Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 12 - Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Three Horrors and the Extras 
Reiji Mukudori 
When people play too much of a particular game, they often end up simulating it in their heads while lying in bed with their eyes closed. 
Recently, these simulations of mine were completely dominated by Dendro. Specifically, the fight against the Hell General. 
Someone actually uploaded a video of the fight. It had been edited to make it look like I won easily, but that wasn’t the case. I knew that better than anyone. 
Without Gardranda, without Logan underestimating me and holding back his strongest devils, and without Veldorbell destroying his Brooch, I’d have surely lost. 
I knew full well that I lacked the power to defeat a Superior who came at me with everything he had. Even though I won, that scene stayed with me, just like it did when I was first defeated by Marie. Seeing the video had only made the memory more vivid. I began picturing and examining it like a game of chess. 
Though, if this was a chess match, then Logan had all his pieces, while I only had a king and a rook, so it’s not like I was going to figure out some high-level play by just thinking about it. 
“Heeyy, Mukudori, what’s with that thinking face and why’re ya sittin’ there? The lecture’s over.” 
“Ohh...” Kasugai called out to me, bringing me back to reality and reminding me that the morning lectures were over. 
It was hard to overlook the fact that I was a college student who couldn’t even focus on his lectures. 
That made me wonder how B3 — or rather, Fujibayashi — managed. She was a clan leader, so I imagine that she’d have even more trouble dividing her time and attention between the game and reality. I’d have to consult her about it. 
During lunch, I looked for her in the cafeteria and found her right away. She had this super diligent vibe, which was even stronger here in real life than in the game. It made her stand out, so she was really easy to find. 
However, looking at the other student sitting with her, she didn’t stand out so much that it drove people away. The presence of others would’ve made it fairly awkward to talk about Dendro, especially since she was someone who kept the two worlds neatly separated. 
I wondered what to do next, but then her friend finished eating and left. Appreciating the timing, I tried to call out to her, but someone grabbed my shoulder. 
“What’s up, Ray? Tickletickle!” 
“Hh?!” Miss Eldritch suddenly appeared, grabbed my shoulder with her right hand and tickled my armpit with her left. 
Sexual harassment! Two seconds after her greeting...! 
“Where’s your handler... I mean, Tsukikage?! Did he collapse again?!” I asked. 
“Kage’s not heeeere. He went to visit his family back in Iga.” 
“Iga?! What, is he actually a ninja?!” 
“‘Actually’? What, you believe the stereotype that everyone from Iga is a ninja?” 
...Well, he was the King of Assassins. He could sink into shadows, too. Him being a ninja would explain why he ended up with an Embryo like that... 
“Heheheh,” Miss Eldritch giggled. “Without Kage around, I can harass you all I want!” 
“GHHAAH!” Oh, so she actually held back around him, I thought, before she continued. 
She tried to slip her left hand under my clothes... 
“Prez? What are you doing in a public space?” 
...But then a heavy, domineering voice stopped her. 
The one speaking was obviously Fujibayashi. Her eyes behind her glasses were steady... and she actually looked really scary. 
“...Ah. So you were here, B,” said Miss Eldritch. 
“Sit down right there.” 
“...But this is the cafeteria.” 
“Sit.” 
“...Okay.” Hearing how serious Fujibayashi sounded, Miss Eldritch immediately sank to the floor on her knees. The stares she drew from onlookers made her shake a bit, but she continued sitting regardless. 
The way Fujibayashi was looking down at her, I felt like I was watching a priest exorcising a naughty demon. It seemed that even if you ignored the fact that Miss Eldritch needed her around to keep the club going, Fujibayashi still outranked her even in real life. Apparently they’ve been like this for a long time. Miss Eldritch had gone to Fujibayashi’s place to learn etiquette and the Way of Tea, so she developed this awareness that made her crumble in her presence. 
The woman looked quite disheartened, but I appreciated the fact that we had someone who could keep her in check. 
Also, is it just me, or have I recently seen a certain someone sit on the floor just like that? 
“Mukudori, foxes are always on the lookout for puppies to eat,” said Fujibayashi. “She’ll gobble you up if you’re not careful.” 
“I understand. Thank you,” I said in response. 
“Boo... why are you always getting in my way?” 
After the incident at the cafeteria, we went to the clubroom set aside for the club that Miss Eldritch is the president of: “Club Infinite Dendrogram,” or “CID” for short. 
Last time I was here, I was nearly subjected to Miss Eldritch’s vile ways, but with Fujibayashi present, I didn’t have to worry about that happening again. 
“So, Mukudori, did you have some business with me?” Fujibayashi asked. 
Oh, she noticed, I thought. I went ahead and told her about my difficulty dividing time between reality and Dendro. 
“Oh, but you just have to focus on your lessons. The more you practice at it, the better you’ll get,” she said. “Besides that, the only thing you really have to pay attention to is your papers.” 
