"So, will you talk? Why did you do this?" I spoke a little forcefully towards Haruka, who was slumped on the ground.
I wasn't really feeling mad or anything, but if I was too lenient here he might just end up doing the same thing later. Putting on an act is necessary sometimes.
"…I'm a test player that came here around the year 2000 on the third age of the Midgar Calendar… just about right after you were sealed. By the time I'd realized it, I was in my player avatar and in this world."
That's the same as me. I also came to this world by possessing my player avatar… that of Lunaru Fenris. But I already knew about that. That wasn't what I wanted to know. So I silently gestured for her to continue.
"At that time, there were a lot of great warriors around. Still, it wasn't like in the game where it was overflowing with level 1000's and people who stat-boosted themselves to oblivion. But even so, there were a lot of strong people who easily exceeded level 500."
"What? It was already different at that point?"
"Yes. Also, it seemed like a section of the players—specifically players who were not featured in novels—disappeared without a trace, like they'd never existed in the first place. From what I surmised… This place isn't the game but the novelized version of this world."
I reflexively bit my lower lip.
That's… bad, isn't it?
How is it bad? Well, there were actually very few characters that became featured in novels. Basically, unlike the large number of players, the number of novelists hired was overwhelmingly insufficient. So small adventures or events basically never got made into novels unless someone paid for it, and events and stories that would officially be made into stories were very rare in the first place.
Of course, there were players other than the Seven Maidens of Midgar that achieved level 1000 and managed to get featured in official stories. They existed—but their numbers just barely reached the triple digits. There were also high-level players who didn't become my subjects. Those people said things like, "Isn't it super cool to work in the shadows, outside of the story?" and immersed themselves into the game without getting novelized. They probably didn't exist here.
Not to mention any player avatars that would get caught in copyright infractions.
This all boiled down to the fact that almost all the max-level players in Xgate Online never existed in this world in the first place.
"There was no one in the same position as me, either. It was as if they'd all lived in this world their whole lives… Well, no. They actually had done that, probably. The only irregular in this world was me."
"Would it not be possible for others to exist, and you just didn't notice?"
"There might have been. But now, I don't have the means to confirm that…"
I wonder if Haruka appeared in any novels even though she was a test player?
No, that doesn't matter now. More importantly, I need to ask about what happened in the past. The novel stuff can wait until later.
"But even so, they were all some of the precious few people I knew. I could feel remnants of my 'reality' in them. But…"
"…They all died, didn't they?"
"…Yes."
I almost heaved a sigh.
Ahh, I see… No wonder they all lost. This is something I should have thought about right away in the first place.
If it really was like in the game with over 100,000 high-level players… There was no way they'd have lost against the Grimm King.
Consider this: Even Haruka, whom I just fought, was at level 1000 but without any stat boosts. Just imagine over 100,000 Haruka's all casting Planetary Devastation, and the sight of all that falling.
…There'd be no defending against that.
In the game, the largest party size outside of wars was twelve people. In other words, it was impossible to challenge the Grimm King with thirteen or more people at once… But that probably wasn't the case in this world. So in that case, then it would be best to go at him with 100,000 high-level fighters. If they hadn't done that, it just meant that they couldn't.
At this point, my presumption that this was the game world was already wrong. But I'd never even considered that.
"I was so frustrated. And angry. Even the small bits of 'reality' I had left were taken from me, and seeing the world I knew being trampled over was more painful than anything. But setting aside other grimmfolk, there was no way I could defeat the Grimm King. So I infiltrated that rabble, the Seven Grimms of Purgatory, and succeeded in slowing down their invasion. But that was the best I could manage."
"So that was why you needed us and the Twelve Zodiac's Guardians?"
"… Yes. I remembered that there was a background-cute-little-sister-character in Ouzel Tower, so I assumed her position. So, I thought if I guided you around well enough, I could get you to fight the Grimm King and kill him."
"…"
No, not yet. There's still something bothering me.
Wasn't there something strange about what Haruka had just said? I don't really think there was anything that I should follow up on, but…
No, it's fine. I just need to keep listening.
"And the meaning of Mercury shouting all that?"
