Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 2 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue: A Morning of Smiles 
Undisclosed Location 

[“Maw of the Desert, Azmore” was defeated] 
[Final level: 56] 
[MVP: “The Earth” Fatoum, level 1,157 (total level: 1,657)] 
[Embryo: “Overflowing Divine Vessel, The Grail”] 
[MVP special reward: Legendary item, “Bag of the Desert, Azmore”] 
 
[“The Crimson Armor, Exademon” was defeated] 
[Final level: 63] 
[MVP: “King of Termination” Albert Schwartzkaiser, level 620 (total level: 1,120)] 
[Embryo: “Seven Star Turnover, Septentrion”] 
[MVP special reward: Ancient Legendary item, “Crimson Armor-Piercer, Exademon”] 
 
[“Four-Dimensional Kaiju, Todoghilas”] 
[Final level: 51] 
[MVP: “Commander-in-Chief” Gray ? Centauri, level 490 (total level: 990)] 
[Embryo: “Unidentified Flying Stronghold, Laputa”] 
[MVP special reward: Ancient Legendary item, “Ultimate Suit Series, Todoghilas”] 
 
[“Revenant Ox-Horse, Gouz-Maise”] 
[Final level: 34] 
[MVP: “Paladin” Ray Starling, level 35 (total level: 35)] 
[Embryo: “Maiden of Vengeance, Nemesis”] 
[MVP special reward: Epic item, “Grudge-soaked Greaves, Gouz-Maise”] 

