novelVol 5 Prologue
| ← Ch.24 | Ch.26 → |
Prologue
"Over 7 billion players online now! Moving towards a future of
... Reality.
Just hearing that attractive slogan makes us want to imagine
Exactly as the t. i. tle states, the game called "Life", is truly an
Game start.
the process of character customization.
others in a touching opening cutscene, you can finally begin
Even though the controls take a while to get used to, you compet. i. tion - school.
We were thrown in a corner of this gigantic map, and faced a hooked, but we quickly noticed -
Infinite possibilities - Well, this statement may not be false.
things our own way.
experience points, funds and not to mention sp. a. w. n location.
game.
Trusting in the fanciful slogan, we constantly fell down and
We truly believed that we possessed infinite potential.
experience and earning money.
the "Talents" or "Qualities" and other skills we received during on "Effort" to increase our experience points, endlessly
This really is a story that motivates and touches the heart, isn't
- But, that has no meaning at all.
beat this game.
funds have reached the cap, you will still suffer - in this case
Why?
Because even if it is something acquired by "Effort".
When you own "Something that others do not", they will
Because of that, we were "Punished".
shackles were imposed on us.
- Does freedom truly exist in this game?
criticisms from society, other players or from G. o. d-knowswhere.
game, as long as we once again wished to achieve success, the
Looking back on it all, we realized -
The path we have walked, was only a pre-regulated path built others.
others"...
No mistake about it, this ma. s. sive scam called "Life" was no
The thing is - The players were not ourselves.
our hands.
infinitesimally small ropes, our suspicions turned into
So we unconsciously surveyed our surroundings.
infinitesimally small ropes, our confirmations turned into
As long as we shook our heads, we would hear creaking noises,
All the players were actually puppets. Everyone was adhering this game called "Life". Just like puppets in a puppet show -
So, after you've considered the above, let me just ask one
"For what reason are you living?"
will?
- This is the world as seen through the eyes of a <>
The did not question this truth in the ten years since</puppet>
The soulless did not feel anxious nor worried when</puppet>
Just like
, we only look upon the faces of</puppetsprayers> not even sure if they exist. [1] some sort of benefit to mankind.
Part 2
This was merely a district within the territory of the faction
52 states.
Dwarves - Harden Fell.
blessings of the forest, the elves.
compared to the Imanity's - Elchea.
branch stretching up and beyond the clouds, an unbelievably blood vessels, expanded by the elves to form a network of stumps and vines growing from the earth, filling the cracks and
That fas. h. i. +on of architecture was completely unlike flattening and stone.
magic, truly a "Living City".
particularly large mansion.
At that time, a young lady was pa. s. sing by the the gates that
She had a mane of silky golden hair with a few curls.
on her forehead produced faint streaks of light when struck by
The person coming out to receive the girl was a man that ears, and was dressed in clothes clearly meant for higher
"Welcome, Miss Fii, or should I call you Miss Nilvalen?"
"I don't mind what you call me, Barter, for I have not
The man - Barter hearing her reply, curled up the corners of his
He stepped back, spread out his arms, and invited Fii into the
"To allow a young maiden to travel so far just to visit my
"Fufu, your talent for flattery sure has not deteriorated in the
"I never thought you would say something like that. I may be not been lost.... Despite the fact that you are nothing but an
"A flower that is being appreciated can still bloom, you know.
same as well~"
diminish even by a fraction, however during the entire trip,
Barter led Fii into the main hall.
plants, laid a table and two chairs.
"This must be extremely boring for both of us, so let's get
He jumped right into the main issue without beating around the
"For this round of senatorial elections - Nilvalen, may I
Barter addressed Fii by her family name directly, as though it
- Despite the fact that Fii had said she didn't mind what she circle of n. o. bles in Elfen Gard, which was....
an insult.
with not even a twitch of the eyebrow.
"Of course not, I also request that you personally recommend
Nilvalen."
