Vol 2 Prologue (2/2)
As Sora continued saying that a futon, if available, would be more preferable,
Steph's reasoning was unable to keep up for a moment
Her reaction was severalseconds late
”T-the maid's rooms, are 'cabins' outside the castle you know!? They're made
of wood you know!?”
”Hm? I can't let that pass you know, don't underestimate wood!”
Sora cleared his throat with a cough
”Breathable, hygroscopic, teulated, shockproof, wind-resistant,
surpassing all otheras you're
careful with fire, there is nothing better to construct a japanese house from--”
At that point, it see
Sora proceeded to retrieve the PC connected to a solar charger by the
”Ah, as I thought There're textbooks on japanese architecture in here”
”Huh?”
”Right, let's rounds!”
”Eh?”
While Steph was left far behind, Sora continued heatedly
”What do you think shi+ro, our dreareat idea!?”
”Placewhere?”
”Fufu, I already know everything you have in mind, my little sister!!”
Although it see that point
too
With a flourish, he pointed to the castle courtyard outside the
”Right there is closer to the castle than the maids' place, and it won't cause a
problem for the workers It's close to the castle kitchens too, so we can
continue being hikikoreenery means the air is fresh, and
it's not crowded! And thanks to the castle walls, thesun won't
disturb us! Is there any more divinely situated place than this!!”
After Sora's proud speech, shi+ro slowly raised a hand
”Noobjections”
”Alright! And so, Steph”
”Eh, ah, y-yes?”
Steph could only flap her mouth in bewilderment
”Find sos Hm, I don't knohat the
building code for this world would be, so select say, a staff of twenty of the
best? Just tell them to make it out of wood and leave the rest to them”
--Now for the late introductions
This is the King and Queen of the final kingdom of 'Imanity', Elchea-- Sora
and shi+ro, a pair ofsiblings
They don't set a foot outside the rooames,
read, and make unreasonable demands
--Very much like 'tyrants'
”~~~~~~~~~~~~~Soraaa! We're having a game!”
Dealing with these despots, Steph finally lost all patience
Gripping the playing cards in her hand, she glared at Sora
For those tyrants-- yes, today was the 'day of judgment'
--But
”--Ohh?”
Hearing that word 'game', Sora's eyes sharpened
At that instantaneous change, which Steph had already seen countless times,
she shuddered
The crying, shakingbrother
With a single switch
As ifseeing straight through one's heart, one's intentions, and holding all in the
palm of his hand
Enough to give offsuch an illusion, a machine-like calmness
Yet his face was that of a ga of war
--But before that
Staring into his eyes, Steph instantly felt her heart leap and her face heat up
She had challenged hiame in this very same matter once before
And the 'price' re her that she had been utterly beaten, was even now
firraved on her mind
In the face of that, her momentum lost its steam
Seeing Steph avert her gaze, reddened from ear to ear, Sora confirmed
”You wish to challenge ame, is that what you mean?”
”Y, yes, t-that's exactly right!”
”the [Ten Oaths]nuedparty has the
rightto decidethe contents of the game”
shi+ro recited the rule from memory
--They were the absolute rules that God had decreed for this world
Unbreakable in any situation, absolute and immovable
”Heh~~on top of that, ame?”
--the gaun
As Sora seized the psychological advantage, Steph was unable to get out the
words she had previously prepared
”A, a~ra, surely huamer-sama would not be afraid to
coths?”
Thinking desperately, Steph blurted out the countermeasure she had been
practicing over and over
But she couldn't keep a quaver out of her voice
With a wry sh
”I see, so you came at least a bit prepared this time-- so, what is it you 'wish
to wager'?”
Ga to the [Ten Oaths] demanded absolute compliance
What one gambled could said to be part of the tactics
”Fufufuif I win--”
As if waiting for that question, Steph spoke without hesitation
”Sora will [beco in my
affairs]!”
Ba---------m!
Steph declared as she pointed
But the only response was silence
”H, huh?”
A deathly quiet reigned over the king's bedroom
”I see it's come down to this”, or ”Don't hit me where it hurts!”
Steph had been expecting such replies
But instead, Sora's eyes were shi+ning brightly
”I, I see--since the [Ten Oaths] are absolute, you can do that kind of thing as
well!?”
”Heh!?”
At this better-than-expected response from Sora, Steph could only look
away red-faced
”B-b-but, didn't you order me to 'fall in love'ifso--”
Indeed that tih a series of
trickery she had been requested to 'fall in love'
As you can see, regardless of her oillshe had been forced to 'be in
love'
”I, I see,”
It was as if the scales had fallen from his eyes
Moved to look up at the sky, Sora gave a cry
”Th, then, don't make me a citizen--make me a 'riajuu
[2]
'!”
”Ria, juu? What the heck's that”
”It's technically the same as a citizen Now let's play! I'll lose!!”
”Eh, well, um”
Biting her lip, Steph seemed to be at a loss as to how to respond
Succor came from an unexpected source
”Niiif you, loseto someone apart fromshi+ro”
”Wha--! S-sister, do you intend to stand in the way of your brother's path
towards beco a riajuu!?”
”『 』 cannotacceptdefeat”
”Guoohhh!”
Yes, Sora and shi+ro-- the combo of 『 』 can never accept any losses
It was a promise the two had made back in the previous world
In a world without rules, it was an absolute, unshakable rule the two had
made for themselves alone
As if he had fallen froated
despair
”No waycome on! I mean, there's no way I could lose to Steph in
anything unless it's on purpose!!”
