数こそ多いですが、いかにも弱そうな若い雄ばかりです。見せ掛けの数で威嚇して、罠に嵌めようとしていたのでしょう。 そう見切った俺は、中でも一番弱くて頭の悪そうな雄に斬りかかりました。 ですが、なんということか。ギリギリでその馬鹿そうな雄が俺の剣を、自分の剣で受け止めました。 「いかん、ジョーイ! そいつは群れの大将格だ、お前じゃ歯が立たん」 「やってみなきゃ、わかんねーだろ!!」 よくわからん動きで剣を逸らされて、逆に相手の剣が俺の胴を薙ぎにきました。 咄嗟に後ろに下がって、それをギリギリ躱して周囲の状況を見ると、完全にこの場は混戦模様で膠着状態になり、ニノマエも俺の傍に他のニンゲンを近寄らせないよう斧を振るうのに懸命で、こちらに手を貸す余裕はなさそうです。 ならば、さっさとこの相手を斃して先に進むのみ。 俺は自分に喝を入れました。 「な、なんだお前、喋れるのか?!」 驚いた顔をする雄に向かって剣を振り下ろすと、ガン!と火花が散って、またも俺の剣が止められました。どうやら見かけは馬鹿そうでも腕の方はそこそこありそうです。 「無論だ。すべてはあの方の為、あの方と交尾をするために俺は高みを目指す!」 「喋る相手と戦うのかぁ......やりづれーな。――てか、交尾って、あの方って雌か?」 「それがどうした!」 お互いにガンガンと剣を打ち合いながら、相手の隙を伺いつつ、なぜか言葉を交わす形になりました。 「......惚れたとはなんだ?」 「え、いや、その......なにげなく相手のことを考えるとか、傍に居てほしいな、とか笑って欲しいな、とか思うこと...じゃね?」 最後がなぜか俺の方に質問されましたが、そういわれてみれば心当たりがある気がします。 「うむ。そうだな、あの方が沈んだ顔をされると、俺がなんとかしてやりたくなる。あの方に釣り合う雄になりたいと思っている」 「そうか。お前にも交尾したい雌がいるのだな」 「こ...交尾って、お前それはいきなりはマズイだろう!」 「そーだよ。最初は友達からで、だんだんと親しくなって、き...キスしたり、抱き合ったり、んで最終的にだな......」 「ふむ。そういうものか。それでいつも交尾したい言うと殴られるのか」 「そりゃ殴るぞ。......俺だってまだキスの段階まで行ってないし」 「なるほど、参考になった――うおおおっ!」 いつの間に背後から迫ってきていた連中の本隊だろう集団から、一斉に矢が撃ち込まれてきました。 「うわっ、俺がいるのもお構いなしかよ!?」 気が付くとこちらの被害も甚大でしたが、逆にこれでどうにかこちらのニンゲンどもは一掃できたようです。 ちらりと見ると、さっきまで俺とやり合っていた雄も、仲間の攻撃に巻き込まれるのを恐れて、距離を置こうとしていました。 「よし、長居は無用だ。さっさと逃げるぞ!」 俺の叫びにニノマエ以下、生き残りが一斉にニンゲンどもと正反対に逃げ出しました。 続いて俺も走り出そうとしたところで、その雄に一声かけました。単なる気紛れです。 「おいっ。お前もがんばって意中の雌と交尾できるようになれよ!」 「ははん! まあ、お前もがんばれよ。心の中で応援くらいはするぜっ」 まあ、あの雄とはもう逢うことはないでしょうが、とりあえず生き延びた俺たちは傷ついた体を癒し、再起を図ることになったのです。 「うわ~っ、また進化してるよ。いい加減お試しスポットだとキツイね。そろそろ上級コースに回さないとだめかなぁ」 とか言いながら、全員の傷を瞬く間に治してくださいました。 なのでとりあえず、俺はあの雄の助言に従い、キスをお願いしたのですが、なぜかまたも気が付くと天井を見ていました。 なにが間違いだったのでしょう......?

I am a child (goblin). I don't have a name yet. "Then I'll make your name nine." Oh, it looks like we've decided now. That's why my name is Fig from today on. If you gave me a name, at first glance I would come to this ruin (dungeon) Ningen - did you say adventurer or something? - It looked like a very similar looking bitch, but the signs of clutter and magic were clearly separate from the guys. Instinctively, I found myself a hell of a lot easier to destroy than to breathe. Besides... it's not the same from the outside anymore to see, is it? No, it seems to contradict what I just said, but there's no way such a beautiful creature is Ningen. You mean you can't breathe just watching anymore... For the first time in my life - specifically, I looked around my groin, and the other one was twisted in the neck with an inexplicable face. "Why are you having an affair right after birth? "Oh, I'm so excited about you." Myself, a little ghost (goblin), when I see an attractive female, I stumble upon it. It has nothing to do with young and old. So to be honest, I answered, and the person sighed with a more complex look. "... hot as a goblin baby." I'm not sure what it is, but when I thought through and asked for my first mate, I was stranded on the spot. I didn't think he died often, but he said he had some kind of instant death to bring him back to life on the spot. "- He's a rare individual with a high intelligence and a baby, so I'll help him this time, but he won't have a second time." I was pushed in case, what shouldn't I have? By the way, I heard later that this person is even more the lord of this ruin (dungeon). I mean, you can't mate like a goblin. A week later, I came up with a conclusion that I had come up with that I had grown up to look good. "Dowsita, fig? That day, they gave me a name - when I was born in the same place, that one was more likely to pass by chance - and among the little ones (goblins), "I (the others were eaten by stronger demons or killed by Ningen)" looked back with a suspicious face. This guy doesn't have the same head level as any other kid (goblin), but when he says he's two times bigger than me and is a week old, he's pretty much the same as an adult (even though he's going to be an adult for a month), and his arm strength is more than an adult, so it's worth it, and he often hunts with me these days. "No, I have a woman who wants to mate, but she's a much stronger, much better demon than me, so I was wondering how I could mate." "Strong Kunare Bay. Sono Female Yoli Strong Kunare Bay" What Ninomae says is simple and clear, but it is also so true. If you do get stronger than that one, you can mate all you want. But the problem is that I'm a faster weakness in this ruin (dungeon) to count from the bottom. In short, if you're going up there, you have to shoot a strong opponent, and you can't do it unless you're strong enough to shoot a strong opponent. Something seems impossible at this point, but there must be some way to do it. Three weeks later, that person I haven't seen in a long time was surprised to see me. "Surprise. You've already evolved into Hob Goblin. How did you do that? I explained to that one whose back length barely changed, how I figured out how to fight. The first thing to do is to never attack someone only when they have one. Throw a pointy stone or something and strike the target before approaching. Practicing this sometimes made me look painful in the eye with an occasional counterattack, but when I noticed it along with the Ninomae, I became a Hob Goblin and had two short horns. "Heh. That's a lot. Smarter than a brain muscle adventurer, I guess." Praised. They admitted it. "... at all. Even if you're smart, goblins are goblins after all. I wonder why it connects directly to my lower body." Blur was pointing his hand at me. "I brought it back to life with an evolutionary celebration, but there won't be a third time, will there? I think they said the same thing before, but when I said it and pissed him off, I really felt bad, so I nodded silently. A month later, I evolved into a Goblin Chief, with three more horns and a bigger body, and Ninomae evolved into a Goblin Warrior, with thicker and bigger horns, and a bigger body than a Ningen male. Behind us like that is my legion - 12 regular goblins and about 20 dog elf ghosts (cobolts) on foot. After that, I thought, after all, only two of them mean that there are limits to any further evolution. The fact is, I've been hunting like Ninomae for about half a month since the day I was stuck down by that one the second time, but it seemed like one thing was getting less power to rise to my body. I guess the quality of the prey we can hunt on the hunting grounds is running out for us now. When the ancients told us about it, we moved from the current hunting ground down to the hunting ground where there was a stronger demon, but just going down one thing changed the strength of the demon, and Ninomae and two of us went back with this body. This is not good. It's unknown land, so you can't even use the terrain and traps as before. Then you have to fight from the front, but this is a pretty tight situation. "What do you think I should do, Ninomae? "Chiran. Kao ernoja, fig da. Me ha war udakeda" So, if the two of us can't make it, why don't we just get the numbers together? That said, we decided to put the sleeping herd under control for now, catch a dog sperm ghost (Kobolt) weaker and easier to use than us, and use it as a subordinate. The Dog Elf Ghost (Kobolt) feeds and brings us to where we are hiding (although several were eaten on the way). Where they come from, they attack and kill in groups. I kept doing this for half a month, and it was evolving at some point. "... every time I see you, you guys are evolving." Behind me, my men were dancing a dance of gratitude by eating food they'd never eaten before, such as' Sandwich ', which was matched by that guy saying, "I made it with my cooking skills." "I wonder if it's okay to feed you...? I wonder if I'll lose it wild." Is there something wrong with you, the one who twists his neck? I was moaning in the back of my chest and I overheard. "... anything to worry about? "Oh, no, you say worried. - Mm-hmm. Right. Your growth rate is likely to exceed the fair value of this trial floor in the near future, so I was wondering what to do." I'm not sure about "ha," but apparently I'm the cause of the trouble. "Is it my fault? "No, no. You're not bad. Instead, you're awesome. I don't suppose there's such an irregular individual." I'm not sure about this either, but it sounds like some kind of compliment. "Are you amazing? "That's amazing." I was glad to hear you say it in an exclamation with no threshold. So now it's time to mate with... "... come on, I'm getting tired of this pattern." "Really, there's no next time! That's what they say as usual, too, today when I'm used to it. It's a fig. Well, me and Ninomae aren't bare hands these days, but we use swords and axes that the adventurer dropped. And not bare. This is also in the ruins (dungeons). I'm wearing pants that Ningen wore, and leather armor. I also got more handouts and about 30 goblins alone. I don't know the exact number because the cobolts are increasing and decreasing all the time, but I think there are about 50 of them. So, more head count makes it hard to procure food, but there was a place in the lower tier where there were potato worms that tasted good and were good for eating, so I was based here and hunting for adventurers who get lost occasionally, but apparently our group was annoyed by the eyes of Ningen, who are currently surprised by a group of 20-30 Ningens. "Gigi, fig. Attch is thin da. Attihe Row Koo! Ninomae, who struck the Ningen adventurer with a rusty axe, does seem to have fewer protection in the direction she points to than the others. But it was a pin for me. I also used the Kobolts to do a good job with my hands - a way to deliberately lure them into a grid. "That's a trap. On the other side! We're all gonna storm the other side! Using my voice as a signal, everyone shouted and pushed in the direction where the most ningens were seen at first glance. But it turns out, as soon as that happens, the Ningens will run upset. On a good note, there are only a few ningens over here, but they are just young males who seem weak. I guess he was trying to intimidate me with the number of shams and fit in a trap. That's how I cut it. I was slaughtered by the weakest, most retarded male of them all. But what do you mean? A critical, silly male took my sword with his own. "Come on, Joey! He's the general of the herd. You're the one with the teeth." "You have to try, you don't know!!" I don't know. The move deflected my sword, and on the contrary, my opponent's sword came to my torso. Standing back, looking at the surrounding situation with a critical glue of it, this scene completely becomes glued with a mixed pattern, and Ninomae is also hard at waving an axe to keep the other ningens away from me, and I can't seem to afford to give this one a hand. Then just shoot this opponent and move on. I put a drink in myself. "Hey, what are you, you can talk?! When you wave your sword down against a man with a surprised face, cancer! and sparks scattered and my sword stopped once again. Apparently, it looks stupid. But if you're an arm, it's going to be there. "Whatever. Everything's for that one, so I'm going for heights to mate with that one! "Do you want to fight someone you talk to... don't do it. - So, mating, is that the female? "What's wrong with that! It somehow took the form of an exchange of words as we met each other with guns and swords, asking them for gaps. "... What do you mean you fell in love? "Oh, no, you know... you think about them all the time, you want them to stay by your side, you want them to laugh... right? The last one was questioned by me for some reason, but if you ask me that, I think I know it. "Mm-hmm. You know, when that guy looks more sinking, I want to do something about it. I want to be a man who matches that one." "Right. You have a woman who wants to mate, too." "Ko... mate, you. That would suddenly be a mess! "That's right. It starts with friends, getting closer and closer... kissing, hugging, why eventually..." "Hmm. Is that what it is? So if you always want to mate, do you get beaten up?" "Then I'll beat you up. I haven't even gotten to the kissing stage yet." "I see, it was helpful - whoa! Since when have arrows been shot in simultaneously from a group that would have been the main unit of the people approaching from behind? "Wow, you don't mind if I'm here!?" I noticed that this one was also devastating, but on the contrary, this seems to have managed to sweep these Ningens away. On a glance, the male who had been dealing with me until just now was also trying to keep his distance for fear of getting caught up in a fellow attack. "Okay, I don't need to stay long. Let's get out of here! Survival escaped the Ningens in unison, below Ninomae, to my cry. Then I was about to run out, too, and I called out to the male. It's just a distraction. "Whoa. Good luck to you, too, so you can mate with the woman of your choice! "Ha ha! Well, good luck with that, too. I'll be there for you." Well, you'll never see that male again, but for now, we survived, and we were supposed to heal our wounded bodies and try to get back together. "Wow, it's evolving again. It's a tough spot to try. I think it's time to turn it over to the advanced course." Say something like that, healed everyone's wounds instantly. So in the meantime, I followed that male's advice and asked for a kiss, but somehow I was looking at the ceiling when I realized it again. What was wrong......?

幕間 妖鬼躍進 ケルベロスとかいう三つ首を持つ巨大な犬が、その巨体からは想像できない素早い動きで、俺に向かってダッシュしてきた。 ひと噛みで俺の胴体を喰い千切りそうな、鋭い牙の生えた顎が目前に迫る。 その牙から滴る唾の臭いを嗅いで、本能的な危機感を感じた俺は、咄嗟に正面からの迎撃を放棄して、ピカピカに磨かれた石の床の上を転がって、間一髪その攻撃を躱した。 ガギン!!という硬質な音がして、勢いあまった魔獣の牙が俺の背後にあった石柱――俺が3人掛かりでようやく手を回せるくらいの太さ――を、ひと噛みで粘土細工みたいに削り取った。 さらによくよく目を凝らすと、奴の噛んだその部分の石が灰色から黒く変質してボロボロに崩れ去り、そこから鼻が曲がるような嫌な臭いが流れてきた。 ――やはり、毒を持っていたか! それも途轍もない猛毒だ。掠るだけでもヤバイかも知れん。 こいつ相手に接近戦は不利だと判断して、俺は牙の届かない側面に回りこもうとした。だが、なにしろ相手は三つ首。どこに行っても、どれかの首がこちらを見ていてほとんど死角がない。その上、即座に反応して姿勢を入れ替え、常に正面を向くように位置を入れ替えてくる。 ――厄介な相手だな。 歯噛みした俺は一旦距離を置くべく、相手に対して視線を外さないまま、後方へ向かって大きく跳躍した。しかし、この苦し紛れの行動から俺の内心の焦りを嗅ぎ取ったのか、同時にケルベロスも俺に向かって跳躍してきた。 「しまった!?」 逃げ場のない空中で敵の攻撃を受ける形になってしまった! 俺は咄嗟に右手に持っていた螺旋状の魔剣――『 』の刀身が解けて、リボンのようにうねりながら、大きく開いたその口に巻き付いて強引に顎を閉じさせる。 さらに左手で練っていた爆炎の魔法を中央の首目掛けて放つ――直前に思い直して、自分の足元へ向けて放った。 その反動と床に炸裂した爆発とで、俺の身体が浮き上がり、ギリギリ空中で軌道修正をして、残り2個の首の攻撃を避けることができた。 足元を通過するケルベロスの頭を蹴って、その背中に着地すると同時に両足の指だけで、奴の背中の鬣を掴んで姿勢を確保し、そのまま『 「「ぎゃん――っ!!!」」 自由な2つの首が悲鳴をあげるが、構わずにそのまま回転する刃が右側の首の顔を両断。トドメに脳天に一撃を入れて、そのまま炎の魔法剣として内側から完全に焼き尽くした。 「「――がっ......がるるるうるるる!!?」」 死に物狂いで暴れ、背中を床に擦り付けるケルベロス。さすがにその位置を確保できなくなり、足を放したところへ、左側の首が一瞬口内を膨らませたかかと思うと、勢いよく猛毒の唾液を水流のような勢いで放った。 「くっ――ちいいいいいっ!!」 必死に躱すが、飛び散った飛沫が肌のあちこちに当たり、当たったところが火脹れのようになり、ちょっと触っただけで血が流れ出す。 「この、畜生が!」 』に魔力を通して、螺旋状に高速回転させて、続けざまに放たれる猛毒の唾を弾き飛ばす。 「喰らえ――っ!!」 更に回転を早めて突き出した刃の渦が、一直線にケルベロスの口中へと吸い込まれ、一気に脳髄まで貫いた。 「ぎゃん!!」 悲鳴をあげる残った中央の首目掛けて魔法を放とうとしたところで、ケルベロスの身体が光に包まれ消え去った。 「......?」 突然のことに混乱している俺に向かって、ずっと傍観していたあの方が、なぜかため息をつきながら麗しい声を掛けてくださった。 「君の勝ちだよ。ヒットポイントが9割を切ったんで、あの子は城へ強制転移で戻されたんだ。いまごろは治療中だと思うけど、それにしても30階のボスをほとんど無傷で斃すなんて、どんだけ規格外なんだろうねぇ」 いや、結構手こずりましたし、全身から血も出てるんですけど? 「五体満足ならほとんど無事も同然だよ」 呆れたように付け加えられた返答に、さらに離れた場所で俺たちの様子を窺っていた仲間の一団―― ご無沙汰しております、イチジクです。 先日、晴れて 以前は手強かったリザードマンすら、ほとんど秒殺できるようになったほどです。 そのお陰か仲間達もすくすくと育ち、気が付けば2000匹近い大集団となり、地下迷宮の3 ちなみに建国と国名を聞いたニャンコ導師は、なぜかその場で卒倒。目を覚ましても、「儂は知らん。儂は無関係じゃ。儂の知ったことではない」と集落の外れにあった巨木の洞に閉じこもって、出てこなくなってしまいました。まあ、猫は死期を悟ると姿を消すというので、その類いかも知れません。 で、ニンゲンの冒険者集団が俺たちを排除するために、何度かかなりの数を動員してきましたが、地の利となにより俺と ......そういえばその集団の中に、以前手合わせしたアホ面下げた若い雄がいましたね。 まあ、いまではまったく問題としないほど力の差が開いたのですけれど、毎回、一緒に行動している魔法使いの雌のせいで、もう一歩でトドメというところで逃げられている状況です。それでも懲りずに、また次回も無謀に向かってくる......という感じで、毎回、結構な深手を負わせているはずなんですけどねぇ。どんな生命力してるんでしょうか、アレは? 今度は頭を潰すようにしてみます。 そんな感じでブイブイ言わせていたのは良いのですが、どうやら建国となにより国名がまずかったらしく――やってきたこの いや、本当に一瞬で消滅です。 世の中上には上がいるというか、所詮は井の中の蛙でしかなかったというか......。 とにかく気が付いた時には、俺以外はほんの十数匹......それもほとんど半死半生で、辛うじて息をしているという状態でした。 そんな俺たちの様子を見て、やってきたそのお偉いさん――全身に鈴の付いた飾りを付け、肩にフクロウを止まらせた翡翠の骸骨――十三魔将軍の【 「かっかっかっか! 手加減したとはいえ、このワシの攻撃を受けてもまだ息があるとはのぉ。だが安心せい、このワシは慈悲深いのですぐさまトドメを刺してくれよう。それでは、まずは貴様からだな」 槍の先が真っ先に俺の心臓に狙いを定めました。 ――これで終わりか。あの方と交尾もできないで終わるのか!? 「ちょっと待った! 鞍馬、ストッープ!」 ついに幻聴と幻覚が見えたのかと思いました。 あの方です! 天上の美貌を持つあの方が、どこからともなく風の様に現れたのです! 「これは姫様! このようなムサ苦しい場所で、姫様のご尊顔を拝す栄誉を賜るなど、この鞍馬望外の幸せにございます」 すかさず武器を消し去り、その場に両膝を付いて平伏すお偉いさん。 転がっている俺たちのことなんてまったく気にもかけません。どうにでもなると思っているのが透けて見えます。 「......まったく。知らせを聞いて来てみれば、なんでウチの身内は手加減とか知らないんだろうねぇ」 困ったような顔でため息をつくあのお方。憂い顔も堪らなく魅力的で、このまま交尾をお願いしたいところですが、残念ながら俺の体も口もピクリとも動きません。 それと『知らせを聞いて』の部分で、ちらりと視線を動かした先を見てみると、地面に這い蹲るようにして、ニャンコ導師が五体倒地で震えていました。 「はあ......これでもかなり手加減はしたのですが。それと、姫を差し置いて皇帝を僭称した馬鹿どもに制裁を加えたつもりですが、なにかこのワタシめが姫様の勘気に触れるような不始末をいたしのでしょうか?」 不安げな様子で髑髏の顔を上げるお偉いさん。 「いや、君が自分の仕事をきちんと行ったのは良くわかるし、私から咎めるようなミスもないんだけど――」 それから言葉を探すように、頬に指を当ててしばし思案するあの方。 「一応、前々から餌付けしたりして目を付けているので、さくっと殺すのはちょっと勿体ないかと思う...かな?」 なぜか最後は疑問系でした。 「まあ、取りあえず生き残りは私の方で預かって、処分を決めたいんだけど?」 あの方の言葉に、恭しく頭を下げる鞍馬とかいうお偉いさん。 「姫様のご決定とあれば、自分如きに否も応もございません」 と言うことで、その後、あの方に傷を治していただいた俺たちです。 その際に今後の希望を聞かれたので、「無論、貴女様と交――」と言い掛けたところで、一瞬意識が途絶えました。 なので第二希望としまして、前々から思ってました人間の使う“武術”とか“体術”とかを学びたいと言ってみました。 その為の準備として、まずは現在の俺の力を確認したいと言われ、ここ30層にあるボス部屋に連れて来られて、1対1でケルベロスと戦うことになったわけです。 ふと気が付くと、いつの間にかあの方の背後に背の高い老人が立っていました。年寄りの癖にとんでもない迫力のある男です。 ――強い。 本能的に悟りました。 「どう、彼を鍛えることについては?」 「なかなか面白そうな小僧ですな。我流であれだけできれば大したものでしょう。また そう言って含み笑いをする老人から、若干距離を置くあの方。 「――ま、まあ取りあえずOKってことだね。そ、そうえばソフィアも進化してそっちにいるんだったっけ。二人とも獣王の弟子になって、正式に本国で修行するんだったら、それらしい名前とかも考えたほうがいいかな......」 軽く肩をすくめる老人から離れて、あの方は俺の方へとやって来られました。 「そんなわけで、君の身柄は私の預かりで本国へと向かうことにするよ。これからは、あの獣王を師匠として稽古を積んでもらうからよろしくね。それと、他の皆は私の知ってる にこやかに伝えられた内容に、俺は頷きました。 この方に見出され、この方に助けられたこの命、必ずやご期待に応えてみせます! 全身全霊でもって俺は誓いの言葉を叫びました。 「そして、必ずや交尾を!!」 「......結局、それかい」 そんなわけで、俺は生まれ育った

129 Tabernacle Demon Leap A huge dog with three necks, such as Cerberus, dashed at me in a quick move I can't imagine from that giant. A sharp fangled jaw approaching the present, about to chop my torso with one bite. Smelling the smell of spit dripping from its fangs, I felt an instinctive sense of crisis. I abandoned the interception from the front, rolled over the shiny, polished stone floor and let my hair attack. There was a hard noise of Gagin!!, and the stone pillar behind me with all the momentum Warcraft fangs - thick enough for me to finally turn my hand around with three people - was scraped off like a clay worker with one bite. Gazing at him even better, the stone in that part of his bite turned black from gray and collapsed into a run-down, from which the unpleasant smell of his nose bending. - Again, did you have poison! It's poisonous and uninterrupted. Just plundering could be bad. Deciding the melee was unfavourable to this guy, I tried to get around to the fangless side. But somehow the target has three necks. Wherever you go, there's almost no blind spot with either neck looking this way. On top of that, they immediately react and change their posture, always switching positions so that they face the front. - You're a nasty opponent. Once I bit my teeth, I made a huge jump backwards, keeping my gaze off the target to keep my distance. But you sniffed my inner rush out of this miserable behavior, and at the same time Cerberus jumped towards me. "Shit!?" It's taken the form of an enemy attack in the air with no escape! I aggressively poured magic into the spiral demon sword I had in my right hand - the "Spiral Sword (Karadborg)" and waved the neck eyed sword at the nearest right end of Cerberus. Obeying my will, the "Helix Sword (Karadborg)" body, instantly reshaped, unravels like a ribbon, wrapping it around its wide open mouth and forcing it to close its jaw. Further releasing the magic of the blast flame I was practicing with my left hand around my central neck - I reconsidered just before and let it go toward my feet. With that recoil and the explosion that burst on the floor, my body rose and I was able to do a critical aerial orbital modification to avoid the attack on the remaining two necks. Kick Cerberus in the head passing at his feet and at the same time land on that back with just two toes, grab the hyena on his back to secure his posture, and hold the 'Helix Sword (Karadborg)' with both hands as it is to shed all his magic. "" Gha-!!! " Two free necks scream, but a blade that spins as it is, regardless, amputates the face of the right neck. I put a blow to my brain in Todome and completely burned it from the inside out as a magic sword of flames as it was. "" - crap... crap!!? " Cerberus rambling wildly in death and rubbing his back against the floor. Exactly unable to secure its position, to where I let go of my leg, I wondered if my left neck inflated my mouth for a moment, momentum well released the fierce venomous saliva with a watery momentum. "Knock - hey, no!!" Desperately, but the splashy splash hits all over my skin, where it hits me, it becomes like a flame, just a little touch and the blood runs out. "This, you bastard! Through magic again to the 'Helix Sword (Karadborg)' as he screams, he spirals fast, bouncing the spirits of poison that continue to be released. "Eat - Eh!! A swirl of blade protruding even faster spinning was sucked into Cerberus's mouth in a straight line, penetrating all the way to the cerebromedulla at once. "Ghan!! As he tried to unleash his magic with his screaming remaining central neck hanging, Cerberus' body was wrapped in light and vanished. ...... Suddenly confused towards me, that guy I've been watching, for some reason, sighed and shouted in a glorious voice. "You win. The hit point cut 90%, so she was forced back to the castle. I think he's in therapy right now, but how out of standard is it to almost kill the boss on the 30th floor?" No, I'm pretty clumsy, and I'm bleeding out of my whole body? "If you're satisfied with the five bodies, you're almost as safe as ever." Instructor Nyanko (Mentor), who was mixed with a group of his peers - including Ninomae - who were watching us further away from the response, shook his head and agreed violently. I'm out of time, I'm a fig. The other day, it was easier to secure prey on the hunting grounds thanks to the sunshine and ranking up from Kid Ghost (Goblin) to Demon Ghost (Oni). Even Lizardman, who was formerly tough, is nearly enough to kill for a second. Because of this, my people grew up quickly, and when I realized it, it was a large group of nearly 2,000 people, occupying almost exclusively the three tiers (floors) of the underground labyrinth, and my people created a group called 'Fig Empire' to worship me as emperor. By the way, mentor Nyanko, who heard the founding and the name of the country, somehow graduated on the spot. When I woke up, I said, "I don't know. Non is irrelevant. It's not what Non found out," he locked himself in a giant wooden sink outside the settlement and stopped coming out. Well, cats disappear when they understand the time of death, so maybe something like that. So, a bunch of Ningen adventurers have mobilized quite a few times to get rid of us, but we have slaughtered and returned all the Ningens without the skill of getting ahead of the power of the monsters of other races who have evolved into superior races, starting with the hillbilly and, more importantly, me and the big ghost (orga) Ninomae, plus the horse ghosts, the cow ghosts, and even the other species who have come to follow us. ... Speaking of which, you had a young male in that group who had previously paired up with an asshole face down. Well, the difference in power has now opened up so much that it's not a problem at all, but every time, because of the wizard woman we're acting with, it's a situation where we're being run away in another step in a place called Todome. Still, without punishment, it feels like next time I'm going to be reckless again... and every time, I'm supposed to be putting a pretty deep hand on it. What kind of vitality is it, what about me? Now I'll try to crush your head. It's good that I was making you say Buybuoy like that, but apparently the country's name was worse than anything else - the great man in this labyrinth (dungeon) who came said, "The emperor who unifies demons is just one of you!" or something like that - it wiped out my country and the majority of my men, the whole thing. No, it's really extinguished in an instant. There is an upper part of the world, or is it that the only thing intruded on was a frog in a well... Anyway, when I realized it, there were only a dozen of them except me...... it was almost half dead too, in a state where I was barely breathing. Seeing how we were, that great man who came - the emerald skeleton with bells all over his body and stopped the owl on his shoulder - if you named General Thirteen Demons' [King of Reapers (A Petit)] Saddle Horse "Kurama" or something, released an alternating laugh with no admiration and joy and took out a spear with a black stone tip from nowhere. "Scratch! I didn't know you still had breath even after this attack. But don't worry, this eagle is merciful, so he'll stab me in the face right away. Let's start with you." The tip of the spear set a target on my heart first. - Is that it? Can't even mate with that one and it's over!? "Wait a minute! Saddle horse, stop! I thought you finally saw the hallucinations and hallucinations. It's that one! That one with the beauty of heaven appeared more like the wind from nowhere! "This is princess! In such a miserable place, we find this saddle horse extraordinary happiness, such as the honor of worshipping the princess's honor." The great man immediately erases his weapon and lays flat on both knees on the spot. I don't give a shit about us rolling around. It looks transparent that you think it doesn't matter. "... at all. If you ask me for news, I wonder why my body doesn't know how to handle it." That one who sighs with a troubled face. I'm not worried about my face, I'm attractive, and I'd like to ask you to stay mate, but unfortunately my body, my mouth, and my pickles don't move. And in the "Hear the News" part, I looked at the tip that moved my gaze, trying to crawl to the ground and Master Nyanko was trembling on the ground with five bodies down. "Ha... I still did quite a bit of relief with this. And instead of the princess, I'm going to impose sanctions on the fools who called the emperor, but will this eagle do anything that touches the princess's mind? A great man who looks anxious and puts his face up. "No, I know perfectly well that you did your job, and there are no mistakes you can blame from me -" Then like looking for words, the one who puts his finger on his cheek and often conceives. "For once, I've been feeding and eyeing you for a long time, so I don't think it's a bit unbearable to kill you sooner...? For some reason, at the end of the day, it was a question system. "Well, for now, you want to keep the survival with me and decide what to do with it? To that man's words, a great man called Saddle Horse, who bows his head respectfully. "If it's the princess's decision, I don't have to say no or no." So that's us, and then you healed that guy's wound. When I was asked about my future hopes, I hung up and said, "Whatever, mate with you -" and my consciousness was interrupted for a moment. So second hope, I've been thinking about learning human martial arts and physical arts for a long time. As a prep for that, he first asked me to confirm my current powers, and I was brought to the boss room on the last 30 floors to fight Cerberus one-on-one. When I realized, at some point, there was a tall old man standing behind him. He's a very powerful man in his old habits. - Strong. Instinctively, I understood. "How about working him out? "You look like a pretty funny kid. It would be a big deal if it were my style. Again, it's hard to be a demon ghost. I already have one person on hand, but the basic structure is no different from that of a human being, and the sturdiness and vitality are different digits. I can't wait to swing a murder move." That one who puts a little distance from the old man who says so and laughs. "- Well, that means it's okay for now. Sophia, for example, evolved to be there. If we were both to become disciples of the Beast King and train officially in our own country, we should also consider names like that..." Away from the old man, who shrugs his shoulders gently, that one came to me. "That's why I'm going to take care of you. From now on, I'll have that Beast King loaded with archery as my master, so thank you. And everyone else will be integrated into the Great Ghost (Auga) unit I know, so be ready to leave by the end of the day." I snorted at what I was told. This life, found by this person and helped by this person, will surely meet your expectations! With all my spirit, I cried out the words of my vows. "And make sure you mate!!" "... in the end, that's it" That's why I said goodbye to the Labyrinth (dungeon) where I was born and raised, and later I was to be named a new companion.

第五話 三王三様 あの騒ぎの翌日、アーラ王宮にある王の私室には重い雰囲気が立ち込めていた。 と言っても、深刻な顔で黙り込んでいるのは、コラード国王とボクの後ろに立っているタキシード姿の 「......取りあえず、民間人に死者が出なかったのは幸いです」 瞼の上から目を揉み解した後――事後処理で徹夜したんだろうね。目が真っ赤だし――眼鏡を掛け直したコラード国王は、自分に言い聞かせるように一同を見回して、話をまとめた。 「なにが幸いだと! 姫が襲撃されたのだぞ!? 貴様らいったい――」 「そこまで。もともとお忍びということで護衛を断ったのは私だし、無防備に出歩いた責任は私にある。コラード君には罪はないよ。第一、アレが相手では護衛が何百人いても意味がないさ。民間人に死者が出なかったのは、確かに不幸中の幸いだね」 まあ、ボクを密かに護衛・監視していた 「――まあ、儂が居たのは成り行きという奴だ。それに最終的にあ奴を倒したのは、お嬢さんだからな」 カップを口から放して軽く肩をすくめる獣王。 『お嬢さん』呼ばわりに天涯の眉がピクリと跳ねるが、ボクの命の恩人ということで我慢したようだ。 「そのあたりも獣王氏のお陰でしょうね。先に 「それにしても、我々の前にラポック様がお見えになるのと同時に、姫の前に兄丸さ...いや、兄丸が現れるとは――」 「まあ偶然じゃないだろうね。そもそもそっちは『足止め』って言ってたそうだから、どう考えても手を組んでいたんだろうね。――てか、そっちこそよく死ななかったねぇ」 「確かにありゃ化物ですね。逃げ回るので精一杯でした」 「――ほう。お主がそこまで言う相手か」 獣王が稀人の仮面をちらりと見た。Sランク冒険者とSSランク冒険者、どうやらもともと馴染みがあったみたいで、ボクが稀人を紹介したら、意味ありげに「ふふん、マロードか」と鼻で笑ってたからね。 「なにしろ普通に振った剣圧だけで、地が割け、木がなぎ倒され、岩が砕けるんですからねえ・・・人間の姿をした災害と戦うようなもんで、姫からいただいたこの剣と鎧がなければ、数合も打ち合わずに真っ二つだったでしょうね。いや、もうちょい続いてたらやばかったですね。――『そろそろ時間だ』と言って引いてくれて助かりました」 「らぽっくさんとその最強剣『 心の底からそう思った。うちの円卓メンバー相手に稽古もしてるみたいだし、下手をしたらボクじゃもう勝てないかも知れないね。 「まあ相手も明らかに時間稼ぎで手を抜いてましたからね、なので余裕を見せてるうちに速攻で・・・と思ったんですが」 ふむ。つまりは攻撃力不足か。オーガ・ストロークじゃそろそろ力不足かも知れないね。もうちょい上の装備に変えても......って、なにげに周囲に自分より強い相手が、ますます増えていってるような・・・。 まあ余計な心配をしても始まらないだろう。取りあえず、いまは目前の脅威に対抗しないと。 「――なるほどねえ。まあ、確かに相当手を抜いてたのは確かだろうね......相手が使った剣は一本だけだったの?」 嫌そうな顔で口元を歪める稀人に対して、ゲーム時代のらぽっくさんの戦い方を思い出して、ボクは首を横に振った。 「うんにゃ、本気だと九本同時に使う。九刀流だよ」 ガクッとつんのめる稀人とコラード国王。獣王の方は、「ほう」と一言言っただけで特に表情は変えなかった。 「九本って、そんなもんどうやって使うんですか?!」 唖然とした稀人の当然ともいえる質問。 「ん~~っ、まあ・・・剣を空中に浮かべて自動で攻撃する魔導具みたいなのがあってさ。それを改良して、使い手の意思で自由自在に動かせるようにして、七本バラバラに使うのと同時に両手に二刀を持って戦うって感じかな」 言葉で言うと簡単だけど、こんな真似ができるのはボクの知る限りらぽっくさんしかいない。 そもそも複数の剣を飛行させて、自動で攻撃するアイテムは背中装備なんだけど、動きが単調な上にAIの融通が利かず、攻撃して欲しい相手に攻撃せず、余計な相手に攻撃するとかで非常に使い勝手が悪かった。 そのため後日、プレーヤーからの要望で手動で動きをコントロールできる胸アイテムのコントロール珠が追加されたんだけど、考えるまでもなく戦闘中にそんなもん同時並行でコントロールできるわけもなく、貴重な胸と背中の2スロットを塞ぐ価値がないと判断され、多くのプレーヤーからゴミアイテム扱いされたんだけど、唯一人らぽっくさんだけがこの不可能を可能にしていた。 当時はボットを使ってるとか違法改造だとか、ずいぶんと陰口を叩かれてたんだけど、ギルドマスターとして断言できる。誓ってインチキはしていない。仮にインチキだとすれば本人のスペックということになる。 多くの人が何らかのトリックだと思っていた空前絶後の九刀流。その秘密は『並列思考』――分割された作業を同時並行で進められる才能にあった(とは言っても両手足の数は限られているので、キーボードを増設しても全部同時には使えないので、メイン装備の『絶』以外の何本か――8本それぞれに『花・鳥・風・月・夢・幻・泡・影』の名が付けられている――には若干ラグがあるとも言ってたけど)。 なので本気になった、らぽっくさんを相手にするということは同時に9人の 感心するのも通り越した、という感じで首を振る稀人。 「まあアレは正真正銘の天才だからねぇ。――てゆーか、本当にらぽっくさん本人だったの?」 振り返っての問いかけに天涯はしっかりと頷き、それから怪訝そうにボクを見つめ返した。 「不明と言うか、あのらぽっくさんが誰かの命令を聞くとか信じられなくてね。なにしろ【 とは言っても別にらぽっくさんの性格が破綻しているとかじゃなくて、好き嫌いがハッキリしていて嫌なことはキッパリ断る人だったってこと。 で、特に嫌いだったのが上から命令するようなタイプだったはずなんだけどねえ。 「直接、私が話をできればそのあたり多少は違ったかも知れないけど、こっちはこっちで兄丸さんに似た相手の対応で手一杯だったしねぇ・・・」 「ん~~~っ、そこらへんが微妙なところでねぇ。確かに回収した死体も、残されていた手甲と足甲も、鑑定の結果『干将』『莫耶』に間違いはなかったんだけど・・・」 だけど、なーんか微妙な違和感があるんだよねぇ。 「お互い忙しかったから直接話す機会はあんましなかったけど、あそこまで頭のネジが吹っ飛んだ人じゃなかったと思うんだよね~」 だけど、それともまた若干違うような気がする。 「......なんてゆーかな、根本的に人間性に厚みがないというか」 ボクの言葉に獣王も同意した。 「......そうなりますと、ラポック様も?」 「そうだね、取りあえずは『似た誰か』という形で周知してもらえるかな?」 天涯が一礼したのを確認して、獣王が飲んでいた香茶のカップをテーブルに戻した。 「そちらの話も一段落したようなので、儂の話も聞いてもらえるかな?」 その言葉に、室内の弛緩しかけていた空気が再度張り詰めた。 周囲の視線を受けて、獣王はなんてことないような口調で、続く言葉を口に出した。 「別にそうたいした話ではない。儂の祖国であるクレス王国が現在のクレス=ケンスルーナ連邦を脱退するので、そちらのお嬢さんの治めるインペリアル・クリムゾンの傘下に入れてもらえないか、という話なだけだ」 「なっ――なんですってぇ!?!」 コラード国王が絶叫した。

44 Lesson 5: Three Kings And Three Kings The day after that noise, there was a heavy atmosphere in the king's private room in the royal palace of Ara. Even so, silent with a serious face are King Collard and two heavenly (tendrils) in tuxedos standing behind me, the big lion beast man if he's present - that he has SS ranked adventurer credentials with only five people on the continent - "Beast King" is drinking Shimmerpuri incense tea (this way), and the rare (barely) standing on the wall and watching how it looks is nibbling under his mask funny, and I'm not feeling good about whether my brother Maru's (too much) blood tasted or drank too much, or my stomach. "... In the meantime, I am fortunate that there were no deaths among the civilian population" After rubbing my eyes off the top of my eyelid - I guess I stayed up all night with post-processing. His eyes are bright red - King Collard, who hung his glasses back on, looked around together to tell himself, summing up the story. "Fortunately for what! The princess has been attacked. "That's it. I was originally the one who refused to escort you because of your patience, and I am responsible for walking defenselessly. Collard, you are not guilty. First of all, it doesn't make sense for me to have hundreds of escorts on my opponent. You're lucky there weren't any dead in the civilian population." Well, he said some of the spotted pigeon (but) men who were secretly escorting and watching me died, but this is about our country, so I'm not going to talk about it here. "- Well, what Non was there was a guy called Become. Besides, you finally knocked him out because you're a young lady." The Beast King gently shrugs his shoulders by releasing the cup from his mouth. My lifelong eyebrows bounce picklessly at the call of "Lady," but I seem to have endured it because I am the benefactor of my life. "It must also be thanks to Mr. Beast King around there. I cut my brother's HP (hit point) first... no, because he did some serious damage and was settled in a short time." "Nevertheless, at the same time that Master Rapok will be visible before us, the Brother Maru will appear before the princess... no, I didn't know the Brother Maru would appear -" "Well, it wouldn't be a coincidence. They said 'stop' over there in the first place, so I guess we were working together no matter what you think. - Well, you didn't die that often." "That's definitely a hydride. I ran away, so I did my best." "- Oh, my God. That's what your Lord says." The Beast King glimpsed a rare man's mask. S-Rank Adventurer and SS Rank Adventurer, apparently they were originally familiar, because when I introduced them to the rare, they laughed with their noses "heh, Maraud" for meaning. "Anyway, just the sword pressure I normally shake, the ground breaks, the trees snap down, and the rocks crush, so hey... it's like fighting a disaster that looked human, without this sword and armor the princess gave me, it would have been two straight games without a meeting. No, it would have sucked if it had lasted a little longer. - 'It's time,' he said, and it helped me pull it off." "Rapo Kusan and his most powerful sword, Absolutely, deserve praise even if he could have fought me properly against you." I thought so from the bottom of my heart. Looks like he's auditioning against one of our roundtable members, and if he's bad at it, maybe I won't win anymore. "Well, the other guy was obviously out of hand buying time, too, so while I was showing him some room, I thought he was fast..." Hmm. Does that mean you're under-attacked? Maybe it's time for the Auga Stroke to run out of power. Even if you change it to gear just a little bit above... so what's more, there's more and more people around you than you are... Well, extra worries won't start. In the meantime, we need to counter the current threat. "- I see. Well, you're pretty sure he was out of control... there was only one sword they used? I shook my neck sideways, remembering the way Lapokusan fought during the game against a rare man who distorted his mouth with a disgusting face. "Yeah, seriously, I use nine at the same time. Nine knives." A rare man and King Collard who relaxes gawdly. The Beast King didn't particularly change his expression just by saying "ho". "How do you use nine?!" A naturally rare question. "Mm-hmm. Well... there's like a magic guide that attacks automatically with a sword in the air. I suppose it feels like improving it so that we can move freely at the will of our users and fight with two swords in both hands at the same time as we use them in seven pieces." It's easy to put it in words, but all I know is that I can imitate like this. Items that fly multiple swords in the first place and attack them automatically are back gear, but they were very user-friendly because they didn't accommodate the AI over the monotony of the movement, didn't attack the opponent you wanted them to attack, and attacked the extra opponent. So later on, a control bead was added for a chest item that I could control manually at the request of the player, but I didn't have to think about it. I couldn't control that in parallel at the same time during the fight, and it was determined that it wasn't worth blocking two slots on my precious chest and back, and a lot of players treated me as a trash item, but the only people Pokemon made this impossible. At the time, I was getting a lot of pussy slapped about using bots and illegal modifications, but I can assure you as an Alliance Master. I swear, I'm not tickling. Assuming it was a tick, it would mean the specs of the person. An unprecedented nine-knife stream that many thought was some sort of trick. The secret was to 'parallel thinking' - a talent that allowed split work to proceed in parallel at the same time (that said, the number of both hands and feet is limited, so adding a keyboard can't all be used at the same time, so I also said that some other bottles besides the 'extinction' of the main equipment - each of the eight bottles is named 'flower, bird, wind, moon, dream, phantom, bubble, shadow' - have a little lug). So I got serious, dealing with Lapokusan is the same thing as dealing with 9 level cap (kanst) players at the same time, at least I'll never win. A wizard system would be better suited, still with the means to make powerful attacks from a distance (although the profession (Job) is originally a good defensive kamikaze knight, so it's 'still' though). A rare man who shakes his head with the feeling that it's also past impression. "Well, I'm a genuine genius, so hey. - So, were you really a lot of people? Heaven snorted firmly at the inquiry looking back, then looked back at me suspiciously. "I don't know, I can't believe that Ayabara Pokusa listens to someone's orders. What is it? I don't know if it's a god, but it doesn't really come down to anybody using it in their jaws." That said, I don't mean that Lapokushan's character is broken, but that he was a kick-ass no to what he liked or disliked. So, I was supposed to be the type of person who especially hated it to order it from above, hey. "In person, I might have been somewhat different around there if I could have talked, but this one was full of responses from someone similar to my brother Maru over here, and hey..." "Mm-hmm, that's where the subtleties are. Sure enough, neither the bodies we recovered, nor the armor and toenails that were left behind, were incorrect in" Dry General "and" Moye "as a result of the appraisal..." But, uh, there's a subtle discomfort. "We weren't busy talking directly to each other, but I don't think you were the one with the head screws blowing up that far ~" But then again, I feel a little different. "... what a so-called, fundamentally un-thickness in humanity" The Beast King also agreed with my words. "... and then, Lady Rapok too? "Well, for now, can you make it known in the form of 'someone similar'? Confirming that Heaven had given him a bowl of grace, he returned to the table the cup of incense tea that the Beast King had been drinking. "I think I've made a paragraph about you, so could you listen to Noh? In the words, the indoor slackening air strained again. In the sight of his surroundings, the Beast King uttered the following words in such a tone that there was no such thing as "That's not a big deal. I'm just talking about whether you can put me under the umbrella of your daughter's Imperial Crimson, as the kingdom of Kress, the motherland of Noh, is leaving the current Kres-Kensruna Federation." "Become - what the hell!?! King Collard exclaimed.

第一話 火中之栗 「・・・困ったことになりました」 1週間ぶりに会ったアーラ市のコラードギルド長は、眉間に皺を寄せたまま深いふかぁ――いため息と共にそう言った。 「いや、なんか会うたびにいつも困ってる気もするけど?」 思わず、ポロリと感想を漏らしたボクの顔を、恨みがましい目で見るコラードギルド長。 「その8割方は陛下が原因なのですけれどね」 いつの間にかボクへの呼び名が『陛下』に変わっている。 最初この部屋に来て変装を解いた時には、平伏して「陛下におかせられましては、畏くもおんみずから――」とか始めたので、 「そういうのはいいから。いままで通り普通に喋ってくれればいいから」 と止めたんだけど、『陛下』のほうは変える気はないみたいだねえ。 それはそれとして、8割方って、そんな困らせるようなことしたかなぁ? えーと、最初に会った時はボクがジョーイへ渡した報酬の件で困ってて。 次がボクとの密談の件で困って。 三回目は魔物の で、ボクに泣きついてきて交渉を断られて困り果てて。 魔物との戦いでけちょんけちょんに負け、困ったなんてもんじゃなくなって。 最後はボクが戦場に降りてきて困惑して。 つまり6回のうち4回くらいなんだから、えーと―― 「私が原因なのって67%、四捨五入しても7割くらいじゃないかな?」 「7割が8割でもたいして変わりません!・・・っと、失礼しました」 慌てて咳払いをして居住まいを正す。 さすがに戦場でのヘロヘロ状態から1週間も経てば体力も戻ったろうけど、困ったという割には妙に元気で顔の色艶も良いんだけど・・・。 「――彼女でもできたの?」 ――ぶほっ! 直球で聞いたみたら、ギルド長は口直しに飲んでいた 「げほっ...げほげほっ......な、なんでそうなるんですか?!」 「いや、なんとなく。前と違って、こう...全身から幸せそうな、リア充の 「む......っ」 威儀を正そうとしたが、次の瞬間、満面をこんにゃくみたいに崩すコラードギルド長。 の窓口職員にモナって娘がいるんですけどね」 ああ、ギルド長が片思いしてたんだけど、本人は現在進行形で3人ぐらいの男と男女交際してる赤毛の娘ね。もっとも、そのあたりのショックな記憶は、 あと、どうでもいいけどいい年こいた男が『でふふっ』は、気持ち悪いからやめてもらいたいな。 「彼女から猛烈なアタックを受けまして、このたび正式にお付き合いをすることになりまして」 「4人目の 「は? なにか??」 まあ本人が幸せなら、ボクがどーこういうことじゃないからねえ。 「というか、私に会いたがってるというので来てみたんだけど、そんな惚気話をしたくて呼んだわけ?」 「そんなわけないでしょう!」 一転して憮然とした顔になるギルド長。 「魔物の襲来で生じた人的・物的被害の補填、風評による商人の往来の減――まあ、このあたりは時間を掛ければどうにかなるでしょう。問題は陛下の影響力です!」 お前が原因だと言われても、ボクはここ1週間ずっと城に篭っていて、「どうして自分を呼んでくれなかったんですか姫様!?」「姫、次の出番はいつですか!?」と陳情してくる部下たちの相手で大忙しだったんだけど。 で、気分転換にネットでも見る感覚で、 「・・・なんかしたっけ?」 「陛下が直接なにかをされたわけではありません。しかし、大森林や 最後のは何かの病気だと思うよ。 「挙句、なんですかあれは?! 一昨日、白龍山脈の一角が突如吹っ飛んでできた巨大な 「陛下の国では、説得というのはいちいち破壊活動を伴うのですか!?」 「いやぁ......できれば否定したいところなんだけどねぇ」 否定できない心当たりが多々あるなぁ。 「だいたい領土宣言といい、破壊活動といい、誰の許可を得て行なってるんですか?!」 なにそんなにいきり立ってるんだろう? ボクは首を捻りながら答えた。 「どれもその地の主から、どうぞと許可を得たものだけど? というかもう全員がうちの国の国民だからねえ。煮ようが焼こうが好き勝手じゃないの?」 「そんな理屈が通るわけないでしょう! どこも我が国の領土ですよ!」 いや、国の領土なんて言うけどさ、そんなのは人間側が勝手に決めたことじゃない? 先住民たる魔物の許可を得たわけじゃないんだから。 と言ったら、「魔物に先住権があるわけないでしょう」と返された。 「・・・ん~~っ、じゃあ別に問題ないじゃん。うちの国は魔物ばかりなんだから、 「通常であればそうなのですが・・・」 ここでコラードギルド長は、苦虫を10匹くらい噛み潰したような顔になった。 「陛下の影響力は圧倒的過ぎます。あの巨大なドラゴンは市街からも見えたそうですし、ましてや間近に陛下と部下の方々のお力を見た冒険者の中には、陛下に心酔する者まで現れ、市民や議会の議員の間からも、この際『インペリアル・クリムゾン』と手を結ぶべきではという意見も出る始末で、火消しに大わらわですよ。ガルテさんがいないのもその辺りの調整のためです」 ああ、なんか物足りないと思ったら、ガルテ副ギルド長のでかくて暑苦しい姿がなかったせいか。 とは言え、そんな恨み節をぶつけられても、ボクとしては所詮は他人事だからねえ、適当に慰めるくらいしかできないな。 「ふう~ん、大変だねえ。もともと向いてないんだから、ギルド長とか辞めたら?」 「ええ、私もとっととこんな仕事は辞めて、モナといちゃいちゃしたいところですが」 うん、なにげに本音がこぼれたね。 「誰もが尻込みして、後任になろうとしてくれません」 「最近は国の上層部や神殿からも、『自由都市アーラ市は表向きは国に従っているが、裏で魔物とつながっているのでは?』などと痛くもない――」 言いかけてちらっとボクを見て言い直した。 「――多少、痛い腹を探られる始末でして」 まあ実際にここでボクとナアナアの会話をしてる時点でアウトっぽいよねー。 「・・・んで? 私にどうしろと? 私たちこんなに仲が悪いんです、というアピールのために街中で二人で戦う猿芝居でもする?」 「やるわけないでしょうっ! という陛下の影響力は高いんですから、そんなことすれば私が後ろから刺されます! 実際、訓練所で、陛下と親しく話をしたと口を滑らせたジョーイ君は、訓練時間を8時間から20時間に増やされ、日に日にやつれていく有様で・・・」 「なので、私からお願いしたいのは、しばらく陛下と部下の方々はアーラ市近郊で、表立った騒ぎを起こさないでいただきたい、というのが1点で」 「それを聞いただけでもお話できた甲斐がありました。ところでもう1点確認したいのですが――」 「陛下はこの後、王都カルディアへ向われるとミーアから聞いたのですが」 ああ、そういば今回の騒ぎの前にぽろっと言ったっけか。 「......正直、あまりお勧めできません」 苦悩をにじませるギルド長。 「なんで?」 別に喧嘩しに行くわけじゃないんだけどね。 その質問を最初から予期していたんだろうね、黙って執務机の引き出しから2通の封筒を出して、ボクの前に置いた。 どちらも素っ気無い白の封筒で、蜜蝋で封印されているけど、出所がわかるような宛名とか印とかは押されていない。 「――なにこれ?」 「どちらも非公式なものですが、片方は貴族院議会からのもので、もう片方は第三王子アシル・クロード殿下からのものです。なんらかの形で陛下にお渡しするようにとのことで、やはり国は私どもの関係を疑っているようですね」 「へえ」 取りあえず封を開けて中身を確認しようと、『 「――そんな物騒なもの使わないでください! ペーパーナイフくらい貸します!」 で、ペーパーナイフを借りて中身を読んだんだけど・・・。 「ふーん、貴族院の方は『国家を僭称する賊徒はすみやかに武装を解除して、国の管理下に入るべし』だってさ」 「まあ、予想通りですね。目当てはそちらの財でしょう。遺失硬貨の件も漏れているようで、国に献上するようずいぶんと横車を押されましたよ。――まあ適当に惚けておきましたけど」 悪い結果は予想はしていたけど、やっぱり悪い成績のテストが返されたような顔で頷くギルド長。 「そうだね。ところでこの国の軍隊って何人くらいいるの?」 「常備軍に傭兵、各貴族の家臣団を合わせるなら全軍合わせて5~7万といったところでしょう。――それがなにか?」 「なんだ意外と少ないんだね。そんなんじゃ円卓メンバー動員したら、手加減しても何分持つかなぁ」 「なんの話ですか?!」 ソファから飛び上がらんばかりの勢いで、慌てたコラードギルド長に訊かれたけど、この手紙の内容って要するに、あれだよね? 「いや、宣戦布告されたようなのでツブそうかと?」 締まりのない口をパクパクとさせて言葉にならない様子のギルド長。 「で、もう片方の王子様からは『麗しき姫君へ。後の世までこのつたない筆跡が残ろうともかまわない。愛しい薔薇のために書き残しておこう、この熱い胸のうちを・・・』ってなにこれ?」 「・・・恋文、のように思えますが」 どうやら少しは落ち着いたらしい、コラードギルド長の補足にボクは首を捻った。 「片方では宣戦布告しておいて、片方では恋文贈るなんて、この国の上層部は錯乱してるの?」 「いえ...ですから、別に最後通牒というわけではないのですから、一足飛びに宣戦布告とか理解しないでください。......それと第三王子は公人ではありますが、貴族院議会とはまったく関係がない、どころかどちらかというと煙たがられている存在ですので、別個に考えてください」 「王子が貴族に煙たがられているの?」 よほどアーパーなのか、貴族たちの既得権を侵害するほど有能なのか――いきなり会った事もない魔族の国の姫に恋文贈るとか、前者っぽいけど。 「なにしろ英雄ですから。11歳の時に避暑地で暗殺者8人に狙われた際に、5つ年下の妹姫を守ってこれを全て殲滅したのを皮切りに、年に一度王都カルディアで行なわれる武芸大会剣の部で12歳から5連覇。 また、実戦を積むためとして14歳の時に王都のギルドに自ら志願し、16歳の時に『Sランク』の称号を得ています。 言っておきますが、王子という肩書きや武芸大会の成績とは関係なく、純粋な能力と実績によるものです。 私にはよくわかりませんが、失礼ながらガルテさん曰く、純粋な剣技では陛下を上回るのではないかとのことです」 ボクは黙って肩をすくめた。まあ所詮ボクのは自己流だからねえ。 とは言え、そういう本格的な訓練を積んだ相手にどこまで通じるのか、試してみたくもあるかな。なにしろ相手はSランクらしいし。 「そんなわけで実力は折り紙つき、しかも若くてハンサムとあって男女問わずに大人気です。なので王族はお飾りとしたい貴族院としては、面白くないのでしょうね」 「面倒なものだねぇ。・・・とは言え、王子様のほうは私に会いたいと日時、場所まで指定してきたし、一度会ってみるのも良いかもしれないね。万一罠なら食い破るだけだし」 そう言うと、コラードギルド長は諦め顔で訊いてきた。 「ふう・・・できれば聞かなかったことにしたいのですが、具体的な日時と場所をお聞きしてもよろしいでしょうか?」 「来週の3日、王都で開かれる仮面舞踏会会場だってさ。タイミング的にもちょうど良いかな」 手紙のその部分と同封されていた招待状とをひらひらさせて見せた。 「まあ、どうあっても色恋沙汰にはならないと思うけどねえ」 言いつつ、だいたい話は終わりかな、と判断したボクは席を立った。 「陛下、万一貴族院なりアシル殿下なりが無礼を働いたとしても、それは全ての貴族や王族の総意ではないのです、どうかそれだけはお心に留め置きください」 「じゃあ一部とそうでないところはどう区別をつけるの? 黙って見てたらそれは肯定していたことだし、そこら辺の区別の付け方がわからないんだけど? というかさ、君は自分を刺した蜂が巣に逃げ込んだら、いちいち一匹ずつ選り分けるのかい? 巣ごと潰すんじゃないかな」 そうした答えが返って来るのを、ある程度予想していたのか、ギルド長は無言で目を閉じた。 ボクは貴族院からの手紙を指の間に挟んで振りながら続けた。 「自分は奪って、自分のものは奪われまいとするなんて、ずいぶんと虫のいい話じゃないかい? 私がやろうとしているのは、こいつらが理想としている世界そのものなので、ずいぶんと公平だと思うんだけどねぇ」 最後に、じゃあ恋人とよろしく~、と続けようかと思ったけど、それは止めておいた。

21 Number One: Chestnuts In Fire "... we've got a problem" The chief of the Collard Guild in Ara City, who I haven't seen in a week, said so with a wrinkle between his eyebrows. "No, I feel like I'm always in trouble every time I see something? Unexpectedly, Collard Guild Leader sees my face with resentment and leaked thoughts. "Your Majesty is responsible for 80% of them." Soon my calling to Bok has changed to 'Your Majesty'. When I first came to this room and solved the disguise, I lay down and began to say, "Your majesty has made me do this, from awe and awe -" "Because that's fine. I just need you to talk to me as normal as ever." And I stopped, 'Your Majesty' doesn't seem more willing to change it. I was wondering if 80% of the time I did something that would make you in trouble? Um, the first time we met, I was having trouble with the reward I gave Joey. Trouble with my secret conversation next. The third time I had trouble with the demon runoff (Stampito). So, I cried and refused to negotiate, and I was in trouble. I lost my battle against demons, and I can't believe I'm in trouble. At the end of the day, I came down to the battlefield and was confused. I mean, like, four out of six. What, so, uh... "It's 67% because of me, rounding it up, maybe 70%? "70% doesn't change much, even 80%! Excuse me." Hurry up and cough up and correct your residence. Exactly. I would have gotten back into strength less than a week after my helo condition on the battlefield, but for the trouble, I'm oddly healthy and my face is glossy... "- Did she even do it? - Buho! When I heard about it on the straight ball, the guild leader put the incense tea (like this) he had been drinking into his trachea to mend his mouth. "Ho ho... Ho ho ho... hey, why does that happen?!" "No, somehow. Unlike before, there are signs of rear filling (aura) that seem happy from all over the body." "Mm..." I tried to correct the prestige, but the next moment, the collard guild leader collapses his full face like a konnyaki. "Hey, you know what I mean? So, heh, no, I have a daughter named Mona at the guild desk." Yeah, the guild chief thought one thing, but he's a red-haired daughter who's currently dating about three guys in a progression. Most of the shocking memories around here have been wiped clean from the head of the Alliance Commander by the Devil's Eye (Evil Eye). And I don't care. A good old man said, "So heh heh." I want you to stop because I'm sick. "I got a fierce attack from her, and this time I'm officially going to hang out with you" "Fourth person feeding..." "What? What??" Well, if I'm happy, I'm not happy. "I mean, you wanted to see me, so I came, and you called me because you wanted to talk about that kind of love affair? "You can't be! Alliance leader who turns and makes a sharp face. "Remediation of human and material damage caused by demonic raids, reduction of merchant movements due to reputation - well, this area will work out if it takes time. The problem is His Majesty's influence! Even if they say you're the cause, I've been stuck in the castle for the past week, and I've been very busy with my guys complaining, "Why didn't you call yourself Princess!?" "Princess, when's the next turn?!?" So, with the feeling of seeing it online for a change of mood, I took a peek at the Collard Guild Director on a bypass through the Devil's Eye (Evil Eye) and he wanted to get in touch with me somehow, so here I am. Fortunately, I came down to the lower realm. "... did you do something? "His Majesty didn't do anything directly. However, monsters appearing in the Great Forest, ancient ruins (dungeons), and the White Dragon Mountains keep their mouths shut and make territorial declarations in His Majesty's name: 'This is the territory of the great Hyuki-sama', 'Let him die for Hyuki-sama', 'Hyuki-sama Haaaa' -" I think the last one is some kind of illness. "Quote, what is that?! Yesterday, I heard that a huge broken hole (crater) in the corner of the White Dragon Mountains suddenly blew up!? Rumor has it your majesty has something to do with that too?! "In His Majesty's kingdom, persuasion involves destruction at best!?" "Hey... I'd just like to deny it if I could." I have a lot of undeniable thoughts. "It's more or less called territorial declarations, it's called sabotage activities, with whose permission are you doing it?!" What are you so sudden about? I answered, twisting my neck. "All with permission from the Lord of the land, please? Maybe because they're all nationals of our country. Hey. Don't you like to cook like a boiler? "There's no way that's going to make sense! Everywhere is our national territory! No, I don't mean the territory of the country, but isn't that what the human side decided on its own? I didn't get permission from an indigenous demon. When I said, "There's no way the demon has a right of abode," he returned. "... Mm-hmm. Then there's nothing wrong with that. My country is full of demons, so it's a stance that we don't recognize our existence as human beings, right? Then why don't we just ignore cancer no matter what the demons say? "If it's normal, it is..." Here the Collard Guild Leader turned out to be like chewing up about 10 bitters. "His Majesty's influence is overwhelming. They also saw that giant dragon from the city, not to mention some adventurers who saw the help of His Majesty and his men nearby, even appearing sickened by His Majesty, and at the end of an opinion among citizens and members of Parliament that they should not join hands with the 'Imperial Crimson' at this time, they are in trouble to extinguish the fire. Mr. Garte's absence is also to adjust the area." Oh, if you don't think there's something missing, is it because you didn't have the big, hot bitter look of Deputy Guild Manager Garte? That said, even if they hit such a grudge festival, as far as I'm concerned, it's other personnel. Hey, I can only comfort you appropriately. "Hmm, that's tough. It's not for you originally, so why don't you quit guild leader or something? "Yeah, I quit my job like this, too, but I don't want to talk to Mona." Yeah, you spilled something real. "Everyone butts in and doesn't try to succeed me" "Recently, even from the upper echelons of the country and the temple, he said, 'The city of Ara, the free city, is ostensibly following the country, but it is connected with demons behind it?' It doesn't even hurt -" I looked at me and said it again. [M] "- Somewhat at the end of the search for a painful stomach." Well, it sounds like you're actually out at the point where you're having a conversation with me and Naanaa here. "... why? What do you want me to do? We're so unfriendly, do we even play monkeys fighting for two around the city for an appeal? "You can't do it. Ugh! His Majesty's influence is high, so if you do that, I'll be stabbed from behind! In fact, at the training center, Joey slipped his mouth that he had spoken intimately with His Majesty, and you increased your training time from 8 to 20 hours, and it seemed like you would be doing it day by day..." "So what I ask you from me is that for a while Your Majesty and his men are near the city of Ara, and I ask you not to make any apparent noise," "It was worth talking to you about just hearing that. By the way, I'd like to make one more point." "Her Majesty told me after this that he would be headed to Cardia, the king's capital." Oh, so you said it pompously before this mess. "... Honestly, I don't really recommend it" Alliance Leader to stir up distress. "Why?" I'm not going to go fight anything. I guess I expected that question from the beginning, when I shut up and put two envelopes out of the desk drawer and put them in front of me. Both are elegant white envelopes, sealed with beeswax, but not with a name or stamp that tells us where they came from. "- What's this? "Both are informal, but one comes from the House of Lords and the other from His Royal Highness Prince Asil Claude, Third Prince. He asked me to give it to His Majesty in some way, and the country still seems to doubt our relationship." "Heh." In the meantime, I opened the seal and tried to check the contents, and when I called "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)," the guild leader pulled back. "-Don 't use such a noisy thing! I'll lend you about a paper knife! So, I borrowed a paper knife and read the contents... "Hmm, the House of Lords says, 'Thieves who denounce the state should be disarmed immediately and not put under the control of the state.'" "Well, you're right. The aim will be your fortune. The matter of the lost coins also seems to be leaking, and I was pushed a long way to dedicate it to the country. - Well, I've fallen in love appropriately." I expected bad results, but I knew I was the guild leader who nodded with a face like a bad grade test was returned. "Right. How many troops in this country, by the way? "If we were to match the standing army with mercenaries, with each noble ministerial group, it would be something like 50,000 to 70,000 for all armies combined. - What is it? "What a surprisingly few. I don't know how many minutes I'll have if I mobilize my roundtable members." "What are you talking about?! Momentum just jumped off the couch, and the rushed collard guild manager asked me, but the content of this letter is, in short, that's it, right? "No, it looks like a war has been declared, so I thought it was twisted? Guild chief looking speechless with his tight mouth puckered. "So, the other prince said, 'To Princess Reiki. I don't care if I leave this tedious handwriting in the afterlife. Let's write it down for my dear rose, in these hot breasts...' What is this? "... love text, though it seems like" Apparently, he calmed down a little, and I twisted my neck on the collard guild length supplement. "Is it confusing for the upper echelons of this country to declare war on one side and give love sentences on the other? "No... so it's not like an ultimatum, so don't understand a declaration of war or anything. ... and the Third Prince is a public person, but consider it separately, as he is somewhat smoked out, which has nothing to do with the House of Lords" "Is the prince smoked by the nobles? How arper or competent enough to violate the vested rights of the nobles - like suddenly giving love sentences to the princess of the Devil's Nation I've never met, or the former. "Anyway, I'm a hero. When I was 11 years old and targeted by eight assassins in a summer shelter, I skinned defending my five-younger sister Princess and annihilating all of this, winning from 12 to 5 consecutive years of age in the Sword Club of the Martial Arts Games, which takes place once a year in the Wang capital, Cardia. He also volunteered for the Wang Capital guild himself at the age of 14 to earn a real battle and earned the title of "S-Rank" at the age of 16. I'll tell you what, it's not about the title Prince or the martial arts tournament scores, it's about pure competence and accomplishment. I'm not sure, but with all due respect, Mr. Garte said that pure swordsmanship might outweigh your majesty. " I shrugged my shoulders in silence. Well, it's my fault. That said, I wonder if you'd like to try and see how far you go to someone with that kind of full training. Anyway, they seem to be S-ranked. "That's why strength is origami, and it's very popular with young, handsome men and women alike. So the royal family wants to decorate the House of Lords, so I guess it's not funny." "It's a hassle.... That said, the prince has specified the date, time and place he would like to see me, and you might want to meet him once. If it's a trap, we'll just eat it." With that said, the Collard Guild Manager gave up and asked with his face. "Hmm... if possible, I'd like to decide not to ask, may I ask you the exact date, time and place? "The Masquerade Ball will be held in Wangdu next 3 days. I guess it's just in time." I flickered and showed that part of the letter and the invitation that was enclosed. "Well, I don't think it's gonna be sex shabby no matter what." As I said, I decided that the conversation was generally over, and I took a seat. "Your Majesty, in the unlikely event that His Royal Highness Ashir works disrespectfully, it is not the general will of all nobles and royalty, please bear that in mind." "So how do you distinguish some from others that aren't? If I'd watched it in silence, that would have been affirmative, and I don't know how to tell the difference around there? So if the bee that stabbed you escaped into the nest, which one would you choose? I guess we'll crush every nest." The guild chief closed his eyes silently, expecting to some extent that such an answer would return. Bok continued as he sandwiched a letter from the House of Lords between his fingers. "Isn't it a lot of good talk about bugs that you take away and take away your stuff? I think it's a lot fairer because what I'm trying to do is the very world these guys are looking for." Finally, I thought I'd go on saying hello to my lover, but I stopped that.

第十五話 楽園之蛇 巨象に絡みつく毒蛇のように、空中庭園に取り付いた の魔物たちを吸収・増殖しながら、ゆっくりと移動していた。鎌首の狙う先は空中庭園の中枢・虚空紅玉城本体である。 10万前後の魔物たちが暮らす魔の楽園にして、緋雪の愛した箱庭がいま1匹の毒蛇によって侵食されようとしていた。 無論、ここに住む住人達はどれもこれも一騎当千の 何と言っても目の前にそびえ蠕動する肉の壁は圧倒的で、数多の魔物と戦ってきた彼らにしても、これほど巨大な魔物は経験したことがなく。それを目にした者すべてが驚愕に目を瞠り、呻き声を漏らすこととなった。 とは言え、驚きはあっては彼らには恐怖も惰弱の二文字も存在しない。 『敵』と認定すればこれを斃すまで。即座に実行に移す。 接近戦は厳禁との布告が早い段階で出たこともあり、全員が遠距離攻撃に切り替えて、炎や氷、毒液、風刃など景気よく浴びせ掛け、最初は調子よく効果的に攻撃が通じるかと思われたのだが、次第に効果がなくなり、逆に相手が活性化するに至り、ようやく敵の特性を理解した。 ――こいつ、俺たちの攻撃を喰ってやがる!! 慌ててその場から離脱しようとした彼らだが、時すでに遅く、ある者は魔眼に囚われ、ある者は触手に絡め取られ、またある者は膨大なその質量に力負けして、なすすべなく同化吸収されていった。 虚空紅玉城内部、評定の間。 「敵戦力が分散......これの中身は吸血鬼というより、吸血鬼ベースに作られた擬似生物といったところですわ」 上半身が美しい白磁の肌をした黒髪の女性が、淡々とした口調で現状の報告を 「発射速度はおよそ毎分4000発。1個体として脅威としてはレベル35程度で問題になるレベルではありませんが、すでに各地に到達した分だけで6908...7026...加速度的に増えています」 「迎撃はなにをしておるか! 上空には 空穂の怒鳴り声に、ゆるゆると首を振る始織。 「出雲殿はよく頑張っていらっしゃいます。およそ92パーセントは地上到達前に撃墜されておりますが、いかんせん精密射撃には難があるところがございます。 「ふむ」2呼吸ほど思案した空穂だが、即座に首を振った。「いや、それは悪手であるな。報告によれば、アレに明確なダメージを与えられるのは『聖』関係の攻撃のみ。ならば親衛隊は現状のまま本体を攻撃させるが吉であろう。地上に落ちた分の掃討は、現場の者に任せようぞ」 これが通常の人間や亜人の軍隊であれば、精神的な重圧からやがては総崩れになるところだが、基本的に全員が戦闘狂のこの国の住人たち。その士気と能力、そして忠誠に全幅の信頼を寄せている空穂にしてみれば、そのような心配など考えるまでもなかった。 「現在の敵分体の掃討率は99.97パーセント。ほぼ100パーセントと言ってもよろしいでしょう」 「――100でないところが、もどかしいのぉ」 始織の糸は感知のみならず、切るも縛るも自由自在である。 言わば伸ばした手足の延長線上で、敵が我が物顔で暴れ回っているのを、常時感じているに等しい。さっさとその手で、一撃を入れたいというのが本音なのだろう。 「いや、お主にはいまは状況分析と感知に全力を注いでもらおう。なにより、いまは時を待つのが肝要である。準備が出来次第、あのデカブツ相手に反撃の狼煙をあげ、キツイ灸を据えてやらねばのぅ」 「できますか?」 「......可能でしょう」 それに答えたのは、いつの間にかこの場へ分身体を飛ばしてきた 「つまり敵吸血鬼の祖がいて、それがあの化物を操る張本人である。それを見つけ次第、誅殺すれば良いとのことであるな」 口にするのは簡単だが、それがどれほどの難事であるか――そもそも地上組が失敗したからの現状である――考えるまでもないことだが、空穂は口元に挑戦的な笑みを浮かべた。 「......お急ぎください。この場へお一人で帰還されようとする姫を、現在天涯殿以下全員で両手両足を押さえてお止めしている状況ですので」 「なるほど。確かにそれは非常事態であるのう」 予備の扇子で口元を隠して、空穂はさらに口角を吊り上げた。 虚空に漂う空中庭園のさらに上空。 500人近い天使達と、その5倍は居る各種色とりどりの竜種たちを統括している銀翼の機甲天使【メタトロン】榊は、両手に持った戦艦の主砲ほどもある巨大な機関砲の引金を引き続けていた。 「各自、そのまま待機して、合図があったところで一斉攻撃。周りの雑魚は相手にするな。あくまで本体のみ。天使隊は化物の体を狙え。竜戦士隊は奴の背中に乗っている建造物を集中して破壊せよ。いいな、空穂様からの合図があってから攻撃だ」 激流もしくは滝のように銃口からあふれ出る銃弾で、彼女達のさらに上空、巨大な暗黒の渦巻状をした十三魔将軍副将・ ――とはいえ後手に回るのは、我々の戦闘スタイルとしてはどうにも歯がゆいな。いつまでも現状のまま進展がないと、いい加減部下達の押さえが利かないぞ。 いつまでも終わる事のない敵の攻勢を前に、榊は厳しい顔で破壊の元凶を睨みつける。 「さすがに厳しいか......」 増殖する敵兵――崩れた顔に爛々と光る左右非対称な赤い目、穴が開いただけの鼻、紫色の舌が伸びた骸骨のような顎、そして人間と昆虫を組み合わせたような歪な骨格の体と四肢を備えたそれ――を前に、 対抗して九重もアンデッド兵を召喚しているが、相手の増殖速度に付いていけないのが現状であった。 各地の擬似吸血鬼を掃討し、危険性が低くなったと判断した味方も続々とこの場に集結しているが、それでもまだ抑え切れない。 数に押し切られて前線の味方が崩壊する――そこへ、涼しげな少女の声が、不思議とよく通った。 「......ったく、ちょータルいんですけど。なんだって姫様も見てないところで、サービス労働とかしなきゃいけないわけー」 乳白色の髪が風にそよいだ。嘆息するように言うワンピースを着た少女が、九重の背後に立っていた。 面倒臭そうな動作でその左手が軽く持ち上げられ、迫り来る擬似吸血鬼の群れを指した途端、肩から先が爆発したかのように膨れ上がり、あらゆる色彩が混じりあった“混沌”と化して、そこへ襲い掛かる。 一瞬で膨大な数の擬似吸血鬼の群れを飲み込んだ混沌のそこかしこが、泥沼から噴出すガスのように膨らみ、弾けたところから、吸収されかけた魔物たちが、王宮の手前へと吐き出されてきた。 衰弱はしているが辛うじて息はある彼らの姿と、涼しい顔でさらに“混沌”の領域を押し広げる――いつの間にか両膝から下も溶け崩れて“混沌”と化している彼女を見て、九重がほっと吐息を漏らした。 「さて、そちらの“貪欲”と私の“混沌”どちらが勝つかしらね」 最後に残った顔の半身がそう呟いて、ずるりと溶けた。 「むっ、始めたか!」 虚空紅玉城正門前で待機していた巨大な白銀の獅子――十三魔将軍の 空中庭園が普段航行している闇を纏った亜空間ではなく、通常の成層圏にいるために白銀の体毛が陽光を反射して、全身がキラキラと光を反射している。 一気に王宮前広場を走破した森螺は、巨大な 「貴様は確か『聖光』が弱点であったな。ならば我こそは貴様の天敵よ! 喰らえっっっ!!!」 まさに獅子吼と呼べる咆哮と共に、森螺の 「我にビームやレーザーの類いは効かんぞ! さっさとくたばるが良い!」 スパスパとナイフでロールケーキを切り分けるように、 切られた部分をなんとか融合させようとするが、通常の攻撃ではなく聖光で焼かれた部分は火傷のようで、容易に癒着しようとしない。 しかもこの時を満を持して待っていた、親衛隊の天使たちが、そうはさせじと『聖』属性の攻撃を傷口へと叩き込み、さらに増殖した真珠の混沌がこれを侵食する。 が、この戦いの間ずっと囲っていた居城【アルマミス】を守る肉の壁を移動させ、本体の質量に廻した。 「いまだ! 竜戦士隊全力で剥き出しになった敵の居城を攻撃!」 刹那、守りの薄くなった【アルマミス】へ向け、上空を舞うドラゴンたちが一斉にブレスを放射した。 「フルチャージ! “ドーラ・インパクト”発射!」 ズン!という大気を震わす腹の底に響く震動とともに、超巨大殲滅兵器『サンダルフォン』の薬室に当たる部分が後退(ちなみに1発撃ったら終わりの使い切り)、銃口からプラズマを伴った閃光が流れ落ち、【アルマミス】を貫通し、一瞬遅れてこれを粉々に砕いた。 空中庭園ではあり得ない地震のような突き上げに、広大かつ豪華絢爛な廊下を小走りで走っていた、どこか野暮ったいスーツ姿の男が、足を止めて「おやぁ?」と首を捻った。 「なんかいままでにない衝撃だったけど、ひょっとしてやられたかな?かな? しょうがないにゃあ」 もしここに聖教関係者がいれば絶句しただろう。 彼らの装備、武装、顔ぶれは間違いなく、全滅したはずの 「まあ、気にしてもしかたないにゃ。さっさと目的を果たすよん」 そう言って先を促す男の顔には、真っ白い仮面が被せられていた。 にこりとも、一言の同意の声もなく、男の指示に従って人形のように動き出した騎士達だが、再び先頭を走る男の足が止まったことで、音もなくその場に整列した。 そのうちの一人、白と蒼の鎧をまとい、赤い鬼面の仮面で顔の上半分を隠した赤に近い金髪の青年が、肉厚の大剣を抜き身で持ったまま、一歩前に出た。 「念の為に待機してればビンゴか。ここで大将格を討ち取れるとはな」 その背後に控えている長身の青年よりもなお頭一つ大きな、こちらは無手の大柄の老人が顎鬚を撫でながら同意する。 「おぬしの読み通りだったな。まさかここまで派手な陽動をするとは思わんかったが」 「あー、すまんけど、そこ通してくれないかな? ちょっと急いでいるもんで」 そんな二人へ向かって白仮面の男が、馴れ馴れしく語りかける。 「通したらどうするんだい?」 赤い仮面の青年が面白そうに聞き返す。 「もちろん! このまま緋雪ちゃんの部屋に行ってパンツを貰って行きます!」 大真面目な口調で、ふざけた答えを返す男に向かって、青年は剣の先を向けた。 「なら絶対に通すわけには行かないな。姫のパンツもなにもかも、俺が貰うと決めてるんでね」 大仰な仕草で肩をすくめる白仮面。 ? むう、はじめて逢った時から、同じ仮面同士として、白黒つけないといけないとは思ったけど、やはり相容れるものはなかったようですね」 「そうだな。そういうことで、ここで決着をつけておこうか」 無造作ともいえる足運びで距離を縮める青年にあわせて、老人も自然体で足を進める。 「――ふむ?」 なんとなく身の危険を感じて後ろに下がった男の前に、元 「とりあえず、助さん格さん、やっておしまいなさい!」 男の投げ遣りな指示に従って、ベルナルド以下、騎士たちが二人を包囲する形で広がった。 「老師、こいつらの装備から見て、噂の最強騎士団 「ほほう。音に聞こえた聖王国の虎の子か。これは楽しみだ」 中段に大剣を構えたまま、青年は騎士達の隊長格らしい、鋼鉄のような謹厳な顔立ちの男へ剣を向けた。

104 Lesson 15: The Serpent Of Paradise Like a viper entangled in a giant elephant, an abandoned dragon (Nidheck) attached to an aerial garden was creepy. He was moving slowly as he absorbed and multiplied the demons of the blocking crimson empire Imperial Crimson. The target of the sickle neck is the center of the aerial garden and the empty Red Jade Castle body. Turning it into a demonic paradise where around 100,000 demons live, Scarlet Snow's beloved boxyard was about to be eroded by one viper now. Regardless, all the inhabitants here are just a thousand soldiers, all but a small part of them soldiers, but honestly, it was a reality to attack this mighty invader... Whatever you say, the walls of flesh creeping in front of you are overwhelming, and even for them who have fought numerous demons, they have never experienced such a giant demon. Every one who saw it blinked in amazement, and leaked a groan. That said, surprise does not exist for them two letters: fear or indolence. Until you kill this if you certify it as an 'enemy'. Transfer to immediate execution. Melee warfare had been announced early on with a strict ban, and everyone switched to ranged attacks, showering well in the economy with flames, ice, venom, wind blades, etc., and at first it was thought that the attack would pass well and effectively, but gradually became ineffective and, conversely, the opponent activated, finally understanding the properties of the enemy. - This guy is gonna eat our attack!! They rushed away from the spot, but it was already late in time, and some were imprisoned by the demonic eye, some were tangled up in the tentacles, and others were absorbed by assimilation without doing so, losing their strength to the immense mass. Inside the void Red Jade Castle, during the reputation. "Enemy power is dispersed... the contents of this are not so much vampires as pseudo-creatures made on a vampire base." A dark-haired woman with beautiful white and magnetic skin had reported the current situation to Aaho in a pale tone. She wraps around Native American costumes, but her lower body is a giant spider. It is the "Kokuyangti" Shiori, General XIII's intelligence staff. "The firing rate is roughly 4,000 rounds per minute. As an individual, the threat is not at a level that would be problematic at about level 35, but it's already just 6908... 7026... increasing at an accelerating rate" "What's the interception doing! There will be clouds in the sky!?" Initial weave that shakes its head loosely to the roaring voice of the air ho. "The Temple of the Clouds has worked hard a lot. Roughly 92 percent of them have been shot down before they reach the ground, but there are some difficulties with precision shooting. Dear Spotted Pigeon, I would give you a figure of roughly 100 percent, but this time I only think I was unlucky...... alas. It's from the SS captain/Sakaki above. I'm suggesting that the SS angels turn to cover for the missed shot, how about that? "Hmm" 2 An empty hoe conceived about breathing, but shook his head instantly. "No, that's a bad hand. According to the report, only 'holy' relational attacks can cause clear damage to the array. Then SS will let the body attack as it stands, but it will be auspicious. Let's leave it to the people at the scene to sweep what falls on the ground." If this is a normal army of humans and subhumans, it will eventually be a total collapse out of spiritual pressure, but basically all residents of this country of combat fanatics. I didn't even have to think about such worries if I tried to make it an empty hoe with full confidence in its morale, abilities, and loyalty. "The current sweep rate for enemy splits is 99.97 percent. You can say almost 100 percent." "- What's wrong with not 100?" The yarn of the starting weave is not only sensible, but also free to cut and tie. On the extended line of hands and feet, so to speak, it is equal to feeling the enemy rumbling around with our faces all the time. With that hand just now, I guess it's true you want to put a blow in it. "No, let the Lord now devote his full attention to situational analysis and sensing. More importantly, it is now crucial to wait for time. As soon as you're ready, give that big fat guy some counterattack wolf smoke and set up a tight moxibustion." "Can you? "... it will be possible" The answer to that was the circumferential ginseng (soot), which at some point flew his body to the scene. "I mean, there's an enemy vampire ancestor, and that's the tenacity that manipulates that monster. As soon as we find it, we'll have to kill it." It's easy to say, but how difficult that is - the status quo because the ground-group failed in the first place - I don't even have to think about it, but Akaho gave his mouth a challenging grin. "... hurry. We are currently stopping the princess from returning by herself by holding both hands and feet together." "I see. It's certainly an emergency." Hiding his mouth with a spare fan, Aaho hoisted the corner of his mouth even further. Further above the aerial gardens drifting in the void. Nearly 500 angels and the silver-wing mechanical angel [Metatron] Sakaki, who oversees five times the variety of dragon species in which they live, continued to trigger huge machine guns as many as the main guns of battleships in both hands. "Individuals, stand by and attack simultaneously where signals were given. Don't deal with the clutterfish around you. Only the body. Angels, aim for the body of the monster. Dragon Warriors, concentrate on the building on his back and destroy it. Good, it's an attack since Mr. Ho gave us a signal." With bullets that flooded out of the muzzle like torrents or waterfalls, Sakai secretly sighed as she broke down the pouring vampire bullet, slightly escaping the clearance of the barrier of the dark matter beam unleashed by their furthering, giant dark swirl-shaped General Thirteen Demons/Clouds (even without). - Nevertheless, turning to the back is extremely tedious as far as our style of combat is concerned. If we don't make progress as it stands forever, we won't be able to hold our men back. Before the never-ending enemy attack, Sakaki finds the culprit of destruction with a stern face. "Exactly tough..." Prior to the proliferation of enemy soldiers - those with asymmetrical red eyes, holes but noses, skeletal-like jaws with stretched purple tongues, and skeletal bodies and limbs like a combination of humans and insects - the Seven Hazards Star Beast (Shikikaseju) and the Nine Hatches (here) fought resolutely. Against it, the Nine have summoned undead soldiers, but it was the current situation that could not accompany the opponent's growth rate. Allies who swept away pseudo-vampires everywhere and decided they were less dangerous have also continued to assemble on this scene, but still can't contain them. Forward allies collapse as they are pushed off by the numbers - there, the voice of a cool girl passed well, wondering. "... Damn, it's a little total. I haven't even seen the princess, so I have to work in service or something." Milky white hair is good for the wind. A girl in a piece telling her to sigh stood behind Kuju. Its left hand is gently lifted in a troublesome, odorous motion, and as soon as it points to an approaching swarm of pseudo-vampires, it swells up from its shoulders as if the tip had exploded, turning into "chaos" where all colors were mixed, and it hits there. In a flash of chaos that swallowed huge swarms of pseudo-vampires, the demons, almost absorbed, swelled and bounced like gas erupting from the mud, were thrown out in front of the royal palace. There's debilitation, but there's a hard breath. Their appearance and pushing further "chaos" areas with their cool faces to widen - sometime I saw her melting from both knees down and turning into "chaos," and Kuju leaked a relieved exhalation. "Now, which one of you wins, greed or my chaos?" The last remaining half of his face groaned so, it melted as it drifted away. "Huh, here we go! A giant silver lion waiting in front of the main gate of Vacant Red Jade Castle - a pillar (one) of General Thirteen Demons [Baron] Mori Snow (Shira) stood still. Instead of the dark-wrapped subspace where the aerial gardens usually sail, silver body hair reflects sunlight to be in the normal stratosphere, and the whole body reflects sparkle of light. Running all at once through the front square of the royal palace, Mori snapped a pearl in his eyes, twitching and pushing a realm of chaos, laughing and then gazing at the majority of his body still alive with his harsh eyes. "You are certain that 'Holy Light' was a weakness. Then I am your natural enemy! Eat it!!! Exactly with a roar that can be called a lion roar, the hyena of Mori spirals spreads like a fan, from which, like a polar hotline (beam), a sacred light of great power is emitted, and the body of an abandoned dragon (Nidheck) that hits the light melts like butter broiled in fire. "Beams and lasers don't work for me! Screw you, but good! Cut the body of an abandoned dragon (Nidheck) into rings so as to separate the roll cake with a spa and a knife. I try to merge the cut areas somehow, but the areas burned with holy light instead of normal attacks look like burns and don't try to heal easily. Besides, I waited full of this time, the SS angels slammed the attack of the lethal and 'holy' attributes into the wound, and the chaos of the proliferating pearls erodes this. An abandoned dragon (Nidheck), aware of his disadvantage, moved the wall of flesh that guarded his castle [Almamis], which he had surrounded all along during this battle, and turned it to the mass of his body. "Not yet! The Dragon Warriors attack the castle of their stripped enemies with all their might! For a moment, toward the diminished protection [Almamis], the dragons dancing in the air radiated their braces simultaneously. "Full charge! Dora Impact, fire! Zun! Along with the tremor echoing at the bottom of his atmosphere-shaking belly, the part that hits the pharmacy of the supermassive annihilation weapon Sandalphone retracted (which, by the way, ran out of use at the end after shooting one shot), flashing off the muzzle with plasma, penetrating [Armamis] and shattering this for a moment late. Somewhere in a wild suit, a man was running on a small run down a vast and luxurious hallway to an earthquake-like thrust that couldn't be an aerial garden, stopping to say, "Hey?" He twisted his neck. "It was an unprecedented shock, but did you get hit a little? I can't help it." Had there been any ecclesiastical officials here, they would have ceased to exist. Their equipment, armaments and facial rashes were undoubtedly nothing more than the Cathedral Crusaders, whose Knights Commander, "Saints (Saints)" Bernardo Gloria Casas, was supposed to have been wiped out, and the strength of the squadron captain's class fingerfolding. "Well, I just couldn't care less. I'm just going to do my job." The face of the man who said so and urged ahead was covered with a bright white mask. The dust, the knights who moved like puppets, without a word of consent, following the man's instructions, but with the foot of the man running the lead again stopped, aligned on the spot without sound. One of them, a blonde young man close to red with white and pale armor and hidden the upper half of his face with a red mask, stepped forward with a large sword of flesh and thickness in his hand. "Bingo if you wait just in case. I didn't expect you to win the rank of general here." Still one bigger head than the long-sleeved young man holding back behind it, this one agrees with a large, unarmed old man stroking his jaw. "That was a good read. I didn't expect you to get so flashy." "Uh, excuse me, would you let me through there? I'm in a bit of a hurry." A white-masked man speaks familiarly toward those two. "What would you do if you let me through? The young man in the red mask sounds funny back. "Of course! I'll keep going to Scarlet Snow's room and get my pants! In a big serious tone, the youth turned to the tip of the sword toward the man who would return the joke answer. "Then you can never go through with it. And the princess's pants. I'm the one who decided to take them." White mask shrugging shoulders with a daunting trick. "Hey. What if it's a rival? Well, since we first met, I thought we had to wear black and white as the same masks, but it still didn't seem compatible." "Right. That's what I'm gonna settle here." In conjunction with young people who shrink in distance with footwork, which can be described as unwrought, the old man also moves forward on his feet in nature. "- Hmm?" The holy knights of the former Cathedral Crusaders advanced out of their swords before a man who somehow fell back feeling in danger. "In the meantime, Sukesan-gu, do it! Following the throwing instructions of the man, below Bernardo, the knights spread in the form of a siege of the two. "Old Master, from these gear, it looks like the Holy Knight of Cathedral Crusaders, the most powerful Knights Cathedral Crusaders of rumors." "Ho. Is that the tiger son of the Holy King who sounded like a sound? I look forward to this." With a great sword in the middle, the young man pointed his sword at a man with a stern face like steel, who seemed to be captain of the knights.

第十七話 美姫麗王 さて、ストーカー三馬鹿が醜い潰し合いをしている傍らでは、仕切り直しの一戦が行われていた。 「うら――――っ!!」 先手を打ったのは両手に持った巨大な ベルナルドを強敵と見るや否や、即座にこれに狙いを絞り、一気呵成に攻めあげる。 同じ二刀でこれを捌くが、武器のリーチ、重さ、反応速度ともに、常軌を逸した凄まじさで、技量こそ先ほどの剣士に比べて荒削りで無駄が多いものの、逆にセオリーにない動きや本能に任せた勘の鋭さで、ベルナルドを翻弄していた。 超高速での双剣と双斧槍の応酬が繰り返される。互いの武器が弾かれ、阻まれ、二人の周囲に火花と閃光が花火のように飛び散り、衝撃音が床と壁を伝わって抜けて行く。 互いに一歩も譲らぬ攻防が繰り返され、時折お互いの攻撃が掠めて鮮血が飛ぶが、互いに人外同士、その程度の怪我など傷の内にも入らない。とは言え人間ベースの吸血鬼であるベルナルドと、元から魔物...それも体力と回復力には定評のある鬼の眷属である琥珀とでは、もともとのエンジンの馬力が違う。 いかに装備の違いと技、手数でベルナルドが圧倒していても、なによりも恐れを知らぬその攻勢は、細かな技量やダメージを抜きにして、互角以上の立会いを可能にしていた。 との、しのぎを削る剣戟の応酬による疲労もあって、天井知らずにギアを上げていく琥珀とは対照的に、徐々にベルナルドのテンポが遅れてきた。 「緊縛結界!」 状況が不利と見た(元)聖堂騎士達が、素早くその周囲に散って、琥珀を中心とした 「緊縛結界発動! 強度SS級! 展開せ――ぐはっ」 仲間に指示を出していた男の身体が大きく弾き飛ばされる。 「――どれ、少しは師匠らしいところを見せるとするか」 無論、この一撃を放ったのは獣王である。 結界を張るのに必要な一角を崩されたことで、術が不発となった聖堂騎士達が、互いに目配せし合って邪魔者の排除を優先することとした。 一方、双掌打で数メートルも弾き飛ばされながらも、平然と立ち上がった男の様子に、「ふむ」と小さく首を捻る獣王。 「腰骨を砕いた感触はあったのだが、打撃技では効果が薄いか。とは言え生物である以上、不滅ということもあるまい」 そこへ、別な騎士の突きが飛んで来るのを躱し様、膝蹴りを入れるがこれは盾で防がれる。そのまま吸血鬼の怪力で押し込もうとするのを軽く捌いて、僅かに右に流れたのを見逃さず、右手の掌底が鎧越しに心臓の真上に置かれ、 一瞬置いて、騎士の心臓が内側から揺すられ、「ぐはああ!?」悶絶したところ、背後を取って首を絞め落とす。 ガクッと白目を剥いて落ちた男を床に投げ落とすと同時に、その手から零れ落ちた十字剣を無造作に心臓に突き立てた。......絶命した男の顔は不思議と安堵の表情であった。 警戒して距離を置く残り4人に向け、拳を向ける獣王。 「心臓を揺らされれば身動きが取れなくなり、脳への血流が絶えれば意識がなくなる。人間だな」 獣王の忌憚のない感想に、なぜか取り囲む聖堂騎士達の間に、安堵のような空気が共有された。 十三魔将軍の投入で優勢に傾くかと思われた対 「ふむ? つまりコントローラーが不在ということかえ。榊らの攻撃で【アルマミス】ごと、敵の首魁が滅びたか。或いは......」 難しい顔で言葉を濁した空穂の背後で、超極細糸のネットを張り巡らせていた 「いかがいたした、始織?」 悠然と口元を扇で隠し振り返った空穂に向かって、忙しなく糸を操作しながら始織がひれ伏す。 「このわたし一生の不覚にございますっ。城外の情報収集にかまけるあまり、敵の城内への侵入を見過ごしておりました!」 「敵の人数は7......いえ、いま1名減りましたので6名。うち1名は敵吸血鬼神祖と思われます」 「敵の首魁が、このお膝元に入り込んでいるじゃと?! どこから進入した!?」 「進入経路は不明です。まるで空を飛んで――あっ!」 口元に手をやった始織と同時に、その可能性に至ったのだろう。周参が重々しく頷いた。 「左様。初回の擬似吸血鬼弾の乱射。あれは敵首魁がこの城へ乗り込むための陽動の意味があったのでしょうな」 「......まんまとしてやられたというわけかえ。――先ほど敵の数が減ったと申したな。誰ぞ交戦中であるか?」 歯噛みする空穂へ、始織が若干困惑した表情で答える。 「獣王老師と琥珀、それと稀人殿と......もう一名は 周りもさすがにこの期に及んで止めるつもりはなく。素早くその後ろに魔獣・聖獣系の部下がつき従った。 「獣王老師と琥珀は戦闘中ですが......」 「稀人殿たちは敵の首魁と口論中のようです。えーと...誰が姫様を嫁にするか......で」 「......なんじゃそれは?」 足を踏み出しかけた空穂が、思いっきり不可解な顔で振り返った。 一方、一人残っていた周参の分身体が、その目を床――さらにその遥か下を見透かすように――視線を落とした。 「......ふむ、どうやら間に合ったようだな」 を振り回す、技も何もない生来の体力と反射神経に任せての連撃を、緻密な剣技の組み立てで防ぎきる。 だが、その鋼鉄のような防御にもほころびが生まれてきていた。 全身を覆う それでも勢いに押されて、踏ん張った床に二条の溝が掘られる。 そこへさらに追加として左の剣が正確に右の剣の上に叩き込まれ、 見事に柄の先がベルナルドの心臓を貫いた。 同時に、力を使い果たし血を流しすぎた琥珀も、その場にがくりと倒れ込む。 「ベルナルド様――っ!?!」 2人目も獣王に倒され、3人に減っていた聖堂騎士たちが悲痛な叫びをあげる。 「――ありゃ。意外と脆いんでやんの」 お互いの隙を狙う三つ巴の戦いの最中、ベルナルドが斃されたのを見て白仮面がため息をついた。 「ずいぶんと余裕だな」 左右上下突き――フェイントを織り交ぜた稀人の大剣の剣技を、ふざけているとしか思えない、へらへらした動きと魔法、そして 「うおっ、と」 揃って距離を置く二人の中間で、ドリル状の刀身がほどけて渦を描いて戻った。 露骨に舌打ちをして、再度魔法を放とうとする九印へ向け、お返しとばかり これを大きく跳んで躱す九印。 状況は千日手の様相を呈してきた。 『( ́・ω・`)』な顔の白仮面の言葉に、稀人と九印はきな臭いものを感じて、一気にその場から飛び退く。 次に彼――自称パーレン・アクサン・アポストロフィ・オーム。緋雪が「しまさん」と呼ぶ男――が取った行動は、特に目立ったものではなかった。 自らの手で被っていた仮面を脱いだだけのことである。 ざあ、と純白の長い髪が流れ、白い手袋をした指が、それをかきあげるように払うと、その下から素顔があらわになった。 ――美しい。 その場に居合わせた全員が、息を呑んだ。 まさに美神とも言うべきその容姿を前に、他の者同様目を奪われる稀人であったが、同時に既知感を感じていた。 ――似ている。まるで姫陛下を裏返しにしたようだ。 男と女、黒髪と白髪、青年と少女、緋色の瞳と空色の瞳......まるで、同じコインの裏表を見ているような錯覚に陥る稀人に向かって、怖いほど魅惑的な笑みを浮かべるパーレン。 その気がまったくなくても、胸がざわめく笑みだ。 「さて、それでは、先を急ぎますので、お遊びはこのくらいにさせていただきますよ」 まるで騎士のように胸に手を当てて会釈をし、再び顔を上げたところで、白い歯を見せて微笑んだ。 その瞬間、九印がばたりと倒れ、稀人もいつの間にか両膝と片手を床に付いていた。 「――精神系の攻撃か」 忌々しげに舌打ちする獣王も、足元が覚束ない様子であった。 「ええ、私は種族スキルの『 その声を最後に、稀人はうつ伏せに倒れ、数秒堪えた獣王も、がっくりと膝を折った。 「さて、行きますよ」 その声に生き残りの聖堂騎士たちが、魂を抜かれたような表情で、フラフラとパーレンの後に続く。 「ふむ。いちおう安全の為に、彼らにトドメを差しておいてください」 倒れた稀人ら――瀕死の琥珀も含めて――を指差して、後も見ずに飄々とした足取りで一人先に行く。その背後で、聖堂騎士たちが一斉に剣を構え、倒れ伏した稀人たちへ剣先を向けた。 一瞬の躊躇なく、ある者は心臓を、ある者はその首を刎ねようと剣を振りかざす。 その時、虚空紅玉城の森閑とした廊下に、一陣の それは黒と薔薇色に飾られた風だった。 聖堂騎士たちが認識するよりも早く、彼らの剣はことごとく跳ね飛ばされ、驚愕に目を見開いた首が、揃って宙を舞った。 夥しい血飛沫とともに倒れた敵の胴体には目もくれず、即座にもっとも怪我の程度の重い、琥珀の右手を切断された箇所にくっ付けて治癒を行う。 行き過ぎようとしたパーレンが、無言のまま嬉しげに口角を上げ、ゆっくりと振り返った。 「大丈夫、助かるよ」 そう優しく囁いて全員の治癒を終えた天使が、すっくと立ち上がって、歩き出した。 その向かう先で微笑を浮かべて、大きく両手を広げるパーレン。 「ようこそ、緋雪ちゃん! お早いお着きだったね」 そんな彼に向けて、緋雪は無言のまま右手に握った透き通った刀身の両手剣――『

106 Episode Xvii: Beautiful Princess Li Wang Now, beside Stalker Three Fools having an ugly crush, there was a remodeling fight going on. "Uh-oh!! It was Princess Boogeyman Amber (Kohaku) who wielded a giant axe spear in both hands like a windmill who took the lead. Look at Bernardo as a strong enemy. No, no, no. Immediately target this and attack him once and for all. The same two swords make this happen, but both the reach, the weight and the speed of reaction of the weapon, with an awesomeness out of the ordinary orbit, were flirting with Bernardo with the sharpness of the survey, which was left to movements and instincts not in Theory on the contrary, although skill was more rough and wasteful than earlier swordsmen. The double sword and double axe spear rewards at super high speeds are repeated. Each other's weapons are bounced, inhibited, sparks and flashes splash around the two of them like fireworks, and the sound of impact propagates the floor and the wall through and out. Attacks that do not give way to one another are repeated, and from time to time each other's attacks plunder and blood flies, but they do not fall within the wounds of each other's outsiders, injuries of that magnitude, etc. That said, the original engine's horsepower is different between Bernardo, a human-based vampire, and Amber, a family member of demons from the beginning... who also has a reputation for strength and resilience. No matter how overwhelming Bernardo was with his equipment differences, moves and maneuvers, above all, that offense, unaware of his fears, had left out fine skill and damage to allow him to be present more than one another. In addition, Bernardo's tempo gradually lagged behind, as opposed to Amber, who raised his gear without knowing the ceiling, due to the fatigue caused by the reward of a sneezing swordfish with a rare person (barely) just before. "Tight junction! The (former) diocesan knights, who saw the situation as unfavourable, quickly scattered around it to draw a pentagram (pentagram) centered on amber. "Tight junction activated! Strength SS class! Expand - Gu-ha." The body of the man who was giving instructions to his buddies is bounced big. "- Which, if any, shows a bit like a master" Regardless, it was the Beast King who unleashed this blow. The breakdown of the corner necessary to establish the bond led the diocesan knights, whose art had become underdeveloped, to look at each other and prioritize the elimination of the disturbers. Meanwhile, "Hmm," the king of beasts twisting his neck small, to the appearance of a man who stood up flat, even though he was bounced a few meters with two palms. "I had the feeling of crushing my lumbar bone, but is it less effective with the strike technique? Sometimes immortality is more than just being an organism." There, another knight's thrust flies in, putting a knee kick in, but this is prevented by a shield. I gently moaned trying to push in with vampire power as it was, not missing a slight flow to the right, and the palm bottom of my right hand was placed directly over my heart over my armor, Put it down for a moment, and the knight's heart is shaken from the inside out, "Gu Ha!?" Exhausted, he takes his back and strangles him off. He threw the man who had fallen on the floor with his gaggly white eyes peeled off, and at the same time stuck a cross sword that had fallen zero out of his hand into his heart unconstitutionally.... The face of the desperate man was a look of wonder and relief. Beast King pointing his fist at the remaining four who will be vigilant and distant. "If you shake your heart, you can't move, and if your blood flow to your brain is constant, you're unconscious. You're human." An air of relief was shared among the diocesan knights who somehow surrounded them by the unabashedly sentiments of the Beast King. It was a battle against the Abandoned Dragon (Nidheck) that seemed to lean toward dominance with the input of General Thirteen Demons, but he came here to try to deepen the degree of confusion. "Hmm? Does that mean the controller's not here? Huh. Has every [Armamis] attack destroyed the leader of the enemy? Or..." Behind the clouding of words with a difficult face, the complexion of the primitive weave (shiori) that was stretching the net of ultra-fine yarn changed. "How are you, Initial Weaver? Initial weave bends over as she busily manipulates the yarn toward Ako, who gently fanned her mouth back. "I have lived my whole life unconscious. We overlooked the enemy's intrusion into the castle too much to gather information outside the castle! "The number of enemies is seven... no, we're down one now, so six. One of them seems to be the enemy vampire godfather." "The leader of the enemy is entering this knee?! Where did you get in from!? "The route of entry is unknown. It's like flying in the sky. I guess it came to that possibility at the same time as the initial weave that did the hand to the mouth. Zhou Jin nodded heavily. "Dear Left, First random shooting of pseudo-vampire bullets. That must have meant something positive for the enemy chief to get into the castle." "... you mean he was hit as a maniac. - You said the number of enemies had decreased earlier. Who are you fighting? Answer with a slightly puzzled expression to the teeth-beating open ear. "The Beast King, the Old Master and Amber, and the Rare Hall... the other one looks like a demon ghost (Oni) male, but the person in question is unknown" I'm not going to stop around just this time of year either. A warcraft/holy beast system subordinate quickly followed behind it. "The Beast King Old Master and Amber are in battle..." "The rare lords seem to be arguing with the leader of the enemy. Um... who will daughter-in-law the princess... so" "... What's that? Akaho, who nearly stepped out of his foot, looked back with the most puzzling face he could think of. Meanwhile, the body of the circumferential ginseng that was left alone dropped its gaze on the floor - even more so as to see far below it. "... Hmm, apparently you made it" With a roar, he wields an axe spear (Hulbert), leaving it to his natural strength and reflex nerves without moves or anything to prevent a series of attacks with an elaborate sword technique assembly. But a broom was also being created in its steel-like defenses. Spiritual light (aura) covering the entire body is clearly weakening. If I take any more time, I will be jilli poor. Still, pushed by the momentum, two trenches are dug on the stepped floor. As a further addition there, the left sword was struck precisely over the right sword, and the sword flash with the spirit light (aura) drew the crossword. Brilliantly, the tip of the pattern pierced Bernardo's heart. At the same time, Amber, who exhausted his power and bled too much, falls into the spot. "Dear Bernardo -!?! The second is also defeated by the Beast King, and the Cathedral Knights, who were reduced to three, cry out sadly. "- Well, it's surprisingly brittle." During the battle of the triplets targeting each other's gaps, the white mask sighed when he saw Bernardo shot. "That's a lot to spare." Left, right, up, down - White mask with snake-bellied sword (Gallian Sword), all I can think of is joking about is the sword moves and magic of a rare man weaving a feint. "Whoa." Between the two, aligned and distanced, the drilled sashimi unraveled and drew a vortex back. Tongue-in-cheek blatantly, to the Nine Seals trying to unleash magic again, the snake-bellied sword (Galliansword), as its name suggests, proceeded in a snake-like motion that brought forth a sickle neck. Nine seals that jump this big. The situation has presented the appearance of a thousand hands. In the words of the white mask of the '(' * o * ')' face, the rare man and the Nine Seals feel something smelly and jump off the spot at once. Next he - calling himself Paren Aksan Apostrophic Ohm. The action taken by the man whom Scarlet Snow calls "Mr. Shima" was not particularly noticeable. I just took off the mask that I wore with my own hands. And a long, pure white hair flowed, and a finger with white gloves, when he paid to lift it up, his face was revealed from under it. - Beautiful. Everyone who was there was breathtaking. Precisely before that appearance, which should also be referred to as the god of beauty, he was a rare man who, like others, was blinded, but at the same time felt a sense of knowledge. - Similar. It's like turning Her Majesty upside down. Man and woman, brunette and gray hair, youth and girl, scarlet eyes and empty eyes...... paren with a scarily seductive grin towards a rare person in the illusion of looking at the back of the same coin. Even if I don't feel like it at all, my chest is grinning. "Well, we'll hurry up, so we'll leave you to play." I put my hand on my chest as if I were a knight and had a rendezvous, and when I looked up again, I showed my white teeth and smiled. At that moment, when the Nine Seals fell, the rare man also had both knees and one hand on the floor at some point. - An attack on the mental system. And the king of the beast, who tongued with abomination, was as if his feet were not bound. "Yeah, I also kanst" Charm "in addition to" Eye of Demons "in my race skills. Other than boss monsters, it has a 100 percent effect. It's a lot to know that you're still conscious in this state... because you're still at level 3. Hi, you guys feel more troublesome than pure combat power, so let me take you up to level 10 at once. Okay, have a good dream." At the end of the voice, the rare man fell into depression, and the king of beasts, who had lasted a few seconds, broke his knee with disappointment. "Well, I'll be there." Surviving diocesan knights in their voices follow the flirtatious and parren with a soul-plucked look. "Hmm. Todd them for safety." I point to the fallen rare people - including the dying amber - and go one first in the floating footsteps without even looking at them afterwards. Behind it, the cathedral knights set up their swords together, pointing their swordtips at the fallen and lying rare men. Without a moment's hesitation, some wield their hearts, while others wave their swords to snap their necks. At that time, a wind blew through the idyllic corridors of Vacant Red Jade Castle. It was a wind decorated in black and rosy. Faster than the Cathedral knights perceived, all their swords were jumped, and their necks, with their eyes open in amazement, danced all together into the universe. The body of the enemy that collapsed with the opponent's blood splash is blind, and immediately healed by attaching Amber's right hand to the severed area, the heaviest degree of injury. Paren, who tried to go too far, raised her mouth angle with joy silently, looking back slowly. "It's okay, it'll help." The angel, who whispered so gently and finished healing everyone, rose up completely and walked out. Pearlen smiles across the street and opens her hands wide. "Welcome, Scarlet Snow! You've arrived early." Towards him like that, Scarlet Snow set up a clear, full-handed, two-handed sword that he held silently in his right hand - "The Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)".

幕間 否定告白 私の本名はジャンカルロ・エリージョ・ベルトーニ。 ベルトーニ家は貴族とはいえ下級の 私と殿下ですか? さあどうでしょう、私はあくまで殿下の忠実な臣下のつもりでいましたが。 そんな関係でちょうど私を出産したばかりの母が、同時期に産まれた殿下の乳母となったようです。 まあ、他にも何人か乳母はいたようですが、なぜか殿下は母以外の乳母を嫌がったそうで――そうですね、生まれつき女性の好みはうるさかったのかも知れませんね。 ・・・正直申し上げて私もヒユキ陛下ほど美しい女性はお目にかかったことはございませんので、殿下が夢中になられたのも得心できます。、 とはいえ母も産まれたばかりの私を放って、一日殿下にかかりきりになるわけにもいかず。 ・・・そうですね、もともと庶民的な 結果、もの心付く前から王宮で殿下と一緒に育てられることになりました。 本当の兄弟のようにですか? いえ気が付いた時には周囲から口を酸っぱくして、お互いの身分の違いのことは強く言われていたので、必要以上に馴れ合うつもりはありませんでした。 そもそも私には他の兄弟がいますが、お互いに干渉することはありませんね。実際、貴族社会であれ、庶民であれどこも同じです。産まれた時から長子、次男、三男と明確な差があるものです。 ――ええ、その通りです。殿下ときたらそうしたことには無頓着で、周囲の忠告にも耳を貸さずに、どこに行くにも連れ回されましたよ。 そうですね。仰られるように、恵まれた者の鷹揚さというか、鈍感さと言えるかも知れませんが、多少なりとも私も楽しんでいたのは確かですね。 そんなわけで幼い頃は殿下の遊び相手、もっと身も蓋もない言い方をするなら『殿下のオモチャ』という扱いでしたね。 その役割が変化したのは殿下が11歳の時。ええ、暗殺者の襲撃後です。 7歳になる頃には私も幼年学校に通うことになり、以前のように頻繁に殿下とお会いする機会もなくなっていたのですが、あの襲撃があった日から何日か経って、父と共に国王陛下の下へ呼び出され、内密の話として切り出されました、殿下の侍従となるように、そして殿下の行動を逐一報告せよと。 おそらく国王陛下を始め王宮の皆様は恐ろしかったのでしょう、わずか11歳にして手練れの暗殺者8人を返り討ちにする殿下を。 なので気を許している私に、猫の首の鈴になれという命令ですね。 ええ、勿論断ることなどできませんでしたし、命令どおりその日あったことを逐一文書で報告していましたよ。 ・・・殿下ですか? どうでしょう。ある程度私が侍従になった理由は理解していたと思いますが、素直に喜んでくれましたよ。 「また一緒にいられるな!」と言って、それは嬉しそうに笑っていました。 それからは本当に毎日が目まぐるしい日々でした。 殿下に付き合って冒険者の真似事までさせられ――ええ、いちおうCランクの冒険者証は持っています。 いえいえ、とんでもない。半分以上殿下のおこぼれに預かった結果ですよ。 なにしろ殿下ときたらわずか2年で、大陸にも50人といないSランクを得たのですからね。 いえ、妬ましいという気持ちは一切ありません。 逆に誇らしかったですよ、これほど素晴らしい人物とともに歩める自分が。 私にとって殿下は羨望であり、見果てぬ夢の体現でしたから。 とは言えそうして庶民と交わるうちに、いつしか殿下の心に貧富の差や身分制による弊害が重く影を落とすようになってきたようで、表にこそ出しませんでしたが心の奥には忸怩たる思いがあったのでしょう――そして世の中には、そうした臭いを嗅ぎ分ける 言葉巧みに殿下に近づき、絵空事のような理想を吹き込み始めました・・・ええ、まったくその通りで、それほど立派な理想なら自分で努力すれば良いと思うのですがね。 なんとか私もそうした輩から殿下を切り離そうとはしたのですが、一度心に根を張った理想は存外深く、殿下の心に食い込んでしまったらしく、私の目を逃れてまで連中と接触するようになる始末でして・・・。 この辺りで王宮側も危機感を抱いたようで、より密な情報を収集するように言われました。 やむなく私も表向き殿下の理想に共感したフリをして、行動を共にするようにしました。 ここで得られた情報を元に、連中の構成やアジト、人員の詳細については詳細に報告してありますので、恐らく今頃は一網打尽でしょうね。 ・・・ええ、特にどうとも思いません。もともと絵空事ですし、結局のところは自分たちの利権のために、殿下をそそのかした連中ですから。 そしてもう一つ受けた命令が、これ以上殿下が政治に口出しするようなら、私の手で殿下を 悩まなかったかと言えば勿論嘘になりますが、正直申し上げてそんなことにはならないだろう、こんなものは一時の熱病であり、英明な殿下であれば現実を理解してくださるだろうと思っていました。 ですがその後も殿下は政治運動に邁進し、さらには事もあろうに、魔物の国と取り引きまでしようとしている。 王宮のほうも大いに慌てましたよ。 そして、後手に回っているうちにお二人の会見が決定し――まさかあれほどヒユキ陛下の腰が軽いとは思いませんでした――至急、伝えられた命令は、このまま殿下が外患を誘致するのであれば始末せよ、というものでした。 私は殿下の無防備な背中を見ながらずっと悩んでいました。 この手で、いま、殿下を 』と呼んで下さった殿下に、その場で全てを告白して許しを請いたい気持ちが爆発しそうでした。 「私は貴方にそんなことを言っていただく価値のない男なんです! どうか貴方の手で私を罰してください!」 そう足元に取りすがれたらどんなに楽かと。 ・・・ですが、できませんでした。私の失敗はベルトーニ家の失態。 父個人が国王陛下と親しいといえ・・・いえ、だからこそ逆に、宮廷スズメたちはここぞとばかり責め立てるでしょうから、我が家程度の下級貴族はひとたまりもなく廃絶でしょう。 そうです、私は殿下の信頼と我が家とを天秤にかけ、殿下を裏切ったのです。 ですが、幸いインペリアル・クリムゾンとの共闘は白紙となり、これで幾ばくかの時間は稼げました。 そこで私は殿下と政治運動とを切り離す最後の賭けに出ました。 そうです、アンジェリカ様に犠牲になっていただくことで、殿下に理想と現実の違いを知っていただく。また、感情的にも自分が守ろうとしていた市民が、自分の最愛の者を奪ったことにより隔意を抱くようにと。 保養所の人員の配置をして、もともと素行に問題のあったあの若者たちを行動に移させるのは実に簡単でしたよ。 私の手の者がしたり顔で、 「君たちが1杯のスープを飲むのに苦労しているのに、王族はこうしてぬくぬくと贅沢をしている。これは君らの血税によって賄われたものだ、ならそれを取り戻すのは当然の権利じゃないかね?」 ・・・その通りですね。あの手の輩は、大義名分を与えられればソレが正しいことと、疑わずにどんな非道なことでも当然のこととして行いますからね。 ですが・・・・・・これは私が殿下を見誤っていたのでしょうか? それほどの事があっても殿下は進むのを辞めなかった・・・。 ◆◇◆◇ 「・・・それで、君の告解は終わりかな?」 面白くもなさそうな顔で、もとはアシル王子の使っていた椅子に、黒よりも赤を強調したパゴダスリーブのドレスを着て座っていた緋雪が、カルロ卿に確認した。 アシル王子の私室、その中央に安置された遺体は明日には神殿の大司祭立会いの下、葬儀が執り行なわれ、王家の墓所に運ばれる手はずになっている。 侍従として最後の別れの晩になる今夜、ただ一人遺体の傍で、まんじりともせずその顔を眺めていたカルロは、ふと夜風とレースのカーテンのざわめき、そしていつの間にか開け放たれた窓の下に佇む、月の化身のような美貌の主を確認し......驚くよりも先に、どこかほっとした面持ちで、尋ねられるまま自分の内面を吐露したのだった。 「はい。ヒユキ陛下、私を罰しますか?」 むしろ罰して欲しいと懇願するような声音のカルロ卿に向かって、緋雪は小ばかにするように小さく鼻を鳴らして答えた。 「なんでさ? これは君らの内部の問題だろう。私がとやかく言う筋合いのことじゃないねぇ」 「しかし、貴族院は今回の事件をすべて陛下とお国へ擦り付ける腹です。私がその原因でもあるのですから、陛下には私を処断する十分な理由があるはずです」 いつになく必死な表情で重ねて訴えるカルロ。 「いやぁ、別に君個人が絵を描いたわけじゃないだろう? なら裏で手を引いて虎の尾を踏んだ馬鹿どもに、責任を負ってもらうだけだね」 暗にお前の命などどうでもいいと言われて、カルロは唇を噛んだ。 その間にさっさと椅子から立ち上がった緋雪は、花で飾られた棺の中に眠るアシル王子の顔を覗き込んだ。 「馬鹿だ馬鹿だとは思ってたけど、最後まで馬鹿だったねぇ。馬鹿は死ななきゃ直らないって言うけど、直るもんかねぇ」 後半は小声で呟いたせいでカルロの耳には届かなかったが、ここで顔を上げた緋雪は悪戯っぽい笑みを浮かべた。 「最後のお別れをしたいんで、ちょっと顔を背けてもらえないかな?」 律儀に立って壁際まで移動して、カルロは背中を向ける。 その様子に目を細め、完全にこちらに背を向けているのを確認して、おもむろにアシル王子の顔に覆いかぶさるように口元を近づけた。 くちゃっというわずかに湿り気を帯びた音がカルロの耳に届き――数呼吸の間を置いて、緋雪の上体が戻る気配がした。 「――まあ、こんなもんかな。あとは運次第だねぇ」 同時に立ち上がる気配がして、カルロは慌てて振り返った。 「このままお帰りになるのですか?」 「まあねえ、これからいろいろと忙しくなりそうだし。長居もしてられないさ」 そう言って不敵に笑った緋雪の口元から、常になく伸びた犬歯が零れ落ちる。 「・・・本当に私を処罰されないのですか? 私はその心積もりで全てを告白したのですが」 「だからそれは私の役目じゃないよ。話を聞いたのは、別れ際に王子に付けといたバイパスがいきなり切れた理由が知りたかっただけだしねぇ。まあ、君にとっちゃ一生罪を胸に抱えていた方がつらいんじゃないの?」 それから緋雪はひょいと肩をすくめた。 「まあ運が良けりゃ、そのうち処罰すべき資格のある者が、君を処罰に訪れるかも知れないしね」 「――それはどういう?」 「可能性の話だよ。いまのところ3割ってところだろうし、後は君の信じる神にでも祈っておくしかないねぇ」 混乱するカルロを置いて、緋雪は窓際へと進んでいった。 「それにしてもさ。君たちは良く似ているねぇ」 「――は?」 「逆境になると自殺したがるところとか、他人の手を借りたがるところとかそっくりだよ。君は友人ではないって言ってたけど、こういうのを類友って言うんじゃないかね?」 その言葉に、カルロは呆然と目を見開いた。 そして次に気が付いた時には、緋雪の姿は幻のように消えていた。 カルロの呟きが開いた窓から夜風に乗って、夜の闇へと消えて行った。

33 Tabernacle Denial Confession My real name is Giancarlo Eligio Bertoni. The Bertoni family is a subordinate Baron (Baron), albeit aristocratic, so I could not have served beside His Royal Highness in my original capacity, etc., but I have heard that my father had a friendship that transcended his identity with His Majesty in a relationship where he was a close guard of the current King when he was younger. Me and Your Highness? I don't know, though I was only meant to be His Highness's loyal servant. It seems that my mother, who just gave birth to me in such a relationship, became Her Royal Highness's nanny born at the same time. Well, there seemed to be several other nannies, but for some reason His Highness hated non-mother nannies - well, maybe women were born with loud tastes. ... To be honest, I've never seen a woman as beautiful as His Majesty Hiyuki either, so I can also be good at His Highness being obsessed. Nevertheless, I can't let go of my mother, who was just born, and take a day to His Highness. ... Well, she was originally a common woman (one), so you wouldn't have hesitated to abandon my son if she were another noble lady. As a result, I was raised with His Royal Highness at the Royal Palace long before I realized anything. Like a real brother? No. I didn't mean to get more tamed with it than I had to because when I realized it, I soured my mouth out of my surroundings and was strongly told about the differences in identities between them. I have other brothers in the first place, but you don't interfere with each other. In fact, it is the same everywhere, whether it is an aristocratic society or a common people. It's something that makes a clear difference from birth to the eldest, second and third sons. - Yeah, you're right. My lord, I was indifferent to those things, and they took me everywhere without listening to my surrounding advice. Right. As they say, I might say the eagle frying of the blessed, or dull, but I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it, too. That's why, at an early age, your highness's playmate, if you're going to say it in a way that doesn't have more body or lid, you treated it like 'your highness's toy'. The role changed when His Royal Highness was 11. Yeah, after the assassin's raid. By the time I was 7 years old, I would be attending kindergarten school too, and I had no longer had the opportunity to see His Highness as often as I had before, but a few days after the day of that raid, I was summoned with my father to His Majesty the King, cut out as a confidential story, to be His Highness's samurai, and to report every act of His Highness. Perhaps everyone in the royal palace, starting with His Majesty the King, was horrified, at just 11 years of age, to return eight hand-worked assassins. So you're giving me an order to be the bell on the cat's neck. Yeah, I couldn't say no, of course, and I was reporting in writing what happened that day, as ordered. ... Your Highness? What do you think? I think you understood why I became a samurai to some extent, but you were honestly delighted. "Don't be with me again!," he said, laughing happily. From then on, every day was really a dazzling day. His Royal Highness made me hang out with you and even make you look like an adventurer - yeah, I have my C-rank Adventurer ID today. No, it's outrageous. It's the result of more than half of your spills. Anyway, Your Highness, it was only two years ago, and you got an S-rank with no more than 50 people on the continent. No, I don't feel jealous at all. On the contrary, I was proud that I could walk with such a wonderful person. Because to me His Highness was envy and an unexpected manifestation of dreams. That said, when I interacted with the common people, it seemed that the difference between the rich and the poor and the harm caused by my identity had only begun to cast a heavy shadow on His Highness's mind, and I didn't put it on the table, but I guess there was a feeling behind my heart - and there are seniors (from Ya) in the world who smell those odors. Words cleverly approached His Royal Highness and began to breathe in picturesque ideals... yes, you're absolutely right, and I think you should try yourself if you're such a fine ideal. I also managed to disconnect His Highness from those students, but the ideal that once took root in my heart was endless, and it seemed to have devoured His Highness's heart, and it was the beginning and end of becoming in contact with them until I escaped my eyes... The royal palace side also seemed to have a sense of crisis around here and was told to gather more confidential information. Instead I also pretended to empathize with His Highness's ideals on the face, trying to act together. Based on the information obtained here, we have reported in detail on the composition of the people, as well as on the Azit and personnel details, so we'll probably be exhausted by now. ... Yeah, I don't particularly care. It was originally a pictorial affair, and in the end, for our own rights, because they are the ones who turned His Highness aside. And the other order I received was that if His Royal Highness were to speak to politics any more, I would reverse His Highness with my hands. Of course it would be a lie if I didn't bother you, but to be honest, it wouldn't happen, I thought this stuff was a temporary fever and that if you were a wise lord, you would understand reality. But even after that, His Highness has stepped into a political movement and, even more importantly, is trying to make a deal with the Land of Demons. I panicked a lot more at the Royal Palace. And while I was turning to the rear, the meeting between the two of you decided - I didn't think His Majesty's hips would be as light as that - that as soon as possible, the order conveyed was that if His Highness were to attract an external illness as it were, it should be terminated. I've been troubled watching His Highness's defenseless back. Do we have to reverse His Highness with this hand? The desire to confess everything and beg forgiveness on the spot seemed to explode to His Highness, who covered me like that and bowed his head and called me a 'friend'. "I'm not the man you deserve to say that to! Please punish me with your hands! I wonder how easy it would be if I could take it to my feet. ... but I couldn't. My failure is the failure of the Bertoni family. Though my father personally is close to His Majesty the King... no, that is why, on the contrary, the court tins will blame this place all the time, so there will be no one inferior noblemen of our order ever to be abolished. Yes, I put His Highness's trust and our home on the scale and betrayed His Highness. But fortunately, working with Imperial Crimson has been blank, and this has earned me some time. So I took my last bet to separate His Highness from the political movement. Yes, by sacrificing to Dear Angelica, His Highness will know the difference between ideal and reality. He also said that the citizens he was trying to protect emotionally would be more isolated by taking away his beloved. It was really easy to maneuver the nursery and get those young people who originally had problems with their behavior into action. With my hands or my face, "Even though you guys are having a hard time drinking a cup of soup, the royal family is so muddy and luxurious. This was paid for by your blood taxes, so isn't it natural for you to get it back? ... you're right. Those hands will do the right thing if they give you a big nickname and any outrageous things without a doubt. But... was this I misjudging His Highness? Your Highness didn't quit moving on even after all that... * * * * "... so, is your confession over? With a face that seemed uninteresting, Scarlet Snow, who originally sat in a chair used by Prince Achill in a pagoda sleeve dress that emphasized red more than black, confirmed to Sir Carlo. Prince Asil's private chamber, the body resting in its centre, is to be held tomorrow in the presence of the High Priest of the Temple, with a funeral to be carried out and handed over to the royal cemetery. Tonight, the last evening of farewell as a samurai, just beside the body of one, Carlo, looking at its face without a trace, confirmed the Lord of beauty, like the incarnation of the moon, nestled under the furrowing night breeze and the racing curtains, and at some point open windows... before surprise, with a relieved face somewhere, he exposed his inner surface as he was asked. "Yes. Sire Hiyuki, will you punish me? To Sir Carlo, who sounded rather begging him to punish him, Scarlet Snow answered with a small snort to make a mockery of him. "Why? This must be your internal problem. [M] That's not what I'm talking about anyway." "But the House of Lords is a belly that rubs all this incident against His Majesty and your country. Because I am also the cause, Your Majesty must have good reason to cut me off." Carlo sues over and over with a desperate look sometime. "Hey, nothing. You didn't paint it personally, did you? Then just hold the fools who stepped on the tiger's tail in the back accountable." Carlo bit his lip when he told me he didn't care about your life in the dark. Scarlet Snow, who had just risen from his chair in the meantime, peered into Prince Achille's face sleeping in a coffin decorated with flowers. "I thought you were stupid, but you were stupid to the end. Fools say you have to die to fix it, but I don't know if it'll fix it." The second half didn't reach Carlo's ear because he whispered, but Scarlet Snow, with his face up here, gave him a pranky grin. "I want to say my final goodbye, so could you turn your face away for a second? Standing in discipline and moving to the wall, Carlo turns his back. I narrowed my eyes to the look of it, making sure I was totally turning my back on this one, and put my mouth nearer to cover it in Prince Asil's face, most importantly. A slightly damp sound of cuckoo reached Carlo's ear - putting it between a few breaths and there were signs that Scarlet Snow's upper body would return. "- Well, I guess this is it. And then it depends on your luck." At the same time he felt signs of standing up and Carlo looked back in haste. "Are you going home like this? "Well, hey, I'm going to be busy with a lot of things. I can't stay long." From the mouth of Scarlet Snow, who said so and laughed invincibly, there is always zero stretched dog teeth. "... are you sure you won't punish me? I confessed everything with my heart." "So that's not my role. I just wanted to know why the bypass I put on the prince when we broke up suddenly ran out. Well, isn't it harder for you to have sinned in your chest for the rest of your life? Then Scarlet Snow shrugged her shoulders. "Well, if you're lucky, someone who deserves to be punished might come and punish you." "- What's that? "I'm talking about possibilities. So far, I guess it's 30%, and I'll have to pray to God you believe in." Leaving Carlo in confusion, Scarlet Snow proceeded to the window. "Nevertheless. You guys look a lot alike." "- What?" "It's just like wanting to commit suicide when it comes to adversity, or wanting to hold someone else's hand. You said you weren't my friend, but you call this kind of friend, right? Carlo glanced at the words. And the next time I realized, Scarlet Snow's appearance had disappeared like an illusion. Carlo's grunt rode through the open window into the night breeze and vanished into the darkness of the night.

第五話 少年教皇 大聖堂の礼拝堂にある祭壇の奥に隠された小部屋があることを知る者は少ない。そして、実際にその部屋に足を踏み入れた者はさらに限られている。 なにしろそこに入れる者はイーオン聖王国の最高位『大教皇』だけなのだから。 三人の人間が、祭壇に祈りを捧げていた。 普段であれば祭壇の奥には、蒼き神と異形の魔王や獣人達との壮絶な戦いが描かれた壁画が真っ先に目に入る。だが、今宵ばかりはその壁画が中央から真っ二つに割れて、人一人が通れるほどの隙間から青白い光が漏れていた。 何者かの訪問を待つように、一人の少年を先頭に、三角形を描く形で祈りを捧げていた三人が、ふと、顔を上げた。 「......猊下。いらっしゃいましたぞ」 少年の背後で両膝を付いていた二人の老人の一人が呟いた。 三人がまとうのは穢れなき白き長衣。 老人二人は聖教枢機卿を示す紫の帯を巻いているのに対して、少年は空のように青い帯を巻いていた。それはすなわち聖教最高位を現す帯だった。 開かれた通路の奥から固い足音が近づいて来る。足音は徐々に大きくなって来た。 一層頭を下げる一同の前に、ついに足音の主が姿を現した。 その人物はマントを翻し、傲然と祭壇の前に立ち。それに一歩遅れて翼を大きく広げ、ふわりともう一つの影がその背後に付き従うように降り立つ。 片や銀色の曇り一つない精緻な装飾を施した鎧に身を包んだ金髪の青年剣士であり、片やその背に純白の一対の翼を持った紅い髪の少女の姿をした天使であった。 「イーオン聖王国大教皇ウェルナー・バーニ」 剣士の前に一歩進み出た天使が口を開く。 「――はっ」 少年が深く頭を下げる。 「同じく枢機卿アレッシオ・ダントーニ。枢機卿サンドロ・ブラージ」 「「はっ」」 「面を上げなさい」顔を上げた三人を確認して、天使は淡々とした仕草で首肯した。「......相違ないことを確認しました。同席を許可します」 「「「ははーっ」」」 再び深く頭を下げる三人。 それを確認して天使が再び青年の後ろへと下がる。 「まずは現状を確認したい。事態はいかに進展し、聖教はいかなる対応をとる所存か?」 代わって青年が口を開いた。 』ベルナルド・グローリア・カーサス以下5,102名全員が未帰還――」 アレッシオと呼ばれた老人が震える舌で、ようやく唾を飲み込みながら言葉に出した。 「また、ユース大公国の不浄なる魔物どもはいまだ健在であることを確認いたしております。これにより......遠征軍は任務に失敗し、全滅したものと見なしております」 しんとした空気が礼拝堂を支配するが、青年剣士も天使も微塵も動じた様子もなく、「それで?」と続きを促した。 「......こ、これにより、現在第二次遠征軍の編成中でございます」 アレッシオに代わって、もう一人の枢機卿サンドロが答えた。 その目がひれ伏したまま、震えて先ほどから一言も口を聞かない少年――大教皇ウェルナーに向けられる。 ――やっぱ現状、自由に動かせる最大火力は緋雪さんのところだけか。理想としては緋雪さんが自発的に出張ってくれれば御の字なんだが、貸し借りもない見知らぬ他人を助けに来るわけもないか。 やって来る相手を撃退することを、七面鳥撃ち感覚で楽しんでいる様子すら窺えた。 彼らにとって見れば良い娯楽なのだろう。 と協力して事に当たるべきだろうが、どう考えても聖教の石頭のジジイどもが納得するわけないしな。せめて、このガキがもうちょっと使えるんなら、トップダウンで勅命が下せるんだが、そんな度胸も威厳もないし。 やはり、俺がこの場で意見するしかないかと、内心大いにため息をつきながら、改めて威儀を正した。 「蒼神の意向を伝える。ユース大公国の現状を看過してはならぬ。あのおぞましき者どもは神意に反するものであり、これを滅ぼすためであればいかなる手段を行使しても構わぬ」 ここまでは彼らも予想済みの言葉だろう。だが、問題は次だ。 「その為であれば、他国との協力もやむなしだ」 「それは、つまり、グラウィオール帝国軍と共同戦線を張れ......という意味でございますか?」 サンドロの問いに重々しく頷く。 「それも......?」 怪訝な顔で眉を寄せるサンドロの隣で、なにかに気が付いたアレッシオの顔色が目まぐるしく変化した。 そのままポックリ逝きそうな顔で、言葉にならない老人達に向かって畳み掛ける。 「左様。聖典にもある通り、人ならざる者はすなわち神の恩寵を知らぬ哀れな罪人。だが、此度の難事に対して蒼神は特別に慈悲をお与えになられた。無論、奴らも滅ぼすべき対象ではあるが、その前に現世において多少なりとも徳を積ませることで、哀れな彼らの来世に多少なりとも恩赦を与えようという蒼神の思し召しである」 「し、しかしそれは......」 「蒼神の詔である。 「は、ははっ......かしこまりました」 心臓を鷲掴みにされたような圧迫感に、二人は脂汗を垂らしながら平伏した。 「では。大教皇ウェルナーよ、難事にあたり蒼神から直々の御神託がある。重大な内容だ。これより神託の間へと移動する。付いて参れ」 「.........」 面倒臭げに指示された天使がウェルナーの傍まで歩いて行き、そのまま猫の子でも扱うように首根っこを掴んで、ずるすると引き摺って来た。 見れば少年の――軽薄そうだが見ようによっては――整った顔立ちが完全に弛緩して、白目を剥いていた。 どうやら緊張のあまり途中から気絶していたらしい。 「......起こしますか?」 再度説明するのも面倒なので、 天使 に『封印の十字架』なんて渡して大丈夫なんですか?」 らぽっくの当然ともいえる懸念を受けて、青い異形の男はフンと軽い嘲笑を浮かべた。 「構わんよ。どうせあれは有り合わせで作った安物だ。一回使えば粉々に砕けるだろうさ。――まァ、その方が良いか。行方不明の本物の対吸血鬼用封印魔具は、下手に残しておいたせいでバカが封印を解いてしまったのだからな」 ふと、窓際に立っていたもう一人――エルフで狩人の恰好をした、20歳前後と見られる女性が首を捻った。 「そう上手くはいかん。奴を生み出した際にセーブポイントとして石棺を用意して置いたからな。たとえ死んでも多少弱体化する程度ですぐに復活する仕様だ。前もって石棺を破壊しておけば良いのだが、おそらく奴のことだ発見できないよう隠蔽済みだろう。 面倒だが封印するのが確実だ。 とはいえ奴を封印するには同等以上の魔力がないと無理だからな。この世界でそれができるのは、俺か緋雪くらいなもの。なにしろアレは使用者の魔力に応じた効果しか与えられん魔具だからな」 「他の者が使った場合には効果はないのですか?」 エルフ娘の疑問に、ふむと顎の下に手を当てる男。 「おそらくはな。効果がないか......お前らなら、数時間程度は動きを止める事ができるかも知れんが、それだけだ。いちおう人間としてはかなり魔力の強い、さっきの大教皇クラスでは数分程度といったところか。――ま、こればかりは当人を相手に実験できんからな」 ちなみに聖教では大教皇に選ばれる者は、神の神託によるものとされているが、なんのことはない、聖王国内で一番魔力(MP)の大きいものを選択しているだけで、そこには個人の資質や信仰心など一切関与されていないのである。 「なるほど。それで『封印の十字架』をあのガキ経由で緋雪さんに渡すわけですか」 納得した顔で頷いたらぽっくだが、再び不思議そうな顔になった。 「ですが、なんであのバカから直接渡すように指示したんですか? 間に人を挟んでも良かったと思いますけど?」 「バカだからいいのさ」侮蔑をたっぷり込めて男が断言した。「下手に小賢しい奴や、凝ったやり方で渡すと緋雪のことだ、なにか裏があると読んで使わない可能性があるからな。そこであのバカの出番だ。緋雪の奴は、妙にあの手のバカの世話を焼きたがる傾向にある。さほど疑わずに使うだろう。――ま、一応保険は掛けておくか」 そう呟いて、男は窓際に立っていたエルフ娘に視線をやった。 「亜茶子。お前は大教皇の傍について、上手く渡せるよう誘導してやれ。らぽっく、お前はタメゴローと協力して緋雪に万が一がないよう救助できるよう待機しておけ」 「緋雪さんのサポートですか?」 戸惑いと若干の安堵をにじませる、らぽっく。 「ああ、相手が相手だ。緋雪の命を第一に優先しろ。......なにしろ緋雪はこの世界で唯一、俺と同じ本物の魂を持った大切な伴侶だからな。失うわけにはいかん。――わかったな?」 「はい。タメゴローにも伝えておきます」 「ええ、緋雪ちゃんの命は守ってみせます」 ――命だけはね。 内心でひとつの企てを目論み、冷笑を浮かべる亜茶子。 そんなことも知らず、青い男は遠い空の果て。緋雪を想ってほくそ笑んだ。 「ま。緋雪も俺と同じ選ばれた人間だ。そうそう死ぬことはないだろうが」 その頃の空中庭園。 虚空紅玉城大広間で行われた、円卓会議終了後の四凶天王、七禍星獣、十三魔将軍、八十八冥道長(各魔族の有力者)たちとの食事会の席上で、ボクは 「カレーに醤油をかけるとか、味音痴じゃないのか!」 「そっちこそソースなんて、ドロドロしたものかけて気持ち悪いだろうが!」 「ドロドロじゃないっ、ウスターソースだ!」 「「胃腸薬かけてる貴様には言われたくないわっ!!」」 「――んだとこら!?」 「まったく、若い者はこれだから......おい、七味はないのか?」 「唐辛子ィ?! オイオイ、爺さんボケたか。カレーにはタバスコだろうが」 「かかっ。若いのぉ。七味の味もわからんケツの青い餓鬼が」 「おいおい。喧嘩はよしてくれ。つーか、隣で辛いものかけないでくれるかな。せっかくのマヨネーズの風味が逃げるから」 「「そんなゲテモノどーでもいい!!」」 「あの、命都様......麻婆豆腐にカレーを乗せるのはどーかと想うのですけど......?」 「私の嗜好になにか問題でも?」 「まったく、カレーのトッピング如きで嘆かわしい」 「こりゃ、天涯よ。生卵や納豆、トマトケチャップをかけるのはお主の自由じゃが、ぐちゃぐちゃ掻き回すのは、どうにも見苦しくていかんぞ。食欲が無うなる」 と、言うことで現在、大広間中に雷撃とか破壊光線とか火炎とか、次元断層とか謎エネルギーとかが飛び交っています。 直撃こそしないものの、次々かする攻撃の余波で HPも残り数ドットというところで、MPも切れ始めました。 今度と言う今度こそダメかも知れないです。 なんか目の前が暗くなってきました。 ――おやすみパ○ラッシュ。 誰だ、食事会にカレーなんて用意したのは......?

92 Lesson 5: The Juvenile Pope Few people know that there is a hidden little room behind the altar in the cathedral chapel. And those who actually set foot in that room are even more limited. Anyway, the only one who can get in there is the 'Archpope', the highest ranking in the Eon Holy Kingdom. Three humans were praying on the altar. Normally, behind the altar, a mural depicting a spectacular battle between the pale god and the alien demon kings and beasts first comes to my attention. But all this evening, the mural broke into two straight pieces from the center, and the blue and white light was leaking out of a gap enough for each person to get through. Three people who were praying in the form of triangles, led by one boy, raised their faces, as they waited for someone's visit. "... under. There you are." One of the two old men, both kneeling behind the boy, muttered. What the three of them put together is an unclean white long coat. The two old men were wrapped around purple bands showing the Episcopal Cardinal, while the boy was wrapped around blue bands like the sky. That was the belt that manifested the highest ecclesiastical rank. Hard footsteps approach from the back of the open passage. The footsteps gradually grew louder. Before we lowered our heads even further, the Lord of Footsteps finally appeared. The man flipped his cloak and stood arrogantly before the altar. One step behind it spreads its wings wide and descends so that the flutter and the other shadow follow behind it. He was a blonde young swordsman dressed in fine decorated armor with no cloudy or silver colour, and an angel who looked like a red-haired girl with a pair of wings in pure white on one or its back. "Werner Barni, Archbishop of the Holy King of Aeon" An angel steps forward in front of a swordsman opens his mouth. "- Ha." The boy bows his head deeply. "Likewise Cardinal Alessio D'Antoni. Cardinal Sandro Bludge" "" Ha. " "Raise your face," the angel agreed with a pale trick, confirming the three who raised their faces. "... have confirmed that there is no difference. Allow attendance" "" Ha-ha-ha "" Three people bowing their heads deeply again. Confirm that and the angel falls back behind the youth again. "I want to check the status quo first. How has things progressed and what kind of response does the Ecclesiastical Church take to exist? A young man opened his mouth instead. "Ha. We have dispatched the Cathedral Crusaders as the head of the regiment," Saints (Saints), "Bernardo Gloria Casas. All 5,102 people below have not returned -" An old man called Alessio shook his tongue and finally put it into words as he swallowed his spit. "We also confirm that the unclean demons of the Grand Duchy of Youth are still alive and well. As a result... the Expeditionary Army has failed in its mission and regards it as completely destroyed" Shimmering air dominates the chapel, but no young swordsman, no angels, no fine dust, no appearance of movement, "So?," he urged. "... This is why we are currently in the process of forming the Second Expeditionary Force" On behalf of Alessio, the other Cardinal Sandro replied. With those eyes lying down, they are directed at the boy who trembles and doesn't hear a word from earlier - Archpope Werner. - After all, as it stands, the only maximum firepower I can move freely is at Mr. Scarlet Snow's? Ideally, it would be your word if Mr. Scarlet Snow voluntarily put it out, but is there any way you can come and help strangers who don't owe you money? I even caught a glimpse of how I enjoyed repelling the incoming opponent with a seven-sided bird-firing sensation. I guess it's good entertainment for them to see. - Then you should work with Imperial Crimson, the Crimson of the Crimson Empire, even if you bend the verse slightly, but no matter what you think, the jizzy people of the ecclesiastical stone head can convince you. At the very least, if this kid can use some more, he can lay down his life at the top down, but he doesn't have that courage or majesty. Again, I made my prestige right again, sighing very much inside, wondering if I had any choice but to make an opinion on this occasion. "Communicate the intentions of the Ethereal God. We must not look past the current situation in the Grand Duchy of Youth. Those troublemakers are against God's will, and I don't mind exercising any means to destroy them." Up to this point, they would be expected words, too. But the problem is: If that's what you're doing, there's no need to cooperate with other countries. "Does that mean putting up a joint front with the Grawior Imperial Army......? Nodding heavily at Sandro's inquiry. "That too...? Next to Sandro, who frowned with a strange face, Alessio's complexion changed visibly when he noticed something. With a face that looks like it's going to poke away as it is, it folds toward the unspoken old men. "Dear Left, as the scriptures say, the unmanned are wretched sinners who know not the grace of God. But the Ethereal God bestowed special mercy on this difficult matter. Whether they are subjects to be destroyed or not, it is the convenience of the Ethereal God to grant them more or less amnesty in their afterlife by making them accumulate more or less virtue in this world before them." "But it..." "It is the temple of the Ethereal God. Make no mistake." "Ha, ha... I did" The two lay flat, sweating, at the kind of pressure that had made their hearts eagle. "Bye, Archpope Werner, there is a direct divine commission from the Ethereal God for difficult matters. It's serious. Moving from this to the temple. Follow me." ......... An angel, instructed by a troublesome smell, walked up to Werner's side, grabbed his roots so that he could handle even the cat's child as he did, and when he slipped, he pulled over. If you look at the boy's - seemingly thin, but depending on what you see - neat face was completely relaxed and his white eyes peeled off. Apparently, he had passed out from not much of the way through the tension. "... do you want to wake me? It is also troublesome to explain it again, so the young swordsman (Lapoku) commanded the angel (Maple) to go straight to the small room in the back - where the magic formation of the transition to the "Tower of the Pale God" - and pulled the archpope away and disappeared. The boy, who had received instructions only from the voice of the name "divine" and the "artifact" given to him by God, left between the flirtatious and single divine with a blue-faced face. "Is it okay to give the Archpope (that idiot) the 'Sealed Cross'? In response to a naturally lappy concern, the blue-formed man made a mild mockery of Hun. "I don't mind. Anyway, that's a cheap thing I made out of a meeting. Once used, it will shatter. - Well, is that better? The missing real anti-vampire sealing device was unsealed by an idiot because he left it behind badly." Two, the other standing at the window - a woman seen around 20, dressed as a hunter in an elf, twisted her neck. "It doesn't work that well. I had a sarcophagus set aside as a savepoint when I created him. Specifications for a quick resurrection to the extent that it weakens somewhat, even if it dies. I wish I'd destroyed the sarcophagus in advance, but it's probably about him. He's covered it up so he can't be discovered. It's troublesome, but I'm sure I'll seal it. But I can't seal him without more magic than I can. All you can do about it in this world is me or Scarlet Snow. Anyway, I can only give you magic effects based on the magic power of the user. " "Does it not work if others use it? To the question of the elf daughter, a man who puts his hand under his chin when he fumes. "Probably. Doesn't it work... you guys might be able to stop moving for a few hours, but that's all. Pretty magical as a human being these days, like a few minutes earlier in the Archpope class? - This is all about experimenting with the target." By the way, in the ecclesiastical Church, those who are elected Archpope are supposed to be by divine divinity, but nothing, they are simply choosing the most magical (MP) within the Holy King, where they are not involved in any way, such as their personal qualities or their faith. "I see. So you're giving 'Sealed Cross' to Mr. Scarlet Snow via that kid" I nodded with a convinced face and it pounded, but it made me look strange again. "But why did you instruct me to give it directly from that idiot? I suppose you could have pinched people in between? "It's okay because I'm an idiot," the man affirmed with plenty of disdain. "It's about scarlet snow if you give it to him in an elaborate way, because there's something behind it that you might read and not use. That's where that idiot comes in. Scarlet Snow Guy tends oddly to want to burn the care of that handful of idiots. I would use it without much doubt. - Do you have insurance for once?" That's how he shrugged, and the man glanced at his elf daughter, who was standing at the window. "Sub-teako. Instruct him to hand it over to the Pope. Lappy, you work with Tamegoro and stand by to rescue Scarlet Snow in case it doesn't happen." "Is it Scarlet Snow's support? Confused and slightly relieved, lappy. "Oh, they're the ones. Put Scarlet Snow's life first.... Anyway, Scarlet Snow is the only person in this world who has the same real soul as me. You can't lose it. - You got it? "Yes, I'll tell Tamegolo too" "Yeah, I'll try to protect Scarlet Snow's life" - Only life. A sub tea child who explores one plan in his heart and smiles coldly. I don't even know that, the blue man is the end of a distant sky. I fucking laughed thinking of Scarlet Snow. "Ma. Scarlet Snow is the same chosen person as me. Yeah, well, you're not gonna die." aerial gardens around that time. At a dinner party with the Four Wesen Heavenly Kings, Seven Harm Star Beasts, Thirteen Demon Generals, and Eighty-Eight Pluto Chiefs (the leading men of each Demon Nation) at the end of the Vacant Red Jade Castle Great Hall, I confirmed my HP in danger (Red Zone) and now I am ready to die. "You're not flavor tone deaf, like soy sauce on a curry! "Though it would be disgusting to see the sauce over there with something drooling! "It's not a drool. No, it's Wuster sauce! "" I'm on gastrointestinal medication. I don't want you to tell me!! "- Here it is!? "Damn, because the young are this... hey, no seven flavors? "Chili?! Oi, did Grandpa get bogged down? Curry would have Tabasco." "Knock. You're young. I don't even know what the seven flavors taste like. "Whoa. Stop fighting. I was wondering if you could spare me the hard stuff next door. Because the flavor of mayonnaise escapes." "" I don't care about any of that gete stuff!! "Um, Dear Life Capital... I wonder if it would be better to put a curry on the hemp lady tofu...? "Is there a problem with my taste? "Damn, it's lamentable how curry is topped" "This is heavenly. It's the Lord's freedom to put raw eggs, natto, and tomato ketchup on it, but scratching the mess is not going to be ugly. I'm gonna lose my appetite." And with that said, there are currently lightning strikes, destruction rays, flames, dimensional faults and mysterious energies flying throughout the Great Hall. Though it doesn't strike directly, even if it fits Zero Glass (not much) and Obedience in the aftermath of one attack after another, it doesn't restore HP in time. HP also has a few dots left, and the MP is starting to run out. I'll tell you next time. Maybe not this time. Something's getting dark in front of me. - Good night, Pao Rush. Who prepared curry for a dinner party...?

