Castle

POV Switch - 1st (Yui)

They… they really just punished me for doing the right thing?!

Why?! My reasoning was perfect! Why would I let an evil person do whatever they want without any kind of punishment?

And why does that damned Red want the Ryukyu Islands?! What would he even use them for?! It's not as if China is so short on land that he needs to take my own!

All Maoists are land hungry… he already has… how many square kilometers again?

Pulling out my command module, I searched it up and came back with… 9,706,961 square kilometers.

Ryukyu in all is 3,090 square kilometers… that barely adds ANYTHING for his territory! How land hungry can these Reds be?!

And worst of all, why am I getting punished for this?! I only did the right thing, so why do I have to reward the forces of evil in response?! And I did it in my territory, which is my REGION TO DO WHAT I WANT TO IN! The place that I can do anything with it is my land, why do they have a say in it?!

Well, if I can't do anything, then maybe I can get the players to do it for me? They hate Hegemaniac, so I'd just have to lure them towards him... But I can figure that out later.

What do I have to do to reward him with nooooow… I will not stop withholding the skills, since that was never specifically ordered, but it was ordered to reward Hegemaniac with something…

Since he seems to enjoy stealing, I'll... expand his inventory and… what else?

How about some money? He also seems to enjoy that, what with all the stealing.

He reminds me of Israel's and Romania's administrators…

POV Switch - 1st (MC)

The situation feels hopeless, but maybe I can turn it around? A half-committed attitude will hinder me here, so I have to get on with it.

Looking around, I saw castle walls all around us and something similar to a marketplace.

The ground was stone this time, unlike the dirt streets I had seen during my first teleportation, and the castle walls were manned with soldiers on top of them; there were pillars where archers could aim from and there were pathways on top of the walls that I saw guards walking along.

So we're in a castle courtyard?

Turning to see Silica next to me, she let her amazement show on her face while looking at everything, looking like a goofy tourist.

…But why aren't these people moving? Everyone is completely frozen besides us, and even the birds flying through the sky are stuck in place.

Another display screen popped up to inform me.

[Scenario Details: You are in Sir Edward III's castle, and you are visitors. The Hider and Seeker have yet to appear, and this time is given for you to prepare.]

The message disappeared, and time resumed.

The denizens of this castle began moving around again, going about their business.

Perfect.

"Silica," I said, "I'm going to check out the marketplace. There might be some useful things here."

"I'll come too!" she said, jumping up behind me.

"Sure."

Starting to walk around, I hoped I could find another weapon or some healing supplies. Both of those would be useful for the immediate and far future, as I need to fix my knee and get another weapon.

This sword won't break for a decent while, unlike my spear for some reason, but having a backup weapon in case anything like this happens again would be extremely useful.

There were plenty of fruit shops, as well as the medieval equivalent of pawn shops, selling things like cards and random pieces of metal, but I couldn't find what I was looking for.

Passing by a clothing shop, the thing I dreaded happened.

Silica asked for me to buy something and waste my hard earned Cor.

"Hey, Nero, can you buy me that dress?" she asked with an excited face.

Sigh…

As much as I hate supplying a devil with clothes, if it makes her trust me, I can buy it.

"...Alright. Choose it quickly."

If it's over one-hundred Cor, I'm not buying it.

"Thanks!"

Walking towards the clothing stand, we got a notification.

[Note for the Players: For the duration of this quest, you have been given a mental link that allows you to communicate.]

How does it activate? If it allows us to read each other's mind, this is probably the worst thing that could've happened.

{Hello? Can you hear me?}

Hearing Silica's voice inside my head, I looked at her and saw her expecting a response.

{Can you hear me?}

{Yes! This is so awesome!}

…That was a close one. It works when we want to communicate a message to each other, it doesn't transmit our thoughts to each other without our consent.

{Let's only use this when we're far apart or need to communicate silently.}

{Sure!}

"Alright, choose a dress."

The stand was much better looking than the apple stand and other stands I saw in the town. It was a dark wooden structure, with a roof over its head and various clothing options displayed, for both male and female customers.

The owner wore a red tunic and used a cane, which was most likely for aesthetic purposes. He wasn't old and he looked like he could walk just fine. He's forty, at most.

"Is this your daughter, good sir?"

"N-no, I'm not," Silica corrected, seemingly embarrassed.

She looks like a twelve year-old, meanwhile, I look like I'm in my twenties, so it's not a stupid assumption to make on his part. Especially during medieval times, when people got married in their teens.

While acting like a father-daughter pair would make for a good disguise, I'd really rather not. Companions are fine.

"No, we are companions. Now, what choices do you have? Please make it quick."

"Very well. There's this," he said, hobbling over with his cane and holding up a frilly white dress.

"No."

It'll get dirty too easily, I don't want to buy another dress when I can just avoid the scenario.

"Very well. How about this?" he said, pulling out a light brown dress. "It would complement the lady's hair."

