The Opportunity from the Game Becomes Reality Episode 91
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The Opportunity from the Game Becomes Reality Episode 91
24. Holy Sword or Lightsaber (6)
When I held out the terminal, the chocolate was actually rung up and the money was deducted from my account.
I had requested Count Ford, the owner of Ford Distribution, to make it a temporary franchise store, so at this very moment, the stage was not just a storefront in name only it was a convenience store doing real business.
I accepted the chocolate that Ibril carefully packed in a paper bag and stepped down from the stage.
Then, pointing at the convenience store, I said to the people staring at me with bewildered expressions.
"Instead of that, how about buying something, one item each? Becoming a customer at a store where a Saintess candidate works is an experience you won't easily get the chance to have."
At my suggestion, people's gazes turned to Ibril, the convenience store part-timer waiting for the next customer.
And when Eric Jones from the staff officer corps, who was the shill following after me, took a step forward, several officials who were rooting for Ibril cautiously climbed onto the stage.
"Welcome. This is Ford Convenience Store."
They looked around at this and that, then picked up items one by one as I had said and stood before the register.
Ibril greeted them with a welcoming smile while showing clean, tidy work in ringing up their items.
She had plenty of convenience store part-time experience, so no matter how many people came, she never faltered her neat movements even seemed to carry a certain grace, and her bright atmosphere put onlookers at ease. If I were her boss, I'd want to give her double the pay.
"She's truly the ideal part-timer."
Beside her, Princess Sia Rin was putting on a spectacular show, and in contrast, people looked at this bizarre contest activity and at me, who had planned it as if I were some strange person.
But after she handled more than ten customers while working her part-time job, the bewildered reactions disappeared and turned into responses like "this isn't so bad after all."
"Since a Saintess candidate is someone in a sacred position, showing a familiar image this kind of thing seems fine. Everyone knows she's a commoner who until recently was far from anything special."
"Right, you can't just create a talent that doesn't exist. Compared to spirit arts or sorcery, it may lack flashiness, but making onlookers smile is also a kind of talent, isn't it?"
"Looking at how skillfully she handles things, it seems like she worked at a convenience store for quite a while?"
"I heard she worked about a year and a half. Her family situation was difficult, so she started working as soon as she reached an age where part-time work was possible."
This is exactly the reaction I wanted.
I'm emphasizing that she, too, is a familiar presence no different from most of the commoners watching.
As someone said, you can't create a talent that doesn't exist.
I wanted to present that point in a pleasant way.
Well, truthfully, that idea didn't come from me but from Eric Jones on the staff officer corps.
"That'll be 2,500 Lute."
"That'll be 12,000 Lute."
"Welcome. This is Ford Convenience Store."
But as this continued past five minutes, then ten minutes, the favorable reactions of the people began to shift little by little.
"But are they just going to keep showing her doing convenience store part-time work?"
"Aside from the fact that the part-timer is Candidate Ibril, there's nothing special about it, so the viewers will get bored before long."
Of course, in between, she stocked the shelves and cleaned up, but that was just the convenience store part-time work we all know.
Because of that, the reactions of the Saintess contest officials weren't wrong.
Every matter requires a beginning, development, turn, and conclusion.
Without an incident, there can be no such structure.
But would we who had run through simulations multiple times have failed to grasp the very problem they were realizing?
'Of course I know.'
After sufficiently appealing to familiarity.
The stage will change.
What I wanted was not a documentary, but a variety-style entertainment show.
-Go go go go!
-Kwaaaang!
A dreadful noise rang out from the sky above, and then a huge explosion occurred right in front of Ibril's convenience store.
The Holy Knights on guard duty flinched at that, but since they had been tipped off in advance, they didn't easily jump in.
However, some officials who hadn't been informed of the situation showed a realistic reaction of panic and shouting, and soon the area was thrown into commotion.
But that lasted only a moment.
Because a figure stepped out through the smoke created by the explosion.
"Count Klein?"
"Ah, careful not to overlap the audio."
The character was none other than Arcia.
She was wearing the black color version of the Lawrence Mage Tower's Fencer 1.0 Vanguard equipment, which fit snugly, and behind her back, small bat wings and a cute arrow-shaped tail swung noisily with her movements.
Anyone could see she was disguised as some kind of being, and Ibril kindly looked at Arcia and shouted.
"It's a demon! Everyone, run!"
With awkward, overacted delivery, Ibril guided the customers to the convenience store's emergency exit according to the manual.
Then Arcia, approaching the convenience store, spoke.
"I'll take all the snacks in there!"
In truth, it was the appearance of a demon robbing the convenience store, not much different from her usual behavior.
The people who had been startled all reacted as one, with expressions saying, "What is this now?"
"You can't do that!"
To oppose the demon robbing the convenience store, Ibril pulled out a white stick that had been hanging at her waist like a decoration and held it up.
"No more talk hand it over!"
But then.
An Aura Blade formed over the sword Arcia drew, and as it visibly merged with Force, the production crew's faces turned pale.
"Th-that's part of the act too, right?"
The cameraman, without realizing it, turned the angle toward me and asked.
I answered his question with a friendly smile.
"It's real, though?"
"Crazy!"
Realizing his mistake belatedly, the cameraman captured Arcia who had drawn out her Aura Blade as a Force Sword and Ibril, who was opposing her while gripping the white stick.
Worried reactions popped up here and there asking if this wasn't too dangerous for Ibril.
But at what followed, the production crew fell silent.
"O light!"