“...Hm?” 
In a space enlightened by countless data windows, it sounded a voice of confusion. 
At first glance, it appeared to be an adult male human, but upon further inspection, one would notice that the skin covering its body had patches of draconic scales and beastly leather, while its head was decorated by devilish horns. Overall, it certainly looked more like a “humanoid monster” than a person, but the glasses it sported successfully moved the impression it gave off into the “human” territory — if only barely. 
It was doing one of the jobs it was assigned to — the checking of the data concerning the defeat of UBMs over a set period of time. In Infinite Dendrogram, its role was the acknowledgement of UBMs. 
Though UBMs were abnormally powerful and had abilities just as strong, their primary unique feature was their transformation into special rewards upon defeat. 
Many non-UBM boss monsters also had great strength and unique abilities. When defeated — either by people or other monsters — they dropped Treasure Coffers or items they possessed before death. 
However, the special rewards left by UBMs were completely unlike any basic boss monster drops. They were the materializations of the image — the concepts — surrounding the abilities of the defeated UBM, adjusted to best suit the most valuable person in the battle. 
Indeed, it wasn’t their strength or abilities. That very transformation was the prime feature of UBMs. 
No standard monster possessed it. But if the control AI responsible for UBMs acknowledged a unit as a UBM, it would become exactly that — a monster with the function to transform into a special reward upon death. 
The creature working in this space was Jabberwock — the very same control AI responsible for acknowledging, giving features to, and sometimes even designing UBMs. 
“‘Ray Starling,’” it murmured. “Going by Earth time, I saw this player name yesterday.” 
It was the very same player that had, at an unreasonably low level, defeated the Great Miasmic Demon, Gardranda — a UBM of Jabberwock’s design. Naturally, Jabberwock was slightly surprised to see the same person become an MVP in a UBM fight two days in a row. 
In this world, the UBMs Jabberwock had either designed or acknowledged were many. However, the same couldn’t be said for MVPs. 
Many people couldn’t defeat them. Others couldn’t even encounter them. Others just plain couldn’t become MVPs. 
Not to mention that the strongest of the strong — Superiors — were actively hunting UBMs. As a result, only the few lucky enough to encounter and successfully defeat them could become MVPs. 
Thus, Jabberwock was quite intrigued by an entity that had faced UBMs two days in a row and — through hard struggles — emerged victorious both times. 
“Fascinating,” it said. “If only most defeated UBMs like he did. I’m quite dissatisfied by how Superiors hunt them as if it’s a chore. Truly, treasure is best when earned through harsh struggles and intense drama. No good saga or epic is complete without those things, after all.” Jabberwock continuously nodded to his own words before beginning to ponder. “I believe I should make my designs even more tenacious.” 
Saying that, he closed his eyes in thought... 
“Let’s start by giving it atomic breath. Like Godzilla.” 
The moment Jabberwock said something truly foreboding, something gave a response. “No radioactive pollution, pleease!” Before he’d realized it, a cat-like mascot was sitting in the space behind him. 
It was Cheshire — control AI no. 13. Shaking its head at just how troublesome its colleague was, it began commenting about what Jabberwock was trying to do. 
“Leave the unreasonable amounts of power to SUBMs. They create enough calamities as it iis. We don’t need anything that could cause irregular evolutioon. Do you have any idea how much trouble we had with the last two irregularrs? Even Humpty’s favorite and Granvaloa’s Superiors could barely stop the Corpse Stronghold, while the Disaster Bioweapon is still space-sealed in Red King’s ‘gaol,’ you know? The ones who do all the work to take care of your UBMs are the tians, us, and the players, you know?” 
“I’m aware,” said Jabberwock. “Now, what is your business here, thirteen?” 
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” said Cheshire. “The control AI responsible for monsters, Queen, has a message for you.” 
“Which is...?” 
“‘Explain your previous acknowledgement.’” 
“What am I supposed to make of that?” Jabberwock demanded. 
“She gave me a letter, but — just as you’d expect from her — it was both overly emotional and too verbose, so I shortened iit,” said Cheshire. “Also, it’s about Gouz-Maise — the last monster you acknowledged as a UBM.” 
“I see.” That was enough for Jabberwock to understand Queen’s problem. 
“If I had to add a bit more detail to that, it’d be, ‘It wasn’t born naturally, nor was it created or arranged by us. Why are you giving UBM status to an undead born from human sorceryy?’” 
“Gouz-Maise had interesting unique abilities,” said Jabberwock. “Its stats and the circumstances behind its birth were more than enough to give it Epic status. Also, by looking at the series of events that led to its creation, it’s safe to say that there will never be another Gouz-Maise.” 
Thus, Jabberwock believed that acknowledging it as a UBM had made perfect sense. 
“That’s truue,” said Cheshire. “Queen is probably just complaining because she’s upset that not many of the boss monsters she singled out and improved are being acknowledged as UBMs.” 
“I’m just doing my job,” replied Jabberwock. “Also, does it actually matter to us whether I acknowledge something as a UBM or not?” 
“...I think she’s just being peevish because she doesn’t feel appreciateed,” said Cheshire. “But oh weell.” 
While thinking about the relationship between this thickheaded fellow AI and the Queen, Cheshire heaved a sigh. 
“Also, no. 3’s designs are unrefined at best, and overly predictable, at worst. Too lacking in both inventiveness and potential,” added Jabberwock. “When it comes to those points, this Gouz-Maise creature and some player designs make far better UBMs.” 
“Queen is a simple and straightforward girl, after aall... Wait, what?” Cheshire realized that Jabberwock had just said something that simply couldn’t be ignored. “Player designs? What do you mean?” 
“Exactly what I said,” said Jabberwock. “I’m talking about that Superior from Dryfe.” 
“...Ohh.” The mention of that single person was more than enough for Cheshire. The Superior in question was more than capable of creating a monster that could catch Jabberwock’s eye. 
“A part of me feels like Ray will get involved in thaat,” said Cheshire. 
There was no basis for the cat’s assumption. One could write it off as standard intuition, but with the control AIs all having calculational capabilities that no human could match, it was difficult to call it “standard.” 
Jabberwock wondered why Cheshire’s mutter had included the name of the player he’d been intrigued by just a moment ago, but chose not to react to it in any meaningful way. 
The cat in question, on the other hand, became curious about something relating to its own murmur and chose to ask about it. “Oh, yeah. Thinking of Ray made me remember. Hey, Jabberwock.” 
“Yes?” 
“Remember the ‘Great Miasmic Demon, Gardranda’ that he defeated recently?” said Cheshire. “What would’ve happened if it had reached completion? It died when it was only in its second form, so I’m kinda curious.” 
I know it’s my own fault for telling Ray its weak point, but still, it thought. 
In response... 
“It would’ve been born.” 
...Jabberwock said something far too concise. 
“...Sorry, but I don’t get iit,” said Cheshire. 
So concise, in fact, that not even an AI with inhuman calculational capabilities could make sense of it. 
“Its final form was the creature that was supposed to be born based on the demon’s accumulated fighting experience,” elaborated Jabberwock. 
“A separate unit?” asked Cheshire. 
“No.” The UBM control AI shook his head. “It’s better to look at it this way: the ‘mother’ was only a cover, and the child that was supposed to be born was the true Gardranda. Sadly, it didn’t get a chance to reveal itself.” 
Power left unused — a life and mind that had failed to be birthed. That was exact same thing that the silhouette in Ray’s dream — the non-mother Gardranda — had told him. 
So that’s why the demon’s weak point was the stomaach, Cheshire thought and nodded to itself. “By the way, what kind of creature would it have been born aas?” 
“If I recall correctly, the mother fought and ate primarily humans,” said Jabberwock. “Thus, it’s fair to assume that it would’ve been humanoid.” 
“It’s also fair to assume that it won’t get another chance at being born, riight?” Cheshire asked. 
“Yes, indeed.” 
However, Jabberwock thought to himself, that might change depending on the final skill it received when it became an item. 
There was a chance that the effect of the skill Ray had yet to unlock could give another chance to the creature that’d failed to be birthed. However, due to there not being any similar cases, Jabberwock concluded that it was highly unlikely. 
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to return to,” he said. 
“Sure, I have some tasks to do, tooo.” 
Jabberwock ended the conversation and faced a window displaying a stream of information. 
Cheshire left his colleague’s work area and went to do his own work. 
 
