Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 18 - Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Invitation

Paladin, Ray Starling

I logged in to Dendro right after taking care of business in my apartment.

I appeared in-game at the fountain plaza in Altea. Though by now I was quite familiar with the location, the recent terrorist incident had changed things up a little. The destruction caused had since been repaired using job and Embryo skills, but the repaired areas looked different from the ones that had remained untouched, giving the plaza a patchwork appearance.

I heard that all the different areas blend together given enough time, but it seemed like Altea would just be like this for now.

“Ray.” As I was taking in the new scenery, Nemesis came out of the crest.

“Nemesis.”

“This is the start of another weekend, is it not? What are your plans for it? Taking and leveling your next job?” Yesterday, right after the event, I’d done some hunting and maxed out Scout; that had brought my total level to 250. It took a while, but I was now halfway towards the non-SJ max level.

I still hadn’t decided what job I’d take next, but it was probably between Knight, Priest, and Adventurer. The first two had good synergy with Paladin, while Adventurer had many versatile utility skills that I’d be able to use even when I had Paladin set as my main.

Whichever I picked, though, leveling it would have to wait.

“I think I’ll prioritize other business for now,” I said. “That event in Gideon is coming up the day after tomorrow, remember?”

“Oh, that is true.”

“I contacted everybody by email and they said they’re already on the way to Gideon. I gotta get going too.”

With everything that had been going on, our clan had figured it was a good idea to exchange email addresses. Some used their personal addresses while others had made new ones just for this purpose, but our whole clan now had an easy means of contacting each other in real life.

It was worth noting that unlike in Dendro, our communications weren’t auto-translated, and with Rook and Figaro being from the Anglosphere, Io’s group emphasized the need to prepare a free translation tool.

“Since Silver can get us there in no time, though, I’ll take care of business here in Altea first.”

“I see,” said Nemesis. “I must say, traveling to Gideon has certainly become easy for us. I recall when it was a daylong endeavor riding Marilyn’s dragon carriage.”

“True.” In Dendro time, that was more than three whole months ago.

I could clearly remember traveling through the Sauda Mountain Pass—the same area that B3 had blockaded—then suffering when Marie gave us a dinner that couldn’t even be called “food,” then fighting Gardranda... It was a hell of a time.

...I feel like I’m looking back at the past a bit too much today, I thought.

“Is my life flashing before my eyes?” I wondered.

“...What an ominous thing to say. Where did that come from?” Nemesis asked.

“Well, it’s now guaranteed that I’m meeting my sister soon. Maybe my body’s sensing danger and is preparing for death by showing me the past?”

“What do you think of your sister?”

“A raging storm.”

“...Can a person truly be compared to something like that?”

Let’s put the matter of my sister aside for now, I thought. The encounter was still a week away, after all.

“Let’s stop by The Overlord’s Antiques, then go to the castle,” I said.

“Mhm. Now that you mention it, you did make an order there.”

“Yep.”

◇

It had happened back when I returned to Altea following my second death penalty.

After checking up on the city and the castle, I went straight to The Overlord’s Antiques with a fairly obvious purpose—to find a replacement for my Volcanic Darkmetal Armor.

B3’s gift had served me well in Quartierlatin and the battles after that, but alas, Behemot had left it broken beyond repair.

I obviously had to get something new, so I made my way to the now-familiar store.

However, as much as I looked around, I couldn’t find any armor that was just right for me—they were either outside my level range or simply weaker than VDA.

I was left with no choice but to buy something less powerful, but that was when the hooded shopkeep said, “It would take a while, but if you wish, we could procure a certain armor for you from one of the other branches. It would be better than your VDA and, of course, suitable for your level range.”

Apparently, the shopkeeper recognized me from the time I’d come here to buy an inventory. He’d also remembered my equipment from back then and said that he could prepare something even better.

This offer couldn’t have been more perfect for me, so I took it immediately.

◇

“So yeah, it should’ve arrived by now.”

My order hasn’t come in time for yesterday’s event—but that might’ve been a good thing, since I could’ve lost it when Jubei split me in half.

“New armor, again,” said Nemesis. “I wonder what this one will be like...”

“The shopkeeper said it’s good, so I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“It is not the quality I am concerned about.”

“What is it, then?”

“...At this point, I would hope you could infer that from my words alone.”

I still had no idea what she meant, but before I could figure it out, we’d arrived at The Overlord’s Antiques. Pushing open the door, I saw the hooded shopkeep right behind the counter.

“Hello there. Has the armor I ordered arrived yet?” I asked.

“Yes, it did,” the shopkeep said, reaching into an inventory and taking out the armor.

“...Huh?”

I couldn’t help voicing my surprise at its appearance

“Hm? This armor is...the same?” Nemesis said exactly what I was thinking. Yeah, the armor on the counter was clearly VDA. The design was identical, and the weight I felt in my hands when I picked it up was the same too.

It did seem to be a bit different on the inside, though.

This version looked like it’d be easier to move around in, and somehow I got the impression it might even be tougher than the one I’d had before.

“This is indeed a Legendarian Volcanic Darkmetal Armor,” said the shopkeep. “However, though it may look the same, it is actually quite different. The higher ability of the artisan has made it more powerful, and more importantly, its focus is different.”

“Focus?”

“It is a crafted item, after all. Like any crafted item, some aspects of it can be changed around somewhat. Consider the VDA you wore previously—it was crafted to have a lower level requirement than usual.”

Oh yeah—I recalled B3 saying something like that. VDA originally had a level requirement of 200, but the one she’d given me was designed to be worn by anyone 100 or above.

“This VDA’s level requirement was untouched. In exchange, it possesses two additional skills: HP Boost and Destruction Resistance,” the shopkeep explained.

“That so?”

“The HP Boost, by the way, is level 5, which means that it increases the wearer’s HP by 50%.”

“That’s a hell of a boost!” A skill like that could bring even my HP over 10,000!

“I have never seen a non-MVP reward with such a bonus... But, dear shopkeep, would I be correct in assuming that a crafted item of this quality is quite rare?” Nemesis asked.

“Why, of course,” the shopkeep said with a nod. “Applying skills while crafting is a risky endeavor, and it only becomes riskier the higher level of a skill you are attempting to add. A level 5 HP Boost and Destruction Resistance together would reduce the odds of success for any common craftsman to a paltry 2% or less. Failure would result in worse equipment, and although it depends on the means of production, you might even end up adding negative effects.”

...Now that was just scary. Crafting seemed like a real high risk, high reward kinda deal.

“With Recipes, enough DEX, and the right skills, crafting items in their standard form is relatively easy, but high-quality custom pieces such as this are exceedingly rare. This one was actually left behind by The Craft from some generations ago.”

Wow, a crafting Superior Job. That explained why this VDA was so different despite looking the same as the one I had.

“Your previous VDA was excellent as well... In fact, the mere ability to craft VDA is proof of great skill, and a VDA with the level requirement cut in half is a truly incredible piece. However, it goes without saying that it still does not measure up to one made by The Craft.”

“...A treasure such as this seems expensive,” said Nemesis. “A success rate of 2% would make its price at least fifty times higher than average, no?”

Oh yeah. The price. I hadn’t asked about it back when I made the order, so it was about time I finally heard it.

“Taking its historical value into consideration as well, the price would be 200,000,000 lir.”

“God DAMN...!” Though, all things considered, that did actually seem like a reasonable price. A 50% boost to HP seemed like something that’d be on a lot of people’s wish lists, even those who were higher level than me. I could totally imagine this armor being used by tanky SJs specced into high HP.

Hell, the fact that something this good could be bought with money at all was kind of amazing on its own.

Nevertheless, the price was still prohibitive for anyone but a few SJs...and certain outliers.