第四話 砂塵迷宮 『砂塵の迷宮』――もともとは単なる遺構(遺跡の土台を成す痕跡)だと思われていた岩山だが、ウィリデの拡張に伴い周辺調査を行った結果、発見されたばかりの地下迷宮である。 1層あたりの大きさはおおよそ1キロ×700メートルのスコップ型。 スコップの先端が入り口になり、迷路状になった通路を進むと手持ち部分にあたる直線の廊下があり、その先に下の階に落ちる階段がある。階段を落ちると今度は逆向きにスコップの先端があり、以下略という形でどんどん下へと落ちていく。 現在確認されている最下層は10階であり、脱出用の転移魔法陣があり、特に転移先が登録されていない場合には入り口へと自動で戻り、他に転移先が登録されている場合には、そちらを選択することができる。 主な棲息モンスターは、サンドワームに砂サソリ、ポイズンバッドにサンドパイパーといった魔獣系、ミイラ、スケルトンといった死霊系、そしてサンドゴーレムといった魔術生物系らしい。 「――へえ、そうなんだ」 「し、素人にしては、な、なかなかですね...ヒユキさん」 歩きながらのボクの説明にジョーイが感心して、フィオレが微妙にプロとして(?)対抗心を燃やしていた。 いや、こんなのギルドの資料を見れば簡単に調べられることなんだけど、君らホントにノープランで行くつもりだったんだねぇ。 「......ところで」ボクは隣に立つ...というか、そびえる女傑を見上げた。「ホントにいいの、道楽にまでつき合わせて?」 「構やしないよ。あたしゃ、もともとこっちが本業だしね。それにここのダンジョンにも興味あったからねえ」 獣人族の冒険者(ちなみにランクはA級らしい)のクロエが、愛用の赤い棍――如意棒――をぐるりと一振りして、カラカラと笑いながら答えた。 「――と、そういえば、お付の二人はどうしたんだい?」 天涯 別れた様子もないのに、いつの間にか姿を消した二人を探してキョロキョロするクロエ。 「ああ......一応、待機中」 「へえ、クソ真面目そうな二人だったから、てっきりお姫様のダンジョン行きなんて反対するもんだと思ってたけど、よく承知したねえ」 『......私めの意見を言わせていただければ、いまでも反対なのですが』 従魔合身中の天涯が胸の中で不満を漏らす。ちなみに命都は上空で待機中になるので、ウソは言っていないね。 ちなみに今回はあくまでジョーイたちのサポートということで、聖女装備の『 そんな感じで歩きながら四人で、お互いに近況とか世間話とかしながら――まあ、フィオレは人見知りしてほとんどジョーイとしか喋らなかったけど――1時間ほどでその『砂塵の迷宮』へと到着した。 見た目は、いかにも『岩をどけたらダンジョンがありました』という感じで、地面にぽっかりと穴が開いて階段が続いている。 そして、入り口のところに掘っ立て小屋があって、ここで受付をして入場料や、入場手続きをするらしい。あと、関係ない露店が軒を連ねているけど、特にめぼしいものもなかったのでスルーした。 で、受付で入場料を払って――ここでジョーイたちがクレス自由同盟国の通貨を持っていないことがわかったので、公平を期するため全員分立て替えておいた(本当にこれでどーするつもりだったのかと......)――さらに受付用紙に名前とダンジョンに入った日付、出る予定の日時をペンで記載する。 なんの気なしに前のページを見ると、ダンジョンから出た者は二重線で名前とかが消してあるけど、中にはとっくに予定日時を過ぎても名前が残っている者もいる。だいたい20人に1人ってところかな。これを多いと見るか少ないと見るかは判断に迷うところだろうね。 さて、ダンジョンに入って10歩と進まないうちに、ジョーイたちは難題に直面した。 「......く、暗いですね師匠」 「だなぁ、アーラの古代遺跡はどの階も明るかったのに」 立ち止まって往生している様子の二人を見て、思わず薄闇の中で顔を合わせるボクとクロエ。 吸血姫のボクには勿論暗闇の意味はないし(と言うか直射日光の照りつける外よりも快適)、獣人族のクロエにしても、まだ入り口の光が届くこの程度の暗さなど真昼も同じなのだろう。 『まあ、種族的な差だから仕方ないね』 という顔でお互いに頷き合う。――いや、本当ならそれを想定して準備しておくもんだと思うけどさ。 あと、アーラの古代遺跡は親切設計過ぎたかも知れないね。もうちょい逆境に耐えられるような造りにしておけば良かったねぇ。 「まってろ、確か荷物にランプが...」 手探りで荷物をゴソゴソやるジョーイと、それを手伝おうとするフィオレの足元に、 その光の塊をポイと頭上に投げると、4人の中間あたりの空中に浮かんで留まる。 「これで半日は持つと思うよ」 ボクが歩くと光の塊もそれに併せて移動する。 「へえ、便利なもんだねぇ」 「ヒユキがいてくれて助かったなぁ」 「な、な、なんですか、この魔法は?! こんなの聞いた事もない......」 三者三様の反応に軽く肩をすくめて応えた。 視界が確保されたことで、その後は問題もなく。また攻略MAPもあったお陰で1~6階は割とサクサクと進むことができた。 また、これらの階は出てくるモンスターも、先ほどの ただ、唯一の例外は5階に出てきた、サンドワーム。思い出すのもおぞましい、砂色をしたミミズかゴカイの化物。これだけは生理的に無理だった。 小部屋に入った瞬間、床の砂の中から鎌首をもたげたんだけど、この時ばかりはさして仲が良い訳でないフィオレと二人で、 で、戦力外になったボクらの代わりに、ジョーイとクロエの二人で斬って叩き潰したわけだけど、お陰で青緑の体液まみれになった二人の姿に、 と、再度揃って悲鳴をあげたのはさすがに悪かったと反省している。 取りあえずジョーイとクロエの二人には、フィオレが魔法で出した水で体を洗ってもらって、その後はフィオレと二人で謝り倒した。 その後、6~8階はMAPの空白地帯や細かな間違いなんかも出てきて、若干移動速度が鈍ったけれど、ここらへんは出てくるモンスターがミイラやスケルトンなどの死霊系になったので、ジョーイの光の魔剣がかなり役に立った。 「さすがは師匠です!」 と喝采の声をあげているフィオレだけど、彼女は彼女で魔法をアンデッドにも効果的な火に変えて攻撃する機転と汎用性があるのだからたいしたものだと思うけどね。 そんな感じでどうにか9階に続く階段が現れたところで一休みすることにした。 「むう、9階から先は完全に空白だね」 攻略MAPを広げて、ボクはため息をついた。 書いてあるのは『9階のモンスターは、ゴーレム、サンドゴーレム等』『10階のボスはスフィンクス』という殴り書きだけ。 「......ゴーレムか。俺の剣だとちょっと相性が悪そうだな」 ちょっとどころかジャンケンの まあ純粋な剣技で岩を切れるとか、力任せに砕ける腕力があるなら別だけど、ジョーイの場合はどっちも決定的に不足してるからねぇ。 「まあゴーレムも中心になってる『核』を壊せばなんとかなるからね。方法としては、 クロエが今後の方針について提案した。 ジョーイはなるほどと頷いたが、フィオレはそれを聞いて唇を噛み締めて下を向いた。 「......無理です」 「ん? 攻撃魔術は使えないのかい?」 そんなクロエの顔を泣き笑いのような顔で見返すフィオレ。 「使えます。でも、無理なんです......」 それから嫉妬とも賞賛ともつかない目でボクの方を向いた。 「ヒユキさんは気が付いてますよね。......あたしが魔法使いとして半端だってことを」 「――いや、でも今日はお前、凄く調子よく魔術使ってたじゃないか?」 「はい、師匠。今日は信じられないくらい調子がよかったです。......けど、これってヒユキさんの これがもっと暗いところなら、ジョーイとフィオレの二人の体に薄い光の膜が取り巻いているのが見えただろう。 「羨ましいです。......とっても」 そう呟いて黙然と下を向く。

67 Lesson 4: The Dust Labyrinth "The Labyrinth of Dust" - a rocky mountain originally thought to be mere remains (traces that form the basis of the ruins), but an underground labyrinth that has just been discovered following a perimeter survey with the expansion of Willide. The size per layer is approximately 1 kg x 700 metres scooped. The tip of the scoop becomes the entrance, and as you proceed through the mazed-up passage, there is a straight corridor that falls on the hand-held portion, with a staircase that falls below it. Falling down the stairs, now there is the tip of the scoop in reverse direction, falling further and further down in the form of abbreviations below. The lowest level currently confirmed is the 10th floor, where there is a transfer magic formation for escape, especially if the destination is not registered, it is possible to automatically return to the entrance, and if there are other transfer destinations registered, that is the choice. The main habitat monsters seem to be sandworm, sand sasori, warcraft systems such as sandpipers in poison buds, necromancers such as mummies, skeletons, and magical biological systems such as sandgolems. "-Hey, that's right." "And for an amateur, hey, that's pretty good... Mr. Hiyuki" Joey was impressed with my description while walking, and Fiore subtly professionally (?) It was burning confrontation. No, if you look at these guild materials, it's easy to find out, but I was really going no-plan to you guys. "... by the way," I stood next to him... or looked up at the soaring lady. "Are you sure you want me to hang out on the road? "I don't have a structure. That's right, this is the main business. Besides, I was interested in the dungeons here." Chloe, an adventurer of the Beast clan (who, by the way, seems to be ranked A), replied with a giggle, waving her favorite red stick - the Ruyi stick - around. "- And speaking of which, what happened to the two of you? I think you mean the two of us in Heavenly Heaven and Life. Chloe jokes looking for the two of them who disappeared at some point, even though they don't look like they broke up. "Oh...... for once, waiting" "Heh, they seemed like two fucking serious people, so I thought I was gonna disagree with you about going to the princess's dungeon, but I didn't really get it." '... if I may give you my opinion, I still disagree' Heaven in the body of an obedient demon leaks dissatisfaction in his chest. By the way, the life capital will be waiting over the sky, so you're not lying. By the way, this time it's only about the support of the Joeys, and others with the Virgin Gear's "The Secret of the Rose (Blue Velvet)" are wearing serious gear all the time in case of unforeseen circumstances, such as the War Dress's "The Rose of War" Anne of Guyerstein "(really, since it's Virgin Mode, the submissive fit was better in the life capital, but they were strongly opposed to it all the time). The four of us walked like that, talking to each other about recent developments and public stories - well, Fiore only spoke with Joey almost knowingly - and in about an hour we arrived at that 'dust labyrinth'. The look, however, feels like 'there was a dungeon if I got the rocks off', with a hole in the ground and a staircase going on. And there's a digging shed at the entrance, and they're gonna do the reception here, the admission fee, and the admission process. And then there was an unrelated outdoor shop, but there was nothing particularly dizzying, so I went through. So, I paid the admission fee at the reception - I found out here that the Joeys don't have the currency of the Cress Free Allies, so I switched them all out for a fair time (wondering what I really was going to do with this...) - plus the name on the reception form and the date I entered the dungeon, and the date and time I plan to leave it, in a pen. If you look at the previous page without any concern, those out of the dungeon have their names erased on a double line or something, but some of them still have their names after the scheduled date and time. I guess about 1 in 20 people. I guess seeing more or less of this is where you get lost in judgment. Now, while we went into the dungeon and didn't go as far as 10 steps, the Joeys faced a challenge. "... Kuh, it's dark, Master" "Well, the ancient ruins of Ara were bright on every floor," Me and Chloe accidentally face each other in the dim dark after stopping and watching the two of us get stuck. I certainly don't have the meaning of darkness in my blood-sucking princess (or more comfortable than outside the illumination of direct sunlight), and I guess even for Chloe of the Beast Nation, it's the same at midday, such as this degree of darkness that still reaches the entrance light. "Well, it's a racial difference, so I can't help it." We nod at each other with a face that - No, I think if it's true, I'll assume it's ready. And maybe Ara's ancient ruins were too kindly designed. I should have built it to withstand some more adversity. "Stay put, there's a lamp on my luggage..." Chloe was crushing her luggage silently and silently with a stick of pleasure as the sand viper (Sand Piper) snuck closer to Joey, who would gossip her luggage by hand, and Fiore's feet trying to help her with it. Throw that lump of light over your head with a poi and you stay floating in the air around the middle of the four. "I think we'll have half a day." When I walk, the lump of light moves with it. "Well, it's convenient." "I'm so glad you had Hyuki" "Hey, what is this magic?! I've never even heard of it..." I responded with a gentle shrug of shoulders to the reaction of the triplets. With my vision secured, I haven't had a problem since. Also because of the offensive MAP, the 1st to 6th floors were able to proceed crisply for the price. Also, these floors were relatively easy to deal with because the monsters that came out were also physically attacking, relatively easy opponents such as the earlier Sand Viper Sand Piper, Sand Razor the size of a puppy, and Poisonbad, so basically in the form of leaving it to Joey's sword and Fiore magic, we only lent a hand when we couldn't handle it or when we were caught off guard. The only exception, however, came out on the fifth floor, Sandworm. It also reminds me of sandy blemishes or cockroaches. This was all physiologically impossible. The minute I walked into the small room, I brought my sickle from the sand on the floor, but all this time, it wasn't just me and Fiore getting along. So, instead of me and the rest of you out of the war, Joey and Chloe slashed and smashed, but thanks to you, we got two blue-green fluids all over us. And I'm reflecting that it was just bad that I screamed in alignment again. In the meantime, I asked Joey and Chloe to wash their bodies with the water that Fiore magically put out, and then Fiore and I apologized and knocked them down. Afterwards, the 6th-8th floors also came out with a blank area of MAP and some minor mistakes, and although the speed of travel was slightly dull, Joey's demon sword of light was quite useful because the monsters that came out became necromancers such as mummies and skeletons. "That's my master! And Fiore, who speaks out for a drink, but I think it's a lot because she has the drive and versatility to turn her magic into an effective fire on the undead as well. I decided to take a break where the stairs that somehow led to the ninth floor appeared like that. "Well, it's completely blank from the 9th floor." Spreading the offensive MAP, I sighed. All it says is, "The only monsters on the 9th floor are the beatings: golems, sand golems, etc." and "The boss on the 10th floor is Sphinx". "... a golem? That sounds a little incompatible with my sword." On the contrary, I think it's just as lame as the jade (choki) against the stone (goo) of junken. Well, unless you can cut a rock with pure sword moves or have an arm that can be crushed by force, but in Joey's case, they're both decidedly lacking, so hey. "Well, the golem is centered too. Because if you break the 'nucleus', you can handle it. The way to do this is to take the magic of your daughter (Fiore) as the main theme, and the boy (Joey) stirs up, gradually scrapes away, breaks her leg, and when she finds the nucleus, it will be the usual way to slash her." Chloe suggested future policies. Joey nodded so much that it would be, but Fiore heard it and bit her lips and looked down. "... I can't" "Hmm? Can't you use attack magic? Fiore looking back at Chloe's face like that with a crying smile. "It can be used. But I can't..." Then he turned to me with eyes that were neither jealous nor admirable. "Mr. Hiyuki is aware, isn't he?... that I'm half as a wizard." "- No, but you were doing great magic today, weren't you? "Yes, master. I was in incredible shape today.... but this is thanks to Hiyuki's auxiliary witchcraft (buff), right? If this were a darker place, I would have seen a thin film of light surrounding Joey and Fiore's bodies. "I envy you.... very" So whine and look down silently.

幕間 男達之夜 【第一夜:稀人side】 剣と剣とが火花を散らし、合間合間に、手足が翻る。 片や花火のように鮮烈で可憐に激しく、片や流水のように自由に淀みなく。 剛が柔を断たんとし、柔が剛を制しようとする。 何合目かの打ち合いになったろうか、盛大な不協和音とともに双方の持つ剣が中ほどから折れた。 「――ありゃ」 「――おっと」 お互いに剣を振り抜いた姿勢で動きをとめる緋雪と 「......力負けか、けっこう良いレベルの剣だったんだけどねぇ」 折れた剣の断面を見ながら、やれやれと嘆息する緋雪。 実際、このレベルの剣は地上では購入することなどできないだろう。使っている材料、鍛冶師のレベル、強化に使われた魔法のどれをとっても最上級のもので、仮にこれが地上にあれば いい加減慣れたつもりになってはいたが、こういう光景を見ると、とんでもないところへ来たなぁと思わずにはいられなかった。 とは言え居心地が良いのも確かで、飯は美味いし、道行くハイ・エルフや天使族の女性はまさに天上の美貌(とは言え目の前にはそれ以上の頂点がいるが)、住民の魔物たちも気の良い連中ばかり、それに地上では考えられない娯楽も枚挙に暇がなく、退屈という言葉からは縁遠い環境にある。 そしてなにより彼にとっては何よりも換えがたい至高の美姫が存在する。 「――うん? なにかな?」 そんな彼の熱い視線に気が付いたのか、緋雪が軽く首を捻った。 「いえ、どうもいまだに彼らに慣れないもので、よく姫様は平気ですね」 「まあ、そのうち慣れるとは思いますが・・・」 「いやぁ、別に気にしないでいいよ」 ちなみにこれは、『ボクがいまだに慣れないのに、先に順応しないでくれる?!』という意味合いが込められた台詞だった。 「それにしても相変わらず凄まじい規模の城ですねえ。よく迷わないで進めますね」 勿論笑いの意味は『案内がいなけりゃ迷子になるに決まってるじゃないの』である。 ちなみに夜中にトイレに行きたくなっても、一人だと場所がいまいちわかりにくい上に、下手をすると迷子になるか、お供が50名ほどの大名行列になるため、密かに で、廊下を進んだり階段を登ったり降りたり、巨大な門を何枚も開けてくぐったりを繰り返すこと2時間あまり(城内は転移魔法が使えない阻害措置が施されているため足で歩くしかない)。 廊下の突き当たりに、中央に薔薇と雪の結晶が掘り込まれた、ひときわ巨大かつ重厚な扉が立ちはだかっていた。 扉の両脇には巨大な台座があり、全長50mほどもある青水晶のドラゴンと、甲羅の長さが30mほどもある黒水晶の亀が鎮座している。 「まるで生きているようですね、この彫像」 「生きてるよ? 玄武も青龍も無断の侵入者がいると攻撃するので気をつけてね」 稀人の感嘆の声に対して、軽く返す緋雪。 思わず反射的に後ずさりしかける稀人を置いて、さっさと扉へと歩み寄る緋雪。 扉の5mほど手前に近づいたところで、巨大な扉が音も無く内側へと左右に開き始めた。 その途端、ひんやりとした空気とまばゆい輝きが廊下へまであふれてきた。 扉の内側は、左右天井とも途方もない広さで、磨きぬかれた床も、林立する巨木のような柱も、すべて一滴の血を流したような薄い紅色の大理石でできている。 しかし、それよりも稀人の目を奪ったのは、手前の壁際から遥か先まで続く輝きの原因であった。 「――な......なんですか......これ?」 呆然と・・・ほとんど夢見心地で、稀人はどこか遠いところで自分の声がするのを聞いた。 「なにって、宝物庫だよ」 なにを当たり前のことを、という口調の緋雪。 「......どのくらいの量があるんですか...?」 「......これだけあれば、大陸ごと買うこともできるのでは?」 「かも知れないけど、交換するほどの価値があるとも思えないしねぇ」 内心、2~3個くすねてもわかんないんじゃないかと思っていた稀人は、あわてていつの間にか前に出ていた腕を引っ込めて、こくこく頷いた。 「悪いけど、魔法の武器、鎧が置いてあるフロアに案内してもらえるかな?」 「ハイ、コチラヘドウゾ姫様」 スプリガンの頭領らしき妖精の案内で、さらに宝物庫の中を進むこと30分あまり。 いいかげん周りの煌びやかさにも慣れた――というか感覚が麻痺した――頃、装飾品ではない実戦向きの、それもどれもこれも高い魔力を帯びた武器、鎧の類いがずらりと並ぶ一角へと到着した。 生唾を飲み込む稀人を前に、緋雪はそれらを指し示し、 「いまのオーガ・アーマーとオーガ・ストロークの代わりの武器と鎧をここから見繕うつもりなんだけど」 ここで腕組みして、ちょっと困った顔をした。 「数が多すぎてどれがいいのか、また、いまの君にどれが合うのかイマイチ不明なんだよねぇ」 それから、ふと武器フロアの奥、50m四方の祭壇のようになった場所を見つめて、一言唱えた。 「......お呼びでございますか、姫様?」 その声に答えて、祭壇の中央に青紫の巨大な火柱が上がり、それが角と翼を生やした巨大な人型をとった。 「彼はイフリートの蔵王、この宝物庫の番人の長をしてるんだけど。――蔵王っ、ここにいる稀人に合う武器と鎧を選んで欲しいんだけど?」 「――ふむ......わかりました。姫様の思し召しとあらば。――では稀人とやら、こちらへ来るがよい」 手招きされるまま、稀人は階段状になった祭壇を登った。 「がんばってねーっ」 「どこを見ておるか、馬鹿者! さっさと武器を構えんか!!」 「はあ――?」 唖然とする稀人の背中に、緋雪の説明が飛んだ。 「蔵王はねぇ、自分で手合わせして納得したところで、相手に合った武器とか選んでくれるの、だから油断してると死ぬよ」 「なあ......?! ちょっ、ちょっと待っ――」 「では、姫様開始の合図をお願いします」 「ほい」いつの間にか、スプリガンの長が恭しく持ってきた純金製のゴングを、『カーン!!』と高らかに鳴らす緋雪。「始め!」 「うおおおおおっ! いくぞ小童っ!!」 蔵王が全身の力を漲らせ、咆哮とともに打ちかかってきた。 「まて、こら――っ!!」

51 Tabernacle Men'S Night [First Night: Rare People Side] Swords and swords scatter sparks, and in between, hands and feet flip. Vibrant and pitifully intense as one or fireworks, without free precipitation as one or running water. Just say no to the soft, and the soft try to control the hard. The sword between the two sides broke from the inside, along with the great dissonance. "- Oh, yeah." "-Oops." Scarlet snow and rare people (barely) move in a sword-wielding position with each other. "... you lost your strength, you were such a good level sword." Scarlet Snow sighs, sighing at the broken sword cross section. In fact, swords of this level would not be available for purchase on the ground, etc. Which of the materials used, the level of the blacksmith, and the magic used to fortify it are very finest, because if this were on the ground, it would have been supposed to sleep deep in the treasure trove as an ancient weapon, the Enchanted Weapon. I was going to get used to it, but when I saw these sights, I couldn't help but think I'd come to a hell of a place. It is also certain that it is cozy to say, the rice is delicious, the high elves and angelic women who go on the road are precisely the beauty of heaven (though there are more culminations than that in front of them), the demons of the inhabitants are full of pleasant people, plus there is no leisure time to enumerate the unthinkable entertainment on earth, in an environment far from the word boredom. And more importantly, there exists a supreme princess who is difficult for him to change above all else. "- Yeah? What is it? You noticed his hot gaze like that, Scarlet Snow twisted his neck lightly. "No, thank you. I'm still not used to them, and often the princess is fine." "Well, I know you'll get used to it one of these days..." "Hey, don't worry about it" By the way, this was a dialogue with the meaning 'I'm not used to it yet, but you won't adapt first?!'. "Still, it's a castle of tremendous size. Don't get lost." Of course, the meaning of laughter is, "Without guidance, you'd be lost." By the way, even if you want to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, on top of the fact that it's hard to know where you are alone, if you do poorly, you'll get lost or the offering will queue up to about 50 big names, so a simple house with toilet in a secret storage space (inventory) (prize for billing chatter), but it was the secret of one Scarlet Snow that was always stored. So, it's not much to go down the hallway, climb and descend the stairs, and keep many huge gates open for two hours (the castle has to walk on its feet because of inhibitions that can't use metastatic magic). A huge and heavy door stood in the middle of the hallway with rose and snow crystals dug into it. On both sides of the door is a huge pedestal, with blue crystal dragons of about 50 m in length and black crystal turtles of about 30 m in length of methyl. "It's like you're alive, this statue" "He's alive, isn't he? Be careful, Xuanbu and Aoyagi will attack if they have an unauthorized intruder." Scarlet Snow gently returns against the exclamation of a rare man. Scarlet snow just walks up to the door, placing a rare person who unwittingly retreats reflectively. Approaching about 5m in front of the door, a huge door began to open left and right towards the inside without sound. In the meantime, the soothing air and brilliant brilliance flooded the hallway. The interior of the door is uninterrupted in size, both left and right ceilings, with polished floors and wooded giant tree-like columns all made of light red marble like a drop of blood. But more than that, it was the cause of the brilliance that lasted far beyond the wall in front of it. "- What... what... this? Quite frankly... almost dreamy, the rare heard his own voice somewhere far away. "What? It's a treasure trove." Scarlet snow in the tone of what is normal. "... how much do you have...? "... With all this, you can also buy every continent? "Maybe, but I don't even think it's worth replacing." Inside, the rare man, who wondered if even 2-3 tickled, pulled in the arm that had come forward sometime in advance and snorted. "I'm sorry, but can you show me to the floor where the magic weapon, the armor, is located? "Hi, Princess Cochirahedozo" Not too long to go further inside the treasure trove with a guide to Sprigan's Leadership Fairy. Not only was I accustomed to the brilliance around me - the feeling paralyzed - around the time I arrived at a corner where the armoury kind of weapon, a highly magical weapon, was sloppily lined up for real life, which was not an ornament. before the rare man who swallows the saliva, Scarlet Snow pointed to them, "I'm going to look out for weapons and armor to replace Auga Armor and Auga Stroke right now." I put my arms together here and looked a little troubled. "I'm not sure which one would be better with too many, and which one would suit you right now." Then he stared at the place behind the weapons floor, which had become like an altar on the 50m quadrant, and uttered a word. "... are you calling, Princess? Answering that voice, a giant pyramid of blue-purple rose in the center of the altar, which took on a giant human form that produced horns and wings. "He's the king of Ifried, the keeper of this treasure trove. - Zao Wang, I want you to pick the right weapon and armor for the rare people here? "- Hmm... ok. If it is with the princess's thoughts. - Then come here with the rare." As he was invited, the rare man climbed an altar in staircase form. "Good luck." "Where are you looking, fool! Put up your weapon now!!" "Huh -?" Scarlet Snow's explanation flew on the back of a flashing rare man. "Zao doesn't hey, I just paired myself up and convinced him, he picks the right weapon or something, so if you're alarmed, you're dead." "Hey...?! Hey, wait a minute -" "Now, Princess, please give me a signal to start." "Ho" Soon, Scarlet Snow roars softly with 'Khan!!', a pure gold gong that Sprigan's chief has brought with him respectfully. "Begin!" "Whoa, whoa! Let's go, kid!! The Zao King raised his full body strength and struck him with a growl. "Well, here - eh!!"

エピローグ 【鈴蘭女帝オリアーナの備忘録】 『あの日、世界は一変しました。 が消えた跡には、手付かずの広大な森林が広がり、多くの命が育まれていました。 ですが失われた人命は戻らず、概算ですが大陸の人口は全盛期の6割程度に落ち込んだものと見られています。 大陸中央部から発生した虚霧の規模と拡大速度を考えれば、この程度の被害で済んだのはまだしも幸運と言えるでしょう。これもひとえに人命救助の為に奔走した各国の冒険者達と、草の根で活動をした有志の方々、そして民族・種族・社会の垣根を越えて、惜しみない援助を施してくれた とは言え国家と個人が受けた損失は計り知れなく、その後、数年間にわたり領土問題に関する国家間の諍いや、民間人の衣食住問題、有事の際に国民を見捨てて逸早く逃れた各国首脳部に対する怨嗟の声に後押しされた革命、諸島連合による大陸への侵略など、一日として休まる暇なく様々な問題が発生し、忙殺されてきました。 「こうしたやり方は好かないんだけどねぇ」 渋い顔をしながらも配下の魔将たちを率いて、姫陛下がその都度介入されなかったら、おそらく人間社会に深刻な影響が出て、復興には数百年規模での時間が掛かっていたことでしょう。 姫陛下としては完全に自立した社会の構築の為には、ある程度の犠牲と時間も止む無し――と思っていた節もありましたが、生憎とわたしは人間......それも自他共に認める現実的な俗物ですので、そのような悠長なことは考えられません。使えるモノはハナクソでも使うのがわたしの流儀ですので、当然、彼女のような便利で使い減りのしない相手を放置しておくわけがありません。 時には舌鋒鋭く。時には情に訴え。時には人に言えない取り引きを行い。彼女を説き伏せることで、こうして10数年あまりで、なんとか形の上では世界を安定に導くことに成功した、と自画自賛ながら自負しております。まあ、通常の場合であれば、いかにわたしが説き伏せようと、あの姫陛下がそう簡単に首を縦に振るものではありませんでしたが、幸いにも いまさらですが、紫苑ちゃんはあの日、姫陛下が虚霧を払って帰還された際に伴われていた赤子です。 当初は姫陛下の隠し子かと、一時あの場がパニックとなったのですが、身元不明で親の居ない子供ということで、ゴタゴタしましたが、最終的に姫陛下が養子にするということで収まりました。 正直、未婚で赤ん坊の相手をしたこともないという生粋の(わたしが言うのもなんですが)箱入り娘である陛下に子供の相手ができるとも思えず、当然、乳母に預けっ放しになるかと思われたのですが、 「いや~、なんか私以外だと全然懐かなくて。オッパイを飲ませるのも、最初に私のを含ませてからでないと飲まないので――いや、勿論母乳とか出ないんだけどさ――なんか安心するみたいで、私もなんかそうしてると本当の子供みたいな気がしてねぇ。なんか最近は本気で胸も張ってきたし。添い寝したりして、可愛いものだねぇ」 と、蕩けるような笑顔で言われる子煩悩ぶりで、ほとんど一日過ごされていました。 そのせいで陛下を恋慕する殿方の嫉妬と羨望が凄まじいものになったようですが、赤ん坊相手に勝負になるわけもなく、夜な夜な枕を濡らしたとか......関係ないですが、クリストフ大公子はいまだに独身で、毎回のように姫陛下に結婚を申し込まれています。一途なのは結構ですが、姫陛下の目には紫苑ちゃんしか映っていないのをいい加減認めて、さっさと正妻を娶って家督を継いだ方が建設的だと思うのですが。ままならないものです。 個人的な近況としましては、わたしは5年前に結婚しまして、既に2児の母親となっております。お相手は元ヴィンダウス王国の王族でもあったエルマー卿であり、聞くところによればクリストフ大公子とは士官学校で同期の親しい友人だったとかで、人間の意外な結びつきを感じるばかりです。 アミティアのコラード国王夫妻には既に7人のお子様方がいらっしゃるそうで、こちらも姫陛下に負けず劣らずの子煩悩ぶりを発揮しているとか。そういえば、クロエ王妃は一時紫苑ちゃんの乳母もやっていらしたそうで、長女のジル王女と紫苑ちゃんとは乳兄妹ということで、第二の家族のような形で親交があるそうです。 そうそう乳兄妹といえば、クレスの正式盟主に着任されたレヴァン代表とアスミナ様ですが、大方の予想通りアスミナ様の怒涛の攻勢が功を奏し、もう十年も前に正式なご夫婦となられましたが、いまだにレヴァン代表はちょくちょく失踪されては、先代獣王様と武者修行と称して雲隠れされるそうで、その際に敷かれる『アスミナ捜査網』は、クレスの風物詩と化しています。 とは言え、そんな無茶が実ったせいでしょうか、昔姫陛下から下賜された武具の発動に成功されたとか。で、その際に正式に『獣王』を名乗ることを許可されたとかですが、その報を耳にされた姫陛下が、「どのくらい強くなったか試してみよう」と嬉々として即位式に参加され、結果、レヴァン代表の足腰が立つようになるまで式が延期されたのは、何と言えばいいのか......。 さらに問題なのは紫苑ちゃん――いえ、もう成人した15歳ですから紫苑皇太子と呼ぶべきでしょう――が、何を考えているのか姫陛下は、本人にも自分の身分を偽って、揃って『闇の森』の中で半ば隠遁生活を送っていますので、おそらくいまだに自分と姫陛下の立場を理解してはいないでしょう。 「愛だよ愛。そういう余分な付属品のない、愛のある生活を送らせてあげたいからねぇ」 と、陛下はおっしゃっていましたが、単に悪ふざけが過ぎた結果にしか見えないのは、わたしの気のせいでしょうか? 兎にも角にもお二人が平和に暮らしているのであれば、わたしから......』 と、そこまで書いたところで、私室の扉をノック音がして、オリアーナはペンを持つ手を休めて顔を上げた。 「失礼致します」 侍従の一人が恭しく一礼して入室する。 「先ほど超帝国から使者が来訪されました」 オリアーナの顔に緊張が走った。定期御前会議の連絡の他、こちらから使者を遣わすことはあっても、あちらから予定外の使者が来ることはほとんどない。あるとすれば、よほどの緊急事態だろう。 「本国からですか? なにか使者の方は言っておられましたか」 侍従の顔に困惑が広がった。 「はあ......その......『紫苑様が家出された。姫陛下とも連絡がつかないので、至急協力を依頼する』とのことです」 その言葉の意味を理解したオリアーナの全身から血の気が引き、続いて一度下がった血が一気に沸騰した。 「な――っ!? い、一大事なんてものではありません!! すぐに全軍......いえ、関係閣僚も招集して対応策を検討します! 可及的速やかに準備なさい!」 その勢いに押されて、侍従は返事もそこそこに踵を返した。 オリアーナは侍女に命じて本国の使者に会う身支度を整えながら、イライラと唇を噛み締めた。 「本当に、なにを考えているのよ、二人とも!」 「「くしょん!!」」 大型騎竜の鞍の上で、大小二つの影が同時にクシャミをした。 「むう。春先とはいえまだ肌寒いね。もっと暖かい格好をしないと駄目だよ、紫苑」 鈴を鳴らすような澄んだ少女の声がして、後ろに座っていた小柄な影が背伸びして、掛けていたマフラーを外して、前に座って手綱を握っている長身の男性の首にそれを掛けた。 「ちょっ、やめろよ! そっちが風邪引くだろう」 慌てて首に巻かれたマフラーを外そうとする彼――15~16歳と思える黒いコートに軍服のような黒い革製の上下を着た美男子――の手を、後ろからやんわりと制するこちらは見た目13~14歳のふんだんにレースやコサージュがあしらわれた黒いドレスを着た、長い黒髪の絶世の美少女。 「いいから付けといて。私はちょっとやそっとじゃ風邪なんて引かないんだから」 軽く押さえられているだけにしか見えないが、関節を取られてピクリとも動かない自分の手を見て、少年が苦々しく眉をしかめる。 こちらも少女に負けず劣らずの美貌であるが、特に人目を引くのは黒髪に一房だけ入った銀髪と、右が緋色で左が青色の 「......いつまでも子供扱いするなよな」 ため息をついて手を引っ込めたのを見て、少女も手を放した。 「だから、一人前になる修行の為に旅に出たんだよ! なのになんで付いて来るんだ?!」 「なんでって、別に問題はないんじゃない?」 「大ありだ――っ!!」 思春期の少年としては、同じ屋根の下に育ての親とはいえ、妙齢かつ絶世の美姫が同居している状況に、日々悶々と耐えがたいものを感じて、置手紙一つ置いて出奔したというのに、元凶が後ろに付いて来るというのは、どう考えても本末転倒である。 「まあまあ、こう見えても私は結構顔が広いからね。旅先とかでも不自由はさせないよ」 「......それは知っている」 だが、その『顔が広い』相手が毎回、各国の国王とか代表者クラスなのは、どういう交友関係なのだろう? 毎回聞いても「古くからの友人」としか答えないし、あちらに聞いても露骨にすっ呆けられるし......15年間暮らしているが、いまだに謎だらけの養い親であった。 「それともあれかな......ひょっとして、紫苑は私のことが嫌いになったのかな?」 どこか途方に暮れた口調でそう言われ、少年は咄嗟に反論した。 「そんなわけないだろう! むしろ好きすぎて――」 はっと口を閉じて、恐る恐る振り返って見れば、少女が輝くばかりの笑顔を浮かべていた。 「うん。私も紫苑が大好きだよ!」 その無邪気な笑みに陶然となり......赤くなった頬を見られないように前を向いた少年は、話を逸らすべく思い付いたことを問い掛けた。 「そういえば、ここを真っ直ぐ行けばグラウィオール帝国の首都だっけか?」 「そうだよ。新首都の帝都ケイスケイ――鈴蘭って意味。ここにも知り合いがいるので、着いたら宿の心配はないね」 なるほど、と聞き流しかけた少年は、秀麗な眉をしかめてまた振り返った。 「その知り合いって、まさかまた国王とかじゃないだろうな? いい加減仰々しいのは嫌なんだけど」 「ああ、違うよ。国王じゃないよ」 あっさり否定され、少年はほっと胸を撫で下ろした。 「だったらいいんだ。そういえば、ケイスケイって海にも近いんだっけか?」 「海というか、大河の脇だからね。大型の魔導帆船とかも行き交っているよ。知り合いにそっち方面の関係者もいるので、良ければ乗れるように交渉してみるけど?」 そしてまだ見ぬ“海”を想像して、少年は軽く身震いした。 「いいな。行ってみたいな」 「じゃあ、着いたらそっちにも顔を出すようにしようか」 少女の言葉に少年は大きく頷いた。 それから地平線の彼方に視線を移し、年相応の微笑を浮かべた。 「そうだよ。旅は始まったばかりなんだから、これから沢山のものが見られるよ」 少女のその言葉を咀嚼しながら、逸る心を抑えて少年は手綱を握る手に力を込めた。 それから、ふと茶目っ気をだして上半身を捻って、きょとんとしている少女の腰――両掌を回しただけで、簡単に一周する細いそれ――を掴んで、軽々と引っこ抜くと、そのまま無理やり自分の前に座らせる。 「きゃっ――なに?!」 「こうすればお互いに寒くないだろう?」 マフラーの端を解いて少女の首に回し、胸元ですっぽりと覆い隠すようにコートの位置を整え、改めて手綱を握った。 「う~~、なんか照れるねぇ。でもまあ、ありがとう」 「お互い様だ。旅は道連れって言うし、俺だっていつまでも......」 大型騎竜の鞍の上で、1つになった影が軽口を叩きながらゆっくりと街道を進んで行く。 まだ見ぬ世界を夢見て。

150 Epilogue [Suzuran Empress Oriana's Memo] 'That day, the world changed. The signs of the disappearance of the idle fog (kimu) covering the continent were marked by an untouched expanse of forests, which nurtured many lives. But the lives lost will not return, and although it is estimated, the continent's population is seen as depressed to about 60% of the full season. Given the magnitude and rate of expansion of the fog generated from the central part of the continent, we can still say that we were fortunate enough to have done so with this degree of damage. This can also be said, for one thing, only with the help of the Imperial Crimson, a crimson empire of crimson that has given us unstinting assistance, across the hedges of nations, races and societies, with adventurers from various countries who have run to save lives and aspiring people who have worked at the grass roots. That said, the losses suffered by states and individuals are immeasurable, and then for several years various problems have arisen and been busily killed without time to rest as a day, such as inter-state grievances over territorial issues, the food and shelter problems of civilians, the revolution driven by resentment at the heads of State who abandoned their people when things happened and fled quickly, and the invasion of the continent by the Union of the Islands. "I don't like these ways, hey" If His Majesty did not intervene each time, led by the demon generals with sinister faces, there would probably have been a serious impact on human society and reconstruction would have taken hundreds of years. As a princess, there were some verses that I thought would not stop some sacrifice and time in order to build a fully independent society - but I cannot think of such a lengthy thing because hatred and I are human beings... it is also a realistic object that we both acknowledge together. It's my fashion to use things that can be used even in Hannaxo, so naturally, there's no way I'm leaving someone as handy and unmistakable as she is. Sometimes the tongue is sharp. Sometimes appeal to emotion. Make deals that sometimes people can't tell you. By convincing her, I am self-admiring and proud that in less than a decade now, I have managed to lead the world to stability in form. Well, in normal cases, no matter how I might persuade you, that princess did not shake her head so easily vertically, but fortunately she told Her Majesty the Princess, whose presence is so great that she is turning herself into a pro fool, "Does Her Majesty not want to create a peaceful world for Purple Garden?" And when I complained about the killing, I changed my temper and attitude, so I suppose you could say more about Ziyuan than I do. Not really, but Ziyuan is the baby that was accompanied that day when Her Majesty paid for the fog and was returned. Initially it was the concealer of Her Majesty the Princess, and temporarily that place panicked, but the unidentified and parentless child, which made me go awry, eventually fitted in with the fact that Her Majesty the Princess would adopt her. Honestly, I don't even think His Majesty, who is a boxed daughter, who is unmarried and has never dealt with a baby, can deal with a child, and naturally, I was wondering if I would let the nanny go. "No, I don't miss anything at all except me. I also drink opium because I don't drink it unless I include mine first - no, of course I don't get breast milk or anything - and I feel like a real kid when I do that too. Something's been really straining my chest lately. I sleep with her, she's cute." And he had spent almost a day with a troubled child who was told with a swinging smile. The jealousy and envy of His Highness, who adores His Majesty, seems to have become tremendous because of it, but it's not like he's going to be able to compete with his baby opponent, he wet his pillow at night or anything...... it doesn't matter, Grand Duke Christoph is still single and, as every time, has been offered to marry His Majesty. It's fine on the way, but I think it would be more constructive to just marry a real wife and succeed the housekeeper, admitting that only Ziyuan is visible in Her Majesty's eyes. It's boring. In terms of personal recent developments, I was married five years ago and have already been the mother of two children. Your opponent is Sir Elmer, who was also a former royal of the kingdom of Vindaus, and from what I hear, Grand Duke Christoph and I were close friends of our contemporaries at the cadet school, or something, and I just feel an unexpected human bond. King and Mrs. Collard of Amitia already have seven children, and you think this one is showing no less than Her Majesty's troubled children? Speaking of which, Queen Chloe said that Temporary Purple Garden's nanny also did, and that her eldest daughter, Princess Jill, and Purple Garden, were milk brothers and sisters, meaning that she was close in a way like a second family. Yes, yes, speaking of milk brothers and sisters, Levan delegates and Asmina, who have been appointed official allies of Cres, but Asmina's furious offense has worked as much as one would expect and has become an official couple even a decade ago, but even if Levan delegates are still a little disappeared, they will be cloud-held by calling him the Prior Beast King and Martial Arts Training, and the 'Asmina Investigation Network', which will be laid in that time, has turned into a Cres monumental poem. That said, is it because such impotence has materialized, that you have succeeded in activating the weapons that were once given to you by His Majesty the Princess? So, something like being officially allowed to name the 'Beast King' at that time, but what can I say that His Majesty the Princess, who was overheard of the newspaper, happily participated in the reign ceremony as "Let's see how strong he got" and as a result the ceremony was postponed until Representative Levan's ankle stood... Even more problematic is Ziyuan - no, you should call her Prince Ziyuan because she is 15 years old, who is already an adult - but what are you thinking? Her Majesty, the Princess, faking her identity to herself, all together, lives half a hidden life in The Dark Forest, so she probably still doesn't understand her position and that of Her Majesty. "It's love, love. I want you to live a loving life without those extra accessories." And, Your Majesty said, is it my fault that the joke simply appears to be the result of the past? If the two of you live in peace, both on the raven and on the corner, from me... ' And, that's all I wrote, there was a knock on the door of the private room, and Oriana rested her hand holding the pen and raised her face. I beg your pardon. One of the samurai enters the room with a respectful greeting. "An apostle came earlier from the Super Empire" Tension ran on Oriana's face. Apart from contacting regular meetings, there are few unscheduled messengers coming from there, even if they may send messengers from here. If there is, how urgent would it be? "Is it from home country? Did the Messenger say anything?" Confusion spread over the squire's face. "Ha... the..." The purple gardener was run away from home. I can't get in touch with Her Majesty, so I need your help as soon as possible. " Blood drew from Oriana's entire body, who understood the meaning of the word, followed by once lowered blood boiling at once. "Nah -!? Hey, it's not important!! Immediately all military...... no, the relevant cabinet will also convene to consider countermeasures! Get ready as soon as you can! Pushed by the momentum, the samurai replied there as well. Oriana chewed up her frustration and lips as she ordered the samurai to prepare herself to meet the envoy of her country. "Really, what are you thinking, both of you! "" Kushi!! " On the saddle of a large cavalry dragon, two shadows, large and small, quarreled at the same time. "Mm-hmm. You're still chilly though Spring Ahead. You have to dress warmer, Ziyuan." There was a clear girl's voice ringing the bell, and a small shadow sitting behind her stretched out her back, removing the muffler she had hung, and hanging it on the neck of a long man sitting in front and holding a reins. "Hey, stop it! You'll catch a cold." Rushing to remove the muffler wrapped around his neck - a beautiful boy in a black leather top and bottom like a military uniform on a black coat that seems to be 15-16 years old - this one gently controls from behind. This one looks like a long-haired, endless beautiful girl in a black dress with plenty of lace and costumes from 13-14 years old. "Just put it on. I'm not gonna catch a cold." The boy frowns bitterly when he sees his own hands, which only seem to be held down lightly, but which are not even moved by the joints taken and pickled. This one is no less beautiful than the girl, but especially the one that caught her attention was the silver hair that entered only one room in the dark hair and the golden and silver demon eyes (heterochromia) that were scarlet on the right and blue on the left. "... don't treat me like a child forever" I sighed and saw him pull his hand in, and the girl let go of her hand, too. "That's why I went on a journey to train to be alone! Why are you following me?!" "Why, there's nothing wrong with that? "There is so much -!! As an adolescent boy, even though he is a raised parent under the same roof, it is no matter what he thinks that the culprit comes behind him, even though he feels stuffy and intolerable every day in a situation where the beautiful princess of his age and extinction lives together, leaving one letter behind and running away. "Well, even if it looks like this, I'm pretty wide faced. I'm not going to let you get away with it." "... I know that" But what kind of friendship does that 'wide faced' opponent have with kings and representative classes of nations every time? I only answer "old friends" every time I ask, and even when I ask them over there, they are blatantly frightening...... I have lived for 15 years, but I was still a nourishing parent full of mysteries. "Or is that it...... hey, did Ziyuan hate me anymore? That was said in a twilight tone somewhere along the way, and the boy argued aggressively. "You can't be! I rather like it too much..." shut his mouth all the time, looking back in horror, the girl was just smiling. "Yeah. I love purple gardens too! Intoxicated by that innocent grin... the boy, who turned forward so that he could not be seen reddened cheeks, asked what he had come up with to deviate from the story. "Speaking of which, is it the capital of the Gravior Empire if we go straight here? "That's right. Caithkay, the Imperial capital of the new capital - meaning Suzuran. I know someone here, so don't worry about the inn when you get there." I see, and the boy, who almost heard, looked back again with a brilliant eyebrow. "That acquaintance wouldn't be another king or something, would it? I hate to look up to you." "Oh, no. I'm not the king." Lightly denied, the boy stroked his chest down relieved. "I hope so. Speaking of which, is Caith Cay close to the sea? "The sea, or by the great river. It's probably hanging out with a big magic sailboat. I know someone on that side, so I'll try to negotiate so I can get on, if that's okay with you? And imagining the "ocean" he'd yet to see, the boy shivered lightly. "Fine. I'd love to go." "Well, let's make sure we show our faces there too when we get there" The boy nodded loudly at the girl's words. Then he shifted his gaze across the horizon and smiled year-to-year. "That's right. The journey has just begun, so we're going to see a lot of things." Chewing the girl's words, the boy put his strength into his hand holding the reins, suppressing his deviant mind. Then, fugly, twisting her torso, grabbing the waist of a decent girl - a thin one that circles easily, just turns her palms - and gently pulls her out, forcing her to sit in front of herself as she is. "Yikes - what?!" "This way we wouldn't be cold with each other, would we? He untied the end of the muffler, turned it around the girl's neck, positioned his coat to cover it up softly with his chest, and again grabbed the reins. "Uh-oh, something can light up. But well, thank you." "We're each other. I say the journey will take you on the road, and I will always..." On the saddle of a large cavalry dragon, slowly go down the street with a shadow that turns into one tapping a light mouth. Dream of a world you haven't seen yet.

第二話 剣拳相克 その男のことしか目に入っていないのだろう。 無意識のうちにジョーイの手を放した緋雪は、ふらふらと男の方へ近づいて行った。 「他の皆さんもいらっしゃるんですか......?」 いままで握っていた手のぬくもり。その喪失の痛みに軽く胸を痛めるジョーイの視線の先で、狼人らしい青年の笑いが一段と深くなった。 ――いや違うっ、これは獲物をいたぶるチンピラか魔物の目だ! 「やばいっ、ヒユキ、そいつから離れろ!」 咄嗟に剣を抜いての警告に、緋雪はまったく意味が理解できないという顔で、きょとんとジョーイを振り返った。 「いやー、緋雪たんとは積もる話もあるんだけどさ。その前に――」 のつり上がった口元から鋭い牙が覗いた。 「――一発やろうぜ!」 刹那、踏み込みと同時に下から、空気を切り裂き、突き上げるような一撃――拳士系スキル『 その直前、ジョーイの警告もあって、半ば反射的にバックステップで回避できた緋雪の目前で、拳が空を切り、衝撃波が近くの民家の屋根を吹き飛ばした。 一瞬の静寂。 続いて通りのあちこちから悲鳴があがり、通行人たちは我先にとその場から逃げ出した。 「惜しい惜しいっ。ノーブラじゃなかったのか」 周囲の混乱や喧騒もどこ吹く風で、間一髪避けたとはいえ、余波で裂けたサマードレスの左胸から剥き出しになった緋雪のチューブブラを見て、兄丸は残念そうに舌打ちをした。 そんな兄丸を前に、驚愕と困惑もあらわに次の行動を決めかねる緋雪。 「じゃあ次はブラといってみよーか!」 そう舌なめずりしながら一歩踏み出そうとした兄丸の背中へ向けて、「でやああ!」ジョーイが斬りかかった。 「・・・なんだ、このガキ?」 振り向きざま、右拳でその渾身の一撃を受け止め、さらに押し返す――拳士系スキル『 「ジョーイ!?」 この暴挙に及ぶに至り、眼前の兄丸が敵だと認識した緋雪は、 が相手では、他の装備を呼び出す時間も隙も与えてくれないだろう。 ジョーイが稼いでくれた、この一瞬の時間を無駄にできない。 咄嗟にそう判断した緋雪は、自分から先に動いた。 ダッシュからの前傾姿勢から、すくい上げるような一撃が兄丸の胴を狙った。だが、届かない。かわされたのだ。そのまま下がる兄丸。下がりながらの拳の弾幕――拳士系スキル『 十分距離をとったところで、今度は逆に兄丸が踏み込んでくる。狙いは、宣言通り薄布一枚でガードされた左胸。右拳が一直線に衝撃波を伴って迫ってくるのを、相手の左側面に身をかわしながら、カウンター気味に迎撃する。 その剣先が止まった。 兄丸の左手の手甲がこれを阻んだのだ。 一瞬の均衡状態だが、じっとしていれば今度は蹴りが襲ってくる。 そう判断した緋雪は離れ、同時に兄丸も離れた。 ふと気が付くと、胸元にむず痒いような痛みがあった。ちらりと視線を落とすと、ブラの側面に3条の切れ目が走り、浅く皮膚が切られて血がにじんでいた。 拳はかわせたが、切っ先までは読み切れなかった結果だ。 「やるねえ緋雪たん。ハッピーマウンテンの頂上が拝めるかと思ったのに、ギリかわすとはたいしたもんだ。 言いつつ、見せ付けるように右手の爪先、緋雪の血がついたそれを、長い舌で舐め取る。 「常時、TOP3に君臨していた方に言われても、嬉しくもなんともないですね」 左手でその部分を 緋雪の言葉に、兄丸は若干苦笑めいた表情を浮かべた。 「TOP3か・・・ナンバーワンでないところが残念というか」 その瞬間、同時に動いた。 剣聖技『七天降刃』。分裂した七連突きを兄丸がかわし、両手で弾き、それでも足りない分は拳士系スキル『 兄丸がのけ反るようにして宙返りする――と同時に、不吉な予感を覚えて、緋雪は体をひねった。その一瞬前まで自分の顎があった位置を、爪先が駆け抜けていく。 空中にありながら物理法則を無視して兄丸の縦の回転がさらに速くなり、そこから手足が飛び出してきて、その余波だけで通りの石畳や露天を粉々に砕いた。 生まれた竜巻が斬撃となり、周囲の瓦礫も巻き込んで空中の兄丸を飲み込まんとする。 お互いの回転が拮抗するが、空中にいた分、姿勢が不安定だった兄丸の体が一瞬、コントロールを失う。 それを見逃すことなく緋雪の『 圧縮した大気が爆発を呼び、周囲の瓦礫や粉塵をさらに巻き込んで視界を奪う。 ――はずした! 或いはかわされたのか、剣が空を切った感触に緋雪は内心ほぞを噛みながらも、大至急その場から退避した。 もうもうと吹き荒れる砂塵の中、素早く兄丸の気配を探して左右に視線を走らせるが、気配を捕らえられない......。 ふと、緋雪は以前にも似たようなことがあったのを思い出した。 アシル王子。闇の中。四方から迫る気配。咄嗟に上に逃げて――『上?!』 ドミノのように、連鎖的につながった思考が最適の答えを導き出し、緋雪ははっとして上を見上げた。 いた! 爆発の勢いを利用してさらに上に跳んでいた。そしていま、その跳躍の頂点に到達しよとしていた兄丸と視線が合った。 煤と自身の血で汚れた顔に凄惨な笑みを浮かべ、兄丸が空中から重力落下分の勢いをつけ、弾丸のように迫り来る。 HPの半分を犠牲にする代わり回避不能の攻撃を加える拳聖技『気功剛影弾』。 「でやああああああああああっ!!」 兄丸の雄叫びが空気をビリビリと震わす。 ここで決める。そう決意して緋雪も跳んだ。 全てのMPを消費して敵に大ダメージを与える剣聖技『絶唱鳴翼刃』。 「はああああ――――っ!!」 迎え撃っての気合。 とはいえお互いのHPの残量及び技の特性上、こちらがかなり有利なのは確か! そう自分に言い聞かせて、防御を捨てた緋雪の剣と、兄丸の拳とが交差した――一瞬、兄丸の拳が開手へと変化した。 そんな?! スキル発動後にキャンセルするなんて不可能――!!――まさか、あの叫びも含めて、ブラフ!? 愕然と目を見開く緋雪の前で、『 拳聖技『白刃取り』。 これは完全にプレーヤーの技量によるもので、成功率はけして高くはないが、TOPプレーヤーともなれば、繰り出される技とタイミングがわかれば、かなりの高確率でできるのも確かである。 緋雪の技の余波で手がズタズタに裂けるのを無視して、兄丸はにやりと笑った。 「――まっ、このあたりが対人戦に慣れてる者と慣れてない者の差だな」 ほぼ同時に繰り出された回し蹴りが、空中で定まっていない緋雪の体を捕らえた。 緋雪の小さな体が爆発したように吹っ飛んだ。 石畳の通りを滑り、何かに引っ掛かって跳ね、ゆっくりと転がった。 「おっとと・・・!」 崩れ落ちる華奢な体を、左手一本で支えた兄丸は、意識のない緋雪の顔を覗き込んで、それから全身を舐めるように眺めた後、右手を 「ハラスメント規制とかはないみたいだな。なら、この場でつまみ食いしてもいいんだけど、まあマグロは面白くないからなぁ、持って帰ってじっくり美味しく食べることにするわ」 一名様お持ち帰りでーす、と鼻歌を歌いながらその場を後にしようとしたところで、背後から瓦礫の地面を踏む足音がした。 「――ん?」 「うるせえ! ごちゃごちゃ言ってないでヒユキを放せよ!」 激高するジョーイとは反対に、白けた顔で見返す兄丸。 「あのなぁ、ガキ。その剣はLv99装備だぞ、お前みたいなガキが握ってもただの棒と変わらんねーんだ。だいたいお前程度の腕でどうにかなると思ってんのか?」 爆撃でも受けたかのような周囲の惨状を顎で指しても、ジョーイの決意には一瞬の迷いもなかった。 「だからどうした! 女いたぶって喜んでるような卑怯者に負けるかよ!!」 そう雄叫びをあげなら兄丸に向かって、全力で斬りかかるジョーイ。 ゴミを見る目で一言呟き、あいている右拳で無造作にカウンターの一撃を加える兄丸。 ジョーイの剣と兄丸の拳とが交差し、拳で肉を叩く鈍い音がこだました。 次の瞬間、猛烈な勢いで弾き飛ばされた兄丸の体が、石畳が破壊され剥き出しになった地面に溝を作って転がった。 「なっ――なんだとォ?!」

40 Episode Two: Sword Fist I guess I only have eyes for the man. Scarlet Snow, unconsciously releasing Joey's hand, fluttered closer to the man. "Are there all the others...? The muddy hand I've been holding. The laughter of a werewolf-like young man went deeper at the end of Joey's gaze, which hurt his chest lightly at the pain of that loss. - No, no, no, this is a prick with prey or a demon's eye! "Come on, Hiyuki, get away from him! Scarlet Snow looked back once and for all at Joey with the face that he did not understand the meaning of the warning when he pulled out his sword. "No, Scarlet Snow Tan and I have a lot to talk about. Before that..." Man - A sharp fang peeked from the connected mouth of his brother Maru (too much). "- Let's do one shot! In a moment, from the bottom at the same time as stepping in, a blow like cutting air and thrusting it up - fist based skill 'Blasting Fist (Brow)' - burst in Scarlet Snow's chest - but. Shortly before that, there was also Joey's warning that his fist cut the sky and the shock wave blew up the roof of a nearby private house at the present time of Scarlet Snow, which he was able to avoid half-reflexively in the backstep. A moment of silence. Then there was a scream from all over the street, and the passers-by fled us and the spot. "A shame. A shame. You weren't a nobula." Where the confusion and hustle around him were also blowing winds, even though he avoided a single hair, his brother Maru unfortunately tongued when he saw the Scarlet Snow tube bra peeled out of the left chest of his ripped summer dress in the aftermath. In front of such a brother circle, Scarlet Snow, who is neither stunned nor bewildered to decide what to do next. "Then why don't you say bra next! Yes, I nodded my tongue and tried to take a step toward the back of my brother circle, "So hey!" Joey was slaughtered. "... what, this kid? He turns around, takes that full blow with his right fist, and pushes it back even further - his fistfighter-based skill, "Power (Knockback)" - that's all, Joey's brand new sword smashed, his body bouncing like rubber under fist pressure, knocking him to the ground, involving one of the open air that was deserted. "Joey!?" Until this outrage, Scarlet Snow, recognizing that his brother Maru in front of him was the enemy, called the love sword 'Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)' from the storage space (inventory). Though this man (brother circle) won't give the opponent time or clearance to invoke other gear, although he is not too careful in his current outfit (summer dress), which is barely close to the round waist. Joey earned me, I can't waste this moment. Scarlet Snow, who decided so aggressively, moved first from himself. From the forward leaning position from the dash, a softening blow targeted the torso of the brother circle. But it won't arrive. They sent me. My brother Maru, who stays down. A barrage of lowering fists - fistfighter-based skills' continuous boxing (banishing) '- discourages pursuit. I just got far enough, and now my brother Maru steps in the other way. Aim, left chest guarded with a thin cloth, as declared. Intercept countermanently as your right fist approaches you with a shock wave in a straight line, turning itself over to the left side of your opponent. The sword tip stopped. Brother Maru's left hand armor held this back. A flash of equilibrium, but if you stay still, this time the kick will strike. Scarlet Snow, who so decided, left, and at the same time his brother Maru left. I noticed itchy pain in my chest. Slightly dropping his gaze, a slice of three strips ran on the side of the bra, shallow, cut skin and stained with blood. The fist was removed, but the result was unreadable to the cutting edge. "Do it, Scarlet Snow Tan. I thought I could worship the top of Happy Mountain, but it's no big deal. I never participated in an interpersonal match in" E. H. O. "or" Eternal Horizon Online, "but then I guess I would have put it in the TOP 20? As I say, I lick it with a long tongue, with the right toe, the blood of scarlet snow, as I show it off. "Always, it's nothing to be glad to hear from those who reigned in TOP3" Scarlet snow that heals (heels) that part with your left hand, while suddenly rewarding it. In Scarlet Snow's words, his brother Maru gave him a slightly bitter look. "TOP3 or... I'm sorry it's not number one" At that moment, it moved at the same time. Kensei moves "Seven Days Blade Down". Brother Maru sends a split september punch, plays it with both hands, and still defends it with his fist-based skill, "Vajra" Attack Defense. But I can't defend myself. The attack power of "The Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" surpassed it. Scarlet Snow twisted her body, feeling an ominous hunch, as her brother Maru turned against her and turned back - at the same time. My nail tip rushes through the position where my jaw was until a moment before that. The vertical rotation of the brother circle became even faster, ignoring the laws of physics while in the air, from which his hands and feet jumped, shattering the cobblestones and open-air of the street with only its aftermath. The tornado of birth is slaughtered, and the surrounding debris is also involved to try to swallow the brother circle in the air. The rotation antagonizes each other, but for as long as we were in the air, the body of the brother circle, whose posture was unstable, loses control for a moment. Don't miss it, Scarlet Snow's "Spike (Slash)" presses you not to break your brother's round body. The compressed atmosphere calls for an explosion, further involving the surrounding debris and dust to deprive them of their sight. - I took it off! Or was he sent, and Scarlet Snow, biting his inner flank at the feeling of the sword cutting the sky, retreated from the scene as soon as possible. In the dust that's about to blow, I quickly run my gaze to the left and right looking for signs of my brother circle, but I can't capture the signs...... Huh, Scarlet Snow remembered something similar before. Prince Achill. In the darkness. Signs looming from all sides. Run upstairs - 'Up?!' Like Domino, the chain-connected thought gave the best answer, and Scarlet Snow looked up as a hay. There he is! He was using the momentum of the explosion to jump further up. And now, my sight fits with my brother Maru, who was about to reach the pinnacle of that leap. A miserable grin on his dirty face with coal and his own blood, his brother Maru gaining momentum from the air for gravitational falls, approaching like a bullet. Qigong Rigid Bullet, a fist sacred technique that adds an inevitable attack instead of sacrificing half of HP. "So hey, hey, hey!!" Brother Maru's roar shivers the air billibly. Decide here. So determined that Scarlet Snow also jumped. Kensei moves "The Singing Wing Blade" that consumes all MPs and inflicts heavy damage on enemies. "Ahhhhhhhh!!" The mood for interception. Nevertheless, due to the amount of HP left over from each other and the properties of the move, this one is definitely quite advantageous! I told myself so, and the sword of Scarlet Snow, who had abandoned his defense, and the fist of his brother Maru intersected - for a moment, the fist of his brother Maru turned into an opening. such?! impossible to cancel after skill activation -!! - no way, including that scream, bluff!? In front of the scarlet snow, which opened his eyes with dismay, the sword tip of "The Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" was stopped by the palms of his brother Maru. Fist Sage moves "White Blade Removal". This is entirely due to the skill of the player, and although the success rate is not high, if you are also a TOP player, you are certain that if you know the moves and timing that will be rolled out, you will have a good chance of doing so. Ignoring his hand ripping into a bump in the aftermath of Scarlet Snow's move, his brother Maru grinned. "- Well, that's the difference between people around here who are used to interpersonal fights and people who aren't." A spinning kick rolled out almost simultaneously captured an undetermined body of scarlet snow in the air. A little body of scarlet snow blew up like an explosion. He slipped through the cobbled streets, hooked up to something and jumped, rolling slowly. "Oops...! Supporting his collapsing luxurious body with one left hand, Brother Maru peered into the unconscious Scarlet Snow face, then looked at him to lick his whole body, then plugged his right hand under his underwear (bra) to see how it felt, then pelted and tongue-in-cheek. "You don't seem to have harassment regulations or anything. Then I can stumble on this occasion, but, well, tuna isn't funny, so I'll take it home and eat it carefully." One of them took it home, and as he sang his nose, he tried to follow the scene, and there was a footsteps stepping on the ground of rubble from behind. "- Hmm?" "Ugh! You're not making a mess. Let go of Hyuki! Contrary to the fiercely high Joey, the brother circle pays back with a white face. "You know, kid. That sword is LV99 gear, even if a kid like you holds it, it's no different than just a stick. You think you can handle this with more or less your arms? There was no instant stray in Joey's determination, even if he referred to the peripheral tragedy with his jaw as if it had been bombed. "So what's up! Woman, can you beat a coward who is happy!!" If you are so roaring, turn to your brother Maru, Joey, who will be slaughtered with all his might. Brother Maru whines a word with his eyes looking at the garbage and unconstructively adds a blow to the counter with his right fist that is on. Joey's sword and his brother Maru's fist intersected, and the dull sound of beating meat with his fist clinging to him. At the next moment, his brother round body, bounced away by fierce momentum, rolled with a groove on the ground where the cobblestone was destroyed and stripped out. "Become - what the heck?!

第十話 聖都消失 一見するとそれは白いドームのようだった。 霧?雲?白煙?......とにかく正体不明の真っ白い蓋が、夢幻の聖都と謳われるイーオン聖王国の首都ファクシミレ全体を覆っているのだった。 「ざっと直径50~60キロメートルってところかな?」 通常であればありえない高度まで空中庭園を下ろして――下手をすると風圧や気流の変化だけで地表を壊滅させる恐れがあるからなんだけど、今回は場合が場合なのである程度の被害覚悟で決行した―― 「あの白雲の直径は、現在52.654キロメートルですな。なおも拡大を続けております」 玉座の間に集った魔将中、もっとも探索・分析能力に秀でた 「今後の被害予測は?」 ボクの問い掛けにも一瞬の遅滞なく、直ちに答えてくれる周参。 「現在と同じ速度で拡大すると仮定した場合、46時間52秒でほぼイーオン聖王国全土を呑み込み、約359時間後――およそ15日で惑星を覆い隠すことになります。この大陸のみに限定した場合は、8日と半日といったところですな。影響については内部の状況が不明なため判断不明です」 「内部の様子は透視できないの?」 「現段階では光学・魔術を問わず、私めの観測手段が全て表面で弾かれております」 周参に促されて見てみれば、巨大な光り輝く多面結晶体――周参に匹敵或いは凌駕する観測能力を持つ、十三魔将軍筆頭【ヨグ=ソトース】斑鳩が、聖都を包む紗幕に向けて色とりどりの 光線 楽しそうに目を細める周参。 「通常の物理観測方法では不可能......となれば、いよいよ斑鳩様の奥の手でしょうか」 「奥の手?」 つーか、皆さん主人のボクより強いのはともかくとして、なんで当たり前のように頭良くて、知らない引き出し持ってるんだろうねぇ?! 今更だけどさ! 「はい。次元波を使用した観測です。これであればいかなる存在であろうと、三次元世界にある限るその存在を偽ることは不可能――おっ、始まったようですな」 見れば斑鳩の全身で蠢く触手の先端に光が燈り、一斉に白い幕に向けると同時に、斑鳩の裂帛の気合のこもった叫びが放たれた。 「次元波動爆縮放射超弦励起縮退振幅重力波――発射っ!」 「長い! てゆーか、なんてもったいぶった名前なの?!」 思わずツッコミを入れると、周参がご丁寧に解説してくれた。 「マイクロブラックホールを形成して騾馬粒子が時間反転した存在である反粒子を瞬時に生成・加速し、空間そのものに干渉して次元を射線上に展開することで時間と空間を跳躍した観測が可能になります」 まったくわからん。言葉の意味は不明だけど、とにかく凄い技を使ったらしいことだけはわかった。 放射された次元(中略)重力波は、もちろん肉眼で見えるものではないので、ぼけーっと結果を待つくらいしかできない。 「徹った! これは――なんだと?! 三次元空間とは隔絶した虚数空間でコーティングだとぉ?!?」 珍しく斑鳩の動揺しきった声が揺れていたけれど、この時点ではボクには理解不能だった。 「――ということで、単刀直入に言いますがあと2週間ほどで世界は滅びます」 聖王国の異変を観測した翌日。 途端に、属国である大陸西部域に位置するアミティア共和国のコラード国王や南部域をほぼ所有するクレス自由同盟国の盟主レヴァン代表、友好国である大陸最大国家東部域の覇者グラウィオール帝国の次期皇帝オリアーナ皇女、さらにほぼ小国がひしめく北部域から唯一参加したシレント国の姫巫女エレノアが一斉に顔一面に疑問符を浮かべた。まあ、当然といえば当然の反応だろうねぇ。 「これは誇張でも冗談でもありません。現在でも拡大中の謎の霧――私達は暫定的にこれに『 それに併せて空中にリアルタイムでの鳥瞰図が表示された。 『――っっっ?!?!』 さすがに自分の目で見ることで事態の大きさを実感できたのだろう。途端に色めき立つ各国の参加者達。 「この虚霧はあらゆる攻撃を防ぐ性質があります。物理攻撃、魔法攻撃、呪術攻撃あらゆる方法で確認を試みましたが、すべて失敗に終わっています」 なにしろ生体爆弾 と、ボクの説明を聞いて恐る恐るイーオンに隣接する、シレント国のエレノアが挙手して立ち上がった。 「あのォ、姫陛下。“確認を試みた”というのは、もしや我が国の首都からも見えた、昨日の轟音と震動、天に立ち上る巨大な光の柱のことでしょうか......?」 ちなみに彼女とは面識はあるけれど、正式に国主として逢ったのはこれが初めてだったりする。以前に逢った時には、ちょっとゴタゴタがあったせいで名乗り忘れていたんだけど、今回の招待と再会は彼女にとって晴天の霹靂だったみたいで、なんとなく態度が硬い。 まあ、会議の前に 「よいか。貴様ら如き卑俗かつ凡愚の輩が、天上人たる姫様の玉顔を拝し、そのお声を耳にするなど言語道断、本来であればその場で目玉を抉り出し、耳を引き千切るところであるが、現在は火急の場合であり、また情け深い姫様のお志しにより、特別に列席を許すこと、努々忘れぬよう肝に銘じておけ!」 と、なんか無茶苦茶言ってせいでプレッシャーを感じているのかも知れないけど......。 というか、全体的に列席者が死人みたいな顔をしているのは、話の内容にショックを受けているのか、広大な会議室のあちこちに点在する 「......えーと、まあ、多少目立つ騒ぎを起こしたのは事実だけど、何事もトライ&エラーを繰り返さないと結果が出ないので、必要な行為と認識しています」 まあ、一歩間違えると一発でこの世界が吹っ飛んだ可能性もあったけど。 なにか言いたげなエレノアだったけれど、周囲を見回して――トバッチリを恐れて一斉に視線を逸らす各国代表者の姿に――ため息をついて、無言のまま腰を下ろした。 普段は目や口元が常に微笑んでいて優しい感じと併せて、どこか余裕のある表情をしているオリアーナも、さすがに今日は差し迫った表情で口を開いた。 その隣には後見人ということで、エストラダ大公。さらに背後には侍従に混じってクリストフ君も来ていた。 視線に気付いたクリストフ君が、はにかみ笑いで軽く手を振ってきたので、なんとなくボクも小さく手を振った。 「――こほん! 姫陛下、それで実際のところどのような事態が想定されるのでしょうか?」 わざとらしく咳払いをするオリアーナに促されて、姿勢を正したボクに代わって、 「まず、こちらの観測に寄れば、『虚霧』と名付けたこの雲の正体は物質ではなく、一種のシールド――魔術障壁のようなものと考えられます」 参加者たちは各々訳知り顔で頷いたり、難しい顔で腕組みしたりする。 「このシールド内部は三次元空間とは隔絶した虚数空間に接続しているものと推測されます。時間は逆行しエントロピーも負の性質を持つため、現在・過去・未来どことも言えぬ領域と化しています」 参加者全員が、『なるほど、わからん』という顔で眉を寄せた。 「つまり『虚霧』に取り込まれた人は死んでいるわけですか?」 ますます表情を険しくしてのオリアーナの追求。 「観測できない以上、現段階では生きているとも死んでいるとも言えない状態です。不可逆的は死ではありませんが、生命体として活動できない状態であるので、死んでいると仮定しても間違いではありませんね」 話している内容は多分、ボク同様半分も理解できないと思うけど、深刻な命都の表情と言葉から、最悪の状態に近いことを予想して、会議室全体にどよめきが広がる。 「......対策は。対策はないのですか?」 コラード国王がボクの顔を見て、すがりつくような目で聞いてきた。 その隣には、先日正式に挙式した新妻のクロエが、難しい顔で目を閉じて座っている。 ボクは彼の目を見て、ゆっくりと口を開いた。 「現状では『虚霧』を止める方法はないよ。できることはただ一つ、幸い『虚霧』の高さは3000メートルほどで安定しているので、3000メートル以上の高さの場所に避難するか。あとはこの空中庭園を箱舟として、『虚霧』が晴れるまで大地を離れるか。――ただし、人数制限をさせてもらうよ。属国を優先して、最高でも10万人を目処に締め切らせてもらう」 ボクの非情な決断に、参加者が強張った顔を見合わせる。 「国ごとの人数の割り当てはこちらで決めさせてもらうので、人選その他は各国に任せるよ。取りあえず広がる『虚霧』に併せて、周囲を旋回する形で空中庭園は移動するので、人選が終わり次第どんどん移動させるように」 そう締めくくると、各国の参加者が慌しく立ち上がって、喧々囂々と質問やら非難やらの口火を切り始めた。 そんな中、あてがわれた席に座ったまま、強張った顔で何か考え込んでいたオリアーナが、自分に言い聞かせるかのように小さく呟いたことに、その時のボクは気が付かなかった。 「喪失世紀...それは、世界が滅び。過去・現在・未来が入り混じった時間の概念が存在しなかった時代......まさか......!」

130 Lesson 10: The Sacred City Disappears At first glance it looked like a white dome. Mist? Clouds? White smoke?... Anyway, an unidentified white lid covered the entire facsimile of the capital of the Eon Holy kingdom, known as the Dream Holy City. "Is it somewhere between 50 and 60 kilometers in diameter? Drop the aerial garden to an altitude that is normally unlikely - if you do poorly, it could destroy the surface only because of changes in wind pressure and airflow, but this time it was decided with some readiness for damage because it is the case - check the ground conditions over the monitor between the thrones (control room). "That white cloud has a diameter of 52.654 kilometers right now. And we continue to expand." Among the demon generals gathered between the thrones, Zhou Jin (Susa), led by the Seven Hazards Star Beast (Shikikaseju), who excelled in the most exploratory and analytical abilities, explains the situation lightly. "What are your future damage predictions? Zhou Jin answers my query immediately without a moment's delay. "Assuming it expands at the same rate as it currently is, it swallows almost all of the Eon Holy Kingdoms in 46 hours and 52 seconds, and in about 359 hours - roughly 15 days it will cover and hide the planet. If you confine yourself to this continent only, it's like eight and a half days. The impact is unclear because the internal situation is unclear." "Can't you see clearly what's going on inside? "At this stage, all my means of observation, whether optical or magical, are played on the surface." Inspired by Zhou Jin, a colorful light ray (beam) began to shine towards the screen enclosing the Holy Capital, led by General [Yog-Sotos] Spotted Dove, with an observation capability comparable to or superior to Zhou Jin, a huge glowing multi-faceted crystal. "... infrared, ultraviolet, visible light, X-rays, high frequencies, electromagnetic waves, free electrons, all reflected - no, emitted almost 100 percent over the sky without attenuation. This is interesting, that all the energy released from any direction can converge in the same direction, does it also block the gravity a little bit? If you put a pulley on the boundary, it will turn naturally, and the permanent engine will be complete." Peripheral ginseng that delightfully narrows her eyes. "Impossible in the normal way of physical observation... If so, is it at last the hands of the Spotted Dove" "The back hand?" Whatever makes you guys stronger than my husband, why are you so smart as a matter of course and have drawers you don't know about?! Not anymore! "Yes, an observation using dimensional waves. Whatever it is, it's impossible to falsify that existence as long as it's in the three-dimensional world - whoa, looks like it's started." When he saw it, the light lit the tip of the tentacles that swung all over the body of the speckled dove, pointing simultaneously at the white curtain, while at the same time emitting the temperamental cry of the speckled dove's tear. "Dimensional Wave Blast Radiation Superstring Excitation Retraction Amplitude Gravity Wave - Fire! "Long! So what a lot of names?!" When I accidentally added the scratch, Zhou Jin explained it politely. "By forming a micro-black hole to instantly generate and accelerate anti-particles, the presence of the mule particles inverted in time, and interfering with the space itself to expand the dimension on the ray, it is possible to make observations that have jumped in time and space" I have no idea. The meaning of the words is unclear, but I only found out that they used awesome moves anyway. The emitted dimensional (abbreviated) gravitational waves are of course not visible to the naked eye, so they can only be blurry enough to wait for results. "Thorough! What is this - a coating in an imaginary space isolated from three-dimensional space?!?" Rarely had the agitated voice of a speckled dove swayed, but at this point it was incomprehensible to me. So I'm going to go straight to the point, but in about two weeks, the world will be doomed. The day after I observed the anomaly of the Holy Kingdom. As soon as possible, King Levan's representative, the ally of the Free Alliance of Cres, who almost owns the Collard of the Amitian Republic and the southern region, located in the western part of the continent, where he belongs, Empress Oriana, the next emperor of the reigning Grawior Empire in the eastern part of the continent's largest nation, a friendly country, and Eleanor, the princess witch of the Cilento Nation, who was almost the only one to take part from the hissing northern part, raised a question mark on one side of her face at a time. Well, naturally, it would be a natural reaction. "This is not an exaggeration or a joke. The mysterious fog that is still expanding - which we tentatively named 'fog' - has continued to expand ever since, and has already broadened its scope with the momentum of approaching half the holy kingdom." This was accompanied by a real-time bird 's-eye view in the air. '- Huh?!?! I guess I could just feel the magnitude of things by looking at them with my own eyes. Participants from all over the country who are dying along the way. "This fog is of a nature that prevents all attacks. Physical attack, magic attack, spell attack We tried to confirm in every way, but it all ended in failure" Anyway, it is the defense of an iron wall that doesn't even accept a proton explosion of a biological bomb Musashi (Musashi), or a trinity attack emitted by the top three of Heavenly Life (Tengai), Spotted Pigeons (but also without clouds) (if you ask Zhoujin later, he said the total amount of energy was destructive enough to destroy even Jupiter-class planets) (although it seems to be flushing it out precisely), so as it stands, there is no hitter. And Eleanor, of the country of Cilento, stood up with his hands raised, adjacent to Aeon, who feared after hearing my explanation. "Um wow, Your Highness. Does" attempted confirmation "mean yesterday's roar and tremor, a giant pillar of light rising in heaven, which we could not have seen from our nation's capital...? By the way, although I know her personally, this may be the first time I have officially met her as a national lord. When I met her before, I forgot to name her because I had a bit of a goth, but this invitation and reunion seemed like a sunny thunderbolt to her, somewhat stiff attitude. Well, before the meeting, Heavenly Father named Imperial Crimson and Chancellor of the Crimson Empire, against non-prime movers. "Okay. As vulgar and foolish as you are, you worship the ball-face of a heavenly princess, you hear her voice and other verbal discourses, if you are meant to be, you choose your eyeballs on the spot, you draw your ears a thousand times, but now it is a fire, and at the will of a pitiful princess, you must remember to allow a special row seat, and try not to forget! And I don't know if you're feeling any pressure because you said something unscrupulous... Or, overall, the fact that the row attendants look like dead people is a bit of a shock at the content of the story, or they're freaking out about the Necromancer Knight (Death Knight) and Reaper (Grimm Reaper) dotted all over the vast conference room. "... er, well, it's true that I made some noticeable noise, but I recognize it as a necessary act because nothing will turn out unless I repeat everything tries and errors" Well, one wrong step could have blown this world away in one shot. It was an eleanor to say something, but I looked around - to the appearance of the representatives of the countries who, fearing tobacco and at the same time, diverted my gaze - and I sighed and lowered my hips silently. Oriana, who usually has a spare look somewhere along with her eyes and mouth always smiling and feeling gentle, also opened her mouth with a pressing look just today. Next door is the guardian, so Grand Duke Estrada. Behind you, too, Christoph, mixed up with a samurai. I noticed my gaze, Christoph, and I waved slightly with a smile. "- Kohon! Your Highness, so what is actually envisaged? Prompted by Oriana, who deliberately coughed, the Capital of Life (Miko) moved forward on behalf of me, who corrected her posture. "First of all, if you stop by this observation, the identity of this cloud, named 'Idle Mist', is not matter, but a kind of shield - it's considered like a magic barrier" Each participant nods with a knowledgeable face or arms in a difficult face. "It is presumed that the interior of this shield is connected to an imaginary space that is isolated from the three-dimensional space. Because time is retrograde and entropy is negative, it is transformed into a realm that cannot be said to be anywhere in the present, past, or future." All the participants frowned with the 'I see, I don't know' face. "So the person who was taken in by the 'mist' is dead? The pursuit of Oriana by making her expression more and more rude. "It's more than unobservable. At this stage, we can't say we're alive or dead. Irreversibility is not death, but it is not a mistake to assume that you are dead because you are unable to act as a life form." I don't think I understand what you're talking about, maybe half as well as I do, but from the look and words of a serious life capital, the twist spreads across the conference room expecting to be close to the worst. "... the measures. Are there no measures? King Collard looked me in the face and listened with a tempting eye. Next to it, Chloe, his new wife, who formally ceremonized the other day, sits with her eyes closed with a difficult face. I looked him in the eye and slowly opened my mouth. "As things stand, there's no way to stop 'Misty'. There is only one thing you can do, fortunately the height of the 'Idle Fog' is stable at about 3000 meters, so do you evacuate to a height of over 3000 meters? And then leave the earth with this aerial garden as an ark until the 'fog' clears? - However, let me limit the number of people. Prioritize your country and have a maximum of 100,000 people due." My ruthless decision is matched by a strong participant's face. "I'll let you decide on the number of people per country here, so I'll leave the candidates and the rest to each country. In conjunction with the spreading 'Idle Fog' for now, the aerial garden moves in a way that swirls around, so that it moves more and more as soon as the candidates are finished." In closing, participants from all over the country stood up in a hurry and began to turn off their blameless tantrums with loud questions. In the meantime, I didn't realize then that Oriana, sitting in the appreciated seat, contemplating something with a strong face, whined as small as if to tell herself. "Century of loss... it is the world that perishes. A time when the concept of time mixed with the past, present and future did not exist...... no way......!

幕間 薔薇追想 私がその子に会ったのは、短期バイトで地元のスーパーに勤めた時だった。 中学生くらいだろうか? 栗色の髪に真っ白な肌、中性的な顔立ちに、線の細い体。 綺麗な男の子だな、というのがひと目みての感想だった。 もっともとっくに中学は卒業していて、現在は通信教育で大検を目指している、と後から聞かされて耳を疑ったものだが。 「身長とか、髪の色なんかは単に栄養失調のせいなんだよ」 そう自嘲して言った言葉を、私は最初冗談だと――この現代社会でそんな筈ないと根拠も無く思い込んでいたのだ――思っていたのだが、どうやらそれが本当のことだとわかったのは、随分と後になってからだった。 そういう目立つ容姿をした子だったから、興味をもって話しかけるバイト仲間は何人もいたが、愛想よく答えながらも、どこか一線を引いている彼のそっけない様子に、なんとなく近寄りがたい雰囲気を感じて、だんだんと積極的に話しかける人もいなくなっていったが、本人は逆に面倒がなくなったという風で、飄々としていた。 まあ、私は逆に俄然興味をもって、手の空いているとき、昼休み、帰る時などどんどん話しかけたのだけれど。 「君もたいがい変な人だねえ」 お金がもったいないから、と渋る彼を説き伏せて帰り際、誘ったファーストフード店――お金がないという言葉通り、彼は一番安いセットを注文した――で、面と向かって言われて私は首を捻った。 「――そう?」 「そうだよ。大抵空気を読んでボクには近寄らないものだけどねぇ」 「う~~ん、そう言われるとそうかも知れないけど、なんか興味があってさ。私の周りに君みたいに若いのに達観してる人っていないから」 「好奇心猫を殺すの典型だねぇ君は。まあそのバイタリティにはある意味、敬意を評するけど」 それから取り留め目もない話をした(というか、私が一方的に質問をして、彼が面倒臭そうに答えるというパターンだったけど)。 両親を亡くして一人暮らしでいること。 あのスーパーには身元保証人の口利きで2年前からバイトしていること。 休みの日は図書館で大検の勉強をしていること。 趣味はネットゲームなこと。 「ふーん、見事にオタクな生活ね~」 「ほっといてくれ、お互いに仮面をかぶってるネットの方が、人間関係のわずらわしさがない分、気楽だしね」 そんな話をして、帰り際に無理に誘ったのは私からなので、彼の分も一緒に支払おうとしたのだが、こればかりは頑として受け入れてもらえなかった。 「こうした貸し借りは大嫌いでね。自分の分は自分で払うよ」 「別にこの程度、貸し借りでもないと思うけど。だいたい私が誘ったんだから、先にこっちに借りがあるんじゃないの?」 「違うね」どこか冷たい口調で彼は断言した。「どんな場合でも、お金を出したほうが精神的に優位に立つんだよ」 それからも機会があるごとに、私たちは帰り際にお茶と雑談を楽しんだ(まあ楽しんでたのは私のほうだけだったかもしれないけど、彼も付き合ってくれたんだから嫌がってたわけではないだろう)。 とはいえお金がないという彼の懐を考慮して、毎回コンビニのコーヒーとか、公園のベンチで缶ジュースとかだったけど。 何回か話しているうちに、だんだんと彼のプライベートな部分も見えてきた。 「まあ生まれた時はけっこう裕福で、社会的地位もある両親もボクを可愛がってくれたんだけど、10歳になる前に事故であっさりとね」 「それからはあっという間だったかな。優しい祖父母や親戚だと思っていた親類縁者が、寄ってたかって両親の家屋敷、財産全てなんだのかんだの理屈をつけて奪っていってね」 「で、最終的に後見人を名乗る、一つ年上の従兄弟がいる伯父夫婦の家に引き取られたんだけど、まあそうなるとこれがよくある話で、肉体的精神的な虐待でねえ。13歳の時からぴたりと身長も伸びなくなってしまったよ」 「さすがに我慢できなくなって、学校や警察とかにも訴えたんだけど、まあ・・・子供の言い分よりも、社会的地位も地域の名誉も持ってる伯父とでは、行政もどちらの言い分を聞くかは明白でね。それからは虐待もなおさら酷くなったねぇ」 「それよりも参ったのは一つ年上の従兄弟でね。中学くらいになると色気づくだろう? で、ボクはご覧の見かけなのでね、肉体的精神的な虐待に加えて性的虐待もプラスされるようになってきてさ」 「まあ財産やなんかはボクが無知だったせいで、とられたのはある意味自業自得だけど、最後に残ったこの身と命くらいは守らなきゃと」 「あてもなく家出したところ偶然ケースワーカーに拾われてさ。最近はそういう虐待とか暴力とか社会問題になってたこともあって、 「ああ、別に自分が惨めだとか不幸だとかは思ってないよ、世の中には生まれつき難病の人も居るし、世界を見回せば7割近くが、その日飲む水にも苦労してるんだしね」 「うん、別に親戚や伯父がことさら悪人だったとは思わないなぁ。この世の中には博愛や無私の愛なんてない、人は自分の都合のいいように考え、行動するのに、それを期待してしまったボクが甘かったんだろうね」 「というか善人とか悪人とかあるのかな? あの日、両親が死ぬまでは彼らはボクにとっては善人だったし、いまでも他人からみれば善人なんだろうからね」 「だから君がボクを達観してるって言ったのも的外れでね。単にボクは臆病なだけなんだよ」 それから程なくして彼はあっけなく事故で亡くなった。 その後、程なくして彼がよく遊んでいたというネットゲームも終わったらしい。もともと会社としては5年を目処に運営していたが、最近のネットゲーム離れで廃止を決定したとかなんとか、ネットの書き込みで読んだ。 彼の葬儀が行なわれたかどうか、どこに葬られたかはわからない。 なので事故から1年後の今日、私は彼の事故現場に彼が好きだと言っていた赤い薔薇の花束を置いて、そっと手を合わせた。 「薔薇は好きだねぇ、特に赤薔薇は。知ってるかい、フランスとかでワインを作るブドウ畑には薔薇を植えるんだってさ。薔薇って病気にすごく弱いからねえ、先に病気が入らないかどうかの警報代わりに昔からそうしていたんだってさ。そんな弱いのに棘で身を守ろうとするなんて、健気じゃないかな?」 そんな彼こそが薔薇のような人だった。 知ってたかな君は。赤い薔薇の花言葉は『情熱』『愛情』だよ。 君は口では愛なんて信じないなんて言ってたけど、本当は信じたかったんじゃないかな? それの答えはもう聞けないけど、私は君のことを愛していたよ。

20 Tabernacle Rose Pursuit I met the kid when I worked for a local supermarket on a short-term job. Is it like junior high? Bright white skin on chestnut hair, neutral face, thin body of lines. Beautiful boy, at first glance. I doubted my ears when I was told later that I had recently graduated from secondary school and was currently seeking a major examination in telecommunications education. "Height, hair color, it's just malnutrition." When I first joked about the words I said with such mockery - I had no basis in this modern society for assuming that it should not be - it was not long after I found out that apparently it was true. He was such a prominent looking kid that he had a number of part-time buddies who spoke with interest, but while lovingly answering, he felt somewhat intimate to the way he was drawing the line somewhere, and no one was ever more aggressive to speak to him, but he was floating in the opposite wind that he was no longer bothered. Well, on the contrary, I was interested in talking more and more when I was free, on my lunch break, on my way home, etc. "You're weird, too." Because the money was wasted, and when I convinced him to go home reluctantly, the fast food store I invited him to - as the saying goes, he ordered the cheapest set - and I twisted my neck when he told me to face it. "- Right?" "That's right. Most of the time I read the air and it's not close to me, but hey." "Uh-huh, maybe when they say that, but I'm interested. Because there's no one around me who's as young as you and yet obsessed with it." "It's typical to kill a curiosity cat. You are. Well, in a way, I appreciate that vitality." Then we talked about it with no reticence either (or even though it was a pattern where I asked the question unilaterally and he answered it in a nasty way). Being alone with the loss of my parents. That I've been working part-time in that supermarket for two years at the mouth of an identity guarantor. Must be studying for a big exam in the library on the day off. My hobby is that it's an online game. "Hmm, that's a brilliant nerdy life." "Leave me alone, we're wearing each other's masks. The internet's easier for us to do without the slightest hint of a relationship." I told him that story and it was from me that I forced him to invite him home, so I tried to pay for his share with him, but I couldn't get him to accept all this stubbornly. "I hate these loans. I'll pay for myself." "Nothing. To this extent, I don't think I owe it either. Mostly because I asked you out, don't you owe me one first? "You're not," he affirmed in a cold tone somewhere. "In any case, it's better to give money a spiritual advantage." Every opportunity we had since, we enjoyed tea and chatting on our way home (well, maybe I was the only one who enjoyed it, but he didn't hate it because he dated me, too). Considering his nostalgia of having no money though, it was convenience store coffee every time, or can juice on a park bench. As I talked to him a few times, I gradually saw his private parts as well. "Well, I was so wealthy when I was born, and my parents with social status adored me, but before I turned 10, I was lightly in an accident." "I guess it wasn't long after that. A kindred relative who thought he was a sweet grandparent or relative wanted to stop by and take away his parents' house and property." "So, I was eventually taken to the house of my uncle and his wife, who have one older cousin, and then this is a common story, and it's not a physical and mental abuse. I haven't even grown tall since I was 13." "I just couldn't stand it, and I even complained to the school and the police and stuff, well... it's obvious which way the administration listens, not least with my uncle, who has more social status and community honor than the kids say. And then the abuse got worse." "There's only one older cousin who came here. When you're in middle school, you'll notice the color, right? So, as you can see, in addition to physical and mental abuse, sexual abuse is starting to add up." "Well, I was ignorant about my fortune and stuff, and I deserved it in a way, but at the end of the day, I had to protect myself and my life." "I ran away from home and the caseworker picked me up by accident. Sometimes these days, it's been such abuse, violence and social problems, and I think it feels like they're taking me to a shelter and I'm still here." "Oh, I don't think I'm miserable or unhappy, there are people in the world who are born with difficulty, and if you look around the world, nearly 70% of them struggle with the water they drink that day." "Yeah, nothing. I don't think my relatives or uncle were all bad guys. There is no fraternity or selfless love in this world, I guess it was sweet of me to expect people to think and act like they were convenient." "Or is there a good guy or a bad guy? Until my parents died that day, they were good men to me, and they must still be good men from other people." "That's why you said you were obsessed with me. I'm just a coward." Before long, he died in an accident. After that, they also finished the online game that he was playing a lot in no time. Originally, as a company, I ran it for five years, but I managed to read in online writing about the recent decision to abolish online gaming away. I don't know if his funeral took place or where it was buried. So today, a year after the accident, I put down a bouquet of red roses that I said I liked him at his accident scene and gently put my hands together. "I like roses, especially red roses. You know, they plant roses in vineyards that make wine in France or something. Because roses are so vulnerable to disease, hey, they've been doing that for a long time instead of alerting me about whether or not they can get sick first. Aren't you healthy trying to protect yourself with thorns even though you're so weak? That's what he was like as a rose. I guess you knew. Red rose flower words are 'passion' and 'affection'. You said you don't believe in love with your mouth, but you really wanted to, didn't you? I can't hear the answer to that anymore, but I loved you.

第十三話 唇歯輔車 薄暗い地下道を数人の武官たちに先導され、身分卑しからぬ壮年の男と、20台半ばの青年とが息を殺し、出来る限り早足で走り続けていた。 「お急ぎください陛下、ここを抜けられれば首都郊外の山小屋に出られます。その後は一時バルディ公爵の元に身を隠し、帝国か聖王国の手を借りることで、逆賊と化物どもを国内から一掃いたしましょう」 「わ、わかっておる。この国をあのような魔物や逆賊どもになどくれてやるものか。必ずや余の手で取り戻してくれようぞ!」 壮年の――顔立ちは悪くはないが――どことなく覇気に乏しい男が、小箱を大事そうに抱えたまま忌々しげにそう呟いた。 「勿論です父上、この国が誰のものか目にもの見せてやりましょう。それにしても、魔物どもにも増して腹立たしいのは国民どもです! 父上の治世で豊かな生活を謳歌しておきながら、一転して我々を非難し暴徒と化すとは――あの忘恩の火事場泥棒どもめ!」 青年の方はもっと露骨に、ぎらぎらとした怨みの炎を瞳に燃やしていた。 「その通りです。幸いこの通路は王族以外の限られた者しか存在を知りません。また城側の出入り口も塞いでおきましたので、まずは一安心かと」 武官のその言葉に、その男――アミティア王国現国王は、一瞬躊躇いのような表情を浮かべた。 「・・・しかし、王宮にはまだ息子や娘、それに妃たちが残っていたのじゃが」 「やむを得ません。連れ立って歩けば人目にもつきますし、脱出にも時間がかかります。しかし現国王たる父上と次期国王たる私、なによりその国璽さえあればアミティア王国は安泰です。彼らも王族、犠牲は覚悟の上でしょう」 断固とした口調で青年――第一王子にして、次期王位継承権第一位の息子に言われ、国王は手にした小箱に目をやり黙り込んだ。 と、その途端、彼らの足音だけしかしなかった地下道に、小さな子供が立てるような可愛らしい拍手の音が響いた。 「――な、なに奴?!」 慌てて立ち止まり、剣を抜いて拍手のした方向――進行方向の闇へと向き直る一同。 やがて、彼らが手にするカンテラ――ロウソクではなく、魔法の明かりを灯す魔導具なのでかなり明るい――の光の範囲内に、薔薇をあしらった黒の豪奢なドレスを着た、いまだあどけなさが残る容姿でありながら恐ろしいほどの美貌をした少女が、赤色の鎧を装備し顔の上半分に鬼面の あまりにも場違いな闖入者に、一瞬、これは幽霊か精霊ではないのか? と全員の頭に疑問が浮かんだが、少女のほうはそんな一同の困惑に斟酌することなく、明るくもざっくばらんな調子で口を開いた。 「ご立派ご立派。そうだよねー、王族だもん責任はとらないとねぇ。当然その覚悟はあるよね、自分で言ったことだしねぇ」 そう言って腕組みしてうんうん頷く。 「何者だお前?! なぜこの場所にいる!?」 眼光鋭く問いただす第一王子を、一瞬冷ややかな視線で一瞥した後、少女は優雅な仕草で 「なっ......なぜ、インペリアル・クリムゾンがこの抜け道を......?」 声にならない一同の中、第一王子が辛うじてその問いを口に出した。 「――さあ? もう居なくなるあなた方が知っても意味がないでしょう」 その言葉に、己の役目を思い出した武官たちが、各々剣を構えて緋雪の元へと殺到してきた。 長剣を抜いた赤い騎士がその前に立ち塞がり、これを迎え撃とうとする。 とはいえ狭い地下道のこと、複数の方角から仕掛けられた攻撃はさばききれないだろう、そう自分たちの勝利を確信した武官たちだが―― 「あ、貴方様は――!?」 「まさか、殿・・・」 一瞬の交錯。そして、稀人が歩き出すと同時に、武官たちは一人残らず血煙を伴い倒れた。 「ひいいいいいいいっ!!」 剣を握ることもなく悲鳴をあげ、恥も外聞もなくその場から逃げようとする第一王子の醜態に、稀人はため息をついて剣を一閃させた。 剣閃が闇を切り裂き、なにか重いものが転がる音がした。 ただ一人残った...と言うより腰を抜かして身動きが取れない、国王に向き合う位置まで近づきながら、緋雪は「やれやれ」と首を振った。 「言ってることとやってることがバラバラだねぇ。アシル王子の件だってそうだよ、私たちの国と結託した外患誘致? じゃあ君らのさっきの言葉はなんだい、『帝国か聖王国の手を借りる』って同じことじゃないの? そういうのをダブルスタンダードって言うんだよ」 しかし国王はそんな言葉は聞いていないのだろう。土下座して手にした小箱を差し出し、 「た、助けてくれぃ! こ、この国璽を渡す。これでこの国はオヌシのものじゃ。だ、だからどうか......」 涙ながらに懇願する。 その様子に毒気を抜かれた表情で、緋雪はお手上げという風に両手を上げた。 一つで国がどうなるもんでもないと思うけどねえ。まあ、後でコラード君にでも渡しておけば、何かのハッタリには使えるかな? 取りあえずもらっておくよ」 そう言って小箱をつま先で軽く蹴り上げ、キャッチして背中のポシェットに収納した。 「......こ、これでどうか、余の命ばかりは」 そう言って地面に額をこすりつける国王から、緋雪は冷ややかかつ微妙に困惑した視線を稀人に移したが、『姫にお任せします』という風に肩をすくめられ、ため息をついた。 「もうちょいマシな人物と聞いてたんだけど、期待はずれというか・・・いや、ここまで卑屈だと一周回ってかえって清清しいねえ。――こりゃ確かに国璽のほうがよほど値打ちモノだわ」 そう言われても身を震わせ、うわごとのように助命を繰り返す国王の姿に、呆れと蔑みをブレンドした生暖かい視線をやって、肩をすくめる。 「わかったよ、なんかこの場で首級をとる価値もないみたいだし、私とインペリアル・クリムゾンは一切手出しはしないよ」 「――おっ、おおお......!!」 その言葉に国王の顔が希望に輝いた。 「・・・なので、後のことはこの国の人間に任せるよ。これから王宮前の広場に連れて行くので、あとは国民がどう判断するのか......まあ、君は善政で国を治め、国民に豊かな生活を謳歌させたそうだからね、みんな喜んで受け入れてくれるだろうさ」 続けての死刑宣告に等しい言葉に国王の顔が絶望に染まり、いやいやをするように頭を振ってその場から後ずさろうとするが、稀人にその襟首を掴まれ、駄々っ子のように涙と唾を流してその手を逃れようとする。 「見ちゃいられないねぇ。―― その呼びかけに応えて、緋雪の胸元から淡い光の粒子が飛び、その傍らに集まり金色の騎士と化した。 「――はい、お呼びでございますか姫」 「悪いけど、コレ王宮前の広場に棄てといて――ああ、出口は塞がってるみたいだから、適当なところぶち抜いて構わないよ。あと集まっている市民にコレの始末をさせることも説明してもらえるかな?」 生ゴミの始末を頼む気安さと口調とで、じたばたしている国王を差す緋雪。 「承知いたしました」 天涯は再度一礼をして、稀人に替わって襟首を掴み、ずりずりと無造作に引き摺って行く。 「い、いやじゃああーっ、よ、余がなにをしたというのじゃ――――っ!!!」 すでに聞こえるはずもないが、地下道の彼方へ消え去った国王にそう答え、緋雪は黙然と立ち尽くす稀人に視線をやった。 「・・・最期まで気が付かなかったみたいだね、第一王子も国王も。部下でさえ気が付いたっていうのに」 「......喜ぶべきか悲しむべきか、微妙なところですけど、この結果が全てですね」 武官たちと第一王子の遺体が転がる地下通路を見回し、稀人はどうでもいいような口調でそれに答え、手にしていた その光景を想像して含み笑いをする緋雪。 「なら、俺はその間に野暮用を済ませてきます」 「ふーん、まあ、こっちは9割方片付いたんだし、ゆっくりしてくればいいさ」 無言で頷いた稀人は、真っ直ぐ王宮の方へと歩みを進め、それを見送った緋雪は身を翻し、もと来た道を戻り始めた。

36 Lesson 13: Lip Gear Led by several martial arts officers through the dim basement, a magnificent man of no less stature and a young man of mid 20 killed his breath and continued to run as fast as he could. "Hurry up, Your Majesty, if we can get out of here, we can get out to the mountain hut outside the capital. After that, hide yourself in the presence of the Duke of Baldi and, with the help of the Empire or the Holy King, sweep away the rebels and the monsters from the country." "Wow, I know. What would give this country to such demons and traitors? Make sure you get it back with the rest of your hands! A man of magnificent age - not looking bad, but somewhat lacking in hegemony - murmured so abominably with his little box in his arms looking important. "Of course, Father. Let me show you who this country belongs to. Nevertheless, it is the people who are angry with the demons for more! I didn't expect you to blame us and turn us into thugs while singing about your rich life in your father's reign - those ungrateful fireplace thieves! The youngster was burning more blatantly, a flame of bitter resentment in his eyes. "Exactly. Fortunately, only a limited number of non-royal people know this passage exists. I also blocked the entrance and exit on the castle side, so I thought I'd feel safe first." In the words of the samurai, the man - the present king of the kingdom of Amitia - gave a hesitant expression for a moment. "... but the royal palace still had sons, daughters, and queens." "I have to. Walk with them and they'll be visible, and it'll take time to get out. But the kingdom of Amitia is safe with the father of the present king and the next king, me, and more importantly, the kingdom of Amitia. They are royalty, too, and sacrifice will be ready." In a resolute tone, the young man - made first prince, told by his next first son in the right to inherit the throne, the king opened his eyes and silenced himself in the small box in his hand. And, as soon as that happened, there was a lovely clapping noise in the basement where only their footsteps could stand. "- Hey, what guy?!" We stopped in a hurry, pulled out our swords and clapped in the direction - together we turned back to the darkness in the direction of progress. Eventually, within the confines of the light of the cantera they hold - which is quite bright because it is not a candle, but a magical light - a girl, dressed in a luxurious black dress with roses, with a figure that remains unobtrusive yet terribly beautiful, appeared with a swordsman equipped with red armor and a mask (mask) on the top half of her face. To too many out of place intruders, for a moment, isn't this a ghost or a spirit? and doubts arose in the minds of all, but the girl opened her mouth in a bright and hazy manner, without taking into account such a common perplexity. "Nice and splendid. That's right, you're royal. You have to take responsibility. Naturally, you're prepared to do that, because you said so yourself." That's what I said, put your arms together. Yeah, yeah, nod. "Who are you?! Why are you in this place?!?" After glancing at the first prince, who asked sharply, with a chilling glance for a moment, the girl bowed (Cartesy) with an elegant trick. "Become... Why is Imperial Crimson taking this way out...? Among the voiceless ones, the first prince drowned out the question. "Come on? It won't make sense for you to know you're gone." And the samurai, who remembered their part in the word, put up their swords, and slew them unto Scarlet Snow. A red knight with a long sword pulled out stands in front of him and tries to intercept this. Nevertheless, the narrow tunnels, the attacks carried out from multiple directions, will not be judged, yes, the martial officers who were convinced of their victory... "Oh, you are -!?" "No way, my lord..." A moment of staggering. And at the same time as the rare walked out, the martial officers fell with no one left but blood smoke. "Hi-no-no!!" The rare man sighed and flashed his sword at the ugliness of the First Prince, who screamed without holding the sword and tried to escape from the spot without shame or hearsay. The sword flashes cleaved the darkness, and something heavy sounded rolling. Scarlet Snow shook her head, "Oh man," as she slipped back and couldn't move, approaching the position facing the king rather than just staying alone... "What you're saying and what you're doing is falling apart. Even about Prince Achill. Attracting an outpatient consortium with our country? So what were your words just now, not the same thing as' empire or holy kingdom's hand '? That's what they call double standards." But I guess the king hasn't heard those words. I sat down and offered him a small box I had in my hand, "Ha, help me. No! I'll give you this national seal. Now this country belongs to Onusi. So please..." Plead in tears. Scarlet Snow raised her hands to the wind of soaking up with a look that was detoxified by the way it looked. "I don't think it's going to matter what happens to the country with one of these judges. Well, if I give it to you later, Collard, can I use it for some sort of hatchet? I'll get it for now." That's what I said, I kicked the little box up gently with my toes, caught it and stored it in my back pochette. "... this, please, all the rest of your life" From the king rubbing his forehead on the ground with that said, Scarlet Snow shifted his chilly and subtly bewildered gaze to a rare man, but shrugged his shoulders and sighed in the wind of 'I leave it to the princess'. "I heard you were about to be a better person, but you know, you fell short of expectations... and no, it's pretty clean to go around and be so despicable. - This is definitely more valuable than a national seal." I shudder my shoulders, doing a raw, warm gaze that blends disdain and disdain at the appearance of a king who trembles and repeats his life like every wow. "Okay, it doesn't look like it's worth taking the lead on this one, and me and Imperial Crimson aren't gonna do anything about it." "- Whoa, whoa...!!" The king's face gleamed in hope at the words. "... so I'll leave the rest to the people of this country. I'm going to take you to the square in front of the royal palace, so how will the people judge the rest... Well, you ruled the country with good governance and let the people sing abundant life, so they'll all be happy to accept you." The king's face stains with despair in words equal to the ensuing death sentence, shaking his head to do no good and trying to back off the spot, but the rare man grabs his collar and tries to escape its hand by weeping and spitting like a wasting child. "You can't look at it. - Tendai." In response to that call, a particle of light flew from the chest of scarlet snow, gathered beside it and turned it into a golden knight. "- Yes, are you calling, Princess?" "I'm sorry, but leave it in the square in front of the Royal Palace - oh, the exit seems blocked, so I don't mind bumping out where it's appropriate. Can you also explain to the citizens who are gathering together to make this happen? Scarlet snow gives away a shivering king with the uneasiness and tone of asking for the beginning and end of raw garbage. "Yes, sir." Heavenly gives thanks again, replacing him with a rare man and grabbing his collar, pulling him aside unwrought. "Yes, no then, uh, what else did you do? - Whoa!!!" That's how Scarlet Snow answered the king, who can't even hear him already, but disappeared across the tunnel, and did his gaze at the rare man who stood silently. "... you didn't seem to notice until the end, neither the First Prince nor the King. Even my men noticed." "... should I be happy or sad, it's a subtlety, but this is the result of it all" The martial officers and the body of the first prince looked around the rolling underground passage, and the rare man answered it in a tone that did not matter, waving a long sword (Augustroke) in his hand, wiping the bloodshed and putting it in the sheath. Scarlet Snow laughs in imagination of the sight. "Then I'll be ready for the wild in the meantime." "Hmm, well, we've cleared up 90% of the way over here, and you just need to take your time." The rare man, who nodded silently, proceeded straight to the royal palace, and Scarlet Snow, who dropped it off, turned himself over and began to return the way he had originally come.

幕間 武者修行 「伝説の勇者の剣? あるのそんなもの?」 何のヒネリもないその名前に緋雪が首を捻る。 「あるんですよ、どういうわけか」 コラード国王も困惑したような口調で、言葉を継いだ。 「なんでもかつてその国に恐るべき魔物が襲来し混乱に陥った時、国王と国の精鋭たちがその身を犠牲にして時間を稼ぎ、ときの巫女が自らの命と引き換えにする禁断の大魔術を行い、異世界から勇者を召喚したそうで。その勇者が魔物を斃す為に、ドワーフの名工が3人がかりで命と引き換えに鍛えたのが、その剣だそうです」 命と引き換え多いな~、あと、やたら手垢の付いた設定だなぁ、とか思いつつ取りあえず頷いておく緋雪。 「なんでもこの剣は凄まじい切れ味を誇り、それのみならず、持ち主に栄光と無限の力を与えたそうです。なんでも召喚された勇者『タロー・ヤマダ』はほとんど武芸の心得のない素人だったそうですが、この剣の力で魔獣と互角に戦い、最後は剣自体が勇者の手を離れて魔獣を翻弄し、宙を飛んでトドメを刺したとか」 「それ剣が主役で、勇者必要なくないんじゃなくない?」 気が付いちゃいけないことに気が付いた顔で、お互いに決まり悪げに視線を交わす二人。 こほんと咳払いして、変な方向へ流れかけた話を元に戻すコラード国王。 「......要約してるからそう感じるんですよ。吟遊詩人の語りとか、地元のお伽噺では英雄譚として、巷間に流布しているので、間違ってもそういうツッコミを入れてはいけません。なにしろ今回はアウェーですから」 それから、心配そうに目の前に座る緋雪――普段の派手なドレスから一転して純白の神官服を着た美貌の聖職者――冒険者名スカーレット・スノウという、そのまんまな謎の女性神官へと、再度確認する。 「しかし、本当に姫陛下まで同行するんですか? 別にそれほどの重大事とも思えませんし、正直、あちらの要求を聞かなくても、問題はない......というか、そもそも北方貿易はあまり盛んではありませんので、1箇所程度使用不能では、さほど不都合はないかと思うのですが......」 手にした三日月の長杖――聖女装備『 「だってその国がOKすれば、実質自由貿易圏が大陸中コンプリートなんでしょ? だったらゲーマーとしては完璧を目指さないとねぇ。それに第一面白そうじゃない、『我が国は魔国に与する者とは交易を結ばない。だが、伝説の剣に選ばれた者がそれを望むなら、謹んで受諾しよう』と言って、その候補者がこの国に居るなんてね。神剣とやらと勇者様とやらの顔を拝んでみたいじゃない」 まあさすがに普段の恰好だと目立つので、わざわざ昔( ちなみに現在、緋雪はコラード国王と会談のために来訪中ということで、表向きは魔導人形No2『緋雪』が、命都の遠隔操作で影武者をこなしている。 「それにしても予言の勇者がまさかアレとはねぇ。どんだけ人材難なんだろう......」 首を捻る緋雪に、コラード国王も重々しい顔で同意した。 「まったくです、世界も発狂したとしか思えませんね」 「師匠ですか? しばらく山籠りすると言って1週間前から仕事も休んでますけど?」 アミティア共和国の首都アーラにある、冒険者ギルド本部。 前もって呼び出しを受けていたDランク冒険者フィオレ(つい先ごろDランクへ昇格した)は、案内されたギルド長室で、2~3度顔を合わせたことのあるこのギルドの最高責任者ガルテと、1度だけ顔を合わせたことのある黒髪の美姫――アミティア共和国の宗主国国主であり、非人間種族の実質的神に等しい吸血姫――緋雪を前にして、部屋に案内された途端、気死寸前に追い詰められたが、お茶を飲みながらの雑談を挟んだ会話を通して、二人のざっくばらんな人柄に触れ、どうにか普通にやり取りが可能なほど、気持ちが回復したのだった。 そして、何気ない様子で訊かれたのが、 「今日はジョーイの奴も呼び出したんだが、どうにも捕まらねえ。お嬢ちゃん、なにか知らないかい?」 という質問であり、その答えが先ほどのものだった。 「「山篭り?」」 予想外の答えに揃って目を丸くする緋雪とガルテギルド長。 「は、はい。昔、ギルド長から聞いて、あの......なにかあったら使うように、言われた場所だとか......聞いてますけど?」 自身無げなフィオレの言葉に、ガルテがぽん!と手を打った。 「ああ、あそこか! 俺の自作の修行場だが、勝手に一人で行ったのか? それで1週間音沙汰なしか、ちとヤバイかも知れんな」 厳つい顔をさらに締めて、「う~~む」と唸るガルテの真剣な表情に、思わず顔を見合わせる緋雪とフィオレ。 「......そんな危ない場所なの?」 「そうですな。街からはさほど離れては居ないのですが、なかなか地形も険しい上に、あちこちに罠が仕掛けられ、その上肉食の獣や魔物も徘徊してますから」 ひょっとすると手遅れかも知れません。 そう重々しく言われて、再度、冷や汗を流しながら顔を見合わせる少女二人。 その2時間後。 ギルドで用意してくれた にこやかに緋雪に紹介されて、フィオレは反射的に頭を下げた。 「は、初めまして、冒険者のフィオレです。今日はよろしく...おねがいし...ます」 「初めまして、姫様の懐刀の 微笑みながら――微妙に引っ掛かる部分もあるけれど――自然な様子で右手を出してきたので、これまた反射的にフィオレは握手した。 ひんやりと冷たい手で、ぎゅとフィオレの右手を握りながら、 「ちなみにこの姿は便宜的なモノで、本来の姿は気の弱い方は発狂するほどおぞましいモノですが、よろしくお願いいたします」 う......っ。と思わず引き掛けたフィオレの手を握って放さない 「それと、私の役目はあくまで姫様の護衛ですので、もののついでがあれば貴女も助けますけれど、あくまで姫様の身を第一に考え、足手まといになるようでしたら、躊躇なく見捨てるかその場で喰いますので、ご留意ください」 朗らかとも言える笑顔のまま、ほとんど処刑宣告をする 「それとこの会話は姫様に聞こえないように遮断しておりますの、余計なことを喋ればどうなるか......貴女は聡明そうですのでおわかりですね?」 念を押され、コクコク頷くフィオレ。 そこへ緋雪がバスケットを両手で下げて戻ってきた。 「ごめんね~。お待たせ。――ん? まだ握手してるの?」 「はい、姫様。彼女とは気が合いそうで、ついつい長話をしてしまいました」 にっこり微笑む 「? ふーん......それは良かった。取りあえず行ってみようか」 緋雪に促され、ようやく手を放してもらったフィオレが、大慌てでその後ろへと着いた。 ガルテギルド長から大体の場所は聞いているが、そう簡単には辿り着けないでいた。 さほど険しい山ではないが、ところどころ崖のように険しい斜面や断崖、生い茂る潅木とが、前進の妨げとなっているのだ。素人が迷い込んだら遭難の危険もあるだろう。 玄人であるフィオレと、体力が無尽蔵の魔物二人のトリオだからこそ、どうにかなっているのだ。 ちなみに山道を行く先頭は緋雪で、それにしっかりしがみ付くような形でフィオレが続き、最後がにこにこ笑いながらの 「確かこのあたりの......あれ?」 と、緋雪の足元で、ぱきっと何かが折れた音がした。 すると藪の中から、先端が尖った丸太――大人の胴体くらいある――が、振り子仕掛けで藪を切り裂きながら迫ってきた。 「......なんかどこぞの山を思い出すなぁ」 のんびりと過去の思い出に浸る緋雪の前に飛び出した真珠が、迫り来る丸太を面倒臭げに掌で受け止めた。 その彼女の足元で、また『ぱきっ』と音がして、反対側の茂みから矢が3本。 「ひえっ!」 なんとか躱したフィオレ。一瞬前まで彼女がいた地面に、矢が3本刺さっていた。 起き上がろうとしたところで、右手がなにか紐のようなものに引っ掛かって、『ぱんっ!』と何かが外れた音がした。 一瞬にして血の気が失せたフィオレ――と言うか3人の頭の上に、崖の上から大きな岩が落下してきた。 余計な手間を取らせやがって、という眼でじろりとフィオレを一瞥して、真珠は手にしていた丸太を縛る縄を力任せに引き千切って、そのまま迫り来る岩を殴り返した。 太い丸太が一撃で木っ端微塵になり、大岩はそのまま放物線を描いて、崖の上に打ち返された。 ズン!という震動が頭上から響いてきた――と、同時に崖の上から、謎の生物が飛び降りてきた。 上半身裸でボロボロのズボンを履き、ぼさぼさに伸びた髪の間から光る眼を覗かせた謎の生物が、右手に光る魔剣を持ったまま、一同に向け襲い掛かってくる。 「え......? あれ? もしかして」 「へっ......? あの」 「キシャアアアアッ!!」 雄叫びを発しながら剣を振り回す。それは変わり果ててはいたが、間違いなくジョーイであった。 「し、師匠っ!? どうしたんですか?」 「あの、ジョーイ?」 必至に呼びかける二人を無視して、滅茶苦茶に剣を振るジョーイ。 「ちょっと、ジョーイ! 正気に戻って!」 「ガルルルルルッ!!」 セオリーもなにもない暴風みたいな攻撃を、自慢のスピードにモノをいわせて避けながら呼びかける緋雪だが、まったく効果がない。 「鬱陶しい」 ぽつり呟いた真珠の手刀が、一撃でジョーイの首を跳ね飛ばした。 「「あっ」」 「いやーっ、美味いなぁ! 久々に木の実や生の肉以外のもの食うぜ」 地べたに胡坐をかいて、バスケットの中身――緋雪が急遽用意したサンドイッチ――を、冬眠前の熊みたいにモリモリ食べるジョーイ。身体は一回り細くなったようだが、その分密度が増した感じである。 「それにしても師匠、どうしたんですか、さっきは?」 「さっき......ああ、そうか。悪い、ちょっと修行に熱が入りすぎた」 「どう修行するとああなるわけ?」 緋雪の疑問に、決まり悪げに破壊された罠を指差す。 「ほら、ここってあっちこっち罠だらけだろう。その上、油断すると魔物も襲ってくるし。だから、取りあえず動くものを見たら攻撃するようになっちまうんだ」 「......それって修行ではなくて、単に野生化しただけでは?」 フィオレの呟きに思わず、「うん」と同意する緋雪。 「人間の持つ潜在能力を開放する訓練だってガルテ先生は言ってたけど?」 さすがに自分でも、ちょっとおかしいんじゃないかという感じで、最後は疑問形で答えるジョーイ。 「いや、まあ、それはともかく、まずは無事でよかったよ」 最後、止めるのにちょっと真珠が殺して、慌てて蘇生させたわけだけど。 「ところで、なんでまた修行なんて始めたの?」 そう訊かれてサンドイッチを食べていた手をとめるジョーイ。 「......勝ちたい奴がいるんだ。ほんの1月くらい前まではほとんど互角だったんだけど、この間偶然会って剣を交わしたら、俺なんて全然勝てないくらい強くなってた。だから」 「なるほど、ライバルという奴だね。それで、修行の成果として、勝てそうなのかい?」 無言のまま、ジョーイは首を横に振った。 「こんなんじゃ全然追いつけない。いまのままじゃダメだ」 「師匠......」 心配そうに自分を見詰めるフィオレから、目を逸らすジョーイ。 「ふむ。強くなりたい、か。ジョーイ、君さえ良ければ、ちょっと面白い話があるんだけどね?」 怪訝そうな顔をするジョーイに向かって、緋雪は今回の訪問の目的を語りだし、それを聞いた少年の目が驚愕に見開かれたのだった。

103 Tabernacle Warrior Training "Legendary Brave Sword? Is there something like that? No hineri whatsoever. Scarlet Snow twists his neck on that name. "I do, I don't know why" King Collard also took over the words in a bewildered tone. "When anything was once a fearful demon came to that country and plunged into chaos, he said that the king and the kingdom's elites had sacrificed themselves to buy time and performed a forbidden grand sorcery that the witch of the time would redeem for her own life, summoning brave men from different worlds. It is the sword that Dwarf's masterpiece trained in exchange for his life to kill the demon." That's a lot in exchange for life - and then, if I did it, it would be a scarlet snow that I'd snort at while I thought about it. "Anything. He said this sword boasted a tremendous cleavage, and not only that, it gave glory and infinite power to its owners. He said that Tallow Yamada, the brave man summoned to anything, was almost a marvellous amateur of martial arts, but with the power of this sword he fought each other against the Warcraft, and at the end of the day the sword itself flirted with the Warcraft away from the hands of the brave man, flying through the universe and stabbing the Todome or something" "Isn't that the sword in the lead and you don't need a brave man? Two people look at each other badly, determined, with faces that they realize they shouldn't notice. King Collard, who really coughs up and undoes a story that is about to flow in strange directions. "... I feel that way because I'm summarising it. Don't let the story of the bard, or in the local gaga, as the hero Tan, spreads in the alley, so don't put that kind of scratch in the wrong way. Anyway, it's Away this time." Then I confirm again to that undisturbed mysterious female cleric named Scarlet Snow, who sits in front of me worryingly - a priest of beauty in pure white priestly clothing, turning from her usual flashy dress. "But are you sure you want to accompany the princess? I don't even think it's that important, and honestly, I don't have to listen to the demands over there, there's no problem... or because northern trade isn't very thriving in the first place, I wonder if it's not as inconvenient as being unusable in about one place..." I got up off the couch with a three-day moon scepter in my hand - the Virgin Gear "The Secret of the Rose (Blue Velvet)" as my fulcrum. "Because if that country is okay, the virtually free trade area is a complete all over the continent, right? Then as a gamer, I have to strive for perfection. Besides, it doesn't seem like the first interesting thing, 'My country doesn't make deals with those who give it to the demon kingdom. But if the legendary sword chooser wants it, let's accept it." I can't believe the candidate is in this country. I don't want to worship the face of God, the sword, the brave man. " Well, it just stands out as a normal fit, so I even purposefully pulled out the clergy clothes I used to use (in the era of "E. H. O." and "Eternal Horizon Online"). Incidentally, Scarlet Snow is currently visiting for talks with King Collard, which means that the appearance of Demon Guided Doll No. 2, Scarlet Snow, is remotely manipulating the life capital to do the Shadow Man. "And the brave man of prophecy is no way alle. I wonder how difficult human resources are..." King Collard also agreed with a heavy face to the scarlet snow twisting his neck. "Absolutely, I just think the world went wild, too." "Are you a master? You said you'd be caged in the mountains for a while, and you've been off work for a week now? Adventurer Alliance headquarters in Ara, the capital of the Amitian Republic. Fiore, the D-rank adventurer who had received a call in advance (who was promoted to D-rank the other day), was cornered on the verge of death as soon as he was guided to the room in front of the guild chief's office, Garte, the chief officer of this guild, who had faced each other two to three times, and the brunette princess, who had only once faced each other - the blood-sucking princess who was the patriarchal lord of the Amitian Republic and equal to a substantial god of the non-human race - who, as soon as she was guided to the room, was so distracted, but whose feelings were restored through a conversation pinched with chatter over a cup of tea that she was somehow able to interact normally. And he asked me casually, "I also summoned Joey's guy today, but he can't get caught. What do you know, little lady? That was the question, and the answer was earlier. "" Mountain Riding? Scarlet Snow and Galte Guild Chief rounding their eyes to match unexpected answers. "Yes. Once upon a time, the guild chief told me that, um... like I would use it if anything happened, it was where I was told... you know? Garte pounds on the words of his own impotent Fiore! And I hit my hand. "Oh, there! It's my homemade training ground, but did you go alone? So I don't know if I'm gonna be out of tune for a week." Scarlet Snow and Fiore face each other unexpectedly on the serious look of Garte roaring "uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh. "... is that such a dangerous place? "Right. I'm not far from the city, but the terrain is quite rugged, and traps are set everywhere, and carnivorous beasts and demons roam on top of it." It might be too late for that. So heavily said, again, two girls looking at each other in cold sweat. Two hours after that. The Scarlet Snows came to Joey's Caged Mountain in a four-headed, walking dragon (Land Drag) dragon car prepared for me at the Alliance. Introduced by Scarlet Snow, Fiore bowed her head reflexively. "is, nice to meet you, Fiore the Adventurer. Nice to meet you today..." "Nice to meet you, I'm the pearl (not) of the princess's katana. Just for once, I don't think I'll ever see you again, thank you." Smiling - although there are some subtly hooked areas - Fiore shook her hand reflexively again as she came out with her right hand in a natural way. With a limp and cold hand, the pearl (not) continues to sneer, holding the right hand of the cucumber and Fiore. "By the way, this look is a convenient thing, and the way it is is, if you're weak about it, it's a nasty thing to freak out, thank you." Ugh...... A pearl (not) that I wouldn't let go by holding Fiore's hand that I accidentally hooked up with. "And since my role is only to guard the princess, I will help you if anything comes with it, but please keep in mind that if it only seems to put the princess first and her feet together, she will not hesitate to abandon it or eat it on the spot" With a smile that could be described as flamboyant, from the pearl (who barely does) pronounce the execution, Fiore turns her gaze towards Scarlet Snow with a crying face, but she turned her back to remove a large basket from the dragon car, and she didn't see how this one was doing. "And this conversation has been blocked from sounding like a princess, but what happens if I talk about something extra... you seem smart, you know? Pushed in case, Fiore snorts. Scarlet Snow came back there with both hands down the basket. "I'm sorry ~. Please wait. - Hmm? Are you still shaking hands? "Yes, Princess. I seemed to fit in with her, and I stuck with her for a long story." Fiore snorts with great momentum as she smiles at the pearl (without). "? Hmmm...... that was good. Let's just go get it." Fiore, prompted by Scarlet Snow, finally let go of her hand, arrived behind her in a great panic. I have heard of the general location from the head of the Galteguild, but it was not that easy to reach. Not so steep a mountain, but cliff-like slopes, cliffs, and lush trees are obstacles to moving forward. If an amateur gets lost, he'll also be in danger of shipwreck. Fiore, a bastard, and a trio of two demons whose health is inexhaustible, are doing something about it. By the way, the first to go down the mountain path was Scarlet Snow, followed by Fiore in a firm, smiling pearl at the end (without), and Fiore's back had goosebumps. "Sure about this area...... that? And, at the foot of Scarlet Snow, something must have broken. Then, from the inside, Marutai, with a pointed tip - about an adult torso - approached with a pendulum trick to cleave the torso. "... it reminds me of these mountains." A pearl popped before the scarlet snow soaking up memories of the past relaxed and took the impending Marutai by the palm with a troublesome odor. At her feet, again, there was a 'crisp' sound, three arrows from the bush on the other side. "Hih! I managed to get my hands on it, Fiore. On the ground where she was until a moment ago, three arrows were stabbed. I was just about to get up, and my right hand hooked me up to something like a string, and I said, 'Pfft!' And something sounded off. I instantly lost my blood, Fiore - or on three heads, a large rock fell from the top of a cliff. With a glimpse of Fiore with his eyes, the pearl pulled a thousand pieces of rope to tie up the round-tails he had in his hand and beat back the imminent rock as it was. The thick round-tails turned into wood dust in one blow, and the great rock drew a parabola as it was and was struck back on the cliff. Zun! The tremor rang from overhead - and at the same time, from the cliff, a mysterious creature jumped. A mysterious creature wearing her torn trousers naked on her upper body and peeking into her glowing eyes from between her hair stretched out to blush comes at her together with a glowing demon sword in her right hand. "Huh...? Is that it? Maybe." "Heh...? Um." "Kishaaaaaa!! Wield your sword with a roar. That had changed, but it was definitely Joey. "And, Master!? What is it? "Um, Joey? Joey waves his sword in disillusionment, ignoring the two who are bound to call on him. "Hey, Joey! Get back to your sanity! "Gallulululululululu!! Scarlet snow calling for an attack like a storm with no Theory or anything, whilst avoiding things at pride speed, but it doesn't work at all. "Depressing." A pounding pearl knife jumped Joey's neck with a blow. "" Ah. " "No, it's delicious! I'll eat anything but nuts and raw meat in a while." Joey sits idly on the ground and eats the contents of the basket - a sandwich rapidly prepared by Scarlet Snow - like a pre-hibernation bear. Though the body seems to have become thinner at a time, it feels more dense for that matter. "And yet, Master, what happened, just now? "Just now...... oh well. Bad, a little too hot for training" "How do you train? To Scarlet Snow's question, he points to a trap that was decisively and badly destroyed. "Look, this place will be full of traps over there. Besides, if you stay alert, the demons will attack you. So when you see something that moves, you start attacking it." "... didn't that just go wild, not train? Scarlet Snow agrees with "yeah," not with Fiore groaning. "Dr. Garte said it was training to unlock human potential? Exactly myself, it feels a little strange, and at the end of the day, Joey answers in a questionable way. "No, well, anyway, I'm glad you're okay first." At the end of the day, a little pearl killed it to stop it, so I rushed it back to life. "By the way, why did you start training again? That's what he asked me to do. Joey holds his hand eating a sandwich. "... there's a guy who wants to win. Until just about January, we were almost mutual, but during this time when we met by chance and exchanged swords, I was so strong that I couldn't win at all. So." "I see, you're a guy called a rival. So, as a result of your training, do you think you can win? Remaining silent, Joey shook his head to the side. "I can't catch up with anything like this. Not like this." "Master..." I look away from Fiore, who looks worried about me, Joey. "Hmm. You want to be strong, huh? Joey, as long as you're good, I need to talk to you about something a little funny, okay? Towards Joey, who looked suspicious, Scarlet Snow spoke of the purpose of the visit, and the boy's eyes opened with amazement when he heard it.

第九話 悪鬼蠢動 「くそっ、ちょろちょろしやがって、この犬っころ!」 ジョーイが力任せに振るった剣の軌道を易々と見切り、ウォードッグは刃を 「――すぐに右手側に跳んで!」 途端、飛んできた指示に従って、咄嗟に右に跳んだジョーイの足があった地点で、後ろから迫っていたもう一匹のウォードッグの牙が、虚しく空気を噛んでガシッと硬質の音を立てた。 「――畜生っ、もうちょっとなんだけどな!」 ジョーイの憎まれ口に、少し離れた大岩の上に座り、日傘を差したまま様子を窺っていた緋雪が柳眉をひそめた。 「・・・ちょっとどころか全然駄目だよ。動きが直線的で大振りだから簡単に避けられるし、振ったあとは体勢を崩すから隙だらけだし。なんか畑で 図星を指されてジョーイは耳まで赤くなった。 「しょうがねえだろうっ。実際、物心ついた時から畑仕事は手伝わされていたんだし......だけど、口減らしで街に出ることになってからは、自警団の団員とかには稽古はつけてもらって、いい線いってるって言われてたんだぞ!」 「そりゃあ若くて体力があるからさ。力任せに振るえば、村の盛りを過ぎた力自慢相手には通じるかも知れないけど、生きたモンスターの反射神経を相手に、そんな見え見えの攻撃なんて当たりっこないよ」 警戒して唸り声をあげているウォードッグ2匹の様子を窺いながら、ジョーイは口を尖らせた。 「じゃあ、どうすりゃいいんだよ?」 「相手の動きを見て、フェイント以外は自分から攻撃しないことだね。その犬――ウォードッグだっけ? そいつの攻撃は噛み付きだけみたいなので、そこだけ注意して、あとパターンは足を狙って動きをとめて、首筋の急所を狙うだけと動きも直線的なので、動いてからでも対応できるよ――と、足っ!」 緋雪の言葉に注意を向けているジョーイの態度を好機と見たのか、1頭が地を蹴り、言われるまま足元目掛けて振るったジョーイの剣が、偶然にその頭を断ち割った。 「――ギャン・・・!」 「やっ「前っ、もう1頭! 感慨に浸る間もなく、矢継ぎ早に飛んできた指示に従い、顔を上げたところへ怒り狂ったもう1匹のウォードッグの真っ赤な口が目前に迫り、反射的に突き出した剣先から鈍い感触が伝わり、必死にもがく前脚の爪が腕を引っ掻いていたが、徐々に動きが緩慢になり、やがてパタリと止まった。 途中から目をつぶっていたジョーイの耳に、パチパチと小さな拍手が聞こえてきた。 「討伐依頼、達成おめでとうっ」 恐る恐る目を開いたところへ、その言葉と緋雪の満面の笑顔が飛び込んできて、ジョーイは足元に転がる死体と、剣に串刺しになったまま絶命しているウォードッグに視線を移し、ようやく言われた言葉の意味を理解した。 どさっと音を立てて、強張っていた手から剣ごとウォードッグの死骸が地面に落ち、ジョーイは爆発した感情ごと、握り締めた手を天に向かって突き上げた。 「やったぜ――っ!!」 「へえ、ちゃんと仕留めたのね。ジョーイ君おめでとう」 依頼達成の証拠として、カウンターの上に出されてたウォードッグ2匹分の牙を見て、ミーアさんも素直に賞賛の声をあげた。 「へっへ、どんなもんだい!」 悪戯の成功した悪ガキみたいな顔で胸を張るジョーイの態度に微苦笑をして、ミーアさんはその視線をこちらに向けてきた。 「実際、見ててどうだったのジョーイ君の戦いっぷりは?」 「ド素人もいいところだねぇ。今回のはマグレの域を出てないし、見ていてハラハラしたよ」 肩をすくめたボクの言葉に、ジョーイが膨れ、ミーアさんは「やっぱりねぇ」と含み笑いをした。 「まあ、でも良い経験にはなったろう。君は少し恐怖を覚えたほうがいいよ。冒険者は兵士ではないんだから、相手を倒すよりも、自分が生き延びることを最優先しないとね」 実際、聞いた話ではこの世界には蘇生魔術も蘇生薬もないらしい。つまり死んだらそれでお終いだ。 そんなリスクの高い状況で冒険者なんてヤクザな商売をするなんて、正直ボクには理解できないけど、この辺りも昨夜の食事の話と同じで、恵まれた立場にいる者の傲慢なんだろうね。 だから辞めろとは言えない。 そんなボクの言葉にミーアさんも頷いた。 「そうね。そのあたり特にジョーイ君には、たっぷり訓練所で教育する必要がありそうね」 「ちぇっ、なんだよ二人して! 少しは喜んでくれてもいいじゃないか」 不貞腐れるジョーイの子供っぽい態度に、思わずミーアさんと二人顔を見合わせて笑ってしまった。 「そんなことないわよ~。ジョーイ君の初の討伐依頼達成記念日ですものね。なんなら頬にキスしてあげましょうか?」 悪戯っぽく微笑んでウインクするミーアさんの言葉に、ボクも一口乗ってみることにした。 「いいね、それ。では、私も反対側の頬にキスしてバランスを取らないとね」 「な、なっ、なに言ってるんだ、お前らいい加減に・・・!」 のように真っ赤になるジョーイ。ちょっとワルノリし過ぎたかな? 「・・・でも、まあ実際、これで私も肩の荷が下りたよ。昨日、ジョーイに案内を頼んだせいで、先の依頼が駄目になったら心残りだったからねぇ」 そんなボクの言葉に笑みを引っ込め、真顔になるミーアさん。 うん、本当に頭の回転が速い でやるべき事も、知りたいことも、だいたいわかったのでね。次は王都に行ってみるつもりだよ」 どうせ質問されるだろうと思って、次の行き先を前もって教えておいた。 「――ちょっ、ちょっと待てよヒユキ! お前、予定では2~3日街の案内をしてくれって・・・なのに、今日だって俺の討伐依頼に付き合って、肝心の街の案内とかぜんぜんしてないじゃないか!」 「まあ予定は予定ということでね。もともと期間は未定だったろう? なのでちょっと早まったんだよ。ああ、別に依頼料をその分安くするとかは無いので」 「違うっ、そうじゃなくて・・・」 泣きそうな顔のジョーイから視線を外して、ボクはミーアさんに向き直った。 「――では、そのようなことで、これで依頼終了ということでお願いします」 ちらりとジョーイを見るミーアさん。 「ええ、後のことはお任せします」 その言葉に複雑な表情をし、それでもコクリと頷いてくれたミーアさんに、ボクは軽く頭を下げた。 お互いに何を言いたいのかはわかっている。本当に出来た ボクは再度ジョーイに向き直った。 「ジョーイ、短い間だけどいろいろお世話になったね。君のお陰で本当に楽しめたよ。まあ別にこれが今生の別れってわけでもないし、第一ここには君が一人前になるまで私のお金を預けておくんだ。早く一人前になって返してくれると嬉しいねぇ」 ・・・もっとも人間の死なんてのは、けっこう呆気ないけどね。 ボクは前世での自分自身の最後を思い出して、その言葉を飲み込んだ。 「ヒユキ・・・俺は・・・」 うん、なにを言いたいのかはわかるよ。でもねぇ、君の幸せのためにはボクはいないほうが良いと思うんだ。 と、そんな空気を打ち破り、重い足音を立てながら強面の筋肉オヤジ――ガルテ副ギルド長が、急ぎ階段を降りてきた。 「どうかされたんですか、副ギルド長?」 ミーアさんの質問を無視して、ガルテ副ギルド長は真剣な顔で真っ直ぐボクの方へと向かってきた。 「ちょうど良かった、お嬢ちゃん。すまねえが、ちょいとギルド長が相談したいことがあるってんで、上に来てくれねえか?」 焦げ臭い臭いが周囲に立ち込めていた。 配下の群れ以外に生きるものの居なくなったニンゲンどもの巣を見回し、それ――頭に5本の角を生やした、通常の 足りない。こんなささやかな餌では到底足りない。 もっともっと餌が必要だ! その目はこの大森林より遥かな先、ニンゲンどもがウジャウジャと群れ集う巨大な巣を差していた。 大森林を抜け草原を横断しての大移動になるだろうが、途中途中に小規模なニンゲンの巣があるのはわかっている、小腹が空いたらそこで腹ごしらえをすればいいだろう。 途中、邪魔しようとするニンゲンどもがいるかも知れぬが、問題は無い。 まったく問題にならんだろう。 瞬時にそう結論を下した

15 Episode Nine: The Devil Moves "Damn it, you little shit, you dog! Joey easily cut the orbit of the sword he wielded at his mercy, and Wardog distanced himself by snapping the blade. "- Jump to the right hand side immediately! As soon as I followed the instructions that flew in, another Wardog fang approaching from behind at the point where Joey's foot jumped to the right on the aggressive side, chewed the air vaguely to make a gushing, hard noise. "- Damn, I'm almost there! On Joey's hatred, Scarlet Snow whispered his willow brow as he sat on a large rock a little further away and watched as he gave him his umbrella. "... a little on the contrary. Not at all. I can easily avoid the movement because it's linear and big-time, and after I shake it, I lose my posture, so I get a crevice. Looks like he's swinging in the field." Joey turned red to his ear when he was pointed at the drawing. "Shigeru. In fact, I've been assisted with field work since I was tempted... but since I got out of town with my mouth shut, members of the vigilante and other members of the vigilante were asked to put on an archery, and they said it was a good line! "That's because you're young and you're physically fit. If you let it go, you might get past the village's platter, but you can't hit the reflective nerves of a living monster with a visible attack like that." Joey pointed at his mouth as he watched the two wardogs roaring vigilantly. "Well, what am I supposed to do? "It's about watching your opponent move and not attacking him from himself, except Feint. The dog. - Was it a wardog? It seems that his attack is just a bite, so just pay attention there, and then the pattern is linear enough to aim for the leg and stop the movement, and aim for the steep point of the neck muscle, so you can handle it even after it moves - enough! Did you see Joey's attitude as a good opportunity as he was turning his attention to Scarlet Snow's words, when one of his head kicked the ground and waved at his feet as he was told, accidentally broke that head? "- Gang...!" "Do it." Previously, one more! I won't let you! Shortly after immersing himself in emotion, following the instructions that flew early in the arrow succession, the bright red mouth of the mad other wardog approached the present where he raised his face, conveying a dull sensation from the tip of the sword that protruded reflexively, his foreleg nails scratching his arms desperately, but gradually slowed down and eventually stopped patting. I could hear a patsy and little applause in Joey's ear, who was closing his eyes from the middle of nowhere. "Congratulations on your crusade request and achievement" Where he opened his fearful eyes, the words and a full face of scarlet snow popped in, and Joey shifted his gaze to the corpse rolling at his feet and to Wardog, who was desperate with a skewer on his sword, finally understanding the meaning of the words said. Softly, from his tense hand, the carcass of a sword and a wardog fell to the ground, and Joey shook up his clenched hand toward heaven for every emotion that exploded. "Yay!!" "Heh, you got it right. Congratulations, Joey." As evidence of the fulfillment of the request, I saw the fangs for the two wardogs that had been put out on the counter, and Mr. Meer also gave an honest compliment. "Hehe, what is it! With a smile on Joey's chest with a face like a successful evil kid in a prank, Ms. Meer has turned that gaze to this one. "In fact, how was your fight, Joey? "Doamateur's a good place, too. I didn't leave the Maghre area this time, and I was so upset to watch it." I shrugged my shoulders and Joey swelled and Meer laughed, "I knew it," he said. "Well, but it would have been a good experience. You better learn a little bit of fear. An adventurer is not a soldier, so you have to give your survival priority over your opponent." In fact, from what I've heard, there's no resuscitation magic or resuscitation drugs in this world. I mean, if he dies, that's it. I honestly don't understand how a yakuza business an adventurer in such a risky situation, but I guess this neighborhood is just like last night's meal story, the arrogance of those in a privileged position. That's why I can't tell you to quit. Meer snorted at my words. "Right. Joey in particular is going to need to be educated in an extensive training facility." "Oh, my God, you two! You can be a little happy." I accidentally laughed at Mr. Meer and her two faces at Joey's childish demeanor of infidelity. "That's not true, Joey. It's the anniversary of your first crusade request. What, should I kiss you on the cheek? I decided to take a bite of Meer's words, smiling and winking like a prank. "Nice, that. Well, I'm gonna have to kiss the other cheek too to balance it out." "Hey, come on, what are you talking about, you guys, come on...! Joey turns bright red like a boiled egg. Have you been a little too warnolier? "... but, well, actually, now I have a load of shoulders, too. I asked Joey to show me yesterday, so I couldn't get my first request." Pull a grin into my words like that, Mr. Meer, and you'll be right in the face. Yeah, you're a really fast spinning woman (one). "I wonder if it will. I know more or less what needs to be done in Ara City (here) and what I want to know. I'm going to try the king's capital next time." I figured they'd ask me questions anyway, so I told them where to go next in advance. "- Hey, wait a minute, Hiyuki! You're supposed to give me a couple of days of city guidance, but even today, you've been with my crusade request, and you haven't even shown me the key city at all! "Well, the appointment means the appointment. Originally, the period was undetermined, wasn't it? So I got a little early. Yeah, well, I don't think it's going to make the request cheaper for that." "No, not..." Taking my gaze off Joey's crying face, I turned to Mr. Meer. "-Okay, so that means we're done with the request." I see Joey all the time, Mr. Meer. "Yeah, I'll take care of the rest" I bowed my head lightly to Meer, who gave me a complex look at the words and still nodded cocklessly. We know what we want to say to each other. A woman who was truly made. I turned to Joey again. "Joey, it's been a while, but you've done me a lot of favors. I really enjoyed it thanks to you. [M] Well, it's not like this is a lifetime breakup, and number one, I'm keeping my money here until you're alone. I'd be glad to get back to you in public soon." It's... it's not that embarrassing to see human death the most. I remember my own last words in my previous life and swallowed them. "Hyuki... I..." Yeah, I know what you're trying to say. But hey, I think it's better if I'm not here for your happiness. And, breaking through such air and making heavy footsteps, the muscular oyster on the strong side - Deputy Guild Manager Garte, rushed down the stairs. "What's wrong, Deputy Guild Manager? Ignoring Mr. Meer's question, Deputy Guild Manager Garte came straight to me with a serious face. "It was just fine, young lady. I'm sorry, but the guild chief wants to talk to you about something, so why don't you come upstairs? The smell of burning smell was standing around. Looking around the nest of the Ningens, who had nothing left to live in but their herds, it - three bigger than the normal Great Ghost (Auga), who had five horns in his head, the Great King (Auga King) pronounced a roar of dissatisfaction. Not enough. Such a little bait is not enough at all. We need more bait! Far ahead of this great forest, the Ningens had a huge nest to herd with Ujauja. It'll be a big trip through the Great Forest and across the meadows, but I know there's a small nest of ningen on the way, if you're hungry, you just have to tummy there. There may be some ningens trying to get in the way, but there are no problems. It would be a total problem. Drawing an instant conclusion to that effect, the Great King (Augustine King) issued a decree to all his subordinates.

