Chapter 34: And Thus, Thou Shalt Be Surrounded by a Wall of Spears of Turmoil
To put it bluntly, Secondale is hardly what you'd call a large city, and the view of Thirdrema visible beyond the gate is a bustling one... a city that fully satisfies the conditions of a "fantasy metropolis." The barrage of sales pitches from street stall merchants, raining down like hail upon those visiting the city, makes you furrow your brow at the noise—yet at the same time, you can feel the vitality radiating from them seeping into you. If Firstia and Secondale are cities that spread out across flat land, then Thirdrema is a hill with the castle standing at the city's center as its peak. Therefore, the scenery awaiting me as I'm about to step inside is, at least for someone like me who rarely travels far except to buy games, novel—and more than enough to set my motivation blazing.
Emul: "Fuhyaa, it's such a beautiful city no matter how many times I see it, wa."
Sunraku: "Yeah."
Emul: "Mmm, you seem rather indifferent, Sunraku-san."
Sure, it's an amazing sight, but I am a gamer, after all. The fact that I've cleared a fair number of games means that I've seen just as many different stages. For instance: on a scaffold constructed in the atmosphere with a planet directly below. For instance: a castle so colossal you'd wonder if giants lived in it, the result of roughly fulfilling an order for "just a really impressive castle." For instance: a valley where the cracked earth and sky revealed a cybernetic underlayer due to texture corruption. Precisely because they were games, precisely because it's full-dive VR, I've stood, walked, seen, heard, and experienced such sights—and I expound this to Emul as we stand before the gate.
Sunraku: "I'm not a warrior guided by the god of fate, but I've seen my fair share of different places."
Emul: "That's amazing, wa! As expected of a pioneer, you've visited all sorts of places, wa!"
Even in human form, Emul is the same Vorpal Bunny inside, and at her dancing, hopping figure, I can't help but smile too.
Sunraku: "Now, what to do..."
Emul: "...? Aren't we looking for an inn, wa?"
Sunraku: "No, that's a required task. I'm talking about how to handle the current situation."
Back in Secondale, thanks to the timing and the time period meshing well, I only caught glimpses of players overall, but in a large-scale city like this, there will be a fair number of players who have set up their base here. I was surprised that there are quite a few players heading back to Secondale instead of rushing off to the next area, but now that I think about it, if you update your save point in the next city and then return, the area boss respawns, right? In that case, it's not strange for players to go back and forth repeatedly to gather materials. I knew that, and I also knew that my appearance stands out in a bad way, but this feels a little different. What is it? Ever since a moment ago, I've been getting looks from players leaving Thirdrema to return to Secondale. But the reaction isn't "some crazy guy showed up"—it's more like a look that says, "Could that be that guy?" as if they're trying to confirm something. Strange. I've certainly had various thrilling experiences, but I shouldn't have done any flashy actions that other players would know about... Wait, could it be that those three I had a "suspicious person" first contact with in The Rampant Forest went and posted something like "There was this insanely suspicious player lol"?! No, I want to believe that's not the case, but...
Sunraku: "Well, I am a suspicious person."
If a masked pro-wrestler lookalike suddenly burst out of the forest instead of a bear, what would you do? I'd take a picture and laugh my ass off. In other words, it can't be helped.
Sunraku: "Let's go, Emul. Let's find an inn quickly."
Emul: "Ha, hai na."
Just then, one of the players passing by suddenly grabs my shoulder, and my first step into Thirdrema is postponed yet again. Seriously, let me set foot in the city already. Why am I stuck standing forever in front of the gate? The gatekeeper's stare is painful.
Animalia: "Y-You! That outfit... You're Sunraku, right!?"
Sunraku: "Huh?"
Emul: "Sunraku-san, is she an acquaintance, wa?"
A female player I've never seen before suddenly pressed in on me, almost grabbing me, and asked that. Emul asks if I know her... "Animalia." I have no recollection of that name. I thought she might be a kusoge friend, but at the very least, if that were the case, I doubt she'd address me so formally, and above all, if it were that guy... who I know for sure is playing this game... he wouldn't approach me so openly.
Sunraku: "Um, who are you?"
When it comes to games, it's an ironclad rule that equipment gets stronger the further you progress, and the strength of equipment is roughly proportional to the flashiness of its appearance. So I can tell at a glance that Animalia's equipment is not something you'd obtain this early in the game. But I'm even more confused. This player clad in equipment radiating an aura that seems impossible to craft until much later—why is she in a city this early on? And more than that, why does she know my name?
Animalia: "Greetings... or anything like that... don't matter. There's just one thing I want to ask..."
Gwash! With a grip that feels like it might shatter my shoulder, the player named Animalia grabs me, eyes wide, and asks her question. I barely manage to restrain my fingers, which reflexively started to move to deploy a weapon, with sheer force of will. With a soft pofun!, Emul's drooping ears pop out, and she frantically hides them in her hair.
Animalia: "How?! Did you tame! A Vorpal Bunny?!"
Emul: "...!" Absolutely do not blow your cover, Emul. I restrain Emul, who reflexively tried to respond, and while silently thanking the fact that my mask hides any change in expression, my thoughts race at high speed. Where did the information leak? No, the most plausible explanation is that someone saw me with Emul... with a Vorpal Bunny. I screwed up. I had overlooked that "not being spoken to" and "not being seen by anyone" are entirely different matters. Damn it, should I just ignore her and run into the city? No, judging that as the optimal solution would be premature. What do I do? Revealing the Unique Scenario is out of the question. Information has value precisely because you can monopolize it. Besides, even if she told me to explain, all I could say is, "I got called by the boss because I had a Vorpal Soul."... I see, there's no need to hide it. After all, I'm the one who wants to ask... what kind of flag even triggered the Unique Scenario "Invitation from Rabituza" in the first place...
Sunraku: "Well, even if you ask me how, I don't really understand it myself..."
Arthur Pencilgon: "That's right, we should all share this kind of thing, don't you think, Revolutionary Knight Sunraku-kun.........?"
That name holds absolutely no meaning in this game. That name refers to me in a different game from this one. That name indicates a relationship with me in a specific game.
And precisely because of that—from the direction of the voice, beyond the gate, from inside Thirdrema, an ambush attack that the speaker would likely aim for... a strike accurately targeting my legs to prevent escape... I manage to dodge by knocking aside Animalia-san's arm gripping my shoulder and then leaping, half on instinct. And I take distance away from the gate, understanding full well that from an objective viewpoint, this is a bad move.
Sunraku: "So you've shown yourself, Pencil Warrior...!!"
Arthur Pencilgon: "Now now, here I'm Arthur Pencilgon, Sunraku-kun. Or rather, don't talk about people like they're monsters."
Though the attire is different, even with a mask that hides everything from the nose up, I can tell—astonishingly—that "ah, this person is a beauty." She seems to be using her real face, that assassin... the player "Pencil Warrior," whom Modor Katzo and I assassinated in the post-apocalyptic looting game Unite Rounds back then. Now going by "Arthur Pencilgon," she flashes me a genuinely joyful smile.
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