The Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 87
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The Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 87
24. Holy Sword or Lightsaber (2)
Looking only at the results of the first contest, one can see that the rankings of Judy Esther, who is allied with Ibril, the High Elf Grace, Princess Evelyn Francis, and Princess Sia Rin are trading places back and forth.
Of course, Ibril and Grace Hielven are pulling ahead slightly more.
In any case, only these five are truly in competition, and the other nine candidates feel completely left behind.
Looking at viewer ratings alone, the above five each recorded at least 1%, while the rest didn't even reach half of that, 0.5%.
If the contest continues like this, the one chosen as Saintess will likely be one of these five.
People who don't know better might wonder why a contest is even necessary, since the final choice is ultimately made by the god.
But even if the final choice is the god's, narrowing down the candidates to receive the god's blessing can be seen as the role of the faithful.
What this means is that the god does not completely ignore the rankings that people have set when making the final selection.
'The god who watched the contest always chose someone from the upper ranks that suited their taste. The current Saintess was also the overall first-place winner of the contest, and before her it was the second-place contestant, and before that, the fourth-place contestant who became Saintess.'
A candidate who fell behind in the competition has never once become Saintess or Holy Son.
Whether this is a choice reflecting the will of the faithful or simply picking anyone from the narrowed-down candidates out of laziness is unknown, but thanks to this, the contest held every 50 years has become a grand event where the god and the faithful together select the Saintess and Holy Son.
In that sense, Ibril can be considered one step closer to becoming Saintess.
"I heard the second contest ends quickly. Is that right?"
"Yes, that's what I understand."
The first contest, like this mercenary activity, is a long-term project lasting a month, but the contests that follow don't require that much time.
Among them, the second contest is said to be over in a single day.
The reason is that the second contest is a time to demonstrate the individual skills of the Saintess candidates.
Simply put, it's a time to show off each one's talents.
"The contents of the second contest have never been changed throughout history, so let's all think hard during the given rest period."
"Yes!"
The abilities of Ibril's rivals are fundamentally very high.
The High Elf Grace is a supreme spirit summoner on par with a Grand Mage.
Princess Evelyn Francis, taking after her Grand Master father, is an Aura Expert level High Knight called a master-class talent.
Judy Esther is practically already a completed High Priest.
And lastly, Princess Sia Rin is said to use a peculiar power called Eastern shamanism.
But compared to these formidable rivals, Ibril has only studied to become an administrator, and she's only two months into learning Divine power, so she needed a plan.
In that sense, the one-week rest period given to all candidates after the first contest was truly precious.
"Your Excellency."
"What is it?"
As I was about to head back to the territory, a male priest approached and spoke to me.
Since he was someone I'd never seen before, I had to tilt my head in confusion.
But at his next words, I couldn't help but take interest.
"I am Priest Farhan, belonging to the Grand Diocese of Roberto. Candidate Sia Rin requests an audience with Your Excellency."
"The Princess of the Roberto Kingdom?"
"Yes. She says if it's convenient, she would like to meet even late today."
It was an unexpected figure, so I recalled the image of Princess Sia Rin.
Princess Sia Rin, who has an East Asian appearance, has a smaller build compared to other races, just as Asians on Earth do, and she has looks like something out of a Korean idol group.
Her appearance alone, which stirred a sense of longing, was enough to draw my attention, but her character and conduct were extremely courteous, and I could feel her effort not to view others through the lens of their status.
A sight hard to believe when thinking of the arrogant nobles of Rondel.
She was truly the ideal princess I had in mind.
'It's a shame she's tied to the Prius Republic, but in terms of character, she suits the position of Saintess better than Ibril.'
Having finished my assessment of Princess Sia Rin, I gave the priest a positive answer.
"Understood. Let's do that."
"Thank you. Candidate Sia Rin will be very pleased."
Just as Archbishop Fred acts toward Ibril, he too seems to genuinely follow Princess Sia Rin.
"When and where should we meet?"
"How does around 5 in the evening sound?"
"So you mean to have a meal together. Very well."
"Then we shall meet at Manbokjeong in Lorain of the Holy Land at five o'clock."
Did they think I would be on guard if I were suddenly summoned to a foreign country?
They chose the safe Holy Land as the meeting place.
At their consideration, I nodded without a word.
A moment later, as he left, Ibril, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.
"Is it because you're handsome and capable? There are many women who approach you."
"Huh?"
Recalling Princess Sia Rin's disposition, she didn't seem like someone who would go through all this trouble due to romantic interest in the opposite sex.
I waved my hand at Ibril, saying it was a baseless thought, but for some reason Arcia seemed to deeply agree with her words.
* * *
More than a month had passed since the Bringham Empire declared war on the Prius Republic.
No matter how the Prius Republic was counted among the Four Great Empires alongside the Bringham Empire, the overwhelming majority opinion was that they couldn't hold out long against the world's strongest nation, Bringham.
But once the lid was opened, the war proved far more intense than expected.
Although they had lost battle after battle in the early stages and ceded the seas to the Bringham Empire, the Republic's forces, actively exploiting their home field advantage, launched counterattacks that kept the Empire from advancing.
Of course, there was the caveat that the Bringham Empire wasn't committing its full strength, but the Prius Republic, proving that it wasn't counted among the world's four great powers for nothing, fought on desperately around its outstanding military commanders.
"Field Marshal Ansen."
"What is it?"
"A message from the government."
"Tch..."
The tundra zone in the northwestern Prius Republic, the main battleground against the Bringham Empire.
Field Marshal Ansen, one of the two pillars of the Republic's military and commander of the Defense Force, clicked his tongue at his Adjutant's report, unlocked the encrypted tablet for classified documents he handed over, and read the attached message.