第十一話 君主英断 僅かに粘液質の音を奏でながら、 「地方貴族ですが17歳の貴族の長女、無論処女の血潮にございます」 一滴もこぼすことなくボトルを手前に戻した天涯が、恭しく一礼をするのを横目に見ながら軽く一息でそれを飲み干す。 「やはり貴族でもある程度素食に慣れた田舎娘の方が味わいがあるね。中央貴族はどうも脂っ気が多くて大味だからねぇ。ま、別に貴族だから味が格別ってこともないけど」 「なるほど。そのお言葉を参考に致しまして、次回より品質により細心の注意を払います」 鹿爪らしい顔で再度一礼する天涯の言葉に、そういえば今後は それからふと気になった。いつの間にかこうして血の匂いを嗅いでも平気になり、主食としてああだこうだと割り切って見られるようになったのって何時からなんだろうねぇ。 確か最初の頃は結構躊躇してたと思うんだけど、気が付いたら慣れていたって感じかな。多分人間ってのは、どんな嫌なことや辛い事があっても毎日ご飯を食べて日常を送っていれば、いつの間にかそれを忘れるものなんだろう。まぁ、これを強さと見るか弱さと見るかは人それぞれだけど。 「......どうかされましたか、姫? 心ここにあらずのご様子ですが?」 いつの間にか手にしていたグラスに追加が入れられていたみたいで、 「ああ、ごめん。今後のことを考えてね。地上が全滅するとなると、空中庭園内に避難させた住人から血の方も採取しないといけないので、あまり贅沢もいえないなと思ってさ」 「その程度の瑣事、姫がお心悩ませるほどのこともありません。人間など幾らでも増えますし、必要とあれば姫専用の食餌用として別途確保及び繁殖させますので、ご安心くださいませ」 あー......やっぱ発想が 「まあその辺はあまりやり過ぎないようにね。お互いに不自由のない生活が送れればいいんだから」 「承知しております」 本当かなぁ......? 「あのぉ......お嬢さんが不自由ないのはいいんですけど。自分なんか、凄く肩身が狭いんですけど......」 どことなく不満げな口調で、虚空紅玉城のボクの私室の一つ――広大な枯山水が広がる和風庭園に面した500畳くらいの和室――の一段低くなった下段の間の出入り口付近、座布団すら与えらずに、手酌で一升瓶みたいな入れ物から、畳の上に直接置いたドンブリに中身を注いで啜っていた影郎さんが、手にしたドンブリを軽く振った。 「なんかこれ妙に生臭いというか......いや、血なんですから当然っていえば当然なんですけど、妙にもったりとしてそれでいてしつこくですけど、どんな出自の血なんですかねえ?」 勝手に顔を出して出された食餌に文句つける彼の態度に、天涯が無表情のまま......一応は慇懃な態度で説明をする。 「無論、この城にあるモノは厳選された処女・童貞の血液ばかりです」 「ふ~~ん?......」 どことなく納得できない顔で、ドンブリを口に運ぶ影郎さん。 「ちなみにそれは38歳無職童貞、ハゲでデブで 「――ぶっ!!」 口に含んでいた血を思いっきり噴霧する影郎さん。 「なんちゅうもんを飲ませてくれたんや...なんちゅうもんを...」 感極まって(?)涙を流す彼を冷ややかに見据えながら、「出されただけでもありがたいと思っていただきたいものですな」と吐き捨てつつ天涯が合図を送ると、どこからともなく現れたメイド部隊が、汚れた畳とかの掃除を始めた。 「姫様、御寛ぎのところ失礼致します」 そこへ、相変わらず会議室で実務的な話し合いの音頭を取っていた命都が、一声掛けて部屋の中へと入ってきた。 下座でのた打ち回っている影郎さんと、その周りでせっせと雑巾がけしているメイド達を目に留め、一瞬不審そうな顔になったけれど、平然としているボクと天涯を見て、特に留意すべき事柄でもないと判断したのか、一礼して一段高くなった上段の間へと足を運んだ。 「各国のおおよその方針が決定しました。それに伴いまして、オリアーナ皇女、コラード国王及びレヴァン代表らが個人的に姫様とお話したいとのことですが、いかがいたしますか?」 「そうだね、私も彼らとは個人的に話をしたいので、こちら――」 と、思ったけど同席している影郎さんを思い出して――まあ彼なら気配を悟らせるようなヘマはしないだろうけど、万一のこともあるし、そもそも彼らは和室は慣れてないだろうから――場所を変えることにした。 「いや、別室に案内して。ばったり影郎さんに逢ったら卒倒するかもしれないから」 思わずため息を漏らすと、縁側の方へ追いやられて口直しにお饅頭を食べていた影郎さんが、ぽりぽりと人差し指で頬を掻きながら軽く頭を下げた。 「お世話かけてすんません、お嬢さん」 「まあ、いいけどね。でも、この件が終わったらきちんと説明しなきゃいけないだろうねぇ」 十二単みたいな着物のまま――実際にはなんちゃって五衣唐衣裳で、一番上は白無垢に薔薇の紋様と雪の模様が入っている――軽く肩をすくめて、ボクは出口へ向かった。 「......とはいえ、その機会があるかどうかが問題なんだけどね」 『虚霧』の件に関して、あの三人が口に出しそうな内容を予想して、ボクは思わずため息をついた。 「結論から申しまして、13歳から20歳までの健康で健全...思想に偏りがなく、ある程度の身分のある男女を均等に選抜することで意見の一致を見ました」 『身分』の部分で申し訳なさそうにオリアーナが目を伏せた。 「不公平なことは重々承知していますが、圧倒的に...虚しくなるほど時間が足りません。いまから国民全員に周知することは不可能ですので、帝都に戻り次第、わたしの一存で使者を立て、首都近郊にいる該当者に密かに接触する予定です。勿論、本人の承諾なしに拉致するようなことはできませんので、反対された場合はしばし......と言っても1週間ほどで『虚霧』は帝国全てを覆うので、その期間、監禁もしくは監視状態に置く形ですけれど」 どこか吹っ切った表情で、微笑を浮かべる彼女の隣には、クリストフ君がついていた。 「まあ、妥当な判断だろうね。そちらは国土が大きいから、どうしたって『虚霧』で避難民とか、流言飛語の類い、それに混乱に乗じての略奪や最悪武力蜂起の可能性もあるからね。秘密裏に事を進めるのは正解だと思うよ」 それからなるべく自然な感じで尋ねた。 「で、鈴蘭――君はいつこっちに移動するわけ?」 オリアーナの微笑が広がった。 「わたしは為政者として、最後までやるべきことを成し遂げたいと思います。わたしの分の席は必要ありません。その代わり――というわけでもありませんが、クリストフ大公子をこのまま残して去りますので、どうかよろしくお願いいたします」 前もって話し合いをしていたのだろう。苦渋の表情で俯くクリストフ君の隣で、オリアーナが頭を下げた。 彼女の話が一段落ついたと判断して、クロエを随伴してきたコラード国王が、こちらも透明な笑みを浮かべた。 「かなりの騒ぎになると思うけど?」 「覚悟の上ですよ。それで罷免されるならされた時で......まあもともと腰掛けみたいなものでしたからね。国王なんて。陛下もまさか『虚霧』の中まで追い駆けてきて、国王の椅子に縛り付けるわけじゃないでしょうね」 笑いながら妻の肩を寄せる――と言っても身長の関係で、クロエが逆に抱きかかえるみたいな形になったけど――コラード国王。 「......二人とも避難するつもりはないんだね?」 わかっているけど一応確認する。 「すみませんね。お姫様の仕事をほっぽり出す形になっちまって。だけど亭主が戦ってるのに、獣人族の女がトンズラこくわけにはいかないんでね。親子3人、最後まで戦いますよ」 クロエの言葉に「3人......?」と一瞬意味を掴めなかったけれど、軽く腹部を触る彼女の仕草でいっぺんに理解できた。 はっとコラード国王を見ると、「いや~~っ、参りましたね」なんて言いながら幸せ一杯の笑みを浮かべている。 ――出来婚かい!? 今度こそ正真正銘の!! 「だ、駄目ですよ! 赤ちゃんがいるのに犠牲になろうなんて! そんなの聖獣様もお許しになりませんよ、クロエさん!!」 のアスミナが血相を変えて詰め寄るけれど、クロエの方は困ったような笑みを浮かべて、ポンポンと軽く彼女の頭を叩いた。 「別に犠牲とかじゃないよ。あんたも獣人族の女なら大切な誰からを守るため、どんな相手だろうがどんな場所だろうが立ち向かうだろう? だから負けるつもりはないよ。勝つまで戦うだけさ」 わかっちゃいるけど納得できない。 理性と感情の狭間で板ばさみになって、「う~~~っ!」と涙目で唸っているアスミナの肩を、後ろからそっと叩いて引き寄せるレヴァン。 「もう止せ。相手の生き方を曲げることはできないし、やっちゃいけないだろう。第一、それを言うなら、お前こそオレの言うとおり、ここへ避難するべきだろう?」 さんがいるところが、あたしの居場所なんだから、たとえ『虚霧』の中だろうと、地獄の果てだろうと付いていくに決まっているじゃない!」 アスミナの威勢の良い啖呵に、クロエが満面の笑みを浮かべ、オリアーナ皇女が微笑ましいものを見た笑みを浮かべ、クリストフ君は何か言いたげな顔でボクを振り返り――はて?――言われた当の本人は、恥ずかしさ半分、もう半分はストーカーの恐怖に慄く......という複雑な顔になった。 「......諦めたほうがいいですよ。どこまでいっても男は女性には勝てないんですから」 その顔には同情と、どこかほの暗い――『ようこそ、この底なしの世界へ』とでも言いたげな――同病相哀れむ笑みが浮かんでいた。 「――つまり、二人とも同じく避難はしないってこと?」 最終確認でレヴァンに尋ねると、真顔になって力強く頷いた。 「はい、オレも獣人族の男なので、最後まで部族を率いる責任があります」 真っ直ぐなその瞳に、ボクには続ける言葉が見つからなかった。 と、いつの間にそこに来ていたのか、2メートルを越える白髪白髭のローブを着た老人――獣王が部屋の隅に立っていた。 「大叔父様!?」 目を丸くするレヴァンとアスミナ、さらにその場で戦士の礼をするクロエを無視して、獣王はボクの前まで歩いてくると、深々と一礼をした。 「このような突然の申し出でまことに慙愧の念に堪えませぬが、本日、ただ今をもちまして武術指南役の任を降ろさせていただきとうございます」 「......理由は?」 「どうにもこやつ等半人前どもでは心もとないもので......仮にも“獣王”と名乗る者として、最後に獣人族の行く末を見届ける義務があると、愚考いたします故」 多分、許可しなくても彼は行ってしまうのだろう。そう思えば許可する以外に選択はなかった。 「わかりました。貴方には本当にお世話になりました、どうぞお健やかで......というのも変ですね」 ボクの別れの挨拶に、初めてみせる優しげな笑みで、一礼をして立ち上がると、レヴァン達の方へ踵を返す獣王。 「......師匠。オレ達を心配しいただけるのはありがたいのですが」 半人前扱いされて不満げなレヴァンに向かって、獣王は意外なほど素直に頭を下げた。 「すまんな。本来であれば儂が負うべき労苦をお主等に負わせてしまった。だが、年寄りの我侭だ。最後は儂にその労苦を譲ってもらいたい」 「師匠......」 毒気を抜かれた表情で、レヴァンがアスミナと顔を合わせた。 ッ!!」 獣王の拳がレヴァンの鳩尾に吸い込まれ、一撃で意識を刈り取られた彼の体が崩れ落ちる。 咄嗟に駆け寄ろうとしたアスミナの首の後ろに、一見すると軽い手刀が入ったかと思うと、ほとんど同時に彼女も意識を失って倒れそうになる。 ここまで1秒にも満たない早業だった。 床に崩れる前に、素早く二人の身体を両手で抱き止めた獣王は、優しげな手つきで近くにあったソファーに二人を横たえると、再度ボクの方へと頭を下げた。 「申し訳ありませんが、この二人はしばらくどこかへ閉じ込めておいていただけますかな。我欲と言ってしまえばそれまでですが、こやつ等には未来を託したいので」 おそらく気絶から覚めた時にこのことを知ったら、二人とも怒りと悲しみに暮れるだろう。けれど恨みも嘆きも甘んじて受ける、鋼鉄の意志がそこには込められていた。 、この二人をお願いできるかな?」 なのでボクは背後に控えていた神獣――白面金毛九尾の狐たる――空穂に声を掛けた。 「お任せくだされ。我からもよく言い聞かせましょう」 いつもの巫女装束を着た空穂が前に進み出て、配下の聖獣・霊獣の化身たちに命じて、二人をどこかに運び出した。 「......結局、各国の王様は全員残るってことだね?」 ボクは部屋に残った面々を見回して、我ながら女々しいと思うけどもう一度確認をした。 「そうなりますね。まあ、姫陛下に湿っぽいのは似合いませんので、別れの挨拶は止めておきます」 コラード国王が相変わらず空気を呼んで、気軽な調子で合いの手を入れてくれる。 彼はわかっているんだろうね。ボクがどれだけ弱いのかを。だから、こうしていつもの調子で言ってくれる。 「そうですな。慌しい別れになりましたが、まあ、馬鹿弟子連中が残っているので、退屈はせんでしょう」 「わたしもお別れは言いませんよ。だいたい『虚霧』だかなんだかわかりませんけど、姫陛下がいらっしゃるなら、そのうちなんとかなりそうな気もしますし」 微笑むオリアーナが気楽にそんなことを口に出すと、他の面々も口々に「そーいえばそうかも」なんて言い出した。 「......気のせいか、みんな世界の破滅だってのに妙に気楽だねぇ」 そう言うと全員示し合わせたかのように顔を見合わせた。 「いゃあ、なんかもうここまで来ると開き直りといいますか」 コラード国王が眼鏡の位置を直しながら、にこやかに答えた。 「あと姫陛下と知り合ったってことが大きいかな。あの一緒にいた巫女のお嬢さんは、付き合いが短いせいか青い顔して本国に戻って行ったけどね」 苦笑しながらクロエが後に続ける。 そっか、エレノアはもう帰ったのか。まあ、あそこはイーオンの隣だし、本当のカウントダウン寸前だからしょうがないね。 「確かにそれは言えますね」オリアーナも尻馬に乗る。「姫陛下と知り合う前なら重圧で押し潰されていたかも知れませんけど。なんていうんでしょうか......世界の破滅に際して、姫陛下がこの場にて、それでも及ばないというのでしたら、これはもう誰が何をしてもどうしようもない...といのがわかってますので、一周回って平静になれた感じですね」 獣王の声にも笑いが含まれていた。 「それでは、いったん祖国へ戻ります。姫陛下、またお会いしましょう」 その言葉を皮切りに、各々が簡単な挨拶をして部屋から出て行った。 残されたボクは、急に広くなったような気がする部屋の中で、そっと唇を噛んだのだった。

131 Lesson 11: The Monarch'S English Break Crimson liquid is poured into a wine glass made by scraping out diamonds while playing a slightly muddy sound. "It's a local nobleman, but it's the eldest daughter of a 17-year-old nobleman, in the blood tide of a virgin." Heaven drinks it with a gentle breath as he sideways watches the bottle back in front without spilling a drop. "After all, even the aristocrats have a better taste of country daughters who are somewhat accustomed to vegetarian food. Central aristocracy is very greasy and flavorful. It's nothing aristocratic, so the flavor is not exceptional." "I see. With reference to that phrase, we will pay more attention to quality next time." I felt gloomy when I thought it would be hard to procure food (blood) in the future when it comes to the words of heaven to thank me again with my deer-clawed face. Then I wondered. I wonder how long it's been since I was able to smell blood like this at some point, and be seen splitting it up as a staple. I do think I was quite hesitant in the beginning, but I guess I felt used to it when I realized it. Maybe a human being is something you forget at some point if you eat dinner every day and do your routine, no matter what unpleasant or painful things happen. Well, it's up to people to see this as strength and weakness. "... what have you done, princess? You're not here, are you? Sounds like an addition was put in the glass I was holding at some point, and heaven frowns at how Boku was thinking with a single elbow on his side breath (today). "Oh, I'm sorry. Think about the future. When the ground is completely destroyed, the blood will have to be collected from the inhabitants who evacuated it in the air garden, so I don't think it's very luxurious." "Nothing to that extent, nothing more disturbing than a princess. Don't worry, it will increase in number of humans and, if necessary, it will be separately secured and bred for feeding exclusively to the princess." Uh... I figured the idea was livestock (monsters), or it was really me. I don't know if some kind of aerial garden is going to be a human ark on the ground or just my livestock hut. "Well don't overdo it around there. We just need to be able to live a life free from each other." "I understand." I wonder if it's true...? "Um... I hope your daughter isn't crippled. I have a very narrow shoulder..." In somewhat unsatisfactory tone, near the entrance and exit between the lower steps of one of my private rooms in Vacant Red Jade Castle - about 500 tatami rooms facing a Japanese-style garden with vast dead mountain waters - without even giving a seating futon, Shadowloon, who was pouring and sipping contents directly onto the tambourine placed on the tatami, gently waved the dombourine he had obtained. "I mean, this smells strangely raw... no, it's blood, so naturally, but I persist as strange, but what kind of blood is it from? Heavenly remains faceless about his attitude of complaining about the food served on his face on his own... at first explain it in a puzzling manner. "Regardless, all the things in this castle are the blood of carefully selected virgins and virgins" "Huh? ...... Shadow Lang carrying Dombri into his mouth with an unconvincing face at any rate. "By the way, that's blood collected from a 38-year-old unemployed virgin, bald, fat, toddler hobby (Loricon) man." "- Buh!! Mr. Shadow Lang sprays as much blood as he wants that was in his mouth. "What a drink you gave me... what a drink..." Extremely impressed (?) Looking coldly at him in tears, "It's something you just want to be thankful for being served," he said, throwing up. When Heavenly sent a signal, a maid troop who appeared out of nowhere began to clean dirty tatami and stuff. "Princess, I beg your pardon for your indulgence." There, as usual, the Capital of Life, who had taken the head of a practical discussion in the conference room, came into the room with a single voice. I caught my eye on Shadow Lang, who was hitting around in the lower seat, and the maids who were ragging around him, and I looked suspicious for a moment, but looked at me and Heavenly, who was flat, and decided that it was not even a matter to bear in mind, and I gratefully took my feet between the upper steps, which were a step taller. "The approximate policies of each country have been decided. With that, Princess Oriana, King Collard and representatives of Levan would like to speak to the princess personally, would you like to? "Right, I want to talk to them personally, too, so here -" And I remembered Shadowloon, who I thought was in attendance - well, he wouldn't make me understand the signs, but in case, and they wouldn't be used to the Japanese-room in the first place - so I decided to change the place. "No, show me to the separate room. If I ever see Mr. Shadowloon again, I may fall down." When I accidentally leaked my sigh, Shadowloon, who was being driven to the edge and had eaten a bun for a mouth fix, lowered his head gently as he scratched his cheek with a puffy, index finger. "Sorry to take care of you, lady" "Well, that's good. But we'll have to explain this properly when we're done." Remaining a kimono like the Twelve - in fact, what a gown, with rose prints and snow patterns at the top in white innocence - I shrugged my shoulders gently and I headed to the exit. "... though, it's a question of whether I have that opportunity" I sighed unexpectedly in anticipation of what those three were going to say about the "fog" thing. "In conclusion, I saw a consensus between the ages of 13 and 20 by selecting men and women who were healthy and sound... unbiased in their thoughts and of some stature equally" Oriana lay her eyes down looking sorry for the "identity" part. "We are well aware of the injustice, but overwhelmingly... we don't have enough time to be vain. It is impossible to inform all the people from now on, so as soon as I return to the Imperial Capital, I plan to set up a messenger in my presence and make secret contact with the applicable persons in the vicinity of the capital. Of course, it cannot be abducted without the consent of the person, so if it is objected to, often... In a week or so, 'fog' covers all empires, so it is in the form of imprisonment or surveillance for that period of time." With a blown out look somewhere, next to her with a smile on her face, you had Christoph on you. "Well, that would be a reasonable decision. Because the land is huge, what's wrong with you is that you are evacuated by" fog ", fluent language is similar, and there is also the possibility of looting and worst force beeping multiplied by confusion. I think it's the right thing to do in secret." Then I asked as naturally as possible. "So, Suzuran - when are you moving this way? Oriana's smile spread. "As an exchanger, I want to accomplish what needs to be done to the end. You don't need my share of seats. Instead - not that I'm leaving Grand Duke Christoph like this, thank you." I guess we were discussing this in advance. Next to you, Christoph, who leans down with a bitter look, Oriana bowed her head. King Collard, who had accompanied Chloe by deciding that her story had come to a paragraph, also had a transparent grin. "I think it's gonna be a lot of noise, though? "I'm ready. And if I was to be dismissed... well, it was like sitting back. Your majesty isn't going to chase you into the fog and tie you to the king's chair." Putting my wife's shoulder over with a laugh - but in relation to her height, it took the form of Chloe being able to hold her the other way around - King Collard. "... you're not going to evacuate either of us, are you? I know, but I'll make sure. "I'm sorry. In the form of cheering out the princess's work. But even though the pawnshop is fighting, there's no way a beast woman can do that. Three parents and three children, we'll fight till the end." In Chloe's words, "Three......?" I couldn't grasp the meaning for a moment, but I could understand it at the top with her trick of gently touching my abdomen. Looking at King Collard all the time, he smiles happily ever after, saying, "No, you're here". - Are you ready to get married!? Now it's time for the real deal!! "No, you can't! I can't believe you have a baby and it's a sacrifice! You will not forgive such a holy beast, Mr. Chloe!!" His sister-in-law, Asmina, who came with Levan, changed her blood phase and stuffed her, but Chloe smiled troubled and slapped her head lightly. "It's not about sacrifice or anything. If you were an animal woman, you'd stand up to what kind of opponent, but what kind of place? So I'm not going to lose. Just fight till you win." I know, but I'm not convinced. I was slated between reason and emotion, and I said, "Uh-huh!" and Levan gently taps and pulls Asmina's shoulder from behind, roaring with tears. "Stop it already. You can't and shouldn't bend the other person's way of life. First of all, if that's what you're saying, you're the one who's right. "You can't do that, brother-in-law! Where my brother-in-law is, it's my place, so even if it's in" Misty Mist, "it's going to be the end of hell! In the prestigious presence of Asmina, Chloe smiled with a full smile, and Princess Oriana smiled, and Christoph looked back at me with a face that said something - yes? - The person at the time he was told turned out to be half shy and the other half shy of stalking fear... "... you should give up. Wherever you go, men can't beat women." There was sympathy on that face and a pitiful grin somewhere - 'Welcome to this bottomless world' - about the same disease. "- So you're saying that neither of us will evacuate as well? Asking Levan in the final confirmation, he nodded forcefully in the face. "Yes, I am also a man of the Beast tribe, so I am responsible for leading the tribe to the end" In those straight eyes, I couldn't find a word to go on. And when was it coming there, an old man in a gray-haired gray-bearded robe over two meters - the Beast King stood in the corner of the room? "Big uncle!?" Ignoring Levan and Asmina, who round their eyes, as well as Chloe, who thanked the warriors on the spot, the Beast King offered a deep salute as he walked up to me. "I am truly ashamed of this sudden offer, but I would like to take you down as a martial arts guide today." "... why? "I don't feel comfortable with these people, etc. ... As someone who calls them" Beast Kings, "I will fool myself into thinking that they are obliged to see the end of the Beast Nation at the end of the day" Maybe he'll go without permission. If I thought so, I had no choice but to allow it. "Okay. Thank you so much for your help, please be healthy..." To my farewell greeting, with a tender grin to show for the first time, when I stood up with a grace, the Beast King turned his heel back to the Levans. "... Master. I appreciate you worrying about us." Towards Levan, who was half treated and dissatisfied, the Beast King unexpectedly honestly bowed his head. "I'm sorry. If it had been the case, the Lord and others would have borne the hardships that Non should have borne. But he's an old man. At the end of the day, I want Non to give up his hard work." "Master..." With a poisoned look, Levan face-to-face with Asmina. "Ugh!!" The Beast King's fist is sucked into Levan's dovetail, and his body, pruned of consciousness by one blow, collapses. Behind Asmina's neck, which she tried to rush over to, at first glance she wondered if she had a light knife in, almost at the same time she was about to fall unconscious. It was less than a second early. Before breaking down on the floor, the Beast King, who quickly stopped the two bodies with both hands, bowed his head to me again as he laid them on a couch that was nearby with gentle hands. "I'm sorry, but can you keep these two locked up somewhere for a while? If I say I want to, I will, but I want to entrust the future to these people." Perhaps if we found out about this when we woke up from fainting, we'd both be able to live in anger and sadness. But resentment and mourning are spoiled, the will of steel was put in there. "- Ho-ho, can I have these two, please? So I called out to the god beast - the fox of the nine tails of white golden hair - who was holding back behind me. "Leave it to me. Let me tell you something." An empty hoe in his usual witch outfit advanced forward and commanded the incarnations of the sacred and spiritual beast under his command to bring them both out somewhere. "... in the end, you mean all the kings of the nations will stay, right? I looked around at the faces I had left in the room and checked again, although I think they are very feminine. "You will. Well, it doesn't suit Her Majesty to be damp, so I'll stop saying goodbye." King Collard calls the air, as usual, to get his hands on each other in an effortless manner. I guess he knows. How vulnerable I am. So this is how you say it as usual. "Right. It's a rushed farewell, but, well, the idiot disciples are still here, so you won't be bored." "I won't say goodbye, either. I don't know if it's more or less' idle fog ', but if Her Majesty is here, then I think I'll manage." When Oriana smiling said that easily, the other faces said to her mouth, "Well, maybe so." "... it's weird how easy it is for everyone to be ruined by the world" Saying so, they all looked at each other as if they had shown each other. "Well, what do you call reopening when you get here already?" King Collard answered with a smile as he fixed the position of his glasses. "And I wonder if it's a big deal that I've known His Majesty the Princess. That witch lady I was with, she went back to her country with a blue face because of her short relationship." Chloe continues later with a bitter smile. Oh, well, has Eleanor left yet? Well, that's next to Aeon over there, and you can't help it because you're on the verge of a real countdown. "Sure you can say that," Oriana rides her ass horse too. "If I had known Her Majesty, I might have been crushed under heavy pressure. I don't know... if, at the time of the ruin of the world, Her Majesty was on this occasion, and it still didn't extend, there was nothing anyone could do about it anymore... so I know that it felt like I could go around and calm down." The voice of the Beast King also included laughter. "Now, once we get back to our country, I'll see you again, Your Highness." Out of the room each made a brief greeting, derising the words. Left behind, I bit my lips softly in a room that suddenly felt like it was getting bigger.

第七話 帝国宰相 いまにも泣き出しそうな曇天の雲がここグラウィオール帝国の首都アルゼンタムを覆っていた。 大門をくぐった当初こそ快調に疾走していた馬車であったが、中心市街に近づくにつれ人通りが増え始め、どんどんとその歩みが遅くなり、王城が見え始めた頃には人波に揉まれるような有様となり、その足取りは亀よりもひどいものになってしまった。 一応、貴族・貴賓とわかる仕立ての馬車なため、通行人は道を譲ろうとはするのだが、所詮は焼け石に水で、気の短い獣人族の同行者は、さっさと降りて走ったほうが早いのでは、とイラついた口調で主張する者もいたが、さすがにそれは礼儀に反するということで、どうにか諌めて落ち着かせる。 「......それにしても、すごい人ですね。なにかのお祭りですかね」 窓の隙間から見える佃煮のような人の数に、半ば呆れ、半ば感心した口調でレヴァンが思ったままを口に出すと、その隣に座っていた薔薇のドレスを着た2.5頭身の美幼女――魔導人形『ちびちび緋雪ちゃん』――が、苦笑気味の顔になって応じた。 「いやいや、これだけの規模の都市なんだから、ウィリデやアーラとは人口密度が違うよ。それに時間帯もちょうど一仕事終わった帰り、その上この天気だからね。早めに買い物を済ませようってことで、これだけ混んでるんだと思うよ。逆に雨が降っていれば出歩く人もいなかったんだろうけどね」 染色技術が未発達なこの世界では、水に濡れると服の染料が落ちるので、ある程度上等の着物を着ている人間は、雨の時は出歩かないのが普通である。 「マズイ時にぶつかったってわけですか」 時間に縛られた仕事や天気に応じた買い物といったことはほぼ頓着しない獣人族の習性で、あまり考えないでこの時間、この天気での訪問――と言うか獣人族の性急さと その内容(転移装置の存在と、これを用いた自由貿易)は当然ながら帝国でも相当波紋を呼んだのだろう。程なく、文書でのやり取りではなく直接事前協議を、できれば至急・秘密裏に行いたいという内容の返事が帝国宰相から戻ってきた。 「秘密裏だったら、私も参加」 「「「「駄目です!!!」」」」 ほいほいと腰の軽いことを言いかけた緋雪を、その場にいたコラード国王、自分、 「......あの、姫陛下。このまま協議にもついてくるお積りですか」 見かけ通りの幼女のような態度で、もの珍しげにアルゼンタムの街を見物している緋雪人形に尋ねてみた。 「そうだけど? 直接、来られないならこれで妥協するしかないでしょ」 振り返って、若干不満そうに頬を膨らませる。 ――いや、別に来なくていいので、城でどっしり構えて報告だけ待ってて欲しいんですけどね。 そう喉元まで出かかった言葉を飲み込むレヴァン。 「......普通、幼児連れで事前協議に臨むことはないと思うんですけど」 「ん~、じゃあ協議中は人形のフリしてるから、誰か抱えて歩けばいいんじゃない? 獣人族の伝統だとでも言えば、あっちはそーいうもんかと納得するよ、きっと」 一般の認識では、獣人族って裸で槍構えて、バナナ食べながらウホウホ言ってる程度なんだし、と付け加える緋雪。 ――貴女、獣人族をなんだと思ってるんですか?! 再度、必死に叫びたいのを堪えるレヴァン。一方、随員の獣人族たちは自分たちにトバッチリが来ないように、一斉に顔を逸らせた。 『絶対にそんなお人形抱えて、会談に行きませんよ。行くくらいならこの場から逃げます!』 と、全員が無言のまま拒絶していた。 そうなると消去法で自分が連れ歩くしかないのか!? 帝国宰相との密談現場に、幼女のお人形さん抱えて!! どんな罰ゲームだ?! 暗然と頭を抱えるレヴァンの肩を、一見無邪気な笑みを浮かべてポンポンと気楽に叩く緋雪。 「まあまあ、妹でも連れて観光に来たとでも思えばいいんじゃないの、お兄ちゃん♪」 なら一匹でもうお腹いっぱいです」 そう言ってレヴァンの腕にしがみ付いて、すりすりするちびちび緋雪ちゃん。 冗談でやってるのはわかるのだが、見た目の可愛らしさが圧倒的なので、思わず抱き締めて頭をなでなでしたい発作に駆られる。 同時刻、獅子族の移動集落にて――。 瞑想して、 「どうされました、アスミナ様?」 ジシスが眉をひそめるのを無視して、猛烈な胸騒ぎに襲われ仁王立ちになるアスミナ。 「危険だわ! レヴァン 「――なんですと!」 「強敵が迫っているわ! なんか、このままだと、 「......なんですと?」 「例の特使――獣人族の『獣王』でしたか。街へ入ったそうですね」 執務机に向かって書類の決裁をしていた鷲鼻で壮年の男――グラウィオール帝国の侯爵であり、宰相でもあるウォーレンが、いったん手にしたペンを置いた。 彼が手を休めるタイミングを見計らっていたのだろう。来客用のソファーに座っていたその男――いや、青年と言うべきか――商人のような格好をし、どこにでもいそうなやたら存在感の薄い彼の言葉を耳にして、『そういえば居たな』という顔でウォーレンは顔を上げた。 「正確には『獣王候補』だ。まあ、どちらでも大した違いはないが」 そんな余計なことを考える時間はないという顔で、積みあがった書類に再び目を通す。 「非公式協議の予定なのでは? いちおう準備くらいはしておいた方がよろしいんじゃありませんかね?」 「必要ない。どうせこの屋敷にはたどり着けんのだからな。まったく、もう帝都とはな......もう少し時間的余裕があれば強硬手段をとらずに済ませられたものを。――それとも、始末する自信がないか?」 一瞬だけ、書類から顔を上げて、相手の顔を睨みつける。 「いや~。もちろん仕事はきっちりこなしますけど、多少はアリバイ作りしとかんと、勘繰る連中も出てくるんと違いますか?」 「ふん。皇帝派か。連中は何かあれば全てこちらの陰謀だと騒ぎ立てるからな。いちいち相手にしていても仕方あるまい。同じことなら無駄を省くに越したことがない」 人の命も会談のための設営も等価値であり、後は効率の問題である。 酷薄――というよりも、徹底的に命を軽視しているからこそ言える物言いに、青年は「そういうもんですか」と、これまたどうでもいい口調で応じた。 「それと最終確認ですけど、例の『転移装置』――ホントに壊しても構わないんですか? あれば随分と役立ちそうですけど」 「いらんよ。余計な火種を抱える暇はない」 確かに一度に大量の人員・物資を移送できる転移装置は魅力的である。意見を求めた参謀達の中にも、クレス自由同盟国から奪取すべきとの意見が多々あった。 だが、明確な武力侵攻となれば、間違いなくクレスの宗主国である を、張子の虎と軽視する者たちも多いが、ウォーレンは、わずか半年足らずで巨大な版図を持つようになった相手の力を侮るようなことはしなかった。 いや、相手の脅威よりも問題なのは自国の現状である。 クレス=ケンスルーナ連邦が分裂し、そのドサクサ紛れに領土を割譲することに成功したものの、これすら危うい賭けであった。長期戦になればおそらく戦線を維持することができなかったろう。実際のところ、いまの帝国には大規模な戦を行えるだけの余力がないのだ。 長い歴史と優美な伝統に裏打ちされた格式高い大国グラウィオール。 そんな謳い文句も、ウォーレンから見れば外面を取り繕った、体のいい虚飾にしか聞こえなかった。 結局のところ、現在誇るべきものがないから過去をことさら賛美して悦に入っているだけではないか。 現実には貴族達は民衆を搾取し、官民の間では賄賂が横行し、役人は職権を乱用して私服を肥やし、民衆は何の努力もせず全ての責任を国へ転嫁する。 伝統は悪弊となり、腐敗と怠惰、詭弁と責任転嫁ばかりの俗物を生み出す苗床となってしまった。 なんとしてもこれらを駆逐せねばならない。だが、アミティア王国の例を見るまでもなく、急激な社会体制の変革は反発を招く。時間が必要だ。この国を立て直すための。 ――新しいもの好きの帝のことだ、いまのところ私のところで押さえているが、今回の件が耳に入れば後先考えず、 だが、それを行えばイーオン聖王国とのバランスを崩すことになる。 ならば帝の耳に入る前に、手を打つしかあるまい。 クレス自由同盟国の特使は『不幸な事故』により、非公式会談前に亡くなる。本来ここに居ないはずの人物だ。 は、これまでのところ自ら率先して戦を仕掛けたこともなく、あくまで受けてたつ姿勢を標榜している。また、彼の国の国主――いまでは単に『姫』『姫陛下』と言えば彼女のことを指す代名詞となっている――の伝え聞く人となりや、送られて来た書簡――貴族社会にありがちな言葉遊びを排した、飾り気の無い文体で的確に用件のみを伝え、なおかつ無味乾燥にならない細やかな心配りの感じられる、いっそ小気味良いとすら感じられるそれ――からも、自分に似た合理性や整合性を感じられる。 ならば、こちらとしては遺憾の意を表すと共に、次回の領土交渉で多少はあちらの言い分に色をつけて返してやってもよい。おそらくその辺りが双方の落としどころとなるだろう。 そして、クレスの転移装置は『何者かの襲撃』により、破壊される。 それでよい。 ふと、気が付くとソファーに座っていた青年が消えていた。 毎度の事ながら、一言の挨拶もなく、また気配もなく消えた彼の神出鬼没さに軽く眉をひそめて、ウォーレンはふと窓硝子の外を見上げた。 曇天はいよいよ分厚く、まるで夜のように街を覆いつくし、遠くに雷鳴も聞こえ始めた。強くなってきた風に窓枠がガタガタと鳴り出した。雨が振り出すのも時間の問題だろう。 「――今日は、荒れるかも知れんな」 ぽつりと呟いたウォーレンは、再び溜まっていた書類を決裁すべく、ペンに手を伸ばした。

70 Chapter Seven: The Imperial Chancellor Cloudy clouds of cloudy weather that were still going to cry covered Argentina, the capital of the Grawior Empire here. It was only in the beginning that I walked comfortably through Daimon, but as I approached the central city, the pedestrians began to increase, their walks slower and slower, and by the time I began to see the royal castle, it was as if it were to be rubbed by a pedestrian wave, and its footsteps were worse than those of a tortoise. For once, passers-by try to give way because it is a tailored carriage known as aristocracy/VIP, but the intrusion is water on the burning stone, and the companions of the short-minded Beastman clan, in a frustrating tone, claimed that it would be quicker to just get down and run, but that's just against courtesy, which makes them calm down somehow. "... and you're an amazing person. Is it some kind of festival?" When Levan mouthed whatever Levan thought in a half-hearted, half-hearted tone at the number of tender-like people visible through the window gap, a 2.5 headed beautiful toddler in a rose dress sitting next to her - the demon guide doll Chibi Scarlet Snow - responded with a grinning face. "No, no, it's a city of this size, so it's not population dense with Willide or Ara. Plus, I just got home from work in time, and on top of that, it's this weather. I think this is all crowded by trying to finish shopping early. On the contrary, if it was raining, I guess no one would have left." In this world where dyeing techniques are underdeveloped, it is normal for a human wearing some superior kimono not to walk when it rains, because when wet in water, the dye of his clothes falls off. "Are you saying you bumped into each other at a bad time?" Something like time-bound work and weather shopping are almost indecisive Beastman habits, and don't think too much about this time, this visit in the weather - or the insane way of using the beastman's acuteness and the mobility of the Crimson Empire Imperial Crimson to enter the Empire half-authorized and contact the Chancellor just before entering the Imperial Capital - but Levan chewed on the inner hozo that it might have been a failure. Its contents (the existence of a transfer device and free trade using this) naturally called for considerable ripples in the empire as well. As soon as possible, the Imperial Chancellor returned a reply containing the contents of his desire to hold direct prior consultations rather than exchanges in documents, as soon as possible and in secret. "If it was a secret, I'd join in" "" "" No!!! After sealing off Scarlet Snow, who was about to say something light-hearted, with four people, King Collard, himself, Tendai and Miko, who were there, I ended up being a representative of the country where the device was located, and I was in a relatively easy position to move... "... Um, Your Highness. Do you still want to talk about it?" I asked the Scarlet Snow doll, who rarely sighted the city of Argentina, with a toddler's attitude as it seemed. "Yeah, but? If you can't come directly, you'll have to compromise now." Looking back, inflate your cheeks slightly dissatisfied. - No, you don't have to come here, so I'd like you to stand down at the castle and just wait for the report. Yes, Levan swallows words that came out to his throat. "... Normally, I don't think I would come to a prior consultation with a toddler." "Mm-hmm. Then I'm pretending to be a doll during the discussion, so why don't you just hold someone and walk? If you say it's a tradition of the Beasts, I'm convinced that's the way it is." In general perception, Scarlet Snow adds that the Beast Nation is to the extent that they are spearing naked and saying uho while eating bananas. - What do you think you are, the Beast Clan?! Again, Levan desperately wants to scream. Meanwhile, the Beastmen of his entourage turned their faces away at the same time so that no tobacco could come to them. 'I would never hold a doll like that and go to a meeting. As long as I'm going, I'll get away from this place! And they all refused silently. Then do you have to take yourself with the erasure method!? Holding a toddler doll at the scene of a secret conversation with the Imperial Chancellor!! What punitive game is that?! Scarlet Snow slaps Levan's shoulder with her head in a pompous and easygoing manner with a seemingly innocent grin. "Well, you can just think that even my sister took me on a sightseeing trip, brother." "My sister-in-law would be hungry by herself." That's what I said. I saw on Levan's arm, little Scarlet Snow scratching. I know I'm joking, but the cuteness of my appearance is overwhelming, so I'm driven by seizures that I didn't want to cuddle and put my head in. At the same time, in the mobile settlement of the Lions... In meditation, a heavenly scripture ran behind Asmina, a witch who wished her brother-in-law well. "What is it, Master Asmina? Ignoring Gisis frowning, Asmina is attacked by fierce chest commotion and becomes Jen-royal. "It's dangerous! Dear Brother Levan, the danger is imminent!! "- What the hell! "Strong enemies are imminent! Something like this makes me feel like my sister's (my) position will be taken away!!!" "... what? "Was it the example envoy - the 'Beast King' of the Beast People? I hear you've entered the city." Warren, a marquis and prime minister of the Grawior Empire, a man of magnificent age with an eagle nose who was making a paperwork ruling toward the executive desk, once put the pen in his hand. I guess I was anticipating when he could rest his hands. The man who was sitting on the couch for visitors - no, should I say youth - dressed like a merchant, listened to his words of weak presence when he seemed to be everywhere, and Warren raised his face with the 'Speaking of which, you were there' face. "It's 'Candidate for Beast King' to be exact. Well, there's no big difference between either." I look at the piled up paperwork again with the face that I don't have time to think about such an extra thing. "Aren't we planning on having an informal consultation? Shouldn't you be getting ready? "It's not necessary. You won't make it to this mansion anyway. Damn, I'm already with Empire... if I could spare a little more time, I'd have done it without tough means. - Or are you not sure you want to end it? Only for a moment, raise your face from the paperwork and stare at the other person's face. "No. Of course I'll do my job perfectly, but somewhat alibi making, unlike some of the folks out there who take care of it? "Hmm. An emperor. They'll make a scene that if anything happens, it's all this conspiracy. I don't care which way I'm dealing with him. If it's the same thing, I've never gotten past wasting it." Both people's lives and their set-up for talks are worth it, later it is a matter of efficiency. Rather than being cruel - young people responded in a tone that doesn't matter again - to what can be said because they are thoroughly underestimating their lives. "And the final confirmation is that the example 'transfer device' - do you really mind if I break it? It's going to help a lot, though." "I don't need it. I don't have time for extra sparks." Indeed, a transfer device capable of transferring large quantities of personnel and supplies at once is attractive. Among the staff members who asked for their opinion, there were many opinions that it should be taken from the Free Alliance of Cres. But if it were a clear armed invasion, it would undoubtedly be a total force battle against the entire Crimson Empire, the Patriarchate of Cres. Many people belittle Imperial Crimson, a crimson empire that is still unclear where its country is, as Tenzi's tiger, but Warren did nothing to insult the power of his opponent, who has come to have a giant imprint in less than six months. No, it is the current situation in my own country that is more problematic than the threat of the other person. Although the Kres-Kensruna federation split and succeeded in ceding territory to its docile dispute, this was even a dangerous bet. Probably wouldn't have been able to maintain the front if it had been a long fight. As a matter of fact, the Empire now has no room for a massive battle. Highly formatted power Grawior, backed by a long history and graceful traditions. Such a complaining only sounded like a good bodily ornament that, from Warren's point of view, took care of the outer surface. At the end of the day, because there is nothing to be proud of at present, isn't it just a joy to praise the past all the more? In reality, the nobles exploit the people, bribes are rampant between the public and private sectors, officials abuse their powers to fatten their private clothes, and the people transfer all responsibility to the country without any effort. Tradition has become a vice, a seedling bed that produces objects full of corruption and laziness, manipulation and transfer of responsibility. We have to get rid of these at all costs. But without having to look at the example of the kingdom of Amitia, the radical transformation of the social system is repulsive. I need time. to rebuild this country. - I'm talking about the new stuff lover emperor, he's holding it down at my place so far, but if this thing gets in my ear, I won't think about it later, and he'll embark on free trade negotiations with the Crimson, the Crimson Empire. But if you do that, it will upset your balance with the Eon Holy Kingdom. Then I'll have to strike my hand before I can get into the ear of the emperor. The envoy of the Free Alliance of Cres dies before informal talks due to an 'unfortunate accident'. He's not supposed to be here. Even as the Crimson Imperial Crimson of the Crimson Empire would not be able to officially disprove it. Imperial Crimson, the Crimson of the Crimson Empire, has never taken the initiative to wage war on its own so far, and has only received one sign of posture. I also feel a sense of reasonableness and consistency similar to my own because I have become a listener to the propaganda of the kingdoms of his country - which are now simply synonymous with 'princess' and 'princess sire' when I say 'princess' - and the letters sent to me - which convey precisely only the matter in a decorative form, often in aristocratic societies, and which I feel even petty, with a fine concern that does not yet become tasteless and dry. Then, as for this one, I would like to express my regret, and I may return some colors to that statement in the next territorial negotiations. Perhaps the area will be a drop for both sides. And Kress' transfer device is destroyed by 'some kind of raid'. That's fine. Second, when I noticed, the young man sitting on the couch was disappearing. Every time, without a word of greeting, Warren glanced up outside the window vitreous, slightly frowning at his deity, which disappeared without a sign. Cloudy weather was finally thick, covering the city as if at night, and thunder began to be heard in the distance. The window frame rattled out in the wind that was getting stronger. It would be only a matter of time before the rain shook up. - It could get rough today. Pompous and grumbling, Warren reached for the pen to rule on the paperwork he had accumulated again.

第十五話 巨岩爆砕 目の前に佇む山のような巨体。熊人族の『巨岩』エウゲンが、ハッカ笹を口に咥え、すぱーっと一服しながら、じろりとレヴァンを見た。 それからなにげない口調で、口を開いた。 「獅子族の若いの、お前さん親はいるかい?」 苦み走った落ち着いた男の声である。 「いや、二人とも流行り病で神獣の庭(あの世)へ旅立った」 「そうかい、気の毒に。――なら悲しんでくれる女はいるかい?」 ふと、ずっと一緒に居た 「......いるって顔だな。悪いことは言わん、こんな見世物で命をかけるなんざ馬鹿馬鹿しい、棄権しな」 エウゲンの物言いは単刀直入だった。とはいえ、そこには相手を侮ったり、駆け引きをしようという姑息さはなく、真実そう考えての忠告であるのは明らかであった。個人的に嫌いなタイプではない。 「断ると言ったら?」 「......あとは腕ずくしかあるまい」 「やるかやないか、単純明快だな。嫌いじゃないな。そういうのは」 にやりと笑ってレヴァンは右手右足を前にして、腰を落として半身に構えた。 「......やるか」 ぺっとハッカ笹を地面に吐き捨て、エウゲンは両手を広げた構えをとった。 「ああ、やろうぜ」 それを合図に空気が張り詰め、気温まで下がったような気がした。同時に審判が開始の合図を送る。 周囲の感覚とは逆に、レヴァンはエウゲンから流れてくる物理的な圧力まで感じる殺気に、肌の表面がちりちりと焼ける気がした。 ――強いな。 手合わせするまでもなくそう素直に感じる。とはいえ、レヴァンにはエウゲンに対する恐れも、巨体に対する気後れもなかった。眉間、喉、鳩尾、脇腹、股間、膝など鍛えられない急所は数多い。 はっきりいってこの巨体を相手に、真正面から冗長な殴り合いをする気は一切ない。さっさと急所に強烈な一撃を入れて、行動不能にする――一撃必殺が狙いであった。 エウゲンもそれがわかっているのだろう、うかつに飛び込んできてカウンターを合わせられるのを警戒して、自分からは動こうとはしない。いや、じわじわと動いてはいるのだが、大技で一気に決めようという心積もりはないようだ。 生まれ持った肉体を過信することなく、詰め将棋のように戦略を練り、自分の長所を生かした戦いに始終する。見た目とは違い、実に手堅い相手であった。 『まどるっこしいですのぅ。さっさとお互いに全力でぶつかれば良いものを、非力な小物同士は余計な腹の探りあいで時間ばかりとって......』 達人同士の駆け引きを、くだらないと斬って捨てる現在、従魔合身中の 『まあ、こういうのも玄人受けする試合でなかなか楽しいよ。勝負が一瞬で決まる、剣豪やガンマンの決闘みたいでハラハラするしね』 『左様でございますか。ところで姫、些事でございますが、この会場に何人かネズミが潜んでいるのにお気づきでありますか?』 『ああ、なんか視線は感じるねぇ。他国の間者かな』 『大部分はそのようでございますのぅ。とりあえずほとんどの者は親衛隊が捕獲してございますれば、姫はお気兼ねなく、この見世物をお楽しみいただければ――との、斑鳩からの伝言でございます』 『ふーん、捕まえた間者はちゃんと生きているの?』 この質問に対する答えが、なぜか若干、帰ってくるのが遅れたけど......まさか? これでまた各国でのボクの評判が、『吸血薔薇の女王』とか『鮮血の魔女帝』とか呼ばれるんだろーねぇ。 『――おや、ようやく始まったようですの』 最初に動いたのはレヴァンの方からだった。 受身に回っては、リーチ、重量ともに差がありすぎて圧倒される。常に先手を取らなければ勝機は見出せない。 ジリジリとお互いが接近して、爪先がエウゲンの攻撃圏内に入る寸前、レヴァンの体が疾風と化した。 神速の踏み込みから、側面に回り込み、下段蹴りで脛を刈ろうとするレヴァンに対し、巨体からは考えられない瞬発力で素早く跳躍して避け、さらに空中で左回し蹴りを放ってきた。 ――やる! 相手の反応速度に舌を巻きながら、攻撃を躱し様、エウゲンの着地地点を予測して、距離を縮める。 「ふん!」 瞬間、エウゲンの両手の爪が空中で交差して、X字を描いた。 本能的に、両手両足の防具――『 観戦していた緋雪が、「へえ、風刃だねぇ。同じスキルがあるんだ」と感心したように呟く。 吹き飛ばされたかに見えたレヴァンだが、 「はっ!」 その瞬間、掌底から発する気を『火気』に変換し、その爆発力を利用して試合場の上を滑るように移動し、超低空から着地した瞬間のエウゲンの虚を突き、その両足を刈る。 足元にスライディングキックを受けた、エウゲンの巨体が揺らぐが、まだダメージには程遠い。 密着した間合いを嫌ったエウゲンが半ば強引に押し返そうとし、その隙をついて膝蹴りで突き上げると、わずかにエウゲンの巨体が浮いた。 再度、風刃を放とうとするエウゲンの懐へと、爆発したかのような勢いでもぐり込んだレヴァンが完全に密着する。 ガッ!! ほぼゼロ距離から放たれた剄を伴う突きを受けて、エウゲンの全身に衝撃が走った。 いまのをもう一発食らったらマズイ。 体内に浸透したダメージに足腰が抜けそうな感覚と、また横隔膜の痙攣とで明らかに重くなった体のキレを意識して、エウゲンは目の前のレヴァンを抱きしめるように、強引に風刃をまとい付かせた両手を振るった。 この距離では自分もダメージを負うだろうが、肉体強度からいって相手が追うダメージの方が遥かに大きいはず! パン! 肉と肉を叩く音が響いた。 「なにぃ!?」 エウゲンが低く呻いた。必殺の両腕が自分よりも遥かに小柄で、細身のレヴァンの両掌に止められたと知ったからである。 「双剄掌!」 受け止めたレヴァンの掌から気がほとばしり、気の衝撃波がエウゲンの両手を突き抜けた。 弾かれたように跳び退ったエウゲンは構えをとろうとするが、両手は力を失ってダラリと垂れ下がったままだった。 「どうだい? まだ続けるかい?」 レヴァンの質問に苦笑いを浮かべたエウゲンは、ゆっくりと首を横に振った。 「いや、やめておこう。俺の負けだ」 一流の戦士らしい、引き際をわきまえた態度に、一瞬の間を置いて、勝者敗者ともども、賞賛の声があがった。 感極まって試合場に登って、レヴァンに抱きついているアスミナと、迷惑そうな顔のレヴァン。そして、治療を受けながら、その光景をニヤニヤ笑って見ているエウゲン。 けっこうカオスっぽい状況から目を放して、取りあえずボクは安堵のため息をついた。 「どうにか予選の決勝戦までは進んだか。次の相手は、豹人族の勇者ダビドと蛇人族の傭兵キリルのどちらかか」 下馬評では、7対3でダビドが優勢と見られてるんだけど。 「......まあ、いちおう試合のほうも観戦しておくか」 でも、できればダビドの方に勝って欲しいかな。蛇とかトカゲとかあんまし好きじゃないし。 ちなみに蛇人族は蛇というよりも、どちらかというと直立して尻尾のない恐竜って感じの種族だった。 まあ、全身に鱗がテラテラ光ってるのと、蛇特有のあの目はどーにも生理的に受け付けられないところがあるんだよねぇ。 クラスの巨大怪獣になると、そういう意識はなくなるので念のため(だいたい鱗の大きさが1枚1.5mとかなると、完全に別の生き物だよね)、まあ龍人形態はぶっちゃけキモいけどさ。......怖いから言えないけど。 そして、予選会2回戦第二試合。 勝負はほとんど一瞬で決まった。 双剣を自在に使うキリルの猛攻を受けきれずに、全身をナマスのように切り刻まれたダビドが血の海の中沈んでいた。 あれほどの傷、あれほどの大出血、どうみても致命傷なのは確かである。 呆気なくも凄惨な光景に観客も声が出ない中、勝ち名乗りもそこそこに悠々と現場から下がるキリルの目と、ボクの目が一瞬合って、明らかに面白がるような笑みがそこに浮かんだ。 「あ、あのキリルって、あんなに強かったんですか......」 プレーヤーの両手剣士スキルだったな、あれは。 どういう小細工をしたんだか知らないけど、あれはプレーヤーだね。 で、プレーヤーが参加している以上、レヴァンの決勝進出はほぼ絶望だろうね。 「さて、どうしたもんか」

58 Episode 15: Massive Rock Explosion Mountain giant nestled in front of you. Eugen, the "giant rock" of the Bear tribe, looked at Levan with a hackathon in his mouth and a full dose. Then he opened his mouth in an indescribable tone. "Young Lions, do you have any parents? It is the voice of a calm man who ran bitterly. "No, we both traveled to the Garden of the Divine Beast (afterlife) due to an epidemic disease" "Well, I'm sorry. - Do you have a woman to grieve for? Fu, my sister-in-law (Asmina), who had been with me a long time, and for some reason the face of Scarlet Snow, whom I had just recently known, floated in my brain. "... you're a face to be there. I'm not saying anything bad, it's ridiculous to risk your life with such a spectacle, abstain." Eugen's story was straightforward. Nevertheless, there was no euphoria there to insult or rush the other person, and it was clear that it was truthful and thoughtful advice. I'm not the type of person I personally hate. "What if I said no? "... all you have to do is brace yourself" "Maybe I'll do it, it's simple and clear. I don't hate you. That kind of thing." Then he laughed and Levan put his right hand in front of him, his hips dropped and stood on his half. "... do it" He threw up Pekka Sasaki on the ground and Eugen took a stand with his hands spread out. "Oh, let's do it" I felt the air straining on the signal and dropping to the temperature. At the same time, the referee sends a signal to begin. Contrary to the surrounding sensations, Levan felt the surface of his skin burn properly to the killing sensation that he felt up to the physical pressure flowing from Eugene. - You're strong. I honestly feel like I don't have to go with it. Nevertheless, Levan had no fear of Eugen, nor any whimsy towards the giant. There are numerous steeples that cannot be worked out such as eyebrows, throats, dovetails, flanks, groins, knees, etc. Clearly, I'm not willing to make any redundant beatings from the front against this giant. Just put a strong blow in the steeple and render it inactive - a blow special was the aim. I guess Eugen knows that too, wary of jumping in and being able to match the counter, not trying to move from himself. No, I'm twitching, but I don't seem to have the heart to decide at once with the big moves. Without overconfident the flesh you were born with, you work out your strategy like a stuffed chess and end up in a battle that draws on your strengths. Unlike his appearance, he was a tough opponent. "It's so dull." Just hit each other with all the good stuff you can, the powerless little things take all the time with the extra belly exploration... ' I laughed bitterly at the blurring of the skinholes in the devil's body at the moment of slashing and throwing away the masters' rush from each other as crap. 'Well, these are also quite fun games where you take a bastard. The battle is decided in an instant, it's like a duel between a swordsman and a gunman, and it's harassing.' "Is it Master Left? By the way, princess, are you aware that there are several rats lurking in this venue? 'Oh, I feel some gaze. Between other countries, I guess.' "Most of them are like that. In the meantime, most people are caught by SS, and if the princess doesn't mind, if you enjoy this spectacle - it's a message from Spotted Pigeon. ' "Hmm, is the intercept properly alive? The answer to this question is, for some reason, slightly late to come back... no way? Now my reputation in various countries will be called "Queen of Blood Sucking Roses" or "Empress of Blood Demons" again - hey. - Oh, it seems to have finally begun. The first move came from Levan. Turning passively, there is too much difference between reach and weight to be overwhelmed. You can't find a winning chance without always taking the lead. Jiriziri and we approached each other, and Levan's body turned into a disease on the verge of his toenails entering Eugen's attack zone. From divine speed steps, he has quickly jumped and avoided with unimaginable instantaneous force from the giant against Levan, who tries to turn to the side and prune his tibia with a lower kick, releasing an even more left-turning kick in the air. - I'll do it! As you wrap your tongue around your opponent's reaction speed, reduce the distance by predicting the landing point of Eugen, like attacking. "Hmm!" Moment after moment, the nails of Eugen's two hands crossed in the air, drawing an X-shape. Instinctively, both hands and feet of protective equipment - even if received in "Dry General" and "Moyeh (Bukya)" - were pushed by momentum and blown away. The scarlet snow I was watching said, "Heh, it's a wind blade. I have the same skills," he whines as impressed. Levan, who seemed to have been blown away, "Ha!" At that moment, he converts the mind emanating from the palm bottom into 'fire', uses its explosive power to move over the game field, poking through the void of Eugene the moment he lands from ultra-low altitude, and pruning both his legs. I got a sliding kick at my feet, the Eugen giant rocks, but it's still far from damaging. Eugene's giant floated slightly as Eugene, who hated a close intermission, tried to push back half forcefully, sticking that gap up with a knee kick. Again, Levan snuggles completely into Eugene's nose trying to release the wind blade with momentum as if it had exploded. Gah!! A shock ran across Eugen's body after a thrust involving a thrust released from almost zero distance. It would be bad if I ate another shot of the current one. Aware of the feeling that his ankle was about to fall out of the damage penetrated into his body and also the spasm of the diaphragm, Eugen waved his hands forcefully clumping the wind blade together so as to embrace Levan in front of him. You'll take damage yourself at this distance, but the damage your opponent will be chasing should be far greater from physical strength! Bread! The sound of beating meat and meat sounded. "What no!?" Eugen groaned low. Because I found out that both arms of the special were much smaller than myself and stopped by the palms of skinny Levan. "Twin claps! I was relieved from the palm of Levan I received, and the shock wave of my chi thrust through Eugen's hands. Eugen, who bounced off like he had been bounced, tries to set up, but his hands lost power and remained dangling with dalari. "What do you say? Do you still want to go on? Eugen, smiling bitterly at Levan's question, slowly shook his neck to the side. "No, let's not. My loss." In a first-rate warrior-like, dramatic attitude, a moment was set aside, and the laughter was raised, along with the winners and losers. Asmina climbing to the game field feeling so impressed, hugging Levan, and Levan looking annoyed. And Eugen laughing and watching the sight of it while being treated. I let go of the chaos-like situation and for now I sighed in relief. "Have you managed to make it to the final of the qualifying round? The next opponent is either the Leopard brave Davido or the Serpent mercenary Cyril" In the Lower Horse Review, Davido is seen as the dominant 7-for-3. "... well, I'd rather watch the game today" But I wonder if you want Davido to beat you if possible. I don't like snakes or lizards. Incidentally, the Snake Nation was more of a species that felt like an upright, tailless dinosaur than a snake. Well, there's something about scales glowing all over your body and that snake-specific eye that's physiologically unacceptable to either. Oh, just in case you become a giant monster in your heavenly (tendai) class, you don't have that kind of consciousness (more or less when the size of a scale is 1.5 m or so, it's another creature altogether), well, the dragon man form is a blah blah blah blah creep.... I can't tell you because I'm scared. And the second game of Preliminary Game 2. The battle was almost decided in an instant. Without the onslaught of Cyril, who freely used his double sword, Davido, whose entire body was chopped like a catfish, was sinking in a sea of blood. That much wound, that much haemorrhage, whatever it may be, is definitely fatal. In the absence of a voice from the audience to the dismal and tragic sight, Cyril's eyes slowly descended from the scene there, as well as my eyes met for a moment, with an obviously amusing grin there. "Oh, was that Cyril so strong..." That was a player's two-handed swordsman skill, that one. I don't know what kind of smallworker you did, but that's a player. So, Levan's finals will be almost hopeless than the players are in. "Well, what's up"

第二十五話 創世神話 ようやく裸族を止めた蒼神が、ボク同様に床に突き刺していた『 さて、どうしたものかな......。と、これまでの一当てでわかった事を頭の中で整理してみた。 一つは、『こちらの攻撃は相手の肉体にダメージを与えられない』点。 これは事前に予想できたことだけど、実際に斬って殴っての手応えから推測するに、肉体そのものが『不可侵』というわけではなくて、『ダメージを瞬時に回復する』というのが真相に近い気がする。 っている手応えがある。らぽっくさんも9剣での『メテオ・バニッシャー』の手応えはあったけど、服に穴が開いただけで平気で反撃してきたって言っていたし。要するに、こちらの攻撃によるダメージが生じる以上の回復力で、瞬時に再生しているのだろう。 例えて言えばものすごく大きな川から、バケツで水を汲み出そうとしているけど、それ以上に上流から流れ込む水量が大きいので、川全体では見た目に変化がないように感じる......というところか。 そうなると対策としては、川ごと蒸発させるような攻撃か、大本の支流を一個一個潰すしかないんだけど......『メテオ・バニッシャー』でも斃せなかった以上、ボクの最大奥義の『絶唱鳴翼刃』でも、多分通用しないだろう――というか、スキルがキャンセルされるので、現状では打つ手がないんだよねぇ。 そして、もう一つは、『 を振るわれれば、この程度の限定された空間では、逃げる場所などなく“面”で制圧されることだろう。だが、いまのところ“線”での攻撃に終始しているために、ボクとしては、相手の反応速度を上回る速度と、身体の小ささ、柔軟性を駆使することで、互角に勝負を演じている――ように見せかけているけれど、実質的には時間稼ぎ以上の意味は持っていない、ということだ。 「......さて、どうしたもんかな」 以上を踏まえて、どーにも勝てる手がないというのが、現在の状況だった。 「どうした、無駄な抵抗は諦めたのか? 結果は同じなのだからな、さっさと剣を置いて、素っ裸で降参した方が傷も浅いと思うのだが」 「冗談じゃないねぇ。生憎とここから清い体で戻って、将来的に好きな相手と結婚するつもりなので、ご期待には応えられないよ」 と軽口で返してみたけれど、相手を出し抜く手立ては――実は2つばかり思いついた。けれど、どちらも自分の安全を度外視している上に、完全な賭けなので――かなり分が悪い。 いっそのこと、蒼神はこちらを生かしたまま辱めを与えるのを目的にしているのだから、この場で自害でもした方が、相手の思惑を外すことになるんじゃないか――と、一瞬捨て鉢な考えもちらりと過ぎった。 ――そんなことはできないねぇ。皆が待っているのだから。 けど、そんなことは論外だ。 勝って帰らないと。 その意思を込めて蒼神を睨み付ける。 「愚かだ。お前がそこまで愚かだとは思わなかったぞ。――いや、黒の扉を選択しなかった時点で、わかっていたことではあるが」 るねぇ。あんなものは幻想だろう? 現実には私はあの日事故で死んだし、そもそも君に逢う予定もなかったんだから。――そういえば、あれのバックボーンってどの程度正確なわけ?」 どうにも先ほどの虚霧内での最期の選択で、ボクが赤い扉を選んだことを再三に渡ってなじられている気がして、ダメモトで聞いてみた。 「既に確定したことだが......まあいい。恨み...そうだな、俺の望まぬ選択をしたお前に対する失望からくる怨みの念が、確かに俺の中にはある。......いや、事によると単なる愛情の裏返しなのかも知れんが、やはり怨み節の一つくらいは言っておこう」 失望だの怨みだの言う割りに、相変わらず淡々とした口調で続ける蒼神。 こちらを甘く見ているのか、自信過剰なのかは知らないけれど、ここで時間稼ぎができるのはありがたかった。時間が経てば経つほど思いついた奥の手の1つを使える可能性が増えるのだから。 ボクは見た目は涼しげに、蒼神の話に耳を傾けるフリをして、その実、じりじりと増大してくる体内の感覚に身を委ねていた。 「まず最後に現れた扉は『お前が辿る未来』と『俺が望んだ過去』の象徴だ。俺が望んだ世界をひっくり返されたんだ、腹を立てる権利はあるだろう?」 「――いや、そこで私の責任にされてもねぇ。自分のことなら自分でなんとかしようよ。男でしょう? いや、仮にも神を名乗ってるんでしょう?」 「生憎と神といえ俺もこの世界に包括されている以上、万能という訳にはいかん。波動関数の不確定性原理により、あらゆる世界には常に変動する可能性が偏在している。どうあっても全知全能の唯一神にもラプラスの魔にもなり得ん」 「......要するに、どんな世界にはイレギュラーな事態があり、いかなる神でも魔でも予測し得ないということだ」 「へえ、それは......良かったねぇ。退屈しないじゃない。完璧なんてつまらないよ」 ボクの感想を聞いて、苦笑じみた表情を浮かべる蒼神。 「そこでこちらに矛先を向けられてもねえ......単なる八つ当たりにしか思えないけど」 「確かにそうだな。俺のこれは八つ当たりだ......だが、その引き金を引いたのも、トドメを刺したのもお前なんだ、多少理不尽でも共犯者として責任は取ってもらおうじゃないか」 「ふん、さっきの話の続きだが――」 かつての俺はヒキコモリのニートだった。これはもう話したな。 そしてお前の言葉と姿に触発されて、『テクノス・クラウン』で働き始めた。その1年間で50キロほど痩せたのも確かだ。 ああ、激務だったのもあるが、人間関係が最悪だったな。 『親切で温和な人格者』というネット上での せめて親不孝をした両親への罪滅ぼしと、歯を食いしばって耐えていたが......両親にとっても、ゲーム会社などで働くのは「遊びの延長」でしかなく、「なにをやっても駄目な奴」「死んだほうがマシなクズ」とも言われたな。――ふん、そんな顔をするな、もはや俺の心には怨みも悲しみもない、ただただ空虚なだけだ。 だからかな、当時の俺に残された最期の拠り所は、あの日のお前との思い出だけに思えた。 俺よりも余程辛い人生を送ってきた筈なのに、いつも前向きだったお前に負けまい。もう一度お前に会った時に、胸を張って自慢できる人間になりたいと......ただただ、それだけを心の支えにしていた。 だが、その願いも容易く崩壊した――――そうだ、お前の死によってな。 事故のニュースを知って、お前の名前を見た瞬間、俺の頭は真っ白になった。 おそらく感覚が麻痺して、感情が追いつかなかったのだろう。朝になり、普段のようにコンビニで買った朝食を食べ、 そこで俺は気が付いた。お前は死んでもここにはお前が遺したデータがあるではないか、と。 それに気が付いた俺がやったのは、寝食も忘れ、数日掛けて『緋雪』に関する会話ログ、画像などを、管理者権限で全て そうして、気が付いた時にはお前が死んだ現場へと辿り着いていた。 道路の脇には赤い薔薇の花束が置いてあるのを見て、俺は初めてお前が死んだことに実感が持てたのだろう。 気が付けば後生大事に持っていたデータと共に、ふらふらと車道へと飛び出し大型トラックに跳ね飛ばされ――。 「......気が付いたらゲーム内の『デーブータ』として転生していたってわけ?」 蒼神の独白を引き受けて、ボクはどうにも複雑な心境で相槌を打った。 だいたい、「なんで勝手に死んだんだ!?そのせいで人生が狂ったぞ!」――って文句言われてもねぇ。ボクだって好きで死んだわけじゃないし......(まあ、リアでボクが死んだことを悲しんでくれる人なんていないと思ってたので、ちょっとだけ嬉しいといえば嬉しいけど)。 と、ボクの問い掛けに対して、意外なことに蒼神は頭を振った。 「いや違う。俺の魂は死後、直観宇宙を管理監修する『 「えーと......日本語でおk?」 こちらの困惑を無視して続ける蒼神。 「ん~~っ。なんかピンとこないけど、そもそも未来のものが、なんで現代の君にコンタクトとったわけ?」 「ディラックの海の中では時間は逆行し、エントロピーの属性も変わるからな。現在・過去・未来、どの時間にも属さず普遍していると言える。そして俺をサルベージした理由だが、 エデンの園。この蒼神と二人で素っ裸で、キャッキャウフフしている姿を想像して全身に鳥肌が立った。 「だが、どうした訳か!? お前に関するデータが全て消えていたのだ!」 蒼神の目が、この部屋の隅に原型を留めて唯一残っていた命珠――中には何もない、本物の水晶球のように透明なそれ――を見据えた。 「わかるか、その失望を?! 他の者のデータで再現してみれば、問題なく作られたというのに、またもや肝心なモノが手に入らないその虚しさが! くだらんっ。無意味だっ。なにが理想郷だっ。なにが新たな世界だっ。こんな世界、俺にとっては地獄に過ぎん! 全てが出来損ないだ!!」 血反吐を吐くような口調で言い放った蒼神の、虚ろな瞳がボクの顔を改めて見据えた。 「そんな絶望の中、お前は現れた。俺が作ろうとした代替品ではない、本物のお前が! 俺が管理できる世界は1つ。だから、俺はこの世界を消去して、新たにあの日からやり直そうとした――だが、なぜ選んでくれなかったんだ緋雪? この世界にとって異物であるお前の意思を無視して、やり直しを行うことはできなかった。だから、苦しみ悲しみのない、理想の現実を選んでくれると信じていたのに、なぜこんな下らん世界に固執したんだ?!」 「この世界が、人々が好きだからだよ」 理解不能という顔で呆然とする蒼神に向かって、ボクは猛然と走った。 同時に、これまで我慢していた衝動を解放する――“狂化”発動! このためにここ1週間近く吸血を控えていたんだ。そのため理性が飛びそうになるのを、辛うじて制御して、爆発的に上昇したステータスに物を言わせて一気に蒼神へと肉薄し、 全力の回し蹴りを、速度差で棒立ちになっているように見える蒼神へと叩き付け、一撃でその身体を窓の外――何も存在しない亜空間の彼方へと――蹴り飛ばした。

145 Lesson 25: The Myth Of Genesis The Ethereal God, who had finally stopped the Naked Clan, did his hand on the pattern of the 'Divine Sword (Amadeus)', which had stuck him on the floor as I did, and took a rearranged stance. Well, I wonder what's going on...... And I tried to sort out in my head what I had found out from previous hits. One is that 'This attack cannot damage the opponent's flesh' point. This could have been anticipated beforehand, but I actually feel close to the truth that the flesh itself is not 'inviolable', but 'instantly recovers damage', to infer from the response of slashing and beating. As a matter of fact, the opponent is lying back or blowing up, so there is a response that the attack is thorough in an instant. Rapo Kusan also had a response for "Meteo Banisher" with 9 swords, but he said he'd been fighting back fine with just a hole in his clothes. In short, it must be instantly regenerating with more resilience than the damage caused by this attack. By analogy, I'm trying to draw water out of a very large river, with a bucket, but there's more water flowing in from upstream than that, so I feel like there's no change in appearance across the river...... Then the only countermeasure would be an attack that would evaporate every river, or crush every tributary of a large book... even with my biggest depths of "The Chorus Wing Blade," than even "Meteo Banisher," probably wouldn't work - or my skills would be cancelled, so I don't have a hitter at the moment. And the other is that 'the threat of the Divine Sword (Amadeus) is lower than expected'. Perhaps if he really waved the divine sword (Amadeus), in this limited space, he would be dominated "on the surface" without a place to escape. But so far, in order to end up attacking on the "line," as far as I'm concerned, we're playing a battle against each other by exceeding the target's reaction speed, and by using body size and flexibility - but it doesn't really mean more than buying time. "... Well, I wonder what's wrong" In the light of the above, it was the current situation that none of us had a hand to beat. "What's the matter, have you given up your futile resistance? The result is the same, so I think it would be shallower if you just put your sword down and surrender naked." "I'm not kidding. I can't live up to your expectations because I'm going to go back from here with Hate and a clean body and marry someone I like in the future." And I tried to give it back lightly, but I only came up with two things to help me get out of them - actually. But both are outrageous about their safety, because it's a complete bet - pretty bad minutes. For the first time, the Ethereal God is meant to degrade this one alive, so even self-harm in this setting would be better off removing the other's thoughts - and the idea of throwing away a bowl for a moment was also overtaken. - You can't do that. Everyone is waiting. But that's out of the question. I need to win and go home. Stare at the Ethereal God with that will. "Stupid. I didn't think you were that stupid. - No, at the time I didn't choose the black door, it was something I knew." "I don't care about any of it. Is that a fantasy? In reality, I died in an accident that day, and I didn't plan to see you in the first place. - Speaking of which, how accurate is that backbone? In my last choice within the fog earlier, I felt that I had been repeatedly twisted across the red door, and I asked in a bad note. "It's already been confirmed... okay. resentment... right, the resentment sentiment that comes from disappointment with you for making my unwanted choices is certainly in me.... No, I know it's just a reversal of love, but let's still say it's about one of the festivities." Disappointment. It's just a grudge. The Ethereal God continues in a pale tone, as always. I don't know if I'm looking at this one sweetly or overconfident, but I was grateful to be able to buy some time here. Because the more time passes, the more likely you are to be able to use one of your wife's hands that comes to mind. I looked cool, pretended to listen to the story of the Ethereal God and gave myself to the fruit, the twitching and growing sensations in my body. "First and foremost, the last doors that emerged were symbols of the 'future you follow' and the 'past I wanted'. They flipped the world I wanted, you'd have the right to be angry, wouldn't you? "- No, it doesn't even make me responsible there. I'll do something about myself. It's a man, isn't it? No, assuming you're naming God, right? "Even though I'm a hater and a god, I can't be more all-powerful than I am in this world. The uncertainty principle of the volatility function biases the possibility of constant fluctuations in all worlds. No matter what, you can't be the only God of Almighty or the Devil of Laplace." "... in short, there are irregular things going on in any world that no god or demon can predict" "Heh, that's... that's good. You're not bored. Perfection is boring." Hear my thoughts and get a bitter smiling look Ethereal God. "I don't care if they point a spear at me there... it just seems like eight hits" "You sure do. This is a win-win... but you're the one who pulled the trigger and stabbed Todome, and even if it's slightly unreasonable, let's take responsibility as an accomplice." "Well, here's a continuation of what I was saying." Once upon a time I was Nite the Hickey. You've already talked about this. And inspired by your words and appearance, I started working at Technos Crown. I'm pretty sure I lost about 50 kilos in that year. Yeah, some of it was intense, but your relationship sucked. Unlike the mask on the net (persona) of "friendly and moderate personality," every day was hell for me when I could hardly get out of society or build a decent relationship. Also, the guys at the company used to treat me like a gamer and treat me like a sociopath. At the very least, I was enduring the destruction of my filial parents and eating up my teeth... but for my parents, working for a gaming company or something was only an "extension of play," and they also said, "Whatever you do, you can't do it." "Dead is better scum". - Yeah, don't look like that, there's no more grief or grief in my heart, it's just empty. So I guess the only base left for me at the time seemed to be memories with you that day. I know you've had a harder life than me, but I always beat you for being positive. When I saw you again, he wanted to be someone he could brag about with his chest up... but that's all he had in mind. But that wish also collapsed easily - yes, by your death. The moment I found out the news of the accident and saw your name, my head turned white. Perhaps my senses were paralyzed and my emotions didn't catch up. In the morning, as usual, I had breakfast bought at the convenience store and went to work at the company (Technos Crown). That's when I realized. I was wondering if you'd have the data you left here even if you were dead. What I noticed was that I forgot to sleep, took a few days to copy (copy) all conversation logs, images, etc. about Scarlet Snow with admin privileges - oh, for the sake of blindness, how many people could have copied (copied) the title-bearing data in the same way - and destroyed all game data on the server with a time-bound scheme, as well as backups as I knew. Probably couldn't have been restored... well, I don't know how it actually was, and I don't care. By the time I realized it, I had arrived at the scene where you were dead. Seeing a bouquet of red roses on the side of the road, I guess for the first time I could feel you dead. If you realize it, along with the data you had for the rest of your life, you flutter out into the driveway and get jumped by a large truck -. "... if you noticed, you'd be reincarnated as a 'day boota' in the game? Taking on the monologue of the Ethereal God, I hammered him in a very complicated mood. Mostly, "Why did you die on your own!? Life went crazy because of that!" - even if they complained. Even I didn't like it and die... (well, I'm glad to say that I'm just a little happy because I didn't think anyone would be sad that I died in Leah). And, in response to my inquiry, the Ethereal God shook his head unexpectedly. "No, you're not. After my death, my soul was salvaged by the Book of Formation, Safer Yeziller, which manages and oversees the intuitive universe, and as one of its pages I was given the authority to create and manage this world." "Er... ok in Japanese? Ethereal god who ignores this confusion and continues. "Mm-hmm. It's not a pin, but why did the future contact you in the first place? "Time goes backwards in the sea of Dirac, and the attributes of entropy change. It can be said that present, past and future, do not belong to any time and are universal. And that's why you salvaged me, but it seems to be because it fits the purpose of the book of formation, Safel Yeziller... It is difficult to explain verbally because it was communicated directly to consciousness, but it seems that his ultimate purpose is to 'create the ideal home of man'. Garden of Eden. This pale god and I were bare, imagining ourselves cackling and having goosebumps all over our bodies. "But what's wrong?!? All the data about you was gone! The eye of the Ethereal God looked at the only remaining bead of life - nothing in it, it's as transparent as a real crystal sphere - with the prototype retained in the corner of this room. "You know what, recreate that disappointment with the data of others?! That void that says it was made without a problem, but you don't get the key stuff again! Crap. It's pointless. What an ideal place. What is a new world? A world like this is nothing but hell for me! Everything is in ruins!!" The vain eyes of Aoshi, who said away in a blood-threatening tone, looked me in the face again. "In such despair you appeared. It's not the alternative I tried to make, the real you! There's one world I can manage. So I erased this world and tried to start all over again from that day on - but why didn't you pick me, Scarlet Snow? I could not do the redo, ignoring your will, which is foreign to this world. So why did you stick to a world like this when you believed you would choose the ideal reality, without pain and sorrow?!" "Because people like this world." I ran abruptly toward the god of Ethereum, who flashed with his incomprehensible face. At the same time, release the impulse you have endured so far - "Madness" activated! I've been keeping my blood from sucking for the last week for this. For this reason reason reason is about to fly, painstakingly controlling, making things say to an explosively elevated status and fleshing to the Ethereal God at once, He slammed his full spinning kick into the Ethereal God, who seemed to be standing on the bar due to the speed difference, and kicked its body out the window - beyond the subspace where nothing existed - with a single blow.

左腕に二の腕まである、中指ひっかけタイプで、指は全部でている黒いロンググローブが現れた。 その表面には、生きた薔薇の花と蔦が這う形で意匠が施されている。 不満そうな天涯の声に、3人とももう一段頭を下げ、命都――さすがにいつものメイド服ではなくて、戦闘装備である銀色に輝く、布とも金属ともつかないレオタードのような鎧に、同じ素材のロングブーツ、二の腕の真ん中あたりまであるロンググローブに、金属製のカチューシャ、右手に身長より長い聖杖をもっている――が代表して口を開いた。 「なにしろ100年ぶりの姫との戦じゃからのぉ。円卓の魔将どころか、話を聞いた城中のやつばらが、我も我もと名乗りを上げおってからに、話し合いが長引いてしもうた」 こちらもいつもの人間形態で(本気になると全長50mを越える九尾の妖狐になる)、巫女装束をまとった 「ふんっ。被害はどの程度だ?」 こちらはいつもと変わらない暗黒の全身鎧に槍、さらに同色の1.5mの てか、被害・・・? 「安心せい、死者はでないように手加減はしておいたわ」 「その代わり城の大広間と隣接する部屋や廊下、壁がほとんど崩壊しましたが」 ちょっと待て――っ!! あんたらの話し合いって、毎回拳での語り合いが 「そうか、その程度の被害なら問題は無いな」 いや、大問題だと思います! そう思いっきり叫びたい、叫びたいけど・・・これからボクがやることを考えたら、ボクなら『お前が言うな!』とツッコむところなので、我慢せざるを得ないよ。 ちなみに悠長に喋ってるようだけど、その間にも 光と闇以外の全属性を使える万能型の空穂。 本気装備といい、この四凶天王といい、本来であればLv90以上の 一礼して立ち上がる四凶天王。 さて、お話し合いの 見てもわかんないから、適当にモンスターが密集している方へ行ってみよう。 10分後―― というか無駄に広いんだよここ! ゲームなら歩いて5分でフィールドの端から端までいけたのに・・・てか、 レンジャー系だったら探知スキルがあるので、もうちょっとなんとかなるんだけどさ。 ・・・まあ無いものねだりをしてもしかたがない。こうなったらいつものパターンで行くしかないねぇ。 「はっ――!」 「歩くのも飽きた。駆けるので討ちもらした分は頼むぞ」 言った意味を理解した四凶天王に緊張が走るけど、返事も待たずにボクはその場からダッシュして、一気にトップスピードに乗った。 さて、基本的に現在のMMORPGでは なのでほとんどAI相手な、でもってある程度歯ごたえのあるボス戦を中心に行なってたんだけど、ボス戦でのプレーヤーに必須なのは、ずばり『どれだけ固いか』で決まるんだよ。 どんだけ相手の攻撃に耐えて、攻撃を加えられるか。 または複数のプレーヤーが協力して強力な敵を倒す場合は、その攻撃目標になって(タゲをとるという奴だね)全員の盾となれるプレーヤーがいるかいないかで、勝敗の鍵を握っていると言っても過言ではない。 これもすご――く暴論だけど、『盾』『回復』『火力』の3種類の役割がいるかいないかで、安定性が全然違う。まあ、そんなわけで他の職業ってのは結構不遇なんだよ。 は『剣聖』と『聖女』なわけで、一見『回復』か『火力』で役に立ちそうだけど、ここで『吸血姫』の種族特性が裏目にでるわけさ。 この『吸血姫』って種族は基本ステータスが完全に魔法職か、暗殺者向きで、 天涯が感嘆の声をあげた。 うん、もともと まあ参加者からは、「お前は宇宙世紀の人間か?!」とか「動きがあり得なくて変態的」とか「公式チート乙」とかさんざんな評価だったけどさあ・・・。 なのでマラソン勝負をかければ、大抵のボス級には勝てると思うんだけど(天涯は無理。『 「――ど、どうされました、姫?!」 ぐらりとよろけたボクを慌てて天涯が抱きとめる。 いや、なんてゆーか・・・。あり得ないものを見たので、 オーガプリンセス HP:1800,000 ※プリンセスは未婚の場合。結婚後はオーガクイーンとなる。 「――あの、君ひょっとして女の子?」 するとその5本角の に魔光あまねく王国『インペリアル・クリムゾン』の主である。お前には2つの選択権を与えよう。私が与えるのは恐怖と力、すなわちこの私の剣の下に服従を誓うか、或いはこの剣の前に立ち塞がり無駄に命を散らすか」 ボクの口上が終わらないうちに側近の 空穂の扇子の一振りで真っ青な炎に包まれ、灰も残らず消え失せた。 ボクは再度、 よ。服従か、死か」 しばらく苦悩していた 「うむ、賢明な判断だ。私と我が『インペリアル・クリムゾン』は君らの参加を心より歓迎しよう」 あー、よかった。やっぱり話ができる者同士、お話し合いで決着をつけるのが一番だよねぇ。 ・・・まあ、それ以前にこの辺り血の海のような気もするけど、正当防衛というやつだよね、うん。 「安心せい、我らが姫様に従う限り、お主らには常に戦いと勝利の美酒とが待っておろうぞ」 「うむ、この世界全てを制覇し、さらなる高みへと姫と共に至らん!」 うん、その気持ちはよ―――くわかるよ。ボクが一番信じたくないんだし。 「――しかし、せっかく四凶天王が地上に降りたというのに、この程度では、ちと食い足りないのぉ」 「ダンジョンとはまた懐かしいですね。それに龍種であれば多少は楽しめるかと思いますし」 「うむ、善は急げじゃ。早速行ってみようぞ。――そこな新入り、お主も来い。我らの言葉がウソやハッタリでないことを、その眼と魂に教えてくれるわ」 ・・・なにこの急展開? 「さあ姫、参りましょう」 いい加減精神的に疲れたので休み――って城に帰るってことだよね。 なんか半壊して、仲間内でバトルロワイヤルやったらしい城へ。 ・・・まだダンジョンとか、フィールドボス狩りしてた方がマシかな。 その周囲を、いつものように四凶天王が固め、戦斧を拾った

A black long glove appeared with all the fingers, the middle finger scratching type, up to two arms on the left arm. On its surface, the design is applied in the form of a living rose flower and a claw. To the disgruntled voices of heaven, all three bowed their heads another step, and opened their mouths on behalf of the Capital of Life - not just the usual made-up clothes, but silver-shiny, battle-equipped, leotard-like armor with neither cloth nor metal, a long boot of the same material, a long glove around the middle of both arms, a metal catchusha, with a scepter longer than height on the right hand side -. "Anyway, I haven't fought a princess in 100 years. Instead of the Demon General of the Round Table, the Bulbs in the Castle who heard the story, I also named them after me, the discussion may have prolonged." This one is also in its usual human form (when it gets serious, it becomes a nine-tailed demon fox over 50m in length), and Kuho (a depression) with her witch outfit together - although she has a white fox ear peeking from her head and nine white tails peeking from the hem of her kimono - but she put her favorite fan on her mouth and answered carelessly. "Huh. How bad is it? This is the same dark all-body armor that is always equipped with a spear, plus a 1.5m large shield (Pavis) of the same colour. Do you mean, damage...? "Rest assured, I did nothing to save the dead." "Instead, the great hall of the castle and the adjacent rooms, hallways and walls almost collapsed," Wait a minute -!! Is your discussion premised (defo) on a fist conversation every time?! "Well, if it's damaged to that extent, there's no problem." No, I think it's a big problem! That's what I want to scream about, I want to scream, but... when I think about what I'm going to do, I'll say, 'Don't you say it!' And by the way, I have to put up with it. By the way, it sounds like you've been talking for a long time, but in the meantime, the demons of the Great King (the Orgasm King) are flying in. But it feels like getting rid of all four of the featherworms, and I'm killing them instantly without even looking at you. An all-purpose open hoe that allows you to use all attributes except light and darkness. Seriously, it's called equipment, it's called this Four Wesen King, and I would have used it on a battlefield (field) above LV90 if it was supposed to be, so overkill is a good place too... The Four Wesen Heavenly King rises in a courtesy. Now, where is the Great King of Discussion? I don't even know what to look at, so let's go to the one with the right density of monsters. Ten minutes later... Or it's so vast in vain, here! If it was a game, we could have walked from the edge of the field to the edge in five minutes. If I were a ranger, I'd have detecting skills, so I could work something out. ... well, there was nothing I could do. I'll have to go with the usual pattern when this happens. "Ha -!" "I'm tired of walking. I'm gonna run, so I'm gonna ask for what I got for you." Tense runs at the Four Wesen King who understands what I mean, but without waiting for a reply, I dashed off the spot and got on top speed at once. Now, basically, the current MMORPG doesn't specify PK (some servers are capable of PK), and interpersonal fights are either conducted in a mutually agreed game format or in a defensive battle over the territory, but I don't like this either. So I'm mostly an AI opponent, but it was centered around some teething boss fights, and it just depends on how hard it is for the players in the boss fights. How long can you withstand an opponent's attack and inflict an attack? Or if more than one player works together to defeat a powerful enemy, it is no exaggeration to say that he holds the key to winning or losing, with or without a player who can be the target of that attack (you're the guy who takes the tag) and be the shield for everyone. This is also awesome - abusive, but with or without the three roles of "shield," "recovery," and "firepower," stability is completely different. Well, that's why other professions are quite unusual. So, my profession (Job) is "Kensei" and "Virgin," so at first glance, "Recovery" or "Firepower" seems useful, but here the racial characteristics of "Blood Sucking Princess" are behind it. This' blood-sucking princess' is a race whose basic status is entirely magical or assassin-oriented, MAG (magic) = magic, INT (intelligence) = intelligence is equivalent to angels, and DEX (dexterity) and AGI (agility) boast the highest of all races. STR (Strength) = Strength, on the other hand, or VIT (Vitality) directly linked to 'Solidity', can be normal human like or less non-force/paper armor. Heavenly raised an exclamation. Yeah, originally, "E. H. O." and "Eternal Horizon Online" were so cynical about hitting and destroying weaknesses, but it seemed like this fight was a great fit for me, and in "The Golden Dragon (Naga Raja) Attack Event," there was only one third reincarnation kanst group out of more than 150, and I even cut off all the thunder (lightning) that rained and poured from above. Well from the participants, it was different ratings like "Are you a Space Century person?!" or "Impossible and perverse to move" or "Official Cheat B" but come on... So if you put on a marathon battle, I think you can beat most of the boss class (I can't do it all the time. The attack and recovery of "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" is almost balanced, so my concentration doesn't hold), because it's paper armor doesn't change. Hey, if you eat 1-2 shots of Boss class attack, you'll die, so when you're in the castle, you don't have a calming hippo at all. "-Do what, princess?!" Heavenly hugs me in a hurry. No, I don't know... I saw something impossible, so I felt dizzy. Auga Princess HP: 1800,000 * If the Princess is unmarried. After marriage, it becomes an august queen. "- Um, hey, girl? Then the big ghost (Auga) at the five corners distorted his tough face and shouted. "Well, okay. - Now, Princess Big Ghost (Auga Princess), my name is Scarlet Snow (Hiyuki), and I am the Lord of Imperial Crimson, a kingdom of demonic light in perpetuity. I'll give you two choices. All I give is fear and power, that is, to swear obedience under this sword of mine, or to stand before this sword and waste my life." Before my mouth was over, all three nearby Grand Ghost generals (Augaload) suddenly turned toward me, but with a wave of engraved spears, the two dispersed so much that they didn't fasten the prototype, and the other, Wrapped in a bright blue flame with a wave of fans in the air, it could disappear without leaving any ashes. Again, I turned to Princess Big Ghost (Augustine Princess) and turned the cutting edge of "The Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)". "Let me get back to you, Princess Big Ghost. Obedience or death." The Great Ghost Princess (Auga Princess), who had been distressed for some time, laid her knees on the spot when she threw the huge battle axe in her hand with Galan onto the ground. "Um, it's a wise decision. Me and my Imperial Crimson would like to welcome you." Uh, good. After all, it's best to discuss and settle with each other who can talk. ... well, before that, I feel like a sea of blood around here, but it's the one called self-defense, yeah. "Rest assured, as long as you obey our princess, your lords will always be waiting for you to fight and win." "Um, dominating all of this world and not with the princess to further heights! Yeah, I know how that feels - I know. I'm the last person you want to believe. "- But the Four Wesen King went down to earth because of it, but to this extent, it's not enough." "I miss you again with the dungeon. And if you're a dragon breed, I think you'll enjoy it somewhat." "Um, goodness hurry. Let's get going. - There you go, newcomer, and the Lord. It tells its eyes and soul that our words are not lies or hatchets." ... What's this rapid expansion? "Come on, Princess, let's come." Come on, I'm mentally tired, so I'm off - that means going back to the castle, right? Something half broke and went to Battle Royale and just a castle in my people. ... I guess it's better if you were still hunting for dungeons and field bosses. As usual, the Great Ghost Princess (Auga Princess), who had been hardened by the Four Wesen King and had picked up the battle axe, came with her as a precursor.

ボクの言葉にレヴァンはぐっと唇を噛み締めた。 「それは、わかってます。......ですがオレにはまだ『獣王』の名は重過ぎます。だからここで自分を見つめ直していたいんです」 「?――もうちょい具体的に言ってもらえないかな」 ・・・それって「働きたくないでござる!絶対に働きたくないでござる!」と言ってるニートの主張じゃね? まさかそんなことないよね? と 「・・・そんなことはないですよ。修行のためです」 と答えたんだけど、一瞬、その目が泳いだのをボクの目は見逃さなかった――をい! そーいえば、アスミナが持ってきた夜食と朝食も普通に受け取っていたし、食べて寝て遊べる環境に順応しまくってる感がありありだし、マジで駄目人間かこの男?! 『――姫、このウツケを魂魄すら残さず滅してもよろしゅうございますね?』 が質問ではなく、確認の口調でそう訊いてきた。 あー、なんかそれでも問題ないような気がしてきたなぁ・・・(ちなみに身体の欠損部分が大きいとさすがに蘇生できない)。 いいよ、と答えるより一瞬早く、アスミナの肘打ちが神速の早さで、レヴァンのわき腹―― 悶絶しているレヴァンを尻目にアスミナが一気呵成に言い放った。 そしてなんか呻きながら反論しているレヴァンの首根っこを掴んで、無理やり起こして、 「それに間違いないですよね! レヴァン 力任せに頭を掴んで、腹話術の人形みたいにガクガク首肯させた。 「・・・ということで、おわかりいただけましたでしょうか、ヒユキ様」 のような、やたら良い笑顔のアスミナに向かって、ボクはうんうん頷くしかなかった。 ――妹こわーっ、マジ怖い!! てか、いい加減頭を振り過ぎて、良い按配にレヴァンの脳内麻薬がダダ漏れで、半分魂が抜けかけてるんだけど・・・問題ないんかな。まあいいか、ツッコミ入れたくないし。 「えーと、じゃあ今後はクレス王国の連邦からの独立と、我が国への所属を行うということで問題ないのかな?」 来る前はいろいろ懸念してたけど、案外簡単に話し合いで決まりそうだね。......気のせいか肝心の がスカポンタンなせいで、他の部族から不安の声があげっておりまして」 スカの部分で思いっきりレヴァンの頭を叩くアスミナ。 潰れた蛙のような声をあげるレヴァンの顔を見て、まあそーだろうね、と納得した。 「さすがに現獣王である大伯父様の手前、表立って反対はしておりませんが・・・」 「大伯父?」 「あ、はい。私の祖父の兄に当たります」 「ほーっ」そういう関係か。 よのぉ。獣の眷属であれば戦う気概を見せねば舐められるであろうに』 「そこへ振って湧いた、先日の大伯父のクレス=ケンスルーナ連邦からの脱退と、インペリアル・クリムゾンの属国への加入についての発言です。急遽族長会議を執り行い話し合いがもたれたのですが......最終的な結論としまして、『次代の獣王の判断に任せる』というものに決まりました」 の膝の上で意識不明で、時々「...やめろ、アスミナ、オレのパンツを...」と微妙に悪夢にうなされているらしい、レヴァンを指差した。 「いえ、コレではなく『次代の獣王』です」 「――? 他にも候補者がいるの?」 なんとなく頭の中に、本家だの次世代だの正統だの革新的だのといった獣王シリーズがずらりと並んだ光景が浮かんだ。 に『獣王』たる資格があるのかどうか、また他部族にも我こそ最強と自称する者も多いので、実際に戦って『獣王』を決定しようということになりました。あ、勿論、現獣王たる大伯父も承知しています」 「――それがいまこんな山の中に隠れてるってことは、自信がないので放棄したってことかな?」 『時間の無駄でありましたな、姫』 『――ウン、他ノ候補者ナンテボコボコニシテヤンヨ!』 死人踊りのような具合に背中で支えつつ、だらーんとしたレヴァンの両手を取って無理やりポーズをつけ、裏声で声帯模写をするアスミナ。 どんな反応すりゃいいのかね、この場合。 も内に秘めた闘志で武者震いしております」 いや、それいま無茶な動きをさせたせいでの断末魔の痙攣。 「......まあいいけどさ、じゃあその『獣王決定戦』とかには出場して、優勝する自信はあるわけだね?」 しながらアスミナに訊いてみた。 つーか、文字通りの傀儡だね、コレ。でも、まあこの子がいれば本人がポンコツでも、なんとかなりそうな気がするねぇ。 意外なことにアスミナは若干、躊躇いをみせた。 「これはわたしの巫女としての直感なのですが、獣人族の守り神である神獣様の加護が 空穂が心底興味のない口調で同意した。 「そして、それ以外のなにか世界に渦巻く悪意の渦が伸ばされているような、そんな気がするのです」 世界の悪意ねえ。そういえばらぽっくさんらしき男が『この世界の神様の命令』って言ってたらしいけど、神様気取りの相手がいるとすれば・・・考えてみればこれって、絶好の機会だよね。 獣王になりさえすれば、合法的にクレス=ケンスルーナ連邦の半分を支配することになるんだし(まあやってることはボクも同じだけどさ)。 「ねえ、アスミナ。最近、他の部族――狼人族、猫人族、兎人族で見知らぬ強力な戦士が急に現れたとか聞いたことない?」 ちなみにいま上げた3つはいずれも 「狼人族、猫人族ですか? あまり交流がないので聞いたことはありませんね。兎人族はそもそも代表が出場しないと思いますし。――あ、ただ、最近、他部族の間に見たこともない強力な武具が出回っていると聞いたことがあります」 首を傾げたアスミナの言葉に、ボクも腕組みして考えた。 なるほど直接プレーヤーが顔を出すんじゃなくて、ワンクッション置いて強力なアイテムを与えて間接的に支配するつもりか。 考えてみれば『獣王』は獣人族の代表者。いくら強者に従うのが習いとはいえ、どこの馬の骨だかわからない相手に従うのは反発もあるだろうからね。 そうなるとどんなアイテムを使っているのか、現地で確認する必要がありそうだね。 「その『獣王決定戦』に私も見学に行きたいんだけど、それって大丈夫なのかな?」 「......微妙なところですね。基本的に参加する部族の者のみが見学を許されますので。ですが、ヒユキ様は今後、宗主国になるかも知れぬ国の盟主ですから、ジシスと相談して族長会へ取り図れば、あるいは」 「――ふむ。お願いできるかな?」 「はい、任せてください」 まあ駄目な時には空穂に登場願って、神獣のご威光で見学をお願いすることにしてもいいしね。 『わかり申した姫。――とはいえ、姫の希望を叶えぬなどと、たわけたことをぬかした時点で、族長会とやらの足りぬ頭の持ち主は全員くびり殺してご覧にいれましょうぞ』 う~~む、できれば平和的に済めばいいんだけどねぇ。

Levan bit her lips all the way down to my words. "That, I know.... but the name 'Beast King' is still too heavy for me. That's why I'm staring back at myself here." "? - Could you be more specific?" ... that's "you don't want to work! You never want to work! That's Nite's claim, isn't it? That's not true, is it? and asked Levan (really) with a gaze, "... that's not true. For training." And I said, for a moment, I didn't miss my eyes swimming - yes! Speaking of which, I normally received the night meal and breakfast that Asmina brought, and there's a lot of feeling that I'm adapting to an environment where I can eat, sleep and play, and seriously, no human or this guy?! "- Princess, may I destroy you without even leaving you a soul? That's not the question, but the tone of confirmation. Uh, I'm starting to feel like there's still nothing wrong with that... (by the way, I can't exactly resuscitate a large defective part of my body). Fine, a moment earlier than I said, Asmina's elbow beating was divine speed, beating through Levan's stomach - exactly around the liver (lever). Asmina said once and for all to Levan, who was stuffy, on her ass. And I'm groaning about something. Grabbing Levan's root, forcing him to wake up, "You're sure of that! Dear Brother Levan, I grabbed my head at the mercy of my strength and let him gut me like a ventriloquist doll. "... so did you understand, Master Hyuki" I had to snort, yeah, towards Asmina with a good smile, like the Han who did it. - Sister wow, seriously scary!! Well, come on, I'm shaking my head too hard, and Levan's brain drug leaks on a good scale, and I'm about to lose half my soul... I don't know if that's a problem. Well, look, I don't want to get stuck. "Um, so there's no problem in the future with the independence of the Kingdom of Cress from the Union and the fact that it will be affiliated with our country? I had a lot of concerns before I got here, but it seems like a brief discussion would decide.... I also feel like the flag (Levan) at the heart is outside the mosquito net because of my mind. "Shame on you, my brother-in-law, because of his scapontony, there was a voice of anxiety coming from other tribes." Asmina slaps Levan on the head as much as she wants in the ska part. I saw Levan's face giving him a crushed frog-like voice, and I convinced him that it would be so-so. "Exactly in front of the Great Uncle, the current Beast King, I do not stand against..." "Big Uncle?" "Ah, yes. I'll hit my grandfather's brother." "Ho" is that the kind of relationship? What an impudent man. If you're a family member of a beast, show them the temper to fight, and they'll lick you. ' "It's a statement about my great-uncle's recent departure from the Cres-Kensruna Federation and his accession to the Imperial Crimson Nation, which shook and gushed there. We quickly executed the council of chiefs and we had a discussion... The final conclusion was that we would leave it to the judgment of the next Beast King." I'm still unconscious on my sister-in-law's lap, and sometimes she subtly nightmares, "... stop, Asmina, my pants..." she pointed at Levan. "No, not this one. It's The Next Beast King." "-? Are there other candidates? Somehow, in my head, there was a sight of a series of Beast Kings lined up in shifts, such as being authentic and innovative for the next generation in the main house. "I wasn't here until now, hey. Whether my brother-in-law (or not) qualifies as the" Beast King ", and because many other tribes call me the strongest, I actually decided to fight to decide the" Beast King ". Oh, of course, I am aware of the great uncle of the present Beast King." "- Does that mean I gave up because I'm not sure that I'm hiding in a mountain like this right now? "It was a waste of time, Princess." "- Un, other no candidate Nanteboko Bokonisiteyanyo! Asmina takes both hands of a sloppy Levan and forces him to pose while supporting him with his back to look like a dead man dance, and vocal chord modeling with his back voice. I don't know how to react, in this case. "... and in this way my brother-in-law (too) is trembling with a secret fighting spirit within" No, the spasm of the Terminator because of the unscrupulous movement he's making right now. "... okay, so you're going to be in that" Beast King's Decision "or something, and you're sure you're going to win? I asked Asmina as she healed (heeled) Levan. Or a literal puppet, here it is. But, well, with this kid, even if he's a jerk in person, he seems like he can handle it. Unexpectedly, Asmina showed some hesitation. "This is my intuition as a witch, but it's like the protection of God and the Beast, the patron saint of the Beast people, is away from my brother-in-law..." I agreed with Akaho in a tone of no heartfelt interest. "And I feel like something else is stretching a vortex of malice that swirls around the world." The world's bad faith. Speaking of which, I hear a guy who sounds like a lot of rap said, 'God's orders in this world,' but if there's someone God cares about... if you think about it, this is a great opportunity, isn't it? As long as you become the Beast King, you will legally rule half of the Kres-Kensruna Federation (well, I do the same thing). "Hey, Asmina. Haven't you heard of any other tribes lately - werewolves, cats, rabbits, strangers and powerful warriors suddenly appearing? By the way, all three I've just raised are the kind of characters that players could have created in "E. H. O" and "Eternal Horizon Online". "Are you a werewolf, a cat? You haven't heard of it because you don't have much interaction. I don't think the Rabbits will be competing in the first place. - Oh, it's just that I've recently heard of powerful weapons out there that I've never even seen among other tribes." I also put my arms around Asmina's words, who tilted her neck. I see. You're not going to let the player show his face directly, you're going to put one cushion down and give him a powerful item to rule indirectly. Come to think of it, 'The Beast King' is the representative of the Beast People. Even though it's a learning how much to follow the strong, there will also be rebellion in following someone who doesn't know which horsebone it is. I think I'll need to check locally to see what items I'm using when that happens. "I'd also like to go on a tour of that 'Beast King Decision Battle', is that okay? "... that's a subtle place. Basically, only those from participating tribes will be allowed to visit. However, since Hiyuki is the ally of a country that may become a Sovereign Nation in the future, if you consult with Jisis and take him to the Council of Chiefs, or" "- Hmm. Can you do me a favor? "Yes, I'll take care of it" Well, when you can't, you can wish to appear in the air and ask for a tour in the glory of the Divine Beast. "I understand, princess. - Nevertheless, at the time of the failure to fulfill the princess's hopes and other things, the chieftaincy council and all the owners of the missing heads will be scared to kill and see. ' Uh-huh, I wish I could do it peacefully.

幕間 美食礼賛 「豚肉が欲しいんだけど」 開店前にいきなりやってきて、不躾なお願いをしたボクの言葉に、ラーメン『豚骨大王』の店主こと、オークキングの従魔・ 「わかりやした姫様」 それから隅の方へ控えて、成り行きを見守っていた従業員のハイ・オークへと顎をしゃくって指示を出した。 「おう。暖簾を閉まっておけ、あと休業の看板を出しておけ。――まだまだお前は半人前だが、店のことは頼んだぞ」 「......へい、親方!」 涙ぐんで応える従業員。 「――? なんで豚肉貰うのに今生の別れみたいになるのさ?」 この時点でかなり嫌な予感がひしひしとしていた。 「それは無論」打てば響くような感じで答えが返って来た。「豚肉――つまり あらかた予想通りの答えに、ボクはカウンターに突っ伏しそうになった。 「なんでそうなるのさ! じゃあこれが牛肉が欲しいって言ったらどうなってたの?!」 「斜向かいの牛丼屋の主人のミノタウロスか、鍛冶屋の 一転の曇りもない目で答える凱陣。従業員のハイ・オークもうんうん頷いている。 「なら、野菜が欲しいって言えば!?」 「城の裏の世界樹の森を焼き払って、植物系モンスターと戦争とは、腕が鳴りますな」 凱陣の目が光った。ちなみに世界樹は課金ガチャの景品だったのをオブジェクトで5~6本植えていたら、気が付いたら目を瞠るばかりの巨木の森と化し、植物系モンスターやハイ・エルフの聖地みたいになっていた。 あと1本だけ植えた『伝説の樹』というわけのわからん由来の大木は今頃どーなってるんだろうねぇ。カップルの告白場所になってたら、地道に腹立つんだけどさ。 つーかその森を焼き払うとか下手したら内戦だよ!? ボクが野菜が欲しいとか言っただけで、内戦が起きるのかこの国は!! ・・・なので、やけくそで尋ねた。 「それじゃあ、羊肉が欲しい場合は?!」 「人間ですかい? ここには居ないので下まで獲りに行く手間がかかりやすが・・・」 「なんで羊肉だと人間になるわけ?!」 「おや、ご存知でない? とある国では人間のことを『双脚羊』、二本足の羊と言って喰ってたそうで・・・まあ、あっしは普通の動物の肉の方が好きですなぁ。どうも人間は環境で味にバラつきがあるので、好みが分かれやす」 この場合、「普通に羊の肉はないの?!」か、「全部同レベルで語るな!!」か、「なんで私も知らない知識を持ってるの!?」か、どこでツッコミを入れればいいんだろうねボクは。 「んじゃあもう・・・鶏肉を探してる場合はどーなるの!?」 「表通りの肉屋をご紹介しますが?」 「なんで鶏肉だと普通に答えるわけ!? てゆーか、お肉屋があるなら最初から教えてよ!!」 思わずここのところいろいろとあったストレスが爆発して、その場で椅子を振り上げて地団太踏んだ。その途端に、顔色が変わった凱陣が、 「いかん、姫様がまたご乱心だ! 手伝え、押さえるぞ!」 従業員に声をかけると同時に、スキル『オーク召喚』でその場にオーク兵を1ダースばかり呼び出した。 「乱心じゃな――――い!!!」 「血だ! 血を用意しろ!!」 「豚の血ならバケツ5杯分ありますが!」 「なら、そいつで構わん! 俺らが抑えるから、お前はそれを姫様に頭からかけろ!」 「かけるな~~~っ!! てゆーか臓物も浮いてるよそれ!!」 というボクの叫びも虚しく、寄ってたかって取り押さえられたボクは(狭い店の中、単純な腕力で勝てるわけないので)、そのまま豚の血と臓物まみれにされたわけなんだけどさ。 その後、お風呂を借りて着替えたボクは、改めて凱陣に一から説明をした。 「・・・だから普通に料理をしたいだけで、変な意図はないんだけど。ああ、できれば料理する場所も貸してもらえるとありがたいかな」 「はあ......。姫様が料理ですかい」 なんでみんなボクが料理すると言うと、犬が逆上がりすると宣言したみたいな顔するんだろうね? 普通にリアルでは3食(バイトがあるときはバイト先のスーパーの2階にある社員食堂で食べてたけど)自炊してたし、ゲーム中でも無意味に料理スキルは上げてカンストしてたんだけどさぁ。 「別に姫様が料理されなくても、一声かければドラゴンの姿焼きだろうが、 この国の住人はあれか、全員昔話に出てくる火の中に飛び込む兎かい? 「いや、誰かに用意してもらうんじゃなくて、お見舞いなので自分で料理したいんだけど」 「お見舞いですか......?」 難解な方程式でも聞いた顔で首をかしげる凱陣。まあこの国の住人には縁遠い概念だろうね。風邪とか絶対引きそうにないし。 取りあえずボクはついさっきあった出来事を話した。 「本当にすまなかった。なんと言って謝ればいいのか・・・」 何回目になるかわからないボクの謝罪の言葉に、ジョーイは宿のベッドに上半身を起こした姿勢で、同じく何回目になるかわからない返事を返した。 「だから気にするなって、元はといえばあの獣人野郎が悪いんだし、護衛を受けながらろくに守れなかった俺が一番悪いんだし」 実際、そのことではガルテ先生にずいぶんとこっぴどく怒られた、と言って苦笑いするジョーイ。 『「守る」って言うのは、何も勝てねえ相手に無策で立ち向かうことじゃねえ。俺たちは何でも屋だ、戦う以外のどんな方法でも使って、依頼主の身の安全を守ることを考えるべきだったんだ。地の利を生かして逃げ回るとか、さっさと俺たちに知らせるとかな』 そのあと、やっぱりDランクは早すぎたかな、と言われたから降格させられるんじゃないかとヒヤヒヤしたぜ、つーか、また今回も依頼が途中でできなくなったなぁ、と気楽に笑う。 しかしなんだね、死にかけたのはこれが2回目だっていうのに、冒険者を辞めることなくまだ続ける気でいるのはある意味、大器と言えるかも知れないね。 とは言え、 の件はともかく、その後、私が君にしたことは完全な過失だよ。獣王が処置をしてくれなかったら確実に殺しているところだった」 ボクは軽く首を振って足元を見た。薔薇のコサージュを散りばめたバルーンスカートと床の境目が目に入る。 「いや、だってあれも病気みたいなもんなんだろう? だったらお前が悪いわけじゃないさ」 いちおう吸血姫の特性とか説明はしたんだけど、どうやらそういう理解をしているらしい。この無邪気さが逆にいたたまれないというか、罪の意識を増加させるというか・・・。 「......そうなる可能性があったのに適切な処置をできなかったのは、やはり私の過失だよ。やはり私の気が済まない。――せめて一発殴ってくれ!」 顔を上げて言った途端、ジョーイは目と口をぱかっと開けて、続いてあたふたと首を横に振った。 「無理無理無理! できるわけねえだろう。だいたい女を殴るなんて――」 「別に女だと思わなくていいよ。気楽な男友達とか、憎い相手――あの兄丸でも目の前にいると思って、思いっきり殴ってくれれば」 「どーいう理屈だ?! つーか、絶対むり!」 うーむ......確かにボクは見た目、まるっきり女の子だからねぇ、そうは言われても難しいかも知れない。 「・・・困ったねえ」 「困ってるのは俺のほうなんだけど......」 ジョーイがなにか言ってたような気もするけど、考えに沈んでいたボクの耳を素通りした。 所在投げに視線をジョーイが泊まっている部屋のそこかしこに向ける。Fランクの時に泊まっていた場末の安宿とは違って、ここは中の下程度の宿らしい。部屋の大きさも一回り大きく、机や椅子(現在ボクが座っている)、備え付けの衣装箪笥まで置いてある。 ベッドもそこそこ良いもので、枕元には小さなサイドチェストが置いてあり、そこにはボクのお見舞いの薔薇の花束が花瓶に入れられ飾られてあった(花瓶は宿の女将さんが貸してくれた上、生けてくれた)。 ふと、その隣に食べ残しの食器が置いてあるのを見て、ボクは首をひねった。 「食欲がないのかい? まだ半分くらい残ってるけど」 「ああ――」その視線に気が付いて、ジョーイが苦笑した。「病人だからっていって、毎回リゾットを持ってくるもんで、いい加減飽きちまって......ちょっと眩暈がするくらいで、別にどこも悪くないのにな」 「眩暈は血が足りないからだよ。体力が戻っても失われた血は戻らないからねぇ」 とは言え確かに育ち盛りに毎回これでは飽きがくるのも当然かな。 ふむ、血が足りない――となれば血を増やす食事が必要だね。血の原料になるのはたんぱく質、となるとお肉だね。あとは乳製品、チーズとか。それと野菜も血管を丈夫にするし、手っ取り早いエネルギーは穀物や油、お砂糖とかかな。と、なるとアレがいいかな。食べやすいし。 「――なら、お詫びの意味を込めて、明日食べやすい料理を作ってお見舞いに持ってくるよ」 ボクの提案に、微妙な表情になるジョーイ。 「料理......。お前が?」 「......失礼だね。食べて腰を抜かしても知らないよ」 「はあ、なるほど・・・」 わかったようなわからないような顔で相槌を打つ凱陣。 「で、姫様はなにを作られるおつもりで?」 「肉、チーズ、野菜、パン、脂ときたら決まってるじゃないか、チーズバーガーだよ!」 「ハンバーガーですか? それなら表通りに『昇天バーガー』『バーガー・イン・モンスター』『 どれも不安を覚えるネーミングのお店だね。 「......いやぁ、こういうのは市販品でなく手作りじゃないとね」 お見舞いで今度こそとどめを刺したら目も当てられないからねぇ。 ということで、翌日緋雪が持っていったチーズバーガーを食べて、その美味しさに感激したジョーイが、 「美味っ! なんだこれ!?」 「どうだい、なかなかのものだろう?」 「すげえ美味い! 毎日こんな料理食えたら最高だろうなァ」 ちらっと意味ありげに見られた緋雪だが、まったく気が付かずに眉根を寄せて小首を傾げ、 「毎日だとカロリーがきついかな? まあたまに食べるくらいなら問題ないと思うから、後で宿の女将さんにでもレシピを教えておくよ」 そう答えて、密かに少年の心にとどめを刺したのだった。

43 Tabernacle Gastronomic Praise "I'd like some pork." Suddenly he came before the store opened, and to my words, who made an unclean request, the owner of the ramen "Pork Bone King", the Oak King's submissive demon/Kaiju (the molester), narrowed his eyes and nodded heavily with an enlightened look. "Understood, Princess." Then he held back toward the corner and gave instructions to the employee's high oak, who was watching his way through. "Oops. Keep the warm curtains closed and put out some more closing signs. - You're still half-service, but I asked for the store." "... hey, parent! Employee responding to tears. "- Why do you get pork like a lifetime goodbye? I had a pretty bad feeling at this point. "Whatever that is," the answer came back as if it sounded. "Pork - that is, because they wanted Oak King's life." I almost stumbled onto the counter with the answers I had expected. "Why would you do that! So what would have happened if I told you this is what I wanted beef for?!" "It means killing Minotaur, the owner of the beef bowl shop across the street, or Shiyu, the blacksmith." Kai Tin answers with no cloudy eyes. Employee High Oak is nodding yeah yeah too. "Then tell me you want vegetables!?" "Burn down the woods of the world tree behind the castle. Plant-based monsters and wars sound like arms." Kai's eyes lit up. By the way, if I had planted 5-6 bottles with objects that were prizes for billing gacha, I would have turned them into giant woods that just blinded my eyes when I noticed them, like plant-based monsters and high elf sanctuaries. I don't know how many big trees come from "Legendary Trees" I only planted one more tree. If it was a couple confessions, I'd be pissed off in the tunnel. If you suck at burning down the woods or something, it's a civil war!? I just said I want vegetables or something, is there going to be a civil war in this country!! ... so I asked in a shitty way. "Well, if you want lamb?!" "Are you human? I'm not here, so it's easy to go downstairs and get..." "Why does sheepmeat make you human?!" "Oh, didn't you know? In one country, he said he ate human beings by referring to them as' two-legged sheep ', two-legged sheep... well, I prefer normal animal meat. Thanks to the fact that humans vary in taste in the environment, preferences can be easily divided." In this case, "Normally there is no sheep meat?!", "Don't talk about it all on the same level!!" or "Why do you have knowledge I don't even know!?" where do I put the scratch? I... "What happens if you're looking for chicken!?" "May I introduce you to the butcher on the front street? "Why do you normally say it's chicken!? If you have a butcher, let me know from the beginning!!" I accidentally had a lot going on here. The stress exploded and I shook up my chair on the spot and stepped on the community too much. In the meantime, the Kai formation, whose complexion changed, "Hey, the princess is upset again! Help me, I'll hold you down! At the same time as speaking to the employee, he called only a dozen oak soldiers on the spot with his skill 'Oak Summoning'. "You're not a mess - Yikes!!!" "Blood! Prepare the blood!!" "I have five buckets of pig blood, though! "Then it doesn't matter! We'll take it down, you put it out of your head to the princess! "Don't call me ~ ~!! So the organs are floating, too!! My cry was vain, and I wanted to stop by and get caught up (because in a small store, I can't beat you with simple arm strength), and I was left with pig blood and guts all over me. Afterwards, I took a bath and changed my clothes, again explaining from scratch to the Keys. "... so I just want to cook normally, and I don't have any weird intentions. Yeah, I guess I'd appreciate it if you could lend me a place to cook, too." "Ha...... Is the princess cooking?" Why does everyone look like they declared that when I say I cook, the dog goes up the other way? Normally in real life, I was cooking 3 meals (when I had a part-time job, I was eating in the employee cafeteria upstairs in the supermarket where I was working part-time), and even during the game, I was pointlessly upgrading and kansting my cooking skills. Come on. "Even if the princess doesn't cook, she'll burn like a dragon if she shouts, but she'll eat a little fairy (pixie) dance, but it's easy to prepare it and see? If the princess eats you, we're all happy to ride on the slab. Are there any inhabitants of this country, all of whom jump into the fires that used to come out of stories? "No, I don't want someone to prepare it for me, I'd like to cook it myself because you're sympathetic" "Are you sympathetic...? Even the elusive equation tells me about the Kai Formation, with its face around its neck. Well, I guess it's a remote concept for residents of this country. I'm definitely not going to catch a cold or anything. In the meantime, I told him what happened earlier. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say and apologize..." To Bok's words of apology, which I don't know how many times, Joey replied in an upper-body position on the Inn bed, not knowing how many times it would be as well. "So never mind, that beast bastard is bad when it comes to the old days, and I'm the worst person you could hardly protect while you were escorted" In fact, Joey laughs bitterly when he says that Dr. Garte has pissed me off a lot about that. "Protecting" doesn't mean you can't win anything. We're stores of everything, we should have thought about keeping our clients safe, using any method other than fighting. I think you should let us know if you want to take advantage of the land and run around. " After that, I thought I was going to be demoted because they said D-rank was too early, and I laughed easily at you, and again, this time I couldn't make the request on the way. But what, even though this is the second time I've been dying, it's probably a big bowl in a way that I'm still willing to go on without quitting my adventurer. That said, "Regardless of what happened to my brother Maru, what I did to you afterwards was completely negligent. If the Beast King hadn't treated me, I would have definitely killed him." I shook my head gently and looked at my feet. The border between the balloon skirt and the floor, scattered with rose costumes, catches my eye. "No, 'cause that's like being sick, too, right? Then it's not your fault." I explained the characteristics of the blood-sucking princess today, but apparently she understands that. This innocence cannot be the other way around, or it increases the consciousness of sin... "... it's still my fault that I could have done that but I couldn't do the right thing. I'm still sorry about me. - At least hit me once! As soon as he raised his face and said, Joey opened his eyes and mouth wide, followed by a warm and neck-shaking sideways. "I can't, I can't! There's no way I can do that. I can't believe I bashed a woman more or less." "You don't have to think of me as a woman. Easy guy friends, haters - if you think even that brother maru is right in front of you, and you hit him as hard as you want." "What kind of logic is that?!" Absolutely! Hmmm... I do look like a girl, so hey, that might be hard to say. "... you're in trouble." "I'm the one in trouble..." I also feel like Joey was saying something, but he bare my ears that were sinking into his thoughts. Point your gaze at the location throw toward the room where Joey is staying. Unlike the cheap lodging at the end of the night that I was staying at when I was in F-rank, this seems to be the lower level of inn inside. The size of the room is also large, with desks, chairs (currently seated by me), and even furnished costumes. The bed was also good there, with a small side chest on the pillow, where my bouquet of sympathetic roses was put in a vase and decorated (the vase was lent to me by the Innkeeper and lived). And then I saw a leftover dish next to it, and I twisted my neck. "Don't you have an appetite? There's still about half a dozen left." "Oh -" I noticed that gaze and Joey grinned bitterly. "I'm sick, and I bring risottos every time, and I'm so tired of it... that I'm a little dizzy, and it's nothing wrong with me." "Dizziness is because you don't have enough blood. If you get back in strength, you won't get back the blood you lost." That said, I guess I do get tired of this every time I grow up. Hmm, we don't have enough blood - if we are, we need a meal that will increase blood. Protein is the raw material for blood, and meat is when it comes to it. And then dairy, cheese? That and vegetables also make the blood vessels sturdy, and the quick energy is grain, oil, sugar and so on. And I wonder if that would be a good idea. Easy to eat. "- Then, with apologies, I'll make a dish that's easy to eat tomorrow and bring it to your sympathy." To my suggestion, a subtle look, Joey. "Cooking.... You?" "... that's rude. Eat it and lose your hips, I don't know." "Oh, I see..." Kai formation hammering with an unclear face like I figured it out. "So, what's the princess going to make? "When it comes to meat, cheese, vegetables, bread and fat, it's a cheeseburger! "Is it a burger? Then there are Ascension Burgers, Burgers in Monsters, Burger Shops in Hun Rolling (Scarabe) and competitors on the street? They're all anxious naming stores. "... hey, these things have to be handmade, not commercially available" If I stab you in the stomach next time, you won't even see me. So the next day I ate a cheeseburger that Scarlet Snow took and Joey was thrilled with its deliciousness, "Yummy! What is this!?" "What do you say, pretty good stuff? "Wow, yummy! Wouldn't it be great if I could eat something like this every day?" Scarlet snow seen a little meaningful, but leaned his neck with a frown root completely unaware, "Is it tough on calories every day? Well, I don't think it would be a problem if I had enough to eat once in a while, so I'll share the recipe with the Innkeeper." That's how he secretly stabbed the boy in the heart.

第十二話 麗姫降臨 「――死にましたな」 が面白くもなさそうな口調で事実を告げた。 「そうだね。まったく最後の最後まで格好つけて・・・格好いいのと、格好つけは違うって言うのに履き違えてさ。君なんてその他の 思わず愚痴をこぼしてから、ふと、天涯もボクと同じものを見ていたことに気が付いた。 「天涯、君がジョーイのことを気にかけてたなんて意外だねえ」 「・・・別に気になるというほどのものではありませんが、数日間姫とともにあの無礼な口を聞いていましたので、ふと目に入っただけでございます」 うわっ、なにこのツンデレ?! 「それはともかく、戦況もほぼ魔物側に傾いたようですな」 「そうだね」 人間側はほぼ総崩れと言っていいだろう。 本部周辺は冒険者の精鋭と、正規軍とでなんとかこう着状態を保っているけど、所詮は多勢に無勢。包囲されたらそれで終わりだろう。 こうして見ていて、この地の人間の冒険者の実力も、モンスターの力もほぼ把握できた( ここで必要なことはほぼない、と思うんだけど......。 なんだろうね、この胸の奥で渦巻くモヤモヤは? 別にボクが元人間なので、人間に味方したいとかそういうわけではないと思う。 だいたいこっちに転生してから逢ったモンスターを見ての感想は、獣型を抜かせば思考パターンは人間と変わらないし、区別する必要ないじゃんといったところだ。 そりゃ全長が3mで、皮膚が緑で、目玉が8個、牙の生えた口が3個で火を吐き、腕が頭から生えてるのを合わせて7本とか、多少見た目は違うけど――というか夜中にトイレから戻る途中でばったり出会った時なんか、「~~~~っ?!?」と声にならない悲鳴をあげつつ、行く前だった完全に漏らしていたなぁとか思ったけどさ――怒り笑い嘆くその行動は、人間のような余計な損得とかしがらみがない分、よほど正直で好感が持てる。 なので眼下の光景は、ボクにとっては遠い外国の戦争を見ているようなもんだ。 ・・・だけど、なにか釈然としないんだよねぇ。 「ところで姫。あくまで私見なのですが――」 「うん? なんだい?」 「この地の魔物は、我が『インペリアル・クリムゾン』配下に収めなくてもよろしいのでしょうか?」 その言葉に、ボクの胸でくすぶっていたモヤモヤが弾けた。 「――そーいえばそうだったね。一方にばかり確認して、もう一方にも確認しないのは片手落ちだったねぇ。よく指摘してくれたよ。じゃあ天涯、悪いけど念話で城から2~3人、お話し合いの助っ人に来てくれるよう話してもらえるかな?」 「承知しました」 それからボクは戦場の片隅に転がる、小さな遺骸を再度確認した。 「・・・それから君にもまだ依頼料を渡してなかったね」 勝敗はほぼ決したと言っていいだろう。 次々と運ばれてくる負傷者を前に、ガルテ副ギルド長は指揮官としてこの場から退却すべきか、それとも万に一つの可能性をかけ、残った全戦力をまとめ上げ 「ガルテ副ギルド長っ!」 そこへ聞きなれた部下の若干焦りを含んだ声が掛けられた。 「ミーアか、まだこんなところにいたのか!? 負傷者を連れてさっさと後方へ避難しないか!」 「あの...ジョーイ君は、負傷者の中にジョーイ君がいないんですけど、こちらに来ていませんか?!」 必死なその様子に一瞬胸を突かれたが、ガルテ副ギルド長は首を横に振った。 「いや、前線に行ったままだ。少なくとも俺は見てない」 「そう......ですか」 それだけで少年の安否がわかったのだろう、ぐっと唇を噛んだミーアだが、ふと味方に肩を借りてこちらに向かってくる人物を確認して、大きく目を見開いた。 「ギルド長っ! ご無事だったんですか!!」 ガルテ副ギルド長もその声に慌ててその人物――コラードギルド長のところへ駆け寄っていた。 「おうっ、生きてたのか!」 「・・・ええ、お陰さまで悪運は強い方でして」 とはいえ魔力も底を尽き、疲労困憊で歩くこともままならない様子であった。 「だが、ちょうど良いタイミングだったな。――ミーア、ギルド長を連れて後方へ下がってくれ。ギルド長、悪いが少しでも体力が戻ったら、俺の代わりに現場の指揮を頼む」 「あなたは・・・どうするんですか?」 「まあ、どこまで出来るかわからんが、最期の悪あがきと行こう」 「「.........」」 にやりと獰猛に笑うガルテ副ギルド長とは対照的に、コラードギルド長、ミーアともにその意味を悟り、無言で俯いた。 と―― 「な、なんだあれは――――!?!」 周囲の驚愕の騒ぎに3人が視線を向けたその先で、巨大な――翼幅200m、頭の先から尻尾の先までも同じくらいの長さがある――黄金に輝く龍が、いままさに天上より舞い降りようとしていた。 だが、3人の視線を釘付けにしたのはソレではなく、その頭部に傲然と立つ、ドラゴンの巨体に比べあまりにもちっぽけな、しかしそれ以上の存在感を発する、漆黒と赤薔薇に彩られたドレス姿の少女であった。 全身がぽかぽかと温かくなる、ぬるま湯のような気持ち良い感覚に浸っていたジョーイは、ゆっくりと 「やあ、ジョーイ。体の調子はどうだい?」 地面に横たわった自分に覆いかぶさるようにして中腰で座って、淡く輝く掌を向けていた 「おま......どうして...俺、死んだはずじゃ......」 「うん。死んでたねぇ。こっちの世界でも 完全蘇生 そう言ってぷりぷり怒る緋雪の姿に、いつもの日常を感じてジョーイは笑った。 「ははっ、なに言ってるかわかんねーや。でも、お前ってやっぱり凄い奴だったんだな」 「『凄い』の一言で片付ける君もなかなか大物だと思うけどねぇ。それはそれとして、黄泉の国から引き戻したのには訳があってね。考えてみれば今回のゴタゴタで、私はまだ君に依頼料を払ってなかったろう? だからまあ...三途の川の渡し賃みたいだけど、いまのうちに払っておこうと思ってね」 そう言って、腰のポーチから大陸共通銀貨を3枚出す緋雪。 「確か平均が銀貨2枚に割り増し料金が8掛けだったけか? じゃあ延滞分も含めて3枚にしておくよ」 目の前に差し出された小さな掌に乗る銀貨を前に、ジョーイは困惑の面持ちで黙り込んだ。 そんな二人(正確には龍形態の天涯が周囲に睨みを利かせているが)の背後で、遠巻きに様子を眺めていた人間側の集団の中から2名、いや――もう1人が大柄な男の背中に背負われているので――3名が大慌てで飛び出してきた。 「ジョーイ君!」 「ジョーイ、お前、無事だったのか?!」 「なぜ貴女がここに・・・?」 「おや、皆無事だったんだねえ。とはいえあなた方には興味はないので、少し静かにしてもらえないかな?」 淡々としたその言葉に、近寄ろうとした3人の足がピタリと止まった。 「さあ、ジョーイ。この後も別件で用事があるので、受け取ってくれないかな」 「そうじゃねえ。やっぱ仕事もしてないのに依頼料は受け取れねえよ。だからそいつはもらえない」 「いや、依頼主である私が十分だと判断してるんだけど。――ねえ、こういうケースってどうなるのかな、ミーアさん?」 不意に話を振られてミーアは一瞬うろたえたが、気を取り直して答えた。 「そうした場合の対応について、先に明確に書面で契約していない以上、依頼主と冒険者双方の話し合いとなります」 「ふーん、じゃあ結局は君がうんと言わないと宙ぶらりんか。どうすれば受け取ってくれるのかな?」 訊かれたジョーイは数呼吸ほど考え、 「だからきちんと俺に街の案内とかさせろよ。それが終わったら依頼料も受け取るから」 「・・・いや、案内といっても、街もこんな具合だし、私も次の目的地に向かうつもりだしねぇ」 「そんなのいつになるかわからないよ?」 「いつだって構わないさ。だいたい『期間は未定』って言ったのはお前じゃないか、だったら何年先でも契約上は問題ないってことじゃないのか?」 その言葉に目と口を丸くする緋雪の唖然とした顔に、ジョーイはこれまでさんざん振り回されてきた溜飲が下がった思いで、悪ガキのような笑みを浮かべた。 「・・・参ったね。確かにそう言ったねぇ。それじゃあ仕方ない、次に来るまで契約は続行しておくよ。――これじゃあ観光が終わるまで街を壊すわけにいかなくなったじゃないか。まったく、こういう天然のが、小賢しい理屈とか跳び越えてくるんだよねぇ」 軽く肩をすくめて一人ごちた緋雪の言葉に、はっとした表情で顔を見合わせるコラードギルド長とガルテ副ギルド長。 「さて、では別件も片付けないといけないので、私はそろそろ行くよ」 すくっと立ち上がった緋雪に向かい、ようやく上体を起こせるようになったジョーイが寂しそうに訊いた。 「――また、来るんだろう?」 「前にも言ったろう、ここには君が一人前になるまで私のお金を預けておくんだから、君が一人前になる頃取りに来るさ」 「ああ、君も元気で」それからちらりと後方に立ち尽くす3人を見て続けた。「君達もね。――ミーアさん、ジョーイはこの通り言っても聞かない様なので、きちんと手綱を握った方がいいよ。ガルテ副ギルド長、同じく訓練で頭よりも体に覚え込ませておいてね。コラードギルド長、あなたは上に立つものとしては問題だけど、人としては立派だと思うよ」 最後にそう言って、後ろ手にひらひらと手を振って、

18 Lesson 12: Princess Li Descends - You're dead. Tenba told the facts in a tone that seemed uninteresting. "Right. Put it on until the end of the day... and put it on the wrong foot to say you look good and you look different. What other miscellaneous fish you are, I knew this would happen if I dressed you up." After I accidentally spilled my stupidity, I realized that, uh, I'd been watching the same thing as me all my life. "I'm surprised you cared about Joey all your life." "... not so much to worry about, but I've been listening to that rude mouth with the princess for a few days, so I just fumbled into my eyes" Wow, what is this tundra?! "Anyway, it looks like the war has almost leaned toward the demon side." "Right." The human side could say it's almost a total collapse. Around headquarters, the adventurer's elite and the regular army have managed to keep these clothes in shape, but the intrusions are numerous and passive. That would be the end of it if we were surrounded. Watching this way, I could almost grasp the strength of the human adventurers in the land, as well as the power of the monsters ("E. H. O" and "Eternal Horizon Online" would be about a monster near the city who arrived second after the tutorial at best). Almost nothing I need to do here, I think... I don't know, what about Moya Moya swirling in the back of this chest? It's nothing. I'm an ex-human, so I don't think I want to side with humans or anything. For the most part, I've seen monsters since I was reincarnated over here. Thinking patterns are no different from humans if you pull out the beast shape, and you don't need to distinguish between them. That's 3m in length, my skin is green, my eyeballs are 8, my fangy mouth exhales fire with 3, my arms are growing out of my head combined with 7, it looks somewhat different - or something like that when I just met him on the way back from the bathroom in the middle of the night, I thought he was totally leaking it before he went, screaming "~ ~ ~?!?" - but that action of angry grinning is so honest and likable for no extra damage or lump like a human being. So the sight under my eyes is like looking at a distant foreign war for me. ... but there's something I'm not sure about. "By the way, princess. It's just a personal view--" "Yeah? What? "Do I not have to put the demons of this land under my 'Imperial Crimson'? Moya Moya, who was tickled with my chest, could play to the words. "- Speaking of which, you did. It was one handful of things to check on one side and not the other. You made a good point. Then heaven forbid, I'm sorry, but can you talk to a couple of people from the castle in a nutshell so they can come and help you with your discussion? "Understood." Then I rolled into the corner of the battlefield, checking the little remains again. "... and you still haven't given me the commission, either." You can say you've almost decided to win or lose. Before the successive wounded, Deputy Guild Commander Garte was wondering whether he should withdraw from the scene as a commander, or whether he should put one possibility on the ground and raise all remaining battle power to the Great King (Orgy King) opponent for the final special attack. "Deputy Guild Leader Garte. Huh! A voice containing a slight impatience on the part of his subordinates was heard there. "Meer or were you still here!? Why don't you take the wounded and evacuate to the rear! "Um... Joey, you don't have Joey among the wounded, have you come this way?!" He was thrust in the chest for a moment by the desperate look of it, but Deputy Guild Director Garte shook his neck sideways. "No, I stay on the front line. At least I didn't see it." "Really..." I guess that's all I found out about the boy's cheapness, Meer, who bit his lip a long time ago, but I borrowed my shoulders from his side to confirm who was coming this way and opened my eyes wide. "Guild long! Are you all right!!" Deputy Guild Commander Garte was also rushing to the person's voice - the Collard Guild Commander. "Oops, you're alive! "... well, thanks to you, bad luck is strong." Nevertheless, the magic ran out of the bottom, and walking in exhaustion seemed irresistible. "But you were just in time. - Meer, take the guild leader and step back. Guild Leader, if you're sorry, but if you get any strength back, ask for the field command on my behalf." "What do you... do? "Well, I don't know how far you can go, but let's go with the worst of it" ......... In contrast to deputy guild chief Garte, who laughed furiously at it, he understood its meaning with Collard guild chief, Meer, and bowed silently. And... "Hey, what is that -!?!" Three people turned their gaze to the stunning noise around them, ahead of them, huge - 200m wide in wings, about the same length from the tip of their heads to the tip of their tails - a golden dragon was about to descend just above heaven. But it was not Sole who nailed the gaze of the three, but the girl in a dress colored by a pink black and red rose, who stood arrogantly on its head, too tiny compared to the dragon giant, but emitting more presence. Joey opened her lid (eyelids) slowly as she was immersed in a warm, warm, warm feeling of warm water. "Hey, Joey. How's your body? Sitting on his mid waist trying to cover himself lying on the ground, Joey suspected for a moment that this was heaven and that it was the goddess in front of him, to the unyielding smile of Scarlet Snow (Hiyuki), who had his pale shining palms pointed at him. "How could you... I should have died..." "Yeah. He was dead. I don't know if I can use full resuscitation (Liza Collection) in this world, so I bumped into it, but it seems to have worked. You're lucky." "Complete resuscitation...? What the hell? Joey laughed feeling his usual routine at the look of Scarlet Snow, who said so puffy and angry. "Ha, I don't know what you're talking about. But you were a great guy." "I'll clean it up with a word of 'awesome'. I think you're pretty big too, though. There's a reason I pulled it back from Yellow Springs. Come to think of it, this time in Gotagotta, I haven't paid you a commission yet, have I? So... it's like paying for a three-way river, but I'm going to pay for it now." That being said, Scarlet Snow sends out three continental common silver coins from its hip porch. "Are you sure the average was eight increments on two pieces of silver coins? Then I'll make it three, including the delay." Joey silenced herself in the face of confusion before the silver coin riding the little palm offered in front of her. Behind those two (although the dragon form of heaven, to be precise, gives a stare around them), two of the human-side groups who were watching how things were far-flung, no - because the other was carried on the back of a big man - three jumped out in a great panic. "Mr. Joey! "Joey, you, you're safe?!" "Why are you here...? "Oh, we were all safe. I'm not interested in you guys though, so I was wondering if you could be a little quiet? The pale words stopped perfectly with three legs trying to get close. "Come on, Joey. I have other business to attend to after this, so I was wondering if you could take it." "I'm not. I knew I didn't even work, but I couldn't get a commission. That's why I don't get it." "No, I'm judging my client, I'm good enough. - Hey, what happens to cases like this, Mr. Meer? Meer wandered off for a moment when she was inadvertently told the story, but she regained her mind and answered. "There will be more discussion between the client and the adventurer than there was a clear written agreement to deal with the situation." "Hmm, so in the end you hang around saying no. I wonder how you can take it? Asked, Joey thought about it for a few breaths. "So let me show you around the city. When it's over, I'll get a commission." "... no, even when it comes to guidance, this is how the city looks, and I'm going to go to my next destination, too, hey" "You don't know when that's gonna happen, do you? "I don't mind any time. By and large, aren't you the one who said 'period is to be determined', then you don't mean there's no contractual problem years away? On the flashing face of scarlet snow that rounded his eyes and mouth to the word, Joey smiled like an evil kid with the thought of ever wandering drinks down. "... you're here. That's what I did say. Then we have no choice but to keep the contract going until the next time. - Then you can't destroy the city until the end of sightseeing. Damn, these natural ones jump over some clever reason or something." Head of the Collard Guild and Deputy Head of the Garte Guild face to face the words of Scarlet Snow, who shrugged her shoulders gently and was alone. "Well, then I have to clean up another case, so it's time for me to go." Joey asked lonely as she headed to Scarlet Snow, where she stood up softly, finally able to get her upper body up. "- You're coming again, aren't you? "I told you before, you keep my money here until you're alone, so I'll come get it when you're alone." "Oh, you're fine, too," then I went on to see the three of you standing back properly. "You too. - Mr. Meer, Joey doesn't seem to listen to you even if you're right, so you should hold the reins properly. Deputy Guild Commander Garte, as well, let your body remember more than your head with training. Collard Guild Leader, you're a problem as standing on top, but as a person, I think you're fine." At the end of the day, Scarlet Snow waves a flickering hand behind his back and walks in the direction where the monsters, led by the Great King (the Orgasm King), are waiting, with a sense of security to go for a walk.

第二話 女冒険者 クレス自由同盟国の暫定首都ウィリデ。 もともとは大河ウィリディス川の河口付近に位置する人口2,000人程度の水運の町であったが、クレス自由同盟国の発足に伴い、暫定首都へと昇格し、議会や各種ギルドなどの主要機関が瞬く間に造られ―― その港へ、遥か西部域に位置するアミティア共和国から、穀物など物資を運んだ大型魔導帆船が入港していた。 降りてきた乗客や、乗務員、商人などを横目に眺めながら、兎人族の冒険者クロエは約束の時刻に遅れないよう、やや足を速めた。 「師匠、大丈夫ですか、なんかフラフラしてますけど?」 「大丈夫、なんか陸に立っても地面が動いてる気がするだけだし。あと、俺を師匠って呼ぶのはやめろよ」 「えーっ、でも、師匠は師匠なので...」 前を歩いていたまだ十代半ばと思えるカップル――会話の内容からして、この大型魔導帆船の乗客だったのだろう――を追い抜いて、クロエは目的地のウィリデの冒険者ギルド本部へと向かった。 ウィリデで最も堅牢かつ目立つ赤レンガ三階建ての建物。冒険者ギルド本部の玄関をくぐったクロエは、即座に目当ての人物を見つけることができた。 なにしろギルド内の全ての視線がその人物に集まっているのだ、どうしたって必然的に目にする形となるわけだが――いや、例え街中で自然にすれ違っただけでも注目を浴びずにはいられないだろう。それくらい座っているだけでも光り輝くような気品と美貌の持ち主である。 「やあやあ、すまないね。遠いところをわざわざ」 「ああ、そういうのはいいから。気楽に座って。だいたいこんな場所じゃ目立つじゃない」 と、ツッコミどころ満載の台詞で遮られて、とりあえず一礼をして対面のソファーに座った。 その緋雪の背後には、見事な金髪金瞳のタキシードを着たとてつもない美男子と、長いプラチナブロンドのこれまた人間離れした美貌のメイドとが立っている。 その二人に挟まれる格好で座る、豪奢な黒と薔薇のドレスを着た黒髪の女主人は、さしずめ太陽と月を従える夜と薔薇の化身といったところであろうか。 柄にもなくそんな散文的なことを考えるクロエだが、見た目のインパクトで言えば2メートル近い鍛え上げられた肉体を持つ彼女も、ある意味、負けず劣らずの存在感を発散しているといえた。 「で、早速で悪いんだけど、例の件は調べられたのかな?」 その質問に、クロエは首を振った。 「例の商人の足取りは、ケンスルーナ領に入ったところでぷっつりと途絶えたままですね。以前ならともかく、いまじゃあそこは冒険者でも獣人は入国できない始末で、あたしにゃいかんともしがたいところですわ」 その伝法な口調に金髪の美男子――天涯が、ぴくりと眉をひそめるが、最初に依頼を持ち込んだ際に、「あたしゃ無礼が服着て歩いてるような女ですからね、お姫様の気に触るかも知れませんよ。それでもいいんでしたら受けますけど」と渋ったのを、緋雪が快諾したという経緯があるので、どうにか苦言を口にすることは押さつけたらしい。 だが、緋雪の方はいたって感心した顔で、苦い顔をしているクロエを見た。 「あの影郎さん相手に、そこまで足取りを追えたんだ、凄いね」 それから腕組みをして考え込む。 「それにしてもケンスルーナか、行き先は帝国か聖王国か。どちらとも取れるし、どちらともいえないねぇ」 まあ、あの人に関してはさらに裏をかいて......という可能性も高いけど、と心の中で続ける。 「ま、あんまし考えすぎても疑心暗鬼になりそうなので、このあたりにしておこうか。――ありがとう、助かったよクロエさん」 「姫陛下に『ありがとう』とか『さん』づけされると面映いもんだねえ」 言葉通り照れた仕草で笑みを浮かべるクロエ。 「いや、敬意を払いべき相手にそれを行うのは普通じゃないの?」 きょとんと不思議そうに首を傾げる緋雪に対して、『それができるお偉いさんは、あんたくらいなものさ』と思いつつ、さらに笑みを深くするクロエ。 「そういえば、クロエさんはケンスルーナとの国境まで行ったんだよね。あっちはどんな風だったの?」 「ああ――」思い出して、クロエは盛大に眉をしかめた。「一言で言えば無法地帯だね」 「ありゃ、まあ。...そんなひどいの?」 「略奪、暴行、放火は戦の常とはいえ、あそこまで徹底的にやられちゃね。国として機能するまで3~4年はかかるんじゃないかね」 両掌をぱっと上に向けて、クロエは大仰に肩をすくめた。 「ふぅん、世界最大国家っていうからもうちょっと統制がとれてるかと思ってたんだけど、やることはやっぱり押し込み強盗と同じか」 失望した口調でため息をつく緋雪。 「まあ、帝国からすれば対立してきた怨み骨髄の相手だからねえ。それに皇帝の親征ってわけでもないから、末端の暴走は知らぬ存ぜぬって腹だろうし」 「ん? 戦に皇帝が直接でてこないの? うちは私が陣頭に立つのが普通なんだけどね」 だってそうですよ。ったく人間って奴らは戦いで先頭に立つこともできない腰抜けが頭だってんですから、理解しがたいというか。――特に帝国のいまの皇帝なんざ、戦どころか国内でさえ禄に公式の場に出たことがないってんですから、どれだけ臆病者なんだか......」 心底軽蔑した口調でのクロエの言葉に、ああなるほど、と納得顔で緋雪が頷いた。 「いや、実は先日、 軽く目を剥くクロエ。 気楽に話しているが、こんな誰が聞いているかわからない場で話すような事柄ではないだろうと、柄にもなく落ち着かない気分で、反射的に視線を周りに走らせるが、こちらを注目している人間は数あれど、どれも遠巻きに眺めているだけで、幸い会話が漏れ聞こえる位置にいるものはいない。 ――ふと、先ほどここへ来る途中に追い抜いたカップルが、ギルドに入って来たのを目の端に捕らえたが、特に怪しい素振りもなかったので、取りあえず大丈夫だろうと判断して、再び視線を緋雪に戻した。 「まあ、内容は予想通りというか、旧クレス=ケンスルーナ連邦の国境線確定の交渉の件だったんだけどね」 「なるほど」確かにこの時期に接触を図ってきたとなると、それしかないだろう。 「あちらは宰相がでてくるらしいんだけど、こちらはクレス自由同盟国の代表を指名してきてねぇ」 「ああ、あの坊や...おっと、若大将ですか」 自分の対戦相手だったレヴァンのことを思い出して、クロエの口元に笑みが浮かんだ。 「まあ、妥当な線なんじゃないですかね」 「そうなのかい? 私としては元首同士の直接対談で構わないと返事をしたんだけど、あちらから丁寧なお断りの返事がきてね。なにか意図があるのか、時期尚早すぎたかといろいろ考えてたんだけど、単にあちらの皇帝がヒキコモリだっただけとはねぇ」 やれやれと首を振る。 「まあ皇帝といっても名目だけで、実権を握ってるのは宰相の方ですからね。建設的な話し合いをするなら、そっちとしたほうがよほどマシでしょうね」 「ふぅん。じゃあレヴァンとの交渉にこっそり着いて行こうかな」 これには天涯も座視できないと見て、苦言を呈した。 「姫、それはあまりにも軽はずみかと、相手はたかだか人の宰相程度。非公式に会談を行うにしても、姫が直接出向くとなれば、下手に出たと取られて侮られます」 クロエもこれには同意した。 「そうだね、国同士の威信をかけてるんだから、お互いに強気にでないとね」 これなら問題ないでしょ、とばかりに胸を張って言われたが、検討するまでもなくクロエは一蹴した。 「......いや、無理だね。姫陛下、自分がどれだけ目立つか自覚ないみたいだから言っておくけど、どんな格好したって砂粒の中の宝石みたいに光ってるんだから」 うんうんと頷く天涯と命都。 「そうかな?」いまいち納得できなそうなのは本人だけである。「前にもお忍びで街に出たことがあったけど、そこまで目立たなかったと思うんだけどねぇ」 「お忍びで? 一人でかい。ずいぶん無茶をするね」 感心よりも呆れが大部分の口調で感想を口に出すクロエに、これまた盛大に同意する天涯と命都。 「いや、一人というか、知り合いの冒険者と一緒だったんだけど、ちょうどあのくらいの......あれ?」 緋雪が指差した先、さっきギルドに入ってきたカップルの片割れ――十代半ばほどかと思われる、これといって特徴のない少年――が、カウンターで何かの用件を済ませ、ちょうど顔を上げたところで偶然こちらを向いた。 その目が緋雪の姿を捕らえて、一瞬、幽霊でも見たような顔になり、続いてそれが幻でも他人の空似でもないのを理解して、目と口をほとんどまん丸にし、全身で驚愕の叫びをあげる。 「「なんでここに!?」」 緋雪と少年の声が同時にギルド内に響いた。

65 Lesson Two: Women Adventurers Willide, provisional capital of the Free Alliance of Cres. Originally a town of water transport with a population of about 2,000 located near the mouth of the Great River Willidis, with the launch of the Free Alliance of Cres, it was promoted to the provisional capital, where key institutions such as parliaments and various guilds were instantly built - the building (hard) was the Crimson of the Crimson, the Crimson Empire, while the human resources (soft) were collaborated by the Amitian Republic - and on top of the shape, it had succeeded in forming the body of the 'capital', albeit bent. To that port, a large demon-guided sailboat carrying cereals and other supplies had entered from the Republic of Amitia, located in the far western region. Looking sideways at the passengers who had come down, the crew, the merchants, etc., Chloe, the Adventurer of the Ha 'aretz, quickened his legs slightly so as not to delay the promised time. "Master, are you okay, are you flirting with something? "It's okay, I just feel the ground is moving even when I stand on land of something. And stop calling me a master." "Uh, but since the master is the master..." Trailing through a couple who still seemed like mid teens walking in front - I guess they were passengers on this large demon-guided sailboat from the content of the conversation - Chloe headed to Willide's Adventurer Alliance headquarters at his destination. The most robust and prominent red brick three-story building in Willide. Chloe, who crept through the front door of Adventurer Alliance headquarters, was able to find the person she was looking for instantly. Anyway, all the sights in the guild are gathering in that person, so what's wrong is inevitably in the form of eyes - no, you can't help but get noticed if you just naturally slipped across the city. He is the beauty and elegance beauty bearer who shines even as long as he sits there. "Hey, I'm sorry. Go out of your way." "Oh, that's fine. Sit easy. More or less, it doesn't stand out in places like this." And, blocked by a scratchy dialogue, he sat on the couch opposite him for the time being. Behind that scarlet snow stands an incredibly beautiful man in a stunning blonde blonde-eyed tuxedo and the maid of this yet another human secluded beauty of a long platinum blonde. Would a brunette mistress in a luxurious black and rose dress, seated in an outfit sandwiched between those two, be such a place as a night and rose incarnation where she could follow the whispering sun and moon? Chloe thinks about such prose things without a pattern, but with nearly two metres of forged flesh in terms of appearance impact, she was also, in a way, exuded an unbeatable presence. "So, it's quick and bad, but did they look into the example thing? To that question, Chloe shook her head. "The foothold of the example merchant remains plump and interrupted where he entered Kensruna territory. Anyway, now is the end of the day when even adventurers can't get into the country, so thank you very much to me." A beautiful blonde in that legendary tone - Tianli frowned, tingly, but when she first brought in the request, she said, "I'm such a woman who walks in her clothes with disrespect, you might touch the princess. I'll take it if that's okay," she said reluctantly, "because Scarlet Snow has a history of agreeing to it, so she somehow pushed me to complain. But Scarlet Snow had a face that impressed me, and I saw Chloe with a bitter face. "That Shadowloon guy, he followed his footsteps that far, that's amazing." Then I put my arms together and think. "And Kensruna, or is the destination an empire or a holy kingdom? I can take both, and neither can I." Well, there's a good chance that you'll go further back about that guy... but keep going in your mind. "Ma, even if I think too much about it, I'm going to be a suspicious ghost, so shall we keep it around here? - Thank you, Mr. Chloe." "Your majesty makes me say thank you and thank you." Chloe grins at the way she illuminates herself as words say. "No, isn't it normal to do that to someone who deserves respect? Chloe deepens her grin even more as she thinks' The Great One Who Can Do It, Is About You 'against Scarlet Snow, who leans her neck in wonder. "Speaking of which, Mr. Chloe even went to the border with Kensruna, didn't he? What was it like over there? "Oh -" I remember, Chloe frowned grandly. In a nutshell, it's a lawless zone. "Well.... that bad? "Though looting, assault, and arson are the norm in battle, you have to be thoroughly hit that far. It'll take three to four years to function as a country." With his palms facing upwards, Chloe shrugged her shoulders lofty. "Phew, I was wondering if I had some more control because it's the biggest country in the world, but is what I do the same as a break-in robbery" Scarlet Snow sighs in a disappointing tone. "Well, from the Empire, I'm the opponent of a grievance bone marrow that's been in conflict. Besides, it's not the Emperor's parental quest, so you don't know the end of the rampage." "Hmm? There's no emperor coming directly to the war? It's normal for me to be on the line." "Even the Beasts are. They can't even take the lead in battle. They have a headache, so it's hard to understand. - Especially since he's the emperor of the empire now, and even in the country instead of war, he's never been in an official place at Loc, so I don't know how many cowards..." Scarlet snow nodded convincingly at Chloe's words in a tone of heartfelt contempt. "No, actually, I didn't get a letter from the Gravior Empire the other day." Chloe peeling lightly. I talk easily, but I feel restless, not even in the pattern, that it wouldn't be such a matter of speaking in a place where I don't know who's listening, reflexively running my gaze around, but there are a few people who are paying attention to this one, all just looking away, and fortunately nothing is in a position to hear the conversation leak. - Huh, a couple who chased through on their way here earlier caught them coming into the guild at the edge of their eyes, but there was no particularly suspicious bareback, so they decided that they would be fine for now and put their gaze back on Scarlet Snow again. "Well, the contents are as expected, or it was about negotiating the finalization of the border of the former Kres-Kensruna Federation." "I see." If we did try to make contact at this time, that would be the only way. "I hear the prime minister will be there, but this one hasn't nominated a representative of the Free Alliance of Cress." "Oh, that boy... whoa, is that the young general" I remember Levan, who was my opponent, and there was a grin in Chloe's mouth. "Well, isn't that a reasonable line?" "Really? As far as I'm concerned, I replied that I don't mind a direct conversation between the Fuhrer, but I got a polite no response from there. I've been thinking a lot about whether it's intentional or premature, but I don't think the emperor over there was just a crackhead." Shake your head for Christ's sake. "Well, even when it comes to emperors, it's only in the name of the prime minister who holds real power. If we're going to have a constructive discussion, it would be better that way." "Huh. Then I guess I'll just sneak in to negotiate with Levan." I complained when I saw that I could not even sit on this for the rest of my life. "Princess, I wonder if that's too light-hearted, the opponent is somewhat about a person's prime minister. Even if we meet informally, if the princess goes out in person, she will be taken for badly." Chloe also agreed to this. "Well, we're putting our country's prestige on each other, so we have to be strong with each other." I didn't have a problem with this, but Chloe kicked her ass without even having to consider it. "... No, you can't. Your Highness, I'm telling you because I don't seem to realize how conspicuous I am, because I'm glowing like a gem in a grain of sand about how I dressed." Yeah, nodding heavenly life and life capital. "Really?" The only person who is not comfortable with it right now seems to be him. "I've been out of town with patience before, but I don't think it was that noticeable." "With patience? Big one. Much more impotent." This is another heavenly life and life capital where I agree with Chloe, who speaks out her thoughts in a tone that is more than impressive. "No, I mean alone, or I was with an adventurer I knew, just about that... that? Scarlet Snow pointed out that a single crack in the couple who had just entered the guild - a boy with no character to say this, supposedly in his mid-teens - did some business at the counter and just happened to turn this one up. Its eyes capture the appearance of scarlet snow, and for a moment, it becomes the face it sees, even in ghosts, followed by an understanding that it is neither an illusion nor an aerial likeness of others, making its eyes and mouth almost round, with a full body of shoutouts of amazement. "" Why are you here!? Scarlet Snow and the boy's voice echoed within the guild at the same time.