Paladin Ray Starling 

[UBM, “Revenant Ox-Horse, Gouz-Maise” was defeated] 
[Selecting MVP] 
[Ray Starling was selected as MVP] 
[Ray Starling is presented with an MVP special reward — “Grudge-soaked Greaves, Gouz-Maise”] 

“So that’s done, huh...?” I murmured. 
With Gouz-Maise’s body disintegrating into particles of light and me receiving a message window similar to the one I’d gotten after defeating Gardranda, I could finally be relieved that I’d killed the abomination. However, my situation didn’t allow it. After all, since Gouz-Maise was about forty meters tall, defeating it from the head had left me to fall the entire way down. 
Not to mention that I couldn’t move my body, either. 
To win this fight, I’d used a downright insane method of activating Like a Flag Flying the Reversal. Thanks to the debuffs I’d received getting turned into buffs, I had become more powerful than I was at my best, and had been able to emerge victorious against the abomination. However, just like it had been with Gardranda, the switching of weapons or the defeat of the enemy, Gouz-Maise, had caused the skill to get canceled. Thus, I was left burdened with a number of debuffs. My status window displayed Poison, Weakness, and Intoxication — the three effects of Hellish Miasma — along with Curse and Food Poisoning, which I’d most likely gotten for ingesting Gouz-Maise’s flesh. 
Well, I ate a part of a goddamn undead’s body, so I can’t really be surprised, I thought. 
Moments after I canceled the Reversal by switching Nemesis to her sword form, I was able to move my body long enough to activate Vengeance is Mine, but the debuffs had gotten worse since then. I could no longer move so much as a muscle. 
As things were, I was seconds away from crashing to the ground, and I would be able to do nothing to break my fall. With my current HP and the general state of my body, it was highly questionable if I could survive the hit. 
“Better say my prayers, then...” I murmured. 
A moment after I closed my eyes and braced myself for impact, I felt the touch of something unnaturally light. 
The sensation repeated a couple of times. After the gentle swaying, I felt my body land on the ground. 
I was thoroughly confused. 
Fearfully, I opened my eyes and saw a shining artificial horse, Silver, standing at my side. Just like the first time I’d fallen off of him, he was looking down at me, seemingly worried. 
It was apparent that Silver had gently caught me as I’d fallen and softly dropped me to the ground. I had no idea how he’d done it with his equestrian frame, but there was no other explanation. 
“Ha ha,” I laughed. “Thanks, Silver.” 
Not being an animal, he had no mouth and thus couldn’t make any natural sounds, so he responded to my gratitude by simply rubbing the end of his “nose” on my cheek. That action made him seem much like a real horse. 
With how he’d helped me chase down the Lich, it was safe to say that Silver had been an invaluable asset in this event. And if I hadn’t had the Miasmaflame Bracers and hadn’t seen that dream, there would have been a large chance of me losing this fight. However, there was someone who’d done more to help me than anyone else. 
“Thanks, Nemesis,” I said. “If you hadn’t persisted like you did, it would’ve all been over for us.” 
If I hadn’t had Nemesis and she hadn’t bought the time I’d needed to regain my consciousness, I’d have been given the death penalty, and that pile of corpses would’ve been free to attack someone else. Nemesis was the sole reason why that hadn’t happened, so I expressed my thanks. 
However, all I got in response was peaceful, systematic breathing. Before I knew it, she’d disappeared from my weapon equipment slot, returned to her humanoid form, and had fallen fast asleep. It reminded me of a similar moment back in the dragon carriage after the battle with Gardranda. 
The peace in her expression felt like the ultimate proof of the hard work she’d done today. 
“Well done... Nemesis.” I touched her with my left hand, causing her to instantly return to the crest. 
Left alone and unable to move, I kept my HP up by casting healing magic on myself, and looked through my items to find a way how to neutralize the status effects. The misadventure from today’s morning had made me learn my lesson, so I’d prepared for the three Hellish Miasma debuffs by buying the appropriate items when shopping. 
After taking those, I lessened the effects of Food Poisoning by vomiting a few times, and made it go away completely by following that up with a swig of the right medicine. 
The last status effect — Curse — went away by itself as I was busy taking care of the others. 
Since I hadn’t gotten attacked at all while doing any of that, I assumed that Gouz-Maise’s rampage had probably caused all the local monsters to scatter, letting me completely heal myself and remove the debuffs completely unbothered. 
Even though my status screen now said that I was in perfect shape, I certainly didn’t feel like it. The entire time interval from the moment I’d infiltrated the fortress until I’d ended the battle with Gouz-Maise had been a great drain on my mental and physical energy. My HP might’ve been at 100%, but I wasn’t confident if I could wring up even 60% of my usual performance. Not to mention that Nemesis was in no state to fight, either. 
Anyway, it was as good a time as any to check out the MVP special reward I’d gotten from Gouz-Maise. 
As it said in the name, the “Grudge-soaked Greaves” were a pair of boots made of a malicious-looking purple metal and some leather — hopefully not human leather — and its description in the window went like so:

