The New Gate

“Did I keep you waiting?”

Everyone except Schnee had already gathered in the living room. Although the time specification was ambiguous, Shin was not particularly late. Still, Shin reflected a little on the fact that they were all gathered like this, perhaps they were all too anxious to take a rest.

“Sorry, did you wait long?”

“We’ve only just arrived. Schnee is not here yet.”

“I’m sure she’ll be here soon. Let’s get something to drink and wait.”

Shibaid and Filma, Shin’s support characters in the game, replied that they didn’t mind. Both of them seemed to have guessed that Shin had talked to Schnee about something, and were surprisingly calm.

Sety, another support character, was talking with Milt, a former player, while interacting with spirits.

Only Tiera looked uncomfortable, and her monster partner, a mutant form of the divine beast – Kagerou, was leaning close to her.

“Sorry I made you wait.”

About five minutes later, Schnee arrived as well.

After confirming that everyone’s eyes were on him, Shin began to tell the story of his meeting with Hades.

Perhaps the part that got the biggest reaction was the part about Shin returning from the current world to his original one. He thought about telling that first, but then he felt like he wouldn’t be able to talk about anything else, so Shin concluded his talk with this topic.

“I see. That’s why you took a break.”

Filma murmured, as if she was satisfied.

Filma and the others could tell immediately that Schnee, who should have been the most responsive to this topic, showed no signs of being upset.

The support characters were looking at Shin as if he was the one who had no choice, but only Tiera was looking at him with a glazed look in her eyes. The frustration feeling on her part was piercing through her gaze.

Filma continued.

“Anyway, if you return to your original world, that means you’re not coming back here, right?”

“I guess so.”

“And are there other people coming back here?”

“I don’t know, but probably not.”

However, it was questionable whether all of the people who had come to this world now had any connection with Shin.

The PK player/killer that Shin beat up and crushed, and the player that he had a friendship with. There were probably a certain number of others who have come here as well.

Some of them may have come to this world in a different way than Shin did.

Hades also said that the main bodies of all but Shin were dead – Milt being the exception among exceptions – so the hurdle for coming here was lower than for Shin.

It seemed that originally there was some circulation of “formless power” between worlds, so it would not be surprising if something like a soul flowed with Shin as he moved.

Hades did not know everything about the situation, so she prefaced her talk by saying that it was a matter of speculation.

However, if Shin returned to the other side of the world, the circulation of such power would cease.

The connection between the two worlds would become weak, and even something as vague as a soul would not be able to come and go. Once that happened, there was no going back.

Not only Shin, but also Schnee, who was going with him, would not be able to return.

“I see. I’m going to miss you.”

There was no disturbance in Sety’s tone as she muttered this, but her expression seemed a little sad.

Shin’s support characters, with the exception of the High Beast Girard, were long-lived species. They must have experienced separation and bereavement many times over the long years.

Still, parting with someone close to you was probably something you couldn’t get used to.

“But I felt relieved. If you told me that you are going to leave sis Schnee behind, I would punch you in the face.”

“When I heard about it, my first thought was also, ‘I’m going to have to leave Schnee.’”

When Shin heard how much time he had left, he wanted to hold her head in his hands.

“But that would make it a little harder on the others.”

“The others?”

“Berett, Zazie and the others. They all believe that their master will return someday. In fact, Shin has returned.”

In a sense, the support characters of the other Rokuten members, such as Berett and Zazie, were shown hope just when they were about to give up.

Even if it was not Shin’s intention, his return was seen as “that way” by those around him.

“It can’t be helped. Of course, Shin’s return is like a miracle due to a series of coincidences. He’ll just return to his original form.”

But once you obtain hope, it’s hard to let go of it… Shibaid continued.

Of course, Shibaid knew what Sety meant. He knew the longing to wait for the master and the joy when it came true.

“I can’t tell the others.”

Filma shook her head and looked at them.

It was unknown what percentage of Berett, Zazie and the others’ hearts were occupied by the reunion with their master.

Was it good or bad to tell the other Rokuten’s support characters that their wish would no longer be granted? No one could decide.

They might not care, or they might despair.

But not everyone knew the truth and could shake off their thoughts and just move on.