第十九話 霧中夢中 「......ホント、わけがわからないねぇ」 オズの魔法使いにでてくる『黄色いレンガ道』ならぬ、白い霧の細道を延々と歩いてきたわけだけど、いつの間にか周囲の様子が変わっているのに気付いて、一度足を止めて改めて状態を確認してみた。 歩いてきた足元の道――薄闇の 視覚的にも似たようもので、上下左右とも果てが見えない霧の中に細い道が架かっている感じなので、高所恐怖症の人間や気の小さな人間だったら、おそらく最初に足がすくんで身動きができないだろう。 この道から足を踏み外したらどうなるか、と若干興味が湧いたけれど、この期に及んで命がけでトライ&エラーを行うほど酔狂ではないし、どうにも碌な結果が待ってそうにないので、そうした好奇心には蓋をすることにして、着実に道を外れないように前に進むことに神経を集中することにしたんだけれど......。 虚霧の中はそもそも時間感覚が完全に狂っているそうなので、時計の類いは持ってきていないけれど、体感的には4~5時間も何もない真っ白な世界を歩いてきただろうか――そういえば人間が持つ7つの感覚(視覚、聴覚、嗅覚、触覚、味覚、平衡感覚、温度感覚)のうち、より能動的な視覚、聴覚、嗅覚、触覚を完全に遮断した状態で放置されると、通常半日も経たずに精神が変になるって言うけど――予備知識なしに、この状態でよく取り乱すことなく平静で居られたもんだと、我ながら自分の図太さに感心してしまった。 まあ単純に感情が麻痺していたのかも知れないけれど。 兎にも角にもここに来て周囲の景観に変化が生じたことで、スリープモードだった意識が通常に復帰した......って感じだった。 見れば霧の一部が変化してかなりの速度で、この道の周囲をぐるぐる飛び回っている。 フラクタル状のそれらは意味や法則がありそうでないものばかりで、あえて形を認識しやすいものを探せば、回転する渦巻や、半透明のスライムのようなもの、くねくねと直角に曲がりながら飛び回る大蛇、互いに喰らい合いながら膨らむ丸い風船、翼を広げた巨大な蝶、あちこちに乱舞する炎の塊のようなもの、回転する円盤群......。 「幻影なのか実体なのか、区別がつかないけど、いちおう実体として心得ていた方が安全だろうねぇ」 右手に握った愛剣『 反射的にこれに斬り付けると、手応えもなくあっさりと2枚に下ろされ、片方の半身は悠々と目前を通過して行き、もう片方は勢いあまってボクの身体と半ば重なる形で、通り過ぎていった。 ――ちなみに、後ろ暗くないことは、何かしたんでしょうか? ――顔も覚えていないような知り合いに襲われて、危なかったんだけどなんとか切り抜けて、そこでばったり昔、とても親しくしていた男に会って、詳しい話をしようとしたら逃げられた。 「――っ?!」 その瞬間、いつかどこかで見て感じた光景が、ありありと目の前に広がって、すぐに消えた。 「......いまのはアスミナ? なんだったんだろう......幻覚?」 それにしてはずいぶんと生々しかったけど。 「というか、このわけのわからない連中が幻影なのか、実体なのかは不明だけど、どーにも実害がありそうだねぇ」 その場に棒立ちになって考え込んだところへ、螺旋状に飛び回る甲虫と青虫を掛け合わせたみたいな気持ち悪い虫や、巨大な目玉の怪物、光るスライムなどが次々と襲い掛かってきた。 奇怪な怪物は細い道の上で躱せるだけ躱して、どうしても捌き切れないものは、迎撃することにする。 「......リンクするね。魔法はマズイか」 先手必勝で、距離のあるうちに魔法で撃墜しようとしたところ、それまで無関心にふよふよ漂っていた、周囲の霧の怪物たちが雪崩をうってこちらに迫ってきた。 舌打ちして直観暴力に切り替えると、多少は穏やかになったので、以後はひたすら斬り捌くことだけに集中する。 ――じゃあ君の名前は『 ――ちょっと待った。寝てる私にどうやって飲ませたわけ? 霧の怪物を切り裂き、その飛沫が身体にかかるたびに、在りし日の出来事がありありと再現される。 今のところほとんど一瞬なので、さほど影響はないけれど、例えばこれ丸ごと正面から衝突した場合、どれだけの効果があるんだろうね。 この魔物に対しては蒼神の防御膜も効果がないみたいだし、ずっとこの状態が続けば、なにしろ細い道だから、そのうち集中力が切れるか、幻惑に囚われて足を踏み外す危険性がある。 とは言えその場に踏み止まれば、襲ってくださいと言うようなものだし、いまさら来た道を引き返すわけにもいかない。だいたい戻っても帰り道があるかどうか。 結局は躱せるだけ躱して前に進むしかない。そう覚悟を決めて、ボクは慎重に足を進めたのだった。 どのくらい進んだろうか。とっくに体感時間すら不明瞭になっていたボクの前に、巨大なクマに似た怪物が立ち塞がっていた。 できれば回避していきたいところだけれど、なにしろこいつは道の先にでんと待ち構えているんだから、無視して行くわけにもいかない。 で、さらに周囲を燕のような羽を持った蛇のようなモノが、見た感じ100羽くらい飛び回っている。このためクマ相手にこの距離から魔法で攻撃した場合には、周りの飛蛇が一斉にリンクする可能性が高いわけで、そうなった場合は目も当てられない。 確実に斃すには、やはりこの手の剣で斬り捨てるしかないわけだね......。 ボクはしぶしぶと、道を塞ぐ3メートルほどもあるトランペットと太鼓を叩いたテディベアに向かって、剣を構えた。 「はあ......。こりゃ、くまったねぇ」 つぶらな瞳に大いにやる気を殺がれながらも、ずんどこ近寄ってくるクマ目掛けて、唐竹割りの要領で頭上に構えた剣を真下まで振り下ろして、真っ二つにする。 他の魔物同様、手応えのないまま二つになったクマだけど、知らない間に手心が加わっていたのか、ギリギリ背中の皮一枚で繋がっていたそれが、無理やり自分の身体を抱きかかえるようにして、一塊のままボクへと正面衝突してきた。 』を再度一振りするのと同時に、細い光の小道の上から落ちないように、その場に片手片膝をついて蹲った。 「やばいっ、このままじゃ転校初日から遅刻だ!」 折り畳まれたメモ帳の表には、割と正確な筆致で日本地図が描かれ、その一部に赤丸と矢印が付けられ『ココらへん』と走り書きがしてあった。 「――大雑把過ぎる! これだから外資系企業のOLってのは!」 世界をまたに駆けて飛び回っている姉のスケールの大きさと迂闊さに内心頭を抱えながら、成偉は地図を畳んでポケットに戻した。 代わりにスマホを取り出す。 「えーと、『私立ホライゾン学園』の位置は――」 ちなみに姉は現在、アルジェリアに出張中なので、成偉はマンションに一人住まいである。 姉のその前の出張先はキプロスで、その前がスーダン、北アイルランド、シエラレオネ、アフガンなど聞いたこともない場所ばかりで、ほとんど日本に戻ってくることがないため一人暮らしは慣れたものだが、今回は環境自体が変わったせいで油断してしまったらしい。 それにしても、いまさらながら姉はいったいなんの商売をしているのだろうか? 両親の死後、幼かった自分を女手一つで養ってくれた姉には感謝しているが、いまだに仕事の話になると口を噤むのが不思議と言えば不思議だ。 そんな風に余所見をしていたせいだろうか、角を曲がった瞬間、死角になっていた向こう側から、同じように脇目も振らず走ってきた女子生徒と正面衝突してしまった。 「――ぅおっと!」 「ほげええええっ!?」 色気のない悲鳴だなぁと思いながら(咄嗟に「きゃっ!」と言える訓練された女子はなかなかいない)、柔らかな感触と女の子の素敵な匂いに動揺した成偉は、思わず食べかけのトーストを落としてしまった。 「あいたた......」 見れば同じ『私立ホライゾン学園』の校章をつけた黒髪の小柄な女子生徒が、地面に尻餅をついていた。 「おい、大丈夫か?」 「大丈夫、じゃないわよ! どこ見てたのよ、あなた! だいたいスマホは校則で禁止されてるの知らないの?!」 顔を上げたその子――やたら綺麗な顔立ちをした、ちょっと幼い外見の美少女――が、光の加減で濃淡を変える特徴的な緋色の瞳を怒らせて、 「そうなのか? 悪い、俺って今日が転校初日なんで、全然知らなかったんだ」 「知らないで済めば警察はいらないわよ。生徒手帳にも書いてあるでしょう! いいこと、無知は罪なんですからね!」 ポンポンと好き勝手言われて、さすがにムッとした成偉は、差し出した掌の形をパーからチョキに変えた。 「悪かったな。あと、いつまでも水色見せてるつもりだ?」 その指摘で、はっと気が付いた少女が、真っ赤な顔でスカートを押さえた。 「きゃあああああああっ!!」 「おっ、今度はまともな悲鳴だな」 素直な感想を口に出した成偉の横っ面が、バネ仕掛けみたいに立ち上がった少女の平手で、思いっきり叩かれた。 「馬鹿ーっ!! 最低っ! この変態、竹輪男っ!!」 全身で絶叫した少女は、いまだ竹輪を咥えたまま呆然としている成偉を置いて、脱兎のようにその場から駆け出した。 「いてて......見かけと違って凶暴な女だなぁ」 叩かれた頬を擦って、残った竹輪を口に放り込みながらぶ然と呟いた成偉だが、少女が走っていった方向を見て、納得したように頷いた。 「やっぱ学校はあっちか」 ため息をついてその方向へと足を進めようとしたところで、ふと地面に落ちた食べかけのトーストの下に、なにかが隠れるようにしてあるのが目に止まった。 何の気なしに拾ってみれば、赤い薔薇の刺繍と『HIYUKI』とネームの入った白いレースのハンカチだった。 面倒臭いことになりそうだと思いながらも、捨てるわけにもいかずに、成偉はそれをポケットに捻じ込んだ。 「まあ、同じ学校みたいだからな、そのうち会うこともあるだろ」 くっきりと紅葉の形に手形の付いた頬のまま、成偉は転校先へと大急ぎで駆けて行った。 「――なによ、このベタな展開は?!」 思わず叫んだ自分の声で、はっと我に返った。臨場感のありすぎる幻覚(?)のせいか、すっかり役に嵌り切って、一瞬自分がどこにいて誰なのか混乱したけれど、落ち着いて周囲を見回してみれば、相変わらず 「どーいう幻覚なんだろうねぇ。いままでの過去の再生とは違うみたいだし......」 無意識の願望とかなら笑えるけど、どっちかというとボクにとっては学校ってのはトラウマにしか過ぎないので、悪夢に近いねぇ。まして主人公がアレでは......。 「......う~~む。まあ、幻覚を見ている間に道から転げ落ちなかったのが幸いかな」 無理やり納得することにして立ち上がって前を見た。 一見するとマホガニーの扉で、真鍮製のドアノブも付いている。 「どこ○もドア?」 某青狸の有名な秘密道具を当然連想しながら扉の前に立つ。 「――どー考えても罠だろうねぇ」 とは言えこれを通らないとこのクエストは消化できないのは確かなので、ボクは警戒しながら扉を開けた。 そこは一面の花が咲き乱れる野原だった。 太陽は柔らかな光を放ち、空気は適度な湿り気を帯び、気温は春の陽気で過ごしやすく、このままこの場に寝転がって昼寝をできたら最高だろうと思える、うららかな光景が眼下に広がっていた。 「これはまた判断に迷う景色だねぇ。幻覚なのか、どこかに移動したのか?」 念のために振り返って見れば、案の定、通り抜けてきた扉はなくなっている。 の中の道にいるんだったら、ここで不用意に足を踏み出すと、現実には真っ逆さまに転落する危険があるわけだけど。 まあさっきのベタなラブコメみたいな時みたいに、本体は突っ立っていて意識だけが、ここで動いている可能性もあるわけだけどね。 どうしたもんかと悩んでいたところへ、不意に背後から少年のものらしい怪訝な声が掛けられた。 「なあ、お前なにやってんだ、こんなところで?」 見れば15歳くらいのヤンチャそうな少年が立っていた。 「――だれ、君? 幻覚かモンスターの擬態?」 「なんだそりゃ? いや、『誰』とか俺が聞きたいんだけどさ」 困惑と不審が混じりあった顔で、こちらに近づいて来る少年。 着ているものは簡素なシャツとズボン、それにベストだけれど小奇麗で不潔感はない。 同時に、ボクはあることに気が付いて周囲を見回し、ソレを確認して密かにため息をついた。 「言っとくけど俺は怪しい者じゃないからな。ファクシミレに住む“何でも屋”だ」 悪意はないという風に両手を上げて自己紹介を始める少年。 「ファクシミレ? イーオンの聖都ファクシミレのこと?」 『何でも屋』とか気になる単語があったけれど、それよりも重要なヒントに思わず少年へと詰め寄った。 「イーオン......って、なんだそりゃ? 聖都ファクシミレは間違いないけど、イーオンなんて名前は知らないな。ここの国名は『 国民証。ジョニー・ランド。聖暦2108年生まれ、15歳。ファクシミレB級市民。職業自由業」 「基本的に神官以外は自由業になるんだ」 声に出して読み進めるボクに、ジョニーがフォローしてくれた。 「聖教徒レベルF。カルマ値プラス63。特記事項なし。......そういえば漢字使ってるんだね」 「......なんか間違い探しをしている気分だねぇ」 思わずため息が漏れる。 取りあえずわかったのは、この世界にも聖教があって暦では今年が2123年なこと、そしてどうやら――。 「なあ、お前ってどうみても外国人だろう? ひょっとして迷子かなにかか? 困っているようなら、俺のウォークラダーで聖都まで案内してやるけど」 どーにもまだクエストが続いているらしいんだよねぇ。

139 Lesson 19: Misty Dreaming "... really, I don't know why" It's not the 'yellow brick road' that comes to the Wizard of Oz, I've been walking extensively down the white fog detail, but at some point I noticed things changing around me, and once I stopped my leg and checked the condition again. The path at the foot I have walked - the glowing white road stretches out unreliably because I see it in the fog of darkness. Its width is narrower than my shoulder width, and its comfort is somewhat reminiscent of Maruki Bridge's hardness and elasticity. Visually similar, it feels like a narrow path is crossed in the mist that can't see the end, both up, down, left and right, so if you were a person with a phobia of heights or a small person of chi, you'd probably be the first to get limp and unable to move. I was slightly interested in what would happen if I stepped off this path, but I'm not drunk enough to make tries and errors with my life over this period, and since I'm so busy waiting for the results that I'm not, I decided to put a lid on those curiosities and focus my nerves on moving forward so I wouldn't get off the road steadily... They say the sense of time is completely insane in the first place in the fog, so would you have walked through a bright white world that doesn't bring a clock-like, but doesn't physically have anything for 4-5 hours - speaking of which, of the seven senses that humans have (sight, hearing, smell, tactile, taste, equilibrium, temperature sensation), when left completely blocked out of their more active sight, hearing, smell, and tactile sensations, they usually change their mind after less than half a day - but without preliminary knowledge, I was struck by my figure of how calm they were without often disturbed in this state. Well, maybe my emotions were simply paralyzed. I felt that the change in the surrounding landscape caused me to come here to the corner and the consciousness that was in sleep mode to return to normal...... If you look at it, some of the fog is changing and flying around this road at considerable speeds. Fractal they are all things that are unlikely to have meaning or law, if you dare look for something that is easy to recognize the shape, something like a spinning swirl or a translucent slime, a serpent that flies around bending at right angles with a crease, a round balloon that swells as they devour each other, a giant butterfly with wide wings, something like a clump of flames that rumbles all over the place, a group of spinning discs...... "I can't tell if it's a phantom or an entity, but it would be safer to know it as an entity one day." To wield the love sword "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" in your right hand - you can take it around with one hand at a time, but it's a category of two-handed swords in your classification - beating the "Pass" that's going to get in the way, that's going to stay in your left hand, into a dreaded pocket. Reflectively slashing into this, he was lightly lowered to two pieces without response, one half passing through the present slowly, the other in a way that overlapped my body in too much momentum, passing by. - By the way, what's not dark in the back, did you do something? - I was attacked by someone I didn't even remember my face, and it was dangerous, but I managed to cut through, and I met a guy there a long time ago who was very close to me, and I tried to tell him more about it, and he got away. "- Huh?!" At that moment, the sight I saw and felt somewhere someday spread in front of me, often and quickly disappeared. "... is that Asmina now? What was it...... hallucinations? It was a lot vivid for that though. "I mean, I don't know if these guys are phantoms or entities, but they all seem to be harmful." When I stood up on the spot and thought about it, disgusting bugs, like spiralling beetles and blueworms hung together, giant eyeball monsters, glowing slimes, etc. struck me one after the other. The strange monster can only be seen on a narrow road, and anything that cannot be broken shall be intercepted. "... link. Is magic bad?" With a must-win ahead, I tried to magically shoot it down at a distance, and the foggy monsters around me approached me through an avalanche, drifting indifferently until then. When I pounded my tongue and switched to intuitive violence, it became somewhat calm, so I would concentrate only on slashing even after that. - Then I'll make your name 'IX'. - Wait a minute. How did you get me to drink when I was asleep? Whenever a fog monster is torn apart and its splash falls on his body, the events of the day of his existence are reproduced as usual. It's almost instantaneous so far, so I wonder how effective it would be if it didn't have as much impact, but collided from the front of the whole thing, for example. It looks like the Ethereal God's defensive membrane won't work against this demon either, and if this state continues all the time, it's a thin road at any rate, so one of these days you'll lose focus or risk trapping yourself in fantasy and stepping off your feet. That said, if you stop on the spot, it's like telling you to attack me, and you can't turn back the way you came. Is there more or less a way back? In the end, we have to move forward as hard as we can. I was so prepared that I moved forward carefully. [M] How far will it go? A monster resembling a giant bear stood in front of me, whose physical time had become even obscure. I'd like to avoid it if I could, but somehow this guy's waiting for Deng at the end of the road, so I can't ignore him and go. So, plus snake-like things with swallow-like feathers all around me, about 100 of them flying around like I saw them. For this reason, if you magically attack a bear opponent from this distance, there is a good chance that the flying snakes around you will link at the same time, and if they do, you can't even see them. The only way to be sure is to slash and throw it away with this sword... I shook my sword toward a teddy bear who slapped a trumpet and a drum about three meters blocking the road. "Ha...... Oh, my God." Even though his crushed eyes kill him a great deal of motivation, he swings the sword placed overhead under his head under the guidelines of Tang Bamboo Cracking, turning it into two straight pieces. Like the other demons, it was a bear that became two with no response, but it was connected with a piece of skin on its critical back before I knew it, which forced me to hold my body and frontally crashed into me with a piece of it. At the same time as I waved "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" again on my right hand, I squatted with one hand on one knee on the spot to avoid falling from above the narrow trail of light. "Nah, I'm late from the first day of transfer as it is! In the table of the folded notebook, a map of Japan was drawn with a precise brush for the sake of accuracy, with red circles and arrows attached to some of them, and "Koko Raheen" was written on the run. "- Too much mess! This is why a foreign-owned company's OL is! Chengwei folded the map and put it back in his pocket, holding his inner mind to the size and breadth of his sister's scale as she flew around the world again. Take out the smartphone instead. "Uh, the location of 'Private Horizon School' is -" By the way, my sister is currently traveling to Algeria, so Chengwei lives alone in the apartment. My sister's previous business trip was to Cyprus, where she had never even heard of Sudan, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, etc., where she was accustomed to living alone because she would hardly ever come back to Japan, but this time she became alarmed because of the changed environment itself. Still, what the hell kind of business is my sister in? After the death of my parents, I am grateful to my sister for raising myself as a young woman with one hand, but it is strange to say that it is strange to still talk about work. Is it because I was making extra findings that way, the moment I turned the corner, I frontally collided with a female student who had run from the other side, which was blind spot, without shaking her side as well? "- Oh, hey!" "Hooray yeah eh!?" I thought it was a colorless scream (duh, duh, duh, duh! "Not many trained girls can say), Chengwei, upset by the soft feel and the nice smell of the girl, accidentally dropped the near-eating toast. "There it is..." A brunette little girl student with the same 'Private Horizon School' stamp on her if you look at it, had a buttcake on the ground. "Hey, you okay? "It's okay, it's not! Where were you looking, you! Don't you know that smartphones are generally forbidden by school rules?!" The kid with his face up - and then he had a beautiful face, a little young looking pretty girl - angered the characteristic scarlet eyes that altered the darkness and lightness with the addition and subtraction of light, staring at Chengwei's face. "Really? I'm sorry, I didn't know it was my first day at school." "If you don't know, you don't need the police. It would also be in the student notebook! Good thing ignorance is a sin! Pompom and I was told I liked it, and just as muddled, Chengwei changed the shape of the palm I offered from par to choke. "Sorry about that. And you're gonna be showing me water forever? With that pointer, the girl I noticed all the time held her skirt down with a bright red face. "Ahhhhhhhh!!" "Whoa, now you're a decent scream" Chengwei's side, with his honest thoughts in his mouth, was slapped as much as he wanted with the flat hand of a girl who stood up like a spring trick. "Idiot!! You suck! You pervert, bamboo wheel man!! The girl, screaming all over her body, rushed out of the spot like a shedding, putting aside Chengwei, who was still stunned with a bamboo wheel. "Come on... you're a fierce woman, unlike you seem" I rubbed my slapped cheek and suddenly grunted Chengwei as he threw the remaining bamboo rings into his mouth, but when I saw the direction the girl ran, I nodded as I was convinced. "Is school over there, after all?" I sighed and tried to move my foot in that direction, and it stopped in my eyes that something was hiding under the eating toast that fell to the ground. If I picked it up without any concern, it was a red rose embroidery and a white lace handkerchief with the name 'HIYUKI'. Though he thought it was going to stink, he couldn't throw it away, and Chengwei screwed it into his pocket. "Well, it sounds like the same school, and then we'll see each other." With his cheeks firmly attached to the red leaf shape, Chengwei rushed to his transfer destination. "- What, this betty development?!" With my own voice I shouted accidentally, he returned to me all the time. Too immersive a hallucination (?) Because of it, I completely fit into the role and was confused for a moment about where I was and who I was, but if I calmed down and looked around, I would still be in the middle of a fog (kim), kneeling on one knee to support the 'Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)' and remaining in a squatting position on a glowing trail. "What kind of hallucination is that? Looks like it's not the same as it has been in the past..." It's funny if you're unconscious aspirations or something, but for me, school is just traumatic, so it's close to a nightmare. Not to mention that the protagonist is alle...... "... uh-huh. Well, I guess I'm lucky I didn't fall off the road while I was hallucinating." I decided to force myself to convince myself to stand up and look forward. At first glance, it's a mahogany door, and it also has a brass door knob. "Doors everywhere? Stand in front of the door naturally associating the famous secret tools of a certain blue raccoon. - I don't care what you think, it's a trap. That said, I'm pretty sure I can't digest this quest without going through this, so I opened the door with vigilance. It was a wilderness with blooming flowers on one side. The sun emitted soft light, the air was moderately humid, the temperature was easy to spend with the cheerfulness of spring, and the raucous sight was spreading beneath my eyes, which I think would be great if I could just fall asleep and take a nap like this. "This is another view that gets lost in judgment. Are you hallucinating, or have you moved somewhere? If you look back just in case, the door that came through is gone. If you're still on the road in that fog, if you inadvertently step out here, you're in danger of falling upside down in reality. Well, like when it was like a betty love comeback earlier, the main body was standing and consciousness was the only thing that could be moving here. Unexpectedly a strange voice rang from behind the boy's back as he was worried about what was going on. "Hey, what are you doing, in here? If you look at it, there was a boy standing about 15 years old looking like Yancha. "- Who, you? Hallucinations or monster pseudos? "What the hell? No, I want to know who." A boy approaching us with a face mixed with confusion and suspicion. What you're wearing is a simple shirt and trousers, plus a vest, but small, beautiful and unclean. At the same time, I noticed that I was there, looked around, checked the sole and secretly sighed. "I'm telling you, I'm not a suspicious person. I live in a facsimile." Anything. " A boy who starts introducing himself with his hands up in the wind that there is no malice. "Facsimile? You mean the Sacred Capital Facsimile of Aeon? There was a word about 'Anything Store' or something, but I stuffed it to the boy unexpectedly with more important tips than that. "Eon...... what the hell? There's no doubt about the Sacred Capital Facsimile, but you don't know the name Eon. The name of the country here is Millennium." "Millennium National Certificate. Johnny Rand. He was born in 2108 and is 15 years old. Facsimile Class B Citizen. Occupational freedom" "Basically, except for the clergyman, we're going to be free." Johnny followed me to the point where I read aloud. "Saint level F. Karma value plus 63. No special notes.... Speaking of which, you use kanji." "... I feel like I'm looking for a mistake." Sigh leaks unexpectedly. In the meantime, I figured out that there are also ecclesiastical religions in this world and this year is 2123 in the calendar, and apparently -. "Hey, you're a foreigner, aren't you? Are you lost or something? If you're in trouble, I'll show you to the Holy City with my walkladder." They're still on quests on all of them, aren't they?

幕間 公子事情 休暇から戻ったクリストフ大公子の様子がおかしい。 その話は休暇開けの講義の合間に噂され、昼休みには学年全体に広がり、放課後には士官学校のみならず、隣接する魔術学校の女子生徒の間でも持ちきりとなった。 「なんか心ここにあらずって感じなんだよな」 「あいつが講義中や実技で上の空だったなんて初めて見た」 「教授陣も訝しがってたよな。――ま、質問には完璧に答えてたけど」 「ああ、でたまにニヤニヤ笑って......まあ、それでも美形に見えるんだから一種の超常現象だよ」 「心配して聞いてみても何も言わないし」 「つーか、全体的に妙に上機嫌なんだよな。浮かれているってゆーか」 「そうそう、話しかけると普段以上に気さくだし」 様々な憶測を呼んだ彼の奇行だが、最終的に全員が一つの結論に達した。 『色ボ...もとい、あれは恋した男の目だ』 その推測は一大旋風を巻き起こし、光の速さで全校及び周辺校へと流布して、彼のファンである多数の女子生徒を打ちのめし、また一部男子生徒をも悲嘆に暮れさせたのだった。 「ということで、そろそろ真相を喋ってもらおうか」 「ええ。人々は真実を求めています。それに応えることこそ 突然、学生寮(と言ってもちょっとした貴族の別荘ほどの広さの屋敷だが)の私室に押しかけてきた友人......というよりも悪友とでも言うべき二人の同級生、エルマーとルーカスを前に、クリストフは面倒臭そうな顔で、秀麗な眉をひそめた。 「――藪から棒に、なんのことだい?」 「噂の真相ですよ」 と訳知り顔で、どことなく軽い雰囲気のある赤毛の優男、ルーカスが追求の矢を続けざまに放つ。ちなみに彼は代々グラウィオール帝国本国の政策顧問をしているラーティネン侯爵家の直系親族に当たるため、クリストフとは士官学校に入学する以前から面識がある。 「噂......? なんのだそりゃ?」 本気で当惑した顔で、クリストフは首を捻った。 「またまた! 士官学校は元より隣の魔法学園、さらには近隣の付属学校の女生徒、果ては神学校のシスターの卵までその噂で一喜一憂しているというのに、その当人が知らないってわけはないでしょう。この罪作りが!」 まるでオペラの登場人物のように大仰な身振り手振りを交えて、『嘆かわしい』とばかりに悲嘆に暮れる猿芝居をするルーカス。 「......だから、噂とか何のことだよ?」 いい加減面倒になってきたのか、対応がなおざりになってきた。 「噂と言うのは、お前がこの前の休暇にどこぞの御令嬢と逢引をして、恋仲になったという話だ。ぜんぜん耳に入らないわけじゃないだろう?」 濃い金髪で知的な顔つきをしたエルマーが、ずばり直球で聞いてきた。 彼の祖国であるヴィンダウス王国は帝国の属国にあたり、彼自身も現国王の孫に当たる紛れもない王族の一員であるが、お互いに学生と言う立場もあって立場や身分差などを超越した、気さくな関係を築いていた。 ちなみに帝国の爵位は大まかに、皇帝>王≧大公>/>公爵>侯爵>伯爵>子爵>男爵>/準男爵>騎士 となる。実際には一代名誉職や、皇族などさらにややこしいのだが、基本的にはこの形になる。 もっとも気にしないのは彼ら自身だけで、数多くの大貴族、貴族、諸侯の子息が在籍するこの帝国士官学校で、派閥や爵位の差に囚われず良好な人間関係を構築できているのは、非常に稀な例であったが。 「ああ、その噂か......」 途端に辟易した顔でため息を漏らすクリストフ。 「流石に知っていたか」 「嫌でも耳に入ってくるよ」 『ご苦労様』『まったくだ』とばかり、お互いに苦笑するエルマーとクリストフの二人。 「おいおい、否定しないってことは本当なのか?!」 自分から話を振っておいてはいたものの、実は単なる与太話だろうと高をくくっていたルーカスが、目を丸くして座っているソファーから半分腰を浮かせた。 「まさかっ。いちいち反論するのも面倒なので黙っているだけだよ」 即座に否定の言葉が返ってきて、逆にほっとした顔で再びソファーに腰を下ろしたルーカスだが、 「だいたい半分も当たっちゃいないし」 続くクリストフの台詞で、危うくソファーから転げ落ちそうになった。 「ちょっと待て! それはつまり 「ど、どこの部分ですか!?」 聞き捨てならないとばかりに、いささか性急にクリストフに詰め寄る二人。 クリストフは、口が滑った――という顔で、視線を逸らせる。 「別にどうでもいいだろう。僕が誰を好きになろうが関係ない話じゃないか!」 投げ遣りなその返事に、呆然と顔を見合わせる学友二人。 「......好きな人ができたってことですよね」 一呼吸置いて、示し合わせたかのように同時に叫んだ。 興奮する二人とは対照的に、ますます眉間の皺を深くするクリストフ。 「――だから、なんでそんなこと気にするんだよ。普通の貴族だったら、 さもありなんと頷くルーカス。 「普通ならそうでしょうね。ですが、貴方は帝国大公の一子でありながら、いまだに許嫁はおろか浮いた話一つ聞いた事のない朴念仁。その帝国の誇る不沈艦を仕留めた御令嬢がいるとなれば、これは誰だって気になるというものですよ!」 「どうもお前は自覚がないようだから言っておくが、そんなお前にどれだけの御令嬢や御婦人方が、秋波を送っているか......自覚がないわけじゃないだろう? ならばここは曖昧な情報で彼女達を混乱させるよりも、旗幟を明確にしてきちんと対応した方が誠実というものじゃないのか」 エルマーも真剣な表情で、噛んで含めるように言い聞かせる。 そんなものかな?と一瞬納得しかけたクリストフだが、よくよく考えてみると話の流れが妙なのに気付いて、二人の期待に満ちた顔を睨みつけた。 「別に不特定多数に公開しなけりゃいけない話でもないだろう。あくまで僕の個人的な事なんだから」 「――ちっ。慣れない状況に流されてポロっと喋るかと思ったのに」 ルーカスは残念そうに唇を尖らせて、口直しに侍女が煎れてくれたお茶を口に運ぶ。 「まったく......。だいたい、そんなことをすれば相手に迷惑だろう?」 「そうか? 公然と天下のエストラダ大公家と縁を結べて喜ばん貴族はいないと思うが。ひょっとして、相手の女性はよほど身分的に釣り合いのとれない家柄なのか?」 「おいおい、まさかお相手は庶民とか言い出すんじゃないだろうな?! 別に悪いとは言わないけど、お伽噺と違って『王子様に見初められて、めでたしめでたし』で終わる話じゃないぞ」 一転して真面目な顔になって、好奇心を上回る気遣いでもって、身を乗り出す二人の友人の態度に、クリストフは内心大いに感謝しながら、軽く片手を振った。 「そういう訳じゃないさ。どっちかというと僕の方が釣り合わないくらいで――」 ぽかんとする二人の顔を見て、またもや失言したのに気付いて、クリストフは片手で額を押さえた。 ――自分では気が付かなかったけど、相当浮かれてるんだな僕は。 「お前の身分で釣り合わないなんて、どこの王族のお姫様だ?!」 「いや、大陸中見渡したってエストラダ大公家に匹敵する家柄の王族なんていやしないぞ」 「つまり......」 「まさか......」 「「オリアーナ皇女が相手か?!」」 色めき立つ二人を白けた目で見て、クリストフは端的に否定した。 「違うよ」 実際、クリストフにとって 確かに皇族の血統――クリストフは彼女と同じ自分の白銀色の髪をガシガシと掻いた――や、帝国内の力関係を考えれば、自分とオリアーナとが結びつくのが自然な流れなのであろうし、父や皇帝陛下がそれを望むのであればやぶさかではない。 というか政略結婚で意に沿わぬ相手と一緒になることを考えれば、遥かに贅沢な話と言えるだろう。 とは言え、なぜかいまのところそういう話は出ていないのは、父が皇族・貴族にしては珍しい恋愛結婚で、なおかつ側室の一人も置かない愛妻家なせいかも知れない。だとすれば父にはどれだけ感謝してもし足りない。 ......なにしろ、そのお陰で彼女に出会うことができたのだから。 物思いに耽るクリストフの脳裏を、長い黒髪がそよいだ。 ――今度はいつ逢えるだろうか。 なおもしつこく食い下がる友人に対して、その後は頑なに沈黙を守り、結果、翌日から派手な想像と憶測が関係者の間を席巻したのだが、幸いと言うべきか真相に辿り着いた者は誰一人としていなかった。 「お疲れ様でした叔父様。いえ、エストラダ大公閣下」 姪に当たるオリアーナ皇女のソツのない挨拶に、こちらも堂の入った挨拶を返すエストラダ大公。 「レポートは読ませていただきました。素晴らしい成果で感服いたしましたわ」 苦笑する叔父の言葉を謙遜と受け取って、微笑を返すオリアーナ。それから、彼女にしては珍しい好奇心に満ちた子供っぽい仕草で、身を乗り出して尋ねてきた。 「そうそう姫陛下と言えば......どうでしたか、ご子息との相性は?」 もっともらしく腕を組んだエストラダ大公が頷く。 「アレにしては頑張った方かと。正直、あそこまで夢中になるとは私も予想していませんでしたな」 だが、オリアーナは心外だとばかり軽く肩をすくめた。 「あら、わたしは予想していましたわ。だって姫陛下ってあんなに可愛らしい 「なるほど。息子はさしずめ陛下の代理というわけですか」 苦笑を深める大公。 「はっきり言ってしまえばそうですが、わたしの代わりが務まる器量があると思えばこそですわね」 真顔でうそぶくオリアーナ。 「それは光栄です。それと肝心の姫陛下の方ですが......私の主観ですが、好感触だったと思いますよ。まあ、恋愛感情に発展するかどうかは、アレのがんばり次第でしょうが」 微笑ましい少年少女の様子を思い出して、柔らかく微笑んだ大公だが、微笑みはそのままに探るような瞳で、ニコニコと上機嫌で話を聞いているオリアーナを見た。 「それにしても、今回の出兵はひょっとして海賊の殲滅と囮自体はもののついでで、主目的は姫陛下と息子とを引き合わせる方だったのではないですか?」 「そんなことはありませんわ。まあ、結果的にどちらも成功したのですから、わたしとしては大満足というところですけれど」 本心を巧妙に隠した彼女の態度に、大公は直裁に切り出した。 「......ふむ。これは帝国大公でも軍人でもない、一人の父親としての質問ですが、国益の為にあの二人を結び付けようと考えていらっしゃるのかな?」 「国益とは違いますわね」 オリアーナはゆっくりと口に出した。 「どちらかといえば、世界の平和の為ですわね」 オリアーナの笑みは崩れない。鳩が豆鉄砲を食らったような顔をしているエストラダ大公の顔を見て、くすりと微笑んで続けた。 「勿論、個人的にも姫陛下が大好きなのは間違いありませんけど」 「......少々私の理解を越えますが。つまり、息子の頑張りが世界平和に直結していると?」 大公は当惑した表情でため息をついた。 「そういうことですわ。姫陛下の傍に居るべきは、ああいったまともな感性を持った人間であるべきだと、わたしは確信しております」 なにしろあの方が本気で暴走したら、大仰でなしに全世界の終わりですからね。と、オリアーナは胸中で続けた。せめて健全な一般人の感覚を備えた、それも発言力のある人材が傍にいないと、危なっかしくてしかたがないですからね。 「期待していますわ、クリストフ大公子には」 本心からオリアーナはそう口に出した。

128 Tabernacle Prince Situation Something's wrong with Grand Duke Christoph back from vacation. The story was rumored between vacation opening lectures and spread throughout the school year during the lunch break, after school it was carried not only by the cadet school, but also among the girls students of the adjacent magic school. "You don't feel like you're here." "I've never seen him up in the sky during lectures or in practical skills" "The professors were surprised, too. - I answered the question perfectly." "Oh, and now and then, Niyanya laughs... well, it still looks beautiful, so it's a kind of paranormal phenomenon" "Worry about it, I won't say anything." "You're in a strange mood overall. It's floating." "Yeah, well, I'm more comfortable talking to you than I usually am." His eccentricity, which called for various speculations, eventually led everyone to one conclusion. "Color Bo... Momo, those are the eyes of a man in love" The speculation sparked a whirlwind, spreading it to all schools and surrounding schools at a speed of light, beating his fans, a large number of female students, and also grieving some male students. "So it's time for you to tell me the truth" "Yeah. People want the truth. It is a noble duty to respond to it, Nobles Obriege." Suddenly, a friend who had pushed him into the private room of a student dorm (albeit a mansion as big as a little aristocratic villa) ... Before two classmates, Elmer and Lucas, who should also be described as bad friends rather than bad friends, Christoph had a troublesome looking face and a brilliant frown. "- What do you mean," from the stick "? "It's the truth about the rumors." And with a translating face, Lucas, a red-haired good man with a somewhat light atmosphere, releases the arrow of pursuit continually. By the way, Christoph and I have known each other for a long time before enrolling in the cadet school because he hits the immediate relatives of the Marquis of Lartinen, who has been policy advisors in the Grawior Empire's home country for generations. "Rumors...? What the hell is that? With a seriously puzzled face, Christoph twisted his neck. "Once again! There's no way that that person doesn't know that the cadet school is happily worried about that rumor more than it was about the magic school next door, and even the female students at the neighboring annexed schools, and at the end of the day even Sister's eggs at the seminary. This sin! Lucas gestures lofty as if he were an opera character and plays a mournful monkey play all the time with 'lamentable'. "... so what are you talking about, rumors or something? I don't know if it's getting too much trouble or not, but it's getting worse. "Rumor has it that you made love to your old lady on vacation. Not at all deafening, is it? Elmer, with dark blonde hair and an intelligent face, asked all the time on a straight ball. His homeland, the Kingdom of Vindaus, was a member of the undisputed royalty that hit himself and the grandchildren of the present king in the imperial kingdom, but he had developed a casual relationship that transcended positions, differences of identity, and so on with the position of saying students to each other. Incidentally, the title of Empire roughly makes him the Emperor > King >= Grand Duke >/> Duke > Marquis > Count > Viscount > Baron >/Associate Baron > Knight. In fact, it's even more difficult for a generation of honorary positions, royalty, etc., but it basically takes this form. Though it was a very rare example that they themselves were the only ones who cared the least, in this Imperial Cadet School, home to the sons of numerous great nobles, nobles and lords, who were able to build good relationships without being imprisoned by differences in factions and titles. "Oh, that rumor..." Christophe leaks a sigh with a face that opens up as soon as possible. "Did you know about the boulder?" "I don't like it, but it's coming in my ear." "Good luck" and "Not at all," two Elmer and Christoph laugh bitterly at each other. "Dude, is it true you don't deny it?!" Lucas, who was turning tall about what would actually be a mere Yotai story, lifted half his hips off the couch sitting with his eyes round. "No way. Either way, it's troublesome to argue, so just keep quiet." Immediately the word of denial returned and, conversely, Lucas lowered back on the couch again with a relieved face, "About half of it didn't hit me." The ensuing Christoph dialogue made me almost fall off the couch at risk. "Wait a minute! That means some of them have the right answers (,,,,), right?!" "Duh, what part?!?" Just have to listen up, come on, two people suddenly stuck in Christophe. Christoph, with his mouth slipping - distracts him from his gaze. "It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who I like! Two schoolmates stare at the throwing reply. "... you mean you've got someone you like." (1) I put my breath down and shouted at the same time as if we had shown each other. In contrast to the two exciting people, Christophe deepens the wrinkles between his eyebrows more and more. "- So why do you care about that? If you were a regular aristocrat, you'd be in Kuniku about one of your wives. What a snort, Lucas. "Normally, I guess. However, you are the son of the Imperial Grand Duke, but I have yet to hear one story of forgiveness floating around. If there is a lady who has set up the Empire's proud Unsunken Ship, this means that everyone cares! "Hi, you seem unconscious, I'll tell you, how many young ladies and ladies are sending you autumn waves like that... aren't you unconscious? So it's better to be honest and clear about the flag than to confuse them with vague information." Elmer also has a serious look and tells him to bite and include it. Is that what it is? and Christophe convinced me for a moment, but when I thought about it carefully, I noticed the flow of the story was strange, and I glanced at their faces full of anticipation. "It won't even be a story that I have to publish to an unspecified number of people. It's just personal." "- Shit. I thought you'd be in unfamiliar situations and talk polo." Lucas unfortunately pointy his lips and carries into his mouth the tea the samurai has fried for him to reword. "Not at all...... Mostly, that would annoy them, wouldn't it? "Really? Though I don't think there are any aristocrats who would be happy to connect openly with the Grand Duke of Estrada under the heavens. Hey, how incompatible is the other woman with the family? "Dude, I guess they're not going to mention the common folk or anything?! I'm not saying it's bad, but unlike the gaga, we're not talking about ending up with 'The Prince Sees You, Congratulations'" " Turning to a serious face, with care above curiosity, Christoph waved one hand gently, greatly appreciating his inner self to the attitude of the two friends who embarked on him. "It's not like that. One way or another, I'm better off than the other." Looking at the two pompous faces, Christoph held his forehead with one hand, once again realizing that he had lost his word. - I didn't realize it myself, but you're floating pretty well. I... "What royal princess are you not to match in your capacity?!" "No, I don't want a royal family comparable to the Grand Duke of Estrada to look across the continent." "I mean..." "No way......" "" Is Princess Oriana the opponent?! Looking with white eyes at the two people standing in colour, Christoph denied it in the end. "No, I'm not." In fact, for Christoph, his engagement story with the First Empress of the Gravior Empire, Oriana Aineas Miln Gravior (gossip), has been whispered around his ears for a long time. It is true that the royal lineage - Christoph scratched her own silver hair the same as she did - or, given the power relationship within the Empire, it would be a natural stream to link herself to Oriana, and not a rash if her father or emperor wanted it. Or it could be a far more luxurious story, considering you'll be with someone you don't like in a political marriage. That said, for some reason there has been no such story so far, possibly because my father is a loving wife who is a rare romantic marriage for royalty and nobility, and yet does not place one of the side rooms. For how much I thank my father if not enough. ... Anyway, that's why I was able to meet her. I like the long dark hair behind Christoph's head. - When will we meet this time? Against a friend who still persisted in eating down, he then stubbornly kept his silence and, as a result, flashy imagination and speculation swept between the parties concerned from the next day, but he was not alone in arriving at the truth as to whether to say fortunate. "Good job, uncle. No, Grand Duke Estrada." This is also the Grand Duke of Estrada, who returns a hallowed greeting to the softless greeting of Empress Oriana, who will hit her niece. "I have read the report. We were impressed with the remarkable results." Oriana humbly receives the words of her bitter uncle and smiles back. Then, with a curious, childish trick that was rare for her, she rode herself out and asked. "Yes, speaking of His Majesty the Princess... how was it, compatible with your son? Grand Duke Estrada nodded, arming himself like the best. "I was wondering if you worked hard for me. Honestly, I didn't expect you to be that obsessed either." But Oriana shrugged her shoulders lightly just because she was out of her mind. "Alas, I expected that. Because Her Majesty is such a cute woman (one). Honestly, I've never felt so careless that I wasn't a man. If that's the case, I'll row you to the Candlestick." "I see. Does your son represent His Majesty Shizuku?" Grand Duke deepens bitter laughter. "Let me get this straight, but only if you think I have the amount of equipment to replace you." Liar in the face, Oriana. "It's an honor. And Her Majesty the Princess at heart...... my subjectivity, but I think it felt good. Well, whether or not you develop into romantic feelings depends on your cancer." Remembering how the smiling boy and girl were, the Grand Duke smiled softly, but the smile looked at Oriana listening in an upbeat mood with Nico with her eyes as she explored. "Nevertheless, the demise of the pirates and the demise of the pirates are in themselves, and the main purpose of this march was to engage His Majesty the Princess and his son? "That's not true. Well, as a result, they both succeeded, so as far as I'm concerned, I'm very satisfied." In her attitude, which cleverly concealed her true intentions, the Grand Duke cut out to the dictatorship. "... Hmm. This is a question as a single father, not an Imperial Grand Duke or a soldier, but are you thinking of connecting those two in the national interest? "It's not in the national interest." Oriana slowly put it in her mouth. One way or another, it's for peace in the world. Oriana's grin doesn't break. I looked at the face of Archduke Estrada, who looked like a pigeon had eaten a bean cannon, and smiled and continued. "Of course, I'm sure I personally love Her Majesty," "... a little beyond my understanding, though. I mean, you think your son's hard work is directly linked to world peace? The Grand Duke sighed with a bewildered look. "That's the thing. I am convinced that the person who should be beside Her Majesty should be a decent and sensitive person." Anyway, if that guy really runs wild, it's the end of the whole world without a big deal. And, Oriana continued in her chest. At the very least, it would have been dangerous if it had not been for a voice talent with a healthy sense of ordinary people. "I hope so, Grand Duke Christoph." That's what Oriana put in her mouth from the bottom of her heart.

第十話 交渉決裂 2度目だけど見慣れた感のあるギルド長の部屋には、応接セットを挟んでコラードギルド長と、25歳くらいの冒険者らしい革鎧をつけた男性がいて先に座っていた。 難しい顔をしていたコラードギルド長だが、部屋に入ってきたボクとガルテ副ギルド長をみて、少しだけ緊張を解いた。 「――よかった、これで全員揃いましたね」 今回は必要ないと思われたのか護衛の姿は見えないので、全員といっても4人だけだけど......なんだろう? いまから を淹れ――こういう気配りはガルテ副ギルド長にはできそうにないし、これも適材適所なのかなぁ?――ボクの席の前に置くと、続いて執務机の上に置いてあった大き目の紙(ゲームと違って紙の普及率はけっこう高くて、羊皮紙なんて過去の遺物らしい)を机の上に広げた。 広げた紙はこの街を中心とした周辺の地図みたいだった。 かなり簡略化されている上に地形の縮尺や位置がズレてたりするのは、測量の技術が未発達なのか、それとも軍事機密ってやつでわざとこうしているのか、そのあたりはわからないけど、まあ大筋では間違ってないかなぁ。 もっともボクにはプレーヤー必須スキルの『 とはいえ、わざわざ手の内は明かす必要は無いので、見かけ上は興味深そうに地図を眺めることにした。 「先に紹介しておきますが、こちらの冒険者は当ギルドに所属するCランク冒険者のフランコ氏です、冒険者グループ『アストラ』のリーダーです・・・いえ、リーダーでした」 ギルド長のその紹介に、フランコって人の顔が悔しげにゆがんだ。 よく見れば鎧のところどころには真新しい、爪で引っ掻いたような傷があちこちにあり、見える肌や顔の部分部分の皮膚の色が違うのは、治癒魔法で治したばかりの傷跡なんだろう。 「フランコさん、こちらのお嬢さんは・・・現在、当市に滞在中のやんごとなき身分の姫君です。非常時ということで、この場に同席をお願いしました」 当たり障りの無いその紹介に、フランコは胡散臭そうな目でボクを見ながら無言のまま、義務的にほんの気持ち頭を下げた。けど、ボクの方は見えなかったフリをしてガン無視した。 だって挨拶とか礼儀とかって、それを受ける気のある相手にしないと無駄だもんね。無駄なことはしてもしかたないじゃない。 そんなボクらの非友好的雰囲気に軽くため息をつきながら、コラードギルド長は話の矛先をボクのほうへ向けてきた。 という現象をご存知でしょうか」 プロレスの技以外には知らないなぁ。 「この大森林で時たま――平均で15年に1度、短い時には数ヶ月で起こった記録もある、魔物たちの集団移動現象です」 そういって地図の一点、アーラ市から北北東にずいぶんと離れた場所、ほぼ地図の端にある、木を示すマークで覆われた地点を示す。実際にはこれより角度が7度ほど東寄りで、距離も森の外れまでこの地図より30kmほど近いんだけどね。 「ふぅん、原因はわかってるの?」 「ええ、大体のところは。――主な理由は3つですね。 一番多い理由は食糧不足によるもので、森の食物が不足したか、逆に魔物たちが増えすぎてあふれたか。 二番目が森の中での権力闘争によるもので、破れた勢力が放逐され周辺の村などを襲うもの、まあどちらも所詮は烏合の衆なので、こちらもある程度まとまった数で戦えば、問題なく倒せる規模なのですが。 問題なのは三番目の理由、森の中に魔物たちを統率する個体が発生した場合です」 「統率者? よーするにフィールドボスみたいなものかなぁ」 「なんだそりゃ? 統率者っていうのは群れ単位ではなく、森全体をまとめ上げられるほど進化した魔物、つまりは『 眉間に皺を寄せるガルテ副ギルド長の言葉に、ボクは少しだけ興味を覚えた。 「へえ、それを倒したの? よく倒せたねえ」 「まあ元が木の化物だからな。本体の動きはのろいし、火にも弱いってんで、ありったけの火薬と魔術師の火の魔法、精霊使いなんかも協力して、遠距離から根っ子とかチマチマ削っていって、最後はAランク全員で本体を叩いて燃やしてどうにか、な」 「ふぅん、まあ常道だね。ひょっとしてフィールドボス級なら、 「お前なぁ、Sランクなんて言ったら世界に何人いると思ってんだ?! 呼び寄せるだけで、どれだけ時間と金が掛かると思ってやがる!?」 あ、いるんだSランク! これはちょっと楽しみだねぇ。 「――ですが、今度の相手はそうした弱点がない上、機動力もあるため厄介この上ありません」 忌々しげにコラードギルド長が舌打ちする。 あー、やっぱし。 この話の流れからして、新たな『 「事の起こりは1ヶ月ほど前、大森林に隣接する開拓村からの連絡が、一切途絶えたところから始まります」 もともと辺境なので最初はあまり気にしないでいたみたいだけど、隣村から出立した行商人も戻らなくなり、なにかおかしいという話が周辺の村に広がりだした。 そのうち周辺の村からも連絡が途絶えるようになり、さすがにギルドも重い腰を上げてこのフランコがリーダーを務める『アストラ』を始め、3組の冒険者グループに現地調査を依頼したらしい。 その結果がこれ。フランコ以外、全滅。 「・・・地獄だった。必死に逃げても仲間たちは次々にモンスターに追いつかれ、生きたまま フランコが死んだ目をして、当時の状況をポツリポツリと語る。 「モンスターの数は数千匹、ひょっとすると万に迫るかも知れん。その中心になってたのは、 ガルテ副ギルド長の補足に、じゃあ文字通りの鬼ごっこだったんだねえ、という感想が浮かんだけれど、さすがに不謹慎なので口には出さなかった。 その言葉に、居心地悪そうに視線を交差させるギルドのお偉いさん二人。 「・・・ご意見をお聞かせ願えませんか。貴女ならこの状況でどうされるか」 コラードギルド長に訊かれ、ボクは「ふむ――」と顎の下に拳を当てて思案してみた。 「話し合いをしてみるとか?」 「バカを言うな! 化物と話が通じるわけがないだろう!!」 途端血走った目でフランコが絶叫した。 えーそうかなぁ。それだけの大群を統率するんだから、ある程度知能はあると思うし、言葉が通じるなら話し合いが第一だと思うけどなぁ。 「無理だろう。あいつらには人間なんざ餌にしか見えん。実際、被害にあった村では老人から赤子まで、骨のひとかけらすら残らず食い尽くされている」 ガルテ副ギルド長もにべも無く首を振る。 う~~ん、ボクみたいに話の通じる吸血姫も居るんだし、やるまえから諦めるのはどーかと思うけど。 てか、ちょっとシミュレーションしてみよう。 が人間の街を攻めることになった。 そこへ白旗を揚げた特使がやってくる。 じゃあちょっと味見してみよう。 「じゃあ数には数で、こういう時のための軍隊なんだから、軍隊を要請して倒してもらえば?」 「無論、国へ支援の要請はしていますが、軍というものは簡単に右から左へ移動できるものではありません。議会の承認を経て、各地に散らばる部隊を集め、編成から出立まで最低でも数週間は掛かります。到底間に合わないでしょう」 うわー、めんどくさー。王国なんだから王様の鶴の一声で動かせばいいじゃない。 ウチなんて一声掛けないうちから、軍団どころか商店街のラーメン屋の店主まで 「じゃあ、その軍隊がくるまで篭城して持ちこたえるしかないんじゃないの?」 「それも無理ですね、この街は自由都市の名の通り、申し訳程度の城壁しかない街なので」 「それじゃあ諦めて全員で逃げれば?」 「――貴様っ、さっきからふざけてるのか! 俺たちの仲間がこの街を守るためにどれほど犠牲になったのか!!」 激高したフランコが掴みかからんばかりの勢いで立ち上がり、慌てて止めようとしたガルテ副ギルド長ともども、ボクの目を見て息を呑み、そのまま腰を抜かしたようにソファーに沈んだ。 「......ふざけてる? ふざけてるのかって言いたいのは私の方だね。 、そんな場所にどうして開拓村なんて作ったんだい? 定期的に落石する崖や、氾濫する川の中州に家を建てるようなもんじゃないか。 ――いや、どうしてもそうせざるを得ない理由があるんなら、最低限、毎日定期的に見回り、防御壁を作るとかしておくものだろう? 君たちはなにかしたのかい? いや、できる最善を尽くしたと胸を張っていたんだろうね。 でもね、そうした村々が犠牲になり、自分たちの番になってやっと偵察とかして・・・死んでいった村人たちに訊いてみたらいいんじゃないかい? お前たちの犠牲は俺たちの身に危険が迫るのを知る警報だったんだってさ。なんて答えるんだろうね」 ボクは正直いって腹の底から怒っていた。 こいつら他人の命をなんだと思ってるんだろう。 苦渋の表情で頭を下げるコラードギルド長だが、ボクの怒りは収まらない――というか完全にキレていた。 「それで私になんの見返りがあるのかな? 金銀財宝なら腐るほどある。地位も必要ない。お前たちがありがたがる名誉もいらない。――では、なにを差し出せるんだい?」 「......私の首一つで済むのでしたら差し上げます。どうかこの地に生きる人々をお守りください!」 ボクがなんで怒ってるのか全然わかっていない。そんな簡単に命を差し出すとか、どんだけ価値が低いんだ!! 「・・・それは私人ではなく、アーラ市の代表者、冒険者ギルド長としての言葉か?」 迷い無く頷くその姿にボクの覚悟は決まった。 目を剥く3人を無視して、ボクは剣先をコラードギルド長に向けた。 「コラードよ、改めて名乗ろう。私の名は 「選ぶが良い。私が守るは我が臣民のみ! ならばこの街、人、命をこの剣の下に差し出すがよい。ならば全身全霊を持って守り抜こう。しかしそれができぬのであれば、それはすなわちこの剣を向けるべき相手。どうなろうと知ったことではないな」 「........................」苦悶の表情を浮かべていたコラードだが、弱弱しく首を横に振った。「できません。この街は自由都市、たとえ貴女様が神であろうともその下につけません」 高揚していた気持ちも一気に冷めた。というか正気に戻った。 ・・・なんか勢いですごい恥ずかしい中ニ病じみた台詞を喋った気がするけど、きっと気のせいだろう、うん。心の黒歴史フォルダに入れて二度と解凍しないことにしよう。 が胸の奥で嘲笑を漏らすけど、や~め~て~、蒸し返さないでっ! と、そこへ慌てたノックの音とともにギルド職員が飛び込んできた。 その言葉にはっと生気を取り戻すコラードギルド長とガルテ副ギルド長。 フランコの方は・・・ありゃ、完全に白目剥いてるわ(きっと仲間が死んだショックで心労が溜まってたんだろうねぇ)。 』を消したボクは、開けっ放しになっていたドアに向かった。 「逃げる時間もなさそうだねえ。まあこの地のモンスターと冒険者の力も見たいので、高みの見物とさせてもらうわ」 じゃあねー、と手を振って部屋から出た。

16 Lesson 10 Negotiation Decisions For the second time, but with a familiar feeling, the guild length room had a collard guild leader across the reception set and a man wearing a leather armor that looked like an adventurer about 25 years old, sitting first. He was a collard guild chief with a difficult face, but he saw me and deputy guild chief Garte who came into the room and just relieved a little tension. "-Good, now you're all set." You didn't think I needed you this time. I can't see the escort, so it's just the four of us even when it comes to all of them...... what is it? I'm not even trying to play mahjong right now. The Collard Guild Commander, who took his seat as I said, brewed pot incense tea (like this) in the cup that was dizzily prepared - this kind of attention is unlikely to be possible for Deputy Guild Commander Galte, and I wonder if this is the right material too? - When I put it in front of my seat, I then spread the large piece of paper (unlike the game, paper penetration is so high, parchment paper seems to be a relic of the past) on my desk. The spread paper was like a map of the area around this city. I don't know if the scaling and positioning of the terrain is uneven on top of being considerably simplified, whether the technique of surveying is underdeveloped, or whether this is deliberately done with the one called military confidentiality, around which, well, I don't know if I'm wrong with the major muscles. Most of all, I have "Mapping (Auto Mapping)" of the player's essential skills (I can create a map with a radius of about 500m around where I walked. Some dungeons, etc. are not allowed), and before I came to Ara City (here), I had the area flown gently to Heaven's Landscape (Tendai), so a map almost like GPS has been developed in my head. Nevertheless, I didn't have to bother revealing it in my hand, so I decided to look at the map with interest at first sight. "Let me introduce you first, this adventurer is Franco, a C-rank adventurer belonging to our guild, leader of the adventurer group Astra... no, he was a leader" Franco's face was distracted with regret by the introduction of the guild chief. If you look closely, there are brand new, scratchy scratches all over the armor, and the different colors of the skin on the visible skin and on the area of the face are probably scars that have just been healed by healing magic. "Mr. Franco, this young lady... is currently a princess in a nasty capacity while staying in our city. In case of emergency, we asked to be present." To that introduction, which was not obvious, Franco bowed his head in silence as he looked at me with a frigid, smelly eye. But I didn't see him. I pretended to ignore cancer. 'Cause it's useless to say hello or courtesy to someone who's willing to take it. You could have done nothing but waste. While sighing lightly at our unfriendly atmosphere, Collard Guild Director has turned the spearhead of the story towards me. "By the way, is your daughter aware of the phenomenon of 'runoff'?" I don't know anything but prowl moves. "Occasionally in this great forest - once every 15 years on average, and sometimes in a few months, it's a mass movement phenomenon of demons." So one point of the map, a long way northeast of the city of Ara, almost at the edge of the map, shows a point covered with a mark indicating a tree. In fact, the angle is about 7 degrees east of this, and the distance is about 30 km closer to this map until it's out of the woods. "Phew, do you know what caused this? "Yeah, roughly. - You have three main reasons. The most common reason is due to lack of food, was there a shortage of food in the woods or, conversely, too many demons overflowing? The second is due to the struggle for power in the woods, where torn forces are banished and attack surrounding villages and so on, well both are U.N. crowds, so if we fight this one in some cohesive numbers, it's on a scale that we can defeat without problems. The third reason is if there's an individual in the woods who heads up the demons. " "Supervisor? I wonder if it's like a field boss." "What the hell? The leader is not a herd unit, but a demon that has evolved enough to hold up the whole forest, or 'King'. The variety varies from time to time, but this guy can't always be a glimmer. He has the strength of a monster. I was only a little interested in the words of Deputy Guild Director Garte, who wrinkled between my eyebrows. "Oh, you knocked that down? I didn't take him down well." "Well, it's a wooden monster. The movement of the main unit is cursory, and the fire is weak, and the magic of gunpowder and magician's fire, the spiritual user and so on work together, scrape the roots and chimatima from a distance, and finally, all A-ranks beat the main body and burn it and somehow." "Phew, well, that's the way to go. I thought if you were a field boss, you'd put up a fierce solo fighter or a legendary S-rank adventurer." "Hey you, how many people in the world do you think I would have if I said S-rank?! Just call it in, how much time and money do you think it would take!?" Oh, I'm here, S-rank! I'm a little excited about this. "- But the next time the opponent doesn't have such weaknesses, and it's not troublesome because of its mobility." Collard guild length tongues abominably. Uh, I knew it. From the way this story goes, a new King is born and a Runaway (Stampito) is happening. "About a month ago, a communication from a pioneering village adjacent to the Great Forest began with any interruption." He didn't seem to care much at first because it was originally the border, but the pedestrians who left the neighbouring village also stopped returning, and the story spread to the surrounding village that something was wrong. In time, the surrounding villages will be disconnected, and just as the guild raised its heavy hips to start 'Astra', led by this Franco, who asked three groups of adventurers to do field research. The result is this. All but Franco, wiped out. "... it was hell. Even if I run desperately, my people are caught up in one monster after another, eaten alive and greedy... it's like a miracle I got away..." With Franco's dead eyes, he talks about the situation at the time as potpourri. "The number of monsters is in the thousands, and in a little while it may approach 10,000. At the heart of it was the Great Ghost (Auga) story. Probably the Great King this time." To the supplement of Deputy Guild Director Garte, I had the feeling that it was a literal mess then. I didn't put it in my mouth because I was just careless. To that word, the two great men of the guild cross their gazes in a cozy way. "... would you mind giving us your opinion? What would you do in this situation?" Asked by the chief of the Collard Alliance, I put my fist under my chin and tried to come up with an idea. "Do you want to have a discussion or something? "Don't be silly! There's no way I can talk to a monster!!" Franco exclaimed with his bloody eyes as soon as possible. I don't know. That's all you lead a large group, so I think you have some intelligence, and if the word makes sense, I think the discussion comes first. "You won't be able to. They just look like human bait to me. In fact, in the villages damaged, from the old man to the baby, not even a single piece of bone remains to be eaten up" I shake my head with no deputy guild chief or servant Garte. Uh-huh. Some blood-sucking princesses talk like me, and I don't know if I'm going to give up. Well, let's do a little simulation. Our subordinates (monsters) are going to attack the human city. There comes an envoy flying a white flag. Then let's have a taste. "Then in numbers, it's an army for times like this, so why don't you request an army and take it down? "Regardless, we are requesting support from the state, but the military is not an easy way to move from right to left. With the approval of Parliament, troops scattered all over the place will be assembled and it will take at least a few weeks from formation to departure. You won't make it." Wow, meddling. It's a kingdom, so you can move it with a single voice of the king's crane. Even though I'm willing to (do) war from not calling out to the owners of the ramen shop in the mall instead of the legions. "So we're just gonna have to hustle and hold on until that army comes along? "You can't do that either, because this city, as the name of the Free City suggests, is only a city with a wall of sorrow" "Then why don't we just give up and run away with all of us? "- You've been kidding me! How much our people sacrificed to protect this city!!" Vigorously Franco rose with all the momentum he had grabbed, and together with Deputy Guild Chief Garte, who rushed to stop him, he looked me in the eye and breathed, sinking on the couch as if he had slipped straight through his hips. "... are you kidding me? You're kidding me. "Runaway" (Stampito) that happens once every few years, how did you build a pioneering village in such a place? It's like building a house on a cliff that falls regularly or in a flooded river state. - No, if there's a reason I really have to, at least, look around regularly every day and make defensive walls, right? What have you done? No, I guess you had your chest up that you did the best you could. But, you know, those villages have been sacrificed, and it's our turn to do some reconnaissance... and ask the dead villagers, right? Your sacrifice was an alarm for us to know there was imminent danger. What an answer. " I was honestly angry from the bottom of my stomach. I wonder what these guys think of other people's lives. He's a collard guild leader who bows his head with a bitter look on his face, but my anger won't subside - or he was completely clean. "So what do I get in return? Gold and silver treasures are enough to rot. I don't even need status. I don't even need the honor you guys appreciate. - So, what can I offer you? "... I'll give it to you if you need one of my necks. Please protect the people who live in this land! I have no idea why I'm angry. How less valuable it is to give a life so easily!! "... is that not private, but a word as a representative of the city of Ara, Adventurer Guild Manager? I was ready to nod without hesitation. Ignoring the three peeling eyes, Bok pointed his sword tip at the collard guild leader. "Collard, let's name it again. My name is Scarlet Snow. I am the only Lord of Imperial Crimson, a kingdom of demonic light with infinite soil. Did you think one of your little necks would match me? Or do you think it would be nice if you complained about love? I was seen sweetly, too." "Pick a good one. Only my subjects will protect me! Then give this city, man, and life under this sword. Then let's defend ourselves with all our spirits. But if you can't do that, then that's who you should point this sword at. I don't know what to do." ".................." Collard, who had a distressed look on his face, shook his neck weakly beside him. "I can't. This city is a free city, and even if you are God, you will not follow it." The feeling that I was exalting also cooled at once. I mean, I went back to sanity. ... I think we talked about some awfully embarrassing middle-dip sickness dialogue with some momentum, but I'm sure it's because of you, yeah. Let's put it in the Black History folder of our hearts and never thaw it again. Tensai leaks a mockery in the back of her chest, but don't steam back! and Alliance officials jumped in with the sound of a panicked knock there. Collard guild chiefs and Galte deputy guild chiefs who get much more vibrant in that word. Franco's... well, he's totally white-eyed (I'm sure he had a lot of hard work with the shock of his buddy dying). Turning off "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)," I turned to the door that was open. "You don't even seem to have time to run. Well, I'd like to see the monsters and adventurers of the land, so I'll make it a sight to behold." Then hey, I waved out of the room.

第一話 邂逅奇縁 アミティア共和国の首都アーラ。 もとは自由都市として名をはせていた街だが、アミティアが王国から共和国へ名を改めたのにあわせて、交通の便にいささか不便があった旧王都カルディアから遷都を行い首都となった。 通常、遷都となれば数年がかりの作業となるが、飾らない人柄であったコラード国王の意思により、王宮の建設などは行わず、都市議会棟をそのまま流用する形で政治機能の移転を主目的としたため、通常ではあり得ない短期間での遷都が可能となった。 ただし、いざ国王が拠点とする新首都へ凱旋(もともとアーラ市の出身ということで都市民としてはその意識が高かった)した際に、予定していなかった王宮――赤いトンガリ屋根のお伽噺の王様が住むようなお城――を目にして唖然とした。 これは宗主国であるインペリアル・クリムゾン国主(国によっては『魔女帝』とか『魔皇』などと呼ぶ向きもあったが、その容姿から一般的には『姫様』で通っていた)の肝煎りで、密かに建造されていたものであり、資材、人材、費用など全てインペリアル・クリムゾンが負担し、正式に下賜されたものであったことから、受け取ったコラード国王はその場でがっくりと両手をついて、「意趣返し仕返しされた......」と呟いたとも言われている。 結果、半年余りで街の規模、人口ともにアミティア最大の街へと変貌したのだった。 とはいえ民衆にとっては国王が替わろうが、国の名前が変わろうが、魔物の国の傘下に収まろうが、明日の小麦の値段が変わらないほうがよほど重要事項であり、そうした面から言えば現体制に不満はなく、人々は日々の平穏な生活に追われ日常を過ごしていた。 多少、以前に比べ変わったところといえば、貴族という身分が無くなったことだが、もともと自分たちの生活に直接関わるものでもなく、関わるとすれば徴税の時くらいで、現在は代わりに国の官僚である徴税官がその仕事を賄っているため、特に変化を感じることもなく、逆に地方ごとにバラバラだった徴税率が均一化されたため、貴族の圧制に苦しんでいた地方にとっては朗報以外の何ものでもなかった。 また、目に見えた変化としては、宗主国であるインペリアル・クリムゾンの要望により、人間社会に順応した魔物に人権を認めるようになったため、街のそこかしこで値段交渉をするゴブリンや、オークなどどいった以前では考えられない光景も見られるようになったことがあるが、当初危惧された魔族の特権階級化ということもなく、彼らに対しても通常の市民同様、納税の義務や犯罪を犯した際の罰則を周知徹底したことにより、以前の貴族社会に比べよほど公正かつ、平等、平和な社会が成り立ったのであった。 首都の大通りに面した公園の席のひとつに腰掛けながら、街行く人々の流れを見ていたジョーイは、ずいぶんとこの街も変わったなぁ、と漠然と思った。 目に見える範囲でも、通行人に獣人やエルフなど、西部地域では亜人と呼ばれる人種が増えて(地域によっては魔族扱いされる)、そればかりか以前は魔物として討伐することしか考えなかった大森林のゴブリンや、 身近なところでも、ギルド長だったコラードさんがどーいうわけか国王陛下になったり。 「どーいうわけなんでしょうかね? 私が訊きたいですね、あはははは・・・」 ギルド長の引継ぎのために久々に逢ったコラードさんは、なぜかうつろな目でそんなことを言っていた。 新ギルド長になったガルテ先生――ギルドの訓練所ではずいぶんとしぼられた――も苦笑いしていた。 「ところで、ジョーイ。お前さんをここに呼んだのには2つ理由があってな。ひとつはこれだ――」 ガルテ新ギルド長の合図で、傍に控えていたミーアさん(今度受付から正式にギルド長の秘書になった)が、見慣れた金属片――ギルド証を持ってきて、ガルテ新ギルド長に手渡した。 「ちょっと早いかとも思ったんだがな、うちの大将が国王陛下になった...まあご祝儀ってところだ。――Dランク昇進。これでやっと卵の殻が取れたな」 渡されたギルド証を見て目を丸くしているジョーイの胸を、ガルテ新ギルド長がどんと叩き、その痛みにじわじわと実感がわいてきたところで、ミーアさんが満面の笑みを浮かべて拍手してくれた。 「おめでとう、ジョーイ君。これで晴れて一人前ね」 その言葉に思わずガッツポーズをしたところで、コラードさんが、こほんと咳払いをした。 「おめでとうございます、ジョーイ君。私も離任するにあたり懸案が一つなくなり安心しました」 その言葉に神妙に頷く。 「――ところで、Dランクということで、もう一つの用件ですが、例の約束を覚えていますか?」 『約束』――その刹那、忘れた事などない少女の美貌が鮮やかに甦った。 「も、もちろんです! 俺、あいつを案内するって・・・!」 意気込んで言った台詞に、なぜか眼鏡のつるを押さえて、コラードさんがため息をついた。 「......まあ、それについては、駄目もとというか、陛下に世間話のついででお話したんですが」 再度、大きくため息をつく。 「『あ、行く行く! ちょうど退屈だったし』って、我が国との協議や他国との交渉が山積みになってるこの時期に、どこにそんなヒマがあるんでしょうね、あの方は......」 「はあ・・・」 適当に頷く。そういや、ヒユキの奴って国王になったコラードさんより偉いとか聞いてるし、きっと大変なんだろうなー、などとのん気に考えるジョーイ。 じゃあそうなると、街の案内とか簡単にできねえのかなー、と続けて思っていたところへ、ジョーイの前に一葉の封筒が差し出された。 「こちらに落ち合う場所と日時が書いてあるそうです。――字は読めますね?」 「あ、はい、訓練所で習いましたから、だいたいは・・・」 これって、つまりあいつに会えるのか! ジョーイの顔が一瞬で輝いた。 「よろしい。では、せいぜい騒ぎを起こさないよう、しっかりあの方の手綱を握っていてください。――名目上はあくまで『一般人のお嬢さんが観光するのを、ギルドの冒険者が護衛と案内をする』という形ですから。国としても余計な手出しはしない方針です」 真剣な顔で釘を刺され、ジョーイはあいまいな顔で頷いた。 「――でも、いいんですか?」 とはいえ本能的になんかヤバイんじゃないかな?と思ったので確認したところ、またでっかいため息をつかれた。 「いいわけはないんですけどねー。下手に騒ぐと藪をつつく形になりますし、ならこちらとしても『なにも知らなかった』という姿勢を貫くほうがマシというものです。なのでお願いしますよ、ジョーイ君」 「はあ」 ジョーイの頼りない返事に、ああ、こいつ意味わかってねーな、と全員が悟った。 「まあお前は余計なこと考えないで、しっかりエスコートしてこい!」 不安を振り払う意味で、ガルテ新ギルド長がその肩を強く叩いた。 で、手紙に書いてあった時間と場所で待っているんだけど、あの目立つ女の子の姿は見えない。 なんか間違えたかな? そう思ってズボンの後ろポケット――護衛の役目もあるので、今日は愛用の 「・・・間違いねーよな。なにやってんだあいつ」 そう独りごちたところへ、懐かしい涼やかな声が掛けられた。 「――やあ、ごめんごめん。すまないね、遅れて」 遅いぞ!と言いかけて、一瞬相手が人違いかと思い、もう一度顔を見て間違いないのを確認して、ジョーイは軽く息を飲み込んだ。 コットンの白いサマードレスに、薄い水色のリボンを巻いた白い帽子をかぶり、そこに一輪だけ赤い薔薇の花を差した緋雪が、笑顔を浮かべていた。 てっきりいつもの派手なドレスで来るものと思っていたジョーイは意表を突かれ、それにも増して新鮮かつ無防備なその格好に、胸が高鳴るのを覚えた。 「お、お前、その・・・いつものドレスじゃないんだな」 「さすがにあの格好は目立つからねぇ、あと『いつもの』って言ったけど、君と会った初日はAラインのドレスで、2日目はプリンセスラインで全然別だったんだけど、ひょっとして区別がついてなかったの?」 「.........」 どちらも同じものだと思っていたジョーイは言葉に詰まった。 「まあいいけどさ。そんなわけで変装してみたんだけど、似合わないかな?」 そういって、片手で帽子を押さえながら、その場で一回転する緋雪。 ふわりと短いスカートがひるがえり、細くて真っ白い脚が目に焼きついて、ジョーイは慌てて赤くなった顔をそらせ、 「いや、似合ってると思うぞ。それに、俺も最初誰だかわかんなかったし」 早口に思ったことを口に出した。 「そうかい。なら変装は成功かな」 嬉しそうに微笑む緋雪。 とは言えその容姿は、黙って立っていても周囲の注目を浴びるには十分過ぎるもので、さすがにそうした周りの反応に気が付いたジョーイは、これ以上ここにいると騒ぎになると判断して、大急ぎで椅子から立ち上がり、有無を言わせず緋雪の小さくて華奢な手を取った。 「それじゃあ、そろそろ行ってみようぜ。どこか行きたいところとかあるか?」 「いや、そのあたりは任せるけどさ。......なんで手を握ってるわけ? ――しかも恋人繋ぎで」 最後の方は小声だったので耳に入らなかったらしい、ジョーイは怪訝そうに聞き返してきた。 あいている方の手で額の辺りを押さえる緋雪。 「いや、そんなことはないぞ。一緒に飯食ったり、俺が依頼を受けて外に出る時とかお弁当作ってくれたり、親切だよなミーアさん!」 一点の曇りもないさわやかな表情で言い切るジョーイを、様々な感情が入り混じり過ぎてなんとも言いがたい笑顔になった緋雪が見つめ直す。 過ぎるのか、こっちが鈍すぎるのか......どっちもどっちな気がするねぇ」 「なんかよくわかんねーけど、行き先はどこでもいいんだな?」 「任せるよ。君が行きたいと思うところで」 投げやりなリクエストに、ジョーイは少し考えて答えた。 「んじゃ、俺の行きつけの武器屋にしよう」 「・・・相変わらず脊髄反射で生きてるね、君」 まあこの世界の武器とか興味あるけどさ。普通、女の子を連れて真っ先に行く場所かなぁ・・・? と、内心大いに疑問に思う緋雪なのであった。 1時間後―― 新品の剣を腰に下げ、ジョーイはホクホク顔で緋雪と二人、通りを歩いていた(もちろんまだ手は繋いだままである)。 「本当にいいのか、こんな良い剣買ってもらって?」 あいてる方の手で剣の柄を触りながら、何度目かになる確認をするジョーイ。 「構わないさ。昇進のご祝儀代わりとでも思ってくれれば。それに別に魔剣ってわけじゃない、普通の剣だし・・・だいたい前の剣を下取りに出したんだから、全部が全部、私が払ったわけじゃないよ」 軽く肩をすくめる緋雪に、そっか、でも悪いな、と言いつつもジョーイは嬉しげである。 「でも、武器屋のオヤジも『お嬢ちゃん良い目してるね。こいつを打った鍛冶屋はまだ若いけど腕はぴか一だ』っていってたし、やっぱお前って凄いんだな!」 「まあそれが同じ値段の剣の中で唯一+1で、耐久度も高かったからね。よく銘を覚えておいて、次に買い換える時も、その作者の剣を買うのをお勧めするよ」 ふ~~ん、と頷いたジョーイだが、ふと視線を感じて首をひねった。 「・・・なあ、あの獣人、お前の知り合いか?」 つられて視線の先を見た緋雪の瞳が、 これ以上ないというほど大きく見開かれた。 「......そんな......馬鹿な......」 これまで聞いたこともないほど激しく動揺して、震える緋雪の声と握られた手とに、ジョーイは驚いてその相手を凝視した。 年齢は20歳前後だろうか、にやにや笑いを絶やさない黒髪で、前髪だけが金髪のメッシュが入った狼系と思われる獣人の若者。 服装は特に目立たない麻の上下で、目立つ特徴といえば両手足に手甲、足甲を付けている事位か。 その男が、まさに獲物を前にした狼のような顔で、緋雪の顔をみながら、ゆっくりと近づいて来た。 「よう、久しぶりだな、緋雪たん」 その挨拶に緋雪の口からかすれた声が漏れた。 さん、貴方もここへ......?」 ギルド『兄貴と愉快な仲間たち』のギルマスにして、緋雪同様の爵位保持者【

39 Episode One: Encountering Odd Edges Ara, capital of the Amitian Republic. Originally named as a free city, Amitia changed her name from kingdom to republic, but she made the transition capital from the former king capital of Cardia, where transportation was inconvenient. Normally, it would take several years of work to become a transitional capital, but the will of King Collard, who was an undecorated character, did not carry out the construction of the Royal Palace, etc., but was mainly aimed at the transfer of political functions in the form of a diversion of the city council building, thus making it possible to transition the capital in a short period of time that could not be normal. However, when the various kings triumphed to the new capital where they were based (originally from the city of Ara, which meant that they were highly aware of it as a city citizen), they glanced at the unscheduled royal palace - a castle like the one inhabited by the king of the red tongari roof of the gaga. This was the liver of the Sovereign Nation, the Emperor Imperial Crimson (which in some countries was oriented to call 'demon emperor' or 'demon emperor', etc., but generally went by 'princess' because of its appearance), which was secretly constructed, and was borne by Imperial Crimson for all its materials, personnel, costs, etc., and was officially given to him, it is also said that King Collard, who received it, held his hands together on the spot and grumbled, "Interestingly retributed..." As a result, in less than six months, the city was transformed into Amitia's largest city, both in size and population. For the people, though, whether the king is replaced, whether the name of the country is changed, whether it fits under the umbrella of the Land of Demons or not, it is such an important matter that the price of tomorrow's wheat remains unchanged, and from that point of view there was no dissatisfaction with the current system, and people were being chased to their daily peaceful lives for their daily routine. Somewhat, when it came to the fact that we no longer had the status of nobility compared to before, it was nothing other than good news for the provinces that originally suffered from the repression of nobility because it was neither directly related to their lives, nor, if it were, at the time of taxation, and now instead the tax collectors, who are officials of the state, cover their work, so that no particular change was felt and, conversely, the rate of taxation, which was fragmented from region to region, was uniform. Visible changes have also included the recognition of human rights in demons adapted to human society at the request of Imperial Crimson, a patriarchal country, and hence the sight of goblins negotiating prices there in the city, as well as the orgy and previously unthinkable, but not the privileged classification of the initially feared demons, which, like normal citizens, made a society more just, egalitarian and peaceful than it had been in the previous aristocratic society by being well informed about the obligations to pay taxes and the penalties for committing crimes. Joey, sitting on one of the park seats facing the capital's boulevard, watching the flow of people going to the city, vaguely thought that this city had changed a lot, too. Even within sight, more races are known in the western region as subhumans, such as beasts and elves to passers-by (some regions are treated like demons), and all they thought about before is crusading as demons, goblins in the Great Forest, oaks in ancient labyrinths (dungeons), and the first giant of the White Dragon Mountains (cyclops) are walking across the city with our faces. Even close by, Mr. Collard, who was the guild chief, somehow became His Majesty the King. "What do you mean? I'd like to ask, hahaha..." Mr. Collard, whom I met a long time ago to succeed the guild chief, had somehow said that with a nodding eye. Dr. Garte, who became the new guild leader - squished a lot at the guild's training center - was also grinning bitterly. "By the way, Joey. I called you here for two reasons. One is this..." On the signal of Galte's new guild chief, Mr. Meer, who had refrained beside him (next time officially becoming secretary to the guild chief from reception), brought a familiar piece of metal - the guild card - and handed it to Galte's new guild chief. "I thought it might be a little early, but our general has become His Majesty the King... well, we're about to celebrate. - D-rank promotion. Now you've finally got the egg shell." Meer applauded with a full grin as the new guild director of Garte slapped Joey's chest more and more as he looked at the guild card he had been given and felt a twitch in the pain. "Congratulations, Mr. Joey. Now it's sunny and alone." Mr. Collard coughed up when he accidentally gasped at the words. "Congratulations, Mr. Joey. I was relieved to lose one proposal when I left." I nod strangely at the word. "- By the way, D-Rank, so this is another matter, remember the example promise? "Promise" - the beauty of the girl, who had never forgotten that moment, came back to life vividly. "Also, of course! I'll show him around! Mr. Collard sighed, holding down his glasses for some reason on the dialogue he had deliberately said. "... well, I told His Majesty about it in public." Sigh loudly again. "'Oh, I'm going! I was just bored,' and I wonder where there's such a hippo at a time when there's a pile of discussions with our country and negotiations with other countries, that one..." "Ha..." Nod appropriately. No, I hear that Hiyuki's guy is better than Mr. Collard, who became king, and I'm sure it's tough, etc., and I think Joey. Then when it did, I went on to wonder if it would be easy to guide the city or something, and Joey was given a leaf envelope before him. "They say it says where and when it meets here. - Can you read the letters? "Oh, yes, I learned it at the training center, so more or less..." This, I mean, can I see him! Joey's face sparkled in an instant. "Great. Now, hold on tight to that one's guidelines so you don't make a scene at best. - Because nominally it's only in the form of 'the common lady tours, the guild adventurer guides her with an escort'. As a country, it's not an extra policy." He was stabbed in the nail with a serious face and Joey nodded with an ambiguous face. "- But is that okay? Isn't that instinctively something bad, though? I checked because I thought, and I got another big sigh of relief. "I don't have a way. If you make a loud noise, it will take the form of a shadow, and even this one, it is better to pierce the attitude of 'I didn't know anything'. So please, Mr. Joey." "Ha." To Joey's unreliable reply, oh, we all realized that he didn't know what this guy meant. "Well, you don't have to think about it, come on and escort me! In the sense of shaking off anxiety, Galte's new guild chief slapped that shoulder hard. So, I'm waiting at the time and place that the letter said, but I don't see that prominent girl. Did I do something wrong? That's how I feel about the back pocket of my trousers - because I wear my favorite light leather armor (light leather armor) today and lower my sword, so this is the only pocket I can use - I take the letter out of it and rarely check the contents. "... you're absolutely right. What are you doing, that guy?" So I went to solitude, and a nostalgic cool voice hung. "- Hey, I'm sorry. Sorry I'm late." It's late! I almost said it, and for a moment I thought they were different, and I looked at his face again to make sure I was sure, and Joey swallowed his breath gently. Scarlet Snow was smiling as she wore a white hat wrapped around a light water-colored ribbon on a white summer dress in cotton, with only one round of red rose flowers there. Joey, who thought it was going to come with his usual flashy dress, was poked at the impression, and he remembered his chest pounding in that outfit, which was also increased and fresh and defenseless. "Oh, you, that... that's not your usual dress." "Exactly, because that outfit stands out. Hey, I said 'the usual', but the first day I met you, it was an A-line dress, and the second day was completely different on the Princess line, and you just didn't make a distinction? ......... Joey, who thought they were both the same thing, was stuck in words. "Fair enough. That's why I tried disguising myself, doesn't it look good on you? So scarlet snow spinning on the spot while holding the hat with one hand. Fluffy, short skirts flickered, thin, bright white legs burned in his eyes, Joey rushed away and turned red, "No, I think you look great. Besides, I didn't know who I was at first." I said what I thought quickly. "Right. Then I guess disguise is a success." Scarlet snow smiling happily. That said, its appearance is too much to get the attention of the surroundings even if it stands silently, and Joey, having just noticed the reaction around them, decided that being here any longer would make a scene, rose out of the chair in a great hurry and took the small, luxurious hand of Scarlet Snow without saying whether or not it was there. "Then it's time to go. You want to go somewhere or something? "No, I'll take care of that area.... Why are you holding my hand? - And with a lover connection." He didn't get it in his ear because the last one was whispering, Joey asked back in surprise. Scarlet snow holding the area around your forehead with the hands of those who are aiming. "No, that's not true. You're kind enough to have dinner with me, or make me lunch when I'm out on a request, Mr. Meer! Scarlet Snow stares back at Joey, who says it with a refreshing look with no cloudiness at all, what an unspeakable smile after all sorts of emotions mixed in too much. "Meer is too late, or this one is too blunt... I feel both" "I don't know what it is, but you can go anywhere you want, right? "I'll take care of it. Where you want to go." Joey thought a little and replied to the throwing request. "Well, let's make it my destination weapons store." "... you're still alive with a spinal reflex, you." Well, I'm interested in weapons in this world. Normally, I wonder if it's a place to take a girl first...? And it was scarlet snow that I greatly doubt in my heart. An hour later... With a new sword down his waist, Joey walked down the street with Scarlet Snow and two with a hock-face (of course his hands still held together). "Are you sure you want me to buy you such a good sword? Joey makes the confirmation several times as he touches the pattern of the sword with the hands of those who are wearing it. "I don't mind. If you think it's a substitute for the celebration of promotion. Besides, it's not a demon sword, it's a normal sword... and I put out more or less the previous sword to retrieve it, so it's not all, I paid for it." Joey is delighted when he says, "Oh, my God, but I'm sorry," to Scarlet Snow, who shrugs his shoulders lightly. "But the armorer's jerk also said, 'You have a good eye, young lady. The blacksmith who hit this guy is still young, but his arm is perfect,' and I knew you were amazing! "Well, that was the only +1 in the same price sword, and it was durable. Remember, the next time you buy another one, I suggest you buy the author's sword." Huh, nodded Joey, but felt his gaze and twisted his neck. "... hey, that beast man, you know him? Scarlet Snow's eyes, which were followed and looked at the end of his gaze, It was so wide open that there was no more. "... that's... stupid..." Upset so violently that he had never heard of it before, Joey stared at its opponent in surprise with a trembling scarlet snow voice and a gripping hand. Is he around 20 years old, a young beast man with dark hair that doesn't stop laughing slightly, and whose forehead is the only wolf system that seems to contain a blonde mesh? Is the outfit particularly unobtrusive above and below hemp, when it comes to prominent features, armor and toenails on both hands and feet? The man slowly approached me, looking at the face of scarlet snow, precisely like a wolf in front of his prey. "Hey, long time no see, Scarlet Snow Tan." A faint voice leaked out of Scarlet Snow's mouth at the greeting. "- Ah! Brother Maru (Animal), you are here too...? As Gilmouth of the guild "Brothers and Delightful Companions," Scarlet Snow's similar title holder [Beast King Blade Free], the man did not answer the question, but joyfully deepened his grin.

番外編 冒険者は新婚を夢みる6 「知り合いか知り合いでないかと聞かれると、残念ながら知り合いなんだよねぇ......」 きわめて遺憾なことにこの世界の人間の中では、一番の腐れ縁と言ってもいい。もしかして、ボクの交友関係って転生前も転生後もロクなもんじゃないんじゃ......うん、この話題は深く追求しないことにしよう。 「はあ......? 知ってるならなんで俺なんかに聞くんだ?」 「こっちのジョーイがどうなっているのか、特に現在どこにいるのかが知らないから聞いてるんだよ。知らない?」 「『こっち』ってなんだ?」 「いろいろあるんだよ」 「いろいろか......ふむ」 「そう、いろいろ。問題が山積みで特に現状は根本から間違っているんだよ。だからこっちまでやってきて元通りに清算しなきゃいけないんだよ」 「そうか、関係の清算か。なるほど、そうか...そういうわけか」 ボクの嘆息混じりの慨嘆に、バカサ氏はグラスを磨く手を休めて、合点がいったという顔で深々と頷いた。 それから順々にウエディングドレス姿の 「英雄、色を好むって言うからなァ......。とはいえ、娘さん方にしたらたまったもんじゃねえだろう。確かにこんな関係は間違っているな。罪な男だぜ〈グレート・ブレイバー〉」 「......なにか間違った理解をされた気がするんですけど」 猫みたいに舌先でシャーリーテンプルを舐めていたミーアさんが眉をしかめた。 「いいんだ、バーテン生活二十五年。俺もいろんな人生を眺めてきたからよくわかる。何も言わなくていい」 やんわりとミーアさんの抗議を躱すバカサ氏。 と、外野で興味津々とボクらの会話を盗み聞いていた酔っ払いの集団から、 「――ちなみに、誰が〈グレート・ブレイバー〉の本命なんだ?」 「は......あぁ!?」 興味本位のバカな質問に思い切り目を剥いたのはなぜかボクだけで、ミーアさんとフィオレは無言で顔を合わせた後、示し合わせたかのように、真っ直ぐにボクを指差した。 「ちょっと待てーーーーい! なんなの、その手は!?」 「いや、だってジョーイ君の本命って言ったら......ねえ?」 「そーですね。客観的に言ったらこうなりますね......はあ......」 指こそ下ろしたもののミーアさんもフィオレも前言を翻す気はなさそうだ。きちんと後でシメ......もとい、話し合ったほうがよさそうだね。 「それで〈グレート・ブレイバー〉だが、噂じゃ冒険者ギルド本部からの依頼であちこち飛び回っているそうだ。詳しくは冒険者ギルドで聞いたほうがいいだろうな。ちなみに冒険者ギルドの建物はここを出たところを右に曲がって五軒目だ」 「ふーん、なるほど。参考になったよ。ありがとう」 「お役に立ててなによりだ」 話が一段落したところで、ちょうど飲んでいたグラスも空っぽになった。味は美味しかったような気もするけど、ホント、夢の中で飲み食いしているような感覚で微妙にボヤけているのが残念だ。 横を見ればミーアさんとフィオレもほぼ同時に飲みきったみたいで、目線で次の目的地である冒険者ギルドへ行こうと促してくる。 「それじゃあ、冒険者ギルドへ行ってみるよ」 カウンターの椅子から立ち上がったところで、目の前に大きな肉球のついた掌が差し出された。 「ああ、代金は三百カッパーだ」 当然のように代金を請求され、思わず横目でミーアさんとフィオレを覗うと、ふたりとも何も言わずに視線を逸らせる。つーか、通貨単位が現実と微妙に違うねぇ......。 「えーと、ツケってわけには......」 「一見の客にツケは効かねえ」 雰囲気で察したものか、バカサ氏の態度が露骨にぞんざいになった。 「働いて返すというのは......」 「生憎と人手は足りている」 ミーアさんの提案もけんもほろろに断られる。 「と、とりあえず手持ちのものを代金代わりに渡して、後から交換というわけには......」 フィオレが恐る恐る提案したことはボクが即座に拒否した。結果―― 「つまり......てめーら、食い逃げか!?」 野生さながらに吠える熊の獣人を前に、ボクは冷静に話し合いを試みる。 「払わないとは言っていないよ。いまは手持ちがないから、この場では払えないって言ってるだけだろう」 「それを食い逃げってつーんだーーーーっ!!!」 話し合いは物別れに終わった。 「選べ! 自分から衛兵の詰め所に行くか、俺が力ずくでふん縛って行くか、ふたつにひとつだ!!」 全身の毛を逆立て、筋肉をモリモリさせるバカサ氏に対抗して、ボクも《 「だから後から払うって言ってるだろう! たかだか熊の獣人ごときがこの私に勝てるわけないんだから、恥をかく前にやめたほうがいいよ?」 「陛下、それは火に油を注ぐようなものですよ! てゆーか、もうこの状態は無銭飲食ではなくて、居直り強盗なのでは?」 「うわ~~ん、ごめんなさいお父さんお母さん、お祖母ちゃん、お姉ちゃん。悪い友達の 冷静にツッコミをするミーアさんと、パニックに陥って泣き叫んでいるフィオレ。 「上等だーっ!!」 完全にやる気になって殺気をたぎらせるバカサ氏。対峙するボクの脳裏を、『三毛別』とか『絶天○抜刀牙』とかの謎の単語が過ぎる。 一触即発のその時、どこからか、 誰かの叫びが聞こえてきた。 「――ちっ。誰か衛兵を呼びやがったか」 忌々しげに舌打ちしたバカサ氏の気勢が下がる。 「ヒユキ様~~っ。ど、どうしましょう?」 「――ふん、たかだか村の青侍ごときが束になってかかってきたとしても、ものの数ではないさ」 「完全に悪役の台詞ですね」 》の先端を酒場の入り口へと向き直すのとほぼ同時に、村の入り口で見かけたフルプレートの騎士姿が三人――見かけはまるっきり同じで区別はつかない――重装備とは思えない足取りで店の中へと入ってくると、無言のまま手にした剣を抜き放った。 30分後、蓑虫みたいにロープでグルグル巻きにされるという、なんか屈辱的な格好で拘束されたボクがいた。 「......おかしい。なんでただの衛兵が目からビームとか出すんだろう?」 みょ~~ん、と音が出るみたいな感じでグルグル回るビームが当たった瞬間、目を回して意識を失ったボクらは、気がついたら四方をなんかヌメヌメした弾力と湿度のある壁で囲まれた、狭い部屋に三人揃って閉じ込められていたのだ。 ミーアさんとフィオレは拘束こそされていないものの、どこにも出口らしいところもなく、ボクを縛る縄もギチギチに固結びされているということで、手を使ったり、フィオレの魔術で焼ききろうとしたり、無造作に転がっていた《 「まあ夢の中ですからね。陛下の権威も神通力も通じないんじゃないでしょうか?」 諦めたようにぼやくミーアさん。その視線が部屋の隅に転がっている 「それにしてもここってどこなんでしょうね? 普通なら衛兵の詰め所かなにかだと思いますけど」 小首を傾げたフィオレの質問に、当然誰も答えられない......と思ったところ、 「ここは陸鯨の腹の中さ」 不意にどこからか回答があった。 「――ここだよ、ここ。お嬢さん方の足元さ」 カタカタとカスタネットが鳴るような音と声に導かれて見て見れば、声の出所は、さっきミーアさんが見ていた 「......なんだ骨か」 「まあ、陛下のところの感覚ではそうでしょうね」 喋る人骨とか、別に珍しくもないので思わずそうがっかりしながらコメントすると、なぜかミーアさんに同情的な目で見られた。 「......あー、なんかよくわかんねーけど話が通じるみたいでなによりだ。で、だ。詳しい説明をする代わりに、できればあっちこちに転がっている俺の骨を集めてくれないか? 首だけってのも落ち着かなくてな」 なんか偉そうに要望を口にする

157 Outside Adventurers Dream Of Newlyweds 6 "When people ask me if I know you or not, unfortunately, I know you..." Extremely unfortunately, of all the humans in this world, it can be described as the most corrupt. Maybe my friendship isn't a lock before or after reincarnation... yeah, let's not pursue this topic in depth. "Ha...? If you know, why are you asking me something? "I'm asking because I don't know what's going on with Joey over here, especially where he is right now. Don't you know?" "What's 'over here'? "There's a lot going on." "A lot...... Hmm" "Yes, a lot. The problem is piling up, and the current situation is fundamentally wrong. That's why we have to get this far and settle things right." "Right, liquidation of the relationship? I see, well... you know what?" To my sigh-minded indignation, Mr. Baccasa rested his hand polishing the glass and nodded deeply with the face that the point had gone. Then he gradually looks at the threesomes (me and the others) in wedding dresses and looks painfully away. "Heroes, I say I prefer color...... Nevertheless, it wouldn't have happened to your daughters. Surely such a relationship is wrong. You're a sinful man, Great Braver." "... I think I've been misunderstood." Meer frowned, licking Shirley Temple with her tongue tip like a cat. "That's okay, twenty-five years of bartending. I know a lot because I've seen a lot of life, too. You don't have to say anything." Mr. Baccasa protests against Meer with ease. and from a group of drunkards who were intrigued and listening to our conversations in the field, "- Who, by the way, is the destiny of Great Braver? "Ha... ah!? I was the only one who somehow stripped my eyes off the intrigued silly question, and Mr. Meer and Fiore pointed straight at me, as if they had shown each other, after face-to-face silence. "Wait a minute. - Whoa! What, those hands!? "No, 'cause Joey, when I say your destiny... hey? "That's right. This is what happens when you say it objectively...... haha..." Though I put my finger down, neither Mr. Meer nor Fiore seems willing to translate the foreword. We should talk about it later. "So [Great Braver], but rumor has it they're flying around at the request of Adventurer Alliance headquarters. You should hear more about it in the Adventurer Guild. By the way, the Adventurer Alliance building is the fifth house to turn right where you left off." "Hmm, I see. It was helpful. Thanks." "More than anything I can help you with." Just after a paragraph of the story, the glass I was just drinking was also emptied. I also feel like the taste was delicious, but really, I'm afraid I'm subtly bogged down with the feeling that I'm eating and drinking in my dreams. Looking at the side, it looks like Mr. Meer and Fiore drank almost at the same time, prompting us to go to the Adventurer Guild, our next destination with our gaze. "Well, I'll go to the Adventurers Guild." I just got up from the counter chair and a large meatballed palm was offered in front of me. "Oh, the price is three hundred cuppers" They charge me as a matter of course, and when I accidentally peek at Mr. Meer and Fiore on the sidelines, they both get out of sight without saying anything. Either that or the unit of currency is subtly different from reality...... "Er, there's no way..." "It doesn't work on the customers at first sight." Something I guessed in the atmosphere, or Mr. Baccasa's attitude became blatantly annoying. "Working and returning..." "Hate and manpower are enough" Mr. Meer's suggestion is also rejected. "And for now, I'll give you what I have in hand instead of the price, and I'll exchange it later. That doesn't mean..." I immediately rejected Fiore's fearful suggestion. Results - "I mean... meh, you're eating away!? Before the wild whilst barking bear beast man, I calmly attempt to discuss. "I didn't say I wouldn't pay. I'm just saying I can't pay for it on this occasion because I don't have it right now." "Eat and run for it - whoa!!! The discussion ended in a farewell. "Choose! Go from yourself to the guard's stuffing or I'll tie you up with my strength, one in two!! Against Mr. Baccasa, who inverts his whole body hair and mollies his muscles, I also take out "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" to be in a combat position. "So I'm telling you I'll pay you later! But there's no way every Bear Beast can beat this me, so you better stop before you embarrass me, okay? "Sire, that's like oiling a fire! So this is not a penniless diet anymore, is it a straight-up robbery? "Wow, I'm sorry, father, mother, grandmother, sister. Because of the influence of bad friends, Phyllia told criminals -!" Fiore, who calmly screams, and Fiore, who is panicking and crying. "Superior -!! Mr. Bakasa is totally motivated and motivated to kill. Mysterious words like "By Mihairs" and "Extinct O Drawer Tooth" pass through the back of my confronting brain. From where, at the time of the one-touch shock, I heard someone screaming. - Shit. Did somebody call a guard? Abominably tongued, Mr. Baccasa's temper drops. "Dear Hiyuki ~ Eh. So, what do we do? "- Well, it's not the number of things, even if it's a bunch of village samurai." "That's a totally villain dialogue." Almost at the same time as reorienting the tip of "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" towards the entrance to the liquor store, three full-plate knights were seen at the entrance to the village - exactly the same in appearance and indistinguishable - and as they entered the store in footsteps that did not seem to be heavy equipment, they pulled out the sword they remained silent. Thirty minutes later, I was restrained in some humiliating outfit of being groped around with a rope like a worm. "... weird. Why would just a guard beam out of his eyes or something? As soon as the beam hit me like a noise, I turned my eyes and lost consciousness. When I realized it, I was trapped in a small room, surrounded by a wall of elasticity and humidity that nudged all sides. Though Mr. Meer and Fiore are not restrained, there is nowhere that seems to be an exit, and the rope that binds me is also solidly tied to the guinea pig, which means they are all giving up and sitting with their knees after trying to use their hands, burn them with Fiore's magic, or cut them in The Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye), which was rolling unwrought. "Well, it's in a dream. Doesn't His Majesty's authority or divine power make sense? Blurry as I gave up, Mr. Meer. The gaze is rolling around the corner of the room - and if you look closely, parts of the femur that are ribs all over the place were rolling apart. "And where is this place? Normally, I think it's some kind of guard crawl." I naturally thought no one could answer Fiore's question tilted in the neck...... "This is the belly of a land whale." Unexpectedly there was an answer from somewhere. "- Right here, right here. Ladies' feet." If you look at the sound and voice of Katakata and Castanet, the source of the voice was what Meer was talking about earlier. "... what a bone" "Well, I guess that's the feeling at Your Majesty's." When I commented with unexpected disappointment because it was not uncommon to talk about human bones or anything else, I was somehow seen with a sympathetic eye by Meer. "... uh, I don't know what it is, but it seems to make sense. More importantly. So. Instead of giving a detailed explanation, could you gather my bones that are rolling all over the place, if possible? I don't know, just my neck." What a great way to say a request.

第三話 迷宮探索 西部域のアミティア共和国首都アーラにいるはずの冒険者ジョーイと、ここ大陸を半周した中央部の南側、クレス自由同盟国の暫定首都ウィリデの冒険者ギルド本部で偶然再会したボクなんだけど、それよりも驚いたのが、ジョーイに連れがいたこと、それも同い年くらいの女の子だということだった。 ミーアさんはどうしたの?! 若い子に乗り換えたの!? そう問い詰めたい気持ちを視線に乗せて、ジョーイと女の子に交互に眺めると、ジョーイはなぜか慌てた様子で両手を振った。 「――ち、違うぞ! 誤解しないでくれ、こいつとはなんでもなくて! ......話し合おう」 「ほう。弁解があるなら聞きましょう」 ミーアさんの為にも。あと、何が違って、何が誤解なんだかよくわからないけど。 「師匠~っ、なんでもないなんてひどいですよォ~」 と、人見知りするタイプなのか、おどおどした態度でジョーイの背中に半分隠れながらも、軽く抗議する彼女。 ......しかし、なんだね。この子。背は大してボクと変わらないのに、特定一部分の自己主張が激しい体つきをしてるねぇ。――具体的に言うと 魔法使いなのかローブを着てるんだけど、下に着ている短衣の胸元がいまにもはち切れそう。背は小さいくせに胸はおっきいという、けしからんスタイルをしている。 そーか、なんかミーアさん相手にイマイチ反応が鈍いと思ってたけど、胸か、胸が原因だったのか。この俗物め!! と、思わずやっかみが先に立つ。......う~む、友人として彼女ができたことを素直に祝福すべきなんだろうけど、相手がこの巨乳となると微妙に感情が納得できないものがあるねぇ。こっちなんて、たまに自分のをさわってみるけど全然楽しくないし。こんなことならもうちょっと盛っておけば良かったかな? でも最近2センチばかり増――と、思考が明後日の方へ行きかけたのを制して、ジョーイの顔を見た。 ちなみにクロエさんや、天涯たちは気を使ってか、少し離れた椅子に移動したので、ボクがギルドのソファーに座って、その向かい側にジョーイたちが立っているという構図になっている。 「...取りあえず座ったら? ずっと上を向いてるのも疲れるんでね」 そう促すと、そそくさと向かい合わせにジョーイが座って、その隣にぴったり体を寄せるように少女が座り――なんか挑発的に上目遣いで一瞬見られたんだけど、なんだろね。初対面だと思うんだけどなにか気に触るような事でもしたかな? ...あれかな、密かに胸をガン見してたのがマズかったかな?――なぜか、慌ててジョーイが体を拳一つ分くらいそこから離して、その間に鞘ごと外した剣を置いた。 「えーと、こいつは何回か依頼で組んだことがあるだけのEランク冒険者でフィオレ。単なる同業者なだけだから」 なんか大事なことなのか『だけ』を2回繰り返すジョーイ。 「......は、はじめまして、ジョーイ師匠の弟子をしてますフィオレです」 なんとなく儀礼的に頭を下げるフィオレ。ちなみにほどけばセミロングくらいの薄い栗色の髪をツインテールにした、なかなか可愛らしい顔立ちのいかにも女の子ってタイプだった。 「はじめまして、ジョーイの友人の緋雪です。――師匠?」 ボクの挨拶に「...友人か...」となんかガッカリしているジョーイ――心の友とでも言えばよかったのかな? どこぞのガキ大将みたいに――へ、水を向けると違う違うと眉をしかめた。 「こいつが勝手にそう言ってるだけだ。俺がそんな偉そうに人に教えられるわけないだろう?」 「そう? この間は『仕事は遊びじゃない』とか『命を大事にしろ』とか、けっこう立派なこと言ってたじゃない」 「......そんなことお前に言ったっけ?」 「――ああああ・・・え、えーと、なんか初心者にそんなこと言ってたって、この間ガルテギルド長に聞いたんだよ」 取りあえず誤魔化してそう言うと、ジョーイは盛大に顔をしかめた。 「ヒューの時のあれか。先生も案外口が軽いんだな......」 ごめんガルテギルド長。勝手にジョーイの中の株を下げて。 ボクは遠い空の下にいるであろう彼に、心の中で詫びを入れた。 ......というか、なんでこれで気が付かないんだろうね、ほんと。 「とんでもないです! 師匠はあたしの命の恩人です。あたしも師匠を見習って、立派な冒険者になるのが目標なんですから!」 ここは譲れない線なのか、おどおどした口調から一転して力強く言い切るフィオレ。 コレを目標にねえ。やめたほうがいいと思うけど。 それと、どーでもいいけど激しくポーズをとると、ゆさゆさと見事に動くなぁ。 「命の恩人って...冒険者同士でチーム組めば、助け合うのが当然だろう。たまたまあの時は、俺が近くにいただけで誰でも同じことしたぞ」 当然のようにキッパリ言い切るジョーイだったけど、実際の緊急時にそれを迷いなくできる人はそうそういないんだよねぇ。 でもまあ、なんとなくわかった。吊り橋効果かもしれないけど、危ないところを助けてくれたジョーイに憧れて、このおっぱ...もとい、フィオレが押しかけ弟子になったってところか。 「だいたいの事情はわかったけど、なんでここにいるわけ? 旅行?」 「いや、護衛依頼でアミティアからの魔導帆船に同乗してきたんだ。なにしろ今回の募集要件が『泳ぎができる者』ってことでさ。アーラだとなかなか泳げる奴がいなかったんだけど、俺、生まれが海辺の村だからけっこう泳ぎが得意ってことで選ばれたんだ。――で、こいつは魔法使いなので、居るだけでも貴重ってことで付いて来た」 へえ、意外な特技とバックボーンがあったもんだね。 「あれ? でも帰りはどうするの? 魔導帆船の護衛って、往復なわけ?」 「いや、片道だけ」 あっさりジョーイは首を振った。 「じゃあ自費で帰るわけ? ああいった船の相場って知らないけど、かなり高いんじゃないの?」 「まあ、最悪自費で帰ることになるかも知れないけど、ちょっと帰りのアテがあるんだ」 自信有りげにジョーイはにやりと笑った。 「アテって?」 「ダンジョンだよ。最近、この近くで見つかったダンジョンの地下10階に転移魔法陣があるって話でさ。俺の魔力パターンはアーラの転移魔法陣に登録してあるから、上手く行けばこことアーラを行き来できるようになるんじゃないかと思って来たんだ」 「ああ、なるほどね」 ボクは普通にセーブポイントを空中庭園へ決めてるので、『帰還』スキルでどこからでも割とホイホイ帰れるほか、手軽にセーブリターン可能な個人用の『転送石』も標準装備で常に複数個持っているので、けっこう気楽に転移魔法を使ってるけど、こちらの世界ではオーパーツ扱いで、たまに遺跡から転移魔法陣が見つかるくらいらしい。 ちなみに転移魔法陣は移動させると座標がズレて使用不能になるので、基本的に先に魔法陣があった場所に街を作るというパターンになるそうだ。 当然ながらこれ、どの国でも管理は厳重に行われ、例えばA地点からB地点へ転移する場合、先に転移先のB地点での本人の魔力パターンの登録と許可が必要になる。 で、A地点で高額の使用料を支払いB地点へ転移するわけだけど、登録がない者や許可が取り消された者は、当然その場所へは転移できない。場合によっては時空の狭間に取り残されて、現世に戻れなくなるので、けっこうハイリスク・ハイリターンな仕様なわけなんだけど、今回ジョーイは先にアーラで登録は済ませてあるので、誰も管理してないダンジョン内部の転移魔法陣を使って、ただでなおかつ一瞬にして帰ろうって算段のようだ。 一見いいこと尽くめの計画なようだけど......。 「......ジョーイ、君って、ダンジョンとかもぐった経験あるの?」 そのあたりが非常に気になったので確認してみた。 「あるぞ、アーラのそばの古代遺跡。あそこの十八階までは降りた。まあ臨時のチームに入ってだけどな」 あそこのダンジョンは前にボクと四凶天王とで破壊しちゃったんで、大規模な――文字通りの魔改造を施した結果、20層までは素人でも死なない程度、それ以後は10層ごとに玄人向け、ベテラン向け、一流向けといった具合に難易度が上がるようになってるんだよね。ちなみにソロだと、S級冒険者だった そこを18層までしか、しかもパーティ組んででも行けなかったということは、ダンジョンに関してはものの見事にド素人ということになる。 その発見されたダンジョンの難易度がどの程度かは知らないけれど、多分この二人でのクリアは無理だろう。 「まあ、さすがに二人だけでいきなり知らないダンジョンに挑むほど馬鹿じゃないので、一緒にもぐってくれるようなパーティを探しに来たんだけど」 ああ、さすがにそこまで馬鹿じゃなかったか。 「条件が合うのがなかったんで、とりあえず二人で行けるところまで行こうかと話してたところなんだ」 うん、やっぱ、どうしようもない馬鹿だね。 「まさか、それがここでヒユキと会えるなんてなあ。ヒユキこそなんでここへいるんだ?」 「私は仕事の打ち合わせだよ」 「へえ......こんなところまで仕事か。お前も大変だなぁ」 「まあ自分の国のことだからねぇ」 その言葉に怪訝そうな顔をするフィオレ。 つんつんとジョーイの袖を引っ張って、小声で質問していた。ま、 「......あの、師匠。ヒユキさんって、よく師匠が口に出していた彼女ですよね...? 見たところ獣人ではないのに、自分の国って...?」 別に質問があればボクに直接訊けばいいと思うんだけど、よほど人見知りが激しいのかな。あと彼女って、普通に三人称代名詞としての彼女だよね? 「――ち、違う! 早合点するな。あと、『自分の国』ってのは、あれだ、ヒユキはコラードさんよりも偉い、コーテイだかジョテイだから『自分のもんだ』って意味で言ったんだと思うぞ」 うん、この説明だと全然わからないと思うけど、ここで水戸黄門ごっこをやるのも悪趣味なので、放置することに決めた。 それにしても、ジョーイは勢いでダンジョンに突入するつもりらしいけど、目の前でおっぱ...もとい、女の子がむざむざ犠牲なるのを見過ごすのも寝覚めが悪いねえ。第一、男が

66 Lesson Three: Exploring The Labyrinth Joey, the adventurer who is supposed to be in the capital of the Amitian Republic in the western region, and I met Joey accidentally at the Adventurer Alliance headquarters in Willide, the provisional capital of the Cres Free Alliance, on the south side of the central part of here half way around the continent, but what surprised me more than that was that Joey had taken me and that was about the same age girl. What happened to Mr. Meer?! He switched to a young child!? Looking alternately at Joey and the girl with her gaze at the desire to ask so, Joey waved her hands somehow in a panic. "- No, you're not! Don't get me wrong, it's nothing with this guy!... Let's discuss it" "Well, if you have an excuse, let's hear it." Even for Mr. Meer. And I'm not sure what's different and what's a misunderstanding. "Master, it's terrible that it's nothing." And she protests lightly, even though she's half hidden on Joey's back with a quiet attitude as to whether she's the type to see people. ... but what is it? This kid. Even though he's not much different from me, he's got a certain part of his self-assertion that makes him look fierce. - To be specific, chest (opium). How many cups do you have, that? Are you a wizard or are you wearing a robe, but the chest of the short coat you're wearing underneath is still going to rip off. She has a teasing style where her back is small and her chest is tight. Oh, or something, Mr. Meer. I thought he had a blunt reaction to his opponent, but was it the chest or the chest that caused it? You piece of shit!! And, by accident, the temptation stands first.... uhm, I guess I should honestly congratulate her on what she's done as a friend, but there's something subtly unconvincing about her emotions when they get these big tits. I can't believe I touch mine once in a while, but it's not fun at all. If this is the case, should I have served some more? But only 2 centimeters more recently - and I saw Joey's face, controlling that thought was about to go the day after tomorrow. By the way, Mr. Chloe and the heavenly ones cared or moved to a chair a little further away, so it's a schematic that I'm sitting on the couch of the guild and the Joeys are standing opposite it. "... why don't you just sit down? I'm tired of looking up all the time." When prompted to do so, Joey sat across the street with the sleaze and the girl sat perfectly next to it - something provocatively upward for a moment, but I don't know. I think we've met for the first time. Did you do anything to impress me?... I wonder if that was a bad idea to have been secretly looking at my chest for cancer? - For some reason, Joey rushed away from there about a fist of his body, and in the meantime placed a sword with every sheath removed. "Uh, this guy's just an e-rank adventurer and fiore who's done it a couple of requests. 'Cause I'm just a colleague." Is it important that I repeat 'just' twice, Joey? "... it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Fiore, Master Joey's apprentice" Fiore, who somewhat politely bows his head. By the way, I was the type of girl with a pretty pretty face, twintailed with thin chestnut hair about semi-long. "Nice to meet you, I'm Joey's friend Scarlet Snow. - Master?" I'm kind of disappointed to say "... friend..." to my greeting, Joey - should I have said "friend of heart"? Like this kid general - he frowned that it wasn't the same when he pointed the water at him. "That's just what this guy says on his own. There's no way I can teach people that great, is there? "Really? You said something so splendid in the meantime like, 'Work ain't no play' or 'Take care of your life'" "... did I tell you that? "- Oh, oh... uh, I was saying that to some beginner, and during this time, I asked Chief Galte Guild," Joey flaunted his face when he misled to say so for now. "Was that Hugh's time? Teachers have light doors too..." Sorry, Chief Galte Guild. Take the liberty of lowering the stock in Joey. I apologized in my heart to him, who would be beneath a distant sky. ... or why don't you notice this, really. "It's outrageous! My master is a benefactor of my life. Because my goal is to apprentice my master too and become a fine adventurer! Is this a line you can't give way to, Fiore, who flips and forcefully says it out of a loose tone? Make this your goal. I think you should stop. And I don't mind any of it, but when I pose hard, it moves brilliantly with itching. "A benefactor of life... if we team up among adventurers, it would be natural to help each other. I happen to have done the same thing when I was just nearby." It was a kick-ass Joey, as a matter of course, but no one can get that lost in an actual emergency. But, well, I kind of figured it out. It may be a suspension bridge effect, but I admire Joey for helping me with the danger, and these boobs... are you saying that Fiore has become a pushing apprentice? "I know the general situation, but why are you here? Travel?" "No, I've been aboard a demon-guided sailboat from Amitia on a request for an escort. Anyway, this recruiting requirement is" who can swim. "There wasn't a guy who could really swim if it was Ara, but I, I was chosen because I was born in a village by the sea and I was so good at swimming. - So, he's a wizard, so he's just precious to be here." Well, you had an unexpected stunt and a backbone. "Is that it? But what are we going to do about going home? Is it a round-trip sailboat escort? "No, just one way" Lightly Joey shook his head. "So you're going home at your own expense? Yeah, I don't know what the market for those ships is, but aren't they pretty expensive? "Well, maybe I'm gonna go home at my worst, but I have a little homecoming Ate" Joey laughed confidently. "What athe? "It's a dungeon. Recently, a transfer magic team was found on the 10th basement of a dungeon near here. My magic pattern is registered to Ara's Transition Magic Team, so I thought if I did well, I'd be able to come and go here and Ara." "Oh, I see." I normally decide to take my savepoint to the air garden, so I can wheel it back from anywhere with my 'return' skills, as well as I always have a few 'transfer stones' for my easily saved and returnable personal use as standard equipment, so I use transfer magic so easily, but in this world it seems to be automated and occasionally enough to find a transfer magic team from the ruins. By the way, the transfer magic formation becomes unusable due to uneven coordinates when moved, so basically it's going to be a pattern of creating a city where the magic formation was first. Naturally, controls are strictly carried out in any country, and when transferring from point A to point B, for example, it is necessary to register and authorize the magic pattern of the person at point B of the destination first. So, we pay a high royalty at point A and transfer it to point B, but naturally, those who do not have registration or whose permits have been revoked cannot be transferred to that location. In some cases, it will be left behind in the confines of time and space, and we won't be able to return to this world, so it's a high-risk high-return specification, but this time Joey has already registered at Ara, so it seems like a math to use the transfer magic team inside the dungeon that nobody manages to just go home for a moment. Seems like an exhaustive plan... "... Joey, have you ever been in a dungeon or anything? I was very concerned about the area, so I checked. "There is, an ancient ruin by Ara. I went down to the eighteenth floor over there. Well, you're on a temporary team." The dungeon over there was destroyed by me and the Four Wesen King before, and as a result of a massive - literal demonic modification, even amateurs won't die until the 20th floor, and after that, it becomes more difficult for every 10 layers, such as for bastards, veterans, and first-rate people. Solo, by the way, even the rare (barely) who were S-class adventurers could not be cleared and retreated at level 58 (70 at the deepest). I could only go there up to 18 layers, and partying together would mean a brilliant de amateur of things when it comes to dungeons. Though I don't know how difficult that discovered dungeon is, it probably won't be possible to clear it between these two. "Well, I'm just not stupid enough to challenge a dungeon that just the two of us suddenly don't know about, so I'm here looking for a party to hang out with," Oh, that's just how stupid you were. "I didn't have the right conditions, so we were just talking about getting to where we could both go for now." Yeah, after all, you're an irresistible fool. "I can't believe that's what I'm seeing here with Hyuki. Hiyuki, why are you here? "I'm in a work meeting." "Heh... you work this far? You're in trouble, too." "Well, it's about my country." Fiore looks surprised by the word. He was pulling Joey's sleeve with a stick and asking questions in a whisper. It sounds like a whole lot of blood sucking princess's hearing. "... Um, Master. Mr. Hiyuki is the one whose master used to put it in his mouth...? I'm not an animal man from what I've seen, but my own country...? If you have any other questions, you should ask me directly, but I wonder how intensely familiar people are. And she's usually a three-person synonym, isn't she? "- Chi, no! Don't make an early point. And by" my country, "I think I meant" my country "because that, Hiyuki, is better than Mr. Collard, is Courtay or Jotay." Yeah, I don't think I know anything about this explanation, but it's also a bad hobby to do Mido Huangmen here, so I decided to leave it alone. Still, Joey seems to be going into the dungeon with momentum, but boobs in front of him... and, hey, it's not a bad night's sleep to overlook a girl having to sacrifice. First of all, a man is obsolete - even though he's out of business, it's psychological.

第十話 鈴蘭皇女 「久しぶりだね、緋雪さん。元気...ぐああっ」 らぽっくさんの口上を無視して、 岩が砕け、大地は陥没し、イオン化した空気が鼻につくけど、天涯は一瞬たりとも攻撃の手は緩めない。と言うか緩めないよう前もって厳命してある。 なにしろ相手は最強のプレーヤー【 そして、彼の強みは実際のところ九刀流でも並列思考でもない、ボクみたいに速度特化とか、影郎さんみたいに暗殺特化とか、そういったピーキーな強さではなく、単純にすべてのバランスが良いところにある。 要するに付け入る隙が極端に少なく、弱点らしい弱点がない。戦う相手としては一番厄介なタイプになる。 だから、らぽっくさん相手は一瞬の油断が命取りになる。おちおちお喋りしてたら、その間に寝首を掻かれるかも知れない。 だから戦うなら最初から全力・最大火力をもって、力押しで行くしかない。 天涯の猛攻に、さすがにその場から退避するらぽっくさんだけど、その左手装備がいつの間にか大太刀『月』から、超レアドロップ装備『 』の中央に位置する眼球が放つ、石化光線の効果だろう。――ほらね、盾の癖に攻撃力まであるなんて矛盾も良いとこじゃないかい。 すぐさまボクは天涯に状態異常の回復魔法と抵抗力アップの補助魔法をかけた。 「申し訳ございません。姫の手を煩わせるとは、なんと不甲斐ない......」 「反省は後っ。兎に角、いまは攻撃の手を休めないで! ―― 「はいっ」 「承りました、姫様」 ちらっと見たけど、九重も八割方回復しているみたいだ。 本当に危機一髪だったよ。偶然、アスミナのところに向かう途中でエウゲンたちに会って事情を聞かなかったら、絶対に間に合わないところだった。 九重には万一プレーヤーの襲撃があったら、無理をしないで撤退するように伝えてあったんだけど、やっぱり引かなかったみたいだね。 このあたりはボクの見通しの甘さが原因だ。最初は威力偵察程度だろうと高をくくっていた。 せめて複数人は魔将を配置しておくべきだった。 奥歯を噛み締めたところで、「姫!」と天涯の注意を促す声が掛かった。 』を抜かした8剣が、それぞれランダムな軌道でボク目掛けて襲い掛かってきた。 咄嗟に回避しようとする天涯を止めて、ボクは『 「「「「とうっ」」」」 その前に、空中で待機していた親衛隊の四季姉妹―― これで残りは4本! それが空中でドリルのように回転しながら、こちらに向かってくる。 腰を落とした瞬間、4本が一斉に空中でピタリと止まった。 唖然としたらぽっくさんの声がするところを見ると、彼にも予想外のことだったのだろう。 「――うら~~っ!!」 陽気な掛け声と共に、頭に宝冠を被った巨大な三面六臂の白猿――十三魔将軍ハヌマーンの 「なんだいなんだい、天涯の旦那。まだ手間取ってるのかい!? 腕が鈍ったんじゃないのかい!」 「遅参しておいて何を言うか! さっさと手伝え!」 天涯の怒号に、「へいへい」と首をすくめる白夜。 それから目を眇めて、地上のらぽっくさんを確認する。 「おやぁ? ありゃ...ラポックの兄さんじゃないか。 「構わん。姫がなんとでもなされる! それよりも油断するな。ラポック様といえど、あの強靭さは異常だ。円卓メンバー4人ががりでまだ半分も生命力を残している」 見ればいつの間にか復調した九重が衝撃波を放ち、同じく命都も空中から聖光撃を連打、さらに というか、天涯と従魔合身した時のボクのHPの7割近い数値じゃない! これってひょっとして例の黒幕が、兄丸さんの弟分に施した処置と同じものじゃないの?! ならマズイかも知れないね。またHPが 危険領域 「かあああっ!!!」 天涯の口元に丸い雷で出来た円盤が生まれ、その中心部に穴が開くと同時に青白い光となって一直線にらぽっくさんに向かった。 「――ちいいいいいっ!?」 咄嗟に躱そうとするらぽっくさんだけど、次の瞬間真っ白い光が視界を埋め尽くし、最後までその動きを追いきれなかった。 「......うわーっ、すごい」 視界を取り戻したボクの目に、全身から煙を噴き上げるらぽっくさんの姿と、地平線の彼方まですっぱり断ち切られた大地。そして一片の雲もない空が映った。 「――さすがにこのままじゃあ分が悪い。今日のところは退散させていただきますよ、緋雪さん」 苦笑いする、らぽっくさん。 ――これは、アーチャー系のスキル、レイジング・アロー?! 伏兵がいたのか、と歯噛みした。そんなボクへ魔将たちの注意が一瞬逸れた瞬間を狙い、らぽっくさんが転送石を起動させた。 「それじゃあ、また今度。――それと仕事は果たせていただきましたので」 その捨て台詞に、はっと転移装置を見ると、地面を突き破って、らぽっくさんの8剣が現れ、装置をズタズタに切り裂いたところだった。 完全に消えたらぽっくさんと、原型を留めていない転移装置に、ボクはため息をついた。 「......してやられたってところだねぇ。まったく」 「これからいかがなさいますか、姫?」 天涯の問いかけに、ボクは軽く頭を掻いた。 「取りあえず当初の予定通り、アスミナのところへ行って、レヴァンの行方を捜してみるよ。こっちの後始末は、引き続き九重、君に頼めるかな?」 「まあ、さすがにもう襲撃はないと思うけど......白夜、君も残って警戒しておいて」 「――なんでぇ、俺っちは留守番かい」 「貴様っ、姫の指示に従わんつもりか!?」 「んなことはぁ、言ってねーだろ。ホント石頭だね、旦那」 ぎゅっと右手を握ると痺れはあるものの、問題なく拳は握れた。 天蓋つきのベッドの上で、上半身を起こしてため息をつくレヴァン。 「あらあら、もう起きられるようになったなんて、さすがに次期獣王ですわ」 そんなことをいいながら12~13歳と思えるフリルたっぷりの白いドレスを着た端正な容貌の少女が、この客室へと入ってきた。 「これはオリアーナ皇女...!」 その足元に、ベッドの下で休んでいた仔ライオンのシンが嬉しそうにまとわりつく。 「あなたも元気そうね、シン。本当はもっとあなたと遊びたいんですけどね」 そういって、ポケットから取り出したビスケットを食べさせる。 「姫様、またこのようなところへ」 そこへ20歳を幾らか越えたと思しい年恰好のメイドが、彼女を追いかけて部屋へと入ってきた。 「このようなところ、とは何事です。この方はクレス自由同盟国の盟主。本来であれば国賓として遇すべき立場ですのよ」 叱り付けられたメイドは、ベッドに横になるレヴァンを胡散臭そうに見た。 「......そうはおっしゃられましても、この者がクレス自由同盟国の盟主という証拠はありません。血塗れで庭園に倒れていたなどど怪しすぎます。宮殿に忍び込んだ曲者と言われた方がよほど辻褄が合うかと」 その言葉に、少女は可笑しそうに足元のシンとレヴァンの枕元に置いてある緋雪人形を見て、ころころと笑った。 「どこの世界にペットとお人形を連れて、忍び込む間者がいますか。同じ荒唐無稽でも、まだしも、この方の証言のほうが説得力がありますわ。なにしろこの方の背後についているのは、噂の姫陛下その方だというのですもの。なにがあっても可笑しくはありませんわ」 なおも渋るメイドに向かって、少女は凛と告げた。 「兎に角、この方の身柄については、わたしグラウィオール帝国皇女オリアーナ・アイネアス・ミルン・グラウィオールの名において保証をすると宣言いたします。それ以上なにか必要ですか?」 オリアーナ・アイネアス・ミルン・グラウィオール皇女。 現皇帝の唯一の実子にして、その可憐な容姿から『鈴蘭の皇女』と謳われる、グラウィオール帝国次期皇位継承者であった。

74 Episode 10: Princess Suzuran "Long time no see, Mr. Scarlet Snow. Cheerful... Guaaaa" Ignoring Lapokusan's mouth, a heavenly thunderbolt is poured. The rocks crumble, the earth sinks, and the ionized air hits my nose, but heavenly life doesn't loosen my attacking hand for a moment. Strict in advance not to loosen it. Anyway, the opponent is the strongest player. And his strengths are not, in fact, nine-knife flow or parallel thinking, speed specialization, like me, or assassination specialization, like Mr. Shadowloon, that kind of peaky strength, but simply where all is well balanced. In short, there are extremely few gaps to penetrate, and there are no weaknesses that seem to be weaknesses. Be the most troublesome type of person to fight. So, Rapo, a lot of opponents are killed by a moment of alarm. If I was chatting, I might get scratched in the sleep in the meantime. So if we're going to fight, we'll have to go with full force and maximum firepower from the start, with force push. To the fierce onslaught of heaven, that left-hand gear had changed from the machete "Moon" to the ultra-rare drop gear "Invincible (Aigis)" at some point, just as I would evacuate from the spot. of the tongue-beating heavenly body. There was petrification. It would be the effect of petrified light emitted by the eyeballs located in the middle of "Invincible (Aigis)". - Look, isn't it a good contradiction that shield habits are even aggressive? Immediately, I applied the magic of healing abnormalities and the auxiliary magic of increasing resistance in Heaven. "I'm sorry. How impudent it is to annoy the princess's hand..." "Reflection comes later. Horns on the rabbit, don't rest your hands on the attack now! - When the healing of Kyushu is complete, help me here. IX, you will return to the front as soon as you are cured! "Yes." "Yes, Princess." I kinda saw it, but it looks like Kue is recovering 80% of the time. It was really a crisis. Coincidentally, if I hadn't met the Eugens on my way to Asmina and asked what was going on, I would have never made it. In the unlikely event of a player raid in Kue, I had told him not to force him to withdraw, but he didn't seem to pull it off after all. This area is caused by the sweetness of my outlook. At first, it was getting high that it would be about power reconnaissance. At least more than one person should have kept the Demon General in place. I just bit my back teeth and said, "Princess!" and a voice hung urging the attention of heaven. Each of the eight swords that skipped Bulapo Kusan's "Outstanding" struck me in random orbit. I stopped trying to evade heaven, and I set up "The Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" and tried to intercept him. "" "" Ugh "" " Before that, the SS sisters who were waiting in the air - "Tsubaki", "Hinoki", "Hiragi" and "Hiragi" of the Angel of Kwon (Principality) - slapped down each sword with the holy spear (Spear) in their hands. Now there are four left! That comes this way, spinning like a drill in the air. The moment I dropped my hips, the four stopped perfectly in the air at the same time. Seeing where Pokemon's voice sounded when it flashed, I guess it was unexpected to him, too. "- Ugh!!" Along with cheerful hung voices, a giant three-sided six-armed white monkey wearing a treasure crown on his head - the white night of the thirteenth demon general, Hanuman (Bhayah), kicked one of the remaining swords as he had to jump from above. "What is it, my heavenly husband? You still got a lot of work to do!? Didn't you lose your arm? "Stay late and say what! Help me now!" To the anger of heaven, "heck" shrugs his neck white night. Then I glance at him and check for lappy cunts on the ground. "Hey? Well... you're Rapok's brother. Can I kill you? "I don't mind. The princess can do anything! Don't be more alarmed than that. Though Master Rapok, that toughness is unusual. Four roundtable members still have half their vitality." At some point, the demodulated Kue emits a shock wave, as well as the Life Capital hitting Holy Light shots from the air, and even more engraving (like this) is imminent, but Lapokushan's HP is only about 40% less. No matter how much 'Invincible (Aigis)' you are offsetting or snubbing, there certainly cannot be this amount of toughness and HP. Or not nearly 70% of my HP when I fit heavenly and submissive! Isn't this the same treatment your brother Maru applied to his disciple?! Then maybe it's a bad idea. If HP enters the danger zone again, it could blow itself up. If it just disappears without a trace, it can't be completely resuscitated (lizalection). Besides, Kue's Necromancer communication is also invalid for high-level players, so you can't use it. It's like they took him hostage in a way... what do we do? I wonder if they manage to restrain in a critical area of danger (Red Zone) - and the Demon generals wave before giving instructions. "Kaaaa!!!" A disc made of round thunder was born at the mouth of the heavens, and at the same time a hole was drilled in its center, it became a blue and white light and headed towards Lapokusan in a straight line. "- Hey, no!? I tried to be raspy, but at the next moment the bright white light filled my sight and I couldn't keep up with the movement until the end. "... Wow, wow" In my eyes I regained my sight, the figure of Lapokusan spraying smoke from all over his body and the earth completely cut off to the other side of the horizon. And there was a sky with no clouds. "- That's just the way it is. Bad minutes then. I will disperse you for today, Mr. Scarlet Snow." I laugh bitterly, Rapunzel. - This is an Archer Skill, Raising Arrow?! There was an ambush, I bit my teeth. Such a moment of deviation from the attention of the demon generals to me, Lapokusan activated the transfer stone. "See you next time. - And you've done your job." On that discarding dialogue, I looked at the transfer device all the way through the ground, and eight swords of Lapokusan appeared, and I just tore the device to pieces. When it disappeared completely, I sighed at Pokusa and the transfer device, which did not fasten the prototype. "... I almost got hit. Totally." "What do you want to do now, Princess? I scratched my head lightly during the Heavenly Query. "In the meantime, as originally planned, I'll go to Asmina and see where Levan is. Can I ask you to keep going, Nine? "Well, I just don't think there will be any more raids... but you stay and be vigilant during the day and night" - Why am I leaving a message? "You're not going to follow the Princess's instructions!? "Ha, you didn't say. You're a real stonehead, sir." Although there was paralysis when I grabbed my right hand all the time, my fist was shaken without any problems. On a bed with a canopy, Levan wakes up and sighs. "Oh, my God, I can't believe I'm awake now. That's the next Beast King." A righteous looking girl in a frill-laden white dress who seemed 12-13 years old while doing that came into this room. "This is Princess Oriana...! At its feet, Singh, the little lion who was resting under the bed, joyfully clung around. "You look good too, Sin. I'd really like to play with you more." That said, feed them the biscuits they took out of their pockets. "Princess, to this place again" A good maid of the year, who I think is some over 20 years old, came into the room after her. "What is this place? This one is the leader of the Free Alliance of Cres. If I were you, I'd be in a position to be a national guest." The scolded maid looked frigid at Levan lying in bed. "... Having said that, there is no evidence that this person is the ally of the Free Alliance of Cres. You were falling into the garden with blood paint. How suspicious. I thought it would be better if they told me you were a crook who snuck into the palace." To the words, the girl laughed at the time when she looked ridiculously at the scarlet snow doll on Sin and Levan's pillow at her feet. "In what world do you take pets and dolls and sneak in? Same absurdity, but still, this testimony is more convincing. Anyway, the person behind this is the rumored princess. Whatever it is, it's not funny." Still toward the reluctant maid, the girl told Rin. "I declare that I, Oriana Aineas Miln Grawior, Empress of the Grawior Empire, give assurances as to the horns of the rabbits and the nature of this person. Do you need anything more than that? Crown Princess Oriana Eineas Miln Grawior. As the only real son of the present emperor, he was the next heir to the imperial throne of the Grawior Empire, called 'Empress of Suzuran' because of her poor appearance.