“Is that it?” 
“Yes. Banish Infinite Dendrogram from your mind during lessons. It won’t be easy, since you just started recently, but practice makes perfect. I’m speaking from experience.” 
...I guess she’s right. “All right. I’ll do just that.” 
“Do your best.” 
“It’s scary that you can hold yourself in the big T just like that, B,” grumbled Miss Eldritch. “...And it’s scary how Ray thinks that’s reasonable.” 
“Did you say something, Miss Eldritch?” I asked. 
“Miss what?” 
Ah, I went and said it out loud. There goes my streak of keeping it in my head, I thought. 
“I want you to call me ‘Tsukuyo,’” she asked. 
“Will do, Fuso.” 
“...You’re a piece of work, aren’t you?” I did have her to thank for fixing my arm, but on the other hand she did kidnap me once and she sexually harassed me every now and then, so I didn’t want to do what she said. 
“Well, whatever,” she said. “Anyway, you beat the Hell General, didn’t you? I saw the video.” 
“Uhh...” She hadn’t seen it the last time we met, but it seemed like she went on to watch it later. 
“You also cleared the ruins and blew up the giant weapon there, huh? Isn’t that nuts?” 
“I was involved with the latter, but the former was all Tom’s doing.” We’d only explored the residential area after Tom had destroyed most of the prism soldiers. Hell, even the attack on the plant during the second day was mostly Tom and the other Masters. Honestly, I’d say he deserved nearly all the credit for clearing the ruins. 
“Speaking of Tom Cat...” said Fujibayashi. “Mukudori, have you heard?” 
“Heard what?” I asked. 
“Tomorrow, real world time, Tom Cat and Kashimiya are going to have a ranked match.” She informed me of a coming duel. 
 
Prism Rider, Ray Starling 
I logged on to Dendro the moment I got home from classes. The place I appeared at was the capital’s fountain. I’d returned here from Quartierlatin yesterday and set this as my login point. The weekend would start tomorrow, so I’d be able to stay online for a good while. I’d also be able to return to Gideon — my hometown here. 
“Ray. You’re back,” Nemesis said as she popped out of my crest. 
That was the same as usual, but there was something that wasn’t. 
“Ah. It’s The Unbreakable...” 
“...I’m scared,” I heard someone say. People around me were reacting differently than they had before I’d gone to Quartierlatin. The reactions from children were especially strong. 
It was like this before I logged out, but... “Scary?” That was a bit harsh... 
“Is this because of the video floating around on ‘the net’?” Nemesis asked. I was already relatively well-known due to an incident at Gideon, but the video with the Hell General had made me more famous... or infamous... than ever. 
The most striking change was the amount of fear I seemed to cause. 
That, too, was because of what was in the video. 
First of all, the video came in two versions — the complete version and the scene-by-scene version. Among the latter, the most viewed scene was the one where Logan got the death penalty, followed by Gardranda and Gigaknight’s battle. The reason why that one gathered so much attention was the rarity of special reward-based summons (if not that, Gardranda’s appearance alone would have done it). 
Honestly, it was understandable why those two got the most views. 
The scene relevant to the current issue, however, was the one in third place — the one where I broke through the devil army and charged Logan. 
It showed me releasing miasma everywhere, biting a devil, and running with blood dripping from my mouth. 
...I saw it myself, and the angle was just so perfect. It made me feel like I was watching a horror movie. The voices were in French, too, for some reason, which only made it creepier. 
Since then, I passed by some Masters in Quartierlatin who went “EEK!” and jumped away from me in shock, while child Masters occasionally cried stuff like “He’s gonna eat meee!” and actually ran away ... The idea that I was that scary kinda got me down. 
“I guess eating the devil was a bit too much,” I said. 
“...Your appearance doesn’t help, either.” Appearance, huh...? Did the video get tagged with “#DeathKnight” because I was dressed in black? 
“Well, you know what they say: ‘everyone gets fifteen minutes of fame.’ They’ll get bored and forget about it eventually.” Though, I didn’t know who was getting the “fifteen minutes” here. 
“...You think that isn’t enough time for you to get mixed up in something else? If those ‘fifteen minutes’ keep getting refreshed, they’ll never end, will they?” 
I chose to ignore the reasonable and highly compelling, but very unsettling, prediction. 
Anyway, it was time to head for Altea’s southern gate and prepare to go to Gideon. Riding Silver would make me stand out too much, so I would only get on him once I was out of the city. 
Though, Quartierlatin’s mass-produced models could be a common sight soon. When that happens, I should be able to ride Silver around without standing out. 
“...No, you would not. You will stand out no matter where and what you ride. Consider your apparel.” 
I’ve been thinking this ever since you pointed it out back at Quartierlatin, but... aren’t you making a bit too much of a deal out of my appearance? 
