Vol 5 Chapter 4 (2/2)
their confused glances
He then said - I don’t know either!
Sora hadto shi+ro’s orders - which
meant
“Nii, just do itlike you normally would”
Only one sentence
“Use every possible way you can think oftaunt her, and
taunt her again, ryjust continue
taunting her”
- Just that
Although, Sora did feel rather sad at the fact that her sister said
that those were his normal actions
Since shi+ro said so, he needed to be confident himself, as that
was the way to conquer her route, which meant he had to
follow her orders to the end without question - without a single
doubt
- Suddenly, cracking sounds were heard
The Ehtly
“- Huh?”
Ignoring the speechless crowd - Sora and shi+ro excluded, the
crack
At the saan
cracking all over, its surface and elow
Stardust-like seeds floated from it and splintered
Within the reflective, cracking,splinters of ice - the
Empress slowly opened her eyes
Everyone could only stare speechless at that
“Hey! Hey! Over here! You can’t hit me due to the 「Ten
Pledges」 anyway! Hahaha!!!”
Aside fro her sister’s orders to
「Aggravate the opponent」
“S-so strongto think that Imanity could be this
annoying!?”
Even Steph couldn’t help but begin to respect Sora, while the
Empress slowly stood up from her throne
“Niiyou can stop now”
“Huh, really? And I was having fun too -”
The Eantly once - and
approached Sora slowly, trailing light behind her
Within this dreamlike turn of events - the Empress, as
approaching Sora, had her face dyed blood-red in anger -
No - as she sloam before Sora, the Empress - suddenly
“I’ve been waiting for you all this whilemy prince ♥”
Falling before Sora’s feet, with heart shapes appearing in her
eyes - she said this
--
Huh?
While everyone else was shocked speechless, only Sora
reuard
“Hey, hey shi+ro, what’s going on? Is this some sort of
trap?”
Sora asked shi+ro nervously
Suddenly, Sora recalled so
- Once when he was playing an online game he cheated too
much and therefore won too much as well, so his opponents
the
siblings to move to another house in a hurry It was a bitter
memory - one from their old world
Sora was afraid that he had went too far due to this emotional
trauma, while shi+ro beside him said nonchalantly:
“Nopenow you can「Beat the game」”
“Ah, so that’s what’s going on”
Steph, Plum, Jibril and Amira finally realized as
happening as shi+ro explained it
The Empress - Leila continued:
“Ah, my beloved emperorplease scold me more ♥”
“- H, hey, does this guy have some mental problem?”
Sora asked while pointing at Leila as at his feet, but
Steph instead recalled a discussion they had before the game
started
The thing they had found in the Late King’s library - 「The
Treasure of the Proud Princess」
Cross-referencing to the 「Ending」 of the book - she finally
understood shi+ro’s intentions
“I see, so that’s what’s happening”
A beautiful princess
A fairy tale about a princess who had everything, beauty,
riches, love, si
She wanted more - her desires surpassed all, as the Princess
wanted everything
Those desires were ground to a halt due to a certain man
The Princess had acquired everything in the world from
different men
But her desires were still unfulfilled, and her wish -
- By a 「Dagger」-wielding man
- The princess let her desires for this curiously beautiful
unknown (treasure)
- End along with her death
- Yes, that fairy tale was a story about a princess as
exterued her
But, the Empress feared -
“So Grandpa found the fairy tale that caused the Empress to
hibernate, and after some observationsbecause she has
everything, what the E unknown -
probably an unachievable lovebut”
But, the late King’s - her grandfather’s explanation was rather
poetic, Steph thought as she sighed
After that she turned to shi+ro - the one who had orchestrated
the entire game
“I seethe Empressthat everyone loved, she couldn’t
understand the value of things just because she had
everythingwhich is why she pursues”
Ino appeared to be undergoing some sort of revelation, and he
continued emotionally:
“I seewhichfor is someone that
even if she falls in love with - that person won’t love her in
return”
To be frank - according to shi+ro’s explanation, it meant -
Essentially, she is in love for the sake of loveshe wants an
「Unobtainable Love」
No, to be even more honest - it meant
“She wants to be bulliedyes, just like Steph”
“- Huh?”
Steph cried out in shock, while Jibril clapped her hands as she
realized in the same instant
“I get it now According to that fairy tale, the man who killed
the princess wasn’t after her love - so that man, and that man
alone, was the only et”
“- Huh? Is she frozen there or so?”