Because with a line that seemed familiar from somewhere, a pure white Saint Blade formed over the stick in Ibril's hand.
Several Holy Knights who recognized it as a master-class Saint Blade stood with their mouths hanging open.
And as if proving it was real, Arcia's Aura Blade and Ibril's Saint Blade clashed.
-Kwaaaang!
Fragments of Aura scattered here and there with the impact sound, but they didn't affect the surroundings.
Because I was responding with a 7th Circle defensive spell.
Arcia and Ibril danced their sword dance as scripted.
Whenever the Aura Blade and Saint Blade collided mid-way, flashy effects erupted, and people reacted saying they couldn't tell whether this was a stage for the contest or a scene from a war.
"Tch! For a convenience store part-timer!"
Time passed like that, and Arcia was launched off the stage with her pre-planned line.
Toward Arcia, Ibril raised her Saint Blade high and shouted her finishing line.
"Ex!"
"Wh-what?"
"Caliburn!"
At the same moment, a powerful pure-white energy radiated outward.
-Go go go go go!
"Uhh? Ugh!"
Arcia blocked Ibril's attack with her Aura Blade, but soon couldn't hold out and flew far away with an explosion like a home-run ball.
"I'll get you for this!"
Shouting the villain's designated line, of course.
[And so, thanks to Ibril Barnet's efforts, the convenience store was safely protected from the demon's hands.]
Then a pre-recorded narration flowed from the sky.
Thanks to that, the reactions people showed at this moment were all the same.
"What is this?"
They had filmed it since it was work, but their expressions said they had no idea what genre of video they were currently shooting.
And so, thanks to the passionate performances of Ibril and Arcia, the curtain safely came down on the stage.
But even after the contest ended, the camera didn't turn off, and the angle shifted to me once again.
"It had a beginning, development, turn, and conclusion, and the stage was fun, wasn't it?"
The camera director answered my question.
"It was fun, but what kind of story was that?"
"A story of Ibril protecting the convenience store from a demon."
"...."
I told the speechless camera director one fact.
"For your reference, what Ibril used is a real Holy Sword."
"What!?"
* * *
[The Saintess Contest Committee has decided to deduct points for candidate Ibril Barnet's second contest performance, as it cannot be evaluated solely by her own ability....]
[Saintess candidate Ibril Barnet and her Sponsor, Marquis Adrian Lawrence, in dismay at the news of the point deduction.]
[It came out of nowhere, but it was absolutely the most entertaining part. The audience responded enthusiastically to Ibril Barnet candidate's contest concept, which was like a one-woman show.]
[She got points deducted, but the ratings were unquestionably the highest. Far higher than Grace Hielven's ratings, who took second place in the second contest.]
[Holy Sword Excalibur? The Holy Sword used by Ibril Barnet in the second contest turned out to be Marquis Lawrence's personal property, sparking热议.]
[Princess Sia Rin, caught off guard by the unconventional neighborhood stage performance, tripped and fell. But she looked so cute that many people reportedly made GIFs of it to keep for themselves....]
-LMAOOO that's hilarious! Since when was the Saintess selection contest this fun?
--Probably because the young Marquis Lawrence joined as a Sponsor lol
--You just can't beat that kind of idea.
-I should be sad that the candidate I support got points deducted, but why is this so funny lol
--Marquis Lawrence getting scolded by the Saintess is funny too.
--Where on earth did he get a Holy Sword lolololol
--For real lololol
-Our Arcia unnie's passionate performance really stood out!
--First time I've ever learned that Vanguard armament could look cute.
--That was Vanguard armament?
--Yeah, it's equipment called Panther 1.0, produced at Adrian Lawrence Marquis's Mage Tower.
--Ooh, that's cool, isn't it?
This contest was half a success and half a failure.
The failure was obviously the point deduction, and the success was that Ibril's stage, which had no special talents, drew the biggest buzz.
Now even the point deduction itself became a topic of conversation, with viewers showing high favorability toward Ibril.
[Convenience Store Owners' Association: Candidate Ibril's working appearance was a model of part-time work.]
Moreover, she'd gained a friendly image as planned, so I believe public interest in her won't fade easily.
Anyway, with the second contest over, the Holy Land announced the interim scores.
Whether due to the point deduction or the fact that the only talent Ibril showed was part-time work, she ranked somewhat lower.
First place was Grace Hielven, second was Evelyn Francis, third was Sia Rin, and fourth was Judy Esther.
The rankings from first to fourth were within expectations.
But seeing Ibril rank sixth, not even fifth, left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Of course, the second contest was overwhelmingly disadvantageous to Ibril from the start, so one could say she held her ground decently.
Moreover, wasn't Ibril the overwhelming first place in ratings and public interest?
There was no need to feel down about it.
'All that's left is the final third contest.'
The Saintess contest's third round is the last.
And the third contest was scheduled to take place a week later.
"This is troubling."
But an unexpected incident occurred.
As a result, the Holy Land is currently considering postponing the third contest.
"So the Prius Republic won a great victory."
That's right in the war between the Bringham Empire and the Prius Republic, the Republic achieved a major victory over the Empire, an extraordinary turn of events.
"Those idiot fools."
I slapped my forehead with my palm and cursed the Republic.
It's natural to risk one's life for victory in war, but the opponent was the Bringham Empire.
"The Bringham Empire's main force is on the move."
That victory was the worst blunder one that would expand the scale of the war and soak the entire Prius Republic in blood.
Because of the potential continent-wide escalation, postponing the final round of the Saintess contest is being considered.