[Why do you not achieve victory? Among politicians dissatisfied with the current state of constant defense, talk of dismissing Field Marshal Ansen is being raised. For the preservation of your position, I ask that you respond more aggressively. If Field Marshal Ansen is dismissed, the subordinates of the general staff will not escape discipline either.]
At the absurd content of the message, Field Marshal Ansen hurled the tablet he was holding to the floor with a bang.
The tablet, built for military use, was sturdy enough to be unaffected by such treatment.
But his sudden outburst was enough to startle his subordinates, and he revealed the contents of the classified document to them as if he didn't care about rank.
"Our President says we must fight the enemy more aggressively and achieve victory. Otherwise, he says he'll dismiss me and discipline you all."
At that, his subordinates reacted as if to say, what kind of nonsense is that?
"D-Did the President forget who our opponent is?"
"It seems so. And he appears unaware that the Bringham Empire isn't committing its full strength."
"The best choice our military can make is to hold on without losing!"
"Who doesn't know that? With the protests growing recently, it seems their hearts and brains have both shriveled up. They don't seem to realize that the reason they can clink glasses in the safe capital even during wartime is because of us."
For Field Marshal Ansen, who already despised politicians, the message from the government stirred not just antipathy but outright fury.
To think of dismissing Field Marshal Ansen, the commander of the Defense Force, and the military staff who follow him while a war was ongoing it was simply beyond common sense.
Of course, he knew it was a threat, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of self-contempt, wondering if he should really be fighting for such a nation.
"People who don't know the first thing about war are giving orders left and right. Underestimating the Bringham Empire has to have its limits."
"Lewis Fairmont might be sowing discord from the middle. These days, all that bastard does is stir up internal strife."
"How did such trash even obtain an Opportunity..."
"I hear there are voices within the government suggesting Lewis Fairmont be placed as supreme commander of the military."
"Are they insane? At this rate, it won't be the Bringham Empire it'll be the Republic collapsing from internal issues."
And so the soldiers' criticism of the government continued.
But the one who was actually the most furious, Field Marshal Ansen, kept his mouth shut.
So his subordinates one by one began watching his mood and falling silent, and a staff officer wearing the rank of Lieutenant General cautiously asked Field Marshal Ansen for his thoughts.
"What do you intend to do?"
"Still, as a soldier, what can I do? Even if he's a goddamn bastard, if the President says jump, I jump."
But his next words were so unexpected that his subordinates wore shocked expressions.
"A, and you're saying we shift to the offensive? If we do that, and by some slim chance our forces actually defeat the Bringham Imperial Army..."
The sight of subordinates worrying more about victory than defeat.
He knew full well what they were concerned about, but Field Marshal Ansen had no choice.
"They already know. I've explained time and again why I keep stalling."
"Wh what? And yet they still gave this order?"
They must not win against the Bringham Empire.
If the Bringham Empire were to suffer a defeat, they'd throw themselves into the war even more seriously.
"It's about to be a goddamn popularity vote (election) season, so they're throwing this reckless move, aren't they."
"Th this... damn it."
To win the election.
It meant an order meant to protect their own positions rather than the nation.
"What we need to do now is prepare for what comes after we shift to the offensive."
"The politicians take the shit, and we're the ones who have to clean it up."
Field Marshal Ansen and his staff, as one, cursed the government and let out deep sighs.
* * *
"Lord Marquis Lawrence's famed reputation echoes across the Central Sea all the way to our Triton Continent. It is an honor to exchange greetings with you."
"You flatter me. Seeing the wise Princess Sia Rin before me, the future of the Roberto Kingdom looks bright indeed."
The Holy Land Everhill is geographically surrounded by Lucias, Jordi, Grisia, and the Chase Kingdom, yet strangely enough, it is not a landlocked nation all four sides are sea.
At the center of the Defteron Continent lies a perfectly circular inland sea, as if drawn with a compass, and at the very center of that inland sea sits a perfectly neat, beautiful round island.
That peculiar circular island is the Holy Land Everhill.
Looking at a map, anyone can tell the place was artificially made.
But exactly how the terrain was formed is unknown, and as befits a place called a holy land, the reasonable guess is that it was made by the gods.
The inland sea surrounding Everhill always has clear waters and rich fish stocks, so a wide variety of seafood dishes have developed there.
The establishment called 'Manbokjeong,' which Princess Sia Rin had invited them to, was a place that made Roberto Kingdom cuisine using Everhill's seafood.
I heard they even serve fresh raw crabs briefly aged in a soybean-based sauce the image I saw of it looked so much like Korean gejang that my expectations were high.
"A pleasure. The beautiful lady beside you must be Lord Count Klein."
"I greet Princess Sia Rin."
"Please, feel free to call me Princess Sia."
Then Princess Sia also shook hands with Arcia, who was always with me.
Seeing her up close, she was cute enough that the word 'adorable' truly suited her.
It was doubtful she even reached 150cm, and unlike Westerners, her nose was low and small, and her lips were tiny like cherries.
But unlike all her small physical features, her eyes though lacking double eyelids were large and sparkling, making her look five years younger than her age of nineteen.
However, since she'd seen on broadcasts how shrewd she was despite her youthful looks, her appearance wasn't a major factor in judging who 'Sia Rin' truly was.
"This is my sponsor, the one who requested this gathering."
But her next words made her furrow her brow in confusion.
Didn't that mean she wasn't the one who had organized this gathering?
And when a man who looked Russian rather than Eastern introduced himself, I furrowed my brow.
"Greetings. I am Garcia Valen, State Council Chairman of the Prius Republic."