Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 22 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Man Who Shouldn’t Be Here

Reality, Kurosaki Household

“Your temperature’s 38.5... You’ve got a cold,” Juri’s mother said, giving her a worried look as she checked her temperature.

Juri Kurosaki coughed. It seemed she’d caught a cold right before the final day of The Tournaments.

There seemed to be a minor, out-of-season epidemic in the area. Juri’s classmate, Licorice Saionji, had also missed school due to this illness, and now she’d caught it too.

“I’ll call the school and tell them you’re not coming in today. Miss Natsume too. You can’t be tutored like this,” her mother said.

“O-Okay.”

“Are you feeling all right? Should I take the day off to look after you?”

“I-I’ll be fine by myself...! You should just head to work and not worry about me!”

“Really...? I’ll make you an ice pillow, at least. And some porridge too—you can warm it up for yourself later.”

With those words, Juri’s mother left the room.

Listening to her footsteps, Juri let out a sigh.

“A cold...” She had felt like her head was strangely heavy last night, but it had gotten so much worse since then.

“And we’re supposed to have pudding at lunch today...” While she could have pudding at home too, Juri felt that there was something special and different about the taste of school lunch pudding, so she was a bit sad she wouldn’t get it.

Regardless...this was now a day off.

Juri looked at the headgear next to her bed.

It made her think of her friend who’d logged in despite having a cold, forcing her servants to drag her out.

“I shouldn’t play a game when I’m too sick for school... But...” Juri’s desire to enjoy the event was at war with her own conscience.

And ultimately...

◇◆◇

Gideon, City of Duels, Eighth District

After her mother did a couple things for her and headed off to work, Juri caved and put on the headgear. She did feel some guilt, but it did not stop her, and her conscience had lost the battle.

Guess I logged in after all... Juliet thought. Weird... I had a headache, but I’m not feeling anything now.

Just like her sleepiness, all the malaise from her illness seemed to have vanished. Unlike Juri, Juliet was the picture of health.

There were several icons advising her about her condition in real life, but there was a setting to hide them, so they didn’t bother her much.

Juliet wasn’t aware of it, but that setting was commonly used by the Masters from The Lunar Society. Given their circumstances, playing without it would be quite inconvenient.

What do I do now...? Juliet wondered. She didn’t actually have any plans. Since it was the final day, the event was at its peak—but assuming that she’d be at school during the actual Tournament on that day, she hadn’t bought a ticket. And knowing the demand, she thought even the scalpers must have been sold out by now.

Maybe I should join Max and take a look at the auction...? she thought, when...

“Huh? Julie?! Why’re you logged in at this hour?”

...she heard her friend Chelsea calling out to her with a face full of surprise.

“I caught a cold... No school for me today.”

“You know you’re bein’ no better than Shion, right?” said Chelsea, casually taking a shot at Shion.

“Ngh... But I...”

“Ugh... Are you at least warm back in the real world?”

“I took some medicine, got an ice pillow, and logged in after covering myself up.”

“Well, I guess a little bit of Dendro should be fine, then. But log out the moment you get a notif that you’re gettin’ worse, got it?”

“Okay...!”

After that exchange where she sounded like Juliet’s mother or older sister, Chelsea seemed to just move on.

“What about you? Why are you here?” Juliet asked.

“I was thinkin’ of borrowing Ray’s arena again, but it just hit me that he’s in college too.”

“Oh...”

“And? Do you got any plans?”

“I thought I wouldn’t get to see the matches, so I didn’t buy any tickets...”

“Same here.”

“Huh? You too?”

“It’s the final day. There’s gonna be lots of videos on the internet anyway. For now, let’s go check out that auction Max went to. We can rent an arena after that. Ray’s not here to let us use his, but there should be another one free today.”

“Okay.” The two then took off toward the hustle and bustle of the Fourth District.

◇◇◇

Gideon, City of Duels, Fourth District

The Fourth District was always a lively place full of bazaars and shops, but because of The Tournaments and the people they’d attracted from all over, there was even more excitement here than usual.