第六話 合従連衡 クレス自由同盟国の暫定首都ウィリデ。 その近郊にある『転送魔法発送所』には、大陸各地へと向かう 元は人口2,000人程度の漁村に毛が生えた程度の町であったのだが、首都機能の拡充と港湾の整備。そしてなにより、大陸中のここにしかない大規模転送魔法交易の発送所という目玉の登場により、あれよあれよという間に市が立ち、商店が軒を連ね、それを目当てに人々が集まり、気が付けばクレス自由同盟国最大の都市となり、名実共に首都として機能することになったのだった。 その行政機能を担う行政庁(と言っても二階建ての商館程度の建物であるが)の応接室で、同盟国の盟主(仮)であるレヴァンは、自国の宗主国である 豊満な胸を申し訳程度に薄絹で隠し、短い腰衣をまとった妖艶な美女。 額飾りに耳飾り、首飾り、胸飾り、両の指には指輪、腕輪、足輪とふんだんに飾り立てられ、それらすべて金細工の装飾が付けられ、動くたびにシャラシャラと澄んだ鈴の音のような音を立てていた。 耳目すべてを使い男を魅了して止まない、七禍星獣No7にしてアプサラスの化身たる で、応接セットのソファーに座った彼女の膝の上。一見して2歳児くらいに見える美幼女人形『ちびちび緋雪ちゃん』が、可愛らしく腕組みしていた。 「そういうことで鈴蘭から話が来てるんだけど、どう思う? 君の意見としては」 「ええと、カレーにはラッキョウが合うんでしたっけ?」 ごくりと生唾を飲み込んで、七夕の胸の辺りからどうにか視線を膝の上......を軽くスルーして通り過ぎ、肉感的な太股を眺めながら、対面に座ったレヴァンは緋雪人形の言葉に相槌を打った。 「......カレーじゃなくて帝国と聖王国との共闘の件なんだけど、君は一体なにを言ってるの......? というか私の話聞いてる? あと私、ラッキョウは嫌いなんだけど」 「はい、聞いてます。聖帝国が凶暴なのでラッキョウが嫌いになったんですね」 当然上の空である。 ――う~~む、使者役を間違えたかな。この朴念仁がここまで魅了されるとは......。 まあ七夕がナチュラルボーンで男を幻惑するのはしかたないよ。プロなんだし。 だけど仮にも次期獣王にして、クレス自由同盟国を背負って立つ武道家なんだから、もうちょっと精神力鍛えたほうがいいと思うんだよね。 このままだとどーにも話が進まないっぽいので、緋雪は対応を検討することにした。 「しかたがない、アスミナに連絡して少し締めてもらうしか――」 刹那、レヴァンは正気に戻った。 「姫陛下っ。俺は平気です! 真面目に話をしましょう、そうしましょう!」 「お、おう・・・」 ――どんだけヤンデレ妹が怖いんだ? 「さんざん大口叩いていてこれですからね。大陸最強が聞いて呆れる」 ざまあみろと言わんばかりの口調で言い放つレヴァン。 元来が獣人や亜人を差別(流石に近年はそこまで過激ではなくなってきたものの、200年ほど前までは無差別に惨殺してきた)している聖教の本家本元たるイーオン聖王国。 不倶戴天の敵の失態に喝采を叫びたくなるのも当然と言えば当然だろう。 「まあ、気持ちはわからなくもないし、正直私としても余所の国の話だし、こっちが無事ならどーでもいいんだけどね。実際、いまのところはクレスの国境線は破られてないだろう?」 「無論です。夜目の利かない人間族とは違って、俺達や本国の方々は夜戦が本領ですからね。吸血鬼なんぞ――っと。も、申し訳ございません」 目の前に座る人形の本体が吸血姫だったのを思い出して、慌てて立ち上がって頭を下げるレヴァン。 「構わないさ。別に血族ってわけでもないんだし、気にしちゃいないし、容赦する必要もないよ」 緋雪人形は軽く肩をすくめ、「ただ・・・」と付け加えた。 「最近、グラウィオール帝国国境側では、撃退する吸血鬼の数が増えてるそうなんだ。そろそろ公国内の 「どうでしょう......? ウチは基本的に避難民の誘導と警護、その世話を主に行っていますので、最前線の戦闘は恥ずかしながら本国の皆様にお任せしてる状況ですので」 このあたりが若さの発露と言うものか。前線に立って戦えないことを歯がゆく思って、苦悩している様がありありと窺える。 「いやいや、それもとても重要な役目だよ。ウチの連中だとそういうことはできないからねぇ」 緋雪の取り成しを受けて、 「そうですね。現場で陣頭指揮を執っているアケロン族長からも言われました。『戦いは目先の戦闘のみではない。勝つためには立場にこだわることなく適材適所の働きをするのは、戦士たるものの当然の務めだ』と」 レヴァンは自分に言い聞かせるように、そう言って頷いた。 「しかし、そうなると......どうなのかな七夕? 国境線の様子は? やっぱ増えてる?」 「そうですわね...」 肉厚の唇にそっと親指を当てて考え込む七夕。動作のいちいちが艶っぽいので、レヴァンはあまりそちらを見ないように目を逸らせた。 それでもハスキーボイスが耳からじわじわ浸透してくる。 「詳しい数値や内容は総指揮を執っておられる魔将軍・ 目指すは一番近い転送ポイント。 普通の獅子族の脚でも4時間はかかるところだが、この吹き零れるような 「――うおっ!?」 猛烈な悪寒を感じでレヴァンは仰け反った。 「いえ、なぜか急に背筋に氷柱が入れられような、とてつもない寒気を感じたもので......」 レヴァンの言い訳に案の定、妙な顔をする緋雪人形。 「まあ、話を戻すけど、そのあたりのことも踏まえて、今後のことを鈴蘭が協議したいって言ってきてね」 妙に浮かない顔の緋雪に首を捻るレヴァン。 「......気が進まないんですか?」 「いや、重要性はわかるし、ほっとくと無限増殖するアレが、これ以上力をつけるのも問題だとは思うんだけど」ため息をついて緋雪は続けた。「――ぶっちゃけ、アレには係わり合いになりたくない」 「そんなにマズイ相手なんですか?」 「う~~ん、単純な個人の戦力でどうにか互角くらい。国としての総合的な戦力なら圧倒できるとは思うけど、たいへんな変態なので、苦手なんだよねぇ」 ここまで弱気になるのも珍しいな、と思ってまだ見ぬ今回の吸血鬼騒動の首魁を思って眉を寄せるレヴァン。 「じゃあ今回のお誘いはお断りしますか?」 「ん~~っ、だったらだったで帝国と聖王国の混成軍の戦いになりそうだけど、そうなったら負けて、敵の戦力増強に寄与することになるからねぇ。止めるべきなんだろうけど。......というか、公国内に生きた人間がいなくなってるなら、遠からず自滅するのは目に見えてるんだから、待ちに徹して相手が疲弊するのを待つべきだと思うんんだけど。あの鈴蘭がそんな基本的なことを考えないで、急遽私と聖王国の大教皇を引き合わせて、非公式に『大陸三大巨頭会議』を開くなんてよほどだと思うしね」 さらりと言われた言葉に、レヴァンは度肝を抜かされ、危うく引っくり返るところだった。 「それが意外とあっさり了承されたってことで、鈴蘭もビックリしてた。あと『できればあのタワケにはお会いさせたくないのですが......』と言い添えられていたから、どーも本当っぽいよ」 「で、ですが、相手は聖教の最高権力者ですよ! 天敵どころではないんじゃ......!?」 「まあ、私は別にどーとも思ってないけど。相手がどう出るかだねぇ」 「......行かれるおつもりですか?」 「ま。顔を見るくらいはね。協力するかどうかは別問題だけど」 「正直、オレとしては気が進みません。聖教の連中と馴れ合うなんて。......ですが、姫陛下の意思を尊重します」 「ありがとう。別に私も馴れ合うつもりはないよ。ただ事態がひょっとすると私の予想を上回っている可能性がありそうなので、確認したいだけ。その上でせいぜい高くウチの戦力が売り込めるなら、恩を着せるのも良いかとは思ってるよ」 「それは......オレ達、獣人族の安全の為ですか?」 もし、そのために姫陛下が骨折りされるというなら、自分達の誇りにかけても阻止すべき。 そう固い決意で確認する。 緋雪はちょっと考え、 「......コラード国王が、最近になってクロエと付き合ってるのは知ってる?」 なぜか関係のないことを聞いてきた。 「いえ、初耳ですけど。あの姐さんとコラード国王がですか?」 正直意外な取り合わせである。 「これが意外なことにコラード君が熱烈に求婚してね。クロエも満更でない様子で、見ていて妬けるというか......」 獣人族が一国の国王の后になるなどそうそうあることではない。 コラード国王なら人間性も問題ないし、悪い話ではない――どころか、手放しで祝福すべきだろう。 「近いうちに結婚するんじゃないかな」 「そうですか。その時には獣人族総出で祝福に訪れさせていただきます」 「うん、聖教がアミティア国内から撤退してる以上、また相手が獣人族の女性と言うことになれば、式の形式も変則的にならざるを得ないだろうね」 「いいんじゃないですか、お互いに幸福なら」 「そうだね。まあ、あの二人はそれでいいのかも知れないけど、周りの目ってのもあるからねぇ。形骸化していても、形だけでも式をあげてあげたいな、とか思うわけさ。そのために聖教のトップと顔を合わせようと思っただけさ」 そう言ってヤレヤレと肩をすくめる緋雪人形。 「ま。それが断られるくらいなら、さっさと滅びればいいけどね」 「そんなもんですか?」 韜晦してるのか、照れ隠しなのか、本気なのかわからないけれど、自分達やコラード国王のためにできることは行う。あとは知らんと言い切る緋雪の姿勢に、泣き笑いのような表情になるレヴァンなのであった。 「なに、あれ......?」 呆然とした呟きが、死の大地と化した領空に溶けて消えた。

93 Episode Six: Conformity Willide, provisional capital of the Free Alliance of Cres. There were long lines of merchants (caravans) and group guests heading to various parts of the continent at the "Forwarding Magic Shipping Station" near it. It was originally a town to the extent that hairs grew in fishing villages with a population of about 2,000, but the expansion of capital functions and the development of ports. And more importantly, the emergence of the only major transferring magic exchange shipping station on the continent allowed the city to stand in the meantime, the shops to connect houses, people to meet for it, and, if they realized it, became the largest city in the Free Alliance of Cres, serving as the capital of both fame and fame. In the reception room of the administrative agency responsible for its administrative functions (albeit a building of about two floors of commerce), Levan, the allied leader (tentative), was welcoming a messenger from Imperial Crimson, the Crimson Empire of the Crimson, his own country's Patriarchate. A luscious beauty who hides her busty breasts in thin silk to the extent of her apologies and puts together a short waistcoat. Ear decorations, necklaces, chest decorations on forehead decorations, two fingers plumply decorated with rings, bracelets, foot rings, all of which were decorated with goldsmiths, making sounds like sharps and clear bells every time they moved. Using all the ears and eyes to attract men and not stop them, the Seven Hazards Star Beast No. 7 became the incarnate New Year's Eve of Apsaras. By the way, Apsaras is a celestial woman who appears in Indian mythology and is also famous for corrupting monks in their beauty during training. So, I sat on the couch in the reception set on her lap. Chibi Scarlet Snow, a beautiful toddler doll who looked like a 2-year-old at first glance, was wearing a cute arm. "That's what I'm talking about from Suzuran, what do you think? In your opinion." "Uh, did the curry fit the lackey? Swallow the sawdust, and manage to gaze over his knees from around the Chest of the Seventh Eve... Passing lightly through, looking at his fleshly thick thighs, Levan, sitting face-to-face, hammered at the words of the Scarlet Snow doll. "... it's not about curry, it's about the empire and the holy kingdom, what the hell are you talking about...? Or are you listening to me? And me, I hate lucky ones." "Yes, I'm listening. Because the Holy Empire is so fierce, you don't like luck." Naturally it is the sky above. - Uh-huh, I guess I mistook the messenger role. I didn't know this Park Min-Jen would be so fascinated...... Well, the New Year's Eve only deludes a man in natural bourne. I'm a professional. But even if you're the next Beast King, and you're a martial artist who stands on the back of the Cress Free Alliance, you think you should build some more mental strength. Scarlet Snow decided to consider dealing with it because it seemed impossible to talk to anyone if it stayed this way. "There is no other way, but to contact Asmina and have her tighten it up a little -" In a moment, Levan returned to sanity. "Your Majesty. I'm fine! Let's talk serious, let's do that! "Oh, whoa..." - How scared are you of Jandere's sister? "It's because you're slapping me in the mouth and this is it. The strongest people on the continent can hear you." Levan says it in a tone that just keeps telling me not to. The Eon Holy Kingdom, the main headquarters of the Episcopal Church, which originally discriminates against beasts and subhuman beings (although it has become less radical in recent years to boulders, it has been indiscriminately and tragically slaughtered until about 200 years ago). It would also be natural to say that you would want to cry out for praise for the failure of your uncluttered enemies. "Well, I don't even know how you feel, and to be honest with you, I'm talking about the rest of the country, and I don't care if this one's safe. In fact, we haven't broken Cress' border so far, have we? "Whatever. Unlike the nocturnal humans, we and the people of our country are the main players in the night war. What a vampire - dude. also, I apologize" Remembering that the body of the doll sitting in front of him was a blood-sucking princess, Levan hurriedly stood up and bowed his head. "I don't mind. It's not like I'm blood, I don't care, I don't have to forgive you." The Scarlet Snow doll shrugged her shoulders lightly, adding, "It's just..." "Recently, on the border side of the Grawior Empire, there's been an increase in the number of vampires repelling. That's right. Maybe it's time for food (ningen) in the Principality to get to the bottom. - How's the scale over here? "What do you think...? We basically guide and protect refugees and take care of them, so we're embarrassed to leave front-line combat to everyone in our country." Are you saying this area is an exposition of youth? I can see how distressed I seem to be, teething that I can't stand on the front line and fight. "No, no, that's a very important role, too. We can't do that with our people." In the wake of Scarlet Snow's uptake, "Right. I was also told by Chief Akelon, who is in charge of the front line at the scene. 'The battle is not just an immediate battle. It is only natural for a warrior to work properly without paying attention to his position to win." As Levan told herself, she said so and nodded. "But then... what do you think, Seven Eves? How's the border? Is that more? "Right..." Seventh Eve thinking softly thumbs on thick lips. Since the motion was glossy, Levan distracted him from looking at you too much. Still, husky voices twitch through my ears. "I wonder if the detailed figures and contents will be grasped by the general of the demon and the cloud (even if he is not there), or by Mr. Zhou Jin (Susa), who is flying 'eyes' across the border, but it does feel like he can be attacked frequently when he feels physically." The aim is the closest transfer point. Even the legs of a normal lion family take 4 hours, but with this zero-blown love for my brother-in-law (oh dear), I'll try to run it in 2 hours! "- Whoa!? Feeling a fierce chill, Levan turned back. "No, for some reason I suddenly felt a very cold chill trying to get an ice column in my spine..." A Scarlet Snow doll with a strange face, identified by Levan's excuses. "Well, let's get back to it, but based on what happened around there, Suzuran said he wanted to discuss the future." Levan twisting her neck in scarlet snow on a strangely unfloating face. "... don't you feel comfortable? "No, I know how important it is, and I don't think it's a problem to let it grow infinitely, but to build on it any more," continued Scarlet Snow with a sigh. "- Blah, blah, I don't want to get involved with you." "Are you that bad with him? "Uh-huh, about each other somehow with simple personal power. I know you can be overwhelming with your overall fighting power as a country, but you're a lot of perverts, so you're not good at it." It's unusual to be so weak, Levan frowns at the thought of the head of this vampire commotion that I haven't seen yet. "So do you refuse this invitation? "Mm-hmm. If it were, it would likely be a battle between a mixed army of empires and holy kingdoms, but if it were, we'd lose, and we'd contribute to enhancing the enemy's power, hey. I guess we should stop it.... or if there are no more living humans within the Principality, it's visible to self-destruct not far away, so I think we should wait thoroughly and wait for them to exhaust. I think it's enough that Suzuran should not think about such fundamentals, but quickly engage me and the Archpope of the Holy Kingdoms to hold the" Three Great Meetings of the Continent "informally." Levan was drained of his temper and was about to pull back in jeopardy. "That was surprisingly well received, and Suzuran was surprised. And then they said, 'I don't want you to see that tawake if you can...' They all look real." "But they are the supreme power of the Episcopal Church! It's not about natural enemies...!? "Well, I don't think anything else. It's how they get out." "... are you going to be gone? "Ma. Enough to see your face. It's a different question of whether or not to cooperate." "Honestly, as for me, I don't feel comfortable. I can't believe I'm getting used to the ecclesiastical people. ... but I respect the will of Her Majesty the Princess" "Thank you. Nothing. I'm not going to get used to it either. I just want to make sure things are a little bit more likely than I expected. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to be thankful if, at best, we could sell our strength." "Is that... for the safety of us, the Beasts? If for that reason His Majesty the Princess is to be broken, we should stop even with our pride. Confirm with such firm determination. Scarlet Snow thought for a second, "... do you know that King Collard has been dating Chloe lately? For some reason I've heard things that have nothing to do with it. "No, it's my first ear. Are you and King Collard? It's an unexpected combination, to be honest. "Unexpectedly, Collard, you are eagerly proposing. Chloe is less than satisfied, and she is jealous to watch..." That is not the case, such as when the Beastmen will be after a king of a nation. King Collard would have no problem with humanity, and it's not a bad story - on the contrary, he should be blessed at will. "I guess we'll get married soon" "Really? At that time, we will visit the Blessings in the Beast Nation." "Yeah, more than the Episcopal Church is retreating from Amitian territory, and if the other person were to say women of the Beast tribe, the format of the ceremony would have to be anomalous, too." "Wouldn't it be nice, if we were happy with each other" "Right. Well, maybe those two are fine, because there are some eyes around them. I'd like to give you a ceremony, even if it's shape-shaped, or just a shape, or something. I just wanted to face the head of the Episcopal Church for that." That's what I say. Scarlet snow doll shrugging his shoulders with a jerk. "Ma. If that's enough to turn you down, I hope you're just doomed." "Is that so? I don't know if I'm oblivious, overshadowed, or serious, but I'll do what I can for myself and King Collard. The rest was Levan with a crying look on his face at Scarlet Snow, who said he didn't know. "What, is that...? A grunting whine dissolved and vanished into a space transformed into the earth of death.

第二話 吸血公国 ユース大公国は、もともとがケンスルーナ国建国王の王弟にあたる人物が辺境公として治めていた土地であり、その後ありきたりのお家騒動を経て200年ほど前に独立国となった。 そのお家騒動の際に肝心のケンスルーナでは記録が散逸してしまったが、この国には一つの重要な使命があった。 すなわち『ケンスルーナの秘宝を守れ。決して世に出してはならない』というものである。 大公家に代々厳命されてきた、ある意味ユース大公国の存在意義にも関わる命題でもあったが、代を重ねるにつれいつしかそれは形骸化されていき、それに加えて此度の敗戦により詳細に伝承を継承する 「......またか」 ボコボコと地面を割って現れた、青白い肌にボロボロの服を着た亡者のような たちまち灰になって崩れ落ちる......もとは単なる村人だったのであろう男の吊り上った口角と牙が消え、平凡な顔つきに戻ると同時に転がっていた首もその後を追った。 「これで何匹目でしたっけ?」 仮面越しにでもわかるうんざりした顔の それでも見た目か弱そうなボクの方へばかり向かってくるところが、妙に小ずるいというか......ある意味、見境がないよりも嫌らしい。 「――親から数えて劣化第4世代の 「いやいや、姫様は充分おいしそうですよ。主に性的な意味で」 後ろに立つ稀人に向かって、無言で手にした『 「いきなり虎の子を繰り出してくるとは、腰の重い聖王国にしては意外でしたね。まあ連中にしてもウォーレン宰相が謎の失踪を遂げてからこっち、帝国内での権威が右肩下がりですから。ここらで本気度を見せて起死回生を計るつもりなんでしょうが......」 「どうなのかな? 頭の居なくなった宰相派が巻き返しの為、聖王国に泣きついたのは確からしいけど、幾らなんでも派兵が早すぎる、まるで用意していたみたいだってオリアーナも不審がってたねぇ」 「ふむ。確かにタイミングが良すぎますね。――ひょっとするとウォーレンの失踪も連中のシナリオですか?」 思わず苦笑する。 「いつから陰謀論者になったんだい? 有力な協力者を亡き者にして、その上、一国を丸ごと滅ぼして国民をことごとく吸血鬼にする。その上で自分たちの権威を見せ付けるなんて、さすがにデメリットが大きすぎるよ。ま、このあたりは鈴蘭も同意見だったけど、ただ、今回の聖王国の迅速な派兵については、大教皇からのトップダウン――勅命でもなけりゃ難しいだろうってことで、まったく無関係とも思えないのでは?というのが彼女の見解。......まあでも、あの阿呆が自己判断できるわけないので、誰かが裏で手を回したに違いないけど、実際のところ、現段階ではパズルのピースが少なすぎるとも言ってたね」 ちなみに『あの阿呆』というのは、言うまでもなくイーオン聖王国の大教皇のこと。よほど嫌っているらしい。 「なるほど。それはそれとして帝国軍は国境の警備と聖王国の補給を分担するんでしたっけ?」 「らしいね。いちおうクレス側国境の監視にこっちからも人員を出しているけど、お陰で余計な出費が増えたって鈴蘭が頭を抱えていたよ」 ちなみにクレス側ではレヴァン以下虎人族族長『豪腕』アケロンが陣頭指揮を執って、数千人規模の部隊が展開している他、 がいくら精強だとはいえ所詮は生身の人間。相手は少なく見積もっても数十万規模。その上、他国への侵攻となると補給線がかなり延びると思うんですが、踏み止まれますか? しかも相手は夜襲が本領の吸血鬼ですよ。どう考えても長期間になると総崩れしそうな気がするんですが......?」 「長期戦にする気はないんじゃないかな? 鼠算式に増えた吸血鬼相手なら、大本の一人を斃せば自動的に全滅するからねぇ。 単独ではなく、帝国とウチとの混成軍で包囲戦を展開したほうが確実だと思うんですが」 連中が失敗した場合は今後戦力の逐次投入という愚を犯すことになりそうな予想を立てているんだろう。稀人はなおさらうんざりした顔になる。 まあ、まして相手は吸血鬼。下手をすると大陸屈指の精鋭部隊が、そっくりそのまま敵の手駒にされる可能性すらあるからねぇ。 には打診したんだけど、まあ、予想通り『魔国やそれに与する者の協力は必要ない』って取り付く島もない返答だったみたいだねぇ」 予想通りの回答に二人揃って肩をすくめる。 「ま、連中から見れば吸血鬼であふれ返ったこの国も、ウチも同じってとこですか」 「だろうね。――まあ、あながち間違いでもないかな」 「はっはっはっ、そんなもん街で適当な相手を見つけて一夜限りのお相手をお願いするのに決まってますよ。いまのところ成功率はほぼ100%ですね」 「......うん。とりあえずモゲればいいと思うけど、間違っても血を与えて眷族作ろうなんて思わないでね」 「ちょっ、ちょっと姫様。これは洒落になりませんよ!」 「変質者を相手に本気で抵抗してるんだから、当たり前だろ!」 慌てて逃げる稀人を追いかけながら、取りあえず噂の このユース大公国の悲劇からおよそ1ヶ月前、物語の発端は旧ケンスルーナ国の首都ファーブラーにあるホテルの豪奢な貴賓室で行われていた。 「......吸血鬼だと? それが魔神の正体だというのか貴様」 「確証はありませんけど、可能性は高いと思いますよ。それも封印されたまま、いまだ健在ってことはそこいらのモンスターじゃないでしょうね。始祖か......いやいや、仮にも『魔神』っていうくらいですから神祖かも知れません」 「神祖......あの小娘と同類か。ならば使えるかも知れんな......」 なにを思いついたのか、ウォーレンは 「――あの、なんのお話でしょうか?」 その声に潜む狂気と自暴自棄の響きを感じて、影郎は恐る恐る尋ねた。 の小娘は吸血姫の神祖であり、神にも匹敵する力を持つゆえ現状の戦力では討ち果たすことができないと、貴様は判断するのであろう。ならば話は単純だ。同じ神祖を戦力に加えれば良いだけではないか」 珍しく、影郎が本気で狼狽した様子でウォーレンを制する。 「戦力に加えるって言っても、相手は仮にも魔神とか言われるとんでもない相手ですよ。封印を解いたが最後、圧倒的な力で、逆に支配下に置かれるのが関の山です!」 「......妙に必死だな。他にもなにか知っていることがあるのか?」 「いやいや、自分が知ってるのは吸血鬼の怖さです。あれは同じプレーヤーとしてもある意味別格ですから。とにかく思い止まってください」 「ふん。いかに強大であろうと所詮は血肉を供えた存在であろう。ましてや長年の封印で相当に衰弱しているのは想像に難くない。さらにこちらには封印の魔具もある」 銀色の十字架を掌中で転がす。 「逆に儂が恐れるのは封印を解いてはみたものの、肝心の魔神が弱体で失望させられる結果だな。封印を解いた上で、使い物にならないようなら再封印すればいいこと。いや、さっさと始末したほうが不確定要素を排除できるか」 少し醒めた様子でウォーレンは呟いた。 「仮に貴様の言うとおり魔神が制御できない存在であれば、放置するかクレス方面に誘導すれば良いだけのこと。自国領で暴れられればあの大甘の小娘は乗り出してくるであろう。そうなれば我々は傍観し、双方の消耗を待てば良い。......理想とすれば共倒れが望ましいが、さすがにそれは虫が良すぎるだろう。どちらかが斃されたところで介入すれば期せずして最小限の労力で最大の成果が得られるというものよ」 冷然と言い放ち薄く笑うウォーレンの言葉を、内心頭を抱えながら聞き流す影郎。 どうやらこのおっさん、お嬢さんにやられたことを根に持ちすぎて深く静かに壊れていたらしい。 封印の石棺に眠っているであろう、顔なじみのプレーヤー――緋雪以外で唯一超レア種族『吸血鬼(神祖)』となった男の、自分とは別の方向でなにを考えているかわからない言動を思い出して、影郎は密かにため息をついた。

88 Lesson Two: The Blood-Sucking Principality The Grand Duchy of Youth was originally the land ruled as Lord Borderline by a man who was the King's brother of the Founding King of Kensruna, and became an independent state about 200 years ago after the onset of home disturbances. Records were scattered at the heart of Kensruna during that home commotion, but this country had one important mission. That is, 'Protect the treasures of Kensruna. Never let the world out'. It was a proposition that has been rigorously ordained by the Grand Duke for generations, both in a sense related to the existential significance of the Grand Duchy of Youth, but only as the generations went by was it morphed, in addition to which it was entirely closed to its history, with the actual power of the relatives of the bystanders, who had only been informed of it in fragments, instead of the immediate relatives (Valdem), who inherited it in more detail in this defeat. "... again" He appears broken on the ground, slashing the neck of a deceased junior vampire (Lesser Vampire) wearing blue-white skin and stabbing him in the heart just in case. It happens to be ashes and collapses... the hung corners and fangs of the man, who would have originally been just a villager, disappeared, and his neck, which was rolling at the same time as he returned to his mediocre face, followed him. "How many were you with this? I also responded with a sigh to the enquiry of a tired face rare person (barely) who could tell over the mask. Still, it's strangely small to come all the way to me that I seem weak... in a way, I don't like it any more than I don't have any prospects. "- Count it from your parents. Degraded. About the fourth generation of your great-grandchildren? If you look at the older grandchildren (2nd generation), you'll know they're the best." "No, no, the princess looks delicious enough. Mainly in a sexual sense." Towards the rare man standing behind me, I turned around and waved the 'Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)' in silent hands - but I am spared. "It was surprising for a heavily waisted holy kingdom to suddenly roll out the tiger child. Well, even if they do, since Prime Minister Warren's mysterious disappearance, his authority within the Empire has fallen on his right shoulder. I guess I'm going to show some seriousness here and measure the regeneration of death..." "What do you think? It seems certain that the lost prime minister cried to the Holy King's kingdom because of the rewind, but whatever it is, the march was too early, as if it had been prepared, because Oriana was suspicious." "Hmm. It's certainly too good a time. - Is Warren's disappearance a scenario for them, too? I laugh unintentionally. "How long have you been a conspiracy theorist? Turn a powerful collaborator into a deceased, and on top of that, destroy a whole country and turn all its people into vampires. It's just too much of a downside to show our authority on that. Ma, Suzuran was in agreement around here, but I just don't think it's entirely irrelevant that this quick march of the Holy King would be difficult if it weren't for the top-down from the Archpope - his life? That's her view.... well, someone must have turned their hand around in the back because that idiot can't make a self determination, but the truth is, you also said there were too few pieces of the puzzle at this stage" By the way, 'that abalone' means, needless to say, the Archpope of the Holy Kingdom of Aeon. They hate you so much. "I see. And as such, did the Imperial Army share the border security and the supply of the Holy King? "Sounds like. Suzuran had his head in mind that he was sending personnel from here to monitor the Kress side of the border, but thanks to the extra expenses." By the way, on the Kress side, Levan or less, Tiger Clan Chief "Haughty Arms" Akelon is in command, with thousands of troops deployed, as well as all the Seven Hazards Star Beasts (Shikikotsu) and the guerrilla troops from the Crimson Empire. It is accompanied by the clouds of General Thirteen Demons No. 2 (even without them) and dozens of angels from their covert units and the Kingsguard (just as there is no gap between all the frontiers crawling out of the ants, this is the result of the emphasis on manoeuvrability and communication networks so that the bulk line can be maintained because it is physically impossible). "Are you okay? No matter how powerful the Cathedral Crusaders are, the Cathedral Crusaders are living people. The opponent is hundreds of thousands of sizes, even if quoted less. Besides, I think the supply line extends considerably when it comes to invading another country, can you stop? Besides, the other guy is a vampire with a night assault. Whatever you think, I feel like it's going to collapse over a long period of time...? "Aren't you willing to make it a long fight? If there's more vampire opponents in the formula, kill one of the big books and you'll be wiped out automatically. I suppose you're willing to attack the enemy's main battalion with a single blow away and just kill the Admiral." "- Hmm. If that's the case, I think it's more and more certain that the Cathedral Crusaders will launch a siege in a mixed army between the Empire and us, not alone." I'm guessing if they fail, they're going to make a fool of themselves by putting in battle in the future. The rare man becomes even more fed up with his face. Well, well, the other guy's a vampire. Because if you do poorly, the continent's premier elite troops could even be pawned by enemies just like that. "Suzuran took the time to interview the Holy Kingdoms (there and there.), but, as expected, it didn't seem to be an island response that would attach," I don't need the help of the demon kingdoms or those who grant them. " We both shrug our shoulders in the answer as expected. "From the people's point of view, is this country full of vampires the same as ours?" "I guess. - Well, maybe it's a mistake." "Ha, ha, that's how I'm determined to find the right person in the city and ask for someone overnight. So far, the success rate is almost 100%." "... yeah. I hope you're moggy for now, but don't even think about giving blood and making a family by mistake." "Hey, hey, princess. This won't go out of style! "You're seriously resisting the perverts against you, so it's natural! Chasing a rare man who fled in a hurry, he ran in that direction, intending to take a look at the rundown of the rumored Cathedral Crusaders. Approximately a month before the tragedy of this Grand Duchy of Youth, the beginning of the story was taking place in the hotel's lavish VIP room in Farbler, the capital of the former Kensruna country. "... that you're a vampire? Is that who the demon god is?" "I don't have any certainty, but I think it's likely. I guess it's not one of those monsters there that stays sealed, too, that they're still alive. Original ancestor... No, no, it could be the god ancestor because it's called" demon god "." "Divine ancestors... are you like that little girl? Then I might be able to use it..." What did you come up with, Warren sounds like he pushed and killed God's Blood (Echo), which is on the table with a faint (crude) eye. "- Um, what are you talking about? Feeling the sound of madness and self-inflicted self-abandonment lurking in that voice, Shadowloon asked in horror. "It's settled. You will judge that the Little Daughter of Imperial Crimson, the Crimson of the Crimson Empire, is the divine ancestor of the Blood Sucking Princess and cannot be defeated by the forces of the status quo because she is also comparable to God. Then the story is simple. Wouldn't it just be better to add the same divine ancestors to your power?" Rarely, Shadow Lang controls Warren in a genuinely wolfish way. "When you say you add to the power of war, your opponent is a hell of an opponent who is said to be a demon god or something. Unsealed but at the end, with overwhelming power, it is the mountain of Sekiya that will be placed under control on the contrary! "... that's oddly desperate. Is there anything else you know? "No, no, what I know is vampire scare. Because that's different in some ways as the same player. Anyway, stop thinking." "Hmm. No matter how mighty, the intrusion would be a flesh-supplied being. Not to mention it's not hard to imagine being considerably debilitated by years of sealing. Plus, there's a sealed magic device here." Roll the silver cross in your hand. "On the contrary, what Non fears is the result of the weakness and disappointment of the key demons, although he has tried to unseal them. Having unsealed it, all you have to do is re-seal it if it is useless. No, it's better to get rid of the uncertainty." Warren shrugged with a slight wake-up call. "Assuming you're right, if the demon gods are out of control, you just have to leave them alone or direct them to the Cress side. That sweet little girl would come out if she could be rammed in her own territory. Then we'll just have to bypass and wait for both sides to wear out.... desirable co-falls if ideal, but that would just be too good a bug. If one of you intervenes where you've been killed, you'll get the biggest results with the least amount of effort." Shadow Lang listens to Warren laughing callously and thinly, holding his inner head. Apparently, this old man, the lady, had too much in his roots to break deeply and quietly. He would be sleeping in a sealed sarcophagus, a familiar player - Shadowloon secretly sighed, remembering the words and actions of the only man besides Scarlet Snow who had become the ultra-rare race 'Vampire (Divine Ancestor)' who did not know what he was thinking in a different direction from himself.

第二十七話 喪神壊天 蒼神は自分の胸元から生えた剣先と、半ば分断された己の上半身を確認して薄く笑った。 「......運命をひっくり返したか。流石は緋雪だな......そう、未来は直線ではない。いかに確率が高かろうと未確定の事象であり......お前は自分の望んだ未来をその手にできた。過去を振り返ってばかりの俺とは違う......見事だ」 穏やかな表情と口調でそう言われ、 蒼神は笑ったまま床に落ちているものを掴むと、串刺しになったまま片手で無造作にそれを放り投げてきた。 それはボクが手放した愛剣『 その瞬間、こめかみの辺りに強い衝撃を受け、ボクの意識が、二呼吸ほどの間刈り取られる。 さっきとは逆だ。わざと追い込まれたフリをして隙を作り、動きを単調にして誘い込み、相手の武器を利用して反撃した。ボクの手と同じ。 そう、相手の武器が使えるなら、蒼神にとってもそれは同じこと。これ見よがしにボクの『 「甘い。さっさとトドメを刺せば良いものを、どこかで手心を加えようとするから、こうなる」 胸元を貫通させたまま、刀身を掴んで床から抜き出し、立ち上がった蒼神がさらに力を込めて、剣を抜こうとする。 「させないっ!」 の刀身を鷲掴みして、掌が切れて血が流れるのも構わず、そのまま力任せに真横――蒼神の心臓を両断する手応えを感じながら――へと、一息に押し込んだ。 蒼神の身体をほぼ胸の部分で分断し、自由になった手の感触でようやく一時の興奮状態が治まったボクは、 蒼神の傷からとめどなく流出する血潮が床にこぼれ、黒のローファーを履いたボクの足元を真紅に染めていった。 「くはははっ! まったく......手間取らせてくれたものだ」 途端、瀕死の蒼神の口から吐血と哄笑が漏れる。 その余裕の声に、ボクの中の警戒感が再び高まった。 バックステップで距離を置くボクを、いまだ立ったままの蒼神が目で追い駆けながら、軽く苦笑を漏らした。 「安心しろ。俺の命脈は断たれた。俺の負けだ、従容と滅びを受け入れるのみ――今更、再戦など挑まん」 ほっと肩の力が抜けたけれど、ボクの安堵は次の一言で吹き飛んだ。 「多少不安な面もあるが、まあ兎に角お前は『神殺し』を成し遂げた、古い神を殺してより強く若い神が成り代わる、『金枝篇』でもお馴染みの 「ちょっ、どういうこと!? 神に成り代わるとか、そんなの望んじゃいないし、お断りだよ!!」 慌てて詰め寄るも、蒼神は安らいだ――いっそ相好を崩して答えた。 「そう言われても、な。先に言ったろう『この場を維持している俺を斃さない限り逃れることはできない。』と、維持する者が居なくなれば俺の世界は崩壊する。 地球世界のように、個々人のカルマ値が高く意識・無意識の観測で世界を定義し、神不在であっても確固たる法則を築いて揺るぎがない、ある意味完成された世界と違い、まだまだ幼く脆弱なこの世界には『神』が必要なのだ。そのため先代の神――まあ、魔王でも呼び名はどちらでも良いが――が斃されれば、自動で斃した勇者が、その座を受け継ぐようになる。受け継がねば、世界は早晩崩壊するだろう」 なにその、いきなり死んだ親の莫大な借金を背負わされるような理不尽な展開は?! しかもキャンセルしようにも、怖いお兄さんたちがバックに居て、詰んでる状態からどーにかしろっていう投げっ放し感は!! 『この場』って言うから、てっきりこのメンタルとタイムの部屋みたいな空間だけを指しているんだとばかり思っていたら、『世界』そのものなんて詐欺だ――っ!!! 心臓を両断された状態で相当苦しいはずだけど、朗らかに笑いながら蒼神は続けた。 』の傲慢さを責めるべきか、『世界』を創るという命題を無視して、死んだ人間を個人の都合で勝手に生き返らせようとした蒼神の身勝手さを責めるべきか、どっちもどっちと思えて、ボクは黙って話を聞いた。 それにしても、いまさらだけどここにいるボクって何者なんだろうねぇ? 蒼神が作った複製じゃないとは思う(まあ、自分が本物だと信じている偽者の可能性もあるんだけど)けど、この場に居るということは、誰かの明らかな作為を感じるねえ。 「......とは言え実体として存在する以上、いつまでもただ独りではいられなかった。まあ、主観時間で5000年程は人間の存在しない世界にいたのだが、それを 蒼神は大きくため息をついた。 「ならばと規範や道徳を宗教という形で浸透させ、さらに目に見える数値として『カルマ値』を設定したが、これまた時間の経過と共に個人・民族間の差別を助長する温床へとなった。 人間同士がわだかまりを捨て手を取り合う方法はないのか? 俺は人間以外の外敵を作ることで協力体制を構築できるのではないかと、 いつの間にか、理想の世界を作るという目的は見失い、惰性で日々を過ごしていた。死にたくても俺と言う存在は世界のシステムに組み込まれ、不可分と化しているためにそれすらできない。可能性としては『神殺し』が存在するのであれば、俺は解放される......だが、脆弱なこの世界からそうした者が生まれる可能性は、ほぼゼロに等しかった」 「――って、ちょっと待った! なんか妙に君の言動と感情がチグハグ......『俺のモノ』とか『オンナになれ』とか言うわりに、どーにもやる気がないというか、ぶっちゃけ欲情してる様子がなかったけど、つまるところ私のことなんてなんとも思ってなくて、ただ単に怒らせて自分を殺させ、嫌な役目をバトンタッチするのが目的だった――ってことだよね、それって!?」 こんだけ堕落したこの馬鹿者のことなんて1ミリたりとも好きじゃないけど、好きでもないのに「好きだ」と連呼されて、「嘘ぴょーん」って、なんかそれはそれでムカつくねえっ! ボクの不本意そうな顔を見て、蒼神――いや、デーブータさんはほろ苦く笑った。 「いまさらだが、俺にとって君は特別なひとだ。だから......変わらぬ君がこの世界に現れた時、思った。君にこの世界を託そうと。君は俺が間違っていると言ったが、その通り......俺は間違っていたのだろう。だが、間違いを正していまさら善人面をするには、俺の手は汚れ過ぎている。......だから、最後に全ての過ちと、全ての罪を背負って俺は逝く。迷惑を掛けることになるが、どうかこの世界の行く末を頼む」 そう言うと、デーブータさんは力尽きたのか、その場に崩れ落ちた。 段々と命の火が消えかけているのだろう。苦しい息の下、俯いて肩を震わせているボクを見て、蒼神が満足げに微笑んだ。 「......泣いてくれるのか。だが悲しむことはない。また、君に罪はない。あるのは神の名を騙る罪人が1名消え去り、この世界の不幸が終わるのだから」 「だから君は駄目なんだよっ!!」 怒りに震えるボクの剣幕に、棺桶に身体の9割方突っ込みかけていたデーブータさんが、戸惑った顔で続く言葉を飲み込んだ。 「なんでそう安易に諦めるわけ! 自己完結で全部決めるの!? この世界に生きる人をどうして信じないの!! だいたいねぇ、皆が皆、自分に出来ることを背一杯頑張っているっていうのに、狭い世界に属して、なに満足してるわけ!? なにが『この世界の不幸が終わる』だ! 知った口をきいて! 自分で前に進まず、他人任せにして......怖いから目をつぶっていただけじゃない! 最期は死に逃げ? それも面倒事は人に任せて!」 ボクは右手に『 宣言するなり有無を言わさず右手をデーブータさんに向ける。 ボクの本気を感じたのだろう、唖然とした彼の顔が、困惑、苦悩、煩悶......と次々に変化して、最後に諦めに変わった。 「まあ、それほど難しく考えることはないさ。さっきの話じゃないけど、半分くらいは私が肩代わりしてあげるから。――あ、オンナになるとかいうのはナシでね」 ボクの言葉に苦笑して、デーブータさんは目を閉じて頷いた。 を彼に掛けようとした――瞬間、ゾブッという鈍い音が自分の体内から響いてきて、同時に猛烈な熱さを下腹部辺りに感じた。 見れば、デーブータさんの半ば断ち切られた傷口から、細い男の右手が蛇のように伸び、一撃でLv99の戦闘ドレス『 「が――はあっ!?」 ブン!と、まるでゴミでも掃うかのように一振りされた腕によって、軽々と放り投げられたボクの身体が、近くにあった石柱に叩き付けられて、ずるずると血の跡を残しながら床へと落ちた。 通常のヒールでは足りないので、上位呪文の連発プラス それから投げられた衝撃でふらふらしながらも、立ち上がったボクの目の前で、デーブータさんの肉体の殻を破って、白い手――いつの間にか左右両手に増えていた――が、メキメキと傷口を上下に軋ませながら、さながら昆虫が脱皮するが如く、割れ目を押し広げ、筋肉繊維や血管を引き千切り始める。 あまりのグロテスクさに目を背けたくなるのが我慢して見詰める間に、すでに意識のない(死んでいる?)デーブータさんの抜け殻を破り捨て、一人の男が上半身を持ち上げた。その男は、青い長髪を一振りして、ボクの顔を見ると、にやりと嗤い下半身も引き抜いて、軽やかな仕草で床の上へと舞い降りた。 見た目は20歳前後の青年に見える。人種は不明。身長は185センチ前後ってところだろうか。等身は高くて手足が長い、無駄な筋肉やまして贅肉など一切ない野生動物のようなプロポーションだった。 瞳は海のような蒼で、彫りの深い顔立ちは中性的で、そこには男性の逞しさと女性の優しさ、同時に男の暴力性と女の残酷さが混在していた。 を掛けようとした。その瞬間、魔法のように(ま、実際魔法なんだろうけど)、男の掌の上に、部屋の隅に1個だけ残っていた無色透明の『命珠』が現れた。 「おっと。俺が居る状況で、この馬鹿を復活させるのは二重存在の矛盾を生じさせる。そいつは御免こうむらせてもらう」 意味不明な戯言を無視して、ボクはデーブータさんへ向け 「命珠って......なんで、それって......?」 疑問が多すぎて言葉にならないボクを見て、男はサメのように尖った歯を見せて嗤った。 「奴はこれをお前――いや、『エターナル・ホライゾン・オンライン』の『緋雪』のデータが入っていた抜け殻だと思っていたようだが、事実は違う。奴は何度も自分のことを『空虚』と言っていたが、まさにその通り、この『透明の命珠』こそが奴自身の命珠だったのさ」 彼の言葉を無視して、何度か 「――で、そういう君はいったい誰なのかな?」 ボクの問い掛けに青年はニマニマ笑いながら、おどけた調子で肩をすくめた。 「見ての通り、このデブの『中の人』って奴だ。いまさらだが、ハジメマシテと言うべきかな緋雪ちゃん? 俺が蒼神であり、『 そう大仰に両手を広げて堂々と宣言する自称・真の蒼神。 確かに見た目は神々しくはあるんだけれど......なんでこいつも素っ裸のまま、恥ずかしげもなく見せびらかすんだろうねぇ!? ボクはなんかいろいろ一杯一杯のせいか、どうでもいいことを考えて、ため息をついた。

147 Episode 27: The Heavens Of Necromancer The Ethereal God laughed thinly, confirming the tip of his sword, which grew from his chest, and his torso, which was half-separated. "... have you turned your destiny upside down? The boulders are scarlet snow...... yes, the future is not a straight line. It's an undetermined event no matter how probable... you've got the future you want. Not like me just looking back... brilliant" Said so with a gentle expression and tone, his hand pressed into the divine sword (Amadeus) stopped for a moment. When Aoshi grinned and grabbed what was falling on the floor, he threw it unconstitutionally with one hand, skewered. It was the love sword I let go, The Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye). At that moment, I was struck by a strong impact around my temples, and my consciousness was pruned for about two breaths. The opposite is true. He deliberately pretended to be pushed to create a gap, monotonously luring the movement, and using his opponent's weapon to fight back. Same as my hand. Yes, if your opponent's weapon can be used, that's the same thing for the Ethereal God. He used my Rose Sinner (Jill de Leye) to show me this, and he beat me up with his bare hands when I got upset and cluttered up. "Sweet. This is what happens because I'm going to try to add a touch of hand somewhere, something that I just need to stab a todome with" With his chest pierced, he grabs his body and pulls it out of the floor, and the risen Ethereal God tries to pull out his sword with even more strength. "Don't make me! Ignoring the pain and shouting, Bob eagled at the body of the divine sword (Amadeus) about to be pulled out, and pushed it straight into his breath - feeling the response to amputate the heart of the Ethereal God - as he left it at his disposal, even if his palms were cut and blood flowing. I let go of my hand from the body of the Divine Sword (Amadeus), which split the body of the Ethereal God almost in the chest area and the feeling of my free hand finally cured my temporal state of excitement. Blood tides spilled from the wounds of the Ethereal God to the floor, dyeing my feet in black loafers in crimson red. "Kuhaha! Totally... that's what got me into trouble." As soon as possible, the spitting and laughter leaks from the mouth of the dying Ethereal God. In that spare voice, the sense of vigilance in me increased again. I gently leaked a bitter smile as the Ethereal God, still standing, chased me away with his eyes, distancing me in the backstep. "Don't worry. My life was cut off. My defeat, only accepting obedience and doom - and now I won't try again." My shoulder was relieved, but my relief blew away with the next word. "There are some aspects of anxiety, but, well, the horn, you accomplished the 'god killing', killing the old god and replacing the stronger and younger god, a rite of passage (initiative) familiar with the 'golden branch verse', but now you have to take the seat where I was... congratulations or should I say sadness... well, I'll leave the rest to you" "Hey, what do you mean!? I don't want to replace God or anything like that, and I refuse!!" Panicking and stuffing, the Ethereal God is at ease - he answered disgruntled. "Even if they say so, yeah. I told you earlier, 'You can't get away with this unless you shoot me for keeping this place.' And my world will collapse if no one to sustain it. Unlike the finished world, where individual karma values are high and conscious and unconscious observations define the world, where, even in the absence of God, there is no shaking by building firm laws, this world, still young and fragile, needs' God '. For this reason, if the gods of the earlier generations - well, either the demon king or the caller - are executed, the brave man who automatically executed them will inherit his throne. If you inherit it, the world will collapse sooner or later. " What's that, that irrational development that suddenly carries the enormous debts of dead parents?! Besides, like canceling, the scared brothers are in the back and it feels like a throw away from being stuffed or whatever!! Because when I say 'this place', I just thought I was referring exactly to spaces like this mental and time room, 'the world' itself is a scam - whoa!!! It should be pretty painful with my heart amputated, but the Ethereal God continued with a laugh in the air. Either I should blame the arrogance of the Book of Formation, Safel Yeziller, or I blamed the selfishness of the Ethereal God for trying to bring a dead human being back to life on his own for personal convenience, ignoring the proposition of creating a "world," I listened in silence. Still, I don't know, but who am I here? I don't know if it's a replication made by the Ethereal God (well, there's a possibility of a fake person believing he's real), but being here feels like someone's obvious manipulation. "I couldn't just be alone forever more than I existed as an entity, though... Well, for about 5,000 years in subjective time, I was in a world where no human being existed, and because the interference of the Book of Formation, Safer Yeziller, which did not (OK) make it possible for some animals to evolve and create a species that resembled humans with the characteristics of beasts, it was inevitable that I built a world where humans existed. At the very least, generously protect against competing with other races so that they can remain unrelated to ugly strife, giving them unstinting help. However, in such a case, it should be said that humans became corrupt or apathetic and declined..." The Ethereal God sighed heavily. "Then it infiltrated norms and morals in the form of religion, and set 'karma values' as even more visible figures, but this also became a hotbed that fostered discrimination between individuals and peoples over time. Is there no way for humans to abandon obsession and take hands together? I was wondering if I could build a cooperative system by creating non-human external enemies, based on the MOB "Monster" data from "E. H. O" and "Eternal Horizon Online", and I designed to create demons that would be hostile to this... but it's always the same. It can only be an on-the-spot remedy, and humans are bound to corrupt and contend with each other. How many times have you broken it and redone it...... as if you were pulling the hourglass over every time, the same daily repetition. At some point, the aim of creating an ideal world was lost sight of and spent days in inertia. Even if you want to die, the existence that says I can't even do that because it's incorporated into the system of the world and made indivisible. If there is a possibility of 'god killing', I will be freed... but the possibility of such a person coming from this fragile world was almost equal to zero " "- Wait a minute! Something strangely made your words, actions and emotions tick hug...... instead of saying" my stuff "or" be onna, "blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah I don't even like the 1mm about this idiot who's konjac and corrupt, but even though I don't like him, he calls me "I like him," and he says, "Lying pimp," and that's annoying. Eh! Seeing my unwilling face, Aoshi - no, Mr. Daebuta grinned bitterly. "I don't know, but you're special to me. So... no change. When you showed up in this world, I thought. Trying to entrust this world to you. You said I was wrong, but you're right... I guess I was wrong. But my hands are too dirty to correct mistakes and make good people's faces.... so at the end of the day, with all my mistakes and all my sins, I pass away. It's going to be annoying, but please ask for the end of this world." With that said, did Mr. Daebuta do his best or collapse on the spot. I guess the fire of life is going out step by step. Under his painful breath, he looked at me leaning down and shivering his shoulders, and the Ethereal God smiled contentedly. "... will you cry? But I will not grieve. Again, you are not guilty. One sinner who deceives God's name disappears, and the misfortune of this world ends." "That's why you can't!!" On my sword screen, trembling with anger, Mr. Daebuta swallowed the words that followed with a bewildered face as he was about to penetrate his body nine minutes into the coffin. "Why give up so cheaply! How can you not believe someone who lives in this world and decides it all with self completeness!! By and large, everyone says they are all working hard on their backs to do what they can, but they belong to a narrow world and what are you satisfied with!? What is' the end of the misfortune of this world '! All right, talk to me! I didn't move on myself, I left it to others...... I wasn't just closing my eyes because I was scared! Escape to death at the end of the day? Let people take care of that, too! I lit the magical light of Full Resurrection on my right hand. Turn your right hand towards Mr. Daebuta with or without a declaration. You must have felt my seriousness, his flashing face changed one after another with confusion, anguish, annoyance... and finally turned to giving up. "Well, it's not that hard to think about. I'm not talking about that earlier, because I'll take your shoulder for about half of it. - Oh, it's nasty to be an onna." Smiling bitterly at my words, Mr. Daebuta closed his eyes and nodded. I tried to hang a complete resuscitation (lisalection) on him with confidence - for a moment, a dull noise called Zobu echoed from my body and at the same time felt fierce heat around my lower abdomen. Seen, from Mr. Daebuta's half-cut wound, a thin man's right hand stretched out like a snake and pierced LV99's battle dress, The Rose of War, Anne of Guyastein, with a single blow, as easy to pierce. A sharp toenail tip appears on my back. "but - Ha!?" Bun! and my body, thrown lightly by an arm waved as if to sweep even in rubbish, was slapped by a stone pillar that was nearby, slipping and falling to the floor leaving traces of blood. Since normal heels were not enough, a series of superior spells plus an automatic healing "Regenerate" skill layering allowed him to restore the hitting point that was decreasing with momentum into a breath of danger (Red Zone) to a somewhat hassle-free but full state, and also erase the wind-holed belly wounds (well, the perforated "Rose of War" Anne of Gearstein "had to be repaired). Then fluttering with the shock thrown, but in front of me standing up, I tear Mr. Daebuta's flesh shell, my white hand - which was growing on both my left and right hands at some point - but as the insect peels up and down the shin and wound, I push open the cracks and start pulling and chopping muscle fibers and blood vessels a thousand times. I'm already unconscious (dead?) Mr. Daebuta's shell was torn and discarded, and one man lifted his torso. When the man shook his long blue hair and looked at my face, he pulled out his torn lower body and descended on the floor with a light trick. You look like a young man around 20. The race is unknown. Is the height around 185 cm? The equivalents were tall, long limbs, wildlife proportions with no wasting muscles, much less luxury. The eyes were pale as the sea, the deep face of the sculpture was neutral, where the masculinity was mixed with the kindness of the woman and, at the same time, the violent nature of the man and the cruelty of the woman. Ignoring the mysterious man who came out of Mr. Daebuta, who looked troublesome, I tried to hang a complete resuscitation (Lisa Collection) for Mr. Daebuta, who was running out. At that moment, like magic (ma, I guess it's actually magic), a colorless, transparent 'life bead' appeared on the palm of a man who had only one left in the corner of the room. "Oops. In my situation, resurrecting this fool creates a dual existential contradiction. I forgive him." Ignoring the nonsense, I release a full resuscitation (Lisa Collection) for Mr. Daebuta. "What is life bead... why is that...? When he saw me, who had too many questions and was speechless, the man showed his teeth as pointed as a shark and snapped. "He thought this was you - no, he seemed to think it was a loose shell with" Scarlet Snow "data from" Eternal Horizon Online, "but the facts are different. He called himself" emptiness "many times, but that's exactly what this" transparent bead of life "was." Ignoring his words, he hung a complete resuscitation several times, but realizing that it was ineffective as declared, I gave up and turned the spearhead of consciousness towards this mysterious man. "- So who the hell are you like that? To my inquiry, the young man shrugged his shoulder, laughing at Nimanima, in a relaxed manner. "As you can see, this fat 'man inside' is the guy. I don't know, should I say Hajime Mashite, Scarlet Snow? I am the Ethereal God, and I am entrusted with the creation of the world in the Book of Formation, Safer Yeziller, to be the true creator of this world" Yes. A self-proclaimed and true Ethereal God who opens his hands in great esteem and proclaims grandeur. I do look divine...... why does this guy stay bare and show off without any shyness!? I sighed, thinking I didn't care if it was because of all the drinks.

第二十話 千年神都 踏み締めた大地の感覚はある。 暖かな日差し、風のそよぎ、小鳥のさえずり、花々の甘い匂いも周囲に充満している。 「......考えてみたら、君にお礼をしようにも、この地の貨幣をもっていないんだけど」 『ウォークラダー』という、二足歩行のバイクみたいな魔法機械の後部シートに両膝を揃えて腰を下ろし、落ちないように両手で(『 「いや、別に金なんていらないぜ。単に俺のお節介だからな」 ハンドルは付いているけど、ほとんど飾りで、中央にある 聖都ファクシミレへ送ってもらうついでに、ダメモトで街の案内を頼んだところ、二つ返事で了解してくれた彼の鷹揚な態度に、内心警戒しながら聞いてみた。 「ふーん......失礼だけど、『何でも屋』って、そんなに儲かる商売なの?」 「本当に失礼だなぁ。いや、まあ趣味みたいなものだから、儲けにはならないけど。――けど別に儲かるとかなんとかじゃなくて、なんでもいいから善行を積まないと『カルマ値』が上がらないだろう?」 「カルマ値ってなに?」 そういえばさっき見せてもらった『国民証』にそんな項目が書いてあったね。確かジョニーは『プラス63』だったような......。 「......そこから説明しないと駄目か」 ため息をつくジョニー。 で、道々に説明を受けた内容を要約すると――。 の国民は、生まれたときに洗礼を受ける。 それに併せて『国民証』が発行される。 国民は全員が聖教信徒であり、これによって管理・保護される。 基本的に身分の上下は無いが、聖職者はA級市民として一般市民であるB級以下の国民を指導・監督する権利と義務がある。 と言うことらしい。ちなみにポイントがマイナスになると、 以外には、ほとんど文明国はないみたいで、ジョニーもボクがどこから来たのか不思議に思って訊いてきたけれど、こっちも良くわからないので曖昧に答えるしかなかった。 まあ、普通だったら絶対不審者扱いされるところだろうけど、 「これもきっと、蒼神様のお導きだろう」 と最終的に自分で口に出したそれで納得してしまうんだから、人が良いというか無用心と言うか......判断に迷うところだね。 程なくたどり着いた聖都ファクシミレの景観に、ボクは目を細めた。 あちらの世界の聖都へは、しまさんとのゴタゴタの際に上空を通過したくらいで、直接行ったことはなかったけれど......一見しただけでも、こちらの世界の聖都はあちらとは明らかに違っているのがわかった。 見たこともない、継ぎ目のない螺鈿細工のような華美な壁で造られた高層建築が立ち並び、建物と建物の間には優美な橋のような物が架かっている。大通りなど交差する場所は空中の広場のようになり、鮮やかな草花や緑が植えられていた。 道も全て整理されていて、ジョニーの乗る『ウォークラダー』に似た二足歩行の魔法機械の他、円形のタイヤのついた自動車みたいなのが盛んに行き来していた。羽ばたきの音に上を見てみると、昆虫の羽根のように震動する翼を持った個人用の飛行機械が、建物の間をスイスイと飛行している。 「立派な都だねぇ」 ボクの感想にジョニーが我が事のように胸を張った。 「そうだろう。すべて蒼神様のお陰だ」 そう言って指差す先には、周囲の高層建築から比較してもまったく問題にならないくらいに巨大で、まさに天を衝くような巨大な青い塔が見えた。 「もしかして『蒼き神の塔』?」 「おっ、流石に知ってたか!? そうさ。蒼神様がいらっしゃるこの世界の中心だ!」 なるほどねえ。やはり蒼神の意図が働いているわけだね。 そんなことを話しながら、街の一角――たぶん駐車場――に『ウォークラダー』を停めたジョニーの案内に従って、適当に街の中を散策してみた。 ――妙に活気がないねぇ。 と言うのが、ぱっと浮かんだ感想だった。 街は繁栄しているし、人も大勢居る。見た感じ、行き交う街の人々の栄養状態も良さそうで、生活も豊かそう......なのに、なぜかボクの目にはアーラやウィリデ、いや辺境の小国であったシレントの首都リビティウムよりも更に活気がないように映った。 「そういえば腹減ってないか? 近くに美味い飯屋があるんだけど、一緒に行こうぜ。奢るから」 特にお腹が空いているわけじゃないけど、そのお誘いに乗ることにした。こうして外から眺めているだけじゃわからないことも、直接接すれば何かわかるかも知れないからね。 食堂に入るとお昼時らしく結構人が入っていた。 「いらっしゃーい。悪いけど混んでいるから相席になるんだけど、いいですか?」 「しょうがないな。――どうする緋雪?」 「私なら構わないよ」 女給さんに案内された8人掛けのテーブル席には、先客で4~5人の男性がいて、お酒こそ入っていないものの「蒼神様が」「さすがは蒼神だ」と盛り上がっていた。 「こんにちわ。この街にははじめて来たんですけど、皆さん楽しそうですね」 なるべく気軽な様子で、お喋りと食事に興じている男達に近づいて挨拶をしてみた。 「おっ、嬢ちゃんえらい別嬪さんだな。どこから来たんだい?」 「見たことのない恰好だな。ひょっとして他国人なのかな」 「巡礼かい? 若いのに偉いな」 「ああ、遠慮しないで座りな。聖都の飯は美味いぞ」 「それじゃあ、失礼します」 カルマ値の影響なのか、元から人がいいのかわからないけれど、ジョニー同様、ほとんど詮索することなく、あっさり余所者を受け入れてくれる警戒心のなさに、元の世界の鎖国制度をとり異教徒と人間種以外を徹底的に弾圧・排斥している聖王国とその国民とを比較して、内心複雑な気持ちになりながらも、表面上はにこやかに席についた。隣にジョニーも一言挨拶して座る。 即座に、周囲のお客さんたちも巻き込んで、人懐っこく彼らがボクの周囲に集まってきた。 遠慮したんだけど、半ば強引にあれやこれや同席した彼らにご馳走になり、他愛のない世間話に花を咲かせたボクだけど、適当なところで切り上げて、ジョニーと一緒にお店を出た。 「ああ、ここは蒼神様の御加護があるからな」 歩きながら何の疑問もなく同意するジョニーの態度と、さっきまで同席していた食堂の男達の会話とで、なんとなくこの街全体に感じていた倦怠感の正体が掴めた気がした。 彼らの話はほとんどが蒼神に対する賞賛だった。 「蒼神様がいらっしゃれば安泰だ」 「蒼神様は我々に幸福をもたらしてくださる」 「どんなものでも蒼神様が与えてくれる」 「飢饉? ここじゃあ祈れば年に5回だって収穫できるぞ」 「以前に蛮族が侵攻して来たことがあったそうだが、蒼神様が一撃で撃退してくださった」 「天災なんて起こるわけがない。なにしろ天の主がここにいらっしゃるんだからな」 『蒼神様がいらっしゃる限り、この国は安泰だ。そして現世で善行を積めば、死後の世界でも永遠が約束される』 それが当然であるかのように平和を享受している彼らの様子に、辟易して店から退出したというのが正直なところだ。 「――あっちと違って、こっちでは神様っぷりを発揮してるみたいだけど......極端なんだよね。匙加減を完全に間違えてるよ」 「間違えてるって、蒼神様のことか?」 微かな呟きを聞きとがめたらしい、ジョニーが疑問と不快の混じった表情になった。 聞こえたんなら仕方ない。 開き直って、ボクは思ったことを口に出した。 「わからないかな? この都市の人間の活気のなさ、街全体に立ち込める黄昏のような雰囲気。これって人々が蒼神の庇護を当たり前だと享受しきっているせいだよ」 絶対者が常に与えてくれる。 それに安心しきった人間は進歩をやめてしまう。困難があっても「蒼神様に祈ればなんとかしてくれる」、難題に直面しても「蒼神様のお導きだ」と思考停止してしまう。 結局、自分達で作り上げた平和ではなく、他人任せの与えられた安穏な生活は、たやすく人間を堕落させるという典型だろう。 「俺が――俺たちが間違っているっていうのか?」 流石に不愉快な表情になるジョニーに向かって、ボクは首を傾げた。 「さあねえ。そもそも蒼神がなにを考えてるのかが不明だからね。ただ、私は蒼神のやり方は間違ってると思うよ」 無言で数秒間ボクを睨んでいたジョニーだけど、プイと背を向けると苛立たしげな口調で、 「だったら直接、蒼神様に尋ねてみればいいだろう。付いて来い、塔に案内してやる」 そう言って足早に街の中心部――『蒼き神の塔』目指して歩き始めた。 「いいの、他国人が勝手に入っても?」 「別に禁止されてるわけじゃない。ただ蒼神様に逢えるのは、よほどカルマ値が高くないと無理だって話だから、無駄足になる可能性は高いけどな。......だけど、なんとなくお前なら逢えそうな気がする」 振り返って、そう付け加えるジョニー。 「ふ~~ん。まあ、蒼神に逢えるなら まあ遅かれ早かれ『蒼き神の塔』には、足を運ぶつもりだったから、都合がいいといえば都合がいいね。 それからふと思いついたことを事を聞いてみた。 「ところでさっきの食堂で聞きそびれたんだけど。『グラウィオール』って名前か、一族を知らないかな?」 怪訝そうに、ジョニーが瞬きをして考え込んだ。 「グラウィオール? いや悪いけど知らな――いや、確か似たような名前で『グラヴィア』とかいう一族がいたかな。えーと、確か......10年位前に、東方の蛮族が聖教に帰依した時、蒼神様がそんな名前を与えて、頭首に祝福を与えたんじゃなかったかな。......で、その証拠だかで、頭首の一族が白銀色の髪の毛になったとか。......ひょっとして、お前そっちの出身か?」 「いや、その一族と個人的な親交があるだけだよ」 適当に答えて、ジョニーに並ぶ。 そんなボクを探るような目で見たジョニーだけど、これ以上聞いても無駄と判断したのか、再び半歩前に出て歩き始めた。 それを追い駆けながら、ボクは胸の中で独りごちた。 「確かグラウィオール帝国の歴史が800年以上で、現在のイーオンが1000年だったかな」 発音が若干違うけど、ジョニーの言葉が事実であるなら、特徴から考えてあの一族でまず間違いないだろう。 中心にそびえる『蒼き神の塔』を見たときから、薄々感づいていた事実を確認して、ボクはため息をつく。 「......つまり、ここはイーオン聖王国の聖都ファクシミレで間違いないけど、時間を800~1000年遡っているってことだね」 訳のわからない展開に、ボクは再度『蒼き神の塔』を見上げてため息をついた。

140 Lesson 20: The Thousand Years Of Divine Capital There is a sense of the earth that I have stepped on. Warm sunshine, breezy breezes, little bird chirps, and sweet smells of flowers are all around. "... and to thank you, I don't have the currency of this land." "Walklader," he laid his hips down with his knees aligned in the rear seat of a bipedal bike-like magic machine, and with his hands to avoid falling ("Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" and "Good Luck of the Rose" on his back. "La Vi Ann Rose" stowed away because it would get in the way of boulders) he grabbed Johnny's shoulder and spoke to its back, which he was steering in a familiar motion. "No, I don't need any money. It's simply my favor." Johnny replied with ease that it has a handle but is almost decorative and operated by flowing a divine force (meggin) (probably the same as magic) onto the central control ball (orb). As they sent me to the Sacred Capital Facsimile, I asked him to guide the city with a damned note, and I asked him with inner vigilance about his eagle attitude, which he understood in two replies. "Hmm... I'm sorry, but 'Anything Store' is such a lucrative business? "That's really rude. No, it's kind of like a hobby, so it's not gonna make any money. - But it's not about making money or anything, and if you don't do good deeds, the 'karma value' won't rise, will it? "What is karma value? Speaking of which, there was an item like that on the National Card that you showed me earlier. It sure looks like Johnny was a 'plus 63'...... "... I have to explain from there." Sigh Johnny. So, to summarise what was explained to the roads... The people of the Millennium Kingdom are baptized at birth. A 'national card' is issued in conjunction with it. The people are all ecclesiastical believers and are thus managed and protected. Essentially, there is no ascending or descending status, but the clergy has the right and duty to direct and supervise the citizens of Grade B and below who, as Class A citizens, are the general public. Apparently so. Incidentally, when the point is negative, penal provisions (penalties) apply and, in minor cases, service is mandatory until positive, and if you commit a felony, such as murder, you are imprisoned in an institution called The Monastery of the Endless Soul, which purifies your soul...... but the details are unknown because there are no returned human beings. Besides the Millennium Kingdom, there seems to be almost no civilized country, and Johnny also asked me wondering where I came from, but I don't know this one very well, so I had to answer vaguely. Well, if I were normal, I'd definitely be treated like a suspicious person. "This too, I'm sure, will guide the Lord" And I eventually put it in my mouth. So I'm convinced, people are good or careless... you're about to get lost in judgment. I narrowed my eyes to the landscape of the Sacred Capital Facsimile, which I quickly reached. To the Sacred Capital of the world over there, as much as I passed over during Gotagota with Shima, I never went directly to it... but at first glance I could see that the Sacred Capital of the world here is distinctly different from there. Never before seen, high-rise architecture lined with gorgeous walls like jointless spirals, with elegant bridge-like objects between buildings. Boulevards and other intersecting places became like squares in the air, planted with bright grass flowers and greenery. The roads were all sorted out, and besides the bipedal magic machines that resembled Johnny's riding 'Walklader', it was flourishing like a car with circular tires. Looking up at the sound of wings, a personal flying machine with wings trembling like insect wings is flying swiftly between buildings. "It's a fine city." Johnny put his chest up like mine. "I guess so. It's all thanks to God." At the tip of pointing that out, I could see a huge blue tower that was so huge that it wouldn't be a problem at all when compared from the surrounding skyscrapers, just like rushing through heaven. "Could it be The Tower of the Pale God? "Whoa, did you know about the boulder?!? Yeah. It's the heart of this world where there's the Ethereal God! I see. So the intentions of the Ethereal God still work. Talking about that, I appropriately strolled around the city following Johnny's guide that parked 'Walklader' in the corner of the city - probably in the parking lot. - You're oddly not lively. That was the feeling that came to my mind all the time. The city is thriving, and there are a lot of people. I feel like I've seen it, the people in the city I go to seem nutritious, and they seem to have plenty of life... but for some reason it seemed less lively in Bob's eyes than Ara, Willide, or Livitium, the capital of Cilento, which was a small country on the border. "Speaking of which, aren't you hungry? There's a delicious restaurant nearby, but let's go together. Because I luxury." I'm not particularly hungry, but I decided to ride that invitation. I don't know what I don't know from the outside, but if I deal with it directly, I might know what it is. When I walked into the dining room, it was like lunch. There were quite a few people in there. "There you go. I'm sorry, but it's crowded, so I'm gonna be your seat, okay? "I can't help it. - What do we do, Scarlet Snow? "I wouldn't mind." There were 4-5 men in the table seats for 8 who were guided by a female wager, and the "Ethereal God" and "That's the Ethereal God" of what alcohol was not in were exuberant. "Hi, I'm new to this city, but you guys look like you're having fun" As casually as possible, I approached the men who were interested in chatting and eating to say hello. "Whoa, lady, that's not true. Where did you come from? "That's a good one I've never seen. I wonder if he's foreign." "A pilgrimage? Young but great." "Oh, don't hesitate. Sit down. The rice in the Holy City is delicious." "Well, excuse me." Though I don't know if it's the influence of karma values or if people are good from the beginning, like Johnny, I sat on the table on the surface, even though I felt internally complicated compared to the Holy King and his people, who took the original world clandestine system and thoroughly oppressed and ostracized non-heathens and the human race, for lack of vigilance that would accept the rest with little prying. Next door Johnny also says hello and sits down. Immediately, the surrounding customers were involved, and they gathered around me in a nostalgic way. I didn't want to, but half forcefully, I had a treat for that or this or them present, and I blossomed into a worldly tale with no other love, but I cut it up in the right place and left the store with Johnny. Oh, God bless this place. With Johnny's attitude of agreeing without any doubt while walking and the conversation between the men in the dining room who had been present until just now, I somehow felt that I could grasp the identity of the tiredness I had felt throughout this city. Most of their stories were praises for the Ethereal God. "If you have a god, you're safe." "The Ethereal God brings us happiness" "Whatever it is, the Ethereal God gives it to me" "Hunger? Here. Then pray and you'll reap five times a year." "They say the Barbarians have invaded before, but the Ethereal God has repelled them with one blow" "There's no way a natural disaster can happen. The Lord of heaven is here." "As long as there is a god, this country is cheap. And if we do good in this world, eternity will be promised even in the post-mortem world ' To be honest with them about how they enjoyed peace as if it were natural, they opened up and left the store. "- Unlike that one, it looks like we're showing God plenty over here... it's extreme, isn't it? You're making a complete mistake." "Are you saying I'm wrong, you mean the Ethereal God? He heard a slight grunt, and Johnny got a mixed look of doubt and discomfort. I can't help it if I hear you. I reopened and I said what I thought. "Don't you see? The lack of human vibrancy in this city, the dusk atmosphere that allows you to get into the whole city. This is because people take refuge in the Aoshi God for granted." The Absolute always gives. People who feel comfortable with it stop making progress. Even if there is a difficulty, "pray to the Ethereal God and he will do something about it," even in the face of the difficulty, he stops thinking, "It is the guidance of the Ethereal God". In the end, a given tranquil life left to others, rather than the peace we have created ourselves, would be typical of easily corrupting humans. "You're saying that I... that we're wrong? I leaned my neck toward Johnny, who would have an unpleasant look on the boulder. "Come on. Because it's unclear what the Ethereal God is thinking in the first place. However, I think the Ethereal God's way is wrong." Johnny was staring at me silently for a few seconds, but when he turned his back on Puy, he had a frustrating tone. "Then you should ask the Ethereal God directly. Follow me, I'll show you to the tower." That said, I started walking early enough for the city centre - the 'Tower of the Pale God'. "Fine, even if the others go in on their own? "I'm not banned from anything else. I'm just saying that I can't meet the Ethereal God without having a higher karma value, so it's likely to be wasted.... but somehow I feel like I might meet you." Looking back, I'll add that, Johnny. "Huh. Well, if you're ever going to meet a god, it's lucky." Well, sooner or later, the Tower of the Pale God is convenient when it comes to convenience because I was going to take a trip. Then I asked him what he had in mind. "By the way, I was overheard in the dining room earlier. Do you know the name 'Grawior' or the clan? Surprisingly, Johnny blinked and thought. "Grawior? No, I'm sorry, but I know - no, I wonder if there was such a clan as' Gravia 'with a similar name. Uh, sure... about 10 years ago, when the barbarians of the East surrendered to the Sacred Church, I wonder if the Ethereal God gave such a name and blessed his head.... So, is that proof that the clan on the head has turned into silver hair?... Hey, are you from over there? "No, I just have a personal relationship with that clan." Answer appropriately and line up for Johnny. Johnny looked at me like he was going to explore me like that, but you decided it was no use asking me any more, and I started walking half a step forward again. Running after it, I was alone in my chest. "Surely the history of the Grawior Empire was more than 800 years, and I wonder if the current EON was 1000 years" The pronunciation is slightly different, but if Johnny's words are true, you'd be the first in that clan to think of them because of their characteristics. From the moment I saw the "Tower of the Pale God", I sighed, confirming the facts I had felt faintly. "... I mean, this is definitely the Eon Holy Kingdom's capital facsimile, but you're going back 800-1000 years" To an unexplained development, I sighed again looking up at the 'Tower of the Pale God'.

幕間 進化錯誤 ピカピカに磨かれた 見れば俺の剣は打ち合ったところがギザギザに弾け飛んでいた。相手の手にしている武器に目立った傷はない。 マズイ。武器も力もなにもかも相手の方が上だ。 一瞬、怯んだところへ続けざまの連撃がきて、一撃はどうにか受けたものの、続く剣尖が俺の肩口を抉った。 「イチジクッ!!」 が俺と相手――ぬめぬめとした緑色の鱗肌を持つ、トカゲの顔と尻尾をもった直立した半獣半人――リザードマンの間に割って入って、手にした錆びた斧を振り下ろす。 それをリザードマンは、余裕の表情で左手の 「グアアアアアッ!?!」 ぱっくりとニノマエの腹が割かれて、おびただしい量の血が流れた。 分厚い筋肉で守られたゴブリン・ジェネラルだからこそ、この程度で済んだのだろうが、これが並みのゴブリンだったら両断されていたところだろう。 事実、滅多なことでは泣き言を言わないニノマエが、苦しげに斬られた腹を押さえている。ひょっとすると傷はハラワタまで達しているかも知れない。 ここに至って俺は決断した。 どうあってもこいつには勝てない。事実、1対多数で挑んでいるというのに、俺が引き連れてきた精鋭のゴブリン・ナイトや精悍な顔つきをしたコボルト・ウォーリアたちの半数は、すでに物言わぬ骸と化している。 「いったん引くぞ、ニノマエ! ナイトとウォーリアは奴の足止めをしろ! ――行くぞ、ニノマエ!」 俺の指示に従って生き残りのゴブリン・ナイトとコボルト・ウォーリア合計10匹がリザードマンに向かって行くが、奴の剣が翻るたびに鼻くそみたいにポイポイ両断されて飛ぶ。 その間に、俺とニノマエとは這う這うの体でその場から逃げ出すことができた。 ここらへんに出る魔物は、上の階に棲んでいた連中とは違って、とてつもなく手強いのが理由です。 例えば、上にもいた俺たちの主食だった《イエローキャタピラ》によく似た姿で、身体がふた周り大きく赤い《ワイルドキャタピラ》は、斃すのに最低でも20匹掛かりで、なおかつ毎回2~3匹犠牲になるのが普通です。 他にも罠に嵌めようとしても、察知して逃げる頭のいい奴とか、さっきのリザードマンのように単純に強い奴とか、どいつもこいつも一筋縄ではいかない連中ばかりです。 そんなわけで最初ここに来た時は80匹くらいいた俺の軍団も、50匹くらいに減って、さしもの繁殖力の高いゴブリンとコボルトであっても追いつかない状況です。 狩場としてここらへんは俺には荷が勝ちすぎたのかも知れません。 あの方は、「無理そうなら元の階層に戻すから、次に来た時にでも言ってね」とおっしゃってましたので、お願いすれば元の狩場に戻れるでしょう。 ですが、「君の成長速度なら大丈夫じゃないかな?」と言ってつれて来てくれたのもあの方です。 つまりそれだけ俺を期待しているわけです。 ならばここで無理ですといえば、俺はさぞかし弱い雄だと思われるでしょう。そうなったら一生、あの方と交尾できないのは明白です。雌は強い雄に惹かれるのが当然ですから。 「......ならば、ここが頑張りどころだな」 たとえ仲間や部下を全員犠牲にしてでも、俺はさらに強くならないとダメなのです。 「とは言え、そうそう簡単に強くなる方法があるか......?」 俺は考えました。そもそもこれまで出会った強い相手。その特徴を。 「やはり、身体がでかくて、力が強い相手が厄介だな」 俺はちらりと、腹の傷に薬草をつけて転がっているニノマエを見ました。もともとアイツはでかくて腕力がありました。つまり、そういったものは生まれつきの資質で左右されるということでしょう。なら俺が身に着けるのは無理ということ。 それから、以前に剣を合わせたニンゲンの若い雄を思い出しました。 あいつは体格も俺より小さくて、力も大したこともなかったのに、俺と互角かそれ以上に戦いました。 「あれが技というものか......」 ニンゲンの使う技とか格闘とかいう技術は、後天的に習得できるものらしいので、これを覚えるのは今後かなり有効そうです。 ただし問題は、魔物は基本生まれ持った力と能力で戦うのが普通なので、そうした技を覚えるツテがないのと、仮にツテがあったとしてもおそらく一朝一夕で覚えることはできないだろうということです。 現在は逼迫した状態なので、そうそう時間を掛けることができそうにありませんから、もっと、すぐに強くなる方法を探さねばなりません。 そこで、俺は今日、リザードマンと打ち合って、ボロボロになった剣を鞘から引き抜きました。 「――アイツ、力やスピードもあったが、なにより武器の質が違ったな」 そう。ここに俺の求める答えがありました。 力は生まれつき。技は時間が掛かる。なら、強力な武器を使えばいいのです。 問題はそうそう強力な武器が、おいそれと手に入らないことですね。 死んだニンゲンが持っていた錆びた武器や防具は、結構探せば見つかるものですが、ピカピカの良品となるとまず落ちていません。 のあちこちには、『宝箱』というものが転がっていて、《レプラコーン》という妖精族が、その中に使えそうな武器や防具をしまい込むそうで、俺たちが目にする機会がなかなかないそうです。 それと『宝箱』は、残念ながら魔物は触れないようになっているそうです。 ですが、逆に言えばニンゲンなら開けられるので、ニンゲンが開けた瞬間に襲うか......いや、この辺りまでくるニンゲンはさっきのリザードマンに負けず劣らずの まだしもこちらも数を揃えて、連中を襲って略奪したほうが早いでしょう。 「いっそニンゲンを1~2匹飼っておくか」 上層の他の集落のゴブリンは、種付け用にニンゲンの雌を常時何匹か飼うのが普通らしいですが、俺はいままで飼った事がないです。まあ、理由としてはたまたま機会がなかったのと、飼うとなれば食い扶持が増えるので、無駄飯喰いはいらんと思っていたからですが、ここにきて宝箱を開ける要員として飼うのも良いかも知れないと思い始めました。 あと贅沢を言うなら、ニンゲンの技も覚えたいので、そういう技能を持ったニンゲンが欲しいところですが......まあ、これも余裕ができてからの話でしょう。 取りあえずは、もうちょっとマシな武器を調達する算段を立てねば。 そう思っていたところへ、食料調達に行っていた若いゴブリン達が戻ってきました。 まだ経験が浅いだけに、その手に持っているのは《ロックワーム》や《ブラッドバッド》などという小物ばかり。これでは、全員に餌が行き渡るかも難しいところでしょう。 せめて、今日、あのリザードマンに遭遇しなければ、俺たちがもうちょっとマシな獲物を獲ってこられたのですが......。終わった話とはいえ、今更ながら考えて気落ちしてしまいます。 と、連中や奴隷のコボルト達があちこち火傷をしたり、毛が焦げているのに気が付いて、声を掛けました。 「どうしたその怪我は?」 先頭に立っていた若手の中ではリーダー格のホブゴブリンが、直立して答える。 「ハッ。アノ獲物ヲ狩ロウトシタトコロ、怪シイ術デ火ヲ飛バシテ抵抗サレタ時ノ怪我デス」 見れば、コボルトどもが木の棒――いや、あれは杖か?――に四肢を縛ってぶら下げた、白い 猫の年はわかりませんけど、なんとなく年寄りの感じがします。肉づきも悪くて、ほとんど喰うところもなさそうです。怪しい術と言ってましたが、おそらく魔法でしょう。ニンゲンの冒険者の中にも、同じように杖を持って魔法を使う連中がいたのを思い出して、ふと俺は興味を惹かれました。 魔法......魔法か! これもある意味強力な武器だな! 「あの獲物はまだ生きているのか?」 「ハイ。戦ッテイル途中デ、急二フラフラニナリ、簡単二生ケ捕リデキマシタ」 おどおどしながらコボルトの若いのが運んできた は伸びた眉毛の下から、力なく俺を見返してきました。 「......聞こえておるわい。......ゴブリンなんぞに捕まるとは、情けない......」 「ふん。『なんぞ』で悪かったな。確認したいのは、お前が魔法を使えるかどうかだ?」 「......使えるがいまは魔力を使い果たして、落ち葉に火をつけることすらできん。......まったく年は取りたくないものよ。抵抗はせんので、喰うならとっとと喰え」 は魔法を使えるらしいです。ならば、こんなダシガラなような年寄りなら、この場で喰うよりも、魔法を覚えるまで生かしておいた方が便利でしょう。 「なあ、爺さん。条件次第では、喰わずに生かしておいてやってもいいんだぜ」 「ふん。この期に及んで命なんぞ惜しくはないわい。さっさと殺すがいい」 「気の短い爺さんだな、別に爺さんにとっても損な話じゃないぜ」 「......なにがしたいんじゃい?」 「俺――いや、俺たちに魔法を教えて欲しい」 にやりと嗤って答えた俺の顔を、 あれから1ヶ月後、俺とニノマエ、ゴブリン・ナイト、そしてゴブリン・メイジに進化した、いつぞやの若手のホブゴブリンを連れて、俺たちは上の階層との中間にある『ボス部屋』とやらに来ていました。 「この部屋にいる守護者“メタルゴーレム”とやらを斃せば、武器の入った俺でも触れる『宝箱』が手に入るんだな?」 「そうじゃ。ま、斃せれば......じゃが」 俺の質問にやや気弱げに 「上の方って、“あの方”のことか? だったら今度来た時に謝っておけば大丈夫だろう」 「――あの方って誰じゃい?」 不思議そうに首を捻るニャンコ導師に、あの方のことを説明しようとしたところで、先頭を歩いていたニノマエが、全員に聞こえるよう注意を促す叫びをあげました。 「気ガツイタラシイ! ゴーレムガコッチヘ向カッテ来ルゾ! 全員、戦闘準備!!」 ニノマエの指示に従って、ゴブリン・ナイトがばらばらとその背後に着き、入れ替わりに俺の周りにいたゴブリン・メイジとゴブリン・ソーサラーが先頭に踊り出ました。 俺も話を切り上げて、その列の中心に並びます。 見れば鋼鉄の塊のような巨大なメタルゴーレムが、のっぺらぼうの顔の真ん中にある“赤い瞳”をこちらに向けて、ゆっくりと歩いてくるところでした。 ニノマエよりも縦横ともに3回りは大きなこいつは、重量もかなりのものなのでしょう。歩くたびに石の床が震動で揺れます。 「魔法隊は全員、最初の一発を撃ったら、即座にナイトの後ろに退避! ナイトは魔法隊を死守! 魔法攻撃後、俺とニノマエで叩く。魔力が戻り次第、遠距離から攻撃! 狙いは弱点だ。――ニノマエ、位置はわかるな?」 「目ノトコロダロウ。コンナモン、見レバ馬鹿デモワカル!」 ちらりと後ろを確認してみると、仲間達も全員頷いていた。まあ、こんなあからさまな弱点なら、どんな阿呆だろうがゴブリンだろうが見逃すわけもないですね。 俺は胸元の首飾り――光る石の欠片をつなげただけの不恰好なものですが、なんでもこの石は『魔石』といって、魔法使いが魔法を使う媒体になるそうで、最初に適性検査と言ってこの石に魔力を通してニャンコ導師に確認してもらったところ、俺を含めた群れのゴブリンの5匹に適性があったので、狩り以外の時間を見つけては魔法の使い方を教わり、最近では随分と上達して、狩りも楽になってきました――に魔力を通して、開いた手の間に「火」をイメージします。 すると広げた掌の間に子ゴブリンの頭ほどの炎の塊が生まれました。 他の魔法隊も同じように、それぞれ手の間に握り拳くらいの炎や光、雷、風といった魔法を練り上げています。 「お主、ホントにただのハイゴブリンか?!」 とはいえ、いまだ魔法を習い始めて1ヶ月。いまのところモノになるのは火の魔法くらいですが。 俺の合図を受けて、魔法隊の魔法が次々にメタルゴーレムの頭部へと放たれました。 真っ先に放たれた俺の炎が目に直撃するかと思われた瞬間、メタルゴーレムは意外なほど滑らかな動作で、右手で弱点を防御。俺の炎はその二の腕に焦げ跡を作った程度で四散。 何事もなかったかのようにその姿勢のまま歩みを進める、メタルゴーレムの身体のそこかしこに後続の魔法が炸裂するが、どれもダメージらしいダメージを与えられない。 「......ん?」 だが、一瞬動きが止まったのに気が付いて、俺は背後のニノマエを振り返った。 「いまの魔法は効果があったんじゃないのか?」 「ウム。雷ダッタナ」 ニノマエの言葉に、俺は弾かれたように雷魔法を使えるゴブリン・ソーサラーを振り返った。 「お前の魔法が有効だ! 他の者はこいつのサポートにつけ! お前はなるべく強力な雷を撃てるよう準備しておけ」 「「「「ワカリマシタ」」」」 「ニノマエ。行くぞ!」 俺は腰の錆びた剣を抜いた。 「オウ!!」 ニノマエも錆びた斧を振りかぶって、最前列へ躍り出た。 そのまま2匹揃ってメタルゴーレムへ討ちかかる。 ガツン!ガツン!と剣が斧が当たるたびに、こちらの武器が欠けるが、後の事など知ったことではない。 巨大な鉄槌のようなメタルゴーレムの拳を躱しながら、なんとか弱点の目を攻撃しようとするが、なかなかガードが固くて届かない。 そこへ、待っていた声が掛かった。 「――雷魔法イキマス!」 その言葉に俺とニノマエが、素早く射線上から退避したところへ、絶妙のタイミングで先ほどより一回り大きい雷魔法が飛んできて、メタルゴーレムの胸に当たった。 その瞬間、予想通りピタリと動きを止めるメタルゴーレム。 「ニノマエ!」 「マカセロ!」 ニノマエの斧が無防備になった目に当たる寸前、息を吹き返したメタルゴーレムがわずかに身動ぎして、斧は目をわずかに外れて顔面に溝を掘った。 「シマッタ!?」 逆に大技を繰り出した後の無防備になったニノマエへ向け、メタルゴーレムの拳が唸りをあげる。 「くそっ!」 俺も雷の魔法を習得しておけば、こんなことにはならなかったものを! 一瞬後、血反吐を吐いて撲殺されるニノマエの姿を予想して、俺はせめて一太刀なりと――と全身全霊を込めて剣をメタルゴーレムへと叩き付けた。 瞬間、俺の錆びた剣から雷のような火花が飛び散る。 「魔法剣じゃと――?!」 一番後方に控えていたニャンコ導師の驚愕の声が響いた。 ニノマエに当たる寸前、俺の雷を浴びて動きを止めるメタルゴーレム。 最大のチャンスに、俺は剣を返して、「食らえッ!」そのまま剣先を奴の目へ突き入れた。 パリン!と案外軽い音がして、メタルゴーレムの目が割れた。 目を壊されたメタルゴーレムは、その場にガックリと倒れ込むと、バラバラに砕け散った。 「......やったのか?」 「ウム。ヤッタナ、イチジク!!」 途端、仲間内から勝利の雄叫びが上がって、俺もボロボロになった剣を振りかざして、歓声に応えた。 どこからともなく妙な音楽が聞こえてきて、俺たちが戸惑っている間に、メタルゴーレムの破片は床に沈み、替わりに木でできた箱が出てきた。 「これが宝箱か?」 「そうじゃ。お前さんのものじゃな」 前に出てきたニャンコ導師に促されて、その宝箱を開けてみると、中には1本の剣が入っていた。 「おおっ。これはいい、俺の剣はもう使い物になりそうにないからなぁ」 ボロボロになって、ほとんど刃を残していない剣をその場に捨てて、俺は新しい剣を掴んで抜いてみた。 曇り一つない刀身が俺の顔を映し出す。 気のせいか以前よりもさらに顔つきがニンゲンに近くなり、角も長く、体型も無駄な肉がなくなり引き締まったような気がする。 「......進化したようじゃの。お主はもう ほとほと呆れたという口調で、ニャンコ導師が説明してくれました。 「それと、その剣じゃが、どうやら魔剣のようじゃな。どこまでも規格外じゃのぉ」 「ほう」 言われて剣に魔力を通してみると、一瞬にして螺旋状の形態に変化しました。 「......妙な武器だな。まあ気にいったので文句はないが」 「それでは、そろそろ戻ろうか。あまり長くいると、また守護者が復活するからの」 「なに?! 守護者はまた復活するのか? なら斃せば、また『宝箱』を得られるのか?」 「そうじゃが......おい、まさか?!」 俺の言いたいことを予想できたのだろう、ニャンコ導師があたふたと周囲を見渡しました。 ええ、もちろん予想通りです。 「なら、他の連中の武器や防具も揃えんとな。俺一人では不公平だろう? これの試し斬りもしたいしな」 頭を抱えるニャンコ導師とは対照的に、ニノマエ以下仲間達は意気揚々と次の戦いの準備を始めています。俺は手にしたばかりの魔剣を一振りして、仲間達と合流しました。 で、結局、この剣と新たに習い覚えた《魔法剣》の効果により、その後腹が減るまで20連戦を行い、そこそこの武器・防具を得たところで俺たちはボス部屋を後にしました。 ちなみにこの戦いの間に、ニノマエは《 その2~3日後に、いつものようにサンドウィッチとシュークリームという舌がとろけるような美味な餌を持ってきて、訪問されたあの方は、いままで見たこともないほど取り乱していました。 どうやら俺は期待以上の成果を上げられたようです。 ちなみにニャンコ導師は、このお方の麗しいお姿を見た瞬間――感激のあまりでしょうか?――なぜか泡を吹いて卒倒しました。 「あなた様のためにがんばりました! ぜひ――」 「交尾はしないよ!!」 そういえば、以前、アホそうななニンゲンの雄が言ってました。 「えーと......では、せめてキスを――あ、別に口でなくていいので、足の裏でもなんでも舐めますので」 に進化したのに、性格が残念になってきてるねぇ」 「はあ。そうなんですか?」 それから、あの方は喜び勇んで山盛りのサンドウィッチとシュークリームを食べる仲間達やコボルトたちを見ていましたが、なにか吹っ切ったようなため息とともに右手の甲を差し出してきました。 「......まあ、がんばったご褒美に、ここに口付けするくらいは許してあげるよ」 うおおおおおおおおっ! 遂に! 遂に! 生まれて早5ヶ月! ついに俺は交尾に至る一歩を踏み出すことに成功したのです!! 跪いて震える手であの方の手を受け取った俺は、そっと接吻しました。 「......がぶっ!!」 「きゃあああああああああああああああ!! 食べられるぅ!!」 「オレサマオマエマルカジリ」 自分でも何をやっているのかわかりません。ぷにぷにと柔らかくてすべすべの肌と雌の匂いを嗅いだ途端、俺の中の何かが弾け飛びました。 「いやあああああああああああああああ!!」 なんか凄まじい勢いで、あの方の拳が振るわれ、気が付いたら霞む目で、ダンジョンの天井を眺めていました。 「うわっ、まだ生きてる!? やばい、このまま進化したらマジでやばい! ここでトドメ差しておいた方がいいかも......!」 あの方の可愛らしい声を聴きながら、俺の意識は真っ白に溶けていきました。

98 Tabernacle Evolution Error A shiny, polished single-edged curved knife (spotter) hit my rusty straight sword and sparks and iron fragments flew. If you look, my sword was bouncing and flying on the gizzard where we met. There are no visible wounds on the weapon in the opponent's hand. Bad. Weapons, power, whatever. Opponents are up there. For a moment, a continuous blow came where I was frightened, and although I managed to take the blow, the tip of the sword that followed decided on my shoulder. "Figs!!" In a hurry, I and my opponent - an upright half-beast half man with lizard face and tail with muddy green scaly skin - break in between Lizardman and wave down the rusty axe I got. Lizardman took it with a left-hand circular shield (buckler) with an extra look, and flanked the single-edged curved knife (spotter) on his right hand. "Guaaaaaaaa!?!" The belly of the ninomae was broken thoroughly, and a tremendous amount of blood flowed. Goblin Generals protected by thick muscles, which is probably why it was done to this extent, but if this was a lined goblin, it would have been somewhere amputated. In fact, Ninomae, who doesn't cry in rare things, is holding her belly slashed by bitterness. After a moment, the wound may have reached the point of halibut. I made up my mind when I got here. I can't beat this guy no matter what. In fact, half of the elite Goblin Knight and hard-faced Kobolt Warriors I've brought with me have already turned into unspeakable wrecks when it comes to challenging them by a one-on-one majority. "Once we pull, Ninomae! Knight and Warrior, stop him! - Let's go, Ninomae! A total of 10 surviving Goblin Knight and Kobolt Warrior follow my instructions to Lizardman, but every time his sword flies, he flies with a pointy break like a nose. In the meantime, me and Ninomae were able to escape the scene with a crawling body. Unlike the people who lived upstairs, the demons that go out here are incredibly tough. For example, the Wild Caterpillar, which is very similar to the Yellow Caterpillar, which was our staple food that was also on top, has a large body around its lid. It usually takes at least 20 people to kill it, and yet two to three people are sacrificed each time. Whether you're trying to fit into some other trap, or some smart guy who senses and runs away, or someone as simply as strong as Lizardman just now, these guys aren't always a glimmer either. That's why I had about 80 when I first got here. My legion is also in a situation where I can't catch up with even a small number of highly fertile goblins and cobolts, reduced to about 50. As a hunting ground, Kohen may have beaten me too much loads. That one said, "If it doesn't seem possible, I'll put it back in the original hierarchy, so tell me the next time you come," so you can go back to the original hunting grounds if you ask me. But I thought, "Wouldn't your growth rate be okay? He followed me." I mean, that's all you expect of me. If I can't do it here, they'll think I'm a weak male. When that happens, it's obvious that you can't mate with that one for the rest of your life. Because females are naturally attracted to strong males. "... then this is where you work so hard" Even at the expense of all my people and men, I have to be even stronger. "That said, is there such an easy way to be strong...? I thought about it. Strong opponent I've met before in the first place. its features. "After all, it's troublesome who's big and powerful." I caught a glimpse of a ninomae rolling with herbs on her belly wound. Originally, he was big and armed. This would mean that such things are dictated by their natural qualities. Then it's impossible for me to wear it. Then I remembered a young male from Ningen who had previously combined his swords. He was smaller than me in stature, had no power, no big deal, but he fought each other or more with me. "Is that a move..." Techniques like Ningen's moves and fights seem to be acquired, so remembering this seems pretty effective in the future. But the problem is that demons usually fight with the power and ability they were born with, so they don't have the twats to remember those moves, and even if they did, they probably won't be able to remember them overnight. Now that we are in a state of persecution, we are unlikely to be able to take the time to do so, so we need to look for a way to be stronger, more quickly. So, I met with Lizardman today to pull my worn sword out of my sheath. "- He had power and speed, but more importantly, the quality of the weapon was different." Yes. Here was the answer I asked for. Power is born. The moves take time. Then you just have to use a powerful weapon. The problem is that so powerful a weapon, hey, you don't get it. The rusty weapons and protective equipment that the dead Ningen had are something you'll find if you look for them quite a bit, but they haven't fallen off first when it comes to shiny goodies. Why, from what Elder Goblin has told me, there's something called the 'Crate' rolling around this ruins labyrinth (dungeon), and a fairy clan called 'Lepracone' puts weapons and protective gear in it that seems to work, and we don't get a chance to see it. And the 'crate', unfortunately, they say, keeps the demons out of touch. But on the contrary, Ningen can open it, so attack the moment Ningen opens it or... No, Ningen that gets around here is no less than Lizardman's rehearsal earlier (who?), and besides, it's definitely a group, so it's not tacky. Still, it would be quicker to count this one and attack and plunder them. "Keep one or two ningens first." It seems normal for goblins in other settlements in the upper tier to have several ningen females at all times for seeding, but I've never had one before. Well, for the reason that I didn't happen to have the opportunity, and because I didn't think I needed to waste my time eating rice because if I were to keep it, I started to think it might be a good idea to come here and keep it as a personnel to open the crate. If I'm going to say extravaganza, I want to learn Ningen moves too, so I want that kind of skilled Ningen...... well, this will also be a story after I can afford it. In the meantime, we need to figure out a way to procure some better weapons. To where I thought so, the young goblins who were going to procure food came back. I'm just inexperienced yet, and all I have in my hand are little things like Rockworm and Bloodbad. This will also make it difficult for bait to reach everyone. At least if I hadn't encountered that Lizardman today, they'd have caught us some better prey... Though it's over, I'm still thinking about it and I'm disappointed. And when they and the slave cobolts noticed burns all over the place and burnt hair, they spoke up. "What's wrong with that injury? Hobgoblin, a leader among the young men at the head, answers upright. "Ha. Ano prey hunting lout citato colo, weird shii technique de fire flying bashite resistance no injuries during saleta death" If you look, I could see the Cobolts carrying and bringing the white fairy cat Kett-See, who hung his limbs tied to the stick - no, is that a wand? I don't know the cat year, but I feel somewhat old. Poorly fleshed, it seems almost nowhere to eat. He said it was a suspicious technique, but it's probably magic. I remember some of the Ningen adventurers using magic with their wands in the same way, and fuh I was intrigued. Magic... Magic! This is a powerful weapon, too, in a way! "Is that prey still alive? "Hi. Battle teil en route de, sudden two frafranninali, easy second life ke capture lidekimacita" Looking at Kett-See, the fairy cat brought by Kobolt's young as he lingered, down to the ground, he doesn't seem to have any particularly noticeable injuries, but he's relaxed and dripping at the tip of his beard. Then the fairy cat Kett-See looked back at me from under her stretched eyebrows, powerless. "... I can hear you. Wow.... I'm sorry to hear you get caught goblining..." "Hmm. I'm sorry about 'What the hell'. All I want to know is if you can use magic? "... I can use up my magic right now, but I can't even light a fallen leaf.... I don't want to get old at all. I won't resist, so if you want to eat it, eat it." Hopefully. They can still use magic on this fairy cat, Kett-See. If you're such a dashing old man, then it's more convenient to keep him alive until you learn magic than to eat him on this occasion. "Hey, Grandpa. Depending on the conditions, you can keep them alive without eating them." "Well, it's not a waste of my life over this period. Kill him now." "You're a short-minded old man, it's nothing to lose for him." "... what have you done? "Me - No, I want us to teach you magic" The wizard of the fairy cat Kett-Sea looked back at my face, who replied with a smile. A month after that, we were in the 'boss room' halfway up the hierarchy with each young hobgoblin, who evolved into me and Ninomae, Goblin Knight, and Goblin Mage. "If you shoot the guardian in this room," Metal Golem, "you get a chest that I touch with a weapon in it, right? "Bye. If you shoot me... then..." The wizard of the fairy cat Kett-See - mentor Nyanko (mentor) - nodded slightly weakly at my question. "Upstairs, you mean" that one "? Then next time you come, apologize and you'll be fine." "- Who's that guy? As I tried to explain that one to the strangely twisted Nyako mentor, Ninomae, who was walking in the lead, gave a cry to everyone to be cautious so that they could hear me. "Chi, chi, chi, chi! Golem, Gacoccihe, come to Katte, Luzo! All, prepare for battle!!" Following Ninomae's instructions, Goblin Knight got behind it with a splash, and instead Goblin Mage and Goblin Soussarer, who were around me, danced first. I'll cut up the story, too, and line up at the center of that line. A giant metal golem, like a chunk of steel if you look at it, was about to walk slowly toward me with its "red eyes" in the middle of my uppermost face. This guy, who's three times bigger vertically and horizontally than Ninomae, probably weighs a lot too. Every time I walk, the stone floor shakes with tremors. "All the magic squads, once they've shot the first shot, immediately retreat behind the knight! Knight defends the Magic Squad! After the magic attack, beat it with me and Ninomae. As soon as the magic returns, attack from a distance! Aim is a weakness. - Ninomae, you know where it is? "Eye notocolo d 'orou. Connamon, look Leva Fool Demowakal! Once I checked the back, all my people were nodding too. Well, if you're such an obvious weakness, what kind of an idiot would be a goblin, but you can't miss it. I am a necklace on my chest - an inappropriate one that has just connected glowing stone shards, but whatever this stone is called a 'demonic stone', they say that a wizard will be the medium to use magic, and when I first said aptitude test and asked this stone to confirm it through magic to Master Nyako, there was aptitude for five of the flock's goblins, including me, so finding time other than hunting taught me how to use magic, and these days it has improved much, and hunting has become easier - through magic, I imagine "fire" between my open hands. Then a mass of flame was born between the spread palms as much as the head of the child goblin. The other magic squads do the same, each working out magic like flames, light, thunder, and wind about a fist between their hands. "Lord, are you really just a high goblin?!" Nevertheless, I have still begun to learn magic for a month. So far it's about the magic of fire that makes things things. On my signal, the magic of the Magic Squad was unleashed on the head of the metal golem one after the other. The moment they thought my flame released first would strike me straight in the eye, the metal golem was in an unexpectedly smooth motion, defending its weakness with its right hand. My flames are scattered to the extent that I made burn marks on those two arms. Keep walking in that position as if nothing had happened, subsequent magic bursts into the body of the metal golem, but none of it deals damaging damage. "... hmm? But when I realized for a moment that the movement had stopped, I looked back at the ninomae behind me. "Didn't the magic work now? "Um. Thunder Dattana" In Ninomae's words, I looked back at Goblin Soussarah, who could use thunder magic as he was played. "Your magic works! The rest of you, get this guy's support! You prepare to shoot as powerful thunder as you can." "" "" Wakarimashita "" " "Ninomae. Let's go! I pulled out the rusty sword on my hips. "Ooh!! Ninomae also swung a rusty axe and jumped to the front row. Keep two together and go to the metal golem. Gatsun! Gatsun! And whenever the sword hits the axe, this weapon is missing, but it's not something I learned about later. I manage to attack my weak eye with a huge hammer-like metal golem fist, but my guard is hard to reach. There, the voice I was waiting for hung up. "- Thunder Magic Ikimus! Me and Ninomae quickly retreated from the ray into the words, and a lightning magic bigger than earlier flew in at the perfect time, hitting the chest of the metal golem. At that moment, the metal golem stops the pitch and movement as expected. "Ninomae!" "Macacello!" On the brink of Ninomae's axe hitting her defenseless eyes, a breathtaking metal golem moved slightly, and the axe took her eyes slightly off and dug a ditch in her face. "Cimatta!? Conversely, metal golem fists roar toward the defenseless Ninomae after rolling out the great moves. "Damn! If I had mastered the magic of thunder too, I'd have done something that wouldn't have happened like this! A moment later, anticipating the appearance of Ninomae, who would be slaughtered by spitting blood reflexes, I struck my sword into a metal golem with at least one machete - and all my body spirits. Moment after moment, a spark of thunder splashes from my rusty sword. "A magic sword?!" The stunned voice of the Nyanko mentor, who had refrained at the rearmost, echoed. On the verge of hitting the Ninomae, a metal golem that showers my thunder and stops moving. For my greatest chance, I returned my sword and said, "Eat it!" I put my sword tip straight into his eyes. Parin! and an outgoing light noise broke my metal golem eyes. The metal golem, whose eyes were broken, smashed apart as it collapsed in dismay on the spot. "... did you do it? "Um. Yattana, fig!! Soon after, the roar of victory rose from within my companions, and I waved a worn out sword, too, in response to the cheer. I heard strange music from nowhere, and while we were confused, the metal golem fragments sank to the floor and instead came out of a box made of wood. "Is this the chest? "Bye. It's not yours." Encouraged by the Nyako mentor who came forward, I opened that chest and there was one sword inside. "Whoa. This is good, because my sword is not going to be used anymore" I wore out, threw a sword on the spot with little blade left behind, and I grabbed a new sword and pulled it out. A cloudless body reflects my face. I feel that my face is even closer to Ningen than before because of my mind, the corners are longer, my body shape is no longer wasted meat and tight. "... it seems to have evolved. Your lord is no longer a goblin, he's not an Oni." Instructor Nyanko explained it to me in the tone that it was truly frightening. "And the sword, apparently, is like the Devil's Sword. It's out of standard everywhere." "Ho." When I was told and put magic through my sword, it instantly changed into a helical form. "... that's a strange weapon. Well, I like it, so I'm not complaining." "So it's time to go back. Because if you stay too long, your guardian will be resurrected again." "What?! Will the Guardian be resurrected again? Then if I kill him, will I get another 'chest'? "Well...... hey, no way?!" I guess you could have guessed what I was trying to say, mentor Nyanko looking around you and me. Yeah, of course it's what I expected. "Then we'll have all the other guys' weapons and gear. It wouldn't be fair on my own, would it? I'd like to try this out." In contrast to the Nyanko mentor with the head, the Below Ninomae companions are starting to prepare for the next battle with willingness. I just waved the Devil's Sword and joined my people. So, in the end, due to the effect of this sword and the newly learned Magic Sword, we fought 20 fights in a row until we were hungry, and where we got weapons and protective equipment there, we left the boss room behind. By the way, during this battle, Ninomae evolved into the Middle-Ghost (Troll), her stature exceeded 2m, she also gained a new giant axe from the crate, and others in turn evolved into the higher-ranking hygoblin species. A couple of days after that, as usual, I brought some delicious bait with a melting tongue: sandwich and shoe cream, and that person I visited was more disturbed than I've ever seen before. Apparently, I've achieved more than I expected. By the way, instructor Nyanko, the moment he saw the beauty of this other person - is it much appreciated? - Somehow he blew a bubble and fell. "Good luck for you! Absolutely." "I won't mate!!" Speaking of which, a ningen male who looks like an asshole used to say. "Um... well, at least give me a kiss - oh, it doesn't have to be a mouth, so I'll lick everything behind my feet" "... you've evolved into a handsome man, and I'm sorry for your character." "Ha. Really? Then, that one was joyfully brave and watching the pile of sandwiches and shoe cream eating buddies and cobolts, but he has offered the back of his right hand with some blown out sigh. "... well, I'll forgive you enough to mouth it here for the reward of good luck" Whoa, whoa, whoa! Finally! Finally! Five months early in life! Finally, I succeeded in taking the step to mating!! I got that hand with my kneeling, trembling hand, and I kissed him softly. "...... blah!!" "KHAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! I can eat!!" "Olesama Omaemarkaziri" I don't know what I'm doing myself. As soon as I smelled puffy, soft, slippery skin and females, something in me bounced. "No, no, no, no!!" There was some tremendous momentum, that guy's fist waved, and when he noticed it, he was looking out at the dungeon ceiling with his shiny eyes. "Wow, he's still alive!? Shit, if he evolves like this, he seriously sucks! Maybe I should leave a toddle here......! My consciousness melted white as I listened to that lovely voice of yours.

1に対して人間3で戦うのがセオリーのこの世界において、ほぼ互角の戦力と言えるが、個人での戦いと違い、団体での戦いになれば数の差は等比数列的に増加するものである。 『勝てる!!』 そう確信した各諸侯は、まずはいくつかの隊に分けて各自の指揮下に取り入れていた義勇兵、これを最前線に投入することで自身直轄の持ち駒を温存する作戦へと出た。 数は多いが素人に毛の生えた集団――ましてや売国奴たる第三王子に肩入れして集結した潜在的反逆者ども、と見なしている貴族たちにしてみれば、ここで共倒れを狙って使い潰すのは当然のこと――それらが粗末な武器と防具とを持ち、なだれ込んでくる すさまじい混戦の中、目を覆わんばかりの阿鼻叫喚の地獄絵図が、そこかしこで展開された。 と、そんな無秩序かつ混乱状態にあった前線へ向け、満を持して待機していた諸侯連合軍の正規軍から、猛烈な勢いで弓兵による射撃が降り注ぎ、さらに魔術師による無数の氷の矢が、敵味方分け隔てなくその場に居たものを蜂の巣にした。 さらに、とどめとばかり騎兵による突撃で敵軍を消耗させ、後に続く歩兵が生き残りを駆逐する――似たような光景が戦場のあちこちで繰り返された。 勝負は決まった! 所詮は犬畜生にも劣る 勝利を確信して、にんまり笑みを浮かべる諸侯連合軍の指揮官たちだったが、予想外に粘る敵と時間の経過とともに消耗していく自軍の様子に、いらだたしげに眉根を寄せ、ほどなく冷や汗を流すようになるのだった。 なんだこれは?! 敵はどこから湧いてくるのだ!? しかもまったく戦意を衰えさせぬ。まるで連中には死というものがないようではないか! そうしていったんはアミティア王国軍に傾いていた天秤の針は、時間の経過とともに徐々にインペリアル・クリムゾン側へと傾き、取り返しの付かない位置まで下がっていったのだった。 「まあもともと8×8マスだった 「あー、復帰したインペリアル・クリムゾン兵士はさっさと前線へ戻って! とっくに戦場は前に動いてるんだからね、遅れないで! あと、アミティア王国義勇兵の諸君は、君らを後ろから撃った貴族軍に殉じて抵抗するなら容赦しないし、もう復活はないので念のため。逃げるんだったら追いかけないので、勝手に逃げてかまわないよ。以上」 言いたいことだけ言って(なにしろ蘇生可能なのは30分以内だからねぇ)、さっさとその場を後にした。 実際、あとから聞いた話では、義勇兵の大部分が魂の抜けたような顔で、ふらふらと戦場から撤退して行ったそうだけどね。 ふと、この戦場のどこかで戦っているであろう仮面の騎士を思い出して、ボクは2人に尋ねた。 「特には。――もともと姫様がお気になさるほどの事柄でもありませんから」 『......姫様もともと気分次第で助けたり、無意味に虐殺とかしてた。だから変わらなくて嬉しい』 そーか、そうそんな風に思われていたのか......。 「まあ取りあえず、がんばってみようーっ!」 そう自分を鼓舞して、ボクは戦場を風のように駆け回った。 もはや完全に雌雄は決した。 四方から迫り来るまったく無傷のインペリアル・クリムゾン兵士に対し、満身創痍で補給もままならないアミティア王国諸侯は個別に、しかも徹底的に蹂躙され、一兵たりとも見逃されることなく壊滅していった。 生き残りの諸侯軍の貴族が自分の軍馬に跨り、大慌てで戦場を後にしようとする。 陣幕に集っていた腹心の部下たちは顔を見合わせ、おずおずと確認した。 「馬鹿を言うな! 儂が撤退する時間を稼ぐのが、奴ら下々の者の役目であろう! 連中が化物を抑えている間に、さっさとこの場を後にするぞ!」 真っ赤な顔で怒鳴られ、腹心たちもお互いに頷きあい、我先にと自分の馬へと群がっていった。 「......いやいや、それはさすがに無責任ってもんじゃないかい?」 刹那、猛烈な爆風が陣幕を吹き飛ばし、驚いた馬たちが主を置いて一斉に逃げ出した。 「主が主なら馬も馬ってところか・・・」 風圧で馬から転げ落ちた彼らは、いつの間にかそこにいたのか、 ――この男、どこかで見たような・・・。 全員の胸に淡い既知感が湧いたが、その答えが出る前に男は肩に乗せていた 「指揮官たるものが味方を犠牲にしてトンズラこくとはどうにもいただけないな。うちの姫様なんぞ、味方の一兵残らず助けるために戦場を駆け回ってるってのにな」 「貴様、何者だ?!」 たまりかねた貴族の配下の問いかけに、男は剣を構えて一言。 「インペリアル・クリムゾン、 その一撃で、剣を抜いて構えていたもの、剣を抜こうとしていた者、逃げようとしていた者、全てが物言わぬ骸と化した。 ただ一人、腰を抜かしていた貴族の男を抜かして。 「......まったく、こういう奴ほど悪運が強い。とは言え以前の俺ならともかく、いまの俺には手加減をする理由もないしな。そんなわけで部下の待つ地獄へ行ってもらうぞ、ヴィッロレージ伯爵」 そう言って近づいてく男の足の運び、姿、そして何より自分の名を呼んだ声に、すべての符号がピタリと合わさり、ヴィッロレージ伯爵は大きく息を呑んだ。 「そんな名前の奴は死んだよ。ここにいるのは過去の残滓......それももうすぐ消え、ただの稀人が残るのさ」 戦場とは思えない森閑とした周囲の静寂の中で、ひとつため息をついた稀人は誰にともなく呟いた。 「こんないまの俺を見てお前は悲しむかな。いや、それよりも、お前を救えなかった俺を憎んでいるのかな......」 「――その答えは君が一番よく知っているだろう? 彼女の魂が君の幸せを願わないと思うのかい?」 澄んだ声がそれに応えた。 「・・・これは、姫」 「悪いけど、泣くのは全てが終わった後にしてもらえるかな? こっちの戦争はどうやら終わったみたいだけど、王都の方で暴動が起きたみたいで、引き続きそっちの対応をしなきゃいけなくなってねぇ」 「暴動ですか・・・」 軽く肩をすくめる緋雪。 「ああ、どうやらここの結果が逃げた義勇兵から伝わったみたいでね、これまで貴族に不満を持っていた民衆が一斉に蜂起したらしい。――まあ、誰かさんが撒いた種がやっと芽を出したってところかな」 「......そう、ですか」 小さく呟き、ほっと・・・やっと重い荷物を下ろした旅人のような、万感の思いを込めたため息をつく稀人。 「そんなわけで、これから全軍で王都に向かうんで君も遅れないように。遅れると君のやり残したこともできなくなるよ?」 「そうですね。まだやるべき事が残っていましたね」 と、その背中に稀人の妙にサバサバした声がかけられた。 「姫、これが終わったら姫の胸を借りて思いっきり泣いてもいいですかね?」 「――な、なんでさ?! 一人で泣けばいいじゃないか!」 咄嗟に胸を抱いてその場から後ずさる緋雪。 「いやあ、男って生き物は、つらい時に女の胸の中で泣きたいものなんですよ」 「だ、だったらこんな薄い胸でない方がいいじゃないかっ。ソフィアなんてどうだい? 胸の大きさといい、量といい申し分ないよ」 「・・・あのオーガの姐さんですか? 絞め殺されそうですね」 想像してげんなりしている稀人を置いて、緋雪は風のように走り出した。 「やれやれ」頬の辺りを掻いて、稀人は王都の方角を向いた。「待ってるかな・・・」 誰かの名前を呟いたが、その声は誰にも聞こえなかった。

In this world of Theory, where fighting in human 3 against demons (monsters) 1 is almost mutually reinforcing, unlike fighting in individuals, the difference in numbers increases in an equal number of columns. "I can win!! Each of the marquis, so convinced, went first into the operation of conserving his pawns under his direct jurisdiction by putting them at the forefront, a prostitute who had taken them under his own command, divided into several squads. A large but hairy group of amateurs - not to mention potential rebels assembled in the shoulders of a traitorous third prince - it is only natural to use and crush them here for a common fall - even if they desperately confront demons (monsters) who possess crude weapons and armor and creep in, they are swept away by troll warriors and jumped by goblin cavalry (riders) who rush forward in fury. A hell of a picture of a snort shouting just covering his eyes unfolded there during a stifling mix-up. and shooting by archers poured down in fierce momentum from the regular army of the Allied Coalition of the Horses, who were waiting in such disorder and confusion, and countless arrows of ice by the sorcerer hived what was on the spot without separation of enemy allies. In addition, an assault by a cavalry full of stubbornness drains enemy troops, followed by infantry that drives survival - similar sights were repeated all over the battlefield. The battle is settled! How many demons (monsters) are inferior to dogs and animals is not a problem! Convinced of the victory, the commanders of the Allied Coalition of the Lords laughed a lot, but they frowned at the unexpectedly sticky enemies and how their own armies drained over time. WHAT IS THIS?! WHERE THE ENEMY FULLS FROM!? AND DOES NOT DEPRESSE YOUR WARRING AT ALL. It's like they don't have a death thing! That was how the needle of the scale, once leaning against the Army of the Kingdom of Amitia, gradually leaned over time towards the Imperial Crimson side, down to an irrevocable position. "Well, it helps that the range of extensive resuscitation (all-liza), which was originally 8x8 squares, was also extended to a radius of 50m..." "Uh, the returning Imperial Crimson soldier just get back to the front line! The battlefield is moving forward, don't be late! And you, the prostitutes of the kingdom of Amitia, will not forgive me if I martyr and resist the noble army that shot you from behind, and there will be no resurrection any more, just in case. If you want to run, I won't chase you, so you can run on your own. Above" Just say what you want to say (because somehow it's within half an hour of being resuscitable), and I just left the spot behind. In fact, later on, I heard that the majority of the prostitutes looked like they had lost their souls, fluttered and retreated from the battlefield. Huh, remembering a masked knight who would be fighting somewhere on this battlefield, I asked the two of them. "Especially. - It's not as much a matter as the princess cares." "... Princess Originally I was helping depending on my mood or massacring meaninglessly. So glad you haven't changed. ' Oh, or was that how they thought... "Well for now, let's do our best -! Yes, I inspired myself, and I ran around the battlefield like a wind. The female male decided no longer entirely. To the completely intact Imperial Crimson soldiers approaching from the Quartet, the Amitian kingdoms, full of creativity and supplies, were individually, but also thoroughly ravaged and devastated without being missed by one soldier. A nobleman of the surviving Horse Army crosses his own army horse and rushes to leave the battlefield behind. The belly-hearted men gathered on the curtain looked at each other and confirmed it as a snack. "Don't be stupid! It will be for those who descend to buy time for Noun to retreat! While they're holding back the monster, we'll be right behind you! He yelled with a bright red face, and his bellies nodded at each other, and swarmed to his horse with us. "... no, no, isn't that just irresponsible? In a moment, a fierce blast blew the curtain, and the surprised horses set aside the Lord and fled simultaneously. "If the Lord is the Lord, a horse is also a horse..." Falling off their horses under the wind pressure, they looked at the man with confusion as if he were a knight with a red mask on his red armor, who was there at some point or another, walking (on foot). - This man, like I saw him somewhere... There was a pale perception in everyone's chest, but before the answer came, the man said with an invincible laugh at the long sword (long sword) he had on his shoulder. "Commander, there's nothing you can do about it at the expense of your allies. My princess is running around the battlefield to help a soldier on her side." "Who are you?!" The man put up his sword and said a word in a questioning of the subordination of a miserable nobleman. "Imperial Crimson, one of Scarlet Snow's subordinates, Rare Man" In that blow, he pulled out his sword and set it up, he was about to pull out his sword, he was about to escape, everything turned into an unspeakable wreck. Just one, pull out the aristocratic man who was losing his hip. "... not at all, as bad luck as this kind of guy. I don't know, I don't have a reason to give up on me right now. That's why I ask you to go to hell, Count Villorage." All the signs coincided with Pittari in the foot carriage of the man approaching, his figure and, above all, the voice that called his name, and Count Villorage breathed heavily. "The guy with that name is dead. It's the remnants of the past that's here... and it's about to disappear, just a rare person left." In the silence of an idle surrounding forest, which I don't think is a battlefield, one sighed, the rare man muttered to no one. "I wonder if you'll be sad to see me like this. No, more than that, I wonder if you hate me for not saving you..." "- You know the answer best, don't you? You don't think her soul wishes you happiness? A clear voice responded to it. "... this, princess" "I'm sorry, but can you make me cry after it's all over? The war over here is apparently over, but there's been a riot in Wang Du, and I have to continue to deal with it." "Is it a riot..." Scarlet snow gently shrugging her shoulders. "Oh, apparently, the results here came from a runaway prostitute, a folk who had previously been dissatisfied with the aristocracy arose at the same time. - Well, I wonder where the seeds someone sprinkled finally sprouted." "... is that right?" A rare man who groans small, relieves... and sighs with a sense of panacea, like a traveler who has finally lowered his heavy luggage. "That's why I'm going to King's Capital with all my troops, so you won't be late. If you're late, you won't be able to do what you left behind, will you? "Right. You still had something to do." and a strangely crusty voice of a sparse man was called on its back. "Princess, when this is over, can I borrow your princess's breasts and cry all I want? "- Why?! Why don't you just cry alone! Scarlet snow lagging behind from the spot with his chest in his arms. "Hey, a man is a creature who wants to cry in a woman's chest when it's hard." "Well, then you shouldn't have such thin breasts. How about Sophia? It's the size of your chest. It's the size of your chest." "... is that Augustus? You're going to strangle me." Set aside the rare man imagining you, Scarlet Snow ran out like the wind. "Oh man," he scratched around his cheek, and the rare man pointed in the direction of the king's capital. "I wonder if I'll wait..." I murmured someone's name, but no one could hear that voice.

第九話 蒼神無窮 「――よっ、と」 最後に残った敵の残党―― 「......こんなものかな。天涯、他の場所の制圧具合はどう?」 ちょうど戻ってきた人間形態の天涯に確認してみる。 「はい。船内の各施設及び敵従魔の制圧は全て完了しております。念のために親衛隊と七禍星獣各員を、船内の主要なブロックに配置、また十三魔将軍を船外に待機させておりますので、万が一、造反や逃亡の恐れがあった場合には、即座に対応する手筈を整えてございます」 一礼して、全ての対応がつつがなく終わった旨を報告してくれた。 「――と言うことらしいので、ももんがいさん。無駄な抵抗はやめて、いいかげん観念してこっちの言うことに従って欲しいんだけど」 両手でスカートの後ろを押さえながら、膝を閉じたまま爪先立ちになり、踵の上にお尻を載せて腰をおろした姿勢で、オリハルコン製のチェーンで床の上に簀巻きにして、猿轡を被せてあるももんがいさんの顔を覗き込んで言い含めると、なぜか猛烈に怒った様子で、水揚げされた魚みたいに跳ね回った。 「ふるふぇえ! ふぁれふぁふぇふぇえふぉふーふおふふふぁ!!(うるせえっ! 誰が手前の言うことを聞くか!!)」 「......喜んで協力しますって雰囲気じゃないねぇ。まあ、別になにか協力してもらうとかは、端から思ってはいないんで、そこで黙って見ていてもらえばいいんだけどさ」 ボクは軽く肩をすくめて、その視線を受け流す。猿轡を外して話をしたいところだけど、コマンド一つでスキルは発動するからねぇ。安全の為にも迂闊な真似はできないところだね。 「ふぁ? ふあふふふぉふふふおーふふあ?(なに? 何をするつもりだ?)」 「多分、「どうする気だ?」とか「何が目的だ?」とか聞いてるんだろうけど、別に大したことじゃないよ、この船にある『 転移門 見た感じ直径2メートルほどのマンホールの蓋みたいな感じで、中央に握り拳大の漆黒の珠 (これがスイッチになる)があり、表面には幾何学紋様のような溝が彫られている。 「ふぉらんふぉーふぁー?!( と、怪訝な表情を浮かべていたももんがいさんの目に理解の色が浮かび、同時にその目がこぼれんばかりに見開かれた。 そのままフガフガ喚きながら、前にも増して水揚げされた海老みたいに大暴れで、床の上で跳ね回るのを、面倒臭げに天涯が押さえ付けた。やっと大人しくなったももんがいさんだけど、その瞳に浮かんだ感情の色は、果てしない恐怖と絶望だった。 の行く先はデーブータさんのところで間違いないみたいだね。まあ、ここまで手筈整えてハズレとかだと洒落にならないからねぇ」 実際、大変だったよ。オリアーナ皇女と協力して、表向きは帝国艦隊が査察するという名目でインユリアの総統府宛に文書を送って、実際に帝国の虎の子の魔導帆船団を出撃させる。 でも、裏ではすでに帝国の情報部と監査部隊がインユリアに潜入して、どのルートで情報が漏れるかを確認して、『紅帆海賊団』をおびき寄せるのと同時に、海賊に取り込まれていた上層部をほぼ一網打尽にする二段構えの策だったりする。今頃は、インユリアの植民市全体に帝国の手が入っていることだろう。 ということで、オリアーナはオリアーナで自分の仕事をきちんとやり遂げてくれたんだから、こちらも負けずに目的を果たさないとね。 「取りあえず余計なことされるとマズイので、ももんがいさんは別の場所に移しておいて、それが終わったら当初の予定通り、円卓の魔将を中心に突入班を編成。念のために『 立ち上がって指示を出す。 「この大きさですと、何名か転移できない者もおりますな......」 ももんがいさんを押さえ付けたまま、天涯は2メートルほどの 「まあ、最悪、空中庭園をイーオン聖王国の聖都ファクシミレ上空に待機させておいて、いざと言う時にはそこから追加要員を降ろすつもりだけど」 ただそうなったらまず間違いなく そしてそうなった時点でボクの負けは確定する。 いや、その気になれば聖王国全てを灰燼に帰することも可能だろうけれど、そうなれば基本聖教が倫理や生活の基盤になっているこの世界。大陸に住む人々の怨嗟と憎悪は全て 「まあ、取りあえず実際に転移するのはそれらの準備が整ってから...かな。ぶっつけ本番だけど、事前に試すわけにもいかないからね。そんなわけで、見張りを残していったん――」 決意も新たに、いったんこの場から撤収しようと踵を返しかけたところで、天涯に押さえ付けられているももんがいさんの動きが妙なのに気が付いて首を捻った。 はっとしてその視線の先を見てみれば、 「――しまった。先手を打たれた!」 こちらからは操作していない。ならば、あちら側から誰かが転移してきたということだろう。 偶然と言うにはあまりにもタイミングが良すぎる。おそらくあちら側でも状況を把握していたのだろう。誰が来る?! らぽっくさんか、タメゴローさんか、それとも亜茶子さんか? 臍を噛むボクの視線の先―― ――誰?! ボクは手をかざして眩しさに耐えながら目を凝らした。 らぽっくさんではない、身長も肩幅も違いすぎる。かといって、タメゴローさんや亜茶子さんとも違う......。 やがて明滅した光は、一際大きな閃光となり、そして光が消えたその場には、人間族ではない異形の種族である“彼”が立っていた。 「竜人族......?」 天涯がぽつりと呟いた。 そう、素肌の上に直接トーガを纏っているので、露出した肌や顔全体が青い鱗に覆われているのがわかる。2メートル近い長身に青い長髪を流し、傲然と周囲を睥睨する彼は、確かに竜人族ではあるが、正確にはその最上位種族である真竜神族であり、ボクと同格の存在で......そして、古い顔馴染みでもあった。 「......デーブータさん」 思いがけない再会に、ほとんど囁き声に等しい声が漏れる。 『なっ――――!?!』 色めき立つ周囲をまったく無視して、デーブータさんはにやりと――かつて 「久しぶりだな、緋雪。逢いたかったぞ。 一切の反論を許さない、それはまさに超越者の口調だった。 混乱した。話には聞いていたし、想像もしていたけれど......けれど、これは本当に彼なんだろうか? デーブータさんのキャラクターを使って、まったく別人が喋っているのではないだろうか? 「あなたが、あなたがもしデーブータさん本人だと言うなら、私も参加したオフ会の会場の名前を覚えていますか?」 影郎さんやしまさんたちは言っていた。彼らはゲーム内のデータや会話ログを参考に作られた、プレーヤーのデッドコピーに過ぎないと。 ならば、ゲーム内では知りえない、リアルでの体験を確認するしかないだろう。 ボクの問い掛けに、彼は一瞬、子供の我儘を聞く大人のような苦笑を浮かべた。 「本来であれば俺を試すようなそんな口を利くことは許されんが、まあ、お前なら特別に許してやろう。懐かしい話題でもあるしな。――確かあれは『薔薇園』という居酒屋だったな」 うん確かにそこで間違いはない。けど、場所くらいはゲーム内で確認の為に口に出していた可能性が高いので、本番はこれからだ。 そう思って重ねて質問をしようとしたところ、彼の方が続けて言葉を発した。 「お前は未成年だし、酒は呑めんというのでソフトドリンクだったが、悪乗りした参加者がこっそりとグラスに酒を混ぜて、知らずにそれを飲んで悪酔いしたお前を、俺が手洗いまで運んで戻させた。ハンカチが1枚では足りないので、俺のハンカチを貸したな。――後から洗ってアイロン掛けしたのを郵送で返してもらったが。 で、俺の隣の席でまだしばらく調子が悪くぐったりしていたお前を、今度は女どもが寄ってたかってオモチャにして、俺はなんとか止めようとしたが、周りの勢いに押されている内に、お前はロングのウイッグを被せたり化粧をされたり......似合っていたぞ。そう言えば、そのまま一緒に記念撮影もしたな」 こと細かに話す彼の口調にはありありとした臨場感があり、また当人でしか知り得ない情報が満載されている。正直、前半部分で確信した。彼は紛れもなくデーブータさん本人だということを。 かつての自分の名前を耳にして、自分でも意外なほどの動揺が全身を走った。 そのせいで次のリアクションが大幅に遅れてしまった。 「まあ、積もる話もあるが、それよりも先に出来損ないの始末をつけねばならん」 呟いた彼の掌の上に、水晶球のようなものが乗っていた。その中には赤い炎のような光が踊っている。 ももんがいさんが声にならない絶叫を放った瞬間、彼はその球をいとも容易く握り潰した。 ビクン!と一度だけ全身を反らせたももんがいさんの身体が力を失い、たちまちその瞳から光が失われる。 「――むっ。絶命しております」 天涯に言われるまでもない、生気の抜けたももんがいさんの遺骸に、咄嗟に 「な、なんで効かないの?!」 何回掛けても効果がない。 「無駄だ。命珠を砕いた以上、そいつの存在自体が『無』と書き換えられた。故に蘇生は効かん」 握り潰した『命珠』とやらの欠片を床に落として、軽く掌を叩きながら彼――蒼神が、事もなげに解説を加えて来る。 不意に、以前に影郎さんから聞いた話が、脳裏に甦った。 ――裏切り者には死、とかないわけ? ――ありますよー。『死』というか『存在』を消されるので、これやられると 「――さて、帰るとするか」 踵を返す蒼神。 「逃がさないで! 全員全力で攻撃っ!!」 ボクの叫びに従って、室内に居た魔将全員――影移動で 「――ふむ。なかなかの攻撃力だ」 吹き曝しとなった艦橋部分に、何事もなかったかのように佇む蒼神がいた。 鱗に傷ひとつ付いてないその姿に、天涯たちの表情が険しくなる。 「......一撃では足りなかったか」 そう呟いて龍人形態から、さらに本来の姿である 騒ぎに気が付いて集まってきた魔将たちが、蒼神を囲む形で十重二十重に周囲を固めるけど、当人はまったく動揺もなく、涼しげな顔で佇むばかりであった。 ふと、嫌な予感を覚えたボクは、鑑定で彼のステータスを確認して見た。 種族:真竜神族→創造神 起死改正 HP:Indestructible MP:Indestructible 「なっ?! なに、この『Indestructible(破壊不能)』って表示は!?」 「そのままさ。俺にはあらゆる攻撃が通じん。天に唾を吐くようなものだ」 軽く肩をすくめて答える蒼神。 「逃がすか――っ!!!」 「そうそう、せっかくなのでこいつを渡しておく。この場で連れ去ってもいいが、それでは興が乗らんからな。せっかくなので、お前の方から俺を追い駆けてこい」 その言葉と共に、キラリと光りながら四角い金属製のプレートのようなものが、足元へと飛んできた。 「聖都への通行証だ。そいつがあれば他国人だろうが魔族だろうが問題なく入国できる。ひょっとすると、聖都に来れば俺を斃す手段も見つかるかも知れんぞ」 天涯たちもそれに気が付いて攻撃の手を止める。 「逃がしたか......」 苦々しげに吐き捨てる天涯だけど、この場にいた全員が理解していた。 ボクたちは蒼神に見逃された。負けたのだと。 『.........』 重い沈黙が落ちる。

127 Episode Nine: Ethereal God Infinite "- Okay," The last remaining enemy remnant - a ship ghost with a pattern - was eliminated, and the submissive demon who was in the control room was no longer there. "... something like this. Heavenly, how's the control elsewhere? I'll check on the lifetime of the human form just back. "Yes, all control of each facility on board and enemy submissors is complete. Just in case there is a risk of rebellion or escape, we are putting SS and Seven Hazards star beasts on the main blocks on board and also keeping General Thirteen Demons on standby outside the ship, so we are ready to respond immediately." He thanked me and reported that all correspondence had been disconnected. "- So they say," Thigh cancer. I want you to stop wasting your resistance and follow what we have to say. " While holding the back of his skirt with both hands, he clawed ahead with his knees closed, with his buttocks on his heels and his hips down, wrapped around the floor in an Orihalcon chain, peering into Monkey Cancer's face and saying, he jumped around like a water-fried fish, somehow furiously angry. "Sift! Hurryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Who hears what is ahead!!)" "... it's not an atmosphere that I'd be happy to work with you. Well, I don't think there's anything you can do to help me, so I just need you to shut up and watch." I shrugged my shoulders gently and flushed that gaze. I just want to take the monkey monkey off and talk, because one command activates my skills. Hey. You can't imitate it in the interest of safety. "Huh? Heh heh heh heh heh heh? (What? What are you gonna do? "Maybe." What are you gonna do? "or" What's the purpose? I know you're asking, but it's not a big deal, 'cause I'm just gonna let you use the Transition Gate (teleporter) on this ship.' Incidentally, the "Transition Gate (Teleporter)" was located in the middle of the floor here in the control room with a dengue. It feels like a manhole lid about 2 meters in diameter that I saw, with a gripping fist large pitch-black bead in the center (this turns into a switch) and a geometric tattoo-like groove carved on the surface. "Whoa, whoa, whoa?! (Metastatic Gate (Teleporter)?!)" And the colour of understanding appeared in the eyes of Monoga, who had a surprising look on his face, and at the same time his eyes were all spilled open. With a fugafuga call as it was, heaven held back the troublesome smell of bouncing around on the floor, raging like shrimp that had been watered down by more before. I don't like things that are finally grown up, but the color of the emotions in those eyes was endless fear and despair. "Apparently, this transfer gate (teleporter) is definitely headed for Mr. Daebuta. Well, it's not going to be too much of a hassle until we get this far." In fact, it was tough. In cooperation with the Empress Oriana, ostensibly sending documents to the Fuhrer's Office in Inyulia in the name of an inspection by the Imperial Fleet to actually dispatch the Imperial Tiger Son's Magic Sailboat Regiment. But in the back, the Imperial Intelligence and Audit forces can already infiltrate Inyulia to see which routes the information leaks and attract the 'Red Sail Pirates', while at the same time being a two-stage measure that almost exhausts the upper echelons that were captured by pirates. By now, the Imperial hand will be in the entire colonial city of Inyulia. So Oriana did her job right at Oriana, so we need to do our part without losing this one. "It's bad when it gets extra done for now, so Monoga will move it elsewhere, and when it's done, as originally planned, form an entry squad around the demon general at the round table. As a precaution, the White Whale will destroy the power section and then be transferred to the air garden, where they will use the transfer gates." Stand up and give instructions. "At this size, some people can't transfer..." While holding Monoga back, Tianli stared at the transfer gate (teleporter) about 2 meters into a difficult face. "Well, worst of all, I'm gonna keep the aerial gardens waiting over the Eon Holy King's Holy Capital Facsimile and drop off additional personnel from there when I say I have to," However, if it does, it will undoubtedly mean first and foremost a total war between the Crimson Empire, Imperial Crimson, and the Eon Holy Kingdom. And when that happens, my loss will be confirmed. No, it would also be possible to attribute all the Holy Kingdoms to ashes if that were to bother you, but then this world, where the basic ecclesiastical religion is the foundation of ethics and life. All the resentment and hatred of people living on the continent will be directed at the Crimson Empire Imperial Crimson...... no, I Scarlet Snow. "Well, I guess it's not until those are ready to actually transfer for now... It's bump production, but you can't even try it in advance. That's why once I left a lookout..." The determination was also renewed, and once I nearly returned my heels to withdraw from the occasion, I twisted my neck when I noticed the strange movement of what was being held up in heaven. If you look at the end of that gaze, the pattern of the transfer gate (teleporter) emits a blue light! "- Shit. They hit the lead! I'm not operating from here. Then it would mean someone has been transferred from that side. The timing is too good to say coincidence. Probably had an idea of the situation on that side as well. Who's coming?! Lapoku, Tamegoro, or Atsuko? At the end of Bok's gaze, which bites the umbilical cord - in the blue light emitted by the metastatic gate (teleporter), particles of light joined together to gradually clarify the contours of something like a human shadow. - Who?! I squeezed my hands together and gazed as I withstood the glare. It's not Lapokusan, he's too tall and shoulder-width. Or not like Tamegoro or Atsuko...... Eventually the bright light became a great flash, and on the spot where the light disappeared, stood "he", an alien species not a human race. "Dragon Nation...? Heavenly groaned pompously. Yes, he wraps toga directly over his bare skin, so he can see that his exposed skin and entire face are covered in blue scales: he runs blue long hair on his long body nearly two meters long and proudly surrounds him, although he is certainly a Dragon Nation, but precisely its top race, the True Dragon Divine Nation, with the same presence as me... and was also old familiar with his face. "... Mr. Daebuta" An unexpected reunion leaks a voice almost equal to a whisper. "Become -!?!" In total disregard of her colored surroundings, Mr. Daebuta grinned - arrogant and ruthless, once never shown within "E. H. O." and "Eternal Horizon Online". "Long time no see, Scarlet Snow. I missed you. I will not allow any objection, that was just the tone of the transcendent. Confused. I was listening to you, and I imagined... but is this really him? Isn't someone else talking at all, using Mr. Daebuta's character? "Do you remember the name of the off-duty venue I attended, too, if you say that you were Mr. Daebuta himself? Shadow Lang and Shima said. They're just dead copies of players, made with reference to in-game data and conversation logs. Then you'll have to confirm your experience in real life, which you won't know in the game. To my inquiry, for a moment he smiled bitterly like an adult listening to the child's endurance. "I wouldn't be allowed to be so clever as to try me if I were you, but, well, you'd forgive me specially. It's a nostalgic topic. - That was definitely a tavern called Rose Garden." Yeah, sure, there's no mistake there. But there's a good chance the place was in my mouth for confirmation in the game, so the production is coming up. I thought so and tried to ask the questions on top of each other, and he went on to utter the words. "You're a minor, and the liquor was a soft drink because you swallowed it, but a badly ridden participant snuck a glass of liquor mixed it up and unknowingly drunk it and made you go back until I washed my hands. One handkerchief isn't enough, so you lent my handkerchief. - I got it back in the mail after I washed it and ironed it. So, I made a mess of you still not feeling well in the seat next to me for a while, now the ladies wanted to stop by and I managed to stop you, but while you were being pushed around, you wore long wigs and makeup... you looked great. With that said, we did a memorial shoot together. " There is a common intensity in his tone of speaking in detail, and it is also filled with information that only the person in question can know. Honestly, I was convinced in the first half. That he is indisputably Mr. Daebuta himself. Hearing my former name, unexpectedly upset myself ran all over my body. The next reaction was greatly delayed because of it. "Well, there's some stories to accumulate, but we have to put an end to what we can't do before that." On his palm he shrugged, there was something like a crystal sphere on it. There is a red flaming light dancing in it. As soon as Mormon unleashed a silent scream, he crushed the sphere with ease. Bikun! And only once did he turn his whole body against him. But his body loses power, and then the light is lost from his eyes. "- Mm-hmm. I'm desperate." Needless to say, a full resurrection (lisalection) hangs on the wreckage of a raunchy monkey. But... "Hey, why isn't it working?!" It doesn't work no matter how many times I hang it. "It's no use. Beyond crushing the bead of life, his very existence was rewritten as' nil '. So resuscitation doesn't work." Drop the crushed "life beads" and shards of the dot on the floor, and gently slap him on the palm of his hand - the Ethereal God, comes to add commentary without incident. Unexpectedly, a story I had previously heard from Mr. Shadowloon came back to life in my brain. - Death to a traitor? - Yes, sir. "Death" or "Being" is erased, so when this is done, I will say complete resuscitation (Lizarection), but using resuscitation pills (Elixir) will not bring resuscitation. - Okay, let's go home. Ethereal god returning heels. "Don't let them get away with it! Attack them all!! In accordance with my cry, all the demon generals who were indoors - the shadow moved and the engraving (like this) also jumped out - simultaneously launched an attack by the Ethereal God without any help. "- Hmm. That's pretty aggressive." There was a Ethereal God nestled as if nothing had happened in the exposed bridge part. The look on the face of the heavenly ones becomes more rude when there is not one scratch on the scales. "... wasn't a blow enough" So whining and changing from a dragon man form to a more original figure, the Golden Dragon (Naga Raja). The demon generals, gathered aware of the noise, consolidated their surroundings in a twofold fashion surrounding the Ethereal God, but the person was not at all upset and just nestled in a cool face. Fu, having a bad feeling about it, I checked his status in the appraisal and saw it. Race: True Dragon God Race Creative God Title: Uprising and Death Amendment HP: Indestructible MP: Indestructible "Become?! What is this display called 'Indestructible'?" "Keep it up. I don't have access to any kind of attack. It's like spitting in heaven." Gently shrug your shoulders and answer, Ethereal God. "Let them get away with it - Eh!!! "Yeah, well, because of that, I'll give him this. You can take him away on this occasion, but then you won't be able to ride Hing. Because of this, come running after me from you." With that word, something like a square metal plate, glittering, flew to my feet. "It's a pass to the Holy Capital. With him, he would be from another country, but he would be demonic, but he can enter the country without any problems. If you come to the Holy City, you might find a way to kill me." Heavenly realizes it and stops the attack hand. "Did you let him get away..." It's a lifetime of bitter throwing up and throwing up, but everyone who was on this scene understood. We were missed by the Ethereal God. He said he lost. ......... Heavy silence falls.