[Grudge-soaked Greaves, Gouz-Maise] 
[Epic Item] 
An epic item embodying the concepts surrounding the ox-headed horse-man clad in grudge. 
In addition to converting surrounding negative emotions into pure power, it grants the wearer an understanding of the unity between man and horse. 
[This item cannot be transferred or traded.] 

“‘Epic Item’?” Those were the first words that escaped my lips once I saw the status screen. 
Given that the Miasmaflame Bracers, Gardranda was a “Legendary Item,” I was now curious about what kind of difference those descriptions referred to. 
I looked through the help window and found a section on “MVP special reward ranks.” I couldn’t recall it being there the last time I checked over this general area of help sections, so I could only assume that it had appeared there only recently. If I had to guess, it had probably appeared there after I’d acquired the Miasmaflame Bracers. 
As for the content of the help section, it said that UBMs and the MVP special rewards received upon defeating them had several ranks. Those ranks were primarily decided based on the UBM’s strength and threat level, and from lowest to highest, they went like so: Epic, Legendary, Ancient Legendary, Mythical, and Superior. 
Though I’d gotten stronger since my battle with the demon, I still felt that Gouz-Maise had been more challenging than Gardranda. However, the rank on the Miasmaflame Bracers was above that of the new special reward. 
The stat bonuses reflected that, as well. While the Grudge-soaked Greaves increased my AGI by 30%, Miasmaflame Bracers increased my STR by 100%. Clearly, Gardranda had been above Gouz-Maise. 
I felt that she herself might know something about this. After all, she’d called herself “a power left unused” and “the life and mind that the demon failed to birth.” 
With that in mind, I tried talking to the Miasmaflame Bracers on my hands, but I didn’t get any sort of response. 
That dream had been more than enough for me to confirm that her mind was still intact, but apparently, she had no means of talking to me in reality. 
Suddenly, I was hit with the terrifying idea that Gouz-Maise, too, still had its mind. However, after a moment of consideration, I concluded that the greaves were completely devoid of any sort of consciousness. Though the assumption was based entirely on intuition alone, for one reason or another, I didn’t feel that it was the least bit wrong. 
If I had to add reasoning to this, I’d simply say that the boots simply lacked the grudge that had permeated every inch of everything relating to the creature known as Gouz-Maise. 
With that settled, I began examining the two skills on the Greaves of Grudge. 
The first was Grudge Conversion, which was a downgraded version of the grudge power that had fueled Gouz-Maise. It absorbed the grudge from the surroundings, stored it, and turned it into either SP or MP. Though I assumed it had been part of the monster’s functionality, the skill didn’t come with the Automatic Restoration ability. 
...Upon further thought, I realized that having my lost limbs regrow would be downright freaky, so I was kinda glad it wasn’t there. 
The second skill — Rider and Horse, As One — was clearly based on the fact that Gouz-Maise had been a horse-man. It increased the Horse Riding skill level by one. 
Wait... 
Increased the Horse Riding skill level by one. 
“I can finally ride Silver!” Overcome with emotion, I shouted out my joy. 
This is great, I thought. 
It was exactly what I needed to no longer have to ride Silver like I was performing some circus act. 
The skill also increased AGI while riding a horse by 10% for every Horse Riding skill level. That was pretty good, too... in fact, that was probably the primary effect of the skill. However, since I hadn’t even been able to begin to ride, I appreciated the bonus effect far more. 
With that, I got on Silver and began following the road which Hugo and Cyco had used to get to Gideon. I rode the mechanical horse as its hooves rhythmically hit the ground, and I couldn’t help but be moved by the fact that I wasn’t falling off. 
Feeling exceedingly comfortable, I relaxed and head towards Gideon as I let Silver canter as he pleased. 
I hope I can run into Hugo along the way, I thought.

