The New Gate

Book 4: Chapter 2 (3)

Shin, Rionne and Gadras visited the training grounds that the knights used.

“I want to confirm something. For the time being, we’re not going to fight next to soldiers that are training, are we?”

“No, it won’t go well if we were to fight there. Today, half of the soldiers are out for practice and the rest have other work that’s not in the training ground. Though some may sneak a peek, it can’t helped with so many people. Or, is Shin the type that does not want to be seen by people when he fights?”

“To tell you the truth, I want to refrain from exposing my abilities expressly. At the guild, we fought in an empty training center.”

“I see, you’re a cautious one, aren’t you?”

“Isn’t that how an adventurer should be?”

Unlike knights, adventurers often traveled alone. And in case of emergencies, they would have one or two trump cards prepared, Shin thought.

“Well, if I had to say it, most adventurers try to show off their power to gain fame. If their talent is recognized, then they can also enter government service like me.”

Gadras, who was a former adventurer, answered Shin’s question.

“That’s how it is, huh?”

“Of course there are also guys like you who don’t reveal their hand and hide their trump cards.”

Although it didn’t seem to be unusual, somehow people like Shin appeared to be in the minority.

“Personally, I don’t prefer the types like Shin. People who think that they can act that way, even if they’re powerful, I don’t like them for some reason. By simply having power, you must think about how to properly use it.”

“The obligations of a person with power, huh?”

“It’s the duty of the strong. When I notice a strong person with power, I often think, ‘What kind of influence does their power have on themselves and their surroundings?’ Even though what I hope to see doesn’t always happen.”

“Since I’m from the royal family, I’d say that I tend to think that way”, Rionne continued and smiled wryly.

From the beginning, for royalty, their existence would significantly affect people with their actions. In some ways it could even be said that both royalty and chosen ones were somewhat similar.

That was why Rionne was taught by the royal family to live the ideal life of a person with power. At the same time, she also noticed the existence of the unreachable status known as a princess.

She felt obligated to fight and swung her sword day and night, to control her power. She learned more about military knowledge than etiquette or her studies. Looking at her hand, which held the sword, no one would ever think that that was the hand of the country’s princess.

“It’s difficult, isn’t it?”

“Though I’m telling you about someone else’s problems, I guess even you can commiserate, huh, Shin?”

“It’s because I don’t serve the country, isn’t it? Again, I have my own way of doing things as an adventurer. Besides, it’s tiring to think about such things around the clock, so I do everything moderately. If not, then you won’t feel relaxed, right?”

Shin didn’t mean to deny Rionne’s thoughts.

In fact, it was important to act with such thinking in mind. However, different people have their own viewpoints and capabilities. If there was a person who had their own way, without noticing it existed, there would also be a person who acted their own way and yet noticed it existed.

As for what would happen as a result, only God may know. Of course, it was unreasonable for Shin to entrust everything to the heavens, so he moved and thought accordingly. Whether or not it went smoothly, it was hard to say.

“I’m a bit jealous, for you to be able to say that.”

“Well, when something bad happens, the troublesome ones usually don’t change though”

“If you enter the military, you may be able to decrease the troublesome things a little, you know? Though I can’t say it will be as a General, I can promise you a reasonably high position.”

“An additional bonus comes along in various other ways instead, huh? I’m terribly sorry, but I’ll still have to decline.”

Shin evaded the casual invitation from the second princess smoothly.

He didn’t have any intention to enter a military which would restrict his movements. For Shin, who lived in a world without a class system such as nobles and royal families, their ideas were beyond his understanding.

Although he was familiar with the meaning of a fantasy system in games and manga, he didn’t understand it in this world.

“That’s too bad. It’s not easy to encounter an upper grade Chosen One. So, it seems like we’ve arrived?”

Rionne shrugged while stating her disappointment, she probably thought that Shin would have agreed.

And then, she stopped in front of a somewhat ordinary door.

“Here?”

“This is because you requested a fight that no one will see. So we will borrow this place.”

Saying that, Rionne pushed the door open.

Inside, there was a transition point similar to what Shin saw in the adventurers’ guild. (T/N: metastasis point had been changed to transition point)

“So we are going to teleport?”

“That’s right. Didn’t you also do so in the guild?”

