Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 2 - Chapter 3

Chapter Three: A Maiden’s Master 
Gideon, the city of duels, Paladin Ray Starling 
Nemesis, Hugo, and I got on a difficulty level 8 random event quest called “Rescue Roddie Lancarse.” Just like the quest to save Milianne, it was going to be a race against time. However, I had two other worries about it. 
First was the quest difficulty. I didn’t know just how difficult level 8 quests were, so I asked Hugo about it... 
“Difficult enough for level 500 tians going solo to fail spectacularly,” he said. “Even a full party of such tians would have a hard time.” 
...and that was his answer. So, level 8 quests were too difficult for max level tians. Even if we Masters were generally stronger than tians, it was clearly a bit too much for me — someone below level 50 — to handle. However, I had no intention of leaving the child for dead just because it was hard to save him. 
“I must say that letting them escape was a grave mistake,” said Nemesis. 
And that was my other worry — the five scumbags we’d faced. 
The one I’d punched was still spread out on the back alley’s pavement, so Hugo tied him up with a wire he had on him. We decided to hand him over to the guards, so the girl we’d helped — Rebecca — ran off to the guardroom. 
The other four had run away with a threat regarding her brother, unfortunately. We didn’t know where their base was. If they got there before us and told everyone about what happened here, the boy’s life would be in more danger than ever. 
“Man, I should’ve gassed them,” I said. A whiff of the poison from my Miasmaflame Bracers would’ve rendered them completely immobile. 
“We’re in the city, so wouldn’t that count as terrorism?” asked Nemesis. 
You have a point, I thought. Although I could’ve also scorched their legs with fire from the left bracer and make them unable to walk, and... 
“I can tell that you’re thinking something disturbing,” said Hugo. “Let me assure you, though, that there’s no need to worry about them.” He then pointed to the street they’d run off to. 
I couldn’t see what was behind the corner, but I could hear something being dragged on the ground. 
“What’s that sound?” I asked. The source got closer and closer until it soon entered my vision. 
“Shorry for the waith, Hugo.” It was a girl. If you ignored the ushanka hat on her head, she would’ve been about as tall as Nemesis. 
The first thing I noticed about her was her whiteness. White hair, white cheeks, white hat. Despite it not being particularly cold, she also wore a white felt long coat and a white scarf. And, for some reason, she was also biting into a white manju sweet. The only non-white thing about her were her blue eyes. 
“Heh.” Hugo turned pompous again. “Well done, Cyco.” 
She gulped down the manju before responding. “It’s a pain, but they were weak, so don’t mind it.” 
I looked down and saw that she was holding people — the four hoodlums that had escaped — by the clothes behind the napes of their necks. 
 

The ease with which she was holding two people in each hand clearly didn’t fit her appearance, but I soon noticed the Master crest on her left hand. 
Well, I guess her strength makes sense if she’s a Master, I thought. 
The way she spoke was extremely monotone, and I couldn’t tell if she was role-playing or if that was her normal way of speaking. 
She noticed me examining her and shot a glare at Nemesis and me. “Hugo the girl pamperer befriended a lolicon? You like little girls, mister?” 
“Who are you calling a lolicon?!” I shouted. 
“Who are you calling a loli?!” Nemesis howled at the same time. 
She actually marked me as a sexual deviant with her first words to me! Who the hell does that?! I thought. 
“That flat chest and low height are exemplary loli features,” she said. “And anyone who has a loli service him is a real lolicon.” 
Slander if I’d ever heard any. Nemesis was a part of me, so she didn’t count. 
“No!” said Nemesis. “This form of mine merely prioritizes beauty over function!” 
“A Master with an Embryo who claims that form to be beauty is a lolicon to the core,” said the white girl. 
“You little...! Seems like I have to do something about that mouth of yours!” Nemesis shouted. 
“Try it.” 
Nemesis jumped on the girl, who faced her head-on, as emotionless as ever. They began fighting, but I felt like I was watching two cats mess about. 
It sure is rare for Nemesis to be this honest with anyone that’s not me, I thought. 
“So, Hugo,” I spoke up. “Who is this monotone and monochrome girl who has no qualms about labeling strangers as perverts?” 
“Cyco,” he answered. “She’s my... party member. I contacted and told her to catch the ones that ran away. The girl’s a bit foul-mouthed, yes, but as you can see, she’s quite reliable. Oh, and just so you’re aware, the things she just said are far from the worst you can hear from her.” 
“Seriously?” I raised an eyebrow. 
“Yes,” he nodded. “Especially when compared to the abuse she spouts at our clan owner.” 
...I don’t think I can even imagine that, I thought. 
Well, her foul mouth aside, we now had a total of three Masters in our party. Naturally, that increased our chances of successfully completing the quest. 
“All right, Cyco, tell us what you found out,” said Hugo. 
“Okay,” Cyco replied while her hands were fixed with Nemesis’ as they pushed each other in what seemed like a situation straight out of a pro wrestling match. Still in that state, she turned her face to Hugo and began talking. “After I beat up and interrogated them, they told me where their hideout was. It’s beyond the east gate, in the Cruella Mountain Belt. The specific location was in a map they had.” 
Skillfully using her mouth, she bit into a paper she had in a pocket on her side and threw it over to Hugo using only her head. 
“Cruella Mountain Belt?” I repeated the place name. It was an area I hadn’t been in before. 
“That’s the name of the mountains to the east of this city,” said Hugo. “The area beyond them is Caldina’s territory.” 
“So it’s basically the border between the two countries,” I said. 
“It’s a great place for a bandit hideout,” he continued. “Any Kingdom of Altar military operations done in the Cruella Mountain Belt would be taken as acts of war against Caldina.” 