“You think I am...? After seeing your Storm Visage, the mere thought of your appearance changing again fills my heart with worry. Hm...?” 
Nemesis looked ahead, seemingly noticing something. 
I followed her gaze and saw a clockwork horse ridden by a familiar person. 
“Ray, Nemesis... It’s been a while.” 
“Liliana. It really has.” It was Liliana, riding a mass-produced white Prism Steed. 
I’d arrived here alongside Azurite, so I did meet Liliana once before logging out; apparently, she’d gotten a new mount since then. 
“You switched to a Prism Steed?” 
“Yes. It was time for my trusty horse to retire, anyway, so I visited Quartierlatin and got myself this one.” 
That was a sign that they were now being distributed to the kingdom’s knights. 
The units that could be mass-produced in Quartierlatin — “Second Model Prism Steeds” or “SMPS” — were better overall than the replicas excavated earlier. They had barriers and could fly, which made them better suited to be a knight’s mount than the average Demi-Dragon-tier monster. 
Their only real drawback was that the barrier and flight were only unlocked if you had Prism Authorization level 1. As a Prism Rider myself, I found that part to be quite a mystery. 
Well, perhaps it made sense at first glance, but I didn’t understand why this condition was put in place at all. Originals such as Silver could fly and create barriers even if you didn’t have the Prism Rider job, yet with replicas, the Prism Authorization skill was absolutely necessary for those functions. 
While the other skill — Prism Beast Enhancement — seemed pretty standard, Prism Authorization seemed like exactly that — an authorization. 
Hell, even though Prism Beast Enhancement was clearly related to the Prism Steed’s skills, it was less like “this skill activates this ability” and more like “we removed the limits because you have this skill.” 
B3 had said that it was like a limitation to prevent those who didn’t have the Prism Rider job from using them, but honestly... 
“Ray? What is the matter?” Liliana asked. 
“Ah... Sorry,” I said. 
“You have a tendency to lose yourself in thought,” Nemesis commented. 
...Perhaps, I thought. I did often focus on my thoughts too much after being distracted by something. 
Rook had said that he had a similar habit. He actually had to say that; no one would’ve known about it otherwise, because his thinking speed was so great that it never seemed like he was lost in thought. 
“Liliana, what about Elizabeth’s... Her Highness’ bodyguard duty?” When we were at Gideon, Liliana was either standing by Elizabeth’s side or looking for her after she’d run away. What was that tomboy princess doing now that Liliana was away from Gideon? 
“Oh, I received a new order from Her Highness Altimia, so I entrusted her to Sir Lindos for the time being.” 
Sir Lindos was quite the serious man. I could only hope that Elizabeth’s shenanigans wouldn’t completely break him. 
Though, something she said had me curious. 
“An order from Azurite?” Unlike with Elizabeth, I didn’t have to use “Her Highness” there. I had Azurite’s permission to call her just that, and I’d got it again with Liliana listening. 
“I know this will be temporary and all, but what could possibly be more important than protecting Azurite’s sister?” I asked. 
“...My apologies, but I can’t say that on my own discretion.” 
Oh, so this was something classified. 
“Her Highness gave me another order, though. It involves you,” Liliana continued. 
“Me?” 
“Yes. She said she wanted me to find you and Barbaroy and bring you both to the castle.” 
“But... why?” I didn’t quite understand why she required us both. 
“Apparently she has a request for you.” A moment after Liliana’s words... 
“...I feel some trouble brewing.” 
...Nemesis telepathically spoke words she’d said many times before. 
Liliana led us to the castle, then straight to Azurite’s office. I instantly noticed the mountains of documents around her, which told me everything about how busy she was. 
...Well, she was the current political heart of the kingdom, and she’d been away in Quartierlatin recently, so I supposed that the work had piled up. 
“...You sure look busy,” I commented. 
“I’m leaving Altea again tomorrow,” Azurite said. “I need to get all this work out of the way while I still can.” 
...What was this masked swordswoman intending to meddle in this time? Though, she wasn’t wearing her swordswoman clothing this time — she looked like a normal civil official, and... 
“Not wearing your mask today, huh?” 
“...Why would I wear it in the castle?” 
Good point, I thought. Hell, in here, it would be worse if she actually did try to hide her royal status. 
“Anyway, what’s up?” I asked. “Liliana mentioned a request.” 
“Yes,” Azurite nodded. “I need bodyguards for a trip to Gideon. You’re returning there too, are you not?” 
“That’s the plan. I have nothing against taking this job, but... do you need a bodyguard?” Azurite was clearly stronger than me — hell, she was actually on the level of a pre-Superior, if not an actual Superior. At the very least, she would’ve stood a way better chance against Logan than I did. 
“I won’t be going alone,” she continued. “The person in question has a Master bodyguard, so I thought I would get my own Master retinue to match, but...” 
She became silent for a moment. 