Their destination, after transferring right away, was a round open space about 100 mels in radius. It was different from the place where Shin fought against Barlux.

“It’s constructed differently from the guild’s training ground, huh?”

“It’s been said to be made with a battle between Chosen Ones in mind. Besides, there’s no one here so we can fight as much as we want. Actually, even if you didn’t say anything, I was planning to fight you here anyway, Shin.”

Although it was a test of strength, even if a chosen one used only a ‘tiny’ portion of their power, there was no guarantee that this ‘tiny’ amount would be the same amount as that of an ordinary soldier. But, it seemed this place would be alright, if that was the case.

“It was decided, huh?”

“I couldn’t find any other place for our purpose, except this. The transition point is a technique from before the Dusk of the Majesty, and we haven’t been able to completely solve it yet. What was it made for? To tell you the truth, it’s not known yet. But it’s pretty sturdy, so it’s thought to have been a training ground in the past.”

I see, Shin thought.

He thought it was strange because he was told that transposing magic was lost, but a transition point had been set up here like it was perfectly normal. To manufacture a transition point, the technique of transposing was needed.

(Hmm…I wonder if this place was for some guild house originally.)

If one said guild in this world, it would usually refer to an adventurers’ guild.

However, there were many players guilds and their corresponding guild houses that existed during the game era. The structures and styles varied according to the guild. Some made castle, while others used a shop. There were no similar guild houses.

And, a transition point was standard equipment for a guild house. As for the royal magic library that Shin had visited before, the unusually high level barrier skill was understandable, if it too was installed by a guild. Perhaps, that was also just equipment repurposed from a guild.

“Let’s begin now. First, you should choose a weapon of your liking. Do you need a change of clothes?”

“No, they’re fine as is.”

Just like the match with Barlux, they didn’t battle immediately.

Several mels ahead of Shin, there were swords and spears that were previously prepared. It could be said that they were used for training because they were made from iron and had edgeless blades. However, if it was swung with the strength of a chosen one, the damage inflicted may not be small.

“Then, I’ll take this.”

Shin chose a standard one-handed sword from among the weapons.

It was maintained properly, but its quality was not so good because it was for training. As for Rionne, she chose a thick-bladed greatsword. The blade was almost 2 mels in length, similar to 『Muspelm』, and she swung it around like a branch from a tree.

“When I see that in person, something feels out of place.”

Such a thing would never happen if it was in the game.

It was different if it was a monster, but the scene of a sword that was about the height of a body, being swung by a woman’s slender arm was very strange to see in reality.

Speaking of the person in question, it seemed like she intended to warm-up. Shin heard the sound of air being cut through every time the greatsword was brandished. Since it’s no use to keep watching forever, Shin too, lightly swung his sword and relaxed his body. With their preparations completed, they got ready with their weapons in the center of the training ground.

“This is a fight to check your ability, so I’ll let out some of my power to an extent!”

“Please go easy on me.”

Shin replied with a wry smile, to Rionne who was fully motivated.

Gadras played the role of referee. Points would be given to each of them, and if he judged the blow would cause a fatal injury he would end the match.

Of course, even if it was said to be a fatal injury, they would stop just before the blow landed. After all, with the ability of these two people, doing that would be a piece of cake.

“Alright, let’s begin!”

Rionne stepped forward when Gadras shouted.

With her greatsword on her right shoulder, she approached Shin using the most direct path, with Shin doing the same. Facing against the greatsword coming from a diagonal direction, Shin prepared to swing his sword from his waist. If he rallied directly, there’s no doubt that Shin’s sword, which was inferior in strength, would break. Thus, he aimed to strike at the flat part of the greatsword.

Ting! A high-pitched sound was made when Rionne’s greatsword veered away from Shin. Furthermore, in one step, Shin leaped toward Rionne’s chest. However, in the next moment, the heel of Rionne’s boot appeared in front of Shin’s eyes.

“Whoa!”

Shin bent down right away to dodge the unleashed kick.

Her released fist was also evaded as she continued the attack before taking a distance once more. Then, her hand, which had parted with the intercepted greatsword, started to counterattack with martial arts. As for the greatsword, the downward force may have been great, as it pierced the ground diagonally.

“You avoided my attacks without being flustered, huh? I thought I could somewhat surprise you with that though”

“Well, I am surprised. I didn’t expect you would suddenly throw away your weapon and start to fight hand-to-hand.”