“Why don’t the two countries team up to take care of the bandits, then?” I asked. Bandits lurking near the border seemed like a big problem for both Altar and Caldina, so it would’ve been natural to team up and exterminate them. 
“That will never happen,” said Hugo. “Caldina only acts when there’s money to be had. In fact, they would do anything for it.” 
“By that, you mean...?” I asked. 
“For the right price, the vilest bandit could be a valued customer.” 
So they’re in on this? I thought. 
“I would guess they get paid a lot and provide passive cooperation in exchange,” he continued. “Caldina probably agreed to react in some way if the kingdom’s army made a move. Even if it was all just an act, the kingdom still couldn’t do what they wanted.” 
Hugo opened the map that Cyco had given him. On the left side of it was Gideon. The right portrayed a desert, and the area right in the middle of them had several mountains. The second closest mountain to Gideon had a circle marking something. 
“This is the place,” said Hugo. “It’s beyond a mountain. Seems like we’ll have to make haste.” 
“Yeah,” I agreed. “We’ll have to run real fast.” 
For some reason, Hugo gave me a strange look. 
“What?” I asked. 
“Ray,” he said. “You’re a Paladin, aren’t you? Won’t you be riding a mount?” 
“I have a horse, but I can’t ride it because I don’t have the Horse Riding skill,” I answered. 
“So that’s how it is...” he said, looking completely weirded out. 
“...Yeah.” 
Well, this is awkward, I thought. 
“Heh,” he chuckled. “This is the first time I’m seeing anyone who doesn’t have the Horse Riding skill while being in the knight grouping.” 
“Is it normal for us to have it?” I asked. 
“Well,” Hugo said. “Let’s just say that I feel as though someone just told me that they’re a swimmer, but can’t do the front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly stroke.” 
“Is there even anything more to swimming than those four?” I asked. 
“The dog paddle and traditional Japanese swimming?” he suggested. 
Those didn’t seem like they fit. 
“Anyway, I see how it is,” said Hugo. “Leave it to me. I have a means of travel that allows us to get to their hideout in a short amount of time.” 
“Thanks,” I said gratefully. 
In unrelated news, Nemesis and Cyco had become friends during the fight, and were now exchanging a firm handshake. 
Friendship is a great thing, I thought. But man, the fact that one is black and the other’s white reminds me of a girl’s anime from a few decades back. 

Our party — Hugo, Cyco, and me with Nemesis as my blade — had made our way through the eastern gate in Gideon’s third district and were now standing before the entrance to the Cruella Mountain Belt area. 
There was a road leading towards the mountains, which was being used by carriages and the like. 
We were about to make our way to the gang’s hideout by using the means of travel Hugo mentioned, but... 
“What is that means of travel, anyway?” I asked. 
“This isn’t the right place for it,” he said. “We have to go where there are even fewer people.” 
He can’t show it to anyone or something? I thought. “Does it stand out or something?” 
“You could say that, yes,” he answered. 
And so we walked for about fifteen minutes. We weren’t following the road, either. Hugo actually led us into some forest. 
All right, this is weird, I thought. We were nowhere close to any proper road that could be used by carriages and such. 
If we were about to use something rideable, the mountain road near Gideon would have been much better for it. 
“This place seems good,” he said upon discovering an opening in the forest. It was circular and had a radius of about ten meters. There was a curious lack of tall trees, and it seemed like the plants here had only just begun sprouting. 
“My guess is that someone with a magic-based job used an area-of-effect offensive spell here,” said Hugo. “I don’t know how it was for those affected, but it’s convenient for us.” 
He reached into his inventory, took out a silver sheet, and spread it out on the ground. 
Once he did that, I realized just how big the sheet was. It was a square with sides that were about five meters in size. 
“I’ve prepared the Garage,” said Hugo. “Cyco, any hostiles nearby?” 
“None at all,” she answered. “I’m not picking up any monsters or people.” 
“Roger that.” Hugo opened a window and began doing something on it. A moment later, sounds of machinery began coming out from under the sheet he’d spread on the ground. 
“...Wait, machinery?” I muttered. Suddenly, I realized something. 
Hugo’s job was High Pilot. The noun “pilot” was generally used on people who operated something mechanical. However, this world didn’t have any machinery that could be “driven” in that sense... 
...unless it was related to a certain country. 
“Hugo,” I said. “You’re...” 
“Ray,” he spoke up before I could finish. “I am taking part in this quest as a person and as a thorn protecting the beautiful flowers we call ‘women.’” 
His statement made it obvious that he’d known exactly what I was gonna say. 
“Why are you on this quest?” he continued. “Is it because you’re a Paladin of the kingdom, or because you’re your own man?” 
There was only one thing I could say in response. 
“Ignoring this would leave a bad taste in my mouth.” It was the exact same thing I’d thought when I accepted this quest. “At the very least, I’m not doing this because of my occupation.” 
“Nor am I.” With those words, Hugo gave a wry smile and pushed down on a button on the window. It said “sortie” on it. 
Right after that, the sheet on the ground began to expand. Its surface began to slip and open up like a garage shutter, exposing a cavity that completely ignored the sheet’s thickness. 
Four pillars rose up at the corners of the sheet and stopped when they were about five meters tall. 
A moment later, a roaring sound came from the bottom of the cavity as a lift began rising up until it reached the surface. 
On it, there was a large object. Its two arms and legs gave it a humanoid appearance. However, it was nowhere near human. 
It was about six heads tall, but its height was above five meters and it was covered in a dark green steel coating. 
On its pelvic area, there was a gun and an army knife that fit its great size, and it didn’t seem like that was the extent of the weaponry it had in store. 
