Chapter 345 - Double Front
"I thought that might be the case, but..."
After taking the offered seat, a moment of silence and exchanged glances passed.
As if on cue, it was Ashe who broke the silence first. Her voice made Nia, who was so tense it was painful for me to watch, jump.
"It really was you—it's been a while."
"...I-It's, it's been a while..."
And seeing how this was playing out... I'd had my own suspicions, but it seemed they also knew each other from before.
There's nothing strange about a player on the front lines of progression having a connection with an artisan famous enough to be known by the general public.
She seemed to know the ranked members of Istia, like Irori and Mi-na, well enough—though I'd never actually seen them interact before.
"...Mind if I ask how you two know each other?"
I had been debating whether to jump into the conversation, but Nia's incessant, pleading glances finally pushed me to intervene.
Whether she noticed Nia's obvious look of relief or not, Ashe—the only one in the room who remained perfectly composed—gave a small nod to my question.
"I commissioned a piece from her once."
"Um... about that, I'm terribly sorry."
When I glanced at the one whose reaction suggested a negative outcome, Nia averted her gaze, looking awkward.
"I turned her down."
"Oh?"
"You really don't have to worry about that. It was my own lack of understanding that led me to make an unreasonable request."
Ashe shook her head, and her gaze shifted to me. More precisely, to my chest—to the indigo brooch that shone with the same color as a certain someone's eyes.
"...Has it been that way since before the Four Pillar War?"
"...When I gave it to him, I was honestly still on the fence..."
Faced with another question, her eyes following suit, Nia mustered her courage and gave a small nod.
"Well, yes—for me, it was love at first sight."
"...I see. Enough to entrust him with your eyes, then."
To be honest, I couldn't say I fully understood the conversation.
I'd gathered that the [Agaphanthus Amulet] was a special item, but seeing their deeply meaningful exchange... it seemed this thing might hold more meaning than I'd realized.
And it seems my quiet confusion was easily seen through.
"You haven't told him?"
"Well, I didn't think it was necessary..."
Seeing my reaction, Ashe pressed the question, but this time Nia dodged it—though I just barely caught the words she added under her breath, "It's... heavy..."
I debated for a moment whether to press the issue—
"The 'eyes' of [Milmarinus] are special, you know."
"Ah, wai—?!"
—but before I could, Ashe cut in again, without a shred of hesitation or mercy.
"She is the only artisan in this virtual world who can imbue her creations with 'magic' at will. And the Anima that makes it possible is [Celestial Aquamarine, Shimmering Blue Jade Twin Stars]."
Her words were spoken calmly, yet with a power that no one else could imitate. Even her own personal artisan could only stammer in astonishment, unable to get a word in.
"To be able to activate magic at any given moment, without an incantation, even if only once, is incredibly powerful. You might even call it unfair."
On top of that, being able to use magic the user themselves cannot is a massive cheat.
And I was probably the one person in the world who understood that unfairness best. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I only managed a draw with the Sword Queen thanks to Nia.
"But of course, such power can't be used without a cost—you've lost your right eye, haven't you?"
"What did you say?"
"Eh? Wait, how did you..."
"The saturation is just a tiny bit lower. Just as the information suggested."
"No, no! Even I can't tell unless I'm staring into a mirror—wha—?!"
I leaned forward, grabbed her shoulders, and peered intently into her two indigo eyes.
I felt bad for the flustered Nia, but she had clearly lied to me, so she'd have to bear with it. Still, even looking this closely, I couldn't really tell... but,
"...Now that you mention it, the right one does seem a little paler."
"Ugh, guh..."
Satisfied, I released Nia and shot her a deliberate, narrow-eyed look. The artisan who had previously lied about 'losing her sight for a little while' once again looked away awkwardly.
"You... you're not actually blind in that eye right now, are you? Or was the whole thing about your eyesight a bluff from the start?"
"N-No, um..."
"It's true that she loses her sight immediately after using the ability. It gradually returns, but she can't use the power again."
"So... that means what I think it means."
