You've Gotta Respect That Hammer Feel
To meet the Sword God and Magyeoggong, participating in the Siege Warfare was an unavoidable necessity.
Of course, I could simply charge in by force, but this wasn't the old days, and there were too many eyes watching — so that option had to go on the back burner for now.
To take part in a siege, you either had to own a guild castle or join a guild that owned one, and that was where the problem arose.
I had no intention of belonging to anyone's guild, nor any intention of running one of my own. And while I could technically join Yena's guild on a temporary basis, the location was far too out of the way. Her guild sat in the southern part of the continent, while the Sword God and Magyeoggong were both positioned in the north. What's more, the -Ye- Guild had absolutely nothing to do with the northern Eden Federation or the Empire.
From Yena's perspective, it would make no sense for me to travel to the exact opposite end of the continent to operate. Sure, if I explained my circumstances, Yena herself would understand — but I wasn't just some ordinary user. I was a streamer watched by countless people. I couldn't possibly air Naphras's business and mine on a broadcast, so to everyone else, my behavior would be completely incomprehensible.
Who knows, it might blow up into a fiasco just like Kiki Island did.
"It's bigger than I expected."
And so I had come to the northern continent — to the Eden Federation. Seven kingdoms, all interconnected, bound together in an alliance as sturdy as a fortress wall. And standing guard over them was the number one guild in Deoen: the Angel Guild.
I'm not thrilled about the name, though.
"Lady Lily?"
The moment I crossed into Cres Kingdom, the one most directly adjacent to the Empire, a woman in pure white came toward me from a distance — clearly waiting for my arrival.
Shoulder-length white hair that swayed at the slightest touch, and eyes as white as snow. Her outfit was a blue uniform, like a formal dress, and her strikingly pretty face was more than enough to draw the eyes of everyone nearby.
"Lady Raguel."
The youngest of the Seven Archangels. An expert archer, currently ranked 37th. Raguel approached me and bowed her head.
"Thank you for making the trip."
"It's not as if I walked here, so no trouble at all."
I had come straight here through a gate prepared by the Angel Guild. The Eden Federation, where the Angel Guild was based, was currently in preparations for the Siege Warfare, and part of its warp gates were off-limits to anyone but authorized personnel. The Angel Guild had simply designated me as authorized, so I could use them.
As Raguel guided me into the capital, she spoke.
"First of all, welcome to the Eden Federation. It's a union of seven kingdoms, each guarding the others. We protect the federation and receive fair compensation in return."
"I see."
"Yes. And each of us is assigned to protect one kingdom."
"One kingdom each?"
"Right. Seven kingdoms, and there are seven Archangels, after all."
Ah! Hello, Lady Raguel!
Greetings rang out from somewhere nearby. As soon as one person called out, the others rushed to offer their greetings as well, not wanting to be left out.
Lady Raguel, you're beautiful today too!
Thank you always!
Lady Raguel!
As the townsfolk bowed their heads in greeting from a distance, Raguel smiled and acknowledged each one before continuing.
"Each of us protects a kingdom... sort of in the manner of a lord, I suppose. Though in practice we're rarely in one place at a time — usually we're gathered together somewhere."
According to Raguel, while each Archangel was assigned a kingdom to protect, they didn't hold their post for life the way knights sworn to a kingdom would. In particular, the other Archangels rarely stayed attached to any single kingdom...
Raguel seemed embarrassed on their behalf, scratching her head for no real reason.
"They can be a little unreliable... but when it counts, they all get the job done. So there's a reassuring side to them too."
"You seem very popular with the townsfolk. Even just now."
We'd been walking through the capital for thirty minutes now, and Raguel's influence went far beyond that of a mere lord — she was practically an idol with a devoted fandom. Young and old, man and woman, nearly everyone seemed to adore her.
Even if someone were a wise ruler protecting their nation, I doubted it would ever reach this level.
"Oh, uhm... th-that's not it."
Raguel turned her head away, embarrassed. She fidgeted with her hands for a moment like someone who'd lost her way, then finally spoke again.
"I'm the vanguard, you see. Our territory borders the Empire most directly. So I just worked a little harder than most, and... it turned into this."
"Still, this isn't easy to achieve."
No matter how hard one worked, there was a gulf of status and power between her and the townsfolk. Above all, Raguel was an otherworlder — a stranger from a different world. And yet the townspeople didn't revere her or offer hollow, performative support; they genuinely, wholeheartedly liked her.
"You must have worked very hard."
"D-did I? I didn't really do anything special..."
"Guel!!"
WHAM!
"Ugh?!"
An assassin appeared out of nowhere and attempted murder — by wrapping her arms around Raguel's neck. Caught off guard by the ambush, Raguel tapped at the forearm coiled around her throat, but the assassin paid the tap absolutely no mind.
"Hohoho... what did Big Sis say again?"
"...Why are you here? I said I would handle the guidance."
"Like I could just sit still."
At her beaming words, Raguel let out a long sigh.