Its chest area was open, and inside, I saw a cockpit that bore a striking resemblance to one I had seen in some old anime. 
In conclusion, it was a humanoid battle robot. 
“‘Magic and Gear,’” he said. “More widely known as Magingear. The main weapon of the Dryfe Imperium.” 
Hugo — a High Pilot of the Dryfe Imperium — said that as he got into the cockpit. 
“...Hugo,” I said, impressed. 
“Right now, I am but a knight fighting for a lady’s tears,” he told me. “You are not a Paladin of the Kingdom of Altar, either. Am I correct, fellow knight?” 
“...Yeah,” I nodded. 
Yet again, he’d donned that aura straight out of a young girls’ manga or a Takarazuka performance and spoken as if he were a character from a play. Despite how ridiculous it seemed, I couldn’t help but agree with what he’d said. 
The Kingdom and the Imperium had been at war once. There was a ceasefire going on right now, but it was rumored that it was going to get heated again within the next few months. The countries we served were true enemies. 
However, as we were right now, that didn’t matter to us. It was also completely irrelevant to the girl who’d cried for her brother and the boy we were going to save. 
Our standings had absolutely no connection to what we had to do. When we’d taken this quest, we had been acting as our own individual human beings. 
“Shall we go?” he asked from his cockpit. 
“We shall,” I answered and jumped on the hand of the Magingear he was piloting. The other hand was already occupied by Cyco. 
With both its hands full, Hugo’s Magingear stood up. 
“Demi-Dragon-tier Magingear, Marshall II... Sortie!” 
And so, the Marshall II began dashing towards our goal — the other side of the mountain. 
 
Magingear. That was the abbreviation of “Magic and Gear” — a term used to describe the imperium’s main type of weapon. 
As I sat on this weapon’s right hand, all the shaking caused by its running made me think of something. 
The first Embryo I’d seen after beginning to play Infinite Dendrogram had been my brother’s Baldr. That was a technological weapon, too, but since it was an Embryo — something that was unique to each Master — it wasn’t quite the same as something made by technology. 
The Magingear, however, were weapons born from Dryfe Imperium’s scientific prowess — a part of the world’s setting. 
As far as I was aware, the imperium was the only country in Infinite Dendrogram that excelled in technology and science. That fact made me curious as to why the other countries didn’t follow its footsteps. 
Technological innovation was something that would normally spread like wildfire. The imperium had been a technological nation for more than a hundred years. Reason suggested that their knowledge should’ve spread to other countries by now. 
When you looked at it as a game, it was probably safe to say that the reason was that the developers wanted to keep each country unique. However, Infinite Dendrogram’s setting was detailed enough to incorporate the basic function of logging in and out. That made me think that the technological gap between the nations wasn’t without a world-building reason, too. 
So, as we made our way to the hideout of the Gouz-Maise Gang, I asked Hugo about it. “What do you think?” 
“Heh,” he grinned. “To know the answer to that, you have to know about a certain civilization.” 
“Civilization?” I repeated. 
“Yes,” said Hugo. “It’s called either the ‘lost’ or the ‘ancient’ civilization.” 
...That name seems familiar, I thought. Oh, right. Silver — the horse I pulled from the gacha — had “ancient civilization” in his description. 
“That civilization existed a few thousand years ago,” Hugo continued. 
According to Hugo, the ancient civilization had been highly advanced in terms of technology. It was similar to the imperium in that regard, but their technology had been superior to anything Dryfe had now. 
However, the civilization perished, leaving behind only a few machines and texts that archeologists stumbled upon every now and then. 
“You’re gonna have to tell me more than that,” I said. 
“There are theories that the grand civilization disappeared because their technological advancement made the people too arrogant, and therefore it incurred some divine wrath,” he explained. “According to the legends, a god and his thirteen servants went around destroying every civilization that existed back then. Every country besides Dryfe and Granvaloa believes that legend, so the people choose not to make any scientific and technological advancements.” 
I see, I thought. So they’re actively avoiding technology because they’re afraid of divine punishment. Hm...? Dryfe and Granvaloa? 
“That doesn’t apply to those two countries, then?” I asked. “And wait, Granvaloa is scientifically advanced?” 
“Well...” he said and pondered. “You might say that Granvaloa has science and you might say that it doesn’t.” 
How am I supposed to process that? 
“First, let me tell you about Dryfe,” he said. “Dryfe has always presented itself as the true successors of the ancient civilization and thus didn’t shy away from technology and science. However, all their attempts to recreate the technology of the ancient times have failed, so they had to compromise for machines such as the Magingear, which only functioned by using people’s magic. 
“People’s magic?” I asked. 
“Yes, they can only move at the cost of MP. Right now, my Marshall II uses 1MP per minute. In battle, it would be 1MP per second. There are differences in extent, but this is how every Dryfe machine works.” 
MP per second, eh? Reminds me of my Reversal, I thought. 
Anyway, a certain thing made sense now. That was the reason why Hugo’s jobs — Pilot, Mechanic, and High Pilot — were so focused on MP growth. 
“So the machines of the past were different?” I asked. 
“Many of the ones that have been excavated had generators installed in them,” he answered. “They provided the machines with all the magic they needed to operate, and as far as I’m aware, they’re a technology lost to the modern world.” 
Interesting, I thought. I wonder where Silver stands in all of this. 
“Can you expand on Granvaloa?” I asked. “I didn’t know that they had machine technology.” All I knew about it was that it was a country on the sea, so I had always imagined it functioned with sail-based ships, like the ones in the Age of Discovery. 
