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Volume 5 Chapter 1 Part 10

「No no, it is fine, you do not have to apologize, really. We do not need that many people to begin with, and we can always ask other Players…」

 

(. . .Hmm?)

 

Just then, Izayoi and You felt a sense of incongruity in Lalah’s words.

 

「What do you mean 「you will ask other Players」? Do you need the help of Players specifically?」

 

「But you said it yourself, right? That this has nothing to do with the Game?」

 

「No, no, it is fine, really. You guys just focus on solving the mystery of the Game and do not worry about us.」

 

After giving them that mechanically-sounding answer, Lalah quickly stood up and left her seat. They felt that what she just said sounded unnatural, but since they refused to help her they also felt that they had no right to stop her from leaving.

 

「So, what are we going to do about this? That reaction sure was strange, huh?」

 

You asked Izayoi while biting on her salted olive with anxiety.

 

「Yeah, definitely. Also, that reply of hers did not outright deny the connection of that task to the Game itself. And then there is that bit about asking other Players for help as well.」

 

If it really had nothing to do with the Game, then she would not have limited the options of getting help for the village just from among the participating Players. That is also the thing that Izayoi wanted to hear from Prithvi Mata the other day. To confirm or deny if as long as the natives are in charge of facilitating the current Gift Game they can or cannot make any additional requests of the Players.

 

「Damn, this totally sucks. What is wrong with me today? Am I still half asleep as a side effect from yesterday?」

 

「B-But does that mean that we missed something? Or have we overlooked some hints that were being given to the Players along the way? Were they any to begin with?」

 

「Calm down. At such times, the best thing to do it to go over the Game’s Victory Conditions once more.」

 

Saying that, Izayoi took out his Geass Roll and sat next to You so that they could reconfirm the Victory Conditions together.

–2nd War for the Sun’s Authority’s First Round Gift Game 『The Lost Continent of Atlantis』–

 

※ Conditions for obtaining a Sun Authority:

① Voluntary transfer between participants (including the results of smaller competitions conducted between the participants throughout the duration of the main Gift Game).

 

② Fulfilling the conditions required for clearing the Gift Game described in the appendix to the attached map of the Lost Continent.

 

③ Furthermore, Sun Authority may be awarded to those who conduct themselves in the appropriate manner throughout the course of the Games of Gods and Demons.

 

④ (To be disclosed to the Players at a later date)

 

※ Prohibitions and Restrictions to be adhered to throughout the course of the Gift Game:

① All of the participating Players and parties associated with them are forbidden from leaving or escaping form The Lost Continent of Atlantis before the 『Lost Continent』 Gift Game reaches its intended conclusion.

 

② In order to leave The Lost Continent of Atlantis properly, Players are required to either solve the mystery of the Lost Continent or clear the victory conditions.

 

③  While on the Lost Continent, Players are forbidden from killing other Players.

 

※ Rules regarding the landing order upon arrival on the Lost Continent:

① Person or party that won the most Exhibition Gift Games conducted onboard of the Giant Spirit Train 『Sun Thousand』 while on the way to the Lost Continent of Atlantis can freely choose where they wish to embark from the Giant Spirit Train.

 

② Upon landing on the Lost Continent, Players are required to spend two weeks, which is the designated period of 『The Lost Continent’s』 Gift Game, at their own discretion and risk

 

※『Lost Continent of Atlantis’』 Gift Game victory conditions:

Following the guidance of the overlapping stars, find the old hero and discover the mystery of the Chief God’s declaration

 

Signed by the 2^nd War for the Sun’s Authority’s Organizational Committee, *Seal*

 

 

「「. . .Ah! God damn it ! ! !」」

 

The two of them screamed in unison. There it was, right at the very beginning, under the Conditions for obtaining a Sun Authority clause:

 

「「Furthermore, Sun Authority may be awarded to those who conduct themselves in the appropriate manner throughout the course of the Games of Gods and Demons.」

 

「Shit, so this is what they meant by that!」

 

Noticing their newbie mistake, Izayoi and You facepalmed together. Games of Gods and Demons. . . that is just another name of the Gift Games! And by definition, Gift Games are meant to put the Player’s Strength, Wisdom and Courage to the test. These are the very basics of the basics that are explained to every person who gets summoned to Little Garden at least once. So, behaving well in a Gift Games given to them by the natives must have been a form of pre-trials that the organizers placed into the main Game as an additional method of testing the Players out. That is why Lalah said: 「we could really use the courage of someone as powerful as you」instead of 「we could really use the strength of someone as courageous as you」!

 

「S-So what are we going to do now? Should we chase after her and say that we are interested in helping the, after all?」

 

「Do not be absurd. Whether we like it or not, it would be best to think that our chances for taking part in Lala’s Gift Game have expired. To put in in a video games term, we had the chance to accept a quest from an NPC and we blew it spectacularly.」

 

In this situation, even if they went to Lalah now and asked her to tell them about the village’s problems again, she would probably not ask them if they wanted to give them a hand at solving them. So now that it has come to this, they basically have only one option remaining: to have someone else get close to Lalah on their behalf and then force. . . . gently persuade that someone to participate in her Gift Game in Izayoi and You’s place so that they could accompany them.

 

「Players who could get close to Lalah to participate in her Gift Game and who are also brave enough for them to be noticed by her in the first place. . . . so I guess that means that Homura is out of the question, huh?」

 

「Yes, most definitely out of the question. That guy is a scientist, and these almost exclusively the brainy types, not courageous types, and sadly, Homura is not an exception when it comes to that quality of theirs.」

 

「All right, so he is a no-go. Roger. Then. . . what about Arjuna? Or perhaps Asterios?」

 

「They are no good as well. When I talked about them with Homura yesterday, he said that they were acting as Suzuka’s escort, and Suzuka herself supposedly stormed off somewhere because apparently there was something that she absolutely needed to check out. .  . .  . but to be completely honest with you, even if he was available to us, I do not know if I wanted t entrust Arjuna with such an important task. There are simply too many unanswered questions about him, and my gut feeling is telling me that not letting him participate in any Gift game where The Sun Authority is at stake is the only possible option, even if relying on him would be our last resort. Call me biased or prejudiced or whatever, but I refuse to trust someone who has made his mark in mythology as an 『Oathbreaking Hero』.