More than an hour after equipping the Grudge-soaked Greaves, Silver and I were still on a mountain road. 
“Are we there yet...?” I asked no one in particular. 
During this time, my Horse Riding skill had already increased by one, and I’d gotten a message saying that the quest “Rescue Roddie Lancarse” was complete. It seemed safe to believe that Hugo had arrived at Gideon and handed the children over to the quest giver girl and the parents. I, too, wished I was in Gideon with them. 
“I honestly think we should be close by now,” I said. The uncertainty in my tone was due to the fact that I wasn’t sure if the road I was following was the correct one. 
When going from Gideon to the Gouz-Maise hideout, we had used a Magingear, and — to avoid getting spotted — traversed a path where we wouldn’t meet any people. Now, however, I was following a mountain road that was well-maintained enough to not have a single blade of grass growing out of it. When taking my and Silver’s comfort into consideration, this path was far better than the former, but it wasn’t without its problems, either. 
The Cruella Mountain Belt was a net of many roads of various sizes. According to the area’s description in the help window, while some of them had been made on the kingdom’s or Gideon’s orders, many had been randomly created by the local gangs. 
With all the magic in this fantasy world, road-related public works weren’t a hard task. There were even spells that allowed the caster to make vegetation simply move away, so it might’ve even been easier than using heavy machinery. 
Due to that, there were countless roads, which made it difficult for me — a person with no knowledge of the lay of the land — to find my way back. Since I hadn’t gotten to the hideout by taking these mountain paths, my map didn’t display which one led to Gideon, and thus didn’t help with the pathfinding all that much. 
However, since I knew the approximate location of the city, I could make good use of the map window’s cardinal directions. With that as my compass, I was able to make my way to where I thought Gideon was. 
Considering our speed and the amount of time that had passed, the city should’ve — at very least — been in sight by now... 
“Oh.” Just as I thought that, I noticed Gideon’s outline peeking through the spaces between the trees. 
Since we were still on the mountain, I got to look down at it from a particularly high point. Though it was already turning dark, the city was emitting lots of light, making it obvious that its people were still full of energy. 
“Hm?” I murmured. 
A certain sound reached my ears. It was the sound of hooves hitting the ground beneath — something I’d grown familiar with throughout today. Except this time, there were many such sounds, and their sources all seemed to be in one group. Not only that — they seemed to be getting closer to me. 
“What?” 
As I imagined the unlikely and, frankly, silly scenario in which I was being chased by a group of horse-men Liches, the sound suddenly mixed with the sound of metal armor fittings scraping against each other. Soon enough, I saw a group of horses being ridden by people in full plate armor. 
It was a highly familiar group — Liliana’s Knights of the Royal Guard. 
“Hello, Liliana,” I said. “We sure see each other a lot to—” 
“Ray!” she exclaimed before I could finish. “Are you all right?!” 
“...day?” Okay now, why is she looking at me so intensely? I thought. And why are her knights turning all alert and battle-ready? Might I get an explanation? 
“Where is the giant undead?!” she continued. “Were you able to escape it?! Or is it still nearby?!” 
...Oh, okay, I get it now. 
I first explained Liliana that there was no need to worry, and went on to have an exchange of information with her. She gave me a detailed explanation of what had happened on her end. 
After we’d split up at the sweets café, Liliana had gone on to continue her search for the second princess, but come evening, she had received a grim piece of information. One of her people had told her that “The second princess seems to have been kidnapped by a suspicious individual.” 
Liliana had been aware of the vile deeds committed by the Gouz-Maise Gang, and had concluded that it was entirely possible that the second princess had become another one of their victims. 
However, Gouz-Maise Gang’s hideout had been in the mountain belt that acted as the border between the kingdom and Caldina. Moving out with larger groups of soldiers could’ve been seen as an act of war. 
That was why Liliana had formed a party comprised only of the best of the best of the Royal Guard, and planned a raid rescue mission to the Gouz-Maise Gang’s hideout. 
The moment they had prepared themselves and began heading out, two carriages had entered Gideon. 
Due to it being late, the speed at which they’d entered had made them stand out. Once Liliana had asked them to state their identity and business, the coachman, a Master, had told them something that was nothing short of surprising. 
He had said, “I am a Master who accepted the request of one of this city’s citizens to rescue a kidnapped boy. We exterminated the gang and brought back all the children that were still alive. However, as we did that, some strange sorcery made the corpses of the gang merge into a giant undead UBM. We were able to escape using the carriages, but my fellow Master is still holding the beast off somewhere in the mountain belt.” 
The story had been so absurd that some knights simply hadn’t believed it. However, a knight with the Truth Discernment skill had concluded that the Master wasn’t lying. Not to mention that the requester — who’d been waiting for them by the gates — had confirmed that it was all true. 
