Chapter 416: Side 13 — Drag Out the Protagonist
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To put it simply, Emilia was not the sort of person who dragged grudges around for as long as the people around her seemed to think.
She was simply the sort of woman who believed that anyone who refused to apologize had no right to complain about getting punched.
Emilia: "A castle in Tiaplaten? Me?"
???: "Yeah. There's a rumor going around that Emilia-san is going to take command of the construction."
The rumor reached Emilia through a player friend at Skull Azuchi at around the same time a certain half-naked man was being blown away somewhere near the center of the continent.
Emilia: "Hmm? Did I ever say that...?"
Emilia tilted her head and searched her memory. She remembered saying during "the hunt" that she wanted paved roads, but she definitely did not remember saying she wanted to build another castle on the scale of Skull Azuchi.
Of course, building a castle in Tiaplaten, where the groundwork had already been developed, would still be easier than clearing a sea of trees that had turned into a Jurassic world.
???: "So it really was just a rumor?"
Emilia: "Probably. At least for now, I have no plans to build another castle on Skull Azuchi's scale."
Skull Azuchi was the product not only of Emilia's own effort, but of all the production-class players who had gathered around her after she set things in motion with the cry, "Let's build a castle in the New Land that surpasses the royal castle!"
Anger may have been the driving force behind it, but Emilia, who had originally played both production and healer roles, had grown attached to the place too.
Emilia: "That said... Tiaplaten's development itself is fairly urgent. To be completely frank, it looks like it would make a more capable base than this place..."
The frontline base had already taken its first step toward becoming a fortress city, but Tiaplaten's natural advantages as a fortress meant that strengthening it would undeniably make things safer.
In fact, plans to build a castle in Tiaplaten without Emilia's involvement had already been proposed and then quietly died out, but Tiaplaten itself really was being paved and developed at a rapid pace.
Emilia: "Still, at this point it would be difficult to build facilities better suited to dealing with Noirlind than Skull Azuchi. I poured all my paid leave into this place, after all."
???: "It was honestly kind of terrifying how you were swinging a hammer every single time you logged in."
At present, Skull Azuchi housed not only important NPCs such as King Toravante and Princess Aria, but the Saint Eristella as well. However, because the system recognized Emilia as Skull Azuchi's owner, only Emilia and players in the same party as her could enter the castle keep.
Which was precisely why...
Deep Throater: "What a view... Just knowing that even royalty can't see it adds a little extra value, doesn't it?"
Emilia: "Hello, Deep Throater-san. Thank you for before... I heard you had something you wanted to discuss today."
Deep Throater: "Yeah. I've got one hell of a scoop for you..."
Deep Throater grinned, friendliness and creepiness somehow sharing the same smile. Skull Azuchi's castle keep could serve as a place for secret talks too.
Deep Throater: "And who's that?"
Emilia: "Oh, don't worry about her. Um... she's a friend of mine in real life, so she'll end up hearing about this sooner or later anyway."
???: "Hey."
Deep Throater: "Hmm... If you're fine with it, then sure... How about I change my voice to fit the mood? What do you think?"
???: "Whoa, that's amazing. You really can change your voice however you want? You sound like some handsome guy!"
Using that self-taught voice-changing technique to win interest and goodwill, Deep Throater gave them only the essential points—"without a single lie"—while feeling certain that the seeds planted long ago had finally begun to sprout.
Deep Throater: "I don't know whether it's because of some EX Scenario or what, but the Color Dragons other than Noirlind are heading this way."
At the word Noirlind, the air tightened.
For several seconds Emilia remained perfectly still, the smile on her face not twitching in the slightest. Only then did her expression finally change.
Emilia: "...I see. Then we can't just do nothing."
Deep Throater: "But what are we supposed to do? It isn't one or two. Of the ones I've been able to confirm, every Color Dragon other than Noirlind is coming this way."
???: "How did you find that out?"
Deep Throater: "I've got various methods. They were a little too strong to pick a fight with, though, so all I did was watch from a distance."
If you stopped and examined that explanation calmly, there were obvious holes in it.
But the trust Deep Throater had cultivated kept Emilia from questioning it.
