kscans

Chapter 963 - A Ladder Journey of This and That

"———————Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, of all people, me!!!!"

It was a cry that seemed to come from her very soul. And in response to her, who was singing those words so loudly to the distant sky, I could only feel a detached sense of admiration—

"Well, I mean… yeah. I guess so."

"…This is, as expected, something I never saw coming."

"It's, um, quite a surprise, isn't it…?"

—our reactions were all more or less the same.

About ten minutes had passed since we left the [Shogen-no-Mori]… the Over-Raid class area we had visited in search of a ‘certain something.’

It must have taken her that long to finally process the super-special event. Soaring leisurely through the sky on Sapphire's back, Nia, who had been in a daze, suddenly erupted without warning.

"How did what happen to make that happen and result in this?! It should have gone to Sora-chan!!"

"Ah, no, um… well…………"

She must not have even a shred of a 'scheme' left in her thoughts. Next to Nia, who was loudly proclaiming her wish, or rather, the ideal outcome… or more accurately, inside her arms as usual.

Being held tight as she pleased, my partner also had a troubled look on her face.

The source of the situation was the [Crimson Rabbit Bracelet] on her right wrist—the one she was using to hug Sora half in desperation—its gemstone now harboring a new light.

I've experienced it myself, and now that I hold the title of ‘Magic Crafter,’ I took another look at it, but… well, what can I say? Yes.

There's no doubt about it; it has transformed into the prerequisite form for becoming a [Terror Armament]. In other words, it’s become a material, and I really have no idea how that happened.

It was a memento I had given Nia by taking her out under the pretext of 'thanks for your help,' a gift earned by running together while she was dizzied both situationally and physically.

An undeniably high-end accessory, awarded to those who conquered one of the former three unconquerable dungeons, the [Spiral Crimson Tower]… I can only repeat myself: how can such a thing even happen?

It seems this world is, as always, a place where anything goes. And so.

"Nnnnghhhhheeeeeeeehhhhh… No way, whaaaaat am I supposed to do with a Terror Armament, it’s useless if it comes to me…"

We all, of course, shared in the surprise of encountering an unexpected event that strayed from our original objective. So I can understand Nia's feelings, but…

Frankly, that's a separate issue.

"…………Whether it's useless or not depends on its stats and abilities after it's made, right?"

"This is the first case of a dedicated Magic Crafter becoming a ‘wielder.’ No matter what happens, I'm very much looking forward to it."

"…I don't know what kind of item it will become, but will it become a Terror Armament?"

In reality, this is undoubtedly the kind of unexpected event you can wholeheartedly call ‘fun’.

And there's no particular reason to keep that feeling under wraps… So while it's tough on the person currently swallowed by confusion, the rest of us honestly don't see any negative aspects.

"Hmm… The possibility of Nia-chan's combat debut, perhaps."

"Don't say that. I'll just become a shut-in in the real world…"

Whether consciously or not, Nia let slip her rare, true first-person pronoun. The combat debut thing is obviously a joke, but I wonder what kind of power will reside in her, following the ‘eyes’ she already possesses.

Depending on the future that is right around the corner—

""…………""

I glanced over at Asche.

It might affect the selection of members who will dive through the ‘door’ on the hundredth floor of the Key Tree Maze… but well, I guess that depends on what kind of item gets made.

After exchanging a light smile, I shifted my gaze again.

"By the way, what are you going to do?"

"Hnngh, 'bout wha—…"

I tossed the words her way, and she responded with a limp voice while still draped over Sora, who she was hugging. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"So, the ‘wielder’ has been decided, but are you going to serve as the ‘weaver’ as well?"

"Eeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhh…???"

The even more listless response she gave made me laugh out loud. She's confident in her own abilities, but at the same time, she doesn't like being praised or standing out. It seems contradictory, but it's a perfect fit—it's just so Nia.

I don’t dislike this messy, down-to-earth side of her.

"If that's the base material, it's definitely going to become an accessory… In that case, I, at least, don't know of any jewel crafter esteemed enough for the renowned [Milmarinus] to entrust the task to."

"Among the current rankers in the Western Faction, the only one who specializes in creating jewelry-related accessories is [Raindrop Koropokkuru]-san… right? No, but…"

"Mm. The accessories Shizuku makes are a bit special. When it comes to creating something to be used as proper ‘equipment,’ in the current Arcadia, Nia and one other person are at the top."

"That other person is…"

"On indefinite hiatus. I hear they'll return someday, though."

And I'm not the only one used to Nia's Nia-ness.

Neither Sora-san, who's being used as a body pillow at her whim, nor Asche, who's still standing with a hand on my shoulder gazing at the scenery, seem particularly worried about the listless Nia.

All of this is because,

"What's with all of you, praising me so much… it’s creepy…………"

—even like this, she's a big deal, worthy of the trust she's gathered.

And so.

"Well, let's set aside the sudden event that hit Nia for a moment."

"Don't set it aside…!"

"We're setting it aside."

I'll deal with you later, I conveyed with a look, and brought my focus back to the ‘main topic.’

"Our wishful Plan A… or rather, our impromptu preliminary backup plan ended in a super-lucky (but unfortunate) result, but that just means it's on to the next thing. Let's get to it."

"Mm. We're almost there."

We added the [Shogen-no-Mori] to our schedule after getting information from Sayaka-san, but I wouldn't drag the busy Asche along for a plan based solely on unconfirmed information.

I had high hopes, since it was coincidentally the ‘light’ we were looking for… but if it turned out to be a bust, we had a solid, main-event-like option waiting, so no problem.

Alright, we'll continue on this route. As Asche says, our next destination is already close.

We're heading straight through the windy sky.

"By the way, Asche, you've cleared this before, right? What was it like?"

"…………………………Sparkly?"

"What's that? Are you imitating Nia-chan from somewhere?"

"Could you not say 'from somewhere'…?"

"…………Um, Nia-san. How long am I going to be your body pillow…?"

Our ladder journey from ‘light’ to ‘light.’

To one of the domains where [Apollo, Great Spirit of Light] resides—the [Kiterugen-no-Kyukei, Sphere of Brilliant Illusion].