The shift from a kidnapping event to a UBM assault had made their situation turn quite chaotic. Also, Liliana had gone on to ask for the name of the Master holding back the UBM, causing her to find out that it was someone she was highly familiar with — me. 
She had hastily departed the moment she’d found that out. The knights that had been supposed to join her in the rescue operation had gone after her. Some time after that, they’d run into me, still on edge and ready to face the UBM. 
“I see,” I said. “So Hugo safely got the children to the city. What a relief.” 
I’d known it from the message I’d received, but now that I’d been told the circumstances surrounding it, I could be certain that there was no need for worry. 
“What do you mean, ‘What a relief?!’” Liliana exclaimed. “What happened to the UBM?!” 
“I defeated it,” I curtly answered. 
“Oh, I see, so you... you defeated it?!” 
“Here.” I showed her my boots and opened their informational window. 
“...Ray, if I am not mistaken, you became a Paladin about a week ago and were only level 0 before that, correct?” she asked. 
“That seems about right,” I said. Time went thrice as fast here, after all. 
“Why are you able to defeat an UBM a mere week after starting?! Also, I just realized, but those bracers are...!” 
“Oh. Yes. I got these the day before yesterday...” Saying that, I showed her the Miasmaflame Bracers, Gardranda. 
Liliana froze solid. 
“The scale of what they’re talking about is just ludicrous,” muttered one of the knights to the others. “The only person I know who can defeat a UBM by his lonesome is our late commander.” 
“You need to be kind of insane to even attempt it, honestly,” said another. 
“This is just off. Our vice commander is forced to act out the ‘straight man’ type of character,” commented the third knight. “I mean, she’s normally the ‘natural airhead’ type, isn’t she?” 
“Hhaahh...” sighed Liliana. “Truly, common sense does not apply to you Masters.” 
“Well, it’s not like I won just because of my own abilities,” I said. “I had my comrades, lady luck, this horse named Silver, and Nemesis with me.” 
“Speaking of Nemesis, where is she now?” Lilliana asked. 
“She’s currently resting,” I said. “The things she had to do left her completely drained.” 
I unequipped the Miasmaflame Bracers and gently rubbed the crest on my left hand, where Nemesis was sleeping. 
“Ray... Nemesis...” Liliana spoke again. “I cannot express how valuable your actions are. Because of you, the awful series of kidnappings in Gideon are over and the UBM disaster was prevented. I believe I speak for all the people of the city when I give you my gratitude. Thank you very much.” 
“Well...” I had trouble reacting to that. “It just happened to turn out this way, for some reason.” 
I had accepted a quest, gone to save a child, gotten mentally overwhelmed by the tragic sight in the dungeon, let my fury drive me into killing the Lich, and gone on to struggle against the Revenant Ox-Horse. Seriously, I was completely confused as to why things had turned out this way. 
Thinking back on it, there had been events which got me all choked up. I’d felt both deathly dread and disgust. My heart had burned with a fire strong enough to sear my very being. 
However, once I’d found out that the children had all returned to the city, safe and sound, the aftertaste of this whole event had become a bit better. 
Once we were done with the information exchange, we grouped up and made our way back to Gideon. 
Since there was no need to worry about any UBM attacks, Liliana and her knights decided to accompany me. Apparently, she’d noticed how tired I was and had chosen to see to it that I returned to Gideon safely. I highly appreciated that. 
“...Ah.” 
Suddenly, a certain question went through my mind. 
“By the way, what happened with the search for Her Highness the princess?” I asked. “I appreciate your company, but shouldn’t you be focusing on that, instead...?” 
My questions made Liliana’s expression turn stiff. At the same time, I felt a strong air of nervousness envelop the other knights. 
D-Did I say something bad? I thought. 
“Based on what you told me, Her Highness was kidnapped by the gang, right?” I continued. “I didn’t get a chance to take a look at the faces of the children in the carriages, so...” 
“Her Highness wasn’t in the carriages.” Liliana’s voice as she said that seemed somewhat... flat. 
“Does that mean that...?” I asked slowly. 
Are there actually more gang members? Did they take her to some other area in the mountains...? 
“The kidnapping itself was misinformation,” she said. “A short while ago, one of our people contacted me via communication magic and told me that she’d returned home, safe and sound.” 
“That’s grea—” 
“I was also told that she was carrying a store-bought mask, sweets, a goldfish, and a painting. She looked thoroughly satisfied.” 
“I... uh...” 
“The one thing she said to the people of the place she is staying at was, ‘It was most riveting!’” 
I was dumbfounded. 
...Your Highness, could you please read the mood? I thought. These people spent the entire day searching for you. 
Though the way she’d explained the situation to me was highly smooth and matter-of-fact, I could see Lilliana’s forehead twitching in anger. 
“Eheheheheheheheheh...” she laughed ominously. 
“A-Ahahahahahahah...” I reluctantly joined her. 
“Eheheheheheheheheh... Let us change the subject.” 
“Good idea.” 
Both the mood of the situation and my very instincts told me that delving into this was a bad idea. 
We switched to doing some idle chatter and continued following the road towards Gideon. 
 
