Chapter 540: An Orchestra For You, Part 20
Author's Preface
Writing pefu-pefu on an iPad mini
"We can be considered uneducated on this matter. However, we are truly fortunate that two people who possess this information are present here today. First... yes, let's continue with you, Mirei-kun."
"Yes, yes, understood〜. Anyway, once I cleared the Fourth Movement, it transitioned into the Final Movement. It was a pretty close fight, and it flowed so smoothly into the Final Movement that I couldn't clearly catch the dialogue, sorry."
(*Oh right, I think Orchestra started a monologue then too.*)
"From what I could catch, I think she was saying something about her reason for singing, and also describing the enemy that would appear in the dictated 'Final Movement'."
(*In my case... I think the line went something like, "A distant, rootless traveler. Eyes that gaze upon myriad worlds. You are a Migratory Bird." I'm vaguely remembering it because I used up too much brainpower on the subsequent events to care.*)
"Ah, wait a sec, my IQ 120 brain is remembering〜... Ah right, I think the one standing in the way was 'Lorelei'..."
"...Hmm?"
(*Something feels off. No, but I doubt this game reuses lines.*)
"Simultaneous with Orchestra's monologue, a change occurred in the faceless orchestra behind her. There was a fluctuation in their numbers, and after that, the final enemy appeared... Was it roughly the same for you too?"
"...Right, yeah. It was like that for me too."
(*No, wait... I see, so that's her angle. In that case, I'll play along.*)
"And the final enemy that appeared after that in the Final Movement was so shocking that even I got spooked on my first try. You too, right?"
"..."
(*A brief silence. This bastard is using her own explanation to gauge my reaction and compare it with her own experience...?*)
(*Too bad. Now that I've seen through it, my self-proclaimed IQ 125 brain will expose your secrets instead.*)
"Well, yeah〜... I really didn't expect it to copy my weapons and battle style."
"Mu."
(*The same? I totally thought she faced some dud boss and assumed I was further ahead... but from the sound of it, there's not much difference from my case.*)
(*The number of orchestra members fluctuated, and then the final enemy appeared. The one that "perfectly copied" my specs was undeniably a Trace AI...*)
"It felt like it completely read all of my moves, right〜?"
"Yeah, right."
(*...As I thought, the same? She's making a face like she's disappointed too. I threw out a bluff thinking there was a difference, but it turns out it was exactly the same, huh.*)
"Wait, weren't we supposed to explain in order... Well whatever. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I suffered a complete defeat. Not only did it read all my moves perfectly, it even perfectly copied my weapon specs."
"I had a similar experience〜. It was so thorough that it specifically copied the design of my main weapon... And the specs too. A boss character having self-buffs is cheating, don't you think?"
(*Well, if you look for them, there are probably tons of bosses like that, but in my case, it's no joke.*)
"Even if it's humanoid, it's a pain having it constantly throw a Superior Upgrade at you."
"Right〜, the scale is just different〜..."
(*At this point, one of the Library members who had been listening raises a hand.*)
"We can't properly analyze the combat aspects until you defeat it, right? In that case, shouldn't we prioritize analyzing the lore and setting?"
"You have a point. So, both of you, did you notice anything during the battle aside from the combat itself?"
(*As if I could notice anything outside of combat during combat...*)
"I barely had time to think about that... Ah, but I do have a lingering doubt about whether simply defeating the enemy in the Final Movement is enough."
"And by that, you mean?"
"It's a Unique Scenario, after all. The question is whether it just ends with a straightforward victory."
"That's true〜... But if that's the case, wouldn't it be a scam if it doesn't end with the Final Movement〜...?"
"Isn't it possible that you can't beat it without triggering an Encore?"
(*Whether it was Wethermon, Ctarrnid, or Siegwurm, there was satisfaction at the end of their scenarios. A real sense of completion.*)
(*But Orchestra feels thin on that front. I'd almost find an EX scenario called "Conquista Doll's Heart-Pounding☆Challenge" more convincing than whatever Orchestra is about; that's how little I understand Orchestra itself.*)
"That's a good observation〜. What do the rest of you think?"