One major reason for that was the auction being held on the final day.

Many merchants had brought in some of their most impressive, valuable items, and the best of them were being separated into auctions based on their categories. Even the tickets and catalogs for the auctions were quite costly—you had to be very wealthy to even participate.

For Masters who made it to the ranks, though, it wasn’t all that much—and this included the duelist, Great Genocide Max.

“Is this enough?” Waiting on the weapon auction, she worriedly counted the money she had. She could easily cover the participation cost, but she wasn’t sure if she had enough for the specific item she wanted to buy.

The weapon she was after was among the greatest in the entire selection—one of Tenchi’s Hundred Famed Blades.

Its name was “Sekiun”—the “Cumulus Cloud.” Barring MVP rewards that were adjusted to suit the specific player they were awarded to, it was probably the weapon that suited Max’s combat style more than any other.

If I’m ever gonna fight Jubei again, I gotta get somethin’ better, she thought. In a recent event, Max had indeed fought another battle against Jubei. She’d given her all and ended up getting close enough to Jubei to tear out her eye with her fingers.

Having used that opportunity to score a touch on her rival, Max now wanted something that would enable her to actually defeat her—a technique, a Superior Job, an MVP reward, or an Embryo evolution.

Sekiun was one of the things that had come to mind.

I could scrape up about fifty million lir...but that’s not that much, she thought. That was far below the market price for one of the Hundred Famed Blades. While Sekiun was quite difficult to use effectively, it was hard to imagine that absolutely no one would outbid her for such a masterwork. If some wealthy merchant wanted it for collection or speculation, Max would stand no chance, and looking around, she saw many such bidders here.

You could tell by her face that she thought her chances were low, and yet she still waited for Sekiun to come up for auction...and that was when she heard a conversation.

“What about this one? A knight sword that uses mana to increase your STR by 50% for 30 seconds.”

“Your STR is not that high, so I feel it would not have much of an effect. It’s far more suited to Brother Bear.”

“Apparently, weapons like this just break when he wields them...”

“I suppose that is a clear case of ‘too much of a good thing.’”

“Oh. This next greatsword looks—”

“No greatswords. No halberds, shields, pinwheels, or dual swords either. I will not tolerate cheating.”

“Your attitude is exactly why we can’t ever find anything useful, you know... Besides, I doubt we’ll even see a pinwheel here.”

It was an exchange between two of her acquaintances.

“What’re you two doing here?” Max asked.

“Oh. Max. Didn’t see you there.”

The people sitting behind her were none other than Ray and Nemesis. They’d been on quests together and had all participated in the recent event, so they definitely weren’t strangers at this point.

However, Ray had defeated Jubei, succeeding where Max still failed, so her feelings about him were a little conflicted.

“We were just wondering if they had any good weapons for ordinary situations. Everyday use and all that,” said Ray.

“The axe and the bracelet we got recently are far from ordinary,” Nemesis added. “Though, in a way, the latter is seeing plenty of ‘everyday use.’”

“KSHAAA!” A closer look revealed that there was a small demon girl—Gardranda—munching on Ray’s hair.

“That ain’t what I’m askin’,” Max said. “Last we sparred, you said you wouldn’t be on during the final day, ’cause of college.”

“Oh. That? I did go to class today, but the afternoon lectures were all canceled. Looks like there’s an out-of-season cold epidemic where I am.”

That had apparently allowed him to participate in the events of the final day. He was also planning to meet up with Marie and watch the Tournament later.

“And? What about you?” Ray asked. “Chelsea said you’re after something specific.”

“I am,” said Max as she showed him the catalog page for Sekiun.

Ray read it and instantly thought, Yeah. This is perfect for Max.

“I could allow a katana,” said Nemesis. “But this certainly does not suit you.”

“That’s true. Maybe if I used it with the axe...? No, you have to swing that to get any attack power out of it. I feel like the only ones who can make good use of this sword are Figaro, Max, and Jubei.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Max. As the three talked, Sekiun’s turn on the block came up.

