Chapter 54

On the other hand, Keena, who had been summoned to the castle, said,

"I'm sorry, Grandma. I'm really sorry for troubling you to come all this way because of my convenience..."

At the castle gate, in front of the knights on guard, Keena bowed her head to Keirina. The knights were giving her suspicious looks, wondering, "Who is this person?" Keirina held a high position as a guide for the knights, and everyone who worked here knew her. It was no wonder that people were looking at her with suspicion as she bowed her head to someone. Keena felt out of place, and even began to wonder if this was all part of Keirina's plan.

"Are you here just to apologize? If so, you can leave."

"Ah, I'm sorry. There's something I'd like to ask you. Could you come with me?"

Keena followed Keirina into the castle gate, but they didn't go inside; instead, they went around to the back.

"Where are we going?"

"Yes, there's a training ground. I have a request that might be a bit difficult to make, Grandma..."

Keena thought, "You know about it, don't you?" She felt a chill inside but didn't show it on her face. The monsters were most likely leaking out from the ruined city. Since Keirina hadn't said she couldn't handle them, it seemed that the monsters appearing in Helshper were within her capabilities.

(I forgot to ask Opus about the ruined city...)

Keena had forgotten to pursue the root cause that was threatening the continent, so she couldn't clearly say what was wrong. Keirina, seeing her grandmother's serious expression, seemed to have come to some understanding and continued speaking.

"He's in the process of being reformed. At first, everyone was against him, but he kept coming back no matter how many times he was defeated, and now some people are starting to accept him."

"…You want me to take off the 'Punishment Collar'?"

"I want to protect this country, just as you care for the villagers in the border village. If we can use his strength, it will be a means to fight against the tough monsters."

"Originally, I handed him over to you, so do as you please."

Keena said this dismissively and walked away, leaving Keirina behind. The knights, noticing the guide, quickly stood at attention. Keirina, catching up, told everyone to relax. Keena approached the orc player who was lying on the ground, trembling.

The orc player, upon seeing Keena, recoiled in fear. It was a natural reaction, as Keena had defeated him completely and broken his spirit. As Keena approached, the knights were alarmed when her hand glowed blue. One of them tried to intervene, thinking she was going to kill him, but Keirina held him back, trusting that Keena wouldn't do such a thing.

Keena used the "Purification" spell to clean the orc player and then cast a healing spell. The orc player, who had been cowering and protecting his head, was still trembling.

"Get up."

"…Eh…?"

The orc player, who had been crouching and protecting his head, slowly looked up at Keena's voice.

"…Aren't you going to finish me off…?"

"Listen, if I killed you, I'd be the bad guy. Come on, get up!"

The orc player, still in shock, slowly stood up. Keena circled him, checking to make sure he was no longer injured, and then reached for the black collar around his neck. He stepped back, startled.

"Is it okay to take this off? He might kill someone again…"

Keena shrugged.

"If you want, I can turn you into ashes right here…"

"That would be much appreciated, Grandma."

Keirina, standing between them, looked troubled.

"I can't just dispose of you because of my convenience, since my granddaughter vouches for you. Remember, I'm only releasing you because Keirina trusts you. If you do anything like this again, I'll eliminate you from this world, along with someone else!"

"Ah, yes, I understand…"

Keena touched the collar and whispered, "Skill Master No. 3 approves, release." The collar disappeared instantly. The orc player, touching his neck to confirm, finally realized he was free and collapsed on the spot.

"Thank you, Grandma."

"If you cause any trouble, come to me. I'll make sure you disappear without a trace, along with Opus."

Keirina, who didn't know the full extent of their power, was unaware that it would be a devastating force that would leave no trace of the country. Ignorance can sometimes be bliss.

"By the way, I never got your name. I'm Keena, and you are?"

"A, ah, Koirou…"

The orc player, Koirou, who had been shown a smile that lacked any of the previous hostility, stuttered out his name.

"Koirou? Love Rogue? What a girly name."

