No Game No Life

Chapter 4: Retry

Chapter 4: Retry

Part 1


"...So it"s...like that, huh..."


"W-well there aren"t any contradictions with Grandpa"s


work...wait, huh, is that it?!"


"My a.s.sumption was right after all, heh...ah, love is such a


complex thing..."


"...We...nearly went extinct for a stupid reason like that...I"m


gonna cry, you know...?"


"Phew ☆ This is a great opportunity, Plum ☆ Amira"s feeling


really energetic ♥"


"..S-Sora, Izuna doesn"t understand at all, des."


"Sorry Izuna, but I"m just a useless eighteen-year-old piece of


hikikomori virgin trash that"s dragging Kuuhaku『 』


down, so I don"t understand as well. But Izuna"s smart, so you"ll


understand it in the future. Now please excuse me so I can


make my way to the garbage dump."


"Sora is getting thrown away, des? Can Izuna go and pick him


up, des?"


"...Absolutely not...Nii belongs to s.h.i.+ro. Let"s change the


subject...Nii go get ready."


"R-ready? O-other than getting in the way, is there really


something else I can do...?"


"...This game...s.h.i.+ro can"t beat it...only Nii...can do it..."


"Alright then, let"s go, s.h.i.+ro!! If s.h.i.+ro and I both can"t do it,


who can?!"


Part 2


"- How boring."


I sighed unconsciously.


Oceande is the birthplace of all the Seirenes.


Located at the very bottom of the ocean"s depths, its endless


foothills that were connected with triple seamounts and so forth


were lit up by half-moon shaped streaks of light. [1]


Away from the unclean, filthy solid ground, the calm seawaters


were like castle walls, having no direct pa.s.sage towards


Oceande.


Aside from countless unnamed fish and whales, there was only


an extremely small amount of people that were able to reach


the place.


The treasures located within the city were piled up in glittering,


dazzling mountains, and the protections placed over them by


the water elementals added a beautiful layer of oceanic blue


over it.


It was a stunningly colorful paradise created from the magic of


the Dhampirs.


But, it was also a prison.


“Oh come on~ really now, isn"t there anything else more fun


to do!?”


I pursed my lips, as everything seemed to be making me


annoyed.


I"m getting bored of singing and dancing, not to mention that


I"ve gotten bored of eating all those delicacies.


Oceande, the eternal paradise, beauty, wealth, love; everything


was present there.


From the very instant that I was born, those things were all


mine.


And it"s exactly because of that – that I"ll never be satisfied.


That"s because I myself am the prettiest, most valuable piece of


treasure and not others.


Even the most beautiful things in this world cannot reach my


standard.


If there"s something that this place doesn"t have but yet


something I truly wish for...


That is...love! Pure love!


A partner just as perfect and unchangeable as I am! An


impeccable treasure that even the G.o.ds would desire.


I won"t let anyone invade my pure soul – I"ll wait for「Him」


in this dreamy city.


The one that can give everything he has to me – an eternal


lover.


The prince that can satisfy all my inner desires.


I fell asleep while waiting for「Him」...huh? How long ago


was that?


“...Never mind, it"s not important.”


If「He」doesn"t come for me, things like time don"t matter at


all.


If my desires aren"t satisfied, my entire existence would be like


an empty sh.e.l.l -


-「Aschente」-


Suddenly I heard a voice, and I gradually regained


consciousness.


It seems someone has arrived, a shallow man that has come in


search of my love.


With one little smile from me they would immediately fall


before my irresistible charm, such cute idiots.


This man probably isn"t the one I"m looking forward to as well.


「True Love」doesn"t come easily anyway.


But, after waiting so long, even I"m getting impatient.


“...Fine, since I"m bored anyway, I"ll play with you for a


while.”


No matter how boring this man may be, he can at least pa.s.s


some time.


Right – I"ll be gentler to him this time.


I"ll smile sweetly, flatter him a bit, then watch him fall head


over heels for me.


After that, at the very last moment, I"ll dump him as brutally as


I can and toss him to the side like a soulless corpse.


This way, even an idiot might learn the meaning of「True


Love」-


“Do you - ?”


“Huh...?”


A young man"s voice drifted to me from the sky.


“- Do you want love -?”


You"re asking me if I want love? Of course.


“...Yes, I do, but can you give it to me?”


“So – I"ll give it to you!!”


“You~ are~ shock~!!” [2]


A shock that shook the oceans resounded, and I looked up – to


see that the sky had shattered.


There"s no other way for me to describe it; I could see it even


from where I was in the ocean, as the sky gradually cracked


and crumbled, falling like huge pieces of broken gla.s.s,


cras.h.i.+ng into the ocean – dying the seas and skies blood-red.


After which the owner of the voice fell into the ocean along


with the splinters of the gla.s.s sky.


“- The sky~ it fell because~ of love...~~...you know?”


He was a male, black-haired, black-eyed Imanity wearing a


s.h.i.+rt with the words「I ♥ Humans」emblazoned on the front.


And beside him, almost in contrast to him, a white-haired, redeyed


young Imanity girl.


The two had draped on them a jet-black cape that instantly


would remind people of the kind villains would wear, and they


spoke with evil smiles:


“Greetings, Sleeping Beauty. Sorry for disturbing you every


single time before you go to rest. We"re Sora and s.h.i.+ro.”


“...h.e.l.lo...”


...Hmm? They"re using a different tactic this time.


Many men have attempted to seek my love in various sorts of


ways, but this would be a first.


No, wrong – what I want is「True Love」- not just something


flashy and original like this.


“Greetings, visitors of my dream. I welcome your arrival.”


It would be over after this sentence, my voice – no man can


resist its charm -


“Ah, we apologize. The real versions of us aren"t here right


now.”


“...Useless, useless, useless...”


“So we can"t hear your voice, forgive us for that, and now~ -”


The man smiled mischievously, then continued singing:


“You are shock – me and~ a few other things~ fell from the


sky...”


- A shock rang out once again, at the same time the seas parted,


and in the red skies...


“- Eek...!”


I cried out unconsciously.


It was a sky covered in hateful, fear-inducing, giant – monster


babies.


A girl flew above that sky, with a halo on her head and lightwoven


wings stretching from her waist.


“You"re an idiot, and you look cute while you"re sleeping, but


to think that idiots that can cause trouble even when they"re


asleep exist – the world really is a huge place.”