He didn’t say that parting with one’s own weapon has never happened during battle, but it was not usually done immediately after a battle started.

If an ordinary adventurer did something like that, they would be cut down in no time. There was a limit to making unorthodox decisions.

“You can still say that even though you dodged it like it was nothing. However, the next one will not be so easy!”

The greatsword was pulled from the ground, and Rionne took her stance again.

That stance was indeed magnificent. It was the posture of someone who had been training without depending too much on their ability as a Chosen One.

“I’ll go from here!”

Saying so, Shin faced Rionne and shortened their distance.

As for the current Shin, some restrictions were put on his stats based on information from Girard. Because of the restriction ability 【Limit】, his STR and AGI were about 500. If he rallied with Rionne who was an upper class Chosen One, it should be fine.

Shin, with the momentum from hurling himself, plunged into and pushed Rionne’s greatsword with his sword’s brim.

“Going to compete with me in strength, huh, Shin?”

“I’m confident in my strength!”

As the weapons made a grinding sound, Shin and Rionne exchanged words.

And then, Rionne stopped pushing Shin’s sword. Apparently, in response to Shin’s words, Rionne decided to accept his strength challenge with a contest.

Rionne put power in her slender arm, and the locking of sword to sword started. If she took her time, she may be able to overcome the resistance, but it was obvious that Rionne would take measures before that.

(She is on par with 500 STR, huh? As expected of Girard, he guessed correctly.)

As for the stats of an upper class Chosen One, Girard had talked about it being around 500.

“I wonder if our strength is equal?”

“It seems like it.”

They made some distance between them by stepping back together.

Shin had his sword in an aiming-at-the-eyes stance, and Rionne was in an overhead sword posture.

“You may use skills too. No need to be reserved, Shin.”

“Well, if you insist.”

Rionne and Shin, both used the support system martial arts skill 【Spirit Manipulation ? Katsusen】.

Shin moved his sword to the left side of his waist from his previous posture, took his stance with his left hand on the sword’s blade near the hilt and lowered his posture. It was a quick draw stance, but without the sheath.

Rionne on the other hand, stayed there without changing her posture. From Shin’s point of view, he saw the aura that covered Rionne’s body sharpen.

The strengthening effect from the support system martial arts skill was calculated based on the stats during its usage, so there was almost no difference of strengthening ability between Rionne and Shin under the current conditions. If there was, it was simply the difference between ability.

Swish!

Shin moved first.

The distance between them was shortened by his sliding feet. And then, just one step from Rionne, Shin jumped into her territory by sliding on the ground.

Though it could not be said that it was his normal form, the sword that was charging towards Rionne was at a speed difficult to see by an ordinary person.

Without turning her eyes to that attack, Rionne also swung the greatsword downward. Due to the explosion of her sharpened spirit, it accelerated instantaneously. And that speed exceeded Shin’s attack.

Shin would likely die if he received that blow directly, so as the greatsword approached from above his head, by putting his strength into his left foot, he bent himself backward and evaded it.

Rionne, who had just swung down her greatsword, couldn’t move right away because of the weight of her weapon.

From there, Shin did a horizontal kick, but Rionne crouched down and evaded it.

Shoom!

With her body twisted as she tripped, although she had just evaded Shin’s kick and stood only on one foot, she still didn’t stop attacking.

Without losing any centrifugal force from pulling out the greatsword from the ground, she turned once more. The force of her tripping was converted into power for swinging her greatsword.

With the sound of air being cut, she returned the favor and aimed at Shin who just drew a horizontal kick. Shin, who was just slightly above the ground, kicked the ground again to escape from the greatsword.

Rionne suddenly stopped the greatsword, which was gaining momentum, as soon as she thought the blow would come out of place. Even though the centrifugal force was strong, Rionne didn’t break her posture. It seemed her being a close-combat type Chosen One was not just for show.

(Somehow just now, I felt like I was gonna die if I didn’t avoid it.)

Though there was no killing intent, Shin didn’t think he would escaped unharmed if he received Rionne’s greatsword to his head. When he saw Rionne’s movement just now, he understood that she stopped the blow just before that. However, when he saw the greatsword pierce and stick into the ground, he couldn’t get rid of his anxiety.