"Yes, the election deposits and earnest money would also be
Castor Lesto desires your Golden Dragon Bone Harp, as long elections."
an entire city was traded in exchange for it -"
gift very much."
cunning smile.
fixated upon her large and supple b. r. e. a. s. t. s.
course, so why don't you stay over tonight. We need to sit how our relations. h. i. +p should proceed from here? Hmm?"
the personality will remain the same you know?"
"Essentially you want money, land and women right? In this have more reasonable demands."
you think that a person of my position and caliber deserves to
"I completely disagree, but if you want to think that way, then
Fii continued to maintain the smile on her face, then replied:
drunk or something?"
by the beauty of flowers. You should have known I would have
Anyway - "
As she sensed an Elemental Gallery being accessed, a tea set
A piece of tissue paper as though dancing through the air,
"... As the current vice-congresswoman, you actually exposing you, you could always refuse the deal? Sounds good
Hearing the threatening words spoken by Barter, Fii continued
She merely inspected the piece of paper on the table
The content written on it was simple, merely a record of Fii regarding the matter.
Elves would not be able to remain stable, thus her actions were
If this list were to be exposed to the public, it would not be a surprise if Fii and the others were convicted with treason -
"Since you've already dug up so much information about us,
"I personally believe in free will, and only do things that went ahead and exposed your little tricks?"
is the best, isn't it?"
am only offering suggestions to a silly woman. I will train you forgiveness? Hmm?"
to the topic here?"
After Barter spoke these words, he snapped his fingers yet
A complex-looking magical formation appeared out of thin air,
"The game is 「Oracle Cards」- I trust that this does not
Oracle Cards.
cards are used for combat purposes.
For someone with weaker magical ability like Fii, it would be a
By the 「Ten Oaths」, the challenged party, Fii, had the right
"So, let us now decide upon what each of us are willing to
Fii carefully answered her opponent with her line of sight
Both were deciding the requests that would be fulfilled under
"Well then, I want all your personal rights - and you will
"We want you to forget everything related to our efforts, and
- This was a reasonable demand.
her family name and also her virginity.
his evidence that he could use threaten them, and also to drain
"No problem - but for a third-rate thug like you, it's best that imagination goes overboard, it becomes fantasy you know?"
hmm? Does the disgrace of the Nilvalen family really think she
After a brief exchange of taunts and loaded glances - Both
「「 Acciente 」」 on the table were activated, and the game began.
Their cards automatically hovered in the air at fixed positions, unable to see the card's face.
battle face-to-face.
The simple game played with tarot cards then began.
is almost impossible.
Elemental Galleries, if any party attempts to use magic to playing automatically controlled games powered by magic like
Among which, this game known as Oracle Cards, was victory conditions.
Fii spoke one simple sentence, and immediately two cards
At the same time, those two cards materialized on the table
"Set two cards down."
table.
the victor of the match.
"How about we reveal our cards?"
The two compet. i. tors simultaneously spoke a single word.
Immediately after the word was uttered, both their cards
In an instant - the surrounding air seemed to have imploded the Elemental Gallery.
The combination of the cards was known as -「Fame is
Fii's cards were 「The Fool」and 「The Lover」.
The cards belonging to both parties began to emit a bright light, them.
drew its sword and began its attack.
instead a half-naked maiden with an expression of exquisite
The maiden moved gracefully as if she were a dancer, grabbed
The knight raised its head as though it was very troubled - then
He turned around while carrying the maiden, and slashed his
Barter.
「Exceed」, and the most adept with magic, the elves.
the harnessing of that magic.
harnessed the mindless violence emanating from the knight and
His response to this was - Muttering a few words, stretching
Two magical formations appeared from thin air, to block the
An extremely large noise echoed throughout the room, and a
Large amounts of spirits exploded and burst through the entire
Despite bearing such a powerful counter-attack, Barter still
"Actually using a combination to reflect my attacks since the of being injured, hmm?"
