Chapter 645 - Peace North
“—Whoa, whoa, they all came back at once, didn’t they?”
At the Northern Faction Nortalia’s war-time base, [Fugrigand, Castle of Tranquil Garden].
By a giant, faintly glowing crystal floating in mid-air—an object that had replaced the stone monument listing the peacetime ‘ranks’—a man spoke with a somewhat frivolous tone as he watched a total of twelve people get rolled out onto the floor, as if being born from it.
“No, no, that’s almost an entire squad wiped out instantly. Scary.”
“““““We are utterly ashamed…”””””
“I’m not gonna blame you. So, who got you?”
His speaking style was soft, similar to his faction’s ‘Tiger,’ but with a slightly different atmosphere. He had a thin frame wrapped in a traveler-like black long coat, sharp yellow eyes, and grey hair tied back in a single ponytail.
“““““It was Haru-chan.”””””
“I knew it, but why do you all sound so happy? You lost, you know?”
“““““We are utterly… ashamed!”””””
His expression was light, his voice was light, his words were light—to an outsider, he might be judged as ‘frivolous,’ ‘two-faced,’ or ‘impossible to read.’ However, he had long since been recognized as a hardworking man with no hidden agenda, the very conscience of the Northern Faction.
He was none other than Nortalia’s second-ranked member, [Gin] of the [Wolf Pack]. In place of the free-spirited first-ranked member, he, along with his right-hand man, was the de facto leader managing the Northern Faction.
Which meant, to his right stood—
“Just as expected, but even more than I imagined.”
—his right-hand man, a former Northern Faction ranker.
Though he had laid down his title, his name, [Hagi] of the [Dog Whistle], remained. Claiming to have ‘aimed for an unremarkable human look during character creation,’ he pushed up the glasses on his exceedingly plain face, a rarity in Arcadia, with his fingertip…
“As I thought, there’s no point or meaning in carelessly poking at him, is there?”
He spoke without even trying to hide his resigned and annoyed expression, drawing a wry smile from Gin, his boss, comrade, and longtime friend.
“But it’s an order from the Princess’s faction. It’s better to follow the ‘Queen’ who’s in charge of everything, right? I think the logic holds up.”
“That may be, but… for our faction, which specializes in PvE, it’s tough to fight him properly. In fact, our top PvP force just got repelled—Ah, you can go now. If there are no issues, please return to the front lines swiftly.”
If Gin’s role was to oversee the entire faction, Hagi’s was to oversee the battle itself. At the command of the man who was their ‘General’ in both name and practice, the twelve who had been watching the usual exchange between the top two responded in chorus and ran off.
…And, from the direction they ran.
An unmistakably affectionate greeting reached their ears… Hagi sighed, deciding to let it slide, as two sets of footsteps approached him and Gin.
“—I heard ‘Haru-chan’ and…!”
“You didn’t need to come. You, too, should try to exercise some self-control, at least during the war.”
“I’m so, so sorry. This one’s an idiot, just, an idiot…”
The sole female ranker of the Northern Faction—well, not exactly, but for various reasons, she was the only player who could be properly treated as an idol, receiving fervent support and gazes from the men of Nortalia: Rinne of [Berumail (Bell-Mail)].
And, her childhood friend and partner, who tended to stand out due to her personality… in other words, the man known as another long-suffering subordinate after Gin: Maru II of [Ever-Changing].
Both were generally considered to be sensible types, and their bosses and seniors, Gin and Hagi, had trusted them as reliable juniors.
Had trusted, that is, past tense. As for what that meant…
“Yahha~! As expected of Haru-san, he’s in top form! Ahhh, ahhh, my favorite is healthy and having fun today, it is a truly good day!”
“It’s not a ‘good day,’ Rinne-chan. He’s the enemy right now, you know?”
“Of course! If I encounter him, I’ll go all out! Hyaaah!”
“Your enthusiasm is great and all, but when our lone flower has sparkling eyes for a man on the enemy side, you know? It affects the morale of our guys over here. …It does, right?”
“Well, I suppose it’s not entirely untrue…”
In other words, this is what it meant.
While not exactly listless, one of them had transformed into something… strange, and had stepped—or rather, spectacularly leaped with both feet—out of the bounds of common sense.
She was still reliable, but whether she could be ‘trusted’ in various senses of the word was now questionable.
“Well, it’s pretty much just me, right? In our faction, I’m the one with a favorable matchup against [Acrobat]-san. When it’s my turn, I’ll do my very best!”
“Is that so?”
“You’re a problem too. Just because it’s been a while since the last Four Pillar War, you’re far too lax.”
“Well, I don’t really get the whole PvP thing…”
Regardless, for better or worse… well, in terms of Arcadia’s game design, there was little to nothing ‘bad’ about it, but Nortalia was simply unskilled in PvP.
The players participating in the Four Pillar War were, for the most part, a fixed lineup of rankers and regulars. Under the philosophy that ‘as the Northern Faction that sings of freedom and adventure, we should prioritize our true calling,’ many of them, aside from the warriors who had chosen to volunteer, knew nothing of the basics of PvP.
Even the second-ranked [Wolf Pack] was no exception… Although he had joined the fray following the ‘Queen’s’ orders, he honestly hadn’t been of much use so far. At best, the presence of their beloved leader on the battlefield was providing a slight morale boost.
Therefore, it was a headache that Rinne, a valuable PvP asset, was acting like a complete fangirl, regardless of her personal preferences. It was no wonder Gin wore a wry smile and Hagi let out a sigh—
“You really need to start reining it in, okay? Haru-san even tells me stuff like, ‘Please, keep a leash on her.’ Why do I have to keep a leash on you? I get how you feel, but calm down a bit, seriou—”
“Aha, there it is! That’s so you, Maru, so not cute! What’s with that look on your face like you’re managing to hold back perfectly? When we’re talking together, you’re the one going on and on and on! Haven’t you noticed Haru-san gets a little weirded out sometimes?”
“Weirded… Huh? Huh? There’s no way. I’m not like you, Rinne. I know my limits.”
“Well, I know my limits too!”
“Says the person with a prior conviction for chasing him around the city while screaming!?”
“I wasn’t screaming! Don’t make me sound like some crazy person!”
“You’re pretty close! Where exactly are your limits?!”
“This is me trying my absolute hardest to hold back!!”
“That’s even worse! There’s a limit to otaku devotion, you know!”
—And with a childhood friends’ quarrel erupting like that, all they could do was look to the heavens. It was all so, completely…
“...What a peaceful war we’re having this time.”
“I suppose the new winds have led to a net positive outcome, but… honestly, it’s taking the tension out of it. Can I go home now?”
“Of course not. Who’d take over command?”
“There’s no one but you.”
“I’ve only fought in PvP a handful of times. I’d be lost either way, so I need you here, Hagi-kun. Don’t leave me alone.”
“The second ranker, of all people, saying that is just pathetic.”
It was, truly, a peaceful scene on the battlefield.
Huh? I was planning to drop a bunch of exposition, but it just ended up being the wolf-dog pair and the childhood friend pair flirting endlessly???