In his current condition, Shin didn’t want to risk restricting his defence-related stats. When the world was still a game, not even a scratch would be there if he received a blow from a greatsword. However, Shin didn’t have the courage to try it now with his own flesh.

“Apparently, it seems our types are similar, Shin. Our reaction speed is about the same too.”

“That’s right. This is getting hard to settle, how about we call it an end it here?”

“Is that so? I want to fight a little longer though.”

Rionne was like a deflated balloon.

“Since it was a sword for training purposes, it’s hard to know how far I can put my strength into it. Besides, Rionne-sama’s sword has also bent.”

“Muu! This one couldn’t last either.”

The swords for training purpose couldn’t endure Shin and Rionne’s power.

As proof, about 30 cemels from the sword guard of Rionne’s greatsword was bent almost into the shape of the character ‘へ’. It was pretty admirable that it didn’t break.

Shin’s sword had also deformed, a part of it had cracked when it had rallied with the greatsword.

“At least we were able to properly understand each other’s strength, Rionne-sama.”

“Isn’t that good? His strength is even equal to yours, Princess. Moreover, that speedy reaction. It’s plenty enough for me.”

“It’s not good to force the subject too much, huh? All right. Let’s stop the match here. You have my gratitude for going along with my selfishness.”

Gadras, who saw the their battle situation unfolding, gave some timely support to help end the match.Gadras realized by intuition that it would be bad if he let them ‘heat up’ as it was. Although Gadras was also a Chosen One who was near the upper class and therefore was able to follow the two people offense and defense with his eyes, he still couldn’t be sure that he would be able to react in time if he entered their ranges.

Not much time had passed since the match began, so he urged them to stop fighting. He had already decided that Shin was not an average Chosen One when Shin could keep up with Rionne’s movement. It was not difficult to even judge him to be an upper class Chosen One.

“Well then, let’s return. You should put the sword back where it originally was.”

“Okay.”

Shin put back the one-handed sword which was already unusable.

He thought the sword was lacking before the fight began. It was already fortunate that it didn’t break on the first rally. Perhaps the angle in which they rallied was good, he guessed.

“By the way, I want to ask something.”

“What is it?”

“Why did you bring the Skull Face’s sword?”

Because she brought it to the training ground like it was natural, Shin thought it was strange since it was decided they would use a training sword.

“Though this is a completely different matter, when a man proposes to a woman in Bayreuth kingdom, it’s customary to present a sword.”

“…Again, isn’t that――――――dangerous!”

Shin muttered in a way that was not heard by Rionne.

Is that what it’s for? It’s the thing used to cut “it” off one has an affair? Shin suspected without any reason.

“The reason is, in case they are caught cheating, they will be cut by the sword. It’s only a formality for now though.”

“…Are you for real?”

It seemed his suspicion was right.

Will the cheating mistress get punished too? Trivial questions appeared in Shin’s mind.

“Because of that, to be honest, although the sword pierced and was stuck in the wall of my bedroom, I’ve considered it as a present for me.”

“T-That, isn’t that too unreasonable?!”

“Not a problem. If I did that, the sword would become mine legally.”

“I didn’t see that coming! What a scheme!?”

Rionne showed her playfulness, but as a matter of fact, since there was no weapon that could match Rionne’s strength, it seems her primary focus was on the matter of the greatsword.

A weapon that could endure the power of an upper class Chosen One was not easy to find in this world. Even if it was found, it was most likely owned by skilled adventurers or famous knights.

Only the treasured sword that symbolizes the country was able to endure all of the energy from Rionne in Bayreuth kingdom. However, Rionne couldn’t take out the treasured sword every time, so she seemed to have been racking her brain on how to remedy the situation.

Because the Skull Face’s greatsword was not lacking in durability, didn’t have curses and so on, it seemed to have been secretly prepared for her given her circumstances.

At the same time, she had been thinking of various scenarios just in case someone came forward claiming it as the owner.

“Just to confirm, by any chance, am I supposed to propose to Rionne-sama?”

“Yea, you’re supposed to because you gave me the sword.”

“About the blown off greatsword matter, it really was just accidental…”

“I know. I don’t mean to push the matter either. Although it would be reassuring if Shin serves the country, I get absolutely nothing out of offending you so badly that you moved to another country. It’s promising if an upper class Chosen One becomes an ally, but it’s extremely troublesome if they become an enemy. If possible, I would like you to refrain from entering government service at another country, but this is up to your discretion.”