- Behind her were hundreds of – personifications of killers, the


symbols of destruction -「The Flügel」!?”


“...Nii, sense of despair...doesn’t seem enough...”


“Hmm~ That’s right, I need to perfectly recreate ending B


of「That game that scarred me the most emotionally


(Drakengard) 」, so I should have brought the real Flügel


along, but - Azrael’s power has been sealed so the council’s


definitely in a huge mess right now, as other than Jibril the rest


are all just figureheads.” [3]


“Please take it easy, Master. It’ll be just fine as long as I


command about hundreds of manpower ♪”


That man looked down at me while conducting a strangesounding


conversation.


“Alright, let’s begin the game - 「Make me fall in love with


you」.”


...Huh?


The man said that, and then pointed towards the highest tower


of Oceande - the hall of the Empress.


“We’ll be right there, and as soon as you do, if you manage to


make me fall in love with you, the game will be over.”


- The skies were twitching, and countless gigantic babies


(monsters) began descending from its blood-red void.


The Flügel flew about with their wings spread wide.


...Y-you want me to move under these conditions...!?


“Speaking of which, Master...is it really fine for me to destroy


the city just like that?”


I froze as I heard that Flügel ask expectantly.


“Yeah, no problem. Including the Empress as well, since this


is all in a dream everything will return to normal in a matter of


seconds anyway. Jibril, no matter how much power you use -


the source is「Infinite」, so just release as much as you


want.”


“Hehe, hehee, heheheheh~ Jibril’s full of energy ♥”


- After which, the two Imanity turned around to face me once


more.


“Also, when we created this setting -”


“...We brought your...friends, best friends...relatives as well.”


As I heard this I looked around desperately - when did they


appear?


Mum, Grandma, my servants and sisters that I can’t even


remember the names of - they were all crying and sobbing.


“Which is what you’re looking at...”


He smiled bitterly, scratched his head briefly and said:


“You along with the babies that your relatives would have


given birth to being cut to pieces, exterminated, eliminated by


Jibril, and you have to proceed while experiencing many other


hards.h.i.+ps...looking back at it, this setting really is pretty


gruesome.”


“...That game...Nii said it would be a touching fighting game


and let s.h.i.+ro play it, Nii...I can’t forgive you.” [4]


“I’m so sorry, because it’s just too unbearable for me alone to


carry that much emotional burden - so I just had to...”


The two finished blabbering, and they who called themselves


Sora and s.h.i.+ro spoke as one -


「Now you will


Not receive any help


You will only face death


So let us see


How far you can struggle.」


After which - they spoke with smiles on their faces:


「Go to h.e.l.l.」


The Flügel then continued as she heard this:


“So, I’ll start. First Unit, Jibril.”


The halo on her head began s.h.i.+fting and twisting into various


complicated patterns, becoming bigger, multi-layered, just like


a magic formation.


Her wings appeared to emit light, and they lost their shape - a


spear-like thing began forming in her hands -


“To my Masters who have given me the opportunity to do


this, I dedicate my utmost grat.i.tude -”


“- Concentrated, full powered, 100% - 「Airstrike」- it’s


coming for you ♥”


She said this, and the entire world was engulfed in light.


Part 3


On the other hand - in the hall of the Empress in Oceande -


“YEAH ☆ Jii-chan’s so cool~ ♥”


Amira cheered at the underwater projector which was


displaying the state of the Empress’ dream.


While beside her were countless other Seirenes who were


cheering and dancing maniacally as well.


Sora, s.h.i.+ro and Jibril’s bodies lay on the floor almost lifelessly


along with Plum and the other Dhampirs who had used all their


strength transporting them into the dream world.


Beside them was Steph who was rolling her eyes, as well as an


elderly Werebeast - Hatsuse Ino, as well as Izuna who was


hugging onto him.


Looking at the three unconscious bodies on the floor, Ino


asked:


“Um, about that...what exactly is going on here?”


“We’re here to save Grandpa, des. You have to kneel and


express grat.i.tude, des.”


Izuna said this while rubbing her face against her grandfather’s


- Ino’s stomach, while Steph continued:


“A lot of things happened while Ino-san was here in


Oceande...a lot of things.”


- But he couldn’t possibly understand anything from an


explanation like that.


Ino fondled Izuna gently while expressing his confusion.


“...I would appreciate it if you could explain more


thoroughly.”


“Don’t worry about it...since I don’t actually get it either...but


Sora has a message for you.”


Mm-mm, Steph cleared her throat.


“- 「We found the way to awaken the Empress, so we told


the Seirenes who in exchange gladly gave you up in exchange


for it, which is exactly what we’re doing now」...that’s


it.”


“Now I’m even more confused...”


“Let me continue...「Don’t worry, we’ll awaken the


Empress and we won’t let the Seirenes and Dhampirs go


extinct, which is what we wagered on in the beginning of the


game. As for what’s going on, you’ll have to wait until the


game’s over before you find out.」- and...”


Steph smiled thinly and continued yet again:


“...「Lastly, Izuna seemed really lonely so we left her here


with you. You have a really good granddaughter,


Gramps.」...that’s all.”


“I...I see.”


Ino smiled as he felt his granddaughter fondling him lovingly,


but he thought to himself:


- Now I don’t understand Sora even more.


Sounds of cheering erupted once again as Jibril’s second


「Airstrike」 was fired.


The Seirenes were feasting merrily while watching the events


unfolding within the dream, while Plum instead advised them


fearfully.


“A, Amira-sama...I completely~ understand how you feel, but


could you please at least be more self-conscious -”


“Huh? Come on Plum ♪ You don’t need to be so formal all


the time so just say what’s on your mind, it’s fine ☆”


Amira smiled a saintly smile and continued:


“It feels so great watching that idiotic woman suffer~!


Hahahah~ ☆”


- Her smile was pure, but her eyes weren’t smiling.


“Amira was originally against the idea of repressing pain~ so


I would say I’m already being rather self-conscious here~


hehe~ ☆”


- It’s true, it was a dream, so in reality no one would get hurt.


Also, when Sora and s.h.i.+ro had entered the Empress’ dream,


they had requested Plum to repress the pain sensors of the


Empress.