Filma said that they could not choose to talk about it, just because they had been there themselves.

Neither Shibaid nor Sety argued with that.

“Um, Shin’s world, huh? I heard that you need to become one with an item in order to go to Shin’s world with you. Has that already been done?”

“Yeah, it’s done. I’m sure you already know that, but the reason I took a break earlier is because I needed time to talk to Schnee about it.”

“Hmm, from what I could tell with Schnee’s behavior, it seems like there was no problem.”

Shibaid looked at Schnee, who was standing quietly.

“But you took the plunge. You gave up everything to go with Shin.”

“I have no regrets. If he had tried to leave me behind, I would have chased after him.”

Schnee replied to Filma’s joking comment in a way that did not sound like a joke.

“Schnee would have done it.”

“Yup.”

“Hmm, I have no doubt.”

“…I know, right?”

The fact that no one, including Tiera, denied it showed how well people around Schnee understood her.

“I’ll be lonely, but if Schnee is going to do what she really wants to do, I don’t blame her.”

“Hmm, it would have been a big problem if someone other than Schnee had been chosen.”

Filma smiled kindly at Shibaid, who nodded his head in agreement. She didn’t seem shocked that Shin would be gone.

“I would have preferred if you had stayed here…”

Sety pouted.

She was a little deliberate, but there was no doubt that she was being sincere.

“It’s the same for everyone.”

Shin responded to Filma’s wry smile.

“I’m sorry. I was really planning to stay here.”

He would never have proposed to Schnee if he didn’t want to.

However, if he had not known anything about it, they would have parted one day, so he was thankful to Hades for that.

“In that case, we’ll have to make more fun memories before you go over there. If what Hades said is true, then we’re going to be in for a lot of trouble from here on out.”

Filma suggested with a big clap of her hands, changing the mood of the place.

Shin thought back to the fact that he had only enjoyed a few times of pure entertainment since he came here, and then Milt sent him a 【Mind Chat】.

“(You’re so loved, Shin.)”

“(Hey, aren’t you having too much fun watching from a distance?)”

Milt was watching the commotion from a little distance.

The two of them were talking in 【Mind Chat】, so they appeared quiet, but the soundless voices that reached Shin’s ears were as noisy as Filma’s and the others’.

“(Just like you, I will be evicted from this world, so I don’t have to worry about being separated from you. Oh, before we go back there, please give me your contact information, Shin!)”

She was right about the part about not being able to contact him over there if he didn’t give them his contact information, so Shin promised to tell Milt later.

“Are you two just going to watch, Shin and Milt? Join in the discussion!”

Filma was in charge. She was suggesting to everyone that they should take this opportunity to travel for pleasure.

However, in this world, traveling over long distances from one country to another was fraught with danger, so recreational travel was not popular. Therefore, there was little information available on sightseeing spots, tourist attractions, and recreational facilities.

Filma herself was not familiar with the world after the “Dusk of Majesty”, partly because she had been asleep for a long time, so she asked Schnee and Shibaid to talk about it.

“If it’s a country that focuses on tourism and entertainment, there are a few places that sound good. How about it, Shibaid?”

“I have some ideas, but the purpose is too vague. I think it would be better to narrow down what we are going to enjoy.”

Shibaid was also enthusiastic. Due to his position as a former Dragon Emperor, he was probably well versed in information from other countries. And there was no need to mention Schnee, who had traveled all over the world.

“What about Milt?”

“A place I can recommend? I don’t know much, and there’s a lot of unreliable information I’ve heard, so I can’t think of a place I can confidently recommend.”

Some countries seem to have tourism as their main attraction, and the discussion proceeded to consider those places as candidates.

In the midst of this discussion, Shin noticed someone tugging at his sleeve.

When he turned around, Tiera had come near him.

“What’s wrong?”

Tiera, who had spent a lot of time in the elven village of Garden and the Moon Shrine, was still not familiar with information about other countries like Schnee and the others.

Shin wondered if this made it difficult for her to join in the conversation, but that did not seem to be the case. Tiera started to speak to Schnee and the others without hesitation.

“I know it’s hard to say in this atmosphere, but what are you going to report to the guild about the investigation of Wraith Plains? I don’t think it’s a good idea not to say anything, but then again, we can’t be honest with them, can we?”

