15 - CHAPTER XV -- "This Is Not a Dream"

I had a dream.

I was vaguely aware that it was probably a dream.

However, it is not yet decided that it was a dream.

Then there is no rule that says you can do whatever you want without thinking about the consequences.

There is no reason to cut corners.

So I will take action.

If you decide to do something, give it your all.

There should be no regrets.

The enemy seems to be closing in.

A large force.

Elves and beasts and spirits, dwarves and giants and dragons. Ghosts, undead, demons, phantoms, fairies, and every other kind of race gathered together... it was a mixed multinational army that I've seen before.

In contrast, our forces are small.

In front of the throne stood a row of magnificent golden chairs, but to my surprise, five of the eight seats were empty.

In addition, the pieces on two of the remaining three chairs were already broken and reduced to wreckage.

They must have been destroyed by the army.

No wonder.

The difference in strength is too great.

On the last remaining chair, there was a piece made of a magnificent crystal.

It was a finely crafted and magnificent piece in the shape of a wolf.

Apparently, that is all the strength he has.

...... is a terrible handicap.

The opponent has more than a thousand dozen pieces of various kinds of pieces, while I have only one. Our pawns are the strongest, dependably, but the difference in numbers is stark.

In all ages, no hero, no matter how great, has ever been able to defeat an army single-handedly.

The violence of numbers is so great.

That is why people yearn for the heroic tale of a single warrior unmatched by any other, and pursue their dream stories.

If it is impossible to realize in reality, at least write it down in fantasy.

This attempt is an extremely natural consequence.

Everyone has experienced this at least once.

Sometimes we draw on paper, sometimes we fantasize, and sometimes we simulate the experience by playing games in the fantasy world.

That is why Helian did the same.

[In pursuit of romance in a box garden named "Tactics Chronicle",

Helping each other with friends,

And grow into the person they wish to be,

He has achieved single-handed warriorship,

Biting both sweet and sour,

We will help the weak and crush the strong,

Peace to the world,

A loving hand to a friendly neighbor,

However, obstacles in the way must be destroyed by force,

The taste of victory was intoxicating.

These things, which are almost unattainable in reality, have been fulfilled by Helian's tireless efforts, with some luck.

--But it seems that these glorious days are finally coming to an end.

The only pawn in the form of a wolf daringly dives into the crowd of the army.

The pawn rallied as if it were a thousand warriors.

But after slaughtering 1,000 warriors, it was crushed in front of an army of 10,000.

Crushing the wreckage, the "forces of ten thousand demons" marched on, finally reaching the king's castle.

Helian now has no more pieces in his hand.

It is checkmate.

The king's pawns have no power to fight.

Unlike a pawn, he has no room to grow.

He has lost all of his forces, and all that is left is his weakest piece, the king.

The situation is now beyond our control unless we overturn the board.

But I will not throw the game. I will not retire.

It would be a futile attempt, but I felt that resigning at this point would be an act of spitting and smearing mud on the pawns who had followed me to the end and on the history that Hellian had carved up so far.

I had already prepared for this.

I had been weaving the history of 150 years thinking that one day this might happen.

I thought I had already prepared myself to meet the end.

But I'm scared.

The emotions of actually facing the end screamed out.

This is not what I was promised.

The box garden I loved never had such a terrible sense of reality.

I hate it.

I don't want to die.

How did this happen?

What did I do?

This is not how it's supposed to end.

But as if to mock Hellian's pleas.

An army of demons surrounded the throne.

These terrifying creatures, which no human could ever hope to defeat, glared at Helian.

With the sound of heavy footsteps, a piece stepped forward from the army of ten thousand demons.

The pawn had horns.

He had a face like an ogre.

He had red skin.

He clutched a mace soaked in blood.

He swung his weapon.

The mace comes at him with lethal speed.

There is no way to evade it, and there is no way that the weakest pawn can withstand its attack.

Thus, the king's pawn, HELIAN, is crushed by the bloodstained mace, its innards splattered...

"----aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

I jumped up.

Rough breathing.

His heart screams and pulses wildly.

"Ugh... ......!"

My chest aches as if I had an irregular heartbeat.

I bent my body into a crouch, holding my chest with my right hand, and a clean, pure white sheet came into view.

Where is it?

I somehow manage to look up while enduring the pain in my chest.

What I saw in my vision was not an unknown ceiling, but a familiar wall.

"......Here..."

A king-size bed, too big for one person to sleep in.