“And here we have one of the Hundred Famed Blades from the far eastern lands—Sekiun! It has a rich history and is a beautiful work of art in its own right! We’re starting at ten million lir!” With those words from the auctioneer, the bidding war began, and the price quickly grew.

Many of the bidders weren’t swordsmen but mere merchants who only wanted it for its reputation as one of the Hundred Famed Blades.

“Ngh...!” The bidding wars leading up to this one had made the auction really competitive, and it didn’t take long for the price to go above the fifty million Max could afford.

“Max? Isn’t that the one you wanted? Aren’t you gonna bet?” Ray asked.

“...It’s already past my budget,” Max said, clearly disappointed.

“Should I lend you some money, then?” Ray asked.

“Ha... With the way it’s goin’, I don’t think ‘some’ would be enough...”

“You think five hundred mil wouldn’t do it?”

“Huh?!” Max’s eyes widened. That was ten times her own budget.

Ray ignored her reaction and handed her an Inventory full of high-value coins. It seemed to contain exactly as much as he’d said.

“You—! Wha—! Hey...!”

“Before coming here, I checked the results for yesterday’s Tournament. It turns out Grimms won, and he was the dark horse, so...”

“I cannot believe that you won such a careless and risky bet,” said Nemesis. “It is honestly quite ominous that you wagered on the winner every single day except the first one—and that was only because you missed your chance to bet. It makes me feel as though you will soon die once again.”

“Don’t say that. It’s creepy...”

Max felt that this gambler—this faux Paladin might’ve made more money from The Tournaments than anyone else. As a friend, she thought that she had to warn him that his financial senses were starting to get skewed, but instead, she silently looked at the Inventory with the five hundred million lir.

Borrowing that much would basically guarantee that she would win Sekiun. If she didn’t get it here, she would probably never see it again.

And Max had already saved up fifty million in a short time. Even if she went hundreds of millions into debt, she could pay Ray back in a reasonable amount of time.

“One hundred eighty million, going once! Any higher offers?” the auctioneer called as the bidding war reached a new peak of intensity.

“Nnnngh...!” Her conscience and lust for power spent a moment locked in battle—but in the end, she found herself shouting, “Two hundred million!”

After a heated war, the final, winning bid was 350 million...and Great Genocide Max was now three hundred million lir in debt.

◇◇◇

Sorcerer, Ray Starling

In the end, we left the auction without a worthwhile weapon.

There were some good ones that came up, but they were all greatswords and the like—categories Nemesis was strictly opposed to.

We did help Max get the item she wanted, though, so I still felt that going there was worth it. She was now about three hundred million in debt to me, but as a duelist in the rankings, she shouldn’t have much trouble paying it back. The ranker world was full of people like Shu, who’d once spent three billion on just a single battle.

Also, Max wanted to test her new katana, so I let her use our arena and gave her the key.

“I feel like that is far too much money to lend a friend,” said Nemesis. “Then again, it is certainly a better use of money than gambling. Without anyone to hold you back, you would spend everything you had betting on those duels.”

“Huh? I am about to do just that. I’m gonna put all my money on Figaro.” Silence. “He’s the clear favorite, so you gotta bet a lot to— Guh...!” My words were cut short by Nemesis’s fist sinking into my side.

“Gacha, duels, combat... What is your fascination with risky bets?!”

“You got it all wrong! This isn’t really gambling—Figaro is one of us! I just believe in him, that’s all!”

“Yet you did not bet on Fujinon. What would she think if she heard you say that?”

That was our conversation as we walked toward the Central Arena. There, we’d take a look at the people who made it through the prelims, set our bet, then watch the fights. Marie had reserved our clan a box for the whole ten days, so we didn’t have to worry about seats.

On the way there...

“There you go. Wow, you eat a lot.”

...we stopped and stared at something that we just couldn’t ignore.

The scene wasn’t all that special by itself—a man was just giving snacks and pets to a white dog.

The strange thing was the man’s appearance. He had black hair, a coat like the night sky, and kept one of his eyes closed.

That look was all too familiar to me. He was...