It was a dream anyway, so there wouldn’t be any pain, but


despite this he had emphasized it time and again - which


meant, there was a meaning behind his series of actions -


“...We really shouldn’t have brought Izuna there, huh.”


“Yeah, Sora-san managed to pa.s.s judgment that this isn’t a


scene a small child like her should be witnessing, so I guess


I’m rather in awe of his morals.”


“...? Is something going on, des?”


Izuna had her head buried in Ino’s chest the entire time so she


couldn’t see the projection, but then she asked curiously.


Regarding the events unfolding in front of her - Plum replied:


“To put it bluntly...that’s h.e.l.l...no, that’s a true nightmare...”


Undoubtedly, it was a scene that seemed to defy all laws


governing the natural world.


- Steph had heard about it as well, the strongest attack of the


Flügel - 「Airstrike」.


That spear of light could evaporate oceans in a single shot, and


turn Oceande within the dream into a mere crater.


But - since it was a dream, everything would return to normal


in a matter of seconds.


The babies crumbled immediately just like porcelain figurines,


while Jibril relentlessly continued her onslaught with renewed


vigor.


The endlessly disintegrating and repairing scenery along with


Jibril’s smile - or rather her murderous sneer, as she coldly,


mechanically swung her arms.


With each swing, mountains were leveled, seas were spliced,


and the ocean floors buckled and caved from the shock.


- That alone was sufficiently traumatizing to be considered a


nightmare.


And it wasn’t only Jibril as well, as the fake Flügel were


destroying everything in sight along with her.


The baby-like monsters were simply characters that incited


natural hatred and fear from onlookers, and they feasted on the


various other people within the dream.


While the Seirenes were actually watching those events


cheerfully, in an almost overjoyed fas.h.i.+on - everything was in


a chaotic mess.


“...A-about that, since they know the reason why all this is


happening, it’s hard to blame them for their reaction...but...”


“...D-did they go a bit overboard? ...although I don’t really


understand what’s going on...”


Steph, who knew the cause of the events up to this point yet


didn’t understand Sora’s intentions, couldn’t help but agree


with Ino.


“...Although, not a day pa.s.ses where I don’t hate that Tetsama


who created the 「Ten Pledges」...”


Plum seemed as if she was going to faint anytime soon, and she


said this with her face almost horrifyingly pale.


Because what she saw might actually be - no, it must be.


It was something even before the 「Ten Pledges」- a scene


that seemed directly ripped out of the 「Great War」.


“My ancestors actually survived through things like these...I


respect them even more now.”


“...More precisely, how exactly did the Imanity survive


through conditions like these?”


“Before all this, were there any differences between the


Imanity and the Werebeasts...? After I get back, I’m going to


look through that bit of history again.”


The three of them slipped into their own thoughts, but deep


down they were all thinking of the same thing.


- The One True G.o.d (Tet), thank you for creating the 「Ten


Pledges」.


Part 4


- The seawater had completely evaporated just after the first


strike, and Leila could only crawl on the cracked, dried ground.


She couldn’t breathe, and the sunlight corroded every pore of


her body on the naked sea floor.


She couldn’t feel pain, but her energy was being endlessly


sapped from her.


The continuous a.s.sault of the Flügel didn’t even give the


seawater time to grow back.


The seawater evaporated, returned, and evaporated yet again,


removing the Empress - removing Leila of her marine


protection.


After which, the baby-like monsters that descended from the


blood-red skies crept towards her, threatening to feast on her.


She had no water, she couldn’t swim, so even if she belonged


to a race loved and protected by the ocean - if she didn’t have


seawater she couldn’t even disguise herself -...


“...P...phew...a-am I...finally there...?”


- How many days had it been? Or how many minutes?


Leila dragged her body to the front of the tower.


Behind her she could hear countless explosions, and the fires of


h.e.l.l were burning pa.s.sionately there as well.


Above her were broken skies and cries of laughter, while on


the ground were countless screams of terror and agony.


Leila fearfully opened the doors of the tower with all her


might, and charged into it - at the same time...


She felt a shock that once again leveled the city behind her and


yet another explosion - but Leila merely sat down in relief.


Because within the tower - there was water.


Probably because Sora and s.h.i.+ro were there, it was the only


place that even the attacks of the Flügel couldn’t destroy.


As long as she had water, she could breathe and seduce...


Finally -


“...Ha, hahaha....hehehehehe...you’ve got some guts - to dare


to do something like this to me!”


Leila gasped for air, and from within her - surged torrents of


red-hot anger.


- 「Make me fall in love with you」?


“...Fine, since you actually dared to play a fool with me this


far, I’ll make you pay.”


- With a swish of her tailfin, Leila surged up the water-filled


tower at a stunningly fast speed.


- I am the Empress of the Sea, I have everything, no one will


resist my rule.


They actually dared to show such disrespect towards me -


although I don’t know what he wants -


“Don’t think kneeling down and begging for forgiveness will


save you!!”


Just one sentence, I just need for him to hear the slightest bit of


my voice, and it will be all over.


- I’ll sing a song, capture his heart, and make him kneel before


me and lick the floor.


After which I’ll reject him as coldly and heartlessly as I can,


then push him into a bottomless canyon of despair.


I’ll seduce him then push him aside, so when he leaves the


dream - he will think the real world is the actual nightmare, and


he won’t be able to live with himself.


With these thoughts in her head, she smiled evilly, and swam


through the waters - not long after...


She reached the topmost floor - the hall of the Empress - and


stood before the gates to her own room.


“...Open.”


- The doors immediately swept open along with the water


current, almost as if they were forced open by her voice.


There was no doubt that Leila was the absolute ruler over the


oceans, as all beings in the sea could only bow before her


power through the 「Water Elementals」 within her. It was


simply natural, it wasn’t something one could fight against, it


was a magic that surpa.s.sed even the boundaries of her species.


Because even if her opponent was an Elf, the spirits used


within their magics would obey Leila.


In this world - there was nothing she could not tame.


Carrying an immense amount of self-confidence - no, with


absolute belief, Leila - finally arrived.


Sora and s.h.i.+ro - the two had dressed up like demon kings.


Sora seemed to be enjoying himself, even allowing himself to


receive her with a c.o.c.ky smile.


“- You’ve finally managed to get here...


Your stupidity really is entertaining...


But things seem to be going exactly as planned...


How enjoyable -”


“...Nii, you can stop that now...”