”You----!?”
Ignoring Steph who had begun twitching uncontrollably, the siblings continued
their argument
”Even, soyou can't”
”This, this can't be, ht before my eyes! H-hey,
shi+ro, you challenge o all
out and lose, let's say, in chess or so!”
”ButI refuse”
”Arrrghhhh, Goddammit! Steph!!”
”Y, yes!?”
Clasping his hands together as if in prayer, Sora turned to Steph and cried out
from his soul
”I realize that there is one in aan
iht just possibly
so you! Answer this infinitesimally
small hope of mine!!”
”Fu, fufufufufufufufufufufufu, you yourselfsaid it!”
Receiving that abuse laden rant, Steph's an
laughing maniacally
”The game will be-- 'Black Jack!”
”--Haaaahhh”
”Sigh”
As the siblings both sighed for different reasons, Steph, not understanding
either, looked dismayed
”Eh, huh? What is it!? It's a game with a chance ofsuccess!!”
Sora h
Turning to shi+ro who seemed to have lost all interest, Steph shouted
”The dealer will be me! Sora will be the player! This way Sora can't cheat,
and even if he does I'll know and it'd be ame of pure chance,
ability doesn't matter!”
Sora looked out theA single twinkling glimmer slowly rolled down
his cheek
”Writing together the characters for 'human' and 'dreams' results in 'vanity',
huh Well Steph, don't be discouraged There's always a next time”
Hearing Sora's line nor a match, Steph
exploded
”Ma,fun of mej-just you watch! 'Acciente'!”
That was the word used when invoking the [Ten Oaths], signifying a vow of
absolute compliance had been made
”Yeah yeah'Acciente'I guess”
”Oh, right, I forgot to add what I'll be ga--”
”Surewell, whatever's finesighhh”
”Y, you----!!”
In the face of Sora who took his victory as a foregone conclusion, Steph
inwardly told herself to calm down
--Yes, calm down There is a 'chance of victory'
In herhorribly
A game of pure chance? No way in hell
Steph had been busy practicing all night, of course she intended to cheat to
win
It was the dealer who shuffled
Ifshe counted out the cards while shuffling yet in an 'acceptable looking way',
she could win
Unlike substituting cards or the like, it was impossible to prove
Nu is detected during a game, it will
be regarded as a defeat'-- in other words
If it's not detected, you can do it!
(Fufufufuprepare to receive your just desserts for underesti
meeeeeeeee!)
--However, Steph didn't know
More so since she had come this far
Winning against Sora with soree- was utterly
impossible
Part 4
--Beyond the horizon
Towering even over the e beyond human perception was a
giant chess piece
Perched on top of the king, his feet dangling over the edge, was a lone boy
Whistling as if enjoying himself, in his hands were a 'blank book' and a quill
pen
”Nnwhat to write~”
It see about the continuation of his story
Over ti, his pen would move
”Once upon a time, there was a world where an absolute rule was set
prohibiting allforce and calling for every dispute to be solved by
ga like that?”
Nodding froher than the heavens, the boy looked out into the
distance and muttered
”I wonder if they'll move soonthe 'latest piece'”
The boy's name was Tet
The creator of this world where everything is decided by games, 'Disboard”
The one who had eed from the former War of the Gods seated as the
sole God re, the 'God of Games'
That lone God, his eyes sparkling as if re about a lover, looked out
into the distance
”--A question, art thou preventing the destruction of Imanity?”
Froant voice resounded
”--At last, hast thou been moved to act?”
Tet certainly took a little offense at that voice, yet he remained allsmiles
”Eavesdropping now? That's not a terribly commendable hobby”
Spying on the lone God Tet, the imperfect presence spoke
It was undoubtedly one of the previous ranking Old Gods-- and one still
possessing a limited amount of power at that
Tet, as now the sole God, could easily find out who it was, and yet he
had no interest whatsoever
”--A question, before the decision on who,
an eventsides?”
Tet answered, however, in a bored tone
”Really, you guys are dull as ever”
Then he reversed, and his eyes filled with sparkling anticipation once again
With a yearning smile, Tet spoke
”I am on nobody's side If you won't understand that, you'll continue playing a
stale game forever”
Then he laughed
A laugh, which areat hope
”'They' will come All the way up to me-- and none of you can stop them”
His eyes were far away, looking over the last city of Imanity-- over Elchea
For the one God, endless years were as the blink of an eye
His eyes were like--
A child on the day he was going to the a
for his parents to get ready
With a whisper, Tet confirmed that the presence of the voice from the void
had faded
”Don't keep , 『 』-san”
He knocked his heels against the piece he sat atop of
”I'llrun out of patience soon~, if you keep ht just have
to come out and play?”
Curling his lip fearlessly, God spoke
”Ah, that's right The continuation--”
As if thinking of the continuation of his story, Tet lifted his quill pen
”One day two gamers from another world were invited to the country of
Imanity, the lowest of the Exceed The two came to defend Imanity, who had
been backed into a corner to their final land-- Elchea, by the other races, then
becoan from herekay ♪”
--the story continued to spin out
Eventually it would be a grand epic, told to the people by bards everywhere
What God as the story of future Gods
Writing out the prologue to the next legend----