Chapter 447: O Dragon, O Dragon! Part 24

Author's Preface
Q. Why was the upload late?
A. Because the plot broke and the author broke along with it. I wonder if I can finish this by the end of the year...? (Stares into the distance)

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"Yo."

"Whoa, half-naked..."

"Hello, I'm Sunraku, the man who reached the realm beyond the lower limit of VIT because of Siegwurm."

"And I am the Super Intelligence Doll Unit, Unit Number Elma=317."

"Wait, you want me to handle this like Pencilgon or OiKatzo? Don't ask for the impossible."

My very existence was just treated as 'the impossible,' so if we went to court, I'd probably win, wouldn't I?
Well whatever, this time I just came to see Kyoutimate, who was made to 'stay behind and watch the house' due to Pencilgon's schemes.

"The more I look at it, the more hilarious this picture gets."

"Considering how things are going to develop from here, I actually agree. But I do kind of like the naming sense... Oh, want a bite? It's salt-grilled fish prepared by the Mermen."

"Wait, they're doing stuff like that?"

"Their clothes are a bit fishy-smelling but they're surprisingly popular, you know? Them, I mean. You know, that one guy who's super confident... with a name that sounds like Ribs."

"Ah, Araba?"

"Yeah, yeah. He got himself a Yumejoshi Clan (Fan Club)."

Oh crap, that might be the funniest thing I've heard all day. A fan club... W-Well, I guess I've got a Search Party Fan Club formed for me too, right? In a broad sense, it's not an exaggeration to call them a fan club, I guess?

"I mean, doesn't that guy already have a lover or something?"

That Nereid with a name sounding like a Gluttonous Wardrobe. Honestly, they're basically living together; from the perspective of someone like me who has traversed countless games ranging from trash scenarios to games where only the scenario is decent, those two are definitely getting together.

Come to think of it, there are Dwarves here too... Honestly, I don't feel all that much appeal for so-called Spirit (Existence) weapons, but if they're a race that prides themselves on their blacksmithing, I'm interested. After all, NPC blacksmiths have completely different naming senses for the weapons they craft depending on their character... like Vash and Bilac.

"I can still grasp the info even from here; Noirlind and Siegwurm fell, and apparently some red werewolf-looking thing swung around an iron plate, exploded, and died with its underwear completely exposed while spinning in a tailspin? Hahaha, I guess this is that battlefield-specific information confusion everyone talks about, huh?"

"Everything from the fake red werewolf onward was entirely me."

"That was sober information...?"

While gazing at Kyoutimate clutching her head, I turned on my heel.

"Well then, I'll be heading back to the front lines. But are you really okay with this? Not participating in the Siegwurm fight."

"Hmm... well, if we're talking about doing things legally... this side is better, you know?"

"Is that right."

Manslayer junkie...

"Well, if the person in question has no complaints, I won't say anything about it; just watch out for aerial surprise attacks."

"Ah, aerial surprise attacks remind me, if I want to deal with that guy (jerk of the chin), are Fireworks really the most stable option?"

"Unless you're a top-tier ranker, the optimal solution for dealing with that guy (jerk of the chin) is to strike first, but if you're executing Divine Punishment on the counter, the established answer is either Fireworks or a Pot Lid."

A Pot Lid is one of the few indestructible objects in Bakumatsu, so it definitely filters players since it requires the sheer skill to intercept every single incoming arrow, but since the 2nd and 3rd rankers actually beat him that way, I can't really argue against it. Me? I just kicked Fireworks right at him with an overhead kick and blew him up.
By the way, Raid Boss-san is out of the question; deflecting arrows with bullets is just straight-up insane.

"A Pot Lid..."

"It just proves that the strongest shield in Bakumatsu isn't just for show, though it doesn't actually have a handle so it entirely depends on the player's grip strength. For a while there was a trend of smugly rocking Double Pot Lid Shields by maxing out the strength stats that grip strength scales off of..."

As long as you could catch attacks directly from the front, it really was an invincible shield... outside of 1v1s, that is.

"Alright, I'm heading back."

Since Emul wasn't nearby, having to burn my own Magic Scrolls was subtly inconvenient.

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"Alrighty then, guess I'll go cheer on Akitsu Akane while smashing Siegwurm up!"

