Chapter 1035 - The Scabbard and Blade that Bind
"... And that's the basic ability."
"Wait a sec."
"It's a constant effect, so it's a waste not to have it active all the time. From now on, I'll be keeping Samidare-zuki out by default, not just my Alicia White daggers."
"Wait!"
"In other words, I wasn't just showing off. I'm training to carry it... or rather, making an effort to get used to wearing the katana as part of my daily life."
"Hey, you!"
"Putting that aside, next is the manual activation..."
"I told you to wait, you baldy!"
"Shut up! I have a mountain of things to share!"
... Well, we had a bit of a scuffle... though that was a joke.
I had already received four stunned silences that went beyond Tora-kichi's "Whoa" from my first explanation. I snapped back at the reasonable request, but...
"... An ability that binds the camps together..."
"Yes."
Beside me, Sora-san, who already knew the details of the absurdity my master had created, gave me a look like an angel watching over me with a wry smile.
"An armament derived from Green Connect..."
"Apparently."
Helena-san didn't see me every day, so she didn't know, and I had planned to talk about it at today's meeting anyway, so it was the first time Ashe had heard this information as well.
The southern master and servant pair looked even more stunned than when they had heard Tora-kichi's broken buff details... They both sighed, looking past being serious and into the realm of being completely fed up.
The tiger had a difficult expression while still grabbing me by the neck. Nia-chan was completely frozen with her mouth wide open.
I didn't care about the former, but the latter was super cute. This was her first time hearing it too, and it seemed to have a direct impact even though she was a non-combatant.
The existence of the Colored in the virtual world was just that significant to everyone.
"... ... ... Ui."
A rare voice squeezed out. The Princess, who was presumably the current close friend of the master, sighed a second time and slowly looked up at the ceiling with a truly rare expression.
She looked up and said one thing.
"She definitely did this on purpose."
She spoke with conviction. My response was naturally...
"I agree. She absolutely kept it a secret just so she could surprise us later."
I affirmed it with equal conviction. Plus, a full-force wry smile filled with affection for the lovable master who was a bit too mischievous. Yes, it didn't even require thinking.
The world might think otherwise, but that is just the kind of person she is.
"The embodiment of gap moe..."
Nia-chan, who was hiding behind my back either consciously or unconsciously because she wasn't used to Tora-kichi, muttered that, and it was spot on. She's so unfair that I can't even get mad.
"Well, putting aside my master's extreme playfulness."
I was fully aware that I was a bit weak to that side of her, and my voice was tinged with a hint of wariness. Realizing that it was my duty to soothe her, I patted Nia's head while flicking the tiger's hand away with my free hand.
Then...
"Helena-san. Are there any more details you want to dig into?"
I directed my questioning gaze toward the monocle. I asked the strategist, who seemed to be the most calm person thinking things through despite her shock, to take over the proceedings that had gone way off track.
Her black eyes blinked slowly once.
"... What is the range for the 'party' judgment?"
"One normal party is the limit. It doesn't apply to a raid."
"So the sharing of blessings is limited to six people... For example, if you and Sora-san were in a party and the ability was active, would the blessings overlap?"
"Ah, no. No matter how many people there are, Istia only counts as one."
"What is the physical range?"
"I think it's within the same space. Like the Divine Garden and the camp districts, or instances like dungeons and clan homes. As long as it's not a clearly separate space, it should reach... I think. When I tested it, it was fine even if we were over a thousand kilometers apart."
"... That is incredible."
She went through a list of precise additional questions to fill in the meeting's understanding.
As expected of the Lady-in-Waiting, her experience in handling rowdy ranker meetings was no joke. It was becoming standard for me to leave things to her when I was in trouble.
"The basic ability... That is just the basic ability..."
However, she wasn't some kind of invincible, cold-hearted strategist. I already knew her as a friend, so I hesitated to throw too much at her.
I should be considerate.