“Heh. That country is less about machine technology and more about ship-building technology,” said Hugo. “For example, steamships aren’t uncommon among their people, but there are no automobiles to speak of. In a sense, Granvaloa is more unbalanced than Dryfe. After all, though their magic technology is behind that of most countries, their magic ships are unmatched.” 
“So that’s how it is,” I nodded. Though it was limited to shipbuilding, the maritime nation excelled in both magic and technology. 
Yeah, it’s safe to call it unbalanced, I thought. 
“Also,” added Hugo. “Since they’re the only ones salvaging things from underwater ruins, not even Dryfe knows what they really have.” 
Well, that sure piqued my interest. I should go there someday. 
“Hmm... Hugo,” Nemesis spoke up. “Did you get the knowledge about this civilization from the world’s official description?” 
“No,” he answered. “I’ve been told about it by archeologist tians and some trivia-crazed acquaintances who’ve explored ruins all over the world. The clan I belong to has many people with strange hobbies.” 
“Your clan?” I asked. 
“Yes,” Hugo nodded. “It’s one of the bigger clans in Dryfe, so there are quite a lot of us. If you ever switch to serving the imperium, I’ll help you join.” 
“Ha ha ha,” I laughed. “I don’t see that happening.” 
“Heh. I think that depends on the results of the upcoming war.” 
He wasn’t wrong. That could easily happen if the imperium came out on top and the kingdom became its domain. 
“Though it’s not impossible that the results lead to me joining your clan,” he added. 
“My own clan, huh?” I said. “I actually don’t have one yet.” 
“Then you should find one that has people you get along with and join it. It’ll give you more things to do in this world. You can also make one yourself, if you like.” 
“I’ll think about it... Oh?” I said, startled. 
As we made our way through the forest, the Magingear had lowered its engine’s output and reduced its noise to a minimum. 
“Looks like we’re here,” said Hugo. 
A few moments later, we came close to the forest’s edge. 
“I see it,” Cyco said. 
I looked through the spaces between the trees. 
Outside the forest was a large building — a stone fortress. With its walls covered in ivy, it stood in the middle of a forest clearing that extended for at least a few hundred meters in every direction. 
It was easy to tell that it had been built a long time ago, eventually been abandoned, and was now being used as the bandits’ hideout. 
“It’s just like it was shown on the map,” said Hugo. “That’s the place, no doubt about it. There’re even some guards there.” 
He was right — I could see some bandits standing on the fortress’ walls. However, the boredom in their mannerisms and the occasional yawns made it obvious that they weren’t too serious about their job. At the very least, they still hadn’t noticed us hiding in the forest. 
I had my worries about the possibility of them seeing Magingear, but that didn’t seem to be necessary. The trees in the forest were tall enough to hide it without any problem. The dark green coating probably worked as a good camouflage, too. 
“What now?” asked Nemesis. “Shall we all charge at it?” 
“Don’t be stupid,” I said. “It’ll all be over if they start using the kidnapped children as hostages.” 
Then again, that was going to happen in any scenario where we made an attempt to fight the bandits and do the rescuing. However, since we didn’t know the inner structure of the fortress, sneaking in without getting spotted would be difficult. Also, no matter how negligent the guards were, they’d quickly notice us if we showed ourselves in this wide open space. 
“...I happen to have an idea on how to go about this,” said Hugo. 
“An idea?” I asked. 
The Magingear he was driving nodded in a highly convincing manner and pointed at itself. 
“Everyone in this world knows that this weapon belongs to Dryfe,” he said. That was the reason why we got here through a route on which no one could see us. 
“Again, this is a weapon belonging to Dryfe,” he continued. “The same Dryfe that has absolutely no reason to save the kingdom’s children.” 
“Hm...? Ah!” I finally realized what he meant. “If I attack the fortress, they will likely think that it has nothing to do with the kidnappings. After all, there’s no reason for a man of the imperium to come rescue the children of an enemy nation. That will prevent the bandits from using them as hostages. They will probably believe that I wouldn’t discriminate and kill any children they brought out, and that would be unfavorable for them because less children means less ransom money.” 
So, Hugo’s true affiliation is actually gonna be useful to us, huh? I thought. 
“They won’t be able to use the children as hostages,” he continued. “And they certainly won’t just sit and do nothing while I attack the fortress. They will surely come to face me. And while they’re busy with me, you can sneak into the building and rescue the kidnapped children. That’s the plan I have in mind, anyway.” 
“Sounds good,” I nodded. “Are you sure you’ll be okay, though? Being a distraction isn’t easy.” 
“A Marshall II has a strong frame,” said Hugo. “It won’t go down easily. Also, I have Cyco with me.” 
“Yep,” she nodded. “What do we do?” 
“You use Enemy Detect,” Hugo said. “Also, ready some Smoke Dischargers to make a smokescreen for us to hide in while we lower their numbers.” 
“Oui, umm... monsieur.” 
“You can use the smoke to close in on the fortress,” Hugo added, turning to me. “Save the children, and stay out of sight.” 
“All right,” I nodded. 
“Understood!” Nemesis declared. “This is nothing Ray and I can’t do!” 
“It will probably be a battle against time,” Hugo added. “You will need to be both fast and precise.” 
“I know,” I nodded again. A battle against time while trying to save children. It was going to be much like my first quest, when I’d had to save Milianne. 
However, back then, I’d had Liliana and — most of all — my brother with me. Without him, I couldn’t have made my way to where Milianne was, and if he hadn’t kept the Demi-Dragon Worms busy, the situation would’ve gotten much worse. 
Also, that had been a difficulty level 5 quest. The quest we were doing right now was a difficulty level 8. I had no idea what kind of monsters I would have to face, and I didn’t have the people I’d relied on back when I’d saved Milianne. 
