kscans

Chapter 801 - From Past to Present, From Present to Future

"—Good work out there?"

"Ahh, same to you."

Greetings as a representative and greetings for a first meeting. Which is more difficult and tiring depends on the person, but there's no need to rank them. We can just acknowledge each other's efforts.

Without even thinking about such complicated things, we could just mutually offer concern for our shared hard work, and things would be as usual. The 'Princess,' who I had been aware of the entire time, watching over me from a distance with a gaze that made me think, "Is she my guardian?" was…

"You truly are well-liked by people."

"I think it's more that the players I meet in Arcadia are all fundamentally 'good people' who like others to begin with."

She offered a smile that was, for some, difficult to distinguish from a neutral expression, and laughed cheerfully.

"—Still, to be liked by Kokoro on a first meeting is quite something. You're the same old charmer, aren't you?"

"Hey, what do you mean, 'same old'? I can't take that as a compliment, you know?"

And then, from the other side. I found myself sandwiched between a rare combination. Kagura-san, her red hair shining brilliantly even under the sun, chimed in with a teasing voice.

My exclusive magic crafter seemed unfazed even in the presence of the [Sword Queen].

"Ah, umm… so, I received a gift from her…"

And, just in case. Just in case, you know?

Even if it's a loose relationship based on the sound of the word, we call each other 'exclusive,' and on top of that, she's my undeniable partner-in-fate, my 'Weaver of Legends'… well, I thought it was my duty as the 'wielder' to ask.

"Isn't that great? In terms of pure skill as a magic crafter, Kokoro is definitely an artisan who is above me. This is more than just a good deal, you should be grateful."

When I checked her reaction to the dagger, she didn't seem to mind at all.

"…Hm? What is it, did you think I'd be jealous or something?"

"Eh, ah, no, no, of course not, haha…"

On the contrary, she gave me a grin, and my shallow self was instantly defeated. No, that's not it, really, it's just, as a matter of courtesy, I thought I should check in, you know, do things by the book…

"She did get a head start on you, though. If I had intended to monopolize you from the beginning, I wouldn't have introduced you to Nia in the first place."

"That's… well, your crafting categories are different, right?"

"Oh my. Did I ever say a single word about being unskilled in anything other than weapons and armor?"

"She's saying something terrifying again."

Ah, no, wait a minute.

Now that I think about it, I remember her saying something like 'I also do some metalwork' when we met… and thinking about it even further, even though she said she was 'good with iron,' she handled wood perfectly fine when she worked on Sora-san's staff, didn't she?

"And most importantly, have you forgotten? Regarding the Narrator's Armament, I showed you my sincerity by seriously offering to 'introduce you to someone higher up,' didn't I?"

"That really blew me away…"

And that incident was what solidified my feeling of 'I'm going to stick with this person.' But it's too embarrassing to say something like that to her face—

"That incident is what solidified my decision not to keep you all to myself."

…I couldn't say it, but she said it so boldly.

"When I showed my sincerity, you kicked it back with even greater sincerity. For someone like that, if I don't give it my all and engage with you earnestly, it would be a disgrace to my craft."

"She's saying something incredibly cool again…"

I'm no match for her.

Precisely because I know her big-sisterly persona is a product of role-playing, I can't help but respect her guts to be so cool and her original personality as well.

"…Hehe."

See, the Princess is smiling too—or so I thought, as I was casually watching at first.

"Kagura is as cool as ever."

"And your smile is as hard to read as ever, Iris."

I sensed a relationship I knew nothing about was about to be revealed, and successfully kept my mouth shut.

And so, Ashe, whose compliment was met with a complaint, stared at Kagura-san with a perfectly calm and gentle, 100-point expression, as if agreeing with her words, before saying,

"………………—I'm relieved."

"About what?"

"That you didn't hate me, it seems."

"Don't go feeling relieved just because we exchanged a few words."

Just as she always does with me, she read her heart. Looking as if she had truly found relief, Ashe's expression softened slightly.

Seeing that from the side, Kagura-san also let a faint smile grace her cheeks.

"I don't hate you. And lately, you've been getting interesting, you know."

"I see…—Then, someday, will you forge a 'sword' for me again?"

That, in essence, was the core of their unknown relationship. Sandwiched between them, I listened in genuine surprise while maintaining my silence, as the two friends exchanged words.

"Hah, no way in hell."

"…Why?"

"I don't dislike you, but I absolutely hate forging swords for you."

"You're saying something terrible."

"Who's the terrible one here? It's boring enough having to kick aside any playful spirit and focus solely on making it sturdy, but how many of those did you smash to pieces on the very same day?"

"………………I apologized, over and over again."

"It doesn't help when you're just going to snap, snap them again on the very same day you apologize."

"So you do hate me."

"Ahh, I just hate forging swords for you."

"…Mean artisan."

"Did you say something, selfish princess?"

—I'm probably not the only one thinking, what is this, this is amazing.

Beside us, I can feel Sora and Nia, who had been chatting by themselves so as not to get mixed up in our conversation, as well as our other friends and acquaintances, all listening quietly.

Judging by the flow of the conversation, it's probably been a long time since they've spoken. And from the surprised looks on everyone's faces, it must be a story from a distant, hidden past.

I sense this is a story from a time before the [Sword Queen] was born in this virtual world.

"Kagura."

"What is it?"

Now, as we look forward together.

Before the great wall we are about to challenge, and the long, earthen bridge built by the hands of many mages.
The princess and king who leads us all took a step forward.

"The victory party, be sure to attend, okay? I want to talk a lot more."

"Even if you say cute things, I'm not forging you a sword."

With a gentle smile directed at her friend, she raised the morale of the great crowd following behind…

Whether she knew it or not.