I don't want to waste my precious preparation time on these silly dresses.

"Sure. We're buying this one," I said, looking at Silica.

She didn't seem to mind that I didn't give her a choice in the selection, she was just excited to get the clothes.

"That'll be one hundred Cor."

I paid for the amount, feeling an aching in my soul at the wasted money, and started communicating through the mental link.

{So… before you decided to buy this, did you think about how you would wear it here?}

{I didn't get it to wear it here, I'll just put it in my inventory until I have a proper chance to wear it!}

Quite optimistic, thinking that we'll survive these trials.

{Sure sure, but don't you want to try it on?}

While I don't want to waste time on this, I need to keep up this damned facade.

I hate acting. It's best for the situation and gets me the best outcome and everything like that, but acting goody-goody with a Japanese person is sickening.

Plus, she's an utterly useless teammate. She has shown zero worth and will most likely continue to do so later on.

A reward after the trials might have been justified, if she put in proper effort and made a real contribution, but she has done none of that and is now wasting our time during the trials.

The worst part is that with this act and having to play purely rational and get the greatest benefits to survive these trials, I need to keep doing this.

{If I have a private place to try it, then sure! I don't want to buy it and find out it doesn't fit me later on, after all.}

"Say, Sir. Is there a place she can try this on?"

The man leaned towards the counter and responded, "We have something like that. There's a section in the back where we store the clothes not on display. She could wear it there."

In case someone kidnaps her while she's there, I'll communicate with her through the mind link.

"Sure. Lead her there."

{Stay in contact with me. Or do you want me to go with you?}

Judging from her earlier reaction with the daughter mishap, she gets easily embarrassed, so I doubt she'll agree. I don't want to babysit her at all times, either.

{N-no, I'll be fine.}

{Alright then. Just keep in touch through this link.}

{Alright.}

She wore the thing and came out with no incidents occurring, and the dress was decent.

I don't care about clothing too much, unless it's my own. She seemed to be ecstatic about it, though.

"Thank you for buying this!"

"No problem."

Noticing some commotion in the courtyard, I saw knights keeping guard near a frail man on top of a horse.

His hair was a plain brown, and was skinny for someone in an authority position during the medieval age. The rulers and aristocrats of that time usually indulged in every one of the seven deadly sins, especially gluttony.

He rode through the courtyard, greeting people on top of his pure white horse.

"The king is here!" "Cheers to Our Majesty!"

The people responded as you'd expect from peasants being graced with the presence of a king, all cheers and common sense thrown out the window. But that's not what I should be focusing on.

How should I make the most of this situation? It's not every day that I see a king, I should do something, right?

Or maybe not. It's also beneficial to not attract attention in a situation like this, where the Seeker will be trying to find Silica and the Hider will be trying to avoid me.

It's very easy to find someone when they've attracted the attention of the entire area, and it's very easy to hide from someone when you know where they are due to them attracting so much attention.

I guess we should stay quiet.

"HELLO SIR KING!" shouted Silica, caught up in the moment.

…

The king noticed her young voice among the crowd and began riding towards us.

…

Why is she such dead weight? No, at this point she's worse than dead weight, she's a hindrance.

"Why hello there, young lady," he said, eying us up. "Say, would you happen to be her guardian?"

"Technically, yes."

"I see. Could I have a chat with you?"

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Appreciating the respect shown to him, he dismounted the horse, showing his pitiful height, and motioned for me to follow him to the side, away from the others.

"So then," he said, turning towards me. "I'm willing to buy her. What's your price?"

Oh, I get it now.

HAHAHA! The king wants her as a "comfort woman", if you catch my drift.

This is the best outcome I could've had! What better place to hide than in the company of a ruler in his own castle?

"How much are you willing to pay?"

This is probably the worst move one can make in a trade, because it allows the other party to set the price, but that's what I'm aiming for. I bet he sees the fact that I'm allowing him to choose the price, which is also what I want. Being on good terms with him will be beneficial.

"Mhmm, how about two hundred Cor?"

"Quite a price for an ordinary girl," I said, probing him.

"That dress complements her features. I've also never seen a man so willing to sell his companion, or daughter, I'm not sure what she is to you."

"She'll be safe in Sir Edward's company."

It's not unnatural for medieval men to have underage women, in fact, it was basically the norm. I'm not sure about what will happen in his company, but my victory is more important than whether or not this king forces himself on a Japanese pile of meat.

I doubt he'll do it though, despite that confident exterior, his outward appearance shows who he is, and my interaction with him showed me all I needed to know.

Only a kind king would even bother paying for who he assumed to be a peasant girl. In fact, I'm surprised he even bothered to talk to me. A normal king from these times would have imprisoned us for false accusations to keep his image, then take the girl forcefully and for free.

Not to mention how much he paid; two-hundred Cor for her when he could've taken her for free?

He's probably some kind, mushy man inside. His outward appearance reflects that, only a virtuous type of king wouldn't succumb to the temptations of gluttony.