“That’s right…I guess I’ll say it’s the influence of dungeons that appear under certain conditions.”

The truth was that the dungeon for the event was strange with the addition of Hades’s power, but it was doubtful if the guild would believe them if they told them that honestly.

Given the words of A-rank Shin, it wouldn’t seem like a complete fabrication, but there weren’t any items to prove it either.

“Once Hades falls asleep, the occurrence of monsters should be the same as before, so after confirming that, I’ll think of a plausible story.”

This area was originally a monster-infested area, and people seldom went near it. As before, if the place was kept in a state close to isolation, there would be no problem.

“However, we will need to stay a few nights and see how things go, just to be sure.”

The fact that monsters occur frequently was based on Hades’ speculation. Shin decided that it would be better to see if this was really the case.

“Yeah. I think it’s better that way.”

“Tiera…your complexion doesn’t look good.”

She looked less energetic than she had when they had gathered in the living room.

“I don’t think she will be able to behave as usual after hearing the news, you know.”

Filma’s personality may be a factor, but the people in this room had experienced encounters and partings over and over again, for better or for worse.

It was clear that everyone didn’t think parting with Shin and Schnee was a bad thing.

However, Tiera didn’t seem to be able to make that kind of decision right away.

“I’m sorry. There might have been a better way to tell you guys, but I couldn’t think of one.”

“It’s not Shin’s fault. I just haven’t been able to take it in.”

If anything, Shin thought Tiera’s reaction was more normal. In fact, Filma and the others were too quick to switch from one thing to another.

“Sorry. I’m going to rest for a little while.”

“Oh, well, I guess I’ll do the same.”

Sety moved after Tiera as she headed for the living room exit. She gave a small nod to Shin and the others as if to say, “Leave her to me.”

Filma and the others seemed to have sensed this and nodded back silently.

When Tiera was out of sight, Milt approached Shin.

“It seems like it was shocking for her.”

“She’s calm now though, but it was a surprise even to us.”

“I’m sure that’s not the only reason, though.”

“Don’t say that.”

Shin responded to Milt, who was staring at him while emphasizing the part, while frowning at her.

Shin wasn’t so insensitive that he couldn’t guess Tiera’s inner thoughts, who had been with him up until now.

Although he was a little unsure of himself since Yuzuha had just scolded him for not understanding a maiden’s heart.

“I guess I’ll have to leave it to Sety to follow up.”

“Come to think of it, Milt talks to Sety sometimes, too.”

It was relatively recently that Milt started interacting with people other than Tiera.

“In the current party, me and Sety are the petite ones. I guess I can understand how she feels. It’s also easy to talk to each other as High Pixies.”

Shin didn’t know what the average height was in this world, but the party members were generally tall. The male members, Shin and Shibaid, and the female members, Schnee and Filma, were all taller than the rest of their race.

In Shin’s opinion, Tiera was normal. However, since Tiera was a long-lived elf, she was still in her growth stage, so there was a possibility that she would grow even more in the future.

However, Milt and Sety were different. Milt’s height was said to reflect her real-life physique, so she would not grow any more, and Sety would probably not grow any more since Shin had set her at her current height.

“(Really, the only thing that’s left of the support characters is their appearance.)”

Milt abruptly switched from verbal conversation to 【Mind Chat】.

Shin, wondering if it was something the other members shouldn’t hear, pretended to be unconcerned and only looked at Filma and the others as they discussed the matter

“(What’s the matter, all of a sudden?)”

“(Until now, I’ve had very few opportunities to talk to the support characters. These people— I guess you could call them locals. I knew the difference in my head, but subconsciously I was pulled by the image of the game. I thought there was something different about them. But the more I talked to them, the more I realized they are real.)”

Although Shin had worked with Milt and Schnee and the others when they met again here, it was a short time and they didn’t talk much. But this time was different. After spending so much time together, Milt said she felt like she was able to see things that she hadn’t been able to see.

Perhaps because Shin had been reunited with Schnee not too long after he arrived in this world, he had few images of the game that Milt described.

The locals and support characters were the same in the sense that they were treated as NPCs – characters not controlled by the player – at the time of the game.

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