A game room with a sign that read [Under Construction].
"Got it."
I saved the 「Protection」 that Elise taught me in the 「Notepad」 's database.
Now, all I have to do is connect this to the 「Delivery Box」.
The method of connecting formulas, which the mages of Trick City find confusing and call 'Chimera', is actually quite simple. It's just a matter of assembling the 「Delivery Box」 and 「Protection」 in the database in various ways, and filtering out only the combinations that are compatible without any side effects.
In other words, it's a process of randomly joining the 'dots' and 'points' of the formulas.
It sounds easy, but it's probably a method that only I use, and only I can use on this continent.
It's too laborious for a person to do manually.
For example, let's say there are 30 points that can be connected to a certain Magic Spell, and there are 15 points in another Magic Spell.
The number of ways to connect these two in a brute force manner is '202,843,204,931,727,360,000.'
Of course, if you only pick out theoretically possible connections, it reduces to about 20,000 to 30,000 possibilities, but even that's not easy. It's absolutely impossible on the spot.
Not for me.
「Notepad」 can mechanically and automatically calculate and perform the above process. It finds a way to connect the formulas like a chimera, no matter what.
Therefore, this chimera formula is definitely a privilege 'given only to me'...
"Got it."
Elise said the same thing as me. I glanced at her. A box the size of a small dog was floating in the air.
Elise put a few drinks in it.
"Go ahead."
Whiing─
The box came to me.
"Drink."
"...Uh. Thanks."
I took out a cola and drank it. Elise asked with interested eyes.
"How's the taste? The same? No changes?"
"It's the same... Wait. Was this an experiment?"
She muttered something as she wrote something in her notebook.
"There are no chemical or magical changes to the items inside..."
Knock knock-
A timely knock.
Elise, who checked her wristwatch, opened the door.
It was Soliette, as expected.
"I'm sorry for being late."
"It's okay."
Meow─
Grawl meowed next to Soliette. She picked him up familiarly and said.
"Then. Shall we log in to Bethune right away?"
She already had a happy face at the thought of [Bethune].
Elise nodded.
"We gathered here for that in the first place. But where are you guys now? I'm in the beginner's village."
"Oh, it's okay. I got a [Summoning Scroll] when I hit level 30. I'll summon you with that. Because you're a high priest..."
Soliette was about to put the game machine on the stand, but she hesitated. She looked at Elise with a strange face.
"...Elise."
"Hmm?"
"By any chance. You didn't lie about your class, did you?"
"...Lie?"
"Like you're a regular priest but lied about being a High Priest... That's not it, right? Summoning Scrolls are expensive."
She was full of suspicion.
Elise narrowed her eyes.
"Do you doubt me?"
"…Let's log in first. Elise. What's your ID?"
"ID? Why?"
"I need to add you as a friend to summon you."
"…."
"Is there a problem?"
As Elise hesitated, Soliette furrowed her brows.
"If you lied about your class to get the attention of a high-level user like me, say it now."
"No, it's not like that…."
Elise bit her lip and whispered something into Soliette's ear, glancing at me.
"…Yes. I'll send the friend request right away. I'll log in first."
Soliette immediately inserted the CD into the game console.
We followed her.
* * *
Inside [Bethune].
Aventagher Mansion.
As soon as I logged in, I was standing in the middle of the living room, and Soliette was next to me, manipulating the friend window.
"Shion. I sent a friend request to Elise."
"What's her ID?"
"'It's Elise'."
"'It's Elise'? Why is it so complicated?"
"──Everyone's here!"
Just then, Raelro appeared. Erick was by his side.
He leaned against the wall and flicked his hair, as if trying to set the mood.
"Congratulations, Soliette."
"…Congratulations?"
"You got accepted. To the national university's knight department."
"The announcement hasn't been made yet."
Erick approached with a chuckle.
"There's a way to know-"
Whiing──!
Suddenly, a cylindrical light descended from the ceiling.
A woman and a camel emerged from the dazzling light.
