“Ms. Kaori, he has a blood contract...”
“Many years back, a lot of people tested it and found that it takes effect unconditionally within the game. It can be used in many different ways based on the contract’s conditions. And if you try to break promises, regardless of intention, the penalties of the contract are forcefully executed,” she confirmed.
I turned back to the bastard. “What do you want to make this contract for?”
“I’ll officially promise not to attack you all.”
He took me by surprise. That was indeed beneficial enough for me, due to our current difference in power.
“I’m surprised. I didn’t think you’d actually come up with a decent deal.”
“Just know that I have things I need to prioritize over my personal feelings.”
“What things?”
“Once I have the whole world in my hands, I want to be the one true king, not just one of the grand guildmasters. Compared to that, everything that happened between me and you up until now is just trifling.”
“Then I’ll ask: what about Megumi? Unless you promise her safety, I won’t agree.”
“Don’t worry. Of course I’ll be using the blood contract to promise you that as well.”
I locked eyes with Ms. Kaori. She nodded with a serious expression. “Shinobu, I have to agree with him—you’d have no chance of winning if you were to attack him head-on as you are now.”
“You’re right,” I sighed. I took a moment to think, then continued. “I can’t deny that much, Ms. Kaori.”
She and I looked at each other for a bit. After the heavy atmosphere passed, I turned back to the bastard. “I can’t answer you right away, but... I’ll consider your proposal positively... Or, I mean...” I closed my eyes, then vigorously shook my head.
“Mr. Imabayashi,” I gritted through my teeth. “Would you mind if I took some time to ponder this? Just a bit of time... Please.”
“The grand guilds will be gathering at an event in two weeks. I would like to show everyone that you and I are on good terms then. I don’t have a problem with you taking some time if you can show some respect by then.” He had a self-satisfied grin plastered on his mug, like that of a hunter who’d just landed his prey in a single hit.
†
Ayumu Imabayashi
In the camp we’d made our base on Floor 1 of Agartha, inside of a tent reinforced with war field materials from the royal family of Lamsica long ago, my attendant Murayama spoke to me in an exasperated tone.
“You’re just so crazy, Mr. Imabayashi.”
“I’d prefer you use the word clever instead.”
I waved my hand at the other armored knight in the tent to go outside, then laughed gleefully. This world based off of Europe in the Middle Ages suited me well. Most people from modern-day Japan would consider it outlandish for someone to bring a throne to the middle of a battlefield, but things like this were what made me a king.
“You’re using a blood contract, but didn’t we get a skill that renders them null on Floor 8?” Murayama asked.
Agartha itself was intended for players who’d done their time in the game. Normally, players around that level had a ton of the game’s currency saved up. None would be short on funds. That was probably why this skill had been implemented—should one need to pay off a debt, all that would happen was any money they earned would be forcefully subtracted from their wallet.
That, however, was where one’s will could come into play. Essentially, they’d be able to choose whether or not they paid off the debt. If they chose not to, the contract’s demon god would show up and enact judgment onto them, which would become the pretense for a special battle event to occur. The god itself wasn’t that strong, but it was important that I was the only person who knew that. So long as this mechanic hadn’t been officially announced yet, I could trick people with the words “blood contract” as much as I wanted.
“Ha ha. Why on earth would I sign a ceasefire with Shinobu? Indefinitely, at that!”
“You really are a fiend.”
“And the part about me not getting my hands on Megumi? As if!”
I’d dedicated my entire life to their mother. Fate played its horrid tricks on me and didn’t let me get with her. But God offered me the gift called Megumi; it would be considered blasphemy for me not to use her effectively.
“You’ve certainly outdone yourself with this one.”
“We may have Agartha at our disposal, but since the grand guilds are a mess at the moment, it wouldn’t do us any favors to have Shinobu going around doing as he pleases.”
“Indeed. Our expedition team has been going through the deeper floors without rest, and we can’t rely solely on the forces we have out here.”
“Even if we let them out, we’d just have to use more Keys to get them back in. We already don’t have enough of them, aside from the ones we’re saving to get out the guys over the level cap. The number given to us over time equals the number of soldiers we get over the cap. We can’t waste them.”
“It’s pretty clever of you to keep those guys in there so we don’t lose Keys.”
“With this, all potential hindrances have been vanquished. All we have to do now is sharpen our claws through Agartha. Shinobu has access to it too, but he doesn’t have our numbers. He doesn’t stand a chance.”
“And when he finds out that the contract is a sham and panics...”
I nodded, satisfied. “It’ll be too late.”
“You’re so awful.”
“It’s already over and done with, but if there’s any chance Shinobu could get one over on me, it’d be if he got ahold of where the Lions of Patriotism have made their base and launched an attack on it. He’d win against the level 99 players and make a better impression on the other four grand guilds. Something would undoubtedly come from that. That’s probably what he’s aiming for.”
“So he’d be showing them how strong he is, then get them on his side by plotting to cut you off from them?”
“That’s it. There were other methods he could’ve tried, though.”
“Like what?”
“Like going to the other guilds and appealing to them directly. He defeated twenty level 99 players by himself. The guildmasters wouldn’t have a choice but to see him as a threat. Depending on how he approached them, he could’ve isolated us.”
“I see.”
“But he decided to find where we are instead of doing that. He did his best to move undercover, but his Grade 6 summons were spotted multiple days in a row in Abrasil. It had to be him.”
“It’d definitely be bad for us if he got the other four grand guilds on his side. We wouldn’t be able to beat them even if we pitted him against our leveled-up expedition team.”
“He’s a Summoner, so he’s geared toward fighting entire parties solo. It wouldn’t be hard for him to get the guilds on his side by showing them that. Besides...”
“Besides?”
“Every guild is preparing hard to outmaneuver the others in the Agartha event, right?”
“Yes, we’re all probably overexerting ourselves to do so.”
“If Shinobu proved to everyone that he powered up in Agartha, it’d be easy for him to get everyone suspicious of us.”