Luxuriously decorated chandeliers.

A classy canopy.

Huge paintings on the walls are screenshots from the early days of the hotel.

This is a room in the castle, the king's private bedroom.

"...... Helian, sir?"

I hear a stunned voice and turn to my left.

There was Levee, looking as if she were about to burst into tears.

This is also the first time I have seen this pattern of emotional expression, an out-of-place thought crossed my mind.

"Oh, thank goodness ...... you're finally awake ......!"

Levee's amber eyes are moist.

The clear drops that formed at the edges of her eyes soon turned into tears and ran down her white cheeks.

Finally, Helian became aware of the fact that he was lying on the bed in his bedroom.

"----Yume?"

There is no sign of the approaching army.

No hordes of demons surrounding us.

The only people in the room are the first lieutenants, who are weeping for the king.

"What?　What the hell is going on ......?"

He puts his right hand, which had been resting on his chest, on his forehead.

My palm feels clammy and sweaty.

Then I think back to how I got here.

A few memory fragments run in a sequence.

National celebration,

Transition,

Audience,

Exploration,

Elf,

War between the races,

Settlements,

Rebellion, and--

"--!"

I remember.

Sudden awakening of consciousness.

Immediately, he puts his hand to his head.

Fortunately, the skull was still there in its original form.

However, this fact does not match his memory.

Wasn't I killed by having my head crushed?

"--The Ogre!　What happened to the rebels!　What the hell happened?

The last thing I remember is the rusty mace looming in front of me.

Was it a dream, too?

"Calm down, Master Helian. Do not wake yourself up yet. You've been asleep for more than half a day.

"...... what?"

You're a fool.

I don't remember sleeping.

I don't remember coming to bed on my own.

No, that means ...... if I remember correctly.

"Did I ...... get killed by that red ogre?"

At these words, which sounded like he was talking to himself, Rieve lowered his gaze and answered, "Yes," though it was difficult for him to say it.

Upon hearing her answer, Helian's upper body, which had been raised, slumped down on the bed.

The bed, lavishly furnished with luxury goods, sank into the floor without a sound, softly accepting the body that had been thrown down so vigorously.

--I understood.

The memory of being killed by the Ogre is real.

The king, Helian, was killed by the ogre.

But..,

"-- the auto-resuscitation must have kicked in."

In the game [Tactics Chronicle], it is not possible to assume that the death of the king [player] = immediate game over.

Although there is a death penalty and a limit to the number of times the king "player" can be resurrected.

That is why Helian was resurrected.

He was killed by a rebel ogre, and then he was resurrected.

"............Lieve"

He calls out the name of the man at his side.

Levee brushes the tears from her cheeks with her supple fingertips and answers with a short "yes.

Is the throne safe?　What happened to the rebels, that red ogre?　What happened after that?"

The throne is fine. The throne is still well protected by the elite of the Second Legion led by Balan. And the traitors have been destroyed once and for all. After crushing their skulls, they were obliterated without a single piece of flesh, so there is no doubt about it. And that red ogre seems to have ...... unique abilities."

Unique skill.

An ability that does not depend on race or occupation, but is unique to the character.

It is a rare power which is not only peculiar but also rarely expressed, but it is often a superior power which cannot be replaced by any other.

Sometimes, a single "unique skill" can even turn the difference in ability upside down.

Did that red ogre have it?

With a hand that still trembles slightly, he opens the "Tactical Window" and calls up the "Character Status.

A translucent virtual window appears before your eyes. A red ogre appears in a small frame on the left. On the right side of the window, various statuses and abilities revealed through battles, investigations, and defeats are shown.

Helian reads out the words listed in the "abilities" column.

""Last Stand"...... is the ability to counterattack only once after death (...), or".

The effect was simple: "A must-hit attack on the nearest enemy.

Since the attack is a "must-hit" attack, it has already been determined that the attack will hit the closest enemy at the time the unique ability is activated.

And right in front of the ogre was Helian, who had unintentionally approached it.

He had defeated it.

He had succeeded in defeating it.

The commander of the 5th legion, Gardi, had certainly killed the traitor.

That is why Rieve and Ertina let their guard down.

And that is how it ended.

"I am sorry!

Levee unexpectedly fell to her knees and bowed her head.

Her words of apology were filled with a sense of regret that she could not hide.

"I have no excuse ...... for this mismanagement, even though I was assigned to escort you," he said. I am prepared to face any and all severe punishment. Please punish me."

