Bonus chapter thanks to @Albaito and @Grav from Ko-fi!
[Are you ready?]
Frondier heard Malia’s voice coming from the other side of the phone.
“Yes.”
[Then let’s start. You’ve already done it once, so you won’t be surprised, right?]
Right after Malia’s voice.
Frondier began to see two landscapes overlapping. Malia’s sensory sharing was starting to show through his eyes.
“…Okay. Then I’ll hang up for a moment.”
Rank – Divine
Khryselakatos, Lokhiera
The Black Lotus, the armband, and the necklace, which had been improved and returned to his hands.
Frondier was able to control the Obsidian after hearing the exact operation method from Edwin.
Frondier pulled the string of the bow, creating a bow and arrow from the Obsidian flowing from the armband. Up to this point, it was no different from when he first showed the fireworks in Constel.
But this time.
Pheeew-
Pababababang!!
Arrows bursting and splitting in the sky.
However, the arrows, which should have originally headed for one point, split in two and fell.
The two groups headed to completely different places. One fell near Frondier, and the other flew beyond the forest and out of sight.
Frondier picked up the phone again.
“How was it?”
[Success!]
Malia’s delighted voice was heard. It was also visible in Frondier’s shared vision. Another group of arrows that flew beyond the forest hit the target made of wood exactly.
Frondier just did one test.
Malia’s sensory sharing can share vision, and because it is shared, Frondier can also see the vision that Malia is seeing.
Using Malia’s shared vision, this was the original ‘fireworks’ – ultra-long-range shooting with Khryselakatos that hits anything he sees.
What he did this time was not much different, but Frondier came up with another idea, thinking that only ‘one of his eyes’ was sharing vision.
‘Since both eyes are seeing different landscapes, if I shoot arrows while looking at both sides, wouldn’t it be possible to bombard two points simultaneously?’
It was a bold and ignorant idea, but Khryselakatos actually did it. It was just proven.
“This way, immediate support is possible when battles occur simultaneously in multiple locations,” Selena, who was watching from the side, said with admiration.
“That’s right. Originally, I was going to use it in this battle.”
Frondier smiled bitterly.
Frondier was originally planning to leave the barrier ‘secretly’.
When Selena brought Malia, they would share senses, and Frondier, who secretly escaped the barrier, would go to break the fragments.
And to prepare for the monsters attacking the barrier in the meantime, he would simultaneously shoot at the fragments and the barrier.
That’s why he asked Selena to bring Malia.
But this plan was only possible if Frondier didn’t participate in the second battle. Because no matter how fast Selena was, he thought she would come after the second battle.
However, the actual battlefield does not go as he thinks. It would be nice if the game happened exactly as it is in reality, but the activated Helheim fragments, the black monsters born from them, and the intervention of the gods were all unforeseen circumstances.
Frondier pushed himself too hard and was driven to a truly dangerous situation.
But it’s not just the enemies that don’t go as planned.
Selena, who returned much faster than he expected, Sylvain’s quick awakening with his left hand, and the sudden appearance of the Imperial secret agents.
There were also allies who helped him overcome the difficulties.
‘In the end, looking back, I’ve received so much help that Malia’s sensory sharing wasn’t even necessary.’
If he had tried to fight alone, Malia would have been indispensable. In fact, after receiving sensory sharing, Frondier headed for the fragments beyond the battlefield while watching the situation at the barrier with shared vision.
However, the performance of Sylvain, the Roach Knights, and Enfer exceeded Frondier’s expectations.
Sylvain, in particular, was like a different person after switching his sword to his left hand. Even if he was originally left-handed, it would take time to adjust.
Seeing their fight, Frondier judged that the situation at the barrier was ‘okay’.
Of course, bringing Malia wasn’t meaningless.
Even now, he can do tests like this, and if Frondier hadn’t been watching the situation at the barrier when he went to the fragments, he might not have been able to concentrate properly because he was worried about it.
─You are quite lonely.
─You seemed to know everything.
─You always fight alone, Sloth Frondier.
The sharp advice of Empress Philly, which he had heard once, echoed in his ears.
“Haha.”
‘It’s going to stick in my ears until I die.’
Frondier smiled bitterly.
Even if he engraved that advice deep in his heart, Frondier would probably fight alone again someday.
Because he is the only human who knows the ending of this world.
Due to the information and knowledge he possesses alone, there will surely come a time when he is not understood, and a time when no one will tolerate his actions.
There is only one reason why variables such as Helheim fragments, black monsters, and divine intervention were created this time.
The existence of Frondier de Roach.
Because the character who rarely appeared and disappeared in the original game is starting to raise his head, such dangerous variables are created.
‘So it’s because of me.’
No one else would know.
The reason this battle was harsher than any other attempts in the game was the butterfly effect caused by Frondier.
‘So I have to stop it no matter what.’
Frondier moves to prevent the destruction of the world.
But that’s not heroic psychology.
It’s just the main quest. He has to conquer this game.
But if the world he is trying to save becomes more dangerous because of his actions, what is the point of it?
‘So I’ll do it all.’
While struggling to prevent destruction, he also calms the typhoon caused by that struggle.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“I think I’m too greedy after all.”
“It’s absurd.”
“Hahaha.”
Selena answered without a moment’s hesitation.
The escort who was watching closest confirmed it. Let’s just accept it instead of trying to deny it.
[Frondier, come back now. It’s unsettling to watch you there.]
At Malia’s words, Frondier looked around unconsciously.
Half of the fireworks he just shot hit the mark where Malia was located, but the remaining half landed on the nearby monsters.
Not only that, there were numerous advance obstructions of monsters set up by Frondier and Selena in the vicinity.
Of course, they were dirty with blood, but if you looked at what they had done, it was already in the realm of art.
That’s right. Frondier and Selena were once again beyond the barrier.
“Is this like a final cleaning? Like destroying an anthill?”
Selena, who was next to him, asked.
“Um, no. I want to eliminate the last element of anxiety.”
Frondier replied.
The last element of anxiety in this battle.
‘If there are monsters that fly in the sky, there must be the opposite.’
It is a future monster that does not appear right now. Only Frondier knows about it, so he can’t explain it, but he was worried that if the gods intervened, that monster might pop out too.
Selena just said anthill, which was a very good expression. Selena herself wouldn’t know.
‘…But not yet.’
Frondier felt the surrounding presence sensitively. But neither he nor Selena felt any other presence.
──That monster has not yet appeared.
“Okay, let’s go back, Selena.”
“Yes.”
Frondier turned around, and Selena followed.
Across the barrier, humans grow to expand their territory.
To overcome the terrifying monsters outside and expand that barrier once more. To someday make this entire continent a human territory again, and to meet another secret that lies beyond the sea.
But someday, if the ‘barrier’ becomes meaningless, then humans─
“…It’s a matter for later.”
“Yes?”
“Ah, no. I mean vacation. It’s a matter for later.”
Frondier gathered the words he had spoken without realizing it. But Selena looked at Frondier with an even stranger face.
“A matter for later? Frondier-nim.”
“Yes?”
“Vacation ends tomorrow.”
…Ah?