“Come on~ s.h.i.+ro, don’t cut me short halfway through my


lines, I spent a lot of time preparing them you know.”


Leila could only look at them with a raging fury in her eyes as


the two quarreled.


Although their actions were unbelievably foolish - it was about


time for them to pay the price.


And then, the Empress - Leila - wove her words with a voice


even the G.o.ds would be smitten with.


“Alright, are you done playing? Now kneel down and kowtow


to me.”


- I’ll make him kneel first.


After that, I’ll be sure to drag him so far in his brain will melt -


- However, as she heard his reply...


Leila couldn’t believe her ears.


“Hey, didn’t you hear what I said about the rules at all? Make


me fall in love with you - can’t you even flatter me or


something?”


- Leila was speechless.


The young man and the girl before her - merely stood smiling


even after she had used her voice that could hypnotize both


genders regardless, and even managed to reply mockingly.


- They’re fighting against it. Leila thought to herself in panic.


Because as long as she was in the water, they would definitely


fall in love with her without exceptions, and their brains would


be immobilized.


So let’s try it out - let’s see how long they can keep up their


facade.


“...Yes, sorry, I was too excited, so I apologize for being so


rude earlier.”


Leila looked at them pa.s.sionately with teary eyes, and


continued almost pleadingly:


“I hope you can hear my true feelings - I want you, please


reciprocate my love.”


Not just her voice, but her every action - had a hypnotizing


power that even brainwas.h.i.+ng could not beat.


Behind her pleading words, it was almost as if she was entering


commands - orders that were impossible to deny.


When faced with her irresistible charm, Sora merely - s.h.i.+vered


slightly - and replied.


“...Ugh~ I’m sorry, I’m getting gooseb.u.mps, nope, can’t do


that.”


...


- Huh?


“And to be honest, you’re not even my type.”


Huh?


“Also the rules clearly said that you need to make me fall in


love with you, but you went and told me to kneel in your first


sentence, apologized in your second, then finally said that your


previous words weren’t actually what you meant? Are you one


of those tripmine girls people see on the internet? I’d never


thought that people like you actually exist, that’s quite a


surprise.”


...Leila could only stand there speechlessly.


They weren’t fighting back, it was just that her magic wasn’t


working.


Why - was her dream being tampered with? No, even the Elven


magics couldn"t touch it.


She couldn’t figure it out, but only one thing was truly


confirmed -


This man came here with the firm belief that he wouldn’t fall in


love with me.


- Just then, the man turned to the young girl beside him for


some sort of confirmation - and she nodded.


“Ah~ I can finally say it now, since previously everyone


thought this was some sort of romance game, this is probably


the first time someone has said something like this to you


right? So including that Gramps from earlier, I’m going to take


everyone’s frustration out on you!”


After that - Sora inhaled deeply, and released a rapid-fire


torrent of words:


“You’re a grown woman for goodness sake, and here you are


daydreaming and stuff. Are you stupid or something? Who do


you think you are? An idiot? Do you really think that everyone


has to treat you well? Even the kindergartners nowadays are


smarter than you! Also do you have any idea how long you’ve


been sleeping? Eight hundred years! Eight, hundred, years!


Don’t tell me you think you’re some sort of sleeping beauty


waiting for her prince? You’re over eight hundred years old!


You G.o.dd.a.m.n old hag! I said you were pretty old earlier, but


you’ve got to have a limit somewhere! I confess, I do prefer


older women, but they at least need to have some brains you


know!? Also, the thing that I hate the most about you is your


「All men will definitely fall in love with me」 att.i.tude!


Women should know their place! s.e.xiness must come with


some sort of humility and restraint before it has any meaning!


Unless you’re thinking something like this? That when


people ask you to take off your clothes you just strip off


everything without a doubt. Do you really think of yourself as a


woman? Or that! Are you one of those people who try to get


starring roles in AV"s but when the actual shooting comes, you


just take off your clothes and everything, one of those idiots


with romantic stats of below twenty!? If you think all that


matters is how much skin you show, you might as well go be a


nudist! You b.l.o.o.d.y halfwit! Also, why do I have to suck up to


a woman I don’t like? With any semblance of common sense,


one would immediately realize it’s just a waste of time and


effort! Are you genuinely an idiot!? If so, I might as well go


chase some 2D girls, which would probably be more


meaningful, less time-consuming, more appealing, and


probably won’t damage my wallet and break my heart!


Furthermore, I want to say one last thing - I don’t know


whether you call those things water elementals or whatever but,


you only have the ability to seduce and hypnotize when those


things are around - so to be honest your looks are only at a


medium standard; you’re only going to be a third wheel in my


crew, which you should have realized long ago if you would


just look in the G.o.dd.a.m.n mirror! You sponge-brained idiot!!”


---...


Phew~~...


Not allowing his opponent to reply at all, Sora blabbered on


and on - finally appearing somewhat pleased with himself.


“Ah~ that feels better...right, so I’ve said everything I


wanted to say. I’m done here so I’m ending the game now,


bye ♪”


Huh?


“- W-wait -!”


“I’m not waiting~! Are you having fun playing this game,


making people run around for no particular reason? Thanks for


having us over, idiot, goodbye~!!”


Sora and s.h.i.+ro immediately disappeared after that, so maybe


the game ended after all.


After that - the explosions she heard up until then stopped -


Different noises began quietly resounding within Leila’s heart.


Part 5


“Hahaha, to think we would go that far. She’s probably


furious - is that enough? s.h.i.+ro?”


“...Mm, Nii...Omega good job.”


The brother nodded in satisfaction, while the sister raised her


thumb at him.


- Meanwhile, within the hall of the Empress, a thunder-like


torrent of clapping began to resound from the Seirenes who


were watching the show.


Almost in comparison, their friends, who were led by Steph,


merely rolled their eyes in silence.


Sora and s.h.i.+ro had made the Empress go through a horrible


nightmare, and then left the game behind without even any


words of comfort.


In that situation where no one seemed to know what they were


trying to do - only one person...


“Phew~ that was entertaining...if I tell this to them (the


Flügel), they would definitely be so jealous...”


Jibril, who had caused extreme havoc within the Empress’


dream and returned to reality, spoke.


Her skin appeared to be radiating a faint glow, which probably


wasn’t their imagination.


But - with Steph at the head, everyone else who didn’t seem to


understand what they were doing had the same questions in


their eyes.