Still, this time, I had Hugo and Cyco with me. I was stronger, as well, and Nemesis was more reliable than ever. I didn’t know how far that would get me, but... 
“...Backing out isn’t really an option when the lives of children are on the line.” 
“Hm?” Hugo asked. 

Wait, did I say that out loud? I thought. Hugo had apparently heard what I’d said and stared at me with the Magingear’s head camera. 
“What?” I asked. 
Well, I kinda understood what he wanted to say. He probably thought I was getting a bit too serious about Infinite Dendrogram, which — from beginning to the end — was nothing but a game. However, game or not, having children die on me left a bad taste in my mouth. 
Hugo stayed silent. He looked at me through the camera while thinking about something. 
“If you’ve got something to say, just say it,” I said. 
“...All right.” Hugo finally spoke up. His words were far from what I’d expected. “It’s nothing much... I just realized that you, too, are a real Maiden’s Master.” 
“Hm?” I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t see what he meant by that. I wasn’t aware of any relationship between what I’d said and the fact that I was the Master of Nemesis, a Type Maiden. 
“Do you know what Masters of Type Maiden Embryos have in common?” he asked. 
“They have something in common?” I asked back. 
“Yes. A Master I know told me that such Masters have a certain common feature.” 
I had yet to meet a single other Maiden’s Master, but I was mildly surprised to hear that we all had a similarity. “Which is...?” 
“They don’t feel Infinite Dendrogram is a mere game.” 
...What? 
“That’s stupid,” I said. “I’m well aware that we’re in a game here.” 
I had no grand delusions about being in an old light novel type of scenario in which the game I’d started playing was actually a real other world. Infinite Dendrogram was a game, and I wouldn’t argue against that. 
“The Master I mentioned said the same thing,” said Hugo. “However, somewhere deep inside, they don’t believe that to be true. And that’s why...” He fell silent. 
“Why... what?” I asked. 
“It’s nothing. Never mind. Sorry for saying something weird right when we’re about to attack the fortress. I got a bit derailed.” 
Damn it, don’t leave me hanging after getting my attention like that! I thought. 
“Oh, by the way,” he spoke up again. “The enemies might be tians, but killing them doesn’t count as a crime when they’re criminals or if you’re just defending yourself. Keep that in mind.” 
“Yeah... I will,” I nodded. 
After that, Hugo fell silent once again. 
I’m still wondering what he was going to say, though, I thought. 
“Master,” Nemesis spoke to me telepathically. 
What? 
“Do you know what he was about to say?” she asked. 
No, I don’t. You don’t either, right? 
“I wouldn’t say so. But if you say you don’t know, it might be best for you if things stay that way.” 
“Hm?” I raised an eyebrow. What do you mean by that? 
“Ray!” yelled Hugo in surprise. “Look over there!” Cutting short my conversation with Nemesis, his Magingear pointed at the fortress. I looked in that direction and saw that its gates were slowly opening. 
“Look there,” said Cyco. “A carriage is coming.” I shifted my gaze to where she was pointing and saw a mountain road leading through an opening in the forest surrounding the fortress. 
On it, there were several carriages moving towards the bandit hideout. 
“Did they kidnap more children?” I asked. 
“Seems like it,” said Hugo. 
“They’re saying something,” Cyco muttered. She placed her hands on her ears, closed her eyes, and focused her hearing. “‘When we’re back in the fortress’... ‘we’ll kill him’... ‘our buddies’... ‘got caught’... ‘revenge’... ‘we’re killing’... ‘the brat.’” 
“Crap!” A realization made me mutter my frustration. 
“Wait, do they mean...?!” Hugo seemed to have realized it, too. 
They were talking about the five underlings we’d beaten, caught, and handed over to the guards. 
“It seems there were more than those five,” Hugo muttered. “They’ve noticed what we did back there.” 
And if that was the case, then the first child they were going to kill when they reached the fortress was the very same one we had to save. 
“It seems like time is short.” Hugo made the Magingear go from a kneeling position to standing upright. “I’ll attack the ones at the carriages. That should make the ones in the fortress come out and help them. When that happens, I’ll create a smokescreen you can use to get in undetected. Cyco, you support me.” 
“All right!” I nodded. 
“Understood!” said Nemesis in her sword form. 
“Yes, sir!” Cyco snapped to attention. 
As soon as he confirmed that everyone was fine with his plan, Hugo made his Magingear jump out of the forest and charge at the bandits. 
This time, he wasn’t running like when we had traversed the forest. Instead, he used the wheels installed in its legs to do a rolling dash that made him the fastest I’ve seen yet. Not slowing down, he took out a gun that was mounted on the robot’s pelvic area and began firing at the front of the group of carriages. 
A single attack was enough to make the horses drawing the first carriage burst, while the resulting shockwave blew the coachman away and made the carriage fall to its side. 
The sudden disaster made the carriages trailing behind it stop, and the Magingear — not letting the opportunity go to waste — began firing at and instantly killing the bandits surrounding them. 
“Hm?” The sight actually made me feel strangely uncomfortable. Nemesis seemed to notice my reaction, but chose not to say anything. 
After a number of bandits had been killed by Hugo’s preemptive attacks, they finally began retaliating and fighting back. However, they weren’t coordinated in any sense of the word, attacking independently with the methods each of them were familiar with. Some used swords, fists, and axes, while others took the ranged approach with bows and arrows. 
Reason stated that such things would be able to do nothing against the Magingear — which was as tough as a tank — but we were in Infinite Dendrogram. The bandits likely had low-rank battle-oriented jobs. Due to that, their stats would be higher than those of normal people, allowing their attacks to occasionally break and pierce through the Magingear’s armor. 
