However, You Must Take Responsibility
The 'Queen' of Kiki Island sat in her antique chair, scanning the dozens of screens arrayed before her.
Once again, countless visitors were making use of the private facilities today. Dozens of times a day, they lost or gained KP.
Crere, the master of this place, had turned the circulation of KP into a form of gambling, but as far as the Queen could see, it served little purpose beyond lining their pockets.
"How boring..."
Every result was exactly what she expected. When the 'Blessed One' had appeared five months ago, she'd actually allowed herself a flicker of hope. But the Blessed One had failed to overcome even her own blessing and died just like that.
Granted, as an immortal user it wasn't a true death — but having lost her blessing and her access rights to Kiki Island, it was death in all but name.
Fwaaaaah!
At that moment, the badge hanging at the Queen's deep neckline flared with light. A signal that KP was coming in. As the sole Queen, she was entitled to a portion of the private facility's usage fee — in other words, the KP — once each day. It was the privilege of the far superior badge she alone possessed.
'Technically, it was a contract forged by someone else.'
"Crere... just when exactly do you plan on gathering all the blessings?"
She hadn't been born a Queen. Originally, she had simply been a famous resident of Kiki Island — a woman with no particular distinction beyond her stunning beauty. It was Crere, another visitor and a Blessed One besides, who had come seeking her out.
Crere made 'a certain' contract with her, seized the authority of Kiki Island, and transformed it into one of Deoen's top three tourist destinations. He made a fortune, and in exchange, the Queen was promised the island's supreme power and every 'blessing' it could grant her.
"Money-grubbing leech..."
A year and a half had passed, and there had been no progress whatsoever. It might seem like a short time, but to her, it had stretched on endlessly. Above all, about a year ago, when they had first encountered three Blessed Ones, Crere hadn't exerted the slightest real effort to capture them.
'He let them go, in fact. Said they were useful for bringing in money.'
And then he'd simply smiled and brushed it off, saying everything was going according to plan. In the end, all the Queen possessed was the single blessing she'd received when they first made their contract. Nothing more.
That was precisely why, despite bearing the name and title of 'Queen,' she continued to watch over her inferiors with her own eyes. If she didn't, she knew Crere would interfere and let every Blessed One slip away, just as he always did.
"Hoo..."
But even patience had its limits, and the Queen, who had already poured far too much mental energy into this, was quietly wearing down.
"I'm done for today."
She was swallowing her frustration, reaching to shut off the tedious screens —
JACKPOT
"...Jackpot?"
A jackpot had hit. The jackpot that no one — apart from Crere himself — had ever triggered.
The Queen wiped every screen away and opened a single one. A woman of such breathtaking beauty that even the Queen herself found her dizzying to behold. Her outfit was unmistakably that of a visitor, but her bearing and features felt strangely close to the island's own.
In an instant, the Queen was half certain, and from that moment on, she watched the woman's screen with rapt attention.
As if the goddess of fortune herself were watching over her, the woman began sweeping every gamble on the floor without resistance. Nothing could stop her, and her KP swelled to the point of leaping up entire tiers in a single bound.
"...Jack!"
An ornate door swung open, and a man entered. He stood a little shorter than the Queen, and at his chest hung a large strawberry badge.
"Go fetch that woman for me."
"Understood."
Thud.
"Found her, at last..."
She had finally found a 'Blessed One.'
"Welcome, darling."
Escorted in by Jack, the Blessed One arrived. Lily.
Lily Elbrit. A visitor who had come to Kiki Island not even a day ago. Skilled beyond measure, currently enjoying some rest here alongside her fellow visitors.
Recalling the report she'd been given, the Queen couldn't hide her astonishment.
'She's... remarkable, isn't she?'
Even more beautiful in person than through the screens. A beauty so transcendent it could sway even her, a Blessed One herself. The Queen offered a languid, unhurried greeting with a seductive glint in her eyes.
Jiiiing...
At that, the Queen's sole blessing — Charm — seeped into her words and burrowed toward Lily's ears.
"Hello there."
'...?'
But the blessing seemed to have no effect at all. Lily, utterly unfazed, settled naturally into the chair before her. She handled the occasion with practiced ease, tipping back the wine glass resting on the table as if this kind of meeting were old hat to her.
The Queen faltered for a beat, then calmly collected herself. Blessed or not, the second most powerful being on this island was her. Even if Crere himself showed up, the contract bound him from treating her carelessly.
"Heheh. Lovely to meet you. I'm Elis Ria, chief administrator of the private facilities. Feel free to just call me the Queen, darling."
"Isn't it usually the other way around?"