“That is a price you can pay, however,” said the shopkeep, and that sure was the truth, huh? I was one of those outliers, after all.

The amount of money I currently had was 400,000,000 lir—nearly double what I’d need to buy the piece.

I’d kept getting more and more money without many chances to spend it, and then multiplied my wealth several times over by gambling it on The Clash of the Superiors as well as the Kashimiya vs Tom duel. Even buying tons of Brooches hadn’t put a dent in my funds.

“Wait, how does this shopkeep know the extent of your wealth?” Nemesis asked telepathically. Dunno, but this one seems like a pro merchant. Maybe it comes naturally? I thought in response before pondering the situation a little further.

I’d considered using my money to fund a base for our clan, but this armor would help me a whole lot. I felt like I wouldn’t get another chance to buy it if I passed on it now, so...I really didn’t know what to do.

“I would prefer to make a trade instead,” said the shopkeep, stopping my train of thought.

“Huh?” A trade...worth 200,000,000 lir?

“You were among those involved in the Quartierlatin incident, were you not?” the shopkeep asked.

“Yes,” I said, slightly surprised that this person even knew that.

“I hear that the pre-ancient civilization weapon created a metallic powder. You took copious amounts of it for yourself, did you not?”

“Metallic powder...? Ohh, that.” Yeah, when the flying whale-like superweapon fell from the sky, there’d been a lot of this strange powder in its remains. The kingdom retrieved most of it, but since I beat the whale, I also received three inventories’ worth of the stuff. However, I hadn’t gotten much use out of it. I’d supplied some of it for my Storm Visage order, but other than that I’d just been sitting on it.

“Would you trade it for this armor? In fact...please let me have it.”

“Well, I don’t mi—”

“I will pay 20,000 lir per hundred grams.”

“God DAMN!” What the hell kind of price is that?! It’s making me feel like I’m dealing with the wrong kind of powder—the white kind! I didn’t know it was illegal, officer, I swear! I thought. Wait a sec...

I currently had three inventories full of the stuff.

I’d never emptied them, so I didn’t know the total amount, but during the tutorial Cheshire had told me that even the starter inventory could hold a full ton of items.

That meant that I had at least three tons, which was...600,000,000 lir?

“...That amounts to double your wealth even after you pay for the armor,” said Nemesis. Yeah. Dealing with shady powders sure is something, huh? I can totally see things going very wrong somehow. Am I gonna end up at the bottom of Tokyo Bay? Help!

“Calm down. Your thoughts are a mess,” Nemesis interjected.

Ah! Crap. I lost my cool for a bit there over that obscene amount of money...

“Umm, why is this powder so expensive?” I asked the shopkeep.

“Those metal particles are used in the production of Second-Model Prism Steeds—SMPS. It is known to be excellent for the creation of all kinds of high-quality equipment. However, almost all of the powder is in the possession of the government, and because most of what they have is dedicated to the production of SMPS, there is almost none of it in circulation.”

I did know that Altar was bolstering its forces by making SMPS production into a high-priority task. And since the powder obviously wasn’t unlimited in supply, I could understand them not releasing it to the market.

“The SMPS that do make it to the market can be dismantled, of course, but in the process of building them, the metal powder used is alloyed and becomes impure,” the shopkeep added.

“I see,” said Nemesis. “So Ray is the only person who has a large amount of this powder in its pure state?”

“Indeed he is.”

Well, that explained the obscene price, and why I was being offered this deal.

Now it was time to decide whether to accept it or not.

I could just buy the armor using money, but since we’d be looking for a clan base soon, it’d be better to hold on to some of it. If Death Period had crafting jobs, I would’ve considered giving the powder to them, but sadly we had none. Selling it here seemed like a good idea.

There was a chance that we’d get a crafter eventually, so I would’ve liked to keep some of it just in case.

“Will you trade us the powder?” the shopkeep asked.

“...One inventory’s worth of it,” I said as I took out one of the three powder-filled inventories I had.

The deal was complete, and I got my new armor—a better version of VDA.

Also, when the shopkeep checked the inventory’s capacity and the weight of the powder inside, we discovered that it had triple the space of the starter inventory and held three tons of powder all by itself. Because of this, the inventory I gave not only covered the price of the armor, but also got me an extra 400,000,000 lir—essentially doubling my wealth.

...And I still had six tons of powder left.

◇

Having gotten my VDA 2.0, I made my way to the castle.

Giving greetings to the guards—who seemed more numerous than before—I passed the gate. It had been melted during the terrorist attack but had been recently rebuilt.

“I’m kinda getting used to visiting the castle,” I said.

“Same here,” Nemesis agreed. “And the guards seem to have gotten used to your appearance. I hope this does not stop them from apprehending anyone suspicious.”

As we walked and talked, I heard construction and other sounds coming from various places within the castle. They were obviously repairing the destruction caused in the terrorist incident, but apparently that also included the maintenance of the castle’s security facilities, which had been deactivated for a good while now. With most of the court wizards dead after the war against Gloria, little could be done with the security system, but Integra’s return had made restoring it possible again. Because of that—and a few other reasons—she and basically everyone else in the castle were extremely busy.

“Needless to say, that includes Azurite,” I said. “I doubt Liliana or even Sir Lindos can catch a break either. He’s barely had time to recover.”

“They do have a shortage of personnel here,” said Nemesis. “Since this is the castle, they cannot hire as many Masters here as they did for the restoration of the city.”

“Yeah. Security and confidentiality reasons...” They couldn’t rely on Embryo skills for this, so repairs on the castle would probably take longer than repairs across the rest of the city. At least they were already done with the gate—the “face” of the castle, so to speak.

It was still badly damaged on the inside, though. Looking at the castle from above, you could see a large hole that had been blasted through the middle of it all the way into the depths below. Liliana and Integra had told me that that hole was the result of King of Blaze using his final skill.

On top of that, the magic distribution network had been severed with noteworthy precision, while another area was so contaminated with poison that no one was allowed to enter it.

...Just how long will fixing all this take? I wondered.

“I would not know,” said Nemesis. “And it is not just material damage we have to consider. There were many casualties as well.”

“...Yeah.” Bug General’s army had attacked the city, while the Kings of Blaze and Venom had targeted the castle; the combined total of people who’d died because of them was even greater than the overall fatality count during Franklin’s Game. I didn’t know if it was any consolation to the deceased that all three of them had been dealt with.

However, there was one problem with that line of thought—there were actually two other attackers.

The first was a man with the ability to transform into a bat. Liliana had witnessed him at the gate, but there was nothing to suggest that he’d been defeated. In fact, though it was confirmed he’d engaged in subversive action, there was no sign that he’d ever actually fought anyone.

For some reason, though, he’d broken not only the magic distribution network, but also some paintings and furniture in the castle, which Liliana found really strange. I could remember Integra jokingly saying, “Obviously he was just doing battle with the furniture, floors, and walls. What’s so strange about it?” which made Liliana a bit angry.

Apparently, Third Princess Theresia hadn’t been far away at the time, but all they could get from her was that she’d been hiding and didn’t know anything.

The second attacker, however, was far more dangerous than the bat-man.

It was King of Thieves, Zeta herself—a Superior who had once been affiliated with Dryfe.

She’d left the imperium in order to become the central part of the trap set up for the peace talks. During the attack on Altea, she’d fought and defeated Xunyu, and it seemed pretty clear that Zeta had survived the rest of the incident. That was clear from the fact that there were no reports of her entering the gaol, as well as a lack of confirmed sightings by the DIN branch in Dryfe.

That left us with two possibilities: either she’d received the death penalty and hadn’t logged in since, or she was still alive and hiding somewhere in Altar.