"Avoiding risks in the first hand of cards is a perfectly well if the victor was decided instantly in that fas. h. i. +on."
you.... Using that sort of tricks in games, you clearly don't about the methods that are up to standards truly befit for one of
Essentially, this is a game of'Oracle Cards' (Magical Tarot
- This was the ultimate duel game played by the seventh ranked
Both partic. i. p. ants have the same twenty-two cards, and every
Combinations not only consist of raw power, but also possess
「Attack」 of power corresponding with the ability of the
And those attacks can only be blocked by the magic of the
Used cards will be dumped into the graveyard, and after eleven be given the option of surrendering or continuing the game. If another twenty-two cards and restart the duel - as long as one decided.
predicting and countering each one of them would be an
Hence the key to victory would be 「Dodging attacks」.
mages.
best mages, despite Barter being incapable doing so, he was
While Fii, on the other hand - even after using that kind of runic magic and the support soul of standard, you, the disgrace of the Nilvalen family, can
- No doubt about it, in this game, victory is decided by the skill
The amount of spells that one can cast simultaneously - also used it.
wish of defeating a Triple Caster like Barter, would be an
However Fii merely laughed nonchalantly."Yes, of course I do after blocking this first attack. How about you land a hit on me
Then, she glanced upward momentarily.
floor of the mansion was visible from the central courtyard previous explosion.
black hair and clothes - the shadow of her 「Partner」 walking a smile.
the Imanity who could not use or detect magic.
thus it wouldn't even be considered a game.
A young man and a little girl wearing expressions of pride and
-
Also -
Part 3
Observing the duel taking place in the central courtyard from rudely swore.
Grasping his opponent's weakness, forcing the opponent into a rights.
Nilvalen's vote, power, money and of course the one thing
Despite Barter's expression being generically villainous and do after he achieved victory.
ma. s. sive pair of b. r. e. a. s. t. s in bed at night.
the blind spot of the woman, helping Barter block the gigantic b. r. e. a. s. t. s.
b. r. e. a. s. t. s, looks, b. u. t. t, waist, and legs, and not to mention these accompaniment, valued just about as much as the napkins one
Her intelligence? Her skill with magic? Those were completely
- Essentially, Fii was exactly Fritz's type of girl.
Barter's butler... Your name is Fritz, right?"
Fritz desperately turned around, and was staring at a blackhaired
'Her name was Kurami I think, ' Fritz thought while rendered
"Cheh, you flat-chested woman, don't simply approach me."
already bad enough.
Because he had more important things to do, those being to and as the flat-chested one probably couldn't read his inner
"To meet in a place like this must also be the doing of fate,
"... Watch your words, you lackey. At least let your chest
Hearing the words carrying condescending, insulting and her face.
Her glance immediately sharpened."I wish to expose you and
"... I don't know what you're talking about."
detecting magic - right?"
While remaining silent, the flat-chested girl instead shook her
"That definitely is the case, for example... Note that this is a Triple Caster would of course be difficult, but not impossible, game for you of course would be a 「Guaranteed Victory」; unable to prove it, thus my master - Fii is in a lot of danger
"....... ."
mouth, and continued:
will admit it anyway."
"I'll say this again, do you want to 「Challenge me」 to a
The girl revealed a cunning smile, and produced a small
「Highly concentrated magical potion」, and have been will report this to the police and ruin your reputation - what do
"What-!?"
Understandable, of course.
coincidentally the potion he was selling - a prohibited product.
increase the amount of spirits in one's body. This is a potion no, it should be mentioned that it was exactly because of these this drug, and thus it was banned."
"The adrenaline rush and feeling invincible after an overdose,
"...... !"
challenge me to a game, or else you will have no other
Kurami spoke with an unbelievably sinister and cunning smile frightful expression couldn't help but twitch the corners of his
It's impossible.
"... Ugh!"