“The only Masters I’ve been in close contact with are you, Barbaroy, the parasite, and the Master bodyguard I just mentioned...” Well, that made sense. She did say that she had been avoiding Masters until recently. 
Also, though her attitude towards Masters had changed, she still called Miss Eldritch “parasite.” I could almost hear her voice, saying “That’s sooo meaaan.” 
“Ohh, and you actually know the Master bodyguard, do you not?” 
“I do?” 
“Master Jiangshi, Xunyu.” 
Oh, Xunyu. I did know her. She was one of those people who beat the shit out of me to help me become stronger. 
...Hm? Hold on, but Xunyu’s the bodyguard of... 
“...So, about this bodyguard request.” 
“As I mentioned, you would have to protect two people: me and Canglong, the third prince of the Huang He Empire.” 
...Failing this one would mean some serious diplomatic trouble, I thought. 
“Like I said, I don’t have any connections among Masters,” Azurite continued. “As things are, you are the only one I can trust enough to request something like this.” 
“Well... thanks?” 
“No need to thank me. This request is officially for you... and Barbaroy.” 
Aren’t you two, well, you know...? I thought, but couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. 
“You can contact her, yes? I told Liliana to search for either of you, because I thought I’d get in touch with both of you if I could reach you.” 
“I do have her address and can contact her, yes...” 
“Please do, then. Give her this message from me: ‘This is a bodyguard request for a trip from Altea to Gideon. You will protect me and the third prince of the Huang He Empire. Aside from you, Ray, Liliana, and Master Jiangshi, Xunyu will also be acting as bodyguards. We will ride your dragon carriage,’” she said before pausing for a moment. “‘If you haven’t forgotten your involvement in the capital blockade incident, you are in no position to say no.’” 
Her tone of voice as she spoke that last sentence sent a chill down my spine. 
I logged out, called B3, and passed it on. Her reaction? She instantly logged on and accepted the request. 
Thus began our strange party’s trip towards Gideon. 
Let the quest... begin. 
 
At the moment, we were riding B3’s dragon carriage along the Sauda Mountain Pass leading towards Gideon. Liliana was the coachman, and the carriage was being pulled by her SMPS. 
Of course, the royal family had their own Prism Steeds, so they didn’t actually need to borrow B3’s. However, due to recent circumstances, Azurite couldn’t use any of them. 
The kingdom had been infiltrated and terrorized by the imperium’s Superiors multiple times now. It had occurred both deep in the south and the very north of Altar, meaning that nowhere was completely safe. If they caught wind that she was traveling between cities, it wasn’t out of the question that they would take the opportunity to cause another incident like the Clash of the Superiors or the events at Quartierlatin’s ruins. 
Thus, she had to be covert. It was important to hide the fact that the carriage contained the first princess of Altar and the third prince of Huang He, so Azurite couldn’t use the fancy dragon carriages of the royal family. They stood out too much, and there was the threat of someone sabotaging them. 
Azurite could go to Gideon all by herself, of course, but this time she had a guest of honor: the young prince. She couldn’t let a foreign royal ride a standard dragon carriage. Therefore, she needed a carriage that fulfilled all these conditions: didn’t explicitly belong to the royal family, wasn’t meant for extravagant ceremonies, looked good in spite of that, and was highly functional, comfortable, and tough. An interior with spatial expansion would’ve been a nice bonus. 
Now, that seemed like a tall order, but what do you know — something like that actually existed. 
We were riding it right now, in fact. B3’s dragon carriage was an absurdly good quality product from Legendaria. Even the most luxurious carriages available on Altar’s market were all outdated and lacked certain modern features, meaning this one surpassed them in every aspect. 
Azurite had already ridden it from Quartierlatin to the capital, so she was already aware of its utility and value. Even though she had her mask on, I could tell by her eyes that she was thinking about how she could use this thing. And B3, being partially responsible for some severe damage to the kingdom, wasn’t in a position to refuse to provide her carriage and services for this very serious escort quest. 
At least she’s getting a reward, I guess, I thought. 
“Also, Azurite probably has many other things to be concerned about besides the dragon carriage,” Nemesis added telepathically. 
Yeah. Regardless of what they are, we do have a bit of a problem here... 
“This really is an impressive dragon carriage,” Azurite remarked. 
“...That’s true,” said B3. 
“Don’t look so worried. I won’t confiscate it.” 
“...Oh, I definitely wasn’t worried about that.” 
“I see. By the way, how much do you think this carriage is worth?” 
“...Somewhere over a hundred million.” 
“Really, now? Not that it’s relevant, but that’s nowhere near the losses caused by the capital blockade.” 
“...” 
...The air between them was absurdly cold. 
I really appreciated two things right now: the fact that Xunyu and the third prince were in the cabin at the back, and the fact that this carriage had spatial expansion, which let me sit a decent distance away from them. 
“...Those two are the same as ever,” Nemesis commented. 