Sora cried out, because that basically meant -
She wanted someone else’s property - which meant she would
repeatedly become that someone’s slave
- Wasn’t that a perfect exaible woman?
“So you’re telling me that even if I fall in love with her she’ll
iot my love?
What an annoying bitch”
“Yessss ♥ I’ bitch~ I’m sorry ♥”
The E (Leila)
s her body from side to side
- 「I will offer everything I have」 -
Everyone should paybehind that
sentence, and shi+ro appeared to be the only one who noticed,
so she said:
“Nii has all the rightsof that person”
“- Huh? Oh, right”
“Ahahaaa ♥ P-please be more forceful with me ♥”
- Plum and the Dhampirs were speechless all the way up until
then
“So just for soht
hundred years and nearly caused us to go extinct?”
Even though she wasn’t exactly clear of the details herself,
Plu to puff out
her soul itself after that explanation
After that, the Empress cried out in apparent surprise at Plum
and the Dhampirs’ reactions:
“Huh? Did I really sleep for eight hundred years!?”
- She then continued:
“This ga as you don’t fall in love with me and
kickyou win Are you all idiots?”
“You’re the idiot here! We can’t do so like that
due to the 「Ten Pledges」! You sponge-brained dumbass!”
“Aahahahhhahh ♥ yes! I’e~~!!”
- Also not counting the 「Ten Pledges」
She had a irresistibly powerful hypnotizing ability that even
Jibril or Miko couldn’t resist
There was a possibility that it was an all-powerful ic, so
not falling in love with Leila in that state would be directly
impossible
It was so that neither the Dhampirs, the Seirenes nor
anyone else could consider doing
Which ive her a hard punch in the face Who would
have guessed that she would have thought of such a strategy?
“Now do you understand why the Seirenes are so happy?
Ino-san”
“Yeah, thiswhat should I say”
“Hehe~ ☆ So-chan, you put on quite a show earlier, but
could you please on Amira’s behalf beat up that ●●● as
hard as you can~? Mm! It’s OK even if you cause permanent
brain dae in the process ☆”
“Ah, I beg of you, husband - please beat me ♥ hit me~ ♥”
A - but at the same time, her look at Sora was
unbelievably murderous
As well as Leila who asked for the sa, but instead
looked at Sora in expectation
“Hey, Jibril - what exactly is love?”
Sora looked up at the ceiling and asked, while Jibril smiled and
replied:
“Isn’t it exactly what Plu as one confirms the
presence of love, it’s love -”
Slightly further away, Ino was conversing emotionally with
Izuna
“There really are many types of lovehmm, it appears I am
not h either”
“GrandpaIzuna still doesn’t understand it, des”
“Don’t worry, Izuna You will one day”
Sora sighed and thought - will that day ever come?
“I don’t think I will ever know”
- Just like that, except for the Empress - Leila, under conditions
that no one could approve of
That stupid game was over for the moment -
Part 6
Within the capital of the Elkian Federation, Elkia - in the
ht
Steph appeared to be burning the ht oil in one of the
offices in the castle of Imanity’s final territory
“I knew it, this tied with us
as well”
- With her workload increasing, Steph’s eyebags were
increasing in density as well
Other than that, even Avant Hei
the Federation, albeit only in name
The mountain of documents in front of her increased by the
day, and Steph quickly averted her eyes from it in fear as she
iht:
“At this rate those nobles will finally shut up”
- Faced with this undeniable truth, Steph looked at the
docuhed
Every single day, those nobles that cae them in
games for their own benefit - had now completely disappeared
Now the documents from Sora’s conquest of Oceande’s
huous territory and resources were already this much -
enough to deprive Steph from all sleep - and Elkia’s
federation with the Eastern Federationthe 「Federation
Concept」 that had initially been thought impossible due to the
vast differences of power between nations was now a reality
due to their efforts, and the situation had thus changed as well
The territory of the Seirenes - meant that they could now utilize
the resources in the oceans
Because they had acquired the 「Underwater Resources」 that
neither Elkia nor the Eastern Federation could utilize, the
disadvantage both nations previously had now disappeared
What a stupid game, and that conclusion - Steph mumbled to
herself:
“Fro, that was their aim - so this
shouldn’t be possibleright?”