With two of the attackers being unaccounted for, possibly hiding in this very castle, I could fully understand why there were more guards than usual.

“Hm...” But even though the incident had all these loose ends, we could at least be thankful that the injured had recovered quickly and that Milianne and the rest were unharmed.

Most of the Royal Guard had suffered severe poisoning or received heavy wounds, but Integra’s first-aid treatment was enough to keep them alive until Miss Eldritch returned and fully healed them, and they had gone back to work as though nothing had happened.

Elizabeth’s fiancé—Canglong—had actually collapsed during the incident, but now he didn’t have a single scratch on him.

Based on what Elizabeth told Marie, he was actually the Draconic Emperor—a Special Superior Job from Huang He—and thus possessed immense regenerative abilities.

Speaking of notable people, Marquis Findle had also been badly injured, but again thanks to Miss Eldritch, he was fully healed now.

All the healing brought about a different problem, though.

The reason Fuso had been obeying Azurite in the first place was because the Hannya incident had put her in immense monetary debt to the country, forcing her to enter into a Contract.

At first Azurite had planned to reduce Fuso’s debt in exchange for her help with healing the injured—but before she could, Fuso had repaid everything she owed. Apparently, making sure to be as obnoxious as possible, she’d said something like, “Hee hee! I’m finally freeee! Oh, being used and abused by this foul princess was suuuch a paaain. Oh, I’m still open for business if you need me, so don’t you worry about thaaat. We can make a deal.”

Fuso then topped it off with, “So, what’ll you gimme for treating these poor people? I won’t take money, just so you know.”

With the lives of her loyal retainers on the line, Azurite had no choice but to accept some devilish deal, and the last time I’d seen her, she was in a really bad mood because of it. I could clearly remember the way she’d clasped her head in her hands and said, “I was even tracking the flow of wealth in this country to prevent things like this from happening...”

Did Fuso have some fortune stored away somewhere? I wondered. Or did she get an exorbitant sum of money in exchange for treating someone?

Regardless, Azurite no longer had a leash on her. For all I knew, that might’ve been part of the reason why she was rushing to start The Tournaments in Gideon.

“...Hm?” As all of this was running through my mind, I noticed a familiar shape in the hallway.

The person looking outside the window and blowing bubbles through a pipe was...

“Xunyu?”

“Hm? Oh, RaY. Hey thEre.”

Standing shorter than usual to match the window, she used her open hand to wave me hello.

“New rAgs, huh?” she said. “Some goOd stats on thosE.”

I would expect no less from Xunyu. All she needed was a glance to know the skills on my VDA 2.0.

“Yeah. I can’t walk around in stopgap gear. I wouldn’t be ready if something happened. That aside, what are you doing here?”

“I got nOthin’ to do and that’s whAt I’m doin’—nothin’. Well, actuAlly, I’m usin’ skills to hElp with security, but nOthin’s happenin’, so I’m kindA spacin’ out.”

“You got nothing to do? Weren’t you about to go back to Huang He with Elizabeth and Canglong? Aren’t you busy preparing for that?” That was what she’d told me last time we’d talked.

There was a chance that she would have been hired to help Altar in the war against Dryfe, but with Elizabeth’s marriage being set in stone, it was decided instead that she’d serve as the princess’s bodyguard on the way to Huang He. With Elizabeth having been the target of terrorist attacks a couple times now, it was obvious that she needed a Superior bodyguard—or maybe even more than one.

I could recall Xunyu saying that the previous time we’d talked might’ve been the last before she left.

“That was thE plan... Hell, I shoUld’ve been on thE way back to Huang He bY now, but...” she said as she reached into an inventory and took out a newspaper.

At a glance, I saw sentences like “Clashes Between Caldina and Granvaloa Intensify!”, “The Magical Apex VS The Human Bomb—the Fight of the Strongest Exterminators!”, and “Vennsayle the Lake City Devastated!”

“This is...”

“This ain’t thE only place at wAr. The neighbOrs’re seein’ some spicY conflict too. It’s too damn dangeroUs to go back by lAnd or by sea. Cang and I’d bE fine, sure, but ElizAbeth and the officiAls? Not so mUch.”

The Magical Apex and The Human Bomb... Shu himself had told me that their extermination potential was even greater than his.

Going by land would mean going through their battlefield in Caldina, while going by sea would mean going through Granvaloa—which, if the conflict intensified, would also become a danger zone. Transporting VIPs through either was far too risky.

“But Altar is no better, is it?” I asked. “Things have cooled down for now, but there’s no telling when they’ll heat up again.”

“Yeah. And thAt’s why we’re waitin’ for sOmeone from thE motherlAnd to come pick us Up.”

“Who’s that?”

“Guy cAlled ‘Gray.’ One of Us Huang He Si Ling—Gray α CentaUri the ‘Spirit Turtle.’ His Superior EmbryO’s called LaputA and it’s a goddAmn flying fortrEss. It’s the perfEct ride for sitUations like this.”

A flying fortress Superior Embryo, “Laputa...”

...Well, if that didn’t sound like something that could be brought down by a single word: Balse.

“He stands oUt and puts othEr countries on edge, so it’s normAlly hard for him to move aroUnd like this, but it lOoks like Caldina gavE the go-ahead. They strUck a deal for thAt.”

“A deal?”

“It’s relatEd to the Orbs. Like the ones Cang broUght that the princess is gOnna use for the tournAments.”

“Oh those?” I knew about the UBM Orbs. Called “Treasurebeast Orbs” in Huang He, they were items produced as a result of a Draconic Emperor from history sealing away UBMs.

Some of the sealed UBMs’ power could be used with just the Orbs, but you also had the option of breaking the seal and defeating the UBMs inside to take the MVP rewards. I was told that Figaro had fought a UBM that had once been sealed in such an Orb. He’d won, and his reward for that was the blue coat he always wore.

As part of the engagement between Elizabeth and Canglong, Huang He had gifted Altar a whole ten Orbs like this.

Azurite had spent a long time thinking about how to use them or whom to entice with them, but she’d made her final decision right after the peace talks—she would use them for The Tournaments in Gideon.

I would review the details once I got there, but in a nutshell, it would be an event where Masters would fight for the right to challenge one of the ten UBMs. The catch was that they would all have to sign a Contract preventing them from committing hostile actions against Altar for a set amount of time.

She’d come upon this idea upon remembering the turncoat Masters that had popped up during Franklin’s Game, as well as realizing how much control she’d had over Miss Eldritch while she was contractually obliged to serve her until she’d repaid her debt.

Besides the right to challenge the UBMs, there were extra rewards in the form of “rare equipment from Altarian history,” and I played a part in that...as a cleaner.

“How are the Orbs releva... Oh, wait, it’s Caldina.”

“YeAh. Damn things’rE givin’ the sAndy land a hard timE.”

I’d heard rumors of the incidents in Caldina centered around the Orbs. Some people had mentioned a giant maggot creature appearing in some big city, which had been attacked by a metal statue and some kind of dragon.

And according to the newspaper in my hand, even the conflict with Granvaloa had been caused by the Orbs.

“BasicallY, in exchange for Huang He abAndonin’ the rights to thE Orbs that leaked into CaldinA, they want ’em to temporarily allOw Huang He’s forces to enter the coUntry and provide escOrts as needed.”

“...I see,” said Nemesis. “So what they are saying is, ‘Keep the Orbs if you must. Use them as you will. In exchange, we demand you do not interfere with the retrieval of our prince and his bride. In fact, assist us.’”

“Yeah. MorE or less.”

...It was Huang He’s fault for failing to prevent the theft in the first place, but they abandoned both that responsibility and the right to the Orbs and used the situation to their advantage, huh?