Laughing at a pitiful flat-chested girl who thinks she possesses be too shameful!
shoulders were shaking uncontrollably.
been pushed to his wit's end? - Stupid, this whole thing was
This duel was instigated by Barter challenging Nilvalen.
schemes in attempting to free the slaves and used it as a conditions, and to grasp an even more decisive victory, he even
But - he recalled a sentence the super busty one (Fii) had said
- I would feel frustrated as well if the victor was decided
(- So essentially speaking, their target from the start was not
Fritz struggled to hold his laughter in, as he realized that Fii
In a situation where his hands were tied in a. s. sisting Barter,
That sort of dirty tactic should have been obvious to spot.
would happen.
Kurami would come into contact with him during the duel, all himself.
initially.
master, so as not to damage your reputation, we plan to secretly a. s. sistance in this matter.
(... That is definitely what they had thought of - It's just too
What these two had not realized is that, the person that they smuggling ring.
confessed, not only the smuggling pipelines, but even evidence
Thus he had pretended to cooperate, and planned to acquire Fii
Barter himself had come up with the plan, and chose his own take place. Since the premise was that the plan was a secret, them.
So the Imanity with the pitiful chest and the busty Elf with the up being trapped in the spider's web instead.
understand, I shall attempt to explain this again."
sprayed at Fritz who was still trying to control his laughter.
or have your life ruined? Do you understand?"
held in the urge to laugh uncontrollably, then raised his head.
look at his opponent.
at his side.
quickly."
my partner, so let's just play a simple game."
"Here is a perfectly normal deck of cards." She drew three
The cards were the Ace, Queen and King of Spades.
As she said this she laid the cards face-down again, then
"We will each draw one card in its face-down position, then you will be able to understand this?"
"Isn't that what you should be stating? Or do you want to just
The flat-chested girl laughed in an insulting manner, and requests just the same.
information 「You both」 have acquired regarding the
"Fine, then I request that you 「Confess」 and 「Testify」,
Hearing her request presented in a warm tone, Fritz's brow
Her aim was - for him to confess all the details related to the taking place in the courtyard.
they had thought out their own interests before coming here, as
"- Fine, 「Acciente」."
- Draw.
position, Fritz used a tiny bit of magic.
time?)
Fii Nilvalen - The most incapable existence since the founding
Even graduating from school - 「Towering Alabaster Trees」 markings on the back of her hand and her forehead, she underachiever; on the other hand, Barter could Triple Cast, and illusion that it was a false compet. i. tion, even if he left
- Using the spell known as 「Perspective」, he saw that his
Sadly he was unable to see through his opponent's trick before his opponent, and cheating was to be expected.
the only cheating method a species like Imanity would be to control the card that she would draw?
- would definitely be a 「Queen」.
Even if he turned his 「Ace」 into a 「King」, as long as the revealed.
magic to swap the images on their cards」.
which card she would draw, but that action itself would be
Also, even if Fritz used magic to switch their cards, Imanity it.
(You puny species (Imanity), do not underestimate me. ) tap the tabletop so it would not produce any sound.
that the flat-chest's card was 「King」.
swapped with his - and intentionally picked a card that would
"- After all, it is the 「Shame of Nilvalen」 and her slave...
Fritz at this point didn't bother concealing it anymore, then
"A dumb busty woman is better than a smart flat-chested one, even more of value if they were transported to their chests.
really incurable case."
without having it from birth is true."
Fritz cleared his throat slightly, as he did not need to do
"So, can we flip our cards now?"
They flipped over their cards simultaneously.
And the flat-chest's card was -
"... H-How could this be -!? This is impossible!?"
How could this be possible? Impossible, it shouldn't be this face.
"... Heh, it was different from the card you peeked at, are you
- After the pitch of her voice changed, Kurami's body appeared
"Magic, should be used only after you detect who you're
The black-haired girl disappeared as though she was a mirage, was to say -
Fii who had previously taken on the image of Kurami, returned
"Yes, I am Fii Nilvalen."
sideways half-moon.
all went to my b. r. e. a. s. t. s right... ? Then I have a question for you, growth of your thing down there doesn't seem that good
In an instant, spirits scrambled over Fritz's body, inspecting the but tiny slits.
really feel sorry for the vitamins that you have absorbed, you
But Fritz did not take particular notice of her insults - He lost?
