Chapter 408 - Popularity (On a Global Scale)
"—Alright, bring on the next one!"
Hearing his voice echo from the floor below, all I could do was let out a wry smile.
It wasn't just exasperation... This feeling probably came from the bashfulness one feels when someone close to them is bathing in an unimaginable amount of attention.
A mixture of an itchy restlessness and an indescribable, heart-pounding elation. A strange self-defense mechanism that arose to cover up the uncontrollable feelings in my chest.
Because, really, a wry smile wasn't appropriate.
With the same brilliant smile I'd seen over and over in the videos. The sight of him cutting down one undeniable powerhouse after another, head-on—
"—He's cool, isn't he?"
"Nngh...!"
Her innermost thoughts scooped up and laid bare, the young artisan girl cleared her throat to cover up a choke. Watching her (Nia), Iris simply smiled serenely.
This was her first time attending an event like this—an 'after-party' for combat players. To be precise, she'd been 'invited' several times before, but this was the first time she'd ever said 'Yes' and actually come.
Though she had once had her name on the Western rankings, she still felt out of place among the heavenly beings that were the rankers from other factions.
Furthermore, her invitation had come from the [Sword Queen] herself, who was standing beside her now, which sent her level of trepidation soaring. Ever since receiving the message last night, she had been at a complete loss as to how to compose herself.
A love rival—that she certainly was. But at the same time, she was also an ally in a joint front against a difficult problem, so acting openly hostile felt wrong.
Besides, that was impossible. She didn't want to fight with anyone, especially not the 'Princess'...
It wasn't a matter of her being on a pedestal so high she couldn't even be seen. It was that she, who so proudly continued to embody the 'sought-after ideal,' was, for many players, someone who simply deserved respect.
To put it simply, if asked, 'Are you a fan?', she could only nod. Most people would likely feel the same way—she was that kind of person, one you felt that way about unconditionally.
"I know I invited you so suddenly, but I hope I'm not putting you out."
"Ah, no, not at all...!"
That was precisely why it was so hard to deal with her.
While she didn't quite worship her, she was a love rival with not a single trait to dislike. It was a situation she couldn't quite accept as reality, no matter how many times she thought it over—that her rival in her first-ever romance was someone like this.
"...Polite speech."
"Ah, y-yes, I'm sorry..."
"Polite speech."
"Ngeh...!"
The difficulty level of everything was just too high, and it was making her dizzy.
◇◆◇◆◇
"Mhmm... so I guess that's how it is, nyaa."
"From what I can see."
"...He's got his hands full."
"Not bad, Har-kun. Quite the lady-killer."
At a table slightly apart from the 'duo' gazing down at the floor below, the curious gazes and voices of the gathered women were directed at the presumed girls in love.
And at that same table,
"Ahaha..."
Was his partner, with Mi-na and Ri-na (the red and blue little ones) fawning over her as usual, wearing a vague smile, unsure how to react.
"Well, it's not strange for him to be popular, given his position and the attention he gets,"
"But a giant-killing of this magnitude, and a double kill at that, is unprecedented."
Mi-na and Ri-na were clearly enjoying themselves, but since there was nothing to refute in their statements, no one objected.
As the silver-haired and blue-haired girls, who had been intently watching the same scene, simultaneously shifted their focus as if by silent agreement... the target of their gazes must have sensed it through the virtual world's unique hypersensitivity.
His 'partner' flinched slightly, a troubled look on her face.
Just then, he took advantage of an opening to squash his forty-eighth opponent with a ridiculously huge blunt weapon, showing his concentration was still intact.
"I want to support them, but I wonder what the public's reaction will be."
It was Hinayo, who couldn't deny she was enjoying the spectacle, but of course, she was also genuinely 'worried'.
Therefore, her muttered words were answered by,
"That part should be fine, right?"
It was Mi-na's exceptionally cheerful voice. And, as if on cue, her partner followed up.
"Even if it causes a stir, they picked the wrong person to mess with. If she's involved, I think the flames will be extinguished far faster than they can spread."
"Nyahaha. A-chan has too many unconditionally supportive fans. Her follower communities are full of people with max-level self-policing."
Lux's subsequent agreement was filled with what could only be called unconditional faith. And Hinayo had no objections to that.
It was all due to the immense trust placed in the 'Princess,' who had achieved 'world domination' through her unparalleled 'power,' 'talent,' and 'heart'.
She was a figure whom even the world's most famous celebrities openly declared themselves 'fans' of. While there would undoubtedly be many who lamented her 'romance'—
"Eh, it'll be fine."
Mi-na's casually repeated conclusion said it all.
Though the voices of sorrow would be vast, it was guaranteed that the voices of blessing would be immeasurably greater—a testament to the goodwill the [Sword Queen] had built.
—However,
"If it's two of them, though, he might need to watch his back at night."
"That's true."
"Well, that's right..."
"It's tough being a lady-killer."
"Ah, haha..."
Including the other popular girl, there was a high chance things would get ugly in a different way.
An all-out war spontaneously erupts worldwide between the 'Unforgivable Faction' and the 'If They're Happy, It's Okay Faction'. Note: Since we don't have time for such things, this will basically be skipped in the main story.