Amakusa’s faction resembled Yamata and Aegis in putting exploration before everything else. In the past, they’d clashed with the leadership regarding support for the noncombatants. On the other hand, they could be relied on to contribute heavily on the front lines.
And so, Alba became the acting guild master, with Amakusa as the second-in-command.
Wataru’s tattered cape fluttered in the wind as he gazed at his friends list, tracing the names of people who were now dead. Their faces briefly appeared in his head, only to scatter like dust. He remembered the friends he’d been playing this game with, new players he’d invited to his guild, and those who’d joined Crest after being inspired by its ethos—all dead because of his orders.
Wataru escorted the returning players to Calloah Castle Town and headed straight to Olsrott Monastery.
“Maybe I should’ve dropped by our Calloah branch… No, it’s not my guild anymore.”
Wataru laughed bitterly at himself and continued on his way, with the only sound being his footsteps.
“Mister.”
Realizing someone was speaking to him, Wataru turned and saw a blond knight clad in glamorous armor.
The Evil Overlords gathered in the throne room. They had vanquished the invading monsters, and no players in towns earlier than Fort Sandras had suffered any harm. The mission was a great success, and yet the Overlords were tense and gloomy.
Vampy looked at the empty seat.
“How is our Master?” she asked solemnly.
“I’m just about managing to keep him stable with mind-calming magic, but he seems steadfast in his decision not to sleep and is resisting sleep spells,” replied Elroad.
Two days after the invasion, Shuutarou finally relented and listened to Elroad, who’d been imploring him to get some rest, concerned about the boy’s health. Shuutarou had been searching for Kettle tirelessly for two whole days without sleeping or taking a break.
“So even your magic won’t work on him,” said Vampy.
Mind-calming magic could be resisted through willpower—but that was normally only possible when the target and the caster were of similar strength. Level differences greatly skewed the success rate of spells, and with even just a five-level difference in favor of the caster, the target should be unable to resist the mind spells. Shuutarou was many, many levels below Elroad, and yet he was able to resist the Overlord’s magic. His mind wasn’t working as normal. This was also why Elroad’s Calm Mind wasn’t as effective as it should’ve been.
Gallarus gazed down at the other empty seat. “And where’s Number Four?”
“I’ve instructed her to continue searching,” Elroad replied.
“Finding her should restore our master’s emotional stability,” Bertrand said gravely.
He recognized that locating Kettle was absolutely critical for Shuutarou’s sanity and nothing else was likely to help.
Gallarus sighed, stroking his beard. “This goes to show we haven’t been sufficiently devoted to Master.”
“Excuse me?” Vampy snapped at him. “What are you talking about?”
“We weren’t the source of his inner strength, were we? It was this girl and those other players,” the giant continued matter-of-factly.
“And why are you bringing this up now?!”
Bertrand had to step in to stop Vampy and Gallarus arguing.
“Whoa, whoa, calm down, you two. We’re here to talk about solutions, not to fight among ourselves.”
They went quiet, and for a while, they all sat in silence, until Theodore spoke up.
“As for what to do next, shouldn’t we continue to carry out Master’s orders?”
Shuutarou had asked his Overlords to defend the towns and players from invading monsters, telling them to withdraw from fighting when their help wasn’t needed. But he hadn’t recalled them. They were still able to travel between Ross Maora and the rest of the game world.
“You mean, be the peacekeepers?” asked Bertrand.
He thought about the young man in a tattered cape he’d met outside Calloah and the conversation they’d had.
“Why are you being nice to me?”
“Because we have some things in common. We’re both kings whose kingdoms have crumbled.”
Theodore looked at Bertrand sharply.
“Do you have objections?”
Bertrand took a long drag of his cigarette, looking pensive. Eventually, he breathed out a big puff of smoke and shook his head.
“Nah… I’ve got nothing better to do anyway.”
The other Overlords nodded in agreement.
A few minutes after the Overlords’ meeting, Gallarus was standing in front of the door to his master’s quarters. The heavy door was locked.
Come to think of it, Master hasn’t been using these rooms much. He first appeared in one of the guest rooms and then mostly spent time inside our realms.
His master valued his vassals and cared about the common folk. His power was absolute, yet he was humble and extended a helping hand to the weak. Magnanimous and driven by a strong sense of justice, people were naturally drawn to him—yet this ideal master changed beyond recognition following the deaths of a handful of humans.
“I can’t understand this…”
Gallarus grabbed the metal door and ripped it out in one forceful move.
Shuutarou was inside. He was awake, but he didn’t react. He was just sitting on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His eyes were vacant, emotionless.
“Master.”
Even Gallarus’s booming voice seemed not to reach the boy’s ears. He didn’t even twitch. After a while, Gallarus got tired of waiting and shuffled into his master’s room.
Shuutarou looked at Gallarus; he must have noticed him only then.
“What’s up?” he asked with a faint smile and empty eyes.
The terrible pain in Shuutarou’s smile made Gallarus grind his teeth.
“I just don’t know what to do,” Shuutarou added offhandedly.
There was no energy in his voice.
Gallarus clenched his fists and knelt in front of Shuutarou.
“It may sound harsh, Master, but there were things you’d decided you wanted to accomplish, so I think you should be working on doing that. A king doesn’t look back at what’s lost, wallowing in sorrow. A king moves on, always looking to the future.”
Shuutarou hung his head.
“Rather than save one life, lead many to freedom!” Gallarus told him. “I will be your sword. I will be your shield! Mourning is a waste of time. Defeat all enemies standing in your way and bring the world peace! You will be a savior to everyone!”
Shuutarou didn’t reply to Gallarus’s impassioned speech. He only looked at him with sad, lifeless eyes.