“...KoL. What are you doing here?”

King of Light, F—the pre-Superior who’d tried to cause an incident in Gideon and ended up fighting me because of it.

“Oh? Ray Starling,” he said. “It’s been a while... One moment.”

He gave the remaining jerky to the dog, patted it, and stood up with a disappointed look, as if he wanted to pet it longer.

The white dog grabbed the jerky in its mouth and ran off. It looked like it was shaking for some reason.

“Oh dear. There it goes,” F said.

“No, really, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, it just so happens that I’ve met that dog before, but I didn’t have any snacks for it back then. I’d been carrying some in my Inventory ever since, and I finally got my chance to give it some.”

“You like dogs?” I asked.

“I do. You?”

“We got a pug at my parents’ place.”

“Wonderful. There’s something uniquely adorable about pugs. Even the way they snore is charming.”

“I get what you mean.” Wait, what kind of conversation is this? I thought. I decided to change the subject. “Why are you in this city again, anyway? Don’t tell me you’re planning something funny for the event.”

“Perish the thought,” he said. “I’m simply gathering reference material. I don’t have to lift a finger to make The Tournaments worth watching, and this day should be especially diverting.”

“That so? Well, as long as you don’t do anything you shouldn’t.”

“Mm-hmm.” He looked like he had something to say to me.

“What is it?”

“Oh, don’t mind me. More importantly, are you sure you have time to waste here? They’re about to stop taking bets for the day. If you’re betting on the ultimate victor, you can’t do it after the first match—and you’re planning to wager a lot of money today, aren’t you?”

“Ah!” His words made me realize that betting was going to close in less than five minutes.

A part of me wanted to ask how he knew about my bets, but with the first match drawing so close, I had to hurry up.

“You better not cause any trouble!” I admonished him as I left.

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything today.”

The way he said it made me raise an eyebrow, but we chose to ignore it and rushed to the Central Arena.

◇◆◇

Gideon, City of Duels, Main Street

“Take care,” F said with a smile as Ray ran off. “What luck, though. He’s actually online.”

It wasn’t clear what was going through his mind as he said that or who exactly was lucky in this situation.

Regardless, the setup was now complete. Now, with just a bit of guidance, the actors gathered upon the stage would put on a wonderful impromptu performance.

“His attitude toward me is quite interesting. I gathered as much from his relationship with the Superior Killer, but it seems that he doesn’t cling to the past.”

F had once used Hannya to cause a major incident in Gideon.

When Ray had faced him back then, he’d been overcome by a powerful rage, but it didn’t seem that he felt any enmity toward him now.

“He feels anger, but doesn’t hold grudges,” F said to himself. “What really matters to him is your role in whatever tragedy is unfolding at that moment, right before his eyes—whether you’re the one behind it or someone standing against it. That is what truly sways him... I see.”

If they were on the side of tragedy, Ray wouldn’t even hesitate to fight against those he called friends—like how he’d faced Hugo during Franklin’s Game.

And if they stood with him against the tragedy, he could fight even alongside someone like Marie, who’d killed him, or Tsukuyo, who’d kidnapped him. Which meant that...

“If I approach him from that angle next time, I may see a new side of him.”

F was in the process of arranging a new plan for Ray—this wellspring of inspiration and reference material.

“Well, today’s event comes first. Though... Heh heh. How troubling. I can hardly decide what to watch with my own eyes.”

Cracking a joyful smile, F looked at the Central Arena at the end of the main street.

“There are too many things to witness today,” he said, thinking about the wonderful surprise that awaited there.

◇◇◇

Gideon, City of Duels; Central Arena; Waiting Room

The four preliminary matches were over, and the audience had gathered to watch the fifth onward.

In the waiting room was Bishmal—the seventh in the duel rankings—meditating in preparation for his next battle.

He wasn’t making a sound. The prize for the final day’s Tournament was a Mythical MVP reward, and it wasn’t hard to imagine that the fights ahead would be intense.