"───Excuse me, Sunraku-sama."

A voice calling out to me. Despite not being shouted at, despite being a sound thrown so quietly, it was as if it grabbed my consciousness by the scruff of the neck and forced me to listen.

Turning around, I saw a girl whose otherworldly appearance was coated in an equally otherworldly atmosphere—as if her existence was permitted only within fiction and virtual reality—staring at me with her eyebrows lowered in slight distress.

"Whoops, if it isn't the Saint-sama."

"Oh, thank goodness. Actually..."

『Will you begin the quest "Sword of the Saint"? Yes / No』

"───I have a single favor to ask."

...A quest at this timing? If I recall, the contents of Iristella's quests changed every time, so this was probably a completely different quest from the "Rescue the King and his Daughter" one I took before... No, wait, there was someone else here currently going through something way more alarming.

"Abnormal Reaction [Illegal]: Precision scrutiny... Interruption [Error]. Tentative 'Annihilation Mandatory Class[Destruction]', Class X [Zehn] Armament... Negative, target is next-generation... Negative. Negative. Negative. Could it be, previous-generation, no, but............"

"Previous-Era Appliance Repair Fist—the 'smacking an appliance usually fixes it' technique!!"

"Hogyuh. Impact to the head: Temporary suspension of thought──────Hah."

"Don't start bugging out in front of Saint-chan-sama, you piece of junk."

She was bugging out so hard smoke looked like it was going to come out of her head. Good grief... you better explain that later.

"Yes, yes. I don't mind at all. If it's a request from the Saint-sama..."

I selected YES to accept the quest displayed on the window, and a few seconds after it was processed, Saint-chan began to spin her words.

"Truthfully, I've run away from home."

"Eh...?"

Wait a minute, spare me from an antagonistic route with Josette. If I screw this up, won't all the responsibility land squarely on my shoulders!?

"Well, that was just a joke, though?"

"Is that right..."

"But it's true that I snuck out without telling Josette and the others, just a little... mischief."

"Eh...? (Second time)"

Hey, is this really going to be okay? Worst-case scenario, wouldn't this turn not only Josette and her group, but all religion-related NPCs into enemies?

"Master, that concern is likely unnecessary."

"What?"

"Considering the information in my possession and the current situation... there exists no entity capable of harming her... save for one single exception."

"Seriously?"

So the OP character theory wasn't wrong after all. More importantly, isn't Saint-chan being in invincible mode right now kinda insane?

"It should be impossible... however, since she physically exists, I have no choice but to define it as such."

"...You'd better tell me later, even if it's just a hypothesis, you hear me... Evasion is one of the most easily hated elements of an OP character's moveset, you know...? Well whatever, and? May I ask the reason why the world-renowned Saint-sama deliberately sneaked out in secret?"

"Let's see... A bird that desires its own birdcage still looks out the window, after all... Fufu, so why not just take the birdcage itself outside, don't you agree?"

...?

"Couldn't you just destroy the birdcage and kick the bird out?"

"I'm sure that is also a correct answer, but even I possess enough emotion to want to respond to those who adore me."

Man, this is tough. It seems like she's talking about something important, but I'm just answering on pure spinal reflex. I have zero Intelligence right now.

"Let's confirm the order. Saint-sama wants to go on an outing without telling the Shining Knights of the Holy Shield; where is your destination?"

"Fufufu, that is a place you know quite well... because that is the very place you suggested to Josette, and the very place they gave up on........."

Uh-oh? Suspicion that we stepped on a flag even before the quest triggered? Wait, wait, a place we suggested to her guards, a place we know quite well... the only place that fits those conditions in this situation...

"Avenger Swordsman with ties to Rabituza, would you please take me before Siegwurm?"

"...Make sure you take my side when I have to explain myself to Josette and the others later."

Oh man, to end up holding a bomb at a time like this... But fine, I don't mind at all. Throwing in this much spice makes life way more fun. Besides, if my guess is right... this quest might just become our trump card.

Author's Afterword
Saina basically gave away the answer, but yeah, that's what it means.
Saint-chan is currently the only NPC in ShanFro with the Unique Origin "Should Not Have Been Born." If every conceivable worst-case route had been taken, she would have become the 8th Unique Monster! Yay!!