No Game No Life - Volume 5 - Chapter Ep

NEVER-ENDING 
“…Hey, Steph. What do you think love is?” 
“—Are you still going on about that? I thought you were done…” 
“Apparently, I have a daughter now.” 
“……………What?” 
… Okay, calm down , Steph told herself. Severely overworked as usual, Steph had been toiling in her office when Sora, Shiro, and Jibril popped by. They’d scarcely walked through the door when Sora dropped this bomb on her. 
…Hmm. Interesting. Calming down didn’t help at all. 
“…Are you feeling all right?” 
—Jibril chimed in from the side to elaborate: 
“Sirens are quite fertile—and when it comes to the queen, even a few hairs from my master’s head should be enough to conceive a child. You must see what a tranquil race they can be so long as the queen is awake.” 
Steph tried to fend off a headache: 
“—No, that is not the issue… What? A daughter?” 
“But, you know, even if she’s my daughter, she’s a Siren, so she can’t leave the sea, right? That means I have to go there, but, see…I’m sort of worrying about whether I should go… Could this be what they call fatherly love?” 

 

—Steph had witnessed a miracle. 
—It seemed a virgin had awakened to fatherly love. 
“…There’s no need…for you to go…” 
“Hey, but this is my own daughter we’re talking about!” 
“To be precise, she is more of a replica of Laila, synthesized by using a minute sample of soul from your hair… But yes, that is how Sirens reproduce.” 
Into this fog entered Izuna. 
—A large fish was clamped in her mouth—no, a Siren girl. 
“…Sora, Sora, some tiny little Siren bitch came, please.” 
The Siren girl’s first word? 
“ ? Dad…dy…?” 
—It was electrifying. 
“Aaaaahh, my daughter, yes, that’s right, I’m your dadgebwuhh!” 
A blow from Shiro cut short Sora’s mad dashing to embrace his daughter. 
“Dear me. I thought Sirens were unable to leave the sea.” 
“That Plum bastard is here, too, please.” 
“Ahh…Dhampir magic, I see… But if you do not hurry and put her in water, she will die.” 
“Steph! Quick, get a tank! Oh, hey—there was a pond in the courtyard. Will that do?!” 
“You can do whatever, but will you just do it outside?! Or will you actually do some work?!” 
Surveying the raucous office, Jibril quietly considered: Here were Immanity, Flügel, Werebeast—and even Siren and Dhampir. With no sign of conflict. Even Azril—even Avant Heim—was starting to change. The world—everything—slowly but surely. Changing as it had not since the Ten Covenants—no, since even before then. Into something. Her two masters at the center— 
“It seems that my gospel of my masters truly will become myth…someday not too long from now.” 
Nodding silently, Jibril added to her scripture—her observation journal of Sora and Shiro. 
  —Year, Month, Day—Master experienced immaculate conception. 
 