“Hghh!” Hugo exclaimed as his Marshall II showed no sign of stopping. He used the robot’s army knife to cut down anyone who got too close. 
Well, the term “knife” was only appropriate when compared to the Magingear. It was equivalent to a longsword for any bandit and it had absolutely no trouble slicing through their armor and splitting their torsos. 
Hugo used the gun to shoot down anyone attacking him from a distance. The bullets were equivalent to cannon shots, and they made the bow-wielding bandits burst and scatter in all directions. 
Though the bandits greatly outnumbered him, Hugo was far stronger than all of them combined. The sight made me recall the way Marilyn — Rook’s Demi-Dragon — had gone rampaging within the army of Goblins. The robot was probably as powerful as she was. When he’d gotten in, Hugo had called it a “Demi-Dragon-Rank Magingear,” and it was clear that the description was appropriate. 
Hugo was also highly skilled at controlling it, and from what he’d told me on the way here, the Piloting skill he had from being in the Pilot job grouping greatly increased the stats of the machines he rode. As a result of all of that, he had an upper hand in this battle despite the bandits greatly outnumbering him. 
“But his advantage isn’t absolute,” I muttered. 
Though the bandits were dying one after the other, some of their attacks were landing on the Magingear. Little by little, the damage done by them was piling up and becoming obvious. 
“Flaw,” Cyco said from beside me. Then she told me about the robot’s greatest disadvantage. 
“Magingears can’t be healed,” she said. “They need to be stored and fixed.” 
“I see.” I nodded. 
Though fueled by magic, the Magingears were machines. Healing magic and medicine didn’t work on them like they worked on people and monsters. Due to the constantly falling HP and the per-second MP cost, these iron giants could only fight for a limited amount of time. 
And yet, for the sake of saving the children, Hugo played his part in the plan by facing the bandits head-on and distracting them. 
“That’s why we have to do our best, too,” said Cyco. 
“Of course,” I agreed. 
All at once, several dozens of bandits ran out of the fortress. They went to help their endangered comrades by joining their battle against the Magingear, but that came at the cost of reducing their numbers at the hideout. 
“Now,” Cyco said. 
At about the same time... 
...the Magingear covered the area in can-like objects it had kept around its waist. After rolling on the ground a bit, they began spinning around while intensely releasing great amounts of white smoke. 
“Smoke Dischargers, released,” said Cyco. “We can go now.” 
She disappeared from my side. Not only that, she disappeared from the party window, as well. Whether that mattered or not, she’d probably gone to assist Hugo. 
“We’re going too, Nemesis!” I said. 
“Understood!” she agreed. 
As the white smoke covered the surroundings, I tightened my grip on Nemesis in her sword form and ran towards the fortress. 
I had to make good use of the opportunity Hugo had given me. 
This was all to free the children and make sure they survived. 
Letting the smoke shroud me, I broke into the fortress. 
 
We’d saved Rebecca from her predicament in that back alley and instantly begun making our way to the hideout of the Gouz-Maise Gang for the sake of saving her little brother. That was why — by the time I broke into the fortress — I was grossly uninformed about what kind of group the Gouz-Maise Gang was. All I knew about them was that they were a bunch of scumbags who kidnapped and killed children. 
I was far too clueless. 
However, even if I’d known the kinds of things they actually did, it wouldn’t have changed anything. 
All that mattered was whether I was too late or not. 
 
The smoke from the Smoke Dischargers used by Hugo’s Magingear permeated even the interior of the fortress, allowing me to go through the entrance and reach the building’s inner passages without being detected. 
Despite the thick smoke overwhelming the rooms and hallways here, I didn’t have any problem seeing which way was which. In fact, I could see right through it by merely straining my eyes a bit. I could only assume that it was made to not affect the vision of the user’s — Hugo’s — party members. I had no idea how that worked, though. 
“Well, we’re inside,” said Nemesis. “But we don’t know the structure of this place.” 
Since we had to be sneaky while moving through these hallways, Nemesis and I were talking to each other telepathically. 
Every now and then, we passed by some bandits running to fight Hugo, but it was clear that they couldn’t see us due to the smoke. 
“Master, where do you think we can find the children?” she asked. 
Either windowless rooms on the second floor or higher, or somewhere below. 
“Why do you think that?” 
The chances of them escaping would be higher if they were kept in the first floor, and I saw ivy growing on the walls around the windows of the upper floors. They could use that to go down and get out. By simple process of elimination, it’s safe to guess that they’re either below or above. 
“Then they’re probably underground,” she said. “It’s standard for kidnapping scoundrels to keep children locked up in the dungeon.” 
I didn’t know if I could be as sure as her. However, the possibility was there, so I had no reason not to test it. 
As those thoughts ran through my head, I came across a split in the hallway. There were three ways to go — forward, left, and right. A short distance up the right path, I saw a flight of stairs leading down — basically beckoning us in. 
I chose to follow the call and went down underground. 
“Ugh!” The moment I put my foot on the first stair, a strange stench came from the bottom and attacked my nose. It was a vile, yet familiar smell that I couldn’t remember — or perhaps didn’t want to. However, I couldn’t back away just because of it, so I gathered my resolve and went further down. 
The stairs, floor, walls, and ceiling were all made from stone, exactly as you’d expect. The ceiling was two times higher than my full height, while the distance between the walls was even greater than that. 
I won’t have any problems swinging Nemesis in here, I thought. 
I also couldn’t help but notice the unique humidity permeating the air and the dark green moss growing on the ceiling and the walls. 
