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“…Woah?!”

An arrow aimed straight at the space between Crim’s eyes and nose was suddenly deflected by a gust of wind, narrowly missing her face.

It was the Fairies’ Blessing, an effect from the Cloak of the Young Red Lion Emperor—part of her signature outfit. But before she could fully register that, she instinctively lowered her stance and dashed to the side, dodging the next volley of arrows.

Not even a minute had passed since her group began acting as a distraction.

But that brief moment was enough for the enemy to determine that Crim posed the greatest threat. Far more arrows were now being fired in her direction than at anyone else, forcing her to remain constantly alert.

The mental strain made it feel like she had been dodging for far longer than just a single minute.

And then there was another.

“Ack…”
“Hinagiku, step back if this is too much!”
“I haven’t gotten hit yet, I’m fine!”

Hinagiku was a few steps behind Crim, cutting down arrows as she replied.

In her case, the Chesed’s Blessing from her Zadkiel Mantle only lasted for thirty seconds, and that time had already passed, so she was beginning to struggle more.

On top of that, while Crim’s Fairies’ Blessing offered full protection three times, Hinagiku’s only softened the impact of attacks, making it less reliable, as shown by the scratches left behind by arrows grazing her body. She also looked more exhausted than Crim… but even so, she gave an energetic reply, insisting she could still keep going.

Freya, the main tank of the group, was currently protecting the rear lines, who were casting offensive spells at the turret.

Those attacks did not do much damage considering the distance…but that meant the enemy did not see them as a threat either, and did not fire back at them.

That was good. Crim’s group was being seen as the main threat, but they were only a distraction. All they had to do was hold out until the other group— Just as Crim thought that, an enormous explosion erupted from the turret.

The crossbows lined up there burst in flames and shattered apart by that explosion…presumably caused by Setsuna’s Sealing Tags.

As soon as they infiltrated the turret, the arrows raining down on Crim and the rest stopped.

“Elmir’s group has reached the target. Everyone, march on…!!”

She led the way as she shouted that, running on ahead. Everyone else also noticed that the torrent of arrows had subsided, so they ran behind the small girl with a flapping red coat.

A few minutes later the turret was fully captured.

◇◇◇

There was a system notification letting them know that they had taken control over that area. Capturing the turret had turned that place into a safe camp for them.

Now that the players knew that they would not be attacked there, they began logging out one after another, as it was time for dinner and they wanted to take a break.

It was nice to have a breather after enduring the barrage of arrows, when…

“Ah, Masterrr! I, your loyal subject Setsuna, am back. I’ve completed the mission you’ve given me!”
“Yes, that was well done. I’m proud.”
“Mheheh.”

Crim entered the turret after everyone else, and Setsuna ran up to her irradiating a desire to be praised, and Crim gladly obliged, patting her head.

That went on for a while until she suddenly seemed to snap out of it, her face turning serious as she pointed over to the spot where the crossbows had been.

“Actually…you might want to go check on him for a bit.”
“Him… Elmir?”

Setsuna nodded.

Wondering what happened, Crim went over there. Elmir had led the group infiltrating the turret, and now…he was atop the wall, watching the vanishing Death Knight he had likely defeated moments earlier.

“Hmm, was it thou who didst fell him? Well done.”
“Ah…Demon Lord.”

He had been in a daze, watching the particles of light rising into the air, and slowly turned around when he heard Crim.

“Hahah, I know, this isn’t like me… But I mean, even after dying and becoming undead, this knight remained bound to duty to the very end… He was too honorable to die like this, you know?”

Elmir was quite attached to the idea of being a knight himself, so the Death Knight had left a strong impression on him.

He also realized he still had his sword in his hand, so he sheathed it and then sat down, his back sliding along the parapet (a low wall on fortifications meant to protect soldiers).

It was clear he wasn’t his usual cheerful self.

“Before he left…he said thank you, and to help the margrave… Dammit, why do the devs have to make events and even enemies like this…”

He scratched his head wildly as he grumbled about that.

Crim understood that sometimes it was best to leave things unsaid, so she rested her hand on his trembling shoulder.

“Elmir… thou art a gentle soul.”
“You…you think so?”
“Yes, I can guarantee it… And that was a work well done, I can respect that.”

Crim said that with a kind voice, which made him feel embarrassed and look away.

“And…I don’t think it’s wrong to ponder on these matters, I’d say it’s rather commendable even.”
“…Demon Lord?”

Elmir muttered in confusion, hearing what Crim had said.

Even if they’re just characters in a game, they’re more than soulless puppets.

That was an esoteric line of thought that had gained a lot of traction with the rapid development of VR games in the last decade or so, which constantly became more realistic, and was especially prevalent in the case of Destiny Unchain Online.

…And in a way, Crim was the strongest proponent of it.

She only saw a distinction between the physical and virtual world. They simply happened to be born in a different place, but they were still people leading proper lives… And those thoughts were only reaffirmed by meeting George and Juna, who she had seen that morning, Da’at and Lulu who were living in the castle, and more importantly, Rouge who she saw as her actual little sister.

But Crim did not have the right words to express those thoughts yet, so she just brushed things aside.

“Anyway, why act like this is something new? Didn’t I see you head over heels for Da’at or Lulu before?”
“…Eagh?!”

Instead, Crim decided to smirk and tease him, which produced a strange yelp from him.

“Mayhap thou hast not realized, but all are well aware that thy frequent visits are to see them… and we all watch with keen eyes to see what shall unfold.”
“Why are you looking at me like that?!”

Usually, Crim was the one being teased by everyone, so she was delighted to finally turn the tables for once. Elmir jumped to his feet, his face as red as a tomato.

“Ughh…! Anyway, we’re free to go now, right? I’ll go eat dinner! And you all, get some rest too, we’re barely getting started!”

Elmir shouted at his group that was further down, his voice strained and clearly trying to mask his feelings, and then he logged out almost like he was running away.

It was a bit surprising how quickly he left, but Crim was just glad that he had cheered up again. Then she sent messages to Freya and Frey to ask if they wanted to come over for dinner, and logged out herself.

“Still…I wonder why mom and her group decided to create a game with such realistic people.”

For a moment, she began to suspect that maybe she was once again unknowingly embroiled in something big her parents were scheming…but those thoughts vanished as soon as she logged out.

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