“Well, thEre’d be some filthy quarrEllin’ even if they demAnded the Orbs back, and if they weren’t cOmin’ back anyway, it was better tO just act like ya gave them awAy and attach some conditiOns to it. Our head honchO is that kinda fella. The first princE, I mean.”

“Canglong’s older brother, right?”

“YeAh. The current empEror ain’t doin’ too hot, sO he’s workin’ hard in his stEad. He’s even thE one who made Huang He mOre welcomin’ to MastErs.”

“Is he also the one who got the idea for the marriage between Elizabeth and Canglong?”

“Nope. That wAs the emperor himsElf, apparently. I dunno much ’bout it mYself. Though, it was thE first prince who put me as Cang’s bodYguard.”

It seemed like a complex situation, and it bothered me somehow.

...I had my hands full with the situation here in Altar, though. I couldn’t think too much about whatever was happening with the imperial family on the other side of the continent.

“Will Huang He be all right without you and this ‘Gray’ person?” I asked.

“Well, I heArd they recently got rid of a lOcal mafia, and with Caldina bEin’ in the state it is, and Tenchi bein’ Tenchi, they dOn’t really need anyonE... And thoUgh the two that’re lEft are unhinged, they sure as hEll aren’t weak. I can voUch for that.”

“Hm?”

“BasicallY, out of us Huang He Si Ling, GrAy and I’re on the simplEr side.” Xunyu seemed like she stood a chance against literally anyone, while this “Gray” person had a flying fortress for an Embryo...and they were on the “simpler side”?

“What of the other two?” Nemesis asked.

“The battlEs they’re specced for are limitEd. Though, if thE conditions are right...one of the twO can be as bad as your bro or KoB.”

...Looks like I certainly didn’t see all the cards Huang He could play, I thought.

“Well, enoUgh ’bout my situatiOn. Why’re you herE in the castle? YoU won’t find Elizabeth’s sister if it’s hEr you’re after. ThAt LiliAna woman ain’t herE either.”

Yeah, I’d have figured as much. Considering the date, they must’ve gone to Gideon for the preparations.

That wasn’t the reason I was here, though.

“Oh, it’s not either of them this time. I came to see someone else.” Before logging out last time, I’d gone to the inn I’d been staying at, where I’d received a letter—an invitation, to be precise.

It had multiple days and times on it, and I could come at whichever time suited me. Thus, I was here today and now.

“Who woUld that be?” The one who’d invited me was...

“Integra.”

...Integra Sedna Clarisse Flagman.

I would soon talk with the person who shared a name with the person who’d created my Prism Steed, Silver, and countless other wonders of the pre-ancient civilization.

◇

I didn’t actually know all that much about Integra. So far, we’d only had a single conversation, and all I learned was her name and the fact that she was the Arch Sage.

However, since they were Integra’s childhood friends, Azurite and Liliana had told me a few other things about her.

Integra had lost her family when she was little and had been completely without relatives since then, but she’d gone on to have her talents noticed by the previous Arch Sage, who’d taken her under his wing. Despite her young age, she was rumored to be the most gifted and strongest out of all of his disciples.

By his order, issued some time before Gloria’s attack, Integra had left Altar and gone on a journey—during which she became the new Arch Sage. She’d returned to Altea during the recent terrorist attack and cooperated with Canglong to take out King of Blaze.

Besides that, all I knew about Integra was that she’d only begun calling herself “Flagman” after coming back and that she was currently busy with the castle’s repairs.

Liliana and Azurite must’ve had lots of memories of her, but I hadn’t heard most of them yet—nor did I know the reason why Integra began using the “Flagman” name. My upcoming talk with her seemed like a good chance to ask about that, among other things.

With that in mind, I knocked on the door leading to the lab that was supposedly used by the previous Arch Sage and his disciples. After I heard a “come in” from the other side, the door opened without me lifting a finger.

Inside, I saw many bookshelves and desks covered in various implements, papers, and folders. The lab was a crucible of knowledge if I ever saw one, and in its heart there was Integra, seated in a chair clearly too large for her tiny frame. She wasn’t wearing her pointy hat today, which only made her look smaller. It really emphasized the fact that she was even shorter than Nemesis.

Integra put down the papers she was reading on a desk and said, “Hey there—I bid you welcome, Ray Starling. Your Embryo too. I couldn’t ask for better timing—I was just about to take a break.”

“Well, hello to you too,” I said. “So, why did you call me?”

Before answering my question, she waved her finger slightly without getting up from her chair. As if prompted by the motion, two other chairs in the room slid towards Nemesis and I.

“First things first—take a seat,” she said. “This conversation may be a bit on the longer side.”

“...I see,” I said, and we did as directed. The chairs then started moving again, bringing us to a better position for a conversation with Integra.

It didn’t end there. A small round table and a tea set also moved on their own to set up a little tea party for us.

“...Now this is a wizard’s room if I ever saw one,” I said. I felt like I was in a western animated film I’d seen when I was little.

Integra was also wearing a robe, and if that pointy wizard hat she’d had equipped when we met outside was part of her usual wardrobe, I could honestly say that she was the most “wizard-like” person I’d met in this ostensibly fantasy-themed—but ultimately quite eclectic—world of Infinite Dendrogram.

It was oddly novel to me. As I watched in surprise, Integra smiled as she used her moving teapot to prepare us some black tea.

“It’s just solid object manipulation—nothing but basic geomancy. Oh, and I heated up the water by simply increasing its heat energy. Once you know how it works, it’s as easy as lighting a match.”

Once she’d finished her explanation, two teacups made their way towards us.

“It’s still strange watching it in action,” I replied.

“If you think this is strange, you should visit Legendaria someday,” Integra said. “You may find yourself welcomed not by mere magicwork, but furniture that’s functionally alive.”

Now that really seems like some Beauty and the Beast stuff, I thought.

“Speaking of Legendaria, that’s where these tea leaves are from,” she added. “The taste is a bit odd, but personally, I am a fan. I hope you enjoy it too.”

“I will gladly try it,” said Nemesis as she took a sip.

I also took my cup in hand. A strange fragrance unlike any I had encountered in real life reached my nose, but the taste struck a balance between sharpness and sweetness. Overall, I found it pretty good.

“Thank you,” I said. “This tea is really nice.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to begin the conversation I brought you here for. There are two subjects I’d like to discuss, but they’re mutually exclusive and I’m not sure which one to start with,” she said as she pondered something. “Though...I guess I should go with this one.”

I took another sip of the tea...

“Are you Altimia’s lover?”

“BPFFT!”

...only to spit it out and start coughing.

I think I inhaled some of this tea after hearing that...!

“N-No! Ray and Azurite are not like that!”

“Huh? Is it Liliana, then? She was the one he met first, wasn’t she?”

“That does not mean they are in a relationship!” While I was still busy coughing, Nemesis was vehemently arguing with Integra’s assumption for some reason, her face beet red.

That was when I finally became able to breathe and talk again.

“Phew. I’m good friends with them both, but neither of them are my girlfriend or anything like that...!”

“Hmm... So, you are not interested in their bodies or their status? They’re both quite the prize—especially Altimia.”

“I don’t care about that!” And don’t talk about your friends like they’re objects you can own! One of them is even Altar’s acting ruler!

“...Hearing you so strongly deny that you find my friends attractive actually makes me feel a bit sorry for them. Well...have you ever really seen them? It’s been a few years since we bathed together, but they were really beautiful, if you ask me.”

“I never saw...! Oh...” Umm... Yeah. I actually have seen Altimia naked once. It was a mixed bath, though, and it was kind of an accident.