“How gloomy,” commented Nemesis. 
It’s a dungeon, after all, I told her. Also, this moss and humidity is a clear sign that there’s underground water leaking in from somewhere. 
“Well, it’s an abandoned fortress, after all.” 
Staying here for prolonged periods of time can’t be good for the children’s health. 
“If the scoundrels cared about the little ones’ health, they wouldn’t be kidnapping or killing them.” 
...True that. 
A single look at the underlings we’d beaten in the back alley or the ones around the carriages was enough to know that they didn’t care for the children’s lives whatsoever. Just remembering their words and behavior made me sick. 
“Gh...” 
“Do you feel it, Master?” asked Nemesis. She didn’t say what she meant by “it.” However, I knew without her having to put it into words. 
“It started when I began going down the stairs,” I said with my mouth. I finally recalled where I last breathed this stench. 
There was no need to speak telepathically anymore. Hiding was unnecessary... 
...because something at the other end of the hallway had already noticed us. 
“There’s something there...” said Nemesis. 
“Yeah,” I nodded. 
I was being assaulted by multiple smells. The smell of the wafting humidity, the stuffy air, and the moss covering the walls mixed with the stench of blood and rotten meat. I was familiar with this smell because it had been all around me during my night in the Tomb Labyrinth. There was no way I could mistake it. 
“Uuuaaaagghhh...” A groan reached my ears. It was followed by the rattling of bones. The sounds completed the imagery and made me all the more certain that the smell was that of the “undead.” 
Wounded Zombies were groaning as they closed in on me. Their decaying flesh clung to their bones, vile juices leaking from pustules and boils. The Civilian Skeletons closed the distance between us, their teeth rattling as they shambled ahead. 
The sight robbed me of words. That reaction might’ve been unwarranted, given that I had already faced undead monsters in the Tomb Labyrinth, but there was an important difference between the Zombies and Skeletons there and the ones before me. 
It wasn’t the number of them. Sure, there were several dozens of them, but the difference I had in mind was far more important. 
It wasn’t their physical might, either. A single look was enough to tell that these undead were significantly weaker than the ones in the Tomb Labyrinth. 
The great difference I had in mind was that they were all the result of someone’s death. 
“...F-Fuck off.” 
I didn’t know who I was talking to — probably the vile reality that had allowed the sight to happen — but those words were the first to escape my lips before I began repeating them in my head. 
“How horrid...” Nemesis broke in. 
I closed my mouth, rage overcoming me in the form of a dull grind of tooth against tooth, while Nemesis — despite having a phobia of the dead — showed far more pity than fear. 
The undead horde was composed of very small skeletons. I was about two times taller than any of them. 
They were numerous enough to cover the whole hallway. 
Nobody had to say it. I knew exactly who they had been before they were... this. 
“I’m gonna be sick...” 
The tiny undead closed in on us, extending their little arms. Grasping worn-out weapons, they slowly charged at us — the intruders. 
I’d seen similar things in the Tomb Labyrinth, but undead that were made from the corpses of people were far too different from those that were created as undead to begin with. Just looking at them was enough to fill me with emotions that I could hardly bear. 
“It appears that the bandits have someone who can use necromancy among them,” said Nemesis. “They’ve repurposed the children they killed.” 
“Are you okay, Nemesis?” I asked. 
“Ha!” she laughed with no humor in her tone. “My fear is irrelevant right now. How could they do this to children?” 
“I feel the same,” I said. 
With my eyes fixed on the undead horde, I couldn’t help but wonder whether it was possible to save them. But I already knew the answer to that. The children were lost. 
If there was a way to bring people back from the dead, this war-ravaged country would’ve done it ages ago. That meant that it either didn’t exist or it was a method that even the kingdom couldn’t do. As things were, I simply couldn’t save them. 
“Tell me, Nemesis,” I spoke up. 
“What is it?” she asked. 
“What happens to the undead when they die?” 
The undead in the Tomb Labyrinth — a created dungeon — weren’t actual corpses, but mere creations. However, though they had the same names as the monsters back there, these Wounded Zombies and Civilian Skeletons before me had once been living beings. That made me wonder about what would become of their souls. 
“I do not know,” said Nemesis with a regretful tone. “Some are being used as nothing but empty corpses, while others still have their souls trapped in the bodies. I am not one to know what would happen to them when the vessels are destroyed.” 
“I see...” 
“However, I believe it’s best to end their painful existence as undead,” she added. 
“...Yeah.” 
The distance between me and the undead children became a mere five meters. 
The dimly-shining lights on the walls lit up the faces of the zombies and made me painfully aware that some of them had traces of facial features from when they had been alive. 
I tightly closed my eyes and stayed like that for a few seconds. Then I opened them and directed the back of my left hand at the undead children. 
“I’m sorry.” 
I made my left Miasmaflame Bracer burn them all with a stream of Purgatorial Flames. Their thin bones, decaying flesh, and what little hair they had left were embraced by the intense blaze and quickly burned away. It only took a moment for them to lose their HP and continue burning as actual corpses, rather than undead monstrosities. 
A black smoke shrouded the hallway before beginning to follow the ceiling up the stairs and mix with the white smokescreen. 
I ended the flow of fire, making them stop burning, and leave behind nothing but cremated remains.

[Successfully eliminated over 100 monsters that fit the condition “Undead of the appropriate total level”] 
[Due to fulfilling the job condition, “Paladin” and the elimination total condition, “Eliminate 100 appropriate monsters,” the skill “Purifying Silverlight” has been acquired] 

A message told me that I’d learned a new skill, but I felt no joy from the news. My heart was bogged down. 
