Chapter 107

The skeletal Guardian obeyed its true master without a word of complaint. As one might expect, the original Skill Master was better than any substitute. Cayna felt bad for the Guardian in Felskeilo’s Battle Arena and the white whale who had to settle for her. At any rate, Cayna put a hand to her chest in relief now that she knew she could fly with Luka by holding her close. Guardian Rings let specific players teleport to the coordinates in a chant from any distance. If they were able to reach this tower, Cayna and Luka could no doubt teleport normally as well. With one mystery solved, Cayna wearily realized Opus hadn’t even given her a chance to refuse. “When Roxine said ‘Why not go for a stroll?’ she didn’t mean outside the village…” “I knew we could easily return. No need to rush.” What if there had been an accident while teleporting? It sounded like Opus had planned this all along, but Cayna didn’t have the energy to argue. Lashing out at him would startle Luka, so she held her tongue. It so happened that in-game teleportation accidents were the result of distortion caused by interference with the game world. Apparently, the staff didn’t notice how dangerously unstable the relationship between the two dimensions was. Opus had been eliminating each distortion one by one, so they’d gradually forgotten. It wasn’t until much later that Opus and Cayna realized that with the game world now gone, teleportation accidents could no longer occur. In any case, skeletons and zombies and other undead were the source of Luka’s trauma. Cayna noticed how Luka remained stuck to her like glue, so she started to say, “Let’s go outside—” Then her surroundings changed instantaneously. “Outside!” Kuu yipped as a green light enveloped her. Luka was stunned by the viridian fairy in her arms. They arrived at a Guardian Tower on a small island surrounded by a lake. Based on the panoramic view, the building was clearly a waterfront property. After a moment, Opus appeared next to Cayna seemingly out of nowhere. The land was verdant, and the marsh air was muggy. Red tinged the border of the western sky. Cayna used her Eagle Eye skill to pick out the spires of Helshper’s castle and the city’s enormous windmills off in the distance. If traveling in a straight line, the House of Murder and Malice was closer to Helshper’s capital than the fortress they’d previously constructed to battle the bandits. The lake and wetlands prevented any passage via roads, so anyone interested in doing some sightseeing had to take a detour. This was why the area was on the decline despite being considered a tourist destination. Nevertheless, many visited for a leisurely jaunt thanks to its mysterious appeal. “See, Lu. It’s okay. There’s nothing to be scared of.” “…Where are we?” Luka had been staring dazedly at Kuu, but Cayna’s voice brought her back to her senses. “We’re near Helshper. The village is faaaar west.” Patting her back lightly, Cayna prompted her to take a look around. Luka’s wide eyes darted about as she absorbed the new scenery. Her reaction was no surprise. Flying from the familiar village to some old ruins before finally ending up in a marshland was bound to confuse anyone. Cayna could teleport Luka to either Helshper or Felskeilo’s capital, but their best option was to head straight back to the village. It was important to find lodging quickly, although this would mean leaving Opus behind. Honestly, going on without him would probably be fine, except she wasn’t sure what sort of trouble he’d get into if she took her eyes off him. Cayna wanted to keep tabs on him, so she decided to camp out for the night. “…We’re still in a bog, though. It’s too tricky to camp out here, so we’ll need to walk a bit first.” “I told you to go ahead, didn’t I? I’ll catch up later.” “Denied. Leaving you alone in this country gives me a bad feeling.” “…Is that your subtle way of insulting me?” Cayna had meant it as a direct slap in the face, but Opus didn’t seem to catch on. She then summoned Fire and Lightning Spirits, albeit less powerful ones about the size of puppies. The baby fire monkey and lightning lion cub darted around Cayna, their inherent cuteness bringing a smile to Luka’s face. The mascot-looking creatures had an irresistible charm to them, but at level 220, they were far stronger than any adventurer around. Cayna had summoned them to help put Luka at ease, and the monkey’s flames also helped illuminate the area while the cub’s flashes of lightning kept regular people away. This didn’t frighten Luka in the least, and her wariness seemed to dissipate. She couldn’t take her eyes off them as the group continued moving along. “You’ve already got Kuu!” Kuu was in a foul mood for some reason, and she repeatedly bopped Cayna’s head in protest. She could certainly claim to be the group’s mascot, but she just wasn’t cut out for the job. Once they reached a clearing in the forest, the group decided to set up camp. Opus disappeared for a short time before returning with a bundle of dead branches to use as firewood. The baby fire monkey lit these with the tiniest poke, and a bonfire soon burned bright. Players like Cayna and the others couldn’t use Charm Barriers, so they set up a large, domed Isolation Barrier overhead to ward off enemies. Cayna took cooking ingredients out of her Item Box and left Opus to handle the rest. In the meantime, she placed blankets over herself and Luka, then handed one to Opus as well. It wasn’t particularly cold out, but there was a world of difference between having protection and not. Cayna considered bringing the beds out but nixed the idea since doing so would cause a stir if anyone saw. She always had a spare in her Item Box but stopped bringing it out