"You do not need to be this bewildered, hmm? Despite being people that will like it... But if your brains and appearance are
- Then - t-t-then!?
- who is it!?"
"Kurami~ I'm already done on my part~"
waved towards the courtyard.
against him - no...
her veil, returning to her normal appearance.
place - Kurami Zell, took a bow gracefully.
"... No, no, my servant has been doing illegal things behind um."
hid away his shock, and spoke with a wrinkled brow.
Hmm? You both agreed with me that this would be carried out
When she heard Barter's question, the girl exclaimed "Hmm?"
"If I may speak, if there were any uninvited intruders in your right?"
That was the truth, and Barter had nothing to say in return.
numerous other helpers in it.
would have detected it, as within the mansion there were
Not to say that he intentionally utilized this advantage to carry
Then how did this female Imanity, carry out the duel with him
The black-haired female chuckled and said:
"Yes, yes, forgive me for being rude... Then, then this game
- Not right, something was not right.
seat.
needs to be done next -
- Hearing that line that chilled him to the bone, Barter quickly
The black-haired girl, Kurami, had stood up as well - with an
"Set two cards down."
again on the tabletop.
"- What!?"
game, the game will not end.
"To continue the game of course, please return to your seat, if reward."
He had previously thought that he would definitely win, so he
- "We request that you forget all about our plans, and a. s. sist us
Even though the phrasing was somewhat different, but it was
He would forget even the details of the game, and would
In comparison to this: Barter's request was:
the rest of your life."
Kurami, and not Fii.
slave belonging to the Nilvalen family.
conditions advantageous towards him - but instead he was the
"You, you both!?"
In contrast to the emotionally unstable Barter, Kurami asked
- If one party has already picked their cards, and the other does regarded as the other party's defeat.
"-! Set two cards down!!"
and materialized on the tabletop.
「Draw」 simultaneously revealed.
Priestess」.
Kurami's cards were 「Justice」 and 「The Emperor」.
As compared to Barter's combination's ability which dispelled combination's ability was to carry out its own will over all enemy. The sword drawn by the emperor, revealed the true
Removing the opponent's power and influence, the emperor's still in a daze.
He hurriedly casted a defensive spell.
activated at once.
and caused scalding damage to Barter's Elemental Gallery as
After the explosion and blinding light had subsided, a voice
"Oh no! It appears that strike had diminished your stamina by
Turning around, he saw Fii leisurely walking towards him with
"! Fritz - you actually lost to a weakling like Nilvalen!?"
twisted slightly, but he remained silent and bent his head
While Fii who was standing beside him spoke with a relaxed
"It was inevitable, wasn't it? He let down his guard because
"You shut up, Nilvalen! You b. i. t. c. h, how dare you lie to me!?"
Because..."
at the table.
appearing on her face.
victory, weren't you."
"You were the one that ordered your butler to smuggle wouldn't know?"
you could eliminate the evidence, and gain all the benefits -"
admit anything - you really are a dirty person." [3] expression twisted violently.
his intentions, but instead they used it against him -... No!
"Yes? Looking for me?"
confusion while Barter confidently shouted:
was this little strumpet, then the evidence of you cheating is block the 「Attack」 of the cards, it was you who helped here,
- No mistake there, since the game began, they had already
So in forty rounds, Kurami had been targeted by several
Barter clearly saw her using magical s. h. i. +elds to deflect the
Since Imanity are unable to use magic, then it was definitely
Fii was speechless when faced with these accusations, instead
"The person who had instructed his butler to do the exact
Kurami continued:
Faced with a direct accusation, Barter was momentarily
"How about you take a moment to chew on the pledges clearly said 「We」."
think of a reply.
be considered as a duel between Barter and a tag team the area during the course of the game, so even if Fii was considered as breaking the rules - no, wait, before that.
was simultaneously playing a game on the second floor while
Kurami sighed and frowned slightly.
