——Somewhere at midnight.
“So, Akira. What are you doing in a place like this?”
“Not much. Just a place I used to like.”
They were on the roof of a relatively tall apartment building. For some reason, Akira had brought XX along to gaze down at the sea of lights that stretched over the horizon. Naturally, they were trespassing, and there were no railings on the rooftop, only a water tank.
“Are you going to ask me out? Should I make a save file real quick?”
“You really are...” Akira turned around, chuckling. XX joined in with the grin of a mischievous cat, which soon vanished after hearing Akira’s response.
“Yeah. I want you to... make that save file.”
While the countless constructions of the city gleamed like gems in every color of the rainbow, their silhouettes alone flickered like a mirage.
—Epitaph, Finale
Raising Sim
In short, the place was a pile of trash. While that might have been an exaggeration, that was how Akira saw it. So, he expressed his impression without reservation. Back in those days, he was young. His emotion superseded his thoughts and concerns.
“Hey, XX. There’s no space to walk in here.”
“Yeah, just kick stuff out of the way. As long as I can get to my bed and PC, I’m good.”
“Empty cans... And change on the floor? What is your room, a donation box?”
“Hahaha! You’re funny, Akira!”
“The funny thing here is your place.”
XX didn’t show any sign of disdain in response to his comments, but booted up the PC and began typing. Unable to stand the state of the room any longer, Akira began throwing one thing after another from the floor into a trash bag.
“Hey! That’s a treasure of mine!”
“Listen. Anything left on the floor next to a bag of chips is not a treasure. That’s why I’m throwing it out. It’s more important to make a comfortable space for me.”
“Oh, wait. Those are the beer bottle caps I was collecting!”
“And? So, what?”
Akira didn’t stop. He kept tossing junk into the trash bag. While Akira wasn’t a neat freak or anything, he didn’t feel like sitting on a floor literally covered with junk.
“You really are self-centered, Akira. Can’t believe you’re just doing your own thing at someone else’s place.”
“I can’t believe you live in this place! Here, I’m opening the curtains. Get some fresh air in here! There we go, let the good air in... Put away the things you never use...”
“Stop! The morning sun would melt me! What are you thinking, putting a NEET in sunlight? You trying to kill me!? I want to live in darkness.”
“The tragic thing is, I’m not a NEET. I’m a part of the workforce. On top of that, I’m a genius with unhidden talents basking in sunshine.”
“...You’re already drunk, Akira?”
“I haven’t had a sip!”
After almost an hour of wrestling with garbage, the room seemed impossibly larger than before. Albeit, all Akira did was move the pile of stuff into garbage bags and into the kitchen.
“Didn’t expect to walk straight into a landfill... Why am I cleaning on vacation?”
“Wow, my room seems bigger somehow! I didn’t even know it looked like this.”
“Don’t act like you weren’t on your PC the whole time. What were you up to, anyway?”
“Following in your footsteps, Akira. Tried making a game myself.”
“Oh yeah? Show it.”
On the screen was an aquarium in which green, spiky, saw-like fish swam. XX moved the mouse to throw a cartoonish chunk of meat, placed at the right of the screen, into the tank. The green fish all started toward the piece of meat and chopped away at it.
“What is this, a fish raising-sim?”
“Nah, just something random I made up. Cool, right?”
“Nope, this is definitely crap.”
“For real...? You don’t get how cool this is? Okay, old man.”
Laughing, XX threw all sorts of things into the tank. An umbrella, a car tire, a wardrobe... the fish chomped at them all, devouring every last one of them. A strangely surreal scene. Next, XX threw in... a human being. Immediately, something about the fish changed. They had been only leisurely nibbling away at the objects, but as soon the human being entered the water, the fish approached with incredible speed, and gnawed away in a mad rush.
“Hey, XX? Why is it weirdly graphic and stuff when it’s a human?”
“Hilarious, right? Look at the fishies go, LMAO.”