"It's not! It doesn't mean anything! I just chose it because it sounded good!"

Keena, chuckling, looked up at Koirou, who turned red and waved his hands in denial. The tense atmosphere between them had suddenly turned relaxed, much to the surprise of Keirina and the knights watching from the side.

"Well, I'm leaving. Take care of him."

"Yes, thank you for your hard work."

"And, Love Rogue."

"Koirou!"

"There won't be a next time. The 'Silver Ring Witch' Keena and the 'Riadail's Zhuge' Opus will come to destroy you, so be prepared!"

"Ah!?"

Keena, having finished her business, stopped in the middle of leaving the training ground to use her in-game infamy to warn Koirou.

The effect was immediate. Koirou, who had been speechless, turned pale and started sweating and trembling. The captain of the knights, who had been about to see her off, stopped Keirina and offered to go himself. Keena, now with nothing to do, asked Koirou a question.

"Was Grandma famous in the past?"

"Y-You don't understand. The 'Silver Ring Witch' is the mastermind behind the destruction of the Tea Country, known as the 'Black Country's trump card.'"

Keirina, muttering, "I see," pinched Koirou's ear and pulled it.

"Ah! What are you doing!?"

"A knight-in-training shouldn't be so rude. Let's start with manners and etiquette."

Koirou, trembling under Keirina's stern gaze, was dragged away by the guide, without a chance to mention the level difference. The knights, who knew the guide's strictness, watched him with sympathetic eyes.

"Let's go to the gate."

"Alright."

Keena, looking exhausted, casually dismissed the captain of the knights who had followed her.

"I have a question. Is it alright if I ask?"

"Sure, if I know the answer."

Keena nodded at the captain's serious face, a bit puzzled.

"The sword this person uses. Two hundred years ago, was there no one to teach him?"

"Huh?"

Keena, not understanding the question, tilted her head. The captain, with a passionate tone, clenched his fist.

"His movements are inconsistent. While his movements are on par with a magic wolf, his sword skills are at the most basic level! I'm very curious how he survived for two hundred years with such skills!"

The gate guards, wide-eyed, listened to their commander's passionate speech. Keena, initially stunned, felt reassured that someone cared enough to be so passionate. She trusted that the knights would correct Koirou in the right direction.

However, she was at a loss for how to answer the question. She had no idea how to satisfy him. The answer was simple: Koirou only had the basic motions.

In the VRMMO Riadail, each player character had preset basic attack motions based on their race. Dragonkin moved powerfully and roughly, catfolk were agile and quick, elves were swift and precise, humans and orcs were efficient and reliable, and high elves were clumsy and awkward with their weapons. This was one reason why there were few high elf players. Initially, these motions continued as they were, but as players requested improvements, it became possible to modify the motions.

Keena remembered the flood of various motion data on "Riadail Comprehensive Link Summary" that followed. From whimsical to overly dramatic, a vast amount of data was available. Some were based on historical research or real sword techniques, while others were fictional combat styles from novels, manga, anime, and even tokusatsu heroes. Of course, Keena's avatar had some of these motions installed, a mix of serious and playful ones.

Koirou's avatar seemed to lack this kind of motion data, which explained his inconsistent movements. While it was possible to swing a weapon freely without relying on motions, probably less than 1% of players had real sword training. In a real fight, Koirou's sword skills would either be amateurish or rely on the most basic motions. Keena's own skills, while data-driven, were not necessarily practical in real combat. In extreme cases, using magic to blow things away was faster.

In the end, she simply said, "You should correct him according to your methods," and left the castle. She couldn't think of a better excuse. This was Koirou's decision, and she chose not to interfere. Some might call it passing the buck.

Keena, intending to go straight home because of Opus, ended up visiting Keirick to process magic stones and browse the market, and it was nearly evening by the time she rushed back to the inn. In the first-floor tavern, Luka was enjoying a dessert with some caravan members. Opus had made it.

"Keena, Mom, welcome back."

"Hey, you're late. Did they give you a tough assignment?"