“For the moment, I don’t have any such plans.”

“However, a person that’s not affiliated with any place can be scary. Because, what they will do is unpredictable. And there are many people who dislike that sort of person, you know?”

Although an upper class Chosen One was an individual, one of them was comparable to an army.

For this reason, they were terrifying when they were unaffiliated.

“For the time being, I belong to the adventurers’ guild.”

“If you’re afraid of the penalty, I can withdraw you from there immediately. Well, ever since the guild has revealed that Shin has a ‘letter of introduction’, people with impertinent thoughts have been suppressed.”

“Really? Since I showed it to the guard at the gate, I thought that was how I was exposed and that’s how it reached the guild.”

“Of course, the information was obtained from there. Only, when showing it to the guard, the possibility of it being an imitation is not zero. However, the story is different when the master of an adventurers’ guild acknowledges it. Because he has the method to distinguish the real thing. If Shin has been acknowledged, additional confirmation of his status is preferable for those people, I guess?”

“Indeed, I think so too. Or rather, what are those people who have impertinent ideas trying to do?”

Though he had some idea of what to expect, Shin asked anyway.

“They want to arrest you as a criminal because of the sword that pierced my bedroom, and make you serve the country, little by little, as restitution.”

“…Well, even though I didn’t do it on purpose, it wouldn’t be strange if someone had died when I misstepped, right?”

Having it only pierce a wall was entirely the result of good luck.

“That’s right, I guess the Skull Face which caused it may have been a unique individual? If it is, then it’s not a situation where you could ease up. I don’t know how much harm it would have caused if you had let it go as it was. At that time, most adventurers would not be able to take on a unique individual, so the damage would have kept on accumulating until the information was gathered. Therefore I’d like to thank you instead.”

“Sigh, for the time being, it’s good that I’m not considered a criminal since it would make it difficult to move around.”

“Fufufu, is this really okay? You can ask me for a favor you know?”

“I don’t have the courage to ask for a favor from the royal family. And so, how’s this story connected to the greatsword in the end?”

“Oh, that’s because this has been formally handed over to me.”

As she said that, Rionne lifted the case that contained Muspelm.

“Umm, in regards to the matter Rionne-sama mentioned just now, is it because the greatsword already belongs to you?”

“Because the owner had appeared in this way, thus I thought about a different method if I could not be engaged. In the first place, to forcibly place a present under my control, even though I also wanted to make the sword mine, the main reason is to prevent it from falling into the hands of the aforementioned impertinent guys.”

“Doing something like that is completely useless.”

“I won’t deny that.”

The higher-ups didn’t seem to be monolithic too.

When looking closely at the privileged class called the nobles, there may be a rotten part that exists.

“So in other words, having decided the greatsword was a present, without an engagement, Rionne-sama formally obtained a powerful weapon, and I can avoid any meddling from the country, huh?”

“Naturally, I’ll fully take out from my personal assets to compensate for the price of the sword. And I also understand perfectly that this one is worth more than I can afford. But, please, sell it to me!”

The last sentence was an entreaty.

She may have been depressed because she had never had a weapon that could bring out her potential. Was how Shin thought, and desperation could be felt from Rionne.

True power couldn’t be demonstrated if there was no weapon that corresponded to their ability. Rionne seemed to understand that.

“I only want to continue being an adventurer in the same manner as before, so if there is no further meddling from the country, that would be good as a condition. However, if possible, I want to enter the restricted zone in the royal magic library though.”

“Is that really all? You don’t have to hold yourself back.”

According to the common sense of this world, it could be said that it was impossible to have dealings for a weapon of 《Legend》 grade.

“For now, it’s information that I want, not money. Unlike a weapon, I can’t get information, somehow or other, even if I take out money.”

“Though I also understand that…Fumu, how should I say this, you have no greed, Shin.”

Rionne said as she was a little astounded.

Certainly, information was sometimes worth more than gold. However, information that was equal to a 《Legend》 grade weapon was not common. Even though Rionne has visited the zone that required reading permission, what kind of information does Shin seek? She had no idea at all.

