Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Empire's Light Appears
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Rye, Leo, and Rikal—who had become [Empire's Light]—were seated around the table, engaged in conversation.
Rikal fidgeted with his fingers anxiously, while Leo wore a bright expression.
The crown prince Leo's sudden visit to the Illusion Tower had been all about [Empire's Light].
It was well-known that the emperor, utterly obsessed with Maple Leaf Tale lately, was throwing his full support behind the expedition team.
And amid all that, the expedition team's biggest problem right now was none other than [Empire's Light].
Without the top Bishop user [Empire's Light], strategizing the Zakum raid had become nearly impossible.
"...So, you're saying you came here because you wanted to know Jebit's identity. Is that right, Third Prince?"
"Yes. You're aware of the strategy meeting and banquet the imperial family is hosting soon, I presume. His Majesty's idea was to invite Jebit there and convince her to join the raid.
But since we didn't know her identity, we thought we'd seek help from the Illusion Tower.
Fortunately, we ended up meeting you right on time. I must be lucky."
Maybe it's more accurate to say Rikal's luck is bad.
This is a real mess. Probably even more so for Rikal.
The situation was already out of my hands, so the choice had to be left to Rikal.
"Well... you are lucky. But even without Jebit, we couldn't disclose a user's identity. It's impossible to find out, and we have no right to use players' personal information anyway."
"Yes, I read about that in the papers. It was a long shot. My real purpose was this."
Rikal handed over an envelope extravagantly decorated with gold leaf.
Inside was an invitation to the strategy meeting.
"His Majesty has also invited Lord Riot, the developer of Maple Leaf Tale, to this banquet. That was our main goal, and Jebit's identity was just a hopeful extra. Sorry if it offended you."
"Ah, I see. No problem."
"His Majesty has been so absorbed in Maple Leaf Tale lately that he seems eager to get acquainted with you, Lord Riot. We'd be delighted if you could attend."
That guy's all prickly one minute...
I wanted to check out the strategy meeting anyway, so it didn't matter.
"Still, it's surprising that the crown prince came all the way here himself. Must have been a long trip."
An invitation was one thing, but the crown prince showing up in person was odd.
For the crown prince, of all people, to come bearing just this one thing.
And as far as I knew, Crown Prince Leo wasn't even a Maple Leaf Tale player.
"It's an important matter, so I figured I should come myself. I'm personally in favor of deepening ties with Trinity, so I enjoy mingling with mages.
To be honest, I'm a bit dissatisfied with His Majesty neglecting state affairs over Maple Leaf Tale, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't meet the mage who created such an amazing artifact."
Leo spoke with a kind, good-natured smile.
Completely different from Rikal.
Come to think of it, I'd heard there were factions in the imperial family pushing to disband the imperial mage corps.
Leo must be one of them.
Imperial mages were indeed far inferior to Trinity's mages.
Of course, even in Trinity, us Illusion mages were pretty much useless.
Anyway, it was unexpected, but Leo apparently had his reasons for coming in person.
Unlike the emperor, Leo seemed to be approaching Maple Leaf Tale and the Zakum expedition from a political standpoint.
He really did look the part of [Empire's Light].
And then there was the other [Empire's Light].
"And... it's an honor to meet you, Jebit."
Leo turned his gaze toward Rikal, disguised as Jebit.
"N-Nice to meet you too."
Rikal's awkward reply didn't show thanks to the illusion magic's enhancement.
For the crown prince to show such courtesy first to someone whose identity he didn't even know.
Leo and Rikal were polar opposites.
"As you've heard, we'd love for you to attend the strategy meeting. You've probably gotten invitations from Galliard and many others already, but as a representative of the imperial family hosting the banquet, I extend this one personally."
Rikal hesitated for a moment before responding.
He'd been so eager to join the expedition earlier—why the reluctance now?
"I-I'll think about it."
"...Understood. You must have your own considerations, Jebit. I won't pressure you. Just come if you change your mind."
Leo handed an invitation to Jebit as well and stood up.
"It would be rude to overstay. Sorry for the intrusion. I hope to see you at the banquet."
"Thank you for the invitation."
"Yes. Well... oh, Rikal still hasn't shown up. Maybe I should take him with me..."
"Ah, um! I heard the Third Prince has chronic constipation? You should go ahead. We still have business with him anyway."
"Hmm... All right. It was a pleasure meeting you, Lord Riot. And Jebit."
Leo left with graceful poise.
The tension drained from me, and I slumped into my chair.
"Haa... That was tense."
Thinking about it, this wasn't even my problem.
I'd been on pins and needles worrying Rikal might get exposed.
Was it some kind of empathy stat?
Rikal checked thoroughly that no one was around before dropping his disguise.