As Nemesis implied, Azurite and B3 didn’t get along too well, to put it mildly. B3 was constantly reminded of the damage she’d dealt to the economy by partaking in the blockade. Her right to use save points was at risk. The victim in this situation had really grabbed her tormentor by the scruff of her neck. 
“I gotta say... They’re like rock-paper-scissors.” Based on what Shu had told me, Miss Eldritch had made the royal family sign several contracts in exchange for services from The Lunar Society. 
Because of this, the royal family had to humble themselves before Miss Eldritch, and Azurite’s uncomfortable relationship with Miss Eldritch had made her deem the girl a “parasite.” 
With that in mind, the three girls had a dynamic that went like this: 
Azurite was strong against B3, but weak against Miss Eldritch. 
B3 was strong against Miss Eldritch, but weak against Azurite. 
And Miss Eldritch was strong against Azurite, but weak against B3. 
Again, it was like rock-paper-scissors with them. 
Or maybe it’s like that trilemma between a frog, snake, and slug. 
“...You better not start comparing them to those vermin out loud,” Nemesis spoke telepathically. 
I know. I realized that myself right after thinking it. 
“B-By the way, what did you order Liliana to do that was more important than her duty as Elizabeth’s guard?” I asked Azurite, in a weak attempt to make the mood more bearable. I knew that Liliana had been given an important order, but she didn’t know if she could tell me what it was. 
“I had her transport a broken national treasure to Quartierlatin and act as my agent in a request to repair it. Liliana was easily the best person for the job,” Azurite answered. 
Transporting a national treasure definitely seemed like a serious job best left to people you trusted a lot. 
But why bring it to Quartierlatin, of all places...? I wondered. 
“National treasure... Ah!” I exclaimed as I remembered one particular broken treasure and what was currently being built in Quartierlatin. “The Prism Steed, right?” 
“Yes. That precious heirloom that has been with our country for as long as it existed, only to break in the last war.” 
Gold Thunder. That was one of the original Prism Steeds, last used by Celestial Knight, Langley Grandria — the strongest knight in the kingdom, who’d sadly been slain in a battle against Logan’s Mythical-rank devil. 
I’d heard that Gold Thunder had been damaged so badly that even its auto-repair function no longer worked. “Can it really be fixed?” I asked. 
“That is still unknown,” said Azurite. “All we found in the ruins was an SMPS manufactory. Nothing else. However, that’s where the kingdom’s few machine-focused Masters are located, so giving Gold Thunder over to them seems a lot better than just keeping its shattered remains locked away.” 
By “machine-focused Masters,” she was mainly referring to Blue Screen. 
“Though, I am somewhat concerned about leaving the task to the former core members of the rather infamous Sol Crisis,” Azurite added. 
“They haven’t exactly had a change of heart since then, but they can be trusted to complete quests with attractive rewards,” B3 commented. “Unless their end goal is just PK itself, most PKs do have an eye for profit. I believe they’ll do the job as long as the pay is good.” 
“I see. Very convincing, coming from you.” 
“Ghh...” ...And so the mood in the carriage was back to square one. 
I realized now that I couldn’t change her mind, so I just said “I’ll go check on them,” and went to the back cabin. 
There, I found Canglong, the third prince of Huang He, and the abnormality that I was quite used to by now — Xunyu. Side note: she was keeping her Tenaga-Ashinaga shorter than normal, so it didn’t look like she was uncomfortable in this relatively tight space. 
“HuhH? WhAt’s up?” she asked. 
“The air over there is really suffocating...” I said. 
“What, theY havin’ a cAtfight or sOmethin’? ShoUld ya reAlly bE comin’ hEre?” 
“Not that kind of suffocating.” 
And what would I have to do with any catfights? I thought. 
“I suppose not even a person of Master Ray’s caliber can feel comfortable in the presence of quarreling ladies,” Canglong commented with a smile devoid of malice. 
Despite being a prince, he was really modest, always adding “Master” before my and Xunyu’s names. He even insisted that we talk to him like we normally did. I wasn’t sure if it was okay for a prince to behave like that, but according to him, “I may have imperial blood, but I am not very involved in politics. You don’t have to be so considerate of me.” 
Is that how most third princes are? I wondered. 
“Yeah, I guess I can’t feel comfortable,” I said. “Girls are terrifying when they fight. They mainly use words...” 
“...You knOw who yoU’re talking abOut, right? You reAlly think thEy wOn’t pull oUt their weapOns?” 
...They might, I thought, as a clear picture of armor-clad B3 and Azurite brandishing Altar formed in my head. 
And B3 would lose because of compatibility... 
“I doubt it will come to that,” Nemesis commented. “They have a common... friend in you.” 
“I hope that keeps them from escalating things...” I said. “Let’s change the subject.” 
“YeAh.” 