“Jeesh, all that blood...? And they actually leave the bones? Why’d you put so much effort into this part? Oh, the bones sink to the bottom of the tank, too.”
“Right? This part took a lot of work, let me tell you. But if you throw this guy in, it cleans up the bones. Well-thought-out stuff, here.”
“Wow! A red fish started eating up the bones on the bottom! So, what’s the point!?”
“Ow!”
Akira smacked the back of XX’s head hard. At the time, there were a few games here and there that simulated raising fish or other pets, but this wasn’t one of them. Who could tell what the point of the game was, at this point?
“How do you beat this game, anyway? What’s the ending?”
“There isn’t one. You just keep feeding the fish.”
“Stupid. You’re stupid.”
“Why’d you say it twice?”
“So stupid.”
“Triple attack!?”
Distancing himself from the bizarre game, Akira turned to take a drink. Even as he complained, he had a smile on his face, and seemed to be having fun, after all. XX turned away from the PC, chugging a can of beer.
“Ahh! But, man, is this life boring. Maybe Shibuya will just blow up, or something.”
“Get a job.”
“If I work, I lose! I don’t want to be a loser!”
“See, the definition of a loser, is...”
“La la la! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear you!” XX shouted, hands over ears.
In 2004, Akira Ono’s game had steadily grown, acquiring a large number of players. A huge hit, to say the least. As he was basking in the golden era of his creation, he received a particular email.
Dear Mr. Ono, would you be interested in running your game as a large-scale MMO at our company?
The letter was signed “Mickity☆,” an OG player who had been playing the Game from its inception back in 2001. The next day, the world Akira Ono had created would come to a major turning point.
Chapter 5: The Labyrinth of Love
The Empire and the Fantasy World
—Dive into the Infinity Game—
In the world of the Empire, a select number of humans have awakened with a special kind of power, skill, or ability.
In the world of the Empire, everything is quantified.
The world of the Empire is unlike our own —
a future that was never supposed to come.
The Empire invaded the nations of the world with great success, conquering 60% of the world thanks to their overwhelmingly advanced technologies, as well as the large number of Wielders born with new powers within their borders. Their technology and their Wielders became the legs of the Empire, guiding them in a direction of insanity. As a result, the cruelest, most despicable, and most extravagant nation in the history of its world, simply known as “the Empire,” was born.
However, the expansion of the Empire halted once they had conquered about 60% of the world. They had simply grown too large. Naturally, not many of the colonized nations would allow a takeover without resistance. Terrorism and coups stormed the world. In addition, the
civil conflicts over the various profits to be gained within the Empire had rendered the dominating nation as motionless as a beached whale. Above the never-ending storm of revolt and tumult, high-ranking officials gathered day after day with no sign of progress.
Then, one day, a man proposed something to the higher-ups of the Empire... A very entertaining game that would bring happiness to the Empire. It would put smiles on the faces of God’s People, the residents of the Empire, and even offer salvation to the citizens of conquered nations. The Empire, with their preference for extravagance in everything, decided to use the Game, rather than barbaric oppression or massacres, to strike down the insubordinate conquered nations and solidify internal structure. The contestants of the Game would not only be selected from citizens of conquered nations, but also from central figures and high-ranking officials who had fallen from grace in some way. One wrong move, and yesterday’s victor could be headed for the guillotine. There was no room for mercy anywhere on the ladder. A hellscape in camouflage. The man who drew up this proposal was Hakuto Kunai, later known as the Demon Lord of the Empire.
——Near a point along the border of Holylight.
(I was sleeping... I haven’t had a dream about those times in years.)
“Hey, why is she sleeping on my lap...?”
“How should I know?”
Yukikaze was sound asleep on the Demon Lord’s lap, and her quiet breathing could be heard in the carriage.
Yukikaze’s face was like fading snow, the portrait of a beautiful young girl. To the Demon Lord, she seemed more beautiful than an actress on TV. If he found out what was between Yukikaze’s legs, even he would surely be astonished.