Then, with an uncharacteristically weary expression, he slumped in his chair.
"Phew... You did well."
"...Why didn't you accept the invitation right away?"
"Because suddenly showing up after ghosting forever would look suspicious. Gotta pretend to mull it over so no one gets doubtful."
"I see."
Was he more immersed than I'd thought?
"Anyway, be careful with physical contact. Your speech... seems fine already."
"...Shut up. I plan to stay out of sight at the banquet, so don't talk to me."
"Wasn't planning to."
Time passed, and Rikal eventually left too.
Up to this point, everything seemed headed for a smooth resolution—the expedition, the strategy meeting, Rikal's situation.
Of course, this choice ended up drawing even greater attention from the world onto Rikal.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "...But how are we supposed to fight when we don't even know what the enemy is? We'd be taking a huge risk."
"That's true, but... considering what Galli—er, [Fallen Power Warrior] said, charging in blindly would mean a total wipe."
"...What do you think, ElfQueen?"
Somewhere in an abandoned mine in Maple Leaf Tale.
The expedition members gathered so far were holding a meeting.
As gamers and heroes drawing the world's attention, they all desperately wanted to conquer Zakum.
But they hadn't summoned Zakum even once yet.
They felt the expedition wasn't strong enough.
The world clamored for the expedition to take down Zakum, but the members themselves were the most frustrated.
Grumbles of discontent began rising from the group.
"...I want to face Zakum as much as anyone. But failure means losing a ton of EXP for everyone. I can't force you to take that risk."
Dying to Zakum itself wasn't a big deal.
It was just a game, not real death.
But the people of this world, having lived through actual wars with the demon army, were over-immersed.
Strategizing cautiously against a massive foe was only natural.
And for high-level players like them, every percent of EXP was precious.
Shoooo—
At that moment, [Fallen Power Warrior] logged in.
"Phew... Everyone's online."
"[Fallen Power Warrior], any news?"
"Still nothing. The imperial family said they'd ask the Illusion Tower, but I doubt it'll pan out."
Along with imperial support (not that they could do much special), the expedition was feverishly searching for [Empire's Light].
But months had passed with no progress.
"Not even anyone suspicious on the 500 early-access player lists we got from the Blue Hair Merchant Guild... Sigh..."
"The offline meetup's right around the corner—what do we do? We'll hit max level without even touching a Zakum arm at this rate!"
[God of Lightning vv] vented while pounding a wild boar monster.
"...We need to make a decision. We're not getting anywhere like this."
"...So, you're saying we challenge it even if we might fail?"
"If everyone's on board. As I said, dying at our level means massive EXP loss. I won't force it."
[Fallen Power Warrior]'s words made everyone's expressions grave.
A fight they were sure to lose. Yet the members all shared the same thought.
"...Let's vote then. If it's unanimous, we'll call in members from other regions too."
They voted via party chat.
And as expected, it was unanimous yes.
The next day.
The still-incomplete expedition summoned Zakum.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "This is so exciting! I can't believe I get to attend the 'Zakum Expedition' strategy meeting!"
"I was on edge buying raffle tickets just for this invitation—who knows how many I got."
"More than me? I bought 500."
"500? Isn't that overdoing it, ma'am?"
The day of the Zakum strategy offline meetup and imperial banquet.
People with invitations flooded into the capital.
Naturally, demand to attend was through the roof.
But they couldn't accommodate everyone.
So the imperial family devised a raffle system for invitations.
Buy items from imperial ventures, get a ticket with a number.
Then draw 100 numbers live at random.
This raked in massive revenue for the imperial family.
The 100 winners were hailed as legends of luck.
Odds about 1 in 100,000.
"Long time no see. In the real world, I mean."
"It's been a while, Liana. No need for 'how've you been?'"
Galliard and Liana entered the banquet hall.
Memories of their old hero party days flooded back.
The game's developer Rye had opposed it—"Why's the imperial family throwing a banquet over one game?"—but Galliard and Liana knew better.
The tales of heroes. Their success stories. The joy they could share.
How happy the people of this world looked hearing their stories, witnessing humanity's great achievements.
Before being individuals, the world's inhabitants were all human.
Sharing one emotion before a great deed.
And having shared the thrill of slaying the demon king with the people before.
They didn't oppose this grand banquet for the offline meetup.
Like burning a field before plowing. Tedious, but necessary.
—Waaaaah!
Led by Galliard and Liana, expedition members began entering the hall.
Spotting them, guests erupted in fervent cheers.
It felt just like returning after slaying the demon king long ago.
"Long time since we felt this."
"Yeah. Feels like it wasn't that long ago, but... I miss those days."
"Not that long? It's just you and me left now. Elf time sense still throws me off."