"Since he has an unfair disadvantage of blood overly his brain, we can forgive him for now right?"
enough to cut through bone.
how disappointing. I had even prepared much more purpose since they're all unnecessary now anyway."
though she couldn't take it anymore.
initially you would definitely take the offensive, and use a don't like countering, you wouldn't use it, and the combination you attempted to use cards to 「Prevent Attack」, even an couldn't guess that."
shame - and a pang of fear that was almost painful to admit.
「Attacks」.
much bigger role, in the later rounds - all his cards were seen
This was not the doing of an Elf, but a puny species (Imanity)
"- Don't underestimate Imanity, you useless old man."
"... OK - Let's continue the game!"
--.......
the nerve systems within his Elemental Gallery.
cry like a baby, the courtyard had subsided - The Elven old man had fallen whispered to him gently:
from here? Sir Barter."
"Also, you should have noticed by now, Fii... my master (Fii
When he heard that whisper, the old man's skin turned whiter
He knew that it was not a bluff.
various things Fii was capable of doing.
shuddering old man and continued:
remaining energy to cast defensive barriers - you still have a my following cards and finish me without taking a single hit,
- After stating the one-in-a-trillion chance, Kurami laughed.
- you'll only die if you're not careful."
pulled off just minutes earlier.
an Elf -
"-OK, so it's our victory then. It's been hard on you, Sir
Kurami ignored the pitiful old man, stood up from her seat
"You are amazing!! An Imanity besting over an Elf in this
"... Beating this old fool has nothing deserved to be praised recent opponents."
stroking her hair gently, then turned around.
Fixating her eyes upon the still-p. r. o. ne Barter and Fritz who was
"So Sir Barter, please adhere to the pledges, and forget
And then - Kurami spoke with a large smile on her face.
normal."
"And then, Mr. Fritz! You will 「Confess everything」 in -
- What is going on?
confusion, Kurami walked closer to the table.
She lifted up the deck of tarot cards used in their game, and
"I will predict your futures as a gift."
time I'm hearing of it."
these futures will definitely come true."
began shuffling the cards - a look?"
-「Temperance」.
smuggling and vending business with the Dwarves."
"But half a month later... Oh no, this is terrible, the Dwarves
-「The Wheel of Fortune」.
implicated in the affair, your evil doings discovered one by one
-「Judgment」.
story ends, please restrain your grief."
though acting in a play:
wonder who will a. s. sume position of head of his company that
Andomoro (ウイル アンドモロ)?
Enrihl (エンリヒ) family whom we 「Played with」 just three
- All this, was in their control. When he saw their sinister and
"Nilvalen, you - no, what are you both planning!?"
"Eh? It's OK if we tell you actually~"
this meeting we had."
smiles on the faces of the two demonic women.
"OK, now just like we swore on the pledges - Goodbye, Sir
"I will pray for your sake, hope your business thrives from
- Just like that.
All their memories regarding the events that happened on that
Part 5 faces.
That was the way things worked.
both of them leaped from the top of Sir Barter's mansion.
greater than gravity, lifting them both gently up and into the
- They overcame air resistance, and flew through the night sky.
left, illuminating the surrounding landscapes.
through utterly and completely trained magic. It was a sight first time, and obvious despite the faint light, Elven Gard's hoods billowed in the wind as they cruised through the skies
"Kurami was perfect just now~"
from roof to roof, Fii said:
from me, I was really worried you know."
"Hey, it's not a bad feeling to have Kurami worried once in a
Fii maintained the spell that allowed them to continue floating
But even in the faint lighting, Kurami could clearly see that the now dark due to overuse of magic.
They were 「Triple Casters」 and 「Double Casters」 they were still exceptional mages.
beside her, and was immersed in thought. - Fii Nilvalen.
very few highly prestigious families in Elven Gard.
magical learnin
| ← Ch. 24 | Ch. 26 → |