Keena, responding to the greetings from Opus, the caravan, and the mercenary group, sat next to Luka. She took a spoonful of the cake, fruits, and cream that Luka offered, smiling.

"Mm, delicious. Thank you, Luka."

"Y-Yes, Opus made it, big brother…"

"Sorry, Opus, for leaving it all to you!"

"Your voice is scary, Keena. Why are you glaring!?"

'Of course, I don't want to give kids too much sugar in a world where tooth brushing is done with salt and a hard brush. It's hard to prevent cavities!' Keena wanted to say, but seeing Luka happily eating the cake, she suppressed her inner scream and settled for a stern look at the culprit. They then exchanged their daily opinions.

"Hmm, so there was such a player. Maybe it's not too late for him to reform?"

"Why are you so enthusiastic! If it were you, 'reform' would mean 'elimination'! He's finally trying to change, so let him be."

"Since Keena says so, I'll observe his progress."

"By the way, you met Exis and the others, right…"

"They were so happy they fainted."

"…Exis, stay strong."

Keena, feeling sorry for him, didn't know that to Exis, Keena and Opus were the same.

"Still, there are so few players. The number of players Keena has met doesn't match my memory."

"Maybe they're hiding or have left this place… If they were human or catfolk who drifted here two hundred years ago, they might have died of old age."

While humans were the most common race among players, to Keena, a high elf, any race seemed numerous. According to Opus, the number of players who had been copied and separated was uncountable. With a maximum player count in the tens of thousands, it made sense.

"Opus seems to care about the players. Why?"

"Maybe they're needed. There are also things that need to be confirmed…"

Keena had a hunch it was related to the ruined city. With the current Opus, it seemed he wouldn't refuse Keena's request. Sensing the somber mood, Luka, who had finished her cake and was drinking water, moved to the caravan members' table.

"Hey, what's wrong, little lady? Did your mom bully you?"

"Keena would never do that. Spreading rumors like that will get you burned."

"Being Keena's daughter, will it just be a burn?"

"It might be an explosion."

The mercenaries, making jokes in front of her, made Keena laugh it off. Opus, realizing that something would probably fly if it were her, shed a tear inside.

"Hey, Opus, I have a question…"

"Sure, what is it?"

Leaning in and lowering her voice, Keena followed Keena's lead, and Opus did the same.

"After I died, how were Ako and Uncle?"

"Hmm, about them…"

Opus, thinking for a moment, made Keena's expression cloud over.

"They were depressed for a while after your funeral, but I managed to explain things to them, so the shock was lessened."

"…What? You 'managed to explain'?"

"Yes, I sent the 'Holy Maiden' to explain the situation."

"Wh-What!?"

Keena, who thought they were having a private conversation, let out a shrill scream, drawing the attention of everyone in the tavern. She covered her mouth, embarrassed, and glared at Opus, who was trying not to laugh.

The 'Holy Maiden' was a world-renowned title, representing the pinnacle of good, far above the Pope in the world where Keena lived as Kaina. The 'Demon King' was her rival, and it was rumored they were in a constant struggle for supremacy. The 'Holy Maiden' would never visit a regular family for condolences. Hearing that she was 'sent' was enough to make anyone scream.

"To be precise, 'The World' heard the cries of sorrow and sent the 'Holy Maiden' to explain things to the family. That's what happened."

"Did she come in person? To my family?"

"Almost immediately after you left this world, voluntarily. I heard she even fought the 'Demon King' at the airport, according to the news."

"Wh-What!?"

The reaction of ordinary people to a celebrity with limited information is often this extreme. If the truth were to come out, it would cause chaos. So, Opus didn't tell Keena the full story. The fact that the 'Holy Maiden' and the 'Demon King' were close friends was information that ordinary people didn't need to know.

Keena felt relieved that her uncle and cousin weren't mourning, but her only regret was not being able to say thank you to them for all they had done for her.

This regret would be resolved by Opus's abilities later, but she didn't know that at the time.