“The one that defeated the Skull Face is Shin. Though it became complicated due to the place where it pierced, the property rights are originally Shin’s. With one of these, you could probably obtain a large sum of money to live the rest of your life without having to work. On the other hand, this sword is something that I don’t know if I could obtain even if I piled up money. If you hand it over without any reservations, I’ll be suspicious that you have ulterior motives.”

“That’s just how much I value information.”

Rionne conjectured that there was some kind of special meaning in Shin’s words.

However, she didn’t voice her guess, because she didn’t want to pursue it there.

“Then, Rionne-sama, it’s a deal?”

“Of course. To tell you the truth, I have used this greatsword several times already and I have grown accustomed to having it in my hand.”

“………”

The only thought in your head is of obtaining that sword after all, was what Shin didn’t say.

She didn’t know that she could have requisitioned it even without informing Shin, so he was able to maintain a good impression of her since it was properly negotiated for.

If Shin could get through this without any meddlesome discussions, then a greatsword of 《Legend》 grade was a cheap price to pay.

“I’ll have your library permit delivered later, where are you staying?”

“It’s an inn called Bear Point Pavilion, in the west district.”

“Understood. Gadras, make the arrangements.”

“Roger that”

When Rionne talked, Gadras, who had remained silent until now, answered.

“Shin-dono. For this matter, please accept my thanks. It seems like the princess will finally be able to fight without reservation now.”

“No, there’s no need for thanks. It was a mutually beneficial deal. Next, I want to confirm something, it’s about those people with overzealous ideas. In case I have any problems in the future, may I repel them?”

“In regards to that, just act without any reservations, but also please be careful. I would like to think that there aren’t any more fools who would try to threaten an upper class Chosen One, but guys like that, will usually not heed any inconveniences that their actions would cause to themselves.”

Gadras strongly agreed.

The reason being if anyone did so, they would most likely be punished.

“It’s happened before?”

“Yes. There is a powerful person that had been acknowledged as an upper class Chosen One before, like Shin, but some fools held that person’s relative as hostage and tried to make him obey them.”

“…Can I speak my thoughts freely?”

“Please speak without reservation.”

“That’s stupid.”

“You’d think so? By the way, as for the nobles, all of them were killed, from the main culprit to the perpetrators. Their mansion was completely destroyed too. No mercy for those meddling guys. However, there is no evidence that the person in question did it himself.”

“Oh my god!”

They seemed to have received a suitable retribution.

By the way, it appeared to the public that the kingdom’s army had subdued the nobles who were going to start a revolt.

“Well, well, I’m fine with acting how I normally do, so I’d like to request your help if it happens.”

“Indeed, I’m no princess, but I’ll exert my power too.”

Gadras firmly nodded again.

Next to him, Rionne too seemed to say, “Leave it to me”, as she nodded. Though some people may prefer to handle things themselves, having a royal family member as an ally was still great. Shin had decided to just report if there was a bad noble.

“That’s right. Don’t return home too soon, because those overbearing guys are noisy. Let’s have a tea break. Can you tell me about the story of the Skull Face in question?”

“If it’s that much, it’s fine I guess.”

Shin replied to Rionne with a nod.

When Shin and the rest returned to the castle using the transition point, someone was already in the room.

It was a petite man, a little over middle-aged, who approached them. If one looked at the cassock of the priest, it was mainly white and blue, and he had the air of someone who was a high-rank.

If something peculiar could be stated about that man, it was that he was fiddling with the control panel of the transition point without taking notice of Rionne.

As there were a lot of exit destinations for a transition point, the destination could be specified with the control panel. There was no such action when Shin fought against Barlux before in the adventurers’ guild, and the training ground couldn’t be entered without the guild master’s authority, because the destination had been already fixed.

By the way, in a normal situation, when the guild master’s authority wasn’t invoked, it was only a training ground open to the public, so it was not made just for a Chosen One.

“Isn’t that Cardinal Greyl? What is he doing?”

Rionne voiced her question.

Was he a mediator with the church? Shin looked at the man called cardinal. However, in the next moment, Shin’s face stiffened due to the status display from Analyze.

――――『Greyl Dulles Level 161 Priest』

―――― Endowment:【Charm ? IV】 【Confusion ? III】

Those troublesome abnormal statuses couldn’t be felt for real in the game era, but anyone would understand the real danger they would pose in this world that became reality.