- So what were they intending to do? - Sora laughed heartily at


their confused glances.


He then said - I don’t know either!


Sora had merely acted according to s.h.i.+ro’s orders - which


meant...


“...Nii, just do it...like you normally would.”


Only one sentence.


“...Use every possible way you can think of...taunt her, and


taunt her again, make her incredibly angry...just continue


taunting her.”


- Just that.


Although, Sora did feel rather sad at the fact that her sister said


that those were his normal actions.


Since s.h.i.+ro said so, he needed to be confident himself, as that


was the way to conquer her route, which meant he had to


follow her orders to the end without question - without a single


doubt.


- Suddenly, cracking sounds were heard.


The Empress’ ice block had cracked slightly.


“- Huh?”


Ignoring the speechless crowd - Sora and s.h.i.+ro excluded, the


crack merely began expanding.


At the same instant as the transparent, crystalline ice began


cracking all over, its surface and emitting a bright glow ...


Stardust-like seeds floated from it and splintered.


Within the reflective, cracking, moving splinters of ice - the


Empress slowly opened her eyes.


Everyone could only stare speechless at that.


“Hey! Hey! Over here! You can’t hit me due to the 「Ten


Pledges」 anyway! Hahaha!!!”


Aside from Sora who was still following her sister’s orders to


「Aggravate the opponent」.


“...S-so strong...to think that Imanity could be this


annoying!?”


Even Steph couldn’t help but begin to respect Sora, while the


Empress slowly stood up from her throne.


“...Nii..you can stop now.”


“Huh, really? And I was having fun too -”


The Empress flapped her tailfin elegantly once - and


approached Sora slowly, trailing light behind her.


Within this dreamlike turn of events - the Empress, who was


approaching Sora, had her face dyed blood-red in anger -


No - as she slowly swam before Sora, the Empress - suddenly...


“I’ve been waiting for you all this while...my prince ♥”


Falling before Sora’s feet, with heart shapes appearing in her


eyes - she said this.


--...


......


...........Huh?


While everyone else was shocked speechless, only Sora


remained on guard.


“...Hey, hey. s.h.i.+ro, what’s going on? Is this some sort of


trap?”


Sora asked s.h.i.+ro nervously.


Suddenly, Sora recalled something.


- Once when he was playing an online game he cheated too


much and therefore won too much as well, so his opponents


managed to find his address to look him up, causing the


siblings to move to another house in a hurry. It was a bitter


memory - one from their old world.


Sora was afraid that he had went too far due to this emotional


trauma, while s.h.i.+ro beside him said nonchalantly:


“...Nope...now you can...「Beat the game」...”


“...Ah, so that’s what’s going on.”


Steph, Plum, Jibril and Amira finally realized what was


happening as s.h.i.+ro explained it.


The Empress - Leila continued:


“Ah, my beloved emperor...please scold me more ♥”


“- H, hey, does this guy have some mental problem?"


Sora asked while pointing at Leila who was at his feet, but


Steph instead recalled a discussion they had before the game


started.


The thing they had found in the Late King’s library - 「The


Treasure of the Proud Princess」.


Cross-referencing to the 「Ending」 of the book - she finally


understood s.h.i.+ro’s intentions.


“...I see, so that’s what’s happening.”


A beautiful princess.


A fairy tale about a princess who had everything, beauty,


riches, love, simply everything..


She wanted more - her desires surpa.s.sed all, as the Princess


wanted everything.


Those desires were ground to a halt due to a certain man.


The Princess had acquired everything in the world from


different men.


But her desires were still unfulfilled, and her wish -


- By a 「Dagger」-wielding man...


- The princess let her desires for this curiously beautiful


unknown (treasure)...


- End along with her death.


- Yes, that fairy tale was a story about a princess who was


exterminated as desires plagued her.


But, the Empress feared -


“So Grandpa found the fairy tale that caused the Empress to


hibernate, and after some observations...because she has


everything, what the Empress wants is something unknown -


probably an unachievable love...but...”


But, the late King’s - her grandfather’s explanation was rather


poetic, Steph thought as she sighed.


After that she turned to s.h.i.+ro - the one who had orchestrated


the entire game.


“...I see...the Empress...that everyone loved, she couldn’t


understand the value of things just because she had


everything...which is why she pursues...”


Ino appeared to be undergoing some sort of revelation, and he


continued emotionally:


“I see...which means, what she is looking for is someone that


even if she falls in love with - that person won’t love her in


return.”


To be frank - according to s.h.i.+ro’s explanation, it meant -


Essentially, she is in love for the sake of love...she wants an


「Un.o.btainable Love」.


No, to be even more honest - it meant...


“...She wants to be bullied...yes, just like Steph.”


“- Huh?”


Steph cried out in shock, while Jibril clapped her hands as she


realized in the same instant.


“I get it now. According to that fairy tale, the man who killed


the princess wasn’t after her love - so that man, and that man


alone, was the only man the princess couldn’t get.”


“- Huh? Is she frozen there or something?”


Sora cried out, because that basically meant -


She wanted someone else’s property - which meant she would


repeatedly become that someone’s slave.


- Wasn’t that a perfect example of an incorrigible woman?


“So you’re telling me that even if I fall in love with her she’ll


immediately get turned off since she actually got my love?


What an annoying b.i.t.c.h.”


“Yessss ♥ I’m an annoying b.i.t.c.h~ I’m sorry ♥”


The Empress who was receiving a brutal scolding (Leila)


smiled blissfully while twisting her body from side to side.


- 「I will offer everything I have」 -


Everyone should pay more attention to the meaning behind that


sentence, and s.h.i.+ro appeared to be the only one who noticed,


so she said:


“...Nii has all the rights...of that person...”


“- Huh? Oh, right...”


“Ahahaaa ♥ P-please be more forceful with me ♥”


- Plum and the Dhampirs were speechless all the way up until


then.


“...So just for something like this...she hibernated for eight


hundred years and nearly caused us to go extinct...?”


Even though she wasn’t exactly clear of the details herself,


Plum sighed a huge sigh as though she was going to puff out


her soul itself after that explanation.


After that, the Empress cried out in apparent surprise at Plum


and the Dhampirs’ reactions:


“...Huh? Did I really sleep for eight hundred years!?”