When we finally reached the city, I couldn’t help but notice that its atmosphere was exactly the same as it had been back when I’d entered it for the first time. One of Liliana’s fellow knights used a communication magic skill to inform the guards about the defeat of the Epic-rank UBM — Revenant Ox-Horse, Gouz-Maise — causing them to no longer stand on alert. 
Once we passed the gates, I looked around, but Hugo and Cyco were nowhere in sight. 
“Liliana, there’s something I’d like to ask you,” I spoke up. “Have you seen Hugo...? He’s my comrade. The guy who brought the carriages with the children here.” 
“Do forgive me,” she said. “I ran out the second he told me of the situation. Give me a moment to ask about him.” 
After saying that, Liliana began speaking to the guards stationed around the gates. 
A moment later, one of them took a step forward. “After explaining the situation and handing the children over to us, the person in question said, ‘I must return to the other side’ and vanished.” 
Vanished? I asked myself. What did he mean by “other side”? Dryfe? No... 
“So he logged out, huh?” I said. He’d probably done it to avoid getting questions he wasn’t allowed to answer. The guy hadn’t gotten cuffed or anything, so he would have been able to go offline with no problem. 
I wonder if I’ll meet him again tomorrow, I thought. 
“Also, he gave me this,” said the guard and handed me a letter. 
“Thank you.” I opened it and instantly realized that it was a message he’d left for me.

