kscans

Chapter 294 - Interlude: A Small Kingdom

On this final day, Maris Sola was lying on her back in the grasslands.

Nearby, her tamed monsters were playing as they pleased. She wondered what kind of paradise this was, and a smile naturally spread across her face.

Today, this world would end. And when she next awoke, it would be a new, updated world.

Such things didn't matter to Maris, but it was sad to part with the monsters she had worked so hard to tame.

Her pets were programs. They were merely running on simple AI.

Others might wonder why she would be sad about such a thing, but in a virtual reality reproduced with such realism, and what's more, with companions she had adventured with for several years, it was only natural to feel sad.

Besides, Maris had other circumstances.

A sudden wind blew. When the wind subsided, Maris heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

"Maris, you're quite relaxed for the last day. Is there nothing left for you to do?"

"Surya."

As Maris lay on the ground, a woman dressed as a jester came into her view.

Surya White.

One of Maris's few acquaintances, a fellow tamer, and one who commanded a giant dragon. The sudden wind was from when the dragon had landed nearby.

In the real world, they had known of each other but had never spoken. They had spoken for the first time in this virtual reality, but their differing views on pets often led to arguments.

However, neither Maris nor Surya denied the other's ideas. Their views were different, but they also believed that their own way of thinking wasn't absolute.

Today would be the last day before she lost her memories of the real world. There was a chance she would forget about the Surya before her, so Maris stood up and looked at her carefully.

Surya, dressed as a jester composed mainly of blue and white, wore a pierrot mask covering only the right half of her face. A whip was equipped at her waist, making her look just like a circus beast tamer.

Though Maris had never seen a beast tamer, so this was just speculation.

"What is it, staring at me like that?"

"This is the first time I'm asking, but is that a beast tamer outfit?"

"My clan is 'Circus,' so what else could it be? And you're only asking now?"

"You made it pretty far, right?"

"Top 8. We lost to Blackjack. There's no beating them."

"Blackjack was the clan that won, right? You had bad luck with the draw."

Blackjack was a clan with a fighting force so great that even Maris, who had no interest in Clan Wars, knew of them. And as Maris said, they had won the Clan War.

The clan "Circus," led by the Surya before her, had made it to the top 8. If they hadn't been matched against Blackjack, they might have made it to the top 4, or even been the runners-up.

"It's over now, so it doesn't really matter. More importantly, Maris. What are you doing here? Today's the last day, you know?"

"Just playing with everyone. I worked hard to tame them and dote on them, so to think we'll be parting ways today makes me a little sad."

"If you had fought with me in my clan, Maris, you could have gotten a reward. I had my wish granted to be able to act together with this dragon in the next world too."

"I didn't realize that. But it's fine. I plan to search for these children again in the new world."

"...Will they be the same individuals?"

Tamed animals and monsters run on simple AI. You could say they are just programs.

It was uncertain if she could find the same individuals she parted with here today. In the first place, it was unclear if the programmed pets even had a concept of individuality.

When a spawned monster is defeated, a new, identical monster appears a few minutes later. If you were to ask if that was the same individual, most people would probably shake their heads.

Furthermore, if the next world was an updated version, it was unknown how the pets here would be treated.

That was what Surya was trying to say.

But Maris just snorted. And then wore a smug face.

"I've given these children names. So it's fine."

"...I see."

Everyone thinks differently. Perhaps that's what Surya thought, as she said nothing more.

A silence fell for a while, but then Surya spoke.

"Well then, I'm off. I'm supposed to go to the Ambrosia clan's base with my clan members."

"That's the clan that got second place, right?"

"That's right. You want to come too, Maris?"

"I'll wait for the world to end here. I want to be with everyone at the end."

"I see. I don't know if I'll remember in the next world, but let's meet again someday."

"Yeah. It would be nice if we could get along in the next world."

"...That might be impossible. I have no intention of changing my way of thinking. Not even if I forget reality and the world changes."

Surya said this and took off with her dragon.

And so, Maris and her pets were left alone on the grassland. Then she uttered a single word.

"I have no intention of changing my way of thinking either."

Maris lay down on the ground again. She folded her hands behind her head and looked at the sky.

It was about two in the afternoon. In a few more hours, this world would end. But the surroundings were so peaceful, it didn't feel like it at all.

The shining sun, the small clouds moving slowly. The refreshing breeze caressing her cheeks, the scent of grass. And her pets playing happily nearby.

If the real world were to end, she would want it to end in a situation like this. That's what Maris was thinking.

As she dozed off a little, her pet calico cat approached.

"Still, day. Sleep, early."

"That's true. But it's fine today. Let's all just relax."

The words that came out of the calico cat's mouth were "Meow." But to Maris's ears, they sounded like words.

It was the power of an item she had received when she first logged into this world. The effect of the pendant "Melampus," which allowed her to converse with her pets.

It wasn't a combat-oriented item, nor could it be used for taming. In the first place, she couldn't talk to monsters that hadn't been turned into pets. But for resolving troubles among her animal companions, it could be called god equipment.

Her pets were simple AIs, but they possessed clear likes and dislikes. The most care was required for their meals. Normally, it would be impossible to know what they wanted to eat. To some extent, it was determined by species, but the tendencies differed for each individual.

And if their treatment was too poor, the pets would leave their master.

Normally, one would judge their preferences by their expressions and actions, but the "Melampus" Maris possessed allowed her to communicate with them through words. For some, it was an item they would give anything for.

However, there was a problem. It caused one to become too emotionally invested in their pets.

It was just a virtual reality, but in a situation where their appearance was realistic and she could even understand their words, would one be able to let go of their pets?

At least, for Maris, it was impossible.

The calico cat tilted its head at Maris's answer, but then climbed onto Maris's stomach as she lay on the ground and curled up. It was as if it was saying this spot was its own.

As if they all understood Maris's words to "just relax," her pets stopped playing, approached Maris, yawned lightly, and lay down on the ground.

There was nothing around, just Maris and the pets surrounding her.

This could be called Maris's small kingdom.

(We'll be separated once, but I'll find everyone again and make them my companions. And then I'll rebuild this kingdom... If it's a kingdom, then Siegfried, whom I first befriended, would be the queen, I suppose.)

Maris thought this and looked at the calico cat on her stomach.

"Siegfried is the queen of this country, so you have to act with dignity."

As if to say such things didn't matter, Siegfried let out a big yawn, then immediately curled up again. And then she lightly tapped Maris with her tail.

Smiling faintly at the gesture, Maris closed her eyes and let go of her consciousness.