- She then continued:


“This game - as long as you don’t fall in love with me and


kick me to the side or something you win. Are you all idiots?”


“You’re the idiot here! We can’t do something like that


due to the 「Ten Pledges」! You sponge-brained dumba.s.s!”


“Aahahahhhahh ♥ yes! I’m an idiot! I’m a sponge~~!!”

- Also not counting the 「Ten Pledges」...


She had a irresistibly powerful hypnotizing ability that even


Jibril or Miko couldn’t resist...


There was a possibility that it was an all-powerful magic, so


not falling in love with Leila in that state would be directly


impossible.


It was something that neither the Dhampirs, the Seirenes nor


anyone else could consider doing.


Which meant - to give her a hard punch in the face. Who would


have guessed that she would have thought of such a strategy?


“...Now do you understand why the Seirenes are so happy?


Ino-san.”


“...Yeah, this...what should I say...”


“Hehe~ ☆ So-chan, you put on quite a show earlier, but


could you please on Amira’s behalf beat up that ●●● as


hard as you can~? Mm! It’s OK even if you cause permanent


brain damage in the process ☆”


“Ah, I beg of you, husband - please beat me ♥ hit me~ ♥”


Amira was smiling - but at the same time, her look at Sora was


unbelievably murderous.


As well as Leila who asked for the same thing, but instead


looked at Sora in expectation.


“...Hey, Jibril - what exactly is love?”


Sora looked up at the ceiling and asked, while Jibril smiled and


replied:


“Isn’t it exactly what Plum said? As long as one confirms the


presence of love, it’s love -”


Slightly further away, Ino was conversing emotionally with


Izuna.


“There really are many types of love...hmm, it appears I am


not matured enough either.”


“...Grandpa...Izuna still doesn’t understand it, des.”


“Don’t worry, Izuna. You will one day.”


Sora sighed and thought - will that day ever come?


“...I don’t think I will ever know.”


- Just like that, except for the Empress - Leila, under conditions


that no one could approve of...


That stupid game was over for the moment -


Part 6


Within the capital of the Elkian Federation, Elkia - in the


middle of the night.


Steph appeared to be burning the midnight oil in one of the


offices in the castle of Imanity’s final territory.


“...I knew it, this time Oceande’s going to be merged with us


as well.”


- With her workload increasing, Steph’s eyebags were


increasing in density as well.


Other than that, even Avant Heim had shown interest in joining


the Federation, albeit only in name.


The mountain of doc.u.ments in front of her increased by the


day, and Steph quickly averted her eyes from it in fear as she


imagined it getting even larger - but then she thought:


“...At this rate those n.o.bles will finally shut up.”


- Faced with this undeniable truth, Steph looked at the


doc.u.ments again and sighed.


Every single day, those n.o.bles that came to challenge them in


games for their own benefit - had now completely disappeared.


Now the doc.u.ments from Sora’s conquest of Oceande’s


humongous territory and resources were already this much -


enough to deprive Steph from all sleep - and Elkia’s


federation with the Eastern Federation...the 「Federation


Concept」 that had initially been thought impossible due to the


vast differences of power between nations was now a reality


due to their efforts, and the situation had thus changed as well.


The territory of the Seirenes - meant that they could now utilize


the resources in the oceans...


Because they had acquired the 「Underwater Resources」 that


neither Elkia nor the Eastern Federation could utilize, the


disadvantage both nations previously had now disappeared.


What a stupid game, and that conclusion - Steph mumbled to


herself:


“...From the very beginning, that was their aim - so this


shouldn’t be possible...right?”


It was by pure chance that Plum had visited Sora and the


others, allowing them to acquire Oceande.


But in the final game, Miko - which meant the Eastern


Federation did not partic.i.p.ate, so Oceande’s resources had


become the sole property of Elkia. It was the deciding factor


between the strength of the two nations, so the situation had


reversed from the two countries from being extremely far apart


in terms of strength to almost equals, so Steph was still


somewhat in disbelief.


- More importantly, they had acquired two nations at once.


Besides that, even Avant Heim was preparing to join.


After the Werebeasts - the Seirenes, the Dhampirs and even the


Flügel.


Sora had kept to his word, acquiring three birds with one stone.


Like this they didn’t have to take their Race Pieces nor cause


any damage - no, even giving them benefits, they had annexed


four races without a single drop of blood shed. This made


Steph recall something.


When Sora and the rest had conquered the Eastern Federation -


Miko - she had a rather ridiculous thought, and although she


wanted to chase it away, she began feeling that the thought


began having some truth in it.


“...The tenth of the 「Ten Pledges」, Everyone should get


along while playing games...”


Steph’s mouth curled up in a small smile - was that finally


possible?


Previously all they did was fight amongst each other, and the


「Sixteen Races」 had disfigured the planet in their wars, so


leading the「Sixteen Races」 against the One True G.o.d


without killing anyone, without anyone dying - was that really


possible -


“...? Speaking of which.”


Steph recalled the day that Sora and the others had bet the


「Race Piece of the Imanity」 at the Eastern Federation


emba.s.sy.


The 「Sixteen Races」 each had a 「Race Piece」, and if one


were to acquire them all that person would then have the right


to challenge the One True G.o.d.


Suddenly, Steph s.h.i.+fted her gaze towards the distant horizon.


The gigantic chess piece that was still visible even in the


darkest night, appearing as if it would block the moonlight,


piercing the clouds.


- If that was the piece the One True G.o.d owned...


Did the respective Race Pieces have their own role to play as


well?


Although she had yet to see the other 「Race Pieces」, but the


「Imanity Race Piece」 that Sora brandished was -


“...The King...”


The King in Western chess was -「The weakest piece」.


It was the most important, but the abilities of a King were even


lower than a 「p.a.w.n」, that was common knowledge -


“Oh well, I’m probably thinking too much...sigh, back to


work, back to work.”


Part 7


At the same time - within the main hall of capital Elkia.


Relying on the building capabilities of the Eastern Federation,


Sora and s.h.i.+ro’s castle was finally complete - which was a


small wooden house.


Within the tatami-covered room that Sora and s.h.i.+ro requested


for, were countless games and books scattered everywhere.


On top of it, the siblings were sleeping silently on a mattress


within that tiny s.p.a.ce.


- At this time a shadow silently approached them.


But that shadow -


“- Hey, Plum, is there something you need at this time?”