I stood silently. I slowly put my hands together. Like I would do while standing before a grave, I prayed for their happiness in the next world. 
All of a sudden, an airflow created by the heat made a gust of wind pass through this underground hallway. 
“T h a n k y o u.” 
As the wind blew by, those words entered my ears. 
But I was certain it was just wishful thinking on my part. It was an illusion born out of my wish that their souls were saved. 
“Master,” Nemesis called out to me. 
“Is this it, Nemesis?” I asked while placing my hand on my chest and trying to bear the heaviness of the situation. “Is this... Is this the feeling Hugo was going to mention back then?” 
“...Yes,” she said. “If, somewhere deep inside, Maiden’s Masters don’t believe this world to be just a game... If you acknowledge this world’s lives to be just as real as those of your world...” 
I was silent. 
“...then the weight of the lives you shoulder in Infinite Dendrogram is much too real for you.” 
“Too real, huh?” I asked. The harsh reality of the heaviness of life. “You’re probably right...” 
This world was so realistic that it was hard to tell it apart from reality. Somewhere deep inside, I even believed that the tians living here actually had minds and souls. Even if my head told me that it was all just a game, I wasn’t able to shake that feeling. That was why seeing tians die to Gardranda had left such a bad taste in my mouth. It was also the reason why I’d gone all out to protect Milianne from such an ending. 
This case was no different. Except now, all I had before me were a bunch of people who had reached such sad conclusions. 
I didn’t know the courses of their lives. I had no idea how they’d ended up like this. They had been nowhere near me, so there was no way for me to know. However, the way they’d ended was just far too cruel for me to disregard it as your everyday tragedy, and the feelings overwhelming my heart were too powerful to ignore. 
An aftertaste so bad that it seemed to burn my throat now permeated my chest, mixing with great amounts of sadness and anger. 
“In this world — where lives are lost far more easily than in yours — this disposition you have might bring you great pain,” said Nemesis. 
“...That’s true,” I said weakly. I was actually on the verge of crying. It was so bad that a part of me wanted to throw it all away. 
I probably wasn’t the first to feel this way. Many of those who shared my nature probably couldn’t stand to experience this overwhelming pain of loss more than once and instead chose to never touch Infinite Dendrogram again. A side of me was actually urging me to do the same. 
“However, I... Not yet.” I was still unbroken. 
I still had to save the rest of the children. I still had a promise to fulfill. 
And most of all, I still had to make sure that the shithead who’d created this sight got what was coming to him. I had to make him pay. 
I shifted my gaze to the children — now nothing but dust. 
Hidden under their remains was a piece of metal that had something written on it in Infinite Dendrogram’s common language. 
It said “Maise’s Utility Child Civilian Skeleton, Specimen No. 87.” 
It was a tag. That was all that child had been to the one who’d put it on. 
The words and the number on it made me all the more aware that this enemy of mine was beyond redemption. Whether this was a game or not, I simply couldn’t let him be. 
“Let’s go, Nemesis,” I said. “We’re bound to find him at the end of this hallway.” 
“Understood!” 
And so, we began walking forward. 
 
One of the two leaders of the Gouz-Maise Gang — Lich Maise. 
“Hm?” I said. A drop in my Minion Capacity count made me aware that some of the undead under my command had vanished. 
To be more specific, the dead units had just been the trash I’d made to kill some time. I’d left those little things in the underground hallway to act as sentries. 
They were weak, so their only use had been as alarms. I had gotten worried about nothing. I’d thought I might’ve lost something of actual value. 
It did catch me by surprise, however. I’d been aware that some intruder was causing a ruckus on the surface, but I’d had no idea that there was someone underground, as well. 
“Gouz.” I used a magic item that kept me in contact with the surface. 
“Yeah?” he asked. 
“How are things up there?” I asked. 
“I give it five or six more minutes,” Gouz answered. “It should all be over by then.” 
“In that case, when our underlings are all dead, move in to crush the intruder,” I said. “I’ll take care of the rat here in the dungeon. Once it’s dealt with, we’re moving.” 
“Gotcha,” he said. “Oh yeah, it looks like this’ll get me lots of packed lunches, so take some extra inventories for me, will ya?” 
“Of course.” I had some empty inventories meant for corpse retrieval somewhere around here. I intended to take everything with me along with the inventory containing my ultimate treasure and ritual. 
“Once you’re done with the intruder, wait in front of the gate,” I said. 
“Sure,” Gouz said. 
I cut the connection. 
That’s the surface taken care of, I thought. Though our underlings were all weaklings still sitting on their first low-rank jobs, having faced all of them and surviving was no simple task. It meant that the intruder was quite tough. However, Gouz was on another level. 
He’d reached the maximum level, had a high-rank job, and — when it came to the entire gladiator job grouping — he was surely among the top five in this country. If Figaro hadn’t existed, it wouldn’t have been strange for Gouz to have taken the seat of the Over Gladiator. 
I, too, was at the maximum level. Not only that, but I was at this country’s pinnacle when it came to necromancy, and had a Superior Job within arms’ reach. I didn’t know how powerful the intruders were, but as long as they weren’t Superiors and didn’t have Superior Jobs, there was nothing for us to fear. 
However, something about them was highly curious. 
“Just what is their business here?” I muttered. They should’ve been well aware by now that trying to eliminate us was not worth the effort. 
Are they interested in our treasure? I thought. Even when the amount I sent to Caldina was considered, the money we had with us was great. If someone wanted to get rich quick, taking it would be a perfectly viable method. 
However, if they were actually planning to delve into such daredevilry, it told me everything I needed to know about them. 
“Well, now... I believe it is time to prepare a welcome to my inhuman intruder.”