Chapter 367: The Importance of Appointments

Outnumbered and surrounded. Even if I was going to let something slip, this was about the worst possible place for it. I'd just about resigned myself to the fact that this was the end when... a helping hand came from somewhere I never expected.

Eristella: "Everyone, would you please hear what I have to say?"

Her voice seemed to slip smoothly into the ears of everyone present. It carried a strange power—enough to stop even me when I was right on the verge of using my last resort and escaping through suicide respawn.

Then knights in matching equipment appeared, as though declaring that no one would be allowed to stand in the speaker's way.

One of them stared hard at me for a split second, and another's shoulders twitched when they saw what I was wearing... but, well. That's just how it is.

Eristella: "My name is Eristella... The person there is someone who accepted a request of mine. So would you please let them go...?"

Toravante: "Indeed. I know not what history may lie between you pioneers... but that person is my benefactor."

Oikatzo: "Ghk... state power..."

Pencilgon: "Maybe it's the result of your everyday conduct?"

Oikatzo: "But Sunraku-kun still hasn't been struck by divine punishment."

How dare you say that to me, the very embodiment of good conduct. You'd better watch yourselves on moonless nights.

Still, with the Saint and the King—the two highest authorities around—taking my side, the hold on me naturally loosened. I slipped out of the restraint, shot the two deviants a smug look, and gestured for Saint-chan to continue... Ah. She's wearing a veil. She can't read my expression anyway.

Regardless, things moved on. Maybe this was what true commitment to role-play looked like. Protected by the Saint's Divine Guard... or rather, the Shining Knights of the Holy Shield, standing in perfect formation, Saint Eristella—whose fragile air made the very idea of being "outside" seem wrong for her—quietly drew a breath.

Eristella: "...A dragon calamity is approaching."

Dragon calamity? A disaster caused by dragons?

The players stirred, but Saint-chan continued.

Eristella: "The Red Cry, Deuredhowl... the White Mad Love, Bryleinyego... the Green Cunning, Blockentreed... and the Black Tyranny, Noirlind... are coming."

The instant those names left Saint-chan's lips, I could've sworn an absolute-zero chill... no, a blast of pure rage erupted a short distance away, but I decided not to notice it. I also definitely wasn't looking at the master carpenter smiling brightly while resting a hand on a mace that looked like every last point had been dumped into killing power. Nope.

Eristella: "And the gold that answers them... An unprecedented calamity will sweep across this New Land..."

So, basically, a recap of the Unique Scenario. The atmosphere was starting to drift toward it's just an NPC event... but I knew better. I knew that the NPC called Eristella, the Saint of Love, was not some halfhearted quest-notification NPC.

Eristella: "We must unite."

For whatever reason, that NPC possesses words that amount to foreknowledge... or maybe "future forecasting" would be more accurate. If that's true, then this is practically a divine proclamation—a prophecy.

Eristella: "The beast people locked in a three-way struggle... the bird people who yearn for the blue sky... the mineral people oppressed by the red dragon... the lizard people who love freedom... the dragon people subservient to the black dragon... the great people who defy the dragons... the insect people who possess strength yet hate conflict... and even the defiled people rejected by all the others."

Sunraku: "Huh? What about the Pescorians?"

The words slipped out before I could stop them, and every gaze around me snapped my way at once. Crap. Another leak that's about to get me restrained again... No, wait. I'm pretty sure I told Library about this already. Which means I can dump the blame on them and escape!

Eristella: "Together with those we have yet to meet, and with brethren neither far away nor truly near, we must unite... so that we may resist the ruin that will sweep across this world after the dragon calamity."

I see. So what Saint-sama is really saying is, Quit screwing around here, hurry up and conquer the continent, and get ready for the Bonus Unique Scenario, you slackers. But if I said that out loud, I had no idea what Josette might do to me, so I'd keep it to myself. There was something about her scarier than simply getting killed...