It was by pure chance that Plum had visited Sora and the
others, allowing them to acquire Oceande
But in the final game, Miko - which meant the Eastern
Federation did not participate, so Oceande’s resources had
beco factor
between the strength of the two nations, so the situation had
reversed fro extremely far apart
in terth to almost equals, so Steph was still
somewhat in disbelief
- More importantly, they had acquired two nations at once
Besides that, even Avant Hei to join
After the Werebeasts - the Seirenes, the Dhampirs and even the
Flügel
Sora had kept to his word, acquiring three birds with one stone
Like this they didn’t have to take their Race Pieces nor cause
any da them benefits, they had annexed
four races without a single drop of blood shed This made
Steph recall so
When Sora and the rest had conquered the Eastern Federation -
Miko - she had a rather ridiculous thought, and although she
wanted to chase it away, she began feeling that the thought
began having some truth in it
“The tenth of the 「Ten Pledges」, Everyone should get
along while playing games”
Steph’s mouth curled up in a small smile - was that finally
possible?
Previously all they did was fight ast each other, and the
「Sixteen Races」 had disfigured the planet in their wars, so
leading the「Sixteen Races」 against the One True God
without killing anyone, without anyone dying - was that really
possible -
“? Speaking of which”
Steph recalled the day that Sora and the others had bet the
「Race Piece of the Imanity」 at the Eastern Federation
embassy
The 「Sixteen Races」 each had a 「Race Piece」, and if one
were to acquire theht
to challenge the One True God
Suddenly, Steph shi+fted her gaze towards the distant horizon
The gigantic chess piece that was still visible even in the
darkest night, appearing as if it would block the ht,
piercing the clouds
- If that was the piece the One True God owned
Did the respective Race Pieces have their own role to play as
well?
Although she had yet to see the other 「Race Pieces」, but the
「Imanity Race Piece」 that Sora brandished was -
“The King”
The King in Western chess was -「The weakest piece」
It was thewere even
lower than a 「pawn」, that was coe -
“Oh well, I’h, back to
work, back to work”
Part 7
At the same time - within the main hall of capital Elkia
Relying on the building capabilities of the Eastern Federation,
Sora and shi+ro’s castle was finally complete - which was a
small wooden house
Within the tatami-covered room that Sora and shi+ro requested
for, were countless games and books scattered everywhere
On top of it, the siblings were sleeping silently on a mattress
within that tiny space
- At this time a shadow silently approached them
But that shadow -
“- Hey, Plu you need at this time?”
“Disturbingsleep”
Their voices sounded as if they were holding back laughter,
and Sora and shi+ro stared into space, giving up on their act
“A-ahaha, s-sorryumthat”
How did a norh an
invisibility spell of a Dhampir?
Pluic and smiled sheepishly, then bowed to
apologize -
“Are you here to reveal to us your true identity?”
As Sora said this - Plum’s smile froze
Sora and shi+ro ignored her reaction, then sat up straight - their
smiles were just like that of little kids that had succeeded in
pulling off a huous prank
“I don’t usually compliment others but I really want to show
y really was pretty
a, to think you would actually -”
Sora complimented her sincerely, but -
“You actually ed to deceive us to the very end without
lying at all, Plum - no”
Sora’s mouth curled up in a small smile, and he looked at the
female Dhampir - no
“The finalyou
that right?”
- He looked at the young boy
- A sigh was heard
The beautiful, bishoujo-like boy sat down cross-legged as his
identity was revealed, and sighed
His expression was that of disappointment - but hidden in his
eyes were a piercing knowledge sharper than any sword
“Ughdid I mess up somewhere? When did you find out?”
- Ah, so he sounds like that, huh, Sora thought as he replied
“From the very start - well that’s what I want to say but”
Sora glanced at shi+ro
“I don’t really want to admit this, but shi+ro was the one who
noticed it, even before the time ent to the beach”
“V”
shi+ro raised a victory sign, appearing very proud of herself
And Sora seemed rather unhappy at her, so he cupped his
cheeks and complained
“Because of that, I nearly sexually harassed a guy, and let you
lick my sister’s feet, I messed up that badlydammit, I should
have realized earlier()”
“Ahahathanks a lot for that, I was dying anyway”
Sora choked slightly, as he saw the bishounen say that without
a single hint of remorse
“- So, let’s continue the questioning regarding that night at
the beach - shall we?”