“...Disturbing...sleep...”


Their voices sounded as if they were holding back laughter,


and Sora and s.h.i.+ro stared into s.p.a.ce, giving up on their act.


“...A-ahaha, s-sorry...um...that...”


How did a normal Imanity manage to see through an


invisibility spell of a Dhampir?


Plum dispelled her magic and smiled sheepishly, then bowed to


apologize -


“Are you here to reveal to us your true ident.i.ty?”


As Sora said this - Plum’s smile froze.


Sora and s.h.i.+ro ignored her reaction, then sat up straight - their


smiles were just like that of little kids that had succeeded in


pulling off a humongous prank.


“I don’t usually compliment others but I really want to show


my utmost respect towards you, your strategy really was pretty


amazing, to think you would actually -"


Sora complimented her sincerely, but -


“You actually managed to deceive us to the very end without


lying at all, Plum - no...”


Sora’s mouth curled up in a small smile, and he looked at the


female Dhampir - no...


“The final male Dhampir - Plum-san, I should be calling you


that right?”


- He looked at the young boy.


- ...A sigh was heard.


The beautiful, bishoujo-like boy sat down cross-legged as his


ident.i.ty was revealed, and sighed.


His expression was that of disappointment - but hidden in his


eyes were a piercing knowledge sharper than any sword.


“...Ugh...did I mess up somewhere? When did you find out?”


- Ah, so he sounds like that, huh, Sora thought as he replied.


“From the very start - well that’s what I want to say but...”


Sora glanced at s.h.i.+ro.


“I don’t really want to admit this, but s.h.i.+ro was the one who


noticed it, even before the time we went to the beach.”


“...V...”


s.h.i.+ro raised a victory sign, appearing very proud of herself.


And Sora seemed rather unhappy at her, so he cupped his


cheeks and complained.


“Because of that, I nearly s.e.xually hara.s.sed a guy, and let you


lick my sister’s feet, I messed up that badly...dammit, I should


have realized earlier...(mumbling)”


“Ahaha...thanks a lot for that, I was dying anyway...”


Sora choked slightly, as he saw the bishounen say that without


a single hint of remorse.


“- So, let’s continue the questioning regarding that night at


the beach - shall we?”


“...~~...「Plum」...”


As she finished her sentence, s.h.i.+ro immediately continued to


recite out that memory just like a tape recorder.


- 「Please let the Empress fall in love with you! I prepared a


strategy for that as well!」


Yes, that was the initial request that Plum had raised the first


time he encountered Sora and others - but...


“I felt that there was something wrong about that, because


you didn’t say: please awaken her. From the very start all you


said was - you prepared strategies for her to fall in love...”


So -


“We prepared 「Two」 tests for you with Miko-san’s


help.”


“...~~...「Nii」...”


- 「I know about your sure-win plan, but why didn’t you


guys just do it yourselves?」


And in contrast, s.h.i.+ro continued.


“...~~...「Plum」...”


- 「The final male of the Dhampirs is still young.」


- 「We need to at least a male with reproductive abilities.」


“First, we emphasized that it was a plan definite to succeed,


but you never said it was so at all.”


“...”


“Which meant - you knew from the very beginning that even


if we manage to get her to fall in love we can’t win right?”


Plum merely smiled bitterly, while Sora continued:


“Now for the second point...I asked why 「You guys」


didn’t do it.”


Sora indicated that “this is the part I’m p.i.s.sed about”, and he


continued with his brow furrowed:


“I was talking about you guys! But you didn’t mention


yourself as well, instead you only said that it could only be a


male, then talked about a young male from an unclear


perspective -”


He couldn’t lie before a Werebeast, so he could only make the


perspective unclear.


“- So it would be referring to you who has no reproductive


ability right?”


No doubt, the person who realized that was s.h.i.+ro, so -


“Do you remember the time I saw s.h.i.+ro’s phone and it said


「Like that even if it’s not Nii it’s OK」?”


“...Yes...but is there a problem with that?”


The young boy didn’t seem to understand, so Sora smiled and


continued:


“Actually all that we had said earlier was already recorded by


s.h.i.+ro.”


“...!...”


“I intentionally recited differently from what was displayed


on the phone - which was lying to send a signal to Miko-san.”


Yes, Plum - the final male Dhampir - 「Intentionally avoided


making a statement」


Every time he was faced with a disadvantageous question, such


as 「Is it A or B?」, he would always reply 「It’s not B」,


which would not count as a lie because it didn’t mean 「Thus


it is A」.


So since he was not lying yet telling the half-truth all the time,


even the Werebeasts wouldn’t be able to figure out such


complex wordplay.


“But, that instead made things even more interesting.”


“Let’s arrange everything.” Sora clapped and began pacing


around the room, then continued cheerfully:


“You wanted to free the Dhampirs, that was the truth, and the


fact that your magic could make people fall in love was true as


well, but you knew it wouldn’t be sufficient to awaken the


Empress. That means you were using us to free the Dhampirs


despite all that - hmm, you thought really highly of us, thanks


for that.”


Sora smiled, and s.h.i.+ro smiled as well and replied:


“...~~...「Plum」...”


-「P-please wait! I can only rely on Sora-dono and the rest of


you now!」


“Yes, that was true, we were the only ones you could rely


on.”


Which means, the people that Plum’s plan required were -


which again meant...


The people that could find out the 「Conditions to awaken the


Empress」 that even Plum could not.


The people that would acquire all the rights of the Seirenes


after awakening the Empress.


If they were to fail, they could also be sent to the Seirenes as


「Food」 by Plum.


- Which left the only race that even the Seirenes could look


down upon - the lowest-ranked race, the Imanity.


Additionally there was Jibril - or furthermore, Avant Heim had


only Sora and the others as companions.


But Sora had Izuna, or to put it further, Miko - the problem was


the presence of the Eastern Federation.


Before the senses of the Werebeasts, any lies would be


immediately detected - thus...


“You could only perfectly deceive us without using any lies at


all, then commanding us to act according to your will.”


“...”


Sora clapped sincerely.


“Ah, the fact that you thought so highly of us and trusted that


we could do so much makes me feel really good, honestly. To


be honest the fact that we couldn’t rely on a fixed tactic to


conquer Avant Heim forced us to charge in without any plan.”