Clomp─
The camel set its foot down first. Its eyes scanned the room haughtily. Its body was covered in glossy black fur.
Clomp─
Its walk was elegant, and surprisingly, its teeth were neatly arranged, unlike a typical camel.
"…I responded to the summon."
Elise, on the camel's saddle, said.
Raelro looked at her with a surprised face.
"…Aren't you Miss Petra?"
"Phew. She is indeed a High Priest."
Soliette, who had checked the user information first, let out a sigh of relief.
Clomp- Clomp- Elise moved the camel without a word. As if to show off. As if to say, praise my camel now. Admire it right now.
Clomp- Clomp-
She just went round and round the living room.
Clomp- Clomp-
"…."
"…."
"…."
We just watched.
Clomp- Clomp-
"…Why is she doing that?"
Raelro whispered.
"I don't know."
Clomp- Clomp-
Elise continued to circle the room.
"Elise. Long time no see."
Erick looked the camel up and down.
"What's with the camel? Is it a pet?"
Probably the words Elise wanted to hear the most right now.
"A spirit animal would be a better term. Her name is Bianca. She's clean, so she can live indoors. Also, she's genetically different from other camels…."
She talked about the uniqueness, intelligence, and loyalty of Bianca the camel for 15 minutes.
* * *
In the strategy room of Aventagher Mansion.
"…That's all. Do you understand?"
Raelro had explained to Elise about the 'Count's Bottle' and Knightmare. Elise nodded.
"Of course. I understood everything."
What she liked most was the part about 'Bianca could become a reality-.'
"What is the way to break the bottle?"
Soliette asked directly.
"The way is inside the bottle. We have to enter the 'Bottle of Souls' created by the Count."
"Isn't that a very dangerous method?"
Elise furrowed her brow slightly.
"I'm not a person with a lot of time. I have a schedule starting tomorrow."
She puffed out her cheeks. It was an elegant expression of dissatisfaction from a future mage and noble.
"Normally, yes. But we're going to choose a different method."
Raelro placed some goggles on the table. We all looked at it with the same eyes.
"…What is this?"
"It's a machine. A machine that sends 'consciousness,' not the body, to the Bottle of Souls. With this, you can experience what's inside the bottle."
"Experience?"
"Yes. Experience. Your 'consciousness' will be transferred inside the Bottle of Soulsl. With this, you can see, hear, and experience what's happening inside the bottle while being outside of it. If there's a problem, you can disconnect whenever you want."
"…Hmm."
"I don't plan to put you guys in danger either."
Elise pouted her lips, while I picked up the goggles and examined them.
"Who made these goggles?"
"There's a mole inside the Bottle of Souls. We're going to find a way to break the bottle with these goggles."
Raelro raised his finger with a stern face.
"But there are a few precautions before that. First, since we're only transferring consciousness, not the soul, your appearance will be completely different from now."
"Appearance?"
I touched my cheek.
"Yes. Not just your appearance, you'll become a completely different person. There, the second precaution. You won't recognize each other, so there's a password. The question is 'Do you have a nail clipper?'. The answer is 'I buried it in the ground'. Try it on me."
"…Do you have a nail clipper?"
I asked Raelro. Raelro shook his head.
"I buried it in the ground. This way, we can recognize each other."
"I understand. It's like espionage."
Elise finally looked a bit excited, and Soliette had already put on the goggles.
"Lastly, the third one. There are already agents we've dispatched inside. The same goes for Soliette's party members."
"Ah. You mean Hans, Karl, Jenny and Chris?"
Soliette quickly took off the goggles and asked.
"…Yes."
"They were there."
"Not only them, but there are other agents as well, and they know the password. So if someone seems like a comrade, ask them. …Now sit down."
We took turns sitting in the chairs. The order was me, Soliette, Elise, Eric. We each put on the goggles.
"Think of this as an experience. The connection will end in an hour. Here, an hour here is about eight hours there. Now, flip the switch attached to the right side of the goggles."
I put my hand on the goggles. As Raelro said, there was a switch.
Thud-!
At that moment, the world changed.