第四話 紅帆海賊 「――癒着ですか」 ボクの話を聞いたコラード国王が、苦々しい顔で呻き声をあげた。 「そっ。けっこう前からズブズブだったみたいだよ。海賊とキトーの役人の間では」 軽く肩をすくめてのボクの言葉に、コラード国王の眉間の皺が深くなる。 それからより詳細に、あの日、海賊の一味の男から聞き出した――別に拷問とかしたわけではなく、 で、こいつらのやり方が狡猾で、単純に商船や運搬船を襲うのではなく、地元のほとんどの役人に鼻薬を嗅がせ行動の自由を得ていた。要するに役人は被害者からの訴えを握り潰し、国に対して海賊の被害を過少申告することで、儲けに応じて海賊から定期的に高額な袖の下を貰い、懐に入れていたのだ。 さらに役人と海賊は、豪商や網元などに「決まった分の金額を納めれば、商船や村を襲わないでやる」と持ちかけて金品を供出させていたらしい。 そんな関係が長年続いていたそうだけれど、ここにきて風向きが変わってきたらしい。 第一に、アミティアとクレスがともに 第二に、例の『赤い帆を張った魔導船』に乗った海賊の台頭で、北部域の縄張りを追い出された海賊が流れてきて、飽和状態になり、統制が取れなくなったこと、この二点が原因らしい。 「それにしても許せませんね。率先して法を守るべき役人が、よりによって海賊と裏取引をして賄賂をもらってたなんて!」 レヴァンが右手の拳を、パシッと左掌に当てて憤慨した。 「まったくです。これもひとえにすべて私の不徳と致すところ。――陛下、誠に申し訳ございません」 苦渋の表情で立ち上がって、頭を下げるコラード国王。 「あ、いや! 別にオレはコラード国王の責任を言ったわけじゃ......」 慌てて両手を振るレヴァンに併せて、ボクも『気にしないで』という形にヒラヒラ手を振った。 「そうだね。誰が一番悪いかで言えば、海賊と現場の人間だし。大体、管理責任とかになれば、最終的には私のところまでブーメランが戻るわけだからねぇ」 「とは言え、至急、キトーには監査の手を入れ、徹底的に関係した者共を厳罰に処さねばなりません」 一礼したコラード国王が再び席について、断固たる口調で言い切った。 』とかは潰しておいたし、連中が集めておいた財宝も没収したので、可能な限り被害者の補填に使ってね。 詳しくはキトーの別荘の地下に海賊の親玉とか幹部連中を捕まえて、ウチの好き者連中が趣味の実践中だと思うので、そっちに確認してもらうことにして。......まっ、死んだ人の命には代えられないけどさ」 喉の渇きを感じたので、グラスに注いであった鮮血を飲み干すと、すかさず天涯がお代わりを注ぎ足した。 「......姫陛下、いつになくお腹立ちのご様子に見受けられますが、なにかございましたか?」 事後報告会だというのに、またもや時間を作って顔を出したオリアーナ皇女が、今日のお茶菓子のシュトゥルーデルとザッハトルテをフォークで切り分けながら、こちらの目を覗き込むようにして尋ねてきた。 鋭いね、さすがに。 惚けようかとも思ったけれど、三人の視線に促されて、しぶしぶボクは口を開いた。 「腹立ちと言うか......自分の馬鹿さ加減、いや見通しの甘さにつくづく嫌気が差したってところかな」 「どういうことでしょう?」 ザッハトルテを一口食べて......途端、目を輝かせてパクパク口に運びながら、疑問を重ねるオリアーナ。 君は本気で聞く気があるのかね......? 「さっき話に出ていた食堂だけどね、有名無名の嫌がらせがあったみたいで、結局、お店は2~3日後に閉店して、経営者夫婦の行方は不明らしい。――ま、そこから今回の役人との癒着が芋づる式に判明したんだけどさ、保護を求める役人が海賊と同じ穴の狢だったんだから、そうなるよねぇ」 「......それはまた、なんとも遣り切れない話ですね」 と顔を曇らせたのはレヴァン。 「いや、まあ......又聞きだけど、女将さんが旦那さんと家財道具一切合財、荷物を引っ張って夜逃げするのを見たって人もいるみたいだから、最悪のケースではない――と信じたいところだけど」 「こちらでも捜索して、保護を行いますか?」 そういってくれるコラード国王の厚意はありがたいけど、ボクは首を横に振った。 「いや、確かに私の不手際もあったけど、他人の人生に無闇矢鱈と干渉するつもりはないよ。彼らには彼らの考えや生活があるんだしね」 「そうですわね。わたしたち為政者は国民の安寧と平和を庇護する責任がありますが、それは国家と言う枠組みで執り行うものですから。特定一個人のために権力を乱用すれば、それが例え善意からの行動であろうと、逆に差別と言うことになります。冷たいようですが、個人の人生は本来、その個人が責任を負うべきものです」 オリアーナらしい割り切った物言いに、レヴァンが噛み付く。 「そう一概に言ってのけられるのは、恵まれた暮らしをしている人間の傲慢に思えますけどね。地を這い明日の食べ物を案じて暮らす辛さがわからないから、そんな風に上から見下ろした視線でものが言えるんですよ」 「それこそ傲慢な考えでしょう」 オリアーナは食べ終えたフォークをケーキプレートに音を立てて置いた。 「あなたは自国の国民一人ひとりの人生に責任を持てるのですか? 市井の人々も、日々嘆いて人生を送っていても、それでも生きているではないですか!? それは、もしかしたらという希望を持っているからです、そうした希望の灯を消さないよう務めるのが、わたしたちの使命でしょう!」 この二人のいがみ合いに、なんとなく毒気を抜かれて、コラード国王の顔を見た。 彼も『やれやれ』という顔で苦笑いしていた。見解の相違はあるけれど、どちらも正論だけに、片一方の肩を持つわけにもいかないところだね。 「まあ、所詮は神ならぬ身だからね。全能にはなれないけど、それでも私達は無能というわけでもない。なら、多少なりともできることをするだけだね」 「その通りですね」 険悪になりかけた場の空気を換えるため、話を総括したボクの言葉に、コラード国王が同意してくれて、どうにか話はまとまった。 それにしても、どこの世界でも人間は変わらないものだねぇ。 デーブータさんもどうせ『神』を自称するなら、楽園のような世界を作ればいいものを......無能だなぁ。 と、しみじみ慨嘆していたそこへ、白髪でベールを被った黒人の美青年――十三魔将軍の 「ご歓談中、失礼致します」 「どうした斑鳩、急ぎの用件か?」 「はい、例の海賊どもについてですが、影...もとい、担当官の指導の下に行われた拷も...いえ、我々の熱心な質問に答えて、連中は実に興味深い供述を行いました」 取りあえずツッコミは入れないことにして、報告の中身を聞くことにした。 「まず、官憲との癒着構造についてですが、これは例の『紅帆海賊団』――まあ、自称ではなく、他の海賊が呼ぶ他称のようですが――が行っている手口の模倣、それも質の悪い猿真似のようです」 「ということは、本家の『紅帆海賊団』とやらは、もっと大規模に行っているわけ?」 ボクの疑問に、「然り」と同意する斑鳩。 「ほとんど国家を丸ごと乗っ取って、さらに群小の周辺国を右から左へと売り払っている模様です」 さすがにそこまでスケールの大きな話になるとは思わずに、国家元首級4人が揃いも揃って、半信半疑と言う顔で斑鳩の妖艶とも言える整った顔をマジマジと凝視する。 「国ごととは、またずいぶんとスケールの大きな海賊だねぇ」 「それにしても、わざわざ手に入れた国家を、そのまま売り払うとか、ずいぶんともったいない話に思えますけど?」 首を捻るレヴァンに向かって、「いや」とコラード国王が推測を述べた。 「もともと海賊に国家経営の意欲はないのでしょう。買い手が居ればさっさと売ってしまう方が確実でしょう。......また、万一さらに好条件の買い手が居れば、そこを再度攻め落として売り払ってもいいでしょうしね」 「なるほど、基本的にわたしども国家が大義名分をつけて、他国を侵略するのを、非合法に行っているようなものですわね。つまり、国家並みの戦力があると仮定したほうが確実ですわ、その海賊は」 確かにね。やっぱり、その海賊って、ももんがいさんなのかな。 斑鳩の視線が、ちらりとオリアーナに向けられた。 「グラウィオール帝国の北西部域植民国家インユリアとのことです」 期せずして息を呑んだ全員の視線が、オリアーナに集中した。 目を大きく見開いたオリアーナが呻いた。 ◆◇◆◇ 「旦那様、お帰りなさいませ」 扇情的な恰好をしたバニーガール――小間使い頭である兎人族の18歳前後のなかなかの美少女――が、騎獣(1トンを越えるトドに似た角の生えた海獣)に乗って船に戻ってきた、『紅帆海賊団』の船長に頭を下げる。 挨拶された彼――癖のある赤毛にターバンを巻き、銀色の刺青が彫られた褐色の肌の上半身に、赤いチョッキを着ただけの目付きの鋭い青年は、手に持っていた硬い樫の木の箱を床に置いた。 「ほらよ、欲しがっていた南方の 仏頂面の青年とは対照的に、少女は花がほころんだ様な笑みを浮かべた。 「まあっ、こんなに沢山の種類を用意していただけるなんて! ありがとうございます、旦那様っ!」 なぜか全員10代後半から20代半ば頃までの美女・美少女ばかりであった。 の他にも、貢物として献上された貴金属類や外国の衣装などを、中腰になって嬌声を上げ、目の色を変えて吟味し合っている仲間(?)達から、若干離れ――なんとなく娘達にリビングを占領されて、居場所のない父親のような哀愁を背中に背負ったまま――青年は船縁に腰を下ろして、遠い目で水平線の彼方を眺めた。 「なんで海賊の船員が、俺以外全員女なんだ。ありえねえだろう、普通」 呟いた自分の声に、苦味が混じるのを青年は抑えられなかった。 「それはやはり、『世界の海は俺の海。世界の女は全部俺のもの! 野郎はいらねえぜ!』と常日頃公言なされているのが原因なのでは?」 いつの間にか傍に来ていた小間使い頭の少女の言葉に、青年は頭を掻き毟った。 「そりゃそうだけど、そりゃプライベートの話だろうが! 仕事の時には片目にアイパッチを付けたハゲ頭の副官とか、片脚に義足を付けた好漢とかが脇を固めて、『よし! 野郎ども、出撃だ!』とかやるのが海賊だろうに! なんだこの女子高の担任ポジションは?!」 「またまた、そんな心にもないことを」 獣人族という属性なのか、やたら馴れ馴れしい口調で、青年の魂の叫びを一笑に付す少女。 「『ハーレムは男の夢! 今度こそ目指せリア充! ハーレム王に俺はなるっ!!』って、あたしを『 「......若気の至りだ。いまは反省している」 「口ではなんとでも言っても、昨晩もベッドに機関長を――」 「なっ! なぜ知っている?!」 「そりゃ狭い船内ですからね」 がっくりうな垂れる青年に追い討ちを掛ける少女。 「ここのところ女難かも知れん。次に陸に上がったら、海神にでもお参りしてこよう......」 口では勝てないと悟って、話題を変えようとした青年だが、その言葉に少女はぽんと膝を叩いた。 「そうそう、占い師のドナが言ってましたけど、近々ご主人様は『月の女神様に刺される』から注意した方がいいそうですよ。行くなら月の女神様の方がいいですよ」 「さあ? どなたか騙された女に後ろから刺されるって隠喩じゃないですか?」 そう言われても心当たりが......ありすぎて後ろめたさ満載の青年は、思わず視線を逸らした。 「ま、せいぜいその時には誠心誠意謝罪することですね」 最後に一言念を押して、少女は仲間たちがたむろする集団へと戻って行った。 やっと開放された青年は、辟易した顔で再び水平線を眺めながら、ぶ然と呟く。 神を自称する男なら知っているけど......まあ、所詮は占いだろう。 気にしないことにして、船内へと戻って行った。

121 Episode Four: Red Sail Pirate "- Is it adhesion?" King Collard, listening to me, groaned with a bitter face. "Damn. Looks like I've been Zubuzub for a long time. Between pirates and Quito officials." The wrinkles between King Collard's eyebrows deepen in my words, shrugging his shoulders gently. Then in more detail, that day, I heard from a man with a taste of piracy - I didn't torture him or anything else, I just heard him out with the Devil's Eye (Evil Eye). Shadow Lang and some enthusiasts were delighted to wait for a collection of such evil hobby tools that were available where, such as "Faralis Bull", "Ten Disc (Soba) Board", "Iron Virgin", "Skull Crusher", "Pear of Distress", "Inquisition Chair", "Cradle of Judah", "Crocodile Pench" and so on?! - I put that into my mouth again. So, the way these guys did it was cunning, not simply attacking merchant ships and carriers, but sniffing snot at most local officials and gaining freedom of movement. In short, by crushing complaints from victims and under-declaring pirate victimization against the country, officials regularly received expensive sleeves from pirates according to their profits, which they had put into their nostalgia. Furthermore, officials and pirates apparently had taken "if you pay a fixed amount of money, don't attack merchant ships or villages," such as luxury merchants and nets, to make them supply the gold. They've had that relationship for years, but they've come here and changed the wind direction. Firstly, the intensification of the transaction itself with Amitia and Cres fitting together under the umbrella of the Crimson Empire Imperial Crimson, which led to an increase in the number of ships of foreign registry other than those belonging to the old city of Quito, made the pirate damage that had been concealed a tabernacle. Secondly, the rise of pirates aboard the example 'Red-sailed Magic Guided Ship', which seems to be caused by the fact that pirates expelled from the northern territories have flown, become saturated and are no longer in control. "And you can't forgive me. I can't believe an official who should have taken the initiative and followed the law was bribed for doing a back deal with a pirate! Levan outraged with his right-hand fist, pussied against his left palm. "Not at all. This, for one thing, is all about my immorality. - Sire, I am truly sorry." King Collard stands up with a bitter look on his face and bows his head. "Oh, no! I didn't say I was responsible for King Collard..." In conjunction with Levan, who waved both hands in a hurry, I also waved a hilarious hand in the form of 'Never Mind'. "Right. In terms of who's worst, he's a pirate and a crime scene person. Mostly, if it's managerial, Boomerang will come back to me eventually." "That said, as soon as possible, Quito must have access to the audit and severely punish all those who thoroughly involved." King Collard, who thanked him, once again ran out of words about his seat in a resolute tone. "Right. Oh... and I crushed the 'Seamount Cats' and stuff that night, and I confiscated the treasures they had collected, so use them to make up for the victims whenever possible. For more information, I think we caught the pirate's best balls and the executives in the basement of Kitto's villa, and our lovers are practicing their hobbies, so I decided to have them confirmed that way.... Ma'am, I can't replace a dead man's life. " I felt thirsty, so when I drank out the blood that had been poured into the glass, Heaven poured out an alternative. "... Your Majesty, when will I ever see you angry, anything? When she said it was an ex-post debriefing, Empress Oriana, who had once again made time to show her face, asked as she peeked into this one's eyes as she forked apart today's confectionery strudel and zach torte. That's sharp, that's right. Though I thought I'd fall in love, the three glances prompted me, and I opened my mouth. "I mean angry... I guess I was reluctant to add or subtract my stupidity, or make it into the sweetness of the outlook" "What does that mean? Take a bite of Zach Torte...... As soon as possible, Oriana overlaps her doubts as she brightens her eyes and transports them to her pakupaku mouth. Are you seriously willing to ask...? "It's the dining room we were talking about earlier, but it looks like there was a well-known anonymous harassment, and in the end, the store closes in a couple of days, and the owners' couple are missing. - From there, it turns out that the adhesion with this official is a potato ceremony, but the official seeking protection was the same hole as the pirate, so it will be." "... that's another story you can't afford." and it was Levan who clouded his face. "No, well... again, I'd like to believe that it's not the worst case because some people seem to have seen the general pull her luggage and run away at night with her husband with all her household belongings and tools -" "Do you also want to search here and provide protection? I appreciate the generosity of King Collard for saying so, but I shook my head sideways. "No, there was definitely my mess, but I'm not going to interfere with other people's lives with Darkless Arrow Cod. They have their thoughts and their lives." "Right. We in the Exchange are responsible for sheltering the peace and security of our people, because that is what we intercede in the framework of what we call the State. If you abuse power for a particular individual, whether that is by analogy an action from good will or vice versa, you would call it discrimination. It seems cold, but an individual's life is inherently the responsibility of that individual." Levan bites into a split story that looks like Oriana. "It seems to me like the arrogance of a human being living a privileged life. I don't know how spicy it is to crawl through the ground and live through tomorrow's food, so I can tell you by looking down from the top like that." "That would be an arrogant idea." Oriana put the finished fork on the cake plate with a noise. "Can you be responsible for the life of every citizen of your country? Isn't the people of Ichii still alive, even if they mourn and live their lives every day?!? That's because they have the hope that maybe, it would be our mission not to turn off those lamps of hope! I saw King Collard's face, somewhat detoxified by the confusion between these two. He was also grinning bitterly in the face of 'Good Lord'. Though there are differences of opinion, there's no way you can have one shoulder, just the truth. "Well, because God can't be himself. We can't be almighty, but still, it doesn't mean we're incompetent. Then just do as much as you can." "You're right." King Collard agreed with my words, summing up the story, in order to change the air of a place that was about to become vicious, and somehow the story came together. Nevertheless, humans are the same thing in every world. If Mr. Daebuta calls himself 'God' anyway, just make a world like paradise... incompetent. And there he was smugly moaning, a beautiful black young man wearing a veil with gray hair - the speckled dove (but) (human form) of the thirteenth demon general, came in stiff footsteps. "Welcome, excuse me." "What's up, Spotted Pigeon, what's the rush? "Yes, about the pirates in the example, but also the shadows... and the torture done under the guidance of the officer in charge... No, in answer to our enthusiastic question, they made a really interesting statement" In the meantime, I decided not to let the scratch in, and I decided to listen to the contents of the report. "First of all, about the adhesive structure with the government constitution, this is an example of the 'Red Sail Pirates' - well, not calling themselves, but like the other names other pirates call them - imitation of the modus operandi carried out, which also seems to be a poor quality monkey imitation" "So the" Red Sail Pirates "in the main house are going more massively? To my doubts, the speckled pigeon agrees "naturally". "It almost looks like they're taking over the whole country and selling out even more of the small, peripheral countries from right to left" Without wishing it were just that much of a big story on the scale, the four former heads of state are all aligned to gaze seriously at the neat face that can be described as the gloss of a speckled dove with a face that says it's half-hearted. "Every country is another big pirate on a much larger scale." "Still, it sounds a lot like a waste of time selling off the state you got on purpose, just like that? "No," King Collard speculated toward Levan, who twisted his neck. "I guess pirates are originally unwilling to run the state. If there was a buyer, it would be more certain that they would just sell it. ... and in case there is a more favorable buyer, you can strike it down again and sell it away." "Well, it's basically like we illegally invade another country under a big name. I mean, it's better to assume there's a state-like power, the pirate." Sure. After all, I wonder what the pirate is like. The speckled pigeon's gaze was directed at Oriana. "It's with the Northwestern colonial power of the Grawior Empire, Inyulia." The gaze of everyone who was short-lived and breathtaking concentrated on Oriana. Oriana moaned with her eyes wide open. * * * * "Welcome home, sir" A fancy fitting bunny girl - quite a pretty girl around the age of 18 from the Hagi tribe, a small-time head - bows her head to the captain of The Red Sail Pirates, who has returned to the ship aboard a horseman (a horned beast resembling a ton of Todo). He was greeted - turban wrapped around his habitual redhead, brown skin upper body carved with silver tattoos, and a sharp, eye-catching young man, just wearing red chocks, placed a box of hard oak trees on the floor that he had in his hand. "Look, it's the Southern spice (spice) I wanted. This is the price you can buy one ship for, so it sounds like an idiot." In contrast to the young man on the top of the Buddha, the girl grinned as if the flowers were corny. "Oh, I can't believe you have so many different kinds! Thank you, sir! For some reason, they were all just beautiful women and girls from their late teens to their mid-20s. In addition to spices (spices), other colleagues, such as precious metals and foreign costumes donated as a gift, are whispering and changing the color of their eyes to indulge in each other (?) From them, slightly away - somehow my daughters occupied the living room and left me carrying a grief like a father with no place to stay on my back - the young man lowered his back to the fringe and looked beyond the horizon with a distant eye. "Why are all the pirate sailors but me women? Impossible, normal." The youth could not contain a mix of bitterness in their own voices that whined. "It's still, 'The ocean of the world is my ocean. All the women in the world belong to me! I don't want no bastards!' Isn't it caused by the fact that it's been proclaimed on a daily basis? The young man scratched his head 27615; to the words of the girl with the small-head who had come by at some point. "That's right, but that would be a private story! At work, a bald-headed lieutenant with an eye patch on one eye, or a favorite guy with prosthetic legs on one leg, cemented his side and said, 'All right! Bastards, let's go!' Or so it would be the pirates doing it! What is this high school position for women?!" "Again, that's not even in my mind" Is it an attribute of the Beast Nation, or a girl who, if she does, in a familiar tone, smiles at the cry of the soul of a young man? "'Harlem is a man's dream! Now it's time to go for it, Leah! I'll be King Harlem!!" You were screaming when you helped me out of The Seamount Cats. " "... youthful. I'm reflecting now." "I don't care what you say with your mouth, but last night I put the head of the engine in bed -" "Become! How do you know?!" "That's a small boat." A disappointing girl who hangs after a drooling young man. "It could be a woman's ordeal here. Next time we go ashore, we'll come to the Sea God..." A young man who tried to change the subject, realizing he couldn't win with his mouth, but the girl slapped her knee pounding on the words. "Yes, Donna, the fortune-teller, said, but soon your husband should note from 'Stabbed by the Moon Goddess'. If you want to go, the Moon Goddess is better." "Come on? Isn't it a metaphor for someone to be stabbed in the back by a deceitful woman? Even when they said that, I had a feeling... the young man, too many and full of hindsight, accidentally strayed from his gaze. "At best then, you must apologize sincerely." Pushing a final thought, the girl went back to the group where her companions stood. The young man, finally open, groans once again as he looks at the horizon with his pioneered face. I know if you're a man who calls himself God... well, the intrigue would be divination. I decided not to care and went back onboard.

第十八話 釜中之魚 オリアーナ皇女は衛兵に任せて、ボクは全力で抜き身の『 さすがに付いてこられる者はいないくて――レヴァンが一番がんばってるけどまだこちらの半分も来ていない――数秒で最上階まで登ったところで、突き当りの重厚な造りの扉が開きっ放しになっているのを見て、そのまま姿勢を低くして、転がるように部屋の中へと飛び込んだ。 そこでボクが目にしたのは―― 「きゃーっ! お嬢さんのエッチ!!」 パンツ一丁で因業そうな中年男の背後に抱き付いている 』で斬りかかったけど、ひょいと部屋の奥の方へ下がって躱された。 その拍子に、ばたん、と崩れ落ちた中年男――これが話題のナントカ主席だろう――の顔色は土色で、どう見ても息をしていなかった。 だけどまだ死んで間がないようなら蘇生も可能な筈。 「ああ、もう殺してから30分経ってますから、蘇生は不可能ですわ。だいたいこの塔の中ではスキルは使えませんし」 ちらりと死体に視線を走らせただけど、それだけでこちらの意図に気が付いたのだろう、「どーぞどーぞ、お好きなように」と促された。 シャクだけど影郎さんを置いて、この死体を抱えて塔の外まででて確認するわけにもいかないので、蘇生は断念して影郎さんに集中した。 「これはどういうことかな? 最初からこのつもりで私をハメたって解釈でいいのかな? まさか、このおっさんと痴情のもつれで反射的に殺しましたってオチじゃないだろうしね」 そう言うと影郎さんは困ったように頭を掻いた。 「......お嬢さん、先に考えとった言い訳言われると、ネタに詰まるんですけど」 「依頼主は誰!? いまさらこのバッテン主席を殺して得する人間なんているの?!」 まともに話す気がないのはわかっているので、とにかく相手にペースに嵌らないように一方的に話しかける。 「お嬢さん、バッテンやなくてバルデムですわ......バしか当たっとらんですよ」 「どーせ死んだ人間なんだから、名前なんてどーでもいいでしょ!」 「......なにげにお嬢さんも鬼畜ですなぁ」 暗殺者のペテン師にはだけは言われたくないわ! 「まあ、取りあえずヒントとしては、確かに得をする人間は居ないかもしれませんが、獄死だか客死だかしたことになれば、損をしない人間がいるってとこですなぁ」 「......それは、現在身代金交渉を行っているユース大公国のことですか?」 ふと気が付くと、レヴァンや衛兵に守られる形で、入り口のところに息を切らしたオリアーナやアスミナ、侍女のリィーナまでが立っていた。 ――あちゃあ、なんで付いて来ちゃうかな。余計な足手まといになるのに! やむなく影郎さんと入り口との軸線上に重なる位置に体を移動させた。 そんなボクの意図には当然気がついているのだろう。『ごくろうさんですなぁ』という顔で影郎さんが苦笑した。 「まあその辺は守秘義務がありますんで、明かすわけにはいきませんなぁ」 皇女のほうを向いて、肩をすくめる影郎さん。 「宰相の指示で行ったレヴァンたちの襲撃が上手く行かなかったので、途中で契約を打ち切られて、それでバイトしてるってのも当然ウソだったわけだね?」 確認を込めてのボクの質問に、影郎さんは心外そうな顔で、パタパタを顔の前で手を振った。 同時に、はっとした顔でオリアーナ皇女が胸のブローチに手をやった。 「いやいや、自分がお嬢さんにウソをつくわけないですわ。クレス同盟の特使一行を襲ったのはいいんですけど、その坊ちゃんを逃がした責任でウォーレンのおっさんから途中解雇されたのは本当でっせ......そんなわけで、いまさら義理はないんで話しますけど。お陰で大損ですわ。んで、他のバイト探してたら今回の仕事を頼まれましてチャンスを窺ってたんですわ」 「それで宮殿への隠し通路とか知ってたわけね。――だけどそれなら別に一人でも襲撃できたんじゃないの?」 口を挟んできたアスミナの問いかけに、渋い顔をする。 「それなんですが、最初は見回りや食事の時に『 「......だったら鍵を持ってる衛兵を殺して奪えば?」 どうにも腑に落ちない、という顔のアスミナを若干 「貴女、人の命をなんだと思ってるんです? かけがえのないものなんですよ。それを簡単に殺すとか言わないでください」 「――お前がそれを言うか!!」 レヴァンの叫びに大真面目に頷く。 「ええ言います。言わせていただきます。それは確かに自分は商売で人を殺します。尊い命を踏みにじります。ですが快楽や憎しみ、突発的な怒りなどで軽はずみに命を奪ったことも、名誉だ誇りだと美辞麗句を並べ立てて殺したこともありません。自分に道徳を語る資格はないのはわかりますけどな、主目的の為の手段として人を殺すなんぞ、本末転倒ですわ」 う......ウソくさ――――――っ!!! 全員がそう思ったけど、言ってることはしごくまともで顔つきも真剣なので、ツッコミを入れづらい雰囲気になった。 こーいう人なんだよねぇ。言ってることはウソかホントかわからないけど、妙なポリシーがあって憎みきれないというか......。 「......まあ、だいたいの流れはわかったかな。それで迂遠だけど私たちと行動をともにして、わざわざ収監されるようにした、と」 「そういうことですな。ケツの穴まで調べてからパンツ一丁で、放り込まれるとは思いませんでしたけど」 それでよく脱獄できたねぇ。 「なるほどねぇ。じゃあそろそろ覚悟してもらおうかな」 「それとも改心して黒幕のこと全部話してくれるかな?」 まあ無理だろうね――と思った通り、影郎さんは首を横に振った。 「前にも言いましたけど、今度の旦那さんのことは喋れません。堪忍してください、お嬢さん」 「そうかい。じゃあ敵同士ということで、遠慮はしないよ」 「へい。こんなんなっても気にかけて下さって、本当に涙が出るほどありがたいですわ」 暗に『いまから情を捨てて殺し合いをするよ』といった、ボクの言葉の真意を正確に汲み取って、影郎さんは軽く頭を下げた。 それからお互いに真剣な表情で向き合う。 影郎さんの背後は壁で、脱出しようとするならボクを ちらりと背後を見たけど、さすがにオリアーナ皇女とリィーナは下がらせて、その前に衛兵が立ち、出入り口のところにはレヴァンが守る形で構えをとっていた。その2歩後ろにアスミナがいる。 この態勢ならば背後を気にせず影郎さんの相手をできる。スキルは使えないけど、それはお互い様。正面からのぶつかり合いなら、ほぼ互角のはず。 と、先手を取ったのはやはり影郎さんだった。 一瞬、背後に注意を向けた瞬間、ジャンプした影郎さんを空中で迎え撃とうとしたところで、その足のつま先が部屋にあった重厚なテーブルの上のテーブルクロスを抓んで、足首の動きだけで投擲してきた。 ばっと広がり目の前を塞ぐ白い布地を、斜めに断ち切った――そこには、すでに影郎さんの姿がなく、代わりに手裏剣のように直進してくる数本のペンがあった。 「――足元です!」 レヴァンの注意が飛び、はっと見ると蜘蛛のように這った姿勢で駆け抜けて行こうとする影郎さんがいた。 空中で一回転する勢いで『 それを倒立する形で躱した影郎さん。さらに腕の力だけで一気にその場から出入り口まで飛び跳ねる。 体勢を崩したボクが一瞬出遅れる間に、レヴァンがそれを迎え撃とうと、ふわりと空中に舞い上がった。 その蹴りが影郎さんに当たる直前、 しまった、こんな手が! そう思ってボクとレヴァンが唇を噛み締め、影郎さんが勝利を確信したその刹那、 「ハリちゃん、お願い!」 アスミナの叫びに応えて、飛び出したオコジョのような霊獣ハリが、影郎さんの 「んなアホな!?」 唖然とする影郎さんの脇腹にレヴァンの蹴りが決まり、床に叩き付けられて転がった。 軽く呻きながら起き上がった瞬間、『ズブッ』という鈍い音とともに影郎さんの胸元から剣の切っ先が生えた。 言うまでもなく背後から貫いたボクの『 「やれやれ......」 仕方ないなぁという顔で背後を振り返ろうとした影郎さんの心臓部に、真正面からレヴァンの全力の肘がめり込み、肋骨を粉砕して止めを刺した。 全身血塗れで倒れ伏した影郎さんの凄惨な様子に、離れて見ていた侍女のリィーナが蒼白な顔で口元を押さえて螺旋階段を早足で降りていった。 まあ、普通の神経ならそうなるだろうね。 顔色が悪いながらも震えもしないで、その場に留まっているオリアーナ皇女の豪胆さが特別なんだろう。 ボクはため息をついて影郎さんの死体を確認してみた。 HPは0になっている。状態も『死亡』と表示されている。完全に死んでるね。 「......終わったのですか?」 衛兵に守られながら、恐る恐る部屋の様子を窺うオリアーナに頷いて見せた。 「そうだね。......結局、さっきの自供だけで、宰相がクレスの密使を襲わせたって証言がとれなくなったけど」 「それならばご安心ください。このブローチは記録装置になってますので、先ほどの証言は記録されているはずです。これがあれば充分です」 自信有りげに胸元のブローチに手をやる皇女。 「それとバルデムについては獄中で病死したことにいたしますので、皆様もご内密にお願いできますか?」 気ぜわしそうにその場にいた全員の顔を見て念を押すオリアーナ。 まさか王宮内に隔離していた他国の人質が暗殺されました、とは口が裂けても言えないだろうからね。当然の配慮だろう。 その上、宰相派から預けられたお荷物とはいえ、それを死亡させました、ということで汚点を作ったわけだから彼女としては二重の苦難ってところだろうね。 当然、全員が頷いた。 まあ妥当な判断だね。画像と音声記録だけじゃ弱いからねぇ。処断した首も揃ってワンセットだろう。 「構わないよ。死んでもそれで何か役に立つなら使えばいいさ。まあ、できれば体の方は野ざらしではなく、どこかにお墓でも作ってくれればありがたいかな」 ボクの提案に、オリアーナ皇女はしっかりと頷いて約束してくれた。 「わかりました。さすがに公にはできませんが、遺体を葬った後にご連絡いたします」 「ああ、頼むよ」 まあ、お墓に花ぐらいは供えてあげたいからねぇ。 ......そういえば、ボクが死んだ後ってどっかに葬られたのかなぁ。 ま、事故直後は現場に花一つくらいはあげられたと信じたいところだけどさ...いや、今更どーでもいいか。 「――後の始末はこちらで行います。皆様は一度離宮の方へお戻り願えますか?」 「そうだね。こんな血生臭い場所には長居したくはないだろうしね」 頷いて、皇女の後に続いてボクも部屋を後にした。 レヴァンも自分の手で仲間の仇を討ったことで満足したのか、瞳を閉じ大きくため息をついてアスミナともども歩き出した。 部屋を出る直前、影郎さんの遺体になにか声をかけようか迷ったけど、なにも思い浮かばなかったので無言でその場を後にした。 全員が塔の外へと出てから程なく、影郎が最初に入っていた牢の扉がゆっくりと開き、そこから侍女姿の一人の女性が出てきた。 着ているものは先ほどまでいたリィーナと同じものだが、中身はまるで別人――というか人間ですらない、長い耳、金緑の髪をしたエルフの娘である。 そのエルフは周囲の様子を再度窺い、完全に人気がないのを確認して足早に螺旋階段を上って行った。 最上階の特別隔離室の中の様子を確認して、嘲笑混じりの冷笑を浮かべながら影郎の死体を汚らわしそうに、爪先で蹴って仰向けにして、精緻な彫刻のある瓶をどこからともなく取り出し、陥没した心臓部分にその中身を無造作に振りかけた。 途端、映像の逆戻しのように影郎の体が修復され、 「――ふう......」 蘇生した影郎が大きく深呼吸をして、むくりと上半身を起こした。 「さすがは高額な課金アイテムの蘇生薬ね。たいした効き目ね」 中身が無くなると同時に本体の瓶も消え、空になった両手を広げて肩をすくめるエルフの娘。 「アチャの姐さんですか。どーもお手数をかけまして、すんません」 「まったくだわね。あんたがトロトロしてるから、途中で『物まねカード』の効果がきれそうになって、誤魔化すのにたいへんだったわ」 「そうなんですか。ところで、その衣装からしてアチャの姐さんが化けてたのは、あの皇女様の侍女だと思うんですけど、どこで入れ替わったんですか?」 「ああ、途中で衛兵を呼びに行くのに一人になったから、その時にさくっとね」 それを聞いて、影郎の表情がかすかに暗くなった。 「まあね。死体の方は骨も残さず従魔に食べさせたから、しばらくは誤魔化せると思うわ。なんなら今日のことがショックで退職したって形にしてもいいし。そういうのってあんた得意でしょう? ......ん。なによ、さっきの演説まさか本気だったわけじゃないわよね。暗殺者さんが」 「............。現場確認に衛兵が来る前に急いで逃げましょ。例のものは場所もわかりましたし、鍵も手に入れました」 「上々ね。それじゃあ、あと緋雪ちゃんに気付かれないように工作しておかないと」 スカートの下から取り出した収納バックから、影郎の着替えと、影郎に良く似た男の死体らしきものを取り出すアチャと呼ばれたエルフ。 「そんなモンまで用意してたんですか?」 いつもの格好に着替えながら、どことなく不機嫌な表情で尋ねる影郎。 「勿論よ。やるからには徹底しないと」 そう言いながら、「こんなものだったかしらね」と平然とした顔で死体に刺し傷やら打撃痕やらを作るエルフ娘。 一通り満足した状況になったところで、 「それじゃあ、さっさと戻りましょ、次の仕事があるんだから」 バックを背負って影郎を促した。 さっさと部屋を後にする彼女に続いて、出入り口に足をかけた影郎は、先ほどの緋雪と良く似た表情で部屋の中を振り返り、ため息をついて走り出した。

83 Lesson 18: Fish In A Cauldron Empress Oriana left it to the guards, and I ran up the spiral stairs holding the "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" with all my might. There's no one who can just follow me - Levan's the hardest at work, but not even half of this one has come yet - and I climbed to the top floor in seconds, and I saw the heavily built door of the poke open, and I kept my posture low and jumped into the room like I was rolling. So what I saw was... "Yikes! Lady's Etsy!! Shadow Lang (Kaguro), who is holding behind a middle-aged man who seems to be working with a pair of pants, looked like he didn't have one either. It was reflexively slashed with "The Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)," but it was then pulled back into the back of the room. To that applause, maybe, the collapsed middle-aged man - this would be the talking Nantka chairman - had a earthy complexion and was not breathing, no matter how he looked. But resuscitation should also be possible if he is still dead and hasn't been long. "Oh, it's been half an hour since I killed him, so resuscitation's impossible. Mostly you can't use your skills in this tower." I ran my gaze on the corpse, but I guess that's all I noticed about this intent, and I was prompted, "Come on, come on, do what you want." Shaq, but I put Mr. Shadowloon down, and I can't even hold this body outside the tower to confirm it, so Resurrection declined to focus on Mr. Shadowloon. "What does this mean? Is it okay if you framed me from the start with this intention and interpreted it? I don't think he killed this old man reflexively with his passion." Saying so, Mr. Shadowloon scratched his head like he was in trouble. "... lady, when they say the excuse I thought about earlier, I get stuck in a story" "Who's the client?! What kind of person would kill this President Batten?!" I know I'm not willing to talk decently, so I talk unilaterally so I don't fit into the pace with them anyway. "Ma'am, it's not Batten, it's Valdem... I only hit Ba" "Go away. You're a dead man, so you don't care what your name is! "... what a beast your daughter is." I don't want the assassin petitioner to tell me! "Well, for now, the tip is that there may not be any people who would benefit, but if it were a prison death or a passenger death, there would be people who would not lose money." "... is that about the Grand Duchy of Youth, which is currently negotiating a ransom? When he realized, even Oriana, Asmina, and Lyna, the samurai, stood breathless at the entrance, in a way protected by Levan and the guards. - Ah, well, why are you following me? Even though it makes for an extra pair of feet! I eventually moved my body to an overlapping position on the axis line between Mr. Shadowloon and the entrance. I suppose you naturally realize my intentions. Shadowloon smiled bitterly in the face of 'It's a lot'. "Well, there's confidentiality around here, so you can't reveal it." Turn to the Crown Princess, Mr. Shadow Lang shrugging his shoulders. "The Levans' raid on the prime minister's orders didn't go well, so they broke the contract along the way, and you're naturally lying that you're working part-time with it, right? In response to my question with confirmation, Mr. Shadowloon waved his patter in front of his face with a seemingly out-of-heart face. At the same time, Empress Oriana did her hand on the brooch of her chest with a stiff face. "No, no, you can't lie to your daughter yourself. I don't mind that I attacked a line of envoys from the Cres Alliance, but it's true that Warren's old man fired me halfway for letting that boy go... and that's why I don't have an in-laws to tell you. This is a huge loss. So when I was looking for another part-time job, they asked me to do this job, and I was looking for a chance." "So you knew about the hidden passage to the palace or something. - But then you couldn't have raided alone? He looks sinister at Asmina's inquiry, which has pinched his mouth. "However, at first, I plan to accompany you in" stealth "when looking around and eating, but I refused because the effect of this tower's consumer witchcraft (Ireis) is quite half-effect, and it looks perfectly clear when you approach 5 meters." "... then why don't you kill the guards who have the keys and take them? Shadow Lang is embarrassed by the sound of a slight blame on Asmina on her face that she doesn't feel comfortable. "What do you think people's lives are? It's irreplaceable. Don't tell me to kill it easily or anything." "- You say that!!" I nod very seriously at Levan's cry. "Yes, I say. Let me tell you something. That certainly kills people in business. I trample on my honorable life. But I've never taken my life lightly due to pleasure, hatred, sudden anger, etc., nor have I side-by-side killed a beauty phrase saying it's an honor. I know you don't deserve to talk about morality, but killing people as a means to your main purpose is the end of the line." Ugh... Liar Kusa - - WHAT!!! That's what they all thought, but what they're saying is so decent and serious, it made it hard to get a scratch into the atmosphere. This is who I am, isn't it? I don't know if what you're saying is true or false, but you have a strange policy and you can't hate it... "... well, I guess I figured out the general flow. So it was a long way off, but he acted with us, and he went out of his way to be imprisoned." "That's the thing. I checked up to the hole in my ass, and then I had a pair of pants, and I didn't think they'd throw me in." That's how you got out of jail a lot. "I see. Then it's time for you to be ready." "Or will you revamp and tell me all about the mastermind? Well, I guess not - as I thought, Mr. Shadowloon shook his head to the side. "As I said before, I can't talk about my next husband. Be patient, young lady." "Right. Then we won't hesitate to talk to each other." "Heh. Thank you so much for worrying about this and really making me cry" Shadowloon bowed his head lightly, drawing precisely on the sincerity of my words, such as "I will abandon my love and kill each other now". Then we face each other with a serious look. Mr. Shadowloon's back is a wall, and if you're trying to escape, you'll have to shoot me out or you'll have to go to the only entrance and exit of this prison. I looked right behind me, but just as Empress Oriana and Lyna let me back down, and before that a guard stood and stood at the entrance and exit in the form Levan guarded. Asmina is behind those two steps. With this attitude, I can deal with Mr. Shadowloon without worrying about his back. We can't use our skills, but that's mutual. If it's a bump from the front, it should be almost mutual. And it was still Mr. Shadow Lang who took the lead. For a moment, the moment I turned my attention behind my back, I was about to intercept Shadowloon, who jumped in the air, clutching a tablecloth on a heavy table where the toe of his foot was in the room, throwing just the movement of his ankle. The white fabric that blocked the bulge and spread out in front of me was cut off diagonally - there were a few pens there that were already missing Mr. Shadowloon's appearance and instead came straight ahead like a backsword. "- It's at your feet! Levan's attention flew, and when he looked at it all the way, there was Mr. Shadowloon trying to run through it in a crawling position like a spider. Momentum spinning in the air cut off 'Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)' into a hanging. Mr. Shadow Lang, who stood it down in an inverted way. Plus the force of your arms alone jumps from the spot to the entrance and exit at once. Levan fluttered up into the air trying to intercept it while I was out of shape for a moment. Shortly before that kick hit Mr. Shadowloon, Shit, these hands! That's how Bo and Levan chewed up their lips and Shadow Lang was convinced of the victory at that moment, "Hari, please! In response to Asmina's cry, Spiritual Beast Hari, like a flying ocho, captured Mr. Shadowloon's submissive demon (pet), an iron rat (tezo), in the air and instantly chewed his throat out. "What an asshole!? Levan's kick was decided on the flank of Mr. Shadowloon, and he was slapped on the floor and rolled. The moment I rose up with a gentle groan, a cut of the sword grew from Mr. Shadowloom's chest along with the dull sound of 'Zubu'. Needless to say, it's my "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" body pierced from behind. "Oh man..." Levan's full elbow slammed directly from the front into Shadow Lang's heart as he tried to look back with his face that he had no choice but to crush his ribs and stab him in the stop. Leena, a samurai watching away, quickly stepped down the spiral staircase holding her mouth down with a pale face to the tragic condition of Shadow Lang, who fell and lay low with all her blood on her body. Well, normal nerves would do that. Don't look pale, but don't tremble, I guess the audacity of the Empress Oriana who stays on the spot is special. I sighed and checked Shadow Lang's body. HP is 0. The state is also labeled 'Death'. You're completely dead. "... are you done? I nodded to Oriana to see what was going on in the dreaded room, protected by the guards. "Right.... In the end, just because I confessed earlier, I couldn't take any more testimony that the Chancellor had made me assault Cress's envoy." "Don't worry about that. This brooch is a recording device, so the earlier testimony should be recorded. This would suffice." The princess confidently hands on the brooch on her chest. "And as for Valdem, I'm going to die of illness in prison, so can you please keep it to yourself? Oriana pushes herself just in case she sees the faces of everyone who was on the spot feeling sorry for herself. No way. Hostages from other countries that were quarantined inside the royal palace have been assassinated, because you can't tell if your mouth is torn. It would be a natural consideration. On top of that, even though the luggage deposited by the Chancellor's faction, it killed it, so I guess it's a double ordeal as far as she's concerned because it created a stain. Naturally, everyone nodded. Well, that's a reasonable decision. Because image and audio recording aren't the only weaknesses. It would be one set with all the severed necks. "I don't mind. You can use it if it helps. Well, if I could, my body wouldn't be wild, and I'd appreciate it if you could make a tomb somewhere." To my suggestion, Empress Oriana snorted firmly and promised me. "Okay. Not exactly publicly, but we'll get back to you after we bury the body." "Oh, please." Well, I'd like to offer you some flowers for your grave. ... Speaking of which, I wonder if they buried me somewhere after I died. I just want to believe that I was given about a flower at the crime scene right after the accident... no, can I do any more now? "- This is where the later begins and ends. Would you all please return to the outhouse for once? "Right. You don't want to stay in a bloody place like this for long." I nodded and followed the Empress and I left the room behind. Levan, too, was satisfied that he had fought his fellow enemies with his own hands, closed his eyes and sighed loudly, walking out with Asmina. Shortly before I left the room, I was not sure if I would speak to Shadowloon's body, but I did not think of anything, so I silently followed the scene. Not long after they all went outside the tower, the door of the cell where Shadow Lang had first entered slowly opened, from which one woman in a samurai appeared. What you are wearing is the same as Lyna who was there earlier, but the contents are as if they were someone else - or not even human, a daughter of an elf with long ears, golden green hair. The elf looked around again and went up the spiral stairs early enough to make sure it wasn't completely popular. Confirming what was going on inside the special isolation room on the top floor, he kicked Shadow Lang's body with his fingertips and leaned back, seemingly smearing with a ridiculous mixed smile, removing the elaborately sculpted bottle from nowhere and spreading its contents unwrought on the submerged heart area. As soon as possible, Shadow Lang's body was repaired like a reverse of the video, "- Ugh..." The resuscitated Shadow Lang took a big, deep breath and woke up his torso. "That's a resuscitation pill for expensive billing items. That works a lot." As the contents disappeared, so did the bottle of the body, Elf's daughter shrugging her shoulders with her empty hands. "Is that Mr. Acha? Sorry to bother you all." "Absolutely. You're so troubled, I almost got the effect of a" puzzle card "along the way, I've had a lot to mislead." "Really? By the way, from that costume, I think it was that princess's maid that Acha was turning into, where was she replaced? "Oh, I'm all alone on the way to get a guard, so I'll see you then." When I heard that, Shadow Lang's expression faintly darkened. "Sort of. The corpse didn't leave any bones to feed the devil, so I think he'll be deluded for a while. Anything can take the form of today's retirement in shock. You're good at that, aren't you?...... hmm. What, you didn't mean your speech earlier, did you? Mr. Assassin." ............ Hurry and flee before the guards arrive to confirm the scene. I know where the example is, and I got the keys. " "Good. Then we have to make sure Scarlet Snow doesn't notice." From the storage back I removed from under my skirt, I changed Shadow Lang's clothes and an elf called Acha that takes out what looks like a man's corpse that looks a lot like Shadow Lang. "Were you even prepared for such a mon? Shadowloon asks with a somewhat grumpy look as he dresses up for his usual outfit. "Of course. We have to be thorough." With that said, "Could it have been something like this," an elf daughter who stabs and wounds a corpse with a flat face and makes a blow mark. I just got a satisfactory situation the whole way. "Well, let's just get back to it, 'cause we have our next job." I encouraged Shadow Lang to carry the back. Following her just after the room, Shadowloon, with his legs on the entrance and exit, looked back into the room with a look very similar to Scarlet Snow earlier and ran out with a sigh.

第十五話 双華絢爛 この離宮の客室に運び込まれて6日目。 だいぶ調子も戻ってきたので、ベッドの上で座禅を組んで、呼吸法と体内の気を循環させることで自己治癒力を高める回復術を行ってみた。 ――毒の影響か、気脈の動きが鈍いな。 胸の傷の方もオリアーナ皇女付の治癒術師のお陰で見た目はうっすら跡が残る程度で塞がっているが、やはり完治はしていないらしく気に不自然な 1時間ほど続けて、うっすら汗が出てきたところで、オリアーナ皇女がいつもの侍女を連れてやってきた。 「あらっ。今日はずいぶんと顔色も良いようですこと」 「ええ、お陰さまで立って歩けるくらいは回復したと思います」 そう答えた後で、彼女の表情に複雑......と言うか、オレに言いたいことがあるのだが、言いあぐねる風な、珍しい躊躇いの色が伺えた。 「......どうかしました?」 先手を打って訊いてみると、一瞬目を伏せ、本当にかすかなため息とともに躊躇いを振り切って、いつもの表情で顔を上げた。 「そうですね。あなたにとって良い話と、微妙な話と、非常に悪い話があります。どれから聞きたいですか?」 悪い話は最後に聞きたいな。 「――じゃあ微妙な話からお願いします」 取りあえずどうでもいい話から聞いてみることにした。 そう言うと、オリアーナ皇女はなぜか愉しげな笑みを浮かべた。 「これはゴシップ談のような話ですが、昨日の夕方近く、都大路にある大門で騒ぎがあったそうです。なんでも中年男性が無残な姿で吊り下げられ、晒し者になっていたとか」 「猟奇殺人って奴ですか?」 それがなんでオレと関係あるんだろうな。 「殺されてはおりません。本人には目立った外傷はなく、白目を剥いて気絶している状態だったそうですが......なんというか、全裸にされて男性の尊厳を踏み躙るような、それはそれはひどい有様だったとか。――詳細をお話したほうがよろしいですか?」 「......いや、なんか聞かないほうが良い気がするので結構です。ところで、それがオレとなんの関係が?」 「直接は関係はありませんわ。ただ、その被害者のお腹の上に大きく『ウォーレンさいしょう』と書かれていたとか、『さいしょう』の部分から矢印が下腹部に向かっていたとか。問題の男性が救助された翌日――つまり今朝から、ウォーレンが病気療養を理由に公務からしばらく離れると、議会等に通知があったとか」 正解を知っているけどはぐらかす口調で、オリアーナが続けた。 「あの、まさか本人が......?」 「さあ? 宰相側は事実無根を訴えていますが、噂によれば同じ日に宰相が執務を取る離宮が何者かに襲撃されたそうで、宰相派も火消しに大わらわのようですが、人の口には戸は立てられません。まして権力者の醜聞は事実かどうかは別にして、大衆の間に面白おかしく尾鰭がついて伝播するものですわ」 にやりと不敵な笑いを浮かべるオリアーナ。 このお姫様、絶対この機会を逃さず宰相の権威を失墜させる流言飛語を流したな。そう確信するレヴァンであった。 「お陰でこちらとしても時間と、思いがけずに宰相派を切り崩す大鉈を振ることができますわ。切っ掛けを与えてくださったどなたか。誰の仕業かはわかりませんが、いちおう礼を言うべきでしょうね」 その『どなたか』に礼を言うのになんで、オレの目を見て愉しげに笑うんだろう? 「はあ......? で、あと良い話ってなんですか?」 「あなたの待ち人が現れたようですわ。なんでも、その事件現場の近くで、あなたが着ている衣装と良く似た衣装をまとった獣人族の少女と、人目を集めてやまない薔薇のドレスを着た大変な美貌の少女が目撃されたとか」 それを聞いた途端、先の宰相の襲撃に関連する犯人が瞬時にわかり、オレは反射的にベッドの上で土下座していた。 「す、すいません! うちの 「さあ。なんのことかしら。......ともかく、その方々となんとか接触を図ろうとしていますが、恥ずかしながら昨夜からぴたりと足取りが追えない状態で、いまだ進展はありません」 若干悔しげに語るオリアーナの視線が、レヴァンの枕元の『ちびちび緋雪ちゃん』人形に向けられた。 「いや、大丈夫です。あの二人なら近いうちにここに来ると思いますから。......ええ、絶対に」 オレは絶対の確信を持って断言した。あの二人なら世界最大国家の宮殿だろうがなんだろうが、絶対関係なくやってくる。......なんかもう、そこまで来ている足音が聞こえる幻聴までする。 「それはそれとして、『非常に悪い話』ってのはなんですか?」 その言葉に、オリアーナの表情が目に見えて暗くなった。 「あくまで未確認情報ですが、クレス自由同盟国のウィリデ近郊に設置されていた転移装置が、何者かの襲撃を受け破壊されたそうです」 「な――っ!?」 「現在情報を収集中ですが、これが本当だとするとわたしどもの計画は大きな修正を必要とするでしょう」 柳眉を寄せながらも、彼女は身を乗り出すようにして、オレの顔を覗き込んだ。 「ですが、例え転移装置が破壊されたのが事実だとしても......改めて考え直せばおのずと事実は見えてきます。あなたへの襲撃と装置の破壊、一見して宰相の独断と思えるこれらですが、あまりにも手際が良すぎます。そもそも次期獣王に深手を負わせ、 それから転移装置が破壊されたというショックで呆然となったオレに向け、その白い右手を差し出した。 「レヴァン様、手を貸してください。これもまた人の上に立つものの使命。乗りかかった船です、後戻りはできません。共に手を携えて、よりよい世界を築こうではありませんか」 その小さくて華奢な手に、思わず手を伸ばしかけたところで、不意にベットの下にいたシンが、部屋の扉に一言咆えかけた。 その瞬間、廊下側から両開きの扉が勢い良く開けられ、 「いた! やっぱり女を連れ込んでたわね、レヴァン 「心配しましたっ。ご無事でなによりです!」 さり気なくオリアーナとの間に割り込んで、抱きついてくる。 「――な、なんでお前がここにいるんだ?!」 冗談で想像してはみたものの、まさかいきなりこの場に現れるとは思わなかった当人の登場に、正直、度肝を抜かされた。 様が心配で飛んで来たに決まってます!」 「会話になってないぞ。をい」 その時、開け放しの扉を遠慮がちにノックして、こちらも見慣れた薔薇のお姫様が入ってきた。 「......なんか勝手にお邪魔してすまないね。止める間もなく、気が付いたら弾丸みたいに私たちを置いて、走り出してたもので」 「一発で探し当てるなんて、どーいう嗅覚しとるんですか、あの娘さん」 忘れたくても忘れられない、あの夜の暗殺者が当然のような顔で、姫陛下の後に続いて入ってきた。 普段であればこの程度、なんてことなく振りほどけるのだが、体力が回復していない今では、その手を外すこともできなかった。 「ん? なんか本調子じゃないみたいだねぇ」 「ああ、自分の毒がまだ効いてるんと違いますか。それでもここまで回復してるのは大したもんですけど」 「ああ、なるほどね」 暗殺者の男の言葉に納得した顔で、こちらに手を向けた姫陛下の手から様々な魔法の光が放たれた。 たちまち体の芯に残っていた痺れも払拭され、体力も万全の状態へと戻った。 ほっと息をついたオレは、アスミナに身振りで「大丈夫だ」と伝えると、素早くベッドを降りて姫陛下の前に跪いた。 「陛下御自らの治療、まことに恐悦至極にございます。報告すべき事柄は様々ございますが、まずはその前に、後ろの男がなぜこの場にいるのかお聞きしてもよろしいでしょうか?」 ちらりと背後を振り返り、微妙な表情になる陛下。 「ああ、影郎さんは知り合いでね。今回、この宮殿へ忍び込むのにあたり、自分から売り込んできたから雇ったんだよ」 「そういうことですわ坊ちゃん。あれも仕事、これも仕事ですので、悪気はなかったんで、悪く思わんでや」 悪びれる様子もなく、ぬけぬけと言い放つ男に明確な殺意が沸くが、なんとか押さえ込むことに成功した。 「ですが、その男は宰相の手先となって、オレの仲間を殺した仇。ここで見逃すことなど......」 オレの心からの叫びに、姫陛下は小さな顎の下に右手の拳を当てて、「ふむ」と一声唸って、背後の男を振り返った。 「影郎さん」 「なんでっか?」 刹那、彼女の拳が電光のように男の鳩尾に叩き込まれた。 なんらかの技――スキルといったか――が使われたのだろう、大きく痙攣した男の体が麻痺したように崩れ落ちた。 「ここまでくれば君は用済みだからね。油断しているうちに始末させてもらうよ」 「......お...嬢さん......それ、悪人の台詞や...正義じゃないで......」 意識が無くなる寸前の男の呻きに、姫陛下は軽く肩をすくめた。 「正義の味方だったことは一度も無いねぇ」 それから、再度オレのほうを向いた。 「で、どうする。 床に転がる男を指されたが、さすがに意識のない無抵抗の相手を殺すのには躊躇いがある。 悩んでいたところへ、横合いからオリアーナ皇女の声がかかった。 「お待ちください」 「ひ...姫様、危険です! お戻りくださいっ」 侍女が止めるのも無視して、つかつかとこちらに歩いてくると、優美な仕草で白いドレスのスカートをつまんで のヒユキ陛下でいらっしゃいますね。わたしはグラウィオール帝国皇女オリアーナ・アイネアス・ミルン・グラウィオールと申します。以後お見知りおきを」 若干、毒気を抜かれた表情で、姫陛下も同じく黒のスカートをつまんで優雅に返礼をした。 様、あの方とずいぶん親しげな距離に居ましたけど、浮気してないですよねぇ......?!」 「なんですか、それが心配して来たあたしへの言葉ですか!?」 「感謝はしてる。だけど、時と場所を考えろ!」 ちなみにその背後でレヴァンとアスミナが痴話喧嘩を行い、オリアーナの足元には仔ライオンのシンがまとわりつき、緋雪は緋雪で影郎が息を吹き返して逃げないよう、片脚で背中を踏ん付けた体勢であった。 偶然に巡り合った麗しき花同士として、後世の歴史家が様々に脚色して飾り立てた場面であるが――実体はこんなもんであった。

79 Episode 15: Double Huawei Day 6 when I was transported into this out-of-house room. Much is back on track, so I tried sitting Zen on the bed to perform a restorative technique that enhances self-healing by breathing and circulating the mind in the body. - The effect of the poison or the dull pulse movement. The chest wound is blocked by the healing technician with Empress Oriana to the extent that it leaves no trace, but there is still an unnatural stiffness (chin) that seems not to have fully healed. After about an hour of continuous sweating, Empress Oriana brought in her usual samurai. "Oh, you look a lot better today." "Yeah, I think I recovered enough to stand and walk thanks to you" After I answered that, I said it was complicated by her expression or I wanted to tell you something, but I heard a rare color of hesitation. "... what's wrong? When I hit the lead and asked, I lay my eyes down for a moment, shaking off my hesitation with a really faint sigh, and looked up with my usual expression. "Right. There are good stories for you, subtle stories and very bad stories. From which would you like to hear it? I want to hear the last bad news. "- Then I beg you from a subtle tale." In the meantime, I decided to ask from a story that didn't matter. With that said, Princess Oriana had a delightful grin for some reason. "This is like gossip talk, but near yesterday evening, he said there was noise at the main gate on Metropolitan Avenue. Anything like a middle-aged man hanging unharmed and being exposed." "Is he a hunter-killer? I wonder why that has anything to do with me. "He hasn't been killed. He didn't have any noticeable trauma to himself, and he was stripping his white eyes and fainting... somehow, like being naked and stepping on a man's dignity, which seemed terrible? - Should I tell you the details? "... no, I feel better not to ask you something, so fine. By the way, what does that have to do with me? "It doesn't matter directly. Just that it said 'Warren Sage' big on the victim's stomach, or that the arrow was pointing from the 'Sage' part towards his lower abdomen? The day after the man in question was rescued - that is, starting this morning, when Warren was away from his official duties for some time on grounds of sickness care, there was a notification to the council, etc." In a tone that I know the right answer to but tease, Oriana continued. "Um, didn't he...? "Come on? The prime minister's side is complaining about virtually rootless, but rumor has it that on the same day, the outhouse where the prime minister takes office was raided by someone, and the prime minister's faction seems to be rough about extinguishing the fire, but he can't stand a door in people's mouths. Whether the scandal of power is true or not, it's a funny, weird propagation of tail fins among the masses." Oriana laughs invincibly at it. This princess, you never missed this opportunity to let down the prime minister's authority. It was Levan, so sure. "Thanks to you, we can still shake the time and the daiju that unexpectedly chops up the Chancellor's party. Someone who gave me a hang-up. I don't know who did it, but thank you very much." Why are you laughing delightfully in my eyes when I thank you for that 'who'? "Ha...? So, what's another good story? "Looks like your waiter showed up. Anything near that crime scene, like witnessing a beastly girl in a costume very similar to the one you're wearing and a very beautiful girl in a rose dress that won't stop attracting people's attention." As soon as I heard about it, I instantly figured out who was involved in the Prime Minister's raid earlier, and I was reflexively grounded on the bed. "Shh, excuse me! My sister-in-law and His Majesty did something terrible! "Come on. I don't know what it is.... Anyway, I'm trying to make some contact with those people, but I'm ashamed I haven't made any progress since last night with the right footsteps to follow" Oriana's gaze, speaking with some remorse, was directed at the 'Chibi Scarlet Snow' doll on Levan's pillow. "No, it's okay. Because I think those two will be here soon.... Yep, never." I assured him with absolute certainty. Those two would be the palace of the largest nation in the world, but it definitely doesn't matter.... I don't even hear footsteps coming that far anymore. "That and what is a 'very bad story'? The words made Oriana's expression visible and dark. "It is only unconfirmed information that a transfer device installed near Willide in the Free Alliance of Cres was attacked and destroyed by someone." "Nah!? "We are currently gathering information, but assuming this is true, our plan will require major corrections." As she frowned, she tried to get herself on board and peeked into my face. "But even if it's true that the metastatic device was destroyed...... if you rethink it, you'll see the facts every second. These are the raids on you and the destruction of the device, seemingly discretionary of the Prime Minister, but they are too handy. Is there a pawn in the hands of the Chancellor that would put a deep hand on the next Beast King in the first place and allow him to break through the protection of the Crimson Imperial Empire? Holy kingdom? Even a diocesan knight in his country would be difficult. I feel here a willingness to interfere from the outside. Isn't that a problem between the two countries? On top of that, once again, I believe that a mutual defense agreement with Cress is necessary." Then he turned to me in shock that the transfer device had been destroyed, and offered me that white right hand. "Master Levan, give me a hand. This is also the mission of what stands on people again. It's a boarded ship, we can't go back. Why don't we work together to build a better world" On that small, luxurious hand, where he reached out unexpectedly, Sin, who was accidentally under his bet, shouted a word at the door of the room. At that moment, both open doors were opened vigorously from the hallway side, "There he is! I knew you were bringing in a woman, Brother Levan! "I was worried. Thank you for your safety! I interrupt between you and Oriana subtly, and I hug you. "- Hey, why are you here?! Though I tried to imagine it with a joke, honestly, I was skipped out on the appearance of the same person who I didn't think would show up on this scene all of a sudden. "My brother-in-law Levan flew in worried! "We're not having a conversation. I" That's when I reluctantly knocked on the open door and this one came in with a familiar rose princess. "... I'm sorry to bother you on your own. Shortly after I stopped, when I realized it, I left us like bullets, and I was running out." "What kind of smell do you get when you look for her in one shot, that girl?" I can't forget if I want to, that night's assassin looked natural, followed by His Majesty the Princess. Usually to this extent, I can shake it off without any reason, but now that my health has not recovered, I couldn't even take that hand off. "Hmm? Sounds like you're not in the mood." "Oh, isn't my poison still working? Still, it's a big deal to be recovering so far." "Oh, I see." With a face convinced by the words of the assassin man, various magical lights emanated from the hands of His Majesty the Princess, who laid his hands on this one. The paralysis that happened to remain in the core of his body was also dispelled, and his health returned to full health. Relaxed, I told Asmina I was "okay" as I gestured, and she quickly got out of bed and knelt before Her Majesty the Princess. "Your Majesty's own treatment, truly, is extremely pleasant. There are various things to report, but before we do that, may I ask you why the man behind you is here? His Majesty, who will look back once and for all behind his back and have a subtle look. "Oh, Mr. Shadowloon knows you. I hired you to sneak into this palace because you sold it to me." "That's what I'm talking about, boy. It's a job, it's a job, so I didn't mean to offend you." There was no way to be bad, and a clear willingness to kill boils down on a man who says he is soggy, but he managed to hold him down successfully. "But the man was at the mercy of the prime minister, and he murdered my people. Things to miss here..." To my heartfelt cry, Her Majesty put a fist of her right hand under her little jaw, roared "Hmm," and looked back at the man behind her. "Mr. Shadow Lang." "What is it? For a moment, her fist slammed into a man's dovetail like electric light. I guess some kind of move - or skill - was used, the body of a big spasmodic man collapsed like he was paralyzed. "Give me this far and you'll be done. I'll kill you while you're alert." "... Lady... that's a bad guy's dialogue or... not justice..." Her Majesty shrugged her shoulders gently to the groaning of a man on the verge of losing consciousness. "I've never been on the side of justice." Then he turned to me again. "So, what do we do? Kill? I was pointed at a man rolling on the floor, but I'm just hesitant to kill an unconscious, irresistible opponent. To where I was worried, the voice of Empress Oriana ranged from side to side. "Please Wait" "Hi... Princess, it's dangerous! Please come back." Ignoring the fact that the samurai also stopped, she grabbed a white dress skirt with a graceful trick and thanked her (Cartesy) as she walked over here. "You are His Majesty Hiyuki of Imperial Crimson, the Crimson of the Crimson Empire. My name is Oriana Eineas Milne Grawior, Empress of the Grawior Empire. See you later." With a slightly poisoned look, Her Majesty similarly pinched the black skirt and gracefully returned the favor. "Dear Brother Levan (I'm here), I've been a long way from that one, but I haven't cheated on you...?!" "What, is that the word to me I've been worried about?!?" "I appreciate it. But think about time and place! Incidentally, behind it Levan and Asmina had an insane talking fight, and at Oriana's feet a child lion sin clumped around, and Scarlet Snow was in a position where he stepped on his back with one leg to prevent Shadow Lang from breathing back and running away with Scarlet Snow. As coincidentally circled Reiki flowers, this is a scene decorated with various footprints by future generations of historians - this is what the entity was like.

番外編 冒険者は新婚を夢みる11 ボコボコに顔を腫らせたジョーイだったけれど、手持ちのポーションですぐに傷を癒して、スッキリシャンとした表情で、爽やかスマイルを浮かべてボクをねぎらった。 「気が動転していたんだね、仕方ないさ。それにギリギリ最後の一線は守れたことだし、野良犬にでも噛まれたと思って、ヒユキもさっきのことは忘れた方がいいと思うぞ」 「なんで君がそこまで詳しく状況を把握しているんだろうねぇ~!?」 口調と笑顔は爽やかだけれど、左手で作った丸の中へ、右手の人差し指の第一関節まで ノーパンでなければ、この場で飛び蹴りを食らわせたいところだ。 「あいつらは世界征服を目論む悪の秘密結社、『 「......いや、世界征服してどーするわけ?」 実質、世界を征服しちゃったボクだけど、メンドイので統治なんてしてないよ。 人間なんて自分のことを最優先だからね。崇高な理想も力による統治も、なにしたところで不平不満はなくならないものだから、『勝手にやってろ』というのが そんなボクの疑問に対するジョーイの答えは、 「さあ? だけど世界征服を標榜する悪の組織である以上、正義のために戦わなければならないんだ!」 無意味な使命感に燃えるジョーイの背中を眺めながら、「だめだこりゃ......」とため息をつくボクだった。 』の幹部である、四人いる四天王のひとりを追い詰めたんだけれど......」 「――ちょっと待て。なんで三つ首の魔犬の名を冠した幹部が四人いるんだい?!」 普通三人だろう! 「いるんだから仕方ないだろう。ヒユキのところだって『七禍星獣』とかいうわりに、メンバーが八人だか九人だかいるじゃないか」 ジョーイの意外な揚げ足取りに、思わずボクは「グッ......」と、続く言葉を飲み込んだ。 「チワワに負けたのかいっ!?」 悔し気に握った拳を震わせるジョーイの背中に、思わずツッコミを入れる。 ちなみに他の四天王は、『ディザスター・プードル』に、『カラミティ・マルチーズ』、『デストロイド・キャバリア』だそうだ。 なお、うちの四凶天王も、最近は暇なのか――。 『ぐああああああああああああっ!!!』 「ふふふ、奴は四凶天王の中でも最弱......」 「――いえ、無理やり渡された天涯殿の自作メドレー曲が詰まった音楽盤を、二時間以上も聞いていては当然かと(私と空穂は歌詞だけ読んで本体は聞いていませんから無事ですが、刻耀は馬鹿正直に耳から聞いては......)」 変な趣味とノリが流行っているからねぇ......と、ボクは生温かい眼差しでジョーイを見据えた。 もちろん現実だったらあり得ない。 魔術的な結界も物理的な堀や石壁もなしに、人里離れた場所に一軒家が成り立つほど世界は甘くない。一晩で魔物に潰される。 だが、見たところ魔術的な結界はおろか生垣すらない。 この家自体があり得ない産物だけれど、いちいち と体液まみれのまま、素足で廊下を歩き着いた部屋の扉を開けたジョーイに従って入ってみれば――。 「ミーアさん! フィオレっ!」 「姫陛下っ!」 「ヒユキ様!?」 暖炉の熱で暑いくらいに温まった部屋の中で、ジョーイのマントにくるまったミーアさんとフィオレが、頭の先から爪先まで謎の液体でヌルヌルになって床にうずくまっていた。 マントの隙間から見える感じでは、ふたりとも例のウエディングドレスどころか下着まで着ていない素っ裸みたいである。 「「「その姿は――っ!?!」」」 当然のようにボクら三人の声が同時に放たれたのだった。 「んじゃ、俺は風呂の支度してくるから~」 衝撃のあまり凝固するボクたちを尻目に、ジョーイがそう言って扉を閉めて部屋から出ていった。 「気が付いたら粘々の粘液に包まれていて、身動きが取れないところへ、なぜか全員、頭に黒いチューリップを生やした と、ミーアさん。 「同じく、べたべたで森の泉の近くにいたので、魔術でどうにかべたべたを取って、泉で体を洗おうとしたところ、泉全体が頭の天辺に黒いチューリップを生やしたスライムの巣で、あっという間に取り込まれて、着ていた下着を溶かされて(以下同文)」 これはフィオレ。 「私の場合は頭チューリップの お互いのこうなった状況を突き合わせると、明かに作為的なものを感じる。 「性癖か!? 隠していた性癖が暴露されたのかぃ!?」 「引くわ~~、現実に戻ってからもジョーイ君とは距離を置きたいわね」 「いや、あの、もしかすると師匠も混乱して暴走しているだけかも......」 思わず激昂するボクとミーアさんを必死になだめようとするフィオレだけど、 「とりあえず夢の中で殴っても無駄みたいだから、目が覚めたら三人がかりで――」 こうしてボクたちの共通の目的が生まれたのだった。 「あ、そうそう。姫陛下。私の傍に落ちていました。生憎と私には使えませんでしたけれど」 そう言ってミーアさんが取り出したのは、失くしたと思っていたボクの《 薔薇の罪人

163 Outside Adventurers Dream Of Newlyweds 11 He was Joey, who swollen his face in a bump, but healed his wound immediately with a hand potion, a crisp look, and floated a refreshing smile and twisted me. "You were in a mood, you had no choice. Besides, the last line was protected, and I think the wild dog bit me, and I think you should forget about Hiyuki." "Why do you know so much about the situation?!?" The tone and smile are refreshing, but inside a circle made with your left hand, inserted (or even inserted) into the first joint of your right index finger - or, Joey, let it in and recreate an earlier situation you don't want to vividly or recall. If it's not a no-pan, I just want to feed you a flying kick on the spot. "Those guys would be the men of The Black Tulip, an evil secret society looking to conquer the world" "... no, you're going to conquer the world? Actually, I conquered the world, but Mendoy didn't rule. Human beings are a top priority. Because noble ideals and powerful governance do not eliminate dissatisfaction, 'do it on your own' is the stance of the Crimson Empire. Joey's answer to my question like that is: "Come on? But we have to fight for justice more than just being an evil organization that marks the conquest of the world! I was sighing at Joey's back, burning with a senseless sense of purpose, "No, no, no..." "So the other day, I hunted down one of the four Four Heavenly Kings, an executive of The Keeper of Hell (Cerberus) - Black Tulip..." "- Wait a minute. Why are there four executives in the name of a three-necked demon dog?!" It would normally be three! "I don't know what else to do because I'm here. There are eight or nine members of the Seven Hazards Star Beast at Hyuki." To Joey's unexpected fried feet, I inadvertently swallowed the following words: "Grr..." "Did you lose to Chihuahua?!?" I accidentally put a scratch on Joey's back that shook a fist I felt sorry for. By the way, the other Four Heavenly Kings say to "Disaster Puddle," "Calamity Marchees," "Destroyed Cavaliers." It should also be noted that our Four Wesen King, are you free these days... "Gwwwwwwwwww!!!" "Hehe, he is the weakest of the Four Wesen King..." "-No, I don't know if it's natural for me to hear a music board filled with homemade medley songs from the Lord Tensai that I was forced to hand over for more than two hours (me and Akaho only read the lyrics and I didn't hear the main body, so I'm safe, but Engrayo is a fool. Honestly, don't listen to it from my ear...)" Because weird hobbies and nori are popular... and I looked at Joey with a raw warm look. Of course, if it was real, it couldn't be. The world is not so sweet that a house is formed in a secluded place without a magical junction or a physical moat or stone wall. Crushed by demons overnight. But from what I've seen, the magical junction isn't even a hedge. Although this house itself is unlikely to be a product, I followed Joey's guidance and stepped inside the mansion because I had a fried strawberry (scratch in) and the conversation was unlikely to proceed. Follow Joey, who walked barefoot into the hallway with his mouth full of peta and pork ghost (oak). "Mr. Meer! Fiore!" "Your Majesty! "Dear Hiyuki!?" In the room warmed to the heat of the fireplace, Mr. Meer and Fiore, twirling in Joey's cloak, were nodding on the floor with mysterious liquid from head to toe. From what I can see from the gap in the cape, it seems bare that we are both not wearing the example wedding dress or even underwear. "" "What's that look like -!?!" " Naturally, our voices were released at the same time. "Well, I'll take care of the bath." Joey said so, closing the door and walking out of the room with the shock's less coagulating bogs on his ass. "When you realize it, you're wrapped in sticky mucus, and you can't get around, and somehow, all of you, a bunch of little ghosts (goblins) who grew black tulips on your head show up, and Joey helps you in a critical place where you're going to be forced to cage your hands, until you see it" And, Mr. Meer. "Likewise, I was sticky and near the forest fountain, so I managed to take the sticky with my magic and wash my body with the fountain, and the whole fountain was a slime nest that grew black tulips on the ceiling of my head, quickly taken in and melted the underwear I was wearing (synonymous below)" This is Fiore. "In my case, the head tulip pig ghost (oak) attacked me (ry" When we stick each other in a situation like this, we feel something obviously manipulative. "Is that sexuality!? Did you expose the sexuality you were hiding? No!?" "I'll pull it off, Joey. I want to keep my distance from you when I get back to reality." "No, you know, maybe my master is just confused and rampant..." Fiore is desperately trying to get rid of me and Meer, who are unwittingly exasperated, but it's more obvious than seeing fire that making him sweet doesn't turn out to be a busy result. "It seems useless to hit me in my dreams for now, so when I wake up, it's just the three of us -" This is how our common purpose was born. "Oh, yeah, yeah. Your Highness. It was falling beside me. Hate and I couldn't use it, though." That's what Mr. Meer took out was my Rose Sinner (Jill de Rey), which I thought I'd lost. "Oh, the Rose Sinner This is a personal lock, so you can't handle it except me,"

第十話 先陣合戦 鼻歌を歌いながら、嬉々とした足取りで空を駆け抜ける翼を持った虎―― ドラゴンの一種で、大きさは馬よりも二周りほど大きく、前脚がない代わりにコウモリ状の翼を持った魔物である。 自分たちより遥かに格上で、なおかつ巨大な敵の存在に気後れしつつも、竜騎兵たちの指示に従い、散開してまずは遠距離から 「ふふん、ぬるいぬるい。もっとがんばりぃ!」 激励しつつ手近な 「軟弱やなぁ、ちゃんと飯食っとるんかいな?」 呟きつつ、慌てて距離を置こうとしてまとまった4~5匹の集団に向けて、口から 「・・・まっずいなぁ。はよ帰って商店街の『たこ焼きクトゥルフ』で大玉食べたいわ」 完全に戦意を喪失して、逃げ出した生き残りの 「なんや、これで終いかい。もの足りんなぁ・・・」 ついでとばかり、敵陣の一番奥、本陣で偉そうにふんぞり返っている連中めがけて自身の最強技、 「――な、なんや?!」 到底無視し得ない威力の攻撃に、慌てて空中を跳躍してその方向へと向き直る。 かいな。多少は手強い相手がおるんかと期待したのになぁ。こいつら手応えがなさすぎて、ついやり過ぎたわ。すまんなー」 「ふん。わかったのならさっさと戻れ、まだまだ後につかえているのだからな」 言われてちらりと自軍の本陣で、順番待ちをしている仲間たちの様子を覗った蔵肆だが、眼に入った光景に、心底不思議そうに首を捻った。 「――なあ斑鳩。なんで他の連中がガッカリしてる中で、姫さん一人ピョンピョン跳んで喜んどるんや?」 「ああ――」斑鳩もちらりと視線をやって答えた。「手持ち無沙汰だったのでな。お前が何秒でコウモリどもを倒すか賭けをしていたのだが、43秒で姫の一人勝ちだ」 「なんや、ヒトが体張って戦ってとるのに、じぶんら気楽にトトカルチョかいな!・・・つーか、わいらに緊張感が足りんとか何とかぼやいとった姫さんが、実は一番不真面目なんやないか?」 「姫にとってはこんなものは遊びに過ぎんさ。いつでも、どこでも、そうだったろう?」 「・・・フム、それもそうやな。さすがは姫さんってとこやねぇ」 「そういうことだ」 「ほな、あとは任せるわ。――あんじょう気張りや」 そう挨拶して、陽気な集団の元へ戻っていく蔵肆を見送り、斑鳩は眼下にうごめく蟻の如き人間どもを見た。 巨大な単眼に見られただけで恐慌状態になっているその様子に、斑鳩は内心ため息を漏らした。 かつて10数人程度で自分を倒した天上人たる 「頑張りようがないな。相当手を抜かんと後の分まで無くしてしまいそうだ」 「よっしゃあ! 商店街飲食店のクーポン券1年分ゲット!!」 外れ券が舞い散る中で、ガッツポーズを決めたボクを、 「・・・楽しそうですねー」 ――うっ。やばい。彼にとっちゃさっきの光景は胸中複雑なものがあるだろうに、ついつい我を忘れちゃったよ。恐るべし 「ま、まあ人生にたまには娯楽は必要だよ」 上手いこと言うなぁ、と思いつつボクは、ふと問いかけた。 が本陣吹っ飛ばしたみたいだけど、これで司令部もなくなったわけだし、ひょっとして開始1分で戦争も終わりかな?」 まあさすがに投降する相手まで無差別に殺しはしないからねえ。 これで終わるならそれに越したことはないんだけど(まあ勿論司令官クラスは責任を負ってもらうけど)。 「いえ、こうした混成軍の司令官はあくまでお飾りで、今回の司令官であるジョヴァンニ・アントニオ伯も実戦経験の無い素人。もともと指揮権は各諸侯独自にあるので、司令部がなくなっても意味は無いですね」 「指揮権がなくて、どうやって各部隊の連携をとるわけ?」 「連携なんてしませんよ。各貴族が自分の判断で自分だけ手柄や戦利品を獲ようと行動するだけですね」 「それじゃあ、夜盗や山賊の集団と変わらないじゃないかい?!」 「実はその通りでして。名目はともかく、中身は変わりませんね」 「――とすると、次は各諸侯軍がバラバラに攻めてくるわけか」 その途端、かっと爆発したかのような光の奔流が舞い踊り、敵の本陣そばにあった直営軍の部隊が丸ごと消滅した。 ゲーム中もあれには苦労したなぁ、ぜんぜん攻撃パターンが読めなくて。 「......てか、やり過ぎだよ、いまので全軍の5分の1くらい消し飛んだんじゃない!?」 まあ、それでも十分に手加減してはいるみたいだけどさ。 足りない分は他から補充すればいいじゃん。 ちょうど隣に人間がウジャウジャいるね。 が終わったらそちらで人間の粛清もするって姫言ってたし。 じゃあ壊しても問題ないな! 「いかがなされましたか、姫?」 怪訝そうに訊いてくる 取りあえずこれ以上、円卓メンバーを投入するのは危険だ(敵がね!)、どうにかして手を抜いて、なおかつ周囲の同意も得られる形にもっていかないと・・・。 てゆーか、敵の総大将が敵の被害を少なくしようと味方の力を削ぐことに全力を注ぐって、なんか間違ってないかい?! 「う~~む......」 考え込むボクに向かって、「そういえば」と稀人が展開する味方軍を見て訊いてきた。 「いま拝見したところ円卓の魔将の皆様で問題なく対処できそうですが、味方の軍勢の意味はあったのでしょうか?」 実は今回味方軍として参戦したのは、ボクの直参としては円卓メンバーと数人の志願者。残りは全部、この地で新たにインペリアル・クリムゾンの国民となった大森林や白龍山脈、 まあ名目上は各自の忠誠を見せてもらうのと、経験値を稼ぐため(魔物はある程度経験を積むと進化する)という理由で連れては来た・・・って、これ使えるんじゃない? 「はっ、お呼びでしょうか姫?」 「円卓の魔将の力、まことに見事である。だが、それにも増して敵のなんと不甲斐ないことか」 「はい、誠にもってその通りでございます」 「せっかくの名刀も鼠を相手にしていては意味がなかろう。なので連中の相手は、新たにインペリアル・クリムゾンに加わりし者どもに譲ってはどうかな?」 ボクの言葉に、なるほど確かに...と考え込む天涯。 「・・・確かにこれ以上得るものはなさそうですし、彼らにも姫と同じ戦場に立てる誉れを与える良い機会かも知れませんな」 おっ、好感触だね。ここはもう一押しして置かないと。 「うむ、私は常に戦場にあり、これはという者を見出してきた。そうした者を新たにこの戦いで見出せるやも知れぬ」 「御意っ! まさに姫の仰る通り。この天涯、いつしかそのことを失念しておりました。申し訳ございません姫!」 よしっ! これで一方的な殲滅はなくなった! 「――聞いてのとおりだ諸君! 不満もあろうかとは思うが、後人を育てるのも我ら円卓の魔将の務めだ。ここは彼らに花道を譲ってやろうではないか!」 しばらく不満を漏らす魔将もいたけれど、まあしかたないか、後輩の面倒も見ないとなぁ、という風に意見もまとまった。 「よし、では待機中の軍勢に伝令を走らせろ! 諸君らの手腕に期待していると!」 その天涯の言葉を最後に、円卓メンバーは警戒モードを解いて、「んじゃ飯食って、酒でも飲んでるかー」という、テレビ見ながら晩酌している親父モードへと一気にシフトダウンして、商店街の出店(今回付いて来た円卓メンバー以外の参加者)へと、ちんたら歩いて行った。

32 Episode 10: Ahead Battle A tiger with wings running through the sky in delightful footsteps while singing a nose song - No. 4 (No. 1 and No. 2 are treated out of bounds. In fact, there is No. 0 (Secret)) - Zuowang (Kuru) hits 13 Dragon Cavalry rides on the Fei Long (Wyburn), famous for being the most powerful unit of the Kingdom of Brave Amitia. By the way, Fei Long (Wyburn) is a type of lower (Lesser) dragon, about the size of a horse, and instead of having a front leg, it is a demon with bat-shaped wings. Far above ourselves, and still distracted by the presence of enormous enemies, the Feilongs (Wyburn) began to follow the instructions of the dragon cavalry, scattering and firstly showering a flaming spear (Flare Lance) - a hot flame emanating from our mouths - from a distance. "Huh, lukewarm. Harder. No! Encourage the nearby Fei Long (Wyburn) with his front leg. "Why don't you have a proper meal? Whimpering, a tiger roar from his mouth (howling) - hitting a bullet of ultra-high density compressed air toward a bunch of 4-5 people who rushed to distance themselves. "... it's not good. I'd love to go home and have some big balls at Takoyaki Truffle in the mall." Tornado cutters that completely lose their temper, hit open hypersonic airflow (jet stream), and cross wind blades (wind cutters) emanating from their front legs, toward the escaped surviving flying dragon (Wyburn), smashing them all like balls. "Oh, my God, is that it? I don't have enough..." Then, in the deepest part of the enemy formation, the people who look great in the main battalion greet their strongest moves, the air burst (Air Burst), and blow the main battalion with a single blow - as soon as the attack by intense light surgery was showered on the back of the Zao Wan (Kura). "- Nah, what?!" In a rush to jump through the air and turn back in that direction to an attack of power that could not be ignored. "What a speckled dove. I was hoping there would be some tough opponents. These guys are too unresponsive, and I overdid it. I'm sorry." "Well, if you know what I mean, just go back, 'cause you're still grabbing it later." At the headquarters of his own army when he was told, he twisted his neck in a heartfelt wonder at the sight in his eyes, although he peered into the condition of his fellow men waiting in turn. "- Hey, Spotted Dove. Why would one princess jump and rejoice in the midst of all the others being disappointed? "Oh -" the speckled dove answered, doing his gaze properly as well. "It was shabby. I was betting on how many seconds you'd beat the bats, but one of the princesses won in 43 seconds." "Oh my God, even though humans fight and take it easy, Jibula, Totokalcho!... the princess who managed to blur the straw with enough nervousness, is actually the least serious? "For a princess, this is just a game. Anytime, anywhere, right? "... hum, I don't think so either. That's not a princess." "That's what I'm talking about" "Here, I'll take care of the rest. - A little temperament." So he greeted him, and escorted him back to the flock of cheerful men, and the speckled dove saw the humans like ants beneath his eyes. The speckled pigeon leaked his inner sigh at the way he was panicking just because he was seen with a giant monocular eye. Unlike the heavenly transcendents (players) who once defeated themselves in about a dozen people, how fragile are they? "You can't work hard. If we don't get out of hand, we're gonna lose it till later." "All right! Get coupons for 1 year at Shop Street Restaurants!!" In the midst of the out-of-the-box tickets, a rare person (barely) looked at me with a jit eye over the mask when I decided to pose as a gut. "... sounds like fun." - Ugh. Shit. The sight of him just now would be complicated in the chest, so I forgot. Don't be afraid to bet (Totocarcho)! "Well, life needs entertainment once in a while." I thought I'd say something good, but I asked. "Speaking of which, it looks like Zuowang just blew up the main unit, but now we're out of command, and the war's over in a minute of starting? Well, we don't kill indiscriminately until we surrender. If this is going to end, I've never been over it (well, of course, I'll have the commander class to take responsibility for it). "No, the commanders of these mixed armies are only ornaments, and this time the commander, Uncle Giovanni Antonio, is also an amateur with no experience in action. Originally, the command was unique to each Horseman, so there's no point in losing command." "I don't have command, how do we get each unit to work together? "I'm not going to collaborate. Each nobleman acts at his own discretion to earn his own handles and trophies." "So it's no different than a bunch of night thieves and bandits?!" "Actually, you're right. Whatever the name is, the contents won't change." "- If so, will each Horse Army attack us in pieces next?" In the meantime, a running stream of light danced as if it had exploded slightly, and a whole army of directly-armed troops, which was by the enemy's headquarters, vanished. I had a hard time with that one during the game, but I can't read the attack pattern at all. "... well, it's too much, now you've wiped out about a fifth of all the troops!?" Well, that still seems like a lot of relief. You can refill the missing portion from the others. There's a human being right next door. The princess said that when this war is over, there will be a human solemnity. Then you have no problem breaking it! "How is it done, princess? Ignore the tendai (tendai) that asks me suspiciously. For now, putting in more round-table members is dangerous (the enemy!), we need to somehow get out of hand, and yet take it to a form that also gets the consent of the surrounding... So, is it wrong that the General of the enemy should devote all his efforts to cutting the power of his allies in an effort to do less damage to the enemy?! "Uh-huh..." "Speaking of which," he asked me, looking at the allied armies deployed by the rare man. "From what I've just seen, all the demon generals at the round table seem to be able to deal with it without any problems, but what was the point of the armies on your side? As a matter of fact, this time I joined the battle as an ally army, and as my direct guest, I was a roundtable member and several applicants. All the rest can be about 10,000 demons (monsters) from the Great Forest, the White Dragon Mountains, and ancient ruins (dungeons) that have newly become Imperial Crimson nationals in the land. Well, nominally, I brought you here to show your loyalty and earn experience (demons evolve when you gain some experience)... so you can use this? "Ha, are you calling, Princess? "The power of the demon general of the round table, is truly brilliant. But there's more to it. How impudent of the enemy." "Yes, you are absolutely right." "It doesn't make sense that the famous knife is also dealing with rats. So why don't they give up to the new Imperial Crimson joiners? To my words, I see. A lifetime of thinking that it does... "... certainly nothing seems to get any more, and it might be a good opportunity to give them the same flattery to stand on the battlefield as the princess" Whoa, that feels good. I need to push another one here and put it down. "Um, I've always been on the battlefield, and I've found this one called I don't know if I'll ever find them again in this fight." "Ouch! Exactly what the princess says. This whole heavenly life, I've only lost track of that. I'm sorry, Princess! Yikes! Now there is no more unilateral annihilation! "- You're right, gentlemen! I don't know if there will be dissatisfaction, but it is also the duty of our Round Table Demon General to raise the latter. Why don't we give them the flower path here! Some demon generals leaked their dissatisfaction for a while, but they also gathered their opinions in the wind that it was only fair or that they had to take care of their juniors. "All right, then let the troops on standby run a transmission! He said he was counting on your hands! At the end of the day, the round-table member lifted the alert mode, shifted down to the father mode, which he was suppering while watching television, and walked to the store in the mall (other than the round-table member that came with him this time).

全滅する! この情報は矢の様に大陸中を駆け巡り、各国の首脳部をまさに驚天動地の混乱と恐怖へと叩き落したのだった。 「なんだって!? その情報は本当なの!!」 アミティア共和国の首都アーラ。 内密の話があるということで、密かに冒険者ギルドの本部を訪れていた緋雪は、飲んでいた香茶を危うく吹き出しかけた。 「間違いありません。本当です」 連絡をとった相手。アーラ市冒険者ギルド長ガルテ・バッソは傷だらけの厳つい顔を歪め、沈痛な表情で頷いた。 「まさか......そんなことになるなんて......」 緋雪も悲痛な表情で唇を噛んだ。 「今度ばかりはどうしようもありません。年貢の納め時って奴ですな。事実を事実として受け止めるしか......」 「それはわかってる――けど、あまりにも重大事過ぎるよ。ことがことだし、私だって軽はずみなことはしたくない。けど......」 そこで、二人揃ってため息をついた。 「「まさか、コラードが付き合ってるモナに子供が出来ちゃったなんて」」 「......悪夢ですね。ちっ」 「......まったくだよ。普段忙しいとか言いながら。ふんっ」 「......さすがに子供が授かった以上、身を固めないといけないでしょうね。けっ」 「......そーだね、仮にも国王だからね。おめでたい話だよね。はんっ」 お互いに喋っているうちにどんどんと瞳から光が失われていき、洞窟のような目になってゆく。 『なんでこの二人、コラード様の出来婚でこんなに荒んでるのかな?』 隣で様子を窺っていた秘書のミーアが不思議そうに首を捻った。 モテない同士のやっかみである。 「......盛大に祝ってやろうじゃないですか。へっ」 「......ああ。とりあえず壁殴り隊の出番だから、手配してもらえるかなギルド長?」 「......私的にすでに 「......流石だね。くっくっくっく」 「......勿論です。ぐははははっ」 ギルド長室に乾き切った二人の 同日、実は妊娠したのは別に付き合っていた男の子供であり、どう言い訳しても計算上言い逃れができないと察したモナは、他の男達から貢がれた金目の物やコラードとの間で共同預金にしていた金を全額引き落として、本命の男とコッソリ高飛びしたのだった。 逃げた先は、最後の足取りから、現在、 そして、その事実を知らされたコラード国王は、その瞬間から作動不能になったのだった。 アミティア共和国初代国王コラード・ジョクラトル・アドルナートは、その私室に二人の来客を迎えていた。 正直、誰にも逢いたい気分ではなかったが、相手が宗主国の国主である緋雪と、旧知の間柄の冒険者ギルド長ガルテということで、逢わずに済ませるという訳にはいかなかった。正直、愚痴をこぼしたい気持ちもある。 ――そして、すぐに後悔したのだった。 「やあやあ、今度は災難だったねぇ」 「女なんざ星の数ほどいるんだ、気にするな!」 「まあ、星ってのは大概手が届かないものだけどねぇ」 「上手い事を言いますな」 「「はっはっはっは!!」」 「あなた方、私を励ましに来たんですか!? それとも嘲笑いに来たんですか?!」 額の辺りに血管を浮き上がらせたコラード国王の叫びに、緋雪とガルテは顔を見合わせ、『面倒臭いな』という表情から、取り繕った笑みを浮かべた。 「勿論、励ましにきたに決まってるじゃないか。心の底から心配してるんだよ。普段の調子に戻ってもらおうと、はしゃいだのは悪かったけど」 「なんとか俺も陛下も、お前さんの助けになればと、それだけを思っているだけだ。――まあ、少々悪ふざけが過ぎたかも知れん。すまんな」 揃って殊勝に頭を下げる。 そんな二人のつむじの辺りを不信感のみの視線で見下ろすコラード国王。 「......本音は?」 顔を上げた二人の顔がニマニマと人の悪い笑顔になっていた。 「今、どんな気持ち? ねぇ、どんな気持ち? ハッハッハッ」 「ハッハッハッ。バカやっちゃってるけど、今どんな気持ちだ?」 「出て行け――――ッ!!!」 コラード国王の怒号が王宮全体を振るわせた。 「縁談?」 塩辛に生クリームを乗せて食べたような微妙な表情になって緋雪が聞き返した。 再びアーラの冒険者ギルド本部ギルド長室。 も気落ちしているようで、公務をしても半分死んでるような状態だそうなんで、なんとか持ち直してもらいたいということで側近たちが手配したようですね」 ガルテギルド長も似たような微妙な顔で相槌を打った。 「まあ、発想はわかるかな。女に逃げられた痛手を別な女をあてがって癒そうってことなんだろうけど」 なんか不健康だし、女性をモノ扱いしてるみたいで嫌だねぇ、と続ける。 は仮にも国王。本来、正妻の他に側室の10人くらいいるのが普通なんですから」 基本的に現代も変わらないが、ある程度の年齢で社会的地位のある男性が結婚していない場合は半人前扱いされるのが常である。 「......そのあたりの考えは理解できないねぇ。好きな相手がいるから結婚したいならともかく、結婚したいから相手を探すのは順序が逆だし、相手に対しても失礼だと思うんだけど」 「まっ、理想はそうなんですけどね。世の中、お伽噺のようにはいきませんや。それとも、姫陛下は塔に閉じ込められたまま、いつか来る王子様を待ってられますか?」 「まさか! 自力で逃げ出すに決まってるだろう。――ああ、今回のコラード君の場合は、自力で見つけたお姫様に裏切られたわけだ。......確かに傷が深いだろうね」 そう思って、流石にこの間はやりすぎたかなぁと反省するのだった。 「んで、そんな簡単にお相手とか見つけられたわけ?」 「まあ、実際独身の国家元首ですからね。もともと国内外からかなりの数の縁談はきていたようです。今回のお相手は隣国の国王の姪にあたるお姫様で、22歳と若干 ちっ、と舌打ちしながら吐き捨てるガルテギルド長。 ちなみにこの世界では結婚適齢期は女性の場合14~18歳くらいである。 「へえ、偉い人になるとやっぱ違うんだね」 「それを言ったら姫陛下こそ求婚だの縁談だの凄そうですけど?」 「......いや? 昔、出会って1分で求婚したバカがいたけど、それ以外にはその手の話は聞いたこともないねえ。――ねえ、 殿が『このような不敬な申し出など姫のお耳に入れることなどない』と」 「......ああ、まあ、ある意味ナイス判断かな。ちなみにどの程度の申し込みがあったわけ?」 緋雪の問い掛けに命都はため息をついて答えた。 「――869%です」 「はい......?」 「いまのところ大陸全土から申し込みが着ています。国別で100%。重複も併せてトータルで869%になります」 「......オールコンプって。あれ? 聖王国は別だよね......?」 「.........どこにでも背信者というのはいるものですね」 銀髪の になっていたこともあり、気が付いたら隣国ウェルバ王国の王城にある控え室で、先方の王族相手の挨拶の為、コラードは侍女に手伝われて着替えを行っていた。 ......なんで私はここにいるんでしょう? いまさらながら、失恋の痛みも癒え頭が冷えてきた。 冷静になってきたところで、コラードは茫然とここのところの出来事を振り返ってみた。 大臣達から縁談の話を持ちかけられ、適当に頷いていた。そして移動用の馬車に乗せられ、近衛兵と姫陛下が護衛につけてくれた直属部隊に守られ、国境を抜け隣国へと入り、先導役のこの国の貴族に挨拶をして、首都の街並みを眺めながら王城へと入った。 記憶にはある。だが、まるで実感がない。 なにかの映像の記憶のようにそこに付随する感情が一切なかった。 そして、この土壇場になってやっと『縁談』という実感が湧いてきたのだった。 じわり...と背中に嫌な汗が流れる。 まずい、まずい、これは非常にまずい! 一生を決める問題が逃げられない形で目前に迫っているのを感じ、自分がとてつもない巨大な蟻地獄に落ちた気がして、足元が震えそうになる。 着替えが終わったところで、衛兵に先導されて部屋を出ようとしたところで、 「どうしたんです? 顔色が悪いみたいだけど?」 開いた扉の脇に立っていた今回、緋雪の頼みで警護についた兎人族の女傑クロエが、怪訝な表情で首を捻った。 「......いや、その、私はもともと平民の出なので、他国の王族とかはどうにも苦手でね。どうしても緊張してしまうんだ」 適当に誤魔化すために口に出したが、半分は本当のことである。 「ああ、別に気にしなさんな。相手も人間、アンタも人間、堂々としてりゃいいんですよ」 造りの大きな顔いっぱいに笑顔を浮かべるクロエ。 「そういうものかな......」 気弱な笑みを浮かべるコラードの背中を、バン!と一発叩くクロエ。 「悩むより行動しな! 何も気負うことはないさ。大抵なんとかなるもんだからね!」 危うく吹き飛ばされそうになりながらも、どうにか踏み止まったコラードは、カラカラと笑うクロエの顔を、身長の関係で見上げた。 大雑把そうな言葉に込められた労わりと、優しげな目が嬉しかった。 「ありがとう。元気が出たよ」 コラードが礼を言うと、「どういたしまして」茶目っ気たっぷりにクロエがウインクした。 「陛下、そろそろ刻限ですので......」 衛兵に促されてコラードは扉をくぐり抜けた。 不思議と心が落ち着いていた。 コラードは穏やかな表情で、真っ直ぐ廊下を進んで行った。 「断った? なんでまた?」 隣国のお姫様との縁談の顛末を聞きに来た緋雪は、意外そうな顔で目を瞬いた。 「それが、結婚にあたってはやはり自分が幸せにしたい相手を選びたいとか抜かしたそうで。9割方進んでいた話もパアですな」 「ふむ。まだ失恋の痛手が残ってたのかな......?」 「いや、それが......」不可解な表情で眉に皺を寄せるガルテ。「この間まで生きる屍みたいだった、アレがすっかり健康そのもので、どーしたもんか関係者全員不思議がってます」 と、話を聞いていたミーアが口を挟んだ。 「あの、ギルド長。それは、もしかして、新しく好きな相手が出来たのでは?」 予想外の発想に、同時に驚きの声をあげる緋雪とガルテ。 「好きな相手って......ミーア、お前心当たりがあるのか?!」 「いえ。ですが、いまのお話を聞く限り、その可能性が高いかと」 「いや......だが、この間まで半死人だった男だぞ? どうやって」 「そーだよね。出会いなんてなかった筈だし......」 思いっきり頭を悩ませる二人だった。

Cathedral Crusaders will be wiped out! This information ran all over the continent like an arrow, knocking the heads of state down to the confusion and terror of an astonishing land. "What!? That information is true!!" Ara, capital of the Amitian Republic. Having a secret story, Scarlet Snow, who was secretly visiting the headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild, threatened to blow out the incense tea he was drinking. "Definitely. It's true." The person you contacted. Ara City Adventurer Guild Chief Garte Basso distorted his scratchy tough face and nodded with a sinister look. "No way... I can't believe that's happening..." Scarlet Snow also bit her lips with a sad look. "There's nothing I can do about it all this time. He's the one who pays his annual contribution. We have to take facts as facts..." "I know that - but it's too important. It's a thing, and I don't want to do anything light-hearted either. But..." So we both sighed. "I can't believe Mona had a baby with Collard." "... that's a nightmare. Shit." "... not at all. I'm usually busy or something. Hmm." "... you'll have to consolidate yourself more than just what your child has been given. Knock." "... well, suppose you're the king. Congratulations, right? Ha." More and more light is lost from our eyes as we talk to each other, making them cave-like eyes. "Why are these two, Master Collard, so rough in their wedding? Meer, the secretary who was watching next door, twisted her neck wonderfully. It is a temptation between the hotties. "... why don't we celebrate it grandly? Heh." "... oh. In the meantime, it's the Wall Beating Team's turn, so can you arrange it, Guild Leader? "... I've already kept you waiting (on standby) privately, so you can go anytime" "... you're a boulder. Come on, come on." "... of course. Guhahahaha." Two unconscious (straw) voices dried up in the Alliance Commander's Office stuck in unison. On the same day, in fact, it was the child of a man he was dating who was pregnant with, and Mona, who, no matter how she excused herself, could not be calculated to escape, flew costly with the man of her destiny by deducting all the gold objects contributed by the other men and the gold she had made into a joint deposit with Collard. The escaped destination, from the last foothold, is now presumed to be the Crimson Empire Imperial Crimson and the Eon Holy Kingdom without national traffic.... And King Collard, who was informed of the fact, was rendered inoperable from that moment on. The first king of the Amitian Republic, Corrado Jokratol Adornato, was welcoming two visitors to its private room. Honestly, I wasn't in the mood to meet anyone, but I couldn't help but meet Scarlet Snow, the lord of the Sovereign Nation, and Guild Leader Garte, the adventurer of the Old Knowledge. Honestly, some people want to spill stupidity. - And I immediately regretted it. "Hey, hey, now it was a disaster" "There are about a few stars that are women, never mind! "Well, a star is something you probably can't reach." "You're good at this." "" Ha ha ha!! " "Are you guys here to encourage me!? Or are you here to mock me?!" Scarlet Snow and Garte looked at each other in the cry of King Collard, who raised blood vessels around his forehead, and from the look of 'you smell like a pain', a fixed grin. "Of course, I've come to encourage you. I'm worried about you from the bottom of my heart. I'm sorry I had to ask you to get back to normal." "I just think that if I manage to help you and your majesty, that's all. - Well, maybe a little bit of a joke passed. I'm sorry." All together, head down to a special victory. King Collard overlooks the area of those two tweezers with a distrust-only gaze. "... what's the real deal? The two faces with their faces up were Nimanima and people's bad smiles. "How do you feel now? Hey, how do you feel? Ha-ha-ha." "Ha-ha-ha. I'm being silly, but how do you feel right now? "Get out - ugh!!! King Collard's anger caused the entire royal palace to wave. "Edge talk?" Scarlet Snow asked back with a subtle look like she had eaten with raw cream on salt and spice. Again, Ara's Adventurer Guild HQ Guild Manager's Office. "Yeah, King Collard seems to be disappointed in the boulder, and he's half dead on official business, so it looks like the neighbors arranged for him to get it back together somehow." Galteguild length hammered him with a similar subtle face. "Well, do you get the idea? I guess that means healing another woman for the pain she escaped." Something's unhealthy, and I don't like it when you treat women like things, keep going. "Well, I fell in love with the world. Sunny. So I can't help it. It is true that King Collard is a king, even if he is. I usually have about 10 other people in the side room besides my real wife." Essentially, the modern age remains the same, but it is common for men of social status to be treated in half servings if they are not married at some age. "... I don't understand the thoughts around it. Anyway, if you want to get married because you have someone you like, it's in the opposite order to look for them because you want to get married, and I think you're rude to them." "Ma'am, the ideal is. The world, it can't be like a gaga. Or can Her Majesty stay trapped in the tower and wait for the prince to come one day? "No way! You'd be determined to escape on your own. - Oh, in your case, Collard, I was betrayed by a princess I found on my own.... It must be a deep scratch." I thought so and reflected on the boulders wondering if they had done too much during this time. "Hmm, did you find someone that easy or something? "Well, you're actually a single head of state. A considerable number of contacts originally seemed to have come from within and outside the country. This time, the princess is the niece of the king of the neighbouring country. She stands at 22 years of age and a little bit of a princess, but she has a pretty good reputation." Shit, Garte guild leader throwing up while tongue-in-cheek. By the way, in this world, the marriageable age is about 14-18 years for women. "Well, when you're a great guy, you're different." "If I told you that, Your Majesty would be the one to propose. That sounds awesome." "... no? There used to be some idiot I met and proposed in a minute, but other than that, I've never even heard of that hand. - Hey, Life Capital?" "Yes... well, there is no such thing, but Lord Tensai said, 'I will never put such a disrespectful offer in the Princess's ear.'" "... oh well, nice judgment in a way. By the way, how many applications did you get? Life Capital replied with a sigh to Scarlet Snow's inquiry. - 869%, sir. "Yes......? "So far, applications have been worn from all over the continent. 100% by country. Together, the duplication will total 869%." "... all-comps. Is that it? Except for the Holy Kingdoms...? "... there are traitors everywhere." A silver-haired angel (Seraphim) said smudged. Sometimes the person was half self-inflicted (after all), and when he noticed it, in a modem room in the royal castle of the neighboring kingdom of Welba, because of the greeting of the other royal opponent, Collard was helped by a samurai to change his clothes. ... Why am I here? Not to mention the heartbreak pain healing. My head is getting cold. As he became sober, Collard suddenly looked back at what had happened here. The ministers told me about the fringe, and I was nodding appropriately. Then he was put in a carriage for mobility, guarded by the Kingsguard and the direct troops that His Majesty the Princess had put on his escort, through the border and into the neighbouring country, greeting the nobility of this country in the leading role, and entering the royal castle with a view of the city of the capital. In my memory. But it's like I don't feel it. I didn't have any emotions attached to it like a memory of some video. And when it came to this earthquake, I finally got the feeling of 'fringe talk'. Twitching... and unpleasant sweat on my back. Bad, bad, this is very bad! I feel the problem of deciding my whole life looming at the present in a way that I can't escape, I feel like I've gone to a huge ant hell and my feet are about to tremble. I was just finishing dressing and was led by a guard to try to leave the room. "What's going on? You look pale, though? Standing beside the open door, this time, Jacques Chloe, a Lady of the Lao Nation, who was guarded at the behest of Scarlet Snow, twisted her neck with a strange look. "... No, I'm originally a civilian, so I don't like royalty in other countries or anything. I get really nervous." I put it out in my mouth to properly mislead, but half of it is true. "Oh, don't worry about it. You have to be human, you have to be human, you have to be grand." Chloe smiles all over the big face of the building. "I guess that's what it is..." Back of a faint grin collard, bang! and Chloe beating one shot. "Do not act more than worry! I don't feel anything. I think I can handle it! Collard, who was about to be blown away, but managed to stop, looked up at Chloe's face, laughing at her karakula, in relation to her height. I was delighted with the labor put into the words that seemed like a lot of mess and the kind eyes. "Thank you. I'm feeling better." When Collard thanked him, "You're welcome" Chloe winked with a lot of tea glare. "Your Majesty, it's time to carve..." The guard prompted Collard to knock through the door. My mind was calm with wonder. Collard, with a calm expression, went straight down the hall. "Did you say no? Why again?" Scarlet Snow blinked her eyes with an unexpected look as she came to hear the upside of her relationship with the princess of her neighbor. "That's what they missed when they married, still wanting to choose who they wanted to be happy with. That's a story that was going 90% way too, Paa." "Hmm. Was there still a heartbreak painful hand...? "No, that's..." Garte frowns with an inexplicable look. "It was like a corpse that lived to this point, it was perfectly healthy, and everyone involved wondered what it was." And Meer pinched her mouth as she was listening. "Um, guild leader. Isn't that possible that you've got someone you like new? Scarlet Snow and Garte give a surprise voice to the unexpected idea at the same time. "Who do you like...... Meer, do you have any idea?! "No, but as far as I'm concerned, I was wondering if it's likely." "No... but you're the guy who was half dead until this time, right? How." "That's right. We never met..." They were the two that bothered my head as much as I wanted.

第一話 海賊被害 海――生命はかつて海から生まれたという、母なる大地にして、果てしなく広がる大海原。 時に豊穣の恵みをもたらす生命の揺り篭であり、時に人間のちっぽけな命など、泡沫のように飲み込む大自然の猛威の象徴である海。 人間は常に海に寄り添い、海に挑んできた。 浪漫と野心が、冒険心と功名心とが渦巻くフロンティア、それが海なのである。 ......ま、それはそれとして。 真っ白い砂浜がどこまでも続く広大なビーチ。 とんでもなく透明度の高いオーシャンブルーの水が、緩やかに足元を寄せては返している。 遠浅の海はどこまでも透き通っていて、このまま歩いて水平線の彼方まで行けそうなくらい穏やかだった。 くすぐったいような生暖かい南国の海はどこまでも穏やかで、不純物の一切ない生のままの自然の景観がそこにはあった。 ま、一部汚点のようなモノが、我が物顔でクロールだのバタフライだのしながら、玩具を与えられた犬の子みたいに、入り江の中を行ったり来たりしているけど。 「いやー、やっぱ海はいいなー。まったく、海で泳ぐのは最高だぜー」 どんだけ無駄に体力あるんだって感じで、ジョーイがもう1時間以上休みなしで全開で泳ぎまくっていた。 と、いい加減海を堪能したところで、波打ち際で蟹と戯れているボクに気付いたみたいで、ぐいぐい泳いで近づいて来ると、「よっ...と」一気に立ち上がって目の前まで来た。 「なー、ヒユキ。泳がないのか?」 ちなみに黒のトランクスタイプの水着を着用している。当然上半身は裸なので、普段の服の上から感じられる印象――貧弱な坊や――とは違って、細身でもしっかりと鍛えられた体つきがダイレクトに目に飛び込んできて、なんとなく落ち着かない気持ちで視線を逸らせた。 う~~む、やっぱり、こういうのを見るとコンプレックスが刺激されるねぇ。生前のボクは(主に栄養状態のせいで)筋肉とは無縁で、女子より腕力なかったからねぇ......オフ会の時に参加していた女性陣(上は○○歳のおねーさまから、下は12歳の小学生まで)全員に腕相撲で負けたのは、いまだにちょっとしたトラウマだよ。 「ああ、私はこのあたりで充分に海を満喫しているので、君は気にしないで、泳ぎでも素潜りでも鰤の養殖でもなんでもいいから、海を存分に楽しんでれくればいいさ。なにせ、せっかくの元王家のプライベートビーチなんだからね」 ちらりと浜辺を見ると、椰子の木陰の下、厳重にビーチパラソルとタンクトップ、パーカーを着込んだ元所有者の 見た感じアバンチュールを楽しんでる風だけど、日光に耐性があるとはいえ吸血鬼、さすがに南国特有の直射日光はキツイらしく、ああして木陰で涼をとるのが精一杯らしい。 まあボクも日焼け止め塗っているとはとはいえ、この日差しはかなりキツイんだけどね(肌が白くて薄いので小麦色に日焼けした吸血姫なんぞという矛盾したシロモノにはならないけど、絶対に後で火脹れになる)。 ちなみに競泳水着を着た天涯たちは、ボクが教えたビーチバレーに夢中になって、守備範囲が500メートルのアストロビーチバレーで、異次元の戦いを繰り広げていたりする。 「いや、けっこう泳いだしさ、一緒に泳ごうぜ。ヒユキも泳ぐつもりで来たんだろう?」 怪訝な顔でボクの恰好――レースフリルのスカート付きビキニ(当然、ローズ柄)で、泳ぐのに邪魔にならないよう髪は三つ編にしている――を確認するジョーイ。ちなみに水着は 「......えーと。別に泳ぐのが目的じゃなくて、仕事――そう、仕事できたんだよ! だから遊び呆けている場合では」 「ひょっとして泳げないのか?」 喋ってる途中で、ジョーイがずばり核心を突いてきた。 「えーと......そうそう、吸血姫は流れ水は渡れないので、種族的に水に入れないんだよ」 「ウソつけ。単に泳げないだけのいい訳だろう」 ジョーイが間髪入れずに、真っ向から否定する。 ――なんで普段鈍いくせに、こういうことは鋭いんだろうねぇ。 「泳げなくても別に珍しくもないだろう。だいたい海辺の村でも泳げない男も結構居るし、女が泳げないのは普通だし......せっかくこんな遠浅の海岸を丸ごと使えるんだから、ちょっと練習してみたらどうだ?」 そう言いながらジョーイが、水際から5メートルほど離れた場所まで移動したけど、なるほどそこでもまだ膝までの深さもない。 で、ネコの子でも呼ぶように手招きするのが、なんかシャクに触ったので、なるべく平然とした顔でそこまで歩いて行った。 「すげえ、手足が同時に出てるし、全身から汗流してるし......そんな苦手、というか水が怖いのか?」 「へへん、なーにをいってるのかなきみは、わたいにこわいものなんてあるわきゃないってーの、べらんぼーめ」 「口調も変になってるなあ......」 「さ、これでいいでしょう。海は満喫したので、戻るからね!」 さっさとこの場を離れようとしたところで、ジョーイに腕を掴まれた。 「いや、まだ1分も経ってないし。せめてバタ足くらい覚えたほうがいいんじゃないか? ――取りあえず、もうちょっと沖まで行こうか」 バタ足......つまり全身を水に浸けて、うつ伏せになって、足で水を掻く、と。 「だ、大丈夫! いざとなれば私、脚力だけで水の上走ることできるし!」 だから泳げなくても平気! 「だから泳げなくても平気なわけないだろう。いざと言う時の為に、最低限バタ足――できれば犬掻きくらいはできるようにしておかないと」 そのまま沖の方まで引っ張って行こうとするジョーイと、綱引き状態になるけど本気を出したボクに、STR(腕力)値で勝てるわけがない。 「――むっ」 強引に振り払おうとしたところで、ジョーイにひょいと両手で抱え上げられた。いわゆる、お姫様だっこである。 「こ、こら、ジョーイ! なにすんの!」 慌てて離れようとした耳元に、「暴れると、頭から水に落ちるぞ」と囁かれて、反射的にピタリ固まった。 「じゃあ、もうちょっと深いところで練習しようか」 そのままジャブジャブ波を掻き分けて、強引に沖合いまで連れて行かれる。 涙目で睨むけど、ジョーイは気にした風もなく、妙にうきうきと弾む足取りで止まる気配はなし。天涯たちの方へ救いを求めようとして見れば、白熱したビーチバレーはいよいよ肉弾戦に突入して、猛烈な砂煙が上がって気が付く様子もないし、最後の頼みの綱の稀人は、ついに日射病で倒れたらしく、担架に載せられメイドたちによって運ばれていくところだった。 「このあたりでいいかな――」 気が付けば、ジョーイの胸元あたりの深さの沖合いまで連れて来られている。これ絶対ボクだと顔まで水に浸かるよね! 「じゃあ俺が掴んでるから、まずは水面に顔をつけて目を開けるところから始めようか」 「無理!」 「大丈夫だって。すぐに慣れるから」 「無理、無理、絶対、無理!」 「やってみれば、意外と簡単だって」 「男はみんなそう言うのよ!」 「......また、なんかおかしくなっているなァ。――ま、いいか。いくぞ」 一方的に宣言するり、その場で中腰になるジョーイ。 「ふきゃあっ――!!」 当然、ボクの顔は水の中へと沈み込んだ。 さて、別にボクたちは海辺のリゾートを楽しみに来た訳ではない。 そんな風に見えるのは気のせいというか、現在生死の境を彷徨っているので、軽く走馬灯で流してみれば、しまさんの騒動もひと段落付いたほんの数日前に遡る――。 「海賊船ねえ」 イマイチぴんとこない顔で、緋雪が首を捻った。 一連の騒動も静まり、すっかり修復が済んだ空中庭園『虚空紅玉城』の貴賓室の一つにて、定期交歓会のために訪れたアミティア共和国のコラード国王と、クレス自由同盟国の盟主(仮)レヴァン、そして今回初めてお忍びで訪問したグラウィオール帝国次期皇位継承者オリアーナ皇女が、旧知の間柄のような態度で穏やかに雑談をしていた。 オリアーナ皇女が今回訪問したのは完全なプライベートな緋雪からの誘いに乗った形であり、公式には郊外の別荘に静養に行っていることになっている(実際は、このたび帝都に開設された、大使館に該当する『 そのため、お付の人数も気心の知れた最小限であり、この場に同行したのは侍従と近衛兵の2名のみだったが、その彼らにしても虚空紅玉城の規模と壮麗さに絶句して、半分魂が抜けた状態で皇女の背後に控えているだけであった。 最初はさすがの鈴蘭皇女も気後れした様子だったが、緋雪はもとから身分出自に斟酌することなく、一貫してマイペースを崩さない人柄であり、コラード国王にしてもそのあたりを充分弁えた上で、如才なくこなす才覚の持ち主であり、またレヴァンももともと貴族制度とは無縁の獣人族出身で、今回は周りにいる全員が顔なじみということもあって自然体――そんなわけで、普段は窮屈な宮殿暮らしを余儀なくされ、四六時中『皇女』という偶像の仮面を被っているオリアーナも、周囲のざっくばらんな雰囲気にすっかり寛いだ様子で、年相応の可愛らしい素顔を覗かせていた。 で、話題に出てきたのが先の『海賊船』である。 「ええ、ここのところ活動が活発になって、輸送船や海岸部の村々にかなりの被害がでています」 憂慮してます、と書いた紙を貼り付けた顔で、コラード国王がため息をついた。 「いまのところ海上での被害は、中型から小型の商船、運搬船が主で、さすがに大型船や魔導帆船などは被害を免れていますが、遠からず標的になるのは確かでしょうし、そうなった場合の人的・物的被害はこれまでの比ではないでしょうね」 「ほほぅ、大変だねぇ。同情を禁じえないよ」 紅茶を飲みながらの緋雪の合いの手に、コラード国王がなにか言いたげな顔をしたが、そのまま話を続ける。 「対策としまして、海上の要所に要塞を設置、また海上貿易の要衝であるキトーの駐留軍の増援、そして、我が国には現在、海軍と呼べる規模の海上戦力がありませんので、これの整備を推し進める所存です」 なるほど、コラード国王らしい手堅い布石だね、と思いながらも、ふと疑問に思って緋雪が尋ねる。 「けど、どれも予算が大変そうだねぇ」 途端、情けない顔でがっくりと肩を落とすコラード国王。 「麦や米の収穫前、夏場のこの時期に増税とかできませんし、前王朝の後始末の為、国庫もほとんど空の状態ですし、このままでは結婚式も挙げられません」 「それは残念だったね。取りあえずモゲろとは思うけど、で、なに、 「......金銭的な負担をお願いすると、後々大変そうなので、現在思案中です」 「そうですわね。いかに属国とはいえ......いえ、ならばこそ、無償援助を施せば、自助努力を阻害する悪癖にもなり兼ねませんから。それに見合う担保か、返済期間を設けての貸付という形にするのが妥当でしょうね」 瞬時に問題点と対策を編み出すオリアーナ皇女の才覚に、驚嘆と警戒を強めながらも、うんうん頷くコラード国王。 レヴァンが挙手をする。 の時の転移装置みたいに、金銭ではなくてなんか、問題点を一掃するような代案はないんでしょうか? こういってはなんですけど本国の皆さんなら、海賊ごとき物の数ではないと思うんですけど」 「難しいかなあー。港や海、領空に四六時中モンスターを跋扈させたら、周辺住人や生態系にも影響がありそうだし、結局は後手に回るしかないしねぇ」 第一、ウチの住人に海賊とその他の船と区別付くのかな? 下手したら手当たり次第沈めまくるんじゃないだろうか? と思って難しい顔をする緋雪。 「もっと抜本的な対策を講じねばなりませんね」 コラード国王も同意し、レヴァンは悄然とため息をついた。 「それにしても海賊ですか。 オリアーナ皇女の言葉に、全員の注目が集まる。 「特にここ数年は顕著ですけれど、天候不順や戦争被害を差し引いても、頻度、規模とも確実に増えています。ですが各個の連帯や統制の様子は窺えませんでしたので、あくまで偶然の産物かと思っていたのですが」 「ふむ。興味深いですね。大陸の西と東とで、同じように海賊の行動が活発化しているとは。ひょっとすると裏で手引きしている者がいるかも知れませんね」 まあ、あくまで可能性ですが、と続けるコラード国王。 とは言え、実際にこうして角付き合わせて話し合わなければ、あくまで国内問題として処理していたところなので、大局に立った見地から可能性を模索するのは悪いことではないだろう。――そう思った後で、考えてみればこの場に居るお姫様二人が示し合わせれば、ほぼ世界を手玉に取ることが可能なことに気が付いて、密かに冷や汗を流す。 ――やばい、世界やばい! こんな女の子二人が行く末を握っているとか。 そんなコラード国王の戦慄を余所に、息もピッタリに、和気藹々と談笑をする二人。 「まあ取りあえずは海賊は見つけ次第、 「そうですわね、一族郎党見せしめの為にもそうしないといけませんわね」 二人の美姫が微笑みながら歓談している様子は、一幅の名画のようだが、話している内容はかなり血生臭いものであった。 「それにしても懸念があたり、海賊被害が今後ますます増えるとなると、こちらとしても本格的に海軍の増強を考えねばなりませんわ。先のユース大公国への出兵でも国庫の4分の1が空になったというのに」 皇女の慨嘆に対して、なんとなく不満そうな顔で口を挟むレヴァン。 結局、領土交渉において、荒廃したユース大公国を押し付けられた形で、妥協せざるを得なかった彼としては、文句の一つも言いたいところなのだろう。 「あら、条約に調印なされたいまになってご不満ですか? 旧ケンスルーナ領をほぼ等分する形での妥結ですので、帝国としてもかなりの譲歩だと思いますけど」 悪戯っぽく微笑むオリアーナ。 実際は領土の拡張路線に限界が見えたので、インフラの整ったケンスルーナ国を配下に治めて、手間と金の掛かりそうなその他の僻地を、クレス自由同盟国に押し付けただけなのは見え見えなのだが、交渉の席上さんざんやりあって、最終的にやり込められた立場のレヴァンとしては、そこを引き合いに出されては黙り込むしかない。 気分を変えるためか、緋雪が話を戻した。 「それにしても海賊ねえ。対策をとるにしても、いまいちイメージが掴めないなぁ。どんなもんなのかな?」 「さて、私も報告書を読んだだけですので。後で詳しい資料はお渡ししますが?」 それでもピンとこない顔をしている緋雪。 ふと、壁際に立っていた仮面の剣士――稀人が口を開いた。 「なんなら一度、港にでも行って直接船主や被害者に話を聞いてみればいかがですか? 確か貿易港キトーの傍に、王家...いえ、前王家の別荘地があったはずですが?」 視線で水を向けられたコラード国王は、頷いて補足する。 「ええ、現在は閉鎖中ですが管理はされていますし、将来的にはプライベートビーチともどもリゾートホテルとして売却予定ですね」 脇に控えていた天涯が、ちらりと緋雪に了解を求める。 どうやら以前言っていた、全世界別荘計画は着々と進行中らしい。 訊かれた緋雪は、なぜか難しい顔で頬に指をやった。 「海賊......海...ビーチ付きの別荘ねぇ......」 「まあ、購入されるかどうかはさておき、使用されるのであれば明日にも使えるはずですので、準備させます。それと現地に詳しい冒険者等もガイドとして用意させますので」 至れり尽くせりのコラード国王の言葉に、再度、「う~~ん」と考え込み、周囲を不審がらせる緋雪なのであった。

118 First Story, Pirate Damage. The sea - the great sea plains that make Mother Earth, endlessly spread, that life was once born of the sea. The sea is a shake of life that sometimes brings abundant grace and a symbol of the fierceness of nature that sometimes swallows like a foam, such as the tiny life of man. Humans have always leaned against the sea and challenged it. Romance and ambition are the frontiers where adventure and fame swirl, and that is the sea. ... That's what it is. A vast beach with bright white sandy beaches leading everywhere. A very transparent ocean blue water is slowly returning its feet. The shallow ocean was clear everywhere and calm enough that I could walk like this to the other side of the horizon. Tickling, warm southern seas were calm everywhere, where the natural landscape remained raw without any impurities. Some things like dirt come and go in the cove like a dog kid who was given a toy while crawling and butterflying in our face. "No, the sea is good after all. Damn, swimming in the ocean is great." I felt how wasted my strength was, and Joey was swimming all over it with no rest for over an hour. And, having enjoyed the sea of absurdity, he noticed me playing with crabs at the waves, swimming around and approaching, "Yikes..." he stood up at once and came to his sight. "Nah, Hiyuki. You don't swim? By the way, he's wearing a black trunk-type swimsuit. Naturally my upper body is naked, so unlike the impression I can feel from the top of my regular clothes - a poor kid or something - my skinny, well-trained figure jumped directly into my eyes and I was somewhat distracted from my gaze. Uh-huh, I knew, seeing something like this would irritate the complex. My whole life I had nothing to do with muscles (mainly because of my nutritional status) and I didn't have more arm power than girls, so hey... it's still a bit of trauma that I lost my arm wrestle to all the women I was in at the off-duty party (from an O-O old lady up there to a 12-year-old elementary school kid down there). "Oh, I enjoy the ocean fully around here, so don't worry about you, swimming, vegetarian diving, aquaculture or whatever, you just have to enjoy the ocean fully. Anyway, it's a private beach of the former royal family." Upon a glimpse of the beach, under the shade of a coconut tree, a strictly beach parasol and tank top, a rare (barely) former owner wearing a hoodie, probably felt my gaze over the sunglasses, with cold champagne lying on the beach sofa with one hand, waved gently. I feel like I've seen it. It's the wind enjoying Avanture, but even though it's resistant to sunlight, vampires, just like the direct sunlight characteristic of the South, seems to be tight, and oh well it's best to cool off in the shade of the trees. Well, although I also apply sunscreen, this sun is pretty tight (my skin is white and thin, so it doesn't make for a contradictory silo thing called a blood-sucking princess who got sunburned in wheat, but it definitely flames later). By the way, the heavenly ones in competitive swimsuits are obsessed with the beach volleyball I taught them to fight in different dimensions in the Astro Beach Volleyball with a defensive range of 500 meters. "No, we're gonna swim this way, let's swim together. I guess Hiyuki came here with the intention of swimming, too, huh? Joey confirms my outfit with a suspicious face - a bikini with a lace frill skirt (naturally, a rose pattern) with three parts of hair to keep me out of the way to swim -. By the way, the swimsuit is an "E. H. O." and "Eternal Horizon Online" accessory, so even if it looks like this, it can make quite a positive correction to the defense. "... er. It's not about swimming, it's about work - yes, I could work! So if you're playing around." "Can't you just take a little swim? On the way to talking, Joey kept poking at the core. "Er... yes, the blood-sucking princess can't cross the running water, so she can't put it in the water racially" "Liar. I guess it's a good reason you just can't swim." Joey denies it head-on, without getting her hair in between. - Why are you usually dull, these things are sharp? "It wouldn't be unusual to not be able to swim. Mostly there are quite a few guys by the sea villages who can't swim, and it's normal for a woman not to be able to swim...... because she can use this whole shallow coast, why don't you practice a little? With that said, Joey traveled about 5 meters from the water, but I see there's no depth there or yet to his knees. So, even the cat kid asked me to call him because I touched Shaq something, so I walked that far with my face as flat as possible. "Wow, my hands and feet are out at the same time, and I'm sweating from all over my body... I'm not good at that, or are you afraid of water? "Hehe, I don't know what you're talking about, but there's something frightening about it." "The tone is getting weird too..." "Sa, this will do. I enjoyed the ocean, so I'll be back! I was just about to leave this place, and Joey grabbed me by the arm. "No, it hasn't been a minute yet. Shouldn't we at least remember about the bumpy feet? - In the meantime, shall we go a little further offshore?" Butterflies... I mean dip your whole body in water, lie down depressed, scratch the water with your feet, he said. "So, it's okay! If you have to, I can run on water with my leg strength alone! So you don't have to be able to swim! "So you can't be fine if you can't swim. I need to be able to scratch my dog if I can." There's no way I can beat Joey trying to pull him as far offshore as he is, and me going to be in a pull state but I mean it, with a STR (arm strength) value. "- Mmm." I was about to shake it off forcefully, and Joey held me up with one hand. It's called being a princess. "Here, here, Joey! What the hell! In his ear, rushing away, he was whispered, "If you burst, you're going to fall out of your head into the water," and reflexively solidified. "Well, let's practice a little deeper" They scratch the jab jab waves as they are and are forcefully taken offshore. I stare at him with tears, but Joey doesn't have the wind he cared about, and there's no sign of him stopping at the footsteps of strangely groaning and bouncing. Seeing as he tried to seek salvation from the Heavenly Fathers, Incandescent Beach Volleyball finally entered the battle of flesh bullets, and there was no way he could notice the fierce smoke rising, and the rare man of the last requisition finally fell from solar radiation, almost put on a stretcher and transported by his maids. "I don't know if I can get around here -" If you notice, they're even bringing you offshore at depths around Joey's chest. This is definitely me, you're gonna dip it in the water all the way to your face! "Then I'm grabbing it, so let's start by putting my face on the water and opening my eyes" "I can't!" "'Cause it's okay. Because I'll get used to it soon." "I can't, I can't, I'll never, I can't! "Try it, it's surprisingly easy." "That's what all men say! "... Also, something is going wrong. - Ma, okay. Let's go." If you unilaterally declare it, Joey will be a mid back on the spot. "Ha-ha-ha -!!" Naturally, my face sank into the water. Well, nothing. We're not here to enjoy the seaside resort. I don't know if it looks that way because I'm currently wandering the border between life and death, so if you flush it lightly with a running lantern, Shima's disturbance also goes back just a few days before one paragraph -. "Pirate ship." Scarlet Snow twisted her neck with an immaculate face. A series of disturbances also calmed down, in one of the VIP rooms of the fully restored aerial garden, the Vacant Red Jade Castle, where King Collard of the Republic of Amitia, who visited for a regular social reception, and Levan, the Allied Leader (tentative) of the Free Alliance of Cres, and the next heiress to the Empire of Grawior, Empress Oriana, who visited this time for the first time with patience, chatted peacefully in a manner similar to the pattern of the ancient knowledge. This visit by the Empress Oriana took the form of a complete private invitation from Scarlet Snow, which is officially to go to a suburban villa for rest (in fact, this time it was opened in the Imperial capital, set up in the 'Imperial Crimson Residence Hall of the Crimson Empire', which belongs to the Embassy, and travelled using a transfer gate (teleporter)). For this reason, the number of attachments was also a minuscule and minimal, and only two accompanied him on this occasion, a squire and a Kingsguard, but even to them, he was stunned by the size and magnificence of the Vacant Red Jade Castle and only refrained behind the princess with half his soul missing. At first, the Empress of Suzuran seemed just as distracted, but Scarlet Snow was a persona who consistently did not break my pace, without discussing her identity from the beginning, and, having fully defended her area even for King Collard, was the owner of the talent to do so without appearance, and Levan was also originally from the Beastly tribe of beasts unrelated to the aristocracy, and this time everyone around her was familiar with her face - that's why she was usually forced to live in a cramped palace, and during four or six o'clock, Oriana, wearing the idol mask of 'The Empress', was also giving a peek at the adorable face she deserved for the year. So, it was the 'pirate ship' that came up on the subject earlier. "Yeah, there's been activity here, and there's been a lot of damage to the transport ships and the coastal villages." I am worried, King Collard sighed with a paper pasted face that said: "So far, damage at sea is mainly caused by medium-sized to small merchant ships, carriers, just as large ships and demon-guided sailboats are spared damage, but they will certainly not be targeted far away, and if they do, human and material damage will not be the same as before." "Ho ho, that's tough. I cannot forbid sympathy." King Collard looked at the palm of scarlet snow drinking tea with something to say, but kept talking. "In addition to measures, we have fortresses in maritime fortifications, reinforcements in the garrison of Quito, which is a major shock in maritime trade, and we do not currently have a maritime force of the scale that can be called the Navy, so we are pushing for the development of this" I see, you're a tough fabric stone like King Collard, but Scarlet Snow asks, wondering. "But they all look like they have a tough budget" As soon as possible, King Collard drops his shoulders disappointingly with a pitiful face. "You can't raise taxes or anything at this time of summer before the harvest of wheat or rice, and because of the late days of the previous dynasty, the treasury is almost empty, and you can't have a wedding like this." "That was a shame. I don't know if it's a good idea, but what, did you even apply for a loan from your home country? "... if you ask for a financial burden, it will seem difficult later, so I am currently thinking" "Right. No matter how many countries you belong to... No, because if you provide free assistance, you can also become a vice that inhibits self-help efforts. It would be reasonable to have a collateral that matches it or a loan with a repayment period." King Collard nods, even though he reinforces his amazement and vigilance at the talent of Empress Oriana, who instantly knits out problems and measures. Levan raises his hand. "That princess. Isn't there some kind of alternative to cleaning up the problem, not the money, like the transfer device from Cres? I don't know what that means, but I don't think you're a pirate in your own country." "I wonder if it's difficult. Ah. If we let the harbor, the sea, and the airspace trek the monster at four or six o'clock, it's going to affect the surrounding residents and the ecosystem, and in the end, we'll just have to get around to it." First, do you distinguish our residents from pirates and other ships? Wouldn't you sink it all up depending on the allowance or something if you were bad? Scarlet Snow makes a difficult face to think of. "We have to take more radical measures." King Collard also agreed, and Levan sighed quietly. "And are you a pirate? Even in the Gravior Empire, the damage to their hands has been increasing recently." All attention is drawn to the words of Empress Oriana. "Although notable, especially in the last few years, even net of weather irregularities and war damage, there has certainly been an increase in frequency and scale. But I couldn't see how the coalitions and controls were, so I thought it was just a coincidence." "Hmm. That's interesting. With the west and east of the continent, I didn't know pirate action was just as active. Maybe there's someone behind you who's guiding us." Well, it's only possible, but King Collard continues. That said, it would not be a bad thing to explore the possibilities from a perspective that stood in the big picture, since if we did not actually corner each other and discuss them in this way, we would have only been dealing with them as domestic issues. - After thinking about it, I secretly sweat cold when I realize that it's almost possible to take the world on my hands if the two princesses on this occasion show me. - Shit, the world sucks! You think two girls like this are holding the end of the line? Two people who chirp comfortably, breathing perfectly in the margins of King Collard's warfare like that. "Well, in the meantime, pirates are killed as soon as they find them." "Well, we'll have to do that to show off the lone party." The way the two beautiful princesses were smiling and welcoming each other seemed like a one-width famous painting, but what they were talking about was pretty bloody stinky. "Nevertheless, if there is any concern and there will be more and more pirate damage in the future, we must seriously consider strengthening the navy. A quarter of the country's treasury has been emptied even as we marched to the Grand Duchy of Youth earlier." Levan pinches his mouth with a somewhat dissatisfied face against the Crown Princess's indignation. In the end, as for him, who had to compromise in the form of the devastated Grand Duchy of Youth in the territorial negotiations, I guess he is also about to complain. "Alas, are you dissatisfied with the fact that you are now signed into the Treaty? It's a compromise in the form of a roughly equal division of old Kensruna territory, so I think it's quite a concession as an empire, too." Oriana smiles like a prank. In fact, I saw a limit on the territorial expansion route, so I can see that I just ruled the well-infrastructured Kensruna country into distribution and pushed the laborious and golden other secluded areas to the Cres Free Allies, but as for Levan, who is on the negotiating table and in a position that was eventually intercepted, I have no choice but to remain silent if he is put out to engage there. Scarlet Snow returned to the conversation to change his mood. "And you're a pirate. Even if I take measures, I can't really grasp the image. What is it like? "Well, I just read the report, too. I'll give you more information later, though? Scarlet Snow still looks pinned. Two, a masked swordsman standing on the wall - a rare man opened his mouth. "What, for once, why don't you also go to the harbor and talk directly to the shipowners and victims? Surely beside the trade port Quito, there must have been a royal... no, former royal villa? King Collard, turned to water with his gaze, nods and supplements. "Yes, it's currently closed, but it's managed, and in the future, both private beaches will be sold as resort hotels." Heavenly, who had refrained from doing so on his side, asks Hikaru to understand. Apparently, as I said before, the whole world villa project is steadily underway. Asked Scarlet Snow somehow fingered her cheek with a difficult face. "Pirate... the sea... the villa with the beach..." "Well, aside from whether it will be purchased or not, it should be available tomorrow if it is to be used, so I'll get it ready. And adventurers who are familiar with the area will also be available as guides." Again, in the words of King Collard, who was exhausted, he thought, "Uh-huh," a scarlet snow that made his surroundings suspicious.

第二十話 月雲花風 矢のように一直線にレヴァンがアケロンに襲いかかる。 受けてたつ、という不遜な顔で腰を落としたアケロンがその攻撃に備える。一つの大きな音のように聞こえるほどの連続して繰り出されるレヴァンの突きと蹴りを、両腕と脛とで受けるアケロンだが、さすがにその威力を相殺できずに、数メートル後方へと押しやられた。 ――勝機! 守勢に回るアケロンに対し、さらに追撃を行おうとしたレヴァンだが、ここまでの攻撃は無呼吸であったため、いったん息を整える。だが、その隙を見逃すアケロンではなかった。 一瞬、動きを止めたレヴァンに対して、自ら距離を縮め左右の拳から渾身の右ストレートを放つ。 間一髪、身を翻したレヴァンの顔の脇をアケロンの拳が通り過ぎ、拳圧で肌がちりちりと焼けた。 ――さすがは『豪腕』。 そのまま半歩踏み込みながら、レヴァンは宙に舞った。跳びながら回転を加えて右の踵を相手に叩きつける大技――旋風脚がアケロンの顔面を捉える。 ガキン! 肉体ではなく鋼鉄同士をぶつけたような音がして、二人は弾かれたように離れた。 すぐに両手をあげて構えの姿勢をとったアケロンに対して、レヴァンは脇腹を押さえていた。 旋風脚を直前に十字交差させた腕で防がれた上に、おつりに膝をもらっていたのだ。 ――油断もすきもない。まさに野生の虎だな。 アケロンから放射される熱気に呼応するように、レヴァンの体内にも燃え立つ興奮が生まれて全身の血が沸騰するような感覚が駆け巡った。 目の前の男は強い。ことによれば自分よりも遥かに強いかもしれない。 だったらその強さを全て引き出して、その上で倒したい。 その衝動のまま、体を突き動かす。 聖地の石舞台の上では、2人の男たちが互いのもつ力と技、そして信念をかけて一歩も譲らない闘いを繰り広げていた。 どちらか一方が攻勢もしくは守勢に回ることなく、互いに攻守を入れ替えながら、まるで踊りでも踊るように石舞台の上を駆け巡っている。 時折放たれる気合の叫びにあわせて、殴り、蹴り、投げにより叩きつけられる激しい格闘の音が周囲に反響して、ぴんと張り詰めた空気を震わせていた。 石舞台の周囲に立つ獣人族たちは、目を瞠り、耳をそばだて、 隣に居るボクに質問する、というよりも自分に言い聞かせるような口調で、アスミナが小さく呟いた。 レヴァンの身を案じているのだろう、これまでにないほど青ざめた目で 「......スピードと技はレヴァンの方が上、パワーと経験はあちらの方が上という感じだね」 取りあえず客観的な感想を口に出したところ、アスミナはすがるような目で重ねて訊いてきた。 「それは...引き分けになると言うことですか?」 「いや――」 躊躇うボクの胸の中で、 『小僧の負けですのぅ』 ボクの沈黙の意味には気が付いているのだろうけど、アスミナは辛抱強く続きを待っている。 強い娘だね。 だからボクも、素直に続きを口に出すことにした。 「...あと5年、いや、3年あれば確実に勝てたろうけど、いまのままなら、時間の経過とともに体力と経験の差で圧倒される。――もっとも、それは戦ってる二人とも理解しているだろうし、それを理解した上でレヴァンは恐らく体力のあるうちに起死回生の技を放つだろうから、それに対して相手がどういう返しをするのかで、ほぼ勝負は決まるだろうね」 その言葉が終わらないうちに、石舞台での勝負に大きな進展が起こった。 「はっ」 アケロンの鋭い気合が響き、一気に距離が縮まった。そのまま左右同時の二段突きが迫る。腰の入った、全身の運動エネルギーが凝縮された連撃である。 その突きをレヴァンが掌底で払い除けた瞬間、 アケロンの神速の蹴りが繰り出された。だが、これを間一髪、体を横に反転させたレヴァンが躱す。その体勢が崩れかけた上体に向け、 「しゃっ!」 有無を言わせず、右拳による速攻が襲い掛かる。 レヴァンは両手首を重ねた十字受けでこれを受け止めると同時に、アケロンの右手首を極めると同時に、そのまま右手を巻き込むような形で回転の勢いをつけ投げを行った。 その瞬間、レヴァンの体が弾かれたように真横に吹っ飛び倒れ、中途半端な投げを食らったアケロンも転がる。 怪我一つない様子で軽く立ち上がるアケロン。 対して、倒れたままのレヴァンの口から苦悶の声と、鮮血がこぼれた。 苦しげに見上げるレヴァンに対して、アケロンが口を開いた。 「寸打と言ってな。密着しての間合いからの内部へ浸透する攻撃――お前も使うらしいが、俺にも似たような技がある。密着した間合いだろうが、ゼロ距離だろうが問題にならん」 とは言え、予選を含めていままでその技を見せたことはない。この決勝戦を見越して温存しておいたというわけで、レヴァンは見事に裏をかかれたことになる。 どうにか呼吸を整えて、立ち上がったレヴァンだが、その足取りはお世辞にも軽快とは言えなかった。 無防備な状態で寸打を受けたせいで、内臓にもダメージを受けたせいである。 「そして次の一撃で決める。......いま負けを認めるなら死なずに済むが?」 「.........」 無言で構えをとるレヴァンの目に不退転の決意を読み取って、アケロンはこれ以上の言葉は無用、いや戦士の誇りを汚すものと判断して、構えをとった。 「行くぞ」 この時、石舞台の脇でもちょっとした騒ぎが起こっていた。 アスミナがレヴァンの前に飛び出そうとしているのに気が付いて、緋雪が慌てて羽交い絞めにして引き止める。 「ちょっ! いま試合場へ入ったら反則だよ!」 「離してっ! このままじゃ、レヴァン 体格では遥かに小柄で細身ながら、全ステータスで圧倒的な緋雪を振り払えるわけもなく、駄々っ子のように暴れて泣き叫ぶアスミナ。 「勝負の途中だよ! まだレヴァンはやる気なのに、君が信じてやらないでどうするの! いま邪魔をするのは、レヴァンに対する裏切りだよ?!」 「裏切りでも、負けてもいい! その声はレヴァンにも聞こえていた。 ――そういえば、ちょっと前にもこんなことがあったな。 の叫びと、それを宥める緋雪の声に、先日、師である獣王の立会いの元行われた試合を思い出した。 ――まったく。オレも成長がない。 そう思うとこんな時だというのに笑いが漏れそうになる。まるで霧が晴れたかのように心が澄み渡っていた。 その穏やかな表情に、アケロンは一瞬怪訝な顔で眉を寄せ、だが集中を切らすことなくレヴァンの間合いに入ると同時に、 「はあっ!」 全身の剄を凝縮させ、右手の掌を突き出した。 内臓に深刻なダメージを負っているレヴァンにはこれを躱せるはずもなく、また仮に躱されたとしてもすぐさま、次の攻撃へと繋げられる自信があった。 だが、アケロンの掌がレヴァンの胸に触れた瞬間、それは起こった。 まるで空気でも押したかのような柔らかな手応えとともに、アケロンの攻撃が空を切った。 レヴァンは反時計回りに反転したのだが、風に飛ぶ羽毛のように、アケロンに押されて回りましたと言わんばかりの自然な動きであった。 そこから当たり前のように中段突きが伸びてくる。 最も基本にして、師に最初に教えられた技。そこには迷いも無駄もなかった。あの日、緋雪に放ったあの時と同じように。 とん、と軽く叩いたかのように決まった突きであったが、その場所から爆発したような膨大な衝撃波が発生し、さらに自らの渾身の技がカウンターとなり加算され、アケロンは成すすべなく数十メートル吹き飛ばされ、石舞台の上から落ちた。 必死に起き上がろうとするアケロンだが、いまの衝撃で体中の骨がいかれたのは明白である。内臓にも折れた骨が刺さっているかも知れない。 そんなアケロンに向かって、レヴァンが頭を下げた。 「ご指南ありがとうございました、族長アケロン。あなたのお陰で大切なモノを改めてこの身に刻み付けることができました」 その言葉に、一瞬目を丸くしたアケロンは、続いて愉快そうに噴き出した。 「勝って礼を言うか。たいしたものだ。俺なんざ勝っても有頂天になるばかりだが。......まったく、おれの負けだ」 会場全体にまで響くその声に、次の瞬間、はち切れんばかりの歓声と拍手が沸き起こった。 さん!!」 感極まったアスミナが涙を流してレヴァンに駆け寄る。 石舞台の下では、完全に拘束していた筈が、力任せに振りほどかれた緋雪が、「え?! どうやって??」とあり得ない事態に唖然としていた。 こうして正式に『獣王の後継者』と認められたレヴァンは、大会終了後、各部族の族長を集めてクレス王国の連邦からの脱退と、 そうした中、クレス王国に謀反の疑いありとのことで、連邦政府(というかケンスルーナ国を中心とした関係国)から、鎮圧の名目で軍事派遣がされるに至り、獣人族の不満が爆発し、クレス王国派とケンスルーナ国派とでほぼ国内が二分される事態となった。 当初、個々の戦闘力はともかく国単位で戦うには不利と見られていたクレス王国側だが、旗印である獅子族の若き族長レヴァンの下、虎人族を始めとする有力な部族の戦士が終結し、また補給等の間接支援及び民間人の保護を だが、この機を逃さずイーオン聖王国の後押しを受けたグラウィオール帝国がケンスルーナ国に侵攻を開始。 多方面での戦局の勃発に対応しきれず、辛うじて支えられていたクレス王国との戦線も押し返される形となり、中立を守っていた連邦内の各国もクレス王国側に寝返るなどし、最終的にケンスルーナ国及びユース大公国等数カ国が帝国に割譲され、これによりクレス=ケンスルーナ連邦は事実上崩壊することとなり、連邦主席バルデムは帝国内に永久 「――早まった。なんでこうなったんだろう......?」 と、頭を抱えたとも言われるが、真相は定かではない。

63 Episode 20: Moonflower Wind Levan hits Akelon in a straight line like an arrow. Akelon, who dropped his hips with a grumpy face, prepares for the attack. Akelon, who receives the poking and kicking of Levan, repeated in a row enough to sound like one loud sound, with his arms and tibia, but was pushed backwards a few metres, just without being able to offset its power. - Winning! Levan attempts to pursue Akelon further to his defense, but once breathes in, the attack so far has been apnea. But it wasn't Akelon who missed the gap. For a moment, against Levan, who stopped moving, he shrinks his distance and releases his full right straight from his left and right fists. In an instant, Akelon's fist passed by the side of Levan's face, where he flipped himself, and his skin burned properly with fist pressure. - That's "The Awesome Arm". Levan danced to the universe as he stepped in half a step. A big move where you add a rotation as you jump and slap your right heel against your opponent - whirlwind legs capture Akelon's face. Kickin '! It sounded like they hit each other with steel, not flesh, and the two left as they were played. Levan was holding his flank against Akelon, who immediately raised his hands and took a standing position. He was getting a knee on his knee after being prevented by an arm that crossed his whirlwind leg just before him. - Neither alarm nor liking. You're just a wild tiger. As he echoed the heat emitted from Akelon, the sensation of burning excitement also arose in Levan's body and boiling blood all over his body rushed around. The man in front of you is strong. It could be much stronger than I am, according to this. Then I want to bring out all its strength and defeat it on top of it. Keep that impulse, poke and move your body. On the stone stage of the sanctuary, two men were struggling with each other's power and moves, and with faith not to give up a single step. They run over the stone stage as if dancing without either side turning to offense or defense, switching offenses with each other. In conjunction with the occasional shouts of the mood released, the sound of intense fighting beating, kicking and throwing echoed around, shivering the pinched air. The Beastmen standing around the stone stage watched the intense struggle, blinking their eyes, ears, not a single cough (shuddering), and not knowing what kind of settlement was to be reached, with the thought of a uniform clogging of their breasts. Asmina shrugged smaller in a tone that made her tell herself rather than ask questions of me next door. I guess I'm showing Levan the way I've never followed my brother-in-law with blue eyes before. "... speed and skill are better with Levan, power and experience are better there." In the meantime, when I put my objective thoughts to my mouth, Asmina asked me overlapping with a frightening eye. "Are you saying that... is going to be a draw? "No -" In my hesitant chest, Akaho made a brief conclusion. "It's the kid's loss." I know you realize what my silence means, but Asmina is patiently waiting to continue. You're a strong daughter. So I, too, honestly decided to keep going. "... Five more years, no, I would have won for sure if I had three, but if I remained, I would be overwhelmed by the difference in strength and experience over time. - Anyway, we both know it's a fight, and Levan will probably unleash a regenerative move while he's physically fit, so it's pretty much up to him to decide what he's going to give back." Before that word ended, great progress was made in the battle on the stone stage. "Ha." Akelon's sharp temper echoed and the distance narrowed at once. A simultaneous two-step penetration, left and right, is imminent. It is a continuous attack with concentrating total body kinetic energy, with a lower back. The moment Levan got rid of that poke at the bottom of his palm, Akelon's kick of divine speed rolled out. But Levan flips his body sideways with his hair. towards the upper body whose posture was about to collapse, "Shh! Without being allowed to say whether or not, a fast attack by the right fist strikes. Levan received this with a cross over both wrists, while at the same time refining Akelon's right wrist, he made a spinning momentum and threw in such a way as to keep his right hand engaged. At that moment, Levan's body blows down directly beside him like he was bounced, and Akelon, who ate a half-throat, also rolls. Akelon rises gently in the absence of one injury. In contrast, a distressed voice and blood spilled from Levan's mouth as he fell. Akelon opened his mouth against Levan, who looked up bitterly. "Say inch to inch. Attacks that penetrate the interior from a close intermission - you use them too, but I have similar moves. It would be a tight time, but it would be a zero distance, but it wouldn't be a problem." That said, I've never shown that move before, including qualifying. It kept him warm in anticipation of this final, so Levan would have been stunningly backed up. I managed to get my breath in order, and I got up, Levan, but that foothold couldn't be lighter than flattery. It is because of the inch beating in an indefensible condition, and also because of damage to the gut. "And decide with the next blow.... if you admit to losing now, you don't have to die? ......... Reading the unrelenting determination in Levan's eyes to stand silently, Akelon decided that no more words were useless, no more to tarnish the pride of the warrior, and took the stand. "Let's go." A little noise was also happening beside the stone stage at this time. I notice Asmina about to jump out in front of Levan, and Scarlet Snow rushes to strangle her wings and pull her back. "Hey! It would be against the rules if we entered the arena now! "Get off me! My brother-in-law Levan is dead! While much smaller and thinner in stature, Asmina can't shake off the overwhelming scarlet snow in all statuses, rambling and crying like a waster. "We're in the middle of a battle! Even though Levan is still willing, don't believe me. What are you gonna do! What stands in the way now is betrayal of Levan?!" "Betrayal or loss! If only my brother-in-law was alive!!" The voice was also heard by Levan. - Speaking of which, this happened a while ago. To the cry of my sister-in-law and the voice of scarlet snow that forgives her, I remember the other day the match that took place in the presence of the Master, the Beast King. - Totally. I don't have any growth either. That makes me laugh when I say this is the time. My heart was clear as if the fog had cleared. To that serene expression, Akelon frowned for a moment with a strange face, but at the same time went into Levan's time without cutting the focus. "Ha! The whole body was condensed and the palm of his right hand protruded. There is no way Levan could have done this with serious damage to his gut, and even if he did, he was confident that it would lead to the next attack. But the moment Akelon's palm touched Levan's chest, it happened. Akelon's attack cut the sky, along with a soft response as if he had pushed it even in the air. Levan flipped counterclockwise, but like a feather flying in the wind, it was just a natural move to say that Akelon pushed him around. From there, the mid-section poke stretches, as is normal. Most fundamentally, the first moves taught to a teacher. There was no stray or waste there. Just like that time I let it go to Scarlet Snow that day. Tong, was a determined thrust as if he had tapped lightly, but a vast wave of shock broke out of the place, and his own spiritual moves countered and added, and Akelon was blown away for dozens of meters, falling from the stone stage. Akelon trying desperately to get up, but it is clear that the bones in his body were damaged by the current shock. He may also have a broken bone stung in his gut. Towards such an Acheron, Levan bowed his head. "Thank you for your guidance, chief Akelon. Thanks to you, I was able to carve important things into this body again." To the words, Akelon, who rounded his eyes for a moment, followed by a delightful eruption. "Do you want to win and thank me? It's a big deal. No matter what I win, I'm just going to be on top of it. ... my loss at all." The next moment, the cheer and applause of all the rips boiled down to that voice that resonated throughout the venue. "My brother-in-law!!" Asmina, who is impressed, runs over to Levan in tears. Beneath the stone stage, Scarlet Snow, who should have been completely restrained, waved at the mercy of power, was stunned by the unlikely situation of "eh?! how??". Having thus been officially recognised as the 'Successor of the Beast King', Levan, after the Games, assembled the chiefs of each tribe to appeal for the exit of the Kingdom of Cress from the Union and the formation of a formal alliance with the Crimson Empire of Crimson. In the meantime, suspicion of conspiracy against the Kingdom of Cres led to military dispatch in the name of repression, from the federal government (or the countries concerned, mainly the Kensruna State), to the explosion of grievances among the Beastmen, a situation in which the country was almost bisected between the Cres and Kensruna nationalities. Initially, the individual fighting power was seen as unfavourable for fighting on a national basis anyway, but under the flag, Levan, the young chief of the Lion Nation, warriors from leading tribes, including the Tigers, ended, and the Imperial Crimson, the Crimson of the Crimson Empire, which was responsible for indirect support and protection of civilians, such as supplies, fought more than one another with the Kensruna Nation, which was overwhelmed in terms of personnel and quantity, and the front seemed temporarily stiff. But without missing this opportunity, the Gravior Empire, backed by the Eon Holy Kingdoms, has begun its invasion of Kensruna. The failure to cope with the outbreak of a multifaceted battlefield will also take the form of a push-back front with the hard-supported Kingdom of Cres, where countries within the Union that were defending their neutrality will also fall back on the side of the Kingdom of Cres, etc., eventually ceding several countries to the Empire, such as the Kensruna State and the Grand Duchy of Youth, which will virtually collapse the Cres-Kensruna Union, and the Federation President, Bardem, will permanently reside within the Empire. "- Faster. How did this happen...? And it is also said that he held his head, but the truth is uncertain.