“Canglong, what were you doing in the capital all this time? If I recall correctly, you were originally supposed to head to Gideon a month ago, during The Clash of the Superiors, right?” 
“Yes!” Azurite and Canglong both were supposed to come to Gideon on that fateful day. However, they had to postpone their arrival due to the recent Epidemic. That, the effects of Franklin’s Game, and the incident at the ruins had kept Azurite busy for a long time, rendering her unable to go to Gideon until just today. What had Canglong been doing during all this time? 
“This journey served a diplomatic purpose, as well as broadening my own horizons,” he answered. “I spent that time experiencing the capital and the port city to the west.” 
“I wAs with him whEn he was oUt, by thE way,” Xunyu added. “As he is nOw, his stats arE low.” 
I see. It’s probably not exactly like that, but it sort of reminds me of a long school trip. 
“Thanks to you, we were able to go to the port city and back in one day!” 
“It’s in thE same coUntry, and it’s nOt like wE had to cross an endlEss desert likE in CaldinA. Going thEre and back in a dAy is child’s plAy.” 
...The world must seem really small to those who can travel at the speed of sound, I thought. 
“BUt man, why evEn use a carriAge? I coUld carry yOu to GideOn in a flAsh,” Xunyu added. 
“Master Xunyu, that would be quite inappropriate...” said Canglong. “I am going to a formal marriage meeting. I cannot show up in the arms of another lady.” 
“That’s trUe.” 
Yeah, that sounds like grounds for an instant cancellation of the marr... marriage? 
“So, you’re heading to Gideon for a marriage meeting?” asked Nemesis. 
“Yes. The royal capital was unfit for the purpose for various reasons, so it will happen in Gideon instead.” 
“No, it isn’t the location I’m wondering about. Who are you set to marry?” 
“The second princess of Altar, Her Highness Elizabeth.” 
...Excuse me? Canglong’s words seemed profoundly important to me. I was about to ask more questions, but suddenly the dragon carriage stopped. 
Looking outside through the window, I saw a group of armed people surrounding the carriage. 
 
In Infinite Dendrogram, bandits and brigands were actually thought to be less common than you’d expect in a fantasy setting. 
The reason for that was the presence of Masters — the immortal beings who gained immense powers from their Embryos. 
The thing about Masters was that you couldn’t tell how powerful one was just by looking at them. There were children walking around with Superior Jobs, and jokesters in costumes summoning battleships and burning down entire forests. 
They weren’t all equally powerful, of course, but there were thousands of them all over the world. Accidentally attacking a Master would mean having to fight an immortal superhuman, which didn’t seem like a gamble most people would find worth taking. 
Because of this, there were only four types of people who would become bandits. 
First were the Master bandits. There were those like B3’s Mad Castle, which focused exclusively on other Masters, as well as those like Goblin Street, which would also attack tians, but they were unified in that they didn’t fear Masters as much as tians did since they were Masters themselves. 
Second were the groups like the Gouz-Maise Gang. They were organized and had many members, a handful of which could be notably powerful, giving them the potential to fend off most Masters. 
The third were the groups that had a great deal to gain by engaging in banditry. These included the bandits lurking around the trade route going through the Cruella Mountain Belt to the east of Gideon. In other words, they were so blinded by greed that they simply ignored the risks. 
And the fourth were the kind of bandits attacking us right now. 
“Kheheheh! Leave yer valuables and carriage right ’ere!” They surrounded us, said exactly what you’d expect to hear, and tried to menace us with weapons held high. Their weapons were crude, though, and their levels were probably low. 
It was pretty clear that they had become bandits and were now trying to rob us simply because they didn’t even consider the dangers of attacking Masters, or that even tians could be powerful. They probably just looked at Liliana in the coachman’s seat, saw a fair-looking lady, and assumed that this carriage was easy prey. 
However, even Liliana was a relatively strong Paladin. She’d been training hard during her days of watching over Elizabeth. As far as I knew, her level was over 300 right now, but even then, she was on the lower end of the spectrum among everyone riding in this carriage. 
They’d clearly chosen the wrong prey. 
Alas, it was already too late. One of those inside opened the door and stepped out. 
“HuhH? WhAt? Altar’s got bAndits this dAmn stupid?” 
“The hell’re... you... Ehh...?” Upon seeing who had stepped out, the bandits were at a loss for words. 
Of course they would be. They just saw an over four metel-tall anomaly step out of a carriage that seemed way too small for it. 
“I swear, if I see a single scratch on my goddamn ride,” said another... person who stepped outside, clad in ultra-heavy armor from head to toe. 
She bashed her shields together in a show of force. 
“I haven’t heard of this happening too often after Ray crushed the Gouz-Maise Gang... so of course we’d run into bandits when I was transporting a foreign guest of honor... What a disgrace.” 
The last to come out was a weirdo in a mask. 
