Chapter 80

□■ Yuri Gauthier

This is the story of my past and present, Yuri Gauthier.

I was born into a family classified as upper-class in the south of France. My father was a financier who amassed a vast fortune in a single generation. My mother was a former stage actress, and even to me, her child, she was kind and beautiful. My older sister, who was much more talented and beautiful, always treated me warmly, despite the age gap. She was my pride. This was my family, and from the outside, it seemed like a privileged environment. However, from the inside, I saw something different.

My father, though he had a talent for business, was greedy and arrogant, and he was harsh with my mother. My mother endured her husband's treatment and tried not to show her pain to her children. My sister was always kind to me, but she seemed troubled by something.

I remember the times when my mother took me to the theater where she had once performed. Her eyes, as she watched the play, seemed to regret something more than to reminisce about the past.

I remember my sister, who was often troubled about her future in her room.

I had no complaints about my life. My mother and sister were, of course, kind to me, and even my father was gentle with me. The world was kind to me. However, the world around my mother and sister seemed to be getting worse.

After a few years of such a life, my parents divorced. The reason was my sister's disappearance. She left a handwritten note with a hesitant farewell. I didn't read the letter, but it was clear that she left of her own accord, not as part of an incident. I knew the reason, so I felt sad but not surprised.

A few years before, my sister had been learning art from her maternal grandfather. It started when her pet iguana, Dylan, died. Our grandfather made a plaster statue of Dylan, which comforted us in our grief. Though my grandfather wasn't a renowned artist, my sister loved the plaster statues he made. She began making her own plaster statues under his guidance. Even after he passed away, she continued to create them.

The day before my sister disappeared, all the plaster statues she had made were shattered. Even the ones my grandfather had left behind were destroyed. My father did it. As he smashed the statues, he repeatedly berated her, saying, "How long are you going to keep doing this?" and "You already have a marriage arranged." He also said, "If you smell of plaster, your future husband won't like it." My sister looked at him with a cold, detached gaze.

And so, with a single note, my sister left.

My father was furious, and my mother finally revealed the pent-up resentment she had been holding in. They blamed each other for my sister's disappearance. According to my father, it was because my mother had let her indulge in her grandfather's hobby. According to my mother, it was because my father never considered my sister's feelings. As a result, they divorced as if it were a matter of course. I was taken in by my mother and moved to a different region.

Throughout this series of events from my childhood, I thought one thing.

—If only I could have protected them.

My mother and my sister. If I could have protected them from the things that tormented them, perhaps this outcome could have been avoided. I wished I could have been a knight, like the noble princes in the plays my mother took me to see, to protect them. However, I understood even then that this was an impossible wish, and so it remained a smoldering desire.

◆

A few years after my parents' divorce, my wish was fulfilled by something.

It was a game. A game called "Infinite Dendrogram." In this game, which promised a new world and endless possibilities, I became... "me."

Yes, in the world of "Infinite Dendrogram," I became Hugo Leceps, a High Pilot of the Dryfe Empire.

Hugo is tall and carries himself with the grace of a noble prince. I learned to project this image from plays and other performances, so perhaps it's the result of my efforts. Or maybe I inherited a bit of my mother's talent as a stage actress. What I sought in Hugo was the realization of the wish I had as a child: to be a knight who protects women and to defeat the tragedies that torment them. In Hugo, I embody the character who becomes the thorn that protects the beautiful flower. Because there were no knights to save women from their tragedies, I decided to become one myself. It might have been a twisted wish, but I continued to play this role for a month in the real world and three months in the game's time.

◆

For this plan, I had to abandon the role I had assigned to Hugo for the first time.

The plan was a collaboration between Hugo's clan, "The Triangular Wisdom," and the Prime Minister's faction of the Dryfe Empire. It was a large-scale operation that involved an entire city, Gideon, and would bring tragedy to innocent civilians. It also included the kidnapping of a princess. Normally, Hugo, who embodies my ideals, would have left the clan and refused to participate in such a plan. However, I had two reasons to join the plan.

The first reason was that implementing this plan would result in far fewer casualties in the long run. If this plan subjugates the kingdom, the war between the empire and the kingdom will end without further bloodshed. Conversely, if this plan fails, the war will resume, and it will be a bloodbath. Many in the empire, especially half of the population, are eager for this to happen. The empire has two, or rather three, factions: the Prime Minister's faction, the Marshal's faction, and the Emperor's faction.

