Chapter 103 - From You, at the Last
—Transfer to the Eastern Faction Wartime Base [Ruvalest, the Phased Subterranean Castle]?
YES.
—The Four Pillar War Selection Match is currently being held. Do you wish to participate?
YES.
—Participation request accepted. Assessing player's achievement status.
—Assessment complete. Player [Haru] will be assigned to the First Selection Preliminary Round.
—Welcome to the Battle of Repose, [Haru]. We look forward to your spirited struggle.
What the hell is a 'Battle of Repose'???
Istia, the Faction of Conflict, you've really outdone yourself. Even the system messages speak in some bizarre, battle-crazed dialect.
I waved goodbye to Nia as the light of teleportation enveloped me.
Apparently, my non-existent 'achievements' were being assessed, but that was all just as Kagura-san had explained beforehand.
Records of participation in past Four Pillar Wars, experience in large-scale battles that go on record, or battle records in official venues—that is to say, tournaments planned by the [Arcadia] developers.
Information on all players is meticulously recorded, and this 'sorting' is done based on an achievement status calculated from that data.
Apparently, some people are even rejected at this stage. If you apply with a half-hearted attitude like, "Well, it's a festival, so I might as well join," the system detects it and kicks you out… Detecting thoughts? What's that about? Then again, they have mind control, so maybe it's a related technology?
For the record, if you apply with festival-level enthusiasm, like, "YEEHAW, IT'S A FESTIVAL!!!" you'll get through just fine. It seems to just be a mechanism to weed out those who aren't serious.
I was sorted into the First Selection Preliminary Round. In other words, a preliminary battle for players whose achievements don't qualify them for the main tournament—a sort of opening act.
The number of participants in the main tournament is fixed through adjustments by the Four Pillar Steering Committee… that's too long, let's just call it the Committee. The number of participants in the preliminaries also has some leeway, but it's generally a set number.
Of course, since this is a selection 'match,' support-specialized players like healers and buffers don't participate.
I hear they have a separate screening process, but… well, that doesn't concern me right now.
Also, fire-support roles not intended for frontline combat, like artillery-type mages and archers, are judged separately. That makes sense; if they were thrown in with close-combat specialists, they'd just be cannon fodder.
Conversely, every other type of player is thrown into this selection match.
Light warriors like me, heavy warriors clad in solid armor, and even perverts who use bows in close-quarters combat or martial artist mages who also engage in fierce hand-to-hand brawls.
The number of preliminary participants is roughly ten thousand.
Some might be surprised at how large that number is, while others might find it anticlimactic.
I was in the latter group. Having been repeatedly beaten over the head with the fact that 'this game is not a game' lately, I was expecting something more… a ridiculously huge festival with an incomprehensible number of people.
This is Istia, the Faction of Conflict. Even if it has the smallest population of the four factions, there should still be around four million registered players.
There's a difference between registered and active players, but to think that only one in four hundred participates… Kagura-san and Nia answered my question together, and it seems there are various reasons.
Not everyone in Istia has the combat sense to fight on the front lines.
Some people enjoy the conflict, but they'd rather be on the sidelines cheering during a festival than participating.
Some want to admire the face of the 'Princess,' but they know they'd be turned to ash in an instant if they tried to get close on the battlefield, so they opt to watch on a monitor.
It seems that even in Istia, not every player was a muscle-headed yahoo. I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief.
In the very beginning, things were apparently chaotic and unmanageable, but the first Four Pillar War main tournament was described as 'a scene from hell'—and by that, I mean every single participant was a monster.
That apparently made the majority of general players go, "Yeah, no thanks," and the number of participants dropped sharply from the second tournament onward.
In any case, this preliminary selection round brings together about ten thousand participants. As for what format it takes… well, you can probably guess, right? Even if it's a handful compared to the total player population, there's no way they could hold individual matches for a five-digit number of participants.
—A battle royale. That is the format of the preliminary selection round: an indiscriminate battle where players are divided into blocks of about a hundred each.
…It's a multi-person battle between solo players, so it's not one-versus-many, but having to be on guard in all directions isn't exactly a good match for me, where a light punch could be fatal—
"Oh."
Perhaps due to the block sorting and other processes, the teleportation, which had been longer than any I'd experienced before, came to a sudden end.
The torrent of blue light that had engulfed my body and consciousness subsided—and my vision cleared.
I had been transported to a large, square room with nothing particularly noteworthy about it. A giant Istia symbol was drawn on the floor, but it was obscured by the numerous players standing around sparsely.