And the person who was under two such abnormal statuses, was fiddling with the control panel of the transition point.

“He is affected by Charm and Confusion! Stop that person!”

Shin started running at the same time as he shouted.

However, Shin was late by just one step, as Greyl finished messing with the controls.

“Ugh!?”

Shin’s view effortlessly distorted.

When the discomfort that was not felt during a normal transition was over, the scene around Shin had completely changed.

◆◆◆◆

“…Is this for real?”

What extended throughout his surroundings was, in a word, ruins.

The crumbling houses and scattered remains denied the existence of dwellers. Shin tried to collect his surroundings for information through the support system skill【Clairvoyance】, but because of a thin haze that faint magic could be felt from, his vision was obstructed from seeing far away.

There were many buildings that had avoided completely collapsing, but most had big holes in their walls, or their second floor was gone, which was unlikely due to any evidence of weathering.

Within the range of his view, there was the wreckage of broken glass and wagons. And, he was able to ascertain footprints that were clearly not from humans or horses.

“uu…What is happening?”

When Shin turned around, Rionne was standing nearby.

Gadras and Greyl were nowhere to be seen. Was it only Shin and Rionne that were transferred, or were the other two transferred to a different location? It couldn’t be determined by Shin currently.

“Apparently, we have been transferred somewhere. Does Rionne-sama know anything?”

“Transferred, huh…From that transition point, transferring to a place with ruins in this condition…Perhaps, no, it’s certainly the Sacred Place, Kalkia.”

“Don’t tell me, it’s the place that is said to be rampant with dangerous monsters?”

“Yes it is. They may have thought to get rid of us with the monsters here.”

Inside the Sacred Place, Rionne heard that strong monsters with levels higher than 500 roamed around. No matter how much Rionne was an upper class Chosen One, there was no guarantee that she would survive when she was thrown in without any kind of preparations. But, that would only be the case, if Shin was not beside her.

“Shin, are we the only ones here?”

“Yes. There is no one near us at least.”

“Then, it seems that only we have been transferred here. It’s not possible for one transition to transfer to multiple places.”

“In others words, Gadras-san remains on the other side, huh?”

It was good that not all of the members who were there in that room transposed.

“First of all, let’s move out from Kalkia. Can you use Mind Chat?”

“No, unfortunately I don’t have an adventurer card. How about you, Shin?”

“I have a companion who I can use it with. Just in case, besides Gadras-san, even if I tried to explain the present situation, will anyone believe it? To begin with, I don’t know if they would be able to convey a message for us.”

Though Shin didn’t want to announce that he could use Mind Chat, it was currently an emergency, so he told Rionne the truth.

If a commoner went to the castle, they would definitely be restricted at the gate. It was different if Schnee revealed her identity, but he didn’t intend to go that far.

If it was known that Shin was able to communicate directly with Schnee, he was certain that his treatment as an ordinary upper class Chosen One would be gone. He had the luxury of worring about these kinds of things, because as long as Shin was there, Rionne’s safety was secure.

“I want to know what happened on the other side. However, it’s hopeless if they couldn’t make it to the castle, huh? I guess Gadras will arrest Cardinal Greyl, so Shin doesn’t need to be troubled by it, I think.”

“I’m surprised too. I didn’t expect that a priest would have such dangerous abnormal statuses.”

If it was still a game, it would be impossible to manipulate an avatar’s behavior with abnormal status effects, but it seems like that wasn’t the case in this world.

At least, it was impossible for those who were affected by such status effects to maintain a proper mental condition. In addition, the timing. It was likely that they planned to target Shin and Rionne when they returned from their transposing.

“What’s going on…”

Shin muttered as he sighed lightly.

“I want to tell my companion a rendezvous point, do you know of any towns nearby?”

“If that’s the case, there is the fort city Balmel. It’s necessary to pass through that place, even if they head here or we head in the direction of Bayreuth.”

“Understood. I’ll tell my companion to meet us at Balmel.”

Shin thanked Rionne and he connected to Schnee via Mind Chat.

Within a few seconds, the nostalgic ringtone stopped, and Shin was aware of the sense being connected.

“(Ah, Schn――)”

“(SHIN! Where are you now!?)”

“(Uooo!?)”