With his head bowed, Rieve was ready to accept whatever punishment was offered to him.

Even though he had been resurrected, he had caused the death of a king.

He had betrayed the trust of the king who had entrusted him with his protection.

It was a terrible crime.

From her point of view, she deserved to die.

Therefore, she waited for the king's words, ready to lose her head at the first sign of .

"......Lieve, come near me."

She responded immediately.

Excuse me," she said, getting up and walking over to the bed.

You can get on the bed. Come closer."

She did as He said.

She felt that it was impolite to climb up on the king's bed, but the king's words came first.

She climbed up on the bed and leaned close to the king.

The king's hand reached out to me.

I did not know what his intentions were, but whatever the punishment, I was fine with it.

Levee remains silent, staring at the hand that is closing in on her, motionless - and when it disappears out of sight, her thoughts stop at the unexpected action of the king (Helian).

"---- eh,...... eh,ah,eh?"

My thoughts have stopped.

And yet a voice escapes from his mouth.

The source of his bewilderment is the touch of the dog-ears on the top of his head, which is a bare reaction, as if to say, <>.

What Hellian did was nothing.

All he did was to put his hand on Lieve's head.

Then he slides his palm to check the touch and brings his right hand to his cheek.

In the process, the finger on the dog-ear slipped off, and the dog-ear, which was changing its shape due to the pressure of the finger, sprang up. Levee, confused and completely frozen, does not care, but Hélian strokes her white cheek.

The warmth of her body is felt in her palm. Slightly hot. When you put a little pressure on your fingertips, the soft and moist skin sinks into the shape of your fingers. A moderate repulsive sensation. You slide your palm further down to the neck. Avoiding the silver choker, you place your fingers on her neck. The tips of my fingers feel the beating of my heart, which is beating fast.

Next, I put my arms around her thin neck and lean my face against the nape of her neck. I inhale, almost touching her, and a faint scent tickles my nostrils. As I stay in the same position for a while, her pulsation in my arm accelerates to an unusual speed.

She slowly removes her face from the nape of the neck. And when I look up, I see Lieve's face with big, twinkling eyes. At close range, I can see my own face reflected in her amber eyes. Her cheeks are slightly tinted vermilion, and her breath is becoming raspy.

"----"

Without paying any attention to her condition, Helian wiped a tear out of the corner of Lieve's right eye with his index finger as a final confirmation.

Her fingertip felt slightly wet. She licks it.

--There was a faint, salty taste.

"............!　......!　......!"

Rieve seems to be at a loss for words.

I suppose it's understandable if he suddenly acts in such a strange way.

It is a natural reaction.

If there is no such thing as a woman, it is natural for her to be puzzled by the fact that there is such a thing as a woman. I suppose.

Helian closes his eyes.

He exhales and gently opens his eyelids.

Sight, hearing, smell, touch, and - as yet unidentified - taste.

Recalling the sensations that could only be real in any way...

Seeing Rieve's mouth still open with a crunch.

Seeing the emotions that we have never seen before.

Seeing how it is too realistic to be expressed by the combination (program) of Zero and One.

And so.

Helian looked up at the ceiling to prevent something unbearable from falling out of the corner of his eyes.

"...... Oh."

Certainly there is no sign of the approaching army.

No hordes of demons surrounding the king.

The commander of the army is alive and well, and the country is safe.

What I saw earlier was just a dream.

But...

"I guess this one ...... isn't a dream."

It has not returned to the real world.

And so I have spoken up about it.

I finally said it out loud.

And so I think back on the events of the day, which have been too rich for me.

I realized many facts and events that diverge from those in Tactics Chronicle.

--The five senses that were supposed to be tasteless in the game became real.

When I cut my palm, blood flowed, and pain also became real and attacked me.

--The key language has lost its meaning.

Characters began to act on their own initiative and took on an unmistakable sense of self.

--We have gained impossible information in a forest we have never seen before.

I was told of a history that did not exist in the game, and I learned that there were many humans who were supposed to be the exclusive race of the King Player.

--I have not woken up and returned to the real world.

The events that I experienced today were full of a sense of reality, not dreams and illusions.

--And most of all, the person in front of me right now...

She (Rieve), who has been by my side all day today, was a real being, a human being, no matter what I think.

I have reobserved this fact with all of my senses, including my sense of taste.

Therefore, Helian had no choice but to admit it.

He had no choice but to accept this cruel fact.

--This is not a dream.

He was transported to a strange land with his entire castle.

