Chapter 3

Well, now that I've given the orders to the legions, I've at least done what needed to be done.

I want to get a quick grasp of the current situation in the town below and move on to the next action, but checking various windows only reflects the information from before the transfer. The legions are still gathering information, and their reports haven't reached Helian yet.

In this game, the status window and other various windows only display information that is known. It's not like you can instantly access the latest information anytime and anywhere just by opening a window.

So, no matter how much I want to get a grasp of the current situation, I have to wait until my subordinates finish gathering a certain amount of information.

"But still, it's painful to just sit around doing nothing."

I opened the chat window. The semi-transparent window that appeared before my eyes listed the names of other players I had previously interacted with—namely, the kings of other countries.

I thought about having a conversation with someone to gather information and pass the time, so I tried displaying the player list, but—

"Huh?"

All the player names on the list were marked in gray.

White indicates online status, gray indicates offline, and black indicates extinction. In other words, all players are offline.

It's odd that there isn't a single online player at a time when many countries should be celebrating their founding anniversaries.

Huh? As I tilted my head in confusion, a gentle knock sounded at the door.

"Lord Helian, it's Reive. I have come to report the results of the current investigation."

"Come in. [Entry] is [Permitted]."

The door to the office opened silently.

Reive, who slipped in, had her back as straight as usual, but her dog ears drooped limply.

This suggests that the report is not good.

"Then, I will report immediately. First, outside the capital, it was completely covered by a forest. Moreover, according to the information from the Sixth Legion, some kind of illusion effect seems to be spread throughout the forest."

"Illusion effect due to terrain... In that case, I'll have the Fourth Legion personnel investigate again. Safety first, use magic from a distance."

"The Fourth Legion commander has already tried, but is struggling with the analysis of the illusion effect, and it's difficult to get immediate results. It seems we need to use our feet."

"Oh, they've already tried. In that case, considering the forest's terrain, I'll organize an investigation team centered around elves... Wait a minute?"

"I understand. I will pass the instructions to the Fourth Legion commander."

—Wait a moment.

"Also, regarding the aerial reconnaissance by the dragon race of the Eighth Legion—more like the result of far-sightedness from the sky—it seems that a deep forest stretches endlessly around the area. Only in the northeast direction does the green seem relatively thin, and it appears that there are some wastelands, but low-altitude observations within the capital's barrier are difficult to confirm further."

—Hold on.

"Also, a minor thing, but the dragons of the Eighth Legion were complaining, 'Raise our altitude more. Or let us go directly to the reconnaissance outside the capital's barrier,' so I hit them to shut them up. They didn't seem to understand the king's order not to provoke other countries. I'll leave the re-education to the Eighth Legion commander. Just in case, I reminded them not to deliver the final blow."

—So, wait a moment.

"Regarding domestic security, the citizens were quite agitated by the sudden situation, but thanks to the efforts of the Second and Fifth Legion commanders, things are now calm. However, the recently annexed ogre faction—"

"—Wait, Reive."

My voice was trembling.

I don't think this was the behavior of a king.

But I couldn't stay silent any longer.

"...? Is something wrong?"

Reive looked puzzled.

It was another unfamiliar emotional expression.

She is the one I should be most familiar with among my many subordinates, yet these new emotional expressions keep coming one after another, which is strange.

Her [Fear] bad status should have been resolved, and she should have returned to her usual [Calm] state. I've seen all the patterns of [Calm] emotional expressions.

However, there was a significant sense of unease that overshadowed even these minor issues.

In the conversation with Reive so far, Helian has not used <Key Language> except for the entry permission. Yet, Reive reacted to Helian's muttered words, and the conversation was established.

—This is impossible.

No matter how advanced the AI is these days, it hasn't reached the point of behaving exactly like a human.

In this game, [Tactics Chronicle], the human side adheres to several rules to make it appear as if humans and AI are freely conversing.

If it were a cutting-edge AI used by countries or companies, it might be capable of complete human communication, but the AI used for entertainment has not yet reached that level.

Therefore, the fact that Helian, as a player, can have such a free conversation with Reive, an AI, is an abnormal occurrence.

"No, calm down... calm down."

I muttered to myself, trying to reassure myself.

Suppose, just hypothetically, that the AI in this game has been improved.

In that case, I'd want to send a complaint email to the management, saying, "If you're going to put so much effort into such a difficult task, you should use those resources elsewhere," but hypothetically, if the AI in this game has evolved to the point where it can have free communication with humans—

—Then, a major version update should have been performed.

It should have required a version update that takes dozens of hours. However, in the past six months, only small to medium-scale upgrades that take about ten to twenty minutes have been implemented.

No major version update has been performed.

"......System Window: Unlock. Selection: Logout. Execute immediately!"

The logout command via voice operation—no response.

Panicking, I moved the semi-transparent system window in front of me and manually executed the logout command—no response.

"What... what the hell is this!?"

With the system window still displayed, I manually executed the GM call command—no response.

My legs were shaking.

I couldn't stop the cold sweat.

