Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: Lanterns, Gears, Power of Friendship -3
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[Quarterfinal Bracket]
A Block: Bennett Hilton Adventurer Kelin Niore Restman Wandering Swordsman Ipar
B Block:
Silent Upolin Redburn Knight Anfir Hero Candidate Benjamin Flame Mage Kravelin Render
The round of 16 had ended.
Eight remained in the Invariable Tournament. Two would emerge from here.
The Reform Faction members were clustered in Block A, while Redburn and the Cardinal Faction dominated Block B. There was no way to rearrange the bracket, so the best outcome in this setup was as follows.
Bennett wins Block A, and the neutral Silent Whatever takes Block B.
But his chances of breaking through Redburn and the Cardinal Faction's heavy hitters were slim to none. Realistically, Block B would send either Redburn or the Cardinals.
If forced to choose, better Redburn than the Cardinals.
The Conditional Labs were still running at full throttle. Evil God-chan and I hunched over the dark circles under our eyes, gloomily running tests and logging every new conditional we uncovered.
The Heart swarm danced on command. And among them, one tumbled unnaturally. Check.
"...Another one?"
"Now it's don't put too much force in your left ring finger."
They just kept coming.
My happiness was their misery, and the Cardinals seemed to be going all-in on the tournament slump. They were spamming goddess powers like crazy.
Bugs appearing out of nowhere meant rechecking every action from scratch. And who knew when or how they'd slip in new conditionals.
An endless swamp of full audits.
On top of match analysis and digging into Church of the Goddess secrets, the workload never let up. Even Evil God-chan and I were bound to burn out from overwork.
So I made the patriotic call for work-life balance.
"Let's take a break."
"...Yeah, you sneaky bastard. Keep me grinding without whining, huh?"
"What're you even saying? Come on, rest with me. Up you go."
"Eek!"
Machines break if you run 'em nonstop. Even that goddess couldn't dodge glitches—how's a human supposed to hold up? I scooped up the babbling Evil God-chan and tucked her under my arm.
Then flung us onto the bed preset for instant R&R. The mattress sank with a poof, wrapping us in cozy bliss.
Only after lying side by side did Evil God-chan start fussing.
"...Put me down!"
"Your reactions are lagging a beat lately?"
Did the kid glitch out?
I crossed my arms behind my head and sorted my thoughts on the situation.
First off, difficulty spiked hard. Dodging the conditionals pouring in like weeds made even building combat modules a headache.
Thank goodness I'd farmed stacks of custom martial arts for the wuxia sessions. Otherwise, no way I'd keep up with the update pace.
Redburn Duke's side seemed to have a vague grasp on 'conditionals' too. Never stepping forward with his left foot no matter what screamed learned experience... or...
Maybe their Puppeteer was running infinite analysis like me.
And the real kicker? Kindergarten Destiny Hack (working title) synergizing with the conditionals.
If a boxer fights with his left arm tied, his move pool shrinks massively. Same here. The more "don't do X" piled up, the more predictable we got.
And predictable moves were Kindergarten Destiny Hack's bread and butter.
The round of 16 was touch-and-go. Bennett had to pull his longsword Howl at the end, and the weaker Niore was already going all-out.
Dodge Redburn? Conditionals trip you. Dodge conditionals? Redburn grabs your ankle.
Felt like they teamed up to gank me.
Small mercy: Cardinals dodged direct clashes with us. They shoved independents and Bennett's party into Block A—no meetings there.
"...Why though?"
Weird, like Evil God-chan said. Bennett wasn't weak, but against an imperial duke's direct knight? Specs fell short.
"Bennett's got some amazing wizard backing him who can amp and twist fables! Better fight Redburn instead."
No way they guessed that.
Couldn't know the full story, but hypotheses were fair game.
"There's a simple, efficient conditional: 'Those without divine power are unlucky.' Or 'Post-visit to Holy City, unlucky.' Something like that, maybe."
"...Just slap 'Redburn Clan unlucky. Reform Faction unlucky' and call it?"
"Machines don't roll that way. Goddess runs super mechanical, so vague stuff she can't judge probably won't input."
Why she had to be that mechanical? No clue.
After that, the tournament rolled on.
The quarters passed.
Niore bowed out regrettably, but Bennett advanced. Block B sent Redburn's knight and a Cardinal pick. The end was nigh.
It was a cloudy night.
Steam clouds grazing the moon plunged the world into darkness, then lit it up like stadium lights. I swirled my wine glass in the shadows and stepped onto the balcony.
Bennett stood there, staring at the sky. I announced myself with ice clinking.
"Shall we raise a preemptive toast? Bennett."
"...Isn't it a bit premature?"
"Your opponent, the wandering swordsman—he knows zilch about this tournament's hidden rules. Big gap between rule-knowers and noobs."
