[Endex's Mysterious Bear Investigation]
On Friday morning, precisely at 07:35:33, a video was uploaded to YouTV.
It was a video of Endex's '5-star promising player' being thoroughly crushed by a mysterious examinee.
"What the hell is this? It's embarrassing. You idiot. Wow… It's getting smashed so deliciously."
Kain chuckled as if he couldn't believe it. This damn video had somehow made it to YouTV's trending page, and it spread to almost all communities in no time.
"But it was damn different, right?"
Asher shot back, tearing at his hair.
"If you join, you'll lose, you idiot."
"Did it seem like an active duty?"
"…Probably. He's not even a college student. At least a 4th rank."
It's definitely active duty.
But aren't the active duty guys busy these days? There are a lot of dungeons and stuff. Why would they come to the Endex festival and cause a mess?
"4th rank is bullshit. So, what are we going to do?"
"…First, I'm going to take down the video."
I've already told my dad's company's legal team.
If such malicious videos spread, it can damage the image in the future. These days, branding is so important. If you want to sell signature shoes, swords, armor, and the like, you must take down such videos.
"Whether you take it down or not. Hey, when was Elise's play?"
Kain asked. Asher also checked his watch.
"…It starts at 7, so we have 7 hours left. Ah… but who the hell is it? Honestly, it's my first time meeting such a master."
"Isn't it because you're a novice?"
"Ah, shit. Really."
Asher glared at Kain. Kain avoided his gaze.
"It was a real master, okay? If you get hit once, you'll go straight to hell, you idiot. Won't you know if you watch the video? Look at it yourself."
Asher showed him his smartphone.
The first attack was strange, like a snake. It was definitely very slow, but suddenly it got fast.
"This Changing Sword, honestly, I was off guard?"
"It seems so."
"But look at this shit."
The second one?
It wasn't a joke.
It was 'real'.
Just by Unsheathing, his guard was utterly broken. The timing was ultimately stolen, and there was no chance to respond.
Literally a master.
A master who creates and unfolds his own swordsmanship.
"It seems so… but I think I'll win?"
"Ah, you son of a bitch, really annoying-"
"Huh? Hey. There's a comment."
Then Kain's eyes widened.
"What comment."
"Look."
He showed Asher the comment window.
[Verios: Ohhh]
Verios. Edsilla's second-ranked knight and a major YouTVer with 5.8 million subscribers. A man who can be called a superstar among many famous knights on the continent.
When such a celebrity comments on a video, what happens?
The views explode~
"…Ah, why the hell is this person──!!!!"
Asher screamed.
______________________________________________________________________
The last day of the festival, Friday.
Endex was a spectacle from every angle. Tourists who had come from afar to enjoy or observe, couples, friends, and college students sought every nook and cranny of Endex, and the students thirsted for their attention and wallets with all sorts of attractions.
In this way, the vast grounds of Endex were dyed in a full-fledged festival atmosphere, but Elise had no interest whatsoever.
She had no intention of enjoying the festival, nor did she have the time to.
With the play only six hours away, the Palette Theater was busy preparing for the final rehearsal.
The ticket price was a hefty 60 Ren, quite expensive for a high school festival play.
However, it was all sold out, and even scalpers had attached themselves to the good seats. Jade of Libra played a significant role.
Elise was curious.
Perhaps, her father also come to see her?
"Hoo…"
She became increasingly nervous as she thought about it, so Elise took deep breaths. Right now, mind control is more important than practice. Calm your mind and body peacefully…
─What?! No, what the hell is that?!
A sharp sound echoed from the back of the theater. It was a shout that sounded like a window breaking. Elise and the other actors also turned in that direction. It was the primary staff in charge of sound.
Elise narrowed her eyes.
"Thank you. I almost regained peace-"
"Big trouble, big trouble! Miss Elise!"
The staff almost screamed as they ran towards her. Only then did Elise realize something was wrong.
"Mil, Miller is!"
"Shh. Don't make a fuss. Tell me calmly."
Elise calmed the staff down.
She didn't know what was happening, but this frantic behavior wasn't pleasant.
"Miller, on his way here, he had a car accident!"
"What?!"
Elise's eyes bulged. An unexpectedly loud voice surged from her Magic Core.
"…Hmm."
After checking the surrounding reactions, she cleared her throat.
"What do you mean?"
"I also, I also just received a text!"
The staff showed the screen on their smartphone. There were pictures of a horribly crumpled car and Miller being taken to the emergency room.
"…He should have taken the subway."
Elise gritted her teeth. Suddenly, a headache came on. Miller, Miller, Miller. She repeated his name and looked around the theater.
"...."
All the actors and staff were focused on her. They were just blinking their eyes, clutching their scripts.
"What should… we do?"