(Dang. My head’s still all foggy...)
Still lacking sleep, the Demon Lord turned to the window of the carriage with a sleepy gaze. Outside, he could see the same old dried-up land and bone-dry air. He had often looked at numbers to wake up before, but he had unfortunately left his wristwatch at the village for fear of damaging it during his dungeon crawl.
“Mikan, was it? What’s the current year and month...?”
“...Huh?”
“Just answer me.”
“What’s with you...? It’s July 10th, of the year 2000 on the Holy Calendar. So what!?”
“...The year 2000. Ha!”
The Demon Lord chuckled in nostalgia. Mikan surely had no idea what was funny or nostalgic about it. Her already annoyed expression grew more stern.
(Strange that the two worlds share the same calendar, time, and even language...)
Even the odd mixture of hiragana, katakana, kanji, and Latin alphabet in this world seemed to be a carbon copy of modern-day Japan. For the Demon Lord, it was awfully convenient. On the other hand, a completely different impression came to his mind.
(I guess it’s... sloppy workmanship.)
Whether or not he was correct in this assessment, this was the most fitting descriptor he could come up with at the moment. In every aspect, it was like someone had copied and pasted over the language and scripts of modern-day Japan into this world.
“You said it was ‘war season’ now, didn’t you?”
“...”
“Did you hear what I said?”
“You’re just full of questions, aren’t you!?”
Ruffling her red locks, Mikan barked back at the Demon Lord. Her red eyes and slender body gave her a wild air, like a Doberman, when she snarled. Her bronze skin, along with her athletic outfit that revealed much of her shoulders and legs, added a healthy sensuality to her appearance.
“I’m tired of answering your questions, so here are the answers to your next few! The Northern Nations are in war season from April to September, and at ceasefire from October to March! Got it!?”
“Sorry, you were going too fast, and I didn’t understand a thing you said. Come again?”
“Gah... You’re killing me...! The Northern Nations are......”
“Sorry, I couldn’t hear it over Yukikaze’s snoring. One more time.”
“She’s as quiet as a mouse!”
Opposite Mikan’s roaring red locks, the Demon Lord laughed, his shoulders bouncing. He enjoyed teasing women like Mikan. For her, though, he was nothing more than a nuisance, of course.
“Are you really a human in the first place? From the way you took down Carnival... It’s super hard to believe.”
“How insulting. I am most definitely human.”
“Humans, just so you know, don’t... Woah!”
Riled up, Mikan went to stand up, when the carriage rocked from driving over something in the road. Mikan was knocked off her balance, and her red lingerie revealed itself to the Demon Lord. For a few moments, silence befell the carriage’s interior.
“...didn’t you?”
“Hm?”
“You saw my underwear just now... didn’t you?”
“The only thing that I see, and have seen, is the blue sky above,” the Demon Lord said, full of confidence. Hearing this, Mikan began to shake.
“What’s that supposed to mean!? Don’t go into that ‘tragic hero smolder’ crap!”
“Well, I suppose the sunset also appears in the sky.”
“Y-You stared long enough to tell the color!?”
“I’m just talking about the sky... What are you going on about?”
The Demon Lord shrugged. He was an expert at counterattacks. He had maintained an unaffected expression while saving that particular color of red in his memory bank. Truly an unforgettable evil.
“Why am I always surrounded by people like this!?” Mikan shouted, clasping her head in her hands, waking Yukikaze. She looked like a snow fairy waking from her midsummer slumber.
“...Mister Fox, your lap... it’s so harrrr?”
“Keep this in your mouth, so you don’t go saying weird things.”
The Demon Lord had learned his lesson. Before Yukikaze could say anymore, he threw an Ice Cream Bar he had created into her mouth. While it was a useless item that only healed 7 Stamina in the arena, this was surely a priceless delicacy.