"Yes. Not until the item imbued with magic—that gem—has fulfilled its purpose."
"She just spilled everything..."
This is... I probably shouldn't blame her for hiding it or not telling me. It's my fault for not looking into it myself...
I probably don't have the right to say anything to Nia, who's now pouting and looking away—no, wait, maybe I should at least complain a little.
"Just tell me next time. I can't even thank you properly if I don't know what's going on."
"But, that's why! It's heavy! It was my choice to do it, so...!"
"And then everyone else figures it out, which just exposes how clueless and stupid I am?"
"Who cares! That's nothing new at this point!"
"I'm trying my best to redeem my name here!"
"—You two are close."
A cool voice sliced through the air, bringing us both to a screeching halt.
As Nia choked on her words—Ashe gave her a rare, natural smile.
...Not that Nia noticed, having buried her blushing face in her hands.
"Nia, may I call you that?"
"...Be my guest."
"Good. You can drop the formal speech with me, too."
Ignoring Nia's blatant 'that's a tall order' expression, Ashe rose from her chair.
"In terms of timing, I came after you. So—I apologize for cutting in like this."
And just as she had with Sora, she bowed her head.
Naturally, it was Nia's turn to be flustered.
"H-Huh, wha—... Wait, wait! I don't know what to do when you apologize like this...! Besides, it's not like it's anyone's fault or anything—Don't just stand there watching, back me up!"
"Do I even have the right to speak here...?"
What in the world was I supposed to say? The moment this situation arose, it was already decided who the ultimate villain was.
But well, for now...
"Ashe. It's making me uncomfortable, and Nia's uncomfortable too. Could you please not?"
"...Mm, alright."
Seeing the Sword Queen obediently raise her head, I let out a huge sigh of relief—and pretended not to see her tilt her head the next moment, an obvious "Ashe???" on her face.
If I don't call her Ashe, she'll pout. If I do, Nia will find out. It was a checkmate from the start.
"Just as you said, I don't really think it's anyone's fault either. This is just my own selfishness, a way of showing sincerity as the one who will be making my introductions second."
She continued to paint herself as the villain... but not once did an expression of guilt or anything similar cross her face.
"I understand what kind of person I am to others. So I also know that I'm intimidating you."
"Ugh... I-I'm sorry... I mean, sorry."
"It's fine. It can't be helped. Even I get nervous when I have to speak with 'God'."
She's probably talking about the people at Yotsuya Development... For better or worse, the admins and devs are basically gods to us players.
And in our case, we're in the bizarre situation of having that god as our sponsor.
"Nia."
"Yes...!"
As she was tilting her head, wondering about this 'god', her name was called. Nia reflexively straightened her back, and the heavenly princess smiled at her.
"This might be difficult, but don't worry about me. Don't hold back, don't show any mercy. You pursue your own love."
"......!"
Was the hand she offered meant as a declaration of war to Nia? From my perspective, watching from the side, it really didn't seem like that kind of thing.
"I have no intention of losing. But I won't hold a grudge if I do. Even before that, though... first and foremost, we have to make this person fall in love, or nothing will even begin."
Yes, it was probably aimed at someone else.
"...That... is, true, I, think. Yeah."
Perhaps understanding her intent as I had, Nia, after a flurry of expressions, timidly took Ashe's hand.
"Um, so, well... okay. We're talking about for now, right?"
"Yes, for now. Given Haru's personality, it's hard to imagine him suddenly leaning one way or the other in this situation. So... the competition comes after that."
"Is... that how it is..."
I have a feeling a terrifying conversation is unfolding, but by now I'm certain that my right to speak in this situation is a clean and absolute zero.
No matter what I say, or don't say, the future waiting for me is nothing but a severe burn.
And so, the two pairs of eyes—garnet and aquamarine—turned to me.
"For now, let's work together—and make him fall for us."
Both now and for the foreseeable future... I was truly grateful.
"...Please be gentle with me."
It seemed they were mercilessly—going to take away any escape route I had left.