From a quick glance, there were definitely over a hundred people. Spectators who came along were probably sent to the waiting room as well—see, just like the one right next to me.
"—Hah… ah, thank goodness."
No matter what it is, it's natural to feel nervous about a first-time experience. Even though Nia had explained everything in detail, she must have been worried about whether we'd actually end up in the same place.
Finding me right next to her, Sora, who had come to cheer me on, visibly relaxed—or so I thought, until she gave me a strange expression I'd never seen before.
Her gaze was directed at… ah, this.
"Does it suit me?"
"It's lovely, but… um, Haru?"
I placed a hand on the [Agaphanthus Amulet] I'd received just before leaving and struck a pose. Sora nodded honestly—but what's with that fidgety feeling?
Sora-san was being more hesitant than I'd ever seen her, perhaps because she herself didn't understand her own feelings. Her eyes, peering up at me, held… suspicion? Confusion? I really had no idea.
"Um… you said today was only the third time you've met Nia-san, right?"
"That's right. She's been like that from the start, so I ended up getting really familiar with her without any reservations."
Hearing someone else say it makes me realize just how messed up our sense of personal space is.
But for some reason, I feel like both Nia and I understand that we're both comfortable with the way things are… I'm well aware that this isn't the kind of relationship you have with someone you've only met three times, but for us, this is probably fine.
"Familiar…? Is it just familiar… Eh, from the very start…?"
As Sora tilted her head in confusion, I wasn't sure what to say—but then she shook her head as if to clear her tangled thoughts and gave a small bow.
"I'm sorry, it's nothing. I think I was just surprised that you could become such good friends after only meeting a few times."
From her words, it seemed Sora herself didn't quite understand what she had been suspecting.
If she puts it that way, I can only agree. It's certainly unusual to have a relationship without any reservations, like we're old friends, after only three encounters.
"But again… it looks wonderful on you. You look very cool, Haru."
"Yeah, thanks—…Man, even I'm getting a little flustered."
I was happy when the two artisans praised me, of course, but… coming from Sora, it feels a little different. Being praised so openly by my one-and-only partner comes with a strange, ticklish feeling.
When she smiled at me so directly, I got uncharacteristically flustered—and perhaps because our usual roles were reversed, Sora let out a small, amused chuckle.
"…Haru."
Then, Sora took a step closer.
At the same distance as Nia had been just moments ago—her amber eyes looked up at me.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help you with anything."
Sora apologized like that, but there was no shadow on her face.
We were in no position to talk about some other pair whose sense of distance was messed up after a few days. Despite having known each other for less than two months, we could already tell what the other was thinking.
"This was a sudden development for me too. There's nothing for you to apologize for, Sora."
She must have known I would say that, because she smiled gently again—and her small hand took mine.
"It really was sudden. I was so surprised."
"I was surprised too. Kagura-san really fired me up."
"I heard. Kagura-san is cool, kind, and just a wonderful person."
"The way she slips into polite, big-sister speech when she's flustered is a big plus too."
"You shouldn't tease her too much. If you get into a fight, I'll be on Kagura-san's side, you know."
"Shouldn't you be defending your one-and-only partner?"
"Even if I don't help, you'd just get through it with a cool expression on your face anyway, Haru."
"That's a mysterious amount of faith you have in me… this is faith, right? Not resignation?"
"Hehe, I wonder."
"Kagura-san's character shifts are a plus, but so is that mischievous side of yours, Sora."
"Hmph… d-don't be so sure! I won't let you tease me like that forever!"
"Says the girl who's beet red and looking away."
"Jeez…! You're still such a meanie!"
She playfully hit my chest with our joined hands.
I don't know what it is, but I just feel so comfortable talking with Sora like this.
"Haru."
"Yeah."
We're partners, not lovers, but there are times we're conscious of each other as members of the opposite sex—but still, it's different from how it is between men and women in the real world.
What I feel from her presence when she's near isn't the tension you feel around the opposite sex.
It's just an unparalleled sense of security, built up through countless adventures we've shared.
What I feel from the warmth of her touch isn't excitement at a woman's softness or warmth.
It's just an unshakeable sense of trust, forged from joining hands to overcome impossible odds.
We hold hands and meet each other's gaze. That's all.
We're past the point of feeling embarrassed by it.
"I'll be cheering for you—do your best."
"Thanks—I'll do my best to show you something cool."
And so, I'll just pretend I didn't notice the faint blush on Sora's cheeks.
My cute partner can be pretty scary when she's angry.
I'm sure about twenty male players in the immediate vicinity are thinking, 'Let's beat that guy up.'