“...Yeah, about that -”


He then scratched his cheeks, that poor-looking young boy -


who was actually a master strategist smiled.


“If not, that sort of game - how could I possibly help?”


He smiled boldly as if to declare: But of course!


Faced with the final male of the Dhampir who could say that so


easily - Sora smiled.


For the sake of his plan, he was willing to put himself on the


line.


What a perfect 「Gamer」, Sora could only speak his mind.


“But, even though we were able to see through you this far,


we were still played a fool by your strategies - no, we could


only act that way, and even though I’m still not too happy


about it, I can only commend your efforts - guess we’ll call it


a 「Draw」?”


“...Plum, well done...”


Sora then sat down cross-legged, but Sora and s.h.i.+ro’s faces


were all smiles.


- On the other hand...


“Ahaha, you’re wrong - this 「Game」’s only winner is


me!”


As he said this, his expression was still pitiful, but he glanced


at them condescendingly.


- It was just like - yes, it was like he had his eyes set on a huge


feast and was prepared to tuck in, Plum smiled in a twisted


fas.h.i.+on.


“...What?”


- Sora felt his life was threatened so he went on full alert at this


sudden change.


I see, so my plans were uncovered, but - that’s not enough, and


Plum continued mockingly:


“The Queen bet 「Everything she had」! Have you not


realized?”


“- What!?”


As he heard this - Sora’s face twisted, and he backed away.


Has he finally realized? The cold smile on Plum’s face


widened even more, and he continued:


“Yes...not only her 「Power」, but even her


「Responsibilities」 were transferred onto you guys.”


“- Ah - w, wait a second...that means - !!”


Sora finally understood the situation, and he hurriedly s.h.i.+elded


s.h.i.+ro with his own body, and cried out with eyes bulging in


fear.


Since he had 「Everything」 that belonged to the


representative of the Seirenes - it didn’t just mean power ...


Responsibilities - which means the responsibility to supply the


Dhampirs blood - !


Plum - the bishounen with a pair of sharp, even seductive eyes.


That pitiful appearance of his was gone, and now - he was


living up to the name of a vampire - a 「King」- the final male


of the Dhampirs bared his fangs in an evil smile befitting of a


race representative.


“So, no matter how things develop, only the Dhampirs (I)


benefit - understand? You inferior species.”


“- ! W-wait, that’s - !!”


Sora was so shocked he turned pale, and he cried as though


pleading for his life.


Instead Plum spread his blood-red wings, then smiled in a


beastly manner with his glittering, seductive fangs opened


wide.


- As a courtesy before a meal, he spoke softly:


“Thank you for the food - ♪”


Then, he charged straight at the terrified Sora’s neck, and bit -


...

- He couldn’t bite.


“...Huh? Um , what? Er, what’s going on!?”


...His king-like composure disappeared in an instant, and the


King of the Night - turned back into Plum.


“...Nii...your acting was rather exaggerated...”


“Huh? Nah, I should be acting more outrageously here,


right?”


- His terrified expression had completely disappeared


somewhere along the way.


The two smiled thinly as they looked at the fl.u.s.tered Plum.


“Plum, you’re quite something, and that’s something I don’t


mind repeating. To think that you could conjure up such an


amazing strategy, but you didn’t consider - if we actually


awoke the Empress, how were you going to free the


Dhampirs?”


“- !?”


“Just like how you thought so highly of us, we - think highly


of you as well.”


In an about-turn of expressions, Sora glanced at him sincerely -


yet that gaze carried the challenging arrogance of a gamer.


“That’s why I said, this 「Game」- is a draw.”


As he heard this - Plum opened his eyes wide in surprise for


the very first time.


But Sora merely spread his arms cheerfully, smiled and


continued:


“You’re really good, I mean it. You actually set a trap that


would activate automatically if we were to win - a time bomb -


this is the first time I’ve been set up so beautifully in my entire


career as a gamer!!”


- Once again - s.h.i.+ro recited accurately:


“~~...「Nii」...”


- 「The Empress bet - 「Everything she had」...am I


correct?」


“You merely looked down without saying anything - not a


word of confirmation nor denial, so we were able to confirm


everything including the presence of the trap.”


Sora said, but as he heard the next sentence...


Plum actually felt sweat dripping from his cheeks, and he felt


shock - no, pure horror.


“- So! Let’s reveal the time bomb we set on you as well.”


“...~~...「Plum」...”


-「I heard that Sora-dono and the others are planning to


conquer all the races.」


Sitting on Sora’s lap, s.h.i.+ro happily recreated that sentence, that


was one of the very first things Plum had said to Sora -


“I’m sorry, you 「Messed up」 there, we never planned to


get anyone’s piece.”


“-----Huh?”


“So, when you weren’t around - I told the Empress.”


Sora narrowed his eyes and smiled as if he was reciting a


humorous joke to a friend:


Which was -


“Aside from the responsibilities held in helping us, we return


everything, your Race Piece included.”


But Sora then continued weakly: “She said 「My beloved


husband, please don’t return the right for you to continue


bullying me!」” So that was the only thing she refused.


...Plum collapsed weakly onto the ground and sighed.


“...What does that matter to me...if one messes up the first


step in a plan, everything is lost...”


The greater a plan was, the first step would decide even more,


Plum couldn’t possibly not know this.


But how could one detect a screw-up in the very first step of a


plan - Plum thought.


“You only made one mistake, and it was a common mistake,


but aside from that - everything was perfect.”


“...What?”


“The Dhampirs were weakened due to the 「Ten Pledges」,


you realized that, and even raised measures to counter that...but


despite that, you weren’t conscious enough of the weaker


ones, so at the most crucial stage -”


Sora replied bitterly:


“You called us the inferior races right? ...That was the


reason.”


As he heard that - Plum understood, and he sighed.


“- Ahaha...to think I still have that sense of pompous pride


even after I got this far...something that shouldn’t have been


there, I was wrong all along...you guys actually...”


Reverting to his usual pitiful expression, Plum looked up at the


ceiling and said:


“...You guys actually intend to challenge the One True G.o.d,


who would have thought of that...”


Sora and s.h.i.+ro smiled in satisfaction as they heard that.


- Yes, that person - Plum, the final male of the Dhampir had


noticed.


He had found the way to conquer this world (game).


“This world would be a much better place with more people


like you around, and th

© 2024 www.topnovel.cc