Shin’s words were interrupted by Schnee’s loud voice, making him let out a strange sound. Furthermore, his body was hit with a jolt.

Speaking of Schnee, she noticed very quickly when Shin was transposed. Her voice didn’t seem like her usual tone, and her panicked state could be felt by Shin.

“(Are you alright!? Please answer me!)”

“(Wait, Schnee, calm down a little, I’m alright. I’ll explain what happened now. Again, I repeat, I’m okay.)”

Shin began to talk as calmly as possible.

After saying he was fine several times, Schnee finally showed signs of settling down.

“(I’m sorry. I’m fine now.)”

“(Then that’s good. Somehow panicking doesn’t seem like Schnee.)”

“(That is, again…that. I thought Shin had disappeared.)”

“(…My bad. I heard too much.)”

Even though Schnee seemed calm, her insecurity remained.

Maybe it’s because she was just recently reunited with Shin again that her insecurities were plainly visible. No matter how high-level she was, even if her body was strong, Schnee was a woman, too. Even if her stats were high, it didn’t mean that her heart was strong to that extent.

“(And so, where in the world are you? You don’t seem to be within my perception range either.)”

“(Ah yes, I was in a training ground having a match with the second princess, but was forced to transpose when we returned to the castle.)”

“(Transposed? That explains why your presence disappeared suddenly.)”

“(I’m with the second princess right now. According to her, the place where we are is called Sacred Place Kalkia.)”

“(The Sacred Place can only be transitioned to from the royal castle, right?…However, if I’m not mistaken, the transition to there should be impossible without permission.)”

Schnee seemed to be aware about the transition point in the royal castle.

“(It was the old man called Cardinal Greyl that transposed us. Though the rank was low, he was suffering from the abnormal states of Charm and Confusion.)”

“(I see. If it’s Cardinal Greyl, then choosing the Sacred Place to transpose to is possible. Still, Charm and Confusion, huh?)”

According to Schnee’s story, Cardinal Greyl devoted himself to studying in the church in the Bayreuth kingdom, he seemed to be a person of deep faith so he rose to the position of cardinal.

As Shin expected, Cardinal Greyl served as the church’s mediator and had been stationed in the king’s castle for some time now. Worthy of someone who acquired 【Purification】 on his own, it could be said that his fighting power was quite good for an ordinary person.

From the short story that Shin heard, he understood well that it was unrelated to Charm and Confusion.

“(Was he asked to purify a cursed item but failed or something?)”

“(His actions were too precise for that. It’d be more logical to think that he was manipulated by someone, don’t you agree?)”

When Shin gave one of the possibilities, Schnee denied it completely.

“(Then, do you have any ideas, Schnee?)”

“(As far as I know, nothing in particular that I remember. To begin with, the Skills of the mental interference group, like Charm and Confusion, are considered to be taboo. Just for having learnt it, one will be executed when caught, even if it’s someone from the royal family.)”

“(Ah, so it’s like that, huh?)”

Shin agreed with Schnee’s words.

After all, a skill that manipulates a person’s heart would be regarded as dangerous. Even the royal family was not immune to the punishment, as thorough enforcement was carried out without exception.

It was hard to believe that the user of such a skill or item would be serving the castle.

If that was the case, then――.

“(There is a hidden one.)”

“(Yes, I think so too.)”

Similar words appeared in the minds of Shin and Schnee.

It was the given name of an antagonist who differs from the original 7 races in this world.

“(I cannot return at once. It may be bad, but I’ll leave it to you, okay?)”

He had a skill to use transposing. However, if it was known that he could use magic that was said to be lost, Rionne would not let him get away, no matter what happens.

“(No problem. It’s a good opportunity to teach Tiera too.)”

“(Thank you.)”

“(Please leave it to me. I’ll tell the matter about the princess to the King.)”

If it was Schnee, it would be easy to come into contact with the King without being noticed by anyone.

If she somehow conveyed that the princess was safe, the confusion would be settled. In that situation, the person lying hidden in the castle should find it difficult to move.

“(Then, I’ll contact you about the results later. What about the meeting place?)”

“(Balmel will do. It seems you need to go through there, so let’s meet there.)”

“(Affirmative.)”

After detailed decisions were made, the Mind Chat was cut.

Shin decided to leave the Bayreuth matter to Schnee, and turned around toward Rionne again.

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