第十一話 肉肉野菜 どうにも変わり者の皇女様だな、というのがレヴァンのオリアーナに対する感想だった。 まあ、自分の周りには ――幸か不幸か、そんな風に考える彼の常識と非常識の垣根は、とんでもなく低くなっていることに気付かないレヴァンなのであった。 彼女の話では、自分はあの雨の日にここグラウィオール帝国の帝都アルゼンタムの中心に位置する、宮殿の離宮、中庭のあたりに倒れていたらしい。 そこを偶然通りがかったオリアーナ皇女――なんでも、「雨が降った直前とか、直後の緑の匂いが好きなのです」とのこと――が、仔ライオンのシンの鳴き声を聞きつけて様子を見に来たところ、血塗れで藪の中に倒れていた自分を発見したとのこと。 「迷い猫でもいるのかと思ったら、随分と毛色の変わった猫を拾ったものですわね」 と、軽く口に出していた彼女だが、その時点で警備兵を呼ぶなりするのが普通だと思うのに、なぜか先ほどの侍女らと協力して、内密に自分の住まうこの離宮の客室へと運び込んで治療を行ったそうだ。 理由を尋ねてみたところ、 「だって、どうみても貴方悪人ではないですし、獣人族の方と間近でお話しするのは初めてなので興味がありました。それに、こんな可愛らしいペットや人形を連れている理由とか、気になってしかたがなかったんですもの」 という、実も蓋もないというか、剛毅な答えが返って来た。 そんなわけで最初の1~2日は意識が朦朧としていてほとんど記憶にないのだが、3日目くらいにはずいぶんとマシになり、簡単な自己紹介をして、その後、ちょくちょく様子を見に来る彼女と、ぽつぽつ話をしていた。 4日目となると口を開く分には問題なく過ごせたので、自分がアルゼンタムに来た理由。 クレス自由同盟国で発見された転移装置の存在と、それを使った各国との自由貿易交渉。その下準備の為、帝国宰相ウォーレンから秘密裏の事前交渉を持ちかけられ訪問したこと、そこで暗殺者に襲撃されて随員は皆殺しになり、自分もあわやというところで、おそらくは緋雪が行ったなんらかの魔術でこの場へ避難してきたことなどを話した。 オリアーナ皇女は、それを聞いた驚いた様子で――そもそも、転移装置のことも、クレス自由同盟国との交渉のことも、自身はもとより皇帝でさえ奏上されていないと言っていた――難しい顔で考え込んで、その日は退室したのだった。 そして、5日目となる本日は、どうにか体を起こせるほどには体力も回復してきた。 ベッドの脇に座って、自分が話す 「あの夜の件ですが、わたしのほうでも確認を行いましたが、諜報部等の動きはありませんでした。おそらくはウォーレンの手の者か、もしくは外部の協力者の手になる襲撃だと思われます」 「それは......失礼ながら憶測ですよね?」 侍女が眉をしかめるが、オリアーナ皇女は出来の良い生徒を褒めるような顔で頷いた。 「確かに物的証拠はありません。ですが、そもそもあの夜に襲撃があり、ましてクレス自由同盟国の密使が来たことも、犠牲者が出たこともなかったことになっております。クレスから問い合わせが来ても知らぬ存ぜぬで通す 「.........」 殺された仲間たちが闇に葬られたことを知り、暗い顔をするレヴァンの心中を慮ってか、しばらく無言で居たオリアーナ皇女だが、「そういえば」と思い出したかのように口を開いた。 のヒユキ陛下が傾国の佳人というのは本当のことでしょうか?」 言いつつレヴァンの枕元の『ちびちび緋雪ちゃん』を抱き上げる。 「――え...ええ。その人形に良く似た、もっと神秘的な麗人です」 憂いを含んだ彼女の言葉に、レヴァンは首を捻った。 「それは、どういう?」 「......そうですね、いまさら隠すのもなんですから、素直に申し上げますが、現在帝国の勢力は二つに分裂しているのです」 ため息混じりの声で言いながら、オリアーナ皇女はレヴァンの目を改めて見据えた。 「宰相派と抵抗勢力ですか」 話の流れから言ってそうだろうな、と想像しながら口に出したレヴァンだが、オリアーナ皇女は首を振った。 「? 皇帝自らが宰相に反対して、それで国が二分するんですか?」 当然と言えば当然の疑問に苦笑いを浮かべるオリアーナ皇女。 「恥ずかしながらその通りです。そもそも今上帝である父が皇帝に就かれたのは20年前、14歳の時に前帝が崩御されたからなのですが、その際に年若いということで、大叔父...わたしから見れば曽祖父の弟に当たる人物が摂政となったのですが――」 ここで盛大に顔をしかめて、吐き捨てるように続ける。 「これがまたどうにもならない愚物で、国を私物化してただでさえ傾きかけていた屋台骨を腐らせ、挙句、聖王国に多額の負債を肩代わりしてもらう代わりに、無駄な戦争を起こし獣人族を迫害し、その上、父が成人後も摂政を続け、3年前に98歳で亡くなる――憎まれっ子世にはばかるの典型ですわね――まで最高権力者の座に居座り続けたのですから」 なるほどねぇ、グラウィオール帝国の拡張政策の裏にはそういったドロドロがあったわけか、と納得するレヴァン。 それとこの皇女様、見かけによらずさらりと毒を吐くな、と思った。 「とは言え17年間も国の中枢を掌握していた摂政の息の掛かった者共はすでに政・官・軍に多大な影響を及ぼしています。基本的には彼らのスタンスは、イーオン聖王国のご機嫌伺いをして、なあなあでぬるま湯に浸ろうというものです。そうした不正や腐敗を取り除くために、改革が必要であるというのが皇帝派の一致した見解なのですが......」 「旧摂政の流れを組む宰相派が、その障害になっている、と」 レヴァンの相槌に、微妙な表情を浮かべるオリアーナ皇女。 「最大の障害なのは確かですが、ウォーレンはもともと摂政とは関係ありません、それどころか改革を推進する父の右腕だったとも聞きます」 意外な話に困惑するレヴァン。 「それがなんでまた、旧摂政派の旗頭に?」 「......結局のところ、見限られたのでしょう。父である今上帝の元では改革は断行できないと。より現実的な力による改革を推し進めるためには、旧摂政派やイーオン聖王国の力を借りたほうが有効であると。現在、表向きは皆、皇帝に忠誠を誓っては居ますが、実際には政・官のほとんどがウォーレンに掌握されています。辛うじて軍の3分の1が皇帝に従っているというところですね」 それから熱の篭った目でレヴァンの目を見た。 「時間がありません、わたしたちは何としてもこの均衡を崩さねばならないのです。たとえ外部からの力を借りても」 言いたいことはわかる。結局、連邦時代の自分たちがやったことと同じだろう。だが、問題もある。 途端、表情を曇らせるオリアーナ皇女。 「......到底飲める条件ではありません」 「ならば、残念ですがオレから言えることはありません」 レヴァンの言葉に唇を噛んで無言になる彼女。 グラウィオール帝国の首都アルゼンタムの下町に近いとある焼肉店で、二人の少女が火花を散らしていた。 鉄板の隅でじゅうじゅうと肉汁を滴らせる牛肉(ちなみに食用の肉牛というのは存在しないので、基本牛肉は働けなくなった老牛か乳牛である。そのため、肉のランクとしては、豚>羊>牛となる)に、少女二人の視線が集中する。 程よく焼けたところで、獣人族らしい目の大きな栗色の髪をした少女が、再度肉をひっくり返そうとしたところで、こちらは場末の焼肉屋にまったくそぐわない黒いフリルとリボンで飾られたドレスを着た、長い黒髪のとんでもない美貌の少女の右手が、目にも留まらぬ速さで動いた。 逆手に握ったフォークが獣人族の少女が手にするフォークとナイフを弾いて、焼肉の中央に突き刺さった。 そのまま手元に引きようとする黒髪の少女だが、すかさず両手のフォークとナイフで押さえ付ける獣人族の少女。 そのまま数秒間、膠着状態に陥る。 「ヒユキ様、これはあたしが育てていた肉なんですけど?」 「育てるも何も、注文したのは私のほうだけど?」 「別にこれを食べなくても、他にも食べるものは一杯あるんじゃないですか?」 「それはこっちの台詞だよ。さっきから見てたら、君ってお肉を食べすぎだよ。私が『肉肉野菜肉野菜』のペースで食べてるのに、そっちは『肉肉野菜肉肉肉』なんだから、これは私の分だと思うんだよね。野菜食べないと体に悪いよ」 そのまま綱引き状態が続いたが、最終的に6:4の割合で獣人族、黒髪の少女が妥協した。 「ところで」食後のお茶を飲みながら、黒髪の少女――緋雪がなにげない風に尋ねた。「レヴァンは本当に宮殿にいるの?」 「間違いありませんっ」大きく頷く獅子族の巫女アスミナ。「あたしの勘と占いでは、 ビシッと窓から見えるこの街の中心――アルゼンタム宮殿を指差す。 「あと、あたしのアンテナが、 う~~む、そのあたりが微妙に信頼性を損なってるんだよねぇ。と若干不信感の混じった目で謎の電波を受信しているアスミナを見るが、本人はいまから殴り込みかける気120%である。 ――他国の宮殿かぁ。また面倒臭いところを指定したものだねぇ。 どーしたもんかと考え込む緋雪であった。

75 Episode Xi: Meat Vegetables It was Levan's sentiment about Oriana that you were such a stranger's princess. Well, I don't deserve much surprise because there is a bi-perfection around me who likes his brother-in-law (oh dear) too much and is crazy sister-in-law (or whatever), or an insane chunk of princess like common sense itself is bypassing, or what a word 'weirdo' has left behind... or maybe it's still a range of common sense people. - Happiness or unhappiness, his hedge of common sense and insanity, thinking that way, was Levan, who didn't realize it was getting so low. According to her story, I had fallen on that rainy day around the palace's detached palace, the courtyard, right here in the heart of Argentina, the imperial capital of the Grawior Empire. Empress Oriana, who wanted to pass there by chance - everything, "I like the smell of green just before it rained or just after" - came to hear the song of Son Lion's Singh to see how she was doing, and discovered herself falling in the midst of a bloodstain. "I thought you were a stray cat, but you picked up a very hairy cat." And, she was putting it in her mouth lightly, but I think it's normal to call the guards at that point, but somehow she worked with the samurai earlier to bring them secretly into this out-of-home room where she lives for treatment. I asked why. "Because, no matter what, you're not a bad guy, and I was interested in talking to the Beast clan up close for the first time. Besides, I was just wondering why you have such adorable pets and dolls." Rigid answers returned that there was no fruit or lid. That's why my consciousness was hazy for the first day or two and I can barely remember, but on day 3 or so, it got a lot better, I made a brief introduction, and then I was talking to her about the bump that just came to see how things were going. On day 4, I had no problems opening my mouth, so why did I come to Argentina? The existence of a transfer device discovered in the Free Alliance of Cres and free trade negotiations with countries using it. To prepare for this, he told us about a secret pre-negotiation visit from Imperial Chancellor Warren, where the assassins attacked him and killed all his associates, and that he had evacuated himself to the scene, perhaps with some sort of magic that Scarlet Snow had done. Empress Oriana said in the surprise of hearing it - in the first place, that neither the transfer device nor the negotiations with the Free Alliance of Cres had themselves been played more than ever - that she had left the room that day, thinking with a difficult face. And today, the fifth day, I've managed to recover enough strength to wake up my body. I was sitting beside the bed listening to funny episodes of my sister-in-law (or whatever) talking about her insanity - the samurai standing next to her had decided it was a complete horror story and spit on her brow - she, but just separated, fu, true face. "As for that night, I made a confirmation, but there was no intelligence movement. It could be a raid in the hands of Warren or an outside collaborator." "That's... rude speculation, isn't it? The samurai frowned, but Empress Oriana nodded with a face that complimented the well-made student. "There is certainly no physical evidence. But there was a raid that night in the first place, not to mention the fact that the envoys of the Free Alliance of Cres had never come or had any victims. I don't know if Cress asked me, but I'm guessing Warren, the prime minister, is the only one who can do that." ......... Knowing that his murdered companions had been buried in the darkness, he opened his mouth as if he had remembered "speaking of which," taking into account the heart of Levan, who had a dark face, or the Empress Oriana, who had been silent for a while. "I have never met you, but is it true that His Majesty Hiyuki of Imperial Crimson, the Crimson of the Crimson Empire, is a good man of the Dungeons? Lift 'Chibi Scarlet Snow' on Levan's pillow as I say it. "- Yeah... yeah. He's a much more mysterious beauty, much like that doll." Levan twisted her neck to her words, which included grief. "What's that? "... well, to be honest, the forces of the Empire are currently divided into two parts." With a sighing voice, Empress Oriana looked again into Levan's eyes. "Are you the Prime Minister and the Resistance?" Levan put it out of her mouth imagining, I guess, from the way the story went, but Empress Oriana shook her head. "? The emperor himself opposes the prime minister, and that divides the country? Princess Oriana laughs bitterly at the natural doubt, to put it naturally. "You're right to be ashamed. In the first place, my father, who is now God, was made emperor 20 years ago, because the former emperor was defeated when he was 14 years old, but at that time he was young, so my great-uncle... from my point of view, the person who hit my great-grandfather's brother became Regent..." Keep looking up here and throwing up. "This is another irresistible stupidity, because instead of privatizing the country and rotting the stalls that were just about to tilt it, quoting, asking the Holy King's kingdom to shoulder a great deal of debt, wasting war and persecuting the Beast Nation, and on top of that, my father would continue to regularize after adulthood and die at the age of 98 three years ago - typically for the sake of his hateful offspring - he would continue to sit on the seat of the supreme power" I see, Levan, convinced that there was such a drool behind the expansionary policies of the Grawior Empire. And I thought, this princess, don't spit out the poison without seeing it. "That said, the breathtaking people of the Regent, who had held the country's centre for 17 years, have already had a great deal of influence on politics, officials and the military. Essentially, their stance is to enquire about the mood of the Eon Holy Kingdom and soak it in lukewarm water. It is the emperor's unanimous view that reforms are needed to remove such injustice and corruption..." "A prime minister forming a stream of former regents is an obstacle to that," he said. On Levan's gavel, Empress Oriana gives a subtle expression. "I'm sure it's the biggest obstacle, but I also hear that Warren originally had nothing to do with Regent, on the contrary, he was the right arm of his father promoting reform" Levan confused by unexpected stories. "That's why again, on the flag of the old Regents? "... in the end, you must have been limited. He said that reform cannot be broken down under God now that he is the Father. He said it would be more effective with the help of the old Regents and the Holy Kingdom of Aeon in order to push for reform by more realistic force. At present, everyone has pledged allegiance to the Emperor, but in fact most of the politicians and officials are under the control of Warren. Hardly a third of the army is following the emperor." Then I looked into Levan's eyes with a feverish eye. "There is no time, we must break this equilibrium at all costs. Even with external help." I know what you're trying to say. In the end, it would be the same thing we did in federal times. But there's also a problem. As soon as possible, Empress Oriana clouds her expression. "... is not exactly a drinkable condition" "Well, unfortunately, there's nothing I can say." She bites her lips into Levan's words and becomes silent. Two girls were scattered with sparks in a BBQ shop close to the lower town of Argentum, capital of the Grawior Empire. Beef that drips carpet and gravy in the corners of an iron plate (by the way, there is no such thing as edible beef cows, so the basic beef is an old cow or dairy cow that can no longer work. For this reason, the rank of the meat is pig > sheep > cow) and the gaze of the two girls is concentrated. Where it was cooked well, a girl with big chestnut hair with beastly eyes tried to turn the meat upside down again, and this one's right hand of a girl with long dark hair extraordinarily beautiful, dressed in a black frill and ribbon adorned by a barbecue shop at the end of the day, moved at a speed that didn't go unnoticed. A fork held backwards played a fork and a knife in the hands of the Beast tribe girl, poking it into the center of the BBQ. A brunette girl who tries to pull it on hand as it is, but still holds it down with a fork and a knife with both hands. Stay put for a few seconds and fall into adhesive condition. "Master Hyuki, is this the meat I was growing? "Nothing to grow, I'm the one who ordered it? "You don't have to eat this, do you have a cup of something else to eat? "That's our dialogue. From what I've seen, you eat too much meat. [M] You think this is for me because I'm eating at the pace of Meat, Meat, Vegetables, Meat, Meat, Meat. It's bad for you if you don't eat vegetables." The contour continued as it was, but eventually the Beast tribe, the brunette girl compromised in a 6: 4 ratio. "By the way," she asked the brunette girl, drinking tea after meals - a wind full of scarlet snow. "Is Levan really in the palace? "Definitely." Asmina, a lion witch who snorts loudly. "My understanding and fortune tells me that my brother-in-law is in the heart of this city! The center of this city, visible through a bissi window - points to the Argentum Palace. "And then my antenna captures the shadow of another woman approaching my brother-in-law! Let's go and secure it, Master Hiyuki." Uh-huh, the neighborhood is subtly compromising reliability. and sees Asmina receiving a mysterious wave with a slightly distrustful eye, but the person is now 120% willing to punch in. - A palace in another country. I've specified the annoying smell again. It was scarlet snow thinking about what had happened.

第三話 少年少女 「くそっ、この犬っころがっ!」 力任せに振るった刃がウォードッグの体をわずかに捕らえるが、分厚い毛皮に阻まれ、またインパクトの直前にかわされたため、ほとんどダメージを与えられずまた距離を取られた。 「――ガウッ!!」 それどころか逆に体勢が崩れた瞬間を狙って、後ろに居たもう一匹が留守になった少年の足首に噛み付いてきた。 「うわっ――!?」 幸い分厚いブーツのお陰でどうにか牙が通らず、傷を負わずに済んだが、相手は噛み付いたままさらに捻りを加えてブーツを食い破ろうとしている。 ぶんぶん足を振り回しても放す様子もなく......そこではっと気付いて、焦りながらも剣を逆手に握って、その背中に剣先を突き入れようとした瞬間、先ほどのもう一匹が今度は無防備な少年の首筋を狙って跳躍してきた。 「うわわ――っ!?!」 思わずへっぴり腰で、反射的に剣を盾にするようにしてその牙を受け止めるが、不安定な体勢のまま勢いに押され、さらにウォードックに圧し掛かられ転んでしまった。 「・・・ひィ!!」 こうなればもう嬲り殺しとばかり、二頭のウォードックが真っ赤な口を開けた――刹那、なぜか同時に弾かれたように少年の体の上から離れ、おどおどと周囲を見回した後、空を見上げた途端、 「――キャン?!」 哀れな鳴き声とともに、尻尾を丸めてその場から一目散に逃げ出した。 「・・・た、助かったのか・・・?」 仰向けになったまま呆然と呟いた少年の体の上を、次の瞬間巨大な影が覆った。 その黄金色の瞳がじろりと少年の姿を捕らえ、総毛立った少年は目を瞠り、今度こそ完全に腰を抜かして、 「――ひ、ひぃぃぃ!!」 手にした剣を捨て、ダンゴ虫のように頭を抱えてその場に丸くなった。――その一瞬、 だが、待てど暮らせど何も起こらず、周囲の光景にも変化があるようには思えない。 そう思ってそろそろと亀が様子を窺うように首だけ伸ばし始めた少年の背中に、まるで銀の鈴を鳴らしたような澄んだ少女の声が掛けられた。 変な女の子だ。 というのが少年――今年15歳になる新米冒険者ジョーイの感想だった。 訳のわからない質問に振り返って見た時、 「・・・月の女神様だ」 思わずポツリと口からこぼれたくらい、そこには信じられないくらい綺麗な少女が立っていたのだ。 真っ白い肌は月光を溶かして塗り固めたようにシミ一つなく、腰より長い黒髪は夜の闇と星々を散りばめたように艶やかで、不思議な光沢を放つ赤い瞳は全てを見透かすように神秘的で、小振りな顔の造作ときたら、年に一度祭りで決められる街一番の美女がカボチャか お伽噺で聞かせられる『絶世の』とか『傾国の』とかいう表現でしか表せない息の呑むほどの美貌であった。 「――そう真正面から褒められると、ちょっとこそばゆいものがあるねえ」 目を細め、照れた様子で頬のあたりを細い指先で掻く少女の仕草に、やっと目の前にいるのが生身の人間だと認識したジョーイは、はっと正気を取り戻して、のろのろと地面から立ち上がると、落ちていた剣を拾って鞘に収め、パンパンと軽く体についた土や砂を払って、今度こそ冷静に少女に向き直った。 見た感じ年は10~12歳くらいだろう。着ているものは値段の想像もつかないくらい上等な、膝下までの黒のドレスでところどころまるで生きた花のような見事な赤い薔薇のコサージュが施されている。 実際この取り合わせは神秘的なこの少女にピッタリで、ヘアバンドや真っ白いソックス、黒のローファーにも薔薇の飾りが付いていた。 手にした真っ白いフリルをふんだんにあしらった日傘といい、到底こんな場所にいるとは思えない深窓の姫君という風情である。 場違い。 一言で言うならこれしかないだろう。いろいろ言いたいことあるが、それよりもいまは先に確認すべきことが別にある。 「な、なあ、いまさっき黄金色の その言葉になぜか一瞬目を泳がせた少女は、 「――ああ、あれね。なんか一瞬で飛び去って行ったみたいだけど、凄かったねー」 こう、ぴゅーっとね、と何もない空の彼方を指差した。 大きく安堵の吐息を漏らすジョーイを、なぜか興味津々という顔で見つめる少女。 「ふーん、反応は普通の人と変わらないみたいだね。やっぱしAIとかじゃないか...」 そう言ってなにかに納得した顔で頷く。 一方『普通の人』扱いされたジョーイはなんとなくカチンときて、 「言っとくけど俺はプロの冒険者なんだ。そこいらの一般人と同じに考えるなよ」 そう言って胸を張ってみせた。 すると一転して目を丸くした少女が、子供のように目を輝かせて少年を見た。 「へえーっ、冒険者! 本物の冒険者を生で見られるなんて感激だねぇ」 思いがけない食いつきの良さに、気をよくしたジョーイは胸ポケットからギルド証を取り出して見せた。 「そうだろう。こいつが証拠の冒険者ギルドのギルド証だ」 何で出来てるのかはわからないが、薄い金属の板に書かれたジョーイの名前や所属、レベルなどを、少女は食い入るような目で確認している。 「ジョーイ・アランド。15さい。アーラしぼうけんしゃ...ああ、アーラ市冒険者ギルド所属、ね。 Fランク。けんし......拳士じゃなくて剣士だよね、剣持ってるし。 ほうしょうちょうばつりれきなし。ひらがなとカタカナだけだと読みづらいなぁ――漢字って使ってないの?」 「・・・妙な具合にチャンポンしてる世界だねぇ」 なぜか難しい顔でため息をつかれた。 「――まあいいか。ああ、ごめんね長話をして。お仕事中の邪魔しちゃ悪いからそろそろお暇しないと」 ぺこりと軽く頭を下げて踵を返そうとする少女を、ジョーイは慌てて止めた。 「ちょ、ちょっと待てよっ。これからどこに行くつもりだ?」 「もちろん街だけど? さっき上から...ああ、いや、遠目にあっちに街が見えたんで取りあえず向かうつもりだけど」 当然という顔で日傘の先をアーラ市の方角へ向け、ついでに日傘を広げて差す少女のあまりにも無防備な様子にジョーイは頭を抱えた。 ここから歩いて行ったら子供の脚では日暮れまでに着けば良い方だろう。 いや、そもそもこんな美貌で高価な身なりをした少女が、一人で歩いてたどり着けるわけがない。 さすがに山賊なんかはいないだろうが、どこにでも まだ依頼を達成していないジョーイは一瞬悩んだが、ためらいを振り切って決断した。 「・・・ああ、もういい。俺が街まで送ってってやるよ!」 言った言葉の意味がピンとこないのか、少女は可愛らしく小首を傾げた。

7 Lesson Three: Boys And Girls "Damn, you dog! A blade wielded by force captured Wardog's body slightly, but was inhibited by thick fur and squeezed just before impact, so it did little damage and was distanced again. "- Gaw!!" On the contrary, the other one, who was behind me, bit me in the ankle of the boy who was away, aiming at the moment of his disfigurement. "Wow -!?" Fortunately, thanks to the thick boots, I managed not to get my fangs through and didn't have to scratch them, but the opponent is trying to eat through the boots by adding more twists with the bite. Probably no way to shake my leg or let it go...... so I noticed all the time, in a hurry, the moment I grabbed my sword backwards and tried to stick my sword tip in its back, the other one earlier jumped for the defenseless boy's neck this time. "Wow - what!?!" Unexpectedly with his hips, he reflexively attempts to shield his sword to receive its fangs, but he is pushed into momentum while remaining in an unstable position, further pressed and falling by Wardock. "... hii!!" If this happens, it's just a slaughter already, and the two Wardocks opened their bright red mouths - the moment, as soon as they somehow left the boy's body as it was played at the same time and looked around most of them, they looked up at the sky. "-Can?! With a pitiful squeal, he rounded his tail and escaped from the spot at a glance. "... did you help...? A huge shadow covered the next moment over the boy's body, whimpering as he lay on his back. His golden eyes grabbed the boy, and the total furry boy glanced at him, and now it was time to completely slip out of his hips, "-Hi, hi, no!!" He threw away the sword in his hand and circled on the spot holding his head like a dango worm. - At that moment, I also think I saw something like a shadow on the back of the True Dragon Enchanted Dragon, but it would be too much illusion of fear. But nothing happened as long as I lived, and it doesn't seem like there's a change in the surrounding sights. A clear girl's voice rang as if it were a silver bell on the boy's back when he thought it was time and the turtle started stretching only his neck to see how it was going. She's a weird girl. That was the boy - the sentiment of Joey, the new American adventurer who turns 15 this year. When I looked back at the inexplicable question, "... the goddess of the moon." There was an incredibly beautiful girl standing there, so much so that she accidentally spilled out of her mouth. The bright white skin is spotless as the moonlight has been melted and applied and hardened, the dark hair longer than the waist is lustrous as scattered with darkness and stars at night, the red eyes that emit a strange glow are mysterious to see through everything, and when making a small face, the best beauty in the city that can be decided once a year at the festival seems like pumpkins or kamako. It was a breathtaking beauty that can only be represented by expressions such as "extinct" and "inclined country" that can be made heard in the Oga. "- Well, when you're praised directly from the front, there's something a little awkward." Joey, who finally recognized that it was the biological person in front of him to narrow his eyes and scratch the area of his cheeks with thin fingertips in a lit manner, rose from the ground cursorily, picking up the sword that had fallen and putting it in the sheath, paying the bread and the soil and sand lightly on his body, this time turned calmly to the girl. Feels like I saw it. It would be about 10-12 years old. What you're wearing is superior to the price you can't imagine, a black dress down to your knees with a stunning red rose costume by the way as if it were a living flower. In fact, this combination was perfect for this mysterious girl, who also had rose embellishments on her hair band, bright white socks and black loafers. It is called an umbrella with plenty of bright white frills in my hand, and it is the feeling of a princess in a deep window who I don't think is in such a place after all. Out of place. This would be the only way to put it in a nutshell. I have a lot to say, but there is nothing more to be confirmed now than that. "Hey, didn't the golden True Dragon" Enchanted Dragon just fly?! The girl who somehow let the words swim her eyes for a moment, "- Oh, that one. Looks like he flew away in a flash, but it was amazing." I pointed to the other side of the sky where there was nothing. The girl stares at Joey, who leaks a loud and relieved exhale, with a face of intrigue for some reason. "Hmm, you seem to react no differently than a normal person. I thought it was AI or something..." I nodded with a face that convinced me of something. Meanwhile, Joey, who was treated as a 'normal person', was somewhat of a dick, "I'm telling you, I'm a professional adventurer. Don't think like the ordinary people there." That's what I said and let him stretch his chest. Then the girl, who turned and circled her eyes, glanced at the boy like a child. "Heehee, adventurer! I'm thrilled to see a real adventurer alive." To the unexpected goodness of eating, Joey, concerned, took his guild card out of his chest pocket and showed it. "I guess so. This is the guild card for the Evidence Adventurer Alliance." I don't know what it's made of, but the girl sees Joey's name, affiliation, level, etc. written on a thin sheet of metal. "Joey Alland. 15 Sai. Ara Squishy... Oh, belonging to the Ara City Adventurers Guild, right? F-rank. Ken... you're a swordsman, not a fist, you have a sword. Horseradish. It's hard to read that Hiragana and Katakana are the only ones - you don't use kanji? "... it's a strange world to be championing." For some reason I was sighed with a difficult face. "- Fair enough. Oh, I'm sorry. Have a long story. I'm sorry to disturb you while you're at work, but it's time to spare time." Joey hastily stopped the girl trying to turn her heels back with her head slightly lowered with dust. "Hey, wait a minute. Where are you going now? "Of course it's a city? From the top... oh, no, I saw the city over there in the distance, so I'm just gonna head over there." Joey held his head in the way of the girl who, naturally, pointed the tip of her umbrella in the direction of the city of Ara and then spread her umbrella. If you walk away from here, on the kids' legs, you should get there by sundown. No, there's no way a girl of such beauty and expensive stature can get there on foot alone in the first place. There won't be any bandits, but there are broken doors and criminals everywhere. Joey, who had not yet accomplished the request, worried for a moment, but made the decision by shaking off his hesitation. "... oh, that's enough. I'll give you a ride to the city! The girl tilted her little neck adorably because the meaning of the words she said was not pinned.

第十二話 宰相受難 その日、いつものように王宮から(物理的にも精神的にも)離れた別館で執務を執り行っていた、グラウィオール帝国宰相ウォーレンは、ふと慌しく廊下を行き交う使用人たちの足音と、屋敷全体を取り巻く気ぜわしげな雰囲気に、神経質そうな眉をひそめた。 執務中は余人が傍にいると邪魔になるので常に一人でいるのだが、さすがにたまらなくなって執務机の隅に置いてある呼び鈴(魔道具で隣室に控えている秘書の呼び鈴と連動している)を鳴らした。 即座に飛んできた秘書官に向かい、ウォーレンは唸るように問いかけた。 「何事だ、この騒ぎは?!」 「それが、その......閣下に逢わせろと、娘が二人やってきて門前で押し問答をしているそうでして......」 言いにくそうに答える秘書をじろりと射すくめるように睨みつける。 「なんだそれは。アポイントメントはあるのか?」 「いいえ。それどころか、片方の娘は獣人のようで......」 『獣人』という言葉に、先日始末したクレス自由同盟国の密使のことが脳裏に浮かんだ。 同時に、連中の代表者のみが生死不明ということで、仕事を任せた自称フリーの暗殺者――実態は聖王国の二重スパイだろうと睨んでいる男――を、さんざん罵倒して追い出したことも続けて思い出した。 おそらくは跳ね上がり者の獣人が、連中の安否を確認に押しかけてきたのだろう......それにしては二人、それも娘だけというのも不可解だが、あるいは単に身内を心配してやってきた家族の者なのかも知れない。 「くだらん。そのような者どもはさっさと追い返せ。そんな子供でもできる仕事ができんのか、貴様らは?」 「も、申し訳ございません。ただ、もう一人の娘が身支度からして明らかに貴人でございまして、手荒な真似をしてよいか、門番も迷っているようで」 『貴人』という言葉に、なぜかぞくりと嫌な予感を覚え、居なくなった暗殺者の存在が急に大きく感じられたが、表面上は平然と聞き返した。 「名前は名乗っているのか?」 「いえ、尋ねても『知らないほうがお互いの為』と訳のわからぬ答えが返って来るだけとか」 「名前も名乗らん相手と面会する必要はないな。多少手荒な真似をしても構わん。さっさとお引取り願え」 「はっ。わかりました」 慌てて退室する秘書官の後姿を眺めながら、「この程度の判断もできんのか。無能め!」と発作的に叫び出しそうになるのを押さえる。 つくづくこの国は腐っている。国の中枢を担う官僚――当然、貴族である――でさえこの程度なのだから。 血脈こそが人間の資質のすべてであると考え、だからこそ生まれつき優れた存在だと驕り、そこから一歩も踏み出せずに居る者ども。 やはり改革が必要だ。その為には綿密な下準備をして、手回しを行い、腐った患部を一気に摘出するための時間と手間隙を怠るわけにはいかない。 そう決意を新たに、次の書類に取り掛かった――数分後、先ほどの騒ぎを忘れかけたところで、執務室の扉が廊下側から轟音を立てて吹き飛ばされた。 「な――っ!?」 さすがに顔色を変えて立ち上がったところへ、壊れた扉の向こうから、ひょっこりと小柄な影が顔を出した。 「神経質そうな中年、鷲鼻、目つき悪い、アッシュブロンド......ああ、ここで間違いないようだね。突然だけどお邪魔するよ」 ウォーレンの特徴を指折り数えながら、納得いった顔で少女が入ってきた。 年齢は12~13歳ほど。腰まで届く長い黒髪を流し、緋色の瞳をした凍えつくほどの美貌の少女。 黒を貴重とした豪奢なドレスに見事な赤薔薇のコサージュを施した衣装をまとった、彼女の姿をひと目見てウォーレンは驚愕に目を剥いた。 「なんのことやら。私はちょっと焼肉を食べに来た観光客だよ」 わざとらしく肩をすくめる緋雪。 ごくりと唾を飲み込んだウォーレンは、それでも表面上は平静な顔を取り繕い、椅子に再度腰を下ろした。 「その観光客がなんの御用ですかな? 生憎とここは観光コースからは外れていると思いますが」 「ん~~、まあ、実のところ探し人がいてさ。その行方を聞こうかと思って来たんだけど、途中で目的はだいたい果たせたかな。さっきの秘書が必要な情報を教えてくれたし」 内心で秘書官の男を罵倒しながら、「ほう」と鷹揚な態度で聞き返すウォーレン。 「拷問でもなさいましたか?」 「まっさかぁ! 邪魔する連中は――まあ、彼らもそれが仕事なんだから仕方ないけど、警告の上で排除...じゃなくて、『不幸な事故で消えてなくなった』んだっけ?――でお引取り願って、彼の場合はそれを見て、 本気で同情しているらしい口調の緋雪に、苛立たしげにウォーレンが反駁する。 「好き嫌いで仕事はやっておれませんからな。そうした屑どもを指揮監督する立場の者が、迎合しては意味がないでしょう。兎に角、目的が果たせたのならお帰り願いたいのですが?」 「そーかな、屑の親分はやっぱし屑だと思うけど? ――まあ、所詮は他人事なのでどーでもいいといえばいいんだけどさ、やっぱ、うちの身内をだまし討ちしてくれたお礼はさせてもらうよ」 「......私を殺すつもりですか? お国と帝国、聖王国との世界戦争が起きますぞ?」 「そこで自力でなんとかしようと思わないところが、もう終わってるねぇ。――ああ、別に殺しはしないよ、私は平和主義者だからね。まあ都合のいい平和じゃないと嫌だけど」 自嘲するように軽く肩をすくめて続ける。 「そんなわけで、私は2~3百発殴るくらいで我慢するけど。――アスミナ、君はどうする?」 その言葉に応えて、廊下側から獣人族らしい民族衣装をまとった女の子が現れた。 様の敵なんですから、あたしは八つ裂きにしても飽き足らないですけど...」 「――ん。じゃあ八つ裂きにする?」 晩御飯の買い物に一品追加する感覚で軽く言い放つ緋雪。 「いいえ、こんなのに時間をかけている暇はありません。さっさと壊して晒し者にでもして放置しておけばいいと思いますっ」 「晒して放置って......んじゃあ、全裸で大門の前にでも逆さ吊りにでもする?」 「ああ、いいですね。あと全身を永久脱毛にして、股間に『短小』って張り紙でもしておいて、あと下半身に○○でも突っ込んで、男に生まれたことを後悔させておけば完璧ですね」 最後のはさすがにいろいろ同情を禁じえないねぇ、とぼやきつつも止める気はまったくなさそうである。 そんな、軽いノリで話す二人の少女の姿をした悪魔を前に、ウォーレンは今日まで自分の築き上げてきた全てが、ガラガラと足元から崩れ去ろうとしているのを理解して戦慄した。 その後、一仕事終えて、まったく爽やかでない汗を拭いながら、大門を背に宮殿の方へ向かうボクとアスミナ――大門の騒ぎを聞きつけて、物見高い連中が大挙して押し寄せるので人の流れと逆行して歩くのはちょっと骨――だったけど、正直、レヴァンの行方について目立った進展がなくてがっかりしていた。 ひょっとしたら宰相の方でなにか掴んでないかと思ったんだけど、こちらでも実質空振りだったし――まあ、個人的に制裁したのは半分八つ当たりだね――こうなると、アスミナの勘を信じて王宮に乗り込むしかないんだけど、ボクが行くのはかなり難しいんだよねぇ。 国交がないどころか、現在紛争地帯を抱えている国同士なんだから、公式訪問は難しそうだし、かといってこっそり忍び込もうとしても、絶対に防御結界が張ってあるから感知されると思うし、アミティアの王宮みたいに秘密の抜け穴があって、その存在を宰相が知ってるんじゃないかと、拳でのお話し合いの途中で 「それで、これからどうやって宮殿に乗り込むんですか?」 アスミナが鼻息荒く尋ねてきた。 ――これは止めようがないねぇ。 「正面から乗り込むのは、戦争覚悟だけど......まあ、宰相の情報が確かなら、はりぼての軍隊らしいから問題なさげなんだけど、皇帝一派は今回の件に無関係らしいので、できれば回避したいところだねぇ」 「それじゃあ裏から忍び込んだらどうでしょうか?」 当然のように言われたけど、それが出来ないから悩んでるんだけどね。 と言うボクの懸念を理解してか、アスミナは大きく胸を叩いた。 「大丈夫ですよ。この都に来たときから、宮殿への潜入ルートはハリちゃんに探らせておきましたので」 そう言うアスミナの胸元からオコジョに似た霊獣――ハリが顔を出した。 「この子の案内があれば、 自信満々に言い放つアスミナだけど、前にも似たようなシチュエーションを経験して逆さ吊りとなった身としては、大いに不安を覚えるところなんだけどねぇ......。 「――いやいや、さすがに素人さんにはキツイんじゃないですかね」 と、不意に横合いから聞き覚えのある声がした。 咄嗟にアスミナを抱えてその場から飛び退いて、即座に 「どーも、お久しぶり......というか、先日ぶりですかね? なんにせよ奇遇ですね、お嬢さん」 親しげな彼の態度に、 「......お知り合いなんですか?」 アスミナが義兄のレヴァンと似たような反応をする。 顔色を変えるアスミナに向け、細い目をさらに細める影郎さん。 「どーもー。本業は商人ですが、副業に暗殺者もやってます。先日はバイトでお兄さんとも顔合わせもしました。まあ、お嬢さんともどもよろしゅうに」 悪びれることなく自己紹介する影郎さんの一挙一動に注意しながら、ボクはアスミナを守る形で前に出た。 「まだこの街にいたんだね。てっきりもう移動してるかと思ったけど、目的は宰相の復讐?」 「まさかまさか。こっちは途中で仕事を乾されてカツカツなんですよ~。そんで少しでも稼ごうと思って、本業の方でがんばってたところで、いまさらあのオッサンがどうなろうと知ったことじゃありませんわ。――つーか、見てて面白かったですわ」 ......つまり、こちらの動きはマークしてたってことだね。 「バイトってことは、やっぱり宰相が黒幕ってわけじゃなかんだね。それじゃあ、いまは真の黒幕の指示で動いているってわけ?」 「いやいや。ホントに今回は偶然なんですよ~。ついつい愛しいお嬢さんの姿が見えたもんで、こっそり伺っていただけで」 いちいちリアクションがわざとらしい彼の態度をアスミナも不快に思ったのか、ボクの背中越しに聞いてきた。 「ストーカーですか?」 間髪入れないボクの返事に、これ見よがしに右手を瞼に押し当て「そないな殺生な...」と肩を振るわせる影郎さん。 「ウソ泣きですね」 「この人、基本ウソしかつかないからね」 ボクたちの冷めた感想に、 「まあ、それはそれとして......」 変わり身も早く、まったく濡れていない顔を上げて話題を変えてきた。 「お二人のお話を小耳に挟んだんですが、なんや、宮殿にあのお坊ちゃんがいるとか。――緋雪お嬢さんの仕業ですか?」 「......そのあたりは企業秘密だね」 ボクの答えに、「そら仕方ないですなぁ」と両手を上げて降参のポーズをとる影郎さん。 「それを知ってどうするつもり! まさか、これ以上レヴァン 興奮した猫みたいに敵意を剥き出しにするアスミナ。――って言うか、レヴァンが宮殿にいるのって君の山勘だけが根拠なんだから、そこら辺が確定事項みたいに話をするのもどーかと思うんだけどねぇ。 「いや~、もうその仕事は終わったことですし。自分はプロじゃないんで、別に最後まで始末つけないと沽券に関わるとか、そういう意識はないので、いまさらどーでもいいことですね~。銭にもならんし」 本気でどうでもいいという顔で、パタパタを手を振る影郎さんを、多少毒気を抜かれた表情で胡散臭そうに眺めてから、言葉の真贋を確認するような顔でボクを見るアスミナ。 う~~ん、この人の場合、言ってることは基本ウソなんだけど、ウソと本当の境目が曖昧というかコロコロ変わるので判断がつきかねるってとこなんだよねぇ。 そんなボクの困惑を楽しみように、影郎さんは揉み手しながら続けた。 「そんなわけで、いまいろいろと物入りでして、ちょうど手も空いていることですし、ひとつ王宮に忍び込むのに、自分を雇っちゃくれませんかね? 確実に送り届けてみせますよ。あ、罠とかじゃないですよ」 その言葉に、ボクとアスミナは顔を見合わせた。 「......ぜったい罠だね」 期せずして二人の意見が一致した。

76 Episode Xii: The Chancellor In Distress Warren, Imperial Chancellor of Grawior, who, as usual, was performing his duties in an annex (physically and spiritually) away from the Royal Palace, twisted his nervous eyebrows in the footsteps of servants rushing down the hallway and in the loving atmosphere surrounding the entire mansion. I am always alone when the other person is beside me during my errand, but I just can't wait to ring the call (linked to the secretary's call that I refrain from in the next room with a magic prop) that is placed in the corner of the desk. Heading to the secretary, who immediately flew in, Warren asked to roar. "What is this noise?!" "That's the thing... My two daughters are coming and asking questions in front of the gate to meet His Excellency..." I stare at the secretary who answers in such a way that it is difficult to say. "What is that? Do you have an appointment? "No. On the contrary, one daughter looks like an animal man..." The word 'beast man' came to mind about the recently terminated Cles Free Allies' smugglers. At the same time, he continued to recall that only representatives of the people, whose lives and deaths were unknown, threw out the self-proclaimed freelance assassin who entrusted him with the task - a man who seemed to think that the reality would be a double spy of the Holy King. Perhaps a bouncer beast man has pushed them to check their safety... and it's inexplicable that they're two, that's just their daughter, or maybe they're simply family members who have come worried about their bodies. "Crap. Drive them back now. Can you do a job for a child like that? "Also, I'm sorry. It's just that my other daughter is obviously noble because of her personal status, and she seems to be at a loss whether to imitate it by hand or not." I had a bad feeling about the word 'noble' for some reason, and suddenly the presence of an assassin who was gone was felt big, but on the surface I heard it back flat. "Do you have a name? "No, even if you ask, you just get an unexplained answer that says, 'It's better for each other if you don't know'." "I don't even need to meet someone with a name. I don't mind imitating it somewhat rough. Pick it up now." "Ha. Okay." Looking behind the secretary who leaves the room in a hurry, he says, "Can't you even make this degree of judgment? incompetence!" he holds back from screaming episodically. This country that makes it is rotten. Because even the bureaucrats in charge of the country's centre - naturally, they are aristocrats - are to this extent. Those who believe that blood is all about human qualities, and that is why they are born to be superior, and who cannot take a step from it. Reform is still needed. To do this, we cannot afford to carefully prepare ourselves, hand wrap, and neglect the time and hand clearance to remove the rotten affected area at once. So determined anew, I worked on the next paperwork - a few minutes later, I forgot about the earlier noise, and the office door was blown out of the hallway. "Nah!?" Just when I changed my complexion and stood up, from beyond the broken door, a little shadow appeared. "Nervous looking middle-aged, eagle nose, badly eyed, ash blonde...... oh, sounds pretty sure here. Suddenly, I'm sorry to bother you." A girl came in with a satisfied face, pointing and counting Warren's characteristics. Age is about 12-13 years old. A girl of frozen beauty with long dark hair that reaches down to her waist and scarlet eyes. Warren glanced at her with amazement, dressed in a luxurious black dress with a stunning red rose costume. "Oh, my God. I'm a little bit of a BBQ tourist." Scarlet snow shrugging her shoulders deliberately. Warren, who swallowed the sawdust and spit, nevertheless repaired a calm face on the surface and lowered his back again to the chair. "What can I do for that tourist? Hate and I think this place is off the tourist course." "Mm-hmm. Well, as a matter of fact, there's a searcher. I've been thinking about asking where that went, but I guess I could have served more or less my purpose along the way. The secretary just gave me the information I needed." Warren asks back in an eagle attitude, cursing the secretary's man in the heart. "Were you also tortured? "Ma-sa! The people who get in the way - well, they can't help but rule it out because that's their job too, but on the warning... instead of 'disappeared in an unfortunate accident'? - So I hoped to pick it up, and in his case, he saw it, and he peppered himself without having to use the Devil's Eye (Evil Eye). Yeah, you got away with most of the rest of the staff.... No, you're not liked by the people who make you." Warren disproves in frustration at the scarlet snow in a tone that seems to be genuinely sympathetic. "I don't do my job because I like it or not. It would not make sense for those in a position to direct and supervise those scraps to meet. Horns on the rabbit, if it served your purpose, would you like to go home? "Well, I guess the parent of the scraps is the scraps after all? - Well, I hope you don't mind if I say it because I'm a different person, but I'll thank you for cheating on our people." "... are you going to kill me? There's gonna be a world war between your country, your empire, your holy kingdom, right? "That's where I don't want to do something on my own, but it's over. - Oh, I'm not gonna kill you, because I'm a pacifist. Well, I hate it if it's not a convenient peace." Continue gently shrugging your shoulders to mock yourself. "That's why I'll put up with about two to three hundred shots. - Asmina, what are you gonna do? In response to that word, a girl appeared from the hallway side in a beastly ethnic costume. "My brother-in-law Levan is my enemy, so I'm not tired of tearing him apart..." "- Mm-hmm. So do you want to tear it to pieces? Scarlet Snow says lightly with the feeling of adding one dish to your dinner shopping. "No, I don't have time for this. I think we should just break it down and leave it alone for the exposed." "Leaving you exposed... then hang naked in front of the main gate or upside down? "Oh, that's good. Perfect if you permanently remove hair all over your body, stick 'small' in your groin, and stick an 'O' in your lower body to make a man regret being born." I can't forbid a lot of sympathy just for the last one, and even the blur doesn't seem to stop me at all. Before such a demon that looked like two girls talking in a light nori, Warren fought with the understanding that everything he had built up to this day was about to collapse from his feet with a rag. Afterwards, after a job, I wiped a perfectly refreshing sweat, and Bok and Asmina headed towards the palace with Daimon on my back - listening to Daimon's noise and walking backwards with the flow of people because the high-profile people make a big push was a bit bone - but honestly, I was disappointed that there had been no noticeable progress on Levan's whereabouts. I thought I might have grabbed something from the Chancellor, but even here it was practically empty - well, I personally sanctioned you on half an eight - and when this happens, I'm going to have to believe Asmina's account and get into the royal palace, but it's pretty hard for me to get there. Instead of having no national traffic, it seems difficult to make an official visit to each other because they are currently countries with conflict zones, and even if they try to sneak in, I think they will be sensed because there is an absolute defensive junction, and I have tried to use the Demon Eye (Evil Eye) to confirm that there is a secret loophole, like the royal palace of Amitia, and that the prime minister knows about its existence, in the middle of my discussions with fists, but I don't know - or I have found that I am almost alienated from the royal family and have not touched those things. "So how do we get into the palace now? Asmina has asked with a rough nose. - There's no stopping this. "Getting in from the front is, I'm ready for war... well, if you're sure of the Prime Minister's information, it seems to be an army in Ribo, so it's not a problem, but it seems the emperor's party has nothing to do with this one, so I'd like to avoid it if I could." "Then why don't you sneak in from behind? I was told as a matter of course, but I'm worried because I can't do that. Understanding my concern, Asmina slapped her breasts heavily. "It's okay. Since I came to the capital, I've let Hari look for the infiltration route to the palace." Spiritual beast similar to Okojo from Asmina's chest saying so - Hari turned up. "With guidance from this child, you should be able to reach your brother-in-law. Whatever obstacles you may have along the way! I say it with confidence, Asmina, but as a person who has experienced similar situations before and hung upside down, I just get a lot of anxiety... "- No, no, that's just how tight you are for an amateur." And, inadvertently, I heard a familiar voice from across. He jumped off the scene with an aspina in his arms and immediately summoned "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)" from the storage space (inventory). "None of them, long time no see... or the other day? Anyway, that's an odd encounter, young lady." To his affectionate attitude, "... do you know him? Asmina reacts similarly to her brother-in-law Levan. Shadow Lang further narrows his thin eyes towards the complexion-changing Asmina. "None of them. The main business is merchants, but I also do assassins for side business. I also met your brother on a part-time basis the other day. Well, say hello to all the ladies." I came forward in a way that protects Asmina, paying attention to every move by Shadow Lang, who introduces herself without being evil. "You were still in this city. I thought you were already on the move, but the purpose is revenge for the Chancellor? "No way. I've been getting my job dried up along the way and it's cute ~. I was just trying to make a little money from it, and I was working on it at the main office, and it's not like I knew what would happen to that Osama. - Well, it was interesting to see." ... I mean, you were marking this move. "A part-time job doesn't mean the Chancellor's behind it, after all. So now you're working on true mastermind instructions? "No, no. It's really a coincidence this time ~. I could still see my dear lady, and I was just sneaking up on her." Asmina was also uncomfortable with his attitude, which was deliberately reactive, and she asked me over my back. "Are you a stalker? In response to my reply, Shadow Lang shook his shoulder when he pressed his right hand against his lid and said, "Don't kill him..." "You're crying a lie" 'Cause this guy can only lie basically.' To our chilling sentiments, "Well, let's just say..." He has changed quickly and has changed the subject with a completely unwet face. "I pinched your two stories in my ear, but what, you think there's that boy in the palace? - Was it Miss Scarlet Snow? "... it's a trade secret around here." To my answer, "I don't have a choice," Shadowloon said, posing as a surrender with his hands up. "What are you going to do when you know that! If you intend to do more harm to Brother Levan (who is here)...! Asmina strips away hostility like an excited cat. - I mean, your mountain survey is the only basis for Levan being in the palace, so I was wondering if we could talk like finalisations around there. "No, I'm done with that job already. I'm not a professional, so if I don't finish it by the end of the day, I'm not aware of it, so it's fine. It's not even a penny." With the face that I seriously don't care, Asmina looks at Shadow Lang waving a patter, looking frigid with a somewhat poisoned look, and then looks at me with a face that confirms the veracity of the words. Uh-huh, in this guy's case, what he's saying is a basic lie, but the lie and the real boundary are vague or colloquial, so he can't make a decision. Shadowloon continued rubbing his hand as he enjoyed my confusion like that. "That's why I'm in a lot of stuff right now, and I'm just free, and would you hire yourself to sneak into one of the royal palaces? I'll make sure you get it delivered. It's not a trap or anything." To the words, Me and Asmina looked at each other. "... it's a trap." The two disagreed indefinitely.

第二十三話 二律背反 空中庭園を上下に貫通する巨大な破砕孔を前にして、榊ら親衛隊の天使たちが眉をしかめる。 「最悪の事態は回避できた。だが、これでは到底当初の目的を完遂できたとは言えんな」 「えーっ、いいじゃん。空中庭園は墜ちなかったんだし、こんな穴ほっとけば直るもんだし、だいたい破壊は姫様も了承したんだろう?」 気楽な口調でそう答えるのは、ユース大公国から急行――単に手持ち無沙汰の暇つぶしのため――してきた、十三魔将軍【ハヌマーン】 この良く言えば天真爛漫、悪く言えば考えなしの発言に、榊が額の辺りを押さえる。 「白夜殿、姫様が了承されたのは結果が出てからの完全な事後承諾であります。それと我々の仕事は、常に 立場上、魔将軍である自分と同格である、親衛隊長榊の苦言に白夜は面倒臭そうに、耳の穴をほじくる。 「聞いてるのですか、白夜殿!?」 「聞いてるけど、どーでもいいいじゃねーか。こうして無事なんだしよ。後は姫様を加勢して、敵の親玉ツブせば終わりだろう」 「そういった乱雑な考え方が、今回のような被害の拡大をもたらしたのです。そもそも白夜殿には、常日頃から一天万乗の君を頂いた栄えある 「......まあまあ、榊の嬢ちゃん。お前さんの気持ちもわかるが、せっかくのお祭り騒ぎだ。わざわざ水を差すこともあるまいて」 渋みのある老練な口調で窘められ、しぶしぶ口を噤む榊。 「ま、儂は見ての通りの図体じゃからして、おいそれと動き回るわけにもいかんが......なにしろ、今回は天涯のひよっこではなく、姫様がわざわざ直接儂のところに足をお運びになっての勅命であったからのぉ。老骨とはいえ骨惜しみするわけにはいかんわい」 からからと笑いながら身も蓋もない返事を返す久遠。 「だよなー。あのコチコチ頭とは、どーにも合わねーもんなー」 ちなみに奔放な性格の白夜は性質的に天涯と馬が合わないが、久遠は久遠で、同じ龍種として天涯を子ども扱いして軽んじている節があった。 そのことに内心苦々しく思いながらも、相手は十三魔将軍の中でも重鎮ということで、文句をぐっと押さえ込む榊の背中に、どこか冷めた声が掛けられた。 「どうやらこちらの仕事は済んだ様子。わたしは主の下へ戻らせていただいてもよろしいか?」 振り返って見れば、一対の翼を広げた赤い髪の女天使が、面白くもなさそうな顔で宙に佇んでいる。 か。ああ、おぬしの伝言のお陰で早急な対策が講ぜられた。ラポック様には、宜しく感謝の意をお伝え願いたい」 「承りました。では――」 儀礼的に頭を下げる彼女。 「待て。姉―― 飛び去ろうとした天使――元緋雪の従魔にして、現らぽっくの従魔である楓――は、空中で一旦立ち止まると、ちらりと榊を振り返り固い口調で答えた。 「必要ありません。――次に逢う時は敵同士でしょうから」 そのまま足早に立ち去る彼女の背中を、榊は難しい顔で見送った。 「なー、おい。姫様の敵の親玉 そこへ、まったく空気を読まずに白夜が、うきうきと尋ねてくる。 「少々お待ちください、命都様に確認いたします」 そう断りを入れて、念話で命都の指示を仰ぐ。 「......現在、姫様とラポック様、タメゴロー様が交戦中。四凶天王もバックアップを執り行っているので、これ以上の戦力の投入は混乱を招きかねないため、必要ないとのことです。周囲の警戒に当たってください」 「なんでぇ、また出番なしかよ」 不貞腐れた様子で、ふらふらどこかに飛んで行く白夜。 「ふむ......では、儂も帰って寝るか」 欠伸交じりに久遠もそう一人ごちると、再び雲海を割って空中庭園基底湖へと戻って行った。 フリーダム過ぎる円卓メンバーたちに眉をしかめつつ、榊は再度周囲を飛行している部下達に警戒を強めるよう指示した。 イーオン聖王国聖都ファクシミレ。神殿中心部『蒼き神の塔』の最上階。 窓から入ってきた使い魔の鳥が見た情報を、肘掛け椅子に座って、文字通り咀嚼しながら“蒼神”はつまらなそうに鼻を鳴らした。 「せっかく緋雪ちゃんと感動的な対面となるかと思っていたのだが。......まあいい、お楽しみはこれからだ」 と、壁に背を預けていた、船乗りのような恰好でターバンを巻き、赤いチョッキを着ただけの褐色の上半身の上に、銀色の刺青をした目の鋭い青年が、仏頂面のまま淡々とした口調で口を開いた。 「いまのはかなり際どかったが......ですが、空中庭園が墜ちていたらかなり危なかったんじゃ......危なかったのでは?」 「そうだな、ここ以外の聖都とその近郊は壊滅......下手をすればイーオン自体が消滅していたかも知れんな」 だからどうした、という口調で蒼神が返す。 青年の方も単に事実を確認したという風に、顔色一つ変えず軽く頷く。 「じゃあ、俺の出番はなさそうなので、帰還する......させてもらいます」 態度こそ慇懃だが、言葉遣いの端々にこの場に対してか、或いは目前の男に対してかは不明だが、辟易している様子がありありと透けて見える。 「ふん。ならついでに少しゴミの処理をして行け」 「......ゴミ?」 蒼神の指示に秀麗な眉をしかめる青年。 「最下層の地下牢に亜茶子を放り込んである。あの馬鹿、大教皇を唆して俺の緋雪を襲わせようとしたらしい。まあ、未遂に終わったのが不幸中の幸いだが」 忌々しげな蒼神の言葉に、さすがに青年の鉄面皮も崩れた。 「そんなことを――。それで、亜茶さんはいま......」 ちらりと壁際に並んだ命珠――掌に乗るサイズの水晶球の内、内側に緑色の炎が揺れているもの――を一瞥して、蒼神は椅子に座ったまま白けた口調で続けた。 「まあ時間の問題だろう。強化した 「いいのか? まだ利用価値はあると思うが......」 明らかに気が進まない様子で、取ってつけた敬語も忘れて問い返す青年。 壁際に並べられている8つの命珠のうち、いまでも光を放っているのは半分の『白銀』『紫』『赤』『緑』の4つだけである。 蒼神は気にした様子もなく、嘲るような含み笑いを漏らした。 「構わんよ。いいかげんアレにも飽きた。所詮は代用品、正真正銘の本物があるとわかった以上、邪魔にしかならん」 無表情でそんな蒼神をじっと眺めていた青年だが、何も言わずに踵を返した。 「ああ、そうそう。さっきの爆音はさすがに聖都全域に聞こえただろうからな。動揺を抑えるように大教皇に伝えておけ。本来ならあの餓鬼、八つ裂きにしても飽き足りんが、あそこまで自由に踊る人形もそうそういないからな。もうしばらくは踊ってもらおう」 蒼神の声を背中に聞きながら、青年は部屋を後にした。 ......しばらく経過して、弱弱しく揺れていた命珠の緑色の炎が消えたのを確認して、蒼神は満足げな笑みを浮かべた。 並んで剣を構えながら、らぽっくさんが声を潜めて話しかけてきた。 「まず、シマムラの奴は斃しても復活ポイントが定められているから、完全に斃すのは無理と思ってくれ。斃した瞬間、多少のデスペナ付きで、どこかにある復活ポイントで復活されてやり直しだ」 ――つまり無限コンテニュー!? なにそのチート! なんか思わず戦う前からやる気がモリモリ失せてきた。 だけど同時に納得もできた。妙にしまさんの行動が刹那的だったのは、そういうアドバンテージがあったからってわけだねぇ。それにしたって――デスペナルティなしの 「そんなわけで、奴は斃すんじゃなく、封印することを第一に考えてくれ。――大教皇から『封印の十字架』は受け取っている筈だけど、それは1度きりの使い切りだから、ここぞと言う時まで温存していてくれ」 「――あー、そうだね、封印ね。十字架ね。持ってるよ」 どーしたもんかな。実際は使い切りの方じゃなくて、連続使用可能な本物なんだけど。正直に話して、戦略の幅を広げた方がいいかなぁ。けど、それだと影郎さんとの約束を破ることになるしねぇ。 逡巡して判断を下すその前に、しまさんが操る 「お前は昔から戦闘でもなんでも、見栄え重視で中途半端なんだよ」 ぶつくさと『IF』の話を蒸し返すしまさんを、一刀両断するらぽっくさん。 そーいえばそういうところもあるかな。わざわざギルドホームを商店にして一儲け企んだけど、デザインセンスの問題で鳴かず飛ばず――で、ウチにいた衣装関係で爵位持ちだった(ボクの衣装のほとんどすべては彼女の労作だったりする)マスター・クラフトを引き抜こうとしたり、多人数が参加する狩りでも、時間が掛かると「たるい」と言って途中で手を抜いたり......あ。なんか思い出したら腹が立ってきた。 逃げ場のない空の上、居場所はモンスターハウスの中、そして目の前には最強プレーヤー。 さすがにこの期に及んで、ここから生きて帰るのは無理だと判断したのだろう。玉砕――と言ってもデスペナ付きの復活前提の――覚悟で、

113 Lesson 23: Two Disobediences The Sakara SS angels frown in front of a huge crushing hole penetrating the aerial garden up and down. "The worst could have been avoided. But I can't tell you that you've accomplished your original purpose." "Eh, that's good. The air garden didn't crash, and if you leave a hole like this alone, you'll fix it, and the princess generally agreed to destroy it, right? To answer that in an easygoing tone is the thirteenth demon general [Hanuman] White Night (Bitter), who has rushed from the Grand Duchy of Youth - simply for a shabby leisure time. Sakaki holds up around her forehead for this well said, naive, or ill-conceived remark. "The White Night Hall, the princess was recognized for her complete ex-post consent after the results. And our job is always all or nothing (all-or-nothing), the same thing that failed at a time when we couldn't get rid of Abandoned Dragons (Nidheck) without a single dead person and a scratch in the air garden." From the standpoint, the day and night seem troublesome to the bitterness of SS Captain Sakaki, who is equal to himself, the Demon General, whisks the hole in his ear. "Are you listening, White Night Hall!?" "I'm listening, but I don't care which one. This is how you're safe. After that, add the princess, and the enemy's best friend will be finished." "That kind of messy thinking has caused an increase in damage like this one. In the first place, the White Night Hall has the sense that it is the general of Imperial Crimson, a flourishing crimson empire that has received you 10,000 times a day from day to day." "... Fair enough, Miss Sakaki. I know how you feel, but it's a festival. Sometimes I don't bother to give you water." Embarrassed in a tannic and sophisticated tone, Sakaki mumbles. "Nan can't move around because of the figure as he sees it... This time, it wasn't a chick in heaven, it was the life of the princess who went out of her way to take you directly to Nan. You can't spare an old bone, though." Kuyuan returns a reply with laughter and no body or lid. "Nah. That cocksucker head doesn't fit any better." By the way, white nights of a runaway character are naturally incompatible with Heavenly Heaven and Horse, but there was a verse that was long gone, treating Heavenly Heaven as a child as the same dragon breed and taking it lightly. Though bitter inside about it, the opponent was a heavy town among the thirteenth demon generals, so a chilled voice hung somewhere on the back of Sakaki, who held the complaint all the way in. "Apparently, this job is done. May I return to the Lord? Looking back, a pair of winged red-haired female angels are nestled in the universe with faces that don't even seem interesting. "Maple. Yeah, thanks to your message, we took prompt action. I would like to express my gratitude to Lapoque." "Accepted. So..." Ritually bowing her head. "Wait. Aren't you going to meet my sister - ? The angel who tried to fly away - the maple, a former Scarlet Snow submissive and now a lappy submissive - replied with a slight look back and a hard tone once he stopped in the air. "You don't have to. - The next time we see each other, we'll be enemies." Sakaki dropped off her back early as it was, with a difficult face. "Nah, dude. Why don't you go kill the princess's enemies? There, day and night without reading the air at all, a groom asks. "Please wait a moment, I will check with the Capital of Life" So I say no, and ask for the instructions of the Capital of Life in a conversation. "... Princess Rapok and Tamegoro are currently engaged. Since the Four Wesen Emperor also performs backups, it is not necessary because any further military input can cause confusion. Hit perimeter alert." "Why, there's no turning again." White night flies somewhere fluttering in an infidel manner. "Hmmm... so why don't you go home and get some sleep?" When he was alone in the stretch, he broke the cloud sea again and went back to the basal lake of the aerial garden. While frowning at the roundtable members past Freedom, Sakaki instructed his men, who were flying around again, to be more vigilant. Aeon Sacred King Sacred Capital Facsimile. Top floor of the "Tower of the Pale God" in the centre of the temple. "Aoshi" snorted boringly as he sat in his elbow chair and literally chewed the information seen by the user demon bird that came in through the window. "I thought it would be an inspiring face to face with Scarlet Snow. ... well, we're going to have fun." and a sharp, silver-eyed young man with a silver tattoo opened his mouth in a pale tone while remaining on the top of the Buddha, wrapped around a turban with a sailor-like fit, just wearing a red chock, keeping his back on the wall. "It was pretty remarkable right now... but if the air garden had crashed, it would have been pretty dangerous... wasn't it? "Well, other than here, the Holy Capital and its suburbs are devastated... and if you do poorly, Aeon himself could have vanished." So what's the matter, the Ethereal God returns it in the tone. The young man nods gently, not changing one complexion, in the way that he has simply confirmed the facts. "Well, it doesn't seem like my turn, so I'm returning... let me" Attitude is an attitude, but it is unclear whether it is for this occasion or for the current man at the end of the speech, but it seems clear that it is obvious how easy it is. "Hmm. Then finally do a little garbage disposal." "... garbage? Young man with brilliant eyebrows on the instructions of the Ethereal God. "I'm throwing a sub tea child into the dungeon at the bottom. That idiot, he tried to instigate the Archpope to attack my scarlet snow. Well, I'm lucky I ended up trying." To the abominable word of the Ethereal God, just as the iron skin of the youth also collapsed. "Do that -. So, Mr. Atcha is now..." A glimpse of the life beads lined up on the wall - the ones with the green flames shaking inside, in the size crystal spheres riding on the palms - continued Ethereal God in a white tone as he sat in his chair. "Well it would be only a matter of time. Throw yourself in a bunch of fortified pig ghosts (orcs) for five days... if you're still alive, just finish it." "Are you sure? I think it's still worth using..." A young man who obviously doesn't feel comfortable and forgets the salutation he took and put on and asks back. Of the eight life beads arranged on the wall, only four still emit light: half 'silver', 'purple', 'red' and 'green'. The Ethereal God didn't look like he cared, and leaked a mocking inclusive laugh. "I don't mind. I'm tired of it anyway. The only thing that gets in the way is a substitute, a genuine product." A young man who stared at such a pale god with no expression on his face, but turned back on his heel without saying anything. "Oh, yeah, yeah. I guess the explosion just now would have been heard all over the Holy Capital. Tell the Archpope to contain the upset. I wouldn't be tired of tearing it apart, that hungry bastard, but neither would the dolls who dance so freely. Let's get you to dance for a while." Hearing the voice of the Ethereal God on his back, the youth left the room behind. ... After a while, the Ethereal God grinned satisfactorily, confirming that the green flame of the weakly swayed bead of life had gone out. Lapokusan lurked her voice and spoke as she laid her sword in line. "First of all, the Shimamura guy is set a resurrection point even if he dies, so don't think it's possible to kill him completely. At the moment of his death, with some despener, he was resurrected at a resurrection point somewhere." - I mean Infinite Container!? What that cheat! I've been losing my motivation before I fought unexpectedly. But at the same time, I was convinced. Oddly enough, Shima's behavior was sudden because of that kind of advantage. If I did - I could use a full resuscitation without a death penalty (Lisa Collection) - I'd say - I'm lightly feeling the weight of my life. "That's why he's not going to die, he's going to seal it first. - You've received the" Sealed Cross "from the Archpope, but it's a one-time run out, so keep it warm until I tell you it's here." "- Uh, right, seal it. A cross. I have it." I wonder what happened. Actually, I'm not an out-of-use person, but a real product that can be used continuously. I was wondering if I should be honest and broaden my strategy. But that would break my promise to Mr. Shadowloon, and hey. Before he went on a tour to make his decision, Shima-san's obsolete giant (Yotun) stepped forward. "You've been in battle for a long time, you're halfway there with a focus on appearance." There's a lot of flattery about Shima steaming back the story of bumps and 'IF'. Speaking of which, I wonder if there are places like that. I went out of my way to make a fortune by making Alliance Homes a store, but it didn't ring and fly because of my design sense issues - so I was in our costume relationship and held the title (almost all of my costumes were her labor) trying to pull through the master craft, or even hunting where a large number of people participate, I said it would take me a while to get out of hand on the way...... I got angry when I remembered something. On the skies with no escape, the place is in the monster house, and in front of you the strongest player. Exactly over this period, I guess you've decided it's impossible to get home alive from here. The Jade Shatter - but with Despena's resurrection premise - is ready, and the Abandoned Titan (Yotun) has moved on.

番外編 冒険者は新婚を夢みる4 頭上には底抜けに青い空が広がっていた。 「阿呆みたいに青い空だ」 足元には緑の草原と色とりどりの花畑が続いている。 「よく見ると色違いなだけで、デザインは全部一緒だねぇ」 細かいところまではフォローしきれないんだろう。花は具体的に『コレ』というものではなくて、タンポポとコスモスと(腹が立つことに)チューリップを混ぜて間違えた......風で、たぶん自然には生えていない種類のものだろう。まあいいけど。 「ここが師匠の夢の中ですか?」 「まあ、それっぽいと言われればそれっぽいですけど......」 興味半分不安半分で周囲を見回すフィオレと、ボク同様に苦笑を浮かべているミーアさん。 気が付いたらこの何もない草原に三人揃って突っ立ってたんだけれど、前後の状況からあわせて考えてみれば、ここがジョーイの夢の中なのは確実だろう。 「あと、なんで三人ともウエディングドレスなんでしょうね? 着替えた覚えはないんですけど」 不思議そうに自分の服装――薄いピンクのエンパイアラインのウエディングドレス――を確かめるフィオレ。 戸惑いつつもはにかんだように目元と口元を緩めているのはやはり女の子だからだろう。 「そうですね、ブルーのマーメイドラインとか、自分の時ならせいぜい三回目のお色直しくらいだと思いますから、個人的な願望の反映ではないと思いますし」 こちらは薄水色のマーメイドラインのドレスを纏ったミーアさんが、苦笑ながら肩をすくめた。 「え......!? お色直し三回とか、ミーアさんのお相手って......」 同情を禁じえないという顔でフィオレが絶句するけど、口に出した当人のほうは「?」怪訝な顔で小首を傾げるだけ。 で、ちなみにボクもいつの間にかプリンセスラインのウエディングドレスに着替えさせられていたわけだけれど......。 「なんで私だけ色が黒なわけ!? 普通に白でしょうっ!」 漆黒のバルーンスカートを持ち上げて憤慨する。 と、そんなボクの叫びを耳にして、 「......この方って女子力を趣味と物好きに全振りしているのかと思ってました」 「やっぱり結婚には夢見る女子だったみたいね」 なにやらフィオレとミーアさんが感慨深げに耳打ちしながら、アイコンタクトで頷きあっていた。 「とにかく、なにがなんだかわからないけどジョーイが悪い! さっさと起こして帰ろう!」 そう結論付けて、その場から離れようとした――けど、周囲は360度見渡す限り草原ばかり。 「どうやってジョーイ君を起こすんですか、陛下?」 〉陸奥からレスポンスがない。これは完全に天涯のリサイタルで機能不全になっているね。 「......どうやら自力でなんとかしないといけないみたいだ」 「困りましたね。......まあ夢の中ですから、おなかが減ったり怪我をしたりすることはないでしょうけど」 と、楽観的に悲観するミーアさん。だけど、果たしてそれはどうかな......? 「――なんですかその目は、陛下?」 「いや、呼び名は緋雪でいいけどさ。こーいうパターンだと、精神が死んだら肉体も衰弱死するとか、デスゲームっぽく、精神の傷が肉体に還元されるとかありそうだなぁ、と」 「不吉なこと言わないでくださいよぉ、ヒユキ様~っ」 プロの冒険者らしく少し離れた場所で様子を見て回っていたフィオレが、ぎょっとした顔で小走りにボクらのほうへ戻ってきた。 「......つまり夢の中だと安易に考えずに、現実と同じと考えて注意したほうがいいということですね?」 「だねぇ。いちおう何が出来るのか、事前に確認しておいたほうがいいと思うよ」 そして体感時間で一時間後――。 「あたしの魔法はだいたい使えますね」 「眠る前にポケットに入れていた私物は消えています」 》は出せるけど他の装備は全滅。あとスキルも一部を除いて使用不能」 「ヒユキ様だけ弱体化が著しいですね。どういうことでしょうか?」 「ん~~っ、多分、ジョーイの夢の中だからじゃないかな?」 「ああ、なるほど。ジョーイ君の知らないモノや魔法・魔術の類いは再現できないということですね」 ひととおりの検証を終えたボクたちはそう結論付けた。 ミーアさんはもともと戦闘に関しては埒外なので問題ないとして、ボクのほうは戦闘スキルがほとんど使えなくなっている上に、腕力や脚力、スピードも本来の2割程度しか出せなくなっている。 「ということで......」 「こうなった以上......」 「「切り札はフィオレ(さん)ということ(だ)ね」」 任せた。という風にボクとミーアさんがポンポン肩を叩くと、 「は? はあぁぁぁぁあああああ?!?」 フィオレが素っ頓狂な声を張り上げた。 「な、なんであたしなんですか!?」 「いや、だって、私の攻撃力は激減だし、自分の認識との乖離が下手をすれば命取りになるからねぇ」 「その点、フィオレさんは十全の力を発揮できます。さすがに同じパーティのリーダーとサブリーダーだけのことはありますね。お互いの技能は知り尽くしているというわけですね」 「妬けるね。ひゅーひゅー」 囃し立てると羞恥か怒りか真っ赤になるフィオレ。 「そ、そんなこと......って、そういえば小耳に挟んだんですけど、ヒユキ様は前に師匠の家に一時、同棲していたとか」 具体的には『吸血姫は薔薇色の夢をみる 4 ラグナロク・ワールド』の書き下ろしSSとか、P310~313あたりである。 「ど、同棲じゃないよ。同居だよ」 「あと、ミーアさんはたまに昼食や夕食を手作りして師匠を餌付けしているとか」 「だって、ジョーイ君ほっとくと平気で腐った肉とかでも食べるんですもの」 「もしかして、この機会にあたしを矢面に立たせて、 「「いや、それはない!」」 恋する乙女の邪推を言下に切り捨てる。 それにしてもいまさらだけど、この娘ジョーイのどこがいいんだろう? 謎だ。一緒に冒険しているから吊り橋効果とか、ストックホルム症候群とかにかかっているのかも知れない。 そのうち精神科か、気分が落ち着く薬とか与えたほうがいいかも知れないなぁ......。と思案していたところで、その当人が、 「あっ!!」 と言ってこっちを指差したので、ちょっと驚いた。 「兎です」 その指先はよく見ればちょっとボクから外れていて、その先を辿って振り返って見れば、どこか間抜けた顔をした白兎が一匹(一羽?)、草むらから後ろ足で立ち上がってこちらを眺めていた。 「ウサギだね」 「魔物ではない普通のウサギですね」 「美味しそうですね」 フィオレの冒険者らしい身も蓋もない感想が聞こえたせいか、兎は文字通り脱兎の勢いで逃げ出す。 「......って。追わないと!」 はっと我に返ったボクが走り出すと、ほかのふたりも不得要領の表情ながら勢いに押される形で、後に続いて走り出した。 「な、なんですか、なんですか、ヒユキ様!?」 「そんなにお腹がすいているんですか、陛下?」 「違う~~っ! こういう不思議空間で白兎を見かけたら絶対にキーパーソンなんだから、なんだから追いかけないとマズイの!」 「そうーいうもんだよ。だいたい、こんだけ何もないところでいきなり現れたウサギとか、胡散臭いにもほどがあるでしょう。絶対になにかあるよ!」 重ねてそう訴えかけると、フィオレは半信半疑で、ミーアさんはなるほどという顔になった。 それなりに本気になったふたりとともに、草原と花畑の中をひょこひょこ走る白兎を追いかけて、シンデレラが舞踏会の会場からトンズラする時みたいに、ボクたちは三人揃って長いスカートを両手で持ち上げて走るのだった。 「......あの、ここってどこの国にある村なんでしょうか?」 「てゆーか、草原と花畑からいきなりワープしたみたいに感じたんだけど、どういう構造になってるわけ?」 「今日はよい天気ですね?」 「「「.........」」」 白兎を追いかけていて、ふと気が付くと目の前に木の柵と土壁で囲まれた中規模の村があった。 入り口にいた、フルプレートで完全武装のお城の衛士みたいな門番に話しかけたところ、何を聞いてもテンプレの回答しか戻ってこない。 「......とりあえず、人間かどうか確認するのに斬ってみるか」 本当ならこのふたりに抑え込まれるわけはないんだけれど、弱体化しているせいで思うように振りほどけない。 「まあまあ、陛下。ここは押さえて中へ入りましょう」 「そ、そうですよ。それに『アランド村』って、いかにも師匠に関係ある村だと思いますよ。ほら、手がかり手がかり」 そうやって門前で騒いでいるというのに門番はピクリとも動かない。 》をしまって、ふたりに引き摺られるようにしてこの村――ジョーイと同じ苗字の――アランド村へと足を踏み入れた。 「まさかと思うけど、住人全員がジョーイと同じ顔とかいうオチはないよねぇ......?」 本物を探せ系のクイズだったらどうしよう思いながらそう呟くと、フィオレとミーアさんもそれを想像したのか、「うっ」と呻いて冷や汗を流す。 そうして重い足取りのまま、ボクらはのろのろと先へ進むのだった。

155 Outside, Adventurers Dream Of Newlyweds, Four. There was a blue sky over his head at the bottom. "It's blue sky like an idiot." Green meadows and colorful flower gardens continue at your feet. "If you look closely, they're just different colors, and the designs are all together." I guess I can't follow the details. The flowers weren't specifically called 'here' but mixed tampons, cosmos and (to be angry) tulips and made a mistake...... wind, probably the kind that hasn't grown naturally. Well, fine. "Is this where your master dreams? "Well, if they say it sounds like it..." Interests Half anxiety Half anxious and looking around Fiore and Meer smiling bitterly as I do. I would have stood all three in this meadow with nothing when I realized it, but if you think about it in conjunction with the situation back and forth, you'd be certain that this is Joey's dream. "And why are they all wedding dresses? I don't remember getting dressed." Fiore confirms her outfit - a thin pink empire line wedding dress - strangely. I guess it's because she's still a girl who loosens her eyes and mouth like she's confused. "Well, I don't think it's a reflection of my personal aspirations, because I think it's the blue mermaid line or maybe the third color change at best when I'm there." This one, Meer, wrapped in a light-water mermaid line dress, shrugged her shoulders with a bitter smile. "Eh...!? You know, three different colors, Meer's opponent..." Fiore complains with his face that he can't forbid sympathy, but the person who put it in his mouth says "?" Just lean your little neck with a strange face. So, by the way, I was also forced to change into a Princess Line wedding dress at some point... "Why am I the only one with black colors!? It's usually white. Ugh! I lift my pitch-black balloon skirt and resent it. and hear me scream like that, "... I was wondering if this guy was wielding women's power to his tastes and likes." "I thought you were the girl I dreamed of getting married." Something was nodding with eye contact as Fiore and Meer eared emotionally. "Anyway, I don't know what it is, but it's Joey's fault! Let's just wake him up and go home! So I concluded, trying to get off the spot - but the surrounding area is full of meadows as far as 360 degrees. "How do I wake you, Your Majesty? There is no response from the core Shirazawa Rhodoku even after the call. This is completely dysfunctional in a lifelong recital. "... apparently I have to do something on my own" "You're in trouble.... in my dreams, I won't lose my stomach or get hurt." and Mr. Meer, optimistically pessimistic. But what about fulfilling it...? "- What is that eye, Your Majesty? "No, you can call me Scarlet Snow. In this pattern, if the spirit dies, the flesh will also be debilitated to death, like a death game, and the wounds of the spirit will likely be reduced to the flesh," he said. "Don't be ominous, Master Hyuki." Fiore, who was looking around a little further away like a professional adventurer, came back to us for a small run with a slight face. "... that means you should think of it as the same as reality and pay attention without thinking cheaply that it's in your dreams, right? "Hey. I think you should know what you can do in advance." And an hour later in physical time... "You can use my magic more or less." "The personal belongings I had in my pocket before I went to sleep are gone" "Same goes for me. For some reason, the Rose Sinner (Jill de Leye) can be released, but all other gear is destroyed. Skills are also unavailable except for some." "Only Master Hyuki is significantly weakened. What does that mean? "Mm-hmm. Maybe it's because I'm in Joey's dream? "Oh, I see. Joey, you can't reproduce things you don't know or magic or magic." That's how we concluded after the verification of one thing. As Meer is originally out of the question when it comes to combat, I can barely use my combat skills, and my arms, legs, and speed are only about 20% of my original strength. "So..." "More than this happened..." "" The trump card is Fiore. " left to me. When Bo and Meer slap the pom pom shoulder in the way that "Ha? Ha, ha, ha?!? Fiore raised her bare voice. "Hey, why me?!? "No, 'cause my offense is drastically reduced, and if I'm poorly diverged from my perception, I'll be dead." "In that regard, Mr. Fiore can exert his full power. That's just what happens to the same party leaders and subreaders. So we all know each other's skills." "You're jealous. Hiuuuuuu" Fiore turns bright red with shame or anger when he stands up. "Oh, no... Speaking of which, I pinched it in my little ear, but Master Hiyuki used to live in his master's house temporarily." Specifically, the transcript SS of "Blood Sucking Princess Has a Rosy Dream 4 Ragnarok World" and so on, per P310-313. "Doesn't live together. We live together." "And you think that Mr. Meer occasionally hand-made lunch or dinner to feed his master" "'Cause, Joey, leave me alone and I'll eat rotten meat or something." "Maybe you're thinking about taking this opportunity to put me on the arrow and turn my lover (rival) into a deceased?!" "" No, that's not it! Cut off the evil push of a maiden in love to the bottom of your word. And I don't know, what do you like about this girl Joey? It's a mystery. I'm on an adventure with you, so maybe it depends on the suspension bridge effect or the Stockholm syndrome. Maybe one of these days I should give you a psychiatrist or something to calm your mood...... I was just thinking that the person who "Ah!!" I said and pointed this way, so I was a little surprised. "Rabbit." That fingertip is a little off of me if you look closely, and if you follow it and look back, there's one white rabbit with a dumb face somewhere (one?), I stood up with my hind legs from the grass and looked at this one. "You're a rabbit." "You're not a demon. You're a regular rabbit." "Sounds delicious" Because I heard Fiore's sense of being an adventurer without a body or a lid, Ra literally escapes with the momentum of detachment. "..." We have to go after him! When I ran back to me, the other two ran out later in a way that pushed me to momentum with the look of an injustice. "What, what, what, Dear Hiyuki!?" "Are you that hungry, Your Majesty? "No. Eh! If you see white rabbits in these strange spaces, you're definitely a key person, so why don't you go after them? It's not good! "That's what I'm talking about. Mostly, there would be rabbits that suddenly appeared where there was nothing, or so much for frigidity. There's definitely something going on! Suing him like that on top of each other, Fiore became half-hearted and Mr. Meer looked so much like him. Together with the two of us who got really serious, we chased a white rabbit running through the meadows and flower gardens, and like when Cinderella was going to tongle from the ballroom, we all lifted up our long skirts and ran with both hands. "... Um, what country is this village in? "So I suddenly felt like I warped from the meadows and flower gardens, what structure is it? "It's a beautiful day, isn't it? ......... He was chasing a white rabbit, and when he noticed, there was a medium-sized village surrounded by wooden fences and dirt walls in front of him. I was at the entrance, I spoke to a gatekeeper like a fully-armed castle guard on a full plate, and whatever I heard, I only get Temple's answer back. "... in the meantime, why don't you slash it to see if it's human" If it's true, there's no way these two can contain me, but I can't shake it off the way I think because of the weakening. "Fair enough, Your Majesty. Let's hold this place down and go inside." "Oh, yeah. Besides, I think" Arando Village "is a village that has something to do with the master. Look, clues." That's how they say they're making noise in front of the gate, but the gatekeeper doesn't even move with Pickle. Feeling somewhat ridiculed, I set foot in this village - with the same surname as Joey - to the village of Arland, after a long time of "Sinner of the Rose (Jill de Leye)". "I don't think so, but all residents don't have the same face or anything like Joey...? Look for the real thing. What if it was a system quiz? Groaning like that, Fiore and Meer also imagined it, groaning and sweating cold. That's how we cursorily moved on with our heavy footsteps.

第八話 会議紛糾 非公式......といっても、公式にはグラウィオール帝国帝都アルゼンタムをイーオン聖王国大教皇ウェルナーが訪問し、滞在先の聖教のアルゼンタム大聖堂に皇帝が足を運んで表敬訪問を行い(国力とは関係なく。立場上、大教皇≧皇帝となるので、皇帝の方から足を運ぶのが通例である。さすがにこの時は皇帝本人が訪問した)。 その夜の晩餐会に大教皇を招待したという形で、午後にイーオン聖王国関係者が王宮を訪問していた。 そして、同時刻、王宮内の離宮にあるグラウィオール帝国皇女オリアーナ(通称『鈴蘭の皇女』)の元を、前回の領土交渉の席で親しくなった...と公言するところの、クレス自由同盟国の盟主レヴァン。そして、その関係者と名乗る豪奢な薔薇のドレスを身にまとった、輝く黒髪の美姫が私的に訪問していたとの証言が多く残されている。 だが公式には、同じ日、同じ王宮内に不倶戴天の敵同士であるイーオン聖王国大教皇ウェルナーと、 ましてや、この両者が直接顔を合わせて言葉を交わしたなど、天地が裂けてもあり得ないことであった。 まあ、後世の人間はさておき。 いま現在、一番頭を悩ませているのは、この非公式『大陸三大巨頭会議』の場を設営し、取り仕切っているオリアーナ皇女であるのは、ほぼ間違いがなかった。 ちなみに会場の席は『川』の字型に並べられ、中心部に互い違いになる形で、帝国の高官が並び、左端に聖王国の高位神官一同が、右端に との直接対話を拒んだために、このような変則的な会議の席次となった次第であった。 もちろん同じ部屋にいるのだから嫌でもお互いの姿は目に入るが、聖王国側は完全に帝国側以外は存在しないものとして徹底的に無視を決め込み、それをクレス自由同盟国の代表たちは親の仇でも見るような目で睨みつけ、 そんなギスギスした雰囲気の中。場を取り成すように、『川』の中心部の上座、侍従長と共に離れて部屋全体を見渡せる位置についたオリアーナ皇女が、微笑を浮かべながら愛嬌を振りまき、聖王国の上座に座った大教皇ウェルナーは、魂の抜けたような顔で、対面に座った緋雪を凝視し、緋雪は緋雪で(人の悪い)満面の笑みでこの茶番を見守っていた。 「それでは、ユース大公国で発生中の吸血鬼大増殖事件ですが、現状、同領内の生存者は絶望的と見なしまして、殲滅の為三ヶ国連合軍による」 「待ちたまえ。これはあくまで我が国主導による第二次遠征軍の支援会議と明言してもらいたい」 オリアーナ皇女の発言を、素早く聖王国の枢機卿の一人が待ったをかける。 「――ふん。せいぜい第二次敗残軍とならんようにな」 すかさずクレス側から嘲笑の声が飛ぶが、一瞬目元をひくつかせただけで、発言した枢機卿は聞こえないフリをする。 「名称については今現在はあくまで仮のものであり、公式なモノではございませんので、皆様方がどのように呼称しようと、わたくしから干渉するつもりはございませんわ」 オリアーナがやんわりと『好きにしたら』と各自の裁量に任せた。 「ふむ。では、その第二次遠征軍の規模についてだが。我が聖教としては10万規模の兵力を予定している」 さり気なく『第二次遠征軍』と『10万』を強調する聖王国。 名称はともかく10万という数に、帝国とクレス側双方が同時にどよめき声を発した。 満足げに会議場を見渡す聖王国側だが、 「――姫陛下。なにかご不審な点がございますか?」 オリアーナもそれに気が付いて、さり気なく水を向けた。 「不審というか......そもそも、君等は何と戦うつもりなのかな?」 「それは勿論、ユース大公国を滅亡させた吸血鬼です」 「具体的には?」 「元凶たる吸血鬼とその傀儡として吸血鬼にされた元ユース大公国の住人たちでしょうか? その数は少なくとも50~60万は存在するものと思われます」 その言葉に、ため息と共に肩をすくめる緋雪。 の材料にされて、もういないよ」 はあ?という空気が会議室全体に流れた。 唯一、ウェルナー大教皇だけが緋雪の銀の鈴を鳴らしたような涼やかな声を聴いて、目を輝かせ熱い視線を送ったが、話の内容を聞いているのかは、いささか疑問がもたれるところであった。 一方、オリアーナはなにか心当たりがあるのだろう。 』とやらは、もしや蛇のような巨大な魔物のことですか?」 柳眉をひそめての確認に、帝国・聖王国いずれも一部高官と諜報部門及び軍関係者が、はっとした顔で視線を交換した。 「――ふふん。やっぱりそっちでも情報は握っていたみたいだね。そうそいつだよ。実体は吸血鬼事件の首謀者が、自身の眷属やそれに類する生命体を取り込んで作り上げた合成生物だけどね。そいつが完全に他の吸血鬼を同一化して、現在北西国境線地帯に向けて進行中ってところ。なので、敵は吸血鬼の親玉とあの巨大な 「本当なのか!?」「俄かには信じられん」「そんな報告はどこからも!」等と小声で言葉を交わす聖王国側から、自国の高官たち方へ視線を戻し、無言で問い掛けるオリアーナに対して、「我が方でも未確認です」と代表して答える侍従長。 「......姫陛下、誠に失礼な質問ですけれど、その情報は確かなものなのでしょうか?」 ピシっ!! その瞬間、緋雪の隣に座る天涯の足元から、背後の壁に向かって一条の亀裂が走った。 「疑うわけではございません。事実であれば事実として確認したいだけです。上に立つものとして不確実な情報で、兵を死地に送るわけには参りませんから」 だが、オリアーナ皇女はまったく怯んだ様子もなく、天涯の目を見つめ返した。大国を実質引っ張る王者の風格......というよりも、きちんと自分の信条を持った者の迷いのない瞳だった。 「ふん」と不快そうに鼻を鳴らす――それでも矛を収めたところを見ると、彼なりに相手の言い分を認めたのだろう――天涯を横目に、苦笑しながら緋雪が続けた。 「まあ当然の疑問だろうけど、情報の出所は私達自身が直接接触して、解析したものだから間違いはないよ。あと確認時刻はこの会議の前の半日ほど前ってところかな」 それから具体的な状況を言う。 偶然の接触。肥大化したその姿。草木や大地、光すら喰い尽くしながら進行する様子。天涯と出雲による攻撃。斃し切れず復活したこと。その復元力と飽くなき飢え。魔眼による拘束。緋雪が自分で見たこと分析させた事を――ただし、シマさんとの接触の件は別にして――つぶさに語った。 会議室に、先ほどとは比べ物にならない驚愕と緊張が走る。 「いや、待て目標が集中しているのなら、逆に一網打尽にできるのでは?」 「馬鹿を言うな。線での制圧が面に変わったのだぞ、これがどれほど困難か!」 「そもそもそれほどの質量を相手にどうやって......」 「質量よりも問題は、復元力だろう――」 「まったく、余計な手出しを......」 「だが、もっと早い段階であれば、確実に始末できたのではないのか?」 「情報管制が裏目に出たという事は......」 より混沌たるざわめきが会議室全体に飛び交う。 「――どちらにしても」 オリアーナはため息混じりに誰にともなく言った。 「やるべきことは変わりません。もともと皆様を招いてこの会議を開催した動機は、吸血鬼化した人々とは別に、巨大な魔物が敵の手駒として存在することが確認されたことによるものです。正直、吸血鬼の群れ程度であれば時間をかけての消耗戦を行えば確実にこちらが勝つ目算がありました。ですが計算外の怪物、それも――」 言葉を切って、ちらりと聖王国側を見る。 を壊滅』の部分で、聖王国側が一斉に眉をしかめ、反駁しようと口を開きかけたが、どうせ建設的な意見ではないだろうと判断して、それを覆い被せるようにしてオリアーナが言葉を続けた。 「ですが、いま姫陛下からお聞きした 「――それって、私に聞くの?」 公式にはこの場に居ないはずの さらに帝国・聖王国共同軍に参加を表明していない(聖王国が共同名義での派兵に断固たる拒否の姿を執っているため)現在、連合軍の今後の趨勢を占う会議の席で、それに意見するなど茶番もここに極まった、噴飯ものの提案であるだろう。 ......もっとも、逆に言えば事態がそれほど逼迫してるとも言えるが。 「この際、お互いの立場やその他はさておきまして、ぜひご意見をお聞かせ願いたいです。少なくとも直接、件の 「まあ、いいけどさ」 熱意を込めたオリアーナの言葉に、軽く肩をすくめる緋雪。 聖王国側は、場の中心になっているのが神敵たる魔物の頭領である緋雪であるのが面白くないのか、軒並み渋い顔である。......かぶりつくように緋雪の全身を視線で嘗め回す、ウェルナー大教皇は別にして。 そのあたり気が付いているんだか無視しているのかは不明だが、緋雪は特に普段の調子を崩すことなく、飄々とした口調で言葉を繋いだ。 「エネルギーを喰うといっても、吸血鬼ベースなのは変わらないからね。聖光が弱点になっているのは変わらないと、ウチの解析担当者も言っている。下手に大規模魔術で中途半端なダメージを与えて、学習されるよりも、ちまちまと物理攻撃や聖光で削っていく方が有効だろうね。ある程度ダメージを与えてエネルギーを削れたら、こちらの大規模魔術も有効だろうし」 「ですが、近づくと魔眼で操られる危険があるのでは?」 オリアーナが言う。 「魔眼というのは相手を認識しないと無意味だからねぇ。煙幕を張ったりして、視界を塞げば防ぐことは容易なんだよ。だからある程度距離を置いて、視界を塞いだ形で聖光の連射で相手のエネルギーを削り、一定の水準まで相手の力を削ったところで、こちらの手勢を投入して大規模魔術で一掃する。このあたりが現実的な対応かな」 のご助力がなければ不可能ですか......」 「まあ、ウチ以上の火力の当てがあるなら、そちらを使えば良いと思うけど?」 いや、聖王国側には切り札とも言うべきものはあるが、今回は彼のお方が介入しないことが明言されている。そして、 「............」 このため彼らとしても忸怩たる思いで、オリアーナの問い掛けるような視線に沈黙で応じるしかなかった。 「ならば、こちらとしても膝を折って姫陛下に助力をお願いするしかございませんわね。その為の条件や対応についてこれから打ち合わせしたいと思いますが。皆様よろしいでしょうか?」 オリアーナ皇女が会議室全体を見回して尋ねる。 帝国、聖王国、クレスからも異論の声は上がらなかった。

95 Chapter Viii Conference Disputes Even though unofficially..., officially, Pope Werner of the Eon Holy King King visited Argentina, the capital of the Gravior Empire, where the emperor took a trip to the Anglican Archdiocese of Argentina to make a tribute visit (regardless of national power. From the standpoint, it is customary to take a leg from the emperor, since he will be Archpope >= Emperor. Exactly at this time the emperor himself visited). Aeon Holy Kingdoms officials were visiting the Royal Palace in the afternoon in the form of inviting the Archpope to dinner that night. And at the same time, Levan, the Allied Leader of the Free Alliance of Cres, is about to publicly declare that the former Empress Oriana of the Grawior Empire (commonly known as the "Empress of Suzuran"), in a remote palace within the Royal Palace, became close at the seat of the last territorial negotiations... And there are many testimonies left that the glowing brunette beauty princess, dressed in a luxurious rose dress named after her associate, was visiting privately. But officially, there are no such amazing events as the same day, when Pope Werner of the Holy King Aeon, an enemy of the same royal palace, and the Crimson Empire Imperial Crimson and Princess Scarlet Snow (Hiyuki) stayed within the same royal palace. Not to mention the fact that the heavens and the earth could not be torn apart, such as these two exchanged words face-to-face. Well, not to mention future generations of humans. There was almost no mistake that the most troubling thing right now is Princess Oriana, who is setting up and partitioning this informal 'Three Big Meetings of the Continent' venue. Incidentally, the seats at the venue are arranged in the shape of a 'river', in a way that makes them different from each other in the centre, lined up by high-ranking officials of the Empire, together with high-ranking clerics of the Holy King at the left edge, with representatives of the Crimson Empire of Crimson and the Free Alliance of Cres at the right edge. It was up to the Holy King, for one, to become the seat of such an unusual meeting because of his refusal to engage in direct dialogue with the Crimson of the Crimson Empire. Of course, we are in the same room, so we don't like each other's appearance. But the Holy King's side thoroughly decided to ignore it as something that does not exist except entirely on the imperial side, which the representatives of the Free Alliance of Cress saw with the same eyes as they saw with their parents' revenge, and the Crimson side of the Crimson Empire, unlike the pose on the Holy King's side, was heartfelt. Like desks and chairs, everyone on this occasion seemed bored with the perception that it was part of the landscape, which had the result of leaking a lack and igniting the inner anger on the Holy King's side. In such a giddy atmosphere. As he took up the field, Princess Oriana, sitting in a position where she could see the whole room away with the superior of the centre of the 'river', the chief squire, smiled and waved her love, and Archpope Werner, sitting on the seat of the Holy Kingdom, gazed at the scarlet snow sitting opposite him, with a soulful face, and scarlet snow watched this farce farce with a (man's bad) full grin. "Now, this is a vampire outbreak in the Grand Duchy of Youth, but as it stands, the survivors of the same territory see it as hopeless, by the coalition of three nations for annihilation." "Wait. I just want you to make it clear that this is our country-led Second Expeditionary Army Support Conference." One of the Cardinals of the Holy Kingdom quickly waits for the statement of the Empress Oriana. "- Hmm. It's like not becoming a second defeated army at best." Even a mockery flies from the side of Cress, but I just let it catch my eye for a moment, and the Cardinal who spoke pretends not to hear me. "Now that the name is only tentative and not official, I'm not going to interfere with it, no matter what you call it." I left it to Oriana's discretion to "do as she pleases" with ease. "Hmm. Well, about the size of that Second Expeditionary Force. As for my ecclesiastical religion, I plan to have 100,000 troops." The Holy Kingdom emphasises the 'Second Expeditionary Army' and '100,000' with subtlety. Regardless of the number of 100,000, both the Empire and the Cress side made simultaneous remarks. On the side of the Holy King, who looks over the conference hall with satisfaction, but notices the eyes of the Lord of the Crimson Empire Imperial Crimson looking at the abalone, he flashed his face. "- Your Highness. Do you have any questions? Oriana noticed that, too, and turned to the water subtly. "I mean suspicious... what are you guys going to fight in the first place? "It is, of course, the vampire who destroyed the Grand Duchy of Youth" "Specifically? "Are you the former inhabitants of the Grand Duchy of Youth who were made vampires by the murderous vampires and their puppets? That number seems to exist for at least 500,000 to 600,000." Scarlet snow shrugging her shoulders with a sigh to that word. "It's made of synthetic beast (chimera) material, and it's gone." Huh? The air flowed throughout the conference room. The only time Archpope Werner listened to the cool voice that rang the silver bell of Scarlet Snow, sending his eyes shining and a hot gaze, but listening to the content of the story was where no doubt arose. Meanwhile, I guess Oriana has something on her mind. "Your Majesty. Is that" Synthetic Beast (Chimera) "and what if it's a giant demon like a snake? To confirm the confirmation, both the Empire and the Holy Kingdoms exchanged sights with some high-ranking officials and intelligence and military officials with a stiff face. "- Hmm. Looks like you still had the information. Yeah, that's him. The entity is a synthetic organism created by the mastermind of a vampire case, taking in his own family and similar life forms, though. That he's completely assimilating other vampires and is currently on his way to the Northwest Frontier Zone. So the only enemies are the vampire's best balls and that giant synthetic beast (chimera)." "Is it true!?" "I can't believe it's Russia" "Such reports come from nowhere!" From the side of the Holy King, who exchanges words with others in a low voice, he turns his gaze back to the senior officials of his country and replies on behalf of "we have not confirmed" to Oriana, who asks silently. "... Your Highness, if I may ask you a rude question, is that information certain? Pisces!! At that moment, from the feet of heaven sitting next to Scarlet Snow, a crack ran against the wall behind him. "I'm not doubting it. I just want to confirm it as a fact if it is. We can't send soldiers to their dead places with uncertain information as something that stands above them." But the Empress Oriana looked back into the eyes of heaven, not at all frightened. He was the unmistakable eye of one who had his creed properly rather than the style of the king who pulled the great power substantially...... "Hmm," he snorts uncomfortably - still seeing where he got the spear, I guess he admitted his opponent's point - sidelined the heavens, and Scarlet Snow continued with a bitter smile. "Well, of course I doubt it, but we made no mistake about the source of the information because we made direct contact with ourselves and analyzed it. The confirmation time is about half a day before this meeting." Then I say the specific situation. Accidental contact. The appearance of enlarged. How it progresses while eating up grass, earth, and even light. Attacks by heaven and clouds. That he was resurrected indestructibly. Its resilience and tireless hunger. restraint by the demonic eye. I told him that Scarlet Snow had made him analyze what he saw for himself - apart from the contact with Mr. Shima - and crushed it. Unparalleled consternation and tension run into the conference room. "No, wait. If your goals are focused, can you do the opposite? "Don't be stupid. The control on the line has turned to the surface, how difficult this is! "How do you deal with so much mass in the first place..." "The problem over mass would be resilience -" "Totally, extra hand..." "But at an earlier stage, couldn't we have definitely ended it? "The fact that information control is behind it..." More chaotic blurring flies across the conference room. "- Either way" Oriana said to no one in a sigh mix. "It doesn't change what you have to do. The motive for originally inviting you to hold this meeting was due to the confirmation that, apart from vampired people, giant demons exist as enemy pawns. Honestly, if it was to the extent of a swarm of vampires, if we took the time to wage a war of attrition, this one was definitely worth winning. But the uncounted monster, that too..." Cut the words and look at the side of the Holy King. In the part "Destroying the Cathedral Crusaders", the Holy King's side frowned simultaneously and opened his mouth to refute it, but decided that it would not be a constructive opinion anyway, so that it could be covered up and Oriana continued her words. "But many of the specific figures and abilities of synthetic beasts (chimeras) that His Majesty has just heard from us far exceed our imagination. Your Highness, how do you think we should deal with this? "- Is that what you ask me? Officials of the Crimson Imperial Crimson, a crimson empire that should not be officially on this occasion - its culmination - not to mention for ecclesiastical officials present, are opponents who deny their existence as heretical objects that are inherently contrary to God. Furthermore, it has not expressed its participation in the Joint Imperial/Holy Kingdoms Army (because the Holy Kingdoms are adamantly refusing to march in the joint name). At present, the farce, such as to express an opinion on it, would also be here at the table of the conference occupying the future trend of the coalition forces, would be an excellent proposal for a spray. ... On the contrary, I'd say things are so pressing. "At this time, aside from each other's positions and others, we'd love to hear from you. At least you were the only one who fought and survived directly with the synthetic beast." "Well, fine." Scarlet snow gently shrugs her shoulders in the words of an enthusiastic Oriana. On the part of the Holy King, is it not interesting that it is Scarlet Snow, the head of the divine enemy demon, who is at the center of the venue, the sinister face of the house?... aside from Archpope Werner, who gazes around the whole body of scarlet snow like a bump. It's unclear whether he noticed or ignored it around there, but Scarlet Snow connected the words in a floating tone, without particularly breaking his usual tone. "When it comes to eating energy, it doesn't change that it's a vampire base. Our analyst also says it doesn't change that Holy Light is weakened. It would be more effective to do halfway damage with massive magic poorly and scrape it with immediate physical attacks and holy light than to be learned. If you do some damage and shred your energy, this massive magic will also work." "But when you approach it, you risk being manipulated by the devil's eye? Oriana says. "Because a demon eye is pointless if you don't recognize the other person. It's easy to prevent it if you put up a smokescreen and block your sight. So put in this gesture and sweep it up with massive sorcery, at some distance, where you have cut off the energy of your opponent with a series of holy lights in a way that blocks your vision and sharpens the power of your opponent to a certain level. I wonder if this area is a realistic response." "I see. Is it still impossible without the help of the Crimson Imperial Empire..." "Well, if you have more fire than we do, I think you should use that one? No, there is something on the part of the Holy King that should also be called a trump card, but this time it is made clear that he will not intervene. And in conjunction with the Crimson Imperial Crimson of the Crimson Empire, instructions have also been given. ............ Even for this reason, I had no choice but to respond in silence to Oriana's questionable gaze. "Then you'll have to break your knees and ask Her Majesty for help even this one. I would like to discuss the terms and conditions for doing so. May I, ladies and gentlemen? Princess Oriana looks around the entire conference room and asks. No objections were raised from the Empire, the Holy Kingdom or Cres either.

第三話 海賊襲来 アミティア共和国最大の貿易港である、港湾都市キトーは賑わっていた。 大小様々な船――商船らしい大型帆船から、運搬用のガレー船、船体のあちこちを鉄板で補強してあるのは軍艦だろうか――がひしめき、出入りする船の立てる 着岸した中型船に板の渡しをかけ、その上を荷物運びの海の男達が行き交う。また、港に入りきれない大型船には、小型船が接舷して荷物や客の運搬を行っている。かわされる挨拶と威勢のいい掛け声。それら港の賑わいは海風に乗って、キトー市全体に伝わって生き生きとした鼓動を刻んでいるようだった。 そんな港に程近い一角にある小さな食堂。 そこはいま戦場だった。 「ヒユちゃん、3番さん平目の白ワイン蒸し追加ね!」 「はいはい、先にこの青魚のチーズ焼きが焼きあがったら調理にかかります」 狭い店内を飛び回りながらの女将さんの 「――あの、女将さん、まだまだ外に一杯並んでいて、材料が足りなくなりそうなんですけど」 エプロンを掛けたジョーイが、恐る恐る女将さんの背中に声を掛けると、途端に不機嫌そうな顔で振り返った。 「だったらさっさと市場に買いに行きな! まったく、男ってのは、うちの亭主と同じで気が利かないんだから」 「......えーと、なに買ってくればいいんでしょうか?」 「んなもんあたしがわかるわけないだろう! ヒユちゃんに聞きな、ヒユちゃんに」 かなり理不尽な女将さんの要求に、ジョーイが雨に打たれた子犬みたいな目で、こっちに訴えかけてくる。 「じゃあ取りあえず、白身魚...えーと、平目とあと淡白な身の大型魚があればいいかな。あと季節柄、香草焼きにしてもいいと思うから香草を、あと種類は何でもいいから海老、それと貝類もお願い」 「わかった。何匹くらいあればいいんだ?」 「なんのためにアンタが人数確認したんだいスカポンタン?! それくらい自分で判断しな! あとワインと火酒も足りなくなりそうだし、そっちも追加だよ」 「いや...あの、市場はともかく、酒屋とかわかんないんですけど」 「あんたの頭は帽子の台かい?! その口は飾りかい!? わかんなきゃ聞きゃいいだろう!」 持っていた木製のお盆で、ジョーイの頭をスパーンと叩く女将さん。 それからポケットに手を入れて、ジャラジャラと何枚か硬貨を出して、ジョーイに握らせる。 「――あ痛っ。......わ、わかりました。じゃあ行ってきます!」 「はい、いってらっしゃい」 「道草喰うんじゃないよ。これから夕方の書き入れ時なんだからね!」 小走りに走り出すジョーイの背中を見送って、料理の続きに取り掛かる。人数が人数なので、休む暇もない......けど、まだまだこれから夕食時の営業もあるので、頑張らないといけない。 ボクは気合も新たに握った包丁で、下ごしらえの為に魚の鱗を黙々と取るのだった。 フライパンにオリーブオイルを入れ、平目を焼く、さらに裏返して火から放して余熱で焼いて......。 「あれぇ? なんで私、ここで料理してるんだろう......?」 ふと、正気に戻ったところで、今更ながら疑問を感じて、大きく首を捻る。 「ヒユちゃん! ホロロ貝のパスタ注文が入ったよ! あと、さっきの3番さん平目の白ワイン蒸しできてるかい?!」 「あ、はい。いまできました」 勢いに押されて出来上がったばかりの料理をお皿に載せて、厨房から顔を出して女将さんに渡す。 『うおおおおおおおおおっ!!!!』 顔を出した瞬間、なぜか店内及び出入り口に並んで様子を見ていた、いずれも日に焼けた男達が、なぜか一斉に歓声みたいな声を張り上げたけど、忙しいのでこっちはそれどころではない。 そんなわけで、ボクは一瞬前に感じた疑問はさっさと放り投げて、再び厨房へと戻ったのだった。 あ...ありのまま今起こった事を話すぜ! 「食事を終えて、代金を支払って店から出たと思ったら、いつのまにか厨房で料理をしていた」 な...何を言っているのか、わからねーと思うが 私も何をされたのかわからなかった・・・ 頭がどうにかなりそうだった・・・ バイトとかお手伝いだとか そんなチャチなもんじゃあ断じてねえ もっと恐ろしい干物女子力の片鱗を味わったぜ・・・ ということで、夜になり店じまいした店内で、ジョーイともども疲れきった身体を、テーブルと椅子に投げ出したまま、いまさらながら冷静になって、今日の出来事を振り返ってみた。 「......ヒユキ、生きてるかー?」 「いちおう......HPは残ってるねぇ」 「不思議なんだけどさ。なんで俺らが、仕事を手伝わないといけなかったんだ?」 「奇遇だね。私も疑問に思ってたところだよ......」 お互いに、のっそりと身体を起こして向かい合う。 それから、自然とその視線が、奥で今日の売り上げを、ホクホク顔で数えている女将さんに向かった。 「確か、飯を食い終えて出ようとしたところで、女将さんの金切り声がして、慌てて戻ったんだよな」 「うん。そうしたら、女将さんが旦那さんを背負って、奥から突進してきて」 地鳴りのような音と、切羽詰った女将さんの形相と巨体に押されて、反射的に道を譲ったところへ、 「うちの旦那が腰を痛めたから、ちょいと罹り付けの薬師んとこ行って来るっ。あんたら少しの間、店を見てておくれ!」 と一方的に言われて、返事をする間もなく、土煙を上げて去っていく女将さんを見送るしかなかった。 で、しょうがない、どうせお客さんなんて来ないだろうと、密かに周囲を固めている隠密部隊や親衛隊に断りを入れて、ジョーイと二人でお店に戻ったんだけど、なぜか遠目に見ていた通行人が、ゾロゾロと付いて来て、そのままテーブルやカウンターに座って注文を始めた。 まあ、厨房に材料はあったので、ボクが適当にありあわせの料理を作り、冒険者初心者の頃、この手のお店で手伝いをしていた経験があるジョーイが給仕役をやって、女将さんが帰って来るのを待っていた。 だけどなかなか戻ってこない上に、さらにお客さんが増えててんてこ舞い。 二人ともほとんど忘我の境地でお店を回していたところへ、やっと女将さんが戻ってきたので、やれやれこれで一安心......と思ったら。店の繁盛具合に目を丸くした女将さんの顔が、次の瞬間、にやりと悪どいものに変わり、「あんたら、まさか途中で投げ出すつもりじゃないだろうね?!」というドスの利いた声とともに、揃って襟首を掴まれて店に戻された。 そして、現在に至る。 「......なんで夫婦喧嘩のとばっちりで、私達がお店の手伝いとかしなきゃいけないわけ」 「諦めろ。それが夫婦喧嘩ってもんだ。――てゆーかさ、いまふと思ったんだけど」 同時にため息をついたところで、ジョーイが小首を傾げた。 「うん?」 「旦那さんの腰、その場でお前が治せば、問題なかったんじゃないのか?」 「.........」 後悔って言葉は「後から悔いる」から後悔って言うんだよ。 思わず頭を抱えたところで、暖簾をしまった店の扉が、乱暴に表から開けられた。 「悪いけど、今日はもう店じまいだよ!」 顔を上げた女将さんが断りを入れるが、 「おぅ、ここだここだ! なんでもえらい別嬪がいるらしいぞ」 まるっきり無視して、4~5人の男達が店の中に入ってきた。 まだ宵の口だというのに、すでにかなりの酒が入っているようで、全員顔が赤い。まだ若くて、身なりもそれなりに立派なものだけれど、どことなく着崩したような、荒んだ雰囲気があった。 「――こいつら堅気じゃないな」 男達が入って来たのと同時に、ボクと一緒に椅子から立ち上がったジョーイが、軽く眉をしかめて呟いた。そのままボクを背中に隠すように前に出る。うん男の子だねぇ。 「おっ! こりゃ凄え、確かにこんな上玉見たことないぜ。おい、女、俺達の席について酌をしろ! ――いや、こんな小汚い店じゃなくて、もっと良いところ連れて行ってやる。ついて来い!」 下種な笑いを浮かべながら、最初に入ってきた男がボクに手を伸ばしてくるのを見て、「うちの子になにするんだい!」と女将さんが声を荒げ、ジョーイは無言のまま無造作にその手を払い除けた。 「この餓鬼っ。その女を渡せ!」 堂に入った恐喝の声に、女将さんが顔をこわばらせ、ジョーイは「嫌なこった」と答えた。 「餓鬼が粋がるな! つまんねえ恰好つけると、痛い目にあうぞ!」 怒鳴り声と共に酒で赤い顔を更に赤黒くさせ、男は腰に下げていた護拳がついた 「おい、店の中で剣なんて抜くなよ。危ないだろう」 うんざりした顔で忠告するジョーイの態度に、馬鹿にされたと思ったのか、有無を言わせず男が斬りかかって来た。 戸口から外へ吹っ飛んだ男の進路上にいた、男の仲間らしき人相の悪い連中が慌てて避ける。 「あんたら仲間だろう。受け止めてやればいいのに」 を拾って、具合を確認するジョーイ。愛用の魔剣は給仕の邪魔になるので、厨房の奥に置いてあるので、代用で使うことにしたのだろう。 「こいつ。舐めた真似しやがって!」 「勝手に突っかかってきたのはそっちだろう。俺は煩いハエを追い払っただけだ」 ジョーイも言うようになったねえ。 「ほざくな! 死ねっ!!」 「――ゴブリンの方がマシだな」 空を切り裂く剣先を避けながら、ジョーイは端的に評すると、カウンターで 「この野郎っ!」 「ただじゃおかねえ!」 「ぶっ殺してやる!」 店内の椅子やテーブルを蹴り倒しながら、いきり立った男達が一斉に襲い掛かってきた。 「手伝う?」 背中越しに一応聞いてみたけれど、「こいつら隙だらけだ。つまんねぇ」とジョーイは面白くもなさそうに答えた。 それじゃあ、しばらくか弱いお姫様役をすることにして、軽く肩をすくめ、邪魔にならないようジョーイから離れた。 これだけの騒ぎになっているのだから、野次馬も相当いるかと思ったのだけれど、店の外はとっぷり暮れた闇の中に沈んで、人っ子一人覗き見している気配すらなかった。 ――誰かが、なんかやってるね。 おそらく過保護な保護者達がなにかして、この場から余計な人間を排除したのだろう。心当たりを探るうちに、また一人人相の悪い男がジョーイに叩きのされて、店の外へと転がって行った。 同時に、叩き出された男の周囲に闇がまとわり付き、『コリコリコリコリ』と何かが何かを食べるような音が、微かに聞こえてきた。 「......ねえ、ジョーイ、悪いんだけど、一人は聞きたい事があるんで残しておいてくれるかな?」 外に出た3人に関しては、この場で尋問するのはもう無理だろう。 残った2人を相手にしていた、ジョーイは怪訝な顔をしながらも、「わかった」軽く請け負って、瞬く間に一人を蹴り倒し、外へ放り投げ、最後に残った男の剣を叩き落した。 「これでいいか?」 すっかり酔いが醒めた顔で、だらだらと脂汗を流している男の首筋に剣先を当て、気負いのない調子でジョーイが聞いてきた。 「はい、お見事でした」 軽く拍手をしてその健闘を讃える。 「――て、手前、俺達にこんなことをしてただで済むと思ってるのか? 俺たちゃ、泣く子も黙る この期に及んでふてぶてしく開き直る男。 どうだと言わんばかりの態度に、ジョーイと二人、思わず顔を見合わせる。 「......『だぞ』って言われても、聞いたこともないしな」 「......というか、ウミネコなのかヤマネコなのかどっちなわけ?] なんか、海のものとも山のものともつかないんだけど。 はかばかしくないボクたちの態度に焦れた様子で、男がさらに喚く。 って言えば、北方のコルヌあたりじゃ、知らない者はいない海賊様だ!」 「「「海賊!?」」」 女将さんも合わせた全員の声が唱和する。 血相を変えた女将さんが、ジョーイの魔剣を持って奥から出てきた。そのまま放り投げるようにジョーイに剣を返す。 「――海賊に目をつけられたら商売上がったりだ。悪いけどすぐに出て行っておくれ!」 そのまま力づくでも追い出しそうな女将さんの懇願に、海賊の男はしてやったりの表情を浮かべる。 「......わかりました。私達はこちらのお店とは無関係の余所者ですから、なにかあればそれで通してください。また、それでも困ったことがあれば、当市の衛兵や役人にでもご相談ください。決して悪いようにはしないよう、確実に命令しておきますので」 「はあ......? 衛兵や役人に命令って......ヒユちゃん、あんたいったい......?」 大きく目を見開く女将さんに一礼をして、 「先ほどは『うちの子になにをするんだい』と庇っていただきありがとうございました。嬉しかったです」 外したエプロンをテーブルの上に置き、海賊の男を後ろ手に締め上げたジョーイともども、お店を後にした。 ちらりと振り返ると、なにか言いたげな顔の女将さんが、入り口のところまで出てきて、こちらを見ているのが見えた。 「うん。君にはそのあたり詳しく聞かせてもらうよ」 ため息をついて、相変わらず喚いている男の顔を見上げる。 少しだけイラついた気持ちが表に出ていたのか、その途端、男の顔が強張った。 「......まあ、心配することはないさ。他の仲間に比べれば、まだしも君は幸運だったと思うから」 冷笑を浮かべたボクの言葉に、大きく唾を飲み込んだ男が見る見る青褪め、今度こそ大人しくなった。 「取りあえず別荘に連れて行けばいいだろう。行こうぜ、ヒユキ」 さっさと先に立って進むジョーイ――ひょっとして気を使ってくれてるのかな――の後に続く形で、小走に追い駆ける。 相変わらず周りでなにかしているのか、周囲には闇があるだけでまだまだ宵の口だっていうのに、細い通りには猫の子一匹いなかった。 「そうだね。チャッチャと済ませないとね」 同意しながら、ふと、見上げた空には大きな満月が浮かんでいた。

120 Episode Three: Pirate Attacks The port city of Quito, the largest trading port of the Amitian Republic, was busy. Ships of all sizes and sizes - from large sailboats like merchant ships, galley ships for transport, is it warships that reinforce all over the hull with iron plates? - hiss, the sound of the splashes (shivers) of the ships entering and leaving, the sounds of the flying seabirds, the sound of the masts raising and lowering the sails, are comfortably focused on the clear blue sky. Pass the boards to the landed medium-sized ship, over which the men of the sea carrying the luggage go. In addition, small vessels board large vessels unable to enter the port to carry luggage and passengers. Greetings to be exchanged and a good voice of prestige. The bustle of those harbors seemed to ride in the sea breeze and carve a lively heartbeat through the whole city of Quito. A small dining room in a corner as close to such a harbor. It was a battlefield now. "Hiyu-chan, you're adding flat-eyed steamed white wine! "Yes, yes, if this grilled green fish cheese is baked first, it will be cooked" Reply to the voice of the general's order (order) as she flies around the narrow store, swinging in the used frying pan. "- Um, ma'am, I'm still lined up outside for a drink, and I'm going to run out of ingredients." Joey, who hung an apron, looked back with a grumpy face as she hung her voice on the fearful general's back. "Then just go buy it at the market! Damn it, a man is just like our pawn owner, and he doesn't care." "... er, what should I buy you? "Mm-hmm. You can't possibly understand me! Ask Hiyu, Hiyu." Joey complains over here with her eyes like a puppy hit by rain at the request of a rather unreasonable general. "In the meantime, then, white fish... er, I wish I had a big fish with a flat eye and a pale body. I think it's okay to cook vanilla with seasonal patterns and herbs, and shrimp and seafood with anything else." "Okay. How many should I have? "Why did you confirm the number of people, Scapontan?! That's about it! We're going to run out of wine and spirits, and that's an extra one." "No... you know, whatever the market is, I don't know about liquor stores." "Is your head a hat table?! That mouth is decorative!? I don't know. You should ask! A wooden basin that I had, a damsel slapping Joey's head with a sparn. Then I put my hand in my pocket, put out some jalajara and some coins, and let Joey grip me. "- Ah, that hurts....... Wow, I get it. Then I'm going! "Yes, come on in" "Don't eat the road grass. It's time to write it down in the evening! Drop Joey's back running out for a small run and get on with the cooking. Because of the number of people, I don't have time to rest...... but I still have some sales to do at dinner, so I have to work hard. My temper was a new knife, and I silently took the scales of the fish for the sake of looking down. Place the olive oil in a frying pan, cook the flat eyes, turn it even more upside down and let it go from the fire and cook it over extra heat...... "Is that it? Why am I cooking here...? Secondly, when I return to sanity, I still have doubts and twist my neck big. "Hiyu! Hollow shellfish pasta order is in! And what about the flat-eyed white wine steamed earlier, Mr. No.3?!" "Ah, yes. It's done now." Pushed by the momentum, he puts the dish he has just been able to serve on a plate, faces out of the kitchen and gives it to the general. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!!!!" The moment I showed my face, for some reason I was watching in and out of the store side by side, all the guys who burned in the day raised their cheers at the same time for some reason, but I'm busy so this is not the place to be. That's why I threw away the question I had a moment ago and went back to the kitchen. Ah... I'll tell you what just happened! "I was cooking in the kitchen sometime when I thought I had finished my meal and paid for it and left the store" I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't know what they did either... My head was going to do something about it... You know, a part-time job, I helped you. You're such a chump. Then I'm not turning you down. More horrible dried dried. I tasted one scale of women's power. So at night in the store, Joey and his tired body were thrown out to the table and chair, and he calmed down and looked back at what had happened today. "... Hiyuki, are you alive? "Yikes... HP's still here" "It's strange. Why did we have to help you with your job? "That's an odd encounter. I was just wondering too..." We wake each other up and face each other gently. Then, nature and its gaze turned to the general counting today's sales in the back, with a hock-face. "Sure, I was just about to leave after dinner, and I heard your lady's gold cut, and you rushed back" "Yeah. Then the general carries her husband, and she storms in from the back" To where I gave way reflexively, pushed by the sounds of the ground and the shapes and giants of the plucked damsel, "My husband hurt his back, so I'm going to go and see a druggist. Look at the store for a little while! I was told unilaterally, and shortly after I replied, I had no choice but to escort the damsel away with her cigarette up. So, I couldn't help it, I wouldn't come with a customer anyway, I secretly put no to the covert troops and SS that were consolidating my surroundings, and Joey and I went back to the store, and for some reason, a passerby who was looking away came with Zorozolo and sat straight at the table or at the counter and started ordering. Well, there were ingredients in the kitchen, so when I was a novice adventurer, Joey, who had experience helping in this hand shop, did the service and waited for the general to come home. But it's hard to come back, and there are more customers. We were both almost turning the store around on my frontier, and the general finally came back, so man. If you think this is a relief...... The next moment, the face of the general, who rounded her eyes at the prosperity of the store, turned into something evil and, along with Dos' resourceful voice, "Oh, you're not going to throw me out on the way, are you?!", they grabbed me all together and put me back in the store. And to this day. "... why do we have to help the store or something when it's just a couple fights" "Give it up. That's a couple fights. - I thought it was a good idea." I sighed at the same time, and Joey tipped his little neck. "Yeah?" "Your husband's hips, if you cured him on the spot, wouldn't you have had a problem? ......... The word "regret" means "regret later". Unexpectedly holding his head, the door of the store with the warm curtains was opened from the surface abruptly. "I'm sorry, but I'm already in the store today! The lady with the face up puts in a no, "Ooh, right here, right here! I hear there's something wrong with everything." Ignoring it altogether, four to five men came into the store. They say it's still a late night's mouth, but it looks like they already have quite a bit of booze in them, and they're all red in their faces. There was a rough atmosphere, still young and quite splendid in stature, but somewhat disfigured. - These guys aren't tough. At the same time the men came in, Joey, who rose from the chair with me, frowned lightly and murmured. Keep going forward to hide me on my back. Yeah, it's a boy. "Whoa! This is awesome, I've certainly never seen anything like it. Hey, woman, give us a break about our seats! - No, I'll take you somewhere better, not in this little dirty store. Follow me! With a inferior laugh, I saw the first man who came in reach out to me and said, "What are you doing to my child!," said the general, roughing up her voice, and Joey silently disowned the hand. "You hungry bastard. Give me that woman! To the blackmailing voice that went into the hall, the general stifled her face, and Joey replied, "I don't like it." "Don't starve! Pinch it. Put it on, it hurts! With his yelling voice, he made his red face even more red and black with booze, and the man had a single-handed long sword (hanger) with a fist guard that was lowered to his waist (a weapon used by sailors. the shorter one is called 'Cutlass'). "Hey, don't pull out a sword in the store. It'll be dangerous." To Joey's attitude, which I advise with a fed up face, a man came slaughtering me without telling me whether or not he thought I had been ridiculed. People with bad looks like fellow men rush to avoid being on the path of a man who blew himself out of the door. "You'd be one of them. I wish I could take it." With that said, Joey picks up a one-handed long sword (hanger) dropped by a man and checks how he's doing. My favorite demon sword gets in the way of my supply, so I guess I decided to use it in substitution because it's in the back of the kitchen. "This guy. He licked me. You're imitating me! "I guess that's the one who stuck around on his own. I just got rid of the annoying fly." Joey's starting to say it, too. Hey. "Don't flatter me! Die!!" - Goblins are better. Avoiding the tip of the sword that cleaved through the sky, Joey criticized it in the end, bouncing back a one-handed long sword (hanger) at the counter, kicking it into the flank of the unwittingly cursed man and beating it out of the store, just like the other man. "Son of a bitch! "It's not just that! "I'll kill you! Sudden men attacked him in unison as he kicked down chairs and tables in the store. "Help?" I asked him once over the back, but he said, "These guys are full of gaps." It's not funny, "Joey replied. Then I decided to act as a weak princess for a while, shrugging my shoulders gently and leaving Joey out of the way. This is all the fuss, so I thought the wild horses were pretty good, but outside the store, they sank in the darkness of plenty of twilight, and there wasn't even any sign of one person peeking at them. - Somebody's doing something. Perhaps the overprotective parents did something to get rid of the extra people from this place. As I explored my thoughts, another bad-looking man was slapped by Joey and rolled out of the store. At the same time, the sound of darkness swelling around the knocked out man and eating something "colicky" was heard slightly. "... Hey, Joey, I'm sorry, but one of you has something to ask, so why don't you just leave it? As far as the three of you out there are concerned, you won't be able to question them on this occasion anymore. He was dealing with the two remaining, Joey looked suspicious, but "ok," he undertook lightly, kicking one down in an instant, throwing it outside and knocking off the last remaining man's sword. "Is this it? With a face completely awakened by drunkenness, he put his sword tip on the neck of a sloppy, sweaty man, and Joey listened in an unconscious manner. "Yes, it was brilliant" Applause lightly for that good fight. "- So you think you can just do this to us in front of you? I am a member of the Seamount Cats (Searinks) who cry too! A man who opens and reopens a lot over this period. Joey and I, accidentally, look each other in the face at the attitude I'm just saying. "... I've never even heard of him." "... or is it Umineko or Yamaneko?] I don't know, it doesn't belong to the sea or the mountains. It's not ridiculous. A man calls out even more in a hurry at our attitude. "You must be amateur! When it comes to the Seamount Cats, there's no such thing as pirates around the Corne in the north! "" "Pirate!?" " The voices of all the ladies combined also summon. A blood-changing general came out of the back with Joey's demon sword. Return the sword to Joey so he can throw it as it is. "- If the pirates keep an eye on you, you're up for business. I'm sorry, but you need to leave right now! The pirate man gives a look at the courtesy of the general who is going to kick her out even if she stays strong. "... ok. We have nothing to do with this store, so if you need anything, please let us through. Also, if you still have trouble, talk to one of our city's guards and officials. I will definitely order you not to do anything wrong." "Ha...? Orders to guards and officials... Hiyu, what the hell are you...? Give a big, eye-opening courtesy to the general, "Thank you for sheltering me earlier with 'What are you doing to my child'. It was a pleasure." The shops were left behind, along with Joey, who placed the removed apron on the table and tightened the pirate man behind his back. Looking back, I saw a face general with something to say, coming out to the entrance and looking at this one. "Yeah. I'll let you know more about it." Sigh and look up at the face of the man who is still calling. There was a slightly irritating feeling on the table, and as soon as that happened, the man's face was stretched out. "... well, there's nothing to worry about. Compared to the rest of us, I still think you were lucky." The blue fade that the man who swallowed his big spit sees in my words with a cold smile, now it's time to grow up. "You can take him to the villa for now. Let's go, Hiyuki." Joey, who just stands ahead and moves on - I wonder if he's paying attention to me for a moment - in the form that follows, chases him on a small walk. As always, there was no cat child in the narrow street, even though there was just darkness around them and it was still the mouth of the night. "Right. I have to go with Chacha." Agreed, and, uh, there was a big full moon floating in the sky that looked up.

第四話 護衛依頼 ジョーイの「送って行く」という提案に、少女は馬車の 「いや、別に子供じゃないんだから、道に迷うことはないと思うよ」 「そういうことじゃなくて......。てゆーか、お前どう見ても子供だろう? まだ11歳くらいじゃねーか」 その言葉になぜか微妙な苦笑いを浮かべる少女。 「・・・いちおう13歳なんだけどね」 「――えっ、そうなのか? わ、悪い」 の女の子は成長のバラつきがあるので、なかなか判断が難しいところがあるが、例えばいま15歳の自分が13歳に間違われたらムッとするだろう。 少女の表情をそういった意味にとらえて、ジョーイは素直に頭を下げた。 男の自分でさえ背伸びしたい年頃なんだ。まして女の子で13歳ともなれば、ジョーイの生まれた村ではもう結婚してる子もいたぐらいで・・・。 そう思った瞬間、胸がどきっと高鳴った。 (そうだよな、子供じゃなくてもう結婚できるくらいの 「あのさ、お前みたいに見るからに金持ちのお嬢様がのほほーんと一人で歩いていたら、どんな奴らに絡まれて、その......ひどい目にあわされるかわかったもんじゃないんだ。だから街まで送って行く」 「ああ、なるほど。犯されて、殺されて、埋められるって奴だね」 ジョーイが濁した言葉の意味をあっさり理解したらしい少女は、そこで不思議そうに少年の顔を見た。 「でも、いいの? 見たところ手ぶらのようだけど、仕事の途中じゃないの?」 「・・・いいんだよ。どうせ討伐予定のウォードックは逃げちまったし、2頭いるとも思わなかったから準備も足りなかったし。――だいたいここでお前を放り出したら寝覚めが悪いだろう!」 照れ隠しにそっぽを向いて怒鳴るように言った言葉に、少女は一瞬呆気に取られた顔をして、次に嬉しそうに微笑んだ。 「君――ジョーイ君だったっけ? 君は良い人だねえ」 「――なっ、なに言ってんだお前! 馬鹿にしてないか?!」 「そんなつもりはないんだけど、気に触ったんならあやまるよ。・・・だけど、ただ好意に甘えるだけというのも心苦しいかな。――う~~ん、それなら仕事として、私が街へ着くまでの護衛と街での案内をお願いできないかな? できれば冒険者ギルドも見てみたいし」 「仕事か・・・」 「あれ? こういう直接依頼する仕事はひょっとしてNGなのかな?」 「いや、ギルドポイントに反映されないだけで別に禁止はされてないけど、こういう場合は大抵前金払いで、それに通常依頼よりも割り増し料金を取るのが普通で・・・」 もっとも、まだ見習いのG級をやっと卒業してF級になったばかりのジョーイにしてみれば、通常の護衛依頼の報酬の相場も、割増料金の掛け率もわからないので、幾ら報酬を貰えばいいのか判断ができないのだ。 だが少女のほうはジョーイの煮え切らない態度を、『報酬の前払いが支払えるかどうか』で懸念しているものと思ったのだろう。 腰の後ろ――大きなリボンの飾りかと思ったらポシェットだったらしい――をガサゴソやって、硬貨を何枚か取り出した。 「じゃあこれでどうかな?」 「銀貨か?」 渡された1枚のいっけん銀色をした――通常の1セル銀貨より3回りは大きな――それは、良く見ると表面が虹色に輝く見たこともないお金だった。 そう言ってジョーイの掌の上に金貨を10枚ばかり乗せた。 「・・・見たことのない金貨だなぁ。使えるのか?」 もっとも金貨自体ジョーイにとっては、いつも銀貨や銅貨を貰うギルド窓口の向こう側にあるのを、ため息と共に見るだけで精一杯であったが。 「どうだろうねぇ? 最悪、鋳潰して貴金属として売り払うことになるかもしれないね。その時には金額によってはその場で そういって再度ポシェットに手を回し、そこから大の男の二の腕ほどもある金の延べ棒を引き出して見せた。 それを見て少年の顔色が変わる。 「――ちょっ、ちょっと待て! それってもしかして物を入れても重さや大きさが変わらないマジックアイテムか!?」 「そうだよ。――ああ、なるほどこっちにもあるんだね」 「お前、ひと財産だぞそれっ! それだけで一等地に家が買えるぞ!」 「へえ、ずいぶんと高い物なんだねえ。――まあこれもかなり高額ではあったけど」 「そうだろう。そんな簡単に人前で見せるなよ。ったく、やっぱ危なっかしくて見てられないぜ。ホントどこのお姫様だよ」 『お姫様』と呼ばれて、なぜか自嘲するような笑みを浮かべながら、 少女は両手でスカートの裾をつまんで、軽くカーテシー(片足を後ろに引きもう片足の膝を曲げて行なう挨拶)を行なった。 その優美な動作に内心ドギマギしながら、ジョーイは赤くなった顔を見られないよう咄嗟に体の向きを変え、500mばかり離れたところの巨木を指して歩き出した。 「ヒユキか。ああ、『ジョーイ君』なんて言われると馬鹿にされてる気がするからジョーイでいいぞ。――じゃあヒユキ、あの木の所に俺の 騎鳥 首を傾げる緋雪の世間知らずに、いい加減耐性がついてきたジョーイが、 「・・・まあ、直接見ればわかるさ」 ◆◇◆◇ 『姫、あのような無礼な小僧など雇わずとも、私めが姫の玉体に傷ひとつたりと付けませぬが?』 その時ボクの傍――というか内側から HP:61,312,800(+61,234,800) MP:53,841,500(+53,746,000) どこのジンバブエ・ドル?っていうくらいインフレを起こしているんだよ! のステータスが上書きされているんだよね?! ボクのステータスなんて、刺し身のツマどころかタンポポみたいなもので、あってもなくてもどーでもいい感じなんですけど!? てゆーか、この機能がわかって以来、あまりに普段とのステータス差がありすぎて、いまだ怖くて魔法の一発も撃てないでいる。 このレベルで火炎系初級攻撃の を使うことなく――とはいえ、今回の偵察は天涯も同行することが最低条件だったので――なるべく穏便に事を済ませられるように、偶然目に入ったジョーイに接触したわけなんだけど、天涯にしてみれば自分の力を信じてもらえないようでへそを曲げているんだろうね。 曲げすぎて「ここは実際に実力をお見せします!」とかハッチャケたら、この国が一夜で滅びるよ! そうなったらもう坂道を下る勢いで、ボクの魔王街道まっしぐらだろうし。 ここはなんとしても天涯のプライドを傷つけないよう、穏便に取り計らわないと。 『無論、天涯、そなたの忠義と能力には全幅の信頼を寄せている。しかしながらこうして民草に混じらないと得られぬものもある。私のわがままであるが、どうか付き合ってくれぬか?』 『・・・短慮を申しました。申し訳ありませぬ姫様。私ごときが姫様の深慮遠謀を推し量るなど、そもそも不敬の至りでございました。――つまりあの小僧は護衛役などではなく、あくまで・・・』 どうやらわかってくれたらしい、天涯の声が落ち着いたものに戻った。 『非常時の 頭の中でこれらの言葉が一つに組み立てられた。 そ、そーいや、ボク、吸血姫だったっけ!? そーするとあれかい、今日、ジョーイと話していて密かにときめいた瞬間とか、健康的な手足を見て実は密かにドキドキしていたこの感情は、女の子になった影響とかではなくて、単なる食欲?! やばいっ!! なにも考えずにジョーイに護衛を依頼したけど、このまま一緒にいるとマズいかも知れないっ。 な、なんか意識すると、ジョーイの健康そうな首筋とか、手足の血管に行きそうになる視線を、ボクは無理やり外した。

8 Episode Four: Escort Request In Joey's suggestion to "send him away," the girl pointed out the main road where the tracks of the carriage remained. "No, it's nothing. I'm not a kid, so I don't think I'm gonna get lost." "That's not what I meant... Well, I don't care what you think, kid. You're only about 11." Girl with a subtle bitter laugh for some reason at that word. "... I'm 13 years old at the end." "- Oh, really? Wow, bad." Girls of this age (suppose) have a rose in growth, so there are some hard spots to judge, but for example, if I am now 15 years old and I am mistaken for 13, I will be muddled. Taking the girl's expression in that sense, Joey honestly bowed her head. Even the man himself is old enough to want to stretch. Well, if you're a girl and you're 13, some kids were already married in the village where Joey was born... The moment I thought so, my chest pounded. (Right, you're old enough to get married now, not a kid.) "You know, if a rich lady was walking alone with a horn like you, she wouldn't have figured out what kind of guys she was involved in and the... terrible eyes. So I'll take you to the city." "Oh, I see. He's the one who gets fucked, killed, and buried." The girl, who Joey seems to have fully understood the meaning of the cloudy word, looked at the boy's face strangely there. "But okay? Seems like a handful from what I've seen, but aren't you on your way to work? "... that's okay. Whatever Wardock was planning to crusade, he ran away, and he wasn't ready because he didn't even think he had two heads. - Mostly if I throw you out here, you won't sleep well! To the words she told him to turn away and yell at the blindfold, the girl looked distracted for a moment and smiled happily next. "You - Joey, was that you? You're a good man." "- What are you talking about? You! Are you kidding me?!" "I don't mean to, but if you've touched it, I won't.... but I guess it's also sad that it's just sweet to the liking. - Uh-huh. Well, then, as a matter of business, could you escort me to the city and show me around the city? I'd like to see the Adventurer Guild if I can." "Work or..." "Is that it? Is this kind of directly requested job a bit NG? "No, it's not banned otherwise just because it doesn't reflect in the guild points, but in this case it's usually an advance payment, plus it's normal to take an incremental fee over what you normally ask..." Most importantly, if I finally graduated from apprenticeship G to Joey, who just got to F, I don't know the price of the regular escort request or the rate of the incremental fee, so I can't decide how much to pay. But I suppose the girl thought Joey was more concerned about Joey's unsweetened attitude in Whether or not she could pay a reward advance. Behind my hips - I thought it was a big ribbon ornament, they were pochettes - I gasagoso and took out a few coins. "So how about this? "Silver coins? I had one single piece of silver that was given to me - three times bigger than a regular one-cell silver coin - and that was money I had never even seen the surface shine rainbow when I looked better. That's what I said. I put all 10 gold coins on Joey's palm. "... it's a gold coin I've never seen. Can you use it? Most of all, for Joey the gold coin itself, it was always the best way to see the other side of the guild desk where he received silver coins and copper coins, just with a sigh. "What do you think, huh? Worst case scenario, you might end up crushing it and selling it off as precious metal. At that time, depending on the amount, I'll pay you with a stick on the spot. So he turned his hand to Pochette again, and pulled out from it a golden extension stick with about two arms of a big man to show him. Seeing that changes the boy's complexion. "- Hey, wait a minute! Is that a magic item that doesn't change in weight or size even if you put things in it?!?" "That's right. - Oh, I see it's here, too." "You're a piece of property, man! That's the only way you can buy a house in first class! "Heh, it's a lot expensive stuff. - Well, it was pretty expensive, too." "I guess so. Don't make it look so easy in public. Damn, I can't even look at it because it's dangerous. Really? What princess?" Called "The Princess," she smiled mocking herself for some reason. The girl pinched the hem of her skirt with both hands and gently curtesy (greeting her as she pulled one foot back and bent her knee on the other). With his inner dogginess to its graceful motion, Joey turned his body toward him so that he could not see his reddened face, and walked out pointing to a giant tree just 500 m away. "Hiyuki? Yeah, I think they're making fun of me when they say 'Joey you', so Joey's fine. - So, Hiyuki, there's my bird riding in that tree, so I'm gonna walk a little bit." "Bird riding (emu)?" Without the public knowledge of scarlet snow leaning down his neck, Joey has become more and less resistant to "... well, you can tell in person." * * * * "Princess, you don't have to hire such a disrespectful kid to scratch a princess's balls? At that time, I heard an exasperating voice from the inside. HP: 61,312,800 (+61,234,800) MP: 53,841,500 (+53,746,000) Which Zimbabwean dollar? That's how inflated I am! Or is this just like the status of the Golden Dragon (Naga Raja) overwritten?! My status is more like a tampon than a sashimi knob, and it doesn't matter if it's there or not!? So, since I figured out this feature, there's been too much status difference from the usual, and I'm still scared to shoot a single magic shot. If you use a flame-based primary offensive fireball (fireball) or something at this level, there is an unlimited risk that it will be at the level of 'it's not a melazoma now, it's a mela' instead of 'it's not a water bomb now, it's a grenade'. So without using your abilities (from us) as much as possible - though, since this reconnaissance was the minimum condition to accompany you for the rest of your life - I stumbled into contact with Joey in my eyes so that I could do things as peacefully as possible, but if you try to do it for the rest of my life, you don't seem to believe in your powers and you're bending your navel. I bent too much and said, "This place actually shows you strength!" Or Hatchake, this country will perish overnight! If that happens, we'll already have momentum down the ramp, and my demon king streets will be whole. We need to calm down so that we don't hurt our pride in heaven at all costs here. "Regardless, I have full confidence in your loyalty and abilities. However, some cannot be obtained without being mixed with folk grass in this way. It's my selfishness, but would you please hang out with me? '... I made a brief statement. I'm sorry, princess. It was disrespectful in the first place, such as when I deduced the princess's thoughtful premeditation. - I mean, that kid's not an escort or anything, he's just...' Apparently you figured it out, my heavenly voice went back to something calm. "It's food for emergencies." These words were assembled into one in my head. Oh, no, I was a bloodsucking princess!? That then, today, this emotion that I was secretly thrilled to see Joey talking to and secretly stuck with, or actually looking at healthy hands and feet, wasn't just an effect of being a girl, just an appetite?! Bye!! I asked Joey for an escort without thinking about it, but it might be too bad to stay with me. Well, when I was aware of something, I was forced to remove Joey's healthy neck muscles and his gaze that seemed to go to the blood vessels of his hands and feet.

番外編 冒険者は新婚を夢みる9 『『『『『ケケケケケケッ!!!』』』』』 一匹見かけたと思ったら次々と......赤・青・黄・紫・黒のキノコが続々と とりあえず色違いだけで見た目は変わらないキノコを次々に両断をするボク。 切るとキノコはトロけるような感じで粘液になって消えてゆく。 斬るたびに、なんとなく脳裏で軽快な音楽と『1UP!』という幻聴幻影が浮かんでくる。 ま、それはそれとして、ワラワラと湧いてくるキノコが鬱陶しくてたまらない。 「え~~い! 都合よく髭の配管工はいないの!?」 思わず鬱憤混じりにそう憤慨すると、「なんですか、それは?」と、ミーアさんが怪訝な顔をした。 「キノコ退治の専門家兄弟っ! 夢なんだからそのくらい都合つけてくれてもいいだろうに――」 八つ当たりだと思うけどそう愚痴ったところで、「きゃ~~~~~っ!! 骨の師匠が!!」というフィオレの絹を引き裂くような悲鳴が轟く。 慌ててミーアさんともども振り返って見れば、自分の肋骨を両手剣代わりにフィオレを守る形で、キノコの集団を向こうに回していた骨ジョーイが、ちょっと目を離した隙に津波のようなキノコの集団に圧し掛かられて埋没していた。 「大見得切って秒殺されるんじゃない! つーか、どこまでの○太君なんだ、君は!?」 思わずそう盛大にツッコミを入れたけれど、完全にキノコに埋もれた骨ジョーイの反応はない。 「ど、どうしましょう、ヒユキ様~っ?!」 途方に暮れたフィオレの目前で、さらにキノコが増員されてちょっとした小山になった。 あちらに大部分が集まってくれたお陰か、大分散発的になってきたキノコのモンスターを切り飛ばしながら、オロオロとボクに尋ねてくるフィオレに気軽に答える。 「ん~~。ひとまとめに燃やしたらいいんじゃないの?」 キノコの弱点は乾燥や火と相場が決まっているし、フィオレなら火炎系の魔術も使えるだろう。 「え!? そんなことをしたら師匠まで丸焼けの火葬になってしまいますよ!」 「いや、あれもう骨だから」 多少燃えても大丈夫だろう。 「......それもそうですね」 納得したフィオレは両手をキノコの山に向けて詠唱を開始した。 増幅器である杖や触媒などがないため、詠唱の方に時間をかけるみたいで、普段よりも長々と呪文を唱えている。 「――はぁっ! ラストッ!!」 その間にキノコの湧きは終わったみたいで、最後に残っていたイボイボのキノコを斬ったところで、丁度フィオレの呪文も完成したらしく、 裂帛の気合とともに放たれた魔力が具現化して、キノコの山を丸々取り囲む魔法陣となって、さらにその圏内を劫火で覆った。 「お~~~っ! やるねえ」 「フィオレさんは基本に忠実な上にバランスが良いので、最近は指名依頼で魔術学園の臨時講師をやってらっしゃるんですよ」 「いや、別にそんな難しく考えなくても。普通に接すればいいだけの――」 「無理ったら無理です!! それに魔術だったら私なんかよりも、タメゴローさんの方が全然レベルが違う......いえ、比べるのも烏滸がましいほど上じゃないですか!」 泣きそうな表情で全力で拒否するフィオレを前に、さすがにこれ以上の無理強いは駄目かと諦めるしかなかった。 「......う~~ん、タメゴローさんねえ。彼女も彼女で魔術の習得が偏っている上にあの性格だからねえ」 「? 悪い方ではないと思いますけど」 「悪くはないけど、『大は小を兼ねる!』とか言って、基本をすっ飛ばしていきなり実践から入るような教え方をするんだよねええ」 「......まあいいか。別にいま誰か困るわけでもないし」 考えても仕方ないことは考えなことにする。 将来の事は将来苦労する人間がどーにかすればいいことだろう。うん。 と、雑談に花を咲かせている間に、火炎に焙られたキノコの山は見る見る焦げて縮んでいき、それに合わせて魔法陣のサークルも小さくなって、人ひとり分くらいまで狭まったところで、 「熱ぢーーーーーーーーーーっ!!!」 と、絶叫を放ちながら、火の中から 「「「――え ゙!?!」」」 しっかり肉のついたジョーイは、体に着いた火を消そうと、地面(砂鯨の胃袋)に五体投地をして、その姿勢からのたうち回る。 「――なんで肉があるわけ?」 「もしやキノコが付着して肉になったのでしょうか?」 そりゃ夢の中だからなんでもアリだろうけど、あまりの御都合主義っぷりに、思わずミーアさんと真顔で質疑応答をしてしまった。 「熱っつつつ......あー どうにか火を消し終えたジョーイが、そういって立ち上がったところへ、感極まった面持ちでフィオレが抱き付こう――として、 「し、師匠~~っ......って、体にまだキノコが寄生してます!! ―― 直撃を受けたジョーイが白目と泡を吹いてその場に崩れ落ちるのを目の当たりにして、反射的に内股になって恐怖に慄くボクとミーアさん(女性でも想像すると及び腰になるんだねぇ)。 「ま、まだ付いています! ならば『 ジョーイのキノコが健在なのを確認して、物理的にちょん切ろうとするフィオレの暴走を、慌てて背後からしがみ付いて制止させるボクとミーアさん。 「なぜ止めるんですか、ふたりとも!? このままでは師匠の体がキノコに支配されるかも知れないんですよ!」 「落ち着いてっ、それはキノコじゃない! 男のシンボルだよ!」 フィオレの腰を抱えて指摘するけど、 頑として現実を認めようとしない。 「成長するとこの形になるのよ!」 「そそっ、フィオレが見たのは発展途上! これが完全体だよ!!」 両手を抱えるミーアさんとともに説得をするボクら。 「......それはもしかして......?」 「砂鯨の消化ですか!?」 猛烈に嫌な予感を覚えたボクと同様に、ミーアさんもその可能性に思い至ったのだろう、顔色を変えて音のする方を凝視する。 「えっ、でも師匠はまだ余裕があるって......?」 フィオレもさすがに攻撃の手を休めて、不安げな顔を音の方へ向ける。 「可能性としては、ジョーイの言っていた期間が間違っていたか、或いは胃の中で火を燃やしたのが刺激になったのか、はたまたジョーイが肉体を取り戻したことが切っ掛けになったのか......いずれにしても」 「「いずれにしても?」」 「逃げようがないので、この場で『結界』を張ってやり過ごすしかないだろうね」 そう口にするのと同時に、ボクは全員がスッポリ入れるサイズの『光障壁』を張り巡らせた。 「――ま、夢の中でどこまで持つかはわからないけど」 さすがに口に出して不安を煽るわけにもいかないので、そう胸中で付け足しながら、ボクは足元で幸せそうに寝ている(気絶している)ジョーイを見下ろす。 そう思った瞬間、ナイアガラの瀑布のような胃液がこの場を席巻したのだった。

160 Outside The Adventurer Dreams Of A Newlywed 9 "" "" "" KEEP KEEP KEEP KEEP KEEP!!! "" " When I thought I saw one, one after the other... red, blue, yellow, purple, and black mushrooms kept gushing (popping up). For now, I make one mushroom after another that just looks different in different colors. When cut, the mushroom becomes mucus and disappears feeling troublesome. Every time I slash it, I somehow get some light music in the back of my brain and '1UP!' An audible phantom comes to mind. Ma, I can't wait to see the mushrooms gushing with walrus. "Eh! Conveniently no bearded plumber!?" Unexpectedly so outraged by the mix of depression, he said, "What is it, what is it?," Mr. Meer looked surprised. "Brother the mushroom exorcism expert! It's a dream, so you can make it that convenient." I think it's a win-win, but so foolish, screaming like ripping off Fiore's silk saying "Yikes!!! My bone master!!". Looking back in haste with Mr. Meer, Joey, a bone who was turning a group of mushrooms across the street in the form of protecting Fiore instead of a two-handed sword, was buried from being pressed against a group of mushrooms like a tsunami in a slightly distracted gap. "Don't let them kill you for seconds! How far are you, O Tai?!?" I accidentally put a huge scratch in it, but there's no reaction from Joey, a bone completely buried in a mushroom. "Duh, what shall we do, Master Hyuki?!" At the present time of the twilight fiore on the way, more mushrooms became a bit of a mountain. Feel free to answer Fiore, who asks Oro and me, cutting and flying a monster of mushrooms that are getting mostly sporadic, thanks to the majority gathering over there. "Mm-hmm. Shouldn't we just burn it together? Mushroom weaknesses are determined by dryness, fire and market, and Fiore would be able to use flame-based magic. "Huh!? If you do that, you'll have a whole burning cremation until your master! "No, because that's already bone" It would be fine if it burned somewhat. "... so is that" Convinced, Fiore began chanting her hands toward a mountain of mushrooms. Because there is no wand, catalyst, etc. that is an amplifier, it seems to take longer to chant, and it spells longer than usual. "- Ha! Rust!!" In the meantime, it looks like the mushroom springs are over, and I just slashed the last remaining Iboibo mushroom, and he's just finished Fiore's spell, too. The magic unleashed with the temper of the rift embodied the magic formation that surrounded the mountain of mushrooms round, further covering the area with fire. "Ohh! Do it." "Mr. Fiore has a good balance in his loyalty to the basics, so he's been a temporary lecturer at the School of Magic lately with a nomination request." "No, it doesn't have to be that hard to think about. You just have to deal with it normally -" "I can't do it if I can't!! And if it's magic, Mr. Tamegoro is on a completely different level than I am... no, isn't comparing too much upside down! I just had to give up any more imposing before Fiore, who rejects it with all her might with a crying expression. "... uh-huh, Mr. Tamegoro. She's biased in her witchcraft mastery, too, 'cause she's that character." "? I don't think it's a bad idea." "Not bad, 'Big combines small! Say' em, teach 'em to soak up the basics and suddenly get into practice. Hey." "... okay. It's not like anyone's in trouble right now." Think about what you can't help but think about. I wonder what people who struggle with the future should do. Yeah. and while flowering into chatter, the mountain of mushrooms roasted by flames scorched and shrunk to see, and with it the circle of magic formation became smaller, narrowed to about a minute per person, "Fever, whoa!!!" and bare Joey (...) popped out of the fire, letting out a scream. "" "- eh!?!" " Joey, with a firm flesh, makes five landings on the ground (the stomach of a sand whale) in an attempt to extinguish the fire that reached his body and leaps around from that position. "- Why do you have meat? "What if the mushroom sticks and becomes meat? That's in my dreams, so anything would be ant, but with so much convenience, I accidentally had a Q&A with Mr. Meer in the face. "While it was hot... it was so cool." Joey, who managed to extinguish the fire, stood up like that, and Fiore hugged him with an impressive face - as "And, Master ~ ~... there are still mushrooms parasitic in my body!! - Flame (Fire) Huh! Me and Meer reflexively inward crotch and horrified to see Joey blow a white eye and bubble and collapse on the spot (even a woman imagines it to be a waist). "Ma, it's still attached! Then cut with the Wind Blade." Me and Meer make sure Joey's mushroom is alive and stop Fiore's rampage, which he tries to physically cut a little, hastily from behind. "Why stop, both of you!? My master's body might be dominated by mushrooms as it is! "Calm down, that's not a mushroom! It's a symbol of a man! I'll hold Fiore's hips and point it out. I don't try hard to acknowledge reality. "It's in this form when you grow up! "Damn, what Fiore saw was developing! This is the complete body!!" We persuade them along with Meer, who holds both hands. "... could that be...? "Is it digestion of sand whales!?" As with me, who had a fiercely unpleasant feeling, I guess Mr. Meer came to think of the possibility, of changing his complexion and staring at those who make noise. "What, but the master says he can still afford it...? Fiore just rests her attacking hand and turns her anxious face toward the sound. "Possibilities include whether the period Joey was talking about was wrong, or whether it was irritating to burn the fire in his stomach, or whether it was cut off that Joey regained his flesh again... in any case" "" In any case? "I can't get away with it, so I guess I'll just have to put up a 'junction' and do it over here" At the same time as I said so, I stretched out a 'light barrier' the size that everyone would suffocate in. "-Ma, I don't know how far I'll have it in my dreams." I can't just put it in my mouth and stir up anxiety, so I look down at Joey sleeping happily at my feet (fainting), adding yes in my chest. The moment I thought of it, the stomach fluids like Niagara Falls swept through the scene.