“...Fo fard, Miffer Fof.”
“You learn a few tricks with age.”
The Demon Lord proudly laughed, tossing a Candy to Mikan. While this only healed 5 Stamina, since it could be found in packs of ten, it came in pretty handy in a pinch. Par for the course, it came with an excessive variety of flavors, like strawberry and cola. Not that he did it on purpose, but the flavor of the pack he threw at her was tangerine, or ‘mikan’ in Japanese.
“...Like I’m going to trust something you’ve pulled out of your pocket.”
“It is very sweet. Popular with the ladies.”
“Trying to bribe me with sweets? I’ll have you know I’m not that cheap.”
Mikan rummaged through her bag and produced a magical item: a strange doll holding a red flag and a white flag. Seeing the doll, with pity, the Demon Lord asked, “You... still play with dolls?”
“You...! It’s called ‘Mr. Just Use Me’! How do you not know what this is?”
“How could anyone come up with such a ridiculous name...?”
“Huh? Simple and straightforward, why not?”
Mikan presented the candy in her hand to the doll. Soon, the doll solemnly raised the white flag and uttered:
“It’s cool.”
The Demon Lord nearly fell out of his seat.
“What is that ridiculous thing!”
“Hmph, you’re the embodiment of ridiculous. This is an important item that tells me if there’s anything harmful in a food or drink.”
In fact, it was a very famous magical item. It had the same effect as an Angel’s Spoon. Adventurers without a cleric in their party dreamed about this item.
“You found that in a dungeon too?”
“No. I went up to the City States and bought it. It was well worth the good money I paid, but... this! Is so! Sweet!” Mikan blurted out after unwrapping the candy and throwing it into her mouth.
The most common sweet food in th
is world was raw sugar. While they also had the likes of fruit and honey, there was nothing comparable to hard candy, of course. Mikan couldn’t help but smile at this sweet taste she had never before encountered.
“It tastes like tangerines... It’s my flavor...”
“...‘My flavor’? You’re a pervert, Mikan.”
“Shut up!”
While the two bickered, the Demon Lord began thinking about another matter: the City States. Since there was no comparable example on modern-day Earth, he was having a hard time imagining their nature.
“Can you tell me a few things about the City States?”
“I’m never telling you anything again!”
“...I’ll tell you, Mister Fox. I want to licky licky again once I do.”
While Mikan turned up her nose, Yukikaze came back with another borderline comment. The Demon Lord continued asking questions without acknowledging it. He must have figured that he was running out of time to remain ignorant. He had to learn as many things about this world as possible, moving forward.
While Yukikaze explained the simplified nature of the City States, the Demon Lord was having a hard time processing it. Apparently, each city was its own nation, collectively forming a union. Each city was a sovereign state and had their own set of laws, but considered themselves a large nation combined. While it was most likely established as a method of defense against the wars raging in the Northern Nations, this was a system completely different from the concept of city states on Earth.
(I suppose it’s like each prefecture in a region of Japan being a sovereign state, but forming a collective nation. I guess issues that can’t be dealt with on a state level could be handled when they get together.)
At this point, the Demon Lord was imagining the islands of Japan. He kept that in the back corner of his brain as a point of reference, but only as reference. As a general rule, this man trusted the things he saw with his own eyes, heard with own ears, and smelled with his own nose. Furthermore, those became the center of his decision making. While this could depict a calm and calculated person, his true nature was something a little different. He was someone that always put himself in the center of his world. He judged everything for himself, and valued his judgment above anyone else’s. Under certain circumstances, he would easily succumb to the lure of self-righteousness, but for better or worse, he was the Demon Lord. As a ruling dictator, his nature, that is to say his inclination to always maintain his own will under his own judgment, was one of the prerequisites that could not be taught. Throughout history, whenever a person of this nature had taken power, they had produced both great progress and great destruction.
Demon Lord, Retry! Volume 3 Page 1