"Elis is longer than Queen, isn't it?"
Hu-hut. The Queen let out a sultry laugh and sipped her wine.
'As I thought...'
Charm wasn't working. And it wasn't simply because her guest was a woman. The great races of Kiki Island bestow blessings that disregard gender and worldly order alike. The power of a blessing is absolute.
Charm was a power that could enthrall even a fellow Blessed One. If this woman was truly the 'Fortune' Blessed One as predicted, she should never have been able to resist. Unless, of course, Fortune simply multiplied her 'possibilities' of evading it.
But Lily didn't feel like someone whose odds had improved — she simply felt untouched from the very start.
'As though it were impossible to begin with.'
Tap.
"Here you go."
"?"
Five strawberries. Compared to her own rank of 'Queen,' it was a lowly tier indeed — but for a visitor who had only just arrived, it was more than she deserved.
"I hear you've already amassed close to thirty million KP? Word travels fast."
"Just lucky, I suppose."
"Luck..."
Heh.
"Yes. Lucky indeed."
Which meant she absolutely had to claim that blessing for herself.
"I'll be blunt."
Swish.
Another card was laid on the table. Like Lily's, it was red — but subtly different. A portion of it gleamed gold.
"Inside is one billion KP. Thirty thousand gold, if you prefer. That's quite a handsome sum, isn't it, darling?"
"......"
"Take it, and I'd like your help with something I want. You've felt it too, haven't you? That absurd, inexplicable luck of yours."
"That luck only functions here on Kiki Island. Leave the island and it vanishes, naturally — and even if you return, it won't be particularly efficient again."
Meaningless, in other words.
The Queen leaned forward, letting her boldly dressed figure approach until she was nearly within arm's reach. Not a single blink from Lily. Feeling a twinge of indignation, the Queen gave a small cough — ahem! — and leaned back again.
"So then. Take this, and hand over your 'Fortune' to me. And of course, that's not all — along with the card, I'll provide the very finest service—"
"Sure."
"—guaranteed to satisfy you completely. Yes?"
I'll... give it to you?
"Really?"
"Yes. I'll hand it over."
"Why?"
Every visitor who had ever received a blessing had clung to it obsessively. A blessing was the authority granted by the great races of Kiki Island. And though she had told her the blessing was confined to the island, that wasn't strictly true.
If a blessing was worth one hundred here, it was worth about ten outside. A tenfold reduction, yes — but each and every blessing rivaled or exceeded Mythic grade. Because of this, most Blessed Ones either died unable to bear the burden of clinging to their prize, or left the island with it in hand. Never — not once — had anyone simply given theirs away.
Lily tilted her head, sipping her wine.
"I'm here on vacation. Even without it, well... I've already had my fill of fun."
"Darling..."
"Though I did take everything worth taking, of course."
"Y-yes! Naturally! Need anything more? I'll give you more!"
"I'm fine, thank you."
She meant it — she'd had her fill. And now that she knew the true nature of 'Fortune,' any further gambling would be pointless anyway.
The Queen nodded, her face radiant with joy, and let out a long, deep breath.
"Ahh~ at last, one more... wonderful... now, how shall we do this? Normally, the Great Altar opens once every three months, but the day has already passed, so you'd have to wait two more months. The conditions are rather strict, too. Two months would be difficult for you, wouldn't it?"
"Yes."
Her vacation ended tomorrow, and unless something truly exceptional brought her back, there likely wouldn't be another. Two months would be a problem.
"Then it's simple! Darling, just once — die for me, just one time!"
"...I beg your pardon?"
"You're an immortal visitor — more than possible, no? Of course, dying carries penalties, so I intend to compensate you generously for that as well. It's hardly a bad deal for you—"
"I refuse."
"...Huh?"
Lily set down her card and rose from her seat. She had come here intending to give the blessing away anyway, since it was just a vacation. But now?
'That changes things.'
"I'm sorry, but I won't be dying for you."
"N-now, wait! I truly intend to compensate you handsomely! So much you won't even remember the loss—"
"No compensation could outweigh the loss of my own death."
Death was not a word permitted to me. And I had no desire to die, either.
"I'll be wrapping up my use of the private facilities here. As scheduled, I'll leave Kiki Island tomorrow at noon."
"......Darling?"
"If you absolutely insist, feel free to resort to more forceful methods. I won't hold that against you, either."
Creeeak...
The ornate door swung open, revealing my companions waiting outside. I gave them a smile, then glanced back over my shoulder.
The Queen stared at me, her expression frozen in a daze.
"However, you will have to take responsibility."
If you dared to touch me.
THUD!
"D-darling...?"