“Oh? And there’s the first detection... Huh? So you have seen them without their clothes on? Knowing that, I’m very curious—and concerned—about your relationships.”

“A-All you need to know is that I don’t have any ulterior motives like that and I haven’t paired up with either of them!”

“Hrm... Well, I suppose I understand. With that, the main topic of discussion is out of the way.”

“Did you really call us here just to sexually harass him like that?!” Nemesis exclaimed in shock, and I totally agreed with her. What kind of girl would invite a guy over just to ask if he was attracted to her friends or if he was dating any of them?

“Oh, don’t put it like that. I see nothing unusual about being intrigued by any men who become close to my childhood friends, especially since they used to be so detached from such matters. I’m immensely curious.”

“...These ‘matters’ seem way above your age level.” It felt like every second kid I met here in Dendro was terrifyingly mature—Xunyu being the most obvious example.

“Hm?” Integra said as she tilted her head in confusion. “Aren’t you Altimia’s age? Maybe a year older at most? Then I am your elder by a substantial amount. Respect is due.”

“Huh?” Seriously? Integra looked like she was twelve, so I just assumed she was actually around that age. I’d even been surprised that she could be childhood friends with Liliana and Azurite despite being so much younger than they were...

“My apologies...”

“Ha ha ha—I’m just kidding. You can speak as casually as you like. I myself only used formal speech with my late teacher, so I don’t mind it at all—not one bit. Though...do understand that you are younger than I am.”

“Of cour— I mean, all right.” So despite looking younger than Nemesis, she was actually older than me... This was especially surprising since she was a tian, and she wasn’t even an elf or some other long-lived race from Legendaria.

“...So, how old are you?” I asked.

“That’s not the kind of question you ask a lady.” ...Yeah, that might’ve been rude, I thought.

“Anyway, let’s move on to the other matter,” Integra said. “Though this is more of an aside.”

So the thing about lovers and bodies and all that stuff really was your main deal...

“I’d like you to show me your Zephyrus Silver.”

“Silver?”

“Yes. The second thing I’d like to discuss concerns the last Prism Steed made by the Grand Artificer Flagman...the first of us.”

The last Prism Steed, huh? Back in Quartierlatin, Mario had told me that Silver was either an early prototype separate from the five “official” Prism Steeds or a recent experimental unit made to test a new function. Apparently it was the latter.

Also, Integra just called Flagman “the first of us,” which meant that her carrying the Grand Artificer’s name wasn’t just some accident—she’d actually inherited it from him.

...How is this an “aside”? It seems way more important than those questions that bordered on sexual harassment. “All right,” I said. “Though, I wanna ask something as well. It’s about Silver and Flagman.”

“I have his name, so I assume you’re curious about my relationship to him? I’ll explain that too,” she said, placing one palm against her chest. “First of all, I’m not the Grand Artificer’s descendant. My teacher was a Flagman as well, but none of us are connected by blood. It’s merely a name that has been passed from teacher to disciple.”

“A name passed on from teacher to disciple... Is it like the professional names used by artists, martial and otherwise?”

“Ah, you’re thinking of the custom they follow in Tenchi. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s also not entirely different either. My teacher was the Arch Sage, and he’d inherited the Flagman name along with the job. And when he died and I became the new Arch Sage, I began calling myself Flagman just like he did. Just having his name doesn’t mean any of us have even a fraction of the Grand Artificer’s technological knowledge, though.”

“Is that how it works?”

“Yes. Our technological prowess more or less died with the third Flagman. Do you know the Prism Crawlers? Those were made by the third.”

Oh, so that’s the guy who made Shion’s spider...

“Anyway, I’ve been curious about your Zephyrus Silver for a while now,” Integra continued. “Since before you even obtained him, in fact.”

“Hm?”

“We’ve known for a while that the first Flagman created him, but nothing about the steed’s functions or abilities was recorded. Even we—Flagman’s successors—don’t have any of that information, even though we have full specs for the other five.”

Now that was just weird. If he’d left behind a record of Silver’s creation, you’d think he’d have also left a spec sheet or something like that. It wasn’t as though he couldn’t do it or the records had been lost, right?

“So, as someone who inherited Flagman’s name, I have always wanted to see Zephyrus Silver for myself. Do you mind if I take a look?”

“Not at all. There’s things I wanna know about him too.”

“Oh, you did mention that, yes.”

“Yeah. I can’t get any details for the third skill. Maybe you can help me with that?”

By becoming a Prism Rider—the job dedicated to the use of Prism Beasts—I’d unlocked the message the first Flagman had left on Silver. However, all it said was that I didn’t have a high enough level of Authority to see the skill’s details.

The skill had been activated only twice so far: once in Quartierlatin and once during my battle against Jubei.

Silver seemed to be using it of his own accord and only in certain situations, but I didn’t really know what “it” was. I was hoping Integra could tell me that.

“Very well. I’ll look into that too,” she said.

“Should we go outside?”

“No, there’s enough space here.” Given the go-ahead, I reached into my inventory and took Silver out.

The damage done by Jubei had already been repaired. He was tilting his head at me, apparently confused that I’d taken him out indoors. Despite this, he was standing still in place, his hooves firm on the floor.

“I’ll start, then,” said Integra.

“All right. Be a good boy, Silver.” As though acknowledging my words, he let out an engine noise that somewhat resembled a neigh.

This reminds me of the time I got Mario to check on him, I thought.

“It might take a while, so you might have to wait a bit. Do help yourself to as much of the tea and snacks as you wish.”

“Very well! We will wait as long as necessary!” Nemesis said as she dug into the snacks.

...And this reminds me how she emptied the cookie plate when we were visiting Countess Quartierlatin. Control yourself this time, Nemesis.

As I was thinking that, Integra was carefully examining Silver, peering at him here and there while checking something using a lens or an object that looked like a pin.

“So you’re not dismantling him?” I asked.

“All you really need for this is a high-level See-Through Sight and some examination magic. Also, as I said, I don’t even have a fraction of the first Flagman’s technological prowess. I wouldn’t want to dismantle Silver only to be unable to put him back together.”

“I see...” I thought of how, back when I was a little boy, I’d let my curiosity get the better of me and used a screwdriver to take apart a toy clock. I couldn’t put it back together, but Shu had fixed it like it was nothing.

Also, Integra’s words reminded me that despite his animal-like form, Silver was actually a complex machine. The whale and horseshoe crab thing from Quartierlatin were like that too.

It felt like the pre-ancient civilization had a strangely high amount of animal-like machines. Wait, that reminds me of another question I had, I thought.

“Hey, can I ask something else?”

“Go ahead.”

“What’s the difference between regular machines and Prism Steeds like Silver...or Prism Beasts in general?” Based on the info acquired from the wrecks, the whale and the horseshoe crab weren’t actually Prism Beasts despite being animal-like, so I’d been wondering where the lines were drawn.

“The differences there, eh...? Well, I could just say that it’s just the series they’re part of, but apparently there was a rough definition of ‘Prism Beast’ in place during the time of the pre-ancient civilization.”

“What was the definition, then?”

“Generally speaking, Prism Beasts are anything that fulfills two conditions. One—it’s equipped with an artificial intelligence and is capable of autonomous action. And two—it’s designed to have human riders.”

Machines with AI that allowed autonomy, but were designed to have humans ride them... Those conditions seemed contradictory, but Silver obviously fulfilled them both.

“Because of this, modern Magingears, with their lack of AI, aren’t counted among Prism Beasts. Machine golems, which have AI but can’t be ridden by humans, don’t make the cut either.”

“I see...” The whale and the crab were unmanned, so I guess they’re more like the latter example, I thought.