That he could not return to the real world.

And the half-elves facing the tragedy of their badly written triptych.

The ogres who revolted and turned up dead.

The presence of the NPCs "Liewe" who are right here in front of us and have their own personalities.

All of it is real.

This is no longer a game.

It is not a dream.

This is undeniably real.

But it is not the real world.

[Not in the Tactics Chronicles.

It is a different world, only similar.

I am in a strange place, in the midst of events that could only happen in a comic book or a novel.

--I have come to a different world.

"----------------,"

......Wonderfully.

I was surprised, but strangely I was not distraught.

I thought I was going to be half-crazed and screaming because I couldn't accept the fact, but I wasn't.

Maybe he had accepted the fact long before.

The fact that I had been trying to believe that this was a dream in the first place was the proof that I had understood that this was real.

That is why I did not cry.

That is why I did not scream.

But I was getting close to my limit.

"......Lieve."

I called out.

But there was no response.

I looked to the side and there was Levee, who was frozen with her mouth agape, as if in a complete panic.

I smiled slightly and called out to her again.

"Lieve!"

"Oh, ............, yes!"

This time there was a reply.

Poor guy, his face is so red.

The triangular ears on his head were moving in a flurry, and his fluffy tail was behaving in a way that is hard to describe.

Looking back, I feel like I have s*xually harassed her in a terrible way, but I will put that issue behind me.

"Did you have any other serious problems besides the auger uprising?"

Yes, yes!　Uh, no!　Uh, uh, uh, um, ......!"

Don't be in such a hurry. Just answer calmly.

"No, it's okay!　I'm calm!　Yes, I'm calm!

He laughs again.

If you were really calm, you wouldn't have ehhhhh.

Rieve was supposed to be the calm and collected, so to speak, "good-looking sister" character. is too much of a gap.

There have been a few minor problems, but nothing serious that would immediately shake the country.

"I see. ...... What about the other corps commanders?"

We are continuing to carry out the king's orders. The Commander of the Third Corps, Eltina, and the Commander of the Fifth Corps, Gardi, are giving orders to their corps and are waiting for Helian's decision.

"Then, Commander of the Fifth Corps, Mr. Gardi, will continue to maintain security. In the event of another rebellion, tell him to use his own judgment to deal with the situation unless otherwise instructed by me.

"......, are you sure?"

The question is whether the Fifth Corps Commander Ghardi, who failed to deal with the rebellion, can continue to be in charge.

But it is not a question of whether anyone else could have predicted the counterattack of the ...... Red Ogre in the case that just happened.

In fact, neither Liewe nor Ertina could have detected it.

The same will be true for other corps leaders.

The "unique skill" is a very valuable (rare) ability. And even though there are no undead monsters or necromancers, it is unthinkable to be attacked by corpses. Who can predict such an exception among exceptions?

If not for the "last stand," Gardi would have fulfilled his role well, so there should be no problem to keep him in charge.

In the first place, there is no surplus force that can be transferred to other areas.

There is no room for a surplus of personnel.

It doesn't matter. The III Corps Commander, Ertina, will be in charge of following up on the damage to buildings and injuries caused by the ...... rebellion and fine-tuning the coordination between the various corps. Communicate to them that they are to respond flexibly and within limits that do not contradict my instructions.

Eltina is in charge of internal affairs in peacetime.

Since she also possesses harmony, there should be no problem in entrusting her with a coordinating role.

Normally, this would be the job of Liewe, who is also the general corps commander, but she wanted to keep it in her own hands.

"Tell Balan, the commander of the 2nd Corps, that the rebellion is over. As for the guardianship of the throne, you can return to your normal shift now. And ...... I will take some rest. Liewe will take care of me.

"Yes, sir. After sending word to the corps commanders, please remain inside the room.

No, I need you outside the door. I need a moment alone. I'll call you if I need you."

"...... Yes, sir."

After a short pause, Levee hung her head and spoke the words of worship.

Just before she walked out the door, her eyes met mine, shimmering with worry.

Her eyes look somewhat regretful, and she closes the door without a sound.

The king's bedroom is a kind of sanctuary.

As long as the door is closed, it is completely soundproof, and the only person who can open the door in an official manner is the king's aide, Lieve, with the exception of Helian.

So Helian turns over lazily and buries his face in his pillow.

She does not sleep.

No time to be depressed.

But I just needed a little rest.

I just wanted to rest and not think about anything.

That was Helian's small ...... and sincere wish.