"Lord Helian? Is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell...?"

Reive, with her tail hanging limply, looked at me with concern. In her slanted eyes, my reflection seemed smaller.

Reive, suspecting I was unwell, said, "Excuse me," and lifted my bangs to touch my forehead with her hand.

The sensation I felt on my forehead was cold and smooth, a feminine touch.

—Cautiously, I touched Reive's cheek with my right hand.

"Eh? A, ah?"

Her flustered gesture.

Her change in expression.

Another unfamiliar emotional expression.

The fingertips on her cheek.

I felt softness.

I felt warmth.

—So far, so good.

[Tactics Chronicle] is a full-sensory projection VR game that can transmit sensations and temperatures to players. If we only talk about "feeling softness and warmth," it has been possible from the beginning.

However, it was supposed to be just a superficial sensation, a dull one that only provided a certain level of feeling.

Even though it is advertised as being able to feel the five senses, due to the limitations of home game consoles and cost issues, as well as ethical concerns to prevent confusion between reality and the game, it was supposed to only provide artificial sensations.

Yet, what is this breath I feel on my extended right arm?

What is this pulse I feel from her neck where my right hand touches?

What is this natural blush on her cheeks?

What is this sweet scent unique to women?

—This is impossible.

This can't be possible.

Technically, it might be possible to express it if you wanted to.

But to incorporate such detailed information into a game character, let alone a single character, is absolutely impossible.

Think about how many characters exist in this world alone—billions.

To give all of them such a vast amount of information would not only be a memory capacity issue but also a processing speed issue. With a few thousand teraflops, it would be impossible to keep up.

A server capable of handling such a vast amount of information would have to be a supercomputer or an over-technology level.

A keyword suddenly came to mind.

It was written on a pop-up I saw in a bookstore recently.

A genre that exploded in popularity about thirty years ago in online novels and is increasing again recently.

A theme often used in novels and manga targeting younger audiences—being suddenly transported to a different world or a game-like world due to an unfortunate accident or a god's mistake—

—Transportation to another world.

I felt a chill run down my spine for the first time.

My back felt as if it had been pierced by an icicle.

My breathing became ragged.

It was disgusting.

I couldn't stand.

My vision was distorted.

I couldn't stop feeling nauseous.

"Lord Helian...!?"

Reive caught my swaying body.

Her expression was a mix of worry and anxiety, something I couldn't imagine from her usual sharp gaze. Her cheeks, which had been flushed earlier, were now pale, and her eyes were filled with concern for me.

This was another unfamiliar emotional expression.

No, this was no longer an emotional expression that could be generated by a system.

Reive's worried expression, which was so vivid, felt like an unbearable reality to Helian.

It was absurd.

I've been watching too much anime and manga.

There's no such thing as another world.

First of all, I haven't been run over by a truck while protecting a child, or met a god.

No, that's not it. Calm down. What am I thinking? This is just a work of fiction. It can't happen in reality. Transportation to another world is just a fantasy. It should be.

"Nothing... nothing."

I shook my head and stood up.

I couldn't look at Reive's face.

Her too-realistic expression was too much to bear.

"Please sit down. I will call the Third Legion commander immediately. Until then, please—"

"Nothing! Don't call anyone!"

The words of制止 (stopping) that came out of my mouth were unintentionally shouted.

Reive's body trembled.

"No, really, it's nothing. I just felt a bit dizzy. So, please, leave me alone."

A fabricated line.

No, it was just a fabricated line.

But I couldn't meet anyone in my current mental state.

Maybe only the AI of the NPC designated as a royal advisor has been improved.

If that's the case... if only one NPC per player can be made to behave humanly with current commercial technology, that possibility still exists.

So, I can't meet other NPCs.

Somewhere in my head, a rational part was whispering, "It's impossible to improve AI without a major version update," and "How do you explain the overly realistic five senses?" but I didn't have the energy to take it seriously.

I just want to calm down. Please, help me calm down. It's impossible to meet anyone in this state.

"The orders have been given to the legions. We're waiting for their reports. You should... summarize the reports from the legion commanders. Once we have enough information, I'll hear the report again."

"But, it might be better to rest for a while—"

"I'm fine."

Reive's expression was more anxious.

A well-crafted expression that seemed to genuinely care for Helian. And her tone of voice. Her lines.

...Stop it. Don't show me any more gestures that aren't in the game.

"At least let me examine you—"

"Enough! I said I'm fine! Leave and gather the information!"

Reive flinched at the shout.

Her posture, which reminded me of a scolded puppy, was a result of the rational part of my brain that was barely working.

"......I apologize."

With a concerned expression that seemed to want to say more, Reive bowed respectfully and left.

Left in the office was the hollow figure of a king who had shouted at and chased away a subordinate who was genuinely concerned for him.

"......System Window: Unlock. Selection: Logout. Execute immediately."

No response.

"......System Window: Re-lock. Selection: GM Call. Execute immediately."

No response.

Even after closing and reopening the system window and manually executing the logout and GM call commands again, there was still no response.