“The first Flagman also created these ‘Prism Persons’—stand-alone automata with functioning AI. They’re still ‘Prism,’ but since they weren’t designed to be ridden by humans, they weren’t ‘Beasts.’ The ‘Prism Person’ name might’ve been coined for the express purpose of establishing that distinction.”

“I see...”

“Though, annoyingly enough, the mass-produced ‘Prism Persons’ you and Altimia fought at Quartierlatin—Prism Soldiers—were designed to have human...or at least, animal...riders, which by a strict definition would make them Prism Beasts.”

...This was starting to feel like animal classification. Parvorder: Odontoceti. Family: Monodontidae. Genus: Delphinapterus. Species: Beluga whale... Something like that.

“So, if someone woke up today and decided to make a machine that had AI and was designed to have human riders, it would be recognized as a Prism Beast?” I asked.

“It would, but that’s unlikely to happen either way. AI technology has been lost, after all. Legendaria and Huang He have AI created by sealing spirits from nature or the realms of the dead within certain objects, but Prism Beasts need intelligence born of pure science, not magic.”

The distinction seemed broad at first, but it turned out that it had some pretty strict limits.

“The first and the third Flagman were geniuses when it came to that, but none of us who followed can match them. Well, it’s more...even though the basics of it were passed down to us, we just can’t understand them.”

“Really...?”

“Apparently, in its early years, Dryfe delved into the process of capturing ancient machine golems, taking out their AIs, and installing them in Magingears. I hear that went nowhere because they couldn’t recalibrate the programming.”

Dryfe had only received its first humanoid robots once Franklin’s Triangle of Wisdom had created the Marshal II. Up until then, the only Magingears they had were tanks or powered suits, and I would guess that AI from the presumably humanoid golems wasn’t suited for those. Hell, there was probably nothing in their programming that accounted for people riding them.

“In that case, the SMPS factory in Quartierlatin...”

“Yes. In a way, it’s a groundbreaking discovery. We may be seeing the revival of the age of Prism Beasts. It looks like more and more people are becoming Prism Riders, after all.”

With SMPS spreading throughout Altar, Masters and tians alike were taking the Prism Rider job so they could make the best use of them. SMPS were decently fast, could gallop in midair, and had the ability to create barriers. Being machines, they never had bad days and didn’t require much in the way of upkeep. Generally easier to handle than many regular mounts, it seemed like SMPS would only get more popular over time.

The more powerful riders already had mounts that they’d gotten attached to, though, so not many of those had made the switch.

“Oh, speaking of,” said Integra. “There’s something an owner of an original Prism Steed like yourself should know.”

“Hm?”

“This is some info discovered by going through what the first Flagman left behind...the conditions for the prism rider grouping’s high-rank job.”

“Oh, now that’s something I’d love to know.” To my knowledge, no one in the world had it yet. The job wasn’t even in the Catalog or in DIN’s information network. It was likely that the Authority thing mentioned in the message on Silver involved getting the high-rank job, so I was definitely curious about this.

“The prism rider grouping’s high-rank job, Prism Cavalier, has three conditions,” Integra said. “First, your Prism Rider skill, Prism Authority, has to be level 1 or above. Second, your total level has to be 400. And third...”

“Third...?”

“The entire world’s combined Prism Authority skill level has to be over 5,000.”

...What? “You mean...?”

“I mean that it’s only unlocked if Prism Beasts and Prism Riders are popular enough. The level requirement is steep too, so this job’s on the rarer side.”

...Well, that explains why nobody has it, I thought.

Even with Prism Rider maxed out, Prism Authority was stuck at level 1.

“So we need at least 5,000 people to have the Prism Rider job, huh...?”

“Well, it’s getting more popular. At the rate it’s going, it should get there eventually.” It’d be hard with just Masters, but with SMPS being delivered to tians both within Altea and to the many orders of knights and such serving the nobility all across Altar, it really didn’t seem impossible that the number would get there soon.

It seemed like a good idea to finish leveling my low-rank jobs to prepare for the occasion. I didn’t have any high-rank job I was planning to take, and since I had Silver, Prism Cavalier seemed like a good choice for me. Silver couldn’t unlock his full potential right now, and not putting such a treasure to good use felt like a waste.

Though, what I’d just heard made me curious about something else.

“The Prism Beasts were made by the first Flagman, right?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Yet the Prism Rider job existed before that?” The prism rider grouping was based entirely on the premise that Prism Steeds would be in common use. Without that, the job would serve basically no purpose.

Did that mean that jobs from the prism rider grouping only appear once the first Prism Beasts existed or...?

“It’s said that the job was actually there before he made the steeds,” Integra answered.

“Now that’s strange. I mean, a job for something that doesn’t exist...?” Cause and effect seemed to be a little switched up there.

“Yes. Though, it’s not just the prism rider grouping. You can say the same thing about all jobs.”

“Hm?”

“This is something my teacher...or rather, my teacher’s teacher...looked into.” Having said that, she made the wheeled blackboard in the room roll over closer to us. Then, the chalk moved by itself to draw something on the board. Integra herself was still focused on Silver throughout all of this. It honestly made her seem less like a wizard and more like a psychic with telekinesis.

“Tenchi has this strange high-rank job called ‘Sumo Wrestler.’ It’s related to a contest called ‘sumo.’”

Oh, so even that existed as a job here. I guess it was just a contest rather than a whole ritual, huh?

That aside, I couldn’t help but wonder if the chibi sumo wrestler she drew on the board actually enhanced her explanation.

“What’s relevant here is that the culture surrounding the contest has only spread within the last millennium. And that’s despite the fact that Sumo Wrestler had already been discovered during the time of the pre-ancient civilization.”

“...Hm?” A job based on sumo had existed since before sumo was even a thing here? Just like with Prism Rider, cause and effect seemed really off. The chicken had come before the egg.

“From what I’ve heard, the world you Masters go to also has a Sumo Wrestler job,” Integra said.

“Uhh, yeah. Though jobs over there aren’t the same as jobs here. Taking it doesn’t mean you’ll get levels or skills or anything.”

“I did hear that as well. Over there, though, the contest came before the job, didn’t it?”

“Yeah...” On that front, reality and this world were the complete opposite.

“And Sumo Wrestler is far from the only example,” Integra continued. “Even the ‘Mechanic’ job existed before people began using technology.”

So the prism rider grouping wasn’t the only one with this chicken-and-egg problem, huh?

“The job names here often match the ones you have over there,” she said. “That includes magic jobs like my Arch Sage, doesn’t it?”

“Well, ignoring the question of whether or not they actually exist in our world or not...we do have a concept for them, yeah.”

“Perhaps that is just a coincidence. Or perhaps those who created this world built the framework of ‘jobs’ based on jobs that existed in other worlds.”

...Now that was something to think about. From a game design perspective, you could probably assume that the devs had referenced real occupations and programmed those into the game. Knowing Infinite Dendrogram, though, it might not have been quite that straightforward.

“So, Prism Rider and Prism Beasts...”

Those things seemed out of place because they didn’t exist in real life. Unlike the other jobs we’d discussed, where at least the concept existed in the real world, Prism Rider could only be found here.

Then again, maybe...

“Yes. It may be that there is a world besides the one you Masters go to, where Prism Rider is a job and Prism Beasts are a common sight.”

A place besides reality and Infinite Dendrogram... Maybe it was another game? Or maybe...

“But that would mean that the first Flagman just happened to create something that was recognized as a Prism Beast.”

A magic machine equipped with AI and designed to be used by humans—it didn’t seem impossible to come up with that independently. And the fact that he’d done that was the reason the Prism Rider job had ever seen the light of day.