Sunraku: "...Oh?"

Everyone's attention is locked on Saint-chan, huh? And because it's that perfect early-morning window—too late for people who stayed up all night, too early for people just logging in—the number of players here isn't actually that high.

If that's the case... I can do this. I can escape!

Sunraku: "........."

I carefully check my surroundings. The two deviants are... completely focused on Saint-chan. Library's fake magical girl is deep in thought. The Black Blade members are... good. I can make it.

Sunraku: "......!"

Just as I start putting strength into my body, I freeze.

Someone is staring at me. Staring... and staring... and staring.

And that someone is Deep Throater.

Th-this bastard... He isn't even glancing at Saint-chan. He's pinpointing me and me alone...!?

Deep Throater: ".........Hehehe."

Sunraku: ".........!?"

That bastard raises a hand and covers his own eyes. Is he trying to say, I'll pretend I didn't see you...!?

What's his angle? I don't get it. Simply being registered as friends doesn't reveal your coordinates. And since I normally use Rabituza as my base, from his perspective, if he lets me get away here, there's no telling when he'll be able to catch me again.

That's exactly why those deviants captured me in the first place: if nothing else, they wanted me to leave some information behind. I'd like to say then at least give me something in return, but until very recently there hadn't really been anything I particularly needed... Whatever. I'm running.

Still keeping a little wariness toward the pervert—right hand covering his eyes, crooked grin on his face, tongue sticking out while his left hand gives me a tiny wave—I bring the amber glove toward my heart in the natural motion of crossing my arms.

Unidentified player: "Saint-cha... Saint-sama! Where exactly are those brethren you mentioned!?"

Three. Two. One...

Eristella: "Several of those peoples are... somewhere within this jungle—"

Sunraku: "Freedom's calling—gotta leave the room ^^"

Unidentified player: "Ah! He ran!!"

Tch. So they hadn't completely dropped their guard against me after all! But it's too late. I'm already wrapped in black lightning and sprinting for the jungle at top speed!!

That said, quite a few players gathered on the jungle side when they surrounded me earlier, and the elves are in the way too. So even if it adds some distance, I'll sprint toward the harbor first, make a huge U-turn, and dive into the forest from there!

Unidentified player: "What the hell, he's fast...!?"

Oikatzo: "Ghk... Sunraku's doing the same insane movement as always...!"

Deep Throater: "Black, scuttling around, and moving at high speed. You're literally a cockroach, huh."

Deep Throater, you bastard. I am absolutely going to punch you someday!

But for now, strategic retreat is the only choice. No matter what obstacle stands in my way, these legs aren't stopping now—!!

Araba: "Oho, my friend! My friend Sunraku! When I think about it, it cannot truly have been so long, and yet it feels terribly distant!"

Sunraku: "L-long time no see."

AAAH!? My body locks up at an entrance I absolutely did not see coming.

RAAAH!? The recoil from stopping so suddenly twists my ankle and destroys my balance.

Sunraku: "Bababababababahh!!?"

Accessories made using Lowenava Amber Crystal come in several grades.

Among them, the Hazard grade can, depending on the conditions, contain power equal to—or outright exceeding—even the highest-quality grade. The tradeoff is that it carries drawbacks that absolutely cannot be ignored.

Even I almost forget this sometimes, but Overflow is one of the drawback-side effects. I'm just good enough at handling it that it doesn't look that way. A car that reaches its top speed the instant you touch the accelerator is defective as hell. Public roads aren't racetracks.

Sunraku: "Gubeh."

Tottori: "S-Sunrakuuu—!?"

So, in short: because I wiped out while in Overflow State, I got launched as if the knockback animation were playing at triple speed, shot from the harbor straight into the ocean at absurd velocity, and died without ever resurfacing...

I seriously am never forgiving you, Arabaaaa...

Apparently both the smooth-talking deviant and the pervert happy to put his mouth to other uses busted a gut too.