—The Elven Gard capital, the Nirvalen mansion. 
“…I see I lose again.” 
Chlammy, who had been playing a game with Fiel, let out a sigh and withdrew her notepad. 
“Chlammy, lately it seems you don’t mind when you lose, do youuu?” 
“…Of course I mind. Why do you think I’m doing this?” 
Sullenly rebutting her friend’s assessment, Chlammy was recording the reason for her loss. Her notes on the patterns she should have accounted for but didn’t and what to do about them… In the approximate half a month since the existence Othello game with Sora, she’d already filled fifty books. 
—There was no rational way for an Immanity to beat an Elf in a game with magic. In which case—she just had to uncover an irrational way to win . Seeing the pile of notepads that demonstrated her determination—Fiel felt a swell of pride at Chlammy’s growth. 
“—Oh, Chlammy, a little bird’s come. Let’s take a little time-ouuut.” 
With this, Fiel touched the gem on her forehead. 
…Referring to the interception of foreign messages from the Element Linkernet as “a little bird” was quite a tasteful bit of irony. That made Chlammy smirk a bit, but the information— Fiel’s eyes went wide. 
“…Fi, what is it? An emergency?” 
“Ah, nooo… It simply was too incredible…” 
She related the news incredulously. 
“Why, Mr. Sora and company have annexed Oceand—Siren and Dhampir—into the Commonwealth of Elkiaaa…” 
— Is that so surprising? Chlammy asked, but Fiel continued— 
“The Council of Eighteen Wings of Avant Heim—has also voted to join the Commonweaaalth.” 
— I see. That is surprising. Chlammy smiled. With that, on the heels of Werebeast—Siren, Dhampir, and finally even Flügel had come to Immanity. Bewildered by Sora and Shiro’s frightful speed in accomplishing something most inconceivable, Chlammy said to Fiel: 
“…That’s a bit faster than expected. Let’s hurry and pack up.” 
“…Why, Chlammy, you knew about thiiis?” 
Are you withholding information from me? Fiel inquired sadly, but Chlammy smiled. 
“It’s not like that, Fi. I said expected , didn’t I? Their strategy always adapts to circumstances.” 
—It was just that, if they were going to bring together all the races, sooner or later, it had to happen. 
“The issue is just—it’s too fast.” 
“…Why, I agreeee.” 
—Yes, too fast—if it were just about Oceand, it could be overlooked. But now that, after the Eastern Union, they were annexing Avant Heim, it became a different story. Annexing a great country and a higher race in so short a time… 
—Now principal players, such as Elven Gard and Hardenfell, would be done watching coolly; they’d be on their guard. It would likely prompt them to start taking an aggressive stance toward Elkia—but this was not a problem . 
“ Just in time. It would seem that all the rush has paid off?” 
“Why, rather than rush , I would call it a mad scrambllle …” 
Even as she said this, Fiel gave a wry grin and packed—and with that… 
“Come, Fi, let us go. I do not expect we shall be able to return for a while—” 
“Hee-hee, if they can really do it , it will be an event so massive as to overturn the world. Why, we certainly can’t miss iiit.” 
As they left the Nirvalen mansion behind and walked side by side down a road they would not be able to return to for a while, Fiel asked: 

“Chlammy, come to think of it… What was that—‘one more thing’ you were saying before?” 
Fiel had reached her own conclusions, but she asked anyway. 
“—He doesn’t lie. To himself, ever. That’s why he can’t lie.” 
Apparently, she’d already known. The question had been a mere formality. Fiel smiled. 
—He would never be able to say, “This is the limit; this is about as far as it goes.” 
—For the one who had breathed life into him transcended such limits. 
—To lie to himself would be to deny his sister’s humanity. 
Chuckling at her remembrance of this pet theory, Chlammy spoke. 
“Hey, Fi, do you know the method of achieving objectives—one common to all things?” 
“…Yes?” 
“You guess, you predict, you get ready, you confront it—and then you fail.” 
“…You…fail?” 
“Yes. And then you verify the reason for your failure, you fix it, you get ready, you confront it—and you fail again.” 
“……” 
“If you do this— an infinite number of times , there is nothing in this world you cannot accomplish.” 
“…Why, that is quite the wild arguuument…” 
Chlammy smirked and nodded as she watched her companion vault past being dumbfounded to being impressed. 
“Yes, it is a wild argument—but I like this wild argument more than one might think.” 
There was nothing one could not do. What one could not do was just what one had not done yet —what remained was the face-off with time. But the ones who could pass down even that face-off across generations—were the weak. 
“Neither I—nor Sora—is superhuman, or a genius. But there’s no need to be.” 
It was just— 
“The important thing is to try to be.” 
“……” 
“Our infinite failures will light the path of those who follow—a lamp for walking through the darkness.” 
His—Shiro. Hers—Fi. Even the endless defeats of the old king, someday…must be…the lamp of Immanity, of all the races— Suddenly, Fiel asked Chlammy about the one who had influenced her so much. 
“…Chlammy. In your eyes, what kind of person is Mr. Sora?” 
What her question brought to mind—was the world he had seen. And so— 
“He is a person who decided to be a player . Just a person who quit being a puppet.” 
And yes, one could even say—she continued— 
“A person whom one day we shall surpass—perhaps?” 
At Chlammy’s brazen declaration, Fiel smiled and took her hand. 
 