That made me think of something. “Wait, actually—the existence of the job names ‘Prism Rider’ and ‘Prism Cavalier’ were probably the reason why the things he created were called ‘Prism Beasts’ in the first place,” I said.

“That’s the obvious assumption.”

“It is, isn’t it? Otherwise, the only alternative would be that the first Flagman made the Prism Beasts and uncovered the Prism Rider job because he knew of some place where they already existed.”

Man, that was a stupid thing to say, I thought. It was unthinkable that people of this world would know about concepts that didn’t exist here, so yeah... It had to have been a coincidence.

For some reason, though, Integra was just staring at me. It didn’t seem that she was flabbergasted by the stupid thing I’d said. It was more like...

“Integra?”

“...Oh, I’m just impressed by the imagination you Masters have. Back when my teacher first taught me all this, that idea never occurred to me.”

“I see. Well, it’s not like it’s actually possible.”

“Ha ha ha! Maybe. Anyway, I just finished checking Silver,” she said as she took her hands off of him.

“That was fast! And we were talking the whole time too...”

“I’m not the current Flagman for nothing,” she said. “Talking and working at the same time comes naturally. Anyway, there are a few things I can say about him now.”

Integra sat down and took a sip of tea to get some moisture into her throat.

“First of all, his design is about the same as that of the other Prism Steeds...with the exception of the unknown mechanism in his torso, which is wired to every other part of his body. I’m guessing that’s supposed to make Zephyrus Silver original.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked. My question made Integra heave a long sigh, but it didn’t seem like she was sighing at me—more like she was sighing about the concept of “originality” that she’d just brought up.

“Sorry about that... Well, basically—though the first Flagman was a genius, he had one problem.”

“That being?”

“The fact that he never made the same thing twice.”

“Huh? But what about SMPS and the Prism Soldiers in Quartierlatin...?”

“Sorry, I wasn’t entirely clear—I was talking about the things he created personally. It doesn’t apply to factory production.”

“Oh, I see. But isn’t that normal for artists and the like?”

“...He wasn’t an artist, but a scientist. It should have been routine for someone like him to make copies of his best creations. If he could make it once, he could mass-produce it... However, he just didn’t do it.” She heaved another sigh. “Anything he poured his heart and soul into making would always be different from anything he’d ever made before. That was why he never made multiples of his masterpieces and never cared if he produced garbage.”

“Masterpieces and garbage...?”

“One of his masterpieces was one of the Prism Persons. Named ‘Agate Designer,’ it was basically an automaton with extremely high DEX. It had creative potential that would make even crafting-focused Superior Jobs flee with their tails between their legs. When it came to processing technology, it surpassed even the first Flagman himself. It actually served as his assistant for many of his creative endeavors that followed.”

“Now that’s something...”

“Oh, it is. Despite that, he never even tried to create multiples of it. It was clear as day that a few more of them would accelerate his work, yet he was satisfied with having just that one. He never even tried to create anything that shared its core concept. The time he spent on END- or AGI-focused creations would’ve been a lot more fruitful if he had just made more Agates. I mean, if we had at least one, then the second and every other Flagman up to me would’ve had a far easier time with our—”

“Whoa, let’s calm down.” This seemed like a touchy subject for her. It felt like she was on the verge of reaching her boiling point. Even Silver looked a bit scared of her. Nemesis, though, just kept eating the tea snacks.

...It just hit me that Nemesis isn’t involving herself in the conversation at all.

“...Sorry about that. As Flagman, I’ve inherited many things, but Agate is easily at the top of the list of things I would’ve liked to have inherited but didn’t.”

Well, a Prism Person like that would have certainly been useful for Altar as a whole.

“Anyway, back to the matter at hand... Since he focused so much on creating things without overlapping concepts, he made even things that were obviously garbage.”

“Like?”

“Obsidian Earth-Edge the Prism Steed.”

...That’s the one owned by Figaro, I thought.

“The core concept of Prism Steeds was to expand the battlefield of combat-focused Superior Jobs, but Obsidian couldn’t fly or swim, so it couldn’t even do that. And since it was limited to fighting on land, AGI-focused Superior Jobs were better off just running instead of riding it. What use could they get out of it?”

...Yeah, Figaro also said that he ran faster than Obsidian, so he only used it for mounted competitions.

“It had more power and heavier armor than the other units, but that didn’t even matter in battles between Superior Jobs where both sides just launched ultimate job skills at each other. It’s a hunk of garbage that came about as a result of ignoring the core concept of the Prism Steed series. In all honesty, it’s hopelessly useless.”

Man, that’s so harsh...

“Though, I guess it could work as the mount of an END-focused Superior Job, but that comes with a high risk of it being destroyed, just like Gold was.”

“That’s a scary thought,” I said. “So, what’s original about Silver?” The answer to this could be related to his third skill.

“It’s...”

“It’s...?” I gulped and waited for her answer...

“...Something I couldn’t figure out.”

...only to fall right out of my chair when it finally came, like something straight out of an old manga.

“I-I see... So you couldn’t figure it out.”

“Well, to be more precise, I couldn’t figure out everything. There are things I did find out, though, such as the fact that his mechanisms aren’t based on aeromancy...wind magic, I mean.”

Those words surprised me in an entirely different way.

“They aren’t? But I use his Wind Hoof all the time, and even his name references the wind.”

“It’s looking like the reference may have just been something the first Flagman thought of at the moment of Silver’s creation. Silver’s true nature as a Prism Steed lies somewhere else.”

“His nature...” This made me reflect upon the battle in Quartierlatin’s skies. The very moment we were about to crash into the whale and die, we suddenly appeared right under it instead, still riding Silver.

That may have been a glimpse into his third skill and true nature.

“Also, it wouldn’t make sense if it was wind-based,” Integra added.

“Why?”

“In the recent peace talks, Her Majesty used Silver to fight Jade Storm—the aeromancy Prism Steed—and apparently, he was far slower in general and only slightly surpassed Jade in the turning department.”

“Oh yeah. Azurite told me that too.”

“If they’re actually of the same type, then Zephyrus Silver, which was made later, shouldn’t have been weaker than Jade. More importantly, with how much the first hated making the same thing over again, I really can’t imagine him using the same element for two Prism Steeds.”

Oh yeah, that makes sense.

“Also, Wind Hoof ‘compresses the air to create platforms and barriers,’ right? From a physics perspective, the process of compression should also condense the heat, creating a plasma. Since that doesn’t happen, that means it’s probably not just simple gas manipulation.”

“I see...” She had a point. This made me realize that Silver was full of mysteries even beyond his unknown third skill.

“So there you have it. Currently, the application of its original concept just happens to look like aeromancy. And a good candidate for its original concept is part...”

Integra stopped talking in the middle of her sentence.

“Integra?”

“...No. I won’t give you my uncertain, off-the-cuff guesses. As the current Flagman, I don’t want you—the owner of the first Flagman’s last Prism Steed—to have a false impression of him.”

“I see.” I considered pressing her to continue, but ultimately didn’t. She seemed to have pride in the name she’d inherited, so it didn’t seem like a good idea to argue against that if she brought it up.

“Anyway, that’s it for the matters I called you here for,” she said. “Sorry for taking your time.”

“Hey, this was fruitful for me too,” I replied. “I can now work towards becoming a Prism Cavalier.”

“Oh, please do. Zephyrus Silver and SMPS were left behind by the first, and I’m sure that’s exactly what he would have wanted.”

I went on to put Silver back in my inventory when...

“Hm? Is the chat over?”

...Nemesis finally stopped eating and looked at me.

“Nemesis...”

“Th-The snacks are simply delicious. I would put them on the same level as Brother Bear’s popcorn, if not higher.”

“For real?!” There’s something even better than THE popcorn?! “Let me have a tast— Hey, Nemesis...”