"It seems like a valid possibility."
"But does a classical-style orchestra even do encores?"
"It's called an Orchestra, but the content is more like an opera, right? If you think of it as an Aria Reprise, wouldn't it be possible?"
"I feel like the foundation itself isn't set. It feels like we're just walking straight down a path without opening any other doors."
"So you're saying we need to find something not during the battle with Orchestra, but before we even get there?"
"So, Leviathan then?"
"But we're currently stuck in Leviathan..."
"The First and Second Shell Layers are simple mazes, but from the Third onwards, puzzle-solving—or rather, searching for keys—gets involved."
"And the third one is clearly impossible with human physical capabilities..."
(*Would it be inappropriate to express my sorrow over casually getting spoiled on Leviathan right now, or is it my fault for eavesdropping in a den of lore-freaks?*)
(*Still, the way they build hypotheses from just a few words is exactly what you'd expect from Library. If this were Wolfgang, the discussion would probably end with "Who knows?"*)
"That has been pointed out before. Judging from Wethermon's Tome of Truth... pretty much everything in this game is a one-time chance. Branching endings are highly likely... That's exactly why we want to increase our verification patterns while simultaneously wanting to halt progression... My, my. A real-time, ongoing investigation is quite enough to get these old bones fired up."
"You seem to be enjoying life."
"Absolutely. Now then, Mirei-kun, it's about time you revealed your trick..."
(*Half of that was meant to be sarcastic, but the fact that he probably realized it and still responded like that shows his years of experience. And then, it happened.*)
"Emergency: Contractor, requesting Storage into Inventoria as quickly as possible."
"Whoa, what's with the sudden outburst!?"
"Mion=031 retreated ahead of time, so highly reluctantly, this unit am left to act as the rearguard... There is no time."
(*I-I don't really get it, but for now I'll store Saina in Inventoria. What on earth...*)
"Elma=317 signal lost... Initiating detailed scan. Annihilate upon discovery. Annihilate..."
(*Hey, who let a runaway robot loose?*)
"Wait... Didn't I just draw the short straw!?"
(*Ugh, where did Emul even go!? Right when I'm out of Teleport scrolls... Argh!!*)
"Time for a field investigation, I'll be right back!!"
"Ah,"
(*Don't stop me! It's not like I was thinking this was a perfect excuse because I was getting tired of all this theory-crafting and wanted to move my body!! Moving out!!*)
◆
"He's gone..."
"He totally took off〜."
"Good grief... He left before you could explain your bad habit. Also, didn't you say your IQ was 127 earlier?"
"Ahaha, my apologies〜... It actually went up to 130 recently... Though I realized after taking the test that the main drawback is how hard it is to flex your IQ〜."
"It's fine with us, but I'll warn you again with the meddling heart of an old man: you really need to do something about your habit of withholding the main point even from players in other clans. So? We are merely listeners here, so how about you share your opinion?"
"Right〜... This is just hearsay, but he's quite the Giant Killer, isn't he〜?"
"Yes. Ctarrnid, Siegwurm, Lycaon, and the giant monster you mentioned earlier... He seems to be repeatedly pulling off Giant Killing, quite literally and not just metaphorically."
"I met him in Thirdrema. If he just wanted firepower, there's no reason to go all the way back to Thirdrema〜... There was the possibility of a job change〜, but if so, calling it 'training' is a bit weird, right〜?"
"Bad habit."
"Ah... Sorry about that. Well, to get straight to the point〜..."
"The Final Movement he's fighting is probably 'humanoid', right〜? The Final Movement I fought was a 3-meter tall monster mermaid... This means the routes have already branched, doesn't it〜?"
Author's Afterword
Mirei is the type of person who likes to withhold the conclusions she reaches.
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