The Eastern Union, the capital, Kannagari—the Shrine. Under the light of the moon, a golden fox girl and a white, aging beast man—the Shrine Maiden and Ino Hatsuse faced each other. In the hands of the Shrine Maiden as she sat on the railing of the bridge over the garden pond—was the Werebeast Piece. 
—While playing with the softly shining piece shaped like a pawn in her hand, the Shrine Maiden spoke. 
“ Pureiyaa …eh, the word has two meanings in the Immanity tongue, I’m told.” 
Namely— player —and prayer . One who followed their own will, marching forward—opening the unknown, confronting the future. Or one who deferred to another’s will, closing their eyes—turning from the unknown, entrusting the future. 
“Ino Hatsuse. To tell you the truth, ’twas my opinion that we should leave you.” 
There was no apology in her words. She hadn’t the qualifications to give one, she said resolutely. 
“Had we done that, we’d have been able to grind Dhampir and Siren into the palms of our hands with just one sacrifice and no risk.” 
“…Yes, Your Holiness. I understand completely.” 
—This was the very reason Ino did not understand that man named Sora. Why had he been saved? Ino Hatsuse had known more than well the Shrine Maiden’s purpose, and he had been ready to end his days there in Oceand. And that was why he did not understand—he could not fathom that man Sora. 
“—’Tis true we won that game. But we didn’t need to play it.” 
—A ridiculous game. With a ridiculous outcome. But a game that, if fouled up, could have resulted in severe consequences for both the Eastern Union and Elkia. In the worst case—Immanity could have even sustained the kind of irreparable harm Plum had all along been plotting. 
“We took an unnecessary risk. They took up the game despite this.” 
They most likely had some reason beyond what he had been told, Ino thought—but. The Shrine Maiden responded with laughter like ringing bells. 
“…They said they made a promise to Izuna. That they’d save you.” 
Ino was dumbstruck. They had wagered the survival of their race for that—? 
“Well, I suppose they also had their pride as gamers, not wanting to let the game default.” 
—But. 
“To sum up, ’twas a loony game, yet Immanity went ahead and offered themselves up as Dhampir bait. Mr. Sora and his sister did manage to turn it around on them… But to say they turned it around suggests it was known to be risky, doesn’t it?” 
“……” 
“Ino Hatsuse, what do you make of that man Sora?” 
“…To be honest, I do not know.” 
The Shrine Maiden intoned to Ino, whose head was bent, I suppose you wouldn’t . 
“—That man’s a fraud and a swindler—but he doesn’t lie. Nay, he cannot lie .” 
—It could be, the Shrine Maiden continued. 
“If he could lie to himself—then perhaps he would have become a blackguard who was easier to understand.” 
The Shrine Maiden knew nothing of Sora before he came to this world. Still, having had the opportunity to observe Sora and Shiro closely, she supposed they must have had trouble living. She had no evidence for this. Were she to furnish a rationale, all she could say was that it was her intuition as a Werebeast, and from experience. But—for some reason—she was sure. Why would a fellow as skilled in mind games as Sora be incapable of real-life romance—? It was that he couldn’t lie to himself. Given this—he couldn’t tell a woman he didn’t love that he did love her. In which case—it was an interesting question why he had no attachment to his old world. But it was probably that he couldn’t accept a world—that wouldn’t accept the only girl he loved . 
—That was the one thing he could never do— even if it meant turning the whole world against him . 
“Considering all that…I think I might as well swallow my pride…Ino Hatsuse.” 
In the Shrine Maiden’s brazen, brilliant expression—Ino saw something he had not seen for many years. 
“A man who stayed true to himself, refusing to abandon you, though I would have. Are you game to give him a chance?” 
Ino, to whom the question was put, lowered his head and declared reverently: 
“—If it would allow you to once more dream. If you would show me your dreams once more.” 
The Shrine Maiden smiled at these words and took the Werebeast Piece—the pawn that seemed constructed of light. And flicked it into the air. 
“—Mr. Sora, let’s see it. The continuation of the dream I used to dream.” 
That a mere piece — could fly off the board and become a player . That, at the end of this dream she had once dreamed then let collapse—the dream would be never-ending…