“...Y-Yes. There is none left.”

Apparently she hadn’t stopped eating because our conversation was over, but because there was simply nothing left to eat. She’d been notably less gluttonous recently, but then she went and did something like this. It felt like she’d go on an eating spree every time I was busy talking to someone.

“...I made a setup that automatically replaced the empty plate, yet you still ate everything?” Integra’s face was in a mix of surprise and exasperation.

“...Sorry about this,” I said.

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s a small price to pay for having you come all the way here. Though, I intended to give you some for the way back, but now it’s all gone.”

Nemesis...

“Mhm. It was most delicious,” she said. “Who made them?”

“The snacks were made by an acquaintance in Caldina, so it’ll be a while until I get more.”

“Hrm, that is a shame.”

“Ha ha ha. I’ll make sure you get some when they arrive again,” Integra said before turning to me. “Enough for you to have some too.”

“I’ll be looking forward to that,” I said.

With that, our conversation was over.

I was kinda curious about the piercing gaze she’d given me when we first met, but looking back on it now, it was probably just the gaze of someone wary of a guy who’d gotten close to her childhood friends. The “main topic” of whether I was in some kind of spicy relationship with either of them must’ve also been related to that. She’d just been looking out for her friends in her own way, and in my opinion that was a pretty good thing to do.

“Oh, one more thing, Ray Starling.”

“Hm?” As I was about to leave, Integra called out to me again.

“I have one last question.”

“Ask away.”

“Why do you give so much for Altar?”

I felt like this wasn’t the first time I’d been asked that.

My answer was the same as back then, though.

“Azurite, Liliana... I just like the people I met here and the kingdom in general. It’d leave a bad taste in my mouth if it were destroyed.”

“I see... Mhm. So that’s how it is. I see... I see. That’s the kind of person you are...”

“Hm?”

“Oh, don’t mind me. That was definitely my last question. Thanks for coming today.”

“Don’t mention it. And thank you for taking a look at Silver.”

“Thank you for the delicious snacks,” Nemesis added.

With those words, we left Integra’s room.

All right, time to head back to Gideon, I thought. If I leave now, I should be there before sundown.

◇◆◇

Arch Sage, Integra Sedna Clarisse Flagman

Once Ray and his Embryo left, the door closed and I went to check if the counterintelligence devices had reactivated before examining the action on the magic I’d set up in this room.

That magic, by the way, was basically a lie detection spell. Its power surpassed Truth Discernment, because it considered things like body temperature, heart rate, and even brain waves. It could even detect when someone was lying by omission or if they were speaking with an ulterior motive.

It was seamlessly mixed with the magic imbued into the furniture, so it was impossible to even notice it.

This was functionally an interrogation room, and my main goal for today was to examine Ray Starling.

He’d appeared seemingly out of nowhere and formed connections with Altar’s central figures like Altimia, Liliana, and Count Gideon in no time at all. Masters were many in number, but those that had an impact on the kingdom as great as he were few and far between.

He wasn’t even a pre-Infinite—a Superior—yet he’d defeated Superiors such as Mr. Franklin and Logan Goddhart.

To add to that, he also owned Zephyrus Silver—the only one of the first Flagman’s creations that his successors knew nothing about.

Everything we’d learned about him had been extremely unusual, so I’d established this meeting to find out what kind of person he really was and what drove him. We’d even considered the possibility that he had direct ties to the Incarnations and was working as their pawn.

However, he had shattered all those expectations.

“...And the only thing that triggered the magic was ‘I didn’t see them naked.’ Now, isn’t that just hilarious?”

That meant that he was wearing his heart on his sleeve, saying only more or less exactly what he’d been thinking.

The words “I’ll do my best for this kingdom because I like it,” were hard to believe, yet he wasn’t lying in the slightest. He wasn’t motivated to obtain some grand goal or reward, but by a simple desire not to lose what he already had.

One could say he was a very convenient person for the kingdom. Though, with how many inconvenient people this place had—us included—I felt like it was only fair for it to have someone like him around.

Anyway, he wasn’t hiding anything, nor did he hold any suspicions about me.

“He wasn’t the least bit wary of the tea I made, nor did he hesitate to give me info about Zephyrus Silver—one of the aces up his sleeve.” Though I did understand why he trusted me as much as he did.

I was Altimia and Liliana’s childhood friend, and he trusted the two so deeply that he’d completely dropped his guard around me simply based on that. There was nothing impure about that trust either. I’d confirmed that he wasn’t trying to show off to them, nor did he have any grand political ambitions. In fact, back when he’d met Altimia, he hadn’t even realized that she was a princess.

This meant that there was no selfishness in any of the help he’d given them... It had all come naturally to him.

“...That’s such a difficult way to live.” The bodies of Masters restored themselves, and they may have been able to turn off physical pain, but they had nothing to protect them from a broken heart. If he truly cared for Altar’s people and wanted to protect the kingdom, he would surely receive such wounds eventually.

Or maybe he already had?

Maybe that had changed him? Or maybe he’d remained unchanged in spite of all that?

Or maybe he would never change at all?

Maybe he would stand against my actions, the doings of The Evil, the plans of the Incarnations, and all other threats simply because not doing so would, in his words, “leave a bad taste in his mouth.”

Maybe he would always continue fighting to prevent any tragedies he saw...no matter how much he hurt himself in the process.

“Hm...” The path he walked was different than ours, but it may have been just as thorny.

His unique outlook had convinced me of something else too.

“Masters aren’t a monolith after all. They all have free will.”

Ignoring Incarnation disguises such as The Lynx, it was best to assume that Masters all had minds of their own.

I didn’t know how Embryos worked, but Masters themselves seemed like people who were in some kind of parasitic relationship with these “lesser Incarnations.” With that in mind, it was possible that everything they saw and heard could reach the Incarnations themselves.

That wasn’t a problem, however. Nothing I’d told him was a lie.

I hadn’t implied that I’d inherited information which was detrimental to the Incarnations, all while revealing just enough to explain my situation.

If the Incarnations came for me at this stage, I’d certainly die.

But as long as Crystal was all right, she would be able to straighten the course of those who would come after me.

...Though personally, I intended to settle things within my own generation.

“Looking back at the battle between Chrono Crown and Kashimiya, it’s obvious that the Masters have complete dominance over their Embryos. That means that they’re functionally outside the control of the Incarnations... In that case, it may help if we had Masters with power close to that of the Incarnations on our side. Even if we cut them off in the end, they would be useful in battle.”

The first person to come to mind was the individual I’d just been talking to, but I shook my head right after.

“Ray Starling...is no good for this.” He was a trustworthy person, but that was exactly why it was clear he’d never take my side.

What I needed was someone who wanted to kill the Incarnations even if it meant destroying the world.

Masters with any less of a driving ambition and less power simply wouldn’t be enough.

Under the pretext of gathering info about Altar to make up for “the time I’d been away,” I’d spent a good while investigating various Masters. The papers here in the lab had lists of Masters registered with the kingdom, and it was possible that I would find the one I was looking for among them.

“...I already have someone in mind,” I said to myself as I reached into a bundle and took out a paper with a tag on it.

On this paper, there was a photo of a man from a time when his face was still full of fighting spirit, alongside his powers and achievements.

In bygone days, he was a famed duel ranker and the owner of a major clan.

But now, he was a man who’d lost everything.

This was the kind of person who could share my ambitions.

The kind of people I needed weren’t the kind needed by Altimia and the kingdom.

I didn’t need someone like Ray Starling, whose driving force was an urge to not lose anything.

I needed someone whose driving force was the fact that they’d already lost everything.

“...The ‘broken sword,’ eh?”