Chapter 289 - An Unrelenting Offensive
"Well then, I'll be taking my leave now."
"Thank you."
"See ya."
Another two hours had passed—or so it felt, given the insane amount of information exchanged. But thanks to the rapid-fire responses from both parties, it had probably only been about thirty minutes.
Seeing that Iris seemed to have reached a stopping point, we both saw Chitose-san off as he stood from his seat… leaving behind the ever-expressionless princess and a mere spectator who had been desperately trying to commit their mysterious conversation to memory, a question mark floating over his head the entire time.
Finally, it was my turn. My list of questions was ready.
"Can I ask something?"
"Yes—but I'd like to move somewhere else first."
As she spoke, Iris stood up… and there it was.
The hand she extended with such startling naturalness. To take it, or not to take it? Since yesterday, why has she been flexing her suave, princely charm on me at every turn?
Are you pulling double duty as both a princess and a prince?
And just like before, she remains completely unfazed even as I hesitate, unsure how to react. Her refusal to break her offensive posture is just too powerful…
"…And where, might I ask, is this 'somewhere else'?"
"My room, or your room."
And then there was this.
Even as I desperately tried to shut out the sensation of her soft skin—skin that could probably build a fortune on handshakes alone—I was hit with another high-speed attack.
As if it were the most normal thing in the world,
late at night,
with a guy,
don't try to get him alone with you in a private room!!
"It's fine."
"…I'll overlook the fact that you just read my mind, but what exactly is 'fine'?"
"So long as it's me pushing you down, and not the other way around."
"There's nothing 'so long as' about that!"
"Even in this world, I'm stronger. If you were to attack me, I could fight you off, so there won't be any 'mistakes' without consent."
Faced with a declaration delivered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, I was at a loss for words.
I mean, yeah, if we were to have a rematch now that she knows my tricks, I'm confident I'd lose a hundred times out of a hundred, but… wait, what? You're strong in the real world, too???
Like, you've mastered a hundred forms of self-defense or something—
"Though if you were to approach me gently, I wouldn't resist."
"Tch…?!—Aaaah, I can't hear you! I can't hear anything! I shall humbly deign to extend you an invitation, so come on over! You can munch on cookies forever for all I care!!"
I can't take this anymore, how am I supposed to handle this?! Everything is on hard mode for someone with no experience! Is my first official romantic encounter really going to be the final boss of my love life…?!
Alright, I stormed off on my own—is she following me? She is.
I am absolutely not looking back right now, because I'm certain one look at her face will be a fatal blow!
◇◆◇◆◇
"You're far away."
"It's a safety precaution."
One meant to protect me, more than anything. In any case, we changed venues, and the stage was now my room (my field). After shoving Iris onto the comfortable sofa, I took up a position on a chair at a safe distance. Let the question time begin.
"Let's get straight to the point—conquering the Colored Monsters in two years. Is that possible?"
"…You're far away."
"…"
I scooted my chair a little closer, and though she still looked slightly dissatisfied, she began to speak.
"Goldow mentioned that you're out of touch with the state of Arcadia. You seem to know of the Colored Monsters, but how deep does your knowledge go?"
"Ah… Sorry, but you can assume it's basically zero. I've vaguely heard of the 'White Throne' and the 'Red Circle,' and that's about it."
I'd been crushed by the 'White' one—[Tsarkalv of the White Throne]—and after a quick glance at some strategy guides, I gave up, figuring it was way out of my league. Then the whole Four Pillar War mess started, and I switched over to PvP mode.
"I see. In that case, I'll explain a few things before I answer your question."
Prefacing that it might take a little while, Iris—the Sword Queen herself—began her explanation, a situation that, when you think about it calmly, was an absurd luxury.
—According to her, information from NPCs in Arcadia and various 'traces' left in the fields have revealed the existence of five Colored Monsters.
The names of these five 'divine messengers,' known as 'Red,' 'Blue,' 'Green,' 'White,' and 'Black,' have also been discovered.
[Riertahelia of the Red Circle] — Ruler of the Infinite.
[Guanariserai of the Blue Point] — Ruler of the Eternal.
[Jehatreglie of the Green Connect] — Ruler of the Covenant.
[Tsarkalv of the White Throne] — Ruler of the Boundary.
[Hypnoniclo of the Black Distortion] — Ruler of the Ephemeral.
To date, players have confirmed the existence of three of them: 'Red,' 'Green,' and 'White.' And as for the 'remaining four' that Chitose-san mentioned earlier, the one that is missing…
…is not 'Green,' but 'Red.'
"…The 'Red Circle'… [Riertahelia of the Red Circle] is defeated… Are you sure about that? For real?"
"I'm sure. About two… years ago. I took its head with my own two hands."
"…"
—Okay. I have a few questions and objections, probably based on information that only I and one other person know, but… I'll swallow them for now.
"…Is something bothering you?"
"A little. It's something that would be faster to show you, so make some time for me in the virtual world later."
"…Mm, alright."
Perhaps because of my strange expression, Iris provided some additional information about the defeat of 'Red,' just in case.
Things like how a major world announcement was made upon its defeat, and how a new system was implemented as a reward for beating a Colored Monster—
While this only raised more questions, I was provisionally satisfied. At the very least, from a system perspective, 'Red' had indeed been slain.
…Ruler of the 'Infinite,' huh?
I wonder where 'Immortal' went.
"Anyway, I've got the gist of the Colored Monster situation. There are archives from back then, right? I'll make time to watch them—hey, what's with that face? What emotion is that?"
She had her usual blank expression… but I thought I saw her lips twitch slightly. I tilted my head at the faint sense of strangeness, and Iris looked away, saying, "It's nothing."
Given that this was the first time I'd ever seen her make that gesture, I'm one hundred percent sure it wasn't 'nothing'… Whether my inner thoughts got through to her or not, she seemed unusually hesitant to speak.
"…Back then, I was just… reckless in a lot of ways."
"…Hm? Uh-huh."
"I didn't fight as cleanly as I do now."
"Oh… ?"
"…I didn't—so I'd rather you didn't watch it too much."
"…"
Yeah, I get it.
Even I get it.
I get that this feeling of 'not wanting to be seen' probably isn't about her 'pride as a swordswoman' or anything like that.
Anyone would get it if she looked at them with a troubled expression, blushing shyly…!
It's be...—It means she doesn't want me, of all people, to see it…! Is there a man—no, a human being alive who wouldn't find this cute…?!
"S-so, my next question is…!"
"…Mm."
I, a pathetic teenager who has never been confessed to by a member of the opposite sex, am in a situation where my composure is shattered with every move she makes, turning me into a bumbling idiot every second. I require a strategy to break this cycle, as soon as humanly possible…!
I'm trying to have a serious info dump, but the Princess keeps making it sweet on her own. Help.