The assassin, still grinning, turned her gaze on me.
"Hello there! I'm Guel's big sister. Name's Uriel."
Strictly speaking, it was Uriel of the Seven Archangels who bowed her head alongside Raguel. Forced into a second greeting she'd already made, Raguel glared at Uriel — but she just kept chuckling to herself all the same.
I returned the greeting with a nod of my own.
"I'm Lily. That's quite a familiar name."
"Right? Uriel's a household name, even among the Seven Archangels. Oh! Not that I'm saying our Guel here isn't famous or anything."
"Right, Guel?"
Uriel went "Hm?" and peered down at Raguel, whom she was still holding in a headlock. When Raguel narrowed her eyes and glowered up at her, Uriel said "My bad, my baaad..." and finally released her.
"I don't mind the teasing, but could you refrain from it in front of a guest?"
"Oh my! Our little Guel's all grown up now, talking back to her big sister! Honestly..."
"Don't. Do it."
"Yes ma'am..."
Uriel deflated, drooping in dejection. I took the chance to observe her.
White hair even shorter than Raguel's, and those same snow-white eyes. Thick eyebrows, and a face that looked like it pulled pranks a few dozen times a day. And her vivid red outfit was even more eye-catching than Raguel's.
But what stood out most of all was her body — the way she carried herself.
Wait a second...
"Do you use a hammer, by any chance?"
"Oh?! Have you seen my gameplay videos?!"
Uriel's spirits snapped back in an instant, and she stared at me with sparkling eyes.
"No. Just a feeling."
"Aw. Got ahead of myself there."
Scratching her head, Uriel thrust out her white, callus-hardened hand, and a hammer materialized in it with a flash.
WHOOM!
"Yep, that's my weapon. My class is berserker, but with the guild buffs I'm basically something else entirely. You use a hammer too, don't you, Lady Lily? Spears as well, I hear."
"That's right. I use both."
"Still, a hammer beats a spear, right?"
Ha-hah! Uriel let out a hearty laugh and twirled the hammer. Raguel scolded her — Big Sis! — worried the remark might rub me the wrong way, given that the spear was my main weapon. Another childish stunt — what if she put her foot in it this time?
But contrary to her worries, I simply nodded.
"You're right."
A hammer did feel better than a spear.
"...Huh?"
"See?! I knew if anyone would understand the feel of a hammer, it'd be you, Lady Lily!"
"The feel is important. Honestly, the feel is everything."
"Hoho. You really do get it. I've watched so many of your videos, and how do I put it... I guess you'd say I get a sense of kinship? Oh, that reminds me — back when you were using that hammer..."
"...So back then, rather than acceleration, it's about momentary compression — so instead of raw power..."
"Oh...? That's actually how it works?"
"Yes. Entirely feasible. You could do it too, Lady Uriel. At that size, more than enough."
"Wow... I usually use mine to blow things apart in a single hit. The feel of that is just insane."
"There's definitely something to that. I do it that way sometimes too..."
At some point, Uriel and I had grown rapidly close, spending a good long while deep in conversation about the feel of a hammer. Raguel, reduced to a mere folding screen between us, shook her head with a long groan, spread both arms wide — Part! — and wedged herself right between us.
"Let me show you around the other kingdoms!"
"So? What do you think?"
The heart of the Eden Federation — the roundtable of the Seven Archangels, atop the highest floor of the Kingdom of Mirdas. When Michael, seated at its center, asked the question, Uriel — a fellow Archangel who'd returned just moments ago — chugged a white beverage and grinned.
"Totally my type."
"In what way? Her face?"
"Her face is great too... hehe... no, wait, that's not what I mean."
Ahem!
She spun around in her seat and rolled the pen on the table — or rather, her shrunken hammer — across it.
"She's better than I expected. No — better than I could've imagined."
Truth be told, they had worried at first. If she'd turned down Raphael's ten-million-won offer, and even Raguel's invitation after they'd fought in the same Mock Siege Battle together, then something was clearly wrong with her. There was her apparent refusal to join any guild, of course — but Michael had wondered whether she didn't harbor some fundamental aversion to the Angel Guild itself.
As the opinions circulated, Michael stared at her blankly.
"...What are you looking at?"
"I didn't know you were capable of thinking things like that. You're more impressive than I gave you credit for."
"Right? I thought the only thing inside Uriel's head was a hammer."
At Michael's remark, Sandalphon agreed as he hauled himself up from his corner of the room — and Uriel whacked both of their heads with her hammer.
"Ah! Why am I the only one getting hit?!"
"She blocked it with her Shield of Light. Even I couldn't break through that."
"No fighting at the roundtable, Uriel."
"Oh, and YOU'RE one to talk — didn't you and Big Sis Gabriel have your little lovers' spat right here? I heard her calling you a son of a bitch, a lowlife piece of─"
"...Fine. Just hit me once more."
Thwack!
And so Sandalphon took another one for the team.
Michael, of course, remained untouched.