"That's about it for Yomorogi. It's as broken as it sounds, and to be honest, I'm still feeling a bit put off by it myself... but there's one thing I can say for sure."
I took over the proceedings while Helena-san seemed to need a bit of a cooldown. I gathered everyone's gaze and told them the one essential point.
"Sorry, but you're going to have to get used to it."
"... I suppose so."
"Seems that way."
"Yes. I..."
Everyone except Nia, who had given her reaction. In other words, this was a training requirement that the combatants needed to be aware of. What I meant was obvious.
"Ours in the North will feel a bit different... but the East blessing is going to be a huge deal."
"The feel of every combat skill will become a different thing."
That was it.
Sotalm's blessing, Affluence, involved using Luna as a universal catalyst for things like currency, which affected combat in the form of cost reduction for grand magic, but that was fine.
Receiving mercy for your wallet didn't change the actual feeling transmitted to the avatar during combat. However, the other two combat-oriented camps were different.
Nortalia's blessing, Fortune, and Istia's blessing, Struggle, would almost certainly bring about massive changes in combat.
First, the Northern blessing, which applied positive corrections to all kinds of events where luck was involved, also showed its effects in battle, just as the saying "luck is a skill" suggests.
Things like a critical attack succeeding by a hair, or a direct hit luckily veering off course... Nortalia was known to have many such stories.
It wasn't just a trick of the mind or a placebo effect. The result that the Goddess of Fortune had smiled upon them had been accumulating for four years since the service started.
Therefore, players in the Nortalia camp who enjoyed combat often built their battles with Fortune as a hand to play from the start.
I won't say it's true for everyone, but the reason the Northern bunch... how should I put it... often show a fierce charge based on passion, in a different way from Istia, is because of that.
And then there's our Istia blessing, Struggle. That goes without saying.
"Upper correction for all combat skills." Since it's a blessing that has always been with us since we started walking in the virtual world, we in the Eastern camp don't notice it much, but it's an effect that directly changes everything.
Power increases. Speed increases. Scale becomes larger. No matter what skill it acts upon, it brings about various changes that are more than just minor fluctuations.
... Therefore, I repeat.
"Training is essential."
"Well, that's what I wanted."
"I-I'll do my best!"
The angel beside me was also revved up, and she was super cute as always. I had no idea how much trouble Ashe and Tora-kichi would end up facing.
Since they were both high-output power types, it was likely to become something quite intense... And with that, I thought things were settled for now.
"Alright, next."
I kept control of the meeting and took one, two, three steps back while putting my hand on the hilt of the sword in the scabbard I was explaining.
"Wait, what? Next? There's more?"
I put some distance between myself and my companions.
"There is. There's still the other half."
I turned back to Nia, who sounded fed up, and gave her a smile. Then,
"Hey, tiger. I'm going to do a demonstration, so come to the special seat."
"You're a really cheeky guy. Lower your head and say, 'Please help me, Tiger☆Lucky-sama,' or I'll beat you up."
"... Tiger... Lucky...?"
"Why are you tilting your head like you forgot it, you baldy!!"
I summoned my opponent while mixing in some teasing, almost out of a sense of duty. I set up the duel system that didn't require a declaration since we were in training mode.
"Tora-kichi."
"What."
"Can you activate the tenfold durability for me?"
"... And what are you going to do after I activate it?"
I wasn't trying to taunt him, but...
"I'm going to blow you away from the front."
"You've got guts. Try it, you idiot."
We shared a serious laugh, and then the tiger-eye ring on his finger began to glow.
I won't say it out loud, but I truly liked this side of him. A friend who was like an easy-to-handle idiot and would go along with anything with a good spirit was a rare thing.
And giving a guy like that a good time was my own troublesome identity.
Well then, let's show it off.
"Bind them, Kurikara..."
Bestowed by my master.
"... Draw."
My very own blade, the one meant for me. I'll show you everything it can do.
I don't know why, but the casual, messy bad-influence-friend behavior toward Tora-kichi seems like it would really hit home for some people.