“~~「Plum」”
As she finished her sentence, shi+ro immediately continued to
recite out that memory just like a tape recorder
- 「Please let the Empress fall in love with you! I prepared a
strategy for that as well!」
Yes, that was the initial request that Plum had raised the first
time he encountered Sora and others - but
“I felt that there was so about that, because
you didn’t say: please awaken her From the very start all you
said was - you prepared strategies for her to fall in love”
So -
“We prepared 「Two」 tests for you with Miko-san’s
help”
“~~「Nii」”
- 「I know about your sure-win plan, but why didn’t you
guys just do it yourselves?」
And in contrast, shi+ro continued
“~~「Plum」”
- 「The final 」
- 「We need to at least a male with reproductive abilities」
“First, we emphasized that it was a plan definite to succeed,
but you never said it was so at all”
“”
“Whichthat even
if we ht?”
Plum merely smiled bitterly, while Sora continued:
“Now for the second pointI asked why 「You guys」
didn’t do it”
Sora indicated that “this is the part I’m pissed about”, and he
continued with his brow furrowed:
“I was talking about you guys! But you didn’t mention
yourself as well, instead you only said that it could only be a
male from an unclear
perspective -”
He couldn’t lie before a Werebeast, so he could only make the
perspective unclear
“- So it would be referring to you who has no reproductive
ability right?”
No doubt, the person who realized that was shi+ro, so -
“Do you remember the time I saw shi+ro’s phone and it said
「Like that even if it’s not Nii it’s OK」?”
“Yesbut is there a problem with that?”
The young boy didn’t seem to understand, so Sora smiled and
continued:
“Actually all that we had said earlier was already recorded by
shi+ro”
“!”
“I intentionally recited differently from as displayed
on the phone - which was lying to send a signal to Miko-san”
Yes, Plum - the final male Dhampir - 「Intentionally avoided
a statement」
Every tieous question, such
as 「Is it A or B?」, he would always reply 「It’s not B」,
which would not count as a lie because it didn’t mean 「Thus
it is A」
So since he was not lying yet telling the half-truth all the time,
even the Werebeasts wouldn’t be able to figure out such
complex wordplay
“But, that instead ”
“Let’s arrange everything” Sora clapped and began pacing
around the room, then continued cheerfully:
“You wanted to free the Dhampirs, that was the truth, and the
fact that your ic could make people fall in love was true as
well, but you kneouldn’t be sufficient to awaken the
E us to free the Dhampirs
despite all that - hhly of us, thanks
for that”
Sora smiled, and shi+ro smiled as well and replied:
“~~「Plum」”
-「P-please wait! I can only rely on Sora-dono and the rest of
you now!」
“Yes, that was true, ere the only ones you could rely
on”
Which means, the people that Plum’s plan required were -
which again meant
The people that could find out the 「Conditions to awaken the
Empress」 that even Plum could not
The people that would acquire all the rights of the Seirenes
after awakening the Empress
If they were to fail, they could also be sent to the Seirenes as
「Food」 by Plum
- Which left the only race that even the Seirenes could look
down upon - the lowest-ranked race, the Imanity
Additionally there was Jibril - or furthermore, Avant Heim had
only Sora and the others as companions
But Sora had Izuna, or to put it further, Miko - the problem was
the presence of the Eastern Federation
Before the senses of the Werebeasts, any lies would be
immediately detected - thus
“You could only perfectly deceive us without using any lies at
all, then co to your will”
“”
Sora clapped sincerely
“Ah, the fact that you thought so highly of us and trusted that
we could do so ood, honestly To
be honest the fact that we couldn’t rely on a fixed tactic to
conquer Avant Heie in without any plan”
“Yeah, about that -”
He then scratched his cheeks, that poor-looking young boy -
as actually a ist smiled
“If not, that sort of game - how could I possibly help?”
He smiled boldly as if to declare: But of course!
Faced with the final male of the Dhampir who could say that so
easily - Sora smiled
For the sake of his plan, he illing to put himself on the
line
What a perfect 「Gamer」, Sora could only speak his mind
“But, even though ere able to see through you this far,
ere still played a fool by your strategies - no, we could
only act that way, and even though I’m still not too happy
about it, I can only couess we’ll call it
a 「Draw」?”
“Plum, well done”
Sora then sat down cross-legged, but Sora and shi+ro’s faces
were all smiles
- On the other hand
“Ahaha, you’re wrong - this 「Game」’s only winner is
me!”
As he said this, his expression was still pitiful, but he glanced
at thely
- It was just like - yes, it was like he had his eyes set on a huge
feast and was prepared to tuck in, Plum smiled in a twisted
fashi+on
“What?”