One of the staff asked Elise. Even the always-innocent Layla came over with a worried face.
"…Elly. What do we do? Are we doomed?"
"Doomed… sigh."
Elise finally sighed. The back of her head was hot. It felt like she had been betrayed in a big way, and thanks to that, it felt like she could start a fire if she lit a match.
"What do you mean? What do we do."
Miller plays the role of the Duke, the second most important role after the protagonist. Without him, the play cannot proceed.
He's the 'spoiler character' officially recognized by the author, Shion Ascal.
There was no apparent solution.
"The play should be…"
Cancelled.
She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. She closed her eyes, clutching the script in her hand.
They had worked so hard.
At first, it was for Sermones Laeterni, but real passion had grown as time passed.
She had even neglected her tutoring to put effort into it. All that hard work, just to be ruined by an accident…
─At that moment.
"What are you worrying about?"
A voice, nonchalant as if it was no big deal, drifted from somewhere. Elise turned to look. Shion Ascal was leaning against the wall of the Palette Theater.
"Think about the loss if you quit the play. Just do it."
When did he show up again? Suddenly appearing and spouting such nonsense.
Elise shook her head as if frustrated.
"…You don't even know the script you wrote. How are we supposed to do this without the Duke?"
We can't just cast someone right away. The Duke requires not only acting skills but also a decent knowledge of Latinel. He has to hum Latinel for about 30 seconds and mix various Latinel words into his lines.
"Oh. You're right. It's my script."
Shion climbed onto the stage. He spoke while scratching his ear.
"So, I can do it."
"...."
"Isn't that so?"
Elise looked at him. His eyes were calm. Full of ease and confidence.
But it wasn't a suitable solution.
"Whether you wrote the script or someone else did, it has nothing to do with acting. Acting is different from Latinel-"
"It's okay."
Shion Ascal. In his mind, he had the musical that had already recorded a hit with the public.
He had gone over the play's script countless times while writing it.
His repetition was not ordinary repetition.
"I can do it."
He had memorized all the acting of the actors at that time.
Because he had memorized it, he could imitate it.
"However."
"...However?"
Elise furrowed her brows. What does he mean by 'however'? We're doing this play together.
Shion, who had taken a step closer, whispered softly.
─After the play ends. Lend me ten minutes of your time.
Elise shuddered slightly. Goosebumps ran up her ear. Her back felt creepy.
"Are you crazy?"
She quickly wiped her ears. Swish- swish-
"...."
Shion looked at her and made a face as if contemplating momentarily.
To speak or not to speak. He stroked his chin as he thought.
"...There's a force planning to kidnap you during the festival. So either cancel your Magic Tower tour schedule, or if you're going, make sure to have a lot of escort knights in the sedan."
"You're talking like a lunatic."
"I knew you wouldn't believe me. This is the problem. Even when I try to help, you don't believe me."
"Are you a lunatic?"
Although she said that, Elise felt like she knew.
What he wanted from her, what he desired.
Elise was familiar with this situation.
She knew how to respond in such situations and how to use them to her advantage.
"Fine. Ten minutes."
It meant she would lend him ten minutes. At this, Shion also let out a sigh of relief.
This lunatic, he's strangely honest at times like this. That's why it's even more chilling.
"But the play has to be successful. You could ruin the whole thing."
"Possibly."
Just then, a staff member came up. Thinking the conversation was over, he handed Shion the script.
"Here's the script."
"Ah, I don't need the script. I've memorized it all. I wrote it, after all."
Then, other staff members swarmed onto the stage. They professionally checked Shion's face, hair, clothes, skin condition, eye condition, and so on.
"Let's start with the hair. Let's go get it cut. I know a hair salon nearby."
"Why the hair-"
"It's dirty."
"Hmm..."
Shion touched his hair. It had grown a bit dirty.
After all, it's been almost three months since he shaved it off.
"We might need to shorten the length of the stage costume. Or should we add some insoles?"
"There's another costume. That would suit you better. Shion, you're surprisingly well-built."
"What? Is that a compliment or an insult?"
"Let's go quickly. We need to get you to shower first..."
The staff members discussed amongst themselves and took Shion somewhere.
Elise looked around at the actors, who were quite confused. Sasha, a college student among them, asked worriedly.
"Elise, will it be okay? We've been practicing for two weeks… Honestly, my career is at stake, and if he ruins the play, it would be devastating."
Elise felt the same way.
A man who was too unreliable to fully trust, yet occasionally showed a sharp side that made it hard to completely distrust him.
"We have no other choice."
Above all, there was nothing they could do now.
She shrugged her shoulders and muttered.
"Trust him. At the very least, when it comes to Latinel, that man is the best here."
She wasn't sure about anything else, but this was a definite fact.