Chatting like that, the two began enjoying the banquet.
Though they had devastating news to announce soon, for now.
—His Imperial Majesty the Emperor enters.
The banquet proceeded a bit more.
The hall fell silent the instant the emperor appeared, clad in a red cloak embroidered with brilliant gold thread. Grand music swelled.
"Galliard, how long's it been? Great to see you again, Lady Liana."
"It's been too long, Your Majesty."
"An honor."
The three exchanged warm greetings.
But the talk was brief.
The emperor's entrance meant the moment everyone awaited was finally here.
"Please take your seats. With the other members."
Expedition members gathered around a massive pre-set round table.
"You all know what this banquet is for without me saying."
The emperor bellowed, glass in hand.
His voice boomed through the hall without amplification magic, showing his sincerity.
"I dare say it's an honor. To preside over this great moment. I give glory to the 'Zakum Expedition' members who permitted it, and to the Illusion Tower that created Maple Leaf Tale.
In the old demon army wars, the hero party planned the next battles from the capital with imperial support. That history made us strong, those moments forged the empire. Thus, this will be another glorious chapter in imperial history."
The crowd gazed at the solemnly declaring emperor with moved eyes.
Rye watched from a corner of the hall with baffled ones.
Why are these people going so overboard over one game?
Ignoring Rye's thoughts, the emperor continued.
"I commend the expedition leader, former hero Galliard—[Fallen Power Warrior]—for agreeing to hold this offline strategy meeting publicly in the capital. Remembering the day the first hero was born, and praying for the expedition's success! Let the banquet's second act begin!"
Bappappabam bappapa~
The banquet's second act kicked off with grand music.
This act was the expedition's strategy session.
A talk-concert format where attendees watched their deliberations.
Is a boss strategy meeting meant for this big an audience?
Rye was still baffled.
To this world's people, it was like hearing an epic hero saga.
In the excited atmosphere, the expedition leader—[Fallen Power Warrior] Galliard—opened his mouth.
But his first words sank the high spirits instantly.
"As expedition leader, first, my apologies. We cannot hold the strategy meeting today."
Murmur murmur—
The hall buzzed.
Everyone wore shocked expressions.
"We've challenged Zakum several times already. To strategize properly, we needed info on it. Even knowing failure was certain, we had to clash to find a clue."
Audience members covered their mouths gravely.
Why? Rye wondered, watching them.
"...But every attempt failed miserably. We chugged potions like mad, but it wasn't enough. Once, we even destroyed five of its eight arms—but that was it. Beyond that... impossible with just us. Honestly, we're out of clues."
——!
Audiences gasped as if shot in the chest.
Some collapsed in tears.
"...But one thing's clear. What we need now is a 'healer'."
Audiences' eyes reignited with hope.
Reactions like a well-scripted play.
"Maple Leaf Tale's greatest healer! We're desperately seeking [Empire's Light]! Please, if anyone knows her, help us meet! If we could just find [Empire's Light]...!"
Thud! Thud!
A massive double quake.
Galliard slammed both knees to the floor with a boom.
"I'll kneel like this and beg her to join the expedition!"
"Ahh... Aaaah...!"
"Galliard doing that..."
"Please appear, Jebit...!"
The hall became a sea of tears in an instant.
Galliard's desperate plea to conquer Zakum moved everyone.
All but one.
These guys are totally nuts... Why over-immerse in a game like this? If you hadn't insisted on an offline strategy session, Jebit wouldn't have needed to hide.
Rye shook his head at them.
Speaking of, Rikal hasn't shown.
Rye knew Rikal was attending.
Had he arrived earlier, this wouldn't have happened.
Cheers, proper meeting.
But with Galliard so desperately yearning for [Empire's Light], kneeling, audiences sobbing—if he appeared now.
[Empire's Light] Rikal would draw insane attention.
Maybe worse.
Following Galliard's emotional speech, Jebit's entrance might explode the emotions.
Better if he skips.
Creeeak...
And Rye's worry became reality.
The hall door opened, revealing a cute girl with a smile.
"Hawawa...?"
Sobbing eyes locked on her.
"...Who's she?"
"No idea, but such a mystical aura."
As questions swirled about her identity.
Crown Prince Leo's voice cleared it.
"Eh...? Jebit...? Jebit! You came!"
"What? She's Jebit?"
"Heard the crown prince delivered her invite personally—it's true?"
"She looks exactly like in Maple Leaf Tale!"
"Jebit! Jebit!"
Torrential cheers poured like rain,
as emotionally charged people surged toward her.
—Jebit! Jebit! Jebit! Jebit! Jebit!
"Wh-what's going...!"
Rikal backpedaled from the rushing crowd.