第七話 紳士協定 鍵を掛けてソファーに戻ったガルテ副ギルド長は、じろりとボクの顔を睨みつけた。 強面の顔のあちこちに傷があるもんだから、はっきりいって子供が見たら泣くよこれ。 まあボクも見かけは子供なわけなんだけど、うちの家臣団に比べれば、正直赤ん坊が怒ってるのとたいして変わらないので平気だけど。 「俺はしち面倒臭いことが嫌いなんでハッキリ訊くが、お前さん何者だ?」 ・・・何者なんだろうねぇ。そういえば。 「.........」 どう説明したもんかと内心思い悩んでいると、その沈黙を黙秘ととったのか、突然ガルテ副ギルド長は握っていた手を開いて、ボクに見えるように掌を差し出した。 ・・・生命線が短いねー。あと汗と脂で光って気持ち悪いんですけど。 「見ろっ、この手を。お前さんがこの部屋に入ってから、ずっと汗が流れっ放しだ。恐らく後ろの二人もそうだろう」 そう言われて振り返って、扉の両側に立っている二人の屈強そうな護衛を見てみると、ボクと視線が合わないように青い顔で下を向いていた。 「そいつらは二人ともBランクの生え抜きで、自慢じゃないが俺も現役の頃はAランクだった。だから本能的にわかるんだよ。本当にやばい相手って奴が」 え~~~っ? ボクほど人畜無害な吸血姫とかいないと思うんですけどねぇ。 「若い頃は無茶もしたし、グリフォンやドラゴンと ・・・だけどよ、お前さんは別格、いや別次元だ。正直、さっさとこの場から逃げ出してぇ。命が助かる為だったら、どんなみっともない真似でもできる。お前さんの尻の穴をなめろと言うなら、喜んでなめる!」 ア――――――――――――――――ッ!! ボクは思わずお尻を押さえてソファーごと後ずさった。 「ガルテさん、あなたという人はこんな年端も行かない少女に・・・」 コラードギルド長が鬼畜を見るような目で、ガルテ副ギルド長を見た。 「――いやいや、まてまてっ! そういう趣味とかじゃなくてだな、言葉の綾というか・・・!!」 必死に弁解するガルテ副ギルド長を制して、コラードギルド長が、「まあまあこちらにお戻りください」と手招きするので、取りあえずソファーの位置を戻した。もちろんガルテ副ギルド長からはなるべく離れるように座ったけど。 「私は現場に行った経験がさほどないので、皆さんのように感覚でわかる・・・ということはありませんが、それでも貴女が規格外なのはわかります。お気づきでしょう、ギルド全体に張ってあった結界と、私共の探知魔法を?」 「ああ、あの紙テープと蜘蛛の糸みたいなのね」 最初は壊さないようにそっと振り払うだけだったんだけど、しつこく絡み付いてくるから途中で面倒になって、力任せに振りほどいちゃったんだよね~。 「B級モンスターの進入すら防ぐ防御結界が『紙テープ』で、国家一級魔術師の探知魔法が『蜘蛛の糸』ですか・・・?!」 愕然とするコラードギルド長の言葉に、ボクも愕然となった。 「ええっ、あんなんでB級モンスターが防げるの?! で、あのレベルで国家一級魔術師!? ――弱っ!!」 思わず漏れた本音に、さすがにムッとしたらしいガルテ副ギルド長が口を挟んできた。 「言っとくがこのギルドに登録されている冒険者は2万人、そのうちBランクが500人にAランクが60人いる。さらに国の正規兵である駐留軍も500人からいる、お前さんがどんな化物か知らんが、これだけの人数を相手に出来るか?」 虚勢なのか本気なのか自信満々で言うガルテ副ギルド長に対して、ボクは指を3本立てて見せた。 「――? なんだそりゃ」 「これだけだね。正面からぶつかれば、私一人だけでもこれだけの時間で殲滅してみせるよ」 「・・・3日でできるだと?」 不満そうに唸るガルテ副ギルド長に対して、ボクは軽く首を横に振った。 「いや、3分間もあれば。――まあ私が連れて来ている部下なら、1人でこの都市ごと3秒で跡形もなく消し飛ばすことができるだろうけど」 『2秒もかかりません!』 が胸の中で堂々と言い放った。・・・うん、本当だから困るんだよね。 「......馬鹿な...ハッタリだ......」 自分に言い聞かせるように、うつろな目で言葉をつむぐガルテ副ギルド長。 むっ、ちょっとカチンときたかな。 「お待ちくださいっ!! ――まさか、『ならば実際にやってみせようか?』などと言うつもりではないでしょうね?!」 慌てて静止するコラードギルド長の言葉に、そのつもりでいたボクは機先を制せられて軽く目を瞠った。 「・・・やはりそうですか。私は貴女の言葉を全面的に信じます。ですので、どうか戯れにでも、貴女の様な超越的存在が、軽々しくそうした発言をなさらないでいただきたいのです」 心労でうなだれる姿に、なんか普段の自分の姿が投影されて・・・ゾクゾクと逆説的な喜びというか、『ふっふっふっふ、せいぜい皆でボクの苦労を味わえ』的な感情が一瞬、沸き起こった。 「まあ少なくとも、そちらからちょっかいを掛けなければ、こちらとしては何もするつもりはないので」 「・・・信じるしかないのでしょうね。どうせ我々如きに止められるわけはないのですから。わかりました、こちらからは貴女の行動に対して一切の手出しを行ないません。要望も可能な限り叶えることをお約束します」 「ふーん。じゃあ私からの要望はあとひとつ――あっ、二つかな。ひとつは私への監視も行なわないこと」 当然監視するつもりでいたのだろう、二人とも苦虫を噛み潰したような顔で、しぶしぶ頷いた。 「もうひとつは、私が滞在中に多分若い女性が何人か、夜に姿が見えなくなって、茫然自失の状態で発見されることがあるかと思うけど、命には別状ないし、しばらくすれば元に戻るので事件にしないこと」 「――おい、ちょっと待て! それって十分な重大事だぞ!? だいたい他の犯罪とどう区別つけるんだ?!」 なるほど、ガルテ副ギルド長の懸念も一理あるか。他の誘拐と重なったら大変だもんね。 「ああ、そうだね。では、もうちょっと条件を狭めて、年齢は15~20歳まで、美人で健康的で処女であること、あとは姿が見えなくなる前に金髪でものすごーい美形の男と話していた、とかかな」 「それでも結構幅が広いと思うがな。まあいい、要するにさっきまでいたミーアみたいな娘が対象ってことだな?」 の職員に手は出すなよ、という眼光で睨むガルテ副ギルド長。 「まあそうだけどさ。ミーアさんは大丈夫だよ、確かに好みだけど惜しいことに非処女だし」 「「「「な、なにぃ――!?!」」」」 なぜかギルド長や護衛の二人も混じって、驚愕の声をあげる。 「――で、では、モナは?! あの窓口の左から3番目の赤毛で清楚そうな!」 先ほどまでの冷静な仮面をかなぐり捨てて、コラードギルド長が必死に問いかけてくる。いや、あんた変わりすぎでしょう。 「あー、あの娘ね。たぶん2~3人と遊んでると思うよ。複数の男の臭いがしたから」 「ば、馬鹿な......!?」 この世の終わりのような顔で、その場に膝を突き天を仰ぎ見るギルド長。 なんかさっきのボクの発言よりもショックを受けてる気がするんですけど? 「だったらルチア...あの黒髪で目の下に泣きボクロのある彼女は?!」 「エレナは?! 金髪でポニーテールの!」 ・・・あの、本能的にボクに近寄れないとかいう話はどーしたの? それとも、そんな恐怖も忘れるほど重大な事なのコレ?! そういっても、なおも詰め寄ってくる二人と、ショックを受けているギルド長、副ギルド長を横目に見ながら、ボクが言うのもなんだけど、つくづく思った。 男って馬鹿ばっかり。

12 Chapter Seven: Gentlemen'S Agreement Deputy Guild Commander Garte, who locked up and returned to the couch, stared at my face. There are scratches all over my strong face, so clearly, I'll cry when my kids see this. Well, I look like a kid, too, but compared to our ministerial corps, honestly, it's not much different than the baby being angry, so I'm fine. "I don't like annoying things, so I ask you clearly, who are you? ... I wonder who it is. Speaking of which. ......... Inside worried about how he explained it, he took that silence as a silence, and suddenly Deputy Guild Manager Garte opened the hand he was holding and offered him his hand so that he could see me. ... short lifeline. And I'm sick of glowing with sweat and fat. "Look, take this hand. Ever since you walked into this room, you've been sweating away. Probably the two behind you, too." Looking back at the two seemingly inflexible escorts standing on both sides of the door when they said so, he looked down with a blue face to keep his gaze out of contact with me. "They're both B-rank births, and I'm not proud of them, but I was A-ranked when I was active, too. That's why you instinctively know. He's a really bad guy." Huh? I don't think there's a bloodsucking princess or anything more harmless than me. "When we were younger, we were unscrupulous, and we used to kill each other with griffons and dragons. The dead line has crept over and over again, and we can't beat this guy, some of whom I just thought were raising the white flag. ... but you're different, no, another dimension. Honestly, we just got out of here. If it's to save your life, you can imitate any mess. If I were to tell you to get rid of your butthole, I'd be happy to! A-hh!! I accidentally held my butt down and lagged behind every couch. "Mr. Garte, a man named you goes to a girl who's not even this old..." I saw Deputy Guild Commander Garte with the kind of eyes that the Collard Guild Commander sees the livestock. "- No, no, leave it! Not that kind of hobby or anything, Aya the Word...!!" Desperately controlling Deputy Guild Commander Garte to excuse himself, the Collard Guild Commander asked him to return to the sofa position for now. Of course I sat as far away from Deputy Guild Manager Garte as possible. "I don't have as much experience in the field as I have in the field, so I can tell by the senses as you do... but still I know you're out of standard. Have you noticed that the entire guild was stretched around the junction and our detective magic? "Oh, you're like that paper tape and spider yarn" At first, I just softly shook it off so I wouldn't break it, but I got into trouble along the way because it's persistently tangled up, and I let myself shake it off ~. "Is the defensive junction that even prevents Class B monsters from entering 'Paper Tape' and the detective magic of the National First Class Mage 'Spider Thread'...?!" I was also stunned by the words of the stunned Collard Guild Leader. "What, that prevents a B-class monster?! So, on that level, a national first-class magician!? - weak!!" Unexpectedly, to the true meaning of the leak, Deputy Guild Director Garte, who just seems to be muddled, pinched his mouth. "I'm telling you, there are 20,000 adventurers enrolled in this guild, of which there are 60 A-ranks for every 500 B-ranks. I don't know what kind of monster you are, but can you handle this number? I stood three fingers and showed myself against Deputy Guild Manager Garte, who said confidently whether he was a vain or serious. "-? What the hell?" "That's all. If you hit me from the front, I'll destroy you alone in all this time." "... that you can do it in three days? I shook my head slightly to the side against Deputy Guild Chief Garte, who roared in dissatisfaction. "No, maybe three minutes. - Well, if I'm the one bringing him in, I'll be able to erase him without a trace in three seconds per city by myself." 'It won't take two seconds! Heavenly (Tendai) said magnificently in his chest.... Yeah, you're in trouble because it's true. "... stupid... hateful..." As I say to myself, Deputy Guild Manager Galte squeezes his words with a nodding eye. Mm, I think you're getting a little cocky. "Wait!! - No way, 'Then let me actually do it? You're not going to say' etc?!" To the words of the chief collard guild, who hurriedly stood still, I was gently blindfolded by the control of the foreman. "... is that still true? I fully believe in your words. So, please, play with me, but I don't want transcendental beings like you to make those remarks lightly." Something about my normal self was projected into my hard work... a freak and paradoxical joy, or a 'heh heh heh, taste my hard work at best everyone' emotion boiled down for a moment. "Well, at least, if you don't hang a little from there, I'm not going to do anything about it as this one." "... I guess I just have to believe it. Because there's no way we can stop it anyway. Okay, we won't do anything about your behavior from here on out. We also promise to fulfill your request whenever possible." "Hmm. Then there's one more request from me - oh, maybe two. One is not to monitor me." Naturally I guess I was going to monitor you, you both looked like you chewed up a bitter bug and snorted. "The other thing is that maybe a few young women while I'm staying, I don't see them at night and sometimes they find me in a state of blatant self-loss, but I don't have anything else to say to my life, and I won't make it a case because I'll be back to normal in a while" "- Hey, wait a minute! That's serious enough!? How do you tell more or less from other crimes?!" I see, does Deputy Guild Director Garte's concern also make sense? It would be tough if it overlapped with other kidnappings. "Oh, right. So, I narrowed down the conditions a little bit, and I was 15 to 20 years old, talking to a beautiful, healthy, virgin, and then an awesome beautifully shaped guy even with blonde hair before I lost sight of him, or something." "Still, I think it's quite wide. Well, in short, you mean a daughter like Meer, who was just here? Deputy Guild Manager Galte glances at the staff of his guild even as he presses. "Well, yes. Mr. Meer's fine, I do like him, but he's a non-virgin at all costs." "" "" Hey, what's not -!?! "" For some reason, the two guild chiefs and escorts mix up and raise their voices of consternation. "- So, Mona looks clear with the third redhead from the left of that desk! Forsaking the sober mask of earlier, the Collard Guild Director asks desperately. No, you must be too different. "Uh, that's the girl. I think he's probably playing with a couple of people. Because it smelled like more than one man." "If so, stupid......!?" With a face like the end of the world, the guild leader pokes his knee on the spot and looks up to heaven. I think you're more shocked than I said earlier? "Then Lucia... who's that brunette, crying beneath her eyes?!" "What about Elena?! Blonde and ponytail! ... what did you talk about instinctively staying away from me? Or is it so important to forget about that fear?! Having said that, I looked sideways at the two more stuffed people and the shocked guild leader, the deputy guild leader, what I would say, but I thought I'd make it. Men are just idiots.

幕間 男達之夜 【第三夜:レヴァンside】 また、夜が来る。 レヴァンは沈む夕日を見ながらため息をついた。 の庵から里へ戻ってきて2日。 戻ったというか、気が付いたら拉致されていた。 前後の記憶が曖昧なのだが、 いままでそんなことはなかったんだが、相手が相手だけに緊張していたんだろうか? 状況を思い出そうとすると、なぜかわき腹がジンジン痛み出すんだが......。 そんなわけで、獣王の後継者たる資格が問われる大会前に、一人暮らしでは体調管理も大変だろうとジシスを始めとした里の者に懇願されて、止む無く里に留まったわけなんだが、いまになって大いに後悔している。 いや、別に里での暮らしが居心地悪いとかではなく、周りの人間も次期族長ということで敬ってくれているし(ちなみに族長だった父は、4年ほど前に流行り病で母ともども亡くなっている。当事のオレはまだ成人前ということで、族長の座は空位にしてジシスが代行を行っているわけだが)、昼間、里の男達と獲物を狩りに行くのも面白いし、 いや、あいつがオレに好意を持って接して来るのはいまに始まったことじゃないし、子供の頃は微笑ましく思えたものだ。 だが、ここ一年ほどでその傾向が、えらい勢いで加速して、人の洗濯物を頬ずりしたり、手製の『お兄ちゃん抱き枕』と鼻息荒く同衾しているのを見たときは、正直、ウザイを通り越してキモイと思えて、その足で発作的に出奔したのが、 さすがに1年も経てばあいつも頭が冷えたか、節度を身に着けたかと、ほっと安堵したのだが.........甘かった。ある意味変な方向へとグレードアップしていた。 例えば朝―― 「おにいちゃん、朝だよ~。早く起きないと朝御飯が冷めちゃうよ~」 という言葉と共に、腹の上に重みを感じて目を開けると、アスミナが毛布越しに俺の上に跨っている。 「......なんで袴を履いてないんだ? 下着が丸出しなんだが...」 「きゃーっ、おにいちゃんのエッチー!」 わざとらしく上着の裾のあたりを押さえ、なおかつチラチラオレの様子を窺う。 例えば昼―― 仕切りで区分けされた部屋の中から、ガサゴソ音がするので覗きこんで見ると。 「きゃーっ、おにいちゃん。開けちゃダメー! いま着替え中なんだから! もう、おにいちゃん、本当にエッチなんだから」 半裸のアスミナが申し訳程度に肌を隠して、プンプン怒ったフリをする。 オレは半眼で問い返す。 「......なんで、オレの部屋でお前が着替えをしてるんだ?」 部屋の机の上にわざとらしく帳面が置かれていた。 なにかの伝達事項かと思って、パラパラと捲ってみると、 『今日はおにいちゃんが帰ってきた。なんて嬉しいんだろう! 胸がドキドキして苦しい。 おにいちゃん、わたしの気持ちに気付いてるかな...おにいちゃんのことを想っただけで胸が一杯で、ご飯も喉を通らない。 おにいちゃんの傍に居られるだけで、幸せだけど、わたしだけのおにいちゃんでいて欲しい......』 「きゃーっ! おにいちゃん、見ちゃダメ! ――勝手に見ちゃダメなんだからぁ」 タイミングを計ってたかのように(というか計ってたんだろう)、現れたアスミナがオレの手からその帳面を取り上げる。 「...み、見た、おにいちゃん?」 頬を染めて、ちらちらとオレの顔を見るアスミナ。 「オレの記憶が確かなら、オレが帰ってきてから『レヴァン 「......もう! やっぱり見たのね、お兄ちゃんのスケベ!」 「......おにいちゃん、今晩は風が強くて怖いの。一緒に寝てもいい?」 寝巻き姿で枕を抱いたアスミナが、おずおずと部屋の中へ入ってきた。 ちなみに今夜は満月で、雲一つない天気。虫の音がよく聞こえている。 「じゃあたまには皆で雑魚寝でもするか。ジシスのところにでもお邪魔して――」 「ちょっと待ったーっ!」 出て行こうとする俺の腰にしがみつくアスミナ。 「二人っきりで夜を明かして『いつまでたっても子供だな』とか『小さい頃を思い出すね、おにいちゃん』という思い出話にひたるイベントするのが、フラグ回収ルートでしょう!?」 「......なんだそれは」 と、その時、興奮するアスミナの胸元から、夕方見た寝言が書いてあった帳面とは違う、ずいぶんと上等そうな紙でできている帳面が落ちた。 「――なんだこれ?」 拾おうとしたところで、顔色を変えたアスミナが演技ではない必至さで、 「きゃあああっ、見ちゃダメ!」 慌てて拾おうとしていたので、片手で押さえてもう片方の手で拾って中身を確認した。 『義兄妹での正しい恋愛マニュアル by緋雪』 『義妹が朝起こしに行くのは鉄板。その際はベッドの上に乗るか、寝てる義兄の上に跨って、パンツを見せること』 『さり気なく事故を装って着替えの現場に遭遇させること。自室・お風呂場などが有効』 『自筆の日記や詩集など、さり気なく義兄の目に付くところに置いておき、義妹の気持ちに気付かせること』 『夜寝る時は、「今日は風が強くて怖いの」とか言ってか弱さをアピールし、保護欲を誘うこと』 『寝物語に昔の思い出話とかして、距離感を縮める。ただし「もう、子供じゃない」ということを意識させるため、体を密着させることは必須』 『注意。いずれの方法もやり過ぎるとあざとくなるので、さり気なく不自然にならないように、時間をかけて行うこと。間違っても1度に全部やろうとはしないこと』 「あざといし、やり過ぎだ!!」 オレは掌に通した気を『火気』に転化して、一気に手にした帳面を燃やし尽くした。 「ぎゃあああああああああっ!!」 アスミナが悲鳴を上げるが無視する。 というか、裏にはあの方がいたのか。余計な事を――! 「なんてことを! せっかくヒユキ様にお願いして書いていただいた、オトコゴコロを鷲掴みにする攻略本なのに!!」 「やかましい!」 オレは掴みかかってきたアスミナの背中のツボを押さえて、しばらく身動きをとれなくした後、手近な荷物を持って、その足で再び夜の闇へと出奔した。 やはりここはオレがいるべき場所ではなかった。獣王決定戦なんぞどうでもいい、オレは 早めに罠を設置して、少しでも足止めをしなけりゃならんな――と、思っていたところ、つんつんと上着の裾を引っ張られて、正直、内心肝を潰した。 このオレが引っ張られるまで全然気が付かなかったのだ。 「ねえねえ、お兄ちゃん、あたしの犬を見なかった?」 見るとまだ5~6歳位だろう。狼人族らしい少女が、キラキラ光る目でオレの顔を見上げていた。 なんでこんなところにこんな小さな子が? 訝しげに思うオレを無視して、彼女は続ける。 「あのね、このくらいの茶色い子犬で、首のところにお兄ちゃんの頭みたいに赤い布が巻いてあるの。見なかった?」 オレは反射的に頭に巻いている青いバンダナに手をやった。 いつも巻いているので忘れかけていたけど、そういえば、こいつは『お守り』だって言って、糸の一本一本をアスミナが霊力を込めて編んでくれた、ちょっとした防具にも負けない頑丈なモノだったっけな・・・。 つい、思い出にひたったオレの沈黙を、犬のことを知らないと受け取ったのだろう、女の子はがっかりした様子でその場から立ち去ろうとした。 「おい、ちょっと待て。お父さんかお母さんは一緒じゃないのか?」 「おかあさんと山をお参りに来たんだけど、チコがいなくなったから探してたの。そうしたら、おかあさんも居なくなっちゃって......」 犬(チコというのが名前だろう)を探しているうちに親と離れて迷子になったわけか。こんな小さい子供がいなくなったら、母親もどれほど心配していることか・・・。 「わかった。チコはオレが明日の朝探してみるから、君......ええと、お名前はなんて言うんだい?」 「ナタラ!」 元気よく答える女の子――ナタラ。 「ナタラちゃんは、まずお母さんのところへ帰ろう。お兄ちゃんが送っていってあげるから」 オレは屈み込んで視線をナタラにあわせた。 「...でも、チコが」 躊躇するナタラに、オレはなるべく優しく言い聞かせた。 「チコのことも心配だけど、ナタラが居なくなったお母さんはもっと心配しているよ。まずはお母さんを安心させないと。チコは必ずオレが見つけるから、どのあたりで居なくなったかだけ教えてくれるかな?」 「んー...とね、こんな風におっきくて尖った白い石が2つ、並んでたところ」 「双牙岩か......」 「お兄ちゃん知ってるの?! だったらお願い、そこにチコがいるの、連れて行って!」 必至に懇願するナタラを前にオレは考え込んだ。本当ならすぐにでも親元へ届けるべきだろうが、子犬が一晩無事に過ごせるとも思えない。明日の朝、その事を知ったらこの子の幼い心にどれほどの傷をつけることか。 幸い双牙岩はっこからそう遠くはない。オレの足なら20分もあれば着けるだろう。 「わかった。それじゃあ一緒にチコを探しに行こう。それじゃあ、お兄ちゃんの背中に乗って」 オレはナタラに背中を向けた。 「うん。ありがとうお兄ちゃん!」 「ちゃんとつかまっておけよ!」 子供の体温と重さを確認して、オレは立ち上がるとそのまま走り出した。 「わあっ、高い! 早い! すごい、お兄ちゃん!」 ナタラの歓声に口元を緩めながら、なるべく背中を揺らさないよう、なおかつ大至急双牙岩へと向かう。 夜とは言え満月なのが幸いして、オレの目にはほぼ昼間のように見える。 程なく双牙岩へ到達して、周囲を素早く見渡すが、生き物の気配はない。 「ナタラ、どのあたりでチコはいなくなったんだい?」 「......ん? えーと......」 背中から眠そうなナタラの声が聞こえてきた。この時間だ、無理もない。それに相当歩き疲れただろうし。 と、ナタラが不意にしっかりした声で、 「? そうか、オレには聞こえなかったけど」 「間違いないよ、チコの声だよ。その下のほうから聞こえたの!」 言われるままに、オレはちょっとした崖の下を覗いた。 すると崖下、5mほどのところに出っ張りがあり、赤い布が揺れているのが見えた。 「あそこか。よし、ナタラ、しっかり掴まってろよ!」 「うん!」 崖下の窪みには、古びた赤い布切れと、バラバラになった子犬のものと思しき骨が散乱していた。 ただし、どれも昨日、今日のものではなく、相当な年数が経過していると思われる古さだった。 「......どういうことだ。ナタラ、これってチコのものかい? ナタラ?」 眠ってしまったのかと思って、オレは屈み込んで、背中に回していた手を慎重に下ろした。 「――ナタラ?」 振り返って確認すると、そこには子供の姿はなく、代わりに古びた石の塊が転がっていた。 なぜかその石にナタラの笑顔が見えた気がして、オレはもう一度大事にその石を抱き上げ、散乱していた犬の骨と布切れを集めて、一つにまとめた。 最初にナタラに会った場所、そのすぐ傍の藪の中に、古びた石塔があった。脇には墓碑銘があり『ナタラ』と彫られていた。亡くなったのはもう7年も前の日付だ。 オレはその石塔の上に、持ってきた石を載せ――誂えたようにはまった――石塔の隣に穴を掘り、持ってきた犬の骨と布切れを埋め、その上に近くにあった石を持ってきて立てた。 それから二つの墓に軽く手を合わせた。 「さて、と。帰るか――」 すっかり遅くなったがアスミナの奴は待っているだろう。いや、追いかけてきている頃か? まあ、しかし、帰らないで心配かけるわけにはいかないからな。 オレはもう一度二つの石碑に頭を下げて、もときた道を戻るため走り出した。

57 Tabernacle Men'S Night [Third Night: Levan side] Also, the night is coming. Levan sighed as he watched the setting sunset. 2 days after returning from the temple of the Spiritual Mountain. I said I was back, or I was abducted when I realized it. I have vague memories back and forth, but my sister-in-law (Asmina) tells me that she was talking in front of the Crimson Empire Imperial Crimson Nation - that one and a beautiful girl - and suddenly fell ill. That hasn't happened before, but was they just nervous about the other guy? When I try to remember the situation, for some reason, my stomach aches from gin... Therefore, before the Games, when the successor to the Beast King was questioned, he was begged by those inside, starting with Gisis, that it would be difficult to manage his health alone, and he stayed inside without stopping, but he regrets it greatly now. No, not that living inside is uncomfortable or anything, but that the people around me also respect me for being the next chief (by the way, my father, who was a chief, died with my mother about four years ago from an epidemic disease. The fact that I am still a pre adult means that the seat of the chief is vacant and Gisis is taking his place), it is interesting to go hunting for prey with the men inside during the day, and it was hard to secure one drinking water in the Spiritual Mountains (Yama), but there is no such difficulty here. No, it didn't start right now when he came in favor of me, and it was something that made me smile when I was a kid. However, when I saw that trend accelerating in momentum over the past year or so, cheeking people's laundry or snorting roughly with the handmade "brother pillow," I honestly thought it was creepy through the wussai and ran off seizurely on its feet because it was the truth that led me to the spiritual mountain (Yama)... Exactly a year later he was relieved to see if he was cold in the head or wore moderation...... it was sweet. It was upgrading in a weird way. For example, in the morning... "Come on, it's morning ~. If you don't wake up soon, your breakfast will be cold ~" With the word, when I feel the weight on my belly and open my eyes, Asmina is crossing over me over the blanket. "... why aren't you wearing a pair? My underwear is rounded out..." "Shh, your Etsy! I deliberately hold it around the hem of my jacket, and yet catch a glimpse of me. For example, noon... From inside the room separated by a partition, there is a gasagoso noise, so I peek and see. "Shit, stay. Open it. Damn it! I'm getting dressed right now! Oh, come on, you're a real jerk." Half-naked Asmina hides her skin to the point of apology and pretends to be pumped angry. I inquire half-eyed. "... why are you dressed in my room? The book was deliberately placed on the desk in the room. I thought it was some kind of conveying matter, and I rolled it into pieces. "I'm home early today. How delightful! My chest is pounding and painful. Come on, you realize how I feel... I just thought about you, my breasts are full, and my rice doesn't go through my throat. Just stay by your side, I'm happy, but I want you to stay with me... ' "Yikes! Come on, don't look! - You can't look at it on your own." As if I was weighing the timing (or I guess I was), the Asmina who showed up takes that book out of my hand. "... I saw it, you stay? Asmina dyes her cheeks and looks at my face. "If you're sure of my memory, when I get back, I'll say," It's great to have dinner with Brother Levan. Dinner yummy!! 'And I think I've been hanging in there all morning? "... already! I knew you saw it, your brother's sketch! "... Come on, it's windy and scary this evening. Can I sleep with you? Asmina, with a pillow in her sleeping roll, came into the room with a snack. By the way, it's a full moon tonight, cloudless weather. I hear bugs a lot. "Then do we all sleep in the clutter every once in a while? I'm sorry to bother you at Gisis's place." "Wait a minute -! Asmina clinging to my hips trying to get out. "It would be the flag collection route for the two of us to unveil the night and event to memorabilia like 'You'll always be a child' or 'Remember when you were little, stay!?" "... what is that" And, at that time, from the exciting chest of Asmina, a book made of much more superior looking paper, unlike the one on which the sleeping words I saw in the evening were written, fell. "- What is this? I was just trying to pick it up, and Asmina, who changed her complexion, was a must not act. "Ahhh, don't look! I was rushing to pick it up, so I held it down with one hand and picked it up with the other to see what was in it. "The Right Love Manual at Sister-in-law by Scarlet Snow" "It's the iron plate that my sister-in-law goes to wake up in the morning. When you do that, get on the bed or cross over your sleeping brother-in-law and show your pants. ' "Making him encounter the scene of a change of clothes in the guise of a trivial accident. Private room, bathroom, etc. Valid ' "Keeping it subtly in the sight of my brother-in-law, such as a self-written diary or a collection of poems, to make her realize how my sister-in-law feels" "When I sleep at night, I appeal to weakness by saying," Is it windy and scary today, "and inviting my protective appetite" "I narrow my distance by telling old memorabilia and stuff to sleep stories. However, it is essential to keep your body close to you in order to make you aware that you are no longer a child. 'Caution. Take the time to do it so that it doesn't become trivially unnatural because overdoing any of the methods will bruise you. Things you don't try to do all at once, even if you're wrong' "Bruised and overdone!!" I converted the chi I had put in my palm into 'fire' and burned down the book I had in my hand at once. "Ghahahahahahahahahahahaha!!" Asmina screams but ignores. Or was there that one behind you? Something extra! "Oh my God! This is a tactical book to eagle Otokogokoro, which you asked Hiyuki to write for you!!" "Weird!" I held the bump on Asmina's back, which I had grabbed, and after being unable to move for a while, I took my nearby luggage and ran again into the darkness of the night on that leg. Again, this wasn't where I was supposed to be. I don't care about the Beast King's decision, I live alone in Spiritual Mountain! I had to set up a trap early and do a little stopping - and I thought, I got stuck and pulled on the hem of my jacket, and honestly, I crushed my inner heart. I didn't even notice until I was pulled. "Hey, bro, didn't you see my dog? I would still be about 5-6 years old if I looked at it. A werewolf-like girl was looking up at me with her sparkling eyes. Why is there such a little girl here? Ignoring me to my surprise, she goes on. "You know, this is about the size of a brown puppy with a red cloth wrapped around his neck like your brother's head. Didn't you see that? I did my hand on the blue bandana that was reflexively wrapped around my head. I forgot because it's always wrapped around me, but speaking of which, this guy said 'amulet' and Asmina knitted every single piece of yarn with spiritual power, it was a sturdy thing that couldn't beat a little armor... Then, I guess I received my memorable silence that I didn't know about the dog, and the girl tried to walk away from the scene in a disappointing manner. "Hey, wait a minute. Is your father or your mother not with you? "I came to visit the mountain with my old man, and I was looking for Chico because he was gone. Then my grandmother disappeared..." Did you leave your parents and get lost while you were looking for a dog (which would be the name Chico)? How worried the mother would also be if such a small child disappeared... "Okay. I'll look for Chico tomorrow morning, so you... uh, what's your name? "Natala!" Girl who answers well - Natala. "Natala, let's go home to your mother first. Because your brother will send you away." I bent down and set my gaze on Natala. "... but Chico did" To Natala, who hesitated, I told her as gently as I could. "I'm also worried about Chico, but my mother is even more worried about Natala being gone. I need to reassure your mother first. I'll find Chico, so can you just tell me which neighborhood he's gone? "Hmm... and two big, pointed white stones like this, where they were lined up" "Double tooth rock..." "Do you know your brother?! Then please, there's Chico, take him! I thought of Natala before I begged her. If it's true, it should be delivered to my parents soon, but I don't even think my puppy will be safe for the night. How much will you scratch this child's young heart if you find out about it tomorrow morning? Fortunately, the double tooth rock is not that far away. My leg would wear it in 20 minutes. "Okay. Then let's go find Chico together. Then get on your brother's back." I turned my back on Natala. "Yeah. Thanks, brother! "Hold on tight! After checking the child's temperature and weight, I ran straight out when I got up. "Wow, expensive! Fast! Wow, brother! As I loosen my mouth to Natala's cheer, I head to Double Tooth Rock as quickly as possible to avoid rocking my back. Fortunately, it's a full moon at night, and it looks almost like daylight to my eyes. Reach Double Tooth Rock quickly and look around, but no sign of a creature. "Natala, where's Chico gone? "... hmm? Er..." I could hear Natala sleeping from my back. This is the time, I can't help it. And I'd be pretty tired of walking. and with Natala's accidentally firm voice, "? Well, it didn't sound like me." "Definitely, it's the voice of Chico. I heard it from down there! As they say, I peered under a little cliff. Then there was an outpouring under the cliff, about 5m, and I could see the red cloth shaking. "Over there. All right, Natala, hold on tight! "Yeah!" The cliffside shavings were scattered with old red cloth cuts and bones that I thought belonged to a pieced puppy. None of them, however, were yesterday, not today's, but an antiquity that seemed quite a few years old. "... what do you mean? Natala, is this from Chico? Natala?" I thought I'd fallen asleep, and I bent in and carefully lowered the hand I was turning on my back. "- Natala?" Looking back and checking, there was no sign of a child there, instead a chunk of old stone was rolling. For some reason I felt Natala's smile on the stone, and I lifted the stone again, collecting the bones and cloth cuts of the dogs that had been scattered and putting them together in one piece. In the first place I met Natala, right next to it, was an old stone tower. On the side there was a headstone inscription and it was carved 'Natala'. The date of his death was seven years ago. On top of the stone tower, I put the stone I had brought - and I fell into it as if I had caught it - and dug a hole next to the stone tower, and filled the bones and cloth cuts of the dog I had brought, and brought the stone that was nearby upon it to stand. Then I gently put my hands together on the two graves. "Well. Go home." It's totally late, but the Asmina guy will be waiting. No, when you're chasing me? Well, but don't go home. You can't worry about me. I bowed my head to the two tablets again and ran out to return to the path I had originally taken.

幕間 龍狩会議 ○某月某日、『エターナル・ホライゾン・オンライン』のTOPギルドのギルドマスターが集まって、イベントボスである『 ( ゚▽ ゚)/しまやん、寒くなってきたからユ●クロのヒー●テック買って。 ユ●クロは敵ですしおすし。 PT OP これで大体の面子は集まったかな? もう2~3人来る予定なんですけどね。 ようじょだ! ようじょ分が足りん!! 養女?(?_?) 妖女?( ゚_。)? ょぅι ゙ょですね、わかります。 さすがしまさんわかってる! そこにシビれる あこがれるゥ。 通報しますたm9っ`・ω・ ́) ......結局、なにが言いたいんだ? わけがわからないよ! そのとーり! 緋雪たんが来ないならこんなところにいられるか、さっさとダンジョン狩りにでも行ってるぜ! それが兄貴を見た最後の姿でした......。 (-∧-;)ナムナム いや、緋雪さんも一応来る予定なんですけど、バイトがあるので少し遅れるとか言ってました。 じゃあ俺の嫁が来るまで、パンツ脱いで待機してよう。 風邪ひくから履いてろ! 緋雪ちゃんならいま俺の隣で寝てますが、それがなにか? だ! 申請送るから表に出ろ! 受けて立ちましょう、緋雪ちゃんの貞操を賭けて。 ・・・この馬鹿二人がサーバ最強のTOP3ランカーなんだぜ、ウソみたいだろう。 ちょっ、ちょっと待ってください。本当に出て行かないで! 会議はこれからなんですから! てゆーか、嫁とか貞操とか......緋雪ちゃん中身は男子って、公言してるよね(`-д-;)ゞ 中の人なんていません! むしろご褒美ですが、それがなにか? うわっ、駄目だこいつら、早目になんとかしないと! あの、緋雪さん来たらそういうことは言わないでくださいね。本人、リアでもけっこうそういうことがあるみたいで、気にしてましたから。 あ~、そういやデブさんオフ会で直接本人に会ったことあるんだっけ。なに、本人そんな美少年なの?! お前も美少年とか聞いていきなり態度が変わったな・・・。 これだからオタな女って奴は。 イヤ(* ́・д・)(・д・`*)ネー あ、でぶさん緋雪ちゃんのオフの画像サンキューですた! 俺、これだけでご飯三杯はいけました!! 清々しいほど会話が進まないわ。――って画像あるの?! 見せて見せて! お前も大概だなあ・・・。 つ□<JPEG お......おおおっ、なにこれ可愛い!! イメージ通りじゃない! こっちのデブが邪魔だけど。 ......いや、これ本当に男か? それとも男の娘ってやつか? 本人は男だって言ってましたよ。あとそっちの趣味はないそうですから、ももさん。それと亜茶さんわかってて言ってますよね? しかし肝心な部分を確認してない以上、その証言には不備があると言わざるを得ない。 いやいや! いきなり初対面で相手の性別確認するのにパンツ脱がせる馬鹿がどこにいますか!? でぶさん、次のオフ会の時は呼んでくれ! 直接、緋雪たんに会って触って確認するから! 仮にあったとしても無問題! 俺はどっちでもいけるぜ!! うわっ、馬鹿がここにいた! つーか、兄貴って本当に兄貴だったんだー・・・。 じゃあ前は兄貴に任せるので、後ろはわたしが担当しましょう。 お前ら、なんの攻略の話をしてる・・・? てか、ここになにしに集まったか覚えてるか? 緋雪たんの攻略だろう? 緋雪ちゃんの攻略以外になにがあると? 』攻略だったと思うんだけどさ、集会を主催したデブさんの顔を立てないと。 ......いや、なんかもういいです。このメンツでまともな話し合いをしようとしたのが、そもそもの間違いだったんですね。 あきらめたらそこで試合終了だよ? あきらめました。 つーか、俺はまだ戦ってないんだけど、そんな凄いのか? すごく・・・立派です・・・ 昨日は上級プレーヤー500人がかりでしたけど、出現制限時間の2時間で が処理仕切れなくて、処理落ちで気が付いたら死んでる・・・って感じだったね。 ですねえ。無駄に人数を増やすよりも、カンスト組だけで人数を絞って戦ったほうが良いかと思いますね。 緋雪【ギルド:三毛猫の足音】 こんばんわ! すみません、遅れました(> <) あ、ぽこたんインしたお!( ・∀・)

38 Tabernacle Dragon Hunting Conference * One day of the month, the guild master of the TOP guild of Eternal Horizon Online gathered to discuss the event boss, "Naga Raja" attack. This is the conversation log for that time. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!/Shimayan, it's getting cold, so buy Yu Yu Kuro is an enemy and is recommended. Excuse me, I'm sending Mulan PT (party), so please chat over here, not OP (open). Ok. Has this roughly gathered face? I'm planning on coming in a couple more people. That's it! That's enough!! Adopted daughter? (?_?) Witch? Oh, yeah, I know. That's Shima. I know! I can sibi there. Appreciate it. I'm calling you, m9. Eh, o, ') ... In the end, what are you trying to say? I don't know why! And... If Scarlet Snow Tan doesn't show up, we can stay here or we can just go hunting for a dungeon! That was the last thing I saw of my brother...... (- '-') Nam Nam No, Mr. Scarlet Snow plans to come once too, but he said he'll be a little late or something because he has a part-time job. Then I'll take my pants off and wait until my wife gets here. Wear it from a cold! Scarlet Snow would be sleeping next to me right now, but what's that? Shima-san, it's a duel! I'll send you an application. Get on the table! Take it and stand, bet Scarlet Snow's chastity. ... these two idiots are the strongest TOP3 rankers on the server, it would sound like a lie. Hey, wait a minute. You really don't leave! The meeting is coming up! I don't know, daughter-in-law, chastity... Scarlet Snow, you're making a public statement that the contents are boys. ('-D-') Zu There's no one in there! Rather a reward, what is it? Oh, no, you guys, we have to do something early! Um, don't say that when Mr. Scarlet Snow comes. Seems like that's what happened in person, in Leah, because I cared. Oh, no, Mr. Deb, you've met him in person at an off-duty meeting. What, are you such a beautiful boy?! You suddenly changed your attitude when you heard about beautiful boys too... This is why he's a nerdy woman. No (* '* D *) (* D * *) Ne Oh, Mr. Debu, it was Scarlet Snow's off image Thanksgiving! Me, this is all I could have had 3 cups of rice!! The more vivid the conversation doesn't go. - Is there an image?! Let me see it! You're probably too... Ts # < JPEG Ohh...... Ohh, what is this adorable!! Not exactly what I imagined! The fat guy over here is in the way. ... No, is this really a man? Or is that the guy's daughter? He said he was a man. They don't have any more hobbies over there, so, Mr. Thigh. And Mr. Atcha, you know what I'm saying, right? But I have to say that the testimony is flawed more than I have confirmed the pivotal part. No, no! Where is the idiot who can take off his pants to check the sex of his opponent suddenly in first person!? Mr. Deb, call me the next off-duty! Because I will meet Scarlet Snow Tan directly and touch him to confirm it! Even if it did, no problem! I can go either way!! Wow, there was an idiot here! You know, my brother was really my brother... Then I'll leave it to my brother before, so I'll be in charge behind you. What strategy are you guys talking about...? Well, do you remember what we got together here? Scarlet Snow Tan's offense, right? What else do you think there is besides Scarlet Snow's offense? No, I think it was the 'Golden Dragon (Naga Raja)' offense the other day, but I need to put on the face of the fat guy who hosted the rally. ... No, I've had enough of something. You made a mistake in the first place trying to have a decent discussion with this mentz. If you give up, that's where the game ends, right? I gave up. You know, I haven't fought yet, is that awesome? It's so... splendid... Yesterday it took 500 advanced players, but you didn't sharpen 20% of your HP (hit points) in two hours of the emergence limit. One way or the other, the mackerel (server) was too large to be processed, and if I noticed that it had fallen out of process, I would have felt dead... Hey. I think it's better to squeeze in and fight with just the Kanst group than to increase the number of people in vain. Scarlet Snow [Alliance: Three Haired Cat Footsteps] Good evening! Sorry, I'm late (> ") Oh, Pokotan, I'm in!

番外編 冒険者は新婚を夢みる2 清潔なシーツが敷かれたベッドの上で、頭に紅白のチューリップを咲かせたジョーイが、大口を開けて寝ていた。 「むにゃむにゃ......喰いねえ喰いねえ、アーラっ子だって? 駆けつけドンブリ三杯って......むにゃむにゃ」 「......ナニコレ?」 さんざんぱら周囲を不安と混乱に陥れておいて、この能天気な姿。 涎を垂らして、「もう食えねえよ......三十六段重ねのケーキとか無理......むにゃむにゃ」と、寝言を呟いているのを見ると軽く殺意が湧くけど、さすがに前後不覚で昏睡している人間を足蹴にするわけにはいかないので、イラッとした気持ちをぐっと堪えて押さえ込む―― 「姫にご足労いただいた眼前で、寝床のままとはいい身分だな、小僧っ!」 ボクはそれで済んだけど、煽り耐性ゼロでボクに関することでは可燃性ガスより簡単に火が点く天涯が一瞬の躊躇も斟酌もなく、寝ているジョーイをベットごと足蹴にした。 爪先で蹴られたベッドは一瞬でバラバラに砕け、それに併せて空中に飛んだジョーイは、錐揉みしながらもんどりうって床に倒れたけれど、「流しパスタか~? 三回転とかちょっと激しいなー」と、やたらマイペースに寝言の続きを呟いている(怪我ひとつないとか、どんだけ悪運が強いんだろうねぇ)。 ......てゆーか、これ本当は起きてるんじゃないの? ウケ狙ってない? 「冗談にしか見えないけどねぇ......」 「こんなくだらない冗談で神帝陛下にご足労を願うほど我々も命知らずではございません」 きっぱり言い切るミーアさん。ガルテ副ギルド総長もうんうん頷いて同意している。 どーでもいいけど、最近ボクに付けられるようになったこの『神帝』って通り名はなんなわけ? 天涯をはじめとした円卓の魔将とかは「まあまあですな。姫様の偉大さを知らしめるためにはもう少々修飾語に欠ける気もしますが、無知蒙昧な民衆どもに多くを期待しても無駄でしょう」と満足してるし、影郎さんとかは面白がっている向きがあるけど、『神』なんて誰が好き好んで名乗るもんかい。蒼神の二番煎じみたいで縁起でもない。 とはいえ世間的には『実は邪神だった蒼神』と、それに騙されていた『元信者』となった聖教の影響力とイーオンの残党はまだまだ残っているので、これから時間をかけて洗脳――もとい、思想教育を施す必要がある......というのは、コラード国王やオリアーナ女帝などの共通見解だ。 「そういった工作は得意ですわ」 「教育を充実させることは国家百年の計ですからね」 やたら嬉しそうな顔で黒い笑みを浮かべていたふたり。 なにか、こう......教育って名の美辞麗句に飾られたマインドコントロールが行われようとしている気がするのはボクの考えすぎだろうか? 悩むボクに向かって、 「まあ、手っ取り早いのは宗教には宗教で対抗することですね」 と打開策を口に出したのは、そのイーオンで聖教の表も裏も実質取り仕切っていた、らぽっくさん。 「いっそこのまま緋雪さんを教祖か御神体にして宗教を立ち上げませんか? ま、それに反対する人間も当然いるでしょうから、理想としては対抗する教義のふたつの宗教があったほうが、バランスよく取り込めるのですけどね」 冗談めかしていたけど、どことなくこちらを値踏みするような目つきが気に食わない。 これはなにかたくらんでいる目だね。 「宗教の親玉とか面倒臭い。パスッ!!」 「パス2っ! あたしもやだな。もう抹香臭いのはコリゴリよ」 露骨に顔をしかめて即座に断るボクとタメゴローさんの態度に、説得は難しそうだと判断したのか、らぽっくさんは軽く肩をすくめてその話を切り上げた。 と思ったところで、 「――ちなみにですが、お嬢さんならどーいう名前の宗教がいいですかねー?」 面白がって混ぜっ返すのは影郎さんだ。 「『ネコの肉球ぷにぷに教』」 教義の基本は一日、ヌコを構ってまったりするというもの。 「宗教戦争が起きたら、敵側がイの一番で『猫シールド』とか『捨て猫バズーカ』とか使って攻撃してきそうですなー」 はっはっはっはっと陽気に笑う影郎さん。 「姫様の思し召しとあらば!」 と、バカ話のはずが他の面子が本気で行動に移り始めたので、慌てて止めるのに奔走する羽目になったし。ほんと、洒落が洒落で通じないところがこの世界の怖いところである。 ということで回想終わり。 相変わらずぐーすか寝ているジョーイの太平楽な様子に業を煮やした天涯が、片手でパジャマの襟首を掴んでガクガクと前後左右に揺らす。 見舞いに来たはずが一方的に無慈悲な暴力を振るう天涯の傍若無人さに、止めたいんだけど、立場と実力の関係でどうすることもできず、さっきから顔色を失って声にならない悲鳴をあげ続けているフィオレ。 普通の人間には聞こえない周波数での悲鳴だけど、同行している獣系の七禍星獣(番外)の〈 それでも起きることなく熟睡しているジョーイの幸せそうな頭の上で、チューリップがぶらぶら揺れている。それにしても、トロけそうな寝顔とアホみたいなチューリップが怖いほど似合う。生まれた時から付いてたみたいだなぁ......と、揺れるチューリップを見ながらそんな感想が浮かんだ。 ピシリ、と天涯の頭の上に比喩ではなく雷光が乱舞して、睨み付ける目が据わってきた。 「まあまあ、抑えて天涯。相手は病人なんだし、前後不覚なんだから、答えようがないよ」 「たとえ病身であろうと、危篤であろうと、姫様がお声を掛けられれば返答するのが道理というものでございます!」 うん、その道理はうちのマイルールなので、他所では通用しないと思うよ。そもそもまだ声掛けていないわけだし。 「あー、もしもし、ジョーイ。大丈夫? 私の声が聞こえる?」 床で涎を垂らしたままのジョーイの耳元に囁きかけると、ピクリと指先と表情が動いた。 「「「おっ......!」」」 黙って成り行きを見ていたフィオレ、ガルテ副ギルド総長、ミーアさんが期待を込めた目でそれを見る。 「......うひひひひっ......ぐふふふふふっ......いいじゃないか、緋雪。もう夜なんだし」 気持ち悪い笑みを浮かべたジョーイが、寝ぼけながら幸せそうな顔で、天涯の腕に頬擦りして、即座に床に放り投げられた。 ぞわん! と名指しで指名されたボクの全身に寒イボが発生する。天涯が無言のまま、据わった目つきで片足を振り上げて、ジョーイの太平楽な顔を潰そうと狙いを定めて踏み抜こうとする。 「「「「ま、ま、ま、ま、待った待った!!」」」」 やばい! この勢いだと跡形もなく抹消される。そうなったらさすがに蘇生はできない。 慌てて止めに入るボクと副ギルド総長、ミーアさん、フィオレ。 あと、どーでもいい顔でぼけっと突っ立っていた随員である七禍星獣に、 「みんなも見てないで天涯を止めてよっ!」 と、ボクが注意したことで、「あ、止めるのか?」と気が付いた風で天涯を押さえにかかった。 ジョーイの頭の上のチューリップが、絞め殺されて断末魔のガマガエルみたいな絶叫を放っていた。 「おーえす、おーえす! ......なんか綱引きみたいになってきたねぇ」 ジョーイの体(というか首から上)を押さえる組と、しっかりと根を張ったチューリップを力任せに引き抜こうとしている組(ちなみにボクが先頭)。 いろいろと頑張ったんだけど、結局、有効な治療法が見つからなかったので、 「こんなもん力づくで引っこ抜けばいいんじゃないの? でーじょぶだ、死んでも私が生き返らせるから」 匙を投げたボクの投げ遣りな提案に従って、現在、荒療治を実行中という流れになっている。 なにげに天涯の暴力とたいして変わらないような気がするけど、この場合は治療するための前向きな暴力なのでノーカウントだろう。 「ふむ、これは......マズイかも知れませぬな、姫」 謎のチューリップが放つ悲鳴に耳を傾けていた七禍星獣(番外)で〈 「どうやらこやつは宿主の脳に寄生する妖草の一種のようですな。宿主を眠らせて無抵抗のまま養分を吸収する。それ自体はそう珍しくないのですが、同時に精神にも干渉しておるようで、無理に引っぺがすと良くて廃人、悪くすると脳味噌が初期化されてパー......トコロテン状態へなりますのぉ」 「「「「えっ......!?」」」」 その言葉に、思わずボクをはじめとする一部が引っ張る手の力を抜いた。 刹那、無関係に引っ張ったり押さえたりしていたほかの面々がバランスを崩して、ジョーイを道連れに病室の壁をぶち破って外へ転がっていった。 「「「「あ............」」」」 呆然と見詰める視線の先で、なぜかこの期に及んで怪我ひとつないジョーイの頭の上のチューリップが、「けけけけけけけっ!!」勝ち誇ったように笑っていた。

153 Outside Adventurers Dream Of Newlyweds 2 Joey, who blossomed red and white tulips on his head on a bed with clean sheets, slept with a big mouth open. "Munya...... Eat it. Eat it. Hey, even Ara boy? Three Rushing Dombri... Munyamunya" "... Nanicole? leave your surroundings in anxiety and confusion, this energetic weather figure. I drool and say, "You can't eat anymore... I can't eat thirty-six staged cakes or anything like that... munya," and when I see you whining in your sleep, I'm mildly willing to kill you, but you can't just kick a person in front or back unconscious and comatose, so I hold you in for the frustration - "You're in a good position to stay in bed in front of the princess for all her hard work, kid! I did that, but with zero sedition resistance, it was easier to light a fire than a flammable gas in things about me. I had no hesitation or discretion for a moment, and I kicked Joey sleeping in every bet. Kicked in the toe, the bed smashed to pieces in an instant, and in conjunction with that, Joey, who flew into the air, fell more and more on the floor with a cone rub, but "Is it flush pasta ~? Three spins or something a little intense -" and then he's whining about the continuation of his bedtime speech to My Pace (I wonder how unlucky he is with no injuries or anything). ... So, isn't this really happening? Ain't you after Uke? "It just sounds like a joke, but hey..." "Neither do we command His Majesty the Divine Emperor to do more with such a lame joke." I'll be clear, Mr. Meer. Deputy Guild General Garte also agrees with yeah nodding. Whatever, but what's the street name of this' god emperor 'that I've been able to give you lately? The Demon General of the Round Table, including Heavenly Life, said, "Sort of. I'm also willing to lack a few more modifiers to let the princess know how great she is, but it would be useless to expect a lot from ignorant folks," I'm satisfied, and Mr. Shadowloon or something is interesting. But who likes and names' God '? It's like the second frying of the Ethereal God and it's not even on edge. Nevertheless, there is still worldly 'Ethereal God, who was actually an evil god', and the remnants of ecclesiastical influence and Aeon, who became 'former believers' who were fooled by it, so we need to take the time to brainwash them from now on - and educate ourselves on ideas... are common views such as King Collard and Empress Oriana. "I'm good at that kind of work." "Improving education is the centenary of the nation." The two of them had a black grin on their happy faces when they did it. Something like this... Is it too much of a thought for me to feel like education is about to be done with mind-control embellished in the beauty phrase of the name? Towards troubled me, "Well, the quick thing to do is confront religion with religion." and the opening measures in his mouth were essentially partitioned between the ecclesiastical tables and the back with their eons, rapturous. "Why don't you just start your religion with Mr. Scarlet Snow as your patriarch or goddess? There are naturally some people who disagree with it, so ideally it would be better to have two religions of opposing doctrine, which can be taken in balance." I was joking, but I don't care how you look at me like you deserve this one anyway. This is some kind of eye. "Religion's best balls and other annoying smells. Passssssss!!" "Pass two! Me, too. The smell is already bad." Lapokusan shrugged her shoulders gently and cut the story off, deciding that it seemed difficult to persuade Bok and Tamegoro to say no immediately with an outspoken face. I just thought, "- By the way, what name religion would you prefer if you were a lady? Shadow Lang is the one who mingles with amusement. "" Teaching cat meatballs puffs "" The fundamentals of doctrine are that one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day, one day. "When there is a religious war, the enemy is going to attack using" Cat Shield "or" Discarded Cat Bazooka "at the top of (a)." Ha, ha, ha. Mr. Shadowloon laughs cheerfully. "With the princess's thoughts! And, since the dumb story was supposed to be that the other faces really started to move into action, I was the feather of rushing to stop it. Really, it is the scary part of this world that the sprinkles don't go through. That concludes my recap. As usual, Heaven boiled his business down to the pacifying look of Joey sleeping Gu-Suka, grabbing his pajama collar with one hand and rocking him back, forth, left, and right. I want to stop you from being a lifelong bystander who should have come to visit but unilaterally wields merciless violence, but I can't do anything about it in relation to my position and strength, and I've been losing my complexion and screaming voiceless since just now, Fiore. It's a scream on a frequency unheard by normal humans, but it sounded like it sounded like the back-of-the-road (diaper) of Shirazawa (Hakuta) on the accompanying beast system's Seven Hazards Star Beast (out-of-the-box), "The Devil Sword Dog (Sword Dog)" or number six, and his ears were patting in depression. Still, tulips are dangling over Joey's happy head asleep without waking up. Still, the more troll sleeping faces and tulips like assholes look scary. Looks like it came with me from birth...... and that thought came to me as I watched the swinging tulip. Piscilli, and the thunderlight, not a metaphor, above the head of heaven, stirred his gaze. "Sort of, suppress it, heavenly. They're sick, they're unconscious, so I can't answer them." "Whether you are sick or in danger, it is a matter of reason to reply if the princess can speak up! Yeah, that logic is our myrule, so I don't think it works anywhere else. It's not like I haven't spoken up yet. "Uh, hello, Joey. Are you okay? Can you hear me? Whispering into Joey's ear, which remained salivating on the floor, Pickle, fingertips and expression moved. "" "Whoa...! Fiore, Deputy Guild General Garte and Ms Meer, who were silently watching what was going on, look at it with anticipation. "... uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh It's already night." Joey, with a disgusting grin, looked happy as she fell asleep, rubbed her cheeks against her heavenly arms and was immediately thrown on the floor. Wow! Cold Evo occurs all over my body nominated by name. With heaven's silence, he swung up one leg with a fixed eye and set his aim to crush Joey's placid face and try to step through. "" "" Ma, Ma, Ma, Waited!! "" Shit! This momentum erases it without a trace. When that happens, I just can't resuscitate. Me and the deputy guild general, Mr. Meer, Fiore, rushing into a stop. And to the Seven Hazards Star Beast, an attendant who stood blurry with any good face, "Don't even look at everyone. Stop the Heavenly Life! And I cautioned, "Oh, you're stopping me?" and the wind that I realized took hold of Heavenly Life. A tulip over Joey's head emitted a scream like a strangled, disconnected toad. "Ohh, ooh, ooh!... It's starting to feel like a drag." The group that holds Joey's body (or top from his neck) and the group that is trying to pull through the firmly rooted tulips at his disposal (led by me, by the way). I tried a lot, but in the end, I couldn't find an effective cure. "Shouldn't we just pull through with all this strength? I'll bring him back to life even if he dies." According to my throwing suggestion of throwing a spoon, we are currently running a rough cure. I feel like nothing is often different from lifelong violence, but in this case it would be no count because it is positive violence to treat. "Hmm, this could be... this could be bad, princess" The twin trees of the "Green Leafman (Green Man)" at the Seven Hazards Starbeast (Outside), who was listening to the screams emitted by the mysterious tulip, have warned of the potpourri as he shook his neck sideways with a difficult face. "Apparently, this one is a kind of demonic grass that parasitizes the host's brain. Let the host sleep and absorb the nutrients without resistance. It's not so uncommon in itself, but at the same time, it seems to interfere with the spirit, forcing it to be good and obsolete, and worse, the brain miso is initialized and par...... it goes into a tocolotene state." "" "" What...!? Some, including me, accidentally removed the power of their pulling hands from the words. For a moment, other faces who had pulled and held irrelevantly out of balance, smashing Joey into the hospital room wall with him on the road and rolling outside. "" "" Ah... "" At the tip of his gaze, which stumbles upon him, Joey's tulip over his head, somehow uninjured throughout this period, says, "Sparkle it!! I was laughing like I'd won

第十六話 轟姫参戦 幅だけでも60メートルはある巨大かつ壮麗な廊下は静謐に包まれ、外の喧騒が一切聞こえない別世界のような幽玄さを、いまも醸し出していた。 等間隔に天井から吊り下がった水晶製のシャンデリア――比較対象がないので判別し辛いが、枝を伸ばした1000年以上の樹齢の巨木ほどのサイズがある――が放つ煌々たる輝きと、白銀の柱に取り付けられた黄金の飾り燭台の上でまたたく青白い魔法の炎が織り成す幻想的な光と影の狭間で、2対6の男達による戦いの幕が切って下ろされようとしていた。 「こいつの相手は俺がしますので、老師は周りの雑魚をお願いします!」 騎士団長ベルナルドの交差させた二刀と打ち合った瞬間、鍔迫り合いの姿勢から即座に後方に跳ねた 「気楽に言ってくれる。年寄りをあまり働かせるなよ」 5人一体となって襲ってくる聖騎士の包囲の輪につかまらないよう、巨体にも関わらず流れるような足運びで距離を保ちながら、隙があれば即座に神速の踏み込みから距離をゼロにして、掌底や肘を放つ獣王。 自分で「年寄り」を公言する年寄りほど、自分のこと年寄りだと思ってないんだよなぁ、と苦笑しながら、10メートル程の距離まで下がり、再び大剣を構える稀人。 青を基調とした リーチ的には大剣を持った自分の方が有利だが、取り回しと手数では相手の方が上だな――と、相対す稀人は素早く判断した。 一合打ち合った感触では、あちらの武器もおそらくは ――ただしあちらは二刀。総合的な武装では互角......ならば後は純粋な腕の差が勝敗を決めるな。 そう肚をくくった稀人に向け、ベルナルドの鈍色の瞳が圧倒的な気合を放つ。 僅かに浮かべていた笑みを消して、正面からそれを受け止めた稀人の口元から、力強い声が迸った。 『我は無類無敵、我が剣に敵うものなしっ。――我が剣技は眼前の敵を討ち滅ぼす!!』 同時にほとんど万能とも思えるほど全身に力が漲り、全感覚が100パーセント開放された。僅かな躊躇も命取りになる。最初から全力で当たらねば、到底勝てる相手ではない。 「......魔術言語による、フルブーストか。緋雪ちゃんも面白い眷属飼ってるなぁ」 すっかり観客モードで、廊下に座って寛いでいるシルクハットにスーツ、蝶ネクタイを締めた白い仮面の男――どういう仕組みになっているのか、その仮面の上に『(; ・`ω・ ́)』という表示がでた。 二刀流を相手にしたことはないが、右手を前に半身になったその姿勢には、まったく無理がない。1手先を読む程度ならともかく、このレベルの相手と2手3手先の読み合いをしても迷いを産む。ならば、常に先手を打ち込むのみ。そう覚悟を決めた瞬間、稀人の右足が床を蹴っていた。 「――はっ」 床ギリギリの高さを滑空するように一瞬にして駆け抜け、剣を捻りながら突き上げる。 一条の光とも見まごう剣閃を、ベルナルドは不動の表情で見切り、交差させた剣でこれを受ける。激しい火花が散り、強化された稀人の筋力と勢いに押されて僅かに相手が後退した。 稀人は衝撃をそのままにくるりと身体を捻り、二撃目をほぼ真下から切り上げる。 「はああーっ!!」 ベルナルドの全身から さらにお返しとばかり、左の剣が稀人の胸元に滑り込む。 咄嗟に戻した剣の鍔元でこれを受け、その勢いで距離を置く稀人。 そこへベルナルドが突進してきた。十字剣が 受けるのは危険と判断して稀人はその外側、相手の右手側へ死角へと回避を試みる。 それに対して、ベルナルドの十字剣が翻り、錆びた黄金の 空中で一回転してどうにか着地を決める稀人。 息継ぐ暇もなく、距離を縮めたベルナルドの右手が霞み5連続の突きが稀人の全身へと叩き込まれる。 これを両手で握った大剣で可能な限り捌くが、勢いを殺しきれずに鎧のあちこちを掠めた剣先が火花を散らしす。 右の5連続突きを捌かれたベルナルドの左手が、袈裟懸けの姿勢から、右の切り上げ、水平切りへと移行する。その合間を縫って、右の3連続突きが襲い掛かる。 「花霞――白波之太刀!」 そのすべてを捌きながら、僅かに無防備になった手首を狙ってのカウンターが、 左手首の内側をざくりと切られたベルナルドが、咄嗟に距離を置こうとバックしたのに併せて、稀人の全力の突きがこれを追尾する。 「鐘楼砕きっ!」 爆発したかのような踏み込みとともに、一条の砲弾と化したかの勢いで大剣の先端が、ベルナルドの心臓目掛けて放たれた。回避し切れないと判断したベルナルドが、これを十字に交差させた二刀を盾にして受け止める。 鋼鉄の塊のような手応えを無視して、そのまま全開で撃ち抜く。 貫通こそしなかったが、これまでにない確かな手応えを感じた稀人。 ベルナルドの身体が、ガガン!!という金属音とともに跳ね飛ばされた。 「ぐああああっ!!!」 剣を構えなおして距離を詰めようとした稀人の身体が、次の瞬間、暗黒色の雷に撃たれて跳ね飛ばされた。 「――いかん!」 これまで傍観していた敵首魁の参戦に、さすがに獣王にも焦りが浮かんだ。 白仮面の周囲に展開された半透明の障壁が、それを弾き返す。 「――余計な真似を!」 火を吹くような形相で、主人に当たる男を睨むベルナルド。 大剣を支えに立ち上がった稀人。 かすかに焦げ臭い臭いが漂うが、幸い鎧の防御力と吸血鬼としての回復力のお陰で、致命傷には程遠いようだ。だが――。 「......いまので強化が切れたか。再度使えるまで魔力の回復を待たねばならんな」 明らかに重くなった――精神的な消耗も含めれば傷は深い――身体に鞭打って、稀人は再び剣を構えた。 併せてベルナルドも剣を構えたが、鋼鉄のような顔立ちには深い憤りと悲哀があった。 「......惜しい。おぬしのような男と、このような無粋かつ公正さに欠ける死合いをせねばならんとは。慙愧の念に耐えん」 「しょうがないさ。そもそも戦争に尋常な勝負を求めてもしかたなかろう」 飄々とした稀人の言葉に、ベルナルドは最後の躊躇いを捨てた。 「その通りだ。マロードよ、黄泉路で逢おう」 前傾姿勢から一気に間合いを詰めようとするベルナルド――その半瞬前、 「い――――やっほーーーうっ!!」 陽気な掛け声とともに、銀色の帯のようなものがベルナルドに向かって、ランダムな機動で襲い掛かってきた。 同時に巨大な 「......やっときたか、馬鹿弟子どもが」 ガードした盾越しに剄を放って聖堂騎士を弾き飛ばしながら、獣王がちらりとその方向を向いた。 見ればともに身長2メートルを越える、引き締まった体格の【 「申し訳ありません、師匠。この馬鹿がゴネやがって」 伝法な口調で女鬼が頭を下げながら、黒髪の鬼を横目で睨む。 「しょうがないだろう。緋雪様の前で良い格好できるって聞いたのに、肝心の緋雪様がいないんじゃ意味ないだろう」 無理やり散歩に連れて来られた子供みたいな顔で、そっぽを向く青年鬼。 「――あの、老師。この二人って老師の弟子ですか?」 新たな敵の出現に、聖堂騎士達も警戒してベルナルドの元に集まった。 奇妙な小康状態を保つ場の中で、自然体のまま獣王は頷いた。 「うむ。姫から鍛えてくれるように依頼されてな。二人ともなかなか筋が良い。人間の武芸者のように、余計な癖がついていない分、素直に吸収する上、ちょっとやそっとでは死なんからな。血塗れになりながらも向かってくるところなど、実に有望じゃわい。最近では熱が入って180時間ぶっ通しで稽古をつけておる」 嬉しげになんかとんでもない修行内容をさらりと口に出す獣王。 俺直接この爺から指導されなくて良かったなぁと思いつつ、重ねて尋ねる稀人。 「姫を知っているようですが、不覚にも俺は二人とも知らないんですが......?」 そう言って、ちらりと弟子だという女鬼の方を向く獣王。 『進化』『鬼』『女性』『五本角』これらの単語が稀人の中で、かちりと組み合わさった。 』だけどね。この馬鹿弟弟子ともども、姫様から正式にお名前を頂戴したんで、よろしく頼むよ」 かつての面影がどこにも(まあ逞しい筋肉とか角の数とかにはあるが)ない、美女化したソフィア改め 。お互いに姫のために頑張ろう」 あくまでこの国に生きる者としての社交辞令的な挨拶だったのだが、 「姫様のためェ? まさかお前もあの方と交尾するのが目的なのか? だったら敵だぞ」 「はあああ?!」 いきなりとんでもないことを言われて、稀人の口から素っ頓狂な声が漏れた。 そんな彼の前に、すたすたと 「いいか。俺が働くのはあくまであの方と将来的に交尾して、俺の子供を産んでもらうためだ。邪魔するならお前も敵だ、わかったな」 「ちょっと待て。ちょっと待て!」 そこへ敵味方から完全にボッチ状態にされていた、白仮面が割り込んできた。 「勝手なこと言わんでください。緋雪ちゃんは俺の嫁ですが、なにか」 おかしな成り行きに稀人が、口元を思いっきり歪めた。 「......あのな。貴様もややこしくなるから、余計な口を挟むなよ。あとお前ら、本人の意思を無視して、勝手に家族計画とか嫁とか言うな。そういうのは手順を踏め。――言っとくが、俺はちゃんと口頭で本人に結婚を申し込んだぞ」 言いながらハワルタ-ト・ブレードを構える。 「「「お前ら二人とも敵だ!!」」」 わけのわからん三つ巴の戦いが勃発した瞬間であった。 ◆◇◆◇ 「あら、姫様。少し肩が凝ってらっしゃるようですわ。マッサージしたします」 「あら、姫様。日に近い場所にいるせいか、少々お肌が乾いているようですわ。すぐに全身にクリームをお塗りいたします」 「あら、姫様。この下着はどうかと思いますわ。せっかくの晴れ舞台ですのに、こんな縞々の色気のないものではあんまりですわ。すぐに透けるような絹の下着とお取替えいたします」 これはこれで本人にとっては大惨事なのかも知れなかった。

105 Episode 16: Join The Battle Of Princess Boom The huge and magnificent hallway, 60 meters wide alone, was still quietly enclosed, creating a world of seclusion that could not hear any of the hustle outside. The curtain of battle by two to six men was about to be cut down between the brilliant glow emitted by the crystal chandeliers suspended from the ceiling at equal intervals - which are hard to discern because there is no comparable object, but are about the size of giant trees over 1,000 years old with stretched branches - and the fantastic light and shadow woven by a perfectly blue and white magic flame on a golden decorative candlestick mounted on a silver column. "I'll take care of this guy, so the old master asks for the miscellaneous fish around! Bernardo's two swords pass near the chest of a rare man (barely) who jumped immediately backwards from his impending posture as soon as he met with Bernardo's two crossed swords. "It's easy for me to say. Don't let the old man work too hard." Beast King releasing palm bottoms and elbows, instantly zeroing the distance from divine speed steps if there is a gap, while keeping the distance with flowing legs despite the giant, so as not to be caught in the circle of siege of the Holy Knight attacking as one of the five. I don't think I'm older than the old man who publicly proclaims himself "old man," bitterly laughing, a rare man who goes down to a distance of about 10 meters and erects a great sword again. On top of the blue-toned holy singing armor (Gospel Mayle), held in Bernardo's right hand, feather-woven with a blue surcoat, was a slender sword with a cross pattern, and on his left was not equipped with a shield, unlike the other cathedral knights, and instead a double-edged medium sword was held. Reach-wise, it's more advantageous for me to have a big sword, but with the roundabout and the trick, the opponent is better off - and the relative rare man quickly decided. In the sense of a one-in-one meeting, that weapon was also probably the legendary weapon Legendary Weapon, but in terms of armor, this one was also the legendary (Legendary) Water Dragon King's armor, whereas it was seen as a couple of steps inferior gear. - But that's two swords. In a comprehensive armament they are each other... then don't let the difference in pure arms dictate victory or defeat later. Bernardo's blunt eyes emit an overwhelming mood toward a rare man who turned his belly so. A powerful voice burst from the mouth of a rare man who erased the slightly floating grin and took it from the front. "I am invincible, against my sword." - My sword moves destroy the enemy in front of me!! ' At the same time, his powers rose so much throughout his body that he seemed almost omnipotent that his whole senses were opened 100 percent. A slight hesitation is also fatal. If you hit it with everything you can from the start, you're not the only one who can win. "... by sorcery language, full boost? Scarlet Snow has an interesting family, too." Totally in audience mode, a man in white mask with a suit, butterfly tie fastened to a silk hat sitting in the hallway and being lenient - on top of that mask was an indication of '(;...` o... ')' how it works. I've never dealt with a duplicity, but I can't force that attitude at all with my right hand halfway in front of me. Regardless of the extent to which I read one hand ahead, reading two or three hands with this level of opponent produces stray. Then only strike the lead at all times. The moment I was so ready, the rare man's right leg was kicking the floor. "- Ha." He instantly rushes through to skip the critical height of the floor, twisting his sword and poking it up. Bernardo receives this with a sword that cuts off and crosses with an immovable look, a sword that sees a whole flash of sword. A fierce spark scattered and the opponent retreated slightly, pushed by the muscle strength and momentum of the reinforced rare man. The rare man twists his body twisting the shock as it is, cutting the second shot up almost directly from the bottom. "Ahhh!!" Spiritual light (aura) - formerly golden, but now stained with red and black blood and spotted (mara) - emanates from Bernardo's entire body, gently judging the pursuit of the rare man with only the true and cross sword of his right hand. All the more in return, the left sword slips into the rare man's chest. A rare man who receives this at the edge of his sword and distances himself with his momentum. Bernardo ran into it. The Cross Sword gathers the Spiritual Light (Aura) and becomes the protrusion of Divine Speed. Deciding it's dangerous to take it, the rare man tries to avoid it to the outside, to the right hand side of the target. In contrast, Bernardo's cross sword flickered, and the rusty golden spirit light (Aura) was emitted from his body. A rare person who spins in the air and manages to land. Without time to breathe, Bernardo's right hand, narrowing the distance, Kasumi's fifth consecutive thrust into the whole body of the rare man. As far as possible with a sword that held this with both hands, the tip of the sword, which plundered all over the armor without killing the momentum, scatters a spark. Bernardo's left hand, pushed five times in a row to the right, moves from a suspended position to a right cut and a horizontal cut. Sewing between them, three consecutive thrusts of the right strike. "Huaxia - White Wave's Knife! With all of that, a counter aimed at a slightly defenseless wrist passed through the spiritual light (aura) into the body of the cleavage. Bernardo, slashed on the inside of his left wrist, backs up to keep his distance, while the full thrust of the rare man tracks this. "Smash the building! The tip of the Great Sword was unleashed by Bernardo's heart attack with momentum as if it had exploded and turned into a single artillery shell. Bernardo, who decides that he cannot avoid it, takes this as a shield with two swords crossed by a cross. Ignore the response like a chunk of steel and shoot it out in full open as it is. A rare person who didn't penetrate but felt a definite response like never before. Bernardo's body jumped along with the metal sound of Gagan!! "Guaaaaa!!!" A rare man's body, trying to reclaim his sword and fill the distance, was shot and jumped by a dark thunder the next moment. "- How about that!" The King of the Beast was just as anxious to join the battle of the enemy chiefs he had been watching. A translucent barrier deployed around the white mask bounces it back. "- Do an extra imitation! Bernardo stares at the man who hits his husband in a fire blowing shape. A rare man who stood up to support the Great Sword. It smells faintly burnt, but fortunately, thanks to the armor's defense and resilience as a vampire, it seems far from fatal. But... "... has the enhancement expired now? We have to wait until we can use it again to restore our magic." Obviously it got heavier - the wound was deep, including mental wear - whipped to the body, and the rare man put up his sword again. Together Bernardo laid his sword, but there was deep anger and sorrow in his steely face. "... too bad. I didn't know you had to die with a man like you who lacked such innocence and impartiality. endure shame" "I can't help it. In the first place, I would have asked for an unusual battle against war." To the words of a floating rare man, Bernardo abandoned his last hesitation. "Exactly. I'll see you on Yellow Springs Road, Mallord." Bernardo trying to pack an intermission all at once from the forward leaning position - half a moment before that, "Yi-- yay-yay-yay!! Along with cheerful ringtones, something like a silver belt struck Bernardo with random manoeuvres. At the same time, a giant axe spear (Hulbert) comes toward us as we rotate. "... finally, you idiot disciples" The Beast King pointed in that direction slightly as he unleashed a gauntlet over the guarded shield and bounced off the Cathedral Knight. Two tight-bodied [demon ghost (oni) tribe] men and women stood on the spot, over two meters tall together if you look at them. "I'm sorry, Master. This idiot is a goner." She stares at the brunette ghost sideways as the female ghost lowers her head in a legendary tone. "You won't be able to help. I heard you can dress well in front of Scarlet Snow, but it doesn't mean you don't have Scarlet Snow at your heart." Young ghost turning that way with a childlike face he was forced to bring for a walk. "- Um, old master. Are these two disciples of the old master? To the emergence of new enemies, the Cathedral knights also gathered vigilantly at Bernardo's. The Beast King nodded as he naturally remained in a strange state of well-being. "Mm-hmm. The princess asked me to work out. We both have pretty good muscles. Like a human martial arts artist, you don't have any extra habits to absorb honestly, but you die a little or softly. It's really not promising, for example, where it's bloodstained but it's coming. These days, it's been 180 hours since I've had a fever." The King of the Beast, who greets with delight the absurd content of his training. I wish I hadn't been coached directly by this grandfather, but he's a rare man who asks over and over again. "You seem to know the princess, but unconsciously I don't know either of you...? With that said, the Beast King turns to the female ghost that she is a disciple. "Evolution," "Ghost," "Woman," "Five Horns," these words combine with a cage in a rare person. "It's" Princess Boom/Amber "now, though. The princess officially gave me your name with these idiot apprentices, so thank you." The once shadow is nowhere (well, in the number of successful muscles and horns), winked by the beautified Sophia revamped amber (Kohaku), a rare person who can't think of how to react, and nods vaguely. "Nice to meet you too, Nine Seals. Let's do our best for each other's princesses." It was only a socio-ordinarily greeting as someone living in this country, but Nine Seals (Kuku) looked like a giraffe and a frigid eye and saw a rare person. "For the princess? Is that why you're dating that guy, too? Then we're enemies." "Ahhh?!" All of a sudden a barbaric voice leaked out of the mouth of a rare man when he said something absurd. Before him, Jiuzhen walked in and pressed in awesomeness. "Okay. I work only to make out with him in the future and have my baby. You're an enemy, too, if you want to interrupt." "Wait a minute. Wait a minute!" The white mask interrupted it, which had been completely botched by enemy allies. "Don't say anything unsolicited. Scarlet Snow is my daughter-in-law." A rare man distorted his mouth as much as he could in his strange demeanor. "... you know. Don't pinch the extra mouth because it will be easy for you, too. And you guys, ignore your will in person, and don't take it personally to say family planning or daughter-in-law. That kind of thing takes steps. - I'm telling you, I made a proper oral offer to marry him." Set up a hawalta-to-blade as I say. "" "You're both enemies!! It was the moment when the battle of the triplets broke out. * * * * "Oh, princess. Your shoulders seem a little stiff. I massaged you." "Oh, princess. Your skin looks a little dry because you're close to the day. We will immediately apply cream all over your body" "Oh, princess. I don't know about this underwear. It's a sunny stage, but it's not much of a stripe. We will replace it with silk underwear that will be clear immediately." This was probably catastrophic for him.

第七話 廃龍暴走 デカァァァァァいッ説明不要!! その怪物を目にして最初に浮かんだ感想がそれだった。 兄丸さんの移動要塞 てゆーか、キモッ! キモいよ、この怪物っ。 全体が肌色でテカテカして粘液みたいのズルズル流して......。 はまだメカだったから許せるけど、これはないわーっ。チェンジだわチェンジ! 「――ふむ。どうやら人間や家畜、動物、魔物まで渾然一体化した 『なに、あれ?』という先ほどのボクの疑問の声を受けて、分身体『サーチ・アイ』を作って飛ばしたのだろう。 触手と翼を持った単眼のモンスター・ゲイザー――別名『見つめる者』『観察者』の異名を持ち、ボクの従魔の中でもトップクラスの強力で鋭敏な感知・分析能力を持つ、 取りあえず目に見える形で面に現れている部分に関しては、漏れなく把握・解説してくれる。 「ふうん。全体が吸血鬼ってことは、ナメクジというより蛭って感じかな? こいつ自身は吸血鬼の本能はあるわけ?」 「ございます。いえ、その本能が特化して暴走状態といったところですな。ご覧ください。奴が移動した場所を。すべて砂漠化しております」 言われてみれば最初ナメクジが這ったよう......と思われた跡は、すべて砂漠化した大地の成れの果てだった。 「もしかして木や草も根こそぎ吸収してるわけ?」 なんぼ血に飢えて暴走しても樹液までは啜らないよ、ボクは。どんだけ飢えてるんだろう、こいつ。 と思ったら、答えはさらに予想を上回っていた。 「生き物どころか、空気や大地、それどころか光の精霊力をも吸収しております。奴の周りでは光が歪んでいるのにお気づきでしょうか? 本来、日中は活動が沈静化する吸血鬼ベースの合成生物が、この時間帯に活動しているのもその影響かと――おっと。近づいた分身体が捕獲されました。爆破します」 ぽんっと音を立てて、怪物のそこかしこで湿ったカンシャク玉程度の爆発が起きた。 周参の分身体の爆発は、ちょっとしたガスタンクの爆発並みの威力があるのに、上空から見てほとんどダメージを与えた様子はなかった。 「凄まじい吸収力ですな。捕まった瞬間に分身体の生気があらかた吸い尽くされました。接近するのは危険ですな」 「捕縛されるほど分身体を接近させたのか、周参?」 の疑問に、周参は「いいえ」と首(?)を振った。 「撃墜されました。種類としては光術系魔術...... 「20倍!?って......私が言うのもなんだけど、普通の吸血鬼が聖光とか放って平気なの?」 「いいえ。当然放った部分と周辺の 耐性のある私だって自分で放つ時には若干反動で肌荒れがするんだから。 「それって、分身体から吸収できた生気と攻撃に使ったエネルギー量と釣り合ってるの?」 「まったく釣り合っておりません。大赤字ですな。つまりコヤツは馬鹿です」 「あー、やっぱ馬鹿なんだ」 見るからに馬鹿っぽいもんね。 「いかがいたします、姫。このようなお目汚し早々に始末いたしますが?」 というかもう殺る気満々で、全身に雷光をまとわり付かせている。 そして随伴していた巨大な暗黒の これは止められないな......。 「あーっ......まあ、会議に遅刻しないようにさっさと片付けてね」 「勿論でございます」 「......承知いたしました。主様」 刹那、待ってましたとばかり、天涯の雷光の矢が怪物の頭部を中心に撃ち付けられ、同時に出雲の全身から暗黒色の光線が次々に放たれた。 突然の猛威に――考えてみれば、通りがかりに遭遇して見た目がキモイからと攻撃してるんだよねぇ。通り魔じゃね?――怪物が身悶えして、声にならない悲鳴をあげる。 破壊率3%。このペースでは完全消滅まで15分ほどかかる計算ですな」 周参の冷静なツッコミに天涯が咆えた。 「一撃で破壊してくれる!!」 「......本気を出そう」 の修復率0.8%。ふむ、総エネルギー量は減少したままか。修復しても見た目だけだな」 円形粒子加速器 どちらも本来は地上で使うような技ではないのだけど。 「......つーか、普通の人間がいたら垂れ流しの放射線とかで死ぬレベルじゃないかい?」 技の余波でおもろいほど削れる自分のHPを眺めながら、ボクは密かにため息をついた。 と従魔合身してない素の状態なら、たぶんひとたまりもなかったろうねぇ。 轟音と閃光で、目を閉じていてもホワイトアウトした視界がようやく戻ってきたところで、地平線の彼方まで延々と黒焦げ......というか炭状になった怪物の屍骸が転がっていた。 上部のほとんどは抉り取られてなくなり、あちこちがぶつ切りに寸断されている。 「ふん。まだ少々燃えカスがあったか。私としたことが不甲斐ない。――周参。こやつはまだ息の根があるか?」 の修復率12.3%! 修復速度が先ほどまでの256倍! 総エネルギー量26.37倍に増加!!」 切迫したその言葉が終わらないうちに、炭化していた表面を破って、無傷の肉面が膨張するように――いや、確かに膨張と収斂を繰り返しながら――現れた。 「なんだとォ!?」 「お待ちください! こやつ、雷と重力波を喰うことを学習いたしました! 攻撃するのは餌を与えるだけですぞ!」 ヤバイなんてもんじゃない。天涯は基本、電撃と光撃がメインなのでまだ光術スキルを持ってるけど、こいつもともと光を喰っていたみたいだから多分、光撃には耐性があるだろう。つまり現状打つ手なし。 出雲にはもう一つの奥義で 一撃で消滅させるのは無理。逆にこれを喰うのを学習されたら、こちらの切り札が一枚無くなることになるから、いまは半端に攻撃しないで手札は温存しておくべきだろう。 見る見る復元して以前より二周りも大きくなった怪物を見ながら、ボクは唇を噛んだ。 甘く見ていた。 これまで天涯たちの力押しでどうにかなっていたので、今度もそれで通ると慢心していた。 初見の敵の相手をするのに、これだけの戦力があれば充分とか、これだけ離れていれば安全とか基準はないはず。できるのは悔いのないよう万全の戦闘準備をすべきだったのに、戦う前からそんな簡単な心構えを忘れるなんて......。 「分が悪すぎる。ここはいったん引くよ」 「姫っ。まだ私めには充分な勝算がございます! あのような下等な害虫如き......」 の前で敵を斃し切れずに、それどころか逆に相手を強くしてしまったことで、プライドを傷つけられた天涯がムキになって戦闘の継続を進言する。 「天涯。別に1度撤退するのは恥じゃないよ。今日は相手の様子見ができて幸運だったと思わないと。最終的に勝てばいいんだからね」 とんとんと背中を叩く。 「.........。わかりました。この空域から離脱します。いくぞ、皆――」 苦渋と煩悶がありありと感じられる態度で、天涯が翼を広げた。 「えーっ、緋雪ちゃんいっちゃうのー? ゆっくりしていってよ!」 いつの間にかこの高度まで、怪物が鎌首をもたげていた。 ちょっとした岬ほどもあるそこを、キコキコと三輪車を漕ぎながら、白い笑い仮面を装備した男がこちらへとやって来るのが見えた。 この間見たときとは違って、もあもあの毛糸の帽子にセーターを着たその男の変わらない姿に、若干、脱力するものを感じながら、ボクは自然とその名を呼んでいた。 「――しま○らですし、おすし!!」 三輪車から降りて、その場で雄叫びを上げるシマさん。 「悪いけど、今日はこれから用事があるので、玄関先で失礼させてもらうよ」 ポン、と天涯の背中を叩いて、離脱するように指示する。 猛烈な嫌な予感を覚えた。刹那、廃龍の全身が赤く輝いた。――いや、パーツになっている吸血鬼たちの目が一斉に爛々と輝いたのだ。 その光を浴びて、ボクを含めた全員が空中で身動きが取れなくなった。 すらそうそう受け付けぬ私が、このような下級の者に!?」 「ぐううっ、邪眼使いの私を束縛するとは......そうか! 数で確率を補ったな!!」 周参の分析に拍手するシマさん。 「そのとお~り! 魔眼の効果はレベル差に応じて反比例してかかり難くなる。だから普通は自分より格上の相手にはかからないけど、確率はゼロじゃないお。増殖したこいつら魔眼全部を使えば、確率が0.00001%でも、どれかは効果があるってわけです。......ということで」 そこでいったん口上を切り上げると、シマさんはいきなり廃龍の上を助走して、こちら......というか、明らかに硬直しているボク目掛けてジャンプした。 「緋~雪~たん――好きじゃあああっ!!」 まるでどこぞの怪盗の三代目のように、飛び込みの姿勢で空中で着ているものを脱いで、パンツ一丁になる。 「にょああああああっ!?!」 いきなりの貞操の危機に思わず本気の悲鳴が、硬直した口から放たれた。 と、シマさんが覆いかぶさってこようとした瞬間、横合いからサンライト・フラッシュの攻撃が続けざまに彼を直撃して、 「のおおおおおおおおっ!?」 「姫様、ご無事ですか!?」 危ないところを助けてくれたのは命都配下のボクの親衛隊、 『どうやら間に合ったようですね』 どうやら気を利かせて急遽呼び寄せてくれたらしい。 ほっと胸を撫で下ろしたところで、身体の自由が戻っているのに気が付いた。 どうやらコントローラーのシマさんがダメージを受けた衝撃で、魔眼の効果が切れたらしい。 「――全員離脱!」 このチャンスを逃すわけにはいかない。急加速で、天涯を始め全員がその場を後にした。 「うううっ、やっぱあの人の相手は嫌だなぁ......」 余裕のつもりか追撃してこないシマさんと廃龍を振り返りながら、ボクは改めて身震いした。

94 Lesson 7: Abandoned Dragon Run Decaughhhhhhh no explanation needed!! That was the first thought that came to mind when I saw the monster. Brother Maru's moving fortress was huge, but that's the size of a tricycle against a one-box. Oh, no, creep! Creepy, you monster. The whole thing teetered with skin tone and cheated like mucus...... I can forgive you for still being a mechanic, but I don't have this. It's a change. Change! "- Hmm. Apparently, it's a synthetic organism that integrates humans, livestock, animals and demons." "What, that? 'In response to my earlier questioning voice, I guess I made a minute body' Search Eye 'to fly. A single-eyed monster gazer with tentacles and wings - also known as the "Stare" and "Observer" alias, and with top class powerful and acute sensing and analysis skills among my obedient demons, the Seven Hazards Star Beast (Shikikasei Ju) No. 3 and the lead circumferential ginseng (sushi) quickly ran the scanning eyes. For the moment, it grasps and explains without leakage the parts that appear on the surface in a visible way. "Yeah. Does it feel more like leeches than Namekuji that the whole thing is a vampire? Does this guy have vampire instincts himself? "There is. No, that instinct specializes in rampant states and such. Look where he moved. It's all deserted." All the traces that seemed to me to have crawled the first time, if you ask me... were the fruits of a deserted earth. "Is it possible that trees and grass are also root-absorbing? I won't even sip the sap if I run wild hungry for blood, I will. I wonder how hungry you are, this guy. If I thought so, the answer was even more than I expected. "On the contrary, we also absorb the spiritual power of the creatures, the air, the earth and, on the contrary, the light. Have you noticed the distortion of light around him? Originally, I was wondering if the effect of vampire-based synthetic organisms whose activities sedate during the day is also the effect of being active during this time period - whoa. Your body has been captured for close proximity. We'll blow it up." He made a noise and exploded to the point of damp kanshak balls in the monster. The explosion of the body for the circumference had little appearance of damage from above, even though it had a slight explosion-like power of gas tanks. "That's a tremendous absorption. The minute I was caught, my physical vitality was sucked up obviously. It's dangerous to approach." "Have you brought your body close enough to be captured, Zhoujin? To the question of Tenba, Zhou Jin said "No" and neck (?). "I've been shot down. As for the type of optical magic... I confirmed that it was identical to the Cathedral Crusaders and the Holy Light bullet they used. But it's roughly 20 times more powerful than it is." "20x!?... what am I saying, is it okay for a normal vampire to shed holy light or something? "No, naturally the released part and the surrounding cells (cells) self-destructed in recoil" Even I am resistant because my skin becomes rough due to recoil when I release it myself. "Is that commensurate with the amount of energy you used to absorb the energy from your body? "We haven't been catching up at all. That's a big deficit. I mean, he's stupid." "Uh, I'm an idiot after all" You look stupid to see. "I will, princess. Will you get rid of this kind of eye smudge soon? He is also willing to kill and has thunderbolts all over his body. And the giant dark whirlpool that accompanied it (Voltex) - General Thirteen's second-in-command cloud (even without it) - also started to spin faster and up. You can't stop this...... "Uh... well, just get rid of it so you're not late for the meeting" "Of course, sir." "... I understand. Lord." For a moment, just waiting, a lightning arrow from heaven was shot around the monster's head, at the same time dark rays emanating from the entire body of the cloud. To the sudden fierceness - think about it, you're attacking me from looking creepy when I run into a passing pass. You're not a passageway, are you? - The monster grows bored and screams without a voice. "Cell (cell) destruction rate 3%. At this rate, it will take about 15 minutes to completely disappear." Heaven roared at Zhou Jin's calm scratch. "It destroys me in one blow!! "... let's get serious" "The repair rate of cells (cells) is 0.8%. Hmm, does the total energy remain decreasing? It's just what it looks like when you fix it." And at the same time, the depths of the cloud, the gravitational acceleration extinction wave Gravity Actuator - which uses gravitational waves to accelerate and extinguish the motion of matter - were unleashed. Neither of them is supposed to be the kind of moves we use on the ground. "... if there were a normal human being, wouldn't that be the level of death with drooling radiation or something? I secretly sighed as I watched my HP sharpen funnier in the aftermath of the move. At present, if you are in a state of vegetables that do not fit the life capital (Miko) and the submissive demon, you probably wouldn't have had one. With the roar and flash, the carcass of a charcoal-shaped monster was rolling as his white-out vision finally returned to the other side of the horizon... Most of the top is no longer dictated, and all over is dimensioned into bumps. "Hmm. Did you still have a little burning cusp? What you did with me is incompetent. - Zhou Jin. Does this guy still have a root for breath? "Currently, the cell (cell) repair rate is 12.3%! 256 times faster to repair! 26.37 times more total energy!!" Before that impending word could be finished, I tore the surface that was carburizing, so that the intact flesh surface would swell - no, certainly repeatedly swelling and convergence - and appeared. "What the fuck?!? "Please wait! This one, we have learned to eat thunder and gravitational waves! All you have to do is feed them! It's not like it sucks. Heavenly life is basic, I still have phototechnical skills because electric shock and light shooting are the main ones, but this guy looks like he was eating light originally, so maybe he'll be resistant to light shooting. I mean, no batter as it stands. There is another dark particle (Dark Matter) beam in the clouds, so this should work, but it's a match that Heaven and I couldn't finish off by simultaneously attacking. It is impossible to make them disappear in one blow. Conversely, if they learn to eat this, they will run out of one of these trump cards, so don't attack them in half right now. The hand cards should be kept warm. View View View Restore I bit my lips as I saw a monster that had grown two times bigger around me than before. I was watching sweetly. Previously I had managed with the force push of the heavens, so I was chronically worried that I would go through with it again this time. There shouldn't be enough standards to deal with first-sighted enemies with all this fighting power, or safety if you stay so far apart. All you could do was prepare yourself for a full battle without regret, but I can't believe you forgot such an easy mindset before you fought... "Minutes are too bad. I'll pull this off once and for all." "Princess. You still have plenty of chances for me! Such an inferior pest..." By not killing his enemies in front of the Lord (Bok), but on the contrary, strengthening them, the heaven hurts his pride and advances the continuation of the battle. "Heavenly Life. Nothing. I'm not ashamed to withdraw once. I need to think I was lucky to get a look at them today. We just have to win eventually." Tongue and slap on the back. ......... I get it. Exit from this airspace. Let's go, guys. " Heavenly spread its wings in an attitude where bitterness and annoyance were felt to be common. "What, are you going to Scarlet Snow? Take your time! Soon, to this altitude, the monster had brought a sickle. A man armed with a white laughing mask could be seen coming this way, rowing a tricycle and a little bit of a headland there. Unlike when I saw it in the meantime, I called it nature and its name, feeling slightly weakened by the same figure of the man in the sweater on that yarn hat. "-It's Shima O Ra, and it's recommended!!" Mr. Shima gets off the tricycle and makes a roar on the spot. "I'm sorry, but I have business to attend to today, so please excuse me at my doorstep." Pong, and slap the heavenly back, instructing him to leave. I had a fierce unpleasant feeling. In a moment, the whole body of the abandoned dragon glowed red. - No, the eyes of the vampires in their parts shimmered at the same time. In that light, everyone, including me, was unable to move in the air. "Stupid! I don't even accept the princess's demon eye that way, to such a junior!? "Ugh, I didn't know you were going to bind me to the evil eye... well! You made up for the odds in numbers!!" Mr. Shima applauds Zhou Jin's analysis. "That's it! The effect of the demonic eye becomes inversely proportional and difficult depending on the level difference. So normally it doesn't depend on the opponent above yourself, but the odds aren't zero. Ooh. If you use all of these grown demon eyes, you have a 0.00001% chance that any of them will work.... so" So once he cut up his mouth, Mr. Shima suddenly aided him over the abandoned dragon, here... or he jumped at me, obviously stiff. "Scarlet - Snow - Tan - I don't like it ahhh!! It's like the third generation of thieves around here, taking off what they're wearing in the air in a jumping position and becoming a cloak of pants. "Ahhh!?!" A genuine scream, unexpectedly in a sudden crisis of chastity, was released from his stiff mouth. and the moment Mr. Shima tried to cover him, Sunlight Flash's offense continued to strike him straight from the sidelines, "Ooh, ooh, ooh!? "Princess, are you okay?!?" It was the Sisters of the Four Seasons, the Angel of Kwon (Principality), my SS under the Capital of Life, who helped me to the point of danger. "Apparently you made it." Apparently he distracted me and summoned me abruptly. I just stroked my chest down relieved and noticed that my physical freedom was returning. Apparently, the controller, Shima, suffered a damaged shock, which cut off the effect of the Demon Eye. "- Everybody out! You can't miss this chance. With rapid acceleration, everyone followed the scene from the beginning of the heavens. "Ugh, I still hate that guy's opponent..." Looking back at Shima and the Abandoned Dragon, who are not going to be able to afford it or chase it, I shivered again.

プロローグ3 じゃぼじゃぼじゃぼじゃぼーっと東西南北の獅子をかたどった彫像の口から勢い良くお湯が噴き出している。 どーしてこうなった・・・? 立ち込める湯煙の中、階段状になった大理石の湯船の縁に腰を下ろし、腰から下をお湯につける半身浴の体勢で、自分というか・・・ 真っ直ぐ玉座の間に向かうのかと思っていたら連れてこられたのはこの浴室だった。 最初わからなかったよ。だいたい廊下の幅とか長さとか細かな意匠とか、ゲーム見たのと比べ何倍あるんだよって違いがあって、デザイン自体は確かに見覚えがあるのに、とにかく『せいぜい学校位の大きさ』と思ってたこの城の規模と豪華さが『ヴェルサイユ宮殿が犬小屋に見える豪華さで、23区がスッポリ入る』バカみたいな広さなんだ。 そんなもんだから連れて来られた先が玉座の間だか浴室だかわからず、唖然としているうちに なんでも「長いこと眠っていたので入浴とお着替えが必要でしょう」ってのことだけど、そーいう気遣いは先に言ってよ! 本人にわからない気遣いは気遣いじゃないんだからさ! と叫びたい所だけど、怖いのでもちろん口が裂けても言えない。 「――そうであるな。久々に命の洗濯といこうか」 チキンな内心を押し隠してお風呂――と言っても大理石をふんだんに使った『どこの神殿?』という感じの白亜の殿堂――へと一人足を踏み入れ......ようとしたところで、ついに我慢ならなくなってボクは振り返って訊いた。 「・・・なんで付いてくるの?!」 言われた当人――というか当龍の 「無論、姫の入浴のお手伝いでございますが?」 ......いや。なんとなくはわかってたんだ。ボクが脱がされてる間に隅の方でガサゴソやってたし、全裸のまま命都の隣に待機してて、ボクが歩き出したら後を付いて来るし。 だけど普通ないでしょう?! 侍女か命都が入浴に付いて来るのはまだわかるよっ。だけど普通に年端も行かない見た目の少女(ボクというか緋雪のことだよ!)の入浴に、筋骨逞しい青年が付いてくるなんてあり得ないでしょう?! アグネスさんじゃなくても、どっかでストップがかかると思ってたんだよ! 「・・・いや、いらないから。てゆーか、恥ずかしいし」 「はっはっはっ、なにをいまさら。姫と入浴するなど毎日の儀式のようなものではありませぬか」 そりゃアンタが龍形態だったからでしょうが! それにここのお湯は1分間浸かると30分間毎秒HPの3%の自動回復効果と全属性抵抗値の15%上昇効果があるから、戦闘に行く前に と思いっきり地団太踏んで騒ぎたいところだけど、どーせ言っても無駄なんだろうな~。 てか下手に逆切れして、それに逆切れで返されたら死ぬし。 「ささ、いつまでも脱衣所にいてはお体が冷えますので、浴室の方へどうぞ」 どーしたもんかと思っているうちに、天涯に肩をつかまれ――うわわわっ。自分以外の他人の肌の感覚をもろに受けて全身が痺れ......というか腰が抜けそうになり――そのまま湯船の方へエスコートされる。 「それでは失礼いたしまして――」 ボクを湯船の階段状になったところへ座らせ、存在するだけで失礼な全裸男が片膝を付き――なるべく見ないようにしてたんだけど、なにあのサイズ。ビール瓶?――かけ湯をして、さらに両手に何かのボトルの中身を振り掛け、泡立てると・・・ああ、ボディソープね。 タオルやスポンジは肌を痛めるから掌で洗うのが一番良いんだよねー・・・。 ぼんやりと現実逃避をしていたが、ぴとっと掌が体に当たった瞬間、 思わず嬌声をあげたが、天涯はガン無視で「どこか痒いところなどございませんか姫?」などと気楽に訊いてくる。 そんな感じで髪の先端から爪先、果てはおへその穴やまだボクも内部を確認していない部分まで、余すところなくこねくり回され、終わった時にはなんかレイプ被害者になった気分で、思わず湯船の中でさめざめと泣いてしまった。 その後、ふらふらしながら浴室を出て、待ち構えていた命都の手で先ほどのドレスと似たデザインながら、さらにスカートの幅が広いドレスに着替えさせられ、今度こそボクたちは玉座の間へと向かったのだった。

3 Prologue 3 Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin. Hot water is pouring out of the mouth of a statue that follows a lion from east, west and north. How did this happen...? In the hot smoke that I could stand in, I sat down on the edge of a marble hot tub with staircases, in a half bath position with my hips to bottom in hot water, I mean myself... white as snow but bloody skin as the name suggests - it was pretty hard to adjust this skin tone with character making - and as I dropped my gaze in a thin position, I woke up and asked myself how many times I didn't know. I thought I was headed straight between the thrones, and it was this bathroom that brought me here. I didn't know that at first. It's more or less the width of the hallway, the length, the fine design, and how many times more than I've seen the game, and even though the design itself does look familiar, the size and luxury of this castle, which I thought was' the size of a school position at best ', is the size of an idiot who says' Palazzo Versailles looks like a doghouse, the 23rd arrondissement goes into Suppoli '. That's why they brought me here. I didn't know if it was between the thrones or the bathroom, and while I was stunned, I was quickly stripped naked at the hands of the Life Capital (Miko and) - unlike the game, it was something that could take off both the top and bottom of the final line of defense underwear. Yeah - I was led to the hot tub. Anything that says, "You'll need to bathe and change because you've been asleep for a long time," but that kind of care goes first! I don't give a shit what I don't know! And I want to scream, but I'm scared, so of course I can't tell you even if my mouth is torn. "-That's right. It's been a while since I washed my life." I hid my chicken insides and took a bath - but I used plenty of marble: 'Which temple?' I was about to set foot in the hall of White Ya, which feels like '... I finally stopped being patient and I looked back and asked. "... why are you following me?!" The said person - or our dragon's heavenly life (Tenshi), with a decent look for a moment, answered as normal without being naked and not at all evil, without hiding anything. "Regardless, are you helping the princess bathe? ... No. I knew it somehow. While I was being taken off, I was in the corner, waiting next to the Capital of Life naked, and when I walked out, I'd follow. But isn't it normal?! I still know that a samurai or life capital will follow you into the bath. But normally a looking girl who doesn't even go old (I mean Scarlet Snow!) bathing can't possibly come with a muscular young man?! I thought it would take a stop somewhere, even if it wasn't Mr. Agnes! "... no, because I don't want it. Well, I'm embarrassed." "Ha, ha, what the hell. Isn't it like a daily ritual to bathe with a princess?" That must be because you were in dragon form! Besides, the hot water here has an automatic healing effect of 3% of HP per second for 30 minutes when soaked for 1 minute and a 15% increase in all attribute resistance values, so all you have to do is put in the exorcism (pet) with you before you go to battle!! I just want to make a scene by stepping on the group as much as I want, but I guess it's useless to say any way ~. If it cuts backwards badly, and it cuts backwards, I'll die. "Sa, you'll be cold in the stripper forever, so go to the bathroom." While I was wondering which one I did, I was grabbed on the shoulder by heaven - wow. My whole body is paralyzed by the feeling of someone else's skin other than myself... or my back is about to fall out - I am escorted straight to the hot tub. "Now if you'll excuse me..." Let me sit in the hot tub staircase, and a rude naked man with one knee just to exist - I was trying not to look at it, what's that size? Beer bottle? - I sprinkle water, and then I shake the contents of some kind of bottle on both hands, and when I lather... oh, body soap. Towels and sponges are best washed with your palms because they hurt your skin... blurry and escaping reality, but the moment my palms hit my body a little, I whispered unintentionally, but Heavenly ignored the cancer and said, "Is there any itch anywhere, Princess?," he asks easily. From the tip of my hair to the toe of my nails like that, to the end of the navel hole or the part where I haven't even checked the inside yet, I was unnecessarily twisted around, and when I was done, I felt like I was some kind of rape victim, and I accidentally whimpered in the hot tub. Then, fluttering out of the bathroom, I was forced to change into a dress that was even wider in the skirt, similar to the one I had earlier designed at the hands of the waiting capital of life, and now it was time for us to head to the throne room.

オリアーナ皇女が交換条件として口にしたグラウィオール帝国の皇族直系にのみに伝わる伝承の内容、その冒頭に語られた神話の舞台になる世界の名前に、緋雪は柳眉をしかめた。 オリアーナが頷く。 「はい。遥かな昔、我々の祖先にあたる人々は『永遠なる地平』と呼ばれる楽土に住んでいたと言われております」 「昔って具体的には何年くらいなの?」 「わかりません。そもそも喪失世紀というものは『世界が滅び。過去・現在・未来が入り混じった』と言われ、そもそも時間の概念が存在しなかった時代なそうなので、『いつ』と規定することができないそうです」 「わたしにもさっぱりです。まあ、あくまで神話ですから、整合性がないのもいたしかたないかと......取りあえず聖教が起源を主張する千年前より昔なのは確かでしょうが」 実証的には完全に匙を投げた感じで、オリアーナはあくまで伝承として語りだした。 遥かな昔、我々の祖先は『永遠なる地平』と呼ばれる豊穣なる世界に住んでおりました。 その世界は四季を通じて温暖であり、花々は常に咲き乱れ、天災も老いも病気もない......まさに天上界であったといいます。 また、現在の世界と同様に魔物も存在していましたが、彼らも己の領分を越えることなく、人々の住まう都市や村などを襲うことはなかったそうです。 そしてなにより違っていたのは、空想上の存在ではなく実在する者として、神人や魔王など 達の中でも、特に頂点を極めた者達は各地に己の領土を持ち、絶大な力と名声とを轟かせていました。 例えば移動する巨大な魔導の城に住む奔放なる獣神アニマル 例えば鋼鉄の城塞の主にして正義の龍騎士王ディーヴータ。 例えば海を支配する寡黙なる魔王モーンガイ そして浮遊する巨大な宮殿の主にして夜と闇の美姫ヒユキ。 オリアーナは優等生が答え合わせをするような目で、緋雪の目を真正面から見た。 「――ここまでに間違いはございませんか?」 「さあ? そこらへんは所詮は三次情報だからねぇ。二次情報もあまり意味がないと思うよ。......まあ個人的にはかなり脚色されてる気もするけどね」 苦笑いする緋雪の言葉を曖昧な肯定ととらえて、オリアーナはうっすら微笑んだ。 「......なるほど、そして一次情報はいままさに目の前ということですね」 「失望させたかな?」 「とんでもございません。いまだかつてない興奮と感動を覚えております」 ですが、同じ『永遠なる地平』に生きるとはいえ、人間とは完全に隔絶した存在であり、そもそも人が足元の蟻に注意を払わないのと同じようにほとんど会話にもならない......そもそも目に入っているのかすら不明で、いまでいうゴーレムのように不気味で無機質であったと言われております。 その『永遠なる地平』にある日、唐突な破滅が襲い掛かりました。世界は闇に沈み、 これが現在の大地であると伝えられております。 その後、生きとし生けるものたちはこの大地に広がり、人々はご他聞に漏れず群雄割拠し、 ちなみに聖教では、この救い主を『蒼き神』と呼称して、唯一神として信奉しているそうです。 ◆◇◆◇ あれから2週間あまり。 レヴァン経由で受け取ったオリアーナ皇女の親書に目を通しながら、彼女が語ってくれた喪失世紀について、ふと思い出して頭の中で整理してみた。 「......まあ、ある程度符号は合うかな」 皇女が語った神話を信じるならば、やはりこの世界は 。君が覚えている昔のプレイヤー......まあ私も含めて、そんなゴーレムみたいに無口だったの?」 傍らに立っていたタキシード姿の天涯に訊いてみた。 「あの与太話でございますか? そのようなことは一切ございませんでした。 そもそも時間経過もボクらの認識では100年で、こっちでは1000年と開きがあるし。 「そうなるとこちらの方が外来種ってことになるのかな? 問題はその神様になったプレーヤーが誰なのかだけど、今の段階では『男性キャラ』ってことしかわかってないし」 「姫様のお言葉に疑問を挟むなど恐れ多いことながら、男性というのはなぜおわかりに?」 「影郎様がですか......?」 「そう、彼が何回も言ってたんだ黒幕を『今度の旦那さん』って。つまり男性ってことだね」 「......信用できますか?」 命都の当然の疑問にボクとしても苦笑いするしかなかった。 「あの人はウソツキだけど、こういう引っ掛けで『さあ言葉の裏を読め』という悪戯をしかけるのが好きだったからね。割と信用できるんじゃないかと思うよ」 「なるほど。......とはいえ、もうその真意を確認する 命都にとっても、影郎さんはある意味思い出深い相手なのだろう。 実のところ彼はウチのギルド創設時からのメンバーなので(サブマスとかは本人が嫌がってやらなかった)、天涯よりも遥かに付き合いが長かったりする。なのでボク同様その死には思うところがあるのだろう。 「まああの後、影郎さんの首と記録は動かぬ証拠として宰相派に突きつけられ、かなり皇帝派......というか、鈴蘭の皇女様が盛り返しているみたいだしね。なんだかんだで収まるところに収まった感じかな。ま、様子見がてら、そのうちお墓参りにでも行って見るつもりだから、命都も付いてくればいいよ」 ちなみに案の定と言うかボクの『薔薇の姫陛下』という中二臭い通り名は、グラウィオール帝国方面で定着しているらしい。 ......正直ほとぼりが冷めるまで、しばらく行きたくないところだねぇ。 楚々とした仕草で頷く命都。 「うん。――まあ、行くとしても転移魔法装置を使った相互貿易協定締結後だろうね。あっちはあっちで利権争いで大変みたいだし」 いざ転移魔法装置の存在を公表して皇帝派と交渉を始めたところ、宰相派がいけしゃあしゃあと便乗してきたらしい。 で、結局は皇帝の代理人としてオリアーナ皇女が。実務的な補佐としてウォーレン宰相が同行し、旧ケンスルーナ国の首都ファーブラーで領土交渉と併せて、現在、協議を行ったいるらしい。 まあこのあたりはレヴァンに任せているので詳しくはわからないけどね。 それにしてもあの宰相よく復帰したねぇ。さすが偉い人になると面の皮の厚さが常人とは違うらしい。 まあ明らかにカツラだったとオリアーナ皇女の親書には書いてあるので、あの皇女様の性格を考えるといい様にこき下ろしたんだろうけどね。 あと、あの日同行した侍女のリィーナが一言の連絡もなく仕事を辞め、実家から詫び状が着たと添えられていた。 あの日の光景がよほど衝撃的だったのでしょう申し訳ないことをしました。と彼女にしては珍しく後悔ともいえることを力なく書かれていたので、オリアーナもそうとう心細い想いをしているのだろう。ボクでなにか力になれればいいんだけどねぇ。 「取りあえず交渉が一区切りつけば、レヴァンからも連絡がくるだろうから、それからかな」 「はい、姫様の仰せのままに――」 その命都の表情が微妙なことに気が付いて、「どうかした?」と訊いてみた。 「いえ、私は直接影郎様の最後に立ち会わなかったせいでしょうか、どうにもお亡くなりなられたと思えないもので」 言われてみれば現場に居合わせたボクでも、影郎さんに関しては『実は生きてました』というふうに思えてならない。 「まあ、私でもピンとこないからねぇ。漫画やアニメみたいにほいほい復活しそうな気がするね」 「楽しそうですね姫様」 「まーね。そう考えたらお互いに少しは気が楽になるんじゃないかな。――そのうち『盛り上がったところで奇跡の復活を遂げて現れる』なんて演出、いかにも影郎さんならやりそうだからねぇ」 ま、あくまで冗談だけどね。 「逆にいますぐ復活とかしたら、盛り上がりも何もないよね。漫画だったら『もう復活しやがったのか』って文句言うところだねぇ」

Scarlet Snow frowned on the contents of the inheritance passed only to the royal lineage of the Grawior Empire, spoken by Empress Oriana as a condition of exchange, the name of the world that would set the stage for the myth told at its beginning. Oriana nods. "Yes, it is said that long ago, people of our ancestors lived in paradise called the 'Horizon of Eternity'" "How many years ago, exactly? "I don't know. In the first place, a century of loss is called 'The world is doomed. They say the past, present, and future are mixed' and they can't stipulate 'when' because this is a time when the concept of time didn't exist in the first place" "It's refreshing to me, too. Well, it's only a myth, so I was wondering if there was any inconsistency... for now, I'm pretty sure it was a thousand years before the Holy Church claimed its origins." Empirically, it felt like a complete spoon throw, and Oriana spoke only as a legacy. Far back in the day, our ancestors lived in a rich world called The Horizon of Eternity. The world was warm all season long, the flowers were constantly blooming, there was no natural disaster, no old age, no disease... I hope it was just the heavenly realm. Demons also existed, as did the world today, but they also said they never attacked cities, villages, etc. where people lived, without crossing their own territory. And more importantly, there were people called transcendents (players), such as gods and demon kings, as real rather than imaginary beings. Some of these transcendents (players), especially those at their peak, had their own territory everywhere, and they had a tremendous power and fame. For example, Animal, a rampant beast god living in a giant magical castle that travels. Diveta, king of righteous dragon knights, for example, as Lord of the fortress of steel. For example, Morngai, the oligarchy demon king who rules the sea. And Hiyuki, the beautiful princess of night and darkness, as the lord of a floating giant palace. Oriana looked directly in the face at Scarlet Snow's eyes with the kind of eyes the honors students would answer to each other. "- Is there any mistake so far? "Come on? Because what you're reading there is tertiary information. I don't think secondary information makes much sense either.... Well, personally, I think it's pretty leggy." Taking the bitterly laughing Scarlet Snow word as an ambiguous affirmation, Oriana smiled. "... I see, and primary information is right in front of you." "Did I disappoint you? "There is no such thing. I still remember the excitement and emotion I had never had before." Now, this transcendent (player), though living in the same 'eternal horizon', is completely isolated from humans and hardly a conversation in the first place just as people pay attention to the ants at their feet...... it is not even known if it is in the first place, they say it was as creepy and inorganic as the golem it is now. One day in its' Eternal Horizon ', a sudden ruin struck. The world sank into darkness and the transcendents (players) disappeared somewhere... No, first the transcendent "players" disappeared and then doom struck the world, so it's unclear which is the cause of the consequences. We are told that this is the earth of today. Then the living and the living spread over the earth, and the people were crowded and repetitive, but 1000 years ago the Holy Kingdom began to reign as the greatest force, about 400 years ago, and it continues to this day. By the way, the Sacred Church calls this Savior 'the pale God' and says he is the only one who believes as God. * * * * Not much for two weeks since then. Looking through the protege of Princess Oriana, received via Levan, I tried to sort it out in my head with a fumble of remembrance about the century of loss she told me about. "... well, the code fits somewhat" If you believe in the myths told by the Empress, it still means that this world was created based on the information (resources) of "E. H. O." and "Eternal Horizon Online". "No, heaven forbid. The old player you remember... well, including me, was he as silent as a golem like that? I asked in the lifetime of the tuxedo standing beside me. "Is that Yota story? There was nothing like that. The transcendents (players) were always cheerfully conversed, as were the princesses.... Well, we didn't pay much attention to the trends of those who live on the earth either, so it may have looked that way in the eyes of humans, but the intrusion is insignificant. The princess has nothing to worry about." In the first place, the passage of time is 100 years in our perception, and there are 1000 years open here. "Does that mean this one's a better alien species? The question is who the player who became that god is, but at this stage, I only know what 'male character' is." "How do you know you're a man, with so many fears, such as pinching questions about the princess's words? "Is there a Shadowloon...? "Yes, he's said that many times." Next husband "the mastermind. I mean, a man." "... can I trust you? I had no choice but to laugh bitterly at my natural doubts about the life capital. "That guy is a liar, but because he liked to play the prank of 'Now Read Behind the Words' with these hooks. I think you can trust me for that." "I see.... though, there is no way to confirm its sincerity anymore" Even for Life Capital, Mr. Shadowloon must be a memorable opponent in a way. As a matter of fact, he has been a member of our guild since its inception (he didn't like submus or anything like that in person), so he can get along much longer than in heaven. So I guess there's something to think about that death, just like me. "Well after that, Mr. Shadowloon's neck and record were poked at by the Chancellor as immobile evidence, quite imperial...... or it looks like the Princess of Suzuran is revving. I wonder why it feels like it fits where it fits. I'm going to go to the grave and see how things are going, so you can come with your life capital." By the way, my middle smelly street name, "The Princess of the Rose," seems to be well established in the Gravior Empire. ... I honestly just don't want to go for a while until it's mostly cold. Life capital snorts with a thorough modus operandi. "Yeah. - Well, even if we go, it's probably after the signing of a mutual trade agreement using a transfer magic device. Looks like we're having a hard time fighting over there." When he announced the existence of the various transfer magic devices and began negotiating with the Emperor, he said the Prime Minister had embarked on a shabby ride. So, in the end, the Empress Oriana is acting on behalf of the Emperor. He was accompanied by Chancellor Warren as a practical assistant and, in conjunction with territorial negotiations in Farbler, the capital of the former Kensruna country, is currently holding consultations. Well, I leave it to Levan around here, so I don't know the details. And that prime minister's back a lot. That's right, when you become a great person, the skin thickness on your face is different from that of an ordinary person. Well, it says in the Princess Oriana's protege that it was obviously a rash, so I guess I pulled it down like I should, considering the character of that princess. And then the samurai, Lyna, who accompanied her that day, left her job without a word from her, and was accompanied by a letter of apology from her parents. I guess how shocking the sight was that day. I did something I'm sorry about. and it was unnecessarily written as regrettable for her, so I guess Oriana thinks so meticulously. I wish I could help you with something. "In the meantime, if the negotiations are separated, Levan will hear from you, too, so I guess." "Yes, as the princess says..." Realizing the subtle look on the face of its life capital, he said, "What's wrong?" I asked. "No, is it because I was not present at the end of Mr. Shadowloon directly, because I do not think you have died" If you ask me, I was at the crime scene. But I don't think I'm actually alive when it comes to Mr. Shadowloon. "Well, because even I'm not pinned. I feel like I'm about to come back to life like a comic book or a cartoon." "Sounds fun, Princess." "Ma'am. I guess that makes us a little more comfortable with each other. - One of these days, 'Show up with a miraculous resurrection where it's exuberant' is a performance, because Shadow Lang is going to do it." Ma, it's just a joke. "Conversely, if you resurrect right now or something, there's nothing exciting about it. If it was a comic book, I'd be complaining," Are you back already? "

補足 勢力情勢 大陸(特定の名前はなく単に『大陸』と呼ばれている)の形は大雑把に『左側を向いたカバ』のような形をしていて、このうち顔に当たる部分を『大陸西部域』、上半身部分を『大陸中央部』、下半身部分を『大陸東部域』と呼んでいる。 文化的には『大陸西部域』>『大陸東部域』>『大陸中央部』と見られている。 これは大陸最大宗教である『イーオン聖教』の教義――「人間以外の亜人、獣人などは生まれつき罪を犯した罪人であり、人間よりも劣った存在である」という考えが根底にあるもので、そのまま人間種の国に占める版図の広さを表しているとも言える。 実際には各地それぞれの特色ある文化があり、一概にどこが上とも言えない。 なお、大陸には大小60余りの国々がある(また大陸以外にも、諸島国家や未確認大陸なども存在する)。 そのうち最大の面積を誇るのはクレス=ケンスルーナ連邦であり、位置的には大陸中央部の下半分をほぼ占めるが、実態は亜人国家や亜人との融和路線をとる国家が、イーオン聖教の弾圧から逃れるために団結した寄せ集めの集団に過ぎず、いざという場合の共同歩調にも難があることから、幾つかの周辺国を帝国に併合されている。 連邦の代表者は『主席』と呼ばれ、世襲制ではなく、各国代表者から選抜される一代限りの名誉職となる。 二番目に強大なのが、大陸東部域から中央部域上端付近(また、一部西部域にも飛び地がある)を支配するグラウィオール帝国。 こちらは強大な権力を手にした皇帝が支配する国で、たびたび周辺国と武力紛争を起こしている。 ただし、かつての皇帝は絶対王政に近い権力を維持していたが、現在は国土が広がりすぎてコントロールし切れない部分が垣間見られるため、これが皇帝の意向によるものかどうかは不透明な部分がある。 外交や貿易にも力を入れており、特に大陸西部域諸国とは比較的良好な関係を結んでいる。 三大強国の最後がイーオン聖王国。 大陸中央部に位置しており、その名の通りイーオン聖教を国教とし、国民全てが教団員という宗教国家。 国土面積としてはさほどではないが、大陸最大宗教ということで各国に対する影響力は非常に強い。また、『 その教義ゆえに「罪人たる人間以外の種族は死して罪を償うべき」との理由で、過去に何度も亜人国家や関連する国家との紛争・虐殺を起こしているため、クレス=ケンスルーナ連邦との仲は最悪。 国交はもとより物流自体一切行なわれていない。 国の代表者は神託で選ばれた『大教皇』であるが、こちらはほぼ神輿であり、実態は大司教以上の位階の者による合議体制で国の運営は執り行われている。 閉鎖的であり、あまり積極的に他国との交流もない。 アミティア王国は大陸西部域に16ある国家のひとつで、国土面積としては7番目、農作物の輸出量としては1番、国力としては5~6番目に位置している。 首都は王都カルディアではあるが、交通の便が悪いため人口としては国内3番手に甘んじている(1位は貿易港を抱える都市キトーで、2位が交易路の中心である自由都市アーラ)。 文化レベルはこの世界としてはそれなりに高いが、総じて平和ボケしており、ここ数十年文化的魔法的な発明、発展はない。 国の代表者は国王であるが、実質的には有力貴族による貴族院が実権を支配しており、単なるお飾りに過ぎない(これは大陸諸国全般に言える)。 現国王には6男5女があり、国王も含めて毒にも薬にもならない人柄だが、第三王子アシル・クロード(とその実妹の四王女、アンジェリカ・イリス)のみは、実績と能力、外見、人柄に優れ、国民や一部軍人から熱狂的な支持を得ている。 ちなみに緋雪が最初にこの国を選んだのは、「緑が多くてのどかそう」というただそれだけの理由から。

23 Supplementary Forces Situation The shape of the continent (known simply as the 'continent' without a specific name) takes the form of a 'left-facing kaba' in large clutter, of which the part that hits the face is called the 'western part of the continent', the upper body part is called the 'central part of the continent' and the lower body part is called the 'eastern part of the continent'. Culturally, it is seen as "Western Continent Region" > "Eastern Continental Region" > "Central Continental Region". This is the underlying doctrine of the 'Eon Episcopal Church', the largest religion on the continent - the idea that "non-human subhumans, beasts, etc. are born sinners and inferior to human beings", which can also be said to represent the breadth of the print as it stands as a percentage of the nation of the human species. In fact, there are cultures with their own characteristics everywhere, and generally nowhere can be said to be above. It should be noted that there are more than 60 countries, large and small, on the continent (in addition to the continent, archipelagic states, unidentified continents, etc.). The largest of these is the Confederation of Cres-Kensruna, which occupies almost the lower half of the continent's central part in position, but the reality is that some peripheral countries are annexed to the empire because the subnational states and the states that take the route of reconciliation with the subpeoples are only a group of united gatherings to escape the oppression of the Eon Episcopal Church and also have difficulties in joint pacing in cases of need. The representatives of the Confederation are called 'Presidents' and become a one-generation honorary position to be selected from the national representatives, rather than from a hereditary system. The second most powerful is the Grawior Empire, which dominates from the eastern part of the continent near the upper edge of the central region (and also has enclaves in some western regions). This is a country ruled by an emperor with mighty power, who has occasionally had armed conflicts with neighbouring countries. However, there is an opaque part of whether or not this is due to the Emperor's intention, as the former Emperor maintained power close to the absolute kingdom, but now has a glimpse of the part of the national territory that is too extensive to be controlled. It also invests in diplomacy and trade and has relatively good relations, particularly with the countries of the western part of the continent. The last of the three mighty nations is the Eon Holy King. Located in the central part of the continent, as its name suggests, Aeon Episcopal Church is the national religion, a religious state in which all its citizens are members of the Church. Not so much as a national area, but the influence over countries is very strong due to the fact that it is the largest religion on the continent. He is also alerted by other countries because the sorcery (the 'miracle of God' where ecclesiastical is referred to) activation, which can be used by a high priest called 'Jihad', makes it possible to manipulate all members of the denomination as murderer warriors. Because of its doctrine, "non-sinful human races should die and atone for their sins," we have had many conflicts and massacres with subnational and related states in the past, so our friendship with the Confederation of Cres-Kensruna sucks. National transportation has not originally been carried out in any way in the logistics itself. The representative of the State is the 'Archbishop' chosen in divinity, but this one is almost divine, and the reality is that the operation of the State is carried out in a system of consultation by persons of the rank of Archbishop and above. It is closed and does not interact very actively with other countries. The kingdom of Amitia is one of the 16 countries in the western part of the continent, located seventh in terms of land area, first in terms of crop exports and fifth to sixth in terms of national power. Although the capital is the Wang capital of Cardia, it is the third most spoiled city in the country as a population due to poor transportation (the first is the city of Quito with a trading port and the second is the free city of Ara, the center of the trading route). The cultural level is quite high as this world, but all in all it is peaceful bogged down and there has been no cultural and magical invention, development in recent decades. The representatives of the country are kings, but essentially the House of Lords by leading nobles dominates real rights and is merely an ornament (which can be said of the continental countries in general). The current king has six men and five women, personages that are neither poisonous nor medicinal, including the king, but only the third prince, Asil Claude (and his real sister, the fourth princess, Angelica Iris), has an excellent track record and ability, appearance, personality and enthusiastic support from the people and some members of the military. Scarlet Snow chose this country first, by the way, for the mere reason that it seems "green and idyllic".

11 あの会議のあと、嘘みたいに平和な日が続いた。 学校に行って、美咲様と王子を見守って、お友達と楽しくおしゃべりをする。 平和だ。蓮見に関わらないとこんなに平和なのか。 こんな日がずっと続けばいいのに。 近いうちに中間テストがあるが、予習復習はきちんとしてるので、私は慌てない。 前世の私は思いっきり慌ててたけどね! 一夜漬けとかよくやってたなぁ。 でもテストが終わるとすぐ忘れちゃうんだよね。 そんな代わり映えしない日々を過ごしているとあっという間に中間テストの日がやってきた。 私はすらすらと答案用紙に書き込んでいく。 勉強ができるって、素晴らしいわ。二回くらい見直ししても時間が余る。 私は問題なく中間テストを終えた。 桜丘学園ではテストの5教科の合計の順位が上位20位まで貼り出される。 20位以下の人たちも、各個人に配られる紙に平均点とともに順位が書かれているので、みんな自分の順位を知ることができるようになっている。 その順位が今貼り出されたらしい。 みんな廊下に出て貼り出された紙を見ている。 私もお友達と一緒に見に行った。 私の名前あるかなぁ。 下から順に名前を見てくと、12位に美咲様の名前を発見し、さすがだわぁ、と尊敬し直す。容姿よし、性格よし、家柄よし、頭よし。ミスパーフェクト。美咲様すてき。 そして3位に王子の名前があった。うん、歪みない。ミスターパーフェクトだ。 そして......。 「まあ!すごいわ、凛花さん!2位だなんて!」 「いえ......きっとまぐれだわ。たまたまなの」 「そんなことないわ。だって凛花さん、しっかり勉強なっているもの。今度からはわからないことは凛花さんに聞こうかしら」 なんと、私が2位だったのだ。 まじか。確かに手応えは良かったけど、こんなに順位が上だとは思わなかった。 「1位が......蓮見様なのね。流石だわ」 「あの方は常に上位にいらっしゃるものね。いつも東條様と1、2を争っていらしたもの」 蓮見が首位だった。 蓮見と王子に挟まれた私。 やばい、目立つ。 というか、早速注目されている気がする。 まさかあの二人に挟まれるほど点数がいいとは思わなかったのだ。今度からは気を付けよう。 でもかといって手を抜くのは......と悩んでしまう。 勉強ができるって素晴らしいことだけど、それで目立つのは困るのだ。 私はこれ以上注目を浴びる前に退散することにした。 逃げるが勝ち、だ。 テストが終わり、1週間くらい経ったあと、蓮見から連絡が来た。 どうやら美咲様とご対面できる日が決まったようだ。 その日は気合いを入れなきゃ!憧れの美咲様とお話ができるのだ。ばっちりお洒落して、良い印象を持ってもらいたい。 私はその日に会わせてエステと美容院の予約を取った。 ああ、今からその日が楽しみだ。 ついにこの日がやってきた。 私はついに美咲様とご対面するのだ。 仲良くなれるだろうか。上手く話せるだろうか。 待ち合わせはこの間、蓮見と会議をした喫茶店である。 私は緊張しつつ、店に入る。 この前と同じように優しそうな店主さんが出迎えてくれて、この前と同じ席に案内してくれた。 蓮見も美咲様もまだ来ていないようだ。 とりあえず私は席につく。 鞄から鏡を取りだし髪のみだれがないか確認する。 よし。ばっちりだ。 そのまま私は姿勢良く待機をした。 いまだに誰も来ない。 もう30分くらいは待っている気がする。 最初のうちはそわそわしていたが、待ち合わせ時間から10分くらい経った時点で不安になってきた。 私、時間間違えた? 携帯を取りだし、待ち合わせ場所と時間を確認するが合ってる。 私は首をかしげつつも、じっと待機する。 それから5分くらい経った時、蓮見から連絡がきた。 『緊急事態発生。もう少しかかる』 ......緊急事態って、なに。 何が起こったのだ、蓮見よ。 私はお待ちしております、と返信し、店のメニューを開く。 揃ってから頼もうと思っていたけど、遅れるなら先に飲み物を頼んでしまおう。することないし。飲みながらのんびり待とうではないか。 メニューを開いて、ドリンクメニューを確認する。 どうしようかな、カフェオレにしようかな。 でもこの間飲んだ紅茶も美味しかったし、蓮見がおすすめと言ったコーヒーも気になる。 うんうん悩んだ結果、カフェオレを頼むことにした。私は優柔不断なのだ。すんなりメニューを選べない人種なのだ。 私は今度は軽食のメニューも見てみる。 頼む気はないが、暇潰しだ。 あ、エッグベネディクトがある。私、エッグベネディクト好きなんだよねー。 フレンチトーストも、サンドウィッチも美味しそう。 そして私は、禁断のスイーツメニューを見てしまった。 ケーキの種類が豊富だ。 プリンや焼き菓子セットなるものまてある。 ......食べたい。私は洋菓子が大好きなのだ。 和菓子も好きだけど、洋菓子の方が好きだ。 特にケーキが大好きだ。 5号くらいのホールケーキなら一人で食べきれる自信がある。もしかしたら6号もいけるかもしれない。 ああ、ケーキが食べたい。 でも我慢だ。ここは優雅にカフェオレを飲みながら美咲様たちを待つべきなのだ。 私はすっと手をあげ、店主さんに注文をする。 「すみません、カフェオレとこの焼き菓子セットをください」 「カフェオレと焼き菓子セットでございますね。畏まりました、少々お待ちくださいませ」 店主さんはにっこりを笑って一礼をすると、奥に入っていく。 なにやってんだ、私!! カフェオレだけって決めてたでしょ! なに焼き菓子セットなんて頼んでるんだ! 無意識ってこわい。でもどうせ頼むならケーキにすればよかったのに。なにやってんだ、私。 私は一人で反省会を開いていると、カフェオレと焼き菓子セットが運ばれてきた。 焼き菓子セットは数種類のクッキーと一口サイズのマドレーヌとカップケーキが1つずつのセットだった。 とうやらマドレーヌとカップケーキは日替わりで違う物に変わるらしい。 私はパクりとクッキーを頬張る。 美味しい。 私は1人寂しいティータイムを過ごした。 蓮見が来たのは約束の時間から1時間過ぎた頃だった。 「遅くなってごめん」 「いいのです。蓮見様にもご都合があるのでしょうし。私は全然、全く、何にも、気にしてませんわ」 「.........気にしてるだろ」 「気にしてません」 「だから、悪かったって......」 「ですから私は気にしてません」 「............」 私はつーんとそっぽを向く。 結局、ドリンクで悩んだ物は全部頼んで飲み干した。 お陰でお腹はがぼがぼだ。 今日はワンピースを着てきて良かった。 スカートやズボンだったら、お腹がパンパンで苦しかったに違いない。 「ところで、美咲様はどうされました?」 「......あぁ、美咲は、来れなくなった」 「え......?」 美咲様が、来れなくなった、だと......? それじゃあ私、なんのためにここに来たの。 私はショックのあまりに放心していると、蓮見に手を引っ張られた。 「ほら、行くぞ」 「え?」 私がぼんやりしていると、蓮見は私を立ち上がらせて手を掴んだまま、歩き出す。 何がなんだかわからないまま、蓮見は勝手にお会計を済ませてそのまま外に向かって歩き出した。 「あのっ......お会計......!」 「気にしなくていい。待たせた詫びだと思って」 「でも......」 「とにかく行くぞ」 蓮見はぐんぐんと進んで行く。 蓮見と私では歩幅が違うので私は小走りになる。 車の通りが多い道に出ると蓮見はタクシーを止めて乗り込む。 私が躊躇していると「早く乗って」と手を引っ張られ、乗り込むはめになった。 蓮見が運転手さんに場所を告げるとタクシーは発車した。 「あの......何処に行くのですか?」 「美咲のところ」 「美咲様の......?」 「緊急事態なんだよ......」 「まさか......美咲様になにか?」 私は嫌な予感がして、蓮見の顔を覗く。 蓮見は少し疲れた顔をしていた。 「いや、美咲はなんともない」 「じゃあ緊急事態って......」 「昴だよ」 「昴が、突然やってきて......『美味しいスイーツを食べに行こう』って美咲を誘いにきた」 「はあ......それで?」 「美咲はもちろん断った。人と会う約束をしているから、と。そしたら昴が『じゃあその人も一緒にスイーツを食べにいけばいい』と言い出した」 私は遠い目をした。 だいたい理解した。 つまり、蓮見が遅れたのは王子を説得させるのに時間がかかったからで、美咲様が来れなくなったのは王子が原因で。 ......あの野郎......! 私は本気で王子をぶん殴りたいと思った。 できることなら、今履いているヒールで殴りたい。

11 After the meeting, the peaceful days, that looked to be a lie, continued. Going to school, watching over Miku-sama and the prince, and having fun by talking with my friends. It's peaceful. Not having to a.s.sociate with Hasumi is so peaceful? I wish such days would continue like this forever. Though the midterm tests are approaching, I am not fl.u.s.tered, I carefully review the lessons; If you firmly study everyday, you have no reason to be fl.u.s.tered for a test. Though, I did get greatly panicked in my previous life! I pulled some all nighters too. But I would forget everything once the test was over. After pa.s.sing the next few days uneventfully, the day of the midterm test arrived in the blink of an eye. I smoothly filled out my examination paper. Being good at studying is wonderful. And I even have enough time to review it twice. I finished my midterm exam without a problem. At Sakuragaoka Academy the top ranking of the 5 subjects will be ranked up to 20 and put on a notice board. The people that ranked below 20 will each be distributed a paper with their average score and their rank written on it, so that everyone knows their rank. It looks like the ranks have been posted. Everyone went out to the hallway and looked at the paper. I also went to see it with my friends. I wonder if my name is also on it. When I looked down, I discovered Miku-sama's name at 12th place, as expected of her, I thought while increasing my respect for Miku-sama. Good appearance, good character, good household, and a good head. Miss perfect. Miku-sama is superb. And then at the 3rd place there's the prince's name. Un, not shaken. That's Mister perfect. And...... "Oh dear! Amazing, Rinksan! You ranked 2nd!" "No.......it must be a fluke. An accident." "That's not true. I mean Rinksan, you seriously studied. Shall I start asking the things I don't understand to Rinksan from now on?" Gosh, I am second. Are you serious. Certainly, I was prepared for the test but, I didn't think I'd be so high up. "The first place is......Hasumi-sama. As expected of him." "That person has always been at the top. He always competed with Tojo-sama for 1st and 2nd place." Hasumi was in first place. I was sandwiched between Hasumi and the prince. c.r.a.p, I stand out. Or perhaps I should say, I'm already being observed. I never thought that my score was good enough to be sandwiched between those two. Let's be more careful from now on. But even so, to get looks at this time.....so I worried about it. Being good at studies is wonderful but, if that makes me stand out, that's a problem. I decided to leave before getting even more attention. Fleeing is winning. After the test was over, a week later, I was contacted by Hasumi. Apparently, the day I can meet Miku-sama is decided. I shall gather my fighting spirit for that day! I'll be able to talk to the Miku-sama I admire. Perfectly dressed up, I want to leave a good impression. I reserved an appointment with an beautician and hairdresser on that day. Aah, I'm really looking forward to that day now. And finally that day has come. I will meet Miku-sama. Will we get along? Will it go well? The place of the appointment is the tea shop where I had the meeting with Hasumi. While nervous, I entered the shop. The kind looking shopkeeper come to greet me like the last time, and guided me to the same seat. It seems like neither Hasumi, nor Miku-sama, has arrived. For now, I will take a seat. I took out a mirror from my bag to check that my hair wasn't messy. Alright. Perfect. I remained alert in that stance. Still no one came. I feel like I've waited about 30 minutes already. At the beginning I was all fidgety, but I began to feel anxious after 10 minutes had pa.s.sed. Had I made a mistake on the time? Taking out my phone, I checked the place and time of the rendezvous. I motionlessly waited with my head tilted. After another 5 minutes, Hasumi called me. {An emergency occurred. It will take a bit.} .......an emergency he said, what's that. What happened, oi Hasumi. I emailed him and, while I'm waiting, opened the shop menu. I thought of asking for a full set but, since he said they'll be late, I'll order something to drink first. I've got nothing to do. Should I not leisurely wait? I opened the menu, and checked the drinks. I wonder what to do, shall I order a cafe au lait? But the tea I drunk last time was delicious, and I'm interested in that coffee Hasumi recommended too. Un un, the result of my troubling was that I chose the cafe au lait. I'm an indecisive person. I'm one of those types that cannot choose easily on the menu. Now, I'm looking at the light meals menu. I don't really feel like ordering, but it's to kill some time. Ah, there's Eggs Benedict. French toast too, and the sandwich looks delicious. And then, I ended up seeing the forbidden sweets menu. There's an abundance of the cake variety. There are pudding and baked pastry sets available. ......I want to eat them. I love western pastries. I like j.a.panese pastries too, but I like western sweets more. Especially the cakes. I am confident that I can eat 5 whole cakes alone, I might be able to eat 6 even. Aah, I want to eat cakes. But I have to endure. I shall wait for Miku-sama while elegantly drinking my cafe au lait. I raised my hand and called the shopkeeper over. "Excuse me, a cafe au lait, and a set of these baked confectioneries please." "A cafe au lait and a set of baked confectioneries, is it? Understood, please wait a moment." The shopkeeper smiled sweetly after that and entered the back. What are you doing, me! Didn't you decide to only order the cafe au lait! What baked confectioneries are you asking for! Being unaware is scary, but if I had to ask in any case, I should have ordered a cake. What are you doing, me. When I opened a reflection conference by myself, the cafe au lait and the set of baked confectioneries were carried over. The set of baked confectioneries consisted of a variety of cookies, one bite sized madeleine, and a cupcakes set of some kind. It seems like the madeleine and cupcakes change daily. I opened my mouth and stuffed my cheeks with cookies. Delicious. I pa.s.sed a lonely tea time alone. Hasumi came about an hour after the appointed time elapsed. "I'm sorry for being late." "It's fine. Hasumi-sama must have had his circ.u.mstances. I don't mind it one bit, truly, absolutely not." ".........you do right." "I don't." "That's why I said, it was bad of me......" "That's why I'm saying that I don't mind." "............" I turned my face the other way. In the end, I drank all the drinks on the menu because I was worried. Thanks to that my stomach was squelching. I'm glad I came with a one piece dress today. If I wore a skirt or trousers, my stomach would have been painfully bulging. "By the way, what happened to Miku-sama?" "Aah, Miku couldn't come." "eh......?" Miku-sama couldn't come, he said.....? If so, then, for what reason have I come here? When my mind was blown away from the shock, Hasumi pulled my hand. "Come on, let's go." "Eh?" While I was absent minded, Hasumi seized my hand and made me stand up, like this we began to walk. Not understanding what was what, like that, Hasumi arbitrary settled the bill and in that state walked out. "Err....the bill.....!" "You don't have to worry about it. Think of it as my apology for making you wait." "But......" "Anyway, let's go." Hasumi hurriedly moved onwards. Hasumi and I move at different paces, so I had to run. After going on a way were many cars pa.s.sed, Hasumi stopped a taxi and boarded it. While I was hesitating he said, 'Get in quickly,' and pulled my hand, I got on in a mess. After Hasumi told the driver the address, the taxi departed. "Ehm.....where are we going?" "Miku's home." "Miku-sama's......?" "There's an emergency......" "Don't tell me......something happened to Miku-sama?" I had a bad feeling about it, I peered at Hasumi's face. Hasumi had a slightly tired expression. "No, nothing happened to Miku." "Then the emergency......" "It's about Subaru." "Subaru suddenly came over and said...... 'Let's go eat delicious sweets,' inviting Miku out." "Haa......and then?" "Miku refused of course. Since she had an appointment with someone else, and like that Subaru said, 'Then it's fine if that person to come eat sweets together with us.'" My eyes turned distant. I got it, more or less. In other words, the time Hasumi used to persuade the prince was the reason for his tardiness, and the prince is the cause for Miku-sama's absence. ......that b.a.s.t.a.r.d......! I thought of seriously hitting the prince. If possible, I would like to do it with the heels I am wearing right now.