The Prime Minister's faction, led by Prime Minister Vigoma, was concerned about the decline in national power due to the expenses of the previous war. In the last war, the empire lavished its wealth on the Masters, securing a decisive victory with overwhelming numbers. However, this severely damaged the empire's finances. The war ultimately failed to conquer the kingdom, and the financial outcome was a complete loss. The bar for rewards has been set too high to lower, as doing so would incur the Masters' displeasure and significantly reduce the number of participants. The Prime Minister's faction can only afford to prepare the same level of rewards once more, but even if they win, it will create a significant financial hole. Therefore, they devised this plan to resolve the conflict before the war resumes.

"The Triangular Wisdom" also cooperated to prevent the empire's financial collapse, as they are the sponsors. On the other hand, the Marshal's faction, led by Marshal Barbaros, had a different perspective. They believed that the war would not end with the conquest of a single kingdom but could lead to prolonged conflicts with other nations like Legendaria and Cardina. Therefore, they aimed to showcase the empire's strength, military power, and generous rewards to Masters, to attract more Masters and expand their forces, and to instill fear in other nations. They planned to fund the costs from the conquered kingdom's treasury, a strategy reminiscent of bandits. The leader of the Demon Legion, General Logan Godhart, agreed with this approach, as he sought to demonstrate his power and preferred this method over the goal.

These two factions are currently dividing the empire. The Emperor's faction, led by the current emperor, has no opinion on the political direction of Dryfe, which has accelerated the factional conflict and polarization. This is inevitable, as the Emperor is not concerned with national interests or politics. He decided to attack the kingdom for personal reasons.

In the end, the negotiations between the two factions led to a decision. If the Prime Minister's plan succeeds in annexing the kingdom, the conflict will end. If it fails and the war continues, the Marshal's faction will have full authority to resume the invasion. If the Marshal's plan is implemented, the casualties on both sides will be massive. Even if the empire wins, it will not end with just defeating the kingdom's military and Masters. It could result in excessive casualties as a show of force. Therefore, I had to make a choice. Which tragedy to choose: the current one or the greater one to come. Regardless of my participation, the plan would be executed. By participating, I hoped to increase the plan's success rate and bring it to a swift conclusion. This was the first reason for my involvement.

The second reason was very personal. If the first reason was due to Hugo's role, the second reason was mine. It was because I strongly admired the person who conceived and executed the plan, Mr. Franklin in "Infinite Dendrogram." He invited me to the game and welcomed me into his clan, helping me in various ways. More importantly, I wanted to help him and stay by his side. This personal desire was half the reason I stood here as an executor of the plan.

However, this meant that I was causing this tragedy out of half obligation and half ego. I struggled with this realization. At such a time, he made a promise to me regarding the plan.

—PKs and monsters will only target Masters.

This would be the case even if Plan A failed and Plan B, which involved activating the monster release devices in the city, was implemented. The monsters were designed by him to target only Masters. PKs would avoid targeting civilians to avoid being wanted, he said. In other words, he promised to minimize the threat to civilian lives in Gideon. To him, the casualties in Gideon were irrelevant, but he made this promise out of consideration for my feelings. Therefore, I believed him and decided to do my best to achieve the plan's success.

To avoid a greater tragedy.

To be with him.

And for the sake of trust.

I, Hugo Leceps, the "Knight of Ice and Roses," became part of the side causing the tragedy.

◆

On the day of the plan's execution, after the battle between the "Super Warrior" Figaro and the "Corpse Immortal" Shunba at the central arena, the plan was put into action. In the city of Gideon, PKs hunted Masters, and the released monsters attacked Masters, causing destruction. To distract from the chaos, I sat in the newly provided "Marshal II Mod" seat and closed my eyes before the plan began. About ten minutes after the plan was initiated, the sound of many horses galloping on the cobblestones reached my ears.

"That's the Dryfe Empire's 'Majingear'!"

"Is this Franklin's force to prevent the rescue of the princess?"

They were still at a distance, but I could understand their conversation through the "Marshal II Mod's" equipment skill, "Sound Collection." Through the monitor, I saw the figures of the "Paladins" of the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard consists of non-Masters in this world, so they were not my opponents. I moved the arm of the "Marshal II Mod" to point at the sign I had set up at the start of the plan.

"'No Masters Beyond This Point'... Then we can pass, can't we?"

The one who asked this, standing out in her pure white armor, was Liliana Grandria, the deputy commander of the Royal Guard. According to the information I received from him, she was the one I explained the situation to when I brought the children rescued from the Gouz Maze bandits to Gideon in a carriage yesterday.

『……』

I nodded the "Marshal II Mod" and moved aside from the gate to indicate my consent.

"We understand. Then we will pass through the gate and intercept Franklin on the 'Jand Prairie.'"

"Lord Grandria! Is it alright to leave this 'Majingear' unattended?"