Figaro, the duel champion, was among today’s participants too—in fact, that was the reason Bishmal had chosen to participate in this day’s events. It was a chance for him to fight Figaro without getting past the third in the rankings, which he couldn’t do because his matchup with Tom was extremely disadvantageous.

This particular Tournament allowed him to duel the champion in more than just a sparring match—and in a way, that itself was enough reward for him.

“Riser won his Tournament,” Bishmal mused. In the Tournament two days ago, his friend Riser had put up a splendid performance and come out on top.

Some would say that it was only because, with the exception of Tom, all the duelists who were above him in the rankings had participated on the other days. But Riser’s day had featured participants who were high up in the kill rankings, as well as the leader of the AETL Union, so it certainly wasn’t easy. And yet, Riser overcame them all and emerged victorious.

Bishmal pondered his friend. They had both been stuck for a while now, but Riser seemed to be moving beyond that. He felt that Riser had advanced somehow during the assault on Altea that had happened while Bishmal was still away due to the death penalty.

Bishmal felt that he had to keep up, and so he chose today’s Tournament to do that.

That was why he had to keep winning. He thought that if he was ever to advance, he had to purge all distractions and charge single-mindedly forward.

He hadn’t even looked at the Tournament bracket today—all that mattered to him was fighting Figaro, and for that, he just needed to keep winning.

That sole thought had already carried him this far.

“Mr. Bishmal. It’s time...”

“All right.” Bishmal was soon called by the staff, so he stood up and headed toward the stage entrance.

He was so focused that he didn’t even notice the worker’s strange expression—a face seemingly full of pity.

“Hm...? What?” When he appeared on the stage, Bishmal instantly realized that something was off about the audience’s mood. Some spectators did cheer when he appeared—but most of them just seemed bewildered.

He briefly thought that he’d made some sort of blunder while coming on the stage, but quickly realized that wasn’t it. Most people weren’t looking at him at all, but instead had their eyes fixed on the other entrance to the arena.

His opponent wasn’t on the stage yet, but Bishmal could tell that there was something strange about them.

Am I fighting Figaro already? he thought. If that was the case, he would consider it a stroke of luck and find joy in the fact that he’d gotten the chance to go all out this early in the day.

...No.

But his instincts told him that that wasn’t right.

This was not how the audience would react to a match involving Figaro. If that were the case, the arena would be drowned in joyous cheers for the champion and his opponent.

Bishmal had been matched to someone who attracted more attention than a high-ranking duelist like him, and yet sparked more confusion than excitement.

He didn’t have a clue who it could be.

Bishmal was resolved to fight no matter whom he was up against, but this question had shaken his resolve a bit.

It didn’t take long for him to get an answer, though—a man appeared at the other end of the stage.

Silence ensued.

It was a man with an impressive physique. He was wearing a leather jacket and trousers, but they did nothing to hide the defined muscles beneath.

A pair of sunglasses concealed his eyes but didn’t obscure his strong facial features.

Bishmal had a muscly avatar himself, so this matchup almost felt like a wrestling event. But neither the audience nor Bishmal were in a state of mind to think anything that flippant about the situation.

“What’s going on?” Bishmal now shared the audience’s confusion.

He’d never met the man before him, but he knew his clothes and appearance well.

He’d never seen him in the flesh, but he’d seen numerous videos of him on the internet.

He remembered his name—as well as two of the rules of this Tournament.

The participant must be an Altarian Master. The participant will be unable to switch countries for three years after The Tournaments.

Those rules made it so that this man shouldn’t...couldn’t have been here.

And yet, he was.

“Th-The first match of the fifth battle, on day ten of The Tournaments...”

With the combatants both on the stage, the announcer swallowed his confusion and tried to do his job.

“In the west, we have the seventh in the duel rankings, the Power Wrestler, Bishmal the Raging Blaze.”

First, he named Bishmal.

“In the east...”

And then...

“We have the ex-second in Caldina’s duel rankings...”

...he gave Bishmal’s opponent’s previous title. “King of Termination, Albert Schwartzkaiser.”

It was the name of the Superior who could not possibly have belonged to the kingdom of Altar.