"Ah, I'm dizzy… What is this."
I looked around. It was noisy all around. Lights were flashing everywhere.
Oong── oong── oong── The noise and the sound of club music were everywhere, and the stomping of dancing people echoed like an earthquake.
It actually seemed like a club.
"…So noisy."
I covered my ears.
"Is there something wrong?"
A voice flowed from the front. It was a bartender. I looked at her. Eyes, nose, mouth, and even ears, she was a perfect person.
I swept over the bar counter. The touch was the same. Everything felt real.
"…Where is this place?"
I asked the bartender.
"Pardon?"
Then she looked a little surprised.
"You're too drunk. Haha."
"Ah… Where is this? It's the Bern Club. Would you like a glass of whiskey?"
"No."
I rummaged through my pocket. Fortunately, there was a wallet. On the ID card…
[Detective: Victor Randle]
Detective?
I licked my lips slightly. Ahem ahem. I coughed and asked the bartender.
"Do you have a nail clipper?"
"A nail clipper?"
"Um. No, it's okay if you don't have one."
I got up from the chair.
Oong─ oong─ oong─
The speakers were ringing madly. To avoid the noise, I went outside.
"…Phew."
The outside's cold wind rushed in. In the alley, noisy guys were squatting and smoking, and pierced guys were arguing with each other.
It was supposed to be a happy world. Guess not.
I leaned against the wall and put my hand in my pocket.
What am I supposed to do here?
"Hey, old man."
A sharp voice flowed from the alley.
Some guy was smoking and laughing.
"What's an old man doing here?"
"…Do you have a nail clipper?"
I just asked that. The guy frowned.
"What are you saying."
"If you don't, never mind."
I flicked my finger. A card popped out. Fortunately, it seemed that skills were applied even in this state.
"…Hmm?"
That's when it happened.
Clomp─ Clomp─
A man with a hood flipped over came and stood next to me.
A hooded man walked up next to me.
He glanced at me and asked, "You. You seem to have something to ask me."
"...Do you have a nail clipper?"
"I buried it in the ground."
A slight chill ran down my spine.
Is this the feeling of a spy novel, a thriller?
"But don't ask too often, or too loudly. Do you want to start a rumor?"
Anyway, he's an agent. Not Elise or Soliette, but still.
I asked in a small voice, "Did you find out anything?"
"...There is."
He took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
"This place is Edsilla."
"...Edsilla?"
"Yes. The bastard modeled a part of the capital, Edsilla, to create this 'matrix'. The population is 130,000. Everyone here think they're in Edsilla. They think they're living, breathing people. But they're all dead souls… It's easier to think of it as a reality matrix."
I looked around. There was no suspicious movement.
"How do you destroy this bottle of souls?"
The man answered curtly,
"... You'll have to ask someone else."
"Who is this other person?"
He pulled his hood down further.
"That person… you probably know, right? Even if you're not Soliette."
He mentioned Soliette and gave a small smile. I looked back at him.
"Who are you? I am-"
"No. Don't say who you are."
He put his hand over my mouth.
"There's a system here called the 'Reality Maintenance Bureau', which also serves as the police. If they catch you, it's over. Your consciousness will be trapped in that body."
He then glanced around.
"But before that, let me just ask if you're a trustworthy person. What's your level?"
"22."
"And your job?"
"Trust me, it's a hidden class."
At that, the man let out a sigh of relief.
"A hidden class… I see. Here, the level and class are different. It's the world of souls in the game. If you're a hidden class, you're at least in the top five."
"So, who should I look for?"
"…"
He chewed on his lip. He seemed hesitant, then whispered very softly.
"Jared Arkne."
Jared Arkne.
The blood of Arkne, and Soliette's older half-brother.
A chill ran down the back of my neck. My back stiffened.
"He's alive here. His soul is alive and moving."
The man put his hand in my pocket.
"Go find him."
And then he disappeared into the alley. He melted into the darkness in an instant…
I rummaged through my pocket. There was a note with an address written on it.
It was probably the location of Jared Arkne.