"If we fight here, we will be at a disadvantage in the terrain and face a pincer attack from the 'Majingear' and Franklin. Besides, this 'Majingear' is a formidable opponent whom Franklin has ordered to deal with Gideon's Masters alone. If we fight such an opponent, even if we win, we won't have the strength left to rescue the princess from Franklin."

"……Understood."

After this exchange, the members of the Royal Guard passed through the west gate one by one. As they passed by the "Marshal II Mod," many were wary of a surprise attack, tense, or glared at me with hatred. I understood their feelings. I knew what I was doing and accepted it. Finally, Liliana herself, leading the Royal Guard, passed through the west gate. As she passed by the "Marshal II Mod," she spoke to me.

"You're the one who helped save the children from the Gouz Maze bandits with Ray, right?"

『……』

I hadn't spoken a word, but she had recognized me. Perhaps it was my presence or my movements inside the "Majingear." I didn't know why she recognized me, but I managed to hide my surprise.

"Thank you for that. ...And this is not as the deputy commander of the Royal Guard, but as a personal word."

She paused, then fixed her gaze on the camera eye of the "Marshal II Mod," looking directly at me through the monitor.

"Don't make Ray sad."

『……』

I couldn't respond to that... I just bowed in acknowledgment. The Royal Guard passed through the west gate and began to form their battle formation on the "Jand Prairie" to intercept him. I couldn't ignore or overlook what would happen to her and the others as they fought him, so I could only turn my back.

◆

About ten minutes after the Royal Guard, a group of about twenty Masters approached the west gate.

"Majingear... So this is the right place!"

"Yeah, it looks like Franklin is planning to escape through the west gate!"

They must have predicted his movements using their jobs or "Embryo" skills and arrived early to ambush him. Their judgment was correct; he would arrive at the west gate in about five minutes.

"That's a Dryfe Empire 'Majingear,' but it's a different model from the ones officially adopted by the Dryfe military or those that leaked to Cardina. It's probably a custom model from 'The Triangular Wisdom.' It's likely not related to the PKs causing chaos in the city."

"I see, so this is to secure Franklin's escape route."

"It has higher stats than a regular 'Marshal II.' But still, it's only about twice as strong as a sub-dragon."

"Then we can handle it with the twenty of us."

They must have used skills like "Insight" or "Appraisal Eye" to gauge the stats of the "Marshal II Mod" with my "Piloting" skill's adjustments. However, that wasn't a problem. The advantage of a "Majingear" is that the pilot's stats and skill composition are hidden from the outside, and most status effects are nullified. This was crucial. As long as I didn't summon Queco, no one could see my hand.

"Even if he uses 'Embryo,' we have twenty Masters. We can handle it."

"Haha! We'll make Franklin cry by ambushing him at the exit!"

"'No Masters Beyond This Point'... Hah, I'll pass through!"

Almost all of the twenty Masters passed the signpost and attacked the "Marshal II Mod." I had been waiting for this.

"Queco—'Gate of Hell'"

『Understood』

Queco immediately merged with the "Marshal II Mod."

And the unique skill "Gate of Hell" was activated immediately.

A 200-meter radius from the signpost to my side became the skill's effect area, and the Masters instantly froze.

『"Gate of Hell," those who enter will die』

Queco said something incomprehensible, but it wasn't a penalty. It just froze everyone without exception. Or rather...

"Eh? Wait, all of them, eh?"

Two remained.

"Probably an 'Embryo' skill that clears complex conditions to increase power. But! My Surt is the strongest fire 'Embryo' in the kingdom! No cold can freeze me!"

One of them was a "Bishop" or something. Then... there was no choice.

I aimed the gun in my left hand, the "LRW03 Huge Grenade Launcher," and fired continuously at the two. The impact boomed, and the explosion licked the surrounding area. When the smoke cleared, the "Bishop" was gone. The ice statues around him, caught in the blast, shattered into light dust. I leveled up, but it didn't matter. Some of the dust was from self-destruction—forced penalties. They must have been wary of giving me experience points or having their items stolen through repeated "Theft" while frozen. I didn't intend to destroy them or steal their items, but it didn't matter.

"Phew..."

I let out a sigh. In the end, it was a one-sided massacre. If they had a speed-specialized super-class job, they might have crushed me before the skill activated, but the result was this. I knew it would likely end this way. That's why he placed me here. I was the nemesis of the Masters based in this city. Because...

"Quite a powerful cold. —But it won't work on me."

As I was lost in thought, someone was standing beyond the signpost. It was a silhouette engulfed in flames, indistinctly human. But the spiky red hair and abilities were familiar from the information he