"Very well. I implore you to inform her of the situation and accompany me to my castle; I don't want to separate you two so quickly."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that I can't accompany you until I get supplies to heal my wounds."

Will he bite the bait?

"There's no need to search and buy it on your own. My castle has supplies galore and a doctor to assist you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. You truly are a benevolent king. I entrust my daughter to you."

While I'd prefer not acting as a father-daughter pair, the knowledge that he just apparently separated a father from his beloved child might make him feel more guilty and reward us with more "gifts".

Silica has been annoying me this whole time through the mental link as well. I told her that I'd tell her everything afterwards and she shut up well enough after that.

Damn little devil. I'm already getting tired of her.

"It is not a problem. Now, please inform your daughter and follow me."

"Thank you."

{Alright, Silica, listen closely.}

{Yeah?}

{The situation is complicated but it works out for us. Short story is that the king has decided to take us into his castle for a while. We are now a father-daughter pair, got it? You'll have to pretend to be the king's lover, however weird that sounds. He won't do anything though, don't worry.}

Outburst in three, two, one…

{Wa-wait what!? I have to pretend to be the king's lover and we're now pretending to be a father and his daughter?!}

{This is the best situation for us, we can hide you from the Seeker and give me the time to find the Hider. There's no better place to hide than in the company of a ruler in his own castle, Silica.}

I doubt she'll agree to it just like this. Despite being so "friendly" to each other, we haven't even known each other for a day.

Guilt tripping her should be easy enough.

{I've had multiple injuries from my clone battle that I didn't tell you about. I need to get them healed before they get me killed. The king offered some medical care to me. I also spent all of my Cor on that dress of yours, and the king offered to pay me back. He's not a rotten man. We need to protect you.}

{U-uh… okay, I guess. I'll try.}

{Thank you. Now, I'll pretend to break the news to you. Act like you're worried until you hear that I'm coming with you. Got it?}

{Sure…}

Meeting back up with Silica and the guards, I released the thoughts I had been suppressing until I dealt with the king.

The king is sentient, however, he's not a player.

Does that mean NPCs can be intelligent and not just robots? If so, why aren't the other NPCs I've met sentient?

This opens up a world of possibilities and risks.

I'll have to deal with that knowledge later though, first, I need to take care of this situation.

We went through the confrontation, and Silica's acting was decent. It fooled the king at least, though I'm not sure about the guards. But even if it didn't fool the guards, then it doesn't matter. What can they do with the information that she pretended to be worried, at least until I was put into the equation? They'd probably chalk it up to some complicated relationship problems and leave it at that.

We walked towards the castle, but after the initial celebration of the king arriving, the people didn't give us much attention.

They cleared the way where we walked, but otherwise, they didn't acknowledge us.

I wonder how these actually living people think of the mindless NPCs.

Something to ponder on.

No one spoke during the walk, though Silica and I communicated through the mental link sometimes.

It's annoying. It's extremely tactically appealing and useful, but it's annoying.

Every time she has some minor concern or thing to comment on, she shares it through the mental link.

{Look! Do you see the huge cross on the front door of the castle!}

{Yes, I do. It's fancy.}

{I know right! By the way, don't you think these trials are just amazing! I got to meet my clone self, and now we get to stay as guests in a castle!}

…

I can't wait to see her naivety and optimism crushed; traits like those are unbefitting of a devil.

{...Yes.}

I just hope I can get through these trials and rid myself of this child as soon as possible.

POV Switch - 3rd (Yui)

"So then… I've given the Hegemaniac time to prepare, so now I can recruit someone to watch over him."

Yui, stretching in her chair, smiled at her plan.

"I can't do much directly now, the quests don't even have the death penalty for failure any more - though I'm not sure if he realises. Still, I can always get others to target him for me! There are some strong players, if I can convince them to show up in Hegemaniac's location then they can make mincemeat of him, but first... I'll give Hegemaniac some time to prepare so that I can hire someone to watch over him. He wasn't supposed to get any preparation time, let alone this much, but the future matters more than the immediate situation. I can't watch over him and make sure he doesn't cheat all the time since I have administrator duties. So, time to get an employee."

However, Yui has no friends. Therefore, she has no one to count on in this situation, except for one woman.

Snapping her fingers, Yui appeared inside of a forest.

Glancing around, covering her eyes from the setting sun, she couldn't find who she was looking for.

"I know you can hear me! I need your help!"

Getting no reply, Yui sighed, and then shouted again.

"It'll be interesting!"

That got a reply, and a woman with slightly violet-tinted white hair and smooth, pale skin came out of nowhere.

She had purple eyes and a flower ornament in her hair, but that wasn't the peculiar thing.

The strange - and quite noticeable - aspect of her was the fox ears sprouting out of her head and the fox tails behind her.

"Yes?"

"I need your help… Are you willing t-"

"Count me in, kon."