4 – Departure
“You still need more training.”
The dragon god said with a sigh as soon as they reached the cave. He then pulled up a giant keyboard and started to hit the keys.
“To show your nerves so blatantly in front of an opponent. If things had continued, the Seer would have held your weakness.”
“I have no words to defend myself.”
“Well, you were doing fine at first. And you have time to improve… Ah, another error.”
He worked happily, in spite of the cold looks he was getting from the small dragons.
Fiacur’s support was all that he could offer. At least, that was the excuse he made while developing the apps. It was his recent hobby, and the reason the dragons had a headache.
“Being crafty is quite difficult. I cannot do things like the other gods.”
“It is not as if doing things their way is always the best. You should still be yourself…”
He continued to hit the keys endlessly. Salia picked up a book and casually flipped through the pages.
Some of the dragon’s books had been made especially for gods, and by merely touching them, you could acquire their knowledge and gain necessary experience.
And so Salia would often spend her time here.
“By the way, were you able to give the blessing to Fi and Guto?”
“I allied with another god, which allowed me to do it. It was not something that required the offering of a star, but I am glad that I will be able to use it when necessary.”
“Leaving the management of your acquired worlds to another god, and purchasing a blessing from that alliance. Even if you are defeated, there would be less chaos from the change of god rank.”
“I have no intention of being defeated. However, it is also not my intention to create any chaos in the land.”
Indeed, these actions had clearly made the situation brighter.
And most importantly, she was happy to not have to make Sheto suffer even more.
“By the way… Thank you again. For Fiacur.”
The blue dragon’s presence had done wonders for Sheto. That was something that no blessing could do. He had become an invaluable friend.
“That was…my practical joke. There is no need to thank me.”
“But… I had been thinking about how wrong it would be…for Sheto to continue to be alone… So I am glad.”
“You are speaking as if you are his parent.”
The dragon god turned away from the monitor in order to smile at her with amusement. Salia couldn’t help but laugh.
“Indeed. I suppose…it is because I had rarely put so much into a single being… It’s possible that I’m in too deep.”
“To us gods, the lives of mortals are like a bubble in the water. It is rare to be attached to one for long… Speaking of which, I’ve heard that there are quite a few who take Heroes from other worlds into their service.”
“Well, if it is a Hero who has defeated a Demon King, then they can be deified and worshipped.”
“That is not all. Some even turn them into partners through marriage.”
The dragon god said with a laugh, and then he returned to his work.
“I wonder what the Seer will do.”
She muttered at the dragon’s rounded back. While typing lightly, he thought, choosing his words carefully.
“Likely, he will completely surround Sheto and annihilate him. Have you figured out his divine rule yet?”
“No… However, from what I’ve heard, the Seer prefers to win through strategy and not military might… Judging by that army, the divine rule must be related.”
“Do you know what an RTS is?”
She shook her head. The dragon god showed something on the monitor.
“Real-time strategy. A type of simulation game, where certain worlds are recreated and you must achieve victory under certain conditions.”
“So it is a simulation battle to learn about strategy?”
“Not only that. Trade and commerce between nations, diplomacy, technological development, and sharing of advancements are also involved. Furthermore, everything progresses in sync with the in-game clock. It results in a complex system where production and development occur simultaneously with your movements and combat actions.”
She saw various numbers appear on the screen, as well as small pawns running over vast fields. Aside from the battles, she could see ships embarking from the port town.
“You are saying… The Seer is doing this with the whole world!?”
“No. Likely he has set his Hero as a ‘Core,’ with a limited area of effect around it. And that is why the Hero has come to Morania from Efalea.”
After the battle with Evacus’s Hero, she knew how horrifyingly complicated these divine rules could be.
If you fought without understanding it, you would lose.
“What is the weakness? With this game?”
“That is not the right way to say it. But I understand your meaning. My guess is that the Seer’s Hero has no combat ability at all.”
“…Could…could that really work?”
“Well, with an RTS, it is a game to experience being the leader of a state or community. It is not at all like a war simulation, where you are a commander on the frontlines.”
The dragon god clicked a city with a flag mark on it.
“In this game, if the city where my player characters lives is defeated, then I will lose. I think that he must have similar conditions set up. After all, the divine rule is just a way to make new rules. It does not make you invincible.”
“But on the other hand, you could say that he cannot be defeated, unless you defeat the city with the Hero?”
“The hundred Heroes were nothing more than a disorganized group. However, his army can deploy a near-infinite number of troops. Furthermore, they are elite soldiers handpicked and operate with perfect coordination.”
As she listened, she started to feel a weight on her shoulders.
The divine rule allowed him to create infinite soldiers. That was clearly not fair.
“By the way… In this game you are playing. Is it possible for a single assassin to kill the leader?”
“In most RTS games, assassination is not included as a condition of victory. Even if they are, they are almost always a waste of effort.”
“But in reality, assassinations and coups are too numerous to count. Why aren’t those aspects simulated in the game as well?”
“What a horrible thing to say! Besides, it is a strategy game! It would be infuriating if you could die in a single strike!”
Apparently, it had hit a nerve, as the dragon god scowled darkly. She didn’t know if that thing was actually forbidden. But the Seer would have surely put measures in place to prevent an assassination.
“So, I have no chance of winning?”
“Do not jump to conclusions. While not an assassination, there are ways to break through the divine rule. For instance, if they are sealed away in a dueling area, you can stop reinforcements and resurrections.”
“In order to that, the Hero must be within sight. And I don’t know how Sheto can get close enough.”
“…So, we need more information.”
Said the dragon god, and then an electric sound echoed in the cave. He turned to the monitor and chortled.
“A message from Fi. Want to take a look?”
“Yes. I will see it.”