"Fair. So, why'd you call me out?"
What else? I rubbed my hands villainously.
Once Bennett wins, he'd be slammed busier than now. So snag what I can while there's slack.
"Figured it's time to collect payment. No free lunch in this world, right?"
"Yeah, thanks to you, mad wizard. Without your help, the Reform Faction and we'd have fizzled like dead embers. Grateful."
"Gratitude won't cut it. Time to settle up. What I want is..."
"The holy sword?"
Way off, but intriguing guess. Shady mysterious mage wants something? Gotta be that.
Nope. I craved humble wisdom.
Learned the hard way tumbling around Holy City. Hint around Bennett shamefully? I'd die old without an answer.
Gotta man up for the response I want.
Deep breath. I declared boldly.
"I want to know how to juggle two flames without burning."
"........."
Bennett rubbed his ears, pinched his hand to check if dreaming, spun Howl like a top on the floor, then slapped his cheek hard enough to echo.
My character collapse that shocking?
Bennett leaned on the railing, pondering long in awkward silence. Finally, softly:
"Be honest."
"...Honest?"
I was plenty honest already.
"Think about it. Could you love a girl with another guy? Tolerate it?"
"........."
"Nope. Even hypothetical pisses you off. They'd feel the same. They'd want you all to themselves if they could."
"...Right."
Spot on.
If Yuna dragged home a boyfriend declaring poly with you? I'd be gutted.
Yuna and Yuri got along fine. Occasional jealousy, but mild—so I swept it under without deep thought?
Bennett gazed skyward, eyes soft with affection for his girls, continuing.
"They love me despite that. So I gotta... try just as hard, be the me they love."
"........."
"Not about juggling well or not, wizard. If you're loved this much... attitude of gratitude and giving your all."
Ah.
Prioritizing love over clutching both hands tight. Chew on it—sound advice every time.
Bennett's manly balance talk wasn't playboy management—it was raw sincerity. Pure love.
Deeply moved, I bowed.
"Thanks, Bennett. True master of the dual flame..."
"...Don't phrase it like that."
Bennett's face soured.
Sweet. Time to confess?
Tempting. For real. Wrap this gig, then drop it. Been modeling a flower bouquet illusion secretly for this moment, right?
Hmm.
"...What’s a good confession line?"
"Don't poll people for that."
But botch it, become lifetime tease fodder. Yuna might forgive; Pinkbalrez? Till death.
Anyway, coming here for advice? Solid choice. Worth it. Guts paid off. Concept cracked, but...
Mind's at ease.
Alright.
I stretched, prepping to head in—
[Warning: Traces of ■■■ detected in Administrator 'Hero' selection device.]
[Warning: Damage rate confirmed at 30.2%.]
[Warning: Possibility of intentional corruption due to ■■■ intervention, not incompetence of religious leaders. 2 related warnings.]
[Warning: Initiating administrator purification phase.]
—Wild beasts sense coming disasters first.
Birds wheeling madly, beasts screaming and fleeing—their senses caught the threat.
Thus, fable-enhanced Bennett with sharpened senses.
And me, innate talent slurping info.
—
We sensed the anomaly faster than anyone in the city.
"........."
"........."
Felt like ice water dumped over. Tension locked my body, neck stiffening. Eyes and nerves locked on the city center.
Couldn't look away. Nothing visible or audible, but something vast and heavy flickered past. Cold sweat trickled down my neck.
We're fucked.
Crude, but nothing fit better.
And then.
A pillar of light lanced through the dark, silent night sky.
I knew it. Divine Chastisement. Ultra-dense divine power beam melting all in its path with insane heat. But this output...
Succubus Queen's fluid on a paladin? Ripple. This crashing into city center? Tsunami, ten times bigger.
Nearby buildings melted away; even here, the heat hit.
Bennett said,
"...Hero's Hall, where the holy sword's kept."
Holy sword.
Head spun dizzily; puzzle pieces snapped together.
On Evil God-chan's trip, she fed dragon essence to some rando. Drained its core and infused.
Learned post-arrival: that rando was Cardinals' hero pick. Figured it was my ace.
Like they feared my holy sword touch, goddess would freak at 'its' fragment. Even if Cardinals steamrolled worst-case... no hero for him.
Grip it, Divine Chastisement drops.
So. That pillar now...
Tournament woes spooked Cardinals; skipped protocols, handed sword to unchosen candidate. Highest odds.
Fine so far. No issue.
Beam fades? Just a hiccup.
But my instincts screaming like this...
What's next.
[Warning: Administrator purification phase 1 - City erasure.]
I ditched the concept instantly.
"EMERGENCY, Bennett! Evac prep NOW! If I heard right, goddess plans to nuke the whole city!"
"...Shit, got it!"
Time to think survival.