"I promised to take Penny and keep her away for twenty minutes. But I broke that promise and returned Penny once he was in town. What he shouted was correct; I was tricking him from the start."
I see. No wonder why he attacked as soon as Penny went away. That was Haruka maneuvering in the shadows. Also, when Penny first found Mercury, he was probably actually going to see Haruka in order to exchange information or something.
"Then the next question will be our last. Are you our enemy?"
"No, I don't want to be. In the first place, doesn't the fact that I wanted to use you make it strange for me to be hostile, in a way?"
Haruka's answer to my question was a solid no.
So while she would use me, she doesn't want to actually oppose me, huh?
I crossed my arms and worked my slow mind as hard as it would go.
The problem was: how do I deal with Haruka now? To be honest, I couldn't just kill her. It was true that she was very useful, and I couldn't bring myself to hate her. No matter if she was using me or not, I owed her. Without her I'd have been completely lost.
Still, if I let her go, I have no idea what she'll do. Even if she wanted to beat the Grimm King, she doesn't seem the type to choose her methods, and I can't stand for her involving Svel or Gjallar.
…There's no other way.
"All right then. Continue to serve us."
"Huh?"
"We will pretend this never happened."
Haruka tricked and tried to use me. But so what? Did that cause me any harm? Did I take a loss in any way?
—No, I didn't. In fact, I profited quite a bit.
Also, Haruka's final goal of exterminating the grimmfolk actually isn't that far off from my own in the end. I won't go as far as to actively want them all dead, but as long as I am Lunaru Fenris, I probably won't be able to avoid a confrontation with the Grimm King.
Then it would be better to actually employ Haruka, who had an in with the grimmfolk, and use that to my advantage.
"Uh-uhh, are you sure? I…"
"No problem. You have helped us a lot in this world, and We owe you for that, after all. We are not so short-sighted as to execute you without having returned that favor. Also…" The edges of my mouth tilted upwards, as I looked down upon a dumbfounded Haruka. "Having a mysterious and inscrutable little sister-advisor sounds fun. In a way, having a dangerous subordinate is something of a staple."
"…Umm, you're really a player inside, right? You sure you're not 'actually' Lunaru Fenris who just has a player's memories?"
"Haha, now, We wonder… This state where our memories have been mixing has continued for so long. We know We are changing. Is this idea something from 'Naru', or from the 'player'? It's hard to tell."
Exactly. I have probably ceased to be just 'myself' long ago. I don't feel anything after killing something, and I don't hesitate to fight, either. Both of those things would be unthinkable if I were still 'me.' But that also doesn't mean that I'm Lunaru Fenris.
At the very least, I'm not as ruthless as the rumors I hear about her, and I can't bring myself to be that stern, either. If the real Naru were here, she might have simply lopped off Haruka's head on the spot.
Anyway, we're probably mixing nicely or something. Probably. But at the very least, my sense of 'self' still exists, and there aren't any missing pieces in my consciousness, so I'm not feeling any fear, either.
"More than anything, you are the first comrade We met. We don't mind ignoring some pranks."
Both Juvia and Hinata weren't who I'd been hoping they were. Judging from that, Ruby probably wasn't a player, either. So, that would make Haruka and I the only irregulars in this world.
I held out my hand to Haruka, who was still on the ground, and smiled. "Come with us and use your knowledge and power to the fullest for our sake."
For a while, Haruka stared at my outstretched hand in a daze. But eventually she let out a laugh that sounded like she was doing a spit take and looked up at me. "I should have expected this, Big Sis. You really are just as I anticipated… No, you're even better. As expected, you are the only one who can defeat her and free this world."
'Her'? What did she mean?
Haruka, regardless of my thoughts, took my hand and stood up.
"I happily accept your royal order, my master. Then, let me be your faithful advisor and cute little sister until the day this world is free from the terror of grimm."
"Yeah. We will be counting on you."
"As you wish."
Haruka firmly gripped my hand, and I took a look behind me. That was just about when Fiona and the others, who'd sensed the magic that was going on, arrived.
Now, then. How should I smooth this over?