Apparently, some of the bandits thought that she looked somewhat normal compared to the other two, but then she drew her sword — The Primeval Blade, Altar — and the bandits fell on their backsides. Some even wet themselves. 
Even if they couldn’t Identify it, they could instinctively feel how terrifying it was. 
The bandits no longer had any will to fight. The three monst— Uhh, ladies had the kind of pressure that clearly showed how immense the gulf in power was between the two parties, even if they couldn’t gauge it exactly. 
“They’re probably the three scariest women in the kingdom,” Nemesis commented. 
“If you ask me, Miss Eldritch would be in the top three instead of either B3 or Xunyu.” 
“...I recommend against saying that to Azurite.” 
“...Oh, I won’t.” That aside, the situation was actually worse now than it would’ve been if Miss Eldritch was around. 
I didn’t know about Xunyu, but the other two were clearly in a bad mood. B3 was seeing red from the stress, while Azurite was irritated about the very existence of bandits in her country. This could easily become a whole lot more tragic than it had to be. 
Feeling that I had to stop it, I decided to leave the carriage as well. 
“Oh, I should prepare in case a battle breaks out,” I said, turning Nemesis into The Flag Halberd in case of debuffs. I then used Gardranda’s miasma and flame-spewing mouths, activated Gouz-Maise in case I needed extra MP or SP, donned Monochrome’s hood, and equipped my Storm Visage. 
As ready as I could possibly be, I walked out and started speaking. “B3, Azurite, calm down. They clearly lost all will to—” 
“I-IT’S THE LEADER OF THE MONSTEEERS!” 
“MOMMYYYYY!” The bandits looked even more terrified than before — screaming, fainting, falling to the ground and grinding their faces against it, or even trying to run despite being unable to even stand. 

 

“...W h y?” I tilted my head in confusion. They acted as if they’d just seen something even scarier than the other three. 
“Your appearance took it to the next level...” Nemesis sighed. 
“...Is it that bad? Even compared to them?” I wanted to argue, but the terrorized bandits acted as compelling proof. 
Thus, the bandits, terrified by our appearances, gave up without a fight. 
...I’m so lost right now, I thought. 
We bound the bandits and waited for knights from the capital to come retrieve them. 
The tough ropes we used, by the way, were acquired by me rolling the gacha. 
At the moment, Azurite was using her Truth Discernment to question them. 
Apparently, they’d only made their banditry debut this very day. They were basically a bunch of village delinquents, and they hadn’t even finished leveling a single low-rank job. 
Well, considering that they gave up before anyone was hurt, they would probably be released with just some community service. 
...Attacking the acting ruler of Altar and a foreign prince at the same time, though, was actually a very grave crime; since they were traveling covertly, though, the bandits couldn’t be punished for that. We’d asked Canglong if he was okay with this, and he approved. 
They’d also learned their lesson. According to Azurite, they were pledging to lead honest lives once their punishment was over. 
However, we had a little problem. 
“W-We... We captured a Master and took him to our base,” one of them said. There was another victim... and a Master, at that. 
Apparently, the Master had surrendered without any resistance, making them overconfident and leading them to believe they could take on a carriage driven by a knight. But... 
“A Master surrendered?” I asked. 
“Y-Yes! He was a Master! There was one of ’em Crests on his hand!” That was strange. Again, these bandits weren’t too strong. Even an ordinary member of the Gouz-Maise Gang was stronger than them. Anyone who could cross the Sauda Mountain Pass by themselves and deal with the monsters here would be able to deal with them, as well. 
Maybe the Master just wanted to avoid fighting people. 
“What’s the Master doing right now?” 
“He said we could collect a ransom for him, so we locked him in our base... it’s a shack nearby.” Ah-hah... He was probably planning to log out. We Masters could do that as long as we weren’t interacting with anyone or bound in some way. If captured, we could undo our shackles and move to safety after logging out. It was a way of both avoiding conflict and escaping safely. Though a bit roundabout, that was probably the Master’s intention. 
It was safe to assume that he had already logged out and returned to safety. 
...Though, for all we know, he could’ve been a total newbie who’d only surrendered and spoke of a ransom because he was panicking. He might’ve not realized that he could log out. Maybe he was even still sitting, terrified, back in their shack. 
“Azurite—” 
“We have some time until the knights come. I don’t mind if you go check on him,” she said, understanding me before I could even say anything. 
“Thanks. I’m off.” 
And so, leaving the bandits to Azurite and B3, I traveled to their base. Riding Silver, I arrived at the shack in question in about five minutes. It was completely unlike the mountain fortress occupied by the Gouz-Maise Gang. 
“Well, they were the most troublesome bandits in the kingdom,” said Nemesis. “It isn’t a fair comparison.” 
“That’s true. Anyway...” 
According to the bandits, they didn’t leave any guards — only locked the place up. Sure enough, there was no one around, and the door sported a chain with a padlock on it. 