- Sora felt his life was threatened so he went on full alert at this
sudden change
I see, so h, and
Pluly:
“The Queen bet 「Everything she had」! Have you not
realized?”
“- What!?”
As he heard this - Sora’s face twisted, and he backed away
Has he finally realized? The cold smile on Plum’s face
widened even more, and he continued:
“Yesnot only her 「Power」, but even her
「Responsibilities」 were transferred onto you guys”
“- Ah - ait a secondthat means - !!”
Sora finally understood the situation, and he hurriedly shi+elded
shi+ro with his own body, and cried out with eyes bulging in
fear
Since he had 「Everything」 that belonged to the
representative of the Seirenes - it didn’t just mean power
Responsibilities - which means the responsibility to supply the
Dhampirs blood - !
Plum - the bishounen with a pair of sharp, even seductive eyes
That pitiful appearance of his was gone, and now - he was
living up to the na」- the final male
of the Dha of a
race representative
“So, no s develop, only the Dhampirs (I)
benefit - understand? You inferior species”
“- ! W-wait, that’s - !!”
Sora was so shocked he turned pale, and he cried as though
pleading for his life
Instead Plus, then smiled in a
beastly s opened
wide
- As a courtesy before a meal, he spoke softly:
“Thank you for the food - ♪”
Then, he charged straight at the terrified Sora’s neck, and bit -
- He couldn’t bite
“Huh? U on!?”
His king-like composure disappeared in an instant, and the
King of the Night - turned back into Plum
“Niiyour acting was rather exaggerated”
“Huh? Nah, I should be acting eously here,
right?”
- His terrified expression had completely disappeared
so the way
The two smiled thinly as they looked at the flustered Plum
“Plu I don’t
To think that you could conjure up such an
ay, but you didn’t consider - if we actually
awoke the E to free the
Dhampirs?”
“- !?”
“Just like how you thought so highly of us, we - think highly
of you as well”
In an about-turn of expressions, Sora glanced at him sincerely -
yet that gaze carried the challenging arrogance of a gamer
“That’s why I said, this 「Game」- is a draw”
As he heard this - Plum opened his eyes wide in surprise for
the very first time
But Sora merely spread his arms cheerfully, smiled and
continued:
“You’re really good, I mean it You actually set a trap that
would activate automatically if ere to win - a time bomb -
this is the first time I’ve been set up so beautifully in my entire
career as a gamer!!”
- Once again - shi+ro recited accurately:
“~~「Nii」”
- 「The E she had」am I
correct?」
“You- not a
word of confirmation nor denial, so ere able to confirm
everything including the presence of the trap”
Sora said, but as he heard the next sentence
Plu from his cheeks, and he felt
shock - no, pure horror
“- So! Let’s reveal the time bomb we set on you as well”
“~~「Plum」”
-「I heard that Sora-dono and the others are planning to
conquer all the races」
Sitting on Sora’s lap, shi+ro happily recreated that sentence, that
was one of the very first things Plum had said to Sora -
“I’m sorry, you 「Messed up」 there, we never planned to
get anyone’s piece”
“-----Huh?”
“So, when you weren’t around - I told the Empress”
Sora narrowed his eyes and s a
humorous joke to a friend:
Which was -
“Aside fro us, we return
everything, your Race Piece included”
But Sora then continued weakly: “She said 「My beloved
husband, please don’t return the right for you to continue
bullyingshe refused
Pluhed
“What does that matter to meif one messes up the first
step in a plan, everything is lost”
The greater a plan was, the first step would decide even more,
Plum couldn’t possibly not know this
But how could one detect a screw-up in the very first step of a
plan - Pluht
“You only made one mistake, and it was a common mistake,
but aside fro was perfect”
“What?”
“The Dhaes」,
you realized that, and even raised measures to counter thatbut
despite that, you weren’t conscious enough of the weaker
ones, so at the e -”
Sora replied bitterly:
“You called us the inferior races right? That was the
reason”
As he heard that - Pluhed
“- Ahahato think I still have that sense of pompous pride
even after I got this farso that shouldn’t have been
there, I rong all alongyou guys actually”
Reverting to his usual pitiful expression, Plum looked up at the
ceiling and said:
“You guys actually intend to challenge the One True God,
ould have thought of that”
Sora and shi+ro smiled in satisfaction as they heard that
- Yes, that person - Plum, the final male of the Dhampir had
noticed
He had found the way to conquer this world (game)
“This world would be a much better place with more people
like you around, and th