after part of her realized it looked absurd outdoors. “Good thing I put some handy camping tools in my Item Box. We caught a lucky break, even if this is all your fault!” “You sound upset.” “That’s because you got Lu involved… Argh, you’re seriously killing me!” Opus used Water Flow: Ohta Lest (a spell that fills a container with spring water and is mostly used to create lakes and ponds in dungeons) to top off a bucket he fashioned from some nearby timber. The bucket’s contents never decreased no matter how much was taken out. Fascinated, Luka looked down at the bucket and spilled a bit of the water just to see what would happen. The baby fire monkey and lightning cub tussled with each other at her feet. Kuu looked like she was itching to join in, but Cayna stopped her. “You’re gonna get hurt, Kuu.” “Awww!” the fairy protested, but Luka gently held her close. “Let’s…go to sleep…okay?” “Ngh…” Kuu glanced at the two summons bitterly. Luka wrapped the fairy in a blanket with her. Opus, meanwhile, was leisurely cooking a meal, grinning as he watched Luka and Kuu. “Why are you looking at Lu like that?” “So you haven’t noticed…” “What’s that supposed to mean? Quit the mumbo jumbo for once in your life. Sheesh.” “Duly noted. Incidentally, why not learn a bit of cooking instead of relying on skills all the time?” “Because Cooking Skills are way more convenient…” “Not only do they encourage binge eating, but you’ll end up using a number of ingredients never before seen in this world. You’ll stick out in the worst way if you’re not careful.” “Shoot, seriously?” Unfortunately, it was too little, too late; she’d already demonstrated her Cooking Skills in front of countless people. The Flame Spears and Elineh’s caravan could keep a secret, but Cayna wondered about Marelle and the rest of the villagers. She was unaware Elineh had pulled some hidden strings in return for their silence. The round, pale moon cast a fantastical light upon the earth as a symbol of the night. It didn’t illuminate everything, but a faint glow broke through the twigs and leaves above their camp. Who could say what would have happened to such a defenseless group if they’d been mere travelers? However, thanks to their ironclad defenses, an enemy would require their own Skill Master if they hoped to be any sort of threat. The bonfire ran out of kindling and was already reduced to charcoal, but the baby fire monkey in the center still burned bright as it kept a sharp eye on their surroundings—although its cherubic appearance largely hindered any iota of intimidation or authority. The lightning lion cub slowly circled Opus and Cayna as they sat around the fire monkey. Its tail was straight as a ramrod, and it kept a reasonable distance so the sparks leaping from its body wouldn’t wake anyone. The lion’s cuteness made it look like a yellow plush toy, but Cayna had played it safe. The cub was powerful enough to take out even an adventurer like Clofia with ease. “I’m glad Lu could come with us.” Luka was wrapped in a blanket and fast asleep in Cayna’s arms. Kuu had joined her initially, but she flew out of the covers as soon as the girl nodded off. “That’s all thanks to Kuu,” said Opus. “You didn’t notice?” He stared at Cayna in exasperation from his seat across the embers—that is, the baby fire monkey. “Huh? Kuu did that?” “Kuu did her very best,” the fairy replied. Visibly surprised, Cayna turned to Kuu, who puffed out her chest and sniffed, “Heh!” “You can easily add Luka to your party if you make a conscious effort. The entire game system exists inside you. You can’t deviate from the rules, but you may act freely within those parameters.” “…Yeah, but I have no idea how I’m supposed to make a ‘conscious effort.’” Even though Opus had explained what happened, Cayna didn’t really feel like her soul was assimilated with anything. Telling her to use the system merely made things more confusing. “Right. Open the Party Formation screen and try adding Luka.” “Um, okay. Party screen, party screen…” She opened several screens and found the one for her party formation. Cayna and Opus were the only active members. Unsure what to do next, she paused to think. Opus sighed at her silence and decided to lend a hand. “Either make a wish in your head or speak a command for Luka to join your party…” “Oh, um, right.” Cayna tried wishing first. She closed her eyes and thought Add Lu to my party about twenty times. However, when she opened her eyes, the window still showed just Opus and her. Next, she said “Add Lu and Kuu to my party” out loud. This time, the window read Cayna/Lu/Kuu/Opus. “Oh, it worked.” “Excellent. You’ll master the process when you can do these things on instinct.” “Don’t ask for the impossible when I barely have a grip on the basics.” You could originally invite someone to join your party via a touch panel, although Luka and Kuu wouldn’t show up on-screen if Cayna switched to this mode. This was built by design, as players were originally the only ones who could be added to a party. As she tried to work things out through trial and error, Cayna suddenly looked up and noticed Opus staring at her placidly from across the fire monkey. “…You seem to be having fun,” she commented. “It’s entertaining to watch your expressions run the gambit as you struggle.” “I’m not here for your amusement.” Cayna’s expression soured, and Opus’s shoulders shook with laughter. Her reactions only encouraged him, so she wiped any emotions from her face and continued wrestling with the stats screen. Unbeknownst to Cayna, who had chosen to ignore Opus, the demon squatted down and watched the girls in their blankets, his expression sincere. The look in his eyes was no different from a parent watching over their children.