I casually pulled on it, and my STR, buffed by Gardranda, instantly broke it. 
“...Is the Master still inside?” I asked as I gently pulled on the door. 
However, something inside kept it from opening. 
“Who is it?” a voice from inside asked. It was far more composed than I expected. 
“Uh... I’m an Altarian Master who caught the bandits. I came to help.” 
“Ohh, thank you. I’m a bit busy right now, so feel free to come in and wait a moment.” 
...Just to make sure, I’m here to help someone in need, right? I wondered. I pulled on the door again, and it seemed like whatever was holding it shut was gone. 
I was still careful, in case this was a trap. “...Pardon the intrusion,” I said. 
“...Is that truly the correct thing to say here?” Nemesis asked. Inside, I saw a person sitting on the bed ahead. 
It was a black-haired man slightly older than me. Pen in hand, he was writing something down on his memo pad. Seemingly in high-spirits, he didn’t even glance at us, as though focused entirely on what he was doing. 
No. That wasn’t right. We weren’t the only thing he wasn’t looking at — he wasn’t looking at anything at all. 
His eyes were closed even as he was writing. 
This strange sight left me speechless. 
He continued writing for a good few minutes before... 
“This gave me some excellent ideas,” he said. “I can’t wait for the result.” 
Finally, he opened his eyes, showing his golden pupils. 
Then, he took photos of what he’d written down. 
I was aware that photos you took in Dendro could be uploaded to devices on the other side as images. It wasn’t a function I’d ever used, but I could tell that he was really familiar with it. 
“Oh, sorry to keep you waiting,” he said. “I was on a bit of a writing spree.” Once he was done taking photos, he finally faced me. “You have my thanks for saving me.” 
...That’s kind of a strange thing to say in this situation, I thought. 
Well, perhaps the gratitude was expected, but I’d just watched him lose himself in whatever he was doing to the extent that he hadn’t even looked at us. He probably didn’t need to be “saved” by anyone. The most likely situation here was that... 
“Umm, I’ll be blunt... You let yourself get kidnapped, didn’t you?” I asked. 
“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. 
It was more or less what I expected, considering how composed he was and how experienced he looked. 
“...Why did you do that?” 
“To acquire material,” he answered. “I happen to be an author in real life.” 
“...An author?” 
“Yes. I let myself be abducted to further my search for writing material.” 
Hearing that made me think of a certain party member of mine — Marie. She was a mangaka, and I’d heard that she was logging in to Dendro and roleplaying as an assassin for work-related research. It wasn’t surprising that there were more people out there like her. 
“You can’t experience being captured by bandits in real life, can you?” he asked. 
“Well... I guess not?” 
At least not in Japan, I thought. I got captured by Amazons in South America once, though. 
“People have the power of imagination, but it’s more difficult to imagine something you haven’t experienced and digested with your own brain. Each and every word and sight you experience first hand feeds your imagination.” 
I could understand his point well enough. People could only really imagine what they saw, heard, and felt for themselves. Words you’ve never heard could never surface in your mind. 
“And this is why I am here,” he said. “There are just far too many experiences that can only be acquired in this world.” 
“...That’s true.” I did agree with him. There were indeed many things, both good and bad, that existed here, but not back on Earth. 
“And that’s why being captured by the bandits was a precious experience to me... Oh, speaking of the bandits, how will they be punished?” 
“Putting your situation aside, they’ll only get some community service.” 
“Oh. I approve of that, too. I’m not entirely sure how Altar’s legal system works, but I won’t press charges. In fact, I would like to thank them.” 
“I see... Hm?” His words just now made me feel like something wasn’t right... But why? 
“That aside, I will take my leave now. Sorry for bothering you today.” 
“Oh, no worries.” 
“Pardon the late introduction, but my name is F. My job is High Secretary.” 
“Oh, right. I’m—” 
“I know you. You’re Ray Starling the Unbreakable, and Nemesis.” 
...That video really did make me more famous... or infamous... than ever, huh? 
“I should also thank the bandits for giving me a chance to meet you. I’m so glad I was kidnapped.” 
That’s not the kind of sentence you hear very often, but he seemed to mean it. 
“I’ll be going now. Let us meet again, if fate decrees it so,” he said as he left the shack. 
That was proof that he indeed had the power to walk through this mountain pass on his own. 
I watched as he disappeared in the woods. 
“Why the serious look?” Nemesis asked. 
“I feel like I know someone with a similar vibe to him,” I said. He reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t put my finger on who. 
“Is it not Marie? Authors and mangaka are similar professions, no?” 
They have a similar reason for playing and share a similar “indifference,” but I feel like Marie’s shadiness is different than his. And... something just doesn’t feel right about him. 
“There’s no harm in wondering about him, but for now, we should go back. The capital’s knights should arrive at the carriage soon.” 
“...Yeah.” We were currently on an escort quest to Gideon. I’d save thinking about F for later.