“Dear Ray Starling. I leave this message to you just in case you choose to stay in this world and either return here safe and sound or your death penalty expires. 
First of all, I would like to thank you. Without you, I couldn’t have brought the children back to their parents or the lady we’d met in that alley. 
You will likely be offered many rewards for acts such as defeating the Gouz-Maise Gang, and you can rest assured that it all belongs to you. I have no need for any of it. In fact, I’m incapable of taking any rewards from the kingdom’s public institutions. 
It hasn’t been long since we’ve met, but I believe I have a good grasp of what kind of person you are. You will most likely hesitate to accept what you’re offered. However, with you having been the only one capable of doing it, you must be the one to take the rewards. 
Also, you can rest easy knowing that I have already received my prize. My rewards were lady Rebecca’s smile and the tears of joy that she shed when I brought her little brother to her. 
That was more than enough for me. 
If you still feel apprehensive about it, you can pay me back by treating me to lunch the next time we meet. 
Please excuse the fact that it’s in written form, but this is my goodbye to you. 
Farewell. I hope we meet again. Au revoir. À bientôt. 
The machine knight of ice and roses, Hugo Lesseps.”

I was speechless. 
In case I choose to stay in this world, huh? I thought. I... 
“Umm... Ray?” As I got lost in thought, Liliana looked at me with worry in her eyes. 
“Are you sure you are feeling well?” she asked. 
“Oh, sorry about that,” I said. “I’m quite fine, thank you.” 
“Well, if you say so... Anyway, since you have defeated the Gouz-Maise Gang, please take some time within the next few days to report it to the Adventurers’ Guild and the knight offices. The Adventurers’ Guild is for the bounties, while the knights need to know about the elimination of a criminal organization.” 
“I see. Thank you.” 
“The day is getting late now, and I believe you are exhausted beyond belief, so please go have some well-deserved rest,” she said. 
“I really should,” I agreed. “It’s been a really long day, after all. What will you do, Liliana?” 
“I will go back to protecting Her Highness.” 
“...Clearly, I’m not the only one here who deserves to be thanked for all their efforts.” 
“Oh, there’s no need, eheheh...” 
“All right, I will take my leave now,” I said. 
“Feel free to,” she said. “Let us meet again.” 
With that, Liliana and I parted ways. 
Still logged in, I went on to take a nap in one of Gideon’s inns. Once I let myself fall on the bed, all the events of the day flashed through my mind. However, due to how exhausted I was, the sandman took me before I could think about any of it. 
This time, I didn’t have any dreams. 
 
The next morning, I woke up surprisingly early. 
There was no sunlight flowing through the window and the sky outside only looked mildly bright, so it was probably before dawn. I placed my hand on my head and instantly found that the dog ears that had tortured me throughout all of yesterday were gone. With me spending the night in-game, they’d likely gone away due to the time limit. 
“Have you awoken, Ray?” a voice asked. 
I looked to where I’d heard the voice — the side opposite to the window. There, I saw Nemesis, who was sitting in a chair and looking at me. 
“Morning, Nemesis,” I greeted her. 
“Good morning, Ray,” she responded. 
After that, we both just wordlessly looked at one another. 
Eventually, I broke the silence and invited Nemesis for a walk. I took her to the plains right beyond Gideon’s northern gates. With it being my third time here, the area was already becoming familiar to me. 
Nemesis and I were speeding through it while riding Silver. I held the reins and controlled the steed while Nemesis sat behind and held onto me by my waist. 
“This is truly pleasant,” said Nemesis. 
“Sure is,” I agreed. 
As I had such meaningless exchanges with Nemesis, I continued making Silver gallop through the plains. After about thirty minutes had passed, I saw the sun begin to show itself from behind the eastern mountains. 
“Will you leave this world?” That was when Nemesis asked me that question. 
I said nothing. She was referring to what I had been considering back in the fortress’ basement. 
If I processed Infinite Dendrogram the same way I did reality, it was questionable whether staying in a world so filled with death would be a good thing for me. The sight of the corpses of children I didn’t even know had been enough to make me feel as though my heart had been gouged out. If they were people I was familiar with, like Liliana or Milianne, it would probably hurt me as much as a loss of a friend in reality. 
However... 
“There’s more to this world than just loss,” I said. 
If I hadn’t started Infinite Dendrogram, I would’ve never met the sisters, Rook, Marie, Hugo, Cyco and — of course — you, Nemesis. I simply couldn’t have come to know any of them if I’d only stayed there, and Nemesis wouldn’t even have been born. 
“You are aware that you might go through something painful again, no?” she said. 
Of course I am, I thought. You’re completely right about that. Events like what we went through yesterday are probably a daily occurrence here. But still... 
“If something that would leave a bad taste in my mouth starts happening before me... I’ll just stop it,” I said. 
This time, it had been all over by the time I’d gotten there. However, if I was ever in the right place at the right time, I would do everything I could to prevent such a tragedy. After all, the possibility leading to the desired future was there, as long as you didn’t give up. 
“I would give my all to grab hold of the possibility,” I said. 
“I see,” Nemesis spoke from behind me. “I feel like you are shouldering far more than you should, but I cannot say that this is unlike you. Yes — you should fight to protect. And while you do that...” 
Still behind me, Nemesis gently patted me on the head. 
The softness of the hand made me turn around. 
“...I will be the one protecting you.” 
Nemesis, covered in morning light, gave me the most gentle smile. 
That expression made me face forward again and swing Silver’s reins to make him canter ahead. For some reason, I had become bashful enough that I was unable to look at her face again. Still, I felt that I had to say something back to her. 
“Thanks... Nemesis...” That was all that came out. 
As she held onto me, I felt as though she smiled once again. 
After that, neither of us said anything more. 
Still on Silver’s back, we dashed through the fields as we let that gentle morning of smiles embrace us.