The favorable interpretation—Deep Throater brought this top-secret information to me first—crushed the doubts before they could take shape. That was the virtue called trust... and also carelessness.
Deep Throater: "Sorry, but I couldn't get a lock on Noirlind. So I don't know whether it's coming here or not."
That part was true.
Deep Throater's random teleportation could send the player into regions no one had ever reached before, but naturally the destination coordinates could not be fixed at will.
Sometimes it dropped Deep Throater near giant settlements. Other times it dumped Deep Throater right into the middle of the frontline base, drawing strange looks from everyone nearby.
And by sheer coincidence, despite making contact with the red, white, and green dragons, Deep Throater had never once managed to locate Noirlind the Black Dragon, no matter how many random teleports were used.
If someone could look down on this place—on this entire world—from above, that person would probably marvel at the outrageous luck of a certain girl.
In fact, she was one of the wild cards in this Dragon Calamity War.
Emilia: "We need to tell the other players about this. I never want to get caught by another surprise attack like last time."
The three players continued talking as they made their way down from the castle keep.
Deep Throater: "That was the plan. I wanted to tell you first. By my estimate, ten days at the earliest—"
Eristella: "—No. Eight days."
A clear, dignified voice rang out.
Because no player other than Emilia could enter the castle keep, Eristella stood on the floor below, accompanied by several players.
Deep Throater: "...Well now, Saint-sama. I trust you're in good health."
Eristella: "Yes... Deep... Throater-san..."
The NPC Saint was meeting Deep Throater for the first time and, at minimum, should never have been told that name. For the briefest instant, Deep Throater's expression almost slipped away. But the pleasant mask was restored immediately, together with a smile.
Emilia: "Eight days...?"
Eristella: "Yes... I cannot say it with absolute certainty, but... I saw a scene more clearly than ever before."
At words suggesting that the NPC Saint Eristella could see the future, Emilia and the others instinctively widened their eyes. But when they saw Josette, a Holy Radiant Knight: Paladion, standing behind Eristella, they reconsidered. This was clearly not some absurd declaration made out of nowhere.
Eristella: "They are... coming. The black dragon at the root of Lady Emilia's anger, and... the Golden Dragon King as well. They are coming here."
In other words, every dragon except Eldranza the Blue Dragon—which, for some reason, had been dead from the beginning—was coming here, along with the Unique Monster Siegwurm the Sky Ruler.
At that fact, one person broke out in a cold sweat, another smiled... and yet another directed a question toward the Saint.
Deep Throater: "Why are they all gathering here now, I wonder, Saint-sama?"
Eristella: "Hehe... Deep Throater-sama, I'm sure you understand."
An evasive answer.
A message the surrounding players could not understand, meant only for Deep Throater.
Deep Throater: "...Heh."
A sound slipped out in Deep Throater's natural voice. A dark smile crossed the player's face before the pleasant mask went back on once more.
Deep Throater: "We can't stand around wasting time, Emilia. Worst case, this whole area could get flattened."
Emilia: "No. Not this time... I built Skull Azuchi for exactly this."
???: "Emilia, should I tell the others too?"
Emilia: "Yes, please."
From that day onward, the pioneers of the frontline base began bustling into action toward the decisive battle, spurred on by Emilia's anti-Noirlind faction and the declaration of Eristella the Saint.
Deep Throater: "Hmm... Is she checking some kind of log...? Did she even see through the fact that I was the one who stirred them up? Eh, whatever."
Alone in Skull Azuchi's now-empty corridor, Deep Throater muttered to no one.
A little smooth-talking had sent the red dragon moving eagerly.
Some casual flattery and a few lies had made the green dragon easy to rile up.
False information and a new hope had pushed the white dragon into deciding to "relocate."
The only concern had been the black dragon Deep Throater failed to encounter, but the NPC Saint had now guaranteed its appearance.
The stage was set.
To drag just one person onto that stage, the woman who had guided calamity toward the frontline base peeled away the pleasant mask and smiled.
Deep Throater: "Come on, I made things this exciting for you, Sunrakuuu-kun... Show me something amazing again, okay?"
Eight days until the decisive battle.